#//I was gonna write more... but then I figured I might be able to have this one open-ended
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do u have any writing tips dar??? Ur stories are immaculate
nonnie?? that's so sweet of you to say, thank youđđ©· in general, a lot comes to mind bc there's so many different components to writing (i.e dialogue, characterisation, structure,, even mindset!!) so if you want to hear abt anything specific pls lmkđ„ș for now tho, i've summarised a few across the subject that i think are helpful, and they will be below the cut bc i'm shit at explaining things, so i ended up writing a lot hhh
i also wanna point out that these are just things that i've personally made note of over the years from my own experiences + being friends w/ other writers, but that doesn't mean they will apply to everyone!! more than anything, i always believe that you shouldn't let other ppl dictate how you do and enjoy things, so if smth works for you and you like it, there's nothing wrong w/ that even if it contradicts an opinion you got from some rando on the internet (a.k.a. međđ)
Know your game
I'd like to say that in writing, there's a vein of liberty that isn't echoed in very many other creative fields; a lot of the times you can go in blind, and still make something of it because the nature of fiction is liquid â if you can imagine it, it can work. So to say, I find that nine times out of ten, room for improvement doesn't necessarily lie in the content of someone's writing, and more so its execution.
You could play a desultory game of chess without knowing all the rules, but if you wanted it to be your best match, you'd have to be aware of every move you could make, no? What you do from there then becomes a matter of choice, and choice is a landmark divider between doing something and being good at doing something. There's a difference in omissions due to lacking the technical knowledge, and omissions made because you are aware they are optimal.
Knowledge on the fundamentals of literature will always serve you, and that isn't to say you have to study all forms and contexts, but if you want to write a story, for example, it will always help to know the common elements of one. Grammar, punctuation, structure â brushing up on those things will build your toolkit, and once you've got that, you have the self-autonomy to decide what to use from it. My three favourite writers only use commas and full stops, and their works are, on all levels, spectacular. Still, if you asked them how to use a semi-colon, they'd be able to tell you.
Appreciating the basics will also tie into your creative exploration as a writer, which is a cornerstone in developing your distinctive writing style. I doubt a person in any type of craft hasn't heard a variation of know the rules before you break them, so studying until you do, inside out, remains beneficial to both new and old writers alike.
2. Have a starting point
This tip is fairly applicable to a range of different types of writing, and how one would practice it depends strongly on individual preference and styles of working. Some people like to plan things out thoroughly whilst others, including myself, like to dive in headfirst, and there's nothing wrong with either approach. The commonality between both types of writer is that regardless, they will have at least a vague idea of where to start from â a scene that they've bullet-pointed prior, a lyric that resonated with them, a mental image, an emotion or even just a single word that everything branches from. What all these details achieve is writing that has motion, because you have something of substance to piggyback you to an end point (the establishment of which is also important, but I will not be covering in this post).
3. Decide a structure
Again, this can be done both comprehensively or as simply as just having the thought to adhere to a certain method. As you gain more experience as a writer, you'll begin to understand what works best for you and create a system of your own, but starting out, there are a number of templates that have already been established by writers that you can follow, and find by researching. What matters most is that by using one â whichever it may be â you're turning your text into a story.
As an example, I'll detail two that I use regularly, in their simplest forms for the sake of brevity:
A linear narrative moves from point A to point B, and from point B to point C, etc. and all subsequent points build on the previous ones until your goal is reached. It's a system that works well for shorter pieces because it has a definite structure, like a length of spine and its individual vertebrae (and although we're talking about writing here, I think Newton's Third Law of Motion sums it up very well: every action has a reaction.)
A coalescing narrative considers all points as separate elements that may or may not always interact, but all contribute to the end point to different extremes. It's a useful template for creating depth in a piece, but due to its complexity, is better applied to longer projects.
They are visualised respectively below.


4. Iterate
If you think of your first draft as a block of clay, everything you do to it will equate to it being moulded and shaped, and if you think of your first draft as a skeleton, everything you do to it will equate to flesh being put on the bones. If you want your piece to be the best it can be, there's a sort of detachment you must have from it, where you won't have the fear of changing it until it is in the image of what you have intended. Write and rewrite, add things, take them away, make a separate copy for every edit if that makes it easier for you, but keep working it until you are happy.
Iteration doesn't just apply to drafts â chapters, paragraphs, sentences and even singular words can be given the same treatment. When you pick up the habit, the process becomes second-nature and you'll find that the first lines you put down are the ones that make it into the final piece, and that is in light of sorting through the renditions unconsciously. Additionally, you don't have to do things in one sitting; sometimes taking a break and coming back to your writing with a fresh outlook is valuable.
5. Analyse and apply
One piece of advice I always see given when someone asks how to improve their writing is to read more, and though it is â at its core â a tip worth acknowledging, it always comes across as unserviceable to me. There is nothing that reading will change for you if you are not actively practicing the things you learn, or even actively learning to begin with. So to address it as a matter of semantics, I feel it's best put as studying the writing of others, as opposed to reading.
If you have a favourite author, go over their works twice â once as a reader to identify what you like about them, and then again as a writer to identify why you like those things. To put it into context, if I read something and decided that I enjoyed how clear and easy to understand it was, I'd do a second pass to figure out the attributing qualities. Perhaps it's the use of punctuation, chosen sentence forms or even the simplicity of words used. My first tip of knowing different literary fundamentals is complementary here, because it makes the analysis and application of isolated features that much more smooth, and also means you'd be able to adapt them into your own style instead of just copying the other writer, which is what you want to avoid.
(Some writers I personally recommend studying are @ozzgin, @monstersholygrail, @aayakashii and @urprettylildoe for readability and clarity in execution, @moyazaika, @carnivorousyandeere and @purerae for characterisation and dialogue, @suiana and @unhappy-last-resort for engaging plots and concepts, and @sabotsen and @lirational for word choice.)
#lovenotesfromdar#one more informal piece of advice bc i focused a lot on the technicalities here but it's also super important to be kind to yourself!!#just the other day i was editing the doc w/ sun's story in it so my friend could beta read and i spent a lot of time#beating myself up about the quality of writing not being consistent across some of the chapters and i got over myself eventually but i thin#k it's so easy for writers to fall into the mindset that they are the sum of all their works and if you fall short on one or it isn't up to#par with your standard you can get angry and frustrated w/ yourself and stuff#but truth be told; you're not always going to be at your best bc things happen#you're gonna have bad days and days where you're super tired or things have been shitty#days where you're stressed out or feeling emotional#and days where you wanna quit#and you'll write on those days and the outputs aren't going to be mirrors of your works on your best days bc at the end of the day we are#only human and things impact us and though you might be the same person holding the pen each time what you're able to create will obviously#change w/ the amount of boulders on your back as a figure of speech#so also be patient w/ yourself is my last tip#okay that's it i will legally change my name to waffletron3000 now this was not meant to get this long lmao i have two assignments due#also sorry to everyone i tagged at the endđ
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Iâm writing the jancy rear window au for one of the days of jancy week
#I couldnât figure out what to draw for it so Iâm writing#idk how good it will be Iâve never written a suspenseful mystery before#from a perspective like that at least (I did kinda write one in my writing class but it wasnât very good)#but I did grow up reading and watching mystery books (Thea Stilton you will always be famous) and shows#so just from having that knowledge maybe ot wonât be too bad (anyways Iâm gonna write this for me cause no one and I mean NO ONE#from my knowledge has written a rear window au for st yet so for that reason Iâm writing it :3#and also cause as Iâve said previously itâs VERY jancy)#I hope Iâll be able to finish it in time (I might use it as a writing warm up now that Iâll be writing more for school)#anyways I should probably do homework now instead of writing this fic. Iâve got A LOT to do and Iâd do none of it yesterday#stranger things#jancy
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@pri-rp liked for a Toad starter
Phew, what a day. Toad hid behind the castle entrance, as a couple wild Ptooies ran pas in a crowded fashion. He might like adventuring and exploring, but he also likes to live too! After a quick shake, he felt like he had to go check up on the Princess, and get his mind away from any thoughts of imminent peril.
"Hey, Princess? Princess!" He called out, as he walked past the big, grand hallways; She wasn't at the throne room, with the big chair and the stairs and all that... nor was she admiring the view of the balcony! So then where could the Princess be at?
Just as Toad started to get a little curious, he began to hear the sounds of... gardening tools? Of course, the garden! And so, that's where he decided to follow.
#pri-rp#Bup (Toad)#//I was gonna write more... but then I figured I might be able to have this one open-ended
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for @eriquin for this week's WIP Wednesday Game in exchange for getting me to do more Sorrows editing
"So, we don't need to evacuate?" David looked at Keith, who just shrugged, helpless. "I mean, just cuz it's not a hull breech doesn't mean we aren't about to explode, but there's a lot of things I have to check first, so I don't know, maybe?"
#wip wednesday game#my writing#stinw#the kingdom#inching closer to being able to start posting sorrows#i want to have edited enough of it that i can see where any major changes are going to be#there's a couple of events later in the fic i want to streamline#so that might mean more changes to the early chapters later#but once i can figure those out#i'm gonna start posting
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WEBCAM PERV! (1)
pairings â„ heeseung x fem!reader
point of view â„ third person, omniscient
warnings â„ mutual masturbation, cyberstalking, noncon recording
synopsis â„ you meet heeseung on omegle and quickly hit it off until you accidentally disconnect. feeling at a loss from not being able to find him again, you give up and live life as if it never happened. unbeknownst to you, however, he turns out to be a hacker who hacked into your camera, resorting to watching your secretly from behind the screen⊠until he didnât.
genre â„ smut
word count â„ 4.4k
taglist: @rayofsunshineeee
Webcam Perv! (2)
authorâs note: sorry it took me a bit longer to release, i ended up rewriting over the whole draft. i was gonna write the full story in one go, but if thereâs one thing you should know about me, itâs that i love making series. anyway i hope yall enjoy! & a reminder that my requests are open (send as an ask or submission pls do not dm me lol). go check out my other stories while youâre at it bc i have much more cooking! not proofread so donât come for me!
y/n lay blank faced on her bed with her phone in hand. it had been hours since sheâd gotten home from her classes, and now she was just scrolling mindlessly on tiktok out of boredom. her room was quiet except for the occasional hum of her heater and the everchanging audios blasting from her phoneâs speakers.
she sighed, tossing her phone to the side resorting to staring at the ceiling. as the days were growing colder, y/n couldnât help but to feel this growing sense of loneliness creeping in, like there was something missing that she couldnât quite put her finger onă
Ąexcitement was the closest word she think of. she didnât have many friends to talk to, or text, or hang out withâjust her best friend natty, but the girl was currently unreachable as she had already fallen asleep after their brief phone call.
midterms were always the dryest times for y/n. after spending hours in the library, forcing far too many categories of knowledge down her throat for her own goodă
Ą just to end up with barely above average scores, she was too drained to do much of anything else when she got home. but, it was hard to just sleep. she was intransigent when it came to resting after studying because she wanted to give herself the free time sheâd lost instead. usually being on her phone, and rotting her brain away with the useless curated content that she handpicked for herself would suffice. but on days like thisă
Ą where her studying ended close to (or in this case, after) midnight, it wasnât nearly enough to satisfy the dopamine she was longing for.
after a few moments of lying in a frozen state of staring off into nothing, she reached for her laptop, opening it on impulse. omegle. it had been a while since sheâd used it, and honestly, it wasnât the best idea, but she figured it might help pass the time. and maybe itâd even give her some form of human interaction, though her hopes werenât too high given the websiteâs reputation. she typed âk-popâ into the category field, hoping itâd narrow down the pool to people around her age who might share at least one interest with her.
the first few chats werenât anything special. she ran through the typical brief hellos, the awkward pauses, and of course the familiar âstranger has disconnected.â a few times, however, she was met with the sight of creepy old men who took pleasure in flashing, reacting at lightning speed to skip the chats before things could get worse. some people seemed normal at first, friendly even, but as soon as theyâd start saying weird thingsă
Ąor worse, making noises that gave away their intentions, itâd soil her mood once again as she refreshed her tab.
after getting skipped again for the umpteenth time, y/n found herself hovering her mouse over the ânew chatâ button, debating. she looked at the clock in the corner of her screen, she had already wasted 30 minutes trying to find a normal human being to talk to. she was beginning to wonder if this was really a good idea to begin with. was it even worth possibly getting harassed for another half hour, in the name of being social? she weighed her options: she could either waste another 2 hours on tiktok, or go to bed. neither seemed appetizing for the hunger of connection she craved. with a sigh, she decided to try one more. and if it didnât work out, it just meant that it was time to call it a night. she clicked to start a new chat.
stranger is typingâŠ
stranger: hii
you: hello
stranger: m23
you: f22
stranger: cam?
you: earn it?
this one didnât seem too bad so far, but she wasnât going to make an early judgement. the man seemed to respect her decision as he quickly changed the conversation. they kept things light, alternating on asking each other random questions back and forth about hobbies, favorite foods, movies, shows, and music. the conversation was easy, fun even, and y/n found herself smiling a little despite the earlier frustration. it was like she was finally getting what she was looking for. with the conversation being tame, he took it as a green light to ask again.
stranger: can i see you now?
you: fine lol
y/n hesitated before turning her camera on and adjusted her hair quickly before looking at the screen. the male in her vision had a sharp, almost angelic face, with delicate features that seemed to be personally sculpted by the man above. his hair was dark and tousled, the slight messiness giving him a laid-back, calm vibe with his headset only adding character to his visual as they laid over his ears. his eyes were a captivating deep brown. they were soft and friendly, it made it hard to look away. even through the webcam, it was clear he had this undeniable charm, his steady gaze hinting that he knew the effect he had on others. the two of them stayed still, ogling each other for a bit, the stare down only being interrupted when he abruptly started typing again.
stranger is typingâŠ
stranger: damn ur fine lol
you: thx so are you
stranger: you in korea?
you: yeah
stranger: me too
stranger is typingâŠ
stranger: audio?
you: yk what? yeah
heeseung and y/n both go to turn on their audio. while her room was silent, disregarding the small noise coming from her roomâs heater, heeseung had r&b music softly playing in the background. it only added to this boy next door vibe she was getting from him. the two of them were silent for a second before heeseung decided to break the ice by speaking first.
âhello? let me know if you can hear me.â his voice came through clearly, deep and smooth, carrying a natural warmth that drew her in without him even trying. a part of her was convinced he had to secretly be a weirdo. what was someone as attractive as him even doing on this site, yet alone at this hour? she took a breath before answering.
âhi, yeah i can hear you,â she replied, her tone a little uncertain, unsure of how to match his cool energy. she wasnât exactly the extroverted type of person to begin with, you can only imagine how much harder it was to speak when such a captivating face was waiting for her response in real time.
heeseung only chuckled softly, the sound seamlessly exuding natural confidence. âso⊠i guess we finally get to talk now.â
y/n smiled at his words, her need for approval rising as she juggled through all the responses she could make to keep him engaged, âyeah, seems like it,â she responded, her voice was steady now as she tried to shake off the nervousness creeping in.Â
heeseung chuckled, shifting closer to his keyboard as his fingers danced over the keys. the music in the background shifted, the beat changing just as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. his voice lowered a notch as he spoke, a hint of amusement in his tone. âiâm, heeseung, by the way.â
ây/n,â she responded.
âi gotta admit,â he said, âi wasnât sure if youâd actually turn on your mic.â
âwhyâs that?â she asked, an almost muted giggle escaping her lips as she twirled a strand of her hair, her fingers displaying how nervous she felt. heeseung watched her with a quiet intensity, noticing every little movement she made. the way her fingers fidgeted and how she avoided meeting his gaze through the screen.
âi donât know,â he said, his tone lazy and nonchalant, but holding a teasing undertoneă
Ą a subtle shift she didnât quite catch onto. âguess iâm just lucky you did.â he didnât say anything about her fidgeting, though. he didnât need to. she seemed like the type to change her behavior once it was called out, and he was more captivated by it than he let on. there was something about her shyness, moreso the way she couldnât quite hide it, that intrigued him. âso, what do you usually do when youâre not chatting with strangers on the internet?â
his question had caught y/n off guard for a brief moment, another nervous laugh slipping past her lips as she tugged on her shirtâs collar, adjusting it to make sure nothing was out of place though she didnât actually need to. she didnât know why, but something about talking to him felt different from the others. âuh, not much⊠if iâm not studying, i just watch tiktoks or call my friend if sheâs not tired.â she replied hoping the answer sounded casual enough.
âhm, sounds like youâve got some time to kill,â heeseung smirked, inching his chair closer to the screen. he opened a second tab, the soft clatter of his typing blending effortlessly with the mellow r&b drifting through the background.
âyeah, guess i do. lifeâs⊠kinda mundane, you know?â y/n replied sheepishly. her gaze followed his, noting the slight movement of his hands just out of view, but chucking it up to him searching for another song to play as the music shifted again. he didnât back away from the screen this time, though. instead, he kept his eyes locked on hers, unwavering.
âi get it,â heeseung replied, his voice lowering slightly, but still keeping its laidback manner, like they were just two people having an ordinary conversation. âiâm the same, but i'm more of a youtube guy, i found out about this site through a video on there.â as he spoke, his finger subtly danced across the keyboard, the screen flickering with the quiet download of her IP address. his eyes stayed on the camera, his expression open and unreadable, like he was genuinely listening to her.
âthatâs interesting, this app usually has a bad rep. like, thereâs only creeps on here,â y/n said, though her words seemed to be misunderstood as heeseung furrowed his brows.
âare you trying to insinuate that iâm a creep?â
her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. a stutter broke through her words. âwhat?! no! iâm just sayingâiâve run into a lot of them tonight before i landed on you. so i was just⊠i donât know. forget i said anything.â she sulked, her face reddening with embarrassment at her failed attempt to relate. heeseung watched in awe, his lips curving into a small, knowing smile, at her mannerisms, finding every one of her reactions so cute. sensing her discomfort, he smoothly shifted the topic.
âiâm kidding, y/n.â he grinned, showcasing his pearly whites. âso⊠whatâs one thing youâve always wanted to do but never got around to?â he asked, his tone light, but there was an underlying intensity to his gaze. he wasnât just asking out of curiosity; he was studying her, absorbing every word she said, as if her answers would tell him everything he needed to know.
y/n paused, thinking for a moment before she answered. âprobably traveling more. i feel like iâm always stuck in the same routine.â
âyeah, routines can be⊠limiting. but theyâre also comforting, right?â he paused, his eyes flickering to a different part of his screen for just a moment before he continued. âyou know, sometimes itâs those little moments, when everything feels a little too safe, that you need to shake things up.â he spoke so casually, like he was giving advice, but it sounded a bit odd to y/n. she couldnât shake the feeling that there was more to his words, though she couldnât put her finger on what it was. regardless, she found herself wanting to stay, wanting to know more. and she was always too paranoid for her own good anyway. it was probably nothing.
âi guess.â
âoh. yeah, but is that the only reason youâre on here?â heeseungâs fingers were still moving on his keyboard, the quiet clicking of the keys going unnoticed now. he wasnât just talking anymoreâhe was already pulling the strings, weaving a subtle web around her, all while his words remained smooth and harmless. y/nâs lips pursed in thought, the sudden change in the atmosphere making her feel more curious than she was letting on.
âwhat do you mean?â she asked, confusion creeping into her tone as she leaned forward, trying to get a better look at him. heeseungâs system, working silently in the background, had breached the security of her wifi by now, scanning through the connected devices, its main goal being to gain access to her phone.
âi mean⊠itâs almost 4am, saturday night. youâre a cute girl, seem kind of introverted, but you give off this vibe... like youâre looking for some fun.â
whatever dimwitted perception y/n formed of him had shattered. he was no different from any of the other men sheâd encountered prior. âoh. i donât really do⊠that,â she replied, a slight pout playing on her lips. she moved her mouse to hover over the skip button, but she didnât click it. something was keeping her here. maybe it was the way he looked at herâtoo attractive, too confident. she wasnât sure, but she didnât move.
heeseung noticed her hesitation, his grin widening. âoh, neither do i,â he said in a humoring manner, brushing her reaction off as if his earlier comment didnât mean anything. âi just had to test the waters. can you blame me though? itâs not every day you meet an attractive girl on here. you said it yourself, thereâs usually only creeps on here, right?â
âyeah,â she laughed, the sound effortlessly drawn out as she got caught in the pull of his charm. any cautions she had before seemed to dissipate as she got lost in his eyes. she debated whether she should just give inâit wasnât like theyâd see each other again, right? but then, the stories about girls who made impulsive choices, and got extorted, crept into her mind. the fear of becoming just another statistic arose.
âwhat do you have in mind?â she asked, her words slipping out before she could think them through. her people-pleasing tendencies had kicked in, but the smile that spread across his face made her heart race. somehow, it felt good, like she was doing something right. and that made it feel worth it. rewarding, even.
âwhatever youâre offering, baby,â heeseung replied smoothly, his voice dipping into an unfamiliar, alluring tone that made her body tingle. as he spoke, his hand moved subtly off-screen, clicking to start recording. the faintest smirk curled on his lips as he leaned closer to the camera, his eyes burning into hers with a suggestiveness that made her feel seen in a way she hadnât before. desired. wanted.
âi donât know,â she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. a nervous smile played on her lips as her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. her eyes darting away from the camera before flicking back to his. âiâve never done anything like this before.â
heeseung tilted his head slightly, his smirk widening as he studied her. there was something about her naivety, the way she danced on the edge of her own boundaries, that made his pulse quicken. he decided then and there that if he wasnât already obsessed before, he definitely was now. utterly and completely.
âwell, iâm honored to be the first,â his voice dripped with seduction, but his eyes glinted with something far more sinister.
her cheeks flushed as she hesitated again, her fingers picking at the fabric of her shirt before she finally blurted, âcould you maybeâŠâ she paused, laughing softly at how ridiculous she felt to ask. âshow me something, too? just to keep it fair.â her words made heeseung pause for a moment before a low chuckle escaped him, growing into full, unrestrained laughter. he leaned back in his chair, shaking his head in amusement, his eyes never leaving her face.
she was truly a characterâeverything about her was so⊠adorable. her openness, her immediate trust in a complete stranger, and the impulsivity that seemed to pour out of her without a second thought. it was intoxicating. she was everything heâd been looking for, everything someone like himâa man with desires he dared not say aloudâwould dream of finding. and yet, beneath his amusement, there was a darker realization. if she wasnât careful and kept giving away pieces of herself so easily, someone would take advantage of her. someone crueler, more reckless, more dangerous than him. he couldnât let that happen. not with anyone else at least. she was his now. and if she was going to be ruined, it would only be by him.
âwould you like it better if i go first?â heeseung inquired, his voice smooth as the corners of his lips nearly curled into a restrained smirk. he watched her reaction closely, catching the way her quick, almost desperate nod betrayed her displayed excitement. it was endearing, almost painfully so. it drove him crazy. he pursed his lips, feigning contemplation, before his smile grew wider, softer. âthought so,â he murmured, his tone carrying just enough teasing warmth to make her feel both at ease. she was completely under his spell.Â
he reached for his webcam, the movement slow as he decided to savor the moment. tilting it slightly, he aimed it downward, the lens capturing his relaxed posture, legs spread comfortably wide. the soft fabric of his sweatpants clung to him in just the right way, emphasizing his figure without him needing to do much at all. the unthought of confidence in his movements was enough to hold her gaze, her breath catching as the tension in the air thickened. his hands grazed over the fabric covering his length, a small hiss of relief leaving his lips as he did so. she had already gotten him painfully hard without even trying.
lifting his hips, he slides his sweats down. just enough for him to pull his cock out, an unintentional gasp falling from y/nâs lips at the sight of it. he couldnât hide the rush of pride that surfaced at her reaction. it was a response heâd grown accustomed to from his long list of other victims on the site, but there was something about y/n that struck him differently. her wide-eyed gaze, the way her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to speak but couldnât find the wordsâit was enough to ignite a deeper need within him, a desire to draw her in further, to leave her completely captivated by him.
a quiet curse slipped past his lips as he stroked, his hand barely being able to wrap around its girth. his movements were meticulous, unhurried as he moved to spread his precum over the rest of his length. he leaned back slightly, his gaze never leaving her face. his dark eyes carried a silent command, the faintest nod of his head urging her to follow his lead. he didnât have to say a wordâhis confidence, his control, it was all laid bare in the way he watched her, waiting to see how far she would go.
it was then that y/n realized she couldn't back out now. not that she wanted toă
Ą her curiosity, mingled with the pull he had over her, kept her rooted in place. but it was starting to feel too real, the weight of the moment sinking in as she hesitated, unsure of what he was expecting. the fact that he left it up to her made it even more difficult. her mind raced as she nervously tugged at the bottom of her shirt, praying her choice would be enough to satisfy him.
heeseung's gaze didn't waver, his expression unreadable but intent, as though he were savoring every second of her hesitation. when she finally moved, lifting her shirt to display her breasts. her cheeks burned as she moved her hands over one, massaging and pinching her nipples. his lips twitched into the faintest smile. to her, his reaction was subtle, leaving her questioning if she'd done enough.Â
but to heeseung, it was everything. to him, everything about her was intoxicating, from the nervous way she moved, to the unsure glances she gave him. he would have been satisfied just seeing her collarbone. his heart raced at the thought of how easily she gave in, how willingly vulnerable she was in front of him. it inflated his ego even more, knowing he was the first to witness this side of her.
he forced himself to keep his expression composed, though his excitement was nearly impossible to contain. the speed of his fingers absentmindedly sped up, thinking of how heâd be able to relive it again later tonight. and heâd make sure to replay every moment, over and over, obsessing over the way she unwittingly gave herself to him.âah~ fuck, y/n,â he whimpered, unable to contain the heat growing over him. his eyes snapped shut, immediately imagining his hand to be hers. his hips bucked, as he began thrusting into his fist chasing the feeling of a body he knew now that he just had to get his hands on. tonight wasnât going to be enough, he needed more.Â
y/n didnât know where her confidence was coming from when her free hand snaked its way down to the hem of her shorts as she pushed past them straight into her panties. she scooted into a slouch allowing herself easier access as she began rubbing on her clit, the pressure soothing its throbbing ache and sending a sweet, shocking sensation throughout her body. she couldnât bite back the moan that slipped oută
Ą the noise sounding like music to heeseungâs ears. oh how jealous he was of her hands now. being able to touch her because he couldnât. it wasnât enough, nowhere near it.
âlook at me,â he murmured, his voice rough, making her cheeks flush as she slowly opened her eyes to meet his. his gaze was full of desire, making her feel small in a way that was strangely exhilarating. she found herself wanting nothing more than to impress him. she bit her lip as she quickly moved to lower the camera, aiming it to display more of her chest and downward before returning to her prior position on the chair. it didnât even matter to him that her shorts kept her beautiful cunt a mystery to himă
Ą the whole picture was so fucking sexy. the way she was playing with her nipples, pinching and rolling them, the speed of her circular motions increasing as she chased her orgasm, the way her tongue rested on her bottom lip before she bit it, the way sheă
Ą
âheeseung~ oh my god.â
fuck. if he was wasnât already stroking fast enough, he was moving at godspeed now. he wasnât sure how much longer he could hold back. he rubbed his thumb along his tipâs slit as he kept his pace, the action leaving his hips stuttering. he was so close, and y/n was too. she couldnât control the volume of her moans, gripping her breast like her life depended on it. âiâm gonna cum, oh my god, oh my god,â the desperation in her voice made him come undone as he bit back a loud, throaty moan. but she kept going, still chasing her climax as her moans got choked out the harder she went on herself.
just as she was about to cum, when she was almost there, her computer suddenly shut down. the screen went black without warning, leaving only an empty, lifeless void. heeseung watched as her screen flickered and then turned dark, his heart sinking in frustration. âfuck!â he swore, shooting forward in his chair, eyes fixed on the blank screen. he slammed a fist on the desk in irritation before quickly ending the recording. his hands moved frantically over the keyboard, reopening his hacking program, desperately trying to figure out what went wrong.
y/n didnât even notice, her orgasm crashed over her as she felt like every nerve, and cell in her body had come undone. she kept her eyes closed as she let out a breathless sigh, regaining her composure. after a few seconds, y/n opened her eyes to see that her laptop was blank. she frantically clicked on buttons trying to turn it on, clicking the power button which only displayed a red drained battery as if to mock her further. of all times it could have decided to die, why now? the frustration and panic settled in as she realized she may never get to see him again. she didnât have any ways to contact him, but would he even want to hear from her again? doubt clouded her mind. now there was no way of knowing. she wanted to keep talking to him, but the odds seemed slim. with a heavy sigh, she jumped up, scrambling to plug her laptop into the charger.
meanwhile, heeseung was still navigating through her information. he had closed out of omegle and now his focus was entirely on troubleshooting. he noticed her computer no longer showed up on the network, the last activity was two minutes ago. âthat piece of shit mustâve died,â he grumbled under his breath. he figured now would be the time to access her phoneâs camera as it would be useless trying to find her again on the website. switching servers on the program, he downloaded the data to his phone and went to lay down. he watched through the front camera on her phone, but it remained in the same spot unmoving. he was getting frustrated.
y/n had wasted almost 45 minutes skipping through hundreds of people in search of his face on omegle. but to no avail, his face never came up again. it was 6am, and she had plans with natty to go through with in the evening. as much as she didnât want to right now, she had to sleep. oth of them, in their own way, ended up resigned to their separate fates. y/n reluctantly accepted her defeat, bitterly acknowledging that the night had slipped away. but at least for heeseung, there was a sense of satisfaction in knowing he would have another chance to see her again. this wouldnât be the last time they crossed paths. heâd make sure of that.
Webcam Perv! (2)
#enhypen x reader#enhypen imagines#enhypen scenarios#enhypen x you#enhypen smut#heeseung x reader#heeseung x you#heeseung scenarios#enhypen heeseung#heeseung imagines#heeseung smut#heeseung x female reader
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âââ
đȘ'đź đŻđ°đ” đšđ°đŻđŻđą đŁđŠ đ”đ©đŠ đ°đŻđŠ đ”đ° đšđŠđ” đđȘđ§đ© .
ââ âč àŁȘ Ë everyone has warned you about the less than shining reputation of women's hockey team captain daniela avanzini. arrogant, hot-headed, so, so bad for you, and extremely off-limits. so why is it that you can't get the blonde out of your head?
â ââ ââ âËËËâââïžâââč àŁȘ ËââđàË. ââ âá”á”ââ âđïž
ââ ⎠pairing: hockey captain! daniela avanzini x coach's daughter! f!reader
ââ ⎠genre + wc: 23k, college au, forbidden/off-limits romance, friends w benefits to lovers?, sneaking around, slow burn, angst, bad communication, they start off toxic sorry not sorry, fuckboy/fratboy jock dani, reader's "i can fix him" energy is much too strong, however "you fall first she falls harder."
ââ ⎠you might want to tune in...: hurt (250 remix) - newjeans
âââ
a/n: and we are all now officially full circle in the ditto verse to welcome home our fav fuckboy daddy dani <3 let me know what you think. i know it was a ton but i had so much fun exploring this dynamic i just couldn't stop adding to it. i'm gonna miss u hockeyverse!wigline but they were genuinely so much fun to write. hit me up with any ideas for anyone, i'd love to write a few shorter things/imagines and get more creative! thank you again for your time and all the love everyone has given this series! <3
cw:// mentions of recreational drug use, suggestive themes, mild violence but it's a hockey fic so that was to be expected i think....
[*set one year following the events of ditto/hlbwfil!]
âand another thing, your location stays on at all times.â your dadâs rambling to making sure you know exactly how little freedom you have. âyou go to class, you come to practice, you go to the library maybe, and you go home.â
you cross your arms. âdining hall?â
âfine, dining hall.â he huffs. âi want permission before you step foot off this campus.â
ânot happening,â you tell him simply. the vein in his forehead looks like itâs about to burst.Â
âoh, are you paying for your own lawyer? after all the shit you pulled, youâre lucky you were even able to transfer.â he glares you down, his brow twitching. âiâm trying to keep you from ruining your life, y/n.â
ây/n,â your mom adds sternly, as a warning. âyou have no idea how lucky you are that you get to start fresh after this.â
âyeah, no cheer, no friends, basically under house arrest, finishing college in the stupid boring city i grew up in instead of literally anywhere else. i feel like a real winner,â you roll your eyes, disappearing upstairs to go find your laptop before they can keep lecturing you.
you can talk back all you want, but theyâve never listened anyways.Â
the last thing you want for your junior year of college is to have to start over, but here you are, trying to memorize the layout of this confusing campus before classes start tomorrow. you slip your earphones in and close your eyes, trying to get some rest. you have a feeling this semester is going to be a hard one.
-
youâve always hated growing up in this city. he drives you to campus together and you hate the fact that youâre a year away from graduating and getting a ride from your dad still. you find your way around your first few classes and end sitting next to a gorgeous bobbed girl in your world literature class.Â
âdo you care about this stuff?â you ask, figuring you might as well make friends if youâre going to have to start over.
âi do,â she nods.
âwould you be down to study with someone who doesnât?â
she laughs and gives you a quick once-over. âyou give trustworthy vibes.â
your dad was extremely clear. classes, practice, then straight home. you make your way to the stadium to get to their practice, under your dadâs direction after you get lost twice. you hate feeling the eyes on you as you walk into the training area, clearly a new face amongst people whoâve been training together since the summer time.
ânew prospect?â someone asks.Â
your dad clears his throat and motions to you. âthis is y/n, my daughter, sheâll be shadowing for the season.â
âi didnât know you had a girl, coach,â a blue-haired girl says curiously, waving up at you as you set your stuff down on a bench.
youâre not surprised. he usually only talks about the boys, your two older brothers, and how one is currently a commentator for the nhl and the other runs a hockey training camp on the east coast.Â
âsheâll be stats manager,â he tells them, and it catches you by surpriseâ itâs the first youâre hearing of it.Â
âisnât that the assistant coachâs job?â you question.
âalways good to have an extra pair of eyes,â he says, glaring over at you, almost threateningly, and the double meaning isnât lost on you.
âwelcome to the team,â a tall brunette says to you as she gets on the ice, and you smile appreciatively at everyone who acknowledges you, even if itâs just kissing your ass to get better with your dad.Â
you hate starting new. you watch a red-haired girl, a ginger, and a blonde coming down the rafters, gear in hand, the blonde laughing as the red-haired girl tries grabbing her by the shoulder. theyâre approaching you quickly, and maybe you should move out of the way of the player box, but by the time the thought occurs, theyâre in front of you.Â
âoff limits,â you hear the red-haired girl say quickly.
âwhat is?â you ask, but youâre cut off by a rush of someone in your bubble.Â
âhi,â the blonde girl, now just inches out of your face, greets breathlessly, a giant smile on her face. âyou are absolutely gorgeous.â
oh god. itâs a strong first impression, but the way her dimple creases in the corner of her cheek makes your heart thud. you feel your cheeks turning red and already abandoning you.
âthank you,â you manage, before the taller ginger yanks her back.
âare you sure youâre related to our coach?â the red-haired one laughs. âthe big bald dude who looks like heâll shit himself at minor inconveniences?â
âdna test says iâm his,â you joke weakly.Â
you can hear them mumbling amongst themselves as they get on the ice and skate away.
âgod damn,â the blonde shakes her head.Â
âoff limits,â another girl echoes, shoving into her shoulder.Â
your dad hands you a clipboard, and the assistant coaches comes up to you to break down your new job. you look up and spot the blonde on the ice. the assistant coachâs words get lost in your ear. maybe youâll let yourself enjoy the view.
practice is long and tedious. youâve never been a hockey girl, much to your dadâs frustration, so watching this is like torture for the past two hours.Â
you hear a sharp whistle, the one that someone blows from between their teeth. your eyes snap up to meet those sharp mischievous ones, staring you down from the ice.Â
âdani, donât fucking startââ you hear the goalie warn, but the blonde is already blasting past her, building up a dangerous amount of speed.Â
realizing her pleas are on deaf ears, the goalie cheers instead, hollering at the top of her lungs. you laugh. what a girlâ if you canât stop her, might as well cheer her on.
without a single ounce of hesitation, this âdaniâ girl pivots to skate backwards, braces down, and leaps up to land a recklessly tossed backflip. you almost wish sheâd crash, just to wipe that shit-eating grin off her faceâ but no, she wobbles but sticks the landing, and you get the hint that this isnât the first time sheâs done something like this.
âavanzini, we said no more with the fucking backflips! stop showing off,â the assistant coach grunts. âten laps since you want to be such a smart ass.â
she looks over at you one last time and flashes a grin at the assistant coach. âiâll do eleven as an apology.â
sheâs still doing laps when your dad gives a quick reminder about tomorrowâs practice and waves the girls off. they trickle off the ice and towards their gear one by one. youâre waiting for your dad before you hear a tap on the plexiglass, turning to spot the blonde waving at you from the other side.
âhey, donât forget about me when you leave here today, alright?â she grins.
âalready forgot your name,â you tell her, and you wonât mention having picked up on it from the goalie.
âitâs dani.â she breathes up against the plexiglass and traces the letters in. she grins charmingly, pointing to the word written in the fog of her breath against the glass. âd-a-n-i. now you wonât forget it, promise?â
you shake your head laughing as she skates past you. your dad is on another lecture as the two of you drive home, him rambling something about who knows what. youâre not listening, anyways.
you donât want to give her the satisfaction, but her stupid antics worked. you canât get the blonde out of your head.Â
-
chaewon, the girl from your literature class, adopts you and somehow youâre always 2 degrees of separation from that stupid team. chaewon is dating one of the defenders, the blue-haired girl named yunjin, but luckily chaeâs other friends donât care for hockey quite as much.Â
going to practice is still a pain, but the girls are never mean to you. you start to pick up on the names, the dynamics of the girls, and how your dad sees them. he mentioned last names to you before, but the names never stuck. youâre way better with faces anyways.Â
thereâs a clear star on that ice, an insanely fast ginger who pushes so hard, sheâs dripping sweat within minutes of each practice starting.Â
your dad never critiques one of the goalies, simply nodding at everything she does the way he used to approve of your brothers. you pick up on her likelihood of being your dadâs favorite and make a mental note of it. sheâll be the one you hunt down when you need to get out from under his radar.Â
and that damn blonde. you see the way his head gets progressively redder and redder each time he screams at her. but what you like about her is she bites right backâ for every call your dad makes that someone else swallows and takes on the chin, daniela is pausing practice entirely and challenging him on it.Â
âiâm not arguing with you again, avanzini,â he growls at practice during week 2 of school. his face reddens as he blows the whistle. as much as you expect for the whistle to resume play, daniela holds her hand up to the rest of the team. they stay frozen on the ice.Â
listening to this girl, instead of the head coach? when you did cheer, your coachâs word was like god. to see just how much influence the blonde has on the group is terrifying.Â
âgive me one good reason why kazuha should sweep left if sheâs right dominant instead of passing,â dani questions.
âthrows off incoming offense,â your dad responds.
âno, it throws off our outgoing offense,â daniela pushes back, nearly a growl. âif zuha passes backwards to yunjin, meganâs fast enough to catch whatever she sends up and i can block off anyone incoming.â
âmeganâs fast but notââ
âi can be faster,â megan chirps up, nervous eyes on your dad as she hides behind the shorter blonde. âdani always knows where to put the puck. if we fake it and send it back to yunjin, dani can make a hole, and i can be there.â
âdo you hear how insane you guys sound, intentionally losing ground?â your dad balks.
âkazuhaâs strongest doing what she does best: covering right. yunjinâs powerful enough to get the pass up, and megan is fast enough to receive it.â daniela skates right up to your dad, where he stands in the player box, and gives a confident smirk. âand iâm damn smart enough to see whoâs gonna try to intercept it.â
you can tell this is the girl that has cost him many sleepless nights. âthe shit-headâ as he used to refer to her when heâd rant about work.Â
-
the team has a friendly scrimmage against a neighboring team later that week before the season starts, you see the teamâs synergy on full display. your dad runs them like a well oiled machine, working like a pack of lions to take down a kill with your dad orchestrating all of it.
and daniela, with that damn smirk as she blasts past everyone on the ice with expert precision.
âsheâs not exactly the biggest, but sheâs smart on that ice,â your dad tells you in the car after their scrimmage win, shaking his head. âsmart as all hell. kills me that our team captain is such a shit-head, but damn can she can perform.â
âand left wing, that position with that ego?â he keeps rambling. âwhen i met her before her freshman year, when she had first signed with the university, i was shitting myself thinking sheâd be a puck hog, but sheâs such a team fucking player. her and kazuha set megan up like clockwork. that little megan is shaky off the ice but such a force when sheâs got the right set up.â
âand daniela is the right setup?â you question curiously.
âdaniela and kazuha. they work together.â your dad explains, gesturing with two fingers side by side. âthe defensemen keep to the back to support the goalie, and the wings work together up front to support the center.â
âokay,â you breathe, but your mind is still on that damn captain for reasons you canât explain. maybe hockey has some redeeming qualities.
âyou know, kiddo, itâs nice to see you so interested,â he smiles as you guys pull into the driveway.
you choke back the laugh. maybe youâll spare your poor dad from your inner thoughts.
-
the hockey girls are nice to you, but almost too nice. you can tell theyâre tip-toeing as they assess how delicate you are. it sucks, because youâd love to make friends with them if you have to spend every day seeing them, but at least you have chaewon, and sheâs exactly who you seek out when you decide to do a little digging.
âwhat do you know about daniela avanzini?â you ask her one day out of the blue, as youâre in line together for coffee.Â
âoh, she plays hockey with my girlfriend,â chaewon says, but you can tell thereâs more sheâs not telling you just by how she stiffened at the name.
âand?â you press.
âsheâs the captain of their team.â
âand?â
ây/n, what are you trying to find out?â
âiâm just curious,â you shrug. âmy dad canât stop talking shit about her but sheâs nothing but nice to me.â
âiâm sure sheâs nice to you, just like all the girls are, so your dad doesnât kill them,â chaewon laughs. she pauses, then shakes her head, letting out a sigh. âyunjin has her thoughts. daniâs⊠somethinâ. iâm not a fan, personally.â
âyouâre the first person thatâs been honest with me,â you thank her. you hold onto her words for the rest of the day, even at the end of the night when youâre curled up in bed scrolling through your powerpoints for the next day.
chaewon doesnât forget, and sends you a link. you open it and it sends you to a tik tok.Â
âwho on the team would you not let your kid date?â the girl behind the camera asks, before cutting to several other girls on the team.
âdani.â
âoh, definitely daniela.â
âdaniela avanzini.â
the final scene of the tik tok is the blonde herself, a big toothy grin, clearly not in on the joke.
âmy name is daniela and iâm a left wing.â
you stare at the comments.Â
oh i get it
HI DANIELA (louder than the rest)
raw, in reverse, on my knees, whenever she wants it, til the bed breaks, til the neighbors call the cops-
you feel your curiosity multiply at the next related video, one of her giving a few press statements following last yearâs championship win.Â
âwe played smart and worked together. the only thing you can ask for is unity, and this year proves what a good unit can do.â she seems so serious in the clip, yet equally playful as youâve seen her. an interesting balance for the face of their team.
âyou were able to focus on all his despite losing player of the year?â the interviewer asks.
âiâm player of the year in many peopleâs hearts, and thatâs good enough for me. gotta keep a good head game up if i want to rep that C,â she responds.
you roll your eyes at the way she smirks at the camera. the comments all go crazy over her suggestive double meaning, but itâs the most viewed video on the account, so you kinda get it. dani is infuriatingly charming, and that makes for a great face for the team.Â
you feel your pulse race. god, what is it with you and the intrigue of this girl who everyone is telling you to run far, far away from?
-
âhey!â lara greets you the next day after the girls all finish up with physical therapy. sheâs always been particularly passionate about making sure you feel included, and recently, youâve let yourself believe itâs a sincere attempt at forging a friendship.
âwhatâs up?â
âa few of us are going back to my place to watch tapes on the tv, prepping for the game.â she hands you her phone, opened to the dial pad. âyouâre welcome to join us.â
âyou sure i wonât be intruding?â you ask before giving her your contact info.
ânot at all. weâll be up late. itâll be like a fun hockey sleepover.â lara smiles, before motioning over to the ginger. âdonât let the puppy dog scare you off, we fed her once and now we canât seem to get rid of her.â
âif i knew being your housemate meant youâd keep making that stupid stray dog joke, i would have just stayed living in the dorms,â megan glares at the older girl.Â
you laugh and nod in appreciation. âiâd love that. i think chaewon is getting tired of me interrupting her study time. iâll be there.â
your dad is actually quite pleased to hear youâll be reviewing tapes, and drops you off at lara and meganâs place just a few minutes off campus. you figured laraâs name would be the key to getting out of house arrest, and you were right.Â
the house is huge and slightly messy, littered with clothes and meal prep boxes, the clear home to some very serious student athletes.Â
youâre getting comfortable on the couch as megan runs to get you a water bottle, when a bedroom door opens and youâre staring directly into the dark mischievous eyes that have been stuck in your head for the past two weeks.
âwhat are you doing here?â she asks quickly, narrowing her eyes in confusion.Â
âreviewing tapes.â you blink as you realize whatever room she came out of, she came out in only some shorts and a sports bra. you try not to objectify her, but damn is she making it hard. âsame as you?â
âi live here,â daniela responds quickly, and you come to the realization that lara didnât specify megan as her only roommate.
âput some clothes on,â lara rolls her eyes, throwing a hoodie in daniâs direction. âwe have company, you animal.â
âsorry youâre jealous of my insanely hot bod. if you looked like this youâd be half naked everywhere too,â the blonde pushes back, and you try to ignore the way you feel your heartbeat in every vein as she hops over the back of the couch and gets comfy next to you on the couch as lara turns on the first video.
you begrudgingly share with lara that your dad is extremely protective, and sheâs the only one he trusts you to hang out with. she beams proudly and promises to not get you into any trouble with curfews or whatever.
laraâs girlfriend joins you guys just a few minutes later, as do a few other girls from the team. being alone with them away from your dad helps them loosen up a little, and itâs actually really fun to see their actual dynamic instead of the fake niceties you see as they try to be on their best behavior at practice.Â
11pm rolls around, and your dad shoots you a text letting you know he expects you back before midnight. you want to scream at how little freedom you have even at your grown age, but the girls are all extremely understanding and offer their own solutions to helping you get home without having to rely on your dad to come pick you up.
âi can uber,â you wave them off, not wanting to inconvenience anyone.
âno, daniâll drive you home,â lara states firmly, pulling out her phone. âiâll vouch to your dad for you since iâm your designated guardian angel.â
you donât want to be a burden, but the thought of getting to finally talk 1 on 1 with the girl stuck in your head sends your pulse racing.
âis that okay with you?â you ask, turning towards the captain in question.
âyeah,â she nods, getting off the couch and slipping on her sneakers. âlar, give me the keys.â
âno stops, no detours, no nothing,â lara warns, tossing her the keychain. âit takes 15 minutes to get there so iâm gonna watch your location. if i donât see you driving back home in 16, iâm calling the police on you.â
âfine,â the blonde responds curtly, motioning for you to follow her outside.Â
âdaniela, iâm so serious,â lara threatens. âbe decent.â
dani rolls her eyes and waves her off as you two make your way to the car.Â
âthanks for being willing to take me,â you tell her, trying to be loud enough over the heater blasting. you donât know how sheâs able to just be out in the fall-time weather in a hoodie, shorts, and some socks.
âno worries.â she shakes her head, eyes locked on the road. âcoach doesnât want you out of his sight or what?â
âhe thinks being on high alert keeps me out of trouble,â you roll your eyes.
âwhat kind of trouble did you get into?â she asks curiously.
you freeze. ugh. and this was supposed to be your fresh start.Â
âi just really, really like doing things iâm not supposed to,â you answer after a moment, hoping itâs enough.
âah,â she says simply, her jaw hardening, but thereâs a smirk threatening to come out. âthatâs my bad habit too.â
you admire the way the red lights illuminate her skin, the roundness of her features, the contrast against the sharpness of those mischievous eyes.Â
âkind of embarrassing that you know my dad like that,â you wrinkle your nose.
âheâs not that bad, as far as coaches go, obviously canât speak about him as a dad.â she snorts. âiâd kill to have a dad that passionate about hockey.â
âhave your parents ever seen you play?â you ask, hoping to get to know more about this girl.
she looks at you in surprise. you wonder if sheâs ever been asked this question or what.
 âwhen i was a kid, they were at every game. not so much for collegiate.â
âlive too far or what?â you ask curiously.
she smiles, but itâs a smile of hesitation. you try to read what sheâs debating within herself.
âthey cut me off when i was 18.âÂ
âwhy?â
âtried to bring a girl home for my birthday.â she clicks her tongue. âbig mistake.â
âyouâre serious?â you ask, half-shocked at the answer.
âthey cut me off, and the girl dumped me. double whammy. luckily, laraâs family took me in for the summer.â
âhow far back do you guys go?â you ask, curious about their dynamic. of course theyâre also close with megan, but lara has always seemed particularly protective of dani, weird considering dani is technically in a position of power over her friend.
âwe met at a hockey camp in the 5th grade,â daniela smiles. âevery time her parents see us play, they cheer for me too.â
sheâs so sweet, sharing this piece of herself with you, you figure she deserves a piece of your puzzle too.Â
âi got kicked out of school because they caught me with drugs.â you confess, and you donât know what it is about danielaâs sincerity that makes you feel like you can trust her. âthey werenât mine. they were my friendâs, and she needs to be there, getting a cheer scholarship, going to school.â
âyou took the fall?â she asks, and her voice is full of surprise without being full of judgement.
âi have a family, a house,â you explain, âshe had literally nothing.â
she arches a brow and smiles at you through the corner of her eye, still looking at the road.
âi just thought you had a bad attitude,â she teases.
you laugh. âi have that too.â
âas someone who could have easily been in your friendâs shoes, sheâs lucky to have someone like you,â daniela tells you, and the sincerity in her voice makes your whole body go warm. you canât help but dive into a deeper question, something thatâs been clawing at you.
âdani,â you start, your voice dropping quietly. âcan i ask you something?â
âas long as youâre prepared to not like my answer,â she laughs, and you catch yourself in the shimmer of her tooth gem.Â
you breathe out softly, trying to connect the dots.Â
âhow come everyone is telling me not to be friends with you?â
danielaâs smile falls ever so slightly, her hands tightening around the steering wheel.
âare they?â she wrinkles her nose.Â
âkazuha said iâm off limits, laraâs whole âbe decent,â thing,â you remind her, trying to think back to other times the team has been weird about dani being around you. âhave you bullied people off the team before or what?â
âsomething like that,â she shakes her head, staring off at the street.Â
âyouâre the only person who doesnât treat me weird because of my dad,â you tell her, âyouâre not delicate or super nice to me like iâm going to snitch on you.â
âiâm an asshole to everyone,â she laughs.
âbut youâre not an asshole,â you push. âyouâre actually very, very decent.â
âis that a compliment? iâll take it as a compliment.â she beams. âi thrive off attention, in case you havenât noticed.â
âyouâre hard to not notice,â you poke back.
you both laugh together as the car pulls into park. you half think about asking her to kiss you, those insanely beautiful lips achingly close, but your eyes dart to the time and you realize itâs 30 seconds until lara threatened to call. you hate this stupid house arrest shit.Â
âhope you donât get your ass beat,â she says simply, and you laugh again.Â
âthank you for driving me.â
âdonât get used to it,â she reaches over your lap to unlock your car door, and the proximity of her body sends your brain into overdrive. she swing the door open and pulls back into her own seat. âyou wonât get the princess treatment here.â
âwouldnât want it anyways.â you give her a quick once-over before leaving the car, taking the moment in one last time. she waves as she watches you disappear back inside.
maybe the team thinks they know her, but the version you saw tonight of the blonde makes you feel like youâre going crazy. daniela checks off all the boxes. authentic, unfiltered, and infuriatingly hot. you fall back onto your bed once you get upstairs and let your mind roam into fantasy world, and you finally admit to yourself what it seems your body has known for much, much longer.
you have a crush on daniela avanzini.Â
-
the first game throws you straight into the deep end of college hockey. you didnât realize how serious womenâs hockey was to the university until you see the jam-packed crowd, nearly every single seat in the arena filled with screaming fans for the teamâs season-opener game.Â
âgood luck,â you tell the girls, nerves fluttering in your chest as you take to the coachâs bench next to your dad and the assistant coaches.
you spot megan press a quick kiss to her girlfriendâs lips and raise a thumbs up at you. a few other girls nod at your well-wishes, but that blonde is pushing past them all without an ounce of fear.Â
âdonât need it,â dani tells you simply, grinning before hitting the ice.Â
the game is insanely fast paced, and you never realized just how fun keeping up with hockey can be when youâre actually invested. the scrimmage was interesting but the actual game is addicting, violent and coordinated all at once, making it impossible to tear your eyes away. the girls dominate the first period, keeping an early lead on the other team. the second period is a strong play for defense to keep their lead up. itâs in the third and final period where they get a little shaky, the rookies starting to stand out from the veterans as a missed play accidentally gives up a shot to the other team, tying them back up 1-1.
your dad, infuriated by this misstep, calls a timeout and the girls all come zooming to the player box, dripping in sweat and drinking hurriedly from their water bottles.Â
âwho cost us that fucking shot?â your dad roars angrily from the time out.Â
you know the only reason the other team got the puck was because of that new little freshman eunchae, who was losing steam in this last period and ended up too far back in her zone to catch the pass back from yunjin, giving it up by accident to allow the other team to score.Â
âme,â daniela immediately speaks up, and you feel your face twist in confusion. âit was me. i wasnât open for eunchae to make it to me.â
before you can call her out for the lie, she shoots you a glare, and you realize what sheâs trying to tell you.Â
âyouâll feel it in practice,â your dad threatens.
âiâll get us up by two,â daniela bites back immediately.
âbig talk for someone who just let us get tied in the bottom of final period.â
daniela leaps over the wall and takes back to the ice before the timeout is even called over. sheâs skating hard enough to look like sheâll smash through the ice with each stride.
you analyze it. lara and yunjin sharing a look, eunchae looking both panicked and relieved as she sits on the bench and lets the other defenseman swap her in, megan skating up to dani and trying to say something to her. but daniela waves her off, pointing to a few spots on the ice, before the timeout ends, kazuha regains her position, and the faceoff starts once more.
you hate to admit it, lest it feed your crush any more, but holy shit, is daniela good.Â
the debate with your dad ramps her up into 6th gear. she was good before, but sheâs insane now, her movements sharper, her skating harder. every time the puck ends up in her control, if sheâs not taking a shot, then sheâs making sure megan can. sheâs absolutely relentless in her pursuit of catching up.
âsheâs freaking their goalie out,â the assistant coach says, realizing what danielaâs intention is. the blitz at every opportunity has clearly exhausted the goalie on the other team, meanwhile lara in the goalie box has barely gotten a chance to see the puck due to daniâs aggressive offense. kazuha passes to dani, who makes a shot to bring them up a lead 2-1, but it doesnât seem to be enough for daniela.
true to her word, the buzzer hits with dani sending a pass to a waiting megan, who scores them a final point.
ending score: 3-1.
âi better see you a half hour early tomorrow for that extra point you cost us,â your dad huffs at dani as the girls are barely coming off the ice.Â
âbring me a donut, big guy,â she bites back dryly, her chest heaving. youâre amazed she can manage to get the words out after how tired she seems.
you wait in the car as your dad does the post-game debrief, but when he gets in the driverâs seat, you have some pressing questions based off what you saw.
âshe got the team up to the win. why are you so hard on her?â you ask as your dad drives you guys home.Â
âavanzini? thatâs what a captain is for,â he responds in confusion.
âto be a punching bag?â
âto be responsible,â he corrects. âit was her call to start eunchae instead of letting her watch from the bench. iâm not blind, i know it was hongâs fault she lost that pass.â
âso then why did you let dani take the fall if it wasnât her fault?â
âbecause it was her call.â
âbut this is eunchaeâs first game. iâm sure it gave her tons of confidence to see playtime and know her mistakes wonât cost her.â
âthen hopefully avanzini finds it worth it.â
you wonât pretend to understand. you finally decide to commit and follow each of the team members on instagram. they all follow you back within the hourâ all except for daniela.
-
your crush only grows, and yet, you feel like since that night in the car, something shifted for her. sheâs less attentive to you, less eager for your attention, almost intentionally cold. she avoids your eyes during group meetings, stops sitting next to you during tape reviews, and she still hasnât fucking followed you back on instagram. you donât know what her deal is, but your intuition tells you to push deeper.
thatâs why, when you spot the blonde curls peeking out from under a beanie at the coffee shop near your house your dad gave you permission to walk to, you tug her by the sleeve and smile as she turns around, pulling her headphones off her head.Â
âhi, did you drive here?â you ask curiously, noting that sheâs breathing heavily and covered in sweat.
âi always stop here when i finish my runs,â she answers, but the way sheâs eyeing the door makes you wonder what exactly sheâs so eager to escape.
âperfect,â you sing song, reaching out to her with your hand outstretched. âwalk me home?â
âbad idea,â she says quickly.Â
âgood idea,â you push back. âplus, i owe lara her textbook back.â
itâs true, laraâs girlfriend had let you borrow a book for your class, and itâs sitting on the corner of your nightstand. maybe you just need an excuse to talk to her again, to figure out why sheâs playing this game of hot and cold with you, and you figure sheâll respond best to directness.
âyouâre avoiding me,â you tell her, less of a question than an observation.Â
ânot true.â she shakes her head, taking a sip from her drink. âjust been busy.â
âyeah, busy avoiding me,â you push.
âmaybe youâre just annoying as shit,â she bites back, but thereâs a slight grin at the corners of her lips that make it feel more teasing than hurtful.
âyou wouldnât know if iâm annoying or not, âcause youâre avoiding me, remember?â you answer.
âfine,â she gives in, wrapping her headphones around her neck and reaching for your arm. â iâll walk you home, just to prove my point.â
you canât deny the satisfaction of knowing sheâs giving in, and the way she guides you out of the door of the coffee shop by your arm makes you relish in the closeness. youâve only had one real conversation with her, but it was enough to crave another one, and walking side by side up the sidewalk gives you a warm sense of victory in your chest.
âi know you covered for eunchae,â you start, feeling the breeze nip at your nose. Â
âdonât know what youâre talking about,â she smiles playfully, eyes focused on the concrete. âyou know me, i just like making coach mad.â
âif you want a dad to yell at you âcause yours doesnât, feel free to keep him.â
âyou make me sound super fucked up when you put it that way,â she shakes her head. âlike itâs a daddy issues thing.â
âthe way you try to push his buttons on purpose makes it seem like a daddy issues thing,â you laugh.
âi just like getting under peopleâs skin,â she shrugs, and you feel your heart thud at that stupid damn dimple.
âyouâre good at that,â you admit, and you almost forget what exactly you two are talking about. âtoo good.â
before you know it, youâre in front of the house, a cozy two story with a giant tree in front of your window that you and your brothers had planted when you were just kids.Â
âthis is where coach lives?â daniela asks, looking up and down in surprise.
âi grew up here. iâd rather live alone in a dorm than with my parents, but thatâs consequences or whatever,â you roll your eyes. âlet me give you laraâs book. itâs upstairs.â
you push past the front door and realize dani is still lingering on the porch, staring hesitantly at the entrance.
âyou can come in,â you reassure her, before noting, ânobodyâs home.â
you see her eyes flicker up to you, assessing the lack of cars in the driveway, before she kicks off her shoes and follows you in.Â
daniela avanzini is in your room. you try not to make a huge deal out of it, but your mind is absolutely racing.Â
âdonât mind the boxes, i still havenât unpacked all the stuff i brought back from school,â you warn. motioning to the piles in your otherwise tidy room.Â
âcute,â she smiles, pointing to the framed picture of you with your former cheer team. âdo you miss them?â
âall the time,â you admit. âbut we talk a ton, so itâs easier.â
âthis oneâs hot,â she says, pointing to the picture.Â
âdonât piss me off,â you warn, laughing.Â
you see something return to those mischievous dark eyes of hers as they flicker up to meet yours, her tongue pressing against her teeth.
âwhat if i like pissing you off?â
âyouâd be admitting to liking me,â you answer quickly, and she grins back at you.
âyouâve got a smart fuckinâ mouth on you,â she says, wagging a finger in your face.Â
âyeah?â you challenge, feeling your pulse race as you push her finger away. âyouâre pretty cocky yourself.â
âi like the attention,â she reiterates.
âbut not from me?â you question playfully, taking a step closer into her bubble. âwhy were you avoiding me?â
âi was avoiding you,â she finally admits, reaching up to rub her jaw as she avoids your eyes. âi know youâve done your research.â
âi want to get to know you, and youâre not letting me get to know you,â you push back, reaching out softly to link your fingers. the touch sends sparks through every nerve in your limb.Â
âi need to stay away from you,â dani groans, but the way her eyes come to fixate on you abandons what her words try to convey. you realize whatâs happeningâ sheâs cracking.
âsays who?â you ask, reaching down so your fingers playing with the hem of her shirt. your fingertips brush lightly against the dip of her abs and you feel your mind go numb.
âsays literally everyone,â she laughs lowly.
âeveryone also says you have a mind of your own,â you push back, tilting your head to look at her.
âthat i do,â she breathes, and her tongue darts out to wet her lips as her gaze flickers across your features. you feel drunk under the dizziness her gaze alone has.
âso are you going to think for yourself?â you challenge.
âiâm not a decision to take lightly,â she mumbles, bringing her fingers to trace up your arm and across your collarbone. âi think youâll hate me if you get to know me.â
âi want to make that decision for myself,â you experiment with your fingers running along the elastic of her shorts. your hands are both starting to seek more and more skin along the otherâs body.
âthey made it crystal clear how off limits you are,â she groans. âyou set me up to fail, and i fucking hate losing.â
âi think you should kiss me, like, now,â you breathe anxiously. you feel your pulse in your ears as she watches as she leans closer and closer.
but before she can close the gap between you two, you hear the loud shut of the front door, and the click of your momâs heels against the floor. daniâs eyes flash to the open door, and she cooly moves away from you to sit easily on your bed, pushing you away ever so gently.
ây/n? dâyou get back from your walk yet?â
âhi mom,â you call out. âran into dadâs captain and she walked me home.â
âhi, mrs. y/ln,â dani grits through her teeth, eyes still locked on you, as your mom comes upstairs and greets you both. you hope the flush of your skin isnât enough to sell you out.
âdaniela, nice to see you again. thanks for keeping an eye on y/n for us.â your mom smiles sincerely, and you figure youâre in the clear. âi didnât know you and y/n were friends, youâre welcome to come around more often.â
âi think coach y/ln would flip if he saw me here,â dani smiles knowingly, flashing you a quick look. âbut iâll be around.â
dani excuses herself, and your mom starts going on about the lawyers calling and how your case is going to get argued down to something thatâll easily come off your record. itâs a relief, but sheâs still clearly irritated with the whole situation, and you ask to go to bed early to end the conversation there.
you look down at your phone as you make it back into your bed. dani has finally followed you back, and you see a private story posted.
a picture of the top of her head, simply captioned âtryna get up to something.â
you feel a pit in the bottom of your stomach and decide to just go to sleep. at the very least, you know you didnât make it up.
-
âcoach, can y/n come out with a few of us tonight?â lara asks at the next practice. you look up at her in surprise. they had just gotten back from an away game and lara had mentioned something about a greek life party she was eager to hit up. you knew there was no chance, but lara gave you a confident shake of her head and insisted sheâd figure something out to get you there. you didnât think this meant being so confident as to ask your dad directly.
âsomething small?â he raises an eyebrow at her.Â
âiâll share my location if it makes you feel better,â she smiles.
âi trust you. stay with lara,â he waves you off, and you stare at the red-haired girl in disbelief. you wonât test your luck. she gives you a time to be ready to get picked up, and you thank god that your dad has favorites.
your history with college parties has been iffy at best. your cheer coach was notoriously strict. youâre jealous that the hockey girls have a different standard, but you try to push that thought away and focus on the positive: at least now, you can party without fear of punishment.Â
thereâs another thought you want to push away: the thought of daniela in your room. lara, megan, and their respective partners are all in the car when they stop by to pick you up, but dani is nowhere to be seen. you make up your mind that tonight, youâre going to get over this stupid fucking crush, and youâre going to do so at all costs.
youâre only a few minutes in to the less-than-tiny house party and lara has already disappeared somewhere to go be alone with her girlfriend. megan is outside in the backyard laughing insanely loudly on the swingset with her own girlfriend. you start to regret not inviting chaewon or someone else outside of the hockey team, leaving you there alone on your own.
but then blue haired yunjin is popping up in your peripheral, offering you a shot, and you take it, deciding you have nothing to lose.Â
âno girlfriend tonight?â you ask.
âchaeâs studying for her comps,â she wrinkles her nose. âiâd give anything to be making out with her right now.â
you laugh. âiâll kiss a few strangers in honor of chae.â
âsheâd hate that,â yunjin cackles, before serving you another drink. âbut i love your intentions, so letâs pick your victim.â
âno, i get too picky,â you shake your head. âgive me a criteria and thatâll be my victim.
âoh fuck yeah,â yunjin laughs, and you love how down she is. âhmm. next person to offer you a drink?
âyou better put that fucking bottle down then or your girlfriend will kill you.â
yunjin shrieks with laughter and sprints off to leave the bottle back at the bar. she finds you once more and you two dive into the mosh pit of bodies all dancing together. she dances stupidly alongside you, and for a split second, youâre grateful that despite all youâve been through this year, you can still find decent people you enjoy being around.Â
a pair of hands snake around your waist, and you see a bottle of tequila get presented to you from behind you. you feel the sweat and the faint musk of a familiar clean cologne from the stranger behind you. you nod at the bottle, looking up at yunjin as you realize your victim has been selected.Â
but yunjin simply stares back at you with wide eyes, shaking her head as if to warn you, before you turn and realize just what has her in such a panic.Â
or rather, who.Â
the stranger grabs your waist and pulls you closer, and you turn to come face to face with that mess of blonde curls. daniâs skin is flushed from what you assume is both adrenaline and drinks in her system. the two of you lock eyes and you feel the room slow down.
âhi,â you greet, wrapping your arms around her neck.Â
âhi,â she breathes back. those damn eyes scan over you, searching for something.Â
âwe should find somewhere quiet,â you tell her simply. she eyes you, something dangerous in that dark gaze, but within moments sheâs leading you upstairs, grasp tight around your wrist. you can see the shimmer of someone elseâs lip gloss smeared on her mouth already, and part of it infuriates you.Â
but youâre finally alone, the back of your legs hitting the bed and leading you to sit down. sheâs quickly invading your space, stepping in and planting an arm on either side of you to lock you in beneath her.Â
âi donât make good decisions,â she warns you, and you let your hands untuck the front of the jersey sheâs wearing, exploring the skin of her torso experimentally. she doesnât stop you, and it makes your whole body tense.
âthatâs fine,â you breathe quickly, the proximity dizzying you. âthe bad choices are always more fun.â
you see her jaw clench as your fingers trace along her back, your nails pressing into her strong shoulders as an experimental test.Â
âlast warning,â she breathes into your ear, her head falling to press her temple against yours. your heart feels like itâs about to leap out of your chest with how her guard falls.Â
âyouâre finally going to let us be friends?â you grin, watching as she pulls away to go lock the door.
she glares back at you, something dangerous in those eyes, and reaches back to pull her shirt off in one smooth motion before a devilish grin takes to her lips.Â
âweâre not going to be friends,â she says simply, before leaping forward to finally claim you.
-
âyou look like youâre in a good mood,â chaewon chirps as you race into the seat next to her in the early morning literature lecture.
you mention nothing of the fact that youâre on 2 hours of sleep, waking up late, ready to fall asleep at the table.Â
âdid i miss anything?â you huff, trying to get a grip.
âcolonization, racial undertones, empiricism, the usual good stuff,â she smiles, before eyeing you in concern. âiâm serious, everything okay?â
itâs one thing to hook up at the party, but when lara called you to let you know itâs time to go, itâs another thing to be pushing daniela off you so she doesnât make you sound suspicious over the phone.Â
the ride back was spent in complete silence, lara not at all suspicious as to where you both disappeared for the few hours, but by the time you get back to their place, dani is covering your mouth with her hand to slip you into her room instead of letting you sleep on the couch where lara had initially offered.
you shudder as you fight off the flashbacks and try to focus on the lecture. âiâm totally good.â
âyunjin said she had fun hanging out with you last night,â chaewon goes on, showing you a picture the two of you had taken together that yunjin had sent her. âyou guys went to that party together?â
âwe ran into each other there,â you smile, loving how yunjin was so immersed in the party and still found a way to include her girlfriend. âwe missed you. we both would have killed to have you there with us.â
ânext time, maybe iâll join,â chaewon smiles, and you drop your head into your hand.Â
class ends, and youâre almost disappointed to not see anything from daniela. no texts checking in on how you got home (an uber to your house before your dad woke up) or dmâs letting you know sheâs even alive. youâve never been clingy before, and you donât intend to start now, but just being acknowledged would be nice.
your head is pounding as you walk to practice. as soon as you get home, youâre going to sleep as long as physically possible, and try not to think about how incredible danielaâs hands are atâ
you push the thought away, but you spot the flash of blonde curls approaching the stadium at the same time. you swear she spots you out of the corner of her eye, but she keeps walking, bag slung over her shoulder.
youâre no stranger to one night stands, but at the very least an acknowledgement would be nice? you have to work together for the rest of the season. the least she can do is not be a giant fucking jerk.
you speed up to catch her and shove into her to get her attention.
âhi, iâm alive or what the fuck ever, if that matters to you,â you push into her shoulder.
âi warned you, and you found me.â she gives you a disinterested glare, and you almost canât believe this is the same girl you had played such a fun cat and mouse game with. she keeps walking, and you speed up to keep up with her as you guys head to the locker room. âif youâre pissed that i didnât call you, just call me first.â
âyou are really fucking full of yourself,â you spit angrily.Â
âyou canât say you werenât warned,â she shrugs, entering the empty locker room to put her bag into a locker. she takes off her jacket and hangs it up, reaching for her helmet out of her bag. âiâm not stupid. i know every single person on this team warned you about me. if you didnât listen, thatâs on you.â
âare you proud of that reputation?â you ask in disbelief.Â
âi know your type,â she smirks smugly. âyou play hard to get and then youâre pissed when you give in âcause thereâs no more mystery.âÂ
âyou donât know shit about me,â you growl back, and something about having shared so much with her stings. youâre not mad about the hookup, youâre mad about buying all her vulnerable bullshit and thinking she wasnât going to be every bit as shitty as everyone warned you sheâd be.
âi know what you sound like screaming my name and you canât take that shit back,â she laughs, and you want to absolutely fucking murder her.Â
âi donât know why the fuck youâre being such an asshole, but youâre a piece of shit, and i hope you choke on that ice today,â you blurt, storming off towards the player box.
âyou good?â yunjin asks, noting your expression as you two cross into each other.
âiâm fine,â you wave her off, and you have to bite back a scream as daniela hops on the ice, laughing her head off with megan and lara as if your interaction had never happened.
you try to hide your disappointment. a crush you had believed in so wholeheartedly, only to see that everyone else was right to warn you.
-Â
youâre relieved that your dad makes you stay home for the away games, and a break from having to see daniâs stupid face is exactly what you needed. the team leaves that weekend for a game and your mom takes over the hawk-eyed supervision, but it gives you a chance to introduce her to some of your new friends. chaewon comes over to do homework with you and brings along a friend from her english class named sophia, and you find out sophia is friends with meganâs girlfriend.Â
you desperately need someone to open up to about your entire experience with daniela, but knowing chaewon is less than her biggest fan, and sophia does her best to avoid hockey drama, you realize youâre probably shit out of luck. plus, you were fairly warned by literally everyone, and you still were stupid enough to get yourself involved with her, so really, itâs a fitting punishment that you deal with the consequences.
halfway through the study session, megan (sweet, angelic megan,) reaches out to you that night to ask you to run her stats from the game. the assistant coach took from the game, and you start running the numbers while sophia and chae bicker about where the best study spot on campus is. you feel your heart sink as you realize youâll have to do this all over again for the rest of the semester: run the numbers from every game and inform the players, and you let out a loud groan.
âi fucking hate hockey,â you tell them, interrupting their debate.
âoh, do you know how beat up my girlfriend is when she comes home to me?â chaewon shrieks. âsheâs like a zombie half the time. i canât wait for her to be done with this stupid sport.â
âall the players are massive-egoâd idiots,â sophia echoes. âwell, maybe not yunjinnieââ
âno, iâm not offended, yunjin can be so loud,â chaewon butts in, wrinkling her nose. âbut that megan is really sweet.â
the three of you laugh. the ginger may be single handedly balancing the reputation of the team on her shoulders.Â
âwell, they have an idiot for a leader,â you say, and they both chirp in agreement.
âi just have to hear about them, but youâre up close and personal,â chaewon gapes, shaking her head. âyouâre a saint for dealing with all of them.â
you feel your ears get red. your closeness with daniela would probably be categorized as anything but holy, but thatâs something youâll end up taking to the grave, it turns out.Â
you guys end the night with a quick goofy round of youtube karaoke, sophia and chaewon trying to out-do each other so loudly your mom drops by in concern, and you canât help but feel a little better at the idea of facing the team tomorrow.Â
âitâs like what, three more months left in their season, and then youâre free?â sophia reminds you as her and chaewon get into the car. âso easy.â
youâd like to believe her, but unfortunately, daniela wants to make it anything but easy for you.
you go player by player before practice starts, pulling them aside to show them their graphs. lara smiles at her current save rate, megan nods as you show her how fast sheâs improving on her shot ratio, kazuha mumbles something to herself about more strength training when you give her the statistics on her pushbacks.
you suck in a deep breath and approach the blonde last, out of all the girls, to try and get it over with the fastest.Â
âyour numbers are dropping.â you tell daniela simply, dropping the clipboard in her lap as she laces up her skates.
she shoots you a glare, biting the tip of her glove to pull it off her hand and flip through your pages, and you have to physically remind yourself to stop thinking about what those teeth felt like on your skinâŠ
âwhat?â she questions, brows furrowing. youâre almost surprised by how shocked she sounds. clearly, youâre telling her something she isnât expecting.
âyour average. compared to this time last season, you had this many assists under your belt.â you point to the comparison curves on the graphs. âthis season, youâre hitting numbers almost a third lower. harder time keeping up?â
âcheck your math, thereâs no way,â she huffs, standing up and tossing the clipboard off her lap. you feel your blood boil at her attitude, but thereâs something giving you a power trip about seeing how angry sheâs getting.
ugh. you donât want to admit the high it gives you to get under her skin.
âouch, that struck a nerve.â you observe, fighting the grin that wants to take over your features. âyouâre underperforming, avanzini.â
âiâm competitive,â she says curtly, eyes darkening, and skates off without another look in your direction. you hear her mutter something with a curse word in spanish, and somehow, it feels like a win in your book.Â
itâs not that you want to give daniela a hard time, especially if youâre going to have to be stuck together for the rest of the season, but by the time practice starts, sheâs looking over at you every time she makes another pass or takes another shot. you wonât admit how much you like the attention sheâs giving you, even if itâs just to prove that sheâs every bit as good as her ego claims, but you hold onto the feeling of irritating her and how satisfied it makes you feel.Â
lara invites you out to dinner with them again, but dani stays back on the ice after everyone else leaves, and you consider yourself the winner that day.Â
dani calms down the rest of the week at practice, and is right back to ignoring you as you do your best to ignore her. you know thereâs a chance you two can coexist peacefullyâ your friendship with lara and megan is actually quite enjoyable, even if dani makes a big deal of disappearing every time you come over or join the red-haired girl and her ginger sidekick. you kind of like the ability to not have to worry about daniela being around, but something in your stomach lurches every time you realize youâre still on her close friends story and sheâs posting another shirtless photo surrounded by gorgeous random strangers.Â
you know sheâs probably not even thinking about you, but sheâs so fucking aggravating, you need to get back at her somehow to regain your sense of control.Â
so at the next evening practice, you decide to test another theory.
usually itâs just your dad who gives feedback to the girls, but heâs busy chatting with the assistant coaches and the trainee physical therapist, so you decide to put your clipboard down and lean against the half-wall to call out to the girls as they continue through their drills.
ânice shot, kazuha.â
as if theyâre surprised to hear your voice, nearly half the team looks up at you, kazuha herself looking confused before breaking into a giant grin.Â
âoh, ah, thank you, y/n,â she beams, and the pure joy in her face makes you wonder what the fuck your dad puts these poor girls through if the slightest affirmation is enough to excite them this much.
âme next, me next!â lara calls out to you, and the two of you laugh as you wave her off. these poor, compliment-deprived jocks.
âyou gotta do something worth cheering on, first,â you yell back to her, and all the girls scramble on the ice to push further. your original plan was to compliment every single player and leave out the captain, but as you look up, dani is glaring daggers at kazuha, who is still smiling from your call out.
maybe this will be a little easier than you thought. if dani is the attention seeking type, what easier way to piss her off than showing her how easily she can be ignored? and if you can find someone specific to make it feel personal, even better.
you try remembering the dynamics you observed among the team. your dad mentioned kazuha and daniela being partners on the ice, you know sheâs protective of megan so that probably wonât make a difference, lara is too goofy to take the compliment anywaysâ
it clicks. you remember the way chaewon doesnât like daniela. yunjin and dani might have some kind of rivalry between them.
you pray yunjin wonât make things weird. but as if perfectly on cue, yunjin practices a spinning check on daniela and sends the captain flying backwards, slamming into the plexiglass as easily as pushing a child.
âgood shit, huh,â you call out loudly as the defender skates off. yunjinâs head snaps up from the ice, and she shoots you a bright grin and a thumbs up. a few of the girls even go so far as to laugh, and you send her a matching thumbs up to emphasize your point.
you look over at the blonde, and you see daniâs jaw twitch. something about yunjin specifically strikes a nerve. bingo.
your dad takes over practice again, and daniela skates like sheâs trying to smash through the ice with each stride. sheâs ignoring you fully this time, taking all her passes and shots as if sheâs trying to break her stick each time she hits the puck, and youâre absolutely relishing in the fact that you got the upper hand. you write down a few notes in your binder and lose yourself in thought, before a whistle from your dad catches your attention.
âhuh was wide open, avanzini,â your dad glares.
âi had a clear shot,â dani shrugs. you look over at yunjin, who is shrugging confusedly at lara and rolling her eyes.
âit was your idea to pass back to her,â he reminds her.
âan idea,â dani bites back, before skating off. ânot a promise.â
your dad gives some quick recap speech about the upcoming home game, and the girls break. a majority of them head straight to the showers, and youâre there waiting for your dad to finish touching base with the assistant coaches, but you notice a small handful stay on the ice. all the starters, actually. you figure itâs what gets them their starting positionâ extra effort, extra talent.
kazuha is the first to leave after an extra 15 minutes on the ice. then lara follows, and yunjin. your dad is back out 45 minutes later, hand on your shoulder. you wave him off as he asks about taking you home.Â
âiâll get a ride with lara or stay at her place. is that okay?â
âyou want to watch these two? i knew there was a hockey girl inside there all along,â he smiles proudly.
âi want to finish my notes,â you tell him, pointing down to your clipboard.
âgo home,â the assistant coach tells the girls still on the ice. itâs just dani and megan left taking shots, passing between the two of them, now almost an hour after practice has ended. you have no idea how the two have the energy to make it through practice, much less show up early and stay behind this late, and not be collapsing the next day. finally, an hour after practice, megan leaves to go to her girlfriendâs, and that leaves you alone with daniela.Â
she glares over at you, cold stare as she heads into the locker room. you follow, like a moth to a flame, not even sure what youâre planning on getting out of this conversation besides hopefully irritating her even further.
âi thought you werenât a puck hog?â you taunt her, in reference to the reprimand from your dad for dani not passing to yunjin.
she shrugs, avoiding your gaze, as she pulls her helmet off her head and drops her gloves into her bag. âwhat can i say? i like the eyes on me.âÂ
âhm, i can tell.â you say back.Â
âdid you have fun watching huh today?â she asks, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she peels her jersey off her back. the black compression shirt she wears underneath is clinging to her, drenched in sweat, and it takes everything in you to peel your eyes away.
âyunjin is my friend, and iâm allowed to fucking cheer her on,â you remind her. âi thought you guys were friends?â
âwe are friends.â before reminding you, âyou and i arenât.â
âyou seem really weirdly jealous of someone you call a friend,âÂ
âi donât want to talk about yunjin,â she nearly growls, and you canât wait to keep exploiting this soft spot of hers.
âwhy not? sheâs improving, like a lot, and it didnât sound like she had a lot to work onââ
in seconds, sheâs grabbing you and pressing you against the locker, her hand against the bottom of your jaw.
ây/n,â she seethes, âif you want my attention that bad, you fucking have it.â
âtell me youâve been thinking about me,â you press, and it feels almost obsessive. her full weight is pressing against you into the lockers and it makes your pulse race att the memory of her touch. âthereâs no way youâre that fucking good at pretending.â
âof course i havenât stopped fucking thinking about you,â she breathes, and it feels like a confession. âiâve been trying to ignore you but youâre annoying as shit. are you pissed, or do you want me? youâre sending mixed signals.â
âi thought you could think for yourself?â you challenge back.
âi can,â her eyes are trailing off to scan up your body, her grip still firm against your jaw. âif it were up to me, i know exactly what iâd want from you. but coachâs daughter is extremely off-limits, in case you didnât remember.â
âi know what iâm getting into,â you push back.
âi warned you the first time too,â she reminds you.
 âjust donât play games with me,â you growl. âdo what you want, and i will too.â
âit sounds like you want me,â she grins, leaning in so that your foreheads are almost touching.
âyou think everyone wants you,â you roll your eyes, but your hands are already pulling at her waistband to pull her close. something about the fresh layer of sweat slicking her baby hairs to her neck and forehead is infuriatingly attractive to you.
âthatâs âcause they do,â she hums back easily.
âyou look at every reflective surface you walk past.â you shake your head. âyouâre obsessed with yourself.â
âyouâve seen what i can do, i think you get it.â she leans down, experimentally letting her lips brush against your neck. âiâm pretty easy to be obsessed with.â
you donât want to give her the satisfaction of a single word more, but the proximity between you two and the craving inside your bones takes over. sheâs sweeping you up in one easy motion, your lips colliding with bruising force, and you lose sight of whatever it was you two were fighting about. when daniâs hands take over, everything you hated her for disappears from your mind, and all you focus on is losing your fingers in those curls as she pulls you into the showers with her.
-
you told yourself you wouldnât get involved with anything dangerous at this new universityâ no bad influences, no friends that did illegal things, no risky behavior that can make things worse for you when youâre trying to start over. but when you made this list, you never considered that youâd get addicted to hooking up with the very hot, very irritating, very bad-for-you hockey team captain that already makes your dadâs life a living hell.Â
and itâs confusing, to say the least. she ignores and avoids you through the day, and then stays fixated watching you throughout an entire practice. she can go hours without texting you back but as soon as you post that youâre out with yunjin and chaewon, sheâs climbing up the stupid tree in your yard to tap on your window and sneak in as if she hadnât been radio silent the whole day.Â
you know itâs just a hookup, and nothing more, but something about how she overdoes it with ignoring you makes it even weirder when you two are rushing to see each other, desperately making up for the time spent apart. you wonât complain: between school, practice, friends, and now daniela keeping you busy, you donât even have a chance to think about getting into anything else.
âi know what youâre doing,â she warns you one night after sneaking into your room again. she pushes you off her lap when youâve spent a little too much time with your lips on one spot on her neck.
âfeeling possessive,â you hum, running your fingers through her curls, admiring your work against her soft skin.
âyouâre fucking crazy,â dani groans, but you catch the way she grins looking at herself in her phone. âitâs getting late, i should go.â
some would even call it romantic the way she steals laraâs car to come park it up the street and sneak into your room on the nights you canât spend with her at her place. you guys are quiet enough to make sure nobody else hears, and youâll admit that the sneaking around part makes things so, so much more fun.
âjust leave before my dad wakes up,â you tell her, pulling her down by the neck to plant another kiss against her jaw.Â
âiâm only gonna spend the night in your room once you specifically ask me to,â she pushes you away and smirks at you playfully. âiâll be around if you need me.â
âwhatever.â you roll your eyes and turn to pull up your phone. ânot gonna beg.â
âsomeone else will,â she says back, but not before jumping on the bed to plant a forceful, dizzying kiss on your lips. âbye, y/n.â
you want to rip your hair out, but it doesnât make your heart thud any less watching her climb down and out of your bedroom window. you roll your eyes as she stops, looks up at you, and does another one of her stupid backflips right on your front lawn before disappearing into the night.
dani shows up to practice the next day wearing every single hickey you gave her on full display. she didnât even try to cover them up. you guys lock eyes briefly and you canât tell if sheâs playing a mind game with you, or is just trying to play with fire and test your limits. you wonât give her the satisfaction thoughâ part of you likes knowing the secret stays between you two.
âah, heartbreaker dani strikes again. another sorority girl?â kazuha arches a brow, shoving playfully into danielaâs shoulder. lara shakes her head laughing and follows onto the ice.Â
nevermind. you feel your blood boil. maybe next time you should leave your initials.Â
your dad makes dani get off the ice and go put on a neck guard to stop distracting everyone. dani rolls her eyes but does so begrudgingly. your eyes meet as she hops off the ice and towards her bag.Â
âare they really a distraction?â she asks you casually.
âextremely.â you say, trying to match her non-chalance. âtell your girl toy to stop trying so hard next time.â
âsheâs got a mind of her own,â she shakes her head, eyes lighting up with something unholy. âbut iâll do my best.âÂ
-
the weeks pass and you guys donât discuss the nature of your arrangement, but you both know itâs critical to keep it under wraps. your dad is thrilled that youâre spending so much time at laraâs, and lara and megan are too busy with their own things to notice dani either disappearing all night or letting you in.Â
your phone buzzes in the middle of homework and you spot the number, saved simply as âcaptain.â
come over
say please
i donât beg but iâll make sure you do so, again, come over
you roll your eyes at how easily youâre convinced.Â
âtaking the car and going to laraâs,â you call out to your house, and your dad calls back in approval from the other room.
your stomach hasnât quite stopped flipping when you pull into the trioâs driveway. daniela is already in the doorway, looking stupidly attractive in her oversized hoodie and baggy shorts, and you two nearly donât make it to her room before she already has her hands on you, pulling you in.
you two fall back onto the bed and youâre straddling her much too quickly to call it casual. she pulls at your top and you try to regain some of your dignity by poking fun at her.Â
âwasnât i just here this morning? so eager to have me back so soon,â you tease.
âyou can stop showing up whenever, you know,â she bites back, putting her hands over yours to guide them to her hoodie. you take the hint and pull her hoodie off over her head, biting your lip in eager anticipation.
âyouâd miss me too much,â you clip back easily. she smirks and reaches up from beneath you to capture your lips with hers, her fingers hooking into your waistband to start sliding your pants down your thighs. you know the motions by now and start to lean up to let her get them off from your ankles.
that is, until you hear the door swing open.
âhave you seen my bite guard? i left it in theââ megan starts, but immediately pivots into a half- scream, hands flying up to cover her eyes. âoh, bro, jesus christââ
oh fuck.Â
you and dani move equally fast to push off each other. you truly had convinced yourself that you two had mastered the whole sneaking around thing, so youâre not exactly prepared for whatever may come next. the dread sets in immediately. you can trust daniela, and you can trust yourself, but the last thing you need is someone else involved.
âyou canât tell my dad,â you blurt out immediately.Â
âoh my fucking god, not coach,â megan panics. âheâs going to kill me if he finds out.â
âwhy would he kill you?â dani squints at the younger girl.
âbro, iâm letting this happen.â megan brings an open palm to her forehead, beginning to pace around danielaâs room. âiâm complexit, or whatever.â
âcomplicit,â dani corrects quickly
megan ignores the correction and keeps rambling. âno, this is so bad. iâm basically putting the strap in your hand.â
âokay, meg, please, too far,â you groan, and daniela lets out a loud hollering laugh.
âiâm going to die and i literally just barely beat the virgin allegations,â she gasps.
you shake your head and give a look to daniela. is she always this neurotic?Â
âmeg, please, go like, take some deep breaths over there. weâll stop if itâs freaking you out that bad,â daniela tries to soothe her, pointing out the door.
âhow long?â the ginger asks.
âoh my god bro, weâve only fucked like, the past month.â
meganâs dark puppy eyes go wide, honing in on you. âa month is more than zero. i was hoping you would say zero.âÂ
âare you asking for an apology?â you try to ask, desperate to make sense of why exactly sheâs panicking.Â
daniela groans and finally gets out of the bed, tossing a hoodie over herself and handing you your pants back. she grabs megan by the back of her neck and waves over to you. âweâre gonna go.â
âwhere?â you question. itâs nearly 10pm and the tail end of a freezing october.Â
âwhere else? the lake, duh. she needs to hit the ice to calm down. weâll be back.â she groans and grabs a few sticks tucked away in the corner of her room, before she drags the ginger out the door and shuts it behind them.
you let your head fall backwards onto daniâs pillow and stare at the ceiling, the dread sinking in.Â
-
youâre not quite sure when you dozed off, but youâre woken up to the sound of the door creaking back open. the familiar curls enter the room and dani comes to kneel in front of the bed, eye to eye with you. the gesture is sweet, almost tender, as if sheâs trying to be close without waking you.
âi didnât think youâd still be here.â she tells you quietly, before gently poking at your cheek. âawake?â
âi told my dad i was sleeping over at laraâs and he has my location. i canât just leave my phone here,â you groan groggily at her. âmeg okay?â
âsheâll be fine. she wonât say anything. believe it or not, we can keep secrets surprisingly well. ask lara what we pulled for her girlfriend last year.â she sits on the edge of the bed. âyou stayed?â
âdoes me being here ruin your plans somehow?â you ask, confused about what she expected.
âi mean, no, iâm going to a party anyways.â she shrugs, her demeanor hardening. âmight bring someone back. if you donât want the couch, then you might want to room with lar.â
âyouâre a fucking joke,â you blurt at her, sitting up to meet her eye-level. âalways so irritating.â
âwhat happened to feeling possessive?â she arches a brow playfully.
âno, shut up dani. tell me somethingâ why were you so much nicer to me before we started hooking up?â you question, narrowing your eyes at her. âyou werenât this big of a dick until the first time. i didnât even think you were capable of being this big of a piece of shit.â
âi didnât know you noticed how i treated you before,â she says simply, crossing her arms over her chest and giving you a curious look. âyou cared about that?â
you take a second before ripping her a new one and read into her implication. it really does make sense in her head that if you only wanted her for sex, there was no need to keep up the dynamic from before.Â
is this the root of all this confusion? is daniela just playing a role she thinks you assigned to her?
âtell me something about you,â you blurt out.Â
she un-crosses her arms and arches a brow in confusion. âlike?â
âanything. whatâs your favorite color?â
âblue.â she pauses for a second. âyours?â
âblue,â you repeat, and she smiles at the coincidence.Â
âdo you miss cheer?â she asks quickly, as if to not let the silence take over.
âyou remember that i did that?â
âyeah,â she says simply, before fishing in the pocket of her hoodie for a protein bar she had clearly just been eating. âdo you want a bite? did you eat while i was gone?â
you feel rattled by her sudden change in demeanor. where did the fuckboy from 5 minutes ago disappear to?
âwhere is all this coming from?â you ask.
âif you wanted to be friends, you just had to say so.â she seems so casual about it, the flip, but you wonât question it further. this feels like the dani you met in the car, that first time alone. the sincere, unabashed one you got so inexplicably hooked on, and you want to make the most of it while sheâs still showing you that girl still exists.
you take the protein bar as a peace offering and take a bite. âi do miss cheer, if that matters to you.â
âtry out for our team,â she says quickly, like the solution is obvious.
âitâs not that easy. itâd be like you trying to play for a new team right now in the middle of your season.â
âso then cheer just for me,â she grins.
âiâd rather die than be an ice girl.â you roll your eyes. âi canât even skate.â
âseriously? with your dad?â
you pinch the bridge of your nose, closing your eyes. âdani, please donât talk about my dad while iâm debating getting naked for you again.â
âyeah?â the way she grins at your confession makes your heart thud.Â
âbut you said you had a party to get to, soâŠâ you trail off, eyeing her.Â
you almost let out a scream as daniela leaps and tackles you back into a laying position, biting playfully at your jaw.Â
âyouâre going to get me in so much trouble,â she sighs, pressing feverish kisses against your neck.
âgood thing he wonât find out.â you lift her chin to face you and press a finger to her lips, admiring her pretty, pretty face. âdonât tell me youâve never kept something a secret before?â
âiâm gonna have to,â she breathes, her arms snaking under your back, ââcause iâm having a hard time keeping my hands to myself.â
âdo something about it,â you grin, and dani doesnât make you wait.
-
thereâs no point in lying to yourself. you can fool the world, maybe, between the stolen glances and rushed kisses in the empty locker room or in the secrecy of your bedroom, but you can feel the way daniâs eyes never quite leave your head. you find yourself thinking about her at every turn, remembering new things as she keeps opening up to you about her past, her hopes for the future, her experiences as captain. you want to think that of course, if sheâs the best hook up youâve ever had, itâd be obvious why sheâs on your mind, but you know itâd be a lie to pretend your feelings werenât getting involved, despite your better judgement.
each time you watch her wink at you from the ice, or order your coffee perfectly as if sheâs memorized it, or see her leave a stupid cute note on your clipboard, you canât help but wonder if sheâs this damn charming with all her other hookups too.Â
you try not to overthink it and instead focus on the newfound freedoms your dad is slowly loosening up to allow you, with each passing week that you stay out of trouble (at least, trouble that heâs aware of.)
can i go to a party if i stay w lara and megan the entire time?
Youâve got some nerve asking If I call you need to pick up at any point
iâll leave with her and text you each step of the way
you text to the group chat that youâre good to go and they all send a variety of cheering gifs or stupid memes about how fucked up theyâre going to get you.
(at least, all of them except for dani, who never acknowledges your texts in the group chat.)
you appreciate that theyâve finally stopped treating you just as coachâs daughter, finally brave enough to stop babying you. youâre especially grateful when you get to the party and yunjin is feeding you shots much to chaewonâs disapproval, the defenseman screaming laughing as lara and kazuha try to race to take down their drinks before megan even manages to take a single, nervous sip from her cup. youâre grateful to have made so many stupid fun friends who are so so nice to you, but you canât help but feel like the shenanigans would feel complete with the presence of one particular frat-boy-like captain who thrives in these environments.Â
you try to not be obvious about looking around to seek her out, but you can feel the eyes on you from the other side of the room. like two magnets finding the opposite ends of each other, always pulling to touch.
unfortunately, when you do spot her, looking painfully attractive in an oversized university polo and a backwards hat, sheâs standing way too close to a random girl for your liking. you guys had never discussed the parameters of what was and wasnât allowed, and a part of you had always known she wasnât likely the type you could lock down if you were just friends with benefits.Â
fine. you donât owe her anything. you turn back around and reach for chaewonâs hand, inviting your friend to dance with you as laraâs girlfriend hands you another drink. youâre over trying to push dani. if she wants anything from you. she knows exactly where to find you.
youâre almost able to push her out of your head until chaewon trades to be dance partners with kazuha, landing you with yunjin holding you by the waist. you think nothing of itâ her super secure girlfriend is literally two feet away from you, doing the same with kazuha, and yunjin has always been nothing but platonic with you, doting on how much she loves chaewon.
âiâm sure these moves have your girl so, so happy,â you laugh, motioning to how she can manage to both lead you so smoothly and also trip up over her own feet at the same time.
yunjin grins back at you in response. âi always step on her feet, and sheâll still kiss me. i think she pretends it doesnât even happen.â
ânow thatâs true love,â you coo, motioning over to the bobbed girl in question, who blows you both a kiss as kazuha dips her over and over.
âi like to think sheâs into me,â yunjin smiles.
ây/n isnât drunk enough to be able to keep up with your whack ass moves, huh.â
the hair on the back of your neck tingles. youâve gotten too good at picking up danielaâs husky voice absolutely anywhere.Â
âfunny. if anyone knows about getting shit-face wasted, itâs you, cap.â yunjin raises her cup to the blonde, words teetering dangerously on the edge of disdain. she motions to you and shoos you two off irritatedly. âtake it away.â
before you can protest, dani is pulling you into the hallway, secluded from the bustle of the party centered in the living room.
her hands are all over you, her teeth in your neck painfully fast with no warning, as if to assert herself. you shove her away.Â
âwhat the fuck, dani?â you hiss, wincing at the sting of your skin.
âmissed you,â she says simply, pressing you back up against the wall, and youâre in shock about hearing her blatant confession. you think back and realize it might be the first time sheâs ever admitted something like that.Â
âyouâre sending me mixed signals,â you call her out, putting a hand on her chest to keep some space between you two. âyou donât want me to get mad at you but you go crazy when you see me complimenting someone else.â
âfine then,â she growls, though you knew sheâd avoid taking accountability for the whiplash sheâs putting you through. âso should we just fucking quit while weâre ahead?â
you see the way her eyes change, something pressing beneath that calloused exterior, you know dani, deep down, and you know what it means when she acts out. so you decide to take a chance.Â
âi want to know more about you,â you breathe gently, looking around quickly to make sure thereâs no prying eyes, before cupping a hand to her cheek. âand i want to keep seeing you. please stop trying to fuck with my head.â
her eyes soften, and your heart melts. your bet pays offâ her guard is dropping.
âyou wonât like what you find,â she warns, and the way her voice hardens makes you wonder what sheâs possibly been through to think so low of herself.Â
âlet me decide that on my own,â you tell her, tilting your head. âwhy do you keep pushing me away?â
âi thought i was fine with it, but i kept thinking about it. and i donât want to hook up with someone whoâs just using me to get back at someone else.â
âme liking you had nothing to do with my dad. itâd be easier to like you if my dad wasnât terrified of you,â you shake your head, realizing how fucked up the reality of the situation is.
you donât realize whatâs slipped out of your mouth until danielaâs eyes are lighting up, even in the dim lighting. her voice is so, so eager, you want to risk it all and kiss her right there and then.
ây/n, you like me?â she questions.
âduh,â you wrinkle your nose, embarrassed but unable to find a way to take it back. âare you blind? is it seriously news to you?â
âi thought yunjin was fucking with me.â
âgod, yunjin could see it,â you want to shrivel up and dieâ you had never mentioned dani to her, but yunjin is dating chaewon, the super genius, and is clearly no idiot herself. âbut why would she lie to you?â
dani bites back a guilty smile. âiâve been kind of shitty to her before.â
you remember the first time watching their rivalry at practice, the smoothness with which they play but the very obvious tension off the ice. you even remember how dani didnât bother you until it was yunjin who started dancing with you.Â
âwhy are you so fucking weird about yunjin?â
you expect an excuse, but dani simply grits her teeth and lets out a breath. âyunjin is like, what i could be if i wasnât so fucked up. sheâs confident and stupid but people really like her.â
âpeople really like you,â you press back.
âpeople put up with me,â she corrects, smiling painfully. âyou and i both know iâm bad news.â
âthatâs not true.â
âyou know it is,â she insists âcoach only tolerates me because iâm laraâs best friend, and because i got captain.â
âyouâre a star player, thatâs why youâre captain.âÂ
âmegan is a star player,â she corrects you again. this is new territory for youâ danielaâs always been so infuriatingly cocky, you almost donât know what to make about the overload of sincerity sheâs sharing with you. you regret every time youâve talked shit about her ego, realizing it was probably the only thing protecting her from this terrible notion she has of herself.
âyou almost won player of the year last season,â you remind her, the party now lost behind you both. âthatâs nothing small.â
âyour dad got so mad when i got nominated that year and not lara,â she laughs, but you can hear something painful in her voice. the pain of being constantly compared.
âyou earned it for a reason,â you answer quickly, and you see something click in her.
âyouâre the only person whoâs never sized me up to lara,â she tells you. âor yunjin.â
âno comparison,â you answer quickly. âyouâre so one-of-a-kind, dani. itâs mesmerizing.â
âi love lara, but even she puts me in this box, like i canât be trusted. i know she means well but itâs hard sometimes. sheâs so perfect, yunjinâs so likeable, and iâm too much,â dani breathes.Â
âyouâre not too much,â you disagree. âyouâre so human. youâre like the most authentic person i know.â
âi feel like my feelings are too big for my body sometimes,â she admits, and you canât believe sheâs sharing all this at a frat party at like 1 in the morning. âlike they control me instead of the other way around.â
âthat makes you so special. youâre not hiding away like everyone else. youâre not scared to treat people like human beings.â
ânobody cares about that,â she snorts.
âi care about that. my dad always treats me like iâm some breakable doll.â nobody has ever made you feel safe or seen enough to confess the frustrations of being the youngest in your family comes with. âmy brothers were always the ones allowed to get away with everything but i had to be under his thumb.â
âi wish we would have met any other way,â she says simply, and you feel the weight of her words resonating from inside of you. she leans in before adding a quiet whisper, ây/n, you like me?â
âi should have never said something,â you roll your eyes, but she reaches for your hand.
âyou guys okay?âÂ
your eyes both snap up at the voice. you breathe out a sigh of relief as you realize itâs those big brown puppy eyes looking back at you.Â
megan.
âi was going to steal laraâs keys so we could goââ
âkiss, a lot,â her girlfriend chimes in, cheeks flushed from clearly one too many drinks.
âno, sheâs too tipsy for that, ignore her.â megan wrinkles her nose, holding the girl tightly by the waist to help hold her up. âi was going to let her sleep it off in the car but iâll just get us an uber to take her home. take the keys, and go talk. that way, nobody interrupts.â
âiâm gonna teach her how to rock your shit once youâre all sobered up,â dani promises, pointing a finger at the both of them.
âdani, i am so serious, please shut the fuck up,â megan begs, and you can see her ears flushing red from beneath her beanie.
her girlfriend grins mischievously. ânooo, you should hear what she can do whenââ
megan interrupts by simply turning them around and walking away with the girl in tow, throwing the keys at your feet as her eyes go wide. you hear her tone soften as she walks off in search of somewhere to let her clearly drunk girlfriend sober up. âokay, baby, not now, but especially not ever with daniâŠâÂ
-
youâre a little nervous that youâre being driven home without lara present, but you figure being home is better than staying out in your dadâs book. dani admits she hadnât actually been drinking that night, which is a surprise to you, but youâre absolutely counting it as a win that she confessed all these thoughts sober.
you donât remember who reaches out first, but her hand is holding yours as she drives down the familiar streets to your house, and you feel like you can picture it forever.Â
âhow did you get captain after lara turned it down?â you ask, after she had opened up about so many other issues in her life, answering each of your questions more honestly than the last.
âit was our old coach, she was training your dad before she transitioned to a new team.â you remember this. your dad had been assistant coach for years, and when the old head coach announced her retirement, your mom threw the biggest celebration to cheer him on for his promotion. âcoach misty looked me in the eyes and told me that even if the athletics department wanted lara, i was always her first pick.â
âreally?â
âshe said i needed the responsibility so i wouldnât do more stupid things.â
âthat worked out,â you deadpan.
âi was worse, when i first joined the program. iâd skip practice, i had a shit attitude, iâd show up to games hungover. i threw up once offsides because i had been partying the night before too hard. at least now i stop before i get sick.â
âreally?â you canât imagine it. as destructive as dani is off the ice, her commitment to her sport is sacred. sure dani can be a goof during practice, but never during the drills themselves, or the games. youâd never once seen her show up with less than 110% when it comes down to it, laser-focused on whatever sheâs doing.
âshe saw the worst in me, and still believed i could be good,â dani shrugs. âgood enough to announce me captain. i cleaned up my act a little once that happened. wanted to make her proud.â
âsomeone believed in you, once upon a time.â you tell her softly. âmaybe you should remember that when you feel reckless.â
âfine.â she lets out a sigh and taps the steering wheel as if sheâs thinking. youâre about to make a dumb comment about how good she looks in that hat, but she catches you off guard with her next statement:Â
âi think we should stop hooking up with other people.â
âwhat?â you question, as if you heard her wrong.
âjust make it easy.â she shrugs again, avoiding your gaze. âplus finals are coming up, weâll be able to stay focused and blow off steam with less time in between.â
youâre too caught off guard to give a straight answer. instead, you want answers to your pressing questions. âwhen we first met, why did you get weird when i told you everyone was warning me about you?â
she hums for a moment, her thumb running across your knuckles. âi let myself start to like you, then i remembered who i am and what i do.â
âyouâre not a bad person, dani,â you shake your head.
âyou canât even claim me,â she pushes back, pulling up in front of your house.Â
âyouâre not exactly showing me off either,â you point out.
âyour dad would kill me,â she laughs, pointing to your house with all the lights off, âand i have one more year before i go pro.â
âfine.â you turn in the seat to face her, bringing your interlaced hands up to examine her knuckles. âwe keep it secret for one more year, and once we graduate, if weâre still together, we say something.â
âso, weâre not gonna sneak around forever?â she asks, eyes lighting up.
âiâm private, but i want to make it very clear that iâm not ashamed of you.âÂ
âyouâll hate me in a year,â she pushes you teasingly.Â
âi hated you for a little bit, but you grew on me.â you reach over to plant a soft kiss on her lips, feeling much too bold considering your dad is asleep just inside the house. âmaybe youâll hate me in a year.â
âguess youâll just have to stick around a year and find out,â daniela smirks, before reaching across your seat to let you out of the car door once more.
you make it upstairs to your room, and she sends you a screenshot of her lockscreen.
look at what time i made it home.Â
the time is irrelevant. all you see is that her background has been changed to a team photo, where you and her are sharing a glance. your heart thuds as you hunt down the same photo and change yours too.Â
âthis fucking stupid ass crush,â you mumble to yourself, before letting yourself fall asleep. you donât have to have a name for it. whatever it is with dani, at least as of tonight, is perfect.
-
thereâs two semifinal home games left until the championships, and youâve never felt more anxious to be through a game in your life. between finals coming up, your dad extra on edge, and now trying to make time to see dani outside of just when the sun is gone, you feel like something is dangerously close to bursting, and yet youâre not sure which part of your life is bound to burst first.
the semi-final game, however, gives a hint that hockey is probably going to be a huge stressor for the next two weeks.
the game is absolute insanity. the girls are playing like maniacs, both intense and borderline sloppy as they barely manage to keep a lead up above the attacking team. your dad is beyond himself, screaming so hard he ends up snapping a clipboard over his knee out of frustration when the team lands another foul and gets away with it.
dani, however, is not one to let things slide, and makes sure the team knows she wonât tolerate a dirty play against megan under any circumstance.
daniela takes the other teamâs center down, gripping her by the back of her jersey, and slams her into the ice. she drops on top of her, swinging two fast blows in succession against her helmet before the ref can swing over. yunjin jumps in quickly, dogpiling onto the other girl as her teammates come to her rescue. kazuha, freakishly strong, reaches down to yank a girl off daniâs back.Â
the referee finally makes his way over and calls a 2 minute penalty for daniela. itâs the first time youâve ever seen her in the box. she storms over and slams the half-door shut, watching anxiously as her team tries to play without her for the next 120 seconds.
ânever seen you fight before,â you tell her through the glass, trying to distract her as her eyes stay laser focused on the ice.
âthis team fractured my eye socket last year.â she tells you back sharply, and she seems genuinely pissed. âand now trying a high-stick on meg? they had it coming.â
they barely scrape by with the win, and you have to sit through your dadâs lecture about how playing sloppy is almost worse than losing.
you, the golden trio, and their girlfriends are all leaving the stadium towards the parking lot, ready to go to their place and go straight to sleep after such a heavy game. but thereâs an unfamiliar voice calling out from the dimly lit lot.
âyou had to try and play dirty to win?â the girls call out, and you recognize them as some of the players from the other team. you look around and realize itâs just the few of you in the parking lot, last to leave. you get a sinking feeling in your stomach.
dani, fearless as always, is the first to step in front of your team and snap back against the attempts at intimidating her team.Â
âi was gonna apologize for beating your ass bare in front of thousands of people, but it sounds like you deserved it,â she bites back.
âyou call a dirty dogpile beating my ass?â the girl scoffs. âtry again alone and you wonât come out as easily.â
ânot worth it,â lara rolls her eyes, unlocking the car door to load her stuff into.
âeasy to say when you can only win on home turf,â the girl responds.
âhome court advantage? are you serious? look at our fucking record. you talk a lot of shit for a team that just got their asses whipped,â dani bites back, chest puffing as lara reaches out to hold her back. you feel frozen at the exchange.
megan is stepping backwards with nervous eyes, tutor girl pulling her by the wrist to try and distract her.
âoh come on, come step up like a fucking grown up.â the other teamâs player points at the ginger in question and how tutor girl is trying to redirect her. âor does your little loser girl do all the hard shit for you?â
you see something twitch in meganâs jaw, her eyes blowing dark.Â
holy shit.Â
within seconds, megan is launching forwards, both hands pressing into the other girlâs shoulders and sending her slamming into the ground with one harsh push. she stands over her as you all bolt to grab her.
ânext one ends as you with no teeth,â megan says, voice cold and even. you have never once heard megan talk like that, much less think she was capable of it.
ugh. to be her girlfriend, having someone claim you that hard.Â
âshe gets it, baby,â tutor girl pulls her back.
you can tell this was the catalyst to something terrible.
âyou wanna start something then not finish it?â the other girl snaps angrily, lifting herself up off the ground with the help of the two other girls.
âyour girlfriend says thatâs a pattern of yourâs,â dani snips.Â
oh, this idiot and her big mouth.
âtry it again, blondie,â she challenges, gesturing for her to approach.
âwalk away, daniela,â lara pushes her, but daniâs too fucking stubborn to back down.Â
in seconds, daniâs shoving into the other girl, despite the height difference, pressing her face into the other girlsâ fearlessly. youâre in awe of how she seems completely unphased.
âthey might not fight, but i do,â she bites, âand iâm not known to fucking lose.â
the other girl shoves back and before you know it, theyâre at blows, even scarier now without all the padding from the game. youâre seconds from running in to try and pull them off of each other when you see a flash of another girl coming up behind her. you realize her intentions look less than a friendly way to blow off steam.
meganâs scream is the loudest. âdani!âÂ
the girl lifts her foot to land a kick straight into the side of daniâs knee, and you see the sickening bend of a joint that shouldnât go in that direction.Â
daniela screams and drops to the ground face-first, and the other teamâs girls freeze as they realize what just happened of their teammate taking it too far. they sprint in the opposite direction, disappearing into the night, and you feel your heart start to race as dani stays on the ground. youâre waiting for her to make some stupid joke, to pop up and do a backflip or something, but once you see her swollen cheek and bloodied lip dripping with silent tears as she grips her knee, you realize something is horribly wrong.
âdani?â you whisper.
âi think we need a doctor,â lara utters, starting the car.
âdani, can you get up?â megan asks worriedly, and daniela keeps ignoring everyone to clutch her leg.
âthis is not good,â you whimper, feeling your body go numb.
you immediately direct megan to help dani to her feet, and lara is racing to pull her car around. megan and her girlfriend help dani limp into the car, and the blonde is ignoring all of you with wide eyes.Â
âi think sheâs in shock,â lara says worriedly, and you bring a hand to daniâs face. the gash above her eye from where she hit the ground is bleeding profusely, and she looks pale.
âhey, youâre okay,â you reassure her, trying to bring her back to earth.
ây/n, i felt two pops. both my ligaments.â she says it solemnly, eyes still wide, as if sheâs processing it over and over. âthatâs my knee. thatâs my career.â
âyou also hit your head which iâm sure didnât help,â you push back, knowing dani always manages to get out of things with the craziest of luck. you press a kiss to her knuckles, forgetting the world around you. âyouâll be okay.â
âthatâs it for me,â she says quickly, before her face pales again and her head slumps forward, the shock clearly wearing off.
the ER nurse takes one look at daniela, bloodied, bruised, and her limp body only held up by meganâs sheer strength at this point, and hurriedly gets her in a wheelchair and out of the lobby.
your group waits anxiously in the lobby, intentionally leaving out mentioning this your dad yet. you can already hear what heâs going to say to her, and you figure the last thing she needs is to hear his lecture right about now. hours pass by, megan and her girlfriend curled up in one chair, lara falling asleep on your shoulder, as you fidget with your phone waiting to hear literally anything back.
they allow one person back to go see her, and lara wakes up and volunteers immediately. part of you wishes you could go back with them, but you figure if only megan knows, you shouldnât be spilling to just anyone especially when dani canât stand up for herself.
lara comes back a few minutes later, shaking her head. the disappointment is written clearly on her features.
you realize now, why it had to be dani as captain. yes, lara is lovely and easy to like and responsible, but as soon as the pressure hits, you can read the distress all over her features. sheâs shutting down, clearly bearing bad news.
dani would be frustrated, maybe, but her energy would stay up and sheâd find some way to make even the biggest problems seem like no sweat. thatâs what coach misty had seen in dani, all that time ago, to appoint her captain. an undying tenacity and a willpower of steelâ the kind that inspires people.
âthe forehead needed three stitches, which they did.â she lets out a sigh. âum, but theyâre putting her in for a cat scan right now to see whatâs going on with the knee and how bad it is.â
âtheyâre going to go straight into surgery to see what they can repair in her knee. the acl and the mcl both ripped from the impact. they said we should look into pressing charges.â
your heart drops.
âthe good news is my girlfriend has seen plenty of acl rips that can heal fast enough to finish a season. we might not have her for championships but sheâll be with us next year.â
you look over at megan, who is teary eyed at the thought of all of this. âcan we see her?â
lara nods. âshe has a room, theyâll let us know when we can go in.â
lara decides to be the responsible one and steps outside to call her girlfriend first, and then face your dad. once a nurse comes down to say sheâs accepting visitors (albeit, sleepily due to the pain meds,) megan is leaving you guys in the dust to race upstairs towards the room.Â
daniâs peaceful snores from her bed bring you some source of comfort. megan curls up in the chair next to the bed and pulls out her phone, mumbling something about calling out from class the next day.Â
laraâs girlfriend arrives and the other girlfriends wait outside the door, peeking in through the crack in case dani stirs.
âpoor lar is still on the phone with coach y/ln. you can imagine how itâs going,â she wrinkles her nose. tutor girl grimaces.
âhate to be her right about now.â
âcheck it out. your puppy dog doesnât want to leave her side,â you laugh.Â
âyou havenât either,â tutor girl points out playfully.Â
âsomeone sane has gotta keep an eye on our captain,â you shrug.Â
âdani is like a big sister to her,â tutor girl says worriedly, watching from the window as megan lays her head on daniâs bed. âshe loves her.â
laraâs girlfriend turns to you, and with zero judgement in her voice, asks simply: âwhatâs she to you?âÂ
âloaded question,â is all you say, and they both laugh in response.Â
megan bursts out the door with an eager smile. âsheâs awake!â
you let the other girls go in first and say their pieces. at this point, itâs nearly 2am after all the waiting, and the adrenaline doesnât balance out how tired they all must be from the game and being up this late. you let them trickle out of the room as they finish up, last out being megan, before you nod to her and promise youâll keep an eye on her best friend through the night.
they leave, and you step into the room, feeling a small breath escape you at the sight of her.
sheâs sitting up in the bed, beaming that stupidly gorgeous smile at you, but the stitches on her forehead and the scrapes and bruises on her face make your heart ache. she looks so small in the hospital gown, your otherwise larger than life daniela, but all you can think about is how grateful you are that sheâs in one piece.
âwill i sound too familiar if i start screaming about your dumb fucking choices tonight?â you start, but your voice canât hide the fact that youâre not actually angry at her, as stern as youâre trying to be.
âsorry iâm such a shit-head,â she apologizes simply, the smile never dropping.Â
âhowâd you know my dadâs nickname for you?â you tease.
ââcause he calls me it like itâs my government name,â she winkles her nose back at you, looking around before reaching out a hand to you.
âi donât think youâre all that bad, daniela avanzini.â you smile gently and take her hand in yours as you stand next to the bed.
âyou havenât known me long enough,â she snorts. âyouâll find something.â
âshockingly, iâve liked what iâve seen.â you press playfully into her chin. âi hope i get to know you long enough to prove you wrong, but youâre gonna have to stop doing stupid shit like this.â
âcareful,â she clicks her tongue. âpeople might think youâre soft for me.â
âyou got under my skin at some point.â you shrug, the smile on your lips only growing. âunfortunately, i think i like you there.â
she pauses for a moment, and you wonder if sheâs going to say something stupid, but instead, she simply looks up at you with those sharp gorgeous dark eyes.Â
âwill you stay, please?â
âyou know,â you tell her, relenting instantly and cuddling into the bed with her, âi had this sick fantasy of finally hearing you beg, but now that youâre begging, i feel like a horrible person because it doesnât actually turn me on.â
âyouâre so evil,â she laughs. âmaybe we are meant to be.â
âslow down, playboy,â you tease, before letting out a quiet nervous breath. âwhatâd the doctor say?â
âgood thing iâm still insanely hot,â she says, flexing her biceps beside you, âcause it sounds like iâm never playing hockey again.â
your heart drops. âwhat? but lara saidââ
ârecovery for all the ripped joints is well over a year. thatâs this and next season.â she holds up two fingers. âthereâs no chance iâm going pro missing my rest of my junior and then my senior season, and thatâs if my knee even heals right.â
âdaniâŠâ you feel your heart ache at the implication.
âthatâs what, almost 15 years? just down the drain.â she shakes her head, dropping back against the pillow with wide eyes. âeveryone is asking me what the fuck iâm going to do next and all i can do is stare back like an idiot.â
âyou donât have to know that yet,â you tell her gently, resting your head on her shoulder. âi think you should give yourself a chance to rest.â
she scoffs and runs a hand through her hair, sarcasm dripping in her voice. âstill want to sneak around with me? broken knee, no more games, useless ass captain with her career down the drain? at least i can smoke so much more weed while i rot on the couch.â
you blink once, twice, as you realize the warmth in your chest has overflowed in a way that never had anything to do with danielaâs status. you like her for her, and youâre hurt she couldnât see that from the start.
you cup her face gently in your palm and turn it to face you.
âdani,â you say quietly, trying to take in every inch of her features, her poor cut up face. âi donât think i want to sneak any more.â
your heart pounds at the way her eyes light up.
âeven like this?â she questions.
âespecially like this.â you nod. âjust give me some time to find the right chance to talk to my dad. maybe you can tell lara. we can figure it out from there.â
youâre mentally prepared for an excuse, from the pushback of wanting to still be single. youâre prepared for her to flip that switch and slap you with some stupid fuckboy ecxcuse, as she does whenever feelings start to get too heavily involved, but you know thatâs a risk you run wih her anyways.
instead, she just stares back at you with those beautiful eyes, her smile threatening to split her face in two.Â
âokay,â she says simply, and itâs enough for you.
âyouâre going to be okay,â you reassure her, carefully leaning into her chest to not disturb her bad leg. she wraps and arm around your shoulder and plays mindlessly with your hair. âyouâre so one of a kind. things always work out for you.â
the night finally catches up to you, and you fall asleep in her arms. at this point, you donât care who sees you. all that matters is dani needs you, and you want to be there for her, and thereâs nothing your heart wants more than to make her feel cared for.Â
-
the championship game finally arrives two weeks later, and your heart breaks as the teams make it a special point to roll out a carpet on the ice to celebrate dani, who limps out in her leg brace and blows kisses all around her at the roaring fans.Â
the collegiate sports world was rocked by the news after your dad helped file the police report last week. the headlines hit immediately after:Â
âhockey championâs career cut short due to violent assault from opposing team.âÂ
you know it breaks her heart to have to watch the game from the bench, but daniâs calling out and making suggestions to your dad, screaming at the girls from the box to make sure they know sheâs down but not out for the count. you can tell it does wonders for their morale, their leader still pushing as hard as she can from the constraints she has.Â
theyâre wobblier on the ice than usualâ like a creature on four legs that just lost itâs front foot. megan is compensating for the new left wing, who doesnât match up with kazuha quite as gracefully as dani did, but theyâre making it work. the game stays at a tense 0-0 even down to the bottom of the final period, and thatâs equally laraâs job as goalie as well as yunjinâs work as defenseman to keep the puck away from their net.
itâs the offence that is feeling daniâs absence the most. it had always been kazhua to dani, zuha making a hole as dani runs the puck up, and then both of them clearing a clear pass to megan to make the final score. megan is overcompensating, somehow in multiple places at once, and by some miracle, makes a buzzer-beating shot that brings them up to their second championship victory.
1-0, and no easy feat.
the girls all swarm megan on the ice, but you quickly realize megan is crying her poor little eyes out as she races out of the swam and instead runs straight to the player box, crushing daniela in a hug as she tosses her helmet to the side.
dani furrows her brows and gives megan back the tightest hug she can manage with all the padding still on her. the other girls come to quickly trickle in and follow suit, and you can hear meganâs loud sobs heard over the hums and sniffles of the other girls. the reality sets in. their beloved captain is done for.
âweâre going to announce the next captain tomorrow after the championship recap press release,â your dad tells them, after a few pictures with the trophy and a debrief about the game. âget some rest, you all played your best tonight.â
he points to yunjin and daniela and motions for them to follow into his office. you figure youâll give them some space and wait outside with lara and her girlfriend, but once you see yunjin step out and hurry away, you hear the volume increase. lara and the physical trainer both exchange concerned glances and walk away to offer them more privacy. you try to focus on other things, but you hear a thud of something hitting the desk, and walk into the office.
you catch the tail end of their argument. danielaâs jaw is hard and her face is red, almost as red as your dadâs, and you can tell the two have probably been screaming at each other a fair amount of time before you got there.Â
âcaptain goes to yunjin.â he presses firmly, slamming his fist down again into the table. âyou thank the program for their time, you make the announcement that itâs huh, and you train her until the season starts. you can still see your scholarship out as long as youâre training with us since the injury wasnât your fault.â
âi donât give a fuck about my scholarship. yunjin is the wrong call for captain,â daniela bites back fearlessly.Â
âif you wouldnât have gone looking for trouble, we wouldnât have to be making this call.â he growls, shooing the both of you out of his door. âyou donât get to call shots any more, avanzini, you are done for. do what i say. announce huh at the press conference and stop causing issues.â
daniela storms out of the office, and you follow behind her, your dad slamming the door shut behind the two of you.
âif i wasnât stuck in this fucking brace, iâd beat his ass too,â she rants, waving lara over. âletâs get the fuck out of here.â
âenough with fighting people,â you growl, following them to the car.
you spend the night, and daniela doesnât want to say a single word more about it, instead simply laying in the bed and letting you play with her hair until she falls asleep. you want to leave it there, but something inside you is pressing to dig a little deeper, so you slip out of the bed as gently as you can without waking her, and ask lara if you can borrow the car to make a quick trip. your dad is clearly too stressed out about the conference tomorrow to be checking where you are, so you figure maybe you can dig a little deeper into this as you give chaewon a quick phone call.Â
you make it to chaewonâs apartment complex and just as you had the hunch, yunjin is pulling up at the exact same time, looking like a zombie as she tries punching in the access code to the front door. you park and race up behind her before she can leave you behind.
âhi yunjin,â you greet, making your presence known.
ây/n.â she forces a smile, spinning on her heel. caught. âgood to see you.â
âi thought we were cool, but you donât seem that thrilled to see me,â you wrinkle your nose. âdid chae tell you i was asking about you?â
âunfortunately, yes,â she wrinkles her nose back at you. yunjin straddles the line between being confident and cocky, just barely able to rein it in that youâre never quite that annoyed with her.Â
âsorry for you, but i need answers,â you press.
âall for a girl who wonât claim you?â she arches a brow.
you bite back a grimace, not wanting to admit how deep that cuts. âthis isnât about dani.â
âwhen it comes to this team, everything is about dani.â she shakes her head.
âwhen it comes to dani, everything is about the team,â you insist, and you see yunjinâs eyebrow twitch slightly.
âi hate admitting when daniela is right, but i also disagree with the call to make me captain.â
âso donât accept,â you state simply.
âi have to,â yunjin sighs. âitâs not that easy.â
âwhy donât you think it should go to you?â
âi love hockey, but i donât live and breathe it. coach y/ln just wants an incoming senior who can say the right polite things, keep the sponsors happy, and then graduate and be out of there. iâm the closest she could get to lara raj. dani, as much trouble as she caused, also got us the right kind of attention. it was supposed to be her keeping captain until she graduated. someone like that isnât going to pop up again. lightning doesnât strike twice.â
you marinade on her words. that might explain why dani is so irritated about the callâ yunjin seems ready to be a puppet for the next year, and daniela would rather die than let captain go to someone who doesnât see the sport as their whole life.
âiâve never seen her like that before, so reasonable. sheâs crazy about you,â yunjin adds as an afterthought. âshe met her match in you.â
âcrazy knows crazy,â you laugh.
âi think you believing in her changed her.â yunjin corrects you, offering a small smile as a peace offering. âsheâs a pain in the ass, but sheâs our favorite pain in the ass, so thank you for taking care of her.â
suddenly the door swings open, revealing a sleepy-eyed chaewon.
âoh hi, y/n,â she blinks, looking between the both of you. âi wasnât expecting you to actually come over.â
ânot crashing, just needed to find yunjin. thanks, chae. see you tomorrow.â you nod to them both and head off. you donât have a plan, but you at least have a better idea of whatâs going through danielaâs head, and maybe that can be enough for now. you drive back to her place and squeeze right back into bed with her, wondering what this new chapter could possibly have in store for you.
-
the press conference finally comes the next day, and youâve never seen so many bodies packed in the conference room before. photographers, reporters, even what looks like scouts and coaches invited from other teams. yunjin is seated next to you in the front row by the coaches, and megan and lara are right outside the door watching on the screen outside the room with the rest of the team.Â
dani limps her way onto the stage, unreadable expression on her face. they offer her a roaring round of applause, their universityâs mini-celebrity, before quieting down as she takes to the microphone to start the speech.
âhockey has given me the most beautiful past 15 years of my life. iâd like to thank the program, for giving me a home to call my own, and the coaches, for pushing me to be my best. iâd like to thank the girls, most of all, for trusting my decisions, following me into the dark, and picking me up every single time iâve fallen in pursuit of perfection.â
âas we celebrate this win,â she continues, âi know my time as captain has come to a beautiful end. i will mourn the season i never got to share, but i know the next captain is going to set the most incredible example for the team moving froward. being captain changed me. it gave me something to be responsible for, and a reason to believe in myself, even on the hardest days, when nothing felt redeemable. this is not a decision the program has taken lightly, as the job of team captain is only for those strong enough to lead by example, and believe in themselves to do it with a clear focus on the team.âÂ
she presses her lips into a fine line, clearly trying to fake a smile. your heart aches as you know sheâs being forced to do this against her better hopes.
âi am proud to announce my successor,â she starts, her face cold.Â
theres a pause, and you see her eyes change. she looks up at you and that glint of mischief shines as your eyes meet. you whisper a scolding to yourself but the grin on her face tells you that her mind is made up. she leans into the microphone and takes measures into her own hands.
âthe womenâs hockey team is in no better hands next year than incoming junior megan skiendiel. thank you,â she nods and stands up, and the conference room bursts into a roar of flashing cameras, overlapping questions, and a few whistled cheers.
you know your dad is going to fucking kill her but she walks off the stage with no fear and heads backstage.Â
tutor girl texts you immediately.Â
holy shit
danielaâs too smart. the university is in too tight of a position to retract her statement. dani is adored by thousands, and the sob story of her early retirement locks in her legacy as a heroâ if your dad retracts her statement, heâs as good as dead.
you all rush to find her backstage as your dad scrambles to the mic, announcing âno further questions.â
megan is the first to spot her, and you can already see the color drained from her face in shock as her lip quivers. âdaniââ
âlisten, megs.â daniela grabs the taller girl by the shoulders, pulling her in to look her deep in the eyes. âyou are our top scorer. you are first to practice every time and always the last to leave. you live, breathe, and die by this sport. everything i know, iâve taught you, and youâve surpassed me. you are a better, younger version of myself and you are the heart of this team.âÂ
you didnât know where daniâs head was at with yunjin, but you can see it now. experience and composure vs talent and dedication. yunjin is perfect on paper, but megan is obsessed with the sport down to her very core. and when daniela needed a reminder she was more than just a stupid little problem child, she recognizes that megan needs the same push to see sheâs not just some nervous idiot little kid.Â
âi canât do what you do,â megan hiccups, and you can see how hard sheâs biting down on her lip to stop herself from bursting into tears. âi canât do any of this without you.â
âyou wonât have to.â dani pulls her into a crushing hug, and you feel your heart warm. âiâve got your back, and youâve got all of ours. believe in yourself, or at least remember that at least one person believes in you, and the rest will come naturally.â
your dadâs voice booms over all of you, interrupting the otherwise tender moment.Â
âavanzini, my fucking office, now.â
heâs stanced menacingly in front of the group, finger pointed in the direction of the coachâs offices. you all fall silent, clearly terrified of what comes next from him.
well, all except for daniela, who steps right up to him and points a finger just an inch from his face.Â
âyeah, keep swearing at me âcause i got more to say to you, you bald-headed bitch,â she pushes back fearlessly.Â
âoh, donât start, avanzini,â he groans, backing down and walking towards the office.Â
you want to die of laughter as you watch her limp after him. daniela and her incessant need to run her mouth.
you give megan a quick squeeze of reassurance and leave her in the arms of the girls. whatever is about to go down between daniela and your dad should probably involve a witness, so you chase them down and follow into his office. they donât even notice you entering, right back into a screaming match theyâre all too good at.Â
âdo you know the shit you just got us into? i have a whole department losing their minds over their top spokesperson having to transition off and now youâre going off script picking your own fucking captain! do you know the position that puts us in?â heâs seething so hard, you see the spit flying from his lips as he can barely contain himself. âdo you ever fucking think about anything besides yourself?â
âyes, actually.â danielaâs face is hard, sheâs standing tall, taking the verbal beating but snapping back just as forcefully to make sure he knows it wonât be an easy fight. âi think about a lot of other people, actually.â
âforgive me for finding that hard to believe, between the partying, the disrespect, and the self-centered attitude.â he holds up a finger for each vice he lists. âyou carry yourself like some cocky frat boy and iâve enabled you for way too fucking long. sometimes i wonder what the fuck goes on up there in that brain of yours besides thinking about yourself.â
you see danielaâs fists clench, and she lets out a sharp breath.Â
âyou wonder what i think about?â she snaps, before taking a step back and laughing bitterly. âthis is a great time to tell you that iâm in love with your daughter.â
you freeze. oh christ.
âdonât joke like that, avanzini.â he waves her off, immediately attempting to call her bluff. âyouâve already put my blood pressure high enough. donât pick the low fucking blows.â
âcoach,â dani says simply, and her eyes flicker to you.Â
you look back at her, and realize your dad is staring between the two of you. his face falls instantly as he sees the look you share.
ây/n, if sheâs roped you into some prank, itâs not fucking funny, and this is not the time. this is serious, kiddo, you canât let her use you to make a joke at my expenseââ
your eyes meet daniâs once more, and you realize you have a choice. be stuck under his thumb forever, or choose to be impulsive and brave.Â
and something about those eyes makes you feel like maybe, it wouldnât kill you to be your own person.Â
âi know daniela is a pain in your ass, but sheâs also passionate, and brave, and she loves hard.â you start, and your dad groans in exasperation as he buries his face in his hands.
ânot you, y/n, i literally told them the only rule was not you,â he sighs, before pointing back at daniela. âi should have known i couldnât fucking trust you.â
âyou donât see the good side of her because youâre too busy wishing she was lara, or yunjin.â
you see dani and your dad tense simultaneously.Â
âiâd be pretty annoying too if i couldnât exist by myself,â you continue. âyouâre always comparing her and she never gets a chance to just be celebrated for everything she does right.â
âno. not being trusted is a consequence of your own decisions,â he tells her.
âyou donât know everything about me,â daniela growls.Â
âno, avanzini, i do know you,â he snaps back quickly, an accusing finger in her face. âi know youâre arrogant and hot-headed. i know you act first and think later, and thatâs if you even think at all.â
âand all of those things make her someone you can depend on to give 110%,â you jump in to her defense. âdo you know how many times sheâs shown up to cheer someone up after a hard game? how she teaches others how to show up first to every practice? how sheâs there the moment anyone needs someone? every time the girls start to beat themselves up because youâve been a dick, sheâs the first one helping them feel better about themselves.â
âitâs not just about being composed,â you go on, âitâs about being connected, and daniela cares about everyone equally. doesnât pick favorites, unlike you.â
ây/n, are you trying to kill me?â he runs a hand over his bald head, his skin redder than youâve ever seen it before. he glares once more over at daniela. âand you, shit-head, you are to stay away from my daughter or i kick you from the team.â
âiâm not approved to play anyways,â dani snaps back immediately. âyou canât stop me from shit.â
âkicking her isnât your call,â you push back.
âsheâs going to ruin your future,â he warns, but it feels like the weak final attempt of someone losing to try and get the upper hand.
âyou not listening to anyone else is going to ruin yours. watch how your team falls apart without dani to guide them,â you snap back, grabbing danielaâs hand to yank her out of the office with you. âsheâs not some fucking monster.â
you pause for a second in the doorway, before adding a final thought.
âand for the record, dad, dani did everything possible to ignore me. i sought her out, over and over, because she was the only person who treated me like a human being and not like your little puppet.â
your hands are shaking as you two simply keep walking, making your way out of the building. youâve never once pushed back against him like that.
âholy shit,â daniela says simply, slumping up against the giant oak tree by the athletics building.Â
itâs not enough for you, youâre all adrenaline, and if there was ever a time to claim and be claimed, itâs now.
âyou could say it to my dad, right in his fucking face, and yet you canât look me in the eyes and say it to me?â you tell her hurriedly, grabbing her hands and holding them in your own shaky ones. âyou can look him in the eyes, tell him off, tell him youâre in love with me, and still not be able to look me in the eyes to say it here?â
âi didnât think the chance would ever hit me again,â she admits. âi did it, but i was fucking scared.â
âbig bad avanzini, scared?â you laugh, throwing your head back. ânever thought iâd see the day.â
âi want to be a different person for you,â she tells you, her tone dropping into a more serious one, as she brushes a few strands of hair from your face. âa good one.â
âyou are a good person,â you press, taking her face into your hand. âi wanted you then, before you knew you were good, and i want you now.â
âitâll kill me if i hurt you,â she clenches her jaw.
âdani, weâve already hurt each other and we werenât even together.â you shake your head at all the time you two had wasted being stupid and playing games. âand you forgive me, and i still forgive you, and i still know youâre good at your core.â
âi want you bad, y/n,â she breathes shakily. âbut things iâve loved in my life never really end up working out.â
âbecause you sabotage them, thinking youâre not worth it.â you hold her perfect face in both of your hands, forcing her to look at you. âyou are perfect for me.â
âitâs risky,â she warns you, but you can see her guard falling one last time. âbeing in love can be really fucking painful. itâs a huge risk.â
âluckily for me, i fell in love with the most reckless, relentless daredevil iâve ever met,â you grin, and she matches your smile with her own. âi trust you, daniela avanzini. with my whole heart, actually.â
she pulls you into a searing kiss, and you realize itâs the first time youâve ever kissed in the fresh air, not hidden in someoneâs room or in a dark hallway. you relish it, her soft, warm lips against yours in the brisk winter time air, the way she pulls you in to press your bodies flush together. your heard thuds at the realization.Â
itâll be the first of many. Â
-
megan taps the microphone nervously, pulling at her tie to loosen it.Â
âuh, hi.â
tutor girl is recording next to you, looking like a proud soccer mom. she told you just moments before how hard megan had worked on this speech. the summertime pre-season press conference is no joke, usually itâs how the program will set the tone for the upcoming season, and the team is eagerly waiting in the front row of the conference seating to cheer on the ginger on stage.
âi take the torch of leadership from a mentor who is extremely dear to me.â she starts slowly, and you notice that she has no notes in front of her, having memorized the speech itself. âiâm excited to work to bring out the best in this team, the way our former captain brought out the best in me, and in every one of us. i will aim high not to achieve, but to improve. all i will seek is that we improve upon ourselves, and the rest weâll take as it comes for the love of this beautiful sport. thank you for believing in me, and i hope this season gives everyone something to be proud of. my name is megan skiendiel, and i am extremely honored to be named the womenâs hockey team captain.â
she nods, bowing slightly, and stands up once the photos have all been taken.
dani watches on the other side of you, arms crossed. her lips are pressed into a grin.Â
âyou did this,â you tell her, motioning to the packed conference and the roars of cheering fans from outside the conference room. âyour stubborn self made this all happen.â
âsomeone once described me as relentless,â she smiles, poking you in the hip.
âno, i said youâre annoying,â you correct, as the two of you make your way back towards the coachâs area.
âiâll be honest, i probably wasnât listening either way.â she teases, and you roll your eyes. âyou start yapping and i get lost in those eyes.â
âokay, alright loverboy,â you push her face away, but she presses back twice as strong to plant a kiss on your cheek. you squeeze her cheek in response. âugh, youâre so fucking cute it makes me aggressive.â
âyouâre always aggressive,â she laughs.Â
âdonât let anyone look at you during the faculty meeting,â you warn. âif someone smiles at you, you sayââ
ââi have a girlfriend, i love her with my whole heart, and sheâll kill you,ââ dani nods, remembering the lines you two playfully ran the night before.
âyouâre so good.â you hum happily.
âif anyone looks my way, iâll call you and then punch them in the head,â she reassures you, laughing.
âno violence.â you warn her. âyouâre not a frat boy any more.â
âi love you,â she says simply, but the firmness in her tone and the way she reaches for your hand speaks volumes.Â
you grab her by the chin and stare deep into those beautiful dark eyes. her tooth gem sparkles as she smiles widely back at you.Â
âbe good, and have fun. iâll wait for you at home.â
ânaked, hopefully,â dani quips back quickly.
âwe canât keep traumatizing poor megan,â you laugh, shaking your head.
âyou are the best thing that ever happened to me,â she tells you earnestly, eyes looking over you as if seeking something.
âif someone discovers how to quit you, i hope they let me know,â you wrap your arms around her neck and plant one last kiss on her forehead.
âhope that never fucking happens.â she says easily. âyouâre stuck with my ass.â
âugh.â you push her away with one last kiss to her cheek. âgo be charming and stupid somewhere else before i drag you into a bathroom.â
she looks so fucking cute in the university polo. a popped collar and a red cup in her hands and sheâd look much too comfortable throwing back to her frat boy days. she runs off and joins the familiar figure of your dad as the hockey program faculty head into a meeting room.
your dad shoves her, and she grins twice as big up at him as she jumps up to slap the back of his big, bald head and then sprints off. he grumbles something and you watch as the two disappear into the room with the rest of the staff. you couldnât be more proud of the way dani has found a way to keep chasing her dreams.
daniela avanzini. incoming senior, and new assistant coach in training.
and, her title for you and you alone, daniela avanzini. the most passionate, caring, insanely brave girlfriend anyone could have ever imagined.
#katseye x reader#daniela x reader#daniela avanzini#daniela avanzini x reader#daniela avanzini x female reader#daniela katseye#katseye imagines#katseye daniela#âïŸ coolwyous works.#âïŸ coolwyous - hurt.
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"In Clarkâs mind, heâs imagining a nine-year-old, itty-bitty Marvel with a baby Freddy massaging Freddyâs little baby leg because he was crying."
Imagine expanding on this from your Teen dad Marvel prompt where the league wonder if Marvel has baby pics of Freddy so he has to hunt down pictures through the foster care system. Imagine captain marvel pulling up at some random family door asking if they have photos from some kid that ran away from them. Or the league ask Marvel how he handled raising Freddy and Mary so young and Billy tweaks thinking they figured out his identity but they just assume he had the kids super young. I hope you write more for teen dad Marvel because it's Def my favorite one of your prompts.
Supes: âCap, do you have any pictures of Freddy as a baby?â
Marvel: âUh⊠nââ *has to pause and slowly look to him* âIâm sorry what did you just call him?â
Supes: ââŠFreddy?â
Marvel: *still staring at him, scandalized, wondering if you got found out already*
Supes: ââŠI heard you call him that a while ago! Iâm sorry! Do you want me to stick normal names?â
Marvel: âNo, itâs fine.â *still staring, now suspicious ïżŒ before he shrugs* âTo answer your question⊠yes?â
Supes: âYou donât sound so sure of that.â
Marvel: âI am! Just give me a couple days, okay? Then I might be able to show it to you.â
Supes: âYouâll actually show it to me?â
Billy was already out the door before Clark could even finish that sentence. As he walked, with a completely blank face mind you, he was internally screaming because where in the world was he gonna find baby pictures of Freddy?! (Jâonn, who floated by him, flinched)
Thatâs how he ended up going to a bunch of Freddyâs old foster homes. They all turned him away. Thankfully though, a couple of them mentioned that Freddy came with photo album of him in his baby and toddler years.
He. Had. To. Hunt. It. Down.
It took three days of nonstop searching and asking around, but he finally got his hands on it. See, turns out, a homeless guy was using it as pillow. Thatâs how the 12 year-old Billy wrestled it from the probably forty year-old man. In the end, Billy had to trade it for a thick blanket and an actual pillow. All for a photo album.
He showed it to Supes.
Supes: âHeâs adorable, but whyâs the photo album so dirty? Did you have to sort through an attic or basement for it?â
Marvel: *ptsd flashbacks of the methhead homeless dude trying to fight him for it* âYup.â
Soon after that, a bunch of other heroes gathered around to leaf through the album.
Wondy: âHow come there arenât any pictures of Mary?â
Marvel: âSupes wanted the one for Junior, but uhâŠâ *pulls out magical wallet, unfurls it, and a bunch of photos drop down of Mary as a tiny girl*
Flash: *still looking at the photo album* âAww! Geez, Cap, how do you handle raising these two little munchkins so young?â
Marvel: âPardon?â *tight smile instead of normal one*
Flash: âUh⊠well, dude, it isnât really a secret you were a teen dad.â *awkward*
Marvel: âOh.â
Billy was utterly confused because he was 12? Did that qualify as a teen? Also, âwereâ? As in past tense?
Flash: âNot that itâs a bad thiââ
Marvel: âI guess I was just resilient?â
Supes: âYou really mustâve been to raise them that young.â *nodding, solemn, patting Billyâs back*
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What does your family think of you?
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Pile 1-
More thinking less actually talking about it. You might talk to yourself alot or blabber alot? Alot of words that you say or are deep thinking about never actually see the light of the day and that's what they think. I see especially a women figure mother probably very worried and curious about this. They think of you as someone who knows very well how to hype others well someone who brings the light in people and you know the mood settler. Someone who brings excitement and they are always upbeat when you are near. However I think your family might be a little worried about you mainly because they believe that you hide alot from them especially your struggles it's like you refuse to talk about them or even acknowledge that they are there. There is also this theme about trying to ignore the past or let go off the past but not being able to. I keep having a vision of a person with their hands on their face there is a shame that this person feels as they wish to hide themselves/ their face so that other people don't look at it. Your mother or a women around you is the one that is the most worried and concerned she loves you alot and is waiting for the moment that you come up to them to talk. They believe that you bring light whenever you go and it's like you are the light. Your family also believes that you tend to hide your struggles this might be someone who might have had to protect their family from a very young age, someone with alot of burden on their shoulders and a belief that no one else can or should be handling it except them.
Pile 2-
The thought daughter. "You got your passion, you got your pride but don't you know that only fools are satisfied" from Vienna started playing in my head. Very warm and kind you might love winters or more so being able to hide yourself in big clothes, mufflers and fire near. You might daydream alot and might drink coffee or some other drink alot. "You know how to love better than most of us that's why you find it all so painful" from fleabag played in my head I heard "begging to be understood". You might feel as if no one understands you or your struggles but they do that's what you need to know. You might repress your anger alot in order to be kind or nice. I think your dad loves you the most he understands you it's in the way that he stares at you. Read books, philosophy, write in your journal and observe art you have a very long way to you. You have to understand and realise that people do see you for who you are especially your family. Someone very warm, kind and wise very good intuition and very connected to her inner voice.
Pile 3-
do you perhaps say the same thing alot of times because you are nervous or simply because you are not able to remember what you were gonna say next? Your family is patient with you. You have a good home I think if not good, you do have a home. You will always come back to your home and you will always have a place that will celebrate even your smallest goals. I think you make your house a home. You might connect all the family members with each other and even if there isn't much love between them they share this mutual love for you. You also have your community I think for this pile their family is not just their parents who gave birth to them etc but also other people that they have found over the years. You have a bigger family than the rest of the people. You are very celebrated. Are you good with decorations or surprises? There is something coming up regarding that I think your family might have wanted to do something for you alot of times but they fail because you are always two steps ahead. Your family might also feel as if they are a burden to you or perhaps you do more for them than they do for you? This might be a native household I'm also hearing a language I heard "their first time living too" and "maybe they really don't know any better"
Pile 4-
Oh they really fw however it's either that they think you are too much with your friends and about friendship or they believe and actually think of you as someone who is their friend and keeps a very friendly environment in the house. They might think that you like to party and have fun and also that people around you just have fun yk. Do you bring your friends to your home alot I see one in particular dancing with you dancing queen by ABBA started playing in my head. I heard "a very loving community". However they might also feel as if you have not yet discovered who you truly are. They might often worry that you are too fixed on the superficial thing and other people and pay no focus to your own well being I heard "emptiness and hopeless" that's not how they feel about you but that's what they believe that you feel about yourself. They might worry about your future and might want you to see things for what they truly are I heard "disregard for consequences". But they believe that you are someone who's very compassionate and composed.
#astrology#astrology notes#astrology observations#vedic astrology#free readings#askgames#astrology asks#exchange reading#exchange readings#tarot pac#tarot#free tarot reading#tarot readings#tarot reading#tarot cards#pick a picture#tarot pick a card#pick a card reading#pick a card#pick a card readings#pick a pile#pacreading#pac#pac reading#astrology chart#astrology readings#astro notes#free astrology reading#free psychic reading#free tarot readings
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lover or love her? / sylus
DETAILS: non-mc!reader, best friend!reader, fluff, pre/unestablished relationship, some slice of life, flirting, best friends to lovers, pining, petnames (sweetheart, sweetie, kitten, baby), banter, slight angst if you squint (as pining always does include), slight jealousy, somewhat suggestive, tense consistency issues, slight misunderstanding, bars & alcohol consumption, i make up my own places in linkon, may be ooc? SUMMARY: youâve been close (maybe a little too close) friends with sylus for a very long time; one of the few people sylus engages with outside of his business dealings. however, with how busy he is, you donât see each other often. finally, after months, youâre able to get him for a day, and who knows what might happen as your always flirtatious friendship teeters on the edge of something more. NOTES: more fluff because if i read another story of angst i might cry, slice of life because i didnât really know what to write? i wrote this on an airplane to pass time lol. wc. 4.2k
âHey,â the deep voice cut through your music. You looked up, yanking out one earbud. AhâSylus. He was looking at you curiously, a light smirk on his face. He towered over you, shoulders relaxed. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his leather jacket.
âWhat are you reading?â he asked once he knew he had your attention.
You glanced down at the book in your hands. You showed him the cover.
âYeah, I have no idea what that oneâs about,â he said.
âFigured.â you laughed, stretching one arm above you and scooting your chair back.
âYou gonna order something or are you ready to go?â you asked, glancing at him sideways as you shrugged your coat on and shoved your book into your bag.
âI had coffee earlier.â he replied, rolling his shoulders.
You stood up. You jumped as you almost smacked into his jaw, âWhy are you standing that close?â
He laughed, âI donât know. Maybe so I can get smacked by a pretty kitten every once in a while.â
You recoiled, âEw. Save that âkittenâ shit for your precious hunter, Sylus,â you said heatedly, completely ignoring the part where he called you pretty.
âWhat? You donât like it?â he teased, grabbing at you.
You blocked him, âHaha, very funny. Now letâs go before I get sick of your ass and leave you here.â you started walking to the door of the quaint cafe, not bothering to check if he was following.
âOuch, sweetheart,â he drawled, sarcastically, trailing behind you leisurely, âCareful or I might start thinking you hate me. Are you always this rude to people giving you a ride or is it just me?â
âJust you.â you grinned, spinning back toward him and walking backward on the sidewalk.
âWow, I feel so special.â he deadpanned.
You reached out to pat his cheek, âYou should. Really, itâs a privilege.â
He rolled his eyes, hand grabbing your wrist and pulling you toward him. You stumbled and you looked at him with wide eyes, âWhat-"
âLook behind you, sweetie.â
You turned your head, mouth forming into an O shape. You had almost walked off the curb. âOk, we donât talk about that.â you said as you released yourself from his hold and hopped off the sidewalk next to his motorcycle.
âWow, no thank you either. What bad manners.â he teasingly chastised.
You rolled your eyes, âOh Iâm soo sorry. Thank you so much for saving me Sylus. Youâre so big and strong and awesome! I just canât imagine what it would be like if you werenât here.â you purred at him, looking at him with faux adoring eyes, hands clasped together in false gratefulness. âThat enough for you?â
âAw you really think so?â he said, placing a hand over his heart in pretend thankfulness.
Your lip quirked, âYou know what? Sure. Whatever makes you sleep at night.â you laughed as you leaned over to grab the helmet attached below the seat of his bike.
Sylus laughed as he swung a leg over the bike. He situated himself, turning the key to turn the bike on. When you stood up he smacked your visor down.
âHey!â you exclaimed. Glaring at him as you flicked it back up, âSee thatâs not fair because you donât have a helmet. I canât get you back.â
He shrugged, âThatâs too bad I guess.â
âOne of these days.â you muttered as you swung yourself onto the pillion seat. You locked your arms around his torso tightly. Your heart jumped for a secondâyouâd forgotten how well-defined Sylus was, even through the leather he was wearing.
âAlright, where we headed?â you asked over his shoulder.
He shrugged, âDunno. Wherever,â he paused before adding, âAnywhere as long as your with me.â he looked back, grinning at you cheekily and wiggling his brows as if to say: That was a good one, right?
You blinked at him, unimpressed, âStop trying to woo me, Sylus. Is this what you say to that hunter?â you sighed, exasperated.
âWhat, not impressed?â he frowned at you in faux sadness.
âNo,â you stated dryly.
âSheesh, tough crowd.â
âJust drive.â
-
Sylus took you to the boardwalk across Linkon.
You shook out your hair once off the bike, âI havenât been here in forever.â
âI know.â Sylus said.
The way he said it made you pause. You looked at him trying to catch somethingâanythingâin his gaze that would suggest something. He was already looking at youâpassive. You looked back down, shaking away the thought.
As the two of you strolled down the boardwalk, you told him about work and he told you the less grisly details of his last deal.
âWaitâso youâre telling me this Chavez guy tried to scam you by going through Luke and Kieran?â you exclaimed, absolutely dumbfounded.
âYes, exactly. I donât know how someone can be that idiotic.â he confirmed.
âThatâs crazy. Please tell me you shot him.â
He glanced at you mirthfully, âI wonât confirm or deny that for legal reasons.â
You looked at him, âOh come on! You think Iâm gonna turn you in? Wow, Iâm offended.â
âIâm kidding. Yes, Luke shot him immediately actually. I didnât even know until they told me later.â
You laughed, âYou know what, thatâs fair. He wouldnât have made it far if he didnât know who the twins were connected too.â
âYeah, I suppose not,â he agreed.
What kind of person knowing and laughing about Sylusâ lifestyle made you, you werenât sure. But it kept you safe so you tried not to think too much about it. You knew Sylus kept tabs on you even if he asked what youâd been up to as if he didnât have it recorded already. Like you said, it kept you safe. Not that you had much to run from; an average citizen of Linkon city but⊠the assurance was nice. Also a bonus, you could come and go into the N109 Zone freely. Not that you ever had, but Sylus had given you a brooch in case you wanted to.
âCome visit me.â heâd said.
You hadnât. Youâd stuck with him coming out of the shadows to masquerade as a normal man every now and then. He hadnât said anything about it.
âHey look! Itâs you!â you exclaimed.
âWhat?â Sylus asked, brow furrowed.
You pointed to a mosquito buzzing around your heads, laughing.
It was his turn to look at you unimpressed.
âWow, riveting. Please, do tell, why you think so?â he asked, voice low and looking at you with all the severity of a man such as himself would.
You paused. His voice⊠did things to you. Youâd admit it, and when he spoke like thatâwell, decency was a mere speck in your thought process.
âHmm?â he pressed at your silence, shifting closer to you.
Your mouth opened but not words came out, âUhh-â
âCâmon, sweetheart, Iâm just dying to know here why you think Iâm a mosquito.â he smirked at you.
âBecause youâre annoying, hover around andâand, I donât knowâ suck peopleâs blood!â you stuttered out.
Truthfully, youâd almost wished he was one. Small, annoying, and easy to killâinsignificant. It would make it so much easier to be his friend. He was in fact, the opposite. He was like a crater that had smashed your world. Drawing your thoughts to him every time you aimed to sleep at night. His teases, no matter how much you pushed back at himââSave that for your little hunter!ââcoming out of your mouth quite often, lingered in your mind for too long. His little pet names; you had to steel yourself against the hundred of âsweetheartsâ and âsweetiesâ and âkittensâ (the only one you could actually ignore) that fell from his mouth in an hour. Youâd almost think you werenât just friends if it wasnât for that hunter. His soulmate as heâs told you before. It made you a bit mad, the way he could say that and then flirt with you shamelessly. Truly, like a mosquito in that regard.
He frowned at that, âWhat you donât like Mephisto? Donât let him hear thatâitâll hurt his feelings! And secondly, youâve just made me sound like a vampire, not a mosquito.â
âExcuse me! You know, Mephstoâs kinda creepy at first! And heâs metal, he doesnât have feelings. Correct me if Iâm wrong, but youâre the one who says that all the time. Also! You may as well be a vampire Sylus. Dark, brooding, red eyes, nocturnal, killing people left and right; seems right to me.â you shot back.
âOk, tell me what you really think.â he laughed, âAlso Iâm almost certain your vampire lore is kinda off.â
âShut up!â
-
The bell dinged as you pushed open the cerulean blue door. You held open the door for the man behind you. Once youâd finished catching up at the boardwalk, youâd had the brilliant idea to get ice cream.
There was this small ice creamery on the Eastside of Linkon. It was painted a cloud gray with light blue accents. It was a quaint little placeâan extension of an unassuming townhouse. The owner of the parlor lived in the floor above it. It was known for its unique flavors and ocean themed decor.
Sylus had heard all about it. It was your new favorite place as of late. Mephisto had caught you going there four times in one week once. He had yet to visit however, too busy with deals and his aether core issue.
âWhat can I get for you?â the employee behind the counter asked once you walked up.
âHi. Could I get two scoops of Midnight Moon?â you said.
âMidnight Moon?â Sylus raised an eyebrow.
âYeah, itâs really good!â you answered, âI forgot you havenât been here yet.â
âI feel like I have with how many times Iâve seen you come here. I mean, four times in one week? Really, sweetie? One might begin to think thereâs something wrong with you with how often you come in here.â Sylus said pointedly.
You scowled at him, âItâs really good, okay? You wouldnât have even known that if you hadnât been stalking me with Mephisto. For the record, thatâs usually something only creepy people do. And by one, you mean you. You think thereâs something wrong with me,â you pointed an accusatory finger at the white-haired man.
He put his hands up in defeat, âSue me. Iâm curious what you do when you have to be away from me.â
ââWhen I have to be away from you?ââ you quoted, in disbelief, âIf I recall correctly, Iâm not the one in shady business. All underhand deals and such. Iâm just a simple office worker.â you teased.
Sylus sighed, âI know, I know. It kills me to be away from you,â he said sincerely.
You rolled your eyes, grabbing your cup of ice cream from across the counter, âOrder.â
There he went again; saying romantic things when you tried to deflect with sarcasm. Heâd been doing that a lot lately. It drove you nuts. He was already so shameless, and you used to be tooâwhen back and forth flirting didnât feel so real. Youâd started being more sarcastic meeting his flirtations with deadpan humor instead of coy words in hopes to rebuild that fragile wall around your heart, but all it did was make it worseâmade him worse. Itâs like he noticed your switch and was determined to wear you down. Make you fall for him even when he had Miss Hunter hanging on his every word.
âIâm good. Iâll just get a taste of yours,â he shook his head. He grabbed a second spoon from the container on the counter while nodding in acknowledgment at the worker.
âWhat, no! Get your own! I am not sharing my precious Midnight Moon flavor with you. Plus, youâre making me look like a fatsss!â you complained, smacking his arm.
He smirked at you, licking his lips. His eyes had a less than innocent look in them. You glared at him; you knew that look. He definitely had something to say about your âfat assâ comment. âDonât even.â you warned.
âDonât even what? What if I want a bite?â he asked, feigning innocenceâvoice a gravel tone that betrayed him.
You sighed, pulling open the door to the shop, âLetâs go you horny freak,â you tugged him along.
âAw, baby, you know I love your hands on me.â Sylus continued.
Your jaw dropped, âWhat is your problem today? Miss Hunter not give you enough last night?â you snappedâirrationally upset.
You were frustrated with your own heart. Heâd been flirting with you at every turn today. You couldnât handle it, not when just yesterday youâd just been crying over what could never be between you too. Youâd forgotten since itâd been so long since youâd seen Sylus. If you couldnât have him the way you wanted, you just wanted to feel normal about your best friend again.
His eyebrows rose in shock, âYou actually believe Miss Hunter and I are together?â he asked, confused.
âWhat?â you replied, just as confused, âAre you not?â
âNo, we arenât together, not like that. What made you think that?â
âI thought that was given, considering sheâs your literal soulmateâyour words, not mine by the way. That and the lengths you went to get her attention. And you also never corrected me whenever I assumed so.â
Sylus was quiet for a moment. A lot of things made sense to him in that moment. Why youâd stopped flirting back being the main one. He supposed he shouldâve stopped when you had started returning his flirtations with quick banter, but he was desperate to return to the status quo. At first, heâd just thought it was a change of pace, but then heâd realize it had been your effort to shut him outâeven in the flirting disguised as jokes there was something intimate for Sylus. It had assured him that the chemistry he had felt wasnât just a delusion. The two of you had always bordered on friendship and romance. It was only natural; the way you two had first met, had been less than friendly to say the leastâsultry words, wandering hands, and suggestive looks in the haze of a bar Sylus owned. You ended up not doing anything, your friends interrupting before things could escalateâwhisking you away. But the tension had stayed, even when youâd called him the next day, sober that time.
Youâd met up the next week. An intended date, potential x-rated escapade, turned into earnest conversation. Why nothing had come to fruition after that, Sylus didnât know. Maybe youâd both gotten so lost in the cat-and-mouse game you two were playing that it developed into a staple of the true friendship you created as time went on. He came to rely on your direct truths and easy understanding. You had relished in his security and musings.
And then heâd met her. His fate, his other half. Miss Hunterâthe aether core in her heart matching his own. Heâd focused more of his time into her once he had received news of her condition. Once heâd confirmed what he suspected, heâd worked tirelessly to resonate with her. In his efforts, he lost time with you. Before he knew it, he hadnât seen you in months. You hadnât questioned it too much, knowing what kind of life he led. And when he finally saw you again, he told you all about itâhis past life, his death, his soulmate.
You had been shocked, but accepted it nonetheless. You had encouraged him and teasingly lamented your lost time with him as priorities shifted. And yes, once heâd resonated with the hunter, he spent a lot more time with herâŠbut he found himself missing your familiarity. While something in his soul rested near Miss Hunter, something in his mind calmed around you. Things were new and a novelty with Miss Hunter since she did not recall their past together. However, you remained the same. Doing the same things, thinking the same things. All things Sylus knew. And so he found himself wandering into Linkon, not in search of his beloved hunter, but his precious best friend instead. He found himself less and less enamored with Miss Hunter. While he cared deeply for the woman; she was kind and strong, he didnât find himself longing for their old life anymore. He started wishing heâd been able to finish what had started at that bar forever ago, maybe then would you be in his arms freely. He wouldnât have to rely on light provocative words to share his interest.
âOh. Weâre not.â was what he said instead.
You grimaced. This had gotten painfully awkward, âSorry, I thought you were.â
âDonât worry about it,â Sylus said softly, insistent on keeping you from shutting down.
âI wonât.â you said, shoving a spoonful of ice cream in your mouth. It tasted kind of bitter. Or maybe that was the aftertaste of all the tears youâd shed over a man you thought had been taken.
Sylus cleared his throat, âAnyway, are you coming by tonight? I heard theyâve got some impressive performances lined up.â
âAhâmaybe.â you replied. Your mouth still felt like sand, âIâve got some things I need to catch up on though.â
Sylus wasnât so dense as to know that was his cue. He extended the moto helmet out to you, âYou still live Westside right?â
âYep. Pretty sure you already knew that though.â you teased, trying to ease the uncomfortable tension between you too.
He laughed quietly, âMaybe. Thought Iâd ask. Since, you know, someone told me it was creepy.â
âIt is.â you insisted as you climbed onto the back of his bike once more.
-
Once you got home, you went straight to your bed. Your mind was reeling. Sylus and Miss Hunter werenât together. They were just friends. But they were soulmates. Contradictory, no? You supposed soulmates could be platonic. Youâd considered that when Sylus first told you about her. And then that had shattered the longer he talked. Their past lives for oneâbut the way he spoke of her was the real seller. There was no way they could possibly be platonic.
And yet, here he was, telling you it was platonic. What changed? you wondered.
Regardless, it almost made you more confused. It should be clear really, but it really really wasnât. And then heâd invited you back to the bar, the one youâd first met in. The one on the border of the N109, but not in it. The one where youâd first felt his hands touch you, his enchanting words, his sharp gazeâthe one that made you feel exposed and devouredâone that you felt yourself succumbing to.
You looked at yourself in the mirror across your room. Your eyes looked exhausted, your skin looked stressed and your hair looked like it had been electrified. Should you go? You âhad some things to catch up onâ, remember? Yeah, thatâd been a lie. A cheap escape. You figured Sylus probably knew that too.
Sighing, you rolled out of your bed. If you were going to submit yourself to a torture of missed gazes and sexual tension then youâd at least look good.
-
Ah. The smell of booze and sweat. What an enticing aroma, you thought sarcastically. Itâs loud in here.
You smirked. You remembered this place well. Not much had changed and Sylus hadnât lied about the energy in the bar tonight. On the stage, dazzling women twirled and danced. Lights strobed across the room, washing the space in red light. People thronged together, dancing and drinking and dealingâall money that would end up in Sylusâ endless pockets.
You headed toward the bar-top. You needed some alcohol if you were going to make it through the night. You didnât know what Sylus wanted specifically, but it probably wasnât something that was going to be easy on your heart.
After taking a few shots and greeting the bartender who somehow still recognized you even though itâd been months, you headed to the dance floor. You werenât sure where Sylus was, but to be fair, you hadnât searched very hard. You figured heâd make himself known when he wanted to. It felt good to move so freely. Youâd forgotten what it was like, so caught up in work and life. Maybe you should come to the N109 Zone more often. Just kidding, you werenât trying to get jumped unless it was someone jumping your bones.
You rolled your shoulders as the melody of the music flowed over you. You could feel the beat of the track in alignment with every pulse of your heart. Your mind became a mix of lyrics and elation. You let the music overtake you, dictate your movements.
As you swayed to the music, you felt a body press up behind you. Your eyes shot open, turning over your shoulder to see who had intruded your space. There he was, the man of the hour. Sylusâ arm wrapped around your waist, âI see someone decided to come have a little fun. Thought you had some things to âcatch up onâ?â he questioned into your ear.
You leaned back into him, humming coyly, âI suppose I could spare some time.â you brought one hand to rest on his shoulder behind you, still swaying to the music.
âItâs good to see you here.â he continued.
âYou just saw me though.â you replied, giggling. You werenât sure if it was the buzz from the alcohol or the excitement from the dance floor that kept your mood pleasant, the sour mood of your last interaction with the man behind you the last thought on your mind.
âI know, baby. But like I said, it kills me to be away from you.â he muttered, teeth grazing your neck.
You jumped, shivering at the contact. You tilted your head up at him questioning. âJust relax.â he purred, pulling you closer.
Against your better judgement you did as he said. You closed your eyes, pushing your head against his.
âYou look gorgeous, sweetie.â he said, voice low, meant just for you. âBreath taking, really. Youâre almost too good. Someone might think they can take you.â
âOh yeah?â you sighed back, barely audible, âAnd who would that someone be. Tell me Sylus, whoâs going to come take me?â
âWho do you want to take you?â he replied, hands sliding to your hips, âTell me that first, sweetheart.â
âOh, I donât know,â you grinned, coyly, âMaybe somebody strong and big. Somebody whoâs pretty awesome, and a little nocturnalâmaybe a little vampiric.â
He huffed a laugh, head dropping to your shoulder, âOr maybe someone mosquito-like?â he questioned.
You smiled loosely now, âYes, maybe. Youâre kind of proving it now.â you could feel the beginning of light marks forming where he latched to your neck.
He made a contented noise against you before drawing a breath, âThis feels familiar, you know.â he breathed out.
You gazed at him, salaciously, âPerhaps a little. I donât know though, you might have to remind me.â
âWould you let me?â he asked.
âOnly if you were truthful about Miss Hunter.â you stated, voice a little more edged this time. You hated to do it but, you couldnât, in good conscience, go the way this interaction was headed without it. Even though you were content in his arms, the deep sensical part of your brain brought your most recent conflict back up.
He paused behind you, hands slackening slightly. You brought your own down to keep his there.
âBaby,â he started.
âI know.â you cut him off, âI know and Iâm sorry but I-â
He drew a circle into your side with his right hand, sucking in a breath, âItâs okay. I get it, I promise. Miss Hunter and I, no matter what may have once been, do not love each other like the way you think. It means nothing now.â
âBut you care about her, no?â you questioned. You hated that it was going this way, but you just couldnât shake your feelings of inadequacy.
âOf course I care about her, sweetheart. That is to be expected, Iâm sure you know that. But the way I feel about her, and the way I feel about you are very different. She may have been my soulmate, but that doesnât mean there isnât the opportunity for a different love to take its place, and you have. I will always love Miss Hunter, but not in the way I crave you now. Not in the way I love you now. I promise you that.â Sylus spoke with the most sincerity youâd ever heard from him. There was no extra bravado nor any teasing quips, only unfiltered truth and conviction.
You didnât think anything would happen between you two. Not since the first time you met and nothing happened, even with all the tension between you too. But now, you felt that everything could happen. And you were eager to explore it.
âI love you. More than a best friend should.â you told him, although you figured he knew.
âI love you too.â he replied instantly, âMore than a best friend should.â he added.
You took a moment to appreciate the man above you, meeting his gaze with the intensity of desire.
He tilted your head up, lips nearly brushing yours, âAm I allowed to take you now?â
#lads sylus x reader#sylus x reader#sylus x non mc reader#lads x reader#love and deepspace fic#love and deepspace x reader#sylus qin x reader#lnds x reader#sylus x you
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Writing Profoundly Intellectually Disabled Characters
[Plain Text: Writing Profoundly Intellectually Disabled Characters]
While there is a glaring lack of intellectually disabled characters - except maybe big, physically strong, white men who canât âtell right from wrongâ or have a personality - in all sorts of media, specifically profoundly intellectually disabled characters are next to non-existent, with the existing ones being used more often as plot devices rather than portrayed as human beings.
This does make a degree (and not more) of sense considering that 85% of ID people have it mild, 10% moderate, 3.5% severe and only 1.5% has profound ID, the larger group inevitably gets more representation (which doesnât make it good, but it does exist). However, it hopefully doesnât need explaining that minorities deserve to be represented too (...and represented well), so this is what this post will be about.
Please donât treat this as your only source on writing a character like this (even though Iâm willing to bet itâs the only one like this, at least on tumblr), do your research and always check other sources.
Also, for clarity: intellectual disability isn't an umberalla term for "mental/brain disability". It's a specific, singular diagnosis that used to be known as "mental [r slur]". It's not the same as brain damage, autism, dementia, dyslexia, and anything else that's not specifically "intellectual disability". It's something that you are either born with or acquire early in life.
How do I Include Them in the Story?
[Plain Text: How do I include them in the story?]
A profoundly ID person will spend the majority of their time either at home or in some sort of care facility since they will require 24/7 help. The easiest role to put them in is probably a family member of another character. I've mentioned on this blog before that the "ID characters always end up as the annoying younger sibling" thing is overdone, but none of these necessarily have to be true for this suggestion to work (especially not the "annoying" part).
A non-ID character could have an intellectually disabled older sibling, twin, cousin, uncle/aunt, the sibling of a grandparent, etc. Seriously - a severely disabled person can be an adult, or even an elder. Just not as a parent, since a profoundly disabled person can't consent (a lot of ID people very much can, but this is the one disability where your level of functioning is baked into the exact diagnosis - profound ID comes with the inability to consent/understand the consequences enough to consent).
"They're a family member" is basically the easiest "excuse" to include a profoundly intellectually disabled in a story (and, as a bonus, you don't have to figure out how the other character would react to meeting them for the first time, since they probably knew each other for a long time already).
If your story isn't about the profoundly disabled character and instead just features them as a character, it would be much easier to not make the other character their primary caregiver. It's simply a ton of work and the character wouldn't have time for fighting dragons and whatnot - it'd be easier to have the abled character spend time with the disabled character at home (or care facility; you can very much visit someone in one) hanging out rather than actually doing the caregiving part.
Outside of a home and a care facility, there are also day care programs that some people might attend. This is the rarest solution out of the three mainly because of financial reasons, but also these resources arenât as common for people who canât walk, learn self-care, etc. Going to one takes time (the profoundly disabled person isnât gonna walk there by themselves) and probably requires a specialized van (that you can bring a wheelchair in, which is incredibly expensive). Most day care programs are focused on people who are moderately or severely ID at most. One made for profoundly ID people would require 1:1 aides, which generally means the programs are much smaller for logistical reasons, but also even more expensive. For most people, too expensive without funding. Basically, this is an option, but you have to consider your characterâs financial situation and/or what kind of financial support do disabled people get where they live.
Another way is having the disabled character in some sort of high position - in real life there were quite a few cases of profoundly and severely intellectually disabled royalty. Depending on the place and time there might have been pressure to not let the public see them, but this wasn't always the case. The biggest example of the latter was probably Emperor An of Jin (the first Jin, Eastern one) who was, as his title suggests, crowned at some point. He didnât actually rule (his uncle did) but yes, you can have a severely disabled person as the head of a monarchy, itâs not without precedent.
In fiction you can do whatever you want anyway when it comes to ableism, you can have it be there, or you can have it not be there - and if it does exist then there are still different kinds of ableism you can portray that aren't the "literally killing-the-disabled-baby/hiding-them-in-some-dungeon level of eugenics" kind. Maybe a rich family who cares about their image would actually be unable to shut up about their kid to show how "saint-like" they are for caring for the disabled - it is unfortunately realistic, and can be a potential way to have the character exist in public, not ignore ableism, and also not go the aforementioned literally-just-murder route that writers usually do to show an ableist family.
Characterization
[Plain Text: Characterization]
Warning; the bar here is somewhere in the Earth's inner core. If your character has a single characteristic beyond aggressive/loud/unmanageable*, they're automatically at the top of most complex fictional representation of severely/profoundly ID characters. Congrats.
* - Some people are those things but, unsurprisingly, they're other things too. A lot of profoundly ID people can actually be completely quiet - you notice people who are loud because they're loud.
As with literally every character, you need to figure out what they like and not like. This can be quite literally anything, but try to think of the basic stuff. Do they have something they really enjoy eating (and conversely - something they refuse to eat)? Do they have some sort of comfort toy or object they don't want anyone touching (and maybe showing them playing with it with a different character could be a way to show how much they trust them)? In more modern settings, do they have a favorite show they always bug everyone to put on? Are they really clingy or do they hate physical contact (again, maybe they only enjoy it from a specific character)?
Another characterization could be comfort objects. A lot of profoundly ID people are autistic (which I'll touch on later) and will have an object that they bring everywhere the same way that non-ID autistic people might. There's nothing really specific here, just another layer of "this character is a Person". Maybe they have a blanket they really enjoy chewing because the texture feels good or some sort of plushie they like to throw around because it makes a sound they find funny. Lots of options. Maybe they have a personal âtellâ to let others know they want their comfort object brought to them.
Keep in mind, you have to show this all in non-verbal manner. A profoundly ID person is probably not using any sort of AAC device (the most robust one I remember seeing right now was a low-tech one with "yes" and "no", but there are probably ones who operate on a larger amount of singular words). This is basically another opportunity for characterization - what do they do when they're happy - laugh, flap their arms, make sounds? - and when they're upset - scream, hit themselves, make different sounds? Obviously, you'd have to take other disabilities into account (e.g. many profoundly ID people won't move much, some might not be able to make much audible sound, etc.) but almost anything helps.
This brings us toâŠ
Communication
[Plain Text: Communication]
An important thing (concept?) I'll throw here is "total communication", which can mean different things in different contexts, but here I'll use it to mean "using everything you can to communicate with someone who cannot do so in a âtraditionalâ way".
Communication can be categorized as having two sides; expressive and receptive. For most intellectually disabled people in general, receptive skills tend to be significantly higher than expressive ones, though there are specific disorders where itâs reversed or equal. As mentioned before, most profoundly ID people wonât speak orally, wonât use sign language, and wonât use AAC (though out of all three, AAC is the most likely one). Some might say single words, but thatâs about it. Itâs not a âphysically mute but can write perfectly grammatically correct sentencesâ situation, itâs more of a â[single noun]â one, if anything. Receptive skills however are pretty decent (in comparison) and they would probably understand their name, the name/title of their carer(s), names of things they see every day, events they have some frame of reference to (e.g. if they grew up Christian, they would probably know what Christmas is), etc. Your other characters could (and should) talk to them like they can understand, even if they donât catch everything or even most of it. I say a lot of âprobablyâ there, but the people who canât do so usually have other comorbidities, which Iâll mention later.
To go back to expressive communication, eye pointing can be used to figure out what the character wants. A change in breathing can be used to tell that a character got stressed. Throwing an object can be used as a hint that the character wants to play. Maybe them reaching towards person A means they want to eat, but reaching towards person B means they want them to sing a song for them. Maybe them making a particular face means they just had a seizure and need to be comforted. Whatever their "tells" like this might be, other characters who know them would probably be able to tell more-or-less what's going on - you don't have to go really in-depth, especially if it's a minor character, but figuring out the ways your character communicates with others will make it feel more like a person and not a Disabled Lamp (âif you can replace a disabled character with a lamp or a sick dog, theyâre not a characterâ).
If you read some of these and go "that's a thing that a child would do" then you're not necessarily wrong. A profoundly ID adult might enjoy activities that primarily kids partake in. This is, I can't stress this enough, not the same as "mentally being a child". Otherwise, a whole bunch of adults on this very website would be "mental middle schoolers" based on the shows that they watch - but they're obviously not. A profoundly ID adult doesn't have the "mind of a baby" if their favorite game is throwing a toy, they have the mind of a profoundly intellectually disabled adult. Sometimes people assume that since ID people aren't mentally [incorrect age], they always "act their [actual] age" and essentially end up downplaying how much some people's ID affects them, when the point is that no matter what you do, you are your age. An ID character who is 26 years, incontinent, constantly puts their hand in their mouth, can't speak, whatever, is mentally 26 years old the same way that they would be if they had a wife and a mortgage.
For the last thing from this section I'll circle back to the assumption that all severely/profoundly ID people are loud, aggressive, etc. - as I said, some of them are (just like abled people). The thing is, this is not always an unreasonable response to being unable to communicate with the people who are caring for you. If you had a pressure sore but couldn't explain it to anyone you'd be pissed off and screaming too. That's an extreme example, but still applies. If someone is severely stressed out (for an abled person, this might be inheriting a ton of debt, for a profoundly ID person it can be a change in daily routine), they can lash out. It's an unpleasant but very much human reaction to have, even if what's behind the ID person's behavior is significantly different from what an average abled person might consider "a good reason".
So I guess my advice is, try to show some empathy to the character, even if they genuinely are loud and/or aggressive. Intellectually disabled people - including the profoundly disabled ones - aren't some alien species that is just mean and hates their caregivers for no reason, some just can't process their feelings the way an abled person might because of their disability. That's not to say that caregivers aren't allowed to feel frustrated - because they are - but that very severely disabled people aren't purposefully evil. As mentioned in the earlier parts, all behavior has a cause, just like for literally everyone. So if the character is being "unmanageable": maybe they aren't some cursed burden, maybe they're just stressed out of their mind and now someone they don't know that well is trying to do *something* to them, which they can't figure out because of their disability affecting their receptive language skills.
Resources and What to Keep in Mind
[Plain Text: Resources and What to Keep in Mind]
Some resources you might read about ID can be potentially misleading. Even if you specifically look for causes of the profound severity of intellectual disability, you will get results for mild ID. That's mainly because people with mild ID make up >85% of intellectually disabled people and those with profound ID make like 1%, so they're a minority in a minority.
Basically:
Down syndrome is a very unlikely cause. It's always listed as the main genetic cause of ID, but that's only true for mild and moderate severities. If you choose any of the common causes of ID make sure it actually has the symptoms you're looking for.
Most profoundly ID people will have either severe brain damage early in life (and this can come with cerebral palsy), cephalic disorders (e.g. microcephaly), genetic conditions that you've never heard of (e.g. Pallister-Killian or Emanuel syndromes, 3p deletion), genetic conditions that you've never heard of for a very understandable reason (e.g. X-linked intellectual disability-limb spasticity-retinal dystrophy-arginine vasopressin deficiency⊠there are hundreds named in this way), or just have it without a known cause. The last one happens much more often than people tend to assume.
For a reason I'll probably discover at some point, most disorders and syndromes that come with ID are said to have "autistic-like features" rather than being "comorbid with autism". In practice, it's the same thing. Your character is probably autistic.
In the same way, a lot of practical resources will assume that ID = moderate ID (since most mildly affected need no or minimal support, and severely/profoundly disabled ones are a small minority) so pay attention if you're looking at the right things. If it's talking about having a job, travelling alone, etc., then you got clickbaited.
Another subsection here will be comorbidities because there are a lot of them. Iâll mention the biggest ones.
Brain damage is the most common one (except autism) and can vary a lot. There is barely anything I can say about this one, itâs an enormous spectrum that for some people causes disability and for others barely affects their symptoms. Cerebral palsy, especially quadriplegic, is seen a lot and might affect the characterâs mobility a lot. Some people might be unable to breathe or swallow and need a breathing or feeding tube.
Deafness and blindness are comorbid with a surprising amount of causes of ID. The thing is, you could take advice for deaf/blind characters as-in for a character that has both (e.g.) glaucoma and mild ID and not change much, but this doesnât really work for a character whoâs profoundly disabled like this. The situation that can happen here is that itâs not actually known if the person is or isnât deaf or blind because they canât tell you. As mentioned earlier, some people will have absent receptive communication skills. How do you verify if theyâre deaf or just not reactive to language? Some people wonât react to even extremely loud sounds, even if they can hear them perfectly well (besides, a lot of deaf people can still hear some). Same for verifying if they are blind - obviously, sometimes thereâs something visual going on, but often there isnât. Especially since the main causes of both blindness and deafness will be brain-based, not ear- or eye-based. Another character not being sure if the disabled character is blind or just very uninterested in visual stimuli is a possibility, especially with less advanced medicine. This is also why you might see those weird statistics of "between 5-90% of people with [condition] are deaf" kind.
Mobility is almost always severely affected. Some are fully mobile, but thatâs simply not common. The average person will be unable to walk independently. Itâs not always a muscle or nerve problem (though it absolutely can be), itâs mostly an issue of coordination. Because of this (and understanding physical space), operating a wheelchair (...successfully) might be impossible. This doesnât mean you should just drop your character in a hospital wheelchair for them to get wheeled around because they will probably need a wheelchair that will actually support them - a headrest, ability to tilt, a harness, all that. This could be done with a powerchair (they can have controls on the back for a second person to operate), a manual wheelchair, or an adaptive stroller.
Now for resources;
One good resource I can recommend is SBSK (which I shared before), to my knowledge this is the only place that interviews severely and profoundly ID people (+their families) and the interviewer is great at actually interacting with many of them.Â
Most resources on the practical things only ever talk about caregivers (who are very important) but completely ignore the actual person being cared for which IMO kinda defeats the point.
Good luck writing!
mod Sasza
#mod sasza#intellectual disability representation#writing resources#writing ideas#writing disabled characters#writeblr#writing advice
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hello, i think u are WONDERFUL !
i adore your writing. if possible - can you please write some vi x reader with lots of pining? i need pining! vi and her figuring out reader is into girls. i need denial, i need her confiding in vander or jayce or whomever, i need whatever your beautiful brain can come up with !
a series of firsts
violet; very slightly nsfw (mentions of sex, but no actual smut), fluff, slight angst, and so much pining; college roommate!vi au

the first time she breaks your heart, she has no idea she's done it -- has no clue about the hairline fracture that cracks into the thumping thing in your chest when she smiles and nods and tells you that you're a great friend.
the first time you break hers, well... you see it happen, in the infinitesimal pause just before you turn, before you leave. though, not for the last time. her smile falters for just a second as you hug her and turn away, saying --
"thanks for always being here, vi."
you do not say goodbye.
the first time she realizes you're into girls, she spends a whole night lying awake in her bed, fancying that she'd be able to hear your steady breathing on the opposite side of the wall if she just held still enough. that maybe, if she closed her eyes and tried to keep her breathing in sync with yours, that somehow, as if by magic, she'd be able to peer into the ephemeral windows of your dreams, see what you see, and for once stop wondering how you might be seeing her -- in the end, she couldn't hear anything but the frantic murmuring of her own over-excited heartbeat.
the first time you truly hear her fucking yet another one night stand (or perhaps her flavor of the week, so you hear the rugby team calls it), you tell yourself that the ache in your belly does not taste like longing. and yet, you can't help but wonder how her name might taste on your lips, pleasure soaking through all it's vowels.
the first time you almost kiss, it is at a frat party -- the both of you drunk, the music too loud, the air thick with sweat and cheap whiskey. she's laughing, her grin so easy that you're laughing too, pulled into the spin of her, unbidden, drawn in by her innate magnetism. it's not the first time you've lost yourself at a dance, but it is the first time you've found yourself anchored to the heat of vi's palms on your hips. your lips are so close that the gasping breath between you is more kiss than not but -- then the music ends, and you blink.
and vi is pulling away.
the next morning, neither of you talk about it. she hands you a warm glass of milk and an ibuprofen, and you cast her a grateful grin.
"thanks."
"no worries, cupcake."
you pause, cocking your head, "is that what you call all your --" you wave a hand vaguely through the air.
vi's eyebrows tick up, "all my...?"
you sigh, dropping your eyes back down to your half-finished milk, considering the opaque white depths before taking another long sip. vi drops into the seat next to you, leaning back just far enough to balance on two legs.
"what? don't like sharing?" she smirks.
you roll your eyes, wincing as pain lances through your head.
"nevermind -- i'm gonna get back in bed... i don't have morning lecture today so."
you push up from your seat and vi watches you, her eyes altogether too sharp for a "morning after". she lets her chair drop back down with a loud clack, calling after you --
"sweet dreams, princess."
you pause at your door, but you don't look back at her. a beat.
"you too, vi."
the first time you realize it's been months since she's brought someone home, you're giddy for a week, humming as you dance through the apartment, doing laundry when you don't have to, making breakfast and buying vi's favorite brand of hot sauce for her eggs.
"all this for me, sweet cheeks?" vi asks, grinning as you set down a plate in front of her, on a rare saturday morning when she hasn't got practice, and you don't have any kind of study group.
you shrug, dropping into the seat adjacent to hers.
"just had extra," you say.
vi chuckles, shoveling a large spoonful into her mouth, "yeah? of all my favorites? "
you crinkle your nose, slicing through your own sunny side up egg and sprinkling the top with salt and pepper.
"something like that."
you don't look at her; she never stops looking at you.
neither of you mention it the next saturday when you do the same. and then the next after that, until it becomes habit. until it becomes something almost sacred -- saturday mornings, the two of you, sharing breakfast and laughter smeared across fresh toast. there's yogurt and berries and stupid stories from the week before.
the first time vi calls powder, she laughs in vi's face.
"wow, i haven't seen you this whipped since that one soccer chick who replaced you with that weird ginger from the poly-sci department."
"shut up --"
"i'm just sayin' -- seems like you're already in pretty deep, and if she's makin' you breakfast every saturday then..." powder shrugs, grinning through the phone screen, "seems like she's pretty fuckin' whipped too."
vi groans, burying her face in her arms.
"yeah... that's what people keep telling me but..."
"but nothin' -- just ask her out! what's the worst thing --"
"uh, we're roommates. i really don't wanna make things awkward if we're stuck in this lease together for the next --"
"or. you could spend the next six months eating her ass like you so clearly want to --"
"powder."
"i mean, doesn't that sound nice? why would you try to deprive yourself of --"
"powder. please, for the love of god, stop talking about eating the ass of the girl i live with --"
"and clearly have the most embarrassing crush on?"
"yeah. right. whatever," vi huffs, her cheeks burning at the thought of being buried between your legs proper. she swallows, her mouth suddenly very dry.
powder rolls her eyes.
"just... i dunno -- take her out dancing and see if she's into it -- and if she is..." she lets her voice trail off, her tone meaningful.
vi groans, letting here head loll back.
"and if she's not?" vi almost winces at how small her voice sounds.
powder scoffs, "i'll eat my wrench but fine -- hypothetically if she's not... then at least you know and you can stop fuckin' pining and go fuck some other girl as a rebound. didn't you say there was a cheerleader you thought was trying to hit on you?"
vi nods absently, "yeah. sure."
powder hangs up without saying goodbye. vi stares at her own image in the phone screen until it goes dark.
a few days later, she comes home to you, staring at your computer screen, looking dumbstruck. you turn and tell her that you've passed your dissertation defense and the words are out of her mouth before she can stop herself.
"c'mon, put on one of those pretty dresses of yours. we're going out."
the first time she kisses you, she thinks she's fucked it all up. the way you look at her after, the club lights strobing across the glaze of your eyes. and she's running away, because it's the only thing she can think of to do. there's an ache in her chest that feels like a gunshot wound, that is, until she feels you tug her back in the cool air of the back alley.
the second time she kisses you, you kiss her back.
you kiss her back like it's the first time.
when she finally pulls away, you're giggling and breathless. she licks her lips and thinks that you taste like breakfast on saturday mornings and coffee on thursday nights, maybe for the rest of her life.
she sucks in a long breath and blows it out. there's a thrumming, thundering hoofbeat at the back of her throat as she grabs your hand and tries not to be too giddy.
"let's get you home, princess."
#â monsoon season#college roommate!vi#vi x reader#arcane x reader#vi x you#arcane x you#vi fluff#arcane fluff#vi smut#arcane smut#wlw writing#wlw fanfic#lesbian#PININGGGGGGGG yall wanted pining so here the fuck it is LMFAO#it feels weird to not be writing smut for vi HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA im sorry but it's true#when did i become this person im so sorry#arcane
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the leadersâ pact ‚ sakusa kiyoomi
âš genre; college!au, friends-with-benefits to lovers
âš pairing; sakusa kiyoomi x fem!reader
âš word count; 12.7k
⚠description; as it turns out, you and sakusa are the only people who truly understand just how much stress it is to run a student government, and well⊠you two find a way to blow off steam.
âš warnings; a lot of suggestive content, no graphic stuff tho sorry to disappoint this is Not smut, explicit language
âš a/n; i've decided sakusa is officially the most difficult person i've ever written abt which means y'all r gonna have to suffer through some horrible fics before i finally figure out the secret to kiyoomi. in the meantime, until i get to the level of being able to write him to my satisfaction, enjoy this part 2 of the asu trilogy :)
song i listened to writing this: 'don't wake me up' by mercer henderson
one.
Furudate University is, in one word, loud.
Itâs one of its biggest charms, reallyâthereâs something oddly comforting about being one in a crowd of thousands, about the constant hum of a campus that never fully sleeps. The lively debates over coffee-stained notes, the skateboarders who tempt fate on the cobblestone paths lining the central road, the professors who could be world-class researchers but still have to remind students to submit assignments in PDF format and not screenshotsâitâs chaotic, itâs exhausting, and despite everything, you love it here.
That being said, at 1:47 AM, when youâre still in the ASU office drowning in a sea of unread emails and budget spreadsheets, you think maybeâjust maybeâyou should have picked a smaller school. One with fewer students. Fewer problems. Fewer reasons for you to be awake at this ungodly hour, questioning every life choice that led you here.
Because youâre the ASU president, and behind the lofty title is an overworked, drained, pitiful student who is really at her wits end, shoulder-deep in stupid complaints about the dining halls and unreasonable requests from faculty and alumni. And at this current moment in time, youâre stressed out about an event more than a month away, but already causing you significant problems in your life: the annual Spring Festival.
Itâs a week-long ordeal, ending with a massive fundraiser gala thatâs all dazzling lights and delicate floral arrangements; you spend half the budget on catering and the other half praying the student performers donât ruin the atmosphere with an impromptu drum solo. Itâs supposed to be the ASUâs shining achievementâproof that this student government is more than a glorified complaint department.
But right now? Right now, itâs a logistical nightmare.
And sitting across from you, flipping through a thick folder with all the enthusiasm of someone reading Terms & Conditions, is the only other person suffering through this hell with you.
Sakusa Kiyoomi, ASUâs executive vice president.
Sakusa, who has been in this office with you for hours, sifting through the same mountain of paperwork, answering the same stupid emails, keeping everything in order with his obsessive attention to detail.
Sakusa, who somehow manages to look completely fine while doing all of this.
You have personally descended into full goblin mode. Youâre hunched over your desk, hair slipping out of your bun, posture absolutely horrendous. There is a growing stack of empty coffee cups by your desktop and a pad of post-its covered with scribbled reminders and notes; your workspace is as much of a mess as you are right now. Sakusa, meanwhile, is sitting up straight, scrolling through his tablet with an air of absolute indifference, looking like he could walk out of here and into a corporate meeting without breaking a sweat.
You hate him a little bit for that.
âThis is a disaster,â you mutter, rubbing your temples.
âIt is,â Sakusa agrees. âBut thatâs not new information.â
You glare at him. âOkay, but if one more person asks if we can move the gala to a rooftop venue, I might actually lose my mind.â
âThey want a rooftop?â he asks, flipping to another page. âIn April? In a city where it rained last year?â
âApparently, âthe ambiance would be breathtaking.ââ
Sakusa stares at you. âThe litigation would be breathtaking.â
âRight?â You throw up your hands. âI give it an hour before someone drinks too much and falls off the side.â
âOr before you push them.â
â...Iâm not saying I would, but Iâm not saying I wouldnât.â
He hums, unimpressed, before pushing a document across the desk toward you. âFacility contracts,â he says. âPick a venue so I can start drafting agreements.â
You groan, dropping your head dramatically against the table. âI canât make any more decisions tonight.â
âTough.â
âI physically cannot. I am a husk of a person.â
âThen drink some water.â
You lift your head just enough to frown at him. âDid you just tell me to hydrate? Thatâs your solution?â
âYes,â he says simply.
âFuck that. I need wine or something,â you huff, annoyed.Â
Sakusa doesnât even blink. âThen go get some.â
You narrow your eyes at him. â...That sounded suspiciously close to permission.â
âIâm not your parent.â He finally looks up from his tablet, arching a brow. âYouâre an adult. If you want to drink yourself into oblivion because of a student event, thatâs on you.â
Thatâs all the encouragement you need.
Five minutes later, youâre sitting cross-legged on the office couch, the wine bottle freshly uncorked between you. Sakusa had taken exactly one look at the cup you found in the ASU storage cabinet (which had definitely been used for some underclassmenâs illicit party at some point) before deciding to drink straight from the bottle instead.
Fine by you.
You take a long sip before passing it back, watching as Sakusa tilts the bottle back with far less hesitation than you expected. You almost comment on it, but then againâif anyone needs to drink, itâs him.
The office is dimly lit, the overhead lights flicked off in favor of the warm glow of a single desk lamp. The exhaustion weighs heavy in the air, mingling with the soft clink of glass and the low rustle of Sakusa flipping a page in his binder.
For a while, thereâs just silence.
Comfortable, in a way.
And maybe thatâs why, when you finally tilt your head back against the couch, wine warm in your veins and pink in the cheeks, you finally break it. âThis job is killing me,â you mutter.Â
Sakusa exhales, rubbing his temple. âJoin the club.â
âYouâre the only other person who gets it,â you murmur, staring at the ceiling. âEveryone else just sees the power trip. They donât see the fucking bureaucracy, the politics, the alumni breathing down our necks. I swear to God, if one more administrator calls me âsweetieâââ
âThey donât respect us,â Sakusa says simply. âThey never will.â
The words sit heavy between you. Itâs the truth, the unspoken reality of student government. You have influence, sure. Responsibility, absolutely. But at the end of the day, youâre just placeholdersâstudents playing pretend at running an institution that will outlive you by centuries.
And itâs exhausting.
Your eyes flicker to Sakusa. The furrow of his brows, the tight set of his jaw. Heâs exhausted too.
You shift slightly, your knee brushing against his. He doesnât move away.
The warmth of the wine lingers, but itâs not enough to explain the heat creeping up your neck. You tell yourself itâs just the exhaustionâjust the absurdity of being awake at nearly 2 AM, drowning in bureaucratic bullshit with the only person who understands. But when you glance at him again, catching the way his fingers press absently into the label of the bottle, the slight tension in his shoulders, the way his gaze lingers on the floor for a second longer than necessary before meeting yoursâŠ
Something flips in your stomach.
A mistake, your brain whispers. A complication waiting to happen. You have to work with him. See him every day. Endure another semester of late nights in this very office, drowning in deadlines and bad coffee and biting remarks that somehow still feel like companionship. You donât even want to think about what happens if this goes wrong.
But he doesnât pull away.
Your breath catches. You can hear it, the quiet sound in the stillness of the office. Your heart is an unsteady drumbeat in your chest, something traitorous stirring beneath your ribs. His gaze flickersâdown, then upâhis throat bobbing in a quiet swallow.
Then he moves.
His lips meet yours, firm and deliberate. Thereâs no hesitation, no second-guessingâjust the sharp edge of tension snapping between you, unraveling all at once.
You donât think. You just react, your fingers threading into his dark hair as he pulls you closer. The empty wine bottle slips from your grasp, landing with a muffled thud against the couch cushions, but you barely notice.
Heâs warm. Solid. His hands donât just grip your waistâthey press, anchor, claim. A slow, deliberate pull, like he wants you here, exactly here. Thereâs something controlled about the way he moves, like heâs holding back, like heâs measuring every touch, every breath.
It makes your skin burn.
You shift, legs draping over his lap, the fabric of his shirt soft under your fingertips as you tug him closer. When your hips roll against his experimentally, his breath stuttersâa sharp inhale, his fingers flexing against your sides. The sound sends something electric through you, a shiver that starts at the base of your spine and spreads outward, curling hot in your chest.
Your breath is ragged when he finally pulls away, lips swollen, eyes dark and unreadable. He stares at you for a moment, something flickering across his expressionâsomething unspoken, something dangerous.
âWe shouldnâtââ he starts, voice hoarse.
You cut him off with another kiss, hands sliding under his shirt, nails skimming lightly over the firm plane of his stomach. He exhales sharply against your mouth, grip tighteningânot just on your waist now, but your hips, your thighs, the fabric of your sweater bunched between his fingers like heâs trying to ground himself.
Maybe you shouldnât. Maybe this is reckless, a mistake in the making.
But right now, it doesnât feel like one.
Right now, you just need this.
And judging by the way Sakusa exhales, tilts his head back slightly as your lips trail along his jaw, his fingers slipping beneath the hem of your sweater, so does he.
two.
You wake up to warmth.
The blankets are too heavy, too soft; the pillow beneath your head isnât yours, and the mattress is firmer than what youâre used to. The air smells faintly of laundry detergent, crisp and clean, and for a few blissful seconds, none of this sets off any alarm bells.
Then you shift.
And your leg brushes against somethingâsomeone.
Your entire body goes rigid.
Slowly, carefully, you open your eyes.
Sakusa is lying beside you, still half-asleep.
Oh. Oh, shit.
Your brain kicks into overdrive, panic slamming into you at full force.
You donât move, donât breathe, donât blinkâlike maybe if you stay perfectly still, reality will reset itself and youâll wake up in your own bed, like none of this ever happened.
You rub your eyes. Nope. No, youâre still here. In Sakusaâs bed.
Last night comes rushing back in fragments.
The office, the spreadsheets, the overwhelming weight of responsibility pressing down on you both. The frustration, the exhaustion, the bottle of wine. The way his voice had dipped lower, the sharp inhale when your fingers slipped beneath his shirt. The way he kissed youâdeliberate, controlled, like he was trying to hold himself back but couldn't quite bring himself to stop.
And, apparently, didnât.
Your face burns.
You canât do this. You need to get out of here. Right now.
Very, very carefully, you begin to inch toward the edge of the bed. If you can just get up without waking him, you can grab your clothes, sneak out, and pretend this never happenedâ
âYouâre awake,â Sakusa mutters, voice rough with sleep.
You freeze.
His eyes are barely open, but thereâs enough clarity in them to tell you that heâs fully aware of the situation. He blinks slowly, processing, before exhaling and rubbing a hand over his face.
For a moment, thereâs silence.
You should say something. Address the elephant in the room. Acknowledge that, somehow, you and Sakusa Kiyoomiâthe only other person in ASU who understands your suffering, who you bicker with more than you talk, who is supposed to be your goddamn vice president and right-hand manâwoke up in the same bed.
Instead, the first thing out of your mouth is:
âThis is bad.â
Sakusa lets out a quiet, barely-there groan and turns his head slightly toward you. âI was hoping it was a dream.â
You scoff. âWow. Rude.â
Another silence. Neither of you move.
Your heart is still hammering in your chest, but now that the initial panic is fading, your brain starts working through the situation. Rationalizing.
You and Sakusa donât even like each other. Okay, thatâs not entirely true, but your dynamic has always been built on mutual endurance, on suffering together in the trenches of student government. Exchanging exhausted sighs over idiotic administrative emails and bitter remarks over ridiculous student requests.
This wasnât⊠feelings.
It was stress. Overwork. Too much responsibility and not enough outlets to relieve it.
You sit up slowly, pulling the blanket around yourself. âLook, letâs just⊠not freak out.â
âIâm not freaking out.â
âYou look like youâre contemplating the meaning of life.â
âI always look like that.â
Okay, fair point. Still, you donât miss the way his fingers are curled slightly into the sheets, tension lingering in his posture.
You take a deep breath. âLast night was a mistake.â
Sakusaâs gaze flickers to you. âObviously.â
Something about the way he says it irritates you. You roll your eyes. âWow, again with the rudeness.â
âI just mean it was inevitable,â he exhales sharply, rubbing his temple.
You blink. âWait, you think this was inevitable too?â
He gives you a flat look. âWe spend too many hours locked in an office together. We argue constantly. We both hate our jobs but are too stubborn to quit. We drink after meetings. Statistically speaking, this was bound to happen.â
You stare at him. âThat is the most unromantic thing Iâve ever heard.â
âIâm not trying to be romantic.â
You pause. Something about that statement makes something in your chest loosen just slightly.
Heâs right. This isnât romantic. Itâs not complicated. Itâs not some star-crossed bullshit.Â
Itâs just stress.
And you can work with that.
A thought occurs to you, a ridiculous, stupid, reckless thought, and before you can second-guess yourself, you say it out loud.
âWe could do it again.â
Sakusaâs entire body stills. His dark eyes snap to yours.
âNot right now. I just meanâŠâ You keep your expression neutral, forcing yourself to stay composed as you shrug. âI mean, think about it. Weâre both overworked. We donât have time for relationships. This was just a way to let off some steam, right? It doesnât have to be a big deal.â
Sakusa watches you carefully, expression unreadable. âYouâre sayingââ
âNo feelings. No complications. Just stress relief.â
His brows furrow slightly.
You lift your hands, palms up. âIâm just being practical. We both clearly need an outlet, and this was⊠effective.â You tilt your head, smirking slightly. âUnless you regret it?â
Sakusa exhales slowly, dragging a hand down his face before glancing away. âNo.â
Thereâs something in his voiceâsomething almost reluctant, like the admission costs him something. You decide not to dwell on it.
Instead, you grin, ignoring the way your heart picks up slightly at his answer. âSo? Agreed?â
Sakusaâs jaw tenses. He looks at you for a long moment, eyes dark and considering.
Then, finally, he exhales. ââŠAgreed.â
You clap your hands together. âGreat. Now, where the hell are my clothes?â
As you slip out of bed and start gathering your things, Sakusa watches you from the corner of his eye. His expression is neutral, unreadable. Outwardly, he looks composed, unaffected.
But inside, something is twisting in his chest.
This is good. Logical. Youâre too busy for anything more. He doesnât do attachments. This is supposed to be simple.
So why does he already feel like heâs in trouble?
three.
For the first week, you and Sakusa keep it lowkey.
Itâs surprisingly easy. Between the endless meetings, the flood of emails, and the general chaos of festival planning, no one seems to notice that anything has changed. You and Sakusa donât act any differentlyâat least, not in ways that anyone would immediately pick up on. You still bicker, still throw exasperated looks across the office, still exchange sarcastic remarks whenever an administrator sends a particularly idiotic request.
But there are differences. Subtle ones.
The way his hand lingers on your back a second too long when he brushes past you. The way you glance at him when no one else is looking, catching the momentary flicker of something unreadable in his gaze. The way your fingers graze when he hands you a folder during a meeting, a barely-there touch that still sends a jolt up your spine.
Still, youâre both careful. No one knows. And it stays that wayâuntil a week later.
Itâs late.
Too late for anyone to still be in the ASU office, but here you are, wrapping up an executive board meeting that somehow stretched two hours past its scheduled end. The festival is fast approaching, and the stress is at an all-time high. The VP of Finance, Futakuchi, keeps sighing loudly; Ushijima, the sustainability representative, looks entirely unbothered, and Kiyoko, the VP of campus affairs, has the expression of someone who desperately needs sleep but knows she wonât get any. Even the internal VP, Aone, whoâs usually silent and stoic, rubs a hand over his face in a rare display of frustration.
The exhaustion in the room is palpable.
But eventually, mercifully, the meeting ends.
âFinally,â Futakuchi groans, stretching out his arms. âI swear, if I get one more email about the catering, Iâm deleting my inbox.â
âYou canât do that,â Kiyoko mutters, but she sounds just as tired.
âI can and I will.â
Ushijima nods thoughtfully. âThat is not an efficient way to handle the problem.â
âWhatever, man.â Futakuchi waves him off. âIâm going home before I start throwing chairs.â
The rest of the exec board follows suit, shuffling out one by one. Within minutes, the office is emptyâexcept for you and Sakusa.
He doesnât say anything as he shuts his laptop, methodically gathering his things. But you know him well enough by now to catch the slight tension in his posture, the way his fingers flex against the strap of his bag. Heâs tired, too.
And yet, he lingers.
Your heart is already hammering in your chest before you even fully process what youâre about to do.
You wait until the last footsteps fade down the hallway before stepping closer.
âSakusa,â you murmur.
He looks up, expression unreadable, but you catch the flicker of something in his dark eyes before he schools his face into neutrality. âWhat?â
You donât answer.
Instead, you grab the front of his hoodie, pull him toward you, and kiss him.
He exhales sharply against your lips, but he doesnât hesitateânot for a second. One of his hands finds your waist, fingers digging in just enough to make your breath hitch, and then heâs pushing you back, guiding you without breaking the kiss.
You barely register the click of the storage closet door as it shuts behind you.
After that, it becomes a thing.
Not every night. Not every meeting. But often enough.
Enough that you start slipping into supply rooms and empty hallways whenever you get the chance. Enough that you stop pretending itâs just a fluke, stop pretending itâs just a one-time mistake. Enough that you start looking for excuses to stay behind after meetings, just to see if heâll do the same.
The stress of festival planning only gets worse as the days tick down, but somehow, you feel... lighter. And unfortunately, youâre not the only one who notices.
âOkay,â Futakuchi says one afternoon, arms crossed as he leans against the table. âWhatâs up with you?â
You blink at him over your laptop. âWhat?â
âYou.â He gestures vaguely at you. âYouâre⊠less miserable.â
âWow, thank you.â
âIâm serious.â He narrows his eyes, studying you. âA week ago, you were two stress-induced breakdowns away from setting the office on fire. Now youâreââ He squints. âWeirdly calm.â
You scoff, looking back at your screen. âMaybe I just got better at coping.â
Futakuchi snorts. âSure. And Aoneâs secretly a stand-up comedian.â
Across the room, Aone looks up from his notes, blinks, then goes back to writing.Â
Meanwhile, Ushijima watches you with mild curiosity. âIt is true that you seem less fatigued.â
âMaybe sheâs just sleeping more,â Kiyoko suggests.
Futakuchi smirks. âOr maybe sheâs not sleeping.â
You choke on your coffee, the burn in your nose causing you to cough. Kiyoko swiftly hands you a tissue from her desk and sighs. âKenji, please.â
âIâm just saying,â Futakuchi says innocently, shrugging. âSheâs been spending a lot of extra time here after meetings. And so has Sakusa.â
You feel your pulse spike, but you force yourself to roll your eyes. âWeâre working.â
âSure you are.â Futakuchi hums. âJust seems interesting, is all.â
Ushijima nods, ever serious. âYou and Sakusa have been in close proximity more frequently.â
You school your expression into neutrality, ignoring the way your face warms. âNoted.â
Futakuchi snickers. âThat wasnât a no.â
You pretend not to hear him.
Across the office, Sakusa is focused on his laptop, seemingly oblivious to the conversation. But when you glance at him, just for a second, you swear you see the corner of his mouth twitch.
A silent acknowledgement.
A secret you both share, thatâs meant for you two alone.
four.
At first, nothing really changes.
Or at least, thatâs what you tell yourself.
The routine remains the same. Meetings, long nights in the ASU office, the occasional stolen moment in a storage room when stress becomes too much. You and Sakusa still pretend like this is nothing more than convenienceâlike itâs just stress relief, like it doesnât bleed into the rest of your lives.
Except it does.
It starts small. You realize one day, midway through a meeting, that Sakusaâs been sitting closer to you lately. Close enough that his knee brushes against yours under the table, close enough that you can pick up the faint scent of his detergent. Close enough that when you pass him a folder, his fingers linger just a second too long against yours.
You tell yourself youâre imagining it.
But then, the conversations change.
It happens one night in the office.
Youâre both buried under paperwork, exhausted but determined to finalize the last of the festival logistics. Itâs lateâpast midnight, the campus outside empty and still. The only light in the room comes from your desk lamps, throwing soft, golden pools across the stacks of documents between you. The air smells like old paper and Sakusaâs coffee, a little burnt because he never times it right.
The quiet is comfortable, broken only by the rhythmic clicking of his laptop keys and the occasional shuffle of papers.
Then, out of nowhere, he asks, âDo you ever wonder what youâd be doing if you werenât here?â
You blink, caught off guard. âWhat do you mean?â
âIf you werenât ASU president,â he clarifies. âIf you had never run for office.â
You pause, pen hovering over the paper. The thought has never really occurred to you. Student government has consumed your life for so long that the idea of not being in this position feels foreign.
âI donât know,â you admit. âMaybe Iâd have more time to actually enjoy college.â
Sakusa hums, his gaze flickering to you. âSo you donât enjoy it now?â
You sigh, leaning back in your chair. âItâs not that I donât enjoy it. Itâs just⊠exhausting. I feel like Iâm constantly putting out fires. Like Iâm carrying this huge weight, and if I mess up, everything will fall apart.â
For a moment, Sakusa doesnât say anything.
Then, quietly, he says, âI get that.â
You glance at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice.
âVolleyball is kind of the same,â he continues, eyes still on his laptop screen. âI love it. But sometimes, itâs a lot. The pressure, the expectations. Some days, I wonder if Iâd still play if I didnât have to.â
You study him for a momentâthe tension in his posture, the way his fingers tap idly against the desk. Itâs rare for Sakusa to talk about himself like this.
Impulsively, you say, âI could come to one of your games.â
His fingers still. He finally looks at you, brows slightly furrowed. âWhy?â
You shrug, trying to seem nonchalant. âBecause. You put up with all my ASU crap. I can support you, too.â
Sakusa doesnât respond right away. He just stares at you, something unreadable in his expression. Then, he exhales and looks back at his screen.
âIf you want,â he mutters.
But you see the way his ears turn pink.
After that, the changes keep coming.
One night, you fall asleep in Sakusaâs dorm.
Itâs not on purpose.
You were both exhausted, drained from another grueling meeting that had stretched far too late. The weight of festival logistics, last-minute approvals, and endless emails had pressed down on you until neither of you could keep your eyes open. What was supposed to be a brief pauseâa moment to catch your breath before making the trek back to your dormâturned into you lying there, too tired to move.
Youâd meant to get up. You really had.
But then Sakusa had tugged the blanket over you with an almost reluctant kind of care, his movements cautious, deliberate. His arm had settled around your waist, warm and steady, like heâd done it without thinking; his breathing had evened out against the back of your neck, deep and slow, and suddenly, the thought of moving felt impossible.
You donât remember falling asleepâonly that the next thing you know, soft morning light is filtering through the blinds, casting long shadows across the room. For a moment, you forget where you are. The sheets smell like himâclean, crisp, something faintly citrusy beneath it all. The kind of scent that lingers, that sticks to your skin in ways you canât quite shake.
You should get up. You should leave before this gets any weirder.
But then Sakusa shifts beside you, his grip tightening, just for a second. His voice is rough with sleep, barely more than a murmur.
âGo back to sleep.â
And, for some reason, you do.
The lingering turns into something more.
You start walking back to your dorms together after meetings, shoulders brushing in the cold night air. Neither of you talk about it. Neither of you acknowledge the way Sakusa always seems to fall into step beside you, how his hands slip into his pockets but his body angles just slightly toward yours.
The touches that used to be quick, fleeting, become longer. His hand stays on your lower back when he passes by, his fingers ghosting over the fabric of your shirt. When you both reach for the same document, his fingers brush against yours, and he doesnât pull away as fast as he used to.
Itâs not just the physicality that changes.
He starts noticing things about youâthings no one else does.
Like how he always makes sure thereâs an extra bottle of water on your desk because he knows you forget to stay hydrated when youâre stressed. How he starts bringing you food when you work late, tossing it onto your desk without a word. Eat, he mutters, barely meeting your eyes. Youâre going to pass out if you donât.
And then thereâs the morning after another late night in his bed.
You wake up groggy, the lingering warmth of sleep making you slow to realize that Sakusa isnât next to you anymore. The room smells like coffee, and when you push yourself up onto your elbows, you see him standing by the tiny dorm kitchen, placing two plates of food on the counter.
You blink at him sleepily, confused. âDid you make extra on purpose?â
He doesnât look at you as he plates the food, but you donât miss the way the tips of his ears turn pink.
âYouâre already here,â he says simply.
Thatâs all he says.
But when he sets the plate in front of you, something warm settles in your chest.
The first game you go to, Sakusa plays like his life depends on it.
You hadnât planned on sitting so close to the court, but one of his teammates had insisted, ushering you into a seat with a too-knowing smirk. The energy in the gym is electric, the air thick with anticipation. Youâve never really watched him play beforeânot like this.
Heâs already on the court when you spot him, stretching near the net. His head turns slightly, scanning the crowd like heâs looking for something. His eyes pass over you once, then snap back.
For just a second, he falters.
Itâs quickâso quick that if you hadnât been watching him so closely, you mightâve missed it. The moment his gaze locks onto yours, his fingers twitch at his sides, his jaw tightening.
Then, he exhales. Rolls his shoulders back. Locks in.
Youâve never seen him play like this before. Focused, sharp, completely in control. His serves are ruthless, each one hitting its mark with unwavering precision. Every spike is calculated, every movement fluid. The intensity radiating off him is almost palpable.
His team wins, of course.
Afterward, you wait for him outside the locker room, arms crossed, watching as players filter out one by one. When he steps out, fresh from a shower, his hair damp and his bag slung over one shoulder, he stops the moment he sees you.
You raise an eyebrow. âDid you play that well just because I was watching?â
âDonât flatter yourself,â Sakusa scoffs, rolling his eyes.Â
But his lips twitch like heâs fighting back a smile.
You grin. âYou totally did.â
He mutters something under his breath but doesnât argue.
And when you both walk back to your dorms later, shoulders brushing, his fingers graze yours before he pulls away too quickly.
You pretend not to notice.
That night, after another round of pretending this is just stress relief, neither of you move when itâs over.
Youâre lying on his bed, your head turned slightly toward him, watching the way his chest rises and falls with each slow breath. His arm is draped loosely over your waist, fingers resting lightly against your skin. The room is quiet, save for the muffled sounds of students passing by outside and the rhythmic hum of the dorm heater kicking on.
You could get up. You should get up.
But instead, you speak.
âYou know this isnât normal, right?â you murmur.
Sakusa doesnât open his eyes. âWhat?â
âThis,â you say, voice quieter now. âWe donât have to do this.â
His fingers tighten slightly against your hip, just for a second. âI know.â
A beat of silence.
You swallow. âSo why do we?â
Sakusa finally opens his eyes, looking at you. His expression is unreadable, but thereâs something thereâsomething simmering beneath the surface, something unspoken yet unmistakably there.
You expect him to dodge the question, to brush it off the way he usually does. But he doesnât. He just looks at you.
And you realize, in that moment, that you donât really want to hear his answer.
You just want him to keep looking at you like that.
five.
A week before the festival, the networking event is in full swing. The banquet hall is filled with students, alumni, and facultyâmingling, exchanging business cards, and making polite conversation over expensive hors dâoeuvres. The hum of voices, the clinking of glasses, the occasional burst of polite laughterâall of it blends into a constant, low-level buzz, the kind that starts to wear on you after the first hour.
And it has been an hour. An exhausting one.
Youâve spent most of it bouncing between conversations, smiling until your cheeks ache, engaging with donors who are all too eager to talk about their latest ventures. Itâs tedious, but necessary. Part of the job. You, as much as you sometimes wish you werenât, are the face of the ASU, and that means standing here, playing nice, keeping people happy.
Across the room, Sakusa is lurking near the back, a glass of water in his hand, his expression unreadable. He never cared for these kinds of events, and youâre not sure why he bothers attending in the first place. Maybe because youâre here. Maybe because itâd be more suspicious if he didnât. Either way, heâs kept his distance all night, watching the room with the sharp, observant eyes you know so well.
Youâre halfway through an exhausting conversation with a donor when someone sidles up beside you, close enough that the scent of his cologneâsomething expensive, overly strongâsettles in the air between you.
âDidnât think Iâd see you here,â he says smoothly, his voice carrying just enough self-assurance to set you on edge. âYou look good tonight.â
You barely remember his nameâTerushima, maybe? Some business major, someone who always carries himself like heâs the most interesting person in the room. Heâs charming, in that forced, calculated way, and itâs clear he expects the same back.
You force a polite smile, instinctively taking a step back. âThanks,â you say evenly. âAre you enjoying the event?â
He barely acknowledges your words. His eyes linger. Itâs not overtly inappropriate, but itâs enough to make your skin prickle with discomfort.
âYou know, Iâve been meaning to askââ
Before he can finish, a hand lands on the small of your back. Warm. Steady. Familiar.
You glance up just in time to see Sakusa step in beside you, his expression unreadable but his presence unmistakably possessive. His fingers flex slightly against your waistânot hard, not urgent, but firm enough to ground you.
The guyâs smirk falters.
âOh,â he says, glancing between you and Sakusa, processing. âDidnât realize you were⊠with someone.â
Sakusa doesnât say anything. He doesnât need to. The air around him shifts, a quiet warning woven into the sharpness of his gaze.
The guy clears his throat, mutters something about catching up later, and disappears into the crowd.
Sakusaâs hand doesnât move.
âYou didnât have to do that,â you murmur, tilting your head up at him.
He exhales sharply, finally letting go. âHe was annoying.â
You bite back a smile. âYouâre grumpy.â
He gives you a lookâflat, unimpressedâbut thereâs something unreadable in his expression, something tense, something simmering just beneath the surface.
You donât think much of it. Not until later.
That night, everything feels different.
Sakusaâs touch is rougher than usual. Not careless, not cruelâjust⊠more. Harder. His grip on your hips is firm, his fingers pressing deep into your skin, like heâs trying to anchor himself. His kisses are deeper, hungrier, laced with something unspoken, something desperate. Like something inside him has snapped, like he needs to prove somethingânot to you, but to himself.
You notice immediately.
The way he pushes you back onto the mattress, the way his body moves against yours, the way his lips chase yours with a kind of urgency youâre not used toâitâs different. Thereâs a tension in him that wasnât there before, a weight behind his touch that makes your breath hitch. Itâs not impatience, not exactly. Itâs more like restraint fraying at the edges, barely holding together.
When he settles between your legs, when he pulls you against him like heâs afraid you might slip through his fingers, you smirk against his lips.
âSomeoneâs in a mood,â you murmur, voice teasing, but thereâs an underlying curiosity there too. A question you donât quite ask.
He exhales sharply against your neck, a breath that sounds almost like a laughâbut he doesnât respond. Instead, he tilts your chin up, kisses you harder, swallowing whatever words might have come next. And just like that, the conversation ends.
You donât tease him after that.
Later, long after the room has gone quiet again, your breath is still uneven, your body still humming in the aftershocks of it all. The warmth of his skin lingers against yours, the feeling of his touch still imprinted in every place heâs been.
You expect him to roll away like he usually doesâto shift onto his side, to put that familiar distance between you. Sakusa isnât distant, not in the way that people assume, but heâs careful. Careful with his space, with his touch, with how much of himself he lets you see.
But tonight is different.
Instead of moving away, he stays close. One arm draped loosely over your waist, his fingers resting against your skin. His breathing is slow, deep, steady. When you shift slightly, his grip flexesâjust barely, just enough to keep you there.
You blink, caught off guard.
Sakusa is guarded, meticulous, composed. He doesnât do things without reason, doesnât let his guard slip without meaning to. And yet, right now, heâs letting himself be close. Letting himself stay.
You watch him for a moment. His curls are messier than usual, some strands falling over his forehead. In the dim glow of the night, his features are softer, more open than they usually are. Thereâs something about seeing him like thisâunguarded, still half-lost in the haze of sleepâthat makes something tighten in your chest.
Without thinking, you reach up, brushing the hair away from his face.
Sakusaâs eyes flutter open.
You freeze. âSorry.â
He doesnât move, doesnât look away. His gaze lingers on you, dark and unreadable. Then, after a moment, he exhales, his eyes slipping shut again.
You take that as permission.
Your fingers move again, slower this time, threading through his hair. His breathing evens out, his shoulders relaxing beneath your touch. You donât think he even realizes it, the way he melts into the warmth of your palm, the way his body unconsciously shifts closer.
A strange warmth settles in your chest. Something soft. Something quiet.
The urge to be closer to himâto feel more of himâcreeps in before you can think better of it. And so you donât think. You just act, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek.
Sakusaâs eyes snap open again.
He stares at you, startled, like heâs not sure if he imagined it.
âWhat?â you ask, amused. âI canât kiss you?â
His brows furrow, his expression unreadable. Then, quietly, he says, âYou never have before.â
The words sit heavy between you.
You blink, lips parting slightly. You donât know why his voice sounds like thatâsoft, careful, like heâs treading over unfamiliar ground. You donât know why it makes your heartbeat stutter, why it makes your chest feel tight in a way that has nothing to do with exhaustion.
You swallow. âDid you⊠not like it?â
A beat of silence. Then, just as quiet: âNo.â
Your breath catches.
He exhales, turning his face slightly into the pillow, but not before you catch the faintest hint of red blooming across the tops of his ears.
So you take a chance, leaning in againâthis time pressing a softer kiss against his temple, then another against the bridge of his nose.
He lets you.
And when you settle back down beside him, his fingers find yours, hesitant but deliberate.
Neither of you say anything.
You donât need to.
six.
Sakusa isnât paying attention at first.
Heâs in the ASU office, sorting through the last of the Spring Festival budget reports while the others talk idly around him. The voices blend into the usual hum of conversationâbackground noise, nothing worth listening to. At least, not until he hears your name.
Thatâs what makes his focus shift, what makes his fingers still slightly on the paper in his hands. His head doesnât lift, his posture doesnât change, but his ears tune in before he can stop himself.
âAre you guys dating?â
Kiyokoâs voice. Calm. Casual. A simple question, but one that makes his grip tighten around the page in his hands before he even knows why.
Thereâs a pauseâjust long enough for something to stir uneasily in his chest.
Then you laugh.
âOh, no,â you say, amused. âItâs not like that.â
His stomach drops.
The feeling is sharp, unexpected. Foreign.
He doesnât know what he was expecting. Itâs not like youâve ever talked about this. Itâs not like thereâs anything to talk about. You both agreedâno feelings, no complications. Just stress relief.
Still, the way you say itâso easily, so effortlesslyâit makes his throat tighten.
Not like that.
Not even close.
Sakusa forces himself to breathe, shifting slightly in his seat as he stares at the document in front of him. He clenches his jaw, willing himself to let it go, to shake off the strange weight settling over his chest. It shouldnât matter. It doesnât matter. The festival is next week. His schedule is packed. He doesnât have time to dwell on things that shouldnât even be a problem in the first place.
But for the first time in weeks, his brain refuses to cooperate.
The conversation continues around him, but itâs as if everything has dulledâlike the words are passing through a filter, muffled and distant. All he hears is your voice. The casual certainty in your tone. The way youâd dismissed the thought so easily, like it wasnât even worth considering.
Like the idea of being with him was ridiculous.
He exhales slowly, his grip on the budget report tightening until the edges of the paper crumple under his fingers. He doesnât let go, doesnât ease his hold, just stares down at the page as if forcing himself to refocus will make the feeling go away.
It doesnât.
It lingers.
All through the rest of the meeting, as he signs off on expenses and finalizes last-minute festival details. As you talk to him like nothing has changedâlike heâs still the same Sakusa youâve always known, the one you donât have to think twice about, the one who isnât even worth a second glance.
By the time the meeting ends, he feels restless.
Then, later, you invite him to a party.
Itâs casualâone of your friends is hosting, nothing too fancy, just a small gathering with drinks and music. The kind of thing you donât usually ask him to go to.
âCome with me,â you say, nudging him lightly with your elbow as you both leave the office. âYou never go out.â
He exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. âI donât have time.â
You groan. âOh my god, Sakusa, for once in your life, stop being responsible and just come have fun.â
But he shakes his head. âIâll pass.â
You stop walking. Turn to face him.
âWhy?â
The question is simple. Easy. Youâre not even upsetânot really. Just confused. Because he never used to turn you down before.
He hesitates.
He could lie. Say heâs busy, that he has too much work to do, that heâs too tired.
But thatâs not the real reason.
The real reason is this: if he goes, he canât pretend itâs not real anymore.
He canât keep pretending this is just stress relief. That it doesnât mean anything. That he doesnât want more than what youâre willing to give.
Because if he goes, heâll see you in a setting where youâre not just the ASU president, not just the person who collapses into his bed after long meetings, not just the person who understands him better than anyone else.
Youâll be you. Loud, laughing, electric.
And heâll look at you, and heâll want. And he canât afford that, not when he already knows how this ends.
So instead, he meets your gaze and says, âI just donât feel like it.â
Something flickers across your expression. Itâs quickâso quick that if he wasnât looking at you so closely, he mightâve missed it.
But he doesnât.
He sees the brief drop of your shoulders, the slight shift in your posture. You donât push. You donât ask again.
You just nod once, tight and short, and say, âOkay. Whatever.â
And then you turn and walk away, sparing only a quick glance over your shoulder.
The moment youâre gone, Sakusa exhales, running a hand down his face. He tells himself itâs fine. That this is what he wanted. That this is better.
But he feels like shit. His head hurts. He feels like he canât breathe.
And for the first time since this whole thing started, Sakusa wonders if he just made a mistake.
seven.
Sakusa starts pulling away first.
Itâs subtle in the beginning. Little things.
You donât notice it immediatelyânot with how chaotic the week leading up to the Spring Festival is, how much there is to do, how many fires there are to put out. The days are long, packed with meetings, last-minute approvals, and problem-solving. Youâre too busy running from one crisis to another to really stop and think about it.
But then it starts becoming undeniable.
He stops lingering after meetings. Stops staying late in the office with you. Stops brushing his fingers against yours when he hands you documents, stops nudging your knee under the conference table, stops looking at you when he thinks no one else is watching.
And, most noticeably, he stops touching you.
Thatâs when it really sinks in.
Because you had started to grow used to itâthe warmth of his hand on the small of your back, the way heâd reach for you without thinking, the way he used to pull you into his side when no one was around. It had become second nature, a quiet, unspoken thing between you.
You had never questioned it before, had never asked what it meant, because you didnât think you had to.
But now? Now itâs like none of it ever happened. And you, despite all your reasoning, donât understand why.
At first, you try to be patient. Try to tell yourself itâs just stress, that heâs just overwhelmed with work, that once the festival is over, things will go back to normal.
But then another day passes.
And another.
And another.
And suddenly, you canât ignore it anymore.
The shift between you is undeniable. Itâs in the way he moves around you nowâdistant, calculated, careful. In the way he answers you with clipped, impersonal responses. In the way he keeps space between you, never standing too close, never reaching for you like he used to.
You wait for him to snap out of it.
He doesnât.
And when another day ends with nothingâno lingering glances, no easy, familiar touch, no warmthâyou start to wonder if you imagined it all. If it had only ever been real for you.
So the night before the festival, you finally snap.
The office is empty, save for the two of you. The exec board has long since gone home, leaving behind stacks of paperwork, half-empty coffee cups, and the heavy silence between you.
Sakusa is seated across from you, scrolling through his tablet, looking as calm and composed as ever. You, on the other hand, are vibrating with frustration.
You donât know how to bring it up. You donât know how to phrase it, how to put into words the mounting tension, the frustration, the confusionâthe gnawing ache in your chest that has been growing with every passing day.
So you wait. You tell yourself youâll wait for him to say something, to acknowledge the change between you, to explain why things feel so different now.
But he doesnât. Instead, he closes his tablet, grabs his bag, and stands upâjust like that, like nothing is wrong, like he hasnât been slowly pushing you away without a single explanation.
And thatâs what finally breaks you.
âThatâs it?â you blurt out.
Sakusa pauses, glancing at you with a frown. âWhat?â
âThatâs it?â You stand, crossing your arms. âYouâre just gonna leave?â
He exhales, clearly exhausted. âItâs late.â
âThatâs not what Iâm talking about and you know it.â
Silence.
He looks at you, expression carefully blank, and for the first time, you realize how much that pisses you off. How much you hate that unreadable look, how much you hate that heâs acting like he doesnât know exactly what youâre talking about.
Your stomach twists. âWhy are you acting like this?â
âLike what?â
âLike I donât⊠like I donât exist.â
Sakusa exhales sharply, rubbing his temple. âIâm notââ
âYes, you are.â You take a step forward, your pulse racing. âYouâve been avoiding me all week. You donât talk to me. You donât even look at me anymore.â Your voice wavers slightly, but you push forward. âWhat the hell, Sakusa?â
He stays silent, staring at you.
You shake your head, frustration mounting. âYou know what? Fine. If somethingâs wrong, just say it. If I did something, just tell me. But donâtââ Your throat tightens. âDonât just shut me out.â
Something flickers across his face, but itâs gone before you can place it.
Then, he says, âYouâre overthinking it.â
You blink.
And then, you laughâsharp, bitter. âOh, Iâm overthinking it?â
âYes.â His voice is calm, infuriatingly so. âIt was never meant to mean anything, remember?â
The words hit harder than they should.
Something cold settles in your stomach. You stare at him, suddenly unable to breathe properly.
He doesnât even flinch as he says it, doesnât even hesitate. Just looks at you like this is nothing, like the past few weeks have been nothing, like the way he used to kiss you like he needed it, like the way he held you close at night, like none of it mattered.
Like you donât matter.
You swallow, forcing down the lump in your throat. âRight,â you say quietly. âI forgot. Youâre good at that, arenât you? Pretending things donât matter.â
Sakusaâs jaw tightens, but he doesnât respond.
The silence stretches, thick and suffocating. You should really leave. You should walk away before you say something you canât take back. But you canâtânot yet.
So instead, you inhale sharply and take one last shot, your voice softer now. âDid any of it mean anything to you?â
Sakusaâs fingers tighten around the strap of his bag. His posture is rigid, his face unreadable. But he doesnât answer.
And that tells you everything you need to know.
You let out a shaky breath, blinking fast. âOkay, then. If it doesnât mean anything, then letâs just stop.â
Something shifts in his expressionâsomething small, something almost imperceptible. But you donât wait to figure out what it is.
You turn before he can say anything else, before he can twist the knife even further, before you can say something youâll regret.
Youâre the one who walks away.
This time, you donât look back.
eight.
You pretend everything is normal.
Meetings are professional. Efficient. Painfully, excruciatingly polite.
Sakusa hands you reports with a clipped, âHere.â His voice is devoid of warmth, of the quiet familiarity that used to live there. You take them without glancing up, without acknowledging the way his fingers twitch as if resisting the impulse to linger. When you slide budget breakdowns across the table, youâre carefulâso carefulânot to let your fingers brush his, even by accident.
Once, you might have laughed together at the absurdity of this project, whispering half-serious bets about which department head would crack under the stress first. Once, you might have stayed late in the ASU office, shoulders brushing as you worked through spreadsheets in the dim glow of your laptop screens, stealing moments of shared exhaustion, shared silence, shared something.
Now, thereâs nothing.
Now, thereâs only distance.
It kills him.
At first, he thought this would be easier. That shutting you out would make it hurt less when you eventually drifted away. That if he built a wall between you first, he wouldnât have to watch you build one later. He thought he was protecting himself.
But thisâthis is so much worse.
Because youâre still here, but youâre not his anymore.
And itâs all his fault.
You distract yourself with the festival. Thereâs no time to dwell on things that donât matter, you tell yourself. Vendors need coordinating. Performers need confirming. Alumni need charming. A hundred little details claw at your attention, demanding focus, pulling you away from thoughts that ache too much to touch.
You throw yourself into the work like itâs a lifeline, like drowning in logistics and schedules will somehow silence the restless thoughts that gnaw at the edges of your mind. If you keep moving, if you keep planning, if you keep pushing forward, then maybeâjust maybeâyou wonât feel the weight of whatâs missing.
And yet, the stress is worse now.
Because Sakusa used to help carry it.
He used to take half the burden without being asked. Without expectation. Just because he could, because he wanted to. Because he used to look at you and see someone worth helping.
Now, the weight is suffocating.
You feel it in the silence of the ASU office late at night, the way the empty chair beside you seems colder than before. You feel it in the exhaustion that clings to your skin, sinking into your bones. You feel it in the dull ache that settles in your chest every morning, never quite fading, never quite leaving you alone.
But worst of all, you feel it every time you see him.
He looks fine. Composed, indifferent, the same as always.
It infuriates you.
Because really, how dare he? How dare he act like nothing happened, like nothing changed? Like you werenât tangled up in his sheets just days ago, like he wasnât tracing circles against your skin in the quiet hours before dawn, like he wasnât the one who pulled away first?
How dare he pretend you never meant anything, when he was the one who made you feel like you did?
You hate him for it. You hate him for leaving, for walking away.Â
But more than anything, you hate that deep down, under your hurt, you donât hate him. Not even a little bit. Not really at all.
Sakusa is miserable.
Volleyball used to be his escape. His sanctuary. The only thing that made sense.
But now, even that feels wrong.
Because before every match, before every practice, he used to look for you in the stands. It wasnât even consciousâjust instinct, muscle memory. A habit woven into his routine, as natural as breathing.
He knew you didnât come to every game. But you did, a lot. Sometimes heâd glance up and catch you pretending not to watch him too closely, pretending not to care, even as your gaze lingered a little too long. Sometimes heâd meet your eyes, and youâd smirk, and heâd knowâknow that later, when the dust settled, youâd have some sharp-witted comment about his form, his plays, his post-game interviews.
But now, he looks, and youâre never there.
It fucking sucks. It ruins his whole routine.
It starts to show, too. His blocks are sloppy. His serves lack precision. His reactions are just a half-second too slow, and he knows it. He can feel it in the way the ball doesnât quite connect the way it should, in the way the court doesnât feel like home anymore.
And his teammates notice.
âYou good, man?â Bokuto asks one afternoon, frowning after another off-target spike.
Sakusa exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. âIâm fine.â
âYouâre not, though,â Hinata says, watching him carefully. âYouâve been playing like shit.â
Sakusa glares. âIâm notââ
âYa are,â Atsumu cuts in, arms crossed. âAnd itâs not just yer game. Youâve been miserable for weeks. If somethinâs wrong, deal with it.â
Sakusa clenches his jaw. Says nothing.
Because what is there to say? That heâs miserable because of you? That heâs the one who ruined everything? That he made this choice, and now he has to live with it? That he doesnât even know if youâd forgive him, even if he tried to fix it? That the only person who could make him feel like himself again is the one person who wonât even look at him anymore?
No.
He canât say any of that.
So instead, he just exhales, picks up the ball, and mutters, âLetâs run it again,â and pretends like everything isnât falling apart.
nine.
The festival, despite everything, begins.
It should be thrilling. It should feel like a triumph, the culmination of months of relentless work, late nights spent hunched over planning documents, and a hundred tiny decisions that should have amounted to something seamless, something grand.
Instead, it feels like hell.
Everything that can go wrong does. Vendors arrive late, throwing the entire setup into disarray, their excuses flimsy and their apologies meaningless when the delay sends a ripple effect of chaos through the carefully arranged schedule. The sound system glitches in the middle of the first student performance, transforming the singerâs voice into a garbled mess of static before cutting out entirely, leaving behind a stunned silence. Booths sit empty, their intended attendants missing due to some logistical oversightâsome failure of coordination that has faculty members exchanging exasperated looks, their whispers dripping with disapproval.
You are drowning.
By the second day, you are running on caffeine, frustration, and the sheer willpower not to completely unravel. Your feet ache from hours of pacing across campus, your temples throb from the unrelenting onslaught of problems, and your patienceâalready stretched thinâis now nonexistent. The pressure is suffocating, bearing down on you like a weight you were never meant to carry alone.
And Sakusa?
He is just as miserable.
You see it in the rigidity of his posture, in the way his fingers curl into fists whenever another problem arises, in the exhaustion darkening his gaze. He moves through the chaos with his usual efficiencyâquiet, methodical, unreadableâbut you know him. You know him better than anyone.
And you know he is barely holding it together.
Neither of you acknowledge it. Neither of you mention how your interactions have been reduced to clipped exchanges, words stripped of warmth, spoken with as much distance as possible. Neither of you admit that this weekâthis godforsaken weekâhas been unbearable without the other.
Unfortunately, your executive board notices.
âOkay,â Futakuchi announces, arms crossed as he surveys the two of you like a detective piecing together a crime scene. âSomething is wrong.â
âYouâre imagining things,â you mutter, flipping through the latest stack of vendor complaints. The words blur slightly, but you refuse to let anyone see just how exhausted you are.
âIâm not,â he insists, undeterred. He gestures between you and Sakusa, who is seated across the room, fingers flying over his keyboard as he types with a level of aggression usually reserved for his worst enemies. âYou guys are acting weird. Weirder than usual.â
âWeâre fine,â you snap.
Kiyoko adjusts her glasses, her sharp gaze cutting through your defenses. âYou havenât smiled in days. Youâre constantly on edge. And Sakusaââ she tilts her head towards him, ââhasnât insulted Futakuchi even once today.â
âThatâs actually a huge red flag,â Futakuchi adds helpfully.
Ushijima, ever serious, nods in agreement. âThe dynamic of the team has shifted.â
Sakusa exhales sharply, rubbing his temple. âCan you all not? We have actual work to do.â
Aone, silent until now, observes the two of you with his usual quiet intensity. Then, after a painfully long beat, he gives a single, solemn nod. âTension,â he murmurs.
You groan, dragging a hand down your face.
Futakuchiâs smirk is infuriating. âSee? Even Aone notices.â
You donât bother responding. You donât even have the energy to argue. Instead, you gather your paperwork, shove your laptop into your bag, and storm out.
You donât look back.
If you did, youâd see Sakusa watching you leave.
You hit your breaking point halfway through the week.
It happens during the alumni networking fairâthe crown jewel of the festival, the event that was supposed to impress donors, alumni, and potential sponsors. The one you poured every ounce of your energy into perfecting, sculpting each detail with the precision of a master craftsman.
Instead, it crumbles.
A venue miscommunication leads to seating chaos, leaving guests aimlessly wandering, confused and increasingly irritated. The guest speakerâs flight is delayed, the catering companyâdespite weeks of prior confirmationâchooses now to re-verify their payment processing, and as if fate itself is conspiring against you, an administrator corners you minutes before the event, droning about âexpectations for student leadershipâ and how âthis level of disorganization reflects poorly.â
You canât do this.
You feel it buildingâthe pressure, the exhaustion, the sheer weight of everything going wrong all at once. Your chest tightens, your vision blurs at the edges, and for the first time all week, you recognize a terrifying truth:
You cannot do this alone.
Then, before you can completely shatter, Sakusa steps in.
One moment, you are teetering, barely keeping yourself upright. The next, he is there.
He moves swiftly, seamlessly, fixing problems before you can even register them. He handles the seating issue with a few clipped instructions. He calls the speakerâs team, negotiating a workaround before you can even reach for your phone. He takes charge of the caterers, shutting down their nonsense with two curt sentences and a glare sharp enough to cut steel.
He moves through the chaos with the same unshakable precision he always hasâcalm, efficient, controlled. He has always been good under pressure, but this is different. This is not just problem-solving. This is something else.
And it hits you all at once: you miss him.
Not just the arrangement. Not just the late nights, the convenience, the way his touch had always lingered longer than necessary.
Him.
The way he always knewâknew exactly when you were on the verge of unraveling. The way he kept things from falling apart, even when you felt like you were. The way he understood youâtruly, deeply, in a way no one else ever had.
And it is terrifying, because it is not just missing him. Itâs needing him.
Sakusa realizes it too.
Not just that he still wants you, not just that ignoring you has made this entire week unbearable. Those things were obvious. What he realizes now is that none of thisânone of the work, none of the stressâwas ever what exhausted him.
It was pretending. Pretending he didnât care. Pretending it was just an arrangement. Pretending he didnâtâ
Well.
Pretending he didnât love you.
And now, watching youâwatching the way your shoulders finally loosen as you let him help, watching the way your eyes flicker with something unreadable when you look at himâhe knows it is too late.
Heâs in too deep. Heâs always been in too deep.
And the worst part?
He doesnât even care anymore. He misses you too much to care.Â
ten.
Itâs as if the universe has finally gotten its act together.
For once, everything aligns. As if things have finally conspired in your favor, the remainder of the festival unfolds with an almost unsettling ease. No vendor catastrophes, no logistical nightmares, no alumni with their impossible demands.
Thursday slips into Friday, Friday into Saturday morning, each day a seamless rhythm of events ticking by without incident. Your executive board exhales in collective relief, tension unspooling from their shoulders. Your own pulse, which has been a metronome of stress all week, finally settles into something resembling normalcy. You even manage to sleepâfive full hours, a luxury that feels like an eternity compared to the restless snatches of rest youâve been surviving on.
And now, the final night is here.
The Spring Gala. The grand finale. The last orchestration of the festivalâa beast of an event that had consumed endless planning meetings, countless revisions, and more compromises than youâd care to admit. And yet, somehow, impossibly, everything is running smoothly.
The ballroom glows with golden light, strands of soft illumination draped elegantly across the ceiling, casting a warm haze over the room. Candlelight flickers along the tables, their delicate floral arrangements arranged with meticulous care, petals unfurling under the glow like they, too, are basking in the perfection of the night. The gentle hum of a live string quartet weaves through the space, their melody twining through laughter and the quiet clink of champagne glasses. Students and faculty glide through the room in their finest attire, the men crisp in tailored suits, the women draped in silks and satins, everyone engaged in the carefully curated illusion that deadlines and responsibilities donât exist beyond these gilded walls.
Everything is perfect.
And yet, your focus narrows to one thing.
Him.
Sakusa looks good. Too good.
The sharp lines of his black suit mold effortlessly to his frame, the dark fabric absorbing the ambient light, making him appear even more striking. His curls are tousled, just slightly, as though he had run a hand through them absentmindedly before walking in. He stands with practiced ease, scanning the room with the same sharp, unreadable expression he always wearsâone that betrays nothing, yet youâve always found yourself trying to decipher. And itâs infuriating, because youâve spent the entire week meticulously avoiding the gravitational pull he seems to exert, trying not to let your eyes linger too long, trying not to remember the weight of everything unsaid between you.
But right now? Right now, heâs making it impossible.
Especially when his gaze finally lands on you.
Itâs just a flickerâa secondâs pause, a shift in his expression so fleeting you might have missed it if you werenât already attuned to him. But you see it. The way his dark eyes sweep over you, lingering just a fraction longer than necessary. The way something unreadable flickers in his gaze before he schools his features into careful neutrality.
Your throat tightens, but you force yourself to move, bridging the space between you with a measured ease you donât quite feel. Every step feels deliberate, a careful choreography masking the unease curling in your stomach.
âDidnât think youâd actually show up,â you say, tilting your head slightly, voice lighter than the weight pressing against your ribs.
Sakusaâs brow liftsâjust barely, the movement almost imperceptibleâbut you catch it. âI planned half of this.â
A smirk tugs at your lips as you cross your arms over your chest, trying to steady yourself in the face of his presence. âYeah, but you hate these things.â
He exhales, his gaze sweeping over the grand spectacle around you as if only now acknowledging the elaborate displayâthe glittering chandeliers, the swirl of expensive fabric, the low hum of conversation filling the air like static. âFigured it would be suspicious if the EVP didnât make an appearance.â
âMhm.â You hesitate, just for a beat, before speaking again. âSo⊠whereâs your date?â
His eyes snap back to yours, something sharp and immediate in the way he looks at you, like the question caught him off guard. âWhat?â
âYour date,â you repeat, forcing nonchalance into your tone even as your pulse betrays you, drumming against your skin. âSomeone as charming as you must have one, right?â
Sakusaâs expression flattens, unreadable yet telling in ways you donât have the words for. âNo.â
The single syllable lands heavier than it should. You had expected a different answerâassumed he would have someone by his side, someone who had effortlessly captured his attention in the time you had spent pushing him away. And yet, here he stands. Alone.
You donât know why that realization makes your heart stutter.
âWell,â Sakusa says, his exhale quieter this time. âNeither did you.â
You blink, caught off guard. âWhat?â
His gaze remains steady. âYou didnât bring a date either.â
âYeah, because I was working.â You scoff, deflecting without hesitation.Â
He tilts his head slightly, studying you in that way that makes you feel like heâs seeing more than you intend to show. âStill.â
Itâs just a single word, but it lingers, curling around you like an unspoken challenge, seeping beneath your skin, sparking something warm and restless in your chest.
Before you can unpack it, before you can shield yourself from whatever this is, he speaks again.
âDance with me.â
You freeze. âWhat?â
Sakusa sighs, shoving his hands into his pockets, like he hates what heâs about to say. âDance with me,â he repeats, softer this time. âSince neither of us brought dates.â
For a moment, all you can do is stare at him, trying to decipher the layers of meaning beneath the words.
Sakusa Kiyoomiâwho loathes social events, who avoids unnecessary physical contact, who has spent the entire night lingering at the edges of the roomâis standing here, asking you to dance.
And for some reason, against all logic, you say, âOkay.â
The music shifts into something slow, something delicate, a melody spun from soft strings and quiet longing. It doesnât demand anything extravagant, only movement, only presence.
You expect him to be tense, awkward, but when his hand finds your waist, his fingers curling against the fabric of your dress with a touch more certain than you anticipated, there is no hesitation. His other hand finds yours, warm and sure, his grip anchoring. His movements are smooth, practiced, betraying a familiarity with this kind of closeness that feels at odds with the person you thought you knew.
You, however, are acutely aware of everything.
The warmth of his palm burning through the layers between you. The faint press of his fingertips against your lower back, light yet possessive. The scent of his cologneâcrisp, clean, laced with bergamot and something deeper, something uniquely him.
And then thereâs his gaze, dark and unreadable, flickering down to meet yours, searching for something youâre not sure youâre ready to name.
Itâs too much.
And suddenly, before you can stop yourself, the words slip out, quiet, hesitant, but real.
âIâm sorry,â you say softly.
Sakusa blinks, his grip tightening ever so slightly. âFor what?â
You inhale, fingers curling against his shoulder, grounding yourself in the press of fabric and muscle beneath your touch. âFor how things have been. For the way I acted. For⊠shutting you out. I really did miss you, you know.â
For a long moment, he says nothing. Then, so quiet you almost miss it: âI missed you too.â
Something in your chest loosens, a tether unspooling, unraveling the knots that had been holding you in place. But before you can fully breathe it in, before you can settle into the tentative relief of it, he continues.
âI just⊠couldnât pretend anymore.â
You frown, caught on the way his voice shifts, the way something raw bleeds into his words. âPretend what?â
Sakusa hesitates. His fingers flex slightly against your waist, his grip shifting as if trying to hold onto something unseen. When he speaks again, his voice is lower, rougher, like heâs forcing the words out before he loses the nerve to say them.
âThat I didnât care about you.â A beat of silence. Then, quieter, weightierââThat I didnât⊠want more.â
The world tilts.
Your breath catches, your pulse tripping over itself, something dangerous and inevitable clawing its way up your throat.Â
You donât think. You donât hesitate. Itâs like when you first kissed him in the office so many weeks ago: you, despite everything, just moveâheedless, reckless, drawn forward by something deeper than reason.
Your lips find his in a collision of heat and longing, tentative at firstâa question whispered in the language of touch, of all the words left unsaid, of all the moments spent waiting, wanting.
For a single, breathless heartbeat, the world hangs in stillness. A hesitation. A precipice. Then Sakusa exhales, a sharp, punched-out sound like heâs just had the wind knocked from his lungs, and something in him snaps like a wire pulled too taut for too long.
His grip tightens at your waist, fingers curling into the fabric of your dress, pulling you against him with a desperation that makes your pulse stutter. His other hand finds the back of your neck, calloused fingers threading through your hair, tilting your head just so as he deepens the kissâno longer a question, but an answer.
The world outside of this moment ceases to exist. The only thing real is the warmth of his mouth against yours, the steady, insistent press of his body, the scent of himâhis detergent, his cologne. He tastes like something intoxicating, something you want to drown in.
Sakusa kisses you like he needs to remember this very feeling, like this time away from you has been centuries rather than daysâlike heâs tracing the shape of your lips into the fabric of his being, like heâs afraid youâll slip through his fingers if he so much as loosens his hold. Thereâs something achingly restrained in the way he moves, like heâs been waiting for thisâfor youâfor far longer than heâs willing to admit.
And the thing is, you donât want to let go.
Not now.
Not ever again.
eleven.
The final night of the festival is winding down, and the fundraiser gala is drawing to a close. The speeches are about to begin. The crowd falls into a hush, the hum of conversation quieting as attention shifts to the podium.
You grip the podium, clear your throat, and begin your speech. It's the usual stuffâthank-yous to the faculty, acknowledgements of the hard work that went into the festival, and a few light jokes to keep the atmosphere warm.
And through it all, he's there.
You feel Sakusa before you see him, his presence quietly grounding you. His hand brushes against yours just as you step up to the stage, a small, subtle touch that sends a wave of calm through you. Itâs enough to settle your nerves, even if just a little.
The speech goes on. You focus, but in the back of your mind, youâre aware of the quiet weight of him standing beside you, unmoving but unwavering, just like always. Then, under the podium, his fingers curl around yours. The touch is light, hidden from the crowd, but itâs there.
Your breath hitches for a moment, but you keep going, squeezing his hand once in quiet reassurance. You keep speaking, maintaining your composure.
Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Futakuchi freeze. His eyes flicker to your joined hands, and you catch the brief, silent exchange between him and Aone. Futakuchiâs soft exhale is followed by a rustling of bills, Aone accepting his twenty-dollar winnings without a word.
Across the room, Kiyoko watches with a knowing smile, her gaze flicking between you and Sakusa.
When the speech ends, the applause fills the room, warm and inviting. You turn slightly, feeling Sakusaâs hand slip away, but before it fully retreats, his pinky brushes against yours for just a moment longer than necessary. Your heart stumbles again.
âFinally,â Futakuchi groans the second you step offstage. He throws up his hands in exaggerated relief. âDo you have any idea how painful itâs been watching you two not be together?â
You blink in surprise. âExcuse me?â
Kiyoko hums, setting her drink down. âHeâs right.â
Ushijima offers a solemn nod. âIt was inevitable.â
âYou guys knew?â Sakusa asks, furrowing his brow.
Futakuchi scoffs. âObviously. Everyone knew.â He sighs dramatically, shaking his head. âYou two always fit together, even before you realized it yourselves.â
Aone gives a single, affirming nod.
Kiyoko just shrugs. âYou just took your time getting there.â
You glance at Sakusa, and to your surprise, he doesnât seem annoyed. Heâs not irritatedâjust thoughtful. His fingers twitch slightly at his side before he exhales quietly. âYeah. We did.â
You smile, feeling the weight of the moment.
The gala lights shimmer above you, casting a warm glow over the ballroom. The noise of the crowd rises around youâthe low hum of laughter, clinking glasses, the soft notes of a song playing from the dance floor. The air smells of champagne and wax from the flickering candles, mingling with the floral arrangements around the room. But none of it feels overwhelming. Not with him beside you.
Sakusa stands next to you, solid and constant, just like he always has been. You glance at him again, noticing how the light hits his sharp features, how his dark eyes flicker with something unreadable. He exhales slowly, and then shifts just enough for his shoulder to brush against yoursâa small, silent reassurance.
The conversations around youâFutakuchiâs exasperated muttering, Kiyokoâs quiet amusement, Aoneâs rare nods of agreementâbecome distant, secondary. In this moment, it doesnât matter. Because here, with him beside you, you realize one thing.
You donât have to hide. Thereâs no more second-guessing, no more wondering.
No more pretending.
You are here, beside him. And heâs here, beside you.
Sakusa exhales again, barely audible over the music. His fingers brush against yours once moreânothing more than a whisper of a touch. But the warmth it brings lingers in your chest, steady and real.
He doesnât pull away. Neither do you.
The night goes onâthe laughter, the clinking of glasses, the celebration. The festival is over, the gala winding down, the world moving forward as it always does.
But for now, in this moment, standing next to him, you know something for sure.
You donât have to walk alone anymore.
And for the first time, you let yourself believe it.
âš closing notes; special thanks to @megapteraurelia for beta reading!! veryyyy meh abt this one so far but who knows lol. ngl i'm not a sakusa girl so i hope i did him justice if u guys have any suggestions for improvement pls let me know!!! btw i am working on smth lowk crazy so i may not have a new fic for a hot sec but when im back it'll be w smth SPECIAL
#sakusa kiyoomi#sakusa kiyoomi fluff#sakusa kiyoomi x reader#sakusa kiyoomi x reader fluff#sakusa kiyoomi imagine#sakusa kiyoomi haikyuu#sakusa#sakusa fluff#sakusa x reader#sakusa x reader fluff#sakusa imagine#sakusa haikyuu#haikyuu#haikyuu fluff#haikyuu imagine#haikyuu x reader#haikyuu x reader fluff#haikyuu x yn#haikyuu x you#haikyuu x y/n#âš foreveia#haikyu x reader#âš fics#anime#âš haikyuu#writing#haikyu fluff#hq x reader#haikyuu time skip#hinata shouyou
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Something's gotten hold of my heart
Remus Lupin x Slytherin!fem!reader
A/n: This is my first time writing for Remus, but I hope you'll enjoy reading <3 word count: 3k
Warnings: Insults, swearing, grade A parenting from Walburga, bullying, arranged marriage, smoking, family trauma.
Remus falls in love with a girl he knows he can't have, because she belongs to his mate Sirius.
Or so he thinks.
It had been widely known since sixth year that Sirius Black and Y/n Y/l/n were engaged to be married once they both graduated Hogwarts.
Despite both children being raised as pureblood heirs by their respective families, they equally shared their disdain for the ideology, hence the secret friendship that had remained between the two since childhood. Every moment they could find an excuse to hide away from their familyâs social gatherings, they would. The two of them always appreciated each otherâs company, free from rules and judgement. Sirius had for many years been Y/nâs support, comforting her when the topic of marriage arose from her mother.
Her parents had told her when she turned eighteen years old, she would be given away to whomever they deemed fit. As luck would have it, on her seventeenth birthday her mother informed her they had chosen the eldest son from the noble house of Black. Y/n figured it to be a halfhearted attempt from Walburga trying to save the family name, because of her âunrulyâ son.
When the engagement was announced, Sirius was quick to promise Y/N a chance for them to run away as soon as the wedding was over, a new start for them to be free from their parentsâ clutches.
âIs it gonna stay like this forever Siri?â Y/n mumbled into the smoke leaving her lips. The young girl was laying on her back with her head resting on Siriusâ lap. The boy chuckled as he plucked the cigarette from her hand and took a hit. âWhat part, love?â He retorted. She let out laugh, smacking him on his chest, âEverything, the parties, the awful rhetoric, the manners⊠Usâ
They had stayed that way for an hour, comfortably hiding out in Siriusâ room, far away from prying ears.
She suddenly found the ceiling an interesting place to advert her gaze, swallowing the lump in her throat. The boy could sense the sudden stiffness of her muscles, noticing the way her eyes stayed fixed in one place, as if she awaited terrible news. He guessed her reaction was appropriate, considering the uncertainty of her question, and the fact that he might not be able to provide the peace of mind sheâd want.
âI think once weâre married, we can do whatever we want. No more expectations or fear around every corner. I think we can be happyâ His hand swiftly handing the cigarette back to her.
The muscles pulling at the corner of her lip betrayed her words âI think youâre getting sappy Blackâ sitting up, looking at her best friend.
âCanât help it loveâ He smiled. Sirius had always been better, yet not good, at being more hopeful than her, a trait he knew came from his friendship with James.
His words of comfort later, when her father had dragged her out to the common area to socialize later that evening, had stuck with her.
âAs soon as weâre married, we can move far away and live whatever life we choose. Until then we just have to keep up appearancesâ
When term started it felt like a ticking time bomb, no amount of homework or trips to Hogsmeade could soothe her inner turmoil. It also didnât help Sirius had less time for their late-night hangouts, having gotten himself into a routine of common room parties and hookups, Y/n constantly getting questioned by Pandora and Dorcas about her opinion regarding her future husbandâs escapades, which led to Y/n spending more of her time hanging out with Regulus, Barty and Evan.
Nothing about Siriusâ personal choices bothered her, it rather suited the young witch perfectly, considering her heart only belonged to a certain friend of Siriusâ, the lanky bookworm, who always had an essence of kindness, coffee and cigarette smoke wherever he went. Of course she had no real expectation of marrying for love, so she kept up her façade and remained content knowing she had been bestowed the best possible outcome. Her days mostly just consisted of playing pretend, being the perfect daughter and student, keeping her opinions to herself, never showing anyone (except Sirius) her true colors.
Therefore Y/n kept her interactions with the marauders to a minimum, rather watching from the sidelines, than ending up being the target for their next prank, even though she knew Sirius wouldnât let that happen, even though there would be questions. In the rest of the Gryffindorâs eyes, she was only a vain, pretentious pureblood, and through Slytherins eyes, Sirius was a fallen son not worthy of marrying a girl of her âstatusâ.
It was an unexpectedly warm day in September, during the beginning of their sixth year, when all her hard work fell apart, the first time she was alone with Remus in the library. His voice was soft as he approached her, nervously starting a conversation about the muggle novelle she had hidden beneath layers of books. It only took him a couple of months to slowly break down her guard, their little conversations beginning to become a weekly delight. By December her heart was skipping a beat every time she saw him, every waking thought somehow maneuvered its way back to him.
He had become her safe space now that Sirius was mostly gone.
He was calmer than the rest of his housemates, a trait she rather adored about him, and he never asked any questions about her family, which in this case was very appreciated.
Why Remus had approached her that day, he couldnât quite figure out, or at least that is what he told himself. Sirius had written to him during their break a few weeks prior confirming his engagement. At first Remus was angry, he couldnât wrap his head around the fact that Sirius had gotten caught up in old pureblood customs. So, when he spotted her in the library, Remus had almost felt inclined to walk over and scold her, but he knew deep within himself that the pureblood princess herself most likely wasnât ecstatic about the engagement either. He had almost turned around completely before noticing a familiar book cover.
He hesitated for a couple of seconds, watching her fail at hiding a worn-out copy of The Bell jar by Sylvia Plath. Remus had read the bell jar once in a muggle library close to his home.
From that moment he was intrigued.
On one specific occasion when Remus and y/n had their conversations alone in the library, conversing about random schoolwork and literature, he realized his feelings towards her. It was an evening after winter break, the two had been talking for hours, something about it seeming so serene. Remus had been going on about a series of pranks the marauders had come up with, as of late, hoping to lure a reaction from the usually proper girl.
âYou shouldâve been there, I swearâ He chuckled leaning forward, a glint of mischief in his muted eyes. âIt was brilliantâ
Y/nâs eyebrows lifted, seemingly intrigued. âWell then, go on Lupinâ her silence afterwards encouraging him, and so he did. âTheres this bloke, a year above us, Ravenclaw rightâ He cleared his throat, hands lifting, extending the dramatic effect. âLast week we caught him bulling a second year Gryffindor, so we nicked his wandâ
Her lips twitched, but she stayed silent, clearly skeptical.
âYou stole his wand? Damn Lupin youâve let me down-â
He leaned closer, continuing.
âThatâs not the best part doveâ Remus smirked recalling the memory. âStealing the wand after quidditch practice was easy but switching it with a hexed liquorish wand was the real prankâ Her expression faltered for a second, but she didnât interrupt.
âSo transfiguration rolls around, Davies is asked by McGonagall to perform owl to opera glasses, he starts and nothing happens, so he tries for five straight minutes until the wand goes soggy, I swear! He starts screaming and McGonagallâs just standing there staring at him, honestly thinking heâs going insaneâ
She had finally burst out laughing, and it was like a dam had broken. It was soft at first, then full and genuine. She leaned back against the chair, her laughter echoing through the usually empty library, and he couldnât help but smile at the sound. There it wasâthe sound he didnât know he had been waiting for.
It was the first time he made her laugh out loud, and his heart almost exploded.
By the time March rolled around he realized he was in love with her. They had been standing by one of the bookshelves when their hands accidentally touched, and instantly he was a goner. But she was marrying Sirius, so instead of giving in, he kept their interactions hidden deep down and locked away together with his feelings for her.
And so, as the seventh-year starts, everything remained the same, except the heart of one Remus Lupin had been completely and utterly shattered.
"Moony, what's the matter?" Peter questions softly, the lanky boy hunched over his dinner plate in the great hall, looking positively destroyed. Before his "cleverly" thought out excuse, just the usual moon stuff, could leave his lips, James decides to chime in, almost on cue, the universe's cruel joke.
"Oi, Pads how does it feel to be the husband of the second fittest bird in our year?" James erupts, tilting his entire body towards the long-haired boy sitting to his left. "Only second to my Lily flower of course" he smirks, whipping his face equally fast to his right side, where he is met with the biggest eyeroll from Lily.
"We are not married yet Prongs" Sirius protests with a slight frown.
If they were to keep up the illusion, Y/N had to keep the appearances of a typical Slytherin, for the sake of her family name. Sirius therefore didnât express much fondness for the girl, considering the confusion that would arise on behalf of his friends.
And most importantly, no one could know the truth, not even the marauders. James makes a face as he whistled. "Well, at least she's not your cousin" Sirius cringes, although it was true that he was almost promised away to own cousin, before the Y/l/n's promised away their golden child. He regrets telling that story to James.
Remus canât help but tense his jaw, his grip on the utensils tightening. Yes, he know the rumors of the Y/l/n family being heinous purebloods, but that still didn't stop his heart from skipping a beat when Y/n walks into his line of sight. In his mind Y/n simply cannot be the monster many think her to be, not a monster like him, anyways. He shrugs the last thought out of his head.
He at least has the rest of the year to get used to the thought of his best mate getting married to the most beautiful, talented, intelligent- "Wretched is what she is" Sirius huffed, snapping Remus out of his thoughts, clearly having lost the last minute of their conversation. "Sirius, be nice to her, you are engaged after all" Lily pleads.
 The redheaded girl has been partial to the Slytherin ever since second year, where Y/n set fire to Barty Jr.'s cape for calling Lily a mudblood. Of course, Y/n played it off nonchalantly, but Lily could sense an anger behind her eyes at Barty's comment. "Yeah, Pads if you hate her so much, why don't you break it off?" Remus adds sharply, making the group turn towards him.
Sirius secretly hopes no one notice the guilt behind his cold facade. Speaking ill of his childhood friend never came to him easily. "Surely you haven't understood the concept of an arranged marriage dear Moony. Now, letâs drop it before I lose my appetite" he quickly responds, shoving a spoonful of food into his mouth, before changing the subject.
 .................
 Later that week, Remus has defense against the dark arts with the rest of the marauders. They are all heading down the naturally lit stone-built corridors when a loud smack echoes through the halls. The boys quickly gauge each otherâs reactions before hurrying towards the sound, the scene in front of them making their jaws drop. Daniel, a particularly annoying Slytherin, is holding a hand to his, very red cheek, Y/n standing staring daggers at him. It takes all Sirius' strength to not run over and interfere, however Remus is already storming towards the pair, James lets out a yelp as he tries gripping Moony's uniform to pull him back.
 The small crowd of students mostly looked baffled, but the faces of most students adorning green look appalled. Daniel mutters something under his breath, until his gaze finds Sirius'. "Good luck with this one Black, a bloodtraitor and a tempestuous whore, surely a match made in heaven" he shrieks and storms off, the rest of the Slytherin crowd following hot in his heels, except for Dorcas, Barty (who just mostly enjoys the drama) and Regulus who stay behind looking between Y/n and Sirius.
It feels like an eternity for Sirius, standing there opening and closing his mouth, like a fish out of water, before y/n nods towards the younger Black, the four of them making their way up the stairs.
 "What the hell just happened?" Peter question, searching for any kind of answer. "My thoughts exactly, Wormtail" James add.
Remus' heart is beating exceptionally fast when the four of them stop at the door leading into the classroom, as their gazes find Y/n sitting next to Regulus who is gently holding her hand beneath the table. There is an air of comfort to his touch that Remus does not like. Apparently, he isn't the only one who noticed. Sirius looks uncharacteristically anxious at the sight of his younger brother and his fiancé.
Remus canât quite understand Padfootâs inner turmoil, getting jealous over the one person he supposedly can't stand? Remus can't figure out why it hurts him more, thinking Sirius after all, maybe doesnât hate her as much as he previously thought. As the teacher comes down the stairs urging the students to open their books to page 119, they quickly take their usual spots at the back, except James who hurries up to sit next to Lily in the second row. Once the bell rings, Remus stays back, taking his time packing his books away into his satchel.
Y/n is still sitting where Regulus left her, looking deep in thought, while the teacher scolds her, taking away 20 points from Slytherin for punching another student. Daniel mustâve already snitched. Remus can only focus on the most perfect little crease adorning her face, right over her left brow. After the teacher leaves, he makes his way over. "It was some punch you threw; I- I mean I only saw the aftermath, but I assum-" "Why, are you talking to me Lupin?" She shoots back so quickly, Remus gets startled, adverting his eyes to the ground.
Looking back up at her, he mentally prepares himself for her wrath, but finds no fury or judgement in her eyes, she just looks.. sad.
It is almost like she hadn't even registered her own answer.
Three hours earlier...
"C'mon Y/l/n, we are going to be late for class!" Regulus yelled into the Slytherin common room, where y/n was seated next to Dorcas. The two Slytherins exchanged an amused glance. "You heard him minx, letâs get you to class" Dorcas sighed, getting up and dragging y/n with her. She let out a huff and smoothed out her uniform with one hand, while getting dragged by the other.
The friends met up with the rest of the group in the courtyard, Regulus now directing his sternness towards Barty, Evan and a couple of other classmates, finding his place on the ledge of the fountain. Barty Jr. smirked as he saw y/n, his eyebrows darting up behind his sunglasses, his tongue darting out to wet his lips before smugly muttering "So, how long until we have to mourn your union with the bloodtraitor y/l/n?â
She rolled her eyes, while the others laughed, moving ever so elegantly to sit down next to Regulus.
Regulus knew about Y/n and Siriusâ agreement, making him partially fond of his older brother for protecting someone he deemed a friend. Y/n had to tell him, for when the engagement was announced in Grimmauld place, Regulus refused to talk to her for about a week, thinking he would lose her, just like he lost Sirius. Dorcas shot Y/n a look, however her eyes stayed firmly trained on Barty, who had gotten comfy on his boyfriendâs lap. "As soon as seventh year ends Jr., why? Have you not gotten your invitation yet?" Y/n bit her lip, eyes sparkling as she watched Barty pushing the sunglasses down his nose, a slight smirk hiding the annoyance in his eyes as the rest of the group laughed, even Regulus seeming amused.
Y/n had to be careful around her classmates, answers well calculated, and most importantly contain a slight bit of contempt for Sirius, yet not enough for her parents to call off the wedding. Feeling total numbness in the presence of Barty jr, Evan, Daniel and even Severus, helped her a lot, even though their comments had hurt her the first couple of times, she reminded herself that beyond Hogwarts there was a world for her, where she could live free of the hate and judgement that followed most wizards.
The group started making their way to class, Y/n giggling at something Evan said, keeping her façade perfectly intact, a stark contrast to the buzzing in her head, and the fastness of her heartbeat.
"I can't wait to see whatâs going to happen with Black; I mean do we really expect that ceremony to go smoothly?" Severus mocked, making Daniel cry out a laugh.
 You can do this Y/l/n, Just breathe, empty your head..
Fate had different plans, as the next sentence that left Daniel made her blood boil and her hands clench. "Look on the bright side Severus, at least youâre not the one marrying a good for nothing bloodtraitor, in my opinion pretty boy should just do Y/n a favor and jump from the astronomy tower, maybe his dimwits friends would follow alon-" Regulus' eyes widened, everything happening before he could interfere. Her hand almost cracked at the force behind her throw, sending Daniel's face flying backwards before one of the columns stopped his momentum, doing nothing to soften the blow.
 ..................
"It was some punch you threw, I- I mean I only saw the aftermath, but I assum-"
"Why, are you talking to me Lupin?" The words leave her before she has a chance to think.
Punching Daniel will surely come back to bite her in the ass, the realization dawning on her, she feels the heaviness of having to do damage control. All because of her stupid compassion towards Sirius and these stupid feelings towards his handsome friend- "I don't know, I guess I just wanted to make sure you are okay" the concern in his eyes almost make her break. Growing up in Y/l/n manor empathy was a foreign word and crying meant weakness.
 There was so much she had to unlearn with the help of Sirius. The raven-haired boy had just gotten out of the same toxic situation himself, moving in with the Potters over the summer causing an uproar from his family, despite Walburga's intent on keeping up appearances. Y/n had never seen Sirius as happy as that day, where he told her he had escaped. Of course, there were days of despair and guilt for leaving Regulus in that foul house, but it did consol the boy knowing Y/n kept tabs on the younger brother. "Iâm fine" she hisses, finally packing up her books. "You don't seem fine" Remus challenges, making her freeze.
The classroom seems a lot smaller than it was a few minutes ago, and her bag feels heavier than usual. Her hands keeps fidgeting with the tabletop, every muscle in her body feeling tight as she tries to think of a response, coming up empty handed. Instead, she settles for staring at the bruise on her knuckles. After what felt like an eternity Remus' hand comes into her field of vision, gently covering hers in his, her eyes snaps up and her breath hitch.
He is so close to her; sheâs almost afraid he can hear the effect of it on her heartbeat. She tries swallowing the lump in her throat, but the whirlwind of emotions, and the warmth of Remus keeps her from speaking. "I don't know why you punched him, but I am sure he deserved it" He mutters reassuringly, looking over her features as he continues explaining "but I also want to make sure you are okay-" "it's none of your business Lupin" she whispers, her small voice betraying her words.
He lets out a simple sigh, the air from his lungs tingling her lips, reminding her just how little space there is between their faces, she can easily close the space between them if she shifts her weight to the front of her feet, moving her head up to- "You're right, it's none of my business, Iâm sorry for bothering youâ Remus turns around, feeling slightly rejected.
#james potter#marauders fanfiction#remus lupin#sirius black#the marauders#peter pettigrew#harry potter#x reader#remus lupin x reader#slytherin!reader
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Freak. (pt2)
Nam-gyu ( Player 124 ) x gn!reader .á
warnings : insulting, spitting/saliva/drooling, biting, fingering, smut obviously, there's probably more but i'm too lazy to write 'em all..
tags,, @gongyoosgf , @dolion87
(cheers y'all!! đ„) no proofread sorry, might have typos :(


á¶» đ đ° .á You woke up with a headache, you hadn't been able to sleep for half the night anyway. Most people were still asleep, a good thing. You didn't see any reason to get out of your bed, your foot would naturally follow his path. Thinking back to the last night, you realize that your cheeks are starting to warm up. It's as if your sleep hasn't affected your recovery that much. But you can't get anything done by sleeping any more, so you figured you could use the bathroom.
You rubbed your eyes as you lazily threw your sheets aside, trying to walk down the metal stairs as quietly as you could so as not to wake the others. When you're at the bottom of the stairs, you arch your back to stretch. Causing a tiny whimper to come out of your mouth. You looked around to see if anyone else would stand up and go to the bathroom, but it looked like you would be the only one. At least there won't be anyone to bother you. As you make your way inside, you realize that there is no one. As you slowly close your door, you feel another hand holding, causing you to lighten your grip.
"Oh- sorry. I didn't think anyone would come." You mumbled, turning your head towards the sink in front of you. You turned on the tap,leaned over and let the cold water hit your face, hoping it would wake you up. But you couldn't hear any footsteps... except the sound of the door closing again. When you looked from the edge of the mirror, you saw Nam-gyu walking with a jumping gait, his head imitating the rhythm. You felt your body suddenly freeze there, your hands supporting themselves on the edges of the sink as water beads fell down from your face, the wet ends of your hair sticking to your face.
You heard him click his tongue, his head tilting slightly to the left side as he tucked the hair behind his ear. "You're soaked for me huh?" You squint your eyes and adjust your position so that you can see him more easily. Your eyes didn't stop watching him in the mirror as his steps approached behind you, his expression was indecipherable. Before you could open your mouth, he gave a breathy chuckle. "Don't even use your words to waste my time," One of his hands moves towards your elbow and slowly caresses it until it reaches your hand. "After last night, you didn't oven come to thank me.." The ends of his hair brushed behind your ear, making you feel smaller underneath him. "Not gonna lie, I'm hurt."
He was looking at you from the mirror and making eye contact, you felt your eyes tremble. One of his hands was lifting your cardigan up, allowing him to touch your bare skin. You wanted to turn your face to him but he didn't let you. Pressing his chest against your back, he dug his nails into your waist hard enough to make you hiss. "Nuh-uh..what do you think you're doing?" He rested his face on your shoulder, his eyes were examining your body in the mirror. His knee caressed the side of your leg, a breathless moan escaping your lips as you made room for him to reach your neck. Your eyes went to the corner of the mirror, the pinkness on your face making the man on top of you enjoy it even more.
As soon as the grip on your hand momentarily left, your eyes began searching for his hand. Only to realize he began playing with the zipper on the top of your cardigan. His hands shake the small metal lightly but his eyes weren't measuring your reaction, it was like he was busy with something else on his mind.. A barely audible sigh and your murmur cause him to lift his head. Caressing the top of his fingers, you lower the zipper, lazily brushing the fabric and hair around your neck back, revealing bare skin.
"You better be quick.."
"Relax, bitch." One finger went under your chin while the other wrapped around your throat. "You won't even realize how time passed."
You closed your eyes tightly, silently begging him to leave you alive. The hand that grips your bare skin slides up and down with such force that it touches the bones of your ribcage. He tilts your head even further to the side, forcing you to hold a very uncomfortable position. Nam-gyu's warm breath against your skin as he inhales your scent causes your body to shiver. His grip keeps you standing as your hands slip from the sink due to stress. His tongue tastes your neck, and the feeling of a few bites makes you part your lips. "M-mhm.." You couldnât hold back your breathless moans anymore, noticing that your voice was rising Nam-gyu increased the pressure on his knee and mumbles something under his breath, but you were so overwhelmed that you couldnât hear it at all. He starts to press his chest harder as he sucks on your neck, you could swear you felt a bone in your back.
The moment you opened your eyes, you heard Nam-gyu let out a loud moan. Definitely not loud enough to reach others. He insults himself under his breath as he removes his hand from your chin. A few drops of sweat run down the corners of your chin due to overwhelm, and you have a chance to swallow as you forcefully hold back your tears. Nam-gyu's hand goes to his own mouth, wrapping his fingers tightly around it so that his voice cannot be heard. Even if you try to fix your position, all you could was letting your forehead hit the mirror. Nam-gyu, on the other hand, took his hand out from under your t-shirt and started to move downwards.
The moment you realized that he was going to do what was on your mind, you quickly tried to lift yourself up by leaning one hand on the mirror, but when you felt a finger inside you, you could only cover your mouth and let out a muffled moan. "Y-you cant just..mhm.." Without warning you, he added a second finger, curving his fingers inside you. "Thought you wanted me to be quick..bitch." Nam-gyu takes his hand off his mouth and grabs your waist, suddenly pulling your body. The fact that you look like you're falling apart just by his touch makes him even more turned on. Hissing at you between breaths, he twirls his fingers inside you in a way that almost makes you faint.
Just a few seconds before reaching heaven, Nam-gyu pulls his fingers out while sucking on his teeth. "Don't think I'll let you finish that easily. Not before you beg me." Before you could even answer him, you lose your balance and try to hold on to him. But you only cause him to fall onto his back. You try to support yourself with your hands, your head hitting his shoulder. "Motherfucker..are you being serious." Nam-gyu moves into a sitting position as he rub his head, you still feel his hardness underneath you since youâre sitting on his lap. Your eyes drift to a pill that has fallen from the side of his pocket, and as you furrow your eyebrows, you see his hand quickly grab the pill from the side.
"Don't even try." He spits in your face before you can open your mouth as he glares at you angrily, causing your head to shake slightly. "Your ass ain't deserve this reward. Useless.." After letting out an irritated breath, you reach for the hem of your cardigan to wipe your face, but he stops you by grabbing your wrist. Nam-gyu pulls your hand down as he looks at you from below, one eyebrow raised. Throwing his head back he rolls his eyes, throwing your wrist aside. "..Fuck, you won't let me cum, will ya?" As he chews his cheek, he remembers the pill in his hand. "..Good thing you're good at being a slut." Nam-gyu changes his position slightly so that he can place one leg behind you, placing your hands on his shoulders as your confused expression follows his movements. After placing the pill on the tip of your tongue, Nam-gyu opens his mouth slightly and tilts his head up slightly, a signal for you to suck on it.
After swallowing, your grip on his shoulders tightens, and you pin your knees to the sides of his waist. As you were about to taste his lips, he allows the pill to slide off into his mouth and pushes your head tightly against his lips from the back. You respond to his push beneath his muddled moans, one hand gripping his hair as you tilt your head to the side to have more access. Even though you keep your eyes tightly shut, Nam-gyu watches you with his eyes half-open. You could swear he was smiling into the kiss. As his tongue conquers yours, you suck into his tongue. A few pieces of the broken pill pass right into your mouth. Nam-gyu smothers you with sloppy kisses without even letting you swallow before he pulls his head back for a few seconds. A small chuckle falling from his lips as he licks his lips. He uses his free hand to lean himself against the door of the nearest stall as he watches you swallow, each otherâs hot breaths hitting your faces.
The slightly wet, pulsating bone between your legs makes you tilt your head down. You couldn't figure out what your next move should be as he looked at you with a passionate gaze that you couldn't read. "Hah..nevermind." You suddenly crash onto his lips after his eyes glanced to the side, towards the door. Making him gasp and let out a shaky breath, you caused him to hit his head on the stall's door. You pull away for breath after a long kissing session, your lips parted as his saliva drools into yours.
Noticing the tense expression on your face, Nam-gyu pushes you back, leaning his head against the door behind him and taking deep breaths. A toothy smile forms on his face as he lets both hands fall to his sides. "Fucking hell.." As his eyes drift downward, a loud voice catches both of your attention.
"Nam-suuuu!! Where are you bro!?" As you look at him with wide eyes, he quickly pulls you to your feet with him. Nam-gyu opens the door behind him and pushes you in. You hear the sound of clothes crinkling as he clears his throat. He quickly turns on the water and lets it hit his face. You hear him taking heavy breaths as you put both hands on your mouth to try to control your breathing. "Fuck, fuck, fuck.." Nam-gyu, who was surprised when the door opened, lefts a nervous chuckle.
"Hey."
"The fuck happened bro..look at you man!" You witnessed their footsteps and conversation for a few minutes. Nam-gyu, who had lied about the water suddenly exploding in his face, cleared his throat before leaving. You let out a shaky breath, leaning your hands on the door behind you. "If I see that guy one more time..I swear to god-" You opened the door slowly, brushing the hair that was stuck to your face, and looked at yourself in the mirror.
He really did tore you apart.
Fuck.
#nam-gyu#nam gyu#player 124#squid game#squid game 2#squid game season 2#squid game x reader#namgyu x reader#nam gyu x reader#squid game smut#smut#imagines#hope it turned out good haha..#ty for the all support on pt1!!#love y'all
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Figure It Out - Landoscar***
SUB! Lando Norris X SWITCH! Oscar Piastri X SWITCH! Reader
REQUESTS ARE OPEN! I write for all drivers on the grid!
Summary: After Monza tension is at an all-time high in their shared apartment.
Authors Note: I've been writing for Kinktober and have been loving it so I decided to write a kinky little piece. The urge to post my Kinktober fics early is strong but I'm holding off. THIS IS NOT PROOF READ
TW - MxM action (Hand jobs and blow jobs), face sitting, slight masturbation, squirting, slight degrading
WC - 1500+
Y/N POV
"Just shut up, Lando," Oscar finally snaps at his complaining teammate turned boyfriend.
"Don't fucking talk to me like that," Lando replied back clearly still pissed off at the whole situation.
"Lando, on the track we are drivers. The whole point is to race each other that's exactly what I did," Oscar continues to defend his bold actions.
"I get that, and I don't even care about the fucking overtake but you could have done it during one of the straights not the first fucking chicane," Lando continues ranting allowing his voice to raise more as he continues talking.
"Both of you shut the fuck up," I finally snap making both of my lovers fall silent. It was rare for me to yell especially when it came to getting in between them when they were arguing about a race.
"Lando, I understand why it's frustrating, you're fighting for a championship while also defending against Charles and Oscar I understand being frustrated over your race result but both of you guys need to work together to make sure to secure constructors. To be completely unbiased here, Oscar the overtake was risky and luckily both of you guys are amazing drivers and were able to survive but Lando is right, it might have cost you guys too much time ruining the chances of a 1-2. However, Lando that does not excuse your actions either. Both of you guys love each other and you need to remember at the end of the day you got points and a double podium," I tell them softly to fend up to keep listening to them yell at each other.
"But babe," Lando started to complain before I sent him a quick glare making him shut up without finishing his statement.
"Both of you strip and go lay on our bed," I tell them both without even looking up at them going back to the book I was reading before they started arguing. When I don't hear movement I look up to find them both staring at confusion.
"Did I stutter?" I ask again a little more firm than before. Both of them shook their head before slowly making their wait to our room where I could hear them starting to strip down. Neither of them are talking but I know for a fact they're staring at each other. Mad or not they love each other and if anyone can turn them on it's each other.
With the layout of our apartment, I can hear every little sound they're making even if they're talking in hushed whispers.
"Lando, how long is she gonna leave us here?" I hear Oscar ask making me smile softly. I knew it was only a matter of time before their anger turned into sexual frustrations. Whether they will ever admit it or not after a bad race weekend especially one pitting them against each other the only way to fix it is to fuck it out of their systems. Sometimes it involved using my body and other times it was them using each other. Those were always the best ones to watch.
"Osc, please stop touching my thigh," I can hear Lando whimper which tells me right away who will be taking the lead tonight.
"Lando, we're sitting on the edge of the bed it isn't intentional, stop being petty," Oscar snaps back slightly, clearly just as frustrated as his boyfriend.
"I need, Y/N," Lando finally whispers out. Oscar doesn't say anything in reply which has me slightly confused until I can hear the tell-tale signs of Lando being touched in some way.
"Fuck," Lando gasps out before I suddenly hear them start to make out quite aggressively.
"Osc, please," Lando begs slightly making my pussy start to throb.
"You're gonna wait to cum until our pretty girlfriend decides to stop playing games with us," Oscar whispers to Lando making me smile. In that moment I made the decision to listen to Lando continue to whine and beg.
I stand up quietly before stripping down and sitting back on the couch with my legs spread wide open. I bring my fingers down to my pussy before I start teasing myself.
"What if she doesn't come in for a while," Lando asks Oscar making me smile cause we all know damn well I'd be in there as soon as I couldn't handle the teasing anymore.
"I bet you anything, she's sitting on that couch with her hand in her panties right now listening to you beg and whine like a little whore," Oscar tells Lando making both of us gasp at his harsh words.
In all honesty, it was rare for Oscar to be the dominant one between the two but it was always a favorite of mine cause he was just a different kind of cruel than when Lando is being the dominant one.
I can hear some movement before the sound of one of them spitting.
"Please Osc," Lando whines out again which tells me Oscar has to be the one on his knees teasing Lando. I can hear the sound of Oscar's wet hand moving up and down Lando's hard cock, which has him whing and gasping at the sensation.
I know how impatient Lando can get, so I decided to put him out of his misery by getting up and making my way to our room. When I get in there I can Lando's head thrown back while Oscar is taking him down his throat.
I make my way over to Lando where I grab his face before placing my still wet fingers into his mouth making him moan at the taste of my pussy.
"Look, she's come to save you. Maybe you'll finally be allowed to cum, but of course, you're gonna have to earn it first," Oscar teased Lando, making him whine around my fingers that were still in his mouth. When I pull them out I lean down and start making out with Lando. I can taste a hint of my juices which just makes me moan into his mouth.
"How are you already soaked," I hear Oscar ask clearly having seen just how turned on I was.
"You know I like when you take control Osc," I whisper once I pull away from the heated makeout session. It doesn't take me long to feel Oscar's fingers plunge right into my dripping pussy making me let out a gasp before moaning loudly against Lando's lip.
It's not long before Lando becomes a whimpering mess which tells me that not only is Oscar fingering me he's also giving Lando a handy.
"Fuck," I whine dragging out the word clearly overwhelmed with everything around me.
It's not even two minutes later that Lando is begging Oscar again.
"Please, Oscar. I'll be good. Please," Lando is begging as much as possible while also trying to keep kissing me.
"Our pretty little slut gets to cum first," Oscar tells Lando making me whine. This has Lando reaching down just enough to start playing with my clit trying to bring me over the edge faster.
"Oscar, please," I moan out once I feel my orgasm getting close to the edge.
"Cum for us," Oscar tells me making me instantly squirt all over both of the boys. Once my orgasm has concluded I hear Oscar tell Lando to cum which has Lando instantly tensing before releasing a high pitched whine before cumming all over Oscar's hand.
"Here," Oscar says while presenting me his cum covered hand which has me instantly licking all of Lando's cum off of it. Once it is clean enough for Oscar he climbs into bed pulling me with him to sit on his face.
"Get to work," Oscar tells Lando which has him shuffling around to get on his knees and start talking Oscar into his mouth.
Once Lando has settled into a good pace Oscar starts eating me out like it's his last meal on Earth. With one hand gripped on the headboard for stability before I tangle my fingers into Oscar's freshly cut hair. I know I'm pulling at it just right when I hear Oscar gasp at the slight pain I'm causing to his scalp.
"Fuck," Oscar moans out shortly after I hear Lando gag slightly on Oscar's cock. I can tell just from the sounds Lando's making he has all of Oscar's cock down his throat right now.
"Close," Oscar gasps out before instantly going back to focusing on my clit which also brings me closer to my second orgasm.
I hear Oscar groan out against my pussy signifying that he's cumming which has me tumbling over the edge with him.
Still slightly shaking I feel Lando lightly lift me off of Oscar before bringing me into his chest for a cuddle. Something that was always a part of our aftercare routine.
"How'd you know that would work," Oscar asks chuckling a little before placing a soft kiss on my lips preventing me from answering right away.
"We've been together for over a year. I know how you guys get," I reply back making both of the boys laugh a little.
Once everything has calmed down around us we all get up before getting into the shower together which inevitably resulted in a round 2.
#formula 1#f1 imagine#f1 x you#formula 1 x you#formula one imagines#f1 instagram au#f1 smau#lando norris#formula one smau#f1#landoscar#ln4#op81#814#landoscar x reader#lando smut#oscar piastri fanfic#oscar piastri#oscar piastri x you#op81 x reader#op81 imagine#op81 fic#op81 smut#ln4 x reader#ln4 imagine#ln4 fic#mclaren#ln4 fluff#op81 ln4 smut#landoscar smut
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Arcane SFW & NSFW Headcanons! (f!reader, AFAB!reader)
Including: Vi, Caitlyn, Maddie, Mel, Jinx. (Disclaimer: I will only write SFW for Jinx, as her age is not fully confirmed.) This is so much longer than I meant for it to be. Enjoy!
WC: ~3k
JINX | SFW
 Jinx, who still doesnât really know how to navigate relationships⊠at all. Sheâs shy and hesitant at first, entirely unused to the genuine connection and love. All sheâs ever known is what feels like transactional affection, despite what Silco may have actually felt towards her.Â
 She isnât too comfortable with physical affection at first, a little wary that youâre out to hurt her. But, sheâll show her appreciation for you through handing you gadgets or trinkets she makes/finds.Â
 As she grows more comfortable with you, sheâll finally start to open up and lean on you (literally and figuratively.) Sheâll start to ramble about anything and everything on her mind, almost unaware that sheâs actually doing it.Â
 Sheâll paint your nails to match hers, even including the same little face she put on her prosthetic.Â
 She LOVES to braid your hair, and will take every opportunity to do so. Despite her hands being a little calloused from her tinkering, theyâre still surprisingly soft and gentle as she rakes them through your hair.
 She is a genuine sweetheart! While she might come off really intense or a little wacky sometimes, her love for you bleeds through entirely. Itâs obvious to almost everyone how much she loves you.
 She loves watching you play with Isha or talk to Sevika, tearing up as she watches her own happy little family form after so much tragedy.
 She hugs tightly, and I mean TIGHTLY. Sheâll squeeze you to the point of almost feeling like your ribs are gonna crack.
VI | SFWÂ
 Vi, who is such a sweetheart. She wears her heart on her sleeve every second of every day. Prison may have hardened her when it comes to confrontation or battle, but she is like a puppy with you.Â
 If she continues working for Caitlyn, she spends her money well. She gets both of you a nice apartment and takes you out on sweet little dates at least once a week.
 If she relies more on the bets and money from her pit-fighting, sheâll still do the same. While the apartment isnât nearly as lavish, and the dates arenât nearly as nice, she does everything in her power to make her as enjoyable as possible.Â
 She prefers when you keep your hand wrapped around her bicep, rather than actually holding hands.Â
 She lets you paint her nails and do her makeup as you please, enjoying the lovely grin the spreads across your face as you do it.Â
 Absurdly gentle with you, always keeping a soft hand on your waist. Despite how rough she is with other people, her hands would never do the same to you. (Unless you ask for it ;))Â
 When you patch her up after a particularly rough fight, sheâll mutter a quiet âThank yâbaby.â And press herself closer to you, craving your space and comfort.Â
 She is a little difficult to get to communicate properly, almost never having been listened to before. With enough patience and kind words, sheâll eventually crack and begin to trust you as she becomes more vulnerable.
 She lovesss to bury her face into the crook of your neck as she tightly wraps her bandaged arms around your waist, pressing a few gentle kisses to your shoulder and neck.
 Sheâll tear up a little bit as you press gentle kisses to her tattoos, and especially the scars she adorns from her time in prison.Â
 Not to mention that she is definitely obsessed with you.
NSFW
This might be a hot take, but I definitely see Vi as more submissive than dominant. Whether sheâs fighting crime or other people, she definitely spends most of her day keeping everyone in check.
 So when sheâs writhing against the bed and moaning for you to just touch her, you find it extremely difficult to not give her exactly that. She loves when youâre able to take her out of her head entirely, finally giving her the space to relax and to just not think for a bit.
 While she might be submissive, she still definitely likes to top. She likes knowing that sheâs making you feel good and thrives off of the praise. So when you mutter a quiet âThatâs my good girl.â She has to temporarily stop and get her shit together so she doesnât cum on the spot.Â
 She goes feral whenever you pull her hair or scratch down her back and arms, letting out a literal whimper.Â
 As you straddle her lap and begin to ride her into oblivion, sheâll paw desperately at your hips and thighs. Sheâll eventually reach up to grope your tits and mumble incoherent compliments, talking about how pretty you are and how good you feel. She especially likes it when you tighten your hand around her throat, hearing her own choked whimpers leave her mouth.Â
 On the uncommon occasion she decides that she does want to be dominant, sheâs still not very rough. Unless you explicitly ask for a meaner hand or words, she would never do it on her own.Â
 Her favorite position is definitely doggy, she likes watching your ass bounce back against her hips as she smacks it and grips your hips tightly. Sheâll keep one hand in between your shoulder blades, and the other next to your head as she drills into you.Â
 Sheâll pepper sweet kisses along your cheeks and lick the tears off, almost ecstatic at the fact that she has fucked you so good you started crying.Â
 She loves sloppy kisses and sloppy head, moaning against your pussy as she nearly devours you whole, digging her hands into your thighs. She whines as you tangle your fingers into her hair and tug, feeling her own arousal begin to leak in between her thighs.Â
 She is so good with aftercare, too. If she had been a little rough on you, sheâll kiss all of the bruises and scratches that she left and mutter quiet praises. Sheâll wipe you down with a damp towel, giving you a quiet ââM sorry, baby.â As she soothes the towel over your sensitive clit.
CAITLYN | SFW
Caitlyn, who takes after Cassandra in the way that she is a little stern with you. She doesnât like it when you venture off without her, or at the very least someone else.
 Sheâs a little socially awkward, so you tend to take the lead at the galas or other social events sheâs expected to attend. She likes when you keep an arm around her waist, or holding your hand. While most people are there to see her, you often lead the conversations anyway.Â
 She loves when you show up to her office, your presence immediately forcing her posture and face to soften. Being in her position puts a lot of paperwork in front of her, and stress on her.Â
 Whether you dance, play a sport, or perform in any other way, she will show up every single time. Sheâs running behind on a mission? Sheâll finish it in record time so sheâs able to make it for at least half of your show.Â
 Sheâll let you sit on the edge of her desk as she works, or will pull up another chair so you can sit next to her and read your own book or tinker with a little project.Â
 She loves when you have to raise up on your toes to kiss her, chuckling as she pulls away each time you get close enough to brush your lips together. Sheâll wrap her arms around your waist and pick you up off of your feet as she presses her lips to yours.Â
 Once you guys are able to wind down in your shared apartment, she pulls you into her lap and holds you tightly. Sheâll press gentle kisses onto your cheek and shoulders, telling you how grateful she is for you and how much she loves you.
 She will always appreciate when you make tea or cook for her, coming up behind you and wrapping her arms around you from behind.Â
 Sheâll take you out on little dates when she has the time, but otherwise prefers to take slow walks with you through her garden.
While she may be a little stern, she absolutely adores you, and trusts you with her life.Â
NSFW
 Donât get me wrong, she is so, so sweet. Sheâs doting and attentive, and will do almost anything you need from her. But you will work for it, no questions asked.Â
 Sheâll put you on your knees and make you beg for whatever you want. Sheâll bind your hands behind your back with a new silken rope she bought and coo down at you, stroking her thumb over your bottom lip. Sheâll coax your mouth open and feed you two of her fingers, grinning as you accept them sweetly.
 Itâs quite obvious she can get prettyyyy freaky. Like we saw how she reacted when Vi spat on her cheek. Iâd say that extends towards you, as well. She likes forcing you to keep your mouth open, and tongue flat against your bottom lip as she spits onto it, giving you a âSwallow it sweetheart, be a good girl.â
 I wouldnât say that sheâs a stone top, but she definitely prefers to give. I definitely think it comes from wanting to be in control and dominant. She differs from Vi in the sense that she doesnât want to be out of control, ever.Â
 Her long legs and overall strength gives her such a huge advantage over you. She loves to fold you over and press your knees to your chest as she fucks into you roughly. She does love to keep you on top, guiding your hips as you bounce on her strap, licking and sucking into the sensitive skin of your collarbones and boobs.Â
 I donât think sheâd be someone who is super into degradation, but she might mutter something along the lines of âYouâre such a pretty whore for me.â As she tangles her fingers into your hair and pulls your head back, forcing you to meet your own reflection in the mirror.Â
 Any time you guys fuck, she will always remind you of how good you are. She nips at your ear and purrs, âThatâs it pretty girl, you take me so well.â She mumbles, sucking a mark onto the side of your neck.Â
 She takes aftercare very seriously, knowing that sometimes her treatment can take a toll on you. Sheâll untie you slowly and work out the kinks of your tense joints, pressing kisses along the red marks the ropes left. She wipes the sweaty baby hairs from your forehead and presses a gentle kiss to it, helping you sit up. Sheâll hold you for a bit and reassure you, murmuring quiet praises. Once youâre settled down, sheâll run a warm bath for both of you.
MADDIE | SFW
 Maddie, who is such a sweet, sweet girl. Her enthusiasm for everything around her is extremely contagious. She does her absolute best to make sure there is a smile on your face every day.
 She finds a way to balance her job as an enforcer and her relationship with you. While itâs a bit of a struggle sometimes because of how demanding Caitlyn can be, she puts in 100% of her effort to make it work.
 She prefers to stay inside rather than going out, pulling you next to her on the couch as you cuddle up and turn on a few movies or a show to binge. She likes when you put your legs over your lap and she can idly trace her fingers along your legs.
 She likes cooking and baking a lot, always making an excessive amount of food that you guys really canât consume by yourselves.
 Sheâll give you pancakes with a smiley face made out of chocolate chips and strawberries, pressing a kiss to your head as you dig into the breakfast.Â
  She writes you notes every morning before she leaves for work and sticks them on the fridge, always containing some kind of compliment and an âI love you.âÂ
 She loves to write poetry as well, itâs her favorite way to express her love and gratitude for you. Which means that words of affirmation is definitely her love language, but physical touch is a close second.
 She loves going on bike rides around the city, especially when you get to the large botanical gardens and parks. Sheâll pull over and buy whatever drink youâd like and a pastry, both of you settling on a bench in the park.
 She likes to point out all of the cute animals that prance around the area and gets extremely excited when they come over to you guys.
NSFW
 She is utterly enthusiastic every time you guys get intimate. I wouldnât say that sheâs inexperienced, but I definitely think she does still get a little nervous sometimes. Sheâs just absolutely infatuated with you and your pretty face makes her blush.
 She lovesss to makeout. Like, she would rather do that over having actual sex. Sheâll straddle your lap and hold your jaw or thread her fingers through your hair.Â
 When you guys do fuck, itâs a bit more vanilla compared to the others. She doesnât strike me as an overly kinky person, but I feel like she does still have a few interests.
 She for SURE likes to give head, itâs probably her favorite pastime tbh. She will beg for you to ride her face regularly, moaning into you as she wraps her hands around your hips.
 Give her a little bit of praise and sheâll do anything you ask of her, especially if you call her pretty.Â
She loves, loves, loves to ride your thigh. Something about it is so exhilarating, especially because she likes seeing the aftermath of it. Sheâll happily lap her cum off of your leg, moaning as you guide her head with your hand.Â
 She seems like the type to basically worship you, she would happily get on her knees as you grind yourself against her mouth with absolutely no complaints.Â
 For sure adores seeing you in pretty lingerie, running her fingers over the lacy fabric as she kisses along the hem of your bra and underwear.Â
 Sheâs definitely a bottom, like for SURE. She really likes missionary, especially when you pull her legs over your shoulders. The main reason she likes it is because 1. She likes to be underneath you, and 2. Because she still loves to look at you and kiss you.Â
 While she doesnât really like to top, she can still get a little bit of an edge to her attitude, teasing you as she nips at your neck and jaw. Sheâll straddle your hips and press your back into the bed, slowly sliding her nails underneath your shirt and chuckle at the whines you let out.Â
 Aftercare with her is really sweet as well. She likes to curl up in your arms and tuck her head under your chin as you pet her hair and press soft kisses all over her face. She likes to eat after as well, it helps her feel less shaky, so make sure you always have snacks nearby.Â
MEL | SFW
 Mel, who loves so hard and sometimes really canât control it. Her love is so intense it can truly be a little overwhelming sometimes.Â
 She treats you with the utmost care and always makes sure that your needs are met. While being on the council does unfortunately consume most of her time, she does everything she can to make sure she is still as present as possible.Â
 When sheâs gone, she makes sure that thereâs always a maid present with you, making sure that all of your needs are met when she canât be there.
 When she is, she always likes to have a hand on you, whether itâs on your thigh, waist, whatever. She loves to touch you, and it often soothes her racing mind.
 Whenever you get sick or stressed, she pulls your head into your lap and will stroke her slender fingers through your hair. Sheâll hum some kind of melody quietly and gently sway, lolling you to sleep.Â
 She doesnât like it when you get involved with politics or the council in general, simply wanting to protect you from the ongoing and unresolved issues.Â
 She buys you new dresses regularly, always making you give her a little fashion show as you try them on.
 Her kindness is unwavering, but there is a layer of intensity and harshness beneath all of that. One that is very rarely ever shown, and if it is, itâs towards her mother.Â
 She does everything she can to keep you far away from her ties to Noxus, especially when Ambessa comes to visit. Sheâll use every excuse in the books to keep you separated, knowing that you and Ambessa would likely not get along.Â
 She loves to take long baths together, especially when theyâre decorated with candles, bath bombs, etc. Sheâll turn on the record player as you guys bask in the warm water together, soaking up the intimacy that is sometimes difficult to be had.Â
NSFW
 She is the biggest switch that has ever been written in a TV show, like really. Her role is kind of inconsistent, and changes quite often. I donât think she has a preference, but sometimes I think there are some things that can definitely influence it. Rough day at work and sheâs irritated? Youâre gonna get bent over her desk. If she feels utterly defeated, sheâd rather you take the lead so she can ignore her problems for a bit.Â
 Speaking of being bent over her desk, itâs one of her favorite things to do. Sheâll gently push you forward, keeping a hand between your shoulder blades as she grinds against your ass. But she really only ever does this at her office at home, she tries very hard to keep your relationship away from work.
 She loves when you take off her shoes and tights, kissing your way up her legs as you hike her dress up to her hips. She loves to hold onto your head as you lick and suck your way up her thighs, pushing her backwards onto the bed.Â
 She highly enjoys straddling your face, moaning loudly as she grabs onto the headboard. Sheâll grind her pussy against your mouth and whimper as you reach up to grope her chest.
 When sheâs topping, she likes having you in missionary so she can watch your eyes roll back and whimper. If sheâs bottoming, she prefers to ride you because it makes it easier for her to rub against the most sensitive spots inside of her.Â
 She likes to pull your hair, and have hers pulled in return, enjoying the control it gives both of you.
 She loves to decorate herself in pretty lingerie and gold, tying your hands behind your back as she sways her hips around you before settling your lap. She grinds herself on your lap, grinning sadistically as you whine due to the fact that you canât touch her.
 Sheâs less intense with aftercare, mainly because sheâs too tired herself to do much. Once youâre both wiped down, sheâll wrap herself around you and press a kiss to your head.
#maddie arcane#arcane#caitlyn kiramman#vi arcane#jinx arcane#caitlyn kiramman x reader#vi x reader#maddie nolen#mel medarda#mel x reader#jinx x reader#wlw post
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