#'oh they lived in the same house and probably shared a bed! so romance obviously!' ... implying that in order

[the-knife-consumer]

Grah as someone who does sort of like zelink its just??? Disappointing? Disheartening? That people are SO hellbent on them being an explicitly romantic couple and getting mad at others for being like "oh i just see them as friends :)" and coming onto people's posts where they are portrayed as friends or just close with no romance and being like "uuuum actually theyre MARRIED theyre in a RELATIONSHIP! BC OBVIOUSLY you can NEVER share a house with someone without being married! Zelink canon 😏 cope seethe🔥" like do you understand how painfully annoying that is

[dreamy625]

This rockstar life - 3.3 Birds of a feather

Words: 1458

Content: There’s some casual drinking in this one

-----------------------------

Jess orders two straight vodkas and two vodka tonics. She downs her shot the minute the glass hits the bar and motions Alice to do the same.

“Come on, I’ve only got two hours before I have to be back for the babysitter.”

Alice screws up her nose but does as she’s told, while Jess scouts out a table.

The minute they sit down Jess demands “Right, enough of the polite small talk, tell me about your man! How’s it going? Are you desperately in love?”

Alice puts both hands over her face, from behind which comes an ‘eeeeeeeeee’ noise. 

“So, that’s a yes then?”

Alice lowers her hands until just her eyes are showing and nods vigorously. “Yes, so very much yes. It’s… oh god…” She flaps her hands, fanning her face, “I’ve never… loved anyone with such… abandonment… before. It’s kind of scary.” Noticing her cousin’s smirk and raised eyebrows she adds, “Oh I don’t mean… you know… well, maybe a bit… no I mean… without restraint. Oh god, that sounds dirty too!”

Jess is still grinning, quite enjoying Alice’s flustered attempts to avoid double entendres.

“I mean not being careful with it, not hiding what I feel, not playing any of those stupid games. Feeling all the feelings. You know that cliche ‘he has my whole heart’? Well he does, pathetic shrivelled thing that it is. I just… tied a bow round it and pushed it into his hands. Basically on our first date. It’s ridiculous. I’m ridiculous.” 

“No, you’re happy.”

Alice smiles down at the table “I am happy. I’m… dizzy with it. But not crazy like I used to get. Dizzy but… tethered.”

“And does this heart-stealing boy feel the same about you?”

“I hope so. I think so. Maybe not so… dippy… as me, but he seems really… certain. He was pretty fast-forward from the start, no hesitation, even when I was still cautious. He gave me his house keys on our third date, and said he loved me on the fourth.”

“That is quite full-on.”

“Well, all of those dates were two or three days long, so it probably counts as a couple of months in normal romance land.”

Jess doesn’t look entirely convinced, and when she says ‘and now you live together’ it is almost a question (even though obviously, having initiated this get-together with a letter sent to the newly-shared home, she knows it to be true).

“Yup. I guess… six weeks? Officially. But really I went for the weekend after Christmas and never left, so it seems like longer.”

“Well I suppose it’s good that you’ve got something stable.”

Alice gives a wry smile, “Oh we’re very unstable. Individually and as a pair! But it feels… strangely safe. I trust him with my heart.”

“Very poetic.”

“I am a poet.”

“But do you really know him well enough, for that trust? In such a short amount of time?”

“I hope so. The way we started… in the hospital… I heard all the bad stuff right off.” Jess is leaning in looking extremely curious, but Alice knows those are not her secrets to tell. “If there was something worse that he was hiding from me, it would have to be that he killed someone! But I’ve seen all the good stuff too. He’s so gentle and funny and sweet, but not, like, too sweet. Not soppy.”

“Sticky sweet?”

Alice gives her A Look.

“What? I’ve been playing the album.”

“ANYWAY, he’s lovely and thoughtful and nice to me and so amazingly talented…”

“And cute?”

“SO cute!”

“And good in bed?”

Alice opens her mouth to reply and then catches herself and clamps her lips together. “Cheeky cow! I’m not telling you that!”

“You don’t need to, you’ve gone the same colour as that ketchup bottle!”

Alice puts her hands back over her face. “Stop cackling! People are looking at us.”

“So do you have pictures?”

“You know what he looks like, he’s in all those magazines.”

“Those are rockstar pictures, I want boyfriend pictures.”

“I’ve got some in my wallet.” She reaches for her bag.

“Are any of them naked?”

“Ew! No! Jesus. You’re such a nice girl and then you get one drink inside you…”

“Two.” corrects Jess, draining her glass and pointing questioningly in the direction of the bar.

“Sure, I’ll get them.”

When Alice gets back to the table, she takes a couple of photos out of her wallet.

“Now I’m only showing you these if you promise not to go all Dorien Green* again?”

Jess adopts a demure and innocent pose, so Alice passes over the pictures. One is Steve sitting on the bed in a bathrobe, absorbed in playing his guitar; the other is mostly just his face, smiling and squinting slightly at the smoke wafting from a cigarette held just out of shot. When Alice pictures Steve in her head, that is how he always appears - grinning and wreathed in smoke. 

“He’s alright I suppose.”

“He’s beautiful. Give him back.”

She strokes the photo as she puts it back behind the plastic window. Jess shakes her head, but her expression is kinder than the gesture might suggest. 

“So, fess up, did my mum tell you to come check up on me?”

Jess laughs “No, but my mum will actually combust with nosiness if I don’t tell her some of it! Which she might then report back to your mum. So if you’d like me to omit some of the juicier details?”

“Leave out the dizzy thing… and the hospital… and the poetry, and definitely the ketchup. Actually can you just say I’m happy and with a nice man and no more mental than I was before? And say I looked really fat.”

“Sure. It’s gonna take me so long to explain what heavy metal is that she’ll be bored before I even get to your bit anyway.”

“Oh, leave that part out too. Just say musician or something. Oh I don’t know. I don’t care. Just say whatever you like. My mum’s met him anyway. Or at least, cried at him while he stole her wayward and ungrateful daughter away from her. So the whole long hair and earrings thing isn’t going to be a shock to her.”

“Sounds like that was quite a scene?”

“It was pretty grim. Steve tried to be friendly but they were having none of it. Dad sulked. Mum wailed. The neighbours watched avidly like vultures. And I haven’t been back since. I miss Magda, but nothing else really.”

“You’re too old to live with your parents anyway. You’d go weird. Turn into one of those girls who knits and has gerbils.”

“Hey, I knit! No gerbils though.”

“Got out just in time. But seriously Ali, you are okay aren’t you? I know it’s romantic or whatever, but it has been really fast. And… I’ve been reading stuff… your sweet guy has some issues.”

“Don’t believe everything you read. Especially if it’s written by that arsehole from Kerrang. Of course he’s got problems, everyone’s got problems. But the music press make it out like he’s some… selfish hedonist, partying every night for the hell of it.” She does air quotes, “£1000 drink and drugs binge lands rocker in rehab” and rolls her eyes. “It’s not like that.”

“What is it like?”

Alice glances around warily, “He’s just… dealing with stuff… the best he can. Like all of us. I can’t really talk about it. Not here anyway.”

���It’s okay, I understand. I just worry about you… that you’ve been swept up in something that might be too much to handle…”

“Really, I’m fine. Don’t I look fine?”

“You look like Kensington Market* threw up on you, but sure, apart from that you look good. Are you eating?”

“Yes Mum.”

The mention of motherhood jolts Jess out of cousinly confidant mode and reminds her of her other responsibilities. She looks up at the clock over the bar, “Oh shit! I’m going to be late.That gum-chewing delinquent I left my firstborn with is going to want overtime.”

With a hurried hug and cries of ‘Love you’, ‘Love you best’, the two girls part, Jess dashing to the station and Alice walking back to Tube-less Chelsea and the house and person that have made it home.

(May 1990)

—-------------------

* Dorien Green is a character in the 90’s British sitcom ‘Birds of a feather’ who was an unashamed ‘cougar’

* Kensington Market was an old ramshackle shopping centre in London with small independent shops, in the 80’s and 90’s mostly catering to goths, punks, pagans, and other ‘alternative’ cultures. If you wanted a corset, blue hair, or a piece of metal poked through any part of your anatomy, you could get it at Kensington Market

[ming-yu-hao]

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder | Chapter 3

Pairing: fratboy!mingyu x female reader

Word Count: 6k

Synopsis: When you transferred to a different university, you and Wonwoo promised that you would make long distance work. But distance proves to be more difficult than you both originally thought.

This Chapter’s Tags: angst, protected sex, finger sucking, grinding, light choking/spanking/dirty talk, mingyu just being an ass man, riding, cheating obviously

Warning: THIS SERIES IS ABOUT CHEATING. DO NOT READ IF IT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE!

A/N: Y’ALLLLL I’m sorry this took me forever to upload... I just got super busy but there won’t be as long as a wait for the next chapter! As always feedback is appreciated and I hope you guys like this :)

Chapters: Previous | Next | Masterlist

Your knees quivered beneath you as you pulled the soft fabric of your leggings up your thighs and over your hips. You bent down to pick up your shirt that was still balled up on the floor, and when you stood again you could hear the bed rustle behind you as Mingyu shifted his weight.

Guilt didn't hit you until you slipped your shirt back over your head, fully dressing yourself once again.

What had you done?

Without looking at him, you spoke: "I think I should go now."

He was silent.

You stepped over to the door, your hand about to twist the knob when he finally called out to you.

"Y/N."

You looked at him. He was sitting up on his bed; his dark hair was a mess, hanging over his forehead. His lips were parted like he didn't know what to say.

"Um, don't forget your jacket. It's cold outside." He pointed to your jacket that was still discarded on the floor.

"Oh, thanks," you said with your voice wavering. You quickly picked up the jacket and headed for the door again.

"Text me when you get home, okay?" Mingyu rushed to say. The corners of his mouth quirked up into a thin, awkward smile and you nodded your head in response.

Why did he suddenly care? He used to just be some guy you sat next to in class. When did he want to become your friend? When did he start to become protective over you? Was this all really just because of his half-drunken encounter with you at that party? Did the moment you two shared that night cause him to feel some kind of attachment to you? Thinking about it all made your head spin. Nothing made sense to you anymore.

You turned the knob and cracked open the door when Mingyu spoke again.

"Um, also... you know, if you ever need anything... I'm here for you." His voice shook a bit.

You exhaled. "Thank you."

You slipped out of his room before he could say anything else and stepped down the stairs quietly, attempting to dart out the front door before anyone could see you. There was a small group of people hanging out in the living room like Mingyu had said, their laughter and conversations loud and echoing through the house.

When you reached the bottom of the stairs, you kept your gaze down at your feet while you scanned the floor for your shoes.

"Y/N?" You heard a voice call from behind you.

You huffed out a quiet breath in frustration before turning around with an overly sweet smile on your face. Your eyes landed on Seungcheol.

"Oh, hey! It's weird not seeing Jisoo following you around." You joked.

Seungcheol smiled sheepishly. "Yeah..." He trailed off, looking down at the ground.

"Are you guys dating?" You probed with a raised eyebrow.

"I wanted to talk to you about that, actually." He admitted, making eye contact with you. Curiosity plagued you, and you stared at him expectantly as you waited for him to speak. "I wanna do something special for her when I ask her out... just cause, I don't know, I really like her." He stammered nervously, lowering his voice so no one could eavesdrop.

You gave him a genuine smile. You were happy that Jisoo had found someone that truly liked her. Ever since the beginning of the semester, she had been cycling through an array of terrible guys that used and ghosted her. Seungcheol seemed like a genuinely good person; you trusted him to take care of her.

You brought your hand to your chin as you pondered for a moment. "Well, if I'm being honest, she's, like, a huge hopeless romantic. Loves cheesy romance movies and stuff." You started, "If you took her out to a nice dinner and walked around some really pretty, romantic place after, that'd be her dream come true."

Seungcheol nodded, his eyes glazed over in deep thought as he acknowledged your advice. "Yeah, that sounds like her." He smiled. "Thanks."

You nodded. "So... how did the raffle go?"

"It went really good, actually." He responded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "The money's going to a child psychology organization. I've been doing research with them for a few months now."

Your eyes lit up in interest at his story. "That's really cool. Have you discovered any groundbreaking research yet?" You half-joked.

He chuckled, "I guess a little bit."

A lightbulb suddenly went off in your brain. "Hey, do you think I could interview you about all this research stuff you've done? I need to write an article for class."

Seungcheol shrugged. "Sure."

You spent the next few minutes probing him about how he got involved in the program, what he had been researching, his motivation to study child psychology—all while taking down notes on your phone. He explained to you how he had struggled with anxiety his whole life and wanted to find a way to help others. In the back of your mind, this was all affirming why he was such a good match for Jisoo. He was caring, passionate, charitable. Your heart warmed at the thought of Jisoo finally settling down with someone who was actually a good person.

Your interview came to an end and you thanked Seungcheol for helping you out. He nodded before glancing down at the jacket you were carrying in your arms.

"Were you planning on leaving?" He asked.

"Yeah, I need to go work on homework and stuff." You answered.

He attempted to suppress his smirk by biting his lip. "You and Mingyu didn't get much work done together?" He raised his eyebrows at you.

You felt your heart drop into your stomach. "What?"

"Relax, I'm just kidding." Seungcheol laughed. "He just seemed comfortable with you earlier, you know?"

The tension in your stomach loosened a little as you realized that he didn't actually know what happened between you two. This is exactly what Mingyu was worried about earlier. So it was true that Seungcheol liked to play matchmaker and get involved in everyone else's relationships.

"There's nothing going on between you guys?" Seungcheol questioned after you didn't respond.

You felt your cheeks grow hot with irritation. "No. I have a boyfriend." You said curtly.

Seungcheol's mouth formed an O-shape at the sudden coldness in your tone. "I-I'm sorry, I was just kidding." He quickly apologized.

"It's okay." You sighed. You glanced around for your shoes, avoiding his regretful gaze.

"Well, I really have to get going. Thanks for helping me out." You said as you slipped on your shoes.

He smiled apologetically and walked you over to the door. "See you, Y/N!" He called behind you as you stepped out into the cold.

You buried yourself in work for the next two days. You figured it was easier to just get lost in the flow of doing assignment after assignment rather than to think about what happened.

But no matter what you did, your mind still wandered back to that moment—when your lips finally met Mingyu's, and his body pressed against yours.

The worst part was that you didn't even try to stop him: you had agreed to it, and God, you even thanked him for it! You weren't even sure if you could regret what happened. You hated yourself for betraying Wonwoo's trust, but at the same time you craved attention and affection. Mingyu just happened to be the one that fulfilled your wishes after all this time.

You would never tell Mingyu that, of course. Honestly, you were unsure if you could even face him about it. He could tell that you felt guilty afterwards. If you just finished this stupid project and avoided him for the rest of the semester, he would probably get the hint and leave you alone.

It was Saturday evening when you typed the last words of your article on Seungcheol and his research. You hadn't talked to Mingyu since you left his room on Thursday night, but you needed him to complete his share of the work. Sighing, you picked up your phone and pulled up your messages with him. You quickly explained what kind of pictures he needed to take and told him to send them to you (so you could avoid seeing him anymore than you needed to).

You clicked out of your conversation, and that's when your eyes landed on the messages that were still unread by Wonwoo. You wanted to ask him what he was doing, but after three days with no response, it felt pathetic to even attempt to strike up a conversation now.

The sound of the door knob jiggling startled you before Jisoo busted into the room a moment later.

"Y/N!" She cheered in a sing-song voice. "We have another party to go to tonight!"

You already knew exactly where this party was going to be, and you felt your stomach drop at the thought of running into Mingyu.

You shook your head. "No way, Jisoo. I'm way too busy." You lied.

She pouted her lips at you. "Really? You've been working nonstop. How're you still not done?"

You shrugged and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Well, you can take a break for a few hours. I promise I won't leave you this time. You can hangout with me and Cheol." She begged, looking at you with wide, saddened eyes.

Your phone vibrated between your hands, and when you glanced down you saw Mingyu's name on the screen.

Mingyu: I'm actually gonna be out studying and working on some stuff with a friend tonight. I promise I'll get the pics for you tomorrow :) Sent at 7:37 PM

You thought it was a little weird for a guy like Mingyu to be studying on a Saturday night, but when you realized that he wouldn't be at the party, relief flooded over you.

You looked up at Jisoo and saw her still expectantly staring at you, waiting for your response.

"I- I guess I could go for a bit."

"YES!" Seungkwan shrieked as he successfully landed another ball in one of Jisoo's cups. He turned to you and wildly smacked your palm in a high five, nearly hitting you in the face. Your stomach was starting to hurt from laughing for the past ten minutes over the intense match of beer pong in front of you.

The crowd around the table reacted loudly, some cheering and some booing as Jisoo downed another cup of alcohol. She shivered at the taste and Seungcheol came up from behind to pat her on the back. His lips moved as he said something to her, but with music blasting through the house so loud, you couldn't make out a single word.

Your phone vibrated in your back pocket. Without much thought, you pulled it out and quickly glanced at the screen.

Your heart sank into your stomach as you realized: Wonwoo was calling.

"Fuck," you muttered under your breath. You had completely forgotten that Saturday's were now reserved for your FaceTime dates.

You looked up at everyone with wide eyes, but they were too immersed in the game to notice your reaction. You pushed your way through the crowd and slipped into the bathroom before Jisoo or anyone else could come looking for you.

By the time you reached the bathroom and locked the door, the FaceTime call had already stopped ringing. Leaning against the door, you scrolled through your contacts and called back, but only as a phone call.

Wonwoo answered after two rings.

"Hey, everything alright?" He asked.

You swallowed. "Uh... yeah."

"Why didn't you FaceTime?" He continued. You hesitated, but then he spoke before you could say anything. "Why is it so loud? Where are you?"

You cursed yourself for not running away to a room that was farther away from all the music and noise outside the door. Fidgeting with your fingers, you answered: "A party."

"Oookay," he scoffed. "You could've at least let me know if you were gonna go out. But it's fine. Have fun, I guess." He responded coldly.

Your brows furrowed together instinctively. Now it was your turn to scoff at him. "You're not serious, are you?" The skin of your face grew warmer. Wonwoo was quiet. "I forgot. Sorry." You admitted through grit teeth.

"Why're you so mad?" He questioned in a defensive tone.

You rolled your eyes. "This is the first time I've ever cancelled on you and it was an accident. Do I need to remind you of all the times you ditched me?"

Wonwoo didn't respond.

"And what the fuck have you been doing the past three days that you couldn't respond to me?" You spat. Blood was rushing through your veins quickly now as anger took over.

He sighed through the receiver. "I was busy."

"Does it really take that much time to send a text to your fucking girlfriend?" Your voice began to rise. "How do you expect this to work if you don't even talk to me?"

"I'm sor-" He began to speak, but you interrupted him.

"You know, sometimes it feels like I'm dating nobody!" You cried. "Do you even realize how lonely I feel?" Your voice shook with each word as your throat grew tighter; tears welled up in your eyes. You didn't want to cry, but all the frustration you had bottled up the past couple months was finally spilling over.

In a calm voice, all Wonwoo said was: "I'm trying."

"Not hard enough." You scoffed.

"What the fuck, Y/N? Where is this coming from?" He cried. The sudden rise in his voice startled you a bit.

The phone shook in your grasp. "You act like I don't even exist! How can you call that trying?"

"Fuck, I'm not dealing with this right now. Go back to your stupid fucking party." He snapped.

"Yeah, just go and ignore me again!" You laughed sardonically.

The three tones of the call ending sounded abruptly. You looked down at your phone in shock. He had hung up on you.

Your hands balled into fists as you threw your head back against the door. Your jaw was tense, but your bottom lip still quivered.

He had done it again. It seemed it was becoming easy for him at this point—abandoning you when you needed him.

This wasn't going to last much longer if the two of you couldn't figure this out.

When you pressed your lips into a thin line, tears slipped down, staining the bags under your eyes with makeup.

Was he giving up on you?

Your head began to pound. You couldn't stand being in this hot bathroom any longer, much less this party in general. You wiped your cheeks with the back of your hand and turned to unlock the door.

As you took a step out of the bathroom, you kept your gaze locked on your feet; you didn't want anyone to notice the state you were currently in.

Not even a moment after opening the door, you collided with a tall, warm body.

"Sorry," you mumbled, pushing past.

"Y/N?" A familiar voice called. Strong hands grasped your forearm, and you glanced up at the figure.

Mingyu.

What force was bringing you back to him once again?

His lips parted in a small gasp as he noticed the redness in your tearful eyes. "Hey, what's wrong? Come here."

Before you could protest, he guided you back into the bathroom, closing and locking the door so no one could bother you two.

You kept your eyes down at the ground, unable to look at him. As he approached you, the heat of his skin radiated against you.

"I thought you were out studying." You spoke, breaking the silence.

Mingyu's hands found your jaw. He ran the smooth skin of his thumbs over your cheeks, wiping the tears that remained. "I finished early," he explained.

"Look at me," Mingyu whispered. You swallowed and blinked before meeting his eyes.

You didn't notice the thin, black-rimmed glasses that were resting on his nose before. His dark hair was pushed back, and his tan skin glowed under the bathroom light. You hated how instinctively drawn you felt to his presence.

You started to think that Kim Mingyu might be the Devil, disguised in the form of a beautiful boy that always knew the right words to say. He was here to tempt you, to swindle you at your most vulnerable moments, to test your fidelity. And you were weak enough to cave in.

"Is it your boyfriend?" He asked.

The gaze he held on you was so intense that you found yourself staring at the frames of his glasses instead of his eyes. You nodded silently in response to his question.

"Talk to me. What happened?" Mingyu cooed as he stroked your cheeks with his thumbs.

"I-" You started, but let out a sigh instead. "We just fought. I don't know. I don't wanna talk about it." You rambled.

"Okay," he nodded. "Sorry if I pushed it." He removed his hands from your face. The skin suddenly felt cold without his touch.

He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. "We can talk about something else."

You stood still, nodding, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"You know," Mingyu started, "You look really pretty. Even when you're crying." Your skin flushed at the compliment.

Rolling your eyes playfully, you wiped the last remnants of makeup off your cheeks. "Is that your go-to line for every girl?" You joked.

"No," he replied. "Just cause I'm in a frat doesn't mean I'm a douche."

You snickered under your breath. "Yeah, but there's gotta be so many girls that hit on you."

"There's some," he shrugged. "Doesn't mean I flirt back."

Your legs were beginning to grow tired from standing, so you walked over to the counter and sat on the edge. You gripped the ledge to keep your balance, swinging your legs back and forth.

Mingyu stood in his same spot, but turned in your direction. He quirked his eyebrows at you. "Are you suggesting that I'm attractive enough to have hundreds of girls swooning over me?" He shot you a teasing grin.

You chuckled and shook your head. "You wish."

Mingyu's jaw dropped in a fake expression of shock as he came closer to you, but he stood to the side to stare at himself in the mirror. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Since when do you wear glasses?" You inquired.

"Since forever." He replied.

Mingyu placed his hands on the edge of the counter, pushing his weight onto them. The muscles in his arms were prominent through his black shirt. Your eyes dragged across his figure, eventually landing on his face again.

"I like them. They look good." You said.

He glanced at you, his eyes laced with hints of suspicion. "Thanks," he said with his voice a little uneven. He cleared his throat and stood up straight. "Did I help get your mind off him a bit?"

You winced at the mention of Wonwoo, but nodded. "Yeah, you did. Thank you." You exhaled.

Mingyu smiled to himself and his eyes met yours once again. "Good. I feel like it's the least I can do to help."

As you stared at him, you admired his features—his soft, clear complexion and plump lips. You suddenly became aware of how close he was to you; his hand was resting only a few inches away from your thigh. Your mind thought back to how it felt when those hands caressed the bare skin of your body. Impulsively, your thighs pressed together at the revisitation of the memory.

The room felt like it had instantly shot up ten degrees, and the heat left your judgement clouded like a foggy mirror. If Mingyu really was the Devil, his plan was working.

You leaned towards him until your face was only a few inches from his. Your breath caught in your throat as you went to speak.

"I really wanna kiss you right now." You admitted quickly, your eyes focused on his lips.

Mingyu backed away. "Are you drunk?" He asked. His eyes were wide with concern as he scanned you.

You remained where you were, embarrassment creeping up on you as you rapidly shook your head. "I haven't drank anything."

Mingyu chewed on his bottom lip. "I- I don't think it's a good idea. After last time..." he trailed off, glancing up to peek at your reaction. "I don't want you to do something you'll regret again."

"I don't regret it." You blurted before you could stop yourself.

You weren't sure what you were doing or where you wanted to go with this, but you couldn't stop. A feeling of lust had possessed you at this point, controlling your every word and action.

Mingyu looked taken aback at your confession, standing up straighter. His lips were parted in uncertainty, but you watched as his eyes flicked down to look at your lips.

"You don't?" He asked, inching closer to you.

Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest now. You quickly shook your head. "No."

His right hand found a place to rest under your chin, tilting your head up to look at him as his face neared yours. He swiped his thumb over your bottom lip.

"Are you sure?" He whispered.

Desire had overcome you so strongly at this point that you couldn't bring yourself to answer him through words. Instead, you crashed your lips onto his.

Mingyu responded eagerly, his kisses fueled with the same amount of force. Your hands quickly found purchase on the nape of his neck, pulling his body closer to yours. Right as you spread your legs to allow him to stand in between them, Mingyu's tongue darted against your lips, slipping into your mouth when you parted your lips for him.

He placed his left hand on your inner thigh, roughly squeezing the flesh between his fingers as he deepened the kiss. You moaned into his mouth, and he dragged his other hand down to the small of your back to pull you closer to him.

Now your core was pressed against his. Mingyu removed his lips from yours, only to place open-mouthed kisses on the area below your ear. You jerked your hips up as he nibbled lightly on the skin, the friction between your thighs growing.

Your jaw hung open as your arousal increased with each moment; your breathing became heavy while you panted into his ear. He sucked on your collarbone, and a chill shot it's way up your spine. You whimpered loudly and you could feel Mingyu smirk against your skin.

"You sound so pretty," he mumbled, his lips brushing against your skin as he spoke. He lifted his head, his tongue poking out of his cheek while he observed you. Your head was thrown back, eyes half shut, and you were ever so slightly grinding your hips against his for the smallest bit of relief.

Mingyu brought his fingers up to your lips, tapping on the soft skin to catch your attention. "Suck," he said, watching as you obediently parted your lips for him. He shoved two of his fingers into your mouth and pressed them down against your tongue. You could feel wetness building up between your legs. Even though it wasn't anything extreme, Wonwoo never did stuff like this with you in bed. You had to admit, all the new things that Mingyu was introducing to you excited you.

You hummed against him as he stuffed your mouth, almost gagging when his fingers neared the back of your throat. You swirled your tongue around his digits before he quickly pulled them away. You opened your eyes, staring at him in confusion, but his hungry gaze was already locked in on your core. He fumbled with the button of your jeans, and you felt your arousal suddenly spike at the thought of his fingers inside you.

You helped him shuffle your jeans over your ass and down to your knees. He bit his lip as he stared at your clothed heat, his cock stiffening beneath his own jeans, and pressed his dampened fingers to your clit through the fabric of your underwear.

You gasped quietly at the contact, but it wasn't enough. "Mmh, Mingyu," you whined. "Please."

"So needy," he teased with a smirk on his lips. He slipped his fingers beneath the fabric, pressing into your slick folds. His breathing grew heavier. "How're you so wet? I barely even touched you." He breathed against your cheek before he pressed a soft kiss to it. You blushed at his teasing words.

Mingyu rubbed your clit in slow circles, spreading your arousal around your folds. He pressed his lips to yours again, swallowing the moans you were letting out. He dragged his fingers down your heat, teasing your entrance by avoiding it. You clenched around nothing.

"Mingyu, I need you," you muttered against his lips.

"My fingers?" He questioned teasingly, pushing the tips of his digits into your core.

Desire was eating away at you, clouding your thoughts and replacing them with lust-filled ones. You bucked your hips up into his hand, whimpering beneath him.

"No, I want... you." You panted, looking up at him. Embarrassment picked away at you due to your vague request. His eyes appeared even darker than usual as he stared down at you with lust, registering what you were asking for.

Just as he was about to speak, the door knob shook, followed by loud pounding on the door. You jumped, and Mingyu quickly pulled his fingers away from your heat, leaving you with nothing.

"Open up!" A voice called from outside the door. "I have to piss!"

Oh, how wonderful.

You looked to Mingyu with wide eyes, and he motioned for you to stand up. "Pull your pants up!" He shouted at you in a whisper as he wiped his hands on his jeans. He stepped away from the counter, pressing his lips together in frustration as he realized the tent in his pants was painfully obvious.

You pushed yourself off the counter, standing up with shaky legs as you quickly pulled your pants over your hips and re-buttoned them.

The door knob jiggled again. "I'm literally gonna piss myself if you don't open this door in five seconds!" The same voice cried.

"What do we do?" You whispered to Mingyu.

He sighed. "Get out of here as fast as possible and go to my room." Your stomach flipped at the mention of his bedroom; you were really about to go through with this. He reached his hand out for you to grab, and you took hold of it as he led you both to the door.

Mingyu fumbled with the lock, and the door busted open a moment later, revealing a very drunken boy on the other side. He looked both of you up and down. You ducked down slightly, attempting to hide your face behind Mingyu's broad shoulders.

"Fuck, Mingyu? Really? The bathroom?" The boy said with disgust.

Mingyu rolled his eyes, his hand squeezing yours tighter. "Fuck off, Soonyoung." He replied before rushing out of the bathroom with you following close behind.

You couldn't help giggling at Mingyu's comment. He glanced over his shoulder when he noticed you laughing, a smile finding its way to his own lips as he chuckled at you. "Was I too harsh?" He joked.

Mingyu dragged you through the house quickly, and when you reached the bottom of the stairs, he pushed you in front of him to lead the way. You rushed up the steps, and when you neared the top, a sudden smack was delivered to your butt.

You let out a cry, followed by laughter of disbelief. "Mingyu!" You exclaimed with your jaw dropped once you reached the top of the stairs.

Mingyu stood behind you, his hands gripping your waist. He giggled into your ear. "I'm sorry, your ass is so cute." He placed a soft peck to your cheek.

"Let's go," he whispered, his voice suddenly an octave lower. Your stomach twisted, and Mingyu began leading you towards his room with his hands still on your hips.

He let go of you to twist the knob and push the door open, but as soon as you stepped foot into his room, his hands found your waist again and hurriedly pushed you further past the door. He kicked the door closed behind him, pushing you up against the wood. His lips quickly found yours, kissing you with even more intensity than before.

You could barely catch your breath as Mingyu gave you more rough kisses. He was being taken over by lust; he pressed himself against you, allowing you to feel the hardness in his pants. You ran one hand from his shoulder down his chest and stomach, feeling the muscles beneath his shirt tensing at your touch. Finally you palmed him through his jeans and he groaned against your mouth.

"Fuck, you're driving me crazy." He whispered before placing one more messy kiss to your lips. He pulled away to slip his fingers under the hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head quickly and tossing it to the floor. His lips found your neck again, and you moaned as his tongue darted out to lick your sensitive spot. His hands were on your ass, pulling you closer to him and squeezing the soft skin.

Your head rolled back. "Shit, Mingyu," you moaned. "I need you now."

Mingyu pulled away to look down at you with a grin on his face. "Yeah?" He raised his eyebrow. He spanked your ass lightly, causing you to whimper and lean into him. "Go to the bed." He demanded, stepping away from you.

You walked to the bed, trying to swing your hips to hide the nervous wobble in your knees. You felt Mingyu come up behind you, his body pressing against yours. His stiff cock was brushing against your thigh. You turned around, sitting on the edge of the bed as you looked up at him.

"When are you gonna take this off?" You questioned while toying with the fabric of his shirt.

He chewed on his lip as he smirked at you. Without a word, he pulled it over his head, exposing his muscular arms and toned chest. Your eyes dragged hungrily over his torso, drinking in the sight of the outline of his abs.

"Better?" He teased, interrupting your admiring of his body. You looked up at his face. His glasses still rested on his nose, but his hair was slightly disheveled and his lips were now pink and swollen from kissing yours. You were breathless. He was beautiful, and you wanted him so badly.

You perked up from the position you were sitting in, a surge of confidence driven by desire guiding you. "Lie down," you commanded. Mingyu looked taken aback for a moment as he processed your sudden dominance, but he just chuckled and laid down without protest.

Once his back was against the mattress and he was splayed out beneath you, you crawled up towards him, straddling his hips. You dragged your hands down his chest, admiring the softness and warmth of his skin while you began to grind against him.

Mingyu threw his head back as he moaned softly, and you felt yourself clench at the sound. You leaned down, pressing your chest to his as you left kisses on his neck. His hips bucked up into your center. The friction between your bodies was so intense it was driving you insane.

You felt his fingers drag across your spine, causing goosebumps to from across your skin. He fumbled with the clasp of your bra and pulled the straps down your arms. You sat up to fully pull it off and throw it somewhere in the room, and Mingyu quickly brought his hands to your breasts. He squeezed the sensitive buds, twisting your nipples between his fingers. You moaned and pressed your hips into his even harder.

"Ride me," Mingyu mumbled into your ear. Unable to form any words, you nodded, reaching for the button of his jeans.

You lifted yourself off him to help him unzip his pants, and once he started pulling them off you kneeled to the side to discard your own jeans. Just as you began pulling your underwear down your thighs, Mingyu reached for the nightstand next to his bed, shuffling around in the drawer and eventually pulling out a condom.

He pulled his cock out of his boxers, and it stood stiffly against his stomach. He quickly ripped open the package, sliding the latex over his shaft. You straddled his thighs again, about to sink yourself onto him when he quickly grabbed your hips.

"No, no." He said. "Turn around."

You looked at him in confusion. "But-"

"Just trust me," he added, pressing a soft kiss to your chest.

You turned around so your back was facing him, still straddling his thighs. He kept one hand on your waist as the other reached for his cock. He guided the stiff head through your folds, wetting his cock with your arousal. When the tip brushed against your clit you whimpered as you clenched around nothing again.

"Please, Mingyu," you whined.

He dragged the head down to your entrance, finally pushing into you. Both of his hands rested on your hips now as he slowly sunk you down onto him.

You moaned at the slight burning sensation the stretch left behind. It had already been months since a dick was last inside you, and with Mingyu's size it was even more intense.

You aided by lowering yourself onto his cock, and once he bottomed out inside you he stayed still to let you adjust. His dick twitched inside you, and you clenched around him in response.

"You're so fucking tight," he moaned into your ear. He began nibbling and sucking at the skin between your neck and shoulder from behind you, and you whined in response.

You lifted yourself off him slowly, basking in the feeling of his cock rubbing against your walls. You sunk down fully onto him before raising your hips again, finally beginning to ride him.

Mingyu allowed you to work yourself against his length while he brought one hand to your breast again. You moaned loudly as he squeezed the flesh between his fingers and bucked his hips up into you.

"Mmmh, shit, you feel so good," you babbled before crying loudly again. Mingyu quickly brought his other hand up to your throat, lightly choking you.

"Shhh, baby." He whispered against your skin. "You can't be so loud." His words were followed by another soft slap to your ass, making you whine quietly.

He let go of your throat, bringing both of his hands to your waist once again to speed up your pace. He angled his hips so he could thrust up into you at the same time, and the angle caused him to hit your sensitive spot every time. You panted loudly as the pressure in your lower stomach grew, and you ground yourself against his cock, clenching around him.

"Shit." Mingyu choked out breathlessly. "Tight little pussy's taking me so well."

Maybe it was the filthy words that left his mouth, or the way Mingyu took hold of your hips to slow your pace and thrust into you especially hard, but you felt yourself tip over the edge, your mind cloudy as pleasure overtook you. You couldn't even tell if you were crying out loudly, but you assumed so by the way Mingyu suddenly pulled himself out of you and pushed you forward until your face was pressed into the mattress and he was kneeled behind you.

He thrusted into you roughly now, trying to reach his own high. Your eyes were rolling back into your head as your core tingled with oversensitivity, and you could feel yourself drooling onto the sheets.

He came with a particularly rough grunt, pausing his movements as his cum emptied into the condom inside you. He moaned breathlessly and he slowly pumped himself in and out of you to milk his orgasm. Finally, he pulled himself completely out, and his hand ran across your spine.

"You okay?" He asked, and you lifted yourself onto your hands and knees, nodding. Mingyu looked down at your legs, his lips dropping in a slight gasp. "Your thighs are shaking." He noted out loud.

Your face burnt with embarrassment as you kneeled back onto your knees. When you finally turned to look at Mingyu, he was tossing the condom into the trash. His hair was now pressed to his forehead with sweat and his cheeks were tinted a shade of pink. When his eyes met yours, his lips quirked up into a smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get rough with you." He apologized. He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.

You shook your head. "N-no, it's okay," you croaked out, finally able to formulate words now that all the post-orgasm bliss was fading away.

You didn't know why, but you felt like you had to be near him. You crawled up towards him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. It felt natural. Comfortable. It reminded you of how you felt with Wonwoo. And despite how much you enjoyed feeling Mingyu's soft lips against yours, that thought terrified you.

"Do you regret this?" He mumbled against your lips.

It scared you—the way you were able to betray Wonwoo so easily. Here you were, in bed with another boy: one that you shared inside jokes with and stole kisses from and ran to for comfort. All that you had built with Wonwoo over the past two years—were some miles apart really enough to tear everything down?

You answered honestly.

"No."

[thetiredbiwrites]

And then...

Dad!Tony x Son!Reader

(mentions of Uncle Rhodey)

Anon: // hello can you do angsty tony x Son reader. Tony and reader has strained relationship and they we're not in good terms, Tony prefer Peter than his son but it got change when both of them got kidnapped, they been together for a few days and slowly they reconciled. Soon they got save by the avengers but the Son Reader notice that one kidnapper pulled a weapon to Tony then R save his father, he got shot then Tony is scared to see his son dying. Its up to you the ending. ☺

A/N: Thank you for the Tony request 🤗🤗 Hope this is ok! (I love dad!Tony, I think he’d be so good...even though this fic is on a different note🤔😂)

Warnings: Cliff hanger end. It was getting pretty long and I wanted to upload something before bed (which also means it hasn’t been checked but oh well, I’ll re-read it tomorrow) BUT I do plan on doing a part 2 :)

(Also swearing, just always assume swearing)

Words: 3100+

Tony’s relationship with his son had always been strained. Ever since he was practically dumped on his doorstep at 4 years old.

Tony had no prior knowledge that he has a kid, none of the women he’s been with had ever even told him they were pregnant. But if he was being honest with himself, it didn’t surprise him. With the way he got around it was bound to happen eventually.

He just wished he’d known from the beginning.

Having a 4 year old left in his care with no warning put him in a whole new territory he was completely unprepared for.

A baby gives you time to prepare and are essentially a ‘blank slate’ at birth. A 4 year old has experiences, like and dislikes, routines, a connection to someone who abandons them with a stranger…

At the time, Tony was still a playboy, out at events and travelling a lot. As well as CEO of a company manufacturing weapons for the military. He didn’t have time for a child. To break through recently arisen trust and abandonment issues and build a relationship.

He cared about his son. Always made sure he had everything he needed or wanted, a good education and was in good health. But forming personal, emotional connections can’t be done with money, and Tony could barley cope with his own true emotions.

It quickly became clear that they did not share talents or interest in maths, sciences or mechanics. His son struggled especially with maths and Tony initially really did try to help, finally thinking something was in his element and he could bond.

But elementary (followed by middle and high) maths was so simple and automatic for Tony’s brain that he found it difficult to slow down and explain the process to the young boy.

He hired a tutor in his place.

That’s not to say Tony expected or needed his son to be a genius in the same subjects as him. He didn’t need his son to follow him (or his father) to be worthy of his time. But it would have made it easier.

Instead, his son excelled in English and arts, and was amazing in the kitchen. He loved to write stories, create pictures to accompany them and experimenting with new recipes.

Unfortunately, Tony did not excel in these areas, thus distancing them further.

At least he wasn’t taking after his father though. He didn’t force his son into one path or degrade him. No forcing him to grow up, giving him alcohol at a ridiculously young age or sending him away to be completely alone.

Tony often wondered himself if he’d have taken the path he did if his father hadn’t pushed him. If he’d be the same person without the verbal abuse and constant neglect of his father.

He wasn’t blind to his emotional distance and lack of bond to his son. Or to the connection the boy had to both Rhodey and Pepper. He could see that his son was connect to the two people he trusted the most and he was glad.

When Rhodey was available, being in the air force meant he wasn’t always around, he made sure to take the boy out, go to school events and even read his stories, giving feedback and support.

Pepper made herself available if he ever needed to talk and was always willing to taste test.

Even Happy was around to take him where he needed to go, training in the gym and joke with.

So even if the young boy didn’t have a relationship with his father, he had adults around to support and love him and help him through life.

It didn’t stop him wishing he did have a relationship to his father though.

 While MIA in Afghanistan, Tony realised he wanted to try harder to build a relationship to his nearly teenaged son.

It didn’t happen.

He returned home and completely changed his company, which required a lot of time. His guilt also led in him to putting on that damn suit and trying to save the world.

And then he nearly died from palladium poisoning.

And then New York was attacked by aliens and the avengers were formed.

And then Tony had PTSD; anxiety, panic attacks and nightmares.

And then ‘terrorists’ blew up their house and nearly killed Happy and Pepper.

And then murderous robots.

And then the avengers broke up.

And then Tony worked with the UN to amend the accords and set up more help and cleaning crews. Back to lots of travelling.

And then…

And then… Peter.

It never eased up and his son turned 18.

His son made excuses over the years. He genuinely was busy and obviously struggled with relationships. Maybe he’s just not paternal? You can’t blame someone for trying to save lives either.

Of course he was aware it isn’t all on Tony, he could have tried harder to bond with his father as well.

But then Peter came along.

Scientifically and mathematically gifted Peter.

Superhero Peter.

Enthusiastic, smart and funny 15 year old Peter.

And then Tony had the time.

He made the time.

For Peter.

To talk to him. Help with his homework and superheroing.

Teaching him. Training him.

They spent a lot of time in the workshop and lab.

Tony was always so interested in what Peter had to say. Whether is was about science or mechanics, school, spider-man or even teenage romance.

It came so easily and naturally to Tony.

He had the time.

Even the team had noticed this relationship and dubbed them ‘Iron-Dad and Spider-Son’.

That hurt.

The time he overheard Clint comment, ‘why couldn’t we have had dad-Tony this whole time?’ really stung.

Tony’s been a dad, to a son, the entire time he’s known the avengers.

He didn’t hate Peter though. It’s not his fault and he’s actually perfectly nice. But to see his father so easily bond with another kid in a short time made him realise that he’d never get that father-son relationship.

Tony is paternal. Just not for him.

--

His eyes fluttered open, the ground cold against his face.

Wait, ground? What-

A groan passed his lips as he sat up, pressing a hand to the side of his head where pain radiated.

He blinked the fuzziness from his eyes, trying to remember how he got there, but the last thing he could recall was leaving the Stark Industries event after supporting Pepper.

The room was dull and very basic. With stone walls and floor, no windows, one dim light and two metal framed beds so rusty they would probably break under his weight.

As he glanced back down to the ground, he noticed another body in the room. They were still slumped on the ground and back to him.

Scrambling across the floor, he pushed on the mans shoulder to lay in on his back and see his face.

Dad?

Quickly he checked for a pulse and when he was satisfied with the regular thumping, he moved away, letting out a sigh of relief.

With his back to the wall, arms resting on his bent knees, he waited.

It was only a short while later when Tony began to wake. Groaning and sitting up in the same manner his son had moments earlier.

“Oh God, what the hell-where am I?” He mumbled, clearly unaware he wasn’t alone.

“I was hoping you’d know the answer”

Tony’s head snapped over at the grumbled voice to see his son.

“Y/N. What- what are you doing here?”

“hell if I know. Can’t imagine why anyone would take me. I generally don’t piss people off and I’m neither an Avenger or a tech genius.”

“Maybe they mistook you for me” Tony joke, completely oblivious to his sons disinterested and cold tone.

He shuffled back to lean against the opposite wall as his son scoffed.

“Sorry kid, you got the Stark looks.”

“Yeah, that’s all I got” the young man mumbled, leaning his head back on the wall, closing his eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

Silence fell between them until the door opened.

The two men rose to their feet as two armed guards entered the room, a third following with a tray of unappealing food and bottled water.

Neither Stark was acknowledged as the tray was placed on one of the beds and they turned to leave. They even ignored Tony’s incessant questioning and cocky attitude.

His son stayed silent, taking on of the bottles as he sat back on the floor, still not ready to trust the beds.

“Could they just answer a simple question? They got to have a fucking reason for this.”

“Whatever it is I wish they’d just hurry up with it.”

“What, are you bored? Got places to be?” Tony asked, before taking his seat back on the floor.

“Yes, actually. I have an interview Monday and I’m not ready.”

“An interview? What for?”

“Like you actually care.”

“Hey, that’s not-“ Tony began to object but his son looked over at him and cut him off.

“Unless it’s about Peter or Superhero shit, you don’t want to know. You haven’t magically become interested, you just don’t like the silence and unfortunately I’m the only one here. You never cared about what was actually happening in my life before, why start now?”

Tony stared at his son in shock. It’s hard to make The Tony Stark speechless, but right now he had no words at all.

As his son dropped his head back to the wall, looking away from him, Tony couldn’t take his eyes off his son.

Thoughts ran through his head as he examined his son, becoming aware of how little he really did know.

-When did he get so tall? Not tall-tall though, definitely the Stark gene at work there.

-That suit makes him look so grown up, even if those a-holes took our jackets and shoes. Why did they take our shoes? No. Not important. Focus.

-I care about my son. Come on Tony, think. Something.

-School? Crap, when did I last even read a report card? He’s always aced English. Didn’t he do band? No, shit, that was Peter. Goddamnit, is he right?

“You’re 18.”

“Well done. You want a medal?”

“Is the interview for college?”

His son still didn’t move, wouldn’t even look at him.

“Please, Y/N. I-I know I’ve not really been… present in your life. But I do care about you.”

“Do you?” His eyes burned long repressed anger and Tony prepared himself for everything that was coming. He knew he’d deserve it too.

“You gave up so easily. It was too hard to bond with your idiot son, a shy kid who couldn’t understand simple maths. You’d rather be with women and go to parties, and the company always came first. All you did was throw money at things. For year I was fine with it, you using money to help me. I had more than more. It was clear you struggled with relationships of any kind and I was just dumped on you with no warning. It was fine because I had Rhodey, Pepper and Happy. They were there to talk to, they taught me things and supported me, Rhodey would go to school events whenever he could. I just figured maybe you’re not a paternal person. Then you became Iron Man and started saving the world and I can’t be mad about that.”

Tony stayed silent and watched as his son stood up, running a hand through his hair as he began to pace.

“Then you met Harley and kept in touch with him. You upgraded his garage into a high-tech lab. But he did help you save Pepper and the President so I guess you owed him and I didn’t let it bother me. It wasn’t until Peter came along that I noticed that you are one of the most naturally paternal people I know. You became his father figure, took him in so quickly, bonding immediately. If he needed help, you were there. He wanted to talk, you listened. Whether it’s out being Iron Man and Spider-man, training him, helping him with his school work or just locking yourselves in the workshop for hours building new shit. You’re always there for him. He witters on about some stupid crush for 25 minutes and you hang on every word. But you couldn’t do that for me?! What, did I need to be a genius at maths?! Interested in building extravagant technology?! Would you have noticed me then? You know, you went to Peter’s science show last month but you’ve never been to any of my school events. It was always Rhodey, Pepper and Happy a couple times, or no-one. But never you.”

The young man stared at his father, chest heaving, eyes burning as he held back tears. Yet Tony said nothing. He couldn’t take his eyes off his son. Lips parted and eyes glistening with unshed tears, he just sat, no words coming out.

“Yeah I’m 18 any yeah it’s a college interview. I graduate in a few weeks, Rhodey’s going. I’ve already been accepted to a couple colleges. Only a few months and I can leave.”

He didn’t give Tony a chance to respond as he risked the bed, laying down and facing the wall as he focused on bringing his breathing back to normal.

Behind him, his father watched on as tears fell down his face, guilt taking over his whole being.

Neither of them spoke for the rest of the night. While his son eventually fell asleep, Tony stayed on the floor, thinking through everything his son told him and looking back over the years.

The following morning, two guard came in and took Tony away.

They brought him back a few hours later, unharmed. The younger Stark watched as Tony worried his bottom lip and fussed with his clothes. He noted the troubled look on his father’s face and it was clear that whatever the kidnappers told him wasn’t good at all.

But he remained silent.

Eventually Tony settled, sitting on the floor again. But the two still didn’t speak for a few more hours.

“I’m sorry,” Tony finally broke through the silence and tense atmosphere of the confined space.

His son remained silent but his eyes moved up to look at him. This was enough of an acknowledgement that he was listening and so Tony continued.

“You might not believe that, but I am. I don’t know why it was so hard or why it was so easy with Peter. I didn’t- It wasn’t intentional, I didn’t even realise.”

The young Stark kept his eyes on his father but his face stayed blank and lips sealed.

“And you know, just because maths and science subjects didn’t come naturally to you doesn’t mean you’re an idiot. I’ve never once thought you were. I know the Stark name has become so tied to them, mechanics, advanced technology and engineering… but it doesn’t mean you’re not…good enough? Because you don’t follow that. I never thought you should have been, it didn’t-didn’t disappoint me or anything. But you were always so talented in arts, you wrote the most amazing stories and a complete natural in the kitchen. Things I’m not so great at. It just made it harder for me to figure out how to connect. I didn’t know where to start.”

A small smile flashed across his face, eyes glazed as he recalled the past.

“Y’know, I loved those stories about the uh, the dragons that live on your shoulder. I’d find drawings and paintings of them all over the house, and it was a big house!”

Across from him, his son’s head raised a little higher, eyebrows subtly furrowing and looked at the soft expression on his father’s face. He had no idea Tony even know about those.

“I should have been there, tried harder. There’s no excuse for that. But I have always cared. You were just so talented in things I didn’t understand. Then I saw how close you and Rhodey became and-“

Tony let out a sigh, looking away from his son.

“You were left with me, an egotistical ass and a- a playboy. I didn’t think I deserved you. You deserved someone better. Someone emotionally available and mature. Someone to help you grow into an amazing person and progress your talents. Someone like Rhodey. He deserved you and you him. He was -and is- better for you. You were loved and supported by him, and then Pepper and Happy, so I – I thought you’d be ok. That you wouldn’t need me.”

Once again it was all quiet in the small room. This time Tony wouldn’t look at his son, but he couldn’t take his eyes off his father.

“I did need you.”

His voice was raspy as he admitted this to not only Tony but himself.

“Rhodey’s the best. I love him. Couldn’t have asked for a better Uncle. But that’s what he is; my Uncle. You were supposed to be my Dad. I shouldn’t have had a father figure when my father was right there. You were so cool, before and after becoming Iron Man. You made everything around you seem like fun. I didn’t understand the tech crap but- I’m an artist. I can, and did, design things. It’s not all on you, I didn’t make it easy.”

“You were a kid, it is on me. But, maybe- When we get out of here I’ll do better. I want to be an active part in your life. I also understand if it’s too late though.”

“It’s not. It’ll take time but, I’d like that. Rhodey might get jealous though.”

A huffed laugh slipped past Tony’s lips as they spread into a smile on his face when his son cracked a grin.

They continued to talk into the night, about school, which colleges and courses, friends and dating. Once they started they couldn’t stop.

It is hard to shut up a Stark.

They were laughing about one of Tony’s stories of his time in MIT with Rhodey when an explosion shook the room.

The men stood up and faced the door as the sounds of fighting and yelling grew nearer. A smirk spread on Tony’s face as he recognised the noises of his teammates.

It wasn’t long before the door was broken down and Captain America stood in it’s place.

“Bout damn time. Did you stop for coffee?”

“Yeah, yeah, tin man. You’re welcome.” Hawkeye quipped as they walked down the halls.

Rhodey broke through to get to his nephew’s side, checking him over and ensuring he was ok.

Tony led the group to the main room. The kidnappers had access to files and tech that would be too dangerous to leave.

As Tony wiped everything, quips flowing between him and his teammates, none of them noticed the man sneak in through another door.

The younger Stark moved before his brain could even process what was happening, placing himself between his father and the gun that was raised to his back.

*bang*

[madaras-housewife]

Hashirama Senju SFW alphabet

Happy birthday to my sunshine, Hashirama. <3 I wrote this as some kind of birthday gift and i hope i did justice to him. It’s also quite long so umm there’s that. 

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Hashirama is a man who harbors a lot of love in his soul. He is very open about his feelings from the get-go and will have warmed up to the relationship before you have, most likely. Starting with small gestures, such as squeezing your hand gently, Hashirama won’t hesitate to show you how much he appreciates you for being his. For being patient with him, for understanding him. The Hokage is a busy man, and at first, he didn’t really entertain the possibility of a romance, but you swept him off his feet. He loves big gestures as much as he loves small ones, so he will almost overwhelm you with all the affection he has to offer.

Out of his respect for your personal space, he will try not to be overly attached at first, because, let’s be real, Hashirama wants to let you know, even at the most inopportune moments. However, he sometimes forgets about the boundaries that usually exist at the beginning of a relationship and he will take you into his arms with an unexpected passion. Realising that he crossed the line, he will obviously apologise with a nervous smile and a glowing blush, but he will do it again. He can’t help it, you’re just  too hard not to love. Once the relationship progresses and you feel more comfortable with him, he will constantly be near you and somehow, he will always find a way to maintain physical contact, even in public. Whether you’re holding hands or your shoulders are brushing against each other, there won’t be many moments where Hashirama isn’t close to you. 

He doesn’t mind PDA at all. In fact, he’s very comfortable with being affectionate in front of others. Hashirama loves holding hands when you’re taking a walk around the village. It would only serve to show others how he is yours and you are his. Something else that you have to do at least once is to braid his hair. Do it at home or when you’re taking a simple walk through the woods.  It would be so relaxing. So relaxing, in fact, that he will slump against you and fall asleep in your arms. He is whipped and will proudly wear those braids all day. In return, he is going to massage your shoulders and make you a warm cup of tea. 

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Becoming friends with Hashirama is not hard, as he considers the people of the village part of his family. It could start with something as trivial as watering flowers or sharpening your kunai. Somehow, he always finds a way to start the conversation and to keep it going. He will introduce himself and even bow to you first, as a sign of good faith and respect and he will ask you about whatever it is that you’re doing. Oddly enough, he has quite a vast amount of knowledge about any topic, be it something like the weather, music, board games etc. Nonetheless, he easily finds a way to work the conversation into something related to the welfare of the village. He is very open about his hopes and dreams for the future and is eager to share them with anyone and everyone. But make no mistake, even if he is consumed by his idealism, he will not forget about you. He will always listen to you and, once you become closer friends, he will try his best to always be there for you, given his busy schedule. 

Being friends with Hashirama comes naturally, it feels as if you’ve known him all your life. He is reliable, kind-hearted and talkative and, as such, it’s going to hit you like a train when you realise that things between you and him are getting serious. He himself won’t realise until you do, though. 

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Hashirama loves cuddling so much, he won’t even know that he’s doing it. It starts with him sneaking close to you in bed and, in less than a second, he will be all over you, arms and legs entangled with yours. He feels the need to cuddle in bed and will secretly be sad if you reject him, despite his best attempts at hiding it(which aren’t very effective). 

He could cuddle in any position, but his favorite is when he and his partner are facing one another and holding each other close. His arm will be on your back, gently rubbing it, or on the back of your head, coaxing your forehead against his own. There are those moments where you are cuddled up and you’re just staring at each other. The look on his face is one of pure adoration and passion, its intensity giving you goosebumps. Cuddling with him is almost a ritual, one where neither of you speak and you just know that you have each other and that everything is going to be okay. Whether it’s after a regular work day, a free day at home(which there won’t be many of) or a somber one, he will always cuddle you the same way. You’ll be able to read the feelings in his eyes and, seldomly, he will cry into your shoulder when he feels overwhelmed and his determination wavers. But you have his back, always, and he knows it. 

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Domesticity is Hashirama’s second name. If there’s anything he absolutely wants to do in life, besides changing the world, it would be settling down with you. He wants a shared home, which would act as a sanctuary for both of you. It wouldn’t be that large, he just wants enough space to accommodate the both of you and to place dozens of those goddamn bonsai trees. He can’t live without them. He just loves trees. Eventually, he will find a way to sneak a vase into every room of the house, even the bathroom. 

Hashirama is a pretty messy man. He leaves his clothes and ridiculously large scrolls around the house for anyone to find, but once you are there and you set him straight, he will (almost) never forget to organise his clothes and other belongings. Of course, you give him the slip, because he tried, and you help him clean everything up, which he appreciates very much. As for the cooking, oh boy. Claiming that the god of shinobi is clumsy is nothing short of an understatement when it comes to anything that isn’t fighting or sculpting trees. How the hell is he so good at sculpting trees anyway? He will somehow always find a way to fuck up in the kitchen, but will try his best. Either by spilling egg yolks on the floor or by overheating the oil in the pan, there will be a huge mess by the time he is done. He feels bad about it, so he tries to get better by taking cooking lessons(if there weren’t any in the verse, I’m sure he invented them), but he can’t focus, at all. He keeps forgetting to use an ingredient and he gets distracted by anything. You won’t forget that one time he tried to surprise you with a home-cooked meal after a mission. It looked so good on the outside, but the taste was abhorrent. It gave you stomach pains that night. He does get an A for effort, though. 

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

It would take a lot for Hashirama to break up with you. Once you’re with him, he knows that it’s a life-long commitment, so something terrible must have happened in order for Hashirama to leave you. If you ever cheat on him, he will be absolutely heartbroken. Nonetheless, he won’t ignore you and he will try to be as cordial as possible even though you don’t deserve it, but the conspicuous pain in his eyes says more than words ever could. He would keep his distance as much as possible, but he won’t be able to move on until you tell him why. Was it him? Did he not make you happy? Was he not enough for you? It leaves a gaping wound in his heart that, in time, will heal, but never fully. Not even after getting the closure he needs, he won’t be able to fully move on. There will always be a shadow of reticence following him whenever someone else gets too close to him. 

As for any other possible reasons, it would only come to pass if you were in great danger and he deemed it unsafe for you to be close to him. And by unsafe I mean life-threatening. The Hokage has no shortage of enemies who would seek to destroy him and his village, so they won’t hesitate to use his loved ones against him. Even though he is very strong and wishes he could always protect you, he doesn’t want to risk losing you the same way he lost Kawarama and Itama. Hashirama is an optimistic man, probably even the most cheerful shinobi of his era, which means the situation would have to be dire in order for him to break up with you. Even so, he would always keep an eye on you from a distance. It would hurt him, but he would ultimately be satisfied and determined to work even harder to make the world a safer place. He secretly hopes to get close to you again if things quiet down, too. 

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Once you get together with him, he knows it’s for life. He wants to be there on the long run and it will be as if you were already married despite still being in the earlier stages of your relationship. He never gave much thought to the concept of marriage, as he considers it something that naturally occurs. To him, it’s that warm feeling in his stomach that instantly tells him that he wants to marry you. Even if you had arguments from time to time, he wouldn’t let that deter him. The man just wants to walk you down the aisle and live the rest of his life with you, it’s that simple. 

If you are together during the warring states period, he will be slightly hesitant about getting married. Hashirama wants to make sure that the world you settle down in is a peaceful one, where you could live out your lives in peace and harmony. Or, at least, that’s what he would want. Otherwise, he will just pop the question when it comes to his mind. Not many people know this about him, but Hashirama can be quite romantic, so on the day he makes up his mind to propose, he is going to take you to a special spot, like on the top of the stone statue or the small forest that’s adjacent to the village, where he used to play as a child. He was nervous, but impatient to say it. Naturally, he would like an unprompted answer, but he won’t be mad at you if you need to take your time. Although, if you took too long, he would start getting worried. 

He would have no problems committing. After all, he loves you and only you and would do anything to make you happy. 

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Despite his past, Hashirama is not a bitter person. If there’s anything to know about this man, it’s that he’s gentle, too gentle for his own good, which is why he needs someone resolute by his side, like Tobirama(bless his heart). If he could, he wouldn’t hurt a fly. It’s not his way of life, but it’s incompatible with his era, so he was forced to change. He would rather keep that side of himself hidden and he doesn’t want you to see it either. He considers it a “necessary evil”, so to speak, a humiliating front that he wished he could reject. After everything that has happened, Hashirama sometimes wonders whether that’s who he truly is behind the mask of benevolence and that thought greatly burdens him. He will share his worries with you, but only when you’re both together, all alone. He trusts you and wants you to listen to him and he would do so in return, whenever you needed him. Despite his Hokage duties, he will try his hardest to be there for you and to be the man you need him to be. If he ever disappoints you, he will do his best to make it up and do better next time. He is upfront about his mistakes and won’t hesitate to sincerely apologize.

Hashirama is a very soft lover. The way he touches your skin, holds your hand, talks to you, it all comes down to his fondness of you. Even with his passionate nature, he is incredibly gentle. Sometimes, you even feel like a porcelain doll in his arms. Every touch of his is delicate and warm, even the  frequent intimate adventures that take place after he comes back from work. His thumb gently caresses your face, your bodies pushed together and his forehead resting against your own. That way, he makes sure you can feel his love. Before he kisses you, he will always silently ask for your permission, which makes him all the more endearing and your kiss all the more passionate. 

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

The First Hokage is a serious hugger. Naturally, he will take every opportunity to embrace you, regardless of the circumstances. His hugs are tight, warm and dragged out to the point of awkwardness and they will only grow more loving as time goes on. The way he holds you is almost protective, with his arms holding you close to him by your back. You can feel his hot breath on your skin and the earthy scent of his hair filling your nostrils in a subtle manner, his chakra gently prickling your skin such that you get goosebumps. He loves it when you run your hands through his hair, it makes him feel loved and appreciated, especially if you gently tug on it. It will make him groan and push his face in the crook of your neck. It just feels like home.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Hashirama is not a complicated person, so it won't take much for him to say it.. He lives in the moment and he is in tune with his feelings. Most likely, his confession will be blurted out and he won’t take it back either. He just feels the need to say it out loud and will tell you how much he loves you every single day, with that boyish charm of his, which always makes you warm and fuzzy on the inside.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Being the oblivious little bean he is, he wouldn’t get jealous, ever. Not only that, but if he were aware then he would simply not care, because he trusts you with his life and knows that you can handle yourself in any situations, even ones such as these. However, if someone is visibly flirting with you and trying a physical advance on you, he is not going to stand by and watch. Hashirama will swoop in and swiftly pull you away, since he’s not the type of man to get into an argument over something like this, unless you are visibly disturbed. In that case, he will try to be around more often to comfort you. Either way, jealousy is not a part of Hashirama’s DNA. In fact, he will even be happy for you for making more friends.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

His favorites are neck kisses, both given and received. He will gently grab you by your shoulders and place a warm kiss on the crook of your neck, but he won’t stop there. The trail of kisses that range from your shoulder all the way to the base of your jawline will leave you breathless. Hashirama is an overall amazing kisser and he will always make your head spin with his gentle, yet eager touches.  There will also be the frequent make-out sessions after a long work day to show you how much he has missed you. He will give you regular soft pecks on the lips when you visit him at the Hokage’s office, too, as it feels appropriate and necessary. When no one is looking, he won’t hesitate to warm you up with a sudden squeeze of your hip, which leaves you slightly gasping in surprise. Right in that moment he will take the opportunity to lean down and kiss you with a passion that leaves you clinging on to him and wanting for more. If you tug on his hair, he will get too carried away, so you’re going to have to be the one to break the kiss. 

If he’s the one receiving kisses, however, please push his hair to the side and kiss him the back of his neck, it will give him instantaneous goosebumps. Hashirama loves it when you take your time to warm every inch of his skin with those soft lips of yours. If you move to his neck and touch him here he will melt in your hands. It’s the best thing you can do for him after a tense day, it helps him relax and unwind. He also has a very sensitive face. Nose kisses, forehead kisses, cheek kisses, he likes them a lot, and will ask you on occasion to place small pecks all over his face and jawline. 

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Considering his jovial nature, Hashirama gets along with children and they absolutely love him. He is upbeat and lenient, so the children of Konoha will treat him like the uncle who gives them money to buy candy. Their happiness and welfare are some of Hashirama’s biggest concerns. There is nothing that warms his heart more than watching kids growing up in harmony. It makes him feel like all the fighting was worth it and it makes him even more motivated to keep the peace. 

Eventually, Hashirama will want children of his own. He is ecstatic at the thought of having his own little ones running around the village and bearing your name, calling him “father”. Given how his own father treated him and his siblings, he wants nothing more than to be a good parental figure who will guide his offspring on the right path. He hopes to watch them grow up with you and make sure that they inherit a better world than the one Butsuma left him. Hashirama will listen to them whenever they need him, love them and make sure they receive proper education, too. If his Hokage responsibility keeps him busy, he will encourage his family to drop by the office. Them being there inspires him to work harder every day. And while he’s a very good dad, he is extremely indulgent to the point where his children become his spoiled little princes and princesses, which means he relies on you to be the authoritative figure in the family. He can’t bring himself to deny his children. As a result, he will come to buy them everything they want and even sneak snacks in their bedroom late at night. And, even worse, they come to pick up his unhealthy habits; one of the most problematic ones, to be exact, which is gambling. He feels guilty and won’t know what to do in order to prevent his children from turning into gambling addicts, but by the time he tries to do something, it will be too late. As usual, it will be up to you to moderate your children.

Now, let’s talk numbers. He doesn’t have a preference as to how many kids he wants, but unless you specifically tell him you don’t want any more, Hashirama won’t stop popping them out. He would love all of his 10 children the same way and spoil them equally. As for genders, I think he secretly wants at least one little princess. Can you imagine Hashirama bonding with his daughter? He would give her the world. Which brings me to mentioning the fact that Hashirama doesn’t necessarily want his children to become shinobi, either. He wants them to make up their minds and will support them no matter what they choose to do. After all, it was the one choice he was never given in his early life and consequently, he wants his descendants to have everything he didn’t have as a child. If they choose to be shinobi he will undoubtedly train them to the best of his ability and turn them into the strongest generation of Senju warriors.  

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Most of the time will be spent on trying to wake him up. Seriously, this man sleeps like a rock. It’s hard to wake him up. But when he’s finally alert, all he wants to do is to slack off in bed with you, even though he has to go to the Hokage’s office. He just treats every morning like a day off and it annoys you, but the way he coaxes you close to him makes you forget about his laziness, albeit temporarily. He is very groggy and will greet you with a deep, sleepy voice and will eventually convince you to lie down next to him and let him gently rub your back as he is waking up. This is the perfect moment to use those intoxicating pecks on his neck and face that will definitely awaken him. If he wasn’t already aroused, he will be when he feels your hot breath fanning on his skin, which will most likely lead to umm amorous activities.

Once Hashirama is awake, he will help you make breakfast as you’re talking him through his schedule, reminding him of whatever it is that he has to do, since he most likely won’t be able to remember everything. Of course, he tells you how thankful he is for everything you do for him and confesses that he wouldn’t be able to handle his responsibilities without you and his brother. Also, he would love it if you brushed his hair for him. Not only because he’s too lazy to do it, but he likes it when you play with his hair. 

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Sometimes he is sleepless, allowing his more negative thoughts to flood his mind. It’s easy for his insecurities to pry at night, although he doesn’t understand why that is. All that he needs is for you to be there. And some other times, he has unfinished paperwork, which irritates you, but you won’t mind lending him a hand. You understand Hashirama’s burden and indulge him with a bowl of mushroom mixed soup(yes, at night) and a back massage to ease his mind. 

Nights with Hashirama are usually spent in bed, cuddled up as he talks to you about his day. He is usually very talkative, but as the night settles in, he will grow tired and keep it brief. Allowing himself to be vulnerable, he will talk to you about his past and how it still weighs on his mind, as well as his concerns about the village. He doesn’t mind depending on you for your help, since he considers you his life partner and hopes that you rely on him as well. Obviously, sex is great, as well. It repels the bad thoughts and makes him feel tranquil.  

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Generally speaking, Hashirama is very open about everything. He doesn’t have much to hide and he warms up fairly quickly to you. However, there are a few exceptions. Opening up about his past is difficult, because it still weighs on him. He could never forget the untimely deaths of his younger siblings. Once he’s fully comfortable with you, you will hear him talking about his siblings only at night, when he feels the most fragile. Starting with early memories of them, he recalls about his childhood and his parents, culminating with a confession about the guilt he feels for killing his childhood friend, despite it being the right thing to do for the village. Even though he’s crying by the time he’s done telling you about his bad memories, he feels like the burden in his heart has been eased up a bit. Please hold him and pet his hair to comfort him, he will be forever grateful.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Considering his boisterous personality, you’d think that Hashirama is a very impatient man, but it takes a lot for him to get angry. Really though, he can be so patient sometimes that it’s annoying. Especially if you’re trying to provoke him, he will casually ignore it with his regular merry demeanor, which pisses you off to no end. However, he will mouth a cheeky comment when you give up on trying to egg him on and it will make it all the more entertaining. So it won’t really work out, since he likes teasing you, but it’s all in good fun. 

The only time Hashirama actually gets angry is during very serious circumstances and he is well aware when it’s required of him to be sensible and act like a leader. As everyone knows, he is very invested in creating a peaceful world and he won’t tolerate anyone who threatens to disturb the harmony that so many people have lost their lives for. Once he has set his mind on something he is unwavering and will even come off as intimidating to those who try to defy his word. It’s a quality that he was forced to obtain through lots of experience in battle. After all, he is the god of shinobi and there is no one who could realistically stop him. These moments are rare, nevertheless, and Hashirama hopes you of all people won’t ever have to see that side of him, but he is conscious of the fact that one day it will happen. 

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

To be fair, it depends. The first time he meets you he will probably forget your name, even if you did make an impression on him. Hashirama has a photographic memory, so he has a more difficult time remembering names. Don’t judge him for it. As things progress, he will naturally remember more and more about you, but don’t expect him to recall every minute detail. Even as a husband, Hashirama won’t be able to retain most of the instructions you give him on chores or on your children’s care. He will improvise, instead, and indulge his children with everything they want. Perhaps that’s why they are so over the moon when they are home alone with their father. 

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Besides the most important moments, such as your wedding day and the birth of your children, Hashirama is very fond of the times you let him teach you how to sculpt a tree. He is very passionate about his hobby and he had been waiting to get you to try it for a very long time, but it was difficult, given your busy schedules. In any case, when you finally agreed and made plans for it, he radiated happiness. How could you deny him? He carefully picked a bonsai sapling which had already been cut to a shorter length(which are hard to get in Konoha, mind you, given the climate there) and helped you get started. At first he clipped some of the small branches off as he was giving you instructions about the utensils necessary for sculpting. Then he used a bark stripper and showed you how to shave off the bark and to be fair, it looked easier than it actually was, so you needed his hand to guide yours. It was a very touching moment for the both of you, as that was when Hashirama was just himself and nothing more. You loved that. The discussions streamed freely as you two were trying to sculpt that damn tree and, despite it not turning out amazing, due to your poor skills, you both loved it. It was something that you had created together and Hashirama was proud of you. You both agreed to do it again, until it became a tradition for your family. 

The first tree that you two have ever sculpted together can be found in his office, where he often finds himself staring longingly and thinking about you.  

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Unless you are a civilian, Hashirama knows that you’ll be able to handle yourself just fine in any situation. Of course, he will test your strength to find out. Being the Hokage’s lover could be quite dangerous during tumultuous times, despite his unmatched strength on the battlefield. Speaking of which, if you ever fought together, he would not leave your side, unless you were persistent enough and Hashirama was sure that you would be okay. When you leave on missions, he always visits you beforehand and makes sure that you have all of your tools and that you have no injuries. Sometimes he even insists on using his medical ninjutsu just to make sure you are in good shape. He is there when you leave the village and will be there when you come back. 

If you are a civilian, however, he will be very protective of you, by making sure that the security is always tight in the village. Just knowing that you are in a safe space eases him up, but considering his past experiences, he might even try to teach you a few jutsu for self-protection, just in case. Hashirama would regularly use medical ninjutsu to check your health, especially when you are pregnant. Every day would start and end with your husband using his chakra to assure the both of you that your baby is healthy.

As for him being protected, he is well aware of how much you care about his wellbeing and health when you visit him at the office and bring him a bento with some healthy food or when you take his side in an argument for the sole reason of him being your partner. To Hashirama, that is a form of protection. Or the moments where you pet the back of his head and hold him close when you notice how overworked he is. It takes everything for him not to fall asleep, but you giving him some affection makes him feel as if you’re lending him your energy. In short, your love keeps him strong and those are the times when Hashirama feels like he could move mountains(maybe that’s a bad figure of speech, given the fact that he can literally do it; oops).

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?

Well, it differs. When Hashirama is with you, he will always try to be the best man he can be, which means he is going to try his best to show his commitment through gifts, date nights and the all-important anniversaries. Even if you told him that you didn't want gifts, he would still spoil you with frequent presents which mostly consist of either ridiculously large bouquets of flowers, rare trinkets that he has acquired by traveling the world or good luck charms. On anniversaries, however, Hashirama will always give you something unique and memorable, like a pendant that contains his chakra or, if you’re into something more practical, it will most likely be his favorite weapon. He probably shouldn’t give it away, but it holds sentimental value and would want you to have something that reminds you of him.  

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Oh well, there are a few things to mention here… Hashirama loves sake. He could drink it like water and, as such, he tends to spike his drink with some alcohol and pretend that it’s just a plain beverage, even if the smell suggested otherwise. He won’t overdo it though, but it’s still frustrating, especially to Tobirama. He is a witty man so he will be extra careful around his brother and make sure he doesn’t know, but he wouldn’t hide it from you. He couldn’t, even if he had wanted to, regardless. 

Secondly, Hashirama is a gambling addict. At this point, he can’t even recall how he got into gambling in the first place, but he can’t stop. He feels exhilarated to bet his money again, and again, and again… and again. You get the idea. He’s ashamed of himself for it, this sole vice being the one one he’s fully aware of, so he’s gonna try to stop, especially if you’re pregnant or already have children. He will do his best to give up on this terrible habit, but he just won’t be able to help himself sometimes. His impulse is just that strong. 

Thirdly, the one, most blatant flaw that this man has is his exuberance. His buoyant, extroverted nature can sometimes become too much to handle, too exhausting. Whereas it can be a positive trait sometimes, because he’s the life of the party, chances are that it becomes pretty off-putting in more formal settings. He’s the loudest person in the room and tends to interrupt people while they are talking, which may come off as rude to someone who doesn’t know Hashirama. Bearing in mind who he is, however, there aren’t many people who aren’t aware of the First Hokage’s high-spirited personality. Don’t blame him though, all he wants is to lighten up the mood, but at times it becomes “too bright”. 

Last but not least, Hashirama has a tendency to slack off. It’s probably his worst flaw, considering his position. He is too lazy to get out of bed in the morning, so you’re going to have to be the one who pushes him from behind, quite literally, in that situation. Being born and raised in a warrior clan, Hashirama finds it difficult to sit still for hours, so his laziness peaks whenever he’s doing paperwork, which is almost all the time. But obviously, he would rather do paperwork for the rest of his life rather than wasting his time fighting pointless wars. Most of the time, Tobirama is the one keeping him on a leash when it comes to papers. Anyone would find it humiliating to have your younger sibling coddling you, but Hashirama doesn’t mind it. In fact, he has learnt to love his brother’s harsh demeanor and thinks it normal. 

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Hashirama’s handsomeness is no secret to anyone. Having flawless, youthful features in the shinobi world is something uncommon, and being praised as the supreme shinobi, at the same time, definitely makes him popular with the ladies, men and everything in between. But he doesn’t care for that attention, he only cares about you and what you think of him. Generally speaking, he is not very concerned with his looks, but the things he greatly values are simplicity and natural beauty, so that’s going to be the quality that he works on preserving. He wants people, including himself, to be genuine and to just be themselves. Still, he will try his best to look good for you when you go on a date, even if it won’t take much for him to do so.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

The second you two get together, Hashirama will get very attached to you and that feeling will only grow as your relationship does too. You are there every morning and every night and will expect you not to leave. Your existence becomes a routine for him, essentially. He refuses to think about how life would be without you, but if that ever came to pass, for whatever reason, he would become a full-on alcoholic. Even Tobirama won’t be able to pull him out of that dark hole. Somehow, Hashirama would still find strength to complete his duties, as he knows that life goes on no matter what happens. He knows very well that the world doesn’t stop spinning when someone leaves him. He would function, but not properly. The heartache will definitely persist for years to come, even if he stopped showing it, at one point. In all fairness, he would probably never be fully over it, depending on the reason why you left. When Hashirama loves, he loves with all his heart and losing a partner will make him feel incomplete, no matter how many other people he has lost in his life before you. Not even his optimistic nature would be able to cure him. 

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Hashirama hates coffee and everything about it. Firstly, he finds the taste disgusting, no matter what you put in it. You’ll find him wrinkling his nose and squinting his eyes shut whenever he sips from your cup. Of course, he does it in an exaggerated manner, which is quite adorable. Secondly, he is repulsed by the color. He does NOT like the fact that coffee is brown, he finds it unnatural for a drink to have that color. Alcohol is an exception, though, but if you ever bring it up with him he will pout Tobirama-style and act like he doesn’t know what you’re talking about. Hashirama also hates the smell, it just hurts his brain. Overall, he finds coffee to be nasty. 

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He is very turned off by old-school ideologies regarding the nature of a shinobi’s life. Hashirama knows that it’s difficult for people to change their minds after having spent most of their lives on the battlefield, but if someone is unwilling to discuss these preconceptions and to compromise, he will secretly start disliking them. Even if, outwardly, he would still try his best to make things work, he distances himself from that person. He just can’t conceptualize how someone wouldn’t want a peaceful life and would rather keep sacrificing innocent lives for meaningless conflict. That type of approach strongly reminds him of his father, whose memory always leaves a bad taste in his mouth. 

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

When it comes to the sleep habits of Hashirama, his sprawling is the most infuriating one. During his sleep, he casually lounges all over the bed which, in turn, makes you wake up. Considering the fact that he’s a heavy sleeper, you can freely move around, but he will still end up pushing you to the edge of the bed. Although you won’t admit it, you’ve considered either sleeping in a different bed or making him place a mokuton binding on himself before sleeping. 

[crystalstar8]

Knights of the Night (ch 15)

Chapter 15

Ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5, ch 6, ch 7, ch 8, ch 9, ch 10, ch 11, ch 12, ch 13, ch 14, ch 15

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139240/chapters/71536491

pairing: Jungkook x oc

genre: vampire au, college au, twilight, romance

word count: 2,459

warnings: blood (obviously), kidnapping, child kidnapping, needles, France

notes: vampires, vampire au, college, college au, so many twilight references, blood, needles, kidnapping, children, homelessness, dance, ballet, flashbacks, romance, slow burn, probably no smut, idk yet tho, France, French things, attempted genocide, inaccurate French history, bisexual main character, @strawberriewithchocolate-blog @mozy-j  @daechwitad-2​ @zobadak​ @fallenstar-7​​​

summary: Catalina starts college in a small town all the way across the country. She doesn’t know anyone and isn’t exactly looking for friends. She just wants to focus on dance. But when she meets fellow dance major, Jimin, and adventurous, fellow freshman, Jungkook, Catalina ends up discovering a whole new side to the small college town; one that is dangerous but oh so enticing…

              Catalina was nervous. She had changed her outfit almost ten times and was already pulling a sweater out of her closet for an eleventh. She eyed her suitcase in the corner of her room. No, don’t open it, you’ll have to repack, she told herself. Her phone buzzed from her bed. It was a text from Jungkook.

JK: I’m on my way

              “Shit,” Catalina mumbled. She looked between the sweater in her hand and the one laying on the floor. The one in her hand was a bit nicer so she pulled that one on. She tucked it into her skirt, then slipped into her ankle boot heels. As she was checking her hair and makeup in the bathroom mirror for the last time, she heard her front door open. Rounding the corner, she saw Jungkook standing in the hallway, tapping the snow off his boots on the rug. Catalina grabbed her coat.

              “You look so cute!” he said as she came over for a hug.

              “I always look cute, what are you talking about?” she said. He grinned, his nose scrunching up and his eyes turning to crescents. He looked good too, in a turtleneck under his peacoat. It was amusing to her, knowing that he still had a few lingering marks on his neck. They had both dealt with enough teasing from their friends over the past few days, they definitely didn’t need Jungkook’s family on that train as well.

              “Ready to go?” he asked. Catalina nodded and followed him out the door, locking up behind her.

              The car ride was short, only a minute or two since they lived a block away from each other. There were two other cars in the driveway, which Jungkook parked behind. As they got out of the car, Jungkook said, “So, my brother is kind of annoying. Just warning you. He’s in law school and he’s a bit of an asshole about it.”

              “Be an asshole about your film major right back to him,” said Catalina, making him laugh.

              “Easy,” he said. “I’ll just start talking about my favorite directors and artsy films.”

              His house was warm and inviting, as it always was, but today, it was cleaner than Catalina’s seen it in a long time. Maybe ever. A small Christmas tree stood in the corner, decorated with mismatched bulbs and ornaments.

              Jungkook’s mom came out of the kitchen, pulling oven mitts off her hands. She saw Catalina and her eyes lit up.

              “Catalina! It’s so good to see you!” she said, pulling her into a hug. “I’m glad you could make it.”

              “Yeah, me too!” Catalina said. “I never get to see you guys, so I’m glad to be able to spend some time with you all.”

              “Of course, you’re always welcome,” she said. “My husband and I are always so busy with work, I feel bad. Anyway, come into the kitchen. The food’s almost ready. Jungkook, go help set the table.”

               Dinner was beautiful, and Catalina had fun listening to Jungkook’s family try to embarrass him by sharing childhood stories. He wasn’t embarrassed though, always laughing with the table and sharing his own details about the experiences. It sounded like the family hiked and camped a lot while the boys were growing up, so there were plenty of adventure stories to go along with that. Catalina asked about his parent’s jobs and they told her about what they do at the hospital during their overnight shifts. They were both nurses, but they also did volunteer work every chance they got. Jungkook’s brother was indeed a bit of an asshole about being a law student, but Jungkook cracked everyone up by talking about his favorite film, “Persepolis”, pronouncing it “Pear-say-po-li”.

               Catalina had a great time, but she didn’t stay too late since her and Jungkook had a flight to catch in the morning. Jungkook dropped her off at home that night, kissing her softly in the car before she got out.

               “I’ll see you in the morning,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at six.”

               “I can’t wait,” she said, pecking his lips once more before getting out of the car. “I love you.”

               “I love you too,” he said.

               It feels so good to say that, Catalina thought as she took the stairs to her apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

               The airport was crowded with people rushing to travel for the holidays. Catalina was thrumming with excitement. She hadn’t seen her mom since before her first semester. She had never lived away from her home before, never away from her mom for so long. She couldn’t wait to see her, and to introduce Jungkook to her. They found their flight easily enough in the giant building, and soon enough, they were in the air, en route to Detroit.

               Catalina’s mom was waiting for them at the airport when they landed. As soon as Catalina exited the gates, she ran, giving her mom a long hug.

               “Oooh, dios mio, how I’ve missed you!” her mom said, holding her tight.

               “I missed you too, mom,” said Catalina. She pulled away and looked over at Jungkook. “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Jungkook.”

               “What a cutie you are!” her mother said as she gave Jungkook a hug as well. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

               “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Diaz,” said Jungkook.

               “Ms. Diaz. Or you can just call me Lucía. Come, lets go home,” she said. “This place is too crowded.”

               Catalina sat in the passenger seat of her mom’s car on the way home. It wasn’t a long drive, their house was just outside of the city. During the drive, she wondered if she should reach out to her old friends. They had never once texted or checked up on her while she was away, so maybe it was best to leave them behind.

               The house looked exactly the same as when she last saw it and it gave her a sense of comfort to come back to the familiarity. After Catalina and Jungkook got settled into her old room, her mom called them downstairs to help bake cookies. While baking, Catalina and Jungkook told her all about their classes and professors. After the cookies came out, they had fun decorating them in weird and interesting ways. Jungkook decorated a gingerbread man with red eyes and fangs, which Catalina took a picture of to send to their friends.

               Later in the evening,  Lucía took them all out to dinner at a nice place in downtown Detroit. The restaurant was beautiful; bistro lights dripped from the ceiling, branching out from the twisting paper tree in the center of the dining room. Over dinner, Catalina told her mother about her friends in California, and about their trip to the lodge. Her and Jungkook left out the parts about their friends being vampires.

               “I want to know how the two of you got together,” said Lucía. “She didn’t date much in high school, so this is so exciting to me.”

               “I had a girlfriend in my senior year,” Catalina mumbled. Lucia waved a hand.

               “That doesn’t count,” she said. Catalina glanced at Jungkook, who was frowning after hearing this exchange. Catalina put a hand on his knee under the table and decided not to argue.

               “Well, we met in our French class,” Catalina started. “We became friends and we hung out a lot for the first few months of the semester. I mean, I never really knew I had a crush on him at first, I knew he was attractive, but I only saw him as a friend. Then one day, he kissed me, and we’ve been an item ever since.”

                Lucía had a hand over her heart as she listened.

               “That’s so sweet,” she said. “You two are a beautiful couple and I can see you’re so happy with each other. I’m just…so relieved that you found a nice boy and-“

               “Mom,” Catalina interrupted.

               “I just didn’t want you to fall back into those high school phases you were in,” she said. “I was so worried I would lose you to the wrong kind of people. There’s so many influences online these days and I just wanted you to be successful in life. That kind of lifestyle comes with drugs and-“

               “I’m gonna go to the restroom,” Jungkook said, standing up and giving her shoulder a squeeze.

               “Mom, stop it,” Catalina said. As soon as Jungkook was out of sight, she said, “My boyfriend is bisexual too. And so are some of my other friends at school. They’re all amazing people and I would do anything for them. I don’t like when you say things like this.”

               “Catalina, you know I love you no matter what,” her mother said. “I just want the best for you.”

               “It’s not something anyone can control,” Catalina said. “Whether I fall in love with a man or a woman, I’ve always hoped you could be happy for me no matter what.”

               “I am happy for you,”  Lucía said, reaching over to take Catalina’s hand. “You’re following your dream and you seem so happy with your life right now. I think I need to get used to the idea of my daughter being bisexual, there’s just so many bad connotations that come with that community. At least from when I was growing up.”

               “Things are different now,” Catalina said.

               “I know, I know,”  Lucía said. “I think I just need to get used to this. At the end of the day, I just want you to be safe and happy. I think a man would be able to provide for you better later in life.”

               “You of all people should know that’s not true,” Catalina said. “You raised me alone, and we were always pretty well off.”

                Lucía raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “You got me there.”

               Catalina giggled and squeezed her mom’s hand.

               “I love you, cariña,”  Lucía said. “Just remember that.”

               “I love you too, mom,” said Catalina.

               Jungkook came back and Catalina took his hand as soon as he sat down.

               “I’m sorry if what I said earlier was offensive,”  Lucía said to him.

               “It’s okay,” Jungkook said, flashing a smile.

               “I’m trying, it was just so different when I was young,” she said.

               “It’s really okay,” Jungkook said with a chuckle. “This sounds exactly like the conversation I had with my own mom when I was sixteen.”

                Lucía laughed and the conversation turned to the topic of Jungkook’s family. Dinner went on peacefully. Catalina was glad she got this conversation off her chest. She had been struggling with that topic ever since she came out in high school. It really sounded like her mother was trying to understand, and Catalina couldn’t be more grateful.

               The next day was Christmas Eve. Catalina and Jungkook took a day trip to Frankenmuth, which, as soon as they arrived, they realized was a bad idea. Frankenmuth was packed with people, but the pair still managed to have a good time. They ate dinner at the Bavarian Inn and took a carriage ride around the town. They walked the underground mall and the outdoor shops, but only bought gifts for Lucía, since everything was terribly overpriced. They didn’t even shop for each other, since they both confessed they had already bought each other Christmas gifts a long time ago. Snow covered the ground and everything was wrapped in Christmas lights in the little town. Just walking through the beautiful scenery hand in hand with Jungkook was wonderful. 

               They returned home late that evening, wrapping their gifts in Catalina’s room and going to bed afterwards.

               Christmas morning was pleasant;  Lucía cooked them a big breakfast, then they opened gifts in the living room. Catalina had two gifts from her mom. The first one was a Visa gift card and a heartfelt letter. The second gift was a quilt. Each patch depicted a different cat from t-shirts, towels and linens.

               “You’re grandmother started making this before she passed away,”  Lucía said. “You remember her nickname for you?”

               “Gatita,” Catalina said, tears prickling her eyes.

               “I found it just recently and I decided to finish it for you,”  Lucía said. “Just something to remember her by, something your children can use.”

               Catalina felt a tear run down her cheek. She wiped it away and got up to hug her mom.

               “This is wonderful,” said Catalina. “I love it so much.”

               “I’m glad you like it, cariña,” her mom said, hugging her back tight. “I know I don’t have a lot for you, like when you were a kid, but I didn’t want you to have to lug a bunch of stuff back to California with you.”

               “No mom, it’s perfect,” she said. “This is perfect.”

                Lucía then opened Catalina’s gift, which was a silver bracelet from Frankenmuth. Jungkook had gotten her a handmade scarf and hat set, and she had given him another Visa gift card.

               At some point during the day, Catalina made sure to find time for herself and Jungkook. Lucía went to pick up groceries in the afternoon, which was when Catalina took the opportunity to give Jungkook his gift.

               They were pressed together on the couch, both holding a little gift bag in their hands.

               “You first,” Jungkook said, handing her his bag. She took it and opened it, finding a little box in the bottom. Her heart beat fast as she opened it, revealing a ring with the moon in a glass bubble. She gasped and handed his gift over frantically.

               “Open this right now!” she said, pulling the ring out and putting on her middle finger. He did, his eyes getting wide as he opened the slightly bigger box.

               “No way,” he said, looking up at her.

               “How the hell did this happen?” Catalina asked, holding in giddy laughter. Jungkook pulled the necklace out of the box and put it on. The charm on the chain held the moon in a little glass bubble. The same moon as the one in her ring.

               “We bought each other the same thing,” he said, laughing.

               It was the waxing half-moon from the night they shared their first kiss in the vampire den.

               When Lucía came back home, they immediately showed her their unplanned gifts for each other. She laughed for about ten minutes. She then recruited them to help cook dinner, which was an exciting ordeal. Catalina was happy to learn how to cook all of her favorite dishes.

               The three of them ended up having a beautiful dinner together, bright with laughter and conversation.

               The next few days passed in a blur. They went out, cooked together, played games, and watched movies. Before they knew it, the week was over and it was time for Catalina and Jungkook to travel again for the next leg of their trip. Catalina was reluctant to leave her mom, but she was absolutely filled with anticipation for her stay in the cabin.

[bijvoorbeeldja]

never have I ever -- sobbe one-shot

inspired by the lovely prompt from @braimemystical! sorry it took so long, bb!

.............

Everyone was already a few drinks when Jana abruptly stood up from the couch, stumbling slightly with a laugh as Jens steadied her. 

That weekend, they’d all been uninterested in attending any of the parties their classmates were throwing, instead migrating together to Sander’s apartment to talk and drink and probably, fall asleep on top of each other on the small couches before the night was over. 

After Jana got up, she began pushing chairs and tables out of the way, turning the music down, and ushering everyone into a circle on the floor. 

Sander had only recently moved out of his parent’s house, now living by himself in a one-room studio closer to his school and his weekend job at a local art gallery. Technically, Robbe still lived with his parents, but he was such a frequent visitor at Sander’s place, that he had his own drawers in the boy’s bedroom dresser, a spare toothbrush in the bathroom, and a side of the bed he preferred. While the apartment was still sparse, Sander had added his own artsy touches, including modern-style furniture and framed artwork of Robbe, which Jens and Moyo promptly teased him for when they first entered, jabbing him in the arm and raising their eyebrows.

Now, Jana was breathlessly manhandling the furniture, then grabbing a few nearly-full bottles of vodka as she plopped on the ground, announcing that they were officially starting a rousing game of “Never Have I Ever.”

There were a few groans as everyone shuffled from their comfortable positions. Robbe, who had been sitting on Sander’s lap nursing his second beer, whined as Sander slid him off his lap, setting his drink down and rubbing his hands together in excitement.

“Ooooh,” he crooned. “A game! Let’s do this.” He joined Jana on the floor, pulling Robbe with him, then starting to pour drinks into shot glasses she was lining up. Amber and Aaron joined them, hands still intertwined. Jens clapped Moyo on the back and they finally heaved themselves off the couch and into the makeshift circle on the floor. 

“Okay, I’ll start,” Sander said, cracking his knuckles dramatically and stretching his neck as if bracing himself for war. He held up a shot glass, filled to the brim, liquid teetering out as he spoke. 

“Never have I ever…” he bit his lip, thinking as he stared into the distance. Then he got a wicked grin on his face, glancing over at Robbe. “Never have I ever cried during Call Me By Your Name.”

“Sander!” Robbe shouted, shoving his arm, sending the liquid spilling out of his glass. “You were never supposed to mention that! It was one time! I had something in my eye!”

Everyone was laughing and Robbe blushed, his lips forming a pout that Sander reached over to kiss. 

“It was so adorable, baby! I couldn’t resist! My sensitive boyfriend.” He purred.

Robbe palmed a hand over his face, as if trying to wipe the blush from his cheeks. 

“Drink up, IJzermans!” Jens yelled over the noise.

Everyone watched in shock as Moyo, too, held up a glass, clinking it to Robbe’s as they both downed their shot.

“You, too, man?” Jens said, breaking out into a new bout of laughter that had him doubled over.

“It’s an emotional movie!” Moyo said, shaking away their teasing. “That shit caused some serious waterworks, man. I won’t even lie.”

Sander laughed between the kisses he was still planting on Robbe’s pouting lips, willing him to smile, which he finally did as Jens announced it was his turn.

“Never have I ever,” he began, thinking. “...sung karaoke!”

“Are you kidding?” Jana shouted, incredulous. “That’s like a rite of passage! We’re doing that for our next hangout, for sure.” She held up her glass before downing it, joined by Aaron, Zoe, Moyo, and Sander. 

“How did you not know that?” Jens asked, smiling playfully at Jana. “Didn’t we date?”

“Oh, shut up,” Jana said, shoving him lightly. “Just because we hooked up doesn’t mean we know everything about each other.”

“Ooooh, drama!” Aaron cooed, clapping his hands excitedly. “I knew this game was a good idea.” 

“On that note,” Jana interjected, still smiling, “I think it’s my turn!” She rubbed her hands together, bracing herself. She was looking off into the distance, thinking, then suddenly looked over at Robbe. “Never have I ever….have a crush on my best friend...of the same sex.”

Robbe’s eyes widened, a bright blush creeping us his cheeks. Everyone was oooooh-ing now, looking from Robbe to Jens, then excitedly to Sander.

“C’mon,” Jana urged, lifting her eyebrows. “Drink up, Robbe!”

“Okay, that was like years ago, Jana,” Robbe whined, gazing sheepishly at Sander, looking for signs of anger or hurt. “I was still figuring everything out and didn’t even know I had feelings for Jens!”

Sander was smiling, looking down with his tongue in his cheek. 

“I can’t believe you had the hots for Jens,” Moyo said, shaking his head and laughing.

“Hey!” Jens yelled out, a look of mock-offense on his face. “What do you mean? Of course Robbe had a crush on me! I mean, look at me!”

Jana scoffed and rolled her eyes, while Aaron was shaking his head and rubbing his hands over his face. “We could’ve had a Broerrrs romance,” he said. “Wild.”

“Not even,” Robbe said defiantly. “Nothing was ever going to happen there. Obviously. The only boy I’ve ever been in love with — the only one I’ll ever be in love with — is Sander.” He looked desperately at Sander, searching for any sign that he was offended by the turn this conversation had taken. Sander eye’s were bright, sparkling at him.

“Awww,” Jana and Zoe squealed to each other. “That’s precious.”

“Watch out, Sander,” Jens teased, “I might come back to steal yo’ mans. You know he had the hots for me.”

“Sander,” Robbe pleaded, ignoring Jens. “You know that there was nothing between Jens and I, right?” He reached for Sander’s hand, who squeezed it back reassuringly. 

“You’re about to get real drunk, baby,” Sander said then, smirking. “‘Cause it’s my turn.”

Robbe swallowed, blushing a deeper shade of pink, downing the punishment his last revealing “have I ever.”

“Never have I ever…” Sander began, still not taking his eyes off Robbe. “...begged for cyber sex five nights in row.”

“Daaaaaaaamn,” Moyo said, looking away and play-fanning himself with his hand. “It just got hot in here.”

“Sander!” Robbe hush-squealed at him, the second time that evening. “We are not going to talk about our sex life in front of everyone!”

“Drink up, IJzermans,” Sander said, wiggling his eyebrows. Robbe poured into his shot glass from the big bottle in the middle of the floor, then drank it quickly, still flushed. Sander licked his lips, watching him intently.

“Um, do we need to leave the room?” Amber said, embarrassed. 

“Well,” Moyo smirked. “Apparently Robbe likes the virtual stuff, so…”

Robbe blushed again, looking down. “No, we’re going to behave ourselves now,” he said, quietly. “Right, Sander?”

“Speak for yourself,” Sander said grinning, while Robbe groaned. 

“Oh-kay,” Zoe said, clapping her hands. Robbe mouthed a thank you at her from across the circle, grateful for the distraction. “My turn!” She rolled her glass between her hands, thinking. “Never have I ever...made a vlog.” She smirked at the broerrrs, lifting her glass, urging them to drink. 

“Oh c’mon,” Aaron said, wincing as he swallowed down his shot. “You wish you could be as cool as us.”

Zoe scoffed. “You know, I really don’t.”

Robbe was already starting to feel warm and light, a combination of the alcohol — which he was disproportionately drinking in comparison to everyone else — and the baring of the dirty details of his relationship. He was not going to survive this game. Thinking this, he turned to look at Sander, who was gazing at him, licking his lips.

Oh boy, Robbe thought. Now he was even more woozy. Everyone else’s conversation and laughter around him was blurring and bubbling and Sander’s gaze was hot on him. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, aching for the relief of fresh air.  

“....that rapping video?” He heard Jana say. “That was...wow. That was something else.” She busted up into a fit of laughter, Zoe and Amber joining in. 

“What?!” Jens shouted. “That was one of our best!” More laughter erupted from the girls.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Moyo said, quieting everyone. “I’ll remember this conversation when we’re famous.”

Jana scoffed and Amber shook her head. 

“Who’s next?” Moyo asked, looking around, settling with a smirk on Sander. “Jack Frost? Got anything else you want to share about our boy?”

“Nooooo,” Robbe objected, slurring slightly. “No more from you, you hear me?” He shook his empty shot glass at Sander.

“Oh, like what?” Sander said, shrugging innocently. “I mean, you’d be surprised what Robbe has done….but then we’d be here all night and Robbe would be even more drunk than he already is. 

More oooohs filled the room, and Robbe couldn’t take it. Loopy and overheated, he launched at Sander, tackling him to the ground and pressing a finger to his lips. “Quiet, you!” 

Sander eyes widened, and he leaned up to kiss Robbe, his finger caught between their kiss.

Ooohs turned to ewwwws quickly as Sander started pulling Robbe closer, ignoring their friends around them as he connected their lips and refused to let go.

“Aaaaaand that,” Jens said, shifting to stand, “is our cue to exit.”

Everyone scrambled to escape the PDA, Jana doubling back with a hand shielding her eyes to grab the bottle of alcohol and run back to catch up with the exiting crew. 

“Do you think I was going to let you just sit there looking so hot and suffer through talk about your crush on Jens?” Sander leaned up to whisper in Robbe’s ear, nipping it softly. “I needed to get everyone out of here. Fast.”

Robbe just pulled back, looking at him with heavy breath. Before he leaned down to give Sander a passionate kiss, he heard Jens yell from the doorway.

“Use protection, you two!”

[amoralityplay]

Lexington, Mass. 1818.

The parlor was dim, even though it was almost noon; nobody would be able to tell the time of day from inside the lavish Colonial-style house except for the hand-wound clock resting on the fireplace mantle. A teenage girl, tall with pale blonde hair loosely pulled back with a blue silk ribbon, sat on one of the velvet-upholstered sofas; the empire-waisted dress she wore only seemed to serve to make her seem thin and lankier than she already was. Beside her, a shorter girl had leaned forward and was examining the small birdcage that had been set on the table; inside, a bright yellow bird perched and occasionally fluttered around.

[Cut for length]

“I never have a problem getting my birds to sing, Audrey. Maybe you’re training them wrong,” the shorter girl suggested, sitting back on the sofa and twirling her fingers into her perfectly-coiled, dark brown hair. “I’m not,” the taller girl answered, rolling her eyes. “I’ve been doing this for five years. They just won’t sing.” “Maybe they need to see the sun. Why is your house always so dark?” “You know why, Emma.”

“Well, your mother isn’t in the room, it can’t possibly hurt her skin condition to just open the curtains a little—“ “It will hurt, Emma, stop it, you know the whole family has the same condition. It’s hereditary.” A young man, who had until that moment been sitting silently in a chair across the room, supposedly reading, stood up. He seemed a bit older than the two girls and, as a native of Russia, his words were heavily accented; given the Italian accents of varying strength that the rest of the household shared, it seemed particularly out of place. “Isn’t it rude to come into someone else’s home and suggest how they do things is wrong?” “Oh, shut up, Fedir. What’s rude is making your guests sit around in the dark,” she crossed her arms, looking back at Audrey. “You can’t possibly be so sensitive to sunlight that you can’t even be inside with the curtains open a little. What are you, a vampire? It’s ridiculous.” Audrey’s green eyes flickered towards Fedir at the mention of vampires; they both knew the girl was just being snotty, but it was a dangerous thing for her to even suggest that vampires might be residing in that household; it hadn’t been too long since similar words lead to rumors that resulted in the death of Audrey’s father and sister. Emma, oblivious to how close she was flirting with a terrifying and painful end, huffed and stood up. “I’m going home, your bird is stupid and you’re both a snore.” “Maybe that’s a good idea.” An older man wandered into the parlor and offered a close-lipped smile to the group. His hair and beard were almost completely grey, but it was clear that even though he appeared to be in his sixties, he’d been very muscular and fit in his younger years, and he had the sort of sense about him that he was used to being in charge. “I think what we’re having for lunch probably won’t agree with you, Miss Emma, but you’re welcome to stay if you like liver pâté.” The girl’s nose wrinkled. “No, thank you. I don’t like liver, Mister Martin. I’ll be going…thank you for having me, Audrey.” Her tone, now that an adult was nearby, had shifted significantly and she smiled sweetly at the girl she’d just been insulting a moment before. Audrey didn’t move and watched with a frown…though her hands twisting a handkerchief in her lap was a giveaway that the situation had made her intensely uncomfortable. “You can let yourself out.” Emma lingered for a moment, weighing whether or not she was willing to call Audrey rude in front of her grandfather. She opted to not, but that didn’t stop her from mumbling on her way out of the room, “Liver? Who eats liver for lunch? This family is so strange.”

Chuckling and shaking his head, Audrey’s grandfather waited until they heard the front door open, then shut a little more loudly than necessary, before saying anything else. “I know you want friends your own age, Audrey, but a mortal girl? She should be lunch, not that liver in the kitchen. Where did you ever meet such a nasty little thing?” “I know…” Audrey mumbled. “I met her at the Christmas gala the neighbors had that Mother said we had to go to, and she said she has canaries too, so I thought maybe…if we had the same interests…it wouldn’t matter that she’s mortal.” She sighed and leaned heavily against the sofa arm, propping her head up on her chin. “I don’t like her…But she’s right. They won’t sing because it’s too dark. They always think it’s night.” “The birds don’t need to sing to be beautiful, do they? Besides…she’s so rude, Audrey…maybe we can find you a friend who appreciates you.” Fedir walked closer and then sat on the sofa where Emma had been seated moments before, and Audrey huffed a small sigh and shifted to make more space between herself and the young man. He’d been around since before Audrey was born, but as she’d aged he had taken quite a shining to his sire’s granddaughter. Audrey, however, wasn’t interested and it didn’t seem worth pursuing, even if she had been; vampires nearly always had arranged marriages, and she was certain that even if he were the last male vampire on Earth, Max and Phersipnai would never accept such a pairing. Fedir was too recently turned and almost entirely dependent on Max still—even as a mortal, he’d been nearly destitute. The older vampire treated him like a nephew, but it was obvious there was a line Max was willing to draw at seeing him as acceptable for Audrey.

“A friend who appreciates me…Like you do, I suppose?” She glanced at Fedir out of the corner of her eye, then at her grandfather, who snorted another small laugh.

“Audrey, be nice,” Max warned. “I’m going to see about lunch and then going back to bed. I don’t know how you can stay up all day like this…” As the elder vampire turned and left the parlor, Audrey frowned. She wished he wouldn’t leave her alone with Fedir…it wasn’t that she thought the man would do anything, but it was awkward. Fedir shifted on the sofa, his tongue flicking against his lower lip as he looked for some excuse to keep talking to Audrey; he saw her frequently enough, even after she and her mother had moved back to the United States, but he never seemed to say the right thing to her. “I just meant…maybe you could meet another vampire your age—“ “There aren’t any my age, Fedir,” she snapped back at him, crossing her arms. “Nobody turns teenaged girls and there are hardly any other natal vampires to begin with, nevermind any that are seventeen." Audrey had long been frustrated by her rather lonely existence; if she wanted someone her own age to talk to, she was limited to mortals, and obviously they neither understood much about her nor could know anything about what she really was without their lives being forfeit. Meanwhile, the vampires she was around most—Her mother and grandparents—were thousands of years old. Fedir was very young for a vampire, in his seventies, but that still was far beyond the scope of what Audrey was looking for. “It will get better. You’ll meet others at coalition meetings now that you're almost of age and will start attending. And someday you’ll be matched and how could anyone not fall in—“ “In love with me?” She finished for him. There was another exaggerated sigh from the young vampire; she certainly wished that would be the case; Audrey was a little soft-hearted and romantic and prone to daydreaming about the future, envisioning a marriage like the ones in the romance novels she’d read…but she only had to look at her own grandparents for a more realistic example. They’d been matched hundreds of years ago and had hardly spoken to each other since well before Audrey was born. Max only visited his daughter and granddaughter when he knew Phersipnai was elsewhere, to “give her some space.” It wasn’t that they disliked each other; they were quite fond of one another, really. But it wasn’t a love match and after so many years…they simply needed a break from each other. “It won’t be you, Fedir. Ever. You know that. And you must know hardly any marriages between vampires are for love, anyway.” Audrey saw the hurt painted across Fedir’s features and felt a little guilt, but rather than apologize and try to soothe his wounded feelings, she stood and picked up the bird cage, holding it up at eye level to examine the brilliantly-feathered resident within. Startled, the bird fluttered against the sides of the cage and the girl cooed softly at it, apologizing to it like she should have apologized to Fedir, before she glanced back at him. “I’m going to bed. I shouldn’t have stayed up all morning, this was a waste of time. Tell Grandfather I don’t want anything to eat.”

[softboywriting]

At First Sight | Part Two| Werewolf AU | Shawn Mendes

Summary: You and Shawn continue to explore your new found connection but you’re not ready to be open about it, or yourself to the community yet. [fluff] [mates] [werewolf au] [half-blood au]

Word Count: 3.8k

|Masterlist In Bio|

You lay awake late into the night a few days later. By all means you should be able to go to sleep. You and your mom exhausted yourselves unpacking all but the last few totes in the living room. You just can't stop thinking about Shawn, his touch, what he said about being connected. You decide to get up and do something you've never done before, go for a walk at night.

You slip out the front door with your key in hand and pull your jacket tight around yourself. The garden is safe. It's enclosed by the main building and other small houses like yours. No one is going to bother you. There are lights along the path way and a few posts as well so it's well lit and very nice. For the first time you feel safe doing something you've always wanted to do.

As you round the end of the path you can see someone sitting on a little stone bench. They look up as you approach and it's a girl close to your age with long dark hair. She’s sitting alone and doesn’t seem to be doing much besides staring at the trees in the middle of the garden.

"Hi."

"Hey,” you say politely with a little awkward wave of your hand.

"Can't sleep?"

You shake your head. "It's hard to sleep in a new place, I’m still adjusting."

"Oh, you're the new girl?"

"Yeah." You pull your hood forward on your head, not sure if she can see your ears in the lights of the garden or not but you don’t want to risk it. "My mom and I just moved here. She's going to be the new kindergarten and preschool teacher."

"Right, I heard they were setting up a preschool here.” She pats the bench beside her for you to take a seat. “I'm Fiona by the way."

"Nice to meet you." You introduce yourself and sit down beside her.

"You've met Shawn already?"

"Yeah of course, why?"

"You smell like him."

"I do?" You sniff the collar of your jacket but it just smells like your clothes always do. It was the one you wore the day you moved your bed with him, the day you talked about being connected. Maybe somehow his cologne was lingering on it.

"Mmhmm. It's faint, but it's there. Are you friends or something?"

You don't know what to say. Shawn isn't exactly your friend, but you have a connection. You aren't sure if you should talk to her about that, was it okay to be with him? He is the alpha after all, what if this is some kind of test?

"We're friends,” you say, deciding it’s a good enough blanket term for whatever was happening between you and Shawn.

"It's more than that though, isn't it?" Fiona grins and you grip your jacket nervously, eyes going wide. "Shawn told me."

"Oh. Um, are you friends with him then?"

"Yeah, something like that." She laughs softly. "I just wanted to see what you'd say. He told me you were new, that you haven't lived with wolves before. He also told me that you guys are connected."

"Yeah, we are." You bite your lip and try not to say too much more. You're not sure if this girl is okay with you and Shawn or not, even though she must know Shawn pretty well if he told her about you. You stay quiet. Best not to say anything that might make someone dislike you.

Fiona points to the doors to the main building. "If you want to see him, he lives in the right wing of the main building. That was the house his family built when they started this place and then they expanded it and it became the community building, but he still lives there."

"He's probably asleep. It's like two in the morning."

"I'm sure he's awake." She stands and encourages you to stand up with her. "If you're not able to sleep because you're thinking about him, he's probably doing the same thing."

"Oh, how did you know I was thinking about him?"

"Just a hunch. Come with me, I'll show you his place."

"I don't think I should. I need to just go back to my house."

Fiona grins and shakes her head. "Trust me, he will want to see you."

"Its fine."

"I'll go get him then."

"No!"

"Then come with me. Seriously, I promise you, he's not asleep."

You give in and decide to follow her. She leads you into the main building and through a set of doors at the end of a hall that leads into a big open living area. It's obviously a home, no longer the community building and you feel like you shouldn't be there, like you've just overstepped some boundaries. "I don't think this is right. This is a house. I thought we were just going to like a bedroom or something."

"Its fine, trust me." She leads you around, literally tugging you along as she walks you into an open kitchen that is lit up. Standing at the sink is Shawn. He's topless, bare back toned and curved beautifully. A pair of plaid pajama pants hang low on his hips and you are stunned silent.

"Are you awake too, Fi?" He turns and raises his eyebrows. "Oh."

"I brought you someone." Fiona giggles and gestures to you. "I knew you weren't asleep."

"Fi...god damnit I knew I'd regret telling you about her." Shawn sets his cup aside and glares at the girl beside you. "I'm so sorry. I'll walk you back home."

"Oh come on! She can't sleep! You guys obviously need each other!" Fiona grabs your hand and drags you across the kitchen to stand before Shawn.

"What's going on?" You laugh nervously, looking between the two wolves.

Shawn sighs and runs a hand over his messy hair. "My lovely sister here is trying to play matchmaker." Shawn pushes Fiona's shoulder. "Even though I told her not to talk to you yet."

"Oh whatever." Fiona scoffs and steps away. "You dropped the M word and you won't even pursue her when you need her just as bad as she needs you. I'm gonna give you two some space now." With that she wanders off down the hall into the house and you and Shawn are left to stare at each other.

"I'm so sorry about her."

"No, no it's not your fault." You shake your head. "I just went for a walk because I couldn't sleep and she was out there. I had no idea who she was."

"She's a pest." He chuckles. "I can't sleep either. I'm tired, but I can't seem to get comfortable."

"Same. I'm exhausted. Um, what's the M word by the way?"

"Mates. Fiona is obsessed with falling in love and finding the bond between wolves. When I told her about you, she practically died. She’s very caught up in the romance of it all." Shawn steps forward and lays his hand on your arm. "Let me walk you home."

The two of you walk to your front door, chatting idly as you go. You find out Fiona is actually his adopted sister, his dad having taken her in as a baby when her mom passed away shortly after arriving at Lunacasa. You tell him about your dad and how he's gone now too. Shawn slides his hand into yours and you’re quiet for the remainder of the walk across the garden,

"I guess this is where I drop you off." Shawn says, looking to the door with a smile when you arrive. "You really need to sleep. I'm sure you have a lot of unpacking to do still."

"We're pretty much done actually. Do you...do you wanna come in?"

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. Why not? You can see my bedroom and see what a mess you've been bonded to. That's the word right? Bonded?"

"It's a good word for it."

One thing leads to another and a few minutes later you find yourself in your bed with Shawn curled up behind you. His arm around your chest is heavy and comforting. He's so warm and inviting you find sleep coming easier. Very few times have you shared your bed with someone and this time you don't want to ever stop. As comfortable as you are, it makes you worry how long this is going to last.

"Hey," Shawn breathes into your hair, hot breath tickling the back of your neck. "Go to sleep."

"You go to sleep too. You are just as awake."

"Well yeah, because your heartbeat is really fast and I was worried you were freaking out and going to make me leave because you're uncomfortable or something."

"I'm totally fine. Why would I make you leave?"

"Then go to sleep."

"You go to sleep."

Shawn rolls you over and you lay face to face with him. "Are you sure you want me to stay?"

"Mmhmm."

"What's wrong then?"

"Nothing." You close your eyes and Shawn runs his finger down your nose. The motion sends a shiver down your spine that turns into a pooling warmth in your stomach. So sweet and incredibly tender.

"Talk to me," he purrs softly, stroking down your nose over and over. He must know it feels good. "Tell me what's on your mind."

"I'm worried about what people will say about me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm new, and you're the alpha and I'm...a half blood." You lean in instinctively when he stops touching your nose and end up bumping it against his.

"The wolves here aren't like the people you grew up with. They understand that there are different kinds of wolves, and they would be elated to know I've found a mate." He takes your hands in his and brings them up to kiss gently. "I promise you that you don't need to worry about being anything but yourself here."

"I don't know..."

"Open your eyes." He whispers and you do. He's staring back, eyes golden amber like the day you first met. "I swear I'll make sure you never feel this way again."

"You can't make insecurity vaporize overnight."

"I can do everything I can to combat it though." He smiles and leans in to kiss your nose. "Can you please go to sleep now?"

"Maybe. Can you hold me?"

"Yes." He pulls you into his chest and you tuck your head under his chin. You wrap your arm around him and put your feet up against his to get comfortable. "Good night."

"Mmm night."

____________________

"Tonight is the community's founding anniversary party. Do you wanna go?" Your mom asks from the kitchen while she makes her lunch for work. It's been a few weeks since you arrived at Lunacasa. You have yet to find a job, either in the community or in the nearby town, but there isn’t a lot of pressure on you to do so yet. In fact you've just been trying to stay low key, keeping to yourself and staying away from people. Old habits die hard.

You look over from the couch at your mom in the kitchen. "Shawn invited me to go with him. He is gonna stop by and pick me up tonight."

"Oh! You guys are really hitting it off then?"

You turn over and lean with your arms on the back of the couch. "He's the one mom."

"The one? The one, one?"

"Yeah."

Your mom grins big. "I knew it. The first time he looked at you, I knew. I’m so happy we came here."

"He is so sweet and funny and he makes me feel loved. I'm still nervous though, about tonight. This is a big event and I heard that there is a whole thing where people announce their mates."

"What makes you nervous about that?"

"Well my ears for one, but also the fact that Shawn is the alpha. Like, I know it's probably a big deal that he's seen with someone, or makes an announcement about it."

Your Mom walks over and sits down next to you. She lays her hand on your arm and squeezes softly. "Honey, has anyone said anything to you about your ears?"

"Well no, but I haven't been out much. I've just been staying within the community building with Fiona and Shawn."

"And has anyone said anything about you and Shawn?"

"No, but we've been hanging out in private." You sigh softly. "I've just been scared I guess. Shawn says people won't judge me, but I don't know."

"You're scared of getting hurt."

"Y-yeah."

"I know." She wraps her arm around you and hugs you close to her side. "If Shawn says things will be okay then you should trust him. I know you're nervous but it's important to trust him, he knows these people."

"You're right." You lean your head on her. "I have to stop hiding."

She kisses your hair and rubs your ear gently. "You're living with wolves now. It's not like living in the city. You're gonna have fun tonight. Don't think about it, just enjoy yourself with Shawn."

"I'm gonna try."

_____________________

"Hey pretty girl, can I have this dance?"

You turn around to see Shawn behind you smiling. He's got the sleeves of his button down shirt rolled up and his tie is nowhere to be seen. You place your hand in his and he puts his other one on your waist. "You disappear for fifteen minutes and you come back all undressed?"

"Well, see the thing is, I hate ties. They choke me to death." He sways with you slowly. "And the long sleeves were bugging me every time I reached for something. I think this look is much better."

"I'm not complaining."

"Good." He kisses your forehead. “You look beautiful tonight. Have I told you that?”

“Twice.”

“Good. I’ll have to tell you a few more times just to be sure.” He rubs his hand up and down your side. "Are you doing okay?"

"Mmhmm. Finoa introduced me to a few of her friends and they were nice and all, but I still feel kind of out of place."

"You're not ready to announce with me then?"

"Announce?"

"When I announce the new mates in the community. Finoa said something about it right? It's part of the festivities, we celebrate those who have found their mates here."

"Oh, right, yeah." You shake your head and lean it on his chest. "I'm too nervous. I'm not ready yet. I just...I thought I could do it, but I’m just not ready."

Shawn runs his hand through your hair and scratches your ear gently. "I understand. We don't have to. I know you're still very new to this."

"You're not upset or disappointed?"

"Of course not. I'm never going to pressure you into anything you aren't ready for. We can make an announcement whenever you’re comfortable."

You wrap your arms around him and squeeze him tightly. All night you had been dreading this sort of thing, figuring you would have to be part of some big ceremony with Shawn and have everyone staring at you. It’s such a relief that you don’t have to. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for anything." He pulls you back and holds your face. "Dance with me?"

"I can do that."

Two songs later and you're tired, physically and mentally. Your social meter has run out. Shawn is a very good dancer and you're glad because you can't keep time to save your life. But as always, Shawn was patient, guiding you along with him as the slow love songs played over the speakers. You part ways, Shawn going to talk to some people near Nancy before the mate announcements begin while you take a seat at an empty table with a glass of water.

"Are you and alpha Shawn mates?"

You turn and see a little boy beside you with a cup in one hand and a toy in the other. "We might be."

"That's cool." The boy climbs up and sits down on a chair next to you. "Do you think you will have babies with him?"

"Maybe one day," you chuckle. This kid is so curious and adorable. "What's your name?"

"Koda." He looks at your ears. "How come you have different ears?"

"I was born like this. How come you have brown eyes?"

He shrugs. "I dunno. Your ears are cool though. I wish I had some like that." He tugs his little ear. "All I got is these little tiny ears and I can't even hear really good like my big brother."

"Oh yeah? My ears aren't very good either. They look cool but they are not very useful."

Koda glances at them. "You don't have super hearing?"

"Nope."

"Oh. Can I touch them?"

"Sure. Just don't pull." You lean over and he pets one ear carefully. He giggles and you can't help but laugh.

"They feel like a puppy's fur!" He rubs against the fur this time and you sit up. "I wish I had those. I'd be the coolest person ever."

"Sorry buddy, they're one of a kind." You laugh and he pouts.

"Koda, what're you doing over here?" You turn and see Nancy walking toward you with Shawn behind her.

"He was just curious about my ears." You say as Nancy lifts him up onto her hip. "I don't mind."

"Yeah mom, she has puppy ears. Isn't that cool? They're really soft, she let me touch them!"

Nancy smiles warmly. "That's very cool, Koda."

Shawn runs his hand over your hair and crouches down to kiss your head. "It's almost time for the mate announcements. Are you still not ready?" He whispers lowly and you shake your head.

"I still wanna wait."

"Absolutely." He kisses your cheek and looks to Nancy. "Ready to start?"

"You know it." Nancy turns and walks with Shawn and Koda toward the front of the room.

_____________________

Post festivities you find yourself walking with Shawn down the hall to his home in the community building. He takes your hand and swings it, spinning you around a few times to make your dress spin out around your knees. The party was fun, everyone you met was incredibly kind and no one said anything about your ears. Things are going great.

"You look gorgeous." He says, pulling you in close to his chest. "This dress looks so good on you." He holds your hips and smiles playfully.

"You keep saying that, but it's just a dress." You bite your lip and glance down.

"Yeah, but it's perfect on you.” He stops outside the doors to his place. “We're here, do you want to come in?"

"It's late though."

Shawn unlocks the door and pushes it open. "You can always stay the night."

"At your place?"

"Yes? That's where we are." He chuckles.

"Is it okay? I mean, I know you've stayed at my place once and we've taken naps together but...should we?"

Shawn just grins. He steps forward and plays with your hair, wrists resting on your shoulders as he does. "There isn't some rule against dating me because I'm the alpha, I've told you that."

"I knowwww. But...I dunno."

"Are you afraid of taking the next step?"

"I-I...I am." You look down and he tilts your head back up. "This feels like it's not real. Like I'm just in a dream and I can't wake up. Or worse, I am gonna wake up and it's all going to be gone."

"I promise it's not a dream." He runs his thumb over your lower lip. "I promise I'm real, and I love you."

"Shawn. You can't say that."

"I just did."

"I know we're mates, and bonded and everything but...but we haven't even had our first real kiss. You can just drop the L word."

"Well, can I kiss you then?" He chuckles, eyes on your lips. "Because I'd really like to."

"Mmhmm."  

Shawn holds your face in his palms as he leans in and kisses you tenderly. His lips are warm, soft, and gentle just like him. "Will you stay the night?"

"Yes." You chase his lips, earning another kiss, this time much hungrier. "A thousand times yes."

"Good." He lifts you up and carries you with your legs around his waist. He kicks the door closed carefully before taking you to his room and you know the next step in this relationship is definitely just a few feet away.

_____________________

You wake up and you ache. Shawn has his arm over you, face tucked into your neck. His naked form pressed against the side of your equally naked body. The light of the moon shines through the big floor to ceiling windows across from the bed, making everything it touches glow with a cool blue and white light.

Shawn shifts, fingers curling into the soft skin of your hip as he tugs you impossibly closer. He's so gentle, even in sleep you can't get over how careful he is with you. Last night, no, only a few hours ago he had been fucking you slow and tenderly until you were coming undone completely. Through it all he made sure you were taken care of and comfortable. This all still feels like a dream, like this can't be the real world.

"Darling," Shawn growls into your neck, placing little kisses along your bitten up tender shoulder. "Why are you awake?"

"Just woke up."

"Your heart is beating fast."

"Dunno why."

"Don't lie to me." He runs his hand up your stomach and lays it over your chest. "Why are you awake?"

"My body hurts." You yawn and roll to your side to get comfortable. Shawn presses against your back, laying kisses along your shoulders. "Its okay."

"I was too rough."

"No, you were just fine."

Shawn growls and runs his hand over your hip. "Where does it hurt?"

You yawn again, sleep creeping back into your body. "My legs and my back. I just need to sleep, it's okay Shawn."

"Uh uh." He shifts around, pushing you over so you lay on your stomach. His hand slides up your back and starts massaging gently, his thumb working into your shoulder blade. "This good?"

"Mmmhmm." You groan, melting under his touch. "Down a bit?"

Shawn moves around getting up so he can kneel, straddling your legs so he can get both hands on your back. He runs his hands up your sides and starts kneading your back methodically, working his way from your shoulder blades down to your butt. It's like heaven, his hands feel so good you can't help but let your eyes fall closed and sleep take over.

"How's it feel?"

You let out a sleepy incoherent mumble.

He chuckles and leans over to kiss your shoulders and down your back. "Goodnight, love."

--------------------------------------

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Thank you again. You’re all amazing and supportive!! - A

*****Note: none of my works should be posted anywhere outside of my linked accounts. I do not give permission to repost with or without credit to my accounts. Please notify me of any reposted fics.*****

[iam-kenough]

Will  you ever notice me? Arthur Morgan x Original Female Character

Summary:  During they wandering in deep snowstorm, man from van  der Linde gang found odd looking girl and Dutch decides to take her to  camp to see if she can be any use, leading life of outlaw with them.  Quickly, new girl develops feelings towards Arthur, but he sees her just  as a kid...and she won't take that! It's an original character story  that starts in the place where Arthur, Dutch and Micah were supposed to  first meet with Sadie. Instead she's already with them.

Authors notes: It’s another chapter and you can find the rest of chapter on my blog if you want to read more of my fanfiction. I decided to post all parts I have at once so the fic could catch more attention. Word count: 2702 Chapter 3 In few long days she started accepting her fate, to call it this way.  Iris told herself that it was fast crush and it will disappear also fast. They could be friends after all and she hasn't manage to make it awkward yet. It was just really strange that Arthur had zero interest in any woman, not saying only about her. Once they went to saloon after one of errands and two working girls was throwing themselves on Arthur. ''That's not a way to talk a lady!'' said one of them after he snapped something at her. ''I didn't know I was talking to a lady!' he laughed, swallowing a glass of whiskey at once. Yea, Arthur Morgan was weird. And all those things about getting baths with dogs and being old and awkward, they seemed to be true. Iris accepted the fact her crush will never notice her the way she noticed him and she moved on. She just felt little bit sad looking at him and not sharing all her thoughts with him, but days were still the same. She was listening to him every evening.It was beautiful, warm day that smelled like forest and sun and everything Iris loved. She never understood why her family choosed to live in mountains. She was dressed in blouse without arms and sun kissed them, making it easier for freckles to appear. Deeply in her head, admiring everything around she was riding her horse towards Saint Denis. And she had her lovely companion. - Everything alright, Mr Morgan? You seem worried. - It's stupid - he said, scratching his chin. So he was embarassed, Iris assumed. - You always ask about my stupid things. You can tell me, you are my friend - she smiled brightly. Forgetting about those romantic feelings towards him was easier when she remided herself that ''he's just a friend''. - It's the thing that Mary asked me for help. I saw her few times in last weeks...And I don't know, kid. She seems to want me back again. Iris remembered Mary, Arthur shared his tales about her with Iris during one of their nigh talks. It was the same woman who left him, 'cause daddy forbid her to be with some dirty outlaw.  Now she needed to behave mature, even if she hated that woman already just for stealing Arthur's heart - she couldn't do it so far. - You know, Mr Morgan, remember how it finished between you two last time. - She seems to be a little different woman now. I don't even know if I'm not overthinking it, maybe she was just nice, ya know. - One way or another, you need to see yourself if she's worthy second chance. And if you are not sure about her feelings - tell her. You both adults - Iris fixed her hair, now it was streaming down her back. Every man would look at her now, dreaming about their hands on small of her back. But if was Arthur Morgan. He scratched his chin again and nodded. - You smart with those things. Feelings I mean. - I just know what happens when you hide your feelings. Especially if you are bad at it, Mr Morgan. - Ya say I'm bad at keeping my emotions? - he seemed offended. She smiled sweetely. He was charming, especially when he was honest. - No, I'm just saying that you seem to honest and straight forward to play some weird games with anyone. You shouldn't lie to Mary or hide your feelings towards her - she chewed her lip, 'cause next sentence could wreck her. But it won't, not anymore - Especially if you really love her, Mr Morgan. - I- I don't know, kid - he stuttered - you seem to know everything so I will trust you but I don't know if she wants to be loved by me. Look at me. And she looked, oh she did. She looked at his gentle face covered in scars, his honey-blond hair, his emerald eyes and his big frame. He's larger than life. - I'm looking and I need to say that Mary would be stupid turning you down. Even if you're an outlaw, Mr Morgan, you deserve better than you think - she muttered. Iris was glad they were already in Saint Denis 'cause she would cry if she would talk to him more. She wanted visit town to buy herself more clothes, she saved big money from what gang stole since she joined them and she needed dresses, a comb, maybe some other stupid, girly things. They hitched their horses and splited.Hours later Iris had everything. Few nice dresses and other things that lifted her spirit. She even attended hairdresser and now her locks were a little bit shorter. She stopped to look at herself in shop's window. She wasn't that bad...One day probably some man will fall for her and she will settle for him and give him kids. Romance's from Mary-Beth books seemed beautiful but her prince charming wasn't hers and that was it. She stopped at corner of the street when she saw them. Arthur was talking to woman who had to be Mary. And she was gorgeous. Iris started envy her right away.  Her cute dress, her big, doe eyes, her neatly arranged her and...and of course she envied her Arthur. Brunette hid herself and with strong shame feeling started eavesdropping at them. It seemed they just left theater, which meant Arthur took Mary for a date. So it was really her fault she didn't deserved him, 'cause obviously he liked woman despite what girls in camp was saying. - I really miss you, Mary - he said and Iris's heart dropped on the floor. But she wanted to listen, she wanted to know every small detail Mary had but she lacked. - I miss you two, Arthur.  Ah, you still something, aren't you. - You seem to be the only one to think that - he laughed nervously. He fancied her, oh he did. Iris's lips became thin line. Their heads was close, now closer and then they kissed. She covered her mouth as she watched. She shouldn't to save her heart and it was creepy what she was doing but couldn't stop. Their mouth seemed to fit each other perfectly. If Iris's heart dropped on the floor, now it was just sad puddle and all she saw was fireworks but in very bad way. Like she almost fainted. Quickly and swiftly she backed out of area and marched towards their horses. Big clock on one of building said that if she's gonna get back to them, Arthur will also come soon and they will be back to camp. Few minutes passed and she saw him coming in her direction. Arthur's face seemed so happy and he looked directly at her face. Two of them grabbed their horses and headed back to the camp. - You were right, kid - Arthur started out of the blue. - About Mary? - Iris was looking directly in front of her. Glad her pop was alcoholic who couldn't stand tears and she learned to hold them back other way she would cry by now. - Yes, 'bout her. She seems to share feelings with me, you know. Brunette noded, smiling at him. It wasn't his fault he was oblivious and that she was crybaby and...and a kid. And what's more Arthurs mood was lifted. - But I don't think I'm gonna push her further. She would like me to work decent job, you know. Sleep in bed every night. Move to Saint Denis. - Well - she took the deepest, the most calming breath as she said - that's probably because she loves you and want to be close. - But that ain't who I am. I will always be like that and probably die ugly some day. It would be easier if she joined us like you. But she won't. - It's not for everybody, I get her.  She is town girl and from what you said her father has big influence on her. That's not good. - Yea, you right kid - he cleared his throat - No woman would want this life for herself just to be with man like me. - I would - she bursted out. She almost panicked but he missed sense of her words, he wasn't shoked at all.   So Iris continued. - When I lived with my pop and brother I wanted town life for myself. My father always was telling me that no man would like skinny chicken like me and that I won't get married. So I decided I'm gonna move to town and enroll to university. In this time...he was already drinking too much and we were poor, Olgierd's the only one who provided us with food and I started stealing books - her hands was shaking a little bit as she reminded herself those embarassing stuff - and I learned from them to enroll and become a doctor. From then father was saying not only I'm skinny chicken who lacks any womanhood but also that no one would go to female doctor.  I wasn't stupid kid, you know Mr Morgan. Just born in wrong family, or some shit like that. And I knew that if I'm gonna work hard and steal, I will make my dreams come true. One day pop was really angry and when I wasn't home he grabbed all those books, threw them on the ground in front of our house, poured whisky on them and set them on fire. Arthur was looking at her differently now. Like she scarred him. But Iris smiled and him and finished: - What was my point is that I won't be any town girl who goes to school. I won't be anybody's wife too, too late for me to look after a husband since now, among town people I'm considered too old to marry. But I started liking living like we live, Mr Morgan. At least we can be free and our feelings are free, we can love whoever we want among our kind. - You seem sad, kiddo. Like y'didn't mean those things you saying. - I do...I just met this person we were talking about one day. I think he turned me down. - I-I am sorry - his horse catched up hers and Arthur caressed her back. She shivered like she was supposed to fall apart under his touch. He never touched her before and even though it was platonic touch her heart skipped a beat - I am no good with words, ya know. I can listen to ya tho. - There isn't much to listen. We are clear now. Friends it is. - Am sorry, ya very beautiful a-and smart ya know, ya don't deserve to be pushed around like this. It was too much. He just called her smart and beautiful after he kissed love of his life and he didn't even know for real why she was  so upset and he was saying all those things after many weeks when he turned her down calling her a kid and not noticing how sweet she was on him. - Thank you, Arthur. You saying those things...it means a lot for me - it was first time she called him by his name. Big knot in her stomach ached and she was glad they entered the camp. She ran away from him immediately, throwing things she bought inside her tent. Almost everyone from camp seemed to be gathered around the campfire, someone played the guitar and she noticed crate of beer. Iris felt like getting drunk, really drunk and fall asleep wasted so she won't have to talk with Arthur tonight. She grabbed one beer and downed it immediately, Mary-Beth throwing her look full of questions when Arthur also joined the gathering. He sat on the log and made space for Iris, patting it softly. Iris saw it but decided to play dumb and blind as she sat next to Dutch. - Where's ya girl, Dutchy? Almost miss her throwing daggers at me- She patted his arm and passed him bottle of beer. - Not my girl anymore and thanks God for that, crazy bitch. - Sorry to hear that. But I need to tell you my heart is also broken. Love's a bitch, ain't it? - she smirked as she raised a toast and their bottles clicked together. - Love is a bitch, indeed - he said slowly as his arm suddenly wandered around her waist. She blushed. Arthur didn't like that. Something felt off with Iris and he couldn't tell what. She was nice to him as always and she really helped him out with settling things with Mary down but she seemed to drift apart from him. Of course, you old fool, you lied to yourself you are her closest friend here when actually she just pity you.  And he didn't like that she and Dutch were so close right now. She was only 20, looking out for her 21st birthday and she let this man who's even older than Arthur himself throwing his hands around her body. Who saved him from getting up and saying one word too much was Mary- Beth who catched Iris's arm and dragged her away. He saw them disappearing in a distance behind the trees. Arthur decided to listen to them. - Hey, you've been gone whole day and now I see you try to get drunk as quickly as possible. I don't have to say I am your girlfriend and I know when something's up. Spill the beans then, don't make it harded for me - Blonde was caressing Iris's back as they sat down on wooden log. - He turned me down today - she said and then she become whispering, making it even harder for Arthur to understand. - H-him? Are we talking about the same person? He wouldn't say anything mean toward a horse, not saying girl like you! - Well...it wasn't the way you think it was. I just...I just saw him with somebody else and it is clear for me now. - You don't say! - Mary's eyes became big and she covered her mouth. - Am saying what am saying. But I am not mad at him, you know. Can't compare myself to sweetie he's in love with. - Is she...is she older than you? - For sure! Better looking, too - she looked down at her bust as she squeezed them - And obviously she's curvy and she has those big, doe eyes, you know. No wonder he fancy her. Then Arthur heard her muffled crying. Who was she talking about? Is the guy she's seeing cheating on her? Why would she talk with him then? - So...now you at least know he's not made for you, sweetheart - Mary-Berth murmured, holding her closely. - I am not made for anyone, look at me! She even wears black hair better than me and I was born with it, Mary-Beth! - Shh, you gonna be loved...Look at Dutch, he's totally sweet for you.   Molly left him few days ago and I heard it was because he wanted you . - No! No, don't say that, please. I am the reason they argued this much lately? That's even worse - now she was ugly crying - I have no interest in Dutch! What a mess! It was so bad. She didn't told him about all those things? Arthur felt like he needed to ask so he hid carefuly, seeing Mary-Beth leaving so Iris could cry herself in peace as she asked. He waited few minutes and then decided to walk on her. - Hey, kiddo, you okay there? She started crying even uglier when she heard him. He wouldn't tell it's because of him anyway now. - Yes, yes - she waved his hand, wiping her face with muslin tissue - Just small melt down. - Can you tell me about it? I-I know I am not much of a friend but I said I can listen. She inhaled sharply and decided. It's do or die. If he will turn her down it will be easier for her to left the camp, like she planned last night. - Arthur, I-

[delicioussshame]

Some very tropey BingQiu modern AU.

Here are the facts.

1. Shen Jiu had disappeared, taking with him more than his share of the family’s fortune, not that it was near enough to incommode them gravely.

2. One of their factories had burned to the ground.

3. While the police had found no trace of criminal activity, no one in the Shen family was stupid enough to think those two events unrelated.

4. Convinced that Shen Jiu would come back for revenge (revenge for what? Shen Yuan had no idea.), his parents had decided he needed a bodyguard.

5. They had chosen Luo Binghe.

6. Shen Yuan had a sugar baby now.

That last one was not how things were supposed to happen. Shen Yuan is certain that if his parents had thought for even a second that Luo Binghe could end up in Shen Yuan’s bed, they wouldn’t have hired him. Shen Yuan was sure they still dreamed of him marrying some pretty debutante to fuel the family fortune.

As far as Shen Yuan is concerned, they should have hired someone less ridiculously attractive to live with him twenty-four seven. What was Shen Yuan supposed to do, never look at his roommate? Just ignore the person that insisted on cooking him every meal from the moment he saw the shit Shen Yuan usually ate, despite it not being in his job description? The person who basically put his maid out of a job, who was always worried about his well-being, who made sure he didn’t go to bed too late and who seemed like he had no interest beside those things?

It was too much for Shen Yuan to resist. It was just sad, for this man to waste his life protecting Shen Yuan from a threat he didn’t believe would ever show himself. Whatever Shen Jiu’s problem was, it wasn’t with Shen Yuan.

So Shen Yuan tried to get Luo Binghe to open up about what he would have liked to do if he wasn’t stuck in Shen Yuan’s apartment, and after a lot of insistence, had ended up signing them both up to the kind of cooking lessons Shen Yuan had no chance of being able to follow, but it’s not like he could send his bodyguard by himself? He wouldn’t be able to do his job that way. He was sure Luo Binghe could handle it for them both. Shen Yuan would just boil water or something.

He bought crappy romance novels and put them by his crappy stallion novels, figuring Luo Binghe would have no reason to be embarrassed if Shen Yuan embarrassed himself just as much. Just to make the message clear, he also bought tickets for that terrible romantic comedy he knew Luo Binghe wanted to see from the way he actually listened to the trailer when it came up.

He took Luo Binghe to the kind of fancy restaurants his parents visited all the time by themselves, too afraid of Shen Yuan’s poor digestive system failing on him. Shen Yuan has been eating terribly for years; fine dining has nothing on it. It was just too much of a shame for Luo Binghe to be stuck inside with homebody Shen Yuan all the time.

Sometimes Luo Binghe took offense to something they ate and remade it but better, so it was a win for everyone, really.

Shen Yuan even went so far as to go on walks just to get Luo Binghe some fresh air.

Yes, in theory all those activities made Shen Yuan a more accessible target, but since Shen Yuan did not believe himself to be a target and Luo Binghe was apparently confident that he could take care of whatever would be coming for him, they just ignore it. Surely his parents would approve of Shen Yuan spending more time in the great outdoors.

So, in retrospect, maybe he should have seen it coming when Luo Binghe kissed him. Poor Binghe must have been so confused, to find himself be offered nice things when he was already being paid to spend time with him. Of course he thought Shen Yuan wanted something in return. And what else could someone like Binghe offer that he wasn’t already?

Because Shen Yuan could be very, very dumb, he only figured this after he let Luo Binghe fuck him. He didn’t have that much experience, okay? When someone that hot made a move on him, Shen Yuan’s only option was to be thankful and acquiesce enthusiastically. Only after had he realised that Luo Binghe might have felt forced.

He’d been fully planning on falling on his knees (no, not like that), apologise and offer to liberate Luo Binghe from his contract without penalty, but when Luo Binghe had woken up, having slept more than Shen Yuan had ever seen him do, and smiled at him gently before kissing him more tenderly than he’d ever been kissed, these thoughts were wiped right off Shen Yuan’s mind. Luo Binghe wouldn’t smile at him like that if he didn’t want was Shen Yuan was offering, right? With so little free time, dates and luxury must be a welcome respite. Sure, Shen Yuan wouldn’t be anyone’s first choice, but he’s been to a few society parties. Compared to some of the scions he had the displeasure of knowing, Shen Yuan was a bargain.

If it works, it works?

______________

Please.

He knows people sometimes see his (very handsome if he says so himself) face and physique and decide there can’t be much more behind them, but come on. A direct confrontation? Really? While Shen Yuan is taking a nap too? Does he think Luo Binghe is a complete idiot?

“Stand back, Luo Binghe, it’s just me.”

Luo Binghe bites back his growl with much difficulty. Shen Yuan hasn’t used his last name in months. “If Shen Jiu takes one step closer, I’ll shoot.”

Shen Jiu freezes. “What are you talking about? It’s me.”

This time, Luo Binghe doesn’t bother to hide his eye rolls as he aims his gun.  “You couldn’t hope to be Shen Yuan even if you spent the rest of your very sad life trying. Now, for some reason Shen Yuan would prefer you remain alive, so you can go back from that door you just passed or I can shoot you and Shen Yuan can decide what to do with you if you survive.”

Luo Binghe sees the flimsy attempt at a disguise fall off at Shen Jiu stares at him with disdain. Nothing about this man reminds someone of Shen Yuan. Not his posture, not the way he speaks, not his shoes even if he made a barely passable guess at clothes Shen Yuan might wear. He doesn’t even smell right! Like Shen Yuan would wear cologne on a daily basis! It would be a travesty to hide his delicious smell behind artificial scents. “I see they finally managed to hire someone with a working brain. I suppose it’s my fault for getting complacent.”

Luo Binghe cocks his gun. “Last chance.” He really hopes he takes it too. If Shen Jiu dies, Shen Yuan won’t need a bodyguard anymore, and Luo Binghe doesn’t think he could handle leaving him.

Shen Jiu throws him a venomous glare but leaves without another word.

Good.

_____________

“Your brother stopped by.”

Shen Yuan freezes, and takes in the lack of general destruction around him. “What did he do?”

Luo Binghe shrugs. “Nothing. He left when I figured out I knew he wasn’t you.”

“Wait, he just waltzed in?”

“Yes.”

Shen Yuan sighs. “Can’t we tell my parents that? He’s not going to kill me like that. I bet he just wanted to talk. How was he?”

Luo Binghe had no desire to tell his clients that. What if they believe him and end his contract? The only reason he’s hoping his contract will end is because of marriage. Luo Binghe wouldn’t take money to protect his own spouse. He would love nothing more than stay by Shen Yuan’s side until the end. “He seemed fine. We didn’t talk much.”

Shen Yuan frowns. “I see.”

Luo Binghe doesn’t like it when Shen Yuan frowns. Lucky for them both, he has the solution to that. “Breakfast is ready. Eat.”

Shen Yuan predictably lights up at the spread. Luo Binghe lights up at Shen Yuan’s reaction. It’s very gratifying to see his hard work is appreciated. Before this job, Luo Binghe had mostly worked as protection detail for children at boarding schools or teenagers on foreign trips, too young to take care of themselves and at risk of kidnapping away from their influent parents. They weren’t the most thankful.

When he’d gotten the offer to mind a fully-grown adult, he’d been wary. Surely whoever could afford him could afford housemaids, chefs and normal security? He’d been even more wary at his prospective clients’ description of their son: too frail for general society, valuing his privacy too much to allow for permanent help in his apartment, rarely leaving his house. This Shen Yuan would be a nightmare to handle, and would probably fight him every step of the way.

He’d still agreed because his clients had been genuinely afraid for their son’s life. They obviously lived in terror of getting a phone call from the police.

Shen Yuan had been nothing like he’d expected.

Oh, he could be moody and difficult, but he’d let Luo Binghe enter his house and his spare bedroom without trouble. He’d offered to feed him, despite the allowance his parents were giving Luo Binghe for him to feed Shen Yuan, and to provide whatever he needed to distract himself. He’d been mostly unobtrusive, and Luo Binghe had tried to do the same.

Except Shen Yuan had been insistent that Luo Binghe should enjoy his time with him. Luo Binghe had first thought Shen Yuan was just polite, friendly, or a natural host, strange as that might seem. Luo Binghe had first not wanted to impose, but when he’d finally broken, he hadn’t regretted it. He’d enjoyed the night outs, and the time outside, and the decent-to-delicious food.

The cooking lessons had nailed the coffin. Shen Yuan had been so obviously out of his element there, struggling to follow lessons intended for professional chefs. Luo Binghe had figured the first one would be the only one, and had tried to gain everything he could from it.

Except it hadn’t been. Shen Yuan hadn’t enjoyed it anywhere near as much as Luo Binghe had, but he had kept going, and as long as Shen Yuan went, so would his bodyguard.

Luo Binghe hadn’t understood, until he had, but when he did, he had been impressed. Luo Binghe would have never thought someone as introverted as Shen Yuan could be so smooth, and yet he’d managed to take Luo Binghe on multiple dates without him realising it. Because things like taking cooking lessons or letting Luo Binghe teach him some basic self-defense weren’t done because Shen Yuan enjoyed it. He did it because Luo Binghe enjoyed it.

Luo Binghe had had clients hit on him before. He knows what he looks like. He always said no.

Shen Yuan never hit on him. He always stayed unfailingly polite, apparently content to see Luo Binghe content.

It’s that side of him, this desire to make Luo Binghe happy while refusing to impose on him, that had convinced Luo Binghe to give this ill-advised relationship a try.

He hadn’t regretted it. Shen Yuan had been as sweet as Luo Binghe had expected, visibly floored at the idea that his affections were returned and eager to keep it that way. The kitchen was fully renovated and restocked soon after, now full of every single utensils Luo Binghe might ever want.

Luo Binghe supposed this was the kind of gesture ridiculously rich people made, like getting him a new coat and cashmere sweaters because he shivered once.

Sometimes, he felt like telling Shen Yuan that he made more than enough money to buy himself whatever he wanted, but since buying him things made Shen Yuan happy, and Luo Binghe knew he could easily afford it, he kept his mouth shut. He would just surprise him with a very nice gift for his birthday, or a ring worthy of him when he would propose, whichever came first.

He couldn’t wait to find out.

[mithranqueersmusings]

Here, There and Everywhere II

Chapter: 2/?

Rating: U

Summary:  You're a regular to The Cavern and you've always loved watching The Beatles play, even if you do have to deal with sweaty crowds, screaming girls and pervy guys. One day under rather unfortunate circumstances, you finally get to meet them which eventually, and oddly, leads to them living with you.

Tags: Domestic fluff, slow burn, eventual smut/romance

Pairings: George Harrison/Reader

AO3 link here / Fic masterlist here

You rooted around in your kitchen cupboard for some brandy, eventually finding an old bottle at the back which was almost full. You put it on the table with five glasses and sat down, Paul and Ringo sat down too but John and George scoped around the kitchen curiously. You poured some brandy into each of the glasses and passed them around the table. Eventually the other two boys sat down and everyone looked pretty comfortable which made you very happy.

"So what do you do for work, if you don't mind me asking." Ringo asked, he was sat nearest to you on your left and had already finished half of his drink.

"I'm a secretary. Not very exciting, I know, but I have to pay the bills somehow." You said, taking a sip of your drink and remembering exactly why you never drank brandy.

"You run the whole house on your own then?" Paul asked, he too was making his way through the drink quickly "Must be pretty lonely."

"Yeah, it can be. It's nice to have the kitchen so full again." You smiled at Paul who beamed back "Where do you guys live?"

There was a silence, each of the boys looked at each other rather awkwardly and you worried you'd asked something completely taboo. You were about to change the subject before George spoke up.

"It's complicated really. We don't really have a permanent residence, so to speak." George explained and the others nodded.

"We live in a cupboard." John said bluntly then laughed to himself once more.

"Don't be dramatic." Paul scolded with a smile "The deal we have with the club isn't great, we basically all share this tiny room between the four of us."

"It's not what you call ideal." Ringo said and your heart sank.

"Especially if you have to share a room with this one." John said as he gave Ringo a light shove "He snores like a bloody air raid siren!"

The mood was immediately lightened by John, something you figured he did quite often, and everyone was laughing and drinking again. The brandy bottle grew emptier and emptier as you all got drunker and drunker, eventually moving into the living room to sit on the sofas; you sat between George and Paul, while John sat in the armchair and Ringo sat on the floor - you tried to get him to swap with you but he insisted. Eventually the clock struck three and the boys all looked at each other, none of them realising what time it was.

"Bloody hell, is that the time?" Paul said as he looked at his watch "We best be getting back, we don't wanna get locked out again."

Quickly the boys got up and began gathering their things, and something in your chest felt heavy as you thought about being left alone in this house for yet another night, you'd feel especially lonely after enjoying the boys' company for so long.

"Wait!" You blurted out, more urgently than you intended, as John began putting on his shoes "Why don't you spend the night here?"

The boys all shared a look and you hated that they all seemed to be able to communicate without words in a way you couldn't understand. They all stood frozen, John still with one foot in the air as he pulled his boot on.

"You sure?" George asked.

"It's not just the brandy talking is it?" Ringo chuckled, he had stopped putting his shoes on.

"Well, maybe it is. It's just- I've got room, and I hate to think I'm sending you all away to go and sleep in a fucking cupboard." You rubbed the back of your neck awkwardly.

"You were the one that was meant to be thanking us, but I think the situations gone a bit topsy-turvy now." Paul smiled, taking off his coat again and hanging it up "We really don't want to impose."

"You're not, honestly. There's only two double beds so you'll have to share unless you want to sleep on the floor." You explained as you realised you hadn't thought this through as well as you should've.

"And where will you be sleeping?" John asked with a wiggle of his eyebrow.

"On the sofa, it's quite comfy really." You began to think about the state your room was in.

"Well I'm not sharing with Ringo." George said quickly "I've had enough of that racket. You should take the sofa."

Ringo scrunched up his face "Why don't you take the sofa since you're so quick to decide!"

"Cause my nose isn't faulty." George retorted, they both seemed quite serious but you could tell they were joking.

"Fine, I'll be the bigger person." Ringo said, realising the mistake he'd made immediately.

"That'd be a first." John chuckled, standing on his tip toes so that he towered over Ringo even more.

"Me and John can share one bed." Paul said "I don't wanna risk George punching me in his sleep again."

"That was one time, but whatever." George rolled his eyes "You probably deserved it anyway."

"Well if you want to take the bed George I'll sleep on the floor." You started to feel nervous as the reality of these four almost strangers sleeping in your house began to sink in.

"The floor? What do you take me for?" George scoffed "I'm not about to muscle into your bed and kick you onto the floor."

"Muscle?" Paul asked laughing, John and Ringo chuckling quietly as George shot him a playful glare.

"I can't put you on the floor, though." You felt your face getting a little hot; you really didn't want to be sharing a bed with George but you had a feeling he was going to be adamant about you not being on the floor.

"Here's a crazy idea guys." John stepped closer to the two of you "Double means two right? And there's one, two of you. Now I'm not too great at the old mathematics, but I think you might be able to share the bed between you." He put a finger on his chin and looked to the ceiling to feign being deep in thought.

Your face grew even redder at this and you looked at George to see him looking right back at you with a slight blush on his cheeks. John was looking at the both of you now, dramatically turning his head to face either one of you as he waited for a response.

"I mean, I'm fine with it if you are. I really don't mind sleeping on the floor." George finally broke the silence and looked at you with what you thought might be a hopeful look.

"No, no, it's fine. I just didn't know if you'd be fine with it." You tried to remain as composed as possible.

"Great, we can all die happy." Paul said sarcastically "Now let's get to bed, shall we?"

"Oh I've got some pyjamas you guys can wear if you want. They were my Dad's so they'll be quite baggy but if you don't wanna sleep in your clothes, the offer is there." You felt yourself returning to normality. You never got round to sorting through all your parents things, it hadn't been that long since they had passed, and you couldn't ever bring yourself to throwing their stuff out while you still had the space to keep it. Your dad was a pretty big man and only ever wore T-shirts and baggy trousers in his old age so they'd make perfect pyjamas for the boys.

"None for Ringo." John started "He sleeps in the nip." He whispered the final words, covering his mouth obviously and winking.

"Hey! I wasn't about to sleep naked on her bloody sofa now was I?" Ringo smacked John on the shoulder who just laughed.

"I dunno, were you?" George laughed.

"I'll take some pyjamas please." Paul spoke quickly before another silly argument began "We all will, won't we lads?"

They all nodded and made small noises "Alright, I'll go and grab them and sort the beds out. I won't be a minute." You smiled and rushed up the stairs, leaving the boys in the hall.

You didn't come into your parents' old room very often and you didn't need to do much to get it ready for Paul and John. You rooted through your Dad's old clothes and pulled out four loose shirts and trousers, folding two piles neatly on the bed and taking the others back downstairs with you. The boys were all still in the hall with Ringo standing by the living room door, no doubt he was sizing up his sleeping arrangement for the night, they all seemed very relaxed and smiled up at you as you came down the stairs.

"I've left two pairs on the bed in there." You said gesturing to your parents' room "And here's one for you Ringo." You passed him the clothes and he accepted them happily "And for you George." As you passed the clothes to him your hands brushed which sent a shudder down your spine which you managed to suppress.

Ringo held the clothes out in front of him "Blimey, your dad must've been huge." He said more to himself than anyone else.

You laughed "Yeah, he liked his food that's for sure. They're kinda raggedy but I hope they'll do just for sleeping in."

"I'm sure they're fine." Paul smiled "Well we best be heading to bed."

Paul and John started heading up the stairs "G'night all." Paul said while John simply held up his hand as they vanished into the room.

Ringo walked into the living room and you followed him "There's blankets and stuff in that ottomon, so help yourself." You said as Ringo plopped himself down on the sofa.

"Alrighty, thanks a bunch." He smiled widely "You're a real doll. Good night."

"Night." You smiled back and walked into the hall to find George still standing there, fiddling with the clothes you'd handed him. Closing the living room door behind you, you suddenly realised how alone you and George were and how alone you'd be in your room; you weren't entirely sure how comfortable you were with it. George seemed to be feeling the same way and gave you a weak smile when your eyes meet.

"Shall we?" You said, trying to hide your awkwardness as you began heading up the stairs to your room "My room's a bit of a state right now so I'm sorry. It's usually a lot cleaner when-"

"When you invite bands to sleep at your house?" George joked bluntly and you paused for a second before laughing, it was hard to tell sometimes whether he was kidding or not.

"Yes, exactly." You chuckled as you walked into your room, immediately kicking the piles of dirty clothes into the corner and straightening up anything you could. George followed you slowly and looked around your room curiously.

"Nice room." He said simply, not walking in much further from the door as he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

You'd taken people home with you before of course, but this wasn't like that. If this was a regular one night stand you'd be far drunker, the lights would be off and soon would both of your clothes without much grace or shame. But this wasn't like that, you weren't even sure what this was. You straightened the bed covers as best you could and looked for a clean pair of pyjamas in your wardrobe. While you did that, George walked a little further into the room and sat down on the bed, something told you he was having the exact same thoughts as you and had no idea what to do or say.

"I really don't mind taking the floor." George said softly and you almost didn't hear him.

You turned around holding some clean pyjamas "Don't be silly George, it's such a tip anyway I don't think there's any space for you." You tried to lighten the mood and you both smiled at each other.

You put the clothes down on the bed while you sorted a few things out in the room, you know George probably didn't care but you couldn't help feeling embarrassed about the mess. George didn't move from the bed, continuing to fiddle with the clothes when you realised he wasn't going to get dressed in front of you.

"I'll just-" George looked up at you quickly and his intense stare stopped you in your tracks "I'll go get changed in the bathroom, I'll be back." You felt awkward again as you left the room in a hurry, heading to the bathroom.

You shut the door behind you and let out a heavy sigh, resting against the sink then turning around to look at yourself in the mirror. Your face was a little red and you couldn't figure out if it was because of the brandy or the embarrassment. What were you doing? Inviting them into your house was one thing, it was understandable, letting them stay the night was another, it was bordering on strange, and sharing a bed with a man you barely knew but had also idolised for a long time was a whole other thing entirely, it was madness. So why don't you just let him sleep on the floor, you asked yourself, and you had to admit to yourself that you wanted to share a bed with him, even if it didn't really mean anything. You let out another deep breath and decided to just carry on with the plan so you started getting out of your clothes. As you undressed you checked yourself out in the mirror as best you could and couldn't help feeling a little self conscious; you began thinking that you didn't have to worry about any of the boys getting the wrong idea because there was no way they could be attracted to you. Deep in thought, you didn't notice the bathroom door opening and an unknowing George poking his head round only to see you standing completely naked in front of him. He shut the door as quickly as possible and startled you, and you covered yourself up even though it was too late.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry." George spoke through the door "You left your clothes on your bed, so I thought I'd bring them to you." You could hear the embarrassment in his voice but you were certain he didn't feel as bad as you did.

"Oh." Was all you managed to say as you moved closer to the door.

"I'll just leave them outside. Again, I'm really sorry." He was silent for a moment but you could tell he was still there "Please don't think I did that on purpose."

You heard his footsteps walking back into your bedroom and when you figured the coast was clear you opened the door slightly and grabbed the clothes as quick as you could. You got dressed quickly too but then stood looking into the mirror again, unsure how easy it was going to be to walk back into that room. Surely George would just go straight to sleep, that was the only solution you could see for what just happened. You gripped onto the edge of the sink tightly and steeled yourself before walking back into your bedroom. To your dismay, George was not asleep, he was lying on top of the cover in the clothes you'd given him just staring off into space. When he noticed you a sad expression spread over his face subtly and you weren't sure what to say. The clothes he was wearing now really accentuated how skinny he was, he looked tiny in the baggy clothes and you were so jealous of his slim figure. You weren't purposefully looking at him like this, and you hadn't thought that George would be able to see you looking at him in such a way.

"Just cause I saw you naked doesn't mean you have to try and imagine me in the nude." George was blunt once again, and this time you really weren't sure whether he was joking or not.

You stayed rooted to the floor by your door "I-I wasn't." You spluttered out.

"Silly me, you must've been admiring the material of these lovely trousers." His tone lightened and you relaxed, taking a few step closer but still not settling on the bed.

"I don't want this to be weird." You said finally, fiddling with a loose strand of hair.

"What's weird? I saved you from a perv at the club, you take me and my mates back to yours for a drink, you invite us to stay the night and I walk in on you completely naked! What's so weird about that?" George raised an eyebrow and you laughed "Do I wish that what just happened never happened? Yes. Do I now have the image of your naked body in my brain? Yes. Am I now conflicted about sharing a bed with you? Maybe. Am I still going to share a bed with you?" He didn't answer his question, and raised an eyebrow as he waited for you to respond.

"Yes?" You answered sheepishly, unsure what the right thing was to say.

"Yes it is then." He chuckled as he jumped under the covers quickly, pulling the covers off so that you could climb in but you still hesitated "Oh, come on. Am I gonna have to strip down to make you feel better?" You paused again, George was so impossible to read sometimes.

You both looked at one another, neither one sure exactly what the vibe in the room was. Surely he was joking, right? But what if he wasn't joking and you were going to miss an opportunity that might never come around again? Even worse, what if he was joking and you made things painfully awkward by assuming he wasn't? The silence was heavy in the room and it felt like it would never end, both of you still looking into each other's eyes until George finally got up.

"Fine! If that's what it'll take to get you to loosen up." George said calmly as he already began taking off his shirt.

"No, no, no, don't be ridiculous." You said but even you didn't believe the words.

"It's no big deal, I have to get naked in front of the lads all the time. All of us crammed into that tiny room, there's no space left for dignity." He winked at you "If I've seen you starkers it's only fair. But I'm warning you, don't fall in love with me when you see me naked because that'd just make things awkward."

You let out an awkward chuckle as you worried you might already be going against George's words. He got undressed quickly, not making a show of it at all as though it really meant nothing to him. He was slim, as you already knew, but he wasn't scrawny by any means, there was the promises of abs on his stomach and his biceps looked strong; his legs were thin and you cursed him for having better legs than you.

"Now, I only saw you for a second, so you only get to see me and him for a second." George said as his thumbs dipped into the waistband of his boxers. You gulped, part of you wanting to laugh at the playfulness of it all and the other part just wanting to melt in a mixture of embarrassment and excitement. He pulled his boxers down for a few seconds and you wanted to look away, to laugh it all off, but you couldn't. He was pretty big, surprisingly with how slender he was, and before you could even think of something funny to say to break the tension he was already putting his clothes back on.

"Normally I'd charge for that." George chuckled as he slid back into the shirt and into bed, patting the space beside him enthusiastically.

You rushed into bed as you couldn't bear to have him looking at you with those eyes anymore and you figured if you didn't move now you'd be stuck in that spot all night. George laughed as you hurried under the covers and how you held them so high on your chest as if you worried he could see through your clothes.

"Look, if Paul and John can share a bed I'm sure we can manage it. Alright?" His words were jokey but his tone was sweet and something about the way he looked at you now made your heart beat a little faster.

"Yeah, of course. Sorry for being weird, think it was just the shock." You forced yourself to return to normality.

"Shock? I know I'm big but I don't know i-" George stopped when you hit him lightly on the arm and you both laughed together "Jokes aside, thanks a lot for taking us in tonight. I'm getting pretty used to that dingy, old room so it's nice to come back to normality."

"It's no trouble, really. I know I don't really know you guys but watching you play so often, I feel like I do. I'd like to say it's not just because I'm lonely here but I know that's partly to do with it, but spending time with you all has made me feel really happy, so I want that to last a little bit longer." You hadn't meant to take things to a sad place but you wanted to tell the truth, you felt like George wasn't going to judge you for it. When you finished speaking he put his hand onto yours and squeezed it comfortingly, which removed any doubt you had in your mind.

"Maybe I should make a habit of rescuing pretty girls." George let go off your hand but your face only got redder with this comment, you usually weren't so awkward with men but you'd never been in a situation like this before.

"Pretty, you say?" You raised an eyebrow jokingly.

"I do say." George chuckled, turning his body to face you "Do my words offend you, madam?"

"I suppose not." You relaxed more into the bed "I'd prefer beautiful or gorgeous, but I'll take it."

"I'm afraid I can't brand you gorgeous until I see you naked for at least 7 seconds, I'm afraid you clocked in at about 6.25." His smile widened and you could clearly see his sharp canines poking through, you'd never really noticed them before.

"Counting, were you?"

"I take my naked women very seriously."

"Really? Not from behind?" George was a little stunned by your blunt joke and his face was shocked for a second but his grin soon returned, and you began to realise how much you liked the look of his sharp teeth.

"Depends if they ask nicely or not."

"Nicely? I thought your name was George." You laughed at your own joke, knowing how stupid it was but you just couldn't resist.

"And I thought you had a sense of humour." George retorted, settling more into his position in the bed.

When you both finished laughing you just looked at one another for a few seconds, even though the atmosphere was definitely more relaxed it was still pretty elusive. It really could go either way, you felt, and you just wish you knew what was going on in George's head.

[five-wow]

i watched 10.09! you know how this goes, live recorded rambles under the cut

JUNIOR. junior’s fumbly support for steve? it’s THE SWEETEST.

also just. i’m pretty sure steve hasn’t had a thanksgiving that doris was present for in at least six or seven years, potentially more something like twenty-five (was doris present for thanksgiving that one time she stayed on oahu for a bit? i don’t remember), but either way, not having her there is not going to be a new thing. still extremely sweet and thoughtful of junior, though, because having a lot of family over could of course still make the loss feel worse.

sjdfkdjk danny’s entrance is a whole thing (of beauty) BUT ALSO. they’re talking about steve having “an extra room”, as in one, and that confuses me somewhat because how did that work when the mcgarretts were still a happy little family (or pretending to be one) with a mom, a dad and two kids? did steve and mary share a room? and that time when aunt deb and mary (and joan) were all in oahu at the same time, weren’t they all staying with steve? I ALWAYS THOUGHT STEVE HAD TWO SPARE BEDROOMS, is what i’m saying, and my entire worldview (of steve’s house) is being proven wrong.

okay sooooo. they establish that a) steve has one spare bedroom, b) junior is staying in it and c) danny can’t have the couch because it’s eddie’s, and then steve says “of course you’re welcome to stay in my house”. so. the bed (steve’s, steve’s bed) is big enough for the two of them? is that what i’m hearing here? because it sounds like that’s what i’m hearing here.

the thieves stole a tree! i LOVE that little number someone put on the trunk, fjdkfd. “ah, a lack of tree. this is evidence.”

and then junior says “my parents’ house” and another thing i thought i knew is suddenly not true because i always sort of assumed his parents were seperated? idk, maybe that was a misconception on my part, but we’ve seen him with his dad and i thought they kind of discussed his mom like she was living somewhere else? for a while i even thought she was dead, but i had figured out that wasn’t true before just now, at least. (would’ve made for an interesting story too, though, i he had gotten a call from his mother’s ghost.)

JUNIOR’S MOTHER. on screen!!! she is definitely very much not dead, then, omg. let’s put a tiny yellow evidence marker on her, too.

junior and tani are investigating the robbery at junior’s parents’ house, lou and quinn were following leads on the koa wood case, and steve and danny were... having a pleasantly relaxed lunch together? that’s my headcanon now, and nobody can tell me i’m wrong.

this storyline, which leads to tani and junior having super heavy conversations about addiction and the helplessness of people around the addicted person? god, it’s good.

so danny brings steve coffee and steve says that’s “highly suspicious behavior” and then says that danny is still not getting the guest room but also that danny should do him a favor and take it easy on the caffeine because he gets all “jittery and stupid” when he drinks too much coffee and LISTEN, i get that it’s probably not what’s meant here, but i’m taking this as “no, you can’t have the guest room because junior is staying there, so we’ll have to share a bed and i can’t sleep if you keep turning over and over because you can’t sleep, so don’t drink too much coffee, please”.

you know, as much as i love tani and junior working together and the fact that junior is getting this deep storyline, i also can’t stop thinking that it’s a really bad idea to let junior work a case that’s obviously so emotional and complicated for him. tani asking him to hold on and checking if he’s okay is neat, but to be honest, he probably shouldn’t be doing this in the first place, gosh.

i paused on the letter junior finds in the box and i think it’s adressed to junior’s dad and it says “your boy is not only a sterling soldier but more importantly he is an exemplary human being” and !!!!!! yes

junior and his emotionally distant father trying their hardest to have a relationship despite all their issues and painful history!! they made me cry!! and then that hug!!!!

oh. OHO. quinn to danny: “is she your ex? because i keep getting conflicting reports.” THANK YOU, QUINN. THAT’S WHAT I WAS WONDERING and literally just wrote a longish tumblr post about in which i also jokingly predicted that the next episode would probably bring the issue up now that i did that, and apparently that was true, fdjfkd. but GOOD. they SHOULD mention it.

so. sooooooo. rachel is danny’s ex but they’re trying to maybe work things out but they’ve been doing that for months by this point, if the timeline is to be trusted at all, and they haven’t worked it out enough to be having thanksgiving together or for danny to stay at rachel’s place when his house has mold, so that means the answer to quinn’s “how’s that going?” is “badly”. AN ANSWER. FINALLY.

junior taking his parents to the thanksgiving party at steve’s and steve talking junior up to his parents is EXACTLY the kind of content i want in my h50. and then tani shows up with the jewellry that was stolen from junior’s mom! she’s building up a lot of Good Daughter-In-Law credit in advance, oh my gosh.

junior!!! telling tani!!! how important she is to him!!! and how much he appreciates her!!! is ALSO THE EXACT CONTENT I WANT. THIS. IS SO GOOD

also: “but you- have been the constant in my life” is like, god, the height of romance. i love them. i love them so much.

and then junior implies that their tentative dating didn’t go anywhere because he’s been so occupied with the stuff with his dad but that he wants to change that and tani says that sounds good and !!! yes. i love them.

i am YELLING. steve tells lou straight out that he KNOWS that there’s no mold in danny’s house and that danny just turned up and went “i’m staying with you now” despite how full the house is BECAUSE HE’S WORRIED ABOUT STEVE.

and it ends with steve playing some football anyway even though he said he wasn’t going to this year, ahhh. that is so very good.

final verdict: the “also, danny moves in with mcgarrett” from the episode description was kind of very far in the background, but what we did get DID NOT DISAPPOINT. also, the way this ended definitely leaves potential for danny to still be living with steve in the next episode? he probably won’t be, but a viewer can hope. either way, this was a VERY GOOD episode, especially on the tani and junior front, and i love it for that, ahhhhh.

[wii-nter]

uhh... fairy tail youtuber!au (pt.1?)

because i'm on a vlog squad hype, i wanted to make this 

eh i’ll probably make more later

okay so everyone has separate channels except natsu, gray, gajeel, mira and lisanna 

natsu gray and gajeel share one channel where they occasionally do podcasts with people, play games together and do random shit that often ends in chaos and giggles 

but they also have their individual channels- natsu who does alot of vlogs and WILL prank his roommates (firing off fireworks around the house is a guilty pleasure) 

gray mostly does gaming videos and the occasional vlog 

gajeel’s videos consist of only music and compilations of his cat. while he isn’t the best at singing, for some reason, he has the power to play any guitar he picks up like a god 

mira and lisanna make diy videos and baking vids separetaly, called ‘’strauss creates’’ 

juvia doesn’t have a channel herself, but she does appear in a lot of the other’s videos since they kinda all know each other??

 natsu, gray and lisanna are childhood friends, natsu and gajeel are cousins, levy is gajeel’s girlfriend and lucy’s best friend, juvia is gajeel’s step sister and that cute barista that gray totally doesn’t have a crush on 

lucy’s channel consists of many show/anime reviews and vlogs while levy’s channel is ALL about books, book reviews, the books she’s read and little challenges. she does book hauls every month and talks about the latest stories she’s read 

she’s also lucy’s #1 fan!! 

seriously girl tho that novel needs to be published stop denying your talent 

yeah so juvia works at this cute coffee shop and she’s good friends with lisanna

ju’s also the reason why gray comes in all the time 

ok to the real story now 

natsu and lucy first run into each other at walmart, ironically both were looking for stuff for a prank 

levy has been ditching her for her mysterious boyfriend a lot of times this month so obviously lucy has to get back at her 

and natsu naturally just wants to fuck up gray and gajeel’s life 

again, ironic, because they were both recording 

lucy actually is the first one to talk since she recognized him as that one pink-haired weirdo that dropped off levy at her house once 

so like: ‘’omg hey i know you!! wanna run down the aisles of walmart screaming and prank our friends together?!’’ 

and that’s the day natsu fell in love

kidding 

but he does end up liking her a lot right there and then

so yeah, natsu and lucy became good friends and quickly became the best chaotic duo when it came to pranks 

they also start to appear in each other’s vlogs A L O T 

and when she’s doing her reviews, natsu loves running into lucy’s room and crashing her entire vid

he kinda just,,, lays down on her bed or beside her and says stupid stuff off and on camera 

same goes with lucy!! 

so like he’ll be recording in his room before the door fucking slams open and lucy starts screaming and jumps on his back

and clings to him for the rest of the day

it’s so cute and annoying everyone gets cavities and throws up 

lisanna and juvia are besties!! they share a love for baking and often exchange recipes 

juvia also tends to end up in lisanna’s and gray’s videos the most, making snide comments behind the camera when everyone least expects it 

at the beginning, gray wanted nothing to do with juvia since she knew he was a youtube celeb and he didn’t want to deal with an annoying fangirl all the time 

so for a while gray is an absolute cold-hearted douchebag until gajeel snaps his bones beats some sense into the guy and he finally opens his eyes 

juvia is all forgiving and an absolute angel, how can you not love her

when she finds out about gray’s not so secret love for lemon sponge cakes, she makes a habit of making some for him more often than not every time she visits

levy called it bribery 

juju called it payback, making him fall in love with her 

gray is fully aware that she has his heart in her hands and has no problem with it

but lord knows what will happen if she hurts him 

(the guys will come after her) 

gajeel and levy

oh boy 

they’ve actually been dating a few months prior their friend groups merging together 

they became friends when levy realized he was nursing a little kitten back to health in his apartment back before he lived with natsu and gray

she helped him take care of pantherlily (it’s a badass name, no matter what anyone says) and it turned into some sort of co-ownership 

later gajeel asked her out when he realized he’d fallen hard for this tiny goddess with messy blue hair and a personal library that probably rivaled the library of congress 

(fortunately) she said yes and ever since they have a pretty nice relationship

but dear god 

when they’re both in the same room you better fucking run because they turn into the sappiest morons in the world 

it’s so disgustingly sweet and makes you wanna barf rainbows and shit sparkles 

who knew gajeel could do romance?? 

ha he can’t 

he just has a lot of experience charming ladies when stupid 13 year old natsu did something stupid in front of them

he did it to mask his shame and disappointment 

why his dumbass cousin thought it was a good idea to try juggling with two staplers he will never know 

ah whatever they love each other

[jovialyouthmusic]

The Many Lives of Drake Walker

A Royal Romance AU fanfic

7 An Unexpected Arrival

Unexpectedly alone, I visit Duchess Camille of Valtoria and Duke Drake Walker

Drake pondered over Kate’s words when he and Charlotte were in the hot tub with the other couple.

‘Drake over there has probably kept something of Charlotte's at some point as a memento of your time together’ The truth was, he hadn’t – not a photo, not a lock of hair, not a piece of clothing – nothing. Only memories – things that she had written and the few experiences that they’d had since he’d contacted her and brought her through form the other side of the screen. If he wanted to remember Charlotte or Lucy or Les – all he had was in his head, nothing concrete. He had given her something to anchor her, but what he has was fleeting, unsubstantial.

And what was he? A gathering of electrons given more solidity by sheer emotional energy, the longing of the readers to find a soulmate, someone to give them what they wanted – or needed, something they couldn’t find in their own world. He was shaped by longing, by fantasy and need. But what did he want? What did he need or long for?

He craved solidity, reliability, constancy. How could he find it in his shifting world that took him from place to place, to dance like a puppet at the whim of others? If he kept something, would it remain with him? If he had some precious object, where could he keep it that was not subject to change? Even his face was subject to change. He was not sure where he had found the chain and cartridge he had given to Les to help identify him as her unique Drake – had he imagined it into existence? Had he ever really known his father at all?

That was why he sought out the writers he identified with – while he was with them he had some control and stability. He felt that the time for their regular rendezvous was approaching, and looked forward to it eagerly.

But then he felt the pull of someone starting one of her chapters, and he was drawn away to play his role…

Les

Writing that evening, I minimised and looked for Drake, but he wasn’t there. I realised that I couldn’t get to wherever it was that Drake existed without his help. Disappointed, I went back to writing, but after a few minutes I heard the familiar tapping and minimised again.

‘Hey Les – it’s me – Kate’s Drake’ I frowned. The face was familiar, and the voice of course, but sadly it wasn’t who I was expecting, and the token I wore around my neck when I sat to write was warm and heavy. ‘Your man’s sorry he can’t make it, someone’s reading through Charlotte’s Choice – looks like he has a binge reader’

‘Oh, that’s a shame’ I said, my heart sinking. DD smiled sadly

‘I’m afraid I’ll be taken up shortly, my writer’s trying to work something out, but you can come over if you like. I’ve found someone else to look after you’ I thought for a moment. It would be a shame not to go, and maybe my man would be free before I had to come back.

‘Okay, I guess it’s the same procedure to get through?’ He nodded and put his hand up. In an instant I was with him, and he put his arm around me to steady me. My token was hot and heavy and although he wasn’t ‘my’ Drake I still felt a little flutter, and he smiled at me as if he knew, but wouldn’t take advantage of it. We were in the waiting area, and characters walked from place to place or sat and chatted. Another figure walked over to greet me – another Drake, based on the original model but more lifelike, much like my Drake had been when I first arrived. He held out his hand.

‘You must be Les. Your man was sorry he couldn’t come, and when my partner found out you’d be alone, she asked me to invite you to our place’ I smiled and reached out my hand. He leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek that was chaste and friendly. The flutter I felt was much less noticeable, which was odd but I realised each Drake was a little different, shaped by their playthroughs and fic writers. Their chemistry matched their followers and creators

‘Oh’ I said ‘that’s kind – who is your partner?’

‘Camille, I believe you’ve read about us?’ he said , and I smiled

‘Oh yes, I enjoyed your story’ DD patted me on the shoulder

‘I have to go, Les. Enjoy your visit. I hope we can double date again, it was fun.’ he said, and turned to leave.

‘It looks like I’m all yours’ I said ‘Where are we going?’

‘Camille wanted to invite you to our Manor in Valtoria’ he said ‘Shall we?’ he offered me his arm ‘I’ll lead you to the courtyard, she’ll be waiting for us’. In the blink of an eye we were standing in the courtyard outside the Manor at Valtoria – called the manor, but more like a mini castle. The stone was a pale honey colour and there were turrets galore. The gravel was a similar pale colour and had been spread evenly, pristinely level so no puddles would form if it rained – or so it occurred to me.

Camille’s Valtoria put mine to shame. The planting of shrubs and neatly clipped hedges was immaculate, set here and there with colourful bedding plants. The Duchess was waiting for us and stepped forward to greet me. I couldn’t help but notice that she was extremely pregnant.

‘Hello Les, I’ve heard about you from Drake’ she said ‘But I see you’re appearing as Charlotte – I’m honoured to have a member of royalty visit my Duchy.’ She made a little curtsey, but I rushed forward to take her hand.

‘Camille, please… it’s just a face claim, and I’m sure if I really was Charlotte I’d not want you to treat me any differently.’ I eyed her huge belly ‘You must be due very soon, are you sure you should be having visitors?’ Camille waved her hand dismissively.

‘Oh I’m sick of folk telling me to take it easy. The baby will come when it’s ready’ Drake hovered at her elbow and shot me a look that told me the he was worried about her condition but not stupid enough to tell her to rest. ‘Come on in and I’ll show you around – I made a few alterations so it will be a little different from the other Manors’ Camille said.

I had imagined the Manor in my own way, although I had only visited the kitchens and the terrace outside where the firepit, barbecue and hot tub were. In my own imagination and in my writing, as Lucy I shared the Manor with Liam (or Brad as I called him) and Drake in a legal ‘three way’ marriage, so had set out the upper rooms to suit that arrangement. As Charlotte it had been the ancient seat of the Severus family and the Court had stayed there during the social season. After Anton had been arrested for treason, Charlotte had awarded it to Drake along with the title of Duke of Valtoria.

I hadn’t considered the details of the downstairs layout, but Camille and her writer had obviously given much thought to the décor. Camille chatted away, telling me that she had collaborated with her writer as to the décor. It was beautiful – the colour scheme was understated and subtle, every detail given careful thought.

‘When I got pregnant Drake got a bit over protective’ she confided in me ‘As soon as I started showing he stopped me from riding, and although we held open house for a while – you know, allowing our citizens to come in and ask us for help if they had anything worrying them – he stopped that after six months.’ She sighed, and rested her hand on her belly ‘This one isn’t in a hurry to come out and I’m just so bored, decorating helped keep me occupied.’

‘She calls it decorating’ said Drake ‘But you can bet your bottom dollar I’m not letting her climb any ladders – either myself or the staff have been the ones doing all the hard work’ He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. ‘Camille is one determined lady, but she had to agree with me that the health of the baby comes first.’

‘Well you’ve done a fabulous job’ I said ‘I’m not sure that Lucy is self aware enough to take over decorating. Because I’m here in person, my main characters – that’s Lucy and Charlotte - don’t have a life of their own, they just follow through the story line when somebody reads them. It’s very confusing’

‘You’ll have some tea and refreshments won’t you?’ Camille asked brightly ‘I don’t have much of an appetite so delicate little sandwiches are just the thing for me – but Drake likes something more substantial so we end up eating entirely difficult things. It would be lovely to sit out on the terrace with you and chat’

‘Yeah, about that’ said Drake ‘I have some papers to see to, so I’ll leave you ladies to yourselves.’ He kissed Camille on the cheek, gave me a little bow and left us alone. Camille led me out onto the terrace, where two chairs were set out by a table, with a sunshade keeping off the warm summer sun. A young woman came out with a trolley and set the table with little sandwiches and tiny cakes and a pot of tea, immaculately set out in contemporary china.

Camille nibbled at the sandwiches and absentmindedly rubbed her baby bump, which was more than large enough to rest her cup and saucer. I laughed as I saw the saucer bounce, the tea sloshing around a little as the baby kicked.

‘The baby looks lively’ I remarked – your first, isn’t it?’

‘Yes’ she replied ‘and I can’t wait for her to make an appearance, she always gets lively just as I’m trying to get to sleep. She’s a bit too comfortable in there’

‘I have boys myself in my world’ I said ‘I expect the process is much the same here. Are you planning a home birth or going into hospital?’

‘I have a birthing pool all set up and the midwife on call’ she said ‘But it’s late so if things don’t happen in the next couple of days Drake will take me to hospital’ she said with a sigh.

‘My first was late’ I said ‘I know how you feel. The day before I had him I was out in the garden chopping wood, I was so fed up of resting’

‘It must have done the trick, but I think Drake would have a heart attack if I did anything like that.’ she grinned ‘I’m hoping some spicy food and a little bedroom action will work’ she winked.

‘Well that’s tried and tested, and if I know my Drakes, I’m positive that he’ll be very enthusiastic about it’ I joked.

‘It still seems weird to me that there’s more than one Drake’ she said. ‘I’ve not been outside my own little world, but he tells me there are different versions of other characters’

‘Perhaps you can explore a little sometime’ I replied ‘I don’t really know how it works – it may be because you are a unique character you might not be able to – but you can certainly have visitors’

‘Well I’m too busy waiting for this mischief maker for me to go anywhere else’ she said. ‘I’ve had enough sitting around – do you fancy a walk down to the stables? I love riding round the estate but have to make do with just going and giving the horses the odd apple right now. Drake won’t even let me groom them – in fact I’d better let him know where we’re going or he’ll get paranoid.’ She winced a little, holding her belly.

‘Are you okay?’ I asked

‘Oh just a bit of indigestion. Little Lily here is taking up so much room that my stomach can’t tolerate much. I’ll be fine’ She picked up a bell to summon the young woman back.

‘I wasn’t so keen on having staff to start with’ she said ‘but it’s handy when I’m so huge and cranky – there’s no way I’d be cooking dinner while I’m the size of a bus’ She smiled and told the girl to let Drake know we were off for a walk to the stables. Our progress was slow, but Camille insisted that we carry on. She stopped halfway to rest, leaning against a fence and putting her hand to her back, grimacing in discomfort again.

‘Oh this baby can’t come soon enough’ she grumbled ‘Sorry to keep on about it, let’s carry on, I’m fine now’ I was getting a little concerned, but she seemed determined that she was okay, and who better to judge than herself. She rested on a haybale when we got in to the stables, then we went to look at the horses.

This is Phoenix’ she said, stroking the muzzle of a jet black horse ‘She’s mine’ I looked at her, amazed.

‘And Drake’s is Sultan?’ I asked, and she looked surprised.

‘Yes, how did you know?’

Same for me and my man – except Phoenix is white. I’m thinking Sultan is white, am I right?’ She gestured to the next stall

‘See for yourself’ she smiled. I gaped, looking in at the horse, which was of course a fine grey stallion.

‘Well that is just weird’ I said, and paused, looking at her in alarm as she groaned suddenly, her hand on her bump and looking down at her feet, a puddle slowly forming at her feet on the straw strewn floor.

‘oooooh dear’ she said quietly ‘I think my waters just broke’ I looked around for staff, and luckily a stable hand was not far away. I told him to quickly go and tell Drake so he could set things in motion.

‘Oh hell’ Camille was clutching her stomach ‘Maybe that wasn’t indigestion, maybe it was a contraction – and that one on the way down. Surely they should come closer together before this – owwww!’

‘Every baby’s different, Camille’ I said, realizing that might not be reassuring. ‘We can get you back to the manor and call the midwife’

‘I don’t think I can – ooowww!’ she grimaced ‘Son of a b – where’s Drake when you need him?’ I led her over to a hay bale to sit and held her hand, which she gripped tightly.

‘Everything will be fine Camille, just breathe and I’m sure Drake will have the midwife over in no time’ She sat and panted, holding her belly and grimacing.

‘Oh that’s better’ she panted ‘It’s fading now. Where is that useless husband of mine?’ Another contraction hit her before he appeared, carrying a bag, the stable boy at his side. I had counted and reckoned they were around seven minutes apart.

‘Drake, it’s about time, why the hell have you got my hospital bag?’ she cried ‘If you and Gregor here help, we can get back to the birthing poo… owww!’ Her sentence was cut short by another contraction and she grimaced in pain.

‘Now Camille, you need to stay calm for the baby’ he said soothingly but with a slight tremble in his voice ‘Joanna is at another birth and she’ll be with us as soon as she can’

‘Another birth?’ Camille cried, dismayed ‘Why have a fucking midwife if she runs off to deliver someone else’s baby? She’s supposed to be on call twenty four seven’ She panted, and Drake went to her side and held her hand.

‘Look at me Camille – remember your breathing – nice deep breaths just now, stay calm and everything will be fine. When the contraction’s finished we’ll get you back to the house’

‘I – oh my god, it hurts’ she moaned ‘Drake Walker, this is all your fault’ Drake looked at me sheepishly and I gave him a sympathetic smile.

‘Yes my darling, you can blame me for everything if it will make you happy.’ He crooned, waiting for the contraction to die down. ‘Now put your arm around my shoulder and we’ll make our way baaa…’ he was cut short by Camille squeezing his hand hard and he winced in pain.

‘Ohmygod it’s not over yet’ she grimaced ‘Just wait – I can’t – ooooohhh’ She panted. Drake looked over at the stable hand.

‘Gregor, go get hot water and towels – lots of them. I think little Lily may be born right here’

‘Here?’ moaned Camille ‘but the birthing pool – and the music – and the rose petals – not in the stable’ tears started to spill down her cheeks. Drake motioned me over.

‘Les if you take a look in the bag, there’s an MP3 player and a portable speaker. If you can set it up, we can have the music Camille wanted at least.’ I did as I was asked, and soon soothing music filled the air. I saw Camille relax a little, but she was still not happy

‘Drake, it shouldn’t be – the contractions, they’re so close, it’s happening too quick’ she sobbed. I went to her side

‘Camille sweetie, listen to me. Once your waters break, everything happens much quicker. It’s quite normal – and by the way little Lily was kicking your teacup I’d say she was in the right position to make an appearance very soon, head down and ready to pop out’ Camille nodded

‘Th-thankyou Les – but where’s the midwife – h - how about a doctor? Drake – it’s happening so fast’ she was trying not to cry, but hormones were raging through her and I knew that once she started to get irrational and emotional it wouldn’t be long before the baby came. She looked at me pleadingly ‘Can’t you get me inside? I know you can take short cuts, Drake told me about it’ My heart broke.

‘I’m so sorry Camille, I only know how to do it with my Drake, and I don’t want to risk getting anything wrong and hurting the baby’ Tears streamed down her face and I stood helpless. I couldn’t even get help as I didn’t know who to fetch or where they might be.

‘Now Camille – baby – listen to me’ said Drake ‘I – I’ve delivered foals before…’ Camille’s eyes sprang wide open and she glared at him angrily.

‘I am NOT a fucking horse, Drake’ she sobbed ‘I’m not giving birth to a foal, this is our BABY’ she groaned in frustration before another contraction hit and she panted and puffed through it. Gregor appeared with a sheet, towels and hot water. He and I spread the sheet out, and piled the towels up on a clean surface. Drake rummaged in the bag he’d brought and got hand sanitiser out. At his direction, all three of us used it just in case we had to help. Meanwhile Camille was coping with another contraction, panting and whimpering.

‘Your Grace, someone is sure to come’ said Gregor, his tone slightly shaky ‘both myself and your husband contacted the midwife and doctor, and they assured me help is coming’ She nodded as she panted, and Drake coaxed her into a position where he could see what was happening, draping a sheet over her knees to preserve what dignity he could, and Gregor stayed at the door to the stable to keep watch for help.

‘Les, could you hold Camille’s hand while I take a look?’ Drake asked, and he patted her hand reassuringly before moving to her feet. He took her soaked panties off and peered at her ‘I can’t see the head yet’ he said ‘But I think we haven’t got long to wait’

‘You THINK?’ Camille screamed, and lay back in exasperation ‘Where the FUCK is my midwife – I want Theresa’ she cried, and started weeping. I knew from my own experience that the rapid switch of emotions meant that Drake was correct, and the baby would be making an appearance very soon. Another contraction hit, and Drake’s eyes widened.

‘I think – I see the head, she’s crowning. You need to push, darling’

I saw a flurry of movement at the door of the stable, and a tall dark haired woman entered, carrying a black bag of the sort one always sees in dramas about midwives and doctors, and I wondered who had conjured it up. She pushed Drake to the side and knelt to examine Camille. Drake immediately went to his wife’s side as the midwife swept into action.

‘Your Grace – no time for introductions, your baby is eager to make an appearance’ she said in a clipped tone. The contraction had died away and Camille was whimpering. ‘Next time I want you to push as hard as you can’ Camille nodded, biting her lip, and Drake peered over the sheet while squeezing her hand. He was obviously torn between staying by her side and seeing his daughter enter the world.

The next contraction hit, and Camille panted short and fast to start with.

‘Push, your Grace’ encouraged the midwife ‘Bear down, she’s coming’ Camille’s face contorted, sweat from her brow streaming down to join the tears on her cheeks, and Drake put his arm around her shoulders and held her tight. The contraction stopped and Camille lay back, moaning in pain. She looked at Drake with venom.

‘This is all your fault – I swear to GOD you’re never touching me again’  she growled. I looked across at him with sympathy

‘It’s okay Drake, it’s just the hormones talking’ I assured him as Camille gathered her strength  for the next push. The pattern repeated three times, Camille pushing then resting, berating Drake for getting her pregnant in language that I was sure she never normally used. Drake pursed his lips and took the abuse with fortitude.

‘You’re doing fine Camille’ I said soothingly ‘Everything’s going to be okay’ She nodded, and squeezed my hand tight as another contraction hit. She screwed up her face and pushed – and pushed – and screamed long and loud. Drake was transfixed, peering over the sheet, and I saw his face change as Camille suddenly relaxed and lay back exhausted, weeping and laughing.

‘That’s it your Grace’ said the midwife ‘Your baby’s here – it’s a girl!’ Efficiently she scooped up the indignantly squalling baby for Drake to see, and he scrambled round to get closer. ‘Would you like to cut the umbilical your Grace?’ she asked him, motioning to the scissors that lay at Camille’s feet ‘You might want to get ready to hold the baby next to your skin, let her feel your heartbeat, your Grace’ she advised Camille. Drake was gazing adoringly at his daughter as I helped Camille open up her blouse. After cutting the cord, with an air of reverence and so, so gently Drake took the infant who immediately quietened as he crooned softly to her.

‘There there little Lily, welcome to the world. Your mama and I love you so much’ and almost reluctantly he handed her over to Camille to lay on her chest. ‘I’m a father’ he said quietly, unbelievingly ‘you’re a mother Camille – our little Lily is here at last’ Camille was fixed on the tiny baby, gazing down lovingly as she waved her little arms and legs and opened and closed her tiny fists like starfish.

‘Oh little one – you’re just perfect’ she whispered, and looked up to Drake ‘Look what we did – isn’t she just wonderful?’ I smiled at the idyllic scene in front of me, but became aware of another presence. The token around my neck cooled and became lighter as my Drake appeared in the doorway of the stable, and a look of amazement crossed his face.

‘What the – well Les, you’re certainly in the thick of it’ he said incredulously. I went over to him to take his arm and give him a kiss on the cheek. Camille and her Drake were totally caught up in the new arrival and hadn’t registered that anyone else was there.

‘I think perhaps we can leave them right now’ I whispered ‘We can visit another time’ He nodded, and I closed my eyes to take ourselves back to our own version of Valtoria out by the barbeque.

 ‘It looks like you had quite a time without me’ he said ‘I missed you’ He wrapped his arms around me. Never had a hug felt so comforting, so satisfying. He rocked me from side to side. ‘Les, I’m so sorry. Someone started reading Charlotte’s Choice and I couldn’t get away. They must have enjoyed it, they played right through’

‘You must be pretty exhausted then – that’s a lot of sex for one evening’ I said

‘Time doesn’t work like that here.’ he asserted ‘Though I don’t know how to compare with your world. It can be very fluid here. And thanks to the lovely writers out there and their insatiable lust for me – I’m always ready to go.’ His voice sent delicious shivers down my spine.

‘Uh – do you think it’s possible I might get pregnant here?’ I asked ‘My mind is doing somersaults thinking about it’ Drake blinked and looked like he was thinking deeply.

‘It’s never happened with anyone else’ he said after a while ‘I don’t think anything so delicate would survive moving between the two worlds.’

‘Oh my god – have you had anyone pregnant in my world come across?’ I asked. His eyes widened.

‘I’m not sure – not that I know of’ I shook my head at his answer.

‘In any case, on my side I’m past that, but the thought of being pregnant here, and whether it would be viable on either side…’

‘Your body sits at the screen while some – projection of you – some form of energy  crosses to here’ he mused, then sighed ‘In any case that’s dampened my ardour somewhat’ he said, dejected. ‘I’m sure someone will have the answer, I’ll ask around.’

‘I’m sorry’ I said, squeezing his arm. ‘I’ll probably have to go back soon anyway’ He patted my hand.

‘Enough time for a slow dance?’ he asked ‘At least I’ll have the memory of being close to you to tide me over until next time’

‘Of course’ I smiled, and noted that the MP3 player was still there, so I conjured up the playlist. He raised his eyebrows

‘Doing things the easy way are we?’ he asked

‘Why waste time when we could be holding each other?’ I murmured, playing his trick of speaking close to his ear, rewarded by feeling a shudder run through him. We started to sway to the music, our bodies moulding to each other, finding comfort and stimulation in our closeness.

‘What will you think of tonight when you’re in bed?’ he asked quietly, after a while.

‘You’ I replied as I felt the familiar pull of my own world, and his faded out.

 @ao719 @agent-bossypants @andy-loves-corgis @sleepwalkingelite @boneandfur @blackcatkita @brightpinkpeppercorn @choicescommunity @darley1101 @drakewalkerrosenberg @debramcg1106 @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @goirishsunshine @gardeningourmet @livingthroughchoices @likethetailofacomet @mrs-nazario @mind-reader1 @ooo-barff-ooo@silviasutton1989 @speedyoperarascalparty @zaffrenotes @missevabean @mrsdrakewalkerblog @cora-nova @missameliep @tanelle83 @endlessly-searching-for-you @jlouise88 @drakenazario @tabithacarlisle @furiousherringoperatortoad @notoriouscs @classylady1234 @wickedgypsymoon @carabeth @choices-fangirl @indiana-jr @indiacater @noey718-blog @katedrakeohd @bobasheebaby @annekebbphotography @kennaxval @sirbeepsalot @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @aworldoffandoms @iplaydrake @drakesensworld @drakewalkerisreal @samcpossum @melodyofgraves @khakie4 @museofbooks @be-still-my-aching-heart

[nicolewrites]

but i see you (more clearly than ever)

exams? final papers? nah, take my contribution to fjorester week instead. 

Rating: T Genre: Friendship and Romance Characters: [Fjord and Jester L.], Beauregard L., Caleb W. Words: 7,348

"Fjord didn’t know exactly when it started, so all he knew was that he was so, so screwed." / fjorester college au written for fjorester week 2019

AO3 | FFN

Fjord didn't know exactly when it started, so all he knew was that he was so, so screwed.

Jester danced around the kitchen humming loudly and smiling. Molly danced around with her and the pair of them laughed and entertained themselves. The kitchen smelled delicious and that was thanks to Jester's famous cinnamon bun recipe that was in the oven.

Fjord had just been working peacefully at the table, minding his own business, when Jester had arrived at the house unannounced with a bunch of newly made, not yet baked cinnamon buns. She had gone straight to the oven and put the buns in. Molly had emerged from the basement shortly after because he smelled Jester's baking.

Now, Fjord knew he would be lucky if any of his work was sensical, much less legible, because he couldn't tear his eyes from Jester. She looked carefree and happy and her smile made the whole room glow.

Just as Fjord was resigning himself to the fact that he wasn't going to get any work done, one of his other roommates, Caleb, poked his head into the kitchen.

"Ah, so Jester is here. I was wondering what the smell was," he commented, stepping into the kitchen and sitting across from Fjord at the table.

Molly laughed. "Yeah because god forbid any of us actually be a good cook."

"Hey," Fjord said indignantly. "Cad is a great cook."

Molly waved dismissively. "He's also at home for the break, so," he pointed out.

Fjord shrugged. His fourth roommate, Caduceus Clay, was a gentle soul who was quiet, but not quite as timid as Caleb. Caduceus had elected to spend Reading Break with his family at home, leaving the house to Caleb, Fjord, and Molly.

The four of them were certainly an odd group who one might not expect to be friends, much less roommates. Molly was a theatre major with the largest personality Fjord had ever known in a person. Caleb was a history and political science double major who buried himself in books and his studies most of the time. Caduceus was studying plant biology and was probably the most insightful person Fjord had ever met. Fjord himself was studying marine biology.

As it stood, there should have been absolutely no interaction between the four of them, but they had connected through mutual friends: namely, Jester and her roommates. Jester was studying visual arts and roomed with Beau who was in her third year of undeclared arts, Yasha who studied general sciences, and Nott who was in engineering.

Fjord had met Jester on the first day of orientation in first year. They had been in the same orientation group and Jester had been ecstatic to find out that Fjord was also from the West Coast. From there, Jester had become one of his closest friends and had been the one to really bring their group together.

Jester and Beau were roommates in first year so when there was Jester, there was often also Beau. Fjord and Beau had become friends pretty quickly too. Jester met Molly, and subsequently Yasha, through hers and Molly's theatre class. Caduceus and Jester had taken a first aid course together in second semester. Beau was actually the one who met Caleb and Nott since she shared a history class with Caleb.

The eight of them had become a tight-knit group of friends mostly thanks to the outgoing efforts of Jester and Molly, so when it had come time to look for student housing for second year, they had split into two groups: the girls and the guys. As it worked out, they had managed to find houses on the same street.

It was common for people to show up unannounced or to crash on couches or share beds. After a crazy, not-so-fun high school experience, it was still a bit baffling for Fjord to have seven incredibly close friends on whom he could rely. Still, Fjord considered his relationships with Beau and Jester to be the closest and most important.

And Jester was currently a source of serious internal conflict for him.

Jester was pretty, very pretty, and everyone knew that. Fjord had known that since the moment he had met her and she had made a stupid joke about how the two of them ought to stick together because of their non-human complexions. She was funny and passionate and protective of him and the rest of their group of misfits. Jester had a sweet singing voice and a knack for showing up unannounced at the boy's house to bake for them or watch movies or just sleep over.

And Fjord, in all of his stupid glory, had come to the very frightening realization that he was desperately in love with Jester. But, she was his best friend and even though she had a tendency to flirt, Fjord knew that she flirted with everyone and had given no indication that she liked him seriously.

So he desperately tries to quash his feelings for her, but it was moments like this, where Jester was being carefree and utterly herself, that Fjord could hardly take his eyes off of her.

"Hey, Jester," Molly said suddenly, perking up. "I got the new Mac palette this weekend, do you want to come experiment with some of the shades with me while these things bake?"

Jester squealed. "Um, of course I do." She turned to Fjord and Caleb and winked. "No touching my buns until they're done!"

Fjord's sanity momentarily deserted him as all he could think of was a different kind of bun, but when he managed to snap himself out of it, Jester and Molly had disappeared to Molly's room and Caleb was staring at him.

"What?" he demanded, his cheeks feeling hot.

"You are sweet on Jester, ja?"

Fjord stared down at his textbook and didn't reply.

"You should tell her because Jester will not be single forever."

Fjord glanced up and gave Caleb a flat look. "And I should take love advice from you, why?"

Caleb shrugged. "Molly and I have at least spoken about what is between us. You have avoided all discussion of Jester since you realized your feelings."

Fjord chewed on his lip and went back to his notes. "I'm won't mess anything up," he said finally.

He was saved from further discussion about his hopeless crush by Beau waltzing in the front door, accompanied by Nott.

"Sup, bitches. I heard Jester was baking."

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Ja, she is making cinnamon buns. Molly and her are discussing makeup downstairs."

Beau crinkled her nose. "Ew, makeup."

Nott slipped off her shoes and slid into the chair between Caleb and Fjord. She glanced at what Fjord was working on and wrinkled her nose.

"I still don't know how any of you are studying biology, it's clearly the worst science."

Fjord shrugged. "At least I have a major."

Beau laughed and feigned offence. "Hey, I strive to be undeclared as long as they'll let me, if only just to piss off my folks."

Caleb shook his head. "You are ridiculous, Beauregard."

"Oh, the full name! I'm so scared!" she teased. "What were you idiots talking about before we showed up?"

"Nothing," Fjord said at the same time as Caleb said:

"Fjord's crush."

Fjord's face flooded with heat and he glanced nervously at the door to the basement.

Beau laughed. "Ah, the hopeless infatuation continues."

"Shut up," Fjord grumbled and dropped his head to the table, landing it with a thud on top of his textbook.

Three days later, Jester had appeared at the house unannounced again. She had strolled in without a care and walked into the living room where Fjord was watching TV.

"I'm boooored," she announced loudly.

Fjord looked up at her and blinked awkwardly. She was wearing a sparkly, low-cut shirt and skin-tight jeans. She had obviously been planning on going out, so he wasn't sure why she was standing in his living room. He tipped his head in confusion and she mirrored him for a moment before apparently remembering what she was wearing.

"Beau bailed on me because Keg's going to be there and she refuses to acknowledge that they had a thing, so now I have no one to go with since Molly and Caleb are actually hanging out for once." Jester pushed her lips into a frustratingly adorable pout and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Are you here to convince me to go out with you?" he asked hesitantly.

Jester waved him off. "No, I don't feel like going out anymore. What are you watching?" She crossed the room and dropped onto the sofa next to him.

Fjord unpaused the TV and his documentary resumed. Jester laughed as she realized.

"Only you would watch ocean documentaries during the break, Fjord."

He shrugged. "It's relaxing," he explained.

Jester shrugged and snuggled in next to him. Fjord tensed momentarily before relaxing and tucking his arm around Jester. She was naturally very touchy and they'd been loosely cuddling while watching movies since first year, so it felt comfortably normal.

Unfortunately, Fjord struggled to focus on his movie much since Jester was warm and comfortable as she tucked into his side. He refused to look down at her, keeping his eyes focused determinedly on the TV because otherwise, he was looking right down her clubbing shirt.

About half-way through the movie, Jester yawned and Fjord realized that she was probably not comfortable in clubbing clothes while lying on the couch. He retracted his arm slowly and Jester looked up at him, looking confused.

"Come on," he beckoned, pulling her to her feet. She followed him without question as they headed to his room. Jester scuffed her toe along the hardwood and Fjord thought he detected a flash of nervousness in her violet eyes.

He walked to one of his drawers and opened it, pulling out a loose t-shirt and grabbing a clean pair of sweats. He turned and offered them to Jester and she beamed at him.

"I'll just," he gestured back towards the living room and Jester nodded, a smile curling up her lips.

Fjord headed back to the living room and tried valiantly not to think of Jester changing in his room. When she re-emerged, he realized that he had made a mistake. His clothes were huge on her, swamping her, but she had cuffed his sweats five or six times to make them an appropriate length. She rejoined him on the couch, snuggling into his side.

"Thanks, Fjord," she said sweetly.

Fjord's arm wrapped around her like it had a mind of its own. "You're welcome, Jess."

Fjord woke up to early morning light filtering through the curtains of the living room and falling across his face into his eyes. He blinked and moved to stretch out his arms before realizing that there was a weight pinning him in place. He glanced down and was surprised to see Jester curled against his chest.

They were slotted together on the dingy couch with her head resting between his shoulder and his collarbone, tilted so her horns didn't stab into him. Fjord's arms were loosely wrapped around her waist and his right hand was brushing against pale blue, bare skin. The giant t-shirt he had loaned Jester had ridden up just enough that his fingers were grazing her bare hip. He shifted his hand quickly and tried to keep his face cool.

It definitely wasn't the first time Jester had fallen asleep on him, but it was one of the only times Fjord had also fallen asleep with her and it was definitely the first time that he'd found them in such an intimate position subconsciously.

There was a blanket stretched up across them too that definitely hadn't been there when they were watching the documentary. The TV was also turned off and that meant that one of Fjord's roommates had seen them which meant that he was never going to live this one down. He could always try to play it off on Jester's naturally happy and affectionate personality, but the blush he'd inevitably get would give it away.

He gently lifted his hand to Jester's shoulder and squeezed. She mumbled something under her breath but stirred. After an awkward second, she blinked her eyes open and they made eye contact. Fjord smiled uneasily, but Jester just beamed at him with her usual bright smile. She lifted herself off him and slid to sit next to him. Fjord swung his feet down so that they were sitting on the couch side by side.

Jester started untangling her hair from her horns and without thinking, Fjord reached over to unwind a lock on the horn nearest to him. Jester gave him a quiet thank you and they worked silently for a moment until Fjord dropped the last smooth lock of Jester's dark hair. She turned to face him, her curls bouncing and she grinned again.

"Sorry for falling asleep on you, Fjord," she said brightly.

He shrugged. "It's no big deal. As long as the girls weren't going to worry about you for not coming home?"

Jester waved him off. "It's definitely fine since I told Beau I was coming over, definitely."

Fjord stood up from the couch and tilted his head to the living room. "Breakfast?"

Jester beamed. "If you have anything edible. Otherwise, I'll steal from Molly."

They walked into the kitchen together and saw Caleb sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee while flipping through a history textbook. He looked up and didn't even bat an eye at the fact that Jester was there, so Fjord figured that he had been the one to give them the blanket last night.

"Good morning Caleb," Jester greeted brightly. "You're up early considering that you and Molly got home pretty late last night." Fjord caught on to the teasing lilt of Jester's words and he turned away, feeling heat sting his cheeks at the mere ghost of a thought about his two roommates.

Caleb just shrugged, the innuendo rolling off of him easily. "We were actually at your house for most of the evening with Yasha and a skulking Beau. Molly ended up crashing there so I suppose we have temporarily traded roommates."

Jester laughed and Fjord's lips twisted into a strategically hidden smile as he kept his back to his friends.

"So you just fell asleep watching the documentary?" Beau asked as she helped him reset the bar.

Fjord shrugged. "I mean, I assume. I just remember watching the movie and then I woke up in the morning." He laid down against the bench and braced his hands against the bar.

As Fjord began his reps, Beau watched him as a spotter. "And you're one hundred percent sure that there was nothing else involved?"

Fjord paused and let the bar fall back against the rest, narrowing his eyes at her. "What are you getting at?"

Beau raised her hands defensively. "Hey man, I'm just saying that her wearing your clothes and you guys sleeping together like that is awfully couple-y."

Fjord sighed and gripped the bar again. "This is Jester we're talking about. She's like this with everyone."

Beau stared down at him, folding her arms over her chest. "If you keep talking yourself out of it like this, I don't know if you'll ever be brave enough to do anything about it."

Fjord didn't reply and just finished his last two reps before sliding out from under the bar and sitting up. Beau rolled her eyes at him and turned away.

"If you hurt her I will kick your ass, Fjord, gym buddies or not."

Fjord nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Good," she replied stiffly. She jammed a finger in his face. "So man up already."

"Jester wants to know if you need anything from the grocery store while we're out here," Beau asked.

Fjord flipped a page in his book. "No," he said into his phone. "I'm good."

"Alright, well you're not going to bail on pub night again, are you? Because I, for one, have been really needing this drink all week."

Fjord laughed. "No, Beau, I won't bail on pub night. I'll be there tomorrow."

There was a muffled voice in the background that sounded like Jester over the rumble of her car. Beau snorted with laughter. "Yes, I won't forget to remind him." There was a brief pause as Beau's attention redirected to him. "Jester wants you to wear that grey shirt you have because it brings out your eyes and we're going to be taking lots of pictures apparently."

Fjord glanced over his shoulder at his bed where the grey shirt was folded next to black jeans that he was already planning on wearing to the pub. "Tell her I will."

There was another pause before Beau cackled again. "Jess, I should just give you the phone but I'd rather not die while you drive or have you get a ticket. Fjord, Jester said some very flattering things that you'll hear tomorrow again, so that's that."

"And everyone is coming, right? Caduceus gets back later today and Yasha's still around?"

"As far as I kn-JESTER, YOUR-" The call cut out suddenly and Fjord's eyes snapped to his phone screen. His screen was blank with no evidence of the call he had just previously been engaged with.

Fjord unlocked his phone and opened his call log. The call had been terminated from the other end, leaving Fjord confused and concerned at the panic that had resonated in Beau's voice before the call dropped. He placed his phone down and took a deep breath. Beau and Jester were adults. They could look after themselves and they would call him if they needed anything from him. Plus, Beau was known to freak out easily and hung up midway through conversations more than anyone else he knew.

He turned his phone over and tried to go back to work, but he found his attention kept straying from the comprehension questions in front of him. Fjord rubbed his brow and tried to forget the sharp fear he'd felt when he'd lost contact with them. He opened a new tab on his laptop and pulled up the university website so he could check on some due dates.

Finally, he managed to focus himself back and get to work on his project for his lab. He managed to work for an hour, but he was interrupted by a knock on his door and he looked up sharply. Caleb was standing in the doorway, his shoulders hunched with tension and his lips pressed firmly together.

"Hey, Caleb, what's up?"

"You haven't drunk anything today have you?" the redhead asked quickly.

Fjord shook his head. "Just coffee and water," he answered honestly.

Caleb nodded. "Good, well I'm meeting Mollymauk and Nott and need a ride somewhere if you don't mind."

Fjord closed his laptop lid and stood up. "Yeah, sure, I can get my groceries for the week now too."

Caleb turned and walked away without another word. Fjord grabbed his car keys from the hook by his door and followed his roommate. He pulled on his boots and slid on a coat. Caleb led the way out to Fjord's car and slid into the front seat. Fjord started the engine and glanced at Caleb.

"So, where to?"

"I'll direct so you just have to drive," Caleb replied cryptically.

Fjord frowned. Caleb was a private person, but he wasn't usually this short or secretive about things, especially if he was meeting with Molly and Nott. He pulled out of the driveway and followed Caleb's directions.

The further he drove, the more he began to notice a creeping worry appear in Caleb's guarded expression. Generally, Fjord recognized that he was being directed to the city centre and specifically the East District. He thought momentarily about notable places in the East District and came up with City Hall, the city library, and the main city hospital.

"Turn left here," Caleb instructed.

Fjord got into the left lane and realized that he was turning towards the hospital and away from any other notable locations. A stone sunk in his stomach.

"Caleb, why are we going to the hospital?" To Fjord's dismay, his voice trembled a bit as his mind raced wildly.

"You should park," Caleb said, avoiding the question.

Fjord pulled into the nearest parking spot and Caleb immediately got out of the car. Fjord followed him and watched his roommate cross the road towards the hospital without pausing. Dread curled around Fjord's insides, but he followed Caleb as soon as his car locked. They headed for the emergency doors and panic threatened to fill Fjord, so he stuck as close to Caleb as he could considering the fact that his roommate was moving with incredible purpose.

Caleb strode up to the receptionist and asked something that Fjord missed before immediately turning and walking down the hallway to a patient area. The receptionist gave Fjord a sympathetic look and he hurried after Caleb.

Fjord spotted Beau at the same time as Caleb did and panic blossomed in his chest much more fiercely than before. Beau was lying on a hospital bed, her arm in a sling and her face set in both worry and pain.

"Beauregard!" Caleb called out. Beau's eyes snapped to them and relief blossomed across her face.

"You're here!"

"Beau, what the fuck happened?" Fjord asked desperately.

Beau didn't answer right away and Fjord noticed that her eyes were rimmed with red and puffier than they should have been. "God, we were both distracted with talking to you and there was a guy who couldn't stop and he just hit us. The car's wrecked and it was a mess. Both of our phones disappeared and we were taken here. The only number I know by heart is Caleb's so thank god you're both here." Her words were quick, slurred, and slightly panicked.

Cold fear curled so tightly around Fjord's stomach that he was almost sick. "Beau, where is Jester?"

Beau just shook her head. "We rolled and we both screamed and other people were yelling and everything was so loud, but Jester, she didn't move. She was stuck and then I just remember sirens."

Before Beau could elaborate any further, Caleb straightened and nodded to a doctor that was walking towards them. The man was holding a clipboard and scanning a chart, but he looked up as they approached.

"Ms. Lionett, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah," Beau replied.

He flipped up a page and creased his brow. He looked back up at them and took in Fjord and Caleb. "Your friends?"

"My family lives far away and Caleb was my emergency call," Beau said shortly.

The doctor nodded. "Of course. I'm Doctor Grint, and I've just looked at your charts. We'll be able to get your arm fitted into a cast soon enough and I'll get someone on gathering your prescription while you wait for that."

Beau nodded slowly, glancing at her arm as if she had just remembered it was injured. The doctor looked like he was about to leave, but Beau jerked her good hand up to catch his attention again.

"Doctor, where's my friend? Jester? She's the one who was driving the car."

The doctor's previously neutral expression softened a bit. He glanced at something on his chart and looked over his shoulder down a hallway. "Ms. Lionett, I was informed of your accident and I must admit, you and Ms. Lavorre are lucky to be alive, much less have walked away from the crash with the injuries that you did sustain."

Fjord frowned. "Doctor, please, where is Jester?" he prodded gently.

Dr. Grint nodded. "Well, she's in surgery right now. She is going to be fine, but she's obviously not able to take visitors at the moment. I promise, if it's still during my shift, I will let you all know when she gets out of surgery since she also has no family nearby, I'm assuming."

"That's right," Fjord mumbled. He desperately wanted to see Jester to make sure she was breathing and that she was going to be alright, but he knew the best thing he could do for her right now was to wait with Beau for her to get out of surgery. "Thank you, Dr. Grint."

The doctor smiled. "It's a really unfortunate accident that befell you, and I assure you that Ms. Lionett here will be back on her feet in no time and Ms. Lavorre will be on the road to recovery soon as well." With that, he turned and walked off, returning to his rounds.

Caleb glanced around the open room. "I am going to see if they have any chairs for Fjord and I, and I am also going to call Nott. She and the others will want to know that you guys will be okay."

"I'll go help you find chairs," Fjord offered quickly. Right as he turned away from Beau, her hand reached out and grabbed his wrist.

He turned back to her and her ears pinkened. "Hey, uh, actually, would you mind waiting with me? I really hate hospitals and the hour before you guys got here was the worst."

Fjord felt his lips twitch into a smile. "Don't like hospitals? I thought you spent all your free time in one?"

She scowled at him. "Good one," she said dryly. "I don't choose to be here, asshole."

"With all the fights you pick, I can beg to differ."

Beau stuck her tongue out.

It was around an hour and a half later–thirty minutes after Molly, Nott, and Yasha had arrived–when Dr. Grint finally returned. By this time it was getting later in the night and the emergency waiting room was emptying out. The group had dragged all the chairs that the nurses would let them around Beau's bed, but Nott was still sitting on the armrest of Caleb's chair. The whole group looked up as the doctor approached and he raised an eye at the addition of three more people.

"Found some more friends, have you?" he asked Beau.

"These are my other roommates Nott and Yasha as well as my other friend Mollymauk."

Dr. Grint nodded. "Right, well we're ready to put your cast on now, Ms. Lionett, if you'd like to come with me. And your other friend, Ms. Lavorre, is safely out of surgery. She is going to be fine, but she'll be here for a couple of days under observation. She's still asleep at the moment, but one of you is welcome to go in and sit with her for the next half hour until visiting hours are over."

"Fjord will go," Nott suggested quickly. Fjord tensed in his seat and narrowed his eyes at the goblin, who stuck her tongue out in response.

Hearing that Jester was out of surgery and was going to be fine had lifted an invisible weight off his shoulders, and though Nott's comment irritated him, his desire to see Jester was a lot stronger.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Where is she?"

"1014," the doctor replied. Beau stood up from the cot, limping slightly and followed the doctor away to get her arm cast.

Fjord glanced at the rest of the group briefly again. Molly rolled his eyes and waved him towards the occupied rooms. Fjord nodded and headed towards the recovery rooms. He walked slowly down the halls and let his breathing even and relax and some of his stress fade. He scanned the room numbers and very nearly walked right past Jester's room, but he saw it at the last second.

He stopped outside of it and looked through the small window. His friend was lying on a cot, hooking to an IV, with her chest rising and falling slowly. He couldn't make out much from through the glass so he steeled his nerves and opened the door.

Naturally, Jester didn't stir, so Fjord closed the door behind him and sat in the visitor's chair at the side of the bed. Up close, he could see stitches closing a gash that ran up into her scalp and several other small scrapes. There was some slight deep purple bruising forming on her blue skin around the stitches, but he couldn't make out any other injuries above the blanket she lay under.

Her hands rested atop the blanket, crinkling the thin material, and Fjord stared at her fingers. She had on dark red nail polish with a white smiley face dotted onto the ring fingernail. The IV and heart monitor were both clipped to her right hand, and Fjord sat on the left, so he didn't have to look at the plastic fingertip.

The monitor beeped smoothly and methodically, and Jester slept.

Fjord reached out and carefully cupped Jester's hand between both of his own. He swallowed roughly and internally reminded himself that she was alive. She was hurt, but alive, and he had to be grateful for that.

"Wake up soon, Jester, even if it's just for my sake," he whispered gently.

She didn't stir at his words and Fjord kept his eyes trained on her face while his hands cupped her slim fingers. He sat with her for as long as the hospital staff let him, but left when they told him visitor's hours were over.

He walked out into the main room and saw that Beau, Yasha, and Molly were gone, but Caleb and Nott were in conversation with a half-elf nurse at the counter. The goblin perked up when she saw Fjord before she abandoned the conversation to run up to him.

"How does she look?"

Fjord exhaled. "Okay, I guess. She's asleep and she should be fine."

Nott nodded. "That's good. Yasha and Molly checked out with Beau and are bringing her home. Caleb and I were just sorting out Jester's emergency contacts."

Fjord glanced at Caleb who appeared to be concluding his discussion. "Actually," he mumbled.

Nott waved him off. "We listed you as first to call, don't worry. They'll update us when she wakes up, or we can come back at 11 tomorrow when visitor's hours start again."

Fjord looked down at Nott and felt a tiny smile twitch his lips at her thoughtfulness. The two of them didn't exactly see eye to eye, but he nodded to her in respect and thanks. "I can pick you up tomorrow if you want to come sit with her with me," he offered.

Nott sighed. "I really, really wish I could, but I have a design team meeting that I cannot afford to miss. I know you'll update me when she wakes."

"Yeah," Fjord agreed. Caleb was walking towards them now. "Let's go, I'll drive you and Caleb home."

Fjord reclined in the plastic chair and tapped his pen against the corner of his mouth. He had brought his textbook with him to the hospital and was working through a couple of problem sets while he sat with a still Jester.

She hadn't woken up overnight, and Fjord had been sitting with her since visitor hours started, except for a brief break for lunch where he swapped with Molly.

He drew a circle around the definition in the question and frowned. The word he recognized briefly from one of his other readings, but the context of it was entirely new. He flipped back a couple of pages and observed the diagram displayed across most of the page.

"Your tusks are really coming in, aren't they?"

Jester's voice was quiet and tired from his left and it startled him into nearly dropping his book. She had tilted her head marginally in his direction and her violet eyes were trained on his face. She blinked a few times at him like she was still processing and Fjord shut his book, depositing it onto the floor.

"Jester!" he breathed.

"Hi Fjord," she replied softly.

Fjord reached out and took her hand. He squeezed it tightly and she weakly squeezed back.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Jester replies immediately. She broke their eye contact and looked around the room briefly. "And confused," she added. "Am I in the hospital?"

"Do you remember what happened?" Fjord asked, his brow creasing.

Jester pressed her lips together while she rearranged her memories. Her lips formed a small 'o' and she shut her eyes briefly. "We got hit. Beau and I, in my car."

Fjord nodded. "According to Beau, you guys flipped and rolled and all the windows were broken and the doors mangled enough that you couldn't really get out." He saw hurt flinch across Jester's features momentarily and he squeezed her hand to comfort her gently. "But, Beau is okay, and you're going to be fine soon enough."

Jester exhaled deeply and then flinched. "Ouch, ribs are not good." She pulled her right hand up and touched her head gently. Her frown tightened. "Head's pretty bad too."

Fjord dropped her hand and stood up. "I'll get a nurse. They should know you're awake."

"You won't leave, will you?" Jester asked shyly.

Fjord smiled at her. "Not unless they drag me away." He crossed the small hospital room in two strides and was reaching for the door when she replied.

She relaxed into the bed a little and nodded. "Yeah, okay, well, I'm glad you're here now."

Fjord had already opened the door, but he paused in the doorway and looked back. "Me too, Jester. And I'm really glad you're okay."

"So far," she teased.

He laughed and slipped out of the room. Jester was going to be fine and he finally felt like he could breathe again.

It was a couple of days before the hospital was ready to release Jester, and it was Saturday, just two days before classes started again, when she called Fjord from the hospital and asked for a ride home. Naturally, he dropped everything he had been working on to pick her up.

She already looked better as her bruising was fading and her hair did a good job of hiding the stitches along her face. Jester grinned when she saw Fjord before turning and thanking the nurses before making her way over to him. Fjord opened the passenger side door of his car and beckoned her in.

"Thank you, my Prince Charming," Jester teased.

Fjord rolled his eyes, but walked around and got in the car himself. As he was fastening his seatbelt, Jester grabbed his arm, excitedly brandishing a new phone in his face.

"Look! Mama sent this to the house yesterday after she heard about the accident and Beau dropped it off for me."

Fjord smiled at her. "Guess we're going to have to make a new group chat to include you again then, aren't we?"

Jester punched his shoulder lightly. "There is no group chat without me anyways. I'm the life of this party."

Fjord chuckled and started the car. "So, where to? Home?"

Jester's smile dropped a little. "Actually, would you mind just going for a drive? I kind of want to look out from the top of the hill."

Fjord pulled out of the pick-up area and onto the main road. "Sure, I've got nothing else to do today."

Jester directed him through town and made him stop momentarily so she could pick up some pastries from a local bakery before they continued towards the largest hill in the city. They made easy conversation about school and what had happened while Jester was in the hospital as they drove to the peak.

At the top, Fjord pulled into the lookout parking lot and parked right against the railing. Jester jumped out of the car and ran to the edge, gripping the wooden railing in her hands. Fjord followed her, a little more slowly, but he studied her as he approached. She had her chin tilted up to catch the breeze and her eyes closed.

"You know," she murmured, "I thought I might never feel this again when I was in that car."

"Jester," Fjord said gently.

She shrugged. "I'm here though and I feel alive. I'm grateful to Beau and the firemen and the hospital staff. I'm still here, and I get to be here with you." She looked at him when she finished and her cheeks were dark with a slight blush as her eyes twinkled.

"I'm glad you're here," Fjord said firmly. He stepped a little closer to her and placed one of his hands over hers.

Jester's eyes widened a little bit, but then her cheeks darkened and her grin split even wider. She turned back to the view and squinted out over the city. "I can see the university from here," she declared proudly, lifting her hand out from under his to point out the familiar cluster of buildings.

Fjord instantly felt the loss of something when Jester moved her hand. She didn't look at him again, just kept staring at the city, so Fjord tucked his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the railing, facing his car and the road.

Jester was quiet for a long moment after that before she spun her whole body to face him suddenly. "You know, this whole experience would have been so much worse without everyone. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't had you guys when I was in the hospital."

Fjord exhaled sharply. "Well, if you and Beau hadn't been talking to me, you probably wouldn't have even been there."

Jester frowned instantly and threw her arms around him, catching him in an unexpected and fierce hug. "Don't blame yourself. I was trying to say that I'm thankful for you guys. No blame-game," she ordered him.

Fjord slid an arm around her to squeeze her back. "Yeah, okay."

Jester lifted her chin and grinned at him victoriously. "I think all of us will be friends forever. Our group of crazy friends, the Mighty Nein!"

He laughed at her and nodded. "At this point, I can barely imagine school, much less life, without the team."

Jester poked him in the chest. "And us west-coasters have to stick together above all else."

Affection bubbled in Fjord's chest. "Of course," he replied easily. "Always."

The party was loud. The rainbow lights flashed erratically and the music was loud enough almost to make the walls tremble. People were yelling and laughing and singing and dancing and it was a bit chaotic, to say the least.

Fjord clutched his drink and leaned back against the wall. Molly had dragged Beau off to play some chaotic drinking game in the other room and Caleb, Caduceus, Nott, and Yasha had all elected not to come to the party. Jester was apparently around somewhere, but Fjord hadn't seen her all night.

He had almost come to the decision that he'd rather just leave and join in on whatever tame event the other members of the Mighty Nein were having at the boys' house when a familiar figure broke from the crowd and approached him. To his dismay, it wasn't Jester or even Molly or Beau.

Avantika was pretty unfairly pretty with curly red hair, sharp features, and an attractive body. She was in his program and in a bunch of his classes. They had talked a bit in first and second years, but they were partners in a biology lab this semester, so they interacted a lot more recently.

Fjord knew what flirting looked like and Avantika was incredibly flirty, but he was still taken a bit off guard when she stepped right into his personal space and ran a finger down his chest, smirking.

"Mr. Strong and Silent, over here, aren't you?" she teased.

While Jester's flirting usually made him warm inside, Avantika's just made him a little uncomfortable. She stayed firmly in his personal space, expression coy and apparently waiting. Fjord pressed his shoulders more flatly against the wall to try and escape, but she followed him determinedly.

After another moment, right as the lights flashed, Avantika surged up and kissed him firmly. Fjord felt her lips on his, cold and sticky from alcohol for a long moment before she pulled away. One of her brows cocked expectantly, but Fjord could only focus on the face that he had finally spotted over her shoulder.

Jester, clutching a plastic water bottle, was staring at him in a mix of hurt and disappointment. Jester's eyes searched his face for a moment longer before she spun and disappeared into the throng of drunk university students.

Fjord immediately pushed Avantika away and followed her. He shoved his cup into the hands of a completely wasted Sabian as he pushed by, and kept walking. He caught the briefest glimpse of her horns slipping out the front door and he darted after her. She had already reached the sidewalk in front of the house by the time that Fjord had made it through the front door.

"Jester! Wait!"

At the sound of her name, she paused and looked over her shoulder, surprised. She tensed when she saw him, but didn't walk any further away as he approached.

Fjord stopped right in front of her and placed both of his hands on her arms at her side and peered at her, concerned. "Where are you going?"

"Home," she replied shortly. She dropped her gaze from his and looked stubbornly off to the side.

"Jester, what did I do?"

"Nothing!" she cried, her voice a pitch higher than usual. Fjord lifted a hand and turned her face back towards him, his brow furrowing. Jester sighed and shut her eyes. "Shouldn't you go back to Miss Avantika and her pretty hair and eyes and body and lips?"

Realization sparked in Fjord so suddenly he was surprised that he didn't catch fire. "Jester, I don't like Avantika," he said slowly.

She opened her eyes and frowned. "Didn't look that way! I've spent three years trying to make you like me, and yet you still don't even see because here she comes with her perfect hair and her confidence and you're just kissing her!"

Fjord laughed shakily. "I don't see you?" he questioned. "Jester, I am head over heels for you. I see you in a light that I've never seen anyone else in, ever. You're radiant and special and beautiful and everyone knows that I'm obsessed with you. Avantika initiated the kiss and I, frankly, wanted nothing to do with it."

Jester's violet eyes widened dramatically. She appeared to be completely stunned into silence. Fjord laughed again, feeling tension drain out of him as he was filled with a reminder of how much he loved this girl.

"I'm crazy about you," he repeated. "And I see you, more clearly than ever, tonight," he said gently.

Finally, something clicked in Jester's mind and she stepped forwards, perching on her tiptoes as she kissed Fjord tentatively. Fjord's hand shifted to cup her jaw and he pulled her closer, sliding his other arm around her waist. He kissed her back for a long time and this kiss felt warm and right and perfect in every way.

After a long moment, they broke away breathless, but Fjord didn't let Jester move further away from him.

"You're serious?" she asked softly.

Fjord pressed his lips to her forehead. "As serious as Caleb is the night before a paper is due."

A small smile curled up her lips. "Okay."

She leaned up to kiss him again and just as their lips met, there was a whoop of joy from behind them, and they broke apart, startled. Molly and Beau were both standing in the doorway of the house, grinning like crazy people.

"It's about damn time!" Beau cheered drunkenly.

Fjord pulled away a little bit, his face burning, but Jester slid her hand into his and squeezed it tightly. He glanced at her and she smiled radiantly.

"I see you too," she whispered. And it was true and it was good.