Savvy Scribbles

DC / DCU

Clark Kent/Superman (Superman 2025) x Reader

Drabbles

Smile (☀️)

Tech Savvy (☀️)

Trick or Treat (🎉☀️)

Short Stories

Beauty (❤️🩹)

Diamond Dog (🎉❤️)

The Way to a (Super)Man's Heart (☀️💥❤️)

Jimmy Olsen (Superman 2025) x Reader

Drabbles

An Early Christmas Gift (🎉❤️)

Happy 4 You (❤️🩹)

Work Calls (❤️)

Heartstopper

Nick Nelson x Charlie Spring

Short Stories

Picture Perfect (🌎☀️❤️)

The Long Walk (2025)

Ray Garraty x Jan

COMING SOON

Ray Garraty x OC

COMING SOON

Ray Garraty x Reader

Short Stories

Book Lover (❤️)

"Greater Than Gatsby" (☀️🎶)

Public Displays of Affection (🌎❤️)

Work of Art (☀️)

Marvel / MCU

Johnny Storm (The Fantastic Four: First Steps) x Reader

Drabbles

"Mr. Sandman" (☀️🎶)

Sketch (☀️)

Short Stories

A Fantastic Addition to the Family (☀️❤️🩹)

"California Girls" (☀️❤️🎶🎉)

Christmas Ornament (🎉❤️)

On the Plus Side (☀️❤️🩹)

Secretary (☀️)

Teeth (🎉🔥)

The Color Blue Makes Me Red Hot (❤️🔥🎉)

Up Close & Personal (☀️)

Winter Wonderland (🎉☀️)

Multi-Chapter

Fire & Ice (🌧🩹💥❤️🔥) Part 1 -> Part 2 -> Part 3

Logan Howlett/Wolverine (Deadpool & Wolverine) x Reader

Drabbles

Christmas Movies (🎉☀️)

Pig (☀️)

Strong Man (☀️💥)

Short Stories

Bet (🌧🩹🔥)

"Everything Happens for a Reason" (☀️🩹🎶)

Get Dunked (☀️❤️🩹)

Happier (🌧🩹❤️💥)

"It's Showtime!" (☀️)

Loud Mouth (🌧🩹❤️🔥)

Milk Maid (🩹🔥🎉)

Naughty Nun (🎉🔥)

Sister Spawn (🎉❤️💥)

TikTok Lingerie (🔥)

Old Guy

Wihlborg x OC

COMING SOON

Wihlborg x Reader

Morning Distraction (🔥)

Stranger Things

Dustin Henderson x Suzie Bingham

Short Stories

Fair Maidens & Monsters at Fair Hawkins (🎉🌎☀️)

Eddie Munson x Chrissy Cunningham

Short Stories

A Happy Ending (🌎❤️💥🌧🩹)

- The first will be about the forgotten Old Guy, and the second will be about the unforgettable The Long Walk. (Yes, both are centered around Cooper Hoffman characters.)

- The OG story will be a sequel featuring an original character with a name and backstory and everything. The TLW story will be set in an alternate universe with a character from the book that didn’t make it into the movie.

- Both will have developed worlds and appearances from other original characters/characters you know and love (most of which have been face-claimed by me; apologies upfront if my ideas don’t match yours).

- OG will have 6 parts. TLW will have 4.

- All parts of each story will be dropped at once - OG at the end of July, and TLW at the end of August.

More information about each story will be shared later. I hope you’re ready! 😁

You two had been dating for six months and living together for one. In any other universe, your relationship would not have lasted this long. You were so different from him - kind, patient, loving. Wihlborg was… none of those things. He was trying to be better, though, for your sake. You were so good for him, to him. 

You took his occupation in stride. 

You made sure he had everything he needed before assignments. 

You adhered to his diet and exercise regiments, and even joined him sometimes.

You listened to every random fact, joke, tangent, and rant, often laughing at/with him before moaning as he leaned over to kiss you, touch you, feel you down-

Wihlborg suddenly felt his dick strain against his pajama pants. Damn it! he thought to himself, vocalizing it with a huff so as not to disturb you. 

He normally wouldn’t want sex the day of a hit, wouldn’t even think about it, for fear that it would ruin his concentration. However, with Wihlborg’s assignment being out of town, he’d be away from you for four whole days. It would be the longest you’d ever been apart. He’d be far away from your hugs, kisses, soft skin, your voice gently telling him what you wanted as you tugged at his hair…

Wihlborg’s hand immediately went to his member. He shouldn’t be doing this. He had too much respect for you, too much self-control. And yet here he was, giving in to his baser instincts.

As his hand moved up and down, he looked at you. You were wearing your favorite nightgown, the navy one that cut-off mid-thigh and had spaghetti straps. Not only was it incredibly smooth, but it also showed off your curves. Wihlborg imagined himself caressing you in it, starting at your neck, going down to your breasts, along your sides, then going to your legs where he would squeeze your thighs before daring to go underneath to feel the fabric of your underwear.

Wihlborg bit his lip to suppress his moans. He also gripped the bedsheets with his other hand to steady himself.

He could hear your voice now. “Oh, that feels so good,” you’d whisper in his ear. Wihlborg always considered himself to be indifferent to the opinions of others. However, he quickly discovered that he had a praise kink when it came to you. He imagined how else you would compliment him. “I love the way you touch me. It makes me feel so hot. Please, baby… Please keep touching me.”

Wihlborg hummed low in agreement, closing his eyes to really picture the scene in his mind. He could see you on top of him. He’d be flat on his back, staring up at you like a mortal worshipping a goddess. Your hands would be on his chest to hold yourself up as he moved past your underwear to feel the flesh of your ass. He would squeeze you, and each time he did you would grind against his hard dick. “Wihlborg,” you’d sigh. You’d repeat that single word a number of times, each one having its own pitch and level of need as he moved from your back to your front. He’d skim your inner thighs, teasing you by making light lines or circles. Maybe you’d be so impatient with his teasing that you’d put your hands on his to guide him further. 

“Please, baby,” you’d plead, tugging his wrists upward. 

“Okay,” he would whisper, or maybe he was actually whispering because he was too far gone and he was so close and who was he to deny you, even in his fantasies?

Wihlborg’s hand slowly let go of the sheets and moved in the air to match the movements in his dream. It slowly ascended your inner thigh, going to the top of your panties before finally crossing the threshold and-

“Wihlborg?”

Wihlborg’s eyes snapped open, and he ceased massaging his dick. He looked over to you. Your back was still to him, your breathing still even. 

He raised an eyebrow, perplexed. Did he hear actual you talking or fantasy you?

“Are you getting off to me while I sleep?”

Definitely actual you talking.

“Um…” Wihlborg had half a mind to deny it, but then you turned around to face him, a knowing smirk gracing your face.

Well, he couldn’t deny it now. 

It took a moment for him to swallow his pride, but he eventually got there and admitted, “Yes.”

You hummed. You took a quick peek at the lower half of his body, which was crying out for release. “Would you like a proper hand with that?” you asked.

Five minutes later, you two were playing out his fantasy. It took a bit of convincing on your part but once you were on top taking all of Wihlborg in, any reservations he had disappeared. His hands guided your hips, helping you go up and down. He wished he had time to properly enjoy the moment and take care of you, but he needed to leave soon and was pretty (embarrassingly) horny now… and from the way you were keeping the rhythm and panting, so were you.

“Fuck… fuck, baby,” you moaned, your head thrown back, nails digging into his chest. He could feel the pain through his shirt, which spurred him on. 

“I love you,” Wihlborg breathed out. Without missing a beat, you looked down at him and giggled, “I love you, too. Promise me we’ll do this when you get back.”

Wihlborg nodded furiously. “Anything you want.”

“Yes!” 

You enthusiastically picked up your pace at his answer. He quickly caught up to you, his grip digging into your sides and creating bruises that he would insist on tending to later because the last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt you.

He then felt your hand on top of one of his. With it, you led him underneath your nightgown to feel your breast. You helped him play with it for a bit before he fully took over and lightly pinched your nipple. “Wihlborg!” you gasped, your pussy clenching tighter around him, indicating that you were close. He did it once, twice more, and you were cumming with a high-pitch scream that dissolved into silence. 

Wihlborg pumped in you a few more times before he came. He groaned deeply and held you in place, filling you up. This was also something he wouldn’t usually do - fuck you without a condom. You were pretty diligent about your birth control, though, so it was okay this one time. And maybe if he tweaked his plans a little he could still meet Dolinski on time. He didn’t need to shower for so long, or do his full meditation. And maybe-

His overactive brain suddenly stopped to take in your blissed-out state. You were staring at him with such love as you tried to catch your breath. You then pulled yourself off him and moved to his side, one arm going under his neck while the other went across his chest. He molded to fit you and melted when you kissed the top of his head.

Wihlborg figured he could spare a few more minutes to cuddle you like this. After all, there were worse things that could distract him.

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Author’s Note 2: Electric Boogaloo: Thank you so much for making it to the end! I ask that you NOT post this story as your own, please. Instead, give it a like/review/bookmark/reblog/all of the above wherever you read it.

Archive of Our Own

Ray Garraty was walking home from baseball practice one day when he heard the voice of an angel singing along with a guitar. He decided to follow it and was led to the back gate of your house. You were sitting in a chair, playing and singing so sweetly. When you finished, he gave you a round of applause that startled you. You thought he was cute, though, so you didn’t mind. 

That was a year ago. You played so much music for Ray during that time, mostly songs you had picked up from the radio. While you had always wanted to write your own music, it wasn’t easy. Any time you came up with an idea, the words didn’t come out right, or the melody didn’t sound as pretty as it did in your head, or your work reminded you too much of a song someone else already wrote (and probably better). You had a notebook full of unfinished songs, none of which would ever see the light of day.

The music gods must’ve sensed your plight and decided to take pity on you because, recently, you were given a spark of inspiration. Ray had just finished reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and was telling you all about it. “It’s about this man who gets super rich and throws lots of parties in order to get the attention of this girl he loves but is married to some jerk.”

“Sounds… romantic,” you mused out loud. 

Of course, Ray went into greater detail about all of the symbols and true meanings of the story, but your brain wouldn’t let go of the love story angle. You then began thinking about your own love with Ray, about the connection between you two, how natural and undeniable it felt, and how you would do anything for each other.

The wheels in your mind turned even as lights went out later that night. You stayed up writing in your notebook, amazing yourself with the speed at which you worked. Everything seemed to pour out of you - the words, the music, the blending of the two. 

By the end of the week, you had your first complete, original song. You were so proud of yourself. All you needed was an audience.

You finally opened the door for your favorite audience member. “Hi, Ray,” you greeted him.

“Hi, babe,” he replied. “Ready to go to the park?”

“Yeah! Just let me get my shoes.” 

You scurried back to your room, trusting Ray to close the door and follow you. As you bent down to tie your shoes, you could see him out of the corner of your eye. He was standing next to your bed.

“What’s all this?” he asked. 

You glanced up for a moment to see him looking at your spread-out music sheets. “Oh, just a little something I’ve been working on,” you answered.

You could hear him picking up one of the papers. “Like… a song?”

“Yeah.”

“‘Greater Than Gatsby.’ Like The Great Gatsby?”

“Are there any other Gatsby’s out there?” you joked, standing up.

Ray chuckled before going back to the sheets to study them. His brows crinkled in thought. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Because it didn’t exist, until I wrote it.”

“You wrote it?”

“Yeah.”

His eyes widened with realization. “You wrote a song, and it’s based on The Great Gatsby?”

“Yeah.”

“Babe, that’s amazing!” he exclaimed. Suddenly, he plopped himself down on your bed and said, “Play it for me.”

“What?”

“Play your song for me.”

“Now?” you gasped.

“Yes, now!”

“What about the park?!”

“The park will be there later.”

You bit your lip as you considered his request (demand, really). “Okay,” you finally agreed with a smile. Better now than never, you figured. 

You made yourself comfortable on your bed and grabbed your guitar. You took the time to check the strings again and match your voice to its pitch. While you worked, Ray moved so that he was fully sitting on the bed with his legs crossed and his hands in his lap. His eyes were fixed on you like an excited child, which made you giggle. 

You cleared your throat. “And now,” you announced, “an original song by me. It’s called ‘Greater Than Gatsby.’”

You took a deep breath.

You played the opening notes.

You sang your song.

It was such a wonderful thing - making music. It was made better by the fact that it wasn’t someone else’s this time. It was yours. Your ideas. Your feelings. And you weren’t sharing them with just anyone. You were sharing them with the boy you loved, who was taking in every second of your performance. 

You eventually got to the last notes. The music from your guitar held out for a few seconds before fading away. You looked at Ray, who seemed dumbstruck. 

Your sense of pride was slowly giving way to a sense of self-consciousness. A little voice in your head started voicing your doubts:

Does Ray not like it?

Is he offended by the liberties you took?

Is it just not a good song?

Are you not as talented as you thought?

You felt a sudden urge to explain yourself. “I know it’s not what the story is about, but I couldn’t get the romance out of my head. And then I thought about us and I thought I’d make some cute connections which, again, I know is not the point of the book and I’m sorry if-“

“Babe?” Ray’s voice cut through. You stopped and let him finish. “Can you set your guitar down so I can kiss you and tell you how much I love you and your music?”

“Um… okay,” you stuttered. 

It wasn’t until you did as he said and he rewarded you with his kiss for it that it hit you.

He loved your song. 

He loved your song. 

You deepened the kiss out of enthusiasm, which made Ray smile against your lips. “Babe. Babe,” he said, pulling back a little. “Breathe. You’re gonna need your energy when you perform your song for me again.”

That last part pulled you out of your haze and made you quirk an eyebrow. “Perform it again? When?”

Ray grinned. “How about… right now?”

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Author’s Note 2: Electric Boogaloo: Thank you so much for making it to the end! I ask that you NOT post this story as your own, please. Instead, give it a like/review/bookmark/reblog/all of the above wherever you read it.

Archive of Our Own

At the moment, you two were reading from your respective science books in Ray’s room. He was sitting against the side of his bed while you were on your stomach on the floor. You were studying for an upcoming test on Friday, and you were about to tear your hair out at the amount of information you weren’t getting. Instead, you let your head fall into your book with a dramatic sigh.

“I am toast.”

“Don’t say that,” Ray tried to encourage you.

“I am!” you exclaimed.

“No, you’re not.” Ray set his book aside and got on his knees in front of you. He gently lifted you up to be level with him. “You just need a break. We both do. If we’re quiet, I think we can steal some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies without my mom noticing.”

“You are so bad,” you said, your smile betraying you.

“That’s why you love me,” he responded, bringing you in for a quick kiss. “Come on.”

You were in such a rush to get to your feet that you accidentally knocked your backpack over. All of your contents fell out.

“Shoot!” you hissed. You wasted no time getting back on the ground to collect everything. Ray also knelt down to help you out. He got your pencil bag, your notebook, and something else you couldn’t see from the corner of your eye.

“What’s this?”

You brought your head up to see for yourself, but he had turned away before you could properly get a look. “What?” you asked.

“Jane Eyre,” he answered his own question.

Your eyes widened.

Jane Eyre was your book.

Your romance book.

You scrambled to your feet. “It’s nothing,” you said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“It doesn’t look like nothing.”

“Ray, please give it back.”

You stepped forward to grab it. He moved out of the way, keeping Jane Eyre close. “Why? Is there something in it you don’t want me to see?” The suspicion in his eyes was soon replaced by mischief. “Is this porn?”

Your jaw dropped. “No!” Ray quirked an eyebrow, not believing you. “It’s not porn! Just give it back!”

You stepped forward again, but he quickly dodged you. You two went back and forth like this until, having enough, you lunged forward and tackled him to his bed. He dangled the book over the side in one hand while the other held you by your waist to keep you still. You raised your arms as far as you could, but your fingertips were nowhere close to the edges.

“Raymond Davis Garraty, I’m serious! Give me my book back!” He laughed as you struggled against him. “You’re cute when you’re mad, you know that?” he asked.

Eventually, and to your surprise, he let the book fall to the floor and used his strength to climb on top of you. His legs were on either side of yours and he pinned your hands above your head. Well, at least you achieved your goal: getting the book away from him. Now you had to get yourself away from him.

“Let me go, Ray.”

“Not until you tell me what the deal is with that book.”

“I told you it’s nothing.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Ray-“

“You wouldn’t be so hung up on it if it was nothing.”

“Just leave it be!”

“No! Tell me!”

You pressed your lips into a thin line in defiance.

Ray hummed. “Alright. That’s how you want to be? Okay. I can stay here as long as it takes. We’re actually kinda fulfilling one of my fantasies.”

You rolled your eyes at his dirty mind. “You are so bad,” you muttered.

“That’s why you love me,” he repeated.

You two stayed in place on his bed for a minute or two. You thought you felt his grip loosen, but you knew he wasn’t going to let you go for real. Then you heard him say in a gentle tone, “Come on, babe. Just tell me.” You dared to look up at him. His gaze had gone soft, inviting you to trust him.

You sighed. “You won’t understand.”

“Try me.”

You closed your eyes, weighing the options of telling him the truth in your head. “Hey, hey,” Ray cooed, shaking you to open back up. “I love you. You can trust me with anything.”

He seemed to mean that. Only one way to find out.

“Jane Eyre is one of my books,” you finally admitted. “It’s a romance novel. There’s no porn or anything dirty like that. It’s just a story about a woman who’s been mistreated her whole life until she falls in love with her brooding employer and learns to stand up for herself.”

You could see the wheels in Ray’s head turning as he registered your words. “That’s all?” he asked. You nodded. He slowly let you go so he could pull himself back and sit up on the bed. You did the same, holding your breath for his conclusion.

“That sounds… interesting.”

Your heart sank. That one word could be taken a number of ways, and your brain was already twisting it into something bad.

You suddenly felt the bed dip. You whipped your head around to follow Ray. He was up on his feet heading to where the book was. He bent down and gingerly picked it up. “Can you read a bit to me?” he asked, holding it out to you.

Your mouth quirked to the side. Was he serious? He was, proving it by adding, “Please?”

“Sure,” you answered hesitantly, taking your book back. As you flipped to your bookmark, you could vaguely see Ray moving back to his side of the bed. He scooted back so his pillows acted as cushions against the wall, and he held his arm out so you could take your place at his side. He was like a kid waiting to hear a bedtime story. You hoped you could deliver.

Fortunately, your bookmark was placed at the section where Jane and Mr. Rochester (her employer) were in the garden confessing their love. It was your favorite part, and also one of the more romantic scenes in the book. If you were going to start anywhere, it might as well have been there to get it over with.

Once you were settled against Ray and his pillows, you cleared your throat and started reading. You instinctively went into your usual reading habits - your voice going soft to match the delicateness of the scene and changing tones to differentiate between Jane and Mr. Rochester. You became engrossed, remembering why it was your favorite part as you reenacted Jane standing up to Mr. Rochester and him recognizing her as an equal before declaring his love for her.

You decided to stop there. Before you could fully close your book, however, Ray squeezed your shoulder and asked, “Can you read a bit more?” Your eyes widened in disbelief. He looked back you at you with puppy-dog eyes, so sincere. “Um… okay,” you stuttered, going back to your place.

You read on about the preparations for the wedding and Mr. Rochester showering Jane with gifts, one of them being a beautiful veil that gets mysteriously ruined. Jane thinks it’s the fault of someone in the house, but Mr. Rochester insists that it is a figment of her imagination.

“Keep going,” Ray begged.

“Are you serious?” you found yourself asking.

“Yes! Please!”

“Okay! Okay!”

You were finally reading about the wedding in the chapel. The couple was about to say their vows when, suddenly, someone came in insisting that they had some interesting information about Mr. Rochester.

You paused for effect and turned to Ray. He was watching you intently. He seemed to be holding his breath. He’s really getting into this, you thought to yourself.

Just as Mr. Rochester’s secret was being revealed, Ray’s mom Ginny popped her head through the bedroom door. “Your mother called, dear,” she addressed you. “She wants you to head back for dinner. And you need to help me get started on our dinner.” She gave Ray a pointed look before making her exit.

Ray whined as he threw his head back. “Seriously? It was just getting good!”

You couldn’t help but giggle at his theatrics. After you collected yourself, you got serious with him. “Do you really like this, Ray?”

“Yes! Babe, this is such a good story. Why would you hide it from me?”

You blushed. “I thought you wouldn’t like it,” you said shyly. “It’s a love story after all. I was afraid you’d just write it off or… or make fun of me.”

Ray’s hand cupped your face so you could look at him. “I’m sorry if I made you feel like you couldn’t share this with me.

“It’s not you. I guess it was me getting in my own head.”

“Well, don’t. You can share any kind of book you want to with me. After all the times I’ve shoved stuff in your face to read and talk about-“

“I actually like some of your stuff.”

“And I’m sure I’ll like some of yours. Please share it with me. You don’t have to be afraid.”

You smiled at him, happier than ever about the truth finally being out there. You rewarded Ray with a kiss that he eagerly accepted. “Hurry up, you two!” Ginny called out. Ray huffed against your lips and you giggled as you pulled away.

He grabbed your hands to keep you close, though. “Tomorrow, we’re going to start this book from the beginning,” he said. It may have sounded like a command, but his pleading eyes made it appear more like a question. Either way, you agreed to it.

In that moment, you felt like Jane Eyre with your own Mr. Rochester. Ray made your happiness, and you made his.

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Author’s Note 2: Electric Boogaloo: Thank you so much for making it to the end! I ask that you NOT post this story as your own, please. Instead, give it a like/review/bookmark/reblog/all of the above wherever you read it.

Archive of Our Own

Nick Nelson had been in the photography business for ten years and worked with a number of people - couples, families, businesses, local politicians, up-and-coming artists, independent authors, actors in theatre and film, and simple, everyday people. Whether it was for a job interview, a website, to surprise their partner, or to add to the family photo album, Nick treated each session with professionalism and positivity. Such a sterling reputation made him one of the best photographers in the city.

While Nick went over the photos from his latest session to start editing, the phone rang. He answered, “’Photos by Nick.’ This is Nick. How can I help you?”

“Hi,” a young man’s voice greeted him. “Um, I got your number from a friend of mine. Elle Argent?”

Nick perked up at the name. Elle Argent was a transgender artist from the area who blew up a couple years back. Every now and then, she’d come to Nick for photos involving her and her artwork for her website.

“Yeah, I know Elle! What are you looking for exactly?”

“Well, um, I would like to get some headshots done. I looked you up and saw that you’re having a buy one, get one deal.”

“Yes. It ends this Sunday.”

“Okay. So, are there any available times between now and then?”

Nick took a moment to look through his planner. His eyes quickly landed on a spot that he had previously written in but had to erase. “I actually had someone cancel on Saturday at 11am. Does that work for you?”

“Sure!” the voice answered quickly.

Nick smiled, grabbing a pencil to write out the stranger’s information. He took down the phone number and email address, and was about to hang up but stopped when he remembered the most crucial piece of information.

“Oh, wait! What’s your name?”

“Charlie. Charlie Spring.”

“Alright, Charlie Spring. See you Saturday!”

“It’s a date!” Charlie said, only to quickly yell into the phone, “I mean, not a date date! Obviously! It’s not a date… like that. It’s just… it’s… an appointment!”

Nick chuckled softly. “Of course. See you for your appointment, Charlie.”

As soon as he hung up, Nick did a double take. He normally wouldn’t call a client by their first name until he got to know them better. However, talking with Charlie seemed so natural that it just slipped out. Plus, Nick felt that calling Charlie by his first name might loosen him up a bit. He sounded nervous… and cute.

Nick shook his head in disbelief. He barely knew Charlie! He couldn’t be thinking things like that! Besides, Charlie was about to be a client. Thinking those kinds of thoughts would be totally unprofessional. Nick forced the interaction out of his mind for the time being and busied himself with editing.

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Saturday snuck up on Nick. He was just setting up his area like any other appointment when he heard the bell over his door go off. “Hello?” he heard a male’s voice call out.

Nick set his stool in place, turned around, put on his best smile, and said, “Hi! Welcome to ‘Photos by Nick.’ I’m Nick.”

Correction – he attempted to say that.

What he actually said was, “Hi…”

Once his eyes landed on the man, the rest of his words flew out of his head.

This man was pretty. Beautiful, actually. He had curly, deep black hair. His eyes turned a stunning shade of blue in a certain light. And his jawline…

“Hi,” his shy voice brought Nick back to reality. “I’m Charlie. I’m here for headshots?”

Nick blinked. This was Charlie? No wonder he wants to get into modeling, he thought.

He quickly straightened up and said, “Hi! Sorry! Sorry, I was… Sorry. I’m Nick.”

He dared to stick his hand out, and Charlie accepted it with the hand that wasn’t holding onto his backpack strap. Nick didn’t know if it was real or his imagination, but he could’ve sworn that he felt sparks when holding Charlie’s hand. However, just as quickly as they came together, they let go.

It was time to be professional.

Nick tried to get himself back on track. “Headshots. Right. The two-for-one deal.”

“Yes. I was thinking just two. One a bit serious. The other, more casual.” As he spoke, Charlie set his backpack down and dug through it. He pulled out a plain white shirt and a black suit jacket. “I was thinking this for the serious one.” Nick nodded thoughtfully, and Charlie took that as permission to go back and pull out a red jumper. “And this one could be for the casual one.”

“Sounds good to me,” Nick agreed. “It’s probably best if we go in order. Start off serious, then have some fun. There’s a bathroom around the corner if you want some privacy to get changed.” Charlie let out an “okay” and scurried off to the bathroom.

It was kind of adorable.

A few minutes later, Charlie came out in the shirt and jacket. God, he looked straight out of a magazine shoot. This was going to be one of the easiest sessions Nick ever did. He gestured for Charlie to sit on the stool in front of the blue backdrop (a color that Nick was glad he chose because it helped bring out his eyes).

Once Charlie got situated, his hands placed gracefully in his lap, he looked to Nick. “So, is this the part where you tell me how to pose and quickly snap the picture before I ruin it?”

Nick chuckled. “Actually, I kind of do things a little differently. Why don’t we get to talking a bit about yourself.”

“Okay. What do you want to know?”

“How about what your goal is with these headshots?”

“To get into modeling. I hope to send these to an agent I’ve been researching and-“

SNAP!

Charlie blinked. “And go from there,” he finished. The photographer just smiled and asked, “And it was Elle who recommended me to you, yeah?”

Charlie cleared his throat and got back into it. “Yeah. I’ve seen some of the photos you’ve taken of her and her work and always thought they were-“

SNAP!

“Gorgeous… When I brought up my idea of modeling, she immediately gave me your number and-“

SNAP!

Charlie’s jaw dropped as it finally hit him. “You’re trying to distract me!”

“Sort of,” Nick admitted, cringing at having been caught. “But it’s also so I can genuinely get to know you.” He gave his new client a moment to let the idea settle with him. Charlie eventually said, “Continue, then.”

Nick scrambled for another question. “Have you been friends with Elle for long?”

“Oh, yeah. We’ve been friends since school. Me, her, and her boyfriend, Tao. They would always drag me around to their places after school and have me participate in their projects.”

As he snapped another picture, Nick imagined a young Charlie posing for some abstract painting by Elle or being filmed by Tao, a future award-winning filmmaker, doing random things like eating lunch or playing in the park.

“Would you say it was them that kind of planted the idea of modeling into your head?”

“Sort of. It was also my mum and dad. They would always talk about how pretty I looked and how they could see me on the cover of a magazine or on some billboard. My sister used to joke about all the stuff I could advertise. Toothpaste. Dog food. Digestives.”

SNAP!

“Your sister?”

Charlie hummed in agreement. “Tori. She’s older than me.”

“I have an older brother myself. He can be a real pain. Same with your sister?”

“No! Not at all. I mean, yeah, she can be closed-off at times, but she still cares. She’s the best.”

Charlie looked off into the distance at the thought of his sister. Nick waited a few more seconds for him to look back up. Once he did, before he could open his mouth and make some comment about Nick not taking a picture for once, Nick caught the moment.

“And there you have it,” he concluded.

Charlie’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s it?!”

“That’s it. Now for the fun part.”

Charlie quickly got changed into his jumper and took his spot on the stool.

He looked so cozy.

Focus, Nelson! Nick told himself. He resumed his position behind the camera. Before he could speak, Charlie beat him to it.

“Can we do something a bit different for this one?”

“Sure. What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I’ve been talking about myself quite a bit already. Could we talk about you? Unless you don’t want to! I completely understand if-“

“No, no! That’s very sweet. Sure. Anything you want to know. Ask away.”

Charlie smirked. “Anything I want? That’s dangerous.” Nick laughed and Charlie followed suit. “I won’t be too harsh, I promise. Probably the most obvious thing in the world – what made you get into photography?”

“Obvious and easy,” Nick started. “I went back and forth between here and Paris when I was young. I was constantly surrounded by beautiful places and things. I would take pictures whenever I could. It started with a lot of disposable cameras. Then I got a digital camera - thank you, mum. Now I get to work with these bad boys.” He pointed to his current camera, and swelled with pride when Charlie marveled at it.

“That’s really cool! So, your parents travelled a lot?”

“Not really. They’re actually divorced. My mum is here, my dad is in Paris.”

Charlie’s face dropped. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Nick waved it off. “At least I wasn’t alone. I had my dogs there to keep me distracted.” He was delighted when Charlie’s face lit back up at that tidbit of information. “You have dogs?!”

“Yes! Two. My collie, Nellie, and a pug named Henry.”

“They sound adorable!”

“They are. They were my first and favorite subjects.”

“I’ll bet.”

Nick suddenly realized that this was the perfect segue for the next part of the shoot. “You know, it wasn’t easy trying to get them to look at the camera. I had to say random words to get their attention.”

“Like what?”

“Like… banana!”

Nick caught Charlie’s confused expression that morphed into understanding followed by delightful surprise.

“And… biscuit!”

Another picture of Charlie’s giddiness at the game. “And squirrel?” he dared asked.

“And squirrel!” Nick exclaimed as he hit the button. Charlie’s belly laughter was on full display.

Nick threw a few more random words Charlie’s way, snapping photos after every one, and the man took it all in stride. Once he wiped the tears from his eyes, Charlie commented, “That was way more fun that I was expecting.”

“I’m glad,” Nick said. “Want to have a quick look?”

Charlie nodded and jumped out of his seat. Nick removed the camera from its stand to bring up his gallery. While scrolling, he would often catch Charlie staring in awe from the corner of his eye.  “These are good. Really good.” Nick’s heart skipped a beat at the praise.

The two looked at each other. Time seemed to stand still all around them. Nick wished they could stay like that forever, but his mouth was starting to get dry and his attempt to salivate it caused him to let out a little cough, breaking the spell.

Charlie scratched his head. “I, uh, better get changed.”

“Yeah.” Nick pointed to his laptop. “I’ll get the camera hooked up so we can properly see these and pick the best.” As Charlie slowly made his way to the bathroom, Nick hoped he could get his breathing under control by the time he got back.

Things did indeed return to normal once they sat down to go through the photos. Nick picked a few out, and Charlie settled on the two he really liked.

“So, I’ll get digital copies and can do what I like with them, right?” he asked.

“That’s right,” Nick confirmed. “Although…”

Charlie turned to him. “What?”

Nick doesn’t know what came over him, or what compelled him to continue. All he knows is that he meant every word. “Well, I don’t usually do this, but I like you and I have faith in what you’re doing so I’m going to print you out some physical copies for that agent you were talking about. I’ll do them in color and black and white.”

Charlie blinked at the generous offer. “Wow. That’s really nice of you. You don’t have to, though. I’d feel like I’m taking advantage-“

“It’s no trouble. Really,” he insisted.

“Well, I… Thank you. Thank you so much!”

Nick beamed. “You’re welcome.”

After going over the details again, Nick led Charlie to the door. “It was great working with you today, Charlie.”

“It was great working with you too, Nick.”

The two men shook hands once again and parted ways. Nick couldn’t help but stare after Charlie, nor could he help the two thoughts that popped into his head:

His name sounded lovely coming out of Charlie’s mouth.

2. There were definitely sparks between them.

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It was a couple weeks later when Nick heard from Charlie again.

“’Photos by Nick.’ Nick speaking.”

“Hi, Nick! It’s Charlie.”

“Hey, Charlie! What’s up?”

“Well, I submitted my headshots to that agent and… they took me on!”

“That’s amazing!” Nick cheered. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks! He thinks he can get me some gigs, but he mentioned needing a few more pictures for my portfolio. Can you help with that?”

“Of course!” Nick scrambled for his appointment book, which became more of a task than it should’ve been because it was literally right next to him but he was too giddy to think or act straight. “Let me just see… uh… I have an opening this Thursday at around noon. Does that work?”

“Sure!”

“Great. It’s… an appointment.”

Even though all he could hear was a snort, Nick was fairly certain Charlie was also smiling. “It’s an appointment,” he heard the man reply. “See you then!”

Thursday couldn’t come fast enough for Nick. He and Charlie more or less did their routine from last time - serious headshots first, fun headshots second. Nick did his usual distraction tactics, which still worked on Charlie. During their hour together, they got to know each other more. Charlie mentioned that he loved video games while Nick talked about liking real sports games. This led to Charlie revealing that he would get a bit rough himself when playing the drums to relieve stress.

At their next appointment a week later, Nick asked Charlie to delve deeper into his skills on the drums. Charlie talked about being in the school band and begged Nick to talk about what he was like back then. Nick bashfully shared some memories and secrets, like when he briefly dated a girl named Tara before finding out a few months later that she was gay with her girlfriend, Darcy.

The following week, the two men got to talking about their sexualities. Nick said that he was bisexual. Charlie said that he was gay, something that he wrestled with because of an old boyfriend who forced him to keep that side of him a secret. Nick felt bad for him and impulsively invited him to lunch.

And so it went for the next few months. Nick and Charlie would meet for a photo session. They’d make plans for afterwards, either for coffee or a nice stroll or meeting Nick’s dogs. Then they’d make an appointment to do the whole dance over again.

Any thoughts about maintaining professionalism were swiftly forgotten. Nick was enjoying his time with Charlie too much… so much so that he neglected to stop and think about why Charlie was coming in so often yet rarely getting any work. Neither one knew it, but the truth was eventually going to come out.

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Nick was editing (admiring) the latest set of headshots he took of Charlie when he was interrupted by the phone ringing.

“’Photos by Nick.’ Nick speaking.”

“Hello,” a female voice answered. “It’s your favorite artist calling to schedule another photo session with her latest masterpiece.”

Nick recognized that voice and confidence anywhere. “Good to hear from you, Elle. It’s been a while.”

“I know! I was struggling with my latest collection, but lately I’ve just been cranking things out. Thank God, too. I was starting to drive everyone crazy. Tao even suggested we get an exorcist.”

Nick chuckled at the image as he flipped through his appointment book. His eyes settled on a completely blank Saturday block. “I actually have all of Saturday off two weeks form now. Does that work for you?”

“Let me check real quick.” Nick could hear Elle humming and imagined her scanning through her own calendar for the date. She finally responded, “Sorry, love, that day’s no good. There’s this fashion show thing that I’ve been invited to. I’m mostly going to support Charlie.”

Nick’s ears burned at the name. “Charlie?”

“Yeah. He’s one of the models.”

Nick’s jaw dropped. “What?! That’s amazing! Good for him! I was starting to get worried.”

“Why?”

“We’ve just been doing a lot of sessions together because he hasn’t been getting much work with his portfolio.”

“What are you talking about? Charlie’s gotten plenty of work.”

Nick looked at the phone in utter confusion. “He has?”

“Yeah. He’s done a few magazines already. Apparently, one of the brands he wore for really liked him and asked him to represent them in the fashion show. It’s a pretty big deal with so many names and all this press-“

“Elle, I’m going to have to call you back. Love you. Bye.” Nick quickly hung up the phone and typed the name “Charlie Spring” into his search engine.

The results that came up shocked him.

There were images of Charlie in fancy outfits in this big magazine and that one, looking so gorgeous. There were a couple of videos of behind-the-scenes stuff with him and some other models. He was so shy yet honest about being new to the modeling scene. There were already a few articles about the upcoming fashion show, some of which talked about how Charlie was a model with such promise.

Nick was stunned.

Why would Charlie keep something like this from him?

The phone rang once again. He instinctively picked it up and answered, “’Photos by Nick.’ This is Nick.”

“Hi, Nick! It’s Charlie.”

Nick nearly choked, but managed to regain himself and respond, “Hey, Charlie! Calling to schedule another photoshoot?”

“Yes, actually. Do you have any openings this week?”

“Um… let me check.” He already knew he had an opening for the next day, but he needed the moment to make sure he was staying calm. “I can meet you as early as tomorrow.”

“That works!”

“Okay, then. Tomorrow at three.”

“I’ll see you then!”

“See you then.”

When the call ended, Nick leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. His whole world felt like it had been turned upside down. Hopefully his appointment with Charlie would help set things right. And the sooner, the better.

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Nick checked the settings on his camera for the fifth time as he waited for Charlie. With only a minute left, he went to the bathroom and took a long hard look at himself in the mirror.

Everything is going to be okay, he told himself. I’m sure there’s a good explanation for all of this.

He then heard the ball of the front door and a familiar voice call out, “Nick?”

Now or never. With a final deep breath, Nick exited the bathroom.

“Charlie,” he said with a (genuine) smile. “Good to see you. The usual?”

Charlie made his way over to the stool, trying to hide his oncoming blush. “Yeah. My agent says they could use a few more pictures of me ‘showing some skin.’” He quickly unzipped his backpack and brought out a couple of short-sleeved shirts.

It took a lot of strength for Nick to maintain a neutral expression at the idea of seeing more of Charlie’s lithe body. “Um… yeah. Yeah! Sure! We can make that happen.” He was surprised his mouth was moist enough to get those words out.

After Charlie got changed, the two men assumed their positions. Nick started off simply. “Still not a lot of work coming in?”

“I’ve managed to do a couple things,” Charlie answered. “No big deal.”

SNAP!

“I’m kind of surprised, but I’m proud of you for not giving up.”

“Thanks.”

SNAP!

“So, is there a particular job you hope to land at some point?”

“Like what?”

“I dunno. Like, a magazine you’ve been reading since you were a kid that you want to model for? Or… some big fashion show where all the big-wigs meet to look at beautiful people in beautiful clothes?”

Charlie’s eyes shifted at the question. Nick knew why, but he wasn’t going to call him out on it. He wanted Charlie to open up himself. “I guess being in a fashion show would be nice. Who wouldn’t want to be considered beautiful by the whole world?”

You’re already beautiful, Nick thought. He snapped another picture and forced his brain to focus. He decided to kick things up a notch.

“You know, there’s a fashion show going on in a couple of weeks.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Elle was telling me about it.”

The picture that Nick took of that moment clearly showed Charlie’s eyes widening.

“Elle?” he asked.

“Yeah. She called me up to schedule a session for some new artwork. I asked her about the date, and she mentioned that she couldn’t make it because she was going to support a friend making his debut.”

“Oh.”

Charlie’s voice was so small, realization dawning on him. His energy took quite a hit as well, Nick could tell. He stepped out from behind the camera. “Charlie… Charlie, I-“

“I’m sorry!” Charlie blurted out. “I’m sorry! I…” He tried to make a run for it, but Nick caught him by the hand and pulled him back.

“Charlie, please. You don’t have to-“

“I’ve been lying to you,” Charlie interrupted Nick once again. He looked at the floor as he spoke rapidly. “I’ve been getting a lot of jobs because of your pictures. You made me look so good, and you’re so nice and funny and handsome. I’ve been wanting to ask you out but I didn’t know if you saw me that way and I was too much of a coward to just take a risk. But I wanted to keep spending time with you, so I kept asking for appointments. I can afford them because of all the work I’ve been doing. It’s crazy how much my agent’s booked for me so quickly, and I really wanted to tell you and I’m sorry about all of this. I just… I just-“

“Charlie,” Nick stopped the man’s hyperventilating. His hands were holding Charlie’s arms, which slightly stopped his shaking. He slowly moved up to cup Charlie’s face so the two were seeing eye to eye. “I forgive you.”

Charlie let out a haggard sigh, which triggered his tears. Nick immediately pulled him in for a hug. He hesitantly put his arms around Nick’s torso. Nick thought he heard Charlie sniffle and squeezed him gently in an effort to provide some reassurance.

Despite the circumstances, it all felt right.

The two stood like that for a few minutes. Nick allowed Charlie to make the first move. He slowly peeled himself away, trying to regain some strength as he spoke. “Do you… really forgive me?”

Nick nodded. “Yes. In fact, I haven’t been totally honest with you, either.” Before Charlie could ask what he meant, he continued, “I have feelings for you, too. I’ve had them ever since you came into my studio. You are one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, inside and out. The only reason I didn’t say anything sooner is because I wanted to keep things professional.” Charlie’s face fell at that last word. “I think we’re way past professional now, though, and I don’t want to go back.”

Charlie’s eyes shot back up in surprise. “Me neither,” he admitted.

The two remained in place, holding each other, staring at each other. A small smile soon formed on Charlie’s face and then Nick’s. The two then got to laughing, the absurdity of the situation finally hitting them.

“Why are we like this?” Charlie asked.

Nick shrugged. “I don’t know.” That made Charlie laugh harder, which made Nick’s heart soar.

Once the two had settled down, Charlie timidly asked, “So, where do we go from here?”

Nick cleared his throat. “Well, we’ve still got about forty minutes left in our session, so I suggest we finish up. Afterwards, instead of money, I will ask that you pay me back by accompanying me to a nice restaurant for a proper date.”

“A date,” Charlie tested the words. “A proper date. Not an appointment.”

“No,” Nick chuckled. “Not anymore.”

Charlie’s eyes shined at the prospect. He nodded eagerly. “Okay.”

This should’ve been the moment the two let go of each other. They didn’t. Instead, they got closer and closer until their lips met in a sweet, perfect kiss. Nick almost wished his camera could capture the moment.

He didn’t need to worry. He would have many more chances to take many more photos of him with his boyfriend… and he would cherish each and every one of them.

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Author’s Note 2: Electric Boogaloo: Thank you so much for making it to the end! I ask that you NOT post this story as your own, please. Instead, give it a like/review/bookmark/reblog/all of the above wherever you read it.

Archive of Our Own

The head housewife, Darla, spoke first. “Do you have enough to put this thing together?”

“Let me go down the list.” You quickly reached for your clipboard and flipped to the page where you and the others had taken inventory of everything that could be considered useful/fun for a carnival. “We’ve got some targets and balls that kids could try and hit. We’ve got little pools so they can bob for apples. We’ve got a couple of wagons, and we were thinking of some of us dressing up as conductors and-“

“It’s cute,” Darla interrupted you, “and that’s a problem.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Everything so far is for kids.”

“Well, we’re anticipating a lot of families coming out.”

“That doesn’t mean the adults can’t have a little fun. Right, girls?” The other housewives nodded along with her, muttering various forms of agreement. “What do you have that can be for the grown-ups?”

“Um…” You scanned your notes, desperately trying to find something to reel everyone back in. You finally found it. “We have a dunk tank!”

Everyone’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

“A dunk tank?!”

“Really?!”

“That sounds like a lot of fun!”

“A dunk tank…” Darla’s voice made everyone go silent. “That might be something. I assume you would have some volunteers from the center who would be willing to get wet?”

“I, uh, don’t know,” you answered. “We have people who are already assigned to things, like Larry usually handles concessions and Marta likes to-“

“I know someone who would be a perfect candidate.”

You swore you could see a bit of mischief in Darla’s eyes. Either because of it or in spite of it, you asked, “Who?”

“Logan.”

Your jaw dropped at the mention of that name. Logan was the friend of your friend and neighbor, Wade. You kind of (definitely) had a thing for him.

“Logan? My Logan?”

Darla’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t realize he was yours.” The others weren’t shy about shooting each other looks.

You were quick to clarify, “He’s not! I mean, I know him. He’s my friend.”

“Yes, and we’ve seen him pick you up from the center. He’s not bad-looking at all. Imagine the amount of people who would want to dunk him.”

The ladies blushed and giggled. You turned red for another reason. Yes, if this event was going to be as big as you and your colleagues wanted it to be, you would need all the help you could get. And Darla did have a point about bringing in the people and money. However, while the thought of Logan being drenched from head to toe made you want to swoon, the idea of other ladies swooning as well was not as appealing.

“I… I… I’ll talk with him about it.”

Darla smiled. “Perfect! You can send the rest of the information out via email. Good meeting, everyone!” She got up from her chair and dismissed everyone with a wave of her hand. You just stood in place waving back as everyone filed out.

Phase one was a success, thank God. Now onto phase two…

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You found yourself in a similar situation an hour later – standing in front of a group of people trying to convince them to do something that was a bit of a risk but might pay off. This time, however, your group was much smaller and way less intimidating.

“So, what do you think?”

“I was onboard the second you said ‘idea,’” Wade said, looking like he was ready to jump onto the kitchen table in excitement at any second. “Any idea is a good idea to me.”

“Thanks, Wade.” Of course you could count on him to be game for anything. You turned to the other man. “What about you, Logan?” He had his arms crossed and was leaning back in his chair, his eyes cast down in deep thought.

“I don’t know…”

You knew Logan would be a tougher nut to crack than Wade. You decided to go over your points again. “Like I said, you and Wade would take turns getting dunked. And Wade could go first, if you like.”

“Gladly,” Wade interjected. “I’ve been wanting to break in my new Speedo and Wilson Fisk mask. Are we actually connected to that part of the universe? I don’t really know.”

“If you ever get tired or don’t want to do it anymore, we can switch and maybe get someone else to cover for you.”

“Yeah. Does anyone have Namor’s number? Are we connected to that part of the universe?”

“Wade,” you gently shushed him before turning back to Logan for your biggest point. “We could really use your help, Logan, even if it’s only for a little bit. We’re trying to raise as much money as possible for new stuff.” Your hands clasped together and your lips pouted in an effort to seal the deal.

Logan’s eyes finally came up to meet yours. He slowly smiled and said, “Alright.”

Wade shot up with a holler and brought you both in for a big hug. “This is going to be awesome! Let me show you the Speedo! You’re going to love it!” He then jetted off to his room.

You and Logan shook your heads and chuckled under your breaths at the wacky man’s antics. Once you caught your breath, you said, “Thank you, Logan. I really appreciate this.”

Logan leaned in close to you. “I hope you know that I wouldn’t do this for anyone other than you, sweetheart.”

You blushed at his admission. You wished he meant that in another way.

You forced your brain to switch gears. Now was not the time to bemoan your love life. You had a carnival to plan.

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The community center was buzzing with activity a few weeks later. All your colleagues were hard at work making sure everything was in its proper place and that there was plenty of everything for the amount of people you were expecting. Based on what the housewives told you at the previous meetings, you could expect enough people to spend enough money to replace the old equipment and maybe have enough left over for some other new things. While that made you excited, you kept it all inside. You needed to remain cool, calm, and collected in order to run your ship right.

You drove with Wade and Logan to the center. They had been there a few times, but today they were impressed with how decked out it looked. “Ooo!” Wade said. “I want to check out the basketball court! No, no! I want to check out the apple-bobbing! Oh, my God! They have more than two kinds of Dorito’s! Please say we get them for free!”

“First off, Wade,” you said, placing your arm around him, “remember that you’re here to work.”

“Awe…”

“Second, I will sneak you some chips when I can.”

“Awe! You’re the best!”

As soon as his eyes landed on the dunk tank, Wade rushed over.

“Do you think some of that energy will disappear after a few dunkings?” you asked Logan. He shrugged. “I want to say yes, but guy’s like a damn Energizer bunny.”

“Just going and going and going.”

Logan hummed in agreement and grinned at you. You laughed, but were interrupted by a voice.

“There you are!”

You both turned to see Darla, who was being followed by some of the housewives and holding her arms wide open. For a second, you thought she was talking to you. However, she breezed right past you to bestow her hug onto Logan.

“We are so glad that you are here,” she continued. Your jaw couldn’t help but tighten as she squeezed him, no doubt wanting to feel his sculpted body for as long as possible.

“Uh, thank you,” Logan said awkwardly. He didn’t attempt to hide his confusion when Darla pulled away. “And you are?”

She giggled like a schoolgirl. “Oh, silly me! Where are my manners? I’m Darla Harrows. I’m helping out with the event today. We all are.” She gestured to the ladies, who each gave their own greeting to Logan. He gave a small wave to all of them. “We are just so excited to see you volunteering for the dunk tank. We know you’re going to do great.”

“Well, it’s for a good cause.” He looked to you as he said that. You may have looked neutral on the outside, but inside you were melting. “And I’m not the only one, which kind of helps.”

Darla blinked. “Excuse me?”

You decided it was time to step in. “We have another volunteer for the dunk tank, Wade, who has graciously agreed to go first.” You pointed to the man himself, who was decked out in tasteful swim trunks (you thankfully managed to talk him out of wearing his Speedo) and a Wile E. Coyote mask (you were not so lucky on this point; he insisted on it as a way to “stick it to Warner Bros.”).

All the ladies looked at him blankly. “Um… I don’t-“ Darla started, but you were quick to interrupt her. “They’ll be going in hour shifts. Wade first, then Logan, then Wade, and so on. I’ve timed it so they each get the same amount of shifts and the same amount of time getting dunked.”

Darla turned to Logan, slowly stalking up to him as she spoke. “Are you sure you don’t want to go first? It seems like fun.”

Logan backed up with each step. “Nah, I’m going to need a bit of time to build up my nerve.”

“But you seem like such a brave man.”

“Wade’s really been excited about this, so I’ll let him have the spotlight first. I’ll just stand around and make sure things don’t get out of hand.”

Before Darla could argue further, one of your colleagues alerted everyone, “We’ll be opening up any minute now!”

“I suggest we all get into places to start this thing on a good note,” you stated.

Darla let out a huff before regaining herself. “Okay.” She flashed a smile in Logan’s direction. “See you later, Logan.” With that, she turned on her heel and led the others away.

Logan scooted over to you. “She is…”

“Yeah,” you agreed. “Just pray that she’ll be too busy walking around pretending to be important to bother.”

“Is that what you’ll be doing?” he teased.

You gasped. “No! I’m going to be walking around actually doing important stuff.” You then got serious. “You really don’t mind hanging around to keep an eye on things?”

“Not at all.”

You nodded. “Thank you.”

“Only for you.”

You felt your cheeks starting to turn red and quickly made your feet lead you away from him.

It was showtime.

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Unbeknownst to you, Logan looked after you as you walked away. He continued to watch you as he stood by the tank. Wade’s jeering at the people who came to dunk him turned into white noise. Even the sound of the crowd reacting whenever Wade did or didn’t get dunked (which he made a big deal of either way) didn’t phase him.

He was only focused on you.

Logan kind of (definitely) had a thing for you, too. He was amazed by your smarts and kindness, which were on full display at the carnival. You would stop to talk to the various families about what a good time they were having. You would coordinate with your colleagues to make sure everything was as it should be. Every now and then, you would look his way. His damn heart skipped a beat every time. Any nerves he had about volunteering for the dunk tank slipped away when he remembered that he was doing this for you.

The surrounding audience erupted into applause as Wade was dunked for the tenth time. Logan joined them this time, albeit halfheartedly. He happened to look up at a nearby clock and see that it was actually an hour later.

It was his turn now.

After helping Wade get out of the tank (the weirdo whispered to him, “That was fun. We should do it again sometime”) and stepping out of his shoes and pants to reveal his swim trunks, Logan hesitantly took his spot inside. He doesn’t know why he expected Wade to be normal about the whole thing.

“Come one, come all!” he shouted, waving his hands wildly in the air. “Now is your chance to dunk the Almighty Wolverine in order to raise money for a bigger tank so you can dunk him again…. with sharks!”

“Screw you,” Logan said through gritted teeth.

As people kept stepping up to their area, he noticed that a lot of the housewives from earlier were dragging their husbands and kids over with wide eyes and drool practically dripping from their mouths. Luckily, for the next hour, everyone who came up to the plate failed in their attempt to hit the ball at the target. At first, the kids tried at the urging of their mothers. When their little ones’ efforts fell short, they turned to their husbands and pleaded for them to try. Some were more than happy to do it to make their wives happy. Others were a bit more reluctant but figured it was better than getting an earful later. All in all, they were somehow obliviously to their ladies’ true motivations.

Whenever he wanted a break from the chaos, Logan’s eyes searched for you. He didn’t have to look for too long. You were only a few feet away, trying to hold back laughter. He smirked but then jumped when a ball got close but not quite to the target. He turned back to you and saw you trying even harder to contain yourself. While he was embarrassed about his mask falling for a second, he was also glad to be the cause of your giddiness.

“Oh, Logan!”

Logan cringed. He knew that woman’s voice, and it could only mean trouble.

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You were having your own kind of fun watching a nervous Logan sitting in the tank as Wade moved all around to hype him up. It wasn’t often you saw Logan like this.

“Oh, Logan!”

You immediately got nervous yourself when you heard a familiar voice rise above the crowd. You watched as one of the last couples of Logan’s hour walked forward - Darla and her husband, Jerry.

She hauled him to the mark on the floor. He was being a good sport about it, thankfully, and paid Wade for three chances. The merc-turned-MC gestured grandly to the man in the hot seat. You wrapped your arms around yourself. While a part of you really wanted to see Logan get dunked, another part of you was not looking forward to the inevitable ogling and catcalls that would follow from the ladies.

You tried to shake those thoughts from your head and maintain a normal expression as you watched Jerry pull back and throw.

“Strike one!” Wade called when the ball missed.

Everyone awed in disappointment. Jerry took a moment before pulling back and throwing again.

“Strike two!” Wade called again.

Jerry got closer that time, and everyone was wondering if his third time would be the charm. You, Wade, Darla, the whole center waited with bated breath as Jerry centered himself for his final attempt.

He pulled back.

He threw with all his might.

The ball hit the target dead in the center.

A small bell went off.

The seat under Logan fell through.

He had a second to catch his breath before he was submerged in the water.

“HOMERUN!!!” Wade exclaimed before joining in with the cheers of the crowd, which included you.

Logan slowly came back up for air and pulled himself back up to his seat. The white wife-beater that he opted to keep on clung to him, revealing every amazing ab and muscle that he had developed over the years. The expected female adulation came fast and strong. However, it didn’t bother you as much as you thought it would because you were too busy getting lost in Logan’s eyes.

He was staring right at you. He then gave you a thumbs up.

You froze, eyebrows up to the sky. You dumbly pointed at yourself before recovering with a thumbs up of your own. A big smile from him was your reward.

Damn the effect this man had on you.

The spell between you broke when Darla rushed up to him with a towel. Logan hesitantly accepted it. As he wiped off his face and dried his hair, Darla got closer to him, making jokes and laughing at them. She was also trying to subtly feel Logan’s arms, catching some stray beads of water. To say you were jealous because she was in a position you had fantasized about more than once would’ve been an understatement.

You tore your gaze away. You needed to distract yourself before your feelings spiraled out of control. Surely there was a concession stand somewhere that needed more snacks or drinks.

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You tried to act professional for the rest of the carnival. You maintained a friendly demeanor with all the families and were patient with your colleagues whenever they needed something. However, going anywhere near the dunk tank proved to be a challenge. You could only stand to be there for a couple of minutes, and they were mostly spent checking in on Wade, collecting the money from that hour’s shift, and making a swift exit. You thought you saw Logan trying to talk to you out of the corner of your eye once or twice. However, he would be intercepted by someone, more often than not a housewife, and your stupid feelings would stir up and force you to run away.

The end of the carnival seemed to come so slowly and yet so suddenly. The last of the families filed out the doors. Most of the equipment and supplies had been put away; the rest would be dealt with the next day. After you said goodbye to everyone at the center, you let out a big sigh of relief.

Another day and job well done.

You felt good… for the most part.

Things were slightly awkward driving back to the apartment complex with Wade and Logan. Logan kept staring at you, you could feel it, but he never got a chance to actually talk to you because Wade went on and on about how much fun he had and how he might want to volunteer more at the center. You smiled and nodded along, wanting nothing more than to get back to your place and celebrate a successful event with a bath, pajamas, and some gummy bears (the safe kind).

Wade kept talking as you all walked slowly inside the complex and up the stairs to your floor. Even as you muttered a “good night, see you tomorrow,” he continued to babble all the way inside his apartment.

You quickly made your way to your place down the hall. You were turning the key in the lock when you saw a shadow come over you. You turned around and were surprised to see Logan right next to you.

“We need to talk,” he said.

“I’m tired, Logan” you lied. “Can we do this tomorrow?”

“I won’t be long. I promise.”

You bit your lip. You had been avoiding things with Logan all day. Maybe this was the universe giving you a chance to settle things once and for all.

“Okay,” you finally agreed.

You finished letting yourself and Logan in. You turned on a light and guided Logan to your living room area, setting your stuff down on your couch. Neither of you dared to take a seat, though. You just stood around, you with your arms folded and Logan with his hands in his pockets.

You attempted to be brave and make eye contact as you went first. “What’s up?”

“I just hadn’t seen you much all day,” Logan explained. “I know you were busy with everything, but anytime you came over you seemed to just shut me out. Are you mad at me?”

Your eyes shifted to anything but Logan. So much for being brave. “No.”

“Look, if I did something wrong-“

“You didn’t,” you insisted.

“You can be honest with me, you know? I can handle it.”

“It’s not you. It was-“

You cut yourself off. Dare you admit your jealousy?

Logan dared you as he asked, “What, sweetheart?”

You closed your eyes. Now or never, you thought. You took a deep breath and finally let it out. “It was all those women. Flirting with you. Trying to feel you up. I just… I couldn’t stand it.”

“Me neither.”

You opened back up, your jaw opening slightly in shock. “What?”

“I didn’t like it either.”

“You didn’t?”

“No way. All those desperate, married gals trying to play cheerleader...” You couldn’t help the laugh that escaped you at his description. “It’s not really my thing.”

“You prefer Wade as your cheerleader?” you found yourself joking.

“He’s a close second,” Logan admitted, which made you laugh again. You suddenly realized that Logan was inching towards to you. “You know who my number one is?”

You shook your head.

“You.”

You blinked at his response. “Me?”

“That’s right.” He moved closer.

“Does that mean… you like me?”

“Yeah. I like you.” Even closer. The only thing keeping his chest from meeting yours was your still-crossed arms.

You stared up at him. Was this really happening? Was Logan actually admitting that he had feelings for you?

“Do you like me?”

His question brought you back to reality. The reality was that, yes, he was admitting his feelings for you. And you had yet to admit the same like you had been wanting to for so long.

You wasted no more time answering him. “Yes. Yes, I like you, Logan. Very much.”

You slowly undid your arms, your hands moving up his arms to feel the skin and biceps that were not covered by his shirt. Logan’s muscles went back and forth between relaxing and tensing under your touch. “You feel so much better than those other women,” he moaned, holding his breath as you brought your hands up to his neck.

His eyes closed as you slowly led him to your mouth. You stopped about a centimeter away in case he wanted to back out. He surged forward, however, sealing things between you two. Your arms fully wrapped around him while his hands held you in place by your hips.

You stood in your living room making out for a considerable amount of time. You eventually had to pull away for air. “Do I taste better than them?”

“I don’t want to think about that right now,” Logan grumbled before pulling back to look at you.

“Then think about this. Can you stand getting wet again?”

“Why?”

“Well, I was going to take a bath. Care to join me?”

“Sweetheart, Wade keeps a gun in his nightstand. If I ever say ‘no’ to that question, I want you to use it on me.”

You raised an eyebrow at his answer. It sounded mighty familiar. “Do you actually pay attention when Wade is making you watch reruns of Modern Family?”

“Again, don’t want to think about that right now.” You were about to make a snappy comeback when Logan picked you up bridal style. You squealed and held on tight. “Right now, all I want is to get wet in a more fun way… with you.”

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Author’s Note 2: Electric Boogaloo: Thank you so much for making it to the end! I ask that you NOT post this story as your own, please. Instead, give it a like/review/bookmark/reblog/all of the above wherever you read it.

Archive of Our Own

“Hey, you,” you echoed, calming down.

He peeked downward. “Whatcha drawing today?” he asked. You flipped your book around to show him your work. He hummed in approval. “Looks good.”

“It’s not done yet, but thank you.” Ray was always supportive of your art. He proved it by asking, “Want to finish up before we go see the real thing?”

“Sure. Let me just fix the hair real quick and then we can go,” you said. Ray helped himself to a seat next to you, scooting over so your bodies were close. His eyes were fixed on you. He thought you looked cute when you concentrated on one of your drawings. He could spend an entire day watching you draw, and there were a few times he came close until his mom called for him to come home for dinner.

“If you keep undressing me with your eyes, I’m going to catch a cold,” you teased without looking up.

Ray chuckled at your bluntness. “I’m not undressing you. I’m just watching you in your element.” You blushed, which gave him the motivation to continue. “You are so beautiful, I swear. You are more beautiful than all the art in all the museums in all the world.”

“Ray…!” You curled in on yourself at his praise.

“What? I’m just stating a fact.”

You pulled yourself up as you said, “You’re not so bad yourself, you know?”

Now it was Ray’s turn to blush. “Come on.”

You giggled at his bashfulness. “It’s true!” You looked up at him, taking him in. Ray had such a nice face. He had deep eyes, freckles, and teeth that were slightly chipped but gave his overall smile a certain charm. It was the kind of thing an artist would kill to put on paper. In fact…

“You should model.”

Ray blinked at you. “What?”

“You should model for me,” you clarified.

“Model for you? Like, for a sketch?” You nodded excitedly. “I… I don’t know. I’m not-“

“Yes you are,” you interrupted him before he could put himself down. “I’ll prove it to you.” With that, you abandoned your replica of the movie poster and turned over to a fresh page in your sketchbook.

“But, babe, what about the movie?” Ray tried.

“We can see it another time.” You began moving Ray back and to the side to fully face you. His hands were placed just so and his hair was fixed.

While he didn’t resist your efforts, he still wasn’t convinced. “What if-?”

“Shh!” You held a finger to his lips, studying him for a second. “You’re perfect. Now shut up, sit still, and let me work my magic.” With that, you leaned back and began to draw your boyfriend.

Ray’s mouth was finally closed, but he had a hard time keeping still. Ray only had experience posing for pictures, and those took just a second. You needed more time, though, which meant more time for him to doubt himself. His eyes darted around nervously. His lips twitched because he didn’t know if you wanted him happy or serious. He had to roll his shoulders more than once and flex his hands because they weren’t use to being so immobile. He didn’t know what exactly you wanted from him, or if he could do it to provide the best possible drawing.

“Ray,” your voice cut through his overthinking, “relax.”

“Sorry, babe.”

You took a short break to assess your progress. So far, you only had gotten the outline of his face, eyes, nose, mouth, and upper body. In order to get the finer details, he needed to loosen up for a natural look. Your mouth quirked up as you thought about what you could do to help him. Maybe if he had something to focus on. Something that made him happy… or someone.

“Ray,” you finally said, “I want you to do something for me, okay?”

“Okay,” he responded warily.

“I want you to think about the first time we met.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Just trust me. Picture the day we met in your mind. Think about every moment and detail the best you can. Alright?” Ray sighed and nodded, closing his eyes. “No, no! Eyes open!”

Ray opened back up in surprise. You could see the wheels in his head turning, trying to follow your instructions. It only took a few seconds for you to notice a change in him. His muscles didn’t seem as stiff. He got a faraway look in eyes, as if he was seeing you for the first time all over again. His mouth slowly turned upward and revealed his teeth. He was really getting into the memory now. He was finally in his natural state.

You immediately went back to work. You wanted to be thorough but fast in case he got too in his head and started to fidget again. Your hand started to cramp from how hard you were working, but you pushed through it.

When you dotted the very last freckle on his face, you took a deep breath. You were done. You dropped your pencil to the side in finality. Your eyes went from your boyfriend on paper to your boyfriend in real life and back again.

“Are you done?” Ray asked, coming out of his daydream.

“Yeah,” you answered quietly.

“And…?”

No matter how confident in your abilities you were in the beginning, you still got nervous when showing your work to anyone in the end. This moment with Ray was no different. You forced yourself to rip the bandaid off and turn your sketchbook around.

Your eyes were glued to Ray. At first, he didn’t seem to react; he just studied himself as you saw him. Next, he looked skeptical, like the drawing you were showing him was of someone else. His features eventually softened before his cheeks got red and his smile got wide. He eventually found his voice. “That is amazing!” he exclaimed. “You are amazing!”

You brightened up at his positive response. “Really?”

“Yeah, babe! You made me look… I mean, I look…!”

Ray didn’t think he would ever find the words to express how good you made him look and, by extension, feel. Instead, he moved the sketchbook aside, placed his hands on your face, and brought you in for a deep kiss. You fumbled with setting your book aside so you could hold onto his arms and melt against his lips.

You made out for a few seconds until you both had to pull back for air. Ray found the energy to whisper, “You are so talented. And I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Ray,” you whispered back. “And you are a work of art. Never doubt that.”

Ray nodded before bringing you back to him. Your makeout session continued for about two seconds before you gasped and said, “You know, if we run, I think we could still make the movie.”

“You think?”

You gave a pointed look. Ray read your mind and hopped up with you to race away from your house and down the street. The porch swing went back and forth before coming to a stop. The drawing of your boyfriend stared up at the beaming sun, with a look so serene and full of love.

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Author’s Note 2: Electric Boogaloo: Thank you so much for making it to the end! I ask that you NOT post this story as your own, please. Instead, give it a like/review/bookmark/reblog/all of the above wherever you read it.

Archive of Our Own

Logan’s puzzled expression deepened. “Why would she say that? And why would you repeat it?”

“Someone’s got to get this story going,” he said with a shrug. With that, he went on chewing his cereal.

Logan scoffed at the response and tried to go back to enjoying his coffee. His mind, however, couldn’t help but think of you. You looked and acted so sweet, which is why Wade’s admission hit him like a ton of bricks.

Is that really what you thought of him?

Were you just using him?

Would you eventually come to your senses and leave him?

These questions plagued Logan for the next couple of days. When he finally saw you again, they intensified. You invited him into your home, offered him a beer, and chatted about your day like everything was fine. Like you hadn’t just called him a pig behind his back.

“Are you okay?” he heard your voice cut through his thoughts. He looked down at you. “You’ve been awfully quiet ever since you got here.” You two were sitting on the couch, his arm around you, your feet tucked underneath you. You looked so cozy.

But Logan knew the truth. And he had to confront it.

“Are you okay?” he finally asked. “With me?”

You straightened up. “What do you mean?”

“Wade told me what you said.” You gave him a look that urged him to clarify.

“He said that you said… that I’m a pig.”

You changed emotions so fast within the next five seconds. First, there was confusion. Next, recollection. Then, remembrance. Finally, glee.

You let out a laugh. Logan’s brows furrowed at you. “What’s so funny?” he asked, probably a bit too harshly. You immediately stopped your outburst. “Oh, Logan, baby, I’m sorry. It was meant to be a compliment.”

“How is calling me a pig a compliment?”

“Because you two are a lot alike! You both lived through a war. You both aren’t afraid to throw down. You both act gruff but secretly have a good heart because of a woman who-“

Logan pulled back as if you grew a second head. “What are you talking about?”

You blinked at him. “Porco Rosso?”

Nothing.

“The character… from the Studio Ghibli movie?”

Still nothing.

“Wade didn’t tell you that I was talking about how you’re like Porco Rosso, did he?”

“No. He just said that you think I’m a pig.”

“Damn him,” you muttered under your breath. You softened up and scooted back over to him to explain yourself. “Honey, I was talking to Wade about movies the other day and Studio Ghibli – they’re an animation studio in Japan, and they make such beautiful movies – came up, and I told him that you remind me of Porco Rosso. He’s a man who is cursed to be a pig but can still act human and he goes around flying planes. When I really thought about it, I mentioned to Wade how you kind of remind me of him. That’s all. It’s nothing bad, I swear. In fact…”

You shot up and raced to your packed DVD bookshelf next to your TV. Logan could only watch as you murmured to yourself, your eyes and fingers scanning the movies with the letter “P.” You let out a squeal when you pulled out your copy of Porco Rosso.

“This is what we’re doing tonight,” you stated.

The next hour and half saw you and Logan watching the adventures of Porco Rosso. And you were right; Logan was kind of like the main character. He found himself smiling and laughing a few times, which made you beam with pride. Before the credits rolled, you already had a list of other Studio Ghibli movies to show Logan in the hopes that he’d like them and see himself in them, too.

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Author’s Note 2: Electric Boogaloo: Thank you so much for making it to the end! I ask that you NOT post this story as your own, please. Instead, give it a like/review/bookmark/reblog/all of the above wherever you read it.

Archive of Our Own