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#and i get having complaints about that. but not really about moving the location of some buttons
coquelicoq · 8 months
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i just saw someone say that "the vast majority of the userbase is complaining" about tumblr's recent layout change. i see this a lot after a change: people complaining about it (sometimes without saying what about it is bad, making it sound like either it's self-evident (it usually is not) or just that it's bad because it's change and change is always bad) and saying that everyone else is complaining about it too. i don't know how to tell you this but a) you don't follow every user on tumblr so how can you possibly know what "everyone" or "the majority of users" thinks about anything and b) ONLY THE PEOPLE WHO FEEL VERY STRONGLY ARE TALKING ABOUT IT!! people who are not bothered are not spending time posting about how unbothered they are! please look up "selection bias" and stop making me read this nonsense with my own eyeballs.
#i don't get what's so bad abt this change bc it doesn't bother me & no one is explaining it! the most i've seen is it's 'like twitter'#which people don't like i guess bc this might imply that tumblr could be taking more cues from twitter than just the layout?#which is also fallacious reasoning#some changes i do hate. like for instance the change that made it so i can no longer click to the version that someone rbed from#which breaks the prev tag culture :(#but some changes are whatever! and some changes are good even!!#it's fine if it takes time to get used to something being different of course but it seems like the reaction on here can be so extreme#so fast. 'bombard the app with 1-star reviews!!!!' how about you give it a couple weeks and maybe you'll calm down.#i think there's a sense of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' but it is broke though! tumblr is unsustainable and they gotta do stuff to make#the site more attractive and easier to use for new users. they can do that without losing what makes tumblr tumblr#the layout is not what makes tumblr tumblr! the functionality is. and sometimes that does change for the worse#and i get having complaints about that. but not really about moving the location of some buttons#anyway i haven't said anything before because i don't have strong feelings about this UX change but i DO have strong feelings about#the vague yet very forceful complaints about the UX change that i keep seeing lol#tumblr#fallacies#anyway don't get distracted by my tags. this post is not really about me not understanding what's so bad about this specific change#it's about people who hate a change assuming that everyone agrees with them because they're only seeing the reactions from#a biased subset of the userbase#(by biased i don't mean the users are biased. i mean the sample is biased...it's highly likely to include people who feel strongly#and unlikely to include people who are neutral or feel less strongly)
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sarahscribbles · 27 days
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So I've been battling with this little idea for a few days but other projects keep me from writing it…
Loki takes y/n shopping and they end up in a lingerie store where y/n teases him by trying on some spicy sets. Of course Loki doesn’t like to be provoked like that and takes her in the changing room💚
Sorry it took me so long to get to this, my love! I hope it's what you had in mind!
𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬
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𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞
𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐋𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐱 𝐟!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝐒𝐦𝐮𝐭
𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟑.𝟐𝐤
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬: 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐱, 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭!𝐃𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐨𝐤𝐢, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐤, 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐬𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲, 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐋𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭
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It’s well into the afternoon by the time you leave the fifth store that day still empty handed. The shopping trip has, so far, been entirely unsuccessful, and you know that Loki’s patience is hanging on by a very thin thread. He’ll never say it, of course, but you noticed the silent roll of his jaw when you emerged from the last changing room and announced that none of the dresses you’d tried on were The One. 
He hadn’t believed you when you had told him over and over that finding the perfect outfit for Natasha’s birthday would be a marathon and not a sprint. Likely, he thought you’d emerge victorious from the first store and he could whisk you back to bed to celebrate, but you can feel the tetchiness and exasperation beginning to roll off him as you continue hand in hand down the street. 
Your fiancè is an angel, he really is, because no one - not even Wanda - has lasted this long on a shopping trip without voicing their irritation. Given how long you’ve both been traipsing around Manhattan, you have no doubt that Loki’s tolerance is balancing precariously on a knife edge. 
He hasn’t voiced a single complaint, though, something you take as just another confirmation that you’re choosing to spend your life with the right person. 
“You’re being so brave,” you say with an exaggerated air of solemnity. 
You turn to him with an expression that mirrors your tone and he responds with an elegant snort of laughter that makes you grin. 
Loki’s hand squeezes yours and he runs the pad of his thumb over your knuckles. “Little menace,” he teases lightly. “Remind me to take you at your word next time, lest I have to suffer like this again.” 
You know he’s teasing because the man would move mountains if he so much as thought you’d want him to, but you still nudge him with your hip as you walk. 
“I promise that the next store will be the last! I feel like this one will be The One!” you assure him, already beginning to think of a hundred different ways you can make today up to him. Loki will never expect you to, of course, but how could you possibly turn down the chance of spending several hours in bed with him? 
“My darling, you do realise you’ve said that each time we’ve stopped in the last hour?” Loki replies, but the affection colouring his words is impossible to miss.
“Yes, but I have a really good feeling about the next place! Trust me!” you tell him, tugging him down the next street Wanda recommended that morning. 
It takes less than a minute to locate the boutique amongst the crowds of people. Typical of Wanda, it’s bright and loud and stands out like a beacon amidst the more neutral tones of the surrounding shops. You’re halfway towards the door, though, when something else catches your eye only a few doors down - a racy pink sign with an elegant script that you’re sure you’ve seen on bags scattered around Nat’s room. 
A new idea begins to blossom and take shape in your mind. 
With a casualness that would make the Black Widow proud you stroll past the boutique until you reach the lingerie store. It’s only when you’re standing right outside the doors that you peek up at Loki. He silently offers you a raised eyebrow and the subtle beginnings of a smirk. 
“I’m going to need something to wear under the dress,” you say in explanation. 
Loki’s hand leaves yours so he can gently pinch your ass through your jeans. “I believe you raise a very valid point.” 
oOo
It’s over half an hour before you finally make it to the changing rooms. Unsurprisingly, Loki has found a new lease of life as you wander around picking out various items of lingerie, and each time you attempt to steer him towards the changing rooms, he finds something new and more risque than before. 
Your previous mission of finding an outfit is long forgotten. 
“Honestly, you’d think you’d never seen me in lingerie before!” you tease him as he follows you into the bright pink changing rooms. 
“You’ll forgive me for never ceasing to be enthralled by how exquisite you are, darling,” he responds smoothly, locking one arm around your waist to pull you back against his chest and planting a kiss to your neck. 
“Yeah, yeah, Casanova. I’ve already agreed to marry you. You don’t have to try and seduce me,” you reply. 
“That is my life long intention,” he says quietly in your ear. 
You fight the excited shiver that threatens to wrack your spine, instead turning to give him an affectionate roll of your eyes as you step into the changing room. “Just behave while I try these on.”
Loki looks back at you with an expression of feigned outrage. “How can you make those ridiculous requests of me?”
You catch his wink as you close the door and begin to sift through the seemingly endless fabric gathered in your arms. The first set you try on is pink and floaty and makes you feel like a cloud of candy floss, but when you open the changing room door, Loki’s eyes darken as though you’ve stepped out wrapped in leather. 
“How innocent you look, darling,” he purrs, but you watch that trademark smirk curl across his face. “Although you and I both know that’s not the case. Remind me where that little mouth was last night?” 
You playfully flip him off. “This is definitely going in the “no” pile. I feel like I should call you Daddy.” 
Loki visibly cringes. “Please do not ever use that word in reference to me.” 
“You got it,” you say and step back into the room. 
The next set you selected while Loki was otherwise occupied. You have no intention of buying it, but it was impossible to pass up the opportunity to tease him. The bodice is plain but brilliant red in colour, and dips low enough to give you an amazing cleavage. 
Yet, somehow, you don’t think that will be enough to redeem it. 
Loki’s eyes shoot up the second you pull the door open, but his face quickly drops into a scowl when he sees you half naked in his brother’s colours. 
“No,” he says immediately, though you notice his eyes roaming appreciatively over you.
“No? Really? I wasn’t planning on trying anymore after this. It fits perfectly, and I think it looks good!” you say brightly, fighting not to laugh as his eyes narrow. 
“I am not above putting you over my knee in public, dove,” Loki warns you. 
Warmth spreads shamelessly through your lower stomach until you feel that familiar, pleasant tingle between your thighs. You’re almost certain he wouldn’t, but you are dealing with the God of Mischief. It’s the lingering doubt that makes you sashay back into the changing room with Loki’s quiet laughter at your back. 
With the door securely closed you begin to pick through the swathes of material still spread over the marble bench, but it doesn’t take long to decide what you’re trying on next. It’s another that you sneakily draped over your arm while Loki was elsewhere in the store - a feat you’re quite proud of given how he seems to notice everything.
This set is made of delicate black lace - Loki’s kryptonite - and has tiny gold beading woven tastefully into the bodice. The sweetheart neckline gives you an enviable cleavage and when you catch sight of yourself in the floor length mirror against the opposite wall, you can’t help but make an appreciative face at your own reflection. 
You look good.  
After a few circles in front of the mirror - and a brief moment of wishing you could pair the set with the matching stockings - you finally open the changing room door. 
Loki is slower to turn his gaze to you this time, but when he does, it’s impossible to miss the pure lust that alights in his eyes. They run over you slowly from head to toe, like a starving man presented with his first meal. He swallows silently, wets his lips, and in two steps is standing right before you. 
“Enough,” he says huskily, placing a large hand on your shoulder to push you back into the small room with him in tow. 
The door clicks closed behind him, but his eyes never once leave yours. They’re dancing with raw desire, even though he’s seen you like this a million times before. 
“It isn’t fair to tease, dove,” Loki says, reaching out to grab your chin. 
You fix him with a look of feigned innocence. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I think you do, you little minx,” he replies quietly. His other hand is suddenly on your other shoulder and he’s spinning you around until you’re staring at your reflection in the mirror. “Look at your reflection and tell me you aren’t testing the resolve of a god,” Loki murmurs lowly in your ear. 
Ignoring the first flames of arousal that are beginning to lick through your core, you meet his eyes in the mirror. “I was just trying on lingerie. I’m completely innocent.” 
Loki’s hand snakes around your throat from behind, applying just the right amount of pressure. “The God of Lies, darling.”
Even with his hand around your neck you smirk at him. “I think you’re losing your touch on that part.” 
“Brat,” Loki growls in your ear. 
Easily, he walks you forward until your knees hit the wide ottoman sitting just in front of the mirror. His arm curls around your waist before you can crumple, carefully guiding you into a kneeling position atop the soft velvet and slotting himself between your spread calves like a missing puzzle piece. 
“Be a good girl and admit that you were being a tease,” he speaks quietly against your temple. There’s humour in his voice, but it’s mixing with a dangerous note that you’d recognise anywhere.
Loki’s hand is still locked possessively around your neck, making it near impossible to lean into the teasing brush of his lips against your skin. He knows this and continues to ghost them over your flushed cheek, refusing to reward you with the full, thrilling feel of them. 
“Never!” you say through a laugh, and you’re rewarded with the quiet sound of Loki’s right by your ear. 
“As you wish, dove,” he says, each word dripping with warning. 
His free hand creeps slowly along the lace bodice, fingering the intricacies of the lace and the miniscule golden beads until it reaches the matching tiny black thong. With ease, he rips the fabric from your hips and tosses it carelessly to the side in one shocking - but equally arousing - movement.
“Hey! I haven’t paid for this, you know!” you cry out, attempting to appraise the damage but his hand holds your head firmly in place. 
“That’s not my problem,” Loki replies, sinking his teeth into your earlobe and gently pulling on the flesh. 
You groan and plant your hands back on his thighs, digging your nails through his jeans for an added kick. “I’ll make it your prob - o..oh!” you begin to mutter, but Loki’s fingers on your clit steal the words from your lungs. “Mm…fuck…,” you moan, letting your head dip back on his shoulder. 
“Ah, ah.” Loki quickly chastises you, using the hand still wrapped around your neck to guide your head forward. “Eyes on the mirror, dove. Eyes on me.” 
With another strangled moan as he skillfully circles your clit, you obediently keep your eyes trained on him. His face is pressed snugly against your cheek, and finally - finally - you feel the blessed press of his lips against your flushed skin. He leaves a wet trail of kisses all the way to your ear, then you feel the wet heat of his tongue trace a line along the sweet spot behind your ear. 
The only thing keeping you upright is the hand still gripping your throat, but even it can’t suppress the shiver that wracks violently through you. 
Loki’s fingers continue to rapidly propel you towards release, skillfully playing your body in a way only he can. Mixed with the filth that he’s whispering in your ear, you feel your climax begin to crest like a wave in your cunt, and when Loki decides to suck on your earlobe, you know you’re gone. 
“Loki…m’gonna cum. ‘M…gonna…..urghh!!” you cry out in utter frustration when he pulls his hand away from your dripping cunt. 
“I don’t think so, darling,” he purrs smoothly, running the tip of his nose along your cheek. “Not until you admit you were being a brat.” 
The scent of him - the scent of your home - wraps around you like a favourite blanket. It’s patchouli and clove and that ever evasive “something sweet” that drags you under like a buoy beneath the surf. You want to surrender, to lose yourself in this man as he loses himself in you in return, but, unsurprisingly, your stubbornness prevails. 
“Nope!” you say, trying to shake your head as best you can while he still holds it in place. 
Loki releases an exaggerated sigh and dips his fingers back between your thighs. “Very well.” 
Again and again he brings you right to the edge of a blinding release, each time letting your orgasm dangle enticingly before you and snatching it from your grasp when you still refuse to humour him. You whine and plead and beg, but he’s in a particularly sadistic mood this afternoon and refuses to grant you the climax you’re craving. 
By the fifth time, you’re whimpering and wriggling in his grasp. Each of your stolen orgasms are burning through your blood and you’re desperate for what promises to be a cataclysmic release, so when his fingers return once more to tease your aching cunt, you crave. 
“Alright! Ok, I yield! I was being a brat, you were right! I was being a brat and teasing you! Please let me cum now! Please!” you beg, not caring that you’re in a very public changing room in the middle of Manhattan. 
Loki presses his lips to your cheek. “Now, was that really so hard?” he taunts, and brings his fingers to your mouth. “Open.” 
Obediently, you clean your arousal off him and squirm with excitement when you hear him unbuckle his belt and free himself from his jeans. He moves closer still and his cock is achingly hard as he slides it along your slick cunt. You’re all but keening for him, about to burst with how wildly you crave him, but he repeats the motion again and again, laughing quietly as he does. 
“Loki, please!” you whine, pressing your ass back against him in a flimsy attempt to encourage him forward. 
It’s fruitless, you know; Loki does everything at his own pace. 
The hand still wrapped around your throat glides upwards to your jaw, locking your head completely in place. “Your eyes are not to leave this mirror,” Loki murmurs with quiet authority. “I want you to see what this perfect little body does to me. I want you to watch your god come apart. Understood?” 
You’re so madly aroused by this man that you can only manage a whimper, but when he lightly smacks your ass, you quickly find your voice. 
“Yes, Loki!” 
“Good girl. My good, good girl,” he praises you as his cock slips inside you inch by glorious inch. 
You’ve had this man more times than you can count, yet you still groan in absolute bliss when he fills you with his cock. He’s ruined you for anyone else. 
Loki’s face hovers near yours in the mirror and you delightfully watch in contort in pleasure with each thrust into your warm, welcoming cunt. His eyes slip closed in tandem with a broken stream of expletives spilling from his lips, words that you mirror when his fingers find your clit once again. 
Your instant cry of pleasure makes him groan shamelessly in your ear and reward you with a particularly rough thrust of his hips. “Exquisite, darling. You are exquisite,” he rasps in your ear. “Look at what you do to me, you divine creature.” 
And you do watch. 
You watch as he throws his head back on his shoulders, half lost to the pleasure your mortal body is bringing him; you watch his carefully styled hair become more disheveled with each thrust, falling haphazardly around his face in a rainfall of ink black; you watch the deep furrow of his brow and the parting of his lips as his own release builds like a storm within him. 
Watching him is better than any aphrodisiac. It’s addictively erotic - even more so at knowing it’s you that ignited so much desire in him that he had to take you here and now. His name is already etched across your heart, but you want to drown in this man until he’s all your lungs know. 
Watching his ascent to orgasm has only stirred your own to life between your thighs. You’re right at the edge, and this time you know he’ll finally grant you that glittering release. 
“Gonna cum. Loki…gonna cum…m’ gonna…,'' you slur out while his cock continues to brush against you at just the right angle and his fingers on your clit have you close to seeing stars. 
“Cum for me, beautiful girl,” he says roughly, but with a gentle squeeze of your throat.
You topple over easily, groaning his name as your orgasm rips violently through you. Your nails dig deeper into his denim clad thighs for purchase and, seconds later, Loki freefalls right along with you. He catches your eye in the mirror as his own orgasm drags him under, repeating your name like an ancient prayer of salvation.
The sight of him lost to pleasure only magnifies your own until you’re almost sure you’ll pass out from the sheer force of your climax. You don’t break Loki’s gaze for a second, not until the very last aftershocks are rippling through you and you feel boneless in his grip. 
Loki’s hand loosens from your throat in the wake of his own come down. Both arms wrap securely around your waist while his forehead falls to rest in the crook of your neck, his lips instantly latching on to your sensitive skin. You’re still spent and panting, and his cock is still buried inside you, but you gladly bask in the soft feel of his lips pressing along your shoulder. 
“So…d’you think I should buy this one?” you say lightly after a brief moment of silence. 
His answering laughter gently tickles your neck. “Darling, if you don’t, I will have no choice but to do this again and again until you see sense.” 
“That’s…that’s not really persuading me,” you reply, taking one of his hands in yours and bringing it to your lips. 
In response, you feel his teeth graze over your skin. “Hmm, how about this? If you buy this, we will return to the Compound immediately and I will lock our doors for the next few days.” 
You make a show of considering his words. “It’s a start, I guess.”
 Loki chuckles and nuzzles his face against your neck. “My darling, you have no idea what plans I have for you.”
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blkkizzat · 6 months
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ღ𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐟!𝐓𝐨𝐣𝐢 ღ
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏 𝐨𝐟 𝟐
18+ONLY MDNI
kizzatober series: Thrilling Ghouls
Kinktober Prompts: Breeding, Dacryphilia, Aphrodisiac Synopsis: Catching him in a lie, you suspect your boyfriend Toji is cheating on you. Where does he keep disappearing to once a month that keeps him away for often days at a time. You're fed up. You've made up your mind this time to follow him but are you ready for what you discover? CW: AU. Most warnings for P2 really. Slightly dubcon-y. Bully/mean/teasing Toji. Bratty/crazy gf reader. Rough sex. Drug ref. Werewolf transformation but this isn't that furry shit lol. Omegaverse themes I borrow heavily from but I'm not following the rules of it faithfully (I don't even know them myself lol) WC: 4k of 10.4k Lightly black fem coded but no descriptors.
A/N: This one took a bit longer expected as I recently caught a cold, boooo! But I'm realizing even in my fics I intend to be PWPs I still need to set the mood and a plot springs forth lmfao. Plus I had fun actually trying to write a bit of horror in too! I decided to split into 2 parts because of the delay already.
Big shout out to an irl bestie @sairotonin for drawing a sketch of Werewolf!Toji for her inktober for me to use in my gfx. TY sis you a real one!!
Enjoy!
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“In the next 500ft, turn left.”
This was going to be the third goddamn left the car navigation told you to take in the last 20 minutes. You were ninety-nine percent sure you had been going in circles and were now lost as shit at night in the middle of nowhere. 
You glance at your phone sitting in the dash-caddy. 
One measly bar. 
The further you traveled, the more the service bars were dwindling as well. 
Shit, you had 3 full bars last time you looked.
Opting to keep ahead straight instead of turning, you cross-check your destination via the spy monitoring app you had shamelessly downloaded on your boyfriend Toji’s phone.
Toji’s current location was 45 miles outside of the city and it had been a good 10 miles since you last saw any kind of highway. The area you were in was a mix between nature reserve and private property so not even GPS could pin down the exact directions to his whereabouts. 
Sigh. 
You had never wanted to be That Girl™. 
You know, the ones who would sneak peaks at their boyfriend’s phones, were super insecure about any interaction their man had with the opposite sex and ran down on them while they were out to catch them in the act of cheating. 
But you were a woman at the end of her rope.
What else could you do?
For a few days every month Toji would simply disappear. 
The various excuses he gave usually centered around his work. You didn’t know exactly what he did, but you knew enough to know most of it was dangerous and wasn’t what good society would consider legal.  
Toji had scolded you before for asking too many details. 
For your own safety.
He would say with an arrogant smirk.
But even when working you had always been able to get a hold of him after a few hours. It was just this one particular job he would completely drop off the face of the earth for. It annoyed you, sure, but Toij’s work never followed him home so you didn't have complaints.  
That is, until you had finally moved-in with him and Megumi.
Truly, you were already like a little family.
Megumi, who had just recently started preschool, had been quick to warm up to you ever since you and Toji first introduced you to him a few months prior to that. 
But living together pushed things to a whole other level. Megumi would follow you around like a lost pup and often opted to sit in your lap rather than Toji’s.
Not to mention throw a near fit if you weren’t the one to tuck him in goodnight. (Toji would never admit he was a bit jealous and would only grumble slightly that it was less of a hassle for him if you did it so you should just do it from now on).
You never even realized you had such a mothering instinct, being on the same page as Toji about no more kids, until you looked into those little emerald eyes of Gumi’s and absolutely melted. 
You had grown so close that the little boy unknowingly let it slip once while Toji was MIA on that job, that he was glad Daddy went on his daddy breaks once a month so you both could have fun together by yourselves.
You tried to keep your reactions in check for Megumi but that revelation completely shook you. 
A “daddy break” didn’t sound much like a work trip to you which spiked your anxiety and caused you to spiral into overthinking. 
Did he need a break from you too as well?
You couldn't very well grill a 4-year old and you didn’t have the nerve to just ask Toji straight out. 
So you did the only thing you could think of at the time and that was to complain to your good friend Tsukumo over drinks a few days later after Toji returned.
Tsukumo, who always seemed to have the wrong answer for everything, simply told you to do the ‘smart’ thing and download a monitoring app on his phone that would log is calls, texts and whereabouts. 
You initially balked at her.
Tracking Toji had never crossed your mind.
Outside of this, Toji had never given you a reason to doubt him and you wanted to respect his privacy and trust, especially trust as you knew he didn’t let many people get close to him at all.
True, he wasn’t exactly the most forthcoming man you ever dated. You were well aware he had his many skeletons as well as ex-hookups. But Toji for the most part had been content with his gambling then coming home to you and Megumi. 
He wasn’t the type to ‘run the streets with the boys (he had no boys tbh), you had only ever known him to have the occasional drink with Shiu when he wasn’t out gambling.
You had almost refused to do such a thing… That is until Tsukumo posed the question: 
What’s more important Y/N– your peace of mind or his trust? 
And Y/N, is trust really what’s important here at all if he is in fact already taking advantage of yours?
Touché. 
Tsukumo had you there.
“Besides, you think that old dinosaur is even going to notice an extra app on his phone in the first place?” 
Tsukumo quipped, throwing back a shot of sake and jiggling the empty container at the bartender for more.
“You just got rid of his old flip phone last year. I’m surprised he can even use a touchscreen without punching a hole through it. Just delete the app once you’ve seen what you needed to see.”
Tsukumo gave you this advice like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 
Ignoring her digs at Toji’s age, and maybe it was the 3 bottles of sake the both of you had blown through in the last hour, but you were starting to think she might be onto something. 
“Mmm, on second thought, might as well keep it on there. Men like Fushiguro are dogs that need to be kept on tight leashes.”
Tsukumo grinned at you with a wink before turning her attention back to the bartender.
You still didn’t know then if you would actually go through with it.
Nevertheless, here you are now at 11:15 PM at night about to pull up on your boyfriend thanks to Tsukumo’s advice to find out once and for all if Toji was cheating on you.
You had dropped Megumi off at his best friend Yuji’s for the night, thanking Yuji’s parents for watching him and feeling guilty for lying to them that you and Toji had a date night. 
Almost there.
You are within 2 miles of arriving at the vicinity of where the monitoring app says Toji is.
However, your anxieties were getting the best of you as you drove in near tears.
You turn up your music louder, the booming bass distracting you from how much darker and creepier it gets the further you drive into the wooded area. 
Sighing again, you had no idea how this would turn out but you knew the result would determine whether you would be listening to Positions by Ariana Grande or Playing Games by Summer Walker on repeat during the drive back. 
Barely a half mile later, you see the engine light of your car flash. The pungent odor of burning oil fills the car as a plume of smoke escapes out from under the hood.
Goddamn it, Toji. 
“Y/N, make sure to go get ‘er an oil change while I’m gone. Ya got like 15 good miles left on ‘er.”                                                                                                                                  Toji’s voice rang in your mind. 
Well the big lunk he was wrong.
You had driven at least 33 miles so far.
You mentally cussed him again. 
Toji was the one who was supposed to change your oil, he used your car more than you did. Only opting to use his own blacked out unplated and unlicensed car for jobs like he was on now.  
You wouldn’t have even left the house if it wasn’t for his sketchy cheating headass. 
Okay, so you hadn’t exactly confirmed that just yet, but you were pissed and until you confirmed otherwise, right now he was a cheater and everything about this situation was his fault.
Pulling over to the side of the dirt road before you caused further damage to your car, you weighed your options.
Option 1: Call AAA
You had zero bars though. 
Fuck. 
Option 2: Wait here in the safety of the car until morning.
You would still have zero bars and you might miss Toji, making this whole trip fruitless.
If he beat you home in the morning and found you gone with Megumi at Yuji’s with the sad excuse for a 'date night' lie you gave, you would never hear the end of it.
He would taunt you into oblivion that your silly ass drove all the way up here unto the woods for your car to break down cause you were too busy being a psycho bitch to remember to get an oil change.
Option 3: Walk on foot the rest of the way to Toji.
Really the only viable option you had. 
It was a good 12 miles or so back to the highway, you didn’t know how many turns you had made since then and you doubt you could make it back on foot anyway. If you were going to walk a few miles to get service again you might as well walk to where Toji was.
Sure if he wasn’t cheating you would still get ridiculed, but at least you could get a ride home. 
And if he was cheating, you would hot wire his car (one of the few useful things he did teach you) and that motherfucker and his whore could find their own way home.
Resolving yourself to walk, you put on Toji's hoodie that fortunately was still in the backseat from him last using your car to go to the gym. 
You really should have put more thought into planning this before you left. Besides Toji’s oversized worn hoodie that reached your mid-thighs all you were wearing was a thin white shirt and black spandex shorts. 
You didn’t even have sneakers or boots, as you looked down at your fuzzy black slippers you mostly only wore outside to run short errands like dropping off Megumi at preschool or picking up groceries. 
Thankfully, you did have a small flashlight in the glove compartment though in case of emergencies like this.
Flashlight in tow, you step outside of your stalled car and immediately suck in a worried breath as the weight of the chilly night settles over you like a heavy cloak.
You only have a mile and a half trek but the dirt road that stretches out before you looks endless as it disappears into the obscurity of the thick shroud of fog surrounding you. 
The flashlight doesn’t do much to cut through the intense density of condensation. You had only made it a mere 20 feet from your car but you can just barely make out its faint outline.
Swallowing, you put on your bravest face and fix your gaze forward. 
The reflections of your flashlight casts shifty patterns on the mist in your peripheral vision and you do your best to ignore the chill that creeps up your shoulders. 
“Fuck you, Toji.” 
You mumble half-heartedly, pulling the hood over head.
You didn’t really mean it though. Would-be-cheater or not more than anything you wished he was here with you now. 
You were freezing, tired and all you could think about was how warm and safe you would feel in Toji’s arms. Even if you were mad at him. 
You pick up the pace, wanting to get to him sooner. 
Almost more unnerving than the fog itself, the forest around you is as quiet as a grave.
There are no chirps of crickets, nor hoots of owls. 
Not even in the crisp cold of fall does the wind rustle through the trees, everything is silent.
The haunting nature around you seems to hold its breath as if it knows you're an unwelcome intruder who has trespassed too far.
You don’t dare peer into the trees which look taller in the darkness, closing in tightly on the dirt road. They are ghastly silhouettes of their former selves blocking any moonlight to help guide your way. 
You shiver as you feel as if you are being watched from a distance.
The only noise you hear is the soft crunching of rocks and leaves beneath your feet with every unsure step you take forward. 
You can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of dread as a stray tear runs down your cheek.
You couldn’t get to Toji soon enough. 
Though you still didn’t have any service the GPS updated as much as it could in roaming, you were so close.
As you continue forward a shadow on the path catches your eye in the foggy distance. 
Your heart quickens as you inch closer, your anticipation mingling with fear.
Shapes soon begin to take form and the harsh reality dawns upon you.
A pack of wolves. 
Their shadowy figures coalesce before you through the fog as they take stock of you.
You start to feel queasy as you see their red-stained muzzles dripping with the blood of their latest kill. The grotesque carcass of a deer practically stripped to the bone lay lifeless under their enormous paws. 
Their eyes, fierce and predatory, meet yours with a chilling intensity as the feeble beam of your flashlight washes over them. The deer, although large, you know is not enough to quell hunger from beasts of their size.
With a shaky breath you slowly retreat, not wanting to further agitate their already aggravated predatory senses. 
Then you hear it.
From what seems to be the darkest reaches of the night, a sound reverberates from the trees, through the forest and beyond that's unlike anything you've ever heard before. 
The howl that tears through the stillness is so chilling you instantly feel the lamentation that carries the weight of centuries of primal power down in the very marrow of your bones.
Even the wolves snap their heads to attention and bow their heads as if the sound announced the presence of a creature much higher on the food chain... something more ancient and malevolent…
...something terrifyingly unhuman.
The body racking shiver you experience is so intense it has you sprinting at full speed before your mind, frozen from fear, can even process you are moving. 
You burst through the dense trees, leaving the road as your heart pounds like a drum in your chest and tears stream freely down your cheeks to soak the edge of Toji’s sweatshirt.
The tangled underbrush of the forest whips the soft skin of your legs and the forest itself seems to conspire against you as you navigate the obstacle course of branches, logs and large rocks all seemingly with a mission to slow you down.
You can hear the chilling howls of the wolves you saw on the road call out behind you, giving chase. 
The sounds of their footfalls grow closer with every passing second.
Terrifying as they are, they hold no candle against the howl that sent you running and your body continues to propel you forward. 
Panic frazzles your senses and you make the tragic error of trying to steal a glance back behind you before directly colliding with a large cedar.
Groaning from the impact you reel as you try to gather yourself, clinging to the tree for support. 
You hear a twig snap behind you and you whirl around as you are faced with a largest gray wolf out of the pack who had been chasing you. 
The alpha wolf’s teeth glint menacingly as their breath escapes in visible puffs in the frigid night air. 
Too late to try to make a run for it again, you whimper as you resign yourself to your fate. You slid down the large tree to bury your face in your knees.
Was this it?
Was this how you died?
You weren’t even able to see Toji after coming all this way. 
You also wanted to be able to hug Megumi one last time and maybe knock the daylights out of Tsukumo for her horrible ass idea. 
But ultimately this was all your fault. 
You could be snuggled up with Gumi on the sofa with snacks watching Anpanman but your dumbass had to go galavanting off into the middle of the woods like a fucking lunatic and now you’re about to be eaten by a wolf.
You could feel the wolf’s overbearing presence as it approached you but you couldn’t bear to look up. You’d rather spend your final moments thinking of Toji and Megumi. 
Yet despite your impending doom, your head did snap up once you felt a rough tongue gently lick your ankles and curiously sniff at the ends of Toji's hoodie covering your legs. 
The wolf was more than intimidating up close as its giant muzzle was the size of your entire head.
However the wolf regarded you cautiously like it almost recognized you before releasing its own chillingly deep howl and promptly running off.
Wait– T-The hell?!
You sat there at the trunk of the tree trying to process the interaction that just took place but you didn’t have much time to ponder as you heard something else approaching you rapidly.
The sound of snapping twigs and heavy, uneven footfalls don’t seem to be that of a wolf, renewing the sensation of dread through your body. 
Your heart races in your chest as the ominous sounds of the being looming evermore closer become more pronounced.
From the shadows emerges a monstrous figure.
The fog doesn’t reach this deep into the forest and the moonlight that peeks between the trees glimmers on its enlarged taut muscles. 
Its eyes, red, burn like fiery amber. 
Fierce and resolute you can see them pierce through the darkness long before you can make out any features of the creature's face.
What you think upon first glance must be a demonic apparition from your worst nightmares ends up being– 
Toji?!
As he steps into a beam of moonlight, the transformation before you is complete. 
Toji’s once-human and feet hands have become formidable claws with nails like blades, his face remains mostly unchanged with the exception of his mouth which in his snarl reveals rows of gleaming, razor-sharp teeth.
He is still mostly human in appearance but you can tell he stands taller, nearly 8 feet.
The thicker body hair on his forearms bristles with raw power.
He was completely bare save for the tattered jeans barely hanging on his body that had torn from the sheer size of his enormous muscularity in this form.
Each step he takes towards you makes your heart skip a beat yet you stare transfixed, unable to look away and your tears increase.
Was this terrifying otherworldly apparition the boyfriend you had been searching for?
Time stands still in that haunting moment as Toji’s eyes bore into your soul with a predatory intensity. 
His hunger and primal instincts radiates off of him like a palpable force. 
“T-T-Toji?” 
You cautiously inquire through your quiet sobs. 
“Y/N?! What the fuck do you think y’er doing out here?” 
Toji snarls back at you. His growl seems to cause the very atmosphere to vibrate and the earth beneath you quakes as your body involuntarily quivered with fear. 
Toji thought he must have been losing his goddamn mind when he caught onto your scent earlier but here you were like a lost little lamb to the slaughter before him.
He came out onto the woods to be alone, away from civilization and away from you and Megumi during his monthly transformations. 
It was safer that way, for all of you.
You had been fortunate the local wolf pack had acknowledged him as their Alpha and recognized his scent on you.
But there were far worse dangers in the forest besides them.
Toji wouldn’t be able to protect you like he was now. 
Not with you needing protection from him too.
Protection from him as not only was it a full moon, it was a harvest moon, a mating moon. 
The primal urge to rip you apart was only truncated by the more intense carnal urge to mate with you. Toji wanted to claim you as his and fuck you so hard into the girthy cedar behind you the entire tree would topple over by its roots.
He had wanted to claim you as his mate for a while now.
Even moved you in with him and Megumi as the final step but you couldn’t wait for that, could you? 
You had managed to track him somehow all the way out here and throw his whole plan into the shitter. 
He could barely control himself in this form as it is and now your scent, blubbering cries and the fucking harvest moon were sending him with full force into a fierce rut. 
“T-Toji w-what is this!? W-what’s happened to you!? W-what are you doing out here?!” 
Worry saturates your voice as you choke out your questions in rapid fire cries not giving him time to even respond.
Toji fights the predatory instinct in him who sees you as his prey and if your gaze wasn’t so focused on trying to read his face for answers you surely would have noticed him fully bricked near bursting out of his worn jeans.
You looked so appetizing. 
He needed you.
However, Toji could tell your nerves were completely shot and the slightest twitch of his muscles toward you had you almost jumping out of your skin like a little bunny rabbit.
“Y-Y/N…” 
His voice strained itself into a murmur as he attempted to do his best to lull you into some sort of security so he could explain things calmly to you.
Yet the way he was near salivating, drool dripping from his canines as he panted and towered over you did anything but make you feel secure. 
You mistook his lust for bloodthirstiness.
“Just calm down. It’s OK.”
Toji needed you to be calm like he needed you to take steadier breaths if he was going to successfully win the tumultuous war he was fighting against his instincts to pounce on you. 
There is an oppressive tension between the two of you and he can tell you are also fighting against your fight or flight reflexes.
Good girl. 
It would be disastrous if you did something foolish, no telling what might happen then.
But unfortunately for the both of you, your fits of emotion and impulses are what had your crazy ass out here in the first place. 
The pressure had officially gotten to you. 
Toji’s lies, your car, the woods, the wolves, everything leading up to this point bubbled over because the last thing you wanted to be told right now was to ‘just calm down’.
You snapped. 
“Ok? OK?! OKAY?!...TOJI WHAT THE FUCK ABOUT THIS IS O.K. RIGHT NOW!?”
You were practically hysterical as you yelled at him, momentarily forgetting your fears of Toji’s new form.
The trigger of being told to 'calm down' in a situation where you clearly had every right to feel every fucking emotion you wanted won out over everything else.
“MY CAR BROKE DOWN BECAUSE OF YOU DOING GOD KNOWS WHAT WITH WHOEVER THE FUCK OUT HERE, I LITERALLY WAS JUST CHASED BY WOLVES, ALMOST EATEN, AND Y-YOU… Y-YOU-”
A crackling snap came from above you and you realized Toji’s claws had completely ripped a large chunk out of the tree right above your head.
Your tantrum had in turn pushed him over the edge as well. 
His irises flared intensely at you as you quivered under his gaze in fear.
He would have you but first, he would play with you a bit.
Things never happened the easy way with you.
Yet, that’s also exactly the way Toji liked it too. That's why he'd put up with you thus far.
A malevolent smirk dons Toji's features as his simple command issues an unsettling tremor running down into the depths of your being.
“Run.”
P2 HERE!
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© ʙʟᴋᴋɪᴢᴢᴀᴛ 2023. ᴀʟ�� ʀɪɢʜᴛꜱ ʀᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ. ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ꜱᴛᴇᴀʟ, ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛᴇ, ᴄᴏᴘʏ ᴏʀ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇꜱ ꜰɪᴄꜱ, ᴅʀᴀʙʙʟᴇꜱ, & ɢʀᴀᴘʜɪᴄꜱ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʙʏ ᴍᴇ ᴜɴʟᴇꜱꜱ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴡɪꜱᴇ ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ. ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ
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A/N: Count on Tsukumo to always given the wrong fuckin’ advice. Lmfao! Or was it the right advice in this case? Hmm we will see what happens next!
Smutty goodness in the next part. This part was just to set the horror mood!
I promise this fic isn't as nearly as long as Ghostface!Choso. It's looking to be about 8k total and I have 3.5k of P2 finished lol.
Reblog if you are both submissive and breedable for Werewolf!Toji, but likes and comments are appreciated all the same!
ღTaglistღ:
@callm3senpaii @arxliana @jujutsualy @luxiethefairy @fredswh0re @missphanosaur18 @moon-esque @briefrebelfanalmond @nikkitc0703 & @dancingwithdeities (prone bone coming in p2 just for u sweets!) LMK below if you would like to be tagged in P2. For all kizzatober fic tags comment on m.list.
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starstruckmoony · 9 months
Text
electric touch.
masterlist
pairing - theodore nott x reader
summary - a cute guy stumbles into the coffee shop you work at and it alters your brain chemistry.
trope/tags - coffee shop!au, modern!au, college!au, muggle!au, out of pocket headcanons
word count - 6.5k
warnings - language, smoking, mentions of sex, light smut-ish (not really)
"get a job at a coffee shop", they said.
"i'll be fun", they said.
bollocks.
working at a café as busy as the three broomsticks certainly had its perks, if you could say so yourself, but it definitely had some godawful cons in the bunch and was terribly annoying in itself. the shop was located in one of the most bustling parts of london, not very far away from a university campus, which meant that one could easily make out the atmosphere inside of it without having to step through the door. it was always filled to the brim with students who all relied on caffeine for survival, many of which you would usually avoid even glancing at during lessons. so between your utterly unendurable acquaintances, occasional out-of-control children, and middle-aged ladies who criticized your every move and complained about their lattes being zero point four degrees too hot, you weren't sure which one irked you more.
your job was barely tolerable, but it wasn't like you had many other options laid out in the first place. you needed the money and you swore to do whatever it takes to pay for your tuition and heaps of other costs that came in the package with it. you went into it with very little enthusiasm, but nevertheless settled for working as a barista, as much as you were dreading the thought of it.
your shift started of normally that day. you were busy serving one of your least favorite friendly customers in world, draco bloody malfoy, and fighting a tempting urge to dunk the drink in your hand all over him. the two of you went way back, there was lots of resentment, some unresolved negative feelings and grudges about situations you could barely remember clearly. primary school, the darkest years of your lives. neither of you bothered much to fix your shitshow of a relationship. you were schoolmates who were sort of friends who didn't like each other very much. he was nice to you when he didn't have a stick up his arse, but he always had stick up his arse. pansy (who was also your coworker) declared you frenemies, and she was sort of onto something.
despite all that dirt, finding him in the shop wasn't an unusual occurrence, and you never got used to his annoying presence or the way your skin literally crawled just seeing him walk through the door. although, you had to admit that you were pretty grateful when he brought his hot beautiful handsome please snog me sir friend with him for some coffee that faithful friday.
"good morning." draco greeted his friend absentmindedly and gave him a short-lived glance before continuing the deadly staredown you two were having. keeping things professional with that little arsehole was a tough challenge. pansy nudged you behind the counter, and then very subtly motioned over to the handsome bloke next your nemesis when you finally gave her some attention.
"did you not order for me?" the guy questioned in disappointment, seeing that only a single cup of coffee was sitting on the counter. one good look at him was all it took for you to realise why pansy was so eager to get you to heed her observations. you sucked in a breath, focus.
"no? do i look like a maid to you?" draco spat, taking a loud, annoying slurp of his freshly-made cappuccino. he scowled in disgust, making your eyes roll backwards into your brain. the man always managed to find something wrong with his order. this time, the stupid drink of his didn't have enough sweetener. his friend coughed to cover up a chuckle.
"i will be filing a complaint." he declared, sitting back and crossing his arms.
"shove it up your arse, hm?" you offered him the fakest, most poisonous smile you could muster, turning to his attractive friend who's order you had to take. he gave draco a rather aggressive shove before he was able to open his mouth again, and then smiled at you sympathetically.
"i admire your patience." he was speaking to you, but even the most oblivious of people would realise that he took a subtle jab at draco. he looked a bit offended, "what the fuck, theo?" just like that, you got his name without even having to ask for it. today must have been your lucky day.
"tell me about it. if throwing drinks into people's faces wasn't listed as strictly forbidden in my job description, i'd be thriving." you responded without thinking, regretting it the moment you spoke. you could only hope that he would take your awful joke well because receiving a judgemental stare and no response at all was the last thing you'd have asked for that morning. but your thoughtlessness did pull something that sounded like a laugh out of theo, and he appeared to be pretty satisfied.
you suddenly felt hot. a handsome guy just laughed at your joke made at his best friend's expense? it made your heart flutter a little bit, kind of like everything else about him. you sighed inwardly, it was totally unfair that somebody as insufferable as draco got his eyes blessed by that man's presence every day.
"am i allowed to order or will you threaten to throw coffee in my face, too?" theo snapped you back to reality. you heard pansy snicker at your awkward stance before she continued talking to draco who got bored of tolerating your abuses and resorted to flirting with her instead. the pretty boy bit back a laugh once he noticed the way your cheeks turned pink. you wished for the earth to swallow you whole.
"yes, of course! sorry, uh, what would you like?" you put on a professional smile, yet you felt like he saw right through you. he was doing things to you by just simply being there. you already knew pansy was going to have a jolly good time teasing you about this.
"uh," his eyes trailed over to the menu on the wall. he looked completely and utterly clueless, but after a moment of silence, he made up his mind, "one black coffee..." he responded a bit uncertainly, as if he was afraid that you were gonna judge his choice of beverage.
"see why i don't order for you?" draco threw a crumpled up receipt into theo's face. you wondered how he managed to be so unphased by it.
"one black coffee?" you queried just to confirm his order, pretending not to notice pansy who's mischievous eyes were set on you. that, and the constant comments she was making about how cute you and theo would look together. you were surprised when draco didn't disagree like the snobby little hipster he was and then call her batshit crazy. maybe magic was real.
"yes." theo cleared his throat, slumping down onto a barstool three seats away from draco. next level damage control. when he found a smoking allowed sign on the wall, he immediately lit a cigarette.
"oh, thank god." you mumbled in relief. theo stared you in amusement, with a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. if you hadn't met in the middle of a crowded café, you would have kissed him then there. these days, people tend to forget that plain coffee is, in fact, a thing. that in itself isn't so bad, no, but it's pretty horrible for a coffee shop worker who has to balance time spent on making a drink while also satisfying everybody else at the tables. maintaining your sanity was another thing you had to dedicate yourself to, especially with having draco coming in every day.
you quickly got to work, hyperfocusing on the task at hand for the first time in a while - all that in a poor attempt to ignore the way that blush kept creeping up your cheeks. that wasn't the first time you had laid your eyes on a handsome guy at work. many good looking blokes had set their foot into the café, but you rarely ever let it get to you. they would come and go, simple as that. but there was something about the way theo was looking at you that made you feel unbearably giddy, and you were having a hard time keeping your thoughts from going places.
you were too busy preparing his coffee and trying to remain calm to see the way he shyly kept stealing glances at you. he was enthralled, to say the least, and he could not fathom the fact that you were that person draco always complained about. it was impossible. not only did you make him laugh literally ten seconds after he spoke to you for the first time, but your strange relationship with his friend was quite intriguing. and pretty hilarious, if he could say so himself. something was pushing him to find out more about you. he could not keep his eyes off of you, and he was deeply regretting all those times he shut draco down when he suggested they got coffee together. he'd even offer to pay each time, which theo only found more off-putting. the concept of being so nice and inviting was usually unfamiliar to the blonde, but theo eventually guessed that he had his own reasons and motivations for showing up everyday.
you whipped up his coffee in no time, shooting pansy with a death glare because of the way she wiggled her eyebrows at you. you placed the cup in front of him and were thankfully spared of any additional awkwardness when theo grabbed the drink and took a sip. you watched him with burning anticipation in your eyes as he blinked in confusion, "what the fuck are you complaining for?" he turned to a scowling draco who was making sure that everybody knew that he was rather discontented by the way his cappucino was made.
"i have tastebuds." he explained, shooting theo with an aggravated glare. pansy covered her mouth to silence a laugh.
"are they dead?" theo deadpanned.
"are they dead?" draco mocked, and then began sulking like a little child when pansy had to take the order of another customer. 
theo turned to you again, "ignore him," he offered you a comforting smile, "this is the best coffee i've had in a while." he took another large sip of the hot drink. a satisfied smirk appeared on your face. draco flipped you both off. 
"it's probably the beans," you trailed off, "although, brewing it does require some talent." it was true. pansy herself admitted that you made better coffee than her, multiple times, but that was probably because she proudly half-assed all of her work knowing that it won't cost her much. it helped you out tremendously when you had nothing else to brag about.
thoughtlessly, you continued speaking to theo, completely forgetting that your shift had not yet come to an end, and that you had well over two hours of work left. theo possessed the power to snap you back to reality, but was even more skillfull at pulling you out of it. your mind fully dismissed where you were. you learned a few things about him; he lived with draco, enzo and mattheo, who you got to meet after blaise and pansy dragged you to a random nightclub not so long ago. he had a persian cat who he named 'cat' because he wasn't creative enough to come up with anything that hit the spot and lorenzo made a pledge to make fun of him for it till the day they both die. he liked black coffee only, and no it was not a metaphore for the colour of his soul or some out of pocket bullshit that you heard way too often for comfort, he was just that basic. insane too, as he didn't put any sugar in it. you missed the basic, though, and it was a nice breather from all the ridiculousness you had to deal with on a day to day basis. he also happened to have seen your favourite movie, and that opened the door to about ten other conversation topics that you could go on about for hours upon hours. you were so immersed in the discussion that neither of you realised draco left, with pansy's number (which he finally acquired after three months of asking for it) written down somewhere in his notebook.
the sound of a stranger's throat clearing stopped you mid sentence, and you were rudely reminded that you were still at work, with lots of drinks to prepare, and many more customers to serve. curse them, whoever they were. they were practically forcing you to get theo's contact information, which would have been totally fine if it wasn't for the thought of rejection that was tearing your insides up into pieces.
you and theo offered some empty words of apology to the older man who pulled you out of your own little world and returned you to the misery that was present day. you sighed, exchanging a longing glance with the boy in front of you as if you hadn't just talked to him casually for twenty whole mintues, all while the line was gradually growing. not to mention that you both had places to be.
"here," theodore stuffed a hand into the pocket of his coat, pulling out what looked like twenty quid and sliding in front of you. you opened the cash register to fish out the amount of money you were supposed to give back to him, but he shook his head. there was no way in hell he was leaving that big of a tip. or maybe he was. you not only spent almost half an hour making his day better, but he liked your coffee so much you had to make him three, one being on the house.
you let out a laugh of surprise at the serious expression on his face, silently wishing for him to walk out and retrieve the money like any sane person would. at that point, just simply being graced by his presence was more than enough. you didn't even want the damn tip. your thoughts caused an onset of panic to flow through you. you weren't thinking straight at all.
"thank you." you spoke finally, contemplating whether you should ask him for his number or not. pansy's look of anticipation seemed to be heading in the exact direction you were most terrified of. thank god theo was being a wuss too.
"i'll see you around." he smiled as he made his way over to the exit, and you nodded enthusiastically, giving him a small wave as he stepped through the door and out into the streets.
you sighed when he finally disappeared out of your line of sight, failing to notice the way a few of the customers waiting in line were holding back their giggles after having witnessed the whole commotion. you weren't sure if you wanted to fly around like happy little fairy or burst into a million pieces and disappear off the face of the earth, but you knew that you were very spontaneously falling for theo and there was no going back.
***
a few weeks had gone by since theodore first came into the three broomsticks. and many things changed, one being that you began looking forward to coming into that hellhole which was a 'goal' rotting away somewhere in the far bottom of your bucket list. you'd never been more happy having to wake up at seven in the bloody morning to grind coffee beans and serve annoying londoners. it was laughable how you jumped from hating your job to getting excited by the thought of showing up to work. life was indeed full of surprises.
theo made sure to come in every morning (or afternoon, depending when you had your shift), and would always stay much longer than he intended, or so he told himself. he was awful at balancing university and personal life, but he was willing to make some sacrifices for you, even if it meant that he had to endure some never-ending teasing from his friends. blaise came in from time to time to enjoy the show live, mattheo called him a softie, enzo thought the whole thing was too hilarious to be real, and draco was giving him the cold shoulder (lovingly).
"oi!" pansy nudged you with her elbow. you were just about to brush her off as you were busy with the ice dispenser, but when she motioned with her head towards the door, your breath hitched.
theodore stepped through the entrance, and he somehow looked even prettier than he was when you saw him yesterday. you swiftly whipped up the order that you were working on and bid the customer goodbye when they confirmed that their to-go macchiato was perfectly made.
he smiled at you as he took a seat at his usual spot, and you grinned back in response before returning to work. it was awfully difficult not to lose focus when he was sitting there looking like a god sent gift, and you were getting frustrated with yourself. you could see pansy smirking at you in the corner of your eye, and you groaned quietly as you began working on another drink.
you were starting to get very impatient while you were busy with the other customers, but after making several cappuccinos and dealing with an angry man who's twelve espresso shot latte was too bitter, you finally got to speak to theo.
"hello." a greeting. a bloody greeting was all it took to make you blush furiously. you mentally applauded yourself with some heavy sarcasm. you were doing a great job at not being obvious.
"hi." you responded breathlessly, making him chuckle at your rather dishevelled state. pansy was having a very difficult time trying to stifle her laughter, but she remained professional and continued helping her costumer.
"so, i've been thinking...today." he cleared his throat, wiping the sweat on his palms on his black jeans.
"okay," you chuckled, "i'm listening." you tilted your head to the side slightly, curious to see what he had to offer. you hoped it's what you thought it was, but you didn't want to get excited too early. for all you know, he could be asking you for a favour or help to sort him a working spot at the café itself.
"right," he looked a bit uncertain. he gulped, hesitating before letting his words form decently, "my roommates are having a movie night and i'm not exactly sure what they have in mind, but that's besides the point," he rambled, letting out a displeased huff. something was definitely wrong with him today. when he went over this with mattheo, it seemed incredibly easy, but now that he was going through with it, he felt as if his downfall was inevitable, "i was wondering if you wanted to join us." he forced a smile, the internal prayer of please say yes was becoming so loud his thoughts became clouded. it's not like he couldn't handle rejection. frankly, he was fairly good at it and rarely ever let it touch his ego, but not in situations like these. not when he was actually falling in love and able to picture his life with somebody.
you weren't sure if it was possible for your cheeks to get any more red than they already were, but you quickly learned the harsh truth when you heard draco snort rather loudly.
you weren't that shocked by theo's suggestion, no, but it seemed to good to be true. so good that you had to pinch your arm behind the counter where he couldn't see it to make sure you weren't dreaming. he silently panicked for a moment, but when he saw the lovestruck expression on your face, he turned red himself. he sort of bid farewell to his intimidating, mysterious persona the moment he first met you, too enthralled to try and keep it up, and this was barely what was left of it. it was long gone. draco wished he had brought a camera with him.
"of course, i'd love to." you responded, without a sign of doubt in your voice. he smiled, breathing out a sigh of relief. he scrunched his face thinking how desperate he must've looked, but nevertheless continued the conversation. the speed with which you accepted his offer made him feel a strong surge of confidence, "when does your shift end?" he questioned as you began preparing his coffee.
"seven, remus is letting us off an hour earlier tonight. he said he had somewhere to be." you looked over at pansy who was giving you a not very subtle thumbs up. you rolled your eyes at her with a stupid grin on your face.
theo felt on top of the world. his eyes never left you, he watched you work, and only got snapped back to reality when pansy addressed him and asked him to close his mouth before he starts drooling all over the counter. he blushed profusely, and you tried not to laugh at him, but failed miserabley when you turned around and handed him his drink.
he groaned and covered his face with his hands, having no other option but to laugh along with you. "you should've seen her face when you came in," pansy winked at you with a mischievous smirk. you kicked her from behind the counter for that comment, and she blew a kiss your way before handing draco his coffee, "you know, nott," she started, pretending like she was thinking about what to say next, you should put that mouth of yours to use soon so she finally shuts up about–" you scrambled to cover her mouth before she could finish that.
"how's your coffee?" you changed the subject, turning to him innocently.
"perfect." he gave you a brief nod, not daring to spare draco or your friend another glance. you yanked your own hand away when pansy licked it, muttering a few curse words as you reached over to the sink to wash her spit off.
you turned to theo with an apologetic smile, making a mental note to murder pansy after your shift, and the two of you held eye contact for what felt like a goddamn hour to all the people impatiently waiting to get served. you simply could not get enough of those beautiful green eyes. they were so, very distracting.
"can you two eye-fuck after i get my overpriced tea?" lorenzo decided to make a surprise (dramatic) appearance. fair point he had there. you scratched the back of your neck awkwardly, and theo only rolled his eyes, wordlessly reaching for a cigarette. that was his one way of dealing with lorenzo.
"are you gonna bring your entire friend group in here or what?" pansy exclaimed in disbelief, thinking she would spot mattheo sitting at a table somewhere in the corner.
"i'm not bringing them here, they're following me around like annoying fucking flies." draco jumped to defend himself. the poor guy was never able to escape the countless of false accusations thrown his way. you were loving every bit of it.
"that should tell you something." lorenzo sat himself next to draco. "huh?"
"you smell." he purposefully leaned in too close for comfort, successfully avoiding the harsh shove the blonde was preparing to give him.
"what the fuck, are you five?" draco stared at him with obvious judgement. theo shortly glanced at the pair, and then shifted his full attention back to you. as funny as watching them bicker was, he found you a lot more captivating. and besides, his day was going quite alright (minus pansy's comment about him drooling all over the counter), so he wasn't looking to ruin it by getting involved in playfighting with his idiot friends.
the boys took about an hour to leave, and when they did, they made sure to let you know that theo was going to make you very happy, emphasis on the what's in his pants part. well, lorenzo did, at least, draco wished to leave the moment his friend opened his mouth and started listing all of the reasons why one should date theodore nott.
"and also, he will very much– hey, i'm not done!" theo ignored lorenzo's protests, and proceeded to push him towards the exit with draco on their tail. they all waved you goodbye, although enzo did it quite reluctantly, he wasn't ready to leave yet. theo offered you one last smile before stepping out the door, and you mouthed a quick goodbye, your face redder than ever.
"do you think he's good in bed?" pansy suddenly quipped while she was cleaning up the coffee spilled around the espresso machine. "who?" you shot her with a perplexed glare. you were not about to have this conversation with her.
"draco." she said it as if it was the most obvious thing ever.
"good god," you mumbled to yourself. at least she wasn't trying to get you to talk about theodore, "i don't know and i don't want to know."
"hm," she stared at nothing while she spoke, "i wonder if that's how he gets all his anger out." she said thoughtfully before shrugging it off like she didn't just make you picture the most atrocious thing known to man. you never wished for theo to be there more so he could save you from whatever grotesque form of nightmare that was, and you certainly hoped that pansy wasn't going to attempt to test out her little theory tonight, as draco had invited her over in the meantime, too.
***
patienece was something you heavily managed to work on while working at three broomsticks, and you could say that you had successfully mastered the art of it in your four months spent there. you could also say that meeting theo was the biggest fuck you to all of the progress you had made.
the remaining two hours of your shift ended up turning into what felt like an eternity of torture. pansy had to keep a careful eye on you, a bit mortified that you might just strike an innocent customer. if looks could kill, yours definitely would. you best believe she told draco about that.
it wasn't all so sullen, though. your misery did not last forever. at last, the clock struck seven. but there was one thing you did not consider when you thoughtlessly agreed to show up at theo's place at eight, and that was that you'd have a little over thirty minutes to make yourself look presentable. the moment your shift ended, you sprinted to the staff room to collect your things, gave pansy a clumsy hug, and left the shop light speed.
you always felt incredibly lucky that your dormitory facility was very close to your workplace, but today that feeling was extraordinarily more intense. you made it there in less than five minutes, cursing the out of order elevator and swiftly climbing up the stairs to third floor where you were situated.
you burst through the door, out of breath, immediately ridding of your clothes and disappearing inside your tiny bathroom. you couldn't recall the last time you took a shower so quickly. not even ten minutes later, you were back inside of your room, rummaging through your dresser in search of something cute to wear. it was rather sad that you just then noticed that hermione, your trusted roommate, was not there. she stuck a post it note to her headboard, explaining that ron's parents invited her over for dinner and that she'll be spending the night at his place. just when you needed her, she wasn't there.
"fuck." you cursed, continuing to ransack the drawers of your small commode. trousers were out the window. the best pair you owned was in the wash, the other three were an immediate no. you weren't sure what the dress code for a movie night was, exactly, but wearing your over-the-top fake leather trousers did seem like a bit much. maybe that should have been your sign to get some new ones.
you yanked the bottom drawer open and managed to dig up some clean socks and a large jumper (one that you weren't even certain was yours), and when you couldn't find your favourite sweatpants, you snatched a pair of jeans from hermione's closet. you could only hope that they would keep you comfortable for however long that little movie marathon was going to last.
you shuffled the clothes on, you didn't have enough time to try on anything else, and quickly did your make up just so you looked a bit more presentable. bless pansy and her patience when she was helping you step up your eyeliner game. you took a few improvised mirror selfies to send to her, emotional support and all that, grabbed your coat, slid your old low docs on, and bolted out the door.
it had begun to get dark before you even stepped outside, and with the sun disappearing behind the horizon, it got colder, too. you were very happy that the boys' flat wasn't located too far away from your dormitories, and you could make it there in about ten minutes if you tried hard enough. good thing you knew the address, as you had the displeasure of having to visit draco a couple of times when you got assigned to work on a project together. he always made sure that his friends were out whenever you showed up there. you were hoping that your experience would be a little better this time, but you didn't worry much. you were going there for theo, so how bad could that really go?
you didn't even want to think of it as you stepped in front of the entrance of their flat, and pressed your finger to the doorbell to alert them that you'd made it. mattheo opened the door for you and grinned like an idiot, very obviously trying his hardest to fight away his inner demons that were pushing him to crack some stupid joke on your and theo's account.
"do not." you threatened, and he raised his hands up in defeat, moving out of the way and letting you walk through the door. he waited for you to kick your shoes off, and then politely led you further inside, no unnecessary comments made.
you didn't expect the boys to make it all look so comfortable, but you had to admit that you had underestimated them. they brought out some extra pillows so that whoever sits on the floor doesn't leave with sore buttocks, fluffy blankets with star wars patterns, an old beanbag, lots of different food to choose from, and a crate of beer shoved under the table. huh, you could definitely see yourself enjoying that.
draco, unsurprisingly, didn't say hello when you stepped into the living room, but lorenzo offered you a different kind of greating.
"theo, your girlfriend's here!" he announced, loud enough for the neighbours on the fifth floor to hear.
"piss off, enzo!" theo yelled from what you assumed was his bedroom, and then stepped out a few seconds later, flipping lorenzo off when he wiggled his eyebrows. what a child. he grabbed a hold of theo's wrist and kissed the offending finger.
"good evening to you too." you gave him a pointed look, letting out a noise of surprise when theo took a gentle hold of your hand and led you to the couch. he mumbled something along the lines of, "you look pretty", and you offered him a smile in response, not willing to attract any more attention. draco had already claimed the spot sofa, explaining that he and nobody else is allowed there, so the two of you settled on the floor without a fight, sitting so close your shoulders were touching.
pansy showed up not very long after you, and lorenzo was more than happy to have the long awaited movie marathon finally start. it didn't go down without bickering, obviously, and after twenty excruciating minutes of arguing if you should watch notting hill, poltergeist or fight club, pansy grabbed the remote and put on 10 things i hate about you. nobody really complained.
you and theo managed to avoid the hand accidentally touches hand part of sharing a bowl of popcorn, but then your legs somehow tangled under the blankets and neither of you bothered to move or apologise.
in the meantime, lorenzo shifted from his chair to the beanbag mattheo was in, and had the other cuddle him against his own will. not like he actually minded. it was a miracle that thing was big enough, one wrong move and they'd both be on the floor along with their bags of funny-flavoured crisps.
the beloved rom-com felt like it came to an end sooner than it started, and you were all already arguing on what to watch next. mattheo took the advantage to grab the remote when draco reached over to hit lorenzo, and clicked on dirty dancing without asking for a second opinion. two romance movies in a row. somebody was out to get you. draco groaned in protest, but pansy gave him a kick to shut him up. yes, he let her sit on the couch with him, but her, and her only.
halfway through, you felt theo shift next to you, and not long after, he threw an arm around your shoulders, nervously holding you before relaxing when you didn't move away. you smiled to yourself and shuffled closer, the warmth radiating from his body was addicting. you could get used to it. the thought of pulling away seemed ludicrously dreadful and the concept of time became unfamiliar.
you only realised how long you had been squashed together when it hit you that the second movie was coming to an end, too. there were barely twenty minutes left, and you felt your eyes beginning to flutter shut. not because you were bored, you were just simply exhausted. theo quickly noticed, and he let you lay your head on his shoulder, but falling asleep was the last thing you wanted to do.
"god, i could really use a coffee right now." you groaned and you rubbed at your eyes, covering your mouth as you yawned. you needed a little something to keep you awake, and your trusted caffeine would surely do the job.
"come on, i'll make you some." theo stood, helping you up and not letting go of your hand as you made your way towards the kitchen. mattheo questioned where you were going, and nodded skeptically after receiving a short response. the other three didn't care, either too immersed into the movie or occupied with other things.
you took a seat on the counter next to theo where he opened the cupboards, his eyes searching for whichever form of caffeine they had left in there. he pulled out a half empty jar of instant coffee, and looked at you unsurely, unknowing whether you'd want to drink it or not.
"just make me whatever, it's fine." you waved a dismissive hand, and he gave you a quick nod before getting to work. not that it took much effort.
it was almost done in an instant, hence the name. you didn't mind, though, coffee was coffee, and coffee could never be bad. although, you weren't really paying attention to what he was doing, a little too busy staring at his face to notice anything else.
"tell me if it's horrible." he said as he handed you the hot drink. you hopped off the counter and thanked him before you pressed the mug to your lips and took a tiny sip. you tried not to grimace, and politely took another one. it was not good.
"it's good." you choked out, holding back a cough and forcing a supportive smile. theo didn't look very convinced, you doubted he was, and he took a step closer, like he was about to confront you about your little white lie.
"be honest." he sighed, yet there was a sort of menace behind the disappointed look on his face.
"it's terrible." you failed to hold back a snicker, feeling a little sorry that his coffee tasted just that bad. he was lucky you had some tips up your sleeve, "it's so bad, what did you–" to say that you were absolutely flabbergasted when he kissed you would be an understatement. you didn't push him away, nor did you resist, you were simply too shocked to react.
you laughed in surprise when he pulled back, your jaw hanging open slightly. then he leaned in again, but you had enough time to react this time, so you kissed him back, despite feeling a bit lightheaded by it all. it was one of the strangest situations you had found yourself in in a long time, but were enjoying every little bit of it.
"i literally just criticized your–" he quickly hushed you, going in for another kiss. you giggled against his lips and set the cofee mug aside, wrapping your arms around his neck and letting your hand tangle his locks. theo could fucking collapse. there was something about the way you grabbed his hair, something that made him see colours he didn't even know existed. you weren't oblivious enough to miss the way he reacted, pressing his body closer to yours and tightening his grip around you, so you did it again, smirking in satisfaction when it drew a pleasant sound of approval from him.
his tongue brushed over your bottom lip, and you let out a tiny noise of surprise, feeling your knees buckle. without dwelling on it, you opened your mouth, and when his tongue touched your own, you gasped, maybe even whimpered, accidentally pulling on his hair a bit too harshly. theo didn't seem to mind. he grunted in response, you were making him forget that there was nothing but a wall separating you from your friends.
"you just missed the best– oh, fuck, my bad, continue please, sorry!" mattheo disappeared as fast as he appeared, his footsteps followed by laughter and the end credits of dirty dancing which got increasingly louder. courtesy of draco turning it up to drown out any unholy noises he suspected might come from the kitchen after seeing the look mattheo's face.
you pulled away from each other, too flustered to even laugh, your lips swollen and cheeks pink. theo's grip on your waist loosened, and you relaxed your arms, but still didn't pull them away from where they were wrapped around his neck. he leaned his forehead against yours, uneven breaths fanning over your lips.
"uh," you started, as speechless as he was, "have i mentioned that my dorm was empty for the night?"
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Since you can do MMD stuff now I have a request!
The Fontaine gals with an S/O who likes to eat ice cream with them atop somewhere high while watching the sunset! (Inspired by Kingdom Hearts)
(Genshin Impact) Navia, Furina, and Lynette eating ice cream with their S/O
I'd throw my sea salt ice cream at Xion's head.
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Navia prefers baked treats over cold ones, but she'll have no complaints about sharing either with her S/O!
And when it comes to their choice of their scenery, Navia absolutely loves it.
Watching the sunset with her lover at her side gets her heart racing.
Though with that being said, she only goes along if that evening is not particularly windy.
The last thing she wants is her hat flying off into the wind at that height.
Mostly because she'll go after it, which S/O would have to grab Navia and make sure she won't fall.
And with how strong she is, she's taking S/O with her.
She also tries to make sure the ice cream doesn't drip down onto her dress, but other than that, sitting next to them is one of her new favorite past times!
===
Navia smiled as she took a bite into the frozen treat, turning to S/O and raising her sunglasses.
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S/O blushed at her bright expression, staring more at her than the sunset itself.
(S/O) "Sure thing! I'm sure you can make it taste better too!"
(Navia) "Aw, I can't make it without you, silly! Now, what did you call this again?"
(S/O) "Sea Salt Ice Cream."
(Navia) "Sea Salt, got it! There should be no shortage of that around here, I'm surprised no one's made this sooner!"
(S/O) "A friend of mine taught me the recipe. He liked sitting up here with his friends and eating the same thing."
Navia's sunglasses dropped back down as she moved closer to S/O, taking another bite from her ice cream.
(Navia) "Well...I'm glad you wanted to share this sight with me too!"
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Furina is a woman of class, only enjoying the most delectable of desserts adorned with fancy decorations.
And their taste must be nothing short of sublime!
So when it comes to ice cream, admittedly, she finds them lacking, but sweets are sweets!
And the ones S/O had chosen to share with her passed her expectations!...When it comes to the taste, anyway.
But when it came to their choice of location, Furina was more than happy to watch the sunset in silence with S/O.
It was honestly a nice change of pace than the opera houses they'd frequent. This secluded place on the wall overlooking a large part of Fontaine felt like a special place, reserved only for them.
===
Furina examined the treat before her under close scrutiny. Appearance-wise, it was just a block of blue. Boring!
But, S/O had made this specially for her. The taste passed her inspection but it was admittedly bland. She would have to properly inform them how to make amazing treats!
(S/O) "Do you like it?"
(Furina) "The taste is adequate. But would it have killed you to put some flair onto this ice cream?"
(S/O) "Well, my friend never really taught me to do anything special with it."
(Furina) "Your friend?"
(S/O) "Oh, did I not tell you? He's the one who taught me how to make it! We all shared the ones he made at this very spot. Heh, everytime he showed us, he'd ask if we "got it memorized" every single time!"
While Furina was listening, she became enraptured by S/O's face as they recalled their fond memory, smiling as the sun was shining on them.
They had noticed she was staring and tilted their head curiously.
(S/O) "Is something wrong?"
Furina smiled and tasted her ice cream, then leaning the treat towards S/O.
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Admittedly, Lynette did not try too many dishes that were either too hot or cold. The only exception for that being tea, and even then she had to wait for it to cool off.
Due to inheriting the cat-like traits, a very sensitive tongue was one of the things she had to learn to live with.
So, ice cream was something she did not have often, although she admittedly did enjoy it, but not to the same degree as other dessert aficionados.
But she won't say no to a free meal, especially one provided by her S/O.
And seeing how happy S/O was to give her the homemade ice cream, she couldn't refuse that smile.
Doubly so when she got to watch the sun set next to them, though feeling the heat directly made her want to take a nap more than anything.
===
Lynette looked at the ice cream in her hands, noticing how basic the shape was.
Shrugging, her tongue poked out from her lips as she gave the ice cream a lick, immediately recoiling.
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S/O chuckled at her cute reaction.
(S/O) "I mean, it is ice cream, Lynette. How did it taste?"
Lynette stared blankly at S/O before failing to contain a small smile from growing. She waited for a few moments before taking another lick, noting the taste.
(Lynette) "Salty, but sweet at the same time. Surprisingly not too strong in either direction."
(S/O) "Okay, good! My friend would never let me live it down if I messed up the recipe for my girlfriend."
Now it was Lynettte's turn to quietly chuckle as she looked at the setting sun, feeling the warmth on her skin.
(Lynette) "I don't think Lyney would either. Speaking of which, do you mind making more for him as well?"
(S/O) "Sure. Want me to teach you as well? It's pretty simple."
Lynette paused for a moment, her ears twitching.
(Lynette) "I don't have to use any appliances, do I?"
(S/O) "The stovetop and freezer, mostly."
(Lynette) "I...think I'll watch, so that way I don't break it."
S/O laughed, almost dropping their own ice cream.
(S/O) "Okay. You'll at least eat them when I make them, right?"
Lynette smiled at them before getting back to slowly finishing up the ice cream.
(Lynette) "I won't eat one every day, but I will when you make them."
188 notes · View notes
mclarengf · 3 months
Text
pas besoin d'un faux sourire
learning to parent with dad!logan sargeant
[1.0k]
note: haha enjoy more angst. dw this one’s not an ambiguous ending it def gets fluffy. dad!logan save me fr 
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lottie’s crying.
she doesn’t cry very often, which only adds to your concern.
you’d run into the living room when you heard lottie’s soft cry of, “mummy…” and now you’re sat on the couch with her, whispering consolations into her hair. 
as if on cue, the front door opens and logan steps in, finally home after a few days of doing sim work in the uk. after taking in the situation, he parks his suitcase in front of the shoe rack and rushes to your side, placing a hand on your shoulder in support. what a welcome, he must be thinking.
“hey, sweetheart, daddy’s home. daddy’s here,” he says to your daughter softly, “what’s wrong, my lottie?” 
you crouch down and hold out your hand for lottie. you’re a bit surprised she can see through her tears when she takes it, but wrap her in a big hug regardless.
“what’s upset you, baby?”
she just buries her head in the crook of your neck and cries harder. 
you can’t see anything broken or spilt around you, and lottie doesn’t look hurt. you gesture vaguely at logan to take her temperature because you can’t reach her face without shifting and risking her discomfort. he side steps a toy strewn on the floor and presses the back of his hand to her forehead. he comes back into your field of view and shakes his head.
you’ve never felt more inadequate than you do right now. you have no idea why lottie’s so upset, and logan, bless him, isn’t exactly prepared to help in this situation. he’s just gotten back and probably drove the thirty minutes from nice côte d’azur expecting… not this.
“logan,” he looks up, much resembling a deer in headlights, “could you get us a wet flannel please?” 
you’re giving him an out to leave the room and get into the right headspace to do some ‘proper parenting’, he realises. he ducks out, but not before placing a hand over his heart and mouthing a thank you as he goes. 
he’s back in a couple of minutes, having also taken the opportunity to change out of his plane clothes, and joins his girls on the carpet.
“come here, lottie-lou,” you allow her dad to hold onto her, and you shuffle closer to him as he washes her face with the cloth, wiping her tears away as he does so. 
“can you tell daddy what’s wrong?” you ask, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 
she shakes her head.
“that’s okay, baby,” logan chimes in, “we can just sit here for a bit, yeah?”
you rest your head down on his shoulder as you sit in silence, save lottie’s quiet sobs. it’s never been exceptionally easy being parents, nevertheless at your relatively young age. lottie’s usually such a gem, so the moments like this are hard to get through, for all of you. 
she’s getting quieter as the two of you comfort her, but it doesn’t seem like there’ll be an end to the tears just yet. logan kisses your cheek; he doesn’t know quite what to do either, so you’ll just have to figure it out together.
another few minutes pass by, then you hear her take in a big breath and mumble, “i miss my home.”
ah, of course. you’d all moved from london to monaco about a month ago, on account of location convenience for logan’s job, and the educational opportunities for lottie. the tax benefits weren’t exactly a complaint either. 
lottie hadn’t had any qualms about the move so far, so you’d both figured she was adjusting alright. she’d even been excited, but of course, the realisation that this wasn’t like a race weekend or a holiday where she would be sure to return to your humble london flat, was bound to kick in eventually.
little by little as she calms down, lottie tells you about how even though she knows a little bit of french from you, it’s not enough to really talk with the other kids, and that the teachers are nice but she doesn’t want to cause a fuss and keep bothering them every day. 
“i’m sorry,” she whispers.
you shake your head and open your mouth to speak, but logan beats you to it.
“you don’t have to be sorry, baby. it’s okay if you feel bad sometimes.” 
you press a kiss to her hands and add, “you just have big emotions, my love. just like me.” 
she’s stopped crying now, and even smiles a bit when you bring up your similarity. 
“if you want, lottie love, we can find you a tutor here who can help with your french, and you and i can always practise at home.”  
she nods at your proposition, then wrinkles her nose and asks, “what about daddy?” 
lottie, selfless as ever, is already thinking about how to include logan. you want to laugh just thinking about logan learning french and even more so, him speaking french with his american accent.
“we’ll rope him into learning with us too,” you grin at logan, “now come on, let’s give daddy a big hug, 'cause we’ve missed him very much while he’s been working.” 
logan smiles at his little family and wraps his arms around both of you, happy that peace has been restored. he takes lottie’s face in his hands and covers her in kisses, making her giggle. 
“you wanna help me unpack now, lottie-lou?”
she jumps up and runs toward logan’s suitcase at her dad’s suggestion, and starts wheeling it towards your bedroom. you and logan, still sat on the floor, watch her go. you give him a kiss. 
“welcome home, handsome. sorry that’s what you came in to.” 
he looks down at you and breathes out a laugh. instead of saying anything, he just holds his hand out for a high-five, which you humor. he lets go of you to push himself up, and helps you up after.  
before he follows after your daughter, he slings an arm over your shoulder and states, “we’re such awesome parents.”
it’s your turn to laugh now, and you reward him with a couple of quick pecks on his lips. you push him to go to lottie before she starts calling for him, and give him a cheeky pat to the bum as he stumbles forward. 
“je t’aime, baby.”
okay; now that that’s sorted, what to have for dinner?
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AITA for talking on the phone while shopping?
So this happened months ago but it still weighs on me when I’m reminded of it and I want to know if I was an asshole, if I’m being dramatic, etc.
For context I have PTSD and AVPD (avoidant personality disorder - think social anxiety, but much more intense, lifelong, and you can’t ‘cure’ it or really medicate it).
For a very long time I didn’t leave my house at all. The last year or so I’ve been really working on it and I can do small things like go to a nearby shop, but sometimes I still have bad days where I can’t do that without having someone with me.
I moved into a new place and it was ideally located, there was a small corner shop literally seconds from my front door on the same little street. It was the only store in that area so it was my only option and I was lucky it was so near. However because the area was unfamiliar it really set off my mental illnesses and for the first couple of months living there I couldn’t make myself go out of my home, needing my sisters (who are wonderful) or my partner to bring me basic groceries or go with me.
One day I wanted to take that step but I couldn’t make myself do it completely alone (trust me I tried, I was sitting for several hours with my jacket on trying to psych myself up to go). Eventually I asked my partner, who was too busy to come with me, if they could be on the phone with me while I went - this sometimes helps because it gives me something to focus on that’s not the people around me and lets me feel like I have a lifeline of sorts. They agreed and eventually I worked up the courage to walk to the store.
I got in and had the phone to my ear but was keeping my voice as quiet as I could, though I was the only person in the shop aside from the woman (maybe 50s-60s) behind the till, so I didn’t feel as bad as I usually would about disturbing other shoppers etc. I picked up basic stuff, got to the till, put the phone on mute and put it down on the counter so I could have my hands free to bag things up.
The woman was acting a little weird, just kind of short and giving me looks, but I was just kind of trying to get out as fast as possible so I didn’t think too much of it. I asked her if I could have a bag and she didn’t seem to hear me. Asked again and she said okay. After she’d scanned everything she scrunched up my receipt and went to throw it away and she noticed I was still hesitating, so she asked if I’d wanted to keep it and I said “No sorry I’m just waiting for the bag”
And she just. Blew up.
She started screaming about how maybe if I’d been paying attention to her instead of my phone I would have asked earlier, how I was rude, how it ruined her day to have customers like me. For the first few seconds I remember kind of weakly smiling because I thought she was being jokingly mad, because that’s how absolutely out of nowhere it was - just 1-100 in a second. I still remember the look in her eyes when she was shouting at me, like… I can’t even describe how much genuine anger and hatred was in her face, her eyes were twitching and she was genuinely shaking with anger. Raised voices and anger in general are one of my biggest PTSD triggers so this just… broke me. She was holding my groceries to her chest while I kept trying to reach for them so I couldn’t leave and I just had to stand there and let her shout. Another customer came in so I didn’t even feel like I could argue back so I just grabbed my stuff and basically ran home and then broke down.
I was completely back to square one and I felt like it instilled that I couldn’t leave my home and be independent because the first time I’d gotten the courage to go out mostly-alone this had happened.
I didn’t want to put in a complaint because I didn’t want to be That Person, but my mother ended up calling the manager on my behalf and after she followed up he said he’d spoken to her but no more detail than that.
For the rest of the time I lived there I didn’t go back to the store even with people except on hours I knew she wasn’t there, because my sister ended up asking around the area and someone told her they knew who she was talking about because she had a reputation of being “like that” and gave her her working hours so I could avoid her.
I eventually moved away again and didn’t need to use the shop anymore, but this was brought back again because a few weeks ago I was passing through with my sister and we dropped by so my sister could grab something, and the woman was there again stocking shelves. As soon as she saw me she completely stopped what she was doing to just stare at me, then started aggressively throwing the things onto the shelves before going back to the till. My sister would probably have said something if she’d been rude in front of her, but she was completely fine to her and served her politely.
I didn’t really realise how badly it was still affecting me until then because I was just standing frozen in front of the door waiting to be able to leave and my hands were shaking really badly.
So AITA for being on my phone in a shop and being rude? The reasons I think I could be TA are that she treated my sister perfectly fine, when I told family about it afterwards some of them said that in her defense being on my phone while shopping was pretty rude, and I got my mother to complain to her boss about her (even though I don’t think she got in trouble I think she was probably mad about this)
What are these acronyms?
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soobadnoonecanstopher · 9 months
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Can I Stay? (A Baekhyun Story) Part 1.
Pairing: You x Baekhyun
Rating: M
Word Count: 6.9k
Warnings: an unspecified age difference, this is an English story that uses the word Noona for lack of another word in English that carries the same feeling, if you don’t like this, then don’t read this story.
Author‘s note: remember all those years ago I said I’d write a Baekhyun x Noona fic? This is that fic.
Inspired by the Ray LaMontagne song Can I Stay
Links: Can I Stay: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
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Your new assistant was going to be a problem.
You clocked him as a problem before he walked through the doors of your office.
You spotted the danger a mile away the moment you saw the memo from the President of the company’s personal secretary advising you that a new member of your team would be starting today. A new member whose presence you’d never requested; who’s resume you’d never even seen, and whose last name was suspiciously identical to that company President’s whose Secretary was asking you — no, telling you to welcome your brand new, fresh out of college, probably fresh out of his dear mothers warm hugs and kisses embrace, with as much of a warm welcome as if you were welcoming the President himself.
Not only did you get thrust into your lap a most likely spoiled rotten nepotism baby, but now he was sitting across from your desk staring back at you with a bright beautiful smile of plenty of professionally straightened teeth and an even brighter happy go lucky personality that told you that this strapping young man had never known a day of struggle in his entire life — as short as that life had been so far.
An assistant should be younger than you anyway, right? You wouldn’t feel right bossing a homely old man around all day.
Did that young assistant have to be so very pretty though? Did he really have to be sitting there so damn moist and tender, looking at you with his head cocked to the side as if he had been jumping to as many conclusions about you as you had about him?
“I’m Byun Baekhyun. I like playing video games and working out. I can’t eat cucumber or spicy food. Please take care of me, Miss Manager Noona.” His words pulled his pink lips into a pout as he spoke and the sounds of his voice had just enough of a nasal whine that you wondered if he simply always got his way all of the time with everyone he knew.
You frowned and ticked your head back and forth at the name he called you. “Just Manager.” You corrected sternly and his wide smile dipped into a pronounced pout. The kind one might see on a little kid who’d just dropped his ice cream cone. You heard a nasal grunt of complaint come from the back of his throat and you hated how quickly that sound strummed a particular chord inside of your chest. You felt weirdly rebuked for the quick rebuttal and your lips dropped open almost against your will, “I mean, it’s just that…”
Just when you’d opened your mouth to speak he’d already moved on, “So what do I do here, Miss Manager…?” His words out loud stopped at the word Manager but you caught the movement of his lips as he silently mouthed the forbidden word ‘Noona.’ Clearly thinking he’d gotten away with something, his bright smile was back and as he asked his question he leaned forward with both of his elbows bent on the edge of your desk. His head peaked around to steal glimpses at the various pieces of work both open on your desk and brought up on your computer screen. You had been up to your ass in it before he walked in here and the thought of pausing all of this progress to train this guy was making your stress ulcer act up. You had deadlines to meet if you were going to get this script to the Assistant Directors in time for them to begin filming the next episode. The directors had deadlines, the locations were booked and paid for, the sponsor checks had long ago been cashed, and the reality show talent had a schedule that, contractually, could not be delayed. You simply did not have time for this inexperienced man to be asking you silly questions like “So what do I do here, Noona?”
You pulled a long breath into your lungs through your nose and closed your eyes for a moment, harnessing your self control. It wasn’t his fault you were overwhelmed with work. It wasn’t his fault he was born into a life of privilege and comfort. It wasn’t his fault that you didn't have time to train an entire new employee on the complicated job that sat before you. It was, maybe, perhaps his fault though, that the full head of bottle blonde hair you saw on top of his head had just enough highlights in it to bring out the pink in his cheeks and lips and make him look like something straight out of a boy band.
By the time you’d finished taking in your several calming deep breaths and you put your eyes back on him he was standing over your desk with his eyes peering over the document you had been working through for the past hour.
He was reading and mouthing the words, although from upside down you doubted he could tell what he was looking at, yet you watched curiously as he stuck a slim finger forward to touch the corner of one of the papers. You had been going over translations. Making sure the wording was correct, yes, but ultimately safe for widespread distribution. Your copy had red slashes through it with changes and suggestions. You were the final set of eyes that would approve this language that would be distributed proudly with your companies name all over the world.
“I think this one is no good,” he pointed to a single word on the document that had seemed innocuous enough for you to skip over it entirely. “That word,” his fingertip was stopped on a noun in the middle of the page, “means something very, very naughty in Brazil.”
Your eyes glanced down to where he pointed, surprised first for him to catch on to this task so quickly without you even having to explain it, and second to learn that sometimes a seashell is not just a seashell.
“That’s what you are doing with this, right?” He was grabbing the stack of papers from your desk now. “Give it, you have more important things to do, Miss Manager…” Again his lips continued the next two syllables in silence and you realized that this man was probably the most stubborn person you would ever meet in your entire life, and you were about to be permanently sealed into his mind as his Noona, whether you allowed it or not.
And it wasn’t that you approved of any of this anyway. But by the time your brain turned back on, the documents were already in his hands and he grabbed the red pen and started marking the page on top.
You had no choice but to allow it. The mere thought of someone taking away even a fraction of your workload felt like some sort of a dream come true. Plus, it really did seem like he had some idea of what he was doing. Part of you was genuinely curious as to how he would do.
You glanced over at him occasionally as he read through the pages making his notes and you soon found yourself immersed in the next task that was due soon.
Your focus was interrupted when a chipper sing-songy tune sounded out in his voice beside you, “I’m do-ne,” he called out and the script plopped down on your desk. His eyes were bright and his wide smile was back as his eyebrows wagged in the direction of the stack of papers he’d proudly presented you with.
You’d only made it through the first page when he started speaking again — this time without the singing.
“Did I do well? Do you like it? Can I stay?”
You were leafing through the pages, finding the spot where you left off and where he took over and you quickly read through the lines, taking care to read every suggestion he had made as well as the suggestions he had not made on the chance that in his inexperience he had missed something.
It looked pretty good. You didn’t tell him that though.
“Where did you say you came from again Mr…?”
“Baekhyun. I am Byun Baekhyun and I am yours now. You can use me however you like.” His wide smile had not so much as trembled since he’d brought the script back to you and the jovial attitude did not let up as he delivered to you one of the strangest, most ridiculous promises you’d ever received from anyone in your professional career.
You kept your face blank and ignored his eagerness. At least he was enthusiastic.
“Can you take this down to QC for final approval, Baekhyun…and do you have, like, a resume or something I can look at?”
He nodded with his eyes wide and he was digging through his bag for something. What he handed back to you was a tablet. The electronic kind that kept the little kids quiet at restaurants. His fingers tapped on the screen as he peered over your shoulder he brought up a picture in his photo gallery that seemed to be just a screen shot of his resume. He had to flip past various personal pictures as he did it and you did your best not to focus on any of it until he’d reached the one intended for you to see. There was nothing inappropriate from the looks of it. But it didn’t seem polite of you to snoop.
You did see some things though. Not that you were trying to see anything, but the picture right before the resume was one of him sitting in the driver’s seat of some fancy foreign car with a sweet smile on his face and a different color of hair that if you were being honest looked just as good, if not better than the blonde he had now.
“Sorry Noon—Uhh, Miss Manager, I don't have a printed copy on me but you can look at it there.” His hands were busy putting the paperwork carefully into a large white envelope so he could deliver it all to Quality Control and his head whipped back around with an afterthought for you, “You can just scroll to see the next page, okay?”
He was gone before you could answer him.
His resume showed promise. He’d graduated from an expensive Ivy League, of course, and had spent a few years abroad on various internships, no doubt landed with the ease of his family’s connections in the industry. You’d reached the end of the first page feeling somewhat hopeful that this time your new assistant would prove himself to be quite useful to you for however long he stayed in such a bottom level position. He would probably last no longer than a half a year before he rocketed to the top of the chain of command. The next page had various awards and honors achieved throughout his education and you glanced at the dates that he attended school, cursing your ability to do some quick mental math to guess his age.
He was young. A good amount of years younger than you, that was certain. Of course he was young, his skin still had traces of that smooth soft baby fat in his cheeks. Your finger scrolled back to the first page of his resume and with your fingertip still connected to the glass you allowed the picture to backtrack just a little, so the edges of the image of him smiling behind the steering wheel of that car showed just a little.
You had no business doing this. What were you thinking? You were just some delusional old lady thankful that she had an extra five minutes to her own thoughts thanks to her brand new assistant’s skills with a red pen. You quickly swiped away, back to the safety of the approved viewing material. Page one of Byun Baekhuun’s resume. You swiped again, a little too forceful for this tablet and page two quickly filled your screen. Perhaps the third swipe you made was out of spite but you gasped out loud when the next image in his picture gallery filled the screen of the tablet completely.
A wave of panic filled you and you quickly raced to undo what you had just done, what you had just seen.
You went back. It wasn’t enough.
You went back again, desperate for what you had just seen to be erased from your memory, but no matter how long you stared at the words on that screen, no matter how forcefully you exited out of the gallery entirely, closing the whole thing up and then finally giving up, locking the tablet and putting it to sleep, that image crept back up again and again and again.
Soon the desperation turned to bargaining. And bargaining turned to acceptance. It was normal really for a woman like you, a single, lonely, overworked woman like you to have this sort of reaction to accidentally seeing an attractive shirtless man standing poolside with the sun at his back and wetness glistening over his skin and broad chest and abs and other various well defined, firm, manly muscles.
Anger followed next. You were pretty sure you were going in the wrong order here, but how dare he put that picture in his tablet and just tell you to scroll. It was so easy for him to say it too as if he wanted you to find the picture and admire the time and work he put into building all of those muscles in his body. What if you had been caught in a trap. What if this was some sort of a test by HR to see if you needed to be sent to sensitivity training for sexual predators. What if there was a tracking device on that picture and there was now a blaring nipple warning happening in some control room upstairs.
A soft and pleasant ding interrupted your thoughts and you had a message waiting from Dami in the QC department. Baekhyun must have delivered the package by now. A quick glance at the clock on your computer told you that he had been gone for some time now and you half wondered if perhaps he had gotten lost on his way back.
“Oh my god. WHO. WAS. THAT?!!!??”
“I take it you got the revisions — please be quick, I’ve had 1st AD breathing down my neck all morning.”
“Gotcha. You made some interesting choices with this but I'm into it. What was wrong with those seashells?”
“Vulgar slang, censored in the Brazil market.”
“Ohh-la-la, great catch! This is why you’re the best.”
Her latest message stared back at you as your fingers refused to type a response. The last thing you wanted was to accept someone else’s work as your own, but you also really want to spend too much time on this distracting conversation that was keeping you and her both from your work. A simple emoji would do the trick. A smiley face, or a rolled eyes emoji maybe. Something that didn't exactly make claims to the potential slip up that Baekhyun caught on his first upside down glance at the script that you somehow missed even after looking over it twenty times.
Maybe you needed to brush up on your international slang terms for various sexual acts and their involved genitalia.
“My new assistant, Baekhyun, caught that one.” The long pause between her misdirected compliment and your delayed confession made you feel just a little bit guilty for any potential misunderstandings you might have opened yourself up to.
“Even his name is pretty.”
[She should see his muscles] an uninvited guest in the back of your brain whispered and you winced when it happened.
As soon as the thought crossed your mind you felt the shame of its aftermath course through you. That was the last thing you needed to be thinking about.
You didn't have much time to dwell on it because there was a sudden commotion outside of your office door. You heard the sound of someone’s shrill shouting, overdramatic screaming really and the telltale sounds of someone being thoroughly scolded. At the exact same time an alarm was sounding out on your phone telling you it was time to make it to your biweekly meeting with the directors and assistant directors upstairs. You quickly grabbed your laptop and calendar and made your way out of your door to see what in the world all of the fuss was about.
The carpet outside was littered with assorted papers and standing in the middle of the mess with his head hung down in shame was your assistant, looking sheepish and guilty. The source of the shrieking, as usual, was Carla, one of the less organized members of the translating team. You could see the now empty document tray sitting just at the edge of her desk and you imagined that she had set the whole thing precariously close to the edge again just tempting fate.
“What am I supposed to do with this now? This was my whole day’s work and you’ve made a huge mess of it all! Who even are you? Are you supposed to be in here?”
Baekhyun’s head dipped lower and his cheeks were bright pink as he was scolded again and again for bumping into her teetering tower and sending it crashing down to the ground, as you had seen happen around her desk at least once a week.
“Sorry, but I hardly even touched…” He was opening his mouth now, and as he began to protest what he thought was an unfair scolding you saw her lift up a rolled piece of paper and bonk him squarely on the top of his head with it.
You knew it was time to intervene and you cleared your throat noisily to make your presence known.
Carla’s hand with the rolled up paper dropped in an instant and her eyes widened as she looked at you in surprise.
“M…Manager, He…”
Baekhyun’s face whipped to look to you and you noted the apprehension in his eyes and the way he pulled his lips into the smallest pouty frown.
“Carla, why don't you and Emily work together on this? I know you’ve been working very hard all alone this week. Emily, let’s push back your workload to next week, hmm?” You pivoted to address the rest of your team as to not call attention to Carla alone.
“Everyone, let’s not stack everything on the edge of our desks. Let’s try and keep a clean workspace for everyone so accidents like this don't happen so often.”
You did your best to keep any bit of reproach out of your voice and it must have worked just enough to satisfy the easily excited girl because she closed up her mouth and flattened out her angry eyebrows with a small shrug.
You weren't above cleaning up a little mess here and there. As soon as you were done talking you dropped down to your knees and started gathering the papers up into a stack, the moment you moved, the rest of the team all dropped to their knees to do the same. Baekhyun was the first at your side, reaching for papers and pulling them out of your hands as you made neat stacks and he placed them carefully on the opposite side of Carla’s desk next to the partition, safe from literally anyone who might want to walk through this office.
“Baekhyun, I have a meeting upstairs, why don't you tag along so you can see what that’s like?”
“Yes ma’am,” he whispered beside you with a smile building on his face again and he moved quickly, keeping directly behind your steps as you moved down the hallway to the elevators.
“Noona, I’m so sorry about that earlier — I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I don't even know how it happened. All of a sudden she was just yelling at me. ”
“Manager, Baekhyun,” you corrected quickly as you stepped into the elevator first and he followed behind with a sheepish smile creeping up on his face. “And you didn't cause any trouble. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“You were so cool though. You felt like a hostage negotiator, freeing me from my kidnapper. What did you think of my resume? Am I a man that meets your high standards?” His questions came in rapid succession one after another and you held your composure well at the mention of that damned resume of his.
That resume and those muscles.
“You’re smart and you seem capable enough,” and young and firm and handsome as all hell, “I’m sure you’ll do fine while you are here.”
You gripped your calendar in your fist and tapped it lightly against his belly. He grunted once and grabbed it with his free hands. “Pay attention to that. You’ll need to follow my schedule.”
He smiled and shone brightly in response with an energetic head nod and he spent most of the upstairs meeting leafing through your calendar, making small marks on certain dates and pulling out his cell phone to no doubt copy certain entries into his own phone calendar.
Baekhyun’s first day was eventful but he was very promising. The next days and weeks to come were interesting in a way you hesitated to define.
He proved himself valuable to you instantly. He was indeed smart and capable and had a sense about him that you hadn’t seen before in a coworker. Having him at your side not only made your own job infinitely easier, but you noticed your mood had lightened when he was around.
He was cheerful and funny and although you tried your absolute best not to encourage his jokes or god forbid, laugh at them, the first time you slipped and let a quick chuckle out over something stupid he’d said he looked at you with wide eyes and the proudest grin on his face. You had to instantly roll your eyes for damage control.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever made you laugh. Noona, admit it, you like me just a little bit.”
You’d given up on trying to break him of that nickname after the first week of him just ignoring your attempts. The first time you’d answered to it, you knew it was over. You’d screwed up.
And you just did it again with the laugh. He was holding something very important just out of your reach as he sometimes did when his mood grew playful and you had been doing your best not to kick him in the shins so he would drop the stupid thing that you just needed your final signature of approval so you could move on to the next thing that needed your immediate attention.
“I never said I didn’t like you, Baekhyun, this is work. We are working right now. If I miss this deadline that’s it for me and for you and for the entire department out there.”
“So when the project wraps you’ll have a drink with me and then you’ll laugh at all of my jokes? You promise?” He dropped the papers just enough for you to be able to touch the corner of them and you gripped them tightly, pulling them hard into your hands with a force that instantly made him let go. He knew the penalties of destroying something at the last minute and no amount of playfulness would make him risk having to run around re-gathering important person’s signatures with just one hour until shooting began.
It was what you needed and you signed quickly with a pen, passing them back into his arms with an urgency on your voice.
“Fine. Go. Now.” He was out the door without a second word. Of course he was playing about drinks with you. Of course he was playing with you about liking him just a little bit. This was just what he did and he didn't mean any of it at all. This guy was so far out of your league he had his own fan club.
He was very highly sought after by all of the young ladies in this office alone, and you had heard rumors of his popularity in the rest of the building.
Why wouldn't he be joking with you? It made no sense for you to take any of it seriously and you knew it deep down inside of you.
You made for a quick fluff in the mirror on your wall and a touch up of your makeup along with slipping on a classy professional jacket and the heels you kept in your office for situations that required you to look just a little more presentable than usual. You had another meeting to attend for an upcoming project. Something new and different that required you to meet with a whole new team of very important people to sell yourself and your team and their highly sought after skill set. You pressed the elevator button and caught a glimpse of your reflection in the shining silver elevator doors and just behind you saw the familiar bounce of his blonde hair as he rushed to your side to join you at this meeting. He was huffing and puffing from clearly running through the office to get back to you. You noticed the flush in his cheeks and what looked like dust on his jacket. His hair was just a little messy too. You always did your best not to look too closely at Baekhyun. The few times you did allow it your mind would wander into forbidden places and you noticed that it never took very long for him to catch you watching him.
He didn’t need to attend this one. It was more of a schmoozing event than any sort of technical planning meeting but the sight of his bright smile brought you a strange comfort so you didn’t send him away. Inside the elevator you noticed he was watching your face rather closely and when you turned to him in question he lifted a finger up to his lips and pointed.
“Your lipstick has a little smudge.”
Great. Just what you needed. You tried to look your best and just ended up a mess again. You reached up and rubbed lightly below your bottom lip and he shook his head and took a step closer to you and lifted his own hand to your face.
You froze and held your breath and you stared into his face in shock as the tip of his finger ran a path down the edge of your upper lip. He cocked his head to the side and his eyes slipped into your own for a split second and you were sure that you noticed his cheeks darken a shade. Had your own cheeks given you away so easily as well?
Baekhyun cleared his throat but he wasn’t done and he was no longer looking into your eyes as he did this. He made another, firmer pass of his index finger over the edge of your upper lip and you instinctively pulled your lips inward and squeezed them together, pretending as if you needed to spread your lipstick more instead of just getting away from his fingertips that touched you in this quiet and private place.
As you did it, he moved again. His hand lifted to run his fingertips along your temple, where you must have had an errant strand of hair that he slowly and carefully tucked behind your ear. You kept your breathing calm and steady and you kept your face impassive, but the racket inside of your own chest as your heart beat took on a life of its own was distracting and terribly concerning. You were a mess deep down inside. You were just so good at hiding it from him.
“There,” he whispered. “Beautiful,” he said even quieter, almost entirely under his breath just as the sound of elevator dinging made you jump with the sudden intrusion.
You were the first one out. You didn’t hear his footsteps behind you as you usually did and when you risked a quick glimpse behind you, you noticed he hadn’t yet left the elevator and his focus seemed distracted and lost.
“Baek,” you called and his eyes snapped back to life before the elevator doors closed on him. He shook his head lightly and took three big steps to take his place at your side. His smile was nowhere to be found and his eyes didn't quite meet yours and something about him made the air in this blasted hallway feel awkward and claggy and downright difficult to breathe in.
“Oh, I feel—,” you let out a breath through your pursed lips and whispered out loud to yourself as you placed a hand over your chest to calm your beating heart, “—-nervous,” you admitted in defeat, pausing outside of the heavy wooden doors.
“Because of the meeting?” A quiet question eked out in a familiar voice behind you and you refused to meet his eyes.
“Of course, why else?” You answered flatly and quickly but his reply did not come as quick. What came instead was a sharp inhale of breath pulled into the lungs of the man who stood behind you at this door.
“Right,” he said softly with a small exhale through his nose. “Why else.” He agreed out loud. You must have imagined just a hint of disappointment in that exhale. Of course you’d imagined it. It probably originated inside of your own head, really. Everyone knew you had no business feeling any sort of way about your assistant Byun Baekhyun. Whether it be disappointment; or heart flutterings; or attraction; or desire; all of it was off limits.
“Baekhyun, this is a very important meeting.” You inhaled slowly and deeply and stole a glance to your left where Baekhyun stood and you noticed he had what looked like an entire leaf stuck to the top of his head.
What?
The more you looked at him the messier he actually seemed and you knew that behind that door would be a multitude of very important, very rich people who held your future in their hands. People who very likely did not have dirt on their coats and leaves in their hair.
This would not do. There was an empty hallway near the stairwell at the end of the corridor. You’d often used that quiet space to regroup before these kinds of meetings. You knew there was a bench and a clock on the wall that did not tick as it’s big hands spun around its face. You reached for his arm and pulled him
“Why are you so messy? What happened to you?” You pulled him fast and he complied with rushed steps to the sanctuary of that quiet space and when you pushed at his shoulders, sending him down to sit in front of you on the bench, he did so with a soft grunt of surprise and zero resistance. Baekhyun never ever resisted anything from you. You’d overheard him downright arguing with some of the other staff members before but he took being your assistant quite seriously and treated even small requests from you as if they had been laws set in stone to follow.
He was just a little bit ridiculous but mostly he was just the best.
“Before, when I was getting signatures, the paper flew away in the wind and I had to chase it down. There was a bush…” You brushed at his coat with your fingertips, patting harder to get some of the dirt to fall off and you had to step closer to him to get at the leaves in his hair. There were two and they were small and dried and they crumbled into a million bits when you grabbed them, making you have to pull apart the strands of his blonde hair carefully to remove every last bit of them.
“…it flew under the bush in the courtyard and I had t-to…”
You knew you were leaning into him and he seemed to abruptly stop his explanations when you took another step placing your feet in the spaces around where his feet parted, you felt the roundness of his kneecap brush against the inside of your inner knee and he had gone completely still and his words quit entirely. The part of your brain where you kept your most incriminating secrets about him sounded alarms and warning bells. You ignored the cacophony in favor of this necessary task at hand.
It took some doing but you’d gotten all of the mess out of his hair. There was a small pile of broken and dried leaves sitting in the palm of your hand and you noticed some more dirt on the breast of his dark blue coat. It was a dark enough colored coat that the dirt would definitely show so you reached down with your empty hand, laying your palm over the spot, you tried to brush the dirt away. It didn’t budge as easily as you wished it would and a second pass with your hand, with more pressure seemed to work better.
It was almost done. He was nearly perfect again but when your hand returned for one more pass your mind’s alarms rang as you caught on to the firmness and the warmth you felt below his coat. the feeling of him inside of these clothes.
Your stupid intrusive thoughts that you did your best to keep at bay surged up again.
Baekhyun was silent and motionless. Baekhyun had done nothing to encourage this. Everything he had ever told you that might have sounded flirtatious was said in jest. He was joking. He was always joking with you, that was just his way. But he sure did joke a lot with you. You often found yourself confused and frustrated by him.
The dust was gone. He could go now. You could let him go. He was ready to face them.
“There,” you said in a soft whisper, beautiful you thought in secret. Your whisper felt an appropriate tone of voice for such a quiet and secluded hideaway such as this and you mustered up the nerve to remove your hand from his chest so you could throw this trash away and attend your damn meeting.
You rocked back on your feet, shifting your balance away from where he sat on this bench, introducing some distance between the two of you. Then you moved your hand away from his chest for a fraction of a second you no longer felt the warmth and the firmness of his body below your palm and you began to pivot on your heels, you began to turn away from him and extract yourself entirely from this fantastical and impossible situation you had been entertaining inside of your own silly imagination. Only when you shifted so did he and rather than the warmth of his chest under the palm of your hand you felt the slow moving heat of his hand covering over the back of your own hand.
The sensation caught you off guard and you froze mid step, looking down to see it happening. You felt the smoothness of his fingertips tracing an achingly dizzying path up your wrist and higher until your entire hand had been covered completely by his.
You took another step away from him. This was strange. This was some sort of trick of your imagination again.
Your eyes sought out his eyes for answers only the look you saw in his expression did not give you any insight at all. He was watching you with a sort of detachment from this, from you; similar to the same look you’d seen from him in the elevator earlier. Similar to the look you’d seen from him many times over the course of the last few months of working closely with him.
You needed more answers than his face could give and when you took another step the grip he had on your hand tensed and he held on tighter and suddenly he was in motion as his thigh muscles tensed up and he stood on own two feet.
Your mind was consumed by confusion and uncertainty when his movements did not stop.
Baekhyun took a step into you, undoing the distance you had carefully and desperately put between your body and his body and out of the corner of your eye you caught movement in his other hand.
The fragments of seconds of time were insufficient to process any of this. If he was playing some sort of a trick, he was taking it too far for sure. Your heart was entirely too weak to take this kind of behavior from him.
Baekhyun’s hand lifted — he sought to touch the side of your face and at the same time, the distance between the two of you shrunk in an instant as he moved in. You watched on in surprise and in shock until every detail of Byun Baekhyun’s face blurred and you felt the warm wetness of his lips that landed over your own surprised ones.
He kissed you.
He had kissed you.
In this space, this quiet space that was once only yours, he had kissed you and you were frozen in this moment without even the ability to comprehend how this man could have done this, or why he had done this, or what, if anything at all was the punchline of this particular joke of his.
He had kissed you and he was still kissing you and your frozen reaction must have been what brought him to his senses.
He opened his eyes and his lips retreated just enough for him to pull back and look into your face. You made a sound. It was the smallest questioning hum from the back of your throat and you shook your head a microscopic amount to try and clear the static happening inside your brain.
“Uhh,” you finally managed and he had dropped his hold on your hand and closed his eyes up tight.
He looked to his left and then he looked to his right. Both spaces were empty. You were standing in front of him but he did not look at you.
His eyes closed up again and you saw him pull his lips in between his teeth and he bit down and exhaled a huff through his nose before pulling his expression into the smallest wince.
“Shit,” he whispered. He looked behind himself. He looked up at the ceiling and he looked down at the floor. He wasn’t actually looking anywhere but you knew for absolute certainty that he was not looking at you.
You swallowed away the dryness inside of your mouth at the sound of that tiny curse word and the unimaginably tiny sting you felt inside of your chest when you heard him say it.
This was okay.
This was fine.
It was just a mistake; a joke taken too far. He was silly by nature and you did not need to read anything into this little blunder of his. You definitely didn't want to make him feel bad about having made this mistake. Maybe this suffocating ache inside of your chest was the punchline. You could feel its tendrils creeping up inside.
Ha! Ha! Stupid old lady.
No. No, This was okay.
This was fine.
The clock on the wall called to you and you watched the minute hand join up with the hour hand as the two became one and it was 12 noon. It was time for both of you to be inside that meeting room instead of out here playing jokes on each other and instantly regretting it.
His gaze followed yours, touching upon that clock and understanding the task at hand and you stood straighter, fixed your skirt and jacket, made sure your button up blouse was still closed up tight, and you made a few steps toward the trash can to throw away the dried leaves from his hair and from what felt like ages ago and you heard his footsteps follow you down the hallway to enter the meeting room.
You did not hold the door open behind you and you did not listen carefully for the comforting sound of his footsteps behind you. When you opened the door to walk inside you did not do so with any regard for anyone else in the world — especially not for someone like Byun Baekhyun, who’s father’s name adorned the outside of this enormous building and even your paychecks. Especially not for Byun Baekhyun who had exactly three weeks left of his detail in the International Subbing Department before he moved on to QC or AD or wherever the hell he wanted to go when he left you.
[To Be Continued]
Links: Can I Stay? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
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xjustakay · 8 months
Text
(8/19) prompt: fresh start— 710 words (coffee shop au ft. firefighter james - pt.2, pt.3, pt.4, pt.5) @jegulus-microfic
“Hi, welcome in.” Pandora calls the greeting before ducking into the back room. 
Regulus looks up from his phone tucked beneath the register’s monitor, painting on a polite expression. It’s been at least thirty minutes since their last customer, but when his focus lands on the person who’s come in, he finds any inner complaint silenced.
When he started working at his cousin’s coffee shop after leaving home, Regulus had become aware that it’s located up the street from a local fire station. He’s seen a handful of the people from there come through for their caffeine fix, but not this person. 
Yellow turnout pants are held up by two thick, red suspenders over a navy tee. It’s not really the uniform that strikes Regulus, though seeing it on this particular individual is nothing to frown about. It’s the rest of him that does it. Tan skin and dark waves of hair, toned arms and a broad chest, bright eyes and a boyish grin.
For fucks sake, the man looks made up. 
Regulus, thankfully, manages to resist the urge to fully check the stranger out, keeping his attention on his face as he approaches the counter. Smiling, the man nudges his glasses up endearingly then pushes that same hand back through his hair. If the flicker of Regulus’ eyes to the curve of his bicep gets noticed, Regulus is prepared to deny it.
“Busy night, eh?” The lovely stranger jokes.
“Certainly less interesting than your job, even if it were,” Regulus replies.
“Ah, no, slow night for us, too.” A tossed hand. A tilt of the head. “Did just get back from a riveting run to a little old lady’s because she thought there was a gas leak in her house when really she’d left her stove burner on low, though.”
“Fun,” Regulus chuckles, grabbing a marker. “Can I get a name for the order?”
It’s usually the last question he asks when taking orders, but his curiosity pesters him to know.
“It’s James.”
“James,” Regulus repeats, glancing him over.
“I’ve never seen you here before,” James notes. 
“I’m fairly new, recently came to the area for a fresh start,” Regulus confirms.
“Alone?”
“Moved in with my brother.”
James nods slowly, eyeing him as his grin widens. “Knew you had to be new. I’d definitely remember seeing you before.”
“And why’s that?” Regulus toys.
“I mean.” James makes a sweeping motion up and down toward him, mischief in his hazel eyes. “You’ve got to know you’re hard to forget, looking like that.”
Humming shortly in acknowledgement, Regulus bites hard at the inside of his cheek. He’s not sure how successful he is at hiding the smirk that threatens to appear, but he does his best. 
Normally being hit on in his place of work would have his eye twitching, but. Well.
“What can I get for you tonight?”
James huffs out an airy laugh. “Quite the question to ask someone who’s already flirting with you.”
“I thought you were here for coffee, James,” Regulus snorts, one brow arching.
“I was.” James glances down at his name tag on his apron then back up again, shameless with a bat of his eyelashes. “Regulus.”
There’s no avoiding the upward curl of his lips this time, hearing the way his name sounds coming out of James’ mouth.
“Are you going to order or not? I’ve got things to do.”
“Right, right. Let’s have a surprise. Make it sweet for me, though, won’t you?” James winks at him before pulling a ten note from his wallet and setting it on the counter. “Keep the change.”
While Regulus is busy fixing the drink moments later, he doesn’t notice James grabbing a napkin from a dispenser and fishing a pen from his pocket to jot something down on it. It’s not until Regulus calls James’ name for his drink, subtly playful goodbyes exchanged afterward, that he finds the folded napkin left on the counter. 
When he unfolds it, Regulus can’t help but let out a laugh. Because James has messily scrawled his phone number down, the words ‘to fresh starts’ written above it.
Soon enough, James will realize that Regulus had a similar idea when he finds Regulus’ number on the side of his coffee cup.
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keysorsomething · 6 months
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Into the Hyena's Den
Part three !! I hope you enjoy it :) 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 Cross-posted on ao3
You knock softly on Nikto’s door, checking the halls like you check the roads before crossing them. You're sure someone is hiding in some dark corner of the hall. Damn, you're really going to get in trouble for this, aren't you? You already had three of the snoopiest bitches on your tail. This visit was going to be the hot gossip for the next few weeks. And that was not going to go well for you in the slightest.
You can already imagine it, being called into König’s office and being scolded about fraternizing. Like he isn't guilty of that.
There's a thought that flickers in your mind for a moment, that you two will be the talk of the site and then Nikto will get distant one more. Something in you does not want that to happen. Perhaps you'll have to bribe Horangi. And Roze, but most importantly Klaus. Or blackmail. What are they gonna do? You work in a PMC, are they really going to go after you for blackmail and not any of your war crimes?
You think not.
The door creeks open, cautiously. He's worried about this too, you think, but the thought process is quickly shut down by his hand on the back of your head pulling you into the room. You make no noise of complaint. Partly because who would complain, and also because you don't want to draw any attention to the situation.
The door slammed once you were inside the dim room. You look around. The room is dark, there's a faint light from somewhere but you can't locate it. And it's not messy—there aren't any clothes or dirty dishes or anything out of place and the bed is made—but it's not clean either. It's crowded, piles of stuff neatly sorted all over everywhere.
His guns are neatly lined up against the wall, biggest to smallest. With the exclusion of his handguns and side arms, which are in boxes stacked in the opposite corner. At least that's what you're guessing is in them.
His arm extends, guiding you to sit on the bed. An instruction you follow.
“Sooo..” You're incredibly nervous, and he doesn't like small talk, but you're trying to small talk him. You just need to figure out what to small-talk about. God damn small talk standards and social norms. You're not good at it when you're hands aren't shaking and you're not sitting on the bed of a man that is very physically capable of snapping your neck all the way around like it's the fucking Exorcist. 
“Нет,” He replies firmly. He’s in more comfortable clothes, something you’ve never seen before. He’s wearing a tight-fitting black t-shirt, short-sleeved. His pants don’t match it at all, being loose-fitting sweats. His mask is still on, though. Honestly, you’d bet his mask is always on. Even in the shower.
“N-nyet?” You reply, confused. 
“Shush. You are not with us to talk,” He instructs, coming to the side of the bed. He moves his hand to instruct you to scoot over, which you do. Your eyes stay on him intensely as he lays down in the bed, sliding under the covers. “You are here to help us sleep,” Part of you is sad that he boils it down to that. You can never be sure if that is what Nikto means, this is just because you make him sleep better, or if this means more to him and he just can’t put it into words. You imagine it’s hard for him sometimes, to admit weakness like that. To admit he has a soft spot, a hole in the impenetrable fortress that is his off-putting demeanor and aggressive disposition. Or maybe you’re just assigning him that, like when you feel guilty for having to choose between two inanimate objects, even though you can’t actually make one of them feel bad for not being chosen.  
So you let out a soft sound of agreement and nod, instead of trying to talk anymore. He stares at you expectantly for a moment longer, so you clamber under the sheets and let him wrap his arms around you, laying his head on your chest. It’s a firm grip around your waist, like he’s never held another person like this before, or the iron-clad grip of a child holding their favorite plushie. Your hands very gently meet his back and the top of his head. You’re trying to get comfortable like this, the way that the hard metal of the blast plate pushes into your skin from through your shirt, the way your chest can’t fully rise due to the pressure of holding him, the miserable heat of being in an already warmer than you expected room with another being on top of you, and his death grip keeping you from adjusting your position even an inch. It’s not the worst thing to happen to you since you’ve come to KorTac, but that doesn’t make it any more comfortable.
Your hand on his back starts that slow stroking motion that you always had with him. You close your eyes, trying to get comfortable with the weight of a fully grown man on your ribcage. He rolls his head into your chest, and you fight the urge to wheeze or let out any sounds of discomfort. It wasn’t that you weren’t enjoying the moment, it was just the metal being pressed into the skin hurt. More than just a little bit. He stops moving his head after a moment, letting out a breath he must have been holding. His whole form melts into you. The lack of tenseness, of distrust, it was out of character for him. But it was wholesome. A moment of surrender, of peace, in a life that was doomed to be full of fighting. And the fact that you were giving it almost made up for the metal digging into you.
You let out a soft, reassuring sound, telling him you’re still there. And there’s no way you’re leaving. Not anyway at all. The downward strokes turn to gentle circles into the back of his shoulders as you whisper nonsense to him. A mix of his name, shushing, “I’m here”s and “you’re okay”s leave your lips as you mumble. It makes him relax even further if that is possible. You’re not even sure if that is possible.
You look down at him, and he seems at peace. You’d like to imagine that he was smiling under all that fabric, so you will. You aren’t sure how comfortable it is to sleep with that on your face, or if he could even breathe right like that, but you don’t question him. There’s no reason to poke the bear lying on your chest. Especially since you’re trying to tame it. 
But, as you study his face, you notice something new. Normally, when he closes his eyes, his face is a flat void. You can’t even tell he’s human, or he’s wearing a mask. It’s all a single, 2-D shape that he calls a body. And when his eyes are open, the blue pierces through a still darkness, one that melts into the rest. He looks more like a living shadow, in all dark and clinging to the walls. His face always seemed to be a flat, pitch-black surface when he closed his eyes because he was always wearing eyeblack. He had neatly painted on every surface of skin that was exposed by the eye holes of his mask, with no streaks, marks, splotches, or fingerprints. Though it would fade over time, you often noted. Over the weeks he would leave it until he had to repaint it. But now, as you look down at him on your chest, you notice another thing you had never seen before. There is no void. He’s not some faceless being in your arms. You see the faint, deep-brown shaping of his brows, his long eyelashes, the scar that covers the right side, but most importantly, the pale gleam of his skin in the little light.
He had washed the eyeblack off. And he had done it just for you.
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just-a-sleepy-idiot · 4 months
Text
Jackson Rippner Imagine: Deciding to be gentle with you
So I‘m not even through the movie right now but oh my godsss I need to write for him. I made this gif because I didn't find one that show's the way he observes her in that moment
Content/Warnings: Gender neutral Reader, Anxious & Innocent Reader, Degrading yet soft Jackson, Height difference, Slightly implied eating problems mentioned, People pleasing Reader also
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It had been so easy to follow you, the airport was so crowded that you wouldn’t notice it even if he had been going about it more obvious. He got in line behind you for the same flight, the storm was delaying the departure by an uncertain amount of time.
It was easy to follow you but hard to keep an eye on you if you had managed to get out of sight because you were rather short. Especially now that he stood behind you he became aware of how big the height difference between you two was. Despite that, you didn’t hesitate to call out a rude man that was complaining to the staff for something she wasn’t responsible for.
His eyes locked on you for a moment, observing you. You shouldn’t be getting yourself involved, the way you were still way too nice about pointing out his bad behavior was proof of it. He would have rolled his eyes at you if it wasn't for the man who now started talking back at you just as rude as he had been addressing the airport staff. Jackson intervened.
„She's exhausted, she's worked for 18 hours, and she suspects that we all hate her just as much as you do.“ The man was about to turn away but he grabbed his arm, forcing him to look him back in the eye without stopping to speak,
„So why you don't just give her a break? Let her go back to her job which I'm guessing is a lot more thankless than yours.“ His disgruntled expression suggested another complaint, if it wasn’t for the cold stare that stopped him from speaking the words he had in mind. The Guy looked from you to him again and then just walked away muttering something about the airline.
You looked back to send a smile his way, surprisingly shy for someone who was talking up against a stranger before. Then you quickly turned away again, seemingly not knowing if you should be saying something to him and he narrowed his brows in amusement. Where did that confidence go when you needed it for yourself?
You checked in, moving away from people wanting to pass by. They could have moved past you easily, yet you still tried to make yourself smaller than you already were. His eyes followed you as you walked away from the check in desk before he went in to check in himself.
He found it easy to put on a smile when he talked to people, especially if it was for the sake of getting in contact with his targets. But it never really changed anything about the intensity and cold that his gaze carried. A smile was just a way to distract people from the way he looked at them. Jackson went to the Gate. The flight wouldn't board any time soon, the artifical light inside seemed to be extra bright in contrast to the darkened landing site you could see through the glass walls. The sky was crowded with clouds that were heavy from the rain. It was pouring continuously for the past few hours already. When Jackson turned around to check on your location he caught you looking outside as well from a bit farther away. You seemed mesmerized by the view rather than angry that it was the reason you wouldn't be at your destination anytime soon.
It was getting cold in the gate as well, you went to a small coffeeshop to get yourself something. He was browsing through some newspapers nearby while you were looking over the foods for quite some time. What was taking you so long? He thought to himself, growing a bit annoyed by how long you were needing to choose something to eat. You seemed to like all of them, but ended up just getting a coffee. His brows quirked up slightly, slowly moving away from the newspaper stand.
That's when some guy nearly ran you over, bumping into you so harshly that coffee was spilled all over your clothes and fingers. The cup fell to the ground with a light thud but the man just send a quick 'Sorry' your way without stopping once to look at you. Jacksons eyes widened without ever changing his neutral expression. Nobody paid attention to it, your soft features distorted in pain with the way the coffee burned your skin. You crouched down to pick the cup with a saddened expression. It was such a pathetic sight. His jaw clenched, sighing without breaking eye contact as he approached you. Jackson put on an endearing smile and retrieved some tissues from the inside of his jacket and handed one to you. You spotted his shoes and lifted up your gaze to look at him.
His lips twitched further into a smile when he saw that you had tears in your eyes. The way you looked up to him from the ground made his gaze soften up, it was almost exhilarating. He couldn't wait to see the face you would make once he revealed that they had taken your father hostage. You rose to your feet, taking the tissue he handed to you. "Thank you.." He gave you a slight nod, "Here, let me take this." He took the empty cup from you and put it in the trash.
Your hands were still shaky when you tried cleaning them with the tissue, Jackson paused. Your reactions had a fragility to them that would unfold so beautifully as soon as he let you in on your situation. He looked forward to having you cornered in the plane with him, submitting to their demands in order to ensure your fathers safety. Jackson inhaled softly, normally he didn't have anywhere as much fun with a target.. but somehow you pulled at his sadistic strings. You just were so wreckable.
And he honestly didn't know why, but he held out his hand to you since you were visibly struggling to take care of this mess yourself in that moment. "May I?" he offered lowering his head a bit to look more disarming. You blinked and slowly handed him the tissue again. He carefully placed his hand underneath yours as not to frighten you from the touch and started to clean the rest off your tender skin. You winced a bit when he went a bit too rough for a second but didn't remove your hand from him. He didn't pause while glancing up at you, something that was in between condescending and soft. How obedient.
You didn't know why you let him do this, it was kinda embarrassing. And yet you could blink away the tears in your eyes by the way he cared for you in that moment. "What a jerk." He commented and shook his head as he finished up. "I'm Jackson by the way." He introduced himself and you smiled a little, "Thank you Jackson. I'm Y/n." Your smile had a genuine warmth to it that contrasted with the storm outside. Even though you were tired you had a comforting glow in your eyes, something that promised him your full attention.
"Do people call you Jack?" You asked now and he shook his head, "No.. not since I was ten years old I think. My last name is Rippner." You hummed curiously, "Jack.. the, ah" He nodded with a crooked smile when you put the pieces together. It's been a while since someone noticed that. "There you go, yes." "Ah well.. that wasn't very nice of your parents then." He huffed, "Yes, well that is what I said to them before I murdered them." He joked, and he honestly didn't expect or care that you wouldn't find that very funny. He just had a morbid side to him that he didn't care to fully contain unless it endangered his mission. If so he could pretend to be very kind. But to his surprise you laughed, and not in the way that people laughed out of habit as to not upset others. You really cracked up a little at that joke. He tilted his head a bit to the side. For someone with an innocent face like yours you had a weird sense of humour.
"Well um.. I'm gonna get changed." You gestured at your coffee stained shirt and he nodded, looking around for the nearest bathroom. "Ah, right over there." You thanked him and excused yourself. He watched you go for a moment, his eyes remaining curious while his smile dropped.
In the bathroom you got out a new shirt from your bag and quickly changed into it. You slightly adjusted your hair, turned your head a bit in the mirror. You caught yourself wondering if you had looked good just now, if he had only taken pity with a stranger or if he might have even liked what he saw when he had looked at you with those strangely cold blue eyes. You blushed a bit and blinked, quickly looking down to wash your hands with cold water to cool the burn a bit.
When you were finished up you left the bathroom and instinctively looked around to see where he was. Jackson sat in the waiting area along the other passengers and read through a Newspaper.
He registered someone standing in front of him and looked up to see you again, this time wearing another shirt. "This looks better on you. It's cuter than the baggy one." He commented and looked up from your shirt to meet your eyes.
That's when you handed him a cup of coffee, you got yourself another one as well. He turned his head a little to the side, a bit perplex for a second as he took the coffee from your outreached hand. That was certainly.. unexpected. "Thank you for your help before." You said and stepped back, ready to leave him alone-
"Y/n." He commanded your attention and you halted instantly, looking at him again. He raised his brows somewhat enjoying how you were so responsive. Jackson cleared the space next to him and gestured you to take a seat. "Sit with me." Normally he would suggest it politely- but his curiosity took over and he wanted to see what you would do if he phrased it like a order. His lips were slightly agape in a smile, his brows raised mischievously.
You set down your bag, keeping eye contact with him like a cautious deer undecided on wether to run or stay. You sat down carefully and put your hands on your lap so you wouldn’t intrude into his personal space. It was so cute, he could hardly contain the increasing desire to mess you up with all those tender reactions you were having. He almost wished he could hear that soft gasp again, the sound you must have made when the coffee burned your little hands.
His eyes followed you when you sat down, his lips settled into a small smile and his gaze lingered on you for a moment- only leaving you when he led the cup to his mouth to take a sip of coffee.
„Are you always this well behaved?“
You looked at him, about to ask what he meant when he faked a smile and added innocently, „Trying not to complain even though the man was at fault back then?“
The last part wasn’t why he had asked it, he just wanted to tease you with what he said first. And the widened eyes and slightly agape lips when you were confused about the intent of his question was definitely worth it. He might have even spotted something nearing a blush on your face..
„I don’t want to cause a stir because of an accident. It would be mean to call him out for something that wasn't really his fault. “ You admitted with surprising honesty, Jackson hummed.
„But it was his fault, and intentions are absolutely irrelevant." Jacksons eyes ran somewhat cold now when he said that just now. "He ran you over, spilled coffee you spend money on and caused you to get injured." "But.." you tried to vouch for the stranger, Jackson shook his head, silencing you right away. He frowned at you. "No But. Those are the only facts you know about him and he didn't stay to prove any of what you imagine him to think and be."
He took another sip of his coffee while you were still quiet. "There's no good reason why you should be considerate in advance when someone is just an ass." He said with a raised brow.
You blinked at him, almost like he would image a Bunny to look at him. Your head tilted just a bit while your shoulders were slightly raised, Jackson couldn't quite decipher why you were looking at him like this now. Almost curious.
While the way Jackson just said those things came across as quite cold you could't help but.. be flustered in a way. He was probably just frustrated by your lack of boundaries, but it was almost like he cared about the way you were letting yourself be treated sometimes.
You shot him a smile and chuckled lightly, the tension in his features softened the slightest bit by surprise over this reaction. You took his morbid joke, his rougher tone both surprisingly lightly and reacted so gently to all the circumstances around you may it be the storm outside or something like that.
He pressed his lips together a little bit, eventually breaking eye contact and looking outside. It was still raining, but now there were actually some planes on the move out on the field.
A muffled announcement rang through the section, letting all of you know that your flight would start boarding in a few minutes. Cheering went through the exhausted crowds around you and you also clapped along with some others.
Jacksons jaw clenched. It would soon begin then. He shot you a glance, tapping his fingers on the cup before standing up and throwing it away.
He longed to see those teary eyes again, fixating on him in an instant because he demanded your attention. He wanted to hear you stutter and sniffle, maybe beg him too. But Jackson didn't find the thought appealing anymore to be getting all of that simply by blackmailing you once you were trapped on the plane with him. It felt boring and it felt tasteless too all of sudden.
He wanted to indulge in all those reactions, but not like this. Surely he would find a way to have this treat outside of his mission.
He would find a way to get this done without spoiling the fun he's been having once on the plane.. this time he might try to be gentle.
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I hoped you liked this! If you did please comment or send an ask to let me know 🤎
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actual-changeling · 8 months
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i'm mentally playing around with the good omens worldbuilding and i can't stop thinking about them not being able to heal their own corporations/bodies.
they're not entirely human, their occult/ethereal essence shapes and changes it, so what if when it does get injured they can't miracle it away or fix it? like the paintball stain on aziraphale's coat just that he isn't trying to get crowley to do it for him, crowley has to do it for him because he can't.
we see aziraphale heal anathema's broken arm after she hit the bentley the car accident, and i imagine it would be a little like that.
aziraphale breaks his wrist in some stupid way, like falling from a ladder while putting books away or stumbling, the kinda thing that has him trying to deal with it alone out of embarrassment. however, they have plans the day after, and crowley comes by with a bottle of wine and immediately notices something is off (hard not to with the way he is pressing his arm against his chest).
cue to crowley sitting him down on the couch in the backroom, and they're very, very close together. aziraphale is having trouble holding still because crowley is kneeling in front of him, no glasses, all open care and concern, and it's killing him.
"angel, if you don't-" "i told you, my dear, it's fine."
the look he gives him in response is entirely unimpressed, and he gently pokes his wrist and says nothing when aziraphale flinches in pain.
"right, fine, it's broken, just fix it. please."
every single time aziraphale says 'please' it's a silver bullet to his heart, eating away at him from the inside out; he would have done it no matter what, yet he can't tear his gaze away from the plea in his eyes. a soft blush spreads across his face, and it's too close to a confession for comfort, so crowley finally blinks and focuses on the fracture in his bones.
fixing it is simple, one cleanly aimed thought and a careful caress of his palm less than an inch above the skin, and the bones knit themselves back together without complaint. when the pain bleeds away, the tension in aziraphale's shoulders does, too.
"thank you."
"don't," he answers, more reflex than real bite, and they realise at the same time that with the miracle done, they're holding hands now. crowley savours the few seconds it takes aziraphale to pull away as if he's been burned, face turning away, and he expected it, he really did, but it still stings. he gets up and resists the urge to put his sunglasses back on, locating the bottle of wine he had abandoned rather quickly.
"right then, do you want to-"
"stay."
neither of them needs to breathe, and yet the air in the room stills in trembling expectation, confused.
"i- i meant- let me get the glasses."
crowley does not move (or breathe. or blink. or think), simply watches as aziraphale hurries away, tasting the disappointment bitter and familiar on his tongue but swallowing it before it can spill. expectations are never a good idea, causing pain neither of them can miracle away, and the undying optimism living in his chest is a curse aziraphale's blessings are powerless against.
he turns, ready to sink into his usual spot and drink the uninvited thoughts away, when a tentative touch makes him freeze once more. aziraphale's fingers are curled around his, their hands pressed together with enough plausible deniability to allow the squeeze he gives him to linger.
they're standing in the middle of the bookshop, holding hands, and crowley tastes the unspoken gratitude in the air between them, stronger than the sour heartbreak could ever be.
it rips a whispered angel out of his throat, more exhale than word, and maybe if one of them was a little bit more courageous, if the world was a little bit less dangerous for the two of them, aziraphale would have leaned over and left a kiss on his cheek before hurrying away.
maybe crowley would have pressed his fingertips to the lingering mark and blushed the same shade of rosé the bottle he had brought carried.
maybe the rest of the evening would have felt... different, saturated with all the confessions they cannot make, not yet.
maybe the next time aziraphale needed crowley for a healing miracle, the thank you was accepted without comment.
maybe if you believe in it enough, in one universe or another it did happen like that.
perhaps even in this one.
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jgrills · 6 months
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⁺◦ะ ୧(𖦹﹏𖦹)୨ ೃ࿔
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Before we start !! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡
-Reader is ALWAYS gender neutral (gn), but it's mentioned that the reader has braids (tenderheaded, like me fr).
-written with a black reader in mind. <3
-Reader's the black cat, but NOT suggestive!!
-Reader has claws
-No warnings, unless you're allergic to fluff, and cussing.
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It was a breezy London night, the gentle chatter of the citizens, the cars, the trains going by, and soft sounds of the birds singing. The moonlight shining through your curtains.Your alarm suddenly goes off, with a groan, you sling the covers off of you, your braids all in your face. You throw the clock off of the nightstand, the clock landing on the carpet. You're about to put your slippers on, but-
Slip.
You slip over your slipper, face planting into the carpet with a groan. Your braids are all undone and messy.
'I knew I should've re-braided them yesterday!'
"Hey I heard- Oh.." Your roommate, Etta stands there looking bewildered at the sight of your braids, with her bonnet still on.
"Hey Etta.." You mumble, still not attempting to get up from the carpeted floor.
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR?! WE GOTTA GET THIS FIGURED OUT-"
"Etta, please, I'll just redo it-"
"No! You gotta look good for the street musician, what was his name again?" She looks at you for some sort of answer.
"Hobie Brown"
"And you like him right?"
"Yes- I mean..maybe?? I saw him yesterdayyyy"
"Yeah, so you gotta look good for him!" She starts taking out your braids, you occasionally letting out a 'ouch' or a grunt as she takes them out.
"Do you like him?"
This immediately makes your cheeks darker, and warmer, looking away from Etta's piercing brown eyes.
"I mean, I get nervous..and my heart beats faster? I don't know what it means though"
"It means you love him!"
"Okay, Etta, like you would know- Ow!" Etta pinches your cheek, then lets go.
"Let's just get your dumbass ready"
After a bunch of ows, and complaints from you, your braids are fresh, and your black cat costume is warm and cozy.
Perfect for the cold London night.
"I'll see you at-"
"Just get yo dumbass out before I jump you" She threatens in the mirror, clapping her flat iron playfully at you.
"Alright alright! I'm out!" You quickly jump out and claw down the walls, jumping to rooftops to get to the nearest bank, the cold wind running through your braids.
You see a couple of street musicians, one with an electric guitar, he makes gentle strums and raves on his electric guitar, people handing him money on the way to their location.
He looks so handsome..
His hair? Woah..
"No Y/N! No getting distracted!" You whisper shout to yourself, lightly smacking your head.
You get on the London Bank's rooftop, the moon in the cityscape distracting you by the yellow hue. Relaxing first before you do anything. Crawling into the bank's ceiling, your claws gripping onto the pearly ceiling, looking down at the people in their overpriced clothes.
"We should buy Prada later!"
"Oh my God! Yes we should!"
"Let's just hope Andrew has an eye on the vault, his bitchass has the night shift!" The woman laughs, lusciously holding her jaguar print bag.
You groan quietly, continuing to get lost in the ceilings' floral patterns, you make eye contact with a girl with some butterfly braids, she ends up running away, dropping a key.
The key reflects off the ceiling..
You grab the key, and leap back onto the ceiling, making your way to the banks vault. There, you see a young man, presumably with some dreads, liking a girls Instagram post on his phone.
You quickly kick him in the neck, knocking him out, his phone dropping beside him, you move his head with your heel, making sure he's out.
Yep, out cold.
You snicker, unlocking the vault slowly, red glowing lines await as you open it.
'Really?!'
You manage to dodge the lines, having to do limbo with some of them..
oh shit.
One line is extremely close to your nose, you move slowly past it, letting out a sigh of relief.
'Fucking security' you think, rolling your eyes, getting out a bag, you stuff various stacks of money in the bag, grabbing about 80-120 stacks, you hoist the bag on your shoulders, once again avoiding the cameras and security lasers.
Running out into the cold London air, your braids flying behind you, jumping to several buildings, passing some stacks to the homeless, small businesses, and the local artists around London.
'Oh, I need to save some for Ho-'
You run into a figure, you both fall to the ground, you rubbing your head.
"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry!" You help him pick his electric guitar up, giving him the case back, putting some money in there also.
"It's okay, no problem" He takes his guitar, putting it on his back again. He walks away, humming.
You stand there for a second, looking dumb as hell as you think about the handsome man you saw. Your heart starts beating faster, butterflies flying around your stomach as you climb another building.
You're gonna have a bunch to tell Etta once you get back.
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@chessbox
Man, this took so long, this was my first time doing something off of a prompt (by @undobutton's one post on a street musician au Hobie)
Thank you to @forevayafavv for the help writing a black cat reader
honk mimimimi
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beescomet · 2 months
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V E L O C I T Y || PART 1
A/N: WOOP WOOP, finally part 1 is DONE, I've been writing it for so long now lmao. Anyway, I, once again, ask everyone to go and thank @crackedpumpkin for giving me the courage to write this (and also go read their fics, it's literally a masterpiece like 💖). There might be errors as I haven't proof read this yet, so if you find anything lmk please !! Enjoy!! (Also it's 2 am here, and I got a lecture in the morning, so I'm genuinely warning yall, there might be some odd mistakes)
TAGLIST: N/A
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The smoke hangs thick in the air, twisting and billowing like ghostly tendrils as it mingles with the sharp tang of burnt rubber and the pungent scent of gasoline. From the haze, You watch as the familiar wave of energy flows all around you and the people present. Gray mist, speckled with red, similar to the mist after a night of rain in your street, the red from the lights illuminating the road. You feel a smile threatening to form as you absorb this energy.
You nearly jump in surprise when a familiar voice speaks through the earpiece you're wearing—a reminder of why I'm here in the first place. "These damn kids and their cars," the voice says, frustration evident. "Can't tell a damn difference between a wrench and a screwdriver even if it slapped them on the face", You let out a breath of amusement from your nose at the complaints . You slowly turn the steering wheel, guiding the car to it's dedicated position for the race. "Behave now D, that's not why we're here. You got eyes on me?"
The atmosphere is electric, charged with anticipation and excitement, sending a shiver down your spine as you drive into the dimly lit space. Around you, the cavernous expanse is alive with activity. Sleek, customized vehicles gleam under the low lighting, their polished surfaces catching the colorful splashes of graffiti art that adorn the walls.
"You know I do, I even got the cameras set up on the track and possible escape routes."
The crowd buzzes with energy, a lively mix of spectators and racers moving in a chaotic dance. Mechanics hustle around, their tools clinking and clanking as they tinker with engines, striving for that perfect performance. Drivers, their faces set in determined expressions, huddle in small groups, discussing tactics and strategies in hushed tones. Onlookers lean against the walls, their eyes wide with anticipation, eagerly awaiting the start of the races.
You watch them all from the safety of your car, the music and shouts muffled by the glass. You recognise a few of the people around, your nerves now on edge. You start to speak, your voice lowered to a whisper, following the group with careful eyes. "They're here"
A crash sounds from the earpiece, followed by a string of curse words. "Wait really? Fuck, you really hit the nail on the head with that one. How many can you see? Ah wait never mind, I got eyes on 'em. Damn that's a lot of screens to look at-"
You tune him out, deciding to focus on the group ahead instead, counting the members. 1, 2, 3. An annoyed sigh escapes past your lip as you rest your head on the steering wheel, muttering a curse. "Three, I was counting on at least four to get enough cash.."
The sound of laughter grabs your attention, slowly lifting your head as your eyes narrow at the sound. "Well about that, you don't need to have more than one person against you in that race.."
You immediately grab your phone, looking at your bank account and checking the balance. You choke on air once you see the number, sitting up straight and nearly hitting your head on the car roof. "Daisuke what the hell did you do! This better not be Amelie's college funds or I swear-"
Another laugh, interrupts your rant, this one louder than the last, your eyes going to glare right at one of the camera's set in the location. "Relax, this isn't my kid's college fund.. it's some of my retirement money my wife and I saved up back when she was alive. It's no use to me right now, so I thought it would help."
You could feel your heart drop, the anger in your eyes quickly replaced by one of guilt. "Daisuke I ca-" You start, closing your mouth as he interrupts you once more. "Don't even try to send it back Y/N, you went through hell for Amelie and I, this is just how I'm saying thank you. Now focus, you need to kick ass and bring the winning money back home!"
A pained laugh leaves you because of his words, bringing your hand up to rub your nose as you sniff. You could feel the tears threatening to fall, but you gather yourself together before you start breaking down.
You step out of the car, reaching for the duffle bag next to you before you do, and start heading to the middle of the room.
Every sound, every sight, adds to the cacophony of excitement that fills the air, creating a palpable tension that crackles like electricity. It's a world unto itself, this underground car meet, where the rules are few and the stakes are high. You get caught up in the whirlwind of activity, feeling the pulse of adrenaline coursing through my veins. You can feel it, all of it —the energy, the anticipation—it's all here, waiting to be unleashed. Your eyes flicker to the metal bracelet on your wrist that had started beeping, a number flashing on it.
17%
A confident smile now on your face, the night is only just beginning. Oh how fun this is going to be.
⋆。 ゚ ☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚ ☾ ゚ 。 ⋆
The duffle bag hits the table with a loud thud, silencing the group of people in the area as their attention shifts to you. But you keep your eyes on one man, the gray mist around him thicker than the others around him.
Kaji.
He tilts his head to the side, his smile growing once he sets his eyes on you as he adjusts his stance, leaning on the hood of his car. His grey eyes holds your E/C ones. He tilts his head back for a moment, chuckling. "Well then, look who we have here, the Red Devil has finally graced us with her presence. Come to race against me then?"
An annoyed huff leaves you, crossing your arms over your chest as you glare at the man, raising one brow. He stares back, grinning, a golden tooth glistening under the neon lights. You couldn't help but smile at the sight of the tooth, how can you not? You were the reason he had to get it done in the first place.
"I was planning to, unless you give me the money that I'm going to win anyway, would make this whole ordeal go so much faster" You state, shrugging your shoulders as you hear some people laugh. Kaji growls, standing up and going to the table standing between you two, opening the duffle bag and peering inside. He looks back at you, the scowl quickly replaced by his infamous grin. "That's a lot of money, are you confident you'll win?"
"That damn bastad, why I outta-"
You ignore Daisuke's words, keeping your attention on Kaji as he waves two fingers to the other two goons with him, they bring in three duffle bags, placing them next to the one placed earlier. You glance at them, unfolding your arms from over your chest and reaching to the duffle bags. You open the first and quickly check the cash placed inside to make sure none were fake, repeating the same process with the other bag.
You nod, stepping back as you watch someone (who you assumed would be this race's starter) shove the duffle bags into a locked box, placing the key on a chain around their neck. You turn around and begin heading back to your car, raising both hands as you yell over the crowd who began to gather around the both of you.
"Be at the track in 10, I got more important places to be at later, and I'd hate to be late because of you"
The bracelet beeps once more. Your focus shifts to it.
32%
⋆。 ゚ ☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚ ☾ ゚ 。 ⋆
"You sure you want to do this Y/N?"
You snap out of your thoughts once you hear Daisuke's voice from your earpiece, nodding your head for a moment and letting out an affirmative hum. You could hear the sigh from the ear piece, and you can just imagine him in your head shaking his head and rubbing his temple.
"Just stay safe out there would ya? God knows none of us needs anymore loss"
A grin forms on your face, a soft laugh as you nod once more. "You got it captain" You look ahead as the cars pull up next to yours, people starting to gather around the track and the screens mounted on the wal starts to broadcast the race.
Your heart hammers against your chest, causing your breath to come out staggering. This was it, the moment you and Daisuke have been planning for the past year. You close your eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before opening them again, your hands on the driving wheel as you stare right ahead.
You have to win.
Losing was not an option.
A quick glance to the metal bracelet on your wrist, checking the number.
45%
"Ready!"
The starter started counting down, the sound of engines rumbling, adding onto the excitement that filled the air. You could see the red specks in the mist growing, showing that what happens after would be utter and pure chaos. That was exactly what you needed.
"Set!"
Beside you, Kaji, revved his engine, glaring at you from his car. You roll your eyes, any other time you'd have given him the middle finger, but right now you needed to focus.
"Go!"
Kaji shot forward like a bullet, his car a sleek silhouette cutting through the darkness. The gleam of determination in his eyes was unmistakable, a silent promise of fierce competition to come. You weren't far behind, both your engines growling with power as you both jostled for the first position in the opening moments of the race.
Behind you, two other competitors fought tooth and nail for their place in the pack, their cars weaving and swerving in a frantic dance of speed and skill. The air crackled with tension as the four of you raced, Kaji at the lead, you second, and the kther twi battling it out for third.
You let out a curse, glancing at the rearview mirror as you watch the others separate from behind you. You look at the side-view mirrors, seeing them going to either side of you.
"Watch out, 3 o'clock. He's speeding up, seems like he's gonna try and crash into you."
"Gotcha"
You look to your right, and sure enough, hes speeding your way, eyes on your vehicle as he tries to have you crash into the other one on your left. His eyes meet yours, and you couldnt help the smile on your face as you move your hand, raising the middle finger to him. You see the anger in his eyes as he swerves to your direction, and you quickly hit the brakes, your car slowing down and creating space between you and him faster than he could react. You watch as he barely misses your car, a fleeting moment of eye contact before he crashes into the other car.
A laugh escapes your lips as your foot quickly went back to the gas pedal, your car revving back up to life and going to catch up with Kaji.
Two down, one to go.
"Holy FUCK-! Y/N are you okay?"
"Just perfect! Cant say the same for the other two though" You snicker, glancing at your rear-view mirror to look at the crash site, the two guys getting out of their busted cars and telling at each other. "What's the power at??" You ask, turning your attention back to the road ahead, taking a sharp right and finally Kaji's car is back into your line of sight.
"75% and counting, did you purposely make them crash to suck the energy?”
You didn't answer, so he took your silence as confirmation.
As you hurtled down the straightaway, the neon lights of the underground tunnel flashed by in a blur of color, casting strange shadows upon the sleek surfaces of the racing machines. The pounding of your heart echoed in your ears, a steady rhythm that drove you forward, pushing you to new heights of speed.
"Two laps left"
A curse leaves your lips, your eyes glancing at your bracelet as you watched the number slowly increases. The space between you and Kaji was so small, yet to you it was almost oceans apart. Your teeth grits together as you think, shaking your head after a moment.
"D, What's the nearest shortcut to the front?"
The man at the other end sighs, you can hear him move around from his desk and the sound of him pressing buttons on his keyboard. "Take a left in a minute, you'll be in the market area, after 5 minutes with the speed you're at take a right, you should be ahead of Kaji by then."
You nod, quickly turning the steering wheel as the sound of the tires skidding reaches your ears, you can imagine the confusion on Kaji's face as he watches you disappear from behind him, the thought making you laugh a bit as you continue to drive.
Daisuke was right, you found yourself driving near the marketplace, swerving left and right through trucks and wagons filled with food. You glance at the clock, 2 minutes before the turn.
⋆。 ゚ ☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚ ☾ ゚ 。 ⋆
Kaji looks at the rear-view mirror slowing down as he sees you disappear. He looks around him, trying to find any signs you were going to appear but...nothing. He started laughing, pressing harder on the gas pedal, he could feel it, the sweet taste of victory, his victory against the infamous Red Devil.
The finish line was close, it was right there. He couldn't believe it, not only did he just guarantee a win, but he had won thousands from this race alone. He started cheering, hitting the car horn as people started to circle around the finish line.
But just then, he could see something coming out of an alleyway from the corner of his eyes, causing him to swerve as he saw the familiar grey car appear from the shadows. "What the fuck! Where did she come from!?"
You grin at him, giving him a quick salute as you turn the car, you had just stolen first place from him! You laugh, your head thrown back. Kaji never thought he could despise you more than he already did, but clearly he was wrong.
You glance at your bracelet, seeing the familiar number beeping, 100%. "Let's fucking go"
You look at your hands, watching as the energy mist you had been absorbing starts to leave you, your veins glowing gray and some sparks of red. The energy transfers from your arms to your car, you close your eyes, the familiar feeling of your element around you. Pure chaos.
You open your eyes, glancing at your reflection in the mirror, and sure enough, the familiar waves of energy come out of you like waves of an ocean during a storm, feeding more power to your car as it increases in speed.
This was one of the very few perks of being able to control the element of chaos. And arguably, your only favorite.
Cracks had started to form on the ground beneath the car, but it didnt matter, the finish line was right there. And with one final burst of power from you, your car reaches almost unnatural speed, finishing the final lap in a matter of seconds.
You drift your car, shutting your eyes tight as you press on the brakes to get it to stop before hitting the forming crowd, the sound of your wheels screeching against the road before it halts. There was a moment of silence, the only thing you can hear was your heartbeat. Then loud cheers erupt from around you, people running up to your car and shouting your title.
"Holy fucking shit we actually did it. WE WON! Y/N YOURE GETTING OUT OF HERE-"
You flinch at the screaming in your ear, your hand reaching up and muting the earpiece as your eyes looks for the man holding your prize money. You step out of the car, taking deep breaths as you try to ignore the hundreds of eyes on you.
You feel a hand on your shoulder and you jump in surprise, quickly turning and seeing who it was. You visibly relax, seeing the man carrying the three duffle bags and handing it to you.
"Good race there Red, I have to ask though, why did you take that shortcut? It could have cost you the race" He asks, watching you as you throw the duffle bags into the backseat. You shrug, glancing at him from the corner of your eyes.
"I got lucky... Now, if you'll excuse me, i need to be somewhere"
You get back into your car, the crowd parting as you quickly make your way out from the underground parking. You sit in your car in silence as you make your way back to Daisuke's location, every nerve in your body on edge. This was it. You were finally going to leave.
The mechanic shop wasn't that far, so you managed to get there in time. Quickly getting your car into the garage, Daisuke runs up and closes the garage entrance after you. "Holy fuck, we did it, for a second there I thought that was it!" Daisuke yells, running up to you and opening your car door. You step out, handing him your car keys then you grab the duffle bag, setting it on the nearest workbench.
"It's not over yet, I still need to sneak past Kaji's people and reach the city." You remind him, opening the bags as you started to count the money to be able to split them. "Did you get the other car ready? I can't leave with mine. It'll stand out" You ask, glancing at him for a moment before pausing and seeing a familiar set of keys in your face. Your eyes wide and you grin, quickly snatching the keys.
"Daisuke you did not-" The words leave your mouth faster than you can think things through, looking at the otherside of the garage and seeing the car you were meant to take. "You said it would take you months to fix it up!!"
You look at the car, a 1957 Cadillac series 62 painted navy blue. You walk around it, your fingers running over the smooth surface of the car. If it was possible to marry a car, you would have done so already. You pause, realising that he was actually giving you the cat, you look back at Daisuke and you see him smile at you. You move your hand, trying to hand back the keys. "I can't accept this, the money, the car-"
He raises his hand, and you close your mouth, your brows furrowed together in annoyance. He takes a few steps towards you and places his hand on your shoulder, giving you a small smile. "Y/N, you listen to what I say and listen well.."
"I want to give these to you. You've done so much for me and my daughter already, and you still continue to do so when you didn't have to in the first place.” You turn your face away from his gaze, biting the inside of your cheek as you fight away the tears threatening to spill. “Hey, hey look at me-" He gently grabs your chin, turning your face back to him, similar to what he would do with his daughter when he has something important to tell her.
"I'm so grateful for you, Amelie as well. You've come a long way to get to where you are now. Your father would have been proud of the person you became" He states carefully, pulling you into a tight embrace. You wrap your arms around him, burying your face into his shirt as you hold him tight.
"I'll come back for you, all of you, I promise"
He laughs, wrapping his arms around you and patting your hair in a calming manner. "I know you will kid, you're too kind for your own good" he muttered, his voice wavering. You both pull away from each other, looking at each other before you give him a sad smile.
"I'm serious, I'll come back and help you leave, then we'll open up a car repairs shop together and restore beauties like this one" You push, pointing at the cadillac nearby.
Daisuke laughs dryly, shaking his head for a moment before crossing his arms. "Alright alright, I trust you, now you better get going, you need to be out of this goddamn hell hole before sunrise, chop chop!" He urges you back to your new car, opening the door for you and you get in. "I already put your bags in the trunk, Amelie left you some snacks in a lunchbox, but i'm pretty sure it's some form of clay" You laugh at the comment, shaking your head as you think of the little brown haired girl you had grown to love.
"Thank you.. for everything" You state softly, looking at him with a soft smile. Daisuke smiles back, giving you a curt nod as he steps back, opening the garage door once more.
"Don't mention it kid, now go, I'll hide the other car later tonight" You nod, backing out of the garage and into the night, the Cadillac perfectly blending into the darkness of the town.
⋆。 ゚ ☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚ ☾ ゚ 。 ⋆
A figure watches from afar, his hand going up to run over his beard. Wu watches as the young girl drives away, a heavy sigh leaving him as he turns to leave. He reaches up and runs his hands over his dragon, carefully mounting it as it soars up into the sky.
"She gets stronger everyday, I fear we may not have enough time to prepare”
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arc-misadventures · 1 year
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Nora’s Codenames
Jaune: Hi, guys!
Nora: Jaune-Jaune!
Pyrrha: Hey, Jaune.
Ren: Hey, Jaune. How did your talk with your family go?
Jaune: Went pretty well…
Jaune walked over to his bed, and pulled out his scroll, and waved it before the others. Quickly typing out a message to them in their private group chat.
Jaune: We talked about how things were going; asked her how my nephew, Adrian was doing.
Jaune’s Text: False Signals everyone.
False Signals: At first it was this silly little thing, Nora made them do. Codenames for various tasks they wanted to do but, didn’t want anyone else to know that they were doing. Most of the codenames, Nora came up with were, Nora trying to clue them in on what kind of pancakes she wanted. But, Ironically sometimes that came in use.
Such as, False Signals: To talk about something, something seemingly random vocally, while their true conversation was being held over text.
The others moved themselves into various locations, and pulled out their scrolls. The lot of them gave, Jaune a concerned look as the looked at their scrolls.
Pyrrha: Adrian, who’s, Adrian?
Pyrrha Text: What’s wrong?
Jaune: As I said, Adrian’s my nephew.
J Text: I’m being followed.
Nora: You have a nephew?! Is he cute? I bet he’s adorable!
Nora Text: How can you be sure?
Jaune: Oh, he’s a little heart breaker in the making; Wants to see some photos?
NP: YES!
J Text: I smelt something when I went to the CCT Tower to talk to my sister.
Ren: May I see as well?
Ren Text: What makes you think you were being followed?
Jaune: Here you go.
NP: Nawwww~!
Nora: I want one~!
Pyrrha: I want four~!
Ren: Okay…?
J Text: I was all alone during my call to my sister, then I smelt something near the end. Smelt someone.
P Text: How concerned should we be about this?
Jaune: Haha! Told you he was a little heart breaker in the making.
J Text: Okay, I’ll tell you the truth: Adrian is actually my biological son.
Ren: I don’t see it.
R Text: Beg pardon?!
Pyrrha: H-He r-r-really is…?!
P Text: HE’S YOUR WHAT?!!
Nora: Settle down girl.
Nora: Does that mean I’m an aunt?!
Jaune: Yep! You are now, Adrian’s seventh aunt!
Nora: FUCK YEAH!
P Text: WHY DO YOU HAVE A SON?!!
Jaune: Settle down, Nora, you’ll upset our neighbours.
J Text: My sister, Saphron, and her wife, Terra wanted a child, so they asked me to be the donor. So, I did, and as far as anyone knows, he is my nephew, not my son.
Nora: What?! No I won’t!
Ren: Shall I show you the complaints we’ve received?
R Text: Oh, that’s why you panicked, and went to call your sister; You’re scared for him because of your new found faunas status.
Nora: Who’s complaining?!
J Text: Damn right I am.
Pyrrha: Weiss is, but she’s usually complaining about something anyway.
P Text: You’re worried that something may happen to him?
J Text: They see me as a king, or a god. If they found out about him being my son. Well, if they even think about touching him, I will kill them.
R Text: Noted.
Nora: That’s because she’s used to sleeping on a pile of money; She’s too soft, and weak for the world!
Ren: I doubt sleeping on a pile of, Lien Chips would be comfortable.
N Text: Do you think whoever was spying on you overheard your conversation with your sisters?
Pyrrha: They once made me lay on a pile of fake Lien chips for a commercial; It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t comfortable either.
Jaune: What was the commercial for?
Pyrrha: Perfume I think?
Nora: Did it smell nice?
Pyrrha: I still have some if you want try?
Nora: Yes please!
J Text: Fraid so. They may go after him to get to me. The odds of that happening depends on whether, or not he displays any faunas traits. If he has any traits, he could be in big trouble, if he isn’t… Well, he won’t be in as much trouble.
R Text: That doesn’t sound good at all.
Pyrrha: Here you go, Nora.
Nora: Thank’s, Pyrrha!
P Text: What did you smell?
J Text: Mixed paint. Mixed oil paints to be precise. I was all alone in the room, then I smelt it all of a sudden. I got out of there as soon as I could. And, as I left, thought I saw someone out of the corner of my eye as I was leaving.
R Text: Oil paints? That’s oddly specific.
Nora: (Sniff sniff) Mmm~! This smells nice!
Pyrrha: You can have it if you want.
Nora: Can I?!
Pyrrha: Of course you can; I found the smell was too sweet for me.
Nora: Naww! Thanks, Pyrrha!
Pyrrha: My pleasure, Nora.
N Text: How did you know it was oil paints?
J Text: One of my sister likes to paint.
P Text: Ah.
R Text so what’s the plan then?
Jaune: (Sniff, sniff) That is a nice smell. But, yeah it’s too sweet for you, Pyrrha.
Pyrrha: Oh? Since your sense of smell is so strong, what is a nice smell for me then?
J Text: Nora: Can you come up with an attack name, please?
N Text: Yay~! Attack plan names~!
Jaune: Uhh… W-Well… I don’t know if I can answer that really…
Pyrrha: Why not?
Jaune: Well, to other humans, and faunas they may think you smell nice with some sort of perfume, or deodorant. But, I think your natural smell smells nice as is…
Pyrrha: Do you now~?
N Text: Art Strike!
R Text: No.
N Text: Painters gala!
R Text: Too long.
N Text: Lubed up~!
R Text: Too sexualized.
Jaune: I find your natural smell… appeasing.
Pyrrha: How appeasing?
N Text: Canvas?
R Text: Too plain.
N Text: Easel? Oh! Mobile easel! Hows that?
R Text: That works?
P Text: I like it.
J Text: Alright; I’ll sniff them out, then I’ll point, yell out Mobile easel, and you go get ‘em. Got it?
NPR Text: Got it.
J Text: Good. Signals out.
And, with that the main conversation ended, and their scrolls were put away.
Pyrrha: Come on, how appeasing do I smell?
Jaune: …
Jaune: Nora?
Nora: Yes fearless leader?
Jaune: You’ve been hanging around with mom, right?
Nora: Yep! And, it was amazing~!
Jaune: That’s nice to hear. So then… You over heard, Oobaleck talk to her, and Ms. Goodwitch then?
Nora: Yep!
Jaune: So you overhead all that stuff about my sense of smell then, eh?
Nora: Yep, weird stuff that was!
Jaune: Did you tell, Pyrrha about that as well?
Nora: N-No…
Jaune: Nora, don’t you go lying to your big brother now.
Nora: Big brother?! T-That’s not far!
Jaune: Nora, come on you can tell your big bro the truth.
Nora: Mmmm…! Fine! Fine, fine… Haaa… I told her…
Jaune: Thank you, Nora. And, don’t worry, you’ll use the little sister card on me eventually.
Jaune smiled as he ruffled, Nora’s hair who grew a wide smile in joy before he left his new, adorable little sister. He then walked over, and stood face to face with, Pyrrha.
Jaune: Pyrrha.
Pyrrha: Y-Yes…?
Jaune: Haa… You know this whole, Faunas harem crap I’ve been dealing with. That’s a stupid question; Of course you do, you’re the most vocal about it all.
Pyrrha: I-I haven’t said anything…
Jaune: “Hormonal faunas bitches.” Or, something like that, no?
Pyrrha: You heard that?!
Jaune: I have incredible hearing remember?
Pyrrha: Oh right…
Jaune: Haa… Pyrrha… Look… This whole faunas harem thing people are trying to make me make… I won’t lie I find the idea appealing… And, there are a few people I’m… interested in… So… I… Uhh…? If you don’t mind…
Pyrrha: Uhh…? I have a faint idea of what you may be talking about, but…? Start over again from the beginning I’m so confused.
Jaune: …
Jaune: Haa, fuck it.
Jaune grabbed, Pyrrha’s cheeks, and pulled her into a deep passion filled kiss, causing, Pyrrha’s eyes to widened in shock before she hummed in satisfaction as her eyelids slowly closed as she deepened the kiss, and wrapped her arms tightly around, Jaune.
As the two delved deeper into their lust filled kissed, Nora eyes shinned with stars as she squealed in unbridled delight. Violently shaking, Ren as she lost her mind.
Nora: Ren, Ren, Ren, Ren, REN!!!! It’s finally happening?!!!
Ren: Yes?! I see?! S-Stop shaking me?!!
The duo slowly broke apart, with seep blushes across their faces as they stared deeply into one another eyes.
Jaune: Wow…
Pyrrha: I wanted to do that for so long!
Jaune: Sorry I took so long.
Pyrrha: It was well worth the wait. Now, we’ll talk about that whole faunas harem thing later, but for now~! Nora?!
Nora: We’re already out the door! Have fun you two!
Ren: Remember to use protect… Ahh?!
(Slam!)
Pyrrha slowly started to undress as she laid upon her bed, beckoning for, Jaune to come to her.
Pyrrha: Come on, Jaune… Claim me as yours, and yours, alone~!
Jaune: Hmm. With pleasure~!
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Can you do some more sugar baby Alec? I love how Alec hates being near mundane but to spen ti.e with Magnus he will do it. I'm sorry your week wasn't able to happen the way you planned. Hopefully next week is less stressful!
yes! i love mundanes trying to perceive alec and alec refusing to be perceived because 'i think not!' and magnus just there to enjoy it
i hope you enjoy and thank you! this week has been much less stressful! extremely busy but so much less stressful! i hope you're doing well
<3 lumine
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“Is this one permanent?” Magnus finds himself asking as he traces a new rune on Alexander’s hip.
“Why?” Alexander asks suspiciously and when Magnus just smiles at him, he shakes his head with a tired sigh, “no. It’s not permanent. At least not yet, so why?”
“I don’t like it here.” Magnus admits and he knows he’s being petulant but his fingers ache for the empty expanse of Alexander’s skin before the rune was placed there. “It’s where the imprint of my fingers belongs, my love. And now there is no room for me, of course I need to mourn it.”
There’s a moment of pure disbelief and Magnus just knows that under his sunglasses, Alexander is giving him the look he deserves.  And then of course, his sweet boy is buckling just like how Magnus knew he would, and Alexander shoves his aviators up into his hair and huffs, “fine. I’ll move the location. Is anywhere else okay, or do you have a preference?”
Never let it be said that Magnus can’t take an opening when handed one. “I do actually, what do you think about here?” He asks and moves his hands to a different spot, where it will be fun to mark but not in the way of Magnus’ particular brand of art.
“If you like—” he’s told, with the devotion of a man who loves Magnus more than anything else in the world but is truly just done.
“I do.” Magnus promises, because he loves Alexander with every single atom of his being.
Kali stares at the two men, unable to help but overhear their conversation and she flushes pink and then red and stares at her boyfriend and their partner in embarrassment.
“Did he really just tell him not to get a tattoo there, isn’t that a little overbearing?” Bramble asks and they fidget nervously, looking over at the pair with the anxious concern that comes from accidentally listening in to other people.
“It’s uh, I’m pretty sure it’s a different kind of relationship than what you’re thinking.” Danny shrugs helplessly, clearly as uncomfortable at trying to explain this to Bramble as Kali is.
“They’re probably a sugar daddy/baby situation.” Kali murmurs from the side and she sends Bramble a sympathetic stare, “Danny sees them all the time where he works, and I see them when we cater at hotels. You learn to know what to look for, if you do it right they tend to tip really well.”
“Tattoos are kind of permanent though, aren’t they. What if they break up?”
Kali looks over at the men and the way that one of them hasn’t looked at the menu all day, and the way he lets himself be ordered for without a single complaint, as if he’s used to being perfectly indulged. And the way the other one asks for what he wants in the polite, expectant tone of a man never defied or denied.
“I don’t think that’s a worry.” Danny mutters with a snort and he gives the men another look, “it doesn’t look like the interest is going anywhere with those two.”
Kali nods in agreement and wonders at what kind of lifestyle those two have, that makes it so easy for them to surrender and trust and listen to each other like that. It’s different than the dynamics she’s used to watching and she wonders just what she’s missing, even as she admires the aesthetic of their forms as they get up to enter the bar together.
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