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sunlightmurdock · 6 months

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The Odyssey | 0.9 | Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

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You arrive in Venice, and reach a breaking point of sorts.

Warnings: enemies to lovers, power imbalance (professor / student relationship), age gap (22 / 33), swearing, infidelity, explicit pictures, smut f receiving, 18+ minors dni, wc: 6.8k

…

His lips are on your neck. Kissing you slowly, his mouth spreading like fever along your throat and down your chest. He’s between your legs. Your thighs bracket his hips, his hands are trailing along your bare legs.

Each time he sucks softly at your throat, you make the same delicious little sound. Barely audible. Just for him. The sweetest little whine, so eager for more. Sweat beads along the valley between your collarbones, chased by the hot muscle of his tongue. It’s not a summer kind of heat.

It’s crackling from the living room still and the smell of wood burning fills his fourth floor apartment. It smells like November.

His shirt and shoes are on the floor and yours is unbuttoned, hanging off your shoulders. His thumbs trail along the joint where your hips meet your legs, then squeeze, pulling you tighter against him.

Your hands trail over his shoulders, skin against skin as your skirt bunches pliantly around your hips. Along the nape of his neck, brushing softly against the trimmed hair at the back of his head. Soft breaths, fanning against his bare throat.

His mouth reaches the space between your breasts and you keen into the feeling, stretching into his touch. Salt on your skin, sweetness from your perfume, the warmth of your mouth. It all feels so real.

But he knows it isn’t. You have never been here, in his bed — back in his home outside of Ithaca. His mind conjured the image without prompt, this perfect scene of you nestled into his sheets, half-dressed like this.

His fingers curl into the sides of your cotton underwear, his mouth sucks softly at the flesh of your breast and your fingers freeze against his skin. Then, they pull back and shove at his shoulders. Panicked, pushing at him like a trapped animal.

“Don’t. Bradley, don’t. Please don’t.”

Bradley wakes up cold in a way that doesn’t reflect the temperature. He packs the room silently, dodging Luke’s morning small talk. He’s the last down to the lobby, the fog in his brain this morning feels like it’s weighing him down.

He collects the room keys and completes the paperwork, then follows his class out to the bus where Pasquale is already helping them load their luggage once again. It’s a beautiful day out. It takes him a second to spot you.

Leaning in through the side door of the bus and wedging a bag under your seat. You’re bent at the waist and wearing white tailored shorts that hug your waist. He almost shivers at the scene his mind had conjured up.

“You okay, Bradley?” Abigail asks, reaching out and resting her fingers against his elbow. “You look kinda lost.”

“I’m fine. Thanks. Everyone hurry up, let’s hit the road already.”

Without a word, he walks past you and enters the passenger side. After your argument last time, you presume that you’ll sit in the back with everyone else again, and he doesn’t stop you.

It’s not a long drive but it takes him twenty minutes to finally glance up at the rear view mirror. You’re sitting behind him, staring out of the window with your headphones on your ears, nodding your head to the beat.

He turns his attention back to the road quickly. Before you have a chance to notice him. He’s dreamt of women before. He’s had dreams that felt real before. He hasn’t ever been left feeling like this before.

Every sexual encounter that Bradley has ever had, the lines have been very clear. It has always been an enthusiastic yes. Even when he lost his virginity on his seventeenth birthday in the back of his mother’s station wagon and Naomi had been out after curfew — she might have been terrified of her father finding out where she was, but she was all over Bradley.

Taking the lead hadn’t ever been a problem, his actions had always been very well received. Bradley isn’t a creep. He respects women, he likes deep conversations, he knows how to handle his emotions most of the time and he’s good in bed.

The dream plagues his mind. Visions of that terrified look in your eye. The sound of your pleading. He’s not sure what his subconscious was trying to teach him. He analyzes it like literature.

You were there. That part makes sense. Especially after yesterday. You’ve been thinking about your feelings for him, it makes sense that his feelings for you would be on his mind.

But you weren’t here. You were in his bed, in New York. You’ve never been there before. He would never let a student come over to his place. But location is the least of his worries.

Your blouse was white. He has seen you in it before, he just can’t place from where. It was unbuttoned all the way. Open down the middle and dangling off of your shoulders. You weren’t wearing a bra. Because he saw you in that nightdress last night, he’s sure. Images of your nipples perked and hard are easy to conjure with how often he has thought of them in the last twenty-four hours.

He hasn’t ever seen you naked, but the image in his head seems right — it had seemed so real. Living, breathing flesh, right there in front of him.

Next comes him reaching under your skirt, curling his fingers around the sides of your underwear. The panic in your voice, the way your body had turned rigid. Like you had been afraid that he just wouldn’t listen when you asked him to stop.

It’s all in his head. He’s sitting here, sweating over a situation that hasn’t even happened, and he’s still stuck on the most important aspect. Why.

It’s not because Bradley is afraid that he wouldn’t stop. There’s no risk of that. He wouldn’t dream of it, the idea makes him sick. Which means that it’s you. Something in him has him scared to death of seeing this situation play out again, and him not waking up this time.

Sex hasn’t ever been a big deal to him. Whether it happened or it didn’t. Where, or when. It didn’t ever matter much. But to you, it clearly does.

Regret. Realization hits him at once. His gaze flickers up to the rear view mirror once more. After reading the letter yesterday. After the evening in your room.

Sex is where this is leading. Kissing. Hanging out in your room alone. It’s where this will lead eventually, and you’re going to wind up regretting it. That’s what he’s afraid of.

He exhales deeply and rests his chin against his palm, turning his face toward the window. It’s selfish to want more. That doesn’t stop him from shifting in his seat, letting his hand slide slowly around the back of his seat.

You flinch as his fingers brush your knee, broken from your daydream. Glancing down, you watch him squeeze the apex of your calf muscle softly, brushing his thumb over your skin once, twice and then withdrawing his hand.

Turning your head, you look to the rear view mirror and find him already watching you. Your lips twitch, almost pulling into a smile. He shoots you a quick wink. Then, you look back out of the window with warm cheeks and a little smirk on your lips.

Finally, Bradley looks back to the notes that he had compiled from Verona, sitting on his lap, and exhales. He can focus.

Venice really isn’t that far. Before he knows it, Pasquale is pulling into a parking space and the doors of the minibus are open. Settling his papers back into their folder, Bradley reaches for the door handle and stops.

In front of him is the woman he spent five years loving. She’s crossing the street with her arm looped through a much older man’s. It takes Bradley a second longer to recognise him.

Andrea Mancini. He was Bradley’s landlord in Sorrento. He’s also a professor of Classics, and a pioneer in his field. Suddenly Natasha being here makes a lot more sense — she’s with the man who introduced them. Andrea always liked her.

She doesn’t notice him, her head thrown back in laughter as the two of them continue across the road and into a cafe.

Three days in Venice. He wonders to himself if, between you and Natasha, he’ll make it that long.

Still, everyone already thinks that something is going on with him after he wandered out to the car like a zombie this morning, he needs to get his shit together. He steps out of the car onto the sidewalk, stretching his neck as he looks around.

His eyes land on you, facing away from him with your film camera plucked from your bag and aimed towards the street ahead. His brows knit together slightly as he watches Abigail approach you. She taps gently on your shoulder and your head whips around to look at her.

“Did you want me to take your picture?”

Tugging his bag from the storage up onto his shoulder, he just watches as your eyes widen in surprise. His mouth twitches, but he doesn’t let himself smile as you dumbly hand her the camera and take a few cautious steps back.

Over Abigail’s shoulder, you catch Bradley watching you and your cheeks burn. A smile tugs at his lips, nodding for you to go ahead. You swallow, tilting your head and smiling at the lens like he isn’t there. You’re so sheepish under his gaze. Finally, he grins across at you, pushing a hand into the front pocket of his blue jeans.

Once the keys are handed out, Bradley gives all of his students free reign of the city — the itinerary doesn’t kick in until tomorrow, they’re free to do as they wish until dinner at eight. Given that Bradley has work to catch up on, you’re left to your own devices too.

On this particular day, the tides are low and the city smells like the ocean. Salty, sure, but not humid and sticky like the family trips down to Charleston you had taken as a child. Narrow alleyways that are smaller than your own wingspan. Bridges upon bridges. Tall, practically ancient buildings with long, arched windows.

You spend your afternoon wandering between cafes and buildings, street markets and cathedrals. It’s a beautiful place and you can already picture how Malcolm will react to your pictures here. It’s late afternoon and you’re between streets when you stumble across a boutique that you hadn’t yet crossed. The only thing that catches your eye is a flash of sleek, dark hair.

Turning your head, you notice Natasha standing at the cash register. Poised, her head is held high and her shoulders squared. She has a polite smile on her face. It’s then that you notice where she is — where you are. Standing outside of a boutique that specializes in bespoke Italian lingerie.

Narrowing your eyes, you watch as the cashier hands her a cute little designer bag with a bow at the top. But, you don’t have time to stare. You walk ahead, directed back to the hotel to change before dinner. Bradley is the first one at the restaurant, with Pasquale sitting at his side.

“Ah! — Natasha!” Pasquale waves, straightening up in his seat with a grin on his face. Bradley damn near gives himself whiplash turning his head. “I ran into her earlier, I invited her to eat with us?”

“You did what?” Bradley gawks.

There she is, standing in a form-fitting red dress, strutting towards him in black heels. Behind her, Bradley spots you standing in the doorway in a cute white geometric wrap dress, your mouth hanging open. Fuck. This entire thing feels like a game of chess. You sit directly opposite him, and Natasha’s sitting directly at your side. Every single move feels dangerous.

“So, Natasha, how do you and Bradley know each other?” Robin asks.

Bradley watches you roll your eyes and knock back a sip of wine. He joins you in your sentiment as Natasha nudges her elbow against his. Natasha’s smile is so effortless, so beautiful.

“We studied together. I introduced Bradley to Classics when he got out of the Navy.” She explains calmly.

“Bradley was in the Navy?” Abigail gasps from the end of the table.

“Yes! Here,” Natasha turns and grabs her bag, pulling it into her lap and starting to dig through it. She still hasn’t said a single word to Bradley directly yet, but the eyes that she’s making across the table at him tell him everything about how she’s expecting this to go. Oddly, Bradley doesn’t feel quite as self-destructive as he normally does when she’s around. She plucks a small photo wallet from her bag and opens it up. “Look.”

There he is. Watching through the grainy photograph is a twenty-year old Bradley. He’s leaning back against a plane, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a smirk on his face that makes you that little bit more into him. He’s head to toe in his uniform. Younger, sure, with tidier hair, but he looks very much the same. Moustache, muscles, mean look on his face.

Natasha flashes a few pictures from the album, but you’re paying more attention than most. Bradley engages to a polite level, discussing their various study trips with the group as Natasha displays pictures of them. You narrow your eyes, chin propped up on your fist.

She’s careful with her little album. She will happily display any of the pictures in the wallet, but her pinkie finger is tabbed against a page near the back, keeping it from popping open. Hiding something. Lingerie. Photos of him when he was young. Secret pictures.

You’ve had enough.

It’s after you’ve eaten that Natasha is called to the bar by an old friend. Apparently she has a lot of those. You’re left alone, her purse sitting on the seat beside you, wide open.

You swallow softly, glancing up to check that she’s still standing over by the bar, then back at the Polaroid album in her bag. She stopped three pictures early. You’re reaching out before you have the common sense to stop.

The black leather cover folds back far too compliantly and once again you’re met with that grainy picture of Bradley in all green, short sleeves rolled up around his biceps, smiling at the camera around a thin cigarette.

Another quick glance towards the bar, you confirm that Natasha’s still over there. But you fail to check on Bradley. He’s frowning across the table at you, wondering what you’re staring at.

You’re busily flipping through the album. You can’t help the curiosity. You’d seen the magnetism between them up close back in Como.

All of a sudden, your suspicions are confirmed. You’re not looking at photos of historical sites anymore. Tucked away at the back, is first a picture of Natasha laying on her back amidst unmade sheets and pillows. She’s grinning at the camera through her dark eyelashes, wearing nothing but a black silk bra topped with white lace. Bracketing her ribs, are a man’s knees. You know wordlessly that Bradley’s the one behind the camera. Those are his thighs.

Your mouth feels dry, but you turn the page anyway. Bradley watches your eyes widen across the table. You stare at the picture of Natasha’s naked chest. She’s pushed up on her palms this time and her smile is gone, she’s staring right at the camera lens with a dark, sultry gaze. Her breasts are full and round and there’s not a single tan line on them. She still sunbathes topless now.

Bradley leans one elbow on the table and looks around him before drawing just slightly closer to see what’s got your attention. His eyes blow wide open in immediate recognition.

He remembers that exact day, and that brown Polaroid camera. It was a week and a half before Natasha left him.

But it’s too late, you’re already turning to the last page, and Bradley knows exactly what is going to be in that photo slot. He shoots a look over to Natasha at the bar, then back at you. Pasquale’s sitting right next to you. Bradley swings his foot under the table and kicks it into your calf.

You gasp sharply, and not because he just swung his size thirteen Converse tennis bland into your leg. The kick, though, does make you jump enough to drop the small photo album.

Bradley’s chair scrapes across the floor loudly as he ducks down to retrieve it from under the table. You follow him down, it’s closer to you.

Finally, he meets your gaze, under the table cloth in this busy restaurant, his cheeks swelling to a deep blushed red. Adam's apple bobs in his throat. You stare across at him. Lips parted, just blinking. He curls his fingers around the photo album and snatches it from the ground, sitting back upright in his seat.

Numbly, you follow his lead and withdraw from under the table. Not only is everyone now staring directly at you, but Bradley’s staring at something behind you. You flinch, squeezing your eyes shut as Natasha moves her purse from her seat and sits down once again.

Bradley shoves the photo album into his pocket.

“You okay, Bradley?” Zoey frowns at his side, glancing between him and you.

“Yeah. Fine.” He answers, clearing his throat and reaching out for his wine glass. You’re barely breathing, watching him gulp back Pinot Grigio like it’s water. Zoey’s attention then turns to you. You just exhale and turn your chin towards the ceiling.

There’s no way that you can bear to look at either Natasha or Bradley now. Or maybe ever again.

Bradley feels the photo album practically burning a hole in his pocket. Natasha shouldn’t have brought these photos. Truthfully, Bradley didn’t even think she still had them. And, of all of the people at this table, you’re probably the last person he would have wanted to see them.

The third picture was of Natasha sitting up in their shared bed, wearing a pair of black silk underwear. Her eyes hooded lustfully, her red lips wrapped around the tip of Bradley’s dick.

Bradley hits the bottom of his wine glass and sets it down on the table, exhaling deeply. Through his burning embarrassment, he feels eyes on him. It’s either you or Natasha and he doesn’t want to look at either one of you just yet.

It feels like it all takes far too long. Everyone’s just having a great time, and Natasha’s got plenty of interesting stories. She was always charismatic.

Bradley’s just staring at the artwork behind your head and wondering if she kept their video tape too. He swallows dryly at the thought. Finally, the bill is settled and the party begins to file out of the restaurant and onto the cobbled street.

The first inhale of cool air is cut short as Bradley feels an arm loop through his. Natasha presses herself against his side and looks up at him, opening her mouth to speak. Bradley isn’t looking at her. He’s watching you watch her.

Swiftly, you press your lips together and turn on your heel to head back to the hotel.

“We should catch a show or something while we’re here.” Natasha says to the group. Bradley threads his arms out of her grasp as she’s met with a round of agreement from his student.

“Let me check that she gets home okay. I’ll meet you at the theatre.”

“We haven’t decided which show we’re seeing.”

“I’ll figure it out.” Bradley’s already waving her off and heading down the dark street after you. The sound of your heels on the cobble gives you away, he’s able to catch up to you quickly.

“Slow down, stop,” Bradley’s fingers curl around your shoulder gently, trying to guide you to a stop. You shrug out of his touch, eyes focused ahead, without faltering in your pace. “Honey — talk to me, look at me.”

Embarrassment surges through you. Thinking of Bradley tonight. Natasha, alone in her expensive penthouse suite. Natasha’s husband must not know why she’s here. She wouldn’t be staying in such luxury if he did. She wouldn’t be if he saw those pictures.

You can picture it now. Thick, heavy curtains and exceptionally soft, white sheets. Your mouth tugs into a small frown at the thought of the king-sized bed in that room.

Bradley’s following behind you still, trying to get your attention, tugging gently at your arm and begging you to stop and talk to him. You’re paying no attention. You just can’t stop thinking about the two of them together.

Bradley’s heavy hand gripping the headboard, his broad shoulders squared in front of it and Natasha under him. Wearing lingerie that her husband paid for, her hands in Bradley’s hair and her deep lipstick smeared on the thick column of his throat.

You’re being ridiculous. He wouldn’t have sex with her tonight. Not when… — fuck, that thought is even more ridiculous than the first. Of course he would. He has before, many times, and there’s no way you would be the one thing to stop him.

Unless. The thought strikes you like lightning, and it seems to be the lightning itself that makes you spring into action. You turn and catch the back of his neck, tugging him down into a stony kiss.

“Don’t sleep with her tonight.” You breathe against his mouth, pressing your chest into his, kissing him again. Bradley’s brows draw together as his hands find your waist. “I’ll do it. I’ll — I’ll let you have sex with me, just don’t go to her.”

“What?” Bradley gawks, his hands holding your hips tight as his eyes search over your face.

You chase his mouth, fingers trailing over the hair at the nape of his neck. “Please.”

He turns his head, feeling you kiss softly at his cheek in an attempt to gain his attention again. He sighs, dropping his hand from your waist and linking his fingers through yours. “Come with me.”

It’s a short walk, through dark streets. He would have never let you walk this distance by yourself. It’s not cold tonight. It’s warm enough outside that you wouldn’t need a jacket. And yet, Bradley can feel your hand trembling against his.

Swallowing dryly, your heartbeat is in your ears as Bradley leads you through the hotel lobby and silently into the elevator. He hits the third floor and it illuminates. You press your lips together, staring at the dark wood on the inside of the doors.

Neither one of you says a thing. You glance briefly down at the way his hand eclipses yours. The way he’s holding on to you. Your heartbeat rattles on, slow now but heavy. Just like your breathing.

The doors open with a ding and Bradley doesn’t hesitate in walking out, his grip on your hand taking you along with him. Trembling from head to toe, you follow him to your hotel room. He turns and stares at you expectantly outside of the door, dropping your hand.

You fumble around in your bag for the key and produce it, handing it silently over to him. Bradley presses it into the lock, twists and then pushes the door open.

“Go ahead.” He tells you.

You glance up at him, finding his face calm and collected. Pressing your teeth into the inside of your bottom lip you step around him and into the hotel room.

It’s cold, and empty. You had left the window open before you had left the room for dinner. Bradley closes the door behind you as you flick the lamp beside the bed on.

“So… how do you want—“

“Stop talking.” Bradley tells you, standing with his back pressed to the door. He inhales deeply and then exhales. Your eyes widen as he pushes away from it and starts towards you. He steps past and sits down on the edge of the bed. “Sit down, and listen to me.”

You stare at him. He shoots a look towards his parted thighs and then back at you, lifting his eyebrows expectantly. You drop your shoulder bag to the floor and let him guide you down against his thigh.

He lifts his hand and brushes your hair back off of your face, searching your features for some kind of clarity. He’s feeling out of sorts himself, after the polarity of his day. Waking up with you begging him not to, sitting now with you telling him that he can — but he knows you don’t mean it. You’re terrified that he won’t see right through you.

“I’m sorry that you saw those photos,” Bradley tells you calmly. He leans forwards and presses his lips to your cheek as his palms snake around your middle. He squeezes softly at your waist, resting his chin against your shoulder. “I didn’t know she still had them.”

“I don’t want to talk about Natasha.” You tell him, pulling back to look him in the eye. Your lip trembles as you trail your fingertips along his jaw.

“I told you to listen.” Bradley shakes his head. “I like you. You know that?”

“Stop.” You sigh, dropping your head in shame.

Bradley leans in close and kisses you softly, pulling back to rest his forehead against yours. “I like you. For a dozen reasons that have nothing to do with whether or not I want to sleep with you. Alright?”

“Bradley. I’m not a little kid, you don’t have to talk to me like I am.” You huff.

Illuminated solely by the soft warm light of the lamp, the irritation that flashes briefly across Bradley’s face is softer tonight than it is in direct sunlight. He opens his mouth like he’s going to argue with you and then closes it again to think on it more.

“I’m not going to fuck you because you’re freaking out over some pictures from like eight years ago. That’s not—“ You scrunch your nose at his choice of words. Bradley shakes his head at you. The second that he leaves this place, he’s Natasha’s.

“I want to.” You rush out, resting both hands against his shoulders.

His mouth twitches as he shakes his head again. When he closes his eyes, you’re back in his apartment in Ithaca. Begging him to stop. He pinches your hips gently. “Honey, no you don’t.”

Your face falls, embarrassment and anger swirling through you as Bradley holds you against him. “What does Natasha have that I don’t?”

“What?”

“That makes you want to have sex with her and not me.”

“Fuck me.” Bradley sighs, letting his head fall forwards to rest against your collarbone. He smiles against the skin of your throat. “That’s not — honey… come on. That’s not true.”

“This isn’t funny.” You remind him, scowling seriously.

“I want you.” He promises, nodding slowly. His palms flex around your soft middle once again, his eyes lowered to study the cute purple, white and yellow geometric wrap dress you’re wearing. “But sex is a big deal to you, and I’m just trying—“

“It’s not.” You tell him. “It’s fine.”

“Fine — can you stop?” Bradley sighs, lifting his head finally to frown at you. “Stop guessing at what I want. I’m not going to sleep with Natasha. I’ll stay here with you all night if that’s what you want.”

Silence falls between the two of you. All that rigidity in your trembling body seems to just melt away. Bradley closes his eyes as you lurch forwards and wrap your arms around his shoulders.

He rubs heavy circles along your back, turning his face into the crook of your neck.

“Sorry.” You mumble into the fabric of his shirt. Bradley huffs out a dry chuckle, shaking his head at you. You press your lips to his neck, kissing his pulse point as another, silent apology. Bradley’s hand trails up the length of your spine, into your hair. Another soft kiss, your mouth pressing softly to the warm skin of his neck.

The first two could have been passed off as innocent enough. It’s the third that isn’t. You cup the other side of his neck and press your chest into his, kissing him a third time. This time, you suck tenderly at his throat as you pull away.

Bradley trails his thumb along the nape of your neck, eyes closed as you press against him once again. This kiss is open-mouthed. Your tongue is warm, and wet against his neck, trailing the skin before your lips close around the spot.

“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” He chuckles without opening his eyes, curling his fingers loosely into your hair. He feels your mouth twist into a sheepish smile against his collar. You kiss once more, nothing more than a gentle peck against his pulse point.

“Bradley…” Your palm spans across his chest, stretching up onto the broad plain of his shoulder.

“Hm?” He breathes.

“Can we… Can I… Could I touch you?”

His brows knit together. With you purring in his ear, kissing his neck, sitting there against his thigh, it’s all too tempting to just answer with the first thought that springs to his mind. He’s smarter than that.

“That’s not a good idea.” He decides with a soft shake of his head. You hum in quiet, dejected agreement. Bradley drops his hand to rest against your knee. He promised to stay in here with you all night, and he’s got no clue how he’s going to get through it without making this a thousand times more complicated.

He toys with the hem of your dress under his index and thumb. It’s cute, and summery. He imagines that girls your age probably find it pretty on trend. It’s modest enough, resting an inch or two above your knee.

Bradley looks up and finds you watching him. Studying his face with a pressed look on your face. Your eyes drop down to his hand toying with the hem of your dress, then back up to his face. He watches as you chew awkwardly at the skin of your lip. It’s on the tip of your tongue, you just don’t know how to say it. You’ve been taught that it’s not your turn.

His hand dips swiftly under the hem and curls around the meat of your thigh, just inches from the platonic safety of your knee.

“Are you wet thinking about all this, honey?” Bradley whispers. Your eyes widen slightly and you swear that he hears the thudding of your heart with the way he squeezes tighter at your thigh. Fuck, he shouldn’t have said that. The way your breathing quickens has his mouth going dry. “Can I feel?”

Blinking, it takes a second for your brain to catch up. You nod at him, shuffle your knees apart. Bradley’s slow, his eyes on yours as his fingers slide along the soft skin of your inner thigh. Inch by inch, his eyes steady on yours. The crook of his knuckle is the first thing that touches you, brushing gently against the cotton gusset of your underwear.

“You’re sure?” Bradley asks. Once again, you nod at him. He hooks a finger into the fabric and nudges it slowly to the side. Your fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt. His fingertip trails your labia first, then gently dips between your folds. His brows knit together. “Fuck...”

Your eyebrows raise, watching him silently.

Bradley should stop and retreat to the far side of the bed, but he doesn’t. This was already a step too far. Kissing you was a step too far. He doesn’t care.

His finger trails through your excitement cautiously, his eyes studied on the way you’re nipping at your bottom lip. The pad of his fingertip reaches the slight bump of your clitoris and your thighs press together around his hand.

“You want me to stop, baby?”

Suddenly, your mouth doesn’t feel dry at all anymore. Even with the window still wide open, the chill has dissipated around you. Now, it’s just hot. Hot on the nape of your neck and across your chest, and between your legs.

“I don’t know.”

“You just tell me if you do, alright?” Bradley tells you, stroking a hand over your hair, pressing a delicate kiss to your temple. You nod slowly, your lips parting as he presses the pad of his thumb over where his index finger had been just a second ago. His touch is featherlight as he swipes a slow circle around the sensitive bundle of nerves.

You’re suddenly very aware of how still you are. Maybe you should be touching him. Or kissing him. Or moving at all. Or just breathing. You inhale deeply beside him and your head rush starts to fade.

His free hand pulls at your waist, shifting the way you’re resting against his thigh as he rubs softly at your clit with the other.

“Oh.” You gasp through your teeth, squirming away from his touch, your growing excitement soaking his fingertips already. “That’s — is it meant to feel like that?”

“Like what?”

“That’s… a lot… is all.” You tell him sheepishly. Bradley nods his head along with you, withdrawing his hand from your underwear. “Wait, I didn’t mean to stop.”

His mouth twitches into a boyish grin as he grips your hips and turns, planting you on your ass on the bed. “I’m not stopping. Not ‘til you tell me to. Just close your eyes.”

You lean back on your palms and close your eyes, feeling him leave the bed. Bradley settles onto his knees, guiding your legs slowly apart. You feel him lift the hem of your dress and set it around your middle. His gaze settles on your plain white, cotton underwear briefly, before flickering back up to your face.

Just as quickly as they had closed, your eyes shoot wide open again and you sit bolt upright. Bradley’s mouth pulls off of your thigh and he smiles, already bracing for what’s coming.

“What are you doing?”

“Sit still,” He muses, kissing your skin softly once more. His mouth is practically watering as he curls his hands around your thighs and tugs you to the edge of the bed. “I just want to see something.”

He watches you frown uncertainly at him, gnawing at your lip so hard that it’ll be sore tomorrow. Bradley hasn’t been with a girl who was a virgin since he lost his own virginity. He swallows, reminding himself to be slow. Really, he wants to tear those cute cotton panties down your legs with his teeth.

Instead, he gently holds on to your ankle and kisses the inside of your knee. You watch him intently. Lips quirking, Bradley drags his lips from your knee to the apex of your thighs, kissing lazily at your warmed skin. The hairs above his lip tickle your thighs and make you fidget under him, hips stuttering into the air.

Both of his large paws come up to pin your hips into the mattress, drawing a shocked gasp from your mouth. His touch softens, loosening his grip slightly. You catch sight of the soft smirk on his lips as he glances up at you.

Helpless, you fist your hands into the bedsheets as he lays soft, tongue-fuelled kisses against your inner thighs. Once again, as the tip of his nose grinds into your clothed pussy, you gasp through your teeth again. He smiles against the fabric, pressing a soft kiss to your pubic bone over the cotton.

“How are you feeling, honey?” Bradley asks, stroking his thumbs in slow circles over your clothed hips.

“Um… okay. This is fine.” You tell the ceiling, uncurling your hands from the sheets in case he can see the way your knuckles were straining.

“You want me to leave your underwear on or take it off?” Bradley asks, pressing another hungry kiss to the top of your clothed core. Your brows draw together slightly, frowning at the ceiling fan.

“Will it still work if you don’t?”

Work. He almost snorts at your choice of words, but now isn’t the time to be laughing at you. “Yeah.”

Proving it will probably work best. He leans forwards, his broad shoulders pushing your thighs further apart. Slowly, like he’s trying not to spook you, Bradley presses his mouth to your body, closes his lips together and sucks your clit through the fabric.

Helpless once again, your body betrays you by jolting against him, seeking something more than he’s giving you. Bradley smiles, flexing his hands around your hips.

There’s a brief moment of quiet. “You can take them off.”

He gives you a moment to decide if you’re certain. Slow, he flattens his tongue and licks a stripe down your clothed folds. Spit-soaked, your white panties stick to your glistening core.

“I want you to.”

Bradley’s meaty hands leave your hips for a moment, trusting you to behave for him. They slide up to the softness of your stomach, squeezing at your skin, tugging you closer against him. Like he just can’t have you any closer. Watching you through hooded eyes, Bradley presses an experimental kiss to your still clothed lips, his own eyes closing as the first taste of you permeates that soaked cotton and dances on his tongue.

“You tell me if you want me to stop. I’ll stop. Alright?” Bradley breathes out, lids heavy with lust as he curls his fingers into the sides of your underwear.

“Don’t. Don’t stop.” You rush out, a little bit too quickly. Bradley swallows as you lift your hips for him to undress you. He rolls the cotton under his fingers, gliding the flimsy garment down your legs. He’s practically salivating, reminding himself to be gentle.

He can be gentle — but he’s done waiting. Another seething gasp pulls through your teeth as Bradley dives forwards, pinning your hips, pressing his lips to your soaked pussy. He licks a slow stripe, purely for his own pleasure, groaning softly as your taste coats his tongue.

The wet muscle of his tongue swirls your entrance, teasing you by nudging the tip just a fraction into you. Heart thundering in your chest and through your ears like a train chugging along a track, steaming towards danger. Instinctively, your thighs aim for each other and clasp around his ears.

Bradley chuckles against you, grabbing at the backs of your thighs and pushing them back against your middle.

He groans, licking deeper. His dick is hard, pressing uncomfortably against his zipper to the point that it’s distracting. He fumbles with his buckle, one handed while his other hand presses your stomach down into the bed.

Even one handed, he has your eyes rolling back into your head and your body trembling with every languid stroke of his talented tongue.

His free hand dips into his jeans, boxers and wraps loosely around his cock. All the while, he’s sucking and kissing at the most sensitive parts of your body like it’s a personal hobby. His tongue trails in every which direction — there seems to be a pattern to it, but you can’t place it. Your head is spinning too fast for any of that.

He slows, groaning eagerly. You’re soaking his mouth, his mustache and his chin. You’re gripping the bedsheets like you’re about to rip a hole in them.

“Bradley, wait, wait wait!” You shriek. Withering under Bradley’s heavy hands, shaking and digging your heels into the mattress.

He relents and you almost curse at him for it. Bradley nips at your thigh, replacing his mouth with his thumb. “Do you actually want me to stop?”

“I don’t know.” You pant out, whimpering.

“Let me make you cum, honey, you’re gonna be just fine.” Bradley’s breath fans out against your sensitive core and makes you jump.

“Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.” You babble, squeezing your eyes tightly shut, reaching instinctively for his hair. Bradley abandons his own need and grabs your hips with both hands, burying his face between your legs again.

His mouth works feverishly, tightening that coil in your stomach until you’re seeing stars behind your eyelids. Usually, Bradley likes to let his partners ride through their orgasm on his face. Today, he relents. You’ve been brave enough for one day.

“What the hell was that?” You pant out as Bradley kneels on the bed, moving your dress back down to cover you. Wiping off his jaw with his palm, Bradley leans forwards and kisses your forehead.

“That, honey, was your first orgasm.” He should feel so ashamed of himself for breaking his number one rule, making this mistake with a student. But, for you, he would do it a dozen times over.

Blinking, you look down between your body and his. His jeans are unbuckled, unzipped and the tent in his jeans is pressing against your belly button.

“Should I…?”

“No. No, it’ll go away.” Bradley tells you, pressing forwards and kissing your forehead once more. Your eyes flicker again.

“Could… could I see it?”

…

Tags: @thedroneranger @batdanceq @cassiemitchell @himbos-on-ice @wkndwlff @bradshawsbaby @damrlova @fudge13 @xoxabs88xox @mak-32 @sihtricswife @callsignvenus @callsign-joyride @harper1666 @krismdavis @sheisanangell @thecitysgraveyard @sugarcoated-lame @kmc1989 @cherrycola27

#bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #miles teller #bradley bradshaw smut #jake seresin #rooster x you #rooster bradshaw imagine #top gun smut #bradley bradsaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x you

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tip-top-cloud-surfer · 1 year

Text

The Ironies of Life (Part 2) - Rooster

Pairing: Rooster/ Fem!OC (Naomi)

Word Count: 3.0k

Warnings: (Unplanned) Pregnancy; Exes; Emotional Angst; Named Female OC (Naomi), but No Physical Descriptions

This work, all of my other works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only.

Naomi is referenced as being a woman and she was previously an officer in the Navy. But otherwise there is no description of her physical features or her surname, so fill in as you wish.

Summary: Naomi and Rooster sit down together. Maverick and Penny offer some guidance.

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4

Master List

Naomi stared at Rooster for a moment, waiting for him to actually react.

He managed to stumble over to the seat across from her, but now he seemed to be back to his staring blankly phase. His eyes were wide and occasionally flicked down to her bump. But otherwise, there was barely any indication that he was even breathing.

“Rooster?” Naomi called softly, trying to bring him back into the present. A few beats of silence passed before she added, “Bradley?”

But Rooster just kept staring at her and not saying anything, so Naomi wasn’t sure what to do. Letting out a breath to calm herself down, Naomi scooted forward a little bit more and rested her hands on the table to steady herself.

“I just want to tell you that I’m not expecting for you to commit to anything during this conversation,” she started off softly, managing her tone.

Naomi studied Rooster’s expression for a moment, but he remained frozen in place. She was half-tempted to snap her fingers in front of his eyes, but maybe it was better this way. She could say her part and all of the words that she practiced over and over again without interruption.

“I don’t expect you to want to get back together or to want to be involved in this baby’s life,” Naomi continued quietly. “You made it very clear that a kid doesn’t fit into your life plans and that’s fine. I don’t want to force you to be a parent. I’m not going to force you to be a parent.”

Naomi was starting to get just a little more anxious as Bradley continued to just stare at her.

“I just thought that after all of the time that we spent together . . . after everything that we went through . . . I thought that I owed you an explanation. Face-to-face. And that’s my only goal of this conversation: to just tell you about the baby.”

Naomi folded her arms protectively over her bump and took another deep breath to steady herself.

“If you want to talk about your role—whatever it is that you feel that you’re comfortable with, if it’s anything—I’m here to talk. We can seek mediation or go to counseling too if you feel that it’s necessary. Or if you want to just get up and leave and not look back . . .” Naomi let out another breath. “. . . that’s your choice and I won’t stop you.”

She flicked her eyes up to meet Rooster’s gaze once more and straightened up in her seat. He seemed to be coming around some more but there was still that blank look in his eyes. Reaching for her water, Naomi took a long sip before turning back to Rooster.

“Bradley? Can you hear me?”

“You’re pregnant?” Rooster croaked out a few moments later, his voice hoarse and strained.

“Yes, I’m pregnant,” Naomi confirmed, nodding slowly. “About six months along now.”

“You’re pregnant,” Rooster repeated dumbly.

“Yeah,” Naomi held out, starting to wonder if Rooster was having a stroke or something. “I’m pregnant.”

“How?” Rooster breathed out, earning a sudden sharp look from Naomi. “No, I know how, but how?”

“Do you remember when we went to my friend’s wedding? The one that we started to have that fight on the dance floor?” Rooster nodded slowly in confirmation so Naomi continued on with her story. “Well, remember how we took it outside because we didn’t want to cause a scene? And that fight that we had in the vineyard?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, remember what we did after that fight?”

“You’re on birth control,” Rooster stated, like it was the answer to all of his problems. As if Naomi wasn’t visibly pregnant right there in front of him. “I saw your pills. You took them every day. Every day. And you always told me if you missed one.”

“Yeah, but I had to switch them, remember? Because of the side effects. And the new pills weren’t as effective as the old ones.” Naomi fiddled with her fingers nervously and looked down. “I think that it slipped our minds in the moment. We weren’t exactly focused on anything else than . . .”

“But . . . but . . . but . . .”

Rooster held his head in his hands and seemed to be somewhere along the lines of a breakdown based on the way that he was rocking back and forth in his seat. Naomi sucked in a breath when her baby leaned just a little too heavily against her bladder. Trying to cross her legs, Naomi turned back to Rooster, who seemed to be in the middle of his own personal crisis.

“Do you want me to call someone for you?” Naomi asked softly, genuinely concerned for him.

“No, I—Jesus fucking Christ, Naomi,” Rooster cursed, holding his head in his hands again. “What the—when did you find out?”

“About a month after we broke up.”

“You mean after you broke up with me?” Rooster muttered, though he didn’t dare meet her gaze.

“Yes,” Naomi replied calmly, expecting the response.

“Fucking hell,” Rooster cursed again, rubbing his face aggressively.

“I’ll give you a moment,” Naomi offered, reaching for her purse as she stood up.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Rooster interjected, standing up quickly and nearly knocking over the table in the process. “You’re just going to leave after dropping that bomb on me?”

“No, I . . .” Naomi glanced around the patio before leaning in a little closer and dropping her voice, “. . . I just need to use the bathroom. The baby is sitting on my bladder.”

“Oh,” Rooster breathed out, glancing down at her bump.

“Here,” Naomi replied after a moment, holding out her keys. “I’m not leaving. Just going to the bathroom. I’m coming back. Okay?”

“Okay,” Rooster breathed out, staring at her keys.

Naomi shot him a small smile before heading inside the café. Rooster sunk back into his seat and placed Naomi’s keys on the table in front of him. Staring down at them and thinking over the mess that he called his life, Rooster whipped out his phone. Calling Phoenix, Rooster pinched the bridge of his nose as he waited for the call to connect.

“How’s it going?” Phoenix asked as she picked up the call.

“What the fuck, Nat?” Rooster demanded, unable to hide his aggravation.

“Look, you two needed to talk. And no one else needed to get involved. Are you finished up already?”

“We barely started,” Rooster insisted, glancing inside the café for any sign of Naomi. “How in the . . . what the fuck, Nat?”

“I know.”

“She’s pregnant.”

“I know.”

“With my baby.”

“I know,” Phoenix agreed softly. “I noticed.”

“What the fuck am I going to do?” Rooster groaned, dropping his face into his hand. “What the . . . I . . . this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“I would suggest talking to someone with a little parental experience,” Phoenix stated honestly, not wanting to give her opinion on the subject.

Hell, Phoenix did not want to wade into this debacle. Rooster was her best friend and she got along well with Naomi when Rooster and Naomi were dating. No one did anything wrong and they both had their reasons for their stances in the situation. But that didn’t make a solution easy to find. Especially not on the timeline that they were working with.

“Try Maverick. Or Penny. Or maybe a therapist.”

“Fuck,” Rooster cursed, picking his head up. “Is Mav at the beach?”

“Yeah.”

“Does he know?”

“Yeah, Blabber Mouth One and Two sort of spilled the beans,” Phoenix explained, sounding annoyed on Rooster’s behalf.

“What was his reaction?”

“He just stood there for a bit,” Phoenix answered honestly.

“Yeah, I know the feeling,” Rooster returned before he spotted Naomi walking towards him again. “I have to go.”

“Good luck.”

Rooster hung up the phone and set it back down as Naomi stepped outside. She shot Rooster a small, nervous smile before retaking her seat. Placing her purse on the back of her chair, Naomi turned back to Rooster and straightened up a bit.

“So . . . how are you feeling about . . . everything?” Naomi asked quietly, resting her hands on her bump.

“I’m . . .” Rooster began, but he didn’t finish his sentence.

“I understand,” Naomi replied, nervously rubbing her bump with her fingers. “Take the time that you need. I’m in San Diego for a couple more days, so if you reach your decision or just want to talk about options, just call me and we can meet up to talk.”

“You don’t want to talk about it right now?” Rooster asked, frowning slightly.

“I wanted to give you some time and space to think it over,” Naomi corrected him quietly. “But if you want to talk about it, we can talk about it.”

Rooster nodded slowly, staring down at his hands for a moment.

When he woke up this morning, he did not think that he would get this bomb dropped on him. When he got all of those calls and messages from Naomi, he assumed that she just wanted to get back together or something stupid. Not something like a baby.

A baby. His baby. Jesus fucking Christ, what the hell was he going to do?

~~~~~

Rooster put Naomi’s rental car into park and took a moment to compose himself. After a relatively short conversation, Rooster invited Naomi to come down to the beach with him. Even though their relationship was rocky at the moment, he didn’t hate Naomi anywhere near enough to send her alone back to a hotel room for a few days.

“If anyone says anything . . .” he told her, but Naomi sent him a small smile in return.

“I’m a big girl,” Naomi assured Rooster, grabbing her purse. “I can handle it.”

They slowly got out of the car and headed down to the beach together. Rooster tried to simply focus on the step that was right in front of him. And even though he reflexively reached for Naomi when she started to walk down the stairs to the beach, he ironed his arm to his side when he spotted the Daggers staring them down.

If Naomi was nervous about meeting the Daggers, she didn’t show it as she walked slowly and steadily along the warm sand of Coronado Beach. When they reached the edge of the Daggers, Rooster carefully avoided Maverick’s gaze, which could probably be translated to something along the lines of ‘we will be talking about this later, young man,’ and gestured to Naomi.

“Everyone, this is Naomi. Naomi, this is everyone,” Rooster introduced lamely.

“Hello everyone,” Naomi stated kindly, giving them a small wave.

“Now wait. There’s something different about you, Naomi,” Hangman drawled, rubbing his chin in fake thought. “Did you change your hair?”

“No, I just got fat,” Naomi replied, nodding along sarcastically. “But you haven’t changed a bit, Seresin. Still compensating for . . . everything?”

The round of chuckles that went around the Dagger Squad seemed to lighten the mood just a bit and suck some of the tension out of the air. Rooster still seemed out of it, but Naomi quickly adapted to the situation. After all, she had months of practice with ignoring the curious stares and questions about her bump. Rooster, on the other hand, was still processing everything.

Eventually, the Daggers ran off to play another round of football and Naomi found herself sitting down with Penny up at the Hard Deck. Naomi rested her hands on her bump as her baby continued to shift around and simply watched the game.

“How far along are you?” Penny asked, causing Naomi to turn to her.

“About six months,” Naomi replied, offering Penny a small smile.

“Yeah, that’s when it all really starts to set in,” Penny stated, recalling her own experience.

“You have kids?” Naomi questioned curiously.

“A daughter. She’s fourteen. Amelia.”

“Like Amelia Earhart?” Naomi inquired, looking a little amused.

“Sort of,” Penny stated, causing Naomi to chuckle. Penny glanced down at Naomi’s bump before leaning back in her own seat. “Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?”

“No,” Naomi spoke softly. “I wanted to wait.”

“For him?” Penny guessed knowingly, gesturing towards Rooster with her head.

“Mostly, yeah,” Naomi agreed, nodding along. She rubbed her bump again, taking a deep breath. “I sort of had this . . . fantasy in my head about . . .”

“You don’t have to explain it to me,” Penny assured Naomi, leaning forward a bit. “I was the same way with my daughter’s father.” Penny took a sip of her drink before turning back to Naomi. “It’s hard to give up on it. The fantasy.”

“It is,” Naomi stated quietly, biting her bottom lip. “Really hard.” She turned back to the dogfight football game and let out a breath. “But I’m not going to force someone to be a parent who doesn’t want to be a parent. I think that would be worse for everyone in the long run. And I made my choice. So, Bradley should get his choice too.”

“He didn’t want to settle down?” Penny asked, honestly sounding shocked.

“No. He didn’t want to get married. He didn’t want to have kids,” Naomi listed off, her voice growing smaller with each word. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. But . . . I wanted something different. For me . . . for us.” Naomi turned back to Penny with a curious look. “Why? Did he say something about it? Or about our relationship?”

“Not to me,” Penny replied honestly. “But Maverick always seemed to think that Rooster was going to settle down one day.” Penny glanced down at the beach and folded her arms underneath her. “He was always worried that he would miss something. A wedding. A baby. Moments like that. The ones that you can never get back.”

“I guess people change,” Naomi responded quietly, wrapping her arms protectively around her bump.

~~~~~

As the dogfight football game started to wind down, Maverick glanced over at the Hard Deck. Naomi and Penny were still sitting out on the back porch, chatting and seemingly at ease with each other. He knew that Penny, out of everyone else on the beach, probably understood Naomi’s current headspace the best.

And now, he needed to figure out where Bradley was headed with this situation.

Maverick could have just pictured Goose and Carole’s reaction to it all. Carole would have absolutely dragged Rooster by the ear, berating him for ignoring Naomi, and warning him that he had to make it right or else she would kick his ass on Naomi’s behalf. Goose would have taken a softer approach than his wife, but Maverick knew that Goose wouldn’t just let Rooster walk away.

Goose didn’t run away when he accidentally knocked up Carole. He married her, bought her a house, and stepped up for both Carole and Bradley. And he would have expected for his son to do the same in this situation. Or, at the very least, to not run away from it.

So, when everyone else started shuffling up the sand towards the Hard Deck to grab some drinks and food, Maverick gently grabbed Rooster on his shoulder. Bradley turned to face him and Maverick silently nodded down the beach. And without a protest, and a bit of a blank puppy dog look, Rooster headed down the beach.

Maverick led the way, giving Bradley some space, and making sure that no one else was within earshot. Bradley kept staring down at the sand, letting the warm waves lick at his toes as he barely blinked. It was like his brain completely short-circuited and he wasn’t able to do much else other than walk. With one last glance back at the Hard Deck, Maverick turned to Rooster.

“Are you okay?” Maverick started off softly, genuinely concerned for Bradley.

“I don’t know,” Rooster replied honestly. “I . . . I feel like I haven’t had an actual cohesive thought since I found out, Mav.”

“It’s a lot to take in all at once,” Maverick agreed, nodding along. “What did she tell you?”

“She’s six months along. She doesn’t know the gender. The baby is healthy and so is she. And she told me that I can be as involved as I want and that she wanted me to think about it before making any kind of big decision about it.”

“Well, I agree with that last part.” Maverick slowly stopped walking and turned to Rooster, who paused in his step as well. “Whatever decision you make with this situation, Bradley, you need to be confident with it. You need to be comfortable with it. Because it’s not easy to go back on whatever decision you choose once you’ve made it.”

“I know,” Rooster responded quietly, glancing over at the Hard Deck. “And that terrifies me.”

Maverick nodded along, studying Rooster’s expression carefully. He turned back to the Hard Deck, watching as Naomi talked with Phoenix and Bob at one of the tables. Maverick returned his gaze to Rooster, who was still staring over at Naomi. Quietly sighing to himself, Maverick glanced up at the sky for a moment, asking for some guidance from Carole and Goose.

“Which way are you leaning with it?” Maverick asked softly.

Rooster continued to stare blankly over at Naomi and for a moment Maverick thought that Bradley was simply tuning him out. But when Rooster turned to face him, Maverick could see the answer written all over Rooster’s face. But there were still those seeds of doubt, of fear, there as well.

He was lost. Rooster was completely lost.

But he didn’t have time to be lost. Not as much as he probably would have ever liked or needed.

That little baby was going to be born in a few months regardless of any choice that Rooster made.

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4

Tag List:

@gxlden-honey @caidi-paris @xoxabs88xox @badasspizzalover

#bradley rooster bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw x oc #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #rooster fanfic #top gun rooster #rooster x oc #bradley rooster x oc #top gun: maverick #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick #top gun #tgm fic #tgm fanfiction #tgm #rooster bradshaw fic

290 notes · View notes

redrorums · 1 year

Text

It’s gonna be a rough read…

Scene Start:

“Hit the Road Jack” plays. Either original Ray Charles version or 2WEI/Bri Bryant cover.

with extra static/dramatic fade in and out when necessary.

“Jack”-Keanu Reeves or Lee Byung-hun, though I originally imagined the live action version as ole man Jackie Chan. Anime version would look like Guts(Berserk) and Han Chun-Woo(The Breaker) mashed together. Big man. Very scary.

Alexei Everton-Anya Taylor-Joy or Erin Moriarty. Or a Jennifer Lawrence type. Anime version is similar to the main gal from The Ancient Magus’ Bride. Not in temperament, just appearance.

Naomi Safyan-Zendaya. Zendaya as a Satyr in anime form. Anime version would be Zazie(Battle Angel Alita:Last Order).

the closest aesthetically accurate visual reps.

There he stood, at the end of the cheery little winding pathway that he himself had lined with white and purple lilacs, on either side. Just like so many other times she had returned home to his wondrously warm embrace. A caring and kind smile on his usually frowning face, as he eagerly awaited tales of her “adventures”. Although she would have to be extremely hard pressed in order to admit it, she too was always brimming with joy at the thought of sarcastically regaling him with stories of her most recent trials and tribulations.

There he stood, smiling sadly at the end of the path, drenched in blood and viscera.

It took her brain a moment to fully comprehend what she was looking at. To really digest it. Then the foul stench of the dead reached her, causing her stomach to twist and knot up. Her heart was racing as she just stood there, mouth agape, staring into his suddenly cold, black eyes.

He took a step towards her.

She took a step back.

They didn’t break eye contact till then, when his eyes drifted down to her hand resting on the sword at her hip, thumb on the hilt guard.

She had never been able to hurt him. She used to scream and throw things at him when she was young, when he had first pulled her from Junker’s Canyon all those years ago. He would grumble like some towering, mildly irritated gorilla, but never lift a finger to stop her. Then, when she calmed down, as if by magic he’d have made soup and tea. He’d sit her down and ask her what was really eating her up inside. Never once did he look even remotely troubled by her outbursts.

That single step backwards she took might as well have been a dagger through his kidney. The wince and the way his brow furrowed, like he realized he’d just lost what was most precious to him.

“What happened?” She questioned softly, in a tone she usually reserved for drunks and brigands. “What’d you do?”

“What I had to.” He grunted back, in that raspy voice he had. Made every word sound like a struggle. She used to laugh and poke fun at him for it. Now it set her on edge.

“A non-answer.” She sighed, “why don’t we go inside and talk about it, old timer?” It was more a statement than a question and a failed attempt at levity. She shivered, even though it was a warm, mid spring day.

“Don’t think that’s smart, Al.” He rasped as he checked what she now realized was a firearm in his right hand. Her eyes widened in horror.

Guns. The favored weapon of Earthborn soldiers. Of Deathmarch Troopers. Of Gebians. The thoughts and realizations flooded her mind with too much speed, her heart beating furiously now. Gebians are the sworn enemies of The Tellustrian Republic. The monsters from another world that had ravaged her land and murdered her parents. My father’s sworn…

Reality struck her like a brick to the head.

Guess she had always seen the signs. Certain slang he used and mannerisms he had. Thought he was just from another Tellustrian world, not that hellhole they call Gebia.

“Why are you using illegal weap-“ she was suddenly and jarringly cut off as she felt every muscle in her body seize up at once. A basic paralyzing cypher followed quickly by a dagger to her throat. The man spoke as his body became visible, as if he were being painted back into existence, the circular glyphs on his cloak glowing and smoking from overuse.

“Now I don’t want no undue fussin’, Mista Dog. Or does ya prefer Jaaack? Rabid Jack! Bit catchy, ain’t it?” He trailed off for a couple seconds, as if his mind drifted somewhere else, then snapped back to reality, “I’ve seen wat you can do to a man and I ain’t interested ‘n joinin ya long list o’ victims…”

She could feel his hot, oily breath on the nape of her neck. He smelled rancid. The smell of Aether Rot, from overuse of potions and elixirs.

Shut it out, ya bloody brainless wench. She thought at her herself harshly. I didn’t go through all that hellish training just to get offed by this dumbass. I have to focus. She breathed in deeply, suddenly serene. She visualized being a piece of flotsam on the open ocean, simply carried by the waves.

“Like having one foot in the ocean of spirits,” Jack had described it once upon a time “the other on solid ground”

With that, she Drifted. Her soul halfway between the realm of spirits and the physical realm, acting as a conduit. She was woven into the cosmic tapestry now, one with every spirit around her. Only a second after she finished breathing in, her eyelids flung open and revealed her now glowing, green eyes.

She immediately expelled all foreign Aether from her body and commanded her muscles to relax. She felt the burn as the spiritual command reverberated through her body, echoed by millions of nearby spirits. It felt sort of like a downed drought of Dwarven FafniPeaks Whiskey, you could feel it blazing down your gullet and all the way though your innards. Felt the burn in every cell of her body. Nearby spirits, like tiny particles of dust made of pure light, magnetized towards her. Maximal Leistung. My technique. Jack’s technique. For the next split second, Alexei’s body would function at it’s absolute physical peak, her spiritual command overriding her physical limitations.

“…U’ll a-ask one more taime since apparently ya deaf, where’s the GODSDAMNED SATY-“

Her assailant was rudely interrupted when his nose cracked viciously to the side, very much broken. In the same split second motion as her headbutt’s recoil, Alexei pulled her chin in and open her mouth wide. To the growing horror of her assailant, her teeth clamped down with crocodilian strength on his dagger wielding wrist, shattering bone. With her left arm she delivered a series of rapid, armored elbow strikes to his ribs. Her right foot lashed out suddenly, kicking another dagger out of his other hand. All this while pivoting in place, wrist still firmly held in her maw, forcing the would be hostage taker to lurch awkwardly in time with her movements. It was as if it was all happening in slow motion from Alexei’s perspective, so she saw a third arm reach out of a pocket in the man’s cloak, fueled by his Aether. It pointed a tiny hand ballista at her, the venomous cyphers within the bolts cackling out evilly in her spiritually sensitive ears.

It never got the chance to fire. Her right arm moved like lightning, sending her elvish broadsword in a screeching arc through the assailant’s abdomen and slicing the adjacent third arm’s hand clean off.

The brown eyes around his fully healed nose bulged in disbelief and anger as his intestines spilled out.

Wait. What!? She watched his nose rapidly shift back into place, bone and cartilage squirming beneath the skin, repairing themselves. A regeneration potion, but when did he-

She felt the reverberating echo shift the spirits around her, causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end, right before she heard the axe flying from the woods towards her. She spun and swung her sword in a semicircle, separating the hand in her mouth from its arm with a clean slash. She then nimbly sidestepped the thrown handaxe, noticing the glowing, spinning glyph on the carved bone blade. It spun past her like a cannonball, shattering the tree to her left unnaturally, like glass. Her reprieve was short though, as a hundred or so hail pellets rained down upon her and Jack, conveniently missing the now three assailants.

The first one’s invisible again.

Everything the pellets touched turned to liquified sludge. She weaved a precarious dance through the hail and sludge, filling herself with a repulsion echo. The spirits around her obeyed the echo, repelling nearby Aether and dispelling any pellets that got too close to Alexei. Her soul was nearly burnt out.

I need to stop overusing spiritual techniques. She thought as she took another deep breath.

In front of her was a large Vavoxi warrior emerging from the woods, a large grin spread across their pallid, bald head. The sneer showed off the Vavoxi’s bristling baleen that they had instead of teeth.

Kinda like they got two well used brushes crammed in their mouth.

Living tattoos churned across their pale skin, the magical blue ink depicting the many battles they’d been in.

Jack was fending off a knight clad in full pitch black plate armor who had descended from the sky on giant bat wings, swinging a massive claymore around wildly.

What in Hel’s thrice cursed name is going on!? Alexei fought back panic as she tried to cope with the chaos unfolding around her, on the very land where she’d grown up in relative peace.

“HiYa EVERYONE! Don’t mean to interrupt, but I need a BIG, STROOONG man to help me open this jar o’ pickles!”

Everyone but Jack turned silently to look at the jovial and beautiful Satyr woman leaning awkwardly against a nearby tree in an overdramatic attempt to be alluring. Comedic, perhaps? She was indeed holding a jar of pickles.

The cyphered portion of her brain alerted her that something was amiss, her inner Aether rejecting the subliminal enchantment woven into the words coming out of the Satyr’s mouth. The black knight was not so resistant, whatever mistake he made in that moment costing his life as he detonated, chunks of black armor and charred flesh spewing forth in every direction.

Jack was nowhere to be seen.

Her opponent had also resisted the enchantment, their fully black eyes emitting a neon glow of sorts. The Vavoxi began their ancestral dance, spinning a cyphsteel battleaxe in arc after arc, displaying the techniques of their people.

“You look stupid.” Alexei stated bluntly.

The Vavoxi’s eyelids and brow shot up in dismay and rage. Alexei took this moment to draw her duelist’s wand from its hip holster and fire immediately. An icy beam shot forth from its crystal tip, leaving a trail of snowflakes in it’s wake and freezing the Vavoxi’s chest plate. Another one of those bristly grins appeared as a cypher shield dispersed the frost across it’s translucent surface. They rushed her then, clearing half the 60 foot distance in a single bound, battleaxe raised and churning with latent Aether. She calmly chucked up her sword and used the now empty hand to palm the wand’s glyph turbine, rotating the ingredient-packed chambers one to the left. The Vavoxi’s eyes widened in horror this time, as a blood red fireball spewed forth from the wand.

Somethin’ ‘bout fire and ice in quick succession, magic shields can’t handle it. More of Jack’s “wisdom”.

The explosion was deafening. The Vavoxi was no more. Ironically, pieces of the cypher shield remained floating in place, until they realized there was no body left within to protect and melted away. Her wand was already holstered, her right hand lifted to catch her sword.

She took another deep breath.

Fledermauspfeife. Releasing a pent up echo from her core, she watched as the spirits around her reverberated along with her, dancing wildly in tune to her heartbeat. There was one patch that didn’t echo back. She heard the bubbling, cackling whispers of hungry Aether.

There you are.

She shot forth like a bullet for the tree line, ricocheting off tree trunks in massive bounds. She spiraled as she flew, her pauldrons and secondary cuirass flipping open and releasing liquid bronze plumes from her shoulder blades. The plumes solidified suddenly and flattened into bronze dragonfly wings, the whirlwind generated by their frightfully fast beating enough to snap a nearby sapling in half. She soared straight up, propelled by her armor ornithopter’s highly maneuverable vesper wings, breaching the forest’s ceiling in a split second. It took years of practice to mentally and physically control the ornithopter’s functionality.

Probably the only thing that gives me an edge in the Guilds’ community. She thought, dourly.

She could make out the barely visible form of her original assailant, floating above the Satyr with a rope. Could hear the nearby spirits echo his fear.

He fled.

Floating speedily away on some sort of invisible disc.

She aimed her left gauntlet at him and channeled a fraction of her inner Aether through that arm to it. The bluish, cyphsteel plates detached from the leather components of the gauntlet, flying towards her adversary. As they flew through the air, they left a purple haze behind them, filled with stardust. The plates morphed and grew as they flew, turning into a rather vicious looking set of crimson dragon claws.

“GODS NO! PLEASE NO!” The man screamed as the claws wrapped around his right calf, dragging him back towards her.

“So I’m gonna ask you a series of reasonable questions now and you’re going to be a good sport and answer them. Right?” Alexei’s lighthearted tone did not match her steely gaze. The greasy half-elf bored holes through her with his spiteful eyes.

“You look sick.” She said then, with some small amount of genuine concern. Alexei had lost friends to potion overdose. She knew for a fact there were fates worse than death when you let the aberrant mutations take hold in your body. “How’s about we go see an apothecary. Together. Eh?”

He was looking down now, his hateful eyes locked on the Satyr. She smiled and waved up at him, two more of his dead companions at her hooves.

Then he looked up and made her heart sink.

“Dead. Owr awloive, they says…” his smile then was purely malicious.

His cloak fluttered up suddenly. Unnaturally. A myriad of different appendages sprouted from his back, all of them somewhere between arms and tentacles.

A morphhead.

The appendages all did their best to frantically draw a variety of projectile-based weapons from his cloak pockets. Even illegal Gebian guns. Half aimed at the Satyr, half at her.

They never got the chance to fire. She had already delivered a lightning infused, crescent shaped slash starting at his right kidney and ending at his left collarbone. His magic shield shattered afterwards, the elven plasma blade having cut cleanly through it, his spirit, and his flesh and bone.

As if they were butter.

Simply by lacerating so many of his vital organs at once and electrocuting him, she overloaded his brain. His brain would have to reboot in order to restart the magical regeneration process, which was unlikely now.

She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer as she felt his soul leave the physical realm. Then she stopped Drifting. The wave of exhaustion was always overwhelming, but she was used to it and played it off well. Just like her father.

“OOOOLD MAAAAAN!!!” She shouted as she landed jankily on the mushy ground. She stared at the Satyr suspiciously.

“Wha? Is it cuz I’m a Satyr.” She said, feigning insult and pouting to boot.

“No. It’s because you’re a bard. I hate bards.”

Alexei’s eyes could’ve frozen a frost giant’s heart.

“The name’s Naomi! Naomi Safran.” Naomi said with an outstretched hand. “pleasure to make the acquaintance of my dear protector’s daughter, to be sure.”

There was a flicker of admiration in Naomi’s eyes, as she looked Alexei up and down. Alexei moved in for the shake, but passed her hand, clasping her arm instead.

“Sorry, I don’t do handshakes anymore. Personal reasons.” Alexei said, throttling Naomi’s arm with a bit too hearty an arm clasp.

Naomi raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Ooooh? Spicy. I like it.”

“Where’s the old man?”

“Dunno. Last I saw he was trying to shoot a wizard outa the sky. Lost track of ‘im.” Naomi said with a nonchalant shrug.

A moment of awkward silence followed. “Sooo, what exactly IS the nature of your relatio-“

She felt the dart prick her lower nape. In a panic, she tried to Drift again, but it was already too late. Gebian dreadroot. Dampens spiritual conductivity. Puts you to sleep.

‘MSorry. Al,” he caught her in his burly arms as she fell backwards. “Things’re. Bout ta get ugly.” He rasped, the jagged scar on his face and neck smoldering ever so slightly.

“A wound left by a holy weapon is ordained to remain by the gods themselves. It can never be healed and will always sting, to remind the sinner what happens when you let pride blind your actions…”

Self-righteous words from a worthless man.

“Can’t have you. Mixed up in.” Jack looked around, practically growling, “all this.”

She reached out to touch the burning scar. Just like when she was a kid and he’d fall asleep in his chair on the porch. His nightmares would make the scar burn an ugly red.

Like pipe embers, ‘bout to go out.

Then there was blackness.

Then there was.

The void.

Rabid Dog

The most grizzled man you’ve ever seen. Black hair, grey eyes sunk from lack of sleep, and a jagged scar that cuts straight through his lips on the right side, making it look like he is constantly snarling at something. His dull, icy thousand-yard stare informs you that it’s the world he’s snarling at.

Everyone.

Everything.

His brow seems perpetually crumpled, a combination of some splotchy burn scars that had took chunks of his eyebrows with them and his permanent scowl.

“The kind of look a man gets when he realizes his dog has just passed. That’s his face all the time”, The local villagers would often say of him.

A piece of his right ear is missing, lookin’ scarily like someone or something had took a bite out of it. All topped off with a bristling 5 o’clock shadow and a peppering of grey hairs spread throughout his pitch black fade. This all combined with the fact that he was six foot, seven inches and about 300 pounds of pure muscle. His size seemed almost unnatural, as if his

That was Jack. No last name. No past.

At least, that’s the only name the locals had ever known him as. He had appeared one day and taken up residence with ole’ man Herman, acting as a farmhand and shepherd for the crazy old lune.

Most assumed he was a foot soldier that had defected from his Lord, on the run. He acted too stoic and soldierly to be a bandit. Perhaps it was because many of the villagers had lost sons and daughters to the War, but many of them simply accepted “Jack” into their midst, no questions asked. A sort of simple understanding amongst the elder folk that, if any of their children had managed to escape a pointless death for an uncaring Lord, they would all keep their mouths shut.

Over time he developed quite a stirling reputation as a standup, though somewhat grumpy, fellow and a real jack of all trades. Patching clothes, thatching rooftops, catching thieves and all without any request for payment. He would always simply ask what they needed of him, do it without question or feedback, and then head back to Herman’s farm without a word afterwards. What really won peoples hearts was when he decided to take care of some local orphans who lived in a junk pit just to the east of the village. Some Guild Slayers had been clearing Vulture’s Ravine of Trolls and scavenger bandits, when they stumbled upon a ragtag group of children who’s parents had presumably been killed in the Great War. The Slayers had taken the children alive, despite the fact that they were affiliated with one of the Ravines bandit troupes, and were bringing them

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ticketstomydaydreams · 3 years

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HOME

(All We Have: Part One)

Part Two

Colson x Female Reader

Summary: You and Colson are close friends and he invites you to move in to his house while you work on his record together

Word count: 1,580

Feels: Friendship Fluff for now

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, cursing, mentions of feeling depressed

Companion playlist:

Machine Gun Kelly - Home

Sia - Dressed in Black

The Beatles - With a Little Help from My Friends

A/N: Throughout the series there will be changes to the timing of real life events like the pandemic, the release of certain songs etc. There's certain things I want to incorporate into the series, like particular events in MGKs life and lyrics from songs, so some stuff will get moved around to fit in to the story ✌️

______

It had been a long evening working in Colson’s home studio, The Boulevard, with him and the gang on the upcoming Tickets to my Downfall album. To say your schedule was busy was an understatement, but Colson had insisted you get involved with the new material after the success of your work together on Hotel Diablo.

Composing music was your main gig, you had an ear for melody and your passion for writing meant you always had lyrics swirling around your head. You had a penchant for dark and melancholy lyrics, finding music to be a source of therapy for you. It was something you and Colson had instantly bonded over. He'd bugged you to list some of the stuff you'd written that he'd know and you had gained his professional respect immediately.

He always kept a close eye on your work, ever the supportive friend and had laid claim to your piece ‘Glass House’ as soon as he'd heard it.

______

2019

You were sitting crossed legged on the sofa in your lounge, gently strumming your guitar and gazing off into space and mumbling to yourself, as you worked out some lyrics in your head. Colson was lying on the floor by your feet, scrolling through his phone with earphones in, a blunt in his hand that he occasionally passed up to you. This was a common set up, you found it easier to write in the peace and quiet and Colson has gradually started hanging out at your place more when he needed to focus on his own writing.

"All alone in the glass house, lie awake til the sun's out, pink sky when you come down…"

"Throw me in the damn flames, Bury me in gold chains, throw me in the damn flames…"

You'd started singing out loud, occasionally stopping to scribble down lyrics and make adjustments, not noticing that Colson had removed his earbuds to listen to you

" Dude, that's hard, like, beautiful… " His comment made you jump slightly, you hadn't seen him propping himself up on his elbows, watching you intently "Sing that last bit again"

You blushed slightly, his opinion was always important to you, and started singing. He muttered to himself as you did, then pointed at you "Again!"

Letting out a little laugh and rolling your eyes, you sang again

"Throw me in the damn flames, bury me in gold chains, throw me in the damn flames"

Colson's voice met yours at the end of the line, rapping softly "I'm waiting on the rain to come and wash it all away"

You locked eyes, smiling and he sat upright. "Dude, Im'a need that hook! That spoke to me right there, I've think got something for it that I've been stuck on"

He looked so excited, your heart did a little flip. You'd seen that writing this album had taken it out of him, he'd been digging deep and really going through it emotionally. You could tell it was going to be raw and special from what you'd heard already.

He sat forward and moved the guitar from your lap so he could lean his arms on your knees and looked up at you shooting you puppy dog eyes with those baby blues "Pretty please Y/N"

You laughed and ruffled his hair, "Anything for you Col" Honestly, it'd be an honour to be part of such a personal project, you thought

He wrapped his arms round you and squeezed,

"You're a legend, kid. Get a sample recorded and send it to me!" He grabbed your guitar off the sofa and whipped back around, strumming a few chords as he carried on talking with his back to you, leaning against the sofa "This is gonna be fire, you always just hit the nail on the head, I swear it's like you're in my head sometimes"

You smiled, seeing the wave of motivation that had struck your friend. You felt so lucky to have a friend who was not only so inspiring, but one who 'got it', who understood that music was a form of release. Someone who recognised that it was important to feel these things, rather than encourage you to push dark thoughts away with toxic positivity.

He’d pushed to use your original samples on his record, but as much as you loved writing and singing, you were a behind the scenes kind of gal which had always suited you just fine. Naomi, a mutual friend of you both, came onboard to record them with him. A decision that turned out to be golden… 'Death in my Pocket' would be born not long after, with Naomi doing your lyrics such beautiful justice yet again, perfectly pairing with Colson's emotional rapping.

______

From then on Colson had kept you close to his recording. You'd been helping here and there with composition and notation, but your production skills were what was taking centre stage during the most recent sessions. You had a long list of projects you were working through, leaving you chained to your equipment most days and nights anyway so throwing more music into your workload didn't seem like much of a big deal. In all honesty, the chaos of Colson’s studio and the revolving door of personalities that were in and out constantly, made it one of the most fun places to be. You loved what you did for a living and it never really felt like work Even though the guys were a real handful at times, you kind of enjoyed being the studio 'Mami' as they often affectionately referred to you

Everything had wrapped up for the evening and the guys had migrated back into the house. You could hear from the raucous that the drinks must have started flowing freely. You were saving your work and packing up your stuff when Colson bursts back into the studio and throws himself in a chair, spinning it around with his arms in the air.

"You staying for drinks Y/N?" he grins at you, clearly hyper and in party mode

You let out a big sigh "Urgh, I'd love to but I have an early start tomorrow. I finally managed to get an apartment viewing. I swear I've looked at a hundred places now, they get snapped up so quickly.. I've only got a few weeks left on my lease as well"

“Ah, that sucks kid” Colson empathises, spinning his chair again before an idea strikes him “Wait! Why don’t you move in here for a bit until you find a place? The guest room is pretty much your room anyway, the amount you crash here”

You laugh “This is true, that mattress is so much better than mine! Aw Col, that would honestly be so helpful, the stress of finding a place when I’m this busy is killing me. I don't know… You sure the guys won’t mind?”

Colson scoffs “Why would they mind? You practically live here anyway” he teases “I’m sure they’ll be just as stoked as I am at the thought of you joining the madhouse for a while”

Before you have a chance to respond, he stands up and throws his arms around you, squashing you into him tightly “That’s it decided Roomie. Another song in the bag and a new housemate, plenty to celebrate tonight!”

Wriggling out of his tight grasp, you laugh and in a deep voice shout “let’s goooooo” mocking his signature catchphrase. He flips you his middle finger and says “Kitchen, now”

Once you’re in the kitchen, Colson heads to get you a drink and grabs one himself. Appearing back at your side, he passes you your beer and then shouts out to the rest of the group,

“YO, meet our latest housemate, Y/N is moving in. LET’S FUCKING GOOOOO”

Everyone in the kitchen lets out a big cheer, clearly pleased as he said they would be. Colson bends down and picks you up, swinging you around in a circle, spilling your drinks all over the both of you as you shout his name in mock annoyance, between giggles.

“I hope you know what you’re letting yourself in for” Rook laughs, clinking his drink against your now empty beer bottle once your feet are back on the floor

“It’ll be good to have another pair of hands around here, looking after you lot” Ashleigh chimes in, laughing and slapping Slim away as he pulls her hood up over her head, covering her eyes

It had been 5 years since you'd made the decision to move to LA, barely knowing a soul. You'd worked several jobs, jumped from place to place, worked your ass off to catch your break in the music business, sometimes feeling like the grind would never get you anywhere.

There had been times where you felt like you couldn't carry on, aching from trying to keep pace. The dream had felt like it was turning into a nightmare, as you tried to make ends meet, feeling so lonely in this enormous city.. but eventually you'd made these amazing friends who made you feel so safe and loved.

Now, there were times you had to pinch yourself just to make sure it was all real.

As you shake off some of the beer that's dripping from your hands, you look around the kitchen. Taking in the crazy, loveable bunch before you, your new housemates, you are filled with gratitude. You finally felt like you were exactly where you were supposed to be…

Home.

______

❌❌ Lace up!

#mgk fluff #colson baker x reader #mgk imagine #mgk x reader #machine gun kelly imagine #colson baker imagine #machine gun kelly x reader #colson x reader #mgk fic #machine gun kelly #fandom #fanfic #fanfiction #mgk fanfiction #colson baker

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heauxplesslydevoted · 3 years

Text

Everybody Talks (Ethan x MC)

Summary: At a conference hosted by the American Medical Association, Ethan stumbles upon an unpleasant conversation about his girlfriend.

Warnings: None

~v~

Ethan watches as his girlfriend owns the room. At the American Medical Association conference in their own city of Boston, in the large ballroom of The Ritz Carlton, he quietly observes from the corner as she excitedly chats with a Dr. Catherine Stanley, a renowned surgeon from Columbia, while everyone within an arm's reach of her is drawn in by the sheer magnetism of her presence. He’ll never get tired of watching her like this. Naomi is completely in her element. Whenever she’s in a deep conversation about medicine, her posture loosens, her nose crinkles, and her voice takes on a pitchy breathiness the more and more excited she gets.

So caught up in thinking about her, Ethan doesn’t even notice that she’s walking up to him until she’s within a few feet. She smiles brightly as she leans against the bar. “You’re not mingling.”

“You’ve known me for over three years now. I’m not one to mingle.”

“Come on, there has to be someone here you want to talk to.”

“You.”

Naomi rolls her eyes. “Mhm-hmm, you’re so charming, Dr. Ramsey.”

“I’m being very serious. Why wouldn’t I want to talk to the keynote speaker?”

When Naomi found out they wanted her to speak at the conference, she was almost certain they meant to speak to Ethan and that she accidentally answered a phone call meant for him. But they in fact wanted her, the newest and youngest head of the diagnostics team. Her meteoric rise up the ranks of Edenbrook had made quite the splash in the medical community, where everyone knew everyone. Whether she realized it or not, Naomi had become a wunderkind and everyone wanted a piece of her.

And while she was nervous, Ethan couldn’t be more proud of her. Naomi is brilliant, and it’s about time more people were rewarded with being in her presence long enough to see it.

Naomi groans and runs a hand along her midsection. “Don’t remind me that I’m giving a speech soon, my stomach is already in knots.”

Ethan holds up his tumbler of whiskey, angling the glass towards her. “Want some liquid courage?”

“No, eating or drinking might make it worse. I won’t feel better until I’m on the other side of it.”

“In the three years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen a shy bone in your body. Where are the nerves coming from?”

“I’ve never done something like this,” Naomi responds. “I’ve never given a speech in front of hundreds of people–maybe even more, this place is packed. Public Speaking is the only class I ever got a B in in college.”

Ethan gasps teasingly. “The horror.” He chuckles softly as Naomi pokes him in the rib. Moving closer, Ethan clasps a warm hand around Naomi’s shoulder, massaging gently. “You’re going to do just fine. Better than fine, even, you’re going to be amazing. You’re smart, charming, funny, and eloquent, and the directors knew what they were doing when they chose you to speak. And besides, nearly all of Edenbrook is here to support you. Lahela might’ve even snuck in a camcorder.”

It's a slight exaggeration, but a lot of physicians practicing at Edenbrook belong to the prestigious association, and did not want to miss the chance to see one of their own speak.

“Ugh don’t remind me. It’s easier speaking to a crowd of nameless, faceless people. What if I forget my speech? What if my accent becomes super obnoxious and no one can understand me? What if I trip on stage?”

“You could always picture everyone naked, I’ve been told that it helps.”

Naomi blanches at the suggestion. “No, I don’t want to picture all of these people naked.”

“Good, because that was a trick suggestion,” Ethan murmurs. He rests his forehead against Naomi’s, his lips hovering mere centimeters from hers. “The only person you should ever be visualizing sans clothing is me.”

“Lucky for me, I get to do a lot more than just visualize.”

The happy couple share a kiss before Ethan nuzzles his face into the crook of his girlfriend’s neck, whispering quiet words of encouragement and affirmation.

On the other side of the bar, a group of women watch the jarring public display of affection play out. Ethan Ramsey was notorious for hating medical conferences, never engaging or interacting with people. He was also known for being perpetually single, so to see him so open with another person felt like foreign.

“I still can’t believe the two of them are together,” Dr. Nicole Harrington whispers to her group of friends as they gawk at the pair. While she works in New York, it’s hard to not be aware of the story behind Dr. Ethan Ramsey and his young protege Dr. Valentine, especially since she’s in touch with so many Boston-based doctors. “I can’t believe Ramsey is so open with her.”

“I think they’re cute,” Nicole’s friend, Monica coos. “I’m a hopeless romantic.”

The third member of the party, Greta stays silent. She’s one of the two people within their group with actual ties to Edenbrook, her husband having been attending there for almost 8 years now. Her husband Ashland keeps her up to date on all the ins-and-outs of hospital gossip, and she knows all about Ethan’s messy entanglement with his former resident.

“He wasn’t even like this when he dated Harper Emery,” their last friend Angelica whispers. As a neurologist herself, she’s worked alongside both Ethan and Harper for a long time, and while the hospital knew of their relationship, if you weren’t looking for the extremely subtle signs, you’d never know they used to be together. For years, at that. But for some reason, Ethan can’t seem to go 5 seconds without being near Dr. Valentine. Within the walls of Edenbrook, it's becoming harder and harder to see one without the other. “And she’s Harper freaking Emery for Christ’s sake.”

The conversation pauses as someone on stage taps the mic, gathering everyone’s attention. Out of the corner of her eye, Greta watches as Ethan plants another kiss on his lover’s forehead and she disappears in the crowd before she’s introduced as the evening’s guest speaker.

Ethan doesn’t know why his girlfriend was ever so nervous because as soon as she accepts the microphone and starts to speak, he’s transfixed.

His tunnel vision is split when he hears an aggressive whisper from a few feet away. Frowning, he turns around, fully prepared to demand that whoever has the gall to interrupt Naomi’s speech should shut the hell up, but he stops when he realizes that they’re talking about her.

“She’s been a member of the AMA for what, 3 seconds and she’s already giving speeches? Are we in the freaking Twilight Zone?”

“I guess it pays to keep Ethan Ramsey’s bed warm.”

Greta scoffs, finally acknowledging the conversation. “Ashland tells me everything about the two of them, and it’s all so messy. She’s been leading him around like she’s dangling an apple in front of a horse since she got to Edenbrook. He gave her preferential treatment her intern year, and miraculously she gets the coveted fellowship on the Dr. Banerji’s team. He gets promoted, and surprise, surprise, he gives her the team, wrapped up in a neat little bow. Never mind the fact that she should be nowhere near leading a team, she killed a patient her intern year. So for him to be...parading that young girl around is tawdry and disrespectful to the hospital.”

If this was a cartoon, Ethan is almost positive his face would be very red and steam would be wafting out of his ears because that’s how angry he is. The audacity of these women to stand a mere 8 feet away from him and trash talk the woman he loves is disrespectful on so many levels.

Obnoxiously, he clears his throat, garnering their attention. The only one with the decency to look slightly embarrassed is Monica, as Ethan catches her cheeks flushing under his harsh attention.

Angelica stands up straighter, “Chief Ramsey, we were just–”

“Participating in a misogynistic diatribe against a fellow doctor,” Ethan finishes. “Question, did any of you graduate at the top of your classes from a top 10 ranked medical school?” No one dares respond. “Out of the 4 of you, did you guys save Naveen Banerji’s life while he was dying of sepsis? Have you spent your after hours holed up in the NICU with your patient’s newborn baby? Any of you face a near death experience and come back to the scene of the crime in order to help more people?”

Ethan’s eyes narrow at Angelica and Greta in particular. “When Edenbrook nearly shut down, I don’t remember seeing your face as we worked tirelessly in the free clinic Dr. Banks, nor do I recall seeing your husband Mrs. Park. I don’t remember him lobbying to politicians or attempting to secure funds during fundraisers, but I do recall seeing him show up at parties without you to flirt with nurses.”

Greta balks at Ethan’s words, clearly not expecting him to unleash such anger. “Dr. Ramsey, I’ll have you know that my husband–”

“Is spreading vicious gossip and lies about a doctor with higher ranking than him. Dr. Valentine got her spot on the diagnostics team fair and square. She was the number 1 intern so Naveen picked her. When I left the team, she was the last tenured member at the time, with the most experience in how a team of such magnitude ran. She was the best pick for the job.”

“Over the course of her time at Edenbrook, she has more than proved that she earned her seat at the table, and to suggest anything else is an insult to her strengths and talents as a doctor, as well as my judgement. To suggest that I do not know to remain professional while I’m at work and the only reason she’s in the position that she’s in is because of our private relationship isn’t just a lie, but a dangerous and slanderous one as well. And if someone so much as ever implies it again, I will slap them with a lawsuit so fast their head will spin, and the closest they’ll ever get to practicing medicine again is slapping Band-Aids on kindergarteners.”

The group of women receive a threat loud and clear And they remain silent not wanting to be at the receiving end of anymore of his wrath.

Ethan sighs heavily. “Well, now that this pesky conversation has come to an end, I’m going to continue to listen to Naomi’s speech. The one that she was hand selected to deliver, while the rest of you are in a position to do nothing more than watch from the crowds.”

With the catty group of women stunned into silence, Ethan smiles, his work complete. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, ladies.”

They watch as he downs the rest of his drink before sauntering off. Once he’s gone, Monica huffs out a shaky breath. “Well...I’ve always said there’s nothing more attractive than a man defending the woman he loves.”

~v~

Tags: @mvalentine @choicesaddict5 @professorkingslay @maurine07 @aka-calliope @bluebellot @whimsicallywayward15 @blossomanarchy @takemyopenheart @jamespotterthefirst @fanmantrashcan @whatchique @ao719 @x-kyne-x @colourmeshy @paulfwesley @the-pale-goddess @writinghereandthere @ramseyandrys @perriewinklenerdie @aworldoffandoms @thatcatlady0716 @drakewalker04 @canknot @hatescapsicum @lapisreviewsstuff @senseofduties @badchoicesposts @ethandaddyramseyx @chasingrobbie @zodiacsign1 @choices-lurker @my-heart-beats-for-ya @adrian-motherfucking-raines @riverrune @edith-eggs1 @thatysn @bellcat2010 @blainehellyes @cecilecontrera @junehiratas @choices-love-affair @openheart12 @caseyvalentineramsey @desmaranj @nazario-sayeed @aestheticartsx @ruinedbypixels @nooruleman @rookie-ramsey @uneravine @choicest

#choices: stories you play #playchoices #open heart #ethan ramsey #ethan x mc

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deexchanel · 3 years

Text

Settled Down

Word Count:

Pairing: Tony Stark x BlackFem!DaughterReader. Tony Stark x BlackFem!OC

Warning: Swearing, Fluff.

Summary: Tony's proposing and his daughter Y/N is in charge. Hopefully everything goes right!

A/N: This request is for @marvelgirlvst!! thank you for the request. Y/N's step mom and Tony's fiancé name is Noami. Y/N is 18!

"Y/N I need your help!" Tony opened the door to his daughters room. Y/N slowly stopped eating her taco, confused.

"With??"

"I want to propose to Naomi tonight."

Y/N eyes bulged out their sockets. "Pro...Propose?? Dad are you sure? I mean I'm happy for you but I don't want you to mess this up because she is such a good woman for you."

Tony fumbled with the ring sitting on her bed."Yeah I'm sure Y/N. I want to propose to her and... I want you to plan everything."

"The planner? Me. EEK!!!" Y/N moved her plate aside, jumping into her father's arms. Tony laughed patting her back.

"I felt like you were the best person to do the job."

"I won't let you down Dad!"

----------

"Bucky I swear if you drop those roses, I'm going to hurt you." Y/N scolded, marking things off her list. Bucky waved her off while him and Sam set up the last bouquet.

"Sis is everything together?"Peter asked walking up to her, he was fumbling with his tie. Y/N smacked his hand away, fixing the tie for him. "Yes everything is ready to go. I'm going to go pick Naomi now."

"Good, I'm going to go get Morgan from Pepper."

Couple of hours later, Y/N picked up Naomi, Natasha and Wanda from the tower. "How many people are there Y/N ?" Naomi asked smoothing out her dress.

"Naomi stop asking so many damn questions." Natasha complained typing away on her phone.

"Why are you so nervous anywayy?"Y/N wondered looking through the rear view window.

"I'm not that nervous, maybe it's because I'm over dressed compared to you three." Naomi explained fumbling with the ends of her dress.

"Not really, Naomi just calm your nerves." Wanda reassured grabbing her hand. Y/N drove, Natasha in the passenger, Wanda was in the back with Naomi. When they pulled in the driveway of the cabin, the plan was in go.

"Naomi I have to cover your eyes now." Wanda said nicely holding the cloth.

"Oh you're trying to kill me!!"Naomi joked then lean forward so she could do it. Everyone laughed but was really nervous hoping this would go right. They helped her out the car, holding on to Naomi so she wouldn't fall.

"If you guys let me fall, it's on between us!" Naomi yelled as she felt as she was walking on rocks. Y/N faceplam knowing that everyone that was in position heard her.

"Y/N did you get me a dog?! What kind is it." Naomi said excitedly turning her head looking around as if she could see.

"No Naomi I didn't get you a dog." Y/N laughed, noting to tell Tony to get her a dog.

"Damn this a long ass walk." Noami complained and they were close to the scene. Everyone stifled a laugh not trying to give themselves away. Ariana Grande's song Pov played in the background.

I wanna love me (ooh)

The way that you love me (ooh)

"Omg Tony got Ariana Grande to play at the party too?! "Noami said trying to touch Natasha's hand but instead was touching her face.

"Noami we're taking the blind fold off now. Keep your eyes closed please." Wanda said untying the blind fold. Once it was off, Noami kept her eyes closed. They each count down.

"1."Natasha said.

"2." Wanda said.

"3." Y/N said and Naomi opened her eyes to see the beautiful setting.

Tears fell as she couldn't believe this was real. Tony stood in the middle of the rose petal heart. Off to the side was Steve, Thor, T'Challa, Bucky and Peter who held Morgan. Y/N rushed off to the side to make sure that the music would still play softly.

Tony grab Naomi's hand kissing it while they stood inside the heart. Her heart pounded cause she was so nervous.

"Naomi baby, why you so nervous. it's just me." Tony said rubbing her hands to calm her down. He wipes the tears that were falling.

"When did you plan this? Everyone knew and I didn't. Even Peter kept his mouth closed. Omg you're in a suit." Naomi rambled about everything. Tony cuts her off with a kiss. He pulled back staring her in the eyes.

"Naomi stuck by my side through all the pain and hurt. You even helped me kick Steve ass ."

"Alright now." Steve butt in making everyone laugh.

"You stayed down for me even when I'm in the lab tinkering away, not giving you attention. I wanted to wife you then when I saw how good you took care of the kids. I love you so much Naomi Lorèl Love. that I miss you every second that you're not near me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" Tony asked getting on one knee opening a little velvet black box. The ring was genuinely beautiful.

"Anthony Edward Stark yes! ! Yes! Yes! A million times yes!" Naomi squealed jumping up and down. She tilts her head up kissing him passionately. Everyone cheered happily from her answer.

Tony slides the ring on her finger and Naomi hugs him sobbing. Tony wipes her tears aways.

" Baby why are you crying?"

" Because I get to be Mrs. Stark."

Y/N wiped the tears from her eyes as she stood beside her siblings, seeing that her dad was finally happy.

-------

i have nothing to do so that's why it came out so fast😂

I hope this is what you were seeking!!! @marvelgirlvst

Thank you once again💕💕

stay slutty my friends 😁

#marvel #bucky barnes #captain america #tony stark x oc #tony stark fic #tony stark x reader #tony stark daughter #tony stark one shot #tony stark x black!reader #tony stark

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honeypirate · 3 years

Text

Kunikida Doppo x Fem!Reader

5495 words. I went hard for this guys.

I took Ango’s ability for the reader because I like it and so this is now an AU where the reader has the Discourse on Decadence ability and takes memories from objects touched.

I know they don’t all live together but they do in this fic haha at least Kunikida, Dazai, and you are roommates although you’re hardly ever there together. Half of the time Dazai doesn't even sleep there. You’re the only one that really frequents, if you didn't all share rent you would assume you lived there alone save for late night run ins in the kitchen and bathroom.

Warning: a couple swears.

Being in love with a man who was meticulous for following perfect schedules and plans was fine, you loved the structure and appreciated the consistency, but what really hurt, what really felt like your heart was ripped from your body with Akutagawa’s gift, was the fact that he had 58 conditions which he required for a spouse, and you only had 53 of them. You knew you failed his test, failed the expectations he had for a partner, and that someone as meticulous as him would never change his ways for someone who wasn’t above and beyond perfect when it came to those 58 ideals, but damn, you came so close, and that stung like a bitch.

You had asked him one day what they were, out of curiosity when it naturally came up from Dazai teasing him about it, he showed you it with pleasure, and you noted mentally the boxes you filled, your heart cracking into more pieces with every box you didnt fill. 5, 5 things about you that are failures. You couldn't help but hate the number.

You appeared at the door at 8am, right on the dot, the moment you were scheduled to be there and not a minute sooner or later. He really did like that about you, the fact that he never had to doubt you, he trusted that you always were where he scheduled you, you were the only one on the team that followed his orders to the T. “let’s go y/n we have to investigate a murder and your gift will really help” you nod with a smile “ready when you are”

“Why did you want to join the detective agency?” he asks, he wasn't a huge part of your entrance exam and missed the questioning part Dazai did. You sigh as you think, remembering the day you joined 7 months ago, clasping your hands behind your back as you walk, “at first it was because I wanted to rebel, my parents wanted me to hide my gift and act like their perfect child, I dropped out of college and decided to train my gift, ultimately leading me to you guys. After I learned about how other gifteds are using their powers to help people I realized that I was using my gift poorly. I felt an overwhelming need to protect others, to protect my city, if i have this gift and shirk the responsibility it comes with, then it is just as much my fault if innocents die when I could have been the one to help them”

He’s quiet for a while before he speaks again “that is admirable” is all he says before you get to your destination. If he was being honest, your answer was inspiring and he knows he would be writing it down in his notes later.

You do your investigating, using the memories from the objects on the scene to find the culprit easily, finishing the job quicker than he had planned leaving you with approximately 14 minutes to spare in the schedule. As he finishes writing down some notes you appear beside him “we have like 12-13 minutes left in your schedule so i got us some roasted bonito. I didn’t see you eat like you normally do so i figured..” you shrug and hand him the food you bought him. He takes it from your gloved hand silently, his gaze piercing and prudent, but his heart was racing, you were so kind and always looked out for him. He appreciated your care but didn’t know how to react to it. “Efficient because we can eat it on our way back. Finishing early is always nice, I love the free moments where my mind is able to relax and process things.” You say and He watches you take a bite and hum softly as you appreciate the flavor. He makes a mental note to schedule in an extra 2-3 minutes on missions he goes on with you just so he can give you a second to breathe if you need it.

You get back to the office with a few extra minutes to spare, you head to your desk to fill out paperwork and he watches you go, wondering why his heart seems to beat harder now that you left him. “Oooh does someone have a crush” Dazai says quietly as he teases Kunikida “I don’t know what you’re talking about. She is my coworker and besides,” “she lacks 5 of your spousal requirements yeah yeah. Maybe you're just a little too uptight with those 5, has anyone ever even gotten that close before?” Dazai looks at him with a smirk and Kunikida just walks off mumbling something about paperwork.

The rest of the day went by as all of the rest seemed to, slow and filled with paperwork and sometimes smaller missions, you didn't mind though, in the office you had a straight line to watch Kunikida, and on missions you were helping people. You didn’t mind slow days, it meant no one was dying.

You decided to break your routine, deciding to treat yourself to something special since your heart has been hurting for so long. You had a plan of getting something for dinner, doing a little indulgent spending, and then going home to drink a glass of wine and have a facemask and a movie night. You told Naomi of your plan since you two were close like sisters, not in her definition of a sibling though.

You had dinner at your favorite restaurant, eating in the booth with the window that showed the sunset, then went to your favorite stores, buying a new silk red pajama set with shorts that had white lace around the leg openings. You bought a new red pencil skirt for work and a necklace that would match it.

When you get home it’s so quiet you assume no one is there, you put your things away and shower before changing into your new pajamas, you had to admit, you looked delectable in them. You got a glass of wine and then took the bottle with you to your room to watch a movie. After about two glasses and half of the movie you felt a little tired so you decided to go to bed, you brought your glass and the wine back to the kitchen, wanting to put the bottle away in its cupboard and wash your cup. Although you only had two glasses you could feel your skin buzzing from the alcohol.

As you go to put the bottle away you get startled when a voice speaks in the dark “What are you doing up so late?” His deep voice makes you jump and drop the glass and the bottle onto the floor around your bare feet, wine and glass going everywhere. “Hang on” he says and walks over, gently and easily lifting you up to sit on the countertop behind you as he grabbed towels and a broom to clean up the mess “i’m sorry Kunikida, you scared me but I should have been more careful” you whisper, why does the darkness of night always make you feel like you should whisper? “I’m sorry for frightening you, you have nothing to apologize for” he finishes cleaning up the mess, throwing out the glass and paper towels before turning back to you. “You never answered my question” he says and you smile sweetly “just putting back the wine” you say innocently and a smile threatens to tug on his lips.

“Oh you got wine on you” he says and before he realizes his actions he’s kneeled down on one knee, holding your foot gently and cleaning away the wine that has sprayed up your leg. “Ouch” you say and pull your foot away “what hurts?” he asks and then turns your foot gently “you have a piece of glass in your foot” he says and then gently pulls it free “wait here I am going to go get the first aid kit” before you can object he’s gone, down the hall to the bathroom.

When he comes back you’re swinging your feet softly and humming along to a song stuck in your head, he pauses for a moment at the doorway, noting how long and beautiful your legs looked in your new pajamas, you made his mouth dry

He came back, kneeling down once again to hold your foot, cleaning it with some peroxide before applying some neosporin and a bandaid, his cheeks flushed as he uses all of his willpower not to run his hands up your legs and grip your thighs, pushing your legs apart as he stands between them, kissing your soft- he cuts those thoughts short, you didn't meet the requirements, you weren’t the one.

When he stood you followed what the alcohol in your veins was telling you, leaning into him you lay your head against the tall man's chest as you hugged him. “Thank you for always protecting me Kunikida” his hands find their way to your back, he can smell your shampoo and the natural scent of your skin, it's intoxicating to him.

He had two choices, push you as far away as he could and reprimand you even though he is just as at fault, or embrace you and throw his list out the window. Maybe Dazai was right and he was too stuck up with the list, he was sure about one thing, that you were the only one who almost filled the entire list, the other five being self indulgent he could cross them out and then you would be the one. He was so confused, his life was his book, he was his book, his ideals were everything. Good thing ideals can change and evolve with time.

You pull back and push him away softly before hopping down from the counter, your hands on his shoulders as you look up at him. He smiles down at you, a lovely smile that looked so genuine, filled with unspeakable loneliness in his eyes. You reach up and untie the crimson ribbon around his neck and stand on your tiptoes, kissing his cheek/chin and whispering a goodnight before walking off back to your bedroom. If he reprimanded you tomorrow you would blame the drinks and claim to be a lightweight.

The next morning you wear your new crimson red pencil skirt, a white blouse tucked in, and the ribbon you took from Kunikida, around your neck twice and tied in bow, like the perfect choker that puts the necklace you bought the day before to shame. You slip on your black heels and exit your room, heading down to the kitchen to have a coffee and some breakfast, you’re usually up and out the door before everyone else so that you can take the long way to work, through the park to see the spring blooming.

“You’re up early” his voice shocks you again, but this time you keep a hold on your coffee cup “I could say the same to you, I’m always up at this time. Coffee?” he nods with a small smile and you turn around to poor him some from the pot you made, he never knew who made coffee, he knew that it was made when he got up but assumed you just put it on a timer, not that you were already up at this hour since you came into work right on time when you were scheduled. He wonders what you do with your mornings.

You hand him a cup and he takes it with a smile “thank you y/n” he says and you nod “no problem” you go back to making your breakfast, pretending like last night’s incident isn’t fresh on your mind, until your toe kicks a piece of glass that was stuck under the lower cabinet. You crouch down, picking up the piece as Kinikida comes around “you’re not one to miss something Kunikida” you hold it up with a sly smile “If i didn’t know better, I’d say I really flustered you last night” (if i didn't know about your list is more like it) his heart was racing, you did fluster him, “nonsense” he says, taking the glass and disposing of it, pretending to not notice the necklace you had made from his ribbon around your neck, or the way that you looked practically kneeling in front of him.

You laugh as you stand, going back about your business, wrapping your breakfast up and throwing your bag over your shoulder before grabbing your travel coffee mug and sending him another, albeit fake this time, smile, “nonsense, I know I know, I don't even make the list. 58. I’ll see you at the office, Kunikida.” You bow slightly before leaving him in the kitchen, just as flustered as you had him last night, if you had pushed just a little more, he would have confessed, confessed that he has practically rewritten his list around you. Part of him wonders where you’re off to, you’re not scheduled for another hour and a half and he knows for a fact the walk takes ten minutes. He sighs, finishing his coffee, if he wanted to know he would just ask you later.

The day went by smoothly, you did your missions, did your paperwork, and went home. Sadly though, because of a fight during a mission, you lost the ribbon you took from Kunikida and in turn got a ring of budding bruises and burns because of the villain using it to try and strangle you. What was worse was that you weren’t able to even see Kunikida for the rest of the day.

You walked up the steps of the home slowly, making sure you didn’t wake anyone, if they were even here, it’s past 11 now, your last fight took a while and so did the paperwork. If you shower quickly you can give yourself at least 20 minutes of time to relax and process before going to sleep, already hating your morning alarm.

You head to your room, take off your clothing and hang them up, placing the hanger by the door so that you can drop it by the dry cleaners in the morning. Once inside the bathroom you start the shower to warm up, looking at yourself in the mirror you gently touch your neck, hissing at the pain and quickly retreating your fingers. Sighing, you run your fingers through your hair, blood dried and caked in a few places making your fingers get stuck on tangles, you grab your comb and take it into the shower with you, combing through gently after it’s been washed and conditioned.

You sigh again, grabbing the wine bottle, before you even reach for a glass you think better of it, uncorking it and drinking straight from the bottle. The sound of the bottom of the bottle scraping as you placed it down against the marble sounded loud in the quiet, dark room, but compared to the sound of the feet stomping down the stairs it was silent.

You take another drink then gasp as the light turns on in the kitchen, causing you to yet again drop what you were holding on to the floor, the bottle shattering around your feet and your head hanging, this isn't what you needed, something else to keep you from sleep. Before you can even think of bending down to clean up the mess, you are lifted to the counter again, the same as the previous night, but what made it different was the gentle fingers, turning your face up to look at him.

“We have to stop meeting like this” you say, trying to diffuse the tension, but by the way his lips turned down into a frown, made you break, you couldn’t get reprimanded right now, not by him, not by the one person you wish would comfort you. You tear your head from his grasp, looking back down at your lap as the tears gather in your eyes and your throat tightens in what feels like agony.

“Stay here” he says as he disappears, once he’s gone your face scrunches up, failing to hold back tears anymore you cover your face with your hands, muffling your cries and hiding your face even though the hot tears just slid down your palms and off your chin, hitting your thighs silently.

When he gets back he pauses, seeing you look so vulnerable, at your end, he’s never seen you like this and it absolutely kills him. he knows his damn list, knows what he has said before, but somehow, regardless of his words or actions, his heart has chosen for itself. He crosses the room in seconds, sets the first aid kit down beside you, and wraps his arms around you, pulling you to his chest.

your hands find their way around his back, grabbing fistfulls of the shirt he was wearing, your face buried in his chest as your tears soaked through the fabric. He held you tight, his hand smoothing down your hair as your sobs wracked through you. When you were done crying he held you longer, waiting for when you were ready, when you would pull away.

All he can think about as he holds you was how pissed off he was when Dazai told him you were attacked, how pissed off he was at the villian you fought. But so proud of you for your win, for your fighting skills, he was told you were almost killed, almost strangled to death with your necklace, the necklace that was made from his ribbon. It made him angry because he wasn't there to keep that from happening, he knew you were strong but he felt this pit in his stomach, that he was so close to losing you and you didn't even know that he cared so much for you. The way Dazai looked at him made him angrier, all he could do was change the subject and finish paperwork. He was worried about you. When he heard you in the shower he was grateful you were home, he resisted going to you when he heard you back in your room, told himself to go to sleep when he heard your footsteps go back down the steps. But when he didn’t hear you come back in a few minutes he couldn’t control himself, running down the steps as quick as he could, he couldn't help it, he needed to make sure you were okay.

When you pulled back from him you felt embarrassed, “Sorry Kuni-” he tilts your head up to look at him “you have nothing to be sorry about” he whispers, brushing your tears away and then leans down to kiss your forehead. You gasp in shock as he acts like this was a normal thing between you two, looking at him with wide, bloodshot eyes as he grabs the first aid kit. He takes out the Neosporin and then puts some on his fingers before gently rubbing some on your neck, you hiss and pull away from the pain “I’m sorry” he says and you shake your head before taking his other hand, holding it as you tilt your face away to expose your neck better in the light.

He frowns as he sees the extent of damage your neck took. “I’m sorry for taking your ribbon. Karma, i guess” you whisper through gritted teeth as he gently applies the cream to your neck, the broken bottle and spilled wine forgotten about for the time being. “Hush” he says and squeezes your hand, he moves to the other side of your neck and you roll your head to keep the correct side of the wound in the light. His touch feels nice on your neck, his gentle cool fingers against your angry red, wounded neck, you sigh softly, a sweet sound to his ears. He squeezes your hand again as he finishes his work and you drop it, turning your face to look at him.

“You can have any ribbon of mine you want” he says calmly as he grabs a hand towel from the counter and crouches down, wiping up the wine carefully. You look down at him with your eyebrows raised “Kunikida?” He looks up at you from your feet “what?” He responds and you chuckle softly, your stuffy nose changing the sound “why are you being so nice to me?” He looks back down to his cleaning so you don’t see his blushing cheeks, his heart beating wildly, “what do you mean? I’m a nice guy” he says and you laugh “you are. But you’re making me feel special, that’s usually not your M.O. I mean I’m not even that worthy by your standards.” You say and you feel your heart crack at finally saying the truth out loud.

He sighs, the weight in the room heavy as he finishes cleaning up the wine and glass, just throwing away the glass towel, making a mental note to buy a replacement tomorrow. He walks back over to where you are, still sitting on the counter, looking down at your toes and focusing on the cool tile under your palms and the way the heat in your neck throbs.

He places his palms against your knees, gently opening them to stand between them, you gasp as he places his fingers under your chin and tilts your face up to look at him. He looks fiercely serious and your eyes flick down to his lips for a second before meeting his eye again, blushing as he smirks at your actions.

“Y/n” he starts, his voice deep and as serious as he looks, you don’t know if he’s going to reprimand you or not. “Where do you go in the morning before work?” he asks and a chuckle bubbles out your throat “Kunikida, here I thought you were going to kiss me but instead you wanted to ask me about my morning ritual? Come with me in the morning and you can see” he nods, his cheeks pink “okay I will” he says and then picks you up easily into his arms “what are you doing? Oh god please don’t drop me” he chuckles as you cling to him and doesn’t say anything as he carries you upstairs to your bedroom, tucking you in and kissing your forehead, successfully confusing the hell out of you as you watch him leave your room “we’ll talk over breakfast. Get a good rest” he says as he closes your door behind him.

The next morning you’re up a little earlier than usual, excited to have Kunikida accompany you before work. You dress in a dark green pencil skirt with a cream blouse tucked in and black heels. You layer a couple long gold necklaces, making sure to avoid the still red and bruising marks, and put on some matching earrings, you style your hair up in a neat bun, leaving out a few whispies to frame your face. You put on a little makeup to accentuate your features before leaving your bedroom and taking along your clothes to drop off at the cleaners. When you get downstairs Kunikida is already there, pouring you a cup of coffee.

Your stomach flips when you see him, your breath hitching as you watch him pour the coffee into your travel mugs. You feel your face flush as he looks up to you in the doorway “goodmorning Y/n” he says, setting the pot down and walking over to you. He reaches out and gently takes your chin in his hand, tilting your head back to examine your neck. “Let’s put more medicine on this, it will probably take away some of the pain.”

“Should I sit on the counter again?” your voice was low and teasing, your hand coming up to rest on his chest. His heart beat is so loud in his ears he hopes you can’t feel it under your palm on his chest.

Your breath hitches as you gaze up at him, his eyes flicking to your lips as you stand close together in the kitchen. “Yes that might be wise” he says and places his hands on your hips as he leads you around to the island behind him, your butt bumps into the counter and he swiftly lifts you back to the countertop. You chuckle, steadying yourself by holding his shoulders.

“I’m starting to think you like me up here” you tease, smiling at him, the height of the counter making you almost eye to eye.

His cheeks dust a light shade of pink as he pushes up his glasses, “i’m just trying to take care of you since it was my ribbon that did this to you”

He gently grabs your chin again, looking into your eyes for a moment, the tension in the air thick as you smiled sweetly, his tongue wets his bottom lip and your eyes flick down to them, when you look back up at him his eyes are dark and you can tell he wants to kiss you, a soft chuckle escapes your lips and it seems to shake him out of it. He turns your head gently and grabs the neosporin.

“Thank you Kunikida. I’m sure i will heal quicker because of your care.” you whisper as he begins on the other side. “I surely hope so.” he states. Your hands are on your lap as you play with your fingers, waiting patiently for him to finish.

“Are you ready to see what I do in the morning?” you ask when he finishes his work, your eyes finding his again. He nods “yes, I am truly excited to go with you.” You place your hands on his shoulders and slip off the counter, pressing yourself against him you stand on your tiptoes and kiss his cheek “thank you. For the care and the coffee” You use your thumb to softly wipe the lip gloss from his cheek before slipping past him, grabbing your coffee and slipping your bag across your shoulder and grabbing last night's clothes.

You take a sip of your coffee and then smile at him “Ready?” you ask and he nods, your bright smile making his heart race as he picks up his coffee and bag and follows you out of the kitchen.

You walk the opposite direction from the office and he quirks his eyebrow at you but says nothing as he follows, his stomach in nervous excited knots. He takes a sip of his coffee, hoping the hot bean liquid would help him relax.

After you drop off your clothes you take him to the bread shop a few blocks away, getting a bagel for breakfast where he opted for a croissant. You showed him your favorite building, a small home that was ancient and still standing surrounded by the tall glass buildings and businesses. You stopped for a moment to talk to the lovely old lady who lived there, she was always tending her flower garden when you passed in the morning and you became good friends with her.

“Who is this? Your sweetheart?” she asks and you chuckle “This is Kunikida, we work together” you say with a small smile and she looks at you knowingly “Oh honey if i had a coworker who looked at me the way he looked at you,” she doesn't finish the sentence, she just sends you a pointed look causing your cheeks to flush as you chuckle, Kunikida just watches you with a smile, loving how cute you look when you blush.

The next stop was the park, since it is the spring the flowers are in bloom and it all looks pretty, you sit down at your usual bench that overlooks the majority of the area, the sun in the sky warming your shoulders as the shadows of the trees dance across your features, Kunikida sits by you, drinking in your presence as he watches you truly enjoy every moment you are in.

“You said we would talk today. Is now a good time or maybe later during lunch? That is if we don’t get last minute missions” you finish your coffee and place your cup in your bag. He sighs, looking out across the park and he pushes up his glasses “You have perplexed me.” he says you laugh, a little confused. You turn to him and watch him, waiting for him to continue.

“I am my ideal. Ideals that mean everything. I have my protocol and I stick to it no matter what. Everything is planned, work is structured. It is how I thrive. I have these ideals and requirements. But then you joined the group and slowly you have captured my heart.” he turns his head to look into your eyes now, they are full of raw emotion that leaves you speechless.

“Kuni-” he takes your hand and it silences you “My list” he says and reaches up to wrap your whispies around his finger “all it has on it now is you”

Your heart stops and your breath catches as he confesses his feelings, this man who is all ideals and protocol, who you have been in love with since you started working with, who you never thought you would have a chance with, is holding your hand and telling you that his only requirement for a partner, is that it is you.

“What about your list of 58? This is very unlike you Kunikida” you whisper, your heart going positively wild at his confession, you never thought he would be the one to change part of his ideal. It was completely out of character. “You are hundreds, thousands of things that make my life sweeter. Who needs 58 when you give me all” your breath catches and he leans down, pressing his forehead into yours.

“Please tell me you feel this too” you chuckle, your hand coming to rest on his cheek “I feel this too. Kunikida I-” he captures your lips with his, a kiss that has been built up with tension over the past few days, you sigh and reach up, your hand ghosting over his cheek and neck before landing on his pony, wrapping the strands around your fingers. His free hand is cupping your cheek gently, his fingers brushing against your skin as his tongue brushes against your bottom lip, you sigh as you touch your tongue to his, the feeling of electricity coursing through your veins.

Your phone beeps and you groan, pulling back from him as you look down at it, reading the message that has come through, his hand was still playing with your hair.“What is it?” you sigh and look up at him, forgetting about how close your faces were until your noses brushed “Dazai says to come in as soon as possible so we should go now-” he pecks your lips softly and stands, pulling you up with him

“Always more work to do” he says and you smile, he was right as per usual. He holds out his hand and you take it with a smile, lacing your fingers together as you continue your walk. “Are we going to tell the others?” You ask, really unsure yourself about what was best “yes. There will be paperwork to do but I’ve had it on my desk for a while now” you chuckle “you have?!” He nods “ Dazai gave them to me. He knew how I felt before I did” you laugh “Dazai always knows. He caught me looking at you once and I had to promise him if you didn’t feel the same that I had to help him with his suicide mission, just so he wouldn’t tell you my feelings first” you both make mental notes to talk to Dazai. You stop outside the doors and pull him down into another soft kiss, when you pull back you smile up at him and he chuckles “be safe today” he says as he looks over your neck again and you nod “yes sir” you say and chuckle at the emotion that flashes in his eyes you lean forward “i wish we had to time to explore that. Too bad we have to work” you kiss his neck and then pull back, opening the door and walking into the building chuckling. Daizai watching with a knowing smirk from the window above.

#bungou stray dogs kunikida #kunikida doppo #kunikida fluff #kunikida imagines #kunikida x reader #kunikida x you #kunikida x y/n #bsd kunikida #kunikida doppo x reader #kunikida doppo x you

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bandaged-writer · 4 years

Text

“you are my soulmate.” || dazai

lyric prompts are still open ^.^

➤ Requested by: nonnie (I accidentally deleted the ask instead of saving it)

➤ Lyric prompt: "You are my soulmate."

➤ Pairing: Dazai x Reader

➤ Genre: fluff, romance, soulmate! AU, friends to lovers-ish(?)

➤ Warnings: none

➤ Word count: 2k

The remains of steam trickled down the foggy bathroom mirror while you were busy rubbing your wet hair dry, the smell of showering gel and shampoo lingering in your nose and relaxing your tense nerves. It had been quite the rough week at the agency; a couple of fights, tons of paperwork which your back hated you for and more than enough complaints from the neighbors about the noise and damage. Of course, you couldn't help but reward yourself with a nice, long shower.

Wiping the steam away from the mirror, you tilted your head at the monochromatic reflection staring back at you. There were no colors whatsoever, only a gloomy mix of black and white painted your world once again. Suddenly, you were reminded of the time your mother had told you about soulmates who would paint you a clear blue sky overtime, but what the hell was blue? What did it look like? You were already in your 20s, you doubted that your soulmate was close by - for all you knew, they could live across the globe or died already. Fate wasn't always kind, after all.

Shaking these memories away and wrapping a fluffy towel tightly around your torso, you finally stepped out of the comfort of your bathroom only to be greeted by a pouting mummy lazing around on your couch. "[Name]! Good that you finally finished your shower, the remote control isn't working anymore!" Dazai whined dramatically and held the defective device in his hands as if it had committed a felony. "I've been stuck having to watch a documentary about dogs! Dogs of all animals! Only your beauty can cure my eyes from what they had witnessed-"

Embarrassment heated your cheeks up while your hands were clutching your towel to your chest, your friend's words fell on deaf ears. "What the hell are you doing here?!" you yelled at the brunette and swung a trained leg at the suicidal man whose hand easily grabbed your bare ankle. "My sweet [Name], don't you know how lonely I am without a pretty lady to spend a Saturday with?," by then, you were already used to Dazai's flirty antics and only rolled your eyes at his sugar-coated words for they were nothing more but just that. "That gives you no right to break into my house while I'm showering!," you were beyond flustered, although even this wasn't exactly new. Dazai had seen you half naked numerous times over the course of your friendship and it had never gotten under your skin so deeply. "It's not breaking in when you showed me where the spare key is," a smug expression settled down on Dazai's handsome features as he showed you the glimmering key which was usually hidden in the flower pot in front of your door.

Just as you were about to give in, something weird happened.

For a moment, you could see Dazai's eye color, the shade of his hair and clothes. It was a mere flicker of faded paint filling your vision before your world went back to its monochromatic state and left you staring at your friend like a deer caught in headlights.

"Earth to [Name]," Dazai snapped his fingers in front of your eyes and whipped you back to reality where everything was very much black and white and not colorful. "Wait here, I need to get dressed," pulling your leg from Dazai's grasp, you made a run to your bedroom, slammed the door shut and let your back collide with the cool wood, small gasps leaving your lips as your breathing picked up in a horrifying realization.

The one person you were closest to made you see colors. The one person who knew you better than the back of his hand, knew every little flaw and imperfection and was the epitome of a suicidal womanizer.

No, it had to be a mistake. A simple miscalculation, a cheap trick of the eye. Yes, nothing but a mistake - you had heard of some people seeing colors from birth or they randomly gained the ability to see them without developing feelings towards anyone.

This would be a disaster.

_____________________

And oh boy, were you right.

With each passing day, the dreary monochromatic life you were used to, gradually disappeared and tainted your vision with colors you didn't want to see, because you could finally see that everything your co-workers had told you about Dazai was indeed true.

"What does Dazai look like?," doodling on a random sheet of paper and with coffee resting next to your computer, you threw the sudden question at Naomi who was one of the few people at the agency who could see colors. The ravenette raised a fine eyebrow, looking at you like you had lost your mind. "You don't suffer from long-term memory loss, do you?," a teasing cadence laced in her voice. Letting your body slightly slide down the chair, you leaned your head back against the furniture and pouted. "I know what he looks like! But like..what colors is he made up of?," it was a funny question - you considered Dazai your best friend and yet, you didn't know the color of his irises, of his coat, of the silly pendant he always carried around his neck. You wanted to see your friend.

Naomi's gaze softened at that, a tender curve finding home on her lips which made her eyes smile. It was a question so trivial that only few people worried about, and yet there you were, oblivious to the feelings that were so painfully obvious to everyone at the agency.

And so, Naomi told you about every color that was Dazai Osamu: from the black shoes, to the beige coat, to the blue pendant and his brown locks.

"I envy you for seeing so much more, Naomi."

Those words turned out to be a blessing and a curse alike.

On one hand, you could faintly make out the sparkle in Dazai's coffee-colored orbs but on the other hand, that sparkle was reserved for the pretty waitress of Uzumaki's whose hand he was currently holding, his mind smitten with the mere idea of committing a lover's suicide. You wish you wouldn't see them light up even though the color you saw was barely there, washed out.

"Would a fair maiden such as yourself allow me the honor of you accompanying me to the afterlife?," a moonstruck smile stretched Dazai's lips, his calloused thumb stroking the delicate knuckles of the waitress who remained unfazed by Dazai's attempt to woo her. It was a typical sight, yet why did it bother you? You had witnessed such scenes countless of times and even acted as the brunette's girlfriend just so he could get rid of another woman's unwanted affection. "Hmm, maybe if you have a life insurance," the waitress twinkled, clearly uninterested in Dazai's proposal.

You realized that not even a soulmate could tie Dazai down.

"Are you alright, [Name]?," Atsushi pulled your attention to the matter at hand which was assigning several cases to different colleagues, but even Atsushi could tell that you weren't really with him. He saw the way your gaze would travel to the counter where Dazai was keeping himself busy with the waitress, he noticed the way you'd only ever give him an occasional "mhm" or a short "yes".

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm good. Don't worry, Atsushi," you waved a dismissive hand in front of your face and put on the ghost of a smile which never reached your eyes.

"I was just thinking about how blue the sky is today."

_____________________

"Have you ever seen colors, Osamu?," mindlessly, you stared at the sake in the small cup held by your fingers, your body resting on Dazai's floor with the wall supporting your back. It was a lazy night of having a few drinks at the brunette's place, talking about anything that came to mind or letting silence and unspoken words fill the space.

Dazai effortlessly downed a shot and let the liquor burn his throat. At least, the drinks were less bitter with you around. "Well, have you?" Ah, that bastard once again avoided your question by asking his own and putting the spotlight on you. It was such a painfully obvious tactic to dodge personal questions, but it still worked every damn time. Or maybe you just needed to get some thoughts off your chest and run the risk of Dazai figuring out the secret you had only told Atsushi about.

"What do you think about it?," stupid how the two of you danced around the topic like it was poison which could bring death upon the both of you.

Sitting down opposite of you, Dazai scanned your face. The way your gaze was fixed on him like a magnet, the missing makeup, the slightly disheveled hair from work and the way your lips shone thanks to the lip balm you always carried with you. "You're a curious thing, aren't you?," a chuckle caressed your ears and you wished it was a bit more lighthearted, a bit less closed off. Dazai rested his elbow on his propped up knee in a lazy manner as he gathered his thoughts; it was something he had never talked about.

"I don't think I like the concept of a soulmate. After all, your soulmate can be dead or be against the beliefs you hold on to so tightly. It'd cause unnecessary conflict over and over again until both individuals grow tired of each other and eventually break up, no?," Dazai paused then sighed, his eyes drawn to the night sky outside. "Isn't it a bit mean to gift color only those who feel something like love towards someone?"

Those words were as bitter as the liquor scorching your throat, but could you really disagree? A soulmate was only a partner suggestion given by the universe and whatever created it. Many soulmates eventually got tired of one another, yet no one broke things off since having someone to come home to was comfortable. It was comfortable, but it was no longer love. "It is. I've been dying to see what colors you are," you admitted softly, hoping he couldn't tear through the lie and discover that you saw the color of the cut that he got from an earlier fight.

At that, Dazai smiled at you with tender eyes and tilted his head to the side, brown strands of hair framing his stupidly dreamy face. "Honestly? I've been wondering what your eye color is."

You swore the world just got more colorful.

_____________________

The day the colors reached their peak of vibrancy was the day your heart skipped a beat for the first time in quite a while.

In the background, you could hear Kunikida scolding Dazai and threatening to kill him with his own bony fingers jus because the brunette was trying to shove his reports to Atsushi. "I swear I'll make you see the end of your life!," the blond man yelled, clearly fed up with his colleague's antics and non-existent work ethics. "At least let me die with a beautiful woman by my side!"

You couldn't help the chuckle that left your lips. Their arguments never failed to squeeze a laugh out of your lungs even when you didn't feel like laughing at all. The agency was your safe place, it was your home.

"Oh, I spent an entire minute dealing with your crap although we should get going. Let's go, Dazai," Kunikida let go of his partner's collar, dusted off his pants like nothing happened and grabbed the keys for the car; no way in hell would he ever let the suicidal maniac drive, again. "Punctual as always, Kunikida," Dazai mock praised the blond and crossed his hands behind his head, a smile on his face.

"Ah, good luck, guys!," you called after Kunikida with quite the stack of paper in your hands and smiled up at Dazai who just..looked at you. You were about to tell him to hurry up and head out before Kunikida would scold him again, when he spoke in a hushed tone which was only meant to be heard by you.

"I like your lip balm. Red suits you."

#bungou stray dogs #bungou stray dogs imagines #bungou stray dogs x reader #bsd #dazai osamu #dazai x reader #dazai osamu x reader

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faerune · 3 years

Text

a safe pair of hands

pairing: nate sewell x f!detective [naomi adler]

summary: nate reads the detective to sleep.

warnings: none! just some good soft nate/detective!

[AO3]

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to find you here.”

Naomi pauses in the doorway. A warm light had cut a swathe across the darkened hallway. One that was too tempting to ignore.

Sleep hadn’t come to her tonight. She’d crawled into bed some time before eleven but by the time she had finally given up her tossing and turning the neon numbers of her alarm clock read a terribly late number past midnight.

The cool wood of the warehouse floors had made her shiver, her arms attempting to ward off the cold as she set off down the halls in a t-shirt and sleep shorts without a thought to her destination.

Nate had heard her coming, sticking a finger between the pages of his book and turning his full attention to her before she’d even slipped into the library. It’s bathed in the glow of a lone lamp with a green stained glass shade. Naomi is struck by the handsome lines of his face — his kind brown eyes, the stubble on his jaw, the little curls of escaped hair that frame his face.

She loves him like this, relaxed and easy, draped on the leather sofa in his favorite place. Just the sight of him makes the anxiety curling in her muscles alleviate. Just an inch but enough that she has become addicted to what the warmth of his presence does to her. Nate wears just a pair of soft pajama pants and a simple grey t-shirt. All it makes her want is to curl into his lap.

Her destination tonight had been more planned than she had originally thought.

“Unable to sleep?” he asks and there’s that worried look again that she’s not terribly fond of.

Naomi waves a dismissive hand and shrugs, shuffling over to him. He sits up and sets his feet on the floor, making room for her on the plush couch. Nate rubs a hand over his sleepy face as she settles and her heart does a little tug towards him.

“What are you reading?” Naomi hums, tucking her feet underneath her. She holds her hand out and he chuckles softly, relaxing into his new position when she settles. His hand finds a home on her knee, thumb rubbing against her bare skin. It is as natural as breathing to him but it sparks something humming and frantic in her ribcage.

She accepts the book, careful to slip her finger to replace his own so she doesn’t lose his page.

Naomi turns the book in her hands. She had to give it to Nate — his collection was breathtaking. It was so pristine and well-loved Naomi felt almost criminal for borrowing them. Even as much as Nate insisted.

One day, she had left with a stack of first editions that was almost painful to put in her shitty car — right over the coffee stain in the bucket of the passenger seat. This book has a textured, dark leather binding, an intricate scene of an unrecognizable ancient city emblazoned on the cover with swirling gold script.

“Le Lie-ver de la Cite des Dame,” Naomi struggles through and just by the slight wince on Nate’s face she knows her pronunciation had been a butchering. He wipes it away quickly and chuckles, his thumb still rubbing soothingly at her knee.

“Le Livre de la Cité des Dames,” Nate corrects kindly, his tongue rolling perfectly over the words. Language to Nate is an art form. Just watching his lips produce the words makes her flush a little.

Naomi rolls her eyes and hands the book back to him, “Show off.”

The two of them melt into easy laughter that makes her heavy ribs feel light. Nate’s hand gives her knee a squeeze.

Naomi rests her arm on the back of the couch, leaning her head against her fist.

“Tell me about it,” Naomi prods, gazing at him, watching delight spark in his eyes.

“The Book of the City of Ladies,” he explains with the sweetest smile like he’s telling a secret. “Finished in 1405-”

“Ah, so not only French but Medieval French. Got it,” Naomi teases dryly. He gives her a little bemused quirk of his lips before continuing.

“It was written in defense of education for women and of their value to society. It talks about women of note — the Virgin Mary, Sappho, Dido..,” he continues. Naomi raises her eyebrows in interest. Her own repertoire of finished books suddenly pales in comparison.

“Well, if you came for help falling asleep I could bore you all night,” Nate jokes with a little huff of an apologetic laugh.

Naomi sits up and rubs his shoulder, an action that still makes her heart shudder because fuck it’s so easy. So simple.

“No, no-” Naomi shakes her head. “It sounds incredible. I suddenly wish I could read French.”

“I could teach you,” Nate offers, placing his hand over hers. He bundles her hand tightly up in his and brings her finger tips to his soft lips.

“Tempting,” Naomi smirks, holding back the urge to make him blush — and no doubt purr back a tease that she wouldn’t be able to get off her mind for days. “Why don’t you read it to me now?”

Nate cocks his head a little in confusion. Naomi is already busy pulling his legs back up onto the couch.

“Read it to me,” she urges, shifting to wiggle between his body and the back of the couch. Any protest or confusion has died in the time it takes for her to settle against him, his arm looping instinctively around her. She presses her cheek to his chest, against the dull thumping of his heart. Naomi hopes he is smiling. There was nothing better than knowing she made him smile.

The book’s spine crackles when it opens and she is overwhelmed by the smell of old parchment. She scans the words — Naomi wouldn’t be surprised if it was a special edition. Nate loved those. A thought tucked into the back of her mind for a day when she suddenly had enough money to buy him every first edition she could get her hands on.

Nate started to read as if he knew them by heart. He kisses her hair, squeezes her tight and relaxes into the cushions. His voice embraces her, holds her as tenderly as he does. It was nonsense to her but the sound of his baritone and the slight vibrato underneath her ear was soothing nonetheless. Maybe she would let him teach her French. Maybe she’d get to use it some day.

Maybe Nate would take her to Paris and he would insist on kissing her at the height of the Eiffel Tower because that seemed like something he would do. They would visit the Louvre and Nate would explain all of the pieces to her, talking in that same soothing voice. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, tucking her into his chest so again she could hear the lovely thrill of his voice against her ear.

Pages flip by. One after the other. Naomi’s eyes begin to grow heavy and her body doesn’t fight it. No pounding heart, no restless mind. Just the comfort of him against her and his tongue dancing over words she wished to understand. At some point, Nate tugs the soft blanket draped over the couch nd covers the two of them. She hums happily when he does.

That and his voice is the last thing she remembers before drifting off to an easy, dreamless sleep.

#nate sewell #twc #nathaniel sewell #n sewell #wayhaven #god i haven't posted fic in so long and it's like 2am so im not editing this until tomorrow enjoy my garbage #writing*#ship: blueberry muffins

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imnotwolverine · 4 years

Text

Written in Egyptian Cotton

Henry Cavill x OC (Naomi) one-shot

Disclaimer: NSFW, sexual tension w/ someone outside of relationship, emotional blackmailing, break-up, smut

Word count: 9.982

Author’s note: It took a while, but here’s a fic I’ve written on request of darling @cherrybloomn (thank you for all your wonderful ideas, patience and help! ❤️). It may have changed quite a bit from your original idea, going from pure smut to something with nearly 10k of backstory - WOOPS - but here goes.

PS. I just got back from work ..and..eh..WHAT?! I got like 200 notifications, which is like 10x what I’m used to getting in such a time frame. So, whatever’s going on; thank you sweet readers, it’s such a joy to see you enjoying my work in such great numbers, and what a great way to start my weekend! YAY!! 🎉

Written in Egyptian cotton

‘Well you could have just told me. Yeuss Henry..’ The pretty brunette rolled her eyes and turned away from him, her face pouting as she scooted back, further expanding the already significant distance between the two.

‘But..I did! I…’ He sighed, realising she was no longer listening, her arms crossed in front of her ample bosom as she looked out of the window of the jeep, the vehicle bouncing left and right as it drove over the uneven desert road.

The blond woman in the shotgun seat, Naomi, bit her lip, the petty fight behind her reminding her just what a ..joy..it was to not have a partner of her own. And this definitely wasn’t the first petty fight between her two clients, the two near endlessly bickering over the past week. They were far from the calm, loving couples she was used to giving tours, being a personal traveling guide for the well-to-do.

‘I hate this.’ The brunette softly muttered under her breath, the air in the jeep now so tense that it would only be a matter of time before the ticking time bomb that she, Victoria, was, would completely explode.

The other day she had in fact almost jumped out of the car after a full hour of nagging that she didn’t want to go. And now? Now she was picking a fight over the fact that Henry hadn’t told her explicitly that we wouldn’t be back before dinner, since..well..the name kind of implied as much; we were going to do a “Night Tour”.

The darling brunette had not packed any extra clothes, which is, no matter what you are going to do in the desert, ab-so-lute-ly ridiculous. People got stuck here all the time and nature didn’t care about your pouting face and stomping feet. Carefully looking over her shoulder Naomi caught a glimpse of Henry’s eyes as he bit his tongue again, the large man quietly clenching his fists before his blue eyes quickly looked away, avoiding Naomi’s knowing gaze.

It was going to be a long, long, long afternoon..and probably even longer night.

Shivering in the cold night air as she had given some of her spare clothes to Victoria, Naomi called a silent prayer as she heard the wind in her back carry the all familiar nagging voice of one very unhappy client.

Would this ever end?

‘My feet hurt. Can we go back?..HENRY? Hello? Earth to Henry?…I’m tired.’ The small company just trudged on through the sandy dunes, some pocket lights shining the way to a small beduin village where a local would tell about life in the desert and explain how the stars were used to travel in the vast expanse of this sandy landscape.

It was a pretty night. The wind laying low and the stars sparkling bright like a million tiny freckles on a black velvet canvas. Almost perfect. Almost, the peace and quiet of millions of sand grains not being able to muffle the never-ending wails that escaped Victoria’s lips, no matter what her lover Henry tried - the shame and annoyance clear on his clean shaven, handsome face.

‘Vic..- URGH - Victoria. Please. Just…’ Henry’s voice came out strained and choppy. ‘Stop.’

‘Oh YOU WANT ME TO STOP. Well here.’ She stopped her dragging feet at once, soon falling even further behind. Henry halted as well, shining his light at her, her face turned up in an angry scowl. ‘..I stopped.’ She growled.

‘Vic..baby come on. I promise once we get back I’ll make it up. We’ll..’ He hesitated. ‘We’ll..just..reschedule our plans. Look for a..a..swimming pool..and..hammam. Get you pampered, hmm? Just a few more hours, okay babe?’

‘FUCK. YOU.’ She near-screamed over the listening landscape, the small gathering of other tourists that had arrived for the tour now also halting to hear and see what was amiss with these two.

Naomi quickly paced back to check on her bickering clients, her heels sinking away in the heavy sand before she halted next to Henry, his voice just biting back a quiet; ‘I wish we’d at least do tha..’ - ‘Hey. You okay?’ Naomi looked Henry up and down, his face long and exasperated. He looked positively DONE with his darling girlfriend.

‘Yea..it’s..we just..’ He looked at Victoria and wetted his lips. ‘..Just a..just a moment, okay?’ He offered Naomi a pleading look and took a shaky breath before quickly moving down the dune hill to talk some sense into Victoria.

They truly were an interesting pair. Victoria playing Henry like a fiddle. A sweet caress, a little flirt, followed with an on-slaught of ..well..emotional blackmailing?

Naomi watched Henry disappear in the half-light, her blond hair flailing in the gentle night air as was lit up by the dozen pocket lights that shone behind her back, the rest of the group now also watching the scene unfold.

The scene where Victoria broke with him, Henry.

AGAIN.

Yea..this was emotional blackmailing.

‘Hey.’ - ‘Hey…’ Henry hesitantly stepped into the corner of the hotel bar, Naomi sprawled onto a low sofa as she was typing away on her laptop, the hour late and her hand keeping a cocktail right within arm’s reach. ‘Can I eh..’ He bit his lip. ‘..join? I mean. I don’t want to..’ - ‘Oh yes, of course! Please!’ Naomi hastily sat up and pushed aside the scattering of paper that had gathered around her as she worked through the plans she was making for her next trip.

‘I really don’t want to disturb you. Please…I..’ - ‘Henry.’ Naomi looked up at him with a stern but friendly look. ‘Sit down.’

He sighed and smiled hesitantly, the falling out with Victoria clearly having scarred his confidence a little, his large feet carefully stepping into the small nook to take a seat on the dark blue sofa. With a sigh escaping he let himself sink into the comfortable pillows, his whole being obviously very exhausted with all that had come to pass.

‘See. The couch doesn’t bite.’ Naomi winked, hoping it would lighten the mood ever so slightly as she moved to place all her stuff on the seat next to her.

‘Well that makes one thing that doesn’t bite me in the butt.’ He snickered, his voice echoing the tiredness of his body after a long day of attending to the every need of Victoria - who had thankfully retired to the hotel room by now.

‘Yea..’ Naomi said softly, her voice trailing away in the incense heavy air, the temperature inside the hotel lounge so very comfortable after a few long hours of hiking through the cold desert dunes. She had fallen into a bit of a rosy state, her pale cheeks slightly flustered, a fluster that got even worse when Henry finally laid a good eye on her.

He had that effect on her.

Always had.

‘So..’ Naomi quickly swallowed, reaching for her drink in hope it would cool her down somewhat. ’..that was an eventful night, hmm?’

‘You can say that.’ Henry sighed, sinking even further down in the pillows so he could rest his head on the backrest. It didn’t look like he was going to share his thoughts with her, and Naomi couldn’t blame him.

‘Hey..shall I get you a drink? Looks like you can use a drink.’

‘Oh no..please. I can..’ He tried to get up from his comfortable position but Naomi gently coaxed him back in the pillows. ‘I’ve gotcha, no worries.’ She said, using her fingertips to push him back down. A gesture that made their eyes interlock for another brief moment, both their mouths falling open ever so slightly as Naomi’s nimble fingers felt through the soft fabric of his shirt, noting Henry’s rapid beating heart, his pupils blown out wide.

Naomi hastily pulled back her hand and smiled. ‘Sorry.’

Darn it Naomi! He literally broke up with his girlfriend two hot seconds ago!

Besides..HE’S YOUR CLIENT.

’No..no..please..It’s okay.’ Henry muttered, pushing himself up from the pillows all the same, his eyes looking for hers but she already evaded his gaze again. A mere look of those ocean blues did things to her that she should not even think about. She shouldn’t make the same mistakes she made earlier.

He’s a client. And a very good, returning client at that. Behave yourself!

‘Yea..okay..drinks.’ Naomi pushed herself off the couch and with long strides she carried herself to the bar, out of his sight, one heated night in the city of Rome springing back up in her mind.

Ugh..Rome..

‘Can I ..can I at least have a pillow and a blanket?’ Henry tried, standing in the corner of his and Victoria’s hotel room. ‘Pffft! You run so hot in the night..like you fucking NEED it.’

‘VICTORIA dammit! I’m trying to just…ARGH..’ - ‘WHAT?! HUH? Make amends?! Oh look at me being all goooood, your superhero ready to serve your every need. I am Henry, I am too good to keep my girlfriend involved when we plan OUR SHARED FUCKING HOLIDAY.’ Victoria fumed as she pricked her long, prettily manicured nail in his chest. ‘Or is that not how it went, hmm? HMMM?’ She moved to spin around on her heel, but Henry caught her arm before she could reach the bed, his hand gripping awkwardly around the silky smooth fabric of her black bathrobe.

Black like the poison in her words.

‘Vic..I’m sorry..really..’ He sounded at loss for words, his every attempt to make things better between them, only causing more damage. His voice got close to breaking as Victoria’s words echoed in his ear.

‘Don’t Vic me.’ She growled, fiercely pulling her arm from his grip and reached for a little blanket and a pillow. ‘Here. You sleep on the fucking couch.’ And with that she threw the items at him before pointing at the couch that was situated behind a curtain in the corner of the room.

Henry blinked and held his breath, the fabric of the little blanket coarse beneath his finger tips.

Another uncomfortable night on a couch, it was.

‘Wow, look at that!’ Henry’s eyes glittered as the boat coasted over the smooth water of the Nile, a number of land workers digging through the wet soil on the river bed to create water trenches for their crops. ‘Cool right.’ Naomi stepped in besides him, joining him as he watched the men work. ‘They’ve been doing it like that for thousands of years. In fact the Egyptians became one of the first cultures to develop such large scale agriculture. And actually.. if you look to the..’ - ‘Hi!’ Victoria peaked in between the two of them, her face all smiles as she squeezed herself through, trying to get a glimpse of what Henry and Naomi were looking at.

‘Whatcha talking about, hmm?’ She smiled at Henry, who blinked at her like she had just slapped him right in the face.

‘Eh..the..the..fieldworkers.’ He quickly gathered himself, stepping aside to make room for her, ever the gentleman. ‘You see those men there?’ He pointed at the bronzed figures in the distance, toiling in the harsh midday sun.

‘Mhm, what about them? Hey, by the way, they have cocktails on board, did you know that?’

And just like that the conversation was diverted back to the many luxuries that Henry didn’t care much about, but Victoria? Oh Victoria most definitely did.

It had played out like this on a near daily basis. Like the bipolar sexbomb Victoria was, she was either a sweet, happy and bubbly spirit, or a projectile of red clawed nails and vicious words whose sole purpose was to hurt whomever got near.

Which, usually was Henry.

As Victoria pulled on Henry’s arm to attract his attention, he looked past the brunette to meet the worried gaze of Naomi. He knew what she thought. All in just one simple look.

Oh...If only his life could be so simple as to understand his lovers with just one look.

If only everything in life was so simple, so gentle, as the caress of her fingers over the cotton sheets of her bed.

Trailing her finger pads over the notoriously soft Egyptian cotton, Naomi looked up at the ceiling of her hotel room. Usually she had a near endless pool of energy to tap from. Traveling, in the end, was her life’s dream. Now, however, she was simply exhausted. Truly, truly exhausted.

Naomi just hoped that beneath the childish nagging and materialistic bullshit that seemed to make up 99% of Victoria’s being, there was somewhere deep underneath that 1% that made her a good match for Henry. Because honestly, she couldn’t see it. She couldn’t see what made the two a good fit.

Happy, cheerful Henry seemed honestly depressed. She had known him for years and never had she seen the large man shrink so small and unsure. And Victoria? She seemed truly restless, her gaze and attention falling a bit too often on other men. Rich men. As if she was setting up a back-up plan.

Poor Hen..

*knock knock*

Naomi blinked and turned her head slightly. Had she just imagined that? The room was near quiet, some muted sounds outside the third floor window of a few people walking through the nightly streets of Caïro. Hmm, strange. Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her. She looked back up at the ceiling, her fingers trailing back over the soft cotton.

Maybe she could help him. Maybe she could..

*knock knock*

Alright. There was definitely something, or someone, there. Sitting up and slipping into a bathrobe to look at least a little bit presentable, her bare feet padded over to the door as she searched for a light switch, hands flicking open the lock to see who was there.

Henry, his lips curling in a tentative smile as he carefully let out a little breath.

‘H-heyy..Henry.’ Naomi blinked, then looked into the hallway left and right, almost as if half expecting a vicious Victoria to come chasing him down the long hallway. But, there was nobody else there.

‘Hi. Eh..mind if I eh..’ He gestured over her shoulder and she gulped a quick agreement, stepping back to let him inside.

Did something happen?

‘Yea..sure, sure. Come in. Don’t want to wake the neighbors haha.’ - ‘Yea..the neighbors.’ Henry swallowed, his eyes flying around her small, but comfortable hotel room. On one side of her king sized bed a scattering of maps and tourist info, obviously moved aside so she could go to sleep in the other half, sheets already tousled.

‘You know what...I..It can wait til morning. I didn’t know you went to bed.’

‘Oh no, please, please. I couldn’t sleep AT ALL, actually. Tired yes. Sleep no.’ Naomi shrugged.

‘Hmm.’ Henry’s brows furrowed as he looked back at Naomi, seeing she indeed looked quite tired. So unlike her, the steady force of happy, bubbly excitement in his life right now.

‘I hope it’s not about..Victoria..I really am so sorry about-’ - ‘It’s fine. Truly. I mean, you can’t really help it now, can you? Sometimes things are easy, sometimes they’re...not?’ She smiled at him and quickly moved past, hand accidentally brushing against his as she reached to fold back the sheets, a quick attempt to make the room look somewhat more presentable.

‘So. Anything I can assist you with?’ She turned back around, the energy in the room suddenly very tense.

Oh..they should never be alone. She just knew it. Everytime they were alone, things were bound to happen.

It was past 11 o’clock and Henry, her very hot-hot-hot client, was standing here in her small hotel room. Why?

‘I guess I just..eh..’ He looked around the room again. ‘..wanted to apologise. I mean you had to..’ He gestured at the paperwork on her bed. ‘..change your plans. And I really, truly appreciate all your hard work and how you are dealing with this situation with me and Victoria.’

‘Eh..but of course. I mean, that’s what you hired me for.’ Naomi shrugged it off, barely noticing the restless shuffle of Henry’s feet. ‘It’s not just that though, is it?’ She gave him a discerning look and he slowly shook his head. ‘You know what. This is really silly on my part. It’s late and we both should catch some sleep. Great plans for tomorrow, right?!’

And before Naomi could even blink he had left again.

Was it just her, or was Henry acting increasingly weird now things were crash-and-burning with Victoria?

A day off. It was almost strange to have a day off when you were going on a holiday, but right now Naomi was more than a little glad that they had planned this day for everyone to go about their business alone. And, from the looks of it, that was just what everyone was doing. Naomi had given Victoria some tips on local spas that she could visit and Henry had simply vanished into thin air.

Which was fine. Naomi wasn’t sure if she could handle being alone with him again. Not after that night he had visited her hotel room. And most definitely not now, after she had some hot and bothering dreams in which she explicitly thought of what COULD have happened, had he stayed.

All scenarios including very..VERY unprofessional actions on her part.

Naomi was feeling tense and all she really needed right now, was a nice..relaxing..stretch session.

With her room being simply too small to even sit on the ground properly, she had opted for the hotel’s gym, the midday hour meaning practically all tourists were out in the pool or on excursions. There was nobody else, which made it just a little less awkward to roll around in some shorts and a tank top as she followed along with a Youtube video she would always resort to whenever things in her life got stressful.

Deep relaxing breaths escaped her slightly parted lips as she sat there in a cobra position, head tipped back, eyes closed, arms pushing up her upper body as her legs lay stretched out behind her. Just..breathe in..and..breathe out. Breathe in ..and..

*scchwwupp*

The door of the gym quietly slid open.

Okay, just, don’t pay attention to it. You’re here for you, Naomi. Just..breathe in..breathe out...breathe in..

Not managing to calm her curiosity completely, she peaked through the ceiling height mirror to check who it was. And well, have you there, it was of course a gleaming, beaming, slightly sweaty Henry.

‘Hi.’ He breathed, smiling, getting back his breath after what probably had been a run out in the scorching hot Egyptian sun.

‘Hi.’ Naomi swallowed, quickly reverting her attention back to the video before her and acting like there was nothing awkward about sitting there in clothes that really left nothing to his imagination. And oh how absolutely wonderful it was that she was right in front of that darn floor-to-ceiling mirror, the reflection making sure that he could not only admire her back..but also her front.

UGH..the gods had a sense of humour, didn’t they?

Swallowing back those thoughts she sat back on her buttocks to follow the instruction along, the stretch continuing with a focus on the legs, her hands reaching out to touch her toes, back straight. And ..breathe in...breathe out..breathe in…

She could swear he was watching her, but it was probably rude to check.

And breathe in..breathe..Fine, a little peak then.

Making sure she was not too obvious she quickly eyed Henry, his attention averted to adding weights to a bar.

He looked good. His broad chest sporting a grey shirt that sat snug on his pecs, his shorts begging for mercy as they stretched over his generous booty and thighs, long legs covered in a fine sheen of sweat and hair.

Oh, he was truly a thing of magnificence wasn’t he?

[ Florence, Italy, a few years back. ]

‘And here, the one and only..David by the great artist Michelangelo!’ Naomi pointed at the humongous statue as it rose high above both their heads, Henry’s eyes admiring the smooth stone that bulged with perfectly hewn muscles and sharp facial features much like his own.

Though, not entirely like him, his eyes dragging down to the crotch area before raising a careful eyebrow.

‘Aherm..yes. Times were quite different then,’ Naomi chuckled. ‘..with the Greek also having pretty clear opinions on ideal genitalia sizes and shapes. Smaller, back then, was considered to fit the ideal Greek man, since it fit with the profile of being rational, intellectual and authoritative, whereas bigger penises were related to lust and foolishness. And that was very much opposite of what Greeks wished to exude.’

Henry frowned and slowly shook his head. ‘Why not both?’ To which Naomi broke out in a loud chuckle, making Henry snicker in turn. ‘Sure..why not..both?’ She winked.

Why not both?

Well. Not much later that week she had learned what Henry had meant with that little joke. And what he packed away beneath those tight gym shorts she was staring at right now, the fabric straining around his muscles as he bent over to start a timer.

Oh he surely would have made Michelangelo’s David blush - both by those ridiculous gym shorts and what was beneath.

Henry was a man of intellect, authority ..and ..well..he sure as hell was packing.

Swallowing back those thoughts too, Naomi finished her stretching sessions with red hot cheeks - her mind trying to blame it on the barely working airconditioning, but she knew better as she returned her gaze to the mirror, finding his eyes there.

Of course he was looking back at her now she was a blushing mess.

With feral eyes, face in deep grunting focus, he pushed the heavy weighted bar high above his head. The weights at either end probably as heavy as she was, her eyes staring in quiet admiration, the air so very tense again that she just had to hold her breath as she watched him lower down the weight.

Turning around, wishing to bid him a good day and leave, she simply couldn’t. Their eyes interlocking and his face turning into a teasing grin, he furrowed his brow and pushed up the weight again, muscles flexing, hair tumbling over his sweaty face.

Ugh, that beautiful chiseled face.

No matter how focused and snarling he looked at her, she couldn’t help but feel all kinds of hot and bothered, completely ensnared in his gaze. And so she just stood there, watching, phone and gym bag in hand, ready to leave but doing none of the sort.

*cla-clang*

With a slightly awkward slip Henry pushed the weighted bar back in its holder, Naomi finally awaking from her stare as a little smirk appeared on her lips.

‘Don’t hurt yourself, cowboy.’ She mused, finding back her teasing confidence.

Henry snickered and shook his head, looking away for a split second to make sure the weight wasn’t causing damage, before realising she was now really making her way towards the door.

‘Unless of course you want me to.’ He teased back, slightly out of breath, making Naomi offer him one more raised eyebrow over her shoulder before she quickly disappeared.

D-did he mean something by that? Or was this just Henry being unaware of the tease he was being?

[ Rome, Italy, a few years back ]

Blond, bouncy and confident, Naomi waved her hands in the air as she explained in great detail how the city of Rome had been rebuilt numerous times over the past few thousand years. “And look here!” She’d say with that grand smile on her lips, attracting Henry’s attention like nothing else could, his eyes barely managing to tear away from her whenever she wished him to look at a grubble of old decaying rock.

It was the first holiday in years without a lover by his side and, though he was fine with being alone, he couldn’t help but wish for having someone there to share his trips with. And thus he had hired her again. Naomi. He had hired for a trip a year prior, which had been with his brothers, wives, nephews and nieces.

So very different was this trip to Italy, being just the two of them, her hands now halting mid-air as she struck a near comical pose, copying the stance of a statue of a grand fountain they were walking past. Henry chuckled loudly, cheeks dimpling and eyes twinkling.

She was cute.

‘Do you dance?’ He asked, near teasingly.

Oh gods..he couldn’t help but tease her endlessly. It was a perfect way to get the rather professionally dressed and well-learned blond woman before him to loosen up and strike a pose like she did just now. Winking at him, a chuckle on her lips, she nodded towards a bridge in the far distance. ‘Only one way to find out, cowboy!’ She teased back, walking ahead and making Henry chase her through the tourist horde.

He enjoyed the chase.

Looking back over her shoulder she offered him a kitten-like, though also quite taunting, little smirk. ‘..tonight, maybe?’ She smiled.

Henry’s heart flipped out of his chest, his ears almost unbelieving of the very subtle flirt that had just escaped her lips.

It had taken him a full year to get the blondine for him alone. And then some weeks before she would as much as offer him a wink or tease back. But this? THIS?! OOPH, this was more than he could have wished for. He may not be much of a dancer, but her offer? He just couldn’t refuse.

‘OH GODS.’ Naomi shot up from the bed, the crinkled Egyptian cotton sheets falling down her naked curves, her eyes staring in slight shock at a sleepily blinking Henry. ‘W-what?’ He yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he watched the blondine rush out of his bed, her hands quickly grabbing for her clothes.

Only after her underwear was back in place, did she turn back towards him, eyes big like those of a deer in the headlights. ‘I’m SO..SO sorry. Dammit..ugh..let’s ..forget this ever happened, okay?’ She said, looking at him with intent as she pulled on her jeans with kicking feet. Jeans that he had so deliciously rolled down her legs only a few hours prior.

Realising what was happening a tad too late, Henry’s sleep muddled brain could only produce a confused ‘Okay..sure..’ As he watched her leave his hotel room.

Had it all been but a dream?

As a dream is a wish your heart makes

‘UGH..and these don’t fit either!’ Victoria growled, her tone of voice so very unladylike, so very unlike what she presented to the world with her well coiffed hair, elegant white palazzo trousers and silky light blue blouse. It just proved that no matter how pretty a person was from the outside, it could never truly hide what was inside.

Near throwing the “pretty curly shoes” back at the poor vendor, she looked up at Naomi, her mouth curled down in a dissatisfied pout.

Naomi tried; ‘It’s eh..actually rather normal to wear slightly too small shoes here - in fact it’s the reason why you fold the back of the shoe flat beneath the soles of your feet.’

It was obvious that this wasn’t the desired answer.

With one angry snarl of Victoria, Naomi’s words were quick to die on the tip of her tongue, her lips curling in an apologetic smile at the salesman, the man quickly shrugging before he turned to look for some different shoes that would appease the queen of drama.

‘Pff..it’s not like you know shit about fashion.’ Victoria muttered begrudgingly, looking away from Naomi in annoyance. It was then Naomi decided it was best to just flee the scene, her feet shuffling backwards until she bumped into one large chest.

Henry’s chest.

‘Woops..sorry.’ Naomi swallowed, quickly stepping aside and creating some socially appropriate distance between the two of them - quite a challenge as the little shop was packed from top to bottom with those “cute little curly shoes”, the racks squeezed so tight together that you could barely walk through the small isles, Henry and his wide chest having to actually side-shuffle to move through.

‘No..no problem.’ Henry muttered, quickly eyeing what Victoria was up to over Naomi’s shoulder. And thankfully, she had now occupied herself with her smartphone as she waited for the sales vendor to get back with a new batch of shoes. Naomi followed his gaze and quietly whispered; “Well, looks like prince charming found himself a Cinderella of sorts.’

‘Ha.-ha.’ He said unamused, then rolled his eyes at her, lips curling in a smile. Naomi chuckled.

Then Henry used the moment to study Naomi, her blond hair half-hidden behind a royal blue head wrap - it looked pretty on her. Subdued, but pretty, her face without make-up and her outfit a simple unwashed linen shirt and ankle length skirt. Like..

‘Cinderella? Hmm..I think there’s only one Cinderella here..and Victoria..is definitely not the one.” He smiled, making Naomi blush ever so becomingly as she quickly turned to meticulously study a stand with leather bags.

Pfft..what the hell was he talking about. She was hardly a princess, right?

Looking back at him through the corner of her eyes she saw him still looking at her, an appreciative smile ghosting his lips.

Right?!

[ Carcassonne, France, a year ago ]

‘WOA..did you hear that?’ Naomi looked nervously over her shoulder, the single street lantern behind them casting long, ominous shadows over the cobble-stoned alleyway. Almost without noticing herself she stepped closer to Henry, the large bear of a man right in step as they walked back to the hotel after a rather late dinner in the medieval old town centre.

Narrow alleyways, uneven cobble-stoned roads, cute little squares. The old fortified city had made for a nice sightseeing trip as they drove with Henry and his team down for a week-long team excursion in the Pyrenees mountains. The rest of the group had taken a cab, but with there being no place left, Henry had been quick to just wave them off, offering to walk to the hotel together as Naomi knew the way and “he would keep her safe”.

Something she had thought quite ridiculous, wishing to call another cab, but Henry had been adamant.

What he didn’t know was that she was in fact just really quite afraid of the dark, and so, with every passing cat or gust of wind, she’d hold her breath, stepping closer to Henry in hope he would in fact protect her if the need arose.

And Henry? Oh, he loved every minute of it.

‘Don’t worry.’ Henry smiled, reaching out his hand and folding it around hers.

Amicably, but spark-inducing anyways. Naomi chewed on her lip as she felt the warmth of his palm ooze into her skin, the simple touch calming her nerves like nothing quite could.

‘I’ll gladly be your knight in shining armour!’ He beamed, winking at her, to which the last of her nerves finally faltered, making way for a tinkling little laugh. ‘Oh...OH!’ Naomi exclaimed, then flailed her free hand extremely dramatically before her face, acting all tender and maidenlike, ready to swoon right in his arms. ‘OH it’s so SO dark! And scary! And..’ They both break out laughing, Henry squeezing her hand and pulling her closer to his chest.

And she let him.

Henry couldn’t be happier, the little moment being just what he had hoped for. Not only having the time alone with Naomi, but also seeing her burst out of her neatly built up walls. Ever the professional, it was hard to get her to join in such banter like they had right now. And he liked every second of it, his feet trying to slow their pace just so it would last a little while longer.

It was unfortunately also the only moment that holiday during which she allowed him to come anywhere near that close to her, further tempering any hope he held to finally grasp her attention.

Did she not feel what he felt? Did she not ..enjoy..being around him, like he enjoyed being around her?

Hmmm...France. It seemed so long ago.

The reality of Henry’s life was quite different now as they once more walked through a dark alleyway. Though this time with Victoria next to him.

No hands being held, though conversation warm and surprisingly pleasant between him and Victoria - she seemed to be in a good mood. Perhaps, just maybe, he was simply comparing her too much to others. To Naomi. Victoria was Victoria. He had to give her a chance.

After a little evening stroll they had arrived at a cute restaurant where they’d be having dinner, Naomi having walked ahead to explain in the best of her capabilities that they wished to get a table out of view - so fans wouldn’t disturb Henry during dinner.

Feeling eager to recapture that memory of France, which he had kept so close to his heart, he reached out a hand to Victoria, her face pulling into one of near agony as she quickly swatted it away.

‘It’s too freaking hot Hen.’ She said with exasperation - as if he was stupid for even thinking about touching her - her eyes moving back to Naomi as she and the waiter seemed to come to an agreement, a simple “come-hither” wave of Naomi’s hand gesturing them to join her.

Well. So much for hoping things were okay now. Was it..urgh..was it bad to wish that Victoria would take a cab home, so he and Naomi could..walk back to the hotel again?

It was a good question to ask why in the hell’s name he had stayed with her. Victoria. Every time he decided to give it another shot, appreciate the little moments that were good, he was disappointed even more.

Sitting now, alone, on the edge of the hotel bed, it was probably the reason why he didn’t feel any disappointment. Her clothes gone and the hotel room void of anything other than the furniture and the never-ending heat that lingered between these walls, Henry couldn’t help but feel a slight relief. Slowly he let his eyes wander across the room, for the first time truly appreciating what was there.

It was large and with oriental luxury in abundance, a prettily mosaic tiled bath sunken in the middle of the room, heavy dark blue drapes hung around it and candles at the ready might the need for something romantic arise.

Not that such a thing had happened with Victoria. Not in quite a few weeks..or actually months by this point.

It was always either too hot, too humid, or she had a headache, was tired or just got her period. Excuses, excuses, Henry realised, as he saw her eyes glimpse a touch too often at other men. Rich men. Her laugh and banter directed at those men whenever she could - thinking he didn’t see.

And now she was gone. She had broken up with him, again, though from the definity of her actually leaving, this was probably truly foregood.

Henry could only guess where she was now. With the creepy old Italian, with whom she had been flirting for over a week now? Or perhaps that sjeik that had been a bit too obvious in his curiosity for her as they made a visit to his estate?

Henry felt bad. Bad for how all this had come to play out, as well as that he simply couldn’t bring himself to care for Victoria at this point. He had made sure there was a cab waiting for her, he had apologised for whatever tiny little misstep he might have taken, in hope to salvage the situation, though knowing full well that neither one of them truly wanted that. Not Victoria, but also not he.

He just didn’t like goodbyes. And Victoria had used his tenderness, abused his tenderness, to the extent that he wasn’t even sure if relationships were a good idea for him anyways. He had wasted most of his life on women that may have stolen his heart, but made him insane in the process. Either they wanted his fame, his money..pfft..even just the sex. But never truly, just..him.

*BZZT BZZZT*

Naomi: “Henry! Are you okay? I received the notification that Victoria has just checked out of the hotel. If you need some time, don’t feel pressured to answer. I just want to know you are safe and taken care of. If you need anything, I’m a call away. Naomi.”

Well, alright, at least there was at least someone looking out for him.

He sighed, a smile brushing across his lips as he reached out for his phone that lay forlorn next to him.

Naomi.

Where some hotels had nice, proper running air conditioning, this cooling system seemed to run on the coil of the earth, the walls near sweating with the humidity that hung in the air like a thick, heavy blanket. Naomi wiped her forehead as she continued to fold her clothes, neatly packing her suitcase so they could leave next thing in the morning - that was, if Henry would be ready to.

Just a few hours ago she had walked past the reception desk to inquire at what hour they could check out, only to hear that one of the guests had already done so. Victoria Koberlach. Left without a trace, without a message or goodbye.

And honestly, that wasn’t so much of a surprise. Victoria hadn’t really come across as a person who cared about the well-being of others. Especially if there wasn’t something there for her to gain. She was the most charming woman from a far, but once you got close you could see the fine lines between her brows from the many times the furrowed them, angry pouting and stomping her foot to get her way.

The princess had left the building.

Sighing quietly, she zipped open the inner pocket of her suitcase, wishing to slip in her toiletry bag when something seemed to obstruct it. Something small. With hesitant fingers she reached inside, only to find an old trinket there. And not just any trinket.

That darn fucking ring.

In the low light of the few lights that lit her room, the hour getting quite late, the golden band with the heart shaped cut diamond shone like one of the treasures from Ali Baba. Pretty, but deceiving. Not only was it absolutely not her style - too big and too loud -, it also carried with it the memories of her ex-husband.

Just like Victoria, he had been a handsome, charming man from a distance. And Naomi had fallen hard for him. So hard that her sweet 22-year-old ass had barely noticed when his caring, authoritative figure was not galant and kind, but overbearing and manipulative.

Before she knew it she barely dared to open her mouth to express her thoughts and feelings, his head already shaking as he laughed it off. ‘Oh you women.’ Which he’d then follow up with a tap to her ass or a squeeze of her cheek. He would be the one to tell what they’d be eating at a restaurant. He’d be the one telling her she looked tired and perhaps should let down her hair so it looked better with that dress he bought her. He would tell her she just needed some sleep, when she was feeling emotional or insecure.

Not in the five years they had been together, had he once truly asked her how she truly felt. Never did he ask about what was going on in her mind. She thought this was what love was. Someone who took care of you to the point you didn’t have to think or feel anymore. You just had to ..get pregnant, be a mom, raise that family and be the good, sweet wife. Before she knew it that gaudy ring was on her finger and she made herself believe that this was happiness.

But it wasn’t. It was a prison. And as they were shopping for a bigger house and she stood there in those rooms that were ready for their off-spring, she decided that she just couldn’t do it. She went on a trip with a friend to clear her thoughts, only to find that not only did she no longer wish to be with that overbearing, manipulative husband of hers.

She wanted to truly be free.

And here she was. A private travel guide, following her life long dream or travelling for her job. Setting out her own path.

Love, had to be side-tracked. It only caused her pain.

Men, in fact. Needed to be side-tracked. Because not ever did she want to sink down in that hell hole again. Not ever again would she let herself make the same stupid mistakes.

*BZZ BZZ*

Henry is calling.

‘Hey’ She answered, quickly letting the ring slip back in its initial hiding spot.

‘Hi..eh..I saw your message.’

‘Hey..yea..do you need anything? Can I..?’

‘Eh..could you maybe come over? To my room?’

A soft shuffling of feet and zippers being zipped told Naomi that Henry was indeed in the room, her head peeking around the door that had been intentionally left unlocked and cracked open. What she saw was probably one of the prettiest sights she had yet to lay her eyes upon.

The room was mutely lit, small speckles of light dancing over the ceiling, large drapes hiding most of the room from sight, Henry on the right near a large bed, folding his clothes just like she had done moments earlier. Engrossed with his task, he hadn’t noticed her presence just yet. He looked..okay..she guessed. Not distressed, panicked, angry or sad. Just..normal.

Closing the door behind her, stepping further into the room, the soft click of the heavy lock finally made him look up, big blue eyes meeting hers.

So...now what? She wasn’t sure what to say or do.

What do you do after someone just left you? What do you want, need? What did..Henry..need? She wasn’t sure, his eyes surprisingly calm, his lips curling up in a warm smile. ‘Hi.’ He greeted, standing back up and turning towards her.

Was this just him acting like nothing was amiss, whilst his whole world was in fact crumbling? After all, he was an actor..

‘Are you..are you okay?’ Naomi asked carefully, quickly looking around her now she got a better impression of the room, her eyes almost inadvertently looking for any items Victoria may have left behind. Any sign of that she may return. But there was nothing of the sort.

She really was gone.

Henry smiled again and shook his head. ‘It’s..hmm..I think this had to happen for a very, very long time. It’s..good. Yes. Good.’

‘Okay then. So..’ Naomi quirked her head, trying to see if he was lying or hiding the truth, but not finding even a flicker of doubt in his gentle eyes. Clearing her throat she looked back into the room, her feet stepping just a meter ahead, taking in what was hiding behind those curious heavy blue drapes. A bath. Ha..of course. A bathtub in the middle of the room. Why not.

Her lips curled up in a half amused smile as she felt Henry’s presence come nearer, his eyes following her gaze.

‘Nice bath, for sure. Though the couches aren’t great. I’ve..unfortunately.. spent plenty of hours there.’ Henry grinned, pointing at a little sitting nook in the far back, making Naomi grimace at the thought that Victoria had probably made him sleep on the freaking couch.

‘She really was a treasure, wasn’t she?’ Naomi said, looking back at him and finding an amused smile on his lips, making her feel less concerned for him. He looked truly relieved. Their eyes met, bodies now far closer together, a mere meter or so left in between them. He swallowed and squared his shoulders, the already humid air feeling even more tense all of a sudden.

‘Are.. you okay, though?’ He asked, quite unexpectedly, his eyes not missing the slightly reddened eyes that Naomi sported.

‘Me? Yea...I eh..’ She frowned and suddenly felt the need to turn away from him, turn away before he’d come bursting right through the meticulously built walls around her heart. Gosh that darn ring. She should have gotten rid of it the moment she had gotten rid of her ex-husband. Sniffling her nose she quickly turned on her heel, deciding to act as if she was to inspect the bed now.

Henry frowned and followed Naomi with his gaze, seeing her shoulders stiffen as she moved towards the bed, her hand flicking over her cheek as if to wipe off some sweat - though obviously it wasn’t sweat that was leaking from her eye.

‘Is this the moment where you’re going to tell me that it’s common in Caïro for local rain showers to make their apparition indoors?’ He asked, trying to somewhat lighten the mood. Naomi laughed and turned back around, watching him with watery eyes.

Just like that her walls crumbled like they had never even existed.

‘W-w...noo. Henry. Oh come on.” She sniffled, quickly brushing away her tears. ‘It’s…’ She shrugged. ‘UGH..it’s just so fucking stupid. I was thinking about this ex of mine. And..pff..you know what, it doesn’t matter. Victoria just left and now your travel guide is in tears in your room? Ha..quite a show, aren’t we women?’

She turned back to face the bed and took a calming breath, eyes roaming over the soft Egyptian cotton sheets - she really should bring some of those sheets home -, before halting on the sight of Henry’s open suitcase. Without meaning to, her eyes fell down on a pack of condoms. Unused condoms. The box still wrapped in its original plastic wrap.

Well. At least they both didn’t get laid this holiday.

‘From the looks of it we men don’t fair much better..’ Henry said carefully, watching Naomi’s shoulders slowly release their tension as she looked over his bed..over his suitcase..over..oh..dammit..the condoms! He forgot to hide those condoms.

Naomi didn’t really seemed to be fazed by it. ‘I’m sorry I left you like that..’ Naomi said gently, looking back at him, her eyes suddenly holding a certain fierceness. ‘That wasn’t..’ She took another deep breath. ‘That’s wasn’t right of me to do. You didn’t deserve that..’ She blinked, feeling the scorching heat of this arabian night suddenly catching up with her.

‘R..rome you mean?’ He stepped a little closer, eyes flicking for the slightest second to her lips, the air thickening with every excited beat of their fluttering hearts.

‘Yea.’

Did time just come to a halt?

‘Ugh this is silly. Do you want to talk about it?’ She asked, knowing full well that neither of them truly wanted to talk. The tension in the air was sparking so delightfully - just like it had that night - that it didn’t take an evil genius to decipher what was going on here. What was going on between them.

‘I mean if you want to.’ He tried.

‘Me? Ha..’ She breathed, blinking slowly as her body almost automatically pulled towards him, her tears long dried, the sweat beading on her heated body but an afterthought. Tonight it wasn’t too hot, too humid and nobody suffered from headaches, or periods or tiredness.

Tonight had been postponed for years now. And in this slight slip of time, where both their guards were down and nobody else was there to disturb, it felt almost natural to smile at one another, to step closer, to forget for just a moment that this was very..very..

Unprofessional.

Naomi stiffened again as Henry traced a careful finger over the back of her hand, wishing to grasp it but noticing the near immediate flinch that rushed through her body.

‘Oh this is very unprofessional of me. I’m so..so..sorr-’ - ‘Ninny.’ Henry stopped her rambling.

She blinked. ‘What did you just ..call me?’

‘Ninny.’ He smiled. A nickname. Her nickname. She blinked again, her body stepping back, needing to sit down for a moment, her legs hitting the edge of the bed as she slumped down on those ridiculously nice, soft sheets.

DARN this. What the hell was going on with her. Him?! THEM?!

‘Ninny..huh..you’re going to call me by my nickname now, hmm?’ - ‘May I not?’ He said carefully, a smile tugging at his lips. She looked up, her initial shock making place for a slightly amused grin.

‘Pff haha..oh gods Henry. Of course you may. You’re one of my best clie…-’ Her words died on her tongue once more as he moved to sit down besides her as well, his presence causing that electricity to spark in every cell of her body. And truly, Naomi was not a shy person at all. She haggled with corrupt police officers, she could tell aggressive street salesmen to piss off without a blink of the eye, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to back down from anyone who dared to speak up against her.

Not after she left her husband. She took care of herself now.

And yet...Here she was, flustered and giddy, her heart beating loudly in her chest and her whole body so aware of how close he was to her, how good he smelled.

‘Hi.’ She smiled. ‘Hi.’ Henry chuckled, turning his body slightly towards her, knees touching hers. ‘I can call you Naomi too, if you like that better.’ He said, averting his eyes from her curious gaze, his ocean blues looking back out into the room.

‘You called me Ninny on that night in Rome.’

‘I did.’

‘So I guess you’ve forgiven me for that bit of my unprofessional behavior?’ She looked back at Henry, having collected herself again. It was in the end so very comfortable talking to Henry, being with Henry. He didn’t seem to be bothered one bit by the memory of what had happened between them then.

He didn’t seem bothered at all by what was happening between them..now.

‘I think I was actually the one who made the first move there..’ Henry shrugged, teasingly looking back at her.

‘Ho..oh no you didn’t.’ She chuckled, rolling her eyes at him. ‘If I remember correctly you wished to order room service at like 2AM at night. And it took so long that I practically stole that phone from your hand...and THEN we..’

He kissed her.

The dance they had avoided for so long now was danced once more. Him, her, a flurry of arms and legs tangling into one another, the first move quickly followed by a cascade of new ones. Caressing finger tips, giddy laughter, tentative pecks on the lips, hands growing bolder, roaming, claiming, until every piece of clothing only seemed to have become an obstruction.

Shakily breathing Naomi started to tug on the white shirt Henry was wearing - for once not a blue shirt, huh? -, his lips curling in an enbolding smile, hands reaching down to help her strip him down to his bare chested glory.

‘Ha..’ She breathed, a hand immediately reaching down for his pecs, abs. He was bigger now. Bigger than the last time.

‘I can shave it if you want.’ He grinned, feeling her finger tips move through his patch of chest hair.

‘What?! No..no. absolutely no freaking way. It’s..’ She started to slowly nod her head. ‘..nice.’

He chuckled, eyes interlocking with hers as his fingertips in turn moved to her shirt, the cotton slightly sticking to her heated skin.

Not that he cared.

His eyes got more greedy, eating up every inch of skin as he pulled up the material, her breath choking in her tight chest as she reached up her arms so he could remove the obstructing piece of fabric altogether.

With tender fingers he traced the valley between her breasts, her dark blue bra thankfully semi-sexy - it wasn’t laundry day.

‘Want me to shave?’ She teased back, making him chuckle even louder.

‘No..no. Absolutely no…’ He leaned in closer, smiling against her lips. ‘..freaking..way.’ He claimed her mouth again, eager tongue begging for entrance as his hand became bolder, moving over the hills of her bosom, soft flesh hidden beneath a lacy harness.

‘Take it off.’ Naomi breathed, feeling equally annoyed with the thing, her throat sighing in great relief when Henry didn’t need to be told twice, his other hand eagerly reaching back and unclasping it with a flick of his fingers. Practised fingers.

‘I fucking missed Rome.’ Henry muttered, dipping his head down to sniff a long stripe up her swan-like neck.

‘Did you now?’

‘Why else did you think I hired you?’ He smirked, pulling back ever so slightly.

‘And bring the girlfriend just in case?’

FUCK..she should NOT have said that. Naomi gasped quietly, biting her lip as Henry raised an eyebrow.

‘Ouch.’ He chuckled.

‘Oh gods..I should not have said that.’ Naomi uttered.

‘Ninny. Please. You are more than allowed to make such a comment. I mean. Yes. I brought along a woman I already knew, full well, would not be in my life for much longer. Like all those women before her.’ He sighed, his smile becoming slightly more watery.

He had been hurt a lot of times.

‘I’m just terrible at choosing a woman who is right for me.’

Naomi sighed and shook her head, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. ‘And I AM the right woman for you, hmm?’ She chuckled.

‘Oh well..I guess I have to admit that I did in fact have a little crush on you. And…’ He raised his shoulders slightly.

‘What?’

‘The stretching session didn’t help. Much.’

‘Ah! You! Cheeky monkey!’

‘Hahaha..more like a cheeky bear, right?’ He winked, using the moment to push Naomi’s back flat on the bed, his body moving on top of hers, arms and legs caging her beneath him.

‘I did call you Bear, huh?’

‘Yea..’

‘Ninny and the Bear.’

‘Quite romantic..’ Henry smiled, his fangs shining in the low light as he looked down upon Naomi, her blond locks fanned prettily around her head. ‘..oh I could actually light some candles..talking romantic.’ He sat up slightly, but was immediately pulled back, head now dipping down as Naomi eagerly tugged on his curly locks.

‘Henry. Another time, okay? Please..just…’ She bit her lip.

‘What’s that?’ He teased.

‘You know what.’

‘Do I now?’

‘UGH.’ She rolled her eyes and tried to pull him down. Unsuccessfully so, because he was too strong, his pecs flexing ever so slightly as he tightened his arms to stay on all fours above her. ‘..just fuck me already. Leave the romance for later..please?’

Henry lifted a teasing eyebrow, but was not going to decline such an invitation, his lips quick to press back down on hers.

In mere seconds the hot arabian night brought with it a new memory that was written in the soft embrace of egyptian cotton. Bodies colliding, dancing, writhing, those condoms finally unpacked, as was their emotional baggage after evading feelings and needs at either end of their finger tips for so long.

‘Henry, stop stalling.’ Naomi growled, feeling his eyes on her as she lay face first, ass up on the bed.

‘Are you in a hurry, milady?’ He purred, slowly crawling on top of her, his weight pressing her down further in the mattress, in the silky soft sheets. ‘Mmpfff..no..it’s just..a few years of waiting..you know.’

‘Ah..’ He breathed with a chuckle, playfully nibbling on the shell of her ear. ‘I’m sorry to keep you waiting then.’

And with that said, he finally, finally claimed what was his, their mingled moans echoing off the sweating walls, the lights dancing along with their body song as he pressed on, in.

‘Oh bear.’ Naomi growned, her aching walls finally soothed.

It may have been years of waiting, but every second had been worth the way he stretched her out, the way he fit perfectly to her body, their hands entangling and hips writhing. Rolling sharply the crescendo of his hip thrusts reminded her just why she had called him bear.

Because where her ex-husband would have been a lazy, selfish prick. Henry? Henry was a big, burly carebear, perfectly balancing between a tender lover and ruthless beast, strong beyond compare. And as he crashed into her hips, filling her ache, burning her skin with that itchy patch of hair - which he definitely shouldn’t shave -, she was happy.

‘What are you smiling at, huh?’ Henry stopped his hip thrusts for a moment, looking down in Naomi’s broadly smiling face, the soft London morning light trickling in, caressing the feather light cotton sheets beneath her blond locks.

‘Mmm..nothing. Just thinking about how much I love these sheets.’ She teased, making him quirk an eyebrow, hip jerking in her to punish her for her little tease, her lips “o”-ing with a little gasp. ‘The sheets? Really?’

‘Uh-huh.’ She snickered, feeling him dip down and bite down on the tender skin of her neck, tickling her with his slightly out-grown week old beard. She chuckled, arms and legs wrapping around him, pulling him closer to her so she could whisper in his ear.

‘Six-hundred thread count, extra long fibres, and the more you use them..the ..HAHAHAH..no..the better..HENRY STOP..HAHAHAH. The better they feel.’

‘Mrrrwpfff.’ Henry growled biting down on her laughing lips, his teeth catching her bottom lip before soothing it with his tongue, their mouths entangling in a sensual slow dance, their hips quite naturally following in a slow, erotic rut.

‘Very good sheets.’ Naomi whispered, causing Henry to gasp in unbelief, his chest thundering with an even louder growl, his lips attacking her every reachable patch of skin, marking her, his cock making sure she’d feel him even long after this little morning session was over.

Naomi gasped and swooned beneath her bear’s administrations, her lips parted and her brow slightly sweaty. Just like that night. And many nights after that night. And mornings? Mornings too. And afternoons? Oh, you get the jest..

She smiled, fingers tangling through Henry’s curls as his lips hesitated, hovering above hers, his deep blue eyes searching hers.

‘Then again..’ She sighed, smiling. ‘..the sheets just can’t compare..to you.’ Her little confession made him smile, honestly, his life now calm and easy-going, their love a tale that was told with luxurious kisses, wrapped in the silkiest of Egyptian, 600-thread count cotton sheets.

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Text

Hobbit Soulmate Pt 38

‘Mate Rings, new fashion trend? Jaqi Pear, newly named to be added to the King Kong epic directed by Peter Jackson due to be filming soon and star of Beast of Bards in which she is opposite her Mate Richard Armitage, on their latest project a mini series called North and South for BBC have been spotted with matching emerald rings. Myself personally, I love the trend, we should see more of this.’

“Oh my goodness,” you murmured smoothing your hands over your face listening to the gossip news playing through the wardrobe trailer for the Van Helsing film. Behind you the makeup woman was readying your blonde wig for your maid/villager role.

David Wenham however from the doorway said, “Not a clue the lot of them,” the words turning your head with grin creeping out in his crossing the room to give you a hug, “Glad to see you sweetheart, how have you been?”

In his lean back against the makeup counter already in full costume Hugh came in smiling as well, “I want to see this ring,”

Giggling softly your arm extended and he came over taking your hand admiring the ring, “Rich found them in a cabinet we bought he promised to fix up for me.”

David, “You told us about that, that looks crazy expensive.”

“It does, and he won’t tell me what it was appraised at either. So, fifteen bucks for the both of them.”

Hugh chuckled and came in for his own hug, “You are well worth the funds no matter the worth.”

The makeup woman asked, “Is that legal? Keeping them?”

Her bashful smile when you glanced her way was answered with a smile, “He found some receipts in the cabinet and tracked down the family and they signed a paper saying he could have them. Spent the whole day tracking them down and planning a meet up to return them. He thought the same thing and didn’t expect for them to say he could keep them.”

That had her chuckling in relief, “Sorry, parents are contract lawyers, second nature.”

You giggled shaking your head, “Oh no, I get it, my dad insisted I take a course on contract law too so when he found a music box and expensive pens and gloves in there too I was glad to hear he hunted them down, ‘cus those can go for thousands to collectors.”

Hugh, “At least there was a receipt there, had a friend who got taken to jail for trying to have a necklace he found on the beach to be reset to a necklace when it was reported stolen. That can go mad so fast.” He said watching while the woman got to braiding your hair back for the wig cap to go over. “Did you get enough sleep?”

“Ya, off yesterday since we’re switching back to day shifts for me in a few days, you?”

“Yes,” the pair smiled in replying remaining there for your basic makeup to add some exhaustion to layer the role of living in such a dangerous place. Simple wardrobe was added with your things locked up for you to be driven to the right town set. A sharp whispered “Yes,” had David chuckling at the Director stating he wanted you and David to have a steamy kiss after his request to sleep with your character.

Lowly he said, “You are not happy about this when I’m next to Hugh,”

To that you turned to Hugh teasing, “I get to kiss David and you don’t!” Sticking your tongue out leaving the pair chuckling in your split to head to your marks for the start of the scene.

From the inside of the home Van Helsing and Carl acting as Maid to the village scenes fleeing away the most fun of your week did come in the teasing line before the amorous and slightly comical kiss to the post coital scene to follow. Your giggles brightened the mood for those watching after the grueling fleeing and fight scenes filling the day when David exited in a sleeping gown. He came over to fix the couch up to be joined by you in a under shirt and skirt with corset over with a stunning lack of stockings hinting that it was just your under things to be removed in this cold town. Smiles and chuckles filled the talks on the right cuddling position before Carl would leap out of the post coital nest of blankets sending the couch flipping over for you to roll off onto the mat laid out behind it finishing off your blip in the film.

To be honest when all was said and done from the final butterfly inducing station kiss scene Richard milked as long as he could for several ‘options’ to end off the North and South Series and back to the beginning. Back when John and Margaret are just being intermingled through her father’s lessons with him the Mate Ring rumor did seem to be the best angle as you were told by his Agent at least. True it was best to seem available to an extent and to have a bond to his Mate while being presumed available did grant Richard some freedom for his image and even more so for yours. Which once you thought about it only enforced that you both could manage to keep your relationships somewhat private compared to other public couples. Both Jens and Naomi, the latter who just jumped from a relationship with Heath Ledger to Liev especially you could see just blasted across the news back home. True babies would one day give it away but there were always ways of trying to bolster that security by utilizing your camouflaging family if you had to.

On the eve of your arrival back in Canada once in bed you hung up the phone having heard that in your flight out of England Beast of Bards had over its opening weekend in Eastern Europe and Asia broke out $33 million in earnings adding even more to the grand title for the last stretch of it being in theaters. A fact that through Peter had bolstered hopes in his production team for King Kong even more that you could pull off something of this magnitude since the indy film had earned more than ten times the 15 million put in it to shoot it and was still gaining.

Wonderfalls beckoned you back again to set with a weekend pop by to drop in on the X2 premier that Lee would join you at while Richard tried to find a way to slip another trip back out to Canada into his schedule between is next few auditions. Nice and cuddly Richard soaked in all he could as for time with you and his family together eager as ever to have the big day come. Where all the relief came in just asking the question the gaping canyon of possibilities as for what the ceremony might be one day no one could tell, especially should you take hints from the fellow big name actors you had befriended with plans brewing for their own ceremonies. No matter what you had truly wished for deep inside he knew it would be something special between the pair of you without pomp or fanfare for the guests emptying the ceremony’s true meaning. The pair of you didn’t like to be the center of attention outside of character, but for one day who really knows what plans might come up.

Nearly tackled by Tracy in glee at your news the show was off on a roll again with Lee prouder than ever to tug you close to his side soaking up all the time with you he had until his work and your work tugged you in opposite ends of the world again. Easily melting back into the show to get to the more absurd episodes even bringing you into the path of some exotic birds you loved to get a closer look at on the episode you had to pretend one of them attacked you. That had to be one of your favorite ones to lead up to as the zoo that you were to film in gave you all a private tour, and even seeing the same animals a million times there was just something about a zoo that brought out your inner child. Right up there with museums and aquariums and planetariums you frequented on their discount and free days out in New York whenever possible.

Guest stars began to roll in and with the day you were filming a debacle between two women each claiming to have gone over the falls some decades prior a bout of unplanned rain had given you all an early afternoon off. Once changed again your eyes lingered on your ring and Tracy smirked moving closer saying, “Saw that. Admiring it again? It is stunning, if I got a ring like that I’d stare at it for a few days minimum.”

With a chuckle you replied, “Rich said when he got the rings the shop he got our rings cleaned at said I could drop by to pick out a wedding band.”

“Ooh, I smell a shopping trip,” she said with a smile making your creep out, “Come on, we’ll grab Lee and have some fun adoring some shiny things.”

Her arm looped in yours and together with the surprisingly excited Lee you were off to the expensive brand of jewelers. Where Richard had been mistaken as a non-earning slob right away your face had the two suited men perking up, even the woman currently helping another woman choose a necklace. The focus right off triggering your smile reflex on the stroll through the amply lit shop full of cases holding tons of shiny things, all of which you stole glances at along the way. “Miss Pear, welcome, how might we assist you today?”

“Well, some months back by fiancé brought our rings in to be cleaned up and while he was waiting the topic of wedding bands came up. He was told I could drop by to browse a bit on styles.”

Salesman 1 with a buzz cut, “You are welcome to look through any of our selection, any time.”

The Manager crept over asking, “Did you have any hint of what you might be looking for?”

“Yes, my cousin for her wedding band has an eternity band with hearts and I was thinking of one with emeralds, and maybe an onyx one to match his ring a bit.”

In the move of your hand to the top of the case between you the Manager drew in a quick breath recognizing the ring right away and smiled offering his palms upwards to accept your hand, “Yes, I remember this masterpiece.” Smiling wider in tilting it side to side seeing it was still well taken care of, “An eternity band will suit it perfectly.” He released your hand and asked, “Have you had any thoughts to carat size?” gesturing your group to the next row of cases that he walked around his to enter that ring of glass walking right to the section of eternity bands.

With a key ring he opened the case to bring out a row of options, after a quick inhale you replied, “Not really, I’ve never been very, attentive I guess, to jewelry and all that till I met my fiancé. He actually got me my first bracelet that wasn’t made from string, so very new to this.”

The Salesman snuck in asking, “Well this would not be the first time a man wants to bring his love to a better livelihood.”

Lee almost said something until you said, “Not so much that, just most of my money went into my University studies while he’d already graduated when we met.”

The Manager smiled saying, “As it should be, and now you have your name in lights and require something lovely to flash to the cameras. How the world took this as anything but an engagement ring I have no clue.”

Tracy said, “All in all her and her guy outside of characters love their privacy so this way the plans won’t be hounded by cameras.”

Lee grinned as you said, “If anything we could always run off and elope in a horse costume.”

Lee, “Oh we could do better than a horse for you.”

The Manager said, “We do not have any colored heart eternity bands in store however we can order anything you like to custom.” The first row of rings was lifted for you and he said, “We have open designs, or full stones.”

Tracy said, “My mom loves open rings like that.”

Lee in a reach over shifted your hand for his view saying, “Might be a bit big.”

You nodded and said, “Also, I don’t think it would match to have all the metal visible around the stones.”

The Salesman smiled saying, “Very true observation your stones are seamless.”

Luring the Manager to bring over the next row while the Salesman put that one away, alternating directions the hearts on the next ones in sizes from large to small. Beside those came a selection with hearts on bands all upright and a third with them laid sideways. “I really like the sideways ones, my cousin picked the up and down alternating style.” Unlike the alternating hearts these hearts were formed of three stones each, a square and two rounded off squares upping the carat weight but keeping the size from being ridiculous.

Tracy, “I think the small one is a bit too small,”

Lee pointed at the one in the middle, “I think that size would work,”

The Manager lifted the ring out and passed it to you smiling as you did ease it on and the duo around you joined you in eyeing the ring in comparison to your engagement ring. “Doesn’t match,” you muttered to yourself.

The Manager said, “I do believe this one would fit the best myself.” Accepting the ring you took off trading it for the largest one. “A nice one point seven five carat for each heart set to go with your eight and single carat stone ring.”

“I do like this one.”

You said and with nods your friends agreed with Lee asking, “Were you thinking green, white or groups of colors to fit the black?”

On a diagram sheet from the Salesman the Manager showed you a few options while you eased off the band to not forget you were wearing it while the Salesman hurried off with a lift of his finger. Back to you he brought a choice of bracelets of round stones in various combinations of emeralds, onyx and diamonds, “Just for the color schemes.”

Tracy asked, “Were you thinking more emeralds?”

“I think maybe more diamonds and onyx.”

Lee tapped one, “I like this one,” he said tapping the bracelet with three diamonds next to three onyx stones, “Maybe pop an emerald in the middle of the onyx.”

“I like that idea, nice pattern.”

The Manager said, “Very lovely choice. And with this size the pricing will be fitting, four grand for stones will be a fine partner to its $800k engagement ring. Now to choose metals, I will get the samples.” Hurrying off while the Salesman took the bracelets back Lee’s brows furrowed in the drop of his and Tracy’s jaw while you subtly gripped the belt on his side.

Barely above a whisper you asked, “$800k? That’s over my whole check for the show!”

Tracy whispered, “That’s a house, two houses down south.”

“And four cars. You could probably buy a plane for that! I have house, plane and cars on my finger.”

Lee looked you over murmuring, “How do you do that? First Porn Man stash, then you found that cabinet for under twenty bucks.”

Tracy, “You’re taking me furniture shopping after this.”

“It’s not every time.”

Lee cut in as you let go of his belt, “There was two hundred in the cushions on the lounges you picked for me.”

Tracy, “How do you know? Is there like a glow? Because this role for you is seeming perfect if you have a voice telling you to buy this stuff.”

“It’s,” you sighed at her brows arched up curiously, “My uncles call me money bunny.”

Lee, “Why? They refused to explain.”

“I used to be the one to find lost wallets or keys since I was three. No glow or anything, even found a lost watch my gramps lost in the fields gathering the sheep in a storm. Dad’s the same way.”

Tracy, “After this,”

The Manager returned and choosing 24 karat white gold to match the other ring he got to finalizing the order sheet for the now 5.5k ring and the more he filled out the more your heart raced having picked all this out without Richard. He did tell you to browse and see if you could think up what you wanted but you sure hoped he wouldn’t feel left out of the designing process where you might not have felt the weight you were feeling now to have to dip into your savings to pay for this right away. Though the Manager said with a smile, “This ring should take five weeks to complete, if you would give us a number to contact you at when it is complete.” His grin crept wider, “Normally we ask for a deposit but for our elite clientele we waive that restriction and have much better terms for credit when the pieces are ready to be picked up or delivered.”

It all was a bit awkward to simply leave with a receipt slip for the walk to the second hand shop. Through the aisles you wandered until you stopped at a jewelry display. And from the selection between two boxes you pulled open a hanging display case to find a necklace of nine strands of what looked to be jade flat beads secured by a golden clasp you lifted and turned to show Tracy like the bloodhound she and Lee had been treating you like. Seeing you had brought something to show them the pair turned and Tracy lifted the ends of the necklace that parted her lips. After stealing a glance towards the shop owner behind the distant counter she leaned in whispering, “Is this real jade?”

Mid shrug you said, “You said see what I end up picking. It’s something.”

Lee and her shared a glance and he found the price tag saying, “7 bucks, and it’ll pop on you against your skin, for the premier of the show, could be nice.”

She nodded and pointed to you, “I know you, there’s something to this. I’m buying it.” She led the way to the registers, a few feet away your hand reached out for a butterfly shaped decoration out of painted wood you picked up and brought over to set beside the necklace she decided to wear out once the tag was cut off. Food was picked up on the way back to your place where she’d planned to get a taxi to get back in time for a late brunch with her parents that had flown in to visit her. “So are you gonna tell me-,” gripped around the waist she was tugged out of the way by Lee behind you with a loose dog that you turned and ducked to grip the collar of for the massive hockey player chasing the peppy husky. Off to the side her arm swung and open mouthed she gawked at the bag that collided with the brick building behind her while you tried to calm the husky now bounding around and between your legs wiggling for attention from his new friend. “My butterfly,” she murmured as the man came to a stop in front of you.

“I am so sorry about Leap Frog. Just took off out of the car, his first road trip.”

Shaking your head you giggled saying, “No problem, my cousins puppies were all the same way.” You said handing over the leash while he all but paled realizing who you were.

“Thank you,” he murmured again and turned to head back to his car with the dog where his friends were waiting for him.

Inside the bag Tracy peered and open mouthed she eyed the broken pieces of the butterfly then looked at you, “You have got to be kidding me.” You looked from her to the bag she pulled a folded wad of cash out of and you simply shrugged and she shook her head dropping it back into the bag before anyone else could see it. “You got skills. Like able to sway millions of cult followers skills.”

“Oh ya, come on up to my place, I got some kool-aid.” That had her rolling her eyes through your shard giggle, “When we die we get a whole bushel of golden geese and a bunch of mountaintop villas with a one of those terrifying pools that drops into a waterfall with a hele-pad and all the frills as our place as Kings of all the universes and dimensions.”

Teasingly she replied, “I got plans, so I’m gonna have to rain check on the kool-aid.”

“Missing out,” Lee teased while you smirked saying, “Have fun looking into that jade.”

“So how’s your day going?” Richard hummed through the line while soaking in the bath washing off a long muggy day of auditioning for some more ridiculous commercials and a spot on another tv show as yet another stunning adulterer.

“Had to call it early for rain and Lee and Tracy came with me to that jewelry shop you mentioned.”

“You saw what I mean then? Right in the door judging.”

“Oh yes and pushy. Which is what I was getting to,” you said seated while stirring your food up into a jumble waiting for it to cool.

“You picked out what you wanted?”

“Yes, and before I could say I’d come back with you later they wrote up the ring to be made.”

“Just determined for commission aren’t they.”

“And that’s the thing, five and a half grand total and they let me walk out without a deposit, apparently I’m elite clientele now fitting for their credit. Don’t know me from Adam, but it’ll be done in five weeks is what they said.”

“Good, should be there in three.”

“I don’t think it works like that.”

Lowly he chuckled, “I’ll be there in three, Dearest.”

“Oh, oh, you got a ticket back?” You squeaked our happily smiling at your empty apartment and muted tv.

“Yes, just for two and a half weeks but I get to see you before you fly out to New Zealand for Peter. Then when my shows are done I can fly out there with you for the tail end of that maybe take him up on his offer as a doomed extra.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, now, details about this stunner you drafted up, my Dearest Love.”

“Ok,” you smiled repeating the details of the ring warming his heart even more at the symbol of marriage you would be wearing sometime in the future that was coming up to being planned.

“Simply fantastic choice, and don’t worry on the price I have it and the Bard should be out of theaters soon so we can set part of that aside for any possible other nuptial plannings or purchases you feel up to.”

“What else, oh right, a dress and all that.”

Again he chuckled saying, “If need be pick a few options and if funds run thin I’ll pick the most forgiving to wear myself.” That had you laugh through his chuckle and he added, “I’d wear anything to marry you.”

“If I did have spares I’d make my cousins wear them. Go for traditional, confuse those demons after us.” Widening his smile imagining what you might want to wear for the distant big day.

“Any weird roles today?”

“There is one where I’m dancing with limes.”

“Wow,”

“Floor cleaners, odd ones, are you doing well otherwise?”

“Weird dream I saved William Shatner from drowning and then he turned into a llama and hopped into a convertible and drove off with Burt Reynolds.”

“Wow,”

“So weird. Just an odd day, and Tracy had me take her furniture shopping thanks to finding out I have a house, airplane and five cars on my finger.”

“They told you the price?! Oh Love, you deserve it you know that.”

“I, know, just, I’ll handle the price tag when I get over my heart attack of a paycheck for Kong and whatever Bard is going to be with our two percent box office check. Gran called and the managers are thrilled, said that it’s climbed to over $200 million, so whatever that stops at-,”

“I love you, clearly they didn’t expect you to turn a phenom and blow this out of the water like this.”

“As if your brooding didn’t have anything to do with it Mr Blue Eyes.” Making him chuckle again. “You are going to be quite famous ya know when this is on disc and everyone can see your face on movie shelves instead of just at the theaters. Not to mention when they see you as Mr Thornton.”

“I prefer you being the famous one and I just happen to be talented enough to have producers pick me to have your name attached as hey we hired Miss Pear’s Boy Toy.” Again he chuckled through your giggle knowing he was beaming proudly at the still lingering title. “Has your dad talked to you about his plan yet?”

“Plan?”

“About the brownstone the Landlord has out there?”

“I mean, I know about it, but, he has a plan with it? Like an actual plan?”

Again he chuckled lowly, “I love you, you know that. I suppose it was meant to be a surprise then when he dropped by again. Said he wanted to take you out there, Landlord had the wiring, plumbing, water heater and ac updated for it. Plaster should be redone when you get back as well.”

“How, do you feel about that?”

“I think it would be a home for you to own that I could cuddle up to you in. I do like the idea, we stay in mine out here and I want you to have a place where when we’re all there in New York with tons of space. It sounds amazing I know we can make it a home and there’d be tons of space for all your stuff from the apartment there and ours in Canada. Plus, Lee’s been having it rough with rent.”

“Ya,” you chuckled out, “I fronted him some cash on his place here he forgot Will had a card on his account and he ordered some ‘really rad sneakers’.” Making Richard chuckle, “Rules have been set, lesson learned on both ends. He is doing well though his parents are pleased he’s still alive.”

“Have you told him yet about the place?”

“Not really, I mentioned it that Dad had talked to the Landlord about it. He was flipping through our fuzzy channels at the time for something recognizable.”

“I am going to love cuddling with you to that cable, no lies, you will too. Just imagine those romances you love without z shaped heads on the lovers.” Luring a giggle from you.

“Imagine that, all those actors actually having heads.”

Spenser Breslin was the latest famous guest to drop in and on one of your night shoots this week between takes of a dinner between your on screen love interest and the Russian mail order bride who made him and you food the bag you’d tucked in the cupboard of your trailer began to ring. “Oh shit,” you said easing up out of your chair to the Director’s chuckle, “Thought I shut it off.”

You said about your phone and from the bag nestled between his and hers you pulled the phone to silence it only to mutter, “Why is she calling me? She never calls me.”

The Director said glancing at the teen seated on the couch bench you had left reading a book he’d brought, “Go ahead, we have to shift lights for Spence’s entrance.”

Answering the call from your cousin all eyes shot to your phone you pulled from your ear at the loud shrieking sea of obviously more than one of your cousins. “Bell,” You said easing the phone closer to your mouth but not your ear. “Not a dolphin.”

Muffled in a group the group shouted, “UNCLE’S ... NOMINATED!!!”

Their shouts died down and you brought the phone closer to your ear trying to make out the gist of what they all were saying. “I got ‘nominated’ and ‘uncle’, which uncle?”

A collective throat clearing was had and they said, “OUR UNCLE!!”

“Oh, your, my dad got nominated for something? What?”

One apparently chosen cousin said excitedly, “Uncle Joe got a letter today from MTV that he’s been nominated for the Best Villain Award!”

“No! Where is he?”

“We tackled him when he read it, so he’s hiding in the barn.” They all giggled out making your smile creep wider.

“When is it?”

“End of the week out in New York.”

“Least it’s not in LA, he want to go?”

“He has to! And he’s got a plus one!”

“Well I wasn’t gonna send him alone.” You glanced over at the still staring group smiling as you said, “Actually on set, but I’ll call him after I get off and love you guys try not to drive him up a tree.”

Giggles followed and they shouted, “LOVE YOU TOO BUNNY!!” Then promptly hung up making you shake your head and shut off the phone you put away again.

Joining the others with an excited squeak to your voice for a moment you said, “Dad got nominated for best villain from MTV.”

“Oh that’s awesome!” Rippled around while you took your seat again.

“Yes, his first award on acting sure he’s thrilled once my cousins stop swarming him.”

Spencer joked, “Well I’d be scared too if I had dolphins in my family.”

That had you giggle, “They don’t mean to be like that, just happens when they’re excited. “Quads, about your age.” You said bumping Spenser’ arm.

Love interest asked, “Quads?”

“Four babies at once.”

“How-?” He asked with voice trailing off in astonishment.

“I have a lot of cousins, mostly twins or higher.”

The mail order bride asked, “Scared to ask how many siblings you have.”

“Just me, lost mom when I was little. I don’t think her parents could have handled more than one of me. Got a bit of her unruly streak they battled with for years in her till she ran off with dad.”

She said with a smile, “Ooh, sounds whirlwind and like a fairy tale.”

That made your smile grow and you nodded, “Met when they were young and her parents didn’t want her running off with some rancher from Texas, she danced in the Bolshoi Ballet.” Parting their lips, “Which my grandparents have been on the board for since they retired and she chose the guy they said wasn’t good enough and it was a fairy tale for a little while, even had me. Hasn��t been that bad from them since they wanted to get involved, my schooling helped studying abroad they got to drop in and out when it was easiest for them. And Babu gets to try and spoil me with traveling and shopping funds he pretends to be very cross with me when I don’t spend it all.”

Spencer asked, “You went to a school in another country all alone? Why didn’t your dad go with you?”

Catching his eye you smiled answering, “He took a job on an oil rig to help me pay the difference on my tuition after my scholarships.”

“Weren’t you scared?”

That had your smile creep wider, “Absolutely, and I had terrible stage fright. And I was in England and when I got a job waiting tables everyone saw me as the sore thumb for my accent and my eyes. And I just didn’t talk to people past my Professors till I got locked out of my dorm one too many times studying past curfew and some guys let me bunk with them in their flat. They were from Chelsea all the way out alone in Oxford and I found some more sore thumbs to hang out and bunk with, that helped a bit.”

The guy said, “I thought Lee said you went to Julliard with him and Tracy.”

“I did both, Oxford for my Drama and Science degrees, Daddy said I needed a back up plan. Did that for a year then Julliard accepted me so his friend who owns apartment buildings got me a place and kept an eye on me for fall to spring between summers back in Oxford.”

She said, “I don’t like to fly how can you fly so often?”

You shrugged and love interest asked, “So when did your dad start acting?”

“Few years back, he was going to be an extra with me on the Lord of the Rings got put as an Uruk-hai after his rig got hit in a storm and they had to evacuate it. Been helping him to get work on film since so he didn’t have to go back, and I’ve graduated now so he’s just got baby fever waiting for grand babies to watch after while I work. He didn’t dream of being an actor now he’s got an award he must be so excited. I hope he wins.”

Spencer asked, “Which film did he play the villain in that he’s getting the award for?”

“Beast of Bards.”

That had his jaw drop, “The villain was your dad?! That guy was huge!”

Making you giggle, “Well he’s 6 ft 9,” dropping the love interest’s jaw too, “got his hair and eyes but I got my mom’s travel sized stature.”

The Director gave the signal that the lights were ready and Spencer added his book with the others on your shelf in the trailer and wiggled past your lifted legs to go outside to take his own mark while you readied to be the irritated third wheel and storm to the sink where love interest would come cuddle behind you. Right in front of the tiny window where the camera with a hat standing in for Spencer on this shot would see you and grow jealous enough to try and frame love interest for beating him up.

On his way to his car to take him to his hotel Spencer caught a moment at your side again and asked, “Hey Jaqi?” Getting a kind smile in return, “I got a question, you have all that family back home. Why would you want to act if it means you don’t get to be there with them and you have to be alone?”

“Well, my Mate said something to me once when he was switching from musical theater to drama school to act traditionally. If you can picture yourself doing anything else and still being happy you shouldn’t act. But if you can only see yourself content while being an actor and living with the rough times, the dry spells between roles, the rejections and bad reviews but you still couldn’t do anything else then you should stick in there and put in the work. Back in school they tell us it takes ten years on average to be an overnight success. And the way I figure it I could always call, we mail tapes all the time. So ya I miss home and my family but I have all these amazing stories to tell my little cousins, and if you could just see New Zealand, that trip alone could have fed my fire for a decade alone and I get to go back again for King Kong, with my favorite Director and crew that feels like family. Roles are hit and miss, but I wouldn’t be happy behind a microscope in a job to be back home by nightfall. And my Mate acts too along with most of my friends so we all sort of mesh in together on our own adventures. You’re still a kid, you don’t have to iron it all out now, just see where the road takes you.”

Sheepishly he said, “I do like music. But my agent says I don’t have a look for musical films.”

You scoffed at that, “You think the big bands before the 90’s got universal approval on their looks? No, they had a killer voice and a sound no one could touch, and doesn’t matter what you look like if you got a song in you no one has heard yet you go and belt it out. Someone’ll turn their head. Keep working on your music too, hone your craft. Never hurts to have some versatility. Ten years, you got tons of time.” Making his smile creep out in his nodding turn for the car that pulled up with his dad and manager inside talking about his next plans for travel for another role.

Once inside the taxi a crew member had guided you to they called you pulled out your phone calling your dad with a smile. “Hey Daddy, congratulations.”

“They swarmed me.”

You giggled hearing the sounds of the sheep he was clearly still hiding with to pretend he was busy to go back in again. “I heard. We’re all just so proud of you. Can’t wait to go with you, we going fancy or casual?”

“No way we can’t go fancy. Gonna be in front of people. What if I have to give a speech? I don’t know what to say. It’s different with a camera there’s no reaction from a camera but I’ve seen those shows and there’s a crowd.”

“Well a simple thank you might be ok, I mean-,”

“I didn’t even talk that much on film, and it was mainly to you.”

“Well Anthony Hopkins wasn’t all talk in Silence of the Lambs, had his silent intimidation moments. It doesn’t have to be long. Loads of villains are silently intimidating.”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“Uncle Joe!” You heard faint through the line making you smile wider.

“Oh they found me.”

“Love you, Daddy.”

“I’ll get Jim to help me write something. He talks all the time at his job. Love you Pumpkin, see you in New York.”

Pt 39

Hobbit – Soulmate - @evyiione, @deepestfirefun, @rhaenaatargaryen, @anastasialovers

X all Rich. A - @abiwim, @deepestfirefun, @thestorybookmistress

X Lee P - @tigereyesf

All –

@himoverflowers, @theincaprincess, @aspiringtranslator, @thegreyberet, @patanghill17, @jesgisborne, @curvestrology, @alishlieb, @jogregor, @armitageadoration, @fizzyxcustard, @lilith15000, @marvels-ghost, @catthefearless, @imjusthereforthereads, @c-s-stars, @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore, @mariannetora, @shes-a-killer-kween, @ggbbhehe4455

#Van Helsing Filming #Back to Wonderfalls #Shopping Trip #Elite Clientele Benefits #Ring Design #Second Hand Shop #Money Bunny #Nomination News #Richard Armitage x Reader OC

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whyralltheusernamestaken · 4 years

Text

Curse

Where she's cursed with immortality so she chases around the reincarnations of her first love over and over again and the one time she’s decided to give up, it just happens to be an explosive blonde.

Warning : none!

Words : 6590 (wtf my goal was 3000)

Masterlist

A/N : Thank you all for being so patient. The ending is kinda rushed, but I hope you enjoy!

Quirks had left an undeniable mark on the face of society. It just came one day and slapped some magical powers on to someone and left just as quickly, with no explanation whatsoever. No one knew why, or how. Nothing could've hinted to the appearance of quirks and none of the decades of research that followed had any more insight into the matter. Y/N was quirkless. Immortal yes, but she had no quirk of herself. She was born a thousand and so years ago, in Japan, and within a decade or two, became known throughout the lands for her immaculate beauty and poise. She became an object of affection for thousands, and one of the men happened to be the emperor. Bakugou Katsuki. He had approached her presence with the sole intent of adding the most beautiful woman in the world to his harem. He was an arrogant and prideful noble, and the thought of her in his grasp has excited him to no end. He could then prance around with his head held up so high that people would crane their necks to meet his eyes. He smugly grinned at the idea of her clinging to his arm, or for her to be waiting for him back at the palace with the rest of his concubines. He flooded her with extravagant gifts, compliments and praises, small private dates in a back garden of the palace, away from prying eyes and complaints of Bakugou's other dozen girls. She had been easily wooed, being kept away from suitors from an early age, the emperor had certainly been her first escape into romance and she was ecstatic. Her parents had gleamed at the idea of her being with the most powerful man in all of Japan, and had given her away to the palace at the first suggestion of the emperor's affection.

He had fallen in love with her, not only her beauty but her personality, her small habits and her other mannerisms. It wasn't his initial plan, he had only wanted to add her presence into his long list of women, that he had reassured the other women, but his heart can softened considerably and he had fallen hard. Anyone around the emperor could see that, even the towns' people were gossiping about it. The other concubines too, quickly caught on. She was a woman of absolute beauty, only a few hairs short of Y/N's, a princess of a famous descent from China, promised to be married to the emperor. He had taken a liking to her because like himself, she too had a quirk, which was still a very rare trait to have at the time. One of curses, sure it was evil in nature, but she had proven to be a responsible and respected lady. It all turned sour when her fiance liked another woman. In her rage, she had cursed the younger woman. The aforementioned girl had been told what had been done by the princess, by the sobbing and apologetic woman herself, but she was clueless to what extent this curse was. She had forgiven the princess straight away, an act of kindness that the nobles had shined to and the emperor had simply fell more in love with her for. But as countless years went by, she stayed the same. She then truly realised the horrors of her curse and at that moment in time, she wished she hadn't been so naive, so kind to just forgive the woman who left her life in ruins. The curse was one of immortality. Something she couldn't escape even after the princess had passed away. To watch her lovers grow up and prosper, only to stay the same young woman when she watched they started to wilt and eventually die. And so here she was. An entity of over a thousand years old and yet she remained the same bubbly and happy woman on the outside, smiling brightly at the cameras as she walked around the towns. Everyone in Japan knew of her. Not only did her predicament attract the attention of the public, she was also the CEO of Japan's most well known and successful hero agency. She had set up the agency with her husband, Katsuki, a mere 18 years ago, before he was killed in one of the largest villain attacks in Japan history 2 years after it opened. They had employed All Might when he was in his younger days as well as worked with all of the top 10 heroes, and after his death, she become the sole chairman of the agency. And thanks to the technology present in the modern day, those who weren't previously interested in her at least knew her name. There was then the nickname the media had given her after she had survived the attack : ‘The Undead Hero.’ She sure as hell wasn’t a hero. For god’s sake she was quirkless! But the internet took joy to praising her successes within the hero world. And as a joke, an online petition started for her to become licensed pro hero and the people in charge decided there'd be no harm, since she can't die and all, in making her one, titling her in as Pro Hero Number Zero. So here you were, the country's first quirkless pro hero. ~~~ You had watched the UA sports festival, looking for students to intern here at your company. One certain blonde had caught your eye but you felt yourself flinch at the mention of his full name. It had certainly been a long time since the last time you met another reincarnation of your first love. There had been many different personalities before and the situation you met him in varied to such extent that you had given up with the idea of repeatedly seeking him out and your last encounter with him, or his spirit at least, was your breaking point. You have a good 16 years to grieve his unfortunate and untimely death but even the ten hundred years you were alive wasn't enough time for you to forget and move on. It seemed that you had a curse where you could never escape your one lover, but maybe that was the package deal with immortality. "We're definitely sending an offer out to him right boss?" your assistant, Naomi asked, writing down that all so familiar name down on a notepad. "Up to you, I'm taking a break." you replied, standing up and walking away from the big screen. You knew her eyes softened as she watched your figure retreat out of the room, after all she was there with you after your husband died. Your husband, the one who shared the same name as the boy mentioned. "Alright I'll send you the list later." she replied softly, before turning her attention back to the live broadcast, which now showed a green haired boy. "Thanks. I'll look over it and then you can send out the offers tomorrow." you said before completely leaving the room. It had been a week since the sports festival and it was time for the internships. You had a very important meeting in the morning, causing you to regrettably miss welcoming the trainee heroes to your agency. Standing up, you voiced your thanks and bowed, to which the other businessmen and women returned the guesture.

"I'll be expecting to see you soon." you smiled as Naomi showed then out. "Of course." one of them replied, smiling once more before all of them left the building. Waiting for them to disappear completely from sight, you turned back around. "Alright, what's next?" you asked, looking over. "Next we need to speak to the interns. Briefly would be fine but we need a positive review of our work place." she replied and started walking away, to which you followed. "Of course." you replied curtly. To be frank, you didn't need her to remind you how to keep up the reputation, after all you had been running the agency for almost 20 years but you bit your tongue as you didn't want her to feel as if her work was unwelcome. She was a great assistant and you knew that you needed her and her abilities. Turning the corner, someone roughly crashed you into you, sending you tumbling back a few steps. "Watch it." they snapped, sending to you a glare. "E-excuse me." Naomi stuttered. She wasn't too intimidated by the way the young boy was fuming, instead at her bosses reaction. You had a vendetta against extremely rude people and she braced herself for an ugly ending. "What?" he scowled, turning to send her a nasty look before he turned his attention back to you. You pursed your lips, unsure whether to snap back or not as you didn't want to cause a scene. The meeting had taken much longer than expected. It was only two in the afternoon but all you wanted to do was sleep, but you needed to meet the interns and consolidate the arrangements with the other heroes that worked here. "Well are you going to say anything?" he asked. "Why are you just standing there like a idiot?" "Young boy I don't think that's very appropriate to say to someone." Naomi said quietly, eyes flickering to observe your reaction. "Well it's true isn't it." You let out a sigh, deciding to not waste your energy on anything out of your plan, especially people who were unnecessarily rude. "Hey, don't ignore me." he shouted as you walked past him, your assistant shuffling behind you. You walked briskly towards the training halls, ignoring his shouts for you to acknowledge him. He eventually stopped to pick up a phone call but at that point you had already walked down two corridors, too far away to hear him stop shouting profanities at you. You pushed open the doors to the largest training hall in your building, leaning on the wall next to the door as you watched several people combat each other. You had stayed there for no more than a minute or too when the fuming blonde stomped back in. A green haired boy, Midoriya was it, waved excitedly at the him, but he simply flipped him over, moving over to the side of the hall. If they had any more interactions planned, they had to be stopped there as one of the heroes spotted you, quickly shouting for everyone to come over and you slowly walked onto on of the courts. "I'm glad you to see that none of you are slacking off." you announced loudly, your eyes scanning over the small crowd of people. "Of course not boss." a young hero replied. You smiled at her with a small nod. "Boss?" someone shouted and you turned slightly to spot the blonde from earlier, his mouth hung open. "It's nice to meet you Bakugou-san." you said, a small bitter edge to your words before you turned back to the rest, a large smile on your face. "Good afternoon everyone, it's a shame I wasn't able to welcome you this morning, I hope there hasn't been any trouble. My name is Y/N and I'm incredibly pleased that you chose to intern at my agency." "Y/N!" Midoriya shouted, a look of glee filling his face. "You're my favourite hero, I love you so much." he shouted, jumping up and down in excitement. The gesture from the boy made you grin even wider. It was almost as if some of his endless energy had been transferred to you. "That makes me very happy, thank you Midoriya." "She knows my name!" he shouted, earning a few praises and snickers. "Shut up Deku." Bakugou seethed. He was fuming at the thought of you. He had not only completely embarrassed himself in front of you, but also insulted you, the CEO! He cursed himself for not researching prior to this, but the fact that you seemed so young to him gave no implications that you were the big boss of this place. "Alright." you shouted, clapping your hands together. "Let's get this show on the road." ~~~ Midoriya had fallen asleep extremely quickly, a small 'good night Kacchan' and he had been out like a light. But the same had not befallen Bakugou and instead he stayed awake, shifting and turning restlessly as he lay on the bottom bunk. After a few more moments of him lying wide awake, he shuffled out of his bed and left the room. He walked down the corridor, planning to head towards the kitchen when he spotted a light on. It was indeed the same direction in which he wished to go so he followed it. Stepping inside the room, he saw you sat on the couch. Your back was to him and you were muttering something. As he got closer, he made out the words falling from your mouth. "He loves me, he loves me not." He turned around to exit the room, sure that you wanted nothing but space, but his foot slipped slightly and he fell slightly, cursing. You jumped at the sound behind you. "Oh I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" you asked, looking up and around at him with a sniffle. Your cheeks were flush and the tip of your nose red, a few stray tears resting on your cheeks. Bakugou stood their awkwardly as you wiped your sleeve across your eyes and cheeks. He didn't know what to do in this situation. He hadn't comforted someone in years, always opting to leave his group of friends to take care of a problem, only ever observing from the side line. "D-do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly. He tried to make sure his words were more gentle than usual, careful not to make you start crying again. Your eyes widened at his questioned but you slowly nodded. Patting the space next to you on the couch, you smiled slightly. "Have a seat Bakugou." You laughed at the irony. Here you were crying about your deceased husband as his reincarnation sat beside you, offer on the table to listen to your troubles. Your mind began to wander at the word troubles. What exactly in your life was going wrong? It was a simple answer really, everything. "So how are you?" you asked, breaking the silence. He blinked a couple times in confusion. "I'm good." he answered slowly, his voice low and hushed. "Well that's good." you nodded turning back to the lonesome rose stem in your hand that you had been previously picking the petal off from. "So why are you up?" you asked. Bakugou at this point was lost for words. Wasn't you the one who had been crying? Why were you so intrigued in asking him questions? "Couldn't sleep." he muttered, a glare on his face as he stared forwards at the coffee table, trying desperately to understand you. "Fair enough." you hummed, turning to look in the same direction as him, your eyes landing on your untouched mug of hot chocolate. "Do you want a drink?" you asked, gesturing to the mug on the table. "I haven't drank from it yet." Bakugou nodded, after all he had come out of his room for the hopes of getting a drink. "Thanks." he muttered. You watched as the boy brought the mug up to his lips and you thought back to your previous encounter with his spirit. "He liked hot chocolate too." you mumbled, turning away and back at the rose stem. "Did you say something?" he asked, mug in hand as he sent you a glance. You pursed your lips, taking a moment before shaking you head. "No, it was... nothing." you trailed off. "Well you accepted my offer so you'd better start talking." he scoffed, but his angry facade was falling apart almost as quickly as he started it and he was sure you could see through it, but you decided not to comment on it. And so you spent the rest of your night with Bakugou. He had proven to be much more thoughtful than you had imagined, less rude and obnoxious, which you were grateful for. It was obvious that he hadn't recognised you during your first encounter, and more than likely did not know about your immortality. You didn't need any more pity for that. So you talked about your husband, to an extent, keeping away from mentioning his name, instead reminiscing the memories you had with him. The younger boy listened, nodding and throwing in small comment here and there. The two of you exchanged a few more words after that topic, but in an hour or two, it was a simple silence. He had fallen asleep next to you, a peaceful look on his face. You got up and cleaned away the mug and flower petals, before returning to your room to get a blanket. Laying it gently on him, you took the liberty to press a kiss to his forehead before leaving, turning off the lights. "Sleep well Katsuki." ~~~ Bakugou was needless to say, very disappointing that he had barely seen you all week. He understood that you had a lot on your plate running a business, but a part of him had hoped that after your emotional night with him on the first day, you would at least take some time to say hello to him. He had went to the living room a further 5 more times, hoping that you would be there waiting for him. But he found himself being disappointed time and time again when he saw that there was no room with a light on in the corridor. Today was his last day of fully interning, he was due to leave the following morning and although he could say he was very happy to leave the other bastards in the company behind, he couldn't say the same for you. In truth, he had formed a small interest in you. Call it a crush or whatever, it wasn't as if he would say it out loud. Sure you had a pretty face and all, that much he would admit, but he was genuinely confused by your appearance. You said you had been running the agency for almost 20 years but you didn't look anywhere near your 40s? That had greatly puzzled the explosive boy. "Deku." he shouted, catching the attention of the smart boy as he was chatting with one of the heroes. "Y-yes Kacchan?" "How old do you think Y/N is?" he asked. The green haired boy gasped, shaking his head. "Kacchan! It's rude to ask about a girls age." he scolded him, to which Bakugou snorted. "But between you and me, I'd say about a thousand and one hundred?" "Are you shitting me you nerd?" he bellowed, hand raised with his palm upwards, ready to start an explosion. The hero chipped in. "I'd say so too. She's definitely over a thousand." she commented. "I think last year was her one thousand and seventyith birthday? I could be wrong, I wasn't invited to the party." she sulked. "You two are fucking joking right?" "We're not." the hero replied, furrowing her eyebrows before she let out a small gasp. "Are you telling me you've never heard of the boss?" "No. Should I have?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yes!" she cried out, throwing her hands up in the air, before bringing them down and massaging her forehead. "You're overreacting." Bakugou stated, giving a deadpan look to the girl as he let out a 'tch' in annoyance. "She really not Kacchan, literally everyone has heard of Y/N. She's a massive sensation in the hero community but also the beauty one, I'm not sure how you've never come across her." The truth was Bakugou had come across your name on his browser, twice, maybe three times. But most of them had popped up during the start of the school year, when Midoriya had suddenly shown up with a quirk. So as soon as he read that you were quirkless, he made sure to avoid your name like the plague. Midoriya soon left to start his patrolling, and left Bakugou standing there, thinking about you. With many more questions than he had answers. ~~~ "Y/N." he said, standing at the doorway of your office and you and your assistant stared back in confusion. "Hello there Bakugou, is there anything I can help you with?" you asked. He froze up at your question. Why was he here? He had barged past some security just a few moments prior, saying he had something urgent to talk to with the boss, but now that he was here, no excuse would pop up in his mind. "Alright Naomi, give me a few minutes." you said, handing the papers you hand in your hand off to Naomi before she nodded and left. "So." you began, leaning forwards so both your elbows were on the desk and your chin rested on the back of your intertwined fingers. "Have a seat Bakugou." You gestured to the big chair in front of your desk and he complied, sitting down in utter silence. He opened his mouth to speak but it took a few seconds for the words to come out. "I haven't seen you in a while." he blurted out. He immediately wanted to slam his head into the desk before him, cringing at his words and the smug smile that you shot him. "If I knew any better, I'd say you missed me Bakugou." “Katsuki." he corrected, eyes trailed carefully on yours. You nodded and ran a hand through your hair.

"Honestly, I'd love to stay and talk Katsuki, but I'm on a tight schedule right now." you explained, tilting your head to the side as you waited for his response. "Will I see you again tonight?" he asked, his voice so quiet that he seemed almost... shy. Your smile grew wider. "Sure thing. I'll make sure to swing around earlier so you don't need to stay up so late waiting for me." He nodded at your response and started to get up. "Tell Naomi to come back in when you leave." "Alright." he muttered, turning away towards the door. "And Katuski?" you said, earning a grunt from the younger male. "I missed you too." He quickly turned away at your statement but you could see the tips of his ears grow red. Of course you had missed him. He was the only other person you confided in about your husband other than Naomi. But it was truly Bakugou Katsuki that you had missed. His soul that you had hopelessly fell in love with over and over again. The result was always the same, and after each time, you would tell yourself that it was the last. But he would always come back. And you, once again, would fall for him, like a drug that you simply couldn't fight the addiction of. And so you braced yourself for another heartbreak. After all, it was inevitable. ~~~ Bakugou had waited for you in the living room of the dorm space he currently stayed in, a cup of chocolate in his hands and one for you placed on the coffee table. You kept to your word and came earlier. It was around 11pm when you slipped into the dorm floor of the building. Seeing the light on, you made your way quietly towards it. "Hey." you said, your voice warm and gentle as he looked up towards you, moving to hand you the mug. "Thank you." You sat down on the couch with your legs crossed and he chucked a blanket to yo, to which you laid on your lap. "Is there anything in specific you want to talk about?" "You." he stated. You hummed in response. The rest of the night he asked questions about you, your immortality and more about your latest deceased husband, who he found out the name of. He recognised the hurt that flashed in your eyes as you recalled telling him about your immortality. He had be an accepting person, loving you for you as a person and paying little to no mind to your unchanging outer appearance. At least that was what it seemed on the outside. There had been times were his act slipped and he crumbled, talking about how he wanted to grow old with you, not for you to look the same when he was in his older years and your children looked the same age as you. But of course you hadn't even gotten the chance to think about having children, setting up the agency had taken up most of your time, and which to this day you still regret. You wished you had spent more time with him, appreciating him instead of work, before his dying moment. You hadn't thought too much about things, his presence made you live in the moment, not caring about any problems or consequences as long as he was with you. But of course he wasn't. He had left too early. The younger boy had wrapped an arm around your shoulder when you began to sniffle, grabbing a box of tissues from the table for you. After he was satisfied with the amount of answers you gave him, he opened up about the guilt that he felt for All Might's retirement. He told you about the things he witnessed during the fight against All for One, how utterly useless he felt. He followed with nightmares that visited him almost every night, how he was force himself to stay awake to avoid them, causing him to form a habit of being unable to sleep. You had been so understanding and sweet that the boy couldn't help but let out a few tears, relishing in your soft touches and soothing tone that he eventually fell asleep in your arms. The following morning he waited excitedly for you too see him off along with the other heroes from your company. But you didn't come. He left in the train with a heavy heart, head titled backwards against the glass window as he thought back. He hadn't seen you in the morning, waking up alone and in his own bed. He had wandered out into the living room, hoping that your figure would be sleeping on the couch, but alas, you weren't there. His way home was unusually silent. Midoriya had definitely picked up on it but when he attempted to talk to the blonde, he only received shouts and threats. He eventually gave up, opting to leave the teen to his own devices. Once Bakugou returned home, he unpacked him clothes, throwing everything into a pile to wash. He turned every pocket inside out and when he got to his pajama bottom, a small piece of paper fell out. 'Hey sorry I had to leave so early in the morning, here's my number if you wanted to talk more. xxxxx-xxx-xxx' He instantly smiled, diving for his phone, typing your number in just as quickly before he sent you a text. ~~~ It had been a few months since the internships and Bakugou had found himself calling you on a regular basis. It would mostly be in late into the night, with you obviously busy with your agency during the daylight hours. You would talk about your day, ask him about his. He would often complain about his classmates, maybe his teacher, but on some rare occasions he would say something nice about them, like how Shitty hair had improved in combat or that Deku was getting progressively less annoying. You listened, giving him tips about a variety of things, ranging from things about the general hero world or what he should get for his pink skinned friend's birthday. And he soon found himself hopelessly falling in love with you. He hadn't planned for this to happen. Fuck, he'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't. He didn't want to have to deal with the consequences of your immortality, but he found himself crawling back to you even at a bat of your eyelashes. Your grasp on him was truly... inescapable. He had been horrified at the thought, refusing to acknowledge your existence. Your calls would go through to voicemail, your texts left unread. You didn't understand why he was ghosting you, beating yourself up about it over a few glasses of wine as you slowly sunk into sadness. It was another simply another repeated loop and you recognised all of the signs, but you felt what was left of your heart completely shatter. Sure you had previous reincarnations reject you because they disliked, or even feared, the idea of you being immortal, but they had made it clear at the beginning, not half a year into talking with you daily. Your mood soured drastically, and Naomi had tried to persuade you into talking to her, but you refused to, keeping all of your thoughts bottled up. You buried yourself with more and more work, creating a wall around you that even the one or two friends you had couldn't break down, let alone your employees. The company continued to receive praise, by media and heroes alike, but what used to be your sole joy and pride left nothing but a bitter taste in your mouth. You had gotten so used to Bakugou's company that without hearing his voice left you so empty. And to save yourself from being hurt like a broken record on repeat, you gave up on love. ~~~ It was on an interview that Bakugou witnessed the true extent of what his actions had done to you. He had the unfortunate timing of walking in when Midoriya was watching your interview live on the big screen in the common room. Bakugou had initially refused to stay, but his friends had forced him to, saying something about how he should see how his old mentor was doing. He had complained to the point where his friends willingly let him go but instead he begrudgingly stayed, standing in the corner of the room with his arms crossed as he furrowed his brows at the screen You sat across from the interviewer, a tired expression on your face as you explained the agency's plans and future aims. The other woman nodded, asking questions here and there, and then it came to the questions fans asked. "Have you been taking care of yourself?" The question caught you off guard and your breath hitched. You tried to take a deep breath in but everything around you started to blur together into nothing but a background noise. "S-sorry, could I have a moment?" you asked, but before she gave you any answer, you had already left the set. At the same time, Bakugou slipped out of the common room, his heart clenching at the terrible state you were in. When he first met you, only a few months ago, you stood high with your head help up high, a sort of excitement in your eyes, an aura of authority when you dared to ignore him! But now you were reduced to short sentences and even shorter smiles, fake and forced. And unbeknown to you, you were doing the same to him. His loud shouts had reduced to smaller, and less often sharp erratic outbursts. The distance he had put between him and his friends was almost immeasurable and none of them could reach even close enough to console him in the slightest. He had shut the world out completely, solely focusing on training and school work. He gritted his teeth as he fought back the itch to call you, but eventually he relented, taking him phone out of his pocket and dialling on your number. He sure wasn't expecting you to pick up, but when you did, his heart felt elated. "Hello?" you asked, your phone on speaker by the side as you dried your hands in the bathroom, lookign at yourself in the mirror and giving yourself an encouraging nod. "H-hi." he whispered, locking himself up in his room as he sat down on the floor, his back against the door. "I'm sorry." ~~~ He was in his early twenties, too young to be giving up what his future held. You hadn't meant to choose his path for him, but you had indirectly done so when you said no. So there he sat with his head in his hands, cheeks stained with tears and the ring somewhere lost in the corner of his room. It was selfish, you knew, but the time you spent with him only felt like a ticking bomb, each week, day, hour even, was counting down to the day in which you would lose him. And you weren't ready. He knew it was a stupid move to make. After all, you have discussed with him countless times about how scared you were to commit to a relationship you knew would once again end up in flames. "Death is inevitable." he said, watching as you fiddled with his sleeve as you laid together on the couch. "Well not for me." you countered back. "If you could remove this curse, would you?" "I don't know Katsuki. I'm honestly so scared." You shifted so your face was buried in his chest. "I've seen what death can do and I'm just so, so scared." "I want to grow old with someone I love." you continued. "I really do. But I don't know how to feel knowing that was my last few years alive. I've been around for so long that I've become afraid to die." "I'm tired of the heartbreak, but there's always a comforting moment because I know you'll come back. Sooner or later, your soul will be back in my arms, whether it takes 20 years or 200. But if I were to find a way to remove my curse and you died before me, I'd never see you again." He found himself at a lack of words that day. Nothing would leave his mouth so the only thing he could do to comfort you was to hug you even tighter. Eventually something came to his mind. "What if I just find a way to be immortal too?" he asked. You looked up at him. "That's highly illegal Katsuki. Think about it, if you could easily do that, then everyone would be able to live forever. And normally, the effect of the quirk disappears as soon as they die." He hummed in response, mood downcast that he couldn't help you in any way. He spent the rest of the night comforting you to the best of his abilities. You truly had felt better after his words, but he didn't see the subtle change in mood. He wanted to reassure you, to be someone you could rely on. But all he brought into your life was constant worry. He replayed your words in his head on a loop. He already saw this coming, but his constant refusal to acknowledge his situation had led to his downfall. You had sent him a quick message and in the following days, you hadn't picked up his calls in days. He had called your assistant as well as visited your company, but he was told you weren’t there. He cried in anguish at how hell bent you were at avoiding him, even going to the extent of having your employees lie for you. But he soon found that they weren't lying. No one had seen you in weeks and your fans had picked up on it fairly quickly. There were articles all over the internet, forums and interviews with her assistant and closest friend. "She has left on her own accord." Naomi stated as multiple cameras flashed in her eyes. You had told her you were out to seek happiness, as vague as it had been, and that she needed to cover for you during the month or so that you were gone. That was all of the information you had given her, before you disappeared without a trace. She sighed at your foolishness but part of her resonated with you, knowing she too would do anything for her love. You sent Bakugou a 'I'll talk to you later' text, before taking apart your phone, leaving it under your pillow before grabbing your get away bag and leaving by train. His proposal haunted your every thought, and it drove you insane. He knew you were scared of commitment and heartache and yet he still asked you! You didn't blame him though. More so yourself. Nobody had made you talk to him about your troubles or reach out to him. You had given him your phone number. He could've left your company with new knowledge about the hero world and not about you, but he already had your heart and you had taken the opportunity to reconcile with your first love, regardless of whether it would leave you in ruins in the future. You were going to make this right. You were so utterly tired of the constant dull looming tide of sadness, doubt, anger. You wanted it to end, you really did. You had told Bakugou you were scared of dying. You were. But your greatest fear was losing him and you couldn't take it anymore. You raised your hand to knock and a large smile decorated your face. It had been a good month since you had last talked to him. You had set out to the remote countryside, searching for some young woman who had a curse removing quirk.

You had gone with no expectations, telling yourself over and over again that you would be fine if it was unsuccessful. But deep down you knew you would be distraught if your current situation could not change.

The door opened to the blonde, his instantly furrowed his brows as his mouth hung open.

"Hey Katsuki." "Y-Y/N?" "I think I'm going to die-" "What?" he shouted, startling you. "Let me finish." you laughed. "I think I'm going to die in 50 or so years. Hopefully longer if that means I can be with you until old age." "W-what are you talking about?" he asked, confusion littering his face. "I'm no longer immortal." you grinned, before it fell slightly. "At least I think I am, the girl told me he got rid of the curse fully, but I’m not expecting too much." He continued to stutter, incoherent sentences falling from his lips as he fought back tears. "Surprise?" you asked, letting out a nervous chuckle. You started to grow worried at his reaction. You wanted nothing more than to wrap your arms around him, but your feet stayed frozen in place, after all you had rejected him a month or so ago. "Y-you got rid of your curse?" You nodded and he asked another question. "For me?" "Of course silly. Who else am I going to die with?" you laughed. His nose scrunched up as he tried desperately to comprehend the situation. "Aren't you scared?" "You'll be there with me right?" "Of course." he quickly said, nodding his head. "I thought." he trailed off and wrapped you up in his arms, head in the crook of your neck as his body shook with sobs. "I thought you left me." "I'm sorry." you said repeating it quietly over and over again. "I love you so much." "I love you too."

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@boku-no-family @toobsessedsstuff @renarderouges @thatonegeekchick @mrminyoongles @yourscorpiodaddy

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