#one day I'll write a full coffee shop au
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Standing in the Sun
So! Since my old blog got hacked and deleted, I'm finally ready to come back! I'll just be posting a few of my faves for now, and this is number one to come back out! I love Mirio so much, and this was a labour of love for me to write but I'm so happy with it and I hope everyone enjoys it <3
Pairing: Mirio/Reader
Word Count: 14,031
Warnings: Soulmate AU, violence, awkwardness, smut but this one is fairly vanilla I believe? There is a creampie though!
Thank you and enjoy!
You were 16 when your mark showed up.
Everyone in school had laughed when it showed up, the child-like sun showing up on your wrist looking absolutely ridiculous. Most soul marks were a little more refined, looking like fancy tattoos more than anything.
Yours looked like an 8 year old’s interpretation of a sun, minus the cartoon sunglasses and poorly drawn smile.
It was so basic. One of your friends had an intricate rose across her ribcage, another had a detailed mountain range on his back-
And you had a simple sun.
What the fuck did that even mean?
In a world full of quirks it was always difficult to know whether your soul mark had something to do with your soulmate’s personality, hobbies, or their quirk; and with one as plain as yours, you figured that you’d never find your person. Were they someone with a light based quirk? Did they just like being outside?
Years later, you still didn’t know.
You stared down at your wrist, sighing as you leaned back on your sofa. The TV played on in the background, but you were unaware of what was on anymore, mostly using it as white noise at this point. The paperwork you’d been doing for your students was scattered around your coffee table in various piles, only half done. As a developing quirk advisor, you spent your days helping kids whose quirks had recently manifested to learn to control them, and spent your nights marking their progress through various reports for their parents and teachers. It was rewarding work, even if it took up almost all of your time in order to keep up with the number of kids under your care.
A glance over at the digital clock on your oven revealed that you’d been sat there for longer than you’d thought- it was starting to get late and you still hadn’t even thought about what to eat. Stretching your arms over your head, you groaned in satisfaction at the way your joints popped. Leaving your paperwork on the table, you ran a hand over your pomeranian’s head as he napped next to you on the sofa, ignoring his little grumble as you stood up. You smiled at his grumpiness as you padded over to your kitchen, only to groan when you opened the fridge.
Nothing. Nothing you could use to make a substantial meal anyway, and the way your stomach was growling at you said that a snack wasn’t going to cut it. Your eyes dragged over to Chibi when he raised his head to glare at you, as if he knew what you were thinking already. As you closed the fridge you smirked, tilting your head at him.
“Hey buddy, you want to go for a walk?”
Chibi snorted, turning around in place on the sofa and flopping down, his back facing you.
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After 20 minutes and a lot of unnecessary furry struggling, Chibi was reluctantly trotting along the pavement beside you as you headed to a nearby ramen shop that knew you by name. You smiled down at him fondly as you walked, knowing that even though he likely hated you right now he’d be back to snuggling you in bed later.
A small commotion further up the street stole your attention away from your companion, your head shooting up at the shrill scream that tore through the air. A woman was on the ground, having been pushed down by a large man that was running around the corner-
A man who was currently barrelling toward you.
Before you could even react, he’d crashed into you and sent you crumbling to the ground, Chibi’s leash flying out of your grip as you fell. You cried out as you hit the pavement, the breath knocked from your lungs momentarily as you registered the footsteps of more people running towards you. Scrambling to grab Chibi’s leash, your heart was in your throat as you watched him jump away from all the people sprinting past. He yelped as he ran out into the (thankfully empty) street, little legs pumping and taking him away from you.
You watched him go with frantic eyes, only looking away from him briefly to glance at the incoming group of people.
Heroes.
While part of you was relieved that the brute that knocked you down was going to be taken care of, your focus was quickly drawn back to the rapidly disappearing canine that was running still. Pushing yourself up quickly, you took to chasing him on your own, the other civilians in the area too distracted by the hero chase to really pay attention to your frantic calls of your dog’s name.
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You still hadn’t found him.
You’d been searching for what felt like hours already, calling out his name between sobs. As your only companion, Chibi was probably an attachment that would be considered unhealthy at this point but he was your world. Losing him would be a huge blow, and it had your heart pounding in fear at what could have possibly happened to him.
“Excuse me, Miss? Is this little guy the one you’re looking for?”
Whipping around quickly, you gasped at the sight of Chibi panting heavily in someone's arms, not even looking up at the person straight away. You choked out his name, your arms shooting out to grab him as you sobbed out a yes to the stranger. Chibi happily snuggled into you as you held him close to your chest, licking at your cheeks before settling in your arms. You finally looked up to thank the stranger, relief flooding you as your eyes flicked up to meet-
Blue. His eyes were so blue.
And he was big . The man towered over you, the brightness of his outfit surprising you for a moment before you realised that he was a hero . And not just any hero either, this was Lemillion . His grin was still boyish despite the fact that he had to be in his mid twenties by now, not too far from your own age. Your mouth hung open, your eyes rapidly tracing over him as he chuckled at your response.
From what you remembered seeing back in your school days from the sports festivals, Lemillion had always been big, but now that he’d graduated and become a pro hero, the baby fat was completely gone. He was all hard planes of muscle, broad shoulders and massive arms, and god damn those thighs looked powerful. But as your eyes returned to his face, a heat coming to your cheeks at so blatantly checking him out, you realised that there was definitely a boyish charm to his look.
“Sorry it took me so long to find him! I saw the whole thing before but he’s fast ! And even when I caught up to him he was so grumpy at first! You’ve got a little spitfire there!” Lemillion was looking down at Chibi in your arms with almost the same fond expression you’d had before everything happened. You reached a hand up to swipe the tears from your cheeks, sniffling once before getting yourself together and smiling at him.
“Thank you for finding him for me, I didn’t think it’d really be a priority when there was something like that going on…” Lemillion blinked at you for a second before laughing, reaching out to stroke the top of Chibi’s head softly.
“There were plenty of heroes around to catch that guy, and he was nearly out of steam anyway! When I saw this guy run off I knew I had to do something to help, so I split off and hunted him down. He’s a smart cookie though! Knew to take the back streets and alleys, and when I found him he was huddled in a bush!” Lemillion’s hand moved down to scratch under Chibi’s chin, the canine’s eyes squinting in satisfaction. “Now that you’ve got him though… It’s pretty late, you should be getting home! After all that excitement, both you and the little guy probably need to rest.”
You opened your mouth to thank him one last time before you left, but halted when your stomach grumbled loudly. Your face flushed with heat once again as Lemillion’s eyed dropped to your stomach, his eyes widening in understanding after a moment.
“Oh! You haven’t eaten yet? Well, if it’s okay with you… d’you wanna grab something to eat with me? My patrol is over now and I’m starving!”
You blinked. Lemillion wanted to have dinner with you? You knew from the various people who posted about him online that he was a friendly hero, but this seemed a little over the top…
But the look on his face was open, genuine, like it was something he did all the time. You couldn’t help but nod, a small smile on your lips.
“Sure, but you have to let me treat you, okay? As a thank you for rescuing Chibi…” You raised the arm holding your dog, gesturing to him with your head and rolling your eyes playfully. Lemillion’s face tinted pink, his head shaking and a protest that you could already hear starting to form. “And I won’t take no for an answer, mister, so just accept it.”
Lemillion almost seemed bashful as he nodded, even though he was the one who boldly offered in the first place. As you led him back to your favourite ramen shop, you chatted amicably about mundane things. You didn’t pick up on it straight away, but by the end of the walk you had caught him staring at you a few times as you walked, eyes always tracing over your face. As you sat down at the table in the little shop, placing Chibi on the chair next to you, you gave him a curious look.
“Is something wrong?” Lemillion’s face blazed at your question as he sat down across from you, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck and chuckling nervously. His eyes avoided you, instead focusing on the menu as he cleared his throat.
“Nothing! It’s fine, don’t worry about it!”
You ended up dismissing the thoughts and focusing on food yourself, and soon enough the two of you had your orders and were tucking into them heartily. The shop owner (who knew you very well from your years of coming here, and absolutely loved Chibi.) even provided your little man with some strips of meat, patting him softly on the head before toddling off to serve other customers. As you ate, you stole glances at Lemillion, catching him watching you a few times again and both of you quickly breaking eye contact and looking away.
You couldn’t shake a nagging feeling in the back of your head, a feeling you weren’t able to identify constantly swimming at the edges of your mind. It felt… warm. Like even though you two just met, you’d known each other longer than that, and that this was just another comfortable hangout among many others.
In reality, his costume was drawing curious eyes as people passed the ramen shop. You bristled slightly when a couple of teenage girls came up to your table requesting an autograph, unsure of why you had a pit in your stomach at his resulting smile. The girls were fawning over him and somehow, it put you off the rest of your food, making you put down your utensils and push it away from you slightly. You focused on stroking Chibi’s head, giving the dog your full attention as Mirio fielded their questions and signed some of their belongings. When he finally waved goodbye to them and turned back to you, your previously happy mood had dimmed and you were simply getting tired, the emotional nature of the evening finally catching up with you. Lemillions eyes widened as you yawned, pulling his phone out of his pocket and checking the time before slapping his forehead dramatically.
“Oh man! I didn’t realise how late it was! We should get you home, right?” Nodding your head, you quickly pulled out some money to pay for both of your meals and picked Chibi up once again. You waved to the owner of the restaurant as you walked out, ignoring her pointedly raised brows when she looked between you and Lemillion, and stepped out into the cool night air. Crossing your arms over Chibi, you were glad you’d pulled a hoodie on before you left the house earlier, the night having cooled considerably already.
Lemillion took a deep breath and set his hands on his hips, smiling up at the night sky for a second before turning to face you.
“That was some good food! Thanks for showing me this place, I might have to come back sometime.” His head tilted to the side as he noticed you wrap your arms a little tighter around Chibi, a frown twisting his face slightly. “Are you cold? Here, let me just…”
Lemillion reached up, fiddling with where his cape meets his costume for a moment before the fabric came loose, reaching out to wrap it around your shoulders gently. Your eyes widened for a moment as you unwrapped one arm from around Chibi’s belly, clutching the cape closed and looking down to the floor sheepishly, heat rising in your cheeks again. Lemillion fiddled with the fabric until he was satisfied with its placement, smiling at you gently and gesturing for you to lead the way.
He was going to walk you home?
The heat in your cheeks stayed firmly in place, your stomach flipping even as you internally berate yourself. He’s a hero, of course he’s going to be nice to you. Don’t look into it too much, it doesn’t mean anything to him . Forcing your feelings to chill the fuck out, you started walking toward your home and gave Lemillion a soft smile as he fell into step beside you. The walk wasn’t all that long, the two of you chit chatting as you went and Chibi resting comfortably in your arms and panting as he watched the world go by. Lemillion seemed to be showing actual interest in you and your work when he asked questions, throwing you for a loop and making your stomach flip flop dramatically even though you knew he was just doing his job as a hero.
As you walked, your mind started to wander. You couldn’t understand why you felt so… relaxed? That wasn’t quite the right word, but the feeling in the back of your mind refused to show itself any further to let you identify it. This was a hero, a man you’d never met before that night, but you were walking and talking like you’d known each other for years, laughing and poking fun at anything and everything. Lemillion’s sense of humour was… odd at times, but you found yourself enjoying it nonetheless. You almost felt… upset when you arrived back at your house, a soft frown on your face. Lemillion noticed, because of course he did, and raised a brow at you in question.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” His voice was softer than it had been all night, and it made something in your chest twist. You ignored the feeling, schooling your features and smiling up at him with a nod.
“Of course! Well, this is me! Thank you so much, Lemillion, count me as one of your ‘million people saved’, okay?” Your joking words had him smiling widely, hands going to his hips once again.
“Don’t mention it! Have a good night, okay?” With those parting words, Lemillion turned with a mock salute and headed off into the night. You smiled after him for a moment, before making your way into your house, letting Chibi down and removing his harness. The dog immediately ran over and settled himself into his spot on the sofa, huffing as he lay down to fall asleep.
You groaned when you realised that Lemillion had forgotten to take his cape from you. As you held the material in your hands, you sighed and buried your face into it for a second. It still smelled like him, something citrusy and light, but still distinctly masculine, and you cringed when it occurred to you that this was super creepy . You can’t just sniff a guy’s cape like that!. You folded the fabric carefully, placing it on the small table by the front door in case he realised and came back for it, before removing your hoodie to hang it up by the front door.
You failed to notice that rapidly fading glow of your soul mark on your wrist, too focused on staring fondly at your canine companion.
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Lemillion never came back for his cape, but you saw a news story a few days later about a rescue he’d been part of and he had a new one, so you figured he wasn’t all that bothered.
You started using it as a throw on the sofa, snuggling up with Chibi under it when you were watching TV in the evenings, hoping he never came back for the damn thing. It was the perfect thickness to provide comfort, but thin enough not to overheat you, and it was so damn soft . You loved it.
The whole encounter became just another crazy story you could tell your friends and coworkers. Lemillion found your lost dog, had dinner with you and walked you home- who else could say that? In the weeks following the event, you told it countless times, until everyone already knew and it started to fade from your repertoire. Some of them were jealous, others told you you should have dragged him into your home and had your way with him. You always felt heat rise in your cheeks at that, shaking your head vehemently to deny the idea. He was hot, sure, but he was a hero , and you were just a simple everyday woman.
Once the novelty wore off, you threw yourself back into your work. One of your students had been struggling a lot with her quirk- it had manifested recently and was a mutation, so none of her family were really able to help her all that much with learning how to control it.
Your own quirk was almost perfectly suited to your job: Empathy. You were able to feel the emotions of others when you concentrated on them, and with time you learned how to influence their emotions too. This meant that when your students were scared, frustrated or angry, you were able to calm them down a little and help them see the situation clearly.
Growing up, you hadn’t really known how to apply your quirk most helpfully. You’d never really wanted to be a hero, but that didn’t mean you didn’t want to help people, and it was only when you were volunteering to help a neighbor out with their young child that it occurred to you.
Man, I wish I had your quirk! Being able to calm this little one down during a tantrum would make my life ten times easier!
And with those words in mind, you realised what you wanted to do. Helping others by helping the next generation of heroes get to grips with their quirks, help them grow and flourish- it was perfect. Many years of studying and internships later, you were finally one of the best in the city, sought after by many schools for their problem children. It was exhausting, but you’d never trade it for anything now.
This particular little girl- Mika- had a quirk that allowed her to create storm clouds. Not just rain, but thunder and lightning too, and since she came from a family with all ground based quirks they were out of their element with her. The school had contacted you a while ago when she accidentally started making clouds inside the classroom when she got upset or didn’t understand something, and then became scared at the thunder. It would make her produce more clouds, only making the situation worse and ending with lots of the students in tears.
Mika was a quiet girl, a little on the shy side but with a heart of gold, and you wanted to help her so damn bad. She idolised heroes, and wished for a different quirk every day because she didn’t think she could become one with hers. As you were walking home from your most recent session with her, lost in your head, you didn’t even see someone exiting the shop next to you.
You crashed into what felt like a brick wall, your ass hitting the ground harshly as you dropped your work bag. Your eyes had closed in surprise, but shot open when you heard a familiar voice.
“Oh-! I’m so sorry- Hey, it’s you!” Lemillion stood in front of you yet again, although this time in civilian clothes. You gaped up at him and blinked, before scurrying to your feet, grabbing your bag and shaking your head.
“No! It was my fault, I wasn’t paying attention…” Your eyes drifted to the takeout bag in his hand, before glancing up to see that-
You were outside the ramen shop. He’d come back after all. Noticing your wandering gaze, he looked up to follow your eyes and chuckled, one arm coming up to rub a hand over the back of his head sheepishly.
“I uh- I really liked our dinner the other week, so I’ve been coming back here a few times since then.” Lemillion’s cheeks flushed, and you raise a brow. He almost seemed embarrassed, but you didn’t understand why until he spoke up again, uncharacteristically quiet. “And I was- well, I was kind of hoping to run into you again to be honest…”
Your heart kicked into overdrive for a second, your stomach flipping again until you realised- his cape. He probably just wanted it back, not to actually see you , because why would you even register on his radar? You were just a person he’d saved once. One of his million.
“O-oh, of course… If you’d be willing to walk home with me I can give it back right away, sorry for taking it in the first place but I didn’t really know how to give it back…” Your eyes didn’t lift from your hands, readjusting your bag and making sure all of your files were in place and that nothing had fallen out. When you finally looked up, Lemillion had a confused look on his face, his head tilted slightly. You raised a brow, your brows furrowing slightly. “...Your cape? That’s why you were trying to find me, right?”
Lemillion blinked at you, before bursting into laughter. All you could do was stand there, confused, people passing by giving you odd looks as they hurried past the hysterical man. He managed to reign it in, swiping at one of his eyes as his breathing began to level out.
“Oh, man! I forgot I even left it with you! I’ve had so many spares made over the years so I don’t really notice when my team swaps ‘em out.” The smile he gave you was genuine- and the softness in his eyes as he gazed down at you made something in your chest flutter before you could stop it. But you do- you had to stop being like this, you’d only met the man once and he saved so many people in one day, there was no way you were ever going to register on his radar and you refused to get your hopes up.
Besides, you had a soulmate out there somewhere who was waiting for you, you couldn’t let yourself get hung up on him just because he was lovely, and had nice eyes and you wanted to bite his thighs and rub your hands all over his pecs and-
Stop it .
You took a deep breath, shaking your head slightly. If it wasn’t his cape, then why the hell was he looking for you? Opening your mouth to ask, Lemillion cut you off before you could even speak.
“I wanted to speak to you about the kids you work with and if maybe we could set up some kind of group meet and greet, or something. I know it always motivated me to work hard at figuring out my quirk when I saw heroes in action as a kid, so imagine what it might do to actually meet one!” And there it was. The rational explanation that helped cut your thoughts off, despite the fog of hurt that suddenly swirled in your chest. This was for the best, you didn’t need to obsess over a man who’s world was so far removed from your own. You cleared your throat, adjusting your bag over your arm as you smiled up at him.
“Seems like a good idea, yeah! If you’re not too busy, that is…”
“Of course not! I wouldn’t have offered it if I didn’t think I’d have time.” Lemillion rubbed at the back of his head, digging into his pocket for a moment. “So, I think it would probably be a good idea if we swapped numbers- to organise something, of course, just to keep in contact more easily.”
There was something odd about his face as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, but you didn’t have a chance to dwell on it before he was handing you the object and prompting you to fill in your information. Once you’d shared your contacts, you asked him if he’d like to wait at the shop for you to go retrieve his cape. The hero laughed, waving you off.
“Like I said, I didn’t even realise it was gone! You may as well keep it.” You went to protest, only to be cut off by his phone ringing in his hand. As he answered the call, he gave you an apologetic look, muttering softly to the person on the other side before hanging up. “Shoot, they need me back at the agency- here, I won’t have time to eat it now, so you may as well have my order. At least it won’t go to waste then, right?”
Without waiting for a response, he placed the bag in your hand and darted off, your jaw dropping as you looked after him. With a heavy sigh, you trudged home and set the takeaway on the kitchen counter, Chibi circling at your feet in excitement. Opening the bags to inspect what he’d bought, something fluttered in your chest when you saw the contents.
Lemillion had ordered the exact things you’d both had on the night you’d met.
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This was getting ridiculous.
You shouldn’t be feeling like this about a man you’ve only met in person twice .
Lemillion was just too nice, too lovely, though, and as you texted back and forth in the weeks following your second meeting you couldn't help the little flip flops that your stomach went through when you saw his name light up your phone screen. The man was always so happy in his texts, so understanding when you ended up delving into the more serious discussions about your students.
It was playing absolute havoc on your heart.
It was finally the day before Lemillion would be coming into your afterschool class to meet your students, the whole thing set up as a surprise for the youngsters. Putting down your phone after sending him a text to confirm that everything was still good to go, you sighed and turned your hand over to stare at your soulmate mark. This wasn’t fair. There was someone out there for you, and here you were getting all worked up over a man way out of your league. You shook your head, letting your arm drop down onto your bed, curling up further onto your side and closing your eyes.
“What are you doing…? Just- stop it. It’ll never work. He probably already has his soulmate, so there’s no point…” Murmuring to yourself softly, your eyes shot open when your phone buzzed next to your face on the pillow. Lemillion’s name filled your screen, your heart kicking up a gear as you swiped to open the message.
Lemillion: All good on my end! As long as there’s no emergencies tomorrow, I should be there around 3! I can’t wait to see you!
And there was your heart, pounding even heavier as the chat bubbles came up again, signalling him typing once more.
Lemillion: And the kids, obviously! Haha, that’s the main thing tomorrow, isn’t it!
Your heart calmed down a little, but heat remained in your cheeks from his words. He hadn’t corrected himself, he’d just added on the kids. Did that mean-?
Groaning, you turned your face into your pillow. You really needed to stop this, damn it. You peeked one eye out when your phone buzzed with an alert. Tapping on the notification, you were taken to a news page about a fight that had broken out earlier in the day. Your heart swelled when you caught sight of a certain blonde hero, a video showing him engaged in a hand to hand fight with a villain that was attempting to rob a bank. The villain couldn’t land a single hit, Lemillion’s permeation quirk frustrating him more and more as the hero kept punching him over and over. Eventually, the villain fell to the floor after a particularly solid hit to the face, knocked out and drooling on the floor.
The determined look in Lemillion’s eyes throughout the fight only made you admire him more, his drive to protect the civilians from harm and save as many people as possible… He truly was an inspiration. You tapped out of the video, going back to your messages with the hero. Sighing once again, you decided to turn in.
After sending him a thumbs up and wishing him goodnight, you plugged your phone in and turned over, closing your eyes once more and attempting to fall asleep so you wouldn’t be completely knocked out the next day. The last thoughts in your mind swirled around him, head filled with visions of his eyes, the sounds of his laugh.
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Hot. It was so hot, sweat dripping down your spine as you perched on the edge of the bed, your ass raised high and your face buried in the covers. Hands were clasped around your waist, big and reassuring as the man leaned forward to place kisses across your shoulders, a whine sticking in your throat as you arched into him. You felt his lips stretch into a smile at your movements before he straightened, one of his hands leaving your waist to move between your legs, the tip of his finger circling your clit and forcing a moan from your chest. Starting at a teasing pace, his finger gradually got faster, making your legs shake and hands grasp the sheets where they were stretched above your head.
Somehow you were already dripping wet, your walls aching to be filled, clenching around nothing. A deep chuckle met your ears as he removed his hand, the feeling of something much thicker taking its place as he rubbed the head of his cock against your clit. Trying to push back against him, you gasped when he softly swatted at your ass, laughing once again.
Your wishes were granted when you felt him start to push into you, your jaw dropping open at the stretch of him- long, thick and heavy inside you. He gave you a minute to adjust to him, before he started to move. His thighs hit against your ass with each pump of his hips, leaving you achingly empty when he drew back and pulling moans from you when he pushed back in.
“Always take me so well, baby, so good…”
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You jolted awake, sweat covering your skin and the sheets kicked off around your legs. Chest heaving, you reached up to wipe the sweat from your brow, noting the mess of wetness between your thighs.
That voice… That was Lemillion…
You shook your head, reaching over to grab your phone and check the time. With only about 20 minutes before you had to get up to get ready for work anyway, you switched off your alarm and slunk into the shower to clean up. It felt so real, the warmth of his hands on your skin almost lingering on you even in the heat of the shower.
After staying under the hot spray for much longer than was strictly necessary, you managed to pull yourself together and sat down for a small breakfast, wondering how the fuck you were going to look Lemillion in the eyes today after that dream. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and forced yourself to calm down.
Damn it, I’m a professional! I can do this.
Breakfast cleared, you grabbed your bag and your files, patting Chibi on the head softly before leaving for the day, the dog looking up at you with a huff to see you off.
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“What’s the surprise, huh? We wanna know!”
“Why’d we gotta wait ‘till after school? Tell us!”
“ Please? ”
The kids were practically frothing at the mouth when you told them you had a surprise waiting for them during their last official lesson of the day, many of them getting frustrated when you refused to tell them what was happening during your session after official school hours ended. While most of the kids in this class had a good handle on their quirks, there were more in here that struggled than any other class so for the time being you had a group session with them one day a week. The kids with more difficulty had individual sessions with you on other days, like Mika.
Your eyes drifted over to her where she sat quietly in the corner of the class, fiddling with a keychain on her backpack. As the other kids began packing up their things, you wandered over to where she was sitting and crouched down to her height, smirking when you realised what she was messing with.
A Lemillion keychain.
“Do you like Lemillion, Mika?” The little girl jumped at your voice, but smiled when she realised you were asking her about her accessory. The smile spread as she looked down at it and nodded, her fingers tracing the raised metal that framed a cartoon version of the hero. You pulled the sleeves of your cardigan further over your wrists as you raised a brow at her.
“He’s my favourite! He’s strong, and nice, and he saves so many people!” Resting your hand on the top of her head softly, you gave her a grin. “I wanna be a hero like him! I wanna save lotsa people just like Lemillion!”
“I just know you can do it, Mika! Work hard, and you can be just like him!” You straightened and headed back towards the door, leaning against the frame as you waited for the kids to be ready to leave. A buzzing in your pocket had you pulling out your phone.
Lemillion: I’m in the gym, ready to go! Can’t wait!
Placing your phone back into your pocket, you clapped your hands as the kids lined up in front of you, getting their attention. They quieted down quickly, eager to find out what their surprise was. You led them easily through the school grounds until you got to the gym, pausing outside the door and clearing your throat as you turned to your group.
“Okay guys, I need you to listen to me closely! Your surprise is in here, and I know you’re all gonna be excited, but please remember your manners, okay?” Murmurs erupted through the group, brows furrowing in confusion until you opened the door and ushered them in. Collective gasps filled the room as the group finally saw their prize: Lemillion, in the flesh, standing in the middle of the gym. Your eyes strayed to Mika, taking in the shining of her eyes and the way her jaw dropped before she looked back at you. She grinned, a look mirrored on your own face, before her eyes returned to her hero.
The next hour or so was mostly Lemillion fielding questions, signing things and hyping the kids up, many of them leaving with their parents afterwards with smiles filling their faces, as well as new determination. You had to hand it to him- he’d been right about this encouraging the kids, but there was one more thing you wanted to squeeze out of the experience.
“Mika?” the girl in question looked up at you, still clutching her backpack with careful hands. Lemillion had signed it for her, and you had a feeling that it was now her prized possession. “Can you come here for a moment?”
Having already cleared an extra fifteen minutes with her parents, you knew this would be just what the girl needed to help with her quirk. As she approached, you looked over to Lemillion once again, meeting his eyes and tilting your head down towards her. A look of understanding filled his face as he walked towards you, his smile returning as he approached Mika and yourself. Mika looked sheepish, especially now that everyone else had left, but Lemillion gave her a soft smile as he crouched down.
“Hiya Mika! I hear you’ve been having a little trouble with your quirk?” The girl’s smile fell, her eyes drifting down to the floor as she nodded her head. “Well, would you believe me if I told you that I had a really hard time with my quirk when I was your age?”
Her eyes shot up to meet his, shaking her head slowly. The smile never left his face as he began to explain his quirk to her in a little more detail, telling her how dangerous it had been for him at first. Mika’s eyes shined at the information, her fists clenching slightly in front of her chest.
“It was hard work, because even though my pops has the same quirk, he never learned how to use it like I do! I had to figure it out all on my own, sorta like how you’re figuring out your quirk too! And a lot of the time I was scared of my quirk, so me and you are practically the same!”
Mika froze, her eyes widening. You held your breath, hoping beyond all hope that this was what she needed to get her out of the slump she’d been drifting into. Lemillion tilted his head with a broad smile, and Mika’s eyes filled with tears as she smiled back at him. Her posture straightened as she swiped at her eyes, that same determined glint in them that you’d seen on the other students. She gave him an intent nod, sniffling slightly.
“I’ll work hard, Lemillion! Just like you!” Mika’s parents entered just as she made her bold claim, Lemillion laughing and ruffling her hair as he stood up. They came over, thanking the hero profusely and chatting for a moment before ushering a highly excited Mika from the gym. You heaved a sigh of relief as the door swung shut behind them, resting your hands on your hips as you swung your head around to look at Lemillion.
“Thank you for that, I was really struggling to get through to her but I think you did it!” A smile on your face, you rubbed at one of your arms with your other hand, a little bashful. “I think she’ll be okay thanks to you. Another citizen saved, Lemillion.”
Lemillion grinned, giving you a thumbs up and nodding his head. As you helped him pack up, you kept feeling his eyes on you, always averting when you turned to make eye contact. When you finished, he cleared his throat and approached you, a faint dusting of pink on his cheeks.
“Thanks for letting me do this! It was super fun, and I think it helped the kids a lot.” You nodded to him, giving him a smile in return. As you exited the gym with your things, Lemillion holding the door for you, you looked up to see the sky darkening with clouds rather quickly. He came up beside you, letting the door swing shut behind him and glancing up himself. “Oh shoot, looks like it’s gonna rain pretty hard… Did you walk here?”
You nodded your head, searching through your bag for your umbrella and raising it with a flourish once you dragged it from the depths. A frown seemed to be cemented on Lemilion’s face, making you raise a brow at him.
“I’ll be fine, it’s only about fifteen minutes from here if you know the shortcuts like I do!” He shook his head once, placing his fists on his hips as he sighed and looked at the floor, only raising his head again when you made a questioning noise.
“Only one thing for it. I’ll have to walk you home again to make sure you get there safely.” His words made your jaw drop, a scoff escaping before you could stop it. A grin snuck onto his face once again, that same pinkness returning to his cheeks. “It’s my duty as a hero, and it’s starting to get late! Don’t say no- I’ll do it either way so you may as well accept it.”
With a sigh, you decided that maybe walking home with him again wasn’t so bad. The fluttering in your chest was impossible to ignore, and it gave you more time with the hero so- who were you to complain, really?
--------------------------------------------------------------
Ten minutes later, you were sure he’d regret his actions.
He was dripping wet, the rain having come down hard and fast shortly into your walk and the wind picking up to the point where your umbrella was useless. You weren’t faring much better yourself, trying to shelter your bag as best you could with all your files inside it. The duffel bag he had with him was a little more resistant to water, but even that would only go so far and you could see the bag changing colour as the water started to seep into it. When you finally saw your house in the distance, you sped up a little, jerking your head toward the door when you finally got there and trudging into the hallway with a groan, Lemillion following you in for a brief respite from the rain.
Looking up at him with his hair flopping into his eyes limply, water dripping off it, you couldn’t help but admire him. He still had a sparkle in his eyes even as he shivered slightly, trying to wring out his cape a little in the entryway to not let it drip all over your floor. Chibi came barrelling over, sniffing at the newcomer with intent as he realised someone had come home. Lemillion smiled broadly as he bent down, stroking the top of the pom’s head and tickling under his chin.
“Hey little guy! Good to see you again!” You dropped your bag to the floor, looking at the hero with a scrutinising eye. He turned to you, tilting his head at your study of him and looking down at his outfit with furrowed brows. “What? Is something wrong?”
“Are you done for the day or do you have to rush off?”
He blinked at you. You blinked back at him.
When he finally shook his head no, you nodded yours and started removing your shoes.
“You can shower and wait here for the rain to stop if you want, don’t want a hero like you catching a cold, now do we?” You tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, though your heart was thundering in your chest. Would he take this the wrong way? You just didn’t want to be the reason he got sick, and it really was throwing it down outside. He seemed to hesitate, making heat rise to your face as you finally wriggled a boot off. “You don’t have to, but I just thought I’d offer.”
When you looked up at him, his face had softened, making your heart thud painfully for a second at the look in his eyes. He sighed, reaching up to rub at the back of his head again.
(You definitely didn’t admire the way his arm flexed. Nope. No sir.)
( You did. )
“Y’know, I think that’d be gre-” His phone rang in the side pocket of his duffel bag, making him wince as he checked the ID. Tamaki . He raised a finger to you, an apologetic look on his face as he spoke quietly into the phone. You tried not to listen in, frowning as you headed further into your apartment and scratched at Chibi’s head softly when he followed you.
Tamaki. That was the pro hero Sun Eater, Lemillion’s close friend- or were they more than friends? They’d always been very close from what the tabloids reported, even close enough for a few to claim that they were together romantically, but it was never confirmed. What if they were soulmates? It would make sense, they often spent days off together, often worked together extremely well on missions, so it wasn’t that much of a stretch…
“Sorry ‘bout that! I- uh- I have to go meet someone, he really needs me right now and-”
“It’s fine! You go do whatever you gotta do, no harm, no foul! Just try and get out of the rain fast, okay? I don’t want you getting sick.” Your words came out fairly neutral, you hoped, the smile on your face only slightly forced. Lemillion frowned, another apology spilling from his lips as he left your house quickly.
You looked down at Chibi with a sigh, the dog tilting his head at you and wagging his tail slowly.
“I’m screwed, aren’t I?”
Chibi simply huffed, heading over to his food bowl and placing a paw on it, looking at you imploringly. You shook your head fondly, going to feed the little gremlin before he got too grumpy with you.
--------------------------------------------------------------
How you ended up here was beyond your comprehension, really.
Your talks with Lemillion never ceased after the meet and greet. The hero always found time to text you, or call if he needed his hands free while he was cooking or something, forming a rather… odd friendship? There was no one else you spoke to as often, but you also still hardly knew the man. Your little crush, however, didn’t care in the slightest and continued to grow with each day. Trying to hide it was getting easier with time, though, the way you two spoke becoming more and more comfortable, and you didn’t understand why he was really bothering with you in the first place. When you asked him, he had simply chuckled and said a very cryptic I just have to! I’m not too sure why, but I always follow my instincts!
Whatever that meant.
The colder months had creeped in, the leaves changing colour rapidly and the weather turning almost before your eyes. Lemillion- no, Togata , as he had started insisting you called him- was telling you about an upcoming hero gala while you cooked dinner. You had him on speaker phone as you cooked, the man walking home from his patrol as he chatted away. Not properly listening as you cooked, you only caught the end of what he was saying.
“-So you should come too! It’d be fun, and I can introduce you to the others!”
You choked, lowering the heat on your stove as you scrambled over to your phone on the opposite countertop.
“I’m sorry- what?! You want me to-?”
“Yeah! I think it’d be great, don’t you?” Swallowing thickly, your tongue felt too big for your mouth and you sputtered slightly. “Nejire has been asking about you, and Tamaki wants to meet you too! Plus we can hang out properly for a while, please come with me?”
Your face flushed, your heart kicking up a gear as you thought about it. He wanted to go with you? You’d be out of your element around a bunch of heroes but- you couldn’t deny that you wanted to spend more time with him…
“Sure…?” Togata’s answering cheer had you smiling softly at your phone, shaking your head slowly in fondness as you returned to cooking your dinner.
Which led you to the situation of incomprension.
Weeks later, you’d procured a beautiful long sleeved dress, just thick enough to stave off the cool temperature without a jacket so you could be comfortable. You’d made your way to the venue in a car Togata ordered for you, texting him on the way and smiling when he said he’d meet you at the entrance. As the car pulled up, you saw him standing at the edge of the curb and your breath caught.
The suit he was wearing was perfectly tailored, sharp lines and fabric clenched around his thick arms and thighs. His face lit up as the car stopped, his hand already outstretched to get the door for you. When you stepped out, his jaw dropped as he took you in.
“W-Wow! You look amazing!” Heat flooded your system at his words, forcing you to look down and tuck a stray lock of hair behind your ear.
“You don’t look so bad yourself, Togata…” He chuckled as he closed the door, gesturing toward the venue with a grin. You made your way inside with him, looking around nervously at the expensive decor of the hotel the event was being held at. There were heroes everywhere; Creati, Mirko, Chargebolt and- holy shit was that Deku ?
What the hell were you doing here? You were nothing in comparison to all of these people, saviours of humanity and fucking heroes and-
And then Togata grasped your wrist softly, and it felt like the world stood still. All you could feel was the warmth of his hand, the tension leaching from your body almost instantly. The noise in the room became a dull echo in the background, all of your senses focused on that single point of contact.
Heart pounding for an entirely different reason now, you looked up at Togata with a curious face. He smiled down at you, tugging your wrist gently and inclining his head outward one of the quieter corners of the room. As you followed him, you frowned down at his hand, prompting him to drop it.
(You missed the warmth of his hand almost instantly, but you’d never tell anyone.)
“Sorry, Tamaki and Nejire are this way. Tamaki isn’t exactly fond of the big crowds at these kinda things, so you can usually find him in the corners.” Togata had to speak up a little for you to hear him over the din, but as the crowd thinned and you approached the edge of the room, the noise levelled out to be much quieter. Just ahead, leaning against a wall, you recognized Togata’s friends and swallowed thickly. Nejire, as you more commonly knew the hero- looked absolutely stunning in her seafoam green dress, her shoulders bared elegantly. Her hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders, wobbling slightly with every pat on the back that she gave the other person standing against the wall.
Sun Eater looked like he’d rather be anywhere else- at least, from what you could tell from where he was seemingly trying to become one with the wall by attaching his face to it. Nejire patting his back seemed to be doing absolutely nothing to make him feel better, unintelligible words falling from his mouth in a near constant mumble. As you and Togata approached, Nejire spotted you and immediately lit up, smacking Sun Eater’s back a little harder.
“Ooooh! Amajiki! They’re here! Look!” Nejire smiled brilliantly as you both came to a stop beside her, finally ceasing her assault of the shy hero. Mirio went to introduce you, but had hardly gotten your name out before she was cutting him off. “I know who she is! Oh wow! We’ve heard so much about you, it’s so nice to finally have a face for the name! I love your hair, and that dress is to die for! Hey, Togata has told us about your quirk and stuff, what’s it like working with the kids? Was it hard to get started in your line of work? How did you know you wanted to do it? Have you been-”
“Okay! Nejire, let her breathe!” Togata ended the questioning, placing his hand on your shoulder gently. “This isn’t twenty questions, we’re just here to have a good time. How are you holding up, Tamaki?”
The man in question groaned, turning his face to the side slightly but still not turning around. Togata left your side to go to his friend, placing a gentle hand on his back and leaning in to continue his conversation, leaving you and Nejire alone. She leaned toward you, a grin on her face that you nervously returned.
“Y’know, Mirio talks about you all the time . Like- he’ll be walkin’ around and see something and just- talk about how much you’d like it! It’s adorable!” You flushed at her words, looking down at the floor and grasping one of your wrists with the opposite hand.
He talked about you? It almost sounded like he- but there was no way! You really hadn’t done anything to earn Togata’s attention. He was more likely just excited about having a new friend.
That must be it.
Togata coaxed Nejire away before you could respond, enlisting her help to get Sun Eater away from the wall. It took a few minutes, the two of them making you giggle at some of the ways they tried to get him to move, but eventually they got the reluctant man away and you all headed into the main hall of the venue.
And it was stunning.
Tall ceilings, gold ornaments, thick red velvet curtains. You were miles out of your element.
The event was being held as a fundraiser- an auction where all of the items would be sold and the money would go to charity, and it seemed they were ready to start selling items off. You nudged Togata and pointed towards the refreshments table, letting him know to come find you there after the auction part of the evening. Grabbing a drink and settling into a chair at one of the tables, you watched as pro heroes bid their money on seemingly useless objects for people who made as much money as they did- spa hampers, signed merch from other heroes, tickets to a local play; all things donated by local businesses and the other heroes themselves.
As the heroes were preoccupied, you took a moment to admire the room, and the outfits of some of the heroes and their dates. Even the waiting staff were dressed to the nines in well pressed suits and-
Wait.
… Why are there so many waiters gathered by the doors?
Pausing mid sip of your drink, you tilted your head and frowned at the three sets of double doors, watching as the waiters all seemed to have some kind of meeting. You placed your drink down on the table, rising slowly when the waiters spread out across the doors. A person in front of each one leaned their hands against the closed doors, and your heart rate picked up as one of them sealed the door by turning it to stone. Another door became locked shut when roots and vines cracked through the wood, knotting around each other until it was nearly a solid wall, and the last one was encased in what looked like a thick purple paste. Some of the partygoers nearby cried out, prompting the heroes to turn and notice what was going on. A few of the waiters grabbed nearby guests, grasping their hands behind their backs and holding up syringes right over their necks.
Unfortunately, you were standing near one of them. You gasped as your arms were grabbed, twisting behind your back uncomfortably and a needle held just above where your pulse was pounding.
“Hello, heroes! Hope you don’t mind if we crash the party!” The heroes swung their heads back to the stage just in time to see the MC for the auction fall to the floor, blood dripping from a wound on his temple. A large man stood behind him, a cane in his hand with a carved raven on the handle- red liquid dripping from the beak. Draped in a dark cape and a tailored suit, thick sunglasses on his face, the man was grinning widely at the group of heroes before him. “Please, don’t move a muscle! If you do, I’ll be forced to do something- well, just awful. That means you, Deku! And you, Dynamight!”
The two heroes in question had moved to the front of the crowd, but halted when the man reached up and took hold of his glasses. The villain slid them down his nose slowly, looking down at the two top heroes with a sick grin. Dynamight growled, moving his arms to his sides, his palms lighting up as he prepared to attack the villain-
Until it suddenly stopped. With a green glow surrounding his body, Dynamight’s body began to turn an odd grayish hue. Deku turned to his friend with a gasp, panic filling his features as the number two hero was turned to stone.
“Like I said- I don’t want to have to petrify so many of Japan’s top heroes in one go, after all! Not to mention- all those lovely hostages around the room would suffer so much if you disobey me…” The villain’s words seemed to echo with how quiet the hall got, your chest beginning to ache in fear as your eyes searched the crowd. Togata’s eyes met yours, his gaze focused entirely on you. Through your tears you could see how tense he was, his teeth bared in a grimace as he realised he couldn’t get to you. His head swung to look over at the villain, your eyes widening at the absolute rage that seemed to vibrate through him. You’d never seen him like this before, how could this be the same man who called you in tears a few weeks ago when he watched a video online about some rescue dogs?
At the front of the crowd, Deku had turned back to the villain. His face was grim, a deep frown directed straight at the stage and his eyes hardened.
“What have you done to Kacchan?!”
“Now, now, don’t worry! I’ll be more than happy to undo it once we get what we came for! And I hate to be so boring as to ask for it, but- we want your money. You came to donate to charity, correct? Well, I have a very worthy charity case for you to donate to! All you have to-”
A cry sounded from within the crowd, one of the lower ranked heroes launching himself at one of the waiters nearby with a hostage- if you remembered correctly, it was his date. All three of them hit the ground, his date scrabbling back to him as the waiter moved away quickly.
To your dismay, the waiter that was next along jammed the needle into the neck of his hostage.
The guest began to scream immediately, the woman’s skin starting to sizzle and steam as she was thrown away from the waiter, her hands scratching at any bare patch of skin and ripping it off of her, as if it was barely even attached. She looked to be in absolute agony, bubbles of skin growing on her face before they popped.
It was horrifying.
Tears were falling thick and fast down your cheeks, your body shaking with fear. That same needle was hovering above your neck, above the necks of about 20 people in the room, and it looked like even saving one would result in the death of another.
“I did ask you all to stay perfectly still, you know. I wanted to avoid this…” The villain shook his head in mocking disapproval, as if the woman’s screams weren’t still echoing. “Now, as I was saying… We have a lovely bank account just waiting to be filled with all your precious money, and it’s for a very good cause. Me and all my friends here could really use it!”
The screams had finally died down. The woman was lying on the floor, her skin mostly melted off, still steaming in places. Your eyes found Togata’s once more, his own looking frantic as it really set in that he couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t save you or anyone right now .
You could see the same look on the faces of all the other heroes present.
Deku looked like he was going to combust, Nejire-Chan and Sun Eater looked at each other with furrowed brows, as if they were trying to figure out their next step.
Togata couldn’t take his eyes off you.
There was a level of desperation there that you didn’t quite understand. Even though the other heroes looked upset at not being able to help their dates and friends, Togata seemed especially upset when his eyes were latched onto your figure.
You hated it.
That look in his eyes, it was so unlike his usual smiles. Something inside of you bristled at the lack of brightness in his expression. Blinking a few times to try and clear the tears from your eyes, you made sure he was looking at you before giving him a small smile. Reassurance.
It’s okay.
Togata’s eyes looked watery, although you couldn’t really tell from this distance, before he suddenly broke eye contact. He grit his teeth, his eyes screwing shut for a moment as he swung his head to glare at the villain.
“All this?! All this just for money ?! You just killed someone !” Togata’s voice cut through the silence, the heroes around him gasping at his outburst. He was shaking with anger, his eyes blazing as the villain simply laughed.
“Ah-! Not quite! I didn’t kill anybody! After all, I did warn you all that I’d have to do something awful if you didn’t listen!” The villain sounded so full of glee, so proud of what he’d done here.”Besides, it’s only cause of this stupid hero system that people like me struggle to get work and need to resort to this shit! If we could all use our quirks freely then things would be different!”
… wait.
The villain was still ranting, but you couldn’t even hear him anymore. Use your quirk freely… What if you could influence someone? Your eyes roved over the villain, unsure about how this would go… you didn’t have a licence to do hero work, but you did have something of a concession for using your quirk due to working with the kids. No one would even know, there’s no visual representation with your quirk on you , it only shows around the person you’re influencing. So the only people in the room that would know it was you would be Togata, Nejire and Sun Eater… You didn’t know if you were covered with your partial-licence, but surely you had to try.
The other risk was whether or not taking the leader out would impact the waiters. You were hopeful that if you took him out of the equation, in the chaos they’d just drop their hostages, but there was always the risk that they’d just inject their hostages anyway. You had to get a message to someone, somehow…
Togata looked at you again. Locking eyes with him, you schooled your face into the most neutral expression you could, and activated your quirk. A subtle blue glow, almost like a very tiny glitter shower, began around Togata’s ears.
Calm. Collected. Relax.
His face melted from it’s disgruntled rage, his mind clearing for a moment as you stopped your quirk, your eyes shooting to the other hostages and back to him before looking at the villain again. When you looked back at Togata, he didn’t seem to understand for a moment before it seemed to click.
A nod. A smile.
Togata turned and kept his voice to a low murmur, saying something to the other heroes as subtly as he could while the villain kept yelling about the inadequacy of hero society. You really hoped that he got your idea right.
Please.
When Togata finally looked back at you and nodded, you realised that many of the heroes seemed to be bracing themselves, each one angling their body slowly towards one of the hostages. Relief flooded through you as you turned your eyes toward the villain at the front, focusing on him directly.
Activating your quirk, you were suddenly filled with a chaotic swirl of emotions. What this man felt wasn’t just rage, there was sadness, fear, pain. You didn’t want to do this to him, but there was no other choice. You grunted softly as the blue glow, much stronger this time as you were concentrating so hard, began to sparkle around his ears.
Relax. Calm. Peace.
He stopped talking. The man’s face, previously screwed up in anger, relaxed swiftly as he stared off into space for a moment and you held onto his emotions as tightly as you could.
A moment was all the heroes needed.
All at once, the heroes jumped, each one launching towards a hostage and knocking the waiters over in the same breath, a coordinated attack. At the same moment, Deku jumped at the main villain, tackling and subduing the man as you finally let your control go, a splitting headache taking up residence in your mind immediately.
Togata came for you, because of course he did.
His fist flew past your head and rammed into the waiter’s, the man behind you dropping the needle and falling to the floor, the hand gripped around your wrists ripping your dress as he fell. You stumbled forward, Togata’s arms pulling you into his chest immediately and securing you there. Sobbing immediately, you buried your face into him and clutched at his shirt, eyes screwed closed.
“I knew my soulmate would be smart, but you’re a genius, you know that?”
... What?
You opened your eyes, ready to question him when your eyes caught on your soul mark, bared thanks to your ripped sleeve on your dress.
Glowing.
Eyes widening, you looked up at Togata, seeing the soft smile on his face even as around you the other heroes were busy dealing with the waiters (who had immediately panicked at their leader being taken down with no fighting) and working on getting the doors open again. He chuckled at your confusion, one of his hands leaving your waist to reach up and cup your cheek carefully.
“You-? But-? What?” Your brain seemed to grind to a halt, nothing making sense even as you absolutely relished in the warmth of his hand on your cheek and his arm around you. Togata burst out laughing this time, leaning back enough to put a bit of space between you both. He reached for the hem of his shirt, lifting it slightly until his lower abdominals were on display. You would have blushed if your eyes hadn’t locked onto the glowing mark on his hip.
A little seed, with a sprout coming out of it.
You frowned, looking back up at him and shaking your head slowly until he started speaking again.
“I had a feeling it was you when we first met. It felt like coming home even though we’d never even seen each other before… But I didn’t understand until you explained your job. You’re nurturing the next generation of heroes, your own little seeds, helping them grow. That’s when I really knew it.” Togata looked down at his hip again, smiling fondly at the mark and then back at you. “You’re amazing. I’m so glad it’s you.”
Your eyes filled with tears again at his words, at the soft grin he gave you as he lowered his shirt again, at the pure joy that you could feel radiating off him now that you were out of danger. It was too much, you couldn’t handle it, all the emotions of the day catching up to you as you sobbed. Togata’s eyes immediately widened in panic, his arms shooting around you again and pulling you close.
Comfort. Safety. Love.
Your quirk was working on it’s own, opening you up to Togata, letting you feel his emotions and pouring your own back into him, his arms stiffening as they registered and he realised they weren’t his own feelings this time, that you felt the same .
How could you not?
He leaned you back again, hands cupping your face and wiping the tears from your cheeks as he beamed down at you, uncaring that your face was soaked, uncaring that your makeup was running-
He leaned in, and he kissed you.
Just like before, the world stopped.
There was nothing other than you, and him, and the fact that you’d been denying it for months but he was your soulmate . You finally felt like you could breathe after being underwater for so long, like you fit perfectly against him, in his arms. It was intoxicating.
The kiss, while it started loving and almost chaste, a relief that you’d made it through all this, quickly became more desperate as you realised that this man was yours .
And then Nejire cleared her throat.
Togata and you broke apart, faces flushed with heat as you stared at her wide eyed.
“I’m so psyched that you guys are together and all, but we kinda need to finish up here you two! C’mon, you can suck each other’s faces later !” Nejire walked towards the (now open-when did that happen?) doors, making you realise that in the few minutes you two had carved out together in the chaos, everything had calmed down. Police were escorting the villain and his waiter-lackeys from the building, the heroes were giving their statements to other officers, and ambulances were arriving to help the hostages. Togata helped you toward them, noting how weak you’d become after using your quirk under the circumstances.
What followed was a few annoying hours of being checked over by the EMT’s, police taking statements, and a lot of suggestive looks between you and Togata. He knew what he was doing, the bastard, taking off his suit jacket and placing it around your shoulders, his smell surrounding you in both comfort and frustration. Rolling up his sleeves so you could see the muscles in his forearms flexing.
Now that you weren’t yelling at yourself for being attracted to him, it seemed like the flood gates had opened. You were openly ogling him even as they announced that you were free to go, your eyes laser focused on him. As soon as you were standing you made your way straight over, Togata’s eyes catching your movement before you reached him and prompting a smile.
It wasn’t one of his usual smiles.
It seemed that, like you, Togata was feeling the effects of that kiss, an edge of hunger in his eyes and on the curve of his lips that had you aching in your core. As you came to a stop in front of him, he reached for you automatically, pulling you into his side and resting his hand on your hip to keep you pressed against him. He bid the heroes he was talking to goodbye quickly after that, pulling his phone out to get a car called and looking down at you when you were waiting at the curb for it to pull up.
“Can I take you home? Wanna make sure you get in safe.”
You’ve never nodded so fast in your life.
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As soon as your door was closed, he was on you.
Togata pulled you toward him, wrapping his arms around you and planting his lips on yours, your own arms wrapping around his neck as you pressed yourself against him. The adrenaline from nearly dying had worn off, but in its wake a new excitement was building in your veins. The thought that this man was all yours was still swirling through your mind, and now that you were pressed up against all that muscle you were aching between your thighs.
Togata pressed you against the wall in the hallway, parting from you and panting heavily, his forehead pressed to yours. Your hands moved to cup his cheeks, your nose nudging against his gently as you tried to reconnect your lips, feeling him smirk at your insistence.
“Togata…” A soft utterance of his name had him growling, pressing his lips to yours once again. His hands smoothed down from their place at your waist, moving over your ass and squeezing gently. When he pulled away, he pulled your hips against him, letting you feel his hardness against your stomach.
“Mirio- Call me Mirio, okay?” His voice had dropped, a roughness to it that wasn’t usually present that made a thrill run down your spine. You nodded, leaning back against the wall and looking up at him with hooded eyes. Mirio took your hand, lifting your wrist- the one with your soul mark on it- to his lips without letting his eyes leave yours, and brushed his lips across the mark itself. Your lashes fluttered at the soft contact, the air around you charging with each movement, your chest beginning to heave.
“Mirio, please…” With his eyes sparkling, Mirio lowered his head slowly, moving past your lips to your jawline, his hand coming up to tilt your head further and allow himself better access to your neck. You gasped as his lips and tongue assaulted your pulse point, your hips nudging toward him in pleasure, the feeling making you throb in need. “M-Mirio, bedroom, n-now…”
The distance seemed to evaporate with how quickly Mirio dragged you through the house, following your directions between heated kisses. As soon as you were in the bedroom, Mirio flung his jacket from your shoulders with a solid yank.
“I really love you in my clothes, but I also really want you out of ‘em right now…” He murmured against your lips, reaching for the buttons on his shirt and swiftly undoing them, shrugging it off as soon as he could. Your hands had a mind of their own as they roamed his chest, dragging over his nipples and relishing in the little twitch he gave.
Mirio’s hands moved to your hips once again, starting to drag your dress up by bunching the fabric at your waist bit by bit. Despite the heated atmosphere, and how much the both of you wanted to move this along, Mirio was taking his time where he could, teasing you when he finally pulled it up and over your head. Once your hands were free, they immediately moved to his belt, working it open as he dipped his head down to reconnect your lips. Your dress fell to the floor, his hands fastening to your waist once more as he moved you backwards towards your bed. Mirio helped you lay back, before straightening and undoing his pants properly, letting them drop to the floor and leaving him in some rather tight boxer briefs.
The outline of his cock was daunting, but it made your mouth water with how thick it looked, the idea of it stretching you forcing wetness to pool between your legs. Mirio made to step forward and out of his pants-
Only to get his feet tangled and fall over, barely catching himself on the edge of the bed.
You burst into giggles, covering your mouth to stifle them when Mirio shot you a look of exasperation. He struggled to unhook his feet from the fabric, groaning in frustration before ultimately deciding to use his quirk, letting the fabric pass through his feet as he crawled onto the bed.
You reached for him as soon as he was done stepping out of his pants, grasping his shoulder and neck to bring his lips back to yours. With only your panties and his briefs in the way, you could feel him pressed against you so much clearer, the pressure on your clit forcing a whine from deep in your chest.
Mirio smirked into your kiss, rolling his hips forward as he settled between your legs, eliciting a gasp that he took full advantage of, slipping his tongue into your mouth.
Having his hands roving over your body, feeling each and every curve, squeezing at your flesh- you felt like you were on fire, Mirio’s desire for you evident in the way his hips rolled desperately against you, the cling of your panties to your soaked core betraying just how much you wanted him in return.
“Been thinking of you like this for so long…” Mirio muttered between kisses, moving his kisses back to your neck, down to your collarbone and nibbling at the flesh there. Your back arched, Mirio taking advantage of the opportunity once again to reach behind you and start undoing your bra.
After a moment of struggle that elicits giggles form the both of you, he finally gets the damn thing undone and drags it off. He stops for a moment, leaning back and admiring the view of you utterly debauched below him, eyes hooded, lips kiss swollen, chest heaving. Reaching to cup your cheek for a moment, he rubs your cheekbone with his thumb and chews at his lip for a moment.
“I don’t- I’m not super experienced , if you know what I mean…” His face flushed at his admission, eyes focused on tracing your jawline instead of making eye contact. You giggled at him, reaching up to cover his hand with your own as you turned to nuzzle into it.
“I’m hardly the queen of experience either, you know. But this already feels so much better than anything else…” Mirio smiled at your words, finally looking into your eyes again. He leaned down, nuzzling at your breast for a moment before sucking your nipple into his mouth, dragging his teeth slowly over the peak and watching as your face contorted in pleasure.
The air between you became charged with tension once again, Mirio’s hand moving between your thighs and softly stroking at your slit over your panties. He groaned as he felt how soaked you were already, his teeth biting down a little harder on your nipple. Your legs flexed around his hips in response, a soft moan escaping that he relished in.
He suddenly growled, leaning back and letting your nipple go with a soft pop as he focused on practically ripping your panties from your body. Considering he said he wasn’t overly experienced, the way he flipped the switch and had your knees by your ears, his mouth covering your cunt and eating you with fervor- you wouldn’t have thought he was even the same man.
You cried out at his assault, his tongue flicking over your clit between it’s journeys into your walls, his hands pressed behind your knees to keep you folded over. Hands flying to the sides of your head, you screwed the sheets up in your fists with how hard you gripped them. Your mouth hung open, pants and moans constantly falling from your lips as your eyes screwed shut, almost overwhelmed already. The pressure was already building so rapidly, the knot in your belly tightening by the second. You panted his name, Mirio’s efforts increasing even more when he heard your voice so strained.
When you finally crested the wave of pleasure, your head thrown back into the pillow, Mirio took every drop you gave him, your cunt crying out for something to fill it, aching with need. When he finally let you drop back to the bed, your legs flopping either side of his hips, you pushed up and latched your mouth to his instantly.
You’d never wanted someone so bad in your whole life, something in you snapping as you pressed up into him. Desperation laced your movements and you reached down, pushing his briefs down enough to free his cock and wrapping your hand around it, swallowing up his answering hiss and pulling him back on top of you, maneuvering your hips to line him up instantly.
Mirio’s hands flew to your hips, stilling their movements and ripping his lips from yours with a growl.
“You definitely-”
“Mirio, if you don’t fuck me right now, I’ll take care of it myself. I have toys in that drawer.” He froze at your words, tilting his head as he processed your words. He shook his head, reaching down to replace your hand with his as he rubbed his cock up and down your slit, bumping against your clit to tease you.
“We’re revisiting that later, but right now…” Mirio pushed his hips forward, his jaw going slack as your walls engulfed him in slick heat. You yourself weren’t fairing much better, eyes rolling at how thick he was, at the little burn of the stretch even though you’d already come once, your wetness helping him slide home until he was filling you to the hilt.
Mirio waited for your go ahead, waiting until you gripped his shoulders tight and gasped out a please …
And then he started moving, and you were soaring.
The drag of his cock in your walls was heaven, his big hands gripping your hips and lifting you into each thrust and slamming his cock into that spongy spot inside you pulling sinful moans from your lips. Mirio watched your face as you writhed in pleasure, his heart hammering in his chest at finally being with his soulmate, your own heart pounding in time with his.
“So beautiful like this… you really were made for me, huh?” He punctuated his words with an especially harsh thrust that had your vision whiting out for a moment as you nodded, your nails digging into his shoulders making him hiss and screw his own eyes shut. The view above you was glorious, his broad chest and shoulders with their rolling muscles with every movement. His face, torn between watching you and enjoying his own pleasure, teeth bared with his efforts to make you feel good. You couldn’t take it, your climax approaching too rapidly, your legs tightening around his hips as you tried to gasp out a warning, to tell him you were close-
“ Fuck - I can feel you, baby, come for me, please …”
Your head threw back once again, throat bared to him as you were overcome by pleasure, your soul mark shining brightly for a moment as you clenched down onto him. He grunted through it, his own mark glowing as his hips stuttered, burying himself deep inside you as he filled your walls with white, until both of you bonelessly fell to the bed. Your marks glowed for a moment longer, before their lights slowly ebbed away, settling down once more.
Mirio panted above you, holding his weight up on his elbows so he wouldn’t crush you while you caught your breath too.
When he finally pulled out, you groaned at the feeling of emptiness as he pulled you into his arms, flopping onto his back beside you on the bed. You’d both need to clean up soon, go to bed properly, but as you stared at your soul mark resting against his chest, you couldn’t quite bring yourself to move just yet.
Looking up at Mirio, you smiled when you caught him already watching you, a cheeky grin on his face. Thinking back, you had no idea how you hadn’t figured it out sooner.
Mirio was of the purest, childlike glee. The sunshine of anyone’s life, whoever knew him could attest to that. Your mark made more sense than any other mark you’d seen in your life.
“... So... toys?”
...You were going to hit him, sunshine man or not.
#my hero academia#mha smut#my hero academia smut#my hero academia fanfic#mha#bnha#bnha smut#mirio togata#mirio togata x reader#reader insert#cath writes
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I had an idea and thought you'd be perfect for this! What about a modern au with Fenrys, and he falls in love with the barista at a coffee shop? Maybe he goes in one day with a friend, see's her, and keeps coming back but doesn't really like coffee or something along those lines?
Love you <3 I hope you're having a great day!
coffee and books
a/n; when i tell u i couldnt stop writing this, i mean it. this is simply the best idea someone has ever told me!!! i love fenrys with all my heart, i need to write more about him, and this au??? AMAZING!!! love u so much 💌😭
WARNINGS;; none
if there was something fenrys didn't like, it was coffee.
unlike aelin, who liked everything, coffee was not something he was passionate about… or so she thought.
aelin thought she knew all the bookstores in terrasen... she thought, it was the key word, since she had never heard of Book Nook Cafe. your cafe and bookstore. where people could enjoy different coffees from all over the world while reading their favorite book or could rent one that you had there.
and that was where aelin and fenrys were headed.
“you know i don't like coffee. why do you want me to go with you?”
“they don't just have coffee. the specialty is coffee, but i have seen the menu and they have more drinks. they also have different chocolate desserts”
fenrys rolls his eyes and aelin winks at him. “admit it, you only go there for the chocolate, books don't interest you”
aelin smacks his arm and he whines slightly, cursing under his breath.
a few minutes later they arrive at the cafeteria and see that there are many more people than they thought, but even so, they manage to sit at a free table.
the place is cozy, full of shelves but without cluttering the entire place, just enough and necessary. a wall near the entrance displays the different coffees in jars and a screen above the counter advertises the different drinks and foods.
“they even have a “menu” of books. without a doubt this has become my favorite place”
fenrys rolls his eyes and aelin watches as he remains fixed in place.
god she is beautiful
that's the first thing he thinks when he sees you. a dark green shirt, a light brown apron tied around your waist and your hair tied up in a long braid, from which some hairs were escaping. you were only wearing that and fenrys had been captivated.
you approach the table with a warm smile. “hello and welcome to Book Nook Café. do you know what you are going to take?”
“i'm going to have a frappuccino with a piece of chocolate cake with cream”
you write down their request in your notebook. “perfect and you?”
“please forget the formalities. call me fenrys.”
“okay fenrys. what do you want to drink?"
“i'm going to have hot chocolate and for dessert… surprise me”
“very good” you finish writing down the order “i'll bring it right away”
you turn to head to the kitchen and as soon as you enter you lean against the wall. you take a breath and release it little by little. you rest your hands on your cheeks and notice that they are a little warm. god, you had turned red in front of him. after a few seconds you manage to recover and tell your friend and cook the order.
what you don't know is that aelin was bothering fenrys because she realized he liked you.
and that's how fenrys began to visit the cafeteria more often, and the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months. after 3 months, fenrys had decided to ask you out. that week it had been your turn to man the counter and prepare the coffees, so fenrys had decided to occupy the seat closest to the coffee machine so he could talk to you.
“good morning beautiful”
“good morning fen. as usual?"
"no. today i want to try one of your best coffees”
“wow, i didn't expect that. and, what is the reason for this sudden change?”
“do i have to have a reason?” he says, resting his arms and moving closer to you. you imitate his position while keeping your distance. “well, someone would say that you only come here to see me.”
“is there a problem if so?”
you smile and separate yourself to start preparing the coffee. you turn your back on him and see fenrys take a breath to try to calm his nerves. "do you want to go out with me?"
you stop abruptly and slowly turn to look at him. fenrys plays with his hands, waiting for you to answer him.
a smile begins to appear on your lips. “wow, i thought you would never say it. i was thinking of asking you.”
fenrys laughs nervously.
“my shift ends in 15 minutes.”
_______________________
that was 6 months ago and every week fenrys took you to a different place. to the movies, to the park, to eat, to visit museums... and with every moment you fell more in love with him. he was the perfect partner... the problem was that he hadn't asked you, but you were determined to ask him.
that day you didn't have to work, so fenrys had decided to spend the day with you at your house. at that moment fenrys was making dinner and you couldn't stop looking at him. you couldn't help but notice the muscles on his back, the grace with which he moved in the kitchen, his blonde hair tied up in a bun that makes him look younger than he already is.
“how come you didn't become a cook?”
“at first i wanted to be a cook but when i finished studying and what happened to my brother happened… i knew i wanted to help people, so i became a psychologist”
“well, let me tell you, you would have been an excellent cook.”
fenrys leaves the food on the table and you notice a kiss on your hair.
after dinner you decide to go for a walk in the park. the night was perfect, although it was not cold, it was not very hot either, the temperature was perfect. families take advantage of the summer night to walk, eat ice cream or watch a play.
side by side you walk until you find a bench.
you look at the sky and observe the full moon in all its splendor.
“the moon is beautiful, don't you think?”
“yes, it is beautiful”
you turn to look at fenrys and he is already looking at you.
“fenrys…” “[name]...”
fenrys takes your hand. “you know, i've never felt that way about someone. the last relationship, if you can call it that, that i had was disastrous and i never thought i would find someone i wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but then you came along and all that changed.” his other hand cups your cheek and turns your head so you look at him.
his thumb collects a tear that you didn't know had escaped. you rest your hand on top of his. "i want to do everything with you. i want to wake up with you every morning, i want to hug you and be able to tell you that i love you, make you food and see you enjoy it…”
he approaches you and rests his forehead with yours. “let me be yours”
the lump in your throat doesn't let you speak, you decide to kiss him. at that moment fireworks start and you notice a bridge that connects you to fenrys. the mating bond.
you separate and rest your forehead with his.
“hello, mate”
“hello, mate”
tags;; @danikamariewrites @vanserrasswife @shadowdaddies @thehighladywrites
#sarah j maas#sjm books#fanfic#throne of glass#throne of glass imagine#throne of glass fanfiction#tog x you#tog fluff#tog x reader#tog fanfic#fenrys moonbeam#fenrys x reader#fenrys throne of glass
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20 Questions for Fic Writers
Thanks @cha-melodius @hippolotamus @mammameesh @kiwiana-writes @happiness-of-the-pursuit for the tags. I'm sure I've done this before but I can't find it to see how long ago!
How many works do you have on ao3?
84
What's your total ao3 word count?
591,653 but that's inflated by a number of collabs, I think the number is closer to 400-450k
What fandoms do you write for?
RWRB, 911 LS and SC (rarely these days)
Top five fics by kudos:
Excluding any collabs (there's a couple in particular that are right up there)
Everybody needs good neighbours | RWRB | E | 14.3k | neighbours au
to the victor, the spoils | RWRB | E | 19.4k | lawyer au
yours for the afternoon | RWRB | M | 4.6k | coffee shop au
what, like it's hard? | RWRB | E | 65.1k | lawyer au, the prequel
I want you, I need you, oh baby oh baby | RWRB | E | 7k | college au
Do you respond to comments?
Yes, I try to! I'm not always prompt but I do respond to almost every comment
What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Happy endings only here. I do have one unpublished Tarlos ficlet that's kind of a Queen Charlotte inspired future fic that is the saddest thing I've ever written which is the result of @howtosingit saying "whatever you do, don't think about X" which of course meant that I did and I wrote it in a fever dream, cried then buried it in my gdocs.
What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
All of them hahaha
Maybe the ending to what, like it's hard?
Do you get hate on fics?
I've gotten some strange comments but I don't know that I'd class it as hate, as such (thankfully)
Do you write smut?
nah yeah lol
Craziest crossover:
It's not a proper fic, but I wrote this in response to an ask about what would happen in Alex & Henry, David & Patrick and Carlos and TK all met.
Have you ever had a fic stolen?
not as far as I am aware!
Have you ever had a fic translated?
Nope
Have you ever co-written a fic before?
yes and I love it! I've done collabs where we each write a chapter, one where we each wrote a chapter and then fully co-wrote the final chapter, a full co-write with @welcometololaland (that ended up morphing into each of us alternating chapters), and I'm in the process of another co-write with Lola atm.
All time favorite ship?
you can't make me choose
What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
I don't like to say never, but probably the SC paint & sip au
What are your writing strengths?
based on the comments I get - smut with feelings, banter/dialogue, characterisation
What are your writing weaknesses?
World building, pretty metaphors, I'm far too fond of run on sentences to the point where if I was beta reading my own writing there are SO MANY sentences that need to be cut down so that the reader can breathe.
Thoughts on dialogue in another language?
If it fits the character, I love it! I generally ask a native speaker to help me with translations for accuracy
First fandom you wrote in?
Schitt's Creek
Favorite fic you've written?
I don't wanna choose
I've got no idea who's done this already but I'll tag @welcometololaland @everwitch-magiks @clottedcreamfudge @indomitable-love @three-drink-amy
@never-blooms @freneticfloetry @strandnreyes @heartstringsduet @reyesstrand
@indestructibleheart @orchidscript @maxbegone @carlos-in-glasses @beautifulhigh
and an open tag if anyone hasn't been tagged and wants to play 💖
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Ideas for the Coffee Shop AU
Hey, everyone! Later this month and throughout December, I'll be releasing the first chapters of my newest story idea! But for now, here's the layout for this lovely (if I do say so myself) new idea. I hope you all enjoy reading as much as I'm enjoying writing it.
The Full Moon Brew Coffee Shop is more than just a place to get a cup of coffee. It’s a haven that offers a break from the day-to-day chaos in the city of Calatonia, presided over by one Koala Connoisseur, Buster Moon, a coffee enthusiast as well as a master showman. The Full Moon Brew is a nook of coziness and even creativity. With the air teeming with coffee and creative encouragement, it’s no wonder the place hosts such an eclectic bunch.
Up and coming rocker Ash goes there at least twice a week to get her caffeine fix, but also likes the atmosphere because it helps inspire her songwriting.
Sweet-obsessed and sass-filled Nooshy likes to busk down the road (before meeting the rest of the gang) for extra pocket money to afford her cream and sugar-loaded coffees. And it combines the two things she loves: dancing and coffee. She also enters the occasional contest held at the shop.
Then there’s introverted British newcomer Johnny who spends anywhere from half an hour to sometimes even half the day, at the place, ordering at least three cups of coffee, all while reading or writing songs as well. It’s like a haven in the new city he's moved with his family to following his dad and uncle’s being transferred for a job. Occasionally, on their lunch break, the three older gorillas stop in to get a little bite of the pastries the place offers and of course an espresso-loaded cup or two. Each. They don’t ever stick around long, but they can see why the youngest member of their clan loves the place so much.
Then, we have the equally shy Meena, whose small family business supplies the baked goods to the coffee shop, and Meena occasionally visits both to subtly network for her family’s business, and to try to become more social, since coffee shops are great for being both social and withdrawn. And she loves their smoothies, and is trying to acquire a taste for coffee, but can’t quite do it.
Enter Rosita, the on-the-go mother that does it all, but always makes some time to get a little pick-me-up for herself and do a bit of work to help her husband, for whom she always orders a special cappuccino before she heads to pick up their extensive brood of piglets.
The tea-loving theater legend Nana Noodleman happens to be one of the top investors for Buster’s shop. The place is small but makes a pretty profit, what with having fresh, homemade treats, along with beverages one can’t get just anywhere. And Buster always makes sure to keep a steady supply of fine teas at the ready for Nana. She even has a special table with a high-backed purple velvet chair by the window just beside the patio overlooking the ocean.
The excitable bundle of Piggy Power Gunter occasionally visits the shop, drawn by the musical selection and the open mic nights. Though by his own admission, he comes less for the singing and more for the dancing. And of course, a caffeine fix here and there is needed for such dedicated dancing.
Another new kid enters. Meet Ryan Collins, a student in a nearby dance academy, who happens upon the coffee shop by complete coincidence. He finds that while he doesn’t much care for coffee, he enjoys the chill atmosphere, a welcome reprieve after his hectic classes under the iron fist of Klaus Kickenklober. Plus, who doesn’t occasionally love a Toasted Vanilla or Hazelnut Steamer?
Two new faces also enter this colorful Coffee shop mix, we have the two rich kids Eddie and Porsha, both of whom are working their first jobs ever under the watchful eye of Miss Crawly. Don’t let her age and dottiness fool you, the old Lizard Lady is a brewing MASTER.
Both prove straight away to be a bit…unskilled to say the least, but they slowly start to adapt, with Porsha even scoring huge brownie points when she creates a new drink for the menu.
And finally, the dutiful, efficient, and long-suffering Suki Lane occasionally stops by the shop to get coffee for herself, but also (reluctantly) for her image-obsessed boss who doesn’t like coffee but is quick to associate himself when the little shop starts to gain more attention.
Suki herself may not particularly like Buster, but she does like the coffee. And she does secretly loathe Crystal's dismissal of it. And dismiss it he does. At least until it starts to gain more popularity, at which point he tries to buy it out. But that meeting goes as well as you'd expect.
This version of Buster has a few slightly different traits; poised, knows his worth, and won't sell himself out for a few beans. He knows why Crystal wants the business and is having none of it. First off, because he knows the price Crystal offered is insulting given the profit the place brings in. Second, and more importantly, because his father bought the property, had the building built with his own money, and personally let Buster design the place, the menu, everything. This place is a symbol of everything his dad worked for and gave him. All the while the man was hiding a terminal illness. This last project was a distraction from the inevitable. And Buster will NOT trivialize that sacrifice.
#sing 2021#sing 2#jimmy crystal#sing johnny#sing big daddy#sing marcus#sing meena#sing rosita#sing ash#sing suki lane#sing nana noodleman#porsha crystal#coffee shop au#fanfic#sing fanfic ideas#sing fanfiction#i love this#i love coffee and i love fanfics#yes there are a lot of tags#i hope you like <3#i'm having so much fun writing this#sing ryan#sing stan#sing barry#sing miss crawly
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batburger AU is an absolute masterpiece, and I was wondering, if you don't mind sharing, what is your process like for coming up with these incredible plotlines? It's a skill I want to work on, and you, my friend. mmmmMMMMM
ougghhh thank you so much!! ❤️🥰🥰🥰This is a delightful and very flattering question, so I'll do my best to answer it.
I, like many writers, enjoy rotating things in my mind like a rotisserie chicken. (I say "enjoy", but I don't have much say in the matter. These thoughts be roasting and turning 24/7 Costco Style and I'm helplessly standing in front of the chicken rack, warming myself up with the oven heat because I got cold going into the giant refrigerator room to get some berries)(this is a metaphor but it also happens literally to me pretty often. Costco cold. Rotisserie chimken warm.)
Sometimes something good will result from this; sometimes during the more productive sessions of "rotate that thought like a tether ball", neat sentences will form from the ether in my brain.
IYGABAB, for example, was birthed from the randomly generated mind-typewriter paragraph: In a way, it was almost funny. It certainly sounded like a joke—Batman, Bruce Wayne, and Red Hood walk into a bar. Only it wasn't a bar, it was the Iceberg Lounge, and Batman swooped down from the skylight rather than walking in. You might recognize that as the first sentence of the story.
Because I was and continue to suffer from incurable DP x DC Brainrot, my first thought about this paragraph was, heh, that sounds like something Danny would say.
My second thought was, wait, why is Danny at the Iceberg Lounge? And what are Jason and Bruce doing there? And who is wearing the batsuit, and why?
I thought about this scenario for most of the day, coming up with possible answers. When I'd been thinking about it long enough that it was clear Iceberg Lounge Time wasn't going anywhere and the daydream plot was actually kind of interesting and Hey, I'd love to read that story, I started writing it down and kept writing.
The first scene I actually wrote down in full was the one where Sal asks Danny to cover for him at work. Of all the possible answers I came up with for "Why is Danny at the Iceberg Lounge?" the answer I liked the best was "He's covering for a co-worker/friend from his actual job".
Which generated a new question: what's his actual job? Does he work at a coffee shop? At a diner? At a grocery store?
And then I realized the chaos, the beauty, the delightful mayhem that having him work at Bat Burger would be. Like yeah yeah we all know Danny looks like all the Robins already, but to actually make him dress as a Robin for work? I couldn't pass that up.
That's when I knew this story had legs. There was a place for it to start and a place for it to go.
Returning to that initial paragraph helped me generate a lot more questions that needed answering if I wanted to continue the story. Why is Red Hood at the Iceberg Lounge (other than looking for Danny)? What is Bruce doing there (and why does he need to be there as Bruce and not Batman)? Who is wearing the Batsuit (and why are they wearing the Batsuit instead of their regular suit)?
Answering those questions generated a lot of the plot threads, after which I had a general idea of what Bruce, Jason, and Dick were up to (Duke's presence at the Iceberg Lounge came later).
I could have left it at that, but like Marie Kondo I love messes, so I made up some problems for the rest of the batfam and found ways to link them together in obvious and not-so-obvious ways. (If you come back and ask me again after the story is over, I can give a more in-depth answer about this, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone!)
side note: I wrote the story out of order; when scenes came to me, I wrote them down, even if I didn't know where exactly they fit into the story. Keeping momentum up was more important to me than having a story that made perfect sense right from the start. (I did have to put it in order eventually, and I chose to do this by making a calendar of events as well as document with all the characters and what they were up to at any given point in the story. Was this the best way of doing it? Probably not. But it worked so I'm not going to question it too much)
In this way, I kept building and building the story, layer by layer. I think this method is technically called the "snowflake method", but because I did it kind of haphazardly it didn't really feel like a method 😅
In short, the answer to "what's my process" is this: I find a question so interesting that answering it generates countless other questions that demand an answer, and in the process of answering them all hopefully a story will fall into place.
I hope this is helpful! My mind is a chaotic place that's hard to parse (even for me), but I did my best to describe it in a way that's informative.
#batburger au#answered asks#iygabab#writing ref#i think some important context you should also have is that I wrote/outlined most of IYGABAB over the summer#when i was stuck in a series of cabins with limited internet access and not much else to do#not by choice either#so I can't recommend doing that but I suppose that's why I had so much time for mental rotisserie chicken
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5, 7, 9, 13, 25 for the oc ask for Perseus 🫡 💖
5) how far is your oc willing to go yo get what they want?
So Perseus tends to make impulsive decisions that have large consequences. Typically his first reaction is self-sacrifice (like his life or his soul That One Time) but it's always something that only he's giving up. While he would rather find options other than violence, killing or the sacrifice of someone other than himself, that's probably where he draws the line - at least in pursuit of a bigger cause or to help someone else. For his own ambitions, he won't go very far at all partially because he is a very unambitious character overall.
7) what's one way your oc has changed since you first came up with them?
Honestly so much addjdhsksjddd. When I first made him, he was actually pretty bare bones because I was nervous about the (new) group I'd be playing with and wasn't sure how much backstory to give. A lot of the stuff that's now core to his character were things that were discovered through playing him.
If I had to pick one thing, it'd probably be his love life/sex life LMAO. Originally, I had him envisioned as a disaster bisexual and yeah, he definitely was in the end LMAO but I kind of viewed him as the kind of person to just end up stalling when it came to romance or sex. He was definitely awkward when flirted with and he was going to just pine uselessly when he realised Oh No I Have Feelings For An Idiot. And yet? The PPZG threesome happened so easily?? Good for him. Was a ménage-à-trois a sexual awakening for Persy? Yeagh. Good for him.
9) do you have a specific lyric or quote which you associate with your oc?
Lyrics are hard because I have a full playlist of songs that I think are Perseus coded and ordered according to his character arc/the campaign plot. Am I allowed to use a quote from my own writing?? Because I'm gonna. Also it's kind of long 😳
Once, he would have questioned where he fit in and what his value was. The templars would have made him a bishop. Caedis, a pawn. But Perseus knew who he was now, with his family - because that's what the Last Flame were - fighting alongside him. He was a Rook, one of the strongest pieces on the board and he’d stand between them and Unity for as long as he could.
13) if you met your oc, would the two of you get along?
I like to think so! Perseus is definitely one of my least abrasive characters despite his low Charisma and I think we could at least be on friendly terms if not become actual friends.
25) what is your favourite thing about your oc?
I think maybe his growth or just how through him, I've made some wonderful friends and created wonderful things with them. With Perseus, I got to meet all the players in the Last Flame and I think it helped me become good friends with Jojo (who played Aegis, Persy's brother, and is overall a really cool dude) and Rachel (who played Yesriel, aka the third honorary Rook sibling, and is really fun to play with at Empire) in particular. All of the players were awesome for that game tbh! Last Flame i miss u. Reunion tour when.
Not just that, but he really became a creative outlet for me - I drew and wrote so many things that I'm really proud of. I'll always throw Rook, Bishop, Pawn at people wanting to understand more about Perseus as a character because I think it's really well written (to toot my own horn) but having that fic be referenced in-game before the final fight was... it legit brought my to tears, I love my DM/brother so much sometimes.
It didn't even end once the campaign came to a close. Me and Lotus endlessly spawned AUs for that campaign, including the Velseus AU which we both loved so much (and that one day will definitely become more than scattered notes). There was the Modern/High School/Coffee Shop AU that became such a big point of collaboration between everyone and that is now the setting for my current big fic I'm working on!
I just ooouuurrgghhhhhhhhhh I love Perseus so much. He might be my roman empire.
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The Enchanted Cafe - Season of Pumpkin Spice
(Self-indulgent coffee shop AU. Words: 5,492 - I know, long!!!!)
tags: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Sirius Black/Reader, Remus Lupin/Reader, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin/Reader, Coffee Shops, Autumn, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Romantic Fluff, canon characters behaving canonically, with a dash of homebrew to this coffee pot, Gender Neutral Reader - Character, no y/n, alternate happy universe
Out of many obvious perks of working at a coffee shop - like actually being paid and having near unlimited access to coffee - if you had to select one, you would point to the customers you could observe. Of course, you knew all the stories about how working in customer service was a pain, people being basically just people, sure. But it has never been the case in the coffee shop that you worked for now. It was hard to explain why. All kinds of different types of beings would parade in front of the counter on any given day, but either there was some actual magic at work, or the Enchanted Cafe only attracted the polite ones.
Like the constantly smiling owner of the bookshop two streets over, an avid fan of white three-piece suits and vanilla latte. Or the mother, who would come in with twins, a boy and a girl, both of them drawing at the children's table while she drank her Saturday afternoon espresso. The solemn, tall man, who only ever ordered a single cup of the simplest black coffee and for whom you kept a lavish porcelain sugar bowl filled with sugar cubes behind the counter; he would put only one cube in his cup using pair of silver tongs and stir it slowly with left hand, while writing down rows and rows of notes in his small notebook. The older lady who had walked her cat around the neighbourhood every Monday and Thursday, and stepped in for an americano with a cookie on the side.
And then there were those two guys that made your heart skip a beat whenever they entered the shop.
The Star - Sirius x Reader (on AO3)
The Moon - Remus x Reader (on AO3)
The Celestial Phenomenon - Wolfstar x Reader (on AO3)
(you can skip either or read all, makes more sense as a whole)
(full story under cut, enjoy!)
The Star
Come to think of it, they actually started coming in for coffee around the same time. Sirius was the first to make an appearance.
You remembered it well; it was the first of the warmer days of late spring, and it was starting to get really sunny. He walked briskly into the coffee shop in full leather jacket, long sleeves and all, and for a good ten seconds you wondered what kind of person would dress like that in a weather like this. Then, when he approached the counter and flashed you a smile, you instantly knew the answer.
Hot. A hot person.
“Double espresso, to go,” he ordered, without even looking at the menu. You overcame the momentary stupor, responding with a practised salesperson grin of your own.
“Right on it! Anything else I can tempt you with? Chocolate chip cookies?”
“Hmmm, tempting indeed,” he hummed, pretending to consider the desserts on display, but you felt his eyes on you. It was quite funny, the way you suddenly felt like a rare piece of highly appreciated art. The man winked at your slightly flustered cheeks. “I'll give it a pass today, thank you very much for the suggestion.”
“Very well,” you picked up the paper cup and a pen. “What should I write on the cup for you?”
“Oh, I'm Sirius.”
“About what?”
There was a second of silence, then another and you cursed yourself internally. That kind of blunder never ever happened to you. It had to be the face of that man, that mischievous smirk pulling the corners of his lips upwards, those silvery-grey eyes that gleamed now that he began to chuckle, that line of carefully trimmed beard which highlighted his sharp cheekbones, that long black hair, falling gracefully on the leather jacket. You blinked.
“I'm extremely sorry for that! Sirius, like the star?” You forced your hand to scribble the name on the side of the cup, letters coming out sharp and uneven.
“Yeah, like the star,” he confirmed, still chuckling quietly. “Nice to meet you, Pumpkin.”
You caught his eyes reading the name tag on your lapel. One of the curious little quirks of the coffee shop was that each worker was expected to pick a name for themselves. It had to be related to coffee in any way, proper - obviously - and it would be used among the staff and towards the customers instead of real names. You liked the idea and you became Pumpkin Spice without a second thought.
On a third thought, however, exactly at this moment, you wished you had picked something else. Something more classy, perhaps.
Like Espresso.
“The pleasure is all mine, Sirius.” The coffee dispenser whirred its happy grinding tune. “That would be 8.50.”
Sirius put a 20 bill on the counter and as he waved dismissively when you reached for the change, you noticed his fingers and wrists were adorned with sharp, black lines of tattoos.
“See you around!”
It was maybe a week later when he paraded in again, the same leather jacket on his shoulders, the same grin on his handsome face. This time there was a small queue in front of the counter and while you talked to other customers, you allowed yourself a few discreet glances in his direction, taxing his silhouette in more detail. He was tall, slender in that subtle way that he could pretend not to work out if he didn't want to. Raven black hair fell loosely on his shoulders, and every now and again he'd run his fingers through it, pushing it back. Under the leather of his jacket, his shirt was nonchalantly unbuttoned on the top, black line of tattoos showing over his clavicles as well.
When Sirius finally approached the counter, he rested his elbow against it casually and you noticed that one of the tattoos on his left palm was a small paw print, like that of a dog.
“Hello, Pumpkin,” he flashed you the same smile as before.
“Good afternoon, Sirius. What can I tempt you with today?”
“Again with the cookies?”
You smiled and performed an exaggerated shrug, pointing with your open arms to the display counters around.
“We at the Enchanted Cafe are dedicated to tempt you with all sorts of sweets,” you recited. “Along with a large selection of assorted coffee, ready to put a spell on your taste buds.”
He laughed - and it was a laughter designed to melt the knees of those affected. Your knees were ready to gleefully oblige.
“Double espresso to go, please! You will find me not easily tempted,” he declared, winking.
You prepared a cup, adorned his name with little stars above both "i's" and accepted the exact same tip as before.
He came in several more times over the following week or two. "Double espresso to go" became a regular order and you found yourself preparing a cup with stars on it every morning if it wasn't already there. Sometimes, if there was no queue, he would chat you up and you would learn something about his taste in music (you shared an interest there) or his motorcycle (that he once parked in view of the cafe window and damn, that machine was gorgeous).
Then, when summer started in full, Sirius ditched his leather for a sleeveless black shirt.
Unsurprisingly, his tattoos extended to his arms and visible portion of the chest. Equally unsurprisingly, you found them extremely attractive. Along with the rest of him, naturally.
“I can see that the weather has forced a change,” you remarked casually when he walked in on that first day of summer, and Sirius grinned widely at you.
“Is it a good change or a bad change in your opinion, Pumpkin?”
“That depends,” you picked up the cup that had waited for him for two full days. “Will I be able to tempt you for a summer special coffee?”
“Let's hear it!” He leaned over the counter, as per his usual manner, and a subtle mixture of sweat, petrol and spicy cologne drifted towards you, somehow discernible among the overwhelming aroma of coffee.
“We have a mint-and-chocolate scented blend, ideal to go on ice or with milk,” you wondered briefly if white coffee was even his thing. “The official name is 'too cool for school', by the way.”
“For real?” Sirius chuckled. “Or are you making it up as you go?”
“You're offending my honour as a barista, good sir.”
“My most heartfelt apologies!” Theatrically, he took a step back and bowed. There was a subtle grace to the movement, something that told you he had been practising etiquette for years. “Although it does sound like my type of coffee, Pumpkin. Consider me tempted.”
“I'll write it down as an achievement in my diary,” you grinned. “On ice? Or do you want to experiment with double espresso? I should warn you, the aroma gets sharp.”
“Do you get to write two achievements if I decide on ice?”
“I get to write three if you order the cookie as well.”
The way he smiled always made you grin in return and that was the most natural grin you ever had - not the polite, trained smile of the barista, but something more… real.
“Not today, Pumpkin, not today... Summer special on ice only, please.”
“You know I will keep on trying,” you puffed with pretend offence and he winked at you when you handed him the freezing cup, perspiration in the air already shimmering on the sides. It’s a policy to put the cutlery on the counter or directly on the table, but before you did, Sirius caught it mid-air from your hand and just for a brief second your fingers connected with his tattooed ones.
For some reason you kept thinking about that for a long time and from that moment on, whenever he ordered the summer special on ice, your fingers touched. Again. And again.
You almost didn't want the summer to be over, wondering if the “double espresso to go” will replace this little ritual of yours. Sometimes you pondered if Sirius had ever noticed, or if he just kept picking the cup from your hand and walking out towards his motorcycle oblivious to the spark of joy that he had yet again brought into your day.
The Moon
There was another reason for you to smile widely when you prepared the shop each morning before it opened for the customers. It was reflected in a small collection of neatly stacked receipts that you kept in an envelope at the side of your breakroom drawer. The receipts themselves were as insignificant as they could be - each one for the exact same cappuccino on rice milk, no extras. But each one had a small, pencil drawing at the back. It was always something simple: sometimes a cup on the table, a car visible from the cafe window, or a book that he was reading, but there was something soft and warm in the graphite lines that made you feel equally soft and warm on the inside.
First time Remus paid a visit to the Enchanted Cafe there was no receipt yet, however. You spotted him in the queue of regulars that was attended to by Latte when you came back from your break. It was raining and the coffee shop was packed full of people not entirely ready to go and face the weather. Umbrellas in the stands and several coats were drying on the side, adding a unique scent of moisture to the air full of mingling conversations.
You took the queue over from Latte before Remus had approached the counter and you had just enough time to take a good look at him. He was tall, probably a little bit taller than Sirius (well, you DO have a type), with long, slender limbs. His patched-up coat seemed to be a bit too loose for his body. Brown, curly hair was marked with ashen grey on the sides, even though he didn’t seem old at all - maybe late twenties? Early thirties? When you greeted him and he gave you a small, apologetic smile, you noticed his honey-coloured eyes had tiny wrinkles in the corners.
But what had your curiosity piqued was the scar that cut diagonally through his face. It started above his left brow, arched across the nose and right cheek almost to the corner of his thin lips. You allowed yourself only one stare, as discreet as you could in the circumstances.
“Good morning, what can I tempt you with today?”
“I'd like a cappuccino, please,” his voice was rich and soft, somehow bringing about an image of a warm blanket and a fireplace. “Do you have any vegan options?”
“Absolutely!” you mentally listed the content of the fridge. “We have soy, almond and rice at the moment.”
There was a short moment of hesitation from him, and as you looked at his face expectantly, you noticed that the scar was just a central one of three. Much less prominent, two other long gashes were visible in regular proximity from one another. It sort of looked like a huge claw mark.
“Are any of those options paid extra?” He asked finally and you shook your head.
“Absolutely not. Regardless of the milk type, cappuccino will put you at 6.20,” you explained, then added after a sudden afterthought. “There is no price difference between having coffee in or taking it to go, either.”
“Thank you... Pumpkin Spice?”
“That's me.”
“Unusual,” he smiled softly and his eyes gleamed with golden sparks. “I might take the opportunity to enjoy the coffee inside, but not today. A cappuccino with rice milk to go, please.”
You nodded and picked up a paper cup.
“It's not often this packed,” you remarked, seeing how he kept glancing around with that awkward unease some people displayed when in a crowd. “What should I write on your cup?”
Another slight pause, reluctant and a little wary. You knew that kind of silence - an introvert in the wild. You sympathised.
“Enchanted Cafe believes in a personal approach to customers,” you made your best effort to sound light and encouraging, “but I could swear some of the things I write on those cups are most definitely not the real names. There's this one older guy who always asks for his coffee to be signed 'Real Elvis' and, mind, there's not even a trace of resemblance.”
He chuckled softly in response, visibly disarmed.
“My name is Remus, thank you for this... insightful piece of trivia.”
“Humour is completely free of charge, Remus,” you grinned and the coffee machine whirred gleefully. “That will be 6.20.”
He meticulously counted the coins and picked the cup into his hand. You noticed that his wrist also carried thin lines of three diagonal scars, almost completely faded against the skin.
“It was an absolute delight to chat with you, Pumpkin, thank you.”
“Pleasure was all mine. Until next time!”
As it were, the next time happened on one of the following mornings. Remus came into the cafe looking quite exhausted, his face pale with bags under his gentle eyes. You were familiar with the look. After all, it was a coffee shop and people worked all kinds of hours.
“Good morning, Remus. You look like you could use a solid espresso today,” you remarked lightly and smiled at the look on his face.
“Good morning, Pumpkin. I'm surprised you remembered my name.”
“It's a very nice name,” you reached for the paper cup. “Plus, my memory is insanely good when it comes to my customers. Cappuccino with rice milk to go?”
You watched his eyebrows rise in an incredulous expression.
“Insanely good indeed... However, I was actually looking forward to spending some time here, I have about an hour to spare.”
You beamed at him gleefully. “Splendid! Would you like the same coffee or can I tempt you with a seasonal special?”
“Same, please.”
“Cookie? Cupcake? We have vegan options too.”
Remus smiled softly and shook his head.
“Thank you for this consideration, but I will pass.”
“Sure thing! It will be 6.20, please take a seat wherever you like and I'll bring your coffee momentarily,” you smiled widely at him, some part of you sensing that he needed the positive vibes.
Keeping that in mind, you selected a cup with celestial motifs on the side and when you put it on the table next to Remus, you rotated it so that the yellow drawing of the sun was facing him.
“For a good day,” you said and he gave you one more tired smile from above the book he was reading.
Remus left some time later and while you were cleaning the table, you found the receipt tucked under the saucer, with a pencil drawing of the sun and the words 'Here's to hoping'.
He became a regular after that, usually visiting on mornings, reading a different book every week. Most of the time you only exchanged a few sentences and you would leave him in the corner next to bookshelves in peace. On occasion, when the coffee shop was less crowded, you discreetly watched him read from behind the counter. Remus, while reserved and collected when you talked, was what you referred to as 'an emotional reader'. By far, he was not the only one you saw - people would often bring their books or pick up any of those you had on the shelves. But there was something both vulnerable and exhilarating in the way a range of emotions crossed his handsome, scarred face when he read. You watched him smile to the pages, knit his brows, pick on his moustache and drum his fingers on the surface of the table. You imagined the stories he saw in his head and, for some reason, you also envisioned a comfortable sofa next to a fireplace and his long arm wrapped around your shoulder as you were reading the same book together.
The softness and warmth of that imaginary scene lingered with you throughout the summer, as you collected his drawings on the back of each receipt. You never did anything to act upon it. It was a pleasure that you enjoyed silently in your mind, a small cosy thought that made your heart flutter whenever Remus entered the cafe. You tried to reflect that through the selection of cups you picked for him every time - especially on those mornings when he came in looking twice as tired as anyone else. The sun was there often, so was the moon, and your personal favourite - a set of cups adorned with quills and ink pots. Somehow, you made it a sort of a challenge to bring a smile to his face on those days and each time you accomplished one, it was worth more to you than almost anything else in the world.
The Celestial Phenomenon
The summer ended in a string of warm days that slowly gave way to cool mornings and evenings. You knew it was over one late afternoon when a deep roar of the motorcycle announced Sirius’ arrival and you watched him saunter into the near-empty coffee shop in his regular leather jacket. On the inside you sighed with regret. On the outside you smiled, waiting for him to approach the counter. Uncharacteristically of him, he was looking around the place, as if searching for someone.
Whoever that was, however, they weren’t inside yet.
“Hiya, Pumpkin!” Sirius leaned over the counter and flashed you one of his grins.
“Good afternoon to you too, Sirius!” In a way you had been dreading this moment for weeks now, but it was time. “I’m sorry to inform you that our summer special is no longer on the menu.”
“Figures, what with the weather changing, and all,” he patted the side of his jacket, winking as if the two of you were real co-conspirators. “I suppose it’s back to my favourite double kick then?”
“Unless…” your throat tightened for a second. “I could tempt you with our replacement autumn special, perhaps?”
You saw it. Sirius’ eyes flashed towards the menu over your head, reading the words in a fraction of a second.
“Oh?” He locked his silver eyes with you, a mischievous smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “Please tell me what that is. I’m extremely invested in hearing you say it.”
“There is no doubt in my heart that you are,” you replied, sighing. You were a seasoned salesperson, dammit. You could say it to this gorgeous man without fainting, for sure. “Can I tempt you with our very own, magical pumpkin spice scented coffee blend? Goes really well with milk and gets really spicy as an espresso.”
“I thought you’d never ask, Pumpkin.”
You almost choked on the next sentence, “To go, I presume?”
His laughter was doing something really weird to your knees.
“To leave and not have the pleasure of watching this delightful fluster?” Sirius teased and you rolled your eyes theatrically. “In fact, I’m meeting with someone here today. It seems I got here first, though.”
“I suppose I’m an architect of my own anguish,” you said with mock self-pity, even though your heart sank somewhat at his words and the dreamy, far-off look that crossed his face for a moment. “Milk, no milk? Cookies and such?”
Sirius shook his head. “Double spicy espresso sounds amazing enough.”
“Coming right up. Please take a seat wherever you like and I’ll be there with your order momentarily.”
When you fumbled to pick a cup for him, your gaze fell on the paper one that you prepared earlier, stars and everything. For a second you pondered whether Sirius meeting with someone would be an end to something for you. Something less tangible than a cup of frosty summer special. Something like a wistful daydream of the black-haired man on his motorcycle, smiling at you. For you.
The coffee machine buzzed comfortingly as the aroma of cinnamon filled you with its familiar sense of calm. What will be, will be. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed that Sirius took a table for two next to the window. It gave him a good view both at the counter and the entrance door.
“Double espresso pumpkin spice for you.”
You placed the cup on the table in front of him right when the doorbell rang, announcing another customer. A spark appeared in Sirius’ eyes when he spotted the person coming in and for a split second you didn’t want to turn around. You did, of course.
It was Remus.
“Oi, Moony!” Sirius called and Remus' head snapped in the direction immediately. He noticed you and you smiled lightly as Sirius passed by, catching the other man in a quick embrace.
“Really, Padfoot...” Remus sighed under his breath, loud enough for you to hear. His face, visible from an angle, was a mixture of joy and fluster.
You tried to casually edge back behind the counter, distancing yourself from their exchange of greetings. There was something distinctly intimate in the way Sirius rested his tattooed hand on his companion's arm and in the way Remus' head leaned in his direction. You could tell those two knew each other for a long time.
Long and close enough to become familiar and aware of each other's bodies. You’ve rarely seen this kind of connection and it was something that deep in your heart you kept dreaming about.
“Did you wait?”
“Just came in,” Sirius glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Pumpkin has been telling me about their autumn special, I'm pretty sure you're going to love it.”
“I am?” Remus smiled at you, and you returned the grin.
“Please don't mind me and good afternoon, Remus! I'll be at the counter whenever you are ready to place your order.”
“No time like the present,” Sirius clapped his hands together, pushing the other man gently towards you. “My treat, so… anything you want, Moony.”
“Sirius, honestly…” There was something reticent in Remus’ voice and in your mind you recalled his receipts, each one exactly the same, no extras.
“Enough!” Sirius laughed. “I told you we’re here to celebrate and celebrate we shall. Pumpkin, don’t let him wiggle out of it. We will take cake and coffee, and anything else you can tempt us with.”
“Fine by me,” you grinned. “But only if Remus is okay with it as well. I would not want to force any sort of sweets on anyone.”
“Oh, for… Fine!” Remus took a long inhale, closing his eyes for a moment. Small smile appeared on his lips. “But please remember, vegan options only and…”
“...no cocoa, because of allergies,” Sirius finished smoothly. “Any recommendations, Pumpkin?”
You took a quick glance at the treats on display, a little cleaned out now at the end of the day.
“There are fruit tarts, muffins and a carrot cake that I can readily suggest.”
“All of it.”
“Padfoot!” Remus gasped and Sirius grinned at him with that disarming smile of his.
“All of it! Pumpkin, don’t listen to him.”
“That’s quite a celebration you two are having,” you noted, trying to discern whether Remus was actually on board with the plethora of sweets that was just ordered. You noted his brown eyes shooting you a look that was both slightly embarrassed and secretly pleased.
“I… I have a new job,” he said in an apologetic tone. Sirius threw his arm around his companion’s shoulders.
“Way to downplay achieving your dream, Moony!”
“Oh, please…”
“Either way,” you decided to gently interrupt, “I understand that congratulations are in order, Remus. Please accept mine as well.”
“Thank you, Pumpkin,” he replied with a smile, as Sirius rubbed his shoulder gleefully. “So… about that autumn special…”
“Absolutely,” you caught a wink that Sirius made explicitly at you and fought the urge to wink back. “Would you be tempted by your regular cappuccino on rice milk, but with a dash of pumpkin spice?”
You saw him stiffen a little, confusion flashing across his face for a moment, until Sirius leaned in.
“The coffee is scented, Moony,” he announced in a conspiratorial whisper and Remus shuddered visibly, as if waking up from a thought. You watched it, trying to understand what was going on. “Like I said, I knew you’d love the idea.”
“Of course, pumpkin spice, autumn, makes sense,” Remus said quickly. “Such a wonderful seasonal tradition, isn’t it?”
“Are you a fan of autumn, Pumpkin?” Sirius turned his silver eyes on you and something deep in your soul made an unhealthy squeal.
“I thought it was obvious, I did choose the name myself,” you smiled, watching Remus absent-mindedly rub the back of his neck. “If you two could take a seat at the table, I will go about preparing your celebration feast. Two of each dessert, I assume?”
“You know it! Go on, Moony, I’ll take care of the rest…”
Remus opened his mouth as if ready to comment on it somehow, but gave up and shook his head with a sigh. Sirius gave him a gentle slap on the shoulder and leaned over the counter towards you.
“Care to tell me what was that about?” You asked in a low whisper through the unchanged smile on your face.
“Whatever do you mean, Pumpkin?” His eyebrows rose in a surprised expression that you couldn’t decide was genuine or not. It made you hesitate. You could have been imagining something that wasn’t there and asking a question would make an idiot out of yourself. Was it even possible…
Something glimmered in Sirius’ eyes and you decided to withdraw.
“You could have told me that you wanted to throw a feast,” you chided quietly. “I would have prepared it before Remus arrived. But, no worries!” You added, when he straightened up. “I’ll get it done in no time.”
“I’m sorry, Pumpkin, I didn’t really…”
“It’s fine, completely fine! Forget I even mewled about it,” you said with a grin, pulling a cup from the cupboard. The sun-and-moon celestial cup that you usually picked for Remus on his visits. “I’ll bring everything to the table in a moment, don’t you worry.”
For a second or two Sirius stared at you thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed, as if he was considering saying something. Or maybe you imagined it. You definitely did.
“You’re right, I could have warned you,” he said finally with a rueful grin. “Will do it next time, promise.”
You waved your hand, regretting that you even started the subject. It was a lousy attempt to redirect the conspiratorial whisper you led with and now you were quite angry with yourself. It wasn’t Sirius’ fault. You watched as he placed a considerable amount of money on the counter, far more than the order's cost, and shook his head when you turned to the cash register.
“Really, Sirius…”
“Not you too!” He laughed. “Please, Pumpkin, you deserve it. You have never been anything less but a delight to either of us.”
You froze. Sirius was still smiling, knowingly. You suddenly realised that they must have talked about you sometime earlier. They knew each other. They must have. It was difficult to decide at this moment if the realisation was more of a surprise or…
A delight.
Next hour or so passed in a dreamlike haze. You bid goodbye to a few passing customers and began to slowly clean up the shop, while the two men you grew so fond of were chatting quietly at the table, slowly going through the desserts. Afternoon turned into evening and you realised that closing time was getting nearer. You didn’t want it to happen. There was something exciting that filled the air in your lungs, as if simply being in proximity to both of them together made the world a slightly better place.
Eventually, you approached their table. “I am really sorry, but it’s getting late,” they both looked up, silver and brown eyes locking at your face. “It’s been a pleasure to host you in Enchanted Cafe. I hope everything was to your liking?”
The words felt insincere, maybe for the first time since you have been working here. You wanted to keep watching them. The golden gleam in Remus’ eyes when Sirius was telling him something quietly. The movement of Sirius’ hand, just lightly touching the fingers of the other man. There was something enthralling in the connection that you witnessed. You wished that you were a part of it, even as a spectator, for the rest of your life.
“Pumpkin…” Remus began, but his voice trailed off. Sirius smiled at you.
“Could you sit with us for a moment?” He asked and you found it difficult to respond with your suddenly tightened throat.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand…”
“Please,” Sirius stood up, offering you his chair. “Just for a moment. We hope that you could settle one debate for us.”
“Uh-huh…”
“Pads, you’re making it awkward,” Remus complained, and you noticed his cheeks were reddening slightly.
“I’m not!” Sirius scoffed. “I just wanted to show some manners, for once. Don’t you always grumble about that?”
Remus rolled his eyes but said nothing. You couldn’t help but smile, even though you were rapidly losing your train of thought.
“What debate?”
Sirius grinned at you. “A hypothetical question, Pumpkin. If you were to go to dinner with one of us, which one would it be?”
You didn’t hear that right.
“Wait, what?”
“If you were to…”
“Both,” you blurted out before Sirius had the chance to finish the sentence. For a long moment they stared at you in complete silence. Remus’ brows rose up while Sirius’ smile widened. “I don’t see why I would want to choose between the two of you. It’s both or none.”
“Wow,” was all Sirius replied with. Remus didn’t say a word.
“Not what you expected?” You grinned. “As far as hypotheticals go, I suppose the debate remains unsolved. Sorry to disappoint. Now, I really, really need to start closing, so if I could kindly ask you to…”
Your voice trailed off into silence when neither of them moved. They exchanged glances again and Remus laughed. It was a warm laughter, pouring over the silence like honey. You realised that you never heard it before.
“Dearest Pumpkin, what if it was not a hypothetical?” He asked finally, getting up and reaching out towards you with his hand. On your other side Sirius mirrored that gesture, his silver eyes regarding you with intensity you have not seen before. You hesitated just for a fraction of a second, before reaching out to both of them, feeling their fingers close around your palms. It was most likely not a dream.
“Both,” you repeated, a little hoarsely. “But there will be no dinner until the cafe is closed, so you two either help me with the dishes or… Dunno, wait here? Is that even an offer for tonight or…”
“If you agree, yeah,” Sirius smiled, leaning just a tiny bit closer to you. You felt your heart flutter in your chest, threatening to stop or explode, you weren’t sure. Their hands were warm and amazingly real, sharing that warmth of their connection that you watched all afternoon.
Autumn was off to a surprising start, it seemed.
#Sirius Black/Remus Lupin#Sirius Black/Reader#Remus Lupin/Reader#Sirius Black/Remus Lupin/Reader#Sirius Black#Remus Lupin#Coffee Shops#Autumn#Fluff#Fluff and Humor#Romantic Fluff#canon characters behaving canonically#with a dash of homebrew to this coffee pot#Gender Neutral Reader - Character - Freeform#no y/n#alternate happy universe#just had to get it out of my system#enjoy the autumn vibes#occamy-verse#Gemma Appleby#the black occamy#occamy writes
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I’m the anon from before, yes sorry I meant the quarry! radioheads or max and laura would be awesome
My last fic rec lists.
Like last time, I’ve tagged the author where possible but if I’ve missed anyone’s tumblr let me know!
I'll put the rest under a read more:
AUs
it's sketched into the stars by Wolfarella
Ship: Ryan/Dylan | Rating: E (but nothing explicit till the last chapter) | Multichapter and completed 4/4
Dylan's working at a coffee shop and crushing on the mysterious regular, Ryan. He finally takes a chance and strikes up a conversation with him. And that conversation somehow leads to more--so much more. And Dylan's just trying his best not to mess it all up.
(A cute little coffee shop au and the beginning of Ryan and Dylan’s relationship once they start talking. All the dates were cute and I loved the background Emma/Abi too. Comfort fic!)
Hectic Glitter by onlyblood / @holybranches
Ship: Ryan/Dylan | Rating: T | Multichapter 2/?
"At some point, while Dylan is recounting what Ryan hopes is a mostly bullshit experience with a bear, his eyelids flutter shut. For the first time in a week, soothed by the voice coming from the old speakers, Ryan falls asleep without the silence in his mind enough to drive him to distraction. There’s just warmth, and comfort, and whoever Dylan is."
Or: Ryan moves into an old family friend's lodge when his life falls apart. As it turns out, late night radio talk shows are the cure to loneliness.
(This fic is still very early but I am already obsessed with it! Ryan moves into the abandoned Hackett’s Quarry camp, isolating himself and only finding comfort in the only radio show and its host. I love the atmosphere this fic creates and I can’t wait to see the full mysteries of Ryan’s backstory be fully explored.)
You Send Me by souyoseta / @sh5
Ship: Ryan/Dylan | Rating: T | Oneshot (with a sequel)
Dylan thought Ryan was a ghost the first time he met him.
That sounds weird. Back up. Dylan had a totally justifiable reason for believing that to be the case.
(This is a really cute college au! I love Kaitlyn, Dylan and Ryan’s friendship in this which is given as much importance as the relationship. There’s so many good character details and I love how he writes Dylan. The sequel is also full of really cute domestic moments.)
Kaitlyn Ka the Matchmaker by Miss_Valentine
Ship: Ryan/Dylan | Rating: G | Multichapter and complete 10/10
Kaitlyn feels bad for Dylan who is helplessly pining over Ryan. She also thinks there is a chance Ryan might like Dylan back. Determined to get these two together, Kaitlyn must do what she can to lead these two to each other.
(A high school au where Kaitlyn schemes to get Dylan and Ryan. It’s really cute and I love all the friendship moments as the group works together. There’s a bunch of bonus content at the end too.)
Song of Sunset by orpheus (vulpesreynard)
Ship: Ryan/Dylan | Rating: E | Multichapter 2/3
“What’s the emergency, Dylan?”
“Can’t tell you over this box. Too much —” he produces scratching noises with his mouth, “static. I gotta skitty, but come quick!”
When he hears Ryan’s laugh over the device, his heart skips a beat.
The year is 1982. Dylan Lenivy meets one Ryan Erzahler at Hackett’s Quarry Summer Camp. They spend two months together, until the final day binds them for a lifetime.
(A fic I am obsessed with. This fic retells the summer before and the night of the attack but with an 80s setting. The attention to detail to change the dialouge, tech and every little pop culture reference 80s is so good and well researched, And the way Ryan and Dylan’s relationship develops, with more of a secret romance than one sided pining is so good!)
Pre-canon
Max Brinly's Guide to Surviving Being in Love with Your Best Friend by IceQueen_07 / @icequeen-07
Ship: Laura/Max | Rating: T | Multichapter 2/?
Max Brinly liked to tell himself many things that were just really poorly disguised lies.
They were tiny lies. Like...how his mom's cooking was fine. Or dad, your singing voice is great. No, he didn't have any hot wheels cars anymore. Ugh, Laura your bubble pop music is awful. He hated the rain. He loved horror movies.
He wasn't in love with his best friend.
(I really love this take on how Laura and Max were before the events of the game, with them as childhood friends which slowly develops into a crush for Max. There’s so many cute moments in this one!)
Southern Kisses From Your Room by souyoseta / @sh5
Ship: Laura/Max | Rating: T | Oneshot
Snapshots of Max and Laura’s childhood friendship and eventual romance.
(Yes I will read a billion different Laura/Max get together fics. This is so cute, I love how their relationship grows and the trans Max HC was great too! They are so dorky and adorable here!)
I Kinda Wanna Be More Than Friends by Jellyrump
Ship: Ryan/Dylan | Rating: G | Oneshot
Dylan would never admit it, but- despite how annoying kids could be- he loved being a summer camp counselor.
He got to be this funny, cool, older kid to the youngsters and got to annoy the shit out of people who weren't allowed to beat the shit out of him. There was a schedule that was more for the kid's than counselors, but helped him nonetheless. Mandatory mealtimes, a radio that he was in control of, a really cute guy that he got to see almost daily for two months straight-
All that is to say- yeah. He really liked being a summer camp counselor.
(A few snapshots of Dylan pining after Ryan before the events of the game. It’s a lot of cute interactions, Dylan being painfully oblivious, Kaitlyn being a great friend and Ryan subtly showing his true feelings.)
Yes, No, Maybe So: Circle One and Let Me Know! by TheIcyQueen / @queenofbaws
Ship: Abi/Emma | Rating: G | Oneshot
When Abi wakes up one morning to find a note from a secret admirer on the door of her cabin, she's...well, she's at a loss. Who on EARTH would have a crush on HER?! It just doesn't make sense!
What makes it worse is that everyone ELSE at camp seems to know exactly who this mystery person is, but for some reason, they just...they just won't tell her. Is this some kind of joke? A prank? Or...could she really have a secret admirer out there?
Maybe Emma can offer some insight.
(This is a really cute fic! Abi has a secret admirer and can’t figure out who it is, although her fellow counselors have an idea. Loved the oblivious Abi, flirty Emma dynamic and the reveal was so cute.)
Canon Divergent
Fighting back by Barely_Vibing
Ships: Max/Laura, Ryan/Dylan, Abi/Emma | Rated: T (canon typical violence) | Completed.
The seven counselors were thrown head first into a situation they absolutely were not prepared for. It's close to the end of the night, half of them have turned and they need to fix this before it's too late.
[Chapter 10 rewrite that fixes plot holes and makes it longer and more exciting]
(This is a really good rewrite of the ending, reuniting all the uninfected counselors, having them face off against all the werewolfs, including their friends, and making the fight against Silas more badass. The action scenes are so good and I much prefer the epilouge here than the actual game. It also has battle couple Laura and Max!)
baby, this ain’t like the movies by coykoi / @coykoii
Ship: Ryan/Dylan | Rating: T | Oneshot
“You know the saying.” He tries for a weak laugh. “If one of your work friends gets bit by a werewolf…why not join the party. Solidarity…and all.”
“Why not let your other work friend cut off your hand…et cetera.”
“You were the one who didn’t want to!”
“I panicked, okay?! And now I’m…maybe panicking again,” Ryan says, reluctant, and Dylan gets it. He probably wouldn’t go with himself either all the way to the scrapyard.
“If you don’t wanna…you know, tag along in case I bite your hand off before you get a chance to hold mine, I get it,” he jokes, or tries to.
(Ryan and Dylan go to the scrapyard and Dylan turns. I loved the dynamic between them so much and the hurt/comfort vibes were great!)
his corruption, their salvation by BlueFrogs
Ship: Kaitlyn/Ryan/Dylan (poly) | Rating: T | Oneshot
The werewolf is tall, massive really, like all its counterparts, but it's hunched over, almost like it’s trying to make itself less intimidating. That, on top of the tattered gray shirt hanging off its shoulders, makes Kaitlyn realize who exactly is before her.
“Dylan?” She breathes, hardly believing it herself.
Dylan gets infected and turns into a werewolf. Somehow, that still doesn’t stop him from saving his friends.
(Dylan turns but uses his abilties to protect Kaitlyn and Ryan. It has a great poly couple moment. The scene where Kaitlyn and Ryan are fighting over who gets to kiss Dylan first was so funny and wholesome!)
take my hand (too soon?) by CinnamonSeven / @cloudycaffeinatedcryptid
Ship: Kaitlyn/Dylan (it’s a gen fic but there’s pre-relationship vibes) | Rating: Unrated (I’d say T) | Oneshot
Remember how Dylan throws himself in front of Kaitlyn if Emma turns in the van? Remember how they literally say nothing about it? Yeah. I fixed that.
"What were you thinking?" She demands, anger and relief and terror colliding to create a boiling chasm in the center of her chest. "You- You- I can't believe you!"
He has the audacity to huff a laugh, seemingly oblivious to her stress only ticking higher. "Didn't know I had a heroic side?"
(An extended version of Dylan throwing himself between Kaitlyn and werewolf Emma. Again, love the hurt/comfort vibes and Kaitlyn and Dylan’s bond is written so well. The resolution we deserved!)
A Little Unorthodox by wilddragonflying
Ship: Kaitlyn/Ryan/Dylan (poly) | Rating: M | Oneshot
What if, prior to the game events, Dylan and Kaitlyn had a couple of enlightening conversations? After all, we know how much these games like the butterfly effect. What might change?
(Another poly get together fic, where Kaitlyn and Dylan decide to combine forces to try and seduce Ryan. The dynamic between the three of them is very fun and flirty. All the jokes between Kaitlyn and Dylan were really funny.)
Post-canon
i would come back a thousand times by zoeyclarke / @janelevy
Ships: Max/Laura | Rated: T | Multichapter 2/?
Laura twists around to see what he’s watching. “Teen Wolf,” she observes. Her head swings back toward him, disbelief written between the wrinkles in her brow. “Wow. Really?”
“What?” Max is the illustration of innocence. “It’s...” He waves a hand helplessly. “... interesting stuff. You know?”
Or: Max and Laura, after.
(This fic explores slice of life Laura and Max after the events of the game as they move in together, get engaged and figure out their future. It’s a nice mix of soft domestic moments and them addressing their trauma after what happened. Really cute!)
touching your arm at the tow path's end by meowclops
Ship: Ryan/Dylan | Rating: E | Oneshot
It wasn’t one blood soaked night that brought them together. They had two months to get to know one another.
(This fic covers Dylan and Ryan before, during and after the game. I liked the end half where they reconnect and settle down together years later and all the soft moments that happen. There’s only one E-rated scene and it’s easy to skip if that’s not your thing.)
Bear with the warmth (And find your relief) by ScorpionMauve
Ship: Kaitlyn/Ryan/Dylan (poly) | Rating: T | Oneshot
Dylan liked Kaitlyn and Ryan better when they weren't covered in gore. The light, filtered by leaves, falling onto them as they lay in the grass. Sticky trails of ice cream over their fingers. Laughter and joy sprinkled with bitter panic at the memories from a year ago.
This was what life was truly about. This was what life should have been. This was what life would be, from now on, with them.
(Ryan, Dylan and Kaitlyn meet up a year after the game and catch up. They try and figure out their relationship. I loved all the dialouge in this, so funny. There’s a bunch of cool character details too.)
a good decent grovel by panorama
Ship: Ryan/Dylan | Rating: T | Oneshot
“Now,” Dylan said, causing Ryan to look up, “wait here for three minutes to give me a head start. We are not walking together.”
“Sure thing, man.”
“Stop smiling. I want a good, decent grovel out of you.”
or, ryan wins dylan back. kind of.
(This is a very fun fic. Ryan tries to win Dylan over again after they finally reconnect at college after the game. It’s a fun reverse to see him doing the persuing and Dylan being the one playing hard to get and sweet to see how they fit into each other’s lives again.)
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Starker au in the 1930'ish where tony is a army soldier who writes letters for his lover, Peter until the war is over
Anon sorry it took me a while. Your request was really great and I got a bit enthusiastic with it.
Instead of using 1930s I used 1940s so that I could include the WWII aspects. I hope you don't mind. Enjoy!
This is also a prompt fill up for the 'Bakery' square of SFSummerBingo22 @starkerfestivals
also on ao3
CARD AT THE BOTTOM
sometimes
we love
in fingertip touch...
and it's
just as close as
we can get
♡
May 03, 1941
The bakery had good business today. That's why Peter had missed his lunch and had been standing without a break for more than an hour. He's starving and his feet hurt like crazy. All he wants now is to eat and rest.
He was just about to start eating his bagel when a young man walks in. If Peter hadn't been so tired he'd be in awe of how beautiful the man is. But right now, he doesn't. He gets up to serve the customer.
"Oh, you don't have to get up. Please take your food. I'll help myself." The man starts looking around but Peter doesn't sit. He can speak from personal experience that people don't like it when someone doesn't trail after them around. The man turns around and, "Please, I insist. I know what I'm looking for. You don't need to trouble yourself." Peter begrudgingly sits down and starts eating.
The man doesn't look much older than Peter. By his clothes, he seems to be from an upper class family. Now that Peter has food in his stomach, he notices how utterly breathtaking the man his. He has a tanned olive skin, red full lips, honey brown eyes and extremely soft looking brown hair. He also has a nice voice, nor too pitched nor too deep.
Peter realizes he's staring when the man lifts an eyebrow at him. He quickly looks away, cheeks flaming. He goes to the front desk and prepares his receipt. He looks at the type of bread and feel curious.
"Rose bread. For someone special?" Peter ask, not being able to help his curiosity.
The man looks at him with a smirk, that makes Peter burn under his shirt. "Yeah. For my mother. It's her birthday and she loves this bread. I heard the ones here are the best."
"Well, you heard right." Peter says with a proud smile.
"Is that the reason behind the name? 'Buns and Roses Bakery'" The man tilts his head a bit to the side. Cute.
"Partly." Peter explains, "It's also because my aunt loves buns and roses the most and my uncle wanted to name the shop for her."
"That's a lovely thing to do. I'm Tony, by the way. Tony Stark." The man - Tony - introduces himself.
"Stark? As in from Stark Repairs?"
"Yep." Tony says popping the 'p'. "One and only. Good to know that we're famous."
"Of course you are. Everyone knows about your repair shop. They say you are a miracle worker." Peter had always been interested in fixing up things, especially machines. So he feels himself get excited meeting the young, genius mechanic.
"Not a miracle worker, just a hard worker. And you never told me your name beautiful." Tony leans closer to Peter, placing his elbows on the desk
Peter's face burns bright red, both at the nickname and the proximity. "Oh...ri-right. I'm-I'm Peter." Peter stammers. "Peter Parker."
"Pretty name for a pretty face, huh." Whatever blush had gone down from Peter's face rises with full force at the praise.
"It's-um-0.25 dollars Mr. Stark" Peter places the packed up bread on the desk.
"Oh yes. Here you go." Tony hands him the money and takes the bread. "And please call me Tony. See you soon, beautiful." He calls over his shoulder as he gets out, leaving behind a blushing, sputtering Peter.
May 07, 1941
Peter indeed saw Tony soon. Right after four days, Peter was in the market shopping for groceries when he saw Tony, drinking coffee from one of the stores.
He was wearing a overall, both skin and outfit marred with grease. He must've been here from work, Peter thought. Suddenly, Tony looked up, eyes widening when he saw Peter. Then the older boy sent him a beaming smile and ran towards him. "Told'ya, didn't I? I'll see you soon."
"Technically, I saw you first, Mr. Stark." Peter retorted, laughing when Tony scrunched his nose.
"What's with all the 'Mr. Stark'? I told you call me Tony." Tony was looking at Peter with his big eyes, waiting for Peter to say it.
"Tony." Peter repeated, shaking his head at his childish behavior. "Happy?"
"Oh, very." Tony was about to say something when someone called him from behind, a black man wearing the same overall. Tony looked at him apologetically, "That's my cue to go."
Peter tried not to but he felt a twinge of disappointment as Tony was leaving so early. "Yeah, okay. Goodbye." The look on Tony's face told him that he hadn't done a good job at hiding his feelings.
Tony looked around a bit to see if anyone was looking at them, when he saw no one was, he leaned closer to Peter's ear and whispered, "See you soon, beautiful." Despite himself, Peter felt himself smile after Tony's retreating body. Peter spent the whole day smiling.
May 25, 1941
The next meeting took a while. Peter was looking for new culinary items for the bakery when someone sneaked behind him and whispered into his ear, "Hello, beautiful." causing Peter to startle and turn around.
"Tony!" Peter exclaimed, hitting him lightly in his shoulder. "You startled me."
"Sorry, sorry." Tony laughed, not sounding sorry at all. "It's been so long. I got excited when I saw you from outside."
"Mhm. It's the third we've met accidentally. They say if you meet accidentally three times then it's fate." Peter, for once, tries to tease Tony instead of being the blushing mess.
But Tony gives him a small but sincere smile, eyes fond. "Maybe it is fate." Tony says, completely serious. Peter’s eyes go wide hearing his words, breath getting stuck in his chest.
Tony steps forward towards Peter, for the first time looking hesitant and nervous. "On the 29th. Are you-are you free on that day?"
"Ye-yeah." Peter clears his throat. "Yeah I am. Why?"
"Maybe...um-we could go out? Y'know. It's-it's my birthday. And we're friends, right? So, we could...maybe watch a movie? Hm?" Peter can clearly see how nervous Tony is. And rightfully so. If the wrong person hears something like this, it could ruin his life. Even get him killed.
But Peter isn't like that. There's nothing Peter would like more than to go out with Tony. "Yeah, okay. We could-we could go out. And watch a movie. Sounds nice."
Tony beams, nodding his head eagerly. "Yeah can't wait."
"Can't wait." Peter agrees.
May 29th, 1941
Peter has nothing to wear. He and Tony decided to meet outside the bakery and to reach there on time he has to leave to house in an hour but he has no idea what's he gonna wear. Whatever he picks out looks horrible. Accepting defeat he moves to his last resort
"Aunt May I need your help." Thankfully she's home today as uncle Ben decided to take care of the bakery.
"Oh, does someone have a date tonight?" she teases.
"N-no. It's not like that. Just a friend, really." Peter has never told anyone about how he likes boys more than he will ever like girls. Aunt May and Uncle Ben mean the world to him, so he doesn't think he could handle it if they start hating him.
"You try to dress up this hard to meet just a friend?" She raises a brow in question.
"Yes." Peter deadpans. She laughs but let's it go. In the end they decide on a brown button down shirt with beige trousers and jacket.
In the end Peter is only five minutes late. When he reaches the designated place, he sees Tony lean on the wall of an alley beside the bakery. He's wearing a white dress shirt with dark grey trousers with suspenders and jacket of the same color. Looking at him makes Peter's breath hitch.
As he approaches the older man, he starts feeling self-conscious about his clothing. He has half a mind to run away but then Tony stops him and sends him a beaming smile as Peter stands in front of him.
"Hello, beautiful. Look at you. And here I thought you couldn't get anymore gorgeous." Peter blushes at the comment and directs a shy smile towards the older boy.
"You look very good too." Peter replies. "As always." He mumbles, quieter.
"Hm? What was that?"
"Oh, ah, nothing." Peter responded and changed the subject. "Why are you standing here instead of in front of the bakery?"
"Oh, you're uncle's there. So I thought perhaps I shouldn't stand there. In case he minded seeing us together." Tony explained.
"Yeah. You did good. They, well, don't know...about me. No one does."
"No one? That's-none of your friends? I can't imagine keeping so much to myself." Tony frowns, troubled.
"Well, I'm scared of how they'll react. What if they hate me? What if lose everyone? Thoughts like these keep me from telling them. What about you? Who did you tell?" Peter asks.
"There's a Rhodey, the one you saw in the market that day." Peter nods. "And also Pepper. Another friend of mine. Some other people know too." They start walking side by side to the cinema as they talk.
"How did they react? When you told them."
"Shocked? Yeah, mostly shocked at the news. But not repulsed. I have known both Rhodey and Pepper from before I could walk. They've watched me to so much worse than like a guy in a way I'm not supposed to." Peter hums, thinking about it. And then he remembers the Irish coffee macaroons he made for Tony.
"Oh, these are for you." Peter hands then over to Tony. "Happy birthday."
"That...wasn't necessary. But I'll enjoy them. Thank you." Tony opens the box slightly to peak inside. "Mmm, smells like coffee. I love coffee!"
"I'm glad. It's a dish I'm really proud of." They both stop walking and smile at each other. Tony averts his eyes first. Looking at the cinema hall in front of them.
"Let's go inside. Or we'll miss our show."
They watch a science fiction movie called 'Buck Rogers' that has both of the scrunching their noses that the scientific inaccuracies. They criticize the movie the whole time and go out, laughing together. At least the soda and the huge tub of popcorn was nice.
"I don't know if I'm annoyed about that movie or happy that now I finally found someone who can criticize with me." Tony says cheerfully.
"Why, you don't do that with your friends?"
"Oh no. They glare at me for weeks saying I ruin movies for them. Now they don't even watch movies with me anymore. Especially, science based ones." To answers. "Hey, are you hungry? We could get some food and then ice cream."
"I could eat. Do you have any place in mind? We have to pick the place carefully."
"I do know a place. It's a restaurant run by a couple I know. It's fairly private too." Peter easily agrees to the suggestion.
The restaurant is small but cozy. There are seven tables, each of them placed in a way that the people inside can't be seen. They take a corner seat and a middle aged woman approaches them. "Anthony dear. It's been so long."
"I saw you two weeks ago Anna." The women - Anna - clicks her tongue in disapproval.
"You and Edwin both keep saying the same thing. With a troublemaker like you, two weeks is too much. Who knows what kind of nonsense you'll manage to get yourself into." Peter looks at the scene with a smile on his face.
"Anna" Tony whines. "Stop scolding me. I bring you new customers and this is how you repay me."
At that Anna turns her face to look at Peter and gives him a motherly smile. "Oh I'm so sorry dear. I should've greeted you first. I'm Anna Jarvis. Co-owner of this place."
"Hello. I'm Peter Parker. I'm a friend of Tony's. Nice to meet you, ma'am." Peter introduces himself.
"You must be quite a special friend if Anthony here is spending his birthday with you." Saying that she looks at Tony with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Right, Anthony."
"Of course." Tony directs Anna one of the fakest smile Peter has ever seen. "Would you please kindly bring us your special pasta. I promised Peter food."
"Oh, of course honey." Then she leaves towards the table, humming a cheerful tune under her breath.
Tony looks at him sheepishly, "Sorry, she's a bit -"
"Lovely." Peter cuts him. "She's lovely."
Tony smile and nods, agreeing. "Yeah she is."
"She knows about you." Peter points out.
"She's actually the first person I ever told. Or more like, she told me." Tony laughs a bit, shaking his head. "She and my mother are best friends. So she always visited us often. When I was thirteen, I was having difficulties understanding myself. About who I was.
Then one day she comes to me and tells me that even though the world isn't knowledgeable enough to accept it yet, no form of love is wrong." Tony explained."It was such a huge moment for me, but them mama came and ruined it by saying that there is love that isn't acceptable and the name is incest." Peter bursts out laughing at that.
"You seem to have a wonderful family. If you don't mind me asking, what about you father?"
"He died when I was very young. I don't remember him all that much." Tony waves his hand a bit as if dismissing the matter. "From what I've heard from people, he'd be a shit father. At least he left us quite the fortune."
"My parents are dead too."
"Pete." The nickname makes Peter smile a little. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"It's nothing bad. They died in a car crash. I was maybe 5 years old back then. I don't remember them much too."
"Guess we have that in common."
"We have a lot in common Tony." Peter laughed.
"That's true." Just then Anna brings their food. Two plates of pasta with mouth watering smell and a glass of wine. She tells them to enjoy and leaves.
The pasta tasted even better than it smelled. Conversation came easy between them. They talked about everything and nothing. Childhood memories, embarrassing situations, what books they like. Peter can't remember the last time he connected so well with someone.
After that they went to the park and got ice cream. They walked side by side, hands sometimes grazing. "Next time, let's go to Coney Island." Tony spoke up. At the prospect of there being a next time, Peter's heart started beating faster.
Not trusting himself to speak now, he just nodded eagerly with a smile. Looking at his eagerness Tony chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Coming Friday?"
This time Peter answered with a blinding smile and an enthusiastic "Okay!"
They both walked to the alley the met in, shuffling around, still reluctant to say goodbye. Then Peter worked up some courage to raise to his tiptoes and kiss Tony's cheek. A lovely blush turned his ears red.
Peter snickered slightly, happy to be able to make Tony blush. "Goodbye, Tony."
"Goodbye, beautiful."
June 02, 1941
As promised, they went to Coney island next time. It's been really long since Peter last came here. It just seems to get more and more colorful.
They ate cotton candies, over priced food, enjoyed the rides. Tony even won him a teddy bear.
At the end of the day, they again stopped to the alley. But this time Tony pulled him inside and kissed him. They used the darkness to their benefit and locked their lips in a passionate kiss.
After breaking the kiss Tony leaned his forehead against Peter's and whispered, "Five days from now my mom's visiting a cousin of hers. Wanna come over?"
Peter could only nod breathlessly.
June 07, 1941
It was the first time someone touched Peter like that and he loved every second of it.
June 23, 1941
They went to the beach. It was completely empty and so they got a little courageous and kissed during the sunset, out in the open.
Peter also found out that he's allergic to seaweed.
July 13, 1941
Aunt May and Uncle Ben went to a one week tour, leaving the house to Peter. When Tony comes inside, the first thing he does is suck him off against the door.
Later, much later, after they're done with dinner and washing dishes he bends Peter over the table.
August 04, 1941
Ned tells him that he doesn't spend much time with them anymore. Michelle agrees. Peter never meant to avoid his friends. But whatever he has with Tony is still new and fragile and by focusing too much on that, he ignored his friends.
He promises that it'll never happen again. He makes more time for his friends and his uncle and aunt too. It's nice.
August 10, 1941
He celebrates his birthday once at home with his uncle, aunt, Ned and Michelle. They cook all kinds of food, bake cake and decorate the house. In the middle of all the chaos Peter manages to pack some of the food separately.
Later, after everyone's asleep he sneaks out of the house and goes to the bakery. He sees Tony sitting outside, slightly hunched to protect himself from the wind. "Tony! Come'on, let's go inside." Peter pulls the shutter up and shuts it down again after they're inside.
Now from the safety of prying eyes, Tony immediately hugs Peter to his chest. "Happy Birthday, sweetheart. I missed you so much."
"Missed you too, Tony." Peter's voice is muffled from being pressed to Tony's chest. They play music on the radio, eat, dance, drink and kiss the night away.
August 24, 1941
Peter meets Rhodey and Pepper. Just after talking for fifteen minutes Peter can understand that they are the reason Tony has been alive for the last 27 years.
They are as good as Tony said. Right after he introduced Peter, they take him with them as one of their own.
December 10, 1941
There's a war going on around them. The world was in a war for long and now America has joined it too. Tony's troubled by it. More troubled than he wants Peter to know. But Peter can see it on his face. How his brow creases when he reads the newspaper, how he tenses when he heard about bombing somewhere.
Tony hates the fact that there are people dying and there's nothing he can do. Peter hates that he can't do anything about Tony's troubles.
December 31, 1941
Peter wanted to tell his friends about him and Tony today. Tony has met them all. Aunt May and Uncle Ben too. But they all think that Tony's a new friend of Peter and that's it.
He's still not ready to tell his family but he wants to tell his friends. Wants them to know what Tony means to him. He wanted to tell them during new year. For it to be symbolic or whatever but now that the time has come he feels himself feeling anxious.
"Okay, Peter. I don't care how much fun you're having pacing like that but it snot fun for me. What is it? Tell us." Michelle snaps at him.
"Me and Tony are together." Peter blurts out and instantly pales.
"Yeah we know." Michelle says nonchalantly. "Right?" she looks at Ned who nods.
"What? You knew. Since when?"
"Since you introduced him to us. It was kinda obvious." Ned states.
"It was extremely obvious. Even your uncle and aunt know." Michelle retorts. Then she softens her tone. "We love you Peter and if Tony makes you happy then we're okay with it. Your happiness matters the most." Peter loves them all so much.
May 03, 1942
It's been a year since he and Tony met. They make a rose bread in Tony's place with Maria sitting in the porch, reading.
July 07, 1942
Even though Aunt May and Uncle Ben know about him , Peter wants to introduce them officially.
Tony’s a nervous wreck. Nevermind the fact that they've both met Tony several times and adore him enough to rival Peter.
He wants to tease him. Get the revenge for how much Tony teased him for being nervous before meeting Maria. But Peter decided to be the better man. Holds Tony's hand and squeezes, reassuring.
Tony nods at him, a determined glint on his lovely eyes and they enter through the door.
October 31, 1942
Right after meeting Aunt May, Maria and Anna had formed a wonderful (and dangerous) friendship. So today they were doing some 'only girls' thing where they eat, watch movies and shop.
That means Peter and Tony got to have the whole house for themselves after a long time and they use it extremely well. At the end of the day, Peter is searing with pleasure, overwhelmed with the feel of Tony's hands and mouth all over his body bringing out orgasms out of him in ways Peter didn't know was possible.
In return, Peter touches him too. Holding him close, not even letting air pass between their bodies. That's how they spend their Halloween.
February 06, 1943
When Tony tells Peter that he wants to enlist in the military, Peter can't say that he's surprised.
February 20, 1943
They spend the day before Tony's dispatch without talking about it at all. Tony brings out his 1937 Jaguar SS 100 3.5-Liter Roadster, which Peter can't decide is absolutely gorgeous or ridiculous looking.
He takes them to one of his properties where they have a picnic, kiss and sleep together. Both literally and figuratively. Then they do to a drive in movie theater where they watch 'The Spider Women' less and kiss more.
Tony stops in front of Peter's home and brings their lips together one last time. He presses their foreheads together and whispers, "I love you Peter." It sounds too much like a goodbye for Peter to be happy hearing it.
"No, no. You can't say it now. Say it again after you come back and-and then I'll answer."
"Okay, okay honey." Tony gives him a heartbreaking smile and Peter gets out of the car barely holding back his tears. Just before he closes the door Tony mutters a quiet little "Goodbye beautiful." Peter doesn't answer him. Instead he runs inside.
He rushes to his room ignoring Aunt May's calls and shuts the door. He slides down against it, hugging his legs close to his chest he let's the tears fall.
March 01, 1943
A few days later, Rhodey follows Tony because of course he does.
Before Tony left, they promised each other to write letters. It hurt to do, reminding Peter of everything that's missing yet he does it. Because it's something they both need.
March 24, 1943
After almost five weeks he receives Tony's first letter.
Hey beautiful,
I'm writing this on the bus. We're going towards California now. It feels a bit nostalgic to be here. I don't have time for sightseeing though, as we are going to deploy from San Francisco. I don't know how long I'll be there. A few weeks maybe.
I keep thinking about you. About our last day together. How perfect it was, how perfect you were. Laughing, dancing. You look the most beautiful when you're happy.
I miss you so much. Your lovely eyes, pink lips, soft skin, silky hair. I miss everything about you. I need to go now. And I know it'll hurt but please write to darling. I'll wait for your letter.
Forever yours,
AES.
March 25, 1943
Dear Tony,
Trying to write a letter I have realized that I have no talent for it. There are so many things that I want to talk about but now my mind is blank. You're the who's good with words, not me.
I miss you. That I can say. I miss you so much that it hurts. I actually started writing letters right after the day you left. But writing these I discovered that I can never be the one to send the first letter. I'm sorry honey. I'm really sorry but I can't. I can't bear the thought of sending a letter but never getting a response.
I can promise you with everything that I will always reply to your letters. No matter what happens you'll get a reply from me. I'll be waiting for you to come home to me safe and sound soldier. Take care.
Truly yours,
PBP.
April 12, 1943
Hey beautiful,
Pretty sure you didn't get my first letter yet. But I had a dream about you yesterday and just needed to write to you. I actually dream about you a lot. But this particular dream was special.
It was about the day we first met. You looked so beautiful that day. I think I knew the moment my eyes fell on you that you were the one.
You mean so much to darling. Wish I could show you it all.
Forever yours,
AES.
April 13, 1943
Dear Tony,
I'm happy to know that you dream about me. I dream about you too. Though I don't know how to feel about you finding tired and starving me beautiful, I appreciate the sentiment.
It was the same for me, by the way. The moment you called me beautiful, I knew you were the one.
Yours truly,
PBP.
May 22, 1943
Hello beautiful,
I got your letter. Thank you for writing to me. And it's okay you don't have to write first. Just reply to my letters and that's all I ask for.
I'm in the 107th division. All the other guys with me are really good people. Our Captain is just the tiniest bit of stuck up. But other than that we get along good enough. He and Barnes - another guy here - they're both from Brooklyn. Childhood best friends. Watching them makes me miss Rhodey.
And speaking of Rhodey, I'm ninety-nine percent sure that Barnes has a male lover called Sam in the air force. He's with Rhodey. But it's not like I can downright ask him. So I keep my thoughts to myself. Miss you honey. Take care please.
Forever yours,
AES.
May 23, 1943
Dear Tony,
Happy early Birthday, honey. And for the love of God, keep you suspicions to yourself. I don't even want to think about what would happen if you're wrong about him.
Take care of yourself. When you come back I don't want a single pound of weight loss. And I don't know if she told you but Maria had flu a few days ago. The fever has broken down but she's still a bit week. I'm staying with her for a while.
Yours truly,
PBP.
June 18, 1943
Hello beautiful,
Mama absolutely did not tell me about her fever. She'd day she didn't want to worry me but she not telling ne things is more worrying. Thank you for staying with her.
And I think losing a few pounds is inevitable, my dear. But I swear I'll try my best.
Forever yours,
AES.
June 19, 1943
Dear Tony,
Your mother is a very special person to me too. So no need to thank me for taking care of her. She had me make he five different types of pastries as an apology for telling - rattling to you, in her words - about her illness.
I'm any other circumstances, I'd never trust you with you own health. But since I don't have any other option now, I'll reluctantly trust you to take care of yourself.
Yours truly,
PBP.
June 30, 1943
Hey beautiful,
I know I'm writing this letter even before I got the your reply for my previous one. But it's an emergency.
Things aren't in the best condition here. So I won't be able to write to you for a while. Honey, I don't know if I'll ever be able to write to you again. Things are bad sweetie. Really, really bad. I'm going to the front lines and I don't know if I'll come back.
So, if a military messenger comes to my mama with bad news, please take care of her. Also, even if it hurts and is difficult, I'd like you to move on darling. Find a nice guy. Someone who'd cherish you like you deserve to be. Please take care of yourself.
Forever yours,
AES.
Reading Tony's letter makes Peter's hands tremble. Tears are streaming down his face uncontrollably. His body is shaking with the force of his violent sobs.
He is vaguely aware of someone taking the letter from his hands. Someone is saying something to him. Maybe Aunt May. But he doesn't know. He doesn't know anything beyond the fact that Tony might not come home to him.
He presses his face into the crook of Aunt May's neck and cries until he passes out.
November 21, 1943
Even after five months, there's no news of Tony or the 107th division as a whole. His name is not among the martyred soldiers and no military messenger comes to Maria with bad news.
Even Rhodey doesn't know anything because apparently they were some specially trained division only engaging in extremely secretive missions. Peter doesn't know what else to do.
He had turned into a living corpse while waiting for any news about Tony. But waiting was all Peter could do, so he did.
January 17, 1944
Hello Beautiful,
It's been a while, right? I actually have no idea what to say to you. I want to say I'm sorry an I am. I'm really, really sorry. I know I worried you and I wish I could promise that it wouldn't happen again but I can't. There are full possibilities of this happening again.
Darling, when you read this letter know that I thought of you with every single breath I took. And I'll always do that.
Forever yours,
AES.
After reading Tony's letter, Peter felt like he could finally breathe. After months and months of torturous waiting, he could feel some relief.
He didn't waste any time and started writing a letter.
Dear Tony,
After long seven months I could finally breathe today. My mind isn't processing much more than the fact that you are alive. I have been waiting to hear this for so long that now it all feels surreal.
You are okay right? Please, please be okay Tony. You need to come home to me, my soldier. Stay with me. I don't know what I'd do without you.
And about your last letter, you're my only one Tony. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't adore anyone more than I adore you. And no one can make me feel as cherished as you. So don't you dare say things like that ever again.
Yours truly,
PBP.
When Peter tells everyone the news, expectedly, Maris cries and unexpectedly, Pepper cries too.
March 13, 1944
Hey beautiful,
I'm so sorry dear. I'm sorry that you're hurting. That I kept you waiting for so long. I'm really sorry.
I'm mostly okay. No serious injuries just a few scars. The most damage is the seven inch sewing marks on my chest. A bomb blew up right in front of me. It was scary. Baton says I'm like a cockroach who'd survive anything. He's an asshole but he's probably right.
And you're my only one too baby. That's why I would never want you to be stuck in the past. But okay, darling. I'll come home to you and we won't talk about that anymore. Take care.
Forever yours,
AES.
March 14, 1944
Dear Tony,
A seven inch sewing mark? A bomb? What are you talking about? How is this okay? This is nowhere near okay. Are you kidding me?
This is outrageous. In one sentence you're telling me you're fine or whatever and then you tell me about a bomb blowing up in front of you.
Give me some good news darling. Something to quell my heart.
Yours truly,
PBP.
April 09, 1944
Hello Beautiful,
You're my lucky charm y'know. You asked for a good news and IT'S here! I'm promoted. Military promotion during war means someone died and I'm taking their place. But. PROMOTION!!!
I'm really happy. You're happy too, right? I did a little victory dance when I was alone in my tent. It's your turn now. Shake that sweet little ass of yours for me, honey.
I'm getting paid much more now. See. Taking a bomb in the chest isn't that bad. We can save the money and live in the suburbs. We can build a house with white pocket fence. We can expand the bakery and repair shop there. I'd be our safe haven.
I want that with you. Please wait for me. I'll give you everything you ask for.
Forever yours,
AES.
April 10, 1944
Dear Tony,
We're going to ignore your bomb comment and never talking about it until you're home. I'm really happy to hear about the promotion sweetie. Just do y'know, I did dance for you.
A white picket fence house in the suburbs seems like a pipe dream to me. Can we really have that? Us. Together. Sounds too good to be true.
But if we do have that then let's get pets too darling. A few dogs and cats. Does that seem good?
The life you talked about. I want that. And I want that with you. So quickly come home to me soldier.
Truly Yours,
PBP.
May 17, 1944
Hey Beautiful,
It's been three years now since we met. Three years ago I went to the bakery and felt my heart sing. And was lucky enough to have you feel the same.
I promise you dear, that we'll have a white picket fence house in the suburbs. It won't be a pipe dream.
And pets sound real nice darling. I like big dogs more than the smaller. So you better get prepared to have them tackle you to the ground all day.
Honey I wanted to tell you that you shouldn't reply to this letter. Our division is shifting to somewhere else. It's nothing dangerous like last time. Promise. But apparently the postal there is horrible. So it might take some time to send a letter again. Wait for your soldier, yeah?
Forever Yours,
AES.
Peter read Tony's letter with a small smile. Time to go back to the waiting game, he thought.
August 13, 1944
It wasn't until three months, that Peter got Tony's next letter.
Hey Beautiful,
Missed me. I missed you a lot. Happy Birthday, by the way. I wanted this letter to reach you by your birthday so I sent it a long while ago. Did it reach you on time. I hope it did.
About the stupid shit Clint says. Bucky trying to throttle him at least once everyday. Steve looking like he has given up on them. These are our little joys during war.
I want you to meet them. You'd like them, a lot. When we all come home. I can introduce you. I'll tell them you're my best friend. Maybe I'll tell Steve and Bucky about us. Told you about Bucky and his air force guy remember. They'll be okay with us. Wait for me yeah?
Forever Yours,
AES.
August 14, 1944
Dear Tony,
You seemed so sad on your last letter. Is everything alright? I hope you're doing well. I received your letter three days after my birthday. It was the best gift for me.
I miss you so much honey. When you come home you can introduce me to them all. I'd love to meet them.
It doesn't what tell them about me. I know what I mean to you and that's enough for me. Waiting for you soldier.
Truly Yours,
PBP.
September 27, 1944
Hello Beautiful,
Did I seem sad in my letter? I didn't realize. I just miss you so much. I haven't seen your face in so long. I feel like when I come home you'll not recognize me anymore. I don't think I'll be able to bear that.
Wait for me darling. Please wait for me.
Forever Yours,
AES.
September 28, 1944
Dear Tony,
Don't ever think like that. Ever. No matter what the war does to you, you're Tony. My Tony. My only one. Nothing will ever change that.
What I feel for you goes beyond this war and all the others that will come.
I'm waiting for my soldier to come home. And when he does I'll never let him go again. I'll cling to you so much you'll get sick of me.
Truly Yours,
PBP.
November 19, 1944
Hey Beautiful,
Thank you for your last letter. I really needed that. It's just that I don't have many things that matter. I have my mama, my friends, the repair shop and you. That's all. And I'm scared to lose them.
I want to fight because if me fighting means at least one less person dying then it's worth it. But I miss you so much, sweetheart. These days I have a recurring dream. Well it's more a nightmare, actually.
It always starts with me being in a dark cage and then suddenly a missile flies towards me and I think that I'm gonna die. I'd die and break all my promises to you.
But then I wake up in my room and run to the bakery but it's not there. You're not there. I hate it so much. I just wanna hold you now.
Forever Yours,
AES.
November 20, 1944
Dear Tony,
Listen to me very carefully. You're are gonna be okay. You're a brave man who is fighting for to save the lives of people he doesn't know.
You're gonna fight and live and when you come home I'll be in the bakery waiting for you, sitting on the same chair. I'll always be there for my dear.
Always.
Truly Yours,
PBP.
March 24, 1945
Hey Beautiful,
I know this letter is very late. But the place I was in for the past three months had no postal service.
It was supposed to be a quick rescue mission but it turned out to be more complicated than that. I should've warned you. I'm sorry. Sorry if I worried you.
I read your last letter. I don't know what I'd do without you. You make me wanna be a better man. I'll fight and I'll fight to be alive too. Then we'll meet again in the bakery.
Forever Yours,
AES.
March 25, 1945
Dear Tony,
You scared me to death you idiot. How could you do that? I hadn't heard from you for so long. You didn't even warn me.
Please. Please don't ever do that again. Please honey. Please.
Truly Yours,
PBP.
May 08, 1945
Everyone's saying that the war is over. That Germany has surrendered. But Peter can't believe it. The war had been going on for so long. Tony had been gone for so long and now it's over. Just like that.
November 13, 1945
After the war ended, all soldiers slowly started coming home. Streets started filling with men again. Some families were reunited with their sons, husbands and fathers. Some mourned the loss of them.
Peter was sitting in the bakery. Like he did every single day. He sat in the same chair, looking at the door, waiting for his soldier to come. He enters the bakery at five o'clock in the morning and leaves as 12 o'clock night.
Pepper says he's being self-destructive. She's probably right. But Peter doesn't care. The only thing he cares about is Tony coming home.
Today is just another day of waiting. It's three o'clock in the afternoon. Way past lunch time. Peter is sitting on the chair re-reading 'The Hobbit' when the bell chimes indicating someone's entry. Peter closes the book and stands to greet the customer he hears a voice he hadn't heard in forever.
"Hello beautiful." He feels his heart clench, a lump forming in his throat and eyes stinging. He can't speak, he can't even breathe. He just keeps looking at the man in front of him. Just as gorgeous as the day they met.
Finally after what feels like an eternity he runs towards Tony and jumps on him, legs circling around his waist, hands around his shoulders and face nuzzled in the crook of his neck. "I love you." Peter sobs. "I love you. I love you so much."
Tony holds him close and tight. Peter feels his shirt dampening with Tony's tears. "I love you too my darling. I love you so so much."
His soldier is home.
"The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again."
- Charles Dickens
#ao3#starker#tony stark#marvel#fanfiction#tony x peter#tony stark x peter parker#ironspider#sfsummerbingo22#answered ask#anon ask#cute#love at first sight#letters#bakery#peter parker x tony stark#starker community#starker fandom#starker fanfiction#starkerfestivalsevents#starker au
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I posted 202 times in 2022
That's 202 more posts than 2021!
51 posts created (25%)
151 posts reblogged (75%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@lavenoon
@little-mouse-gardens
@zelda7999
@scarredkitty
@naffeclipse
I tagged 191 of my posts in 2022
Only 5% of my posts had no tags
#fictober22 - 33 posts
#fnaf moon - 32 posts
#fnaf sun - 26 posts
#undertale - 21 posts
#undertale au - 11 posts
#late to the party - 10 posts
#will write for the prompts when i can though - 10 posts
#nice art - 9 posts
#cute - 9 posts
#fnaf security breach - 8 posts
Longest Tag: 85 characters
#i'll admit i have not seen encanto yet so i want to watch it first before i read this
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
Fandom: Undertale, swapfell
Rating: T
Prompt(s):"I don't think this is your problem."
Warnings: none
Your arrival to the coffee shop that morning was heralded, as always, by the chime of the little silver bell hanging just above the door. You walked up to the counter, greeted Rus as usual and ordered the beverage that suited you today.
Tea, coffee, cocoa; you cycled through your favorites on the regular. Today you went with a hot cup of coffee made just to your liking by one of your favorite monsters.
He gave you his usual lopsided smile. The sunlight caught his golden fang giving him an impish look.
"m'bro's at the back o' the shop."
"He beat me here?" you asked, a bit surprised.
You usually had time to settle in and get a chapter or two of reading done before your usual coffeeshop companion arrived.
Rus let out little laugh, the corners of his sockets crinkling in that familiar yet illogical way all expressions that graced your boney friends' skulls seemed to.
"Good luck, sweet." he rasped turning back to the cash as he prepared the next person's order.
You made your way to the back to where another familiar and much shorter skeleton sat clutching his overly large mug like a life line.
Unlike his brother, Sans did not naturally thrive in the early morning.
"Good morning, Captain. What has you here before ten?"
Sans gave you a weary smile. There were shadows under his eyesockets.
"Good morning...It has been a long week." He took another long sip from his mug.
The softness of his voice, the way his usually proud shoulders hunched and the way his eyelights appeared dull in his sockets told you that this was an understatement.
"Do you have the weekend, at least?" You asked, settling into the chair opposite his.
"I will have tomorrow. I'll be running errands and the next day I offered to assist with-"
"You need to rest, Sans."
"I am quite capable of keeping my prior engagements." He insisted.
You tested the side of your mug with a finger and finding it safe, you laid your palm fully against it. The heat felt good on your chilled hand.
"Well, yes but you look exhausted and really think a day in might be a good idea."
Sans shook his head. He was smiling in that soft way that he reserved for a select few.
"I don't think this is your problem. Though I do appreciate your concern."
"But, Sans..." You paused as Sans reached across the table to take your free hand.
"Did you forget your gloves?" He asked.
His brow furrowed as he brushed his own gloved thumb over your chilled skin.
Your hands were well worked and in this colder weather they got dry and cracked.
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9 notes - Posted October 27, 2022
#4
Things are set in motion besides our dancing secret agent this chapter.
Hope you enjoy!
9 notes - Posted December 28, 2022
#3
So I finished the first chapter of a little story taking place in the Accidently Undercover AU created by @lavenoon
20 notes - Posted December 19, 2022
#2
Fandom: Undertale
Rating: T
Prompt(s): "I chose you"
Warnings: Loss of a good parent
When the core began to crumble the doctor went to fix the problem. That was what he did after all.
While many like to think his unchallenged brilliance and intellect were indeed flawless, these many were most certainly misguided.
Yes, he was smart and he had achieved much in the several centuries he had spent as The Royal Scientist but he was far from flawless.
His second finest creation was about to, in a sense, kill him after all.
Not that he was aware of that just yet.
No, right now he was hurrying down the hall away from his office to comfort his finest creation.
Well, creations technically.
Opening the door he was greeted with a very small and frightened whimper.
Stepping into the room, he allowed his vision to adjust from the harsh florescent to the soft glow of the the star lamp on the bedside table.
"Sans?" He called softly.
He closed the door in an attempt to muffle the alarm sounding in the hall. It helped a bit.
Another whimper and the softer voice of his eldest answered.
Crossing the the room, the doctor knelt by the bed and running his hand fondly over the fleecy rocket ship sheets, dipped his head to look underneath.
There, from the farthest corner against the wall, two pairs of trembling eye lights stared back at him.
"Dad, what's happening?" Asked Sans.
He and his younger brother were curled up holding one another securely wrapped up in Sans favorite blue hoodie, the one from the dump. The doctor kept telling himself the boy would grow into it and that his decision to let Sans keep it was, in fact, just as practical as it was sentimental.
He reached out a hand letting it rest palm up. The action making the angle at which he was kneeling a bit more awkward than before.
"It's the Core. I am going to fix it now, will you come out and go back to bed?" He smiled in a way he hoped translated as reassuring.
The alarm meant that things were serious. A just barely bridled anxiety was rising up behind his ribcage.
Very carefully he helped the two little skeletons back into bed. He handed Papyrus a small binky, being the youngest the boy found it soothing, though to an outside eye it was logistically confusing. That was part of the fun of being skeleton monsters in the doctor's opinion. While perfectly logical, his anatomy and now in turn his sons' proved to be a proper conundrum to many of his fellows. The possibilities for a good jape were seemingly endless.
The youngest boy snuggled into the pillows , the tension in his little bones easing, though not completely. His small hands raised to clutch the blankets to the side of his skull.
"The alarm will stop soon, Papyrus." The doctor lifted a finger and took this rare opportunity to boop his son's nasal ridge. The indignant Nyeh, was well worth the extra second wasted.
"I will be back as soon as I can. Sans, stay here and keep an eye socket out for your brother, alright?" He stooped to hug each of his little boys before rising to his proper height. The magic in his joints cracked.
You accidental a couple of kids and suddenly you get old. He chuckled internally at the thought.
Accidental, maybe at first but certainly deciding to be their father had been deliberate.
"I love you, my little funny bones." He said, his soft tone still rivaling the sounds of growing chaos outside the door.
See the full post
21 notes - Posted October 7, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
Fandom: none, hero x villian
Rating: T
Prompt(s): "I know what this looks like."
Warnings: An argument
"Wait! Now, hold on-" Villian begins, only to have you turn so sharply he nearly runs into you.
"What?" You snap.
Your hands clench by your side. You're tired, and this latest stunt has you on the edge of spontaneous combustion.
"I know what this looks like." He starts quickly, "I know, but she wouldn't let up. Just kept cornering me the whole fight. She's got one hell of a punch, you know and I was off balance and I just-"
"You just what? Accidently kissed?" You spare him none of the venom that you can currently feel twisting your insides
Why did all of this feel like a betrayal?
It shouldn't even matter!
You are enemies. This guy literally attempts to take over the city on a regular basis.
Your minds keeps replaying the scene along with every moment in your shared narrative that you now suddenly find painful in the the face of it.
The day of the Metro tunnels collapsed and he pulled you out, could have escaped if he had left you, but no.
That time you teamed up against the city's Supervillain and put them safely behind bars?
Now these stupid little truce moments where you both pop in at random just to taunt one another or make sure that latest brawl didn't finish the other off?
None of this should have been happening to begin with.
You have fought one another at almost every turn for years. The whirlwind chases, your daring captures and his last minute get aways. You had done it all and more with him as your main opponent.
Just the two of you in an unending game of cat and mouse.
So maybe that was why seeing him with the city's newest up and coming vigilante like that hurt so much.
"Just go before I get you arrested." You huff.
You turn away from his exasperation.
He protests, because of course he does, but you aren't listening.
"Just get out of here." You say, there's a tremor in your voice that you hope comes off as anger.
Finally he recieves your message and falls silent and you ridgidly wait for the familiar rustle of fabric and the click of a window latch.
After a moment, both sounds reach your ears, but so does his voice.
It's quiet, hardly in character for him.
The last time he'd been this quiet was at the top of the city's tallest highrise. It was New Years. You had watched the city count down together. His voice had been too soft then as well. Too...vulnerable to be the guy that caught you in the occasional overly elaborate trap.
The sound of your name and a gust of wind chilling your skin, returns you to the present.
"I didn't kiss her back."
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28 notes - Posted November 30, 2022
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Eshaan/Bull?
i full did not realize when i reblogged that that i was supposed to answer Every Question At Once dhskjhdskdh but i'll do my best
big spoon/little spoon: I don't think they spoon a lot bc you know. massive horns. but Ehsaan likes jetpacking dhskdhsjkdh
favorite non-sexual activity: Maybe not the number one fave but i know they like to go horseback riding together. Also Ehsaan likes to crochet while they watch tv.
who uses all the hot water: Ehsaan
most trivial thing they fight over: laundry, wearing shoes in the house
who does most of the cleaning: Ehsaan Ehsaan Ehsaan
what has a season pass on their dvr/who controls the netflix queue: Ehsaan pays for the netflix but he lets Bull pick whatever they're watching together bc Bull is. a little more in touch with pop culture
who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working: Bull
who steals the blankets: The real answer to this one is Dorian
who leaves their stuff around: Bull (but Dorian is worse)
who remembers to buy the milk: Ehsaan
who remembers anniversaries: Okay if they didn't live together I think Bull might forget, but Ehsaan gets Really worked up around birthdays/holidays/etc. and it would be hard not to notice that
Who cooks normally? Ehsaan is usually In Charge, but Bull helps with meal prep and makes dinner at least a couple times a week. Ehsaan bakes constantly though and he doesn't let Bull help with that
How often do they fight? Not often, and when they do it's never for long. I think one of Ehsaan's biggest problems is that he can get a little controlling (not so much of Bull but of how things are done around the house), but they're good about talking things through right away
What do they do when they’re away from each other? so much letter writing. I think Ehsaan has more time for it than Bull, and writes both longer letters and more frequently, but Bull writes back when he can. Modern AU they r calling each other like every other day.
Nicknames for each other? this is the exact opposite of a nickname but Ehsaan calls Bull "The Iron Bull" like it's an endearment. I am also so so weak for Bull calling the Inquisitor "Boss" so that sticks with them through their whole relationship (also kadan is used by both of them ofc)
Who is more likely to pay for dinner? Bull, only because he's Fast and Sneaky about it. They're the people who argue at the register about who's paying for coffee and Bull shoves his card in the reader the Second Ehsaan gets distracted sdhsjkdhsdhhk
What would they get each other for gifts? Ehsaan is Weird about getting gifts (unused to it, can't ask for things, gets EMBARRASSED when people buy him stuff) but. He always appreciates crafting materials, new plants for the garden, flowers, and little surprises that don't have the Pressure of gifts, like. @blarrghe wrote Bull picking up a fancy soda for Ehsaan while he was grocery shopping and it's such a small thing but the reminder that Bull was thinking about him... weh... Ehsaan is also weird about giving gifts because he gets uber stressed about them being perfect, especially when they're things he's making himself. For Bull this is usually like, baked goods or crochet things, but also a Big wooden chess set. he also fully bought Bull a horse (her name is Flapjack and Ehsaan's horse is Maple Stirrup)
Who kissed who first? Ehsaan kissed Bull
Who made the first move? Bull
Who remembers things? Ehsaan
Who started the relationship? this is such a complicated question dhjkshdskhd like I think the answer is Bull. but it might actually be the result of Dorian's meddling
Who cusses more? Bull, by a lot. Ehsaan doesn't like, consciously avoid doing it, but he's the sort of person you might be surprised to hear swear
What would they do if the other was hurt? Ehsaan is a healer (a physical therapist in a modern au, but he's got first aid certifications), and he's good at keeping a level head when people are injured. A little less so with people he's close to, but he knows to ask for help if he starts panicking (he doesn't get along with Vivienne At All for a variety of reasons but they work well together when it comes to healing).
ough I've never thought about what Bull would do though... hmm. I think he's usually able to stay calm—he knows he has to trust whoever is doing the healing—but he doesn't like feeling Useless in those sorts of situations, and I think he overcompensates for that by absolutely doting on Ehsaan when he's recovering
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For the fanfic writer ask, 1, 5, 7, 13, and 28? Also, I absolutely love your writing, it's fricking amazing!!!! Happy fanfic writer appreciation day!!!!
1: Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.
Found family domesticity with plot sprinkled throughout. Even the Darkest Timeline is overwhelmingly just... people loving each other and trying to live their lives together.
5: Share one of your strengths.
I think I'm pretty good at writing dialogue. It's one of the first things that usually pop up in my brain and then I write the scene around it.
7: Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.
Her dad had taught her how to play the piano. They used to write songs together, squished together on the little bench in front of his keyboard. Her mom had taught her how to hack, fingers flying over a different type of keyboard, making music with code and bytes and command lines.
I love this bit from Breanna and the Phantoms, it's just so poetic and moody and it flowed out of my brain in one go.
13 What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?
Make Garbage You Enjoy! Write for yourself, not in the 'oh you shouldn't whine about comments because you should write for yourself' way but in the 'write pure self-indulgent nonsense' way. That super niche crossover you're pretty sure nobody but you will vibe with? WRITE IT. That smut fic with the kinks you've never seen in that particular fandom? WRITE IT. The forty millionth coffee shop AU of a fandom? WELL THIS ONE IS MADE BY YOU SO WRITE IT.
Write what makes you happy. It doesn't even have to be good. You don't even have to post it if you don't want. But the internet is wide and full of weirdos, so who knows who will find your work and be like YES. THIS IS WHAT I'VE WANTED EVEN IF I DIDN'T KNOW IT.
28 Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.
There are SO MANY GOOD FIC WRITERS out there! Some that I know, because if you bother someone enough on tumblr you more or less become friends eventually.
To keep it fair, I'll link one person who isn't just one of my tumblr mutuals. RebelPaisley writes (wrote, I don't think they're writing for JATP anymore and I can't seem to wrestle my way through Descendants for long enough to be able to read their fic) amazing fics with lots of angst and misunderstandings and feels and they're funny and so good and it was TORTURE waiting for the weekly update because you just wanted to KNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
@invisibleraven is amazing, she finds ways to take cliché prompts and TURN THEM ON THEIR HEAD so you never actually know what you're going to get. A+ amazing domestic fluff but also sometimes heart-crushing angst or an AU you never thought would work. (And she has a new prompt list up every Friday which is both super cool and also made me freak the fuck out the one time she had a long weekend and posted it on Thursday because my freelancing ass never knows what day it is.)
@daintyduck99 is the queen of soft schmoop and wholesome fluff and her fics are like a cozy blanket to wrap yourself up in. Also the queen of Rulie, and the one who made me ship it hardcore in the first place.
There are so many more omg I am blessed.
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hey! for the writer asks: 🌗, 🌎, and 📒! <3
Heya Nerdy! :D
Thanks for the ask!
Question number one: 🌗 fluff or angst?
Oooooo you got me for this one 😂😂
I both love writing them both! Plus, I usually enjoy doing a tad of both in a fic. The easier one is angst, for me! It's easier to write angst because there's so many ways to "twist the knife". Doing substantial fluff takes more out of me to make it both heartwarming, pleasing and not too cliche! It's definitely a balancing act! My natural head space is more angsty, but I do find it pleasing to deliver fluff that makes someone genuinely smile! ^^ I hope that answers it...? 😂
I'm not trying to dodge the question, I swear...😂
Question 2: 🌍fave type of au to write?
Oooooo wowser! Well, as a phan fic writer of 2020 I've only explored a few different general and well-known AUs in my writing!
My default AU however, is modernised! If I had to give it another, more specific one, I'd give it the good ol' coffee shop AU (there's sOOO much 🇵 🇴 🇸 🇸 🇮 🇧 🇮 🇱 🇮 🇹 🇾 TOT) ! I've written that twice, and they are still in my Drafts 😂.
My current fanfic Falling Petals (just a good example, not shameless promotion (●’◡’●)ﾉ) started as a College AU!
So generally a mix! 😂
I am intrigued to write more AUs though in the future! 😉
Question 3: 📒any fics planned?
Hahah! Well, I do have one that's still in my head at the moment. Since Falling Petals is probably going to head to be another few chapters before the finale, (my hope is that I can try and finish it this summer 😬), and word count is going to smack upwards, I might be taking a break before I post another full length fic (this coming year of education is quite important for me so I'll have to focus my efforts!) But, that doesn't mean there won't be some lovely little ficlets popping up! 😉
I might put out my feelers for a few different AUs that are more adventurous 🤭 keep tuned, is all I can say!
Once again, thank you so much for the ask! ☺️ Have a nice day!
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Do I Know You?
Jisung was tired.
He’d been up most of the night working on a new song, completely forgetting that he’d switched shifts with Hyunjin and would now be working mornings at the coffee shop.
The mornings were a lot busier than the mid-afternoon shifts he was used to working, and even though he’d downed four cups of coffee, by the time the end of his shift was drawing near, Jisung was practically the walking dead.
“Jisungie?”
Jisung lifted his head from his cupped hand where, no, he had not been napping, and blinked at the boy in front of him.
“I didn’t know you worked here!” the boy gasped, obviously thrilled to see Jisung.
Jisung stared at him, his sleep deprived brain failing to put a name to the smiling face in front of him. But the boy clearly knew him, so Jisung did his best to lace familiarity into his voice as he answered, “Ah, yeah, I just switched shifts. I used to do afternoons.”
The boy pouted slightly, “No more Hyunjinnie in the mornings then?”
“Nope, sorry.”
“That’s okay,” the kid offered Jisung another bright smile. “I get to see you now.”
The more Jisung looked at him, the blanker his mind went. He couldn’t conjure a name and, if he was being honest, he didn’t even recognize his face. And he had a great face. Jisung was sure he would be able to remember a face like that, even when he was half dead.
“So, um, what can I get you?” Jisung needed to get the boy out of here before it became obvious that he had no idea who he was.
“Just a medium iced Americano please.”
Jisung tapped it into the register and then, feeling guilty about not recognizing someone who very clearly knew him, deleted it, “It’s on the house.”
The boy withdrew the hand that had been holding a few bills out to Jisung and raised his eyebrow, “Really? Are you sure?”
“Of course,” Jisung hurried away from the register and quickly made the drink, pressing it into the boy’s hand when he returned. He noticed that there was a slight tinge of pink to the other boy’s cheeks as he took the drink, and the smile he offered Jisung this time was a bit softer, a bit more intimate.
“Thanks, Jisungie.” He took a sip of the beverage and gave a little wave as he backed out of the small cafe, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Jisung nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
-
When Minho collapsed into his seat next to Woojin in their morning lecture, he dropped his head onto his friend’s shoulder and moaned, “I’m the dumbest idiot on the planet.”
Woojin didn’t disagree and Minho lifted his head slightly to glare at him. Woojin rolled his eyes and took the bait, “Okay, fine. What happened?”
“Jisung happened!”
Woojin blinked at him, “I’m gonna need you to elaborate on that one.”
“So, you know Jisung, right?”
“I do not know Jisung,” Woojin said slowly. “I have heard of Jisung. He makes music with Chan sometimes.”
“Yes, right, him,” Minho was now sitting up fully, his head no longer on Woojin’s shoulder. He looked frenzied as he attempted to explain. “I saw him tagged in a photo on Chan’s instagram once and he was super cute so I kinda went to his instagram to look, just the once, and before I knew it that turned into looking at his instagram all the time and checking his twitter and listening to the music on his soundcloud…”
“You’ve been stalking him, is what you’re trying to say.”
Minho smacked him on the arm, “Not stalking! Just checking up on him. Occasionally. Okay, more than occasionally. Quite often.”
“Continue.”
“So I went to the cafe that I go to literally every morning, except Hyunjin wasn’t behind the counter today. Jisung was. And I maybe sort of forgot that I don’t actually know him. And I said his name. Out loud. To him. In a very excited tone.” With each word, Minho sunk further and further down into his seat, nearly on the floor as he finished, “So then I had to act like I actually knew him, because why else would I be enthusiastically yelling his name in a coffee shop? He went along with it and was really friendly, but I could tell he was trying to place me and coming up blank, but I couldn’t just be like haha sorry you don’t know me, I’ve just been stalking you on social media for three months, don’t worry about not recognizing me.”
“So you are stalking him.”
“Shut up,” Minho grumbled. The professor entered the classroom and Minho sat back up, pulling out a notebook so it looked like he was actually do something. He spent the whole class with his earlier interaction with Jisung on a constant loop in his head. The more he went over it, the more he cringed.
He was such an idiot.
-
“Hey, Hyunjin, how well do you know the regulars?” Jisung’s shift was finally over, but he had some information to gather before he could go home and crash. “Like is there anyone you know by name?”
“A few people,” Hyunjin finished tying his apron around his slim waist and glanced at Jisung. “Why?”
“There was a guy today,” Jisung fiddled with the strings of his own apron. “He knew your name. So I thought maybe you might know his.”
“What did he look like?”
Jisung had always been awful at describing people and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force an image of the boy into his head, “Um, really pretty. With brown hair and a little freckle on the end of his nose. He was wearing a striped button down.”
“Minho.”
“Minho,” Jisung rolled the name over his tongue. It was common, but unfamiliar in his own life. He didn’t know any Minhos.
“He is into dudes, if that’s what this is about. I also happen to know that he’s single.” Hyunjin ran a hand through his hair and jerked his thumb towards the front of the cafe, “I have to get to work, but if he comes in tomorrow, I say go for it.”
“That’s not why I was asking,” Jisung called after Hyunjin as he left. It wasn’t, but it was helpful information nonetheless. Maybe Jisung had met him at a bar once, or a club, or a party thrown by mutual friends. Jisung’s memory was awful when he was drunk.
Even though he was still unable to place him, at least he had a name to go with the face now.
-
Jisung was wide awake and ready the next morning when Minho wandered in. It was fifteen minutes into the start of Jisung’s shift and he hadn’t expect to see the other boy so soon, but he was happy he wouldn’t have to spend the whole rest of his shift on edge, waiting for him to come in.
“Good morning, Minho!”
The shock that rolled over Minho’s face had Jisung wincing. Clearly his performance yesterday hadn’t been as convincing as he had hoped. Minho must have realized Jisung didn’t recognize him.
“Same as yesterday?” Jisung chirped, wondering if he should apologize now for not recognizing the other boy. He decided not to. Not until he figured out how he actually knew him. Then he’d set things straight. “Medium iced Americano?”
“Yes, please.”
Jisung made the drink and slid it across the counter to Minho, waving away the bills when Minho tried to pay. He still felt guilty.
“You can’t keep giving me free drinks, Jisungie,” even though he was protesting, Minho put the money back in his pocket anyway. “You’ll get in trouble.”
Jisung just shrugged, “It’s okay. You can start paying again tomorrow.”
Minho took a small sip from his drink before he gave Jisung a slight smile, “Thanks.”
Jisung bit down on his bottom lip and came to a decision. Maybe if he talked to Minho enough, he’d get a clue as to where he knew him from, “I’m glad I switched shifts. Since it means I get to see you now.”
Minho choked on his drink, coughing loudly as Jisung scampered around the counter. He placed a hand on Minho’s back and rubbed soothingly, concern flooding his eyes as the other boy tried to get his breathing back under control.
“Sorry,” Minho gasped, voice raspy from his fit. “Went down the wrong way.”
“No worries,” Jisung removed his hand and stepped back. “You good?”
Minho nodded, clutching his coffee close and staring at Jisung with an expression the barista was having a hard time reading, “I’m good, yeah. I, uh, I have to get to class.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Minho’s cheeks were red as he parroted the same words back at Jisung before turning and practically sprinting out of the cafe. Jisung watched him go, lips pursed.
He still didn’t have the faintest clue how he knew him.
-
Minho was warming up, his hands gripping the foot of the leg stretched out in front of him, when Hyunjin crossed the studio to come sit beside him.
“So,” Hyunjin dropped into a butterfly, his forehead touching his feet, “did Jisung ask you out today?”
Minho switched legs and watched a deep blush work its way up his face in the mirror, “What? No, why would he do that?”
Hyunjin sat back up and shrugged, crossing one arm across his chest and hooking his other elbow around it, “I don’t know. He asked me for your name yesterday. I figured he wanted to know cause he had a thing for you. I told him to go for it.”
“While your attempts at playing matchmaker are appreciated, I’m pretty sure Jisung does not have a thing for me.” At least that explained how he knew Minho’s name this morning. “What did he say about me? When he asked?”
Hyunjin switched arms, “He said you were pretty, had brown hair and a little freckle on your nose. And that you were wearing stripes.”
“He said I was pretty?”
“He actually said really pretty, but I didn’t think you needed that much of an ego boost.” Hyunjin spread his legs and held his hands out to Minho, waiting as Minho copied him and grabbed them. They took turns stretching. “I didn’t have a lot of time to talk cause I had to get to work, but I told him you liked dudes and that he should totally go for it. Maybe he’ll ask tomorrow.”
“I don’t think he’s going to ask me out,” Minho released his hands from Hyunjin’s and stood up, rotating his torso as he did. “He just wanted to know my name because I knew his.”
“He might ask you out,” Hyunjin stayed on the floor. “He’s bi.”
“He’s not going to ask me out,” Minho hurried across the room, dropping down by his bag and taking a long swig from his water bottle .
“Not with that attitude he’s not,” Hyunjin called after him.
-
“Earth to Jisung,” Chan waved his hand in front of the younger boy’s face and he startled, blinking back to reality. There was a concerned look on Chan’s face, “Is everything okay? You’ve been really distracted tonight.”
“Yeah, sorry,” Jisung ran a hand through his thick blonde hair, sighing as it flopped back over his forehead. “Just got a lot on my mind.”
“Anything you want to talk about?”
Jisung considered it for a second. Chan was extremely friendly and outgoing, and seemed to know almost everyone on campus. It was possible he’d met Minho at one of Chan’s parties. At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
“Do you know a guy named Minho? Brown hair, freckle on his nose, likes to wear stripes?”
Chan nodded, “That’s Lee Minho. He’s a junior. Dance major. Is into dudes, if you’re interested.”
“Why does everyone assume I’m trying to get in his pants?” Jisung huffed. “Do you know if we’ve ever hung out? Like at one of your parties or something?”
Chan gave him a weird look, “How would I know if you’ve hung out with Minho?”
“I don’t know,” Jisung turned back to his laptop and the song they’d been working on. “Forget it.”
“Why are you asking?”
Jisung spun his chair back around, “I switched shifts at the cafe where I work. Now I do the mornings. And he came in the first day and called me by my name and clearly knew me. But I can’t remember ever meeting him. I don’t want to hurt his feelings by letting him know that I have no idea who he is, so I’ve been trying to figure it out on my own, but I haven’t come up with anything. I probably met him drunk at one of your parties and forgot about it.”
“Maybe,” Chan turned his attention back to his own computer. “I’ll ask him. I won’t let him know that you can’t remember, but next time I see him, I’ll find out.”
-
It had been two weeks since Jisung switched to morning shifts, and Minho still wasn’t used to the bright happy smile that greeted him every time he went to get his coffee. Surprisingly, Jisung was still playing along, acting as if he actually knew Minho. They actually begun chatting a lot and sometimes Jisung’s banter even crossed into the flirty zone. He was comfortable around Minho as if they were actually acquaintances and Minho wondered how much of it was just an act. Minho kept the act up on his end as well, too embarrassed to tell the boy that they had never met before that first morning at the cafe. He was honestly hoping he would never have to explain.
Minho was on his way back to his apartment after his morning class when an arm fell across his shoulders, “Long time no see, mate.”
“Hey, Chan.”
Chan’s eyes dropped to the half empty coffee cup in Minho’s hand and he hummed lightly, “Is that the shop where Jisung works?”
“Yeah.”
“How do you know Jisung anyway? We were hanging out, working on some music the other night, and he mentioned that he’s been seeing you a lot now that he switched shifts. He never told me how you know each other though.”
Chan’s arm suddenly felt very heavy and Minho laughed, hoping it came across as breezy and casual, “We just know each other from the cafe.”
Chan frowned at that, his eyebrows drawing in, and Minho knew. He knew Chan knew that wasn’t true. Jisung must have asked him to fish around.
Luckily Chan didn’t question him and Minho ducked out from under his arm as the cafeteria came into view, “I have to go, sorry. I’m meeting some of the dance guys for lunch.”
Chan nodded, but Minho could tell his mind was a million miles away. Cursing himself for being stupid enough to yell out Jisung’s name that first day, Minho pulled out his phone and started searching for other coffee shops in the area.
He could never go back to the one Jisung worked at. Not if he wanted to keep any of his dignity.
-
Since the day Chan had informed Jisung that Minho said they met at the cafe, Jisung hadn’t seen Minho around. He’d stopped coming in every morning and Jisung was confused.
Why was Minho saying they’d met at the cafe, when he’d clearly known who Jisung was before that first morning? Was he embarrassed about where they’d met? Had they drunkenly made out at a party and he just didn’t want to admit it to Chan?
When Hyunjin came in to relieve him, Jisung figured it couldn’t hurt to ask, “Has Minho been coming in during your shifts? I haven’t seen him in a few days.”
Hyunjin shook his head, “He’s been in class, but I haven’t seen him around here. Maybe he’s cutting out coffee.”
“You have class with him?” Jisung hesitated, chewing on his bottom lip as he thought. “Could you ask him something for me?”
Hyunjin shrugged, “Yeah, sure.”
“Ask him if he’ll meet me here. Tomorrow morning, around the time he usually comes in for coffee. I’m off tomorrow.”
“I knew you wanted to ask him out! I told him!” Hyunjin looked triumphant. “I told him so many times.”
“I’m not...whatever. If that’ll get him here then, yeah, sure, it’s a date.” Jisung scribbled his phone number on a napkin and held it out to Hyunjin. “Give him this too.”
“You guys are going to be so cute together,” Hyunjin reached out and gave Jisung’s cheek a pinch before taking the napkin. “I’m thrilled.”
“Don’t get too excited, he might not show.”
“He’ll show,” Hyunjin assured him. “He was very interested in the fact that you called him pretty.”
Jisung threw his apron at Hyunjin, “Why did you tell him that?”
Hyunjin ducked out of the way, laughing, “He wanted to know what you said about him. So I told him.”
“No wonder he stopped coming here,” Jisung’s lips drew down into a pout. “Between you and Chan, he obviously knows I’ve been asking around about him. I scared him away.”
“Don’t worry, Sungie,” Hyunjin leaned over the counter and ruffled Jisung’s hair. “You’re too cute to resist for long. He’ll be here tomorrow. I’m sure of it.”
-
Minho took a deep breath as he stood outside the cafe, smoothing his hands over the navy and red striped shirt he was wearing. When Hyunjin had told Minho that Jisung wanted to meet him, he thought the other boy was messing with him. But then he’d presented Minho with Jisung’s number on a napkin, a small heart drawn next to the digits. When Minho had texted it to confirm it was actually Jisung, he’d received a pouty picture of the younger boy and a proclamation that he’d missed him.
Minho couldn’t ignore those puppy dog eyes and he’d agreed to meet with Jisung. He’d been up all night, trying to come up with a good reason for how he knew the other boy, but the more he thought about lying to him, the more his gut twisted. He didn’t want to out himself as a weird stalker who’d been pining over Jisung for months, but to just dismiss it off-hand with something as simple as ‘we met at a party’ seemed so wrong.
Jisung deserved the truth.
When Minho finally worked up the nerve to push into the cafe, he saw Jisung already waiting for him in the corner, two iced Americanos on the table. He glanced up at the sound of the bell and a smile overtook his face when he saw Minho.
Jisung stood up, waving wildly, as if the cafe wasn’t tiny and Minho might actually miss him sitting there. He looked adorable, dwarfed by the large pink sweater he was wearing, and Minho wanted to cry. Hyunjin had been unclear if this was actually a date or not, but if it was, Jisung certainly wouldn’t be asking him on a second one, not after he found out about Minho stalking him on instagram. The happiness that was currently filling his eyes would be replaced with disgust once Minho revealed the truth.
Minho crossed to the table and was immediately engulfed in a hug, sweater paw covered hands wrapping tight around his body. Minho hugged him back, hooking his chin over Jisung’s shoulder and relishing in the opportunity he never thought he would get.
“Thank you for coming,” Jisung pulled away, his hand trailing along Minho’s hip for a few seconds before he withdrew it completely from his body and re-took his seat. “I wasn’t sure if you would.”
“Of course I came,” Minho grabbed the coffee, just so he would have something to do with his hands, and took a sip. “Why did you think I wouldn’t come?”
A dusting of rose colored Jisung’s cheeks, “I thought I scared you away. I know you know I’ve been asking around about you.”
Minho blinked, feeling guilty. He had never meant for Jisung to take his disappearance as something his actions had caused, “I’m sorry for making you think that. You didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t mind you asking about me.”
Jisung took a deep breath and focused his gaze on his coffee. He looked embarrassed.
Minho reached out towards Jisung’s side of the table, his palm up, “Hey, whatever you have to say, don’t be nervous. I won’t judge you.”
Jisung glanced up through his lashes, offering Minho a small smile before he slid his hand into Minho’s own. After a few beats of silence and one more deep breath, he spoke, “I’m really really sorry. But I can’t remember how I met you.”
Minho’s hand tightened against Jisung’s and the other boy looked up, nerves in his eyes. He tried to inch his hand away and Minho wanted so desperately to grab it and never let him go, but he knew once he revealed his truth, Jisung wouldn’t want to be touching him anyway. So he let him withdraw it and returned his own hand to his lap.
“That, um, that’s not your fault either.” Minho just had to say it and get it out of the way. There was no use in dragging it out, “We never actually met until that first day you were working the morning shift. I, um,” Minho focused his gaze on a scratch in the wood of their table, “I saw you tagged in a photo on Chan’s instagram a few months ago. And I thought you were really cute. So I kinda kept checking all your social media accounts. When I came in here that day and saw you, your name just came out. I could tell you didn’t know who I was, but I had to act like I knew you or out myself as a creep, so I just went with it. And you were so sweet for playing along.” Minho was scared to look up and see Jisung’s reaction. Instead he stood, “I’ll go now. I’m really sorry.”
“No!” a hand wrapped itself around his wrist, the small fingers drowning under a long pink sleeve. “You don’t have to go.”
Minho risked a glance at Jisung and saw he was staring at him, cheeks still beautifully rosy. He didn’t look horrified, so Minho slowly returned to his seat. Jisung’s fingers drifted down from his wrist to Minho’s own and the younger boy laced them together, eyes locked on Minho’s.
“You were so excited to see me. That first day. No one’s ever said my name like that before. Like seeing me was the best part of their day.”
“Seeing you always is the best part of my day.”
“I felt so bad,” Jisung’s eyes flicked down to their entwined fingers, a small smile on his lips. “For not knowing you. You were so nice and so beautiful and so happy to see me all the time, I felt like such an idiot for not being able to place you. I could tell you cared about me just from the way you talked to me, and I wanted to remember who you were. I wanted to know what kind of history we had that made you so thrilled to be around me.”
“No history,” Minho laughed, wincing a little at how self-deprecating he sounded even to his own ears. “Just my weird creepy internet crush.”
“This is our history now,” Jisung gestured around the mostly empty cafe. “And we have a fun story for when people ask us how we got together.”
“Everyone’s gonna think we’re idiots.”
“We are idiots,” Jisung grinned, leaning across the table. Minho laughed and met him halfway, his free hand coming up to cup Jisung’s full cheek as they kissed softly.
When they pulled apart a minute later, Hyunjin was standing by the table, his hand over his heart and a fond smile on his lips, “I knew you two would be beautiful together. What did I tell you, Jisung, the first time you asked about Minho? I told you to go for it. And, Minho? What did I say when we talked about Jisung? I told you he was going to ask you out. I did this.”
Jisung balled up his napkin at threw it at Hyunjin, “Yes, you and your lazy ass refusing to wake up for the early shift did indeed do this. But that’s the only time I’ll say it, so take whatever satisfaction you get from that and leave us alone.”
“You’re welcome,” Hyunjin sing-songed, before sauntering back behind counter.
“Yeah, yeah, thank you, Hyunjin,” Jisung muttered under his breath before returning his gaze to Minho, a massive smile spilling across his lips. “Kiss me again?”
Minho leaned in, but the second before Jisung’s mouth met his he pulled back, laughing at the high pitched whine that escaped Jisung’s lips, “Does this mean I get free coffee again?”
“You’ll have no coffee and no kisses if you keep this up,” Jisung puckered his lips and Minho laughed again, softly caressing Jisung’s cheek with his thumb.
“I can’t risk that,” he agreed. He dropped a quick kiss on Jisung’s warm cheek before pressing in and whispering against his mouth, “But if I have to choose to just one, I’ll take the kisses.”
#minsung#han jisung#lee know#kind of a coffee shop au#but totally in the coffee shop#one day I'll write a full coffee shop au#i hated the story i posted yesterday so i felt the need to write something else and get it posted asap#i like this one a lot better
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there's not much to me really. i wake up, i listen to 'when he died' by lemon demon and think about nie mingjue, and then the next day i do it all again
#when he DIED! they found he left BEHIND! a mansion full of other people's skulls!! the odd thing is they never found his own!!#the untamed#a modern au would feature when he died for a scene in which present-day nhs is alone in his apartment . probably drunk. and plotting#NO ACTUALLY HERE'S WHERE THE SONG GOES IN THE MODERN AU THAT'S IN MY BRAIN BUT I HAVE NO INTEREST IN WRITING#it's the first song featured. after the 'guy telling the story of wwx's death' prologue (at a bar? at a coffee shop? idk'#we see the 'nhs walking away after bribing the storyteller scene'#it's BEFORE we see wwx come back in this one and there's a specific reason for that that i'll get to#but first we see his back. he's wearing black. one of those athletic/aviator jackets maybe. got a bit of nie to it.#we don't see his face . not yet. as he hands the bills surreptitiously to the gossiper and strolls out the door and down the street#the song starts and we follow him around corners#past posters that are relevant to his journey but not so much that we KNOW it yet#into a home scattered with nmj relics. his bike (it's big and there's lots of chrome and you can tell immediately that it doesnt belong to#our faceless friend here)#we see our boy sit down at a table or a couch . there are papers and all sorts of things scattered around (clues to his plans). the fan.#he sighs as we hit the last verse and we still don't see his face. just his hand. which reaches for the fan and taps it almost listlessly#close-up. cut to black. the last line of the song takes us to the resurrection-aftermath scene and the music is fading now as he comes to#but it gets loud enough for us to hear the very last 'when he died' as the main character opens his eyes#oh i should write for TV im so good at matching music to scenes#q#god this post is an absolute iceberg
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Fictober2019
Thank you, nonny for the prompt submission!
I’ll admit - I was half tempted to just write smut for this. BUT - the next part to my Close to You series will be preeeetty smutty. So have a Korrasami Bikini Barista AU scene, instead! (I live in a USA State where there are drive-through coffee stands where the baristas wear string bikinis. It’s a thing I didn’t know existed until I moved here almost three years ago now.) It’s over 4k words. I’ve put a “keep reading” line so I won’t bog down your feed.
If you’re interested in seeing a writing drabble from me for a specific f/f pairing, look at this post and let me know which you’d like to see! (I currently write in Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Avatar Legend of Korra; I’d be open to also delve into the following fandoms – Avatar the Last Airbender, Overwatch, Stardew Valley, to name a few).
Prompt #8 – “Can you stay?”
Fanfiction – Avatar: Legend of Korra
Pairing – Korra & Asami
***
Asami pulled off her sweater in a fluid motion, tossing it towards her discarded leggings. She looked at the window and then back to Korra, a plea of urgency radiated from her bright green eyes bore straight into Korra’s soul.
“Can you stay?” she pleaded, emphasized by the way she bit the corner of her lip. “Please?”
Korra swallowed hard and her hand missed the handle of her trusty hand truck, causing her to flail slightly before regaining her balance. She’d already dropped off her delivery and would normally bid the barista a good day and be on her way to her next delivery stop. Korra both loved and hated this particular stop - it was Perky’s Beans, the only bikini barista stand on her delivery route. She loved it because the deliveries were often small and quick, allowing her to keep her day moving; she hated it because it made her feel like a cringy pervert.
The word bikini wasn’t the right term, as the “uniform” the women had to wear were little more than a string and three minuscule triangles of fabric, one over either nipple and the third covering the apex between their legs. So she usually made her delivery as quick as possible so she didn’t ogle the women working; they had enough of that from the men coming through the drive-through. They didn’t need it from the supposed professional who delivered the milk products.
Lately, the same barista, Asami, was the one working when Korra came by for her twice-weekly delivery. Every morning, Asami greeted her with a warm smile and was always still clothed when Korra arrived, usually in loose off the shoulder sweaters and leggings, as she didn’t don her uniform until the stand opened at 6 AM. Korra usually got there around 5:45 and rarely was there longer than ten minutes, considering the delivery itself usually fit on one trip with her hand truck. But she always took the time to actually unload the products and take the empty crates so the baristas didn’t have to worry about storing them in the small confines of the coffee stand.
Most of the other baristas simply ignored her while she worked which kept the deliveries quick. Asami, on the other hand, always struck up a conversation with her while she was readying the stand to open. It went from being one of her most dreaded stops to her favorite as she got to know Asami over their short conversations, and would try to get there earlier and earlier every time so she could have more time to talk with the woman. She knew it wasn’t professional, but there was just something about her that Korra couldn’t ignore.
“Please? This customer always gives me the creeps,” Asami continued to plea.
Korra glanced out the window and saw a large red truck with a suspension rig that made it almost as tall as her delivery truck. She’d seen the truck here every morning as she was leaving. In fact, Korra couldn’t recall ever seeing a different vehicle to be the first to queue up at the stand in the morning.
“Y-yeah,” Korra stammered. “Of course I’ll hang out. I’m running early on my route anyway and have some time to spare,” she fibbed. She was actually already running late, considering her co-worker Bolin had called out for the second day in a row and she had been given extra deliveries to help compensate for his route being unattended to yesterday. She was only on her fourth stop of the morning when she should have been on her sixth. But she couldn’t find it in herself to say no to this woman.
“Oh, thank you!” the barista said as she moved forward and took one of Korra’s hands in hers, squeezing tightly as she smiled. The movement brought her breasts together and Korra made a distinct point to look up at her face and not at her barely covered body.
Really, the strings left nothing to the imagination.
The barista’s smile lingered as she let go. She moved away, pulling a hair tie from her wrist and tied her hair up in a high ponytail, situating herself in front of a small mirror in the back of the coffee stand near where Korra stood.
What Korra liked about this particular barista was that she stayed clothed as long as possible before she opened the stall. It wasn’t that Korra was a prude, but being around women in barely anything this early in the morning always made her feel like she was invading their privacy. Especially with how close she had to be in the small confines of the coffee stand to get her deliveries put away. She wanted to be a professional and treat the women in the coffee stand like she did her other, fully clothed delivery customers, but she was always averting her eyes and feeling uncomfortable and had learned to simply complete this particular stop as quickly as possible.
But this barista was different; she’d never actually seen her in her work uniform before and it honestly was more than Korra felt she could handle. The woman had supple curves that paired with her somewhat athletic build. The woman was toned, but Korra was unsure what sport she played to gain her physique, but it was a physique that made her hot under her collar.
She was glad Asami was focused on getting ready for the day instead of trying to keep talking to her at that moment, as Korra knew she would have fumbled over every syllable that came out of her mouth. She knew she needed to look away. The barista had asked her to stay because a customer was a giant creep. And here she was, staring, unmoving while her mind raced with how goddamn attractive Asami was.
It definitely wasn’t the first time she’d found her attractive. Not by a long shot. Korra had been attracted to her the first time she’d seen her in leggings, a holey sweater, and a messy bun. Her smile was what got her - the genuine way her mouth moved as her teeth shone whenever she saw Korra come into the small stand with her delivery. The way her voice sounded when she asked how she was doing or what was new. She was an effortless kind of beauty. Korra was convinced the woman could have been in front of her in stained pajamas and no makeup and she would still be utterly flustered by her mere presence.
She bit her lips between her teeth and moved forward. If she was going to be a buffer between Asami and the creepy customer, then she needed to at least look like she belonged in the space. So she moved and knelt in front of the milk fridge and loaded some milk jugs back into the crates she’d just uploaded them from.
She then heard the drive-through window open but decidedly stayed staring at the jugs of milk in front of her. If she looked up, all she would see was Asami’s ass with literally nothing covering it. She gulped and looked sideways - she was too curious not to look.
Asami had put on heels, too, and stood leaning slightly towards the window of the drive-through. The position put her legs, her impressively sculpted calves, thighs, and rear on perfect display.
“G’morning, Shin. Same as usual?” Asami asked brightly.
The tone took Korra by surprise and she forced herself to look back at what she was doing. Asami’s chipper tone sounded fake and so unnaturally forced that she was surprised that the customer didn’t pick up on it.
“Oh, you know it, babycakes.”
Korra gagged to herself. The man’s voice practically dripped with slime.
“Coming right up!” Asami said and turned around, spinning on the ball of her impressive heels. Korra chanced a look upward and Asami looked like she was withholding an eye-roll.
“Just let me know if you need me to pop up,” Korra whispered.
Asami nodded and mouthed thank you before she reached for a cup and then poured ice into it. Korra watched curiously as she pretended to fuss with the contents in the refrigerator while Asami made what looked like an energy drink mixer. Korra eyed the cup as Asami worked.
Why the hell did this guy get up at the crack of dawn every morning to go to a coffee stand for an energy drink? There were cheaper options for caffeine in the morning. But when Korra looked and saw the man’s expression as he watched Asami work, it was clear as day - he came to ogle the women working. His eyes roved shamelessly up and down her body, not even noticing Korra herself. He kept licking his bottom lip and nodding to himself as if he was approving of something.
Korra had the immediate urge to punch him. But she ground her teeth and looked back at her full crates of milk.
“Y’know what would make my day, baby doll?” he asked.
Korra glanced up and saw Asami subtly clench her fist as she reached for a syrup. “What’s that, Shin?”
“If you let me take a picture of you.”
“Shin, you know the rules,” Asami said, her tone fakely flirtatious and sweet but Korra heard past it to hear the annoyance. She then brought a slender finger up to a sign on the window as she mixed the drink with her other hand. “No pictures.”
“Awe, c’mon sweetcheeks. Just for me? I am your favorite customer,” the man said as leaned more against his arm that was perched on his door as he offered his card.
Korra did her best not to fume. She wanted to help but wasn’t sure how to. She watched as Asami grabbed his card and moved to the register to ring him out, Shin now looking at her chest.
But then an idea shot through her head. She just hoped that Asami would play along.
“Aw,” she said as she stood, lifting a crate of milk in either hand as she faced the window, doing everything she could to show off her arm muscles. Each crate held four one-gallon jugs of milk, which roughly calculated to be about 35 pounds in each hand. Korra did reps of 50-pound bicep curls at the gym and lifting the crates was effortless. She was thankful for the polo that she had to wear as a part of her uniform, as they were fitted to her arms and made it easier to show off her muscles. “I thought I was your favorite customer?” she said in what she hoped to be a flirty pouty voice. Acting wasn’t something she was good at. But she was willing to give it a whirl to keep this guy from making Asami feel even more uncomfortable.
Without missing a beat, Asami looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Babe, you know you are,” she said flirtatiously. “And always my first customer of the day,” she added, her voice heady and suggestive. Korra didn’t hear any sound of annoyance, but she did see the thankful look on her face change to one of surprise when she fully looked at Korra, her eyes lingering on her arms.
Korra might have imagined it, but she was sure that Asami bit her lip. But she definitely imagined it. And even if she hadn’t, she was probably just playing it up for Shin. Especially with how her tone fluctuated when she said first customer of the day - the sexual innuendo wasn’t lost on Korra, nor apparently Shin when Korra glanced at him and he flattened his back to his car seat.
Korra offered the barista a wink and blew her a kiss, trying to play up her impromptu role before making eye contact with the sleazy man in the window. He looked shocked and leaned further away from the window, his eyes looking anywhere but Asami. She then smiled to herself and bent down and began returning the milk to the refrigerator.
“Oh,” Shin said from the takeaway window, clearing his throat. “Didn’t know you was taken, pretty lady.”
Asami handed him out his card and his drink. “I’ve told you a dozen times that I’m taken,” she said flatly, not trying to maintain her mandatory flirtatious attitude anymore.
“Well, some girls lie about it, y’know? Rather pretend they have a boyfriend than test the waters with a guy who's interested.”
Asami shrugged. “I have no idea why women would lie about such a trivial thing,” Asami said, playing up the innocent naivete in her tone but Korra read the bitter sarcasm loud and clear. Shin just gave her an awkward smile and a nod, raising his cup to her before revving his engine and driving off.
“Well he’s grade A gross,” Korra said as she stood from the milk fridge.
Asami turned around and made direct eye contact with Korra. “I know, right?” She shook her head, the tips of her dark black hair brushing across her shoulders. “If I wasn’t working and had to be nice to him, I would have handled him a long time ago. But here… I have to be miss perky peppy flirtatious airhead.” Asami articulated the last four words with a tilt to her head to either side before she stopped and rolled her eyes.
Korra frowned, leaning her hip against the counter of the coffee bar and crossing her arms loosely over her stomach. She looked out the window and saw that there weren’t any other cars queuing up yet.
“They why work here?” she asked, genuinely curious what a woman like Asami was doing here.
“Because I have to pay for my engineering degree somehow.” She shrugged, setting an empty coffee cup down as she looked through her syrups.
Korra’s frown deepened when Asami wouldn’t look at her as she focused on finding a specific syrup, making her worried that she’d offended her. But before she could begin to articulate her apology, Asami continued.
“Despite how gross some of the people who come through here are,” Asami continued as she pulled two different syrups out and pumped them into the cup. “I make good money doing it. And when it’s slow I can work on my homework. The work is mindless enough that it doesn't interfere with my mental energy that I need for school. So, it works for now.” She then flashed a quick smile towards Korra. “Besides, not everyone who comes through here is all that bad. I have one regular that I really actually quite like.”
“That totally makes sense,” Korra said. “The, uh, money for school bit, I mean.”
Shit. There she went, stammering like an idiot. Of course, there was some cute guy who came through here that she liked. Or maybe she was referring to her boyfriend.
Asami pivoted, her heels scuffing quietly on the wooden floors. She took a few steps, walking directly towards Korra. Her throat felt stuck. Despite being here for the last few minutes while she worked, she had tried ignored the fact that Asami was practically naked in front of her. But now that she was actively walking towards her, she got the full view of how her hips swayed when she walked and how each curve of her body lead into the next. It was impossible not to watch.
The woman was a goddess. And Korra was a mere peasant, unworthy of looking upon her.
Korra’s collar began to feel uncomfortable when Asami reached out and placed one of her hands gently on Korra’s hip while the other one moved past her. “I need to get in here, babe,” she teased with a wink as she then opened the door to the milk fridge, letting it bump into Korra’s backside.
Korra finally swallowed but felt the heat of her collar spread up and over her cheeks. “Yeah, yeah of course. Sorry!” and she practically hopped to the side so Asami could work.
Asami laughed, which caused a whole new sensation to sweep over Korra’s senses. The barista’s laugh was divine and washed over her body in a wave that felt like she’d actually reached out and touched her again.
She retrieved a jug of milk and poured some into a frothing pitcher and returned the jug to the fridge. “Sorry about the whole babe thing, by the way,” Asami said as she closed the door to the fridge and looked up to meet Korra’s eyes again. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable by calling you that and insinuating that we were dating.”
Korra shook her head a little too vigorously. “No worries here! You can use me all you need as your pretend girlfriend if it’ll get customers like him to leave you alone.”
Asami gave Korra a sly smile as she packed the grounds of an espresso shot. “And being perceived as gay doesn’t bother you?” she asked passively as she continued to work.
Korra shook her head, letting her arms drop as she shrugged. “Nah. I mean, I am, so it doesn't bug me one bit.”
“You are?” Asami asked, looking over her shoulder as she moved to heat the milk in the frothing pitcher.
Korra nodded. “I’m bisexual.”
Asami smiled and went to say something, but stopped because the sound of the steam wand heating the milk overtook the small space, making carrying on their conversation impossible. Korra simply watched her work, unsure if she should just start to leave. But something compelled her to stay put.
Turning off the steamer wand, Asami went about putting the drink together. She was meticulous in her craft, taking more time to make this particular drink than she had for Shin. She even finished it with creating latte art, making the foam look like a heart as it mixed with the espresso before she added what looked like a finishing touch of caramel drizzle on top.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Asami said, an edge of flirtation to her voice as she reached for a cardboard sleeve and a pen, writing on it as she spoke. “I mean, telling my regular cringy customers that I’m dating the delivery man will hopefully keep them on their toes and quit asking for pictures.”
“Ha,” Korra sounded with a smile. “Feel free to embellish all you like. I’m just the humble deliverer of jugs.” Korra bowed, extending one hand out as she placed the other flat on her stomach.
They then looked at each other and broke into a loud fit of laughter at Korra’s intentionally poor choice words.
Despite still being overwhelmed by how little Asami was wearing, she didn’t notice it as much as they continued to laugh together. Their banter felt natural. They’d built up a good conversational foundation from their many mornings of deliveries while Asami was fully clothed that Korra realized that the conversations itself hadn’t changed with the removal of clothing. The only thing that changed was Korra’s growing attraction to the woman with each encounter. But, she knew it wasn’t professional to ask her out. And besides, she had just told her that she was bisexual. Usually, if a girl was interested in women, she would say “me too” or say she was a lesbian. But Asami didn’t do that. And she had mentioned to Shin that she’d been saying she was taken for a while. She most definitely had a boyfriend. So friendly banter and one sided attraction was perfectly okay with Korra. It would fade someday.
Asami shook her head, laughter still in her eyes as she placed the sleeve on the drink she made and handed it to Korra with a genuine smile. “Here.”
“What’s this?” Korra asked as she reached out and received the drink, the hot cup making her somewhat sweaty palm feel more uncomfortable.
“I call it special delivery,” Asami teased with a wink. “It’s a toffee hazelnut latte with an extra shot and a tiny drizzle of caramel.”
Korra smiled. She’d only ordered the drink once and it had been about two weeks ago. It had been a miserable rainy day and dreadfully cold out and she was having a hard morning staying warm. Asami had offered to make her a drink before she opened the stand to help her warm up and that had been what she’d asked for. And it had been downright delicious. Despite seeming to do the job to simply put herself through school, Asami was damn good at her job.
“It’s your drink of choice, right?” Asami asked, her lips pursing slightly as she looked down at Korra, their height difference exaggerated by her pencil-thin and tall heels.
“Hell yeah, it is! Thank you,” she said sincerely before she reached for her wallet. “What do I owe you for it?”
Asami shook her head and took a step forward, putting a hand on Korra’s forearm as she continued to hold her gaze. “Nothing. It’s my way of saying thank you for helping me with Shin. You didn’t have to, but I really appreciate it.”
Korra smiled, hoping that Asami couldn’t see the blush she knew was forming on her cheeks. “A-anytime,” she said. Asami’s touch on her bare skin was overwhelming. It felt hot and cold at the same time and it sent shivers through Korra’s entire body and she didn’t want the sensation to end. “I’m happy to help. And, uh, free coffee is just a side bonus.” She smiled nervously.
Asami hand gripped slightly tighter on Korra’s forearm and it wasn’t Korra’s imagination this time - she bit the corner of her lip, too. It looked like she was about to say something, but then a small bell chimed in the small space, causing Asami to look at the takeaway window.
“Shit, my morning rush is about to start. I’ve gotta get to it.”
“Yeah,” she said as she thumbed over her shoulder with her free hand. “I’ve got people in dire need of milk and should probably head out, too,” Korra joked back, trying to ignore the flipping sensation in her stomach from the sustained contact from Asami’s hand.
The barista smiled at her, her hand squeezing one more time before releasing her arm. “See you Thursday?”
“Absolutely! Bright and early as always.”
“Good. Have a fabulous rest of your day, okay?” Asami said.
Korra watched her for a second. She wasn’t imagining it. There was a blush on her face. It was there. There was no denying it. Maybe she was blushing because Korra was blushing? And now she was staring at her, which probably made it worse.
Korra gave an uncharacteristically curt nod. “Yeah yeah. You too! Thanks again for the caffeine!” she said as she held up the latte to show her appreciation before she moved back, making a grab for her hand truck that she’d already loaded with the haul of empty crates.
Asami gave her a small wave before she turned on her impressively tall heels and greeted a customer at the window, leaning forward and putting her body on display; Korra was sure that the view of her leaning out the window was marvelous, but she got to see her toned legs and ass again and knew she had the better view.
Korra swallowed hard and maneuvered her hand truck with one hand, forcing herself to look away and not be a giant, sleazy creeper. The last thing she wanted was for Asami to think she was anything like Shin or her other unruly cringy customers.
She opened the cab of the truck to put her coffee down in the cup holder before hopping back out to reload her truck with the empty crates and hand truck. When she hopped back into her cab, she looked at the drink and smiled before grabbing it and taking a cautious sip.
The drink was utter perfection. It had just the right temperature, had the ideal amount of foam and flavoring that mingled with the espresso shots that were perfectly pulled and not at all bitter, like most coffee shops pulled them. Korra let out a satisfied sigh and leaned into her seat. The truck was still running - the perk to having a refrigerated load - and moved to put the latte back in her cup holder to shift gears to drive away and go about her day when something caught her eye.
Asami’s handwriting was on the side of her latte’s sleeve. Korra looked down at it curiously and blinked. She remembered watching Asami write on it, but was apparently too distracted to remember to look at it in her presence. She smiled and picked up the cup again to see what it said.
From one bisexual to another - what’s a girl gotta do to take you on a date? was scrawled on the cardboard sleeve in pristine handwriting, accompanied by Asami’s name, a small heart, and a phone number.
She didn’t care that she was blushing this time. She was in the privacy of her delivery truck and her smile overtook her face. She was sure it was spread from ear to ear. She unbuckled her seatbelt with the idea of going back in to talk to Asami, but when she looked up she saw that the coffee stand had three cars deep on either side, she remained seated in her cab. She was too busy to talk about a potential date.
Still grinning to herself, she fished her personal phone out of her uniformed cargo shorts and entered Asami’s number. From one bisexual to another, how does dinner tonight sound? she texted hastily while she bit her bottom lip. Seeing the note from Asami now was probably better. If she’d known that Asami’s flirtations were serious while she was standing practically naked in front of her, spirits knew what Korra would do. She smiled to herself as she shoved her phone back into her pocket, looking back to the coffee stand. She knew exactly what she would do - she would have been a bumbling nervous mess. She normally was so confident in her flirting, even being called overconfident by a date or two. But there was something about Asami that made her a silly nervous ball of butterflies.
And she was perfectly okay with admitting that she liked it.
She put the truck in drive and started to pull out of the small parking lot that held the popular coffee stand. Despite already being behind on her scheduled deliveries for the day, she was confident that she would be able to get off work at a reasonable hour. If she was quick and deliberate, she’d get off with minimal over-time and would have plenty of time to get ready for and enjoy whatever date they planned for the night. If Asami was available tonight, that was.
Spirits, she hoped she was.
#fictober19#fictober drabbles#fictober day 7 of 8#korrasami#korrasami fanfiction#korrasami au#korrasami coffee shop au#coffee shop au#bikini barista au#4488 words#lord#I swear I'll start writing shorter drabbles#this is almost a full on T rated one shut#rated T#Rated T-ish#Asami Sato#korra#these prompts are proving to be a lot of fun#gimme those prompts#send me prompts#do eet#i love these beans
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