Part two has finally arrived! Will you ever find out why you’d lost contact with one of your dearest friends?
Missed part one?
WC: 1396
It’s as though the past few years of silence had simply been a pause in the busy narrative between Joel and yourself. Conversation flowed freely, and you struggled to slow down the bubble of words tumbling from your lips. Joel is no different, his eyes twinkling just the same as they had years before. You can’t help but watch the large sweeps and motions his hands enact as he recounts his stories, eyebrows expressing every emotion in a second. Engrossed, you continue to shovel fries into your agape mouth, only stopping to laugh in astonishment and interject with questions. Oh, how you’d missed this man.
“You should see they shit they get away with now”, explains Joel around a bite of his burger, stopping to swallow before rushing forward with the tale, “That new guy is a bad influence”. You chuckle, sipping your drink as you watch him fondly. “Smoke grenades in the streaming room!” he throws his hands to mimic and explosion, “and Gus doesn’t give a shit!”
“He’s probably just given up caring” you point out around a mouth full of fry as Joel nods furiously in agreement. “I’m surprised he’s made it this far” Joel motions with his hands, “I’m already ripping my hair out”; his fists move to his temples and he jokes, flashing you his teeth in a smile. “But that Jeremy one” he shakes his head, a smirk on his lips “he’s been bad news ever since he had Ray killed” he narrows his eyes comically, resting his elbow on the table and wagging a finger in your direction. Choking, you can’t help but giggle, jabbing the fries you’re pinching between your fingers at him “Oh, do I have good news for you, my dear friend” you settle your face, trying to remain serious; “Ray’s not dead”. His eyes widen as if this information is out of the blue, as if a great mystery had just been solved. “Y/N,” he breathes, leaning across the table to you, stealing your fries with a quick bite; smiling cheekily “do you have insider information here?”
“Maybe,”
“Don’t play my heart like this.”
Rolling your eyes you snatch at his plate, swiping the remnants of his burger and nibbling it thoughtfully, Joel’s face an expression of mock betrayal as he slams his back into the booth, clutching his chest. “You realise I talk to both Ray and Jeremy, right?” He sits up properly now, stunned into silence, hurt flicking across his face momentarily and clinging to his eyebrows. “Wait, seriously?”
“yeah” you reply between munches, tossing a fry in his direction “I talk to all the Achievement Hunters, they came to my last show”.
“you’re kidding”
“Nah, Ray stays with me at least one weekend every month.” The hurt is undeniably present now, his eyes betraying him as you realise the gravity of your words; “you kept in contact with a bunch of crazy people and a dead man, but not me?” Shaking your head, his comment stings and tugs at your heart. “I did try to keep in contact with you” you point out, slowly finishing your cold fries, “but you never responded”.
His eyes widen, looking at you with a confused expression before realisation creeps onto his face; “those emails...” he leans forward, fingers gripping the table, “were from you?” You nod and watch his head fall into his hands, letting out an exaggerated and extended groan. “I thought you were a sex bot” his admittance is muffled in his palms and you burst out into peals of laughter, your face warming. “Seriously?!” you demand between rounds of giggles, Joel joining in with you. “It makes so much more sense now” he concludes, “I didn’t think I’d subscribed to something like that.”
“You really didn’t know?”
“I’ve Never gotten an email from your personal address!”
You look at him in amusement, the flush delicate in his cheeks as he comes to terms with his actions. “You fucked up” you joke, smiling ruefully and patting his arm in what you hope is a comforting gesture. He snatches your fingers in his, holding them close to his chest as he leans over them. “I fucked up” his voice is higher, unable to comprehend the thoughts racing through his mind. “Besides”, you squeeze his hand as he lets go, retracting to pull out your phone; “They came to the showing without an invitation”. You unlock the device, quickly flipping through your album to settle on a video sent to you after the event; turning the screen to him. He presses play, watching as the men barrel into the entrance together, desperate to enter the invitation only event. The bouncers were overwhelmed under the yelling, Ray scampering on top of Gavin to throw himself over their heads, landing with a splat at your feet. You smile as you remember the shock so obviously on your face in the video, Ray looking up to you as Gavin squeals in the background. On his back, his face breaks into a beam “Sup?”
“Holy shit” Joel breathes as he passes back your phone, fingers lingering on yours and clearly entertained. “Yeah, black tie event and everything. I almost didn’t let them in” you laugh, sliding your phone away and smiling at the memory.
The sound of the diner door opening barely catches your attention as you continue to laugh with Joel until a large hand touches your shoulder lightly. Turning, you look up to a tall man, his eyes shining as bright as the warm glow radiating from his skin. He offers you a pleasant smile as he readjusts his glasses, hugging you tightly when you stand to greet him . “Matt!” you exclaim, pulling away to hug the man accompanying him, “how’ve you been?” He holds up his hands innocently, stepping back. “Oh, hell no, I’m not interrupting your date” he says warmly, “I was torn between two types of awkward because I didn’t know whether I should say hi or not and I thought that I could deal with this more than I could manage you being annoyed at me cus, shit dude, you’re scary.” You punch him playfully on the shoulder, motioning to the man sitting across from you; “This is Joel, an old friend”.
After some pleasant back and forth, Matt and his date quickly move off into a corner booth, leaving Joel and yourself alone. “You know everyone” he observes, watching the smile on your face fade into a delicate upturn of the lips. “Yeah, it’s a small town”.
“You were never this social” he comments, resting his chin in a hand as you offer him a shrug. “I tried to network once I got to the bay” you tell him, moving to pick up your bag as he collects his coat; “I needed interest for my art”. You wave to Matt and his date, watching as they smile through the blushing, stepping past Joel as he holds the door. “You finally got that gallery” he says quietly, amazement and pride saturating his words.
“Damn right, wanna see?”
You find yourself wandering past the water as you head towards your studio, balancing along the tall barricades with a hand resting on the top of Joel’s head for support. The moon glistens across your skin, dusting you both in its silver glow as the water whispers quietly to your right. “You know” you say to him, looking down. He spares you a quick glace, face utterly content as he grabs you by the waist, lifting you to the ground as the barricade runs out; “I’ve really missed you.” He holds on to you, looking into your eyes and lost in thought.
“I’m never gonna live the sex bot thing down, am I?” you let out a gentle laugh, resting your palms against his chest “Nah, especially cus I’ve already messaged Burnie about it”. He shakes you manically, gritting his teeth comically
“You talk to him too?!”
“I had to keep tabs on your sanity somehow.” He stops as you snake your hands up and around the back of his neck, watching his eyes glisten in the light.
“You’re a shit, you know that?” he asks, leaning his forehead against your own, peering at you through his lashes. Pulling yourself closer you smile before pressing your lips against his, melting into him; “God, I’ve missed you...”
An; Long time no see. I’ve just finished my ACT and my homework reduced, so I was finally able to finish this after a long time of not doing so. I hope you enjoyed this.
Prompt- “I’m not a prize to be won.”
AU-Soulmate, Royalty
Pairing- Ryan x Y/N x Mica
Word Count-2042
Warnings-Mentions of passing out, sickness, arguments, polyamory, some swears
Summary-A person has their soulmate’s initial written on their wrist; normally it’s only one. Y/N has two- Queen Mica, and King Ryan of two different kingdoms. One party brings all three of them together and the other two want to fight for Y/N’s love.
Soulmates were common in today's society, but what was truly uncommon was to have more than one. Ever since I was little I could remember the two little letters on my wrists, an M and a J on one of my wrists. My left had the M and my right had the J. They were small, black letters that were the handwriting of the person it held. When the two people came into contact with each other, often times it's a dull ache in your wrist that appeared while the tattoo glowed for a few seconds. It's been said to increase the pain if there's more than one person that's destined to be your soulmate, and there's even been someone who's had three soulmates that almost died from the pain when they met. Over time, it'll go from your wrist to your chest, creating a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Finding the M wasn't very hard considering I lived in Ellwood Kingdom. My parents were high in the nobility chain enough for me to meet the royal family. From there at the age of five, I met Princess Mica, who was my left hand's letter. She and I became inseparable through the years. We both watched each other grow up. I've had to protect her as the princess' partner and she protected me from any bullies.
I could remember during school that I'd get bullied because of my two soulmates. For one, I haven't found my R, which by the time we were teens, most people already did. Another is that I had two in the first place, which isn't common at all in our kingdom. I could recall the taunting that I'd received.
"Where's your other one, huh, Y/N?"
"Why should our princess be destined to be with such a slut?"
Tears would well in my eyes as I tried to ignore them. Mica, being Mica, tried her hardest to not have a breakdown and fight someone. After all, upholding the Burton name is just as important to her as keeping me from harm.
Later years, I'd watch as her parents stepped down from the throne, accepting that Mica was mature enough to lead the kingdom into prosperity like her parents did, with my help of course. Because of this, I rose up in the noble ranks into Princess of Ellwood, the first princess that was in a relationship with a Queen publicly. I guided Mica through the first successful year of establishing her monarchy.
Because of the prosperous year in the kingdom, Mica decided to throw a week-long celebration. Many commoners were given some form of a gift, provided by the profits we had. Small things like money, clothing, free land and others were given to the people who helped grow our kingdom. For the nobility, a ball is thrown on the last night. We were able to invite our allies' royalty to ensure our relationships will stay strong. Plus, it would be the first time we'd formally meet them all as the new heads of the kingdom.
Dressed in one of the most pretty dresses I've witnessed in my life, I walked down the hall towards Mica's bedroom. I swallowed before knocking my usual knocks, three sharp knocks then another after a pause.
A faint "Come in" can be heard through the door. I opened it to reveal an elegantly dressed Mica, fitted with her crown and my necklace that I gave to her during her coronation. The violet dress she adorned fit her nicely, and paired well with my turquoise one, the two colors of the Ellwood Kingdom.
I locked eyes with her, taking in her features as the warm feeling in my chest grew as I stepped closer. She smiled softly, letting her true personality start to come out.
She spoke first, "You look absolutely breathtaking."
I rolled my eyes, "You always say that."
Mica protested, "But you do!"
She pressed a soft kiss to my lips before adding, "You're so cute that I don't want everyone to see you."
I raised an eyebrow at her, and she pouted before stopping. I glanced at the clock, which read 8:55 PM. Sighing I motioned for the door.
"We should go greet our guests."
She pouted again but after a playful glare from me, she complied. Straightening her composure, she gave an aura of complete confidence, as if she knew that she can slay everyone around her. I knew that although she acted like this, she was a complete nerd behind closed doors.
Guests were welcomed by guards as we watched on the balcony. Mica and I made small talk about the guests, me mostly reminding her who was who in relation to us and to remind her about important events during the ball.
Towards the beginning of the next hour, I felt my right wrist tingle, almost as if my hand fell asleep. This hasn't happened since I met Mica, so I was off-put in my train of thought as I explained that the Hullums would be arriving tonight with their children and we need to set up a meeting with King Matt and Queen Anna to discuss our future trade with their kingdom.
One of our informants told us, "Your Majesty, the new king of Achievement City has arrived. He requested to personally greet the both of you once you're finished making your beginning speech."
Mica nodded her head, "That's fine, inform him that we'll do so once the party is in full swing."
I agreed before telling her that her speech should start within the next couple of minutes or so. She smiled thankfully at me and readied herself. Mica gave a nice welcome speech to all of the guests. I let my eyes scan the crowd in hopes of seeing this King Ryan. I've heard from some chamber maids that he was attractive, and he still hadn't found his soulmate yet.
Although I knew that he couldn't possibly be my soulmate due to his name being different from my initial on my hand, I was curious as to whether the rumors were true. They say that his eyes are as clear and blue as the ocean, and he had the most charming smile. His laugh and voice were deep, but it filled the room if the situation was right.
Mica eloquently ended and the crowd clapped for the host before the music started. We were led by our most trusted guard down the stairs to greet everyone personally. Mica was to my left like always and we had many eyes on us as we descended the stairs.
We greeted our most trusted allies, the Hullums. They were to the west of us, and therefore one of the people who have been a vital part of our economy.
Through the curt but welcoming conversations, as we walked our way through the crowd, I felt my wrist start to increase in the pain. Mica looked at me, concerned, as I blinked rapidly a few times as I tried to keep my vision clear. My head started to ache badly and I had a feeling like I was getting a little bit dizzy.
I locked eyes with her, and she raised an eyebrow as if to ask if I was okay. I put on a smile and nodded my head to the conversation. I knew she was skeptical but we were almost done with everyone.
The last person to be greeted was King Ryan, who was the person requesting Mica earlier. As we neared him, I felt like I had to ground myself with every step I took. My vision blurred when we were a couple feet away, making me blink rapidly.
King Ryan greeted Mica, "Queen Mica, it's wonderful to finally make your acquaintance in person."
Mica responded, "Yes, King Ryan. It is. I hope this party suits you. My workers will tailor to your every wish, just make sure to let one of my advisors know. They are dressed in turquoise, just like my head advisor, Y/N."
Mica gestured to me, and I politely bowed my head to King Ryan. I felt my body heat up as we locked eyes, and I could tell that I was blushing. He truly was handsome.
Ryan responded, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss. I'll be sure to tell you any problems I may have, but I'm sure it won't be needed."
I nodded my head and politely tried to get out of the conversation so I can lay down, "If you have anything, I'll be sure to correct any mistakes we have made. If you'll excuse me, I'll head to my room so I can lay down."
They nodded their heads, confusion and worry filling Mica's face. I touched her hand as I passed, trying to reassure her that I'm okay. As I passed the both of them, Ryan stepped closer to us and I accidentally brushed my hand against King Ryan's while I held Mica's briefly. The last thing I remembered was darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She can't move to your kingdom, King Ryan. She's my head advisor, and my girlfriend."
"Well she's my soulmate and my kingdom can't stand not having a queen."
"She's my soulmate too, dumbass."
The sound of arguments woke me up, the feeling of my headache was still dull, but I can function without much trouble. I blinked my eyes, letting my vision clear as I sat up.
Mica sighed, "Y/N is the only person I trust. Do you think I'm willing to give her up?"
Ryan thought, "Why don't we have a duel. I've heard that you're quite the swordsman, as am I."
Mica agreed, "I'd love to see you lose, Haywood."
They shook hands.
Mica told him, "Whoever wins, wins Y/N fair and square."
Ryan nodded his head before I pointed out, "I'm not a prize to be won."
The both of them whipped their heads towards me, surprise written on their faces. I stared at them, incredulous that they would even think about fighting over me.
Mica responded, "I know, but we can't agree on anything. It's our best option."
I questioned, "To be violent? To possibly kill someone?"
Ryan said, "Well, what do you think?"
I thought, "Well, If none of you wants to trade off when I see each of you, then how about we merge kingdoms? It would bring peace to our nations and our resources and economy will help each other."
Mica sighed, "I can't believe you'd be willing to be with our enemies."
I argued, "It's our best option, and their leader is my soulmate."
Mica walked closer to me, sitting on the edge of the bed to face me.
She whispered, "I can't bear to see you with him. It feels like you're going to leave me."
I smiled softly, "Does it look like I'm going to leave you? I want both of you to be happy."
She agreed after the small conversation, "I'll agree to the terms as long as you do, King Ryan."
Ryan nodded his head, "Of course, we can finish the discussion when Y/N has had enough rest to regain her health."
I watched as they left the room, leaving me alone to sleep and get better. It took a couple days before I didn't have any symptoms that I had before, and we were able to discuss the merging of our two kingdoms.
During that time, I fell in love with King Ryan even more. He was eloquent when he spoke and he held the perfect image of a king around others, but with me he became a total dork, throwing loving words my way and always tried to make me laugh. Mica, on the other hand, accepted that I now had two people that I loved and couldn't help but become friends with Ryan.
Soon, the two kingdoms emerged after celebrating. The coronation between the royalty was the last thing to do. Surprisingly, King Ryan and Queen Mica were not only the royalty, but I was as well, dubbed, Queen Y/N. There has never been more than a queen and king, but through my two soulmates, our names will forever be etched in history.
I’m slowly getting back into fic writing, and it’s like i’m reintroducing myself to everyone all over again. This piece I think is an embodiment of that, and I plan on continuing it every few days.
So sit back, have a cup of tea - or any warm beverage, i’m not gonna judge you - and enjoy.
SUMMARY: It’s been years, and as you’ve moved on and accepted new friends into your life; you’re greeting with an old familiar face
WC: 1471
Part 1
The room was bustling, roars of laughter erupting from small intimate booths and mingling conversations warmly playing to your ears. Leaning across the bar, you clasp your hands together, offering a friendly smile to the man across from you; of who returns it without a second thought. “Hey, Y/N, same as usual?” he asks out of habit, though you notice that he has already begun to pour your drink. Your smile widens as you let out a small laugh. “No point breaking tradition now” you joke, taking the drink from his hand and stealing a sip. “How’s life, Neil?” you inquire, settling into your seat and watching the man work, his movements smooth and graceful. You’d become close friend over the past year, and quickly fallen into the routine of meeting him for a drink before his shift would draw to a close. Your busy lives were a constant hurdle, and with such a small amount of free time; late night drinks became the only way to guarantee spending time with your best friend. He flicks his eyes to you as he swiftly wipes down the bar. “Same old, same old” he shrugs, running his free hand through his ashy curls. “I’m, err...” he looks sheepishly at you, before letting out a slight sigh “still having troubles with Val”, his sentence trails off and you can see his eyes sadden. You place your drink carefully on the bar in front of you, watching Neil closely. “As in, fighting troubles?” you ask gently, unsure of what to do with your hands. The man doesn’t reply immediately, rather ducking below the bar and scooping up two shot glasses, placing them in front of you. In the same motion, he grasps at a bottle of tequila; and you internally cringe.
“As in... I’m moving out troubles” he finishes lamely, sloshing the tequila into the glasses before pushing one towards you. “Oh man, I’m so sorry” you say, watching his eyes shine in the dim lights. He shrugs, removing his apron and passing it to the next shift worker in line, stepping away from the bar to move closer to you. Trying not to pull a face, you lift up your shot, holding it out to him. “To being single” you say sadly, clinking your glass against his before downing it; letting your insides burn.”That’s one” Neil jokes harshly, “ready for two?” bringing the bottle he’d left on the bar back to your now empty shot glass. This time, you can’t avoid the disgusted expression that works its way on to your face. “Oh god, please; if we’re gonna be doing this all night I’m going to need something nicer”. He smiles at you teasingly, a little more genuine, before topping up your glass. “Fine, last one” he says, filling up his own glass and passing the bottle back to the new bar attendant, “then I’m heading home”. You toast your glasses together, raising and eyebrow at him as he quickly tips his shot back with a shudder. “Well, heading to Robs” he corrects himself, his voice husky from the burning. You finish your drink with what little grace you can muster, before reaching for your coat.
“Let me walk you there” you offer, but he shakes his head.
“Nah, I just need time to think is all. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately.” He laughs a little, staring off behind you distractedly. “You’re a good friend, Y/N” he continues, returning his gaze to you, “which is why I’m gonna tell you the signal again.” You stare at him blankly.
“Wat?” you say shortly, confused. He holds his hand over the bar, looking at you, then tapping it once. “This signal”, he repeats he motion before explaining further. “Everyone who works here knows that signal to mean ‘holy fuck help me’ when it comes to bad dates or annoying patrons.” You laugh a little, but let him keep going. “There’s a man over there, looks like he’s been punched in both eyes cus of how tire he looks, that hasn’t stopped checking you out”. You mouth opens slightly, surprised.
“What a description” you joke, smiling widely, “you’re really selling it”. You throw your arms into the air in exaggeration “cus, like, dating is totally what’s on my mind right now.”
“Good” he says, ignoring your sarcasm and nodding as he picks up his coat and moves to leave “cus he’s about 10 seconds away from heading over to buy you a drink”. Before you can protest, Neil has already moved away and out the door, “I’ll be fine!” you hear him yell from outside; leaving you with nothing but his smirk and your utter confusion.
With a deep, aspirated sigh, you lean back against the bar, the new tender smiling sweetly at you as she continues to serve. Before you can move to leave to escape what you expect to be a soon awkward social interaction; you hear the stool next to you squeak across the wooden floor. “Hey” says the voice of the man now occupying the chair to your left, though you have yet to look up and greet his face. “This is gonna sound weird cus I was coming over here to tell you that you’ve got, like, rocking boots on and stuff but now I swear to god you look familiar and I have no idea why so I thought I’d come over here to try and figure it out and – oh my god.’ He stops suddenly, breaking the quick stream of his stumbling words when you turn to look at him, certain you recognised his voice. Your eyes settle on his face, and immediately you’re overwhelmed by the warms of his deep set eyes nestled in their dark circles, as well as the lines that cease his face and that shock of wild hair.
“Y/N?” asks Joel, incredulously; his eyebrows knitting together and mouth hanging open. Your face splits into an uncontrollable beam as he exclaims your name again, happily standing up with his arms open. “Oh my god, Joel!” you reply, bouncing into his arms and hugging him tightly, joining in his laughter. “Jesus Christ,” you manage, pulling away and touching his arm, staring up at him, “what the hell are you doing here?” He laughs again, running his hand through his hair, the look of surprise still clinging to his features. “I could ask you the same thing” he retorts, leaning against the bar. You look to the attendant, who is watching you both closely; and you offer her a smile before she returns it and turns away. “Last time I saw you, you’d abandoned ship to chase your dreams” says Joel, rubbing the back of his neck. You nod, pulling yourself back on to your stool so you were at eye level. “Yeah,” you reply, nodding “that was, what” – you pause to think – “five years ago now?”
“Oh god, way to make me feel my age” remarks Joel, and you laugh. “Five years...” he mutters, staring at you with an attentive, yet distant expression.
“Did you do it?” Joel’s eagerness makes you blush slightly, your cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink as you feel yourself proudly straighten in your seat. “You bet your ass I did” your words are met with exuberant cheering and suddenly he’s hugging you again, lifting you from your seat and into the air. “I knew it” he says fondly, ruffling your hair, “I knew you could do it”. He puts you down gently, looking a little abashed; “I have so much to catch up on”. Pushing him lightly on the shoulder, you return his smile, becoming aware that the pub’s noises are dwindling as the crowds begin to finish their drinks and stumble home. With the fire of tequila keeping you warm, you motion to the door. “Better get started then”, you pick up your coat and purse, slipping a $20 across the bar to the woman; who bids you a friendly goodbye. Joel follows suit, “thoughts?” he asks as you step into the cool air, the smell of rain tangible on the wind. “A bite to eat” you state, beckoning him to come with you, and he quickly falls into pace with your steps as though nothing had changed. “A bite?” he mocks sarcastically, smiling down at you and bumping into your side “What makes you think I haven’t already eaten?” You peer at him as you rock into his side “You, eating before midnight? Please” you scoff, leading him to the bright neon signs adorning the side of an old diner. “I know you Joel, whether you’ve eaten or not”, he pushes open the door by reaching over you, the smell of greasy fries and burgers filling your nose as you smile: “you always have room”.
WC: 889
SUMMARY: Baking is always fun, even more so when you're accompanied by your loving helper.
Searching the base, you find him speaking passionately to Church, of who is stood with his shoulders tense and a grimace twisting his face. Intervening quickly, you grab hold of Cabooses hand, offering a smile to your leader; of who returns a grateful wave; tugging your boyfriend towards the kitchen that you have previously prepared. “Okay, bye Church!” calls Caboose, stumbling behind you. “Where are we going?” he asks, pulling up and walking beside you, swinging your hands back and forth. “I have something for you” you reply teasingly, and he gasps happily.
“Is it a puppy?”
“Better than a puppy” you promise, tracing the top of his hand with your thumb. His eyes light up as you speak, the bright blue sparkling like clear ocean waters.“Bunk beds?” he suggests, but you shake your head, and he pouts, deep in thought. “Is it... you?” he asks with a grin, and you laugh, bumping into him affectionately. “You already have me, and I’m not as good as a puppy.”
“You’re right, you’re better.”
Pulling into the kitchen, you watch as he bounces in delight, excited. “Oh my goodness, Y/N, this is the best thing ever!” tugging you into a bone crushing hug. You laugh, feeling the strain in your limbs as he spins with you, burying his face into the side of your neck, before quickly planting a kiss on your lips. Letting you down, you stumble unsteadily, letting him support you as you regain your balance. Moving around him, he watches you make your way to stand ready at the counter, ingredients littering the top. Leaning against it, you raise an eyebrow at him, motioning with a hand. “Well, are we making cookies, or not?”
You trace your index finger down the page of the cook book, swaying gently as Caboose wraps his arms around your middle, peering over your shoulder, littering your neck and cheek with light and delicate kisses. “Say’s here that we need two eggs...” you tilt your head up, kissing the corner of his mouth as he glances around for the egg carton. Finding it, he doesn’t let you go, rather lifting you in his arms gently, carrying you and placing you in front of him, returning to his hugging. You giggle, despite yourself, the happiness Caboose can experience just from the simplest of things making you feel child like again.
Cracking the eggs into the bowl, you motion to the book, asking him what the next step is, after the addition of vanilla essence. “Err...” he quickly scans the page, looking slightly disappointed. “it says ‘then add a pinch of love and kisses... to your cookie buddy.” You beam as you laugh, your cheeks burning. “Oh does it now?” you question, but he nods, certain of himself.
“Yes, yes it does. There’s no need to check, it definitely says kisses and love.” You reach up on your tiptoes, running your fingers though his hair as he smiles warmly at you, his eyes soft and intent to your own.
“I was always taught to follow a recipe” you joke, wrapping your arms around his neck and pressing your lips to his, feeling him smile. Pulling him against you gently, you relax into his embrace, feeling no rush or obligation; just Caboose and you. “Y/N” he whispers to you, pressing his lips to your forehead as your eyes remain closed, and his hand against your cheek. “The cookies” he prompts and you let out a laugh, detaching yourself regretfully, turning back to the mix, now fully complete. “Just gotta shape them, and they’ll be good to cook and decorate”
“Mine’s not working” pouts Caboose, wrestling with his piping bag. Rolling your eyes, you take his hands, tilting them to a more appropriate angle, squeezing to allow a small amount of pressure. “Here” you say, directing him, piping a small amount of pink icing onto a cookie, forming a peak. “See?” he nods, looking pleased with him, returning happily to his decorating. Moving back to your own, you study it, unsure as to whether or not it would be worth it to create a pattern; seeing as you know they will not last long. At some point during your artistic thought, you notice Caboose watching you, and you smile up at him.
“Are you having trouble?” he asks, curious, and you sheepishly nod, glancing at the spirals that now adorn his cookies. “Can I help?” he offers, mirroring your stance when you had directed him, his hands covering yours as he stands close behind you. Resting his chin on your shoulder, he squeezes, moving your hands; pink spilling through the nozzle. As you watch, you feel your cheeks heat as a heart forms before taking the bag from him, tossing I onto the bench and pulling him into your arms; kissing him.
