Tumgik
#She just remembers two bagels
oculusxcaro · 4 months
Note
(If she ever gets patrons who tend to make frequent 'appearances' on the news, how often does she recognize them, and how awkward are those interactions? Does she ever report them to the GCPD or feel tempted to do so?)
send me questions you have about my character!
Tumblr media
You'd think a waitress in a demanding job would at least have a somewhat decent memory when it comes to recognizing faces but honestly? Khare has a horrible memory and isn't likely to start remembering faces unless they are REALLY distinct (or have visited enough times for their appearance to register in her brain). Seeing the Joker himself strolling in and ordering up some pancakes is the most you can expect for her to acknowledge there's a serious fucking situation on hand but after that? Forget it, she's not likely to make the connection.
However, this is Gotham so chances are that at least somebody's going to rock up at the diner in their costume. Khare may be so preoccupied about getting their order right that... you know, it's going to take a minute or two to catch on that something's not right about their appearance, but she can't quite put a finger on it. Alexa, play the Jeopardy! Think Music! It's probably more awkward for the patron visiting that everything is so calm - The waitress isn't screaming bloody murder or jamming the silent call button beneath the counter to alarm the police that trouble is there, she's just smiling and doing her best to remember their order, just as they want it but on the off chance she does recognize somebody... she really, really doesn't want to call the GCPD and cause a scene, because really, nothing's happened.... yet, and the thought of police taking her statement and asking awkward questions is a far more frightening prospect than the Mad Hatter asking for a pot of tea, because... you know, she's an illegal immigrant at this point, and if she calls the police, who's to say she's not joining them in jail after her shift ends? Having a bad memory makes life difficult but in Khare's case, it might have saved more than a few potentially dangerous situations from blowing up as a hungry rogue gets a tasty meal without any screaming or overhearing any hushed calls begging the GCPD to arrive, because even criminals need to eat and boy, do most people feel a lot better after getting a proper meal inside them!
8 notes · View notes
oatbugs · 14 days
Text
procrastination is starting to have its consequences finally
#on my friends living room floor they love together but one of them has been london for weeks or maybe months#to be with her love. im on a foam mattress from one of their beds next to a glass bottle of water opened by one of them#in a mug given to me by another. the weather felt like my childhood today and it also felt like 2 years ago.#(put space in the heavens Einstein's idea and hes your friend too so nothing to fear) around the table they drank and laughed and i thought#i hope you keep growing so full with the love you receive . i hope your appetite becomes insatiable from how used to it you are#and i know youre all leaving soon but i hope one day you miss this and that youll be happy you miss it#its worth missing i think#i thought he didnt care but he said after exams hes going walk around this area over and over#(this is near where he lived and where we visited almost daily for a year)#(hed come across the bridge on a lake)#we went where she used to live and at the entrance a fox sat calmly. it just yawned and stared.#it felt important somehow. i think maybe their impressions of me will never be close to how i feel inside but i think#i love them enough for that not to matter. i dont think theyll ever know this. i dont think if they did it would change much.#and seeing them smile makes my heart glow anyway. today i tried their malaysian tea the ginger burned my throat#they warmed my heart. hes going to canada soon and hes going to the US soon and shes going everywhere soon ill never understand#how were supposed to live with memories and with seperation and with the past but we do it anyway so i think it doesnt matter much#i wanted to write a poem for the lab rats with the fibre optic wires lit with blue forcing them to turn around and around#something about how im sorry that the two photon arrays burned the inside of your brain. im sorry about the sharp points of multielectrode#arrayes. im sorry about everything we do to you. she asked to see me tomorrow. im trying to have self control but i miss her so awfully#last night my friend talked to me and i updated on everything that happened with love and the lack of it and she just started laughing#and she told me about the same thing from her side. and she told me about how she loved london because she would walk the streets#and she felt like the people were her. and her eyes would go over the people and the bag of bagels and the construction men they probably#have a kid at home maybe shes a daughter. this kid is crying for her mother and the building you just walked past caused#blisters and pain and people died in it and very likely people were born in it. we talked for hours and i felt like#i was holding her hand just like that time she held mine watching a horror film. i love her so much#my friend is a genius and i remember her picking up the charms of my phone and staring at the leaf hanging from them. shes side stepping to#music drinking dangerous cider and cocktails from a movie and chit chatting with billionaires and undergrads#i love her dearly. his head covered in electrodes. she tells me about a syrian guy shes in love with and she says#what you feel and what i feel is like cocaine. ive tried a lot of fucking cocaine.#she says ive reminded her of what living actually feels like and to never put energy into someone who doesnt see me this way.
22 notes · View notes
Text
Thinking about Baby daddy!Miguel O’Hara who had the largest smirk on his face when he watched your new boy toy and you leave the pool party, already knowing the awkward tension between you both will only escalate once you're both alone.
Baby daddy!Miguel who purposely goes out of his way to start dropping you a bagel and coffee at your place of work when it’s your weeks with gabi, saying it was on the way to work and how he remembered how you once made an offhand comment about how you never have time for breakfast before dropping off your daughter at school or at summer soccer camp before going to work.
Baby daddy!Miguel started to call you your nickname he had given you during college. First time dropping it casually during a swap, trying to garner your reaction, which was nothing more than a small laugh and a curious head tilt.
Baby daddy!Miguel who (after a few beers with Peter) finally realizes why he’s been oddly territorial over you as of recently. Before a new guy entered the picture, it was as if you two never stopped being together, sure there weren’t any kissing or hand holding, but when it was just you three, it felt like being a part of the family you were a part of pre-splitting up. You and Miguel weren’t like his parents, there was no toxicity or bad blood between you both, just two people who grew apart.
And now, he was drunk, crying on Peter’s shoulder while his friend rubbed his back to soothe him, coming to the realization that he’ll always love you. Because you’ve never given him a reason not to.
Baby daddy!Miguel who is now on your doorstep after dropping your daughter off at soccer camp. A bouquet of flowers hiding behind his back, wearing a white button up, with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of black slacks and dress shoes. Taking a shaky breath before knocking, feeling dejau hit him, catching himself in the same position 12 years ago when he first came to your dorm to ask you out.
Baby daddy!Miguel whose whole world came crashing down when the same guy from the carne asada opened the door instead of you, shirtless. With messy hair and sweatpants that we’re hanging low enough for Miguel to realize what had just transpired in your place moments ago.
Baby daddy!Miguel, whose heart shattered when you reintroduced him as your boyfriend.
Shaky hands, a thin layer of sweat, dry mouth, if Miguel didn’t know better, he would have thought he was sick. His left hand held the boutique behind him while the other fidgeted with the small excess flap of his belt, only to place the hand in his pocket when he heard the sound of muffled steps approaching the door. Clearing his throat as the door let out a faint click sound before opening.
Miguel had to drip hard on the thorny stems so he didn’t drop them out of shock. He tried his best to keep a calm expression on his face. But it seems his poker face wasn’t good enough, because the smirk your boy toy had on his face as he leaned against the door said it all. Despite being shorter than Miguel, he was acting as if he was on top of the world. Miguel blinked out of his trance when he heard your voice say a faint “who is it?” from the next room before you appeared next to him. If the sight of the man next to you wasn’t enough for Miguel, yours certainly sent him on a downwards spiral.
You were in shorts and his shirt.
“Oh Miguel! Hey, you remember Henry, my boyfriend.”
Boyfriend?
“Yeah.” He mumbled with a head nod, to which Henry returned as he crossed his arms.
Fuck.
“Um-sorry, Gabriella said she forgot her good pair of soccer shoes.” Miguel managed to say after clearing his throat, not wanting to make a fool of himself anymore then he probably already had.
To be fair, she did forget them.
Part 3<
Part 5<
Not proofread.
Word count: 600
Taglist: @ginnysculture @mishaglass @wusyanamee @mangoslushcrush @queerponcho @bunnibitez @miguelzslvtz @migueloharastruelove @dahehow @sinners-98-world @othersideoftheparadise @toyfortoji @yeshajane @yvesbi @strawberryjuice9 @hanjisgf @deljojeisbackagain @safixiovi @emmalandry @maxinemus3 @lauraolar14 @aaaaslaaaan
1K notes · View notes
rboooks · 11 months
Text
The bakery is a front!...Right? Part 2
Danny can practically feel Peter's glare through the small window between the front counter and kitchen, trying to melt his ice core. He isn't sure what he did to earn the man's ire but it was getting sort of old after two weeks.
Peter's brother, who almost always steals food and drinks between customers, wasn't nearly as bad. Danny didn't mind the loss, as he is beyond rich that he could fund his own country; he just found it odd that Alvin tended to put whatever he stole in test tubes.
He used to seeing street kids' having sticky fingers, but not ones with this particular habit. If he hadn't witnessed Alvin taking an entire bagel and stuffing it into a ziplock bag after another filling another test tube with the ghost theme latte- it was just color dye green and the foam shaped into a blob ghost- he would thought the guy was gathering samples of his merchandise rather then stocking up on food. Not that he could blame him.
Not knowing where their next meal will come from makes it understandable that they horde any food they can. Yes, the pair of brothers were close to his age but they been on the streets since Peter was fifteen and Alvin was thirteen. They had apparently took off in the middle of the night after Alvin was violently outed and his scum of a father tried to break the gay out of him.
They haven't spoken much about their past besides that, but Danny didn't need any more information.
Alvin is remarkably good at taking things without anyone noticed.
The only reason Danny caught on to what he was doing was because this was his haunt, and his ghost side had growled in outrage the first time Alvin swiped some samples of various coffees. His human side just thought it was hilarious.
After a while, the part of him that was Phantom recognized the two as new members of his haunt and now purred whenever they took stuff. Phantom's desire to provide for those under his protection made it hard for Danny not to slip and purr or rub himself against people like a creepy cat.
Phantom also had this mysterious allure to humans. Sam and Tucker let him know after the three came across the Phan Club led by his old classmates. Paulina wanting to marry him wasn't a one-time thing. Almost all his classmates wanted to marry Phantom because a part of him influenced their attraction.
Halfas were like that.
Frostbite said halfas were close to sirens and that annoyed him more than anything.
His ghost side wasn't mansplain, manipulate but rather manwhore. At least with enough exposure, people developed immunity to his allure, so Danny ignored all the love-struck eyes made at him.
Danny still very clearly remembered coming back for his junior year, walking into the hallways and causing multiple jaws to drop.
Sam and he had broken up at the beginning of the summer, so she only blinked at his sudden appearance, but Tucker had been blindsided.
"Dude, don't take this the wrong way, but you look delicious"
Danny had fallen for him just a little for that alone.
The two of them dated all junior year with Sam's blessing but agreed they were better as friends by the end. It was awkward, but the three got past that, spending senior year snickering as various people tried to ask Danny out.
Danny was petty enough to admit he enjoyed turning them down, citing their past treatment of him as a "never going to happen". Breaking the hearts of the A-listers was a special kind of joy, especially Dash.
After taking the time with Elle to further develop his ghost side, he hadn't realized the big difference between him and the other halfas.
Vlad's accident case him to form over time, after getting ecto-acne, and the years he spent in the hospital were him repeatedly dying only to be brought back seconds after, by the ectoplasm forced into his face. It is no wonder he lost his sanity and became violently obsessed with his parents.
In the creation of Dan, Vlad's mind had finally been accessible to his human side again. The future Vlad was more mellow sure, has taken him in with a kind heart but that was because he had been more human then ghost. The ghost side no longer had his parents around so its vengeance was no longer needed ans it cleared up the maddness.
It was like his image of a human hand been painted over by his ghost. It didn't blend.
Jazz had realized this, and then after speaking to his parents, they vowed to help him. Surprisingly it worked, and now Vlad was not a fruitloop. Unfortunately he may be something far worse.
Vlad was now his parents' boyfriend. Ugh. It didn't help that it had been Vlad that given his parents a grant all these years, who had taken care of the family from afar, and that he was a gentle soul. Jack had named him godfather of his son because they grew up together and had always know the sweetheart hidden within.
His coming back from the dead madness had rekindled old feelings, and his mom admitted she had felt something for him too.
Ew.
Ellie was influenced by her ghost side too. She was a clone, but her core form first, and unlike the other failed clones, she was more like a ghost who learned to be human. She gave in more to her spirit urges, only really eating and sleeping because she thought they were fun. Her ghost was painted over by her human side, but it was a well balanced collage.
Danny was a single painting with two figures side by side.
Since his accident perfectly split his two parts his human side kept his ghostly influence at bay until he was about sixteen, where slowly but surely, he allowed his two pieces to start to fuse.
That's why Dan had gone off the deep end when separated from his human side. There was nothing hold his urge to protect after his loved one's death and his ghost part saw his human half trying to get rid of him as betrayal, so it reacted by betrayung his protective obsession- by destroying everything it could and eating Vlad's ghost only fueled his crazy.
There had been times when both his ghost side and human side were separated that didn't cause this. When he was spilt by Fenton Ghost Cather, his ghost side took the responsibility while his human became even lazier than average. That didn't mean they had different personalities, just that some aspects of themselves were futher away.
It was like his soul multiplied rather then broken. It's why he was able to stay sane, he didn't reject any part of him.
It just didn't help with their fusing his ghost was affecting humans and him. He now had to deal with even more love-struck eyes. Worse, according to Vlad and Frostbite, Danny was now entering his mating stage, and he was honest to Acients nesting.
The building next door that he had bought and developed to have decent-sized cubicles with warm beds meant to house the homeless was now mostly occupied by children.
Phantom was almost always purring, seeing street kids slowly move in. He offered them food, work, a roof, and warm water. The cubicles could be considered dorm rooms-a bed, desk, and small cabinets that were savage from other kids who sold them to Danny enough for them to walk into and sleep when it turned dark. Some leave in the morning, others stay, but Danny doesn't mind.
Maybe that's why Peter hated him so much. Alvin was weak to Phantom's charm and Danny knew a thing or two about older siblings trying to protect thier younger siblings from parent's bigotry.
Jazz made a face when ghost hunters got near him before the reveal. They weren't in danger anymore, but knowing that and relaxing around what they saw a threat were two very different things.
Peter and Alvin Draper appeared a month or so after the whole Scarecrow's incident. He didn't mean to run into the supervillain, knocking the man over in the middle of his villian monologue.
He had been too busy trying to get Sam and Tucker- dated in senior year and the last two years- to agree on the main decor for their wedding. Even after they got engaged, it was still Danny who smoothed their bickering to notice that he had stop breathing again.
Sometimes he forgot.
It took the guy stuffing a needle into his arm, the liquid already being cleansed by his ectoplasm before fully settling in his bloodstream, to realize this wasn't another Gotham citizen casually wearing a gas mask.
This was the reason people wear gas masks.
He punched the creep away from him, effectively allowing the heroes to lock him up. But in doing so, he put all his goons out of work. He hadn't known until two days later Andres had nervously walked into his bakery with a resume.
Andres had been the Scarecrow's right-hand man trying to get money for his dying mother, who had cancer. Danny didn't know what to do with a guy whose only valuable skill at a bakery was speaking Spanish but if he wanted to get out of life of crime then who was he to stop him?
His resume was impressive, but it was mostly how to handle illegal chemicals and torture, so Danny set him up as his cashier and co-baker. A few days later, Andres had carefully suggested other goons from Scarecrow's crew who needed jobs, and Danny found himself fully staffed that same day.
More people began visiting him for work, and Danny didn't what to do with them half the time.
Sighing, he placed the newest batch of ecto-cookies in a box for Manolo to take to his mother. The kid is rocking on his heels by the entrance. He is new to the streets after getting thrown out by his mother's ex, but now that she was cleaning up her addiction, Danny hoped he wouldn't be seeing him around the streets as often.
"Peter is going to shoot you," Andres said, looking at the man with the streak of white in his hair practically foaming at the mouth when he saw the small boy arrive for his delivery run. "Want me and the boys to take care of him?"
Danny glanced up to catch Alvin ducking his head, face a healthy red hue. The guy had been staring at him again, which meant Peter was being overprotective again.
"No" He tells Andres, putting the boxes in a little red wagon for the boy to tug around. "I'll handle him."
He walked by the brothers, Alvin already trying to sneak a box away. Danny quickly moved the wagon away from him. When there was nothing to cleanse, ectoplasm worked like a potent energy drink, and honestly, Alvin did not need more of a reason to get less sleep.
Alvin pouted when his chance to steal a cookie failed.
Cute Thought Danny
Our children will be gorgeous Responded Phantom Make Alvin mate.
Danny ignores Phantom to smile at Manolo. He slips into Spanish, quickly crouching down to be at eye level. "Hi buddy. How is the new sweater treating you?"
Manolo's dimple shows as he pulls the sleeves over his palms. "It's warm. I like how fluffy it is."
Phantom cooed, and a soft purr escaped him before Danny clamped down on the sound. "I'm glad. Ready for another day of deliveries?"
"Yes!" The ten year old chirps snapping the list of names and address out of Danny's hand. The baker laughs, pulling our his wallet.
"I know I can count on you, so I'll pay you upfront. If anyone gives you tips, you can keep them," He says, handing the boy five hundred. Manolo beams, pocketing the money and scurrying away with his wagon.
I want a baby Phantom whines
I'll eat a bagel later, Danny promises.
( Part 1 ) (Part 3)
3K notes · View notes
luveline · 6 months
Note
could you please write an early!roan fic where maybe she thinks Y/N is actually just coming around to spend time with her and then she finds out that it’s actually cause of her eddie, and gets all grumpy like “i thought you loved me” and Y/N comforts her “i do love you, but i also love your dad!”
thank u for requesting!! eddie and roan 1k, fem
There's a distinct smell of burned toast coming from the trailer. You trust Eddie but you rush up the steps anyhow, alarmed to find him coughing in the kitchen, window thrown open. 
"Will you take her?" he asks you immediately. 
You spy Roan sitting at the kitchen table and swap her for your bag of groceries. She gasps and giggles at your sudden appearance, quick to wrap her arms around your neck when you offer your embrace. You walk her to the open door and stand there sucking in clean breaths as Eddie fans a dish towel around under the smoke alarm. "What's dad burning?" you ask. 
"Um. Bagels?" 
You rub her shoulder. "Hey, I missed you, huh? It's been a long time since I saw you." 
"I missed you too!" Roan says quickly, eager, wrapping her arms tighter around your neck to squish your cheeks together. 
You smile into her hug. You and Eddie have been busy once again, and when you did manage to steal a date night, Ro was at Wayne's. You really have missed the little girl and you intend to show it, stroking your fingers through her hair gently. She dissolves like always. 
"Shit," Eddie says, throwing two blackened bagels into the sink and running the water. "Shit, fuck. I'm sorry, girls, I don't know where my head's at." 
"Cream cheese can't fix that." 
"It's okay, dad," Roan says. "We can get burgers." 
"I can't always feed you burgers, babe, it's not good for you." Eddie rubs his hair out of his face. "And Y/N just got here from work, she doesn't wanna go out again." You're dying to flop on their couch, but if she wants a burger for dinner, who are you to stop her? Still, Eddie puts his foot down. "No, bub. I'll make some more bagels. It'll be yummy. We have salami and everything." 
"Uh," she whines, laying back in your arms. You nearly drop her. You laugh at her dramatics as she slowly drags herself back up, her eyes practically sparkling with an idea. "Me and you can go get burgers," she whispers. 
"I really am tired. Let's get burgers on the weekend, maybe." You don't like letting her down but you have to be a united front with Eddie. Usurping his authority helps no one, especially when she wants something she isn't going to get today. "And I'd miss dad." 
"Who cares about dad?" she says. 
You laugh. "I do! He's my boyfriend." 
"He's your what?" 
Eddie looks up from where he's cleaning. The burned bagels have been disposed of, the kitchen sink washed out and the toaster cleared of scorched crumbs. "You knew that, Ro." He sounds puzzled. 
"He's my prince," you say. "You know? The prince to my princess Polly." 
"What?" Roan stares at you with an extremely amusing expression, her eyebrows tugged in betrayal. 
"Sweetheart, you know me and daddy are together, don't you?" you ask, hosting her higher on your hip. "That's why we go on dates and stuff. And why he brings me flowers, why we had that anniversary dinner, remember, with the melted chocolate?" 
"I thought you loved me." 
"I love you so much," you say, looking to Eddie for assistance. He seems as lost as you feel. "Like, so much. But I love dad too. He's hard not to love, isn't he? He's handsome and funny, and he makes great grilled cheese–" 
Roan does not look happy. She pushes at your chest to be put down and sprints out of the kitchen to her bedroom, where you hear a clattering of things being pushed over and a whine filled to the brim with attitude. 
"Should I…" 
Eddie shakes his head. "In a minute. Let her be angry for a bit. This is her first heartbreak." 
You meander into him and pinch his waist. "Don't say that to me, that's awful. Poor baby, did she really not know we were dating?" 
"Of course she knows. She just forgets, 'cos she loves you and she thinks you're best friends" He wraps an arm over your shoulders. "Wow. I wonder if she thinks of me as the third wheel when we hang out." 
You take the bread knife out of his hand. "Don't bother with that. We're getting burgers." 
Eddie's laugh is more of a girly, cute giggle, like he's just had a shot. You elbow him in the stomach until he cuts it out, and beg forgiveness for being grouchy with a hug. You press your face into his neck and huff. "I missed you before you got me in trouble," you mumble. 
"Nuh-uh, that had nothing to do with me." He kisses your temple. "She loves you. It's nice. It's… You're awesome. It's great that she thinks you love her more than you love me, even if she's wrong." 
"I do love her more than I love you." 
"Are you trying to piss us both off? You can go get burgers by yourself." 
Roan is face down in her bed when you knock on her door a couple of minutes later, completely still. You pick up the plushies she's flung off her bed and sit them up in pride of place against the wall. "Princess, you know I love you," you say. "Don't you?" 
"Yeah." 
"But you know I love daddy too?" 
"Ugh." She shakes her head in disgust. 
"Ugh," you say agreeably. "You're my favourite, though." 
She turns very slightly to peek at you. "I am?" 
"Obviously. That's why I just told dad we were going for burgers whether he wanted to or not." You tickle her side until she laughs and turns on her back to escape you. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, I wasn't trying to. We're still friends, right?" 
"We're best friends." 
"That's what daddy said." You scoop her up into your side for a squish. "We're best friends forever," you whisper. 
She leans up to rub her nose against yours. 
956 notes · View notes
randomshyperson · 1 year
Text
Morning Grumpy Witch - Wanda Maximoff Oneshots
Tumblr media
Summary: The one where moody Emo!Wanda has a bad morning, but luckily, she also has a soft spot saved for her girlfriend. [Requested]
Warnings: None really, all fluff with Avengers being a family and Wanda being a simp. | Words: 1.197k
A/N-> I deviated a little from the original request and ended up writing a shared POV with Reader and Bucky Barnes my precious baby. This is pretty small and sweet as requested.
General Masterlist | AO3 | Wattpad
-&-
It was common knowledge in Avengers Tower that Wanda could be a temperamental person. And so it was best to keep a distance until she regained her temper, especially after things went wrong, like failing Natasha Romanoff's same combat challenge four times in a row. Not that anyone was keeping score.
But Bucky was a recent member of the team, and well, he's trying to be a more considerate person and had no idea that while he was preparing breakfast, Wanda was falling down her ass, again and again, and having to deal with the provocative giggles of two veteran captains and a spy who seemed to take some kind of personal pride in managing to defeat a witch.
And just for this, when the team left the gymnasiums for the kitchen, he greeted them amiably and joined in the loose talk and jokes even if he didn't know exactly what the others were laughing at.
Clint - who had spent the morning reinforcing and repairing his bows - appeared in the kitchen and like the father he was, his first instinct was to ruffle the hair of an already irritated Maximoff, grinning at her grumbling protest as he leaned over to get a cup of coffee.
Bucky didn't do anything wrong. He just wanted to make conversation. The problem was the subject.
"So, Maximoff, everything went well in training? Someone needs to kick Natasha's ass one of these days. I imagine it's easier with your magical advantage." He commented, but Wanda remained silent to the countless giggles that arose from the Avengers present in the gym at the time of the training.
Natasha made an expression of false interest, which hid the teasing. "Yeah, Wanda, tell him how your magic tricks helped you fall flat on your face on the tatami four times?"
The table exploded into giggles, Wanda grunted in irritation and embarrassment, before standing at once with a small breakfast plate in hand. Bucky swallowed dryly when she offered him only an angry glance of red irises before turning away to the kitchen counter.
He leaned a little in Nat's direction. "Was it that bad?" He whispered, and the widow laughed before clarifying:
"She has potential, but she relies too much on magic tricks. She can't get past the first wave of challenges, because she can't charm a training hologram." Nat explains.
The table falls into a brief conversation, and Bucky steals a glance at where Wanda is sitting - and shattering a loaf of bread with more force than necessary.
From the small living room, two figures then emerge to join the meal: the Starks of the Tower. Unlike Tony and his fancy robe, you are dressed casually, and he vaguely remembers you mentioning that you had a meeting at SWORD later.
It is Tony who greets the team first- You follow him, smiling briefly before your gaze circles the room. 
"Where's my little witch...?" You ask distractedly, almost sighing when you see the crestfallen figure in the kitchen. 
"Careful." He warns naturally. "She's kind of moody today."
You chuckle through your nose, turning away without missing an opportunity to steal a sweet bagel from Tony's hand, and ignoring his protest to catch up with your girlfriend at the counter.
Well, Bucky assumes you are a couple at least. He has never asked about it, but it is in the way you look and behave around each other. 
And it's definitely in how you come up behind Wanda, hugging her and completely breaking her pouting expression with kisses all over her neck and face.
The team only pays attention to the display of affection when Wanda breaks into a giggle a minute later, the sound muffled between kisses that you steal from her.
Clint has a fond smile as he comments to the rest of the staff:
"It's nice that they get along so well." 
The Avengers hum in agreement. Natasha is swiping cream cheese on a cracker when she comments to Steve:
"Let's invite Y/N to watch the afternoon practice." She says turning her face to the two figures on the counter. Wanda's stool has been spun by your hands, and despite being all over her, you both have your attention on the table at the mention of your name. Natasha gives a little smile. "It's just that Wanda fights better when she wants to impress her girlfriend. Isn't that right, Maximoff?"
All Nat gets is a raised middle finger that makes the team laugh. You chuckle at the interaction too but lean your face to hide against Wanda's neck, your arms closing around her body and hugging her properly. Wanda ignores the team to hold you back.
"I like this." She whispers, arms tightening and making you hum in agreement against her skin. Still, the position is not ideal because of the height difference between your standing figure and her sitting. Wanda sighs in your ear. "Can we go back to our room? Take a shower together..."
You groan at the amazing idea, kissing her neck before pulling away to look her in the eyes. "I can't, babe. Business meeting" You remind her, mimicking the pout she displays with your response. "Sorry. How about later?"
"Natasha didn't lie, I really do have practice. I like the idea of you watching, though." She replies, and you flash a small lopsided grin.
"Hmm, I also like the idea of watching you sweat..." You tease, managing to make her cheeks acquire a pink color. You kiss her softly before commenting, "It's a date then."
You are kissing her again when Clint hisses in warning, his gaze on the clock on the wall.
"You'll be late if you don't leave now, Stark." He tells you, and begrudgingly, you pull away from Wanda, stealing a few kisses before doing so completely.
"I'm going to borrow your car, Tony. The Silver Bugatti." You declare as you walk past the keychain. Your brother grimaces.
"No way! You have your own cars!" He protests but only receives vague excuses before you rush out of the kitchen - Throwing a kiss in the air to your girlfriend before leaving completely.
Tony spends the rest of the coffee complaining that no one respects their older brothers anymore. Bucky is impressed that five minutes ago, Wanda nearly bewitched him over a question, and now she was having trouble hiding the silly grin on her face.
He got up to drop some dirty mugs in the sink, and ventured, "You two are sweet together. And you seem to really like her, with your puppy dog eyes."
Wanda's expression changed on the spot, the red returning to her irises but also to her cheeks.
"Are you mocking me?" She retorted but looked so adorable at having been caught that he just chuckled, his attention on his mugs.
"I wouldn't dream of it." He merely replied, chuckling to himself as Wanda stormed out of the kitchen the next moment. Stealing a quick glance at Steve across the table, he wonders if it would be a good idea to set up a double date, maybe even invite Maria and Natasha if the widow promises not to torment the witch.
1K notes · View notes
melrodrigo · 10 months
Text
Tardy, part 9
part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11
Tara Carpenter x Fem!Reader
Summary: It’s time to take down Ghostface once and for all…nothing can go wrong, right?
Warnings: Graphic Violence, Language, Angst
Word Count: 3.2k
A/N: There’s also fluff in the beginning because it wouldn’t be me without fluff…happy reading! Don’t forget to tell me what you think <3
Tumblr media
The rest of the evening is spent in bliss. Tara in your arms splayed on the floor while you guys whisper disgustingly sweet nothings into the other's ear.
The morning after is no different. You wake to the smell of burnt bread, bacon, and eggs.
You get up drearily, try to stretch and immediately regret it when you feel a sharp sting pull at both your shoulder and stomach.
Humph. Last night almost made you forget you had two additional holes in your body.
You poke your head into the kitchen and smile cheekily.
"Good morning sunshine. Whatcha making there?" You hum, waltzing over to stand behind your girlfriend.
You don't see her face but you can tell she's pouting. Her shoulders tight, fists balled at her sides.
"The bagel burned." She says, letting out a tiny huff.
You peer over her to see 4 halves of a bagel burnt to a crisp, sitting sadly at the feet of the table.
"I can see that." You chuckle. She turns around quickly, big frown on her face.
"It's not funny. This has never happened before." She whines.
"It's a little funny. I mean, who would've thought an amazing chef like you would burn some plain ol bagels?" You tease, tilting your face down to press a kiss to her hair.
She pinches your sides a little too hard in warning.
"Okay, okay! Come on, I'll do the bagels. The bacon smells amazing though, you should go check up on those." You suggest, watching Tara brighten up at your praise comically fast.
You can almost see the imaginary lightbulb spark above her head.
"Yes. That's what I'll do." She grins, sauntering over to her bacon and eggs. She turns back quickly as if she just remembered something.
"But not because you told me to." She says, a mischievous grin on her lips. You roll your eyes but nod nonetheless.
She picks up her phone from the counter, presses play on a song.
It fits the energy nicely. Sort of slow, sort of upbeat. It's very romantic though.
She senses it too, you can tell by the way she snakes her hand around your waist and pulls you closer for a dance.
It might look a little silly from an outsider's perspective, you'll admit that, but it fills you with warmth.
It's times like these you want to use those cringy words couples are always describing their feelings with. You feel fuzzy. You want to forget about everything else in the world and focus on her.
"Tsk. tsk. Lovebirds, outta the way, I'm starving!" Mindy exclaims, popping out from god knows where. You frown a little at the intrusion.
She hurries over to the fridge, grabs a stray piece of bacon on her way there; earning her a light slap from Tara.
She rummages through the fridge, moving things left and right and out and in again.
"What's got you so excited?" Tara asks, sharing a look with you. Mindy doesn't turn as she answers.
"Not excited, I'm getting prepared. Can't defeat Ghostface with an empty stomach, can I?" She replies jokingly.
It's enough to ruin the mood. It makes you remember it's not just you and Tara in this world, and absolutely nothing is currently fine.
You straighten, clear your throat. Then turn to Tara, hoping you can still pretend to live in the moment.
"Shall we have breakfast, m'lady?" You ask, bowing dramatically.
You can tell it doesn't work. Tara's eyes darken again.
"Yeah...yeah. Let's." She says, sending you a small smile and pulling out your chair for you.
You squeeze her hand three times and try to send her a secret signal. She smiles a little, returning with three squeezes of her own.
-
You're quiet most of the ride to your apartment. The seven of you are crammed into Sam's little SUV; knees pressed together uncomfortably.
"What's the plan again?" You ask, trying to relieve some of the anxiety that's forming inside you with a distraction. The untimely news about your father had shaken you a bit, leaving you with no memory whatsoever of the plan the rest of the gang had made.
Tara's the one who answers you.
"We call Ghostface, get him to come to your apartment. You, me, Sam, and Chad will be waiting. Try to get him to fall for the trap, cage him up, shoot him and then we chop chop and pretend this never happened for the rest of our lives." She says simply, with all the chill of someone who's planning a holiday vacation.
When you get to the apartment, Sam equips herself with a net gun, the most important weapon; because she claims she's the only one who can use it. She's not wrong about that.
When she hands out the rest of the weapons to the group, you can tell she sees the hesitance on your face. You're tired. Not ready to fight.
The only weapon she gives you is a tiny pocket knife.
There's a trap set up right at the front door, and if all hell goes loose, there's a secret gun stashed in your bedroom.
You're not confident in the plan, not at all. There's way too much assuming what Ghostface will do when you all know he's a deranged psycho with a mind of his own.
By the time you get there, trap at the front door set, you're shaking. It's an unfortunate habit, really. You feel the dull ache in your stomach get worse with anxiety.
You're all standing smack dab in the middle of your living room. Nobody's relaxed enough to sit down.
Mindy, Ethan, Anika and Danny are situated together somewhere downstairs, in hiding. Ready to signal to you guys if they see anything suspicious.
You told them that you shouldn't split up, and safety was in numbers; but alas, the four of them had refused.
"Don't worry. We'll be safe." Ethan had said to you before he left, quickly following behind the other three with a skip in his steps.
Now, Tara inches closer to you, obviously sensing your turmoil. She grabs both your hands in hers and brings them up to her lips to kiss each of your knuckles. Her face is tight, determined.
"I'm gonna kill this fucker for what he did to you." She whispers, low enough for no one else but you to hear.
Normally, you'd laugh and quip back that she's way too tiny and weak for that, but the way she's looking at you; all mad and worked up sends shivers down your spine.
You open your mouth to tell her you'd happily do the same for her, but the indistinct sound of a phone ringing beats you to it.
Sam looks down at the contact and her expression turns unreadable. She sends all of you a final 'you ready?' look.
"Hello, Samantha." Comes the raspy voice out of Sam's phone.
"Hi." Sam grits out, grip so hard around the net gun that her knuckles turn white.
It's quiet for too long, almost like Ghostface is unsure of what to say. You raise an eyebrow internally.
Wasn't Ghostface supposed to be like super witty and stuff?
"Hey fuckface, would you mind telling us where you are? I'll show you mine if you show me yours." You say, voice light; sort of teasing. Tara grips your hand hard in support.
"Oh, YN...you didn't think I didn't know about your little plan did you?" Ghostface drawls and all four of you pale almost collectively.
"Plan? We just want to meet the fucker that wants to kill us," Sam says, eyes darting back and forth between your windows.
"Why don't you show yourself hm? Or are you too much of a pussy that you can't even fight me face to face?" She taunts, and you try to bite back the surprise on your face at her tone. She's serious, snarl on her face, fire evident in her eyes type of serious. It scares you a little.
What scares you even more is that you agree with her. There's something stirring deep in you, the feeling of ever losing Tara, the random uncalled DNA test, the fact that this fucker wants to take you away from her.
It's never going to happen.
You're about to open your mouth and bully the hell out of Ghostface when a loud shrill scream cuts you off.
You can feel the atmosphere change immediately.
It's not like your first night up on the roof with Tara now, you know what you're supposed to do. Or at least you kind of know.
You dart out the front door, leaping past the trap door you've made and practically sprint down the flights of stairs.
You can hear the three of them close behind you, footsteps hurried.
"Guys?" You call out.
There's a thumping sound and an animalistic groan. It makes you run even faster.
You round the corner to see Danny pressed up against a wall, Ghostface too close for comfort and thrashing wildly.
He's putting up a good fight, dodging and throwing in punches when he can; but it's clear who has the upper hand here.
"Hey, fuckface! Get away from my girlfriend's sister's boyfriend!" You yell, as loud as you can.
Damn, that's wordy.
You grip Ghostface's shoulders, using as much force as you can to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze in an attempt to try and pry him off Danny. You manage to throw him back, and quickly steady your feet as he tries to take a sloppy swing at you.
"Danny, where's the rest of them?" You question, looking around to see no sight of Ethan, Anika nor Mindy.
Ghostface surges at you again, and you dive to the side, kicking him in the side.
"I don't know, they just left." He says, sounding exasperated. You scrunch your eyebrows at his statement.
You see Sam behind Ghostface, ready with a beer bottle in her hand.
Huh, wonder where she got that.
She slams it down on his head hard, and Ghostface lets out a whimper. He swings madly at the both of you, not letting you approach. Then, he dashes out the lobby door before you guys can do anything.
You see the internal conflict in Sam's eyes. She wants to follow Ghostface, but she also wants to check up on Danny and his sort of worrying-looking wound.
"Stay with him. I'll follow Ghostface." You say, your tone authorative. You know she needs to hear it right now.
"Absolutely not." Tara pipes up, rushing up to you and putting her hands on your waist.
As if that was going to stop you.
You lean down quickly and press a kiss on her cheek.
"I have to go. Like right now. Or else we're going to lose him." You murmur, rub her back comfortingly. You can tell she's about to open her mouth and argue again, but Chad beats her to it.
"I'll go with her, don't worry Tara." He announces. He grabs you by the arm and urges you forward.
You mouth a quick 'love you' to Tara and run out the front lobby door, Chad in tow.
It's not hard at all to guess where the three of them could've gone. You notice the splatter of blood beneath your feet immediately; signal it to Chad.
"Holy shit." He whispers.
It's a lot. It has to be at least a gallon of blood, paving a clear way, hand prints and feet prints crazy and wild.
There's a spluttering sound to the left of you where the blood trail starts getting bigger and thicker. In big, random splotches till it stops right in front of a bush.
It would be a good hiding spot, if it weren't for the liquid painting everything crimson.
You round the big bush, weary; scared of what you might find. The pocket knife is pressed hard in your hand.
"Ethan?" You say as you see the brunette boy propped up against a wall, hiding behind the bush, hands pressed to a wound at his ribcage.
He looks extremely close to death. Like the grim reaper is five seconds away to coming and sucking the life out of him type of dead.
You don't waste a second. You rush over, fall to your knees, already feeling tears prick at your eyes.
"No no no, please." You murmur to no one in general, gripping and slapping at Ethan's shoulders, trying to get him awake.
His eyes are half-lidded, breath coming in in short sharp gasps.
You turn sharply, scream at Chad to get down here. You make him press at Ethan's wound further while you grab desperately at your shirt and ripping a piece off.
"YN." Ethan croaks, trying to get you to look at him.
There's no time, you can't. You can't let him go, not when you've just started to get to know him. Your closest friend, under you, bleeding out slowly.
There's no use trying to stop the tears now, tears stream down your face, blurring your vision.
You take the cloth in your hands and wrap it around his wound, tight, in hopes of stopping the bleeding.
It's too late, you all know it. He's already lost too much blood. He shakes a little and it makes you look up.
He's laughing.
He doesn't get to do it for very long, because blood is trickling out his mouth and choking him.
"Please, Ethan. I need you. Please don't go." You plead, taking his hand in yours and squeezing as hard as possible.
You feel the faintest squeeze before his hand falls entirely limp.
"I love you." He whispers, and then he closes his eyes. It looks almost peaceful, like he's falling asleep after a long day.
You're sobbing now. There's nothing holding you back, just pure carnal screams.
Chad sits, hands limp at his sides. Like he doesn't know what to do. He's crying too, you notice, but it's hard to see anything through your hazy vision.
You know they were close too, to the point where Chad was comfortable enough to introduce Ethan to the rest of the gang.
You feel hot, and the sadness switches to anger fast. You feel enraged.
You stand up, look both ways.
"Ghostface! Show yourself you fucker, or I'm going to hunt you down and gut you myself." You yell, hands gripping the pocket knife so hard the handle sinks between your fingers a little.
Immediately you hear something coming from the back of you. You're knocked back and stumble onto the pavement, a blur of black and white on top of you.
Your heart picks up till you feel like it might explode. Ghostface's taking your arms and placing them above your head, trying to stop you from moving.
You scream as he takes his knife and slices open the wound on your stomach once again, not too deep for it to be fatal; but enough for you to feel like you want to die.
He gets knocked over by Chad, who's standing arms flexed and ready for more fighting if necessary.
You roll over, get as close to Ghostface as you can, and try to sink the pocket knife into his chest.
You hit something hard and furrow your brows, trying with all your might to press down so you can finally kill the fucker.
He's wearing a bulletproof vest, you realize all at once, and try to change the directions of your knife.
It's too late, because he's recovering already. Ghostface reaches down to grab at your shoulder wound. You hiss, retracting immediately at the pain.
He takes that opportunity to get up and flee, but not before aiming a knife to Chad and throwing, ninja style.
"Yeah, flee you pathetic coward." You growl, taking Chad's extended hand and getting up.
"Guys?" You hear Sam call out, somewhere somewhat close.
"We're over here!" Chad yells out, and it takes only moments before you see the three of them running towards you; faces distraught.
Sam and Danny slow down halfway when they see that there's no immediate danger, but Tara picks up her pace, rushing towards you and all but flings herself into your arms.
You wince, but hold her tight.
She pulls back when she feels the thick sticky liquid painting her own shirt red. Her hands dart to cup your face, deep frown on her lips.
"You got hurt again." And her voice cracks as if she might cry.
"I'm okay." You try and reassure, tilting your face and kissing her hard.
You pull back, too quick for her liking.
"Ethan." You mumble, suddenly feeling weak in the knees.
"Ethan what?" She asks, trying to wipe the blood off your face.
"He's dead." Chad answers, voice hollow.
Tara's face changes immediately. She knows how close you were with him.
"Oh baby, I'm sorry." She whispers, rubbing comforting circles at the top of your head. You bend down, bury yourself in the crook of her neck so she doesn't have to see you cry.
You sniff slightly.
"So like...what do we do with the body?" Danny pipes up.
"We'll call the police. No use calling the ambulance now." Sam answers, eyeing you while she says the second part of her sentence.
You don't react, trying to block out the noises around you and focus on Tara. You think you might break down if you don't.
"Where's Anika and Mindy?" Tara asks softly, moving her hands to rub at your back now.
"I don't know." You mumble, shake your head to affirm your statement.
No one says anything for a long moment, but everyone's thinking the same thing.
"You guys don't think...Anika and Mindy are the killers do you?" Chad asks, a little hesitant. He sounds in disbelief.
Sam moves to touch his bicep lightly, trying to offer him some comfort. He leans into her touch, shoulders sagged and defeated.
"We don't know," She says, "but we should find them. Before we make any assumptions. Tara, call YN an ambulance.  The rest of you follow me."
There's always a sense of authority in Sam's voice that makes you want to follow, want to believe in her.
Tara nods at her sister, and leads you onto the edge of a sidewalk where you can sit freely.
She walks away to call the ambulance, and you watch as the rest of them walk away; till their silhouettes look the size of an ant.
You turn your attention to the road in front of you, the busy city. Not a single person bats an eye your direction, and you wonder how not a single person had come to your aid when you were screaming for your life.
"God, I hate people." You say as Tara sits down beside you.
"Me too." She says with no hesitance. You turn your head to look at her.
You think you understand her trauma a little bit better now. You can't even imagine doing all this a second time.
Your girlfriend really was a special kind of person.
She smiles at you softly, and the lamps above you light her face nicely.
"We'll be okay." She says, and squeezes your hand three times.
You hum but don't say anything. Squeeze it back three times.
611 notes · View notes
drabblesandimagines · 6 months
Text
Dove (part three)
Leon Kennedy x female reader Part one. Part two. Warnings: Things get a bit gory in a flashback, description of panic attack.
Tumblr media
“Anything will be great. We’ll take it slow. You ready?”
You’re not, but you doubt you ever will be.
“Ready.”
Leon taps twice on the laptop’s trackpad and it emits a beep, signaling the recording has begun, before he leans back, places his hands on his thighs and smiles. He has a nice smile, it’s reaching his eyes and you try and focus on that and not the sick feeling that’s growing in your stomach. “So, let’s go from the top. Yesterday morning…” You feel yourself inhale sharply. “..alarm goes off, or are you a natural riser?”
You weren’t expecting that to be the first question.
“I… I have an alarm.”
“What time did it go off?”
“I set it for 0630. And I got out of bed right away, otherwise I linger and then I’m late.” If only you knew what was to come you would’ve stayed in bed all day - covers pulled up and over your head.
“Then what did you do?”
“I had a shower, then I got dressed – in what you saw me in.” You hesitate - does he need that much detail, or was that too obvious and waste his time? You wait another beat, in case he wants to say anything, dismiss it from the record, but Leon just sits there there, hands resting on his thighs, looking at you, encouragingly, to continue. You press your nails into the palm of your hand, trying to concentrate. “Then I made a coffee to take with me on the walk to the office. I… I like to get there for 0745.”
“No breakfast?” He raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah. Sorry. I made a slice of toast, ate it while I was waiting for the coffee to brew.” You remember leaning up against your kitchen counter to eat it – you hadn’t even got a plate out the cupboard, just buttered it on the chopping board, left the knife in the sink to wash up later… Is there going to be a later? You dig your nails into palm again, hard enough to leave indents. “Sometimes I’ll get a bagel from this cart near work, if that matters.” It probably doesn’t, but you want to stop thinking about home.
“And do you walk to the office every day?”
“No – weather dependent. I mean, there’s a bus I can take. There’s just a lot of traffic and so many stops that I found it takes the same amount of time to ride that as walk, so I get that if it’s too cold or wet. Listen to music, usually.”
“Okay, good.” He’s laying on the praise a little thick, but you accept it gratefully all the same, along with his smile. “Doing really good. So, you walked to work. Anything unusual you remember from on the way there?”
“No. Just the same walk, really. I’m pretty good at the whole awareness of my surroundings cos of the job, so…”
“Of course,” he nods. “And you got in the office at 0745?”
“Erm… Probably not precisely 0745.” You scan in through a turnstile, don’t wanna say you got in at a specific time in case it comes back to haunt you. “And I don’t need to be clocked on until 0800, but I had time to made another coffee in the breakroom before I logged on to my terminal, so probably between 0745 and 0800.”
“And are there turnstiles or a security check when you enter?” Had he read your mind? No, he probably has it noted down to cross-check your story.
“Yeah – bag searched, walk through the metal detector, then there’s a turnstile I have to scan in at.” Like any of those protocols had stopped whatever or whoever it was who had got inside.
“Okay, good. Headed to the breakroom, then from there to your terminal, and no other stops, no colleague interruptions?”
“Er… Yeah, one.” You swallow, her face flashing across your mind. “Am I allowed to use their name?”
Leon nods.
“Clara was in the breakroom when I got there, making a coffee. She had a date the night before – I asked her how it went.”
“Okay. Do you know what the date’s name was?”
“No. She’d just mentioned it the day before, though. We were leaving at the same time and she was excited about it, so I thought I’d ask. He’d been really dull at dinner apparently. She didn’t think she’d bother seeing him again.”
And no-one will be seeing her ever again either, your brain so helpfully reminds you.
“Okay. So, you’ve made it to the office, made your coffee, spoke to Clara, sat down at the terminal… What’s that, exactly?”
“It’s a computer, basically. All linked in to the main server, sit in like half cubicles. The screens have these hoods on, so no-one can see what you’re looking at unless they’re in the seat. They’re called terminals on all the internal documents.”
“Right, got you. What’s a usual work day for you? Did yesterday’s seem any different?”
“Do you know much about the surveillance department?”
Leon shakes his head. “I know you’re an intel source.”
“Yeah, that’s about it. Individuals get marked for surveillance from email scans or phone calls, travel plans, receipts, CCTV – it can be just be a word that flags them up or someone makes a tip-off, then we conduct investigations to see whether they’re involved in bioterrorism. So, I log on and open my assigned cases. We rotate every day and there’s always a few you can dismiss immediately because it’s flagged up erroneously. Some, there’s already previous analysis done, so you go through the notes and then check if there’s been any activity or correspondence logged overnight. If there hasn’t been on those cases, I open up a new case – rinse and repeat. It’ll give me a notification on the system if there’s activity on any of my pre-allocated cases, so I switch between as activity starts and stops.”
“Huh,” he muses. “How do you pick up a new case – just see what takes your fancy?”
“No,” you shake your head. “They’re random. You click a button and the system assigns you one. They change the code every week of how it does it.”
“Why’s it random?”
“Er, in case anyone is… trying to protect someone, I guess? Or being blackmailed into, like, closing a case.”
“I see. And nothing out of the ordinary all morning?”
“No. I… I had one case that had had a lot of email activity overnight, so I went through that. Then I submitted a couple of reports advising three… or maybe four cases be closed - I can’t remember exactly - but it’s not unusual to advise closing cases as people get flagged up all the time.”
“Yeah, all make sense. Did you get a break?”
“Yeah, I had a break at 1300 to 1330. I brought in a boxed lunch…” You didn’t mention that earlier, did you? “I made it the night before – not in the morning. I grabbed it out of the fridge before I left my apartment.”
“It’s all right, Dove.” Leon soothes. “I’m not expecting you to remember every finite detail – you’re doing really well.”
You nod, a little shakily. “I ate it in the breakroom. A couple of my colleagues popped in and out, but no-one sat with me that day. I made a coffee and went back to my terminal.”
“Okay.” He nods, leaning forward then and squinting a little at something on the laptop screen. “So, 1442 is when the power was cut to the building. Where were you when that happened?”
“I had an active call that I was listening in on, it hadn’t been going on very long. And then…” You fix your stare on the coffee table then – you don’t want to look at Leon’s face anymore, those sympathetic blue eyes. “..everything went dark. There was about 15 seconds before the emergency lighting came on, or it should’ve been. We have drills every so often, and it’s meant to be quick, but only enough to light the path to the fire exits, you know? But it looked like the back-up generator was coming on too, because I’m sure I saw the terminal screen reboot a second.”
“And you didn’t hear anyone say anything?”
“I think it was quiet, I don’t know if anyone said anything, but there wasn’t an alarm to evacuate. I had my headphones on still as I thought when the terminal reboots, I’ll just get straight back into the call if it was still going after I logged in because they’ll be annoyed if we all left unnecessarily, you know?” Your eyes are still fixed on the coffee table, so you don’t know if he nods or not. “But then…” You wonder if your nails will pierce through the skin of your palm this time with how hard you're pressing. “Then I heard this scream and… And…”
You let out a shuddering breath, hearing the scream echoing around in your mind.
“It’s all right, Dove,” Leon reaches out a hand but stops himself, leaving it hovering awkwardly over your knee. “Here,” he leans forward instead, picks up the glass. “Have some water, okay?”
You take the glass, not even able to say thank you, and put it up to your lips, but it clinks against your teeth, feels too cold sliding down your throat and into your stomach.
He takes the glass back from you as you lower it from your lips, placing it down on the table gently, and waits. He doesn’t press, he doesn’t smile, just waits.
You exhale, close your eyes – you’re not sure if it makes it worse.
“I… I took my headphones off and I… I couldn’t work out what it was. It didn’t sound human – something guttural. I think I heard someone swear, and more screams, but those were human. I-I got up from my chair, stepped out and looked down the hall and… there was this thing, like…” You search for the words, but not for too long. “Sorry, I don’t how to describe it.”
“That’s all right. We’ve got them on the CCTV.”
“But it had... someone in its mouth. And I should know who it was, because I’ve worked with these people for so long, but it h-had their head in its mouth. How could I not know?” Your voice breaks.
“Dove,” Leon starts, gently, “I think we should take a break.”
You shake your head, determined to get it over with. “It shook its head, like a dog shakes a toy, but it bit down and… I don’t know if I blacked it out because I don’t remember how I got there, but I was on the ground, like something had knocked me down and… someone was on top of me.”
“I am so sorry.”
“There were more and more screams and sounds I can’t describe - from all around – and everywhere I looked there just seemed another one of those things, clambering over cubicles with these awful, long tongues, snapping around limbs and, like, ricocheting people back. I got up and ran but there was blood in my eyes and I don’t know if it was mine or someone else’s, but I didn’t get far because this horrible wet thing wrapped around my arm and I got thrown into the wall or something else hard. My arm went limp – I think that’s when it dislocated my shoulder and maybe that confused it because it let go? I don’t know why it would let go when it didn’t for anyone else and… I… The stairs…”
And that’s it, your resolve has cracked and sobs erupt from deep within your chest, your whole body shaking, your vision obscured with hot tears and you can’t breathe with the grief.
There’s a beep – Leon’s frantically stopped the laptop recording, and then he’s sat right next to you, taking your good hand in his and squeezing it.
“I need you to breathe, okay? It’s going to seem hard, but I know you can do it, Dove. We’re going to breathe in through the nose for four, hold that breath in our lungs for another four, and then we’re going to exhale through our mouths for four. Okay? I’m gonna keep count with a squeeze of your hand, close your eyes if you want, I just really need you to breathe.”
You nod, sobs instead of breaths, and it feels impossible as Leon begins squeezing your hand in rounds of four. It’s poor at best, not inhaling enough, breaths still cut short as you cry, but he persists, round after round until, finally, you feel the air is finally reaching the bottom of your lungs, crying reduced to sniffles – feeling exhausted.
“I should’ve stopped you – realized you needed a break.” He stops squeezing your hand but he doesn’t let go.
“No,” your voice still feels tight. “I wanted it over with. Is that selfish?”
“Not at all.” Leon replies quickly, firmly, before his tone softens. “I know this a dumb question before I even ask, but is there anything I can do for you right now, or get you?”
“Can I have a hug?” You ask, quietly - a fleeting thought of that surely would be against protocol, but you need something grounding.
“Of course.” His arms wrap around you – strong, solid, warm arms, mindful of your shoulder, pressing you into his chest and the scent of the strawberry bodywash. You can hear his heartbeat as you press your face into him.
Leon doesn’t speak, doesn’t move either, just keeps holding you close. Hell, he needed a hug after Raccoon City, he’d just never got the guts to ask Claire for one. Not in front of Sherry anyway, and no-one was gonna hug him when he got sent off to military training.
He doesn’t know how long you’ve sat like that, but he is aware as you grow limp against his chest, falling into an emotionally exhausted sleep. He knows it’s not proper for him to be doing this with you, the DSO asset he’s meant to be protecting, but from past experience, he knows you won’t be asleep long and what the DSO doesn’t know can’t hurt them.
Speaking of, he thinks, leaning against the back of the sofa and tilting you gently down with him, he slips a hand into his pocket for his phone and types a quick message.
Interview concluded. Will have timeline of incident and report sent by 2000. Summary - experiencing survivor's guilt, not a suspect.
--
Part four.
Masterlist . Requests welcome . Commissions/Ko-Fi
Comments, follows, likes and reblogs make my day! PS: I'm sorry if this was extremely boring but hopefully some nice fluff in there for you at the end x
283 notes · View notes
cozage · 8 months
Note
Hi cozage,
Congrats for 2k!!!🤧💖
SO, I was thinking about how Sabo would confess his feelings for his beloved one, or like, SHE would confess first? Being so oblivious and occupied with work like he is, maybe isn't crazy imagine that happening 👀✨
I loved the silent treatment one with him lol, I don't see a lot of imagines with him, I miss it rsrsrs
Thanks for lighting up my day with your stories 💖
Thank you! Writing Sabo is always fun, I enjoyed this one a lot :)
Characters: gn reader x Sabo Total word count: 1k
Subtle Realization
You knew you liked Sabo. You found him attractive from the moment you met him. But the second in command of the revolutionary army wasn’t as obvious with his feelings towards you. 
You worked closely with him for weeks, a constant battle between hot and cold emotions from him. Sometimes, he asked about your day, your likes and dislikes, and many other things. Other days, he only barked out orders. It was confusing, to say the least. But there were a few moments that made you realize he was actually paying attention. 
One morning, you were running late to a meeting, and you fully expected everyone to be pissed at you. You didn’t even have time to stop at your favorite bagel shop and grab breakfast. 
But when you slipped into the meeting beside Sabo, he handed you a bagel with cream cheese and your favorite tea. 
“How’d you know?” you whispered. 
“I always see you there.” He shrugged. “Figured I’d just get your order for you since you weren't there this morning. That’s what friends do.”
Friends. That pesky word that he loved so much. He may have done one of the kindest things he had ever done for you- for anyone- but you were still just friends. 
It was only a few days later when he asked you to dinner. 
“We’re both working late, and you’ve been working so hard, I just thought it would be nice to go somewhere and talk away from work.”
“Sure.” Your voice was monotone, but your heartbeat quickened at the thought of the two of you at dinner. Alone. 
It was a nice restaurant, far fancier than what you had dressed for, but Sabo complimented how lovely you looked, and the two of you had a fabulous time. 
He learned about your past, and you learned about his-what he could remember of it, at least. He paid for dinner and even walked you back to your little cramped living space, like a true gentleman. 
“Thank you for the meal,” you said. “Would you like to come in for a bit? It’s not much, but-”
“Oh no,” Sabo said quickly. “Dinner was lovely. We should do it again sometime.”
Were you reading too much into his words? Or was he trying to insinuate that he was feeling something more?
You smiled, trying not to let too much excitement show. “I’d like that quite a lot.”
“As would I.” He tipped his hat to you. “Since we’re coworkers, I think it’s important we get to know each other as much as possible.”
Coworkers. Somehow, it was worse than friends. You tried not to let your disappointment show, but once you slipped into your room, you couldn’t help but burst into tears. 
A few weeks later, you were grumbling about your roommate. The set up was atrocious, and while you weren’t much of a complainer, your roommate and living space were both worthy of complaining about. 
“Why don’t you just move in with me?” Sabo asked, not even bothering to look up from his writing. 
You stared at him for a few moments. Surely you had heard him wrong. “What?”
“Move in with me,” he said again. “You already stay here well past midnight. Sometimes you even crash on the couch. I have a spare room. You should move in.”
You scoffed. “I can’t just move in, Sabo. Its-”
“Why not?” he asked, finally looking up at you. “It wouldn’t be much different than now. Nothing would change except where you call home.”
Home. With Sabo. Surely you were setting yourself up for heartbreak here. But you agreed.
 Three days later, you moved in with him. And while you still referred to each other as coworkers or friends, you also went home together. You cooked dinner together. You shared a bathroom, and worked in the study together. 
You never had a break from him, but you didn’t mind. In fact, on your off days, the two of you often went and did something together. You read books together and talked about them over dinner. You went on walks, and trained, and only when you said goodnight did the two of you go your separate ways. Sabo to the room on the left, and you to the room on the right. 
It was awkward at first, but you quickly found a way to cohabitate. Cooking and cleaning was infinitely more fun with Sabo by your side, and he laughed a lot more in your presence. 
Ten months after you first met him, he finally came to the realization. 
You were sitting at dinner, just the two of you. You had made pasta, and you had managed to get some sauce on your face while the two of you were eating. 
Without thinking, Sabo leaned over and gently wiped it from your chin, and suddenly the entire world simultaneously flipped on its head and made so much sense. 
“Oh,” Sabo whispered, still staring at the place where the sauce had been. “I think I could do this forever with you.”
Your heart was beating so loud in your chest, you were certain he could hear it. 
“What do you mean?” you whispered, scared to be hopeful. 
His eyes darted up to yours. “I think I love you. And I don’t ever want to lose you.”
“Sabo-” you breathed out, but he lunged across the table, connecting his lips with yours. 
He pulled away far too soon, afraid he had ruined one of the only friendships he actually cared about. 
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I know you might not feel the same way. I just realized and had to tell you.”
Part of you was certain this was a dream. But if it was, you never wanted to wake up. 
“I feel the same,” you assured him. “I just wasn’t sure if you would ever…” You trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence.
He gave you a slightly devious smile, leaning back across the table to give you another kiss. “Well I do. And we have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
For the first time since you moved in, the two of you didn’t go separate ways for bed.
322 notes · View notes
alexfromjersey · 10 months
Text
𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓯𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 & 𝓐𝓻𝓰𝓾𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼
jenna ortega x g!poc
summary: two months go by after the premiere of Scream 6. after not speaking for a month, Jenna finds you and has some intense news to share.
warnings: mature language, angst, fluff, mentions abortion
a/n: I'M NOT SCARED OF LIONS, AND TIGERS, AND BEARS...oh and I totally forgot that the Met was May 1 sooooo pretend it was a little bit later in the month. 3.7k words
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Series Masterlist
Tumblr media
MAY 2023
Life has certainly skyrocketed for you after you released your vlog of the Scream 6 red carpet premiere. Everyone loved the funny moments between you and Davis and the cast appearances. The fans also noticed the interaction between you and Jenna, which blew up. You gained a lot more followers, going from 16.6k to almost 50k in a couple of weeks.
It was a tad bit overwhelming, having more eyes on you but it’s what you signed up for. You just had to adjust. 
“Chat, I got word that my special package is coming soon for the stream. I’m mad excited to show y’all this shit” You beamed. 
You sat back in your gaming chair wearing black basketball shorts and a black tank top. You had your reading glasses on because you were blind as fuck. You just finished playing the new season of Call of Duty and now you were talking to your chat for the last hour of your stream. 
Lately, you’ve noticed that you've lost focus a little bit. Ever since that night with Jenna, it replayed on your mind over and over again. The way her lips felt against yours, the sounds she let out when you pleasured her, and her beautiful body. 
You hate to admit it but you were starting to feel the actress. You’ve had your fair share of women, some that were relationships and some that were just for fun. But you never felt this way about a girl before and it kinda scared you. 
“When are you releasing new music? Whenever I can find studio time. On some real shit chat, I’ve been writing a lot more lately and I really wanna hit up the studio so anyone that can squeeze me in, DM me please” You spoke to chat. 
It didn’t help that Jenna stopped contacting you after a month and some change. You haven’t gotten any DMs, texts, or FaceTime calls in weeks. At first, you figured she was busy doing her job and she didn’t have any time to talk. A quick little text would be enough though.
But you had to remember that y’all are not together. No use of crying over spilled milk. Davis was upset when you told him.
You stupid motherfucker - again his exact words.
“I haven’t looked at my Reddit in a minute, let’s see what’s happening there,” You said and clicked to Reddit.
The first thing that popped up was a picture of you and Jenna at the restaurant. The caption said, “not Jah tryna rizz up MY WIFE!?!?”
You continued to scroll through the Reddit seeing nothing but edits of you at the premiere. There were some edits and pictures of you and Jenna with outrageous captions which made you laugh. You continued scrolling through and interacting with chat for the last fifteen minutes before getting off for the night.
Now you are bored and hungry. You threw on your slides and grabbed your accessories before leaving the apartment. You were craving a baconeggandcheese on an everything bagel from the bodega around the corner. 
Tumblr media
( your outfit ^ )
You got to the bodega and ordered your sandwich, grabbed a soda, and some snacks for the rest of the night. About five minutes later, your sandwich was done. You bid goodbye to everyone in the store including the cat at the register before heading back towards your apartment. However, the loud sound of a horn can be heard throughout the night air. You ignored it, thinking it was not for you, and kept walking. But the horn sounded again and a heavy-tinted black SUV pulled up next to you. You were on guard now, you thought you were about to either get got or robbed. You freed your left hand just in case, you had to pull out the tool. But then the back passenger side window rolled down and a familiar face was seen.
“Yo Hollywood, word to you was about to get got. Why you roll up on me like that?” You questioned as you relaxed seeing her face. 
“We beeped the horn twice to get your attention” Jenna replied. 
“This is New York, car horns are heard every second and can mean various things. We beep and shout out the window here” You joked.
A small smile appeared on her face for a second before she turned to someone in the vehicle with her. 
“I need to talk to you…it’s important” She mumbled loud enough for me to hear. 
“Nah I ain’t getting in shit. You ghost me for a month and then roll up on me like this. How did you find me anyway?” You questioned. 
“Davis…I called him. It took a while for him to tell me where you lived but after I expressed how important it was, he gave it to me. Look, I know we haven’t spoken in a month and there’s a reason for that. If you would just get in the car, I will explain everything” Jenna answered. 
You sighed, contemplating getting in the vehicle or not. But after a small inner battle, you walked to the back driver's side and got in the SUV. Inside the vehicle was the driver, an older woman in the passenger seat, Jenna, and a boy who looked around your age. You were highly confused about what was happening.
“Where are we going?” You asked anyone.
“Somewhere we can talk privately” Jenna answered when no one did. 
You hummed in response, you looked down at her and took in her appearance. She was dressed in Adidas pants and an oversized sweater. She had shades covering her eyes which you found odd since it was nighttime. She kept picking at the sleeves of her shirt and bouncing her leg nervously. 
A clear throat made you look away from Jenna to the unknown boy next to her. He was glaring at you and clenching and unclenching his fist. You raised an eyebrow at him before you snorted. Jenna turned to you at the sound but you didn’t spare her another glance. 
You took out your sandwich and began chowing down on it. It was getting cold and you didn’t know how long this talk was gonna take.
Shortly, you all arrived at a building, it looked like an office building. You finish your meal and throw away your trash before following everyone inside the building. You all walk to the back of a conference room. 
“Okay, so what’s this all about? Cause homeboy over there look like he wanna pop off” You said and pointed to the boy sitting next to Jenna. 
“Jahaziel, I’m Nancy, Jenna’s manager and that gentleman next to her is her friend Hudson Maverick. It’s to our newfound knowledge that, you and Ms. Ortega slept together two months ago right?” Nancy inquired.
“I don’t really put my business out on who I sleep and don’t sleep with, with strangers.” You gave a fake smile to the older woman. 
Nancy sighed and ran her hand through her hair, “Jahaziel I’m -.”
“For godsakes Nancy will you just spit it out already to this girl” Hudson interjected. 
“I don’t know how to come out with something like this Hudson. I told you Jenna should be the one talking” Nancy sighed frustrated. 
You looked back and forth between the two with agitated eyes. They were wasting your time. 
“Listen, if this is about you worrying about running around tell people that we slept together, I’m not that kind of person. I don’t go around telling people who I stick my dick in no matter if they famous or not. So if this is what everything is about, you could have just emailed me” You said and went to leave the room but a soft voice stopped you.
“I’m pregnant”
You stopped in your tracks, Hudson and Nancy quieted down. It was so silent in the conference that you can hear a pin drop in the next room. You turned around to face Jenna who stood up from the table and pulled off her sunglasses. Her eyes were red and puffy like she’s been crying for days and hadn’t gotten a lick of sleep. 
“What?” You whispered.
“Can I talk to her alone please?” Jenna asked quietly. 
Nancy and Hudson looked at each other for a second before nodding. The two got up and left the room, leaving only you and Jenna. 
Jenna stepped towards you, "I'm pregnant. I found out a few days ago when my period didn’t come on. It didn’t come on last month either but I thought it was due to the stress I was under cause it’s happened before. I haven't slept or eaten properly. All I've been doing is crying and crying, wondering how I'm going to tell you. Then I got the courage to finally tell you but then Hudson found the pregnancy test and they started bombarding me with questions."
You felt your heart pick up pace and your palms started to get sweaty. You felt like the oxygen in your body was leaving, you couldn’t breathe. You stumbled into a seat and that’s when Jenna noticed your state. 
“Hey Jahaziel, look at me, breathe okay,” Jenna said and kneeled in front of you. She placed her warm hands on your cheeks and forced you to look at her but you were too busy freaking out.
“I’m a fucking dumb ass bitch, I fucking got a big ass actress pregnant. An actress I barely even know. Do you understand how fucking insane this whole thing is? I just started this YouTube shit, I still live in an overpriced shitty-ass rat-infested apartment complex in a neighborhood where I don’t know if once I step outside I’ll get shot or not. How the fuck you not freaked out right now” You ranted.
“You don’t think I’m losing my mind? Ever since I found out, I have a fucking panic attack every time I wake up. I’m twenty years old, I just booked several movies. I don’t have any time to have a child.” Jenna exclaimed.
“Well, it seems like you getting an abortion is the only option then” You argued. 
“Don’t make that decision for me” Jenna boomed. 
“What the fuck! You just fucking said that you won’t have any time to have a child. What the fuck you gonna do Jenna? Are you gonna fucking wish the baby out of you and everything will fall into place in an instant? You fucking Harry Houdini now?” You yelled, your Bronx accent getting heavy as you shouted. 
“Oh you are just fucking hilarious, huh, your a fucking comedian” Jenna growled.
“You not saying what you want to do! You say you don’t have time for a child then when I say abortion is the only option, you fucking lash out at me.” You roared. 
“Because I don’t want to get an abortion, I want to keep the baby!” Jenna belted. You looked at her face properly now and saw tears were now falling freely down her face. You closed your eyes and take a deep breath in, holding it for ten seconds, before releasing it. You repeated this process a couple of times before you felt yourself calm down. It was a technique the Marines taught you while you were in service, it came in handy most times. 
“I’ve always wanted to be a mom. Being a mom was something I knew I wanted to experience. Having a little mini-me running around with my and my partner’s personality. The experience came a lot earlier than I expected and not the ideal way but I have the chance and I’m not passing it despite what I said because I’ll figure it out. I always figure it out” Jenna confessed. 
She then pulled out a folded Manila envelope and slid it toward you. 
“So if you don’t want anything to do with me and the baby, you can sign your rights away. Nancy’s number is on that business card and she’ll come pick up the papers in the morning” Jenna continued. 
She then got up and walked out of the room.
“Jenna” You called out but she was long gone out of the room with her people following her. 
You sighed and rubbed your hands down your face, extremely stressed out. 
Honestly, you didn’t know what you wanted to do. You never thought about being a parent, especially after the way your father up and left you, your Mom, and your older brother years ago. You never gave parenthood a thought. You needed a second opinion and a blunt.
🤰🏻🩵
It was now 2 in the morning, you sat on your fire escape looking down at the streets with the papers in your hand. You just finished your second blunt of the night to help with the racing thoughts but it only increased it. You kept staring at the signature on the paper, wanting to write your name but not wanting to also. 
“You stress anymore, you gon’ pop a blood vessel” Davis said as he stepped out onto your fire escape. 
Once you found a way back home, you immediately called Davis and told him everything that happened. He told you as soon as he finished with his project, he was rushing over. 
“I feel like I’m about to have an aneurysm,” You said. 
“I would be too if I was in your position. This shit is a mess” Davis stated and took the papers from your clenched hand. He looked over it and exhaled deeply. “So you sign this and all your rights are taken away. No seeing the baby. Nothing?”
“Nothing. I won’t have a say in anything, can’t see them. I’ll literally just be the sperm donor” You said. 
“Is that what you really want? To be known as the sperm donor. You realize that she’s a mega actress and once the news gets out, it ain’t gon’ be long til people figure who the other parent is” Davis stated. 
“I don’t know what I fucking want. A part of me is ecstatic that I have a child on the way.” You exclaimed. 
“What about the other part?” Davis questioned.
You sat in the chair with cloudy eyes. Once Davis got a look at your expression, he immediately realized what this was all about. 
“Your father. You don’t want to end up like him” Davis nodded. 
“It’s been six years and that motherfucker still finds a way to haunt me. It’s pathetic” You scoffed. 
“No, it's human. Jah, he is your father-”
“Was. That bitch ass motherfucker ain’t shit to me now” You seethed. 
Davis sighed, “Either way, who said you was gonna end up like him. You plan on signing those papers and ditching your child? That ain’t you.”
You looked down at your hands, finding them more interesting. 
“Look, all those feelings you feeling right now…is that how you want your child to feel about you when they grow up. That you ain’t nothing but a bitch ass motherfucker?” Davis questioned. 
You took in your best friend’s words. “Look I know this whole situation is unconventional but you have to own up to it. You and I both know for a fact that you don’t want to sign these papers. You want to be in your child’s life. So stop being a fucking idiot, rip up those papers, and apologize to Jenna.”
Suddenly, the alarm on Davis’ phone starts to blare. You checked the time and saw that it was almost 3 o’clock now. 
“I have to get some rest for tomorrow. But on some real shit Jah, really think about what you want” Davis added before disappearing inside your apartment. 
Once again, you were left alone on the fire escape with nothing but your thoughts and the occasional crackhead shouts. You looked down at the papers again before shoving them back into the envelope and heading inside for the night.
🤰🏻🩵
The next morning, you were up and ready. You only got like an hour of sleep but that hour of sleep gave you a mindset. You texted the number on the business card and finesse your way to getting information about where Jenna was going to be today. She had a fitting for her Met Gala dress at the moment at a studio Downtown, so that’s where you were. You parked your car and paid the meter before heading inside the studio where she would be.
Tumblr media
(your outfit for today ^ )
You texted the number that you were downstairs with the papers. After waiting for about ten minutes, you expected to see Nancy but Hudson came downstairs. 
“Jahazel or whatever you name is…” Hudson greeted with no emotion. He held his hand out, waiting for the papers but you never put them in his hands.
“Firstly it’s Jahaziel and secondly, I know I’m probably the last person she wants to see right now and I don’t want to mess up anything she’s doing right now. But can I talk to her please?” You pleaded.
“Absolutely not. Not after what you said to her yesterday, I’m not letting a hoodlum like you step near her again. You ruined enough for her already” Hudson hissed. 
“Who you calling a hoodlum skinny Fred Jones” You questioned offended. Hudson attempted to grab the papers from your hand but you moved them away. The move made his whole face start to turn red from anger. 
“Give me the papers before I call the cops on you” Hudson threatened.
“Call the fucking cops pussy” You snapped and stepped towards him. Before either of you can lay a hand on one another, a brolic man stepped in between y’all. You recognized that it was Big L and he was pulling you away from Hudson while another security guard stood next to him.
“I need you to calm down” Big L’s rough voice ordered. 
“Alright, alright I’m calm” You grumbled and pulled your arm from him.
“Listen, meet in the back alley in ten minutes” Big L instructed in a tone that only you and him can hear.
“Big L…my man you attractive and all but I don’t swing that way” You joked.
Big L rolled his eyes, “I’ll take you to see Jenna.”
“Oh, that makes more sense. I thought you were about to suggest something to me” You lightly chuckled. 
Big L just looked at you with a neutral expression before walking away toward Hudson.
“Damn not even a little giggle?” You pouted as you left the building. 
You waited in your car for ten minutes before going into the back alley like Big L said. He was waiting for you at the door and motioned for you to speed up. He then took you through various rooms and floors. By the 10th floor, your legs were jelly.
“Aye yo, Black Panther why didn’t we take the elevators? I’m not that fit like you. I’m skinny fit I was born with abs I didn’t work for these like you did” You complained out of breath.
“Because Hudson told every guard in the building to have you arrested for trespassing if they spot you” Big L answered.
“Is it really that serious though, you would think I be fucking aggressively stalking Jenna” You huffed and walked up another flight of stairs.
“Hudson has always been overprotective of Jenna, ever since he started working for her last year” Big L commented.
“Overprotective? For what reason?” You asked.
“Don’t know. I don’t get paid to ask unnecessary questions” Big L replied. 
You hummed in response and walked up another two flights of stairs before Big L opened the door to the 13th floor. Big L checked to make sure no guard was in the vicinity before he motioned you to follow him. You felt like you were on a James Bond stealth mission, it was exciting. He took you to the last door on the floor before knocking. 
“Ms. Ortega, Nancy will like to come in” Big L said.
“Okay, send her in” Jenna spoke after a moment. 
That was your queue to enter the room. You closed the door behind me and took in that you were in an open floor room with racks of clothes against the windows. It smelt expensive as fuck in the room.
“What are you doing here?” Jenna’s voice brought you back to reality. She was standing in front of you with a familiar flannel on. It was buttoned to cover her chest area but unbuttoned around her stomach area. Through a tiny gap, you can see her belly protruding a little.
“I…uh wanted to talk to you” You spoke. 
Jenna scoffed, “I think you spoke enough last night.” She walked away from you and into a different room.
“Wait, look I apologize for the way I reacted last night. It’s sincere too cause people from New York don’t apologize” You stated. 
“If you came here to be a comedian, you can go Jahaziel” Jenna grumbled. 
You sighed, you have to be serious. You can see that she’s stressed and not in the mood for jokes so you had to be serious. You walked up behind her and grabbed her shoulders. At first, she shrugged you off but you placed your hands there again and more firm. You turned her around to face you.
“Real shit, I’m sorry Jenna. For everything last night, you didn’t deserve me talking to you like that. Truth be told, I was mad scared when you told me that you are pregnant. My father up and left my family when I was 15 and it left some deep wounds in me. When I was younger I aspired to grow up, get married, have a family, and have a love like my Ma and Father did but then he left without saying a word and it tainted that aspiration. I got scared because I didn’t want to be like him” You explained to the shorter girl. 
“You could have told me that. I would've understood completely” Jenna mumbled.
“I know and I should’ve but I’m not really good at explaining my feelings.” You responded. 
Jenna glanced at the envelope in your hand, “I’m guessing you made your decision.”
“Yeah, I did” You replied and ripped the envelope in half. Jenna gave you a surprised look. “Look, me and you made this baby together even though we ain’t in a relationship…yet. I don’t want to be like my father. I also don’t want you to do this by yourself. Our baby, our responsibility. I’m with you to the end Hollywood” You smiled and stuck your hand out.
She looked down and chuckled before shaking your hand. The two of you looked into each other’s eyes and never stopped. The room felt hotter and your hand was still holding hers. Suddenly, Jenna took your hand and placed it on her small belly. 
“Til the end NYC” Jenna smiled.
taglist: @grandpatrolnut @raven-ss @fanboy7794 @morganismspam23
434 notes · View notes
oculusxcaro · 1 year
Note
👫- twcfaces? bc i like that our interactions revolve around two bagels.
Send a 👫 and I’ll write four headcanons I have about our muse’s relationship
Tumblr media
When it's late at night and Harvey needs somewhere quiet (or a bite to eat), Pauli's Diner is the place to go. Not only is there food, coffee and a private booth whenever he wants it, he can also find impartial advice from the waitress who served him two bagels during his first visit. A box of dessert and the honest truth that Harvey had simply lost track of time recently went over well in smoothing any tensions back home with Gilda, making Harvey a repeat customer during those trials that run long into the night.
Khare didn't actually learn he was the Harvey Dent, Gotham's most celebrated Defense Attorney until his third or forth visit, always treating him just like she would any other customer. Other prestigious lawyers in his position might have been offended by such behaviour but having somebody treat him so... normally is as amusing as it is a relief.
I like to think it was Harvey that helped Khare realize she was being grossly taken advantage of by the landlord she was renting from? Not only is it highly illegal to spike rent so suddenly without advance warning, there's a dozen other rules and regulations he overhears being broken such as failure to uphold maintenance, unsanitary living conditions and many more, causing his lawyer senses to come to life.
When Harvey was disfigured by Vincent Maroni, Khare was genuinely upset to hear the news and sent flowers to his ward. They were a little sad and limp since it was all she could afford and as a result, she never signed the get well soon card that accompanied them. The only indication it came from her was because it was food-themed saying "You're one tough cookie!" Harvey never said a word to anyone but he had a hunch as to who sent them.
5 notes · View notes
ash5monster01 · 4 months
Text
Learning to Love Part 9
Tumblr media
Pairing: Rafe Cameron x FemReader!PlusSize
Warnings: 18+, langauge, angst, fluff, mentions of bullying, body image issues, fat shaming, fake relationship, eventual smut, minor enemies to lovers trope.
Summary: It's not uncommon for you to be shamed for your size, it is however uncommon to be told that no one would ever date you because of it. Rafe on the other hand is used to being called a jerk, that is until he is accused of seeing people for only what's on the surface. It's purely coicidental you two meet right after these accusations are thrown your way. So even though you two don't know each other, and probably never would've looked the others way before this, now you're both going to prove a point. It's simple really, prove others wrong and don't fall in love. Easier said than done.
word count: 2.3k
Part 8 ←→ Part 10
Masterlist
Tumblr media
You’re not entirely sure where you are when consciousness reaches you. All you know is your head is pounding, there’s a hand around your waist, and your phone is louder than it has ever been. Blindly reaching for it you find the object vibrating against the night stand before grabbing it and pulling it to your ear.
“Hello?” you groan out, your voice sounding too loud even.
“Where are you? The bar is opening in twenty minutes and Randy has the day off. It’s a Sunday, I cannot work this shift without you” Mila’s words sober you up in an instant and you shoot up in the bed, the hand on your waist falling off.
“Shit, okay I’m on my way” you tell her before hanging up. That’s when you realize you’re naked. Bare as the day you were born and it has your head swiveling to spot the just as naked man beside you.
“Fuck” you whisper out and quickly rush to grab your things. Rafe doesn’t even flinch which proves he was just as drunk as you. Only bits and pieces of the night was still there but if you had to guess, you had sex with Rafe.
You stumble into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door before turning the shower on. You look like hangover and smell like sex, and were definitely going to be late for work. So you shower in record time, using majority of the tiny shampoo and conditioner the hotel provided. You accept your hair will be a mess when the comb provided barely pulls through your wet hair. It’s then you realize you have to pull your dress on from last night and embark on the walk of shame once again.
“Rafe, I have to go” you poke the boy after you’re dressed. He’s laid in bed but he doesn’t even react to your touch. Shoving him a few more times you plead. “I’m going to be late for work”
A low groan came from his mouth before rolling over and revealing his bare ass to you. You gasp out and turn away, accepting he wasn’t going to be moving anytime soon. So you grab your purse and order the uber you remember wanting last night. Once in the lobby you see your ride already waiting and rush to it before people can recognize you’re wearing what you had on the night before.
Tumblr media
Sighing it’s not long until you pull up to the bar that is just about to open for lunch hours. Before any customers can arrive you rush in to find Mila working feverishly behind the bar to set up today’s workload. She barely realizes you’re there until you step behind the bar and go to enter the kitchen and find your office.
“Maybe we should start packing overnight bags for work parties” she teases and you rolls your eyes, in search of coffee and food.
“What’s the fun in that?” you tell her before slipping into the kitchen and ignoring the looks your employees gave you. Once locked in your office you find the spare set of work clothes packed away and quickly change. When you swing your door back open, Eddie the head chef is standing in front of it with coffee and a bagel.
“You might need this” he says and you take it with a smile, thanking him, even though you are now morbidly embarrassed for doing the walk of shame in front of people you had to lead.
“Gonna tell me about last night?” Mila asks once you’re back behind the bar, a quarter of the bagel already stuffed in your mouth.
“If I can remember it, sure” and she gasps at you and that’s when you’re hit with the memory of the elevator ride. Rafe’s hands on your hips and how he had squeezed your ass. Mila watches as realization crosses your face. “Oh God”
“Okay, now you have to tell me” she says and more floods back, him pulling you into the room. How he had undressed you and how good his hands and mouth had felt all over you. How you had pulled his pants down so eagerly. How he had his head inbetween your legs.
“Damnit, we had sex” and Mila doesn’t understand your disappointment before letting out a squeal and jumping up and down like a school girl.
“This is so great!” she squeaks, coming to squeeze your arms but then she catches the forlorn look painted on your face.
“Mila I barely remember it and on top of that what if he didn’t like it and I was too drunk to notice” you pout and she rolls her eyes before crossing her arms.
“Of course he liked it, I mean what did he say this morning” and you give her a sheepish look that has her gasping out loud.
“You snuck out on him!” she gives your arm a quick whack and you yelp before holding where she hit you.
“It wasn’t like that, you called freaking out and I couldn’t get him to wake up. I was already running late so I just called an uber and sent him a text explaining why” Mila was burying her face in her hands and groaning at her silly best friend. She didn’t care if she was late if it meant her best friend was finally comfortable enough to be with another man.
“That don’t matter, you snuck out after he slept with you. Now he thinks you regret it” Mila tells you and the realization dawns on you. You did sneak out like he was just some one night stand which is so not true.
“Fuck” you groan before leaning on the counter and dropping your head into your arms. You had been in love with Rafe this entire time and you always thought he’d be the one to screw it up. Not you.
“Listen, don’t lose all hope. I’ll see if Randy can come in and you just go and see him” Mila says as she pulls out her phone to already text Randy and beg him to come in on his day off. He would more than likely say yes, Mila had that kind of effect on people.
“I don’t know what to say to him. Hey glad we slept together, don’t take me sneaking out as I didn’t like it” you wished more than anything that you could tell her the truth right now. That it was never real, the relationship was fake and you were the one stupid enough to catch feelings and sleep with the guy. Any chance of keeping him for real was now long gone.
“No, just say you didn’t want to leave but had an emergency here. Once everything was covered you made sure to come back and see him” she says setting a reassuring hand on your back and you sigh.
“I don’t know why I just don’t think sometimes” you groan and she presses her lips together as she gives you a quick hug.
“It’s new to you, trusting someone like that. Just explain that to him” she says and you can only smile at your dearest friend, the one who has always been there for you. Loved you no matter your size.
“Thanks Mila” you tell her and she grins, squeezing you closer, and for once you realize that even if Rafe does break your heart at least you have the best friend in the world to help pick up the pieces.
It takes Randy only an hour to get to your shift and by then you’re in full panic mode. Rafe still hadn’t texted you back and to you that was a sign that he was mad. Whether it was about you sneaking out or the fact he slept with you, you weren’t sure. It was scary either way. Which is why you rush into his condo entrance in a rush.
“Miss Y/N, so glad to see you” the doorman Robert says to you. Rafe had made sure he knew who you were so you’d have no issues getting to his floor.
“Yeah you too Robert, hey do you know if Rafe is home?” you ask, a bit panicked, and knowing your eyes darting around the lobby made it look like something bad happened.
“I’m sorry hun but I haven’t seen him, figured he had a rough night at that party. That’s how it usually goes” he says and you somehow manage to crack a smile.
“That’s true, thanks Robert” you tell him and he nods as you rush back out of the condo complex and back to Mila’s car that she let you borrow. You know Rafe wasn’t still at the hotel, that wasn’t his style. So you set off in the direction of his work, knowing only he would find time to finish work on a Sunday.
Getting into Rafe’s building is much more difficult than the condo. Yet thankfully the woman at the front desk recognizes you and you assume only for being shocked to see you with Rafe in the first place. By the time you’re in the elevator you’re freaking out, unsure of what to say to him as you reach his now empty work floor. Heading towards his office you see his office has the door cracked open. Yet before you push it fully open, a familiar voice stops you.
“Can’t believe you’re still with that girl” you freeze against the door, heart thumping wildly. You lean forward to see those perfect long legs crossed and revealing too much thigh in the tight pencil skirt. If the voice wasn’t a dead giveaway, the blond hair sure as hell was. AJ.
“Come on AJ, she’s a sweet girl. You gotta know that by now” Rafe’s familiar voice envelopes you and your heart instantly slows. It’s in this moment you realize it wasn’t the alcohol that convinced you to trust him last night. You already did. He knew you, and you weren’t afraid anymore to let him see that.
“Well of course I do Rafe, that doesn’t change the fact she’s a big girl” yes you had judged AJ for her looks, because she was perfect. Yet with how nice she had been to you, you didn’t expect this.
“Well obviously AJ, she is a big girl but she’s got a big heart to match. It’s not always about the looks” Rafe’s defense has you calming down but it doesn’t change the fact you’re hearing a conversation you didn’t want to be apart of. Hearing how he didn’t find you attractive.
“But isn’t it? I mean you of all people would never date a big girl, hell based on the way you throw me around the bedroom I’m surprised you’re even still with her” and there’s the kicker, the pierce in your heart. Rafe was still sleeping with AJ. This whole time. Sneaking around with the perfect skinny blonde girl just to be able to deal spending time with you.
“Listen, I have never been attracted to big girls-” but you don’t want to hear anymore. You don’t want to hear about all the ways AJ was so much better than you and you had let Rafe sleep with you when all along he was sleeping with her. So as the silent tears stream down your face you rush away before you hear any of the vile things Rafe has to say. Thing was, you didn’t hear the best part.
“But I don’t know why! I mean AJ, she’s so beautiful. All of the time, and her laugh, it makes my heart flutter everytime. If I could make her laugh forever I would. I spent so long thinking there was this ideal standard of a girl to be with and up until now I realize that isn’t true. It’s not about looks. No one is truly beautiful until you love them for all the pieces that make them who they are. I don’t think I’ve ever been in love until now” Rafe is grinning by the time he’s done talking and AJ chuckles.
“Well would you look at that, Rafe’s gone all soft” and Rafe is rolling his eyes at one of his oldest friends. Someone he never truly loved like that either.
“I guess that’s just what happens when you meet the right one” Rafe tells her and AJ shrugs before sitting up.
“Well softie, don’t work too hard. It’s Sunday and I know that’s the tux you wore to the party last night. I’ll see you in the morning” AJ says as she uncrosses her legs and pushes the chair back. Rafe watches as she leaves the office and smiles with his mind still on you.
That’s when his phone finally buzzes to life on his desk, the charger connected to his computer finally providing power to text you back after this morning. He was a little hurt you weren’t there, but it was you. He knew you had good reason. Which is true when he is met with the text you had sent him this morning. Before he can respond though, another one comes through.
Tumblr media
“What the fuck”
Tumblr media
Taglist: @sublimepenguinpeach-blog @fishingirl12 @houseofperfecttaste @abbybarnesstuff @carma-fanficaddict @jjmaybankisbae @exhaustedbutelated @diagnosedpsychosis @daivny @drewstarkeygf @vinniehackersbaee @emsgoodthinkin @apollo3475 @https-urwife @willowalexissss @kisstaya @hcneyedsstuff @lexiereblogs @drewsuncrustables @mveggieburger @marvel4life3000 @bibliophilewednesday @humungouspatrolwolf @ijustwanttoreadlols @jaijustreads @sleepjam @dilvcv @aaronhotchswife @sunshine1218 @lavenderhazeq @theultimatefrenchfangirl @kravitzwhore @chalahyung01 @jenniferpendragon @kitty-marie725 @dlwritings
Comment if you want to be added to the taglist :))
155 notes · View notes
blooming-violets · 1 month
Note
Nicest Thing Peter x Reader for 11. In joy? I really like that fic. I reblogged it on my old account. I feel like thats an underrated fic of yours (maybe bc it came out in 2022? Idk). Would love to see what happened to them!
It's still one my favs because it is just so...me?? Like if I had to chose anything that represented my personality perfectly, it would be Nicest Thing. Just a depressed, sad bitch who loves angst and Peter Parker and enjoys Kate Nash. I feel like I need another Kate Nash song for this "sequel" fic. I'll base it off her song Trash because these two are trash for each other.
You can read this as a separate, on its own Peter x Reader thing if you'd like or you can read it as a future piece to Nicest Thing.
Warnings: Smoking a joint and getting stoned
If porn bots can over take all the tags then I better not get flagged for these gifs.
Tumblr media
Peter looked at her through blazed out, squinting eyes. A haze of smoke filled their bathroom as they passed the joint back and forth between them. They were seated in the unfilled tub, fully clothed, and facing each other. She had made him take the spot next to the faucet under the claims that sitting over the drain made her feel “icky” like she might get sucked in. He didn’t mind. Even if their leaky faucet kept dripping cold water over his shoulder. 
“Do you remember the Rugrats episode when Tommy and Chuckie are afraid of getting sucked down the bathtub drain because Angelica tells them a story of some other baby who died that way?” He asked, handing her off the joint. 
She placed it between her lips and he watched with a slow blinking, admiration for her. He loved her. She had been with him through everything. He owed his entire life to her. Without her in his life, he would no longer be here. She was everything important in the world. 
She smiled, remembering, and let out the most beautiful laugh. She always got extra giggly when they smoked. It was one of his favorite sounds. 
“Don’t they fill the drain with play-doh and shit? It’s a weird reddish, pink color. Why do I remember that specific color so much?” She replied, mystified. 
Peter chuckled, “Because old school Rugrats was filled with some crazy ass imagery. It sticks in your mind.” 
“Yeah but I remember thinking that I specifically wanted to eat that color...like maybe it would taste nice…like the imaginary food from Hook.” She passed it back to him, letting the smoke exhale in a little, circular puffs from between her lips. 
“Do you want to get into a pretend food fight with me and see if anything appears?” He grinned. 
Her red rimmed eyes squinted back at him as she laughed, “With the way these munchies have been hitting me the past few minutes, I think it might actually happen. I could imagine food hard enough to make it show up.” 
His mind started to wander as a hungry smile spread across his face, imagining all the food he could eat, and he spoke with a dreamy whisper, “Pizza bagels.”
“What?”
“Let’s make pizza bagels. ‘M hungry. Starvin’. Gonna die if I don’t get some food in me.” 
Her eyes glowed with excitement at the idea, “Pizza bagels. Yes, you’re a genius!” 
“I know,” he giggled, it bubbled out of him without any self control. It wasn’t the weed that did it. It was her. He felt free when he was with her. He flicked out the joint against the ashtray balancing on the edge of the tub. “I really am. Smartest man alive, probably.” 
She snorted, “Okay, I wouldn’t go that far. Get your ego in check, Parker, before I have to slap some sense back into you.” 
He beamed at her, his love consumed him, feeling it outshine every other emotion rattling around inside of him. She was beautiful. Stunning. Picture perfect. He wanted to hang her up on his wall like an expensive piece of art so he could admire every day of his life. 
Her shoulders shrunk up to her ears under the intensity of his gaze.
“Stop that,” she whispered. “Don’t look at me with those eyes or I’ll kick you. I’ve got a perfect aim for your crotch in this position.”
Peter shook his head, “Nope, sorry, I refuse. I can’t help it. You look…perfect. The nicest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
“You’re stoned.” 
“Yes. Doesn’t change the fact that your lips look very enticing.” He winked at her and tried to scoot forward to get a taste. 
Her socked foot landed against his chest, pushing him back in place, “I thought we were making pizza bagels, not kissing. Weren’t you just starving a minute ago?” 
“Starving for you, maybe.” 
“Peter!” She let out a loud laugh, keeping him at bay with her outstretched leg. 
He was so in love. Completely enamored. Whipped. Head over heels. Trash for her. Whatever he wanted to call it. He belonged to her so wholly. His bleeding heart was in her hand for the rest of his life. He would follow her to the ends of the earth and back again. 
“If you don’t let me kiss you right this very second, I am going to turn this shower on.” His hand reached over his shoulder to grip onto the shower knob with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. 
She gave a sharp inhale, “You wouldn’t dare.” 
His eyebrows raised, taking on that challenge, “Oh really?”
She knew she fucked up the second before the shower burst to life. From his position in the tub, it shot over his head to spray directly into her face. She shrieked and fell back, sliding down the sloped edge of the tub until she was nearly on her back.
It was all the opportunity he needed to pounce. He leapt on top of her to the sound of her laughter and blocked the shower stream from her face with his back. His arms wrapped protectively around her head as he laid over her. Water pooled around them, warming their bodies, and soaking through their clothes. 
They didn’t feel it. 
All he could feel was the devoted love burning a hole in his chest where his heart used to be. 
She giggled up at him, blinking water droplets from her eyes, and whispered, “You’re an ass.”
He laughed in response and crashed his lips over hers, mumbling against them, “You love me.” 
She sighed in content. Her arms snaked around his neck to draw him closer, melting happily into his kiss. 
“I do.”
Tumblr media
105 notes · View notes
miyaagis · 6 months
Text
love is rising, no resisting. cheeks are flushing, now you're living.
+ warnings. mdni 18+ explicit smut, cheating, husband!kuroo, wife!reader, co-worker!fem oc, angst ig? too much plot im sorryyy, not proof read!
+ word c. 3k
tnmici m.list
Tumblr media
"shit, that was close."
the reclinable chair creaks under his weight as he leans back, his forearm covering his eyes, but the relieved smile on his lips brings a veil of youthfulness to his tired eyes. kuroo has never felt so much bliss just by turning off his computer, signaling he's finally free from the claws of his 9 to 5 that, somehow, had turned into a 9 to 9 lately. a headache started brewing at the back of his head for the past hour, but the knowledge that he'll be home in less than thirty minutes eases up his mind.
before he can start wondering what you, his wife of three years, made for dinner, the familiar and feminine laugh of his co-worker echoes through the empty office. he’s giving her a funny look before joining in her chuckles with the last bit of energy he's left.
"remind me to never, ever, trust you again with a project."
even with twelve hours of a stress-filled day clutching at her spirits, uesugi yuko still manages to look somewhat composed. at least more than him, and that’s something kuroo has always admired from her.
"aw c'mon," he’s quick to stand up and squeeze her shoulder, earning him a scoff as soon as he smiles smugly at the woman, "we work better under pressure."
"i'm beat, tetsuro."
yuko curses under her breath while rising from her seat, letting out a whine after being in the same position, hunched over her own laptop, for over 4 hours straight. kuroo's eyes wander almost automatically down her legs as she stretches before him, amber eyes following the tight fit of her pencil skirt around her hips and thighs. he’s not really thinking, just… watching the fabric hug the suppleness of her behind. he vaguely remembers yuko complaining about having lost her favorite “work skirt” two weeks ago.
“you said you lost it," he points at her legs, and she follows his line of sight, her lips stretching into a smirk.
"left it at sukuna’s place."
and there it is, the daily reminder that yuko is a beautiful and single woman that lives her life however she wants. kuroo vaguely remembers when he used to be like that before settling down with you, feeling as if that was a lifetime ago, even though yuko is barely a year younger than him.
he’s too busy in his thoughts, unconsciously frowning, that he doesn’t notice her putting her laptop in her designer bag before sliding it up her arm, offering him a wave as she struts to the elevator.
"bye tetsu!"
later that night, as he’s deep inside you and your breathless moans fall against his neck, he briefly wonders if yuko is doing the same thing in sukuna’s bed.
the screen in front of him displays an array of numbers that his mind refuses to understand so early in the morning. ten minutes in, and kuroo already wants to remove his eyeballs from their sockets, when it usually takes until noon for the sentiment to brew.
a large cup of hot coffee and a rather cute, baby blue bag with something that smells like a salmon bagel, are placed on his desk. he looks up, mouth slightly agape in surprise and confusion at a fresh-looking yuko who seems to glow under the sunlight with her navy blue suit and long hair—always down in soft waves.
"can't have you lacking," she says before he can ask what’s the meaning of the sudden act of kindness. not that she’s ever been mean to him, but yuko is known for her cold and sarcastic persona. "suguru wants us in his office in an hour."
and since kuroo is well versed in the art of yuko's disinterest and roll of her eyes, the faint smile in her lips throws him off guard, doubting for a second if it was even real, but he trusts his observant eyes wouldn't fail him like that.
and it feels as if he just scored a goal.
"don't be late," she’s walking away right after, not giving him even a second to thank her for the coffee.
exactly one hour and two minutes later, he walks by her desk, not without placing a can of diet soda next to her keyboard and making her look up at him from her seat. an understanding nod is shared between the pair as they walk together to the meeting room.
"text me as soon as you land, okay?" 
your voice is drowned out under the sounds of honking cars, and planes flying on top of your heads, the chaos of the airport not helping with the jitters you’re experiencing of sending your husband to another three-day-long business trip. granted, it’s not the first time he has to travel for work, but you don’t think you’ll ever get used to it.
with almost tearful eyes, you watch as he unloads the trunk of the car with his backpack thrown over his shoulder and his hand gripping the handle of his carry-on, leaning down to kiss you once he makes sure it's properly closed. 
"i love you." 
kuroo smiles against your lips at your sudden profession of love before covering your face in kisses, your soft giggles making his heart grow.
"and i love you," he whispers, and that’s all it takes to ease up your heart, the stars in his eyes gleaming as he stares down at you before kissing your lips and your cheek one last time. "see you in three days, pretty girl."
a small smile plays on his lips as he walks inside the airport, right after making sure he watched you drove away to the safety of your shared home. he’s already checked-in through the airline’s app, so he heads straight to his gate after going through customs, deciding he might need at least a cup of coffee to get through the flight.
the queue is long, as he expected, but he’s got time, briefly checking his watch and adjusting his backpack on his shoulder as he glances around the menu until he’s spotting the familiar figure of yuko. the grin on his lips appears suddenly as he strides towards her, the nasty glares from the people waiting in line flying over him as he moves to stand beside her.
"always the early bird," with a quick glance, she realizes it’s him and not some random weirdo getting into her personal space, so she goes back to facing the cashier, handing out her card as she receives a large latte in return. kuroo makes sure to point that out. "hey! where's mine?"
"buy one yourself."
yuko pushes him softly aside, struggling between making sure her latte doesn’t spill onto her purse hanging around her forearm and getting the tiny wheels of her carry-on to cooperate. he finds his fingers itching to carry it for her, a frown etching onto his lips and soon, he’s snatching the small luggage from her hands, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.
“w-what are you–”
"c’mon,” he strides ahead of her while making sure she’s not too far behind him, offering a smug grin at her that he knows very well will make her huff and scoff. “you're my work-wife: you help me stay sane by buying me coffee, and i help you look good.”
“i am not your work-wife, what the–”
“ah, see? that’s where you’re wrong,” he tuts at her, a disapproving look in his eyes as she stares at him in bewilderment. “c’mon, we’re a great team! our projects are the best, and we’ve never messed up with a client.”
her mouth opens and closes, words failing her as she tries to make it clear that she is not his work-wife. yes, she agrees that he’s good at his job, or whatever, but she’d rather die than tell him that.
“and i know i’m your favorite at the office,” he shrugs his shoulders innocently, a knowing grin on his lips that’s quickly making her blood boil, “can’t blame you, the rest are a bunch of incompetent idiots.”
yuko is ready to tell him off, to make it clear that there’s no way he’s her favorite and that he too is an idiot—just a little less of an idiot since he does have common sense. but he beats her to it, starting to walk towards their gate with their carry-ons.
“better hurry, or we’ll miss our flight!”
meetings with clients always went the same way: paying for a fancy, expensive meal where they barely ate anything as they tried to pry into their interests until they found something in common with them, using said interest as bait to make the client think they’re just like them, meet up again but this time in a more private and business-like setting where they can finally pitch in their ideas and make the client take the bait, and finally, celebrate with drinks before sending them off to the airport.
yeah, that’s how usually it’s supposed to work. but the CEO representative of this fast-growing corporate was quite the tough cookie to crack.
“did you notice he didn’t even bother to look through the documents!? jesus, he could’ve at least skimmed through ‘em. that fucker.”
yuko is on her second beer already, five minutes in, and she hasn't stopped once to let out her frustrations after meeting with their client. with her manicured hand, she catches the attention of the bartender and orders a couple of tequila shots for herself before turning to look at him.
“another whiskey?”
but she immediately turns back to the bar and orders it for him along with a third shot of tequila. amusement dances across kuroo’s lips, the tension in his shoulders slowly fading as he realizes hell is over, and he gets to see yuko lose her marbles. 
“i didn’t know we were gonna be getting drunk.”
“we aren’t,” she’s quick to deny, eyes lighting up as the row of shots is presented before her, “we just… deserve this after dealing with that asshole.”
“i’ll drink to that,” he sighs and takes one of the tequila shots, welcoming the heat from the liquor heating down his throat.
the hotel bar is rather empty, a few patrons sitting on the booths or by the garden outside while they remain by the bar. the high stools are all empty too, just the two of them keeping the bartender busy with their orders and keeping him company with their complaints.
yuko faces him, her knees knocking against his accidentally, and she giggles, her fingers running through her hair, “i’ll definitely ask for a week off after this.”
kuroo perks up at that and pouts dramatically, the tips of his ears flushed and his lips glistening with his last sip of his drink, “nooooo, don’t abandon me! that’s mean.”
she smirks before bursting in a fit of giggles, and he thinks he has never seen her smile this much, or be so laid back. her whole face looks different when she smiles, as if she became five years younger and, overall, happier.
“you’ll manage.”
kuroo pouts even more and knocks his own knees against hers, making her gasp and chuckle at the childish reaction. but she guesses it’s nice to finally bond like this with him, since he’s certainly the only sane person in the office.
after a quick trip to the ladies room, yuko comes back with sleep-laced eyes, resting her head on her hands to try and get it to stop spinning.
“you good?”
her heart drops faintly to her stomach, his voice against her ear in the softest whisper. without looking at him, she shakes her head with a whine, “m’sleepy, tetsuro.”
and honestly, so is he. he’d kill to lie on his hotel bed and sleep until the afternoon. he’s about to agree with her when she finally looks up at him with big eyes, her cheeks flushed and her hair messed up. he doesn’t think she has ever looked this cute, plus the way she’s being vulnerable with him clouds the rational side of his brain.
kuroo realizes he wants to kiss her. badly.
“let’s get you into bed, then.”
being none the wiser, yuko trails before him with his help. her touch is enough to make him tense up, recalling the brief snippet of her light blue bra peeking from her blouse during their uber drive back to the hotel, and how he tried to fool himself by imagining you with it, making a mental note that he should buy one for you. yuko’s head resting on his arm shouldn’t be making his pants this tight, but it’s both cute and hot that she’s way smaller than him that she can’t even rest her head on his shoulder—not even with her heels on.
“we’re here,” his voice has grown considerably hoarse, amber eyes observing her search for her key until she shows it off to him proudly. “text me if you need anything. good night, yuko.”
fuck. he thinks to himself, he can’t wait to get off of his slacks and jerk off. he wonders if he still has one of those videos with you sucking him off. or maybe he should try his luck and call you, hopefully you’re still awake and–
“tetsu?”
he blinks, yuko standing under the threshold with her door wide open and gnawing at her bottom lip. all he can do is make a sound to acknowledge her, 
“thank you,” she pauses, exhaling softly and letting the words of appreciation sink in. “m’glad we got paired up for this trip.”
fuck it.
it only takes one long stride for him to be face to face with her and grip her waist, smashing his lips onto hers as her own hands grip his shoulders. the kiss is impulsive and messy, barely an outlet to show how much he wants her.
it doesn’t take long for them to part from the kiss, and he sees her wide-eyed, her swollen lips looking even more inviting, if possible.
“shit. y-yuko… i–” he swallows down, hard, the ring on his finger starting to burn against his skin. “fuck, fuck, m’so drunk.”
“me too.”
and he doesn’t even bother to pretend thinking it through, taking it as a green light to push her inside her room and slam the door behind him, carrying her over to the bed.
“hmm fuck, i’m so hard,” he nibbles across her neck and collarbone, breathy moans escaping her lips and only making him press himself harder against her frame.
his hands travel along her sides, cupping her breasts in his hands and gently squeezing the soft flesh while he goes back to kissing her.
“take it off,” she whispers against his lips before moving to sit on his lap, her legs around his hips and his erection pressing right onto her clothed center.
it doesn’t take long for his thumbs to pinch at her hard nipples, the feeling rushing to her pussy and making her wetness grow, while her own hands fumble with his belt.
kuroo can’t remember the last time he felt so needy, so desperate to sink his cock into a woman that wasn’t you. right, his wife. his mind wanders fleetingly to you, but before the guilt starts to brew, he groans as yuko’s hand wraps around his length timidly.
taking the lead once again, he moves to the side so that he's on top of her and her body is in the right position for him to enter her. his voice is lustful with a mix of passion and need, watching her legs spread out to accommodate him, her skirt bunched up at her waist and her breasts spilling from her bra.
“don’t have a condom with me. can i pull out?”
his question is answered by her soft legs wrapping around his hips and pushing him forward, his leaking tip rubbing against her folds before he’s guiding it inside her.
blame it on the alcohol or having grown used to his wife’s body, but kuroo swears he’s never had a pussy feel this good around him, feeling like velvet stroking his sensitive length.
“ohh fuck, yuko…” he gasps as he falls forward, his frame on top of hers as his lips search for her breasts, “fuuuuck, you’re so… tight— shit.”
“tetsu–” her fingernails claw at his back as his tongue laps around her nipple, his thrusts slow yet deep, his pelvic bone meeting her clit with each movement, “oh god, feels so good.”
his eyes open to stare at hers hungrily, his lips wrapped around her breast as he slowly increases his pace, the squelching sounds of her pussy taking him growing louder. he lets go of her nipple and raises up, holding onto her waist as he pounds into her and one of his hands grips her chest.
“these are the prettiest tits,” his thumb strokes over her nipple, and she whines in return, his rhythm speeding up slightly, “and the prettiest pussy.”
her inner walls tighten and he’s letting out more groans and filthy words at her, his gaze moving between her folds taking his length and her breasts bouncing with each thrust of his hips. his other hand moves down to her clit to rub slow circles, grinning like a mad man as her pussy creams even more around him. he smiles and presses his lips to hers and moves his hips faster, letting her feel every inch of his length as his breath becomes heavy with her every moan. 
with each stroke on her clit and the fullness of his cock inside her, yuko is quickly reaching her orgasm, not being able to hold back from moaning and whimpering against his lips.
“oh tetsu! m’gonna—” she squeals as he starts moving faster, his tip reaching deep inside her as his lips attach onto her neck, “gonna come!”
his ragged breaths fall against her ear, and it only takes a few more strokes on her clit to have her coming around him, her pussy quivering and fluttering around his girth as her squeals turn into screams. the sudden tightness makes him lose his mind as well, barely pulling out in time to jerk his cock against her pussy, the head resting between her folds as he comes too, smearing the white liquid around her entrance and teasing her by sliding in the tip
that night, kuroo goes to bed with yuko’s pussy around him, and his wedding band around his finger.
Tumblr media
267 notes · View notes
keeksandgigz · 4 months
Text
painkiller (part three of lessons in alchemy)
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
barista!eddie munson x fem!barista!reader AU
summary: After a rocky start, you and Eddie seem to be turning over a new leaf, but a small misunderstanding is sure to change that. You help set up the cafe for the Halloween party, which you end up going to after much begging by Colette, you try to make Eddie jealous and a healthy dose of liquid courage helps things get sentimental.
cw: 4k words, jealous!eddie, swearing, allusion to smut, reader being essentially a sensitive baby, some miscommunication, eddie being a softie for reader, no y/n, no physical description of reader, boys being silly, mention of throwing up/ retching, drinking (everyone is of age), it gets a little bit fluffy towards the end
read part 1 here, part 2 here
if you wanna be added to my taglist the form is here
Tumblr media
"You guys fucked??" Colette's voice booms in the car.
"Jesus Christ, Colette, the whole freeway didn't need to know that. And no, we didn't fuck" you take the exit that brings you into Daisy Street, the one towards the cafe.
"Then what? Steve keeps talking about how you guys look at each other like you wanna run to the back and fuck like bunnies" she nudges at you and you roll your eyes.
"Remind me to ask Steve to drive you to work next time, since you guys are such good friends" you smile at her.
"Yeah, whatever, so what happened?" she nibbles at her bagel.
You take a deep breath in. There are no secrets between you and Colette. "Well, he... spanked me" you hear her gasp, without giving her time to start talking you keep going; "Then he took me to his office and fingered me, but he didn't let me um...finish because I wouldn't apologize to him. Then he drove me home" you say, all in one breath.
"You kinky bitch" she laughs, a hearty laugh. After she comes down from her fit, she continues, almost like a phantom hand slapped some sense into her. "But what an asshole! Because you wouldn't apologize to him? And he drove you home?"
"I swear he's so confusing. He wouldn't let me take the bus." You just got your car back after two days without it because of a leak. You pull up into the parking lot.
"Shit, he's outside" you whisper. He's sitting on the curb, cigarette in hand, scrolling through his phone. Something tells you he isn't there to make drinks today. His hair is down and he's wearing chunky rings in both hands. You’re lucky I didn’t have my rings on. With the way you’ve been running your mouth you would’ve more than deserved it.
As much of an asshole as he is, you've been replaying the night before on a loop for the whole morning. You swallow.
"Too late to turn back and make a run for it" Colette quips as you park the car as further as possible from him.
"So what, do I just go in like 'Hey fancy seeing you here, remember when your fingers were in me last night?' or do I just ignore him?" you groan as you open your car door, grabbing your bag and jacket.
"Maybe wait for him to speak to you? I dunno. He should apologize, that was fucked" Colette says, closing the car door.
You both walk towards the cafe's front door. Eddie catches your eye immediately. Fuck it, your shift wouldn't start until two- thirty.
"Col, I'll meet you inside. Thanksgiving menu is launching soon, Steve'll have your head if you don't walk in right this second" you joke, she just nudges your shoulder and winks at you, as she disappears inside the cafe.
"Y'know" Eddie speaks, taking a long drag out of his cigarette "you shouldn't gossip about me when I can hear you from around the corner. I take it she knows?" he exhales a cloud of smoke, making you take a ragged breath at the way the smoke falls from his lips.
"Maybe you shouldn't overhear my conversations. Ever thought about that? And so what if she knows? Steve probably knows too" you spit.
"I usually don't tell Steve about the girls I fuck. Last night wasn't even a fuck, really. I just showed you what was so incredibly obvious to the naked eye, sweetheart" he puts the cigarette to his lips again.
"Which is?" you don't have patience for the slow drawl of his voice, sounding like he's just woken up. The way his fingers wrap around the cigarette, his lips puckering up as he sucks into the filter. You shiver.
"That we wanna fuck each other. Don't tell me that you're not looking at me and not thinking about what I did to you last night" Gotcha. He smiles around the cigarette.
"You really do think too highly of yourself" you sit on the curb, keeping a distance between you two.
"I've been thinking about last night the whole morning" he blurts out, putting his cigarette out on the sole of his boots “It was good, but you were kind of a bitch about me not letting you cum. Maybe you should rethink about apologizing” he smirks towards you.
“Well, I don't think last night should have happened at all" you shrug, pretending like the way he's playing with his chain bracelet isn't affecting you. He turns towards you.
"Is that so?" he says, voice a bit lower, gravelly. You inhale, then nod. 
He takes out a stack of black papers from a folder in his messenger bag, you take the chance to change the subject.
"What's that?" you ask, trying to peek over the the wall of black posters.
"The posters for the Halloween party next week. My friend Nancy just designed and printed them out for me. I scheduled you on Friday to come in and help with decorating, I'll pay you extra, since it's not in your job description. I'll talk to Jim about it" it's a lie, he just wants to spend more time with you.
"Am I required to come to this thing?" you interject, taking one of the posters in your hands, it's very well designed.
"Well, no. But the staff is invited anyway and I'm gonna be at the bar making free drinks, once a year we turn our bad boy coffee bar into a, y'know bar bar" he says, a movement of his ringed hand follows it.
"Oh, so you're a bartender too? What concoction are you gonna brew for this party, Mr. Alchemist?" you ask, chin propped on your hands. A flirtatious lilt to the way you talk, you bat your eyelashes.
"Guess you gotta come to find out" he winks and stands up, opening the side door to his van.
"Where are you going?" you ask, squinting to look at his face, the sun in your eyes.
"These posters aren't gonna hang themselves around town, are they? I just came here to hang one on the bulletin board and one on the door. Wanna come?"
You're not sure how to feel. He's suddenly being nice to you? And you wanna say yes so badly for some reason, maybe because you're tired of fighting with him and he seems like an actually cool person to be around?
"My shift starts in five minutes" you say, standing up and dusting off your butt.
He shrugs his shoulders "Consider this your shift? You're still technically helping me with the cafe" his tone is bordering a whine, can this man be that desperate to want you to come with him?
You really are pondering your options, it doesn't feel normal that you'd want to go with him instead of a chill shift without Eddie Munson's hovering eyes.
"You coming or not? And the pun was intended" he chuckles to himself as you hit him in the arm.
"You're an asshole" Alright, fuck it.
"You win" you grumble, jumping on the passenger seat of his van. The same van you were in the night before, cursing the man because he had left you unsatisfied.
In the back of the van there are stacks of boxes full of prints. You reach for the black poster he was holding earlier.
"What's 'Corroded Coffin'?"
"The band I'm in" he says, a creeping smile on his lips. Nonchalant, like he hadn't dropped a heavy piece of Eddie lore.
"'Kay so, you're a barista, a bartender, a business owner and you're in a band?!" eyes wide in disbelief as a smug expression appears on the boy's lips.
"The four b's, baby" he laughs "Me, Jeff, Gareth and another dude have been in this band since high school, tried to strike out but uhhhh different plans I guess" his shoulders rise and fall in a shrug.
"Lemme guess, you're the drummer?" you ask, finding yourself oddly at ease as he drives the car around town.
He shakes his head, his ratty curls moving around his face "Lead guitar and singer" lips pulled taut in a thin smile, face scrunched up.
"Shut the fuck up, I hate you! That's why you're so fucking slappable" he laughs at your comment as he thrums his ringed fingers along with Love me like a Reptile on the steering wheel. You gulp.
"That's why you're so good with your fingers, then?" it escapes you before you can even register what your brain is computing, but he's turning on his indicators to pull over, because he's quite literally doubled over with laughter.
"Jesus I did a number on you, didn't I sweetheart?" he says in the midst of his fit, and you can feel yourself getting hot, embarrassed, like he's making fun of you.
You really thought that things between you two had smoothed over, but the way he's laughing at you has your cheeks growing in anger, the cockiness exuding from him doesn't spur you on or stoke whatever fire you're kindling, rather it makes you feel humiliated.
You grab your bag and coat, immediately opening the latch to the door of his van. Eddie stops laughing immediately.
"Wait, what are you doing?" he asks, head jerking towards you.
“If you’re gonna be an asshole about it, then you can hang your fucking posters by yourself. I’m going back to the store to do what I am actually paid for. Fuck you, Eddie” and he barely has time to reply before you slam the door of his van and you book it back towards the cafe.
The shift feels uneventful, until Colette and Steve take you to the kitchen to sample the menu for the party.
The boy fixes the glasses on his nose as he shows you strawberry brain jellies, spider falafels, mini spiderweb pizzas, and the sketch of a big Halloween cake.
“That was Steve’s idea, actually. It’s blueberry and cream cheese filling on one tier and then I think custard on the second one. You’re gonna die, Steve’s custard is actually to die for” and he blushes at that, a quick brush of his face as his eyes twinkle at the compliment.
Steve and Colette have been spending a lot of time together after all, you chuckle to yourself as you reach for the spoons with the cream filling samples. Colette was not wrong, that custard is an incredible explosion of lemon and milk and vanilla, you're astounded that Steve and Colette were able to pull this off in such a short time.
There isn't much you can tell them, as their culinary talent greatly exceeds yours, wondering why they didn't ask Eddie to do the tasting, who seemed nowhere to be found for the rest of your shift.
Tumblr media
On Friday, he seems to be quite busy with various movers and decoration people to even pay attention to you as Jeff stands on a ladder with you yelling "higher!" every time he tries to hang a string of lights.
"Well, I'm a barista, not a fucking architect" he yells from atop of the ladder, as Gareth rolls out a bunch of boxes sitting in a cart.
"What's that?" you ask, still making Jeff mess with the purple string lights “to the right, man!”
You hear him groan.
"Our twelve- foot skeleton" he replies, taking the plastic parts out "good thing our ceilings are tall" he snickers as Jeff finishes setting up the lights and comes down.
"Why the fuck do you have a twelve- foot skeleton?" you lean against the ladder, watching him take the bone parts out of the boxes and setting up the first few bits.
"Eddie thought it would be hilarious if we got one our first year of doing these Halloween parties. We usually get the skeleton something stupid to wear, this year it's a giant clown nose" he laughs as you move the ladder towards him to help facilitate the building of this fucking monster of a decoration.
By the time night rolls, the coffee machines have been removed for the party and replaced with liquors, spirits, glasses and shakers.
Finally Eddie comes out of his office, hair mussed out of his messy bun, eyes puffy and tired as his eyes widen at the decorated party room around him. 
Red, orange and purple lights hang around the perimeter of the walls, along with orange tulle fabric and various decorations on the theme of bats, skeletons and pumpkins. The twelve- foot skeleton stood tall in that stupid clown nose, at which he laughed at. He shot you a pained look before leaning on the bar counter. 
“Wow you guys, you’ve really outdone yourselves this year” he mutters, taking a close look around at all the decorations. 
“It was the girls, really, they’ve just been bossing us around the whole day” Gareth responds “we’ve just been their lackeys” he laughs. 
“Regardless of that, I just wanted to thank you all for the splendid job, we should be expecting around 150 people in here tomorrow night, hope you guys are ready to party. Now get the fuck out of here” Eddie says as he motions for you and everyone else to leave as the guys protest “go get some rest, it’s literally midnight”
There’s a clamor of voices as you vacate the cafe, discussing costumes for the party, how fucked up everyone’s gonna get- Eddie being the last to leave and lock the door. 
Before heading to his van, though he surpasses you, walking to your car. 
“I trust you’ll be there tomorrow? You must be fun at parties, right?” he snickers, you roll your eyes. 
“Sorry, Ed, previous engagement I have to attend to. Devastated to be missing the party of the decade, I’ll send a postcard” you unabashedly lie, there’s no reason you should be going to that party.
You give him a sour smile and head towards your car, as he stands stunned in the middle of the parking lot.
Without much ceremonies, you and Colette get in the car. 
“Are you actually not going tomorrow?” your friend is outraged, a betrayed tone tinging her words. 
“I dunno, I really don’t wanna see Eddie’s stupid face, plus I don’t have a costume” you shrug, entering the freeway. 
You could do what you’ve always done since college- a sexy cat, make Eddie sizzle a bit, an unspoken revenge towards that unsatisfactory night where he refused to push you off the edge. 
You don’t know what this is, whatever game you both are playing, a never ending tug of war of power and stupid fucking remarks at the expense of one another- why can’t you just sleep with him and get it over with? 
“I’ll get you a fucking costume, babe! Just please come, Steve is being really weird to me and trying to ask me out, I’ll buy you lunch, dinner- anything” she begs, and you don’t see why Steve asking her out should be an issue, he’s handsome and the way he looks at her and the way she talks about him seems to be special, something you’ve never had in a person. 
“Colette, I honestly do not see the problem in Steve trying to ask you out. You like him!” you bang your hands on the steering wheel in frustration, why can’t anything ever be easy?
“I like him in the sense that I want to fuck him, not go out with him. Besides, Gin isn’t going and Chrissy has a midterm Monday so she’s gonna have to dip early. Do you really wanna leave me in the middle of a pool of nerdy men?” she’s whining and pleading with you, it almost makes you fold. Almost. 
“C’mon, I wouldn’t dream of doing that to you” she bats her big eyes, and she’s right, she wouldn’t do that to you because she knows that men put you off, being surrounded by them even so. 
“Alright, fine, and you don’t have to get me a costume. Sexy cat is the way to go” you grin at her as she gets out of the car blowing you a kiss. 
“I love love love you, I’ll see you tomorrow” Colette runs inside after that. 
You can’t say no to her. 
Tumblr media
And that’s why you find yourself in the midst of countless amounts of people, a third martini and a couple shots in and Colette is nowhere to be found. 
Eddie, on the other hand, is at the bar. Tight, black, form fitting shirt, his face looking pale and pasty as a rivulet of what looked like fake blood dripped out of his mouth. You could only see it when he smiled, but he had glued fake fangs on his incisors- a vampire, how original. 
You approach him at the bar, mind already loosened and buzzed, as he’s pouring a drink out. 
“Was expecting something more original than a vampire from you” you scream over the music. A smile creeps on his lips, and you have to admit, the fangs are really doing it for you. 
“I was expecting nothing less from you, though.Thought you weren’t coming?” he leans against the bar counter, his arms flexing from the exertion of shaking drinks for the past hour and a half. You stare, and he’s sure you are.
“Didn’t wanna come, Colette begged me to save her from Steve asking her out, so now I’m here” you take one last swig out of your martini glass “that’s really good, actually, can I have another one?”
Eddie shakes his head “Steve’s asking Colette out? When was this?”
You shrug “apparently it’s been going on for a while. Honestly, I don’t know how she does it, I would not be able to resist Steve’s cute little puppy eyes” and here it is. The drunken ramble. 
“Honestly I don’t know how you all do it, I’d be ogling at Steve and not getting any work done, actually. Have you seen his arms?” you giggle, maybe at an attempt to make Eddie jealous, maybe because those were your actual thoughts. 
Either way, that made Eddie’s stomach turn in a way that he wasn’t liking. How you were staring at Steve, in his Marty McFly costume, the tight pants and the coiffed hair- biting your lip like you weren’t talking about his best friend.
He chalked it up to drunkenness, the intoxication vivid on your blushy cheeks, as jealousy bubbled in the back of his mind, a small version of himself in his head wishing you’d talk about him like that. 
“Yeah, I’m not making you any more martinis” he says, a dry chuckle escaping him. 
“Boo, first you don’t make me cum and then you take the martinis away from me? You’re an absolute bore, Eddie Munson” and you fake yawn with that, a silly laugh follows it. 
“Sweetheart, you might not want to talk about that in a room full of people” he leans against the counter, and his fangs are looking really good in the glistening purple party lights.
“Are you suggesting we go somewhere private to talk about it?” you wiggle your eyebrows, which makes Eddie’s eyes roll. 
Taking care of your drunk self for the rest of the night is the last thing he wants to do. 
“No, I’m suggesting you go home. You’re drunk” he yells, shaking another drink and pouring it into a cup.
“I’m actually fine, thank you. I’m gonna go talk to Steve” pettily you stand up, turning away from him and booking it towards Steve, who is trying to talk to Colette. 
You don’t make it far, though as you go back to the bar wobbling, stomach churning with bile threatening to leave your mouth. 
“Eddie, I don’t feel so good” and he damns himself for how fast he comes around the bar to drag you to the employee bathroom. 
You’re kneeled on the black tile, dress hiking up your thighs as Eddie holds your hair as you fight for your life bent over the toilet. 
Eddie’s hand is running up and down your spine, the thin shirt making you feel every ridge and callus, as he feels your back flex and relax with every retch.
“It’s okay, let it out” he says, every time you tense up. You’re sobbing in between. 
Cries of “I’m sorry, Eddie” and “It’s okay, I got it, you can go” echo in the tiled room, but he stays. His hand firmly planted on your back, caressing, a stoic expression on his face when you emerge, finally done and a bit more clear- headed. 
“You good to stand up?” he asks, you nod meekly as he hooks his arms around yours, holding you up to walk to the sink. He opens the cabinet and takes out a little bottle of mouthwash, still holding an arm around you to help you stand. 
“Wash your mouth, then take some of this” you watch him bewildered as he opens the faucet, and you lean over the sink, the fresh water is a relief against the acidity your taste buds have had to endure, not caring that it would wipe some of your makeup off. 
“‘M sorry, Eddie” you mumble in a whine, between gurgling the tap water and spitting it out. 
“It’s okay, I’ll drive you home after this” he says, as he turns off the faucet and feeds you the blue liquid, watching you rinse and gargle it, spitting it out. 
“I’m okay now” you sigh, defeat in your voice as you escape from his grasp to sit down on the tiled floor. 
Concern tinges his face as he runs to sit next to you “Do you have to throw up again?” you shake your head. 
He looks at you, eyes glossy and a bit teary, your nose and cheeks reddened from the alcohol, or from the exertion of throwing up, your lips swollen. God, he really wants to kiss you. 
“Thank you, Eddie” it’s a whisper, ashamed as you look at him. Fangs and all, with the bright white fluorescents hitting him, hair mussed up and sweaty and a look in his eyes that makes you soften a bit. 
“Yeah, it’s- uh- no problem” he mumbles, he sees you shiver. He wants to put an arm around you, give you his jacket that he left in his office, but he wouldn’t dare leave you for fear of you leaving him and not coming back. 
So you just hold yourself flush against him, he’s still warm from the crowded room of bodies and smells like a smoky cologne, leathery with a hint of coffee. The fluorescent lights buzz and it’s the only sound in the bathroom and he tries to fight the urge to not put an arm around you, but when he does, you look at him. Big brown eyes staring into yours, bewildered and a little relieved, you haven’t run away yet. 
The makeup around your eyes is a bit smudged from the sobbing, stray glitter under your bottom eyelashes, he silently puts his thumb on it, getting black make-up and glitter all over his finger as his hand rests on your cheek. You blink. 
The breath in his chest is trapped, waiting with bated breath for you to come to your senses, leave him angry on the bathroom floor, like you did a few days before. 
Instead you stay, as you move in and kiss him.
Tumblr media
taglist: @reidsbtch, @vintagehellfire, @fckyeahlames, @lavendermunson, @sunnythefriendlyghost, @onegirlmanytales, @aphrogeneias, @cryingglightningg, @munsonsuccubus, @strangereads, @gothvamp1973, @boomitsallie1, @thottywizard, @ali-r3n, @reysorigins, @yunirgo, @stqrgirl3, @neville-is-my-husband, @keikoraven, @minorlystuck13, @seexyyprincess, @sunnythespookyghost, @capricornrisingsstuff, @mandyjo8719, @xxhellfirebunnyxx, @hellfirenacht, @str4ngergirlw0rld, @strangerstilinski,
140 notes · View notes
Text
Chocolate-flavoured lips (part 1)
Sanji x reader (romantic); Nami x reader (platonic). This is part one of two.
Hurt/comfort, romance. NSFW. Mentions of heavy themes - slavery, (briefly) eating disorders.
*****
There was something strange about you; Sanji knew it from the very first day.
It didn't bother him, of course. As far as he was concerned, a pretty girl like you had the right to be any definition of odd, weird or bizarre she liked. Also, you were a friend of Luffy, and a member of his crew: being strange was almost a preliminary condition. You were kind, friendly, a capable doctor, and he just needed to think about the way your hips moved as you walked, rolling like the waves on the calm surface of the sea and making your buttocks sway in such a pleasant and enticing manner, to feel butterflies in his stomach.
So, he wasn't worried. He didn't think you posed a danger to the rest of the crew, or were hiding something beyond personal matters everyone was entitled to keep to themselves. He was simply... intrigued, his curiosity aroused by a probably unimportant matter, that a person in his position could not help noticing: your relationship with food.
Being the ship's cook, Sanji had been quick to learn his new crewmates' eating habits. He knew Luffy would eat next to anything but preferred meat; that Zoro cared more about alcohol than solid food but disliked rice balls; that the fastest way to put Nami in a good mood was to serve her the tangerines of the little tree she had taken with her from her village, either at the end of a meal or freshly squeezed in a juice; that Usopp needed more coffee than anyone else in the morning and was allergic to peanuts. Simple things, little tricks that perhaps his crewmates didn't even know he had noticed and remembered; but that was fine by Sanji, and as long as the others were satisfied as they stood from the table, he was as well.
And then there was you; you, who had insisted you had no favourite food or a particular aversion to anything, and who never failed to say "That was amazing, Sanji-kun." at the end of each meal, before offering to help him with the dishes. You, who seemed grateful and even relieved of any morsel of food you were given and who Sanji could not believe ate so little.
It was disconcerting. On his first morning on the ship, after he had gotten up extra early to prepare a good breakfast for the rest of the crew, he had been disappointed to hear you request "Just a cup of coffee, Sanji-kun, if you can." ignoring the eggs, bagels, waffles and pancakes (with three different sauces!) he had prepared to thank his new friends for welcoming him among them. It all looked fantastic, you had hurried to add noting his dismayed expression, but you were still full from the previous evening.
Which, Sanji supposed, was a legitimate explaination... or at least it would have been, if you hadn't told him the very same thing on the next morning, and then on the next, and so on. In the end, he stopped asking, and switched to present you with the largest coffee cup he had found, almost the size of a beer mug, as soon as you entered the kitchen; and the grateful, still sleepy but happy smile you never failed to thank him with was enough to heal him from any disappointment... even if it was more than a little weird to see you limit yourself to your drink while the others gorged. A single cup of coffee, that was what you wanted for the most important meal of the day: nothing solid. A coffee... with a single drop of milk, which sometimes you looked almost guilty adding to your cup.
Sanji was no doctor, but he knew that people needed food to remain healthy and as an energy source; moreover, Zeff had often told him, pirates needed to eat well and abundantly, since managing a ship was laborious work, they could be called to fight at any moment and never knew for sure when they would eat next. It made sense (most of what his old mentor and adoptive father taught him did, even though Sanji had been loathe to admit it) and it could not be denied all the Straw Hat pirates had an healthy appetite, especially after a fight or if they had something to celebrate.
Except you.
You ate like a bird, so much that sometimes there was no need to clean your plate, and just a few morsels were enough to make you say "I am full, thank you." At first, Sanji thought you simply didn't like his cooking, which would have been a reasonable, albeit embarrassing, explanation, and were simply too kind to tell him. Already feeling guilty his cooking had forced you to go hungry, instead of enjoying your lunches and dinner like the rest of the crew, Sanji pulled you aside one day (you were wearing a new dress, he noticed; it looked amazing on you, but after all, what didn't?) and asked to know what exactly you liked to eat, if there was a food you particularly enjoyed, and what exactly he was doing wrong: he was grateful you were trying to spare his feelings, but his pride as a cook demanded each and every of his crewmates were satisfied with the food he prepared, even if it meant spending his nights experimenting with new ingredients and techniques, or prepare your lunches and dinners separately from those of the others.
In response, you blinked, clearly perplexed. "I... I don't understand, Sanji-kun. There is nothing wrong with your cooking; everything you prepare is delicious."
You were alone in the kitchen, after you had as usual offered to help him with the washing, side by side in front of the sink, close enough he could see how plush your lips looked, especially with that new lipstick Nami had helped you choose... and especially when you used them to say his name. "I'm sorry, maybe I should have told you before, I didn't mean to seem ungrateful..."
Sanji hurried to explain you had done nothing wrong. "It is just... you eat so little, I was afraid you were limiting yourself to only what you needed to survive because there was something wrong with the taste..."
"There is not! Absolutely. To be honest, I didn't even know food could taste so good. I know you didn't train as a bartender, but even your coffee is amazing!"
The evident sincerity and gratitude in your voice had been a balm for Sanji's soul; his new crewmates were not avaricious with compliments for his cooking, but knowing you enjoyed it made him particularly happy. Still...
"It is just that... you really eat little." he added, feeling that now that he had raised the topic that had given him so much to think about in the last days, he couldn't simply let it go until he had received a satisfactory answer "Not only much less than the others, but too little for an adult woman to remain in good health. This... worried me, a little bit. I don't want you to starve, (name)."
"There is no need to fear."
"That can't be right. You need..."
"Truly. I appreciate your concern, but you have no reason to be troubled." you insisted; your tone was still the friendly, kind one Sanji had learnt to know since you had become acquainted, but at the same time there was a new determination in your voice, as if you were subtly warning him against insisting... as if you wanted to end that conversation, or at least to change the topic, as soon as you could "If I ever feel hungry, or in the unlikely case you serve us something I dislike, I will tell you, I promise."
That should have been enough to reassure Sanji, and it had been - sort of. In the end, he had told himself, there really was nothing to worry about; they had more than enough food for everyone on the ship, and as a doctor, you had to know the benefits of an healthy nutrition better than anyone else. Not everyone could be a bottomless pit like Luffy!
Still. Still, your relationship with food was something he really couldn't make sense of, and that kept arousing his curiosity, no matter how many times Sanji told himself he had no reason, and even less the right, to stick his nose in your business.
Then there was your interest in the kitchen leftovers. Zeff had taught him that wasting food, either letting it go bad or simply because one didn't like it or didn't know how to make use of it, was the greatest shame for a cook, as well as an imprudent behaviour for someone who could not go to the store every time they wanted, since they travelled by sea. That had been a lesson Sanji had taken to heart, the terrible memories of the weeks he had spent eating rotten food, including moldy bread, before he and his mentor had been saved, still vivid in his memory. He had promised himself to never waste food; it was not always easy to serve fruit (including Nami's tangerines) and vegetables on the ship, but at least rice, legumes and oatmeal could last for months if properly stored, and the Merry's kitchen had a large fridge he could use to increase the aliments' durability. Sanji knew it was unpleasant to eat the same dish for three days in a row because one of the ingredient was going to spoil soon, but he had never thrown away a single head of lettuce gone bad and didn't intend to start now.
Still, his caution in using food efficiently and preserve it as long as it could be was nothing compared to yours. "This was really good, but I am full; can you please set it aside, Sanji-kun, so I can eat it tomorrow?" you were in the habit to say to him, after a meal you had clearly enjoyed, but at the end of which your plate was still half-full. Every time, he assured you he would, even setting a small area in the fridge aside especially for your food, since you didn't want anyone else to have to eat what you had touched; every time, you thanked him with the sort of smile and gratitude in your eyes that could have melt an iceberg, and then made sure to eat what you had saved from the previous meal. That was normal; that was something he could understand and even approve, since Sanji could never be friends with someone who wasted food in any way.
It was only when he found you taking scraps from the garbage can that he started worrying.
"(Name)? Is that you?" Sanji asked, undisguised astonishment in his voice; he had woken up in the middle of the night, and decided a glass of hot milk was just what he needed to go back to sleep. He expected the kitchen to be empty given the time, but even if you had also woken up craving a midnight drink or snack, that would have been fine with him; but the scene in front of him was enough to leave Sanji speechless.
You were kneeling in front of the large bin he used to throw away food and other perishable products, busy digging through it barehanded. On a plate on the floor next to you was the loot of your search: a few pieces of apple peel, half - no, a third of a chicken leg, a couple spoonfuls of tomato sauce he had used to season the pasta, and a few half-brown leaves of salad.
Caught in the act, you gaped, suddenly terrified as if you had been seen standing next to a dead body with a bloody knife in your hand. "Sanji-kun..."
"What are you doing?" he asked, flabbergasted; he didn't mean to sound accusing, let alone aggressive, but he saw you flinch as you stood and backed away from the bin and the plate, as if to put as much distance as you could between you and the incriminating evidence.
"I... I just wanted to..."
You looked so helpless, so embarrassed and even fearful of what he could think or do, Sanji felt he needed to reassure you, even though he couldn't even begin to understand what you were doing.
"It's all right; you did nothing wrong." he gently added as he approached; he lifted the plate you had prepared, and as he contemplated the miserable meal you had put together, he felt as if he was ten years old again, forced to order his stomach to swallow the moldy food he had left. What in the world had led you to want to eat that? He knew there were some situations, both on ships and on land, in which stealing food was treated as a major crime and punished accordingly, but he could not believe that was what had motivated you "It is just... well, if you were hungry you could simply take something from the fridge or the pantry. Even if I noticed, I wouldn't be crossed, and Luffy even less. I don't want you to have to resort..."
"I wasn't hungry."
"... no?"
"Not at all. I ate more than enough at dinner, as usual; that pasta was the best I had ever had." you assured as you smiled shyly at him; as usual, that was enough to make his heart skip a beat "It is just... I saw you throw these things away while you prepared, and I thought they were still usable..."
"But they are not."
"They are. Maybe they would not be as tasty as they were three days ago, but they are still edible." you insisted; you looked at him, and bitterness blossomed in your smile "You think I am mad, don't you?"
He didn't. But... "I don't, but..." Sanji hesitated, wondering how to give voice to his thoughts without risking to offend you. Was this the first time you did it, or was it a recurring behaviour? After all he didn't keep track of the content of the garbage can, who would?, and the thought of you, slipping out of your cabin every night to rummage in it looking for half-edible food was... it was heartbreaking, whatever the reason "But I don't want you to have to eat scraps when there is healthy, good food just three steps away. You remember what I told you and the others about my past?"
"Of course I do."
"Then you'll believe me when I say I never throw away something that is still safe to eat; eating spoiled food could make you sick, you must know it better than I do. And the fact that you are taking it back from the garbage can means it is dirty, which is also a danger to your health."
"I know, I am sorry..."
"(name)." Sanji said, leaving the plate on the kitchen counter to take your hands in his; was this the first physical contact between the two of you, in more than a month since you had first met? It probably was, he reflected, if one did not consider your fingers brushing against each other when he passed you a fork or a plate. It felt sweet, somehow; it felt right "Please. You don't have to explain anything to me. I know I am not your father and you are an adult, but... what would you do if you found out one of your crewmates did that?"
"I would ask them to stop." you admitted "As a doctor, and as a friend."
"Exactly. And as your friend, and as a cook, I ask you not to do it anymore. Throwing away spoiled food is perfectly reasonable; and between the two of us, we waste so little already."
"All right." you capitulated; you looked shyly at him, still clearly ill at ease "I won't do that anymore, you have my word."
Sanji was happy to hear that, and he was even happier when you accepted his proposal for a glass of warm milk, that the two of you drank sitting face to face in a companionable silence, your knees touching his under the table. Before leaving, he returned the scraps you had taken out to the garbage can, hoping in his heart that no more recuperations would occur.
"You will not... tell anyone, will you?" you murmured as you both left the kitchen, a moment before you had to part to return to your respective cabins. Sanji looked at you, displaying his most bewildered expression.
"Tell anyone what?" he asked, happy to see you smile once more, this time full of gratefulness.
"Thank you, Sanji-kun." you murmured; a moment of hesitation, and then your lips were pressed against his cheek, the touch chaste and brief but resolute. He barely had the time to realize what was happening (you were kissing him. You were kissing him. You were kissing him!!) that you had left already, scuttling away along the corridor in the direction of your cabin.
Momentarily forgetful of the situation he had found you in, Sanji was happy no one else was awake on the ship in that moment and could see how furiously he had blushed.
In the next weeks, Sanji ordered himself not to monitor the content of the garbage can in the kitchen, like he was often tempted to do; he even went as far as closing his eyes as he cleaned the dishes into it after a meal (even though a couple of times he ended up spilling the scraps on the floor; Zoro saw once, and looked strangely at him) determined to remain in the dark regarding a matter that concerned you and you alone. You had given him his word, and as far as Sanji was concerned, that was enough; you were free to do as you deemed right, and if he ever found out you had broken your word, his reaction would have been of worry, rather than of disappointment.
Still, he couldn't help being worried, especially after a conversation with Nami, one day the whole crew was setting out to explore the new island they had just reached.
"Do you want us to buy something for dinner?" the red-haired navigator asked him; as usual, she and you had decided to have a walk together, perhaps do some shopping. Sanji, who as a rule preferred taking care of the grocery shopping himself, blinked.
"No, thank you. I'll do it, as usual."
"Are you sure?" Nami insisted, having noticed the confusion on the cook's expression "Because you had asked (name) to buy a few things last week, so I thought..."
"... I did what?""
And so he learnt that just a week before, on the last island you had visited, you had gotten separated and Nami had seen you coming out of a large grocery store, your purchases in a bag. Didn't Sanji take care of food shopping yesterday after we docked, as usual?, she had asked, surprised, and you had told her he had asked you to buy a couple of things he had forgotten.
"... but judging from your expression it was a lie. Am I right? I did notice (name) looked... flustered as we spoke..."
They looked at each other, suddenly worried for a reason neither could quite grasp. They were the last ones still on the ship, their friends waiting for them on the pier; you were laughing at something Usopp was telling you, the image of a happy, serene girl without a worry in the world.
Sanji had long started suspecting that image was fake, an illusion you deliberately projected to others, but perhaps he had not yet realized how much.
"You guys are coming?" Luffy called; Sanji smiled and waved back, aware you were looking at him, but immediately dropped the act as he spoke to Nami in a whisper.
"You guys go. Whatever happens, do not let (name) come back to the ship before I have caught up."
"What? Why are you...?"
"Nami, please. There is something important I need to do."
"Then I want to know it." the navigator whispered back urgently "(name) is my friend; if she is... in danger, or if there is something worrying her, I want to know. I want to help her."
She was clearly sincere; as the only girls in the crew, the two of you shared a cabin, but what had started as a forced cohabitation had quickly developed in a firm friendship. If even Nami had no idea of what bothered you, it had to be nothing... or something so important you were determined to keep hidden.
"Nami, please." he whispered; he hadn't meant to sound desperate, but the navigator chose to relent.
"All right. But if you do find something I want to know." she ordered; then, she skipped towards the pier, and towards you. A moment later she had slipped her arm through yours, decisively leading you away from the ship.
Sanji's heart was heavy with guilt as he, a minute later, opened the door of the girls' cabin. The room was as large as the one he shared with Luffy, Usopp and Zoro, even though only two bunks were occupied; he knew yours was the one on the left. Not knowing what exactly he was looking for, Sanji started inspecting the bed, checking the space under the frame, then under the mattress, and finally under the pillow; he found absolutely nothing but a few dust bunnies on the floor. The small table next to the bed was empty but for a pocket book you had bought a couple islands before, and the only other element in your area, a small locker facing the end of the bed, contained only your clothes, medical tools neatly arranged on a shelf and a few toiletries and cosmetics.
A complete failure; he had invaded your privacy, rummaging through your things like a thief looking for valuables to steal and embroiling Nami, your best friend, in his plan. All for nothing. What exactly did he expect to find? Sanji had no reason to suspect you were up to something wrong, illegal, or that could endanger you or the rest of the crew. Maybe on that day you had entered the grocery store to buy some personal hygiene products, or something else you were too embarrassed or simply wanted not to share with the others, and he had no right to stick his nose in your business like he just had. Sanji only had your best interests at heart, still fearing your unusual eating habits were due to an health problem or a disorder that could potentially endanger you, but he had to admit it: he had no reason and no right to do what he had just done, and if the roles were reversed he would have been furious.
Sanji made sure to leave everything like he had found it, including the folded blanket at the end of the bed, and as he was leaving the cabin an unexpected but familiar noise reached his ears... a creaking sound, coming from one of the beams of the floor. Nothing he hadn't heard a thousand times before, he vaguely thought, even though the Merry had set sail barely a few weeks before and it was otherwise in pristine condition, it was a bit surprising that the flooring was already damaged...
Unless...
The creaking beam was just next to your bed; Sanji kneeled, and moved away the small rug covering it, the one that he remembered you had brought soon after leaving the Baratie. He had no experience in carpentry, but he immediately realized the beam had been broken and then put back in its place like a lid; in the space under it, Sanji found some food, no doubt the things Nami had seen you leave the shop with a week ago, and a cutlery set, wrapped in a napkin. A box of cookies; three different bean cans; a bag of carrots; two pieces of hard cheese; a water bottle. Simple, cheap aliments that you could eat secretly as soon as your roommate had left the room, without anyone knowing, and that could be kept hidden for a while before going bad.
Seeing that measly loot that you had nonetheless done your best to conceal, as if you feared to be forced to starve or to need in any case to find sustenance for yourself, broke Sanji's heart. He delicately put the beam and then the rug back in their place; he left the cabin, closing the door behind him, and hurried to catch up with the rest of the crew.
When he joined the others, Nami was quick to meet his gaze questioningly; Sanji answered with a mute, but determined, shake of his head. He didn't doubt the navigator would keep his (well, your) secret, and would do everything she could to help; but he felt already tremendously guilty for what he had done, and the least he could do was to prevent anyone else from meddling in your affairs... which he still couldn't make heads or tails of.
You ate as little as a bird. You saved your food scrupolously, and were willing to eat even half-spoiled aliments. You bought food with your own money and hid it in your room, as if you feared your (regular, abundant and, not to brag, delicious) meals to be taken from you. Why? He could not stop wondering; he could not stop feeling there was a very serious, probably heartbreaking reason behind your behaviour, and Sanji wanted to know the truth, not simply out of curiosity or because his pride as a cook had been hurt. He was worried for you, because... well, because you were his friend, and he was yours, and he wanted you to be happy.
That was all. From now on, Sanji promised himself as he joined the little group who was reaching the centre of the village, he would stop sticking his nose into your business, but he would do his best to offer you friendship and support, in case you needed them.
He was going to leave the others and ask for directions to the local market, but he got an idea when he and the others walked past a cute ice-cream parlour; many people were sitting at the round tables outside under a green-roofed veranda, including quite a few couples. Evidently it was a popular place for a date...
Talk about killing two birds with one stone. "(name), do you like ice-cream?" he asked as he approached; you, until then busy listening to another of Usopp's tales, blinked, clearly taken aback.
"Ice-cream? I... I don't think I've ever eaten one."
Sanji was so focused on his little plan he didn't really notice that surprising statement. "Well, you'll love it, I promise. Shall we go? My treat."
"Oh, that's a great idea! We could..." Luffy intervened, right before Nami elbowed him into silence. For once, the captain seemed to take the hint. "Oh. All right, we'll do something else."
"Shall we?" Sanji said; it would have been a lie to say he didn't want to see you eat (between meals for the first time since you had met, and more for the pleasure of tasting something good than for simple sustainance) but after all, there were worse way to spend an afternoon than in the company of a pretty girl - a pretty girl who was now blushing furiously as she also caught the implications of that invitation, and then gave him the biggest, happiest smile Sanji had ever seen.
"I'd be happy to, Sanji-kun."
That was the first ice-cream of your life, lemon and vanilla, with whipped cream on top. On the next island the crew visited, the two of you went out together again to the best parlour in town (and then fought a group of mercenaries intent on getting rich with Luffy's bounty) and then you did it again the following week, and again and again. Soon, it became a tradition, a moment you and Sanji shared away from the rest of the world and of the crew; he had decided it was his duty as a cook and as a friend (that had quickly decided he wouldn't mind becoming something more, but still) that it was his duty to introduce you to the joys of good food, and you were happy to help him sample the traditional aliments of the different places your journeys brought you to, but that moment, an ice-cream together... that was only for you. That was special.
"Is this a date?" you asked, unexpectedly bold, as you walked back to the Merry after your third outing; Sanji smiled, suddenly aware of how sweet your cocolate-flavoured lips would taste if he kissed you.
"It depends." he gently answered, perceiving it was not yet time for an approach; it was plain to see you appreciated his company, especially during your little outings, but Sanji had heard you confess to Nami you had never had a boyfriend and the mere idea of being flirted with made you nervous. "It can be whatever you want it to be."
The problem was, Sanji did want to flirt with you. He did want your expeditions in search of the best ice-cream in town to be official dates, and not simply two friends spending time together. He did want to be your boyfriend - a realization that struck him suddenly, one day he saw you happily helping Nami set the table, your eyes sparkling with excitement at something you were telling her, and he found himself unable to look away. He wanted you, because you were one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen, and also so much more.
Sanji never told you he had snooped around in your cabin, and found your little stash; he knew he would have to, if your relationship actually developed beyond a simple friendship, but he had to admit he wasn't looking forward to that moment. He had never gone back to the broken beam under your bedside rug to check whether you kept buying food in secret, or were actually tapping into your provisions, just like he had never checked the content of the garbage can; he was still worried for you, even though he couldn't say exactly why, or what for, but now that he was no longer obsessing about your weird relationship with food he had realized how beautiful and sweet and funny you were, and was determined to give it his best shot.
Sanji fell sick one day, after an unexpectedly early winter had led him to catch a cold. It was nothing dangerous, at least for a young, healthy man, but you remain by his bedside night and day, checking again and again the medicine you had prepared was taking effect, changing the cold washcloth on his forehead, and simply keeping him company. You made him a chicken soup, apologizing in advance for the flavour.
"I am not a great cook; and nothing I could ever make would measure with your dishes." you explained with a tiny smile as you set the tray down on his lap "But it will keep you warm and hydrated; you'll feel better in no time, I promise."
He did, the brief illness only keeping him in bed for three days, but part of him missed having you all to himself, even if just as a patient needing to be assisted, and when he thanked you for your work, you pointed out you had only done your duty as a doctor...
"... but I'm glad I could help you. I... I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to you." you admitted. Sanji smiled, taking both of your hands in his.
"I am not going anywhere." he said; that was a commitment no one was fully capable of making, a pirate perhaps less than anyone, and you both knew it, but that didn't make his words less important, for any of you "I promise you."
Three months after your first ice-cream date, one day you brought the dirty dishes to the sink after dinner and he saw they were empty - all of them, including yours, for the first time. Sanji's heart was bursting; he felt the need to celebrate, and when he saw your smile, he knew he wasn't the only one.
"Everything of your liking, miss?"
"It was all amazing. My compliments to the chef."
That night, he once again felt unable to sleep, and he went to the kitchen for a glass of warm milk; once again, he found you there.
"I couldn't sleep, I swear; I wasn't..." you stammered, a saucepan in your hand, while you used the other to vaguely point at the garbage can five steps away. Sanji smiled to reassure you; he trusted you, and in any case he had nothing to accuse you of.
"You owe me no explanation. You know that."
"I know; but I have always kept my word, and I want you to know."
You drank your milk sitting next to each other, your knees touching under the table, both aware that there was no need to talk. In the end, you looked at him. "Sanji-kun?"
"Yes, (name)?"
You swallowed, as if gathering your courage. "May I... may I kiss you?"
He didn't sleep a wink that night, but laughed softly in his pillow, giddy and excited, the taste of your lips (not of chocolate, or vanilla, or of any of the many ice-cream flavours he had seen you taste in the last weeks; it was something different, sweet and warm and sensual enough to make him loose his mind) still burning on his.
He made you a cake for your birthday, a month later; you ate a large slice, Sanji feeding you part of it with his spoon, and (once the others had left you alone) you let him lick whipped cream off your fingers. "You seem to enjoy eating a little more than when we first met." he whispered as he pressed his lips against yours, your kisses multiplying, neverending, and still not enough to placate the hunger burning in his belly "Does it have to do with the cook, as well as the quality of the food?"
You laughed, sitting in his lap with your arm around his shoulders; still, when you answered, you were more serious than he had ever seen you. "Believe me, Sanji-kun, you have no idea how right you are."
You decided to make it official, letting the rest of the crew know you were a couple (finally was the single, collective answer. Even from Luffy) and promised to keep the PDA at a minimum; Nami hugged you, and winked at Sanji behind your back in a sign of acknowledgment. She knew you were strong, enough to take care of yourself and overcome any obstacle; but she knew how much you cared for Sanji, and was happy and relieved he reciprocated your feelings and would treasure them as you deserved.
Sanji was happy, and you were as well. He drew a milk heart on the surface of your coffee before offering you the mug; you concocted a new migraine medication and brought it to him in a tea cup every time you sensed he needed it, even before he had ask for it. You took care of the dirty dishes together, standing close enough your hip would brush against his; you walked hand in hand, your fingers interwined, or with the comforting weight of his arm around your shoulders. You sometimes argued; you never fought. He wrote to Zeff to tell him about you; you told him how much you wished he could have met your mother. You took his favourite shirt, that Sanji had inadvertently torn during a fight, mended it, and placed it back on his bed as a surprise; on the next morning, he brought you breakfast in bed, and kept you there cuddling for two more hours. He pushed you against the wall to kiss you until you were both breathless; you sat on his lap as you both witnessed the sun disappear behind the horizon.
And then, something else happened - something else weird, and inexplicable, that concerned you and that Sanji didn't know how to interpret.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
156 notes · View notes