#half his penthouse is filled with coats by this point i guess | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

marimayscarlett · 5 months

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By all means *eyes emoji*

Hi 👋

I took this ask as an invitation to figuratively dive into Richard's coat closet, and tried to compile every coat he wore in the last 30 years.

And oh boy, this man surely loves a good coat. He's the one member of this band who consecutively wore a coat on almost every tour and really takes a liking in the dramaturgical effect of wearing long (often times dark in color) coats and later reveiling additional outfits underneath, especially in later years. It fits his somewhat dramatic stage presence and he started quite early with these kind of stage outfits!

I subdevided this overview in two sub-topics to give this post somewhat of a structure, because this will be long.

1.) Richard's coats on stage (organized by year and tour)

1.1) Firstly, the plain black coat from the Herzeleid tour which he wore in 1995/1996. It's from what I could find the first time he wore a coat on stage while playing for Rammstein.

1.2) Addtionally, he wore the shiny red and silver coat during the Herzeleid tour as well as partly on the Sehnsucht tour in 1997. Same as the black coat before, he forwent any additional outfit underneath.

1.3) Also on the Sehnsucht tour, Richard wore the somewhat futuristic (reminded me a little bit of Star Treck costumes) black and silver coat which is clearly visible in Live aus Berlin. It suited the whole style of this era quite nicely and fit into the vibe of Till's cyborg/futuristic jacket as well.

1.4) For his outfit during the Reise Reise tour in 2004/2005, Richard settled for a black military-style coat. The button rows seem to be reminiscent of french military uniforms from the 17th and 18th century (as well as the button lines and the embroidery on the collar of the underjacket) and his pants were designed in a similar style. The lining of the coat is bright red, a theme which would occur numerous times over the years.

1.5) During the LIFAD tour, Richard wore a grey-mottled coat made out of a somewhat leathery material, adorned with silver buttons and a red armband - again he incorporated a red element in this coat, just like with the one before. On a sidenote: He once mentioned that Michael Jackson was an inspiration for this armband because Richard liked the cool look of it - his leg-belts (visible in the right picture) also kind of resemble the harness Michael wore on stage and in some videos during his Bad era.

1.6) An absolute personal favourite of mine: The studded coat Richard chose for the 2013 part of the Made in Germany tour, oftentimes paired with the torn black and red top underneath. This one also got red lining, as well as a fine red line near the cuffs of the coat.

1.7) In 2016 for the Festival tour, Richard wore coat in a more cosy and snuggly style, which marked a break in the clean cut coat-aesthetic up to this point. It was more in the style of a cardigan with a zipper instead of buttons. The armband made a reappearance as the signature red element (mirrored by a red band on his pants), and red lines along the seams added this colourful accent.

1.8) For the 2019 tour leg of the Stadium tour, Richard mixed things up by wearing a two piece combo made out of a leathery material, with a studded cap on the right shoulder and red elements in form of the usual arm band and a red folding in the front. The lower part of this outfit was removable, so the upper part remained as a jacket.

1.9) In 2022, he wore an all black coat with a belt and flaps along the shoulders, as well as snap fasteners as buttons; it overall resembled the typical look of a trenchcoat and seemed less rigid then the previous ensemble.

1.10) A true fandom favourite appeared on the scene in 2022 when he presented the infamous chicken coat. This one was already known from the "Freeze my mind" music video (from 2021) from Richard's side project and other band Emigrate. Different than in the music video, where a vest completed the look, Richard again after years went on stage without any outfit under it. This coat was used by him also during this year's tour leg.

1.11) Another personal favourite of mine is the black coat with red lining which he wore during this year's tour. Affectionatly dubbed "the vampire coat", this coat appears to be quite clean cut and simple, but has a very nice and dramatic effect on him (choosing gifs this time to underline this sentiment).

2.) Richard's coats off stage

Here are some of the coats Richard wore off stage during band fotoshoots and outings. Not counting normal jackets or parcas here.

2.1) The fur-lined coat during the Rosenrot fotoshooting:

2.2) The reoccuring black coat with fluffy fur elements, worn by him while being presented with awards in 2005 in Berlin as well as during the Echo award show in 2009:

2.3) He wore another black coat which looked pretty similar to the one before but is still slightly different during a signing in Paris 2004:

2.4) And a brown/beige kind of trenchcoat was his style of choice for the Fashion rock night in 2009:

2.5) During the outdoor shooting for the LIFAD album, Richard wore another black coat:

2.6) And lastly, the fancy embroidered coat Richard chose for promotion pictures for (I think) his first album with his band Emigrate:

Not sure if I was thouroughly enough and found every coat he ever wore, but I think the presented ones here really express his love for this piece of clothing in general 😊 I'm looking forward to either seeing a new coat on Richard next year or a return of his vampire coat 🦇 (Still hoping to see the studded coat someday again).

(Used picture sources: Rammwiki and the Rammsteinworld gallery - wonderful rabbit holes to get lost in.)

#rammstein #richard kruspe #richard's fashion lore #half his penthouse is filled with coats by this point i guess #this took me about 3 days to compile and i had so much fun no joke #thank you for this ask 💜#ask #richard's coats #emigrate

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vosiro · 3 years

Text

⇾ Pairing: Kuroo Tetsurō x F!reader

⇾ Warnings: this shit nasty fr 18+, also CEO!Kuroo bc that’s sexy,

⇾ Authors note: In honor of my husbands birthday, I decided to write this nasty ass shit😜. See, ion know what demon POSSESSED me to write this but...🧍🏾‍♀️anyway, Y/n is implied black, but if you’re not black it’s ite!! There will be some use of AAVE on Y/n’s part tho, and she not finna be one of them “I-I-...b-but k-kuroo!” Shy bitches NONE OF DHET. She a bad bitch and that’s on prd. (Shy bitches still bad doe!!) is this self indulgent? Yea idc 💃🏾

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It was officially November 17, your husband’s birthday. When you had woken up, kuroo had already left for work, so the bed was empty. For the past week and a half you’ve been contemplating what to get him. You see, for your birthday, kuroo always showered you in gifts, money, clothes, anything you wanted. That was exactly the problem. Kuroo had the money, the expenses and the power to get anything either you or him wanted, what could you possible get him that he couldn’t already afford himself. For the past couple years y’all were married, you two always went to some fancy restaurant to eat, then went to a hotel to have some casual birthday sex. This year, you wanted it to be different, you wanted it to be special.

You walked into your local bar in a thin, golden bodycon dress, with a black, expensive fluffy jacket, that just made your skin pop. You just looked like walking money. And ofcourse kuroo had to have his girl walking around with that Hermes Birkin 30cm Himalayan with diamond hardware. You looked around the bar before you saw kiyoko waiting at a table. “Heyy shimizu” you gleamed, sitting down at the empty seat across from kiyoko. “Hey, Y/n-Chan” she replied, passing you the drink that was preordered.

“So.” You sigh.

“So? What’s wrong?” Kiyoko questioned.

“I don’t know what to get tetsu for his birthday...” you replied, taking a sip of your drink.

“I’m sure he’ll like anything you get him.” She reassured.

“Girl, but listen...This man got 4 cars, 3 houses, a visa black card, and a bad ass bitch. What more does he need...wtf do you be getting ryōsuke for his birthday??” You questioned

“Well, he usually likes anything I get him. It’s all about the thought y/n. You love him right? Any gift from your heart, he’ll like.” Kiyoko answered.

“Girrrr....you right, you right. Matter ah fact, I have an idea.” You grabbed your lil birkin bag and started to get out the chair “thank you shimizu! Make sure you get to the party at 7:30, tetsu’ll be back at 8!” You said as you rushed out the bar.

You made your way to the expensive lingerie store that was right next to the penthouse you live in with your husband. You quickly entered the store, looking around for something sexy, but cute, but nasty. Kuroo would never admit it, but he gets flustered easily. When you bend over, when you lean down infront of him and he gets a nice view of your tits, when your skirt’s a little too short, when you call him in the middle of a business meeting, and he has to excuse himself so he can fuck his fist to your moans and cries over the phone. You knew exactly how to rile him up, and that’s one of the things he loved about you.

You’ve been browsing the lingere sets at the store for a while, before you see it. A perfect thin, red, sexy, lingerie with garter belts. Not to toot your own horn or anything, but this would just make your skin pop. You quickly grab the set and pay for it, making your way back to the penthouse after.

———————————————————————

It was currently 7:58. Kuroo was expected to arrive at 8. Guests were under the table, hiding behind chairs, any possible place a person could squeeze themselves into. You were hiding under behind the kitchen counter with kiyoko. “Psst. Shimu,” you whispered.

“I’m right here y/n..” she replied.

“Right... anyway, guess what I got tetsu for his birthday.” You asked eagerly.

“Your love and affection??” She answered.

“Girl no...well yes...but no.” You said.

“Then what?” Kiyoko questioned.

“I got 𝐿𝒾𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇𝒾𝑒.” You replied

“You’re making him wear lingerie??” She said.

“...😏” You smirked

“I’m kiddi-”

*clack*

The door to the penthouse opened slowly and everyone let out a big

“SURPRISE!”

Bokuto ran up to kuroo and gave him a big bear hug “HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRO!” he exclaimed. Kuroo went around greeting everyone, and thanking them for showing up. You were still talking with kiyoko before he started to approach you. “I should leave you two alone.” She she said before walking away to talk with her own husband.

“You planned all of this for me, baby?” He cooed as he took you into his arms for a hug, “yessuh, anything for you.” You said nuzzling your face into his chest. He started to place small kisses down your neck “fuck...I missed you...” His breath was hot against your skin “not here...let’s wait till the party’s over okay, babe?” You wanted to, you wanted to so bad... but one thing about kuroo is he goes feral when you make him wait

———————————————————————

11:00. The last few guests had left a while ago, and kuroo had just got done finishing his shower after you had yours. He walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, his chiseled chest on full display. This man was always so damn fine, like whew fuck it’s getting hot in hea fr. He sat next to you and started kissing ur collar bone, slowly removing your robe from your skin.

“You don’t understand how bad I wanted to fuck you,” He whispered into your skin. “I was hard the entire night...”

He completely removed the robe from your skin. “Oya? What’s this, baby?”

“Surprise.” You moaned slightly as he slid his hands to grip your ass “tonight, I’ll let you do anything you want to me..”

He halted in his movements “anything?”

“Mhm~” you reassured

You reach down to palm him through the towel, “someone’s really excited.” You say as you stroke him slowly. “That’s because my girl looks so damn sexy right now...and she’s letting me do whatever I want tonight.” Kuroo reaches down to rub circles on your clit.

“Mm~” he stick his tongue down your mouth as you let out your moan. “You’re so wet...it’s seeping through your panties and spilling onto my fingers..” he grins “only for you, daddy..” you say.”

“Fuck..the whole day I was thinking about coming home and fucking you... I even jerked off to the thought of you at work today,” He flipped you over onto your hands and knees, “Now you’re here...all sexy for me.” The towel slid off, and so did your panties as well. “I’m gonna fuck you so good baby, you won’t be able to walk or talk after..” he cooed, rubbing his tip along your folds

“W-wait tetsu, you just not gon prep me or n-fuck!!” He slammed his cock into you with a deep groan.

“Just Shutup and t-take it... fuckk...you’re tight.” He moved in and out of your cunt at an agonizingly slow pace.

“Faster daddy..” you moaned out

“Yea? My baby’s feeling good?” He picked up his pace and started jamming into you harder. You lifted your body up slightly. “Stay the fuck down.” He growled as he grabbed your neck, not wanting to mess up your hair. “Fuck, you feel so fucking good baby.” He was picking up the paste and hitting that one spot he knew you liked. You were moaning loudly into the pillow before he flipped you over onto your back.

“I wanna see that pretty face when I fuck you.” He started fucking you slowly in mission watching his dick get covered in your cream as went in and out. He then took your hand and put it on your lower stomach. “You feel that baby?” He picked up his pace slightly. “You feel how deep I am? Fuck.” His eyes were tainted with lust, and cheeks painted with blush. Your hand felt each and every thrust he was putting into you.

“F-fuck tetsu, you’re so big..” you whimpered. Kuroo was always a sucker for praise. “Yea? Look at you, you’re such a good girl taking all of it.” He groaned out.

“Open your mouth baby.” He stuck two fingers in your mouth coating them in saliva, then slowly sheathing them into your other right hole. You whine out at the stretch. “I want both of my kitten’s holes to be filled tonight.” He let out as he stretched your ass.

“Shit, relax baby, you’re so tight you’re gonna cut off my circulation.”

“F-feels s’good” you moaned as he continued to satisfy both your holes. “C’mere baby.” He pulled you into the reverse cowgirl position. “You knew what you were doing naughty girl” he groaned as you bounced on his dick “shit...dressing up...fuck...like that.” You were squeezing him so tightly and it just felt so good.

“Yes, I knew..mm~” there was no point in lying, you knew exactly how kuroo would react. He landed a smack on your ass “I’ll have to punish you princess,” you heard a spit noise come from behind you, then felt a warm trail of saliva roll down onto you right puckered ass hole. Kuroo massaged the liquid around the hole “fuck, you think my dick would fit in here? My cum dripping out of you pussy and you ass? That’s so sexy..” you winced as he stuck his thumb inside. “Shi.. does it feel that good? You like that? You’re squeezing so tight, fuck.” He groped your ass, letting out a low moan.

“Suck your cream off my dick baby.”

“Yes daddy.” You replied getting off of him and on your knees. You take his girth cock into your mouth. You started bobbing your head quickly, tasting yourself on his dick. He place a firm grip on the top of your head. “Y-yes, just like tha...mm.. fuck.. your so good to me baby.” His hips started bucking into your mouth roughly, you could tell he was close “fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.”

He grabbed your head halting you to stop. “I wanna cum inside you..”

“Then do it daddy, cum inside me...”

“Fuck. Get on your hands and knees.”

He slid back into you once again letting out a deep moaning after regaining stimulation “how are you still this fucking t-tight...no matter how hard I fuck you...fuck.” He leaned forward and stuck his fingers in your mouth while pounding you into the mattress.

“Mm~ tetsu I’m close~” you whined out

“Yeah? Cum for me baby, milk my cock, I’m gonna stuff you so good.” Ah yes, an even more feral kuroo...truly delicous. “I’m gonna fill you up with my kids...fuck what if you get pregnant.” He groaned. “You’d look so cute with your tummy swollen.” He started picking up his paste, pounding into your sweet spot even harder. “Tetsu, I’m- nngh~ fuck.” Your orgasm washed over you, you were completely fucked out, but he still kept pounding into you.

“Fuck. That’s right, cum on my dick.” One of his arms were on the headboard while the other was wrapped so comfortably around your neck. “C’mon baby. Cum for me one more time. I know you can do it.” He grunted

“I c-cant tetsu.” Your body was still shaking in ecstasy. “Yes you can, c’mon” The hand around your neck reached down to rub your wet clit rough and fast. Needless to say he had you cumming in no time. “Fuck fuck fuck tetsu-”

“Shit, I’m almost there baby, just hold on for a littl- fuck.. bit more.” His thrust started to grow sloppy. “Fuck, I’m cu-uh..nngh.” He let out the most deep and beautiful moan as he spilled his seed into you with one last thrust. You fell onto your back and kuroo right on to of you.

“Fuck baby, that was the best birthday present ever.” He huffed, still out of breath

“Mm~ tetsu! You went too rough..now I’m finna be aching all day. My entire body hurts.” Yo complained.

“Atleast your sexy and in pain.” He said, placing a kiss on your forehead.

“Stfu.”

Fin.

———————————————————————

Did I proof read this? No🧜🏽‍♀️ anyways I wish kuroo a happy birthday mwah 🥰

Me writing plot: 🤮👺🤢👹

Me writing sex scenes: 😏🌝😜🥰

#kuroo smut #kuroo x reader #nekoma #nekoma smut #haikyuu smut #haikyuu!!#my writing #haikyuu x black reader #kuroo x black reader #kuroo fluff

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yoosungisbabie · 3 years

Text

bodyguard - day two

jumin x mc

rating: T

prompt: failures / {fights}

warnings: attempted kidnapping and general angst

word count: 2,176

ao3 link

[ ko-fi | paypal ]

Jumin is usually rational, but that night was different.

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

She took a deep breath through her nose, feeling a smile naturally spread on her face as she looked up at the sky. The sunset was painting a beautiful picture overhead, and the sight made her wonder why she hadn’t gone out more often.

But the answer came as soon as she asked herself the question, and it made her lower her eyes back down to the sidewalk. Jumin’s building was only half a block away, but going home so early seemed like a waste at that point. The weather was so nice, and being able to just go out and enjoy herself was a luxury she’d forgotten to indulge in.

Just as the doors to Jumin’s building came into view, she saw someone walking towards her from the corner of her eye. She glanced in their direction, seeing a man about her age smiling politely. He didn’t seem familiar, and it took her two glances at him to realize he was approaching her.

“Mrs. Han, right?” the man asked, taking his hand from his jeans pocket to reach out to shake hers. She smiled warily, unable to feel the full giddiness that should’ve come with the name he’d used.

“No, not yet,” she chuckled, shaking his hand and noticing how firm his grip was. She didn’t recognize him, and she glanced back to the doors of the building, hoping she would be able to see the doorman but finding her view of him blocked.

“My apologies,” the man smiled, giving her a once over as she turned back to him. She held her purse tightly to her side, smiling and beginning to walk towards the building once more.

“It’s alright. Have a good night!” she said politely, choosing not to ignore the way chilling goosebumps ran along her skin at the look in his eyes.

“Wait,” the man called, catching her hand and making her head whip back to look at him. She quickly pulled away from his grasp, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrows.

“Are you busy?” he asked, and she narrowed her eyes at him, feeling her stomach filling with fear.

“I’m expected upstairs,” she replied curtly, nodding once and moving away but keeping her eyes on him. He frowned, stepping forward to grab her forearm tightly.

“Don’t think you’ll be making it,” he spoke, making her heart painfully skip a beat. Her eyes shot to his, and the intimidating look on his face made her want to scream. But she steadied herself, widening her stance and beginning to pull against him. She was about to raise her hand to strike when another hand attached to the man’s wrist, gripping it forcefully and making him pull away almost immediately.

She turned to see who’d stepped in, feeling her heart soar when Jumin was standing beside her. His dark grey eyes were severe, and his gaze was locked on the man as he cradled his wrist.

“I suggest you leave,” Jumin spoke firmly, stepping forward to block her from view when the man glared at her. “For your sake.” She peered around her fiancé’s arm as the man began to walk away, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

The man uttered something under his breath, and though she could barely make it out, it was clearly aimed to provoke Jumin. She almost ignored it, assuming that he would as well, but he took a large step in the man’s direction. Her eyes widened, and she reached forward, wrapping both of her hands around one of his.

“Jumin,” she called softly, watching as he glanced back with a startling fire in his eyes. “Let’s go inside,” she pleaded. He turned and stared as the man walked away and laughed to himself.

It took a few moments, but Jumin’s hand finally relaxed beneath hers, his shoulders dropping slightly as he turned back to her. The anger in his expression had dissolved into something else, something aimed at her.

But she quietly led him inside, keeping her hand locked with his as they rode the elevator up to his penthouse. She could feel the weight of his unspoken words for her hanging in the air, and she could easily guess what he would have to say.

She’d gone out that afternoon without any bodyguards, and although she hadn’t told Jumin beforehand, she’d planned to tell him that night. Having him catch her in the act was the last thing she’d wanted to happen, so the lecture she’d already been expecting evolved as she anticipated it.

He pulled his hand from hers when the elevator doors opened, walking just in front of her as they passed the security guards and entered the penthouse. She followed quietly, closing the door behind herself and watching as he quickly took his suit jacket off, throwing it onto the chair in the corner and rolling his sleeves up his forearms forcefully. She quickly regretted not saying something sooner, but she took a deep breath, hoping that they could be rational and talk it out calmly.

But she considered what she’d already seen from him as she removed her coat and shoes and knew that things wouldn’t work out quite like she hoped.

“Darling,” he called, his voice tight as he drew her attention back to him. He’d crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze focused directly on her.

“I’m so…” he started, sighing sharply and pinching the bridge of his nose. “So disappointed in you,” he finished, pressing his lips into a tight line as she felt herself frowning.

“Why?” she wondered, hoping he would explain it slowly and give himself time to calm down.

“It’s a simple task to ask along two bodyguards, even one, but you didn’t,” he said, uncrossing his arms and placing his hands on his hips as he held her eyes expectantly.

“I’m sorry, Jumin,” she breathed out, tilting her head and moving a few steps closer. “Having someone always watching me is so much different than what I’m used to,” she admitted, seeing his eyes narrow in confusion.

“I just wanted some time to myself,” she shrugged. He scoffed quietly, surprising her as he raised a clenched fist and pressed it against his mouth. They’d had a few disagreements before, but he’d always been able to keep his calm. She’d never seen him so out of control.

“There are ways for you to achieve that without compromising your personal safety,” he debated. His eyes were searing into her as if he’d be able to change what happened with just a look. “Do you understand what would have happened if I hadn’t been there?” She took another step towards him, speaking up quickly.

“And I’m so glad you were. But I know how to defend myself,” she told him calmly, seeing on his face that he was anything but convinced.

“Do you? I don’t remember any mention of previous self-defense classes,” he replied sourly, making her heart twinge.

“No, but--” she breathed out, hearing him laugh once and lean towards her.

“You were completely defenseless and vulnerable,” he retorted, interrupting her and making her mouth fall open slightly.

“Jumin, please calm down,” she said gently, wishing her heart would stop pounding against her ribs so that she could continue to think clearly.

“I am calm,” he said quickly, the volume of his voice contradicting his statement. “I see no reason why you even need to leave this building in the first place.” She felt her eyebrows pressing deep into her forehead, her hands shaking a little as she stared in disbelief.

“Jumin,” she called again, wishing that her voice would have been enough to assuage him. But his eyes only widened, a silent challenge for her to try and refute his statement. She straightened her shoulders, not shying away from his cutting stare.

“You can’t keep me locked in here,” she reminded him. They both knew he’d struggled and was still struggling with possessive thoughts and behavior, but hearing him voice those thoughts with such finality worried her.

Jumin raised his eyebrows at her, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned down to be at her eye level.

“Can’t I?”

Tears gathered in her eyes as she waited for him to say he’d been joking, but he didn’t.

She let out a shaky breath, finally breaking away from his sharp stare as a few tears fell.

“I’m going up to the roof,” she whispered, moving to grasp the door handle and sighing out when she heard him take a breath to speak behind her. “With a bodyguard.”

She closed the door behind herself quietly as he watched her leave, his heart beginning to ache terribly when he realized what he’d done.

Jumin’s eyes were locked on the door as he replayed what he’d said to her over and over again. The more his words were repeated in mind, the more he couldn’t imagine himself being the one who’d said them. His head was spinning, and his thoughts felt like an uncontrollable wildfire. He’d never felt so intensely emotional.

As he stared down at his hands, watching them tremble slightly, he focused on slowing his breathing. He took a deep breath in, wondering where his rationality had gone and how it’d disappeared so easily.

He glanced back to where he’d last seen her, imagining her in the garden on the roof with tears in her eyes. The very thought made him walk to the door, pulling it open and rushing to the elevator.

The cool, evening air felt nice on his skin; he hadn’t realized the heat that had flooded into his face, both from anger and then from embarrassment. He dismissed the bodyguard that was waiting by the elevator, seeing her sitting on a bench at the other end of the rooftop with her back to him.

He was sure she could hear him coming, and he felt the frown on his face deepen as he grew closer. He watched as she reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek, making the ache in his heart deepen to know he’d been the one to cause her to cry alone.

“My love,” he said softly, reaching forward as he sat down beside her to brush her shoulder.

“Please don’t touch me right now,” she spoke suddenly, making his hand flinch away from her. Her request hurt him a lot more than he would have expected, and he fought against the lump that was forming in his throat as he ran his hands along his thighs.

“Please forgive me,” he whispered, watching her hair blowing in the gentle breeze and wishing he could see her beautiful face. “I knew this would be hard and that I would need time to learn, but hurting you was not something I ever expected or wanted,” he told her, seeing her head tilt down towards her lap.

There was a heavy moment of silence before she sighed and turned to look at him, her eyes red and teary. He wanted to reach out and dry her tears, but he respected her request and kept his hands clasped tightly in his lap.

“I know you just want to protect me,” she said, reaching up to wipe a fallen tear from her cheek.

“Yes,” he said immediately, making the corner of her mouth lift in a partial smile. She searched his eyes as her eyebrows drew together.

“But you have to remember that I’m my own person as well,” she told him, and he nodded in understanding, repeating her words in his head so he wouldn’t forget.

“I don’t want to trap you. Please forgive me,” he pleaded, seeing her begin to nod in response.

“I know,” she breathed out, giving him a small smile. “I know you’re trying, and I appreciate that.”

“My emotions got the better of me,” he sighed, seeing her tilt her head. “I...didn’t know that could happen,” he said, making her let out a small giggle that lifted a weight off his shoulders.

She reached forward, taking his right hand and holding it in between the two of hers.

“I’m sorry. Truly…” he said, watching as she rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. Their hands were cold, but he felt them begin to warm as they pressed together.

“So am I,” she said, looking up at him and drawing his gaze. “We can both do better, and we will,” she smiled, lifting his hand to her lips and pressing a gentle, lingering kiss to the back of it. The simple gesture made his heart palpitate warmly, a smile naturally spreading across his lips.

“Okay?” she said, searching his face as he felt complete devotion and adoration for her spread through his whole body. He knew in that moment that he wanted to cherish her properly and completely to ensure that he never made her feel trapped again.

She could see the resolution in his eyes, squeezing his hand between hers and knowing that everything would be okay.

~~~~~

thank you all for reading! this one was a rollercoaster for me eeee. i hope you enjoyed! i would love it if you let me know what you thought! <3

#angstweek2020 #mysmeangstweek #angst #mystic messenger #mysticmessenger #mysme #mm #jumin han #han jumin #mysme jumin #jumin #my writing #fights #arguments #kidnapping tw #well attempted asldlajsdglj

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anarchyduck · 3 years

Text

Peas in a Pod

Day 20 Alt Prompt: De-Aged

(posted it on AO3 yesterday, forgot to post it here oops) AO3

----------------------

“So let me get this straight,” - Tony massages his temple in effort to soothe his growing headache - “There was a wizard.”

“Yeah,” Ned nods. “And he was shooting off fireballs, like real fireballs, and it was awesome and kinda scary and-”

“Ned. Ned. Find the shortcut to the point. Because nothing explains” - Tony gestures towards the couch - “that.”

Ned blushes with embarrassment and nods . “Right! Sorry, sir. So, uhm, Pete was fighting the wizard guy and he was doing really good! Was totally kicking his ass! And then the wizard like, shot him with some kind of purplish black energy ray stuff? Like it shot right out of his hands. Then the wizard was gone and Pete was… like this.”

Tony eyes the kid on the couch. Same curly brown hair. Same doe brown eyes. It’s everything else that’s wrong. Peter is sixteen, a teenager, and this kid looks like he’s no more than five years old.

As for Peter, well, he looks content watching videos on Ned’s phone. Some children’s cartoon about dogs or something, Tony didn’t quite catch it. But the kid likes it and he isn’t crying anymore so Tony counts that as a win. Judging from the confused state the kid was in upon arrival, it’s safe to assume Peter’s memories are wiped. Or, rather, memories of his life in the present day which is a problem in and of itself.

“So,” Ned’s drawl catches his attention. “What are we going to do?”

Tony raises an eyebrow. “We?” he shakes his head. “No, no, you are going home.”

“What about Peter?”

Yeah Stark, what about Peter?

“He’ll go with his aunt.” Tony says simply. Easy enough solution.

“You mean you can’t like, fix him?” Ned asks. “What if he ends up staying like this forever?”

Tony waves off the teen’s concerns. “He won’t.” he assures. “Whatever the wizard guy hit him with will probably wear off in a couple hours. Easy peasy.” After all, the kid couldn’t stay like this forever, could he? That is just absurd.

----------

The effects don’t wear off.

Two hours later and Peter is still a child. Ned is gone, reluctantly dragged out by Happy who also delivered clothes that fit the kid better so he’s no longer swimming in the Doctor Who shirt Tony assumed belonged to one of the boys. During that time, Tony contacts May to fill her in on what’s going on. The woman is stuck at work (“We’re incredibly short staffed today, it’s ridiculous.”) and unable to leave before her shift is over.

It leaves Tony in charge of the kid which, while normally wouldn’t be an issue, he suddenly finds himself out of his depth. Teenagers, he can handle. No problem. They could be reasoned with. But small children?

“Mr. Tony?”

Tony jumps, spinning on hell with his hand pressed firmly against his heart. “Holy shit!” he gasps.

Peter flinches back, eyes wide and looking as startled as Tony feels. Then his bottom lip begins to quiver.

“No no, don’t cry.” Tony says in a rush. “I didn’t mean to scare you, kid. You snuck up on me. Ought to put a bell on you someday.”

That earns him a giggle which washes away the rising guilt. “Uncle Ben says that too.” Peter says. “Says I’m really good at sneaking.”

“You are good at sneaking.” Tony affirms. “What are you doing down here anyway? Thought you were watching TV?” Least that’s where Tony left him. Kid was content with watching the cartoon with the dogs and he figured he could get some work done tracking down the wizard guy.

“I was, but it’s over now.” Peter says dismissively, his eyes already wandering the workshop. Then he actually begins to wander. Tony watches him, contemplating on whether it’s a good idea to let a four year old wander his workshop. It isn’t exactly kid proof and if he knows anything about kids (which is very limited) it’s they like to touch everything. And put things in their mouths.

“What’s that?” Peter asks and Tony leans to the side to look past the monitors and equipment to see what the boy is pointing at.

“Oh that’s DUM-E.”

The robot chirps in response, clicking it’s claw as it peers curiously at the boy. Tony takes a couple steps towards them, immediately thinking Peter might fear the robot. Much to his relief, the boy’s mouth is agape with wonder and eyes equally wide.

“Wow!” he gasps. “Hi DUM-E. I’m Peter.” Peter reaches up to pet DUM-E’s extended arm, giggling as the robot chirps at him. “So is he a robot?”

“Yep. I made him.”

“You made him?” Peter gives him the same look of wonder and amazement. “Wow. Are there other stuff you’ve made?”

“I’ve made a lot of stuff.”

And so Tony gives the kid a proper tour of the workshop. Like his older self, Peter is sharp minded and incredibly smart. He asks questions Tony doesn’t think a four year old would know to ask and hangs onto every word Tony says. When he introduces Peter to FRIDAY, the kid is so ecstatic he can’t sit still. It warms his heart to know Peter keeps that same excitement as he aged.

After the tour, Tony brings him into the kitchen to feed him a late lunch. The kid sits on the kitchen counter next to him, watching Tony’s every move. PB&J sandwiches are the easiest thing he can fix and turns out to be the kid’s favorite.

“So you’re a superhero?” Peter asks curiously.

“Sometimes.” Tony replies as he spreads the peanut butter onto the bread.

“Like Batman?”

“Kiddo, I am way cooler and richer than Batman.”

Peter giggles and Tony thinks it might be the cutest goddamn thing he’s heard all day.

“My daddy is like you.” the kid says suddenly.

“Oh yeah? How so?” Tony asks, finding himself equally curious. He knows through his early research into Peter Parker that the boy’s parents are deceased. Father worked for OsCorp, mother worked for some type of law firm. Aside from the atrocious choice of working at OsCorp, both of them seemed relatively normal.

“Because he makes stuff. B-But not robots like you do. He makes other stuff and-and he white wears a coat and he helps people.” Peter gives a long, wistful sigh then and adds, “I want my daddy and mommy.”

Tony freezes, butter knife stuck in the jar of jelly. Quite suddenly he remembers something else about Peter’s parents.

They both died in a plane crash.

When Peter was four years old.

The man internally panics, mind going blank on what to do, what to say because what can you say?

“Mr. Tony?” Peter’s little voice draws him from his internal crisis. He tilts his head, looking at him curiously and, dare Tony say it, concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Tony sniffs and finishes up the kid’s sandwich. “Yeah, totally fine kiddo. A-OK. So you want this cut up?”

“Yes.” Peter replies, apparently moved on from the incident. Yet, as Tony puts the knife to bread in order to cut, the kid shouts, “No! No no, not like that! You have’ta make the X.”

“Huh?” Tony looks a little helplessly from the kid to the bread.

“The X!” Peter leans over and traces an X on the sandwich. “Like that!”

Tony cuts it up according to the kid’s desire and it’s only then that he sees what the kid means. “Yeah, guess it does look like an X when you cut it, huh? Well, here you go kiddo. Eat up.” He slides the plate to the boy’s side.

Peter takes a large bite and hums with approval as he chews. “‘Ood yob!” he says around his mouthful. It’s the additional thumbs up that makes Tony chuckle. He grabs a juice box from the fridge for the kid, something teenage Peter would have rolled his eyes and grumbled about. Toddler Peter says a polite ‘thank you’ and picks it up with fingers covered in grape jelly.

He decides to capture the moment for May and pulls out his phone. “Heads up, kiddo.” he says and takes a picture. Peter is caught in a half smile, peanut butter smeared on the corner of his mouth. There’s a glob of jelly on his shirt that’s run down the image of Thor’s hammer.

“I wanna see! I wanna see!” Peter instantly demands.

Tony moves to stand next to him and flips the phone for the kid to see the picture. Peter grins and immediately reaches for the phone. “Uh uh, sticky fingers.” Tony says, which gets the kid giggling about being called ‘sticky fingers’. He moves the phone out of reach and sends the image off to May.

“So,” Tony says. “What do you want to do after lunch? TV? Go play with DUM-E? Whatever that wannabe Merlin did to you took away your powers, or maybe just suppressed them. Maybe we ought to run some tests to figure that out.”

On second thought, maybe not. Teenager Peter detests needles; he imagines little Peter hates them just as much.

“DUM-E!” Peter says excitedly.

“You’re going to spoil that bot, kid.”

---

“Thank you so much, Happy.” May says as she steps into the Tower’s elevator. “You really didn’t have to pick me up. I could have drove.”

Happy directs FRIDAY to take them to the penthouse then shakes his head. “It’s no problem.” he says. “Boss wanted to make sure you got here quickly and with that guy who attacked Peter still running around-”

“Right.” May sighs. “Well, guess he could have done worse things than turn Peter younger. At least him and Tony seem to be hitting it off.” She smiles fondly as she recalls the image Tony sent her. She only hopes Peter has been good while they wait for her.

“Yeah, well, the kid’s grown on him.”

“I feel a little jealous, honestly.” May admits. “Peter was so cute when he was little.”

The elevator comes to a stop, the doors slide open to the entrance of the penthouse. It’s oddly quiet inside and the lights are dimmed. “Tony?” Happy calls out as he and May walk through the foyer into the living room.

It looks like a tornado hit it. There are papers thrown about with childish drawings covering them. A sheet covers the kitchen table which has been pulled away from the dining area and there are mini marshmallows covering the floor with some sticking to the large windows that overlook the city. A device that looks like a mini catapult sits on top of the table next to a pile of marshmallows and markers.

May follows the chaos, finding the TV on with the Incredibles playing on a low volume and both Tony and Peter fast asleep on the couch. Peter is still a toddler in every way May remembers, sleeping with his head on Tony’s chest. There are stickers on their faces and she spots marker smears not only on Peter’s arm but also on the hand that’s resting on Peter’s back.

“Did you find-” Happy starts, quietened as May shushes him. He comes to her side, expression softening at the sight. “Least they kept each other busy.” he remarks.

May nods in agreement as she pulls out her phone to take a quick picture of the two. “Like two peas in a pod.”

#webpril 2021 day 20 #webpril 2021 #peter parker #tony stark #irondad #ned leeds #may parker #happy hogan #spiderman #spider-man #iron man #marvel #mcu #duckie's writing

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evolsinner · 3 years

Text

⊱┊22

i must've fallen asleep in the car because when i wake up, it's 3:00 am, and i'm in bed with a muscular arm wrapped over me. i smile, interlocking my fingers in the bruised hand at the end of it. the fingers gradually reciprocate and i'm at even more peace when i realise that isaac is also awake.

the room echoes with the soft sounds of an electric fan somewhere in the corner. there are blue led lights underneath the bed which lights the room up in a bluey lambent glow. i lift the covers off me, the heat wearing down on me like a hot summer's night.

"where're you going?" isaac questions groggily in his sexy tired voice.

the slightest movement and he thinks i'm in trouble. i imagine he's always gonna be half~awake considering everything i filled him in about. 'twas a lot, would explain why i fell asleep in the car right after.

"gee, relax, just tryna get comfortable."

he snuggles his head into the crook of my shoulder. "thought that psycho brother of yours, kayden, or whatever his name is was gonna steal you away from me again."

“new hotel?” i change the subject.

“yeah. figured a penthouse might expose us.”

"good call. hey...isaac?"

"hm?"

"can we have a black wedding?"

he chuckles, "sure."

"and rainbow bridesmaids and groomsmen?"

he laughs even harder, "i'd like to be in your head sometime, luv, as the stuff you say, brightens my day."

"well, don't get too excited because it's not all sunshine and lollipops."

"of course. anything else you want for the wedding?"

"can it be a destination wedding?"

"check."

"can we have ice cream cake?"

"yum, check."

"oh! oh! also, unicorns and pegasus' and alicorns and~"

"woah, woah, calm down, luv, that's a whole trip to wonderland."

i break into laughter.

he kisses my ear lobe, "missed you, my baby."

that tone in his voice makes me wet weak. it's my favourite one too. although, i guess if his voice affects me then i have always been fucked from the start. because, man, when he would yell in class, yeah, i would be butthurt, 'cept i would also be strangely turned on? like, the fuck was wrong with me?

"missed you too," i giggle as the nibbling travels down my ear to my neck.

"missed you a lot,” he seems to be getting at something...

"doubt it," i flip on my back.

he grins and kisses the tip of my nose. his nose kisses are by far the best. it gives me a sense of protection; humble protection at its finest. it's like springtime with yellow sunlight shining in through the drapes. a peck lands on my cheek and i crinkle my nose as i beam from its tenderness. next, a rare kiss lands on my eyelid when i blink. he’s showering me with kisses and i giggle at each random place he plants them on.

i've looked into hazel coloured orbs, and i was trapped in a painting of a forest fire. i've looked into crystal coloured orbs, and i've drowned in the deepest of oceans. and now these emerald coloured ones, i'm up there with the northern lights, lost in neverland and never do i ever wanna come back down.

i lift my head up and plant a kiss on his sugary sweet lips. an explosion of marshmallows dipped in cherry wine erupts in my mouth. i was craving his taste and this whole time i was taking the wrong doses of another.

he leans further over me and slowly slides his hands up and down my waist. the skin he leaves touched has a tingly sensation to it and goosebumps form all over me. just when i thought i've subdued the sensation, he runs his hand over the area again; there's no break for me.

his lips melt over mine like fairy floss liquefying in the stinging sun and now all i see is iridescent saliva coating his mouth. he deepens the kiss, his tongue fighting a war with mine like he's some warrior on a battlefield.

it makes me remember the first time we kissed and it wasn't even that long ago. please, god, take me back to the first time we kissed. and he does, he does take me back to the first time we kissed.

sir's hand rummages over the bedside table and some things fall down. i'm tryna keep him from ripping his lips off mine. he looks across for a few quick seconds, his hand running over random objects, then he gives up on his objective.

"god," he groans in frustration.

oh. "who cares? just pull out in time."

"luv," he raises his thick eyebrows, "don't think i could do that 'in time' on this particular occasion."

well, damn, he missed me more than i had expected.

"besides, pulling out isn't a safe form of protection," he adds.

"ugh, since when did you care about that?"

"since when i get you pregnant, i don't want it to be by accident. i want to make sure it's the best sex of your life."

i gulp.

"yes," he raises his eyebrows, amused at my shocked expression. "one of these days, i'm going to impregnate you. can't wait to see you grow big, snack on a bunch load of candy, and then have you pop out our precious little one."

i turn crimson.

"be right back," he smiles, sitting up on the bed. "i'll go check if i have some spare protection in my car," and retrieves his fallen phone.

"wait," i get up and lean onto his back. "i'm coming with."

"babe," he chuckles, "i chose the first floor for a reason. the car's right out there. i won't be long, i promise."

"please, i want to go with you," i plea like a little girl. "bad things happen every time you leave me alone."

"alright," he plants a firm kiss on my forehead, his palm resting at the nape of my neck. "let's go on an adventure to the car park, shall we?"

"race you!" i quickly jump off the bed and speed towards the door.

"hey!" he laughs out and chases me. "i wasn't ready, cheater!"

i run down the golden hallway and into the massive oval~shaped space of the reception area. the borders of the walls are painted gold and the walls themselves have a luxurious~looking pattern on it; too detailed to find out how it begins.

i pause, standing in my pyjama shorts with my eyes darting around to locate the exit.

"there!" one of the receptionists catches on and points to the revolver door right at the front.

my face lights up like the cheshire cat. the receptionist dude chuckles. he and his other three colleagues are really enjoying this little show in front of them. i mean, who wouldn't? two guests running around wildly, barefoot, in the middle of the night.

"catch me if you can, jay!" i sprint straight to the glass revolving door.

isaac reaches me a tad bit late and he just misses the slot i get into.

i stick my tongue out at him like 'ha~ha'.

he scoffs, "fuck you."

ah, yes, our 'fuck yous'. our forever and always.

i rush to the car, and once i reach it, i come to an abrupt halt.

a pair of keys jingle obnoxiously behind me.

"guess i've won, sweetheart."

i frown like a child whose third scoop of ice cream has gone crashing to the ground. "you're a cheater," i rebut, heading across to the passenger seat with my arms crossed. "plus, i meant who gets to the car first, not who gets inside."

"ah, rules, rules, rules," he mocks with a sly smile playing on his lips. "always new rules with you."

i purse my lips to stifle a grin.

he walks over to me and cages me but doesn't say anything.

"..isaac.." i break into a diffident smile, glancing away.

"what?" he chuckles.

"stop..doing that."

"'doing' what?"

"that..that eye thing."

"sweetheart, i have no idea what you're talking about."

i roll my eyes, blushing.

he continues to stare.

"see! you're doing it again!"

he laughs, leaning into me, "i can't help it, darlin’, you're just so beautiful."

"whatever," i get way too shy to make eye contact.

the bimmer beeps twice behind me.

i look at isaac with surprise.

"looks like you've won, daisy," and he opens the door for me.

i blush incredibly, chaotically even, and upon his request, i hop inside the car.

that's right, loser, i did win.

-ˋˏ ༻🥂༺ ˎˊ-

there was no, um, you know in the car, so now we’re on our way to the servo to get some.

"this is a nice song."

"you like it?" sir faces me. "it's by that french singer, ah, what's her name. right," he snaps his fingers, remembering, "'indila'."

"'une dernière danse'," i say. "what does it mean?"

he chuckles.

"what?" i beam timidly. "are you laughing at me?"

"no, it's just the way you pronounced it," he shakes his head. "it means 'one last dance', fyi."

"oh."

on the spur of the moment, isaac pulls up to the side of the road.

"what are you doing?" i query.

"an idea popped into my head," he announces. "get out of the car."

"what?"

"just do it."

i take my seatbelt off and exit the car. there, i stand in front of the windshield, freezing my ass off. it's dark as fuck, but the white headlights of the bmw give us plenty of vision. sir takes off his seatbelt and cranks the radio right up. he steps out of the car, leaves his door wide open and meets up with me.

"can you please tell me what's happening?!" i yell over the music.

"we're going to dance!" he places a hand on my waist and another on my shoulder.

"what?!" my eyes bulge out of their sockets. "in the middle of the road?! barefoot?!"

"yeah!"

"we're barely wearing any clothes!!"

"better this way!"

"what if a car comes?!"

"then we die!"

"i can't dance!"

"follow my lead!"

"sir~"

🎶je remue le ciel le jour, la nuit je danse avec le vent la pluie

the chorus hits once again, and simultaneously, isaac brings my waist closer to himself as he takes a full step back. i follow his lead, letting him guide me. backward, left side, forward, right side.

🎶et dans le bruit, je cours et j'ai peur est-ce mon tour? vient la douleur

"oops..!" i step on his foot by accident. "sorry..!"

"don't worry!" he chuckles, twirling me around. "you're doing amazing!"

he repeats the steps, nodding at me supportively. a few vehicles begin pulling up to watch us dance! the rest, however, honk impatiently, heading around to get past us.

🎶je remue le ciel le jour, la nuit je danse avec le vent la pluie

the steps are sped up and repeated one final time before everything slows down to a finale. confidently, isaac pauses and dips me. i stare at him in total awe. i think he's in love, like, really in love.

🎶et je m'envole, vole, vole, vole, vole, vole, vole

the few drunken humans gathered around us erupt with applause, whistling here and there.

"i love you," sir mouths, bringing me back up.

guys, i think he loves me.

#love #romance #teacher x student

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nctflirts · 5 years

Text

future; mark lee

in which, mark lee is your boyfriend. that’s it. that’s the description.

anonymous said: helllooo~ if it’s okay, could i request like a cute little pillow talk scenario with Mark? just like talking about like your future together and like kids and stuff? thanks babes! genre: pure sickening boyfriend fluff ( gender neutral reader) warnings: u know da drill i dont proofread my shit. word count: 1.2k

3:43am

you’d lost track of how long you’d been staring at mark, your sleeping counterpart; it had become a hobby you were exceedingly good at. your foreheads were inches away as you lay in bed with your boyfriend, and every time you scan his face in the moonlight you find another reason to love him. the little moles on his neck. his lack of makeup, allowing you to study the blemishes on his cheeks. his faded pink lips parted slightly as his slumber sighs begin to threaten small snores. you couldn’t seem to sleep, your mind racing with thoughts of him and his touch and his laugh.

you can’t help but to run your thumb across his cheekbone, the skin you feel warm and soft to the touch. to keep your hands off of him, to keep your eyes off of him would be impossible in this moment. this was the boy the stars danced for, you determine. enraptured isn’t the word. you lean forward and place your lips to his forehead. he’s hot. not in that way. well, yes, but no. his body radiates a heat, but you have a suspicion his hands are cold.

you’re lost in your own thoughts and images of the angels crafting this boy to be put on earth, here, with you. it’s not until you notice his breathing has quieted that you resolve to try and sleep. the sun will start rising in a moment; you’re not built for a lack of sleep, you’ve never been the type to thrive while tired, like mark.

“it’s late. shouldn’t you be asleep?” mark’s voice is coated with sleep. his eyes are still closed, and he hasn’t moved an inch, you’re not even sure if he’s fully conscious. you offer a half smile.

“technically it’s just really early.”

his bambi eyes flicker open, a twinkle in them as he peers at you. his hand reaches for yours, and he interlocks your fingers. his hand is warm. “why don’t you sleep?”

“i’d rather look at you.” you say blatantly. his lips curl into an embarrassed smile, he rolls his eyes.

“that’s cheesy.”

“it’s true.” you shrug. he’s not one for cheesy lines, his best attempts being phrases he’d heard from johnny, which, to be honest, were never good. you tend to outperform him in both flirting and PDA. which is fine. his little love nudges, hand squeezes and laughs content you just enough. a comfortable silence fills the room, the air warm like a good hug. you suspect he’s fallen back asleep, but he proves you wrong when he hums.

“hey.”

“hi, mark lee.”

“if one day we were.... like.. if one day we were married. would you- would that be okay?”

another silence, most likely less comfortable on his side. to say you hadn’t thought of marriage with him would be a lie; god, you only ever thought of marriage with him.

“if this is your proposal i definitely have some complaints.” you laugh.

he laughs as well, but you can hear the unrest in his voice. “no, it’s not, i swear. i just. i like it when we’re like this.”

“i like it, too.” you nod, unsure of where he’s going with this rant.

“i mean. when you’re here... i don’t have to worry about anything when you’re here. it’s like, nice.”

you stifle a chuckle and his rambling. “well, i’m glad you don’t worry.”

he shakes his head, hair falling in the way of his eyes. “no, you don’t get it. i never not worry. i’m built for worrying about things. i always do it. but when i see you, it’s like... i don’t? like when i see you, and you hug me, time .. just... stops and... i just think about you?”

you smile softly, his shifting gaze illuminated the light pouring through your window. your heart soared at his words, and you squeeze his hand.

“i love you so much.”

“i missed being with you. like this.” he sighs, inching forward so your foreheads grazed each other’s.

“to answer your question, i think it would be okay if one day we were married.”

he laughs. it’s your favorite sound ever, you decide. his thumb is caressing the back of your hand. is it possible to love too much?

“i want kids.” he blurts. you can’t help the snort that escapes you. that’s mark, either he says nothing or he says it all.

“right now? is it not a bit early in the morning for that?”

you can practically hear him blushing, his ears red instantly as he stutters a protest. “no, no, no- noooo, that’s not what i meant. i meant. babies. with you. later on. a lot later on.”

you nod. “i want kids too. maybe 5?”

“god, 5 is a lot, don’t you think? all we have is my tiny ass apartment and your even tinier flat?”

“well i don’t think we plan on living in our broke young adult homes forever, do we?”

“oh, yeah.” he thinks, staring at the wall behind you for a moment. “we’ll have a big penthouse.”

“a penthouse? for a family?” you scoff.

“you’ve obviously never seen jessie.”

“i haven’t. i’m a nickelodeon fan for life.”

“you’re sick, you know that?”

“you love me.”

“more than anything in the world.” he nods. “but still. five?”

you laugh. “hey, you’re the one who brought up children.”

“yes, but five of them is overkill. one is lazy. two is mediocre. three is a good number. four is pushing it. five? at that point you’re being an overachiever and absolutely nobody wins at that point.”

you snort. “well, i guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“we’re not having five children, ______ .” he says with resolve in his tone.

you find the conversation hilarious, 5 children seems reasonable to you, far into the future, at least. five little mark lees? obviously a good idea.

“you’d be a good dad.” you coo, distracting him from the previous subject successfully. his eyes light up.

“you think so?”

you think for a moment, flashes of memories yet to be made. mark building blanket forts for his children, playing catch with them. you grin to yourself, heart swelling. “absolutely, babe.”

he practically coos, you can tell this was one of the things he’d worried about.

“you know. whenever i think about my future- i don’t think a lot about it? i have so much going on right now, i don’t think long term a lot? but i do know that... whenever i think about my future, it always has you in it.” he shrugs. “so,, i don’t think there’s a timeline in which i’m not enchanted by you. i don’t want to do life without you, i don’t think i can do life without you, ____.” he whispers, as if the moon outside will hear.

you think tiredness makes him loopy, a subconscious guard being down and letting him spill out his soul universe to you. you lean forward and peck his lips momentarily.

“you are mark lee, the most important thing in my life. you were when we met, you are right now, and you will be forever and ever.” your words are coming out slurred now as drowsiness threatens to take over. he notices and smiles, his hand makes its way to the side of your face, and he brushes his thumb against your cheek. “we need to sleep. you need to sleep, babe.”

you hum softly, your eyes fight against the imaginary weights pulling them down. you feel mark’s thumb still drawing circles on your cheeks, and you can’t help but to let your eyes flicker close.

“g’night.” you mumble.

“it’s 4am, might as well say good morning.” he chuckles.

“this is why we’re having 5 kids.” you manage, sticking your tongue out at him.

his laugh is the last thing you hear before drifting off to sleep, it lulls you off to sleep and you can still hear it while you dream.

#nct #nct mark #mark lee #nct mark fluff #mark x reader #mark fic #mark scenarios #mark lee reaction #mark lee scenarios #mark lee x reader #nct x reader #mark lee fluff #nct fluff #nct fic #nct scenarios

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wlw-in-space · 4 years

Text

Little! Luthor Reader

L!L is acting moody around the holidays and Lena has no idea why. Christmas Eve, Maggie catches her underage drinking in public with a couple of friends and tells Lena who’s angry about it when she picks her up at the station. In LL’s drunken stupor, she asks Lena if she is going to hit her like Lillian used to. When she’s sober, Lena tries to talk about it with her, but L!L refuses and storms out of the apartment upset. Lena, worried, calls Maggie who tracks her down and gets L!L to open up about how Lillian was horrible, especially around the holidays when neither Lex nor Lena visited and took her anger out on L!L. Maggie tells Lena, who feels incredibly guilty, but L!L explains it’s not her fault. They spend the night watching movies with lots of cuddles, during which Lena convinces L!L to maybe see a therapist, cause drinking away her issues is a bad idea, and plots on adding another life sentence to Lillian’s jail time as a personal Christmas gift to herself

@qualitytrashtho

word count: approx. 2,000

“Aren’t you excited for the holidays, Y/n/n?” Kara chirped, as she carried boxes filled with Christmas decorations through the door of the penthouse you shared with Lena.

“They’re nice, I guess I like them,” You shrugged, not looking up from the homework you were doing while sitting on one of the barstools.

Kara grunted as she put the boxes down gently, “Huh, Lena told me you used to love Christmas as a kid.”

“Mhm,” You agreed, making it clear you didn’t feel like talking about it but trying not to hurt Kara’s feelings.

“When you’re done with that do you wanna help us decorate?” Lena asked you when she came out of the bathroom.

You sighed softly, beginning to get annoyed, “Sure,” You mumbled, still typing away on your computer.

Lena and Kara shared a look, but knew better than to pry, so they let it go and didn’t say anything when you went straight to your room when you were finished with your homework.

The only thing you were looking forward to about the holiday season was that you and your friends would be going out on Christmas Eve.

You told Lena about it in advance, saying that it was just a party, reassuring her that you would be fine and your friends would be there.

One of your friends came to pick you up at 9, and you said bye to Lena and Kara (they were both there) before leaving to the bar your friends frequented.

It hadn’t been long since you’d started drinking. You didn’t really enjoy it very much, either, but a lot of your friends did it, and you gave in when they begged you to down a few shots at the last few parties you guys were at.

Unfortunately, you’d ended up getting very drunk last time, so you texted Lena to let her know that you were exhausted and would be staying at one of your friends’ house for the night.

The last thing you wanted was for Lena to find out you were drinking. You knew that she obviously wouldn’t approve and she’d make a huge deal out of it, besides, she didn’t need anything else to worry about, especially not her little sister.

Only half an hour after you’d gotten drunk, Maggie walked in the bar.

You recognized her immediately and smile, yelling loudly over the music playing in the bar, “Mags! Get over ‘ereee”

Maggie’s expression morphed into one of confusion immediately as she walked over to you, “Y/n, are you drunk?”

“Psh, nooooo,” You smack Maggie’s shoulder lightly, but the face she gives you makes you cower.

“Alright, let’s go, and you guys,” Maggie pointed to your friends, “You guys are out of here too. I’ll wait for a cab to pick you guys up and I want you going straight home.”

You groaned and let Maggie pull you outside, stumbling as you tried to follow her.

Your friends left within the next five minutes, Maggie talking to the driver and explaining that she was a cop and she wanted your friends home safely, paying him cash before watching him drive off.

Maggie sighed when they were gone, “C’mon, let’s go. I’m taking you to the station so Lena can pick you up.”

“What? Maggie, nooo she’ll kill me,” You groaned, but got in her car anyways, hoping you’d be able to convince her to take you somewhere else.

“You know better than this, Y/n,” Maggie shook her head. “I can’t do anything to get you out of your mess this time.”

You groaned and looked out the window as Maggie dialed Lena’s phone number when she got to a red light.

Their conversation was brief, but you knew you were in trouble.

When you arrived at the police station with Maggie, she pulled up a chair next to her desk and let you sit while she did paperwork from a case she was working on, “I was planning on going out tonight, but while I’m here, I might as well get some work done.”

It didn’t take long for Lena to get to the station, and as soon as she did you knew it was her because of the rapid clicking of her heels.

By this point you were exhausted and you didn’t want to deal with anything, walking was a struggle because you couldn’t keep your balance and your brain was feeling fuzzy.

Lena stopped walking and you looked up from your feet.

Without either of you having to say anything, you brought yourself to your feet and waved goodbye at Maggie, following a foot or two behind Lena as she walked out of the station.

You stopped outside the door, your head feeling a bit oozy and the temperature outside was much colder than you thought it was, “I don’ wanna go home,” You groaned, mainly because you knew you were in deep shit trouble.

“Let’s go, Y/n,” She said, coldly as she waited outside the car. It wasn’t a tone of voice she used with you, you never did anything bad or got her upset, so there wasn’t a reason to.

You cowered at her voice and tears started to well in your eyes, “Are you gonna hit me like Lillian?”

Lena’s eyebrows creased and she walked over, but you stepped back, so she gave you the space you needed, “Baby, I would never hurt you.”

You nodded a bit as tears began running down your face and walked over to Lena, letting her wrap her arms protectively around you.

She kissed the top of your head with care and rubbed your back, “It’s freezing out here and you don’t have a coat, Y/n/n, let’s get in the car, okay?”

“‘kay,” You mumbled after nodding and stepping away, holding onto Lena’s arm to keep yourself from tripping.

Lena helped you inside, and by the time you guys had arrived at the penthouse, you were already asleep, so she called Kara, who was upstairs, and had stayed while Lena went to get you, to carry you upstairs so you could continue sleeping.

Kara was down within the minute and soon the three of you were upstairs.

Kara laid you down on your bed and went to get a glass of water and Advil while Lena worked on carefully tugging a random hoodie over your head.

—

You woke up in the morning with a pounding headache in your own bed with one of Lena’s old college hoodies on, over the dress you’d gone out in.

“Shit,” You mumbled, turning over and taking the Advil and water off the nightstand to drink it.

After a while, you were feeling better, not by much though.

You soon heard a knock on your door before Lena opened it slowly and came inside, offering you a tiny smile.

“Hi, Merry Christmas,” You gave a small wave and waited for her to sit at the end of your bed, like you knew she would.

Lena cleared her throat a bit before she started talking, “Merry Christmas, honey, but, can we talk about last night, maybe?”

“I know already, no more drinking, and I’m grounded for even trying it,” You shrugged, knowing that you deserved it anyways.

“No, actually, none of that, I just wanted to talk about what you said,” Lena paused, trying to give you time to remember what she was talking about but you didn’t understand so you just shrugged. “What you said about Lillian hitting you?”

You sat up quickly and shook your head, “No, I shouldn’t have opened my dumbass mouth.”

“I’m glad you said something about it though, I couldn’t have known otherwise since -“

“No, no - I shouldn’t have, uh - I’m gonna go, I’ll be back,” You got up and slipped on a pair of sneakers before grabbing your coat and leaving the penthouse.

You knew what you were doing was mean, and you felt bad, but you couldn’t talk to Lena about this when you knew it would only make her feel awful.

The only place you could think of going was to Alex’s apartment, but she couldn’t lie to Lena and tell her that you weren’t there, same with Kara’s apartment, so you settled on going to the park and sitting on a bench for a while.

After a few minutes, when you hadn’t returned, Lena called Maggie, afraid something had happened.

Maggie promised Lena that she would find you, and it took her a short five minutes to find your location, ten to get there. She shot Lena a short text, letting her know that you were safe before walking up to the bench where you were sitting.

“Did Lena send you?” You asked, chewing the inside of your lip.

Maggie nodded, “She did. Do you wanna tell me what’s going on with you?”

You sighed and nodded a bit before scooting over on the bench so Maggie could have space to sit, “Lillian made the holidays miserable for me. She was always awful to me, but during the holidays everything got worse. Neither Lena or Lex ever visited her, or me, so since that made her really upset, and since she already hated me, she took it out on me in a more physical way-“ You cleared your throat before continuing. “And she blamed them not visiting on me, which, might’ve been Lex’s reason, but I know it wasn’t Lena’s.”

“Wow, that’s a lot,” Maggie nodded. “And you’ve never told Lena any of this?”

You shook your head and looked down at your fingernails, “No, I didn’t want her to know.”

“You know that now we’re going to have to tell her, right?” Maggie put an arm around your shoulder and let you lean into her.

“Yeah, I know,” When you looked down at your hands again, you realized that your anxiousness had caused your hands to start shaking, which Maggie took note of.

“If it makes it any easier for you, I can tell her,” She said, rubbing your arm gently.

“Can you?”

“Of course, I’m here to help,” Maggie reassured you. “We should get going back to Lena though, I told her I’d bring you back as soon as I could.”

—

When you both arrived back at the penthouse, Lena stood up from the seat she’d taken in the kitchen and you went over to hug her.

Once you were sitting, Maggie started explaining what you’d told her to Lena, and when she was done speaking, Lena had tears in her eyes and you could tell that she felt guilty.

“Y/n/n, I am so sorry -“

“Lena, don’t even bother. It isn’t your fault,” You shook your head, taking Lena’s hand and squeezing it gently.

“But if I would’ve been there this wouldn’t have happened to you,” Lena pulled you in for a hug, holding you tightly.

“This isn’t your fault, it’s Lillian’s,” You reassured her, not wanting her to feel badly for something that wasn’t her fault at all.

“I think I’m going to head out, I’ll see you guys soon,” Maggie offered a small smile and waved goodbye a bit, closing the door behind her.

—

An hour later, you were showered and changed into pajamas, cuddled into Lena’s side while the two of you watched Christmas movies and ate cookies.

“Maybe I can take you to a shrink,” Lena suggested. “You don’t have to stick with it, but if they can help you that would be great.”

You nodded, thinking to yourself, “Yeah, I’ll give it a shot. Now shush, we’re getting to the good part.” You giggled, leaning further into your big sister’s protective arms.

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ayanna-wild · 5 years

Text

Memories For Sale

Word Count: 1638

Pairings: Lucifer Morningstar x Reader

Warnings: angst, fluff, possible trigger, reader is a prostitute in this if that bothers you or triggers you please do not read.

A/N: Request from someone on Wattpad

Summary: You did what you could to get by, trusted no one, and tried to ignore the spotty holes in your memory. But then this man shows up, and everything you thought you remembered or thought you knew was so very wrong.

............................................................

You leaned back against the stone wall behind you. The rough texture of the bricks bit at your skin, but you ignored that. You need a short break, your feet were hurting from standing on them for so long. The heels you wore only made it worse and the short dress you had slipped on did little to protect your back from the bricks. It was apparently a dead night, probably due to the storm hovering above the city. The clouds had yet to release their downpour but it probably wouldn't be long.

Unfortunately though that meant business would be slow tonight and you'd have to work even longer the next night to make up for it. You took a slow drag from the cigarette between your fingers, flicking the ash onto the pavement below you. With a heavy sigh you pushed yourself off the wall, and turned to start walking home. Well at least to that shabby apartment you called home.

"Y/N?"

You paused, turning your head to look over your shoulder.

"Yeah?"

The man simply stood there staring at you with a mixture of emotions. He was an attractive man, with black hair and deep brown eyes. The suit he was wearing, what looked to be very expensive and normally you'd have tried to warm up to after seeing that. However, you were tired, you were annoyed, and you just wanted to go home.

"Don't you recognize me love?" The man asked frowning.

You turned to face him fully and slowly looked him over from head to toe before shrugging.

"Sorry, I can't be expected to remember every man I... service..."

His whole attitude changed after hearing that. He looked shocked, angry, and heartbroken? That one confused you, why did he look so distraught about that?

"Listen it's been a long and uneventful night, I'm currently off the clock, but try again tomorrow night, I'll give you a discount or something."

You tried to walk away, but he grabbed your elbow.

"You really don't know who I am, do you?"

His grip wasn't tight or aggressive like the other times you had been grabbed. When you tried to pull your arm free he let go immediately, another thing you weren't use to.

"Should I?"

The man smiled sadly for a moment and you felt a dull ache in your chest at seeing him sad.

"I suppose not, my name is Lucifer Morningstar, and I know you very well my dear."

You searched his eyes for a moment but saw nothing that said he was lying.

"That's nice, but I really should be getting home."

You took a cautious step back, an uneasy feeling lingered in the air.

"Wait, just let me explain."

He must have sensed your unease and became a bit desperate.

"Listen Lucifer, was it? I'm tired and it's about to storm, I'm done for the night, if you go two streets over you can find some other girls who will definitely jump at the chance to have you as a costumer."

He looked almost offended at that and scoffed.

"Do I look like I would need to pay for sex?"

You rolled your eyes and stared to walk away at a faster pace than normal.

"I'll pay you for your time!"

You walked faster.

"Five Hundred for one hour!"

You almost tripped on your heels with how fast you stopped.

"Are you serious? Just to talk?"

"I'll add another five hundred for every hour you are there."

Your common sense screamed at you that something wasn't right but your mind told you to take the pay day.

"Fine, one hour, and add six hundred for every extra half hour."

Lucifer smiled, holding out his hand to you.

"Deal."

You shook his hand, letting out a small yelp when he started pulling you in the direction of a sleek black Corvette.

The ride had been filled with silence which you suspected was not a normal thing for him. When you had reached the club he owned and made it up to his penthouse, you felt a little dumb not asking for more money.

"Would you like a drink my dear?"

You shook your head and watched him pour one for himself.

"Ok, start talking."

He chuckled as he raised the glass to his lips.

"Straight to the point as usual at least you haven't changed too much darling."

"You say that as if you know me."

"Oh I do! Very well, you are my wife after all."

You had no words, how were you even supposed to respond to that? The man was clearly insane.

"Right... well this was fun, but I think I should go, you can keep the money and-"

Lucifer stepped in front of you, preventing you from reaching the elevator.

"You don't believe me? Surely you've wondered about your past? The lapse in memories you have?"

You started walking backwards, trying to put distance between them.

"I was in an accident, I... I got amnesia!"

It sounded more like you were trying to convince yourself than him.

"Is that what you were told? How did it happen?"

Your head was hurting, it was a dull ache, but it was growing.

"I was hit by car trying to cross the street..."

"Really? And you walked away with just a few scratches and missing memories? Sounds a bit too good to be true." He raised an eyebrow.

"Well I got lucky I guess."

Your back hit the piano and the ache in your head turned into a pounding.

"Luck? Oh, no darling there was nothing lucky about that Uriel took you, he made sure the accident wasn't fatal, and he made sure you wouldn't remember anything."

Everything grew blurry and you were faintly aware of Lucifer calling your name as your legs gave out. Your head was swimming, and your body felt so heavy. You couldn't make out what was being said to or even what you were saying.

Lucifer sat you on the couch, and waited patiently for you regain your senses. You slowly blinked, fingers rubbing your temple in a poor attempt to relieve the pain in your head.

"Darling are you alright?"

You pulled away from him slightly.

"Yes. I'm fine."

Lucifer stepped away, seeing the distrust in your eyes.

"Can you tell me what you remember?"

You searched your memories for anything of significance and looked back at him apprehensively.

"Ash, a lot of brimstone, there was a lot of doors, I remember you were there, but its all blurry, and none of it makes sense, it's just flashes of memories, I can't remember them." You muttered.

Lucifer smiled a little and reached out to you. He pulled his hand back when he saw you flinch away.

"Why did you do this to yourself? You are priceless to me, why would you sell yourself?"

You pulled your knees to your chest and shrugged.

"It was a last resort, I needed food, money, I didn't have anyone."

"But surely you must have had other options?"

"Most guys don't question my career choice you know." You joked weakly.

He didn't seem to find it very funny.

"Pardon my bluntness, but those men were only interested in you for sex, and unlike them I care very deeply about you."

You felt the overwhelming urge to cry, and you didn't know why. You suddenly felt so ashamed to be sitting in front of him looking like this.

"Y/N? Why are you crying?"

"It's stupid I know. I don't even know you and I just feel so ashamed to let you see me like this." You laughed, but tears were staining your cheeks.

Lucifer sat beside you pulling you into his arms.

"Oh my beautiful queen, you've nothing to feel ashamed for. I don't think any less of you and I'm not angry."

You pulled out of his arms, having a man hold you like that, comfort you, it wasn't how you were used to men treating you. Lucifer looked hurt for a moment before he cleared his throat.

"Why don't you take a shower, you can stay the night and I'll have Maze bring you some shorts to sleep in, you can wear one of my shirts."

You nodded slowly and Lucifer directed you in the direction of the shower.

You stayed in the shower for nearly an hour, crying and hoping the steaming water would wash away the shame you were feeling. When you finally stepped out you saw clothes sitting on the sink. It was just a large t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts with some underwear. You walked back out into the living room once you were dressed.

"Do I play or is it just you?"

Lucifer looked up from where he sat at the piano. He smiled at you and moved over so you could sit beside him.

"No, you much preferred drawing to playing an instrument. And Dad knows attempting to teach you was a disaster." Lucifer chuckled.

You smiled, softly running your fingers over the keys, droplets of water fell from your hair onto your lap. Lucifer watched you for a moment.

"I'd like if you stayed with me for a while my dear. Perhaps I could help you regain your memory or at the very least give you a place to sleep. Where you wouldn't need to sell your body to strange men. More to the point, I've been trying to find you for a very long time, and I couldn't bear to lose you now."

You meant his eyes, studying him as if searching for any ill intent or alternative motive he might have. You found none and so you smiled, the first real smile you had given in such a long time.

"I'd love to stay with you Lucifer."

.........................................................................

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jenni42085 · 4 years

Text

Made in the AM <Two>

Ch. Two

Alex's POV

The rest of my day consisted of packing, making sure all my bills were paid up to date, and getting more coverage for my cellphone. I didn't have any idea of how long I'd be gone for but I packed enough clothing for atleast three weeks, hopefully that will be enough. Plus having two big suitcase with plenty of room for if I have any souvenirs.

"So where are you going first?" Tori asks while helping me straighten up my room. Figured since I might be gone a few weeks no need to come home to a dirty place.

"The itinerary says I'll start off in Singapore for a few days, and from there no idea really, I guess they figure if I finish quickly enough no need to fill me in. I hope to get a bunch of great pictures and souvenirs though in my down time. Are you sure you can't beg them to come with? I don't want to do this alone." I ask sitting down next to her resting my head on her shoulder.

"Lex, you are going to be fine. I'm sure they will absolutely adore you. Let's have our last lunch before you leave."

"T, what am I going to do without you there?" I ask getting my shoes on and lingering at the floor.

"You are going to shine bright like I know you can."

MANY HOURS LATER

"Alexandria, we're in Singapore." Paul nudges me awake.

I wipe the sleep from my eyes and look out the window. "What time it is? "

"Umm almost 8 am." Paul says as he hands my laptop bag from the overhead compartment. "We are heading to the hotel then possibly out to eat. The guys will probably be asleep until noon if not later."

"Ok, that's great because I'd like to sleep in an actual bed instead of on the plane. When will I meet them?" I ask because I'm not mentally ready yet. Most of the 15 hour flight was spent listening to their albums trying to figure out what kind of style they lean to. Mainly it is a lot of pop but some songs show a different kind of range in music, maybe I can use it towards my advantage. I didn't actually close my eyes until the last two hours of the flight.

"If you are up for it, you can meet them tonight before their show. If not tomorrow, I know jet lag is a pain."

"Understatement, I'll try to be up and ready to meet the guys tonight. I'm just exhausted."

"I understand, if you can't meet them today it is ok. No stress. " Paul replied leading to the black SUV.

We rode silently to the hotel, I was taking in the sounds, smells, and scenery of Singapore. This city is so large, I can't wait to explore but right now I can't wait to get to my room. Paul informed me that they had blocked off the entire penthouse so I wouldn't have to worry about anyone really bothering me.

I open the door to a large suite; most of the room was a crisp white color which was refreshing. There was a king size bed that has big plush white comforter on it. After my bags were in my room I stripped out of my clothes and step into the oversized bathroom. Seeing as I was too tired to soak in the tub, I opt for a shower because I don't think I could stay awake much longer. I dry off then apply some Love Spell body butter then put on a cami and some boy shorts then crawl into bed. Slowly, I close my eyes and drift off into dreamland.

BAM BAM BAM. What was that? I shoot up in bed with my heart racing. Seriously? I thought this was going to be a peaceful time of just exploring more emotions and writing but apparently not. These boys are already way to loud. I grabbed my headphones and turn up some peaceful ocean waves then try to drift back to sleep.

I wake up to my once bright room to be dark but illuminated by the lights of outside. The city looks kind of like a Christmas wonderland with all the lights going on. I take out my camera and take a few shots of the beauty because it is absolutely breathtaking. I stretch once again and look at the clock. Paul had said that they try to leave for the arena by 8, that means I have less than forty-five minutes to get dressed.

Thankfully I'm not high maintenance it only takes fifteen minutes to get ready. I throw on my Old Navy skinny jeans with a plain white tee and my light weight gray hoodie. Part of me was afraid to wear flip flops in a high traffic place where someone might crush my toes so I fall back to my usual cotton candy colored Converse. Pretty sure that isn't the name of the color but I call them that since they are pastel purple, pink, and teal with a clear coat of glitter to make them sparkle.

Checking myself in the mirror I look more of a stage crew member then a song writer but meh. I'm comfortable and it looks semi cute. I throw my braids into a messy bun. So happy that my nap made me alert enough to not need any makeup, just some watermelon flavored Chapstick. I grab my mini Fossil cross body then pack the usual necessary items Chapstick, mirror, wallet, notepad, pen, room key, and cell phone then head out.

As I walk into the hallway I'm greeted by one of the security guards who looks rather intimidating. I give a small wave but he doesn't return it. "Miss Morris, this way to the van." I follow him down the hallway then midway I hear a door opening out comes Paul looking slightly stressed but upbeat.

"Glad to see you made it to our first concert after the break. They will be the best and most energetic. You can ride with us over there." I nod my head at him. " They should all be meeting us here in a moment and I'll introduce you."

I flash him a smile and reply "Great, can't wait." But mentally I can wait, this is seriously making my blood pressure jump a few points. This isn't what I need but yet here I am feeling hot and a little dizzy.

A loud noise approaching me knocks me out of my thoughts. What the fresh hell is going on? I turn around to be greeted with a herd of bodies. "Guys!! Seriously we don't need to get kicked out for all the noise." I stare back at the group of guys with wide eyes.

"Who's this? Your new assistant?" The blonde asks.

"No Niall, this is your songwriter. Her name is Alexandria. She is here to help you guys along. She is going to watch you guys tonight and probably travel with us for a few weeks. Be nice."

I have four sets of eyes shift in my direction suddenly I feel even more self conscious and kind of naked, I let a small " Hello" out with a wave.

"Hello Alexandria. I'm Niall." He offers his hand to me and I graciously shake it. He releases my hand then points out the rest of the guys, "That is Louis, Liam, and Harry."

Louis and Liam both give me a firm handshake while Harry barely acknowledges my presence. What crawled up his ass? Maybe he is still tired from traveling all day. Who knows, but it was kind of rude. I guess my facial expression showed some disgust with his hand shake because Liam shot him a look. "Don't pay grumpy much mind, he didn't sleep to well on the drive here."

With that response I force my face into a half smile and nod. "No worries. And you can call me Alex."

"Well Alex, are you ready to see how we rock it out?" Niall asks excitedly. Again I nod feeling very shy and unsure of what I have signed up for. We pile into the van and head towards the arena. I wish I had brought that water I had just opened with me because my blood pressure is trying to get the best of me.

*****************************************************************************************************

Harry's POV

So this is our songwriter? She doesn't look like anything special. I was honestly hoping for someone a little fitter than that but I guess if you only write and never perform what would you expect. Right? This was not what I was expecting when Paul said Simon had sent us something that we needed. She seems nice enough just really quiet and very shy. It does beg the question as to how she was able to write music about love, life, and everything in between it doesn't seem like she even leaves the house often.

Niall and Liam are always the first to make friends with people. They have her seated in between them chatting it up like old friends."So what album were you working on last?" Louis asks as I shoot him a dirt look that he ignores.

"Umm, I... I have been working with Tori Kelly mainly." She finally managed to get out.

"Really!!?" Niall exclaims excitedly. "Her voice is powerful! Nobody Love is an epic song I bet the rest of her album will be amazing. How did you meet her?"

"High school."

"High school" the three of them repeat her as in a slight shock.

"Yeah, we have been best friends since freshman year."

Without even thinking I state, "So you are like riding off of her talent, yeah?" After the words left my mouth I knew I went to far. "Umm I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that"

But it was too late the damage was done. The van fell silent. I turned around to get a look at her, her face was illuminated by her cell phone and her face was solemn with tears in her eyes. "No, I got here on my own merit. I work hard I just don't sing. Simon picked me for my skills." She calmly states in a flat tone.

I hear Liam whisper something to her. My intention wasn't to make her tear up like that. Louis smacks me in the back of the head. "Smooth move mate! You are going to have her crying and not for the right reasons."

"Fuck! I wasn't trying to be mean. I was just wondering how she got here." I say as we get out of the van. Niall helps her out of the van and puts an arm around her shoulder.

As I bring up the rear Paul stops me, "Look, I know you aren't thrilled about this but give her a break she didn't even want to come because her nerves are so bad. She has maybe said twenty words to me on the flight. Simon wants her here because he thinks this is what you guys need so....."

I cut him off already knowing what he is going to say. "So don't fuck this up." I sigh as I enter the dressing room. The guys are shooting me looks as if I don't already know I've messed up, I don't want to be in the doghouse much longer so I decide to formally apologize. But as I'm about to do so I don't see her anywhere. "Where did Alexandria go?"

"No idea. She kind wandered off once we got inside." Liam says with a slight worried expression.

*****************************************************************************************************

Alex's POV

<sigh> This is exactly what I didn't want to happen. I just wanted to stay on comfort zone. I can feel my mood shifting to depression so I do one of the few things that calm me when I'm depressed.

"Hello?"

"Hey T. I know it is late. I just need to talk."

"Alex, what happened?" She asks groggily. I give her a run down of what has happened and she takes a breath "He is a man who obviously can't deal with the fact that you are so special and talented. If everyone else is being nice to you don't let one prick try to drag you down."

I let her words penetrate my heart and think on things. <sigh> "Ok I'm going to show them all how talented I am. Thanks T. I don't know what I'd do with out you."

"No problem. Night."

"Night." I hang up the phone and pull out my headphones. I need some real music to clear my head. I felt kind of old school so I played some Maroon 5 Songs About Jane. Listening to this album always calms my nerves.

Listening to Adam Levine's voice gives me a pretty wicked beat, then I start thinking over the conversation with T, 'Don't let anyone drag you down'. I made notes on my phone and my fingers start flying as I'm typing out lyrics. Apparently, I was so in the zone that I didn't notice anyone come up to me. I feel a hand touch my shoulder and it makes me jump out of my skin. "What?"

It was Harry looking pretty hot minus his shitty attitude. He looked at me with big green eyes that I could see why the women love him. "Ummm, I'm sorry for earlier I haven't really been myself lately. I didn't mean to say that. Can you please...."

"Please what? Just don't worry about it. You already don't like me for whatever reason so, lets just steer clear of each other and everything will be ok. Alright?" I reply without shedding a tear or batting an eye. The look on his face was of shock. He stood there a moment about to open his mouth. "Just go back and get ready. I have songs to write." With those few words I leave him standing there speechless and speed walk to the nearest ladies room so I can get a few more moments of peace of quiet because my mind is racing with song lyrics. Maybe proving people wrong will fuel the fire that I need. <sigh> I wonder if they have a spare guitar for me to use......

*****************************************************************************************************

Harry's POV

I can't bloody believe she dismissed me like I was nothing! I was trying to give her a heart felt apology and cover my ass at the same time. Not going to lie, I hate that I did say that out loud to her because I really know nothing about her, plus she is only here to help. Walking back to my dressing room I start warming up my vocals. But this just adds to the stress I'm already feeling. I'll find a way to make it up to her, but after the show. I need my head in the game.

"Did you find her?" Liam asks, he is always playing Daddy Direction.

"I did."

"And?" He stops lifting weights long enough to look at me. I swear that is his new favorite pass time.

"Well I tried...."

"You tried?!! Harry. Seriously?" he rolls his eyes.

"She didn't want to hear it. She just shut me down and sprinted away."

"Well bull lox, you have to make it right. Soon." Liam replies as he walks away from me. "Next time think before you speak. She is a nice girl."

*****************************************************************************************************

Alex's POV

The news of me being new to the whole concert spread pretty quickly because when I asked for a spare acoustic guitar it took them no time to let me borrow one I guess they know their job kind of depend on me to write music. I sit on the counter in the ladies room and start getting a melody in my head. There was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" I ask.

It was a male's voice but not really sure who's. "Alexandria?"

"You can just call me Alex. And can I help you?" I reply shyly.

"Can I come in?"

"Umm, I guess so. Who is it?"

"Niall."

"Sure come in." The adorable blonde hair, blue eyed, guy comes into the bathroom which was probably the size of my bedroom back home. He looks at the fact I'm sitting on the counter with headphones on, guitar out, and my notepad writing stuff down. Still unsure of my mood he stands in front of the sink, glancing in the mirror then back at the mess I have on the counter.

"You ok?" I look at him and pull my ear plugs fully out, I can tell he is sincerely asking about my well being.

"Well, when I finish this song I might be ok. I'm just in the zone and need this out of my system. Why?"

He flashes me a quick smile. "You are already writing? I thought we were supposed to be doing it together."

"Yes, you are but right now I'm in the zone and can't afford to lose this."

"Aye! Can I hear what you have so far?"

That question really throws me off guard, I know that eventually they will have to see my work first hand. I look at him moment thinking over if I really want to do this. "OK," I slowly start to drum the cords out on the guitar,

"I've got fire for a heart

I'm not scared of the dark

You've never seen it look so easy

I got a river for a soul

And baby you're a boat

Baby you're my only reason."

I stop and look at him then continue, "I'm not sure what would be the other part of the verse but I have the chorus

All my life

You stood by me

When no one else was ever behind me

All these lights

They can't blind me

With your love, nobody can drag me down"

I finish playing and give him a look indicating that I needed his opinion.

"I like it. Did you just come up with it?"

"Yes. Was feeling down about the car ride and I had to call my bestie, then I listened to Maroon 5 and now I'm feeling a little better. I can't let anyone drag me down. Even your bandmate."

Niall starts packing my stuff up for me. I cock my head to the side. "I know Harry can be a pain, but he is the baby of the group so I just don't think he realizes how much of a jack ass he can be at times. And I'm only packing your stuff up so you can watch the show." He pulls me off the counter and pulls me in for brief hug. "It will get better I promise."

"If you say so." I mumble into his chest.

"I do. Come and watch us. Please." He does a puppy dog face which causes me to smile.

"You are a lady killer I swear. You look innocent then you pull that. Don't think it will work all the time on me." I say with a a smirk. He gives me a quick wink.

"I know it won't always work but I'm going to milk it until it no longer does." He puts an arm around me and lead me back to their dressing room. With Niall looking out for me maybe this trip won't be so bad. I'm ready to see what these boys have to offer.

#one direction #harry styles #harry styles x black reader

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audreycritter · 5 years

Link

day six: dragged away dick grayson & bruce wayne general canon, Pre-N52 tw: drugging, blood, vomit

***

The moon cast pale gray light on the building spires and then the city was plunged into darkness by swiftly moving cloud cover. Nightwing glanced up, looking for a break in the inky sky, and saw miles of storm system spread out over the bay and moving in.

He’d been hoping the forecast would be off by a few hours, at least. No such luck.

At least Robin wasn’t out with him tonight. Damian still had a penchant for leaning into things that made him uncomfortable— habit or defense mechanism or both. If he was freezing in the rain, he’d insist on stay out longer than a normal patrol, just to prove that he could. Dick had spent more than one night as Batman surreptitiously finding ways to warm Damian up after a cold night, while the kid pretended he wasn’t visibly shivering.

Nightwing had been watching Gotham for five days now, and Damian had been out for three of those. Tonight, he’d insisted Damian stay in, and had left the cave to angry stomping going up the stairs into the house. He’d cool down, Dick knew, and probably crash and sleep within thirty minutes of furiously flinging himself into bed to sulk.

Five days of Bruce being undercover with hardly a word, and Damian was wired, on edge, and exhausted. Nightwing had that deep current of worry he always did when Bruce was out of contact, but that was undercover work, and he was used to it.

Overhead, the sky rumbled ominously. Nightwing leapt from the edge of the First National building and let the free fall carry him down ten stories before throwing a grapple line and curving into the arc of its catch. He landed in a roll and the second he was back on his feet, his comm beeped. He froze. That pattern, that tone— that was the emergency beacon signal.

“O,” he said, into the comm.

“Osborne and St. Mark,” she said, immediately. “It’s not Robin. A’s confirming now that he’s at home. It’s a warehouse, one of Roman Sionis’ frozen assets in federal holding. Should be empty.”

“I’ll be there in seven,” he said. “Cycle’s two blocks from me. Any visual?”

“I’ve got a camera a block down St. Mark’s that shows an empty lot. No in-building security online to use. Deploying a recon drone.” Oracle sounded purely businesslike, not a hint of stress present in her voice. Nightwing knew that meant she was masking, work-focused, and frustrated without enough information.

Nightwing made it to his parked and cloaked cycle in record time and ate up asphalt speeding through the streets as it started to rain.

“Heat scan shows three bodies inside,” Oracle said when he was close. “Hand to hand, one against two. One of the two down.”

Nightwing gunned the engine. He could see the warehouse now.

“Second is down,” Oracle said. “One man standing. Bottom floor.”

“I’m here,” Nightwing said.

The cycle skidded and squealed to a stop and Nightwing leapt from it and took the first double doors with a kick. He had a suspicion— a hope— who the one man left on his feet was, and there wasn’t much reach to proceed with caution or strategy at that point.

“You’ve got a car enroute,” Oracle said. “I’ve got A on standby for emergency response prep orders.”

The emergency beacon probably meant blood, and lots of it.

Nightwing went through the dark building at a dead sprint, frantically scanning for any sign of Bruce. The interior was lit with warming fluorescent lights, the faint hum above head a clue that they’d been turned on very recently. He rounded the abandoned machinery just in time to see a hunched figure stumble backward and fall.

“B!” Nightwing flew across the room on a burst of extra speed and slid to a stop on his knees in front of the sitting figure.

The ragged coat, the moth-eaten wool hat, the graying new beard, the colored contacts— all would have been remarkably effective disguises if he hadn’t already known who he was going to find. Bruce swayed, even sitting. There was blood trickling from his lip, and his pupils were blown.

Nightwing glanced up and down, hunting for seeping bloodstains. “B. What happened?”

“Drug,” Bruce slurred. “Organ...chop shop.”

The two men on the floor didn’t stir and Nightwing wished they would so he could kick them both in the teeth, and watch their faces while he did it. He put a hand on Bruce’s shoulder to steady him.

��Can you stand? O’s sending a car. We gotta get you back to the Manor.”

“No,” Bruce said, trying to shake his hand off. “No, not...Robin…”

“Robin’s fine, B,” Nightwing said, frowning.

Bruce twisted clumsily and vomited on the floor. It splattered one of the unconscious men. “No,” he said again, staring at the mess.

“He probably deserved that,” Nightwing said.

“DN...din...A,” Bruce mumbled, tugging uselessly at the man’s zippered jacket. His fingers struggled to grasp the zipper pull while he leaned and Nightwing braced him and sat him back upright, tugging him a foot across the floor.

“Oof. You’re as heavy as a freighter, B. Nobody’s gonna run DNA here. Don’t move.” Nightwing patted the unconscious man’s face to check for response and whistled when there wasn’t even a groan. “Holy right hook, Batman. You knocked him out colder than Mr. Freeze. Listen, A’s going to be ready for us. Robin will be fine.”

“Drugs,” Bruce protested, sounding far more upset than he should have been. He didn’t usually let much seep into his tone, ever, so this was downright unsettling. “He’s...will...drugs scare ‘im.”

Nightwing went as still as a startled animal, and then slowly, he turned back to Bruce and crouched in front of him.

“B,” he said, softly. “Just what’d they give you, anyway? This Robin isn’t going to be upset like that.”

“No,” Bruce insisted, his head bobbing forward like he was having trouble controlling it. “No. Jay can’t...he’s...he’ll see...”

The comm beeped softly in his ear when he activated an open channel. “O, is the penthouse clear tonight? The big guy’s gonna need to sleep something off.”

“No janitorial scheduled. Back elevator’s still programmed with your access code.” There was a significant, but brief, pause. “He’s okay? A’s waiting.”

“The only blood out here isn’t his. He was drugged but he’s conscious. I will take that car, though. I don’t think he could stay on a cycle right now. Tell A I’ve got him and to keep Robin at home.”

“I’ll send Black Bat,” Oracle said. “Keep me updated.”

Nightwing glanced at the men and sighed. “Hold on, B.” He pulled ties out of his cuff pockets and rolled them both, tying their hands behind them. He’d call it in, or have Oracle do it, when they were far enough away, but at least they wouldn’t get too far or choke on their own puke if the police were slow.

“Is not...” Bruce said, his brow knitted in confusion. He blinked slowly and tried to focus on Nightwing. “Is not Jay anymore.”

“No, B,” Nightwing said quietly. “It’s not. Do you know what they gave you?”

“Somethin’...fuckin’..._strong_,” Bruce spat out, sounding profoundly annoyed. Nightwing grabbed his arm and counterpressured with the heels of his boots when he stood, and fortunately, Bruce cooperated. He leaned heavily on Nightwing as they walked, but he was managing his own feet well enough.

“Organ chop shop, huh,” Nightwing commented. “How long have you known? I’m guessing it wasn’t long before they drugged you, or they never would have gotten that close.”

“Drug me,” Bruce repeated, and his arm slung around Nightwing’s shoulders tightened.

“So you said,” Nightwing answered. “Here’s the car. Come on, in you go, and if you try to take the wheel from me or open the door while we’re driving, I’m going to knock you out for your own good.”

“Brat,” Bruce said. As soon as Nightwing closed the car door, he was tearing out the colored contacts and dropping them on the floor.

The ride to the penthouse was mostly silence that Nightwing filled with chatter. Bruce didn’t normally contribute much in the way of actual words, but the drugs disrupted his ability to grunt or move at the right times, so Nightwing felt a bit like he was talking to an actual brick wall. It made Dick uneasy, even knowing it was drugs, to feel like Bruce was beside him and very, very far away.

It took some maneuvering to get Bruce onto the elevator but they made it into the penthouse without incident. As soon as they were there, inside, with the door locked, Nightwing peeled off his mask and Bruce shrugged awkwardly out of the beaten coat and hat. He dropped them on the floor and stumbled into the living room, and past the couch.

“Wait, wait up,” Dick called, hopping on one foot and then the other as he tugged off the suit boots. He left them on the floor and followed Bruce as he bumped into one item after another like some sort of human pinball, until he swerved hard left and into the bathroom.

Bruce hugged the toilet and puked more, while Nightwing stood beside him, feeling helpless, while wrestling the suit off of himself. He waited, hovering nearby, trying to decide what to do. Bruce’s shoulders stopped heaving and he leaned there, forehead on forearm, trembling faintly.

“Uh, I’m gonna, I’m gonna grab some water and some clothes for both of us,” Dick said. “I’ll be right back.”

It only took him under a minute but he still expected to see Bruce on the couch or climbing into a bed after. It was a surprise to find him still in the bathroom, shaking. Dick crouched down beside him, a worn t-shirt on, and offered the glass of water.

“Shit,” Bruce said, a word that was more low groan than speech.

“You were not kidding when you said they gave you something strong,” Dick said, putting a hand on Bruce’s shoulder after the glass was transferred.

Bruce gulped half of the water, set the glass down, and exhaled roughly. He staggered to his feet again. He braced himself on the wall and a desperate little gasp escaped him.

“B,” Dick said, unable to keep the alarm out of his voice. “Are you crying? Bruce. What did they do, exactly?”

“No,” Bruce said, stumbling past him. He went for the nearest bedroom and all but collapsed face down on the bed, turning his head just enough to get the pillow off his mouth and nose. There were tear streaks on his face and Dick climbed onto the bed next to him, his face pinched in worry.

“B. It’s me. You gotta tell me what’s going on. Is this just the drugs?”

“No,” Bruce said again, and a sob tore from his chest. It was the only one— he sucked in a lungful of air and sniffled, and rubbed at his eyes with the tips of his fingers. “S’not...something else.”

Dick elbowed him in the side, gently, and scooted closer. “Yeah? It is something else or it’s not?”

“Tired,” Bruce said, closing his eyes. He threw an arm around Dick and dragged him that much closer, trapping Dick in a warm cuddle. He buried his face in Dick’s hair and Dick relaxed incrementally, as the arm around him did.

“You big oaf,” Dick muttered fondly. “You could have just called and said you wanted to see me. You didn’t have to go get yourself kidnapped for your kidneys.”

Bruce snorted a laugh that ghosted across Dick’s scalp.

“Feeling more you yet? I should get you some more water,” Dick said, without struggling to get away. Bruce didn’t let him go.

“After sleep,” Bruce said, firmly. “Wanna. Sleep. S’been cold.”

“I bet you just loved that,” Dick said. “Undercover means no blankets and fancy mattress. Why don’t you ever do white collar stuff? Seems like that’d be a more comfy gig.”

“Batman...doesn’t…he doesn’t...I don’t..._need_ comfy,” Bruce managed, with several stops and starts. “M’fine.”

More of the tension slipped out of Dick’s muscles and he laughed, and laughed, until his eyes filled with tears. He pressed his face into Bruce’s shoulder and laughed harder at the grumpy little snort of indignation.

“Chum,” Bruce said, and that was enough for Dick to know. He started telling him about a case he’d worked the week before, involving smuggling swans, and one of them attacking him in the suit.

The non-verbal or quiet responses grew more Bruce-like and less slurred as Dick talked, until they were mostly normal. Dick felt the yawn Bruce tried to stifle and then the tell-tale deep breathing of Bruce truly out, the way he slept if he had been sedated.

Dick wriggled enough to fish the comm out of his pocket, where he’d left it.

“O,” he said. “He’s fine.”

“You done for the night?” Oracle asked.

Dick scrunched closer into Bruce’s furnace-like warmth and smiled at the pleased hum.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m staying in.”

#nightwing #batman #bruce wayne #dick grayson #whumptober #dragged away

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icarusandtheson · 5 years

Text

no place in the world that can compare [in the heights, usnavi/benny]

Usnavi wakes up warm to the television still on, faint music playing. He squints at the screen, the glow offensively bright. He can’t remember what they were watching -- he wants to turn it off before it solidifies the buzzing ache in his temples, but searching for the remote seems like more work than he’s willing to commit to right now.

He glances over at Benny, slumped asleep against the arm of the couch. Usnavi considers waking him up and sparing him the inevitable discomfort from cramping his body into the too-small space, weighs that against interrupting Benny’s sleep after a brutal day at work.

Usnavi stretches, grimacing at the crack in his own back. That’s starting to happen more often these days, and it doesn’t do much to make him any more excited about tomorrow’s deliveries. Sonny will never let him hear the end of it if he pulls something stacking inventory.

Benny shifts at the movement, the couch creaking under him. “Usnavi?” He scrubs a hand over his face. “What time is it?”

“Two?” Usnavi guesses. Too late, anyway. They should both be in bed, they have work in the morning.

Benny pushes himself up and rolls his shoulders back. He stripped down to his undershirt at some point, and the glow from the TV paints his neck, his arms, all blue and shadow moving across his skin as the muscles bunch and release.

Usnavi glances back at the screen, doesn’t really see it. “I need to get up, my back is already killing me.”

Benny hums in agreement. “Remind me to get you a bigger couch after I strike it rich.”

Usnavi snorts, knocks his knee against Benny’s. “That’s all I get for putting up with you all these years? A slightly less shitty couch? That’s cold, dude.”

“Yeah?” Benny’s laugh is warm and sleep-rough. “What would you want?”

“A nicer apartment, for starters.”

Benny lolls his head back against the cushion, his eyes bright. “You want me to be your sugar daddy, ‘Navi?”

Usnavi snorts. “You’re a dick, you know that?”

“Nah, man. I see how it is, it’s cool. You want a penthouse? Fur coats? We can finally work on that wardrobe.”

“First my interior decorating choices, now my clothes. Keep going and you can sleep on the sidewalk.”

“That might be an improvement, actually.”

Usnavi rolls his eyes. “Just take the bed. At least I won’t have to listen to you complain.”

“And have you guilt me into doing all the heavy lifting at the store tomorrow? Hard pass.”

Usnavi throws his head back against the couch and groans. “Don’t remind me.” He considers for a moment, then glances over at Benny. “That’s not a bad idea, actually.”

Benny huffs. “Seriously?”

“I’ll give you coffee?” Usnavi tries, pitches his voice into something hopeful.

“You already give me coffee.” Benny stretches his arm out and shoves Usnavi lightly. “Ask real nicely, and maybe I’ll lift the heavy boxes for you,” he says, like they don’t both already know he’s going to help.

“How are you going to lift anything when you have to carry around that ego?”

Benny smiles, a quick-flash thing in the dark. “Practice, baby,” he drawls, mock-arrogant in a way that shouldn’t be half as charming as it is. His hand falls away from Usnavi’s arm, leaves the warmth behind.

“Do you ever stop talking? Move your ass, I want to sleep and you’re taking up all the space.”

Benny scoffs. “Go to bed. I sleep here more than you do, it’s fine. You have to get up earlier, anyway. You’d just wake me up getting ready.”

Usnavi pauses, then feels guilty for pausing. “We can share, if you want. I don’t care.”

“I’d barely fit there, too,” Benny says, not missing a beat. Not that Usnavi expected him to: miss a beat, or --

It wouldn’t be the first time. It happens less now that they’re functioning adults, and they’re usually both a little drunker, but still. They’ve shared enough times for Usnavi to know that it’s a tight fit, that Benny steals the covers, that he doesn’t sprawl nearly as much as Usnavi thought he would.

Usnavi rolls his eyes. “Yeah, because you’re so huge.”

Benny’s grin is audible, and Usnavi is nowhere near awake enough for this conversation.

“So that’s why you want me to help you out tomorrow, huh?” Benny folds his arms behind his head, grinning. “Wanna check out the view?”

Usnavi makes a noise that hopefully conveys the appropriate amount of disgust. “Whatever. Go to work with your back fucked up, not my problem. I’m not the one sitting in traffic for hours.”

Benny makes a thoughtful sound. “I guess we could make it work. You’re little enough.”

Usnavi groans, pushing himself to his feet. “I take it back. I’m going to bed, you can suffer.”

“What about my back?” Benny asks, even as he’s stretching out, long legs filling the space Usnavi left.

Usnavi meant it as sarcasm -- Benny’s ego doesn’t need any help, he has enough admirers to feed it on the regular -- but it does seem like there’s more of him, like this.

Usnavi stands beside him every day, but Benny rarely stands at his full height unless he’s teasing Usnavi about the difference between them. Laid out long and languid, he’s -- big. It’s not the first time Usnavi’s noticed, and it probably won’t be the last, but: there it is.

Usnavi scoffs. “Deal with it. If you try to get into my bed I’m kicking you out of my apartment.”

“First time I’ve ever heard that,” Benny says lightly.

Usnavi slants him an unimpressed look, trusts Benny to catch the gist of it even in the dark.

Benny’s laugh follows him into his bedroom; Benny doesn’t.

Usnavi goes to close the door, pauses. He thinks of Benny a few hours earlier, exhausted and sore, thinks of him now, grinning in the television’s blue glow, light moving over his skin -- just as exhausted, probably, just as sore if not worse, sleeping on Usnavi’s shitty, too-small couch because they hadn’t been able to hang out much this week.

He leaves the door cracked open, just in case.

#bensnavi #in the heights #/#//#///#my fic

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themurphyzone · 5 years

Text

World’s Greatest Dad Ch 1

“Remember how you said if I got you a little Mary McGuffin doll, I’d be the world’s greatest dad?”

“Yeah, when I was like, seven….”

I was thinking about this quote the other night, and it occurred to me that the PnF fandom doesn’t have a lot of stories that involve a younger Vanessa. They’re out there, I remember there was one fanfic that had Vanessa and Heinz visiting Roger on Halloween night and she was dressed like a black cat. And if anyone recalls Emergency Procedures by Sage of Mudora, there was a certain flashback where you don’t know true seething hatred for Heinz’s sperm and egg donors until you’ve read it.

Anyway, the episode Finding Mary McGuffin gave me the inspiration for this fic. I’ve been wanting to write a young Vanessa story for a while now. Hope you enjoy!

Ch 1: Questions and Hot Chocolate

Ads blared on the television, filling the penthouse with saccharine, overly cheery songs about family and all the hot items on sale this holiday season. Heinz knew he was going to get Jingle Bells stuck in his head again, but he was too preoccupied with cleaning to care. He debated breaking out the Vacuum-inator to speed things along, but that particular creation tended to be unpredictable on its best days. And he refused to wade through a balcony filled with dust bunnies again.

Heinz sprayed the table with a cleaning solution, swiping a rag through the liquid. He held his turtleneck over his nose so he didn’t breathe in the harsh ammonia scent.

He had to keep moving. It was better than just sitting on the couch and wallowing. Especially when the rest of the city was so cheery with their carols and horse-drawn carriages and chiming bells.

It wasn’t that he hated it, per se.

He just didn’t care.

And there were more important things to do. For instance, making his little girl happy and trying to establish himself as enough of a threat to warrant a nemesis.

Speaking of his little girl, Charlene should’ve dropped her off by now. Heinz glanced at the clock. How could it already be five with no sign of them yet? He forced himself to breathe and relax before dialing Charlene’s cell number.

“C’mon pick up, pick up,” Heinz muttered as the phone continued to ring. “Why isn’t she picking up?”

“Hello, Heinz. Vanessa and I are just heading out the door. We’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” Charlene said smoothly, as if she didn’t care about punctuality.

Heinz sighed. “You’re an hour late.”

“I’m not,” Charlene sounded offended. Heinz could just picture that familiar eye roll. Vanessa had taken to doing the same thing recently. Must’ve gotten it from her mom. “Did you forget Daylight Savings ended last month?”

“What does Daylight Savings have to do with anything?” Heinz grumbled. But he glanced at the time displayed on the DVD player, then over to the analog clock on the wall. Sure enough, the DVD player held the correct time. Heinz pinched the bridge of his nose in embarrassment. “Sorry, you’re right. I never remember to change the analog. Didn’t mean to get all…accusatory there.”

There was a soft snort on the other end. “Apology accepted. You want to talk to Vanessa? I can’t be on the phone and drive at the same time.”

Heinz could feel his mood brighten considerably. “That would be great.”

“Here, Vanessa. Talk to Dad,” Charlene said. Vanessa said something in the background that Heinz couldn’t make out. “Just say hi.”

“Hi,” a quiet voice muttered.

“Hi, sweetie! Are you ready for the weekend?” Heinz asked.

Silence.

“I’ve got hot chocolate and a box of candy canes here. You like that stuff, right?” he pressed.

“Mm-hm.”

Vanessa loved chocolate. It was her version of almond brittle. He knew she wouldn’t be able to resist a mug of her favorite drink, especially now that a cold front had blown into Danville. While it wasn’t unusual that she was quiet on the phone, he thought she’d at least perk up over that.

Heinz decided to try one more time. Maybe he could get a general idea of what was happening. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine,” Vanessa said, though she didn’t sound like it. “See you in a few minutes.”

She hung up.

Heinz could only stare at the phone in disbelief, wondering if the current custody agreement had something to do with him raising a teenager in a seven-year old’s body.

“Hot chocolate mix, mugs, marshmallows, candy canes, and the milk is in the fridge,” Heinz reviewed, racking his brain for any items he might’ve missed. “Instant Hot Cocoa-inator. I should remember that for next year. And it’ll be nothing like the Instant Hot Coffee-inator. I think I still have blisters from that one.”

The mug didn’t reply.

“I have got to stop talking to myself like this,” he muttered. The doorbell rang, and Heinz grinned at the items on the counter. “And I’ll be right back, you guys are gonna cheer my baby girl up in a bit, okay?”

He rushed to the door, pausing briefly to remind himself that he shouldn’t fling the door open and embrace Vanessa right there. The week had gone by slower than Heinz would’ve liked. It had been way too long since he last saw her.

Both Charlene and Vanessa would say it’s only been two weeks, but that was still a long time.

After inhaling deeply to calm himself, Heinz opened the door.

The first thing he noticed was how heavily the two were bundled up. Scarves, coats, boots, and pretty much the entire winter deal. It must’ve been colder than he thought.

Charlene cleared her throat. “Well, hope you two have fun.”

“Hi, Dad,” Vanessa said. She busied herself by removing her gloves. A black backpack was slung over her shoulders.

“Hey, go put your things away and come to the kitchen,” Heinz said. “I’m making both of us hot chocolate. Looks like you could use it.”

For more reasons than just the cold, he added silently as he watched her shuffle off to her room.

Once Vanessa was out of earshot, Charlene sighed. “Maybe you’ll have better luck with her. I think something happened at school this week, but she’s not handing over any details.”

“She isn’t being bullied, is she?” Heinz’s mouth tasted like sand, his memories of Big Black Boots Boris resurfacing briefly before he pushed that bully to the back of his mind (part of him was itching to make a scheme out of that).

“I’d have to call her teacher for a conference as soon as possible if that were the case. There’s a week and a half left before Winter Break,” Charlene mused, shooting Heinz a pointed look that clearly said she’d be handling the teacher portion if it came to that.

Heinz balked, but he knew she had a point. He’d gotten tossed out of the last Meet the Teacher night, and the school probably wouldn’t want him back on their property any time soon.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Heinz finally said. “No promises though.”

“You’ve gotten through to her before,” Charlene said. “I’m sure this time will be no different. Anyway, I’d better go. Those holiday cards aren’t going to write themselves. Be back on Sunday evening!”

“We’ve done this routine for two years!” Heinz called after her as she walked back to the elevator, annoyed that she thought he needed the reminder. “I already know it!”

He closed the door, mentally counting to ten to get his irritation out.

Vanessa was taking her time, he’d noticed. Heinz was about to knock on her bedroom door to check on her, but he knew she didn’t like being rushed. He decided to microwave the milk first and only check if she hadn’t come out by the time both mugs finished.

It was funny how time worked. Sometimes days passed in the blink of an eye, while others would drag on until the dull clicks of a clock would drive any sane person mad. It seemed like yesterday that Vanessa had learned to crawl and would stubbornly insist on following him everywhere. It was the first time Heinz had noticed just how unsafe the makeshift lab he’d set up in the basement could be. He didn’t want to find out if Vanessa had inherited his resistance to random things exploding.

Then the divorce happened.

Heinz and Charlene didn’t see eye to eye on many things. But they both agreed that Vanessa shouldn’t be denied a relationship with one parent.

Things worked out. Though the first few weekend visits had been awkward, Vanessa adjusted remarkably well. In fact, Heinz thought she adjusted better than he had.

“Dad, you’re being weird again,” a voice cut in.

Heinz blinked, realizing that he’d been staring down at two steaming mugs of milk. Vanessa must’ve come in while he’d been lost in his thoughts.

Wallowing, to be exact.

It was a habit he really needed to break.

Vanessa tossed a math workbook onto the table, rushing up to the counter to get a good look at the ingredients Heinz had set out.

“I don’t have whipped cream, but we’ll be fine without it,” Heinz said. “How many marshmallows do you want?”

“I can do it myself,” Vanessa declared, ripping open the hot chocolate mix and dumping it into her mug.

“How’s school going?” Heinz asked as he added the mix to his own cup. Vanessa was too focused on getting the last of the powder out to respond. “Just trying to make conversation.”

She glanced at the box of candy canes before slowly pushing it away.

“Not a fan?” he guessed. “Or is it the whole no candy before dinner thing? Cause you can have one. What your mother doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

Vanessa shook her head. “There’s a girl in Ms. Hanson’s class who looks like a candy cane. She wears red and white and she’s always carrying this huge stuffed Ducky Momo.”

It was the first time she’d spoken more a few sentences since arriving. Heinz couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. Then he saw Vanessa shooting a reproachful glare at him, and he figured that he wasn’t supposed to be smiling at whatever she was going to say. He took a sip of his drink as he focused on getting his mouth back to a neutral position.

“Is this girl being mean to you?” Heinz asked. The words were out of his mouth before he knew it. He couldn’t help but assume the worst. Or think up a whole bunch of complicated schemes that would nip this bullying thing in the bud before Vanessa was hurt.

Bullies would leave their mark forever.

He knew that all too well.

Vanessa added two marshmallows to her hot chocolate and carried it back to the table. “She’s not mean,” she said, resting her elbow on the table as she stirred her hot chocolate. “We talk sometimes. We were sitting at lunch together today.”

Heinz was just relieved that bullying didn’t seem to be the issue. “And what happened?”

“We talked,” Vanessa said. “She said her mom was remarrying and she was getting a new brother. Then I asked who her mom was married to before. And she said she didn’t remember his name, but he was gone. Then she grabbed her Ducky Momo and left.”

Suddenly the hot chocolate didn’t seem so appetizing anymore.

There was always the possibility of Charlene remarrying some stranger. She was financially stable and down to earth. But he couldn’t fathom Vanessa calling someone else ‘Dad.’ That honor belonged to him alone and there was no force in the world that could make him surrender it.

“And why you’re upset has something to do with this?” he asked, uncertain as to where this story was heading.

“I think I made her mad,” Vanessa said quietly. She breathed on her hot chocolate, creating small ripples along the surface. “Did I say something wrong?”

“You didn’t,” Heinz replied. He didn’t know all the details. Vanessa might’ve left something out. But it didn’t seem like a possibility. And he didn’t want her to imitate his self-blaming habit. “What did you mean by ‘he was gone’?”

Vanessa shrugged. “Gone.”

Which could mean a lot of things, but it was clear she didn’t know. Heinz decided to drop that part.

“You could say sorry if you’re worried about her being mad,” Heinz suggested.

“Okay,” Vanessa said, for once not arguing with him. She was biting her lip. There was something else on her mind.

Against his better judgment, Heinz decided to pry. “Are you thinking about anything else?”

“Are you going to be gone too?”

English words with multiple meanings were quickly rising to the top of his To Destroy list.

“I…I don’t understand,” Heinz sputtered, almost choking on a marshmallow. He seriously needed to brush up on what parenting books said about discussing heavy topics. “Gone as in left or gone as in… permanently gone?”

He couldn’t say dead.

And he wasn’t sure which option was worse.

“Both,” Vanessa said. She was giving him an odd look.

This was how the girl Vanessa had talked to must’ve felt. Heinz couldn’t blame her for stomping off if Vanessa’s questions made her uncomfortable. He was tempted to do the same thing.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Heinz said firmly as he dumped the empty mugs in the sink. It was taking all his effort to sound calm. “And I don’t have anywhere else I need to be. Just do your homework and I’ll cook dinner.”

Vanessa didn’t argue. She flipped to her assignment and got right to work.

A/N: Heinz, you’re a disaster. A lovable disaster but still.

It’s funny how Vanessa’s story about accidentally making Candace mad/uncomfortable came together because it didn’t start that way when I was planning it. Some things just write themselves, you know?

#phineas and ferb #fanfiction #pnf world's greatest dad #heinz doofenshmirtz #vanessa doofenshmirtz

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docholligay · 6 years

Text

She is a Diamond

A release from the Patreon vaults! @madegeeky was given a fic gift for New Year's from a very fine sponsor (Whose name I gave to geeky privately in case she didn't want to be revealed) and this was her prompt to me:

“And you, my glittering girl, are a diamond. Stone cannot love flesh. It can only bruise and break it." ---apparently a line form both me and Carmilla teaming up, as Jet pointed out.

Anyway, 2000 words, I hope you enjoy!

Michiru did not think herself sulky, in the least, and any sulkiness she might have had as a child had been taken out of her through good manners and etiquette and the gleaming veneer of perfection she was forced to put over everything, a white coat of paint covering every chip and crack and mural that might be there, leaving only a plain perfect base of elegant nothingness.

All that being true, there was a certain kind of low hurt and anger that settled in her whenever Haruka was treated cruelly by her family, and if they were so uncharitable as to call it sulkiness, she was plenty happy to take up that particular mantle.

She’d left, tonight. She didn’t always. No, sometimes, she stayed through the assault, sometimes she would nibble on crostini as Michiru’s mother and father and siblings all fenced with the subjects of her education, her class, her occupation.

Oh, they have a problem with you being a lesbian? People asked, guessing at what the problem might be, and oh, if it were only that banal. They had a half dozen young women to line her up with, all of the appropriate breeding and the appropriate emptiness, vases to be filled with the flower of the seasons.

The party had ended, and Michiru pretended to be very interested in one of the lilies perched in a cold crystal vase, waiting for leave to be given, to return to her home with Haruka, that penthouse her parents threatened to take away whenever she displeased them, the trust fund and the cars and the very life that offered the only thing she truly had to give Haruka: A promise that she would never again know hunger, that she would wear new clothes.

“Michiru, my dear.” Her mother’s voice was firm and flowing and in French, a woman proud of the sense of the exotic she brought to the Kaiohs, the daughter of a fine textiles merchant who had raised her children in Japan and on the continent and never allowed them to belong to either.

“Yes?” She did not look up, simply pretended to be re-arranging the flower, the way she had been taught in her finishing lessons.

“I trust you will have a cordial with us in the salon. To close out the evening. I daresay the party was a rousing success.”

“Oh, I don’t know, mother,” She gave a weak smile, “I’m feeling rather tired, and must beg off to retire.”

Her mother returned the calculated smile. “Please don’t think me simple, Michiru. You’ve been sulking since that girl took her leave.”

“Her name is Haruka.” She crossed her arms. “We have been together for better than a year, and at some point you and father will need to simply accept that. This...casual cruelty, and whatever amusement you derive from it, will have to cease, unless your wish is to make every party ever after a testament to awkwardness.”

Her mother took a took a hydrangea and arranged it next Michiru’s lily. “My dear girl, I know you are of a certain age, and rebellion is a very tempting affair at this time in your life, but it can only bring ruin.”

“It would not bring ruin, if you and father were not so given to unkindness.”

“Perhaps you are unkind in your own way, Michiru,” Her mother looked at her, “To bring her into this world. To bring her to you.”

“Whatever do you mean by that?”

“Haruka is, I assume, a good girl. She probably watches baseball, and drinks beer with her friends, and reads car magazines and all such manner of things. I’m sure she is very sweet, and I have seen the way she looks at you. She does adore you.”

“But you, my glittering girl, are not like them. You have never been like them and you will never be like them. They are lovely, average, people. You, Michiru, are a diamond. You are a crown jewel, unique and talented and poised and cut and shined into such finery. You know this to be true, you are no great fool. You have known this all of your life.”

Michiru looked down at the wood of the table, suddenly interested in the way the grain flowed across the table.

“A stone cannot love flesh, Michiru. It can only bruise and break it.” She gave a chuckle. “Can you really not see that is all you shall do with her, in the end?” She shook her head. “You act as if you are the first woman of breeding on earth to fall in love below your station. It’s a cliche, Michiru.You would do well to note how those stories end.”

Michiru was not unaccustomed to trading barbs with her mother. Too much alike, maybe, her father had once opined, and the thought of it, and that terrifying shiver in the back of her mind that it might be true, haunted her still. Early on in life, she had discovered she was hardly going to fit in, and so she may as well lean into it, and while her brother Ryuji had tried to prove himself to be the most Japanese boy who ever lived, and simply tolerated his fencing lessons, Michiru had sighed through her tea ceremony lessons and asked to take traditional sommelier technique as a reward.

Maybe it was that Ryuji had been so good at being perfectly Japanese, and she hated him.

Maybe it was that she was so good at being perfectly French, and he hated that.

Maybe it was that no one in either place would ever let them be both. God knows Naoko had tried, that sad middle sister who simply managed to make a pig’s ear of both cultures.

In any case, Michiru thought, very often the whys of how our lives turned out were irrelevant to the reality of them. She was a strange diamond in this land, who knew now that she could not leave it for Paris as she’d planned when she came of age, who was trapped here by her duty and now foisted upon the country as a whole.

The Hope Diamond was French once too, wasn’t it? Beautiful and glittering and cursed, only fit to sit in a museum and never be owned by flesh.

“Michiru,” Her mother called her out of the docent’s tour of her childhood, “I tell you this from my own experience, you know that, yes?”

She had not, and yet it seemed foolish that she had not considered it. The tiny voice, the one in the back of her head that said she was just like her mother, laughed and whispered its terrible prophecy, the one that saw her marrying a fine girl and living in a penthouse so much like this one, the one that saw Haruka marrying a girl like her, a perfect blue collar wife who would laugh with her coworkers in dark bars over beer and snacks.

The one that said her mother was right all along.

“In any case, if you were seeking my leave, you have it,” She nodded at Michiru, “I will tell the others you’re a bit tired. But think on what I have said Michiru. However long you intend to toy with the simple girl, a fish cannnot fly with a bird, however it tries. She will never be like you.”

“Goodnight, Mother.” Michiru walked to the entryway, on autopilot as one of her servants helped her into her coat and called down for the car to take her home, whatever home was, just a place where she lived with the girl they all felt temporary.

It did not matter if she was in herself or not, as she was driven. Driven. Taken. She was a passenger in her own life, under glass, and maybe it was true what Mina had said of her, that she had never known what pain was, really, in her life, and so she’d never understand Haruka, not ever, and all the bringing Haruka bags of groceries and buying her clothes would never change that, it’d just make it more obvious to Haruka that Michiru didn’t know what it was like not to have those things.

It had been said in anger, but that didn’t make it untrue.

The car came to a stop in front of the fine apartment building with her fine apartment where the girl she was destined to destroy lived full time now, no longer carting a bag back and forth between Michiru’s upscale palace and the tiny place she shared with a mother that never noticed if she was there or not.

Parents that noticed every movement, and parents that noticed nothing at all, and the both of them feeling all the more unloved for it. What a pair.

Michiru paused outside the apartment building, the drizzle on her skin shining with the light of the streetlights, forcing that diamond sparkle to come alive, the glitter in that cold and painful way and show every facet of what she was.

The driver was still waiting, and she stepped inside the lobby.

“Good evening, Miss Kaioh.” A recorded response by those of the flesh, those who would never know what it was to be carved, a block with all that was not wanted stripped away to make you into a beautiful thing, cold and perfect.

She nodded, the only thing she could think to do. That had been carved, too, and she blended into the marble of the lobby as she walked through it, the pale of her skin becoming marked by the grey straitions of beautiful, perfect stone. As she stepped into the elevator and nodded to the attendant, the one whose name Haruka knew but Michiru realized she did not remember, she felt her hair intertwine with the wrought brass of the elevator door, following its curves and whorls perfectly, elegant and cold.

She touched the cool metal of the doorknob to her home, all a part of her, her purse hung on the wrought iron rack, which smiled beneath her hand, the travertine beneath her feet bending to its sister. The silk of her nightgown cushioned the gem of her body, keeping it from the slightest smudge or fingerprint, never a thing to be touched.

The bedroom door was still open a crack, the light peering into it, just a beam through the darkness.

Haruka lay asleep on the bed, the rain beading on the window, those same treacherous streetlights covering her body with a thousand tiny bruises in perfect circles. Glittering and bruised, two of a pair, but not two of a kind.

She sat down on the bed next to her, the plush of it cushioning each facet. Haruka rolled over and mumbled sleepily, her hand resting on Michiru’s knee, the warmth of it running through Michiru like Celopatra’s snakebite, a poison desperately desired.

Could her mother ever know what they had been through together? The fear, and then the love, and then Michiru, oh she had already broken Haruka to save her, and she touched the raised scar on her chest as she thought of it, that one way in which they were, in fact, matched.

Her mother had given her the number of a plastic surgeon. She had tossed it away. There was something, something, that she and Haruka would ever share.

She reached over and ran her fingers through Haruka’s hair, the boyish softness of it drawing her in, and she snuggled in next to Haruka, placing her hand in Haruka’s. There were callouses there, drawn across her palm. She was used to handling rough objects, wasn’t she?

Haruka sighed against her and pulled her closer. “I love you.”

Michiru touched the soft flesh of her cheek. Even the Velveteen Rabbit became real, once loved enough. So who was to say it was not beyond her, under the strength of Haruka’s belief.

Perhaps a fish could not fly with a bird. But she was the sailor of the sea.

#a holligay joint #i hated thus when i wrote it but now i rather like it

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lubdubsworld · 6 years

Text

Give me some Sugar.

Park Jimin x OC

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2/ Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 /

Chapter 6 ~ Part 1/ Chapter 6 ~ Part 2 / Chapter 7/

Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10

( This is so late and so long and way too angsty , i hate myself but yes, next chapter should end the angst . Don’t forget to comment…. )

Chapter 11

“ Your what?” I stared blankly, certain that I had misheard. Or possibly blown an artery in my head which had resulted in an aneurysm that was giving me a stroke.

“My daughter… She’s three , almost four and she lives in my penthouse with my parents.” Jimin had begun packing up his things and he was quickly slipping his phone into his jacket , grabbing his keys. He held his hand out,

“Shall we leave?”

I couldn’t think of anything to say, following him blindly as he led me to the parking lot. His hand was war around my own and I thought how inconvenient it was that he could make me melt with just the brush of his fingers.

But his words still hung.

There were so many questions in my head.

Are you married? Did you have a wife all along? Are you really cheating on your wife like this?

But I didn’t voice them.

He had made it clear , in no uncertain terms that there was nothing between us. That there could never be anything between us.

I didn’t need to know anything. And no matter how curious I felt , how terrifying the prospect of being ‘ the other woman’ was, I couldn’t give in. I had to hang on to my distance. It was my only protection from heartbreak.

I stayed quiet as he walked up to a nice blue Porsche, opening the door for me.

“I don’t owe you an explanation of course but, I think…it would be better if you don’t meet my daughter. ” He said calmly, after watching me buckle into my seat.

I tried not to let the words get to me. They made me realize that a part of me had wanted to see the baby. Wanted to see what he had created… but, he was right.

“Well, you’re right. You don’t owe me an explanation.” I said quietly and he nodded.

He probably didn’t actually want me to meet his daughter, i thought trying to ignore the shaft of pain in my heart.

. As i stared out of the window, I tried not to feel hurt because i knew that he was merely being a good parent. There would be no point introducing a young child to someone who wouldn’t stay around for long.He was a good father.

“Hey…” He reached out then , lightly touching my knee and I swallowed down the whimper that kind of bubbled up inside me. His touches did that and I realized how much I’d missed him.

“I’m fine.” I said softly and he looked impossibly soft, his eyes warm and concerned.

“I know. I just… You went through something huge and I’m incredibly proud of you. And you did the right thing baby…. You kept your self safe from that bastard and that’s all that matters…”

I nodded.

“Okay…”

“You want to talk about it?” He asked softly.

i paused for a minute trying to get my thoughts in order. Talking to Jimin had always been easy. He was just… so hard not to trust. So hard to keep out, no matter how high I built my walls and as always I felt my reticence vanish, replaced by the urge to just give in and let him know my deepest, darkest secrets.

I wanted to fight the urge to talk, the urge to give away more of myself and receive nothing in return but it was impossible.

It was a battle lost even before it began.

“I thought…” I hesitated, “ I thought I’d feel something… when I did that to him, you know. “ I shook my head. “ i thought something would change when I confronted him, maybe a load would be off or maybe I’d feel better but I just… I feel just …fine. I don’t even regret it or feel bad that I nearly killed another human. I don’t feel happy or ecstatic that I got back for what he did to me… I can’t feel…anything. “ I said bitterly. “ It’s like he killed everything inside me all those years ago…”

Jimin didn’t say anything.

“You must’ve been very young…” He said pulling the car out into the lane.

I nodded, staring out of the window.

“Young. Gullible. Foolish. Whatever you want to call it.” I said with a little shake of my head. “And the worse part is, I could have walked out before it had all gone to hell. But I stayed. I put up with it. I don’t know why but I did.”

“We’ve all been there. We make decisions, convinced, at the time, that we’re doing the right thing….” He said , nodding.

We stopped in front of an unfamiliar building and I watched as he stepped out, moving to talk to the security at the gate.

“It’ll just be you and me, so don’t worry… “ He said softly and I stared, confused.

“So, does she live with your family? ” i wanted to kick myself. I wasn’t supposed to get more involved. But curiosity got the better of me.

He hesitated before shrugging.

“ She has her own nanny and my parents stay over three days a week when I’m not around. I’ve already told them they should move in for a few months… because of my tour next month. “

I felt relief flood me nonetheless and I hated it. Hated that the fact, that there was no wife, made me so happy. Why was I so stupid?

“You didn’t have to do this.. I could find somewhere else to stay Jimin , I really do not want to intrude and-”

“I think, we’re both past the stage where we have to apologize… You’re important to me, whether you like it or not .” He wasn’t looking at me and the words were almost absentminded in the way they were said and I looked away again.

“I’m surprised you even get to spend time with her , what with your busy schedule. “ I said as he pulled into the huge gates, driving swiftly to the garage.

“I don’t have a packed a schedule actually. No one knows about my daughter except for my manager and the guys. They put in fake schedules and broadcast appointments when I’m with her. It makes for a lot of … sneaking around but… yeah… she’s worth it.” He smiled faintly.

I stepped out of the car, suddenly getting a sense of deja vu.

“The apartment we shared earlier… Is that…” I began nervously but he cut me off.

“I moved out after we … parted ways.” He said softly, pressing on the right floor in the elevator.

I nodded.

“But i still have your clothes here.” He said suddenly and I stared up at him, stunned. His gaze had changed, somehow warmer and more intimate and I swallowed the dryness in my throat.

“I’m… I can go get my clothes tomorrow from my apartment… I need.. I mean … my books are there too and I… “ I stammered , stopping short when he stepped forward hesitantly, reaching out and stroking my hair.

The bell in the elevator rang, signalling that we were there. The moment was gone and he stepped back, hands falling back to his side.

The elevator door opened and I followed him out, keeping my head bowed as I he led me to the glass doors, leading to a large open plan apartment. It looked like it wasn’t lived in, all that much.

“It’s a friend’s “ He said casually, noting the way I looked around the place . “ Jin Hee goes to a daycare about half a mile from here. I crash here sometimes when I have a few hours and I want to spend them with her. You can settle in .” He pointed out the guest room and I took my bag, moving slowly to the room.

It was spacious and I moved to the bathroom first, splashing water on my face. I turned on the water in the bathtub and let it fill, moving to the mirror.

I stared at myself, flinching at how…awful i looked. My hair was all over the place and i looked dead, eyes wide and shadowed, a grayish tinge coating my pallor.

I sighed a bit, still a bit high strung from the previous day’s events.

I fiddled with the hem of my blouse, scratching at a stray soup stain.

There was also a little bit of blood , from when Ji Hwan had crashed into the table on his way down, the edge slicing his forehead open.

I felt sick.

It seemed a few minutes of contact with Ji Hwan had reversed five years worth of recovery . I felt my fingers tremble as I reached for the tap to shut the water off. I stayed staring at the tub for a while, and slowly the events of the previous day started to sink in.

I climbed in slowly, the war water soothing. I leaned against the ceramic tub, trying to get my heart to calm down.

I didn’t realize that I hadn’t slept in close to twenty four hours and that my body was still strained from what had happened earlier.

The water was warm, like a nice hug, wrapping around me in soft heat and I found my eyes drifting shut , my body going limp in exhaustion.

The next thing i knew, I was being shaken violently, my body cold and trembling and my breathing ragged. I tried to take in some air but all I got was water, my lungs filling up with it till I started panicking.

Strong arms gripped my elbows, hauling me up and away fro the tub and I tumbled over the side, coughing and spluttering.

“Y/N.. Oh shit… sweetheart

I flinched at how loud Jimin was and stared at him in confusion, still disoriented.

“Are you okay? You nearly…fuck I thought you drowned!!” He sounded terrified as he cradled e close and I realized I was sopping wet, drenching his shirt and slacks. He reached out and grabbed a towel before wrapping it around my shoulder.

“I’m sorry… I don’t know what happened… I think I fell asleep and…” I started coughing and he shushed me gently .

“It’s okay..it’s alright. Let’s just get you into bed , okay?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fifteen minutes later , I was dressed into one of Jimin’s long oversize white cotton shirts , the hem hanging somewhere around my thighs. I lay on the bed, on my side staring at him as he sat on a small armchair close to the bed.

“You should go sleep too.” I said softly and he shrugged.

“Ill stay till you fall asleep. “ He reached out and tugged on the blanket , tucking it around my shoulder, “ You’re still shaking. should I get you another blanket?”

I shook my head.

I was shaking but it had nothing to do with the temperature and everything to do with my nerves , which were pretty much frayed at this point.

“I hate it when I get flustered.” I admitted weakly. “ I’ve always hated it when I get vulnerable and I guess… I hate thinking about that time in my past.”

“He’s never coming near you again, Y/N. I can’t say anything else but this I can guarantee, he’s not coming near you.” He said , his voice chillingly quiet.

I nodded.

“ I know. “ I said simply.

“You should get some rest now…” He reached out and touched me lightly and I stared at him.

“I’m a bit of a mess, aren’t I? I wasn’t always like this…” I said , just as he made to brush my hair.

“Y/N….”

“When my father left, I just… I was really young. I’d been used to having him in my life and he wasn’t a bad father. He had truly loved me and taken care of me. and well, at that age its kind of like a security blanket you know? That support and that concern… You need it…

“After he left, Ji Hwan kind of stepped into that role for me. I thought he was just being nice but , yeah. He was just trying to groom me into what he wanted I guess. He used to take e out to on little dates and he used to buy me stuff and Seulgi, she’s his half sister by the way, she used to let me borrow her clothes and stuff. Her father was paying for my mother’s treatment as well so, it felt wrong to not reciprocate in some way, even if that way was probably sick…”

I swallowed.

“How old were you?” He said softly.

“Fourteen.” I shrugged and he lurched, eyes wide.

I smiled bitterly.

“I know. Dirty, right? I’ve been dirty for a long time…” I whispered.

“No.. Don’t say that… Y/N… The guy, he’s the one who…”

“I know.” I said shortly. “ I had a nice therapist after I lost the case. She had been following the trial and she reached out to me herself and offered to treat me for free. It helped a lot. “

I took a deep breath.

“I think the worst thing is … I would have let him do it a lot longer , if it weren’t for the fact that he physically hurt me. He was abusing me sexually, he was..” I had to swallow the bile just to continue, “ pimping me out to his friends… humiliating me in every way…. and i just… I let him do it, simply because he wrapped it and labeled it as ‘ love’. “ I shook my head.

“And I realized that… I must’ve been really desperate for love… And i alos learned that my heart it’s just… it’s not trustworthy when it comes to stuff like this.. it makes me do stuff that ….end up being a huge mistake. So I .. I don’t like listening to my heart when it tells me that something is love…”

He stared at me for a few seconds and smiled.

“You’re wise now. “ He said .

I nodded.

“I am. I’m going to sleep now.” I said tiredly.

He nodded and leaned down, lightly kissing my cheek.

“Okay… I’ll see you in the morning, alright? Sleep well.” He turned the light off and settled back in the chair.

“You can go sleep now..” I said ipatiently but he just hummed.

“When you fall asleep. Don’t worry about it, I’m used to this. I always stay up waiting for my daughter to sleep..” He said firmly and I wrinkled my nose.

“That is not a comparison I enjoy…It’s weird. ”

He laughed.

“You’re both precious to me so its not weird.” He said with bright eyes and I felt my heart turn over again.

Back to square one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You’re safe, right?” Yerin asked for the seventeenth time, as I walked across the kitchen to hang my apron. It was a little past eight and my phone was dead. I had no way of contacting Jimin and a part of me was sure that he was likely hyperventilating somewhere but there wasn’t much I could do. My sister was back in Seoul and after years of silence , I’d finally told her what had happened all those years ago.

She was upset that I hadn’t told her earlier but how how could I? She had been a eleven year old back then. Although I had kept most of the harsher details out of my narrative, she was still beyond furious.

The restriction order was being processed. Till then, I would have to stay with Jimin , or so Yoongi’s brother insisted. ‘ Better safe than sorry’ he said over and over again.

Jimin hadn’t been there when I woke up only sending a driver to take me to college in the morning.

I hated the fact that I wasn’t unhappy about it. On the contrary I had slept better than in months and I had sneaked into his bedroom in the morning and buried my face in the pillows, taken in his scent, then gone and rubbed myself over his shirt, the one hanging in the closet. it had still smelled like him and it had taken all of my will power not to slip my hands in between my legs and just….

After work, I used a payphone to call Jimin and he sounded calm.

“I had a couple of guys keep an eye on you. They were there all the time so you don’t have to worry…” He said when I spologized for my phone. I wasn’t sure how I felt about being tailed but decided not to pursue that subject.

“I could take a cab home… But I don’t really know the correct address…” I said and he humed.

“Just give me five minutes, yeah? I’ll be there.”

I watched as he rolled up to the curb and grinned at me. I stepped in quickly and smiled back awkwardly.

“Hey. “ I said shyly.

“How was your day , baby?” He said reaching out and helping me put on my seat belt.

“Same old. I’m sorry to make you drive here all the way… If you could tell me the address next time, I..”

“Trust me I would rather be here than anywhere else.” He winked. “ Do you want to get dinner out or should I make you something at home? “

“Let me cook tonight…” I said softly.

He hesitated before glancing at me.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to-”

“I’d love to. “ I said firmly.

Later , as we sat on the leather couch, eating fried rice and sipping juice, Jimin turned on a drama and I tried to relax.

“This is ridiculous.” He said suddenly.

“What? “ I said curiously.

“The main lead… its obvious that he’s only hurting her and she’s only going to be unhappy with him…. he should just let her go… “ He said .

I shrugged.

“He made a promise. He promised to make her happy and he’s hanging on to that . He’s working hard to make her happy ….”

“But its not working? She’s going through so much shit… “ He protested and I smiled.

“So, you think that makes her unhappy?” I asked shaking my head. He stared at me.

“Doesn’t it?” He said curiously and I laughed.

“Sometimes happiness can’t be quantified as just, good things happening to you. She’s happy because he’s trying. It’s not the promise of happiness that keeps her there,…. it’s the promise that he will always be there…” I said and Jimin went really quiet.

“I don’t think that’s real. People want things to be happy. And when they find out you can’t give them that, they leave…” He said abruptly.

I stared at him.

“Jimin…”

“And the promise of love? Are you serious? Promises only last as long as the conditions they were made in. Yes, you promised to love me when things were good, doesn’t mean you’re going to keep that promise when things go bad… “ He spat out bitterly and I stayed still as he gripped the plate harder.

“Even you left me…” He said suddenly and my heart jumped . “ Once you felt it was too hard for you, you left. “

He stood up and I could only stare at him.

“Jimin wait!!”

But he was already storming out of the kitchen and I just sat there, stunned.

What had just happened?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two hours later, thinking he may have calmed down a bit, I sneaked into the small balcony and found him sitting on a small bench hidden from view. The bench faced a small koi pond and I stared at him in genuine anxiety.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you. It was uncalled for and you didn’t deserve it. .” He said suddenly and I flinched.

“Its alright… Don’t worry about it. ”

“I’m not used to being dumped. I always take strict measures, to make sure I’m the one who walks out first and well, when you left me…. I didn’t take it well. Still can’t get over it . ” He said with a wry smile and I was struck speechless.

I really can’t think of anything to say. My mind was sluggish, afraid to process the phrase and arrive at a conclusion that could potentially change everything.

I blinked and stared at the pond, already formulating a refusal, if he asked what I thought he was going to ask.

“But I’m glad you did that. I don’t want to end up hurting you, even if it is unintentional. .” He said with a little laugh that was devoid of mirth.

i stayed quiet. there was nothing much to say really. We were strangers. It was funny, but we really were. We had spent so many days together and I knew nothing about him.

Yet, he he was the one who knew the most traumatizing things I’d gone through. He’d been there and he knew things about me that my closest friends didn’t. My throat went dry. I wasn’t not sure I like it.

Jimin had caught glimpses of the most vulnerable moments in my life and I felt helpless, at his mercy. At risk.,

Threatened.

I began to tremble a bit and he moved very close, pulling me into his arms before I could realize what he was doing.

“I want to be there for you.” I said softly and he stared wide eyed , while I rubbed circles over his back.

“This isn’t… You don’t have to do anything…” he said softly

“ I know…. I’m…ill-equipped to help you but I want to try. If you’ll let me..” I replied.

“I don’t…i don’t.. know..” he said honestly, clinging to me in confusion.

What was he so afraid of ? What did he want from me?

“I missed you…. “ He said, eyes shifting across my face, like he was drinking in my features . I felt my traitorous heart just lurch inside my rib cage and it was like a burn, an impossible itch. The urge to fling my arms around him and tell him that I would do anything for him. But I knew how awful, how terrible a choice that would be.

I had worked so hard to get him out of my system and what was I even thinking?

“Don’t.. Please…” i begged but he was already ducking his head, lips brushing across the corner of mine. The touch of his lips to mine felt like a taser, and my body and heart surrendered without any fight, a white flag up and ready . I sobbed out in disbelief.

“I wanted to apologize for the way i treated you and… well, you deserve better…” He shook his head and then looked back up at me. “ But , I’m a bastard because….” He said, voice breaking a bit as he crowded me into the elevator walls, hands lightly gripping my shoulders .” I can’t stop thinking about you…”

“You’re not playing fair..” I cried out, tears already brimming as I pushed at his chest, weakly.

“Please… Tell me what I can do to make you feel good…Tell me what i can do to convince you to stay….I don’t want to lose you … I … Can’t we just be friends….??” He said desperately and I swallowed.

Suddenly I was just so tired. I had to do this. For him. For me. For my own sanity.

“I think… I… think I’m in love with you… Will you love me back? ” I asked shakily and he flinched.

“That’s,…. That’s not fair Y/N….” He said , voice rough and low and I stared at him.

I laughed in disbelief.

“Not fair..? What’s not fair is that you think I should settle for just a part of you while you get to have all of me!” I said in protest.

He pulled back then, sighing.

“I’m sorry… You’re right. I shouldn’t… I’m sorry…And you shouldn’t you know… You shouldn’t be falling in love with me at all because .. God, you deserve so much better and … you’re right… What am I even doing… ” He said shaking his head and somehow I was tired.

I was tired of dancing around and tired of these cryptic excuses.

After a few more moments of silence, he cleared his throat.

“Jimin…”

“Let’s just not talk about this okay…Let’s…”

“That’s not how it works” I said angrily . “ Tell me. Help me understand… You keep …acting like you love me but you keep.. pushing me away and you can’t have both Jimin… You can’t just tell me you want me… You can’t kiss me and make me feel like the most special girl in the world and then turn around and say that you could never love me.. it doesn’t work that way….!”

“I can’t just… I wish I could give you what you’re asking…. But I’m not… I’m really not who you think I am, Y?N. All this glitz and glamour…it’s just a facade… underneath it all I’m just a broken pathetic excuse of a an who doesn’t deserve any woman’s love, let alone someone as beautiful, as kind and as wonderful as you….” He shook his head and I felt a protest build up inside me.

“Stop that… I don’t see your stupid glitz or your glamour.. I just… I see the kind, generous human being that you are! Don’t you dare call yourself that !” I snapped.

He stared at me.

“I wish you’d talk to me… “ I said softly and he lurched.

“I’m…”

“Is it because of your daughter… You don’t want to get into a relationship because of your daughter…? Tell me…”

He shook his head.

“i can’t.. If I tell you, you’ll…probably leave for good. I’m not..ready for that…” He said , gaze wavering and I was tired.

I was so sick of this.

“I’m here…. You broke my heart and told me that you couldn’t love me when I’m in love with you but I’m still here….” I said choking on the words. “I’m still here Jimin…If I was going to leave, I would have left a long, long time ago but I’m here and that has got to count for something, right? “

“You’re not… I can’t just…” He shook his head and I felt my hands tremble as I reached for his.

“ Remember yesterday ? ….. I was so scared and confused but… I took your hand when you held it out…and I will always… take your hand … You know that… You know I’m not leaving… Not until you tell me to…. Please…Tell me what’s wrong…” I whispered.

He moved to the corner of the balcony and settled down to the floor, legs stretched out in front of him.

I sat down opposite him and waited.

“Jin Hee… she’s not my daughter exactly. I was married to her mother briefly but … she left me before Jin Hee was born. “ He began softly.

I stared at him, not sure what to say. He hesitated a little bit more before taking a deep breath.

“We had been trying to have a baby for a really long time. And I … about a week earlier I had found out from my doctor that I wasn’t… I couldn’t have kids.”

His breath hitched and something tugged at my heartstrings. He sounded so helplessly hurt that I couldn’t help but stare at him, concerned.

“I took her out to dinner to tell her that we may have to consider adoption or maybe a surrogate and she told me she couldn’t stay with me any more. I was sitting there will all those brochures and she just….she told me in no uncertain terms that …we were over. “

“I’m so sorry…” i said , feeling completely useless. I wanted to make him feel better but I had no idea what to say.

“For a second , I was sure it was some sort of a mistake. i hadn’t considered that not having a baby would be a deal breaker for her. If it had been her … who had.. been with the condition, i wouldn’t have…” He swallowed and something twisted inside my gut like a knife.

My pulse dropped and I felt my heart breaking for him.

“Jimin…”

“I didn’t try to guilt her into anything. It was a civil divorce and I .. well, I almost forgot about it. But then about ten months later , i ran into her in a grocery store. “ He laughed a little, eyes still shining with hurt.

At that moment, I knew that I was completely and irrevocably in love with him. What other explanation could there be? He was crying and I was dying. It had to be love.

“ I found out that she had splurged all of the alimony and she was in debt. I went looking for her and she was living in this run down little shack of an apartment, and i saw some pamphlets about an abortion clinic. I asked her about it and she told me she had gotten pregnant with some one night stand…and she was going to get an abortion. ”

He bent his knees , hugging his legs like a little child.

. I could only stare, tears brimming over my eyes as I tried to imagine how Jimin must’ve felt.

“And.. I’d never felt more worthless in my life.” He said softly. “ I was… I just… I couldn’t give her what a stranger in some seedy club could. And I was the reason this beautiful woman was reduced to this state and I was the reason she… “ He stopped taking a deep breath. He let out a deep shuddering breath and swallowed.

“ I couldn’t imagine her killing her child because I knew it must have been important to her. She left me over it after all… Well, long story short, I offered to support her for the pregnancy and to adopt the baby if she chose to keep it. I still…cared for her and I didn’t want the baby to … die. Especially because there was no chance I would have one of my own.“ He said softly.

He smiled a little.

“Now you know why I don’t do relationships.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“You’re… Jimin… just because she left you over this.. doesn’t mean… I’m…”

I would never leave you. Give me a chance and I would never leave you.

“You honestly believe that a girl would be okay, with never having a child of her own…” He shook his head and I suddenly felt ridiculous for thinking that this was simple.

“Will you be okay never having a baby?” He said sharply.

I didn’t reply.

“Thought so. Well, if this conversation is over… I’m going to go to bed now. “

He was right. I couldn’t just say I was okay with never having a baby. Like every girl in the world I had dreamed of it.

But i also knew that I would never just leave Jimin over it.

“Jimin wait…!”He pulled his hand away when I reached for him.

“No! I don’t want your sympathy. I know how this conversation goes. I’ve had it already with my wife and I’m not having it again with you….I barely survived it the first time and …well, if I hear you tell me what she did , I really will die. ” He said bitterly before walking out of the balcony.

I stayed on the floor, confused and disoriented.

I had wanted answers. I had got them.

Except I wished I hadn’t.

#jimin fic #park jimin #jimin smut #bts smut #bts scenario #jimin #bts jimin

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etching-bones-moved · 6 years

Text

Wattpad // Fictionpress // 22:39 tag

Episode two: III

The time came for Carthy to organise another kill.

She met Vincent Everett, at his request, in a penthouse apartment overlooking the river. He'd promised a lavish meal for them to talk over, a fine selection of drinks, and an opportune disruption to the building's security cameras. Sceptical at his refusal to say who he wanted dead, but not one to turn her nose up at free food, Carthy had accepted. She'd even dressed up.

Climbing up the building’s stairwells, irritated endlessly by how her blue sheath dress kept rising up her thighs, Carthy was beginning to regret that decision. These heels were murder to her poor feet, and her jewellery would not stop clinking.

Vincent met her at the door, eyes lit and cheeks already flushed. He was middle aged, slightly paunchy but otherwise well kept. His gaze was distinctly appraising.

"Beautiful, as well as talented." he said by way of greeting, inclining his head and smiling, "Won't you come in?"

Snake, Carthy surmised, noting the fluidity with which he took her coat and led her into his dining room, the ease with which he covered his ogling with a layer of charm. What sent you running to me?

Her guess was debt, simply because he didn't look like someone who could resist indulgence. Everything he wore looked incredibly expensive, from the silk of his half-buttoned shirt to the chunky gold of his watch. His apartment- one of many, he'd said- was gorgeous. Utterly beautiful. Some walls were brown brick, others were papered with cream threaded through with subtle metallic detailing. All were dotted with art, aside from those with huge windows, through which you could see the city stretched out beneath them like a bumpy spread of tiny stars.

Clicking softly over the gleaming wooden floor, following Vincent to his dining room, Carthy found herself exceedingly jealous.

“I’m not usually in the habit of entertaining such esteemed guests,” Vincent said, filling her crystal glass to the brim. Red wine, vividly gorgeous in colour, “Please do let me know if there’s something that could be improved, to be better to your liking.”

“This is sufficient.” Carthy replied, eyeing the starters he brought over. They looked and smelled divine. Were they a deliberate distraction?

She took up her wine, sipped it, and gave him a lilting smile. He relaxed to it. Clinking their glasses together in precise, watchful motions, the pair began to eat.

“You have a reputation for discretion.” Vincent began some minutes later, wiping the corners of his mouth with a fine, monogrammed handkerchief, “I am hoping you can extend this service to me, I come to you with an exceedingly… how shall we say… delicate matter.”

Carthy raised her brows, prompting.

“I should, by all accounts, be a rich man.”

“Oh really?” Carthy asked, no indication of her satisfaction on her face, “Am I to take it something is preventing this?”

“Someone.” Vincent corrected, smiling pleasantly but through gritted teeth. He took the next moment to stand, and ferry the main course to the table. Surprised, Carthy noted the set of his jaw and realised that already his composure had slipped further than he would have liked. Vincent apparently could not tolerate appearing anything but polished.

Control freak, Carthy thought to herself, seeking to impress and intimidate, always. He is not enjoying having to outsource this.

“Someone,” Vincent continued, “Is in the way of me and my fortune. I married a very rich woman, who’s keeping me on a- tighter than expected leash.”

This is what you call a tight leash?

“Her name?” she asked, swirling her wine round her glass. She’d decided to wear earrings, but now found they weighed far too much. Combined with the atmospherically dim lighting and orchestral music, Carthy’s head was beginning to throb.

“Luisa,” he said, smoothing down his sleeves and straightening his cufflinks, “If you agree to take the job, I’ll provide you with more information.”

Luisa, stinking rich, anywhere in the 20- 60 age range, recently wedded to Vincent Everett in likely a garishly public ceremony. Carthy could find her full name, tax records and favourite holiday resort with that information alone, but there was no point in letting Vincent know as much. Slighted contractors became terribly awkward.

“So, dear Luisa isn’t as amendable as you’d hoped she’d be, and now you want her dead?”

Vincent shook her head.

“No,” he said slowly, “My wife is already dying. Brain tumour, inoperable. Highly tragic of course.”

You knew that before you married her, Carthy took from his words and light tone. You’re a gold-digger, through and through.

“Do you get any of the money, when she dies?” Carthy asked, filling her voice with a detached curiosity. It wouldn’t do to let any of her judgement show.

“I thought I would have all of it.” said Vincent, refilling both of their glasses, “But recently I discovered she’s left me but a pittance. The majority of it is going to her daughter.”

Ah.

“And I suppose your bet is, if your wife suddenly no longer has a daughter, the money will instead go to you?”

“That is correct. She has no other relatives to leave it to, no favoured charitable endeavours. I am the next best option.”

“Are you quite certain you wish to act on that chance?” Carthy asked him. Vincent pursed his lips.

“My step-daughter is set to inherit just under £50 million that would otherwise be mine.” was all he said, chin lifted in an expression of dark indignation, “Of course I wish to act on it.”

£50 million. Carthy near saw stars.

“And if it isn’t left to you?”

“Then there are legal routes I can follow, once my wife is dead. It will all be easier with the daughter gone.”

Carthy sat, and mulled this over. While she did so, the pair of them moved onto dessert. Thus far, her odds of killing this unfortunate heiress did not seem high.

“I want it staged as an accident, preferably within the month.” Vincent continued in confident, rolling tones, “I don’t care where it happens, or how, just so long it doesn’t at all lead back to me. You can make it gruesome, if that takes your fancy. I wouldn’t know how the mind of a contract killer works.”

Briefly Carthy considered laughing at him, then dismissed the idea.

“Tell me more about the daughter.” she said, keeping her control, savouring her next mouthful of strawberries and cream. Vincent’s face flickered, a fine layer of distaste settling over his features.

“She’s a brat.” he said smoothly, “Spoiled, immature. She neglected to come to her mother’s and my wedding day, which dearly grieved us both. She misses no opportunity to spite me.”

“How so?”

“She refuses to live under the same roof as me. She refuses to defer to my will.”

“Does she have any unpleasant business ventures? Drugs, money laundering, organised crime? Exploitative companies?”

Vincent shook his head.

“I’m quite certain she’s never done anything entrepreneurial in her life. Quite an unsuitable heir to a business empire, one would think.”

“Has she raised her hand to you? Vandalised your property, or that of her mother?” Carthy asked, changing tack.

“Of course not. Do you imagine I’d allow myself to be beaten so by a girl?” Vincent seemed to find this highly amusing, and Carthy had to sternly remind herself not to make a scene. Stabbing his hand to the table with a fork just wouldn’t do.

“Has she actively pressed to have you written out of her mother’s will?”

“No, but she hasn’t supported my claim to be written into it for a substantial amount. Nor did she agree to give the money onto me separately after Luisa’s death.”

“Does she know her mother is dying?”

“No, I don’t think so. Luisa hid it from her. Why do you care?”

Hid, past tense? Is the daughter estranged? Does the mother hide it because of distance, or love, or both? The daughter is inheriting, they can’t dislike each other very much…

“Where is the daughter now?” Carthy asked, and Vincent’s jaw set once more, so minutely she wouldn’t have noticed if it hadn’t happened before. Not used to not being answered, are you?

“She’s elsewhere.” he said, dismissively. As he shifted, the candlelight winked off the glass face of his golden watch, “Studying. She was always home-schooled before.”

Young, then. Probably never done anything ‘normal’ before in her life, probably getting a thrill from it, probably been looking forward to it for years. No wonder her mother hasn’t told her.

Carthy found herself feeling… sorry, for the girl, which made everything utterly useless. The target was undeserving, the contractor unlikable but hardly enough so to bother killing. The only thing she Carthy to gain here was the rest of her cheesecake, which she now gobbled down with unreserved haste.

“So you’ll take the job?”

“No.” she told him, downing her drink before standing, “My apologies, Mr Everett, and my thanks for a wonderful meal, but I do not believe I can help you.”

For a second he only stared, expression peculiarly dull. Strains of music rose up in the silence between them.

“I can offer you £500,000.” he finally got out, voice struggling to remain even. Carthy’s entire being clenched, because £500,000… she could move far away from here, to a different country even with that kind of money. She could invest in a new profession, something decent and legal. She could reinvent herself, entirely.

The offer was tantalising. Bewitching.

“You are in debt.” she said instead, a fact she didn’t know to be true until he visibly flinched, “You cannot afford to pay me £500,000.”

“I can pay you afterwards.” he said, blood vessel fluttering at his throat. Elevated heartrate, stress response. Carthy suddenly had the impression that this had happened before.

She shook her head.

“That won’t do.” she said firmly, “I will not perform such a service before being paid. And besides, Mr Everett, I find your manner to be quite contradictory to mine. I do not believe it wise that we work together.”

“You’re making a mistake.” he said, still like something waiting to pounce, sheen above his upper lip like somebody terrified.

He was all posturing, little content, and obviously inexperienced. Carthy did not imagine he’d be able to convince anyone proficient to take up his offer, especially if they cottoned on to the debt he was in. With no money and no strong-arm, Vincent couldn’t become dangerous. Carthy would not worry about him further.

“I wish you luck on your business endeavours.” she told him, with as much graciousness as she could muster, “But they are not for me. Goodbye.”

“Wait.” Vincent expelled, rising in a clumsy clatter, but it was far too late to change Carthy’s mind. Leaving his exclamations behind her, she strode away, retrieved her coat, and stepped through Vincent’s front door with a decisive click.

#inkstay #findthewriters #writerscreed #WIP boost #excerpt from a book i'll never write #excerpt #c #carthy #my writing #spilled ink #spilled words

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