Pay No Attention To The Magizoologist

A one minute clip that means everything to me at this moment.

𝐏𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐀 𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐊: 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒 — smut, semi-plot, afab!reader, blowjobs & riding, p in v, creampie, face-fucking, slight breeding kink, switch!peeta, overstimulation, squirting, fingering

peeta mellark is a loser.

you often wonder how your boyfriend always radiates charisma whenever he’s in public. infront of cameras, he’s charming, confident, keeps himself composed.

he’ll always keep things professional—even with you. the most you’ll get out of him during a social event is a chaste kiss or a soft peck on the cheek, denying you of anything more.

it amuses you, the way he puts up such an outgoing front—how he treats you like a coworker playing pretend lovers because he can’t keep his dick in his pants whenever you get too touchy.

just imagine the capitol’s reaction if they found out the ‘charming prince’ from district twelve was also just a whining bitch.

—

“what the hell was that?” peeta sighs as he drags you into the guest bedroom and locks the door behind you.

"i have no idea what you're on about." you whisper, a hint of mischief in your eyes.

“oh, so you just feeling up on me back there was nothing?” he scoffs.

“it was a light touch. it isn’t my fault you’re sensitive.” you hum, a grin tugging at your lips as you watch his breath hitch.

“the sponsers could’ve seen you.”

“but they didn’t.”

“they could’ve.”

“so what if they did? what’s so wrong with giving them a show? it’s what they want.” you refute, walking closer towards him.

“you—can't just wait till we get back, huh?” he sighs, gulping as you inch closer towards him.

“what did you expect, peeta? how can i keep my hands to myself when you just look so good tonight?” you mock, palming the evident bulge in his pants.

“we can’t—not now.” he sighs.

"we aren't even tonight's centre of attention. nobody will notice that we've left." you smile. your hands run up and down his tense thighs as you slowly place your knees on the carpet, gazing up at him with those doll-like eyes that you know drives him crazy.

“you don’t have to do this.” he whispers, his hand making his way down to your cheek as his fingers curled around your jaw—the pad of his thumb rubbing small, gentle circles across your skin.

“you know you won't make it through the night without my help.” you hum, unzipping his pants and pulling his member out. it’s already red and hard, precum leaking out the minute you palm it.

“aren’t you a little excited tonight?” you tease, placing soft kisses over its veins and along the sides.

“well you aren’t the only one that’s had to hold back all day.” he sighs, his hand finding a place around the top of your head.

he didn't do anything but watch as the end of your tongue slowly licked up the precum from his tip’s slit. he holds back a moan as you feel his grip tighten ever so slightly around your hair.

“fuck, you’re—ah—mmhph” he whimpered.

his words were shortly cut off the moment you take him into your mouth. never will he get used to just how warm you are when he's inside you. his cock pushes at the back of your throat as you swallow him whole, struggling to resist the urge to buck his hips into your wet mouth.

thankful for the lively crowd in the room next door, you listened to his quiet whimpers and moans. his eyebrows furrowed together in pleasure as he his puppy eyes stared down at you. more, is what his expression begged, and who were you to deny him of his need?

his hips slowly jerked and twitched as you bobbed your mouth up and down along his length, your moans vibrated onto him. it was cute, how he tried his best to keep his composure and not fuck your mouth dumb—but you wanted more. so, you gave him a reassuring look, pushing yourself as deep as you could go as he stared into your lustful eyes.

peeta had always been able to read you like a book, so it wasn't hard to understand your expression. if you were to so generously invite him to not hold back, who was he to refuse?

he experimentally rolls his hips into you, letting out a shuddering breath when he feels you swallow around him—his free hand laced into your hair. when you gag around him but still try to take him further, he thrusts deeper, his cock twitching. "fuck, you feel so—good—shit." he moans, quickening his pace.

"wait a minute—hah—don't want to—cum yet." you slowly pull back as he stops rolling his hips, trying to catch your breath.

as soon as you stood back up, he pulled you into a sloppy kiss, sliding his tongue slipping into your wet mouth as he tasted the flavour of your spit and his precum mixed with his own saliva. the two of you moaned and whined as your mouths pressed together. once the kiss had been going on for a while longer, he finally broke it and pulled you towards the bed.

"on the bed," he simply stated. you climbed onto the mattress and sat on your knees, waiting for his next instruction. instead of words, he drew you into his lap, your thighs on either side of his waist.

"lift yourself a little." he whispered, watching as you silently raised your hips. you sighed as your short dress was completely unzipped and thrown to the floor, your panties pushed down to your knees, completely exposing you to him.

“gotta make you feel good too.” he mumbles, his large hands rubbing up and down your inner thighs. you softly moan as he continues to tease you, rubbing right near your cunt but trailing his hand back down before actually touching you. you sigh in relief once his hand finally makes it's way up, softly rubbing against your clit and the folds of your cunt.

it’s embarrassing, how you’re already soaking wet and so welcoming to his fingers as they slowly enter you. you sigh as you feel his hand slowly fill you up, bottoming out. the moment his fingers started curling deep inside of you, your silent whimpers turned into growing moans.

“peeta—fuck, you’re so deep, oh my god—” you slurred, your thighs trembling as he picks up his pace. you begin to burst into loud moans the moment he begins thrusting them at an unspeakable pace. feeling so full, you cried out as his fingers plowed into you mercilessly.  his hand snaked up to your mouth, muffling your sounds as he went faster.

“don’t be too loud unless you want everyone out there to hear us.” he whispers, replacing his hand with his mouth. you whimpered and cried, trying your best to keep all those pretty sounds inside as his fingers curled inside you, ramming your cunt at an unfathomable speed.

you could feel your climax as heat started to build up in your stomach. you were so, so close. and then, just as you were about to cum, there was nothing. he pulled out, denying you your release.

“don’t look at me like that, i’ll make sure to fill you up real good.” he whispers, taking off his top and removing his bottoms.

your bodies pressed against each other as you strattled yourself back onto him, the folds of your wet cunt rubbing against his leaking member.

“fuck, i’ll never get used to seeing this.” he hitched, placing his hands at your hips as the two of you grinded into each other.

“let me give you want you need, peeta.” you whisper, placing a soft kiss onto his cheek before pulling back. he only watches, his half-lidded puppy eyes following your every move as you palm his shaft, positioning yourself over him. you spread your legs and took your time pushing into him, burrying yourself deep inside, inch by inch.

“fuck—you're so wet.” he moans.

when you finally bottomed out, your hips took control and began painfully slowly riding him out while gradually increasing your pace. you wanted to watch his desperation escalate.

but it didn’t take long for his whimpers to turn into loud moans as he began whining your name. he started rolling his hips with yours, picking up the pace, and you weren't sure you could hold yourself up much longer.

his sloppy rolls turned into intense ramming as you continued to ride him. he thrusted into you, hitting that deep spot over and over again. you writhed in pleasure, letting out a loud moan. the unrelenting rhythm was everything, the feeling taking you to your peak.

“fuck, peeta! you’re too—mmph’—fast! fuck! oh my god—ah!” you cried, your legs shaking as you bobbed up and down his cock.

“you’re so tight, i need you so bad—i’m gonna—fuck—“ before he could finish his sentence, he pulled you down, suddenly flipping you over. your back was pressed against the mattress as he continued his thrusts.

“fuck—i think i need you for keeps.” he moaned, whimpering as he rammed into you.

“i’m gonna cum—peeta, wait—fuck!” you cried, suddenly feeling his hand press against your overstimulated clit, his fingers pressing down as he plowed into you. your hands pushed at his abs as you were on the verge of cumming.

“fuck, i need to—inside—ah—“ he slurred, his thrusts reaching the fastest he could possibly go. “let me cum inside you—give you my babies.”

“let’s give the capitol what they want—“ he moaned, applying more pressure onto your clit as he rammed into you.

“peeta! i'm—holy shit—fuck!" you could only scream as as you felt a giant gush of heat pool in your stomach. your entire body trembled as you began squirting on his dick—but peeta wouldn’t pull out, he only thrusted himself further into you as you continued your spasm.

“it feels so good!” you whined, feeling so full from his dick filling your cunt as you continued squirting.

"fuck." he moaned, feeling the juices of your cunt squelch inside and around him.

“don’t—don’t pull out—“ you cried, shaking as you gradually came down from your high, your juices slowly leaking out and soaking the mattress as his cock was still buried deep inside you.

your sighs were only interrupted by shrieks the moment peeta started thrusting into you again, overstimulating you after such a short rest.

“wait—ah—fuck! i can’t—it's too much!” you slurred, watching as your juices continued to squirt out every time he thrusted into you.

“i’m—i’m gonna cum—mmph—ah—come on, please, cum with me again, please—” he whined, rutting into you like an animal. as he felt you tighten onto him once again, he pulled you into a kiss, his tongue swirling around yours as his hand pushed your back up, your whole bodies fully pressed against each other as he fucked you stupid.

you whimpered against his mouth as the heat began to build up once more, but his lips muffling your moans as you squirted around him for the second time. his cock stuffed you, slowly grinding but never fully leaving your cunt as the squelches of your wetness slowly squirted out everytime he thrusted.

peeta only let out a long moan as he came inside you, followed by whines and whimpers as the two of you riding your highs together.

once the two of you finally relaxed, peeta pulled out. you watched as a gush of your liquid spilled out of you, his semen slowly seeping out and dripping down your cunt.

“i should provoke you more often.” you weakly sigh, brushing the hair out out of your face with your fingers. he only scoffs as he pulls you into a soft kiss that felt both pure and gentle.

you wondered how long the two of you were gone for from the event, but you had bigger things to worry about—like how in the world you’ll possibly be able to even walk back home.

a/n: i don’t use this blog regularly, just had to post this because there is an INSANE lack of peeta smut it’s disrespectful. there’s probably some typos since it’s not proofread hehehe

You Think I'm-?

Summary: The reader helps a drunken Osferth to bed.

Notes: From number two on this prompt list. Contains drunk Osferth, Finan being Finan, Sihtric being a good bro, and some kisses. Fluff! Gender neutral and entirely undescribed reader. Unbeta'd and unedited. oop

Read on Ao3 here. If you like my work, please consider giving kudos there as well! You do not need an account to do so.

Uhtred’s men had, once again, spent an evening drinking in celebration. And you, one not as fond of ale as the three men, had found them singing in the street. If one could call it that. Their singing resembled far more the shouting and long drawn out cries of startled cows at pasture.

“You best shut your jaws before the alehouse bans you from the place altogether,” you remark, arms crossed as you regard them stumbling through the mud of the street. “Your singing is worse than the innkeeper’s wife.”

Finan laughs heartily, stumbling with Osferth as Sihtric smiles at you, steadying the young monk between them.

“And what would you know of decent singing, eh?” Finan teases. “Always the critic!”

“I’m sure they have a lovely singing voice,” Osferth pipes up, his ‘g’s exaggerated. As he attempts to take a step forward he practically careens sideways, saved only by Sihtric catching his flailing arm. The Dane seems to be the most sober out of the three.

“I think the three of you have had enough ale tonight,” you try not to laugh at the sight. You nod to Finan, making eye contact with Sihtric. “Go on and help the Irishman, I’ll manage Osferth.”

He nods, steadying Osferth on his feet and going around to the young monk’s other side to start herding Finan to the Irishman’s bed.

“Oi, why does baby monk get your help and I’m stuck with the Dane bastard?” Finan jokes, clapping Sihtric on the back, who playfully wraps an arm around his neck in a mimicry of a grapple.

“Because this baby monk doesn’t weigh twice more than a fat dairy cow,” you dig playfully as you sling Osferth’s arm over your shoulder. “And is far more polite than yourself.” Osferth smiles gratefully, sheepishly, at your words.

Finan laughs easily, and before Sihtric can stop him he reaches over and claps Osferth on the back, sending the two of you stumbling.

“He might be polite enough, friend, but watch him! He’s a sly one when a pretty thing like yourself is about!”

Osferth’s head shoots up, eyebrows high at Finan’s words, but Sihtric shoots you a look and wrangles Finan away at last, the two men laughing at something as they turn a corner.

“Come on, ‘baby monk,’” you say, adjusting his arm around your shoulders and you follow the other two men.

The two of you march and stumble your way through the drying mud of the street, nearing the building your party is staying at.

“Thank you for your help,” Osferth says, catching himself on a porch pole when he stumbles sideways, nearly taking you with him. “It’s easy to get carried away when you’ve got Finan egging you on.”

You grin in amusement. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, Osferth,” you say, pulling him back onto the road.

You help him all the way to his bed, going as far as tugging his boots off when he drops onto the cot.

“The room isn’t spinning as badly as I expected,” he says. “You don’ ‘ave t’ do that,” he protests, words slurring a bit, but you’re already taking his second boot into your hands.

“Like you could do it yourself right now,” you scoff. “And I’ll not have you muddy up the bedding for whatever poor soul cleans up after guests leave.”

He slouches slightly, trying to hold his leg out straighter for you to pull the boot easier. “But you’ve got mud on your hands now,” he mumbles.

“Hands that I can wash easily enough,” you say, finally yanking the boot free, and putting it aside with its partner. “Stay here, I’m going to get you some water so you don’t die of too bad a hangover when the sun comes up.”

He doesn’t protest, not that you’d listen if he did, and so you leave the room. You wash your hands in cold water from the well outside, and fill his waterskin you’d liberated from his person, as well as your own, before hurrying back out of the cold.

When you return, Osferth is laid on his back. He is still in his robes and his leather armor over his chest, leather bracers still on his forearms. He’s at least undone the belt of his scabbard, though not fully removed it. You scoff, amused at the sight.

“Jesus, baby monk, can’t even get undressed can you?”

He opens his eyes to look at you from his recline, and you approach and sit on the edge of the cot.

“Come on,” you pat his shin. “Up. At least have some water and take off your sword properly.”

He hauls himself up obligingly with a light groan, legs a warm presence against your thigh as he adjusts and accepts the waterskin.

“Thank you,” he says with a gasp once he releases it from his lips.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” you repeat yourself from earlier, nudging him gently.

He grins slowly. “That’s th’ second time you’ve called me pretty tonight,'' he begins to tease good naturedly. “Don’t let Finan hear you say that or he’ll think you mean it.”

“Oh, shush your pious hole,” your face warms and you avoid his all too intense gaze, as lighthearted as his smile is.

There’s a shift in the air, as Osferth keeps watching you, his smile suddenly turning to a slightly openmouthed look of surprise.

“You do,” he says, vocalizing his realization. “You think I’m pre–-”

You act on impulse, shutting him up with the first thing your body finds as a solution before your mind can catch up, pressing a quick firm kiss to his lips. You’ve pulled away before he can process it, and then the two of you are sat there staring at the other with wide, equally shocked eyes.

“I—” you don’t know what it is you’re going to say, how you’re going to play this off, but it hardly matters when his hands embrace your face and suddenly he’s kissing you.

It's a frenzy, all lips and teeth and surprised whimpers and gasps from both parties, the taste of ale and fresh cold water passing from tongue to tongue.

The need for air pulls you apart at last, chests heaving. You aren’t sure when or how it happened, but you find that you are straddling Osferth’s lap, your ankle twisted in the long strip of cloth that makes up the front of his robes. His hands are on your hips, steadying you, and your hands are on his shoulders.

He stares up at you, eyes wide as yours must be, both faces an expression of surprise.

“Uh—”

“So—”

You both start at the same time, and then you burst into a fit of nervous laughter. “Oh, God,” you say, covering your mouth as you try to stop from laughing too loudly. “Finan was right.”

The smile that had been spreading at your giggles turns into a confused frown. “About what?”

“You’re sly,” you chuckle, pushing at his shoulder to show you’re only teasing. “How did I even get on top of you?”

“Dunno,” he grins again, loosening his hold on your hips as you try to untangle your foot from his robes.

You shoot him a stern look as you finally free yourself and stand clumsily. “Are you even drunk?”

His eyebrows shoot open. “Wh– yes–!”

You push at his shoulder again with a broad grin, and he falls back despite it having only been a playful nudge. “Good.” You collect your water skin and straighten your clothes, smiling to yourself.

“You’re not staying?” He asks from the bed, shifting about to lay properly on his side. When you look at him he almost looks disappointed.

“I’m not going to hump you for the first time while you’re drunk, Osferth,” you cock an eyebrow.

Both his eyebrows raise again, and he shifts on the arm that has him propped up on his side.

“And I don’t want to be caught by Finan in the morning,” you admit. “Another time, baby monk.”

His face turns pink when you grin at him, closing the door behind your exit.

"lesbians for a free Palestine"

downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Could I get 3: Accidental groping or 5: Fake out make out with Cassian Andor?

dont ask abt how bad i want this to be me rn

You weren’t thinking straight when Cassian pulled you into a spare room at this brothel on Correllia. All you were thinking of was the intel and escape. Anything to make that happen. It wasn’t long after the data was secured that storm troopers were invading the building. Clearly, someone had triggered some kind of alarm, and as people not participating in the activities of the building, you stuck out like a sore thumb. You’d be arrested for sure, or as Cassian always jokes, you’d take each other out before you could let that happen.

You’re still not thinking straight when Cassian pushes you further into the room, tugging off your jacket and throwing it to the side as you bounce onto the bed in front of him. The door is shut, but none of the doors in this place lock, so you have to just hope the troopers respect privacy while clearly searching for you.

You’re definitely not thinking straight when Cassian whispers a little “sorry” before capturing your lips with his own and lowering himself down on top of you on the bed. Your mind is swimming as you kiss back immediately, all lips and tongue and teeth and Cassian groans into your mouth. The kiss is deep, with Cassian taking the lead and moving his tongue deeper as his hands plant themselves on either side of your head.

You’re not thinking when your hands come up around his waist, pulling him in closer, flush against you. Maybe its because he smells good, or maybe its because you hear hurried footsteps outside the door.

Theres a knock at the door, and Cassian reaches down to grab your leg, hooking it around his hip. You moan, but you’re not sure if you meant to.

The door opens, and his hand slides down your thigh.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” a slightly modified voice interrupts your kiss, and Cassian only rips his mouth from yours long enough to shout.

“Get out!” his voice is hoarse, husky, and you can feel heat flooding you. He turns back to you the second the door slides closed again, and his hand slips farther.

The second his hand connects with the curve of your ass however, he freezes.

And now you’re thinking straight. He looks cute like this, flustered and blushing, wide eyed and looking down at you

“I-I’m sorr-“ but you cut him off before he can apologize.

“Don’t be.”

And as you pull him back in for another kiss, he squeezes your ass, hard. On purpose this time.

his embrace

finnick odair x reader

synopsis: finnick odair, capitol sweetheart and the thorn in your side

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜✭・.✫・゜・。.

standing on the plate, you nearly broke your neck looking for him. frantically you looked, your eyes straining to see across the water, it was no use as the timer went off, and you had forced yourself to dive into the water.

your lungs felt like the could burst, but you ran towards the cornucopia, lifting yourself just over the edge only to be pulled back into the water. a career tribute was on you, you could tell as you fought him in the water. but you were losing, as you weren’t able to catch your breathe before you had been pulled back in.

only did the sight of a knife though the career’s chest did you feel some relief. someone had saved you. your body relaxed slightly, and your chest stopped trying to fight for the oxygen, and your eyes closed, your body feeling heavy as you passed out.

the buzzing of arguing flooded your ears. water had them plugged, and as you sat up, coughing up water, you heard the arguments cease, as other tributes rushed to your aid.

finnick was the first you saw, and he grabbed your shoulder, patting your back as you tried to spit out all the water.

you took a good inhale of the air and realized that you were deep in the jungle. along with finnick was katniss and peeta.

without saying anything, you embraced finnick. finnick laughed, hugging you tightly.

you pulled back and kissed him, “i thought i was dead. no one this pretty would be in my version of the afterlife.”

finnick laughed, “you wound me, darling.”

katniss and peeta shared a look, but stayed silent. suddenly the reasonings for why finnick had argued with them to keep you alive was now ever so obvious.

you looked at them, almost forgetting they were there. “katniss, peeta. normally my greeting wouldn’t be so half assed but, then again i’m not normally fighting for my life.” you offered a smile and only peeta gave back a weak one.

days and events had passed by you, and you were getting more and more irritated with your situation. you didn’t think that you would end up arguing with finnick over your safety, after offering to head into the jungle for some wood to build a fire.

“i can do it, finnick.” you rolled your eyes, hoping that he would relent as he usually did. but he wasn’t going to this time, especially with such danger all around.

“no. i alreayd lost mags, i cant lose you.”he shook his head, and you rolled your eyes, “finnick, do i have to remind you that i’m not entirely defenseless? i won my games too.”

but finnick wasn’t budging, and instead he pulled you back towards katniss and peeta, “i said no. im not letting you go in there.”

“if you’re jealous that i’m the one with a cool nickname just say so, don’t start acting like some sort of keeper.” you grabbed one of the knifes he had lying around on the beach and moved into the jungle, “don’t wait up.” you called.

finnick had followed you in, but you had mastered silent footsteps, and you were hard to track.

as you ventured deeper into the jungle, you felt regret in your stomach as you thought about finnick. you had disregarded his comment about mags, and you felt like an asshole.

you stopped, and thought about going back. but you had already left, and you couldn’t go back empty handed. but the screams are what sent you into a run. his screams, your name in the screams had you screaming back.

“y/n! help me!” his voice was on your ears and you ran, “finnick? finnick where are you?” as you tried to run back to camp, you heard birds wings flapping, and you realized that it was jabberjays, and as you swung your knife around to get them to stop, all you could do was listen to the rest of his screams, his mixed in with your families screams.

finnick had heard you scream, and realized he was a lot closer than he thought. you were crying, sobs recognizable as he ran, seeing you cursed up in a ball with a group of birds flying over you.

he realized as your screams intensified what they were. he pulled you up to your feet and practically picked you up, running with you back to the beach.

as he ran, you clutched onto him, crying and muttering apologies, he set you down just a few feet away from katniss and peeta, “stop. it’s not your fault. it’s okay, see? im fine, i’m right here baby.” he kissed you, and finally you calmed down, nodding as tears fell from your eyes.

“oh, finn.” you hugged him, “that was so stupid. im sorry, i promise i won’t do that again. i won’t leave you again, finnick.” you reassured, and hugged him, just as katniss and peeta neared the two of you, questions about your well-being buzzed in your ears.

Ngl the way I was reading this as a joke but now I’m HOOKED!!? This was so cute and sad at the same time omg I love itttt

Momentary Bliss

Summary: Luigi Mangione. Star student. Travel enthusiast. Alleged murderer. Hero of the people. For a fleeting moment he was more than that…he was yours.

A/N: fluff/angst fic abt a whirlwind romance luigi has with reader. WC is 7.4k so get comfy

Luigi sits in his seat, leg anxiously bouncing as he checks his watch for what feels like the millionth time. The adrenaline from earlier is wearing off. Now he just feels anxious. Anxious to leave this city behind and put as many miles as he can between him and New York.

He fidgets his jacket and releases a shaky breath.

“Hey, do you mind turning on the A.C.?” He calls out to the driver.

The bus driver looks in the rear view mirror and huffs when he sees who called out to him.

“Why don’t you try taking off your jacket first, pal?” He asks, before pulling his gaze away, continuing to look over the scheduled stops.

Luigi leans his head against the headrest of his seat and sighs. He feels much too hot with his face mask. And all the layers he’s wearing aren't exactly helping ease his sudden claustrophobia, but they’re a necessary evil. He has to stay covered, stay hidden until he’s far enough away to not be recognized. He breathes a sigh of relief when the driver finally puts the map down, checking his mirrors one last time before switching his turn signal on.

The bus has only just started to pull away from the curb when someone yells out.

“Hey! Wait!”

Luigi rolls his eyes as the bus comes to a stop, the doors opening a moment later.

“Oh my god, thank you so much.” You sigh as you climb the steps.

“Need to store anything under the bus?” The driver asks, scanning your ticket before handing it back to you.

“Nope.” You shake your head, holding up a small duffle bag with a smile. “Traveling light.”

The bus driver nods, closing the door again and turning to look out his side mirror.

“Jus’ grab any open seat.” He instructs.

You scan the bus, weighing your options of who would be the best person to sit beside. Luigi had curiously looked up when the doors opened, wanting to see who got on; however his mistake was that he didn’t look away. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he ended up locking eyes with you, but he still found himself letting out a startled gasp. You smile kindly and Luigi immediately looks away, fidgeting with his sleeves.

Fuck, he thinks to himself. So much for trying not to draw attention to himself.

You maneuver your way down the narrow passage, murmuring “‘scuse me” and “sorry” to the already settled passengers with a sheepish grin. Finally, you come to a stop beside a young man sitting on the aisle seat with the hood of his jacket up- covering his head.

“Excuse me,” You call softly. “Is it alright if I sit with you?”

Luigi’s fidgeting stops at the sound of your voice. He quickly considers his options before eventually deciding it’d be best for him to keep his aisle seat. After all, if he were to sit by the window, he’d be putting himself at risk of being spotted by anyone that happens to pull up alongside the bus.

Wordlessly, Luigi stands from his seat, avoiding your gaze as he does. He sneaks a quick glance at you when he hears you gasp softly, worried that you’ve found him out already.

“You’re letting me have the window seat?” You ask excitedly, smiling brightly at him before shuffling into the aisle and plopping down into the cushy chair. “Thanks!”

Luigi clears his throat before awkwardly nodding his head as he sits back down. You turn your body to face him again and Luigi tenses.

“I’m Y/N by the way.” You say before looking at Luigi expectantly.

He continues to stare straight ahead, doing everything in his power to avoid your curious gaze. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees your shoulders slump and finds himself feeling guilty.

“Mark.” He finally grumbles.

“Mm?” You hum, perking your head up at the sound of his baritone voice.

“My name…” He clarifies, still looking straight ahead. “It’s Mark…”

“Mark…” You repeat before beaming at him. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Again, Luigi chooses to silently nod his head.

Taking the hint that he wasn’t in the mood to talk, you turn your head to look out the window, though you know there won’t be much of a view since it’s a little past eight o’clock in the evening.

You’ve only made it a few blocks away from the bus station when you call out to the driver.

“Excuse me, sir? Would it be possible to turn on the air please?” You ask, craning your head in an effort to be seen over the rows of seats in front of you.

“Sure thing, sweetheart.” The driver calls back, messing with the controls.

Immediately after, a cool breeze starts circulating the bus. You lean back in your seat with a content sigh.

“Oh, that’s much better.” You mumble to yourself, turning back to gaze out the window.

Luigi sneaks a glance at you, quickly taking in your delicate features before looking away. He leans back in his seat and crosses his arms. For the first time today, the weight on his chest feels lighter and he doesn’t feel as if he’s struggling to breathe. He doesn’t know if you’re the reason or if it’s due to the air conditioning finally being turned on. He doesn’t care to dwell on it.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The bus had only been on the road for a little over an hour when Luigi started shuffling around; moving this way and that in his seat and groaning in discomfort. The bus drives over a pothole and Luigi grunts, holding onto the seat in front of him to brace himself.

“Hey, are you okay?” You ask cautiously, not wanting to overstep.

“Fine.” He grumbles through clenched teeth.

The bus goes over another pothole and this time he takes a shaky breath.

“Okay, you’re obviously not fine.” You argue, setting your phone down. “What is it? Are you getting car sick?”

Luigi shakes his head. You notice how uncomfortable he looks, almost as if he’s in pain and a lightbulb goes off in your head.

“Do you need a pillow to sit on?” You ask softly.

He looks at you with complete confusion on his features- which aren’t much to go off considering he still has his face mask and hood on. But judging by the furrow of his brows, you can only assume.

“For your hemorrhoids.” You whisper with a nod.

Luigi’s so caught off guard by the whole thing that he can’t help but let out a shocked laugh.

“I don’t have hemorrhoids.” He tells you with a shake of his head.

“Oh.”

“I have- back pain.” He admits reluctantly.

“Oh?”

“Horrible back pain.” He continues. “It’s been going on for years.”

You frown sympathetically at the news before remembering something you haphazardly threw in your bag earlier when packing. You grab your duffle bag from the floor, undoing the zipper and blindly rummaging through it until you hear the distinct crinkle of plastic packaging. You pull out the package, hesitating for only a moment before holding it out to him.

“Do you want this?” You ask shyly, worried you’re overstepping.

“…What is it?” Luigi asks skeptically.

“Heat pack. It helps when I get cramps,” You shrug. “I thought maybe…”

Luigi eyes the package and reads the label.

Hot Hands. Stick-on Body Warmer. Up to 12 hours of heat.

“Yeah…” He nods slowly. “Yeah, I’ll take it. But only if you’re sure-“

“Back pain’s a bitch; go crazy.” You assure.

Luigi takes the package from you and starts opening it while you set your duffel bag back on the floor. He places the patch on his lower back and settles into his seat. Within seconds it starts heating up. Judging by the relieved sigh he lets out, you can only assume that it’s working.

“So where ya going?” You ask him curiously.

“Not sure yet.” He answers cryptically. “Right now I’m just tryna get out of New York.”

You nod your head. He isn’t sure if it’s in agreement or acknowledgment.

“You?” Luigi asks, looking at you from the corner of his eyes. He’s gathered by now that you’re a bit of a chatterbox. He figures it’d be best to give vague answers and redirect the attention to you rather than just sit silently. From what he’s seen, you’re more than happy to do most of the talking.

“Ideally, California. Realistically, as far as I can make it.” You tell him with a small grin.

“What’s in California?” He asks curiously.

“What isn’t in California?” You ask in return. “There’s beaches, amusement parks, museums.” You list before staring off dreamily. “And L.A. is always like a perfect 70 degrees.”

“Florida has beaches and amusement parks too.” Luigi comments casually. “And it’s a shorter trip. Why don’t you go there?”

“Do I look ninety to you?” You ask with an offended frown. “Aside from grandmas freshly retired, I don’t think anyone willingly moves to Florida.”

Luigi chuckles and nods his head in agreement.

“Fair enough. But why go all the way to California?” He asks. “I mean, I’m sure there are other states that are much closer and have the same attractions.”

“Well sure. But California is quite literally on the other side of the country. I’m trying to get as far away from New York as I possibly can.”

“Hawaii?” Luigi offers with a grin, fondly remembering his time there.

“Too far.” You immediately shake your head.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re running from something?” Luigi asks, eyeing you suspiciously.

“I could say the same thing about you.” You fire back, almost defensive with how fast you answer him. Beside you, Luigi tenses. “And everyone else on this bus.” You add. Meanwhile, he releases the breath he had been holding. “I mean, you gotta admit it’s kinda sus.”

“But on the other hand,” You continue, less talking to him and more thinking out loud at this point. “Boarding a cheap bus that’ll drive all through the night while you sleep? Grade A traveling if you ask me.”

“Excellent point.” Luigi nods, thoroughly amused with your rambling. “Touché.”

You smile victoriously at him before turning back around and looking out the window. After a few minutes, you sink lower into your seat, getting more comfortable. Sensing that you’re done bothering him with mindless questions, at least for now, Luigi tries to get some rest. He sits back in his seat and crosses his arms before shutting his eyes.

Luigi’s just on the brink of falling asleep when he feels a sudden weight land on his left shoulder. He’s immediately on alert, opening his eyes and whipping his head to the side. He relaxes when he sees that there’s no threat, it’s just you. He’s about to pull away when you let out the softest of snores.

Luigi watches you sleep for a moment, taking in the serene look on your face and the steady rise and fall of your chest. He smiles softly to himself before leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes once more, finally falling asleep himself.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The bus going over another pothole is what wakes Luigi a few hours later. He blinks his eyes slowly, trying to get his bearings. Sometime during his slumber his head dropped, coming to a rest atop yours. As soon as he realizes this, Luigi sits up, face burning in embarrassment.

Clearing his throat, Luigi looks down at you and notices that you’re still fast asleep with your head still resting on his shoulder. However now your arms are wrapped around his left one, hugging his appendage close to you, as if you’re worried he’d escape. He chuckles softly to himself, letting you sleep for a few more minutes.

Once the driver announces they’re a few minutes away from the station, Luigi decides to wake you. He shakes your shoulder gently and you stir slightly, frowning in annoyance before burying your face against his arm. Luigi rolls his eyes and huffs before shaking you a bit more firmly.

“Y/N.” He calls, continuing to shake you. “Come on. It’s time to wake up. We’ll be pulling into the station soon.”

Finally, you pick your head up, taking a deep breath and blinking sleepily as you look around.

“Mm?” You hum, trying to make out where you are.

You turn your gaze back to Luigi and smile sleepily at him. Before he knows what he’s doing, he finds himself smiling back.

“We’re almost at the station.” He repeats.

You nod your head, bringing a hand up to rub your eye. You see that your other arm is still wrapped around his and freeze, eyes widening before you quickly pull away.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” You exclaim, covering your mouth in horror.

“It’s fine.” Luigi shrugs. “As long as you were able to get some rest.”

Seeing that he isn’t upset, you slowly put your hands down.

“Wow… Sweet and handsome. I fear you may be just my type.” You comment playfully.

Luigi raises his brows as he looks at you, hoping his mask hides how his face has gone red.

“What makes you think I’m handsome?” He asks, readjusting his hood.

“Mainly personal preference.” You shrug nonchalantly. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for brown eyes.” You tell him, placing your hand under your chin and batting your eyelashes at him.

Luigi shakes his head, letting out an amused huff. Luckily for him, the bus station becomes visible and you drop the conversation, pulling your phone out as you try to figure out what your next step will be.

As soon as the bus parks, everyone gets off and goes their respective ways. Some go wait for a different bus, others have people waiting for them, a few go get something to eat.

You scan the bus station before spotting a sign that lets you know you’re at the Newark station in New Jersey. You let out a relieved smile upon realizing you successfully managed to make it out of New York and again, Luigi finds himself wondering what- or who- you’re running from.

“So where you going next?” You ask, looking up at Luigi curiously.

“I’m not sure yet.” He comments. He has a few different options. Columbus, D.C., Richmond. “You?”

“Pennsylvania.” You tell him with a firm nod. “Think I’ll be able to catch a flight to L.A. from Altoona.”

“Altoona?” He repeats with furrowed brows. “Wouldn’t Pittsburgh be cheaper?”

“Yes.” You nod. “It would be. $139 cheaper to be exact. But Altoona is a smaller airport. Less people.”

“What are you running from?” Luigi asks again, words coming out before he can stop himself.

The playful smile you had disappears and Luigi mentally scolds himself for being the reason. You look over your shoulder at the information desk before turning back to Luigi, your smile more reserved.

“I should go…” You say solemnly, pointing over your shoulder. “Get my ticket before they get busier…”

Luigi looks over your shoulder and notices the line of people before nodding his head.

“Yeah… That’s a good idea…” He agrees, fidgeting with sleeves again.

“Bye Mark.” You smile, taking a small step away from him. “I hope you make it to wherever you’re going.”

“Yeah. You too.” Luigi nods.

He watches you take a few steps before calling out to you.

“Luigi.”

“Huh?” You ask, looking over your shoulder at him with a confused frown.

“Call me Luigi.” He says, taking in a shaky breath as you continue to stare at him.

“You gave me a fake name.” You realize, narrowing your eyes at him.

Luigi rubs the back of his neck awkwardly at having been called out.

“Ahh…” He stutters.

“Well now I’m not gonna use it.” You say matter-of-factly as you turn back around.

“What?” He asks with a shocked laugh.

“Bye Mark!” You call, walking away before looking over your shoulder one final time and smiling at him.

Luigi shakes his head before scanning the station, eyes zeroing in on the bathrooms and suddenly remembering how badly he has to pee.

He doesn’t see you in line when he exits the bathroom a short moment later and assumes you went to wait inside. Pulling out his phone, he sees there’s a pub and grill on the other side of the station, about a block away, and decides to head there to get some food before figuring out his next step.

When he gets to the pub, Luigi gets an order of sliders and a bottle of water to go, putting them into his backpack before heading back to the station. He’s just about to sit at one of the tables to eat when he sees you exit the building and look at your phone before turning right.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Luigi continues to watch you. You take a few steps forward before looking back down at your phone. He assumes you’re following directions but to where? You cautiously scan your surroundings before hurrying across the street. Luigi hesitates for only a moment before following after you, shaking his head at himself. Where are you going at 11 o’clock at night in a city you don’t even know? And why does he care?

You reach the intersection and run across the street when you don’t see any cars. After safely crossing the road, you pull your phone back out, checking the map once more before continuing your walk. Apparently there’s a seafood restaurant around the corner that should still be open. You aren’t the biggest fan of seafood but you’re hoping they’ll at least have some chicken tenders. Getting excited at the mere thought, you pick up the pace, hurrying around the corner only to let out a startled scream when you see a man standing there.

“Oh shit, sorry!” You apologize to the man. “You scared me.” You admit with a laugh.

“That’s alright, beautiful.” The man assures, looking you over.

“Um. Okay…bye.” You say with a nod before walking past him.

You hear him start to follow after you and don’t think anything of it at first.

“Hey, hold up. Where you going?” He asks.

You turn around, and when you see that he’s talking to you, your eyes widen. You turn back around and start walking a bit faster.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” He calls.

“I’m just looking for something.” You call over your shoulder at him.

“Me too.” He says. “And I think I just found it.”

“Uhm.” You stammer, turning to face him. “I was looking for a restaurant but I think it’s closed so I’m actually just gonna go-“

“Hey, hold on.” He says, grabbing your wrist before you can walk past him. “What’s the rush?”

“Hm? Oh! There’s- there’s no rush.” You shake your head with a nervous smile. “I just- I should be getting back. I-“

“Why’re you being like this? You’re hurting my feelings.” You try to pull your wrist free and his hold gets tighter. “I’m just tryna have a friendly conversation.”

“Well, I-“

“Let her go.” Someone else calls.

You and the man both turn around at the new voice. Your shoulders drop in relief when you see Luigi standing a few feet away.

“Who’re you?” The man asks with a frown.

“Doesn’t matter.” Luigi says calmly. “Let her go.”

“Look man, we’re in the middle of a con-“

“Conversation’s over.” Luigi cuts him off, staring pointedly at the hold he still has on your wrist. “Get your hand off of her before I break it.”

The man immediately lets go of your wrist, putting his hands up as he takes a step back.

“Whatever.” The man scoffs, starting to walk away. “This bitch ain’t worth it anyway.”

Luigi takes a step forward, prepared to go after him only for you to come to a stop right in front of him, blocking his way.

“Can we go back?” You ask, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Luigi stares at the man, still considering going after him only for you to get his attention again when you call his name. Well, his fake name.

“Mark?” You say, smiling softly when Luigi looks back at you with an offended frown.

“Yeah.” He finally sighs, looking you over, making sure you’re okay before nodding. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Luigi turns around and starts making his way towards the bus station, looking over his shoulder occasionally to make sure you’re still following him. After the third time, you fall into step beside him and grab onto his jacket sleeve. Luigi looks over his shoulder at you and you look up at him with a shy smile, silently asking if it’s okay. He doesn’t say anything about it, but he does let you keep holding onto him. He waits until you’re safely back at the station before scolding you.

“The hell were you thinking?” He asks, the moment you reach a table.

“What do you mean?” You ask, taking a seat and setting your bag down next to you.

Luigi mumbles to himself in Italian before letting out an exasperated sigh.

“Dolcezza, you are a beautiful, unaccompanied woman in a strange city, at night.” He lists. “You should know better than going off on your own.”

“You think I’m beautiful?” You ask.

Luigi takes such a deep breath that you think he’s gonna inhale his face mask.

“I don’t think you thought this through.” Luigi comments.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s not too late. You can still turn around and go back.”

“What the hell? I’m not going back to New York because of one minor hiccup.” You scoff.

“Minor hiccup?” Luigi repeats. “You’ve been here for all of thirty minutes and you already had a run in with a scary man-“

“News flash, asshole. There are scary men everywhere.” You tell him harshly. “Why do you think I left?”

Luigi freezes at the news. So he was right. You are running from someone.

“You don’t have to skip town because of him.” Luigi offers. “You can go to the-“

“The cops?” You cut him off. “Yeah. Lot of good that does. All I got was a piece of paper saying he can’t come within 100 yards of me which does jack shit, by the way, considering the fact that he was still stalking me at all hours of the day.”

Luigi doesn’t have anything to say to that. And you don’t blame him.

“I was going to a restaurant, okay?” You tell him. “It was right around the corner, I thought I’d be fine. Obviously I didn’t know I was gonna run into anyone on my way there… I was just hungry…”

Luigi runs a hand down his face and lets out a sigh. He feels like such a dick right now. Grumbling to himself, he takes off his backpack and undoes the zipper, reaching in and placing the bag of sliders on the table. You look from the bag to Luigi in confusion, only for him to set his bottle of water down as well.

“Eat.” He orders, zipping his backpack up.

“… What about you?” You ask softly.

“I’m going to take a walk.” He sighs.

Luigi ends up buying himself some snacks from the vending machine before returning to the table.

“I thought I told you to eat.” He comments, frowning when he sees there’s still two sliders on the table.

“I did.” You nod. “These are yours.”

As soon as he sits down, you slide the food towards him with a grin. Luigi looks between the sliders and you before nodding his head.

“Thanks.” He says, reaching for a slider and unwrapping one.

“I should be the one thanking you.” You murmur sheepishly.

“Don’t.” Luigi cuts you off. “I’m no hero.”

Luigi pushes his hood back and takes off his mask and you finally get to see his face. You take in all his features; his thick brows and hypnotizing brown eyes, his plump lips, and strong jawline.

“What?” Luigi asks, crumpling the wrapper into a ball and reaching for the last slider.

“I was right.” You sigh dreamily, resting your head on your hand as you smile at him. “You are handsome.”

Luigi huffs in amusement, though you don’t miss the pink dusting his cheeks.

“What’s dolcezza?” You ask curiously.

“It’s Italian.”

“You know italian?”

Luigi nods his head.

“Cool. What does it mean?” You continue to pry.

Luigi stares at you for a moment before finally telling you.

“Headache.” He says, taking another bite.

Your shoulders slump and Luigi snickers.

“Does it really?” You ask after a moment, narrowing your eyes at him.

“Mm-hmm.” He nods. “Headache. Nuisance. A pain.”

“I don’t believe you.” You tell him, pulling out your phone. “I’m gonna look it up. How do you spell it?”

“Mm-mm.” He shrugs.

“You just said you know Italian! All of a sudden you don’t know?”

Luigi smiles smugly at you and you narrow your eyes at him.

“That’s it. Give it back.” You order, reaching for what’s left of his slider. “You don’t deserve it.”

“You gave it to me.” Luigi argues, leaning back in his seat so that you don’t reach him.

“You gave it to me first!”

Luigi shoves the last bite into his mouth and grins at you.

“You’re horrible.” You tell him simply before checking your phone for the time.

“Well, I’d say this has been fun, but it hasn’t.” You tease, standing up and grabbing your bag.

“Be careful.” Luigi warns, watching as you gather your belongings.

“Bye Mark.” You reply teasingly, turning around and making your way towards the next bus you’ll be riding.

After getting your ticket scanned, you board the bus, settling into a window seat and placing your duffle bag on the ground. You still have at least fifteen minutes before it's scheduled to depart, so you pull out your phone and start playing a game to pass the time.

Slowly, more and more people start to board, though you don’t pay them any mind. The driver is just about to close the door when one final person steps on.

“Cutting it pretty close, pal.” He complains before finally closing the door.

The man doesn’t say anything, just gets his ticket scanned and starts making his way down the rows of seats. You only look up when someone sits next to you. You gasp when you look to your right and see Luigi settling into the seat beside you.

“This seat taken?” He asks, knowing very well that it isn’t.

“What are you doing here?” You ask excitedly. “I thought you didn’t know where you were going next?”

“Yeah, I thought so too.” Luigi shrugs bashfully, face mask and hood back on. “But I think I just figured it out.”

Luigi’s graced with your beaming smile as you tell him how excited you are that you’re spending the next couple of hours together. He wordlessly nods along but the truth is, he’s just as excited.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

You and Luigi spent the last couple hours talking. Well, you did most of the talking, Luigi mainly listened. He learned that you studied business in college but got burnt out after a few years. Now, you’re content working odd jobs. You’ve worked at a pizza parlor, a library, and a boutique. You’ve been an assistant for event coordinators, a receptionist for an attorney’s office and a mail processing clerk. He learned that you’ve been no contact with your family for years and that you never got a drivers license because living in New York, you didn’t really need one. However now you’re worried you’ll look silly going to driving school at twenty six.

You managed to get some information out of Luigi as well, with a lot of poking and prodding. You learned that aside from being handsome and sweet, he’s also ridiculously smart, having graduated from an Ivy League school. You learned that he’s from Maryland and his family still lives there though he hasn’t spoken to them for a few months. He didn’t say why and you didn’t ask. You learned that he’s Italian and he does speak it and he does know what dolcezza means, however he still won’t tell you. Much to your annoyance.

Now here you are, at the Harrison bus station at five o’clock in the morning with a man you’ve known for eight hours, but can’t see yourself traveling without. You don’t know when you’ll have to go your separate ways, but you’re already getting attached to him, so you suppose you should start preparing yourself for your eventual goodbye now.

“Do you need another hot pack?” You ask Luigi as you both wait for the bus driver to come back.

“No, it’s okay. This one is still working.” He shakes his head.

“What is it? Like sciatica?” You ask curiously.

“Spondylolisthesis actually.”

“Sponda-what?” You ask.

“Spondylolisthesis.” He repeats. “It’s a spine condition. Happens when a fracture causes your vertebrae to slip out of alignment.”

“Oh my god.” You exclaim, absolutely horrified. “That sounds painful.”

“It is.” Luigi nods.

“Sorry about your back pain.” You frown sympathetically. “I’d recommend getting it looked at but you know, health insurance here is a fucking con. That’s one scam I can’t afford.”

Luigi whips his head up to look at you.

“Huh?” He asks, because surely he didn’t hear you right.

“I mean, think about it! You pay your premium every single month, even if you don’t see a doctor that month. When you do see your doctor, you have to pay a copay for the visit. And then on top of the premium and the copay, you still get billed afterwards! It’s bullshit! Not to mention all that money they get out of you only to end up denying your medication or your procedures.” You continue to rant. “I’m not gonna pay some company to make me look like an idiot. There are plenty of guys in my DM’s willing to do that for free.”

“I take it you don’t have health insurance?” He asks.

“In this economy? I think the fuck not.” You shake your head.

“So what do you do when you’re sick?” Luigi asks curiously.

“Pray.” You say simply before bursting out laughing. Luigi shakes his head, letting out an amused chuckle before clearing his throat.

“So what do you think about that CEO that-“

“Got murked?” You cut him off before waving your hand. “Man, fuck that guy.”

Luigi just sits there, silently staring at you, and you rush to finish proving your point.

“Okay, yes, murder is bad. We know that. Whatever. But you have to stop and ask yourself, how many people has he killed by denying them their medications? Or their treatment? The only difference between him and the shooter is that he does it without getting his hands dirty because he’s sitting behind a desk.”

Luigi can’t explain the warmth he feels in chest, seeing someone, seeing you be as educated and passionate as he is about everything. He’s starting to see that maybe you’re more alike than he thought. He’s finally starting to accept that maybe, you boarding his bus at the last minute wasn’t luck, but fate.

“You’re on his side, then? The shooter…” Luigi asks, wanting to be sure, needing to hear it bluntly from you.

“Oh, hell yeah.” You nod.

“But…they’re calling him dangerous on the news… A monster…” Luigi trails off.

“The news?” You ask with a roll of your eyes. “Please. Mainstream media is the worst place to get your information. They’ll spin the story whichever way they want so long as it continues to benefit the 1%.”

“Is he a murderer? Sure! Maybe. Who the fuck knows for certain.” You shrug. “But a monster?” You scoff. “He’s a human being. Just like you and me. At the end of the day, whether you’re a hero or a villain all depends on whether or not the government benefits from it.”

Luigi stares at you in complete awe.

“What?” You ask, shyly meeting his gaze.

“No. Nothing.” He shakes his head. “It’s just…you’re really something, aren’t you?”

“Shut up.” You mumble, looking away and gasping when you see the driver walking towards the bus.

“Look! The bus driver’s back! Let’s go!”

You stand from your seat and bound towards the bus while Luigi watches you with a fond smile. You turn around and frown when you see that Luigi isn’t with you. Once you spot him, you wave your hand, urging him to hurry. He stands and grabs his backpack, putting his hood and face mask back on before following after you.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

When you and Luigi arrived in Altoona, more than anything you wanted to walk around and stretch your legs after spending so much time sitting. So that’s exactly what you did. You walked for about an hour before sitting down on a secluded bench in a park.

“Still don’t know where you’re going?” You ask Luigi.

“No, not really.” He shakes his head. “Why?”

You shrug your shoulders and look away but Luigi is having none of that. He gently grabs your chin with his thumb and forefinger, bringing your gaze back onto him.

“You’ve been running your mouth nonstop since the moment I met you. You choose now to go quiet?” He teases, frowning the tiniest bit when you don’t laugh along with him. “What’s wrong, dolcezza?”

“I still don’t know what that means.” You whine.

“Talk to me and maybe I’ll tell you.” Luigi offers.

“I just… I don’t know. I was thinking…” You start rambling nervously. “I don’t fuck with my family and you haven’t talk to yours in a while. And we both left New York and how funny that we met when we did and we happen to get along so well, right?”

“Right…” Luigi nods.

“And okay, so I don’t really have a plan. Just a vague, loose idea of one. But I was thinking, well, more like wondering, but I didn’t really know how to bring it up in conversation. And even now, I still don’t think this is the best way to go about it but-“

“Dolcezza, please.” He sighs, begging you to just get to the point already.

“Why don’t you come to L.A. with me?” You blurt out.

Luigi’s head reels back at the question. He isn’t sure what he was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn’t that.

“Or I go with you… to… wherever you’re going next.” You offer. “But let’s stay together.”

“I just- I really like you.” You mumble shyly.

“I like you too.” Luigi admits with a smile.

“You do?”

“What’s not to like?” He asks, with a fond smile. “You’re beautiful, funny, smart.” He lists before cupping your cheek with his hand. “You’re everything, sweetheart.”

You get a boost of confidence at his confession, leaning forward and placing your lips upon his in a soft, gentle kiss. Luigi responds immediately, head tilting to the side as his mouth continues to move against yours. Luigi nips at your lower lip and you let out a gasp, causing him to chuckle. You hit his shoulder playfully as he presses a final firm kiss to your lips, pulling back and gazing at you with an awestruck smile.

“Yeah.” He finally breathes, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear for you. “Let’s stay together.”

You smile excitedly at Luigi, pressing another chaste kiss to his lips before standing up, pulling him with you.

“Great! So what’s next? Where do you wanna go?” You ask, right as your stomach grumbles.

“I feel like maybe we should eat first.” Luigi teases, chuckling at your sheepish smile. “Come on, I think I saw a McDonald’s a few blocks away.”

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

You’ve just gotten your food when it all comes crashing down. You run to the bathroom, and a moment later two older gentlemen walk in. One of them makes a passing comment to his friend about how Luigi looks like the CEO shooter as they make their way to the register. Luigi doesn’t visibly react, though from the corner of his eye he catches the cashier continuously glancing at him.

Luigi lets out a long, tired sigh as he comes to the realization that this is it. The cashier disappears and he just knows she’s calling the FBI, telling them a murderer is in her establishment. He doesn’t regret any of his actions, not in New York and definitely not when he decided to follow you. The only thing he does regret is letting himself think that he’d have more time with you. Because now reality is sinking in that while the last twelve hours have been momentary bliss, any minute now it’ll all be ripped away from him- you’ll be ripped away from him.

Luigi quickly unzips his backpack, opening the side panel that held his cash. He takes the money out before folding it up and tucking it into your duffel bag. He then grabs your McMuffin, sliding it towards himself, making it seem like he’s the only one sitting here. You come back a minute later, sliding into your seat in the booth across from him with a smile.

“I’m back.” You announce with a grin.

“I need you to do something for me.” Luigi states urgently.

The cold tone of voice causes you to look up at him in concern.

“What?”

Under the table, he slides your duffle bag to you.

“I need you to walk out of here, and not look back.” He starts.

“What?” You repeat with a confused frown.

“Keep your head down and get out of here. As far as you can.” Luigi urges. “Get on another bus, hop on a train, buy yourself a ticket to L.A. like you wanted. I don’t care but you have to go.”

“Luigi, what the hell are you talking about? I-I thought we were sticking together… what’s going on?” You question.

“I’m not who you think I am.” Luigi admits, looking away with shame.

“I don’t think you’re anyone.” You shake your head with a laugh. “I…I just think you’re you… and I like you.”

“You can’t.” Luigi stresses.

“Lu, seriously, you’re scaring me.” You tell him. “What’s going on?”

“Dolcezza, please” He begs, quickly looking out the window and checking for cop cars. “Please. You have to get out of here. You have to go.”

“But…what about you?” You ask softly, eyes starting to water at the thought of leaving him behind, especially so suddenly.

Luigi smiles, desperately wanting to reassure you, though you don’t miss that his eyes are welling up too.

“I’ll be right behind you.” He nods with a sniffle.

With your bottom lip quivering, you nod; grabbing your duffle bag from under the table and standing up. You blink and the tears you were holding back start to fall. Not wanting Luigi to see you cry, not wanting to make this harder for either of you, you quickly turn away, sniffling as you make your way towards the side door.

Once you’re outside, you put the strap of your duffle bag on your shoulder and walk across the street. Before the McDonald’s completely disappears from your line of sight, you turn around and see a swarm of cop cars in the parking lot.

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“-CEO was shot early Wednesday morning outside the New York Hilton-“

Click.

“Officers then asked him for identification, and Mangione handed them a New Jersey driver's license bearing the name of a 26-year-old named Mark Rosario. Now that is the same name from a fake New Jersey ID used by a man to check into a Manhattan hostel more than a week before Thompson's killing.”

Click.

“-taken into custody at 9:14 a.m. for gun and forgery charges-“

“Man, this guy is everywhere.” Your coworker Jenny says, changing the tv to yet another channel reporting on Luigi.

“-interestingly though, during the hearing Mangione made an odd request.”

“That’s right, Diane.” The co-anchor says. “The judge allowed Mr. Mangione to receive phone calls from his family, but he didn’t want it; asking instead to send a message. Take a look.”

“Luigi,” His attorney warns. “I strongly advise against-“

“Two sentences.” Luigi barters, ignoring his attorney and looking straight at the judge. “That’s all I ask. Please.”

The judge looks towards his attorney who shrugs his shoulders, clearly just as clueless as she is.

“You can bring the message forward.” The judge tells his attorney. “I’ll decide if it’s safe to share or not.”

Luigi immediately scribbles something down on a notepad, before ripping a scrap of paper off and handing it to his attorney. The attorney reads what’s written and gives Luigi a look before approaching the bench and handing the paper to the judge.

“I wish we had more time together.” The judge reads aloud. “I’m sorry.”

“Thomas Dickey, Mangione’s attorney answered a few questions from the press; here’s what he had to say.”

“Mr. Dickey, what do you think about the note?”

“What can I say? He’s a real Casanova.” He shrugs.

“Mr. Dickey. That message has since gone viral online with many people wondering who he’s talking to. Any idea?”

“What is this a slumber party?” He asks with a chuckle. “A true gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.” He says, causing the media to laugh. “I don’t know. Didn’t even know there was someone until he handed me the note. I’m just as in the dark as you are.”

“Hey, it’s pretty slow right now, do you wanna go take your break?” Jenny asks.

“Yeah,” You nod, giving her a small grin. “Sure.”

“Okay. See you in fifteen. Enjoy your break.”

You grab a pastry and a hot chocolate before heading to the break room.

You did what Luigi asked, booking yourself a plane ticket to L.A. When you got off the plane, all everyone was talking about was the CEO shooter being caught. You were shocked when you found out it was Luigi but not at all surprised to see the outpouring of support he was getting online.

The money he slipped into your bag helped you get by until you were able to get your bearings in Los Angeles. It paid for your hotel, your food, your clothes. Eventually you were able to find an affordable apartment for rent and managed to get a job at a cafe a few days later.

Through it all, you kept your head down and kept yourself busy, staying away from television and social media, if only because you weren’t strong enough to see Luigi everywhere you looked. Sitting in the break room, you open TikTok for the first time in days.

“Just when I thought he couldn’t be more perfect.” One user gushes in a video.

You swipe up, seeing what the next video is.

“So apparently this guy is the total package.” Another user says, this one a man himself. “Smart, rich, ridiculously good looking, and romantic? Oh man. I feel like I should just gift wrap my wife and hand her over at this point.” He jokes with a laugh. “I mean, he is on a whole other level.”

You chuckle before swiping up again.

Immediately the woman on your screen starts screaming.

“Bro.” She gushes. “I wish we had more time together? I’m sorry?? Hello?? I’m ughhhhh.” She groans, throwing herself onto her bed. “You can see it in his eyes. He really meant that. Whoever she is, you just know that she means so much to him. And the fact that he probably just got ripped away from her. I’m-“ she brings a pillow up to her face and lets out a blood curdling scream.

You swipe up again.

This video is different. It’s a clip of Luigi looking over his shoulder during the hearing. He looks right at the camera and it’s almost as if he’s staring right at you. The sound on the video is a loop of the judge reading his note out loud. You spend the rest of your break watching that video.

Luigi looks over his shoulder and stares at the camera.

“I wish we had more time together. I’m sorry.”

Luigi looks over his shoulder and stares at the camera.

“I wish we had more time together. I’m sorry.”

Luigi looks over his shoulder and stares at the camera.

“I wish we had more time together. I’m sorry.”

When your timer goes off, you download the video, saving it to your camera roll before heading back out.

“I wish we had more time together, too.” You sigh to yourself, grabbing a cloth to wipe down the counter.

This whole thread has killed me

Getting nostalgic for junior year of high school, because I just remembered me and a bunch of other girls (like 11 of us) had a Snapchat group chat where we posted this photo of Legolas once

and were trying to figure out why it was the most attractive shot of him in the whole series. Literally, we were a bunch of scholars standing around this piece of artwork deciphering it

In the end we discovered it’s the only scene where he doesn’t have a collar on his tunic. We and our little teenage hormones were going batshit because we could see a little bit more of his neck. Like old fashioned men wooing at ladies ankles

High school was a different time man