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kira-fluff · 3 years

Note

Hellonio👉 I heard headcannon requests are open, and I was hoping to ask for *cough* sell my soul for *cough* the RFA + Saeran with a huge history and science nerd MC. Pretty please with honey Buddha chips on top?

a/n: when I say this request is fine, when I say this request is SCRUMPDIDLYUMPCIOUS!! thank you T-T it’s beautiful // since you specified Saeran but left three other characters unspecified, please send another request if you’d like a part 2 with the rest of the characters!

MC who is a History and Science Nerd

Saeyoung

Saeyoung is the Blueprint for being a nerd

like come on he tries to flirt with you in binary code

I think he’d still tease you though

little things like “oh wow my little nerd~”

you have to remind him sometimes how big of a dork he is

pokes your cheeks when you’re reading something

instead of paying attention to him haha

literally will pout

if you ignore him too much

still, seven is the type to get into your passions too

seeing the way your eyes light up

he is intrigued and ends up loving it just as much as you do

tries to make REALLY bad science puns

I just imagine each time he’d tease you he couldn’t hold back the big smile he makes

when he sees you look a little pouty

if you don’t include him when you watch history documentaries he will be very very petty

might ignore you until you say, “well, do you want to watch to?”

when you were studying for your chemistry exam

instead of being helpful

seven whispers dirty jokes in your ear

all science-related of course

oh gosh he LOVES messing with you so much

will steal your little journals recording plant growth and read them out loud

he’d hold it over his head when you try to grab it

“LOLOL YOU NAME YOUR PLANTS?!”

“ssSTOP!! SEV STOP!!”

little mischievous giggles

oh gosh he loves you so much.

Saeran

watching you talk about the subjects you love – it’s his favorite thing

when your eyes light up and you have this big, geeky smile on your face

he’s not good enough with his words to express it to you

the way his heart rate speeds up

and oh

when you realize you’ve been talking non-stop

and you blush profusely

apologizing, saying you didn’t realize you were talking so long

he shakes his head, “no, I like it. I like it when you talk about the things you love. tell me more.”

now you’re blushing for a different reason.. how did you end up so lucky?

literally so supportive

hypes you up while you’re studying

makes you little flashcards ;-;

loves you so much

will genuinely give you lil kisses (they’re shy) when you tell him all about your favorite wars because ??

THAT’S SO CUTE uwu

PLANTS

p l a n t s

he has so many plants

shows you all of them

has names for each one

and his beautiful flowers

will read with you plant care books and scientific experiments about them

honestly will spend looooong nights just staying up and talking with you

like can you just IMAGINE

staying up til 5am… talking about everything and nothing

accidentally falling asleep together on the couch

he loves how you smell, and subconsciously hugs you closer

you wake up

and in a moment of boldness

you wake up and exhales

and hugs you a little tighter

Yoosung

he’s a (sort of failing) university student

to be honest you will use each others strengths if you are in classes with him

you lowkey carry him with all the assignments and studying you help him with

but he really admires you

he’s not really the type to seek things out for the sake of curiousity

sure, gaming is different

but when it comes to subject matters and non-fiction it all flies past him

he’s no dummy, it’s just hard for him to apply himself to something he doesn’t even really care about

so meeting someone so refreshingly different from him is so, so nice

not to mention you’re so incredibly sweet and kind

you’re so patient with him

and when you lean in to help him understand the concept more..

he can’t get enough of it

he thinks it’s so cute how you’re so passionate and geek out occasionally

you inspire him to succeed

because you can do anything

and yoosung thinks that if you cheer him on, he’s able to do anything too

oddly enough, he might even find a certain area of what you love to be really interesting, too

but honestly you kind of lose him when you get into astrophysics

like are you even speaking korean anymore

he can’t keep up with you

when you talk about things he can’t really wrap his mind around

but he could listen to you all day

he would also probably want to tell you a lot about his own hobbies

it’s very sweet how you both can love what the other loves – simply because you or he loves it

Jumin

honestly Jumin is incredibly smart

like he knows so much about almost everything

so he eats up all the conversations you have about historical events or the sciences

he’d hold his palm over his mouth, resting his chin on his palm simultaneously

trying not to laugh

because he looked at his watch

and you’d been gushing about a new scientific breakthrough for the last ten minutes

he’d avoid eye contact with you in that moment because he might lose all control

and say it out loud

I love it when you talk like that.

resisting you might be the only thing Jumin isn’t good at

buys you ANYTHING remotely close to the subjects you like

if he ever sees something in a store, he’d immediately buy it on impulse

“Y/n would like this..”

God if you weren’t already dating it’d be beyond obvious that he’s so smitten with you

He’d just give you it casually, saying, “I found something for you..”

He’d pay any price just to see your eyes sparkle and a big smile light up your face

Cute.

He’s so patient, so even if you stay up late doing research or reading, he’d stay up

and listen to you if you’d read to him

or do some of his own reading

can you imagine Jumin reading one of your little books during his free time?

like oh my gosh

he has a habit of getting really into your passions

he’s certain anything you are passionate about is worth learning more about

167 notes · View notes

whats-rambled-rambled · 3 years

Text

Long Nights - part 2

Neil x Reader

Chapter 2: Praise you

(see chapter 1)

summary: you found tremendous joy in coming up with new ways to make the lockpicking sessions challenging. And entertaining.

...even if the last part was mostly a one-sided thing.

warnings: 18+, explicit language, teasing, implied smut I guess? oh, and of course - ✨hand content✨

author’s note: Took me a while, but it was fun to write! Didn’t expect it to get this long, but here we are - over 4,2k words of shameless hand content

The song for this chapter is Fatboy Slim - Praise you

Anyway, enjoy! All feedback is greatly appreciated, let me know what you think?

——————

Tag list: @vaneilla @gallifreyan-uprising @ergunbilge @invertedneil @wanderedaway @truly-insatiable (let me know if you want to be added or removed from the list)

-----

You cracked it.

It took you a good while, though. A whole sleepless night, even.

And half of the morning after that.

But maybe the absolute exhaustion was the key, pun intended.

At first, it boggled your mind so much that you were dangerously close to using brute force just to examine that lock. You tried every technique that you could think of - to no effect. It wasn’t like anything you’d seen before. The mechanism wasn’t responding as usual, it was more like a thing from goddamn Upside Down, or however the fuck that was called.

It became a matter of pride.

The sun had risen over an hour ago and the sunlight was pouring through the gaps in the blinds. Grasping at the last strands of sanity, you decided to take a break. You put on your headphones and danced around your apartment to the sounds of a song with that one bloody line that somehow seemed fitting for this madness.

Is it worth it? Let me work it, I put my thang down, flip it and reverse it

Because it felt exactly like that was what had happened to it. And no amount of cursing and switching tools would help in the face of glitched reality.

And when you sat down at your desk again, with your head so empty that your last brain cell was amusing itself by yodeling and listening to an echo, you bound the first pin. The sound was so distorted it almost startled you. The last thing you needed right then was to break the hook inside the keyway, so you leveled your breath and continued, even though your fingers cramped painfully. That wasn’t enough to stop you. Not as you finally got proof that the task was actually within your reach.

With every click like a backwards version of the sound you knew so well, the next pins got set quicker and smoother. And when you opened the lock, you couldn’t help the cheerful scream that escaped your mouth.

“Fuck yes!” You punched the air, the adrenaline rushing through your veins, the biggest grin lighting up your face.

That’s when you knew there was no way you were going to sleep anytime soon. Besides, you still didn’t know how you managed to convince that device to cooperate. You had to prove to yourself that it wasn’t dumb luck, and should you ever come upon a bloody nightmare like that, you’d be able to use the experience to crack it open. Because of that, you spent the next couple of hours reverse-picking it (which turned out to be another level of bonkers) to lock the damn thing, only to open it back again. And again. And then three times more. When you got comfortable with the process, your eyes were burning, your fingers stiff and trembling, but the immense satisfaction was worth every bit of it.

You were about to crash on the bed as your phone buzzed, and you glanced at the incoming message.

//did you pick it?

At first, you assumed you got it from Mahir, but as you were typing in a long rant, you realized that there was no history of the previous conversations on the screen, so you checked the sender again.

Neil.

Huh.

You’d exchanged the numbers the day before, but you didn’t expect to hear from him until they got everything ready to start the lessons. Oh well. You snapped the picture of the open lock and sent it back, adding a short message.

//that was fun, hope you have more of them

As you faceplanted on the bed, the phone buzzed with a reply.

//N: you bet

You couldn’t wait to get all the answers about how they managed to manufacture the most bizarre and mind-bending thing you’d ever seen, but there was no point in asking those questions over the phone. Plus, you really needed to get some rest.

//awesome! now excuse me, imma get some Zs - let me know when you guys are ready to start

After a second, you typed in another text.

//ps. how’s your nose?

//N: will do, sleep well!

//N: as for my nose...let’s say I’m glad it wasn’t the straightest one in the first place

That cheeky bastard.

//hey, don’t try to guilt-trip me, i’m trying to sleep

You almost drifted off, but you couldn’t resist checking that last notification.

//N: ...I wouldn’t dare

Snorting, you rolled to the side.

Then you fell asleep, dreaming of the impossible locks.

-------

It took them another day to prepare all the stuff, and after several further messages you got a date and location.

The building looked like a contemporary tenement house, definitely standing out from two older ones at its sides. You always assumed it belonged to one of those fancy start-ups, but apparently it was some sort of temporary headquarters of your new associates.

It didn’t surprise you that you weren’t given a tour of the place, you assumed you needed to have some sort of clearance to walk freely through the area. For now, you were restricted to the ground floor, or rather to the lobby and your classroom - a rather cozy space, but equipped with everything you needed to begin.

Neil turned out to be a fast learner, at least when it came to covering the theoretical side of lockpicking. You walked him through the basics, but you couldn’t help the itch in the back of your brain. After the encounter with the preposterous lock, your mind started to question everything that used to be unshakeable.

And of course you asked Neil about that bloody device as soon as you saw him, but he just smiled lightly and said that The Protagonist insisted on telling you all that himself when the time was right. So you had nothing left to do but to continue with the lessons, hoping that you the man himself would decide to grace you with his presence sooner than later.

You propped the chin on your hand and watched as Neil grabbed the tools. Your gaze wandered over his outrageously long fingers as he gave the lock a try, but apparently, the most idiotic grin on your face didn’t go unnoticed.

“Hey, eyes up here,” snorted Neil, and you looked at him just to meet his amused face. He caught you shamelessly staring, and there was no point in denying it.

Trying to salvage your mental coherence, you choked out, “Dude, your hands are--”

“What?” he asked, tilting his head.

“...huge,” you finished, the wide smile not leaving even for a second. You bit your lip and glanced back at Neil. “Don’t mind me, I’m just gonna stare for a bit longer.”

A hint of a blush crept upon his cheeks. My, oh my. Blinking rapidly, he cleared his throat and proceeded to bind the first pin, pressing his mouth into a thin line in an attempt to keep a composed demeanor. The sparkles in his gaze were quite telling, though.

The sight was utterly adorable, but more importantly, it planted a rather gut-busting idea into your head.

You stifled a giggle.

All in due time.

____

One of the perks of the location was a small cafe on the other side of the street.

Neil took you there on your second day during a break, walking in with a confidence of a true regular. He knew the staff by name and vice-versa, so it didn’t surprise you as he charmed his way through the conversation.

“I’ve got this,” he said, raising a hand to stop you before you could place your order. “One black coffee and one--...” he hesitated, still preventing you from chiming in. You crossed your arms and watched as his forehead creased, the confidence leaving him with every second passed. He narrowed his eyes, and you could almost hear the gears grinding in his head.

Whatever he was doing, or trying to do, it was time to put him out of his misery.

“Iced mocha for me, please,” you said, wondering which one of you had a more puzzled expression. “Cat got your tongue?”

Neil shook his head.

“No, it’s just…” - he let out a small sigh - “I can’t read you.”

“Good,” you snorted. “Why would you want to, anyway?”

The young barista smiled, putting the first coffee on the counter.

“Oh, your colleague here has a thing.”

“Oh?” You arched a brow. “Do tell!”

“It’s nothing,” said Neil, cringing slightly, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the enthusiastic answer from spilling from the barista.

“He likes to guess the orders of his companions, but this is prolly the first time I ever saw him freeze like that. Can’t wait to tell Doris!”

Neil groaned, avoiding your amused stare. “Spare me, Max.”

“Aww, man, I’m honored to be your first!” you teased, nudging his arm lightly and snickering at the absolutely done face he gave you in return.

That cafe quickly became your place of choice during breaks, but sometimes, if the weather was nice enough, you ordered to-go, just to spend that bit of free time between lockpicking sessions sitting on a grassy hill overlooking a bank of the river. You chatted about everything and nothing in particular, or simply sat in silence, enjoying the ambiance, beverages, and each other’s company.

The last thing took you by surprise, in a way. You’d expected those brief moments of a break during the day to be your sacred moments of solitude, the usual necessity to avoid getting too cranky around people. As Neil joined you on that second day, you found out that his presence was not bothering you, or at least your social batteries weren’t being drained in their regular manner. Sure, it probably helped that he was incredibly easy on the eyes, but a real treat were those moments when you ventured onto a territory he felt strongly about. In a wink, he was ready to drop his typical composure just to go straight into bubbly rants, gesturing wildly, the blue irises lit by the fire that he most often kept under wraps.

There was nothing more boring than people who lacked passion.

Lucky for you, that was not the case with Neil.

Moreover, he made you laugh.

A dangerous combination.

Alluring, even.

Good thing that you were not one to become smitten that easily.

That didn’t mean you couldn’t have some fun, though.

--------

“You need to listen to what the lock has to say,” you prompted, pacing through the room and watching as Neil struggled with a new type of mechanism. “It’s all about feedback.”

He pulled out the tools and rubbed his face, trying to hide the first hints of frustration.

“What if we apply heavier tension to amplify it?” he said and glared at the lock as if it was taunting him from its place on the practice stand.

“Sure, “ - you leaned over the table to rest the chin on your laced fingers - “but can you think of any reasons not to do that, my dear Physics Boy?”

“The higher possibility of breaking tools?”

“Precisely,” you said as you snapped and pointed your fingers. ”Also, you risk binding the pins too tightly and you wouldn’t want that, either.”

Neil sighed and slumped his shoulders.

“So...patience, then?”

“Yes,” you beamed. “It really comes down to one thing - you have to feel it.”

A corner of his lips twitched. “I’ve heard it before,” he said, shifting in his seat.

You shrugged, eyeing him curiously.

“Maybe because that’s one universally useful advice?”

“Would help if I understood it, too.” He gave you a weak smile, but his expression told you he wasn’t convinced.

You hummed in acknowledgment.

“Listen, I can smarten it up for you, but let me just show you what I mean.” You grabbed the second pair of tools from the table and placed them inside the keyway, but as soon as you opened your mouth to provide some follow-up instructions, you got struck by a better idea. Your eyes flared up. “Okay, know what? I’m just gonna-- if you could scoot back a bit--...” you said, shuffling in his direction. Neil’s brows snapped together in consternation, but he moved back. Without further ado, you sat down in front of him, nestling yourself between his spread legs on the edge of the chair, and let out a content sigh. “Should be easier now. Put your hands on mine.“

Neil tensed, and you could swear you heard him swallowing hard behind your back. He followed your suggestion, wrapping his arms around you and placing his hands on top of yours.

“Now, lay your fingers on the tools just above mine,” you continued as you slid your digits back to make more room for him. “Great, try not to press them and focus. Close your eyes, if you want.” As you gently moved the tools, you couldn’t resist but to add, “You can breathe though, you know?”

“Blimey.”

You giggled at the sarcastic bit in his tone and drew a long breath, hoping that Neil would follow it, and focused back on the lock. Purposefully slowing down your movements to allow him to feel how the mechanism responded to your ministrations, you kept sliding the hook back and forth the keyway, setting pin after pin. Neil relaxed after a moment, his shallow breath ghosting over your shoulder got deeper and more steady. His palms rested heavier on your hands, and you marveled at their size again, nibbling on your bottom lip. With all your senses sharpened, you stole a brief moment of self-indulgence, closing your eyes and relishing in the warmth radiating from Neil, the way it enveloped you, carrying a scent of his cologne - airy citrus undertones mixed with hints of powdery musk, a fresh and unostentatious combination you found fitting him so well.

The final click, more pressure and voilà - the lock was open.

“Did you feel it?” you asked softly, weirdly unwilling to move, hoping to linger in the position for a little while longer.

“Yes,” said Neil, and his husky voice made you turn your head to look at him. As he pulled his hands back somewhat hesitantly, you noticed his dazed expression and slightly flushed cheeks.

“Good,” you chirped, grinning, then reached out over your shoulder and lightly booped his nose, enjoying probably a bit too much the way his eyes widened. “Your turn.”

-----

Days. Weeks. Or was it months, plural?

You lost track of how much time had passed since that morning in the Old Town district.

The progress was counted by the number of models you introduced to Neil, showing him all the tricks you’d learned over the years. You still waited for the meeting with The Protagonist, although, ever since your student spilled a little too much information during one of his enthusiastic rants at the breaks (seriously, how could a person that bad at keeping secrets survive so long in any sort of spying business was beyond you), your initial curiosity itch had been scratched, and you were now in that blessed moment before it got unbearable again and demanded taking further actions.

It also helped that you found tremendous joy in coming up with new ways to make the lockpicking sessions challenging. And entertaining. Even if the last part was mostly a one-sided thing.

Neil was clearly feeling confident that evening. He really started to get a hang of this, and you loved watching him like that - fully focused, blonde strands falling to the eyes, with the tip of the tongue poking out...

It would be a shame if someone was to test his level of concentration.

“You know, I spend so much time looking at your hands that they recently started making cameos in my dreams.”

The blue eyes darted at you from under raised brows.

“Is that so?" asked Neil, switching his attention to the lock again.

“Yep. Mind you, most of those dreams are rather uneventful.” You pouted, sliding from your place on the windowsill. “Still waiting for one that is not so boringly PG-13.”

He pressed his lips into a thin line and swallowed with effort.

...warmer...

Circling the table, you stopped behind Neil’s chair.

"I’m just saying,” - leaning over, you purred right into his ear - ”that such long fingers like yours can give a girl all sorts of ideas--"

Snap.

You bit back a satisfied smile and smacked your tongue. “Those were perfectly fine tools, you know.”

Neil turned in his seat and gaped at you.

“Why are you like this?” he complained, helpless and flustered.

You shrugged. “I thought it was a high time for a little stress test. Might come in handy later.” Snickering at his puzzled face, you added, “What? You’re not exactly in a stress-free line of work.”

He shook the head lightly and scoffed. “... yeah, I see your point,” he said, a corner of his mouth curling into a half-smile. “But I don’t think there’s a high risk of someone trying to seduce me in the field.”

“Do you think that’s what I’m doing?” you asked, arching a brow, your tone nothing but serious.

“I-...”

The panicked look on his face as he blinked rapidly was more than enough to break your deadpan façade.

“Oh man, I’m just pulling your leg. You should’ve seen your face though.” Giggling, you grabbed a fresh lock from a shelf and tossed it to Neil. He sighed and replaced the messed-up device. “Besides,” you continued, “if there is one thing that the espionage movies have taught me, it’s that the spy always has plenty of beautiful creatures willing to keep his bed warm.”

The playful sparks appeared in Neil’s eyes.

“Is this a very elaborate way of asking me if I’m seeing someone or are you volunteering?”

Well, well, well.

“What if it’s both?”

“Then the first answer is no. As for the second one--” he hesitated, tugging the bottom lip between the teeth. “...a follow-up question - is it a good idea?”

You tilted your head, sitting down on the edge of the table in front of him.

“Why?”

“What if it’s gonna make things… I don’t know, weird?”

You gestured vaguely. “Can’t get any weirder than all your timey-wimey, inverted entropy bullshit.”

“That’s not exactly--”

“I know what you meant,” you sighed and met his darkened gaze, a shade of smile tainting your lips. “And yet, you’re trying to appeal to my reason while looking at me like that.” You left your seat and grabbed your backpack. “It’s getting late. Finish with this one and get some rest.”

Then you left, not waiting for a reply.

It was one of the warm nights and you decided to take a walk. A promenade near the river was not as crowded as you expected, making your journey home way more enjoyable. With your favourite tunes seeping through the headphones, you took in the view, the city lights reflecting in the water only added to the ambiance.

The phone buzzed in your pocket.

//N: I can’t believe you left like that

You chuckled, texting him back.

//why, you had any plans?

The answer came almost instantly.

//N: maybe

He was adorable. But--

//have you finished with the lock?

//N: …no

//N: wait are you gonna use our conversation as some sort of motivational tool now

Even if you weren’t, after getting a message like that?

You just had to.

//maybe?

//N: jesus

//sex is but a great metaphorical carrot. besides - it’s all about that delayed gratification and whatnot

A moment of silence.

And then:

//N: you’re evil.

That spiteful period at the end got you snickering loudly, earning you some curious looks.

A huge grin lit up your face.

//gn <3

-----

You must admit, that game was quite exciting.

And Neil was getting better at it, and soon implying became no longer enough to make him lose his focus.

At first, it was relatively easy to prompt a blush or a slight tremble of a hand. But with every next attempt, he grew more and more resilient, and soon, the only indication that he heard you was the fire burning in his eyes.

Then you got really mean, throwing some ambitious tasks in front of him, tricky locks and complex mechanisms, as your teasing got more straightforward.

And descriptive.

It became hard to shake it off once you left the training room. The lingering looks. The accidental touches. The atmosphere, almost electric. In other words - the heat sink was ready to be popped, and it was no longer a matter of if, but more of when.

“4 minutes.”

Neil barely nodded, lips pressed together and brows knitted in concentration.

3 locks in 15 minutes. Difficult, but doable, considering his current level of skill. Too bad he’d slacked at the second one, not leaving too much time for the final push. Sure, you didn’t go easy on him along the way, but the real challenge was supposed to be a race against the clock, so now you just watched him with bated breath.

Click.

You checked the time.

“45 seconds”

“Goddamnit!” he uttered through gritted teeth, readjusting cramping fingers on the tools.

“Come on, you’ve got this,” you said, taking a step closer.

Another click.

He didn’t know that there was only one pin left to set. You did, that’s why you tried your best not to reveal it with your expression. Too early to celebrate, anyway.

“Nine... eight… seven… six… five…”

That’s when you heard a final click and you looked up from your phone, only to see the lock giving in and opening up.

“Yeah!” Neil cheered, banging a fist on the table and tossing the tools away.

You smiled, hiding the phone in the pocket. “Good job, I knew--” but before you could finish a sentence, Neil sprung up from his chair and closed the gap between you, then cupped your face with his palms and kissed you hungrily.

You froze for a second, but as your mind caught up, you kissed him back, tugging at the light blue shirt. He smiled against your lips and made you back away until you hit the wall, huffing at the sudden coldness of the surface. But he was bent on kissing you senseless until you both ended up gasping for air.

“You’re so paying for all that teasing,” he panted, running the tip of the tongue through his swollen lips. “Not to mention, you’ve given me a few fascinating ideas, and I’m very much willing to give them all a try.”

You grinned, fighting with your evidently short-circuiting brain for a grasp of coherence as his hands traveled down your body.

“My, my, all of them?”

“The night is young,” - his throaty chuckle sent a wave of heat through your body - “and I’m up for a challenge.”

“I’m counting on it,” you breathed, burying your fingers in his hair, and pulling him into a kiss again.

Actually, the challenge started right away, and that meant getting to Neil’s place, as the company conveniently rented him a room in a nearby hotel. Walking distance, but in your current quite heated state, every distance seemed way too long. Especially when you had to keep up appearances.

At least until the elevator’s door closed behind you.

The dark gaze fixed on you. Your breaths intertwining. His bottom lip between your teeth. The five o’clock shadow under your fingertips. Your hands sliding under his shirt. His knee parting your legs. The intoxicating smell of his cologne. Your quiet moan. His tongue slipping into your mouth--

A quiet sound announced you reached your floor, and you stumbled out into the corridor, giggling, unable to keep hands and lips off each other.

Your back hit the door, barely missing the knob. Without skipping a beat, Neil reached to the pocket of his pants, then into the other one. When he tried the third one, you broke the kiss, your expression nothing but innocent.

“Looking for this?” you asked, showing him a key card.

He furrowed his brows. “Yes, thank you, I don’t know how--...” he started, but when he tried to snatch his property, you hid your hand behind your back. His jaw went slack as it dawned on him and he stared at you in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, but I am.”

He groaned.

“You’re unbelievable,” he uttered as he pulled out his wallet. “Credit card?”

“Only if you’re not overly attached to it.” The roguish lights danced in your gaze. “Especially when you’re in a hurry,” you hinted, palming over the bulge in his pants. Neil squeezed his eyes shut, biting back a moan, and you stifled a chuckle. “Try any membership card.”

He glared at you. “You’re so in for it, you have no idea.”

“Promises, promises,” you pouted, trying not to burst into laughter at his wounded expression. “Work it.”

“Gladly, just tell me what to do.”

So you walked him through the process.

Fortunately, Neil really was a fast learner, making the door give way in no time.

“Good boy,” you hummed, and the blue eyes flared up.

He crashed his lips on yours, closing the door behind you.

Then he gave you a taste of what was coming for you.

And then some more.

And then…

...he gave you all.

(next chapter ->)

#neil tenet x reader #neil x reader #neil tenet fanfiction #neil tenet #robert pattinson #tenet #tenet fanfiction #long nights

95 notes · View notes

shoichee · 3 years

Note

So...👉🏼👈🏼 Could you make a headcannon of ( any characters u want ) reacting to their crush, reader. Being the leader and main dancer in the dance club? Like this...

The characters were walking down hallways while having an conversation ( or arguing?). Then, suddenly they hear a music and see their crush, a beatiful but confident female, practicing the coreo with all her club a dance that they would show the whole school during the lunch. If not, then thank you for at least reading my request.

By;; One of your fans and, of course, readers.

hello, my anon! thank you so much for reading my stuff and supporting me <33 without further ado... here are some long headcanons!

[Dancer f!reader]

Kuroko Tetsuya

he usually hangs out with the Seirin basketball team, where they would all often hide behind the hallway corners to eavesdrop on Riko’s and Hyuga’s next plans for training camps

as they all (not so quietly) trailed after the coach-captain duo down the hallway for them to turn left, Kuroko hears a soft orchestral sound coming from the right turn of said hall

his teammates were too rowdy to even discern the tune in the first place and they only cared to find out where their next torture session would be at, so they all took the left hallway

but Kuroko knew that sound from anywhere… after all that’s all you’ve been practicing to for the past month during breaks and after school

this was one of the few occasions he was glad that he had no presence, because he easily slipped away from his friends to find the source of the melody and to find you in particular

he wordlessly tracks down to your practice room, all the while having his head completely in the clouds… though his face was as stony as ever and gave no sign of his lovestruck affliction

the doors were obviously closed but he could still peep into the room through its windows, and there you were, enveloped in sheer tulle and a natural glow of an experienced performer

you were so completely engrossed into your pirouettes that Kuroko, despite seeing your solo routine alone together after school, can’t help but have sparkles in his eyes as he fixates on your passion and form

his mind drifts to the time he first met you after a home game, and he saw you approaching Riko to congratulate her on a preliminary win before you actually noticed Kuroko and directly praised him for his assisting skills as well

and boy was he SHOOK, he faltered a bit before he managed out a polite “thank you”

it was probably attraction at first sight, he’ll admit, but he actually started to fall for you when you would always come to the home games to support Riko (you unfortunately couldn’t come to away games because of your schedule as a club leader for dance), and pretty soon, you got to chat with a few of the Seirin players as well (including Kuroko)

you knew what you wanted to do for your career and you had everything set out and planned, and Kuroko found that really admirable

someone with a cool head, powerful aura, and charisma kind of reminded him of Akashi and he was here for it

and then he completely fell head over heels when he saw you dancing for the first time during club rush week at the beginning of his 2nd year… it was the way your gaze was so focused, and nothing else mattered to you except the performance, similar to how the Generation of Miracles would enter into the zone—

“Tetsuya?”

“A-ah..”

he didn’t realize that he completely zoned out (pun not intended) because it looks like your club was already done with dress rehearsal, and everyone else was beginning to pack up; you were standing right in front of him, holding the door open

“Sorry, am I in the way, (y/n)-san?”

“Naw, don’t worry,” you said. “Just saw you standing there and I was wondering if you needed something from me.”

yes, he wanted you to reciprocate his feelings, as selfish as he knew it was

“Nothing. Just heard something familiar and stopped by to see.”

“That’s very typical of you,” you chuckled. “Say, are you going to watch our showcase during lunch in a few hours?”

“The showcase advertised all over the bulletin, right?”

“Yeah.”

ah, that’s right, your club was planning to do a free showcase preview during lunch in the auditorium to advertise your ballet recital in a week

“Yeah, I’ll be there to cheer you on this time.”

“Pffftt, you’re too serious,” you laughed, ruffling his hair. Kuroko would normally be irked at the action, but with you, your touch was comforting. “I don’t mind coming to your games, I come for fun, and I don’t think of them as obligations. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I know most find ballet pretty dull—”

“I want to go, though. I don’t find it boring, (y/n)-san,” Kuroko said with a smile

your eyes widened as your hand in his hair stilled

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Since when were you into ballet?” you hummed, clearly meant to tease him in good fun, and you started to ruffle through his hair again

“Ever since I fell for you.”

Kise Ryota

Kise, even though being an idol-figure himself, is a fanboy of many idol groups and bands

he’s always looked for you during breaks, knowing you’d be in the dance room to practice with your small group of members

why? well, he wants to see you dance, especially when your club does dance covers of other prominent idols

he’s tried (emphasis on tried) to ditch practice once in a while to go see you in your element, even if it’ll always end up with him being pulverized by Kasamatsu himself

this time though, when he heard that your club was going to cover some big-hit performances during the schoolwide pep rally during lunch, he couldn’t resist the urge to get a “sneak peek”

he basically RAN down the hallway, blatantly ignoring the warnings the teachers gave down the aisle, to escape Kasamatsu and to get to you as soon as he could so he could have more time to watch

as he ran closer, his ears register the very familiar hip hop, urban, and pop songs emanating from the room

“(Y/n)-cchi!!!”

“Kise? What are you even doing here?”

“I came to watch your practice—”

“But you always do,” you sighed, crossing your arms in mild annoyance. “Besides, you’re going to see the exact choreography at the rally anyways. Don’t you already know the choreo yourself? Aren’t you a fan of these groups?”

“But I won’t be able to see you up close like thiiiiis,” Kise whines. “You’re always so cool when you dance, is it so wrong that I always want to see you dance?”

there was his signature puppy eyes that would normally make most girls weak in their knees

“I’m flattered,” you deadpanned, managing to stare down at Kise even though he was much taller than you. “But you’re cutting into our time right now, so you should either leave or sit quietly like a good boy and keep it shush.”

“Sheesh, so demanding…” he pouted, but nonetheless reluctantly sat himself on the chair like a petulant child

his petty anger quickly dissipates when your club got into position, with you at the center, and started the entire routine

even though everyone was just lipsyncing to the songs as they performed the dance covers back to back, he really thought everyone, especially you, embodied the essence of a real idol group

you had the aura, energy, passion, and charisma of an idol leader… not to mention the looks

Kise honestly saw you as his ultimate role model and idol, if he was going to be honest

to outsiders, it genuinely looked like you and Kise didn’t get along, but it couldn’t be further from the truth

okay, yes, maybe your first impressions on him weren’t that great

Kise first laid eyes on you when your recently new club performed for the first time at a talent show to promote for more members the following year, and he asked Moriyama if he knew who you were

“Right?? (Y/n)-san is cute! But don’t go near her—”

“Relax, Moriyama-senpai, I was just curious.”

and he started seeing your face popped up more around school, and your name being brought up more frequently among students (particularly his fangirls, who envy and admire you for different reasons)

you apparently started the club yourself (like Teppei with Seirin’s basketball team)

he was then intrigued and wanted to judge you for himself… and that’s when he started to show up to your room after practice to annoy you or would bump into you in the hallways

you, not wanting to deal with his shit, told him off in front of everyone

as much as Kise was shocked out of his wits, he couldn’t believe anyone had the balls to say that while risking their reputation… even Kasamatsu wasn’t THAT confrontational

he fell for you… HARD

he visits you DURING practice from that point on and while you hated it at first and tried to scare him away, he was just too stubborn

so you let him be

and you eventually learned that Kise was surprisingly dependable

he’d always insist on walking you home after practice

while you are still wary of him sometimes, you no longer find him completely unbearable… except when Kise would make it a huge deal to cheer your name OUT LOUD in the audience every time you performed, which was BEYOND embarrassing and headache-inducing

“Wow… I can’t believe you haven’t auditioned for an idol label yet, (y/n)-cchi,” Kise thought… more like he accidentally slipped out

but hypothetically, if you did pass an audition, he wouldn’t be able to get to see you as much anymore…

by now, your club was wrapping up practice and you came over to Kise to whack his head

“I told you to keep it shush, didn’t I?”

“You’re so mean! Your practice is done, isn’t it?!”

“You think I’m going to audition for a company?” you scoffed, but nonetheless mirth danced across your eyes; you knew he was trying to change the subject

“It was just a stray thought,” he mumbled, averting his eyes while pouting

“Really now,” you said, narrowing your eyes. “If I really did become one, I wouldn’t have much time to be here, now wouldn’t I?”

“(Y/n)-cchi! Are you saying that you…”

“On second thought, even if I’d miss class so much, I can at least avoid you and your incessant shouting.”

“Wha—! You’re so cruel—!”

“I’m joking, Kise.”

“(Y/n)-cchiiiiiii!” he fake-cries as he tries to glomp on your figure, only for you to expertly sidestep his lunge

“You better not scream out during the pep rally.”

spoiler alert: he, indeed, kept shouting out your name at the volume of a thousand decibels like a true fanboy during lunch

Kasamatsu Yukio

“I do not like (y/n)-san in that way!”

typical Kaijo team dynamics: during practice, everyone obeys the captain side of Kasamatsu without question, but outside of basketball? everyone picks on him the most

“Sure, sure, senpai,” Kise would often say, with Moriyama giving him consoling shoulder pats

“Screw off, or I’m giving you 5 extra drill runs—”

“Look, look, he’s turning red! He’s turning red!”

needless to say, the hallways were filled with a huge ruckus of chattering and shouts over Kasamatsu’s “problem,” aka you

he never saw you in that light

or at least… he used to not see you in that way

he admired your leadership skills; you were reputed across the school as the leader of the most coordinated group of performers who would travel to other cities to perform on televised festivals, local outdoor shows, and competitions

he would often hear your spartan-like commands to other performers outside, like “you three are off beat on 1, when you should be on the and of 2!″ and “your formations are too cluttered, spread out!”

sometimes, your group borrowed the gym because it’s much more spacious to practice in, and that’s where he REALLY saw you being a leader and a performer

if the Kaijo basketball team was the cream of the crop of all sports clubs, then the Kaijo performance group was the cream of the crop for all visual and performing arts

the group performed in all styles of dance, from traditional to modern and contemporary, and the fact that you seemed to know what to do on every new stage gave him motivation to do more as a captain to not “get left behind” for a lack of better term

he respected you like how he would respect Hyuga, Kuroko, and Kagami, but he never saw you as a “girl”

which was why he was able to talk to you normally and become good mutuals so easily

it’s the way you talked about your interests so passionately, it just made it really relatable and easy to strike up conversation with you, because you and him are similar in so many ways

well… that was… until his own teammates noticed and kept pestering him about the fact that you were a “girl” and that it was strange that he talked to you normally

so now he couldn’t undo his perspective of you, and he became HYPER AWARE of everything about you

so now he was noticing your mannerisms, your habits when you were idly thinking, the way your costumes and attire clinged to your figure or the way the stage makeup accentuated your features… the little things like that just really cemented the fact that you were not just “a dude”

“Drop it already,” Kasamatsu said, glaring at his teammates, who already looked like they’re in tears of laughter

Kise, even through the teasing, wanted the best for Kasamatsu, so he insisted he should just confess

and Kasamatsu is denying to his dying breath how he doesn’t see you that way

here these two are, going back and forth until it escalated into an argument after Kise insults him for being a coward

the rest of the teammates had to pull the two of them off each other so they could both cool their heads off

and Kasamatsu is stalking off alone in the halls, fist and teeth clenching as he figures out how to destroy Kise at practice after school… until he heard a faint oriental-sounding instrumental, and he immediately knew you were near

so he runs to the source of the sound… only to see you practicing alone in an empty club room, which is odd, since you normally practice with everyone

he’s too shy to do anything other than to look at you through the door window, being completely red when he’s, yet again, aware of how your body moved

all of the sudden, you stopped and frowned at yourself and sighed

was there something wrong?

you would never make a harsh expression, unless it was for the sake of acting when you danced, since you were normally so put-together

the want to help you overcome your troubles overrides his self-consciousness of this “crush” of his

“(Y/n)-san,” Kasamatsu called out, letting himself in after announcing his presence

“Kasamatsu? What brings you here?”

“Heard something… so uh,” he paused. “I came to check it out, but it seems like you’re troubled. Is there anything I can… do to help?”

“Ah…” you started. “We have to board the bus soon for a competition during lunch. It’s going to be televised everywhere too… I just want to get some last-minute practice, so nothing goes wrong…”

“I admire you alot,” Kasamatsu said seriously. “You inspire me to keep working harder.”

“Huh?”

“But try not to overwork yourself, your members will definitely notice if their leader is off their game,” Kasamatsu said. “I would know from experience.”

“Are you trying to cheer me up?” you laughed, to which Kasamatsu doesn’t fail to notice

“W-w-well, that’s—”

“Thank you, Kasamatsu,” you smiled. “Hearing your advice makes me want to ace this and make sure our performance will take the win.”

“Y-yeah…” he said, stretching his neck and shoulders out of nervousness

“Make sure you tune into our performance live during lunch, okay?” you leaned towards him playfully with your hands behind your back. “I’d be really happy if I knew you were there supporting me.”

“Y-yeah…”

#ask #anon #knb #kuroko no basket #kuroko x reader #kuroko tetsuya #kuroko tetsuya x reader #kise x reader #kise ryota #kise ryota x reader #kise ryouta #kasamatsu #kasamatsu yukio #kasamatsu x reader #kasamatsu yukio x reader #knb headcanons #knb scenarios

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aromanticmina · 2 years

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I'm not that kind of blog but I couldn't resist myself

MHA CLASS 1-A INSPIRED NEOPRONOUNS (minus grape bastard + shinsou & aizawa)

this is a looooong list so be prepared!

DEKUSQUAD

Midoriya Izuku (Deku)

cow/cowling/cowlings/cowlings/cowlingself

green/green/greens/greens/greenself

mutter/mutters/muttering/muttering/mutterself

small/might/smol/mighty/mightself

sun/shine/sunshines/sunshines/sunself

Uraraka Ochako (Uravity)

float/floats/floating/floating/floatself gra/gravity/vity/vitys/gravityself pea/peace/peace/peaceful/peaceself (Uraraka could be translated to "peaceful") cheek/cheeks/cheeks/cheeks/cheekself pea/peach/peaches/peaches/peachself

Asui Tsuyu (Froppy)

ribbit/ribbit/ribbits/ribbits/ribbitself

lae/lake/lakes/lakes/lakeself

water/lilie/lilies/lilies/waterself

rain/rain/rainy/rainy/rainself (as her name means "rainy season")

calm/calm/calms/calms/calmself

Todoroki Shouto

half/halfs/halfs/halfs/halfself frost/frost/frost/frost/frostself burn/burns/burnt/burnt/burnself icy/hot/icys/hots/icyhotself vel/vet/velvet/velvets/velvetself

Iida Tenya (Ingenium)

en/engine/engines/engines/engineself nae/navy/navy/navy/navyself rep/recipro/bust/bust/reciproself fa/fast/fast/fast/fastself mint/mints/minty/minty/mintself (idk Iida looks like the type of guy who always haves mints in his pockets)

BAKUSQUAD

Bakugou Katsuki (Dynamight)

boom/boom/booms/booms/boomself king/king/kings/kings/kingself sun/suns/suns/suns/sunself nit/nitro/glycerin/glycerins/nitroself gold/gold/golds/golds/goldself

Kirishima Eijirou (Red Riot)

red/red/reds/reds/redself man/manly/manlys/manlys/manlyself shark/sharks/sharks/sharks/sharkself stron/strong/strong/strong/strongself shar/sharp/sharps/sharps/sharpself

Ashido Mina (Pinky)

acid/acids/acids/acids/acidself ra/racoon/racoons/racoons/racoonself pink/pinks/pinks/pinks/pinkself eff/effer/vecent/effervecent/effervecentself (because of her personality) cup/cupid/cupids/cupids/cupidself

Kaminari Denki (Chargebolt)

thun/der/ders/thunders/thunderself buzz/buzz/buzz/buzz/buzzself ye/yellow/yellows/yellows/yellowself clow/clown/clowns/clowns/clownself char/charge/charges/charges/chargeself

Sero Hanta (Cellophane)

tape/tape/tapes/tapes/tapeself cell/cello/phane/cellophanes/celloself stick/sticky/sticky/sticky/stickyself rel/relax/relaxing/relaxing/relaxself ad/adhe/adhesive/adhesive/adhesiveself

OTHER CHARACTERS

Yaoyorozu Momo (Creati)

creati/create/creates/creates/createself smart/smart/smarts/smarts/smartself one/ones/ones/ones/oneself (as she's number 1 in her class) tea/teas/teas/teas/teaself care/cares/caring/caring/careself

Jirou Kyouka (Earphone Jack)

ear/phone/earphone/earphones/earphoneself muse/music/music/music/musicself rock/rocks/rocks/rocks/rockself sound/waves/sounds/waves/soundself

pun/punk/punks/punks/punkself

Tokoyami Fumikage (Tsukuyomi)

dark/darks/darks/darks/darkself sha/shadow/shadows/shadows/shadowself crow/crow/crows/crows/crowself night/night/nights/nights/nightself bird/bird/birds/birds/birdself

Hagakure Tooru (Invisible Girl)

ree/refrax/refrax/refrax/refraxself pris/prism/prisms/prisms/prismself cute/cutes/cutes/cutes/cuteself bu/bubble/bubbles/bubbles/bubbleself mi/mirror/mirrors/mirror/mirrorself

Ojiro Mashirao (Tailman)

tail/tails/tails/tails/tailself mar/tial/arts/arts/martialself mon/monkey/keys/keys/monkeyself (his tail reminds me of a monkey im srry ojiro) ne/nem/nems/nems/nemself (he's a simple guy and this are simple prns) hum/humble/humbles/humbles/humbleself

Shouji Mezou (Tentacole)

mas/mask/masks/masks/maskself ta/tall/talls/talls/tallself octo/octopus/octopus/octopus/octoself gen/gentle/gentles/gentles/gentleself min/mini/minima/minimalist/minimaself

Aoyama Yuuga

spark/sparkle/sparkles/sparkles/sparkleself shine/shines/shines/shines/shineself glo/gloss/gloss/gloss/glosself gla/glam/mour/mours/glamourself la/laser/lasers/lasers/laserself

Satou Rikidou (Sugar Man)

cake/cakes/cakes/cakes/cakeself su/sugar/sugars/sugars/sugarself sweet/sweets/sweets/sweets/sweetself coo/cook/cooks/cooks/cookself mus/muscle/muscles/muscles/muscleself

Shinsou Hitoshi

voi/voice/voices/voices/voiceself pur/purple/purples/purples/purpleself con/control/controls/controls/controlself min/mind/minds/minds/mindself he/heart/hearts/hearts/heartself (one of the meanings of his name is "heart")

Aizawa Shouta (Eraserhead)

erase/eraser/erases/erases/eraserself go/goggle/goggles/goggles/goggleself sleep/sleeps/sleeps/sleeps/sleepself meow/meow/meows/meows/meowself cat/cats/cats/cats/catself

#neopronouns #mha #bnha #pronouns #boku no hero academia #my hero academia

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immabethehero · 3 years

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Chase’s Bday Present Pt 1

Runs in holding a latte *wheeze...* I’m here! And I have three presents for Chase because I’m indecisive as hell! So! Here is the first birthday present, a sweet little ditty I wrote!

CW: talk of food, slight body horror and stitches mention (Robbie), and Soft Anti

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Septic house was in disarray. Jameson Jackson frantically polished the stairway and furniture until it sparkled, Marvin the Magnificent washed the dishes while Jackieboy Man dried them, and Antisepticeye cleaned up the living room seats. All the while, Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein, MD, PhD, MVP, FFS, loomed over all of them, barking orders while cleaning the floors. Robbie the zombie was the only one not under Schneep’s scrutiny, having wisely taken shelter in the laundry room, folding clothes and ironing while waiting to put the next load in. Sirius and Sam, Marvin’s cat and Henrik’s dog respectively, had taken to hiding upstairs.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Anti said as he vacuumed up the couch and cushioned seats. “It’s just Chase. He’s seen this house before, why bother cleaning it?”

“Chase hasn’t been here in awhile! I want him to receive a warm welcome back!” Henrik explained. “I do hope he enjoyed the cottage with Stacy and the kids though.”

“It’s only been two weeks! Not much has changed since!” Anti groaned.

“Jameson turned you into a turtle,” Marvin pointed out. Jameson snickered at the memory.

“Henrik tried his first bit of magic!” Jackie added. “Managed to turn Jameson into a duck!”

“See? Loads happened while he was gone,” Henrik finished. Anti rolled his eyes and went out to beat the rugs.

“Jameson, can you tune the piano? One of us might want to play something upon his arrival, and we can’t have the piano broken when we do so,” Henrik asked. Jameson nodded and happily left his cloth on the staircase, hands aching to touch the piano.

Henrik put the vacuum away and turned to the flower vase on the living room table. Daffodils. They didn’t seem quite as bright as they did earlier.

“Do you think we should change the flowers in the vase?” Henrik wondered out loud.

“Daffodils are Chase’s favourite flowers!” Anti yelled from outside. “I think we’re okay!”

“They look so dull, though,” Henrik remarked.

“I have an idea!” Marvin cried out. He dried his hands and ran over. “Stargazer lilies are also Chase’s favourite flower! Jameson and I have been growing them in our garden while he was gone. I can pluck a few and replace them!”

“Aren’t they poisonous to cats?” Jackie asked, nervously looking over at Sirius, who had descended to lie on the steps.

“Sirius hates flowers, the smell bothers her. She won’t go near them. But just in case-” Marvin picked up the vase and put them on the dining room table, then summoned a forcefield to keep Sirius away. Just for good measure, he also created two plastic cucumbers and placed them around the plant. Henrik and Jackie snickered. Marvin could hear Sirius scowling at him.

“I’ll get some lilies!” Marvin said, picking the daffodils up and running out. He almost collided with Anti, who was holding at least six rugs. Anti threw the rugs down one by one, then flopped onto the couch, yawning.

“Anti, don’t tell me you’re tired already!” Henrik said, sighing exasperatedly. “There’s still so much to do!”

“Like what?” mumbled Anti, eyes threatening to close.

“Like a treat! I was thinking of making a sweet dessert for Chase!” Henrik announced.

“But we just cleaned the kitchen!” complained Jackie.

“Relax, I’ll clean everything when I’m done,” Henrik reassured. “You go rest, I’ll be hogging the kitchen for a while!”

Jackie nodded and gratefully stumbled over to the couch, hoping to catch some winks before Chase’s return.

“Can I help?” Robbie asked, finally emerging from the laundry room.

{I can help as well!} offered Jameson bouncing back from the piano.

“Thanks guys,” Henrik said. “This is a new recipe we’ll be making: Cheddar Biscuits.”

Robbie and Jameson froze and stared at Henrik quizzically. “What?”

“Cheddar biscuits. Stacy emailed me the recipe,” Henrik explained. “They’re apparently really good.”

“Even the name sounds like a treat!” Jameson sighed. “Let’s make them!”

Henrik, Jameson and Robbie spent the next hour or so in the kitchen. Jameson and Henrik did the bulk of the work, Jameson mixing dry ingredients while Henrik did liquid, while Robbie shredded cheese and melted butter with pieces of garlic in them.

Finally, they clumped the mixture together and spread butter on them, then popped them in the oven and washed up the dishes.

When they were done, at least 24 golden brown scones had been made. The six egos marvelled over the glorious little treats. Even Sam and Sirius couldn’t resist coming over and squeezing through to sniff the food. Anti reached a hand out, only to have it smacked away by Henrik.

“Wait until Chase is home, you greedy monster!” he scolded. Anti grunted in frustration.

The biscuits were placed in a little basket with two napkins on top to keep them fresh, then hidden in the bottom cupboard next to the oven, where Henrik kept his coffee beans. No one with a braincell dared to go near Henrik’s coffee supply, and only few ever survived getting in.

“Everything is finished! We can rest now!” Marvin cried in delight.

“Can’t wait for Chase to see!” Jackie said happily. “How long before he returns?”

Henrik checked his watch. “Not until 6 o’clock at the latest!”

The egos collectively groaned in frustration. Only 1:30 pm and now they had to wait!

“You woke us all up at 6:30 in the fucking morning for this?! We could have slept a little longer you know!” Jackie snapped.

“Yeah, especially after you kept us all up with you Facetiming Chase until midnight last night!” Marvin added.

“If Chase notices the bags under my eyes, it’s because of you!” Jameson griped.

“At least everything is ready now!” Henrik reasoned. “Now all we have to do is wait! And not mess up the house in those few hours! If you want to do something, make sure it involves little movement or anything that could shake the house up. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m taking a nap!” He flounced upstairs, leaving the egos to find any activity to pass the time.

Two hours passed. Jameson taught Robbie how to play cribbage. Jackie and Anti attempted to teach Marvin how to play, or rather, cheat at Mario Kart. Henrik switched between pacing the front hallway and playing Solitaire and Bio Inc Redemption on his laptop.

“Henrik, do sit down and relax!” Jameson finally said after Henrik got up for the thirteen time.

“I can’t help it! I miss Chase! I want to talk to him again!” Henrik moaned.

“You spent three hours with him on Facetime last night!” Anti exclaimed.

“There is a very big difference between Facetiming someone and seeing them in person!” Henrik retorted. “Do you know how hard it is to talk to him and not smell his vanilla scent or feel his warm embrace? I miss seeing him at the table with his messy hair and stupid puns. I miss hearing his laugh in person. I miss him so badly.”

“Are we jokes to you?!” Marvin demanded. “We miss him too, Henrik, but we have each other. You literally said you enjoyed sitting next to me on movie nights!”

“I know… maybe I’m just being too clingy,” Henrik sighed, sitting down beside Marvin.

Anti snapped his fingers and Mario Kart showed up on Henrik’s computer screen. “Here. Try playing a few games with us and he’ll come sooner.”

Another hour passed. Jameson read. Henrik screamed in fury as he lost another round of Mario Kart. Anti laughed at him. Marvin gave up and started playing Animal Crossing. Jackie grabbed a snack and watched Youtube. Robbie and Sam were fast asleep on the floor. Jameson laughed softly and conjured a blanket to put over them, then went back to his reading.

Henrik was raging so loudly they almost didn’t hear the doorbell. Jameson was the first to hear it. He whistled to get the others’ attention. Robbie woke up and groggily rubbed his eyes.

“Do you hear that?” Jameson asked, putting his ear up to listen. Another ring. Then a voice cried out, “Hello? Are you going to let me in? Did you already forget me? Have I been kicked out?”

Henrik gasped in delight and almost threw his laptop onto the floor, but Anti was quick to save it as the doctor jumped out his seat and dashed over the front door, swinging it open.

Chase Brody stood in the doorway, still playing with the doorbell. He jumped when he noticed the door open.

“CHASE!!!!” Henrik squealed, throwing himself on the vlogger. “I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!” Chase giggled as Henrik showered him with kisses and squeezed him tightly. Sam danced around them, barking happily.

“Hello, Henrik. Long time, no see.” Chase waved to the others. “Hey guys!”

“Chase! Welcome home!” Marvin said, running over to hug him. “We missed you too, but probably not as much as Henrik.”

“Yeah… Henrik? Could you let me go, please?” Chase wheezed. Henrik was starting to suffocate him. “I… can’t… breathe…”

“Come inside! We made treats!” Robbie cried, dragging Chase in by the hand.

“Did you now?” Chase sniffed the air. “Ooh, I can smell it!”

“We also ordered some chocolate snacks from Shawn Flynn’s Sweet Menagerie, just to celebrate your return!” Jackie added.

“Sounds awesome!” Chase exclaimed.

{Come, make yourself at home!} Jameson said. Chase was led to the couch, where his feet were propped up and a blanket was thrown over him. Sam jumped up beside him and curled up next to him, lying her head on his lap.

Henrik and Jackie set the table while Jameson and Anti got the food out. Chase would have happily gotten up to join them, but he was too tired to move, and Sam wouldn’t budge.

Marvin chuckled when he saw the sight. “Why don’t we eat in the living room tonight? Turn on Netflix and have a little movie fest?” The egos were quick to agree, and Henrik served Chase’s plate to him ona tray, choosing to sit next to him. Sam moved to the other side of the couch, letting Henrik in.

“Here you go! Dinosaur nuggets with mashed potatoes!” Henrik announced, setting the plate down. “Jameson convinced me to mix garlic butter into the potatoes this time, like you used to do!”

“It smells delicious!” Chase exclaimed in ecstasy. He dipped a nugget in the mashed potatoes and ate it, humming happily.

“So what movie are we watching?” Robbie asked, grabbing the remote.

“You’ve probably seen quite a few new movies at Stacy’s cottage,” Jackie told Chase. “Why don’t you decide?”

Chase shrugged. “Just a few. None of us could ever agree, so it was rare for us to watch a new movie. But we all agreed on this sweet little film.” Chase flipped through Amazon Prime until he found a title called This Beautiful Fantastic.

“It’s about a girl who wants to become a writer and slowly learns how to become a gardener.” Chase pressed play and they watched the film. Chase, Henrik and Sam on the couch, Marvin on the purple reclining chair, Anti on the teal green armchair, and Jameson, Jackie and Robbie on the ground.

Halfway through the movie, Jackie remarked, “That father reminds me a lot of you, Chase. I can see why you liked it.”

“Vern?” Chase asked. “He’s just a dad trying to raise his kids. What makes you think I’m like him?”

“You’re both sweet, and a total dork,” Marvin said. Chase playfully threw a pillow at him. Marvin snickered and exaggeratedly hugged the pillow. “I’m keeping this.”

“You both love cooking,” Jameson added.

“And you’re a devoted family man!” Henrik interjected.

“You are all so kind to me,” Chase said with a sigh. “I don’t deserve you guys.”

“Shut up, of course you do!” Marvin said.

“No I don’t!” Chase playfully retorted.

“Shhh, lies!” Jackie hissed, smiling.

“Stop!” Chase cried, blushing. “Seriously though, I didn’t think I would be getting the royal treatment after only two weeks away. I really didn’t do anything.”

“Funny, that’s what we said whenever we returned from vacations and travels,” Jackie remarked. “That didn’t stop you from throwing us a welcome back party.”

“It didn’t stop you from giving me a cake after my 100th successful surgery,” Henrik said.

“Or taking me to a fancy restaurant on my first full day without popping a stitch or losing a limb,” Robbie added.

“You bought me a handsome vest when I got that role I so desperately wanted,” Jameson reminisced.

“You’re a wonderful test subject for all my new spells,” Marvin said.

“You always celebrate us and our successes,” Jackie said. “After all you’ve done for us, I think it’s safe to say you deserve the best from us.”

Chase felt his eyes water up. Face red, he looked down, feeling embarrassed. He rubbed his eyes, smiling. “Thank you. You guys are always so sweet.”

Henrik gently kissed his forehead. “Welcome back, Chase.”

Chase finished wiping his eyes and looked up. “So. What happened when I was gone?”

Henrik grinned. “So, remember when I told you about getting magic lessons from Marvin? Funny story...”

~~~~~

@milo-kno, here’s your punishment >:3 Part one!

@graysun, @florenceisfalling, @miishae, @lonelyseiren, @goldenoceanaart, @egopocalypse, @oasisofgalaxies, @fleecal, @kofi-kiing, @myspatialspace, @jo-ann-ahh-2, @huffletrax, @gemstone6, @dumbasticart, @lunaarmada,@meteorshowersfillthesky, @uhhbeans, @the-pastel-kitsune, @bupine, @climbing-starrs, @the-spawn-of-loki, @jadehowlettthewolf, @obsidiancreates, @rammypaige, @hollenka99, @cest-mellow, @randowaffle, @green-protects, @dezi-popp, @badlypostedeverything, @crystalninjaphoenix, @milo-kno, @pixelpixie-pix, @why-killed-markiplier

#apparently i can write #immabethehero #jacksepticeye #chase brody #writersofjack #writers of jack

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ilikefandom · 3 years

Text

Guilt and Unwanted Attention

Request: Hi love<3 do you think you could do a part 2 to the snape x reader fic where he goes to jail. Maybe the reader has moved on and Severus realized he messed up and wants her back? If not I understand

Requested by: Anon

Genre: Angst, with a hopeful ending

Synopsis: (Y/n) meets the cute barista of a Cokeworth cafe, Severus assumes they're in love.

Pairings: Severus Snape x Fem reader

Warnings: Angst, mention of alcohol consumption

It had been a few months since the trial had ended, and the same amount of time since Severus Snape had spoken to (Y/n). He still felt guilty about how he had treated her and he needed to speak to her again.

He went to her house. He stood outside her window at night. He ran his fingers over all of the letters she had sent him that he didn’t bother to answer. Severus Snape was a mess. A ball of rubbish hormones and feelings, no better than his teenage students.

He needed her. As a friend. As a best friend. Maybe even, as a partner, although he could never consciously admit that.

(Y/n) had the same need as Severus, however, the light that had filled their friendship had slunk away, replaced by the shadow of its disappearance. Her sadness filled her days and the letters that she sent to him dwindled into nothing.

If all the trying was for nothing, then maybe Severus did mean what he said to her, and that he didn’t want to be with her anymore, as a friend or anything else.

She made her way to the local cafe in Cokeworth, deciding to take in more muggle culture for her return to Hogwarts in the Fall to teach muggle studies. And to think she took a year off, just to follow Severus’ trial. Sliding into her booth with her new muggle technology, a cell phone, (Y/n) searched for something, anything to keep her mind off of Severus.

She had only been there a few times and the barista was always nice. He would make her tea just right and gave her the perfect ratio of cream and sugar. His name was Jaymi and he was wonderful.

Over the time she had known him, Jaymi kept to himself, but he always understood her and her feelings. He had, in time, confessed that he didn’t usually work at the counter. He was one of the owners of the cafe and both he and his sister, Alex, enjoyed it immensely.

He began to slowly sneak his way into her heart, being a muggle, she couldn’t disclose her true job, but he found out she was a teacher at a boarding school. Jaymi always made her smile, and that job position had been vacant for a while.

Severus, on the other hand, prefered to make his espresso himself so he only ventured down to the cafe for the black potion that kept him awake. Putting on some muggle clothes and tying his hair up, he made his way down to the main street.

He heard laughter from the cafe as he stepped inside. Frozen in the moment, he gazed at (Y/n) who was sitting at a table with a computer, laughing at something a young man had said, a muggle man.

“Jaymi! How are you so hilarious?” (Y/n) chortled as she continued to type a lesson plan for October.

“I say it’s pure genetics. Or maybe a spark for people I like.” His eyes sparkled as he smiled down at (Y/n).

“Enough with the electricity puns Jay!” She continued to giggle to herself.

Jaymi, noticing that Snape was in the door looked over at him and smiled. “What can I get you today?”

(Y/n) resisted the urge to turn around when she heard Severus’ melodious voice say, “An espresso.” She became rigid, her crush from both work and childhood, was standing right behind her, months after their blow up.

“Hello, Severus.” (Y/n) said as she continued to work on her slide show.

Severus grunted in return, more annoyed with Jaymi than anyone else. (Y/n) looked nice today, and he craved that niceness to be directed to him and not at some nobody from this tiny town.

Jaymi handed him the shot and strode back over to (Y/n). “So how about that date, (Y/n)? I’m sure we can find something new wave and current, to do.”

(Y/n) put her face in her hands. “Jaymi, that was a bad one!”

“Not as bad as I have it for you (Y/l/n). So what do you say? Meet me at 7 at the Brewhouse?” Jaymi wasn’t being pushy about it, but his tone made Severus grimace as he fled from the small restaurant, placing some muggle money on the counter top.

Here he was again. Bested by another man. James Potter had married Lily and Harry had been born as a constant reminder of the torture of his youth. At least, at that time, he had (Y/n) to support him and make sure that he didn’t get in too deep with the death eaters or anyone else.

But now, he had alienated her as well and he only had himself to blame. If he hadn’t shouted at her, if he hadn’t kicked her out, they wouldn’t be in this situation.

Snape trudged his way back to his home, and as he sunk into his armchair, the tears that had once filled (Y/n)’s eyes fell from his. He was all alone, again, and he only had himself to blame.

However, if Severus had bothered to stay for a few minutes after, he may not have been feeling as hopeless as he did right now.

“Jaymi, I appreciate your offer, but I’m not in the right headspace for a relationship right now.” (Y/n) closed her laptop and slid it into the case before placing it in her bag.

“I understand, no problem, do you still want to go out to the Brew though? As friends of course. I knew you wouldn’t want to be with me as soon as that emo looking guy came in to get himself some coffee.” Jaymi sipped at his tea before collecting (Y/n)’s cup for washing.

“Jaymi, how did you know that I liked him?” (Y/n) was puzzled as she looked at her friend disappearing behind the counter.

“You should have seen your own face when he spoke. It looked like you were about to cry, scream for joy, and then jump into his arms.” Jaymi smiled. “It’s the exact look I had when I was taking a break from my ex.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. Sev and I have been friends since we were kids. We work together actually.” (Y/n) smiled at Jaymi who returned his own flash of teeth.

“Oh let me guess what he teaches. Art?”

“Nope.”

“Drama?”

“Wrong again Jaymi.”

“English?”

“No Jay. I’ll give you a hint. It’s a science.”

“Physics then. I have yet to meet a non eccentric physicist.” Jaymi said confidently.

“Chemistry, Jaymi. He teaches both lower and higher level chemistry.”

Jaymi smacked himself on the forehead. “Why didn’t I think about that? He totally has a mad scientist vibe! You go get him love!”

(Y/n) gave a smile and left the cafe, bidding Jaymi farewell. Having friends was a complicated enterprise. And being in love was an even more difficult one.

As (Y/n) slipped into her bed that night she had no idea that her brooding crush was doing the same, both of them aching for the same thing, but only one convinced that they could achieve it.

Author’s Note: Thank you for requesting. Please send in more so I can write more please. Yes Jaymi is named that on purpose. If you catch the subliminal tie to Snape’s past you get a cookie from me.

#angst #severus snape x reader #severus snape #severus snape x you #harry potter x reader #Harry Potter #angst with a hopeful ending #fem reader #Reader is female #sad #please request #please reblog

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paintedwithapalette · 4 years

Text

So, I got back this absolutely amazing commission from @pun-riii to fit with a scene from chapter 11 of my Memories of You fanfic! So, here it is. Hope you all enjoy!

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

Memories of You: The Balcony

Word Count: 2, 592

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Roxas figured some fresh air would do him some good and he returned to the balcony Paine dragged him to earlier, resting his arms against the white wooden railing. With his mind finally clear, he was able to admire the stars speckling against a dark midnight blue backdrop. His mother always taught him about the existence of another side where hearts go after they pass on from the land of the living. The idea was appealing as a child but as he grew older, he began to question it. Did an afterlife truly exist? Was there a chance his father was looking down at them with a proud smile? He didn't have anything to go off of other than his mother's word that he would understand someday, but it was beginning to feel like a fairy tale designed to keep traumatized children from succumbing to despair.

Roxas dug into his pocket and salvaged the balled up card Rufus originally gave him earlier. After wrinkling his eyebrows, he ripped the card into two and carelessly tossed the severed pieces into the air, watching the evening breeze carry it through the night.

"Roxas?"

Naminé stood by the door frame behind him with her head giving a slight tilt. She was still wearing those ridiculous shades.

"Sorry," Roxas apologized, putting on a friendlier demeanor. "I just needed some air. I should have told you."

Naminé leaned against the railing along with him. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine. Just needed some time to think."

"About what?"

"About what I'm going to do with my life," Roxas answered rather quickly. "About where I belong or what I'm supposed to do. I've had all this pressure and expectations put on me and I'm not sure how to handle it."

"Sounds pretty deep. For you, anyway."

"Thank—hey, wait. What do you mean, for me?"

Naminé let out a delicate giggle into her closed fist. She could see his smile through the tint of her sunglasses. His company was always so pleasant. She couldn’t remember the last time she could bear being in the same room with another soul outside of her immediate family for more than five minutes without feeling a crippling urge to drop dead on the spot. To think that she nearly wouldn’t have experienced this moment with him if it hadn't been for her father dragging her to this surprisingly eventful dinner party in the first place. The thought brought a frown to her lips.

Roxas didn’t fail to notice it. "What's wrong?"

"I... have a confession to make."

He crossed his arms. "What is it? You can tell me."

"I, um... I didn't really come here because I wanted to," she painfully admitted. "Not at first, anyway. I mean, I'm glad I came because it turned out to be really fun, but... I was originally planning on not showing up, even after Kairi tried talking me into it. I’m only here because my dad forced me to come because I guess he wants to keep an eye on me." She lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"Aren't you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad?" Roxas asked with an airy chuckle.

Finding his reaction unexpected, Naminé blinked. "Well, I'm not here because it was my decision, like you said it should be. I-I mean... it's not like I came because I'm a good friend or because I'm making a real effort to come out of my shell. I didn't have a choice in the first place, and if I did, it wouldn't have resulted in me being here with you right now.”

"But you are here. That's what matters in the end, right?"

"But I—"

"Listen," Roxas interrupted gently. "Whether you wanted to come or not, you still did. You still went through the trouble of finding something to wear. You still walked through those doors. You even let me introduce you to my friends. You didn't have to do any of that, but you did. That has to count for something." He smiled. "Whether you realize it or not, you're trying. That's all that matters to me."

Naminé felt her lips part momentarily before turning her head to downplay the shy smile growing against her own will. "You're so mushy."

Roxas chuckled. "Yeah, I’ve heard it from Xion more than once."

Naminé still couldn’t inwardly deny a fragment of guilt lingering in the back of her mind. She wished she had the resolve to face her fears and take the initiative in the first place without her father’s demands being the main catalyst for her attendance. If anything, she could do it for Roxas. In the short amount of time they’ve known each other, he’s been such a good friend to her. Naminé tried to convince herself that taking this step was for her own sake, but she wanted to take his feelings into account as well. Seeing that look of the purest form of joy glowing in his eyes when he first saw her earlier that evening was something she was glad she didn't miss out on. She promised herself she would make it up to him, even if he didn't feel like she needed to. For their next outing, and yes, there would be a next, she would go of her own volition. Not because anyone told her to go. But because he was her friend and he deserved it.

"You’re sweet, Roxas."

Roxas couldn’t tear his eyes away from her smile. And oh, what a pretty smile it was. It would only be prettier if he could see the eyes designed to complement it. "Naminé, why are you still wearing those?"

Her smile faltered. "I told you before—I can't handle eye contact."

"Not even right now?" he asked, closing the small distance between them. "Not even with me?"

Naminé pressed her lips together. There was something about wearing the shades that made her feel more secure. It made her interactions with others more impersonal. "What difference would it make?"

"More than you might think.” Roxas scratched his cheek. “I just kinda want to see you. Those shades make me feel like there's a wall between us. You shouldn't have to hide behind these. You don't need them."

"B-But I do," she argued. "I get so nervous when people look at me, like if I'm looking at their eyes in the wrong way or they get the wrong idea or if I'm staring at people for an uncomfortable amount of time, people don't have to know what I'm looking at and—and—"

"Naminé," Roxas said, effectively cutting her rambling short as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Trust me."

Naminé felt her lips quivering before she let out a deep sigh. She knew she was making excuses. He was right. It shouldn't have been a big deal. Besides, it was Roxas. She didn't have much trouble looking him in the eyes anymore. As long as it was someone like him or Kairi, she could live with it.

"So, is it okay if I take these off?" he asked.

Naminé nodded reluctantly. Roxas held the sides of her sunglasses and pulled them from her ears tenderly. Her eyes fluttered open; soft blue with the stars ornamenting sparkles into their reflection. It was the first time he saw her eyes the entire night and the first word that came to his mind was...

Breathtaking.

In the corners of his mind, Roxas always found Naminé attractive even when he first laid eyes on her. But this was the first time he had seen her dolled up, her soft features highlighted to near perfection. His eyes trailed to her lips that were parted slightly—he gulped. He had a dangerous, crazy thought involving his own lips he would not allow himself to act on. Quite frankly, he wasn't sure where it came from, but he blamed it on his dumb teenage boy hormones. Roxas cleared his throat before she could get nervous at his staring.

"See? You don't need these," he said, placing the sunglasses into his back pocket.

Despite his encouragement, Naminé couldn’t resist the urge to squirm under his gaze. Sure, she had looked him in his eyes before, but not under a circumstance like this. With her eyes exposed, it brought about a sense of vulnerability she wasn’t accustomed to. If eyes truly were windows to the soul, then Roxas was getting a peak at hers. Just the thought of that made her rip her eyes away from his. What if he didn’t like what he saw?

"Hey, Naminé..." Roxas said softly. The way her name rolled off his lips was starting to make Naminé weak in the knees.

"Y-Yes?"

However, any potential butterflies in her stomach fueled by anticipation were thrown out the window with his next words.

"Staring contest!"

"H-Huh?!"

Roxas grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look up at him. Her wide, confused eyes were locked with his intense, focused ones. Neither moved for a solid five minutes. Or at least, Naminé felt like it was five minutes. Despite not knowing what was going on or where this came from, she suddenly caught wind of the competitive bug and didn’t want to lose. She returned his stare with an equal amount of intensity, refusing to back down from his challenge. A third spectator might have thought they were furious at each other.

The contest proved difficult for Naminé. Roxas wouldn't budge, not even so much as a wince. She felt her eyes threatening to leak and clenched her teeth after what felt like an eternity of staring. But she couldn't lose. She wanted another excuse to rub something in his face.

Then he blew into her eyes, practically forcing her into a rapid sequence of blinks.

"I win!"

Naminé continued to blink if only to moisturize her dried up eyes while Roxas laughed at her expense. It was bad enough she was wearing contacts. Did he really need to blow into them? "You cheater!"

"I never said you couldn't sabotage your opponent," Roxas said cheekily.

"Wow. Thanks for letting me know, jerk."

"But hey, you see? Eye contact isn't so bad."

“Okay, but there's a difference between managing eye contact and an actual staring contest."

But for some reason, it did help. She was making eye contact with him without an issue. It was easier when there was something so silly and weird to break the ice. That must have been his plan the whole time. The rascal.

“Still, it’s not like I can just walk up to a stranger and force them into a random staring contest if I want to break the ice,” Naminé challenged.

“Hey, you never know.” Roxas shrugged, making Naminé send an unconvinced gaze. “Kidding. It’ll get easier with time, though,” he assured. “Maybe with some practice.”

She sighed. "That's what they always say. It just stinks when practice involves putting yourself into situations you're not comfortable with."

“Well, are you comfortable now?”

Naminé replaced her frown with a soft smile. “Well, sure. I’m with you, aren’t I?”

“Then that’s good enough.”

They descended into a gentle silence, their eyes bound to the night sky. Naminé came to an epiphany. Their conversation dwindled and somehow it wasn’t awkward in the slightest. What madness was this? Weren’t long pauses supposed to be uncomfortable and inelegant? Was there not an unspoken expectation to fill the silence and alleviate the tension on both sides? Yet there she was in the company of another human being partaking in a peaceful lull that made her feel the furthest thing from tense. In fact she felt, dare she say, relaxed?

The pleasant scenery surely helped. While far from turbulent, Destiny Islands was noticeably more animated during the daytime. But the night allowed for the evening lanterns to come alive and highlight the town’s fine points with its tropical aesthetic. The darkened sea engulfed the majority of the horizon and in the short distance sat a tiny island Naminé had never been to before. The sight had to be out of a fairy tale novel.

"This place really is beautiful," Naminé said, filling the silence as she clasped her hands together. Not because she was uncomfortable. Just because she felt like it.

"It is," Roxas agreed, leaning on the railing while turning to face her with a grin.

Though, the sky wasn’t the only thing he found alluring that night. Naminé truly was more beautiful than even he had anticipated. Something about the way her eyes captured a soft volume of contentment tugged at something inside him. The way her hair was tied up in a bun with loose strands framing her porcelain face. The way her dress highlighted her slender figure that wasn't without subtle but very visible curves. She was always cute, but this was different.

Should he have admitted his attraction to her? It wasn't always easy to predict how Naminé would react to things. Everything seemed to have a half-and-half probability. With a compliment, he could see her taking the praise and thinking nothing of it just as much as he could see her rejecting his opinion and finding it too overwhelming and embarrassing to be true. But transparency was something Naminé needed to become more acquainted with.

There was also the implication. Would she perceive it as some sort of confession? Roxas wasn't sure if he viewed Naminé in that way. Did he really like Naminé in the way Axel suggested? He sincerely didn't think so before, but now—having her there, to see her trying to put in more of an effort, and the fact that her inner and external beauty was becoming more evident...

He wasn't sure.

"Is everything okay?" Naminé asked, her voice returning him to the present.

"Oh, yeah," Roxas said, mulling on his next words. "It's just—I think you look really beautiful tonight. I, uh... thought I'd let you know."

While the blush was imminent, she took it better than he expected. She didn't flail her arms around like a manic and she didn't have a nervous breakdown. She only stared at him in momentary surprise before the ends of her lips offered him the slightest of curls. "Th-Thank you, Roxas." She gulped. "I-I was... thinking the same thing about you."

He raised a brow. "That I look beautiful? I mean, I'm flattered and all, but—"

"No, goofball," she said, replacing her smile with a pout. He was just trying to pull the proper words out of her and she knew it. "You l-look... good.”

“Good?”

“Um... h-h-handsome?" That was the correct word, right?

Roxas snickered. He could never get tired of watching her twist and turn with discomfort. "Just tell me you love me already, why don't you?"

"I take it back..."

"Oh, come on! I'm joking."

"Can't you go five seconds without teasing me?"

"What kind of a question is that? I can't even go three seconds."

"There's something we agree on."

"Fine," Roxas groaned. "I'll take you out for mint chocolate chip ice cream to make up for it, Ms. Killjoy. Take a joke, would you?"

"I most certainly can take a joke! Excuse me for thinking we were having a moment."

“So, you were wanting us to have a moment?”

“Th-That’s not the point!”

“Except it totally is.”

“Shut up.”

While they bantered, Xion, who was about to go check on Roxas herself, stood around the corner listening to the echoes of their laughter.

#namine #roxas #rokunami #kh fanfiction #kh commissions #punrii #kingdom hearts #commisionwork

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sternenteile · 4 years

Text

★ nostalgia.

the snow falling eternally in the shiver region always had the warmest sense of comfort, an ironic thought for a place so brutally cold. it seems that much hasn’t changed. the far reaches of the galaxy and beyond are easily worse, so perhaps this specific location was chosen (by whom?) with reason to raise precocious star children. the aurora borealis dancing above him brings his mind to the star pieces keeping the haven afloat, similar to, yet not the same as, the very ones he had to gather to restore the star road. it is a poignant reminder that this is a sign of things to come for the little ones here, himself included once upon a time. it’s funny to think back on how he daydreamed of his ascension and what it would be like to meet the elder star spirits, oblivious to the jaded star he’d grow to become in present day. sometimes, it’s better not to meet your heroes. it’s not like he had a choice in the matter, though.

not everything here, however, rekindles a bad memory. there is plenty of good to be unearthed, as well, and that is the whole reason why he’s here. a shaman descended from long-gone ancients would surely live a long, busy life, but... how is merle faring? judging from rosalina’s prior remarks, he must still be alive and well, but who knows how much age has taken its toll on him by now? it’s only been, oh, hundreds of years.

geno grimaces. she’d assured him that he would remember who he is, but —— no pun intended —— he’s beginning to have cold feet.

the reception he gets upon stepping foot into the valley is not that of resistance, surprisingly. whilst many a star child whipped ‘round to spot their new visitor, they quickly ease, as though knowing what kind of being he is. the hushed whispers amongst themselves only continues to drive in the fact that they’re aware of his not being a typical visitor. after all, starborn valley is secluded and guarded, and for someone radiating cosmic power as strongly as he, it’s no surprise that they’d pick up on it. they may be young and reckless, but they are by no means dumb.

he swallows thickly and waves at a nearby ninji, the robed little friend craning their head in confusion. they are unable to understand what he is by first glance, but it is with explanation and a display of star magic sparkling within his palm that all ambiguity is lost. the ninji hurriedly scurries over to merle’s, beckoning for geno to follow. bobbing star kids follow close behind, eagerly waiting to eavesdrop on the juicy new gossip. a visitor, a visitor! a visitor is here!

steeling himself, he reaches his fist to the door. pulling back slightly, he has a bout or two of reconsidering everything before finally giving it a knock. standing back with arms wrapped ‘round himself —— not from cold, but an innermost chill incomparable —— he waits, each second feeling like hours.

the door creaks open with care. the first thing he notes is that merle looks almost no different from the last time he’d seen him. the only real change is a thinning and lengthening of his mustache, slowly, but surely beginning to rival even merlon’s. his garb is familiar, yet worn with age, and those glowing green eyes are kind and paternal as ever. geno releases a visible breath of air that he hadn’t realized he was holding in. it’s been way too long.

he’s petrified, to be frank. his only manner of greeting initially is a meek wave, a nervous smile displaying the gripping fear making his legs feel like pillars of sand. ❝ um... hello. ❞ perhaps it is worrying over not being remembered, or maybe it’s the fussing towards himself to not speak out of turn, as if talking to eldstar himself. it may also be that discerning and flummoxed gaze he’s being given, brows taut pensively —— but realization strikes merle’s face, and geno feels as though he could collapse right there.

❝ my little starlight, ❞ comes the coarse, sweet coo from his old voice. it is so difficult to tell his expression through the shadow of his being, but geno swears he can see his old guardian’s face contort from a smile. ❝ it’s... it’s you! at last... as i predicted, you’ve come back home. i knew that you would! ❞ before even being able to get a word in edgewise, before even beginning to ponder over what the wise old man meant, geno finds himself enveloped in a hug, one that forces a strangled gasp from him —— pleasant surprise.

it’s like the rest of the world stops turning as his hands grip at the robes covering merle’s back, shoulders quaking. his nose buries into his shoulder, and he recalls his scent. it’s like cinnamon, hot cocoa, and aged wood. he forgets how much he actually missed that. the chattering of the baby stars behind him may as well not exist.

❝ y— you remember, ❞ stammers the wayward spirit. he can’t help but be a little misty-eyed. who wouldn’t be? ❝ merle... ❞

- ★ -

❝ ... and what a fine star you’ve grown up to be, as well! ❞ geno glances up from his warm mug of hot chocolate, marshmallow splatter comically dotting the tip of his nose. merle’s words are the polar opposite of eldstar’s, so friendly and full of praise. ❝ you’ve come very far, starlight. from the rambunctious child zipping through the woods, ❞ a memory that makes poor geno’s cheeks flush, ❝ to head sentry of the star road. i was sure that you had it in you; i’m very proud that i was right. ❞

hands grip the cup as if it’s a lifeline as the star gratefully responds, ❝ thank you. i was... hoping i wouldn’t disappoint. ❞

a guffaw from the jolly old sort unravels his poor nerves. ❝ what would ever give you the idea that you would disappoint? certainly, you are heralded among your kind for your heroics! my regards to eldstar, by the way, ❞ merle adds with another sip of his drink. what he says next sends geno’s stomach plummeting. ❝ i’m sure he has plenty of good to say of you, as well. i can imagine they all dote on you endlessly. ❞

his jaw’s hinges are loose, hanging. uncertain gaze falls to the surface of the drink, to the melting marshmallows, and his mouth clamps back shut. hah. that would be the day. how oddly shy he feels in front of someone so important to starkind leaves him silent, responding only with a dismal shake of the head. when eyes lift again, all that can be found written on merle’s expression is disappointment. he thinks it must come as a shock to him to find that his efforts have not been duly noted, but when merle resigns with a sigh to his child’s fate, geno is puzzled.

❝ i... figured as much. ❞ merle’s fingertips drum along the ceramic cup, downcast. ❝ much to my chagrin, i knew that the incident would have changed them, for better or for worse. ❞

that brings geno’s brows flying upward. ❝ ‘the incident’? what in spores—— ❞ no speaking out of line. his back stiffens. ❝ i— i’m terribly sorry—— may i ask what this incident you speak of is, merle? ❞

the exaggerated formality in his speech receives a look of disapproval, but not for the reasons he’d expected, for merle ensures, ❝ starlight... or, no, it is ‘geno’ that you go by now, yes? please relax. you’re at home here. do— or say— whatever you please. ❞

shoulders sag, and geno gives a drawn-out groan. resting his chin on the table and spreading arms ‘cross it, he bemoans, ❝ oh, thank grambi. i thought i was in for another freakin—— another lecture. ❞ the laugh he hears across from him is plenty to reassure him that this isn’t anywhere in his near future.

❝ oh, no. pray tell, is that what you experience often while you’re up there? ❞

geno scowls, blowing upward at the curls trying to fall into his eye. ❝ you don’t even know the half of it. every day is just another day of doing something wrong. ❞

merle falls silent. from his getting lost in the sea of his drink, geno can only surmise that he’s ruminating about something —— and that is confirmed not long after. ❝ i understand that it is hard to... but don’t hold it against them too much. ❞ before a rebuttal can be issued, merle continues. ❝ you wanted to know about the incident i mentioned, yes? i have to say, i’m amazed that you haven’t heard of it sooner. does your mother not know? or... ❞

he shakes his head, and geno leans forward, interest piqued. ❝ did you ever find out what happened to the head sentry before you? the one that descended to earth many moons ago? i fear they may still have some... troublesome feelings after the matter. ❞

geno can’t even think of his cocoa anymore, even if the stuff goes ice-cold. ❝ i know that they disappeared, but i never knew why. i just thought—— maybe they’d another role to fulfill somewhere else? ❞

❝ alas, ❞ denies merle, ❝ that would have been an easier tale to stomach. that star was something special, i must say. he was just as vibrant as you, if i may compare. he loved humanity, and he wanted to be among them. ❞ that sounds very familiar. ❝ one day, he asked the council if he could live on earth once again, this time outside of the starborn valley he was raised in. they were hesitant, but their restrictions were surprisingly lax. after all, if it made their precious one happy, then who were they to deny him his right to his own life? they loved him so dearly. they were hardly ever apart. they even began to wonder if it was time to open a spot for an eighth presence in the star sanctuary. it was quite phenomenal. no one ever heard the end of it. ‘starlight granted so many wishes tonight, all on his own. we couldn’t be happier with the turn-out——’ ❞

the cute nickname they’d all coined for ease of referring to geno in english —— rather than the archaic star language they attempted to phase out —— makes his head snap upward, flustered. ❝ what? ❞

merle gives a shrug. ❝ that was the last one before you. they were one of the first to be given a name not in your star language. the distance between earth and star haven was growing ever shorter, and to mingle with mortal beings below, they felt it best to integrate. they feared that starlight —— not you, my child —— was moving a little too fast, but they hadn’t the heart to tell him no. they loved him too much to turn him away. they spoiled him rotten. they’d gotten very attached...

❝ — which is why, when he one day did not return to the star road, the seven star spirits were concerned. he had a duty to fulfill, and it was not like him to abandon his station entirely. the next week passed with no word, no matter how much they tried, and they feared the worst. they could handle the star road just fine, but the idea of losing their precious starlight tore them apart. another week went by before they finally received word from their earthly spirits, the star sprites. ❞

what geno is told next makes him feel sick. ❝ they watched over his final moments as himself. he was eager to make discoveries with his new friends in monstro town. he remained for longer and longer... and he began to change. he suddenly felt freedom like none else, and he resented the idea of returning to the stars. the star sprites discouraged him from talking to eldstar about it, and the argument was monumental. he was their head sentry, and he was needed, but... he was also immature, i’m afraid. he wanted to be down here, and nothing was going to stop him. his time of granting wishes was over, and in a fit of rage, he lashed out at the sprites. before they knew it, darkness swallowed him whole... leaving naught but a threatening dark star behind. ❞

his mouth is dry, his body rigid as merle wraps up his explanation. ❝ they sealed him in the depths of the planet. the seven spirits begged for him to return, to be released and cured from whatever corruption had overtaken him, but there was no use. the star left behind wasn’t even the same star any longer. torn between his two homes, the star essentially died that day, and all that was left was the remains of his anger. a dark star is an embodiment of all negativity contained within a star’s core. the rest of the star’s identity is not to be preserved. all of it is wiped from existence. they lost their most precious little one to corruption. we theorize that it may have happened because he’d not matured enough to handle what all was on his plate... or it could have been something entirely different. ❞

it makes sense. as much as geno wants to deny it and feel that they’re wrong for changing due to grief, he can’t imagine the devastating effect it would have on him to lose those most precious to him. surely, he himself would change, too.

❝ uh... wow. ❞ frankly, he’s at a loss for words. merle seems to be gauging his reaction to the tragic tale, and really, it’s indiscernible. even geno himself can’t figure out how he feels about this. that’s when a light switch goes off, and it all goes back to the moniker they gave him all those years ago.

❝ when they assigned me to the star road, it must have been with purpose, but then—— ❞ his brows furrow. ❝ why give me a name in our native tongue when they were trying to eradicate that? too many bad memories? then why give me the same dumb pet name they gave the last one? am i just a replacement or something? is that why they’re always on top of me? ❞

merle insistently shakes his head. ❝ my best guess is that they don’t want to see you go down the same path. truthfully, i thought that you would behave similarly, ❞ the idea of that making geno’s heart drop, ❝ but that it would possibly end differently. i’d consulted with the rest of my family, and they all seemed to agree. i felt it wrong not to trust you and your instincts... and it seems i made the right choice. you are here, yet you are you. you have proven to me that you are not going to allow your morals to slip so easily. you matured. as for your elders, i... i’m afraid i can’t speak for them. i cannot be sure how much or how little they feel you will meet the same fate. ❞

merle notices the sag of geno’s shoulders, the way he curls in on himself, the way he almost looks betrayed. he hurries around the table to hold him, and while it is instinctively returned, his mind is far, far away.

❝ — but know this: i believe in you. i knew you would come very far, and you’ve exceeded my expectations. i hope they wake up and realize this, as well. you’ve made many friends and happy memories. you’ve fought for so long. i hope my intuitions are correct that they are prouder of you than you may think... but even if not, i always will be, and so will your mother. do you understand? ❞

even as geno nods with a sound of understanding, he can’t help but wonder if he really does get it, let alone if he ever will. it’s so much to take in at once. they don’t trust him. why? he isn’t the last one. he’s a different star. why do they treat him as if he’s already too far gone?

maybe— he’ll never truly know.

#★ ; ( ic. )#● ; ( prose. )#♫ ; ( verse ~ the present. )#warning for a LONG ASS read.#some heavy shit in here too.#death cw particularly.#not all is as it seems.#there ya have it. my final thing for yall b4 this storm hits LMAO

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queenmuzz · 4 years

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Deep Blue Sea: Chapter XI

Father Knows Best

Read the full story on Ao3 Here

WARNING: WHILE THIS CHAPTER DOES NOT CONTAIN OUTRIGHT ABUSE, BE WARNED THAT PARENTAL EMOTIONAL CONFLICT IS INVOLVED. THIS IS NOT NORMAL BEHAVIOR FOR PARENTS, NOR SHOULD YOU BE FORCED TO ACCEPT IT, IF IT IS HAPPENING TO YOU.

The young man opened the door for you as you slowed to a stop under the alcove. He was impeccably dressed, and smiled professionally as he took your keys from you.

While he got in the driver's seat, you straightened your dress, your purse, and stiffened your posture. You’d gone so long without makeup, that by just putting it on this afternoon, you felt that old shot of confidence you felt when you first tried it as a teenager. And today, you’d need all the confidence you could muster.

Vergil that evening had seen you just before you headed out, and a couple of weeks ago, you’d have not batted an eyelash at his reaction. But now? With the knowledge that you’d gained?

“You look lovely,” he had said as you approached the glass. He’d been swimming lazy laps around, and stopped dead in his tracks, (or was it in mid stroke?) when he’d seen you, and you instantly flushed. Ever since your meeting with Vergil’s rambunctious sibling, every word, action, and smile was now interpreted under a filter of the feelings he felt for you.

Or was it now all unfiltered?

“Thank you Vergil,” you smiled as you put on your heels, (ugh, how you detested the things) and checked your makeup in the mirror one more time.

“What is the occasion?”

“Well, my father,” you could swear you saw him tense up, “has finally come home from his business venture, and has invited me out for dinner, so I have to dress up a bit, to keep up appearances.”

“You don’t seem to be looking forward to this”

Drat, the merman was far too observant for his own good. “Well, meetings with my father tend to have the added pressure of him mixing his business in everything, so I always kind of feel tense at these gatherings.”

“Will your future bondmate be there? Perhaps he will be able to smooth things out for you.”

You glanced down at the engagement ring that fit snugly around your finger. Was it just you, or did it feel heavier nowadays? And had the pink diamonds lost their sparkle? “Unfortunately, he’ll be gone for another week,”

“But isn’t your bonding ceremony very soon?” “Yeah, he’s gonna cut it real close…” you chuckled without any sort of happiness as you placed your handbag strap over your shoulder.

“Sifa?”

That damnable name. You should have asked him to stop, he would have acquiesced, if reluctantly. But you’d been selfish, and you liked the meaning behind it, so you let the tragic charade play out. But it wouldn’t be much longer now…

You summoned all your acting skills and pasted on a smile. “It’s just the stress of planning this whole thing, I’m glad it’s almost over.” You looked up at the clock, “Shoot, looks like I’m cutting it close now too, gotta go! Seeya later Vergil!” And you practically ran out the door, as fast as the wobbly shoes could take you.

“Ah, good to see you miss,” the maitre’d smiled graciously at you as you walked in, before grabbing a menu, “Your father is waiting for you, this way please.” You followed him to one of the private rooms. Thank God, you thought. You needed the much needed privacy for your conversation this evening.

“SWEETHEART!” Your father bellowed as he got out of his chair, and threw his arms around you in an embrace that you honestly had to admit you really missed. “How is my wonderful daughter doing? It feels like ages since I saw you last,” he sat down as a waiter refilled his glass of water, and then filled yours. He had a bowl of clam chowder in front of him, and at your place, there was an appetizer sized bowl of chicken caesar salad, “I took the liberty of ordering it for you, it’s always been your favourite. Now,” he said as he placed his spoon into the creamy concoction, “let’s enjoy this long overdue father-daughter date!”

“So, your future father-in-law was so busy showing me his gun collection that he forgot to set the timer on the oven, so I says to him ‘Jerry, you smell something burning?’ and he starts cursing in both English AND Japanese as we both race to the oven.” Your father dug into the roast baby potatoes “mmm, I missed this… Rice is no substitute to the humble tuber. Anyways, he and I open it up and it’s like the literal gates of hell with all the smoke pouring out. Couldn’t get the smell of burning bread out for weeks! And the poor loaf,” he looked genuinely mournful. “Snatched away far too soon, before it could even fulfil its destiny”

You couldn’t help but giggle at his dramatic re-enactment as you chewed a biteful of tortellini. Your father was right, it had been far too long since you’d spent time with him. His corny puns, his wacky stories, and his boasts. It made you almost forget why you were being tense around him.

“Ah yes,” he speared a cut of his steak, “almost forgot to pass along a message from Fredrick. He’ll be here in about a week, says he’s really sorry he didn’t come home sooner. Apparently there were some last minute certification delays with the government, But,” he said as he chewed “I’m sure you’ve got nearly everything under control. By the time he arrives, all he’ll need is a tux fitting, a low key bachelor party, and you’ll both be good to go!”

A waitress, dressed prim and proper poured both of you some wine. It was hard to ignore the way your father stared just a touch too intently at her form fitting dress as she bent slightly to pour you a glass.

When she had slipped out of sight, he chuckled, “there’s one thing I miss about Japan, it’s the ladies…” he stared into space for a little bit, before shaking his thoughts. You definitely did not want to know what he had been thinking. “So, you’ve probably been a busy bee, for the past few months, you must be grateful that your big day is almost here, and that your mother is finally off your case.”

“Yes… about that.” you wiped your mouth politely with a napkin, before taking a deep breath. It was time. It should have been done a long time ago, but it was now or never. Your father picked up on the change of tone and paused, his forkful of lobster halfway to his mouth.

“I… I don’t think I can go through with this.”

The only sound, aside from the distant murmurs of other diners outside your room, was a sharp CLINK as the seafood loaded fork clattered on the plate.

“Pardon?” he asked, unbelieving.

“I don’t think I can marry Fredrick.” you repeated. This was the moment, the cat was out of the bag, and you forced yourself to continue, refusing to meet your father’s dumbfounded gaze. “There’s nothing wrong with him, he hasn’t hurt me, or cheated on me, but I can’t see him as the man I would spend the rest of my life with, let alone raise a family, or run a business. I… I just don’t think we have what it takes…”

After a few moments of agonizing silence, and you grew the balls to look up at him.

He was just staring at you, before breaking out in laughter.

Your hands, currently on your lap, balled up into fists as he just threw back his head in uproarious cackling. Here you were, practically baring your soul to the man you trusted most in this world, and he had the fucking gall to laugh?

“Oh man,” he said, wiping up a stray tear, “Sweetheart, of all the jokes you could tell me, this is one of the more creative ones.” He was on attempt number two for the forkful of lobster.

“It’s not a joke, dad! I’ve never been so serious in my life! I’ve been thinking all these past few months,” you tried to keep your voice down, but your emotions, once held back by a dam, were now breaking through, “and I really believe getting married, right now, to this man is the wrong thing for both me and him.”

“Sweetheart,” your father crooned like you were a tantruming toddler, which made it even more infuriating, “I know what you’re feeling.”

“Then you agree?” you asked hopefully.

“You’re getting cold feet. It happens to a lot of newlyweds. Hell, it happened to me and your mom.”

“Yeah, and now you guys can’t stand to be in the same room as each other, so” you spread out your hands in a ‘duh’ motion. “I think that proves my point.”

Your father’s face darkened. “You have no idea what’s at stake here, how many connections will just be snapped in half if this wedding doesn’t go through. I’ve made so many deals, so many business negotiations with Fredrick’s family. All hinging on this one ceremony. Do you want to take all the hard work I’ve done and throw it all away?” “But-”

“And think what it will do to our family’s reputation, your reputation!?” He slammed the fork down, jostling the dishes on the table, causing you to jerk in surprise. It had been a long time since you had seen him angry, and frankly, it kinda scared you. “Your mother is going to be heartbroken, she’s wanted this to be the perfect wedding for you. And your bridesmaids! They look to you for leadership. Are you going to be the one to let them down, to have them think of you as the lady that was too cowardly to take that final step. And Fredrick! Are you willing to be remembered by him as the woman who broke his heart?”

“I-” you couldn’t respond. You had expected resistance to your decision, but not outright hostility. And as much as you hated to admit it, your father was right. This wedding, this marriage, it wasn’t just about you, it never had been. And as much as you tried to fight it, the damage you would cause by breaking this off would be catastrophic.

“Look”, your father’s voice returned to its gentle tone, “Don’t think I don’t care about you, nothing further could be from the truth, it’s just that I’ve been in your shoes before, and I know what’s best for you…”

“Dad…” you whispered, your eyes blurry from unwept tears, as your father slowly got up and walked to your side of the table, before wiping your eyes delicately with his napkin.

“Now, now,” he murmured as he smiled, “this is supposed to be a happy time. If it puts your mind at ease, I can have my lawyer draft you up an iron-clad prenup. That way, if things go pear shaped, you’ll be covered. But you said it yourself, Fredrick is a very nice man, and if I had the slightest inkling that he would hurt you, I would have never let him even meet you.” He knelt down, and placed both of his hands on your cheeks, “Just trust me...trust in yourself. You can do this.”

And that was it, you broke down in tears, the months of stress making you crumble in your father’s arms. He hugged you close as he murmured soft reasurances into your crown. And you believed him. You needed to go through with this.

After a few minutes, you felt emptied, like a wet towel that had been put through the wringer. The emotional weight was gone, but instead of feeling relieved, you just felt...hollow. Your father slowly let go of you and made his way back to his side of the table, almost as if nothing had even happened. Your breathing had almost returned to normal, but there was still an ache in your chest, as if you had almost drowned.

“Now,” your father said, as he raised up his glass in a toast. “To a promising future”

You raised up yours, and repeated numbly,

“To a promising future.”

******

You’d returned home, tossed your heels into the closet and went straight to the washroom to clean off the makeup, once immaculate, now smeared on your face. The valet’s look of concern and pity was too much to bear, and you slipped him a hundred just for him to stop looking at you that way.

It took several rinses to not only wash off the makeup, but to make your face look presentable to Vergil, to place that pleasant mask you had to wear for just a few more days. Checking your calendar, you assured yourself that in three days time, the full moon would appear, and the weather forecast had predicted clear skies. The stars...or in this case, the moon had aligned perfectly. All you needed now was to locate the damn sword. That would be easy though, the warehouse was the place Doctor Griffon kept his ‘research’, at the behest of your father, and there was a walk in safe there. You’d have to access security footage to make doubly sure, but if there was any place it could be, that would be it. You’d have to do the break in on the very night, to avoid any suspicion that a prison break was about to take place, but you had keys and knew codes. Just slip in, slip out, and drop Vergil off like he was a package. Simple.

It was actually making you feel better, as you typed on your laptop, with an oblivious Vergil chowing down on some ramen and a plateful of bacon nearby. The fact you had something that was 100 percent in your control, that you alone were responsible for, grounded you.

You watched the security feed, as the Good Doctor got ready to leave for the day. He was placing manilla folders in a filing cabinet located in the safe, its dim light making it hard to see-wait, there it was. Leaning against it, there was the familiar long slender case, unmistakable due to its size and shape. Doctor Griffon, obviously satisfied with his work for the day, looked to be whistling as he left. It would be a cinch to do this.

You closed the laptop, and looked up at Vergil, who was watching you with interest.

“How was your dinner?” he asked as he slurped up the last of the noodles.

“Pretty good, all things considered,” you lied. It was getting easier and easier to do. “Fredrick should be showing up next week, so all I gotta do is finish up the final touches, and…” either the wine or the play acting was affecting you, because your head was starting to ache.

“Are you alright, Sifa?” his voice seemed to take the pain away, slightly.

“Just tiredness, I suppose. All this planning has been keeping me up at night.” “Would you like me to sing?” he offered, and you were disinclined to accept, before your tiredness changed your mind.

“That would be very kind of you to do so, your singing is very soothing to me.”

He almost looked as if he was beaming as he opened his mouth to sing, his voice taking an echoy quality in the open space.

Isil shem’ore

Isil lin’ore

Mira pharar, mira ofar, mira kanar,

D’rashana karif’ore

Isil dilshonin sa oplalim

Sa kintal o sa polim

Sa racarto shipal o sa whelik

Nekalin parand’ore fa pishim

Ah, mira sifa, mira sifa

Winik fa pishim lin’more.

And as your mind slowly became comfortably numb to the day’s events, you idly wondered to yourself, Strange, I thought this was an ode to the Sun?

******

You weren’t quite sure what was more painful, the driving rain that beat into your exposed body like hail, or your fingertips as they clung to the craggy rock, being cut to ribbons as you lost and regained your grip on sharp edges.

Or maybe it was the gale-force winds screaming as they whipped around you, through you like knives of ice. Strange, the winds did not howl or scream, as winds ought to do. No that would have been preferable to what you heard. Snatches of voices, reminding you of your failures, of your shortcomings…

“Will you now….make me the luckiest man in the world?”

“I understand you're eager to put all your knowledge to good use, but you deserve a break”

“It doesn't speak, they don't have the intelligence to”

“Never satisfied with their lot in life, they take, and take, and take…”

“Look, my father said that was usually the reserve of the ladies, and you're getting a top notch wedding planner, so how hard could it be?”

“But you do not love him.”

“This is YOUR day, you need to go all out! With luck, this will be the most important day of your life.”

“This is supposed to be YOUR day, you shouldn’t be such a doormat”

“You don’t just call anyone Sifa, it's a fairly dedicated term, and Vergil wouldn’t just call you that if he didn’t mean it.”

“Sifa”

Out of nowhere you felt a calming presence holding you, protecting you from the brunt of the storm, but it still didn’t block out everything. But it was so comforting, so you relaxed for just a moment. That was a mistake, as your bloody fingertips slipped off the rock, and you began sliding into the churning waters below.

“SIFA!”

You awoke, gasping for air, hands gripping on nothing before you realized it had just been a nightmare, no doubt caused by the day’s events. You must have dozed off to Vergil’s singing, right there on the platform. Speaking of which… the only thing that remained of the dream was the sensation of being held….

Clammy webbed hands held you, ever so gently, around your waist, and spreading wetness was at your back. Usually, you’d find the coldness to be unpleasant, but instead, it felt… comforting. A stream of unintelligible soft words were being murmured into the back of your neck. “Vergil?” you hesitatingly asked.

“A nightmare, nothing more, Mira Sifa.” you felt his breath still momentarily, “it was the only way I could think of to calm you down, I will go, if you desire…”

What you SHOULD have done was to thank him graciously, but then get up, wish him goodnight and plod off to much needed sleep. You SHOULD not encourage these feelings you had for him, nor his for you. You SHOULD not endanger the new chapter of your life that was about to begin. But tonight….tonight, SHOULDS could go to hell. Tonight, you would be selfish, and you snuggled into his arms, earning a soft intake of breath as he continued to hold you, to softly sing you back into sleep, into dreams as calm as the waters beside you.

Ah, Mira Sifa, Mira Sifa…..

Winik fa pishim lin’more?

#Deep Blue Sea #Devil May Cry #vergil x reader #Mergill #Trust me #It hurt to write this #but it was a good pain

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adevotedappraisal · 4 years

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Short Story: Gershom, part one of two

A short story about a memorable day in the life of the most famous folk-hero of Barbados, one Winston Hall. I played loose with the actual facts of Winston’s life, the way all folk tales do, but also because the story is less about the particulars of his life and more of the imaginary mind-state and desires of a person in solitude who wishes to connect with a country that is as scared and confused about him as he is of the country itself. Enjoy.

Gershom part one (the mid-day son)

By Christopher White

Run always. Run until it doesn't make sense, until it gets too thick and it makes more sense to stop. Do the patrol. First go up to Old Ledge and do some sight seeing from there. Look. Look at the brown on the rooftops. Look at that section there with the path by the side. You made that path, trample all over the grass. It makes the runs quicker. Sky is clear. No rain smell, good. Mrs. Graves must be cooking by now. She makes good veggies. Are you hungry? You aren't hungry, good. Anything out the ordinary from the sight-seeing? No. Children going school. Look at that little one. Cheez on bredders I know he mother back when she was a child, now look she got a lil' boy. What's her name? She was cute girl, she used to look at me and smile sweet. I thought she did love me, but I was seven, I ain't know what love was then. She was cute. What was she rassole name now? It's an 'M' name. Anyway, check the trespass traps. No one has been up here. Good. Look up again. Look at that sky. Now look at the green. Go over by that mango tree and tie your lacens. What was her name? Winston stood by the mango tree overlooking St. Joseph and tied his shoe-laces carefully. The wind was soft but enough to push the trees to swaying. Down the hill was a pasture, a display of overgrown grass with an arcing path carved into it, made by Winston four months earlier. The countryside was silent save for the cheering that the leaves made in the wind, the occasional high shout of the school-children going to the nearby Primary School. A wooden crate laid half buried and overcome by the dirt, and one of the primary school boys stopped to kick at it. His mother quickly came and slapped his hand and the boy cried and breathed in, cried and breathed in, breathed in, then breathed in again, and then let his cry carry over the sloping section of the country, through the primplers of the dunks trees, over the ribs of the stray dogs, under the stereo of Stephen ' Step-Hen' Roberts, and into the tightly knit and thatched corridors of the Hill-trees (sparkling from the sun light coming through), past the perpetually deciduous Breadfruit tree until the last bit of the cry met the mango tree, and made Winston Hall look up, causing him to pity the boy and his own childhood, the recollections of which were as faded as the child's bellow.

The sun went on during the morning as Winston stayed mostly behind the large and thick line of trees, and carried his supplies as he made the trek to Chimborazo, where a sizable patch of farm land lay. On his walk along the ridges and down the dips along Joe's River and up through the slowly-swaying trees Winston remembered bits about his childhood. He thought about Primary School sports and how he was real good with the egg and spoon race. His little secret was to do the race on near tip-toes. A strange sort of balance, a strange sort of control occurred when he did this. The finals race was him up against Peter from down the gap, and Peter was the favourite because he had just won the 200m easily, but Winston had his technique. By this time of the day the sun was becoming soft around the Pasture of the school sports, and the sno-cone vendor had run out of evaporated milk, and Winston was ready. He got the lead early, trying to absorb all the shock of movement through his toes and knees. His eyes were on that egg, brown and wobbling, then he looked up at the yellow tape. He kept his nerve, trying to keep all his might and auspices on this one task. Mrs. Licorish was shouting "Go Winston! Lick down boy, lick down!" and he kept it all out while he warbled on. Winston stopped his thinking of his younger-Winston and looked up because he thought he saw someone. Down boy. keep low. Look for shadows that don't move like trees. Could be an animal. Could be nothing. It's not a person, you would have heard something by now. People is mek noise when they walking without minding their walking. Look the field over there. Good carrots and lettuce. The soil real dark. Gets turned over alot. He could grow some weed at the back there. Make himself some extra money. Remember Dizzy. Dizzy used to get a small boat and go over to Tobago every fortnight to get weed from he stash. Went with him sometimes. On the boat over he used to sing Sam Cooke tunes. Good voice. Barely used to hear him and was right across from him. It real hard to sing at a whisper and sing well. But you could do it if ya practice. I shoulda win that egg and spoon race. I lose concentration. I was thinking about the prize before I get it. Got complacent. Rest pun my laurels before I had de laurels. Peter just took advantage. He was safe tho. It was my fault. I wonder where that silver medal is? Mummy was proud or not? Mummy say once that she wish she had chinee eyes. I tell she I still proud of she eyes. She hug me. Okay stash de bags here. Come back later tonight. Get some carrots then. Sometime during the day you gine be hungry. Just hol off till you get to Robert. Robert got something for you. Remember. Later this evening. On his way back near Suriname, Winston heard a rap song. He wondered when was the time that rap got so popular in Barbados. He cared neither way for the music, it wasn't the music of his youth, and he really hadn't the time to learn new music. After getting free from prison during the late nineties he made it to the foot hills of his home-hamlet of Suriname, but on the way he remarked at all the antennae that were on top of roofs, all the fancy new cars on the road, and the even more churches that popped up during his imprisonment. By the time he reached Robert's house he was dirty, smelling of sweat, and tired, but the first thing he whispered to Robert was "wait Robert, Bajans sell dey ass to de Devil to get these new tings or wha?"

The sun had gone behind a sudden construction of clouds. Through the spaces in the clouds the sun came down in verdant lines. Winston was in a tree looking out at the country-side and nursing his right knee with a handkerchief in a way similar to this:

He had injured his knee on his latest escape from prison around four years ago. It was morning and the guards knocked on his door and said "Hall! Bath!" Winston got up off of his lumped bed and pushed against the wall. Silently he pushed against the inside of his cell, grimacing his futility only to himself, fingers clawing the faded paint, the thick stale air reminding him of his situation, of his choices. He did this same gesture to the walls everyday he remembered to do it. The young guard knocked on the door then the door opened. He stared at Winston. "Come 'long." he said.

Down the corridor he walked with the two guards flanking him, looking at the sorrowful structures of the century old prison. The feeding chain in the prison no longer surprised Winston. 'Big Criminal eat the little one' he mused. He noticed his feet chains were not the way he remembered them. He was walking with more freedom than the previous mornings. 'water goes to the path of least resistance' he thought. 'Geography teacher said that. But what was his name?' he thought. Then he pushed the guards fiercely aside and ran.

A large percentage of the Prison officials were in a meeting, and Winston ran like if he knew this beforehand - with reckless determination. Prison pants-legs rubbing swiftly against each other as Winston darted through some boxes then up near the play-court where Justin Maynard and Harold Peters stared in amazement at Winston's bursts. So concentrated, yet so risk-taking. Winston ran like freedom to the wall. The guards ran in pursuit and motioned others to tell the rest in the meeting. Gravel sparkled over his legs, then no gravel as he leaped up onto a shed and then onto the sharp-toothed wall. He looked back, at the galloping guards, at the stunned new-comer prisoners and the observant veterans who stopped the basketball game the moment they realised that this was an example that their fellow prisoners should view. They stood up, some cheering, most just beholding. Beholding Winston thirty feet up in the air on the precipice of a barbed wire wall that overlooked an over-run gully packed tight with all types of things discarded.

Winston jumped, not flailing, but not sure.

Don't squeeze it, just put you hands around you knee. Just let it know that you there for it. That jump was messy as blood. Uneven ground to land on. Thought it was broken. Thought it had snapped. Still bothers me to this day. Doesn't hurt when I bend down, only when I get up. This is good enough. Look at the sky. Sun coming back out. Look at the cloud shadow on the ground. That woman is coming back from dropping she son off from school. She doesn't work. Now I remember, she does, she just goes out 'round mid-day. She breasts look good. She do she hair pretty well up just to drop she son off. That's what I like. A woman that care what she look like. What is her name? I should run down there and ask her. Just ask her and kiss her and tell her I ain't got shite to give you but my heart and hope. I should tell she I want she to hope for me. Hope I work something out of this life. I is a good kisser I feel. Suck bubbies good. I would be a good father for de child. Child father aint around. I don't see any man ever with her. I would discipline the child good. I would love the child good. Tell he everything I know. Tell he everything to make sure he never end up like me.

Miriam Lowe walked down the cracked road to her home. She took her glasses off and started to clean them while walking by memory. She put them on again and stared at the trees and over-run grass behind the row of houses where she lived. Some of the children call that area the jungle and so she forbade her young one to go there without her. Her slippers flapped lazily as she walked up staring at this elaborate chaos back there. Fear truly resides in the unknown. Because fear implores you to assume, demands that you suppose the nature of the things that scare you. She day-dreamed a cabal of mad rastas in the hills, scorning the plaintive practicality of a remote control. Or she dreamt about drug dealers with huge weed trees reaping their harvest that would stick a knife through anyone who discovered their bounty, or any little boy. Maybe back there was a time warp, and pirates and runaway slaves and vampires and duppies and ravenous forest wolves all lived between the trees, all waiting to feast on the minds that fear them, the minds that are so scared of them, that they imagine them on morning walks while cleaning their glasses. Miriam walked up the unpainted steps and into her home. She put the boy's colouring books into a pile, and looked at the back of the newspaper. She then looked straight ahead at the picture of Kevin Lowe, staring straight ahead, policeman hat and visor sloping and shiny across his forehead, lips pursed, against a plain blue background. She stared at him and smiled at the dead man. On the nights that she would invite a man over for a night-time coupling, she would turn that framed picture down onto the glass cabinet that held assorted souvenir cups and decorativia. She put the kettle on the stove, sat down to gather herself before she left for work at a Christ Church hotel. She sat in her chair, bright from the sun coming through the ajar door, and thought about the duppies going to work in the bushes behind her house and up the hills. She thought about this until the kettle began to scree, unsure at first, then full throated as soon as enough of the water had boiled within it. Winston was down in a depression near Joe's River checking on stash B. He had a series of places where he stashed supplies, clothing and weapons. He walked further into the dense grass and further into the hills to Stash C. Stash C had dry foods and loose magazines he managed to get. He took out a green plastic bag filled with dry food and walked further down until the denseness stopped and the ground became softer. The ground gathered on his shoes but he walked on. The ground became sturdy again and a small pasture emerged; mostly dry grass and cracked earth. At the far end of the pasture was a tree with rope tied onto the base. Attached to the base was a dog, pacing silently back and forth, wagging all the while. There he is. He always lets me know he missed me. Give him a hug. Scratch his belly. Wrestle the bastard to the ground. There you go. He likes so much games. Is that lice there? No just dirt from the play-fall. Well, give the bag of dog food. Look at him nose through that. Sometimes you wait too long to feed him. Remember that. There was a boy in primary school who used to take children food from them. Used to call him Charles Bronson. Found out years later he was taking all that food home to feed his brothers. I would have given him the food if I had known that was the reason. He didn't have to hit me that one time. I cry but stop real quick. But I learn that sometimes you could reason with a man, but sometimes it doan matter. When a man hungry, all he know is letting go blows for food. Everybody like that. When dey back to the wall, they would beat they dog for food. Policemen is got to beat confessions out of people to get de case finish. Dem aint care, but when they job on the line dey beating up poor people. And if that poor person was a policeman he would do the same thing. Sometimes my back was to the wall. Sometimes I didn't have nuh big money for nothin. And sometimes I had to share out fuckin blows too.

And so Winston went through the day, hiding between one spot and the other, travelling with his dog, scouting out movement in the areas of St. Joseph, and thinking an assembly line of thoughts to stop himself from going mad. Winston's torment was not only his choices of his youth ( a naive 20 year old creeping up to a plantation house looking for quick money), but also the realisations that these choices were simultaneously making him more popular and more apart from this country he took for granted in his youth, as we all have. By the time of his second escape from prison (third from police custody), Winston Hall had managed to become the most well known male in Barbados while at the same time being the one person who had the least knowledge of what was occurring in his country for a man his age. He could tell you the best escape route from the gully near Richmond's house, and the best unguarded breadfruits in the parish, and how to separate normal flashlights from more expressive police flashlights, but at the same time Winston had no idea of the movie theatres that were cropping up, the dynasties of night-clubs that rose and fell over the decades, the spread of the internet, the drugs, the government, the rise of women in schools, the travel accounts for black managers at insurance companies, the carve of a rally-car tire into the asphalt, the smell of the west coast after it flooded and killed a few people, the look of a signature on an invoice slip of a DVD player bought at a department store, the progresses, the illusions, the pursed lipped rage of this country, all these things were apparitions - stories he might hear about but never care about because his country was not our country, his anthem was not the same we sing at events half-heartedly, his motto was of no high-minded Pride and Industry, but of only one word embedded into his thoughts, permeated into his action. His only motto was Survival. The sun was beginning it's slope downward now. Mid-day had come and Miriam was in a Transport Board bus rocking slightly, hopping up whenever the huge busses went down into a hole in the road. The grass and boundless grass that went by the window went into her eyes, left the memory that this road had grass on the sides of it, and then the rest of the images left her mind. The distinctions were only picked up by her under-mind, her subconscious, and her under-mind seldomly reminded her of how the world truly looked, of how the world truly operated. While the Bus stopped at a traffic light, and in the background, Grantley Adams Memorial School loomed sprawled by against the pastures. It was then that her under-mind began to remind her of the way her life truly was. The images of her late husband slapping her into the wall of their house came up. Miriam closed her eyes. She countered by reminding herself that he truly loved her, and she was not a door-mat for her man because she could get any man she wanted in Surinam or most places. She knew of the constitution of her breasts. But she stayed because she realised that things get complicated when you get older. "When you are a teenager or a girl like that of course you coul' leav ya boyfriend like that, because the only obligation is to the relationship. There is that thing telling you that you could get a better man. "But when you get married to a man, have a child with a man, get a house with a man, appliances, garden supplies, new bed sheets with a man, ya is become more entrenched. It's harder to leave. All of a sudden you start weighing everything. You is say to yaself 'yeah he hit me las night, but he change de child diaper real good and fix de back door'. The practicality of him over-weighs the emotional shite he might get on with. All of a sudden you get stresses when he get stressed, and vice-versa. We hurt each other differently when we in bad moods that is all. He shoved me into a wall when he was angry, and I tell he that he need to clean he ass better or I ain't gine suck he balls no more. People get hurt in different ways I guess." she thought to herself. The bus went along through the country. Past the mini-marts and the wooden churches and the rum-shops, and into the roads filled with hotels and night-clubs and well-designed restaurants. She rang the bell and got out, and went into her hotel. In the back room Janice Callender had her hand up her skirt pulling her shirt tail down so that it was all flat against her. The younger girl looked at Miriam as a bigger sister, an aunt, a guiding hand of some sort. "Miriam," Janice said while they got prepared for their work of work and smiling. "Yeah what happen Janice?" "Um, wha you would do is you man cheat on you? You woul' cut off he doggie?" "Nah, I wouldn't do that." Miriam said, "Men gine do tings like that sooner or later. I wouldn't even leave he." "Fuh trut? Why you wouldn't leave he?" Janice asked. "Because if you want to be in a relationship you is realise that ya aint in just a relationship, you in a life together. You have to learn patience, and hope, and most o' all, forgiveness. Love is mess up we head, and make us put up wid a lotta shite from de people we love. But to tell ya de truth, I wouldn't have it any other way." Miriam said. The two stood in the back room fixing up, and then Janice said, "but what if he was pun de down low with a man?" "Then I woul' throw he bullin ass out de house and cut off he doggie." Miriam said as they both laughed themselves into the hallway.

All was calm during the afternoon. The grass was knotted up amongst each other and the clouds moved softly. Years ago, there would be Reddifusion boxes wheezing out the hymns and solemn-spoken events of the day, but now those radios were gone and now a home stereo would vibrate bass-lines from a house where an unemployed man might live, or a woman at home with her child, or a middle-aged man going through a youth resurgence, listening to young-people stations while taking a day home from work. The community was at rest, as it usually is, as it usually expects itself to be. Winston sat behind a clutch of dunks trees mostly bare from being picked by Winston all the time. He was sharpening a piece of wood by planing down the edges to a point. Maybe he'd use it as a weapon, maybe he could stick it in the ground, tie rope to it and use it as an anchor for a make-shift tent if he suddenly had to run. Mostly he was doing it so see the soft, tender slices of wood peel off from over the knife and flick off playfully to the ground. Thin bends of wood, making not a sound as they were cleft from the wood that they were part of. No reason that they were now separated from their wood except from pure boredom now, or maybe pure usefullness. In any event, the wood shavings probably understood that these things were a course of life, and it didn't have to be fair, or expected, or planned, or even holy, in order for it to be a part of life. Winston took up the shavings from the ground lest anyone find them and suspect that he was living nearby. He was chewing some tamarind leaves slowly. "Tastes just like de tamarinds" he always told himself, and even as a little boy, it always calmed him down whenever he remembered that tamarind leaves calmed him down, because sometimes he didn't remember. He sat in the shade, his stomach not grumbling, and just stared at the countryside. Most would not believe this but he was not overly concerned with his legacy. He was so pre-occupied with survivng for no other reason than to survive that he seldom really thought about the impact of his survival on people who didn't have to. He once read an article when he was in Trinidad about the situation of the ghettoes around and the near Port-Of-Spain. The reporter asked a question, "How do you think your condition here in this squalour reflects on Trinidad and Tobago on a whole?" and then the reporter reported that the ghetto citizen had nothing to report on the question initially. He wrote that the man just stared at him as if he had never thought of anything related to this. The citizen then said " Ah cahn really say what other people should tink, ah only know what I tink. Maybe it reflect bad bad bad, but maybe nobody else really tek this ghetto into dey mind. In fact ah doan tink they do tink about the ghetto enough to feel ashamed or anyting about it." He heard shouting, but did not startle himself because he immediately recognised it as children's shouts. He slowly looked out and down the road from behind the trees and stared. He counted the money and objects in his pockets as he stared. Bajan women legs either small or big. They either skinny or meaty. no inbetween. They hips move like if only the hips dancing. Mrs. Fenty hand is getting better. Moving it better. One two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve I feel her husband broke it thirteen fourteen fifteen she looks like the type that would get beaten sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty and that's where ya is usually grab a woman when ya hold she rough twenty one twenty two twenty three twenty four - twenty four dunks in de right pocket. There's the little boy. The neighbour is carrying him home along with her son one two three four five his face is round just like his mothers six seven eight nine what is her name? ten Maureen? eleven Mary twelve wait Mary? thirteen Mary-Ann? fourteen fifteen Maybe Mary-Ann is she name. That is the closest I could get. I still feel I wrong, but less wrong than before sixteen seventeen. Seventeen bills I got, de same as yesterday so I know is de same amount. I is think about that girl too much one two three I getting feelings for she but I need to still concentrate on tings four five six seven eight she is treat people so good tho nine she so sweet to de other people ten when she laugh I is could hear it eleven and it is a laugh that so sweet twelve I want to mek she laugh like that bad bad bad thirteen rassole I love she? fourteen love who? I only love myself and mummy fifteen I have to talk to she, introduce myself to she, mek she laugh for me eleven, shite I think I lost count. Miriam tugged on the left side of the bed to make sure both sides of the sheet tails draped evenly off the bed. She looked outside the window at the sand, at the waves. She thought about drowning and then moved away from the window. She walked down the corridor, light thumps on the carpet when she walked. She sat down in the break room where the lockers were and unfolded the foil over her lunch. The smell of the beef chunks rose up and made her scramble for her fork. She speared one and shoved it in her mouth, biting down forcefully. She pushed the other chunks to the side to keep for later and scooped up the rice with her thumb on top of the place where the fork bent downwards. She enjoyed the meal but didn't smile about it. Smiling usually comes from enjoying the thing itself only for the entertainment in it. Food that you ate when you were hungry served the purpose of keeping you alive more, so there was little entertainment to enjoy about hunger-eating as opposed to say, eating ice cream. Miriam thought about when she was a child hiding from her father. Balled up inside a suitcase, she watched through the open zipper teeth as her father looked under the bed, sweetly growling her name, with his penis dripping. Yolanda came into the break room. Miriam looked up at her. Yolanda smiled back. "Doan be so sad Miriam. Jesus helps us all." "yeah...you right." she said, then took the beef into the fork and carefully bit the meat from the solid bone, using her tongue to rotate the piece, while she thought about dark rooms.

The sun was on it's stage to rest by the time Winston got underway to see the dog again. He thought about the future for the first time in a long time. He usually only thought about the future in terms of where things should be, where things are expected to be tomorrow: the sun comes up over there in the future, the school children sound this way in the future, the crickets will go like this in the future, the wind is expected to blow like this, and then like that, and then it would relent. But he never usually thought about that other future - the future that you can change. He wasn't one to think about five years into the future, because in his mind that was absurd. Other than the days, or maybe hours before a jail break he didn't think about his involvement in the future. Even in Trinidad during the calm nights, rain outside and the woman warm against him cooing herself to him saying, "Tony you is mek me feel safe, ya is a strong man ya hear me?", he never thought long about marriage, or where the little children would be in ten years or anything large like that. He just went on in his mind about what the rain was expected to sound when it slowed down to a drizzle, where the only big sounds would be the fat-as-cunt rain drops that fall from leaves, or dribble down the galvanize roof notching into the ground. He would think about that, then about the next day, and only after tomorrow came would he start to think seriously about the day after that, and what the accoutrements of then should look like. End of Part one.

#short story #winston hall #caribbean #barbados #long read #Black Fiction #island fiction

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hopeidontabandonethis · 5 years

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Personality Switch AU

Nightmare/Depression Stage PART III

Part 1

- Virgil was having a migraine when he heard Logan knocking on his door. It was so surprising, he opened out of curiosity, finding not an angry side ready to take their frustration on him but a wrecked Logan. The Disney fanatic looked so tired and scared, clothes wrinkled, tie loose, bags underneath his eyes. The anxious side was immediately worried, dropping his face smile and ignoring all of his problems to focus on Logan.

-”What’s wrong?” he had asked and Logan had cried. It was too much for him. Virgil immediately started fretting, quick to lead the crying logical side to the living room and make a bowl of broccoli soup for him. Once he calmed down Virgil asked for an explanation, what he got made his eyes water.

- Patton was sick, depressed, Roman was acting crazy and villainous (a description that greatly bothered Anxiety, cause Logan only describes Virgil as villainous but he loves Roman), Deceit was sneaking around and Logan was stressed. He was so busy fighting with himself and the mean voices of his anxiety he didn’t check on anyone.

He was certain everyone would feel better without a scary, fake and unstable worrywart like him. So how does it feel like everything is falling appart...?

-The first order of business was to check on Patton. He was sleeping on Logan room, not reacting. Virgil tucked him in better, summoning his plushies to keep the tense side company and left a camomile tea close by, just in case the heart woke up thirsty. He swore his touch brought Patton more color but that must have been wishful thinking.

- After that, he went to check on Roman, knocking and knocking but only getting an answer after announcing his name. The kiddo immediately opened the door at the familiar voice. Logan had stated the creative side has been more attracted to nightmares then fairytales lately, so Virgil shouldn’t have been surprised when Roman smiled at him, teeth sharp but eyes sparkling with genuine joy “Virgil, I was hoping to get your opinion on something! Hypothetically speaking, if a murderous Dragon Witch were to hunt you down would you be more anxious in a forest like setting or a deserted Shopping Center,” and Virgil was shoved inside Roman’s room before he could even think about answering.

The place was very dark, only illuminated by a few candles. Every corner was full of half-finished ideas, sharp shadows moving in every corner, climbing walls and changing shapes whenever Roman thought of something new. Each step made a loud noise. Virgil definitivaly did not like it in here, his anxiety spiking drastically.

-He hesitantly indulged in Roman bizarre questions, unable to resist the boy request, especially when he was that excited, but he keeps an eye on the room's shadows. Swearing he saw glowing eyes of various colors and shapes staring back at him before vanishing. He gulped, finding comfort in the familiar mess of notebooks in Roman’s table, his latest ideas and his dream journal partially illuminated by a half melted candle, it fires blue, oddly cold.

- He could see why Logan would accuse Roman of going mad but personally, Virgil did not agree. The Kiddo new aesthetic is rather...Interesting, his energy oddly heavy, more powerful, and the room does give him the creeps, but Roman still has that curious look in his eyes whenever he asks something, sure, it looks less focused but he still growls at any pun he detects, forgetting stuff and taking slangs too literally.

It’s probably just a phase, like when he spent a week thinking only about the ocean and started smelling like salt, or that month he fell in love with space and got his star freckles. Or when he got obsessed with steampunk, asking Logan about mechanisms and writing down all he heard...

- So Virgil tries his best to not shush Roman down. Paying attention to his morbid ideas with increasingly shaky nerves and waiting until Roman was staring at him with a proud smile, happy to share his personal world. When finished Patton congratulated his narration structure and wonderful draws, gently explaining why he did not like the concept despite how well made it is.

- Surprisingly, Roman was not connecting what was happening very well, eyes swirling randomly “I don’t understand.” His voice grew weaker, unsure “Do you not like it...?”

- Virgil wasn’t sure how to explain it, much less in this fear indulging room, so when he heard another ominous sound he jumped, determined to change locations. He got some complaints from the short side but Anxiety was determined, using his Stern Voice (Or ’Fear Spell’ as Logan put it) and feeling strange when Roman shivered, more fascinated than anything. It really was bizarre, Virgil doesn’t think he is thinking straight. He stares at Logan door, smirking. Hopely some clarity would snap him out of it.

-Roman hissed at Logan when they faced each other, holding a grudge for sure. Virgil ordered Logan to get out, ignoring his squeaks of indignation and gently leading a tense Roman to Patton side.

-Roman still seemed confused when Virgil started explaining everything he learned but between his Fear Spell and Logan’s logical room, Roman was slowly going back to his senses, eyes getting more focused, going from confused and insecure to slightly worried.

-The two fussed over Patton, Logan joining soon after. That afternoon was a mess -Thomas must have been experiencing some horrible mood swings. Roman tried to follow Logan meticulous instructions about medicine, doing his best despite still having a vaguely threatening aura, while the two bickered Virgil hugged and comforted Patton, humming at the weak but fortunately relaxed side.

-Roman’s tea smelled delicious but its texture was suspiciously like blood. Virgil hesitated but he ultimately decided to feed the half-conscious heart the tea. The drink brought a shy tint of pink back to his glasses, unfocused eyes narrowing at Virgil fake ears, using a lot of energy to grab the stitched heart in his cotton ear and promptly going back to sleep.

-He watched the sick side with soft eyes, feeling immensely happy when he noticed Roman smiling at the two of them, his teeth still sharp but his eyes back to their familiar red and blue pattern. Logan still sends Virgil strange looks but the anxious side was pleased by the whole scene, coming to the conclusion he is not the most pleasant but still necessary for this family.

-It took a while but Roman did his best to find a passion less detrimental. He was still attracted to darker themes, probably influenced by Patton own love for spooky stuff, but he did his best to mix it up with softer messages and other of his interests.

Thomas was officially a fan of Horror Games after the whole experience tho, not even Virgil influence could change that.

-Patton got better and better. Going back to his old self after two days. Everyone was happy about it. Virgil smiled at him, only to freeze when Patton's eyes -now lucid and focused- widened, staring at his sharp fangs with clear fear.

“Is only logical to fear deadly creatures after so many nightmares,” Logan said, always glad to share his knowledge (his opinions).

-So Virgil laughed his pain away, letting them celebrate alone.

- He was sad to notice his relationship with the other haven’t changed much...

- If there were no questions to be asked, Roman still acted awkward or quiet in Virgil presence, it hurt that they weren’t on friendlier terms after all that but he silently accepted (Unaware the reason Roman acted that way was because he fell ashamed of his action, yet he is too emotionally stunted to apologize)

- Logan was less aggressive but he still narrowed his eyes at Virgil. Not fully trusting him.

- And then there was Patton. Patton who was clearly scared yet he still knocked on Virgil’s door, anxious in every movement but willing to offer an olive branch. Willing to be his friend.

Virgil jumped at the opportunity, barely beliving his eyes and ears

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#personality switch AU #virgil sanders #roman sanders #sanders sides #patton sanders #I know I am a bit late but it is done!!#LONG POST!

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thebusytypewriter · 4 years

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Having a Moment

Summary: Holly spends some time with Buc during his watch on their team’s space pirate ship. Banter and accidental admittance of feelings ensue.

Author’s Note: Woo! Here it is! This one’s not in a fandom, just loosely based on me and my friends’ D&D shenanigans. Special thanks to @pinestripes and @pardonthefangirl for editing and giving super sweet feedback! You guys are amazing! Also asdfkgsdklg I tried with the cut, so sorry if it didn’t work!

Warnings: None, aside from some mild language. Fluff ahead! Enjoy!

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He must be lonely up there… Holly thought to herself, eyes trained on the crow’s nest. Never did like the traditional ‘one person keeps watch’ thing. I bet he’s hungry, too.

She shoved the wrapped sandwich into her jacket pocket and began climbing the ropes. If Buc knew that she was coming, he didn’t say a word about it, only continuing to gaze out into the never-ending cosmos, something almost like melancholy present in his expression.

Upon reaching the top, Holly gave two firm knocks on the bottom of the nest. “Package delivery for the first mate.”

There was no yelp, no other noise of surprise, only an exasperated wood elf opening the trapdoor and gazing down at her. “What the ‘ell are you doing here? You know ‘s my turn to watch, right?”

“I know, but aren’t you hungry? Want company? It’s quiet up here.”

“I like it like that, I’ll ‘ave you know.”

That wasn’t going to do. Holly gave him her best set of sad puppy eyes, which, according to the entire crew, were impossible to resist.

He stared into them for a moment, attempting to hold onto his willpower, but ultimately sighed. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt if you stayed up ‘ere for a short while.”

“Yes!” She hoisted herself through the open trapdoor and kicked it shut. “I’ve got food for you.”

The first mate snorted and pulled her into a standing position. “Did Ginger make it? Thought he wasn’t a night owl.”

Reaching into her pocket, she gave a quick laugh. “I made it, silly. Ginger’s asleep and has been for hours.”

Upon seeing the sandwich come from her jacket, Buc narrowed his eyes at it in mock suspicion. “And ‘ow do I know you haven't poisoned it?”

“You wound me, good sir!” Holly held the food closer to her chest as if to protect it from him. “I would never do such a thing!”

“Right. Fine, then, ‘and it over.”

She complied and waited patiently while he opened the wrapping and took a bite, staring once again into the stars. “So?”

“What?” he replied, mouth still full, though his brow was furrowed in genuine confusion. “Am I supposed ta ask you how your day was or somethin’?”

“No, Buc, gods!” Was it getting hot up there, or was it just her? “The sandwich! How’s the sandwich?”

Buc swallowed, cheeks darkening. “Oh. ‘S good. Thanks, Songbird.”

“No problem.”

The crow’s nest was quiet again.

Holly’s gaze wandered from star to star, planet to planet, thinking about everything that she and her friends could find in the universe. She wondered if they’d ever find her home dimension, whether it be in ruins or not. Perhaps they would stumble across the universe with Repron, stop by to visit with Fayni or Thela. Or maybe they would meet another band of adventurers and give them aid in their quest.

“I see why you like it up here,” she found herself saying. “It’s quiet.”

From beside her, Buc gave an unsure hum, crumpling the sandwich wrapping and shoving it in his trousers pocket. “Quiet’s fine. Company’s good, too. But you know what would make it even better?”

She nonchalantly reached behind herself and pulled her lucky ukulele out from its pouch on her back, a grin forming on her face at the way his expression lit up. “Got any requests?”

“Just somethin’ peaceful.”

As she took a moment to make sure that it was still in tune, Holly noticed Buc turn and take a seat on the wood floor of the crow’s nest, then gesturing for her to do the same. She sat cross-legged there, her knee barely touching the side of his thigh, and began to play an old lullaby. The lyrics were lost in her memory still, but the tune was there as clear as day, so she hummed along with it. Holly definitely didn’t miss the warm content smile spread on her friend’s face at the music, nor did she miss the way his eyes drifted shut after several measures.

It made her happy to know that she could put a smile on his face.

“‘Ey, Holly?”

Twang. A sour note rang out when her hand jerked in shock. Holly stared in confusion and disbelief at Buc, who hadn’t even opened his eyes. Did he just call me by my name? After a moment, she tried to continue playing as if that wasn’t peculiar. “Uh, yeah?”

“Can I ask ya somethin’?”

“Shoot.”

“Are you an orphan?”

TWANG. Her song stopped completely, the last horrible note still hanging in the air. Holly turned to him sharply, eyes wide, suddenly hating the way he seemed so relaxed. “Excuse me? What makes you think you have a right to ask that?”

“Just askin’,” he drawled, raising one hand to scratch his stubble. “I don’t mean any harm by it, I swear. Jus’ had to figure out the reasons.”

“Reasons for what, Buc? Whatever it is, it must be damn good enough to warrant asking someone if their parents are dead!”

He cracked one eye open. “I ask ‘cause I’m an orphan, too, ya see. Felt somethin’ familiar ‘boutcha ever since I met ya. Almost like the gods themselves were tellin’ me somethin’. Crazy, huh?”

Holly blinked at him, irritation gone, and she held her ukulele just the slightest bit closer to her chest. “Yeah...crazy.”

The first mate pushed himself off of the crow’s nest wall, using it to shift his body closer to hers, close enough for him to wrap an arm around her shoulders and give a firm squeeze. “Listen, Holly. I really appreciate you comin’ up ‘ere, givin’ me somethin’ to eat, and playin’ your special music for me. Wouldn’t mind it bein’ a regular thing, actually.”

“Really?” Holly gazed up at him, looking for any sort of joke, only to find sincerity in his warm brown eyes. “You mean it?”

“‘Course I mean it. You’re really something, Holly Bea, and I like ‘aving you around. Even if you’re better than me at everythin’.”

The two of them shared a laugh, leaning on each other, gazes traveling upward to the stars.

Or at least, Holly’s did. After a moment she noticed that Buc’s eyes were still on her. “Can I help you?”

He opened his mouth to answer before his cheeks flushed a little and he looked upward to the surrounding space. “It’s nothin’.”

“No, what is it? You can tell me.”

Buc was silent for a moment, then turned back to her, looking almost embarrassed. “You don’t...happen to ‘ave someone you fancy back at your place, do you? That half-drow guy, maybe?”

“Leofyr?” She let out a sharp laugh. “Gods, no. One, he’s like my dorky older brother. Two, he’s married, star-brain. So your answer is no, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Do ya want one?”

Holly froze, and the rest of the universe seemed to, as well. She once again searched his eyes for any sort of humor or teasing, but found only warmth and—dare she even think it—affection. “I—what?”

“I asked you if you wanted someone t’ fancy!” The longer he ranted, the darker his face grew, and the more his gaze flickered everywhere but her. “I dunno, Songbird, I thought we were ‘aving a moment! I thought we’ve been ‘aving moments for months! Maybe it was jus’ me seein’ things that weren’t there. But I get it; you’re a bard, flirt with everyone, stick with none—”

“Woah, hey!” She reached out and gently grabbed his shoulder, a light flattered pink dusting her own face and mingling with her freckles. “I don’t flirt with people, only when it’s necessary to get information or access to something. As for the ‘stick with none’ bit, well…” As she lowered her gaze to the floor in embarrassment, her hand dropped and joined its pair on her lap, anxiously feeling the wood of her uke. “I just hadn’t found the right person to stick with, that’s all.”

Buc finally watched her expression, his own brow furrowed. “What’s with th’ past tense? Hadn’t?”

Holly’s face practically burst into flames, and she clutched her ukulele, startled that he had picked up on her purposeful slip. “I—I mean that I’ve—that I’ve found someone to stick with!”

“Oh.” She didn’t miss his disappointed tone. “He’s a lucky fella, then. What’s he like then? Musical?”

“Buc.”

“Charmin’? Handsome?”

“Buc.”

“I bet he’s just as good as you at everythin’, if not more—”

“GODS, IT’S YOU, OKAY?”

Both of them froze, bright red. Their eyes finally met again, and when they did, Holly saw something else sparkling in his dark brown gaze. Adoration.

“‘S that so?” he asked, though not with nearly as much cockiness as usual. It was practically a whisper, almost in wonder.

She swallowed, nerves and adrenaline very much awake and active. “Of course. You’re...amazing.”

Buc gave a single breathless laugh. “Well, you’re extraordinary.”

“You’re incredible.”

“Gorgeous.”

“Dashing.”

“An angel.”

“Out of this...” Holly trailed off, face burning once again, though she hardly felt it this time.

As they fired compliments back and forth to each other, Buc and Holly had been subconsciously leaning in, closer and closer, until they were only inches apart. The bard could feel his breath tickle her lips, but she was too busy getting lost in his dark pools of infatuation. She hardly registered his warm hands moving her uke from her lap to the floor beside them.

“Go a’ead,” he murmured, gaze appearing to dart from her own to her lips. “What were you sayin’?”

The butterflies were back, filling her stomach as she struggled to speak. “O-out of this world.”

The only visible betrayal of his amusement at her pun was the way his eyes crinkled slightly at the edges. Nevertheless, he moved just a little closer, then asked, “Can I kiss you, Holly Bea?”

Her heart pounding, hands shaking, Holly answered. “Absolutely.”

And in an instant, Buc had closed the distance between them, his lips gently meshing with her own.

Holly had been told by friends what first kisses were like. Sweet. Magical. Mind-melting. Those didn’t begin to describe what she was feeling as she threw her arms around Buc’s neck and pulled herself closer. It was electrifying, to say the least. Every nerve in her body was tingling and sparking at the sensation, especially when Buc wrapped one arm around her waist and raised the other to run his hand through her hair. His lips were rough and tasted just a bit like ale, she noticed, but paid it no mind. He was gentle with her, though continued to give her the most pleasant experience she had ever had.

Finally out of breath, they parted and gazed at each other, forest green meeting dark brown. Their faces were flushed as they regained their breath, warm smiles growing on their lips.

And without a word, they were on each other again, heartbeats pounding in their ears as the second one lasted nearly twice as long as the first. They enjoyed the warmth that was shared, the emotions, the ever-growing love, known only by the two of them and the cosmos around them.

Holly agreed that she would continue to join Buc when it was his turn to watch.

#here it is!!#typewriter writes #typewriter clicking #Holly Bea #Buc the Space Pirate #that’s his official tag now #can’t stop me #had so much fun with this!#romance #fantasy #with some sci-fi mixed in there ohohoho #d&d #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #fluff #fluff for days #tales from the night’s tide

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bobasheebaby · 5 years

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Charcoal Dreams- Crimson Rain chapter 14

Pairing: Bastien x Liza; Liam x Raven

Word count: 3,471

Warnings: fluff, bad puns

Summary: Liza and Bastien plan their future.

A/N: This chapter is all fluff, but extremely long. Next chapter is gonna hurt cause the pain is far from over, my muse concocted some more crazy and honestly it fits. I’d say I’m sorry but you wouldn’t even believe me. A HUGE thank you to @sirbeepsalot for being my sounding board and listening to me whine when the writing was blocked. I’m sorry if your eyes forever get caught in the back of your heads from all the puns but I was having way too much fun!

Series warnings: Mobster AU, there will be violence, and death. Possible NSFW to come. Possibly dark and deals with pregnancy loss. If you ask to be tagged you acknowledge you are at least 18 years of age.

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist.

Disclaimer: I own my OC’s, the rest I’m simply borrowing from PB for a bit.

Present day; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

Liza tried to bite back the doubt forming in the pit of her stomach, she wanted to believe they would be fine no matter what their future held, but she couldn’t help but want more. She gently squeezed Bastien’s hand. “I want that.” She gestured toward an older couple walking with their dog further down the street.

“What the dog?” Bastien teased, understanding her meaning.

“No.” She shook her head, purple curls flying around her face. “Well I mean I wouldn’t say no to a dog, but I meant that, what they have.” Her voice grew softer. “I want to grow old with you.” She blinked back impending tears. “I thought for sure I lost my chance at that.” Her voice broke at the thought.

Bastien stopped, tugging her hand to spin her towards him. He brushed a dark purple strand of hair back behind her ear. “I meant it, no matter what our future looks like, that’s what I want.”

“Even if it’s just us and a bunch of pets?” Her hazel eyes full of hope as she gazed into his steely grey.

“Liv would have a fit.” His smirk belying his serious tone. “But yes, just us and a house full of pets.”

“True.” Liza’s face broke out with a grin as she tried to contain her laughter. “Let’s just start with one dog, win her over slowly.”

***

Liza stepped through the front door feeling just a tad more secure about what their future would look like, a wiggling white puppy, with black markings on his ears, sides and his right eye, held firmly in her arms. Bastien followed behind, his arms laden with bags. She stopped as she heard the clicking of heels coming down the hall. “She’s all bark and barely any bite.” She whispered to the puppy, as Bastien fought to suppress a laugh. “Besides who could ever resist your adorable charms? Hmmm? No one that’s who!” She giggled as the puppy turned licking the side of her face.

The sound of heels stopped. “What the hell is that?” Olivia asked pointing at the wiggling pup.

“A puppy.” Liza said, broad grin nearly splitting her face in two as she held up the squirming bundle. “The cutest puppy in the whole entire world, yes you are.” She cooed receiving more licks in reply.

“I can see that.” Olivia replied, grimace on her full lips. “Bas, you caved?” Her face twisted in abject horror as she envisioned the house overrun with animals.

“It’s one puppy Liv.”

Olivia laughed. “We all know you’d bring in any animal in need, all we need is one puppy and next thing you know the place will be covered in pet hair.” She suppressed a shiver at the thought.

Liza stepped closer, holding the puppy out towards Olivia. “Can you really say no to this adorable face?”

Olivia turned, her emerald eyes locking on chocolate brown. “No.” She looked back up to Liza, emerald eyes locking on hazel. “I’ll say it to you too—no.”

“Don’t worry, she’ll come around.” Liza cooed turning the puppy back to face her. “Yes no one could say no to Buttons and his adorable charms for long. No they can’t.”

“Buttons? What kind of ridiculous name is that?”

“It’s cute!”

“It’s stupid.” Olivia turned towards Bastien. “You let her name it Buttons?”

“First, when have you ever known anyone to let Liza do anything? Second, the little girl at the pet shop when we were picking out toys and collars named him.”

“Him? Seriously?” Olivia asked in surprise. “You get a male pit bull and name it Buttons? What happened to names like Spike, Brutus, Killer, hell even Onyx is tougher than Buttons!”

"Olivia, do you really think it's appropriate to name a dog from a bully breed Killer? They already deal with stigma as it is when all he his is a pile of cutie patootie isn't that right Buttons? Who's the sweetest pup pup?" Liza cooed, laughing as he licked her face all over once more. “Yes, you are, you’re the cutest pup pup in the whole wide world.”

“Baby talk? Really? It’s a freaking dog!” Olivia questioned, rolling her eyes at Liza and Buttons, trying to force the smile threatening to grace her lips back. She turned to Bastien. “I can’t believe you bought her a dog.”

“We adopted him. Yes we did, we saved you from that awful place didn’t we?”

Olivia raised a brow in question. “I thought it took time to adopt.”

“Not when you drop the name Lykel.”

“Seriously Bas? I thought using your name like that was beneath you.”

“Wasn’t me who dropped the name, it was Liza. And look how happy she is.” Bastien replied, smiling as he watched Liza with Buttons.

Liza set the puppy on the ground, he looked up at her looking sad to be put down, she let out a giggle, the happy sound reverberating around the room. “We’ll cuddle and play more later, go check out your new home.”

Buttons scampered over to Olivia, sniffing her feet. He plopped down, looking up at her expectantly. Olivia looked down at the small pup. “What do you want Butt?”

“Don’t call Buttons that!”

“You’re the one you gave him the ridiculous name, I’m just giving him a nickname.” Buttons cocked his head to the side. “I’m not calling you Buttons.” Buttons yipped, happily in reply to his name. “Oh fine. Come Buttons, let me show you what’s off limits, like my bed.” She said turning to walk back down the hall Buttons trailing behind her.

“We both know you’ll cave.” Liza called after Olivia’s receding form.

“Not likely.” Olivia called back, raising her hand flipping her off. “I honestly don’t know why I put up with those two.” She said to Buttons. Great, now I’m talking to the dog.

“You put up with us because you love us!” Liza shouted after her.

***

Liza stirred, giggles erupting from her as she felt a warm wet nose nuzzling into her neck. “Morning Buttons.” She petted his head, and she felt him plop down next to her. She wiggled her fingers at the unfamiliar weight, she slowly opened her eyes. What the hell?! Hazel eyes wide with shock as she took in the single brilliant round diamond sparkling in the morning light, the band was decorated with simple raised swirls. She glanced towards Bastien’s side, hoping to receive an explanation, only to find it empty. “Bas!” She shouted as she jumped out of the bed, Buttons jumping up following her.

Bastien poked his head out of the en suite as he finished drying his hair. “What?”

“What the hell is this?!” She exclaimed raising her left hand in questioned.

“I was hoping I’d be done before you found that.”

She stared at him pointedly. “Explain.”

“It’s a ring.”

“Obviously.” She rolled her eyes. “Why is it on my finger?”

“Maybe an engagement ring.” Bastien looked at her as if the answer was obvious. “I’m hoping you’ll marry me.”

Liza’s jaw dropped towards the floor, shock gluing her in place. It was all she wanted, but it was the most ridiculous way for him to possibly ask, she suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. They never did things in the ‘normal’ way, why would she expect anything less now?

“And we’re laughing because?” He questioned walking towards her.

“Because it’s so imperfectly perfect and yes, even if you didn’t actually ask you big goof.” She playfully swatted at his chest.

He grabbed her hand, pulling her closer. “I can’t wait to grow old with you, to see you with grey hair.” He said leaning down and kissing her nose.

Liza threw her head back, dark purple hair fanning out, hazel eyes sparkling with delight. “You will never see me with a grey hair, I’ll cover it up at the first sign.”

Bastien chuckled knowing she was right.

“But I can’t wait to see you with more grey.” She cupped his bearded cheek, her cheeks sore from smiling. “I love you.”

“Get dressed Poppy.” Bastien said pulling back. “We’re meeting Livvy at the jet in a hour.”

Liza stared at him in confusion. “Wait, what?”

He chuckled as he moved around the room getting ready, throwing things into a bag, Buttons following him around happily.

“Seriously Bas, where are we going?”

Bastien stopped in front of her, leaning down he kissed her forehead. “We’re flying to Vegas in a hour because I can’t wait another minute to make you my wife.”

Present day; Las Vegas, Nevada:

Liza stepped off the jet, her head still spinning at the sudden plans barely able to register Olivia listing off everything they needed to do. If someone had told her she’d wake up engaged and whisk off to Las Vegas to get married she would have laughed in their face and possibly stabbed them, but that’s exactly how her day was going.

“Earth to Liza.” Olivia waved her hand in front of her face, look of exasperation written across her features.

“Hmmm?” Liza shook her head, shaking the fog from her head. “I’m sorry, what were you saying Liv?”

“I knew you weren’t listening.” She rolled her emerald eyes. “As I was saying, first we need to go to the courthouse to get a marriage license, you need a dress, you need rings, and we still need to pick a venue, preferably one without a cheesy Elvis impersonator.” Liza’s hazel eyes light up. “No, Liza, seriously? Could you get anymore cliche? I know I was yelling at Bas to just ask you already, but I didn’t mean ‘and fly off to Vegas and get hitched’, can we try to keep it somewhat classy?”

Liza bit back a laugh. “Embrace the cliche Liv.” She ignored Olivia’s glare. “When have you ever known anything in our lives to be considered normal? Might as well do it right and go full Vegas, and that means Elvis.”

“If it was anyone besides you two.” Olivia said with a sigh of resignation. “Plus this way I know you won’t be leaving.”

“Uh huh, sure keep telling yourself that Liv. We all know you secretly love the idea of an Elvis wedding.”

“No.” Olivia said trying to suppress a grin. “We’ll have to take Butt with us as the pet friendly hotel Bas found doesn’t have check in until four. Did he have to come with us?” She gestured to the carrier containing the sleeping puppy Bastien was holding.

“Stop calling him Butt, and yes he had to come with us, he’s family.” Olivia rolled her eyes at the statement. “Stop acting like you don’t already have a soft spot for him.”

“Whatever. Let’s get your license and rings and then while we go dress shopping maybe Bas can find a tasteful Elvis impersonator.”

“Don’t worry Livvy, I’ll find an Elvis that will leave you all shook up.”

Liza suppressed a snort.

“You two are so meant for each other.”

***

Olivia and Liza stepped into the small shop, the blast from the cool air a contrast to the Vegas heat. “Liza, I doubt you’ll find anything in here.”

“Liv, that dress in the window, it’s perfect. If it’s the wrong size we’ll go to the boutique down the road.”

“We both know it probably won’t be.”

“Just humor me.” Liza moved to the dress displayed in the large front window. The tea length dress with pleated fitted bodice, sweetheart neckline, and lace cap sleeves having stopped her in her tracks as they walked past the shop. The vintage look and feel was what initially drew her to the dress, the rose petal hat with small veil only making her fall more in love, she just hoped it was her size. Her fingers delicately traced the lace of the dress. She rolled her eyes as she heard Olivia impatiently tap her foot.

“Oh just freaking look.” Olivia said pushing Liza to the side. She pulled down the back of the dress, peaking at the tag. “You’re in luck, now go try it on.” She carefully pulled the dress off the mannequin, shoving it into Liza’s waiting arms.

Moments later Liza emerged from the dressing room, the dress hugging her form perfectly. “What do you think?” She gave a spin.

“Okay you were right, it was worth coming in here, now can we go look somewhere else for me?”

Liza let out a small gasp, she turned holding up a powder blue 1950’s style slim pencil dress. “This is perfect for you.”

Olivia arched a brow. “It’s blue.”

“You can wear blue suede shoes.”

Olivia rolled her eyes as she let out a groan. “I’ll wear it on two conditions. One, you chill it with the Elvis puns, and two you buy me shoes of my choice and no, they won’t be blue.”

Liza snickered. “I make no promises on the Elvis puns, but I promise, no blue shoes.”

“Fine. Get changed, and make it two pairs of shoes.”

Liza ducked back into the dressing room with a chuckle. “Deal.”

***

Olivia and Liza stepped into the venue Bastien had told them to meet him, Liza carrying her dress in a garment bag to not spoil the surprise. Olivia looked around the entrance with a critical eye. I guess it’s not too bad. Her gaze fell on Bastien, dressed in azure blue suit, with sky blue shirt and blue striped tie, she rolled her eyes when they landed on Buttons sitting by Bastien’s feet wearing a blue striped bow tie matching Bastien’s. “Seriously Bas?”

“What? He couldn’t show up to the wedding looking like a hound dog.”

Liza covered her mouth in effort to stifle the giggle threatening to erupt.

“I should have asked for more shoes.”

Bastien moved closer to Liza, he leaned down whispering into her ear. “If she’s saying that now wait until the ceremony, I asked for extra puns.”

“She’s gonna kill you.”

Bastien shrugged his shoulders. “It’s worth it.”

“Okay you two, I think it’s time to get Liza dressed.” Olivia said shoving Liza towards the dressing area.

***

Liza stood in front of the doors, her slender curves hugged by off white fabric, loose deep purple curls framing her face, hat perched to the side, mesh veil obscuring only part of her face, small bouquet of fabric roses that had seen better days clutched in her hands. She released a slow steady breath as she nodded to the attendant standing by the doors. Her heart rate increased knowing she would soon be standing before the man she loved pledging to love him for an eternity. She smiled softly as she heard the opening chords to Hawaiian Wedding Song play. Liv is going to kill him. Elvis stepped forward and she linked arms with him. She couldn’t help but let out a laugh at the cheesiness of it all. Yup she’s gonna kill him.

This is the moment

I've waited for

I can hear my heart singing

Soon bells will be ringing

This is the moment

Of sweet Aloha

I will love you longer than forever

Promise me that you will leave me never

The doors swung open and her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of Bastien standing at the end of the aisle, large loving smile on his lips, Buttons sitting patiently at his feet. Her eyes drifted to Olivia, standing off the the side, subtle grin on her lips.

Here and now dear

All my love

I vow dear

Promise me that you will leave me never

I will love you longer than forever

Liza took a step forward, moving ever closer to the beginning of the rest of her life. It felt as if time slowed down and she was walking in a dream.

you-a, si-la

Pa-a ia me o-e

Ko a-lo-ha ma-ka-mea e i-po

Ka-'you ia e le-i a-e ne-i la

She felt tears well up as she locked eyes with Bastien, his beaming smile only growing the closer she grew. This is it, the beginning of forever, whatever it may look like.

Now that we are one

Clouds won't hide the sun

Blue skies of Hawaii smile

On this, our wedding day

I do love you with all my heart

Finally she came to the end of the aisle, smile nearly breaking her face in two as Bastien took her hand and she passed her flowers to Olivia. She turned to face Bastien, biting back a laugh as he mouthed ‘wow’. He took both hands in his, smile never leaving his face. The old worn carpet, and ancient lattice trellis that watched over hundreds of weddings fading away as her eyes locked on his.

Elvis cleared his throat as he took his place, his rhinestone covered suit glittering under the lights, nearly outshining the bride. “Dearly beloved today we are gathered here today to witness before family and friends to join Bastien Lykel and Liza Moore in Hellish, I mean Holy Matrimony.”

Liza and Bastien both chuckled as they heard Olivia groan.

“If there be any suspicious minds present in the audience doncha think it's time to speak now or never - their love won't wait. Or Just shut the heck up.” Elvis paused, glancing momentarily at Olivia who motioned for him to continue. “Bastien, please repeat after me; It took a hard headed woman to make me king of the whole wide world. I thought you were the devil in disguise but you turned out to be my puppet on a string. I used to live in the hotel down the end of lonely street but now it's viva las vegas 'cause I need your love tonight.”

Liza giggled knowing Bastien purposely requested these vows. Bastien locked his eyes on Liza’s as he repeated the vows, fighting back laughter.

Elvis turned to Liza once Bastien finished. “Liza, please repeat after me; It only took one night to get stuck on you, and now my wish came true, you big hunka hunka burnin' love! I thought you were nothin' but a hound dog, cryin' all the time, but now I know you're my teddy bear, 'cause tigers play too rough and lions ain't the kind you love enough. For I can't help falling in love with you.”

Liza nearly broke into a fit of laughter at the wording, but managed to repeat the vows without too much trouble.

“Do you Bastien take Liza to be your wife and do you promise to love her tender love her sweet?”

Bastien’s smile grew as he gazed into Liza’s hazel eyes. “I do.”

“Do you Liza take Bastien to be your husband and do you promise to love him tender love him sweet?”

Liza blinked back tears, still in awe that this was happening. “I do”

“Please take this moment to exchange your gifts of love.”

Liza turned to accept the ring from Olivia as Bastien pulled his own from his pocket. Bastien held Liza’s left hand repeating the words as Elvis guided him, carefully slipping the simple gold band onto her finger. “Liza, I spent a lifetime looking for the right time. Now that you’re near the time is here at last. Baby, wear my good luck charm.”

Liza held Bastien’s hand, holding his gaze as she repeated the words, slipping a plain gold band onto his finger. “Bastien, you got me all shook up, I want you, I need you, I love you.You have made my life complete, Baby, wear my good luck charm.”

“Just remember there is no returning to sender and sometimes a little less conversation a little more action can solve all your problems.” Elvis turned to Bastien giving him a not so subtle wink, Liza burst into a fit of laughter, trying to resist the urge to pull her hands from his to clutch her sides. “By the powers vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you ‘husband and wife’. You may kiss your bride.”

Bastien tugged Liza’s hand pulling her towards him. He tilted his head down towards hers, their lips meeting in a slow gentle caress. Liza smiled as she parted, noticing Olivia trying to subtly wipe a tear.

“Please join me in welcoming the newly joined couple, Mr and Mrs Lykel.”

Bastien and Liza turned and headed down the aisle hand in hand, Buttons happily trotting down the aisle at Bastien’s heels. It felt as though she was walking on air and she couldn’t wipe the beaming smile from her face as she past the couples seated waiting patiently for their moment to say I do. They turned as the hit the entrance way, grinning as they saw Olivia approach them, bright smile on her face. “It’s about damn time!”

A/N: I too have a very unconventional proposal story, although even as strange as mine is I think Liza might have me beat. (Feel free to ask.) The shotgun wedding you can thank @sirbeepsalot for. The ceremony is adapted from https://www.greatofficiants.com/elvis-wedding-ceremony

Feedback fuels me, please like, comment reblog or send an ask. Feel free to scream, I promise I can take it.

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olicitysecretsanta · 5 years

Text

Wrapped up

For @sadfangirl05 by @sparklesannie

Fluffy: Best Friends AU.

“Smoak!” Oliver called out as he made his way through the whole IT department of QC finally making a stop at the door to her office.

Head of IT Department

Felicity M. Smoak

He’ll never get used to that title—even though she’s been the head of the department for five years already.

“Smoak- hey there you are! You said you were coding but you weren’t in the server room.”

It’s where she normally goes to code, it’s the only place where she knows she won’t be disturbed.

“Yeah, I decided to do it from my office.” She says without even looking up, her voice muffled by the pen she’s chewing on. The only one who can understand her when she does this is Oliver, but of course he’s had a ton of practice. “What’s—Do I smell coffee?” She asks finally looking up and yanking the pen from her red colored lips.

Oliver smiles. After all these years he’s finally figured out how to get Felicity’s attention when she’s coding.

Coffee.

“Indeed, you do. Here,” Oliver offers her a big to-go cup from Jitters. “I bought you a Peppermint Mocha to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season.”

“Very thoughtful.” Felicity hums appreciatively as she sips her coffee. “Thank you. So…what do you really want—and don’t say nothing because we both know you only bring me coffee when you need something from me. So… shoot, what can I do for you?”

“You know me too well.” Oliver winks at his best friend. “When does Hanukkah start this year?”

She looks a little surprised and confused by the question but still answers all the same. “Tomorrow. Why?”

“I was thinking it’s about time we learned about our holidays. So I’m staying over at your place until Hanukkah is over and I was thinking you could come over to my place to celebrate Christmas.”

“I’ve never done Christmas before. But I’m so busy with the company and the new software we’re implementing. I’m sorry Oliver but I’m gonna have to pass.”

“Lis come on. All you do is work, work, work. Besides you’re the boss here, which means you can—”

“Uh-uh. Don’t ‘Lis’ me you know I can’t resist it. And you’re one to talk Mr-I’ll-sleep-when-the-restaurant-opens. When was the last time you took a day off?”

Feeling attacked Oliver crossed his arms over his chest. Yes, he has been busy too, and like Felicity, he too is the boss. He’s been working nonstop for the past six months on opening his very own restaurant. And with the opening date getting closer he’s been spending a lot of time making sure everything is set in place. “Fair enough. How about I’ll take the time off if you agree to celebrate Christmas with me.”

A beat of silence passes as Felicity wages wether to say yes or no, then a huge smile appears on her face and a sparkle in her eyes he’s never seen before. “Oliver Queen you are way too easy. Of course I’ll do it. And since you can actually cook we can even make latkes! Ooh! This is going to be so fun!”

Did she just trick me into taking a mini vacation.

Smoak: 1

Queen: 0

*****on the last day of Hanukkah ****

Felicity insisted that he didn’t have to buy her presents for Hanukkah but he did it anyways. He wanted to, plus he liked showering his best friend with gifts.

He got her a lot of useful things like, computer parts and processors, earrings, makeup, a beautiful red dress he insisted she saved for the Christmas dinner his parents hosted every year. He also got her a new platinum menorah with her name engraved on the bottom, a collection of Doctor Who DVDs and lastly a hand stitched red stocking to hang on her fire place.

He got a kick of saving the stocking for last.

“Aww! It has my name on it!” She jumped excitedly from the couch to hug him. “Thank you!” She presses her lips to his cheek.

Oliver could feel his face getting warmer thanks to the rush of blood that flowed up to his cheeks. It’s not the first time she’s kissed his cheeks but that doesn’t seem to matter.

It’s embarrassing that he’s almost thirty years old and has a crush on his female best friend. Total fucking cliché.

“Whoops! Sorry about that.” And he’s still blushing when she uses her thumb to wipe the lipstick stain she left there. “So what did you think? You like Hanukkah?”

“It was really nice. Definitely way more meaningful than what my family does to celebrate Christmas. Now I feel like you’re not going to like it.”

“I doubt it. Not that I know much about it but it always looks fun in the movies.”

***** Christmas Eve ****

It was Christmas Eve and Oliver called Felicity to make sure she remembered to pack a bag. Sure she had a change of clothes at his apartment but that was for emergencies only.

She would crash at his place often especially around the time the quarterly reports were due at QC. She would work until the wee hours of the night and she would stay over at his guest room since he lived so close to the office.

He also kept an overnight bag at her place. More often than he cares to admit he’s faked being drunk or drunker than he really was just so he could stay over at her place. In truth it wasn’t just staying over at her place that he liked, what he really liked was that she babied him. She would tuck him into bed, drop a kiss to his forehead—probably thinking that he wouldn’t notice. But he did.

He’d tried to confess his not platonic feelings for her but he never went through with it because he knew she wouldn’t take him seriously if he was ‘drunk’.

He knew that she cared for him but just how much he had no idea. She never crossed any boundaries or said anything that might even suggest she even found him attractive.

They were just friends. Best friends.

“So we can stay at my parents house—”

“I think you mean castle.”

“Mansion?” He offers and he can practically hear her nod in approval over the phone. “As I was saying, we can stay over there tonight so we can have a proper Christmas morning with family and presents.”

Originally they planned to go to his parents’ dinner then go back to his apartment and then open presents on Christmas morning. But Oliver knew that the more time he spent alone with Felicity the more opportunities he’d have to screw up their friendship.

And there is nothing more important to him than Felicity.

“Yeah, That sounds nice. By the way thanks for helping out again with Christmas shopping. It’s really difficult shopping for billionaires.”

Oliver chuckles, he had the same problem shopping for Felicity’s presents. Though his problem had more to do with the what he really wanted to buy her not his budget.

“No problem. So I’ll pick you up around six, that okay?”

“Yeah, see you. Don’t forget the wine!”

“I won’t.”

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

He knows how gorgeous the red dress he bought her is. But he’s not prepared at all to be so blown away by the way it fits her. The straps hang low around her shoulders and the sweetheart neckline accentuates her collarbones and makes her neck appear to be even longer. Tempting him to run his hands over her body and plant kisses all over her neck and shoulders. Her hair is done up, pulled back into what looks like a low bun and a couple of curls frame her face that is devoid of her usual glasses. A thin gold chain he recognizes- it was a birthday present from earlier this year- hangs from her neck. The dress is loosely draped on her lower body, a high split on her left leg shows a decent amount of gorgeously toned thigh.

Felicity looks smoking hot. Pun very much intended.

Felicity has been waiting for a good minute by the door, but his brain has yet to register that.

“Is it too much? It’s too much, right? Is it the hair? Maybe if I wear it down instead—”

“No! No. It’s good like that. You, um, look very—you—Wow.” Since when does he fumbles like an idiot? Oliver shakes his head as if to shake his brain back to function. “You look incredible, Felicity.”

She smiles brightly at him, her cheeks seem pinker than usual. “You don’t look bad yourself. Come on in, I’m gonna need help with my bag and the pre— did you bring the wine?”

“Yes. It’s in the car.” Oliver smiles as he walks past her to grab the wrapped presents she bought for his family. He can feel her eyes on him.

Is she checking him out?

Oliver bends more than necessary making sure to really bend his knees thus flexing his butt. He hears a whimper and oh yeah, she’s definitely checking him out.

But when Oliver turns around he sees why Felicity is making that noise. She’s struggling to reach the zipper on her back it’s halfway done.

So she wasn’t checking him out.

“Oh, here let me. I got it.” Oliver drops his cargo and walks over to Felicity. He gently grabs the zipper with one hand and with the other he secures the ends of the zipper before pulling it closed. “There. All done.”

Zipping up his best friend was not a good idea. He hadn’t planned to be in such close proximity much less this level of domesticity. Her soft skin beneath his fingertips, the smell of her perfume enveloping him and when she turns around he realizes just how closely together they were standing.

Her eyes roam over his face before smiling. “Okay then let’s go.”

Oliver helps her into her coat and grabs her bag and the presents.

They are greeted by his sister when they get to the mansion.

“Speedy. Good to see you.” Oliver drops a kiss to his baby sister’s forehead.

“Merry Christmas, Ollie.” His sister responds. “Felicity, I didn’t know you were joining us.” Thea says as she hugs Felicity.

“Yeah, well Oliver convinced me to celebrate Christmas with him this year.”

His sister arches an eyebrow at him. She knows about his not so little crush on Felicity. Apparently it’s more obvious than he thought, the only one who doesn’t see it is Felicity.

“Well then, come on drop you coat and let’s get you a drink.” Thea offers and pulls Felicity along to the main living area.

Oliver hands off their bags and gifts to Raisa and she assures him she’ll put them up in their room. Rooms. She definitely said rooms.

When Oliver steps into the main room looking for Thea and Felicity. He finds Thea by the bar but she’s with her boyfriend Roy not Felicity.

He spots Felicity over with his parents by the fireplace, he walks over.

“Oliver, dear.” His mother greets him with a hug and a kiss. “My beautiful boy.”

“Mom.” Oliver widens his eyes in mock embarrassment, still he presses a kiss to her cheek then turns towards his father to hug him. “Hey, Dad.”

“Son.” Robert replies with a smile and offers him a glass of scotch which he gratefully accepts.

Oliver continues to watch the exchange between Felicity and his mother.

“I must say Felicity that dress is stunning.”

“Oh, thank you. Actually it was a Hanukkah present from Oliver.”

Moira glances back at him, clearly impressed by his taste in women’s fashion. “Good choice. Very festive and very beautiful.”

______________________

The rest of the night goes off smoothly. They have dinner in the formal dining room. Oliver makes sure to point out to Felicity that his parents only ever use the formal dining room for special occasions such as Christmas or birthdays.

Felicity asks about their traditions for this holiday. Oliver tells her about when he and Thea were younger, how they used to race each other to see who could finish eating a candy cane first. Thea always won because she cheated. Also he liked seeing his sister win.

Once they’re done with dinner they move back to the main living area to watch It’s a wonderful life before going to sleep.

“Well if you all excuse us Robert and I will head to bed now. We’ll see you in the morning.” Moira excuses herself and her husband.

Thea fell asleep on Roy halfway through the movie so Roy gently picks Thea up and heads upstairs to their room.

It seems like it was just yesterday that his baby sister used to run circles around him and Tommy. Oliver still can’t believe that Thea is twenty-three years old, a grown woman right before his eyes. He couldn’t be more proud of his sister. She is currently finishing off college to join Tommy’s latest business venture gentrifying The Glades.

“Hey,” Felicity pokes his side pulling him from his thoughts.

He’d forgotten that he lent her his jacket and he can’t help the way his chest tightens when he looks at her and sees her being dwarfed by his clothes. “I’m sorry I spaced out. What’d you say?”

“It’s midnight. Merry Christmas.” Pushing herself up by pressing a hand to his chest Felicity presses her lips to his cheek where they linger before sitting back down. Felicity burrows her face in his chest and sighs in contentment.

“Merry Christmas.” His heart hammers at a painful pace threatening to jump out of his chest. He can’t help it. Felicity is looking up at him with that joyful smile of hers that brightens up your day. Suddenly Oliver thinks that she can feel his traitorous heartbeat, then she speaks.

“Oliver?”

“Yeah?”

“I kinda wanna get out of this dress.”

Holy shit, Smoak! What are you doing to me? Oliver thinks to himself. If it were up to him he’d rip off that dress with his teeth.

“Of course.” Oliver gets up from the couch and offers her a hand up. “Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

Oliver shows Felicity to her room that’s actually across from his. He helps Felicity unzip her dress then he’s gone to his room. He barely sleeps that night with the image of his hands gently taking off her clothes.

*****XMAS MORNING *****

Felicity knocks on Oliver’s bedroom door, giddy with excitement. She’s practically bouncing on the balls of her feet but Oliver doesn’t open the door. So she opens the door and walks in to wake him up.

It’s not the first time she’s done it, she does it all the time when he sleeps over at her place.

Oliver lies face down with his arms hugging the pillow, the duvet is a mess wrapped around his legs. He’s shirtless but Felicity can see his pj bottoms peeking out from under the covers.

Damn his gorgeous perfectly toned ass.

“Oliver.” Felicity gently sits on the edge of the mattress and shakes his shoulder.

In a swift -and not thought through- move Felicity lays down on top of him and puts her arms around his torso, her hands coming to rest one across his chest and the other on his abs. “Come on! It’s time for presents!” She squeezes him to emphasize her urgency.

Oliver grumbles in response something she can’t understand. “What was that?”

“I said,” Oliver turns his head to the side so his voice isn’t muffled by the pillow anymore and grabs both of her hands and pulls them to his chest. “This has been gift enough.”

Felicity’s heartbeat quickens to an alarming rate, she’s still plastered to his back and all she wants to do right then and there is plant one on him. Oh how she wishes she could have the guts to make a move already. But she doesn’t so she settles for dropping a kiss to his cheek. “Oh, well then I guess I’m the gift that keeps on giving. Come on I wanna open presents!”

—————

After copious amounts of coffee and delicious french toast, Oliver and his family gather around the Christmas tree to swap presents.

He is happy to see that everyone has given gifts to Felicity despite her invitation to go along with him was last minute. Moira must have sent Raisa on an emergency shopping trip.

Oliver and Felicity are the ones left to swap presents.

“Merry Christmas Felicity.” Oliver says as he extends a manila folder for her to take.

He watches intently as she opens it and studies the contents. He can see the exact moment when she realizes what he’s actually giving her.

“Oliver! You can’t be serious!” She screeches.

The papers state that he’s giving her twenty five percent of his trust fund. He is investing in her. Her dreams and her vision. Because he believes in her.

“I am serious, Felicity. For as long as I’ve known you all you ever talked about is your dream of one day creating your own tech. So of course I’m giving you that chance. I believe in you.”

Unshed tears shine in her eyes and she smiles at him still not knowing if she should laugh or cry. Oliver hugs her to him and she settles comfortably on his chest. “Thank you so much, Oliver.” She whispers as he drops a kiss to her forehead.

Felicity squeezes him before pulling away to pepper his cheeks with kisses, one lands half on his lips. They both blush profusely but before anyone can say anything, specially his sister, Felicity urges him to open up her gift.

It’s a small green box wrapped with a red bow. It doesn’t weigh much, in fact it almost feels like it’s empty.

Carefully he unwraps the bow and takes off the lid of the box. He’s confused by what’s inside it.

Mistletoe?

Does she even know what you’re supposed to do when you’re under it?

Everyone is quiet waiting for his reaction. When he finally finds his voice it comes out lower than he anticipated. “Umm…Do you know what this is for?”

Felicity doesn’t say anything, instead she puts both hands on his cheeks and pulls him to her. She plants her soft lips on his and it feels like time has stopped. Everything around them disappears and it’s just him and Felicity like he’s always wished.

He’s ripped from this fantasy when he hears his sister ‘aww’ from behind him.

“Felicity?” He asks dumbfounded because he’s an idiot that hasn’t realized Felicity’s feelings for him. That this isn’t one sided.

“I’m tired of waiting for you to get a clue. You are a good friend—the very best. You’re smart, caring, charming and handsome and I’ve been waiting four years for you to ask me out!”

“I had no idea you felt this way.”

“I’ve been single since the day we met. Do you have any idea how many dates I’ve turned down?! A lot Oliver, a lot. Not even a coffee.” Thea chuckles at that in the background while Felicity continues to lay it on him. “You seriously didn’t notice? I thought I’d made it obvious with the forehead kisses, the hand holding, the lingering glances…I’m pretty sure I cuddled y—” she doesn’t get to finish because Oliver is kissing her now.

One hand on her back the other cradles her cheek as he kisses her. Right there in the middle of living room, in front of his family.

Best Christmas ever!!

Hope you liked it <3 happy holidays

#arrow #olicity #olicity fic #olicity secret santa 2018 #submission

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