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fairestwriting · 3 years

Text

title: half doomed and semi-sweet

word count: 5308

summary: Idia's bad luck comes back to haunt him again, being dragged into physically showing up to class and being assigned a group project involving a student from a different year, courtesy of Mr. Trein. His... "best friend", Kero Tricarenia, sees his distress in the situation, and swoops in to save him, though that might be what actually ends him instead of the project...

commissioned by @chibichibisha , available on ao3 here ! tysm for the commission, i hope you like it! you have no idea how excited i was to write kero asjkdfsf-

my guidelines for commissions are here, in case anyone else is interested !

Of course that in the day Idia is made to actually show up to class, something like this happens.

The fact that it’s Trein’s class just makes it somehow worse. Of course, it’s not all bad, he gets to see Lucius napping on the teacher’s desk—! ...but, he also gets to be pestered by Cater the second he’s walking in, and then the second he’s walking out, plus, just the presence of all these people… Idia shudders just thinking about it.

He pulls his hoodie closer to his face, trying to shield it in vain. He just wanted to go back to his room. Trein was the worst for making him actually show up. He’d been attending classes through the tablet for so long, what was the issue with today specifically? Why couldn’t he just do it the way he always does? He just doesn’t get it—

“Before class is dismissed,” Trein starts in that voice of his, commanding yet with a hint of a drawl that makes Idia want to delve into eternal slumber. “I have an announcement to make. Due to recent events, the headmaster has assigned the teachers the task of building… teamwork, and solidarity, between students, even the ones in different years, and I’ve been chosen to apply that, so your monthly History assignment will work somewhat differently this time.”

Great. Awesome. These were his favorite words in the whole world. As if today couldn’t get any worse.

“I’ll need you to gather a pair or trio with students from different years, to build a mockup representing a historical event of your choosing. You’re supposed to inform me of your groups until tomorrow's class, and the deadline will be held two weeks from now, on February 13th. You’ll be presenting your works the day after.”

Idia feels the clammy hands of dread on both his ankles, threatening to pull him under. Of course this would get worse somehow. He exhales a deep sigh, burying his face on his hands… he’d have to email Mr. Trein about doing the assignment by himself later. And it’d be such an unpleasant conversation, with how he insisted on having students follow all these traditional learning methods.

Really, why the hell were they getting group projects now, out of all things? They had one foot out of school, basically. Fourth year barely had any classes, most of the students’ times filled up with internships and research so what did they get out of trying to “develop teamwork skills” within their students? None of these people would be talking to each other by the time they graduate, anyways… they were wasting resources to max out a stat that didn’t matter.

He tugs the hood of his jacket over his face again as he walks out of the classroom, sneaking outside like he’s avoiding to get scolded — The blue glow of his hair insisting on sticking out, Idia feels his heart race and squeeze while he makes his way across the crowded hallways. He swears he hears Cater’s voice calling for him as he leaves, too… but maybe he’s just making it up, because of how especially cursed he feels today.

What an awful morning, really. At least locking himself up with that MMO he’s gotten hooked on recently would feel even more cathartic.

After the nerve-wracking walk, Trein’s words poking at him like imps with their tridents — Him trying to figure out how to convince that teacher to let him do everything by himself, no presentation included, without having to actually face the guy — Idia finally gets back to his dorm. Finally.

He releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding — Just like in the fanfics, geez — when he steps into the lounge, though even the mostly vacant blue and white space felt a little oppressive now. Sure, he cared about his dormmates, they were fine people, but they were still people, and what he really needed now, was…

“IDIA!”

...within one second of the click of his door being unlocked, Idia is reminded once again that he never will know peace.

“K-Kero!” He yelps, suddenly overwhelmed by a hug, arms around his entire body squeezing him tight, maybe too tight— It’s a second before he remembers this is in fact supposed to be his room. “W-Wait, what are you doing here? That’s my room!”

Unleashed from the mighty grip, red eyes meet Idia’s as Kero’s head tilts, a smile on his face flashing his sharp teeth.

“I know that! I was looking for you.” He just announces, following right behind with that skip on his step as Idia enters and locks the door behind them. He hadn’t seen Kero in… how long, now? It’d been a while, that much he knew. Idia had been busy lately, with… “You finished that tournament yesterday night, right? How did you do? I got you that cake from the cafeteria you like to celebrate!” His questions are rapid-fire, tail wagging as he rushes towards Idia’s unmade bed to pick up the little packaged treat he’d gotten.

“You don’t even know how it went yet, but you’re already getting your hopes up.” Idia grumbles, but the second the package is placed on his hands, he does gracefully accept it. “Well, my team did win, so…”

“Yes! I knew you would!” Kero cheers, grinning again as he sits on his bed. He’s… so full of energy it’s hard to watch, Idia would say.

But, well, that would kind of be a huge lie.

“Yeah, thanks for leaving me be for a bit so I could practice.” He mutters, moving to sit on his desk chair. The package makes a crinkling plastic noise while he messes with it, opening it to reveal a slice of strawberry shortcake — That has him glancing at Kero for a second, a fuzzy feeling taking over.

...because that’s just what his emotions do now.

It was stupid, Idia’s sighing tiredly just thinking about it — When it started was beyond him, but for some reason or another, something keeps pulling him towards Kero. It’s not exactly a big deal, some sort of soul-binding string of fate or something like that, but even when he’s not there physically, Kero lingers, flashes of sharp teeth and boisterous laughing in Idia’s mind. It’s not a big deal! But it’s like Kero had hanged around him so much he left a mark.

And Idia doesn’t really hate that. He stares at the cake in his hands, and thinks of Kero smiling as he got it for him, without any sort of request, just because he saw the cake and remembered that he liked it, and his mind stresses just how much he doesn’t hate that.

(...well, it was a sort of doomed thing, they would never move on from this strange affectionate friendship, because Idia isn’t going to… tell Kero he’s crushing on him, or anything like that. That’d just screw everything up. And what he has now isn’t actually bad at all. Really, it’s fine if Kero never understands. It’s fine. )

“Are you… good, though? Do you need anything?” Kero asks, snapping him out of the messy daydreams with another good natured tilt of his head — He’s a dog alright. “You… just look kinda gloomy and stuff.”

Idia snickers, shaking his head. “Yeah, like I ever look different.” He mumbles, and takes a bite of cake. It’s sweet, he thinks, making a surprised noise as he wonders when the last time he had it was… he licks some whipped cream off his fingers. “Mm, this time is different though. Something with a group project from Mr. Trein… tires me out just to think about it.” He sighs. But Kero’s ears perk up, pointing straight upwards.

“Oh! That, yeah. He told 2-D about it today too.”

“Yeah. This sucks. I’m just gonna… find a way to work by myself.” Idia shakes his head, sinking on his chair a little further. He bites into the cake again. “You think Mr. Trein knows how to read emails?” He snickers, but the thought of having to meet him face-to-face makes his skin crawl. “...ugh, I d-don’t wanna have to talk to him during office hours…”

Kero hums in slightly concerned acknowledgement, plopping down on his bed with attentive eyes. Idia finds himself in a weird wondering of how it felt like to sit down when you were a beastman. Did it hurt his tail or something? It’s wagging against the mattress, though. His ears point to opposite sides while he looks up vaguely. Idia muses about what he might be thinking about.

“Well, you could always do it with me! They said to get one of your underclassmen, right.” Kero suggests, and… Idia swears he sees his tail wag a little harder, but that could very well just be a trick of the light. “I can do the presentation too, and I’m good with building things, so…” He grins. “Plus, you won’t have to… talk to Mr. Trein.”

Idia hums through a mouthful of cake. Well, doing the project with Kero would certainly be better than with someone he didn’t know. However, it’s…

His eyes linger on Kero’s expectant form on his bed, smiling so cheerfully. He’s very aware of the couple feet of distance between them right now, and even like this, Kero’s presence does things to his heart… that’s bad, so bad, he thinks, it’s hard to ignore how his heartbeat is just a tad faster now, summed with this different flavor of nervousness that just seemed to simmer in his blood now… yeah, it’s no good.

“I m-mean, I guess I wouldn’t mind that.” Is what he stutters out. Kero beams.

Stupid cute Kero. This isn’t helping Idia convince himself none of this is a big deal.

“Yeah! If you’re doin’ a project you might as well do it with your best friend, right?” He says. Here he is again with the best friend talk… oh, if only he knew. “We can have fun with it too. Actually, I can have fun with everything as long as I’m with you, heh.”

Idia feels heat creeping up his neck. Stupid cute Kero! “Ugh, you d-don’t gotta be embarrassing about it.” He mumbles, eyes averted. The cake finished with one last bite, Idia places the empty package on his desk, licking leftover cream off his fingers again. “We’re just putting some annoying mockup together. It’s not a big deal. If we add some simple machines to it to make it cooler it’ll already be higher-res than everyone else’s, it’s just an easy A. Everyone else’s just gonna use magic, I bet.”

“Yeah, obviously. I mean it doesn’t have to be annoying, though.” Kero comments. “We’ve gotta choose a historical event, right? Do you have any ideas?”

“Uhhh. The industrial revolution of the Isle of Lamentation? That’s… pretty much all I paid attention to this year, anyways.” He shrugs. Trein’s classes were boring, naturally. And they were so early in the morning, too… his tablet may have been there most of the time, but Idia himself was passed out on his bed.

“I think that works! We’ll have to make a bunch of stuff for the machines. But that’ll be fun.”

Idia hums. He’s thinking about these machines, actually, the miniature factories they could put together. The blueprints begin to write themselves up rather quickly. “We’d blow their little minds if we just had some… smoke coming out of the chimneys, some gears spinning around. Fuhihi, our mockup might be the best.” With his head in the clouds — Or the laboratory, rather — he finds himself grinning, waving a finger in the air. “Hey, Kero, what do you th… huh?”

And Kero isn’t on his bed anymore. He’s right there, in front of him.

Before Idia can say anything about this (Kero right in front of him, leaning in closer, he feels so cornered, his heart might stop!) Kero leans in even further, a big hand coming up to his face and (He’s going to die, definitely, he’ll die right here.) and he wipes off some whipped cream from near Idia’s lips.

“You had some on your face! Heheh.” He chuckles, licking it off his thumb. Idia feels like his blood pressure has just plummeted, or… or maybe it just did the opposite, how is he supposed to tell? His face feels so hot there’s no way his brain is getting the proper oxygen at all, he can barely think—!

“G-Give me a warning before you do something like this!” Idia wheezes, high pitched like a squeaky toy, and Kero just laughs again, grinning with this hint of mischief. “I didn’t even see you move!”

“Yeah, ‘cause you were distracted? I’m happy you’re excited about the project, though. I think it’s cute.” He says outright, and Idia… Idia just puts his hands on his face, averting his eyes with intent. Why does Kero have to be... so... much? “C’mon, you can sit with me on the bed. We can talk better like this.” A strong hand grabs at his wrist, easily looping around it as he pulls at Idia, making him squeak again as he’s dragged towards the bed.

“This doesn’t even make any sense!” Idia complains, but Kero tugs him towards the bed with no effort at all, and he just accepts his fate, huffing like it’d ease the warmth crawling all over his face. “Ugh, a-anyway, I was talking about the factories we’d put on the mockup… I thought of having some machines with exposed insides, with the spinning gears would be good, and conveyor belts that function…”

As he launches into explanation, Kero nods, making this unbreakable eye contact. Idia has to stop and take a deep breath every couple minutes, the situation somehow overwhelming. It feels like his condition just got a little worse every day, huh.

(Well, it’s fine. He could just avoid him if things got bad. Though… he doesn’t like thinking about this, recalling the week before the game tournament even. It’s kind of stupid, if he’s just making Idia nervous why does he have this need to keep him around? As expected, emotions make little to no sense...)

“...so, basically that’s what I thought.” Idia ends the explanation. Kero still has his attentive look on his face, almost like it froze there. “Did you pay attention?”

“Nah. I was just looking at you while you talked, ‘cause you looked so pretty.” Kero leans in with a smirk (Can he please stop trying to kill Idia, he’s just gotten down to a normal-ish heart rate again!) that then turns into one of his usual friendly smiles. “Kidding! I did, yeah. Do you wanna start it tomorrow?”

“You…! Uh, um, I don’t know. I wanna play my new game.” He stumbles with speaking, but it still comes out. At least. “We could probably finish that in, what, two days at most? If you don’t mind going to the lab late at night.”

“Roger that. For Idia, I’ll go to the ends of Twisted Wonderland!” He declares, fist thumping against his chest with a proud grin. “I’ll get us your snacks too. Can’t have you going hungry. But now I gotta go to track.”

Idia blinks. Already? He remembers that club meetings do in fact exist. He’d been skipping on his lately so he ended up kind of… forgetting them. Seeing Kero go, though, it’s…

“R-Right, I hope you, uh… enjoy yourself.” He stutters. Then he wants to hit himself on the face, really, what kind of stupid farewell was that? Just say bye and go back to your games, idiot. Luckily, Kero doesn’t seem to mind it.

“Yeah, yeah, I will!” He chimes, getting up from the bed — Leaning down a little, he puts a hand over Idia’s flaming hair, ruffling it to his surprise. “I’ll see you, okay? Literally. I’m coming over again later, ‘cause after all this time I’m not leaving my best friend alone!”

Idia feels frozen in place while Kero pets him, eyes zeroed in on that grin — Before he leaves, and he exhales. Again. That breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

He doesn’t play the game yet. Instead, he lays face down on the bed and screams into the pillow, whatever feelings had been simmering while Kero was around just exploding the second he leaves. Great Seven, he was so stupid. Both of them, actually.

Kero was stupid for not seeing how much this crush was clearly consuming him, and Idia… Idia was stupid for getting involved in any of this at all, in so many ways and for so many reasons, but he just can’t bring himself to stop now.

He swears it’s not that big of a deal. But it’s a lie, obviously. Clearly.

. . .

Once he’s back into his room after practice, Kero shuts his door behind him, and he laughs.

He feels the strain on his body from the running, sure, but every bit of it is somehow also filled with so much energy — With his hands on his face like how Idia does when he’s shy, he grins so much his cheeks hurt with the pulling. His heart won’t stop racing.

Who let him be so adorable!

He knew they’d end up doing this project together, of course. When Trein mentioned it’d involve students from different years, Idia was the first person Kero thought of! But the reality still makes him so giddy. To think he’d have a chance to do a project with him! He’s really been too lucky these days. Trein was… something else, to him, but with something like this, he might be willing to overlook the fact that the guy was absolutely terrifying.

Well, what matters is that he gets some more time with Idia — Even better, they’d be alone together! — The tournament week sucked, straight up. Kero ran some errands for him but it just wasn’t the same! Though he didn’t mind this sort of caretaking either, Idia barely took breaks. He didn’t even tell him much about the game he was playing, actually. Kero was basically crawling up the walls with how bored he’d gotten.

But that’s irrelevant now.

Still grinning and laughing to himself with all that burst of energy running through his skin, Kero hops over to his desk — With how he was, Idia would probably have some blueprints for the machines ready soon, but this was a nice chance to impress. He gathers some parts and tools, and gets to work.

...work that takes longer to complete than it usually does for him, but as expected, through the following days, Idia texts him vague guidelines on what their mockup should be like, ideas and half-baked blueprints that they discuss both through the phone and when he shows up at Idia’s place, and when the fated day of getting together at Ignihyde’s laboratory arrives, he has all those trinkets on his desk. He’s so ready.

ill see you there at 2, Idia’s text reads, bring the stuff i told u to make

Yes, yes, right away! Kero smiles bright as he gathers the miniature machines into a shoe box he’d gotten for them. He can feel his tail wag with excitement even as he carries it through the gloomy late-night corridors.

The door opened with a bang — Oops, he definitely handled it too roughly — Kero chimes as soon as he sets foot into the lab. “Idia!” He calls when he arrives. “I’m here!”

“Eek!” Idia, who was already leaned over the table, spreading scratchy blueprints and machine parts on it, is startled in a jolt. “D-Don’t sneak up on me like this! Geez…”

“Heheh, sorry, sorry.” Kero laughs, setting the box near the other items on the table, which Idia eagerly turns to inspect, complaints or not. Well, if that was the case, he’d inspect Idia for a bit too. He was looking unusual today, after all! Without that heavy jacket of his, wearing his lab wear and striped shirt. Kero’s heart leaps. “You’re looking good today, huh! ‘s unusual to see you looking like this, like… one of these R cards from your gacha games, or something.”

Kero feels proud of himself for the comment — Hey, Idia, look at me, I pay attention to your rambling! But Idia makes an offended noise instead.

“T...The R cards are the common ones, stupid.” He scoffs, giving him a narrow eyed look, but there’s still a soft flush of pink over his cheeks. “Ugh, I can’t believe I let you spend time with me when you don’t know that.”

Well. Kero tried, all he can do is laugh about it. At least he didn’t miss the compliment entirely! “Ehh, you do it ‘cause we’re best friends and you love me!” He says. “C’mon, we should get started on this already.”

“...y-yeah, yeah, whatever.” Idia shakes his head, but when he turns his face towards the table to look at their work in progress, there’s a slight smile on his blue lips that Kero couldn’t possibly miss. “Did you make the conveyor belts? I think I forgot to send you anything on these, couldn’t decide what material would be better for them…”

Moments like these are just so… so everything. Kero can’t find the words to describe how happy he is to be around Idia and be able to say things like that! Though, he feels it’s not exactly enough… even if all of this does feel nice, and he’s grateful for it.

(Well, he has a crush on Idia, that much he knows, so he guesses that’s something to be expected, in a way? He’s heard his classmates talking about the being unable to get enough related to someone so it was just part of it, probably. What they have now is good, straight out of his dreams even! Just… feelings are weird, aren’t they? He keeps wanting more, though he doesn’t know exactly what would sate this hunger.)

“Oh, I did rubber on the top and some of that light metal for the parts. I thought it’d be better if we don’t make it too heavy!” Kero replies, digging around for his own lab gear he’d brought. They might have to do some welding today, so it was always good to be careful.

(Plus, they got to match outftits!)

Idia nods, focused gaze on a miniature engine. “Ohh… huh. That’s good, actually. I think this might be easier than I thought.” He mutters. “We have all the parts to build the interior of the factory… I guess we could put that together tonight, and tomorrow we can get the rest? For the outside, I guess. If we just focus on the factory instead of the, uh, social repercussions or something like that, Trein might deduct points.”

He feels his ears deflate just a little at the teacher’s mention. “Tell me about it.” Idia passes him the engine, a silent command for him to get to work linking it with the other right parts. “Do you want me to get the stuff for the scenery from the store?”

“Yeah, sure. Would be helpful.”

Kero smiles at him, and for a single silent moment they’re putting the machine parts together. Engines and gears and a seemingly endless stretch of conveyor belts, wires and such hidden on the inferior part of the styrofoam slab the mockup was being built on.

“...hey, is that the battery?”

“Yup! Just gotta charge with magic whenever you wanna see it working.”

Idia turns it around on his hands, looking at it from every angle, making a humming noise to himself…

Huh, Kero is suddenly very aware that they’re all alone in that laboratory.

Maybe it’s because of how Idia looks at the small object, or how he touches it with this utmost care one wouldn’t think he has. It’s weirdly easy for other people to assume Idia was lazy, Kero recalls, and it was something he never really understood. He was such a diligent person, actually, but people couldn’t see it right because he didn’t put effort into things people commonly worked hard in. That makes him feel sort of bitter inside, he thinks, but also proud in a way.

He’s the only one who knows Idia this closely, it comes into Kero’s mind, and a smile sprawls across his face.

“...w-what? Why are you looking at me like that?” Of course, Idia notices. The pinkish glow on his face before turns into something more like strawberry red, and… agh, what the hell, Kero’s smile gets bigger.

“It’s ‘cause you’re so cute, of course!” He says without missing a beat. How many times has he called Idia cute now? Far too many to count. But he can’t stop, and it never feels like enough to show just how god damn adorable Idia was to him. It was such a crazy feeling, really.

“Gh… and you’re e-embarrassing, as always.” Idia responds as he averts his eyes. “We’ve gotta finish this as soon as possible, y’know, now’s not the time for...t-this.”

“What do you mean with this?” Kero asks amidst a laugh. Idia looks at him with this cranky sort of expression and his heart feels like it’s about to take off and fly, wow. “You asked me a question and I answered it!”

“Yeah, you answered it while being a jerk.” Idia mumbles, getting back to unscrewing something. Kero doesn’t get what he mean with it exactly but, well, he always says stuff like this.

“I mean it, though! I think you’re really cute.” He says, it’s so easy to say things like that, they end up just coming out on their own, even when he’s trying to put his brain cells back into work like Idia wants him to. “I tell you that all the time! D’you not think you’re cute?”

Idia glances at him with wide eyes. “I...n-no? What in the Lord of the Underworld makes you think I’m c-cute?” He asks, voice almost an octave higher.

Something about this strucks Kero differently. Is that a rhetorical question? It doesn’t matter. He wants to answer.

“Well, do you want me to tell you?” He suggests, and his heart is racing. It takes just a little bit of effort to ask something like this, it’s not quite having to hype himself up for it, but… well. What’s with this mood anyways? Idia’s hands are on his flushed cheeks, gloved fingers ready to cover up his eyes, like he usually does when he’s flustered — And here’s something to add to the list already, wow.

“I-I, um.”

“If you don’t say no I’m gonna tell you.” He looks straight into Idia’s eyes… such a nice shade of yellow, an amber-gold. Kero doesn’t always mean to tease, but now he does. He has a strong impulse to do it, a determination like he’s rushing towards the finish line in track — What sort of face would Idia show him if he told him everything? “Three, two, one…you lost your chance to say no! I’m gonna tell you.”

Idia squeaks like he got jumpscared, but he doesn’t object to any of it. Kero’s excited — He takes a step closer, and takes it upon himself to touch Idia’s hair again, because he absolutely couldn’t get enough of how it didn’t burn him.

“First of all, I know you hate it since it sticks out so much, but your hair is really cute.” He says, tucking a lock of hair behind Idia’s ear, feeling him shrink and tense under the light touch — Would he do that if Kero touched him more? If he wrapped his arms around Idia’s waist and held him close? “It’s so bright and pretty, and the bangs look so nice on you, they’re kinda messy and long but in a way that’s adorable.”

Indulging himself a little further, he lets his hand ghost over Idia’s bangs, brushing them to the side and watching them fall back into place. Idia’s face is fully red now. The hair doesn’t feel like much to the touch since it’s fire, actually, but, something about it…

“Second! You have a cute smile!” Kero chimes. He’s supposed to retract his hand now, but — It just stays on Idia’s cheek. And he finds that he really doesn’t want to take it off there. “When you talk about the things you like, and you get all excited about them and start grinning… it’s really cute, actually. I like it when I see you all full of energy.”

Idia’s eyes dart around. Are his hands shaking? Kero eyes at them briefly, before taking one into his — Unable to stop himself again — and the latex of his glove meets Idia’s, watched by wide amber eyes as he laces their fingers together. Shaking, indeed, but he was able to steady them.

“Third… related to that, how your hands move when you’re rambling. I stare at them a lot. That’s how much I love to see you all excited about stuff.”

His voice had fallen softer. The coldness of the laboratory seems to just fade. Kero’s heart feels…

“Fourth...” He starts, but no words come to him. He just stares at Idia’s face, his eyes, the blue tint of his lips. There’s more to say, obviously, but he can’t think of it, and he— “...can I kiss you?”

Somehow there’s no recoil time, no surprised noise on Idia’s part, and though he loves his shyness and how it shows through, he finds that he loves it even more when he’s expecting something like this, when he wants it. The shaky, uncertain nod is all he needs to give a name to that hunger he’d been feeling.

Ah, he was in love, everything be damned.

Kero doesn’t hesitate. One hand on his cheek and the other holding his, his lips meet Idia’s, his heart now soaring completely. If he looked back on it now he’d probably find it sort of awkward, Idia’s lips are chapped and the sharp teeth felt strange against each other, but none of this matters when he feels so euphoric, when Idia just melts into his kiss, eyes fluttering shut.

He doesn’t know how long it lasts. The brief pauses to breathe aren’t enough to actually do so, but neither of them seem to mind. The held hands unlace, Idia’s coming up to Kero’s neck to urge him closer, Kero’s on Idia’s waist like he’s dreamed.

When they pull away, both breathless, Kero is grinning, and Idia looks dazed, his eyes glossy, at least for a moment before he seems to realize what they’ve just done.

“O-Oh my...we.” He squeaks, freezing in Kero’s embrace. “W-We, we just…”

“Hey, it’s cool!” Kero assures, and he pulls him a bit closer, now causing a small shriek. “I love you, you know.”

“Y-You…” Idia stutters. How long would it be until he was able to string sentences together again? Kero doesn’t have an exact estimate, but, well, this was fine too. Especially as his tension drops, and he hides his warm face on Kero’s shoulder. “...you’re the worst? You’re so embarrassing I could die.”

“That’s a quick recovery, huh.”

“S-Shut up!” Idia whines, but he stays. He stays, and Kero holds him so close that his happiness feels like it’s overflowing, and the cravings from before are just slowly satisfied. “I… I, um.”

“Tell me.” A hand on the side of Idia’s face, he pulls his face upwards, making him look into his eyes again — Would he ever get enough of this, though? They’re so close. “Do you love me too, Idia?”

Idia hesitates, an embarrassed noise leaving him.

“I… I do.” He mutters — And he smiles. “You idiot.”

Kero smiles, his feelings actually overflowing in how he hugs Idia even tighter, and he laughs.

The project could be finished tomorrow, anyways.

#twst #twisted wonderland #disney twst #disney twisted wonderland #twst x oc #twst oc #idia shroud #lis writing #commissions tag

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twoidiotwriters1 · 3 years

Text

Iron 10 (Peter Parker x Fem!Oc)

Words: 3, 238

Masterlist

Chapter 9

"And how am I supposed to learn to control them if they forbid me to do anything?" Lily asks from the back seat.

“We’ll talk to your father. Depending on what happens, we’ll send them the necessary equipment,” informs Fury.

"Depending on what happens?"

"Legal aspects.”

"As which?"

"Lily, one problem at a time," Nat interrupts.

“Fine. Where are we going?"

"Do you want a donut?"

"Sure!"

The van pulls up outside the Randy’s Donuts store, Fury comes out. They both look at him from inside the car. Tony’s sitting on the huge donut.

"Why did we come for him?” She grits her teeth, remembering the annoyance towards her father.

"You two should talk," Nat says.

"I don’t want to.”

"If you want us to help you, that is the condition.”

Lily turns away from the window and folds her arms looking at the redhead.

"You didn't say anything about conditions.”

"Now there are.”

"It's not fair,” She sighs and then looks at Nat's outfit. "Why do you wear that? Is it your super spy uniform?"

"Something like that. You like it?"

“You look weird, but I like it. Do you have weapons or explosives?"

“Perhaps."

The agent receives an order from her intercom. She responds and returns to the girl.

"Come on, I'll buy you a donut."

They both get out of the truck and enter the premises. Nat asks Lily a chocolate donut and walks to the chairs where Tony and Fury are, while the girl takes the donut from her and sits in an armchair away from them, with her back to them.

"Huh!" Tony says when he sees Natasha in a new outfit "You're... fired.”

"That's not up to you,” answers the redhead sitting down.

"Tony, I want you to meet Agent Romanoff,” adds Fury.

“Hi."

"I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. shadow. Once we knew you were ill or out of control, I was tasted to you by Director Fury. Besides taking care of your daughter in risky situations,” She tilts her head towards Lily.

Tony frowns and looks away to meet the little girl, eating a donut while she swings her legs. He goes back to the redhead.

"I suggest you apologize,” answers Tony.

"You've been very busy," continues Fury. “You made your girl your CEO, you’re giving away your stuff, you neglect your daughter without taking into account the high priority over her powers, you let your friend fly way with your suit. Now, if I did’nt know better—”

Tony rolls his eyes. Again, someone else scolding him for whatever stupid thing he does. Although he now knows that he did screw up, he doesn't want to hear it again. He has enough with his own mind.

"You don't know better. I didn’t give it to him. He took it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, He took it?" asks Fury. “You’re Iron Man and he just took it? The Little brother walked in there, kicked your ass and took your suit?" He says. “Is that possible?"

“Well, according to Mr. Stark’s database security guidelines, there are redundancies to prevent unauthorized usage,” answers Nat.

Tony snorts.

"What do you want from me?"

“What do we want from you? Uh-uh,” Fury says as Natasha gets up. “What do you want from me? You have become a problem, a problem I have to deal with. Contrary to your belief, you are not the center of my universe,” He scolds him.

In that, Natasha injects something into Tony making him scream. The conversation is overheard by Lily, but only when he complains does she turn around.

"Oh, god, are you gonna steal my kidney and sell it?" Tony asks.

Natasha moves Tony's head and Fury sees the lines on Stark's neck slowly disappear.

Fury explains what the substance they just injected does to him.

“Give me a couple of boxes of that. I'll see right as rain."

"It's not a cure, it just abates the symptoms,” Nat explains.

"You need to get back to work, Stark," Fury says and Tony sighs. "And by Stark, I mean both," He points back.

Lily realizes that he sees her and turns away.

"I don't think she wants to work as a team now."

“She has her reasons. You are a terrible companion.”

***

They all return home to Malibu. Tony and Nick sit on the terrace, now destroyed. They both talk about the reactor, the technology that Howard Stark couldn't finish, and about Vanko father and son.

Fury takes it upon himself to explain everything to Tony, while Lily returns from her room after making sure that no one had destroyed her. Nat had told him what happened with Rhodes and Tony.

The little girl walks to sit on the stairs that lead to the terrace, listening to the adults.

“You told me I hadn't tried everything. What do you mean I haven’t tried everything? What haven’t I tried?" Tony points out.

"He said that you were the only person with the means and knowledge to finish what he started.”

"He said that?"

“Are you that guy? Hmm? Are you? ‘Cause if you are, then you can solve the riddle of your heart. Or maybe, I should be discussing this with your daughter."

Tony winces and shakes his head. Lily frowns.

"I don't know where you get your information, but he wasn't my biggest fan," says Tony.

"I'm not either," adds Lily, resting her chin on her arm. Tony glances at her.

"What do you remember about your dad?"

This catches the girl's attention.

“He was cold, he was calculating. He never told me he loved me. He never even told me he liked me, so it’s a Little tough for me to digest then you’re telling me he said the whole future was riding on me an’s passing it down. I don't get that."

Hearing that, Lily feels a little sorry for Tony. Only a little. She imagines how could be her grandfather when Tony was her age.

"You're talking about a guy whose happiest day was when he shipped me off to boarding School.”

"That’s not true.”

"Well, then, clearly you knew my dad better than I did.”

“As a matter of fact, I did. You can believe and think many things about him, but knowing all that, do you really want Lily to think the same about you?" says Fury and then finishes his drink. More agents appear to drop off several suitcases. "Well then, what else will I know about one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

"What?"

All three get up. Lily walks over to see the suitcase.

"What’s this?" Tony asks pointing at her.

"You got this, right?" asks Fury.

"Got what? I don’t even know what I’m supposed to get,” answers Tony nervously.

“Natasha will remain a floater at Stark with her cover of her intact. And you remember Agent Coulson, right?"

“Yeah."

They both greet each other.

"Oh, and Tony,” says Fury before leaving. "After you fix this whole mess, we should talk about Lily's new training, she needs it more than you do. And remember, I got my eye on you.”

The latter makes Lily laugh.

Natasha and Coulson explain to Tony what to do and what not to do, while Lily walks over to the suitcase.

Property of H.Stark

"Okay, time to work, Kid," says Tony.

“No," Lily walks away. "We've been together for several hours and you haven't even apologized, and now you're just hoping that I'll help you?"

Tony raises an eyebrow, shifting uncomfortably.

“Basically."

Lily looks at him in disbelief.

"I don't want to, I won't help you,” She says and then returns to her room.

***

The truth is that Lily does want to help him, but she knows he doesn't deserve it. Moreover, she cannot be alone in her room doing nothing. She wants to know what’s in that suitcase, but she doesn't want Tony to find out about her.

An idea crosses her mind. She may not be the stealthiest, but she is the only thing she has. She goes into the living room of her destroyed house and presses the hidden button on the emergency elevator that goes alone to the workshop. She enters it and after a few seconds arrives at the workshop.

All the lights are off and Tony is sitting in an armchair facing a projection. Lily sneaks up behind the old project.

They both watch the old Howard Stark tapes, rehearsing the presentation of what is now Stark Expo. The man has several mistakes with words, but something else calls him the attention to the girl. Just as a little boy comes out the other side of the desk where Howard presents a model. The boy takes one of the pieces and Howard notices.

“Tony, what are you doing back there? What is that? Put that back!” He scolds him.

Lily leans in to get a better look at the boy version of her father. Now she can see the resemblance between Howard and Tony when scolding their children, but is also fun to watch.

Several takes with more errors follow.

“So, from all of us at Stark Industries, I’d like to personally show you my ass,” says Howard. Lily can't help but laugh at his words, giving away her presence. Although Tony had listened to her since she arrived.

"I know you're in there, kid. You're too curious to miss this,” She comes out of her hiding place, crawling on the ground until she reaches the other side of the projector.

"I'm still mad.”

Tony sighs.

"I know,” He leans in the chair and sets aside a notebook.

“Tony," says Howard causing both of them to return to the screen. “You’re too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put this film for you. I built this for you. And Someday you'll realize that it represents a whole lot more than just people’s inventions. It represents my life’s work. This is the key to the future,” He shows the model and the reactor. “I'm limited by the technology of my time, but one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is and always will be my greatest creation… is you,” The tape ends.

"Do you think Grandpa Howard would love me?" Lily asks when the lights come on.

Tony laughs when he hears ‘Grandpa Howard’, he’s sure he wouldn’t like to be called that.

"I don’t know. Maybe he would love you more than me,” He looks at Lily.

"I am more adorable than you.”

Tony nods, unable to fight back. He sighs. He thinks about the words of his father and wonders why he was never like this with him when they were together. Why does he have to find out about this from a tape or from other people? Then he thinks of his own daughter and Fury's words come back to him.

Tony doesn't want Lily to grow up thinking that he was worse than Howard, he knows what he did.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you that day," He begins.

"And?" She says crossing her arms.

"And sorry for what you had to witness at the party.”

"And?"

Tony purses his lips.

“I'm sorry I failed you. I shouldn't have left you alone, or yell at you, or lie to you.”

"Nat told me that your chest was killing you,” He nods. "Didn't it occur to you to ask for help?"

“It is somewhat complicated. When you say that you are dying, everyone panics.”

"But then they help you.”

"I guess so.”

Lily feels a lump in her throat. Just remembering that, she again feels afraid of losing her father without even knowing something about what was really going on.

"I don't like that you hide things from me or lie to me," she says with a broken voice.

“Sorry."

"No, you must promise that you won’t do it again,” she interrupts him.

Tony watches Lily's determination.

"I promise.”

“Mr. Fury said we are a team. You must do your part,” she says as she gets up.

"Mr. Fury?"

"Dad!"

"Okay, okay, I got it!” He argues. In that he remembers an unfinished business. Tony stayed for a moment in the destroyed mansion and as he passed through the kitchen he saw a burned box on the sides.

He walks over to his desk with Lily following him. He removes the remains from the box and carefully takes the gift from him.

"It's a good try…”

"But you didn't even open it," she complains.

"I'm sorry, but you were missing some details.”

Lily rolls her eyes.

"I put it together by watching a video, it's not as if you had explained each part to me.”

“That can change. Do you remember the rules we agreed upon the first time you were in the workshop?" She nods. “Forget the question limit. From now on, you must ask.”

Lily can't help but smile.

“Agree."

"So, are we good now?"

"Yup, but if you do something wrong, I'll tell Mr. Fury to scold you again."

"He didn't scold me," He complains.

"Whatever you say. Now what shall we do?"

Tony sighs and then winces.

“I must go to Pepper, stay here and cover me with the secret agents. I will not be late.”

"Good luck.”

***

After a few hours, Tony returns with the demo that his father had shown on the tapes. He arms it on various tables.

“Cool," says Lily approaching.

Tony orders Jarvis to scan every detail so he can manipulate it, he takes the hologram and moves it away from the table.

“Open your eyes wide, Kid. The answer to our problems is here,” says Tony giving her a bench and he sits on another. They both look at the model.

"What do we have to look for?"

"A new element.”

“Easy," she says sarcastically.

"My father put it here, we just have to move some things,” He brings the projection towards the center, a sphere.

"He must have something at the core," Tony whispers.

Lily sees what is around.

"What if…?”

"What?"

"What if we put everything together?"

Tony frowns, but an idea crosses his mind.

Little by little, Tony is gathering the important aspects towards the center of the Expo and in each step, he’s explaining Lily. In the end he manages to find a new element, the possible solution to the problem of intoxication.

"Dead for almost twenty years, and still taking me to school,” He says watching his creation. "Nice work, Kid.”

She smiles.

"How will you make it work?" She asks.

"Unfortunately, it’s impossible to synthesize," reports Jarvis.

Tony gets up from his chair.

“Get ready for a major remodel, fellas! We're back in hardware mode. C’mon, kid.”

Between Lily and Tony - mostly Tony - they break down some walls, open the floor and use any energy source in the mansion to connect it to the workshop part. They both open some boxes that S.H.I.E.L.D left them and use every material they have on hand.

"Hold the lamp," Tony tells her.

"It's what I'm doing,” Lily claims while she also tries to see what Tony is doing.

"More to the right.”

"What does that do?"

“Gives more energy. Bring the lamp closer…”

In the meantime, neither of them notices that Phil walks into the shop.

"I heard you broke the perimeter,” says the agent.

"Whoops" says Lily.

"Uh, yeah. That was, like, three years ago. Where have you been?" Tony answers.

"I was doing some stuff.”

"Yeah, well, us too, and it worked.”

Coulson checks the boxes. He pulls out some kind of unfinished shield.

"What’s that?" asks Lily.

“It’s exactly what we need to make this work. Lily, take it,” She obeys. "Lift the coil,” He says to Coulson and between them they lift it up a bit. Enough for Lily to put it under. Tony sets the leveler. “Perfectly level. I'm busy what do you want?"

Coulson warns him that he must go on another mission and says goodbye.

"Glad to see you are a part of it, Lily.”

"It was not easy,” she answers making him laugh.

The hours pass and they both go back to work. In the end, Tony gives Lily some special glasses and explains what they will do.

The energy is concentrated in the device.

"Initializing prismatic accelerator," reports Jarvis. Suddenly a fine laser is projected and reflected off a material.

"Get behind me,” Tony orders him.

Stark operates the machine with the laser, but not before cutting part of the wall where he directs it.

"Oh oh.”

“Oops!"

With difficulty, the laser reaches the small inverted triangle that Tony prepared so that the power would be trapped there. After a few minutes, they turn off the machine. Tony approaches and with tweezers takes the triangle and puts it in the reactor. The item’s accepted.

"We did it?" Lily asks.

“We did it."

She sighs in relief, right now she feels the exhaustion. She walks over to the couch and sits on it.

"Wake me up when we're in trouble," she warns him.

"Why would we be in trouble?"

"Rhodey says we have that talent.”

"Makes sense.”

In that a beep is heard.

"Incoming call and with a blocked number, sir,” warns Jarvis.

“My phone privilege is reinstated. Lovely. Kid, we have the phone back!"

“Great," she answers from the couch.

"Coulson. How’s the land of enchantment?"

"Hey. Tony. How you doing?” The voice is unknown to Lily so she settles in the chair and leans out. "I doubled cycle."

"You what?"

“You told me double cycle’s more power. Good advice.”

"You sound pretty sprightly for a dead guy.”

"What?" whispers Lily. She gets up and walks over to Tony. He makes a sign so that she doesn't make noise.

"You too,” answers the man.

Tony removes his microphone from the call.

"Trace him,” he orders Jarvis.

“Now, the true history of Stark name will be written. Your secrets will be revealed at any moment."

"What is he talking about, dad?"

Tony ignores her and keeps checking the call.

“What your father did to my family over forty years, I will do to you in forty minutes and I will make sure your offspring disappear. I hope you're ready,” He says, and then hangs up.

Tony sees Justin Hammer's announcement at Stark Expo on another screen, and based on the coordinates of the call, Vanko may have something planned for the event. He gets up and takes the new reactor.

"Dad?"

Stark replaces the reactor in his chest, after coughing a bit, the man feels the difference.

"Time to go,” He says walking towards his armor.

"Hey! No. You promised—”

"I have to go, Lily."

“But, you must tell me what happens. You promised not to lie to me,” She gets in her way. He sighs.

"Vanko, the man who tried to kill me in Monaco, wants to do something at the Expo and I have to stop him.”

“What does he plan to do?"

"I'm not sure. You must stay here. I'll talk to Fury about sending agents here. Turn on the TV, I'm sure they'll put it on,” He continues on his way.

“Dad," He turns again. "Be careful, please.”

Tony smiles and nods.

"Stay in the workshop in case I need your help.”

"You got it.”

Taglist:

@silenthappyplace @yourbonesareinmybody @aylauwuuniverse @skittles-skittles @hufflepuffzutara @poetryislife0715 @21bruhs @heavenlymistakes @my-love-of-books @dielgonacoffee

#Iron #peter parker fanfiction #Peter Parker #Peter Parker x Oc #Peter Parker x reader #Avengers #Avengers fanfic #Marvel #Marvel fanfic #Tony Stark #Lily Stark #Stark! reader #Pepper Potts #James rhodes #Iron Man 2 #Spider man

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purpli-writes · 3 years

Text

You Can't Invent a Good Wingman

Summary:

Ultimate Inventor, Makoto Naegi, has a slight problem.

His friend, Soda Kazuichi, is sure he can help.

How could this go wrong?

Day Three of Naeishi Week: Talentswap AU

You can read it on AO3 here

Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Inventor thought that he was a well-rounded individual. Proud of his achievements and the small group of friends he had made, he found that he was content.

However, as Makoto was soon learning, in Hope’s Peak Academy things rarely function how they should. The classes were odd, if they could even be called that, and there was barely a student body.

Although, the worst thing about Hope’s Peak Academy was Makoto Naegi himself. Recently, Makoto had realized that he was starting to malfunction, and not even he could invent a solution.

“Naegi,” his friend and upperclassmen, Soda Kazuichi, began. “Are you alright?”

Makoto frowned, wondering how he could answer that. The short answer would be no and he didn’t even know how to begin the longer answer.

“No,” Makoto decided. “I’m not alright.”

“That was… surprisingly blunt,” Soda said. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m not even sure if there’s anything to talk about,” Makoto sighed. “I don’t even know what my problem is!”

“Maybe you just need a distraction,” Soda offered. “Do you want to help me talk to Sonia-san?”

“No,” Makoto said immediately. “I’m not so sure that would help me at all.”

Kazuichi frowned, “are you sure?”

“Positive,” Makoto said. “I’m sure I’ll figure it out on my own.” “But do you really-”

“Soda-kun, I’m sure.”

Makoto frowned as his classmates droned on. He was still trying to solve his problem, with little to no luck.

But how was he supposed to start inventing something without a clue about what the invention was going to solve?

“Naegi-kun!” a voice interrupted. “Are you feeling alright?”

This voice wasn’t exactly quiet, Makoto blankly realized.

“Ishimaru-kun…?” Makoto asked, staring at said boy in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been frowning at your desk!” Ishimaru began to explain. “I hate to be the one to say it, but that cannot be productive towards your ability as the Ultimate Inventor!”

Makoto sheepishly smiled. “It’s nice of you to worry, Ishimaru-kun, but aren’t you also busy with your own talent?”

“I would think the Ultimate Pop Sensation would have a lot on their plate, anyway,” Makoto finished.

“I am of course allowed to take minimal breaks, Naegi-kun!” Ishimaru said. “However, from my perspective, you’ve only been taking a break!”

“I’m just brainstorming…?” Makoto lied, as Ishimaru scrutinized him. “I’ll start working right away, Ishimaru-kun.”

Ishimaru nodded, “You better start soon, Naegi-kun!”

As soon as Ishimaru left, Makoto let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.

Makoto stared at where Ishimaru was for a moment longer.

At least I think I’ve figured out the issue…? Makoto thought, burying his head in his hands. Although I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do…

Could Makoto make an invention to make people fall in love with him? Probably, although he wasn’t too sure that was exactly ethical.

He could also attempt to make an invention for falling out of love, but he wasn’t sure he was that deep yet.

Maybe it’s just a short-term crush, Makoto thought. I mean, those happen all the time, right?

Although even as he thought that, Makoto already knew he was wrong.

“Sounds tough, Naegi,” Soda had said when Makoto told him about his problem. “But that Ishimaru guy can’t be as great as Sonia-san.”

“But if it’s bothering you so much… I can help you out with him!” Soda offered, smiling brightly. “It’s the least I could do for my soul friend.”

I’m not so sure I want your help... Makoto thought. You’ve been after Sonia for how long now…?

“I don’t even know how to talk to him,” Makoto admitted. “He’s a bit intimidating…”

“Don’t worry about that at all, Naegi!” Soda said. “I’ll talk to him for you!”

Somehow I was scared that you would say that, Makoto thought. You sure have an ‘interesting’ way with people…

“You don’t have to,” Makoto said. “I’ll figure out something on my own.”

“It’s fine!” Soda insisted.

Somehow, Makoto knew that there was no getting out of Soda’s help.

And that led Makoto to where he was now, watching Soda painfully attempt to talk to Ishimaru.

Shockingly, it had seemed that Soda had more luck with Sonia than he had with Ishimaru.

“Ishimaru!” Soda said, flagging the idol down. “I really need to talk to you!”

“Huh?” Ishimaru said, looking at Soda a bit confused. “I am sorry, but have we met before?”

Oh god, Makoto thought. They’ve never even talked before this…

Perhaps it wasn’t too late for Makoto to invent something that would stop Soda from talking to Ishimaru.

It’d probably be easier than stopping Soda himself.

“Huh? Probably not,” Soda said. “You’re Ishimaru Kiyotaka, right?”

Ishimaru nodded, “and you are?”

“I’m Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic!” Soda cheerfully introduced himself. “I’m friends with your classmate, Naegi.”

“Oh? Naegi-kun is your friend?” Ishimaru asked, looking a bit interested. “Does this have to do with something with him, then?”

“Huh…? What made you think that?” Soda asked. “B-because no way would he ever be interested in you!”

“N-nope!” Soda continued. “I mean, he totally didn’t ask for my help to talk to you!”

It was official, Makoto was going to invent himself out of existence.

“Really?!” Ishimaru asked, looking devastated. “I don’t understand what I did to upset Naegi-kun so!”

It got worse, Makoto thought. Somehow, it got worse.

“Yeah, he really does not talk about you at all!” Soda continued. “I mean, he doesn’t mention you to me!”

“Honestly, I didn’t even know you existed until someone else told me about you!” Soda finished. “He really would’ve never brought you up!”

“And why are you telling me this?!” Ishimaru cried out. “What are you gaining from this, Soda-kun?!”

“W-wait…!” Soda yelled, apparently realizing what he had done. “I didn’t mean it, really!”

“In fact, he enlisted my help because he has a huge crush on you!” Soda admitted, practically crying.

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what…?!” Ishimaru yelled, face turning red. “You’re being serious, Soda-kun?!”

Soda paled as if finally realizing what he had said. “Oh no…”

Makoto decided that his best course of action would be to hide, running back towards the school.

Why did I agree to this?! Makoto thought.

Hiding in a boy’s bathroom was probably not Makoto’s best idea, but he had seemed to be running out of those as of late.

He was, to put it bluntly, a little screwed.

So much for trusting Soda, Makoto thought bitterly. That guy can’t even talk to his own crush…!

“Hey, Naegi-chi, are you in here?” a voice asked as they entered the bathroom.

“Maybe,” Makoto replied from a locked stall. “What do you need, Hagakure-kun?”

“It’s about Ishimaru-chi,” Hagakure said. “He wants to talk to you.”

Makoto groaned, “I don’t really think I could take that right now…”

“Hey, Hagakure-kun, when I die from this event, could you kill Soda-kun for me?” Makoto asked. “It’s important.”

“And have his spirit haunt me?! No way, Naegi-chi!” Hagakure denied.

“My spirit will haunt you if you don’t,” Makoto said. “I’m going to die anyway…”

“Huh? Did you get a rare disease or something, Naegi-chi?” Hagakure asked. “Or even worse, did you mess with a spirit?!”

“Because nothing will save you from the spirit.”

“Worse, I accepted Soda-kun’s help,” Makoto said, slowly exiting the stall. “Did Ishimaru-kun tell you what he wanted me for?”

“Honestly, I couldn’t understand it man,” Hagakure said. “I could only make out your name, it was the loudest I’ve ever heard him.”

Makoto nodded numbly, readying himself to talk to Ishimaru.

“So where exactly is Ishimaru-kun?”

Ishimaru was waiting by the fountain, with Soda still there too.

Sighing, Makoto slowly made his way to the two of them. When Soda noticed him, he soon started blubbering apologies.

“Naegi, I’m sorry I failed you!” Soda cried. “I didn’t mean for it to go so wrong, I promise!”

“Naegi-kun,” Ishimaru said, quieter than usual. “Is what Soda-kun said true?”

Makoto gulped, feeling his face heat up. “I guess there’s no use in denying it now, haha…”

Ishimaru nodded, face turning an even brighter red.

“I understand that you might not feel the same way, Ishimaru-kun,” Makoto said, looking away sheepishly. “This didn’t exactly go the way I planned.”

“I have something to confess to you too, Naegi-kun!” Ishimaru said, yelling once more. “I reciprocate your feelings that Soda-kun expressed for you!”

“I would like it very much if we could start seeing each other in a more romantic way!” Ishimaru continued. “Although we would have to maintain discretion!”

Huh…? Makoto thought.

“You’re serious…?” Makoto asked.

“Of course I am, Naegi-kun!” Ishimaru replied. “However, there will be strict guidelines on our relationship, as you must understand!”

Makoto nodded, smiling dumbly. “Of course!”

“Hey! See I did help you after all, Naegi!” Soda interrupted. “So you owe me, right?”

“You’re lucky we’re still friends, Soda-kun,” Makoto responded, briefly snapping out of his happy daze.

“Come on Naegi, don’t be so cruel! I didn’t mean it!” Soda cried. “You have to forgive me!”

Makoto Naegi’s next invention would probably be something to shut Soda Kazuichi up.

#my naeishi week #naeishi #makoto naegi #kiyotaka ishimaru #kazuichi soda

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nthnstrky007 · 3 years

Text

Unit Alias #1: “The Flow of Water Breaks the Dame!”

As the bullets whizzed passed my head, only one thought stood out from all the noise and panic around me: I know I should have eaten toast instead of that bagel this morning. It’s just, I get so tired of the same old whole wheat toast and almond butter; it’s not my fault the fabric of reality starts to fold in on itself everytime I choose something new for breakfast. After another twenty seconds of some mindless brutes trying to turn my apartment into a modern artist’s tribute to swiss cheese, a voice of remote reason finally speaks up:

“Leonardo Crews, please step away from the bean bag chair”.

I can’t help but roll my eyes. It’s her: Sharon Winstead. The woman who would surely be my handler if the US government had their way and I became a secret agent or lab rat or whatever the heck they’d want me to do with these powers. I stand up and make a couple steps to the right as I put my hands on my head. At least the government sent a nice pair of legs to yell at me.

One of the armed boneheads she brought with her speaks up, ‘Why would you hide behind a froggy bean bag chair?”

“Cause who the hell would ever shoot a froggy bean bag chair?” I challenge him and the two other armored doofuses.

They all mumble and meet eyes until one of them sheepishly says: “he’s right…”

Sharon, the not so love-able stick in the mud that she is, won’t let me have fun for too long. “Your work here is done unit Alias. Go downstairs and do the usual routine with the landlord; come back, as I planned, when you’re done”.

A couple ‘yes ma’ams’ and military mumbo jumbo is thrown around as they leave. I can’t help but feel sorry for guys who would willingly join an organization that has the loyalty of a teenage boy after a positive pregnancy test.

“Real smart fellas you have there.”

Sharon looks at me, I guess with a hint of disappointment. “You know as well as I that if they were going for the kill, you’d be dead”.

“Along with a couple billion realtites and, knowing how much the universe seems to adore me, time itself. And what’s up with ‘your plan’ anyway? The military never came in guns blazing before. Don’t you geniuses know how important I am?”

“Are you threatening us now Leonardo?”

I relax my arms at my side as I walk into the pantry. The universe is on my team, as always, when I see one of the only undamaged things is what I’m looking for. I walk out in a sufficiently better mood with my packet of poptarts. “I’m just asking questions that pertain to the continuation of existence itself”.

Sharon scoffs and continues on: “Do you understand the magnitude of such threats, Leonardo?”

I wave her off with my free hand after opening my second breakfast. “ What threats? And please, it’s Leo; I’m not an award winning actor, just a potential destroyer of the timestream” I see the red emerge in her face and can’t help but chuckle. It's a mystery to me how she was able to secure one of the most secretive and ‘important’ jobs in the world with such a short fuse. Despite the fact that she is totally unlikable, the babe has grown on me over the years so I give her restless mind a break: “Y’know I’m not gonna go awol, especially when you pay for all my streaming service. And, uh, time wouldn’t be destroyed, just altered in some terrible heinous way. Such as your occupation being changed to stripper.”

She gives me one more uneasy look before moving on. “You have a place I can sit?”

“You mean a place you geniuses haven’t shot up yet? Don’t make me say it.”

“The frog chair?” She groans.

“I do believe it's pronounced froggy bean bag chair.”

She gives her eyes another roll as she sits down in the thing. “Can you sit with me?”

Sharon likes to remind me that in some ways I’m still a normal human. An example of

this being a woman with a face and a body like hers asking me to sit down with a voice like hers using a tone like that, regardless of if she is a facist pig or not, I’m probably gonna sit with her.

“What’s the prob Bob?” I sit criss-cross applesauce a yard or so across from her.

To my disappointment, not exactly my surprise, she grows serious as soon as I sit down.

“We can’t keep doing this dance Leonardo.”

“Doing what dance?” I let out the question with a bit of playful innocence.

“That.” She takes a moment to think before she begins her spill. “The U.W.O is not going to remain patient. The fate of existence potentially depends on what you have for lunch and you refuse to follow the guidelines that we give you. You probably can’t count how many times you’ve been told this, but you’re an anomaly. The only thing we have to go off of is my father’s theories: the regular flow of time is completely dependent on you. Every decision you make can drastically change our world’s past and half the time we can’t even detect those changes. Not to mention, if certain parts of that theory are true, the effects you can be having on our future. Leo, history is a book that you can rip up on an unknowing whim and the future is more uncertain that it has any right to be”.

“And yet we keep dancing…”

“Excuse me?”

I look at her for a second thinking that she for sures knows where I’m going, but it becomes clear to me she doesn’t. “You’re coming here to warn me. The U.W.O knows that you’re the only person I can stand getting yelled at by so they send you here every time I decide to live my life so you can flutter your eyes and tell me not to. How many times have you been here this month? I admit the whole shoot-em-up bit is new, but other than that this is the same old routine we’ve done for the past year. The only difference is I’ve been doing it my whole goddamn life and you’ve been doing it for a fraction of yours”.

The woman actually cracks a smile as she comprehends what I’m saying. I don’t know if it’s mocking or understanding me, but, seeing as I have nothing else to do, I let her spill. “You call this living Leo? I don’t know what you do to mess up the timestream, but, judging by the hours of footage that features you exclusively watching ‘He-man’ reruns, I sure as hell know it’s not living. What, you played a new video game? Flushed the toilet too fast? You’re not living; the life you’re leading is not worth risking history for”. The sarcasm and aggression starts to leave her eyes as she looks at my face. I begin to open my mouth in defense when she shushes me with a new, almost maternal, attitude. “But I didn’t come here to play our twisted game of house. I’ve been in contact with my father”.

The news strikes a rare chord of hope in me. Sharon’s father was the closest thing I had to a dad when I grew up in the compound. He was also the one who convinced the board of directors to let me out when I turned eighteen. “Let out” is an odd way of saying letting me live in a heavily guarded cell that just happens to be in an apartment building. He ended up deciding he didn’t want to be a mindless puppet and left the U.W.O along with all his research. Last I heard, which was a very long time ago, he was up to a more scholarly pursuit. “How is he?”

She smiles as she thinks of her father. “He’s getting philosophical in his old age. After he left, he started living like a hermit in some remote island in the Atlantic. A place they’d have trouble finding if they ever were to look; he’s getting into some rebellious stuff there Leo. He wants you to leave and come see him. He wants to end this dance.”

“By ‘rebellious’, do you mean some dooms-day shit?” the words come out as the hope comes out of me. “We don’t know what the reaction will be if I get in a boat or plane. We barely know what’s gonna happen if I leave this building again. Make fun of me all you want, but, you basically said it yourself, 80s tv is the only life I can safely lead”.

“He told me to trust him. If he’s wrong, the situation will be no worse than it was before”. I could easily read the doubt in her face. “Or at least to him.”

“So what? The world ending is the same as the world not ending? Existence is all a lie and it doesn’t matter anyway? Don’t tell me he’s become some quasi-intellectual pothead who posts on psychedelic-themed online forums.”

She rolls her eyes in response to my joke. “He’s disillusioned with our current world authority. He lived his whole thinking a plantery world order would be a good thing, so much so he helped to achieve it. Apparently after all those years and work, he thinks their practices are going to end us all. The way he sees it, the world may just end tomorrow; it’s any day now to him. In a certain manner of words, he’s desperate.”

“And you?”

She gives me another genuine look. “I trust my father as a leader and I care about you. He believes it's the right thing to do and you can’t keep up like this. Some of the things I’ve had to do this past year is enough for me to give up on doing the right thing through the government. Your problem is a problem that we might be able to fix on our own and trying is a lot better than you just rotting here waiting to die. Any ‘director’ who doesn’t like that can screw off.”

I let my eyes widen. “No one’s in on this? Why’d you bring the unit with you? Surely the bigwigs wire you up before you take their dogs for a walk?”

“Watch your words; dogs we are no more, unit Alias, at least, is on this. No wires or strings attached. The general consensus is the current plan of keeping the world safe from you is eventually going to collapse without change; I can’t say they have the personal stake that my father has with the way he views us as siblings”.

“Can’t really blame them for being worried or not particularly liking me, but they’re not here because of what happened because of my bagel?”

“What?”

“You came here to break me out, not to punish me for eating a bagel instead of toast?”

Sharon pulls a phone out of her pocket and scrolls through. “Oh…”

“What?”

“The ephilfel tower was built in Germany”.

#comedy #superhero #hero #comic books #action #adventure #ya #young adult #smart

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gasp-iwrotesomething · 4 years

Note

How about A19 and A 23 for Cal, please, and thank you so much.

Sure thing, @jewalsgem! Thank you for your request and I hope you enjoy!

A19: “I fucked up, alright, and I’m sorry! What more can I do to convince that I truly am?! Please, I’m desperate at this point!”

A23: “I can’t live without you, you have to understand how important you are to me!”

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The world must’ve stuttered on its axis.

At least, that’s what MC expected to have happened, otherwise the world was spinning just fine while her world was being burned to the ground. Charred and singed beyond recognition. Beyond redemption, beyond repair... Cal’s mouth was moving, words clearly tumbling out, but MC couldn’t hear them. She was rooted to where she stood, numb. Nothing rendering as real in her mind. Her heart thundered in her chest. He betrayed me... Cal betrayed me. It was the only thought powering through her mind. Fueling the desire to react, to storm away, to do anything at all. Her legs start moving without her consciously willing them to do so, carrying her in whatever direction Cal wasn’t in. That seems impossible when he had long, lithe legs that could help him move faster than MC. “Wait! MC, where are you going?!” His fingers hook around her elbow and try to stop her in place but MC just yanks her arm away from him and keeps moving. She had to get away from Cal or else she’d do or say something she was going to regret. How can I make ‘fuck off’ any clearer to this idiot? “Go away, Cal,” MC hisses, her eyes doused in red from pure fury, “I have nothing else to say to you.”

MC was trying her hardest not to lose her cool but with Cal looming so close behind her, pitifully pleading for her to listen to his excuses, she found it was hard to keep peace with herself. “But I do!” Cal snaps back, his oceanic blue eyes daggers that gouged MC’s skin, sinking deeper and deeper until she felt like she could wither right on the spot. Having heard enough of his stupid voice, MC stops dead in her tirade, her blood simmering. Her fists clench as she whirls around and faces the gunslinger, whose expression betrayed too much raw emotion for her to even begin to restrain herself. “Fine! You wanna talk, then let’s talk!” MC flushed with the anger that poured from her, emanating in brisk waves that could practically be detected just from standing within her presence. Cal notices this and swallows, his hand sifting through his hair. He seemed to be battling his own anger. “Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that--you know that.” His voice is soft, fragile, as if uttering these words any louder would cause them to shatter. It was a contrast to what MC expected of him--unfiltered rage, shouting and exclaiming whatever was on his mind. But Cal is measured, careful as to what he says to avoid MC lashing out. Already her gut spiraled with guilt just at the sight. Then another eruption of anger bursts from her and her list of emotions overcome her, forcing out a hollow laugh that had no underlying happiness to it.

“‘Know’? What is that supposed to mean? You think I would’ve stuck around if I knew you were going to betray me? I’m not that brainless, Cal, as much as you want that to be true.” MC snarls, an icy scowl on her mouth. Each curve was a sharpened blade, ready to dissect. Cal’s brows furrow but he doesn’t press further. Leashing his anger, I see... “I... I know that I royally screwed up when I lied to you but it was all for you, MC. I care about you a lot and I couldn’t put you in harm’s way, no matter what.” MC’s teeth grit. She wanted to dismiss his explanation as untrue, as something she shouldn’t trust, but she couldn’t help but feel the words resonate in her heart. Just how deep is this hold Cal has on me? MC steels herself and scowls at him. “Yeah, right,” she snorts, her voice taking on a sarcastic edge, “’to keep me out of harm’s way’ is the most cliche, flimsiest excuse out there, Cal. Using pretty words isn’t going to make it any better.”

“I’m not-!” Cal begins, defensive, but he stops himself halfway through his sentence. There was so much that was unsaid in the heat of this moment; so much that would vindicate Cal’s misjudgment. But he doesn’t voice any of them, resorting to glowering with his arms folded to his chest. “I fucked up, alright, and I’m sorry! What more can I do to convince that I truly am?! Please, I’m desperate at this point!” He confesses, blunt and unleashed, admitting more than his pride could ever unveil. The already softening MC was buckling under his ministrations, oddly enough. Come on, just let me stay pissed off at you without you cooling my temper. “I mean, what more can I do to prove that I love you? That I wouldn’t go behind your back like this unless it was for your well being?” Cal’s frivolous eyes soften with his words, desperation melting into something helplessly anguished; a simple plea for forgiveness. Maybe I’m being too shallow about this; it seems like he truly is being honest.

“I can’t live without you,” Cal affirms as his face turns florid under the sea of stars, “you have to understand how important you are to me.” Something inside of MC snaps--in a positive way. Seeing Cal this vulnerable, spewing his feelings just for the sake of not losing MC’s trust... it sparked a change of heart in MC. Her face twists with remorse and she frowns. Cal isn’t looking at her anymore, his eyes downcast. Sighing, MC nears the sorrowful gunslinger and cautiously reaches for his hands, squeezing reassuringly. Her cheeks inflame as Cal’s eyes widen and search her face; almost frantically. “...I swear if you’re lying to me, I’ll kill you myself and I won’t resurrect you this time.”

Cal blinks before bursting into laughter, sweeping MC up into his arms.

“Deal.”

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

Thank you again for your request! I really enjoyed writing this for you!

If you want to request something, here’s the Prompt List, here are the Guidelines, here’s Who I Write For, and here is where you can Request me.

#cal north #sin with me

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myhockeyworld87 · 4 years

Text

Choices - Tyler Seguin/Jamie Benn - Part 4

Word Count: 2865

POV: Starts with Reader and changes to Tyler

Warnings: Language, but not a lot.

Notes: Please read the note at the end. Here’s your choice of telling Jamie nothing has changed between you two. Hope you guys enjoy! Remember you have 48 to vote!!! You can also vote in my Ask Me to remain anonymous. Peace Love and Hugs all!!!

READER’s POV

Placing both your hands on Jamie’s face, you looked him straight in the eye, as you responded to his question. “Jamie, I love you. Tyler knowing I’m in Dallas changes nothing between us. You’re the one I want to be with. That is if you still want me, after I didn’t tell you it was Tyler?”

“Sweetheart, how could I not want you? You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to yours in a kiss so soft it almost made you cry. His hands wrapped around your waist and he pulled you close, so that your body pressed against his. It was this way with the two of you all the time. Jamie made you feel so safe and loved; that he would let nothing in the world harm you.

After what had happened with Tyler, you never thought that you’d love again; but then Jamie came into your life and everything changed. Feelings you thought died when Tyler left, came resurfacing. He made you crave things you thought you’d never want again. All things felt possible when you were with him. You deepened the kiss, moaning softly when his tongue entered your mouth. If only he could carry you back to his bedroom; then you could show him how much you really loved him. Tyler was still here, somewhere in this house though, and so you pulled back before things could go any further.

He rested his head on your forehead, eyes closed. “I love you (Y/N), and if you don’t want to talk to him; I’ll throw him out of this place so fast, just say the word.”

You smiled, Jamie would protect you with his life. Even if it meant losing a friend in the process. “No, I’ll talk to him. Hopefully he’ll realize that I’m in love with you, and that what we had died long ago.”

He gave you a soft peck on the lips. “Alright, let’s get this over with then.” He grabbed your hand and the two of you walked out of the kitchen down the hall to the game room, where you suspected Tyler was. He was idly holding a pool cue in his hand, not really playing the game, just twisting the stick. You could tell he wasn’t paying attention, for he didn’t even notice when you and Jamie walked into the room. Jamie cleared his throat, bringing Tyler’s attention to the present.

TYLER’S POV

Time ticked by, and your mind wandered what (Y/N) and Jamie were discussing. Hopefully she would come to her senses and realize that the two of you were meant to be together. When you saw her, all those feelings came flooding back. Every woman you’d been with after (Y/N) meant nothing, there was only her; and somehow you needed to make her see that.

You were lost in thought, trying to think of ways to tell her this when you heard Jamie. They were standing in the room, hand in hand; obviously presenting a united front to you. You’d make that change if it was the last thing you did tonight. (Y/N) looked at you, then said; “What did you want to talk about Tyler?”

“I’d like to talk to (Y/N) alone.”

“Anything you have to say to me, can be said in front of Jamie. I’m not keeping anything from him anymore.”

Well if Jamie wanted to get his heart broken when she decided to come back to you, then that was his problem. “So be it.” You ran your fingers through your hair, trying to figure out where to start. “(Y/N) I know I screwed up, you don’t know how sorry I am. I know you’ve heard me say that before, but that night I don’t know what happened.”

“I do. You cheated on me Tyler, plain and simple.”

“It wasn’t like that.” It was, but that wasn’t the whole story.

“Really Tyler, because from where I sit; I told you the biggest thing to happen in our lives and you went out and slept with another woman.” When you didn’t say anything, she continued. “Did I miss something? Because that’s what I remember.”

Dropping the cue on the pool table, you stepped closer to her. She stepped back, using Jamie as a shield. “God, could you just listen to me for one fucking minute.”

“Don’t speak to her like that.”

“This doesn’t involve you Chubbs. It’s between myself and (Y/N).” He didn’t back away, just stood there trying to intimidate you. Which wasn’t working. “Would you please just listen to me (Y/N).”

“I’m listening.”

Blowing out a frustrated breath, your mind wandered back to that day. “Remember me telling you the night before about how my wrist hurt.” (Y/N) nodded. “Well I went to the team doctor in the morning and they told me it was fractured; and that I’d be out for a couple weeks. The pain was bad, so he prescribed me something to take the edge off.”

Jamie just started to shake his head, as if he knew where you were going with this. It was (Y/N) who said, “I remember, we talked later that day; you never mentioned anything about medication. In fact, I think you told me they didn’t give you anything for the pain.”

“I don’t know; did tell you that? I don’t know why, other than to say I wanted to keep up this macho façade. It wasn’t like I was doing anything wrong, everything was within guidelines; you know I’d never do anything that would hinder my career.” The reality was, you hadn’t even wanted to take the pills, but the doctor said healing would go quicker and so you followed his advice in order to get back out on the ice. “At any rate I took them, and then I came home to a house full of people. Don’t get me wrong I knew they all were coming; I even asked you before they all decided to come.”

“Yeah, I remember.” (Y/N) didn’t say anything more. She looked as though, she was closing herself off to you, not willing to hear the truth of the night.

“Well the minute I walked through the door, they shoved a beer in my hand. I didn’t even think about it. It was second nature really; you know grabbing a beer with the guys. I didn’t think about the pain pills I took beforehand.” You could see (Y/N) starting to put the pieces together. “So you see, I don’t really remember anything about that night. I basically pieced things together from talking to the guys that were with me. We drank a bit here, then headed to the club. I was so hammered, I don’t remember dancing with that girl; let alone kissing her. The only reason I know I did was because of that video Mike took.”

“Yeah and what about the one that she posted? Do you remember that?” You grimaced at her words. “Let me refresh your memory. Since Mike, tagged her in his story; I went to her page. She had a picture of herself laying naked on your chest; in your bed.”

“I didn’t do anything with her. I swear to god. I tried to tell you that, but you wouldn’t take my calls.” She crossed her arms as she looked at you skeptically. “I know, it’s hard to believe. Brett told me, we all ended coming back here, about thirty of us. Whoever they invited from the club. By the time the car drove us here, I passed out. He and Mike threw me in my room. The girl….”

“Tara, her name was Tara.”

Rubbing the back of your neck, you continued. “Anyhow, Tara ended up sneaking in my room and taking the picture. Apparently, no one knew and she just ended up staying in there. I know it’s hard to believe but she admitted it; obviously not right then, but afterwards I tracked her down and she admitted the whole truth.” You pulled out your phone and start scrolling through things. “When she admitted it, I recorded her. I wanted to play it for you but you wouldn’t listen to anything I had to say. Here…Here it is.” You played the recording, that you’d kept for the last two years.

‘Look, I’m sorry. I snuck into your room and just stayed there. I wanted my friends to think I’d slept with you; so I took the picture and then just stayed. Look I’m sorry if it created trouble for you. It was all for fun, we never did anything. You were so wasted you never moved, until the morning.”

“See, I’m telling you the truth. Everything that happened that night; I don’t remember. It’s all a fucking blur.”

“Wait, you don’t remember anything from that night? You don’t remember talking to me, before you went out.”

“Babe, no. I don’t remember anything. When I checked my phone in the morning, I saw where we had talked and then where I tried to call you like six times while we were at the club; but you never answered.” You tried to reach out to her, but Jamie stopped you; shielding (Y/N) from your view.

She peeked around from Jamie, “So you don’t remember anything I told you at all?” You could see tears forming in her eyes. Maybe she was starting to believe you.

“(Y/N) I wish I could tell you that I remember everything you said to me, but babe I don’t. I feel horrible about that. Hopefully it wasn’t anything important.”

“It was only the single most important thing to happen to both of us, and you don’t fucking remember.” With that said, she ran out of the room crying. What the hell had she told you in that ten to fifteen-minute conversation? You moved to chase after her, Jamie grabbed your arm and stopped you.

“Give her a minute. This is a lot for her.”

“It’s a lot for both of us, Chubbs.”

“No Segs you don’t understand. She told you something in that conversation, something…Shit, I can’t tell you. You need to hear it from her. Do you honestly not remember a thing?”

“No, not one fucking thing after that first beer.” Jamie just shook his head. “Jamie just tell me.”

“It’s not my story to tell; it’s hers. She’s probably in the bedroom.” Everything in you wanted to run to her, but Jamie led the way, walking slowly to give her more time. When you got to the door, it was closed. “Sweetheart, it’s me. Tyler’s with me, can we come in?”

“I can’t do this now Jamie, just please send him away.” Her voice was muffled from both the door and her tears; and it tore at your heart.

“(Y/N) I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay here all night if I have to.” Jamie rolled his eyes at you, so you softened your voice. “Please just talk to me babe.” Jamie glared at you when you used the term “babe” to refer to (Y/N). There was no response from the opposite side of the door, so you whispered to Jamie. “I’m going in.”

“You’ll just make it worse. Let me talk to her first.” It was your turn to scowl at your so called friend. “Sweetie, I’m going to come in; I just want to talk. Tyler’s going to stay out here until you want to talk to him ok?”

“You promise?”

Why couldn’t she just talk to you; tell you what had happened during that phone call? “I promise, sweetheart.” Jamie looked over at you and in a hushed tone said, “Just stay here for a minute.” Jamie opened the door and walked in, not closing it. You could see (Y/N) curled up in a ball on the bed, her back was to you. Jamie sat down beside her, rubbing her back comfortingly; and though his voice was low, you could still hear what he said. “(Y/N), I know this is hard. All these years, you thought he knew and he didn’t. You have to tell him.”

“I can’t Jamie. I just can’t.”

“Do you want me to tell him?”

“No, I just want to wake up from this nightmare and go back to when it was just you and I.” You weren’t sure which hurt more, the fact that she had confided the whole incident in Jamie or that she wanted it to be just the two of them.

“I know sweetie. But you have to know, that no matter what happens with Tyler; I’m still going to be here for you.” She scurried into his arms, holding onto him like he was her lifeline. Jamie held her, rocking her back and forth in his arms; repeating the words “I love you” over and over again. It made your skin crawl, and took everything in your power not to rip her out of his arms.

“I love you Jame.” For several minutes she just stayed there in his arms, until finally she looked up and saw you spying on their intimate scene. She pulled slightly back from Jamie and he turned to see you as well.

“You might as well come in.” Jamie said to you, then looked at (Y/N); as if to confirm it was ok. She nodded then swung her legs off the bed to stand; Jamie standing beside her. Before you knew it, your limbs carried you till you were only a foot away from her.

Dropping your voice down, so you sounded gentler and more open; you said. “(Y/N), I’m sorry I don’t remember our conversation, but I’m here now; and you can tell me anything.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, before looking you straight in the eyes. “Tyler, I don’t know how to tell you this. I mean if I’d had known that you were on pain killers and drinking, I would’ve never told you what I did that night.” She paused, almost as if she was reliving it in her mind. “I remember you answering the phone, all cheerful and happy. I told you I had something important to talk to you about; so you went in the bedroom so we could talk without anyone interrupting. You told me about your wrist before I could say anything. That’s when I asked about the pain pills and you said you didn’t need them. I believed you. You must have heard something in my voice, because the next thing you did was ask me if everything was ok. It wasn’t, and I told you that.” Your heart was pounding waiting for what was to come next. “I was crying by then, so scared to tell you the truth. You were so great, telling me that everything would be fine no matter what it was.”

She looked away, not able to look you in the face at the moment. “(Y/N), look at me.” She did then. “It will still be fine, just tell me.”

“Tyler, I told you I was pregnant.”

“You were what?” Had she really just said that or were you hearing things.

“I was pregnant Ty, with your baby.” You went to say more, to hold her; but she held her hand up to stop you. “You were excited on the phone, thrilled really. We had decided I’d fly down on Monday so we could figure everything out. You wanted me to move down here with you right away, but we needed to figure things out. When I hung up, I thought things were going to be fine; and then all hell broke loose that night. I saw the video and then the picture; and my life just fell apart.” She rubbed her arms up and down as if the room were the artic, instead of the comfortable seventy degrees.

Your mind was swirling. You and (Y/N) had a baby together; and she never told you. There were a thousand questions in your brain, and so you gave voice to them. “We have a baby! Where is it? Was it a boy or a girl? I’m sure they look like you. When can I meet him or her?”

She looked up at Jamie a blank look on her face.

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Alright it’s your turn to make some decisions in this story. The question is what happened to the baby?

A) After seeing the video and picture you were so distraught, you miscarried.

B) After seeing the video and picture you couldn’t talk to Tyler and realized you didn’t want to have a baby on your own, so you gave it up for adoption.

C) After seeing the video and picture you knew Tyler’s real feelings about the baby and had an abortion.

Notes: I realize option C is a bit controversial, but I want to give you guys all the options someone would have. Please be respectful of people’s choices. I will not post any answers that come in anonymously, through my asks. Please remember this is a story and not real life and that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. With that, I hope you enjoy this little plot twist.

#tyler seguin #jamie benn #tyler seguin imagine #tyler seguin imagines #jamie benn imagine #jamie benn imagines #dallas stars #dallas stars imagine #dallas stars imagines #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl fanfic #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #hockey fanfiction #choices #Choices series Tyler Seguin Jamie Benn

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eltanin-malfoy · 5 years

Text

Masterlist

Please do not steal or repost my writing. Yes, this includes posting it elsewhere and giving me ‘credit’. My content is only available on other platforms under the same username/pseud. Please only reblog or link my posts externally if you really want to. DM me if you’re unsure about these guidelines.

[*] indicates smut

One-Shots:

Lay All Your Love On Me (requested)

He held her hand, probably having noticed her buckling knees. “I’m sorry about that, Y/L/N”, He whispered softly, voice quivering. She returned the favour with a gentle clasp on his palm. He was warm. No not warm, burning.

Was it that hot a day? Or…

She slowly peered up at him and noticed how flushed his face was, and felt her own getting hot. Why did he have such an effect on her? She couldn’t even understand it herself.

Y/N can’t understand her infatuation with Draco. (based on the song by ABBA)

THE QUIET*

Perhaps it had been true all along, that vulnerability was like holding your arm out on your own accord while it was permanently marked to show your allegiance. It was only regretful. For what reason would you bare your soul to someone? Why would you let down your guard? Was there anyone you could really even trust?

Draco didn’t know why. But inside, deep, deep inside him, he knew that there was still love for you in plenty. But he couldn’t acknowledge it. Not when he was so close..

Draco doesn't know how to be vulnerable, but you prompt him to want to try. (based on the song by Troye Sivan)

Cliché (requested)

Malfoy clearly recognised this. And what used to be occasional shows of aggression turned into.. well.. an everyday thing. His two ‘rivals’ had gotten close and he was very, very annoyed. Very.

And time really did begin to fly. The long days you had turned into quick weeks and months and Harry defeated the ‘Basilisk’ and saved Ron’s sister and everything was alright. And you had good friends.

And an enemy. Ugh. Clichés are clichés for a reason, huh?

Enemies to lovers. Need I say more?

Secrets and Snowflakes (written for the 2019 Secret Santa Fic Exchange)

You threw the ball of snow you’d managed to make forward, but instead of hitting his chest, as you’d wanted to, it hits his arm. In retrospect, this was probably more advisable. Draco jumped where he stood, letting out a squeal. “What the fuck?” He shoved the parchment into his anorak’s pocket haphazardly and looked down at you, eyebrows crinkled and forehead deeply furrowed. He brought his hand up and set it on the now wet part of his coat.

Draco's a bit of a Scrooge and you want to teach him how snowball fights are far from kiddish.

Cakes, Candles and Camaraderie

He felt a sudden prodding at his shoulder and looked to his side and saw Theo digging into his skin. “Christ, mate, are you trying to poke a hole through my shirt? ‘S expensive.” He sat up straight again and crossed his arms, while Theo just sighed. “You seemed a little... out of it. Very vacant. Was testing to see if you’d gone to sleep with your eyes wide like that.” Draco rolled his eyes. “I’m just fine. Kind of zoned out.” Theo smirked oddly and Draco crinkled his nose in suspicion. “What is it?” “I saw you staring at Y/N, with those... come hither eyes.”

Your birthday's coming up and you hate birthday parties. Draco wants to change that.

April Showers Bring May Flowers (requested)

And this time, somehow, he’d convinced them to say yes. They’d allowed him to stay at Hogwarts for that week off. Mother would send him treats, he’d said. It would all be just lovely. He’d told his parents he’d be absolutely safe. There wouldn’t be too many other interruptions around and they’d have loads of time to themselves. They definitely wouldn’t do anything they wouldn’t’ve approved of, or at least they wouldn’t let them catch wind of anything that they did do.

But if the plan was so airtight, why was Y/N sitting all by herself so pensively on this rainy morning?

Draco's screwed up a little bit and realises it (almost) too late. Easter break is worse when you're all alone.

Inure (requested)

Again, Draco surprised her by (acting?) seeming interested in setting up their house, arranging their things and the furniture properly. Perhaps it was just so that they could forge a relationship together somehow. It was… not exactly nice in her books (it should be a pretty expected thing, in her opinion), but at least a tad considerate of him. Having grown up in a household where her father rarely assisted in anything related to the household outside of money, she had expected about as much from him. She’d thought boys of her standing rarely differed from each other, at least in the ‘spoiled’ aspect.

My take on an arranged marriage AU.

Happy Accident (requested)

“You… spilt a partially complete Beautification Potion on yourself? Wow. I understand that it is in your wound but did you spill it anywhere else as well?” “Well… it was quite hot and I spilt it on my arm so I probably gave myself a mild burn there too but no, I don’t think I spilt it anywhere else.” “That makes sense… I thought you might have spilled some on your face.”

Y/N was a clumsy Apothecary apprentice. Draco was a Healer specialising in potion injury. Can I make it any more obvious?

-x-

Series:

Kill Or Be Killed (Complete)

Almost unpredictably, she looked up and flashed Ron a smile, whose ears immediately flushed pink. Sure enough, the signatures matched and he handed her her bag, after which, she soon stepped out. “What the hell was that, Ron?” Ron just shook his head and looked over at her, before glancing back at the Employees Only room.

Y/N Y/L/N. He thought. How convenient. He looked over at the girl exiting, making a mental note. He quickly closed up the register and placed a ‘Next Counter Please’ sign for the next employee to take off. Ron had already cleaned up his area and had started heading back to the Employees Only room, probably to change.

Y/N. Draco finished up and put his hands in his pockets, heading back himself as he noticed a few other employees shuffling over. Physically, she’s an ordinary female, but mentally, just as spoilt and awful as Father.

Life’s done Draco a 180 and he’s out for blood. Set in a non-magic modern AU.

Get A Grip (Complete) - I II III

He waved over to Y/L/N and had her shift away, going up to the child himself. Of course.. he wasn’t exactly one to console others, so he leaned down and patted him on his back until he finally became calmer. As soon as the coast was clear, he helped the boy up and led him out the cellar. He took him through the back door into the gardens, reaching the edge of the fence. He told him the directions to the nearest safe town and reassured him of his fate. He was just about to push him through when he felt a hand firmly grab hold of the back of his shirt.

“What do you think you’re doing, boy?” A rough, raspy voice called out, another hand gripping at his hair. Dolohov.. Draco’s back arched at this and his eyes began to water in pain.

Draco gets caught betraying the Dark Lord during the Second Wizarding War and Y/N helps him feel better. Set in an AU where Malfoy makes a few different choices.

His Royal Highness (In Progress)

She parted her lips to speak but was dumbfounded, her eyes wide. What the hell was wrong with him? He couldn’t just.. ask her something like that out of nowhere.

“Oh, come on, I’m not that atrocious. Besides.. don’t you want to be-”

“You can’t just.. spring this on me! This is a really important matter! I can’t possibly understand why you’d ask me this so casually! It’s just.. so..” She shook her head in frustration, blood rushing through her ears.

Draco is a royal pain. And now Y/N has to experience it all first hand. Modern, non-magic, royal AU.

Currents (On Hiatus)

Destiny is but a dream. Your life is made up of choices, even ones you don’t take for yourself. They’re all irreversible. Set in stone forever. You are your decisions. You are what you’ve done, even if you didn’t choose to. No matter what. But what if I told you it was possible to go back? What if I told you you could change every little thing you ever regretted? Would you go back? Or would you rather live with your mistakes?

Set in an AU where Y/N and Draco are both Aurors and a certain crime results in a lot of unrepeatable events. Based on the album by Tame Impala.

#draco x reader #draco malfoy #draco malfoy x reader #draco #hp au #draco imagine #draco malfoy imagine #hp imagine #masterlist #hp masterlist #draco masterlist #draco malfoy masterlist

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amydancepants-peralta · 4 years

Text

we’re the fortunate ones (spinning ‘round the sun) ☀️

Here is chapter one of my entry into the @b99fandomevents 2020 vision challenge: Peraltiago celebrating NYEs, throughout the years/seasons.

More to come soon ☺️ (ao3)

season one: with these things there’s no telling (we just have to wait and see)

The first time Amy Santiago spends her New Year’s Eve with Jake Peralta, it happens completely without her volition.

She had been working alongside Jake (and the other detectives at the nine-nine) for three years now, and until Captain McGintley decided to partner them up together, had been able to avoid sharing too many cases with him. Jake was, to use his own terms, a Lone Wolf - so determined to be the hero that ran in to save the day that he often left little to no regard for the consequences. It was entirely different to the way Amy preferred to operate, and it was just one of the reasons why they often butted heads.

But a few months ago McGintley had retired, and Captain Holt (aka, her RABBI) had taken charge, and now the two of them were getting assigned together on a steady basis.

To say her tolerance level had risen to an all-time high was an understatement.

When the call had come in about a major drug bust going down on the docks at New Years Eve, Amy had been torn between the desire to be part of the action and the urge to lay low and attend the party her best friend Kylie had organised. In the end, tactical operations had won out over beer pong with strangers, and by 8pm she was in an unmarked car with Detective Daniels, making just enough small talk to make the passing time bearable.

Until, Daniels got a personal call three hours in and had to leave, and Holt had called in the relief team. Which so happened to be Detective Peralta.

In all honesty, Amy tries her very best to not let out a defeated sigh as her louder than normal partner jumps into the car, slinging a backpack undoubtedly filled with unnaturally-coloured drinks and bags of candy coated in sugar into the footwell before bending his legs and collapsing onto the seat. His smile is bright, but then it always is, and when she hands him the second pair of binoculars Amy notices how cold his hands are.

“The docks are cold at night” he mutters without prompting, and as Amy looks over him he shrugs. “You’re my partner. Even if I wasn’t in the stakeout with you, I was going to be around.” It was an oddly mature thing for him to say, and she stares for a beat longer, blinking in confusion with her own binoculars still resting in her lap. Turning his attention to the docks in front of them, Jake gives Amy a glance from the side of his eyes before shifting uncomfortably in his seat, obviously aware of her staring, and after a minute Amy lifts her binoculars and points them directly at Jake.

The image is distorted, obviously. If she turned the dial in the middle a little, it would focus on the flurry of curls in his overgrown hair; but for now she waits, and it only takes a few seconds before he sighs.

“What are you doing, Santiago?”

She lowers the goggles, gripping them with her fingers as she stares her partner down. “I don’t get it.”

Jake turns to look at Amy, furrowing his brow and glancing at their surroundings before returning his attention to her. “See, how it works is … you point those things at the stuff that’s really far away, and they become bigger through the lens.”

“I don’t need you to explain telescopic imagery to me, Peralta.” Amy huffs, her exasperation obvious as she drops the binoculars to her lap, folding her arms to her chest accusingly. “I’m talking about you. You had the night off. You could be literally anywhere else in the city right now. Why were you waiting outside?”

Another shrug. “You’re my partner, and I thought you might have needed backup.”

“Nuh-uh. Not buying it.” Narrowing her eyes, she gasps as a realisation strikes her. “The bet! You know you’re going to lose, so you’re trying to steal these arrests from me.” Raising her hand, Amy points one neatly manicured finger at her partner. “Sabotage! That is the lowest of the lows, Peralta. You have every right to be nervous, because I am clearly going to win this bet, but taking them from me? Unbelievable.”

Jake rolls his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief as Amy talks, and the look on his face only irritates her further. “Ah, firstly? I’m all for a little bit of fantasy, but making yourself believe that you’re going to win this bet is just foolish, Santiago. I am obviously the superior detective here. Secondly, I meant what I said earlier. You’re my partner. If you’re on a stakeout, I’m on a stakeout.” He pauses, feigning interest in the roof of the unmarked car they were in before muttering, “Holt is turning me into a better cop, or … whatever.”

Amy lets a silence fall over the two of them as she absorbs his last statement, hands fiddling distractedly with the strap on her binoculars. She wasn’t wrong - this whole evening had been completely out of character for him. But maybe his constant trips into the captain’s office were finally beginning to sink in; and maybe Jake was beginning to realise that as strong as they are on their own, they were far stronger as a team. She mumbles out a thank you, and he waves his hand at her, reaching for the car stereo and turning it on. Instantly, music blares from the speakers.

“Peralta!” she whispers, brushing his hand away from the knob and turning the volume down as her eyes dart around the docks for anyone that might have heard something. “You’ll blow our cover!”

“It’s nearly midnight, Santiago. We were going to miss the countdown.”

“The only thing we were going to miss was the handover taking place, you doofus!” He stares her down, this time holding his own against her withering gaze, and finally she sighs in defeat. “Alright, fine. We can listen to the radio. But on LOW, Peralta.”

He rolls his eyes again, and honestly sometimes he is just like a child, muttering “Fine, mom” as he turns the dial ever so slightly towards a higher volume. The music is gone, and two disc jockeys are talking in it’s place, reminding all their listeners that midnight was only three minutes away.

“Perfect timing!” Jake calls out, scooting his butt to the back of his seat as he leans down into the footwell, unzipping the backpack he’d dumped down there earlier and pulling out two small white cardboard boxes. Amy’s brows knit in confusion as she recognises the logo on the box - these were from Mia’s Brooklyn Bakery; a tiny little store about three blocks from her apartment, and her favourite place to sneak in a sweet treat. How Jake knew that, was something she didn’t understand.

“That’s my - ”

“Your favourite bakery?” Jake interrupts, smiling when Amy nods quickly. “Yeah, I figured. I’ve noticed the box one or two times when you’ve brought in a snack from home, and I googled the place a little while ago.” Huh. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad detective after all. “And I just thought, being on duty and all, we can’t really have champagne to celebrate the new year … but there’s nothing in the guidelines about cupcakes, right?”

His smile is so sweet, and Amy can’t help but return it. “Right.” Jake hands her a box, smile breaking out into a grin as he settles back into his seat, and Amy can feel his eyes on her as she opens the lid. The cupcake is vanilla, swirled with a sweet pink buttercream and tiny glittery sparkles littering the top. It looks delicious, and is exactly what she needs right now. “This looks amazing,” she states, looking over at Jake as she lifts the treat out of it’s box. He’s done the same already, and holds his up to hers in a silent cheers, peeling back the lining as the radio announcer reminds them there is one last minute until the countdown to 2014.

She takes a bite of the cupcake, licking off a little bit of frosting that remained on her lips and raising her eyebrows in surprise as she begins to feel tiny bursts inside her mouth. Quickly, she turns towards Jake, swallowing as she cries out, “Pop rocks?!”

“Fireworks,” he corrects her with a wink, taking his own oversized bite and giggling as the candy gets to work. “If we couldn’t get to the fireworks, then the fireworks were just going to have to come to us, Santiago.”

His enthusiasm is contagious, and Amy watches from her seat as he takes a swig of the orange soda he’d pulled from his bag to wash the cake down. It was different, seeing him in this light. Tonight, Peralta was more than just another detective from the precinct. He was her partner, who had sacrificed his New Years Eve to wait out in the cold, holding delicious snacks on standby and turning himself into the bright light that had warmed up her otherwise mediocre evening. He was still a man-child, but perhaps a slightly more mature man-child than she’d given him credit for, and … if she was being completely honest with herself? Just a little bit handsome.

Jake grins over at Amy as he returns his drink to the cup holder, and Amy can’t help but grin right back as she takes another bite, this time prepared for the miniature explosions as they pop against her tongue. A childlike giggle threatens to escape, and eagerly eats the remaining piece before the feeling fades. “This is so good!”

A terrible cover of Auld Lang Syne begins playing on the radio, interrupting their feast, and Jake wipes at the crumbs surrounding his mouth. He’s quiet as the song plays in the background, chewing on his lower lip before twisting towards her, resting his back against the car window. “Happy New Year, Amy.”

There’s a bunch of tiny explosions in her throat, and Amy wants to blame it on the cupcake but it just might be the tiny glimmer of something in Jake’s eye. Taking a deep breath, Amy pauses before smiling back at her partner. “Happy New Year, Jake.”

The song cover turns into a dance mix, blasting through the tiny speakers as the DJ obviously raises the volume in studio, and both detectives screw their face up in disgust, Jake’s hand reaching the power button first. They sigh in relief as a silence falls over the vehicle, and quickly Jake reaches for the binoculars still in his lap, holding them against his face and switching seamlessly back to Detective Mode. “So no sign of our perps yet, huh?”

Amy clears her throat, mirroring Jake’s actions with her own pair of binoculars and aiming them towards the shipping containers set up along the edge of the dock. “No, I think the intel might be a bust.” Pulling the lens away slightly, she glances over at Jake before facing forward again. “Looks like you’ll have to figure out another way to beat me at this bet, Peralta.”

He scoffs, a loud psh sound falling from his mouth. “Please. It’s you that needs to beat me, Santiago. In all seriousness, you really should be prepared for the worst date of your life.”

She can’t find the right thing to say in response (letting out a choked laugh instead), and so they get back to surveillance in silence, wrapping up the operation when Holt calls them in an hour later.

It’s another two weeks before the bet is over and Amy is forced to concede defeat. And despite all of her reservations, she finds that a date with Jake Peralta and his crushing debt wasn’t nearly as bad as she let herself think it would be.

#FLUFF TO COME I PROMISE!#b99 fandom events #b99 fanfic #Peraltiago New Years Eves #peraltiago fic #peraltiago fanfiction #myfic #happy January 14th!

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ediths · 4 years

Text

Breakfast

Pairing: Frat!Tom Holland x Reader

Word Count: 1127

Summary: Things are a lot different now between you and Tom, but the change is definitely for the better.

Warning(s): Swear words, douchiness by the frat brothers, mentions of sex

A/N: I know, I know, it’s been a while since I’ve written a Tom fic, I’ve been working on my mob!tom fic (it’s at 6k and nowhere near done, so it won’t be posted anytime soon, I’m sorry.)

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It hadn’t started like this, not in the slightest. You never used to wake up in the morning in Tom’s bed, his scent surrounding you. You didn’t get up out of bed to be greeted with breakfast and a kiss on the forehead.

For the first few months, you had spent the night in Tom’s room, only to sneak out before anyone would be up. That was the period of time when nobody knew about the two of you. You were each other’s dirty little secret, and for a while, that was kind of exciting. But then you got tired of being a secret.

You hadn’t really known how to approach the situation with him. You didn’t want to scare him off or assume that he wanted more ust because he said it when he was inside of you. Boys will say a lot of things when they’re sleeping with you. But when you try to add more to the equation, sometimes they back out. And you really didn’t want that to happen with Tom.

You understood that he had a reputation to uphold. He was the head of his frat, he was supposed to bring a different girl home each night and then send them packing. He wasn’t supposed to be tied down.

And when you finally worked up the guts to talk to him about not hiding, you were terrified that he’d refuse the idea. But he didn’t. He gladly accepted, completely wanting the relationship, all the strings attached.

At first, the whole ‘not being a secret’ thing was weird. It felt somewhat wrong to be holding his hand in public to have him kiss your forehead out of habit while waiting in line for food somewhere.

And it felt even more wrong when his frat brothers told him that he shouldn’t be with you, while you were still in the room.

“You can’t be tied down, that’s not who you are.”

“Dude, seriously, why would you want the strings? Girls who want more than just sex are so annoying.”

“Look man, I get it if maybe you wanted a little something that you knew wasn’t screwing everyone else, wanted to make sure she stayed clean, but really? You could’ve done a lot better.”

“Are you sure you wanna date her? I mean, I can find you a sorority chick that wouldn’t want the feelings.”

“Dude, have you really gone soft? Haven't heard a girl screaming your name in a while, guess she’s made you a little bitch boy, huh?”

Tom had tried to sit through them, wait until you were out of the room before going off on his so-called “brothers”, but there was only so much that he could take.

He had looked over at you, gave you a look that seems to say, I’m sorry for what you’re about to see, and then looked over at the boys in the room, each of them falling silent when he shot them the glare that he had been trying to suppress.

“First of all, I don’t give a fuck who you think I am. Apparently, being ‘tied down’ is exactly who I am, because I’m happily in a relationship with the most amazing girl that I’ve ever met. I don’t want some random sorority girl, I’m not dating y/n just so I can fuck her. I’m with her because I want to be, because I have feelings for her. Not my fault that you can’t understand what that feels like.” He stands up from the chair he was in and reaches his hand out for your, which you gladly accept. “And if any of you ever talk shit about my girlfriend again, I won’t hesitate to beat the shit out of you.”

With that you had walked away, and nobody in the house had said another hateful word in your direction.

Now, almost a month later, you were stretching as you walked to the kitchen of the frat house, making sure not to lift your hands too far above your head so that Tom’s sweatshirt wouldn’t come up and let the cold air in.

“Hey, darling, made you some pancakes.” Tom says as you walk over to him, wrapping your arms around him as you feel him press a gentle kiss to your forehead.

You mumble a “thank you” into his chest and then pad over to the table once he’s done plating them for you, just the way you like them.

“Are you not eating?” You ask once he sits down beside you without a plate.

“Not today, I’ve got a meeting with the other heads of the frats in a few hours and they serve food, wouldn’t want to be rude.” He says, as if that was a completely normal thing to be doing on a Saturday morning.

“Well, make sure that you eat there, alright? Don’t want you getting sick because you don’t eat.” You point your fork at him, watching as his eyes widen in mock fear, his lips pressed tightly together so that he doesn’t giggle.

You put your fork back to the use it was intended for, and continue eating.

You look up after you’re done and see him looking at you with a look of adoration in his eyes, one you’ve seen many times before when you were watching a movie and he was too busy watching you.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You ask, wiping your face to ensure that all the syrup is completely gone before taking the plate and fork over to the sink and running some water over them, laying them down and turning to face Tom.

“I can’t get over the fact that, just a few months ago, I was trying to learn your name, and now you’re having breakfast with me while you’re sitting in my sweater.” He says, standing from his chair and walking over to you, wrapping his hands around your waist and holding you close.

“Well, technically, I didn’t have breakfast with you, I had breakfast and you creepily watched me eat.” You say with a grin on your face.

“Damn, and here I was gonna tell you that I love you.” He says, trying to be quiet so you wouldn’t hear, still faking being hurt by your words.

But you heard him. You definitely heard him and your whole world felt like it was upside down. In the best way possible, of course.

“Well, if you had told me that, I would have said that I love you, but I guess we’ll have to wait.”

He looks more shocked than you’ve ever seen him, and you giggle, wrapping your hands around his neck and pulling him down to meet your lips.

Permanent Tag: @spideygirl2003, @jackiehollanderr, @scarletsoldierrr, @thewayilookatbacon, @parker-barnes-af, @lost-in-the-stars03, @kisses-holland, @josiemara, @god-knows-what-am-i-doing, @fanficscuziranout, @babebenhardy @write-from-the-heart, @slytherinambitious, @miraclesoflove @tomshufflepuff , @quaksonhehe, @akila-stilinski

Tom Holland Taglist: @cyrusandhiscollaredahirts, @averyfosterthoughts, @thorsangel, @drishtisikarwar, @sucker-09, @tom1year,

#tom holland #tom holland fluff #tom holland angst #tom holland smut #peter parker #peter parker fluff #peter parker smut #peter parker angst #2020

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fairestwriting · 3 years

Text

title: a treasure hunt of sorts

word count: 2696

summary: Malleus had been gifting Ellis gems, recently, so many that they were piling up and he wouldn't know what to do with them even if he actually understood the meaning behind the gift. After some "careful consideration", he decides to give something back.

commissioned by @nymphgrotto , also available on ao3 here ! tysm for the commission, i hope you enjoy it!

my guidelines for commissions are here, in case anyone else is interested

Everything in the Ramshackle dorm building creaks, floorboards and doors and ceiling threatening to collapse in a way that Ellis somehow had just grown used to. Door shut behind him, he walks noisy steps towards the lounge, leaving the beautiful night outside, and placing a red gem the size of his palm on the coffee table.

Another one. The fifth one he’d gotten this week, and they were only halfway through it.

The gems gather on top of the surface like freshly picked fruits, full of color and life and almost glaring at him in their little shiny pile. He slides the blazer off, tossing it somewhere — Grim was asleep at this point, it’s fine if he wasn’t being the best influence — and lets himself collapse on the plush stuffing of the couch.

The gems were a gift from Malleus Draconia — A name that strikes fear into many students’ hearts, for reasons Ellis just couldn’t see. They had met by chance outside Ramshackle, Malleus was taking a nightly stroll and they just ended up chatting for a reason or another. He found out bits and pieces of information every time they saw each other. That he liked abandoned buildings and the night sky, that he was very knowledgeable about gargoyles and owned a tamagotchi, then his name that he had been refusing to actually tell. They hit it off and became friends. Malleus was a person Ellis liked to be around.

And a person he had an exponentially growing crush on, he admits, but just to himself for now. He sighs again, head in his hands. His crush, putting a different precious gem in his hand every night. It should have been a dream scenario, but he just doesn’t get it. The way Malleus does it is so unaffected, they couldn’t be heartfelt gifts at all. It looked like he was lending him money.

Maybe that’s what’s happening, he thinks tiredly, looking around the inside of the building. He had been cleaning up for most of the semester, it managed to look decent now, if only a little like somewhere a grandmother would live, but that was cozy in its own way. The outside was still screwed up, though, so maybe Malleus trying to help him with repairs? Ellis stares at the pile of gems, they stare back. With the amount all of them were worth, they were probably enough to cover all the costs needed to polish Ramshackle’s outside, so maybe…

...he really didn’t want his crush, a guy so lofty and admirable, to think he just couldn’t do something like that by himself, though. The very thought of it makes him uneasy.

He sighs. Maybe he should talk it out with someone, he was burning up his brain cells just thinking by himself like this. He scrolls through names in his contact list before stopping on Cater’s. Cater had mentioned talking to Malleus before, right? And he didn’t seem scared. Plus he may have been aware of Ellis’ crush, even half so — Though that’s sort of embarrassing, it’s not like he’d been trying to hide.

But it’s okay, the phone makes its dialing noise. “Hey, Cater?”

“Ellis! Hi hi.” Cater chimes from the other side of the line. Ellis could hear ruffling even through the phone, maybe he just moved around on his bed. “What’s up!”

“Malleus.” Ellis starts, leaning back against the couch. Thank god it was so comfy, right. “Has he ever brought you, um… gems and stuff? Like really expensive looking things?”

There’s silence.

“Uh, no?” Cater responds mid a confused laugh. “...why are you asking that? We don’t really talk.”

“I don’t know.” Ellis admits, shaking his head in defeat. “He’s been giving me gems all week and I don’t get it. I thought maybe you knew something since you’ve talked to him...once? That’s more than most people here, anyways.”

Cater hums, a short pause. “Well, I really can’t tell what that means.”

Another sigh, another feeling of defeat. Ellis sinks on the couch.

“Ugh. Do you think he feels bad about the state of the dorm or something? I like gifts as much as everyone else, but…” He sighs. “I just wanna know what’s going on in his head.”

“Y’know, they’re still gems, I don’t get why you’re complaining. And you’re so curious about him too.”

“I just wanna know.” He huffs, face feeling hot. “I feel bad I’m not giving him anything back, is all. Gifts are nice but this is too much.”

“Ehh, you wanna one up Malleus?” He asks, voice incredulous. Do I wanna do that? Ellis finds himself wondering. Is that what this is about?

“I mean, I might as well try, right.” He says. He thinks of it as a joke, but it might not really be one. Looking up to Malleus all the time felt… kind of lame, sometimes, Ellis wanted him to look up to him too. His heart feels heavy thinking about it — But he does.

“Okay, that’s just crazy.” Cater laughs from the other side of the line, mixing with the ruffling sound again.

“Yeah, yeah. Maybe.” He laughs back, but, again, he’s actually thinking about it. He can’t help but think about it. What if he actually impressed Malleus this time? He wonders how he’d look.

They say their goodbyes after more idle chatter and Ellis has his flushed cheeks on his hands, pulling his knees closer to his body. He’s tried doing something impressive before, though it usually just ends up going humorously wrong… but, but, maybe this time it’d work. He stares at the gems on the coffee table. These could be the clue he needed.

A wide-eyed Malleus comes to mind. If things went like that, maybe the messages he’d been wanting to send with all the casual affection would get through. Even if Malleus didn’t like him back — That was a scary thought, but he knew it wouldn’t ruin their friendship, Malleus wasn’t like anyone else — he’d been wanting to tell him in a way where he could actually understand, visualize how deep his feelings had been running. This seemed like the perfect chance.

He dreams of emeralds in a treasure room that night.

. . .

He knew that this, at least, was something Malleus would like — Ellis can’t help but giggle in excitement while he drags him around the woods, clutching at his hand, hearing the crunching of leaves under their shoes and the subtle howling of the wind.

“So, tonight,” He introduces, voice chimy and full of energy. Malleus is standing right behind him in his towering glory. His stare is mostly blank, but Ellis somewhat knows how to decode it, and he can see a glint of curiosity there. They stop in front of an assortment of rocks that made up something looking like a gate. “I was thinking we could go looking for gems in this little cave? I heard from some guys that it has a lot of interesting stuff inside!”

Some guys was a chain of information that started with Rook, who had been doing god knows what in the cave, but what mattered now is that Ellis would go there, and he would find something that would blow Malleus away.

“A cave,” Malleus repeats, blinking. His long hair sways with the wind, lime green glow emitted from his eyes — He did things to his heart, honestly, even just being there — as he looks at Ellis with amusement. “Is that… a common outing for your culture, Child of Man?”

“I mean, not really? But I like collecting things.” He says, a bit sheepish as they begin to walk inside. It’s dark, but that’s an issue easily solved by flicking his flashlight on. “And I thought you might like this.”

Malleus chuckles, and that does more to his heart than him just standing here. “I see,” He says, the amusement visible. Ellis can’t help the excited smile beginning to show up on his face. This was it. “I do think it could be interesting.”

“Yeah!” He chimes. Shining the light forwards, he inspects the path in front of them as they walk further away from the entrance — It was safe, right? A lot of people seemed to have been there, plus it wasn’t exactly hard to move inside, the ground wasn’t as rocky as the walls “I heard they have gems deeper inside? Uh, it might be a little creepy for a bit, though.”

Malleus hums. The glow of his eyes shows up more at every step they take towards the inner parts of the cave, shrouded in darkness. Looks magical, Ellis’ brain unhelpfully reminds him, majestic, beautiful.

(He needed to get that confession out already, and yet…)

“I’m not displeased with this place, though.” Malleus’ voice makes a light echo. “It reminds me of home in a way.”

“Home? Like in the Valley of Thorns?” He asks, wincing when he steps against what seemed to be a tree branch, cracking it into two. How do things like that end up here, anyway?

“It’s a very rocky scenery. Tall mountains and thorn bushes, dark almost all year long.” Malleus explains. “I remember seeing it through my room’s window.”

“You know, that’s kind of cool in a way, I’ve never been somewhere like that.” He comments, thumb resting over the flashlight’s switch. He feels fidgety trying to visualize the Valley of Thorns in his mind, then briefly entertaining the thought of actually being there, with him too… “Is the palace all dark too?”

“Darkness is associated with royalty, so naturally it is.” He speaks. There’s a hint of nostalgia in his voice, almost. It’s strangely warm thinking of a smaller Malleus walking around a big, imposing dark castle, and still making all those sweet childhood memories there. It’s a testament to Malleus himself, maybe. The contrast between the imposing exterior and the softer interior. “It's tall, built in black bricks a long time ago, surrounded by thorn bushes…”

“You should bring me there one day.” Ellis suggests. His voice comes out sweet, it always does — And he hopes Malleus can notice why, he wants him to. But he doesn’t expect it at this point.

(Because if there’s one thing about Malleus’ he’s learned, it’s that genius or not, everything just flew right over his head, and flirting with him was a battle you lost before you even started fighting.)

“Perhaps that wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.” Malleus says mid a chuckle, and his heart flutters. Oh to have a tour around Malleus’ hometown. Maybe there wasn’t much more to see at the place than thorn bushes, but Ellis thought about it insistently anyways. The things that made it unique, and the things about it that Malleus carried over. It’s insistent curiosity and his equally insistent crushing.

He glances forward as he smiles, recalling what he’d been told about the cave. They should be getting to the part with the cool rocks (Cater’s words, not his, maybe not even Cater’s either, since he got that from Ace who got it from someone else… you know how it is) now, Ellis is excited. He’s read up a little bit on gems before doing this. Surely Malleus would be caught off guard by that too, if he was interested in them, then they could choose one to bring home, and it’d be like jewelry shopping, kind of, maybe…

But jewelry stores don’t have swarms of bats in it, and caves do — And in they come, screechy noises and motion blur, and Ellis wasn’t thinking about the presence of bats at all, so he completely flips out, jumping in shock with a yelp and dropping the flashlight.

Dropping himself, actually, tripping on a damned rock and almost falling on top of Malleus as he hears the crack of his light falling, rolling somewhere he couldn’t see.

“Careful, Child of Man—”

Ellis blinks, looking around to try and find that light, but it’s nowhere to be seen — Not that he could see anything, the place was shrouded in darkness now — and his breath quickens with panic, damn it this wasn’t what…

“The flashlight?” Ellis asks, voice frantic. “Damn it, I can’t see it, I…”

Malleus’ eyes are still glowing green.

“I’m guessing you can’t see in the dark?”

“No?” He sputters. What, now he could see in the dark too? Malleus’ abilities are usually interesting to hear about, but now… “Ugh, the flashlight…”

“It’s not anywhere near us.” He informs unhelpfully. “Fallen from a drop. Perhaps I should guide us back.”

He sighs, heavy and tired. Great, there went his plans, everything down the drain again. Usually he could just laugh something like this off, but…

Maybe he had higher hopes for tonight.

“Yeah, I guess.” Ellis mumbles. “Sorry, in the end we couldn’t really do anything cool.”

“We still have time for a stroll near the woods, don’t we?” He can’t see Malleus’ face, exactly, just the outline of his eyes dotting the black dye, but with the way they move he guesses he may have tilted his head. “And I’ve actually enjoyed visiting this cave, short as our outing was.”

“...yeah, b-but I wanted to impress you.” His face feels hot, mostly with shame, the stutter comes with the blurting out of the words. He hates being upset like this, and yet— “You’re always the one doing cool things, disappearing in thin air and leaving fireflies behind, bringing me all that stuff… I wanted to do it too, I guess, especially with you bringing me all those gems for reasons I still don’t know why. I wanted you to… l-like me more, I guess, because I really like you.”

Too many words. He feels his core burn, but they’d been spinning around in his mind for so long now, at some point it was meant to come out. At least, even if Malleus hated that, he wouldn’t…

“Child of Man,” He speaks, voice clear and blank after a pause. There it comes, Ellis thinks dejectedly, though he doesn’t know exactly what bad thing he’s expecting. “Ellis.”

But that’s his name. His agape mouth closes. Was it that bad? One might worry his heartbeat would start echoing into the empty cave.

“...I believe there may have been a misunderstanding here.”

He shakes his head, heart twisting. “N-No, it’s okay, I get that you don’t…”

“Are you not aware of dragon courting traditions?”

Ellis feels his heart both drop the ground and soar at the same time.

“...the gifting of gems. I’d been trying to tell you about… how I feel, I suppose, for a while.” He says, and his voice sounds different. Quieter. Guilty? Ellis can’t put his finger on what it is exactly, but he wonders if Malleus is blushing.

And the image of it in his mind makes him want to look away, even as he can’t.

“There’s been a misunderstanding after all.” Malleus sighs. Yeah, his voice is different. Airy, light, something to it that has Ellis’ face burning. “If you’ve been thinking you could make me like you any more than I already do.”

It feels like an impossible dream to have something like this happen, in this damn cave of all places too, but the smile makes its way into his lips and doesn’t leave, lopsided or not. The laughter starts bubbling up. And on his first snicker, he has Malleus’ confusion too.

“Are you laughing at my confession?” He asks when the snickers turn into a full on laugh, one that has him wiping tears off his eyes with his sleeves.

“G-God, no way, I’m just laughing ‘cause we’re both so stupid…” Ellis shakes his head. Who would have known, huh. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. Then we can go for that walk you wanted. I think it’d be nice.”

“As you wish, then.” He replies, and Ellis feels his hand on his, warmth spreading across him. It’s really a dream— “Would that mean we are… dating, now?”

Oh to see the great Malleus asking him all these dorky questions. “Maybe. Let’s get out of here first.”

The light from the entrance shines back onto them soon.

#twst #twisted wonderland #disney twst #disney twisted wonderland #twst x oc #twst oc #malleus draconia #lis writing #commissions tag

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omgshecodes · 4 years

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“The size of a ruler is measured by the size of his library and the beauty of his garden.”

4 semesters ago, there was this young woman who was all keen and determined to pursue a higher degree in Computer Science, come what may. Fast forward to today, the same woman feels as if she ultimately reached a crossroads of inner conflict and indecision, whereby both junctions still lead to the same destination - the goal of becoming a Computer Scientist - but she’s torn between which road to take from here.

I’ve always been that person who needs structure, organization, plans and strict guidelines, or in short: I always thought I could go best with being part of a, of _the_ system. That’s why, when first made the decision to become a programmer, it was of no question for me to attend university in order to fulfill this dream of mine.

But after only a couple of months in uni, I had to realize that the Bachelor’s degree as it is designed today comes close to an intercity express that races its way through one astounding valley after another while the passengers barely have time to absorb the beauty of each valley passed. I brought this metaphor up when I did this meme back then about studying to understand over studying to pass an exam - you guys completely roasted me back then, and I saw.

Yet, up until today I’m still having a hard time filtering the beauty of these valleys. I struggle with extracting chosen knowledge that will help me pass an exam, and that struggle is a product of both a fascination for the entire valley and the refusal to be that horse that only jumps as high as it’s required to, for I wan’t to jump in excellence, as high as I possibly can and also decide for myself.

Now, as if classes in college weren’t interestingly enough, my mentor and dear friend @carlaelisafischer has been gifting me a couple of classics over the course of semesters that she is convinced any programmer out there should own in their private library. In fact, it has been these books that enabled Carla to make a topic I found hard to grasp so incredibly telling and clear for me. And here, we’re talking books that are up to 50 years old! I believe I already made a post on how older books explain matters in a much easier and reasonable manner.

I feel both so ashamed and sad to admit that I didn’t even get to read any of the books she sent me so far because my mind was and still is constantly so full of the pressure to keep up with college’s academic syllabus, and that I better do not dare to do the splits between different resources. And if I think about it, this really feels like missing the forest for the trees.

Hence, I continued as usual, resuming one dictated paper after another, resulting in one file over another, while the stack of books Carla recommended to me grew along. It’s not that in these 4 semesters, I didn’t take away a single thing. That’s not the case and that’s not my point. It’s more that I feel like if I would have spent these past semesters getting my hands on the books Carla got me, I feel as if I would be much closer to the essence than I am now.

Her and I held several discussions about this and that poor woman tried to convince me to take that alternative route (in regards to the books/resources, not the degree per se) over and over again but there was no way for me to detach myself from college’s resources because of FOMO. I kept clinging to the curriculum despite knowing deep down inside that Carla was right, that I’d gain a much wider and broader understanding of the topic at issue if I would only engage myself in the books.

In retrospect, I also realized how this pressure also affected my family negatively. If I only picture myself with less of this burden university puts on my shoulders and at the same time learning and studying at my own pace and after my own curriculum, I know for a fact that I would fulfill my role as a mother and wife much better than I do know. Student Yasmin is prevailing at the moment, to the displeasure of my family..

Right now, I’m gonna admit I feel like giving up college and dedicating and committing myself to the knowledge _without_ pressure and restrictions and _with_ lots of flexibility and enjoyment. In a way, I feel like I’ve gone mad like Goethe’s Faust lol. Maybe it’s a result of the lockdown and that it felt like the world stopped spinning for several weeks, and now that everything is going back to normal, I feel just hit and overrun, but also insightful.

Before I started college and I was still a stay-at-home Mom, I would invest my leisure time in acquiring some pre-knowledge that I intended to make a foundation to build on later in college, so I wouldn’t start off from scratch. But back then, I changed and replaced resources over and over again, and that low-key proved my point why it was definitely the right path to attend university so I had an idea which fish to catch first in this vast ocean of knowledge. However, it turned out that the sequence of fish to catch as prescribed by college is nothing but „didactic bullsh*t“, as Carla would put it, and I agree xD.

At this point, I do envy the self-taught amongst you. I envy that you guys weren’t molded in a baking form. That you completely unfolded and explored yourselves while exploring the field of CS, where none of your potential got lost. That you guys could see for yourself how advanced you felt you were by taking jobs and making money, and at the same time still acquiring knowledge and growing big and bigger, without pressure and with freedom, flexibility and of course passion. The epitome of „learning by doing“, which, I believe, is the only right way to go when it comes to the field of CS.

Carla has been asking me so often what I want. And every time I thought I’d gave a proper answer, she still was not satisfied and kept asking, and I didn’t understand why. But reflecting on my past answers, they really were just super obscure and shallow.

What do I want? I used to say that I want to become a programmer, but that is really just the cherry on top. What I really do want is to understand concepts of both hard- and software on a deeper level, to really dive into it and find humility and awe at the bottom. Making money out of it would be my cherry on top.

Yes, I did ace my a-levels, and it would be such a waste if I didn’t use that key to open the door to pursuing a higher degree. However, what I’d find to be much worse is that if that door held shallowness that would lead to stumble and trip as fast as you passed through it. Will that degree make me a professional, knowledgeable, well-grounded programmer? Will it enable me to set confident foot in the industry? You may differ, but I don’t think so, and at the end of the day, I’m wondering whom do I have to prove something anyway? Why would I even feel the need to justify myself for taking a different route? Screw these 4 semesters I „wasted“. To me, it’s not cowardice but bravery to choose an unconventional career path (shoutout to Carla(yup, this brilliance of a woman is a self-taught herself!), @dhanishgajjar @glencodes @fightcodejulia @vonds.io @ninja.lancer and many others)

I felt lost prior to university because I was overstimulated with resources and didn’t have a lead. I feel lost in university because I wish I could commit entirely to the knowledge I am presented with and take more time in doing so, one at a time. How would I feel post university? Proud, most definitely, but at what cost?

Now that I got Carla, I feel as if I not only got a lead, but the right, the best lead, to try on my own. Like an apprentice under her wings, where I yet can trust my instinct and intuition. I never lacked of the self-discipline but of a plan that gives me the best results, customized to my capabilities and circumstances . And right now, I weigh all pros and cons this crossroad holds for me, and that alone is an achievement for me because I let go of this narrow-mindedness that only ever saw the conventional career path.

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submissivedjberry · 4 years

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Edelweiss

TAGGING: DJ Berry & Jo Fabray ( @jofabray )

DATE: April 25

SUMMARY: A whole lot of sweetness, working through some insecurities

Jo was definitely the person that DJ had spoken to the most during her brief time at the institute. She had been kind and caring and had followed through on the promise that she had made to talk with Rachel, which was something that really warmed DJ’s heart and made her feel more confident in her ability to be friends with the Domme. She had found the Domme’s explanation of what she had and had not liked about Singin In The Rain to be extremely enjoyable. She had been thoughtful and genuine and DJ was looking forward to seeing what she had to say about any future musicals that they would watch together.

While she was partially going over to Jo’s that Saturday to help clean up her suite to allow for the Dominant to continue to rest and recover from the punishment that she had gone through, she was also excited for what else they might do. She had her pajamas, hygiene essentials, and The Sound of Music in her bag as she made her way over to the Dominant dorms. She knocked on Jo’s door, waiting patiently for the Domme to answer. She wasn’t sure exactly what cleaning would need to be done in the Domme’s suite, but she was ready for whatever Jo would throw at her.

Since emerging from the wide, Jo struggled mightily with the idea of being a Dominant. As if a childhood spent in the tender care of Russell Fabray hadn’t already shown her what awful things her mark could do in the wrong hands, the mark wide had shown her that there could be more cruelty and sadism than she’d ever have believed possible. But refusing to be a Dominant wouldn’t help anything either; at best she’d never graduate, and at worst she’d catch the ire of Sue and cause horrible things to happen to either herself or everyone of her mark - unacceptable either way. Hence the orders that she’d issued DJ. A domestic scene wasn’t overly difficult or taxing, but it would allow them both to see what they thought of each other’s styles in a setting more formal and more normal than they’d had the first time around.

DJ, and by extension her sister, were good people. Rachel seemed exuberant and talented, and DJ...was more than that. She was compassionate and kind, warm and caring, and had the makings of an incredible submissive if the school and the other Dominants nurtured her skills. Jo was very excited for more time with her, and to watch another musical that they could debate and enjoy.

When she heard the knock at the door she approached, stopping short as she realized DJ was standing up as she waited. “Miss Berry,” she reminded her softly. “By the Institute’s guidelines, submissives are to kneel while they wait for admittance to a higher mark’s room.” Leaning closer, she whispered in the girl’s ear. “Sorry, I’ve got to put on the show. No way to know who’s watching right now.” She pulled back and nodded. “Please try again.” Jo shut the door softly and waited.

She rocked gently on her heels as she waited for Jo to open the door, not wanting her to rush at all; willing to wait for as long as it took. When the door opened up, DJ felt a smile form on her face. She was excited to see the Domme and spend some more time with her, especially in a situation that was less tense and less emotionally overwhelming than the first time they had spent some time together. While DJ was still helping Jo and hoping to make her feel better, it didn’t have the same weight to it.

Her smile slipped off her face when Jo’s voice and face told her that she had already done something wrong just by waiting for Jo to open the door. The apology from the Domme didn’t make her feel any better, because she had already screwed up. As the door was closed, DJ took a shaky breath and rubbed at her face. She did her best to shrug off the disappointment that she felt in herself as she worked on her breathing and then dropped to her knees in front of the door. Her bottom lip trembled and so she took a few more moments to compose herself before knocking on the door once again, hands crossed behind her back, eyes now focused on the floor.

When the knock came again, Jo opened the door with a much more satisfied expression - although that really only lasted until she saw how visibly upset DJ was with herself. The only consolation that the blonde took was that other Dominants might have been much more harsh with her for making a mistake; Jo never would. “Much better, sweetheart. Stand up and come inside, please.” Jo opened the door more widely to allow her in, and when DJ was clear she closed it softly behind them.

“It’s alright. It was just a little thing, but after the punishment we all need to be very careful about following the rules to the letter. And now you know for next time.” She caught DJ’s eye, approaching her carefully. “May I give you a hug, darlin’? Or would you rather I not right now?” Jo would understand either way, and only wanted to be sure that DJ could be as comfortable as possible. This hadn’t been meant to be a hard or upsetting scene, and any confidence that she might have been building back was badly shaken by the tremble of DJ’s lip.

Jo opened the door quickly once DJ had finally knocked, something that DJ was at least grateful for...so Jo could see that she had fixed her mistake. She just hoped that next time she wouldn’t make one before things even began. She eased up onto her feet when Jo told her that she could, keeping her eyes cast downward as she made her way into the suite, now holding tightly to her bag as though it was a bit of a lifeline. She stopped just a few steps inside the door, not wanting to make any more mistakes by simply walking into the suite further.

DJ nodded in understanding when Jo said that they had to be careful because of the punishment that had just happened, mentally hitting herself again. She had been so silly for not just kneeling. “I’m very sorry.” When Jo caught her eye, DJ did her best not to show how shaken she was. It felt like an extremely silly thing to be upset about, but unfortunately it had hit her hard. This was the first time that she was doing something as a submissive for a Dominant and she had somehow messed up something as simple as waiting for the door to be opened. She should have known better. At the question of whether or not Jo could hug her, DJ let out a slow breath. At least it didn’t appear like Jo was frustrated enough to not still want her to stick around. “A hug would be nice.” She offered up, a shaky smile forming.

“Your apology’s accepted, DJ. And I can definitely do a hug.” Stepping closer, she wrapped the brunette in her arms and just held her there for a moment, wanting to give her a moment to breathe and realize that a mistake wasn’t the end of the world. It wasn’t the last one that she would make, nor was it the last one that Jo herself was going to make. Life was full of them, big and small, and DJ would need to be able to collect herself afterwards. Particularly during exams, when simply giving up following a mistake would be a disaster. Releasing the hug, Jo stepped back but kept her hand on DJ’s shoulder.

“That was partly my fault. When you were here the other day I was at my lowest, and bein’ called Miss didn’t sit right with me. But by telling you not to, I gave you conflictin’ ideas about what would be expected of y’all in my suite. So I think we need to start over and allow me to correct that mistake. When you are under orders, as you are today, you may refer to me as Miss or Miss Fabray. When you are here under more casual circumstances, such as an invitation to have dinner or watch a movie, then I’ll be more flexible when it comes to titles. And hopefully that’ll make it easier to remember to kneel and the like as well. Does that sound fair? Easy to remember? And be honest, please, because my Dom intuition’s a mite shaky right now.”

As arms wrapped around her, DJ let out a soft breath, taking the time to collect herself. She hated that she had messed up, but she knew that it wasn’t the be all and end all. In the grand scheme of things, this was a tiny mess up that she had worked to fix the moment she had been made aware of the fact that she had made a mistake. That had to count for something and considering she had only been at the institute for a week and this was the first time that she had been put under orders, she could give herself some slack. Or at least she hoped that she could. She just had to ensure that she didn’t make it a habit; especially that she didn’t make it a habit of making the same mistakes when they were so simple to avoid.

She rubbed her face slightly when Jo pulled away, before letting her eyes focus on the Domme’s features again. The hand on her shoulder let her know that Jo wasn’t quite done with this moment yet and she wanted to ensure that she heard everything that she had to say. Hearing that they needed to start over, DJ tensed slightly, unsure of what that would actually entail. However as Jo expressed what she meant by that, it didn’t seem too bad. She bit down on her bottom lip, shuffling her feet slightly. “I understand. But I might make mistakes. Miss.” It felt like it was a bit of a back and forth that she would have to get used to; especially since for the last few days she had simply avoided calling Jo anything for the sake of not wanting to mess up and be unable to do what had been asked of her.

“Mistakes are allowed. I’m not about to punish ya for forgettin’ a title unless it’s something that you do often and repeatedly. And if you find it’s easier to just use a title all the time, even when you’re here casually? I don’t have any objection to that if it helps. You’re brand new at this, and I kinda got my legs kicked out from under me this last week, so I feel like I’m startin’ from scratch as well. If y’all can be patient with me then I’ll be patient with you right back and I think we’ll do just fine. I’m not the kinda Domme who’s going to yell and scream or be upset with you unless you’re deliberately makin’ mistakes - and having met your sister, I don’t believe anyone in your family would deliberately make mistakes, least of all you. So this is what we’re going to do.”

Jo let her hand down from DJ’s shoulder. “Set your bag down for me. I want you to roll your shoulders, loosen up, and try let all the tension drain out of ya. Once you’ve done that, give me a few nice deep breaths, right from the belly. When you’re feelin’ calm and relaxed, go ahead and put your bag in my bedroom and then rejoin me in the kitchen. We’ll go over what I’d like for you to do today, and then you can get started.”

She took Jo's words to heart, letting them soothe the disappointment and embarrassment that she had felt when Jo had opened the door. In that moment it had felt like she had stripped away the possibility of Jo being excited to see her, like she had been excited to see Jo, and it had sucked. But she could push it aside. She would be fine. And she would do what she was going to be tasked with and help make Jo's weekend easier.

The bag dropped from her hand when Jo told her to put it on the floor, wincing at the sound of plastic hitting the floor. She really hoped that her DVD was doing okay in its case because the last thing she needed in that moment was for the disc to have broken. She already felt a little on edge and that would definitely set her over the top, even if it was just something simple and small that could be replaced. She rolled her shoulders and shook out her arms slightly, trying to follow what Jo had told her to do before she had made her way into the kitchen. She didn't know how long she stood there breathing, but when she picked up her bag again she felt much better. She walked to Jo's room and set down the bag, sneaking a peak at the DVD and not seeing anything to worry about before finally heading to the kitchen. She linked her hands together in front of her and waited patiently to be told what to do.

She hadn’t actually meant for the bag to be dropped rather than set down, and Jo only hoped that nothing inside had been damaged. If it had, she’d look into getting it replaced. As the submissive followed her instructions Jo took the chance to breathe as well, knowing that they both needed to be calm and relaxed if they were going to move forward. When she headed into the bedroom, Jo took a seat at the kitchen table and retrieved the list of instructions that she’d written out earlier. She wanted to do this properly.

“Good girl,” Jo praised. “Thank you. Take a seat opposite me, please, and we’ll take a look at this together.” As DJ sat down she turned the paper around, gesturing to the top of the list. “First things first, I think we’ll start with lunch. I hope y’all are hungry, because I bought a ton of sandwich fixins and pickles and some soda and there’s no way I can eat it all myself. I’ll need y’all’s help for that. So task one will be lunch, which we’ll eat together.” Her tapered finger tapped the paper. “Then some general cleanin’ - the place needs a good vacuum, and dusting. If there’s time after that I’d love if you could straighten up the spare room.”

Jo cleared her throat. “Now - I want to be clear. If ya’ll need breaks during this, take them. If you need water, get a bottle. I really appreciate ya being here and working so hard for me, so I want to be doubly sure y’all are going to take care of yourself too.”

She claimed the spot at the table, biting down on her bottom lip. Hearing that the first order of business was lunch, her stomach clenched with the knowledge that she hadn't eaten because she had wanted to be at Jo's on time. When Jo said that they would eat lunch together, a small smile formed on her face and she nodded her head. That was definitely something that she could accomplish. After the rest of the list was finished being read off, DJ glanced up at the Domme. "I'll make sure that this all gets done for you, Miss." She offered softly, wanting Jo to know that she would do her best.

She looked down sheepishly when Jo said that if she needed to take a break, she should take one, knowing that she had decided to fight through everything to finish the cleaning in a timely manner. Now, though, it felt like not taking a moment to herself if she needed one would actually be letting Jo down. And she didn't want that.

“It’s not important if it all gets done, sweetheart. That’s not my biggest concern. My concern is that you do your best. Long as you do that for me, and take care of yourself, that’s all I could ask of you. And I promise that in this suite, in my space and under my care, good girls are rewarded well. Very, very well,” she would leave it up to DJ what she considered a good reward, and they’d sort all of that out when the work was done. For the moment they’d start with the simple task of lunch, and she was looking forward to a more normal meal than they’d had the day before.

She gestured to the fridge. “I’d love a turkey sandwich, with some lettuce and tomato and a little mayo. Please make yourself whatever you’d like, and grab us each a drink - I’ll take a soda and y’all can have whatever your heart desires. I’m going to sit on the couch and shut my eyes while ya do that, so please come and kneel beside me when everythin’s ready.”

“I understand. But I would still like to get it all done more you if I can.” DJ said, believing that she would be able to make it work. “Yes, Miss. I’ll get that done for you as soon as possible.” DJ stood from the chair and made her way towards the fridge, pulling out everything that she needed for the two sandwiches. She did hers first so that if anything were to get soggy it wouldn’t be Jo’s; copying the Domme’s idea of a turkey sandwich with tomato, lettuce and mayo. She made Jo’s sandwich next and then moved to set them down on the table with napkins beside each plate. She then grabbed Jo a soda and herself a water, placing the drinks down in front of the corresponding plate and then headed back to the kitchen, cleaning up what little mess she had left before as quickly as she could. DJ moved to the living room and knelt by the Domme’s feet. She felt accomplished and it was odd that just completing lunch could bring about such a good feeling.

“I have all the faith in the world in you, sweetheart, but I just don’t want you to overtax yourself. Domestic scenes aren’t supposed to leave you collapsing when they’re over, and I don’t want that.” When DJ confirmed that she could work on lunch, Jo made her way to the couch and sat down, leaning back to rest her eyes. Not sleep, not yet - she still couldn’t do that without dreaming and that was a no go - but trying to at least get some modicum of rest. Time passed in a bit of a haze until she felt DJ’s presence close at hand.

She raised her head and smiled at the submissive, placing a gentle hand on her head. “Good girl. Thank you very much for your hard work. You can get up now, and join me at the table for lunch.” Waiting for her to follow after, Jo took a seat at the table where the soda had been placed and looked appreciatively at the sandwich. “That looks delicious, darlin’. Well done.”

The touch to her head was something that she didn’t know she needed until she had gotten it. It was like a balm to the rest of the embarrassment and frustration that she had been feeling. She stood up from the place where she had been kneeling and made her way over to the table, waiting for Jo to take a seat before she claimed her seat as well. She had seen some people, throughout her life, do things like that and so she wanted to make sure that she showed respect to the Domme in whatever way she could. She grinned when Jo said that it looked good. “I’m glad that it does. I hope very much that it tastes as good as it looks.” She said with a soft laugh, shoulders shrugging. Sandwiches weren’t too difficult, but she also knew that people could be particular about their meals. However, she felt fairly confident considering the fact that she had made a bacon sandwich for Jo without ever having cooked bacon before.

It spoke volumes about the submissive that she waited to be seated without being told. Jo found herself more and more confident that DJ was going to become an incredible submissive in her time at the Institute, so long as Sue didn’t fuck everything up with yet another inane punishment that did more to hurt than help. Gifts and talents should be nurtured, not ruined, and Sue didn’t seem the type to figure that out. “I don’t have any doubt that it will,” Jo promised. Cracking open the soda, she raised it toward DJ with a smile. “Happy Saturday,” she toasted, taking a sip and then a bite of her sandwich. It was perfect, as she’d expected, well put together and very tasty, and once she’d dabbed mayo from her lip she nodded approval. “Wonderful.”

She lifted her own drink and nodded. “Happy Saturday.” She had now been at the Institute for a week and she just hoped that moving forward she would be able to continue learning and spend more time with people. Coming right before a punishment had meant that people had been preparing and then recuperating from the punishment an she hadn’t really been able to get to know or chat with many people. She was pleased with the acceptance that came from Jo. “I’m glad you like it, Miss.” She took a bite of her own sandwich, feeling her confidence grow the slightest bit. “How have you been feeling, Miss?” DJ questioned, hoping that she wasn’t pushing or prying too much as she took another bite. DJ had been there right after the punishment and Jo hadn’t been doing well, so she just hoped that she was doing at least a little bit better after the last couple of days.

After another couple of bites, DJ asked after her and Jo swallowed, washing her sandwich down with a bit of soda. She gave the question a moment’s honest consideration, wanting to be truthful in her answer. “Not great, sweetheart, if I’m honest with ya. I keep expecting sleep is going to happen eventually, but the brain really isn’t cooperating. I haven’t even really talked to my sisters about it, because...well, I can’t. And I’m certainly not gonna tell Ry that I made the choice for her sake because she doesn’t need to be carryin’ that guilt. So given all that, I dunno how long it’s gonna take to get better. I think you’re the only person who’s heard any of the story so far, actually.”

She nodded her head slightly when Jo said that she wasn’t doing great, glad that Jo was at least being honest about the situation with her. She could see that she hadn’t been sleeping well from the bags under the Domme’s eyes and it was nice to know that she was telling her the truth. “Well, if you need to talk about anything more, I’m always happy to be an open ear for you. I may not have the right words to say or know how to make it better, but I’m happy to listen and just be here for you.” She offered, leaving the option out on the table. “And hopefully having someone here tonight...if you still want me to stay...will help even just a little bit, Miss.”

Sipping her cola, Jo nodded. “I’m hard pressed to know where to start, sweetheart. It’s like a loop that keeps playin’ in my head. Did I even tell you what I did after the drivin’ thing, or not? I don’t really remember that conversation very well, except for the part where y’all let me cry on you and then let me corrupt y’all into eatin’ bacon,” Jo chuckled. “And I’d absolutely still like you here tonight, DJ, without question.” She wanted to be clear on that, because the last thing she’d have wanted was for the little mix up at the door to seem like it was some sort of grave offense that she wouldn’t let DJ spend the night because of. “I hope it does, or at the least that I’m not wakin’ you up when I jerk awake in the middle of the night.”

“I don’t think you have told me...you just told me that you had to go back and do something else for another key.” She said, head tilting to the side. Hearing that Jo still wanted her there that night, she nodded her head in acceptance. “I will definitely stay here tonight then, Miss.” She offered up, taking another bite of her sandwich, wanting to finish it up so that she could get started on the next few tasks as soon as she had the opportunity to do so. “If you wake me up...then you wake me up. I’ve been able to sleep the past few days. I’m more worried about you getting the rest that you need. Especially since we have to go back to classes on Monday. You’ll need to be rested by then.” She expressed, knowing that it would be essential for her to get a good rest so she was ready for more learning.

“Okay. Well that story sucks slightly less than the drivin’ one, so let’s get that one out in the open. I freed...the redhead. Layla? Layla, and got her back to the dorms. They said I could do one more task or stay there and try to figure out where the subs were.” Jo snuck another bite before she went on. “I couldn’t stay. No matter how screwed up I was, I couldn’t let another person wait to get released. So I took their deal. Guard takes me to the back of the school buildin’, points at this rickety-ass ladder, says the key’s on the roof.”

She sighed. “They know damn well I don’t like heights. I mean if they knew about the car thing, they sure as shit knew that. I’m crawlin’ up this ladder - my hands are bloody, the wind is blowin’...and then the asshole shakes the ladder. I thought I was going to die. Again.” She finished her sandwich, dabbing at her mouth. “Crawled across the roof, which is where the gravel in my legs came from, had to step out on the edge of the roof for the key, crawled all the way back down. That was key number two.”

She simply nodded her head when Jo said the name of the person that she had freed. She hardly knew anybody’s name and so she didn’t even know if that was the right name. Regardless, that wasn’t the main part of the story. It still amazed her that Jo had gone back for another key, breathing out slowly. It was extremely surprising.

Her eyes widened slightly when Jo said that she had to climb a ladder to get the next key, feeling her stomach churn slightly as Jo went into more detail, shaking her head slightly. It was almost unbelievable the things that Jo had had to go through. Even crazier was that part of her was almost sure that it wasn’t the worst of what people had had to go through throughout the punishment. “I’m sorry that you had to do that, Miss. That it was...so intense.” She uttered, shaking her head slightly. “It’s really no wonder that you’re having trouble sleeping.” She finished up her sandwich and gave the Domme her full attention. “Do you think there’s anything I could do tonight to make it better?”

Jo laughed, a little bit dryly. “Sad part is I would do that a hundred times if it meant I hadn’t to do the first thing.” When her eyes closed and sleep tried to overcome her, more often than not she could see the lights of the fire truck and the eyes of the man who’d cut her out of her seat belt. She’d been able to put those memories behind her for a time, but Lima had pulled them right back out of her mental closet and shone an ugly light on them. Jo would never forgive them for making her relive that moment.

“I honestly don’t know,” she admitted, running a hand through her hair. “I’ve never really had trouble sleeping, not since I left Mobile, so this is new territory. If it wouldn’t be an imposition for y’all to hold me during the night, I don’t think that could hurt. But it’s okay if you’d rather not.”

It was awful that she had been made to do something that had so clearly affected her and had brought up a lot of bad memories. They were memories that DJ wouldn’t ask her to explain, but they clearly weren’t good ones at all. It was more than simply something she didn’t like...it was something that had affected her in a deep and meaningful way. And that sucked...a lot.

She hummed softly when Jo said that she hadn’t had trouble sleeping in a while and took a sip of water. “Miss...it won’t be a problem at all. In fact, I have to admit that I’m going to very much appreciate having someone to cuddle.” She promised, being truthful with her words. Cuddles were very enjoyable. And if she could help someone with cuddles...even better. “Would you like me to get started on the chores now, Miss? I can get that all done and then we can get to the relaxing and cuddling part?”

“In that case, then I think that’s the best thing y’all can do for me tonight, DJ. And if you’re sure that me wakin’ up isn’t going to be a problem for you, then I’ll very happily cuddle.” She didn’t thrash or get violent on coming out of the dreams, it was usually just a sudden start into alertness and a bit of struggling to catch her breath. Hopefully, though, with someone to share her bed things might ease up at least a little. Even a few hours of sleep would be a veritable godsend. Finishing off her soda, Jo set everything on her plate and nodded.

“That would be great, sweetheart. If ya need to know where anything is, or where anything goes, I’m goin’ to be right there on the couch with a book. It’s not because I’m keepin’ an eye on you, it’s just a nicer place to read than the bedroom. Remember to go easy on yourself and take breaks, and when you’re done you can come kneel for me again. That said, if you’re not done by 4 or so then come kneel for me anyway. We’ll get dinner ordered and you can worry about the rest another time.”

Not wanting to repeat herself too much, she simply nodded her head. She would be happy to cuddle with Jo, regardless of how much the woman was going to move throughout her sleep. DJ knew that she would get a good sleep before heading to classes on Monday...so if Jo getting to sleep well that evening was at the cost of her having a good sleep that night, it would be worth it.

She smiled when Jo said that she could get started on everything, smiling softly and standing from her spot at the table. “Sounds good, Miss. I hope that you enjoy the book that you’re going to read.” She grabbed their plates and brought them into the kitchen, washing them quickly before setting them aside. She bit down on her bottom lip, working out what she wanted to accomplish first. She asked Jo where she could find the duster, moving to retrieve it once she knew where it was. Getting started on the task, DJ felt herself slip into a content mindset where the only thing that she needed to worry about was the task at hand. It was a comforting feeling.

“Thank you, darlin’,” Jo smiled bashfully. She wasn’t even sure what she’d ended up ordering for books, but surely there was something in the small stack that could amuse her for a time while DJ cleaned. She’d only been partly honest in saying she wasn’t going to keep an eye on the submissive - not to gauge the job that she was doing, but just to watch her. DJ Berry had been an unexpected bright spot in a dark time, and Jo couldn’t help but be struck by her.

Once DJ was settled into routine, Jo did crack her book - a simple mystery novel that truly didn’t require much thought; perfect for the mood she was in. At one point her eyes began to slip closed and she immediately forced herself to sit up straighter and push back the fatigue that had threatened to wash over her ever since Tuesday night.

She moved through the dusting as efficiently as she could. While she wanted to get everything done that Jo had asked of her, she also wanted to make sure that she did the jobs properly. It would be silly to do all of this work, but not ensure that the suite was actually cleaned sufficiently. The quiet of the suite was actually fairly relaxing and DJ found that she wasn't missing conversation or music to fill the lull. When she had finished dusting in all of the rooms, she took a brief break to have some more water, glancing at the time and fairly pleased with her progress.

Her break wasn't very long, just enough to have a quick breather before she grabbed the vacuum and got to work. She felt a bit bad the the noise may disrupt Jo's reading; but it was something that she had wanted done. When the vacuuming had been completed, she glanced at the time before moving to the spare bedroom. She tidied up what she could before it reached four pm and then moved to kneel by the Domme.

Sneaking the occasional peek at DJ as she worked, Jo was pleased to see that she could focus on her work without any need for further input. Eventually, at some point during the dusting, Jo felt the book slip from her hands and her head fell back against the couch, mouth open just a little as she took deep breaths. The moment that she began to dream, though, she jerked awake with a gasp - fortunately, since it was nearly the time for DJ to begin the vacuuming.

Rubbing at the bags under her eyes, she found her book where it had fallen and read a few more pages as the submissive passed by with the vacuum running - at which point Jo looked up at her with a smile. Whatever got done in the spare bedroom would get done, and she wasn’t concerned with what might be left for another day. DJ followed instructions well and was kneeling by her side just after four, and Jo rested a hand on her head again.

“Very good work, sweetheart. Good girl, thank you for all of your hard work today. Now, I believe I promised rewards - the first of which is that I’d like you to pick out something to order for dinner. Anything you want.”

"Thank you, Miss. I'm glad that I could help you today." Hearing that it would be her choice of what they would eat for dinner, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She didn't know much about the food options in Lima and she bit down on her bottom lip. "Do you know where we could find a list of options, Miss? I haven't ordered from anywhere yet so I'm not really sure what there is." She hated that she couldn't just come up with something, but it wasn't like she could have expected Jo to ask this of her. She had assumed that Jo knew what she wanted for dinner...but she was grateful to get to choose.

“I’m very glad you could, too,” Jo smiled. The reaction she got from DJ at her offer wasn’t what she’d expected, but she could have slapped her forehead when the submissive explained what was on her mind. “Good lord. Of course y’all haven’t - don’t mind me losin’ my damn mind. One second.” Grabbing her laptop from the coffee table, she pulled up the delivery service website and patted the couch with her free hand. “Come sit here, and you can look through everything they’ll deliver to us. Take your time, and pick whatever you want.”

"It's okay, Miss. You didn't know. I could have ordered in the last few days that I've been here." DJ said gently, shrugging her shoulders slightly. She moved onto the couch when she was told to, curling her legs up and scrolling through the different options to see what she might enjoy eating the most. She took her time as Jo had told her to do before coming to a decision. "I think I might like a burger and fries if that's alright with you, Miss." DJ said with a bit of a smile; before handing the laptop back so that Jo could decide what she wanted.

That was a fair point, now that she mentioned it. It still felt foolish of her not to have even asked, though she was happy enough to let the matter drop. Pushing her hair back out of her eyes, Jo waited for a choice and then accepted the laptop back. “Burger and fries is just fine by me, darlin’. Could have ordered a lobster and steak for the work you did today.” She found herself some chicken tenders and fries from the same place and placed her order, noting the expected time with a nod. “We’ve got about twenty minutes. While we wait, do you want to tell me about how it felt serving today? Was it like you expected it’d be?”

She rolled her eyes playfully at the mention of a lobster and steak. "Well I'll be sure to make that my order next time around if you're willing to be so generous with the meals." DJ giggled, shaking her head in amusement. She nodded in understanding when she said that there would be twenty minutes until their order arrived, wondering if Jo would want her to continue the cleaning. But it appeared not as she began to speak. "It was...nicer than I expected. I felt oddly relaxed and content. It was...good."

“I’d certainly hope so, y’all would be a fool to turn that down.” Jo turned a little on the couch, wanting to be able to see DJ as she spoke. It sounded like she’d been able to get into the right headspace for the scene, and that it had calmed her the way that subspace was meant to - a very good sign of her abilities as a submissive. “That’s good - I’m glad to hear it. Now when Dominants or Switches ask ya what you enjoy in a scene, you have one thing you know for sure - y’all like domestic scenes. That’s progress!”

"You just let me know when you need this place cleaned again and we'll have a nice steak and lobster dinner." DJ said with a wink. It sounded like a lovely time...and it meant more time with Jo too. She nodded slowly when Jo mentioned that she would be able to tell Dominants and Switches that she enjoyed domestic scenes. It wasn't much, but it was a start. "Thank you for today, Miss. I really appreciate it." DJ offered gently, twiddling her thumbs and shooting a small smile in Jo's direction.

“It’s a deal,” Jo smiled. She did hope to have the girl over for more than just cleaning, but she was a way off from being able to do a proper scene just yet and she wouldn’t risk DJ’s mental or physical health by attempting one and having it go wrong. She would never be that incompetent or careless. “Sweetheart, I should be the one thankin’ you. I don’t know how long it’d have taken me to get this place cleaned up in the state I’m in, or how many things I’d have tipped over and broken. Your help means a whole lot to me, and your company even moreso.”

Her nose wrinkled as her smile widened, excited for that day. Especially because Jo seemed like she wanted to spend more time with her as well. "I'm happy that I could do that for you." It was nice to know that she had made a difference. "Do you want me to finish off the spare room while we're waiting for dinner to arrive?" DJ questioned, wanting the offer to be there. Whether or not Jo took her up on it was up to the Domme. DJ was happy to simply sit there and enjoy Jo's company, but she also couldn't deny that it would feel good to accomplish all of the tasks that had been laid out for her.

It was getting easier for Jo to see just how tired she was, because the idea of getting DJ to finish the cleaning hadn’t even occurred to her. Part of her wanted to dismiss it, to suggest that they simply sit and enjoy the other’s company, but she didn’t know what the submissive’s thoughts on that would be. “If you feel like you can get done before the food gets here, sweetheart, I’d appreciate it a lot. But on the condition that if the food gets here y’all stop where you are and don’t worry about finishing up.”

She nodded her head when Jo expressed that she expected her to stop as soon as the food arrived. She had finished the majority of the cleaning in the spare room and really just needed to finish up. She had faith in her abilities and knew she would finish. She stood up from the couch, stretching slightly. "I'll be right back, Miss." DJ said before making her way into the spare room. She spent her time tidying up the rest of the room, finishing just as there was a knock on the door of the suite, DJ heading out to the living area.

It felt like the right call, because DJ seemed enthusiastic to go and take care of the last few tasks she had remaining. Jo returned to her book, at least for as long as it took her to realize she’d been reading the same page for five minutes without taking in any of it, at which point she set it down with a disgusted noise. Reaching for her phone she texted her sister to set up a night of drinking, setting it down again when there was a knock at the door. “Excellent timing, Darlin’. Would you go set the table for us, please? I’ll grab the food and meet y’all there.” She’d seen the delivery driver a few times in the Dominant dorms, and she paid him a generous tip as she accepted the food. “Have a good night,” she called after him, shutting the door and joining DJ in the kitchen.

She turned back to the kitchen with the order given, grabbing what she needed and setting the table so that it was ready. "Would you like a drink, Miss?" She waited for the response and then grabbed them both a drink, setting them in front of the proper plate. The food already made the suite smell delicious and her stomach grumbled. So apparently she was hungrier than she thought she was.

“Just a water please, sweetheart,” Jo smiled, carrying the bag of takeout over to the counter and opening it up before placing DJ’s burger and fries on one plate and her own chicken and fries on the other. She tossed the bag back to the counter and took her seat, gesturing for DJ to do the same. “Sounds like you were ready for this,” Jo grinned. “Dig in, darlin’.”

She claimed her spot at the table, not worried about waiting for Jo, since she had already claimed her seat. She felt comfortable with the Domme and was grateful that she had taken DJ’s mistake in stride. There was so much that DJ still had to learn and it was nice to be given the space to make up for her mistake and try again. “It appears so! Thank you so much for the food.” She offered gratefully and then popped a fry into her mouth with a hum.

“You’re most welcome, darlin’. You’re a pleasure to have over, I’ve gotta say, and I’m glad I managed to nab you for today.” She nibbled at a few fries, loving the way the salt tingled against her tongue. “Tell me somethin’ I don’t know about you. Doesn’t have to be profound or a secret or anything, any fact that pops into y’all’s head.” It was an icebreaker that her old manager had used when she first started at the hotel, and she’d always thought it was a nice way to learn about a person.

“I’m glad that you brought me over for today as well, Miss.” She said with a bright smile, tilting her head to the side. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly when Jo asked her to tell her something that she didn’t know about her. It was a funny question because there was so much that Jo didn’t know about her and so much that she didn’t know about Jo. “I’ve never actually seen an episode of The Simpsons at all.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t say you’re missin’ much. There are some jokes y’all might not get without seeing it, but it’s not worth sittin’ through thirty seasons worth of the same jokes - even if is all on Disney Plus,” Jo smiled. She bit into one of her chicken strips and quickly discovered it was too hot for that. “I used to write Gossip Girl fanfic,” she confided in a low voice as if they might be overheard. “It’s still out there on the web somewhere.”

“Well, I’m glad you don’t think I’m missing much. Because I have no urge to watch it.” She couldn’t help but giggle softly at the way in which Jo’s face squinted after she had bit into the chicken strip. It was clear that it certainly wasn’t what she had been expecting. She smirked at the mention of Gossip Girl fanfiction writing, humming thoughtfully. “What ship did you write for, Miss?” She questioned, bringing the burger to her lips and taking a big bit, wiping at her face a bit sheepishly as some of the ketchup was left on her bottom lip.

She shook her head, nabbing one more fry before she spoke again. “Someday I’ll teach y’all the Mr. Plow song and that’ll be all you need to know,” Jo chuckled. She broke the chicken strip in two to let it cool off, grinning at the question. “Blair and Serena. And y’all better believe I never saved those things on the home computer. Daddy would not have approved.” That was putting it mildly. The condiments leaking from DJ’s burger were a good sign, in her books. That was the best sort of burger - well decorated, with all the flavors that came with that. “If y’all need extra napkins, I’ve got some around here someplace.”

“Well alright then. That sounds like a good enough plan for me.” She said with a soft laugh, shrugging her shoulders slightly and chewing on her bottom lip. Hearing that it was Blair and Serena, she nodded her head. “I approve. That blonde and brunette pairing hardly ever does me wrong.” She said with a giggle, eating a fry and frowning at the mention of Jo’s dad not approving. It didn’t seem like he was the nicest person in the world and that was a shame, because Jo was awesome. “Thank you, Miss. I appreciate it. I think I’m okay right now. As long as you don’t mind me licking my fingers.”

“There may or may not be dancin’ involved, so we’ll see how that goes,” Jo chuckled softly. “It does seem to be a good combination, doesn’t it? Pretty much always a formula for a good pair.” It didn’t escape her notice that there was a blonde and a brunette at her table just then, but she decided not to comment on that part - it would be a little forward for someone she’d only met so recently. “‘Course I don’t, darlin’. I grew up on barbecue, that kinda thing’s a compliment where I come from.”

“So you’re going to dance for me….that’s what I’m getting from this whole thing.” DJ said with a giggle. But nodded her head in agreement with Jo’s comment about the blonde and brunette pair. Jo not minding about the messy eating was a relief and she went back to munching on her burger, humming at the taste. There was a juiciness to the burger that was enjoyable and necessary because it meant that they hadn’t overcooked the meat. Every bite was delicious and she knew that she would be ordering this exact meal again; probably sooner rather than later. “Are you enjoying your meal, Miss?”

She had to swallow half a chicken strip first, but Jo laughed and nodded a moment later. “It’s a short song, so I wouldn’t get too excited. It’ll mostly be me shakin’ my butt.” She finished off a good half of her fries and two of her chicken strips in the comfortable silence, extremely glad to have some company in her current mood. “It’s really good. Chicken was a little hot when I tried it, but now it’s really lovely. Think next time I might get some dippin’ sauce though. Burger’s good?”

“Wiggling of the butt is a very important dance move. One of the most important ones I would say.” The conversation was light and fun and DJ was definitely enjoying it. “That’s good to hear. What’s your favorite dipping sauce? The burger is so good. I’m definitely going to get it again. Maybe next time I’ll try it with some bacon.” She said, shooting a wink in the Domme’s direction with a soft laugh as she went back for more of the burger. Bacon was definitely going to be something that she lightheartedly teased Jo about as they moved forward. She just couldn’t help it.

“Good thing, because it’s basically the only one that I’ve got,” Jo admitted. “Pretty sure Ry and Q got all the talent in the family for that sorta thing.” She considered the question for a moment, tossing between a few, before she answered. “Sweet and sour. Or plum sauce, which is pretty much the same thing.” DJ’s teasing prompted a very gentle toss of a fry across the table. “Y’all are going to say that in front of your parents and get me killed.”

“I’ll show you some others at some point.” DJ promised with a smile. “Those are good choices for chicken for sure.” DJ agreed easily. “My fathers never have to know.” She said with a giggle, shaking her head. “It’s okay. They both know that it’s a strong possibility that I’m going to be claimed by someone that isn’t Jewish and they also know I most followed the rules because I was living with them. I don’t think they would be surprised at all that I had some bacon. Though maybe they’d be surprised at how quickly it happened.”

“I’d be happy to watch y’all, but I make no promises that I could replicate anything ya show me,” Jo smiled. A few more fries disappeared, the end of her food rapidly approaching. “Thank goodness for that. Last thing in the world I need is to get chased down the street by your dads yellin’ about how I’d corrupted their daughter. I don’t think I’ve got the right shoes for runnin’ just now.”

“Well, as long as you do your best, I’ll count it as a win.” DJ vowed. She giggled and shook her head. “My dads would probably chase you, but probably just to get a hug.” Her parents were protective when they needed to be, but nothing that Jo had done so far had led DJ to think she would need to be protected. She had been kind and at the very least, DJ could see them being great friends moving forward. Anything else was much too early to even think about much less worry about.

“That much I can do,” Jo promised. “And if it’s for a hug, I think that’d be alright. I wouldn’t even make them chase me too far.” She knew that the Institute had some kind of parents’ day or something, and since she wouldn’t be seeing Russell she thought it’d be cool to meet some parents that didn’t suck. “Well, I think I’ll save this last chicken strip for a snack later. That was delicious, though.”

“They give pretty great hugs.” DJ informed her, knowing that hugs from her fathers was probably the thing she was going to miss the most from being back in Brooklyn, especially because she had no idea if she would ever live in the same town as them again. She glanced down at her cleared plate, blushing a little bit at the amount of food she had ate and pushing the last few fries away from her. “I’m glad you enjoyed the meal, Miss. The burger was amazing. Thank you again for paying for the meal. You’ll have to let me get one one of these days okay?”

“Then how could I turn one down?” Jo smiled. “Far be it from me to turn down a great hug.” A fatherly hug wasn’t exactly something she had much experience with in any case, so a great one would be a whole different animal. “I’m glad y’all did too, sweetheart. And don’t worry about that,” she waved a hand. “I invited ya, least I can do is pay for food.” The hotel hadn’t made her rich or anything, but she had a comfortable savings account that would survive a few takeout orders. “But if it’ll bug ya, then we’ll make sure you cover one of them. Got my word on that.”

She nodded her head when Jo said that eventually she would be able to pay for a meal, because she didn’t want Jo to feel like she was being used; even if that’s not how she currently felt. DJ had saved up some money and she hoped to get a job as soon as she possibly could; so paying for some meals wouldn’t hurt her either. “Would you like me to clean up after dinner, Miss? And then we can relax?” She offered, shrugging her shoulders slightly. She had finished the rest of the cleaning and it just felt like it made sense to finish off the day by cleaning up after their meal.

“That would be lovely, sweetheart, and very much appreciated.” The less dishes she had to do before class in the morning the better it would be for her; and the less likely she’d be doing them at one in the morning and cut herself on a knife or something. “I hope there’s not too much - should just be a couple of plates, I think.”

She stood up from the table and grabbed the plates with a smile, moving into the kitchen. She quickly made her way through the dishes that were there, humming thoughtfully before she returned to the Domme, pausing for a moment before kneeling before her once again. She clasped her hands in front of herself and then waited for Jo to tell her what the plan was now.

Relocating to the couch, Jo stretched and yawned as she settled against the cushions. The exhaustion she was feeling was overpowering, but she wasn’t about to give into sleep now. Instead she waited for DJ’s return and rested a hand on her head. “Such a good girl for me. I think it might be time for us to switch to pajamas and find something to watch on Netflix. How does that sound?”

At the praise, she felt herself relax and she smiled softly. “I think that sounds perfect, Miss. Except the Netflix part. I still have to force you to watch The Sound of Music with me.” She teased gently, looking up at the Domme. “Unless you’re too tired to deal with my commentary and singing...then I understand. And we can table that for another night.” DJ offered, not wanting to be selfish; even if she had been looking forward to watching that specific movie.

Jo snapped her fingers, nodding. “I believe I did promise you that tonight, didn’t I? Thank you for remindin’ me, sweetheart. I was very much lookin’ forward to your commentary and your singing, so we’re definitely going to go ahead and do that.” She knew that her brain wasn’t quite all there given how long she’d gone without a night’s sleep, and hoped that it would excuse her forgetting what their plans for the night had been. “Shall we get changed and do that, then?”

The submissive’s eyes looked over the Domme to double check that it seemed like she actually wanted to go ahead with what they had planned. DJ didn’t want to do something if it would make Jo unhappy in the moment. However, it seemed like she was really okay with their plan and so she nodded her approval. She eased up onto her feet and moved to grab her bag before heading into the bathroom to change. She eased into her pajamas, a pair of short shorts and a t-shirt before making her way out, waiting at Jo’s door, not wanting to enter if she wasn’t ready.

Slipping into her bedroom, Jo changed out of her dress and tossed it into her hamper. She was still eating, so she wasn’t looking too gaunt - but the reflection in the mirror definitely showed how pale and drawn she looked. The circles under her eyes would have been much deeper and darker without some skillful application of makeup, and she hoped that she could keep the act up. Changing into her shorts and a cami, she pushed her door open wider and gestured to DJ. “C’mon in.”

When the door was opened, DJ moved inside, setting her bag down and pulling out the disc. She waited for the go ahead and then put the movie in, trying to hide just how excited she was to watch it. She glanced over at Jo and then eased herself slowly onto the bed. She really hoped she wasn’t pushing her welcome by not waiting for Jo to tell her to get into bed. But she was sure that she’d find out swiftly if that was the case.

The little spring in DJ’s step was entirely too cute. The movie was going to be made an infinitely more fun experience hearing her commentary and her singing, and Jo was looking forward to it. She gave the submissive a nod as she began to climb into bed and followed after her, dimming the lights and snuggling up close - it wasn’t late, not yet, but she’d always thought it was better to watch movies in the dark. “Ready, sweetheart?”

As the lights were dimmed and Jo curled up close to her DJ smiled with a nod. “I’m always ready for this movie, Miss. I’m excited for you to finally watch it if I’m being honest. And I’m excited to find out what you think of it.” She uttered, feeling something warm and comfortable settle in her chest as Jo started the movie. She glanced over at the blonde for a moment before turning her attention to the screen. Hopefully Jo still didn’t mind her commentary and singing by the end of the movie.

The movie was far better than she’d expected - Jo only knew the synopsis, and it had sounded a little silly - but with DJ at her side providing all sorts of useful knowledge and breaking into song, it was infinitely better than it had any right to be. “That was really good, darlin’. And the movie was alright too,” she teased.

She blushed at Jo’s words, rubbing at her face. She was definitely feeling a bit sheepish and her belly felt all fluttery, but ignoring that was definitely what she was going to do in that situation. Jo was sweet and beautiful, but she had also been through something awful and clearly wasn’t doing well; so anything more than being a friend was far from something DJ wanted to worry about. Even if she couldn’t help but think that it might be nice to at least see how Jo kissed. She cleared her throat as the thought passed through her mind and she smiled, glancing at Jo. “I’m glad, Miss.”

DJ’s reactions were so adorable sometimes that Jo couldn’t help but be bemused. She was a sweet, lovely person to have in her suite and someday when she felt up to scening properly she looked forward to finding out whether she would be into that or not. Right now, though, a scene wouldn’t be fair or safe. And if she couldn’t be safe, she wouldn’t have a scene at all. “In all seriousness, though, I really did like it. And you can do commentary for movies anytime.” Jo rubbed her eyes with the back of one hand, yawning. “So, I know it’s early - and feel free to lay up listening to music or watching TV or whatever you’d like - but I think I might shut my eyes. I’m very comfortable right now.”

“Go ahead and sleep, Miss. It’s okay.” Of course DJ wanted to spend more time chatting and getting Jo’s opinion on the movie, but she wasn’t going to force her to stay awake when she was obviously so tired. She may be a bit disappointed because they hadn’t spent a ton of time talking that day, but she would get over it. “Hope you get some rest, Miss.” DJ offered honestly as she turned off the TV. She grabbed her phone and a pair of headphones from her bag and pulled up Youtube on her phone, choosing a random video and starting to watch.

“Thank ya, DJ.” She hated to give up on the night so early, but the truth was that being with DJ in her bed was the only time she seemed to sleep at all lately. Unfortunately this time it didn’t last long, and she snapped awake again only an hour or so into her rest. Her chest rose and fell rapidly and she blinked as she tried to separate the dream from reality. “Shit,” she sighed, running a hand through her hair. “You okay? I didn’t kick y’all or nothing, right?”

She spent the next hour watching random youtube videos on her phone, letting the youtube algorithm lead her wherever it was going to after having chosen a video relating to a Harry Potter theory. She felt a jolt to the bed and pulled out her head phones, her attention shooting to the Domme almost immediately. She shook her head when Jo questioned her, reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from Jo’s face. “Ya didn’t kick me at all.” She promised. “Are you alright?”

The affectionate little gesture went a long way to grounding Jo in the here and now. DJ was much too good at things like that. “Good,” she murmured. That would have been the last thing she needed was to feel guilty for that on top of everything else. “I don’t know,” Jo admitted. “I hate this. That was probably the most sleep I’ve gotten all week, at least uninterrupted.” DJ could do that for her, but she could hardly ask the submissive to come by every time that she couldn’t sleep. “I might get up for a bit, if you feel like comin’ along. You a fan of hot chocolate?”

She frowned when Jo said this was the most sleep that she had gotten. That wasn’t healthy. It was far from the proper amount of sleep that Jo needed. “Of course, I’ll come with. And I love hot chocolate.” She offered, setting her phone and headphones aside as she rolled out of bed and followed Jo out of the room. “I’m sorry that you haven’t been able to sleep lately. I wish that there was something I could do to make sure you had a great night’s sleep.”

“Then you’re in for a treat. I’ve got the good stuff,” she promised. “And those giant marshmallows, because I’m a sucker for those.” Jo looked back as DJ fell into step with her. “As corny as it might sound, darlin’, you do it. I haven’t found any other way I sleep half as well as I do when I have y’all over.” She gestured to the table. “Have a seat, if you want. Won’t be a minute.” Digging in the cupboard, Jo found her kettle and filled it before setting it on the stove. “What were ya watchin’?”

“That might be something that we disagree on then, Miss. I’m not the biggest fan of the giant marshmallows. But I’m definitely excited to taste the amazing hot chocolate you’ve got for me.” DJ expressed, crossing her arms over her chest as they walked through the suite. She felt both worried and pleased that she seemed to be the only thing that helped Jo sleep. She wasn’t over here all the time and so it sucked that she couldn’t help her sleep beyond whenever she was over. She wished she could do more. She took a seat at the table and shrugged. “A bunch of random videos honestly, Miss.”

Putting on her best fake shocked expression, Jo just stared for a moment before she laughed. “That’s alright, darlin’. I’ll let you stay all the same.” She dug through the cupboard as DJ replied, finally pulling out the container of hot chocolate mix that she’d brought from Bay. “I think that’s how most people use youtube. It’s how I do, anyway.” She took a seat, waiting for the kettle.

She winked playfully when Jo said that she would let her stay. “I’m very grateful to you for letting me stick around, despite our lack of similar taste in marshmallows.” She teased gently, leaning back comfortably into the chair that she was sitting on as Jo got things ready to prepare the hot chocolate. “I normally use it a bit more sparingly. Just kind of with whatever subscriptions I have. But I was feeling a bit more adventurous tonight I guess.”

“It seems like the least I can do, really.” Jo rested an elbow on the table, leaning over a little bit and trying not to look as worn as she felt. “What sort of things do y’all subscribe to? Any favorites that ya wanna recommend?” Anything that might help her take up a few hours of her time at night wouldn’t go too far amiss. “Also, I gotta confess I googled the movie since we were goin’ to watch - they do singalong screenings of it, huh?”

“I follow a couple lesbian couples. I also follow MatPat and all of his channels. Then I subscribe to some ASMR...some True Crime stuff...and also some things that relate to like production and what not. So I guess it depends on what you like.” DJ said with a shrug of her shoulders, tilting her head to the side slightly. She giggled softly when Jo said that she had googled the movie beforehand. “Oh they certainly do. It’s kind of a huge part of it really.”

Blinking a few times, Jo chuckled. “I honestly don’t know half the things you just said, but that sounds like you’ve got a wide range of interests. And I’m not sure how listening to true crime could be relaxin’, but if it works for you then it’s all good.” She nodded, getting to her feet as the kettle began to whistle. “And has the Berry clan ever been to these singalongs? I think I know the answer already, but it seemed polite to ask.”

“It doesn’t have to be relaxing! I just find it interesting. There are a lot of cases that don’t get the air time that they deserve. And I find that a tremendous shame.” DJ offered, shrugging her shoulders slightly. She blushed slightly and shrugged her shoulders when Jo spoke up about the Berry family going to a singalong. “We have definitely been to one before. But uh...you know.” She shrugged again and cleared her throat.

“Makes sense to me!” Jo agreed, pouring the boiling water into their mugs and wincing when she splashed her finger with it. “That is one thing the internet has done, brought a lot of the cold stuff back to light.” She stirred up their drinks and added some marshmallows to her own before taking her seat opposite DJ. “Did you have fun?” she asked. “I’m sure Rachel did, but was it your thing?”

She smiled and nodded her head. “I love musicals as well. And singalongs are fun. I just don’t like being on stage. But I definitely had fun. I wouldn’t go all the time. But every once in a while things like that can be enjoyable.” DJ expressed with a shrug, biting down on her bottom lip. “Thank you for the hot chocolate.” DJ said, holding onto the mug, the warmth of it causing her to sigh softly. Warm drinks just had a way of helping her mind and heart relax.

“Fair enough,” Jo nodded. “I’m glad you’ve had chances to do things like that, things you all enjoy as a family.” The Fabray unit was a little more broken, for all sorts of reasons. “I think the only singalong I ever knew about in Mobile was for Rocky Horror, and ain’t no way a Fabray was allowed to be at somethin’ like that.” She nodded, smiling. “My pleasure, sweetheart. I don’t break out the good stuff for just anybody.”

“Rocky Horror is so much fun. So like...you should definitely go whenever you get the chance. I recommend it. It’s messy and it’s a mess. But it’s fun.” She said with a smile, head tilting to the side. She blew on the mug and then brought it to her lips, taking a few sips before humming softly. “Well…are you calling me special now, Miss?” She questioned, quirking an eyebrow with a soft giggle.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jo smiled, taking a sip of her cocoa and setting it back on the table. “I was always curious, but not enough to risk someone letting the parents know I’d been there.” DJ’s question made her wiggle her eyebrows playfully. “I think I just might have, darlin’. If that’s alright by you.”

“I can understand that. It’s not something I would have risked either probably. It’s certainly not worth getting in trouble for as far as I’m concerned.” The submissive mused. She looked down bashfully at Jo’s response but then nodded her head in approval. “I’m absolutely okay with that, Miss. Does being special get me any other privileges?” DJ questioned with a tilt of her head, biting down on her bottom lip.

“No, it definitely isn’t,” Jo shook her head. The wrath of Russell wasn’t something to be risked lightly, and if it was going to be done it always required copious planning to minimize the damage. DJ’s bashfulness was unbearably cute, and Jo smiled over the rim of her mug. “I suppose that depends what sort of privileges you have in mind, sweet girl. If they involve bein’ in my bed then I think bein’ special definitely gets you that much.”

She raised an eyebrow and took another sip of her hot chocolate. “Does that mean that not everyone gets to sleep in your bed?” She couldn’t deny that she was curious about that. Because if being in Jo’s bed meant that she was special...Of course, Jo had every right to have anyone she wanted in her bed. She cleared her throat, wondering if she should have kept that question to herself.

The question surprised her, even if it shouldn’t have in retrospect. “It does mean that,” she admitted softly. “I’ve only scened with one other person, and they slept in the guest bedroom. Y’all are the first and only one who’s stayed with me for the night - so definitely special.” The first time had been because she was emotionally and physically wrecked and had needed DJ there with her. Since then, though, the current night included...well, she enjoyed having the submissive at her side. Even at night.

She smiled softly and nodded in understanding when Jo explained that DJ, so far, was the only one who had spent the night in her bed. That felt important and it certainly caused butterflies. But it was much too early to be thinking about anything serious. For now, DJ was happy to simply be special in whatever way Jo found her to be. She was happy to spend whatever amount of time she could with the Domme and get to know her better. DJ took another few sips of her hot chocolate, humming softly. “This is so good.” She didn’t want to dwell on what Jo had said for too long.

For a girl who’d always had a good handle on her emotions, the exhaustion of not sleeping properly for so long was not a fun experience. Part of her felt like she was calm and in control, and part of her felt as if she was just slightly detached from her own existence. That detachment made it hard to enjoy the things that were happening in the here and now, and she tried to focus. DJ was special. Definitely. Whatever that meant, there was a reason Jo had invited her back when she hadn’t made that effort with many people. “It’s the best,” she agreed. “They don’t make it anymore, though, so I’m gonna be sad when I run out.”

She pouted when Jo said that they didn't make it anymore, shaking her head slightly. "You shouldn't have used your prize hot chocolate on me then, Miss. You should have kept it so that you could make the most out of what you have left." DJ expressed, feeling bad that she had unintentionally taken something away from the Domme. Her pout deepened as she looked into her mug before her attention was drawn back to Jo.

Reaching across the table, Jo gently put two fingers under DJ’s chin and lifted until they were looking each other in the eye. “I did make the most of it. You’re sitting here with me in the middle of the night because I can’t sleep - and soon you’re going to come back to bed with me until either my alarm goes off or I wake up again. You have gone out of your way to help me, and the least I can do is offer you a cup of my favorite hot chocolate. As long as you enjoyed it, that’s all that’s important to me.”

#post: para #para: jo fabray #para: jo fabray 2

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bisexualstevierogers · 5 years

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To Be Young and in Love in New York City (Peter Parker X Reader) {Fake Dating AU}

Fandom: Marvel/Spider-Man: Homecoming Pairing: Peter Parker X Reader Word Count: 10,119 Author’s Note: Peter and the reader are both juniors, so they are 16/17!! Loosely based off/inspired by To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before!! Peter and Ned are bi and _y/n_ and Ned are bros (: Feat. some of the other Avengers because they all get along in this (Civil War happened but they’re all friends again now)!! also...there are so many cliches and this is SO self indulgent lmao I'm sorry!! Infinity War didn't happen in this fic 💖 I started this literally five months ago...and finally figured I should edit it and post it :^) This is the longest thing I’ve ever written so I really hope you guys enjoy! A semi smutty part two can be found here, for anyone interested in reading that!

“You want us to fake date?” You asked, staring at your friend Peter in disbelief.

Peter had dropped by after school to help you with some homework, but after working diligently for twenty minutes the words that left his mouth were not what you were expecting at all.

Peter nodded.

“Why?”

Peter scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “Mr. Stark has been trying to set me up with the daughter of one of his co-workers and I'm sure she’s nice, but between school and being Spider-Man, I just don't have the time or energy to date somebody.”

“And you can't just tell Mr. Stark that?”

“I tried!” Peter said with a frown. “Mr. Stark won't listen to me. He's not going to stop trying, and even if I go on one date with her then end it, I'm sure Mr. Stark will try to set me up with someone else. He thinks that a relationship would be good for me.”

“I actually think he might be right.”

Peter looked at you, the betrayal evident on his face. “Huh?”

You rolled your eyes at him playfully. “Maybe if you were in a relationship you'd use that big brain of yours and think a little more before throwing yourself into dangerous situations.”

Peter had told you a while back about what happened last year with Liz’s dad, and you were understandably pissed. He had been reckless and put himself in serious danger more times than you could count.

“_y/n_…” Peter whined. “I just don't want to be in a real relationship right now.”

“But you can handle being in a fake one?” You questioned with an arched eyebrow.

“There's no real commitment with a fake relationship! And I already hang out with you anyways so it's not like it'll be adding stuff to my schedule.”

You sighed before locking eyes with Peter. “Why me?”

Peter looked at you in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Why me? I'm not your only friend. You could fake date MJ or Ned just as easily as me.”

“We both know MJ would never agree to fake date me, and Ned said he'd be fine with it except he didn't want things to be weird with him and Aunt May when we broke up.”

“There's gonna be a break up?”

Peter shrugged. “At some point, yeah. I don't want to be in a fake relationship forever.”

You nibbled on your lower lip subconsciously as you thought it over. “How long do you think this fake relationship will last?”

“Not sure, probably just a couple of months.”

You nodded in understanding. “So...what do I get out of it?”

Peter raised an eyebrow at you. “What do you want?”

You thought about it for a moment. “I want to try on the suit.”

“My Spidey suit?” Peter asked in disbelief.

“Yes, and-”

“There's more?” Peter interrupted.

“I'm making myself unavailable from a real relationship to be in a fake one, and believe it or not some of us are tired of being single, so yes, there's more.”

“Go on.”

“If we're still fake dating by the time prom rolls around, you’ll go with me.”

“Deal.”

“And…” You paused, feeling embarrassed.

“What else, _y/n_?” Peter asked gently.

“If either of us end up...actually liking the other we won't let it ruin our friendship.”

Peter’s eyes were wide. “Do you think that'll happen?”

“I don't know.” That was a lie. You had developed a crush on Peter only recently, but you were pretty sure that fake dating each other wasn’t a good idea when you actually did want to date him. “If we have to kiss each other a lot then maybe.”

“We, uh, have to kiss?”

Your cheeks flushed. “I mean, I don't know! I don't know what kind of convincing Mr. Stark will need. It's up to you.”

Peter paled suddenly. “I totally didn't think this through.”

“We don't have to kiss, Peter, I just wasn't sure if you thought we should.”

You were both silent for a moment.

“Maybe we shouldn't do this.” You offered when the silence became unbearable. “Maybe you could have Aunt May talk to Mr. Stark.”

Peter ran a hand through his hair anxiously. “The problem is that I don't want to hurt his feelings. I know he's just trying to help.”

Peter looked at you oddly before scooting closer to you. “Besides, I don't have anything against kissing you. And you said you were tired of being single, so it would be kind of nice to have someone you can kiss, right?”

“Right.” You admitted, feeling your heart flutter in your chest as Peter's eyes met yours.

“Can I kiss you?” Peter asked gently, bringing a hand up to cup your cheek.

“Yes.” You answered hesitantly, and Peter carefully leaned in and brushed a feather light kiss across your lips.

When Peter pulled away and smiled at you, you realized just how screwed you were. You already wanted to kiss him again.

“So, _y/n_, you wanna be my fake girlfriend?”

You plastered on a smile even though you felt like frowning. “Of course, Peter.”

----------

“You totally did this on purpose, didn't you?” You hissed into the phone after Peter had gone.

“I don't know what you're talking about, _y/n_.” Ned answered easily, and you wanted nothing more than to hang up on him.

“You are the only person that knows that I like Peter and now he wants me to fake date him because you said no!”

“Well I obviously couldn't say yes.” Ned replied and he sounded offended.

“Why not?”

You could hear Ned’s muffled chuckle through the phone. “You'd be totally jealous if I was fake dating Peter and I couldn't do that to you.”

“I would...not.” It fell flat even to your own ears.

“I rest my case.”

“You didn't tell him that I...you know...right?”

You could hear Ned rolling his eyes. “Of course I didn't. I would never tell him that _y/n_, you know that. I gotta go, he's coming over to work on some stuff.”

“You can say that he's coming over to play with Legos, Ned.” You answered back with a chuckle.

“Talk to you later, _y/n_. Love you.”

“Love you too, Ned. Bye.”

After the emotional day you had had, you decided it was time for bed. As you drifted to sleep, your last thought was of how good a certain fake boyfriend’s lips felt against yours.

----------

“I think we need to set up some rules.” You announced as you took your seat next to Peter at lunch.

“About what?” Peter asked, and you were startled momentarily as his arm wound around your waist.

“About, um, boundaries. What are you doing exactly?”

“Well, since you're being so gracious in deciding to fake date me, it only seems fair that we do some of the stuff couples do, right? I am stealing you away from someone you could actually be doing that with.”

“I wouldn't say you're stealing her away from anybody.” Ned said with a chuckle as he sat down across from you. You kicked him in the shin and shot him a look that said ‘Please be quiet’.

Luckily for you, Peter didn't seem to notice. He was too busy reading the list of guidelines you had written out earlier when you couldn't focus in first period.

“‘_y/n_ gets to try on the Spidey suit whenever she wants.’ I didn't agree to that.” Peter said with a chuckle as he turned to look at you.

“It's a rough draft.” You said sheepishly. Ned reached across the table and grabbed your notebook before you could stop him.

“‘Kissing is fine whenever both parties are in agreement.’ You guys are actually going to be kissing? I thought you just had to make Mr. Stark believe that you were dating.”

Peter shrugged nonchalantly. “Mr. Stark has people everywhere.”

“‘Peter will hold _y/n_’s hand as often as she likes.’” Ned read, laughing as he did so. “You're gonna be holding her hand literally all the time, Peter.”

Peter smiled at you and slipped one of his hands into yours, giving it a squeeze. “I don't see a problem with that.”

As your cheeks flushed, Ned shared a look with MJ, who had finally joined your table. They were both suddenly realizing that this could either go horribly wrong or incredibly well. Ned hoped for your sake that it would be the latter.

----------

“What should I tell my parents?” You and Peter had stayed after school got out to finalize the list and finish up some homework before the weekend.

The list now looked like this:

-_y/n_ gets to try on the Spidey suit when Peter says it's okay -Peter will hold _y/n_’s hand as often as she wants -Kissing is fine whenever both parties are in agreement -Peter and _y/n_ will go on one outing a month unless Peter is really busy -Peter and _y/n_ have to act VERY couply in front of Mr. Stark -Peter and _y/n_ can tell anyone they want about the relationship being fake except for Mr. Stark or anyone super close to Mr. Stark -If Peter and _y/n_ are still in a fake relationship during prom season, they will go to prom together -If Peter or _y/n_ end up liking the other, they will not let it ruin their friendship

Peter glanced up from his homework. “What do you mean?”

“Should I tell them that we're just pretending to date? Or should I tell them that we're actually dating?”

“Depends. Do you think your parents would understand if you told them we were just pretending?”

You thought about it for a moment. “No, probably not.”

Peter nodded. “May either. I told her this morning.”

“You told her already?”

“Well yeah, I can't keep anything a secret from her for long.”

“What'd she say?” You asked curiously.

“She said she was happy for me and that she thought you'd be good for me.”

You grinned. “I love her.”

“She invited you over for dinner tonight, do you wanna go?”

“Of course.” You answered automatically. “Just let me text my parents and we can head over.”

Peter smiled at you and began putting his stuff away while you typed out a quick text.

Heading to Peter's for dinner. Not sure when I'll be back, I'll text you later. Love you!

You sent the same message to your mom and your dad before shoving your phone in your pocket and following Peter out of the school.

----------

“_y/n_! I'm so glad you could join us for dinner. Peter told me the good news, I'm happy that Peter finally pulled his head out of his-”

“Mayyy,” Peter chimed in, giving her a look that you didn't understand. Finally?

She rolled her eyes before flashing you an apologetic smile. “Peter told me that mac and cheese is your favorite, so that's what we were going to have.”

“Were going to?” You asked in amusement.

Aunt May chuckled and pulled a pot off the stove, showing you the contents. A majority of the pasta was overcooked and inedible, but some of the cheese hadn't even melted at all. It looked like Aunt May had also maybe added too much pepper.

“Don't worry, there's a Panera just down the street we can walk to.” Aunt May said cheerfully.

“Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden.”

Peter wrapped an arm around your shoulder and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “You could never burden us. Besides, we probably would’ve ended up getting takeout anyway.”

Aunt May glanced between the two of you with a huge smile on her face. It made your heart sink. This relationship with Peter was all a lie. Sure, you really did have feelings for Peter, but your fake relationship would end at some point and Aunt May would be heartbroken.

You forced a smile onto your face as Aunt May bustled you out of the kitchen. You remembered as she opened the door that it was starting to get cold, especially in the evening. You were wearing a long sleeve Midtown High shirt, but you knew it wouldn’t help much in fighting the chill outside.

“Can I borrow a jacket, Peter?” You asked quietly, and Peter nodded immediately.

“Of course, one sec.” He ran into his room and came back out a moment later with a grey zip up hoodie. “Here you go.” Peter helped you put it on and zipped it up for you. His fingers lingered on the zipper for a moment.

His eyes met yours, and he raised his eyebrows, silently asking you for permission. You gave him a small nod along with a smile. Peter smiled back before leaning in and giving you a very quick peck on your lips.

May looked like she was about to faint, she was so happy. Peter slipped his hand into yours and pulled you out the door.

The walk to Panera was short, but on the way, you noticed that Peter’s jacket smelled like cinnamon and candy. It was kind of an odd combination, but not a bad one. Peter and May chatted quietly while you just listened contently.

You arrived at Panera within the next few minutes, ordered your food, got your drinks, and found a table.

You were all chatting idly when your waiter showed up and began depositing the food on the table. When he got to your order, he hesitated to hand you your plate, allowing his fingers to brush against yours.

“Enjoy your meal, beautiful.” He said, smiling widely at you before he left. You could tell your cheeks were flaming red.

Peter was sitting stone still beside you, glaring at the waiter’s retreating form, while Aunt May was chuckling to herself.

“Get used to that, you two. For some reason, women become a thousand times more attractive when they're unavailable.”

Peter was a much better actor than you previously thought; he actually looked pissed that the waiter had flirted with you. You placed a hand on Peter's thigh and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He smiled weakly at you and began to eat his food, so you did the same.

You were finishing up your meal when the waiter came back out and started grabbing empty plates and bowls. He also dropped a napkin right in front of you with his name and phone number on it.

718-783-5687 Call me sometime, cutie? -Harry

You could feel Peter once again tense up beside you. You thought about taking the napkin and just throwing it away, but you didn't want to be rude. You grabbed the napkin and walked over to where the waiter was dumping garbage and stacking the dirty dishes to be brought to the kitchen.

“It was very sweet of you to give me your number, but I'm in a happy relationship so I think you should save this for somebody else.” You tucked the napkin into one of the pockets on his apron and gave him a sweet smile, trying to let him know there were no hard feelings. “Have a good day, Harry. It was nice meeting you.”

He smiled back, a little sadly, and you made your way back to your table.

“You guys ready to go?” Aunt May and Peter nodded, so you walked out of the restaurant with Peter’s hand once again in yours.

Peter gazed at you on the walk back to his and May’s apartment like he couldn't quite figure you out.

----------

You and Peter decided to spend some time in his room when you got back from dinner.

Peter shut the door and took a seat on his bed before gesturing for you to do the same.

“What's up, Pete?” The expression on his face was much more serious than what you were used to.

“Did you think that guy was cute?”

“At Panera? Yeah, I guess he was cute. Why?”

Peter frowned. “Because I feel like a jerk.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “How so?”

“I'm making you be in this fake relationship with me when there are people out there who want to be in real relationships with you. I'm being selfish.”

You rolled your eyes. “First off, you're not making me do anything. I make my own choices. Second, who says I want to be in a real relationship?”

“You said you were tired of being single.”

“Yeah, I was.” You agreed with a shrug. “But I have you now to kiss and hold hands with, don't I?”

Peter turned to look at you fully, and you realized for the second time that Peter was a much better actor than you gave him credit for, because the way he was looking at you almost had you convinced that you were actually his girlfriend.

The moment was cut short when your phone chimed with a text.

“I should check that.” You said, breaking eye contact as you dug your phone out of your pocket.

We’re going to a party and won't be home until late, do you have a key to get in?

You checked your backpack before you remembered that you left it in one of your purses at home.

No, I must've left it in one of my purses. Is the spare under the mat?

You received a response only a few seconds later.

Your dad’s been using the spare because he lost his and we haven't made a new one yet. Is it okay with May if you stay at Peter’s? We've already left and if we turn around now we’ll be late.

You groaned in disbelief, and Peter looked over at you curiously. You showed him your phone instead of trying to explain.

Peter chuckled. “I'm sure it's fine with May but I'll go check anyways.” Peter padded out of the room and you flopped back onto his bed, making yourself comfortable.

It was getting kind of late, and you were almost asleep when he came back into the room.

“May said I can sleep on the couch or in here with you. It's up to you.”

You mumbled something unintelligible. Peter grabbed your phone and typed out a quick response.

may said it's fine if she stays over tonight! have fun at your party (: -peter

Peter put your phone beside you and snagged a pillow off his bed, preparing to go sleep on the couch.

“Where are you going?” You asked sleepily. Peter looked down at you curiously. “Stay.”

“Okay.” Peter put the pillow back but left the room anyway to go brush his teeth. When he returned, you had migrated to the left side of the bed, leaving him enough space to climb in on the right.

Peter thought you'd be dead asleep, but as soon as he laid down, you curled closer to him, resting your head on his chest.

Peter wondered vaguely if you would remember how fast his heart was thumping tomorrow.

He pressed a kiss to your cheek before realizing that you were practically asleep and no one was watching you. He hadn't needed to kiss you. Peter eyes grew wide as it clicked that he had kissed you because he wanted to.

Oh, he was so screwed now.

-----------

The shrill ringing of your phone woke you up. At least, you thought it was your phone. You blindly reached around towards the sound before reluctantly opening your eyes and swiping to answer the phone.

“Hello?” You asked, mind still fuzzy with sleep.

“You're not Peter.” The voice on the other line said in surprise.

You looked down at the phone in confusion, and your eyes widened when you saw the contact name.

Mr. Stark AKA Iron Man 😎

“Mr. Stark, I'm so sorry. I thought this was my phone. Just gimme a sec and I'll wake Peter up.”

Peter looked so peaceful when he was sleeping that you hated to wake him up. But Mr. Stark was waiting, so with a sigh you started gently shaking his shoulder.

It took only a few moments before he blinked sleepily up at you. “Good morning.” He said sweetly.

You smiled at him, resisting the urge to give him a good morning kiss even though you wanted to. “Mr. Stark is on the phone.” You said apologetically, handing him his phone. “I answered it thinking it was mine, sorry.”

“No worries.” Peter sat up as he pressed the phone to his ear. “Hi, Mr. Stark.”

You grabbed your phone from beside Peter and started scrolling through your various social media apps while trying to not eavesdrop on Peter’s conversation with Mr. Stark.

Their conversation went on for a couple minutes with nothing too important being said. You looked up when you heard your name.

“_y/n_ slept over.” Mr. Stark said something you couldn't hear. “What? No, I didn't sleep with her!” Peter hissed quietly into the phone, his cheeks flaming.

Your cheeks flushed too at what Mr. Stark was implying.

“I, uh, I gotta go Mr. Stark.” You didn't miss the way Peter’s voice had gone up several notches. “Yes, I'll ask her about the party.”

“Love ya, kid.” Was the only thing you had distinctly heard through the phone, and it made you smile.

“Love you too, Mr. Stark. Bye!” Peter looked relieved and embarrassed as he hung up the phone. He looked over at you cautiously. “Sorry about Mr. Stark.”

You chuckled. “No worries, Peter. Anyway,” You raised an eyebrow at him. “What's this about a party?”

“Mr. Stark wanted to know if you'd be coming to his Christmas party with me.”

“Of course! I'd love to meet Mr. Stark. And I love Christmas. It's a win-win for me!” You answered cheerfully.

You glanced down at your phone to respond to a text from Ned, so you missed the sweet smile that Peter shot you, as well as the semi-sad look in his eye.

----------

Almost three months had passed since you and Peter had begun fake dating, and the day of Mr. Stark’s party arrived. It was a Christmas party, but he had decided to host it on New Year’s Eve so his guests could spend Christmas day with their families.

You were currently video chatting with Peter as you tried to decide what to wear.

“Are we supposed to match?” You asked curiously. “Like is that a thing couples do for parties?”

Peter's eyebrows knitted together adorably. “I don't know, honestly. Do you think we should?”

“If we can find stuff that matches, sure.” You stopped pawing through your closet as you heard a knock on the door. “Be right back, Pete.”

You opened the door, expecting to find a neighbor or delivery person or something, but you were instead surprised to find a box with your name on it on your doorstep.

You glanced around curiously before shrugging and bringing the box inside.

You dropped it on your bed and began to open it. When you saw what was inside, you gasped.

It was a beautiful sparkly red dress, and as you pulled it out, a note fell onto your bed.

Hope you don't mind, I had May pick this out. Tell Parker to wear something nice. -TS

Aunt May had done a great job picking it out; the dress was absolutely gorgeous. It had thin spaghetti straps and the neckline was v shaped. The dress was a little shorter than what what you would normally wear, but it was a party and you couldn't turn down Mr. Stark’s gift. The dress was flowy, but nipped in at the waist for some definition.

“Do you have a red button up, Peter? Or a red tie?” You asked when you remembered that your call was still connected.

“I think I have a white button up and I can check for a red tie.” Peter responded after a moment of thought.

“Great! You responded, smiling at Peter. “I have to change, you're picking me up at 7, right?”

“Right.”

“See you then!” You pressed the button to end the video chat. Or, rather, you thought you did. You had actually just muted Peter. He could hear you, but you couldn't hear him.

Peter chuckled when he realized that the call hadn't ended.

“Hey, _y/n_, I think you hit the wrong button.” Peter said politely. You made no move to suggest that you heard him, and in fact, as Peter saw you begin to lift your shirt over your head, he realized you definitely hadn't.

Peter's mouth dropped open as he saw that you weren't wearing a bra. Your hands moved to your pants, and Peter finally snapped out of the trance he was under and ended the call.

He immediately felt guilty for not ending the call sooner. He had tried, but he just couldn't get his hands to move.

Feeling like the biggest jerk ever, Peter started to change too, deciding that he would tell you later about what happened and apologize.

----------

Any thought Peter had about his accidental peep show was quickly wiped from his mind as you walked towards his car.

Your _h/c_ hair was down in loose waves, your lips were painted red and looked incredibly kissable, and your dress. Wow.

Peter considered himself to be a gentleman and he knew that looking a woman up and down could be rude, but that didn't stop him from doing exactly that.

The dress was red and sparkly, and it was shorter than anything Peter had seen you wear before. There was also more cleavage showing than usual, and Peter had to purposely drag his eyes up as you sat in the passenger seat beside him.

“Don't you look handsome,” You said, only a little teasingly. And he definitely did. Peter was wearing black slacks, a white button up, and a red bowtie. His hair, which was usually adorably messy, was slicked to one side. You reached a hand out to adjust his bowtie, but it was really just an excuse to touch him.

It was times like these where you wished you were really dating. He looked so good that you wanted to tell him to just forget about the party so you could spend the evening kissing him instead.

“Thank you,” Peter said shyly. “You look stunning.”

You blushed, pleased at the compliment. “Thank you, Peter.”

----------

The drive to Mr. Stark’s party took almost an hour, but neither of you minded. You were having fun singing along to the radio with Peter and watching the city as it passed by you.

Peter, meanwhile, was having a hard time keeping his eyes on the road when all he wanted to do was watch you.

When you arrived at last to Mr. Stark’s party, Peter parked and then got out to open the door for you.

“Thank you,” You said, smiling at him as you took his hand.

You made your way to the entrance hand in hand, and you couldn't help the pang it sent through your heart. Being with Peter felt so natural, so right, that sometimes you forgot it was all pretend.

You were greeted at the door by none other than Pepper Potts.

“Hi Peter, _y/n_.” She greeted you both with a warm smile. “The main party is on the first floor, but if you need to take a breather or want to go somewhere quiet, the second floor will also be open. If you want a snack, just flag down a waiter. I've also already told the waiters that you're underage, so they'll have sparkling cider for you both.”

“Thank you, Pepper.” Peter said politely.

You were still staring at her in awe. “Ms. Potts, I'm a huge fan of yours.” You admitted. “I think you're doing an amazing job with Stark Industries. You have been a huge inspiration to me for so long.”

Pepper looked very flattered as she patted your shoulder. “You're very sweet, _y/n_. Peter got very lucky with you, didn't he?”

“I sure did.” Peter responded with a smile, turning and pressing a kiss to your forehead.

You and Peter made your way into the party, and you were immediately waved over by Mr. Stark himself.

“Peter!” Tony said, smiling widely as you approached him. “And you must be _y/n_.” Mr. Stark turned to look directly at you as he offered you his hand to shake. “It's nice to finally meet you. Peter has told me so much about you.”

You raised an eyebrow at Peter curiously. “He has?” Mr. Stark nodded. “Only good things, I hope.”

Mr. Stark chuckled. “Of course. He told me that you're in honor society and you have a 3.9 GPA.”

“You told him that?” You turned to Peter with a whine. “I'm still so mad at myself for losing my 4.0.”

Mr. Stark looked surprised. “A 3.9 is still amazing, _y/n_.”

“That's what I'm always telling her!” Peter chimed in with a chuckle.

Your cheeks flushed. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“Please, call me Tony.” He responded with a smile.

You smiled back. “Alright, Tony.”

“Do you mind if I steal Peter for a minute?”

“Of course not.” You pressed a kiss to Peter's cheek, chuckling at the red stain it left, before he and Mr. Stark walked into a private corner of the room.

You flagged down a waiter for a glass of cider, sipping it as you milled about. You had thought that this party was mostly Stark Industries staff with a few of Mr. St-Tony’s friends, so you nearly fainted when you spotted Bruce Banner having a conversation with Steve Rogers.

Luckily, Peter chose that moment to rejoin you. You steadied yourself by placing both your arms on his shoulders. “Peter,”

“_y/n_,” Peter said teasingly back.

You glared at him. “You didn't tell me the Avengers would be here!”

“I'm an Avenger. I thought you knew this was an Avengers thing.” Peter said apologetically.

“I thought it was an Iron Man and a Spider-Man and a Pepper Potts thing.” You glanced over at Steve and Bruce again, and Peter felt you sway against him.

“Are you okay?” Peter asked gently.

“I've been in love with Captain America since they pulled him out of the ice.” You admitted. “This is so surreal.”

“Do you want me to introduce you?”

Your eyes widened. “Yes. No.” A beat of silence. “Maybe. I don't know.”

Peter chuckled, leading you over to the couch where they were sitting.

“Hey Steve, hey Bruce.” Peter interrupted quietly. They both looked up at him and smiled.

“Peter!” Bruce said cheerfully at the same time Steve said “Hey, Pete!”.

Peter gently pulled you so that you were in front of him. “This is my girlfriend, _y/n_. She's a huge fan of you both.”

“Oh, is she?” Steve asked teasingly, standing up so he could shake your hand. “It's very nice to meet you, _y/n_.”

“It's nice to meet you too.” You managed to get out, even though your voice was shaking.

Peter's hand moved to the small of your back, rubbing soothing circles against your skin.

Dr. Banner stood up so he could shake your hand too. “Peter has told me a lot about you. He said you're considering a career in biochemistry?”

You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear nervously. “Yes, I'm thinking about it. Your work with biochemistry is incredible. So is your work with nuclear physics and gamma radiation, but I was always much more interested in lessons about you when they were focused on the biochemistry aspect of your career.”

You turned to look at Steve once again. “I also loved learning about you in my history class! I hate those stupid videos of you that they play for every single thing, though.”

Steve chuckled. “I hated filming them.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “No way!”

“I'm going to go talk to some of the others,” Peter chimed in softly. “I trust you two can handle her?”

“What's that supposed to mean?” You asked, arching your eyebrows at him defensively.

Peter held his hands up placatingly. “Nothing. I'll come find you in a bit?”

“Okay.” You wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him in for a quick kiss. “I love you.”

Peter looked startled but only for a half a second. “I love you too. Keep her out of trouble!” Peter shouted as he walked away.

You rolled your eyes at him. Steve and Bruce made space for you on the couch so you could sit between them.

It wasn't until ten minutes later when you and Steve were having a rousing discussion about truth, honor, and patriotism that you realized you had told Peter you loved him.

You hoped that he would just assume it was you playing your part as his girlfriend, but you knew that that wasn't why you said it.

While pretending to be Peter’s girlfriend, you had fallen in love with him for real.

Oh, you were so unbelievably screwed.

----------

You didn't see Peter again until about eleven. After talking with Steve and Bruce for almost an hour, you had wandered around the party and accidentally bumped into some of the other Avengers.

Natasha Romanoff was even more beautiful in person, and she tried several times to get you to let her make you a drink.

You declined each time, but you admired her persistence. She also had told you that Clint Barton was spending the new year with his family, which surprised you because you hadn't known that Hawkeye had a family.

You heard through the grapevine that Wanda Maximoff and Vision were spending the holiday together in Scotland, which you thought was sweet.

You nearly got knocked over by Sam Wilson, who was engaged in a heated debate with none other than Bucky Barnes about who was really Steve Rogers’ best friend. They both apologized immediately, and you enjoyed chatting with them for a while.

Shortly after that, you had witnessed Tony and James “Rhodey” Rhodes arm wrestling each other over what you thought was the last eclair, which had made you laugh.

You were lost in thought when you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist from behind, and you turned your head immediately.

“Hey, Pete.” You breathed out, realizing suddenly just how close he was to you.

“Hi.” Peter responded, and he sounded just as breathless as you. “Are you enjoying the party?”

You nodded as you leaned back, relaxing into his arms. “It's been fun. I missed you, though. And I haven't met Thor yet.”

“Do you want to? We can go look for him.”

You smiled at him. “Only if you want to.”

“Are you kidding me? I love Thor. Let's go find him.” And then you and Peter were holding hands and squeezing through the crowd until, at last, you found the God of Thunder. He was so much larger in person.

“Hi, Thor!” Peter said brightly.

“Ah, Peter, man of Spider, good to finally see you.” Peter gently pushed you in front of him. “And who is this?” Thor asked, giving you a charming smile.

“This is my girlfriend, _y/n_.”

“I didn't know you had a girlfriend. Is she an arachnid too?”

You chuckled nervously. “Nope, I'm just a normal, boring human.”

“There is nothing normal or boring about you humans. It is very nice to meet you, Lady _y/n_.” Thor took your hand but instead of shaking it, he pressed a kiss to your knuckles.

“It's nice to meet you too.” You responded, and Peter smiled to himself when he noticed that your cheeks were red. He had the same reaction when he met Thor for the first time.

“You know, if I still had Mjölnir, I think that your beloved would be able to wield it.”

You turned to look at Peter with a soft smile. “I think you're right.” You agreed.

You noticed then that everyone was counting down the seconds to the new year, and Thor excused himself, murmuring something about looking for Bruce.

You were only half paying attention to him, your eyes locked on Peter since you realized it was almost midnight.

You and Peter took a step closer to each other.

Peter’s eyes flicked down to your lips, and you knew you weren't mistaking the look in his eyes. Peter wanted to kiss you.

Your arms wrapped loosely around his neck as you allowed your own gaze to dart down to Peter’s lips.

Happy New Year!

You heard people shouting and cheering and then Peter's lips met yours and the background noise quickly faded away. Peter brought a hand up to cup your cheek, deepening the kiss, and you felt like you were floating. Kissing Peter, really kissing him, like you were doing now, was everything you had dreamed of and more.

His lips were so, so soft against yours, and when you felt him smile into the kiss, you thought your heart was going to burst. Peter was everything you had ever wanted, and he was currently kissing you like he couldn't get enough.

When you finally broke apart, you pressed your forehead to his as you caught your breath. You felt dizzy, in a good way, and your heart felt warm and fuzzy.

You heard a whistle to your right, and you looked over sheepishly to see Tony giving Peter a thumbs up.

You rolled your eyes; you weren't upset, just a little embarrassed, before resting your head on Peter’s chest. You were suddenly overcome with sleepiness.

He stroked your hair gently. “Do you wanna go home?”

You nodded.

“There’s a guest room on the second floor if you don't want to drive all the way home.” You hadn't even heard Tony come over, but apparently he had because he was in the middle of handing a key card to Peter when you lazily blinked open your eyes. “Morning, sunshine.” Tony said teasingly.

You straightened up and grabbed the key from Peter. “Thanks, Tony. C’mon Peter.” You were dragging Peter towards the elevator before he could protest.

You seemed much more awake once you were in the elevator. “Sorry to rush out of there.” You murmured sheepishly. “I was a little embarrassed. Not because of you!” You said quickly. “The kiss was great, I just felt embarrassed because of how many people saw it.”

Peter brushed his thumb across your cheek gently. “I understand, _y/n_. It's totally fine.” To emphasize his point, he leaned in and kissed you again.

Which, of course, made you ten times more confused. It was easy to say that for your New Year’s kiss, Peter had just gotten caught up in the moment. But kissing you when there was no around to see? That was hard to ignore.

“Peter-” You wanted to ask if he liked you back, but the elevator dinged as you reached the second floor, and the moment passed.

You made your way to the room that matched the number on your key card, swiping it and entering the room easily.

The room looked like it used to be an office, but it had since been turned into something reminiscent of a hotel suite. There was a large bed that looked like heaven, and you wanted nothing more than to flop down on it.

But Mr. Stark had given you the dress you were wearing and you didn't want to ruin it. You hadn't thought to bring any extra clothes with you.

“Hey, Peter, can I please borrow your shirt? This dress will be super uncomfortable to sleep in and I don't have anything else.”

Before you even finished your question, Peter was unbuttoning his shirt and tossing his bowtie on a nearby chair.

“Here you go.” Peter said sweetly, letting his fingertips brush your hand as he handed it to you.

“Thank you, Petey.” You moved to unzip your dress before realizing that you couldn't reach the zipper. “Can you do me one more favor?” You asked sheepishly, gesturing to the zipper on your dress.

Peter moved behind you, his hands trailing down your shoulders then to your back as he carefully unzipped your dress. His breath on your neck made you shiver.

“Thank you.” You said quietly, stepping out of your dress and pulling Peter's shirt on. You didn't notice the longing look Peter shot in your direction as he took his pants off.

Your heart caught in your throat when you turned around and realized that you'd be sharing a bed with Peter, who was wearing only a thin white tank top and a pair of boxers. He looked gorgeous.

You pushed those thoughts out of your head and climbed into bed cautiously, and Peter followed. You were pleasantly surprised when Peter placed a hand on your waist and gently pulled you closer to him.

“Good night, _y/n_.”

“Good night, Peter.”

----------

When you woke up, you were alone in the bed. You were a little disappointed, as Peter was even more adorable than normal when he was sleepy.

You lazily climbed out of bed and checked your phone, surprised to see that it was almost eleven thirty. You saw that Peter had texted you twenty minutes ago, telling you that he had gone out to get breakfast.

Just as you read the text, Peter pushed open the door. He was carrying two cups of orange juice, a box of donuts, and a box of muffins. He also had a bag on his shoulder.

“Here, let me help you.” You took the cup carrier from him gently.

“Thank you.” Peter deposited the boxes on the bed while you set the drinks on the nightstand. He then shyly handed you the bag from his shoulder.

You raised an eyebrow at him as you opened it. There was a white t-shirt that said Manhattan on it in curly script along with an outline of Manhattan’s skyline and a pair of leggings.

“I thought this might be more comfortable for the ride home than your dress or my shirt.” Peter said teasingly. You looked up at him with a smile and noticed that he was wearing the same shirt he got you. You also noticed that his hair was tangled and much curlier than usual, and you had to fight the urge to run your fingers through it.

“Thank you, Peter.” You brushed a light kiss to his cheek, which made his cheeks darken, before going to the far corner of the room so Peter could start on breakfast while you changed.

When you came back over, you sunk down on the bed next to Peter. You sat with your leg pressed against his so he could balance the donut box between you, and you immediately noticed the pleasant warmth radiating from the contact.

You ate in comfortable silence before packing up the remaining muffins and your clothes and heading down to the first floor.

Tony and Pepper appeared to be waiting for you.

“_y/n_, it was so nice to meet you. If you ever want to go out for brunch or you just want a girls’ day out, feel free to call me.” Pepper said, pulling you into a quick hug.

“I definitely will.” You promised. “It was lovely meeting you.”

Mr. Stark gave Peter a hug before moving in front of you. You were a little surprised when he pulled you into a hug, too.

“Keep him out of trouble for me, please.” He whispered so that only you could hear him.

You smiled conspiratorially at him. “Of course I will.”

You and Peter waved goodbye as you walked out the door of the building and made your way to Peter’s car.

You offered to drive home since he had driven you up the night before, but he insisted it was fine, so you decided not to argue.

Once again, you and Peter sang along to the radio together, laughing and smiling with each other. With his shirt that matched yours and his messy hair, he had never looked more handsome, and you couldn't help your gaze from landing on him every so often.

The drive was over too soon, and you were actually quite sad when Peter arrived at your house.

Peter parked and opened your door for you, so you reluctantly you got out of the car. He walked you to your front door.

“I had a lot of fun last night. And this morning.” Peter murmured quietly, his eyes locked on yours.

“Me too.” You responded softly. Peter brought one of his hands up to cup your cheek before leaning in and kissing you gently. You kissed him back just as gently, and you decided to give into your urge from earlier, running your fingers through his hair.

“_y/n_, I-” Whatever Peter was about to say had been cut short as your father opened the door. You sprung apart from each other immediately.

“Thank you for driving her, Peter. How was Mr. Stark’s party?”

“It was good, really good, Mr. _l/n_.”

“That's good to hear.” He clapped Peter on the shoulder as you walked into your house.

“Bye, Peter.” You waved at him, and he waved back before turning around and getting in his car. He was gone before you could ask what he was going to tell you.

----------

Almost four months had passed since Mr. Stark's party. Neither of you brought up what you were going to say to Peter in the elevator, or what Peter was going to say on your porch.

You had avoided bringing it up because you were scared. At Mr. Stark's party, you had been almost positive that Peter liked you back, but after the party, your relationship had gone back to holding hands and cheek kisses and the occasional peck on the lips.

You hadn't really kissed Peter since the morning after Mr. Stark's party, and it was starting to make you sad.

You didn't know what to do about it. Your relationship, despite your ever-growing feelings for Peter, was fake, whether you liked it or not, and you didn't feel like it was your place to ask for longer kisses (even though you wanted to).

And then Peter started acting really weird and secretive around you. He started spending more time with MJ and Ned, which was fine, except you were never included. And it hurt.

“Hey, Peter, you wanna go get dinner today?” You asked cheerfully as you sat down beside him at lunch.

“I'm busy, sorry.” Peter said shortly, writing something down in a notebook.

“Oh. Okay.” You were silent the rest of lunch and ended up excusing yourself early to go to your next class.

Ned and MJ shared a look.

“Peter, you can't keep blowing her off.” Ned said gently, which made Peter look up at him.

“Huh?”

MJ rolled her eyes. “She asked if you wanted to get dinner tonight, and you said you were busy.”

“I am busy. I want this to be perfect.”

“I understand that you want your promposal to be awesome,” Ned chimed in. “But it doesn't matter how awesome it is if she doesn't want to go with you.”

Peter's eyebrows furrowed. “You don't think she'll want to go with me?”

“Not if you keep brushing her off. Just go get dinner with her tonight and finish up your invite this weekend or something. There's not a time limit to asking her.” MJ said reasonably.

Peter nodded in understanding. “Alright, thank you both.”

----------

You were mindlessly watching TV in your room when your phone buzzed against your thigh.

dinner tonight? my treat :P

You rolled your eyes before sending a text back.

I'd rather just stay home tonight, but thank you.

You were startled when only a few moments later you heard a knock on your window. Turning your head, you were surprised to see your very own fake boyfriend, Peter Parker.

You climbed out of bed and opened your window to let him in. He was wearing his Spidey suit, but that wasn't what intrigued you. You were much more interested in the box of pizza he was holding.

“I didn't say we had to go out for dinner.” Peter said, smiling at you as sat down on your bed.

“What kind of pizza did you get?” You asked as you cautiously sat next to him.

“Your favorite, of course.” He flipped the lid open to reveal it to you.

You inhaled the rich scent of cheese and tomato sauce and various other toppings.

“You sure know the way to a girl’s heart, Parker.”

You were too busy eying the pizza to notice the blush on Peter's cheeks at your words. You ate in companionable silence until you decided to bring up the elephant in the room.

“Why have you been so secretive recently, Petey? I know I'm not really your girlfriend, but it hurts when you don't tell me things.” You were embarrassed to ask, but you needed to know the truth.

“It's easier if I show you.” Peter said, standing up and making his over to your window. He held a hand out to you. “Do you trust me?”

“Are you quoting Aladdin at me right now?” You asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Maybe.”

You chuckled and took his hand. “Of course I trust you.”

“Hold on tight.”

“What? Where are we go-HOLY SHIT PETER!!” Peter had stepped onto your roof, which wasn't that bad, but then the next thing you knew, you were soaring through the air as Peter used his webs to swing you from building to building.

It was absolutely terrifying at first, but after you got over the fear, you realized just how fun and exhilarating it was. You were flying through beautiful New York with your beautiful fake boyfriend.

You kept your arms wrapped tightly around Peter's neck as you admired the city that surrounded you. Your hair whipped around your face, and the chilly evening air nipped at your skin, but you loved it. You were kind of jealous that Peter got to do this all the time.

“Wow.” You murmured quietly. “This is so beautiful, Peter.”

“Yeah, it is.” Peter definitely wasn't looking at the cityscape when he responded.

After about an hour of swinging around the city, you and Peter ended up stopping on top of a building that was significantly taller than many of the buildings in New York.

There was a picnic blanket for you to sit on and some candles, meaning that Peter had picked this building specifically.

You and Peter sat down next to each other, Peter catching his breath and you trying to regain some feeling in your arms.

“Hey, you never answered my question!” You announced indignantly when you remembered the conversation at your house.

Peter chuckled and stood up, gesturing for you to follow. You did so curiously.

“Look.” Peter was at the edge of the building, and he nodded with his head for you to look down.

It didn't take you long to figure out what he wanted you to see. Strung across at least thirty buildings were giant letters. P R O M

You turned to look at Peter, who was holding a piece of paper with a question mark on it.

“You did all this...for me?” You asked softly as you felt your eyes tearing up. Peter was the sweetest person you had ever met.

Peter shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, but it was, it was a huge deal. “Yeah. I wanted it to be special.”

“And that was why you've been so secretive with me.” You murmured in understanding. “You wanted Ned and MJ’s help in figuring out what route you should take and what buildings you should use.”

Peter nodded before he spoke. “Am I forgiven?” Peter asked, holding his arms out for a hug.

You rolled your eyes as you stepped into the embrace. “I wasn't mad at you, Pete, just sad. But yeah, you're forgiven.”

Peter smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. “So?”

“Of course I'll go to prom with you.” Peter's smile widened at your words, which you thought was odd, because going to prom together had been on your list.

“Did you like it?” Peter asked after a moment of comfortable silence. You were still locked in an embrace so you tilted your head up to look at him.

“Like it? Peter, I loved it. It was so thoughtful and seeing the city with you was amazing and-” Peter interrupted your sentence as he covered your mouth with his.

You were momentarily startled before you began kissing him back. His hands slipped down to your waist, pulling you closer to him. You fisted a hand in his hair, tugging gently, and when Peter moaned softly, you slipped your tongue in his mouth.

His tongue met yours, playfully dancing with it, before you needed to catch your breath so you broke the kiss.

Your eyes met Peter’s, and they were so soft and warm and full of love, and you were positive that Peter could hear how loudly your heart was hammering in your chest.

“I'm in love with you.” You whispered, and you were relieved when Peter gave you a huge, blinding smile.

“And I am so in love with you.” Peter murmured back, and you sagged against him in relief.

“Thank god.”

“How long?” Peter asked curiously, but you were a little distracted by the hand that was stroking through your hair.

You felt your cheeks flame. “I've had a crush on you since about a month before you asked me to pretend to be your girlfriend. And I realized I was in love with you at Mr. Stark's party.”

“So about the same, then. I think I had a crush on you before you agreed to fake date me, but when you spent the night at my house and you curled up next to me, I knew for sure that I did. And I also realized that I was in love with you at Mr. Stark's party when you told me you loved me and kissed me.”

“So what I'm hearing is we could've been dating for real this whole time?” You asked with a chuckle.

Peter started laughing too. “Yeah, I guess you're right. For a couple of geniuses, we're pretty dumb.”

“The dumbest.” You agreed before kissing Peter again because you finally could.

----------

Peter was late for dinner, which wasn’t all that surprising, except that he hadn’t called you first. Usually if he got hung up on something, he would give you a call.

Your fingers was hovering over the call button when you heard rapid tapping on your window. You immediately opened it, and you were surprised to find Peter there, dressed in his Spider-Man suit and holding a very smelly dog.

“I’m so sorry I’m late for dinner.” Peter said apologetically, climbing in the window and moving to sit down on your bed.

“You are not putting that dog on my bed.” You said immediately, and Peter’s face fell.

“But Sandwich-”

“Needs a bath first.” You said firmly, scooping the dog out of his arms and carrying him to your bathroom. You plugged the drain and started to let the water fill up the tub. “Where did you find him?” You asked curiously, digging around under the sink until you found the half full bottle of dog shampoo.

“He was in a box in an alley when I was on patrol. I gave him a sandwich I found in the dumpster so he would let me pick him up. We can’t have dogs at our apartment, so I thought maybe he could stay with you for a bit.”

Peter knew that you already had a dog (Dozer, who he adored) so he was hoping you’d be able to convince your parents to let you keep Sandwich. It would break his heart to have to give Sandwich to a pound.

You chuckled as you carefully put Sandwich in the tub, spraying him with some lukewarm water and beginning to wash the dirt and grime from his fur. “Once he’s all cleaned up, there’s no way mom and dad will be able to say no.”

Peter chuckled and moved to help you bathe Sandwich. You stopped him with one arm.

“Nuh uh, you’re still wearing your suit and you’re gonna get it all wet.” Peter frowned.

“But I wanna help.”

“There’s some money on my desk, why don’t you go get us some subs? Sandwich deserves a good sandwich, not a dumpster sandwich.”

“It was all I had!” Peter said indignantly.

“I know, Pete.” You said, pulling him towards you with your dry hand to peck his lips. “But he wants a fresh one now, doesn’t he?” You asked, scratching Sandwich’s chin. His tail was wagging furiously and splashing water everywhere, but you couldn’t find it in you to be mad.

“Okay.” Peter agreed reluctantly. “I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything cute while I’m gone!” Peter said, pointing a finger at Sandwich.

You chuckled to yourself as Peter walked out of the bathroom, grumbling to himself. You shampooed Sandwich until the water ran clear, draining the dirty water and beginning to wrap Sandwich in a towel.

You hadn’t realized that Peter had left the door open, and you gulped as your dad walked by, peeking his head in.

“Whatcha got there?” He asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at the dog in your arms.

“This is Sandwich. He’s a stray Peter found.” Your dad’s expression was carefully blank, so you decided just to go for it. “Can we keep him?” You asked hopefully, and you were surprised when Sandwich jumped out of your arms and ran to your dad, the towel draped over him like a poncho.

Your dad smiled and picked up the damp dog, chuckling when Sandwich licked his nose.

“He can stay if he and Dozer get along, and if you and Peter start walking him and Dozer everyday.”

“Of course.” You agreed immediately. You were sure Dozer and Sandwich would get along great, and you and Peter walked Dozer almost everyday, anyway. “Thank you thank you thank you!” You wrapped your arms around your dad’s neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“You’re welcome.” Your dad said, handing Sandwich back to you. He gave you another smile before making his way downstairs.

You grinned as you brought Sandwich back into your room, drying him off as best you could with the towel. “Did you hear that, buddy? You get to live with me.” You said excitedly, and Sandwich barked happily and licked your cheek.

You tossed the towel on the floor when you thought Sandwich was sufficiently dry, allowing him to roam around on your bed as you waited for Peter to get back with the sandwiches.

You found Dozer’s brush and began carefully using it to brush Sandwich. He arched towards it, clearing enjoying the attention. By the time Peter crawled in through your window, Sandwich looked like a completely new dog. His brown fur was shiny, and his eyes were bright and happy.

“Sandwich can stay!” You cheered as Peter handed you a sub.

“Really?” Peter asked in excitement, immediately beginning to pet and stroke Sandwich’s fur.

“Dad said yes as long as you and me walk him and Dozer everyday.” You said, taking a bite of your sandwich while Peter began feeding a meatball sub to Sandwich.

“That’s all?” Peter questioned in disbelief. “We already walk Dozer all the time anyway.”

“I know right? Isn’t this awesome?”

Peter nodded in agreement as Sandwich happily licked his fingers clean of all the remaining marinara sauce.

You finished your sandwich and flopped down on your bed, smiling as Peter curled up across from you, and Sandwich wiggled in between you.

“I love you, you know that?” Peter said quietly, and your heart swelled.

“I do, but it’s always nice to hear it.” You leaned over and kissed him sweetly, laughing as Sandwich started licking your chin. “I love you too.”

Peter smiled at you, and you turned on Netflix so you and Peter could relax with Sandwich snoozing contently in the middle of your bed. You had never been happier that Peter had asked you to be his fake girlfriend than you were in that moment.

In addition to getting a real boyfriend, you had met the Avengers and ended up with one of the cutest dogs on the planet. Life was good.

End. <3

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