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lastbluetardis · 2 years

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Sacred New Beginnings (13/?)

Summary: James Noble thought he traded away his chance at love and a happy-ever-after when he signed a contract with a record label that turned him into an international celebrity. But a chance meeting in a dive bar may prove him wrong.

Ten x Rose AU

This Chapter: Teen, ~5100 words

AO3 || Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3 | Ch4 | Ch5 | Ch6 | Ch7 | Ch8 | Ch9 | Ch10 | Ch11 | Ch12 |

Note: Sorry for the long delay. Life changes were happening and I’ve been decompressing from the stress of finishing grad school. Hopefully updates will happen more regularly, but no promises. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

His breath catches in his lungs when the door swings open and reveals the only person in the world he wants to see.

Rose.

It’s her—it’s really her. She’s standing in her doorway, in soft flannel pajama bottoms and fuzzy pink socks and a jumper that looks like it was made from a cloud, and she’s holding… a wallet?

She meets his gaze and gives a little jolt, taking half a step back as her mouth falls open and her eyes widen.

“You’re not the pizza guy,” she says, a shade breathless.

Her words don’t entirely register at first, but when they do, his stomach sinks. She hadn’t checked who was outside her door before opening it, because she was expecting someone else. Would she have opened the door if she had known it was him?

He scratches the nape of his neck—his skin is itching and burning, and he wants to sink far beneath the Earth’s surface and never appear ever again.

“Sorry,” he mumbles. “This was silly. I should have called. I reread your letter and had some questions so I thought I would stop by, but I realized right after I knocked that it’s a bit pretentious of me to show up outside your flat like this, and I was about to leave but then you opened the door and now here we are, and I can’t seem to stop talking.”

A ghost of a smile crosses Rose’s lips as she cocks her hip to the side to lean against the door jamb.

“Make sure to take a breath,” she drawls, and his knees nearly weaken at the warmth in her voice. Surely all isn’t lost if she’s teasing him, if she hasn’t slammed the door in his face and told him to go fuck himself.

He does as she says and breathes in deeply, trying to dislodge the ache between his ribs.

“D’you think… could we… can we talk?” he asks, curling his toes inside his shoes as though the action can ground him.

“Depends what you want to talk about,” she says carefully, and the prior warmth she’d had is gone now. “I thought I’d made myself clear in my letter.”

“I just… I don’t understand,” he admits. “I thought I understood what you meant. But then my mum started putting all these thoughts in my head, and I got even more confused, so now here I am. And I understand if you want me to go. We don’t have to talk. But at least I can say I tried, and I can put us to rest. Actually, yeah, we don’t have to talk. This was silly. I’m sorry.”

Before he can flee, the lift doors ping behind him, followed by shuffling footsteps.

“Dinner order for Rose?”

James looks over his shoulder and sees a man carrying a pizza box. The man’s eyes bug as he catches sight of James. James cringes and hunches his shoulders, and all of a sudden, he’s being pulled into Rose’s arms, being kissed swiftly and ushered inside the flat with a cheery, “Oh, you’re right on time, John. Go set the table.”

The interior of Rose’s flat is the same as he remembers, all warm tones and homey ambience that makes him want to stay forever. He has no idea what to do, because he’s pretty sure Rose only brought him inside to save him from the recognition of the pizza guy.

That alone squeezes his heart. Why would she do that if she didn’t care about him? Why wouldn’t she feed him to the wolves?

Because she doesn’t want to become a circus exhibit, unable to escape the unrelenting eye of the paparazzi when they realize she has been spending time with him.

As quickly as his spirits had lifted, they sink again.

“Blimey, I must be seein’ things,” the delivery man says from the corridor. “For a minute I could’ve sworn that was James Noble.”

Rose laughs indulgently. “Oh, he gets that a lot. I keep telling him to enter a James Noble lookalike contest.”

“Pretty sure he could take first prize. Right, this ‘ere’s for you.”

“And this here’s for you,” Rose echoes, pressing bank notes into the man’s hand. “Cheers, mate.”

James shifts from foot to foot, gnawing at the corner of his mouth as Rose shuts the door and turns to face him. “Hungry?”

She lifts the pizza box towards him, wafting the scent of cheese, bread, and sauce towards him. His stomach cramps with hunger, but he says, “I shouldn’t interrupt your dinner.”

Rose rolls her eyes. “Come on. Let’s eat. Then we can talk.”

His stomach audibly squeals, and Rose smirks in triumph. With a sigh, he follows her to her kitchen and stands awkwardly by the kitchen island, feeling like an intruder in her home, so unlike a few weeks ago when they had cooked together.

They don’t speak as Rose puts a slice of plain cheese pizza on two plates and directs him to her sofa. He takes the loveseat while she takes the recliner, sitting cross-legged with her plate in her lap.

“Why are you here?” Rose asks quietly, picking off a layer of cheese and nibbling on it.

Because my mum thinks you might be a little bit smitten with me. Is that true?

I thought you wanted casual, and so did I, but then I didn’t, but you still did, so here we are.

Can you break down the contents of your letter for me? I’m too besotted with you to have an unbiased understanding of it.

Everything sounds so incredibly stupid, but then again, he’s sure he looks so incredibly stupid just staring at Rose in complete silence. He shovels far too much pizza into his mouth to buy himself time, yet he doesn’t have an answer for her even after he’s chewed and swallowed. The silence is awkward and stifling—it has never felt like this with Rose before, and he hates that they somehow lost the ease and comfort they’d once had.

“I missed you,” he admits, not entirely answering her question, but it’s all he’s got right now. “And I wanted to see you.”

She sighs, visibility deflating, so he rushes to continue speaking, “And I wanted to talk to you. It’s just… I thought everything between us was fine. But then I got home, and things weren’t fine.”

“Were things between us ever really fine?” she asks, a trace of bitterness in her tone as she continues mutilating her pizza instead of eating it. “Was there ever even a thing?”

His stomach coils in on itself and his mouth goes dry. “I… yeah… there was. What about all the amazing things we did together? I know it was only a few weeks, but those few weeks were incredible, Rose. Incredible. Dancing at that pub… burritos and margaritas… the bloody magical Renaissance Faire… you have made me feel more alive than I’ve felt in months.”

She finally looks at him, brows furrowed and mouth slightly gaping. Her stare is heavy, and something about it makes him squirm with discomfort, like she’s trying to pry her way into his very soul. He hastily shoves another bite of pizza into his mouth, and is pleased when she does the same; it wouldn’t do for his presence to ruin her meal.

She chews deliberately, slowly, and still she keeps her eyes locked on him. He watches the undulation of her throat as she swallows, then his gaze snaps to hers when she says, “I didn’t think that stuff mattered to you.”

The weight of her words, the implications of them, hit him like a lorry, leaving him dazed.

“But… how could they not?” he croaks. “Rose, you… you…” You have meant everything to me these last few weeks. “How could you say that? What did you think we were doing?”

She scoffs and lifts her gaze to the ceiling, and he’s horrified to see her eyes are shining with moisture that she impatiently blinks away. The tip of her nose is turning red too, the color deepening when she swipes at it with her hand.

“We were fucking,” she spits, her voice cracking around the vulgar word. “Just fucking.”

Whatever he expects her to say, it’s not that. Not with that level of vitriol. Like she’s cursing his name for all eternity.

There is nothing intelligent being fired between his synapses, so all he manages is a weak, “What?”

“You’re just havin’ a bit of fun, aren’t you?” She throws her words like knives, and they hit their mark straight and true, burying in his chest until he can’t remember how to breathe.

“Well, I mean, yeah,” he says, and the moments the words leave his lips, he knows they were the absolute worst thing to say.

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, pressing her palms to her eyes as she mutters, “I’m so fucking stupid.”

He needs to fix this, and fast, because this is all going so, so badly.

“I mean, I thought that’s what you wanted,” he blurts, scratching at the back of his neck, which feels like it’s crawling with ants. “That’s what you said. The first time we… You said it was just sex. Just fun. So that’s what I swore I would keep it. Maybe I should have told you… scratch that, I definitely probably should have told you that casual wasn’t enough for me, but I’m not exactly what you signed up for, am I? And I was too selfish, wanting to continue to be with you, to spend time with you, so I shut up about it and took what you were willing to give me.”

His words don’t seem to be helping matters, though, since she’s staring at him like he has spoken a completely different language. Maybe he mumbled. Or spoke too quickly. All the time while he was growing up, his mum and teachers constantly told him to slow down and enunciate.

Wracking his brain to remember exactly what he had just said, he braces himself for the ultimate rejection, for Rose to tell him he needs to get the hell out of her flat then get the hell out of her life.

Before he can try again, she says, “But… but you said you wanted casual. You said you wanted us to continue bein’ whatever-the-hell friends-with-benefits unlabeled thing we were.”

Now it’s his turn to gape, because when on Earth had he ever said that?

“What are you talking about? I never said anything like that!” he protests.

Her confusion morphs into irritation, and she points a threatening finger at him. “Don’t you dare do that to me. I know what you said. We were in your music room, makin’ out and feelin’ each other up, when you got all… all weird on me and said you didn’t want anything to change, that you didn’t want things to get complicated. You practically told me all you were looking for was a shag, no strings attached.”

Did they experience two different moments? Is he having an out-of-body sci-fi experience where he is somehow talking to a Rose from a different universe?

“What are you talking about?” he repeats, but he doesn’t give her time to reply, because the penny finally falls, and he recalls exactly what she’s saying. “Hang on. Shh. Shush for a moment. Just. Wait. Please.”

Fuck, were those the words he used? Surely not. They can’t have been.

He has never worked so hard to force his brain to step back in time, to replay a specific moment over and over again. Usually, it takes no effort. Usually, his brain cheerfully shows him all the memories he wishes he could forget. But finally, he’s there with Rose on his piano bench, achingly hard with her taste on his lips and her wetness on his fingers. He’s there, trying to understand how he can feel so much for a woman he just met. He’s there, wondering how he can keep her, when the world seems to enjoy tearing him apart. He’s there, wanting to tell her he can’t bear it if he loses her, but what comes out of his mouth is instead vague and unhelpful rubbish.

“Did you just shush me?” she squawks presently.

“Yeah, I did,” he murmurs absently. “And I think I’ve realized what happened.”

“Realized you’re a twat?” she grumbles, glaring murderously at her surely cold pizza. Nevertheless, she takes a bite.

“Sort of, yeah,” he admits, offering her a sheepish smile. Her cool expression doesn’t falter. “Rose, you misunderstood me that night.”

“Right,” she scoffs. “Definitely misunderstood the “don’t get complicated on me, Rose” line.”

“I meant that I didn’t want things between us to change by us having sex,” he said.

She laughs mirthlessly. “Yeah, thanks for that. Really clears things up, repeatin’ what you said that night.”

Frustration bubbles deep within him. For all his finesse with words when it comes to songwriting, he sure is shit when it comes to actually talking, isn’t he?

“I meant I wanted to keep seeing you!” he presses, and she snaps her mouth shut with a near-audible click. “I’d just been on one of the best dates of my life, and I’d genuinely only intended to have you over for dinner and maybe to see if I could talk you into a few rounds of Mario Kart because I didn’t want to say goodnight to you!”

“You… what… Mario Kart?”

Jesus, he’s an idiot, but he can’t seem to stop. His brain is screaming, processing thoughts too fast for him to understand. It gets like this in interviews sometimes; when a reporter asks him a question he’s excited to answer, he goes off far longer than he should and ends up making very little sense.

“But then I showed you my music room, which is one of my most sacred places in this godforsaken house, and you fit so perfectly that I wanted to share my music with you. That song I sang for you? I wrote it earlier that week, ‘cos I couldn’t get you out of my bloody mind, and I found I didn’t want to. I didn’t want you to leave my thoughts because you made everything brighter by being there. And I really shouldn’t have played that song for you because it hasn’t even been recorded yet and my record label would throw a fit if they knew I played an original piece for a virtual stranger, especially someone who hasn’t signed an NDA. But we had just had a perfect day together, and I promised you I would try to work on trusting you, because I really do want to trust you. So I shared that song with you, because you inspired me, and I wanted you to know that.”

His blood is roaring, racing with too many hormones and endorphins. It’s making his skin itch and his heart pound, and if he doesn’t move, he’s going to implode on the spot. He sets his plate on the cushion beside him and surges to his feet, raking his fingers through his hair as he tries desperately to organize his thoughts. They’re overtaking him, submerging him and he can’t bloody think.

Rose is gaping at him now, staring wordlessly. He can’t read her expression, can’t tell if he’s making any sense or if he is making everything a thousand times worse. But God help him, he can’t stop.

“And then you kissed me, and I can’t think straight when you kiss me. Not in a bad way. In a very, very good way. You make me feel normal, like the person I used to be before the entire world knew who I was. And I craved that. I craved that normalcy, and being normal with you. You’re intoxicating, and things escalated so fast, but I didn’t want to stop, and neither did you, I don’t think. You don’t know how much I worried that you thought I’d only brought you home to have sex with you. But then you said things were casual and it was just sex, so I figured you didn’t mind. The sex was absolutely amazing, by the way. I hadn’t had that much fun in months. But not just that, I loved doing normal date-night things with you. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed cooking dinner with you at your flat.”

“But you said you didn’t care about that,” she interrupts. There is a deep furrow in her brow, and she is chewing so hard on her thumbnail that he’s worried she’s going to rip it off and make it bleed. Her plate of half-eaten pizza lies discarded on her lap.

Her words draw him out of his manic head, and he tries to figure out what he’d said to make her think he didn’t care about dinner with her. But he’s coming up blank.

“Er…?”

“When you left for the night, you said foolin’ around on the roof was your favorite part of the night,” she clarified. “You really know how to make a girl feel special. God, I felt so humiliated when you said that. I loved having you in my flat, cookin’ together. But when you said that, I felt so dirty and used, and so stupid. Like you were reminding me again that we were nothing but a good time for you.”

The theme of the night must be bafflement, because he is once again wracking his memory bank for how on earth she has come to this conclusion. He is also coming to the conclusion that he is an idiot who cannot communicate clearly, but that is an issue to be tackled later on. Right now, he has more pressing concerns as the weight of everything Rose is saying crushes down on him. Poor communication or not, he made her feel like an object for his pleasure, and that alone makes his stomach lurch violently. God, how many times had that happened to him when he was first starting in this industry? How many times had he presumed an evening of intense flirtation and a night of passionate sex meant just as much to his partner as it had meant to him, only to be told come morning that he was nothing but a good time and a great reputation to name-drop at a later date.

Fuck.

“Rose, I…” What? He what? What sort of words could fix this? Could this even be fixed? God, he hoped so. “I swear to you, I don’t know what I said, but I didn’t mean it like that. I can’t remember…”

Think, think, think, he growls to himself. All he can recall, after the warmth of her body against his, is the way she withdrew from him. All he can remember is being confused at her emotional one-eighty, when they’d just shared a perfect night together.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he repeats weakly. “That night meant so much to me. I loved being in your home. I loved that you showed me the view on your rooftop. It has been so long since I experienced anything new in this city, and yet you showed me a piece of your world and I loved it… I loved…”

His voice breaks, as the weight of these last few weeks overtakes him. How he’d been drowning in loneliness, feeling as used by his latest partner as he accidentally made Rose feel, when he’d found a flame in the darkness. Rose is his candle, lighting the way back to the surface.

It has been so long since he felt at home with another person, since he felt he could be himself. When he had first begun dating Reinette, his longest-term girlfriend of eighteen months, she had made him feel safe in his skin, like the world couldn’t touch him because she knew how to handle the paparazzi. After all, she’d been a mainstage actress for over ten years at that time, having gotten her big break when she was thirteen. She’d grown up in the limelight, had to go through all of the awkward growing pains in front of the world, and as a result, she’d grown a thicker skin. Or, rather, she’d learned not to care.

Reinette had accepted that being hounded by the paparazzi was simply part of her life, and so she taught James those same lessons until he thought it was normal to be photographed on every single date he went on, to have the papers speculate about his sex life or betting that he would propose to Reinette whenever they went on a tropical beach vacation or whether she was pregnant and the world would be welcoming a Noble-Poisson baby into the spotlight.

He will always love Reinette for helping him transition into the world of fame; he’d been in a bleak place when they’d met at an afterparty for one of her films. He’d been regretting his decision to sign with his record label and had been overwhelmed with having hardly any privacy. She had been a great friend, at first, a shoulder to lean on and the voice of reason when he shared all of his fears. It was so natural, the way they grew from friends to lovers, and James had gotten so comfortable with her that he assumed he would be with her forever, because he couldn’t be bothered trying to date anyone else in the public eye.

It was only when Reinette came to him and admitted she hadn’t felt a spark for him in several months that he felt the weight lift off his chest. He hadn’t realized how apathetic he had grown towards her and their relationship. They parted amicably, but all the bad habits Reinette had ingrained in him had stuck, leaving him at the mercy of the paparazzi because he never learned how to healthily manage them—which is how all of his subsequent relationships have ended up in the tabloids within a few hours of their conception, and how his partners inevitably grew tired of having their lives dissected alongside his. He didn’t know any better, so he stopped trying, letting the paps follow him around as he sampled all of life’s pleasures and not caring one bit.

That is, until he now needs to care, because he finally met a person who makes him want to protect his personal life with a ferocity he has never before experienced. Rose doesn’t deserve this, hasn’t signed up for this. She deserves privacy and respect, which is something he has never gotten from the media. But he will fight through hell itself to keep her safe from the parasites who want to get to him, because she is the best person he has ever known. She is light and warmth and love and…

He freezes, mid-pace, as his brain hits him with that last adjective. Love.

No, it isn’t possible. This thing with Rose was supposed to be casual, because she wanted casual, because why on Earth would she want to subject herself to the sort of life he leads. But here she is, telling him that she thought he wanted casual? And he still isn’t quite sure what she wants from him, from them, if she wants anything at all.

“James?”

He blinks rapidly, as though that will clear the static from his mind. Rose is frowning at him, and he realizes he has been frozen with his hands in his hair for God only knows how long.

“You okay?” she asks.

“I… yeah… I think…” Christ, what is he supposed to say? How is he supposed to take all the wild, anxious, insane thoughts that have just crossed his brain and put them into words for her? She’s going to think he’s a nutter (if she doesn’t already think that).

But he clearly has been communicating so poorly that Rose thought she was nothing to him, when that couldn’t be farther from the truth. He needs her to know that he never—not once—thought she was nothing. She has somehow become everything, and…

“I think I might be falling in love with you.” His tongue moves without his permission, shaping the words that will either damn them or heal them.

Rose goes wide-eyed and pale, her jaw slackening. “I… You… What?”

His heart is thudding behind his ribcage, his blood racing through his veins as though it is trying to escape his body and become something else. He begins to pace again, all of his nervous, frantic energy needing an outlet because once again, his big fat gob is getting him into trouble.

But you know what? Fuck it.

Fuck.

It.

He came here tonight to talk with Rose, so he’s going to fucking talk. After all of the accidental miscommunication they have inadvertently done over the course of their sort of real, sort of not real relationship, he is so tired of trying to curb his thoughts and feelings.

When was the last time he felt like this for another person? He can’t even remember. Granted, he falls a little in love with everyone he dates. He has always fallen hard and fast for people, no matter if it’s romantic or platonic, which is why it always breaks his heart whenever anyone leaves him, no matter how justified they are in their departure.

But Rose? She has never been more than a thought away from him for these past few weeks. She is the first person he wants to talk to every morning, the person he wants to share all of his good news with, the person he wants to reveal his every worry and fear to. He wants all of that from her, too. Hearing about her day is the highlight of his; making her laugh is the most potent high he’s ever had. She has wormed her way so thoroughly into his heart that it hurts to think of her not being there anymore.

And that’s only after a couple of weeks.

Christ, he’s fucked.

“Yeah. How absurd is that?” He huffs out a mad little laugh and digs his fingertips into his eyes. “I’ve known you for less than a month. It’s mad, innit? But I’ve been in love before, and this… you… this feels nothing like that, but in the best possible way. I’ve been writing love songs for years, and they’re all child’s play compared to the ballads I want to write about you and us. I don’t really know how to describe us, because this feels so different from anything I’ve felt before, but given time, I think it could be love.”

He continues rubbing his eyes as exhaustion overtakes him. It’s been an age since he’s had a proper night’s sleep, and the bender he went on last night is catching up with him. He’s so, so tired and he wants to go home and curl up in bed, but alas.

Rose is dead silent, and it’s doing nothing but making his anxiety worse, so he forces himself to look at her. She’s dumbstruck, like something smacked her over the head and she isn’t quite cognizant.

“Please say something,” he begs. At this point, he doesn’t care if she throws him out of her flat, because at least he’ll have an answer. But this limbo is hell. Pure, unadulterated hell.

“What do you want me to say?” she asks faintly.

He lifts a helpless shoulder. “I dunno. Something? Anything?”

“You can’t just spring all that on me and expect me to have something to say,” she complains. “Ten minutes ago, I thought you thought we were nothing. I thought I was just another notch in your bedpost. I thought you were here to beg me to reconsider because you didn’t want to lose your latest fuck buddy.”

Though he probably deserves that, he winces nevertheless.

“I thought you thought we were nothing, too,” he reminds her, though it comes out like a whining child. “Please tell me what you’re thinking. Anything at all.”

Rose closes her eyes and leans her head back against her recliner. She, too, looks exhausted. Impatient though he is, he forces himself to keep his stupid mouth shut as he waits for her to speak. It feels like an hour but is probably only half a minute when she finally tilts her head to the side and cracks open an eye.

“I think I’d like you to leave,” she murmurs. “Please.”

His heart plummets down into his toes, leaving him lightheaded, but he nods. “Right. Yeah. ‘Course. Sorry.”

“I just need time to think,” she adds hastily, and despite himself, his spirits lift their little hopeful heads. “It’s just… I haven’t been sleeping well. And I wasn’t expecting to have this conversation. You really messed with my head tonight. Not your fault. I just… I thought I knew what we were. Turns out I was completely wrong, and I don’t know what to think or feel.”

“Right. Yeah. ‘Course,” he says again. He picks up his plate and strides to the kitchen to dump his half-eaten pizza into the rubbish bin. “Sorry for ruining your dinner.”

“S’okay. I like cold pizza. It’ll be my lunch and dinner tomorrow.”

Rose stands on unsteady legs and follows suit, trashing her food then crossing her arms in front of her chest. They’re looking at each other awkwardly, and it takes an embarrassingly long time for him to realize she is waiting for him to leave. He nods to himself and makes a beeline for the door. Rose follows and holds it open for him.

The coast is clear, so once he steps into the corridor, he glances at her. His heart aches to see her so lost, and it aches further to realize he’s the one who has made her feel so low. He longs to fold her in his arms, to beg her forgiveness and ask if they can start over, to try again. But he doesn’t, because she asked for space to think.

Still, he can’t help but say, “I really have missed you. So much.”

She nods absently, and when it seems like she isn’t going to say anything, he offers her a half-smile and turns on his heel. He is about to open the door to the staircase when…

“James!”

He glances over his shoulder, and Rose is half-way down the hallway. Though her hands are half-hidden by her fluffy sleeves, she wrings them awkwardly in front of herself as she comes to a stop before him.

“I… I missed you too.”

She gives him a shy, uncertain smile, but to him, it’s the most beautiful sight in the world. He returns the expression, matching her energy, as relief threatens to buckle his knees out from under him.

“Drive safe,” she adds, then she spins and skips back to her flat.

#ficandchips #dwfic #doctor who #ten x rose #ten x rose au #james x rose #romance #angst #stupid idiots in love #my fic #sacred new beginnings

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indiekidsau · 1 year

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Chap. 6-Sleepless in Camping

Hey guys! This chapter is technically part 2 of the last chapter, and more secrets are gonna drop. This chapter here was one of my earlier ideas when planning this fanfic!

The Christmas week kept me delayed from finishing it sooner, but I was glad to take my time on it because I was able to rest and make this fanfic look good.

Happy Holidays and hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Thanks to @gigilefache for being my beta reader!

Enjoy!!

The past few days since Miss. Queen’s arrival, Mr. Prince was starting to act weirder and weirder. Anytime he felt stressed, the class would see his eyes glow a bright golden yellow or have some part of his body turn purple. Mr. Prince would shrug it off and say it was nothing, but the class knew something was up. When he was calm it faded away like it never happened. Though most kids have noticed it, they never asked or brought up the whole thing.

It was now Friday and the class was still confused and stressed over the whole thing. That is, until Kel came to the group during a study break in the . “Hey guys,” He whispered, which made Aubrey, Sunny, and Hat Kid look up. “I was wondering if you guys want to go camping, like the old times?” He asked.

Aubrey smiled, it had been forever since she, Kel, and the other had gone camping. They do it almost every weekend and they would go from Friday to Sunday out in the woods doing the typical camping stuff like hiking, roasting marshmallows, and telling stories. Though the stories were a hit or a miss depending on who told the story.

“Yeah, that sounds like fun,” Aubrey said.

“I have never been camping.” Hat Kid told them.

“What?” Kel yelled. Soon, Kel was hushed by Mr. Prince who was reading a book. “Sorry, but you or Bow haven’t been camping? I thought aliens,” he whispered so Mr. Prince wouldn’t hear, “would’ve gone camping.”

“Well, Bow and I lived in a treehouse in the forest back on our home planet, and we did stay on other planets but we never did traditional camping.” Hat Kid explained.

“Well, guess we’re gonna have to change that,” Kel said. The bell then rang and everyone gathered their stuff ready to leave school and enjoy the weekend.

Before Hat Kid could go, she stopped by Mr. Prince’s desk. “Hey, Mr. Prince!” She beamed.

“What, kid?” He asked.

“Wanna join us for camping?” Hat Kid asked.

Mr. Prince sighed as he closed his book. “Look kiddo, you can’t just invite teachers to kid hangouts. The weekends are a time where you kids do your own things and us teachers do our own things.” He explained.

Hat Kid sighed. “Just… You looked sad this week. I figured camping could help you.” Mr. Prince blinked in surprise. Never in his life had he heard a kid sound mature for her age. He gave a smile and removed her hat to ruffle her hair. “Hey!” She yelled. Mr. Prince laughed as she snatched her hat back from her teacher.

“Don’t worry, kid. I’ll be fine. I just need some rest at home and I’ll be back to normal. I promise. Just go and have fun with your friends.” Mr. Prince told her.

“Okay.” Hat Kid replied. “See you Monday, Mr. Prince!” She yelled running out the door.

“See you Monday, kiddo.” Mr. Prince chuckled.

By the time Hat and Bow made it back to their ship they grabbed their backpacks and started to fill them with things that they considered good for camping. Their plushies, a few pillows from their pile, an umbrella, snacks, and a tent they found in their toy box, which they didn’t know how it got there.

Soon Hat and Bow heard the alarm blare. “Sounds like it’s them!” Bow Kid yelled. Hat Kid nodded and the two gathered their stuff and left their room to be introduced by Mu and Timmy.

“You two ready?” Timmy asked.

“Yep!” Hat Kid beamed in reply.

“Great! The others are outside waiting.” Mu told them. Hat and Bow nodded and the four teleported out of the ship. There they saw the Afton siblings, Aubrey, Kel, Sunny, and Basil with their camping gear ready to go.

“Alright, Kel. Lead the way!” Timmy yelled.

Kel gave a salute and the group started to follow the athlete to their camping site. Going through the woods, Hat and Bow were asking questions about camping, Hat being excited while Bow was nervous knowing they were going deeper in the woods.

“Is there anything else that we know about camping?” Hat Kid asked.

“Oh, there’s tons!” Michael exclaimed. “Since it’s been a while since our last camping trip, I have tons of new scary stories to tell.”

Evan and Bow Kid squeaked as Aubrey rolled her eyes and smacked Michael in the back of the head. “Don’t scare them, you idiot!” She shouted.

“Hey!” Michael yelled back. “I should mention you were scared of my stories Aubrey!”

Aubrey glared, embarrassed Michael brought it up. Kel snickered, but when Aubrey shot him a glare he stopped and whistled like he was innocent. “Listen, Michael, we’re here to relax after the week we had, not for you to traumatize your little brother and two new girls!”

“Whatever,” Michael said, rolling his eyes still following the group. Aubrey sighed, frustrated over Micahel’s behavior. In hopes to calm Aubrey down, Hat pulled on her sleeve, which caught her attention.

“Are there other things we should know about camping?” Hat Kid asked.

Aubrey smiled. “Sure kid.” She replied. “Okay, so during our hikes Basil likes to find different plants and explain what they are. Also, we bring the best snacks!”

Hat Kid laughed. “Nice!” She beamed.

It wasn’t long till the group made it to their campsite. The site was wide open enough for everyone to lay out their tents, and a bunch of logs circled around a firepit. “Wow!” Hat and Bow Kid beamed at the same time.

“Same as we kept it,” Mu said as she sat down on one of the logs.

Basil ran his hand on the log before sitting down. “It’s been a few years since the last time we did this.” He said.

“Yeah.” Sunny replied sitting next to his friend.

Hat Kid sat next to Mu and looked around. “So what’s first?” She asked.

“Well, we have to set up our tents and see who will be sleeping with who,” Mu explained as she was opening up her backpack. “As usual I’ll be sharing a tent with Aubrey.”

Aubrey smiled and looked at Hat and Bow. “You two can share a tent with us.” She told them.

Hat and Bow smiled at the offer. “Thank you!” Bow Kid replied.

“Once we're set up we’ll grab some firewood and eat,” Kel said.

“Then we tell scary stories,” Michael added.

Aubrey sighed, rolling her eyes seeing there was nothing to stop Michael from telling his scary stories. “Alright, but you have to be the one to get the firewood.” She told them.

“What really?!” Michael yelled.

“Yep,” Aubrey replied. “Otherwise, no scary story,” Michael growled and let out a sigh of frustration.

“Fine.” He said. Aubrey smirked as she started to set up her tent. Michel then turned to Basil, Sunny, and Kel who were setting up their tent. “Any of you guys wanna come with me?”

“I’ll go!” Sunny said.

“Can I go?” Elizabeth asked, dropping her stuff in Timmy’s arms, which made him glare at the girl.

Michael smiled, “Of course Liz.” He said. “Alright, we’ll be right back.” The trio then left to get firewood, while leaving the rest of the group to get the tents set up.

By sundown, Micahel, Elizabeth, and Sunny came back with a ton of firewood, and all the tents were pitched ready to go. Kel chuckled, “Alright now we’re getting camping started!”

The boys then put the firewood down as Michael took out his lighter and set the fire. “Now it’s getting started!”

The sun was completely gone leaving the sky dark with the moon being the only source of light. The group chowed down on s’mores and snacks that were provided.

“Another one!” Hat Kid yelled, after shoving a s’more down her throat. The group’s eyes widened seeing Hat Kid finish what was to be her third s’more.

“Hat, haven’t you had enough s’mores?” Elizabeth asked.

“But they're so good!” Hat Kid replied, causing everyone to laugh.

Aubrey sighed and handed Hat Kid another s’more. “Alright, one more but if you can’t sleep tonight don’t blame me.” She told her. Hat Kid didn’t mind, but she wasn’t wrong that s’mores were delicious.

Michael waited for everyone to finish up as he waited for the right time to tell his story. “Isn’t this nice?” He asked, which caused everyone to look at him. “Us friends enjoying a fun time under the stars. Reminds me of a story I heard.”

“Here we go,” Aubrey said.

“Have you guys heard about the ghost that haunts these woods?” Michael asked.

“N-no.” Bow Kid whimpered.

“Well, I’m about to tell you! Many years ago, there was a young handsome man. Young ladies would consider him the perfect man,” those words caused Aubrey and Elizabeth to roll their eyes. “Anyways he didn’t die like the traditional death, but he gave his soul to some spirit and it took his life turning him into a ghost, and distorting his face upwards with SNAPS and Cracks turning his face almost like the crescent moon above.” He explained yelling, giving Evan and Bow a whimper, with Evan clutching his Fredbear plushie tight. “Now they call him the Puppeteer and he likes to haunt this forest under the moonlight to find victims. Once he finds his victims he unleashes puppet strings and drags them into the darkness never to be seen again.”

Evan whimpered hugging Fredbear and Bow Kid held Hat Kid tight, scared of the story.

“Though some say if you're lucky and find the missing victim they’re never the same again because they’re a puppet ready for the KILL!” Michael screamed.

The group, except for Hat and Aubrey screamed out loud as Michael started to laugh seeing everyone so freaked out. “Man I got you guys good!” Michael laughed. He stopped laughing seeing everyone glaring at them. “C-come on guys! It’s just a story.”

“Yeah, a story that traumatized your little brother!” Kel yelled pointing at Evan who was crying hugging his plush. Basil was rubbing the young boy’s back as he sobbed.

“He always cries. Even if it was his own shadow.” Michael replied. Though something caught Michael’s eye. “By the way Hat, how come it didn’t scare you?”

“Oh, it takes a lot to scare me!” Hat Kid replied. “To me, that story was a 1 star out of 5 in the scare factor.” Soon the comfort and fears of the group turned to chuckles and oohs.

Michael felt his eye twitch seeing this girl wasn’t even the slightest bit scared. “C-come on! It had to scare you just a bit.”

Hat Kid shook her head. “Nope.”

“Seriously!” Michael yelled. He groaned, giving another glance at the girl to see if there was any fear in her eyes, but there was nothing.

“Looks like you got a challenge, bro,” Elizabeth said, giving her brother a nudge. Michael rolled his eyes and went over to his tent.

“Well! I’m going to bed! Night everyone!” Michael yelled.

“Night bro,” Elizabeth said, following her brother into the tent. Evan looked at Basil and Kel who smiled at the little boy.

“Don’t worry kid, you can sleep with us!” Kel beamed.

Evan sniffled. “Really?”

“Really!” Basil replied. The two lead Evan inside their tent with Sunny and Timmy following behind.

“Night, girls!” Timmy yelled.

“Night.” Hat Kid said back. Soon Hat Kid let out a yawn seeing she was tired.

“Tired kid?” Aubrey asked. Hat Kid rubbed her eyes, nodding. Aubrey chuckled and opened the tent for Hat and Bow to go in and get some sleep. Aubrey then put out the campfire using a bucket of water Mu got earlier.

Once seeing the fire was gone, Mu was about to follow Aubrey inside the tent but she heard a growl coming from the distance. Mu blinked as the growls became a scream. “D-did you hear that?” Mu asked.

“Hear what?” Aubrey asked.

“It sounded like growling,” Mu replied.

Aubrey sighed, putting a hand to her side. “Don’t tell me your part of Michael’s little scare plan?”

“I’m not!” Mu shouted.

“Look, it's probably just a bear. Let’s get some sleep, we need it.” Aubrey explained.

Mu opened her mouth trying to explain more, but quickly closed it and just followed Aubrey inside the tent and went to sleep.

It wasn’t long till Mu fell asleep and was awoken by the same growls that were heard before. She tried to ignore it but they kept on going on. Tired of hearing it she went over to Aubrey and tried to wake her up.

“Aubrey! Aubrey!” Mu whispered.

Aubrey groaned, opening one eye to Mu. “What?” she asked.

“Do you hear that?” Mu asked.

“Hear what?”

Mu was about to speak, but soon the growls stopped. “N-nothing, sorry.”

Aubrey sighed. “Look if Michael’s story scared you that bad, you can tell me.” She said, getting up.

“I’m not that scared, it’s just how can you not hear those growls?”

“Look I heard it, but I’ve known Michael for a long time he’s probably making those noises to scare you, or like I said it’s just-”

“A bear,” Mu said, cutting Aubrey off.

“Exactly,” Aubrey replied. “Now get some sleep, we have a hike in the morning.”

“Okay.” Mu sighed. She went back to her sleeping bag and fell asleep, but the thoughts about what the growls were.

Not far from the forest a creature was crawling away, injured from what appeared to be a fight or a hunt. He let out a growl as he crawled over to a tree hollow to rest. To make sure no one could find him he put his hand out and vines started to grow to protect him and keep everyone else out.

By morning, Hat Kid and Bow Kid woke up and saw Mu and Aubrey were not in the tent. They got up to see everyone, except for Evan, who was awake and eating snacks for breakfast. “Morning girls!” Kel beamed.

“Morning!” Hat Kid replied, giggling. She and Bow got out of the tent and went to sit with the others.

“Marshmallow?” Timmy asked, handing Hat and Bow two marshmallows. Hat Kid and Bow Kid took the sugary sweet and popped it into their mouths. The group just chilled and ate waiting for Evan to wake up. Once the young boy woke up, he groaned and let out a loud yawn.

“Morning, little man,” Michael said. “Sleep well?”

Evan let out a groan as he made his way toward Elizabeth and laid down on her lap like a little kitten. “Little bro, did you get any sleep?”

“A little.” Evan groaned.

“Well, soon we're going on our hike and I’m not gonna carry you piggyback style,” Michael said.

“If it’s not a bother I can carry him,” Kel spoke up.

The older Afton kid turned to Kel and glared. “I didn’t ask you.” Michael snapped.

“I’m just trying to help. You know little brother helping a little brother.” Kel replied, crossing his arms. With that, Michael didn’t reply; he took down his tent and started to pack it up. Kel just glared and went over to Evan and Elizabeth and kneeled to their level. “Elizabeth, would you mind carrying Evan during our hike?”

Elizabeth smiled. “Of course. Is that okay with you?” She asked her sleepy little brother.

Evan yawned and nodded. Kel smiled and ruffled the kid’s hair which made him giggle. “Alright, when you're ready we can start our hike!” He announced.

The group got excited. Once Evan was ready Kel picked him up on his back as the group gathered everything and started hiking.

As they hiked, Basil pulled his camera out and looked around the forest. The second he heard a squirrel gathering nuts from the tree he quickly snapped a picture of it. He waited for the photo to come out and shook it before smiling that he took a perfect shot.

Soon enough he saw two blue jays nuzzling on a branch which made Basil take another photo.

“You sure like taking photos, Basil.” Bow Kid said.

“It’s my hobby. I’ve been taking photos of Sunny and the others since we all met.” Basil explained. “I like to treasure these memories forever.”

Bow Kid smiled. “I know how it feels. Sometimes you wanna go back and live those moments again.” She explained.

“Exactly! Though you just can’t turn back time. That’s why photos are like eternal memories. You take a picture and you remember everything.” He explained.

Bow chuckled as she was about to continue, but Hat Kid shot her a glare, which made her close her mouth. “R-right!” Bow Kid replied.

Soon Basil let out a gasp seeing chamomile flowers blooming around a tree. “Wow! I have never seen a chamomile flower in the woods before.” He said. Quickly he took a photo and smiled seeing the flowers. “They help heal illnesses and go great with tea.”

“Mhmm.” Bow Kid smiled.

While Bow and Basil bond over photos Mu nudged Hat Kid, catching her attention. “Hey Hat, did you hear anything last night?”

“You mean the growling?” Hat Kid asked.

Mu’s eyes widened. Now she didn’t feel like she was going crazy. “Y-you heard it too?” She asked. Hat Kid nodded. Mu sighed in relief.

“Bow heard it is as well.” Hat Kid added. “Are you thinking of investigating it?”

“Are you reading my mind, Hat Kid?” Mu asked, smirking.

Hat Kid chuckled. “Well-” before Hat Kid could reply, she fell face-first on the ground. She groaned and picked up her hat looking to see what tripped her. She then saw a purple vine sticking from the ground and started to follow it leading to a giant wall of vines. “Wow!”

Mu, Basil, and Bow Kid ran by seeing the wall of vines and were in shock. “Have you seen anything like this before?” Basil asked.

“No! This is something you see in a storybook.” Hat Kid observed the vines. Basil took two photos of the vine wall to show to the others later. “I wonder what goes beyond this wall?” She asked.

“Maybe what we heard last night?” Mu asked.

“What did you hear last night?” Basil asked. Mu explained the growls she heard last night, but to Basil’s surprise, he thought it was just Michael trying to scare them.

Mu groaned, “that’s what Aubrey thought.” Basil frowned and put his arm around Mu rubbing her arm. They looked at the vine wall for a while before they heard Michael and Aubrey call for them. The group looked back at the vine wall before catching up with the rest of the group.

The rest of the hike was uneventful, Basil took tons of pictures of him and the group on an old bridge, near a waterfall and climbing trees. Once they got back to their campsite and set up another campfire and tents, Basil showed the group the vine wall from earlier. It interested the group to see something so cool.

“This looks amazing!” Aubrey praised.

“I know! We’re hoping we could investigate it at some point!” Hat Kid exclaimed.

“Why? Do you think something is behind those thorns?” Elizabeth asked. Hat Kid nodded. Elizabeth rolled her eyes not believing it one bit, sure she loved stories like Hat and Bow but some things had to be separated from fact to fiction.

Michael took a look at the photos and smirked, getting an idea for his next scary story. “Looks like I got my next story.”

“Oh no!” Aubrey yelled. “We are not hearing any more of your spooky stories!” She yelled. Michael was about to complain about it, but Aubrey pulled him by the collar of his shirt sending him a glare.

“Okay! Okay! I won’t!” Michael yelled. Aubrey then dropped him, which made Hat and Bow laugh.

“Looks like Michael is scared of Aubrey.” Hat Kid said. Micahel glared at Hat Kid, but he knew he couldn’t hurt a little girl. Even if he did, Aubrey would come for his ass.

Since Micahel couldn’t tell scary stories, the group decided to talk more about their hike. It was nice for everyone to hear something wholesome than some monster lurking in the forest. The group started to get tired and decided to call it a night. They put out the fire and went back into their tents, but not before hearing a growl in the distance. Mu and Hat looked at each other knowing that it was the same growls they heard the previous night.

“Okay Micahel knock it off!” Elizabeth yelled.

“That wasn’t me!” Michael said back.

The growls started again, which proved to everyone Michael was telling the truth. Hat and Mu looked at each other before sneaking off to search for the growling. Evan noticed the girls leaving and ended up following them too. Soon, Michael noticed his little brother leaving, his eyes widening why he ran off like that. “Evan! Come back!” Michael yelled. The group turned to see the young boy leave, but also saw that Mu and Hat Kid were also gone as well.

Hat and Mu followed where the growls were coming from. They got louder and louder the closer they got. The second the growls stopped Hat and Mu waited before hearing the noises again, but then they heard something new. Rustling in the bushes and a stick breaking. “Hello!” Hat Kid yelled.

“Hat!” Evan yelled out as he revealed himself. Mu and Hat Kid sighed in relief, but now came another problem. Why did Evan follow them?

“What are you doing here?” Mu asked.

“I saw you guys ran off, so I followed you,” Evan explained. Soon, the growls became painful cries making Evan squeak and hug Hat Kid in fear. He regretted running off but was scared to run back to camp because he didn't know where the camp was. Hat Kid rubbed the young boy’s back hoping to comfort the young boy. As she did, Hat Kid had a realization.

“I know where it’s coming from.” Hat Kid said. She grabbed Evan’s hand and looked at where the sounds were coming from. “Stay close Evan.” With that, she ran with Mu following behind as they went to where the growls were coming from. The trio then stopped at the wall of vines they saw earlier.

“It’s in there?” Mu asked, surprised. Hat Kid nodded. Luckily, the alien child still had her backpack and took out her umbrella. “And how is that gonna break through that wa-“ Mu was cut off when Hat Kid gave the umbrella a good swing causing the vines to break through. “Never mind.” Mu squeaked.

Evan’s eyes widened. “Woah.” He whispered.

Hat Kid kept on swinging her umbrella as the vines broke through making the trio go through. Once the last of the vines was broken they were in shock seeing the creature that was making those noises all night.

The creature was a long purple snake and looked to be in pain as red threads were all over his body. It occurred to Hat and Mu that those growls were cries of pain. “Poor thing.” Hat Kid whispered. She put her umbrella away and was about to make it toward the creature, but Mu grabbed Hat's hand to stop her.

“What if it’s dangerous?” Mu asked.

Hat Kid removed her hand from Mu’s grasp. “Relax, he looks harmless.” She then slowly made her way toward the monster. The monster heard footsteps and growled at the young girl coming close to him. “It’s okay we're not gonna hurt you.”

The creature continued to growl the closer Hat Kid got to him. Mu and Evan held each other in fear, closing their eyes hoping the monster won’t hurt their friend. “Leave.” The monster growled. Hat Kid froze recognizing the voice. This made Hat Kid walk even closer to the monster. The latter growled seeing the kid wasn’t gonna leave. “Didn’t you hear me kid, I said Leave!”

“Mr. Prince!” Hat Kid yelled back. The creature froze, and Mu and Evan opened their eyes confused at what Hat Kid just said.

“Hat Kid! How is that Mr. Prince?” Mu asked.

“I just know it’s him, plus the voice gave it away.” Hat Kid answered.

Mr. Prince blinked and turned away. “Don’t look at me kiddo, I’m a monster.” He said.

“What happened to you?” Hat Kid asked.

“Doesn’t matter! All I knew was I had a perfect day and I woke up to be cursed into a purple monster!” He yelled. To his surprise Hat Kid wasn’t scared of him and just walked closer to him. She slowly put her hand on his cheek, which made him flinch. However, Mr. Prince saw that Hat Kid messaged his cheek which surprised him.

“Come on you two! He’s safe!” Hat Kid yelled.

Mu and Evan let go of each other and made their way toward the monster. Once they got close, Mu realized that Hat Kid was right. She remembered seeing those glowing eyes a few days ago when she walked into class and saw Mr. Prince breaking down. Mu then took notice of the red strings on Mr. Prince’s body.

“What happened to you?” Mu asked.

“Got into…” Mr. Prince gasped. “A fight with…Ow…” The monster was in so much pain from the strings he couldn’t even speak.

Mu glared and from her bag, she pulled out a pocket knife. Mr. Prince’s eyes widened, surprised to see Mu carrying a pocket knife. “Let me help you.” She grabbed one of the strings and cut through the red string, which fell on the ground the red hue fading. Mu cut each string carefully, not wanting to cut into his fur.

While she cut the string, Michael, Aubrey, and the rest of the group came by to see their missing trio in front of this giant purple beast. They froze in fear seeing the girls help this monster, and quickly ran to them.

“Mu! Hat!” Aubrey yelled.

“Evan!” Michael yelled.

“Aubrey?” Mu asked as she stopped her cutting.

“Michael!” Evan shouted. The older brother grabbed his younger brother and held him tight. “Get away from this creature!”

“Guys! Guys! This isn’t a monster! It’s Mr. Prince!” Hat Kid reassured them.

The group turned to face Hat Kid looking at her as if she had two heads. “What?!” Everyone yelled. “Okay, how is this pool noodle, Mr. Prince?” Kel asked.

“Pool noodle?!” Mr. Prince yelled.

Once the group heard the monster’s voice they immediately recognized it as Mr. Prince’s voice. “Yep, that's our teacher.” Sunny commented.

“What happened to you?” Elizabeth asked, looking at her homeroom teacher.

Mr. Prince sighed. “I wish I knew.” He answered.

Mu then finished cutting the last of the strings off of Mr. Prince’s body relieving the monster of all his pain. “Feel better?” She asked.

Mr. Prince nodded. “Thank you.” He replied. “You see whenever I’m stressed I turn into this thing! It’s horrible, and I think it’s getting worse.” Mr. Prince explained as he closed his eyes feeling like he was ready to cry. “Y-you probably wanna make fun of me, or are scared of me.”

“Why would we make fun of you?” Aubrey asked, raising an eyebrow.

“W-well I figured-” Mr. Prince tried to explain, but was cut off by Evan.

“Plus, you're not that scary,” Evan added.

Michael looked at his brother and back at his teacher. “You think THAT is not scary?” He asked.

Evan shook his head. “He’s fluffy!”

Mr. Prince sighed. “See! You guys see me as a joke.”

Hat Kid put her hand on her teacher’s. “It wasn’t a joke, I mean you are fluffy.” She explained petting his long fluffy purple fur, which caused him to growl at the young girl. “But that doesn’t mean we’re making fun of you.”

“Yeah, I mean we can help you,” Elizabeth said.

“How?”

“Well first hiding it from our dad is a start,” Michael mentioned.

Mr. Prince groaned. He forgot how Mr. Afton would react to seeing him like this. He could imagine the principal firing him on the spot the second he turns into this creature. He then snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Bow and Hat put their hands on top of his.

“Please let us help you,” Bow begged, her eyes big and glistening.

Mr. Prince tried to deny the help but seeing Bow and his students begging to help him. It melted his heart. Even before the curse, he never got help and always did things himself, the problems with Vanessa, the curse, everything was all him. However, seeing his students do everything for him put a smile on the monster’s face.

The teacher then let out a chuckle. “Guess you guys aren’t gonna quit till you help me.”

“Nope,” Elizabeth replied as she sat next to her teacher.

“Alright, I’ll let you guys help me. Starting with not telling anyone.” Mr. Prince told them.

“Got it!” The class yelled.

“Good.” Mr. Prince said. Soon it got quiet, and the teacher saw his class was asleep using him as a pillow. He gave a smile and soon pulled them closer, “Night kids.” He whispered as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

A few hours after the group fell asleep a shadow was flying through the forest. Their gaze turned towards the wall of vines and smirked going through and stopped seeing Mr. Prince and his class asleep.

“So…you do have a weakness, Lucas.” They said, floating looking at each of his students. “You have wonderful toys that I’d love to play with. It would be a shame if someone took them just like how you took mine.” He explained. The creature chuckled, raising its hands, but put them down quickly after. “But, now is not the time. I’ll be waiting and watching and once the time is right you won’t expect it, Luke.” The creature chuckled as their eyes glowed red before they disappeared.

Michael’s eyes snapped open as he looked around. He thought he heard someone just now, but quickly relaxed and laid back down.

Soon the sun started to shine, and Mr. Prince groaned as he felt his form shrinking. His claws turned back into human hands and his noodle tail became legs again. The students woke up and quickly got off of their monster of a teacher and saw him turn back to normal. He rubbed his head and saw his class staring at him.

“Morning kids.” He said.

“Morning Mr. Prince!” Hat Kid beamed. “How did you sleep?”

“Great!” Mr. Prince yawned as he stretched. He then looked at his body and saw his clothes had been ripped again. “Looks like I have to buy new clothes.” He said.

The class giggled. “Yeah, and we should be heading home to relax before class tomorrow,” Basil said.

“Well guess we got our Sunday planned! I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Mr. Prince said as he got up and started to walk. “Oh and kids, thanks. You're not as bad as I thought you were.” He said with a smile.

The class smiled and hugged their teacher which caught him off guard. He smiled and gave each of the kids a hug. Never did he think of the Homeroom class, the one rumored to be the worst, to be one of the best kids he’s ever had.

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1kook · 3 years

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crunchyroll & rail

the 10th installment of my netflix & chill series !

SUMMARY Never mind the fact you really like Sailor Moon, or that you really want to pay attention to every little detail; the moment becomes Jungkook and his big smile and his red cheeks and the tiny box he produces from within his pocket. WARNINGS smut in the forms of making out, jk nipple play, some 69 action, cunnilingus, blowjobs, brief choking, jk trying his best to listen to oc but he doesn’t rlly :/, fingering, missionary bc his eyes are pretty, unprotected fuckin raw, its romantic but when is it not… MISC fluffy and domestic <3, weekend getaway <3, the Big Question, shy jk, sailor moon supremacy, jk makes this big elaborate speech about the sun and moon, mentions of 240p YouTube quality, RATING m (18+) WC 8.7k

NOTE (!) the smut in this chapter is relatively short ! I was more concerned with writing this monumental step in their relationship, so sorry to all the lads who come here specifically for the p0rn but today we focus on the l0ve <333 anyway nc 10!!!!! Can u fuckin believe….

Jungkook mentions it at the dinner table one night. You’re not eating— well, you are not eating; Jungkook has been stocking up on his protein intake like a madman —but finishing up some work you had brought home. Your back aches, your eyes burn. The mere sound of his soft voice has all those feel-good endorphins shooting through your nervous system like a shot of adrenaline. “We should take a trip,” he says, fork clattering against his plate to signify the end of his feast.

Your fingers tap across your keyboard, eyes flickering between an Excel sheet and the report you’re typing out. It takes you a moment to respond, a delayed, “huh,” that even Jungkook doesn’t find convincing.

In the background, you’re listening to what has to be one of the worst voiceovers of the original Sailor Moon series in a language you don’t even understand. But you know the series like the back of your hand, know what exactly is happening even if you don’t understand what they’re saying, because you’ve watched it only about a million times. It’s mostly just there for background purposes anyway, some white noise to try and replicate the noisy soundtrack of your office.

To make matters worse—complicated?—, you had been too lazy to get onto your usual pirating sites and had settled for the five minute, five part, 240p clips of Sailor Moon on YouTube (you know the ones), and Jungkook has to wait until Episode 74: Part ⅖ ends before you grace him with a proper response. “Where do you wanna go, baby?” you ask, giving your eyes a break from the data as you move to scour YouTube for Episode 74: Part 3/5.

He’s stretching back now, arms wound up above his head. His hair— god, his hair —is an ashy color now, a faded version of its golden ancestor from a few months ago. Soon, he’s planning on going back to brown, claims he’s getting too old to be dying his hair, whatever that means. For now, you watch his inked fingers run through his scalp; he looks delectable. Maybe you’re hungrier than you initially thought. Or at least thirstier. “A cabin,” he suggests, and he offers this little half shrug that would otherwise seem normal had you not been well-versed in the art of Jungkook Body Language. His front teeth nibble at his lip, eyes laser focused on his empty plate. Even now, he still gets nervous asking you out. That thought alone makes your ego soar as high as an airplane. “Just something small.”

Usually, “something small” with Jungkook ends up being something big and, in most cases, something expensive. Which you’re totally not opposed to— you’re at the point in your relationship where you don’t even bother trying to dissuade Jungkook from showering you with gifts. It’s one of his many, many, many, many forms of loving you and, well, he knows you like the back of his hand. He rarely misses.

Lo and behold, it is a grander affair than a simple cabin. “Well, it’s more like a resort,” he confesses, reaching across the table for your hand. Immediately, his thumb finds itself rubbing over the simple band of your promise ring. “Just wanna do something nice for you. I know you’ve been tired lately,” he adds on, voice a quiet murmur that nearly gets lost under the intensity of the pout that appears whenever he becomes even the slightest bit bashful.

You smile, the fondness in your heart skyrocketing to impossible heights when he lifts your hand to press those pretty petal lips against your knuckles. “Well, just let me know when,” you tell Jungkook. “So I can request time off from work.”

Episode 74: Part 3/5 starts playing after an ad, and you’d pause it for the sake of preserving this moment with Jungkook, but it’s hidden under so many tabs on your laptop that you lose it the second you leave the tab. Jungkook’s head tilts to the side, sending his ashy locks cascading beautifully. “You know that show is on Crunchyroll,” Jungkook says, seemingly moving past his bout of shyness now. “And you have the password.”

“Do I,” you murmur, but he’s lost you once more, your true talent of typing with one hand showing itself as you return to your Excel sheet, the other still firmly squeezed in his grasp. Jungkook releases soon enough anyway, cleans up the table quickly, and disappears off into the kitchen. He sings when he washes the dishes, likes to pretend he’s a terrible singer even though you’ve told him countless times he could easily take X Factor by storm. (And you know exactly what it takes to wow those judges— you spent the entire last month psychotically watching multiple X Factor seasons from multiple different countries, nearly considered joining the damn audition yourself.) The horribly dubbed Sailor Moon is yelling now, shrieking really, and Jungkook calls from the kitchen, “don’t forget to take your contacts out, sweetheart.”

It’s domestic and it's nerve-wracking.

You want Jungkook, that much is a fact. Aristotle and Socrates and that other guy could debate the philosophical intricacies of the world, turn this dimension in on itself until it was a scrambled mess of emotion and thought, but the one thing they could never change, could never even question, is your love for your boyfriend. You want Jungkook badly, but more importantly, you want Jungkook forever.

And you’re sure Jungkook probably, maybe, hopefully feels that way too. But the way you feel is… slightly concerning to say the least. For starters, you’re convinced your love for Jungkook was meant to be, and that’s saying a lot coming from you. You’re not one for cheesy, soulmate tales— that was more Jungkook’s thing —but the more you think about it, the more you become convinced that you and Jungkook were destined to meet. Like the planets aligned one year, the stars conferred, a tectonic plate somewhere in California shifted; whatever it may have been, something happened somewhere that led to the birth of this beautiful romance of yours.

Lately, being with Jungkook has this inexplicably fiery feeling blossoming in your chest, these waves of emotion that sometimes have you fantasizing about the weirdest of scenarios with him. Like yelling at him for not taking the garbage out on time, or bumping into each other as you make dinner in the kitchen, or buying a new rug together.

(Most drastically, the other day, you had a dream where you were pregnant and Jungkook was there and there was a house and a dog and an annoyingly friendly neighbor and this god-awful tile in the bathroom.)

Long story short, you’ve been fantasizing about a forever with Jungkook. The concerning part is the timing; was this too early? You’re nearly halfway through your second year with Jungkook now, and you know most people date for many, many years before the mere thought of union even occurs to them. In another life, maybe you were the same, would have held off until the very last moment. But with Jungkook things just feel right (at least for you), like there wasn’t going to be anyone else after him. And you sincerely hoped there wouldn’t be.

You slump back into your seat, eyes fluttering shut. Too many thoughts swirl around your mind, and the screech of the Sailor Moon voiceover on screen certainly doesn’t help. How you managed to spiral that far down your thoughts in the span of one 240p, five minute clip of a larger episode amazes even you. To add onto your worries, the clip abruptly ends and Episode 74: Part ⅘ is nowhere in sight, a fact that draws a frustrated moan out of the already sensitive you.

Luckily, Jungkook eventually returns, standing closely behind you. His presence is enormous, the room suddenly overflowing with a shit ton of those feel-good endorphins all over again, except this time they reach an all-time high when he leans over and quietly shuts your laptop. “Come sleep,” he says softly, and it’s a pleasant mixture of his genuinely caring voice and that horndog purr of his that lures you into bed. And it’s that same voice that croons softly into your ear, fingers nestled between your folds until you’re orgasming yourself into a deep slumber.

Much to no one’s surprise, the cabin turns out to be quite the luxurious lodging; two floors of dark oak everywhere you turn, a stunning stone fireplace in the bedroom, and a truly breathtaking view of the resort’s snowy hill (read: front row seats to watch all the snowboarders and skiers wipe out in the snow). Jungkook had splurged quite the pretty penny on it, so you make a point to clap it up for him when he first opens the door to your temporary home for the weekend.

The main bedroom is beyond words. It’s got an attached balcony (that you doubt you’ll be using in this chilly weather), and a wooden canopy bed that makes you feel like a royal (that you will certainly be using). It’s separated into two areas, the bed space and a tiny entertainment area on the other side of the room. Perhaps the best thing about the room— and the cabin itself —is the huge, smart TV mounted above said stone fireplace and the fact it allows the phone mirroring option in lieu of not having any streaming sites. And as is with every and anything to do with televisions, Jungkook is the most excited of the two of you. “Baby, look,” he beams, pointing excitedly at whatever he’s got mirrored onto the television this time. Knowing him, it’s probably another documentary.

You had the forethought to finish your work before the trip, spent two days in the office going absolutely ham on this month’s final reports until your department head promptly sent you home to finish the rest there. You had given yourself a fright upon entering the bathroom that night, the state of your under eyes so severe, you feared it was sufficient cause for a national emergency. Similarly, Jungkook had done the same with his work, cooped himself up in his study until he was free from the shackles of capitalism for the weekend. All this to say you’ve missed him these past few days.

But even though you’re sorely malnourished in the affection department and craving a good kiss or two, you wouldn’t dare interrupt one of Jungkook’s little nerdy, tech-induced fanboy moments. They’re cute, in their own geeky way, providing some insight to a mellower side of your boyfriend who looks on with childlike wonder; Jungkook’s eyes always get so big when he talks about nerdy stuff. You get to work hanging up the silk shirt he packed for tomorrow night’s fancy dinner at the resort, listening to some British narrator’s detailed description of the functionally extinct Northern white rhinos living under 24-hour surveillance in Kenya.

(Jungkook’s really into nature documentaries again, had spent a few nights sniffling as he watched that one Koko the gorilla film.)

The original plan was to head to the nearest store and whip up something small to eat at the cabin. But Jungkook is a little tired from the long drive, slumps down into the couch in front of the now lit fireplace like a limbless blob as he tunes into his documentary. His nose is a little red from the outside chill. It’s so cute. He’s so cute. You love him so much, you fear you’ll accidentally squeeze his cheeks to death. It’s a thought that occurs more times than you’d like.

According to the pamphlet on the nightstand, the resort has its own room-service to order from. Normally you would do that, but not this time; you had gotten into a bit of a squabble with the man at the front desk after he had tried to withhold Jungkook’s reservation for arriving two minutes past your check-in time, called each other all sorts of names before he backed down and gave you your room key. So you’re still a little salty, to say the least. Instead, you settle in for some pizza in front of the huge TV, calling up the nearest place to order some of Jungkook’s and your favorites.

You plop down beside him, instinctively cuddling closer when he wraps an arm around your shoulders. “So,” you start, flipping through the rest of the resort’s introductory pamphlet. There’s a loud roar on screen. In all honesty, you didn’t even know what Northern white rhinos sounded like until then, and you probably never would have if not for the man beside you. “What are you in the mood for tonight, sweet boy?”

You’re not sure if it’s the fatigue or the overall relaxed vibes he’d been exuding since the moment you entered the cabin, but Jungkook is weirdly cooperative today. “Whatever you want,” he responds, head on your shoulder. He even places the remote in your hands, gives your enclosed fist a gentle tap as if he’s just handed you the secret to eternal youth. In other words, it’s a rare sight to behold. “This is your trip, pretty girl.”

You appreciate the sentiment, but feel the need to clear the air, tucking your feet up onto the couch as you snuggle closer. “Our trip,” you clarify, and snatch the remote anyway before he changes his mind.

Jungkook releases a quiet huff of laughter, head rolling back against the couch cushions to display his thick, juicy neck that definitely doesn’t awaken any vampiric tendencies in you. “We can even watch some anime if you want,” he murmurs, casually throwing an arm around your shoulders in a way that would have made any teenage girl in the early 2000s squeal with excitement. It’s one of those barely there touches, but the way he holds you makes you feel so safe and warm and loved. So loved and in love. “The ones on Crunchyroll, though.”

For the sake of preserving these good vibes (and your ears [and Jungkook’s sanity]), you navigate to the Crunchyroll app on your phone, quickly finding your latest obsession and mirroring it onto the big television before Jungkook can react. “Sailor Moon?” he asks with a tone that implies a feigned interest, mostly out of respect for you; he’s, sadly, still not the big dorky anime fan you had hoped to convert him into.

“In the name of the moon, I’ll punish you,” you recite dutifully, snatching up the throw blanket on the end of the couch. It’s barely big enough to cover the both of you, has Jungkook’s outstretched legs and your booty subject to the chilly air. Who cares, Jungkook is a furnace anyway.

He snorts. “Punish me,” he mumbles, as if he doesn’t believe it. His snarky comment wins him a playful pinch against his doughy cheek, not that he particularly defends himself against it anyway, eyes fluttering shut as you tug at the pale skin.

“Don’t fuck with the moon, Jungkook,” you warn him, snuggling closely against his side as your favorite opening song begins filtering through the speakers of the television before you. It’s infinitely better than the 240p YouTube clips you had subjected yourself to the entire last week, the graphics scarily clear.

“Right, of course,” Jungkook says, but a hint of amusement seems to curl around the sound anyway. Nevertheless, he lets it go, cuddles into your side as you pour your full focus into watching yet another group of ragtag teenagers with supernatural abilities kick some ass.

You can tell Jungkook isn’t really into it, and you’re torn between just snuggling him into a well deserved nap or taping his eyelids open so he can become a fan of this show with you.

The loving, caring, adoring side of you says Jungkook deserves the entire world and more (the more in question preferably being a fluffy blanket and a nap). He worked hard this week, just like you, and on top of that he was the one who planned this entire weekend getaway for the two of you to enjoy. You want him to rest up.

The obnoxiously in love girlfriend-slash-best friend in you says Jungkook is sorely missing out on one of the greatest shows on planet Earth and that naps are for the weak.

Your jumbled thoughts are interrupted by a loud sound on the television, a yelp from Ms. Sailor Moon herself that has you jolting up in surprise. Jungkook welcomes you deeper into his embrace, chuckles at your little fright. “Scared?” he teases in that low voice that makes you feel like you’re going crazy, really. So crazy and irrational, and the only thing that stops you from bombarding him with an unexpected outpouring of love is that hard and sharp thing that pokes your side when you get too close to him. It’s not Jungkook, sadly, but something in the front pocket of his hoodie instead.

And for some reason, part of your brain is stuck all of a sudden, rewinding the last two and a half years like a broken cassette tape that had the tape reel hastily stuffed back inside by a toddler. It’s choppy to say the least, and it certainly doesn’t help when Jungkook calls your name softly, tenderly. “__,” he murmurs. It’s a little weird; it’s not often he says your name, mostly referring to you with one of the many pet names from that part of his vocabulary that focuses exclusively on terms of endearment. Your heart skips a beat.

Now, if anyone were to ask, it’s approximately around this time that you begin to spiral. The pink curve of his bottom lip is just too close, the mole on his nose too prominent. Paired with the obnoxious tittering of Usagi on screen, you can feel your thoughts begin to overlap, bumping into each other within the realm of your brain until all that comes out are the messiest of messy thoughts.

They go like this:

Most episodes of any anime run for approximately thirty minutes. Take out the commercial breaks, the opening and ending credits, and it becomes something closer to twenty. Twenty minutes per episode, filled with plot and gags and tears and whatever else necessary to make you feel something, anything really.

“What’s in your pocket?” you ask tentatively.

In contrast, it takes approximately two seconds for Jungkook’s lips to quirk up— first the right side, always the right side —and his eyes to crinkle. Two seconds for him to smile, a sweet expression that reminds you of Netflix and college and quiet laughter and tattoos and silly YouTube videos and cookies and cell phones and job applications and blond hair; two seconds to make you feel everything all at once.

“There’s nothing,” he says, but his cheeks are pink, and it’s not from the cold anymore. His smile is so big it makes your own cheeks ache just looking at it. You can’t even hear the television anymore. Never mind the fact you really like Sailor Moon, or that you really want to pay attention to every little detail; the moment becomes Jungkook and his big smile and his red cheeks and the tiny box he produces from within his pocket. “It was supposed to be for tomorrow,” he admits, unwrapping his arm from around you.

It’s a little funny, somehow, because his hands are covered in ink, in tiny doodles and intricate pieces of swirls and words that ooze this aura of strength and toughness. But they tremble when he opens it, as unsteady as a wispy dandelion on a windy day, fumbling with the box. And when you look closely, he’s been biting at the skin along his thumb again, that nervous habit you’ve been trying forever to help him overcome.

Someone is saying something on screen, something important to the plot. The volume is loud, but not as loud as your heart. Not as loud as Jungkook’s quiet murmur when he speaks again. “Will you marry me?” he asks softly, looks at you with flushed cheeks and big eyes and his heart on his sleeve.

The answer has always been the same, hasn’t changed since the first time he planted the seed in your mind. Still, it catches in your throat, nearly loses out to a surprised and emotional sob that you barely manage to bite down. You had just been speaking, had just been ready to deliver a whole spiel on the importance of him watching Sailor Moon with you. But when you try now, it’s raspy and dry, as if you haven’t used your voice in years. “I— yes,” you exhale, surprised by the lonely tear that trails down your cheek. You go to wipe it away, but Jungkook beats you with a gentle hand cupping your cheek.

His smile is wobbly, patches of red blossoming across his face that eventually consume his entire appearance as he leans his forehead against yours. Only then do you realize he’s crying, and you laugh out of reflex. “You’re crying,” you say, and Jungkook snorts.

“You cried first,” he sniffles, smiling. “You made me cry.”

He looks like a wreck, but, like, a hot wreck. An engaged, hot wreck who’s eyes flicker back to the TV to remind you to pause your anime, always so considerate. You do, hastily smashing buttons on the remote before remembering it’s controlled by your phone, hands flying back and forth as your nerves actively work to retire themselves after Jungkook’s proposal. “Easy there,” he soothes, eventually catching your hand in his, drawing it up for a kiss against your knuckles.

The ring fits perfectly, snuggly. Vaguely, a memory drifts through your thoughts of Jungkook and Doyeon on a rampant mission to reorganize your jewelry box a few months ago, but it disappears as quickly as it came. You’re taken by the ring, a simple band with a pretty diamond on top. It’s a good mixture of you and him; flashy yet mild.

“You love me,” you marvel, a revelation you’ve had the honor of experiencing time and time again with Jungkook. Still, it never fails to render you speechless. He hums.

“I do,” he says, taking your hand in his. “It’s the easiest thing for me. Like breathing, or existing. I think I was made to love you.” And normally, you’d be the first one to correct him. Jungkook was made for so much more, a fact he’s proven time and time again with his abilities and the sheer size of his heart. He was your golden boy, could do anything he set his mind to. Always amazing you, always making you fall in love all over again.

But now, with the weight of his words sitting heavy in the air, you find yourself incapable of negating the fact, instead sniffling at the meaning.

Pleased with your silence, Jungkook places another chaste kiss against your ring. “I love you, __,” he confesses, voice nearly a whisper. Your entire body feels as if it is doused in gasoline, lit aflame over and over again. Your heart threatens your rib cage, pounds away with the strength of a world renowned boxer. Jungkook’s hands curl around your wrists carefully. “I used to think we were like the moon and the sun,” he admits, “that you were my sun and I was your moon. In love but always separated by those thin veils of the sunrise and the sunset.” He pauses, nuzzling sweetly against your palm once more before gently guiding them down between the two of you. “But that really sucks— saying goodbye to you every night? I hate that, __. I hate watching you leave, I hate watching you run off in the mornings or halfway through the day, having to drive back and forth from your place to mine. I hate having to be away from you when all I wanna do is hold you. I— I want to be by your side,” he rambles, eyes nervously meeting yours. They’re still glassy, dark lashes framing his chocolate irises wonderfully. “Forever.”

Your heartbeat stutters, the simple word looping itself in your mind like that night in his dining room all over again, all the fantasies of having a forever with Jungkook bubbling to the surface. Jungkook pushes on. “You are my sun,” he says softly, mostly to himself. “But… I don’t wanna be the moon anymore. Being the moon means, eventually, I’ll have to say goodbye. In the night or in the morning, it always comes to an end. And I don't want there to be an end with you,” he insists, clutching your hand tightly. “I wanna be another star, the closest one to you. The one who gets to be with you forever. I wanna be by you and shine with you and—“

“Explode into a gazillion little fragments of cosmic dust with me,” you offer, and Jungkook nods along eagerly, too amped up on his speech to bother scolding you for your playful comment.

“Yes, I want to— to—“ The words catch in his throat. So much emotion from the man you once thought was the dictionary definition of calm and collected. “To—“

“Marry me,” you fill in, and Jungkook practically blows a fuse from how emotionally fired up he’s become, exclaiming a resolute, “yes!” that leaves you stupidly grinning back at him.

His outburst leaves him with flushed cheeks. “I do,” he reiterates in a softer tone, averting his gaze from you as if embarrassed by his cheesy outpouring of emotion. Usually, it’s the other way around; you make all the corny declarations of love and Jungkook laughs along suavely. It feels nice to have the tables turned.

There’s so much to say, but the words all fade away when Jungkook shyly looks at you again. You settle on tackling him back onto the couch cushions, taking his surprised little yelp in stride as you suffocate him in your embrace. “Save those words for the big day, superstar,” you giggle, peppering his red face with tiny kisses that make him scrunch up cutely. “I can’t wait to blow up into one huge supernova with you.”

Beneath you, Jungkook groans. “I’m sorry,” he huffs, voice muffled against your shoulder. Begrudgingly, his arms come up to envelope you, pulling you closer until the blanket scrunches up uncomfortably between you two. “That must’ve sounded so lame.”

Leaning back so you’re not completely squishing him, you carefully push his silvery hair away from his forehead. “Don’t be,” you assure him, placing one chaste peck against his pouty lips. “I thought it was cute. I didn’t know you were into astrology.”

A sigh. “Astronomy,” he corrects, “astrology has to do with zodiac signs and placements.”

You run your thumbs over his cheeks, collecting any of the drying tears that paint his face. “Oh, like how you’re a Virgo and I’m a“—

The TV remote you had lost somewhere along the way is suddenly rematerialized beneath your knee, sends the speakers blaring to life with a deafening screech that has both you and Jungkook leaping up like two frightened cats. “You always do this,” he laughs, that loud boyish sound that makes you feel like you’re sitting on a cloud. He watches you with a gentle smile as you hurriedly shut off the television, the remote haphazardly tossed somewhere behind you afterwards. You return to his embrace, wrap your arms around his waist and snuggle into his warmth. His heart thumps a steady rhythm beneath your ear.

“You’re gonna be stuck with me forever,” you warn him, clutching at the fabric of his shirt like he’ll suddenly disintegrate before your eyes.

Above you, Jungkook hums, placing a kiss against the crown of your head. “I look forward to it,” he responds, pulling you impossibly closer, until you can feel the wrinkles in his shirt imprinting themselves against your cheek. He’s back to being that suave bastard again, and you find yourself wishing you had milked those big crocodile tears out of him for just a little bit longer.

Fingers gently press against the muscles in your nape, push themselves in deeply until you can feel all the tension seeping out, turning you into a limbless blob over Jungkook. “Jeez,” you sigh, eyes fluttering shut. “And you wanted to wait until tomorrow.”

He huffs out a laugh. “I just thought you’d rather get engaged at a fancy restaurant with a pretty dress,” he defends, and you can hear the grin on his face. “For the photos.”

“Fair point,” you concede, eventually pushing yourself up so you’re not entirely squishing your boyfriend beneath you. Jungkook is already looking at you when you lift your head, has got this funny double-chin from this angle that makes his normally sharp jawline disappear. You find yourself tapping a finger against his chin, on the chocolate chip mole that hides itself beneath his plump bottom lip. “If anything, just propose to me again tomorrow at the restaurant.”

It wins you an eye-roll. “I’m not gonna propose to you again tomorrow,” he laughs, doesn’t even push you away when you become annoying and start tapping your fingers against all his beauty marks like you’re playing Whack-a-Mole.

“Booo,” you frown, but let it go soon enough, foregoing your little game to press your lips against his. “Then I better make this a night to remember,” you murmur, tilting your head to the side.

Your hands dip into his luscious locks, fingernails tracing thin lines along his scalp that are certain to send tingles down his spine. As predicted, Jungkook releases a quiet groan soon after, a sound that’s muffled against your own lips. He’s pliant tonight, but not in a way that would elude fatigue. Pliant in a way that suggests he wants you to take the reins tonight, exhaling softly against you as he parts his lips.

“Let me take care of you,” you hum, the hand that had been mindlessly hovering along his cheek drifting down to caress the side of his neck. Jungkook nods, his irises swimming in lust. You smile at his silent compliance, give his throat a light squeeze that makes his breathing hitch in surprise.

He’s always at his prettiest when he’s beneath you like this, limbs moving in slow motion as you guide him along. You can already feel the beginnings of his arousal stirring beneath the front of his sweats, his cock slowly making its presence known against your thigh. You press your lips against his once more, making sure to make it rougher than the first kiss. Your tongue is met with little resistance, slips past his lips and dips into the hot cave of his mouth where Jungkook releases another trembling breath.

Two hands come up behind you, trail themselves over your back and down to your ass, where he gives the two globes a tight squeeze. It draws a whimper out of you, one that Jungkook greedily swallows up. His tongue rubs up along yours, the wet muscle daringly pushing back against yours. His rebelliousness is only quelled with another press of your fingertips around his throat.

“Slow down,” you tell him. The first roll of your hips against him is slow, cruel in that you cut the motion short just as Jungkook begins to push back. A bratty huff escapes him, swollen pink lips pushing out into that endearing pout you love so much. It makes you grin, releasing the grip around his throat to carefully brush a stray strand of hair away from his eyes.

It’s a gesture that works to soften Jungkook as well, the petulant look on his face melting away as you trail your pointer finger along his cheekbone. It’s replaced with a more tender one, dark lashes blinking up at you slowly. “Open,” you command upon reaching his mouth, finger pressing down against his pink lower lip. Jungkook obeys, opening his mouth until you can see his pink tongue and the dark abyss that leads down his throat. Your finger pushes itself in, and Jungkook certainly doesn’t try to resist. His lips suction around the digit fairly quickly, tight enough to keep you there but loose enough for you to slowly draw your finger in and out, each short plunge pressing down against his tongue.

It’s a rather short affair, one that comes to an end when he accidentally bucks up against you, pressing his hardened member against your core. You retract your finger. “Can you,” he tries, but his cheeks are stained red and he refuses to meet your gaze. “Just…”

You intercept him with a chaste peck, maneuvering your legs until your knees are firmly pressed into the couch cushions beneath him, his thin waist trapped in between. When you sit up, you feel drunk on power and the way Jungkook looks up at you certainly doesn’t help. “Can I sit on your face?”

He chokes. “I— sure, please,” he blurts out. His gaze follows you as you slip off of him, quickly discarding your pants and top on the floor. One pat against his thigh has him hurrying to shimmy out of his clothes, his sweatpants caught around his ankles.

“You’re excited,” you laugh, stripping him of his bottoms when the frustration takes him over.

Jungkook scoffs. “Well, yeah,” he mumbles, tugging his shirt off with one smooth motion. The ink around his bicep is as dark as ever, contrasts wonderfully against his warm face. “My fiancée is gonna sit on my face.”

The title makes you preen, quickly finding your place on his lap once more. With your clothing out of the way, Jungkook really does become a furnace. Every inch of his body is hot to the touch, soft too. “Fiancée,” you giggle, hands on his chest. They slide down, fingers playfully nudging his brown nipples. Jungkook flinches at the touch. “Gonna sit on my fiancé’s face,” you parrot back, delicately pinching one nipple between your fingers. A moan spills from his lips, his cock pushing against your thigh once more.

It’s the reminder you need, pushing back dutifully against him as you continue to toy with his chest. He’d look pretty with piercings, you find yourself thinking, watching on in fascination at the way his pert nipples stand at attention. Beneath you, Jungkook begins to grow desperate, his hands finding their place on your waist to encourage you to grind down against him once more.

Jungkook swears up and down that he’s not particularly sensitive about having his nipples touched. But when you’ve got him like this, sinfully laid out before you, you can easily confirm that his claims are nothing but lies. He loves having his nipples touched, squirms beneath you impatiently with each playful tug and twist you bestow upon them.

You duck down, pressing a kiss against his pectoral, just beside his nipple, and Jungkook’s entire body shivers. A few careful drags of your tongue against his warm skin only serve to string him along further, the prettiest whimper pulling itself from his lips when you finally envelope one of them in your mouth. “Wait,” he gasps, clawing at your clothing as if he both wants to push you off and push you closer. You grin, brandishing one mean nip at the sensitive nub.

Eventually, your incessant need to play with Jungkook’s chest is fulfilled. “Lay back,” you instruct, watching as he shuffles down flat on the cushions, silver hair tumbling away from his eyes. He’s so red, eyes hazy. Your panties are discarded, joining the ever growing pile of clothes on the floor.

Once upon a time, the idea of sitting on Jungkook’s face had terrified you, filled you with nightmares of crushing his windpipe or breaking his nose. For the most part, they’re pretty unrealistic fears, ones that can be easily shut down after one careful Google search on safe sexual practices. These days, it’s all too easy; in the mornings, especially, it’s become natural for him to guide you on top carefully, holding your hand as you whimper and sob over his face.

In the current moment, you find yourself stroking a hand down the side of his face, completely enamored with the huge puppy eyes he levels your way. Jungkook likes having your pussy in his face just as much as you do, loves making you feel good in any way he knows how. But there’s a separate matter at hand, one that stands at attention beneath his black boxers and successfully wins your attention.

Truthfully, there is no dilemma to ponder over; you want both to ride Jungkook’s face and suck him off. The solution?

“We’ve never done this before,” Jungkook mumbles in amazement, his voice slightly muffled from his position beneath you and slightly behind you. Still, his arms dutifully wrap around your thighs, guiding you closer to his mouth where his hot breath fans against your glistening folds. You rock back willingly, hands preoccupied with pushing his boxers down and away from his engorged cock.

“Really?” you ask, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with the cock before you and the tongue that gently laps at your folds. Jungkook makes a sound, something between a hum and whimper, his mouth slowly getting to work against your folds. “M- Maybe,” you stutter, all thought processes coming to a halt as you carefully take him in your hand.

His cock is hard and long, his tip an angry shade that weeps with precum. From this angle, you get to watch Jungkook’s huge thighs twitch at the sensation, the tattoo that marks up one of them doing little to hide the fact. Your hand squeezes him, watches in awe as another fat droplet oozes out of his tip. A moan tears itself from his throat, and it’s so goddamn sexy it nearly drives you insane.

It’s one particularly long lap of his tongue over your clit that sends you into action, back arching at the tingles that shoot down your spine. Wasting no more time, you guide Jungkook’s cock into your mouth, let your own tongue shower his mushroom tip in kitten licks that have him bucking upwards. He releases your clit with a lewd pop, hot breath fanning across your lips. “Fuck,” he gasps, voice harsh.

Admittedly, it’s more difficult than you thought it would be.

You’re not one to be easily overwhelmed (says you), but with Jungkook’s twitching cock in your mouth and his teasing tongue dipping into your entrance, it becomes hard to juggle your attention between the two. Even Jungkook, who is quite frankly the master of cunnilingus, seems torn between the two, his breathing shallow and quick against your folds.

With each slow descent around his cock, he shudders, thigh muscles tightening in anticipation. It causes a lull in the pace of his tongue, the generous kisses and licks against your folds subject to a somewhat uneven pace that, surprisingly, leaves you more on edge than you’d ever expected it to; right when you think he’s about to suck your clit into his mouth, you’re met with a harsh exhale instead, one that makes your lips flutter.

You’re both disappointed in yourselves for never having tried this mind-blowing position before, and equal parts understanding as to why you haven’t tried this position before— it’s a lot. His cock is halfway down your throat when it twitches, sends a gush of precum into your mouth that has your eyes rolling backwards, a whine slipping out around him. Jungkook appreciates the vibrations, letting it fuel him as he plunges his tongue into your hole. It’s a two way street, you realize, one that is constantly experiencing traffic.

“Baby,” you gasp, pulling off of his cock with a slick sound, hypnotized by the trail of saliva that connects your lips to his tip. Jungkook’s tongue prods along your slit, makes your eyesight go blurry when the tip of his nose brushes along you as well. The idea of his cute nose buried deep someplace it shouldn’t be has you grinding down on him. “We can— we should stop,” you stutter, your trembling hand reaching forward to grasp the base of his cock.

He’s slick with your saliva and his precum, and your hand makes a squelching sound upon contact. It must feel good, because Jungkook moans against your folds, his thighs unconsciously falling farther apart as you slowly jerk him off. You think you might’ve heard your name slip from his lips, but your mind is fuzzy, lost in your lust as Jungkook licks a sinful line from your hole to your clit, curling his tongue at the end. “J- Jungkook,” you cry, flinching away because it’s become too much, your toes curling as the beginnings of an orgasm threaten you.

Before that can happen, he relents, leaning back with a heavy exhale, his hands loosening their grip against your ass and plopping back down against the cushions. “Fuck,” he pants, his cock twitching in your hold. A lonely droplet of precum trails down the side, your knuckles coated in the glossy substance. Beneath you, Jungkook rubs one soothing palm against your hip.

You slink off before he can get any funny ideas, maneuver yourself around until you’re kneeling between his parted thighs, his fat cock standing at attention between the two of you. From here, he looks ravenous, and you begin to question who exactly is taking care of who. Jungkook looks like he’s a second away from pinning you down and swallowing you whole, a thought that makes your toes curl.

It’s with a cautiously horny hand that you reach for his cock again, holding him with both hands. Jungkook growls, head lolling backwards until all you can see is his neck and his chin, thick veins protruding along his skin. Jungkook doesn’t waste a moment longer. “C’mere,” he purrs, hauling you up until you’re clumsily leaning over him, palms framing his face. A lone finger runs down your spine, its faint touch making you arch forward. “Sorry,” he says, securing an arm around your waist. “I know you wanted to take care of me, but…”

You roll your eyes, submitting yourself to his clutches as he masterfully rolls the two of you over. The couch is soft beneath your back, and Jungkook looks pretty from above too. “You just can’t sit still, can you?” you murmur playfully.

Jungkook’s forearms find their place beneath your thighs, the fold of the back of your knee perfectly slotted against his warm skin as he shuffles closer. “Maybe another time,” he laughs along sheepishly, his hard cock gliding over your slit, teasing your clit. You gulp, eyes scanning over his lean build as if it’s the first time. “Sorry,” he repeats, but he’s got this stupidly dopey grin on his face as he glances down at your pussy; he’s insane, he’s got to be, what man makes heart eyes at a pussy?

Your man, apparently. Grasping the base of his cock, Jungkook takes care to drag it along your folds collecting your wetness along his length, a deep shudder wracking his body through it all. “I knew you would do this to me,” he mutters, so low you nearly miss it under the thundering sound of your heartbeat.

“Huh,” you mumble, and you’d like to defend yourself and say you weren’t as cock-crazy as Jungkook was coochie-crazy, but that would be a lie. You’re staring at his cock as if it holds the secrets to the universe right now.

Jungkook juts his head to the side, a motion similar to the one he does when he’s trying to crack his neck. His tongue prods along his cheek, eyes laser-focused on the point where your two bodies meet. “From the moment you walked into my house,” he grunts mindlessly, finally lining himself up with your entrance. He chances a glance up, meets your gaze with a patient look, “all good?”

“All good,” you hurriedly reply, fingers finding their place against his broad shoulders. With the way he had prepared you earlier, mouthed along your clit and your folds until you were pleasantly aroused, the glide now is too easy. Tight, but easy, has the two of you releasing twin moans that echo off the wooden walls of the cabin.

Jungkook’s forehead is covered in a thin veil of sweat, one that glistens when the evening sunset pours in through the balcony doors, highlighting him in a golden light that makes you dizzy. The angry tip of his cock sinks into your walls, Jungkook’s ashy strands sticking to his forehead and his cheeks. For some reason, you find yourself reminiscing on the aforementioned moment Jungkook had spoken of. Of the soft sweater he’d worn that day and the dinner he had made, the blond tips on his chestnut hair and the way he’d clung onto every word you’d said.

It makes you tear up, and, after laughing at Jungkook early for crying, you quickly turn your face away.

Jungkook isn’t dumb. “What now,” he chuckles, though his breathing is labored, every inch of his cock that penetrates you further bringing with it another rush of adrenaline. At the hilt, you’re embarrassed to say there’s multiple tears streaming down your face, so you can’t even play it off as you usually do. “Crybaby,” Jungkook teases, but his voice is so soft and tender you don’t know what to do with yourself.

“Just move,” you bite out, shamefully covering your face with your hands. Jungkook leans over you, the movement pushing his dick deeper inside of you, your walls clenching around him. A kiss is placed over your knuckles, just shy of your engagement ring. Your chest lurches with a silent sob. “Jungkook,” you whimper, sinking further into the cushion, “please, just—“

“I got it,” he assures you, placing one final peck against your handmade (literally) shield. And then, so quietly you almost miss it, he makes sure to whisper, “love you,” before unsheathing himself.

You shudder, your heart feeling so full, you fear it’ll burst. You both love and hate when he treats you like this, like an ice sculpture in the scorching heat that has him doing everything he can to keep you solid. His touch is soft, the roll of his hips too slow for your liking. You feel so small and vulnerable— too pampered. “Harder,” you beg, your voice an airy whine that has Jungkook chuckling above you.

He lives to please you, hiking your leg over his shoulder with a renewed vigor. His hands find themselves on your waist, forcefully pinning you down against the couch cushions as he sets upon fulfilling your latest request. The next series of thrusts are jerky, have you jostling in his grip as Jungkook pounds into you with an all new mindset. “Lemme see you,” he huffs, thumbs painfully digging into your skin. You tremble in his arms, heart swayed by the quiet plea in his voice. “Let me see your face, pretty girl.”

Reluctantly, you do, brandishing your tear-stricken face his way. Jungkook smiles, that stupidly handsome smile, his hips snapping into you roughly. “Fuck,” he moans, the expression never leaving his face, even when run your nails over his chest harshly. “You’re so pretty.”

You ignore him for the sake of your already weakened mental state, focusing instead on the brutal force of his hips, the way his cock stretches your walls out. Each push has you seeing stars, thighs quivering from the sensations that shoot up your spine and down your toes. “Oh,” you mewl, hands gripping his biceps as you lose yourself to him. Your eyes roll back, vision a mess of colors and nothingness all at once.

“Is this hard enough?” Jungkook husks out, and he sounds so close. His proximity is confirmed when his mouth slots against yours, his harsh breath mingling with your own as he continues to frantically buck into your inviting heat, each new round of thrusts leaving you weaker and weaker than before. “God,” Jungkook cries, the sound nearly lost beneath your own moans and whimpers. “Gonna k- keep you forever,” he spits, tongue slipping into your mouth.

He’s messier than usual, moves with unrefined movements unlike his normal self. You don’t care, you love him all the same. His sloppy kisses turn into desperate ones, matching the pace of his hips. “Kook,” you sob, arms wrapping themselves around his neck, pulling him close until his thrusts are reduced to a shallower depth.

“I’ve got you,” he croons, lips against your jawline. His cock presses in and you swear you feel it alongside every inch of your walls, a warmth blossoming in your stomach. He’s layering messy kisses down your face now, lips sucking dark marks any chance he gets.

True to his word, Jungkook indeed has you. His cock pistons in and out at an astonishing pace, each surge into your folds making you dizzy over and over again. It’s a feeling you fear you’ll never grow tired of, in fact, it’s a feeling you fear you’ll begin to crave even more in the future. The good thing is, that future will extend into forever.

You yank him towards you, swallow his low laughter with your lips. Jungkook doesn’t complain, lowering himself until he’s practically squishing you beneath his beefy body, cock ramming in and out despite all that. His tongue glides along yours, makes it his mission to muffle each of your cries.

It doesn’t take long for you to be fulfilled. Given the fact you had sucked him off like a lollipop whilst having him eat you out, you’re not entirely surprised. That and the emotions of tonight have you melting into him sooner than you’d like, his name falling from your lips as your thighs clamp down around his waist. Jungkook takes it in stride, slows the maddening pace of his hips to cradle you in his arms. You’re like jelly, practically flop back into the cushion when he slips an arm beneath you. “You’re so good for me,” Jungkook praises, lavishing your throat in tiny pecks as his orgasm circles around. “My pretty girl.”

“Love you,” you sigh, and your body feels numb, his intrusion but a small touch now that he’s tired you out once more, your walls tender and raw. Jungkook presses a smile against your throat and, moments later, releases inside of you.

Even minutes after the deed, the feeling refuses to return to your legs. He didn’t go that hard— well, you’re not entirely sure. The memories always become blurry toward the end of your escapades. Everything rushes back in waves, and for some reason, your first thought is, “where’s Sailor Moon?”

Your post-rump conversations have never been the most coherent, usually filled with pretty weird thoughts and ideas. Still, more grand things have happened tonight for you to be worried about a magical anime girl. Jungkook draws himself out of your core with a huff of laughter. “On the TV,” he answers, unfazed by the oddity of your question.

That’s how you know he’s a keeper.

It takes a while, but eventually Jungkook responds. “Avocado toast,” he says, though his answer is dripping with uncertainty. He’s naked as the day he was born, snuggled up beside you in bed. He’s propped up on one arm, looking down at you over the ample swell of his manly bosom. It takes everything in you to keep your hands off his chest.

“Correct,” you respond, “and what movie did we watch?”

Without missing a beat, “Transformers, the first one.”

You nod, glancing at the ceiling as you rack your brain for any other trivia questions to ask your fiancé. “The title of the playlist you made?”

A flush paints his cheeks. “Date Night playlist,” he answers through a pout, reprimanding you for bringing up such a memory with a flick to your forehead. You wince. “I was young and silly,” he defends.

You beam, cuddling into his side until he’s forced to lay back down. “Yeah, yeah,” you tease. “We’re only gonna get older from here,” you lament. You’d say it’s difficult to picture him with a gray head of hair, but his current silvery locks don’t leave much room for your imagination.

Jungkook pulls you close. A beat of silence passes, and then, “so who are we telling first?”

Definitely Namjoon.

#networkbangtan #jungkook smut #jeon jungkook smut #jungkook #Jungkook fic #jeon jungkook fic #jeon jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook x reader smut #bts fic #bts smut #mine

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lemony-snickers · 2 years

Note

since your requests are opened and i've spent hours finishing your kakashi masterpieces, can you write about how kakashi would react when he sees reader after her faked death that he didn't know about?

maybe about a year after reader 'died' to let the trauma fully sink in the copy ninja before he sees her again and crumbles and- you know what to do 😸☝️ angst cascading to smut (because of how repressed he was since he hadn't been getting off properly ever since reader's death)

i had two fake death requests before tumblr ate one in the Great Purge of Lemony’s Ask Box. and then i got a third one sometime after that. couldn’t hit all the right notes for each of them, so this is a bit of an amalgam. hope you like it well enough, my three anons, if you’re still hanging around, i know it’s been forever. i hope you can forgive me for the delay. <3

Title: Resurrection Summary: Kakashi feels lost as his students go their separate ways, and then a ghost from his past threatens to unravel everything. Word Count: 7,126 (lol, sorry. i can’t stfu apparently) Warnings: 18+ only, NSFW, fem!reader, tw pregnancy, tw death (temporary, obvs), one f-word, sappy ending, no proofreading .

Kakashi is no stranger to loneliness. But as he watches Naruto depart Konoha with Jiraiya, he can’t help but feel like it’s different this time. Like the hollowness is deeper, more final.

He knows he will have plenty of missions to fill his time, but today is a day of rest and the lack of anything to do makes him antsy. Restless.

His feet take a familiar path to the Konoha Cemetery, and he knows at least here he will be able to pass plenty of time because he has so many lost people to visit. He starts with his father and mother this time, standing solemnly at their graves—separated because of his father’s final disgrace—in turn, silently catching them up on his life. His losses.

Kakashi can’t help but think they would be disappointed their son has grown to be a man who feels so incomplete. No students, few friends, no home life—just the work of a shinobi and the corresponding blood on his hands.

Next is Rin, who exemplifies that last bit so well. He still wakes sometimes, seeing his palms spattered with her blood and viscera. Still hears her voice in his ears as her final sounds bubbled forth from her mouth.

He doesn’t stay there as long as he should, but he doesn’t have the stamina for it today; the guilt clawing its way into his brain is too strong and he’s afraid if he doesn’t leave now, he never will.

The Memorial Stone he saves for last, paying his respects to Obito and Minato-sensei and a third name etched further down, more recent.

Your name.

(Read More on AO3)

#lemony smutters #kakashi hatake #kakashi smut #kakashi x you #kakashi x reader #fem!reader #tw pregnancy #tw death

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skyfallslayer · 2 years

Text

The Daughter of The (Dare)Devil - Story 2

Series Masterlist

Series Summary: A Series of stories revolving around the MCU timeline of Matt Murdock and his Daughter, Kaila. Being the child of a vigilante can be hard and scary at times, but it doesn’t mean she ain’t going to enjoy the most of it.

(Can be read as Y/N if you’d like).

Story Summary: The new addition to Nelson & Murdock is great, they surely enjoyed the company and help. Although, Matt would have to admit, Miss Page was a curious thing. Maybe TOO curious when it comes to personal questions (Set shortly after S1E1, “Into The Ring.”).

Read story 1 to get a better understanding.

Date: 5/13

Rating: Teen/Borderline of Mature

Word Count: 5,289

Warning: Hints of Karedevil (my OTP); Changing POVs (?); Possible OOC; Angst/Lots of angst; Talks of possible adoption; Abandonment; Talks of disability; References to panic attacks; READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

(Let me know if I missed anything)

A/N: Finally back! I'm sorry this took forever, I had a lot of personal drama come up. But I'm back! So sorry about that! And I hope you enjoy the story!

Also, this is not my best work, but hopefully ya'll like it :)

Karen Page.

She was an interesting one, Matt would have to admit. But that didn’t stop him and Foggy from offering her a job at their newly appointed firm. Which honestly, they most definitely needed the help. It was better than letting a fourteen year old girl be their secretary when she should be doing schoolwork during their office hours. Speaking of-

“So, remind me again what exactly happened? Since… you know, I was away on a field trip.” Kaila asked, giving her father an earful. She was helping him cross the street as they made their trek to his new business building. “You take a case with Foggy a few hours after opening, somehow win, but not before you save this woman from being killed and allow her to stay in our apartment for safety?”

He smirks, only imagining the expression she had on. “Yeah, something like that.”

“And Uncle Foggy doesn’t know that last part?”

“Nope.”

“But the two of you gave her a job out of the goodness of your hearts?”

“Uh, Huh.”

“Huh.” She whispers to him that a biker was coming (even though he probably could hear it coming from behind), and moves them both. “So… how long has it been since then?”

“About… four days, give or take.” Matt says, thinking. “Maybe shorter?”

“Okay. Well, is she nice at least?” She asked, protectively, which her father picked up quickly.

He chuckles, patting the arm that's helping him. “Relax, Kai. She’s a good person. You’ll like her.”

“Alrighty. Just checking.”

They soon arrived at the building, Matt already sensing that everyone was already inside. He opens the door with his usual smile, the ruffling of papers and books stopped as he felt two sets of eyes on him.

“Hi, Matthew.” Karen said, chirpy.

“Hi. Sorry to be late, I had a little delay.” He replies, truthfully (he had a stitch that came loose).

“Matt! Perfect timing!” Foggy calls out, stumbling from his office. He kicks an empty container out of his way, greeting him with open arms. “We need help organizing if you can. We found more boxes that need to be unpacked.”

“Surely I can.” He said, before gesturing to his child looking around the room with curious eyes. “If you don’t mind, I brought Kaila over today.”

Foggy’s face lights up more. “K-Pop! You’re here!”

The brunette snorts, offering him a hug. “Hi, Foggy.” Kaila says, feeling the love.

“Oh, this is perfect!” He says pulling away, hands resting on her shoulders. “Do you have homework?”

“Uh… no. Not this week.”

“Awesome! That means you can help with filing.” He holds up one finger as her face morphed into disappointment. “Yes, you are. You’re not going to sit here and play on your phone all day kiddo, alright?”

“You sound more of a dad than he is.” Kaila jokes, gesturing to her father.

“I guess I got the day off.” Matt said and shrugged. He suddenly picked up the slight uncomfortable tension in the air from someone. “Oh, uh, Karen-” He turns to the blonde woman. “This is my daughter, Kaila. Kaila, this is the person I was telling you about, Karen Page.”

The young Murdock uses her manners, and extends her hand out. “Hi, Miss Page.”

Karen smiles softly. “Hi.” She says, shaking it. “I… didn’t know you had a daughter, Matt.”

“Well, I haven’t had a chance to bring it up, or place any photos on my fold out table yet.” Matt reponses, a bit tongue and cheek.

Kaila lightly hits him in the arm. “Really? You get this semi new office and don’t have pictures of precious little me?” She says in the same tone as him.

“Don’t worry.” Foggy smirks, reaching inside his office to snag a picture frame to show off. “I got ya cover, K-Pop.”

A little girl with tiny pigtails and a missing front tooth was being squished between two men. The two of them still had a very ‘college’ look about them while they stood in front of a carousel for the photo.

Kaila scrunched her nose. “That’s like the worst photo of me.”

“What?” He turns it towards himself to look at it. “I don’t think so.”

“I puked after we took that.”

“Because your father gave you a butt load of candy.”

“Hey-” Matt begins, holding his hand up in defense. “Don’t shoot shots at me. I’ve got the day off, remember?”

“Exactly!” Foggy points to his friend. “Which reminds me-” He takes her by the shoulders again, steering her away. “It’s time to do some filing, young lady.”

She threw her head back with a sigh. “Noooooo.” She whined with a pouting face.

“Tough. The faster we get this done in an organized manner, we can go get lunch. I was thinking… that shawarma’s place a few blocks away? How’s that sound?”

Her brown eyes lit up at the sound of that. “Oh! Yes, please!”

“Perfect! Matt, Karen, chop chop! Food’s on the line.”

Karen and Matt chuckled at his childish antics, but did what they were told in their own ways (Which was just Matt unpacking boxes whole Karen put the necessary items away in their proper places). While doing so there was an interesting silence between them, one that wasn’t uncomfortable, but was also along the border of being uncomfortable. I mean…

Could you blame them though? The teenager’s laughter in the background wasn’t helping either, nor was Foggy’s encouragement/hangry-emotional filled comments (Do you see why Matt doesn’t want to leave the two of them alone?).

After a long time of nothing, The blonde begins with:

“So…” She shuffled papers together nervously. “No offense, but um… when I… uh stayed in your home I never would have guessed a child was living with you.”

Matt’s lip curled up a little, finding her statement a little humorous actually. “None taken.” He chuckles, shifting his stance against the tower of boxes. “Well… since I can’t see, there’s kind of no need to decorate the place. The only place that I've been told that’s decorated is Kai’s room. The uh… door was closed when you stayed.”

“Ah.” Karen says, nodding a little. “I see.”

A pregnant pause again, as her shy blue eyes quickly flickered to his left hand, a million thoughts and questions ran through her mind. Matt “felt” her movement, and heard the way her heart nervously paced. He could tell she was trying not to cross a line she wasn’t supposed to yet; Which he’ll admit that it was sweet of her being so considerate, despite barely knowing each other.

“Hey, Karen?” He said, earning a hum from her. “It’s okay if you want to ask questions. I’m sure you have many.”

“Uh…” Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, as she fiddled with her hands. “Well… I-I do, I just don’t-”

“It’s okay.” He gives her a reassuring smile. “If we’re going to be working together from now on, I guess I should tell you a little about my life.”

“You… you’re sure?”

“Positive.”

“Oh… okay. Um.” She runs a hand through her locks, thinking. “Were… were you… married at all? “

He shakes his head. “No, no. No marriage for me. No uh… she was born out of wedlock.”

“Oh. So… a girlfriend?”

“Uh…” He sighs quietly. “Sort of. I… I met this girl towards the end of law school, broke it off shortly after graduation because it wasn’t going to work out. Although-” He uses his hands to emphasize his words. “If I’m being honest it was more of a fling than a relationship, so I don’t really know if I can call her my ex-girlfriend.”

“Oh.” She frowns sadly, worriedly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s fine.” Matt says, truthfully (well… maybe there was a bit of a white lie there).

“So, you found out she was pregnant after you broke up?”

“Well…” He clenches his jaw a little. He didn’t exactly like this part of the story. “Not exactly. I didn’t know Kaila existed. Um…” His throat started to go dry. “I’ll just tell you the story, it’ll make it easier. So… It was a couple months after I moved into my apartment…”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

-Fourteen Years Ago-

You could say Matt was living the high life at this moment. Sure, money was a little tight, and his damn kitchen sink wouldn’t stop dripping after a few uses, and the neighbour’s dog wouldn’t shut up at an ungodly hour in the night, but he was in a good place. A decent size apartment he got for a bit of a discount since it faced the neon sign that Foggy claimed shines the uglies of colors; But that didn’t bother him for obvious reasons, and even if he could see the stupid thing, it wouldn’t pop his bubble of happiness.

He’s finally graduated from school, passed the bar on his second try, and has a pending interview with one of the best law firms in Hell’s Kitchen; All while he has his best friend was right beside him doing the same. What more could he ask for?

“-and you just keep ignoring her calls?” Foggy asks, sliding his Fall jacket on, while staying near the worn down couch his friend had.

Matt scoffs a little. “Well, what am I supposed to do, Foggy? I haven’t talked to her in months, and she decides to call out of the blue?” He holds his finger up, pausing the other man. “And before you say anything, I did try to call her back once, and she didn’t pick up.”

“Okay, jeez. I won’t.” Foggy says, holding his hands up in defense before fishing around for his thin gloves. “I’m just saying, what if it’s important?”

“Then she would have picked up when I called her.”

“Alright, that’s true too.” He quirks a little smile after getting himself situated, clasping his hands together. “Alright. I’m going to get us some pizza.”

Matt raises an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t it just be easier to just order for delivery?”

“This place doesn’t deliver, remember? And it’s the best pizza I’ve ever had, so I’m willing to walk a few blocks to go get it.” Foggy replies, sounding like a man on a mission.

Matt chuckles, truly never understanding his logic. “Alright, Fog. I won’t argue.”

“Good. Cause you won’t regret it when you taste the delicious seasonings and spices inside the rich tasting sauce. It’s-” He makes a chef’s kiss sound and movement. “Delicioso.” He hums at the sound of it. “I’ll be back.”

“Alright.”

Foggy takes a couple of steps before stopping and looks around. “Man, we gotta get you some art or something in here. It’s sad.” He says, before continuing his journey.

“Uh, Fog? I don’t know if you remember? I’m your blind friend?”

“A blind man who always manages to bring the hot chicks home.” He mutters, getting Matt to laugh. “You gotta think of them, Murdock.”

His voice and footsteps trailed off as he was out the door, leaving the other man alone. Matt sighs blissfully, stretching his arms out before leaning back against his couch. His eyes closed while he tried to find something peaceful to tune in on. The sirens were the worst. He could always hear them because they were always here and there (I guess that’s what he gets for living in a dangerous part of New York).

He tunes in on what sounds like someone running a bath a few blocks away. Whoever it was must have great plumbing because the water wasn’t coming out choppy like his apartment’s bath does.

Must be nice. He thought, drifting away after a few minutes when the faucet was shut off and someone was about to get in (Yeah, he’s not a pervert, okay?)

He listened to many things that didn’t ache his senses. Like kids laughing in the park, the sounds of the weekly ice cream truck, the lovely piano played by a professional, the running at his door, the—

Hang on.

Matt cocked his head at that, tuning in on his very own hallway. The footsteps were loud and quick, but quick like someone was in a hurry and didn’t care that they were making so much noise. He could hear the slight squeak of the rubber bottom of worn down sneakers, and the tiniest of panting coming from the person’s mouth. Tiny bits of breath. Matt could guess this person hasn’t been running the whole time from their point A to their point B. No, it sounded like they just started running the moment they entered this building.

Strange. And the whiff of this person’s scent was a bit familiar. Where has it smelled that before? But before he could conclude an answer, the running stopped right at his door. He blinked curiously, listening keenly. He could hear one of their hands moving up and down, fingers twitching as they hovering over his door, uncertain. Their heart was fluttering fast as they gulped down nervously. Strange again. Who was this—

They sent something down carefully, something that made a little rocking motion before settling. There was something strong coming from whatever that was and it smelled so familiar too that he practically dying to see what it even—

Three loud knocks. That was it. Three loud knocks before the person sprinted away, leaving whatever they set down behind. Matt followed the person’s trail as they practically flew themselves down the six flights of stairs and out into the city streets where they got lost in a sea of people. Now Matt wanted to tune in, wanted to hear and know who this person was, but his mind kept screaming for him to get to the door.

He pushed himself up, using muscle memory to get to his destination, his trembling hands opening the door (Trembling? Why was his hands trembling?). The smell hit his nose which wasn’t unpleasant, but it caught him off guard because it reminded him of someone. But what was it? Carefully he reached out to grab it, thinking maybe it was just a package of some kind, but surely he didn’t expect to grab a thick plastic handle.

He blinked again, confused, obviously. He tries recalling if he orders anything that involves a handle (And he’s pretty sure the tableware Foggy helped him ordered didn’t have handles on it). He felt around a little more, fingertips ghosting down the handle, reaching something that was like felt, which drew a small sound from.

He drew his hand away and froze.

That sounded like… No. It couldn’t be… He told himself, because that couldn’t be it. There’s no way that—

Well…

There’s no way someone left a baby at his door.

…Right?

He listened, and sure enough he heard the small beats of a heart that he didn’t notice before. He also heard the small sleeping sounds the child was making. But still, this wasn’t the point.

Why is there a baby at my door? He asked to nothing but air.

Uncertain, but still looking for an answer, he carefully felt around for any more clues. He tried not to disturb the baby as he felt around its blanket till he got something. He felt the smoothness and ruffle of a single piece of paper, smelling like ink and something else.

Puffy markers. It wasn’t in braille but the letters stuck out on the page for him to read.

For him. So someone really wanted him to read this. This letter was for him. He was nervous. A little scared because he had a gut wrenching thought crossing the back of his mind.

He let his fingers trace each letter slowly, processing them one at a time. Some of the letters were a bit hard to make out since the handwriting was so sloppy, so the rest was like filling in the blanks which he didn’t mind doing until he got the end.

Oh no.

He felt the wind get knocked out of him.

This is not right.

Matt felt himself sink to the ground, knees hitting hard, his body finding support on the door frame.

Oh no. This isn’t real— He told himself, but his mind, heart, and gut was telling him otherwise.

Oh no. This isn’t…

He swallows, brain spinning around before settling on what he’s going to do. Matt knows he’s coming back soon, but he can’t wait any longer as he scrambles for his phone in his pocket. He listens for the automated voice, asking what he needs. He swallows again, mouth going so dry.

“C-Call…” He stutters, feeling like his vocal cords just evaporated. “Call…” His heart skips a beat, his gut telling him to react faster. “Call… Call Foggy.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Foggy felt the phone vibrating in his pocket as he was leaving the restaurant. Balancing the pizza box in one hand while he walked towards the curb, eyes scanning for those yellow cars as his free hand fished the device out; Face a little confused upon seeing the caller ID, but still answered no less.

“Hey, Matty. Did you need some-”

“H-How f-far are you from my home?” His friend asked in a rush. Furrowing his brows, Foggy heard the stuttering in his voice. He knows Matt never stutters unless something’s spooked him.

“I just left the shop. I’m trying to hail a cab right now.” He replies, holding the phone with his shoulder as he waved at one. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“I-I…” Foggy could hear him shuffling around, like his pacing or something of that form. “I think…. I think I know why Mary was trying to call me.”

He perked up at the new emotion. “Matt?” Foggy said, worriedly.

“Just… I-I know you’re getting a ride but… just… tr-try to get back as quickly as you can.” A pause. Like he was listening. “Pl-Please.”

Foggy nods even though he knows he can’t see it. “Yeah. Yeah of course, Buddy. I’ll let the driver know.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll be there soon.” He hangs up the phone, chest tightening that something bad was afoot. He starts waving his open arm again, screaming, “TAXI!!”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Matt opened the door on the eighth frantic knock and Foggy’s heavy breathing. Foggy almost stumbled forward when the door was taken away, cussing under his breath, before notice the distant look on his friend’s face.

“What happened?” Foggy asked worriedly, as the other man walked away.

He followed anxiously, watching closely as he placed the box down on the kitchen counter, eyes trailing to where Matt gestured at the dining table. Foggy felt himself freeze on the spot (Oh, now he understands the frantic call). There was the cheapy gray color on the carrier, the hood was up to block any light from coming onto the tiny, tiny human wrapped up in a light purple blanket. He felt himself blink more times than he can count.

“W-Wha…” Foggy stuttered, taking a small and cautious step forward. “W-Where did you get the baby?”

Matt licked his chapped lips, swallowing too. “I-It uh, w-was at my door. Uh…” He crossed his arms, almost like he was trying to ground himself. “I-I think Mary left it.”

Foggy snapped his head towards his friend with surprise. “M-Mary left this?” He watched him nod and looked at the carrier again. “Did… did she steal a baby or something? Why is there a baby here?”

Matt shifted nervously before unfolding the letter from his hand, handing it over. “Here. Tell me if I read that right.”

Foggy took it, flattening it a little bit more before actually reading. He felt his blue orbs widened with each word. “You’re…” He begins, trying to comprehend it all. “You’re the father?”

“So I did read that right.” He said, finding the back of his couch with his hands to lean against it.

"Well… Maybe it's not. She could be mistaken, uh…" He looks around, finding something else sticking out from the blanket. "Here. There's a birth certificate. Perfect! Let's see." He reads over it quickly. "See? This is all incomplete. There’s no name for the father, no.. uh, she didn’t name the baby. That’s… odd. D-Doesn’t matter! Uh, it looks like it’s only her name here, so Mary is the mother.”

“Foggy.” Matt croaks.

“Relax, Murdock. Maybe it’s not yours. Maybe this is–” Foggy waves his hands around. “A-A prank.” He kind of cringes at what he said though, feeling small. “Did Mary do those…?”

Matt twitched, thinking. “What color were Mary’s eyes?” He asked, quietly.

“Blue.”

“And the baby’s?”

Foggy glanced at the carrier to notice that the child was still sleeping, then decided to look over the certificate again. “Uh… Brown.”

The blind man swallows again, his throat running dryer. "A-Are they my brown?"

"Matt-"

"Are they mine, Foggy?"

Foggy’s heart clenched when he heard the hurt in his friend’s voice. “I don’t know, she’s still asleep. Maybe she could've gotten it from-"

"S-She?" He muttered, stunned. “It’s a girl?”

Foggy nods, but clarifies. “Yeah. That’s what it says.”

“Oh jeez, Foggy.” Matt said, hands gripping the sides of his head. “I don’t know how to raise a kid. I don’t—”

“Hey, hey, hey. Easy now.” He sets the paper aside and rushes to grab his friend’s shoulders, grounding him. “Look. There’s a hospital down the street, we can go there and get a DNA test. Huh? And then… we’ll figure out what to do next, regardless of the results. Okay?”

It takes a minute or two, but Matt nods. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah that’s okay.”

“Okay.” Foggy gives him a light squeeze. “Alright, I’ll go get your cane.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“So how long will this take?” Foggy asked the very nice Phlebotomist. He unfortunately had to do most of the explaining since his friend kept spacing out, but hey, could you blame him though? The woman was kind and understanding, and did everything professionally quickly.

“Not too long since it’s not busy. We’ll let you know right away.” She said, smiling after applying the bandage to Matt’s arm.

She disappeared with another woman, a nurse, who was now feeding the now awake child while muttering how tiny she was. It made his heart flutter for various reasons.

“Hey?” Foggy said, giving him a little push in the arm. “You okay?”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Matt answered truthfully. “I just… I mean… me? A dad? How’s that going to work?”

“You can make anything work as long as you put your mind to it, but-” He gives his shoulder a comforting squeeze like earlier. “If you can’t, then there’s no shame in putting her up for adoption. It happens all the time.”

“I know, it’s just…” He lets out a sigh, dropping his head. “I don’t know.”

Silence enveloped the room, nothing but a ticking clock could be heard as they waited and waited and waited till they felt like they were going to roll off into the darkness called sleep. Sleep sounded good. Maybe he could sleep. Maybe this was just a dream. Maybe this was something his mind just conjured up to–

“Okay.” Phlebotomist said, coming back into the room with the nurse. She still had that gentle smile on her face. “So, it does look like the baby is yours Mr. Murdock.” Foggy squeezed his shoulder. “And it does look like she’s about a month old, born prematurely; However, we did some testing and she’s fine. Everything’s pretty much growing at the rate they should be. Okay?”

Matt was speechless, pale and holding in air. He also didn’t look like he wasn’t going to answer her, so Foggy became a knight in shining armor again and stood up from his seat.

“Uh, actually… um…” He begins, fiddling with his hands. “Do you think we could discuss some options out in the hall? If that’s okay?”

She nods. “Yes. Of course.” She gestures to the door, and calls for the nurse. “Becca?”

The nurse perks up at her name. “Oh, yes! I’m coming.” She said as they were leaving. She hums and takes a step towards Matt, still holding the baby close to her arms. “You mind holding her for a sec, Mr. Murdock?”

That did the trick, and Matt stiffened in his spot.

“What? No. I-I.. I don’t—” He’s jumbling his words because he’s been blindsided, but that didn’t give her a hint (or maybe she didn’t care) ‘cause she handed over the kids to him.

“Relax. I’ll rearrange your hands.” She said, doing what she said she would. “Now make sure you keep her upright for a bit since I just fed her again. Your baby likes to eat.”

Matt felt like ice, afraid to even breathe if it meant jostling the child. The tiny creature’s head rested against his shoulder, eyes half lid with a tiny yawn.

So this is…

The nurse smiled brighter. “There you go. We’ll be right back.”

She left too. Which I guess gave his senses to go haywire on cue. His nose catches that familiar scent he smelled earlier. It soothes him in a way he can’t explain.

That smell. It’s— It finally hits him. Nostalgic enough to make him chuckle.

“You smell like my dad… In a way.” He whispers, a frown playing on his lips.

Dad.

Matt will admit that he loved his dad, but was he the best at ‘parenting’? That… that was questionable. And don’t even get him started on his absent mother. So you see, he didn’t have the role models to idol after, so what exactly was he supposed to do with the examples he was given? What and how was he supposed to do this? And don’t get him started on his disability. How the hell was he supposed to take care of–

The small cooing and tiny fingers trying to grip his shirt broke his thoughts. It was enough to tighten his heart strings and move his emotions in ways he can’t explain. She was just so…

Tiny. A tiny defenseless creature. Matt didn’t even need eyes to tell that she was making an adorable face right now. He swallowed hard for the millionth time today.

Damn it… He cursed, eyes prickling. He chuckles nervously.

“Damn it.” He repeated out loud just above a whisper. “I’m n-not going to let you go. I can’t. I can’t be like them.”

Them.

His mother.

His father.

Her mother too.

He can’t be like them, he can’t let her go alone in the world like he was.

“I can’t be like them. I can’t let you go. But I am sorry.” He chokes, closing his eyes and taking his baby all in. “I’m sorry but you’re not going to have a mother, or grandparents or… or really any relatives for that matter. It’s just me. I’m sorry for that.”

He felt his baby, yes, his baby, snuggle her head closer to the warmth of neck, making a little noise that brought joy to his ears.

He chuckles again. “Glad you’re listening.” He sneered, lips curling upwards. “But um… I’m going to take care of you. Protect you. Make sure you grow up nicely. I’m going to try to be a better person than they were. I cross my heart.”

The door opened but he paid no heed to it.

The Phlebotomist wandered over as chirpy as she ever was. “Alright, so Mr. Murdock, your friend was telling you were considering ado–”

“I changed my mind.” He said quickly, no doubt crossing his mind at this point. He could sense the confused stares he was getting and clears up with, “I change my mind. I want to keep her.”

“Really?” She asked, genuinely surprised.

“Whoa, hang on, Matt–” Foggy begins, stepping into his space, voice covering with concern. “Are you sure? Have you thought this through because this is a huge step.”

“I have.” He answers. “I’ve thought about it, and even though I know it’s going to be a challenge, that’s something I want to take.”

He sensed Foggy smiling with a bit pride from his words while the woman clapped her hands together, like a woman on a mission.

“Excellent. Now, Mr. Murdock, since it looked like her Mother decided to take an incomplete birth certificate, you get to do the honors of naming your daughter.” She explains. “Have you thought of any names?”

Matt pondered for a moment. He hadn’t really thought that far ahead. I guess you could say this was challenge number one for him. He suddenly recalls hearing a name when he was a child staying at the orphanage, something he remembered liking from the language of Hebrew.

“Kaila.” He said, smiling.

He heard her cooing again.

“Kaila… Jackie Murdock.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

-Present Day-

“-So yeah, that’s what happened.” Matt finishes, picking up Karen’s saddened heart beat.

“Oh, god.” She says, hand hovering over her mouth in shock. “That’s… awful. N-Not with your daughter! Just… her mother and all that.”

“Yeah, yeah. It is.” He said, head lowering.

“Did… did you ever contact this Mary woman?”

“I tried. Foggy tried. Even the police tried but it’s like she just vanished off the face of the Earth. It was definitely strange.”

“I’m sorry, that must have been hard raising her on your own.”

“No…” He shakes his head with a sigh. “It honestly wasn’t that bad, sure there were times that it was really, really tough, but we made it through it.” He smiles. “Besides, Foggy helped me out when I needed it. I owe him that.”

She copied his expression. “Well that’s good.” She replies, playing with her hands again. “Sorry for being nosy. I didn’t know that it was so heavy.”

He waves her off politely. “Nah. I don’t mind that.” He says, genuinely. “I’m glad you asked. Because even though it was a sad day, it is also actually my happiest one too.”

When his expression grew louder, it was contagious because hers did too. Their hearts fluttered with a lovely gaze that would soon be “ruined” by the two children in the office.

“Hey, are you guys done?” Foggy asked, while carrying around a giggling Kaila on his back.

Karen held back a laugh at his appearance, his hair all messy while he had boxes for shoes (all while the girl was lightly slapping him in the shoulder like he was a race horse).

Matt almost shook his head at the mental picture and replied, “Yeah, we’re done. This was the last one anyway.”

“Awesome!” He howled, and Kaila pumped her fist into the air.

“Shawarma!!” The brunette yelled.

“Yes! The magical tasting shawarma! Here we come!” He continues, carefully kicking the boxes off as he makes their way towards the door. “Come on! Let’s go! K-Pop and I are hungry!”

“Yeah, come on Dad! Karen! I’m hungry!” Kaila boasted.

“Alright, we’re coming.” Matt said, grabbing his cane. He holds out a hand towards the door. “After you, Miss Page.”

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Murdock.” Karen said, passing by.

“Dad! Can I get a soda?” Kaila asked, once they found themselves together on the sidewalk. She slid off Foggy’s back to take her father’s arm ready to guide him.

“Sure. But just one, and that’s it.” He says, earning a squeeze.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Have you ever had shawarma, Karen?” Foggy asked, as they begin their journey.

“No, I haven't. What is it exactly?” She says, curiously.

“Well it’s–”

Matt’s expression never changed because it was nice. His gig as a vigilante was going smoothly, his job was finally picking up steam, he’s made acquaintances he didn’t know he needed.

It was perfect.

His life was going perfect.

If only he knew the struggles that were about to come…

Taglist:

@stinkywhore @invinciblerikkai @glass-ghost

@your-not-invisible-to-me @ohtacosindrome

@mirkwoodshewolf @dreamscandys

@omniromanticbitch

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mc-lukanette · 3 years

Text

[Part 1] [Part 2]

"Sass, scales rest."

Luka felt the de-transformation light wash over him as Sass emerged, hovering a small distance away. The battle had been easy enough, though Luka's face inadvertently implied otherwise.

The red of Ladybug's suit only reminded him of Marinette's situation - her “fate” - and he couldn't shake it no matter how hard he tried.

"Thanks for your help, Luka. I know I can always count on you," Ladybug said, holding her hand out with the tiny Miracle Box on it. She then paused, noting his expression, and questioned gently, "Is... everything okay?"

He straightened, his hand instinctively reaching for the bangle on his wrist. Stopping short, he hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Ladybug."

She took a step closer, holding the box to her chest as she replied, "Yes?"

"Can I... talk to Sass?" he asked, then clarified, "Alone, for a while?"

The brows of her mask rose, the concern in her face doubling. Her free hand reached for him, though didn't touch him directly. "Luka, really, is something wrong?"

Luka was glad that she trusted him not to run off with the miraculous at least. Still, he struggled to explain the issue; would she even understand it?

Sass floated in front of his face, eyeing him quietly, then turned to address Ladybug's question himself. "This is a matter between snakes."

She tilted her head in confusion, looking back-and-forth between the two like she was trying to piece together what that meant. When she couldn’t seem to find an answer, she gave in and nodded her head anyway. "Um, okay. It sounds serious. I hope nothing's wrong. I'll—uh—" She looked around, then pointed to a nearby alleyway. "—go recharge and meet you back here?"

Luka nodded, then followed after Sass as he flew in the opposite direction that Ladybug was going. They went into an alleyway of their own, Luka letting out a sigh as he leaned against the wall.

"What did you see?" Sass inquired, crossing his legs and placing his paws on his knees to show that he was offering his full attention.

Luka glanced up at him, frowned, then looked down at the snake bangle and fiddled with it. "My friend... Marinette—" He made eye contact, hoping he wouldn't have to explain himself further. "Do you know her?"

"Ah." Sass gave a hint of a smile, placing a paw to his chin in thought. "Multimouse."

Completely unsuprised and thus unphased by the notion that she'd been a hero, Luka murmured, "So you've seen it. T-the..." He raised his hand to his neck, his thumb and index finger indicating what had already been burned into his memory by then. When Sass didn't respond, Luka hurriedly added, "The red string."

Sass straightened at that. "She had the string... around her neck?"

Luka nodded, grimacing at the sentence. "You didn't see it?"

"I can sense the bonds, but I can't see them," Sass explained. He uncrossed his legs, floating down towards the snake bangle. Luka raised his forearm in response, keeping it level with his chest, and Sass placed his paws on the object, turning it into its transformed state. "The miraculous has more magic in it than simply giving a kwami's power to a holder. I've been sealed in that box for so long, and it's been a very long time since I could affect anyone's fate myself; it's usually just myself and my holder until they have to give up their miraculous."

Luka held still as Sass brought himself to rest on Luka's forearm, keeping his paws on the miraculous while rubbing it in thought. Tail wrapping around Luka's arm, Sass then continued, "But the magical bond the miraculous creates gives my holder power from being connected to me. You see fate because you can interact with the world around you."

"And... Marinette?" Luka urged. "Can I help her?"

Sass took his paws away from the miraculous, settling for lounging on his arms and staring up at Luka thoughtfully. "You said... her neck?"

Luka nodded urgently.

"Ah, she's a victim of the kind of fate no one would want," Sass observed neutrally, though Luka got the feeling that he was hiding concern from him. "Do you remember what I said about her luck?"

"You think that has something to do with this...?" Luka asked, gaping in disbelief. Marinette having terrible luck was bad enough, but this—

"It's possible." Sass pressed his cheek to Luka's skin, never breaking eye contact with him. "Or it could be that the universe has done this for the sake of the one on the other end."

"The other—" Luka felt a spike of irritation, his free hand tightening into a fist "You mean this is all for Adrien? What about her?"

Sass' expression soured at the mention of Adrien. "It's what destiny has already decided for her. It wants everything to happen in a certain way, punishing those it's against and favoring those it prefers."

"Against? Prefers?" Luka hissed, raising his voice at the implications. "So it's tripping Marinette - choking her - for its own sick games? Because Marinette is so talented and amazing that they—they—"

He looked away, idly searching the sky for specks of black and purple while forcing himself to calm down. Running a hand across his face, he took a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth.

"Can I help her?" he repeated as he looked back at Sass. Gesturing desperately with his free hand, he begged, "There has to be a way, Sass, please."

"Snakes choose their own fate, and they have the power to change the fate of others," Sass reminded him, then paused for effect before continuing, "but they can't change everything. It depends on them, the person who has the fate, and what the snake is willing to do."

Luka opened his mouth, ready to say he'd do anything, but noticed that Sass seemed to have more to say. He at least got the feeling that Sass already knew anyway.

Sass offered an approving smile, confirming Luka's feeling, then gave him a brief once-over. Humming with intrigue, he met Luka's gaze with an evaluation of, "If it's you, I won't worry about her."

"Huh? What—"

"Luka?"

Ladybug came to stand at the entrance of the alleyway, backlit by the light behind her. She walked forward, biting her lip for a moment before saying, "Sorry, I was waiting but I got anxious—not that I thought you'd go anywhere, but—" She wrung her hands together, brows furrowed with concern. "—you were taking a while..."

Luka glanced at Sass for an acceptable response, but Sass didn't reply to her. Instead, he uncurled his tail from Luka's arm, floating up to be level with his face and giving him a reassuring nod. Luka wasn't exactly convinced of anything certain, but looking between Ladybug and Sass, he knew he couldn't delay things forever to ask every question he had.

He wasn't sure he wanted the answer to some of them anyway.

Closing his eyes, Luka gripped the miraculous and pulled it off, only opening his eyes again when Sass was back inside. Ladybug approached, a little awkward but nevertheless taking the miraculous from him and returning it to the little box. She then searched his eyes, unsure, but asked, "Was there something wrong with me giving you the miraculous? If it's a problem, I—"

"No," Luka said firmly, bringing one hand underneath hers and the other on the box on top. "It's not that. I'm grateful, if anything. It's..." He sighed. "...someone I'm worried about."

"Really?" She seemed hesitant to prod. "Who...?"

"...Marinette," he answered automatically, his hands dropping back to his side as he ducked his head. "She's going through a lot, and I—I just want to be there for her."

He missed the slight gape Ladybug gave, along with her blush. He was too busy staring at the ground, at a complete loss for what to do; Sass had given him answers, but not a lot of advice, and the idea of seeing that tightening string again tore him up inside.

He only became aware of Ladybug’s presence again when she stepped towards him and placed her hands on his cheeks, gently encouraging him to look at her. Blue eyes met blue as she whispered affectionately, "I'm sure she knows that, and I'd bet both of my earrings that she appreciates it. If you're even half of the person you are as a hero, she's lucky to have you."

Lucky. The word brought a sense of numbness with it, but there was something familiar about Ladybug that made him accept it for now, enough for his shoulders to relax as he was pulled back to reality.

He didn't have a plan, but he was a Couffaine, and he wasn't going to give up that easily; not when Marinette didn't give up on him either when his music had been stolen. She was worth all the support he could offer her and so much more.

#au: Dread String of Fate #Dread String of Fate: writing #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette #((Was going to wait to post this but I have no patience.))#((So you're welcome I guess??))

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thedaredevilsgirl · 3 years

Note

Hi! Can you do one where Tom Holland and Reader are dating but they hit a bump in the road halfway through the relationship when the reader and Tom get into an argument over how the Reader is getting a bunch of hate from Toms fans, not to mention, she’s been stressed out bc Toms fans are coming to the ER,where she works as a Trauma Surgeon, and are causing chaos and Tom gets pissed at her saying “it’s not like it’s my fault but since you’re getting so angry you don’t have to worry about them anymore because we’re done”. The reader gets sad and goes to a close friend, Sebastian Stan, and they end up sleeping together. She finds out she’s pregnant and Tom calls her saying he didn’t mean what he said and they get back together, she tells Tom that she’s pregnant with Sebastians baby and he tells her that he won’t go anywhere, that he’s not mad, and that he wants to be with her for forever and that he’ll be by her side through it all. I’m sorry if this is confusing or super long :(

Broken Heart

Warning: Very angsty.

Word count:1152

A/N: I apologize for the delay in answering your ask dear and thank you for being patient.

Part 2

You are angry and sad.

You had to leave your job through the back door for fear that someone would stop you if you left through the main entrance, someone scratched your car, and you had to listen to a lecture from your boss because of the little commotion that was going on outside the hospital because of you.

As soon as you got into your car, you let the tears fall and a cry of agony leave your body, why did it have to be so hard? Couldn't you just love someone in peace? Would you have to put up with it for the rest of your life?

You still remembered the day you met Tom two years ago, a time when everything seemed so much easier.

•─────✧─────•─────✧─────•

You were working in pediatrics at the time. You walked into the office and saw a boy between your 12 or 13 years old with his arm in a cast, you smile at him kindly before speaking.

"Hi, I'm Y/N and you?"

"I'm Paddy" the redheaded boy replies returning the smile shyly.

"Hi Paddy, where are your parents?" He asks seeing that he was alone there.

"I came with my older brother, he went to the snack machine".

A man enters soon after with several packages of snacks in his hands.

"Paddy, I didn't know which one you would want so I brought all kinds" as soon as his gaze meets yours he drops all the packages on the floor "Sorry, I didn't know the doctor had already come in".

"It's okay" you say laughing.

"I'm Tom, his brother".

"I know who you are, I've seen a movie of you" you say smiling as you analyze Paddy's arm.

"So you're a fan" he tries to flirt.

"No, but I watched it with my best friend, you probably know him"

"Do I?" He asks suspiciously.

"Yes, Sebastian Stan"

"He's your best friend?"

"Yeah, quite a while actually, he said something about you a little star having two assistants and drinking boxed juice" You laugh as he blushes "don't worry, I know he was just joking"

"Yeah, he and Anthony love to make jokes with me, it's funny except when it makes me awkward around pretty girls" he flirts.

"Well Paddy your arm is almost fully healed, I think we can have it out by next week" you say smiling at Paddy.

"Thank you Dr.Y/N" the redhead smiles.

"Just Y/N please"

Paddy leaves the room first but Tom is still there looking at you in amazement for some reason.

"Since we have a friend in common, maybe you could meet me later for coffee, or dinner maybe" you chuckle at his attempt to take you out.

"Sorry Mr. Holland, but I don't go out with my patients"

"But I am not your patient, Paddy is, I am just the chaperone".

"You have a point, but anyway I think the rule applies to chaperones too" you smile.

But Tom didn't give up, he called Sebastian asking for her number and tried to win her over every day since he met her. He said he had found his soul mate as soon as he walked into that office. And everything was so easy with him, at least until now.

•─────✧─────•─────✧─────•

Most of the relationship was kept secret, you both thought it was for the best, you liked your private life and Tom knew that some of his fans could be very aggressive and he wanted to protect you from all this, but a month ago pictures of Tom kissing you leaked in the media. It took less than five minutes for the hate messages to fill your Instagram, last week you had been followed by a paparazzi and after today it seemed like everything was really falling apart.

You saw Tom's car in front of the building where you lived and you are thankful that you at least had his no to comfort you at that moment.

"Hi" you say in a low voice as you walk into your house.

"Hi honey" he gets up to hug you "Hey what happened?" he asks when you start crying on his shoulder, he sits down next to you on the couch holding you in his arms.

"Your fans invaded my work today."

"What?" he asks to make sure you understand correctly.

"I'm surprised it's not already all over the gossip sites" you say angrily "Since lately they love to invade our privacy".

"Honey, you have to understand that the life of someone famous, I know it's terrible, but we have to learn to deal with it and get over it".

"Your fans scratched the word bitch on my car.

"They just love me too much," he replies.

"Your fans come into my work to curse me, they scratch my car, they call me a bitch" he stands up angrily "And you're saying they did it out of love? What kind of love is that?

"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" He gets angry too.

"Dramatic?" You shout, "I almost got fired because of that little show of theirs, and I'm being dramatic?

"If you can't accept my fans, you can't accept me," he shouts.

"Oh my God, did you stop for a minute to listen to yourself? It has nothing to do with accepting them or accepting you, it's that a lot of them are hurting me" she says between tears "Do you think I like seeing people on the internet judging what I eat or wear, telling me I'm too fat and too ugly to be your girlfriend? I love you, I love you very much, but this," she says referring to her fans, "is going to destroy our relationship.

"Then maybe we shouldn't have a relationship" he says in a lower voice.

"What?" She asks startled.

"This is hurting you, so we should end it, so you won't have any more pain" he gets up from the couch and avoids looking at you.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"I'm sorry Y/N, but yes, I am breaking up with you."

You sit in silence for a few minutes, absorbing his words, get up from the couch angrily and look at him.

"Since we're breaking up you better take this" he plucks the necklace from your neck and throws it in your face, it was a small gold heart necklace with his initials engraved on it, he had given it to you on their anniversary the same day he had said he loved her for the first time.

"Y/N..." He tries to say.

"Go away" he doesn't move "GO AWAY NOW."

He sighs, takes out your house keys that he had and leaves them on your desk before leaving your house.

You collapse as soon as he leaves, picking up the phone and dialing the number of the person you knew would support you unconditionally.

"Tom and I broke up" you speak as soon as he answers "Sebastian, I need you..."

#tom holland imagine #tom holland one shot #tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland smut #tom holland angst

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norarigby · 3 years

Text

Kita Shinsuke - The Two Reasons

The Little Black Box Masterlist

Pairing: Kita Shinsuke x fem!reader

Warnings: Absolutely none!

Word Count: ~1.2k

A/n: AAAAAA! This man is the definition of husband material! All I want in life is to work with Kita on his rice farm and have him call me my love. Anyway, this one is definitely my favorite one so far. Enjoy and keep an eye out for Oikawa’s tomorrow!

You woke up to the sound of a rainstorm beating at the window next to your bed. Stretching, your reached out to find purchase next to you, but the bed was empty. Your eyes cracked open to confirm that Kita did leave this morning. You frowned, Kita would’ve noticed the rain and stayed in bed.

Still moving like a sloth, you sat up and stretched the night aches out of your body. You delayed your getting out of bed a moment more by staring at the droplets running down the window. It was one of those sunny rainy days. A day that should’ve been gloomy, but was turned into something beautiful because of the sun breaking through some of the cracks in the clouds. Hopefully, that meant it wouldn’t rain all day—after all, today was delivery day for Onigiri Miya and delivery days were your favorite days.

You dragged yourself out of bed and padded out of the room and into the dining room. There, sitting at the table with his tea and computer, was your Kita Shinsuke. Smiling, you walk over and tilted his head up to get his attention. Kita immediately smiled and gave you a chaste kiss.

“Good morning, my love. How are you?” Kita whispered into your lips.

“Morning.” You hummed, “I missed waking up with you.”

His smile twinged guilty, “I know, I’m sorry. I had some early business this morning. Go make yourself some tea and I’ll try to make up for it by having breakfast with you.”

You placed another kiss on his lips before pulling away to move to the kitchen area. As you assembled your tea, you remembered how you never drank tea until after you and Kita had gotten really serious. Come to think of it, you changed a lot of things after you got together with Kita. Not all at once and definitely not everything, but you started to pick up a few of his habits here and there. You supposed it was because these little things would always remind you of him, even when he was away.

A smile still danced at your lips as you walked back to the table. Glancing up, Kita’s eyebrow raised in curiosity, “What are you smiling about?”

Avoiding his question, you shook your head and sat down, “If the rain let’s up, are you still going to let me tag along with deliveries today?”

“As always.” Kita noticed you deflecting his question, but he didn’t want to pry. Especially not when his nerves were running haywire.

When he said he had early business to take care of this morning, that wasn’t necessarily a lie. He did have something to take care of, just not rice business related. He had an appointment with an old friend who had been cleaning and resizing his grandmother’s ring for him. His friend teased him endlessly about being such a traditionalist.

“Why don’t you just get her a new ring?” His friend had said, “I’m sure your rice thing is going well enough to get one.”

Kita just smiled and gave some nonsense answer. In actuality, there were two reasons why he couldn’t just give you a newer, bigger ring. The first being what happened two months into dating you.

After a day of you and him helping his grandmother move somethings around her home, she pulled him aside when you had gone to make tea for everyone.

“Kita Shinsuke,” His grandmother never used his first name, unless he was in major trouble, “I have something to give you.”

Trembling hands unfurled to reveal her ring resting in the middle of her palm. Kita knew what his grandmother was implying, but he couldn’t help the confused look that flickered across his face. She gently sighed and placed the ring in his own hand, holding it tightly afterwards, “She’s the one. Treat her kindly.”

With that unspoken promise, Kita knew that he had to propose with this ring. Of course, those feelings were confirmed as he recalled your first Valentine’s Day together.

A nervous wreck at the start of this newer relationship, Valentine’s Day was just adding salt to the wound. Did you like to get gifts? Did you want something big? Something small? We’re you expecting plans? So many unanswered questions and Kita had zero answers.

He finally decided, after hours of research and swallowing his pride to ask his friends for advice, to get you a teddy bear and some chocolates. But when he gave them to you, your reaction was subpar.

“Is everything okay? Was I not supposed to get you anything?” Kita mentally kicked himself for sounding so insecure and nervous, he was better than this!

You looked at the gifts and back up at him, “Um, well, of course I love them. It’s very sweet of you to give me these things...” You trailed off into a pause. “But my guess is this is not what you really got me for Valentine’s Day. No offense, but this really isn’t your style.”

Kita was taken aback. What did you mean? His mind raced again trying to understand (why couldn’t he get it together already??). You sighed and chuckled before pulling something out of your bag. It was a simple white envelope that had his name on the front in beautiful calligraphy, “For you.”

He held the envelope in his hands before finally putting the pieces together. Right after he had bought the bear and the chocolates he had a coming to himself moment. Even though the gifts were nice, he would’ve preferred giving you some nice flowers and a simple. So he wrote and packaged the letter, but talked himself out of it last minute.

Luckily, he had still packed it with him and was able to give it to you right then. You’re face lit up at the small envelope in your hand, even with the accidental crease in the corner, “Thank you, Shin. This is perfect.”

Kita smiled at the memory. He happened to know that the letter he’d given you then was tucked away into your dresser. He’d caught you rereading it a couple times, but has never confessed to knowing you still held on to it.

Even back then you had him read like the back of your hand. So maybe that’s why his grandmother had said with such confidence at month two that you were the one. He really didn’t understand that confidence then, but he thinks he does now.

A few hours later, the rain let up and the sun shown through. It was a beautiful sight. The world felt anew and light. As Kita watched you quickly grab the keys and put on your shoes, he couldn’t help but watch you get so excited to do something as mundane as delivering rice with him. He hoped he’d get to see that sight many times in the future.

“I’ll drive!” You twirled the keys around your index finger and started walking to the truck.

Kita stood in the doorway a moment longer. The box remained in his pocket from when he picked it up hours ago. It’s weight tempted him to propose right then and there. But Kita Shinsuke was not an impulsive person. He could wait long enough to propose to you at a better time.

Right?

But his mouth seemed to have a mind of his own. As he called out to you, he made up his mind: he couldn’t wait a moment longer to be yours forever.

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because-of-a-friend · 4 years

Text

Seventeen Reaction: Proposing To You

MASTERLIST

Alrighty! Let’s burn through the rest of these requests with my new laptop!!! There’s two more requests after this and then I’ll go back to my series! Thanks for the request @banana-and-milk ! I really hope you like it and I’m sorry again that there was such a long delay everyone!

CHOI SEUNGCHEOL

In this scenario, Cheol is an incredibly cheesy hopeless romantic. He’s definitely the type to want to plan out a proposal and make it really nice. While he does make sort of a big deal out of it, he doesn’t go super overboard. He keeps the plans relatively simple because he knows the more factors there are, the more things there are that could go wrong. The most important thing to him is that it is a moment you will remember fondly forever. He wants you to be able to brag to everyone you meet about your cute proposal story. Soooooo, what he’s going to do is decorate a nice little seating area outside, have your favorite meal prepared, and 100% have a speech memorized. Cheol doesn’t really want anyone around for this moment. If anyone is around it is a photographer in the distance taking pictures for you to remember this moment. But he really wants it to be something that just the two of you have together. Which is why his speech is super well thought out, he just wants the whole thing to convey how he feels about you and how much he wants to take the next step. He’s probably the type to celebrate AFTER at a separate venue with close family and friends, but like I said, the proposal itself is a special moment for just the two of you.

YOON JEONGHAN

Hannie is such a chill person when it comes to his relationship. Overall, everything is super comfortable, easy-going, smooth sailing all around. Which means he’s not really the type for big romantic gestures because you two tend to show your love for each other in other ways. He knows that proposing is a big deal, though, so he figures he should do something. So, he makes you breakfast one morning. It’s your favorite breakfast food and he gets a tiny little flower to put out on the table in a cute, tiny vase. The two of you had planned on having a day in since both of your schedules were free that day. You walk out to see Jeonghan up...early? Making breakfast? “Babe, are you ok, you never make breakfast.” To your surprise he turns to you and is just all giggly. “Of course I am! I just wanted to show my beautiful [Y/N] how much I care about them!” And he’s just all sunshine and rainbows, and you’re like?????? But anyways he pulls out your seat and you begin eating together. First, you just sip on your coffee to try and wake up, but then you finally decide to start on your breakfast. But when you push your fork into your food, it hits something...hard? So you start digging to find what’s in there, and you pull it out and- “Yoon Jeonghan, you did NOT.” He is GRINNING at you, “Oh but I did.” You don’t even wait to wash the ring off, you just slip it on your finger and then pounce on Jeonghan. The two of you spend the rest of the day Facetiming friends and family to share the news while happily cuddled up on your couch.

JOSHUA HONG

A NERVOUS WRECK. Oh my god, he has never been so nervous in his life. Of course it is happening in the privacy of your own home, because he does not think he could do that in front of other people. It. Has. To. Be. Perfect. He is freaking out that even the tiniest thing could go wrong. Today is the day he proposes to you and he wants to make it the best day of your life (aside from your eventual wedding of course). He has it all set up from outside your home leading in. You’re greeted with a sign on the front gate welcoming you home, then flower petals leading up the walk way, a paper on the front door listing the things he loves about you. And when you finally open the door, there is your boyfriend, kneeling down, wearing the sharpest suit you’ve ever seen him in, ring box in hand, biggest grin he’s ever had on his face. His heart is beating a million miles per hour. He realizes he’s been so nervous about the planning, he hasn’t had time to think about how it’ll feel to actually propose. Starts crying halfway through lol. I mean like... he can hardly finish, his emotions just overwhelm him so much. But you patiently hold his hand as you wait for him to say his piece. And once he finally asks the question, you’re both grinning and crying. You spend the rest of the night alone together, and start calling people the next day to tell them the news.

WEN JUNHUI

Honestly what he does for your proposal has a lot to do with what you want. Once you two begin talking about your future together, he begins to take little mental notes about your opinions on different proposals. Whether you want it to be public or not, whether you want it to be a big deal or not, whether you have strong opinions about it or not. He himself doesn’t care too much about the actual proposal. To him, the most important thing is getting to spend his life with you, so he’ll want to adjust the proposal itself to fit your liking. Because of this, the proposal is pretty much like a dream to you. Every little detail is made to be perfect just for you. Jun really does not miss lol. Honestly, you’re almost surprised by how perfect the proposal is. But Jun really just payed attention to everything you had to say and though it all out to make sure it went well. His attentiveness to your wants just shows how much he’ll take care of you for the rest of your lives.

KWON SOONYOUNG

Soonyoung has big emotions, so he’s going to express them in a big way. Like this kid is really going to go all out for this. He wants to show you just how much he loves you. Of course, he doesn’t think it’ll ever be enough, but he does try to show you. So your proposal is going to be insanely over the top lol. I mean, in his opinion, you only get this moment once so why not make the absolute most of it? If it’s something that you’ve discussed and have said you’re comfortable with, he might want to do it publicly. That way, you’re not only receiving his love, but the love of all the people around you. If you don’t want that, then he’ll make up for it in other ways. He won’t do anything to overwhelm your senses while the actual proposal is happening, so you can listen to the words he has to say to you. But afterwards you can expect music, decorations, maybe even fireworks depending on where it happens. Like Cheol, he’ll probably want to go celebrate with the people you both love afterwards at a different location. Overall, to Soonyoung it should be a really fun, enjoyable time that’s exciting for you both. It will be meaningful too, but Soonyoung’s main goal is to make it a memory you won’t easily forget.

JEON WONWOO

Wonwoo also definitely wants this to be an intimate moment. As an introvert, he’s going to want to avoid any sort of audience. But he has told everyone you know before it happens lol. He’s not always so sure of his romantic abilities, so he’ll probably reach out to family and friends for advice on the best way to propose. Which means there’s like a week or so where whenever you hang out with someone they’re just grinning brightly at you while Wonwoo is just praying they don’t let it spill. But he does really good. Because even though he’s getting all this advice on how to make a really great proposal, he realizes that the most important thing is just that he loves you and wants to spend his life with you. So he ends up just doing it out of the blue one day. You’re sitting on the couch, scrolling through your phone, laughing at something you’ve seen. The light from the windows is shining down on you, and he just thinks you’re perfect. So he walks over, and kneels down in front of you. It takes you a second to notice and when you finally do you’re like ?????? “Babe, what are you doing?” And he chuckles a little before just staring at you. He says your name in a way you’ve never heard him say it before, and you just kind of know. You start crying and leap on him before he can even finish. And he’s just laughing as you’re on top of him on the carpeted floor and pressing kisses all over his face. Then you just hold each other for awhile before deciding how to celebrate.

LEE JIHOON

Has no idea what he’s doing lol. When he realizes he wants to spend the rest of his life with you, he panics because he has to tell you this. ...How does he tell you this??? He knows it’s gotta be impressive, right? At least somewhat significant... He probably decides to play it safe and use a somewhat common method of proposing. A nice date with dinner, a day of quality time, little signs of love and affection the whole time. By the end of the evening, his plan has gone accordingly, the day went great, and he’s ready to actually do it. He’s so unbelievably nervous, lol. His voice is shaking the whole time, but he pushes through. When you say yes, relief floods his entire body and then he cries. He just holds onto you and cries out of excitement, love, and pure joy. It’s nothing too over the top, but it’s a super special moment between the two of you and Jihoon puts in so much effort (especially mentally) to make it special.

LEE SEOKMIN

Also an incredibly nervous, emotional wreck. But he’s also incredibly excited!!!!!! Like ridiculously excited!!!! The type where the whole day he’s planning on doing it, he’s just grinning at you constantly. And you’re like “babe???? I know you’re usually pretty happy but it feels a little more intense today” and he just shrugs while grinning and tells you it’s just a good day. You don’t notice but he’s been taking you to all of your favorite date spots around town all day. It brings up a lot of good memories so the day is just filled with good feelings. He does it out in public, but in more of a secluded spot, like maybe on a bridge overlooking water at night. Not many people around, but he doesn’t mind if a couple people pass by here and there. He’s so incredibly sweet about doing it, and every word is thought out and genuine. Afterwards, he’s going to hold you tight and spin you around. His laughter will ring out into the world around you. Afterwards, he’s going to want to go out and celebrate with you the whole night and tell anyone he sees that you two are officially engaged.

KIM MINGYU

A dummy. Truly, just so ridiculous. The proposal itself is so quick that you don’t even realize it’s happening. You two are just cleaning up after eating breakfast and Mingyu just kind of goes “Hey babe” and looks at you with this big, dumb smirk on his face. And then he just tosses something at you. And you’re like????? So you start turning it over in your hands to try and figure out what it is. It looks like a jewelry box and you sigh because you told Mingyu to stop buying you every nice necklace you said you thought was cute while flipping through catalogs. “Just open it” he insists, sensing what you’re about to say. So you do and instead of a necklace, it’s a ring. You’re about to start the lecture anyways, thinking he just bought you a random ring. But then you really look at it. The ring is nice... really nice. “Mingyu...what is this?” When you look back over the box, he’s kneeling down in front of you, “I think you know.” And then suddenly, you’re engaged. He’ll probably take you out and have tons of nice things planned for the rest of the day, but he’s just really chill and casual about the actual proposal.

XU MINGHAO

He probably wants to make the proposal incredibly unique, somewhat because of his artistic habits and somewhat because he wants you to have something hardly anyone else will. So he’ll really try to think out of the box and it will 100% take you by surprise. You just come home one day and he’s got this giant canvas spread out on the ground. “Hey babe! I got us one of those paint by numbers!” It ends up taking days lol. He’s planned it out so that you can’t see the message until the very end. And he’s a little stressed lol, because he sure didn’t think it would take this long. And obviously both of you are pretty busy so you keep having to take breaks from it. But then the night finally comes. The two of you are joking, binging your favorite show, covered in paint, having the time of your lives just being together. Then he gets up and is like “I’ve gotta go grab something.” So obviously you’re like “Oh ok, I’ll wait for you.” And he’s like “No, go ahead.” And you respond with “Babe it’s almost done, do you really want me to finish it without you?” But he’s already heading into the other room going, “Of course, maybe that way you can be the one to figure out what it is on your own.” And you’re thinking that makes no sense but you go ahead and finish it anyways. Then you step back and take a look at the whole picture. It takes you a second, but you figure out pretty quickly. It’s a couple, and one is kneeling in front of the other. You do a 180 to see Minghao behind you with a ring in his hand. “Ugh babe, you were supposed to wait until I actually knelt down.” He doesn’t get the chance to actually propose because you jump on him immediately. The canvas hangs up in every house you two live in together for the rest of your lives.

BOO SEUNGKWAN

Also incredibly nervous about proposing and 100% wants it to be just the two of you. Seungkwan is honestly a hopeless romantic and wants to make it so special and sweet. I think he’ll also go a more simpler route in order to make it more about the proposal itself, but he still wants to actually show you how excited he is to be doing this. Plot twist: he starts crying way before it even happens so you know what’s coming. But you think it’s sweet because he’s just got so much love for you in his heart he can’t even handle it. But he tearfully pushes through his speech because he just wants you to know how special you are and how much you mean to him and how much he cares about you. Honestly instead of doing the whole kneeling down thing, he just holds you. And now you’re crying. And then you’re saying yes as you wipe his tears away and he’s just smiling and nodding at you because he could not feel more complete than he does then.

HANSOL VERNON CHWE

Vernon is definitely the type to just be like “Yo, you wanna get married?” Like the two of you are sitting across from each other on the couch, scrolling through your phones. He takes a break for a second to just look at you. He gets this weird feeling in his chest. And then he realizes... he wants to spend his whole life with you. And honestly he doesn’t really need more than that, once the thought is in his head, that’s enough, he’s just gonna tell you. “Hey babe?” he asks, nudging you a little. You give a little “hm?” in response. “You wanna get married?” You take a second to process because you’re thinking you must have heard him wrong. “Wait what?” you sit up to look at him. “You wanna get married?” You can’t help but start grinning, “Are you serious?” He nods, before sitting up and pulling you into him. “Yeah, Vernon, I think I’d like that.”

LEE CHAN

Dino sometimes struggles with expressing himself romantically. Which means planning a proposal is the single most stressful thing he’s ever done. Should he plan a huge event that would impress you besides the fact that that’s not really him? Or should he just be himself and potentially disappoint you with a mediocre proposal? He mulls over all of his options for so long before deciding that he wants to make it special for you. So, he gets advice from other people, researches proposals online, and makes a whole plan. He puts in all the effort to create this amazing event for your proposal. And he times it out perfectly. You have some big presentation in the next town. So you’re leaving earlier in the day by train to go to the presentation then when you come back, he’s picking you up and the proposal plan starts. But when he’s dropping you off at the station, something comes over him. He watches you lean out the back of the train to wave goodbye to him. His heart drops and he starts running towards the train as it begins to pull out. “[Y/N]!” he yells. “Dino?” you call back. “MARRY ME!” he yells out, racing to keep up with the accelerating train. By then you’re too far for him to hear but he sees you nodding and jumping as you call back to him. You still celebrate together with everyone later that night, but the proposal itself is a beautiful spur of the moment event.

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hopelesshawks · 3 years

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hi i was wondering if you could do either Suna or Kuroo with “Everlong” by the foo fighters, literally my favorite song and i love your blog <3

Ohhh I hadn’t heard this song before, thanks for the new find! Also thank you for saying you love my blog 🥺❤️ I’m sorry this took so long but it’s finally here!! I hope you enjoy!

I’ve actually never written for Haikyuu before 😅 I’m a fan of the show but haven’t caught up so this will be a bit out of my comfort zone but I love it! I definitely know Kuroo better and also simp for him p hard dont @ me so I’ll write for him. Thanks for the request love.

Kuroo pushes past the others in the crowded bar as quickly as he can. It’s more crowded than he expected, way more, but he doesn’t let that deter him as he maneuvers through the tightly packed space. He feels out of place still in his work clothes even as he loosens his tie and undoes some of the buttons of his crisp white button down. He finally spots you by the bar, looking radiant as ever and practically bursting with excitement as your eyes stay trained to the stage.

“Sorry I’m late, did I miss anything?” he asks as he presses a kiss to your forehead, a distraction as he slips something from his jacket pocket to the pocket of his slacks. “Nope! They should be going on soon! Thanks again for coming to this with me,” you grin and even though he’s already sweating, Kuroo knows every moment will be worth it just to see you smile like that. “Of course, you said they’re one of the best local bands in town right?” he asks and you nod eagerly, eyes once again drifting to the stage. “I know it’s way more packed than I said it’d probably be, but I’m so glad they’re finally getting the recognition they deserve,” you gush, helping Kuroo out of his suit jacket and draping it over the bar. He rolls his sleeves up to his elbows and then wraps his arms around your waist pulling you in close against his chest so he can have you near while you watch the stage anxiously. “If their success makes you happy then I’m all for it.” “Here they come!”

The band consists of four guys who are in their early 20’s at the latest and something about the energy they bring to the stage already has Kuroo feeling the slightest bit nostalgic; their easy camaraderie reminding him he should call up Bo and see how the other man is doing. They introduce themselves and you join the others in cheering them on, your enthusiasm only further endearing you to your boyfriend as he squeezes you a little tighter. “Should I be jealous? You gonna leave me for the hot young front man?” he teases, pinching your side. “Hmm, tempting but I do believe my groupie days are behind me,” you chuckle. “Nah, you still got it. If I were the one on stage I’d pick you out of the crowd in a heartbeat.” “Flattery won’t get you anywhere with me mister.” “It’s not flattery if it’s true.”

You roll your eyes fondly but rapidly shush him when the band starts playing and you’re promptly sucked into the music, hanging onto every note. Tetsurou doesn’t recognize the song, he didn’t expect to, he really is only here for you; but he loves the way you look so enraptured by the sound even over the din of the other bar patrons, loves the way your voice vibrates through his chest as you sing along. His heart beats in sync with yours as he lets you sway both your bodies to the music.

And then the moment he’s been waiting for arrives.

He hasn’t recognized a single song all night but he knows your favorite song, spent the last week memorizing it so as the first chords of the ballad ring out he’s ready. He knows you weren’t expecting him to know it because you pause in your own singing for just a moment before resuming with a wide grin. Tetsurou isn’t much of a singer and would never dream of proclaiming otherwise but as the two of you stand there it’s like everyone else in the bar fades away and all that’s left is the two of you in perfect harmony, your voices intertwining as they dance through the air; a moment stretching out into forever as he slips one hand to wrap around the little black box in his pocket that symbolizes that very same thing. He pulls it out slowly, trying to delay you noticing until the very last minute. His voice starts to waver slightly as nerves kick in but somehow it still seems to harmonize with yours. As the final notes of the song float through the bar he finally brings the box more clearly into your field of vision, flicking it open and whispering your name in your ear to direct your gaze to it.

It takes a moment but finally you look to see what exactly your boyfriend wants so desperately for you to look at. Your breath catches in your chest. The next song starts but for the first time all night you don’t sing along and your gaze doesn’t stray from the small ring in front of you. You reach out with shaky hands as if afraid to touch, stopping just shy before you abruptly spin in his arms, your eyes leaving the stage fully for the first time since the band arrived. “Tetsu are you?” you ask breathlessly and his soft smile is answer enough.

“Well kitten?”

“Yes. Absolutely yes.”

“Good.”

You practically throw yourself more fully into his arms, kissing him senseless as happy tears wet both your cheeks. You think the front man may congratulate you both and you distantly notice the bar erupting into cheers, but all of that fades into the background.

It’s nothing compared to the look of your incredible fiancée beaming as he slips a ring on your finger.

General Taglist: @ahtsuwu @larkspyrr @oikawaandkuroostan @oliviasslut @black-rose-29

#hhrequests #kuroo x reader #kuroo x y/n #kuroo tetsurou #bnhacity

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talkfastromance4 · 3 years

Text

5. Trigger--Ashton Irwin ‘Lovers in a Song’ series

a/n: The final installment is here! I’m so sorry for the delay but I kept bouncing back concepts on how I wanted it to end. This is a rollercoaster. You’re probably going to hate me then love me, then hate me again. Thank you all for reading. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Word count: 11.5k

warnings: mentions of drug cartel/lords/paraphernalia, angst, heartbreak, sexual situations

Masterlist

LIAS masterlist

***

Cressida is awoken by two things, a loud peal of thunder and a combination of Ashton’s warm hands and mouth on her skin. For a moment she forgets that this is their last morning together. Ashton’s large hands lift up her nightgown and he curves his body to mold with hers as his lips kiss below her breast. His fingers rub at her skin in a tantalizing way, her body is humming. Then she hears him sniff and her eyes flash open. His cheeks are wet while he continues to kiss along her ribcage.

“Ashton?” she touches his hair and her heart shatters at the look on his face.

He’s pained. His cheeks are covered in tears, his pretty hazel eyes are bloodshot and his lower lip trembles. Cressida gathers his head against her chest, wrapping her arms and legs around his body so he’s crushing her, so that there’s no spaces between them. If she held him tight enough maybe they’d mold together and would never have to be apart.

His body shakes against hers, hot tears sting at her own eyes as he releases what he’s been holding in. The thought of losing her has finally come to life and it’s breaking him from the inside out.

“I’m trying to…get as much of you as I can,” he whines pressing his tear-stained lips to her neck. “I’m not ready to let go.” He chokes on the words as he tries to kiss her again.

She closes her eyes wishing it didn’t have to be this way. His lips on her skin are burned to her memory and after today that’s all it will ever be, a memory. She feeds into his desperation and sadness, their lips finding each other’s and Ashton presses into her.

Her cries turn to moans, her tears fall free, and Ashton’s movements are frenzied yet controlled. He wants this to last for as long as possible. She stabilizes his cheeks until he’s looking at her, his handsome face twisted.

“It’s okay,” she whispers tracing his brows, his nose, his lips. “It’s okay.”

He nods and slows his movements to a more controlled roll. Their kisses are bittersweet each time, a terrible reminder that their time is up. The storm has arrived. The axe has been swung.

“I love you,” he whispers on her neck lacing their fingers beside her head.

“I love you.”

They prolong the moment for as long as they can, one last thing they can do together, one last thing they’re in control of, but all good things must come to an end. And they arrived at that end together, sighing each other’s names. Soft caresses over shoulders and down hips are touches committing to memory.

“How did you find out?” she asks afterwards while petting his hair. Their legs are tangled, every part of him is touching every part of her.

The bad news he’s been dreading ever since Gavin and Cressida have been ‘together’ is coming into the light. Ashton and Cressida’s relationship has always had an expiration date but now that it’s finally here…it’s a lot worse.

“My assistant Phil and your assistant Chloe are yoga buddies and she told him you and Gavin will be announcing the engagement today,” Ashton responds sadly. His voice tickles her collarbone, and he nestles in closer to her, holding her tighter. “Did he actually buy a ring or is it a prop from your parents?”

“He bought it…I um…have it with me because after this I need to meet him at the Italian restaurant where we had our first ‘date.’” Cressida’s voice is oddly calm, but it doesn’t sound like her, it’s more robotic, monotone. “Paparazzi were tipped off we’d be there and that will be the first look.”

“Can I see it?” Ashton asks after a moment of shared sad silence.

“Ash, I don’t think that’s—”

“Please, Cressida,” he lifts his head, hair falling in front of his tired hazel eyes. “I need to see it.”

Cressida searches his face then finally nods and slips out from underneath him. She shifts through her coat that’s been on the floor since she dropped it there and pulls out a red ring box. Her hands are shaking as she hands him the box. They’re both naked, open and vulnerable to each other like they always have been but for the first time in their five-year long relationship, Cressida feels ashamed as he opens the box.

Ashton stares at the gaudiness of it. it’s a cushion cut diamond; the band covered in tiny diamonds. It’s much too large, so large that it looks like costume jewelry and although Cressida is a larger-than-life woman, she loves the softer things. She doesn’t need or want gaudy; this ring isn’t her at all.

“Hideous, isn’t it?” she tries to joke.

“It’s…” Ashton snaps the box shut, lifts his eyes to hers. Her hair is all mussed and her body is covered in love bites from him, his initials are still present on her belly. “We need to shower before you go.”

He leaves the ring on the center of their bed then grabs her hand leading her into the bathroom. Cressida’s arm loops around his naked waist as he turns the shower on, and they hug each other as the water warms up. The hot water stings their skin as they stand underneath it, she loves the steady stream on her head and the way Ashton’s fingers massage the shampoo into her scalp. She can’t keep her eyes off him as he rubs it out of her hair.

The water droplets roll down his cheeks and nose then disappear onto his lips. When her hair is rinsed out, Cressida grips his face and presses her lips to his. Ashton’s hesitant at first.

“We shouldn’t, angel, you might be late…”

“I won’t be,” she whispers dipping one hand in between them. She strokes him gently and he lets out a soft groan. “Please, Ash, I need you.”

“Fuck,” he moans then pushes her against the wall, his tongue stroking over hers.

Ashton lifts her in the air hiking her legs around his waist. She helps him enter her, biting his lip hard in the process by being filled again. He cups the back of her neck with a secure grip so when he starts to thrust her head won’t knock against the wall harshly. Her nails dig into the meat of his shoulders, his strong shoulders that embrace her so well.

Their breath is shared in heavy pants, lips knocking haphazardly as he thrusts, and she welcomes each one. Cressida whimpers as Ashton grunts, her toes curling in pleasure. Ashton’s tired of keeping his hand on the trigger of their love, so after she orgasms, he releases into her once more. When he pulls out and Cressida drops her feet to the shower floor, he can’t help but stare between her legs as his release drips out of her.

He knocks his forehead against hers. “That isn’t the ring I would have chosen for you.”

Her heart clenches at his words and closes her eyes. Does she dare ask what kind of ring he’d buy her? It would only twist the white-hot knife in her heart more.

“What kind would you buy me?” Apparently she wants to feel the pain.

“It’d be rose gold, a thin band with a round diamond. Not too big, not too small, but perfectly perfect, just like you.” He kisses her nose. “And I would have taken you back to that dive bar where we met and asked you to be the love of my life forever.”

Cressida opens her eyes to see Ashton already staring at her.

“You’ll always be the love of my life.”

The real goodbye is even harder as she tries one last attempt to fix the fall of their star-crossed affair. Her clothes are changed and she’s smeared make-up over the markings on her neck.

“What if I tell them I won’t marry Gavin?” she asks standing in the doorway. “He already knows about us and he doesn’t want this any more than we do.”

“If you don’t marry him, what will your parent’s do?” Ashton’s voice sounds tired because this is a conversation they’ve had many times over the last five years.

“I’ll be relinquished of my duties and cut off, but I don’t need the company or the money. I want you, Ashton. The truth is all I really want is somebody who wants me and that’s you. I want you.”

She touches his cheek, but all Ashton feels is the icy weight of her engagement ring on his skin. She put it on for the first time since the news will be broken to the world, but now its curtain call on their own love. The real show is to begin. It brands him in torture.

“I won’t have you throw away your future because of me, Cressida. This is how it’s supposed to be,” he replies sadly. “How it should have been, us making it linger only makes this worse.”

“We can change it! Please, Ashton,” she begs with tears welling in her eyes.

They stare eat each other, eyes having a silent conversation. She is screaming while he is silent in defeat and acceptance of their reality.

“You should go,” he kisses her palm then removes her hand from his face. “You’re the most valuable, the most precious, and the most beautiful gold in the world, Cressida. I’ll never stop loving you.”

Cressida breaks down burying her face in his chest. Her heart is breaking and even with Ashton’s arms around her, she isn’t getting fixed. Nothing can fix her now.

Six Months After Breakup—Cressida

Cressida’s walking along the aisles of flowers in the large nursery where she and Gavin are picking out flowers for their wedding. Their parents decided the wedding would be in the first weekend of May which fatefully falls on the anniversary of her and Ashton’s first meeting. It’s a cruel twist of fortune. She touches the smooth petals of a white calla lily, her engagement ring sparkling in the afternoon sun.

Cressida’s parents and Gavin’s parents are discussing a flower arch with the florist and Cressida decided to wander off. Her mind is on Ashton but when isn’t it? She’s always wondering what he’s doing, how he’s doing. Is she on his mind as well? She read in a fashion magazine that Lucinda broke up with him and is now dating some minor league baseball player claiming, ‘she’s never been happier.’ Cressida wanted to reach out and ask what happened to their planned marriage, but she decided not to.

Why add salt to a still open wound?

“I think these would look lovely in a bouquet,” Gavin says from behind her.

Cressida turns to see him holding up three marigolds, all of them a brilliant golden yellow. The plumes are lush and full, and the smell reminds her of summer. Cressida looks up to Gavin, his dark brown curls and even darker brown eyes. It’s taken them a long time but they’re finally friends. When Ashton told him to get sober, Gavin tried to but his footprint in the drug dealing world was too vast. She flashes back to that time three months ago.

After Cressida left The Golden Lion to meet with Gavin at the restaurant for their engagement appearance, his eyes were bloodshot, and his pupils made his eyes look like black holes. They made the photo opportunity short as possible, Cressida made sure to show off the engagement ring that felt like a weighted brick anytime she waved her hand around.

By the time they made it to her house, they were trending all over the world.

“I thought you were sober?” she asks throwing her bags on the floor.

“I’m trying,” he grumbles opening the fridge to take out a bottle of water. “Next time you see Irwin, I’ll be out of the ring.”

“I won’t be seeing him,” she mumbles pulling out her favorite bottle of wine from her wine cabinet. Her voice was back to the monotone.

“What do you mean?”

“You and I are getting married. It’s done. We’re done,” she pops the cork and walks outside to her deck by the pool.

Gavin disappeared for the next three days and at first Cressida didn’t care because then she could mourn over her and Ashton’s relationship in peace. Well, not really peace because she sobbed so loud in bed, in her pillow, in the shower.

It wasn’t until her mother called asking for her and Gavin to come over for brunch on Sunday to celebrate the joining of their families that Cressida started to worry. Both of his phones went straight to voicemail and it wasn’t until she got in contact with his best friend Jack that she discovered that’s where he was.

Cressida arrives at Jack’s place to find Gavin beaten up horrendously and lying on Jack’s couch. There’s so much dried blood and swelling on his face she barely recognized him. It took a few shakes and shouting his name before he opened his eyes, but even then they were tiny slits.

“What the hell happened?” Cressida asks in shock as her eyes roam over his body. His Armani shirt is torn and bloody, a very large red stain on the side of his stomach that is oozing onto the couch.

“Left the ring and they uh said this…” Gavin winces as he tries to sit up straighter, “was my farewell.”

“You need to go to the hospital, Gavin, you’re bleeding out.”

“No! I can’t let anyone know I was involved in—”

“You have enough money to keep this on the down low. I’m calling an ambulance,” she shakes her head and pulls out her phone.

While Gavin recovered for a week in the hospital, Cressida stayed with him. The cover story was that he got jumped outside of a hotel, nothing was stolen because he didn’t have anything of value, so they beat him up more for it. Everyone believed it.

The doctors wanted to give him morphine to help with the pain, but he refused because it would offset the other drugs that were still in his system. Cressida’s surprised and impressed that he actually means he’s going to be sober now. With the pain and the start of his withdrawals, he didn’t sleep very well through the night.

On the fourth night he woke up gasping for breath, his body covered in sweat.

“Gavin! What is it? What’s wrong?” Cressida asks turning on the light to see his pillow wet from his sweat. His eyes are large as saucers.

“I’m…fine!” he grits through his teeth staring at the ceiling. “With—withdrawals that’s…. all…”

Cressida sat next to him on his bed and held his hand. His eyes shifted to hers and he grimaces.

“I don’t deserve your help…after what I did to you…”

“Shh, let’s not talk about that now,” she shakes her head. “Let’s get you through this.”

After that, she helped him each time he went through a bad spell. It helped distract her from thinking of Ashton, even though he was always on the back of her mind anyway. She went to meetings with him and helped him with other coping skills. After a month most of his wounds and bruises were healing and there was a new light about him.

When she came home from the office, the house smelled amazing, and he was in the kitchen cooking. His red wine sat at the center of the table and Cressida tried to force the memory of Ashton and that exact wine out of her mind.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“I am officially sixty days sober today,” Gavin grins, “and I wanted to make you dinner as a thank you for helping me. I made some appetizers, come taste.”

She stands next to him and eats the appetizer he made, some kind of meatball with a sweet sauce. It’s very delicious. While she accompanied him to his meetings they shared a lot of heart to hearts and became closer than before.

“I also wanted to apologize for how I treated you,” he says pouring her a glass of wine. “And for what happened at The Golden Lion. It sounds like a poor excuse, but I never, ever meant to hit you. I’m so sorry that I did, I think about it all the time and hate myself for it.”

“I know you didn’t mean to and if anyone should be apologizing it should be me. I didn’t treat you very fairly either, Gavin. I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry for…cheating on you.”

“It’s not cheating when our relationship was never legitimate. I wasn’t faithful either,” he gives her an impish smile.

“I still feel bad about it. I was so wrapped up in….it should have stopped when we started this fake relationship anyway,” she shakes her head and takes a drink of his wine. Her mind swirls and her stomach gets butterflies as memories of Ashton invade her.

“I know it hurts you to talk about him,” Gavin says placing his hand on her shoulder. “I knew this would never be real to you. I know it’s arranged and…I wouldn’t be upset if you’d still want to see him.”

“That’s not fair to you, Gavin, and besides, Ashton and I are over, remember?” she swallows a big gulp of the red wine. It tastes different, it’s not as sweet as it was that night with Ashton. “I won’t be unfaithful to you in our marriage.”

“Let’s start as friends then,” he holds out his hand for her to take.

“Friends after three years of dating,” she giggles shaking his hand.

“We never really got to know each other. We were always so busy and when we were together, it was forced and publicized.”

“Very true,” she purses her lips then lifts up her wine glass. “To a new friendship.”

Their glasses clink and they share a wonderful evening over good food and to finally getting to know each other. He didn’t ask about Ashton and she didn’t offer it up. A clean slate is a clean slate, even though she’s still branded.

“Cress?” Gavin asks pulling her from her quick reverie. He’s holding the golden flowers in front of her.

“They are lovely,” she smiles dipping her nose into the multitude of petals. “And wouldn’t look too bad in the lapel of your jacket.”

“I can make any flower pop,” he grins handing her the small bouquet.

“Gavin! Cressida! Over here!” Cressida’s mother, Maria calls from the front of the nursery.

“We’re being summoned,” Gavin reaches for her hand then pauses, his brown eyes looking up at her. “May I?”

Cressida smiles and takes his hand in hers; her ring twists a little on her finger as she squeezes his hand. “You know you don’t have to ask.”

“I know, but every time I do you get a little flustered,” he smiles.

The rest of the afternoon is spent by going over more wedding plans; the guest list that is always being revised, the food menu that is always being altered, but the one thing that remains is Cressida’s stress and worry. When she worries she twists her ring and only stops when Gavin places his hand over hers gently. She looks up at him and he nods as if in understanding.

“I think my bride-to-be is a bit overwhelmed,” he announces to their parents who are bickering about the silverware. “Can we continue this some other time?”

“Oh, yes of course! We can’t have you wrinkling my dear,” Maria, Cressida’s mother smiles.

“Why don’t you two head on over to Rouge and tell them I’ve sent you, so you’ll only get the best of the best,” her father, Mark beams at his daughter.

“Thank you sir,” Gavin rises from his chair and Cressida kisses her father’s cheek.

“Thank you, Dad.”

“Enjoy yourself, darling. No need to stress.”

Gavin and Cressida do enjoy themselves as they drink and eat at the jazz restaurant. They even get up and dance when they’re called out by the band leader who spots them. Cressida is impressed by Gavin’s fancy footwork; he even lifts her up and spins her around which has them both laughing.

“Wow, I didn’t know you could dance,” she says breathlessly.

“I didn’t either, you brought it out of me.”

His eyes flicker to her lips and Cressida feels her stomach tighten. His hand on her lower back bunches up the fabric of her dress, his fingers squeezing her closer to his body. They’ve never been this close before and it makes her heart pound harshly against her chest. Gavin’s breath slows as he moves forward, his lips ebbing closer. She’s not sure if it’s butterflies or fear at the thought of possibly kissing someone other than Ashton so she pulls away.

“I need to um, use the ladies’ room,” she excuses herself and runs.

More moments like that have happened as they both become a bit more comfortable being close together. Their acting of intimacy doesn’t feel so forced anymore when they’re with their parents. When Cressida tenses at the mention of the ever-growing guest list (she lost count when it surpassed 1,500) Gavin rubs at her neck in assurance. When they’re overlooking options for dining ware, Cressida doesn’t hesitate to place her fingers on his lower back to peer over his shoulder.

That’s as far as their physical relationship has gone, innocent touches that leave a large impact and her mind swimming in many conflicting thoughts and emotions. It keeps her up at night and when she dreams she sees memories of Ashton morphing into Gavin.

It leaves her in even more confusion.

There’s laughter and chatter from her mother and friends sitting outside the dressing room of the bridal boutique. It’s her last fitting before the big day. The big day that has been looming over her head for years. Cressida hasn’t seen what the dress looks like, she’s only been sized and measured multiple times and asked questions about different designs of dresses that she liked.

“It fits you like a glove, Miss James,” the consultant Wendy gushes and fastens the last button. “Are you excited to see it?”

“Yes,” Cressida smiles at her warmly but inside she’s screaming.

“I’ll go out and make a grand entrance for you, just step onto the platform and you’ll see yourself in your wedding dress!”

Cressida took the split ten seconds to mentally prepare herself for the big reveal, to her entourage and to herself. Wendy opened the door and everyone on the white couch gasp as Cressida steps out. The fabric is cool between her fingers as she lifts it up to step onto the platform, keeping her eyes on the floor and not on the mirror yet. Wendy poofs out the bottom of the dress.

“You look divine, darling!” her mother says dotting at her eyes delicately with her fingers. “Do you love it?”

Cressida takes another deep breath then slowly lifts her gaze and gasps. The dress is absolutely beautiful and fits her figure wonderfully, she’s never felt more beautiful in a dress before. It’s perfect. The design is to her taste and with the veil attached to her head, she’s the perfect bride.

“Gavin is going to lose it when he sees you!”

“He won’t be able to keep his eyes off you.”

“Or his hands!”

More giggles ensue and they continue with their banter as reality sets in with Cressida the more she stares at herself. The dress is exquisite, a perfect dream, but while her entourage were gushing about Gavin, Cressida was picturing Ashton.

Ashton waiting for her at the end of the aisle. Ashton holding her hand as the pastor spoke. Ashton slipping the wedding band on her finger. Ashton telling her the vows he wrote and spoke with conviction. Ashton kissing her.

Ashton Ashton Ashton Ashton Ashton

!!!!!!

His name repeats like a haunted hymn trying to keep time with her rapid breaths. She feels hot. Too hot. She feels like she’s suffocating, and although the dress doesn’t have a high collar it’s as if she’s being choked. She needs to get out of it.

In a few short months she’ll be standing in front of Gavin. There’s a high-pitched ringing in her ears, the voices of her mother and friends are muffled, the light is too bright.

It isn’t until Chloe, her saving grace, catches her right before she’s about to fall off the platform. The other women are crowding around her, but Cressida can’t breathe, she needs air, she needs to get out of this dress.

“She’s fine, she’s fine, she started this new juice cleanse. I guess celery isn’t the one for her,” Chloe laughs off the quick excuse but helps her stand up. “Plus, with pre-wedding jitters and all. Let’s get you out of this for now, hm?”

Chloe drags her back into the dressing room where Cressida is gasping for air and waving her arms trying to unbutton the dress.

“I got it, I got it, hang on…” Chloe works quickly to undo the back of the dress.

Cressida lets out a loud gasp when she feels the dress pull away from her skin, she pulls off the cold shoulder sleeves quickly and carefully as possible. When she’s finally free she collapses to the floor in the heap of her dress, her vision is splotchy, and she sees stars. Chloe drapes the bridal robe over her shoulders and hugs her tightly.

“It’s okay, you’re okay. Breathe…easy, easy,” Chloe takes deep inhales and exhales with Cressida.

“I’m sorry, I-I-I…it all came real so fast, and I was picturing—”

“Ashton?” Chloe asks quietly and Cressida nods. Chloe hugs her until her heart has slowed, all the broken pieces of it.

Later that evening, Gavin found out she had a panic attack at the dress fitting. He became worried instantly and held onto her shoulders searching her eyes as if he could see the replay in them.

“How are you now? Do you need anything?” he asks concerned.

“I’m all right, it all hit me so fast when I saw me in the dress, that’s all,” she tries to smile then looks down and away from him.

“Hey,” Gavin ticks his finger under her chin, so she looks up at him, “We’re in this together. I promise I will take care of you and be your friend and confidant throughout all this. We can do this, Cress.” He pulls her into his arms, his embrace is tight, and it makes her feel better, she feels put together for a moment. “Why don’t you go take a bath and go to bed early?”

“That sounds like a good idea,” she sighs.

“I’ll get it ready for you,” he kisses the top of her head, gives her one more squeeze, then heads upstairs.

Cressida feels herself walking upstairs into her bathroom but it’s as if she’s on autopilot or watching herself from a distance. Gavin’s reading the back of one of her bath salts when she enters, and she looks at him. Really looks at him. He’s tall and handsome, that’s a fact, but she never noticed before how the symbol tattooed on his back peeks out on his neck under his collar. Or how his hair curls into smooth waves at the back of his head, and how broad his shoulders are.

He’s speaking to her about bubbles or oils, she’s not really listening as she starts to undress in front of him. In her dissociative mind, she wants to experiment with something. The small seed of feelings for him keep nudging at her, if she waters it will it bloom into something greater? When she steps closer that’s when Gavin notices her half nakedness.

“Does the salt stick to—” his eyes take her in slowly, watching her movements carefully as she shimmies out of her pants and then her panties. He swallows audibly, the bottle of bath salts slips from his fingers and falls into the tub with a shallow bump. “What— “he clears his throat when she steps closer, “what are you doing?”

“Can we try something?” she asks reaching for his arms. She grips his forearms, feels the taut muscles underneath his skin.

She knows he can definitely hear how loud her heart is beating. He nods as she lifts to her toes, her hands moving to his neck. Hesitantly, and oh so slowly, she moves closer to him. So close that she can feel his breath on her lips, he smells like a spicy musk, which is very inviting and then her lips are on his. Gavin remains still, letting her go at her own pace.

His lips are soft but are definitely different from the pair she’s used to. His cologne keeps her in check that this is Gavin and not—

“We don’t have to do this,” Gavin pulls back, and she feels a little empty from it. “I know this is so much for you.”

“Can we try?” she whispers, her eyes begging him to say yes.

“Are you sure?” he asks cupping her cheek. His thumb traces her bottom lip, his warm brown eyes meeting hers.

“I’m sure,” she nods.

Gavin crushes his lips to hers and his other hand grips her bare waist, pulling her to him in a tastefully forceful way. He sits on the edge of the tub and she presses herself to him, her hands yanking up his shirt. His hair gets messed up and then she admires the tattoos on his torso, her fingers tracing the designs and lines.

“I didn’t know you had any of these.”

“They’re all a part of my life story.”

“You’ll have to tell me about them sometime,” her gaze is steady on his as she unbuttons his pants. He shuts off the water of the tub standing up.

“I’d be glad to,” he smiles then lifts her into his arms carrying her to her bedroom.

Gavin takes his time kissing her from her lips all the way down to the very epicenter of her. Cressida closes her eyes so she can enjoy the feeling she’s experiencing and not to compare his touch with another’s. Gavin is gentle, touching her like she’s going to disappear into thin air.

She’s exploring him just as much as he is, she likes tracing the large tattoo on his back that goes up both shoulder blades. When they finally connect, she gasps, both in pleasure and at the vast difference. He’s making her feel good, her body is humming and tries to move with his. This is new for the both of them, this is their first time together after all.

At one point, she’s transported to another bed with another man and her nails creating large red arches into his back, they almost look like angel wings. She’s flashing back and forth from memory to present. When her release nears, all she sees is white space behind her eyelids. Then it’s over and they hold each other, both of them lost in their own thoughts.

“Is that what you wanted to try?” Gavin lifts his head from her neck, and she nods. “Dare I ask what the…conjecture is?”

“It was…” she searches his eyes trying to find the right words that hold truth in them, “it was really good.”

Gavin smiles slowly and nods. “I’m glad to hear that, I thought so, too. Do you still want your bath?”

“I can go do it,” she nods brushing away a curl from his forehead then presses her palm to his cheek. “How about you go pick us up some ice cream? We can watch a movie before bed.”

“Mint chip, right?” he grins leaning down to give her a kiss.

“Right,” she laughs kissing him again.

Gavin slides off the bed and hops back into his pants.

“I’ll grab your favorite wine, too. Maybe I’ll join you in the bath,” he winks pulling on his shirt then exits the room.

Cressida feels herself moving again, going through the motions of turning on the water and adding the salts and bubbles. She closes the door and dims the lights, making sure her rotary phone is next to the bath. When she climbs in, the hot water burns the soles of her feet and her hands, but it feels good.

She feels different.

It’s been a very long and very emotional day and Ashton invades her mind yet again. Moving on their own discord, her fingers reach for the phone and dials the number she’s had memorized for almost six years. It rings and rings and rings until the automated voicemail lady comes on. Cressida pushes the disconnect tab in the center and dials again. There’s a click.

“Cressida?”

Her breath hitches at the sound of his voice, then she slams the phone back in its cradle. She sinks below the water level, her head submerging into the vapid silence of the water. How did hearing Ashton’s voice hurt worse than the silence of him not picking up? There’s a purpose for all of this pain, but what is it? She’s falling, but she doesn’t know if she’s falling in or out of love.

Ten Months After Breakup—Ashton

Ashton has been a loaded gun ever since he and Cressida ended. He’s quick to anger and frustration, snapping at people over the simplest of questions. A lot has changed since that last weekend with Cressida and yet it feels like everything is the same.

He’s flipping through his calendar on his desk for upcoming appointments he’s jotted down and pauses on the first weekend of May which is two months away.

In the past, he would already be preparing the secret weekend getaway with Cressida. He’d be confirming with The Golden Lion that his room and floor were reserved for him. He’d make sure the room is stocked with their favorite food and drink and that Cressida’s robe was firmly pressed. Now, that weekend is wide open, staring him in the face with its blankness.

For the first time in six years, the white squares are empty. The Golden Lion isn’t scrawled in his gold fountainhead pen, as if it’s been erased completely but the memories are still burned into his mind. She’s left her mark in him so deep.

Ashton had a very slow incline from the very deep valley of his heartache. His phone beeps and he presses the button with the flashing red light.

“Yes?” he asks through the intercom.

“Mr. Hemmings is here to see you, Mr. Irwin,” his assistant Phil announces.

“Send him in.”

“A package was delivered for you as well; shall I send it with Mr. Hemmings?”

“That’s fine, Phil. Thanks,” Ashton sighs. He leans back in his chair, his calendar still opened to his schedule in May.

Luke was the one who helped Ashton out of his deep ravine.

He watches Cressida walk down the hall and disappear into the elevator. She didn’t turn around once. He shuffles back inside and makes his way to the large windows overlooking the street down below. Cressida is easy to spot, she’s using his red umbrella then disappears into the backseat of her car and drives off. Leaving him behind.

The dark cloud has been hovering over them this whole weekend and he used everything in his power to keep it at bay, out of sight, out of mind. But now Cressida is out of his sight and he’s about to lose his mind, so he pours himself a double of his whisky. Before he knew it, the bottle was empty, and he called room service to send up some more.

He thought of the consumption as a form of poetic justice, or something along those lines. He wasn’t sure, Cressida would know. She always knows things like that.

Ashton stayed in the hotel room for a whole week until there was a loud pounding on his door. When he opens it, he sees Luke in his crisp Armani suit, his golden hair slicked back in a suave style. The smell of his aftershave was fresh. Luke wrinkles his nose in disgust.

“You look like shit, man.”

“Nice to see you, too,” Ashton mumbles using the door handle as a brace to stay standing.

“It smells like your distillery in here and it reeks off you. Have you been here this whole time?”

“Yeah, so what?

Luke glances behind him then asks carefully, “have you been drunk this whole time?”

“Nope. For the first couple of days, I was because I finished my whisky, but now I’m sober and angry.” He turns inside the room and pulls out a bottle of water, Luke follows him carefully by making sure not to step on dirty clothes. “Do you need anything?”

“Yeah, you. You need to get back to work. I’ve been calling and calling but your phone doesn’t even ring. Did you lose it?”

“It’s been in that drawer since about a week and a half ago,” Ashton nods to the dresser. His phone is right where he left it when he arrived for his weekend with Cressida.

“Fantastic. Pack it up and let’s get you clean shaven.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?” Luke shoves his hands in his pockets, a golden brow arched upward. “Why not?”

“Because Luke,” Ashton sighs and stares at him with disdain and a far off look in his eyes. “The love of my life is no longer in my life and I’m trying to grab a handle on that.”

“I didn’t know you and Lucinda broke up.”

“Luc--? No! Not Lucinda. Cressida. She’s gone but if I stay in this room… it’s like she’s still here, like she’ll come back.”

“Hold on,” Luke holds up a hand. “Cressida James? How are you in love with her? Aren’t your families cursed or something?”

“No, we aren’t cursed,” Ashton scoffs, “we’re sworn enemies.”

“Ah, because that’s really a big difference,” Luke mutters.

“We’ve been seeing each other in secret for five years, coming to this room every first weekend in May.”

Luke’s eyes widen. “Five years? Okay, I need to be filled in on this but before I am, you need to shower and then we’ll get lunch.”

Ashton explained everything about his and Cressida’s relationship all the way from the beginning. Their first meeting on graduation eve, their months spent in Europe, the highs and lows, their secret discussions of work that made sales skyrocket, secret glances, everything.

“So, let me see if I got this right,” Luke wipes the corners of his mouth with his napkin then sets it on the table. He uses his hands as he speaks. “You and Lucinda aren’t really dating, Cressida and Gavin aren’t really dating, but you and Cressida have kind-of-sort-of been ‘dating’ for the last five years.”

“Correct.”

“But now, because somehow an arranged marriage is still a thing, she’s marrying Gavin and you two had to split up.”

“Yes.”

Luke stares at Ashton like he has three heads and Ashton stares right back, his face passive. He takes a drink of his water then raises his eyebrows.

“You look like you have more to say.”

“Ash, this is insane. You and Cressida are clearly meant to be together, for as long as I’ve known you, you have never been in a serious relationship. Hell, I’ve never seen you go out with someone until Lucinda came around.”

“It’s always been Cressida.”

“It can still always be Cressida! Ash,” Luke laughs dryly, “you need to stop this wedding. Confess your love and runaway with her!”

“Luke, this isn’t some romance movie, this is real life.”

“Real life where arranged marriages still exist?” Luke challenges. “This situation is fucked but you can get her back.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because she’d be disowned and lose the company. I won’t be responsible for that.”

“There’s no way she’d be free of the company. She’s the best CEO James Brandy has had in years, inflation and sales have been astronomical since she took over. Her family and your family are holding an old grudge that could have easily been a big miscommunication.”

Ashton sighs, he really appreciates his friend’s attempt at trying to solve his woes. Woes he’s brought upon himself, but he and Cressida will never be together, that’s just how it goes.

Ashton went back to work after speaking with Luke. He found it helped him not think about Cressida so much while he was in his office or walking among the floors of his distillery. He made sure Phil had him booked from dusk to dawn and when his mind started to wander to Cressida, he’d find another task to occupy himself.

Each day it got better; each week it became slightly easier. Although Ashton shut himself away, he had Gavin under a very confidential and watchful eye. When Ashton heard he still was involved in the drug cartel with a ton of debt, he decided to step in.

He went to Brazil where the drug lord resides; Ashton was welcomed warmly because they know how wealthy he is. Ashton discovered Gavin has been trying to get out of it, but he owes $1.2 billion dollars. He thought back to Cressida’s cheek and his mind is set.

“I’ll pay his debt in full. Expect the money to be wired tomorrow no later than four,” Ashton says then makes his way towards the door. No one questions him on the money because Ashton is known to being true to his word.

“What is he to you that you are willing to pay off his debt?”

“He owes me something as well, something way more valuable than money.”

“Hmm,” Homer strokes his mustache thoughtfully, “I see. We’ll need to kick him out like we would with the rest of them, debt paid and all. It will be painful.”

“I did my part, who am I to tell you how to do yours?” Ashton shrugs and then he’s gone.

While Ashton waits for Luke to come into his office, he peruses through his news app and sees Lucinda and her new boyfriend as they’re walking along the beach with their new puppy. When Ashton returned from Brazil on his little errand, that’s when he learned of his breakup. Lucinda was there at his house waiting for him. She said she couldn’t keep doing this and if it ruins her career then so be it, she didn’t want to lose Stephen.

Ashton was more than understanding and told her he wishes her the best, and he meant it. After she kissed his cheek on her way out, Ashton wondered if his and Cressida’s decision made them weak or strong. He didn’t want to dwell on it for too long and let a second woman walk out of his life.

Luke waltzes in Ashton’s office in a grandeur fashion and waves a rectangular box in the air.

“Delivery for Mr. Ashton Irwin, I accept tips in the form of largely written checks,” he grins tossing the box on Ashton’s desk.

“Watch it, what if that was fragile and you just broke it?” Ashton shakes his head as Luke drops himself on the blue suede chair.

“I didn’t hear anything break. Let’s go on a trip, Canada sounds nice and welcoming, doesn’t it?”

“Why do you want to go on a trip?” Ashton puts the box in his desk drawer and gathers his wallet and two phones.

“Trips are fun, trips have class and culture. Aren’t you going to open that?”

“I will on Monday. I’ve been getting smaller bottle designs from a vendor that won’t take no for an answer. Who would want a small bottle of my whisky?”

They continue their chatter to the elevator in front of Phil’s desk.

“Mr. Irwin, did you receive the package?”

“I did. We’ll have to send something back. Can you do that for me, Phil?”

“Yeah!” Phil’s eyes widen as if in excitement, Luke and Ashton exchange a look. “I can absolutely send something. What would you like me to say?”

“Um, you can come up with the message. I’m sure you’d make it sound better than mine. Have a good weekend.”

Phil scrambles to his phone and quickly dials some number. Ashton thought he heard him faintly say a name that sounded like Chloe. Chloe is Cressida’s assistant. He shakes his head, he definitely heard him wrong and tunes back into Luke who’s talking about Canadian syrup. Ashton feels a picking at his brain, he can’t quite put his finger on what it is. It felt like he was forgetting something.

One Month Until Wedding

Cressida and Gavin are driving back from his property on the lake. They spent a long weekend laying in the sun, cruising on the water in the early dawn on his boat, and cooking meals together. On the mornings where they didn’t wake up early to go on the boat, the time was spent getting to know each other.

Cressida always feels like she’s in an odd déjà vu every moment she shares with him because it reminds her of some other time. She’s constantly having to only see Gavin in front of her and not a ghost of her past. They’ve continued to get closer and closer; a close friendship has formed completely.

Gavin knew this was the first weekend she wouldn’t be seeing Ashton, so he wanted to help get her mind off of it. She notices that whenever they’re holding hands, his thumb will be circling around the ring on her finger. She catches him staring at her from time to time and while it gives her butterflies, it’s also warning signs. Warning signs that Ashton is slipping away, and she doesn’t want that to happen.

“Can we get serious for a hot second?” he asks when he parks in her driveway.

“Yeah, what’s up?” she gathers up her purse, phone, water bottle, and sunglasses.

“I’m all in on this with you, Cress.”

Cressida stops her movements; she feels her cheeks warm up then looks at him nervously. He’s getting really good at reading her.

“I’ve…I’ve grown attached to you and those feelings are growing. I know you aren’t there yet, or maybe you never will be, or someday maybe? I don’t know. But I’m in this for you,” he stares her down, his eyes full of nothing but honesty. “And any way you’ll have me, I’ll take it. okay?”

“Okay,” she nods then touches his cheek, rubs at his skin. He places his hand over hers, his thumb rubbing over her engagement ring and he kisses the inside of her palm. “I’m sorry I have all of this…weight on me and it’s dragging you down.”

“You could never drag me down, you lifted me up in the first place,” he smiles.

Her heart tugs at his words. She hates herself for not knowing if it’s from flattery or an ache for another. She hates herself even more for being caught in the middle of her own feelings.

“Okay, serious talk over until some other time. Let’s set the bags in and freshen up before meeting your parents for Sunday dinner.” He gives her fingers one more kiss then exits the car.

“There you are! How was it, how did it go? Did you get the brace—OH!”

“Chloe?” Cressida’s in shock upon seeing her in her house. Not that it’s abnormal for her to be here but she didn’t have anything planned for her until Monday.

“Hi! What uh, what are you guys doing here?”

“We went to Gavin’s lake house for the weekend. I thought I ran that by you…” Cressida shakes her head. “What are you doing here?”

“Umm…I uh, there was a package for you but it…it’s the wrong thing. My mistake. I will return it,” she responds awkwardly and tries to scurry out the door.

“Oh, was it my shampoo? Let me take a look, I can see if I want to try it anyway,” Cressida drops her bags on the counter.

“You know what, I actually left it at the office. I’ll return it for you first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll see you Monday, bye!”

Gavin watches her leave the house in confusion; he turns to Cressida slowly.

“That was strange, wasn’t it?” Gavin points in her direction.

“Yeah… she was acting weird all week,” Cressida frowns. “I wonder if she’s going through a tough time or something…I’ll have to ask her tomorrow.”

“I’ll check on the plants and water them, then we can shower and head out?” he asks kissing her forehead.

“What do you mean by shower?” she cracks a smile, and he laughs.

“I didn’t mean it that way, I swear. But I’m open to it, always am,” he winks then heads out to her patio where her plants are.

Cressida chuckles watching him get the hose. Chloe had been acting giddy everyday last week, asking her indirect questions about her weekend plans, asking if she’s nervous. She made it seem like she knew where Cressida was going, so why was she surprised to see her home now?

The Big Day

Ashton already predicted this day would be horrible, but he didn’t imagine it happening right when he woke up. His coffee machine broke so he couldn’t have his first cup before stopping at his favorite coffee shop. Turns out that was also closed for renovations, so he messaged Phil to please pick up a new coffee machine and bring two coffees with him.

When Ashton arrived at his office building the computer systems were down which was just fantastic considering he’d be doing a video conference call with Japan at ten. He already wanted today to be over before he stepped in the elevator that seemed to take longer than normal to fly up to his office.

He had a migraine, and it was barely nine o’clock in the morning. Normally he’d be calling the hotel confirming everything. He hated today.

Phil comes rushing in with three coffees in a carrying tray and a box containing Ashton’s new coffeemaker.

“You’re a lifesaver, Phil, truly,” Ashton commends taking a drink of the first coffee. He already feels his headache subsiding. “Can we go over my meetings for today?”

“Yes, let me just…pull it up on my tablet here. Okay, so…”

Ashton listens to Phil rattle off times and names of who he will be dealing with today. While Phil talks, Ashton fixes his desk then opens his drawer and sees that rectangular box. The company hasn’t sent anything back so maybe they finally got the message, but now he wants to see what this bottle looks like.

He cuts it open, humming along to Phil, then sees another box. It’s maroon with a gold band running along the sides. It’s thin and that intrigues him, so he lifts the lid. Nestled inside is not a whisky bottle but the bracelet he bought Cressida three Valentine’s Days ago. Beneath it was a folded note that read, ‘meet me at our special place Friday. It’s important. I don’t think I can go through with it.”

“Phil, what the hell is this?” Ashton holds up the bracelet that is now looped around his fingers. Phil’s mouth is open like a fish out of water. “Phil?”

“I—you—didn’t you open that a few months ago?”

“No, I thought this was the whisky bottle from that company who keeps trying to partner with me. I told you to send them a message I wasn’t interested, but this is clearly not a whisky bottle. So…why is this in my possession?”

“You didn’t open it until now? I thought you did! That’s why I sent—oh no,” he groans and slumps into the chair in front of Ashton’s desk.

“Phil, what the hell is going on?” Ashton drops Cressida’s bracelet onto his desk, it clanks on the glass top.

“Chloe sent this from Miss James because she said Miss James was having reservations about the wedding. That she still loves you and…and you were supposed to meet at The Golden Lion, and you told me to send something back, so I sent your gold ring with a note saying you’ll be there. And oh my God, I thought you went last month but it didn’t end well so you were still angry this whole time,” Phil explains.

“But Cressida herself didn’t send this?”

“No, it was Chloe because she knows Miss James keeps the bracelet on all the time,” Phil pinches the bridge of his nose. “It was supposed to bring you back together and by me sending your gold ring…it was a sign you wanted her back, too.”

Ashton stares at Phil in complete surprise. He could have met up with Cressida a month ago and made up and they would probably be together right now.

“Did she go? Was she there? What did Chloe say?”

“I don’t—she didn’t go. Chloe said she went to some lake house with Gavin and now…she probably didn’t even get your ring…”

“What ring are you talking about?”

“Your gold one, with the ruby inside.”

Ashton’s mind is racing. His heart is about to combust. He’s connecting the dots and finding new ones that didn’t add up but make complete sense now. Why Phil seemed so excited that Ashton wanted to send a reply back. How he thought he misplaced his ring at the hotel but never got around to calling about it when really, it was delivered to Cressida but if she didn’t go to the hotel either…

“She never got the ring,” Ashton concludes and Phil wipes at the sweat on his brow.

“What?”

“You’re one hundred percent certain that Cressida received my ring?”

“I wouldn’t say one hundred—”

“Call Chloe now and find out.”

Phil scrambles for his phone, dropping it on the floor twice before pressing it to his ear. Ashton touches the bracelet before him, images of Cressida flashes in his eyes.

“Okay, thank you Chlo, yes I’ll tell him…yes…yes…well, it’s too late now. All right…yep…okay bye,” Phil ends the call then smiles at Ashton in relief. “She never got it. There’s still time to stop this wedding, sir.”

“If she went on a weekend trip with Gavin then she has to be over—”

“No! no, she’s not over you and you’re not over her!” Phil suddenly shouts jumping from his chair. “I’m sorry sir, if this gets me fired then so be it, but Chloe and I hated seeing you two act like you did. Your company will survive if you both were disowned but I highly doubt that would happen. We’ve seen you two together for six years. We couldn’t let you throw this away for some stupid arranged marriage.”

“Phil—”

“You have to stop this wedding. Two people who should be together and aren’t…that’s the worst kind of love story ever. I know your families are arch nemesis but that was how many years ago? And it’s not even your fight to begin with. Chloe and I think you should be together and it’s our faults that our plan failed but you can stop it today. Right now. I can—”

“Phil!” Ashton shouts causing Phil to shut up. “You aren’t fired. And this was very kind of you and Chloe to do but if Cressida didn’t personally—”

“She’s been on the fence about this wedding for the whole year! You have to go to her, sir, you just have to.”

Ashton sighs and plays with the bracelet. He thinks of the past year, how it wasn’t the best by any means because Cressida wasn’t in his life. She’s always said from the beginning that she didn’t care if she was disowned, that she’s only wanted him, and Ashton’s only wanted her. She’s the love of his entire life. Luke has told him to crash the wedding and he might just do that.

“Where is the wedding?”

Cressida is pacing in the bridal suite of the church. Her hair and makeup are finished, her dress is fastened to the very last button, and her heart has been in her stomach since she woke up this morning. Her hands feel clammy and she’s trying to focus on her breathing by taking deep shallow breaths. Her bridesmaids are drinking mimosas and enjoying themselves while the guests arrive in the large church.

The bridesmaids are discussing the honeymoon and placing friendly bets on if she’ll be pregnant upon the return. Cressida mentions she needs some air and moves into the hallway to continue her pacing. The door opens and expecting her mother, she starts defending herself.

“I’m fine, mother, I just need a minute to collect myself.”

“It’s me,” Chloe says, frowning at her boss and close friend. Cressida relaxes and steps in front of her, smoothing the skirt of her dress, her hands are shaking. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yes, it’s just jitters. But I…I keep thinking of Ashton,” she whispers his name. It’s been so long since she spoke it out loud.

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out at The Golden Lion, but you seemed so happy when you came home with Gavin I thought you were actually happy with him now.”

“What do you mean you’re sorry it didn’t work out at The Golden Lion?”

“I…what?” Chloe shakes her head in confusion. “You were supposed to meet Ashton at the hotel last month, he sent his gold ring and a note to go along with the one I sent him…with your bracelet.”

“My bracelet? Chloe, I didn’t get a ring. What is going on?”

“I placed the box on your desk and when you left for the weekend you seemed so happy, so I thought you were going to The Golden Lion to make up or runaway with him. I came by that Sunday to see how it went but you were with Gavin, so I thought you’d made your decision.”

“But I didn’t send him anything,” Cressida shakes her head slowly.

“That’s because I did,” Chloe fixes her fingers together in nerves. “I came up with the idea and Phil agreed to do it as well, we hated seeing you both so upset. We tried to fix it.”

“If I would have gotten his ring I wouldn’t have left with Gavin,” Cressida’s shoulders fall in sadness.

She starts pacing again, thinking of the good thing Chloe and Phil tried to do but fate seemed to have other plans. Did Ashton show up at the hotel? Was his heart broken even more when she didn’t show up even though she never got his ring and note?

“It’s almost time,” the wedding coordinator announces bustling down the hallway. She opens the door to the suite and orders the girls to get out and into line. “Follow me Miss James and I will make you a Missus.”

Cressida gulps but follows her. Chloe reaches out and grabs her hand, gives her a gentle squeeze. Cressida relaxes a little knowing that Chloe is with her through this as well. Gavin is a great guy; he’s been a good and patient friend with her through the wedding planning. She’ll grow to love him as time goes on, right?

Suddenly she’s in front of the doors and it’s almost her turn to walk down the aisle. How did the other girls go so fast? How does she not remember seeing them?

“You can do this,” Chloe assures her, but Cressida is very doubtful.

The music changes and she stops Chloe from walking down. Chloe looks at her in alarm.

“I need to speak with Gavin, please. Can you bring him to me?”

Chloe nods. “Yes, yes of course. I’ll be right back.”

Chloe opens the doors then slips inside running along the sides of the pews. The guests watch her run her way up to the alter where Gavin is waiting in a crisp suit, his hair perfectly styled, and a large marigold fastened to his lapel. When he sees Chloe running, he knows what that means.

“Is she all right?” Gavin asks when Chloe reaches him.

“I don’t know, I’m not sure. She wants to speak with you, I’m sorry but that’s all I know.”

“It’s okay, I’ll speak with her,” he nods then turns to the pastor. “It’ll be just a few more moments. The bride wishes to speak with me, I’m sure everything’s fine. I’ll be right back.”

The pastor stares after him in bewilderment as Gavin follows Chloe back down the aisle. He smiles and nods at the guests trying to look reassuring. He knows what this looks like, but his mind is focused on Cressida. When he spots her, she’s grasping onto a table, her knuckles white.

“Cress?” he touches her shoulder carefully so as not to scare her. She flinches anyway then turns to Gavin, her face pale and eyes glossy. “Talk to me.”

“I can’t do this, Gavin, I’m so sorry,” Cressida sniffles. She takes Gavin’s hands, and he feels the ring fall into his palm. “You’ve been so kind and patient with me, and you’re a wonderful man but I don’t love you and I don’t think I ever would love you how you properly should be. You deserve more than a woman who’s hung up on another man. You deserve to be loved the right way. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Shh, shh,” he swipes the tears from her face and forces a smile. “I know. It’s all right.”

“It is?”

“I have grown feelings for you, and I know you’ve been trying to find some for me and to be honest, I hate seeing you try so hard. You’re meant to be with Ashton, not me. Go to him.”

“I should tell everyone inside—”

“I’ll worry about them,” he shakes his head, “and I’ll tell our parents. I’ll take care of everything.”

“I’m a horrible person,” she cries, “this is all because of me.”

“Loving someone doesn’t make you horrible. I’ll be fine Cressida, I’d rather have you as a friend than nothing at all.”

“Thank you,” she whispers then flings herself into his arms. He hugs her tightly, breathing in her hair and holds her as tight as he can. She pulls away to look up at him. “I will be a little bit jealous who you end up with. She’ll need my approval.”

“That’s nice to know,” he laughs then kisses her forehead. “Go find Irwin.”

Cressida takes a deep breath, stretches on her toes to kiss his cheek then lifts up her skirt and runs to the main entrance of the church where Chloe is already waiting with her bag and phone.

“How did you--?”

“I had a feeling,” Chloe shrugs. “The car is coming around.”

“Thank you, you’re the best assistant and friend I could have ever asked for.”

Cressida bustles her dress as best she can in the back of her car, her driver is a little bewildered but then slams on the gas to get to The Golden Lion. Her heart is thundering in her chest, her left hand feels weightless without the ring, and she hopes Ashton is there. Should she call him? Just then her phone buzzes and it’s a text from Chloe.

‘He was on his way to the church, but I contacted Phil and diverted his course. You should get there around the same time. Good luck :)’

Cressida lets out a shaky breath and suddenly she’s very nervous again. The hotel is twenty minutes away from the church. What will she say? What will he say? Will he take her back? She’s trying to stay hopeful but what if he sees her and decides it’s better they’re not together?

It’s a very long drive where she has time to recollect their time together. Meeting that night before graduation, the endless mornings and evenings in Europe, secret glances and very well constructed touches at parties they both needed to attend, Bora Bora, each weekend at The Golden Lion. She’s loved him completely forever and she can only hope he’ll want her the same way.

She’s approaching the hotel, the building shines in the golden afternoon, the mane of the lion sparkling. She struggles getting out of the car with her dress and makes her way up the steps and sees the back of Ashton. He’s peering into one of the rooms where they’ve shared many parties together. His hair is longer in the back and he looks broader in the shoulders.

Cressida can’t speak so she walks towards him. Just as she’s about to open her mouth, he turns around and she forgets to breathe. His scruff has turned into a full-grown beard and it’s very well kept, it makes him look even more handsome. Standing in front of him she feels more at peace than she has in months. She feels whole and complete.

“Hi,” he breathes, his hazel eyes scanning over her in her dress. “You’re…you’re an absolute vision, angel.”

“Did you really send me your ring? Because I never got it, but I swear, I would have been here last month. I’ve never stopped loving you and I never will. I called it off. The whole thing. And if I get kicked out of the business then I’ll start my own and we can build our own partnership. It’s always been you—”

Not being able to stand it anymore, Ashton gathers her in is arms and kisses her deeply. His arms wrap around the home he’s been missing for 365 days. His lips are kissing the lips he’ll never get tired of kissing. Cressida’s fingers twist into his hair kissing him back with just as much enthusiasm. It’s like she can finally breathe. Their love is bursting at the seams.

“I’ll never stop loving you either, Cressida,” he mumbles rubbing his nose against hers lovingly. He stares into her eyes. “I don’t care about the ring or the bracelet or our bad timing, what matters is that we’re both here now. And I’m never letting you walk out the doors unless I’m right next to you.”

“I love you,” she smiles and strokes his beard, it’s soft under her fingers. “I’ve wanted to call so many times. You look different, I love this beard.”

“Yeah? I was thinking of shaving it,” he grins.

“Don’t,” she shakes her head, “not yet.”

“Although I’m glad to see you, what about your wedding?”

“Gavin’s taking care of it, he’s a really good man, Ashton. And he’s going to tell our parents the wedding is off, but I want to tell them about you and me. I don’t want to love you behind closed doors anymore.”

“And I’ll be right by your side. Luke made a very good point about our ‘disownment’ and we won’t be losing our companies.”

“It’s settled then,” she sighs but pulls away from him. Ashton looks forlorn from the sudden distance. “There’s only one thing left to do.”

“What’s that?” he asks trailing his fingers down her arm so he can latch onto her own. He’s not letting her go.

Her eyes dance, the gold in them sparkling. “Help me out of my dress?”

They kiss freely in the elevator as they ascend to their floor, to their room. But it feels different because of their decision to finally come clean about their relationship. Ashton’s hands are frantic as he pulls her from her dress, her lips never leave his skin as they fall onto their bed.

Murmured words of love are pressed to skin, their fingers grasp and lock together as they reconnect. This feels different too, it’s not a secret anymore and they never will be again. Whatever happens after they leave this room, they’ll handle it together.

In a rush they come together but they’re nowhere near done. Ashton kisses all over her chest, her neck, her throat, and her hands roam over the dips and valleys of his body. She finds the maps only she knows; touches the freckles she’s discovered time and time again.

“My love for you is pure gold,” he sighs before slipping his tongue in her mouth. “Beautiful, rare…”

“And precious,” she smiles rolling him over onto his back. “It’s me and you, baby.”

They fall and crash together, the golden sun setting on their love. It’s a promise for a golden morning, a new beginning and the start of their life being shared into the light. No more secrets, just Ashton and Cressida loving each other beautifully, gently, passionately. A golden love for the ages.

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#lias fic #lovers in a song #ashton irwin angst #ashton irwin smut #ashton angst #ashton writing #ashton 5sos writing

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