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phas3d · 4 months

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Celebrity Crush|| Slytherin Boys

type :: fluff

tw/cw :: suggestive jokes (all)

contains :: draco malfoy, tom riddle, mattheo riddle, theodore nott, lorenzo berkshire

summary :: you're either friends or enemies and they see you freaking out over your celebrity, making them jealous. they search them up only to find out that the celebrity looks almost exactly like them

alternative :: your celebrity crush looks nothing like them

DRACO (enemies)

Your group just watched the newest movie that came out

Ever since then, you couldn’t stop gushing about how hot the villain was

Although the villain was an awful person, you still went on rants about how fine he is

Your friends kept laughing at how out of pocket your jokes were

“I can fix him I swear, just give me a chance” you grieved as if someone died

"I'm gonna get on all fours and start hitting my chest like a gorilla if he keeps looking this fine" you said with passion, not scared of the whole school hearing you

Draco, despite not wanting to say it, was extremely jealous as he gripped his fork extra hard as he heard you

He was a dick, why didn’t you like him? Maybe he wasn’t hot enough? He’s always been slightly insecure about his appearance

The second lunch ended, he ran to the bathroom and secretly looked up the actor

But as he looked at him… he realized he wasn’t too far off from the actor

Their faces were almost completely different but, they both had short bright blonde hair, cold blue eyes, always wore green, and had similar body types

From seeing that, he smirked to himself and got an ego boost

He goes to sleep with a fat ass grin on his face

He won’t directly say the actor looks like him, but he’ll know it deep down

TOM (friends)

Although Tom could stand being around you, he wished he could mute you out

You two were studying together in his room

Or… he was studying while you kept replaying the same edit of some random celebrity

“He could take my eggs and eat it like skittles”

Tom has literally killed and tortured people but he still widened his eyes slightly at your comment

He felt a small bit of jealousy, but he wasn’t sure if it was because he was scared of losing his only friend or because he liked you

(It’s because he likes you but he’s not that emotionally aware)

Tom has always been nosy, so he tilted slightly to see your phone

That’s when he saw a man with pale skin, brown eyes, and wavy brown hair

But beside those basic attributes, he also had the same nose as him along with a resting bitch face

He doesn’t show it, but on the inside he felt much calmer

It gave him a small sense of hope that maybe one day, he could actually be seen as attractive by someone

No one has ever confessed or even liked Tom romantically throughout his whole life due to his insane hobbies

He sleeps a little bit better with the thought that maybe someone could like him

And he really hopes it’s you :)

MATTHEO (enemies) (I made this so long on accident... whoops)

You two clash constantly due to Mattheo’s class clown behavior and your goody-two-shoes attitude

He was always cracking mean jokes and bullying your friend group since you were kinda nerdy

You despised him and have beaten his ass multiple times (with magic) but he still doesn’t learn his lesson

But that's mainly because he thinks it's hot when you beat his ass and yell at him

Once again, he was walking towards your group to pick on you guys once more, especially you

But that’s when he heard you freak out over some random character

At first he thought it was just some lame anime character, that's how you usually are

But when you start showing your friends the photo-card in the back of your phone, he realizes it’s a real person

Instantly, he's pissed and jealous of a stupid piece of paper

He stalks you until you repeat the celebrities' name so he can google him and ruin his career

But once he looks up the idol, he sees that he also has dark curly hair with deep brown eyes

He actually researches and tries to learn about the idol more so he can take note on what you like

That's when he learns that the idol is known as a funny and protective person, just like him

He giggles to himself and decides to be insanely cocky

He prints out a photo of himself in the same pose as the idol, rounds the corners, and even puts his own signature on the back

The next day, he hands it to you and is smirking to himself

But... surprisingly... you didn't know it wasn't the idol????

You smiled widely and freak out, you thank him and quickly put it in the back of your phone case

From that, he smiles insanely widely. Not only at how cute you were from freaking out, but by also knowing he's on the back of your phone without you even knowing

THEODORE (friends)

He's always known you were a fangirl but it was normally for weird things

You've had a few celebrity crushes over the years, but it's never been this extreme before

"GOD I WANNA LIVE IN HIS TOILET!!!" You shouted as you stared at a photo of the celebrity

Theo never understood how people got so attached but he was curious

How hot was this guy for you to like him THIS much? and why was he so jealous?

Theo has always been confident in his looks since he pulls bitches left and right

But, for some reason, he's suddenly strongly craving your validation

He asks you to show him the celebrity, only to see an almost exact clone of himself

Light fluffy brown hair, green eyes that were the same shape as his, thick brows, and a strong jaw

Theo smiles lightly and shakes his head, you perceived it as him making fun of your crush

You hide your phone from him and proceed to watch a pile of edits of this man on loop

Although he didn't get the hype of being a fangirl, he supported this one

He researches the celebrity during his free time and tries to become more like him slightly

Of course, he doesn't change anything drastically

But he might get the same shirt or shoes as him

LORENZO (rivals?) (can you tell he's my favorite?)

You and Lorenzo were constantly at the top of your charms class within the entire school

Both of you have constantly gone head to head with each other just to compete for first place, only to tie for it together

There was no hatred or extreme feelings, just a fun rivalry that was oddly flirtatious at times

While you were in the library with a few friends studying, you suddenly start slamming your fist on the desk

Lorenzo was often in the library in order to check out new books to read in order to beat you

He looked over, worried that something bad happened

But all he saw was you on the floor, as if you melted, with your phone held high showcasing a man

He was curious as to how you got to the floor so fast despite banging on the table only 2 seconds ago, but he didn't care

Many people in the school shipped you and Lorenzo, but you both always denied it in order to not make it awkward

But, Lorenzo has liked you for ages. Despite that fact that he's a fuckboy, he would give up everything just to kiss you

"I would save his nail clippings and make a necklace out of it" You said in a harsh whisper that made all your friends hold back a laugh

Lorenzo was shocked, he's never seen you be so vulgar

He felt slightly hurt, not only by the fact that you were freaking out over some celebrity but also because he's never seen you act like this with him

"The things I would do for this man is un-ex-plain-a-ble" You aggressively whispered as you slammed your fist on the desk again

The librarian came around and told your whole group to shut up, which made Lorenzo happy

He decided to do his usual routine, he walked up to you and flicked you on the head as a joking gesture

You wince and hold your forehead, that's when he looks at your phone and sees the name of the celebrity

He repeats the name over and over and over and OVER in his head until he gets to his dorm and instantly searches him up on his phone

That's when he sees how similar he is to the celebrity

At first, he was doubting it since he didn't want to be cocky

But he told Theo and Theo instantly agreed, saying the celebrity looks just like him

Sharp jawline and cheekbones, fair skin, soft light brown hair, brown eyes, and even the same body build

He smiled to himself, feeling a bit of self love for himself from seeing how similar he is to your favorite celebrity

He's always been slightly insecure of his body build due to most of the guys in Hogwarts being buff as shit while Lorenzo was slightly more lean

But seeing the celebrity be called the heart-throb of the year made him really happy

After he knows all of this, he's much more confident around you and even finds subtle ways to bring up how he knows your type

Uses this as evidence against you to make you blush during petty arguments

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zikkytheblicky · 3 months

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Hey I wondered if you could do Angel dust x Angel!male reader like his reaction to see a real angel ?

if you want,you can ignore this <3

this anon is so nice omg :( such a sweetheart i’m gonna call them sweet anon :3

anyway, ya ofc!! this might be a lil short cuz im doing this at 10 pm and im tired but ya!! its gonna be story format + headcannoning cuz why not :3 I MADE READER OBLIVIOUS BTW!!

angel dust has never seen an angel. not once, not twice. the only thing he’s ever seen closest to an angel was lucifer morning star but he’s technically a fallen angel.

so when he saw you for the first time he was very shocked- especially since you were so beautiful..

you were talking to Charlie and introducing yourself as one of Adams’ body guards. you were there with Charlie to help determine if Charlie’s idea was even possible.

so obviously, for your charlie’s sake, he was on his best behavior.

you brung your hand up to your lips and let out a laugh as angel cracked jokes to you as he told you stories about his life(?) in hell. “and then- then he-“ angel was laughing so hard he could barely continue- ignoring the knowing smirk husk sent his way. the damn cat. he knows everyone too well. maybe angel should stop venting to him while drunk (not like angel chooses to. his drunken, depressed state during those hours are never in his control.).

angel had ended up getting really confused on your anatomy- questioning how you can fly and why you have a halo over your head- keep in mind this man died in 1947 of an overdose and is in his thirties ☠️ he’s been in hell since 1947 and has NEVER learned about angels at all. the only thing close to angel anatomy he learned is how lucifer has yellow hair and has a kinda angelic color scheme (all angels obviously don’t look alike but angel has never seen another one besides vaggie but he doesn’t know she’s one).

“‘m/n’?” angel asked as his eyes followed the way your feathers twitched every millisecond from the uncomfortable stares at them. “yes?” “why do you have a halo over your head?” “ANGEL.”

angel likes you in a week. A WEEK. he fell so hard im telling you bro. like just one look into your eyes and he’d kill all three of the vees for you if you asked him to.

he surprisingly doesn’t act downbad in front of you. i know people like to think angel is bold and flirty but to me i think that’s just his persona and not his true self. he keeps up a persona so he never gets his trust broken again? maybe? idk. but i js believe he’d be shy and not really know how to flirt with you like he does with husk and alastor and sir pentious; so smoothly and easily.

think about how he had tried to flirt with you before but ended up just becoming a stuttering mess when you took his flirting literally.

“hey toots~ did you fall from heaven?” angel dust said in a seductive tone, grabbing your chin and tilting your face up at him. “huh? no.. i’m not a fallen angel..! are you saying i’m like lucifer?” “HUH WHAT- no- no! not like that at all! i was trying to- to..” angel stuttered his words, waving his hands around (bring careful not to accidentally hit you, of course). “to what?” “to.. just joke around! you’re so oblivious ‘m/n’, im going to punch you.” angel said in an affectionate tone, slinging his arm around your shoulder. “why? what did i do?” you asked politely, too politely. now angel felt bad. angel mentally screams.

sometimes you think angel’s mad at you when he’s playing around with you on text.

he ends up getting mad at himself most times

angel was smashing his head into a table and cursing all the overlords because of this btw.

alr thats enough bye bye!!

this was so rushed omlll. 😨

#male reader #x male reader #ftm reader #gender neutral reader #gn reader #hazbin alastor #angel dust x male reader #angel dust #angel dust hazbin hotel

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gay-dorito-dust · 2 months

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Hi!! How do you think potential meet cutes with Jason would go? Do you think he’d be instantly smitten? He strikes me as the type to get a crush on you since the first meeting but maybe I’m just delusional 🥰

My honest opinion but I don’t think Jason likes smut books. He doesn’t mind a little bit of smut but would much prefer if it was nonexistent or didn’t take up a ridiculous amount of pages/chapters in the book in general.

I’m also a delusional twat anon who believes Jason would feel something upon first meetings, but firstly I have to heavily disclose that most of your run ins with one another would be in a book store/cafe, at least more so then anywhere else. (Book reader Jason supremacy!)

So to say that your interest was peaked upon first spotted a six foot something, beast of a man standing in front of the romance section, holding two different books -which were both written by the Jane Austen- in each hand was an understatement.

Normally you wouldn’t expect a man like Jason in the romance section of a small, quite but quaint bookstore/cafe, withholding an internal conflict over some books in his head as though his life depended on it. However the fact still stands that you deeply appreciate a man with good taste in his personal readings, and wasn’t afraid to indulge in the romance genre.

It probably also didn’t help that he was a conventionally attractive man with short dark hair with a tuft of white embedded in his fringe and wearing a simple read hoodie and jeans, a simple attire that anyone could wear, but on him he made it seem as though it were a main staple of his wardrobe.

Jason, knowing when he’s being watched, as quick to look over his shoulder but what he wasn’t expecting was to see someone as cute and stunning as you standing there. He’s a little tongue tied but that was mainly from surprise, and for all of Jason’s hard attempts of trying to act natural, it only made for a spectacle that you couldn’t help but view as endearing and kinda cute.

‘You alright there?’ You’d ask with a smile.

‘Yeah. I’m good, fine even.’ Jason replied, internally cursing himself for being caught off guard because he was too involved in debating which book to take home to read.

‘So…You like Jane Austen?’ You asked, trying to make room for a conversation to occur between the two of you.

‘Wha-‘ Jason looks down at the books in either of his hands and chuckles. ‘Yeah, she’s one of my favourite alongside the likes of Mary Shelley and Louisa May Alcott.’ He answers and he could tell that he had gotten your approval with the little hum of acknowledgment.

‘Do you come here often?’ You then said before adding with an awkward laugh of your own, ‘I mean I come here quite frequently as it’s the only bookstore in town that has proper books that aren’t smut books, and i have never seen you before until well…today.’ Jason smiles, finding himself growing to like you with every passing moment as he felt himself grow relaxed within your presence, especially now that he had long deducted that you weren’t a real threat.

‘I’m with you on that pretence, it’s seems that nowadays all the bookshelves in most stores are prominently smut books of lacklustre quality and story structure.’ Jason agreed, noting being a fan of those types of books himself, Jason had found it becoming increasingly difficult to find decent books that weren’t smut, badly written girl boss self inserts, or just poorly written in general. So when he stumbled across this little book store on his way home and took a chance by entering the store, only to find himself spending way longer than he had initially thought.

And that was just in the romance section alone. That’s how Jason knew this bookstore was unlike all the rest in Gotham.

‘But as to answer your question, I come here on the off chance when I’m looking for a new book to read, seeing as I have read and re-read the books in my personal possession multiple times over.’ Jason admitted and feeling a little bashful but reading had proven to be a form of escapism for him- especially after everything he has been through recently- he felt as though this escape from reality was severely overdue.

‘You’ve got your own collection of books? Am I allowed to assume that they’re mainly Jane Austen’s body of work or?’ You trailed off, feeling yourself growing more confident with talking to Jason as though it was as easy as breathing. Finally you had someone to indulge in this sort of conversation with without it feeling forced and fall to the wayside, leaving you both to soak in the awkward and stifling aftermath.

Jason smiled genuinely as he bowed his head and raised his hands. ‘You got me down to a science…’ he trailed off once realising that he didn’t know your name and cursed himself for his lack of even the basic of etiquette.

‘Y/n.’ You told him with a smile.

‘Y/n.’ He tested out your name, letting it linger for a little bit and quickly came to the conclusion that he liked it. He liked it a lot. And you liked it also, especially when he was the one saying it the way he did just now.

‘Well it’s nice to meet you y/n. My names Jason.’ Jason then said and he knew that he’d come to like the way you said his name as though it were a mythical word;

‘Jason.’ You uttered, saying every word with care and respect that it left a weird feeling within Jason’s chest that only seems to grow and spread throughout his body the more you talked.

You two would talk for literal hours about your favourite book genres, characters and so on to the point that the owner of the bookstore would have to remove you both from the premises himself. He’d then proceed to go on about how you both were just taking the piss at this point and muttering about having to stay an while longer to properly close up shop, count the cash float, and so on before then making the journey home.

He honestly didn’t care about the books in Jason’s hand, just lets him have them for free on the pretence that both he and you get the fuck out before shutting and locking the door behind you both.

‘Well…’ Jason trailed off, tucking the books under his arm. ‘Will I see you again? Preferably here?’ He asks and you smiled sheepishly.

‘Depends, will you?’ You countered and Jason could feel the smile on his lips grow at it’s own accord. ‘Yeah, I’m definitely coming back if I get free books for every time I stay until closing hours.’ He jokes and you lightly smack his bicep, keeping your hand there for an unreasonably long time but it’s not like either you or Jason cared in that moment.

‘Then I guess I’m obligated to come back here to help you piss off the bookstore owner.’ You replied with a smile of your own as you both kept looking into the other’s eyes. You both knew something had blossomed here today at this run down bookstore, and you both hoped that it could continue like that for a long while, but neither of you were willing to admit your embarrassingly rapidly growing attraction to one another. That could wait for another time.

‘Great.’ Jason said.

‘Great.’ You echoed. ‘See you soon I guess.’

‘Soon can’t come fast enough.’ Jason replied ask you both went your separate ways with eager anticipation of your next interaction.

#jason todd imagine #jason todd fluff #jason todd x reader #jason todd imagines #jason todd fanfic #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd fic #dc imagine #dc x reader #dc x you #dc fanfic #dc x y/n #dc comics x reader #dc fic #dc fanfiction

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bluecollarmcandtf · 9 months

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Guard Duty

I caught Shane dozing off at the security desk while working late one night. He was the night guard I hired after the building was broken into. Needless to say, I was not happy.

"Shane!" I roared.

He almost slipped out of his chair as he jerked awake.

"Napping? Is this going to be a problem?"

"No, Mr. Isaac," he jumped to his feet, "I'll walk the building right now."

My pathetic excuse for a guard scrambled to collect the flashlight and keys I issued to him, but I wasn't convinced. In my experience, guys that were unreliable once would be unreliable again. Guys that were especially young and attractive like Shane were even more likely to be slackers.

"No," I snarled.

The new hire looked at me wide-eyed, clearly afraid he was about to be fired.

"Get over here," I tapped my foot.

The young man reluctantly stepped up, standing before me with a pitiful expression.

"I'm not going to fire you, Shane."

"Thank you, sir," he sighed in relief, relaxing with a dopey grin, "It won't happen again."

"No, it won't."

I pulled a long chain out from beneath my button-up shirt, revealing a heavy ruby pendant that caught all the light in the dark building. Shane had no idea that the gem on this necklace carried a certain quality with it. People who find themselves staring at it too long left their minds open for anyone to go poking around in, and I was intent on poking around in Shane's.

The young man was wide open within seconds of gawking at my pendant. Anything I told him would be accepted by his brain as undeniable truth.

"Shane, you are going to take this job as night security very seriously," I instructed his subconscious, "This job is your identity now. You think of yourself as the security guard here, even when you're not on a shift. It is just the perfect encapsulation of everything you know about yourself. Isn't it?"

Shane's mouth drifted open as he took my words in. It wasn't long before some drool spillee out dumbly onto the uniform shirt.

"Since this job is the primary point of your life, you don't let anything get in the way of it. That means you make time to sleep 9 hours during the day so you come to work rested and alert. You're not going to doze off ever again when you're on watch, and you're not going to get distracted by anything either."

His eyes remained glazed and his body continued to hang limp, but I knew his brain was accepting every word.

"Since this is your career now, you are going to have to make some changes to better represent my company. That scruffy hair of yours will have to go. You keep your hair trimmed short and your face freshly shaven from now on. That's a better image for this position."

I began to imagine what he'd look like all cleaned up. He'd be a real guard for one thing, but he'd also be a hell of a lot more attractive: at least to me.

"You also always do what Mr. Isaac says without question. He is your boss so he tells you what to do. It doesn't matter if it's embarrassing, unpleasant, or impossible. You obey the man, and that just makes sense since you're his security guard."

I was starting to get a little worked up. The idea of this young guard obeying my every whim was giving me all sorts of fantasies. Every bone in my body was telling me to reach out and grope the dazed man through his uniform. I wanted to get to know the guy I hired a little better.

"But you prioritize your work. You love being a night guard. It gives you purpose. This is your life's calling after all, and there's no other job you'd rather have."

I can't resist any longer. My hands dart out and begin to feel his soft muscles beneath the shirt.

"But the job also turns you on. Nothing gets you more excited than protecting people: guarding them. You get hard putting on your uniform every night, knowing you're a good little security guard. You get hard the entire time you patrol the building because you are doing your job, and nobody is more passionate about it than you."

I was barely holding back anymore. My hands had migrated all the way around him to feel the ass beneath his slacks. Meanwhile, I began shamelessly kissing his parted lips. He had no idea any of this was happening, but I think he would've been happy his boss was paying this much attention to him.

"Alright, Shane," I continued between kisses, "You're going to wake up in a moment and forget everything that just happened, but the commands will stay."

I reluctantly pulled myself away from the new night guard, and tucked the pendant back into my shirt. With a snap of the fingers, Shane's eyes fluttered to life and he awkwardly wiped the drool from his lips.

"Mr. Isaac, like I said, I'm sorry about the slip up," he affirmed, "I can't tell you how important this role is to me."

"I think I get it," I answer, "Now get back to your guard duty!"

"Yes, sir!"

Glancing down I see his excited package straining against the fabric of his uniform pants. The tenting erection seems to not bother the guard as he marches down the corridor to begin his patrol.

I was looking forward to seeing a lot more of him around the building at night, now that he was so much more excited to do his job.

#gay hypnosis #gay mind control #ai art

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snow--berry · 5 months

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Random CoD headcanons

Characters: Roach, Horangi and König

Roach

Mute, ever since he was a child. Knows BSL for obvious reasons and is very willing to teach.

He's still trying to teach Soap, but it's not very successful. (Inspired by hurrraaid's falconry AU and Soap struggling to learn BSL there)

May or may not be autistic, I haven't decided yet, but he probably is.

Squish his face! Squish his face!

He goes by he/him and they/them.

Definitely has freckles.

Roach and Ghost grew up together, I don't make the rules. So like 90% of the CoD fandom, I'll blatantly ignore the canon.

He's a chaotic gremlin. He hides in the vents and you can't do anything about it.

Will steal your food at lunch.

Especially if you shit talk him or people he cares for.

Roach has stolen Ghost's food for fun a couple of times and given it to Soap.

He insults you in BSL when you piss him off and you probably will not know unless you're Ghost or Price. Or Gaz maybe.

If you know BSL he'll probably tease you, because he knows most people won't understand. And because this man just loves chaos. Especially if he's the cause of it.

He's the type of person to draw on your face if you're asleep early during a sleep over.

Roach isn't as short as most people think.

Stares.

I don't think he'd be as interested in football as Price, for example, is.

He's hard to get rid of, just like a real roach. Whether's he's being super loyal or making your life hell depends on what you may, or may not, have done.

Horangi

He bites. You will never be able to change my mind on this.

He's also attempted to bite König through the mask couple of times.

Also not as short as people usually make him out to be. Still shorter than Ghost though.

New recruits are dared to put a tiger-ear headband on his head to test their bravery.

He grew accustomed to it and usually tries to ignore it.

Definitly has ADHD.

And is a nightmare to be around when he's out of his meds.

Horangi comes off as really impatient. Idk why.

He struggled with learning English.

Acts like a cat, will push stuff off of tables just because he can.

I know what I said about him not being short, but if he was he'd totally climb cupboards and shelves if he had to to reach things.

Sassy as hell for no reason.

His face looks very squishable to me. He'd probably try to bite if I tried but it'd be worth a shot.

I feel like he'd kinda hate K-Pop because of some/most of the stereotypes that come with it.

Probably should not be allowed to drive.

Total cat person.

König

He's insecure about his accent.

In addition to being (canonly) socially anxious, I think he has autism as well.

I feel like he'd go non-verbal when he's overwhelmed or having a sensory overload.

He likes making German and Austrian dishes.

He doesn't handle spice very well and almost died (at least that's what he claims) when eating Korean food once and now refuses to eat it when Horangi offers.

He gets a bit upset when people confuse Austrians for Germans, mush them together or similar. Even if it's a common thing.

König has an accent while speaking German as well, because Germans and Austrians (can) sound very different from eachother. Especially in slang and general vocabulary.

I headcanon him with blonde, shoulder-length hair.

And a scarred face.

He also has a squishable face. All three of them do.

König has freckles as well, but only in summer and only a few.

Probably has eye bags.

Also stares, but by accident.

I think König gets flustered easily, for some reason.

That's all for now! Have a nice day/night! :)

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mrsbluehands · 6 months

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Night time for the mansion!

Headcanon (x reader)

Creepypasta

Little idea that I wanted to write for a while now. First writing post! Hope it's not too short.

Tw: none

Pronouns: GN

X-Virus (give him love please)

Quite forgetful. Even if his nighttime routine is as simple as brushing his teeth, he might forget (please remind him for his own good).

Moves in his sleep like a three year old that is learning how to sleep in a real bed for the first time.

I think he sleepwalks whenever he's stressed. Since the rest of the mansion found out, they force Cody to lock his room from the inside during the night. (You wouldn't want to find him half naked in the wood again...)

Putting your arms around him might help a bit, but you could end up being crushed under him in the morning. If that's a sacrifice you are willing to make.

Can totally also end up on the floor or crushing you under him in the morning

But on the good side, Cody's a real cuddly guy. He needs to feel you close to him all the time.

Usually is the one who is completely engulfing you in his arms at night. He adores to know that you are safe with him, but won't say no if you prefer to have his head on your chest and hands in his hair...

Jeff the killer

Blasts music until 2 am like the edgy teen he still is.

Falls asleep whenever. Doesn't matter if the sun is stil beaming outside or if he just woke up from a afternoon power nap. He will sleep no matter what.

Will also eat anything before going to bed. Usually gets hungry at night, but this man can eat a 5 course meal at 3 am. Hearing some noises at night? You'll find him munching on the meatloaf leftover you made. (He likes you cooking what can he says!)

Not really into sleeping and cuddling stuff. Not a light sleeper, but sometimes he wakes up abruptly and he really wouldn't want to scare you off.

Likes to keep a hand on you anyways. Like wrapping his arm around your shoulder or waist. A hand on your stomach or waist.

He's nice to sleep with though! Extra warm (sleeps only in his underwear) his skin is a real radiator.

He really is a nice guy (mostly with you though). If he wakes up before you in the morning, he most probably will, he'll look at you and smile even wider wondering what he did to deserve to have someone as wonderful as you in his life.

BEN drowned

He doesn't need sleep but he likes it. Especially if he can cuddle with you.

He goes to bed whenever he pleases. No nighttime routine or whatever. He just plops on the bed and he's out.

Speaking of going to sleep whenever, he's the type to take naps in the middle of the day.

I like to think that he sleeps like a cat. All curled up on himself and taking so little space that you could probably spend the whole night in the same bed without touching him once.

Always cold even if he's warm to the touch. Please hold him. Only your warmth makes him feel alive again.

In the darkness of the room, he emits a faint green light while his eyes are a vibrant red. Nearly screamed when you slept with him for the first time.

You might wake up without him on your side, but no worries! Since he doesn't feel the need to sleep, he probably just woke up before you and decided to make you a small breakfast ❤️ (terrible at cooking but he tries that's what's important)

Eyeless Jack

Definitely let's you sleep with his hoodie. Wants to make sure you won't be cold even in summer (you never know).

Nocturnal demon. He sleeps with you because he likes the feeling of having you inside his arms to keep you safe.

He's very much probably never going to let you be the big spoon, mostly because there's very little chance that you're bigger than him, but especially because he loves to feel like the big demon that can protect you at all costs.

His skin is hard and weirdly cold to the touch. Hope you don't get cold at night because he's not much of a warm being unlike Jeff.

Since you are so different from him, he like to feel your skin under his touch and to look into your eyes. They feel so lovely when he compares them to his empty sockets.

Not a much of a talker, but don't worry, you will never fall asleep without your goodnight kiss on the forehead.

Does not move. Like not at all. Heck you need to shake him awake in the morning to be sure he's not just dead (well he kind of already is but you get my point...)

Jane

Pretty sleeper. I'm so jealous. She looks like a movie character.

No drooling, no talking, no mumbling... even her hair stays in place. Like how?

She sleeps with a tons of plushies and pillows, you can't change my mind. She especially likes teddy bears, she probably has like 15 of them.

But if you're here with her she will let her plushies go and hug you instead.

If you sleep together, you two will probably not sleep until morning. She loves to talk. Bonus point if you're a good listener!

You like to hold her at night? Go ahead! She gives so much affection to people for sometime she forgets to take care of herself :( (she really is the mom friend)

Expect her to be wide awake when you wake up, she's a real early bird and likes to do chores in the morning. Just like BEN (but it'll taste better) you'll have wonderful breakfast to start the day.

Hope you enjoyed!

#creepypasta #headcanon #creepypasta x reader #creepypasta x y/n #creepypasta xvirus #creepypasta jeff the killer #creepypasta eyeless jack #ben drowned

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museumgiftshoperaser · 11 months

Text

only bought this dress so you could take it off

(lil Ronance modern AU, neighbors kinda thing)

Robin’s already in pajamas when someone knocks on her door. And by pajamas she means she’s wearing boxers and a bleach stained shirt she stole from Steve. So she’s not exactly thrilled to get up. And why should she anyway? Sunday nights are sacred, especially now that classes started back up. It’s the one night of the week where Steve’s gone for basketball practice and she can watch whatever she wants on the TV in the living room. She loves Steve, platonic soulmates and all that jazz, but she can’t for the life of her get him to enjoy the wonders of competitive cooking shows. Like right now. A woman on the screen tilts a skillet over the fire, cooking a steak to absolute perfection as Robin pops another handful of M&Ms into her mouth. It’s quality entertainment. If she gets up now, she might miss something important. What if that woman overcooks her steak? Maybe if she keeps quiet the person will just go away. “I can hear the TV!” the voice comes through the wall, too muffled to recognize. “I need some help!” And then, after a short silence. “Please?” She rolls herself off the couch with a groan, doesn’t even care if the mystery guest can hear it. She runs a quick hand through her hair to make herself somewhat presentable opens the door and- Oh fuck. It’s her. Nancy. Their new next door neighbor and coincidentally the most beautiful person she’s ever laid eyes on. Robin clutches the doorpost so hard it hurts because her elevator crush is two feet away from her, dressed in deep blue, skintight satin. Nancy’s hair is pinned to the side and she’s holding her strapless dress up at the neckline. “Can you zip me?” she asks with a sheepish grin. “I’m running late and I’m all by myself.” Her heels make them almost the same height, but Nancy is still an inch short, leaving her to look up at Robin through her thick, black lashes. She doesn’t usually wear this much make-up. Wherever she’s going, she’s trying to impress someone. When Robin doesn’t speak, Nancy turns her back, revealing a long stretch of exposed skin. The zipper goes all the way down to her lower back. There’s a little mole next to her spine, which is a thing that Robin knows about her now, and it feels far too intimate. “Uh sure…” she mumbles. “Just… What do you…?” “It’s just a zipper, Robin.” Nancy’s back is turned, but she can hear the grin is her voice. “I’m you can figure it out.” She swallows hard. Nancy knows her name. Of course she does. They’ve talked a handful of times when they happened to enter the lobby at the same time. She came to introduce herself when she moved in last month. Still it’s weird that she takes up any mental real estate for this girl so beautiful it physically hurts. Robin takes the end of the zipper between two careful fingers, but it doesn’t budge. “It’s a bit finicky,” Nancy says and she tilts her head to the side, exposing even more of the bare skin around her neck. “Just give it a good tug.” Fucking hell. Robin places a hand on Nancy’s waist for leverage and zips the dress along the curve of her spine. She’s not wearing a bra, strapless and all, and Robin’s trying really hard not to think about that. “So where are you going?” she asks and then she just keeps talking. “You got a date? A boyfriend?” She clenches her jaw and crosses her fingers that didn’t sound weird. Just polite conversation. Making acquaintance. Right? “Oh, God no.” Nancy turns around and smooths down the fabric over her hips. “I have yet to find a man in this city worth dressing up for.” “Tell me about it,” Robin says in a lame attempt at a joke. Nancy no doubt has different reasons for her lack of interest in the men around these parts. Like being objectively out of everyone’s league. Unlike Robin, who realized she was a lesbian back in middle school and hasn’t looked at a man since. Well, she’s technically looked at Steve, if you wanna get literal about it. But he doesn’t count. That’s practically her brother. “Nah, I’ve got a work thing,” Nancy says and she rolls her eyes. “Office party I can’t really skip.” Robin vaguely remembers an elevator conversation where Nancy told her she worked in publishing. “Well, you look great,” she squeaks. Nancy smiles, showing off the dimples that kickstarted the elevator crush all those weeks ago. “You’re so sweet.” She doesn’t even break eye contact as she says it. Robin can feel her cheeks flush and she mentally prepares herself to scream into her pillow the second this door closes. “Which reminds me,” Nancy adds with a coy smile. “I have a little housewarming coming up next Friday. You and uh…. Steve was it?” Robin nods. “Well, you and Steve are definitely invited.” For a brief moment, Nancy’s eyes flick past her so she can sneak a glance into the living room. “Starts at eight, be sure to ask him too.” Oh. Was that her goal? Was she hoping Steve would answer? That makes sense. “We’d love to,” Robin says with a polite smile. “I’ll tell Steve, I think he’s free that night.” Nancy runs her hands along her sides one more time, smoothing down the already flawless curve of her dress. “That’d be lovely,” she says and before she turns she adds; “Can’t wait.”

#stranger things #ronance #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #no clue where this came from #but suddenly it was written #might give it a little sequal at some point #nancy knows what she's doing #i cannot be held responsible for what i write after listening to dress by taylor swift

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ciciceyina · 1 year

Text

Touch Starved part 1

Pairing: Idol!Mingyu × Fem Carat!reader

Genre: Soulmate AU. Soulmates can't be apart from one another for more than a day otherwise they will become deathly ill. Fluff/comfort

Short Summary: Y/n has her life completely uprooted the day her and Kim Mingyu meet for the first time. Follow along as y/n moves to South Korea in order to be with her soulmate and soon realizes that the life she once fantasized about isn't all that she thought it would be.

Notes: Plus size/fem reader, reader swears a lot, soft Mingyu, reader suffers from severe depression and anxiety, golden retriever!Mingyu × black cat!reader relationship. In this first part the italic text is Korean being spoken by the boys. Inspired by other fic tropes l've read, but with my own spin on it. Hope you enjoy! This is the first time I'm publishing a piece of my work, pls be nice lol

“We are going to get into so much trouble if they find us out here, without security mind you. I don’t know why I let you talk me into this. Hyung is gonna ring us out if he catches us.” Chan pulls his baseball cap down further hoping that would keep the eyes of the fans away. Who was he kidding? The fans would spot them out immediately, this was a suicide mission.

“Chan, you’re too uptight. Listen, I have to find her.”

Mingyu pulls his face mask up to round the corner outside of the venue. The two had slipped into some casual attire to not attract attention before sneaking out from the rest of the boys. Chan didn’t really believe that they fit in. Not with the two of them looking especially suspicious with face masks and ball caps barely covering Mingyu’s grown out hair. Carats are smart, there was no way they wouldn’t be noticed.

“Yes that’s all fine and well but if it’s meant to be it’ll happen without you having to sneak around.” Chan tries to keep up with him as he’s speed walking his way through the crowd.

“She doesn’t know I’ll be here, I have to take measures into my own hands. The clairvoyant specifically said that I would need to be careful. My window of time is slim. I just had Covid, most carats don’t even know I’ll be here. This is exactly what she was getting at.” Mingyu was getting extremely excited, the younger of the two could tell from the pep in his step. Chan grabs Mingyu's arm and turns him around.

“And how exactly do you expect to pull this off? Say we make it around the venue without getting caught. Are you just going to start touching everyone in your path?”

“I was going to leave that part up to fate. I knew I needed to be out here at the very least. Give my lady in waiting a chance.” Chan could imagine the absolute shit eating grin that was under Mingyu’s mask. The man pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily.

“You’re so lucky I’m a romantic at heart.”

“Ahh I can’t believe this is real. I’m so excited guys.” You stare in wonder at the venue hall. They had set up a merch stand and a photo op with a cardboard cut out of the members of Seventeen. You bounce up and down with excitement, you’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time.

Seventeen wasn’t even on your radar until two years ago, when your two best friends had shown you the tall goofy member and claimed he was totally your type. He totally was. Ever since then you fell completely hard for the one and only Kim Mingyu. Something inside of you, something you couldn’t quite explain, drew you to him. Of course you’ve had celebrity crushes before. Nothing new to you, but he just felt different. You were enamored. You chalked it up to K-pop’s highly effective way of selling the members looks and charms to your infatuation.

Besides Mingyu, the music that Seventeen produced spoke to your heart. To be here, seeing them live in concert, was definitely the highlight of your career. You needed this ultra boost of serotonin. Work has been a drag, you wish you could move on from your high school job. You have been stuck there for years. Seeing your old classmates move on and up to greater things made you a bit sad. But you didn’t have a clue of what you wanted from your life. This job was comfortable, but was comfortable all you wanted?

Pushing your thoughts away you reached into your bag to find the freebies you had made of the members. This was your favorite part, making other fans gifts. Seeing them coo at their biases made you feel seen. These were your people. You handed your friend the bags that were clearly sorted by unit. She was fairly new to the group, but was adamant that she be your little side kick. Having her hold the freebies was a way of teaching her. Although with all the chaos there was little room for teaching.

“I plan on handing them out in the merch line. If we’re not too overwhelmed then I’ll start approaching some other people, is that okay?” Marie nods.

“You got it boss. Just let me know which group you need and I gotcha.” Marie was a newer friend of yours but it felt like you had known her forever. You were only a little sad when you first made contact, hoping she was the one. Sadly not, but you gained a friend you thought you’d have for the rest of your life. At least you had hoped so.

“So are we planning to hit up the merch line now or later?” Your other friend, Lauren, asked as she dragged along her twin sister towards the line. Catching her hint you nod and take the lead to the line, weaving in and out of all the other fans.

“Now to gain the courage to actually talk to others” You look to Marie and she nods.

“You got this bestie, I believe in you.”

After the (fun) chaos that was the merch line, you had about a couple hours before the doors to the concert opened. The other three had made their way to the restroom. You decided to take a peek outside. It was a little overwhelming with the constant flow of traffic inside. Your antisocial side of your personality was rearing its head. You needed some alone time.

As you took in the outside of the arena, you noticed the tour sign on the digital banner. You decided that you absolutely needed to take a picture for the memories. As you did so, you noticed two guys looking a little out of place. They mostly looked confused. The taller one, gosh even with the ball cap and mask you could tell he was hot, was especially bug eyed. Wiping his head around as if he was scanning looking for something…or someone.

Something inside of you told you to approach them. Maybe they needed help? Or maybe they were fans but were confused about where the entrance was. God knows you and your friends were at first, getting slightly yelled at by the security here. The shorter one made slight eye contact with you, yikes talk about being a creep y/n. You decide to walk up to them so that

“Hey, are you guys here for the concert?” The taller one looks spooked by you. The other one goes frigid. Maybe he was just as anxiety riddled as you are.

“Um, yes.” The taller one has such pretty eyes, you note to yourself. Maybe you could warm them up to you by being friendly.

“Would you like me to take your picture in front of the banner real quick?” You ask sweetly hoping you weren’t disturbing them.

The shorter one looks a little confused but the tall one nods his head yes. You reach your hand out for one of them to give their phone to you. They both stare at you. The shorter one, you decide is the younger one, jabs the other one in the side.

“Give her your phone.” The tall one hisses under his breath unbeknownst to you, still with your arm outreached. Finally the taller one hands over his phone. With phone in hand you take a quick snap of the two. A weird sense of deja vu hits you, trying to shake it off you rummage into your concert bag.

“Do you guys want a freebie? Who are your biases?” Shuffling through the little pictures of the members, you fan the pictures out for them to see. You loved seeing male fans, and you think the members do as well. The two look a little confused at first and the shorter one mumbles something to the taller one. They lean in to look at the pictures in your hands.

“Mingyu.” The taller one says, you smile. Shuffling for said man in your pile.

“Ahh Mingyu is my bias too, I’m actually kind of bummed that he won’t be here tonight. Here’s a cute one…” you hold out the freebie for him to take.

When he does his fingers lightly brush over yours and that’s when you feel it. What you have only imagined before, that first contact with your soulmate. His touch sends heat shooting up your arm and you can actually hear your heart beating faster. Shit. You look up into the man’s eyes to see them blown wide. So it’s not just you feeling this overwhelming sense of comfort. Like you knew this man already. Like you had spent every past life with him wrapped in his embrace. Just like that, hot tears are steaming down your face. Gosh, why were you crying? You didn’t want to cry, but you couldn’t stop yourself. What were the odds of you finding your soulmate at a Seventeen concert, were you dreaming?

“Who are you?” You ask as you reach to pull down the mask from his face. You had to see his full face, but before you could an absolute bulldozer of a woman plows into your side. You’re manhandled to the ground and you really wanted to cry now. It felt like she had cracked your whole spine, maybe cracked open your skull too while she was at it. You groan in pain as you try pushing the woman off of you. Who the fuck does she think she is.

As soon as she was straddling on top of you, she was yanked away by that strange man. No, not strange, your soulmate. He looked scared. Oh god, what if he didn’t want a soulmate. What if this was the last thing he could have ever wanted from you. Despite your worries you couldn’t help but get lost in those chocolatey brown eyes that you noted earlier. Soulmate, my soulmate. No, don't second guess this, of course he wants you. Why would he look so concerned otherwise? You couldn’t help but think you were so lucky, you could tell this man was extremely attractive. Way out of your league. If you hadn’t just got the wind knocked out of you, you’d laugh at yourself.

“Are you alright?!” He touches your arm and you sigh, feeling that warmth again. He sat crouched over you looking for god knows what. Probably some sign of injury. Maybe you had knocked your head a bit too hard, things were starting to become fuzzy. His touch is heightened when he comes across your bare skin, your heart about to burst from your chest. But you felt safe at the same time. You wanted to be cocooned in that feeling for the rest of your life.

“I’m fine.” You assure him with a small smile. You lazily reach up to hook your finger around his ear quickly taking in how soft his skin was. You quickly slid off the mask before your chance was taken away from you again.

“No way.” You exclaim in surprise. There was no way that your soulmate was Kim fucking Mingyu.

“Y/N!! Why did you just leave us like that, are you okay?” Marie strides into the secluded room that you were taken to after getting thrown to the ground. You watch as the twins pile in too. They look a bit upset. Probably with you.

You hiss, the aid poked a sensitive spot on the back of your head. They had called on the venue to send over their medical staffing to come and check on you. The lady was deep in your hair trying to find the gash she suspected as the cause of your insane dizziness. You were chalking it up to meeting Mingyu, and finding out that he was who you were looking for your whole life. But that was probably the butterflies in your stomach. You laughed a little, this wasn’t seriously happening

“I’m fine guys, really. Just a little bump on the head.” You shoo your friends away from you.

“I wouldn’t say it’s just a little bump on the head, he told me she all but ran you down into the hard cement. You would be lucky to not have a concussion.” The lady commented.

“She was just doing her job. If anything it brings me comfort to know she would protect the boys in such a way.” Your friends look at you curiously.

“Boys?” Lauren asks, she crosses her arms and stares at you. You gulp.

“I’m like ninety percent sure that I’m currently in a dream. You won’t believe who my soulmate is.” You look at your friends, they all stare at you with weird looks.

“Who are you talking about?” Hanna asked.

“I think my soulmate is someone from Seventeen.” All three of them let out a little laugh.

“I think you hit your head too hard. Could she be having some delusions?” You pout at Lauren who only looks at the aid. Just like you said, it was unbelievable. You didn’t believe it yourself, but you’re sure it was him.

“I don’t like the look of this gash, you should be taken to the hospital to get looked at. That hard of a fall could lead to a concussion.” You shake your head and lean away from the woman.

“Absolutely not, I’m fine. I’m not going to miss this concert. I’ve been looking forward to it all year and plus I’ve spent too much money. No, there's no way I’m going to a hospital right now.”

“We can take her after the concert.” Marie tells the woman. She shakes her head.

“I don’t recommend waiting.” She retorted.

“That’s okay, I appreciate all of the help but I’m sure you have others to look after.” You grab your bag laying on the chair next to you. Standing up blood rushes to your head but you won’t show signs of discomfort in front of her out of stubbornness.

“C'mon, let’s go guys.” You pass the other three to the door which you swing open. Outside are a few men dressed in suits, one with a briefcase looking straight into your eyes. He made you nervous as he started to approach.

“Is she well?” He asks into the room that you just left. The aid slips past the four of you to his side.

“I told her that we should run some tests at the hospital and to bandage up the gash better, I don’t have all of the necessary equipment here.” The man looks disappointed at the news.

“I’m extremely sorry for this, Miss L/N. But please let us make it right by taking you to the hospital. We can talk there about your arrangements.” How does he know my name?

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Marie asks from behind your shoulder.

“Please forgive me, I’m Mr. Kang. I’m the head lawyer of Seventeen's legal team. We’ve been informed by Kim Mingyu that he and Miss L/N here are Soulmates. We really shouldn’t discuss more here, we will need to talk in a more private area. We can discuss Seventeen's Soulmate contract once we arrive at the hospital. I have some cars outside to take us there right now when you’re ready.” He holds his arm out to gesture to the door down the hall that you all stood in.

“Mingyu?!” Your friends shriek in unison.

You cringe at the loud noise in your ears. Now you don't feel well. It feels as if your head would split in two at any given moment. You clutch at your face, fuck.

“No fuckin way y/n, no fucking way.” Marie shakes you and you feel like you’re going to hurl.

“Don’t do that. Can we sit down for a moment?” You lean into Marie as your legs become a little wobbly and you feel slightly numb all over. She clutches at you.

“Y/N what’s wrong?��

“I’m just a little sleepy..”

You could hear someone talking over you, but you didn’t want to open your eyes. Sleeping felt so nice, though you don’t remember when you laid down to rest. It didn’t really matter because your head felt amazing. Like someone had laid your head down on a cloud. Now that you think about it, it felt as if someone had their palm resting against your forehead. It didn’t matter, sleeping was more important.

“What’s wrong?” You could barely make out the voice. They sounded scared, you noticed the voice was deep. The voice didn’t bring up any memories.

“Sir we have to go, she needs to be seen.”

“No.” You were curious, of course, but opening your eyes seemed so difficult at the moment. Could they be quiet while you slept? It was very rude of them.

“Sir I’m not asking again, let go of her.” The warmth on your forehead shifted to your cheek. Shivers went down your spine, finally you cracked open your eyes.

Brown soft eyes were what you noticed first, then the large hand cupping your cheek. You knew this man, you spent hours focusing on him during dance rehearsals on your tv at night. It was Mingyu. Oh Mingyu.

“What are you doing here?” You ask softly, a small smile forms on your lips looking at his pretty face. God he was so attractive. He smiles softly back at you but turns his attention elsewhere as you hear someone else call his name.

Closing your eyes you return to your sleep. This was such a nice dream. You heard that same deep voice from earlier say something above you. Though you couldn’t understand what they were trying to say. It didn’t matter, you were sleeping, they could leave you alone. You needed your rest. You felt the warmth from your check fade but then again as something was pressed into your hand. You brought your hand up to your face to curl onto your side into a more comfortable sleeping position.

#mingyu x reader #mingyu #mingyu x y/n #dino seventeen

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zep-writings · 8 months

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Kiss Me Goodbye

ONE SHOT.

Summary: Acting along side Sebastian Stan in the play "The Picnic" is a dream come true for you. But one thing you never expected was to fall hard and fast for your co-star.

Warnings: Talk of not feeling good enough, self doubt.

Pairings: Sebastian Stan x Reader.

Notes: I do not own any of the characters present in this story. I do realize Sebastian is a real person and therefore everything said in there is pure fiction.

I loved writing this, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

I know I haven’t posted in a while and that’s why I thought sharing this one shot would be great. Let me know what you think.

Sebastian Stan Masterlist || Main Masterlist.

“KISS ME GOODBYE!” Sebastian yelled at you, as your heart tightened in your chest.

This was your last performance of The Picnic, this was the last time you would get to kiss Sebastian while you were both in characters, the last time you would get to touch him the way you did during the play. You couldn’t believe it had been only a few months since you two had met, because it almost felt like you had known each other since forever. However, a few months had been enough time for you to fall head over the hills for the man standing in front of you. You two got to kiss passionately almost every night while on stage. It wasn’t real, nothing was real but even if you knew that, you couldn't help at your heart breaking a little more every time, especially now that it was your last performance together. Staring the next day, you and Sebastian would probably never see each other again. You knew he was destined to do amazing in his career and even if deep down you really hoped he would at least stay friends with you, you didn’t want to get your hopes up.

You looked at him and your hands reached out to grab his face, as you did every night, to press your lips to his as his hands settled on your hips to bring you closer. Somehow that night you kissed him differently. It was deep, full of love and desperate and for a moment you wished he would never step back from you. Unfortunately, after a longer kiss than the one you usually shared, he did.

“I feel like a freak when I say this.” Sebastian told his lines and pointed at you. “I love you! Goodbye.”

As your heart broke even more in your chest, Sebastian stepped out of the stage and the rest of the performance was a blur to you. You finished your scene as if you were on auto pilot and soon enough you were in front of the stage, bowing down as the public cheered, Sebastian’s hand holding yours tightly, his thumb gently stroking yours. You didn’t want to let go of him and, almost as he felt the same or read your mind somehow, he kept your hands linked as you and all your co-stars made your way backstage when the light turned off. You had barely passed the door hiding you from the crowd that he pulled you in a tight hug, wrapping his strong arms around you and you slowly buried your face into his neck, inhaling his scent and closing his eyes for a second.

“You were amazing tonight.” Seb whispered into your ear, pressing a kiss to your temple before he stepped away.

“Thanks, so were you, as always.” You smiled softly, pushing a piece of hair from his forehead and getting lost into those big blue eyes you loved so much for a short moment.

You glimpsed quickly at his lips, already missing the feeling of them against yours but you were never going to admit it, not to him or not to anyone. You were going to miss Sebastian, so damn much, and you weren’t sure how to handle it. It has become such a strong and important presence in your life and you wanted to tell him how much he meant to you, you wanted to tell him that you didn’t want to lose touch with him because, even if he probably didn’t feel the same about you, he was still your friend. You opened your mouth to say something but before you could get a word out, you were cut off by one of your co-star.

“Guys, come on, we’re going out to celebrate!”

Sebastian offered you a soft smile and you cleared your throat nervously, taking out the wigs you were wearing for the play, letting your natural brown hair down. For a moment, you swear you could sense Seb stare at you, something different in his eyes but it was probably just your imagination because when you looked back up at him, he looked away.

“I’m gonna go shower, I’ll meet you out back in 30 minutes?” Sebastian asked you and you simply nodded, taking the time to step into your own shower in your dressing room.

After a quick warm shower, trying to get your mind off of what was bothering you, you dried yourself and slipped into a simple pair of jeans and a plain white tee-shirt. The night was clear, beautiful and warm. You always loved New York in the summer and you would spend hours outside going for strolls, short runs or just to sit in a park and read a book. You grabbed your sweater, your bag and made your way to the back of the theater where Seb was already waiting for you. A loving smile spread on his lips as soon as he saw you and you offered him a small, slightly forced one, trying to clear your head.

“The others have already left; they’ll be waiting for us there. Are you ready?” Seb explained to you, grabbing your hand in his, once again taking you by surprise.

“Yeah. Where are we going?”

“Sam rented a room at a restaurant for the party. A car’s waiting for us to take us there.”

You nodded and without anything else to say, you followed Sebastian outside. There were people waiting by the door, most of them fans of the man standing by your side, and as soon as you spotted them, Seb let go of your hand and went to sign autographs and take a few pictures with them. Silently, smiling and waving at a few fans, you made your way to the car waiting for you and stepped inside. You knew Seb was the most famous person out of the whole cast, he was now pretty well-known for his role in the Marvel universe, but he remained the most wonderful, generous and amazing man you'd ever met. You loved that about him, he was the most down-to-earth person and it just made you love him a little more every time your realize how much love he had to share with everyone around him.

After a moment, Seb finally stepped into the car and took a seat next to you, that smile you loved so much still spread on his lips. He really had the biggest heart, and you couldn’t help but feel a pinch on your heart at that thought. The ride to the restaurant was silent but not uncomfortable, you had had always felt really comfortable around him, being able to be the best version of yourself. Slowly, the car slowed down and when you stepped into the room, people were already chatting, alcohol was filling the glasses and soon enough Seb and you were pulled in different directions.

****

As much as the night was fun, and you love being able to spend a little more time with your co-star, the unsettling feeling about losing Sebastian settled back in after a while. You suddenly felt very overwhelmed, the few drinks you had throughout the night not really helping your mind stay clear. Politely you excused yourself to Ben, who played Alan, and made your way to the empty balcony. The fresh air made you shiver, and you closed your eyes for a minute, taking a long and shaky breath. You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn’t hear Sebastian step outside, and you jumped slightly when he dropped his jacket on your shoulder.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scar… Hey, what’s wrong?” Sebastian asked, worries quickly filling his eyes when he noticed the tears on your cheeks.

“Nothing.” You smiled softly and whipped your cheeks with your hand.

“It doesn’t look like nothing. You seemed like you were having a great time out there.”

“I was, I mean, I am. I just… I guess I’m a little sad it’s our last night, that’s all.” You admitted with a small chuckle, trying to avoid Seb’s gaze.

“Yeah, me too. But that doesn’t mean we won’t see each other again you know. We’ll keep in touch.” Sebastian’s hand gently brushed against your back, and you shivered.

“You know you don’t have to say that right? I know you’ll probably be too busy becoming a superstar with your other Marvel movies.” You teased, trying to keep a little ton.

Sebastian rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I’ll never be too busy for you.”

Your heart skipped a beat as you registered Sebastian’s words, glancing up at him to realize he was absolutely serious. Sure, you two had become pretty close over the last few months, acting every night on stage together, hanging out on the days where you were not performing but you had never really imagined he could care about you as much as you did.

“Actually I… I kinda of wanted to talk to you about something.” Sebastian suddenly looked nervous and ran a hand through his hair, licking his lips as your frown.

“About what?”

“I realize that… Well that we were always acting, that you probably don’t feel the same way but I…” He massaged his neck and looked up to meet your eyes. “I like you.”

Seb’s words felt like a punch in the gut and for a second you completely froze, your eyes scanning his face for any sign of this just being a prank. But he seemed serious, honest but you still couldn’t believe it was real. How was it possible that someone as wonderful and generous as Seb could like you?

You chuckle slightly and Seb frowned at your reaction. “Very funny, Seb. Who put you up to this?”

“What?” He shook his head in denial and slowly took your hands in his, stroking gently the back with his thumb. “I’m… I’m serious, y/n.”

“You can’t be.”

For a moment, Sebastian seemed hurt by your words, really hurt and as he stepped back, letting go of your hand, you knew he was serious. You bit on your lower lips, immediately feeling guilty for doubting him. Sure Seb and you were close, but never in a million years you would have thought he liked you, or at least not in that way.

“You… You like me? Why?” You asked before you could even think about your words.

“Because you’re smart, funny, beautiful and sexy and I just love being around you. Because you make me feel good, about myself, about my life and I want to see you more. I want to kiss you, not because of a play but because we both really want to. I want to…”

Without any second thoughts, feeling a little overwhelmed, you raised to your toes and pressed your lips to Sebastian’s, the way you had always wanted to, not in front of a crowd, not as a performance, a real kiss. Sebastian’s hands gently cupped your face, bringing you closer to him as you rested yours against his chest, your heart beating way too fast in your chest. The kiss was different from all of those you had exchanged on stage, it was soft and loving and a lot better than what you had ever imagined it would be. When you finally parted, you were both a little out of breath, your forehead still pressed together.

“I like you too, I just never thought…” You shook your head slowly, chasing the thoughts once and for all out of your head. “I’ve liked you for a while…” You admitted in a whisper.

“Good. Because I’m not planning on letting you go.” Sebastian stroked your cheek before pressing a small kiss to your lips again. “Let me take you on a date. A real date. Tomorrow night, just you and me.”

You bit down on your lower lips to keep yourself from smiling too hard and slowly nodded. “Okay. Just you and me.”

Sebastian smiled and, once again, pressed his lips to yours in a deep kiss. He liked you, he wanted to date you and all of the sudden the end of your play together didn’t seem to be so hard to get over. You had him, you’ll always have him.

****

#Sebastian Stan #Sebastian Stan fanfiction #Sebastian Stan fanfic #Sebastian Stan x reader #Sebastian Stan x you #marvel fanfiction #mcu fanfiction

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twst-drabbles · 1 year

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I might ask about other dorms later if that's ok with you, but how do you think heartslabyul and octavinelle would seduce someone?

Damn, ain't that a question? Let's see...

Well, Ace is not a smooth bitch, let's be perfectly honest. When it comes to just, flirting and getting a date so he doesn't seem like a loser, yeah Ace can manage but if he's actually into the person? Yeah no, man's a total loser. He's gonna stutter, he's gonna be a brat and say shit like "Oh so you're into me?" all the while he's shaking like a fucking chihuahua and is red in the face. His pride won't let him admit that he's into you, so it's gonna be a funny, if somewhat irritating, time.

Deuce is almost the same, but he's long since shed off most of that pride Ace has in order to be more honest about himself and his feelings. Unlike Ace, his honesty would be his best charm, though Deuce doesn't know that. Flirting attempts are pretty basic though, when he tries to flirt that is. Probably tries to style his hair but ends up with a weird, obviously not natural look.

Cater, well, after coming to terms that he really want to date someone, he actually starts spending more quiet moments with them. Just, sitting in silence and enjoying what he can, cause emotional intimacy is something hard to initiate, especially since his flirting is going to have some of his real heartfelt emotions into it, so that's gonna be a hard thing for him to do unless he fully accepts that he's into someone.

Trey is pretty simple actually. Baking is his language so gifts are abound. Though, he'd probably ask for you to bake with him and might start some classic baking shenanigans, such as frosting on the nose or sprinkling some flour on your shoulder. Basically, the man wants you to prank him. Just, play around and have fun.

Riddle...oh boy...poor little man. He doesn't know what to do! It actually takes him a while for him to notice that he has a crush at all. He's just filled with giddy feeling and confuses it for very deep admiration, so he puts his efforts into getting more knowledge, perfecting his perfect grades and even making study guides so that you both can use. When it hits him, he's gonna be a stuttering mess.

Floyd, it would be hard to pin down if he's flirting or not. His way of flirting almost borders on threatening, but by this point in the friendship, one can tell if he's actually threatening or if he's kidding. "I'm gonna bother ya for the rest of your life!" Kind of thing. Either way, his mood swings make it hard to tell the depths of his feelings as he always expresses them a different way. He has an odd way of guarding his heart, making sure that he's both overexpressive and not just so people don't think too much about the weight of his words and how they mean in his heart.

Jade is another one that guards his heart pretty closely, though he does show his affection as acts of service. Doing you little favors but will ask for you to do something small for him. The indicator that he's feeling something for you is in what favors he's actually asking. Basically, asking you to study with him, or guide him around campus. Puts himself in positions where he seemingly needs help, but he actually doesn't. Just so you can spend time with him.

And Azul. Yeah this fucker is going to try for the whole "Oh look at me and how smooth I am. Look and how well put together I am as I shower you with gifts," but if you so much as accidentally touch his hand, he's short circuiting. The best way to catch him off guard though, is to play into this little act of his, pretend that you're actually being swooned by him only to hit him with some brutal and sincere honestly like, "The way you fiddle with your glasses is adorable, Azul."

Well, he's on the ground. He dead. You killed him.

#admin #NRClutter

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thefeatherwrites · 4 months

Text

Paracosm

The idea came to me, I typed it. It's not edited, nor under the scrutiny of my own inner criticism. This is loosely based on a word I recently learned, to imagine your own fantasy life in your head, and as a chronic daydreamer, this was easy to imagine.

You could have never imagined a better life.

Your humble beginnings were nothing short of a nightmare. Finding out at the age of fifteen that you were a witch, destined to wield an ancient magic thought to have been extinct from the world and having to use such power to defeat a rebellion of goblins is something you would have only believed existed in stories. But it was real. You lived it.

Another fantasy you never could have imagined, was finding someone. A man who would shield you from everything that life would have further harmed you with, had he not been there. Someone you considered a best friend, your only true confidant, the love of your life you never knew you needed.

On the day your wedding, you remembered how you had picked the petals off of flowers growing in the fields of the highlands, dreaming of the day your last name could be changed, to Sallow.

Now, you sit on the front porch of your cottage. Overlooking the rolling hills of the Scottish Highlands, sipping on your coffee and basking in the summer sun. Sebastian chasing your two children who were the perfect carbon copies of your husband, but you didn't complain.

Their laughs echoed in your ears, their smiles were etched into your soul, and the picture of your whole world running around playing tag was a portrait that would have had no monetary worth, because it was priceless.

As you got older, so did your children. Sebastian only aged like fine wine, while you grew more wrinkles from the stress of raising and sending your children off to Hogwarts. It was especially hard, since they were twins so they went off together, leaving you at home with an empty nest. You knew your adoring husband would only jest about having the time to make more, and unknowingly... you would.

After some years, Sebastian would retire from the Ministry. Your twins would graduate from Hogwarts and journey into their own lives, while your youngest was now attending Hogwarts as well. Despite the years wearing on you, you loved your little life.

You loved your children; smart and curious, just like you. You especially loved your husband; wise and mischievous, just like he always had been. Keeping you safe and on your toes as you both got older.

Your final memory was watching Sebastian in your bed, cuddled up next to you for warmth. His hair now grey, his skin now wrinkled and pale. But the same warm brown eyes you fell in love with remained the same. You both envisioned dying together, mostly from a battle in your younger years, but were ever-so-thankful to give the phrase a new meaning.

To pass in the arms of the one you felt safe with was the most rewarding way to go. As you closed your eyes, the last memory of your beloved husband smiling, you awoke once more with the rattle of the desk beneath you.

Instead of the aged Sebastian you had just lived a whole life with, there stood his significantly younger form. As if you had just met him only years ago. You soon realized you must have fallen asleep in class, and he had just woken you up.

From a dream.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sebastian asked, he looked concerned as he noticed a lone tear coming from your eye. You quickly wipe it away, claiming it must just be from the brightness of the sun pouring in from the windows. He would shrug it off, but he didn't know how much this crushed you.

A dream, is a wish your heart makes. You had just lived an entire life in the span of an hour long nap, spawning a newfound depression in you for what seemed like an eternity but only lasted seconds until you felt something on your hand.

Looking down, your heart could've burst from your chest right then and there. A ring.

A single band with a small but perfect green stone, something his mother passed down for the future Mrs. Sallow. And it was on your finger.

"C'mon sweetheart. Let's not be late for our date." He smiled sweetly, reaching down to grab your left hand and kissing the ring as his dark chocolate eyes lit up like fireworks. You smile back sweetly, grabbing his hand as you both exit the classroom and out the doors to Hogsmeade.

You could have never imagined a better life before, but now that you did, it was something that made you look forward to the future.

Your future, not a paracosm.

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy imagine #hogwarts legacy sebastian #sebastian sallow #sebastian x reader #sebastian x y/n #paracosm #daydreamer #maybe maladaptive?#I listened to music from a TikTok on repeat the entire time writing this #but it's fine

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idyllic-affections · 8 months

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i, for one, would love to hear your queer harbinger hcs! my personal favourite is transmasc wanderer (its practically canon to me)

side note, im not sure if ill be sending alot of asks, but can i be 🐌 anon?

YAY omg... okay i will gladly share my queer harbinger hcs because i have a hard time believing that any of those people are both cis and het! and yes of course... hello 🐌 anon <3 also @zeldadou, i know you were also interested in seeing my hcs!

this doesn't include all the harbingers. as of right now, these are just my major and more detailed lgbt+ headcanons. slight nsfw but not really? just brief discussions of sexual attraction and how it relates to the harbingers' identities.

dottore never paid any thought to his identity, since it didn't benefit or affect him at all (especially back in his akademiya days), but he is very very much attracted exclusively to men in my brain. yeah he went on a date with a girl, but... you know. he also murdered her. so. yeah... also he's demisexual; he just does not feel any sexual desire unless it is directed towards someone he deeply cares about and has a strong bond with. he and pantalone are married, trust me fr /j /lh

columbina is genderless (she/it pronoun user) and lesbian. her angel motifs make me feel like it has no gender at all. after all... angels are eldritch. demons are reflections of human sin, but angels? they were never human. that is how i, as a writer, see the differences between angels and demons. so columbina, in my silly little brain, is genderless. or agender. or voidgender/gendervoid. who knows? but it has not a single ounce of gender in her body.

arlecchino is non-binary & lesbian. she likes women. who can blame her tbh.... she also has no pronoun preference and just presents in a more masc way to her underlings & her orphans (hence why they call her father, and why her underlings call her lord rather than lady if i recall correctly. also yes i am a short hair arlecchino enthusiast).

scara is transmasc & asexual. i know, i'm bold for saying that he's ace LMAO but fr, as of right now, i see him as asexual. i don't know why. i don't have a real reason for this one. however, i can explain him being trans--ei modeled him after herself, so... yeah. you guys see where i'm going with that one? yeahh he's transmasc i just know it 💥💥💥

pantalone is transmasc, demisexual, & demiromantic. why is he transmasc? i don't know. i don't have a real reason. i just feel it in my heart! his gender presentation is very androgynous and can be either masc or fem leaning--he's just secure in his identity like that yknow.... but i can explain why he is demi. being the richest man in teyvat, he obviously has to worry about being used for his mora. his attraction to people he doesn't have a very deep conmection with has generally faded since he's gotten to where he is in life.

childe is bisexual, but he doesn't 100% realize it yet! he's still in the closet. all his coworkers can tell, though. they know.

#aphelion speaks 🌸#fatui harbingers #genshin impact #lgbtq headcanons #if you don't agree and plan on being a little bitch about it.... idc! cry.#HOWEVER if you want to share your own lgbtq headcanons i am listening intently i promise <333

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ofsvnshine · 2 months

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joe keery, demi man, 28 / 280 , high fae ’ ― cauldron save you. it seems MILO ACHESON has finally made it to the capital, the LORD from SPRING COURT is said to be BENEVOLENT and is said to describe themselves with A LOPSIDED SMILE, SHOES WELL LOVED AND WORN DOWN - KEPT FOR FAR TOO LONG AND SUNLIGHT PEEKING THROUGH CURTAINS IN EARLY MORNING and with all of this in mind their IRRESPONSIBLE nature always seems to get them into trouble. may the mother hold them as they navigate this unthinkable time.

statistics :

label: the reveler.

positive traits: benevolent, amicable, warm.

negative traits: irresponsible, loud, easily distracted.

orientation: bisexual, biromantic.

gender: demi man ( he / they pronouns ).

age: 28 280.

species: high fae.

profession: lord.

court: spiring.

abilities: immortality, winnowing, shapeshifting & commanding / manipulating air.

mbti: esfp.

zodiac: sagittarius.

noteworthy features: lopsided grin, bright eyes with crinkles on the side from smiling so much, hair usually messy and flopping into his face, always wearing worn in and old shoes, usually looking half put together.

introduction :

illness tw

you're a very happy person. you always have been. truly the embodiment of spring.

and that was something you were always praised for, especially since someone growing up in the circumstance as you did might have far less of a bright spirit.

you were born rather sickly. not even the best healers were able to truly understand what was wrong with you. no remedies helped.

this of course lead your family to be quite protective of you, worried for your health and often opting to keep you indoors and away from others to keep from over exerting yourself or making any of your conditions worse.

still, throughout it all you always remained happy.

with time your condition improved and slowly you were able to integrate back into what the others your age were doing, you joining in like you never missed a beat. you still deal with bouts of fatigue and chronic headaches that seem to kick the life out of you some days, but its far better than your youth.

and perhaps because you knew what it felt like to be worried about the future, because you knew what it felt like to deal with such strong emotions and uncertainty, it has made you appreciate the life you have, it has made you a rather excitable and carefree person.

not to mention you tend to not exactly be the smartest out of your family, but you like to believe you are definitely the happiest.

when it comes to politics or strategy, it's not where you succeed or excel. it never has been. you have an extremely short attention span and are easily distracted. you were never good at your studies or having to focus on one mundane task at a time.

where you excelled is with people. it wasn't that you were exactly charismatic, that you could win over people in the political sense for some sort of gain, but rather that you were real. grounded. you were down to earth and could connect with people even just meeting them for the first time. and it made you easy to talk to, extremely easy to get along with ( well at least for the people who didn't find you annoying ).

you pride yourself on your abilities to connect with others on a real level, for being empathetic. you're a great person to come to when people have problems, always offering the most candid advice.

you're very much aware that you aren't exactly everyone's favorite kind of person. you're loud, you're bold and you are never holding back from doing your own thing no matter how strange or unusual it might be. but you have no plans on changing that.

perhaps your biggest downside is your irresponsibility. you find it hard to really take anything that seriously, which leads to problems when things are expected of you and you can't follow through. that is the most frequent reason your relationships, platonic and romantic, fail.

you're thrilled for the invite to the capital to meet new people and you can only hope you don't have to hear nagging from your family about being not embarrassing them too bad.

wanted connections :

best friend / ride or die, exes, current romantic interest, previous hookups / one night stands / fwb, enemies, ex friends, more tbd !

#* milo / introduction.#ofcourtfables:intro #illness tw

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justsome-di · 1 year

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Nobody Ends Up Dead in a Bathtub, Everyone Keeps Their Organs: Chapter 1

haha I said I’d post this next month but I’m posting this month. You can also read this chapter on Wattpad or on Patreon (subscribing to Patreon will also give you access to chapters a week ahead of public posts). Updates every Friday!

Summary: Alex and Damián get set up on a blind date but aren't exactly on the same page--one thinks it's real and the other is under the impression it's an ordinary appointment. After all, Alex was promised he was getting a favor, and Damián is an escort who got paid to be there.

After realizing it was all a prank, set up by Alex's co-workers, they set out for revenge. Their plan: Alex will hire Damián to accompany him to an upcoming Halloween office party, convince his co-workers they genuinely fell in love and refuse to let themselves become the butt of the joke.

Alex hadn't been on a date since he was 17, and it had ended with Mary Ellen throwing her slushie on his shirt in the middle of the mall. He wasn't sure what he had done wrong, but he figured right then and there that maybe dating wasn't for him. And he had lived by that for the next 18 years.

When the day came that his co-workers told him that they had set him up with a friend, he thought maybe it was worth another shot. Mary Ellen had been long ago. Surely, Alex had a little more charm to him than he had when he was a teenager. At least, he hoped so. It would have been truly demoralizing if he had another slushie poured on him in his 30s.

Andrew, Martin, and Stu were the only guys who had ever tried to talk to him around the office, and Alex appreciated that a little bit. Even if the three of them tended to be dicks with off-color jokes and questionable comments about dates Andrew and Stu had had the weekend before. Even if Alex had secretly named them The Office Douche Bags because they had never proven themselves to be anything but douche bags.

But Alex didn't get much say in who became his co-workers of almost 10 years, and he didn't know how to tell the guys to leave him alone when they got to be too much. Especially when they were going to do more for his dating life than he had done for himself.

"Marcus is so sweet and super cute," Andrew said. "I mean, look at him."

He leaned over Alex's desk and showed him a single picture of the date in question. It looked like a semi-professional portrait. He was posing in front of a window in what looked like a stylishly barren apartment.

Marcus had short, curly hair. His teeth were unnaturally white. He showed them all in a wide smile, perfectly aligned and shining. His clothes were tight, and his body was slim. Skinny, really. Alex thought he was pretty cute and assumed he was probably some aspiring actor—so, he was living a much more exciting life than Alex was at the moment. And he was definitely out of Alex's league.

Andrew insisted it was all taken care of. He apparently knew a waitress who had taken care of a dinner reservation. Andrew had even left his own credit card on file, saying he owed Marcus a favor from a while back so this was his repayment. Alex tried to protest, but Andrew insisted. He owed Marcus big time.

Setting him up with a guy was one half of the deal. Paying for the date was the other half. Really, it was all fine. The reservation was for Friday at 6 at some semi-bougie restaurant. Marcus would be expecting him, and it was important that Alex didn't talk about work. There were other things to talk about. Boring office chat would kill the mood, and Marcus hated talking about his job.

A hundred red flags should have sprung up, but Alex was too busy looking at Marcus' picture to see them. He asked if it was really okay (it was), why the guys were being so nice (Alex was the only single gay man ("I'm not gay, I'm bi.") they knew), and why Marcus needed a date (he was having a hard time with dating apps, apparently, and wanted to give blind dates a try).

Alex could pay them all back by making sure there were good drinks at the Halloween party in October. Alex would mention it to the party-planning committee, though he wasn't sure what he could pull. No one wanted a repeat of the year before when Megan from human resources vomited into the potted tree by Alex's desk. It had been Alex's favorite tree. He had been allowed to pick it out all by himself, and he dutifully watered it every week. Its death had been slow and by Thanksgiving, when it showed no signs of perking up, Alex put it out of its misery and set it out for trash pick-up.

But for his first date in decades, Alex would point out the unspent money in the budget and nudge the ladies to pick up some higher-quality booze and maybe an extra bottle or two. He'd hide the other potted plants before the party and promise to clean up any vomit.

He went home that Friday with his stomach in knots. He was awfully lucky to land a date with a guy like Marcus. Surely, he would fuck it up.

Alex had no hobbies, no friends, and he was lacking in the good looks department. The only thing he had going for himself was that he was at least self-aware. He knew he was mediocre, and he didn't try to be anything else.

The most he could do was dress well and try to make his hair look nice in the mirror before he left. He tried using mousses and pomade, but nothing could transform his hair into looking like anything that wasn't flat and straight. His arms ached from holding them over his head, and he was frustrated.

At the very least, he supposed, he looked well-groomed. A close shave and combed hair made him look like he at least knew how to take care of himself. Maybe he wouldn't woo Marcus, but he wouldn't scare him off.

Eve leaned in the doorway of the bathroom and watched him fuss and primp.

"How do I look?" he asked.

"I don't care. I need to pee."

She shoved him out of the way and into the living room of their minuscule one-bedroom apartment.

"You look fine," she yelled through the closed door.

Alex wished she wouldn't talk to him while she peed, but there was nothing he could do about it. Her voice could be heard no matter where he was in the apartment.

"Thank you," he shouted back.

"Who is this guy again?"

"His name is Marcus. I don't know anything else about him."

The toilet flushed, and the sink ran. Eve pulled the door open and stared him down. She had such a serious face for such a young woman. She always had. Even when she was a baby, she always looked at Alex with an expression that seemed to say she was tired of his bullshit. Her new undercut made her look all the more edgy. It was a good look especially knowing she was actually quite timid and dorky.

"He's going to steal your kidney," she said.

"What?"

"You can't meet up with a total stranger at some restaurant. I was listening to this podcast the other day where this guy went on all these blind dates, but he would drug all the women once they started to hook up, and he sold their kidneys on the black market."

"First of all, he's not a stranger. He's a friend of a guy I know. Second of all, that won't happen. We're just getting dinner. And no one actually steals kidneys. That's not a real thing."

"Dude, I literally just listened to a podcast about it! You're going to end up waking up in a bathtub full of ice."

"I'm begging you to stop."

"Share your location with me before you leave."

Alex huffed about it, but he did pull out his phone and sent her a link to track him. If he did end up losing an organ, he could trust her to find him. She had the skills, he believed, after her continuous binges of true crime podcasts.

"Are you staying in tonight?" he asked.

"Don't I always?"

"Sometimes you see friends."

Eve flopped herself onto the beaten-down pull-out couch that also served as her bed. There was a mason jar across the room that pocket change and spare dollars got shoved into every few weeks, intending to be savings to get her a new pull-out couch to sleep on. They had a total of $53.24 according to a sticky note on the side. Though, Alex was sure Eve had pulled a wad of dollars out to get pizza the night before, so it was hard to tell if that was an accurate number.

"I go to meetings," she said. "I don't think my fellow club members really consider me a friend."

"They could be friends. You just have to, sort of, open up. Ask them to the dining hall or something after a meeting."

"Eh. I'd rather not."

"Then die alone. I was just going to remind you to lock the door if you go out."

Alex couldn't really lecture her about making college friends. He never had college friends. He didn't have friends currently.

But meeting with Marcus was making him a little optimistic in that respect. He might have finally been getting somewhere. If things went well with Marcus, they could become friends. If he didn't absolutely bore him to death, maybe Marcus would want to stay in contact with him. And Alex was happy with that outcome. A friend.

He donned his best jacket which was a 5-year-old pea coat that was pilling in the back and was no longer the dark black it had been when Alex's mother bought it for him. It was a little too heavy for the weather. New York hadn't plunged into the bitter cold winter yet. Regardless, it was Alex's best coat, and he thought the occasion called for something a little dressy.

Leaving Eve alone with a video game, Alex walked to the restaurant early and sat at the reserved table alone. He tug on a hangnail and ran his hands over his hair. His collar was too tight one minute but the next, he was worried he looked sloppy and re-buttoned it.

He ordered two glasses of wine and right as they came, right when he began to worry that he would be sitting at the table alone all night, Marcus was led in by the hostess.

Marcus was just as handsome as he was in his picture. He wore a nice, burgundy sweater and tight jeans. He was taller than his picture let on, and his legs were so long. Alex felt self-conscious immediately. There was no way he deserved this.

Marcus smiled with his too-white teeth. He raised his shoulders as he sat like he was sheepish about the whole thing. All of his movements—the way he had grabbed the back of his chair to pull it out, how he laid his hands on the table—were so delicate and calculated.

Immediately, Alex knew that Marcus was out of his league. Marcus looked so good and was so graceful. He was put-together, and Alex was awkward. And stumpy. He was feeling very stumpy after watching a human incarnation of a gazelle walk through the restaurant.

But Marcus began talking to him like he definitely wasn't out of his league, and that made Alex feel good about himself. And more importantly, Marcus didn't seem the type to steal a kidney.

Unless the charisma was part of the kidney-stealing plan.

There was no kidney-stealing plan, Alex told himself. Eve was just getting in his head.

"Tell me about yourself." Marcus swirled his wine around in his glass. Alex hoped he had made a good choice going with the second-cheapest option on the menu. He had hoped Marcus was also the type to drink inexpensive wine. "What do you like to do for fun?"

"Oh. Uh." Alex didn't have an answer. "Why don't you tell me what you like to do?"

"Okay!" Marcus seemed all too happy to talk about himself. "I like going to shows when I can—musicals, I mean. And other plays. But mostly musicals. But I don't get to do it all that much because it's so expensive, you know?"

"Yeah." Alex didn't really know. He wasn't a big fan of theater.

"So, usually I just do little things around the city," Marcus went on. "I get coffee. I go to a book club. I feed pigeons. I binge Netflix."

Binging Netflix was a conversation Alex could handle. "What are you binging right now?"

"I am a Killer which is that one where they interview all those death row inmates about their crimes. And that Night Stalker documentary. I think it's just called Night Stalker. Whatever it is, I'm like three episodes into it."

"Ooh." Maybe Alex wasn't leaving with both of his kidneys. "Do you usually watch a lot of shows about killers?"

"Yeah, I love them. I also listen to a lot of murder podcasts."

"Oh no."

"I'm sorry?"

"I meant. Like. Oh no. Like in a good way. Like we'll be here all night if we both start talking about it. My sister listens to them all the time."

Marcus smiled and delicately laid his chin on top of his laced fingers. Alex laughed uncomfortably. He was already ruining the night. Well-adjusted people could watch true crime. It was a billion-dollar business after all. Even Eve listened to descriptions of brutal killings on her way to class, and she was, for the most part, normal.

"What do you like about true crime?" Alex asked.

"I like learning how to kill people." Marcus laughed. "I'm just kidding!"

Alex laughed along, forcing it out a little too loud. "I hope so! I really, really hope that you're kidding!"

Alex rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants. He re-thought the well-adjusted thing as the waiter laid their plates in front of them. He liked both of his kidneys a lot. He wanted to keep them. He had spent his entire life with them.

"If you really want to know." Marcus cut a slice of grilled chicken on top of his salad to make it a daintier, bite-sized piece. He was great with knives it seemed. "I like true crime because I think there's a lot of advocacy involved in it. You know, when the victims get a chance to have their stories told. Especially when the victims are women or people of color. Or when they talk about how the police look the other way. There's some true crime that gets exploitive, but I think a lot of it is coming from a good place."

"Yeah." Alex nodded. His kidneys felt safe again. "I get that."

"And you know, it's important to be aware of who gets targeted and who doesn't get investigated by police. Cause a lot of the time, police won't really care if someone, like," Marcus waved his hands in front of his face, "me gets killed."

"Right. Right. My sister always goes on about the whole Jeffrey Dahmer thing. Where the police just handed one of his victims back to him."

Marcus threw his head back. "Don't get me started on that one."

But it was too late, and Marcus jumped into a spiel about how the police were willing to look the other way for white men, how it went back centuries, and how serial killers got away with everything because of the systematic racism in law enforcement. Alex listened with more interest than he thought he would have. Usually, when Eve went on her rants, Alex barely listened. He didn't doubt anything she said, but she picked the worst times for her amateur TED Talks. Usually, when Alex was trying to go to bed at night or working on one of his several spreadsheets for work.

There was something about the way that Marcus talked about it all. His delicate hands emphasized his points, his face went through a dozen expressions that were all so handsome. He was so passionate about it, and it was so refreshing to hear a guy talk about something other than fucking women or selling whatever to a record number of clients.

Marcus was still going on about how "the system" was set up to forget about those who were outside societal norms but cut himself off rather abruptly. He finished his comment on how Jack the Ripper would have been caught if he hadn't targeted sex workers, and then sighed.

"I am talking way too much," he said. "You said you have a sister?"

"Yeah. Eve."

"Aw. Eve's such a cute name. Is she older?"

"Younger. She's a sophomore in college. I think that makes her 19?"

Marcus snorted. A snort had no business being so cute. "Good for her. What's her major?"

It was amazing how Marcus knew how to keep the conversation going when Alex let his side of it fizzle out like a dead firework.

"Computer science," Alex said, picking up some momentum. "She's really good at it. She got all of these awards her first year at school, and now her professors are trying to get into all of these internships next year."

"That's amazing!"

"She is flunking math right now, though."

Marcus frowned. "Not amazing."

"It's a calculus class. It's a whole thing. She says it's not even all that important for her major—which I have no idea if that's true or not—but it's still a requirement, and she's worried it's going to tank her GPA."

Marcus ran the tip of his finger over his wine glass. "What even is calculus?"

"No idea. I just know it makes her cry."

"Poor thing. Can she get a tutor?"

"She's tried, but the academic center or whatever is only open when she's in class or working. Her only free time is in the evenings."

"That's so unfair! They can't do night tutoring?"

"Apparently not." Alex drank the last of his wine, hoping it would help him continue this bout of opening up and talking and making good conversation. "But she's smart. She'll figure something out."

"I'm sure she will. And it's sweet that you're so involved."

"Eh, we share an apartment. I hear about all of her crises whether I want to or not."

Something in Marcus' face softened. He looked almost distracted. "You share an apartment?"

"Yeah, it's cheaper for her to commute than to live on campus, and my apartment is close enough to her college that she can walk there. It just made sense for her to move in with me."

"It does."

"Do you have siblings?"

Marcus composed himself. He pulled his hands into his lap and straightened in his chair. "No. I'm an only child."

"Sometimes I wish I was an only child."

"Don't say that. Eve sounds nice."

"She can be. Usually to people who aren't me."

Alex didn't know how to find a way out of the dead-end response. Their meals were finished, and there was no check coming to give them a definitive end to dinner.

Marcus stretched his hand across the table, palm up. He smiled easily at Alex. Alex laid his hand in Marcus', hoping it wasn't sweaty or clammy or that he had misread the signal. But Marcus closed his fingers around Alex's hand and squeezed.

"Want to head upstairs for another drink?" Marcus asked.

Alex didn't know what "upstairs" meant, but he agreed. There could have been a bar on the higher level of the hotel. Maybe a rooftop thing.

Standing with him, Alex noticed that Marcus was a whole head taller than him. Embarrassing.

Marcus led him through the crowd of new guests being seated and nodded to the hostess at the front of the restaurant. He took Alex down the hall and into an elevator. The entire time, Marcus held his hand, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles.

It was the most touching Alex had had in years. It was a little pathetic, but he felt so relieved. He had finally met someone nice. He had finally found someone who seemed interested in him. Someone willing to touch him. The little touches meant so much whether or not Marcus knew it or not.

He had started the night hoping for a friend, and he looked to be surpassing that.

The elevator opened and revealed a row of doors. Alex followed Marcus out, a little fear creeping up in his stomach. He realized, as Marcus pulled out a key card from his pocket, that "upstairs" meant a hotel room.

But maybe it wouldn't be all bad. Alex supposed he didn't know if Marcus was from the city or not. He could have just been visiting and was staying in that hotel. It didn't necessarily mean he had just gotten a room for a hook up. Maybe the Douche Bags hadn't given him the whole story and didn't mention that Marcus traveled a lot or something.

The room smelled like a mix of cheap air freshener and laundry detergent. It was icy cold, and Alex wished he could have slid his jacket back on. When Marcus flipped on the lights, and when Alex's eyes adjusted, he saw the room was small with one bed and a bathroom close by.

The door settled heavily into its frame and locked. Alex stayed close to it, his fingers touching the thick wood behind his back.

Marcus laid his hand on Alex's hip, right under his belt. He kept smiling even as he leaned in and kissed Alex.

It was all so forward. Alex should have started asking questions earlier. He should have mentioned his boundaries.

Marcus pulled him away from the door and towards the bed. It was only a few steps, and then they were sitting together, Marcus getting handsier with every second. Alex sat frozen.

Marcus must have noticed how stiff he was because he leaned back and moved his hands from Alex's legs and waist to his hair.

"Nervous?" he asked. He sounded so sweet still. Alex felt bad that was about to let him down.

"I'm just not used to this, I think."

Marcus nodded. "It's okay. How do you want to do it?"

"Um. I don't—I don't know."

"I can lead if you want."

"I don't think I know what's happening."

Marcus stroked Alex's hair with one hand and looked at his watch. He sighed. "I don't want to rush you or kill the mood, but you only have about an hour left, and I don't give refunds."

Refunds? Marcus definitely said refunds.

"Wait. Wait. Wait." Alex swept Marcus' hands aside. "What do you mean?"

The sweet, caring look Marcus had was gone. He looked equally confused. "You paid for two hours, and I explicitly told you there's a no-refund policy when you booked me. You are the right Alex, right? I'm not with the wrong client?"

"'Client?'"

And all of a sudden, it hit Alex like a brick to the face. There was no luggage in the room indicating Marcus was staying there overnight. Marcus was very eager to get Alex in bed. No-refund policies. Client.

Alex screamed, "Oh my god!" and shot up off the bed and backed himself up in a corner.

Marcus also began screaming. "What?" he yelled. "What is it?"

"Are you a prostitute?"

"I'm—" Marcus lowered his voice. "I'm a sex worker. Aren't you my client?"

"No!"

Marcus' face turned grey, and his body deflated. His eyes turned from Alex to the floor in horror. His mouth opened and closed, trying to say something but no sound came out.

"I mean." Alex held out a shaking hand. He tried speaking quietly. "I was set up to go on a date with you, but I didn't pay for it. My friend told me you were a friend of his, and this was just supposed to be a date. Like a real date. I didn't know it was—a—a business transaction."

Marcus stared at him, still silent.

"My co-workers came up to me earlier this week," Alex said, "and they showed me your picture and said they owed you a favor. I had no idea what they were doing. I didn't know they had paid for this."

Marcus took a deep breath. His voice shaky, he tried explaining his side of it, "I got a message from you saying you wanted an appointment. And now that I'm sitting here I'm realizing I really need a better screening process for my clients. I thought you were acting really weird tonight, but I just thought it was part of the experience you wanted."

Alex was in full panic mode. He had unknowingly played a part in soliciting a prostitute. He could get fired. He could get arrested. He was most definitely not talking to the Douche Bags ever again.

He really thought he had made a real connection with someone, and it turned out that it was all fake. Marcus had been paid. He wasn't real. Never mind getting arrested, Alex hadn't been on a date at all. The charming, nice man who he thought liked him was just part of an act. His chest ached. His stomach sunk.

But more importantly, Marcus was staring at him like a deer in headlights now. And Alex thought about how scary the situation must have been for him.

"I'm going to leave," Marcus said.

"Wait. Hold on." Marcus hadn't even begun to move. "I just want you to know that I won't tell anyone."

"Okay."

"Like, I support legalizing sex work and all that."

"Uh."

"Everything you were saying at dinner about prostitutes being pushed aside in society and ignored when they get killed, I agree with all that. It's awful. I think you deserve rights."

"Are you just going to keep me here to ramble at me about how progressive you are?"

"Yes." Alex held up a finger. "Because I want you to know that you're safe."

"Insisting that I'm safe while you're backed into a dark corner talking about how sex workers get killed doesn't make me feel all that safe. You should know people know where I am, and they know your name and where you work—I mean, if any of that was real. I don't know anymore. But people know where I am and when this appointment is supposed to be over."

"I'm sorry. But really, I don't want to get you arrested, or hurt, and I definitely don't have plans to kill you. Can I just ask a few questions? Like who's impersonating me to solicit prostitutes? And how do I stop that from happening again?"

Marcus perched himself on the very edge of the bed. He looked Alex up and down and nodded.

"Only if you stop calling me a prostitute," Marcus said.

"Yeah! What do you prefer to be called?"

Marcus held his shoulders high and lifted his chin. There was still a slight tremor in his frame. "I'm an escort and a sex worker."

"Okay. Can we figure out, together, what happened that someone hired an escort as me? Because I genuinely had no idea you were an escort. I really did think this was a real date. And I have a hunch about who impersonated me."

Marcus nodded again. "Fine."

"Good." Alex slowly approached Marcus again and, not wanting to loom over him, sat on the bed, leaving plenty of space between them. He pulled out his phone. "These are the texts I got from my co-worker Andrew. He said he set up the date between us."

The reservation is at 6. My card is already on file. And don't forget what he looks like ;)

Below was the picture of Marcus that Alex had committed to memory.

"Yeah, that's me," Marcus said. "That's the picture on my profile."

He pulled out his own phone and opened an app Alex had never seen before.

"This is supposed to be you," he said.

He showed Alex a series of messages. They were all very professional. Back and forth about them meeting, reservations, and a Venmo transaction from hours ago that was definitely not from Alex's account. There was a picture of Alex, taken straight from his LinkedIn profile which was also provided in the messages. There was even a picture of Alex's ID, probably taken from files somewhere at work. Stu, after all, worked in human resources. It would have been easy to get any information they needed.

It was horrifying how easily the Douche Bags had impersonated him and how much thought they probably put into it. It was violating and humiliating and scary. It was illegal! Alex could have reported them, and they would lose their jobs. But that would be potentially dangerous for Marcus, and Alex didn't want Marcus mixed up in anything that could get him in trouble.

"So, it was definitely the guys I work with," Alex said, feeling so shocked and scared that his skin was numb. "But all that information they gave you is real. That's where I work and where I live. They probably pulled it from my employee file."

"Fuck. I really have to start requesting a selfie or something."

"It's like you said. People can get away with this stuff because sex workers get overlooked. I can't even do anything at work because then you'd have to get involved, and then that'd get you in trouble."

"It's honestly okay—I mean, it's not. It's really not okay at all. But I know how to patch holes in my system and spread the word about frauds."

"But it's still wrong."

"Well." Marcus locked his phone and shoved back into his tight jeans. His face was still pale. "I can't say something like this happened before. Your co-workers were thorough. I'm just glad we figured out what happened. And I'm glad you didn't flip out—okay, you kind of flipped out. But it could have been worse. I'm glad you didn't try to kill me or anything."

And Marcus smiled, a bit shakily, and Alex couldn't help the wave of heartbreak that washed over him. Marcus wasn't real. All the smiles had been paid for. His date hadn't been real. He was still alone and date-less, and to make it all worse, he knew the Douche Bags were probably laughing at him right about now. It totally should not have been his top priority, but the loneliness Alex had felt for years came crashing back tenfold. It was like he hadn't realized how alone he was until now.

Alex was pissed. He was mourning. He was feeling every emotion possible.

He couldn't help it. He started crying. He pressed his palms into his eyes and tried so hard to not make a scene. But his nose started running, and his breath was getting short and gaspy. He was an ugly crier. His eyes got red and puffy, and his cheeks got splotchy. He didn't want Marcus to see him even lower than he already was.

"Oh no," Marcus sighed.

Alex felt him stand and heard him move across the carpet. Probably trying to get out of there so he didn't have to see Alex's pathetic little display.

When Alex felt the bed dip again with his weight, he uncovered his eyes. Marcus offered him a box of thin, scratchy hotel tissues. His hands shook while he held out the box. Alex wanted to steady them, lay his own hands over them until the last of the fear was out of him.

"I'm sorry," Marcus said. "I'm sorry they did this to you."

Alex pulled a few tissues out of the box and wiped his eyes and nose as discreetly and politely as he could.

"I feel dumb," Alex said.

"No! Don't! If anyone is dumb, it's me. I should have made sure the account was legit. I should have asked for a picture of you holding a newspaper. Like what hostage victims do."

Alex laughed a little. Just a little. "They could have asked me to pose for it, and I would have."

"Okay, well, then I'll have to think of something else to stop this from happening again. I'll ask for a lock of hair or something extreme."

Marcus put his hand on Alex's back, and Alex wished he hadn't. It felt so nice.

"I don't think escorts are supposed to comfort people like this," Alex said.

"You'd be surprised. I've actually comforted a lot of crying clients before. It's part of my job. I'm a professional companion. And you still have me for an hour, so we might as well sit here together."

"I'll try to pull myself together within an hour."

"You better. If not, I'm still leaving. I don't do overtime."

Alex laughed again. It was amazing how Marcus could crack jokes while his not-client was breaking down next to him.

"And I do have plans at 9," Marcus said. "My brother and I have a very serious night of Netflix binging planned."

"Brother? You said you were an only child."

Marcus blinked, tilted his head, and then rolled his eyes. "Shit."

"Do you lie about your family to clients?"

"Of course. Just in case someone ends up being crazy and follows me home or something. Now pretend like you didn't hear me say I have a brother."

Alex wiped his nose and kept his head down. "I'm just curious. How dangerous is it being an escort?"

Marcus sighed. "Kind of dangerous? It depends. Sometimes, I get nervous."

He didn't elaborate, and Alex didn't push.

"But more often than not, people are just looking for someone to spend a night with," Marcus said. "And it ends pretty well. Sometimes there's sex, sometimes we just go out. And there's been plenty of crying, believe me."

"Are you just trying to make me feel better?"

Marcus rubbed Alex's back. It was very soothing. Still, Alex wanted it to stop.

"A couple of years ago," Marcus said, "I had an older client. I think he was in his late 60s. And his wife had died that same week."

"Oh my god."

"He just wanted someone to sit with him. His house was empty, he said. He just wanted someone to eat dinner and watch the news with. And he told me all about her. She was a teacher, they had traveled together, and they had volunteered at an animal shelter when they both retired.

"They didn't have any kids, so it was just him left. He was lonely. The funeral had been earlier that day, and he didn't want to cry alone that night. He found my profile, saw I speak Spanish and can mix drinks, and he hired me. And I just sat with him. I made him tea. I offered him tissues. He made me dinner."

"That's really nice of you."

Marcus shrugged. "It's my job. I do all sorts of things for people."

"But you must have helped him."

"I guess. Maybe. When I left, I said I hoped he would be okay. But I never heard from him again."

Alex was feeling a little better. At least he wasn't a widower.

"You're like a therapist," Alex said.

"Not at all. I'm just a companion." Marcus took a fresh tissue from the box and dabbed below Alex's eyes, cleaning up the tears on his cheeks. "I take care of people's social needs, that's all."

Alex smiled, genuinely. He did feel like he was being taken care of. Marcus smiled back. It seemed like Marcus had calmed down. His hands had steadied. The color was back in his cheeks.

"There we go." Marcus wadded up the tissue and left it on the duvet. "Feeling better?"

"Not a lot."

"Well, you still have a little under an hour, and your co-worker isn't getting that money back. And we have wine that's already been paid for. How about we both stay in here for a little longer until we've totally collected our nerves."

Marcus poured two glasses of wine while Alex tried drying up the rest of his tears and snot and threw the tissues away so the unfortunate housekeepers wouldn't have to pull them off the bed and floor the next morning.

Alex watched Marcus' delicate hands offer him a wine glass. His long fingers held the stem in between the most gentle grip.

"It really is okay," Marcus said. "You can keep crying if you need to."

"I don't want to cry. It feels like it'd give them too much satisfaction."

"Do you mind me asking why you even trusted your co-workers in the first place? They don't seem like they're your friends."

"They're not really. But I've known them for years. It's like a weird work relationship where you just start trusting the people you see every day."

"Aww. They really took advantage of you."

"Yeah. Maybe I'm just too naive."

"I don't think this makes you naive. I just think you were letting yourself be vulnerable and open to a first date. It's admirable. They just fucked you over."

Maybe Marcus had a point. He couldn't hold himself totally accountable. But it felt like he was in school again, totally unaware that he was being picked on until it had gone on for a long time. It was years of trauma resurfacing, and all of his bitterness was aimed directly toward the Douche Bags.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to look at them on Monday. They're probably expecting me to come in absolutely mortified."

Marcus laughed a little. "You could be like, 'It was such a nice night. Thanks for arranging it. Give Marcus a nice review for me. Hope you tipped him well.'"

"God, no."

"Or just plead ignorance. Tell them you had a great date and you think you want to see me again. Pretend like you never picked up on the fact I was an escort."

"They would shit themselves."

"Then do it! Don't let them think they've won this. I give you full permission to use stigma against sex workers to mess with them."

Maybe it was two glasses of wine talking, but Alex didn't think that was a half-bad idea. They didn't deserve the satisfaction of knowing how poorly Alex felt that night.

His bitterness was transitioning into a lust for revenge. He could embarrass the Douche Bags just as much as they tried embarrassing Alex. He was finally going to one-up someone.

It would be payback for high school bullies and the classmates who brushed him off in college. For once, Alex could grab control. He would not be the butt of the joke. He would not be the one uncomfortable or burning with shame.

New energy washed over him. Marcus' motivation and kindness were giving him a burst of confidence he had never felt before.

"What if," Alex said, "I do tell them that I had a nice night and that I did find out you're an escort?"

"Do it."

"And I maybe hire you again some night? But make it look like it's a real date?"

"You want to hire me to pretend to be your boyfriend for people who know I'm an escort?"

"Think it'll work?"

"I have no idea. I've never been asked that before. Usually, I'm hired to mingle with people who don't know I'm an escort. It's sort of the whole goal."

"It would be one more date."

"As long as you pay, I don't care what you have planned."

"It doesn't go against any moral code to trick people like this?"

Marcus raised his eyes to the ceiling and pressed his lips together. "I guess," he said, "if no one is getting hurt, it's okay. It wouldn't be any different than me showing up to parties pretending to be someone's partner, would it? You're not going to plan something malicious?"

"No." Alex laid his wine glass down on the nightstand. He stood and began pacing, wrapping his arms around himself. "I think if we could do one believable date, they'd buy it. And then I say it didn't work out for some totally normal reason."

"But how are they supposed to know about this second date?"

"Good point."

Marcus put his chin in his hands and leaned on his knees. He watched Alex's short walk from one side of the hotel room to the next. He had such large, beautiful eyes, Alex thought. Such a shame he would only see them one more time.

"Do you have any social commitments?" Marcus asked.

"Not any coming up."

"Not even an office party?"

Alex turned on his heel toward Marcus. Yes. "There's a Halloween party next month. Think you can pencil me in?"

"Is it on Halloween?"

"Yes. It starts at 8."

"I'll have to double-check, but I think it'll work. I try not to schedule anything on Halloween because it's my and my brother's favorite holiday, but I'll make an exception."

"Oh. Well, thank you. You don't have to do that."

"No, it's fine. I have a feeling Leo isn't going to be up for much this year."

"Leo's your brother?"

The soft look he momentarily had over dinner returned. "Yeah."

Alex sat back down. He might as well try reaching out to Marcus a little. "Younger?"

"Yeah. He's a senior in college. He's applying to a lot of grad schools, and deadlines are coming up." When Marcus talked about Leo, his voice was gentle, and he tucked his body into itself. "He might want me out of the apartment anyway so he can get work done."

"You guys live together?"

"Yeah. Same deal with you and your sister. He can commute if he lives with me." Marcus gently jabbed Alex in the side with his elbow. "Guess we have some things in common."

They poured another glass of wine for each of them and relaxed a little into the bed. Marcus rested on his side, propping himself up on his elbow.

"Leo's really smart," he said.

He began telling stories of Leo, how he was always great at solving problems when he was a kid. He was in his high school's honor society, he graduated with honors, he got a great scholarship to college. And now he had an astounding GRE score but was worried about finding a way to pay for his master's and all of the application fees.

It was unfair that someone so smart and who worked so hard was afraid of being able to afford school. Any school would be lucky to have him, but there he was trying to pick up extra hours at work so he could at least let the schools know he existed.

Of course, Marcus said, he was trying to help him pay for everything. He had covered the cost of the GRE for him as a birthday gift, and he was hoping Leo would let him pay for at least a few applications. Marcus was picking up extra clients whenever he could to try to get enough money together. He was always trying to take care of Leo.

He didn't let Leo pay any rent. Alex sheepishly admitted he had asked Eve to pitch in for some of the bills. Marcus told him different strokes for different folks. The city was expensive, and it was hard to make rent on one's own.

Marcus loved Leo dearly, Alex could tell. And he felt bad about thinking that Marcus was going to steal a kidney. He was clearly a sweet man. Alex could have stayed all night in that hotel room, just talking about siblings and the city. He wished the date had been real. He was sure he would have taken Marcus somewhere to keep talking. Maybe coffee. Maybe it could have been very romantic if he got lucky. And the potential for that romance or friendship would eat away at Alex forever.

He wanted to stay up all night with Marcus. He didn't want to leave.

But he only had that one hour. How much was even left? The bedside table clock was unplugged, and Alex dreaded checking his phone for the time.

"Shit," Alex said. "I'm sorry. It's 8:45. Shouldn't this have ended 45 minutes ago?"

Marcus shrugged. "You didn't get the full service tonight, so I think it's fair you got an extra 45 minutes. I don't have any other clients tonight."

"Yeah, but you have that Netflix binge."

"That I do." Marcus pulled out his phone. "Leo will probably be wondering what's happening if I stay at this hotel any longer."

"Does he track your location?"

"'Course. If I end up dead, he'll know exactly where my body is."

"My sister made me turn on my location in case you stole my kidneys."

"Smart girl. I listened to a podcast about that."

Alex didn't want to stand up from the bed, but Marcus got to his feet. He raised his arms above his head and arched his back in a satisfying stretch. His sweater and dress shirt lifted, and Alex saw a little sliver of his stomach. There was a little trail of dark hair above his belt. Alex loved little happy trails on men, but he had never seen one in person.

"Here." Marcus took the hotel's pad and pen off the nightstand. "I don't do this for a lot of clients, but since I apparently have a security issue on the app, I'm giving you one of my phone numbers."

"One of?"

"Yeah, I use one of those messaging apps that gives you a number that's different than your actual number."

"Clever."

"Thank you." Marcus tore off the paper and handed it to Alex. "Text me when you want to make plans for that party. I'll send you prices, and I'm going to make you go through my whole security process again. No offense, but since you technically haven't been through it yet, I'd like to double-check that I have all your current information."

"Yeah. Sure."

They left their empty wine glasses on a dresser. Alex's head was a little light, a little fuzzy. He followed Marcus through the cramped room, watching the back of his head. Marcus ruffled the curls, letting them come a little loose after pulling at them.

Marcus took Alex's coat and held it out for him put back on. Alex put his arms in, holding his breath.

Next, Marcus opened the door for Alex, and Alex thought he'd die from the chivalry. He paused in the hallway for Marcus to make sure the door had locked behind them before taking the dreaded steps away from the room.

"If it counts for anything," Marcus said, "I had a very nice night."

"Even though I cried?"

"I told you." Marcus lowered his voice. "People cry. It's fine."

Marcus called an elevator but didn't move when the doors opened. He gestured for Alex to enter. Alex figured that they were parting there, that their night together was over. Finally.

"I'll text you with the details about the party," Alex said.

"Sounds good."

Alex stepped into the elevator. When the doors began to close, Marcus threw his hand out to stop them.

"Some of my clients know," he said, "my name's not Marcus. It's Damián. That's my honest-to-god name."

"Damián. That's a nice name."

"I'm trusting you with it, Alex."

Damián hadn't taken his kidneys and left him for dead in the bathtub. Alex could return the favor and keep his name close to his chest.

Damián smiled one last time, showing his too-white teeth. The doors closed between them.

#writeblr #writblr #original writing #writing #lgbt #queer #queer fiction #lgbt fiction #nobody ends up dead #nobody ends up dead in a bathtub everyone keeps their organs

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sjsmith56 · 6 months

Text

Ride With Me - Chapter 16, Finding Jade

Summary: Bucky shows up unannounced at Ma’s place outside Santa Fe. Jade, initially excited to see him, gives him a hard time when he asks her to take him back.

Length: 5.6K

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Jade, Ben, Ma.

Warnings: For readers over the age of age of 18+ due to sexual content. Minors do not interact. Residual anger at Bucky mostly as Jade acts like a bitch towards him.

Author’s notes: final chapter. Originally my apocalyptic tale was much more bleak, filled with angst and suffering but as the story progressed it became more about people finding connection and hope. Especially Bucky, who never wanted to be looked upon as a leader and decided to go back to get Steve, knowing the group needed his reliable authority. It allowed Bucky, without that pressure on him, to come up with a low-tech tactic that he could test with strangers before offering it to the Avengers. Finally, about Jade...I didn't want the usual pretty girl. The model, whose image I used on the cover, is an Australian, Ollie Henderson. For a time she went all blonde to get a totally different look from her usual brunette hair. Jade had to be visually, mentally and psychologically different due to her childhood trauma with the religious cult. When she took Bucky's memories into her own consciousness I wanted to show how it upset the yin and yang that was their relationship, leading to their breakup.

<<Chapter 15

🏍️🏜️

Eight months after Bucky left the Bunker. Four days after Bucky left New York.

Jade was busy scrubbing the dirt off the rocks she had collected that morning. There were some good specimens in there. Good enough to bring in some money at the rock hounds sale in Santa Fe in a month once she sliced and polished them. The rock hounds club in Albuquerque had asked her to set up a table there but she had declined. Still too many dark memories of that town. She could hear Ben laughing in the house and looked at Ma.

"He's talking to Peter," she said. "He's supposed to be teaching him but they're talking about gaming."

"Can you tell them both to get back at it?" she asked. "Honestly, you would think Peter would know better. I've a good mind to phone May."

Ma laughed. "You're sounding more and more like a normal mother every day," she said. "What happened to you?"

"Don't go there, Ma," said Jade. "It was my decision. Normal mother sounds good to me right now."

She bent back over the bucket and scrubbed too hard on the one stone. She splashed water on her shorts but ignored it as the dry New Mexico air would take care of it. It had been almost nine months since the showdown with the cult in Albuquerque, eight and a half months since they implemented the plan to destroy all the Others' queens, eight months since she last saw or heard from Bucky. That wasn't quite true as he sent a postcard from New York City, showing it being rebuilt after the attack on the Others there. All it said was "Thinking of you, Bucky". That had been over a month ago and since then, nothing from him directly.

Peter had sent out little snippets of information since they all left, complete with links to news video coverage. About six weeks after Bucky left there was a live streaming event of a news crew at Avengers HQ shadowing the various members of the Avengers. Some of them like Steve, Peter and Sam were very open and informative. Scott was very popular being the friendly man that he was in real life. Bucky was reclusive, not wanting to be filmed or interviewed. When they did finally get him in a sit down situation he was abrupt and clearly uncomfortable. The footage of him and Steve taking on a series of nests by themselves and running so fast as they dropped off the flash bangs that they were both a blur was popular, generating a lot of likes on social media.

Just a month and a half ago the Avengers were given the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction and the Congressional Gold Medal for their efforts in fighting the Others. A week later they were interviewed on CBS Mornings in New York in the rebuilt Times Square with fans behind security barriers holding up signs naming their favourites. The signs with Bucky's name were being held by predominantly female fans. His reclusive nature had appealed to a certain type of woman who all thought he should show his face more. The hosts showed a picture of Bucky with his short hair working on his motorcycle to the screams of his female fans. Word from Peter was that Bucky was still debating whether to stay in New York with the Avengers. Apparently his decision was still unknown.

She heard Cherry nicker in her paddock and called to the mare, one of the three horses the Avengers had bought from the outfitter. Cherry was the first one she had connected with and they still had a good relationship, just not a telepathic one anymore. Apple, a chestnut mare, and Butch, a roan gelding, had also made the trip to their home. Clint would have liked to take them to Missouri but thought it was too long a trip to subject them to so when she and Ma moved near Santa Fe after finding that big hunk of gold they brought the horses with them. Drying her hands she went over to the fence.

"What is it, girl?" she asked. "Am I not giving you enough attention?"

She felt inside the food bucket and brought out a piece of carrot for each of them, stroking their necks as they crunched through their favourite vegetable. Two miles away where the road to their property came off the highway she caught the sound of a big motorcycle, loud and loved by gear heads, slowing down on the highway and turning onto their road. At first she thought it was somebody using it to turn around but the dust plume from the rear of the bike kept coming closer. Buddy sat up, his ears perked forward, watching the rider approach.

"We have company!" she yelled.

Ma came forward, peering at the approaching motorcycle. Then a smile crossed her face but she said nothing other than it was a friendly. She went back to her garden leaving Jade to greet the visitor. Jade waited and the biker finally pulled up in front of her. It was a man and after he stopped he tugged off his leather gloves. It was then she noticed the black metal hand.

"Bucky?" she said.

He took his helmet off and she rushed to him.

"Hold on," he said, smiling. "Let me get off the bike."

As soon as he was off the bike she jumped into his arms wrapping her legs around him. He wrapped her in his arms, running his hand through her hair and kissing her when she finally raised her face to his. Buddy started barking happily, his tail wagging as he recognized Bucky. Ma came forward then with a big smile on her face.

"About time you got here," she said. "Poor girl has been pining away for you."

"I wanted to come sooner," he said, "but I had obligations. I'm on leave for a month so I'll be hanging around, if that's okay."

"You're always welcome, Bucky," said Ma affectionately, "always."

Jade was crying now, still wrapped around his waist. He held her like a baby, stroking her back and talking softly into her ear. It took a few minutes before she relinquished her hold on him and turned away, wiping her face. By that time Ben had heard the commotion and came to the door.

"Bucky!" he said, running to him and giving him a hug.

"Jesus, kid," said Bucky, rubbing the boy's hair. "What the hell is your mom feeding you? You've grown almost a foot since I last saw you."

"Ma says it's a growth spurt," replied Ben. "I've got hair growing in strange places, too. And you wouldn't believe what I wake up to some mornings."

Bucky burst out laughing. Ben was still the most direct kid he ever knew, not that he knew many. But if anyone could get through puberty without trauma it would probably be him. Everything was just normal to him.

"How come you never called or wrote?" demanded Jade, anger replacing her tears. "I received one postcard with one sentence in almost eight months. We have a phone you know."

"I know," he said. "I have no excuse other than things have been hectic with the hunt for Others nests. The military is taking over a lot of the hunts now so the Avengers get to go back to being the Avengers."

"Does that mean you're staying in New York?" asked Jade, a little fearful.

"Well, no, not exactly," he said. "I'm staying with the Avengers but they want a permanent presence at the Bunker now. Bruce already decided to stay there and I kind of like the peace and quiet."

"Which is why you have one of the noisiest bikes, right?" said Ma, laughing.

"What can I say, I'm a complicated guy," he said. "Jade, would you take a ride on my bike with me?"

"Only if you go horseback riding with me before dinner," she said. "Those are my terms."

"Fair enough," he said smiling. "I could use a drink and the use of your bathroom."

"Ben, get Bucky a beer," said Ma. "Come sit in the cool of my garden when you're done."

Bucky took his back pack off, and went inside, ducking his head at the low door. Ben pointed to the bathroom. When he came outside he went under the pergola and took his leather jacket off. A beer was sitting on a side table near Jade. She patted the open space beside her. He took a long drink of the beer and looked at the three with warmth. They still felt like family to him.

"Tell us everything," said Ma. "How is everyone?"

"Peter is in university, but you already knew that," he said. "Steve is in charge of the Avengers and is doing a ton of recruiting, Sam is still Captain America. He and Maria went back to Louisiana but he's on call all the time and can pretty much fly anywhere in the country within an hour. Scott and Hope are staying in California but they're on call as well. Clint decided to retire but I think he'll be bored out of his skull in six months. He had a protégé all ready to take over from him, named Kate Bishop. She lived with his family during the occupation. Wanda is Wanda. She'll be there if and when we need her. Strange is kind of working with Steve to find suitable Avenger candidates. King T'Challa died but his sister Shuri and Queen Ramonda lived. They will get Wakanda back on its feet in no time. Still no sign of Thor or the Guardians. New Asgard survived and Valkyrie still rules there. That leaves me. How have you all been?"

"Ma and Bruce are dating," said Ben.

"I just go out there and spend time with him," said Ma quickly. "I wouldn't call it dating. It's not like we go anywhere. We just enjoy each other's company."

"But you do sleep together, Ma," said Jade with a mischievous look in her eyes. "I can tell."

Bucky looked at Ma, smiling. "Seriously?" he said. "You and Bruce? Nice."

She didn't say a thing, just sat there with a small smile on her face.

"Did you ride your motorcycle from New York?" asked Ben.

"I did," said Bucky. "I packed some clothes in my back pack and headed out on the road, all the way here."

"What are your intentions?" asked Jade, suddenly.

"That's why I want you to take a ride with me," replied Bucky.

"Take the ride, Mom," said Ben. "Oh, sorry, was that out loud?"

"You've been hanging out with Peter too much," said Bucky smiling. "But he's right. Take the ride with me, Jade, please."

She agreed and when Bucky finished his beer she put on her jean jacket, which was actually his jean jacket that she stole when they still lived in the Bunker. He looked at her bare legs beneath her shorts.

"You should put some jeans on," he said.

"I'm fine," she said. "Lead on."

He shrugged and gave her his helmet to wear. Then he mounted the bike, started it up, and waited for her to get on and wrap her arms around him. He carefully drove the two mile road to the highway and set off for wherever he fancied. After about 15 minutes he saw a sign for a state park lookout and pulled into it. She got off the bike and took the helmet off. He lifted his right leg over the bike and sat facing her, pulling her in close. She lifted her right leg and leaned on him with her knee on his thigh.

"I am sorry," he said, touching her face. "I should have never left but all I heard in my head was you telling me to leave."

"I also told you I would talk to you later but you just flew off the handle and left without even saying goodbye," replied Jade, trying not to cry.

He pulled her in even more so their bodies were touching, cradling her face in his right hand, while his left hand was on her hands behind her back.

"I regretted it the moment I was on the highway but my pride wouldn't let me come back," he said softly. "I wanted to call since then but I wasn't sure you would talk to me after I left without a word to you. Me deciding not to call was easier than hearing you say you wouldn't talk to me."

"No excuse," she said, pulling away and standing several feet from him. "It was just a stupid argument. I thought you didn't want me anymore after my decision."

"What? No!" he exclaimed. "That had nothing to do with it. You had to do what was best for you. I respect that. What we experienced together, that will be special forever. But I fell in love with you, not your gift."

She sighed and walked away from him towards the fence overlooking the view. He came over and leaned on the fence next to her. They didn't speak for a few minutes.

"You cut your hair," she said. "I liked it long. But you look good all the same."

"We had to do some media stuff and one of the criticisms of my appearance was it made me look homeless or like a motorcycle gang member," he smirked. "Not the image they wanted for the new incarnation of the Avengers. It's already grown some and won't take long to grow longer, if you like it that way."

"Why should I have any say in it?" she asked. "It's not like we're a couple anymore."

"That's why I'm here," he said, turning to her. "I never wanted to leave you. When we were together I always thought we would get married, maybe have a kid or two."

"Then why did you leave?" she yelled, trying not to cry. "Especially when I needed you so much? I cried for days!"

She walked away from him to a place where a bench was and sat down, putting her face in her hands. He watched her then walked over and sat next to her. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a black bandanna, offering it to her. She took it, blew her nose and offered it back but he told her to keep it.

"Because I was an idiot," he said bluntly. "Trust is hard for me, as hard as it is for you. When you told me about Strange and Wanda removing your abilities I was hurt that you would take that step without talking to me. It was always your decision, I get that, but I wanted to have my say before you did it. I over reacted and said some shit to you because that's who I am sometimes. I tried to take it back as soon as I said it but you wouldn't listen so I did what I'm really good at. I ran away, and I've been miserable without you ever since. I even trashed a building when I realized how stupid I had been."

"So why are you here, Bucky?" she asked, poking him in the chest. "Why are you really here?"

"I'm going to be stationed at the Bunker, permanently," he said, grasping her hand and stroking the back of it. "Starting in a month. I want you to come with me, Ben and Ma as well, if they want. I want to marry you."

He didn't know what he was expecting but yanking her hand out of his, picking up a bunch of rocks and throwing them over the fence wasn't it. She stood there after, her nostrils flaring, her eyes glaring and looking ready to burst.

"You have your nerve," she said defiantly. "We bought that place with the gold we found. It's ours, completely ours. We have a good life here and you want us to uproot everything to go and live in that concrete box again?"

"Okay," he said carefully and calmly. "Then marry me, stay here during the week and either come to me for the weekends or I come here. Lot's of couples do it. I don't want to be without you again, Jade. I've been miserable since we broke up. Whatever you want, I'll do it, anything except quit the Avengers. It's what I do best and I like it."

She sat back down next to him and looked at him. "This is when I miss my gift," she said. "This is when I would take a peek in your brain and see if you were serious. I can't tell because I never had to develop the human ability to tell when a person was full of shit."

"Do you still love me?" he asked. "I think you do, otherwise you wouldn't have greeted me the way you did."

"Yes," she admitted. "I don't know why but I do."

"Sure you do," he said. "You know why you love me. Say the reasons. I'll start. I make you feel safe."

She looked at him expressionless until he raised his eyebrows.

"You listen," she carried on reluctantly. "Your body makes me weak in the knees. Your eyes are like the ocean. Your voice is so soft and silky that it makes me wet with desire. Your stupid face is in my dreams every night. You've ruined me for other men. I don't want anyone else. I want you."

The last parts were spoken with a whisper as she struggled to keep her composure but he heard her loud and clear.

"Then say you'll marry me and we'll work out how we do this," he said quietly. "Because I want you, too. I love you and I want a life with you, however we make it work."

"I have to think about it," she said. "Really think. I'll give you my answer when we take our horseback ride."

"Okay," he said, satisfied for now. "Let's go back, before Ma thinks I kidnapped you."

Only love can bring the rain

That makes you yearn to the sky

Only love can bring the rain

That falls like tears from on high

Love, Reign O'er Me by The Who

"It's raining," said Bucky, looking out the window. "We won't be able to ride."

Jade looked outside. "It's virga," she said. "Rain that evaporates before it hits the ground. Stop trying to back out."

She had already saddled Butch for Bucky and was just saddling Cherry. Even without her gift she could tell Bucky was nervous about riding Butch, but it was so needless. Butch was a big softie of a horse, calm and compliant. A baby could ride him. She finished tightening the straps and stood beside Butch.

"Want a hand up?" she asked, sarcastically.

"No, I remember how," he said, miffed.

He put his foot in the stirrup and lifted himself up onto Butch. Jade mounted Cherry with ease and she pulled the reins to take the trail leading away from their house.

"We're off, Ma," she yelled. "Back at sunset."

"Dinner will be ready," Ma yelled back, watching them go, calling back Buddy, then whispering. "Say yes, you silly girl."

"Stay on the path," said Jade. "There are rattlesnakes around."

"Where are we going?" he asked, bringing himself alongside her.

"To a nice view," she said.

"Thanks for giving me my jean jacket," he said.

"You're welcome," she replied.

"You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?" he asked.

"No, I'm not," she snapped back. "There's something about being kidnapped by a religious nut bar who expected me to lay on my back and spread my legs for him that changes a person, especially when he turned out to be my father. You want me? You woo me."

She rode a little faster to get ahead of Bucky. He realized she was doing it deliberately to hurt him physically since he was such a lousy rider. Swallowing his pride he encouraged Butch to go faster and he caught up to her.

"How can I woo you if you won't slow down?" he asked.

"Aren't I worth a little discomfort?" she retorted. "I recall you saying you would die for me. This isn't death, just hard on the ass."

"Man, you have really become quite mean since you gave up your gift," he said pointedly. "Lost all of your empathy, your calmness, your good manners."

Jade smirked and rode even faster. She turned around to look behind her and didn't see Bucky. She stopped and turned Cherry around only to have Bucky whip by her from the opposite direction. He looked back with a big grin on his face as he expertly pulled up.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered. "He took riding lessons."

He rode back to her and she saw he was quite at home in the saddle. With grace, she smiled and conceded a draw. She led him back onto the original path and they finally came to the spot she wanted him to see, a view of rolling hills to the west as the sun was low.

"This is a nice view. I missed these sunsets," he said while he looked out over the vista. "I took riding lessons when I was researching a delivery method that didn't depend on me and Steve running all over the place. I'm not as good as you, obviously, but I can handle it."

"The horse detachments...that was you? Did you also do it for me?" she asked.

"Partly yeah, I did," he said. "What Clint said about the Others not being threatened by the horses stuck with me and I worked on the idea. Then as I got more comfortable riding I knew I wanted to come back and ride with you. When I found out you brought the horses here it became a goal for me. I envisioned us doing this, going for a leisurely ride just before sunset, when the light was golden. I imagined us bringing our horses close together, and me leaning over, and kissing you."

He did the movements he described as he said them. After kissing her he sat back in his saddle and pulled a small box out of his jean jacket. Ma had given it to him in the house; she had kept it safe until he returned.

"I saw myself bringing this box out and showing you this ring that I made, with Ma's help, with the jade gemstone in it that you found on one of the best days we ever had together. I practiced saying Jade Chambers, would you marry me? I thought I did a pretty good job of it as well. Of course, in my imagination you always said yes."

"You jerk," she whispered. "Why did you have to go and make it so perfect? Now I can't say no."

"Is that a yes?" he asked bringing Butch closer.

She didn't answer.

"Jade, will you marry me?" he asked, his horse right beside hers.

"Yes, it's a yes," she whispered back, trying not to cry.

He leaned over and placed the ring on her finger, then pulled her close for a passionate kiss.

"Does this mean you forgive me as well?" he asked innocently.

"That depends on tonight," she said, with a smile. "But your chances are good."

"Then we better get back," he replied. "Don't want to keep Ma waiting. She's practically screaming in my head right now."

Jade laughed. She took his vibranium hand in hers. "I really missed you," she said, tears finally forming. "I truly thought you didn't love me anymore. That's when I missed my gift the most. But I couldn't keep it, knowing there were people who thought it made me something I wasn't, a prophet, an object of worship, or a weapon. That's why I did it. It has changed me. I'm not that strange anymore, except my looks. That still causes peoples' heads to turn. But then I open my mouth and they know I'm normal."

"I still worship you," he said sincerely. "You're still beautiful inside and out. We made love with the mental connection that one time and I will always remember how special it was. It was a gift because I let you in and I had never let anyone into my head like that before or since. You know my deepest darkest secrets and fears yet you still love me. You will never be just normal to me, you will always be special."

They kissed again, and as if knowing, Butch and Cherry moved closer so the two riders didn't have to lean over as much. They heard a rumble of thunder and looked around seeing a storm starting to develop in the distance. Bucky turned Butch around and they started back for the homestead. By the time they got back and had unsaddled and cooled down the horses a wind had picked up. Ma called them in for dinner and commented they would get a good storm that night. While they ate they could hear the incoming thunder but there was no visible lightning or rain until they had finished. Ma looked at Bucky and Jade and told them to go on to bed upstairs, she and Ben could handle the cleanup.

"Upstairs?" asked Bucky. "I thought this was a single story ranch house?"

"Optical illusion," said Jade. "Come on."

Bucky grabbed his back pack and they went up a narrow staircase to where a bedroom had been built in the attic with a skylight window facing north. It was rustic and cozy, and it would be theirs.

"Who did this?" he asked.

"Ma did some serious negotiating with some tradespeople for the staircase, window and the electrical," Jade replied. "We did all the sanding. I bought the furniture and bedding from some of my earnings."

"I thought you didn't think I was coming back," he said.

"Ma kept saying you would and her future seeing was always better than mine," she answered.

"Then why didn't the cult kidnap her to be their prophet?" asked Bucky. "I always meant to ask that."

"Because she was past child bearing age," said Jade. "Elder Abraham aka Dad said he was destined to be the father of greatness with the white haired mother of greatness, which was me, not her. Enough talk."

"One more question," he said, "I promise. You still have your implant?"

She lifted up her arm and showed him the small scar from the injection then lifted up her other arm with the faint but large scar where her father tried to carve out her birth control implant. He touched the large scar then put his hand on her face and kissed her softly. She kissed him back and they sat on the edge of the bed, caressing each other's face and hair. Leaning forward she pulled his shirt off, tracing the edge of his prosthetic shoulder with her fingertips, then to his pectoral muscles before stopping at the top button of his jeans, undoing it. He pulled her shirt off, smiling that she wasn't wearing a bra. He pushed her down onto the bed to caress her breasts and kiss her neck. Her pale skin glowed in the dim light then a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, lighting everything up in its brilliance. It was quickly followed by a crash of thunder. They both undressed completely and got under the covers waiting for the next lightning flash. As they waited they softly kissed and caressed, becoming familiar with each other's bodies again. By the time the thunderstorm started in earnest they weren't paying attention to it any more. Instead Bucky was in her slowly thrusting himself deep as he kissed wherever his lips moved to. Jade ran her hands down his back to his bottom squeezing and pulling him closer. He started mouthing her ear and moved down to her breasts. Pulling his face back to hers Jade kissed him, running her tongue over his before kissing him hard. She clenched around him and he groaned feeling her tighten. With a grin he ground his pelvis into her, connecting with her clitoris and drawing a large sigh from her as she lifted her face upwards towards him. As they both got closer to the moment before their bodies would release in a flash of pleasure he brought his face down to her ear.

"I found you, Jade," he whispered. "I saw you on Red Wing's surveillance video. It was me who told Steve where you were while he was out on patrol. All I saw was your hair, your beautiful glorious hair. That's why I combed it out and washed it when you were still unconscious. I wanted to see your hair."

"I know," she murmured back. "I saw the memory in your head right at the beginning. It's why I was attracted to you from the start. You saw beauty in me before anyone else. I saw it in you, too, James."

They kissed deeply for a long time still moving in rhythm as their passion built to a crescendo of cries and thrusts until they reached their pinnacle together. She arched her back, crying out his name and he pressed himself into her neck with loud gasps. Below them in the living room, Ben looked up.

"We'll be hearing that a lot for the next month," he said drolly, as he rolled the dice while they played Yahtzee.

"Why don't you put some music on?" said Ma. "I know Peter gave you some playlists. Let your grandmother listen."

Ben took out his iPad and connected to the Bluetooth speaker, then picked out his favourite playlist. There were swear words in it but if Ma said to play it then he was going to play it. Above the living room they were just coming down from their bliss. Jade heard the music playing and her eyes grew big as she heard some of the words. She was going to go downstairs and say something but Bucky grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms.

"It's a different world that we live in," he said, kissing her. "He's a good kid. Let him have his music. He's probably playing it because we were a little loud. You want him to listen to us having sex or a few swear words?"

He winced when The Penis Song by Macklemore came up. "I'm going to kill Peter Parker," he said, flopping back in the bed.

Jade started laughing and kissed him again. She laid on top of Bucky and looked at the engagement ring with her namesake gem stone in it and thought back to the day when they found the piece of jade together. It was before the cult kidnapped her. They were walking along the wash away from the Bunker. Everyone had got into scouring the area for gemstones and Jade had shown them how to shape, sand and polish the stones. The geodes had become popular as room décor once she showed them how to crack the rocks. She had found the jade by accident, noticing a fossil exposed by the last rain. Together they had uncovered parts of the fossil and debated digging it out but it was huge so Bucky made a GPS record of it for the time when they could notify the university about it. Just beside it was a small piece of jade that had been scoured on the side facing up. Bucky said it matched her eyes and asked if he could have it for a project. She realized right at that moment that the ring had been the project. He had worked on it since before the cult took her. Looking at him, she smiled.

"The ring was the project," she said. "You've wanted to marry me for a long time."

"Took you long enough," he replied, amused.

Pulling her into his arms he kissed her again and played with her soft fine hair that he had always loved. For the next month they would be in this bed often when they wanted to be intimate. They would also ride his bike, ride the horses, and he would start being a real father to Ben. Working out how to have a long-distance marriage would take time but he knew in his heart they would definitely marry. Then someday have a child together. He had found his gem, his Jade, and no one would ever separate them again.

Things are beautiful if you love them.

Jean Anouilh

💍 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

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I hope you all enjoyed this different take. If you did, please like, comment or reblog.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #buckybarnes original female character #steve rogers #sam wilson #alien invasion #soft bucky #bucky barnes romance

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