#‘wonder what i’d be without you’ alright pack it up

[riacte]

“oh watch doctor who it’ll be fun” and im crying my eyes out watching the end of time. aaaaaaaa at least 14 got back with donna 😭

[checkeredflagggs]

Taken From Me

Pairing: pierre gasly x girlfriend!reader

summary: while traveling with pierre, your childhood pet is put down

a/n: anon requested pierre comforting reader and it’s coming up on the anniversary of my childhood dog’s passing — I didn’t know until it afterwards

WARNINGS: pet death

Masterlist

y/n

liked by pierregasly, mom, charles_leclerc, and 738,823 others

y/n: Happy birthday to my bestest girl, Nala!

view all comments

mom: We gave her an extra big bowl for breakfast and one of those special treats she loves

↳y/n: Thank youuuuuuu!! And could you give her an extra big kiss from me! And let her know I’ll be home soon?

↳mom: Of course dear

pierregasly: Happy Birthday Nala!

↳y/n: Oh you’re gonna love her Pierre!

↳pierregasly: I’m sure I will — she looks like a good dog

↳y/n: the best!

user1: the bond between a girl and her dog is not to be underestimated

↳y/n: Nala is my best girl!!

user2: petition for a Nala paddock visit!

↳y/n: Potentially! Nala is getting up there in age though and her comfort comes first!

↳user3: Understandable

user4: Best dog mom?

↳user5: best dog mom!

charles_leclerc: Leo says he’d like to meet this Nala!

↳y/n: Well I can’t disappoint Leo can I?

↳charles_leclerc: you can’t!

f1wagwatch

liked by user, user, user and 628,833 others

f1wagwatch: Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and his new girlfriend, y/n l/n, arrive at the Miami Grand Prix!

view all comments

user6: she’s so gorgeous!

user7: love her style

user8: literal perfection…and Pierre

↳user9: ok but Pierre is fine af

↳user8: you’re right — he just gets outshined by y/n

↳user9: everyone does

y/n

liked by pierregasly, alexandrasaintmleux, lilymhe, and 928,824 others

tagged: pieregasly

y/n: A small break before we got back to the grind

view all comments

user10: Do you guys need a third? A maid? A dog?

↳user11: are applications open?

↳user12: where do we apply?

alexandrasaintmleux: without me?

↳y/n: shush baby I just have to get Pierre off my back and then we can run away

↳lilymhe: my bags are already packed

↳alexandrasaintmleux: let me grab Leo and I’m ready

↳charles_leclerc: what?

↳alex_albon: no?

↳pierregasly: babe please stop threatening to run away with Alex and Lily

↳lilymhe: ummm it’s not a threat it’s a promise?

pierregasly: Can I go where you go?

↳y/n: can we always be this close?

↳user13: honestly goals

flavy.barla: you’re coming to the triple header right?

↳y/n: nothing could keep me away!

↳flavy.barla: good!

mom: have fun dear!

↳y/n: will do mom!

Private Messages, Mom and y/n

Private Messages, Pierre and y/n

f1wagwatch

liked by user, user, user, and 572,284 others

tagged: y/n

f1wagwatch: Is y/n absent? Despite previous claiming attendance to Imola, she doesn’t seem to be coming this weekend!

view all comments

user14: No! My wife is missing!

user15: god they look good

user16: I wonder what happened with y/n…

↳user17: Right?

↳user18: I hope it’s nothing bad…she was really excited to come!

user19: If I may? Dream threesome

↳user20: while there is quite few pairings I’d prefer more I see the vision

user21: did you guys see the rudegossip page?? Something is definitely wrong

↳user22: what the fuck is wrong with people?!?

↳user23: god why would they post that…

rudegossip

liked by user, user, user, and 638,924 others

tagged: y/n

rudegossip: Trouble in paradise? F1 wag y/n l/n seen crying and eating a burrito in her hometown while new boyfriend Pierre Gasly races in Italy this weekend

view all comments

user24: what the fuck is this??

user25: leave her alone??

user26: such an ugly crier 🤢

↳user27: alright you basement dweller

↳user27: obviously something is wrong so like leave her alone

user28: oh no! I hope everything is alright…

↳user29: I mean obviously not??

user30: god Pierre could do so much better…

↳user31: right? Like shut up bitch and get to Italy

↳user32: don’t you have literally anything better to do than mock people?

user33: lol does she actually do anything but cry and mooch off her significantly BETTER half??

↳user34: probably not

↳user35: fuck off! Leave her alone!

Private Messages, Pierre and y/n

pierregasly

liked by flavy.barla, alexandrasaintmleux, lilymhe, and 1,723,823 others

tagged: y/n

pierregasly: taking a comfort day with my girl

comments have been limited on this post

alexandrasaintmleux: sending all my love to her

↳pierregasly: she’s demanding a girls day with dogs present please

↳alexandrasaintmleux: packing up my things as we speak

charles_leclerc: sending some wine and chocolate with Alex

↳pierregasly: it will be appreciated

alex_albon: Lily and I are on the way with the albon zoo

↳pierregasly: she smiled when I told her horsey was on his way

↳lilymhe: give her an extra tight hug from me

↳charles_leclerc: wait we can come too? alexandrasaintmleux wait for me!

estebanocon: Flavy and I are coming up the stairs right now

↳pierregasly: she is literally waiting at the door for her

↳estebanocon: glad to know where we rate…

↳pierregasly: whatever makes her smile right now

y/n (2 months later)

liked by pierregasly, alex_albon, charles_leclerc, and 924,023 others

tagged: pierregasly

y/n: 2 months ago, a personal tragedy struck me — my dog Nala passed away. It was unexpected and completely devastating to me — she was a cornerstone of my universe and I couldn't imagine a life without her.

In the days and weeks since, Pierre has been a rock, a safe harbor, pretty much the only place I’ve felt safe to express my feelings about it. He’s dealt with my crying and depression, the silence and the days where I wouldn’t say anything.

I couldn’t have asked for a better partner or friend. There’s so much more I’d like to say but for now I’d just like to say thank you, for everything. I don’t think I would have made it through these last few months as well as I have without your love and support.

And today we’re welcoming a new member or our family — meet Simba! He’s been a light in our lives since we got him last week.

Pierre and Simba — I love you both so much

comments have been limited on this post

pierregasly: Oh mon amour, il n'y avait aucun autre endroit où je préférerais être à tes côtés pendant que tu traversais cela. Oh my love, there was nowhere else I’d rather be than by your side as you went through this.

↳y/n: Merci pour tout Pierre. Thank you for everything Pierre

↳pierregasly: Et maintenant, nous avons notre Simba! And now we have our Simba

charles_leclerc: Simba better be making an appearance soon!

↳y/n: he literally never leaves my side so yes, he will

↳alexandrasaintmleux: Leo and I are so ready

lilymhe: Suddenly, I’ll be free to come this weekend

↳alex_albon: really?

↳y/n: I am so ready to see you again!

↳lilymhe: it’s definitely been too long

flavy.barla: so ready to spend the weekend with you!

↳y/n: I’ll bring Simba and snacks if you bring the tea!

↳flavy.barla: I have tea so good you won’t believe it

Taglist

Please interact with my taglist post if you want to join — I don’t always check the notes on the individual posts

@anamiad00msday @suns3treading @daniskywalkersolo @awritingtree @justheretoreadthxxs @coral7161 @lost4lyrics @mastermindbaby @freyathehuntress @angelluv16 @nichmeddar @mxm47max @justaf1girl @a-beaverhausen @tallrock35 @il0vereadingstuff @widow-cevans @1-of-my-many-obsessions @charlesgirl16 @anunstablefangirl @teti-menchon0604 @galaxygurlll @star73807-blog @shelbyteller @ihaveitprinteddout @allthings-fandom @hannahmotors10 @moonypixel @nikfigueiredo @daisydaze111 @deephideoutmilkshake @mimisweetz @books-fangirl-books @fastandcurious16 @lilyofthevalley-09 @rexit-mo @alessa-the-enchantress @1800-love-me @vhkdncu2ei8997 @toodeepintofandoms @tukes @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @lecfosimaxbull @dramaticpiratellamas @devilacot @supernatural-harrypotter7 @nightrose-18 @alexxavicry @vhkdncu2ei8997 @purplephantomwolf

[porcelainbirdss]

the wrong neighbor

summary: after losing your job, you figured a brief escape to the countryside might offer a semblance of peace — or at least a new outlook. alas fate, with its usual flair for wickedness, had other plans. it handed you a new challenge in the form of a neighbor so annoying, his entire existence felt like a joke at your expense.

cw: fem!reader, modern au, fluff, brief mentions of blood, alcohol consumption, slight enemies to lovers but honestly reader is just stubborn, so it’s kind of one-sided, relationship not established (but lovey-dovey still) || wc: 16k

you scrutinized the keys of your 'new' home, which now dangled on the carabiner — you glared down at them, as if their mere existence somehow managed to personally offend you.

there were three facts you could easily discern: you got fired from your job (and maybe it was for the better, because you hated it). the house on the countryside in which you were supposed to temporarily reside in surely looked like a ruin, and your suitcases were so over-stuffed, you barely managed to close them.

oh, and Bubbles was wailing so loudly in the carrier, you were already starting to feel bad for the cat. well, it’s not like you didn’t share its lament — if you could, you’d cry along with the pet.

unfortunately, your woes would have to be put aside now, because the sight of your new place started to steadily appear on the horizon. thank gods, you somehow managed to reach the countryside without your gas running so low you’d have to call for roadside assistance — or a worse scenario, with you pushing the car away from the uneven road.

as you parked beside the slightly crooked, wired fence, you began to wonder whether this whole charade really was a good idea. your decision to take rather long vacations in the countryside was made on a whim — upon losing your job, you descended on a downward spiral, ultimately thinking you definitely needed to reconnect with nature.

everything was going smoothly — you asked your parents for the keys, informed your friends of the upcoming departure (for how long, you weren’t sure), packed and got into your car as if it was the simplest course of action. only halfway through the rather long distance, as you finally drove into the mountainous area, a realization hit you — your knowledge was basically zero. nonexistent.

how do you even live on a countryside? are there necessities, or will you have to drive out into town for everything? how will you deal with the bugs, and the deep silence of night? is the house of your parents, which they bought so long ago, later on moving to the city, still intact? or maybe vandalized?

you were aware of the fact they kept on checking up on the place from time to time, but hey — that’s a village. what if there’s a big nest of wasps located somewhere by the balcony you briefly remember through the blurry memories of a young girl? or — or what if the water doesn’t run? or, since the village is practically hugged by the mountains, what if you stumble across a bear?!

well, you doubted that, because you had no plans of venturing into the forest — but still.

a huff of exasperation escaped your lips as you turned off the engine, quickly pocketing your carabiner and turning to see if Bubbles was alright — the cat seemed fine, now a little bit calmer, as if it sensed you finally reached the destination. you knew your pet wasn’t especially fond of road trips — same goes for you, so it was a relief to open the door of the vehicle, and step outside.

you stretched your slightly stiff limbs, thinking any longer in that car, and i’d go insane. surprisingly, the house looked fairly well-maintained. the lush grass was covered with weeds, and wildflowers, but nothing else was alarming enough to cause you distress. it was really fortunate, because you already had a plenty on your plate, and dealing with any damage would surely push you to have a breakdown in the middle of that sandy road.

with a new-found resolve, you opened the gate, wincing at the loud creak it made upon being moved for the first time in forever. you skipped over the cobblestone steps, unlocking the door — the space inside was covered in a thick layer of dust, but it matched what little you could recall from your childhood days, when your parents would take you to see the house.

they always said it would belong to you — and as a young girl, you never failed to cheer in response, excited to move in once you get older. well, you were all grown now, and upon retrospection, you don’t know what was so appealing to you about living in the countryside — not many opportunities, limited access to most shops or entertainments, vast fields and forests with nothing to do.

but it’s not like you’ll stay there forever, after all. you just came for a quick visit — two or three months, as long as your savings last you — april will pass, then may, and towards the end of june, when summer starts, you’ll be gone. yes, that’s definitely what you’ll do, so there’s no point in dwelling on how boring it could be. you came here to relax, and gather your disarrayed thoughts, not to seek for a new life-path.

once you were done inspecting the whole building, you stepped outside, mentally preparing yourself for the burden of tugging all of your suitcases inside, and then upstairs — a mere thought of that made your determination falter. as for Bubbles… perhaps it would be better to let the cat snooze in your car for now. you didn’t want the little critter to tangle between your feet as you fought with the baggage — anyway, the temperature outside was still low, so you wouldn’t have to worry about the cat overheating.

as you opened the car trunk, ready to wrestle with the weight of your luggage, a rather loud, but friendly voice snapped you out of your deep reverie.

you barely managed to hold back a frown.

"hey!" the man called, and you glanced up, your eyes meeting with two bright-blue hues, already crinkling in the corners as he beamed at you. "are you the owner of this house?"

what do you think?, you wanted to say, but decided it would be better to not make any enemies from the start. you were never too big on people — always keeping to yourself, secure in the small circle of friends you made while working at your former job. still, you weren’t in the city now, and you were completely on your own — so perhaps snarling at the stranger who greeted you with such a cordial expression would be a bad idea.

no matter that something about his overly-kind demeanor irked you.

you studied his rather tall frame, taking note of the slightly old-fashioned button-down shirt he wore, its sleeves rolled up above his elbows, exposing the muscular arms. seriously, was he crazy? if not for your jacket, you’d be freezing, your teeth chattering from the cold. "yeah, that’s me." you answered briefly, trying to force the corners of your lips upwards.

his smile only widened as he strolled closer to you, and you wondered what got him so excited. "oh, is that true?" he asked eagerly, allowing himself to lean on the side of your car, "i saw some people visiting the house, but it was so rare, i actually thought no one would ever move in."

"i’m not moving in," you corrected, trying not to grimace at how casual he was acting, "i’m on vacation. don’t plan on lingering for too long."

the man’s expression seemed to falter, just slightly. "really? such a pity, then. and here i was, thinking i got myself a neighbor." he chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest.

oh. he is your neighbor, it would seem. well, it is only logical looking at the way he suddenly emerged from gods know where — immediately jumping to your side, washing you over with questions and small-talk. still, the thought of having someone like him, as a person living next doors was… excruciating.

you let out a sigh, attempting to hold up your polite voice. "you live there?" you gestured with your head towards the building, internally hoping you were wrong.

"yes!" the man affirmed, outstretching his palm towards you, "by the way, i completely forgot to introduce myself. ah, where are my manners?" he laughed, a little abashedly now. "i’m Phainon."

great — just great. your place was a semi-detached house, so not only was he your neighbor, but he resided in a home practically glued to yours, a singular wall being the only thing that separated you.

you reached to shake his hand without much finesse, wincing at how strong his grip was. "[name]."

"[name]? a lovely name, then." Phainon chirped, bestowing you with the mercy of letting go. "well, i hope we can get along from now. maybe i’ll even convince you of staying here forever, who knows?" he joked, laughing again.

yeah, right. what else? maybe you’ll marry him, and take down the wall separating your houses? seriously, you tried to convince yourself he wasn’t that bad, but now he was genuinely getting on your already fragile nerves.

you reached towards the suitcase. "doubt that."

the man seemed to ignore your slightly irked tone, leaning forwards to look into your trunk. "do you want me to help you with all that? not to brag, but i’m pretty strong, and your stuff looks… well, heavy."

a shudder ran down your spine as his clear, still so friendly and unrelenting voice rang practically next to your ear. at this point, you could make a list consisting entirely of the things that annoyed you about your new neighbor: for one, he possessed an unbearably happy attitude. he was overly-casual, acting as if he knew you for his entire life. loud. said he doesn’t like to brag, but just did that — so a hypocrite.

"thanks, but i’ll manage just fine." you replied, grabbing the handle and tugging the suitcase out, trying not to show how much of a struggle it was.

Phainon blinked twice at your refusal, as if it was something he completely didn’t expect. his lips parted in confusion before he gathered himself, once again donning that wide smile. "oh, but how could i let my neighbor do that all by herself?" he mused, reaching for your baggage. damn those villagers, and their weird conviction of integrity — maybe you really should have just stayed in the city, bothering yourself with the search for a new job, instead of indulging in 'relaxation' time on the countryside. it was hardly worth it, at least as of now.

a grimace appeared on your face, knitting your eyebrows together. you didn’t care for containing it anymore. "i told you, i can do this myself." you muttered, finding an odd sense of insult in the man helping you out — you were capable enough, weren’t you?

you tugged the handle out of his fingers, and Phainon stepped back, the message finally getting through his seemingly thick skull. he cleared his throat awkwardly, chuckling under his breath as he pretended to look around, his bright irises avoiding yours. "oh, i’m— i’m sorry, [name]. didn’t mean to offend you."

with a roll of your eyes, you closed the trunk shut, starting to walk towards the entrance of your house. "bye." you said, audible enough for the man to hear, and leave you alone.

Phainon didn’t protest any further, scratching his nape with a conflicted expression before shrugging and deciding to go back home. at least now his happy-go-lucky demeanor wouldn’t bother you.

a long day of cleaning, and moving in your stuff was already over — you were elated to find out that you, indeed, still had hot water, and the stove was working, even though you had to use matches to get the gas going. Bubbles was a bit unsure at first, anxiously treading the space, but ultimately deemed the new place as good enough. you definitely had to agree with your cat — it wasn’t perfect, but the lull of a quiet road successfully managed to ease your frayed nerves.

in addition, Phainon didn’t step out once to offer any other unwanted help, so that was a plus too.

you fell onto the bed, stretching out your hurting limbs from working so hard — you were planning on going to sleep, but the balcony door seemed especially enticing, so perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check it out as well. you dragged your feet over to the glass door, pushing it open, taking in the crisp air of night, gasping at how beautiful the sight of the mountains was — and then you saw it.

irritation washed over you the second you spotted a familiar silhouette, leaning on the railing of another balcony — right. you almost forgot the design of your houses was a mirror, the buildings being twins of themselves. you cursed under your breath, tucking your head down in hopes that your annoying neighbor failed to notice you — but before you could even move to walk back inside, he already waved your way, a wide smile stretching his lips.

"[name]! hi!" Phainon called, making your blood pressure skyrocket, "did you also want to get some fresh air before sleep?"

an overwhelming sense of déjà vu washed over you, as you itched to reply — what do you think?

you scoffed, your feet glued in place, even though you wanted nothing more than to shut the balcony door, swish the curtains, and lie in your bed. "no, i was actually planning on jumping out." you deadpanned.

the man’s features initially twisted into concern, but then he laughed, finally catching up on your sarcastic remark, which definitely wasn’t aimed to offend him, nor his wits anyhow, "oh, you better not. it’s a long way down from here." he said, moving to step closer to your own balcony.

almost as if that was the whole point. "well, yeah, i came here to take a breath, but now i have someone yapping behind my ear."

Phainon shrugged, appearing as if he didn’t take that as an insult, even if his wide smile was now reduced to a mere, weak smirk. "c’mon, i’m just trying to be nice here." he responded, craning his neck to look into your eyes, seemingly avoiding him as they stared into the black outline of the mountains. "you know, i don’t want to admonish you, because i believe we’re the same age—" he paused, "wait, how old are you again?"

"twenty-four."

that evoked an almost triumphant noise out of him. "see? i’m only two years older than you. so, as i was saying, i really, really, don’t want to admonish you, however…"

you sighed at Phainon’s lag, finally meeting his gaze. "however what?"

"you see," the man began, a bit reluctantly, "maybe it wouldn’t hurt you to be a little more friendlier? as far as i am concerned, you’re alone here. and so," he continued, prolonging the syllables of the words, "you have to be nice to people. if you keep glaring at everyone, then just imagine how that could backfire! no one around to help, no one to—"

must he always talk so much? it’s not that you were rude by nature, but his presence simply made you irritated. another thing to add to your list — he liked to force his beliefs on others, insisting he was so righteous. and he was a chatterbox.

"or maybe i just don’t find your company all that endearing, huh?" you interrupted his rant lazily, leaning your cheek over your palm. this conversation was starting to exhaust you much more than cleaning the entirety of your house.

Phainon breathed in, placing his hand over his chest, as if you genuinely managed to insult him. “mean! see? that’s exactly what i’m talking about." he huffed out, his eyebrows narrowing together.

you rolled your eyes, thinking that perhaps you truly were a little bit too unkind — but it’s not like you felt especially guilty about it, so you ignored the weak need of apology. "a grown man getting offended by something like that?" you mocked, shrugging. "i simply expressed my opinion. nothing personal."

his lips pressed into a tight line as he looked away from you, his line of vision locking on the rocky line of horizon. "you know, [name], you kind of remind me of someone." Phainon said, drumming his fingertips against his forearm.

you almost caught yourself asking — who?, but you held back, thinking the man was merely trying to pull at your tongue some more. without glancing back, you turned on your heel, starting to walk towards the door.

your movement seemed to snap Phainon out of his short stupor, "ah, you’re going already? see you then!" he called, though this time his voice wasn’t as upbeat as earlier.

"not if i see you first.” was all you replied with, shutting the balcony door with a loud 'thud!', and slipping off your flip-flops.

if you can’t even relax in your own house, then perhaps there was no rest for you in this place — you should start reconsidering your decision, and go back to the city.

——

go back to the city, you did not — one week passed since the moment you found yourself in this countryside, and even though your neighbor kept getting on your nerves, keeping you company during evenings on the balcony, offering you bottles of milk (which for some reason you didn’t get delivered), or waving friendly at you whenever you tended to your overgrown garden — you still stayed. maybe it was something in the air, or the vision of packing everything so soon and having to tug your suitcases back to your trunk was simply too much.

however, no matter how idyllic the time you had for yourself seemed (by which you meant — no Phainon in sight), some trouble came up. Bubbles was acting slightly off — it’s not like the cat was evidently sick, but its movements were slower than usually, and it made you worry. Bubbles was the ultimate highlight of your days, and you loved that animal terribly — so the second you noticed something was wrong, you called up the closest veterinary clinic.

a deep voice on the other side of the phone told you to come visit now — if you had the time, which you obviously possessed in ample amounts — so without further ado, you packed Bubbles into the carrier, and drove to the clinic. it took you some time to find it, which was surprising since you had the maps opened on your phone, and the village wasn’t overly big — but you miraculously managed to arrive before your cat would start to voice its sorrows from having to be driven around through the bumpy roads.

you gently grabbed the carrier, and entered the space, a characteristic smell attacking your nostrils. "hello." you greeted the lady at the front desk, smiling as politely as you could. "i came to have my cat checked up.”

the woman returned the gesture, her doe eyes flickering up from the computer as she examined your form. "and what does seem to be the problem?" she asked, her tone softer than you imagined it would be. most probably, she wasn’t the one who picked up your call.

"uhh," you began, a little unsure, "i don’t know. it’s just acting… off, so i got a little worried."

she nodded with understanding, asking for personal information and the cat’s name. once you were done with all the registering, she gestured towards the door, telling you the doctor was already waiting inside. in response, you sent her a grateful look, and quickly opened the entrance — only to be met with the sight of a face you prayed you wouldn’t have to see today — or ever again, for the record.

"[name]!" Phainon almost cheered, his eyes widening with recognition, "i didn’t expect to see you there. come, come." he ushered you inside, because as it turns out, you somehow forgot how to walk. you moved your feet reluctantly, your hold on the carrier tightening.

you felt absolutely flabbergasted. that fool — that absolute moron — was working as a veterinarian?!

upon taking in his navy-colored uniform, and the stethoscope hanging loosely around his neck, you had absolutely no doubts now. still, you found yourself asking: "you work here?"

Phainon laughed with obvious amusement, raking his fingers through the fair locks. "what do you think?"

ugh, was that déjà vu you were feeling again?

you tentatively settled the carrier down on the table’s surface, narrowing your eyes at the man. so he was the doctor. and he would be taking care of your cat.

"sorry, could i request someone else to take over?” you asked to no one in particular, looking around in hopes that another vet would pop out from the space, and help you out of the dire situation.

your neighbor scoffed with feigned hurt (at least you think it was feigned, looking at the way his eyes still crinkled in the corners). "why, [name], who do you take me for? i’m more than qualified, so don’t worry." he smiled at you now, taking a quick glance through the carrier’s bars. "oh, what an adorable kitten you have! what’s its name?"

"Bubbles.” you responded, curt and bitter as you continued to frown, anxiously chewing on your lower lip.

Phainon nodded in understanding, slipping on his medical gloves before reconsidering. "and is it friendly?" he mused, his blue eyes briefly flickering over to another pair of gloves of thick material, probably made only with the purpose of protecting the doctor’s hands. "or is it as feisty as its mistress?"

you listened to the man’s chuckle, as if the poor joke he just offered was the funniest thing in the world. "friendly enough." you said, tapping your foot against the tiled floor with impatience.

"glad to hear that." he carefully opened the carrier’s little doors, reaching towards your cat, now huddled into the corner. Phainon gave it a gentle tug, but once it refused to move, he sighed with resignation. "it’s scared of me. could you take off the carrier’s top?"

you cocked one of your eyebrows up at him, doing as he told you. "i’d be scared of you too, to be honest."

Phainon huffed at the comment, sending you a halfhearted glare — then, his focus returned to your pet as he picked it up, placing the animal down on the table. "hi Bubbles." he cooed at the cat, running his palm up and down its fur affectionately. the sight almost made your disdain towards the man soften, as you watched him smile so widely at the utterly anxious Bubbles. "what’s the matter, sweet thing?" he mumbled to the cat, even though it couldn’t answer him.

you took a singular step back, observing the whole charade with a dry smirk. "to be honest, i’m not sure myself. it was acting weird, you know… moving slower, eating less. i decided to bring it to the vet, 'cause i got worried."

Phainon seemed to mull over your words for a short while, and it didn’t surprise you when he came up with nothing. "i’m going to examine it, and then we’ll see what can be done." he decided, leaning down to look at Bubbles from up close.

everything that occurred then happened in a quick fashion — your mouth opened to warn him, next the cat’s whole tail seemed to puff up — before you could even say anything, sharp claws scratched the man’s pale skin, its reflexes too quick for a human to react to. you gasped, conflicted between bursting out into laughter, and expressing your hardly-genuine concern.

seriously, Phainon was either still inexperienced (which he earlier said he wasn’t, but as your list of annoyances told you — he was a hypocrite), or he was straight up stupid. you watched him jolt back, hand immediately flying over to his now wounded nose, feeling at the droplets of blood gathering up.

you winced. "oops."

"hey, you said it was friendly!" Phainon whined, quickly reaching for the napkins, and pressing one to his face. "for real, maybe someone else should take care of that troublemaker." he murmured, glancing towards the other door. "Mydei!"

who now? oh, so there really was an another vet — and it would seem whoever that was, they decided to ignore your earlier call for someone else’s assistance.

the door opened, a blonde man’s head peeking out as he took everything in with a stern expression, his sharp eyes narrowing at Phainon, who happened to be still gripping his bleeding nose. you almost wanted to take another step back, suddenly feeling small under his rather displeased gaze — if not for the polite nod he sent your way, you surely would have done so.

"Mydeimos, oh, my dearest friend, you’re the cat expert here." Phainon pleaded, his eyebrows narrowing, "wouldn’t you be so kind, and help—"

the veterinarian scoffed, immediately shaking his head. "first of all, you’re acting unprofessional." he said, his golden irises falling upon Bubbles, who still seemed terrified. "second of all, stop making a commotion. you’re scaring the cat."

"Mydei—"

"third of all," he interrupted mercilessly, going back to the separated room, "i’m getting prepared to check up on the horses, so i’m busy. take that as a no."

the door shut quietly, and once again you were left on your own with Phainon, whose expression was nothing short of defeat. against everything you felt towards him, you still sent him a sympathetic look — that Mydei guy really possessed quite a character.

"damn. and you’re calling me feisty when he exists." you remarked, careful to keep your voice low enough so the other vet wouldn’t hear you — if he did, then certainly you’d go flying out of the window.

Phainon let a silent snicker slip past his lips, "well, i’m not sure if you remember, but i did say you remind me of someone, didn’t i?"

you paused, unsure whether you should treat that as an insult, but ultimately decided to let it go — it wasn’t worth getting worked up over something like that. "…and you said he’s the cat expert. so what is your expertise, if you can’t even deal with a little feline? lizards?" you mocked, your eyebrows arching in amusement.

he shook his head. "well— i’m pretty sure you don’t share my sentiments, [name], but i’m rather fond of dogs." Phainon explained, "and by the way, lizards can cause damage too!"

your amusement only furthered when your gaze found its way onto the man’s exposed arms — scratches and bites in all variants of severity splattered across his skin, signifying he definitely had his own share of incidents with animals. "okay, whatever you say, doc." you huffed out, stopping yourself from rolling your eyes.

Phainon shrugged, throwing the napkin in the trash can, his focus returning to your pet. "well, alright then. let’s… let’s try again, shall we?"

as it turns out, your cat’s behavior was caused mostly due to stress — the new environment, smells, and everything piled up — but other than that, Bubbles was completely healthy, which caused you to breathe out in relief.

that evening, you didn’t see Phainon on the balcony. good riddance.

——

agony.

it was the only adequate word you could use to describe whatever you were feeling right now.

another seven days passed, and you deemed that as enough time to get acclimatized — the saturday’s morning started out slow, with you deciding to finally get a grip on your life, and perhaps search for jobs you could take up once you return to the city.

you set up your laptop, prepared yourself some tea, sat down as comfortably as you could with your pet making sure to keep your lap warm, and then it started.

that awful, absolutely terrible sound of complete anguish — drilling.

the second Bubbles heard it, the poor critter bolted from your legs, sprinting downstairs to probably hide from the loud noise. you wished you could do the same, except you actually had some work to do, so running away was out of question. technically, you could move your laptop somewhere else, but its battery condition was so bad, you had to keep it charging all the time — and it just so happened that the only accessible electrical contact was by your humble desk.

you knew who was making that noise. who else could be the culprit, but your annoying neighbor? it was only logical, looking at the way your semi-detached houses stood separated by a good few yards away from others.

that damned man, deciding it would be such a brilliant idea to start whatever renovations he had to do simultaneously with your work — not to mention, doing it so early in the morning. what time was it anyway, like seven? you glanced at your laptop’s screen — 7:31 AM.

you gritted your teeth, letting out a low grumble of dismay as you started typing on the keyboard. five minutes passed, then fifteen — all you did was stare blankly at the bright display of information you couldn’t possibly process through the clamor. you were wasting your precious time — no, Phainon was wasting it! if only you had his number, you’d immediately dial it, and start screaming at him to wait for at least the next three hours until he could resume the drilling (you doubted he’d listen).

with a sigh of resignation, you put your forehead in your hands, cradling it once you felt a headache building up behind your eyes, hammering painfully.

some time passed, and the noise was finally gone — which can’t be exactly said about your current migraine. you closed your laptop shut, thinking there was no way you would be able to continue with your lookout during such an insistent ache.

it was long since you felt so utterly livid. perhaps he was one of the few people who were able of evoking such strong emotions in you.

"jerk!" you yelled at the empty space of your bedroom, "stupid bastard! good thing you stopped, else i’d shove that goddamn drill up your arse!"

you huffed, and upon letting your frustrations out, you felt better — only slightly, but that was progress. it wasn’t like you, screaming and cursing like a spoiled brat, but at least you had a way of venting your anger caused by the ruckus. and it’s not as if Phainon could hear you, so you didn’t particularly care.

the rest of the day was monotone at best, and excruciating at worst. you didn’t do anything useful — tried wiping the dust off of some shelves, but they were already clean. then, you played with Bubbles, prepared dinner (which tasted awful, by the way), scrolled through your social medias, watching some mind-numbing videos until darkness came, and it was time for bed. you took a shower, changed, blew your hair dry.

everything you did was already a routine, and while it might have been relaxing, it was also boring — the sense of urgency in your body not letting you enjoy your quiet vacations, instead pushing you to do something more productive. alas, you found yourself lacking in the strength to even move a finger — well, almost, because instead of hitting the hay, you thought to step out on your balcony. again.

you were not surprised to see Phainon standing there, as it was also a part of the routine — you hoping to take a breath, and then being forced to listen to his usually thoughtless rambling. yesterday, he told you a story of how a cow kicked him straight in the gut when he was still a rookie to his profession — then proceeded to act offended when you laughed at it.

well, you found him annoying (especially now), but perhaps he was right about one thing — you were absolutely alone here. maybe the solitude caused you to become insane, pushing you to spend more time with him? yes, that’s definitely what happened. once your countryside excursion is over, you’ll certainly have to get your brain checked by a specialist.

Phainon clicked his tongue when you measured him with your dull gaze, setting your vision on the faraway trees as if he was but a mere speck of dust. "well, good evening to you too, [name]." he said, that ever-present smile already dancing on his lips.

you leaned over the barrier, feeling the gentle breeze rake through your hair, caressing your face. it was getting warmer and warmer by the day, and personally, you thought the change was for the worse. "don’t talk to me, or i’ll sew your mouth shut." you muttered under your nose, trying to ignore his intense eyes.

your neighbor tilted his head to the side, sending you a half-curious, half-teasing glance. "what? i didn’t hear you, [name]."

you knew damn well he heard you the first time, with the way he was standing so close to the barrier of your own balcony, looking like he was ready to take a leap across any moment, as if only to be closer to you. two another things to add to your list: makes too much noise (with the drill, to be precise), and has no concept of personal space.

"i said," you began, agitation arising in your voice as you turned yourself to face him fully, "shut your mouth, or i’ll shut you up myself."

Phainon whistled lowly, his eyebrows arching upwards. oh, if you had a rag, you’d definitely smack that empty head of his, wiping the smirk off his mouth. "[name], i’m already starting to shake in my boots." he hummed, amusement evident in his tone, "don’t look at me this way, or i’ll actually—"

your hand shoot up, stopping him from whatever nonsense he wanted to say next — you didn’t have enough mental strength to bear the things he could possibly throw your way. "no. just no."

"aww, must you always be so mean to me?" he whined, and you supposed you should spend less time with him. at first he was somewhat tolerable, but now all the initial politeness was gone, instead replaced with an unrelenting onslaught of winding you up.

another thing to add to your list: Phainon was a straight-up tease. (and you hated the way it made you smile sometimes)

with a heavy sigh, you looked back towards the rocky mountaintops, wishing you could just teleport there. "i’m not in the mood. i had a migraine from all that noise you made earlier."

the man’s confidence seemed to falter now, and he leaned back from the railing, clearing his throat. "oh, you mean when i started to drill? yeah, sorry 'bout that." he smiled sheepishly at you, scratching his nape. "are you angry at me?"

mere anger would be lenient, in this case. "take a wild guess, Phainon."

he clasped his hands together, his eyebrows knitting as he appeared genuine for the first time this evening. "oh, i must apologize. i should have told you earlier— i mean, about the drilling." the man leaned over, searching out your eyes. "does your head still hurt?"

what do you think? is what practically forced its way onto your tongue, but you held it back. déjà vu, déjà vu.

"no, i’m fine now." you breathed in response, "what did you assemble?"

Phainon seemed to consider your words for a second, before the characteristic smile found its way back onto his lips. "just a shelf. i ran out of space for my books, so i needed to add another one."

you nodded. "i see."

deep silence fell over you both, the only sound being the song of crickets, chirping away to their heart’s contents. Phainon’s mouth opened and closed, as if he was wondering whether he should speak up on whatever was bothering him right now — you, on the other hand, relished in the tranquility, his verbose tongue stopping for a rare moment of peace.

finally, he leaned over the railing so hard, you were sure one gust of wind, and he’d come tumbling down. "[name], honestly i still feel bad about causing you headache. as a compensation, why don’t you— i don’t know, let me treat you to a dinner, or—"

as if there was actually a fancy restaurant in this village. "save your money, i don’t need any compensations from you." you interrupted, pushing yourself away and starting to walk towards the balcony door. the only thing you didn’t need was your neighbor’s pity.

"hey, wait! you didn’t let me finish!"

was the last sentence you heard before shutting the door, and draping long curtains over the glass.

——

may came around, and life seemed easier now. after a month in here, your mind arrived to a rather simple conclusion — being on the countryside could be pleasant, at times. when you had nothing better to do, you’d leisurely lie down on the hammock you somehow managed to secure in your garden, the oak’s wide branches successfully obscuring you from unrelenting sun. Bubbles would accompany you, sprawled out on the grass, dozing off to the pleasant chirping of birds, its attention eventually caught by some grasshoppers.

the taste of lemonade, and the sweet scent of blooming lilac were utterly comforting, and so you found yourself enjoying the little vacations much more than you initially thought you would.

except — there was still one, big problem, and its name was Phainon.

you could recall it as clear as a day — his almost mocking chuckle as he peeked over the wired fence, watching you sweat when you worked on planting the potatoes, your knees digging uncomfortably into the soil. why you decided to plant them in the first place — you didn’t know, but you were bored beyond reason, and so the idea of indulging yourself with some true countryside life appeared somewhat enticing.

"are my eyes deceiving me?" Phainon laughed, spreading the tall stalks of sunflowers, which obscured his sight of you. "[name] actually tries to do something in the garden. who would’ve thought…"

you huffed in irritation, your eyes snapping up from the dirt you desperately attempted to dig out as you deemed fit (because you obviously were too lazy to even check how potatoes should be planted correctly — why not eyeball it?).

once your gaze met with the happy twins of blue, you felt an irresistible need of throwing the dusty soil straight at the man’s face beaming face. "yeah, i do. what’s it to you?" you murmured, starting to feel overly exposed.

Phainon shrugged, attempting to lean on the wired fence, but ultimately discarding the idea when the thing bent dangerously under his heavy weight. "nothing." he responded nonchalantly, but still refused to go away.

you scooped the dirt into your palm, clenching it into a fist before dumping in his direction. he ducked, briefly avoiding having his snow-white hair stained — then, he laughed again. of course. was the sound of joy the only one he could ever make?

you should add it to your list: laughs too much.

"wow, almost hit a bullseye.” he breathed, straightening out, "maybe you could prolong your stay and join us during the summer festival. there’s a plenty of games that consist of throwing." Phainon mused, and you snorted when one of the sunflowers bumped his head.

with a roll of your eyes, your focus returned to the ground, as you tried to resume your digging. "i’d rather not."

he clicked his tongue with dissatisfaction, that you couldn’t tell whether was true, or feigned. "ah, but why not?" he whined, his fingers hooking on the fence’s loops. "[name], if you really feel so unsure in your skills, then maybe i could play for you, and win you some prizes?" upon his coercion, you sighed, looking back into the giddy irises with an unimpressed expression.

"i’m sorry, Phainon, but do i look twelve to you?" a scoff escaped your lips as you took in his smile. "i don’t want teddy bears, especially not from you."

your neighbor seemed to deflate, almost just like balloons do. "especially not from me? and here i was, thinking we were already starting to get along."

you knew the hurt was feigned, because he had to work his lips into a thin, tight line, as if forcing back that insistent giggle threatening to slip past his lips — but he still looked like a kicked puppy, and you hated how it tugged at your heartstrings.

"stop guilt-tripping me." you responded bluntly, digging your small shovel into the dirt with probably much more force than necessary. "i didn’t come here to frolic around with you, and your friends. i actually have to get my shit together soon."

Phainon pushed his body onto the fence, evoking a weak creak from the old wires. "well, perhaps you should start getting it together now," he hummed, his intense gaze set on you, "because i don’t think potatoes should be planted during may.”

you halted your movements, chagrin prickling at your skin — come again? what does he mean by 'not planted during may'? all of your efforts — buying the potatoes, digging the rows during such a heat it made your vision go white — and now it would go to waste? maybe you really should have read something about the topic before taking up your work.

shame of an unknowing city girl washed over you as you let the shovel go from your hands. "why didn’t you tell me from the start?" you asked with pretension painted across your face, "it would’ve saved me some time, instead of wasting it!"

the man shrugged, sending you a smirk that was teasing, and yet so innocent at the same time. “i’m sorry, but you just seemed so engrossed. didn’t want to ruin your fun."

you seethed internally, already grabbing another handful of dirt into your palm. Phainon noticed your action, immediately hiding behind the shield of sunflowers. "seriously, [name], that’s like— common sense!" he continued, and even though you couldn’t see his face, you were absolutely sure he was grinning from ear to ear. "who in their right mind thinks that potatoes can be planted near summer?"

"well, maybe me?" you retaliated, getting up from your aching knees.

Phainon’s head peeked out from behind the flowers. "then you’re definitely in for some tutoring. maybe i should just teach you how to—"

you shoved the dirt into his face. he yelped dramatically, stumbling backwards, and falling on his ass.

for once, you could be the one smiling down at him with an undeniable triumph in your eyes.

…and that’s how it went. truthfully, Phainon’s unrelenting desire of keeping you company whenever you tried doing anything was quite perplexing. more often than not, you were simply mean — perhaps wanting to chase him away with your bitter attitude. he was either extremely oblivious, or didn’t care. but it’s not like he lacked in friends to keep himself practically glued to your hip — an obvious proof of that was now, as he cheerily conversed with familiar faces over the grill.

it was unbearably hot today, however you still failed to occupy yourself with anything useful, so you discarded your disdain for the sun, and decided to lounge in the garden. Bubbles was happily prancing around the grass, chasing after little bugs — and you felt the need of curling up on yourself.

Phainon, who seemed almost hellbent on always spotting your presence, turned away from the grill, and waved your way. you didn’t wave back.

your cat, possessing its ever-traitorous nature, hopped over to the wired fence, rubbing against the rusty wire. the man immediately crossed the distance and crouched, his eyes softening, which was a vivid contrast to the wide smile he still donned. he reached over to the animal, sticking his fingers through the fence, and petting its little head as Bubbles purred upon the newly-received attention.

"Phainon," a deep voice called from over the grill, causing your neighbor to turn his head, "what are you doing over there? the bread is gonna burn."

"then just take it off yourself!" Phainon retaliated, huffing out in frustration before his gaze returned to the pet — then to you. "how’s Bubbles? already feeling better?"

you dragged your feet closer to the pair, crossing your arms over your chest as you studied his hunched form, caressing Bubbles’ fur. the man had to practically force his way through the sunflowers, and other lush bushes obscuring his way — he really must have loved animals… or bothering you.

with a shrug, you leaned down to give the critter a small pet on its back too. "it’s feeling way better." you responded briefly, not wanting to expand upon the well-being of your cat. Phainon already did what he had to, and he wasn’t at work now, so it frankly wasn’t his business.

"is that right, beautiful?" he beamed down at Bubbles, finally retracting his hand. "well, i’m very glad to hear that. oh, by the way," he straightened out, gesturing with his head towards the people sitting by the grill in his garden, "[name], wouldn’t you like to join us? i’m sure everyone would love to get to know you."

you gave a sigh, the trail of your vision landing upon Mydei — who you were already acquainted with, because you took Bubbles for another check-up, and that time he was the one tending to your cat (thank gods), and the familiar lady from the front desk. you didn’t know her name, but she seemed friendly enough — so you waved in their direction, trying not to show how unsure you truly felt. both of them smiled at you.

you genuinely wanted to join them, because in contrast to Phainon, the pair actually seemed somewhat bearable — but it felt like… intruding. a weird sense of not being exactly separated from everything else, but also not belonging. "i’m sorry, but i must decline. i was— i was actually going to do some work now." you spoke to the violet-haired woman more so than to Phainon directly, and she gave an understanding nod.

"that’s alright." she took a sip of her drink, her irises briefly flickering over to Mydei, who was now busying himself with flipping over the meat, "next time, then."

you leaned down to scoop Bubbles into your arms, and your neighbor voiced a sound of disappointment, spreading the stalks of sunflowers further hastily. "oh, but [name], why not? can’t your work wait?" he whined, giving you puppy eyes. could he get any more pathetic than that?

a protest bloomed on your tongue, and you already opened your mouth to speak up on it, but another voice interrupted you. "give that woman a rest, Phainon. didn’t she say she’s busy?" Mydei spoke, and you breathed out in relief. truly a life saver.

"yeah." you affirmed, pressing Bubbles a little closer to your chest. "i’ll go now. bye."

with that, you turned on your heel, and walked back home, still feeling that intense gaze on your shoulders — seriously, would it hurt him to cut you some slack for once? it’s not as if he was lonely, unlike you.

so why did he continue to seek you out so much?

you stared at the chuck steak, now placed on your table — after your neighbor’s little get-together was over, and the slightly irritating smell of grill and burning meat dissipated (exactly — burning. you didn’t know what was going on, but you heard panicked screams of Phainon through your open window, wailing over the food he accidentally ruined), he decided to knock at your door. of course, you opened it, only to be met with a sight of neatly packed steak, practically pushed into your face.

you took the tupperware boxes, sending him a confused look — then, he proceeded to explain he bought too much, and they couldn’t eat everything, and how he didn’t want it to go to waste, and how delicious it was, and so on. this time, you didn’t interrupt his nonsensical rambling for a change, allowing him to stumble over his words awkwardly — for some reason, it was endearing.

after he was done with his hardly-coherent rant, you thanked him for the food, and closed the door in his face. for a second, you even wondered whether this steak was poisoned, or something — but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be completely edible. actually, you were quite surprised with the taste. it was exactly as he said — delicious. through his logorrhea, you managed to catch one information that stuck out to you — Mydei was the one to season, and prepare the portion.

it honestly was kind of bewildering to you, because that stern guy with a no-nonsense attitude didn’t look as if he was especially familiar to the art of cooking. well, as the saying goes — don’t judge a book by its cover.

still, you couldn’t help but feel gratitude, thanking the gods he was the one to take care of the meat, instead of Phainon — who, due to your earlier deduction, successfully managed to burn it.

once you finished your rather late dinner, you put the dishes away in the sink, deciding to let them soak for now. then, you continued on with your usual routine — shower, change, blow your hair dry, bid goodbye to Bubbles who was peacefully snoozing on the couch. drag your feet over to the balcony, open the door, greet your neighbor dryly… wait, where was he?

you almost caught yourself frowning at his absence. almost.

should you add it to your already long list of annoyances? doesn’t keep up with the unspoken routine: check.

usually, you’d be happy to find that the balcony beside yours was empty, except this time it irked you — why, you weren’t sure, but perhaps his company during the evenings, when the sky was already darkened, and splattered with bright stars, was the only consistent thing, keeping you grounded and secure in this still somewhat unfamiliar countryside.

but you’d never admit it. never.

so, with a reluctant sigh, you departed back inside, falling onto your bed, and closing your eyes. the hour was still fairly young, perhaps too early for you to fall asleep, especially since the air seemed oddly still — the chirping of cicadas distant, not quite reaching your ears.

now, you could easily discern all the other noises surrounding you — the creaking of your old house, Bubble’s quiet meows from downstairs, the loud yelp of pain — wait, what?

you jolted upwards on the mattress, listening to the following chain of curses, the sound of a familiar voice resonating muffled just behind the wall where your bed stood. you blinked in surprise, thinking — since when was the wall separating your rooms so thin? yes, you heard some weird noises before, but you chalked it up to nothing in particular, deciding to ignore them. right now, doing so seemed almost impossible.

you pressed your ear to the cold wall, meeting with silence. "hello? Phainon?" you called over, keeping your voice loud enough for the man to hear. another beat of silence passed before you heard a barely audible sound of footsteps. it is truly miraculous you somehow failed to guess where all the foreign noises were coming from (which was, most likely, caused by you living in your lavish family-house for the bigger part of your life).

once you pushed the side of your head closer, you could almost make out the ruffling of sheets coming from the other side. "[name]?" the voice resonated louder than you expected it to, causing you to jump back.

you found yourself almost laughing at the discovery, but at the same time, you felt somewhat disturbed by the lack of privacy you had from the start. "are you okay?" you asked, making sure to keep your tone clear.

a quiet chuckle reached you, and you thought Phainon really must have been acting quiet when he was alone — which was unusual, at least in your opinion, but what else could be the reason? after all, you barely heard him, and you already spent a month here.

"i’m— i’m fine." he stammered out, and you imagined him pressing his ear to the wall too. "just stumbled my toe on the table’s corner. nothing serious."

now it was your turn to giggle. "really? it sounded almost as if you had your leg cut off."

Phainon laughed louder now, and if not for the wall separating you away from him, you would’ve thought he was standing right next to you. "sorry. did i scare you?" he mused, and you rolled your eyes, even though he couldn’t see it.

"hardly. although," you sighed, now leaning a little bit more comfortably on the hard surface, "i didn’t expect the walls to be so thin. i got surprised, is all."

he hummed in response, seeming to consider your words. "well, i was aware for some time now."

"really?"

another chuckle. "yeah. uhh… do you remember when i was was done drilling, and you started screaming curses at me?" your neighbor recalled lightheartedly, and you felt your heart sink to the floor. oh no.

did he really hear you, back then? well, the possibility was rather obvious, since he now told you about that little outburst of yours. it wasn’t like you — to suddenly start feeling guilty about things that didn’t bother you earlier on. still, you couldn’t help but flinch in shame, thinking you wouldn’t mind if the earth opened, and swallowed you whole.

upon hearing your lack of response, Phainon urged. "[name]? you still with me?" you could hear the smile in his voice.

"yes, i am." you snapped out of your stupor, "sorry 'bout that. i guess i got a little too angry, then." you apologized quickly, feeling your cheeks burn. good thing you weren’t on the balcony now, else that awful man would tease the hell out of you.

listening in — you almost wanted to add to your list, but it wasn’t exactly his fault. plus, if you’d try to enforce that logic, you’d be equally guilty.

"ah, but don’t worry about that." he assured, as if sensing your concern, and you imagined him waving his hand dismissively. "i found it funny, just so you know."

you chewed on your cheek for a second, before finally deciding to let the topic go. "why didn’t you come out on the balcony today?" you asked instead, swiftly changing the course of conversation.

another, very quiet snicker which you barely were able of discerning. "why, is my lovely neighbor suddenly troubled about my well-being?"

if he were standing on that balcony, you’d push him off.

"no." you immediately refused, maybe a bit too quickly, "don’t get your hopes up. honestly, you could be dying right now, and i wouldn’t bat an eye."

Phainon scoffed. "ouch. your words are cruel as ever."

…well, perhaps you didn’t mean it to come out that way. truth be told, if Phainon was as much as sick, you’d be already worried — even though you didn’t want to admit that. still, he was annoying, and so you wouldn’t let down your bitter facade down.

a slightly awkward silence fell over you, and you finally started to feel fed up with all the talking. too much happened today as it is, and now you’d rather face your embarrassments alone. "anyway, i’ve still got some work to do, so…" you trailed off, the lie easily slipping off your tongue.

"you’re still not finished?" the man inquired, and then you realized you offered the same thing as an excuse earlier, because you were probably too shy to join the grill.

was your mind always so slow, and clumsy? "i— i, uh, yeah, still not finished." you forced out, and it would seem it was now your turn to stumble over the words. "you know how it is. work, work…" you let out a dry chuckle, hoping he couldn’t hear the waver in your voice.

"but didn’t you say you were on vacations?"

that much was true — still, you felt a little bit too tangled in your own web of lies and excuses. with a heavy sigh, you said: "yeah, 'cause they fired me. now i’m searching for a new job."

you didn’t know what tempted you to admit your woes, and you were already starting to feel regret. it was a surprise when instead of a teasing remark, you got met with consolation. "oh… that’s unfortunate. i’m sorry, [name]." Phainon said, his tone unusually serious.

you nodded to yourself. "nah, it’s nothing. i already sent a plenty of applications, so it’s only a matter of time before i’ll be back on my feet." you huffed out a breathy chuckle. "you won’t be bothering me any longer."

"and so you’ll leave?"

you blinked, sensing the faceless voice become more muffled, and distant now. you almost hoped he would laugh at your sarcastic comment, but nothing of the sort reached you. "i suppose."

why was he asking such obvious questions? the day you met, you clearly stated you wouldn’t linger for too long — and now Phainon had the audacity to act all solemn when you simply repeated the facts. but, perhaps, you were a little sad too, to part with this countryside. if you could, you’d try and prolong your stay — however, the savings in your bank account weren’t looking as promising, and you knew you had to get a grip. long gone were the days of your parents supporting you.

"ah, i know, i just—" he lagged, "never mind. you know what’s best for you, [name]."

hearing the evident defeat in his tone, you banged at the wall, once but hard. you didn’t like when he was acting so odd. upon your action, you received a startled yelp from the other side — and then a laugh. "stop acting as if i’m going to die, Phainon. maybe i’ll come visit in a year, or two."

"yeah! that sounds— that sounds great." he said, and you pretended to ignore how fake his upbeat words sounded.

you glued yourself off from the wall, lying down in your bed. for some reason, your eyelids got heavy, and the tension that built up between you appeared unbearable (at least in your opinion). "i’m going now. goodnight." you called, pulling the sheets over your body.

you frowned when you received no reply, but didn’t push further.

——

you were… stalling.

right now, the calendar clearly indicated twenty-first of june, and you couldn’t help but grimace at the innocent object, as if it was its fault for your reluctance to leave.

you have tried to pack and go — truly. but a week ago, when you opened your suitcases, you heard a characteristic knock on the wall — and then you proceeded to talk with Phainon for one hour, before deciding to go out on the balcony, and converse for another two.

three days ago, you’ve gathered up your resolve, swearing you wouldn’t get distracted this time — except Bubbles was nowhere in sight, and after your restless search for the animal, you spotted it sprawled out in Phainon’s garden, its tail flickering gently as it leisurely rolled over to the side, obviously relishing in the sun. with a heavy sigh, you committed the act of breaking and entering — well, could you even call it that, when the gate of his fence was open? (thank gods he was at work then).

yesterday, you already had enough of your laziness, and even started taking out your clothes from the wardrobe, but then Castorice, who you managed to become friends with, payed you a visit with a big tray of strawberry cake (bless that woman’s soul).

and so, you finally took the fate’s hint, and decided to lay off your departure preparations for now. it was honestly terrifying how easily it came to you — you simply checked your financial situation, esteeming it as poor but manageable, called your parents to let them know you’ll stay for another week or two, and then pushed the suitcases to the corner of your room.

alas, your quiet day of tranquility came to an end rather quickly, and the second you saw who was calling you up, you almost started to curse yourself out for forgetting — astronomical day of summer, and that damned festival…

you swiped over your phone’s screen, picking up with reluctance. "what?" you greeted dryly, not even bothering to contain your disdain.

"[name]!" that usual, awfully cheery voice resonated from the speaker, and you frowned upon hearing it so loudly. "are you free today?"

you wanted to say — what do you think?, but due to tradition, kept your mouth shut.

"yeah." you offered instead, leaning on the soft cushions of your couch, rubbing at your temples. it would be easier to say no, but the longer you spent in this countryside, the further your weird fear of missing out grew — and since you’ll be leaving soon anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to socialize some more… probably.

you heard the weak sound of shuffling. "great! uhh, do you remember about the festival? maybe you’d like to join us?" you opened your mouth to reply, but Phainon didn’t even give you the chance of voicing your opinion. "well, i’ll be at your door at around… 6 PM? oh, and Mydei and Cas are coming too, just so you know.”

an exasperated groan ripped from your throat, and you wanted to berate him for not letting you speak — it would seem he already made the decision for you. "fine, geez, calm down." you muttered, the corners of your lips itching upwards at his hasty rambling. "just don’t be too late, okay?"

"of course, i’d never let my beloved neighbor wait for me!" he laughed, and you looked up at your ceiling, as if calling out for help from the gods. it appeared they preferred to ignore you today.

you didn’t even say goodbye, immediately hanging up with a sigh of relief. the clock hands indicated a late afternoon, so perhaps it would be better to start getting ready now. you pulled yourself upright, already tired by the vision of an indescribably long day ahead of you.

the loud, upbeat music attacked your ears as you stood tucked away in some corner with Phainon, not wanting to obscure the road for other people, as there were rather plenty amounts of them moving around. only after a prolonged minute of suffering, you noticed you were literally standing by the tall, big speakers — no wonder the music was so unbelievably notorious.

your casual outing started rather calmly, even though you could already hear the clamor from the distance — good thing your house was located far away from the vast fields, now pumping with life as everyone either drank, danced, or tried to shoot their shot with the games. only halfway through your walk, Mydei called Phainon to let him know that something came up — your neighbor’s face fell, and as you asked him what’s wrong, he explained about the 'cows' and 'complicated labor', and that Mydei and Castorice won’t come.

you nodded stiffly, hardly making any sense from his words, but that’s the life of a veterinarian, you supposed. still, the dread of being forced to spend time alone with him — not just talking on the balcony, or bickering through your fence (or wall, as of now), but rather really, really spending time. just the two of you, with no one around to help you out of the awkward situation.

and so, right now you were shifting your weight from one leg to another, pondering how long you’ll have to keep loitering before Phainon graciously offers something to do. his blue irises flickered over to your form time to time, and every time your gazes met, all he did was let out a nervous chuckle.

it would appear he didn’t think the situation through, just like you.

you tugged at his t-shirt, forcing him to lean down to your level. damn him, and his stupid genes for making him so tall. "what should we do?" you asked, keeping your voice audible enough to pierce through the commotion.

Phainon’s whole body seemed to react to your words, his tense shoulders slouching with relief. "there’s many things we could try." he offered, still leaning so close to your face, you could almost smell the minty scent of his breath. for some reason, now you were the stiff one, your nape washing over with salves of hotness. "would you like a drink? or try some games?"

you studied his smile, as friendly as ever, and looked around to scan your surroundings. "maybe games?" you decided weakly, recalling how he once complimented your throwing skills — you doubted it was genuine, but hey, it wouldn’t hurt to try.

the man nodded in understanding, the corners of his lips curling upwards even further as he started to take wide steps towards one of the stalls. you pushed through the crowd, trying to keep up with him — not only was he tall, but he had long legs too! ugh, you supposed those things go in pair.

after searching for an adequate game to play, you finally stood before a rather simple one — throw the balls into buckets, win a prize. easy, no? except the buckets were small, and the balls absurdly light — for a second, you wanted to tell Phainon it was an absolute scam, but he seemed so hellbent you decided to keep quiet. it’s not like he’d listen to you, anyway.

your neighbor’s turn came first, and you snickered under your breath as he kept missing. at first, he boasted just how great he is at the game — then, as his frustration grew, he proceeded to whine and wail at how rigged it was.

"you absolutely suck." you clicked your tongue, tilting your head to the side as you observed him throw in the last ball — it rolled off the table’s surface, disappearing somewhere your eyes didn’t reach.

Phainon’s face whipped in your direction as he frowned at the comment, his eyebrows knitting together. "i swear i don’t!" he retaliated, a mixture of disappointment and ire painted across his features. "if you’re so smart, then why don’t you try yourself, huh?"

the game organizer laughed at your interaction, his gaze flickering over to you, as if he was beckoning you to test your strength. with a shrug, you paid the fee, and the older man handed you five balls. you tested their weight in your palms — light, just as you thought. you knew you’ll probably fail just as miserably as Phainon, so you threw one of them without much finesse — and you actually succeeded. your eyes widened in surprise as the owner of the stall whistled, a rumbling chuckle escaping his mouth.

"well, would you look at that!" the stranger exclaimed, as if even he was taken aback. "sir, turns out your lady is much better at the game than you!" he laughed once more, and you gaped— what did he just call you?

you looked at Phainon, wholeheartedly expecting him to correct the man, but all he did was give him a tight-lipped smile, scratching his neck abashedly. maybe he didn’t hear the older one clearly? well, never mind, it’s no use dwelling on that — you threw another ball, trying to mimic your movement from earlier — it fell into the bucket. the third one wasn’t so lucky, but the fourth one managed to score as well.

Phainon stood behind your back, his hands flying over to your shoulders and shaking you excitedly, "c’mon, [name], you got this! only one left!" he exclaimed animatedly right beside your ear, making your skin crawl at his overly-enthusiastic demeanor — it would seem his earlier bitterness completely dissipated now.

you huffed, shaking him away. "lie off or i’ll miss!" you said, straining your tone to dominate over the ever-present loud music and noise. he took an obedient step back, and you swear you actually started to feel a little afraid of losing now — it’s not like they’ll have you publicly executed if you mess up, right? right?

with a bated breath, you threw the remaining ball into the bucket — you anxiously observed it swivel around, almost threatening to fall out, itching over the edge — and then, it rolled down, stopping at the bucket’s bottom. you caught yourself wanting to jump up in triumph, but all you did was send a self-satisfied smirk towards Phainon, obviously signifying: see? i’m better.

the man cheered in your stead, reaching over to pat your back, and you couldn’t help but relish in the positive attention directed straight at you.

the stall owner cleared his throat, gesturing towards the row of plush toys located behind him. "for four successful throws, you can choose something from this section." he explained, and you measured the cute muzzles of various animals — you almost pointed towards the cat of an eerie resemblance with Bubbles, but then another one caught your attention. a dog of white fur, it’s dark, beady eyes sticking out, as if the object was mutely begging to be picked.

"i’ll have that one, please." you said, gesticulating towards the toy. it was given to you, and you inspected its goofy face, smiling unconsciously at the slightly crooked nose.

you then turned to Phainon, pushing the thing into his arms. personally, you had no need of stuffed toys, and the space in your suitcases was already very limited, so there was no way you’d drag it all the way home. and… perhaps it was worth it, looking at the way his whole face lit up. "oh, is that for me?" he cooed, lifting the dog to his eye-level.

you shrugged nonchalantly, pretending as if you didn’t notice the way Phainon continued to ogle the toy for the whole time of your game. "yeah. never thought i’d see someone who’s pushing thirty being so excited to have a stuffie." you remarked sarcastically, though your voice lacked in any real bite.

"thank you, [name], i’m going to cherish it forever now!" he ignored your comment, leaning down to embrace your shoulders with his free arm, the white dog resting under another — and for some reason, you didn’t find yourself pulling away. a mere eye-roll would be enough to voice your completely truthful, and totally not feigned disdain for the action.

after you were done hopping around all the other stalls, you decided to sit down for a drink — which in your humble opinion, wasn’t the best idea, but you couldn’t find the strength to refuse Phainon. you huddled with him on the lengthy benches, one of your sides pressing against him, and the other briefly brushing against some unfamiliar woman, who seemed to be too occupied with her conversation to even pay you any attention. which, of course, you were grateful for.

the same couldn’t be said about Phainon, who casually leaned over the wooden table’s surfaces, happily chattering with acquaintances and strangers alike, occasionally introducing you.

you stopped at one cup of beer, deeming that as enough, but your lovely neighbor continued to drink one after another — after the fourth glass, you stopped counting. he seemed to uphold pretty well, still talking with enough finesse to make out what he wanted to communicate, and even asking you out for a dance multiple times — it’s not hard to guess whether you decided to accept, or decline.

still, nothing lasts forever, and soon it got dark enough, with you becoming quite bored with sitting around and listening to the conversations around you. Phainon’s face was now slightly blushed, and his hair disheveled more than usually, which was an obvious sign you better go before he starts making a fool out of himself.

right now, you were practically dragging his arm forwards, berating yourself for thinking you could ever deal with that man-child. "c’mon, move faster or i’ll leave you here, and you’ll perish in those bushes." you urged, pointing towards the rather dense flora on the side of the road.

he chuckled in response. "nah, you wouldn’t."

"wanna see for yourself?"

that seemed to shut him up. for now.

a beat of silence passed as you tried navigating through the darkness, the only source of light being moon, and the distant leds of the festival. "[name], did you enjoy yourself today?" a slightly unsure, but still obliviously jovial tone came from beside you.

"i guess." you responded dryly, even though a multitude of insults kept forcing themselves onto your tongue. for whatever reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to throw any mean comments at the man — which was unusual, so perhaps you were drunk too. no matter if you only had one cup.

"you guess?" Phainon started, the syllables of his words slurring slightly, "that’s not an answer, y'know!"

you huffed, deciding to indulge his drunken mind. "yes, i had fun today, thanks to you, and only you. happy?" you deadpanned, and the man’s eyes seemed to brighten as he reached out to ruffle your hair, still trailing one step behind like a lost puppy.

"very!" he affirmed, nodding excitedly. seriously, if he was pathetic while sober, then what levels did he reach now?

you sighed with resignation, shaking your head as you continued to lead Phainon towards your houses. once you got there, he was almost ready to bid you goodbye, but you opened the gate for him, ushering the man to step forward. looking at the stumble in his step, that moron could accidentally hurt himself — and you didn’t want to explain to the paramedics how your neighbor decided to get wasted, proceeding to slip on the cobblestone stairs of his place, and cracking his skull open.

"ah, [name]," Phainon crooned, batting his thick eyelashes at you, "i didn’t know you actually have a heart!" he joked, wincing when you slapped him across the wrist.

"i just don’t think you’re capable of conquering the stairs by yourself, dumbass." you nagged, though truthfully, your worries stretched much further. a drunk person is extremely vulnerable, and, well, Phainon could be rather… unfortunate at times, so you’d better not risk it.

the man dragged his feet over to the entrance, patting the pockets of his pants before pulling out the keys. after another failed attempt of pushing them inside the lock, you clicked your tongue in irritation, taking them and opening the door yourself. it was your first time visiting the man — such a way to make an impression — so you looked around the space of his home, thinking it was rather cluttered for someone living alone. not to mention, that house was built at least for a family of three — and he never mentioned having any, so why is he…

"do you really live here alone?" you found yourself asking, observing Phainon as he struggled to close the door.

you briefly noticed his shoulders stiffen, but he nodded. "for some time now, yeah." he answered, his voice quieter than usually. he turned to you upon hearing the lock click, his smile a little too tight, and you sensed you were treading into a dangerous territory.

your curiosity almost got the better of you, especially since he was drunk, and would probably spill anything you wanted to know — but you quickly discarded the idea, thinking you could never take advantage of him. "alright, i won’t ask. stay there, i’ll bring you a glass of water."

Phainon nodded obediently, leaning on the wall as you turned on the big light, and tried to find your way to the kitchen — which obviously wasn’t hard, because as it turns out, even the layout of your rooms was the same.

you swiftly took out a singular cup, filling it up with tap-water before your attention got caught by something on the fridge — a few photos stuck to the surface with colorful magnets. it wouldn’t be polite to pry, alas your earlier ignited curiosity demanded for you to take a closer look — and so, you stepped a forwards, quickly scanning the contents.

the first one depicted Phainon and Mydei in their veterinary uniforms — the blonde’s man arm was loosely slung over Phainon’s back as they posed for the casual photo. a small, brown puppy sat in his embrace as your neighbor smiled widely at the camera, exposing a row of pearly whites. for some reason, he looked happier then.

next one was of similar nature, with Castorice and Phainon sat atop some hay, two calves resting on their laps — nothing else caught your attention.

the third picture was much more thought-provoking. Phainon and an unfamiliar girl of fuchsia hair stood in front of a sea — her lips were curled into a smirk, while the man’s mouth was open, brows furrowed, as if the photo was taken during some kind of a lighthearted bicker. you didn’t know who she was.

another one presented you with more context — a family of four, posing in front of a statue you couldn’t exactly discern. the fuchsia-haired girl seemed to be his sister, leaning on Phainon’s side as she licked on some icecream. beside them stood two other people — a woman of the same fair locks Phainon possessed, and a man, grinning from ear to ear with thumbs-up.

your eyes already flew over to the next one, but a distant call rapidly snapped you out of your reveries, almost causing you to drop the glass. "[name]! did you die here, or something?"

you cursed under your breath. "coming!"

you forced your feet to move, but your thoughts still reeled over and over again, and you felt an uncomfortable ache in your chest — just what happened to Phainon? where was his family now? did they decide to move, leaving him alone here? oh, but that didn’t make any sense — the house was obviously full of their stuff, because there was no way he would need so much of everything.

you decided to abandon your pondering for now, thinking you’d find another occasion to ask. "sorry i took so long. let’s go to your bedroom." you breathed, flashing him an apologetic smile.

Phainon didn’t protest, beginning to climb upstairs with you in tow, making sure that if he stumbled, you’d be there to catch him. his bedroom was even more so cluttered than the entirety of the house — books sprawled out on the desk with papers messily thrown around, ceramic figurines sitting atop some shelves, a few plastic bottles of water discarded all about the space — still, you thought it definitely fit him.

"ugh, i’m so exhausted." he groaned, sitting on the mattress as you handed him the glass, turning on a small lamp standing on the bedside table. the man sipped the water hastily, tilting it at such an unfortunate angle it spilled across his torso, soaking his t-shirt. Phainon mouthed something under his nose, placing the plush toy beside his head as he fell heavily onto the bed.

you rolled your eyes, observing his half-asleep form. "seriously?" you asked, searching his wardrobe for a new top — once you succeeded, you turned to face him again. "at least change, for gods’ sake."

Phainon voiced a sound of protest. "don’t wanna. too tired." he mumbled, evidently defeated by the alcohol still running through his bloodstream with fervor.

you sighed, closing the distance between you, and begrudgingly easing his shoes off, placing them neatly in the corner of the room. then, you grabbed the hem of his shirt, pulling it upwards. Phainon laughed weakly at your action, his big palms catching your wrists. "wow, i didn’t take you for someone so bold." he gave you a lopsided grin, and you wished you could smack him across the head.

"shut up." you warned, and the man thought to lie off with the teasing remarks — a wise decision indeed.

you took off the clothing, throwing it on the nearest chair before you started to tug on the new, dry tee on his shoulders. "arms up." you instructed, and you felt as if you were playing dress-up with a very large, uncooperative doll (meanwhile also having to avert your eyes, because staring at the toned chest was definitely improper).

Phainon hummed in satisfaction, stretching out. "thanks, [name]. what would i do without you?" he mused, and you found yourself terrified to hear that his voice was unusually tender. why were you helping him in the first place?

(the answer lied somewhere far away, at the back of your disarrayed mind — but for now you were way too scared of admitting it, even in your thoughts).

you gently grabbed his shoulder, pushing him to lie on his side. "stay like that. preferably don’t move at all." you said, your eyebrows unconsciously narrowing together. "if— if something happens, just call me up, or knock at the wall. understood?"

before you could even take a step back, a hand shoot out to grasp yours — your breath hitched, eyes widening as you felt Phainon’s fingers locking through yours, keeping you in his grip. "are you going already?" he asked, his hazy gaze seeking you out with such insistence, you thought your heart might just crawl out from your throat.

what was he doing to you?

"…probably. you need to sleep it off." you murmured meekly, trying to keep your voice steady. "don’t want to bother you any longer."

Phainon huffed out a dry chuckle at that. "bother me? you could never, [name]." he spoke, and something in your gut told you he must have hit his head earlier, when you weren’t paying attention.

upon receiving no reply from you, his expression shifted into something slightly dejected, and you wanted to burst out from a mixture of ambivalent emotions swirling in your poor brain. "when are you leaving? i mean, the countryside." he inquired quietly, pressing his fingers tighter around yours. you hated how easily you could discern anxiety in his eyes.

you considered his words, leaning down, just a little. "don’t worry about it now."

the man seemed unsatisfied with your dismissive answer, a somber grimace blooming on his face. "tell me."

you let the air out from your lungs; why not add it to your list? stubborn as a donkey. "soon. in a week, or so." you explained, your erratic heartbeat still yet to falter. "maybe longer, maybe not. we’ll see."

Phainon mulled over your words, the cogs in his mind turning slowly as he tried to process whatever information you threw at him. "and will you visit soon?" he questioned finally.

that you weren’t sure of. what’s his definition of 'soon'? a few months? a year? well, if you know Phainon, you’d bet all of your money for an absurdly short amount of time — something like… five days. maybe four. "i don’t know." you answered truthfully, because you didn’t feel like lying him straight in the eyes.

for a brief second, he looked done with the interrogation, but then, his mouth opened again. "and must you… must you really leave? [name], i—" he winced, hissing in pain. you knew drinking would be a bad idea. "i know you have your own life, but it’s not like— it’s not like you’re not enjoying yourself, right? i could help you find a job here, actually, i already have a plenty of ideas what—"

your free hand shoot up, cutting his slurred rambling short — now that was new. you knew Phainon got attached, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t get as well, but you never thought it extended to such an intensity. your annoying, irritating, absolutely awful neighbor was thinking of searching for a job, specifically for you — and for what? so you’d stay?

you couldn’t bear to listen to him anymore, and you thought you actually blessed him with a favor by interrupting the vulnerable rant. in the morning, when he sobers up, Phainon would surely regret spilling so much (that is, if he even remembered).

still, his desperation with constantly seeking you out, and making vast effort to please you remained a riddle — and then, as you frowned at his expression bordering on panic, you came to a rather simple, albeit morose conclusion — he was lonely. previously, you were sure things like that stretched only in your direction, but upon looking through the cracks of his mirthful mask, you couldn’t ignore the vivid sorrow seeping out of him.

you recalled how much he enjoyed talking, and occupying himself with anything, at all times, as if only to keep his mind busy. earlier on, you didn’t understand how someone could possibly push through a long day of work, and then demand even more stimulation — now it was almost logical. then, his quiet nature when he was alone, either reading or doing gods know what, treading his bedroom so silently you wouldn’t even know he was there.

and finally, the photos of his family, stuck to the fridge, their smiling faces frozen forever in time. if Phainon had a fallout with them, surely he wouldn’t keep the memories exposed in such an obvious place — the possibilities tugging along with that conclusion almost made your heart stop, your stomach churning uncomfortably.

"Phainon." you spoke, trying not to show how much all of this affected you. "you’re drunk, and you don’t make much sense. we’ll talk about this once you’re sober, alright?"

that stupid glimmer of hope in his eyes seemed to go dim, and he merely nodded in understanding, ultimately deciding to ease his grip from your hand. you slipped it away from his slender fingers, instead reaching to his tousled hair, and brushing the bangs away from his forehead. "i’ll go now. sleep well."

"okay. you too." the man answered, and you waved at him briefly before silently shutting the door, and descending downstairs. if you wanted to, you could go take a peek at the photos again — but for some reason, it felt like a way of betraying trust — even if Phainon didn’t know you were doing it. still, you decided to stick with your moral compass, and left the house altogether, your heart unbelievably heavy.

——

twenty-second of june. the morning started out slow, with you waking up barely after 7 AM, and even though sleepiness continuously pulled you down into the mattress, you decided against lying and lazing around.

your thoughts were still heavy with what occurred yesterday, and the vision of Phainon’s utterly defeated, slightly flushed face haunted your memories, causing you to become restless. perhaps, you felt a little… well, bad, about leaving him alone when he oh-so obviously needed company — and if you’re not mistaken, he’s probably sleeping now, or just awoke with an insistent headache, completely hangover.

upon your guilt, a wonderful idea sparkled within your half-working brain — why not make him a gift, preferably some dry food, as if just to settle his stomach (in case the alcohol wanted to make its last revenge, and cause Phainon nausea as he hopelessly bent over the toilet).

with that, you concluded mere sugar cookies should be fitting — not overly sweet, but dainty enough for an appropriate gift — and most importantly, easy to make. for a second, your aspirations rose higher, and you almost found yourself calling up Mydei to ask him for assistance, but who in their right mind would get up at seven on the sunday morning? you quickly discarded the idea, afraid of meeting with his ire.

you were no cook, and baking was never your strongest forte, however after one hour of wrestling with the batter, and your slightly cranky oven, you were done (the recipe said it would only take thirty minutes, so maybe you were the problem). still, you couldn’t help but gaze at the product of your efforts with pride, now sitting nicely atop the tray. you tasted one — and while it wasn’t perfect, you deemed it as enough.

not so long ago, you let yourself buy a rather beautiful summer dress, with a ribbon tied loosely around its waist — and so you donned the piece, allowing the liberty of appearing somewhat presentable after a long night of tossing and turning. you didn’t bother packing the cookies into a container, instead parading straight into Phainon’s yard with tray in your hands — your thoughts reeled as you wondered what excuse should you offer. you made too many, and wished to share? they tasted shit, but you don’t want to waste? or — or anything, if only you didn’t have to admit that indeed, you were worried, and wanted to make him a pleasant surprise.

after all, it’s unlike you to be so openly kind — and you aren’t kind, no, you were always supposed to be stern and rigid. except now that facade you built up specifically for your difficult neighbor would be hard to uphold — with you dressed in a sweet summer dress, carrying cookies straight to his door.

you chewed on the inside of your cheek, feeling waves of heat crash over you, either due to nerves or the sun, that shone brightly down on you, even though it was still early in the morning. what could you say once you look him in the eye? how will he react?

you took a few steps forwards on the freshly cut grass, which Phainon seemed to enjoy mowing at the crack of dawn (as if only to spite you), and before you could spiral downwards your slide of overthinking, the front door opened, a familiar silhouette emerging — that’s not how it was supposed to go!

you stopped dead in your tracks, feeling the surprisingly feisty wind whip at your cheeks — Phainon didn’t seem to notice you at first, his irises downcast as he intently studied the pattern of his cobblestone stairs with a pensive expression. you coughed, immediately catching his attention — like a medicine, the man’s whole face lit up, and he beamed at you.

"[name], hi!" he greeted, skipping over to your frozen form. your vision briefly scanned his appearance — he obviously showered not so long ago, now changed into a set of new clothes. "how are you? i was afraid you might be mad at me for the stunt i pulled yesterday." he laughed sheepishly, his eyes locked on yours, as if he completely failed to spot the tray of cookies.

it wasn’t easy, but you forced yourself to speak up. "no, i’m not angry at you." you explained in a strained voice. "actually, i was— uh, you know, wondering if you’re okay, and all that."

Phainon blinked at you, still smiling like a moron, the cogs of his brain turning — and then something seemed to click, because his eyebrows narrowed in a heartfelt manner. "ah, don’t say…" he glanced down at the thing in your palms, the corners of his lips itching even wider.

you shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "yeah, that’s for you." you affirmed, sensing his uncertainty. then, you took in his pale skin, and the prominent eyebags, hanging lowly under the twins of blue. "are you hangover? you look like shit."

that earned a chuckle, and you almost sighed in relief upon hearing the sound of joy you earlier seemed to despise so much. "a little.” he breathed, "still, i can’t believe my dear [name] was so kind to bake for me���!"

you growled in exasperation, and Phainon stopped his sentence before your grimace could deepen any further. "if you don’t like it, then i’ll just eat the cookies myself." you huffed, flustered by the teasing remark. you wanted nothing more but to let your soul step away from your body, and bolt the opposite way.

"no, no!" the man gesticulated animatedly, shaking his head as his features turned coy again, "i like it. i love it, actually. it’s very sweet of you to think about me— so, uh, thank you." he laughed nervously, his palms reaching towards the tray.

you rolled your eyes fondly at his stammering, opening your mouth to offer a response — but then, a sudden, definitely more stronger gust of wind hit you both, causing the ribbon of your dress to unravel loose, and fly up into the air. you gasped, your eyes widening — Phainon didn’t seem to think much when he practically jolted for the lace, outstretching his arm to catch it.

and, since fate thoroughly enjoyed making a fool out of you both — your neighbor stumbled over your own legs as his chest collided with yours, subjecting you two to the inevitable pull of gravity while the cookies went flying along with the tray, and you finally crashed onto the soft grass with a thud.

you gaped, staring at Phainon’s equally bewildered face, now hovering above yours. you tried to catch a breath the impact successfully knocked out of your chest — or maybe your inability of proper breathing was caused by the rather close proximity between you and the man.

"got it." he announced dryly, gripping the ribbon in his hand — which also happened to block out your shoulders, tightly trapped beneath him.

you don’t know what caused it to be so funny — all the effort you put into making the cookies, now wasted as they lied discarded somewhere, ants probably gathering to collect the sweetness of the dough. or maybe just how utterly terrified Phainon looked — pupils blown wide, eyebrows shoot practically into the hairline — his eyes studying you with panic, as if you’ve broken at least ten bones.

still, you couldn’t help but erupt into salves of laughter, pressing your eyelids shut as you continued to wheeze, so hard and intensely you started to feel tears gathering up, your whole stomach hurting. Phainon at first seemed confused, thinking that perhaps you hit your head too hard — but then joined in on your cackling, the sound ringing clearly by your ears.

you tried to recall when was the last time you laughed so hard — and you honestly couldn’t, because moments like these were unbelievably rare in your life. when you could let your guard down, completely disarmed — it would appear Phainon somehow managed to pry your psyche open, reaching into your brain, and fixing the circuits.

upon finally calming down, you slowly opened your teary eyes, looking up at the man — the sun shone brightly from behind his head, encompassing the while locks with its light, and you almost caught yourself thinking he looked like an angel, donning a halo. from this up close, you could easily discern the slightest scrunch of his nose, and the faint scar running across its bridge — Bubble’s making.

you hated yourself for it, but in a dream you don’t tell anyone, Phainon and you remain together. you don’t leave the countryside, finding a humble job. your neighbor helps you move in for good, tugging the suitcases with your stuff upstairs, and you let him decorate your room while you fold the clothes. you let him into your life, and he allows you into his — it would be a lie if you told you could remember when the line between neighbors, friends, and something more began to fade into one.

and then, when your poor brain began melting into a puddle, his voice snapped you out of the stupor. "[name], are you— are you alright?" he questioned, still smiling, albeit shyly now. oh, right — you almost forgot. he was still pressing you into the ground.

"what do you think?" you found yourself asking, that comically familiar sense of déjà vu washing over you at once.

in response, Phainon let out a timid chuckle, his face blushing a furious red, and you thought — maybe i’ll stay. perhaps that dream of yours, which previously appeared as an unattainable desire could become true. for some reason, you felt older, more tired now, and so you didn’t wish to part.

(you couldn’t. not when he looked at you like that.)

the man cleared his throat, avoiding your eyes. "i’m sorry. ah, the cookies, and—" he stammered, "your dress, i’m—"

that evoked a chuckle out of you, and you reached for the crown of his hair, giving him a consoling caress (which was supposed to help, but only made him shrink even more). "everything’s alright, no need to apologize." you hummed, smiling so widely it felt almost unnatural.

Phainon immediately nodded, making quick work of standing up, and helping you upright, perhaps a bit rapidly. "gosh, i’m so embarrassed now." he muttered, his tone bashful as he studied your form, as if searching for any injuries. "are you sure you’re alright?"

"i should be the one asking you that." you sighed, resting your hands on your hips. "you look as if you’re going to combust any moment."

the man laughed, scratching his nape — which was his nervous habit, you deduced by now. "i mean— yeah, yeah i s'pose so…" he mumbled under his breath, taking a reluctant step towards his house. "come inside, i’ll give you something to drink, or, i don’t know, have you eaten breakfast yet? i could make you some." he rambled, the loquacious tongue working overtime.

you nodded in a grateful manner, falling into step beside Phainon. then, you paused, as if remembering something. "oh, by the way, is that job offer you found for me still available?"

your neighbor stopped in his tracks, his face whipping towards you so quickly you were surprised to find he didn’t accidentally snap his neck — then, his expression morphed between astonishment and joy so vast you thought he might genuinely explode into a puff of confetti and glitter.

"what?" he asked dumbly, jaw slack.

a shrug. "you heard me."

the fuses in his mind seemed to lit up simultaneously, his contagious grin spreading over to your mouth. "so, does that mean you’re going to stay?" Phainon questioned, though it sounded more like a statement.

"yeah, i—"

before you could even think of finishing your sentence, strong arms whipped around your waist, hoisting you up into the air. you yelped, a surprised giggle ripping from your throat when Phainon twirled you around, cheering with joy as big as the life itself. you instinctively grabbed his shoulders to secure yourself, laughing along.

"h-hey, set me down!" you forced out, briefly glancing at the elderly couple strolling by, and watching the whole charade with evident amusement.

he shook his head in protest, pressing the side of his face to your shoulder, and you thought he truly resembled a dog. "oh, you’ve no idea how happy i am!" Phainon exclaimed — all you could do was roll your eyes in response, accepting defeat.

as he held you close — so tightly it felt as if your ribs might crush — all your uncertainties began to dissolve, vanishing like snow beneath the first sun rays of spring. at that moment, you knew with unwavering certainty that deciding to stay in this countryside was the right choice. undoubtedly so.

the truth is, everything was better with Phainon. no — everything has became better. ever since him, your dull days began to harbor more meaning. he didn’t simply enter your life — he seemed to force his way inside, bothering you with a multitude of jokes that hardly landed, and his nature of a chatterbox, and all the annoyances, and you still found yourself yearning for more.

he filled you up with that odd, wild desire to know everything about life. even the simplest words from his mouth, a casual “will you visit me today?”, began to sound with the weight of: "come home, [name]."

and you would. every time.

[hopeyoufindalovelikethis]

In Rhythm with You

Hi! I’ve been wondering if Sylus ever had a partner before, but I like to think he was always focused on building his empire—so this would be his first time dating someone, too. So what would he do when he encounters your first-period moment? As always, thank you for your support. I hope this story brings you comfort and warmth 🤍

Synopsis | At first, he wasn’t sure how to help—but Sylus was there. In the early days of dating, he sat beside you, followed your cues, and paid attention. Over time, he didn’t need to ask. He just knew—because he had made it his mission to learn, one quiet kindness at a time, to move in rhythm with you.

First Month

It was almost 9 PM when your phone lit up with a message.

I’m downstairs, kitten. Come get me?

Just a simple text—no punctuation, no dramatics. Just like him. Quietly certain, calmly present.

He had mentioned earlier that he might drop by after wrapping up his day, but with how unpredictable his work could get, you hadn’t counted on it. Still, a small part of you had hoped. Now, seeing his name on your screen, that hope blossomed into something warm—comforting, familiar—even as your body ached with cramps that hadn't let up since the afternoon.

You exhaled, slowly stood from the sofa, pushing back the blanket from your lap. The heat pack clung to your lower belly, soothing but not enough. Your limbs felt heavy, your skin clammy despite the cool air. You hadn’t been expecting company, but this was Sylus. And somehow, that made everything feel a little more manageable.

You tied your hair back loosely, slipped on your softest sweatshirt, and padded down to the lobby in white slippers and tired steps. He was already standing by the lounge chairs when the elevator doors opened, tall and dressed in his usual dark suit.

He looked up.

And the moment he saw you, his gaze shifted—subtle, but immediate. His brow furrowed slightly, his sharp eyes softening as they scanned your face. His hands were in his coat pockets, but one pulled out immediately as he stepped toward you.

“Kitten,” he said gently, brushing your cheek with the back of his fingers. “You don’t look well.”

“I… it’s just that time of the month,” you mumbled, averting your eyes.

It took half a second before realization hit him. His expression didn’t change with surprise or awkwardness. Instead, he gave a small, understanding nod, then came the silence. Not awkward, just calculating—Sylus's kind of silence.

“Alright,” he said quietly, at last. “What do you need? Tell me and I’ll make it happen.”

You blinked at him, surprised. “It’s fine, really. Besides, I don’t want to trouble you. You must be tired—”

“And yet I’m here,” he interrupted gently. “And I want to be. So let me help, kitten. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m a fast learner.”

His sincerity made your chest ache. And before you could stop yourself, you whispered, “It just hurts today. A lot. I feel so tired.”

Sylus didn’t say anything else. He simply led you back upstairs, one hand steady on your lower back. He didn’t let go even as you put your thumb on the sensor of your door lock. He followed you in like he belonged—not intruding, not hovering. Just being near.

Within minutes, when you sank yourself back to the sofa, he had removed his suit and folded it neatly over the chair. He grabbed a bottle of water without needing to ask where things were. When he brought it to you, he crouched down by the sofa instead of sitting somewhere separate.

“What should I do?” he asked quietly, not looking away. “Heat pack? Tea? Massage?”

You gave him a tired laugh. “You’re being too polite about this.”

“I’d rather be too polite than careless,” he replied, brushing your hand with his thumb. “But tell me exactly what helps. I want to learn.”

And so you walked him through it—where it hurt, what helped, what to avoid. You told him about your go-to tea, the weird mix of wanting heat but no hands on you, and the rotating lineup of meds you relied on. You even chuckled while explaining it all, trying to keep it light.

He listened. Every word. No discomfort, no jokes, no disinterest.

He helped you position the heat pack, adjusted your throw pillows, and made sure you could lie comfortably. Then, he sat on the floor beside your sofa and watched as your eyelids fluttered lower. When your breathing softened, he reached for his phone, resting it on his knee as he started reading.

He wasn’t scrolling aimlessly. He was researching. He read everything he could: how to hold her through a cramp, which teas help, how hormones could drain her energy, the signs of hormonal fatigue, the words that comfort and the ones that don’t. Everything.

Sylus didn’t need to be told. He just decided that if this was part of your life, then he would make it part of his too. Because, loving you meant learning.

When you stirred a little while later, eyes barely open, he was still there—leaning back against the couch, phone in hand, fingers quietly combing through your hair.

“I’m staying tonight,” he said softly, without lifting his eyes. “Not to crowd you. Just to be close. If you need anything—even at three in the morning—you can just tell me.”

You nodded, too tired to speak, but the tears that gathered at the corners of your eyes said everything.

He placed your hand on top of his own, laced your fingers together, and whispered,

“Sleep well, sweetheart. I’ll be right here.”

•••

Second Month

It had been a long week.

The kind of week where stress clung to your shoulders like fog and your lower back ached with every shift. By the second day of your period, the cramps had set in deep—radiating and stubborn, dulling your appetite and sapping your energy.

Thankfully, it was the weekend. You didn’t have to leave the house. Your oversized knit sweater dress felt like a warm hug, and your white slippers padded softly across the wooden floors. Still, the heat pad had been your closest companion all day—and even that was starting to lose its edge.

You hadn’t said much to Sylus. Just a simple message in the morning:

Second day. Hurts a bit. Staying in today.

He didn’t ask for details. He never did when he knew you were trying to preserve your energy. His reply came a few minutes later, simple but certain.

Then today’s not a day you’ll face alone. I’ll see you tonight, kitten.

You hadn’t expected a follow-up. That was his way—steady, no dramatics, no fuss. But when the knock came at your door just past dusk, it still startled you gently.

You hadn’t heard his arrival. No buzz from downstairs. No text. But maybe the security desk was used to him by now—his name, his quiet presence, the way he never needed to announce himself. They probably just waved him through.

You slipped your feet into your white fluffy slippers and crossed the apartment to the foyer. When you opened the door, Sylus stood there—tall, composed, his black leather jacket resting on his shoulder, silver hair gently tousled, a paper bag in one hand. His crimson eyes swept over you with subtle concern.

“Sylus," you murmured.

“Hi, kitten,” Sylus said softly, his voice low and grounding. He brushed his fingers lightly along your cheek. “Still hurting?”

You nodded.

Without another word, he stepped inside, slipped off his boots at the foyer with practiced ease, and folded his jacket carefully over the arm of a chair. In one hand, he carried a modest paper bag.

You settled back into your spot on the sofa, hugging a pillow loosely, and glanced at him curiously.

“I brought your favorite dark chocolate, and…” he said, pulling the tea pouches from the bag. “A few other things.”

You blinked as he walked past you toward the kitchen.

“Wait… you made tea?” you asked softly.

“Mm,” he called back, his voice low and calm. “I blended it after your message”

You blinked again, sitting up a little straighter on the sofa, the throw blanket sliding down your lap. You heard the faint rustle of things being unwrapped, the hush of warm water being poured into the kettle. There was something deeply comforting in the way he moved—no loud clatter, no unnecessary words. Just a quiet, purposeful rhythm that told you this wasn’t new to him anymore.

He returned from the kitchen a few minutes later, carrying your favorite mug, the steam curling gently into the dim light. You could already smell it—floral, warm, slightly sweet. As he handed it to you, his fingers brushed yours.

Then slowly knelt in front of you—his tall frame folding with quiet ease as he rested one hand on the edge of the sofa. His other hand remained lightly on your knee as he looked up at you with that steady, soft gaze.

“I tried something new,” he said carefully. “Same rose you love, but I added chamomile this time. Thought it might help with the pain a little more.”

You bring the mug closer to your face. “It smells… really calming.”

“Yeah. Rose for the comfort, chamomile for the cramps, and… just a pinch of mint,” he said, the corner of his mouth tugging upward, eyes glinting with something tender.

You tilted your head with a small smile. “Mint?”

He chuckled under his breath. “I used to think it was just for cooling. Turns out, it helps ease muscle tension. Didn’t know that before. But I do now.”

There was something quietly proud in the way he said it—like this tiny discovery meant the world simply because it made your day a little easier.

Your heart swelled, the tenderness of his effort curling around your chest like the steam rising from the cup. You held the mug a little closer, as if cradling more than tea—like you were holding the proof that someone was thinking of you, learning about you, caring in the quietest, most meaningful ways. The warmth of the ceramic sank into your palms, steady and soothing, while the scent wrapped around you—delicate, grounding, and suddenly hard to breathe through without blinking back the sting behind your eyes.

You took a sip. It was perfect—rounded and smooth, the rose gentle on your senses, the chamomile drawing the tension out of your chest, and the mint a faint whisper of clarity beneath it all.

“Sylus, this is the best tea I've ever had," you said, blinking through the surprise, your voice small. “You don't just remember my favorite, but you also take the time to learn.”

“I didn’t just remember,” he said, voice low—yet, excited. “I’ve been practicing. Figuring out what soothes you. Not just what you like, but what helps.”

“This is… really thoughtful,” you whispered.

His gaze lingered on you, steady and soft. “You’re thoughtful with everyone, kitten. Let me be that for you, too.”

You couldn’t help but give him your best smile. You leaned into the cushions, the mug warm between your palms, your body finally beginning to exhale. The aches hadn’t vanished, but they’d dulled—tucked beneath the comfort of warmth, scent, and silence shared with someone who was slowly learning to hold your pain like it was his own.

His gaze traveled to the way you curled, the way your shoulders looked tense beneath the softness of your sweater. Then came the teasing glint in his eyes.

“So,” he said, a quiet grin tugging at his mouth, “Do you prefer me as your pillow tonight or should I take my previous post as floor-warmer? Though I doubt you’d feel me with those slippers on.”

You blinked, then gave a tired laugh, surprised by the sudden lightness.

“You’re ridiculous,” you murmured.

“But available,” he added smoothly with his velvet voice, raising an eyebrow. “Customizable to your needs.”

You shook your head, smiling as you patted the spot beside you on the sofa. “Pillow. Definitely pillow.”

“Good,” he said softly, slipping off his watch and settling beside you. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

He eased himself into the space with quiet grace, and you instinctively leaned into his side, tucking your legs up, your temple resting just beneath his collarbone. His arm came around your shoulders with practiced care, fingers brushing against the nape of your neck, grounding you.

After a moment, he shifted slightly and asked, “Did you take anything for the pain yet?”

You shook your head.

He reached into the pocket of his jacket draped nearby and pulled out a small packet, holding it out with one hand, and a bottle of water from the paper bag with the other hand. No words—just the offer, gentle and steady.

You reached for the pill first with your free hand, and as your fingers closed around it, Sylus extended his other hand toward you with a silent gesture. You understood. You passed him your mug, now half-empty and still warm, and he took it carefully, the ceramic settling perfectly in his grip.

In the same motion, he offered you the water bottle to the hand that had just released the mug. Your fingers brushed as you took it, and you swallowed the pill in one quiet motion.

Once you’d taken a few sips, Sylus reached out with his other hand to take the bottle from you. Then, with quiet care, he leaned forward and placed them both side by side on the coffee table, every movement unhurried and precise.

“Hands free,” he murmured as he turned back to you, a little smile smirk his lips. “This way, you can lean on me properly.”

You let out a small laugh, your body relaxing bit by bit.

You curled closer to him, just as you were about to melt into the comfort of his side, his hand moved beneath the blanket resting over your stomach, never too firm—just there. You felt it then: a gentle warmth blooming just under your navel, like a second heat pad pulsing to your rhythm.

You exhaled, eyes fluttering closed. “You’re using your Evol, aren’t you…”

“Let me take a little of it, sweetie. Just enough to help,” he said gently. “But, I’ll stop if it’s too much.”

“No,” you whispered. “It’s perfect.”

His other hand found yours, lacing your fingers together, anchoring you there in the softness of the moment. The light from the floor lamp painted quiet gold across the room, and for the first time that day, the ache in your body loosened its grip.

“You’re really good at this now—taking care of me,” you murmured.

He pressed a kiss to your temple, voice low against your skin.

“I told you,” he said. “I learn fast. Especially when it comes to you.”

And that evening, tucked in close to him, you realized it wasn’t just that he was learning your body’s rhythms—he was learning how to carry your pain alongside you. Word by word. Month by month. Without needing to be asked.

[cottonlemonade]

Help Wanted

word count: 656 || avg. reading time: 3 mins.

pairing: University AU!Tendou x chubby!Reader

genre: smut

warnings: mdni, nsfw

Tendou would have liked to say that he was a gentleman. But when you showed up in his dorm room and announced that you were sick and tired of being labeled the campus virgin and begged your best friend to just have sex with you, Tendou didn’t actually hesitate for more than three seconds before shrugging and saying, “Alright.”, making room for you on his bed.

His roommate blinked at the two of you before packing up his laptop and mumbling something about “going to study at the library then”.

He knew he should have maybe talked you out of it but his mind was too busy screaming at the opportunity. He figured, he’d casually invite you for coffee afterwards in the cafeteria or maybe order a pizza and then confess to you over some melty cheese that he’s been in love with you since that time you used red hair spray to dye your hair, just so you could raise your hand for him at roll call while he was busy finishing up a paper in the library at the last minute. You had worn one of his hoodies (a new one he bought several sizes too big just so he could lend it to you without you commenting that his stuff wouldn’t fit you) and his roommate had walked in on him sniffing the collar with deep deep breaths.

And now he lay between your plush thighs, heart pounding, licking his lips in anticipation as he peeled your panties aside. You’re still wearing a shirt which he found unfortunate but there was no rush.

Before he began, he stressed how important it was to ease into it. He didn’t want to hurt you, of course, so he thought, good long foreplay and maybe making you cum first would be a good idea.

He leaned in and set a couple soft kisses on your soft pussy. You gasped and tried to close your legs with him still at work. He looked up at you, asking if you want to stop. Wordlessly, you just opened your legs again and he grinned, swiping his tongue through the folds.

“You taste sweet…”, he commented and you hid your face under your arms but moaned when he used his fingers to expose your clit.

Wanting to make it a more interactive learning experience he brought his right index to your lips, “Can you wet that for me?”

You hesitate for a moment, peaking out from under your chubby arms and then because you really needed to him to continue, sucked it into your mouth.

“Mmmh, I can only imagine what those lips would do to a cock. But we can do that next time.”

Bringing his slick finger down to him, he began ghosting it over your clit. The noises falling from your lips had him throb in his boxers. Tendou increased the pressure ever so slightly, pushing the little pink button to the left and right, watching happily now wet you already became. He slurped loudly, enjoying every drop of you like the first iced tea of the summer.

“I’m gonna put a finger into you now.”, he announced and your expression, already so deliciously dazed, changed to new excitement. You gave a small nod and he slowly pushed into you, stroking your gummy walls.

“You’re so cute… I’m gonna put a second finger in, okay?”

You nod again. This time, he decided to tease a bit.

“You gotta talk to me, gorgeous.”

“Yes, please put a second finger in.”, you replied breathily and moaned loudly when he started to move them in and out.

“Now, I wonder what would happen if I’d suck your little clit now, too. - What do you think would happen?”

“I’d…. You’d make me cum.”, you said quietly, a definite whine in your voice.

“That sounds like fun. Let’s do that, hm? Let’s make you cream on my fingers.”

[forhappysake]

Fluffy Surprise

Author's Note: Not proofread and the first fic I've written in like six months so read if you dareeee

Summary: Reader decides to give Spencer a present when he returns to their new home.

Warnings: People with cat allergies, beware! (?) Fluff ofc.

You moved into the new house two weeks ago.  Technically, you moved all your stuff into the new house two weeks ago. In boxes. Lots and lots of heavy boxes.

Spencer had come up with a system, labeling each box with the room it would go into at the new house. You had worked together to pack everything, label each box, and unload the boxes into your new home. 

And it seemed like the moment he set the last box down and you were ready to start setting the place up, his phone rang. 

Spencer had been gone for one week. 

The case was halfway across the country, somewhere in Santa Fe. You couldn’t exactly be mad at him for being gone, but unpacking and trying to organize everything without his input was a nightmare. You were finishing the last box in your shared bedroom, carefully placing his clothes on wooden hangers and organizing them in the closet, when your phone rang. 

Spencer’s name lit up the screen. You answered quickly. 

“Hi, Spence,” you said, plopping down on the freshly made bed.

You could tell how tired he was from the long pause he took before responding. “Hey, honey. How’s the unpacking?” he asked with a small sigh. 

You frowned to yourself, worried about how tired he sounded. “Oh, it’s alright. I’d like you to look through all the rooms when you get home, just to make sure everything is where it should be.” You let out a soft laugh, “I also had a hard time hanging up all the pictures and paintings without you, so we may have to straighten some of them up when you get back.” 

Another pause followed, though this time you could envision him nodding to himself. “We can do that,” he said. “I’m sorry you had to do it all by yourself. I promise I’ll find a way to make it up to you.” 

You rolled your eyes. “It was fine, Spencer. Besides, I’m pretty sure chasing a serial killer or something gives you an excuse.” 

He sighed on the other end of the line. “That’s what I wanted to talk about. We caught the unsub this evening. I’m hoping to be home late this evening, but it probably won’t be until after you go to bed.”

You smiled, content with the thought of him coming home to your freshly decorated home. “Oh, I’ll be staying up. I want to see your reaction to the place.”

“Alright,” he said, clearly too tired to urge you to go to bed instead with a list of facts about the health benefits of a good night’s sleep. 

You sighed. “As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I’ve got about fifteen more boxes to go.” 

“I understand. I should probably get some work done, too. Files, reports, you know how it is,” his voice was barely a whisper now, the exhaustion beginning to get the better of him. 

“Don’t work too hard, Spence,” you cautioned. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. I love you.”

“I won’t. I love you too,” he answered. The end of his line promptly went dead.

You looked around the bedroom, discarding your phone on the bed. You couldn’t help but wonder if there was something you could do to make Spencer’s return home a bit more special. 

You sat up and leaned over, furrowing your brow and resting your head in the palm of your hand as you tried to think of things Spencer liked. Of course, Spencer liked a lot of things. He liked sweet coffee, puzzles, and a classic novel in some foreign language you couldn’t comprehend. 

None of those things were overly special, in your mind. As you sat and wracked your brain, a thought finally came to you. 

One month ago, walking by a local cat cafe, Spencer spotted the most beautiful calico. She had fluffy hair, one black ear, one orange. Her little paws were white and she was so well mannered. Spencer and yourself had gone in immediately and he had spent your time inside doting on the calico, whose name, you learned, was Calypso. 

You bolted up from the bed and out into the living room, finding your purse sitting among the unpacked boxes. You shot out to the car, and without a second thought, drove the ten minutes to the cat cafe. 

You said a silent prayer that the cat was still available as you pulled into a parking space across the street. As if on cue, you looked up to see the same cat lounging lazily in the window sill, green eyes poised on you. 

The adoption process was quick, quicker than you anticipated. Fifty dollars later, you were on the road with Calypso in the passenger seat, sitting demurely in the carrier the shelter had provided you with to take her home in. 

On the way home you had to stop at PetSmart to pick up a litter box, a few toys, and a scratching post with the hope that your new furry friend would not decimate your new furniture. Calypso remained in the carrier, watching quietly from the shopping cart as you agonized over which treats to get. 

Soon enough, you were on your way home. The moment you walked through the front door, you set the carrier down and allowed Calypso to wander free. She was tentative at first, gently sniffing the floor and getting the feel for her new surroundings. However, after ten minutes, she perched herself on the kitchen counter, looking quite like the queen of her own castle. 

You took this chance to open her new toys and scatter them about the house, as well as find a secluded corner for her litterbox.

For the rest of the day, the cat watched you unpack boxes. Beady green eyes noting your movements until you disappeared from her sight. Occasionally, if you left the room for too long, you would turn to find that she had followed you. In these moments, you would stop to offer her a gentle petting and giggle as she flopped down on the floor, furry belly up to the sky. 

It was six hours after his phone call that Spencer arrived at home. 

2:19 a.m. was the time on your watch when you heard the lock turn and rose to greet him at the door. Calypso, seated in the corner of the room on a side table, perked her ears up at the new noise coming from the entrance. 

Spencer locked the door behind him and turned to face you, reaching out and pulling you in for a long hug. 

You rubbed your hands up and down his back. “Are you happy to be home?” you asked, your voice muffled by his shoulder. 

“You have no idea,” he said. He pulled away only to examine the living room. Spencer nodded in approval. “It looks really good in here. You did a great job.”

You smiled warmly, nerves settling in your stomach as you realized he’d not yet noticed the cat in the corner of the room, who was still watching him with suspicious eyes. 

“Spencer, I have to tell you something,” you said, wanting to explain yourself for doing something as impulsive as adopting a cat while he was away. 

His face suddenly became very serious. “What is it? Did something happen while I was gone? Are you alright?” 

The questions came quickly and you shook your head to reassure him. “No, Spencer, it’s nothing bad. Here, come look.” You grabbed his hand and pulled him forward until the two of you were standing behind your couch in the middle of the living room. 

“Look around,” you said. 

Spencer’s tired eyes traversed the room. You watched as they landed on paintings, the television, the clock, and nearly everything but the cat who sat entirely still in the corner. 

“I don’t understand,” he said, brow furrowed. “Did you make some major change I don’t know about? If you did, I’m sure that it’s f-”

At that moment Calypso jumped off the side table. The soft thump that accompanied her landing on the floor was enough to stop Spencer in his tracks. Finally, you watched as the feline caught his eye. 

“You didn’t,” Spencer said, his voice barely above a whisper. His reaction wasn’t telling you much, and you were afraid that he was not pleased. 

You started trying to explain yourself. “Well, I knew that you had a long week. I wanted to do something special. I know how much you enjoyed spending time with her at the cafe and now that we have the space I figured…”

You trailed off. In the time you had spoken, Calypso had crossed the room, climbed the couch, and began butting her head up against Spencer’s hand. Panic was setting in. Why wasn’t he reacting? 

Just when you were about to push him to say something, you looked up to see a large grin plastered on his face. Spencer gently wrapped his arms around the cat and picked her up, holding her close and petting in between her ears. 

“This is the most thoughtful present ever. I love her,” he said. His excitement reminded you of a little child and pulled at your heartstrings in a way that could have made you cry. 

You sighed in relief. “I’m so glad.” 

With Calypso still draped over one arm, Spencer reached out for you, pulling you to his side. He planted a soft kiss on the top of your head. “Thank you so much. I love her. I love you,” he said, smile still evident on his face. 

“I love you too,” you said, turning to face Calypso, who looked all too content to be wrapped up in Spencer’s arms. 

“I think she’s trying to steal my man,” you joked, nudging Spencer on the side. 

Spencer laughed. “I don’t think you have to worry too much about that. My heart has room for two lovely ladies.”

[finxwrites]

strange & grimm, which btw sounds like an urban fantasy affectionately parodic hardboiled detective agency. probably queer.

It was a hot, muggy night in the Enchanted Forest. Everyone with a lick of sense was down in the fairy glens, hoping the Winter Court would put in an appearance and bring a breeze on with them. Lucky me, I’m the sucker who fingered the Snow Queen for the missing persons case last winter, so I’m persona non grata in the fairy glens these days.

Just as well. I couldn’t afford to leave the office, not when it’d been so long since my last case. Though on a night like this, I might as well not bother. It was too hot for crime. Even the leaves on the enchanted trees were drooping in the heat. 

I was just about to call it a night when a dame walked in my door. Tall, blonde, legs for days, with an air of tragedy that could put an unloved stepchild to shame. I looked her over suspiciously for any cheery woodland creatures hidden in her golden ringlets. If she was a princess, I’d turf her right back out of the office, case unheard. Princesses paid well, but they were more trouble than they were worth.

No mice poked their adorable little noses out of her pockets as the dame sank into a chair and fixed me with a hard look. “I hear you’re the best in the business,” she said without preamble. “And I need the best.”

I leaned back in my seat. “Baby, I’m the only one in the business. It’s not a good genre for private dicks.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, yes, far too child-friendly for any sort of dicks.” Before I could recover from that little gem, she went on, “It’s a child I’m here about. My sister. She’s…she’s gone missing.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Please, Detective, you’re my last hope. The royal courts won’t hear me out, they think she’s gone on the lam!”

I nodded grimly. “One of those Bo Peep situations, huh?” I get a depressing number of those. All it takes is one wolf in sheep’s clothing—you’d think the kids would learn.

The dame glared. There was enough cold iron in her gaze to put a fairy off her ambrosia. “On the lam, Detective. On the run. My sister has…something of a record.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Your sister the child? She some kind of crime prodigy?”

The dame fidgeted, looking away. “She’s…” She sighed explosively. “My sister is Goldilocks.”

I whistled, low and long. Crime prodigy indeed—Goldilocks was wanted in five kingdoms for the most impressive string of burglaries the Enchanted Forest had ever seen. No one could ever prove she’d done it, but the circumstantial evidence had piled up higher than mattresses on a pea. No wonder no royal court would take this case.

The dame’s shoulders hunched defensively, but she bulled on without trying to defend her wayward sister. “She’s gone missing, and I know it’s not another one of her sprees. Something is wrong this time.” She turned back to meet my eyes, her lovely features harsh with poorly-suppressed fear. “It’s her first crime come back to haunt her, I just know it is. They’ve always wanted revenge—especially the baby of the family, and he’s all grown up now. What they’d do if they got hold of her—“ She cut herself off with a watery gasp; her eyes were wet with tears. “Oh, it doesn’t bear thinking about!”

I handed her a handkerchief and gave her a minute to compose herself. It gave me a minute, too, to decide if I was really going to be this stupid. You don’t tangle with the big predators, not if you know what’s good for you, and especially not a whole family of them. Families are a dangerous thing in any genre.

But I was her last hope, and I’m a sucker for lost causes. And if I didn’t get paid soon, this business would become a lost cause itself. I said a silent farewell to my good sense as it packed its bags and left for kinder climes. “Alright,” I told the dame, “Give me the facts. We’ll see what kind of a story they tell.”

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

ur student council is so good it lives rent free in my mind!!!!! what’s a day in the life of darling like I wonder?

I'm glad you love it so much! 🖤🖤🖤

Day in The Life with the Yandere Student Council | Part 1

When you wake up from a late night of studying 

it feels like you weight your eyelids as you splash water on your face

Continuing your routine you get pretty far before you hear a knock on your single-bed dorm suite (a gift from the Student Council President)

“Hiya (Y/n) I figured I’d join you two on your walk to class, today! Happened to have a bit of extra time on my hands!”

“You just said you skipped that entire club’s morning activities for this.”

“Tomato Potato. You should know not to keep flapping that hole of yours. Especially since you’re not all that secretive, Spencer.”

“Roman.”

Spencer the Vice President of the council has become a fast friend of yours

Being as privy to the more sinister and malicious intentions of other students specifically the ones obsessed with the council

And Roman the Sergeant of Arms and arguably the most popular next to the president

A newer guest but you won’t complain because he gives you some breakfast fruit

“Uh thanks for walking me you guys and thanks for the fruit.”

“It’s cool it is our usual routine.”

“No problem, Babe! Next time you should just tell me what you’d want for breakfast I’ll make sure to keep it in the meeting room!”

It isn’t long before Roman is called over by some other students

Blowing a kiss before disappearing in the crowd

“Phew I thought he’d never leave! He’s such an extrovert I never expected he’d ever walk with us.”

“Well I’m sure being an extrovert doesn’t mean you forget all your friends. Don’t be so harsh.”

“You’ve only known him for so long. Just you wait he’ll turn into the annoying people magnet he is.”

Spencer drops you off at class

Hanging nearby until the class begins

He begrudgingly waves bye to you signing that he’ll see you for council work later

And for the next to classes things aren’t too bad 

Other than a droning lecture there’s nothing that happens that you aren’t expecting 

It’s in your third class that will change

“Sweet Pea have lunch with us!” 

“I made you lunch this time.”

It’s June the Historian and his boyfriend, Gill the Secretary 

entering the class without any concern for the professor

Of course no one said anything only watching as your protests are ignored by the duo

June will keep whining

And Gil will only respond with excitement about what he’s made

So you’ll sigh and pack your things hearing the class resume as you step out

“So? How’d that project turn out? I know you were working on it for a long time after we got off the phone.”

“I think it turned out pretty good. I’m hoping I can finally get some feedback.”

“You know they are required to give you an ‘A’ right? We made sure they did not have the option to do otherwise.”

“...I just want to try to be deserving of it...at least a little.”

“That’s so cute (Y/n)! Isn’t that cute Gill they think they need to try!”

“It is very cute.”

Begin your impromptu lunch perfectly catered to your preferences that you never shared

“Alright guys i really should go back the next class I have—”

“Will be waived, if your busy doing student council work! Come on hun, help us with our work. I promise it’ll be fun!”

“Then afterwards we can walk home together.”

“Home? Who’s home?”

“Oh Gilly that’s a great idea! We can make it a sleepover!”

“Guys!?”

Of course outnumbered and overpowered+ you end up in the student council room where you’ll happen upon Min Su the Treasurer and the illusive President Lucoa

Part 2: Is Here

[strniohoeee]

OUUUU A REQUEST!!!

SMUT enemies one bed troupe with chris! GOD ID GIVE YOU MY KIDNEY FOR IT

Vie

Pairing: Chris Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: Y/N hates Chris with every morsel in her body. They’re always fighting like children. Unfortunately one day her and Chris are stuck together for a 4 hour drive…..I wonder what happens 🗣️

Warnings⚠️: THIS IS SMUTTTTT, enemies to lovers ish, and just my favorite trope ever. This was long asf LMAOO, but I really loved writing it!🫶🏽

Song for the imagine: Friends- Chase Atlantic

⚠️This is an 18+ story, so minors do not interact, or do??⚠️

All of your friends have been here for too long

They must be waiting for you to move on (woo)

Girl, I'm not with it, I'm way too far gone

I was finishing packing for the trip I was going on with the triplets when my phone started to light up. I saw Nick calling me

“Heyyy” I said picking up the phone

“Hiii I’m so sorry to call last minute, but is there any way you could pick Chris up?” He asked

“Uhhh why do I have to pick him up?” I asked getting a bit annoyed

“Well he’s a fucking idiot and we thought he got in the back seat, but he packed his shit in the back seat and made it look like he was in there, so we drove off while he was in the shower” Nick said laughing

“Wow he really is an idiot” I said laughing

“Yeah and he was screaming at us over the phone, so would you be a doll and pick him up. I’ll literally pay you, so we don’t have to turn back around” Nick said

“Don’t worry about paying me I’ll get him, but just know if he pisses me off enough I’m leaving him on the side of the road to hike to Vegas alone” I said back

“That’s fine I completely understand it” he said laughing

“Alright I’m almost done packing. I’ll head out in a few and go get him” I said

“Perfect thank you! See you in Vegasssss” he said before hanging up

A four hour drive with Chris…..I needed a gun actually. I fucking hated this kid and he hated me. We kept our distance at all fucking times, so having to sit right next to him and endure his annoying childish behavior was starting to piss me off.

After about an hour of finishing packing and making sure I had everything. I drove over to the triplets house which was like another 30 minutes. I really liked making Chris wait. I know he was getting so impatient.

I pulled up to their house and texted Chris that I was here, about 5 minutes later he came strolling out.

“Did you lock the door” I yelled out to him after rolling my window down

“I’m not a child of course I did” he said rolling his eyes

“Mmm are you sure about that?” I asked him

Chris rolled his eyes and walked back to the house….he did in fact not lock the door.

“Just saved your ass” I said as he came back and hopped in the car

“Shut the fuck up” he replied slamming the door shut

“Awww what’s wrong” I asked putting the hotel in Vegas directions in and getting ready to drive off

“Well my dumbass brothers left without me, and then you take over an hour and a half to get to me” he said huffing out

“Well if you weren’t an idiot and didn’t pack the car making it seem like you were in there, they wouldn’t have left you” I said driving off

“Yeah whatever I don’t care” he said throwing his book bag to the back of the car

“Well we’re going to be driving together for 4 hours, and I’d like to not be stressed out. I want to listen to my music and have a nice drive” I said looking over at him

“Consider me invisible” he said lifting his hood up

“Oh I consider you invisible on the daily, so this shouldn’t be an issue” I said coming to a stop at a red light

“I’m trying to be on my best behavior because Nick and Matt already talked to me about being nice to you” he said huffing

“So sad they have to talk to their grown brother about being nice to me” I said giggling

“Shut up already” he said putting his shoes on my dashboard and bending his knees

“Are you fucking crazy get your shoes off my dashboard” I said smacking his legs

“Ow you bitch” he said dropping his legs and moving away

“Don’t call me that, and this isn’t your car so show some decorum” I said rolling my eyes

“Decorum…stop using big words” he said getting upset

“Just have respect for my shit” I said huffing out a breath of annoyance

We were an hour and a half in to our drive, and Chris was chewing his snacks like an animal, burping loudly, playing his videos at max volume, talking on the phone at max volume.

I was being very patient, but he was making my skin crawl with anger. My last straw happened when he skipped my songs until he landed on something he liked

“Uh no” I said smacking his hand away

“What?” He said laughing

“I can put up with the loud chewing, the obnoxious volume of your phone and the burping, but do not touch my fucking stereo” I said glancing over at him

“Your music is fucking ass” he said shrugging his shoulders

“Oh sorry I don’t want to listen to songs solely about fucking bitches and selling drugs” I said rolling my eyes

“That’s not the only music I listen to” he said

“Sure seems like it” I said

Chris reached over and changed the song again

“HANDS OFF IDIOT” I said getting annoyed

“YOUR MUSIC IS SHIT” he yelled back

“Should’ve brought your own headphones then” I said

“I did” he said

“So then where are they?” I asked him

“In my other bag” he said in a whisper

“YES in the other bag your dumbass packed in the other car ahaha now you have to listen to my music” I said laughing at him

“Yeah whatever” he said rolling his eyes

Chris reached over to skip to the next song

“DONT” I said sternly, he ignored me anyways and pressed next

“Don’t change this one I like it” I said putting the volume up as Thinkin Bout You by Frank Ocean started to play

“I like this song too” he said sitting back

“You like this song? Yeah right” I said laughing

“No I do I swear” he said

Chris and I sang along to the song. I can say in the three years that I’ve known Chris this was the most pleasant time we’ve ever shared, and who thought it would be over Frank Ocean. We even sang to each other in a joking way completely forgetting the hate we both share for one another.

We were now 2 and a half hours into our drive when suddenly traffic came to a complete stop.

“What the fuck?” I said looking at my google maps

Suddenly my google maps time went up another hour

“A fucking hour slow down?” Chris said with his jaw dropping

I called Nick to see where they were at.

“Hey where are yall at? We’re stuck in an hour slow down” I said

“Hey, we're a little over an hour away. We got stuck in that slow down half an hour ago but it was only 20 minutes it looked like a 8 car accident or some shit” he responded

“God damn I don’t know if I can sit in an hour slow down” I said

“See how long you can stick it out, and if not just get a hotel and meet us in the morning. I’ll talk to the front desk people in Vegas and see what I can do” he responded

“Okay yeah thanks” I said

We both hung up. We were sitting in stand still traffic for a good 25 minutes when Chris started to annoy me.

“I’m hungry and I have to pee” he whined

“Yeah me too, and you don’t see me complaining” I told him

“Maybe we should get a hotel room” he said

“Mmm or we can wait it out” I said

“I’m going to piss my pants in your car then” he shrugged his shoulders

“Can’t you hold it for another 35 minutes holy shit” I said getting annoyed

“No I can’t. That’s fine I’ll just hop out right now and whip my dick out and just pee infront of everyone” he said unbuckling his seat belt

“You’re not embarrassing me like that” I said stopping him

“Well then the choice is yours” he said smiling at me like an asshole

“Oh my god you’re insufferable fine, I’ll get off right here and find a hotel or some shit” I said

I drove to a gas station first filling up my tank while Chris ran in to pee and get more snacks. He got back in the car and I went inside to pee too.

I got back in the car, and drove to the nearby hotel google maps showed me. We both hopped out and walked in.

“Hi welcome in” the lady at the front desk said

“Hi, how are you?” I asked walking closer

“I’m good, checking in?” She asked

“Actually I was wondering if you guys had two rooms available, or at least a room with two beds” I asked her

“I can check, but I’m not so sure” she said

“That’s fine! There a bad slow down on the highway, so we figured we just pull off for the night” I said nodding at her

“Oh that sucks! Let me check for you” she responded again

I walked over to Chris and told him she was checking. We sat in silence while we waited for her to check the system

“Oh uh maam” she said calling me over

Chris and I walked over to her

“So we have a room, but it’s only one king size mattress” she said

“Only one bed?” I asked her my face dropping

“I’m afraid so” she said

“Are there any hotels nearby that might have two beds available?” Chris asked her

“Considering it’s a Friday night, many hotels are taken up” she said

“That’s alright we’ll take the room, and he’ll pay” I said nodding at her and patting Chris on the chest

He looked at me before titling his head and rolling his eyes.

I walked out to the car grabbing his book bag and my one suitcase.

We both went up to the room, and opened the door. Both sighing in defeat at the sight of one bed we’d have to share.

“I’m going to shower don’t destroy anything” I said to Chris

I grabbed my stuff out of my suitcase and showered. Once I was done Chris showered also.

I tried to stay on the little loveseat and far away from the bed because I did not want to share it with him.

“Movie?” He asked

“I’m sorry, was that English? Are you two years old” I said getting annoyed

“Do you want to watch a movie stupid” he asked rolling his eyes

“Sure doesn’t really matter to me” I said rolling my eyes

Chris and I sat on the bed far away from one another as we watched a movie and ate our snacks. We watched two more movies before we decided it was late enough and we should get to bed.

Chris and I had brushed our teeth, and I decided I would sleep curled up on the loveseat.

“The fuck are you doing?” He asked me

“Going to bed what does it look like moron” I said fluffing the pillow it

“It’s a huge bed big enough for the both of us to share, so put your pride aside and just come to the bed” he said

“No I’m good” I said letting my legs dangle off the edge of the seat and slouching down

“Suit yourself” he said laughing before shutting the lights off

About ten minutes later I really wished I pushed my ego aside and laid in that damn bed. My back was curved in such an awkward way, my legs becoming numb because they were dangling and my neck hurting from straining

“In pain I bet” I heard Chris say

“Says who” I spat back

“Says the fact you can’t stay still and you’re keeping me awake” he said

“Oh shut up” I said getting annoyed

“Just lay in the bed I’ll literally put my head on the opposite end” he said

“I’m not sleeping near your feet you sicko” I replied in a hushed yell

“Well then pick your poison” he said

I huffed standing up cracking my back and neck before snatching my pillow and throwing it on the empty side of the bed

I laid down allowing my back to be aligned and I let out a sigh of relief

“Isn’t it nice when you just shut up and listen to other people for once” Chris said in a whisper

“Stop talking to me and shut your eyes” I said back

He huffed out in annoyance and got silent.

I tried to fall asleep but my mind started racing. I was laying in bed with Chris only a foot away from me, he was shirtless and in his boxers…..my heart started to race a little bit

There’s no denying that Chris is attractive. It's just when he opens his mouth I want to smack him, but also kiss him?? I don’t know what I’m thinking it’s late

We both had full control of this situation…I mean I could make a move but would he go along with it? I can feel his body heat radiating off of him and my body started to ache with an unfamiliar feeling…..well a feeling I knew all too well, but this wasn’t a feeling I’ve ever had for Chris….

My throat kept running dry as I thought of all the possibilities that could happen had I just opened my mouth and told Chris I wanted to kiss him.

No! stand strong…..it’s late at night you don’t know what you’re thinking

“Why are you breathing so hard?” Chris asked me suddenly

“I thought you were asleep” I whispered back to him

“I’m trying too but you’re breathing like you just ran a race” he said back

“Sorry” was all I could whisper back

“No smart comment, I’m shocked” he said

I looked over at Chris only being able to see the silhouette of him, and I could tell he was facing towards me.

“I’m too tired for all that” I said back

“You’re acting weird” he said

“Am not” I said my breathing getting quicker

Chris suddenly reached over placing his left hand on my heart

“Why is your heart racing so fast” he asked

“Get off of me” I said pushing his hand away

“You’re a weirdo” he said

“You ever….you ever just think you’ve made the wrong mistake in life” I blurted out

“Woah deep talks with y/n” he said laughing

“Forget I said anything” I said rolling my eyes

“I’m kidding, yeah of course I do for some things” he replied back

“I feel that way, but uhh but about you” I whispered the last part

“What do you mean” he asks

“Laying here right now my heart is racing and my breathing is getting shallow. To know that you’re so close yet so far away, and that I can’t have you is messing with my head” I told him

“Who says you can’t have me?” He asks in a whisper

“Don’t mess with my head Chris” I said shaking my head

Chris pulled me to face him and only then could I really see some of his features.

“Would it be wrong to kiss you?” He asked me

“No” I whispered out breathlessly

Chris ghosted his lips over mine teasing me

“I thought you hated me?” He said

“I don’t know what I feel about you anymore” I said back

Chris rubbed his thumb on my cheek before connecting our lips in a long passionate kiss. A kiss that made all my hatred for him flutter away. This felt so wrong yet so right. Chris is not supposed to be mine, I’m supposed to despise him….but in this moment I simply can not

Pulling away we looking into each others eyes, our noses touching

“Would it be wrong to say I want more?” I asked him

“No” he whispered to me

“Chris I need you right now” I said running my hands up his toned arms and to his neck

Pulling him in to reconnect our lips as my hand ran through his hair

“God I hate that I don’t hate you” I said pulling away

“Why do you want to hate me?” He asks laughing lightly

“Because it’s easier to hate than to have this burning desire for someone” I said

“I suppose that’s true” he said

Chris leaned over allowing me to fall back on my back as he hovered over me. Leaving light kisses on my neck as he trailed his right hand up and down my body squeezing my hips

He reconnected our lips and slid his hands under my shirt cupping my breasts in his hands causing me to disconnect from the kiss to let out a small moan

I lifted up so he could remove my shirt for me and then reconnected our lips again. Slowly kissing my jawline and down to my neck leaving open mouth kisses down my chest and to the valley of my breasts

“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked me

“Yeah Chris I do” I panted out

Chris kissed up the valley of my breasts and cupped my breast grabbing my left breast and swirling his tongue around my nipple

“Ohh” I moaned out lightly my fingers running through his hair

He moved over to my right breast doing the same thing. This action alone was making me so wet I began to shift under him and whimpering out

Chris kissed down my stomach kissing over my clothes pussy causing me to grip his hair and moan out his name

He came back up and helped me slip out of my underwear

Running his hands up my legs and to my thighs giving them a squeeze

“Please Chris” I said

“I know” he whispered back

Chris slipped his own boxers off and slowly stroked himself, leaning forward on his forearm his used his right hand to guide his dick to my entrance

Slowly pushing himself in, his breathing hitching at the feeling.

“Fuck y/n you feel so good” he panted out as he bottomed out

He allowed his right arm to lean near my head as he started to thrust into me, my legs spreading wider for him. And my right hand wrapping around his left bicep

He leaned his head into my neck, his hair tickling my face and his chain slowly sliding against my collar bone

His thrusts becoming deeper and harder causing my mouth to fall open

“Oh fuck Chris this feels so good” I moaned out gripping the hair at the back of his head with my left hand.

“Fuck” he moaned out at this feeling

I leaned up a little more and wrapped my legs around his waist, his breathing becoming heavier sounding like a song in my ear. Our chests touch, sending shockwaves through my brain. Who wouldve thought fucking Chris would be this amazing

Chris thrust became faster and my moans fell out of my mouth with no signs of stopping. I never wanted this feeling to stop

“Keep going Chris I’m going to cum soon” I said raking my nails up and down his back

“Okay baby” he moaned out licking his lips as he thrusted into me harder

I laid back down and Chris leans back a bit, placing my thighs over his own as he slammed into me

“Fuckkkkkk” I moaned out gripping the sheets above my head

Chris brought his hand down to rub my clit with his thumb causing my back to arch off the bed

“Oh my god” I moaned out shutting my eyes and letting my mouth fall open

With a few more thrusts I was beginning to shudder on Chris’ dick.

“I’m going to cum” I said

“Come on pretty girl” he cooed at me

He rubbed faster, and suddenly my stomach tightened causing my thighs to shake and my eyes to screw shut

“Fuck fuck fuck” I moaned out as I came all over him

He helped me ride out my high as I tried to catch my breath. And soon he pulled out of me, stroking his dick a few times before painting my lower abdomen in his cum.

“Fuck Y/N” he moaned out as I saw him lean his head back and his arm moving to help him ride out his own high

Chris caught his breath before getting off the bed, slipping his boxers back on and turning the lamp on

His eyes glanced over at me, my body in a sheen of sweat as I laid there limp and fucked out

Chris came back with a small wet towel to wipe me clean.

I slid my underwear and my shirt back on. Chris shut the light off and came in closer pulling me to his chest.

“I’m glad you hated me it made for some pretty hot sex” he said kissing my cheek

“You’re such a weirdo” I said giggling

“A weirdo just for you” he said back

Chris and I laid in one another’s arms talking a bit before we both fell asleep.

Our alarm for 6AM going off, so we could check out by 7AM. Chris and I had both showered and packed up our stuff.

I texted Nick that we were checking out of the hotel and heading to grab breakfast before getting back on the road. Thankfully it was only an hour and a half drive to the Vegas hotel.

Chris grabbed our bags and we walked to the car. He placed everything in and before letting me get in the car he gave me a kiss

“God you’re so beautiful” he whispered out

“You’re so corny” I said rolling my eyes and blushing

Chris rolled his eyes at me and we got in the car heading through a Dunkin’ Donuts drive thru for breakfast and hoping back on the highway

We spent the rest of the car ride laughing and enjoying each other's music.

Who would’ve thought sharing a king size bed would right our wrongs….

The End

Hope y’all enjoyed this one! I actually really loved writing this one🤭 so whoever requested this I hope you enjoyed it as well! I love yall🥹🖤🖤

-J💅🏽

[swiftiethatlovesf1]

Unspoken Melody p.14

Hi guys, here's a new part of the story, if you've missed part 13 here it is, I hope you guys like the song selection I was going for something funny but cute :) If you want to read more of my stories, here's my masterlist.

Two drivers, one unforgettable concert, and a chance encounter with a pop sensation that leaves Oscar questioning everything he thought about music—and maybe even himself.

As you and Oscar step back inside, the warm buzz of conversation and music fills the air once more. The bar is lively, packed with both familiar faces and new ones, but this time, the crowd feels less overwhelming. With Oscar’s jacket draped over your shoulders, you feel more at ease.

You’re quickly pulled into introductions with the other drivers you haven’t met yet. Max is one of the first to strike up a conversation, an easy grin on his face as he leans against the bar. “So, I hear you’ve been recruited into our world,” he jokes.

You laugh, shaking your head. “More like I was heavily encouraged.”

“Who would have thought that Oscar was so convincing?” he teases, nodding toward Oscar, who’s now deep in conversation with Lando. Before you can answer, Max continues, “You know, Penelope, is a huge fan of your music.”

Your eyes widen. “Really?”

“Oh yeah. She sings your songs all the time. She even made me listen to them on the way to school.”

“That’s adorable,” you say with a genuine smile. “I’ll make sure she gets tickets to my next concert.”

Max raises his eyebrows in appreciation. “She would love that. You just made me the best dad ever.”

Meanwhile, across the bar, Lando nudges Oscar playfully. “So… what’s going on with you two?”

Oscar groans. “Nothing.”

“Mate,” Lando laughs. “Don’t even try that. We can all see it.”

Kika and Alex join them, both grinning mischievously. “You need to make a move,” Kika insists.

Oscar runs a hand through his hair, clearly flustered. “It’s not like that.”

Alex raises an eyebrow. “Really? Because we’ve been watching you, and it’s very much like that.”

Lando smirks. “You literally lent her your jacket like you’re in some rom-com.”

Oscar shakes his head, sighing. “I don’t want to mess things up. She just got out of a relationship, and Mark… he really hurt her. I don’t want to rush her into anything.”

Charles, who had been listening in, nods thoughtfully. “That’s fair. But don’t underestimate her. Maybe she’s more ready to move on than you think.”

Oscar exhales, considering their words. “I just— I care about her a lot. I’d rather wait than do anything that might hurt her.”

Kika smiles softly. “Then just be there for her. But don’t assume she’s not ready without even giving her a chance.”

Oscar looks across the room at you, watching as you chat animatedly with Max, completely at ease. His heart clenches slightly, but for the first time, he wonders if maybe—just maybe—he has a chance with you.

The night continued in a blur of laughter, drinks, and conversation. The atmosphere was light, buzzing with energy, and you found yourself genuinely enjoying the company of the others. It had been a while since you'd had a night like this—just fun, no pressure, no stress.

Then, an announcement from the DJ made everyone cheer. "Alright, everyone! It’s karaoke night! Who’s ready to sing?"

A wave of excitement rippled through the group, and almost immediately, eyes turned to you.

“Oh, Y/N has to sing,” Kika said, nudging you with a playful grin.

You laughed, shaking your head. “Absolutely not.”

“Oh, come on,” Lando smirked, arms crossed. “What, are you afraid you’ll lose to us?”

That made you raise an eyebrow. “Oh, it’s on.”

The first act of the night had everyone laughing—Lando and Carlos got on stage to sing “Smooth Operator,” much to everyone’s delight. They fully committed, doing dramatic poses and making the crowd cheer louder.

Then, Charles and Alex took the stage, picking a classic love song, which was both funny and oddly sweet. The way they stared into each other's eyes like a couple in a rom-com had everyone in stitches.

Yuki and Pierre attempted to perform next, but it turned into pure chaos. They weren’t in sync, Pierre was slightly offbeat, and Yuki kept changing the lyrics entirely. Still, they had the whole bar clapping along and laughing.

As you enjoyed the show, you glanced at Oscar beside you. He was watching with amusement, shaking his head at Yuki’s antics.

“You’re up next?” you asked him, teasing.

Oscar chuckled, shaking his head immediately. “No way. I don’t sing.”

You turned to face him fully, leaning in slightly. “You do know that I’m just as stubborn and persuasive as you are, right?”

He sighed, giving you a knowing look. “Y/N—”

“Oh, don’t ‘Y/N’ me,” you interrupted, batting your lashes dramatically. “Are you really going to make me go up there alone?”

Oscar exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was already regretting this. But you saw the small, defeated smile tugging at his lips.

“You’re impossible,” he muttered.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” you grinned, grabbing his wrist and pulling him toward the signup line.

As you scrolled through the available songs, you realized that the karaoke selection wasn’t exactly the most updated. You bit your lip, scrolling through the list until your eyes lit up.

“This one,” you said, selecting it confidently.

Oscar leaned in to see what you had chosen. The moment he read the title, he groaned. “No. Absolutely not.”

You turned to him with an exaggeratedly innocent look. “Why not?”

“Because we are not singing a song from Frozen,” he deadpanned.

“Excuse me, everyone loves Frozen,” you shot back, holding back a laugh.

“That doesn’t mean we have to sing it.”

You grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the stage as the intro music started. “Too late, Piastri, we’re doing this.”

Oscar sighed but followed you onto the small stage. As love is an open door began, you fully committed to your part, singing with enthusiasm. Oscar, on the other hand, was hesitant at first, but after hearing the cheers and laughter from your group, he gave in and started singing along.

By the time the chorus hit, you both were caught up in the ridiculousness of the performance. You dramatically reached for his hand during the duet parts, and he played along, even doing the little hand twirls when needed. The entire group was in hysterics, cheering you both on.

As the song ended, you struck a final pose, and the entire bar erupted into applause. You turned to Oscar, who was shaking his head, clearly embarrassed but also trying to hide a smile.

“I can’t believe you made me do that,” he said, running a hand through his hair as you both walked back to the group.

“You loved it,” you teased.

He rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.

“You are full of surprises,” you say, smiling. “I didn’t know you had that in you.”

Oscar chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “You saved the performance.”

Before you can say anything else, Carmen calls for you from across the room. You start to head over but pause, looking back at Oscar with a playful smile.

“You know,” you say, tilting your head. “You might just be my favourite duet partner I’ve ever had.”

Oscar's ears turn red, and he opens his mouth to respond, but you wink and walk away, leaving him standing there, flustered but smiling.

Next part

@justaf1girl, @bm571158

[ravenclair]

In the Shadow of You | Hogwarts Legacy

☆ Summary | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

☆ Available on Wattpad

Chapter 7: Legilimency

(Word count: 2,061)

You were having another nightmare.

With the week you’d had, your mental troubles had momentarily slipped your mind. You thought the sleeping tonic was solving the problem. You were getting proper rest. You hadn’t even had any attacks since…

Since…

You sat up with a gasp. Your heart was beating erratically, and the locket was flickering faintly as it hung from your neck. You didn’t remember putting it on. But you had finally remembered something else.

You’d had an attack that day at quidditch practice. That’s why you had been distracted. There had been an unfamiliar voice inside of your head, speaking to you. Stealing your thoughts. 

Looking for something.

It was entirely too early, but you quietly made your way out of bed to get ready for the day. Then, you snuck into the restricted section of the library.

⋆｡°✩

“Legilimency is the act of magically navigating through the many layers of one’s mind and interpreting their thoughts. Muggles often refer to this as ‘mind-reading,’ although this term does not truly encompass what Legilimency entails. It is a delicate art, mastered by few. Its only combatant is the art of Occlumency, which allows one to shield their mind from the invasion and influence of a Legilimens…”

You stared at the dusty book page in horror.

There was a Legilimens at Hogwarts. One who thought you knew the location of whatever it is they wanted...

Few here knew about the repository beneath the school, about your ancient magic. Professor Weasley, Headmaster Black, Sebastian, Poppy, and Natty…but no one else you could think of. 

No one alive.

They wouldn’t have told anyone else, surely. You trusted your friends, and they had proven themselves to be trustworthy. Your only doubts lied with the headmaster, but he wouldn’t purposefully put the school in jeopardy while he was in charge.

One of your enemies, then. Maybe another dark wizard, someone Rookwood trusted enough to share information with. You couldn’t think of anything else a mysterious, and most likely dangerous, witch or wizard would want from you.

“You’re up early,” Samantha said, walking into the common room. It was almost time for Potions. “I was a little worried when you weren’t in bed.”

You quickly shut the book and stuffed it into your school bag before replying, “Wanted to do a bit of reading on Felix Felicis before today’s lesson. Shall we go?”

The entire walk to class, you were paranoid.

You watched closely as other students and faculty passed you in the halls. The Legilimens could theoretically be anyone. How in Merlin’s name were you supposed to find out whom?

I’d most likely have to perform Legilimency on them in return…

The thought made your skin crawl.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Samantha asked, looking at you with concern. “Maybe you should go see Nurse Blainey again, you look at little pale–”

“I’m fine,” you clipped. You glanced at your friend and sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m just…tired. I didn’t sleep well.”

Samantha just nodded, apologetic.

Once seated in class, Professor Sharp began a lecture about Felix Felicis since it, like Polyjuice Potion, was too tedious of a process to brew during class time. He assigned a second written essay and dismissed you all.

As your friends began to leave, you lingered, packing your things slowly. When the classroom was empty, you made your way to Professor Sharp’s desk.

“Professor, do you have a moment?”

“Make it quick,” he replied without taking his eyes from the papers in front of him. “Don’t you have Advanced Charms to get to?”

You nodded and continued. “I was wondering if you know anything about…Legilimency?”

Professor Sharp looked up at you cautiously. You gave him a slight nod, confirming his suspicion that this was related to your attack in his classroom last week.

“Return here after Charms, and we’ll discuss this matter further.”

⋆｡°✩

You had managed to perfect Aguamenti after practicing with Poppy between classes last week. Today, Professor Ronen taught its foil, the Drought charm. You and Poppy were taking turns summoning a puddle of water on your shared desk with Aguamenti and drying it up with the Drought Charm.

“Are you feeling better after your injury? Your cut has healed nicely.”

Your friend was right, you couldn’t even tell where it had been anymore. Thanks to the Wiggenweld doses you’d been taking the last few days, that and your concussion were completely healed.

“A little, yes,” you replied. “You played wonderfully at quidditch tryouts, by the way. Has Charlotte shared the team roster?”

Poppy’s eyes lit up, excited.

“She has! Abigail and I both got Chaser spots, and—” she stopped, looking at you sympathetically.

“What happened with Professor Black…” Poppy continued, “it’s absolutely ridiculous that he’s banned you from quidditch.”

You gave her an honest smile. “Don’t worry about me, Poppy, I’m just as excited to cheer you all on this season!”

Professor Ronen dismissed class and you quickly made your exit, sneaking back to the Potions classroom.

“So,” Professor Sharp said as you walked back up to his desk, “why don’t you start from the beginning, hm?”

It would be an immense weight off your shoulders to share your burdens with someone…even if that someone was Professor Sharp. But you trusted him. He had come to your aid during the fight with Ranrok’s Loyalists last year. He had spent time as an Auror.

He’d know how to help you.

You took a deep breath and began. You first gave him a brief summary of what had transpired during your fifth year in the events leading up to that final battle. You told him about your ancient magic, the Keepers, and the repository.

“Ancient magic…” he said, hand cupping his chin in thought. “The rest of us professors were not given all the details from the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress after the battle last term. This certainly answers a few questions I’ve had to keep to myself.”

“And Professor Fig left me this,” you continued, pulling the locket out from beneath your robes. “It was at the first Pensieve we’d found at the vault in Gringotts. It glows occasionally, with what I’ve assumed to be traces of ancient magic. I’m not sure why, though.”

Professor Sharp observed the locket curiously as it dangled from your neck, then asked if he could take a closer look. You unclasped the silver chain and handed him the locket. He waved his wand over it wordlessly and you saw a ripple of magic settle in the air. 

He nodded in confirmation.

“There’s been a protective enchantment imbued in the locket,” he stated. “Likely placed by Professor Fig. The locket’s glow could potentially be an effect of the enchantment.”

You stared at the locket, your chest aching as you thought of your old mentor. You pictured him casting the enchantment before you both went off to fight Ranrok, thinking he would no longer be around to protect you afterwards.

You hated that he had been right.

“The enchantment reacts to your emotions and actives when it senses you’re in danger. When have you noticed it glowing?” Sharp questioned.

You swallowed, willing your voice not to shake before answering, “When I am awoken from a nightmare, or when…when I experience an attack.”

You explained how you’d been having nightmares, how they’ve gotten worse since being back at Hogwarts. Then, you shared your theory.

“I believe someone else is trying to find the location of the repository, and they’re using Legilimency on me to remain anonymous.”

Professor Sharp sighed, “This is grave indeed. Legilimency is already a difficult enough magic to wield, but to perform it without direct eye contact is…almost unheard of.”

Well, that didn’t make you feel any better.

“I read that you can combat it, with Occlumency. Can you teach it to me, Professor?” you asked.

If Professor Sharp couldn’t help, you’d learn it yourself. Somehow. Perhaps Sebastian…but he’d sworn off anything to do with dark magic. You couldn’t ask that of him.

Professor Sharp stood from his desk, quiet, locket in hand. He slowly made his way to where you stood on the opposite end and gave it back to you. He seemed to be weighing your request.

“I’ll have to perform Legilimency on you,” he finally spoke. “It’s…not something I enjoy doing, but I agree that teaching you Occlumency is the best course of action. Are you alright with that?”

The idea of another person poking around in your mind made you shiver, but you were out of options. You nodded, albeit a little hesitant.

“To perform Occlumency, you must clear your mind. Imagine building a mental shield around what you wish to protect,” Professor Sharp continued. “Like Legilimency, it is a difficult skill to master, so it may take a while before you can perform it properly.”

“I’ll try,” you responded. You began to disregard any thoughts. You imagined an opaque shield of blue glass, encasing your subconsciousness.

“Let’s begin,” Professor Sharp declared.

His eyes met yours and you could feel his magic enter your mind. It was painful, yes, but bearable. Like a dull headache. Nothing like the other Legilimens, who’s attacks were harsh, desperate, and made you feel as though your brain were on fire.

He had slipped past your mental shield like it was nothing. You felt him searching your memories, cautious, before attempting to access a memory about the repository. The battle with the dragon. Your fear. Professor Fig’s death. Your grief.

You began to panic as you realized you were failing miserably at keeping Professor Sharp out.

There was a distant, warm sensation, then, and you realized it was the locket’s protective enchantment activating. You felt his magic recoil suddenly, as if he’d been shocked. He released his hold on your mind, and you felt your body sag with relief.

“The protective enchantment on your locket is likely why this mysterious Legilimens has yet to gain full access to your mind,” Professor Sharp said as he eyed the locket. “Without it, they most likely would have taken the knowledge they sought in their first attack…but its protection is not strong enough to keep them out completely.”

The locket was glowing again as you gripped it by the chain, but he didn’t seem to notice.

Since it previously belonged to Percival Rackham, you concluded that Professor Fig’s enchantment must’ve somehow merged with whatever traces of ancient magic were left behind its initial creation.

A powerful tool, indeed. You definitely wouldn’t be parting with it again anytime soon.

“Your shield was noticeable but weak,” Professor Sharp went on. “You need stronger intention behind it. Imagine something more solid, impenetrable, and practice summoning it in your mind throughout the day. We’ll continue these lessons until it becomes second nature.”

“Yes, Professor,” you replied. “Thank you…for helping me.”

Professor Sharp just gave you a curt nod and sent you on your way.

⋆｡°✩

“If Professor Shah really wanted us to enjoy Advanced Astronomy, she’d put warming charms near all the telescopes. I nearly froze to death last night!” Samantha exclaimed the next morning at breakfast in the Great Hall.

You laughed lightly at your friend’s outburst. The autumn chill was arriving early, it seemed. Especially with how windy it had been getting at night.

Amit sighed. “I agree, but the view was well worth it, such a clear sky! You could see the entirety of Canis Major, and the Sirius star was beautiful.”

“It would’ve been more beautiful if my teeth weren’t chattering,” Samantha retorted.

The three of you were waiting to leave for Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Hecat had been teaching non-verbal spell casting the last two weeks, and today you would put it into practice with a round of duels.

You’d been doing some practice of your own, with your mental shielding. It was hard to tell if it was going well without Legilimency to test it, but you continued anyway. The enchanted locket was around your neck, safely tucked away beneath your robes.

Suddenly, owls began swooping in to deliver the morning posts. You were surprised when a letter fluttered down towards you. You caught the parchment and saw it was addressed to you in a delicate script you didn’t recognize.

Confused, you broke the seal and read:

Good morning,

I hope you are well. I’m in Feldcroft and I’d like to meet with you. Alone, if that’s alright. There’s something I wish to discuss in person.

If you can, meet me at my late uncle’s house this evening.

Please don’t tell Sebastian or Ominis.

Anne Sallow

[enemiestolovershoe]

I just found your blog now and holy crap am I glad I did !!! Your JJ fics are seriously so AMAZING 🤩.

Could I pls request JJ x fem where she convinces her parents to let her boyfriend come with them on their annual lake house vacation, Her mom is a sweetie pie and instantly gives approval but her dad very reluctantly agrees hoping their relationship is a just a brief summer love fling because God forbid her daughter is in love with a pogue. He tries to break them up one night and she’s (reader) is not having it all… Angsty with some smut cause it’s JJ 😜 happy ending perhaps with him proposing to her as a nice touch🩵.

Somewhat inspired by the movie “Endless Love”

Tysm hope it’s not too long/confusing explanation 🫣.

Summer Heat

JJ Maybank x fem!reader

Summary: The request explains it.

Words: 1k

Warnings: some fighting between y/n and her dad.

A/N: I haven’t seen Endless Love but I read a few summaries and tried to capture what you were looking for. I didn’t include any smut bc I wasn’t in the mood to write it that day. I’m sorry about that, but I still hope you enjoy it! :)

The morning sun filtered through the blinds of your bedroom as you packed the last of your bags for the annual lake house vacation. You were practically buzzing with excitement, knowing that this year was different. For the first time, JJ Maybank—your boyfriend of the past year—would be joining you and your family.

You had spent weeks convincing your parents to let him come along. Your mom was on board from the beginning, always quick to support you and, in her words, “happy to meet the boy who makes my daughter glow.” Your dad, on the other hand, wasn’t as easily swayed. His protective nature amplified when it came to your relationship with JJ, whom he viewed as reckless and irresponsible—a “pogue,” in his words, who wasn’t good enough for you.

Despite his reluctance, you finally got him to agree after promising JJ would sleep in the guest cabin and be on his best behavior. But you knew that was only half the battle. You were determined to show your dad how wrong he was about JJ.

“Are you sure about this?” JJ asked as he carried your suitcase to the back of your car. His trademark smirk softened into a more nervous expression.

“Yes,” you said firmly, reaching up to cup his face. “I want you there with me. Don’t let my dad get in your head, okay?”

JJ exhaled and nodded. “Alright, but if he challenges me to a duel or something, you’re stepping in.”

You laughed, leaning up to kiss him briefly. “Deal.”

The lake house was as picturesque as ever, surrounded by towering pines and a crystal-clear lake that sparkled under the afternoon sun. Your mom greeted JJ with open arms the moment he stepped out of the car, pulling him into a hug and exclaiming, “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you, JJ! Y/N talks about you all the time.”

“Good things, I hope,” JJ said, his easy charm shining through.

“Of course, sweetie!” your mom said, giving you a knowing smile.

Your dad stood off to the side, arms crossed as he surveyed JJ with a critical eye. “Let’s get the bags inside,” he said gruffly, brushing past without offering a greeting.

JJ’s shoulders tensed, but he covered it with a grin directed at you. “Fun times already,” he muttered under his breath.

You sighed, silently vowing to make this trip work.

The first few days went smoothly. JJ fit in effortlessly with your mom, helping her cook dinner and making her laugh with his endless stories. He spent hours swimming and kayaking with you on the lake, his carefree energy infectious.

But your dad remained distant, watching JJ like a hawk and making snide comments whenever he got the chance. “So, JJ,” your dad said one evening during dinner. “What’s your plan for the future? Or do you just plan to drift through life?”

JJ set his fork down and met your dad’s gaze. “I’m working at the marina right now, saving up for a boat of my own. I’d like to start a charter business someday.”

Your dad raised an eyebrow. “A charter business? Sounds...ambitious.”

“Dad,” you interjected, your tone sharp.

“It’s alright, Y/N,” JJ said, squeezing your hand under the table. “It’s not easy, but I’m willing to put in the work. I’ve got goals, even if they don’t look like the ones you might expect.”

Your mom quickly changed the subject, but the tension lingered.

It all came to a head on the fourth night. You were sitting on the dock with JJ, your feet dangling in the water as the sun set. It was peaceful, just the two of you laughing and talking in the warm evening air.

But when you returned to the house, your dad was waiting in the living room. “Y/N, can I talk to you for a minute?” he said, his voice clipped.

JJ started to follow, but your dad held up a hand. “Alone.”

You exchanged a glance with JJ, who nodded reluctantly.

“What is it, Dad?” you asked once you were in the kitchen.

“I’ve been patient,” he began, pacing the room. “I’ve given JJ a chance, even though I don’t think he’s right for you. But this...this thing between you two—it’s a summer fling, Y/N. It’s not real.”

Your jaw dropped. “Not real? Are you serious? JJ and I have been together for a year.”

“He’s not good enough for you,” your dad said bluntly. “He doesn’t have a stable job or a secure future. What happens when this little romance fizzles out, and you’re left picking up the pieces?”

“Wow,” you said, your voice shaking with anger. “You don’t even know him, Dad. You’ve already decided he’s not worth anything because he doesn’t fit into your perfect little box.”

“I just want what’s best for you,” he said, his tone softening.

“No,” you snapped. “You want what you think is best for me. But guess what? I’m an adult. I get to choose who I love, and I choose JJ.”

Your dad’s face hardened. “You’re making a mistake.”

“Then it’s my mistake to make,” you said fiercely, tears stinging your eyes.

You turned on your heel and stormed out, finding JJ waiting on the porch. His expression was a mix of concern and determination. “I heard yelling. Are you okay?”

“Not really,” you admitted, throwing your arms around him. “But I don’t care what he says. I love you, JJ. I’m not letting him come between us.”

JJ pulled back to look at you, his blue eyes searching yours. “You mean that?”

“Of course I mean that,” you said.

He smiled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box. “Because I was hoping you’d say that.”

Your heart skipped a beat as he dropped to one knee. “Y/N, I know this isn’t the most romantic timing, but I’ve been carrying this around for weeks, waiting for the right moment. I love you more than anything, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

Tears spilled down your cheeks as you nodded. “Yes! A thousand times yes!”

JJ slipped the ring onto your finger and stood, pulling you into a deep kiss.

Inside the house, your mom was watching through the window, a wide smile on her face. Your dad stood behind her, his expression unreadable. But for the first time, he didn’t say a word.

A/N: This will be my last JJ fic for a while. I’m just not feeling the same connection to him and Rafe as I used to. I’m sorry, and I hope you understand.

Taglist: @courta13

[hlples-s]

Picnic Day - Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler

a/n: After a long, long time, I'm back! It took me too long to do this, but here I am! With something new from Hamliza <3

divider credit: @uzmacchiato

The day was pleasant, Eliza's eyes wandered over the small clothes that her sisters had brought her for the little one on the way, Alexander, a busy man yes, but when it came to pampering Betsy he did it without saying a word.

— Betsy? Are you there? Everything okay? Did you get what your sisters brought you?—he said quickly as his eyes fell on the small clothes on the bed

— If this answers all your questions, I think so. They are beautiful, Alex, this is beautiful... — Eliza said as she put one of the socks next to the outfit.

Alexander stepped into the room, his warm smile lighting up the cozy space. His gaze softened as he noticed Eliza’s hands lingering over the tiny socks and a onesie adorned with little stars. The sight tugged at his heart. For a moment, the busy world outside their home faded, leaving only the promise of the new life they were about to welcome.

—They’re perfect, aren’t they?— he said, moving closer. His voice was low, almost reverent, as if he didn’t want to disturb the precious atmosphere. —Your sisters have excellent taste. Just like you.—

Eliza laughed, a sound that filled the room like sunshine. —Oh, Alex, I didn’t pick these. They’re all from their hearts. Though I suppose if I’d chosen, they’d still be just as wonderful.—

Alexander reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. —You look radiant, Betsy.—

Her cheeks flushed, and she gently swatted his hand away. —Don’t make me blush, Alex. I’m a mess most of the time these days.—

—Nonsense — he countered, sitting beside her on the bed. —You’re incredible. Carrying our little one, making this house feel like home every day… I’m in awe of you.—

Eliza’s heart swelled, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. The two of them sat there in quiet companionship for a moment, their hands instinctively finding each other.

—Let’s take a break— Alexander suggested suddenly, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. —The weather’s too good to waste indoors. How about a picnic?—

Eliza’s eyes lit up. —A picnic? Oh, Alex, we haven’t done that in ages. But what about—

—Everything else?— he interrupted. —It can wait. Today, it’s just us, a basket of food, and some fresh air. What do you say?—

Her hesitation melted into excitement. —Alright, but you’re in charge of packing the basket.—

He chuckled, standing up and rolling up his sleeves. —Consider it done. You just sit back and relax. I’ll have us ready in no time.—

As he bustled away to prepare, Eliza looked down at the baby clothes again. Her fingers traced the delicate stitching. A tender smile spread across her face. For the first time in weeks, she felt the world slow down. Today wasn’t just any day—it was a day to cherish the simple joys, to celebrate the life they were building together.

A few moments later, Alexander reappeared with a picnic basket in one hand and a blanket draped over his arm. —Ready, my love?—

—Let’s go— she replied, taking his hand as they stepped into the golden sunlight. The day stretched ahead of them, full of promise and peace.

As they stepped outside, the sun was warm but not overbearing, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of blooming wildflowers. The world seemed alive, a perfect backdrop for a day of ease and laughter. Alexander led the way toward a small grove just beyond their house, where a grassy clearing waited, dappled with sunlight filtering through the trees.

—This spot’s perfect— he said, setting the basket down and spreading out the blanket. He patted the fabric with a flourish and grinned. —Welcome to our private dining room.—

Eliza laughed, easing herself down onto the blanket with his help. —It’s perfect, Alex. Thank you.—

From the basket, Alexander began unpacking their simple feast: sandwiches wrapped in parchment paper, a jar of strawberry preserves, slices of cheese, and a small cake that Eliza immediately recognized.

—You made the spice cake?— she asked, surprised.

—Of course— he replied, unwrapping it with a sheepish smile. —it’s your favorite. Besides, I needed to use up those spices before they lost their magic.—

She reached over and squeezed his hand. —You’re incredible, you know that?—

He shrugged, but the flush on his cheeks was undeniable. —Just doing my best.—

They sat side by side, savoring the food and the tranquility. Birds chirped melodiously above, and the occasional rustle in the bushes hinted at small woodland creatures going about their day. Eliza leaned back on her hands, letting the sun kiss her face.

—So— Alexander began, breaking the comfortable silence. —What do you think our little one will be like? Will they love picnics as much as we do?—

Eliza chuckled. —I think they’ll love whatever we show them. If you keep up the spice cakes and picnics, I don’t think they’ll complain.—

He tilted his head, imagining the future. —Do you think they’ll be a dreamer like you or a planner like me?—

—Hopefully a bit of both— she replied thoughtfully. —But whatever they are, they’ll be loved beyond measure.—

Alexander reached for the guitar he had tucked into the basket. —Well, if they’re going to be a dreamer, I’d better start teaching them the right music.—

The music floated on the breeze, and Eliza found herself humming along. Before long, her head rested against Alexander’s shoulder, her eyes drifting closed. The gentle melody, the warmth of the day, and the promise of the life they were building lulled her into a rare and peaceful moment of contentment.

When the song ended, Alexander set the guitar down and looked at her. —Betsy?—

—hm?— she murmured, her eyes still closed

—Thank you for this— he said quietly. —For everything.—

She opened her eyes, meeting his gaze. —it’s not just me, Alex. We’re in this together.—

He nodded, and they sat in silence for a while longer, the world around them a perfect cocoon of joy and tranquility. The day stretched on, each moment a testament to the beauty of the simple, shared joys of life.

taglist: @hamliza-trash @pippasop @koriees @blow-us-all-away-died

[wilderness-of-thoughts]

Before :

"..."

"..."

"... So.... How did you do that?"

"Will you believe me if I tell you that my boss did it because he was angry that the faucet was leaking?"

"...nooo?"

"Soooo, that was a nasty, spiteful, selfish little imp who made himself at home in my apartment."

Your probably-boyfriend pressed his lips together tighter as he stared at the faucet.

"Is your apartment haunted?"

"By the worst possible devil."

"Should I find you an exorcist?"

"Naaaah. I have a strong frying pan."

Luca, because we need to give a name to your probably-boyfriend fixed your faucet. The metal was so twisted, bent, contorted, and tied in a bow that it was hard to believe it was made by a human. It's no wonder that Luca believed the haunting version more than the one that your boss did it. Although both versions were true.

Gojo didn't like him. He was curious about what kind of guy was trying to usurp you, true, but he still didn't like him. And he didn't like the fact that he had no actual logical reason to dislike him. Luca was normal, average looking, average-well-built, stereotypical nerd with a beard. He was nice to you, you didn't complain about him, he didn't hurt you, he didn't cheat on you (unless fapping to 2D chicks counts as cheating), and he doesn't swear.

Overall, you didn't come across too badly. And that pissed Gojo off the most. If he had any logical reason to get rid of the guy from your life, he could have explained this strange feeling. Like he was losing something. Like he was losing something... Someone.. very important.

His ego was huge.

You were his subordinate. More precisely, the subordinate of his subordinate, so! You were his double subordinate! But why did it hurt so much? Not even physically. Gojo remembered perfectly the pain and emptiness after Geto, words could not describe what he felt then. And as Gojo sat now, hidden in your room, listening, he felt as if that same nasty feeling was lurking somewhere around the corner.

His ego was huge.

"Alright, done. I hope the demon won't destroy your tap now..." Luca wiped the sweat from his forehead, and you, like an idiot, checked if water would come out of the tap. "Hey, can I take this junk home?" he asked, holding the old faucet in his hand.

"Um, sure?" You tilted head to the side. "What do you need it for?"

"It'll look great on next D&D session." He explained with an innocent smile as he packed his haul into his backpack.

Luca would probably have stayed with you longer, but he made one big mistake that evening. When you were standing at the sink washing dishes and getting ready to make something to eat - Luca entered your room. He first headed towards your computer, probably to show you another stupid video he dug up from the depths of the internet. But when the machine turned on and showed your new desktop with Satoru's selfie, Luca grimaced slightly.

"Is this some kind of model?" He shouted, turning on the browser.

"WHAT?!" You shouted back from the kitchen.

"That handsome guy from your computer!"

"oh.. he..." You were now peeking through the door frame, holding a piece of raw meat in hand, "he's my boss"

"... Huh?"

"Just before he got sick, he was here and changed my wallpaper." You smiled innocently. Luca minimized the window and looked at the photo again.

"... Smash." He said after a while. You rolled your eyes as you went back to the kitchen. Luca continued, “Do you think I’d be a top or a bottom?”

"With Gojo? Hmmm I think... Bottom"

Luca leaned against the doorframe with his arms folded across his chest, looking at you preparing food. You finally have a working sink and you can cook something without a problem! You could do this before, but washing dishes in the bathroom seemed... Strange.

"I'm sure I'd be the top. Just look at him, he seems so... " Luca thought for a moment. You glanced at men out of the corner of your eye, curious about what he had to say, and froze. A red glow emanating from behind him. Oh shiiit...

"Gojo is not just top or bottom! Gojo is everything!" You shouted loudly so that little Satoru standing behind Luca could hear you. At the same time, you dropped what you were doing. "Does it matter anyway? You don't know him... And you probably never will." You said, approaching him with a nervous, forced smile.

"Unless you invite him to the wedding." He replied, looking at you with a light and tender smile. He was unaware that he was digging his own grave.

"um..." You never knew how to answer him in moments like this. On the one hand, you don't want to hurt him by saying no, but on the other hand, you're getting on in years and you should think about the future. Half a loaf is better than no bread - They say. Luca didn't wait for you to answer him though. In his opinion, you were a full-fledged couple, so he simply turned around to go back to your room.

"New?" He asked, snapping you out of your thoughts.

"Huh?"

"That figure kind of resembles your boss." Luca leaned over Gojo, who was pretending to be one of the dolls. Satoru got into a sitting position and closed his eyes. He wanted to tear Luca apart and honestly, he didn't need a reason to do it anymore. You saw Luca reach out to take Gojo in slow motion. Your heart was pounding in your ears. You'll become a probably-widow before you become a probably-wife if you don't stop him now!

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" You screamed so loudly that you surprised yourself. Luca froze and looked at you in shock, Gojo too. You had never raised your voice like that, your face was red, you were breathing fast and before the Chosen One knew it he was already in your hands. You hugged him tightly to your chest as if he was your most precious treasure, at the same time you looked at Luca in such a hostile way that he didn't know how to react.

And then, as if by magic various objects started flying towards him... He seriously considered the story with the demon.

∆∆∆

It was the middle of the night, you were on your bed with Gojo lying on you. After the bites in the morning and his behavior around your maybe-boyfriend, you hadn't spoken to him. But this time, unusually, Satoru didn't mind. There was too much going on in his little head, and if you talked to him, he might say too much.

His ego was huge.

It's like he has multiple selves in his head, all shouting contradictory information at the same time. Gojo was glad that you found someone who may not be worthy of you, but at least he wouldn't hurt you - but at the same time he was bitter that you had time to find someone at all. He wanted to yell at you, hurt you with some strong words, insult you, call you weak - and at the same time praise the ground you walk on, so that you would understand that you are capable of someone better.

Unable to control the chain of these contradictory thoughts, Satoru could only let them flow. He tried to suppress them, but he couldn't. His little fists clenched the material of your shirt, his cat ears quivering slightly.

Chaos. There was chaos in his head. To make matters worse, as if sensing his emotions, you didn't sleep. You petted him tenderly the whole time. Slowly the warmth of your hand became more and more apparent to him. The screams in his head died down to the sound of your breathing.

Your breath. How can so little mean so much to him?

"Hello..." You whispered quietly as if you were greeting him after a long journey.

"Hi" he replied equally quiet.

"We both know you'd be top."

He forced a laugh and turned his head so as not to look at you. Sometimes he wondered if your brain was on vacation.

That night, despite everything, he slept. In his sleep, he gently nibbled on the skin between your collarbones.

Next:

[discotitsposts]

allow me

reid insisting on carrying readers bags

use of she/her

After being dragged out of bed by Penelope, whose apartment you had spent the night at after having a little too much to drink, you go into her bathroom and try to make yourself presentable for work.

When you arrive you and Penelope continue giggling about last night. You plop down at your desk laughing. Spencer is staring at you so you wave at him and his pen flies out of his hand and lands on the floor.

“I was not that drunk. I knew where I was.” You say.

“You asked if we had landed in Oz yet.” Penelope giggles. The corner of Spencer’s mouth turns up in a slight smile at the thought of you, sloshed, asking if you were in Oz yet. Penelope says good bye to you and leaves to go back to her bat cave. Then Hotch steps out of his office and looks down into the bullpen.

“Reid, (Y/L/N),Morgan. You’re going to be going with Rossi for a conference in California. Pack for warm weather, you’re leaving tomorrow is that alright?” You three all nod excitedly. You guys would have to be crazy to not want to go to sunny California to escape the freezing cold of Virginia in January.

“Oh come on!” Prentiss complains. “I wanna go!”

“We need you here Emily.” Hotch stares seriously at her. Emily scoffs and rolls her eyes at you.

You laugh at her mockingly. “Ha ha! Hotchy needs you here. No sunny California for you.”

“Not fair.” She crosses her arms and leaves, presumably to go complain to Penelope.

“Wonder if we’ll meet any special ladies, how about it Reid. You like Cali girls?” Morgan punches Reid’s shoulder jokingly. Reid rubs his arm where Morgan punched him. “Not really.” He looks up at you.

“Hey how about you Princess, you like the beach guys with surfing muscles.”

“She doesn’t.” Reid quickly shuts down Morgan’s statement annoyed. He knows you well.

“Yeah Reid’s right it’s not really my thing. I like my guys weak and nerdy. I am excited to see the sights though.”

“Only sights I’m excited to see are the ladies!” Morgan cheers and walks off.

You shake your head and giggle.

“How about you smarty pants?” You ask nonchalantly. Using the nickname you had coined for him when you’d met.

“How about me what?” He cocks his head confused, much like a puppy would.

“You excited to see the beautiful people of California.”

“Oh, no not really.” He looks away.

“Maybe he’s excited to run into Lila again.” Morgan had come back with more coffee. He places an extra mug on your desk. You thank him and sip it. Feeling your heart break like a fragile glass vase one had thrown at a wall. You had just finally forgotten about the fling Reid had had with the actress.

“Actually, if we ran into her I’d run and hide. We didn’t exactly end on the best of terms. I think I said something wrong. She never spoke to me again.” Spencer frowns.

You can’t stand hearing this. He deserves someone wonderful.

Unfortunately, that someone couldn’t be you.

Could it?

You stand up, starting to grow more upset by the second. Feeling the tears pinch the back of your eyes. You speed walk away to the nearest empty office and keep pushing the tears back until you lock the door behind you.

“Why, hello.” You hear someone say. You scream as the rolling chair spins around. It’s Penelope.

“Pen, you startled me.” You put your hand over your heart to slow down the rapid beating.

“Startled or interrupted a crying sesh?” She taps her chin with her fluffy pink pen.

“I wasn’t crying.”

“Sure you just have pink eye or something then.”

“What are you even doing in here?” You ask her trying to change the subject.

“Well, pumpkin, I was trying to have some much needed me-time to journal without seeing icky things on my computer. Plus, Prentiss keeps trying to convince me to hack into the directors computer and put her name on the list of agents who are going to the lovely C.A. Let’s not change the subject though. You,” She slams her journal shut, “Came in here to cry.” She leans forward like the Godfather.

“On the day of your daughter’s wedding?” You imitate the movie line and laugh. Penelope cracks up and loses it laughing, “That was really funny but you’re trying to distract me. I know what goes on with you people, you’re my family.”

“Ok fine, I got a little bit upset because Reid and Morgan mentioned the whole Lila situation. What if he sees her again in California? What if she realizes she made a mistake and wants him again? What if he-“

“Pump your brakes.” Penelope quotes Morgan, “I’ve been telling you, Morgan says Reid won’t shut up about you when they’re hanging out. He’s crazy about you.” She says while spinning in the chair staring at the ceiling.

“We should make this into a girl cave.” You admire the bare office. Penelope points at you. “Good idea. We’ll only tell Prentiss and JJ though.”

“For sure.”

“Task at hand now, If you won’t tell Reid you’re also crazy about him, I’ll get Morgan and we’ll do to you and Reid what we did to Scott and Pamela.”

You gasp. “You wouldn’t dare you evil woman!” You say in shock, only half joking, a little scared.

The context was, Scott and Pamela were two people who used to work in the BAU long before you and Reid got there. They were best friends who were in love but too oblivious to see it. One day Morgan and Penelope realized they needed to team up and make this happen. Morgan told Scott he’d meet him next to an old office and Penelope had told Pam the same thing. When they arrived, Morgan and Penelope pushed them into the office and locked it. The two, stuck in the same room for a period of time talked about their feelings and had been in the middle of a hot and heavy make out when the door unlocked. They had gotten married and were now on their sixth child. Happy as can be. They were legendary as the greatest love story of the FBI.

Penelope picks up her phone. “Beep boop beep.” She pretends to dial Morgan. “Hey Morgan, we need to pull an Operation Love Makers again.” You’re laughing until she puts the phone on speaker and you hear Morgan’s laugh. “NOO!” You yell.

“Oh, it is on you smart beautiful woman.” Morgan praises Penelope. She smirks at you. Mortified at what may happen, you run out of the office and race home to pack for California. You think about fleeing the country to escape your feelings but decide against it. If anything went wrong you could follow your best friend’s advice from back home, “Deny, deny, deny.” As she had always said.

When you’re packing up your car at 4 a.m. you start to realize maybe you over packed. It was only a week, but it was also a week! Who knows what may happen. You needed all of this stuff. Both your suitcases and four duffel bags later, you arrive at the airport on the dot. 6:53 a.m.,your watch reads. You groan groggily and pull into the space next to Spencer’s car. You can hear Morgan chanting excitedly, “Private jet, private jet, private jet!”

“Allow me, m’lady.” You hear from behind you. You spin around and see Spencer reaching for your bags.

“Oh no, I have too many you don’t need to do that!” You try to pry some of the bags from his hands but he doesn’t let you. Morgan starts cackling when he sees Spencer weighed down by all your bags, stumbling. You racing to keep up with him and making sure he doesn’t topple over.

“Spencer why are you doing this? I overpacked please let me carry something. I feel really bad.”

“No I’m your baggage claim boy today.”

“What?!” You yell after him. Spencer got a sudden energy burst and ran to the jet as fast as his legs could carry him and all your luggage. “Spencer wait!”

Morgan sneaks up behind you, “Operation Love Makers is a-go. Thank you your sexiness.” He says to Penelope over the phone.

“I will anxiously await your return my handsome hero! Keep me updated!” She hangs up.

“Oh this was your doing?”

“Hey, all I said was it’s considered chivalry to carry the bags of the girl who’s the object of your affections, he’s the one who ran with it.” You look up and notice Spencer struggling to get up the stairs of the jet. He falls backward and hits the tarmac.

You run to him and yell, “Spencer! Are you alright? I told you you shouldn’t have carried that much!”

Spencer lets out a strained, “I’m fine.”

“Pretty boy just bruised his ego a little. Come on kid, you’re ok.” Morgan takes the weight of your bags off him and brings them onto the jet. You try to help him up but he refuses.

“I’m alright, really.” He stands up and gets onto the jet. You feel really bad, he got hurt because of your luggage. You’ve been feeling like the more he’s around you, the more he’ll get hurt. Maybe you should avoid him for a little bit.

When everyone’s settled on the jet, you pick one of the sofa seats and lay down. You see Morgan whispering to Spencer.

“I brought you coffee, your favorite flavor.” Spencer’s standing there smiling and holding a mug. You’re about to take it when the jet hits turbulence and poor Spencer spills the hot coffee all over himself.

“Morgan get a towel. Oh my god, Spencer I’m so sorry.” Morgan runs over with a towel and you rub it on Spencer’s shirt trying to get the coffee out.

“It’s not your fault. It’s fine, I’ll just go change.” He stands up and grabs a shirt from his bag and leaves to change in the restroom. You all hear him let out a blood curdling scream. You feel worse. Poor Spencer kept getting hurt whenever he tried to do something nice for you. You turn to Morgan.

“Stop making him do things! Operation Love Making off! I can’t stand to see him keep getting hurt.” You whisper-shout.

“It’s Operation Love Makers actually and yeah maybe it went a little off the rails. Maybe it needs to be a more ‘vanilla’ task next time. Get it?” Morgan says laughing while holding up the vanilla flavored creamer Spencer had used in your coffee. You scoff and walk away. “Come on that was funny!” He calls after you.

You don’t go near Spencer the rest of the flight. Afraid you’ll jinx him again. Your theory was turning out to be true, when you were all leaving the jet, Spencer had yet again grabbed your luggage and got down the stairs all right. Unfortunately, you two were going to be sharing a hotel room. It was when he brought them to the hotel room, he had accidentally slammed the door and didn’t realize his tie was caught in the door making him smack his face into the wall.

“Not again! Spencer are you ok?” You open the door and get his tie out.

He groans and falls to the floor. “Just fine. I look like an idiot though.”

You sit down next to him. “No you don’t. Maybe it’s me. I’m starting to think I’m a jinx.”

“No no don’t say that. It’s me, I’m just clumsy.”

“This has been happening whenever you’re around me. If you want to switch rooms I would understand.” You touch his face where he hit the door. He winces at the pain and you grab some ice wrapped in a towel and hold it on his cheek.

“Why would I want to switch when I got lucky enough to be in the same hotel room as you?”

“Lucky? Spence look at yourself. You’re bruised all over.” You frown. “You practically got third degree burns on the jet.”

“Oh so you’re the one who made the jet run into turbulence?” He smiles softly.

“No but I…”

“It’s not your fault.”

“You’re right it’s Garcia and Morgan’s”

His eyes widen, “You know?” You nod and he looks anywhere but you, he’s so ashamed for trying to get your attention.

“Spencer, you didn’t need to do all this. I was already infatuated with you from day 1.”

He throws his hands up dramatically. “Why didn’t Morgan tell me? Why didn’t you tell me?”

You shrug. “I thought you didn’t like me back.”

“The eiffel tower has 20 apartments inside it.”

“What?” You ask confused.

“I thought we were saying things that weren’t factual.”

This makes you laugh. “How many apartments does it have?”

“Two.”

“Really? Can you imagine living inside the eiffel tower?”

“That would be the worst. No privacy. All the tourists.”

“What if you were just walking around your apartment naked in the morning and someone takes a picture.” You say giggling. This cracks Spencer up too.

“I have an actual question.” Spencer’s face turns serious and it scares you.

“What?” Your eyes widen.

“Why did you bring so much luggage?” He laughs.

“Oh, you never know what you may need. I’d rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.”

“Good advice. Got any more?” He leans in slightly, testing the waters.

“Yeah, when a girl tells you she’s liked you back since day one it’s considerate to kiss her.”

“Allow me,” He kisses your lips, enjoying the feeling. It was like when two puzzle pieces fit together perfectly. You pull back to answer.

“Oh I allow it. You can do that whenever you want.” You say leaning back in. The pieces falling together yet again.

One hour later

Derek Morgan and Rossi are walking down the hallway of the hotel. They’re going to invite Spencer and you to have dinner. When they get to your door, they notice something.

“Do not disturb?” Rossi reads the little sign hanging on the door. “The hell are they doing?”

Morgan presses his ear to the door and hears faint moaning. “I think we should let them be alone.” He pulls away from the door and they leave.

the end

enjoy💘

i’ve had this in my drafts forever!!!!

tags 🍓-

if you would also like to be tagged in future works pls comment a 🍓

-

@whoisspence

@starshinegarcia

@fictionalobssed

@exoticisles

@in-another-april

@gallifreyan-idiocracy @reidsatellite

@luvkatryna

@kissesforspence

[cleighwrites]

Work Buddies

SPN Fanfic

Characters - Jensen x Jared

Summary - Jared and Jensen work for Kripke Enterprises which has a strict “No Dating” policy. Will they make it through an upcoming presentation without causing an HR nightmare?

Word Count - 2,636

A/N - This is an early birthday gift for @buffywoo!! Hope you feel better soon, babe! Prompted and beta’d by @jld71, thanks again!!

***In other news, this is my 601st post!! WILD!***

Warning - NSFW, shameless flirting, anal (fingering and sex), top!Jared, power bottom!Jensen

Read it on Ao3

Kripke Enterprises was notorious for its severely strict “No Dating” policy. It was all well and good as far as Jared was concerned. He’d broken up with his girlfriend before moving and he was hardly ready to jump back onto that particular horse. That was until he was paired with someone from advertising for a new project. 

Jensen Ackles was the epitome of gorgeous. He had a jawline that could cut glass, perfectly decorated with just the right amount of facial hair. His cheekbones were high, eyebrows expressive, and eyes as bright as emeralds. His hair was perfectly styled and his legs adorably bowed. Jared hardly knew where to look while they were introducing themselves. 

Jim, not Mr. Beaver, insisted they work together over the course of the following weeks to come up with the perfect presentation to show to Mr. Kripke for a new apartment complex on the other side of town. Jared being a contractor, and Jensen being in advertising, had to make the plans and concepts both appealing and economical for the company and any future tenants. 

Jensen’s smile disarmed Jared’s brain every time he laughed at some offhand comment Jared made. Jared had always been told he had a particular sense of humor that not all people appreciated. Jensen’s mind seemed just as dirty as his, as he’d chuckled or outright laughed whenever Jared made a lewd observation, which was often. 

It turned out that they had a lot in common. In addition to being Cowboys fans, they both had parents who were still married and a younger sister and older brother. They’d both grown up in Texas and followed their passions to get to where they were at Kripke Enterprises. 

They grew close over the weeks. Jared caught himself on more than one occasion staring as Jensen chewed on his pen while he thought, wondering what it would feel like to have those plush lips around his cock. He’d shake his head, laugh at himself, and then shrug when Jensen would raise a brow at him. 

When their presentation was finished, Jared decided to make a move. 

“Let’s grab a drink tonight,” he suggested to Jensen as they packed their bags to go home. 

“Yeah, alright,” Jensen agreed. 

Jared felt what he’d only ever heard described as butterflies in his stomach. He’d known Jensen would say yes, but that just meant he had to go through with his half-baked plan of getting Jensen into his bed. Step one was drinks. 

“Where’d you have in mind?” Jensen asked once they were outside. 

“How about Sagebrush?” Jared proposed. 

“They have live music there, right?” 

“Yeah, but I don’t know about tonight,” Jared admitted. 

“That’s cool, I’m up for anything,” Jensen said with a dazzling smile.

“Anything?” Jared asked, voice dripping in innuendo. 

Jensen cackled. Head thrown back, lean neck on display, just asking for Jared’s teeth to sink into. “You know me, man. I’m always down for a good time.” 

Okay, step two was drinks, step one was laying the groundwork. 

Step two was well underway, they were on their third round of Scotches when Jensen leaned over and tapped Jared on the arm. He leaned even closer and brushed his lips over Jared’s ear as he whispered. Jared broke out in goosebumps. 

He pointed to a couple that was dancing a few feet away. “What do you bet they’re gonna go fuck in the bathroom before the next set?”

“I’d take that bet. They’re halfway there already!” Jared responded. 

Jensen laughed and Jared’s gut pulled at the sight. He’d seen Jensen laugh before, tons of times over the weeks, but there was something freer about Jensen after a few drinks. He was looser and less… controlled. 

“Hey,” Jared said, following Jensen’s lead and leaning in close to speak into Jensen’s ear. “You wanna get outta here?” 

Jared leaned back to get a read on Jensen’s reaction. Jensen looked him right in the eyes, calculating. Jared was sure he’d said too much too soon until Jensen grew a shy smile. 

“Yeah, sure.” 

“Yeah?” Jared asked, hopeful. 

“Yeah. This place is kinda loud, anyway.”

“Yeah,” Jared said, downing the rest of his drink and standing. 

They both grabbed their suit jackets and bags and then left. Once the door shut behind them, Jensen turned to Jared and then stepped up to him. Not sure what was happening, Jared took a step back and Jensen followed. After a couple of steps, Jared’s back hit the wall. Jared laughed, but Jensen was all business as he pressed in on Jared and planted a kiss on his lips. 

Jared was stunned at first, but very quickly got on board with the turn of events. He grabbed Jensen’s hips and pulled him in close. Jensen’s hands were around Jared’s face and his fingers ran through the longer strands at the back of his head. 

Jensen pulled away far enough for them to catch their breaths, but kept their foreheads pressed together. “God, I’ve wanted to do that for the longest time,” Jensen admitted, breath ghosting over Jared’s mouth. 

“Same,” Jared said, leaning back in for another kiss. 

Jensen kissed him quickly, then pulled away and held his hand out to help Jared off the wall. “Your place or mine?” he asked, a wicked grin on his face. 

“Do you have lube?” Jared asked.

Jensen shot him a look that answered the question for him. 

“Who’s closest?”

After revealing their addresses and figuring out whose place was the quickest to get to, they took off in the direction of Jensen’s apartment. It was only a few blocks, so they hoofed it, hand in hand, glancing at each other and smiling the entire way.  

At the door to Jensen’s apartment building, Jared pressed himself against Jensen’s back, grinding his erection into Jensen’s ass. Jensen pressed back and groaned as he had to try his key for a second time to open the door. 

Jared took his grousing as impatience and nibbled on his ear lobe, ya know, to aid the situation. 

Jensen leaned into the attention, then grumbled, “You’re not helping.”

After his third attempt, Jensen opened his door and Jared wasted no time getting them into a more private space. Once the door shut behind them, Jared had Jensen pressed against it and their mouths sealed together. 

Their hands crawled under each other’s shirts and Jared finally got to feel Jensen’s bare skin under his fingers. Jensen was warm and solid yet pliant under his touch. When Jared couldn’t take it anymore, he moved away from Jensen’s mouth and worked his way down to his throat. Jared could feel the reverberation from Jensen’s groan through his lips. 

“I’ve been waiting for this,” Jensen said.

“Patience is a virtue,” Jared responded against Jensen’s pulse. 

“Fuck you.” 

“No, fuck you,” Jared corrected. 

Jensen moaned again and gripped Jared’s shoulders. “Fuck me.” 

“That’s the plan,” Jared said, pulling back and looking Jensen in the eyes. “Right?”

“Yes,” he confirmed. “Please,” he added leaning in for another kiss. 

Jared knew he’d give Jensen anything and everything he’d ever ask for. How could he deny him anything? Especially when he asked so prettily. 

“Bedroom?” Jared asked. 

Jensen nodded then shoved his shoulders away from the door. “Right this way,” he said with his arm out like he was about to give Jared a tour. 

Jared followed, pressed against Jensen’s back and pressing kisses along his neck and shoulders. When Jensen walked them into his room, he flipped on the light and turned in Jared’s grasp. They kissed again, only breaking apart to remove each other’s shirts and kick their pants and shoes off. 

Down to their boxer briefs, Jensen led them to his bed. He kissed Jared until he backed up and sat on the edge of the bed, then he pulled away and dug through his nightstand drawer. He grumbled to himself a moment then said “Aha!” and pulled out a bottle of lube and a condom. His smile was blinding and Jared couldn’t help but respond with one of his own. 

Jensen kissed him again, this time slipping himself between Jared’s legs and gently leaning him back against the mattress. Jared went willingly, holding Jensen in his arms to bring him down on top of him. Without their slacks in the way, their cocks drug against each other, wet spots on their briefs getting them sticky with precome. 

Jared was drunk on the little noises Jensen made, the quiet grunts and soft moans when their cocks would slide together just right. He wanted to live in this moment forever, but there were literally more pressing issues that required immediate attention. 

Deciding that it was time to move things along, Jared rolled over toward the head of the bed, landing Jensen on top of his pillows. Jensen chuckled and rearranged the pillows and himself while Jared grabbed the lube and condom and worked his briefs off. He grabbed the waistband of Jensen’s briefs next and moved them slowly down his hips, careful not to get them hung on Jensen’s impressive dick. 

Beautifully bare to him, Jensen lay there, looking at Jared while Jared did the same. He was just as attractive naked as he was clothed. They were both cut, and Jensen’s perfectly dark pink tip dribbled precome onto his belly. Unable to control himself, Jared reached forward and grabbed hold of Jensen’s cock, giving it a few slow strokes. 

“Oh, God!” Jensen groaned out, shoving his head back into a pillow. 

Jared smiled, he loved seeing Jensen come apart and being the one to bring him there. Jensen whimpered when Jared let go so he could start prepping him. As soon as he heard the snip of the lube bottle opening, Jensen raised his legs and held himself spread out for Jared to be able to get to him easily. Of course, Jensen was well groomed everywhere, he was a sight to behold. 

After a moment of appreciation, Jared coated a few fingers with lube and set to work. Jensen was tight but relaxed enough that Jared had no issue stretching him open quickly. While Jared worked his fingers in and out of Jensen’s tight hole, he took Jensen’s cock into his mouth and got his first taste of him. He was addicted already. Jensen fit perfectly into Jared’s mouth, all the way to the back of his throat. 

Jensen moaned and groaned and grunted his way through being prepped. Jared could live in this moment for the rest of his life. Knuckle deep into and choking on Jensen. If he’d had hair, Jared would be burying his nose into it, as it was, Jared’s nose was rubbing deliciously against Jensen’s slick, bare skin. 

Once Jared could easily shove three fingers into Jensen, he considered him prepped. As quickly as he could, he slurped his way off Jensen’s cock, rolled the condom on and slicked himself up. While Jared was busy, Jensen rearranged himself on the bed, settling more toward the middle. Jared kissed his way up Jensen’s legs, torso, and neck until he finally got to his mouth. As they kissed, Jared used one hand to line himself up and the other to hold himself over Jensen. 

Jared thrust in slowly, giving Jensen ample time to adjust to the intrusion. He was squeezing around Jared so tightly that Jared was afraid of hurting him if he moved too fast. Jared kept his eyes on Jensen’s flushed face as he thrust in, prepared to stop at the first sign of distress. 

He couldn’t get over how gorgeous Jensen was. Long lashes fluttered while Jensen kept his eyes squeezed shut. His perfectly plush lips formed a sensuous “O” whenever he breathed out. His skin was flushed a delicious pink that made the spackling of freckles across his face stand out. 

All too soon, Jared bottomed out and Jensen’s eyes fluttered open. He made eye contact with Jared and his flush deepened. His eyes shone like a perfectly polished moss agate; Jared couldn’t look away if he wanted to. 

“You can move now,” Jensen told him, voice rough and attractively ragged.  

Jared’s cock twitched at the sound and Jensen clenched back. They both groaned at the sensation. Jared did as he was told and pulled out, not quite as slowly as he’d entered, but still unsure of hurting Jensen. He was quite aware of how endowed he was and had bad experiences in the past. Once he was pulled out to the head, Jared pushed back in a bit faster. 

“I can take it, I won’t break, promise,” Jensen said breathily. 

“If you’re sure,” Jared said, increasing his pace. 

Jensen smacked his ass and pulled his hips forward to drive his cock in deeper, then ground his hips against Jared’s pelvis. So, Jensen was a power bottom, noted. Jared took his cue and started to fuck Jensen in earnest. If he wanted it, Jared would give it to him. 

After a few minutes, they were both sweating and breathing heavily. Jensen was taking him beautifully and Jared couldn’t think of ever having had a better partner. He gave as good as he got, and Jared had a lot to give. 

Two position changes later, Jensen was practically singing as he moaned with every thrust. Jared reached around and started tugging at Jensen’s cock. With a few well-aimed thrusts, Jensen was coming all over his bedspread. His entire body went rigid with it and Jared was being squeezed like a vice. After a few more thrusts into Jensen’s tight channel, Jared was pumping his release into the condom. 

Jensen collapsed onto the bed, to the side of his mess, and Jared followed suit, landing behind him with his cock still lodged in his ass. They lay there and breathed for a moment and then Jared held the end of the condom and slipped himself out. Jensen let out a breath once Jared was out and shuddered at the loss. Jared tied off the condom and paused for a moment. 

“Trashcan’s on the other side of the nightstand,” Jensen supplied. 

“‘Kay,” Jared said, leaning over the side of the bed and tossing the filled condom into the trash. 

Jared wasn’t sure what he should do next. Was Jensen a cuddler? Would he stay the night? Would they eat something before bed? Jared sure had worked up an appetite. 

“Getting cold over here,” Jensen said, reaching a hand out for Jared. 

Jared followed his lead and laid back down behind Jensen, curling around him and holding him close. Jensen exhaled a deep breath and settled into Jared’s embrace. 

“We’re going to have to go to HR on Monday,” Jensen said after a while.

Jared started. “What, why?” 

“Because I’m gonna wanna do this again and we both know how Kripke is about his dating policy. We’re never going to be able to work together again.” Jensen chuckled to himself. 

Jared kissed Jensen’s neck. “I could definitely do this again.”

Jensen playfully elbowed him in the ribs. “I didn’t mean right now!” 

Jared kept kissing Jensen’s neck. “But I’m hungry…” 

“Then we should eat something,” Jensen said, laughing. 

“I could eat you.”

“Maybe later.” Jensen rolled over to face Jared, a serious look on his face. “Pizza or tacos?”

Jared didn’t even think about it. “Tacos.”

“A man after my own heart.” 

They both smiled at each other until Jensen climbed down to the foot of the bed to grab his phone out of his pants. Jared laid back and enjoyed the view as Jensen lay on his stomach and placed an order on his phone. Chuckling to himself, he thought about the nightmare this would be for HR and had to admit to himself that he didn’t care. It would be worth it to be with Jensen.