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Chapter 3: it was all by design
series masterlist previous part || next part
pairing: anthony bridgerton x fem!daphne's best friend!reader WC: 1.7k words
Warnings: period-typical gender roles, idiots in love, morally grey daphne ??, slow burn!!!, anthony being a SIMPPPP (i love it)
Summary: At her wit's end after Anthony's multiple attempts to scare away her suitors, Daphne employs her best friend's help to keep her brother distracted while she tries to find a husband. It's a foolproof plan, except it ends up working a little too well. (or, a Bridgerton version of The Taming of the Shrew/10 things I hate about you)
June 2, 1812 - As you walked into Lady Danbury's ballroom, your hands were gripping the skirt of your dress to keep them from trembling. Tonight was the night you were going to ask Anthony to court you. You were asking him. It was an absurd concept at best, a lady asking a gentleman to court. But you'd already come this far, asking him to dance and all, so you supposed it wasn't that large of a jump from one thing to the next.
It wasn't real, you kept reminding yourself. It was just a way to give Daphne the season she deserved. And Anthony had absolutely no interest in marriage anyway, so he would surely not particularly mind when you ended things with him.
Besides, you were fairly certain he only saw you as a sister, much like Daphne, so it was doubtful he’d even be amenable to the prospect of starting a courtship with you. It was taking a lot of mental work to convince yourself that this would be fine.
But at the end of the day, you had your own reputation to think about. As much as you enjoyed spending time with Anthony at high society balls, you knew it wasn't the best for your image if you were constantly seen dancing with a man who wasn't courting you. Someone was bound to think that something was wrong with you. Several people had asked you already, actually.
So, you smoothed your skirts and steeled your nerves. This was the best option for Daphne. And for you if you wanted to keep spending as much time with Anthony as you were now.
Looking around the ballroom, your eyes met the eldest Bridgerton's.
His eyes immediately lit up, blinking as he took in your impressive ballgown and elbow-length gloves. Quickly, he started walking toward you, practically tripping over Cressida Cowper's train because he was in such a rush.
“Good evening, Lady L/N,” he bowed, putting on the stuffy voice you’d heard him use with his mother’s friends.
“Good evening, Viscount,” you responded, playing along with him.
He flashed you the most charming smile you had ever seen, and you understood completely why the ladies of the ton swooned over him. If you had his charisma and good looks, you’d probably be a rake, too.
“Fancy a dance tonight?” he asked casually, his hand reaching out to softly touch your dance-card-clad wrist.
“I suppose I do,” you responded, flashing him a vibrant smile. The nerves you had felt a few minutes ago had practically evaporated, leaving only room for excitement as Anthony interwove his fingers with yours and led you to the dance floor.
A few minutes after the dance had begun, you caught a glimpse of Daphne and Mr Norwood looking completely smitten with one another. It quickly reminded you of your goal for the night. If Daphne was going to marry Mr Norwood then you needed to bite the bullet and get this over with right now.
As you were staring intently at your best friend and the man she wanted to marry, your brow furrowed and lips pursed, you felt Anthony's warm breath close to your ear.
“What’s on your mind?” he whispered softly, sensing your mind was elsewhere.
Having spent so much time with you in the past few weeks, Anthony had grown accustomed to your quirks and knew that you weren’t being your usual self.
You froze. It was now or never.
“Um… Well… I was just thinking about how our dancing every night looks. To other people I mean. Given that we’re not courting,” you babbled, unable to meet the eyes of the man in front of you.
Confused, Anthony continued, “Is this about what I said the other night? About only being able to dance so many times?”
“No, not at all,” you reassured him. If you two did end up courting, you didn’t ever want him to think he was at fault. “Just some comments I’ve heard from ladies around the ton, you know how they are. They ask me questions I don’t particularly know the answer to,” you said dismissively.
“And you’re worried about how this will affect you in the future, as an unmarried lady?”
“Well… yes,” you responded lamely. Although everything you had said up to this point was true, you were still unable to meet his eyes, the guilt of deceiving him eating away at you.
Anthony knit his eyebrows together in confusion. Hadn’t you physically recoiled at the thought of courting him just a few days ago when he said it as a joke?
Regardless, he mulled over what you had said. He knew you fairly well, and even though you weren’t usually bothered by a bit of gossip (you were spending time with him even though he was the world’s biggest rake, for heaven’s sake), he understood your hesitation.
“Does this mean you want me to properly court you?” he asked gently, not wanting to scare you off again.
Perhaps it was the sincerity in Anthony’s voice, or just you realizing the gravity of the situation, but you immediately tensed up.
“No, I don’t think so,” you started slowly, torn between helping Daphne and protecting yourself. But you had already made your choice. You loved your best friend, but not to the point of breaking all social decorum and asking a man to court you. “Not at all,” you laughed airily. “I know you’re not looking to marry, and honestly neither am I. It was just a silly comment, my apologies.”
“Are you sure?” he pressed.
You cursed Daphne’s brother for being so perceptive. How on earth could he tell exactly what you were feeling?
“I don’t know,” you said, finally meeting his eyes. God, this would be so much easier if you had feelings for him and wanted to court him. Then you could just say yes and stop feeling so guilty.
Seeing how torn you were, Anthony decided to let the subject lie. The season was still only beginning, and there would be yet time to figure out what exactly was going on between you.
However, letting the subject lie decidedly did not mean that he would stop thinking about it. In fact, it was the only thing he thought about for the rest of the night, completely missing an almost inappropriate kiss Mr Norwood left on Daphne’s hand.
---
Anthony hadn’t stopped thinking about the possibility of properly courting you the following morning. He sat in his sunroom, rereading the same paragraph for the sixth time as he tried to focus on anything other than your anxiety-filled eyes the previous night.
“Y/N was looking rather lovely last night,” commented Daphne offhandedly as she worked on her needlepoint.
“What?” said Anthony, startled out of his thoughts. He’d completely forgotten his sister was in the room with him, too.
“Y/N, last night, looking lovely,” repeated Daphne, covertly looking at her brother as he remembered what you were wearing at Lady Danbury’s ball.
“Err… I suppose she did look rather fetching, yes,” he responded awkwardly, shuffling the newspaper on his lap to another page.
Then, looking at his sister suspiciously, he added, “But I wasn’t looking to get married this year, Daphne.”
You had told her about how you’d been unable to ask Anthony to court, of course. You had apologized profusely, but Daphne would hear none of it. Reassuring you that it was no problem, really, and that she understood your hesitation completely, Daphne had decided to shift her focus to her brother. It was true, a woman asking a man to dance was completely taboo, and it probably wouldn’t even have worked. So, although you hadn’t outright asked Anthony to court, you had certainly gotten the closest to it that a woman in polite society could. Now all he needed was a little push.
“Neither was Y/N, to my understanding,” she responded, keeping her tone light and her eyes on her thread and needle.
“It doesn’t matter,” Anthony waved dismissively. “She’s said it herself, I’m the biggest rake in Mayfair. Getting involved in her would only hurt her image in the long run.”
“Don’t be daft,” laughed Daphne. “You’re a Bridgerton. Rake or not, I doubt any association with you would taint her image in the slightest. She’s been involved with us for years! She’s my best friend, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Anthony humphed, annoyed that his little sister was making sense. Stubbornly, he continued, “Exactly, it’s not a good idea to bring feelings into a courtship, anyway. She’s been a friend of the family for ages.”
Daphne shrugged, slowly becoming more supportive of her best friend courting her brother, whether it was under false pretenses or not. “I certainly wouldn’t mind, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
After a pause, she added, “And how do you know the feelings are there? That’s what a courtship is for, isn’t it?”
She was in quite a similar situation herself, though she could never tell Anthony lest he completely lose his mind.
Daphne looked up at her brother, almost seeing the gears in his mind turning.
“Do you really think I should?” he asked, setting down the newspaper beside him.
“If you want,” she responded flippantly, knowing Anthony had already made up his mind.
“Oh my word, it’s almost afternoon!” exclaimed Anthony, looking at the grandfather clock on the other side of the sunroom. “I should go now, I suppose. What if someone else has already come to call on her? Am I too late?”
Daphne, highly amused at her brother’s sudden sense of urgency, laughed. “Only one way to find out…”
But Anthony didn’t hear her response, already rushing out of the room to grab his coat so he could go call on you. Properly. Like a gentleman. For the first time.
And funnily enough, Anthony felt no fear, no anxiety, no dread. Nothing that he usually felt when thinking about courtship and marriage. He was simply excited to see you.
—
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#bridgerton#anthony bridgerton#anthony bridgerton x reader#bridgerton fake dating#anthony bridgerton imagine#anthony bridgerton fanfic#anthony bridgerton fanfiction#bridgerton fanfic#bridgerton fanfiction#bridgerton imagine#bridgerton x reader#anthony bridgerton fluff#10 things i hate about you#anthony bridgerton fake dating#bridgerton x you#anthony bridgerton x you#bridgerton fluff#bridgerton angst#the taming of the rake#the taming of the rake: writing
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WIP Wednesday
Here I am with another snippet from the next chapter of A Fitting Reunion! As I mentioned in another post, I've been really inspired to write lately. No recent tags, but I'm too excited not to share:
I can't say when this will actually be out, but it's coming along well!
Reminder that I have a post here if you would like me to tag you for these games and I haven't before! I'll tag various mutuals and people I've interacted with anyway, but it does help me know if it's welcome/wanted! 💖
No pressure tags: @preciouslittlebhaalbae, @pinkberrytea, @amoremagnificentbastard, @xxnashiraxx, @roguishcat, @spacesunderstairs, and anyone else who might like to share something!
#wip wednesday#astarion#astarion fanfiction#bg3#bg3 astarion#bg3 fic#astarion x reader#snippet#my wips#my writing
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It’s hard being so morally correct all the time
#my art#Spiderwebs art#hello everyone I needed to draw Heather again or I would collapse like a lawn chair#Anyways the next chapters are coming along well#There’s lots of general suffering and terrible relationship dynamics it’s going to be great#(note: the lace in the background is a pattern from Ibis Paint I didn’t create that)
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Dont be angry, Finnula said. Be smart.
#Chapter 23#Kingdom of Ash#Sarah J. Maas#Elide Lochan#Finnula#no spoilers pls first read along w me chapter spoilers in post & tags below w more annotations/quotes/notes/reacts/perspective 3 of 4#The City of Rivers… can Aelin get a City of Fire? cuz that would be cool & Elide already said “fear was another companion it can’t be worse#IT WAS LORCANS SHIRT😭 & he cared so much he lied so she’d use it from Gavriel/Rowan😭 OH ELORCAN😭😭😭#Yet this place seemed like a paradise. WHATS REAL? is it a Maeve illusion… but it sounds lovely; like Rowan could just fly around😭#Pink and blue flowers draped from windowsills; little canals wended between some of the streets ferrying people in bright long boats.#And though a good dose of fear would aid in her cover too much would spell her doom. -smart clever spy gal Annabeth Chase would be proud#And this city Rowan had told Elide had been built from stone to keep Brannon or any of his descendants from razing it to the ground.#when u know ur evil cuz you had to build in a backup plan for the day Brannons peeps eventually come to shut that shit down… my poor Aelin#Elide fought the limp that grew with each step farther into the city--farther away from Gavriel's magic… or Lorcan’s👀😭🖤🤨#okay Elide I see your mirror mirror Aos moves with the berry listen and compact trick she can do it with a broken heart#cycle. She hadn't been able to find the words anyway. Not with what it would crumple in her chest to even think them. WELL NOW IM CRUMPLED#As if she'd been weeping for weeks… yeah that fits the KoA vibes#But it wasn't the reflection she wanted to see. But rather the square behind her. — BRILLIANT QUEEN — lol thx Lorcan for having a mirror#if only anything could be a witch mirror then they could all cell chat and communicate cause the travel time in this one is rough#she was merely staring into a compact mirror no more than a self-conscious girl trying to fix her frazzled appearance — she is the best spy#A girl trying to muster some dignity. Let them see what they wanted to see-A girl far out of her element in this lovely well-dressed city#cornflower blue ALWAYS THESE SHADES#her golden-brown skin shone with an inner light. Her eyes were soft with kindness. And concern.#had always made them foolishly off guard and eager to get away. To tell her what she needed to know. — funny 2 watch Elide do this after HoF#The sort of voice Elide had always imagined great beauties possessing the sort of voice that made men fall all over themselves.#Cairn. One of the males swore; the other scanned Elide from head to toe. But the two females had gone still. — agreed he’s the worst#the portrait of hope—yeah child’s right cause no—Elide always naming people—If you escaped Cairn don't go looking for him again.—true#Cairn is blood-sworn to our queen. Still makes him a prick TRUTH — doesn’t need to be a far to catch the lie — WHERE IS SHE DAMNIT#She was about to do it again wheen… The dark-haired beauty from the tavern was standing behind her. — SHIT#Maeve was not in Doranelle. How long would that remain true? Had to make the next performance count. — how many had she done this already?🥹😭
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Cherry Red, Crimson Blood
Chapter 7 : Sweet Strawberry
Summary: You're not a soldier, you're just an omega. You shouldn't have to remind them of that, yet you find yourself needing to. Price makes it up to you in the best way possible.
Pairing: Poly 141 x reader
Warnings: Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics, Alternate Universe, a/b/o typical classism and sexism, military inaccuracies, language, angst, panic, fluff, suggestive content, terrible flirting
A/N: Not entirely happy with it but it's done and I can move on from this one. I struggled so much with this chapter omg. Also, I just wanted to make it clear that I am not from the UK, I've never been to the UK, I'm simply going off of prior knowledge and what Google can tell me. So, if there's any inaccuracies, I am so sorry.
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You’re expecting the knock when it comes. You’d been standing in front of your door for almost five minutes, and you get it open almost before he’s finished, hand still raised. He gives no sign that betrays his surprise, if he feels any at all, instead he simply looks you over before turning on his heel and marching towards the door.
You close your door behind you, slipping down the hallway after him. It’s raining again, though you had prepared for that, flipping the hood of your jacket up as you hurry after Ghost. He threatens to disappear in the darkness of morning, slipping between the street lamps like a specter. It’s not often you get to see the true danger in them, the threats that they pose, the things that make them good at their job. You can imagine how many on his opposing side have been caught unawares by the way he seems to flow with the darkness around him.
You are significantly less graceful and quiet, feet slapping the wet pavement as you speed walk to keep up with the giant alpha. You can almost imagine the look on his face as you plod along behind him. If your lives depended on your silence at this moment, well, it wouldn’t entirely have been your fault. If he didn’t walk so fucking fast...
He’s at least courteous enough to hold the door open for you, though perhaps that was simply something that was deeply ingrained in him. Manners that become unconscious practice, even when you despise the person you’re with. He leads you down the hall towards the practice room again, unlocking it and flipping on the lights. He empties his pockets and removes his shoes and sweatshirt, before moving to one of the punching bags.
You can already predict what your lesson today will entail. Your knuckles have almost completely healed since your little fit a week ago. You quickly strip off your jacket and toe off your wet shoes, moving to join him without having to be told.
“Do you know how to wrap your hands?” He asks, holding out two rolls of hand wraps.
“No.” You shake your head. It’s not entirely true. They had shown you once while you were with the CIA, but that had been weeks ago and you’re sure you’ve forgotten the right way to do it. Even if you tried, he’d likely sigh and do it himself anyway.
He lets out a breath, pocketing one of the wraps before grabbing your right wrist. His hands are just as rough as you remember them being the day you punched Corporal Allen, calluses dragging against your skin as he meticulously wraps the fabric around your fingers. You watch him, trying to memorize how to do it in hopes that maybe, eventually, you’ll surprise him and manage it yourself.
He finishes your hands quickly before wrapping his own. You flex your hands, trying to get used to the feeling of the wraps. They’re not too tight, shockingly. You had half expected him to choke your fingers until they’re purple just because. But, you also know Price will be looking for any mark or sign of injury as soon as he sees you at breakfast. The thought of him laying into Ghost for even a bruise as your stomach twisting, and not in a bad way.
“Make a fist.” Ghost says, crossing his arms as he stands in front of you.
You stare at his bulging muscles for a second too long, quickly curling your fingers as your face warms.
He takes hold of your hand, inspecting your fist. “Not bad.”
“I did grow up with brothers.” You murmur.
“Did they ever hit you?” He asks as he turns you to face the boxing bag.
“Only playfully.” You say, missing the subtle edge to his voice. “Dad would have caved their heads in if they ever tried.”
You can’t see the way he’s staring at you as he stands slightly behind you, but you can feel his gaze as it lingers for just a second longer than you expected it to. You’re not sure if maybe he doesn’t believe you, or maybe he knows there’s more to the story. You’ve hardly spoken about your family since your arrival, but they seemed to accept the fact that they haven’t been your family for years now as a valid reason.
“Get into your fighting stance.” He finally says, moving around you as you take the stance you had perfected last training session. “Good.” He says, looking you over. “Now throw a punch at the bag.”
You squeeze your fists, imagining Corporal Allen’s face on the bag before you throw a punch, barely managing to move the bag.
“Punches like that are what will get you hurt.” Ghost says, extending your arm. “You can throw your weight, which is good. That’s why you were able to throw Allen off his feet. You’re asking for a broken arm, though. Keep your arm flat and facing downwards through the entire punch. Aim with the knuckles and twist your lower body for support.”
He throws a punch at the bag, the sound of his fist hitting it loud, and you watch the bag swing back and forth violently. He could probably punch through you if he wanted to. Your pitiful punch wouldn’t even stun him.
He stops the bag from swinging, having you throw repeated punches at it. He fixes your form and technique as you go, teaching you different kinds of punches. Your arms quickly get tired, and you know you’re going to be sore again. Maybe you should take up some weight lifting or something. You could ask Soap to help you.
You go until your arms feel like they're going to fall off, your shoulders burning. “I can't anymore.” You whine, breathing heavily from the exertion of throwing punches for 30 minutes.
“You have to learn to push through the pain.” He says, looming over you. “You think in a fight, everyone will just stop because your arms are tired? Or you're a little sore?”
He has a point.
You take half a step back as he invades your space, leaning down close to you. “If they're out for blood, they won't even stop even as you're bleeding out in front of them.” His eyes are dark, biting into you, speaking volumes of his knowledge and experience. You wonder how many times he's been in that situation, how many times he's had to fight quite literally for his life. He steps away from you, moving towards the center of the mat. “Come on. I'll teach you some combinations.”
You don't want to follow him. You want to curl up in a corner and nap for the next four hours. You don't doubt he'll find a way to force you, though, so you move to the center of the mat with a sigh.
He teaches you different combinations, working through them over and over. You're sloppy, mixing up which punch is which, which move means what. It only gets worse as you get more and more tired, but Ghost is relentless.
Finally after almost an hour and a half of training, he calls it. Your legs are shaking and you can barely lift your arms to unravel the wraps from around your hands. You sink onto the floor, laying out flat on the padding as you try to catch your breath.
“Come on.” Ghost says, lacing up his shoes. “You'll have time to shower before breakfast if we get back now.”
“Wait. Just gimme a minute.” You breathe, not even sure you have the willpower to get up from the floor, much less the muscle power.
He lets out a sigh before approaching you, bending down to slip his hands under your arms. “On your feet, soldier.”
He lifts you easily, far too easily. Your legs shake, nearly giving out as you're forced onto them. You pout, ignoring the ache in your bones as you're forced upright.
“‘M not a soldier.” You murmur.
“In here with me, you are. You want to learn to fight, you get treated just like everyone else I've taught.” He says, glowering down at you. “Now get your shoes on and let's go.”
Your brows pull into a frown, but you do as he says, slipping your shoes back on and your jacket. You had hoped perhaps he would have a little mercy, given your status and inexperience, but it seems you're not even being awarded that. You know part of it is his revenge for you invading his protective circle around Soap, for kissing Soap in front of him.
The frown doesn't leave your face as you follow him back to the barracks, having to almost run to keep up with him.
“You look tired.”
“I am. I had training with Ghost again this morning.”
“How is that going?”
“It's hard.” You admit, sinking back in your chair. “He's hard on me. He sees me as a soldier, not an omega.”
“Have you brought this up to him?” Dr. Keller asks, crossing her feet as she relaxes on the couch across from you.
You nod. “Yeah. He said I have to push through it, because if I wind up in a real fight, they won't go easy on me.”
“Well, I can’t say he’s wrong about that. But, that’s still no excuse.” Dr. Keller tilts her head at you. “You could bring it up to Captain Price. He is your pack alpha, and he’s also Lieutenant Riley’s. I don’t doubt he’d bring it up to him on your behalf.”
He would, but you don’t really want to stir the pot in that way. The last thing you need to do is become a tattle-tail. It’s quiet between you for a few moments, Dr. Keller shuffling her papers as you mark a clear end to that conversation.
“How did you do on your assignment? I see you’re wearing a different sweatshirt this morning.” She says, eyeing you.
You’re wearing Price’s sweatshirt, the one he gifted you. You’ve been wearing it almost every day, his scent still clinging to the fabric. Your face warms as she stares at you, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah, but...I didn’t ask for this one. Price gave it to me after I told him about where my other one came from. I uh...I kissed Soap. And Gaz.”
“Oh?” Her brows raise, and she writes something down on the paper. Your face warms even more as you watch her pen move with every letter. You can only imagine what she’s putting down. “Is that something you wanted? I know we talked briefly about it last time.” She says.
You nod. “Yes. I did want it. I...I also...kneeled...with Price...Did a couple times actually...”
Dr. Keller’s mouth opens in surprise, her eyes shining as she looks at you. “You did? That’s huge! That’s an incredible development! Did you initiate, or did he?”
“I did.” You say bashfully, sinking back further into the chair. “Both times.”
Dr. Keller smiles at you, looking almost proud. “This is a big step in the right direction. How did it go? Were you able to relax?”
You nod. “Yeah. It was nice. He was...gentle. He did it right.”
“Good. How did you do coming down from it? I know it can be intense and difficult for some omegas.” She asks.
You shrug. “Fine. I felt it a bit the morning after, but it wasn’t too bad. I fell asleep on him both times.”
“Oh?” She lifts an eyebrow. “Did you stay with him?”
You shake your head. “No, Gaz took me to my room both times.”
“Good. That’s good practice, for when your heat comes. Shows how much trust they have in each other.”
You hadn’t really thought of that. There was a lot of trust involved in omega’s heats. Omegas have to trust their alphas to take care of them while they’re blind with insatiable need, but both alpha and omega have to trust a beta to keep them alive. Your heat will trigger Price’s rut and make him lose control for a while, and it will be up to Gaz to keep you both fed and hydrated. He’ll be the one to help you both afterwards as well.
“Have you started nesting yet?” Dr. Keller asks.
You shake your head. “No. Don’t feel any drive to either.”
Dr. Keller hums as she writes something down. “Well, it has only been two weeks. Though, perhaps if you can manage to ask for some things to make your space more comfortable, that might help ease you into it.”
You chew on your lip, tugging at the sleeves of your sweatshirt. You know she’s right. Until you’re comfortable and feel safe enough, you won’t feel the drive to nest. You’ll need to nest before your heat arrives. Otherwise, it’ll cause issues for both you and Price.
“When...when should I be worried?” You ask.
“Hmm...” Dr. Keller looks at her calendar. “If you’re not feeling any sort of drive to nest by our next appointment, then I’d say we may need to consider using some exercises to help jump start it.”
“Exercises?” You ask warily.
“All easy things.” She reassures you. “Things like scent introductions, tactile explorations, and some bonding exercises might be helpful as well.” She writes something down on a sticky note. “I’ll explain everything in detail and you’ll get to choose whether you want to do any of it or not. No one’s going to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with, alright?”
Tears prick your eyes at her words, and you furiously blink them back. It’s a little late for that kind of sentiment. Your presence here alone was thanks to a long line of people forcing you to do things you’re not comfortable with. It was easy to get lost in the excitement and the emotions of bonding with a pack, easy to forget that you would never have chosen this place had you ever been given the option to choose.
You would have gone far from the military, far from this kind of life. It’s your duty to bond with an alpha, but what if you don’t want to? What if it’s all a front, and as soon as you’re claimed the curtains rise and suddenly everything is different? What if Price isn’t as kind as you’ve come to believe him? Just one squeeze too tightly around the back of your neck while you’re kneeling and everything would change.
How easily he could take everything from you.
“You want to talk about what’s going on in your head right now?” Dr. Keller asks, breaking the silence between you two.
You hadn’t even noticed you’d been staring off into space, lost in your thoughts. Of course she knows something’s changed. She’s spent years learning the ins and outs of omegas and all the secrets you can only imagine. She’s probably just as in tune with subtle changes as the four well trained soldiers that make up your new pack. Maybe even more in tune with them.
You shake your head, keeping your gaze on the floor.
“Remember nothing shared in this room leaves this room. It’ll always only be between us.” She says softly.
You’re panicking. You can feel the pressure rising within you. You’re like a grenade and someone is about to pull the pin. You’re afraid you’ll spill everything to her, afraid you’ll let out things you’ve successfully kept buried for years and years. Things you’ve left behind, things you’ve had to move on from. Things you can’t afford to let out now.
“I’d like to be done now.” You silently curse the way your voice shakes.
Dr. Keller’s brows pull into a frown but she nods. “Okay.” She slips her papers into her notebook before standing. “Let me grab my keys.”
You stand as she moves to her desk, grabbing her keys from the drawer. She leads you from her office, thankfully staying quiet as you walk through the rain towards the barracks. You’re still panicking, the turmoil inside you probably projecting the sour scent across the entire courtyard but you don’t care. You can’t.
“Remember, if you ever need anything, I’m usually in my office.” Dr. Keller says as she drops you off at the door.
You feel guilty as you hurry to your room, shoes squeaking on the tile. You feel bad for cutting the appointment off early, you feel bad for feeling the way you do. Later you’ll be grateful for Dr. Keller respecting your boundaries and not pushing, for following through with her promise and letting you be in control of the appointment.
Right now you don’t care. Right now you can’t care. You’re too lost in your turmoil, the bitter scent of your distress seeping out from under the locked door.
“...can ye talk tae me, hen? Let me know yer alright?”
The soft voice coming through the closed door pulls you out from your burrow under the thin blanket. You blink blearily at your phone, trying to see the time. It’s just a little past the normal time you go to lunch with them. How long have they been knocking on the door?
“Come on, lass.” Soap’s voice comes through the door again. “I dinnae want tae have tae kick in the door.”
You force yourself out from under the blanket, pocketing your phone before quickly moving to your door. You throw it open, Soap’s eyes immediately scanning you as you rub tiredly at your eyes. You don’t doubt he’d kick in your door if he felt he had to.
“Sorry,” You yawn. “I was asleep.”
His eyebrows raise as he stares down at you. “Ye were asleep? Ye weren’t kidding about bein’ a heavy sleeper.” He leads you from the barracks, crossing the courtyard towards the mess.
“One time, when I was about two or three, my dad took us to some demonstration on base.” You say as you begin walking to the mess with him. “I fell asleep about halfway through and slept through a howitzer going off.”
Soap lets out a laugh so loud it echoes in the courtyard. “Ye slept through a howitzer?”
You nod. “Yup. My dad never let me live it down. I heard it all the time. ‘You’ll have to try hard to wake her, she slept through a howitzer once.’”
Soap chuckles, leading you into the mess. “Ye are a deep sleeper.”
You shrug. “I did say so. My phone will wake me up though. Alarms, calls.”
“I’ll keep tha’ in mind.” He says as he guides you through the line, making your tray for you.
You sit between Price and Gaz as usual, feeling a bit on edge still despite your nap after your appointment. You hadn’t gotten to sleep for very long, not nearly long enough to clear your head completely. You know they can tell, Gaz slowly shifting closer and closer to you, Price’s gaze flickering to you out of the corner of his eye every so often. Even Ghost’s eyes pass over you every so often as they sweep across the mess.
You wonder if he feels responsible.
You hope he does.
Soap walks you back to the barracks after lunch and you spend the afternoon burrowed under your blanket again. You’re exhausted and sore after a long morning of training and your appointment. You wish you could sink back into sleep, let the emotions pass without you having to feel them, but you’re too awake now. Too aware of them as they prickle in the back of your mind.
Dinner passes without incident, but you can’t ignore the feelings still stirring within you. You feel agitated and on edge, not even pacing your room helping you. You let out a breath before you put your slippers on, slipping out of your door. You make your way down the hallway, turning right instead of left like you would if you were heading for the rec room. The door is cracked open and you pause just before you reach it, suddenly feeling nervous. You shouldn’t really. There was no reason to be nervous, yet you can’t help the urge in the back of your mind to turn tail and race back down the hallway to the safety of your room.
“You can come in, unless you’d prefer standing in the hallway all evening.” A voice calls from inside the office.
Your face warms a bit at getting caught, but he could probably hear you coming down the hallway. He could probably smell you too.
You push open the door, slipping inside before closing it behind you. Price stares at you from his desk as you stand there, shifting nervously on your feet. You feel agitated, on edge still. You’re worked up, and you don’t quite know why.
“Everything alright?” Price asks, likely picking up on your nervous energy.
Yes. You want to say, but then you’d have to come up with a reason as to why you sought him out, why you feel so worked up. You could just kneel for him. It’s what you should do, let yourself be eased into a peaceful state of mind. Let him take care of you.
“I don’t know.”
The words are hardly more than a whisper, your voice trembling just as much as you are. Your chest feels tight, your breaths becoming shallow. You're not sure when he got up, when he even moved. His scent wraps around you, warmth encompassing your being as your face is pushed against his chest.
“I need you to breathe for me.” Price says, pressing your ear against his chest. You can hear the steady thump of his heart, the air flowing in and out of his lungs.
You close your eyes, trying to match your breaths to his. It's hard, your body fighting your attempt to regulate it. You close your eyes, focusing on the soft fabric of Price's shirt against your cheek, the warmth of his hand on your head as he keeps you pinned against his chest. It's not constricting or suffocating. It's grounding, keeping you from drowning in your own thoughts.
He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't need to as he holds you there, letting you calm down. You begin to slowly relax, your arms wrapping around his waist, fingers gripping the back of his shirt.
“Want to tell me what’s going on?” He murmurs, lips brushing the top of your head.
“I don’t know.” You whisper, still clinging to his shirt. “I’m just...I feel off. Ghost was being hard on me this morning and then I got upset during my appointment and I’ve just felt on edge all day and I can’t relax because I can’t get comfortable!”
Price tightens his grip around you just slightly. “What do you mean?”
You huff out a breath, squeezing your eyes closed so the tears don’t escape as the words leave you in a flood before you can stop them. “The blankets aren’t soft enough and the pillows are too thin and it’s too dark and I’m tired of smelling like bland soap!”
Price hums quietly, squeezing you gently as a tear slides down your cheek. “Then we should do something to fix that.”
“But I shouldn’t need it!” You cry, trying to push away from him, but he keeps you tight against his chest. “I’m supposed to be a good omega and adapt and learn to be comfortable where I am.”
“That might be what you were taught,” He says, letting you push away from his chest, but he wraps his hands around your arms, keeping you in front of him. “But things don’t have to be that way. We should have taken care of something like this sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t even think of it. You shouldn’t have had to ask for it.”
You blink up at him, genuinely surprised by his words. “I...what?”
“We all have our own little comforts that we keep. Soap sleeps with a stuffed bear. Don’t tell him I told you that.”
A small smile tugs at your lips at the mental image of Soap snuggling up with a teddy bear.
“You deserve some comfort too.” He says, squeezing your arms.
“But, it’s not...regulation.” You say.
“Doesn’t have to be.” He says. “You’re not a soldier. Even then, the only ones going in there are us. The only thing I can’t approve of is painting the walls. Unfortunately the prison grey has to stay.”
You can’t help but laugh, wiping the tear from your cheek. “I suppose that’s alright. Just...as long as it’s not as dark and maybe a soft blanket or something. That’s really all I need.”
He hums, staring down at you. You can’t quite figure out the look on his face, something shining in his eyes. “We’ll get it figured out.” He says, squeezing your arms again.
“Get some shoes on. We’re going on a trip.”
You look up from your book, staring at Price as he stands in the rec room. He’s dressed in civilian clothes, arms crossed as he stares down at you on the couch. You mark your place in your book, pushing yourself up to sit. It’s a Saturday afternoon, and unlike last week they had the day off, which means you do as well.
“Are you going to make me hike through the woods for two hours again, sir?” You ask, pushing yourself up to stand.
“No. We’re going into town.” He says.
You blink at him. You haven’t been off base since you arrived, and you figured you probably wouldn’t be getting that opportunity any time soon. “Can I ask why, sir?”
“We’ve got some shopping to do.” He says simply, turning and leaving the rec room.
You stand there shocked for a moment before you’re following after him, slipping into your room to put comfortable shoes on and grab your phone and a jacket. You don’t even have a wallet to carry around to make yourself feel better.
Price is waiting by the door for you, a car parked outside. You’re slow to approach him, suddenly feeling a mix of emotions. He’s doing this for you. He’d really taken your conversation last night to heart and now he’s going to go spend money on you that he doesn’t need to.
“What’s that look for sweetheart?” He asks, standing in front of the door.
“You don’t have to do this.” You say, staring up at him. He seems so tall like this, so...imposing.
“Course I do.” He says, his gaze softening just slightly. “Should have done it sooner. You deserve to be comfortable too.” He says, turning to open the door.
You follow him out, climbing into the car when he opens the door for you. He gets in the driver’s seat, the car rumbling to life. He drives to the front gate, passing off two ID cards to the guards. He passes one to you when the guard hands them back, the gate in front of you opening.
“That’s your ID card. Gets you on and off base.” He explains as he drives away from the gate. “I doubt you’ll be leaving on your own, but just in case.”
“Thank you, sir.” You say, slipping the card under your phone case for the time being.
He glances at you, a small smile on his lips. “You can call me John, if you'd like. You don't need to be formal when we're in private.”
“Yes, sir.” You make a face, biting your lip at your automatic response. “Sorry. Old habits.”
“From the institute?” He asks.
You shake your head. “My dad, actually. He was a firm believer in respecting authority figures. All ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir’ by the time we were old enough to know the difference.”
“Sounds like my father.” He says, staring out at the road ahead. “Old grizzled military man.”
“Do you still have contact with him?” You ask curiously. You don’t know much of anything about their families, their backgrounds.
“Not really. Beyond holidays, neither of us really make an effort to talk to the other. After mum passed, there wasn’t much to talk about.” He says.
“She was the glue.” You say, watching the trees pass by the car.
“Yeah.” He huffs out a laugh. “As betas usually are.”
“Do you have any siblings?” You ask, curiosity getting the better of you. You know next to nothing about them, while they likely know your entire life story.
“No,” He shakes his head. “Just me. You have a lot of siblings.”
You nod. “Seven at the time I left for the institute. Could be more now.”
“They never tried to keep contact with you?” He asks.
“Nope.” You turn to look out the window. “The institute didn’t really encourage it either, because we were being prepared to join new packs. That’s hard to do when you still have bonds with your old ones. I think they might have forcibly ended some. I know there were some omegas that tried to keep contact, but it became less and less until eventually it just stopped.”
Price’s hands tighten around the steering wheel just slightly. You wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t been paying attention. Silence settles in the car as he drives, farmlands passing until the houses start getting closer and closer together. You stare at the buildings as he drives through town, a blend of historical and modern.
“It’s beautiful here.” You say, watching people and cars pass by.
“I suppose so.” He says, glancing at you. “I grew up in this area.”
You turn to look at him. “You did? I didn’t know that. Then again, I don’t know much about any of you.”
“You can ask us, you know.” He says. “We don’t have to be that secretive with you. At least not about ourselves.”
He pulls into a parking lot, opening your door for you and helping you out of the car. You slip your hand into his, holding it as you cross the parking lot. You stare up at the store. ASDA. You’ve never heard of it before, though you suppose the stores would be different here too.
Price drops your hand to grab a cart, the store bustling with people. You hang onto the edge of the cart, staying close to Price’s side. “We’re here for you.” He says, guiding you through the aisles. “Get whatever you want.”
He’s led you to the homegoods section, your eyes widening at the entire aisle of blankets and bedding in front of you. You try to take it all in, but you feel a bit overwhelmed. There’s so many choices, so many options.
“Pick out as many as you want. Don’t worry about the price.” He says, before you can protest. “We get paid decently, but don’t have many chances to use it. Let me do this for you.”
You stare up into his eyes, the sincerity in them, before you nod, turning back to the wall of blankets before you. You study them, running your hand along them to find the softest ones, doing as he says and ignoring the price tags. You settle on a couple soft ones, grabbing a throw blanket as well that you can pack around to the rec room if you want to. He takes you to the pillow aisle, and you settle on a pair of fluffy pillows, as well as a couple decorative ones as well.
“Here.” He slips a big plush strawberry into your arms before you leave the aisle, your cheeks warming as you look at it. “Makes me think of you.”
You preen at his words, holding onto the strawberry as you make for the lamps and nightlights, settling on a cat shaped one that will sit on your desk and changes colors. You pick up a few other items before heading for the toiletries, finally setting the strawberry in the cart as you zero in on the soaps and body washes. You smell all the strawberry scented ones, trying to find the perfect one.
“Why strawberry?” Price asks as you put a strawberries and cream scented body wash in the cart.
“Compliments my scent.” You explain as he leads you to the shampoo and conditioner. “We had a scent specialist come to the institute one time as an activity. We all figured out what our scents smell like and what notes compliment them the best.”
An arm wraps around your waist before you can look at the shampoo, pulling you back against a broad chest. Price’s nose presses into your neck and he inhales deeply. He lets out a content hum, his beard tickling the sensitive skin of your neck. “I think you’re right.”
Your face burns hot as he presses a gentle kiss against the side of your neck before releasing you. You stand there for a moment, trying to calm the heat rushing through your body and focus on the shampoo. You hear him chuckle as you shuffle forward, your face still burning as you smell the shampoo bottles.
You settle on one, holding onto Price’s arm as you continue around the store, picking up a few other items and a couple for himself as well before heading to the checkout.
You hold on to Price’s arm as you leave the store, sticking close to him as he loads the bags into the trunk. You can feel the slight tension in his body, the way his eyes scan the parking lot every few seconds. You can’t even begin to imagine how hard it must be for him to relax, especially out in public. How fast his mind has to be running, how alert he is to everyone and everything. A threat could come out of nowhere, could come from anyone.
It must be exhausting.
“Hungry, sweetheart?” He asks as he buckles his seatbelt.
“Always.” You answer, leaning on the center console.
He smiles. “What are you in the mood for?”
You blink at him. Most of the restaurants you know probably don’t exist in England. “Fish and chips?” You offer, pulling up the one British food you’re confident in naming.
“Fish and chips it is.” He says, turning on the car.
“I have yet to have real fish and chips.” You say, settling into the passenger seat.
“Well, I know the perfect place.” He says, pulling out of the parking lot.
You don’t have to go far before he’s parking on the street and helping you out of the car. His hand settles on your lower back, guiding you down the street to a fish and chips shop.
It's too early for the dinner rush, the shop mostly empty and quiet. Price orders for you before guiding you to a table, and you let him sit facing the door and front window. He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't have to. They seem so relaxed on base, though you suppose that's the place they feel the most comfortable. You can't even imagine the kinds of things they've seen, the horrors they've been subjected to.
You don't want to think about the things they've done.
Your eyes snap downwards as Price's hand slides across the table, closing around yours. You don't want to think about the things he's done with those hands. The lives he's taken, the people he's tortured. Will he ever turn those hands on you?
They've given you no reason to fear them yet. They've all been kind, polite. Even Ghost hasn't truly given you a reason to fear him, despite his obvious disapproval and hard exterior.
You know nothing about them.
You've known them for just over two weeks. You can't possibly have any understanding of who they are, how they express their emotions. What if they get upset? What happens when they get angry? What if you anger them?
“I know this hasn’t been easy for you. Any of it.” Price says, drawing you from your worried thoughts. “I know you were taught to expect this, perhaps not this exact situation, but something like this. Being sent off to some strange alpha to join their pack, bonding with complete strangers. None of us were expecting this either. It’s been an adjustment in a lot of ways, but I want you to know that we’ll take care of you. You need anything, you tell us. You want anything, we’ll do our best to make it happen. We’ll keep you safe.” He lifts your hand to his lips, kissing your knuckles. “I promise you that.”
You want to believe him. You really do. They haven’t given you any reason to not believe it.
It’s only been two weeks.
You continue to talk with him as you eat, making light conversation, getting to know him a bit more. Despite the trickling uncertainty in the back of your mind, it feels good. It feels like a date, something you had dreamed of before you presented, something you had imagined happening when you finally got old enough to start looking for potential mates and packs.
Of course, back then, you had thought you’d be an alpha.
It had been expected of you.
Price has his arm wrapped around you as you walk back to the car, his hand on your hip. It’s possessive almost, and it makes your stomach flutter. Price is the only one you haven’t kissed yet, well, besides Ghost, but you’re certain you’d wind up through a wall if you even thought of trying. It’s almost ironic that Price would be the last, considering he’s going to be the one claiming you, the one you spend your heat with.
You stare out the window as the buildings fade into farmlands again. The sun is setting, painting the world in oranges and reds. You still feel a bit warm from Price’s possessive hold on you, his teasing in the store. You can still feel the tickle of his beard on your skin, his lips pressing against your neck.
You jump when rough fingers trail down your arm, pulling it from where it had been resting in your lap.
“You were right.” Price says as he lifts your hand to his face, pressing his nose against your wrist and inhaling for a moment. “Strawberries are the strongest note in your scent.” He lowers your hand again, lacing your fingers together. “What’s got you all worked up over there.”
You stare at him, your face getting warm again. Of course he can smell it. You can smell the muskiness beginning to form around the edges of his scent. Desire. “You haven’t kissed me yet.” You say, moving his hand into your lap. “You're the only one that hasn't...well, besides Ghost.”
He huffs out a quiet laugh. “You sound disappointed.”
You untangle your fingers with his, letting his hand rest on your thigh. “What if I am?”
His fingers flex against your leg, the muskiness of his scent strengthening. “Then maybe we should fix that.”
The cocktail of scents in the car is intoxicating, and you feel bad for the poor beta soldier at the gate when Price rolls down the window to hand off your IDs.
Price is out of the car as soon as it's parked, moving around to your side to open the door. He pins you against the side of the car as soon as you're out, caging you in with his arms.
You stare up at him, head swimming with the musk laced in his scent. You can see his eyes shining in the light next to the door of the barracks. He looks like a hungry wolf, the back of your neck prickling with excitement.
He leans down, breath fanning your face as he gets closer and closer to you. You press yourself against him, hands gripping his shoulders as he presses his lips to yours. His lips are surprisingly soft, his beard tickling your face. He growls quietly against your lips, pushing you harder against the side of the car.
You let out a quiet sound in response, hands gripping his jacket. His hands slide from the car to your sides, sliding down to grip your hips. You can feel the muscle hidden beneath his jacket and shirt, the strength that he possesses. He may not be purebred like Ghost, but he’s still every inch an alpha.
You let out another quiet sound as he pulls away, pressing a caste kiss to the corner of your lips. “Bloody hell, now I know what those boys were on about.” He breathes, leaning his forehead against yours.
“They were talking about me?” You ask, pulling back slightly.
“Only good things.” Price grins, leaning down to kiss you again. “Sweet as sugar.” He breathes, kissing you again. “And just as addicting.” He pulls away from you, his hands resting on your waist. “We should get your stuff inside so you can get it all set up. Want me to fetch one of the boys to help?”
You bite your lip. “Or you could just do it.”
He stares down at you, something flashing across his face but you can’t quite make it out in the low light. “You’re sure?” His voice is quiet, taking on that soft tone it often does when he speaks to you.
“You’ll have to eventually.” You shrug. “Might as well start now.”
He leans down, kissing you again before pulling away, opening up the trunk. He grabs most of the bags, only leaving the pillows for you to grab before he leads the way into the barracks. You open your door, stepping in first before he follows. You dump your pillows on the bed, and he sets the rest of the bags on your desk.
“Blankets in the wash.” You say, digging them out of the bags, pulling the tags off.
“I’ll take them.” He says, fishing out his stuff from the bags before taking the blankets from you.
You switch out your pillows for the softer ones, organizing the decorative ones just the way you want. You squish the strawberry to your chest again, a smile forming on your face before you flop back onto the bed, sinking into the soft pillows. It’s almost perfect, you think.
“Comfortable?” Price’s voice rumbles in the doorway, a smile on his face as he stares at you.
“Much better.” You say, sitting up and placing the strawberry in its place.
The two of you finish taking everything out of the bags, decorating the rest of your room. The posters on the walls, and the nightlight on your desk. It feels far more homey already, and you know you’re going to sleep well tonight once the blankets are out of the wash.
“Thank you.” You say, looking up at Price. “This really means a lot.”
“All in a day’s work, love.” He says, pulling you into his arms again.
You lean against his chest, resting your head over his heart, listening to it beat steadily against your ear.
You wake up suddenly, yet you’re not quite sure why. There’s no one in your room, your new nightlight easily showing you that. Your mouth is dry, but there’s a line of wetness down your chin. You reach across your nightstand, your phone illuminating the time.
Just past one a.m.
You smack your lips, feeling thirsty after the excitement of the day. You’d forgotten to grab water when you left the rec room and you huff out a sigh. You don’t want to get up, but now that you’re aware you’re thirsty, there’s no stopping those thoughts.
You don’t even bother with slippers as you pad to the door, opening it up. You leave it cracked as you sleepily shuffle towards the rec room, the barracks almost dead quiet this late. You grab a bottle from the fridge, unscrewing the top before drinking a few gulps. It’s cold and tastes divine, soothing the dryness of your mouth. You screw the top back on, closing the fridge before heading back towards your room.
You turn the corner, still half asleep, nearly yelping as you slam into a chest. You stumble back a couple steps, staring up at the covered face looming over you. You gulp, holding the bottle to your chest.
“S-Sorry.” You stutter.
“You’re out of bed.” He says quietly, voice rumbling in the silence.
“Thirsty.” It’s all you can manage as you hold up the bottle.
He stares at you for a long moment, eyes flickering all over your face. His chest is heaving, almost as if he had been running before you ran into him. His hands are closed into fists at his sides, knuckles almost white with how tense he is. You think for a moment he might be mad, but you can’t catch any whiff of ozone in the air. Your nose prickles at the scent, but it’s not anger.
Your tired brain can’t make sense of it, yearning to sink back into the softness of your bed again. You slowly shuffle around him, taking cautious steps, waiting for him to reach out and stop you, but he doesn’t. He simply watches you go, standing there in the hallway as you slip back into your room, not moving until he hears the click of your lock slipping into place.
NEXT ->
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#call of duty#call of duty fic#x reader#john price x reader#captain price x reader#kyle gaz garrick x reader#kyle garrick x reader#john mactavish x reader#john soap mactavish x reader#simon ghost riley x reader#simon riley x reader#poly 141#task force 141 x reader#omegaverse#a/b/o#alpha/beta/omega dynamics
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‧₊˚truth bomb!‧₊˚
getting hit by a truth quirk? not so fun. dealing with it while having a huge crush on bakugo katsuki? even worse.
- ღpairing. 3rdyear!katsuki x reader. tags. friends to lovers, truth telling quirk, wingmen, kissing scenes, confessions, fighting, miscommunication trope, U-A girls love you, she/her pronoun use, fem!reader, earthquirk!reader. wc. 8k
- ღnote. i win the slowest writer ever award! anyways, i wrote this in chapter form here, this is a rework of my first work ever, and i completely changed the plot for anyone who might have read itt
this wasn't how your mission was supposed to go.
the thought ran through your head as you resisted the urge to bang your head against the concrete. that fate would probably be better than whatever you'd face having to confess, out of your will, to your longtime crush, katsuki.
but, the day started out normal enough. you were on a patrol, randomly scheduled as all your patrols usually were because of your mentor, mirko. she lacked the traditional agency and took missions as she pleased, which meant you'd usually be along for the ride.
which entailed things like this, walking boredly along the streets, running your fingers along metal pipes, trying to find something- anything to quench your eternal boredom.
it didn't work though.
you finally groaned, rolling your eyes as you looked at mirko, who seemed oddly determined. “we've been walking in this place for like– what? an hour? it's so boring!” you kicked a rock, making it clash against a random trash can.
“a deserted town is perfect, it's exactly what an up and coming villain group would want to start up. think before you speak for once.” she chided, not even looking over at you as she continued walking forth. “anyways, you should be able to feel it, can't you? they're close.”
sure enough, you could. the vibrations of their movement, the reverberation of their voices bouncing off the walls of the random alleyway of where you two stood felt as you focused your stance.
they were close. you sighed, though now of relief that you'd finally be able to beat them and get out of here as soon as you can, you stretched your hands and fingers, getting ready to manipulate the ground below you. “well then what are you waiting for? let's go!”
mirko nodded, and wordlessly followed you as you two positioned yourselves on a rooftop above the rowdy group of villains. they were laughing heartily, seemingly unaware and full of glee as they continued down the city streets. the sun was coming down, golden sunlight illuminating your figure as you closed your eyes and focused in on their positions, trusting your quirk more than your vision.
you stomped lightly and closed your eyes, feeling their positions out perfectly, as well as mirko’s readied stance beside you. nobody was around for miles, on the ground at least, so you focused in to hear their words.
mocking cries of innocent civilians left the mouth of the biggest one. “oh, please don't hurt me!” he cried, a fake squeaky voice cut off by his laughter. “oh man, what a pathetic excuse for a human.”
“fleeting the town completely in what? two days? we're the shit man.” another replied, high-fiving amongst themselves as they snickered and giggled.
they held bags of money and prized belongings in their grasps, smirks and sneers as they lugged them down the city. the one they seemed to think they ‘owned’ now that the civilians fled to safety. one that they were making a mess of.
you felt mirko’s figure, the growing hostility in her stance. the balling of her fist and her legs that were ready to pounce at any given moment.
“i'm all clear.” you whispered. “on your call, i'm ready.”
you could even feel the twitch of her ears, the wind blowing a spare leaf of the ground, but most importantly,
you felt the millisecond where she lowered to jump.
in response you launched the ground underneath you with a flick of the hand, landing yourself perfectly next to mirko. she held out a fist to the group, who jumped at the sight of you two.
“listen up losers!” she began, pointing a daunting finger at the biggest of the group, who had a literal screw growing out the base of his neck. a shiver went down your spine at the sight. “you can beg for forgiveness now, or later! which is it?”
a moment of silence passed, before one of them declared, “how about never? attack!”
half of the group focused on mirko, while the others were now facing you. you sighed, fixing yourself in a relaxed stance, before swiftly punching up to launch chucks of rock and steel out of the ground, into the bodies of the offending men coming towards you.
a few of them dodged, making you repeat the same attack again, since you really didn't feel like going full strength for villains at this level. your eyebrows furrowed as you realized one of them had taken the opportunity to make a break for it, but ignored it for now as the final guy stood against you.
mirko stole your spotlight though, landing a kick in his hand that rendered him unconscious.
“hey. i called dibs.” you whined, before walking over to her. “alls fair in love and war.” she said, before pointing to the almost comically large bags of money and jewelry. “we need to clean these up and get these guys locked up. round up the bags and i'll get the corpses– uh. bodies.”
with a reassuring smirk, she threw around the bodies into a pile, making you wince at the sound of their groans. you went to move all the money and things into an area for the collection agency.
you moved a bag or two, onto your third bag when a sound was suddenly heard behind you. “freeze.”
an unconfident, shaky, and out of breath voice filled your ears. you froze, not knowing who it was.
“n-now turn around. slowly.” he ordered. you did as he said, noting that his hand was pointing towards you in a handgun motion. the tips of his fingers were glowing a strange light green color. “o-okay. you’re gonna leave all the money there, just for me. okay lady?”
you shrugged, looking back at your work. “i mean, that was the plan anyways. a collection agency is gonna come for you and your friends soo–.”
“no, they're not.” he cut you off with a snarl. “i don't think i gave you permission to talk.”
“but you're still talking to me anyways!”
“why you– teenage brats are the worst. i tried not to kill kids, but you're annoying.” the green light emitted even brighter.
“bye.” the ray was about to shoot at you. you didn't have time to block, but mirko last minute shoved the guy to the ground.
his hand still managed a shot, though with his arm up in the air, it moved from being aimed to your heart, to..
shooting towards your mouth.
you didn't dodge in time, not expecting to get shot in your mouth of all places.
it didn't hurt, but it did feel tingly. the guy was slammed to the ground, his face flat with the floor as your hands shot up to feel the skin around your mouth.
you were.. fine?
“hey!” mirko cut off your thoughts. “you okay? what did he do to you? fuck i should've been quicker.”
“i'm fine. honestly you should have been quicker, i was really stalling here.”
“oh.. well im glad to hear you're fine at least.”
“you heard that??” you were shocked to hear her response, you only meant to say that mentally. you really were just going to say it was fine like always, so why..
why wasn't your mouth listening to you?
“no. like you don't understand mirko, i didn't mean to say that-”
“we all slip up sometimes.”
“no. like, it left my mouth before i realized it.”
her eyes widened, before thumping on the guys head below her. “hey you. what exactly did you do to her? huh?”
at no response, she wacked him against the ground again. “hellooo? i'll do it as many times as i need to-”
“no! please, fine fuck- i'll tell you!”
the collection agency finally was heard in the distance. mirko glared. “talk. fast.”
“okay, okay!” the man was once again shaking. “my quirk is enhancements, but I control how exactly it enhances the body–”
“i didn't ask for a life story. get to the point.”
“well! i wanted to aim for the heart and enhance heart rate, which would of killed her! but– um. i accident aimed for her mouth, and enhanced.. honesty.”
“i see. for how long will it be?”
“uh.. a week i think.”
“huh, why would you become a villain with a quirk like yours anyways? final question before you're shipped off to jail.”
“well, i wanted to bring out the best in the worst, to show that even we villains can triumph!”
“..okay.” she left him on the ground and walked away with you by her side. you were heading back to the U-A dorms to drop you off.
“so, you can't lie to me, huh?”
“nope.” your answer left you before you could process it, like a mental disconnection between your actions. “don't do that, it isn't funny!”
she raised her hands up defensively. “okay, okay. i won't.”
…
“so am i your favorite hero or what?”
“yes.”
“really? since when?” she chided.
“since your debut, i was a hardcore fan for a long time.”
“was?”
“learning the real you killed the rose-tint in my glasses.”
“oh..” she put a hand over her heart. “ouch?”
“you wanted the truth.” you sneered. which wasn't really the right choice at this point, since she took that as liberty to start questioning your every move.
the worst 20 questions of your life was played as you walked home, your legs burning with ache of exhaustion was nothing over the mental anguish of being around a happy-go-lucky mirko.
you finally made it, the dorms in view as she decided to ask you one final question.
“so, my darling apprentice [name]. got any more ideas for questions?”
“no! so stop asking them!”
“you're no fun. hmm, let's see. oh! do you have a crush?”
don't say it, you repeated mentally in your mind, but you felt the oddly numb sensation of the answer leaving you.
“bakugo katsuki.”
her eyes widened and jaw went slack. “seriously? i thought i raised you better.” she joked, poking your side as you went to cover your face with your hands.
the church bells welcomed you as the golden staircase was opened from the clouds. step by step you took, angels singing and a halo over your head as you were greeted by loved ones past–
but your peaceful departure wasn't peaceful for very long.
“well, as long as you're happy [name]. i'll be going now, text me!”
she walked off with a smile that made you feel sick, but you couldn't resist the urge to wave goodbye anyways.
you leant up against the gate of the opening, your arms basically clung around the pillar. catching your breath as you prepared yourself for a week of hiding, of intense planning around your crush–
“hey, you okay weirdo?”
the voice of said crush filled your ears, making you realize that it indeed can always get worse.
“no, i'm not okay.” she said, letting go of the pillar and shakily standing on two feet, feeling like a fawn standing for the first time.
his eyebrows raised like he didn't expect you to say that, his mouth hung open for a second, before he decided to just retort. “oh, sucks to be you then.”
“yes, yes it does.” you say of your own will, dragging a hand longly against your face.
face-to-face with him, the guy you'd randomly became close with over the years, the one that you'd harbored and now openly spoke of your crush on, and the one who you shared an affinity for romance manga with.
“are ya ever g’nna get up properly? or you just gonna stare like a dumbass?” he asked, which made you answer begrudgingly.
“everyone who falls has to get up, unless they're dead.
…
but uh– don't wait on me!”
“...right.” he shrugged, moving back towards the door to walk inside. acting off after a mission wasn't anything crazy after all, they all had weird days. at least that's how he rationalized it.
“oh, and i borrowed some shit from your room. i'll give it you tomorrow.”
“be gentle!”
“whatever.” he closed the door after him, leaving your with your thoughts alone. after the sun had fully left you alone, you decided to bite the bullet and just go inside. taking a deep breath, you walked in, trying your best to just make it to your room.
mina came up to you, a pint of ice cream in her hand. “[name]! you're back! how was it?”
“bad.” you answered, wordlessly asking for a bit of her ice cream.
she gave it to you, before joining you as you walked up the stairs. “wanna talk about it?”
“not really, but it'll be forced out of me.”
“what??”
you sighed, explaining what happened to you in between bites of your ice cream. “truth quirk. talk too much. can't shut up.”
mina made an ‘o’ shape with her lips, pondering it over mentally. “but it's not like you're a crazy liar, what's the big problem?”
“my crush on katsuki. i'm so scared that i'm gonna accidentally be forced to confess because of this.” you admitted.
mina, thankfully didn't overreact. for a second. until she smiled gleefully and shoved you into your room. “wait here, i got something for you.”
she left you with the pint of ice cream, your favorite flavor, which kept you good company until she came back with the girls of the class.
“i hope you don't mind.. well it's too bad if you do, because i told them all already. whoops!” she said, leading them all in and shutting the door.
“so, you're finally confessing?” momo asked, making you almost choke.
“no! this is against my will! i'd never confess in my life! the embarrassment of getting rejected is something i couldn't recover from.”
“really? i mean- i think it's pretty obvious the two of you have something special. ribbit.” tsuyu added, looking up at the ceiling of your dorm thoughtfully. “well, its not like you have a choice now. might as well just do it.” jirou shrugged.
“if you're here to make fun of me you can just leave!” you whined into your hands. “im already making myself miserable just fine!”
the girls exchanged glances, before they sighed. uraraka started, “[name] we were here to try and encourage you to do it out of your own will, but if you really don't want to.. we can help.”
“help? like how?”
mina jumped, “by making sure you don't accidentally confess of course!”
“but it won't be easy.” yaoyorozu chimed in, “we'll have to plan this out well, it's a week isn't it?”
“a week from today.. that's saturday.”
“okay guys, let's do this for [name]!” mina cheered, placing her hand in the middle of the group. the other girls all moved to place their hands on top of hers, and waited for you to finish it off.
“come on!” uraraka encouraged, making you sigh and place your hand on the top.
as you raised your hand on the count of three, hearing their cheers and hopes in encouragement for you and for their plan, you felt a bit of hope that it just might turn out alright.
they shuffled out afterwards, patting you on the back and making tiny promises as they moved out. with a final wink from mina and a whispered, “good night [name], i promise everything will work out!” they were gone.
as you laid in your bed, staring at the ceiling that never changed no matter what did in your life, you allowed yourself to rest.
7 days to go.
when will this end? you thought, all the optimism from yesterday ripped from you.
insomnia arose from the anxiety that implanted a pit of dread in your stomach, it didn't let you sleep, no matter how sleepy you had gotten.
horrible scenarios played one after one, like a record player made of your nightmares. what if he rejected you in front of your school? no, what if he has a secret girlfriend and you look like a total homewrecker for confessing?
or even worse, what if he doesn't like women at all and you missed all the signs?
you squealed into a pillow, trying to escape your sorrows as you realized,
you were probably just hungry for some actual food. when was the last time you ate properly? who knows.
you slipped on house slippers and made your way down the stairs to the kitchen. you prepared a pot of chai, greeting iida and other early risers who were up out of instinct, since it's a sunday.
yawning, you scroll mindlessly on your phone while you wait for your tea to finish. a familiar voice takes you out of your bubble.
“yo.” is all he says, sliding by you by causally placing a hand on your waist, letting go only a second later.
“uh.. hey. want some tea?” you managed, ignoring the spiraling of your soul as you were met by the close proximity of his face. “yeah, sounds cool.”
you pour him a glass, letting him put the sugar in by himself as you fix one for yourself too. he looks to see if anyone was in earshot of the two of you, before whispering into your ear.
“did you see when usui jumped off the building for misa?”
“yes. its one of my favorite scenes!” you answer before you realize it, but you're slowly starting to get used to the feeling of it. “i mean, he's so cool for that.”
“yeah, but his legs would be fucked. or he'd be paralyzed for life after that fall. would've been an easy choice to make him break a leg and have ‘er take care of him.”
“but isn't that so predictable? it's better to take a unique route-”
“no spoilers.”
“it's not really a spoiler though! man, i really loved that scene. i think it's my favorite.”
“why?” he asked, an odd tonal shift in his voice.”
“i like usui.”
“no, like. do you imagine someone doing that to you?” he was close, way to close. your mouth was opening, your answer was so clear to you, it was about to be ruined, until–
“oh [name]! may i have some of your tea please?” yaoyarozu saved the day. you thanked her mentally, getting her a glass and smiling at her small wink. she hung close by, you didn't notice before, but she was within earshot.
“anyways, what were we talking about katsuki?”
“..'s nothing. see ya.”
he left her there, knees weak in worry or affection? both probably. she mouthed a thank you to momo, before going back up to her dorm to get ready for the day.
sunday, not much to do thankfully. you decided to hang out in your room for a while, drawing and relaxing, managing to catch up on a couple hours of sleep as you tried to avoid katsuki as much as possible.
though, even in this brief moment where you were attempting to avoid him, you couldn't help but notice that he tended to come to you first.
greetings and conversations started by him, fleeting touches initiated by him, small nods in the hallways of the dorms given by him, and even-
a text message left by him, asking if he could come to your dorm for just a moment. for the books.
you wondered now if he was solely coming for that reason.. could there be an off chance he was coming for you?
..no. no way, you thought. you brushed it off, and opted to make it seem like the girls were already in your room, just so you wouldn't be alone with him. can't take chances anymore.
you texted the girls the news, and the ones who weren't at the mall or busy came to see you, leaving uraraka, tsuyu, and hagakure.
you welcomed them in, “thanks for coming guys. we can actually paint each others nails since we're already here?”
they all nodded with excitement, you pulled out the limited colors you had, though they were all your favorites. they began to paint each other’s nails, while you finally texted him back. telling him to come, but that the others were here too. he only reacted with a thumbs up.
“what did he say?” tsuyu asked.
“oh, he just responded with a thumbs up.” like you summoned him, a knock was heard at the door. you went to open it, making the girls laugh quietly behind their hands. greeting you was the sight of katsuki in his usual baggy attire holding two bags of books from what you could see. you stepped outside of your room, the door behind you. “hi katsuki.”
“hey– uh, [name].” he greeted. he held up a bag and handed it to you. “thanks for um.. lending it to me.” a hand naturally went towards the back of his head, rubbing it as he averted his eyes away from you.
he waited for you to set the bag down inside the room, before holding out the second one to you.
“what's this?” you asked, accepting it as you looked into red eyes.
“well– it's some of my collection. you haven't read it before, it's so we could talk about it. or something.”
a soft smile overcame you. “i think i'd like that.”
hagakure made a casual remark, they'd been eavesdropping from behind the door, muffled remarks not quite coherent enough to be a worry. but one question had managed to reach your and his ears.
“they're so cute together! aren't they literally dating?”
his face tinged pink, but you knew you'd say your thoughts.
“i wish.”
his face looked incredulous, as if he couldn't believe you just said that. “wait- what did you just–”
but before he could finish the question that would seal your fate, the door was opened quickly behind you, uraraka placing a hand over your mouth before smiling nervously. “um, she's not in her right mind today bakugo! don't mind her.”
his eyebrow raised. “really? why?”
“because.. it's that time of the month?” she managed, making him reel back and look apologetic. “oh. ill be.. going now then. bye.” you two waved him goodbye.
he left quickly, leaving his books next to the door as he speed walked away.
you were conflicted, not knowing whether to glare at or thank uraraka, but you closed the door behind you anyways.
“are you guys serious?”
“sorry!” hagakure pleaded. “i didn't think you two could hear me, the door wasn't closed all the way!”
“i mean, we were kind of close-”
“guys! all that matters is that i fixed it!”
“what do you mean fixed it?” you cut in. “you told him im out of my mind right now.”
“it'll be okay, he likes you too much to hold it against you.” she waved it off with a smile, and held your shoulders gently. “what you really should
he worried about is school. missions come at the end of the week, but how are you gonna deal with monday through wednesday?”
“i feel like you're changing the subject. and i'm going to avoid him. easy as pie.”
they all glanced at eachother, then back at you. “sure [name]. whatever you say.”
they all bid their goodbyes soon after, hagakure still apologizing profusely as the other two patted themselves on the back for speedy thinking.
the door shut and once again you were left to plan, only this time you managed a good night's sleep.
your life wasn't completely over, at least.
you dreaded the next three days. thursday and friday were safe for you, the only person you'd have to deal with being mirko since agencies tended to schedule students at the end of the week.
you woke up and prepared yourself. it was alright eight, so you'd only have an hour before heading to school.
you'd showered and changed, fixed your hair and fixed your bag.
unfortunately, katsuki is a really good guy.
a good friend, caring too. thats why you were startled by the sight of him at your door. you didn't have time to prepare, no time to call your backup or report, because he caught you right as many of the girls just woke up.
you were still rubbing the sleep out of your eyes as you looked up at him, “katsuki?”
he held a bag in his hand, something that was oddly reoccurring lately. “hey, about your 'time of the month’ shit.” he placed the bag safely in your arms, and averted his eyes from you once again.
“i brought you some stuff i thought might help, since we got class today.”
“really? you shouldn't have.” you peeked in the top, seeing a stuffed animal, chocolates, a heating pad, and some ice packs.
he sighed, almost dreamily. “i wanted to. i hope you stop feeling so fucked.” a beat passes, his eyebrows scrunched as if he wants to say something more, but he chooses not to.
“see ya.” with that, he left you alone with a warm feeling spreading throughout your chest. the pink bag gripped tightly in your hands and set gently onto your desk.
the warm feeling was soon gone, replaced with a feeling of guilt. guilt for basically ignoring him.
you slumped onto your desk in the middle of the class, scribbling down notes like there was no tomorrow, taking sips of a drink you enjoyed while ignoring the growing ache in your wrist.
mr. aizawa was just going over the basics of hero courtesy again, a refresher for your on hand experience at the end of the week. you really didn't need to take notes, but you found it got your mind off the red eyes you felt looking at the back of your head.
you were almost tempted to look back, almost. but with a determination that rivaled even midoriya’s, you just kept going.
finally, the lunch bell rang. you got up and stretched, everyone got their bearings and followed suit. they all piled out, leaving you as the last one there, though you couldn't help but notice a lingering gaze stare at you, before he finally followed suit and left the classroom.
you stood there, trying to figure out what you should do for lunch, when a ‘ahem’ brought you out of your thoughts.
“[name]. i appreciate your hard work in class and all, but id like to nap this period.” mr aizawa said gruffly.
“oh! sorry! i was just leaving.” you grabbed your lunchbox and ran out the room.
now came the issue of figuring out where to sit.
it was no secret to anyone that you and katsuki would usually spend the entire lunch period on the roof together most days, you'd even go up there by yourself on days he wasn't here.
so to be in the cafeteria again was a bit unnerving for you, but you took a spot besides jirou and got out the lunch you made.
she seemed surprised to see you, but then remembered why you were here. “it's cool to see you down here [name]. you're only ever up on the rooftop making out with your boyfriend.”
“we don't even make out. and he's not my boyfriend!”
“sure. that's why he's staring over here right now. and he stares at you in class too, does he ever get tired?”
“i don't know, why are you asking me like i know him in and out?”
“okay, let's just calm down you two.” momo cut in. “[name], happy to see you.”
you nodded, “yeah? i'm happy to see you too.”
you tried your best to ignore katsuki’s eyes boring into your soul, but you accidentally glanced over at him, quickly averting your eyes away.
you finished your lunch quickly, moving to be in between jirou and momo much to their dismay. you really just wanted this day to be over.
going back to class you rested your head against the table, only participating when you actively had to. you just felt so guilty about ignore him, especially after what he did for you this morning.
you realized just how much of your day you spent with him, because when it came time to walk back to the dorm, you felt alone for the first time in months even.
he'd always been by your side, maybe even offering to go out for a small treat with you, you felt the lack of his presence like a withdrawal.
you did everything you could just to avoid him in the halls, basically even running away at one point. everyone knew now of how weird you had been acting, but it wasn't really your fault, you had a master plan to enact!
the next day was just like the last, keeping your head down and turned completely away from katsuki, turning the opposite direction when you'd so much as see his hair, partnering with someone else just so you wouldn't get stuck with him.
going home to eat dinner in your room, ignoring his texts altogether. he even called you at one point.
you shoved a pillow over your head, though it didn't serve to silence the voices screaming at you that it wasn't fair what you were doing to him, that you should man up and just confess already.
but what you didn't expect was for him to take it into his own hands.
wednesday started easily enough, same way as the last two. silly for you to think you could go 3/3, no problems encountered.
you were walking in the halls, choosing the lower floors you knew he wouldn't be in, trotting down to the cafeteria to third wheel momo and jirou.
you were almost there, when you were suddenly pulled into a vacant classroom by the hand. a hand that you'd felt many times against yours, but never with so much intent behind it.
there stood katsuki in front of you, eyes low and waiting as he looked you over.
“[name].” he started, still holding on to your hand. “we need to talk.”
“talk. about what exactly?”
“you know what. you've been ignoring me.” he let go of your hand, crossing them into his chest as he looked you over. “did.. i do something wrong?”
“what? no! it's me!”
“you?”
“yes, it's me. not you. well i mean it is you, but not like that!”
“it's my fault?”
“yes– wait no. yes and no? listen-”
“so, you're ignoring me?” he stepped closer to you, eye contact fierce as you could see the mixed emotions in his eyes. betrayal, even.. insecurity.
“yes. well, i mean i don't– you don't understand!” you tried to reason, but he scoffed.
“save it. i know when im not wanted.”
“katsuki! no-” you grabbed his hand before you even realized it, pulling him closer to you.
“i..” your brain was screaming at you to just admit it now before you would do so accidentally, but..
you couldn't.
“i can't tell you why right now, but it's not what you think.”
his eyes rolled, he took his hand out of yours forcibly. “i don't think i even want to hear that shit. shove it.”
with his hands now shoved in his pocket, he left you alone in that classroom. you walked to the table with wide eyes, never thinking you'd ever miss the feeling of being watched, but admittedly you grew used to it.
you acted that way out of fear of rejection, but did you just get rejected anyways? you hit your head against the lunch table in frustration.
“i'm an idiot.” you muttered, muffled by the material of the tables below. momo patted you on the back.
“i mean, i called it.” jirou said, taking a bite out of her food. “no way this was ever gonna work out.”
“it really wasn't the best idea [name]..” momo finally agreed, still soothing your back. “i mean, there was better ways of going about this. you just ended up pushing him away.”
“i know that now. ugh!”
“it's not too late, there's only what? three days left? you can make it up to him on saturday.”
“it's too late, i'm ruined.”
“right..”
you don't remember the rest of the conversation. you didn't remember even walking up to class, or walking out of it to your dorm. you were in a state of mourning, dreading ever seeing him again. at least for the next two days you wouldn't.
that was the only thought that could let you sleep peacefully, but it made you wake up early regardless.
sulking as you got ready in your hero outfit, walking slowly to the train station with a bag you packed the week prior. mirko texted you the location in tokyo where you'd meet up this week, standing on one of the sides of the train station that seemed pretty busy today.
as the train came to a stop in front of you, you noticed that when the door opened, a familiar face was on the other side.
katsuki.
your eyes widened and looked away from his as you shuffled in, all the seats were full to you hanged onto the bar.
you didn't look at him, though you were jealous at the fact that he got a seat and you didn't. you sulked internally, feeling your knees buckle at not only your exhaustion, but the proximity to him.
there was only a small space next to him now, the kid who'd been next to him getting off at this stop. you eyed it, and he noticed, sighing and gently pulling you towards him.
you were shoved against him, though he said nothing to you.
“kat–”
“it's nothing. don't think about it.”
he barely spared you a glance, though you felt you deserved it now. you sighed, instinctually leaning a head on his shoulder and dozing off. he didn't move you off of him.
you felt him lay his head on yours, the music from his outdated wired headphones leaking into your ear as you took a nap.
the time felt like nothing as you laid there, feeling like only a split second when you felt katsuki shaking you. “yo, [name]. wake up.” he called to you. your eyes fluttered open, squinting at the fluorescent bright lights of the train.
“hm?” you mumbled, moving off of him to get up.
“we're at our station. or mine at least.” he slung his bag around his shoulder.
“oh, this is mine too. coincidence.”
“yeah.”
at the news he grabbed your bag and held it. he waited for you to stretch you legs and neck, before walking beside you. “so, where are ya going?”
“to mirko.”
“duh, i know that. but what is she doing in tokyo of all places?”
“oh, she just tells me places to go and i get there day of. she can't tell me anything, i think it's confidential?”
“mhm. well i'll walk you to your shit, i'm a future number one hero, not an asshole.
“well..”
“then walk by yourself.” he threw your bag at you, walking faster and leaving you a bit behind.
“no, wait!”
you chased after him, and kept by his side. no matter which direction you turned, it was the same way he was going. until you finally just look at the address, and sure enough..
mirko decided to work at best jeanist’s agency.
you felt a mix of emotions wash over you. annoyance, dread, anger.
“what's up?”
“mirko chose to work with best jeanist.”
“what?”
“i know.”
“she only did it to piss me off. ugh!” she kicked a can in the alleyway. they were in eyeshot of the huge agency.
“really, why would she even do that?”
“because of you.” a hand slapped over your mouth.
“me? really?” you could hear the smirk on his face, he waltzed over to you. you were nearing the entrance now, only a staircase keeping you alone with him. you could even see the familiar white ears of your now enemy.
“what?
do you have a crush on me or something?” it was just a joke, you could hear it in his cocky demeanor.
but that didn't stop the hands that shot off your face involuntarily, as you let out a meek. “yes.”
the smile was wiped off of his face now, shock filling his expression. you ran into the doors, standing beside a mirko who greeted you warmly. a hand reaching out to grab you was now left in the air.
it felt like the air had left his lungs too.
because it turns out his feelings were reciprocal after all.
the meeting would start in a small moment, that's what the receptionist told you as you stood next to mirko, who you pulled aside to talk to.
placing your hands on either side of her shoulders, you let her have it.
“mirko, why would you choose to work here of all places?”
“i wanted to play wingman for my favorite partner. sue me.”
“but– this is making everything worse! why couldn't you have just done this in a week! or better yet- never!” you cried, stomping a foot on the floor. “
i didn't want or need any help- any now i'll have to spend tomorrow on some awkward random patrol!”
“it won't be so awkward, remember that me and that best jeanist guy will be there too.”
“like, third-wheeling? thanks a lot. that really helps me feel better.”
“think nothing of it. anyways, this is for the better. i caught wind of you and the girls’ plan. it really sucked. maybe my plan will end up working. you never know.”
“so? and what if it doesn't?”
“then what? you already got rejected didn't you?”
“yes.” a beat passed, your glare only getting stronger. “you're so annoying.”
“you love me though, anyways it's time.” she grabs your hand and guides you to the meeting room. you're sat right next to katsuki, though you do your best not to look at him. it's awkward enough just thinking about how you'd even salvage the relationship you had before, so you try not to.
you realize way too late that you'd managed to zone out through the entire mission. the map displayed virtually might as well had been in another language, the suspects and victims melting into each other, the objectives not clear.
the only notable thing to you was a random, large red circle over a part of the city. but besides that you had no idea what was going on, and based on the look on mirko’s face, listening along was vital.
you brushed it off. not thinking that it was that important, and your instincts hadn't failed you that horrifically yet.
you exited the room besides mirko, who had gotten the two of you a hotel for the two nights you were staying here. a penthouse suite awaited you. you would've been more thankful, if not for her betrayal of you earlier.
the night was swift, faster than you wanted it to be. you found yourself already in your hero outfit at the crack of dawn, trudging alongside mirko.
one word described the streets. busy, full of life. something you weren't really used to.
stealth missions and random outposts were where you were usually sent, nobody seen for ages. so maybe you should have spent a bit more time paying attention to the mission debrief..
“is it always like this?” you questioned to bakugo, who stood right next to you.
“what do you mean?”
“like. busy.”
“oh, yeah it is. always pretty boring though. no smart villain would make an attack with so many people around. at least one hero would be stationed over here.”
“guess you're right.”
“i know i am.”
and he was proven right. the side of town you two were stationed to, seperate from mirko and jeanist, was completely fine.
the only thing you two had done the whole day was save a cat out of a tree, handing it to a little girl who looked up at you with stars in her eyes as you did.
it was afternoon now, and your shift was officially over. you slumped against a wall dramatically, slipping down onto the floor as you breathed a sigh of relief.
katsuki sat next to you, a close proximity between you two not foreign usually, though with the weird back and forth that had been going on thus far, it was nice to know he still considered you to be close.
“‘m fucking hungry.” he finally said, making you laugh. “that's what you're thinking of right now?”
“no. not really.”
“well, then what is it?”
“it's you, [name].”
he takes a breath. “let me talk, okay.” he moved to face you, and at your nod, he continued.
“you confuse me. for years we've gotten close, comfortable. but all of a sudden you avoided me like the plague. i hated it.” his face changes with a mixture of emotions.
“i.. i really fucking like you. and i'm confused as if you feel the same way, you seemed pissed to even be with me right now so. it's just odd. you're acting odd.
because sometimes you're like fucking into me. you even brought me lunch at some point. and now with the ignoring me bullshit? i just don't get it.” he dropped his shoulders, eyes widening slightly.
“so do you like me or not? or should i just leave you the fuck alone?”
“yes and no.”
his face scrunched up in confusion. “so-”
“ugh! just shut up! i like you- okay? is that what you wanted to hear?”
“yes, actually.” he breathed a sigh of relief, a joking hand laid over his chest. “you're confusing.”
“i know.”
“you're close.”
“i mean you sat here-”
“can i kiss you?”
a crack of sunlight dawned through the small corridor, illuminating his eyes, and to him your body. you knew what you'd say for yourself, but you didn't mind this time.
because it's what you truly wanted.
“i thought you'd never ask.”
you felt his lips on yours in an instant, his arms wrapping around your lower back and caging you into him, the buzzing of your phone going unnoticed as he tilted his head against yours.
breathless. the only real word you could use to describe how you felt right now, after having pulled away.
you didn't have a chance to wipe your lip gloss off his face, not before mirko and jeanist stood behind you two, her hands on her hips as a smirk came over her face.
“i see someone was having fun.”
oh right. the mission..
“not like it matters anymore, but we caught the villains. i texted you about it, but when you didn't respond jeanist over here told us to come
quickly.”
she gestured over to a face-palming jeanist, who only said, “it seems you two had more pressing matters to deal with.” katsuki wiped the lip gloss off his lips, wincing at the sticky feeling left on his face.
mirko snorted, while you hung your head in embarrassment, and katsuki looked away from the two of them.
“you know what? stay out as long as you two lovebirds would like. i'll cover for the two of you.”
“what? really?”
she winked at you, and mouthed “wingman”, before turning to leave. “if you're really questioning me, i'll just not let you g-”
katsuki cut her off. “it's cool. thanks, see you losers.” he grabbed your hand, pulling you effortlessly off the ground, a bit into his chest as he led you to start walking off.
“'got somewhere cool to show ya’.” is all he said, before taking you to a restaurant he frequented, or so he told you. he ordered the spiciest plate, and you chose one to your preference. you got a dessert, he skipped out though because of his disdain for them.
“katsuki, i really should tell you something.”
“go ahead.”
it was your turn now to breath, looking up at the ceiling and shutting your eyes as you blurted out, “i was hit by a truth quirk, i avoided you because i was scared to confess to you, and now i feel guilty.”
no sound was heard other than the clacking of utensils and movement in the background, you opened your eyes to see a bakugo who looked as if he was holding in his laugh.
“seriously? that was it?” you could hear the smile in his voice, his hand moved to cover his mouth. “no- i mean that's super crazy [name], very justified response.”
“you're rude.”
“no, no i'm being real.” he could barely hide the casual giggle being let out, “like, it's crazy how hard that must've been. no immediate solutions at all.”
“well, i'm emotionally invested so obviously it was harder for me to think!”
“why didn't you just tell mr. aizawa, he could've canceled it out for you in class.”
“.. i didn't think of that.”
he couldn't help it anymore, he burst out laughing, having to cover his hand with his mouth to keep from cackling.
meanwhile, you crossed your arms and looked straight-faced. “this isn't funny at all by the way.”
he finally calmed down enough, grabbing your hand from across the table and still smirking slightly.
“sorry, sorry. fucking sore ass subject, i got it. let's get out of here already.”
“right, you ruined the atmosphere.”
“sure i did.”
he paid, and for your last stop of the day, he got you ice cream at a park. you just wanted to sit down, legs tired from the amount of walking you did today.
licking at your favorite flavor, he holds up his ice cream to your mouth to try. it was a sour, savory flavor. but you ended up liking it.
the moon was out now, greeting the two of you as you sat side-by-side, illuminating your bodies with the reflected rays of the sun.
it felt late you realized, and you looked down at your phone’s time, sighing in happiness.
it was 12:00, you were free.
“hey katsuki, ask me something.”
“uh.. did you enjoy our day today?”
“no.” a face of annoyance grew on his face, while one of excitement adorned yours. “see? it's over!”
“you can say that.”
“no dumbass! i lied, i really did enjoy today! the quirk is over.” you leaned back raising your hands in glee. “i'm free!”
he laughed, leaning back with you and looking at the constellation’s in the sky.
“well, since you're free now, i'll ask you one final question.”
“hm?” you turned to look at him, his hand rose to grab yours in his. his fingers ran over your knuckles.
“can i be your boyfriend?”
you paused, before a smile erupted over your face once again.
“you could've asked me earlier, and my answer would still be the same,”
so, obviously yes.”
he grinned, pulling you into him.
you sealed your answer with a kiss. soft, endearing, long, and truthful. his hands were tangled in your hair, your hands around the upper part of his back.
as you pulled away, you could only hope this would last forever, that the feeling of honesty and security would be forever eternal as you laid against his chest, pointing out things you'd saw in the stars.
but looking at him once more, you knew it'd be alright.
it was the truth written in the stars, after all.
end.
tags: @k0z3me @darhinadadragon @maddietries @exoticrasin @lavendarstarz @hisonlyobsession @i-the-fluffo @cookielovesbook-akie @frosted-flakes @irenne-stans @lulumi1u @bakunis
#my full circle moment#lilac's late night talks ✧#bakugo x reader#katsuki bakugo x reader#bakugo#bakugo x y/n#bakugo katuski#bakugo x you#bakugo fluff#katsuki x you#bakugo drabble#mha x you#bakugo imagine#katsuki x reader#mha x reader#bnha x reader#bnha x you#bakugo oneshot#bnha oneshot#mha oneshot
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Metanoia ;
Aemond Targaryen x Transmigrated!Strong!Reader
>> Chapter I : The Beginning.
Summary: "Be careful what you wish for" is what everyone says, you realise that you should've taken them seriously when you find yourself reincarnated as a character in the show who never existed.
WARNINGS: CANON TYPICAL INCEST, CONTAINS SPOILERS OF F&B, S1 AND S2, reader's appearance isn't described, only the fact that she is a strong, you can imagine her however you like, the picture used in the header is only to capture the feel of the story. A/N: divider credits to @cafekitsune
masterlist // next
“Jesus Christ, fuck this show, fuck everything, what the fuck is wrong with the writing?” You exclaim in annoyance after witnessing the scene that was supposed to be heavily impactful be butchered.
“That is the most anticlimactic death scene I've ever witnessed, this has to be a joke.” You furiously ramble. You decided to give House of The Dragon a try after your friend had recommended it, the show currently has released three seasons, with the fourth season in production, you thoroughly enjoyed season one and decided to binge all the seasons.
However, everything started to go downhill from season two, yet you still decided to watch for the sake of your favourite characters, daemon and aemond, only to witness the battle that was supposed to be intense and stressful get finished in the span of two minutes.
You stared at the screen, rolling your eyes in annoyance as you witnessed Aemond falling into the lake along with Vhagar, Daemon was knocked off Caraxes too and fell to his death.
They wrapped up the battle in mere moments, which made you angry as you were so hyped up to see them fight.
“Ugh, I never hated a show more than this, waste of my time, they did season one so well, what happened to rest? I did not expect this.” You sigh in frustration, feeling like you just wasted your time.
“If only… If only I ever get a chance, I'd change entire plot and script because fuck this.” You lay down on your sofa, staring at the ceiling, the show still playing in the background. You recollected the entire plot in your head, thinking of every moment in the show, trying to come up with an easy solution.
“If only they had married Jace to Helaena, it would have been peaceful.. Or at least if they had an older daughter married to Aegon or Aemond.” You mumble, but then shake your head, “What am I saying? Things still would've been complicated anyway.” You wonder in disbelief at your own words.
You yawned loudly, stretching out your limbs and blinking your eyes rapidly, your vision began to get blurry and you sighed in content, finally willingly wanting to sleep after you forced yourself to stay up all night to binge the series.
Your vision darkened slowly as you closed your eyelids, head spinning as you took slow breaths of air, cool breeze brushes past your cheeks and before you know it, you're slowly succumbing into slumber.
You blink your eyes open, realising you fell asleep, you sigh stirring on the soft sheets, entangling them between your legs.
Soft sheets?
Your sofa doesn't have any sheets.
You quickly blink again, taking the note of a translucent veil hanging from above, surrounding the bed you're in, creating a curtain around your bed.
Why were you in bed?
You sit up looking around, taking in your surroundings, your eyes widening in fear as you don't recognize this room at all, ancient tapestries, brown wooden furniture, and the source of light being only from the candle.
Have you been kidnapped?
You look down at your body, noticing you are in a white nightgown instead of the shorts you fell asleep in. Your heart begins to race and you panic, unable to understand where you are or how you got there. You steady your breathing, wondering if someone kidnapped you to play a role in a mediaeval film of theirs? But why would anyone do that?
The sound of metal clanking harshly against the floor and a small scream made your head turn the direction it came from, the liquid in the decanter spilling out rapidly as the person behind the fallen cutlery stood in shock.
“The princess is conscious!” She yells loudly before turning around and running out of the room in a hurry.
Princess?
Is this a prank?
You barely have any moment to think when you hear the sound of multiple footsteps coming from outside to your direction, you could almost feel the ground rumbling, noting that everyone was rushing to this room.
You push the veil to the side and stand up, getting out the bed and examining your surroundings, looking at the sigils and the paintings. All of this looked familiar somehow.
A small gasp echoed through the room, coming from the entrance, which made you turn around to take a look at who was in the room once again. Your eyes widened at the sight.
A lady with platinum blonde hair, blue eyes stood in front of you, someone who resembled Rhaenyra and next to her stood Jace and Luke breathing heavily, looking at you in shock.
Did the house of the dragon cast kidnap you to play a prank on you?
That sounds too unreasonable.
“Oh my sweet daughter!” Rhaenyra rushes over to you, embracing you tightly, tears flow down her cheeks as she peppers you with kisses “I-i i cannot believe this, you finally woke up after many years.” She sobs, you look at her questioningly. “Sister.” Jacaerys speaks up, coming to you and joining the embrace of you and Rhaenyra, Luke joins in as well.
“We missed you.” Jace says and you stare at all of them confused.
This has to be a joke.
They notice the expression on your face and their faces immediately drop, “Your grace, the princess woke up after many years, she might not be able to recognise you.” The maester chimes in, Rhaenyra nods, sniffling yet understanding your condition.
“Emma? Is this a joke?” You question, referring to the actor of Rhaenyra, “I’m not Aemma darling, she is your grandmother.” Rhaenyra corrects you. “I think she must be confusing the names of everyone due to her hazy memory.” The maester tries explaining, you sigh.
Yeah this must be a dream.
You shake your head gently and immediately slap yourself to wake yourself up.
“Ouch!” You yell in pain, cupping the cheek you slapped yourself on, Rhaenyra is mortified and the guards rush in and hold your arms back so you don't further hurt yourself.
This is not a dream.
You can’t feel pain in your dreams and you will wake up right before impact.
You look at Rhaenyra’s face, she is as real as a living person, standing right in front of you.
She looks just like Emma. of course, after all Rhaenyra is indeed played by them.
But this is not them.
She is not Emma
You can feel the vibe, it's very different.
You’ve met Emma before in costume, yet they did not give off the vibes as what Rhaenyra is giving off right now, after all, when you met them; it was just a show, but now it's your reality.
Did you die in your world?
You’ve definitely transmigrated into this show, but as who?
Did Rhaenyra ever have a daughter? You knew she didn't.
“Mirror, get me a mirror.” You ask and they look at you questioningly, your form begins to shake as the realisation is too overwhelming, there are many questions in your mind, “Please!” You cry, and immediately a servant moves and rushes over with a mirror.
Your eyes widen.
It's you.
You had not become someone else, but you remained as yourself. “What is my name?” You ask, “Y/N.” Rhaenyra replies. Your mind begins to spin, you are in another world as yourself, you have not possessed anyone else, which means your body must’ve disappeared from your world.
You try to stay calm in this situation, breathing heavily, “You are?” You ask, wanting to reconfirm, you watch as Rhaenyra's face crumples into that of a sad face, probably feeling hurt that her own daughter doesn't recognise her.
“I'm your mother, you are my eldest daughter, they—” She points at Jace, Luke and Joffrey, “—are your younger siblings.” You turn towards them.
You nod, pretending to play the part while you figure out everything. “I'm sorry, I do not remember.” You apologise and Rhaenyra shakes her head, “It is alright, you have been unconscious since the past six years, this is better than losing my daughter.” She replies.
“Six years… Did I fall unconscious after Aemond lost his eye?” You think out loud and Rhaenyra looks at you in shock, “You remember him?” She asks and you clear your throat, “It's hazy, my memory.” You answer back.
“Your grace, the event was probably traumatic for her, hence why she can remember it in parts.” The maester explains it to Rhaenyra, you mentally thank the maester for covering up for you always.
You noticed how they were all dressed up, looked as if they were about to leave but their plans were cut short, and you recognize this gown of Rhaenyra.
It was the gown she wore when she left for King's Landing, in order to settle the matter of Luke's right to driftmark. “You guys were departing somewhere?” You ask, wanting to really confirm it, “Hm? Huh, Yes, We were about to leave for King's Landing.” Jacaerys answers your question.
“Can I tag along?” You blurt the question.
“.. Tag along?” Lucerys repeats your words in confusion, your language confusing him.
“I mean to say, can I come along?” You ask the question in a proper manner, Rhaenyra shakes her head, “No- you've just woken up, you might still be weak- I cannot risk-”
“Mother! I am perfectly fine!” You cut her off, breaking free from the guards hands and running around the room, doing jumping jacks, showing her that you aren't weak and are perfectly capable of physical activity.
Rhaenyra watches in shock, seeing you move like this but she chuckles, shaking her head in comic disbelief, “I guess she has not changed after all.” The maester comments which makes Jace and Luke smile.
“Very well, Pack the princess’ belongings, and get her ready for departure, we will depart two days later.” Rhaenyra orders the maids and you smile at her.
“But mother, I do not have many dresses—”
“You do, I had them tailored every year, whenever you grew, hoping that you would wake up.” She replies softly and you just then realise how Rhaenyra loves her children.
“The maesters said that you might not ever wake up, and that your body will be stunted from growth, yet… I'm glad their predictions never came true.” She smiles gently at you, you smile back.
The maids come in with a bath as everyone leaves, some of them begin packing your belongings. You notice how your body doesn't look how a person in a coma state should be looking especially in the mediaeval times, but instead you seem to be well taken care of, treated as if you were alive.
The maids quickly finish your bath and dress you up, you have to pretend to get used to this atmosphere and era even though you're highly uncomfortable, the mere thought of having servants made you feel bad.
And with that, the night fell, you couldn't sleep thinking about how you're going to deal with everything, could you really prevent war from happening? It happens due to a misunderstanding in the show right? What if the misunderstanding doesn't occur? Your mind was filled with such thoughts through the whole night.
In King's Landing.
“My queen, Rhaenyra, has sent a letter saying that their arrival will be delayed further.” The master sums up the contents of the letter in the council room, in front of Aemond who had been called by Alicent for an urgent matter.
“Why so?” Alicent asks, furrowing her brows.
“Princess Y/N had woken up from her unconscious state.”
An ear piercing shattering sound of glass is heard through the entire room, when turned to look at the origin, It is known that Aemond had dropped the wine glass he was drinking from.
“Y/N is awake?” Aemond asks the maester.
“Yes my prince.” The maester replies.
Aemond's heart begins to pound in his chest loudly, his mind spiralling at the thought of you finally waking up all these years later.
“Please excuse me.” Aemond gets up from the chair, excusing himself from the council and leaving the room, his brain occupied with the thoughts of you.
There wasn't a day where Aemond hadn't thought of you, he would at least think about you once a day- the news of you waking up from unconsciousness made the adrenaline in his body rush.
He felt like a hungry snake that had been starved for many years who at last found a prey to feast on, he felt like a drought-stricken land finally receiving rainfall, he felt like a garden void of any flowers which started to bloom once again.
He was thrilled.
He reminisces of the fond memories you both shared, he could never ever forget them, smiling at the thought of you.
He wondered if you had changed or remained the same.
Whatever it was, he couldn't wait.
He couldn't wait to receive you.
#; metanoia !#aemond targaryen x reader#aemond targaryen fic#aemond targaryen fanfic#reader insert#aemond targaryen x you#aemond targaryen fanfiction#aemond targaryen#aemond fanfiction#aemond fic#aemond x fem!reader#aemond x reader#aemond kinslayer#aemond one eye
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Under Your Spell
summary: what’s that old saying? Best way to get over someone is to get under…..yeah yeah, we all know where this going, don’t we?
an: Hi! Long time no see, huh? I hope you’ve all been doing well! I’ve missed it here a lot, more than you could ever know. The semester is over, and I’m finally free! (For a little bit). College is very hard, and it took a lot of me this year, but let’s not get into that right now. This chapter has been VERY long awaited, and I am so sorry that it’s taken this long to get to you all. This one is pretty short, but not only did I want to get it out to you all in time, but I also have lots planned for the next chapter! (Luna you’re putting four parts into one of your fics???) I know I know, shocker right? Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this past despite it being short! Love you 🤍🤍🤍
warnings: MDNI!, 18+ fic only, slight smut, lots of angst, mean!Ellie, idiot!Ellie??, Abby’s in this one hehe, making out, drinking, let me know if I missed anything!
Part 1, Part 2
Sleeping in your bed had become extremely difficult.
It was like every time you laid your head against the soft pillows, your skin sliding against the soft material of your sheets, your brain would be filled with images of Ellie. The feeling of her lips on your throat, her hands on your hips, everything she’d given to you was permanently burned into your memory.
You couldn’t get away from her, no matter what you did.
You let out a soft sigh as you sat at your old desk, your cheek resting against your palm as your fingers traced along the smooth material of the wood. Things had gotten a lot trickier after your last night with Ellie, your mind clouded with confusion regarding the entire ordeal.
Ellie had….sought out for you. She definitely did the first time but there was something about her coming home from a night out, and slipping into your sheets that had your mind in shambles. It didn’t make any sense, you were sure that whatever happened between you and Ellie was a one off, something that was influenced mainly by alcohol and forced proximity. The played out story of the brother’s best friend ending up in a sticky situation with the younger sister. It was cliche, but it happened.
That didn’t change that it left your stomach in knots every time you heard the floorboards creak near Ellie’s room.
You’d done a pretty good job at avoiding her and the entire situation. It meant that you were in complete and total lockdown, even worse than before, however it saved any awkward tension, which you’d much rather trade for a few months of complete isolation.
But as all good things did, it was coming to an end.
Because you were given a choice, one that dangled your pride, and your social life in your face, forcing you to choose which you valued more.
Every summer, a huge party was thrown down at the beach. You and your brother joined as soon as you were old enough to drink, your parents went when they were younger, their parents went, and nearly everyone in your town experienced it at least once. It was like a tradition, one that every young person would look forward to.
It was one of your favorite parts about being home for the summer.
However, there wasn’t a party thrown in town that your brother and Ellie wouldn’t join.
And that’s where your choice came in.
You’d been going back and forth with yourself all week, weighing out the pros and the cons of it all. You knew that there were ways to get around her, to make sure that you wouldn’t see here while you were out there. To top it all off, you hated the idea of letting Ellie rip away one of your favorite things to do while you were home, giving her that much power didn’t make any sense to you.
But you still couldn’t push yourself to do it.
You swiveled your chair back and forth, staring up at your ceiling as you struggled to make a decision. However the clock was ticking, and the party was officially happening tonight. You didn’t have much time to go back and forth with yourself anymore.
It was either you swallow your pride, go out and enjoy yourself for the first time since everything happened with Ellie, ultimately standing up for yourself and sending her a big fuck you while doing so…
Or
You let her win. You sacrifice your time there and you let Ellie steal your time. You let her make a fool out of you by being too hung up on the very weird attention she’d been giving you, and you stay in your room for yet another night while everyone else is having the time of their lives.
Thinking of it that way didn’t leave you much of an option, did it?
You practically rip your room apart looking for the perfect outfit to wear, which ends up being a pink halter top that flows down a bit at the ends, a pair of your favorite denim shorts and your sneakers. By the time you’re finishing up your hair and your makeup, you hear the faint sound of your brothers minions showing up, pairing that with the music that starts playing leaves you to figuring they’re probably pregaming before they leave.
That’s when it starts feeling real.
You let out a deep sigh as you stare in the mirror, fixing your top over your chest before fluffing out your hair and fixing your lip gloss, giving yourself a gentle affirming nod before you push your phone into your back pocket and head downstairs.
A blanket of silence falls between Derek and his friends when they notice you, multiple sets of eyes zeroing in on you as you slip between your brother and one of his friends silently to pour a shot before throwing it back with ease. Hazels the first to comment on it.
“Awe man, I didn’t think the first grader could hang….you joining us tonight sweetie?” She taunts, her perfect teeth pressing down into her plush bottom lip as she stares at you, a challenging look in her eye.
Derek is the next one to speak up, a surprised look on his face as he stares down at you. “Wait…really? You’re coming with us?” He quips hopefully. Had Hazel kept her fucking mouth shut, you probably would’ve found the sentiment sweet from him.
You inhale deeply to calm yourself, staring down into the empty shot glass before you finally raise your eyes to look at Hazel, only to find her standing across the island, her back pressed into Ellie’s chest as her tattooed hands toy with the exposed skin of Hazel’s waist.
You completely ignore Ellie’s eyes burning holes into you.
“Shut the fuck up Hazel” you bite back before pouring another shot.
Your words earns reactions from the group instantly, even your brother chuckling softly as he gives you a proud smile. Hazel however, is not amused in the slightest.
Her poker face drops for a moment, nostrils flaring as she stares you down like she wants to jump over the table and have you for herself, but she quickly picks it up, giving you an impressed smirk before she nods slowly.
“Ahh so she speaks…my apologies sweetheart” she practically grits out before she lets out an annoyed sigh.
“Let’s go then. I don’t wanna be late” she quickly seethes out, pushing herself out of Ellie’s arms so she can grab her purse that was sitting on the couch.
You trail behind the others after your brother reassures you things will be okay, giving him a soft smile as you all pile into his car, ultimately missing the way Ellie’s eyes trail you the entire times
The car ride there feels nostalgic. The summer breeze turns cooler the closer you get to the familiar beach, your brother blasting his music in the front as you rest your head against the edge of the window, letting the wind blow through your hair.
It makes you wish things were different. The warmth in your chest would’ve paired so well with a better crowd, one that didn’t see you as the annoying little sister that tagged along when she really shouldn’t be.
Your mind takes you to an alternate reality where things are different, one where you get along with your brother’s friends. You wonder if they’d like you if they gave you the chance, if they weren’t predisposed to not liking you simply because you’re younger than them…
You wonder if things had been different, if you and Ellie could’ve been something.
Because clearly there’s attraction there, there had to be. Were you so wrong for even letting your brain wander there? Wondering what life would be like if you and Ellie were cordial, let alone experimenting with a relationship in a normal way, and not the way you’d been going on for this past summer.
What would it be like if she treated you the way she treated Hazel while others were around? What would it be like if you were in Hazel’s position? Propped up in Ellie’s lap while the others sang songs and joked around with each other?
You’d never know, because you were in this reality, not a perfect one.
You don’t even realize when your brother pulls up to the beach. The gentle shake of the car as his friends practically run out is what rips you away from your thoughts. You clear your throat as you make your way out once everyone is gone, brushing down your outfit as you make your way down the familiar path to the beach. The beach is blossoming with the sound of life. Loud music quickly surrounds you, people dancing, swimming, drinking, it’s almost so perfect it feels cliche, and that alone reminds you that you’d made the right decision by deciding to come out.
You’re the moth, and the ocean is your flame.
It draws you in closer as you sip the drink from your solo cup, appreciating the pattern of the tide rolling in, wetting the sand beneath it, only to then pull back out shortly after. It’s what you’d missed most about the beach in your home town, its ability to calm you no matter what was almost remarkable, even with the crowd of people around you.
You have to stop yourself from walking too far down the beach, knowing deep down that Derek’s friends would take any chance to ditch you while we’re oblivious to what was going on. It’s how you end up out on one of the piers, your legs dangling over the edge as you stare up at the moon, watching as the waves roll in while you sip on your drink.
There’s heavy footsteps along the wooden pier, ones that you don’t quite catch between the heavy sound of the waves, and the music nearby. It isn’t until a familiar voice rings in your ear that you realize you’re not alone.
“You know I heard you were back in town….but I thought there’s no way you’d come back without texting me first” the words come from behind you, and your eyes widen once you catch the tall frame standing over you.
Abby Anderson
She was one of your closest friends back in elementary school. It wasn’t nice to admit, but you’d drifted apart once you both got to high school. It was in the most natural way possible, but she always managed to stick around in your mind from time to time.
Before all of that, you two were stuck at the hip. It was a similar friendship to Ellie and your brother, the two of you always running through your house, causing many headaches for both your parents and her parents whenever you were both together.
You hadn’t seen Abby in years since you left for college, it’d been so long that you didn’t even realize how long it had been.
Her physique was quite the sign that time had passed though.
You gasp softly when you realize it’s her, quickly pushing yourself up off the pier to push yourself into her already opened arms.
“I didn’t know you came back for the summer…god it’s been so long” you sigh out against her broad shoulders, the sweet smell of her perfume filling your nose as you let your eyes flutter shut, relishing in the feeling of her strong arms wrapping around your waist.
“You’d know if you thought to hit me up once in a while” she teases. You can hear the smirk in her voice as she keeps you close. It makes you giggle softly as you finally pull away from her, wanting to get a good look at the girl.
She’s just as pretty as you remember. Abby always had the prettiest blonde hair, and the most charming smile. Those were never things that you failed to notice about your friend, however she’s different now. She’s taller, her build a hell of a lot more stronger than when you were in elementary school, her hair longer and tucked into a thick braid…
You have to stop yourself from staring.
She peers down into your cup, noticing that you were getting empty. She nods her head towards the bonfire before speaking.
“Let’s top you up while you tell me alllll about your life in the big city, yeah?” She offers, to which you dumbly nod to as you follow next to her almost obediently.
After that, the two of you were glued to the hip the entire night. Between catching up on what life had brought the two of you within your adult years, and reminiscing over your time as kids, the world could be burning around the both of you and you two wouldn’t have noticed a thing. For the first time since you’d came home, you had finally found someone to spend time with.
And Ellie notices the entire thing.
Her eyes were on you the entire night. From the moment you came downstairs at the house, it was like she was under some fucked up spell that made it so she couldn’t function unless you were in her line of view. She couldn’t count on her hands how many annoyed sighs she received when her friends realized she wasn’t listening to what they were saying, instead busying herself with figuring out where the hell you were.
She tracked you like she was the predator, and you were her prey. She made sure you didn’t stray too far away from the group, made sure you didn’t do something stupid like strip naked to take a quick dip into the cold ocean. She was just being helpful! It wasn’t like she felt her mouth go dry every time it looked like someone was going to approach you….
And its like fate was on your side that night, because the moment Abby approached you at the dock, Hazel was settling herself into Ellie’s lap, toying with the hair at the nape of her neck and ultimately blocking you from her view completely.
The next time she does get a chance to see you again, you’re wrapped up in none other than Abby Anderson’s arms.
It’s just her luck, isn’t it? That out of every girl in your small beachside town, you choose that fucking idiot. You choose the girl that everyone knows to be Ellie’s sworn fucking enemy since forever. The only explanation is that you’re doing this on purpose. You know exactly what to do to get under Ellie’s skin. You did it when you were flirting with Jesse right in front of her, you did it when you kicked her out of your bedroom the last time you two were together, and you were doing it right fucking now by getting all cozy with Abby fucking Anderson.
So of course, she has to try and stop this.
But Ellie soon realizes that she spends way too much time mentally dwelling over this, and accusing you of something she knew deep down was very much out of character for you, because the second her eyes search for the two of you, she’s met with something she can only assume was pulled out of her worst nightmare.
You and Abby hand in hand as she helps you into her car.
Ellie is quick to push Hazel off her lap, her eyes now frantically searching for your brother. Once she spots him, she’s interrupting his conversation the moment she opens her mouth.
“Hey man…have you um….do know where your sisters going right now?” She asks almost out of breath, her eyes shifting quickly between Derek and Abby’s truck as she pulls out of her spot in the parking lot.
Your brother raises his eyebrows as he looks back to where you are in the girls car, nodding as he takes a sip of his drink. “Yeah, she just came and told me her friend is gonna take her home” he explains casually with a shrug before he tries to turn back to his conversation.
Ellie scoffs in disbelief at his casual tone, her hand reaching forward to grab his shoulder and turn him around to face her again.
“Friend? Did you even see who she was leaving with?” Her voice is laced with worry and distress as she complains to your brother, the man oblivious to Ellie’s frantic demeanor.
“Wasn’t it just Abby? They’ve been friends forever…I honestly don’t trust anyone other than that girl. Have you seen her fucking arms? I think my sister is in good hands with her” he chuckles softly as he gives Ellie’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
Between his words and his reaction to the entire thing, Ellie feels like she’s going to lose her fucking mind.
Her green eyes go wide as she stares at your brother before she gives a laugh of disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me? It’s just Abby? As in Abby fucking Anderson? Are we talking about the same girl here? Or are you suffering from fucking brain damage?” She snaps back.
Her wild eyes and mean words take your brother back, his playful laughter dying down once he realizes that he friend is quite literally tweaking over the fact that you’ve left with the girl that he knew she had some beef with.
“Woah…calm down man. It’s just my sister, your beef with Anderson doesn’t really have anything to do with her…she’ll be fine” he tries to assure her once more, his tone softening to calm his friend.
This does nothing though. It makes Ellie pinch the bridge of her nose in annoyance as she shakes her head. “Give me your keys” she demands with her palm out, pushed towards him.
Derek furrows his brows in confusion. “What? Are you seriously going to-“ he’s quickly cut off by Ellie, stopping him from finishing his question.
“Give me your fucking keys Derek. I’m not letting that asshole get it in with your sister” she finally admits, her words making your brothers eyes go wide with realization, finally seeing the situation for what it really was.
He inhales deeply before he reaches into his pocket and finally places his keys into his friends hand without another word, biting back the smirk that threatened to grace his lips.
He always thought Ellie’s animosity towards you was weird, but he never thought it would mean this all along.
She doesn’t even notice, the girl quickly taking the keys and mumbling a small ‘thanks’ as she jogs up the path to the parking lot to jump into your brothers car, and race home.
Meanwhile at your house, Abby was showing you quite the time.
It didn’t take long for you two to give into the tension that had settled the moment she picked you up from the dock. One moment you were toying with the little loose hairs falling from her braid and framing her face, and the next you were tugging her up to your bedroom and locking the door behind you.
Her hands were all over you, caressing your body as her knee began grinding into your core, her lips swallowing up your moans as you clung to her desperately, chasing your high as if your life depended on it.
The feeling of Abby against you cleared Ellie out of your head almost immediately. You weren’t worried about her or the mean things she’d said to you, or the nasty way she’d treated you after getting what she wanted from you. What once was a bed that you could barely sleep in without thinking of her was now filled with the feeling of Abby, and you couldn’t be more grateful.
Ellie realizes she’s too late when she pulls into your driveway to see Abby’s truck is still there, and she has to stop herself from ripping your brothers car door off when she gets out and slams it closed. There’s still something in her that hopes this is all innocent, that you didn’t really do the unthinkable and take Abby Anderson home to spite her. She hopes that the sweet side of you has taken the moral high ground, that you’ve gone to bed like the good girl she knows you are and Abby just happened to walk home and leave her car in your driveway.
So when she’s jogging on the stairs after frantically searching for you downstairs, hoping that she’ll find you sound asleep in your bed, her blood practically runs cold when her hand wraps around your doorknob…
And she can make out the familiar sounds of your moans through your door, paired with Abby’s words of encouragement to go with it.
#ellie williams smut#ellie williams#ellie tlou#ellie williams x y/n#ellie williams x you#tlou part 2#ellie williams x female reader#ellie williams x reader#ellie x fem reader#ellie x you
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summer's golden haze - chapter three
pairing: lando norris x reader
summary: bar hopping, damsels in drunken distress, and a late night heart to heart. (5.1k)
warnings: swearing, alcohol, lando talks about the hungarian gp shitshow
a/n: yes this is me maybe slightly projecting my feelings about hungary onto my characters okay! they're my barbie dolls to play with i can do whatever i want 😌↕️ anyways hope u enjoy <3
previous chapter | masterlist
“Hello? Are you even listening?”
You blink, bringing yourself back to reality and back to the current conversation. Your friends are looking back at you with matching concerned, albeit a little annoyed expressions. “What? Sorry, I was—I’m here, sorry. What’s going on?”
Samira tuts, but not unkindly. They all know you’ve got a million things running in your mind at the moment. “I was saying our dinner reservations got canceled. Something about the kitchen having to close down for maintenance, I dunno. Anyways, it frees us up tonight and we’re trying to figure out what to do instead.”
“Oh. We could stay in? Order some food, watch a movie?”
“I know what we need,” Camille gasps suddenly, eyes lighting up like she’s just had a brilliant idea. “We’re going bar hopping tonight.”
“Bar hopping? We haven’t done that since—” You pause, taking a moment to think. You haven’t been bar hopping since Samira got dumped by her girlfriend a few months back, the time before that when Maren finally cut ties with her situationship last year. The only time you all go bar hopping is after a breakup. They think what happened with Lando is the same as breaking up with a partner. “Guys, seriously, I’m fine. He was never even my boyfriend anyways!”
“Say what you want, but you’ve been super out of it these past few days. You need to let loose, do something that makes you stop thinking of Lando and start thinking about yourself again.”
You scowl, crossing your arms over your chest. “I think about myself plenty.”
Camille rolls her eyes at you. “I mean not in that mopey, sad ‘I say everything is fine even though it’s not’ way. There’s more fish in the sea than Lando. Find one, or don’t, it’s up to you. But you need to forget about him.”
Your lips press into a thin line as you sink back into your seat.
You don’t want another fish in the sea. You want the weird little crab with the cute accent and the sparkly eyes, the one you’ve already let back into the water.
The one you can’t have.
Things haven’t been too awkward with Lando yet, but they definitely aren’t the same. Two people who really like each other but have decided to remain friends doesn’t really scream smooth sailing from now on to you. The wound is still fresh, and there are hints of it as you spend more time with the guys.
Immediately filling the empty seat next to each other like it’s second nature but then having to awkwardly scoot away when your shoulders bump or your hands brush. Lingering glances across tables and rooms until one of you breaks and looks away first. Finding him first in a place full of other people and drifting towards him, only to come to your senses and switch up directions at the last moment.
You wish you could say forgetting Lando would be easy. It really isn’t—not when your friend groups have basically melded into one big one, and everyone gets along so well. It would’ve been easier if you’d gone your separate ways, but you don’t think your heart would’ve liked that very much. Not that it enjoys skipping a beat every time you catch Lando’s eyes on you a little too long either.
You wrinkle your nose, brows following. “I’m sad and mopey?”
“A little bit.”
“Okay, fine. Fine, let’s go bar hopping,” You concede, letting your shoulders drop.
If you’re going to get over him, you might as well start right now.
That’s how you end up in bar number one of the night, four tequila shots on the bar table in front of you. You eye the unassuming little glass warily, even as each of your friends snatch one up eagerly.
Samira, as if sensing your hesitation, nudges yours toward you. “It’s one shot, babe. It won’t kill you.”
“I know that,” You insist, throwing your shoulders back. “I just…need a second.”
“Take all the time you need. We’re going all night.”
Tonight isn’t about your feelings for Lando. Tonight is about you moving on, moving past what could’ve been with him and looking forward to what might come next. With or without him.
You hold up your shot towards them, grinning big. “Here’s to moving forward, and making memories that’ll last a lifetime!”
Clinking your glass against all of theirs, you throw back the clear liquid as smoothly as you can, only wincing a little bit at the burn of it going down your throat. It isn’t your usual drink of choice, but change has to start somewhere, right?
-------
As far as bars go, this one isn’t the worst one you’ve been to tonight, but the fun has started to wear off for you. You’d stopped drinking around bar number two, the buzz of your much tamer drink choices after those first few shots starting to die down bit by bit. On the other hand, your friends are still going full steam ahead. You’ve honestly lost track of how many drinks they’ve had at the bars you’ve hit tonight, but they’re holding on pretty well.
“Fuck boys!” Samira exclaims, slamming another shot glass down onto the table with gusto. Maren and Camille agree wholeheartedly with identical slurred ‘yeah, fuck ‘em!’s that make you chuckle into your glass of water.
You know they’re just trying to make you feel better about your decision, and in a way, it helps. You’d finally been able to talk about what went down that afternoon without feeling an indescribable rush of guilt, and although they were disappointed at first, it became less when you’d told them why. They’re your best friends, and they know you better than anyone, so they know for a fact Lando’s lifestyle was not the one for you.
Tonight was supposed to be all about forgetting your feelings, but as the night went on longer and your inhibitions became lower, you still couldn’t help but think about Lando. That mental box you’d put him has burst wide open already.
You’re a little embarrassed to admit it, but you’d done a little research on him after getting home, which turned into a deep dive of his career, his life, anything that piqued your interest in him. You were curious to know what a guy like him saw in someone like you.
It felt a little weird to see him outside the Lando you’ve gotten to know him as, because he seemed…different. He’s still the same sweet guy you know, but on video he’s a more tame version of himself.
Carefully chosen words and shy smiles, he wears his confidence like a suit of armor on camera, to protect himself against the world. Here, he’s all bursting grins and loud belly laughs, unfiltered and so, so happy. He seems so normal, it’s hard to remember that he’s not just your everyday guy. Lando is one of the best and well known racing drivers in the whole world.
Making sure to separate the two is important if you want to stay firm in your decision.
Somehow it hits nearly four in the morning, and it’s about high time you make the executive decision to call it quits and go home. The only problem is, you’re the only semi-sober one out of the four of you. You have the car, but you don’t trust yourself to drive in this state. None of your friends are in any shape to be of any help either, not when Maren is nearly passed out on the tabletop, and Camille and Samira drunkenly swaying with each other right next to you.
You don’t really trust any rideshares at this time of night in an unfamiliar place, and even then, there’s no way you can get them all home by yourself. There’s only one other thing you can think of, one other person you can call to help you out. The one person you were hoping to not have to call.
The moment your finger hits Lando’s number, you have half a mind to hang up. You’re about to, but then the line connects.
“Yeah, what?” Lando’s voice is gravelly, thick with sleep. A little grumpy. Of course he’s grumpy, it’s nearing three in the morning and he was probably asleep. You feel bad that you've woken him up, but you couldn't think of anything else.
“Lando? I’m so sorry to be calling you this late, I just didn’t know what else to do.”
Immediately, he sounds more alert when your name leaves his lips. “Is everything alright? What’s up?”
You gnaw on your lip in contemplation until he says your name again, gentler this time. “We’re at a bar in town and the girls are really drunk and we need to get home, but I had a few drinks too so I didn't think I should drive. And I tried to call an Uber but at this time of night I don’t—”
“Hey, no, it’s okay. I can come pick you up.” He interrupts your rambling and you're grateful for it, because the more you talk the more you think this was a bad idea. You’re asking him for too much, you're stretching the limits of an already awkward friendship too far, you're— “Just tell me where you are, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Drop me your location and stay there.” You can hear rustling on his end of the line, pounding on a door, someone’s groggy voice saying something you can’t make out. Then Lando’s voice fills your ear again, soft yet firm. “Hang tight, ‘kay? Be there soon.”
“Thank you so much,” You breath, truly grateful. He hangs up, and you can finally let out a breath of relief. Lando is coming. You won’t be stranded here.
Lando jumps out of the car as soon as it pulls to a stop in front. He’s got on some nondescript jumper with the hood pulled up over his head and a random pair of joggers, and he definitely doesn’t look like he’d just been roused from his sleep. In fact, seeing him all disheveled with worry like this is kind of doing it for you.
You’re in the middle of apologizing again when Lando crashes into you, arms wrapping around you tighter than you’re expecting, nearly squeezing the breath out of you. You meet Max’s eyes over his shoulder, who you’d just realized was also here, and he doesn’t look surprised at all. He looks rather smug, actually.
“Are you okay?” Lando holds you at arms length, worried eyes scanning you for anything out of place, any injury. Other than your pride, you remain unharmed. Though that pesky fluttery feeling in your stomach is back again, as is the warmth in your chest, and it isn’t from the alcohol.
His hood has fallen off from the force of his hug to reveal the tornado of curls on his head, flat on one side from his pillow most likely, as are the lines on his face from what was probably a good night’s sleep. Until you called, that is.
You blink at him, caught off guard by the amount of care he still seems to have for you. It feels like an impossible feat to tear your gaze away from his. “Yes? I mean, yeah, I’m fine. You—wow, you got here fast.”
“I thought maybe something—nevermind.” He cranes his neck around you to glance at your half asleep friends on the bench. “Are…they okay?”
“Yeah, they’re fine. Tequila, y’know?” You shrug.
Max lets out a snort of laughter from where he’s wandered over to check on them, waving a hand in front of Samira’s face. She swats at him halfheartedly, mumbling a sleepy, “Fuck off, Fewtrell.”
“Sorry to wake you too, Max.”
“Oh no, you didn’t wake me. He did.” He juts his chin over at Lando, who still has a hand around your elbow. You can’t help but let your eyes drop down to it, and Lando does too, inhaling sharply before letting go. Still, the warmth from his grip lingers. “And not very nicely might I add.”
“I had to get you up quick!”
“You nearly took my head off with a pillow, you dickhead!”
“Oh, I’m sorry, did you want a kiss on the forehead?” Lando snorts.
“Not from you!”
“Come off it already, won’t you?” Lando turns his attention back to you instead, rolling his eyes playfully when he finds you stifling a giggle behind your palm. “You said you had your car?”
“Um, yeah, it’s around the corner. We can just leave it here, I’ll circle back and pick it up in the morning.”
Lando clicks his tongue, shaking his head. “It’ll probably be stripped for parts by tomorrow. How bout we split up? Two and two?”
“Well, we all know who you want,” Max says knowingly. It makes your cheeks flame hot and Lando’s flush pink, but Max doesn’t waver in his shit eating grin. For some reason, you find his candid bluntness refreshing, even if it is poking fun at what’s going on (or not going on) between Lando and yourself. “You guys take Maren in your car, I’ll take these two and meet you at your house.”
Max manages to coax Camille and Samira to their feet with little trouble, and before you know it they’re off, leaving you alone with Lando and a very sleepy Maren. He rocks back on his heels, biting the inside of his cheek awkwardly, like he’s not sure what to do.
“Should we—”
“I think—” Lando bites back a laugh, gesturing for you to speak first.
“We should probably get going.”
“Right. Let’s get her in the car then, yeah?”
You couldn’t be less well versed in cars if you tried, but even you know the one Lando came to your rescue in is expensive. You’re almost too reluctant to even sit in it. But then Lando’s hand touches softly against the small of your back as he pulls open the door without hesitation, and you have no choice but to help Maren in.
Not like you had much of a choice anyways, what with him being the knight in shining armor to your damsel in distress call.
“Did you have fun? Before having to play mum to the girls, I mean.” Lando asks a little while later, not taking his eyes off the road.
You blow out a deep breath, sinking back into the plush leather of the passenger seat. The soft smoothness is heaven on your skin. “Kinda. The first few drinks, at least. Felt a little out of place, honestly.”
“What, you didn't charm some guy the same way you charmed me?” Silence fills the car like cement as soon as the words leave his mouth. A pang of something sharp shoots through you, something akin to hurt that flashes through your chest but is gone a second later.
No, you shouldn’t feel hurt. You’re the one who hurt him. Even though he’s told you over and over that it’s okay, it’s fine, he understands your decision, Lando has every right to express his true feelings, no matter how it makes you feel.
“Sorry, that was—that came out wrong. I just meant—”
“I know what you meant,” You say quietly. He wants to know if you met someone else, and the answer is no. No, you didn't meet another guy, because all you could think about was him. But you’re just friends. You’d made certain of it. So why did you feel like you’d done something wrong? “I didn’t meet anyone else.”
“Oh. Cool.”
“Is it?”
A muscle in his jaw clenches as he swallows thickly, nodding. “Yeah. I mean, if that’s what you want. What you’re looking for.”
“I don’t think I’m looking for anything right now,” Your voice is soft, nearly a whisper.
I’m not looking for something that isn’t you, you could add. You don’t. It wouldn’t do anything other than hurt him, and yourself, even more.
The rest of the ride home is basically silent, and Max is waiting on the sofa with the other two when you finally get there, entertaining a story that Camille is telling not unlike one would with a child, uh huh-ing and wow, that’s so cool-ing until he realizes you’re finally here.
You take over from then, thank him profusely yet again when he says he’s going to head home, before corralling all three girls into the bathroom like a zookeeper with their animals.
One by one, you help each of your friends through an abridged version of their night routines until they’re all ready for bed, and then you tuck them into the same bed as best you can. You’ve relegated yourself to the floor with a littering of pillows for the night. It’ll be easier to get to them if they need anything during the night if you’re all in the same room.
You’re surprised to see Lando in the doorway once you’ve gotten them all settled in for the night. You thought he'd left with Max, but apparently not.
He glances up as he hears you approach, frowning. “You’re gonna sleep on the floor?”
You shrug. “Yeah, it’s fine. I can keep an eye on them that way. You can, erm, you can go home now. Go back to sleep.”
“No offense, but I’m pretty sure they’ll sleep through the night. Plus, you must be knackered too. You should get some rest, yeah?” You want to say no, but your body’s response betrays you in that moment, because you yawn big, and it makes him chuckle. “Come on. Sleep in your own bed. I’ll watch over them.”
“No way.” You shake your head insistently, despite the enticing offer. “You’ve already done more than enough, Lando, I can’t ask you to stay up all night. I’ve got them covered.”
“You shouldn’t either.” He shoots back, chin tilting up in challenge. You match him as best you can with your eyes growing heavier and heavier by the moment, and eventually, he backs down, hands up in mock surrender. “How ‘bout we take shifts? The living room’s right across the hall, if we camp out there and anyone makes a racket, whoever’s up will be able to hear them.”
You twist your lips to the side in thought. “Deal. I call first watch though.”
“I can live with that. Why don’t you go freshen up, or something?”
“Is that your way of telling me I stink?”
Lando’s eyes glint with mirth, teasing smile curling his lips. “Maybe.”
“Well, maybe you don’t smell too good either!” That’s a total lie. He actually smells really nice, a mixture of remnants of his heady cologne from the day and something fresher, a little citrusy. His soap, maybe?
A hot shower certainly does wonders to sober you up the rest of the way, and as you’re toweling your hair dry enough to where it won’t be dripping water down your shirt, you take a good look at yourself in the fogged up mirror.
This is fine. You can spend a night alone with Lando without feeling anything towards him. You can do this. You’ve done harder things than this.
Lando’s frowning at something on his phone when you make your way back into the living room, scowling like whatever’s on the screen has personally wronged him. It isn’t the first time you've noticed his demeanor turn sour like this, and your concern is piqued each time.
You clear your throat as if to announce your presence, offering him a small smile when his head whips up. “Hi. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, everything’s fine. It’s just work.” He tosses his phone on the coffee table, dragging a hand forward through his curls, mussing up the front before raking them back. It doesn’t seem to do anything but make them messier, but you suspect it’s more of a nervous habit than anything.
He smiles back at you as you sit a respectable distance away from him on the sofa, though even that looks entirely forced. Something is wrong, and it’s eating away at him.
“Look, I know things aren't how they used to be with us, but I hope you know I’m still here for you. You can always talk to me if you need to.”
Lando gnaws on his bottom lip, head tilting from side to side like he's unsure. “Really? You’d do that for me?”
“Friends are there for each other.”
He blows out a deep sigh, sinking back against the pillows like a deflated balloon. “Yeah? You’re sure?”
“I’m a good listener, remember?” You nudge his knee with yours gently. “Whenever you’re ready, I’m all ears.”
He isn’t ready right away. For a little while, you sit in silence. You get the feeling Lando doesn’t have much experience with letting people in very easily, but it's okay. You’ll sit here as long as he needs to get his thoughts together.
Finally he speaks, but even then, his tone holds hesitance.
“I feel like everything is going to shit. The car is great this season, it’s better than it's ever been before, so that’s not the problem. It’s me, I’m the problem, I keep fucking everything up," He sighs, shoulders slumping. "And my team work so hard for me to be able to perform and deliver and I feel like I’m just letting everyone down, y’know? They deserve someone who can give them better than the shit stuff I’ve been putting out these past few races.”
Lando as a person is impossibly hard on himself, you’ve come to learn—always thinks he could’ve done better, even if what he’s already done is enough. The same is true when it comes to his job.
You’d know—you checked. In your uninformed opinion, the results he’s been achieving in the races are great. To be finishing high in the top five out of twenty of the best drivers in the world in almost every single race recently, it’s enough to make anyone proud.
But when you think about it from a competition perspective, a cutthroat drive with everything you’ve got, put everything on the line perspective, you get a sense of why he’s beating himself up.
To know he can win and still fall short, race after race…god, you can’t even imagine how he must be feeling.
You might be clueless still, but at the very basis of it all, you understand. Lando has worked so hard for so many years, put in blood, sweat, and tears, and he feels like he’s not living up to expectations.
You know what it’s like to have such high expectations placed on your shoulders and nearly be crushed by the weight of everyone counting on you. Surely not on a scale as large as his, but you understand the struggle.
Then he goes into the race in Hungary a few weeks back, and you can tell there’s some lingering hurt in him about what happened.
“It’s like they were guilt tripping me or something. Telling me I’ll need the team in the championship fight, that I should do the right thing and give up my position. Call me crazy, but that just didn’t sit right with me at all. They want me to be a team player and that’s fine, I’m happy to, but I dunno…” Lando trails off, nose wrinkling like the words leave a bitter taste in his mouth.
You notice him picking at the skin below his nail and move without thinking, closing the distance between the two of you and redirecting his fiddling fingers by linking them with your own.
It gets him to stop picking, but it also makes him stop talking. Whatever words are about to come out of his mouth die into a drawn out exhale, eyes drawn to your joined hands like a magnet.
“Yeah? Keep going, I’m still listening,” You urge gently, nodding. Lando blinks at you, as if he’s lost his train of thought. “Hungary? The team?”
“Uh…yeah. Right. I was—I guess I just didn’t think they’d pull all that crap over the radio. Like, everyone could hear what they were saying—other teams, the commentators. It was on live broadcast too!” His fingers tighten around yours ever so slightly, dark brows knit with frustration.
Even though you know close to nothing about the sport, what his team pulled seems like a dick move. You understand wanting to put their drivers in the best position possible, but airing things out on a radio where everyone can hear it feels wrong to you. Then again, you have no idea what goes on within a team at this type of performance level.
“It’s like, they knew I’d do what they wanted me to do and I did, but for a moment, I almost didn’t. I almost went against team orders, and that’s…” He laughs humorlessly, shaking his head. “You don’t do that. You can’t. You listen to what your team says and you do it, and that’s the end. My boss has been calling every now and then, trying to get me to talk and shit, and I just don’t really wanna talk about work right now. I don’t even wanna think about it.”
“Oh, Lando…” You sigh. Your thumb rubs circles over the prominent ridges of his knuckles, hoping it brings him some sort of comfort.
“I know I probably sound like such a brat right now, but I’ve given everything I have to McLaren and it still doesn't feel like enough. They want more, and right now…I’m not sure how much more I’ve got in me.”
“Can I be completely and totally honest with you right now?”
“Yeah, please.”
You hesitate, taking a beat to reply. You don’t want him to take your response the wrong way. “I’m not gonna sit and pretend like I have any clue what it’s like to be in your situation, because I don’t. But I do think you’re being too hard on yourself. Yeah, sometimes you might not get the results you’d hoped for, but you’re doing the best you can, and that’s all you need to be doing.”
Lando doesn’t need your advice, and you’re in no place to be giving any in the first place. He just needs someone in his corner, someone who cares about him to tell him that it’s okay to not be perfect. You want to be that person, even though you’re both still trying to settle into this new dynamic with each other.
Thankfully, your words seem to soak in, easing the tension in his shoulders just a little bit. “Thank you. I think I really needed that.”
“Glad I could help,” You say warmly, squeezing his hand.
“Y’know, I just realized that I’ve never said any of that out loud to anyone.”
“Do you feel better?”
Lando chuckles, and somehow, he even seems better. Like whatever was weighing him down was gone. “Yeah, I do. I feel…lighter, actually? Is that weird?”
“Not at all. That’s what letting things out will do for you.”
“Maybe. But maybe it’s more than that, maybe it’s…you.”
Your breath hitches in your chest. “Me?”
“You make me feel like I can be myself around you. Like, the real me, not the me the rest of the world knows me as. I feel genuinely happy around you, and I—I can’t just sit here and ignore it any longer. I still really like you. And I know what you said about us, and I know why, but I can’t help the way I feel around you. The way I feel about you.”
“Lando, I—”
“I swear I’m not trying to change your mind or make you feel guilty, or anything like that! I just had to say it before it made me explode,” He adds, exhaling shakily. “In the spirit of letting things out.”
You’d be lying to yourself if you said you hadn’t been starting to question whether or not you’d made the right choice by deciding to walk away from Lando, because the more you get to know him, the more it chips away at your resolve. He’s kind and sweet and funny, and he gets you like nobody else has before. It’s been hell these past few days, tiptoeing around each other when all you want to do is kiss him senseless.
Right now, you want to kiss him senseless. He’s right here in front of you, holding your hand, looking at you with those stupid sparkly eyes. You want to say it’s the leftover alcohol buzzing in your veins making you feel this way, but that would be a lie too.
Fuck it.
You cross the already dwindling space between the two of you, sliding a hand around the back of his neck, and kissing him softly. Lando freezes for a split second, but before you know it, he’s kissing you back, guiding you closer until you’re nearly on his lap. His hands roam your back, curling into the material of your shirt, thumbing under it just a tiny bit to stroke at the warm skin there.
It isn’t at all like the first time you kissed. He lets you set the tone, following your slow lead without question.
You’re not sure how long you keep at it—lazy, gentle kisses punctuated with hushed giggles and tiny satisfied noises from the both of you.
Lando takes a pause every so often, pulling back just enough to look at you, take in the sight of you breathless from his doing, and every time, his mouth curls into a squinty, close mouthed smile. You can only bear the fondness in his expression for a few seconds before growing too aware of the way he looks at you and kissing him again.
Your brain doesn’t want to stop, but apparently your body decides you’ve had enough action for a day, because at some point you feel your eyes start to droop, chin following.
As if sensing your exhaustion, Lando pulls away, chest rising and falling heavily. He’s breathless, lips kiss-swollen as they curve into a soft smile. “We should stop. You need to get some sleep.”
“No! We should talk about this. Us.”
“I agree, but I don’t think you’re really in the right headspace to do it right now.”
“I’m fine! I’m okay, I swear.”
“You just nearly fell asleep whilst we were making out.”
“For a second!” You whine, letting your head thunk against his chest. A chuckle vibrates through him. “Don’t laugh at me, I’m tired.”
“Then go to sleep. We’ll talk about it in the morning,” He insists, lips pressed to the crown of your head. You sigh through your nose. You’d argue a little more, but Lando is right again. All you want to do is go to sleep. “I’m not going anywhere, alright? I’ll be here when you wake up, we can figure it out then.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
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Chapter 4: uh oh, I'm fallin' in love
series masterlist previous part || next part
pairing: anthony bridgerton x fem!daphne's best friend!reader WC: 2.3k words
Warnings: period-typical gender roles, idiots in love, anthony being a big softie, mostly fluff, i still ship y/n and daphne tbh
Summary: At her wit's end after Anthony's multiple attempts to scare away her suitors, Daphne employs her best friend's help to keep her brother distracted while she tries to find a husband. It's a foolproof plan, except it ends up working a little too well. (or, a Bridgerton version of The Taming of the Shrew/10 things I hate about you)
June 16, 1812 - “How’s Mr Norwood?” you asked Daphne, sitting on the couch next to her in the Bridgertons’ tea room, her legs on your lap as the rain steadily poured outside.
Your best friend and her hopefully-husband-to-be had been looking particularly cozy as of late, and you knew that you had played no small part in making that happen. Unfortunately, Daphne’s happiness was often overshadowed by the small pang of guilt you felt every time you had a particularly lovely afternoon with her oldest brother.
“Oh, he’s lovely. I do think he’ll propose in the next few weeks,” she said excitedly, her legs dancing excitedly on your lap.
You squealed in response, absolutely elated at the prospect of seeing your best friend in a wedding gown before the end of the season. It’s practically all she’d dreamed about, and you couldn’t believe the time was so close.
“Where will you live? After you marry, I mean,” you asked, twirling a lock of your hair around your index finger. “If I have to travel to another country to see you, I’ll riot.”
Daphne paused, unsure. “We haven’t particularly discussed it. I think his family has a home a few hours away, but surely his older brother will inherit that…”
You sat up straight, realizing this was a sensitive subject. “That’s quite alright, I’m sure your dowry will be more than enough for a simple estate somewhere nearby,” you reassured, patting her legs comfortingly.
If they were truly in love, it wouldn’t matter how small or large their home was. But Daphne only hummed in response, looking out distractedly at the raindrops hitting the window.
Deciding not to press your best friend and potentially cause her more distress, you changed the subject.
Playing with the hem of Daphne’s dress, you said nonchalantly, “I suppose I’ll end things with Anthony right before Phillip proposes. There’s no real point in continuing the façade if Phillip has to ask Anthony for your hand anyway, so it’s not like we can keep going longer than that.”
Daphne narrowed her eyes at you, smiling slightly. “Really? I thought you two were having a lovely time during your courtship.”
You paused, your hand going still for a moment. “Well, of course. We get along quite well. But it’s not real, Daphne. I don’t really have feelings for him and he doesn’t really have any intention of marrying me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure!” you laughed at the absurdity of your best friend’s suggestion, sounding a bit panicked. “I couldn’t truly be interested in him!”
Just then, you heard the front door open and heavy footsteps coming down the hallway.
Recognizing her brother’s footfalls, Daphne called out, “Anthony, I didn’t know you’d gone out riding. It’s absolutely pouring outside!”
“I can’t believe it actually rained,” he groaned, his voice carrying across the hall. “I thought Colin just said that to be a nuisance.”
He peeked his head into the tea room, looking completely disheveled from what you could only assume was a hectic horse ride. His hair was soaking and stuck to his forehead, his sleeves were dripping water onto the carpet, and he was shivering slightly from the cold. And yet, you thought to yourself, he still looked more handsome than any other man in the ton.
“Y/N!” he yelped as his eyes fell on you, sitting comfortably on his couch as Daphne had her legs propped on your lap. “I didn’t expect to see you here. I’m sorry, I would’ve looked more… presentable. Or at least dry.”
It was the oddest thing, he suddenly seemed impossibly shy. You only laughed and shook your head, waving off his apology.
“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” you smiled, recalling how reckless young Anthony was when it came to riding.
Anthony crinkled his nose, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s different now, though,” he insisted, still sounding out of sorts. “I can head upstairs quickly to make myself presentable and greet you properly.”
“No, that’s quite alright,” you insisted, finding Anthony entirely too endearing at the moment. “I should probably head home anyway; I’ve been here the better part of the afternoon.”
“Let me walk you home at least,” pleaded the positively soaking man at the entrance of the room. “Or even just call a carriage.”
Your home was only a few minutes’ walk away, and you were usually happy to do it on your own. However, looking out the window you realized it probably wasn’t the best idea to head home in this weather.
“Very well then,” you conceded, finding it impossible to say no to Anthony.
“Alright, give me five minutes, then. Just let me change out of these clothes and I’ll be back,” he yelled over his shoulder, already out the door and rushing upstairs.
“So it's all just pretend, then?” asked Daphne smugly once Anthony was gone.
“Oh, shush,” you grumbled, shoving her legs off you.
But Daphne only laughed gleefully, a knowing twinkle in her eye.
---
June 19, 1812 - Anthony had gone into town on a fine Friday afternoon in search of a new pair of hunting boots when he spotted you some distance away. You were accompanied by your lady’s maid, and you seemed to be leaving the modiste.
Apart from noticing how stunning you looked, even in a simple day dress, Anthony realized a few things.
First, you were far enough away from him and positioned in such a manner that there was no chance that you would see him. He could easily just go on with his day, quickly find the pair of hunting boots he came for, and make his way home.
However, the second thing he took note of is that a gentleman such as himself would always go out of his way to greet the lady he was courting. Perhaps it was time to shift away from the tiring rake act he so often put on and act like a Bridgerton.
And finally, he noted that, in reality, he could come back for a pair of hunting boots at any time. However, he couldn’t unexpectedly run into you every day.
So, with all this in mind, Anthony determinedly shouted your name. When you didn’t hear him and kept walking, he yelled your lady’s maid’s name, who turned around to look at who had called for her. Spotting Anthony through the crowd of summer shoppers, your lady’s maid tugged at your sleeve, turning you around so you could see him.
“Oh, Anthony, what a surprise!” you called, unable to help the bright smile that lit up your face.
How gentlemanly, you thought, for Anthony to go out of his way to say hello. Perhaps he had left behind his rakish ways.
“It’s rather hot today, isn’t it?” said Anthony as he reached you, leaning down to kiss your hand in greeting. “What do you say about going across the street and enjoying some tea?”
Your eyebrows raised in surprise. Greeting you unexpectedly and asking to spend time together? This was quite unusual indeed.
“Is there something you wanted to talk about?” you said, somewhat nervously. Had Daphne somehow let her plan slip? “We were due to see each other this evening at the Featherington ball."
Anthony laughed, enjoying your confusion. It felt quite good to be a gentleman, he thought. “Not at all, I just thought I’d take advantage of the fact that I saw you. I’m not particularly keen on depriving myself of the company of a wonderful lady such as yourself.”
You felt your face growing hot, completely floored by how lovely Anthony was being. It was like his usual charm turned up by a factor of ten.
Looking over at your lady’s maid, you raised your eyebrows to ask if it was alright with her if your plans were derailed.
“Nowhere else to be,” she shrugged her shoulders.
“Perfect, then, let’s go,” you smiled at Anthony.
Hooking your hand into the crook of his arm, you couldn’t help but feel a flutter in your stomach. Bit by bit, you were realizing you were in far over your head. So far you couldn’t even see the ground anymore. Anthony was turning out to be completely unexpected.
And though you were practically giddy every time you saw him now, you were also fighting to bury the uncomfortable thought that you might have made a grave mistake trying to mastermind your courtship with him.
---
June 23, 1812 - “Well, I suppose I should get going,” Anthony said to Colin, getting up from his chair as he looked at his watch. “Y/N will surely be expecting me, seeing as how we went to a ball yesterday evening.”
Upon hearing Colin snickering in response, the eldest Bridgerton shot his younger brother an annoyed look.
“Do you think this is funny? Wait a few years and you’ll be doing this, too,” Anthony scoffed.
“It’s not that,” said Colin, still chuckling to himself. “It’s just that she’s been here since this morning. I ran into her and Daphne a few hours ago.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?” asked Anthony in disbelief.
Colin shrugged. “I thought you’d surely seen her. You’re the one courting her, after all.”
“Why didn’t she ask for me?” grumbled Anthony, mostly to himself. “Well, even more reason to go see her now. Goodbye, Colin. I would say it was a pleasure speaking with you but based on the last two minutes I don’t particularly think it was.”
In response, Colin half-heartedly crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at his brother. “Say hello to your wife for me,” he teased, knowing Anthony’s aversion to marriage.
But his jab was only met with a slammed door. Anthony was too focused on finding you.
How on earth had he not noticed your presence in his home the whole day? To be fair, before you started courting, you spent copious amounts of time at the Bridgerton residence, with or without Daphne, and he wasn’t always aware until after the fact.
You had practically already been a part of the family, but it felt different now. He felt panicked that he hadn’t already greeted you, and he was worried you would hold it against him.
Rushing down the stairs, he ran into Daphne, who was shuffling through a stack of letters in the foyer.
“Who are you expecting correspondence from? A suitor?” he questioned suspiciously.
“She’s in the sitting room,” answered Daphne curtly.
Without a second thought, Anthony dashed across the hall, bursting into the sitting room.
There, he found you and Hyacinth sitting next to each other on the pianoforte bench. Your hands were on hers as you guided her nine-year-old fingers over the keys to form a melody. Startled, you dropped Hyacinth’s hands and turned to look over at the doorway.
“Is something the matter, dear?” asked Violet calmly from the other side of the room, quite used to the antics of her eight children.
“No, no- not at all,” gulped Anthony, not expecting to have seen you with his youngest sister. “I just heard Y/N had stopped by, is all.”
“That’s kind of you,” you said, smiling softly at the man you were courting. “Hyacinth seems to be a natural at the pianoforte.”
“Better than Gregory anyway,” said Hyacinth haughtily, eliciting a hearty laugh from you.
“Well, run along, then, Hyacinth,” urged Anthony. “I believe I should like to speak with Y/N.”
Hyacinth groaned, “She’s not yours Anthony. I believe I should like to stay," she said petulantly. "I was having such a lovely time with Y/N before you interrupted.”
She hugged you tight, lest Anthony tried to make her leave by force. Laughing, you hugged her back, patting her head soothingly.
“No one’s making you leave, Hyacinth,” you shot Anthony a playful glare. “I apologize for not finding you earlier, Gregory has just learned how to play chess and wanted to play a match. And then Hyacinth came in and thought it quite unfair that I had spent such a long time with Gregory and not her. And then, well, you know how they are…” you explained, your voice full of fondness for the youngest Bridgertons.
“Oh, do I,” said Anthony, walking over to ruffle Hyacinth’s hair affectionately. “Who won the chess match?”
Resigning himself to the fact that his little sister wouldn’t leave, Anthony made himself comfortable on the couch closest to you. And though he was hoping to spend some time alone– well, chaperoned– with you, he couldn’t deny that his heart was doing all sorts of gymnastics in his chest at the thought of the care you had for his siblings.
“We each won one and the third was a stalemate,” you responded, winking at Anthony and running your fingers through Hyacinth’s hair. “He’s quite good.”
“I want to learn how to play chess,” whined Hyacinth, detesting the fact that you and Gregory shared something she couldn’t join in on.
“I can teach you next time I stop by,” you promised, smiling fondly at her. “It’s quite a fun game, once you understand the rules.”
And at that very moment, Anthony knew he loved you. It had happened slowly, and then quite suddenly he was extremely aware of it. Much like you had made your way into the Bridgertons’ lives, you had made your way into his heart.
He knew he would be a fool not to see it. All he ever wanted was to take care of his family, and seeing you feel the same way was doing all sorts of things to his heart that he found impossible to ignore. You cared so deeply about his family, and it was difficult not to imagine the pair of you having a child of your own.
Anthony had decided. This was the first and last courtship he would ever have. He was falling faster than he could imagine, and he didn't particularly want to do anything to stop it.
—
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The Outer Worlds 2: First Gameplay Trailer
The Outer Worlds 2 will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam, Microsoft Store) in 2025. It will also be available via Game Pass. The PlayStation 5 version is newly announced.
Latest details
The call to go beyond the stars is here once again, and it’s bigger, bolder, and more unpredictable than ever. We just revealed a first gameplay trailer for The Outer Worlds 2 during The Game Awards 2024, promising a fresh adventure in a brand-new colony next year. No really, we know we’re not supposed to promise things in marketing, but the setting is completely new, so this is all factual. Just don’t break the colony again. We’re looking at each of you who sent the Hope into the sun in the last game.
In true Obsidian Entertainment fashion, you carve your path through Arcadia, a colony teeming with factions, intrigue, and chaos. It’s also home of skip drive technology and where the fate of the entire colony – and the galaxy – rests. As a daring, undeniably good-looking, and questionably competent Earth Directorate agent, you’re tasked with uncovering the source of devastating rifts threatening the entire galaxy. Talk about stakes (not to be confused with raptidon steaks, those are very different)! The choice of how to deal with the rifts is up to you. “Your worlds, your way,” as we say at Obsidian.
Are the rifts the only thing threatening Arcadia? Of course not! That would be too easy. A factional war between the “benevolent rulers” known as the Protectorate, a rebellious scientific religious order, and a corporate mega power has the colony torn apart. Each is trying to close or control the rifts for their own good/monetarily profitable needs. Church, state, and capitalism! Who will win?! Well, that’s really up to you. This is your game. We’ve said the choices were yours the whole time. See that Obsidian motto above? Yeah, you get it.
We’ve said choice a few times already, but guess what? This is an RPG so it’s going to come up a few more times. When it comes to crafting your commander, it is full-on “RPG with RPG elements” time from ability points to skill checks in conversations, to even how flawed you want to be because, let’s admit it, no one is perfect. Except those who think they are. Look at you go. Being perfect.
How you build your commander and chart your way through the narrative is uniquely yours as you plunge into this player-driven story. Whether you’re a disciple of diplomacy, a smart strategist, a crusader of chaos, or defiantly different (so we can keep the alliterations), the choice – you guessed it—is yours. Oh, and with this being The Outer Worlds, yes, you can dumb!
While The Outer Worlds 2 is a single-player RPG, you won’t be alone! Not virtually anyway. Enlist a crew of companions to help you achieve your goals. Nothing says “middle management” more than sending people out to fight your fights for you, then having them judge everything you do with a visual reminder of how much they loved or hated it. Maybe you’ll help them fulfill their dreams or goals along the way. Clearly you care enough about the people working with you to see their dreams realized… right?
As excitement grows for the upcoming 2025 launch, now is the perfect time to revisit The Outer Worlds and relive the adventure that started it all. Whether you’re a seasoned spacer or are setting foot in Halcyon for the first time, there’s no better moment to prepare for the next chapter. The Outer Worlds is available for purchase on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. You also can jump in today if you’re a Game Pass member.
On top of that, the universe is expanding beyond the game! The Outer Worlds 2 will be featured in the upcoming Secret Level anthology series, streaming on Prime Video. Tune in on December 17 for a short story that takes place between The Outer Worlds and The Outer Worlds 2. While you may have thought that was a lot of shilling, the Secret Level episode is legitimately good, and if the Board were around, they’d tell you it was mandatory viewing.
Wishlist the game today on Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox app on Windows PC, and Steam, and stay tuned for more updates on The Outer Worlds 2—we can’t wait to share what’s next with you. The galaxy is yours to explore; the only question is, how will you shape it?
#The Outer Worlds 2#The Outer Worlds#Obsidian Entertainment#Xbox Game Studios#video game#PS5#Xbox Series#Xbox Series X#Xbox Series S#PC#Steam#Microsoft Store#TGA 2024#The Game Awards
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vi. morning confessional - t.w.
pairing: female driver! x toto wolff
word count: 2.5k
warnings: i typed this entire chapter on my phone while i was at work, so if there are any spelling errors, oopsies! cursing, age gaps, power imbalances, yearning, tons of yearning, oral (f! receiving), mentions of sex, teasing, slight praise kink, slight size kink, yadayadayada
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rays of sunlight filter through the curtains, causing you to stir. scrunching your nose, a yawn takes hold. at the action, his arms instinctively pull you in closer, smothering your face in his chest.
“good morning.”
“good morning beautiful girl,” his voice is thick with sleep, and oh so sexy, “how did you sleep?”
˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖
“better than usual.”
“me too,” soft lips connect with your temple, “what time is it?”
yawning once more, you roll over, plucking your phone off the nightstand.
“8:38 a.m.”
“shit.”
“somewhere to be?”
“yes,” the team principal groans, rubbing his eyes, “unfortunately i am running very late for it. i’ll just let my assistant know i can’t make it.”
“oops,” you shrug, collapsing back into his arms, “why can’t you just stay every night?”
“you know why, schatzi,” he murmurs, squeezing you, “this is going to be a long two weeks.”
“awww,” you tease, ruffling his hair, “is someone going to miss me?”
“you have no idea.”
“we’ll be in japan. that will surely be exciting,” you begin to run your hand through his hair, melting as his lashes flutter.
“and you know what comes after japan.”
“miami,” you suck in a breath, “that still gives me some time to consider everything.”
“just don’t overthink it,” one eye opens, “if you overdo it, you’ll start to reconsider every little thing.”
“i know,” you exhale, “it’s just overwhelming. i don’t like disappointing people either.”
“oh i know,” toto leans in, the tip of his nose brushing yours, “you tend to put on this facade that you’re selfish, doing things only for your gain. however, i have learned that deep down, you’re a huge people pleaser. that’s why you’ve been dragging your feet in giving me your answer. you don’t want hurt james. you don’t want to disappoint the team. most of all, you don’t want to face the backlash that will follow.”
your lower lip trembles, tears welling up in your eyes. they threaten to spill over, and his brows furrow, “oh schatzi, i didn’t mean to hurt your—“
“no,” you sniffle, “i just hate that you’re right.”
“you don’t have to spend your life pleasing others, you know,” his arms engulf you in an embrace, rubbing circles on your back as you weep into his chest, “you’re allowed to make decisions for yourself. you need to do what you feel is best.”
“but there’s just one thing that i can’t shake,” the words are barely coherent, but he hears them anyway.
“and that is?” he inquires, kneading into your shoulder blades.
“i want to be with you at mercedes. i’m just scared that if something happens between us, i’ll regret my decision.”
“us?”
your eyes snap open, panic settling in, “i-i, um, i — i didn’t mean anything by that, i just—“
“you want an us?” fingers grasp your chin, tilting your head to meet his gaze.
“i-i mean,” your voice falters, “isn’t it inevitably going to happen if we keep seeing one another? one of us is going to develop feelings and we’re going to—“
lips crash into yours, nearly knocking the wind out of your lungs. it’s a passionate kiss, needy and brimmed with hunger. fingers tangle in your hair, tugging at the roots as you whimper, his tongue licking along your lower lip. he sucks on it, the hand on your back delving lower and lower, gripping the curve of your ass.
a noise rumbles in the base of this throat as you suck on his tongue, the kisses growing sloppier and messier by the second. the noise is guttural, almost like a growl.
he pulls away momentarily, panting slightly, “who is to say that the feelings aren’t already there?”
“toto you don’t—“
“i do,” shifting his weight, he pins you to the bed, “like i said, i didn’t have a crush. i can’t stop thinking about you. every single time i think about racing, or my drivers, or even mercedes in general, my thoughts wander to you.”
as he takes you in, you can’t help but gaze into his eyes, your hand reaching out. fingers brush his cheek tenderly, tracing the lines that scoured his face. his lashes flutter at your touch, his chest heaving as your fingertips wander, memorizing every minuscule detail.
your fingertips land on his lips, “i just need to know one thing.”
“what is it, love?”
“this offer, signing me as a driver to mercedes. is it business or is it personal?” preparing for the worst, you feel yourself instinctively shy away.
yet, he isn’t fazed, maintaining eye contact, “do you want my honest answer?”
“of course i do.”
“personal. completely personal,” there’s a glint in his mocha depths, an emotion you couldn’t quite read.
“ever since i saw that photo of you, signing that contract with williams, i knew i wouldn’t be able to resist you. i tried, i really tried to maintain my distance. to stay away. but i can’t. there’s something about you that draws me in. i don’t quite know what, but i know that i need you by my side. at mercedes, where i can make you a world champion. my world champion. i would make my golden girl a world champion.”
“toto,” you begin, but he continues, pressing a finger to your mouth.
“yes, it would be good for mercedes to sign on a driver with your talent. our reputation would benefit. you have the qualities of a mercedes driver. but this isn’t about business. this is personal. it always has been. it always will be.”
“i-i,” you stutter, the temperature of the room elevated as toto’s mouth inches closer and closer to yours, “i don’t know—“
“you don’t have to say anything right now,” his voice is low and thready, consumed with desire, “i know it’s a lot. there’s a lot to consider and a lot at stake. but for now, just focus on me. can you do that for me baby?”
nodding meekly, anticipation takes a hold as he lowers his head, mouth connecting with your heated skin. the kisses travel further and further down, his hands finding yours, intertwining your fingers together.
“so beautiful,” he whispers, “so, so, so breathtaking.”
“so are you—“
a moan fills the space as his mouth envelops your clit through your panties. he groans at your reaction, knuckles turning white as you squirm, gripping your hands tightly.
“take them off, please.”
“so you do beg,” he taunts, his breath hot as it fans against your inner thighs, “what do you need again, schatzi?”
“i need you,” you whimper, dripping with desire, “i need you, toto wolff.”
“i’ll take care of you baby,” his pupils are dilated, blush tinging his cheeks, “just relax, and let me take care of you.”
at the sight of you beneath him, aching for his touch, toto nearly unravels.
was he dreaming? or was this heaven?
god, you were so fucking beautiful like this. all needy and desperate. between your thighs, he couldn’t help but notice the wet spot pooling in your panties. goosebumps riddled your arms and legs, yet your skin was so soft and warm.
you were practically inviting him in.
and how could he resist?
“is this okay?” the team principal tugs on the hem of your panties.
“yes,” the corners of his lips curl into a smirk at your quick response, “please, toto.”
dragging the fabric down your legs, he relishes how they glow in the morning light.
every part of you was so beautiful. every. single. part.
“open your legs,” strong hands grasp your thighs, the command sending a shiver down your spine, “i need to see that perfect pussy.”
you can’t help but obey, shielding your face instinctively as he situates himself, mouth merely centimeters from your drenched pussy.
if your body was an altar, toto was prepared to worship, savoring and praising every inch of you until there was nothing left.
“don’t hide,” he tuts, “i want you to watch.”
“but—“
a hand, your hand, covers your mouth as his tongue delves between your folds, your back arching. fingertips dig into your hips, holding you in place.
toto was a starving man. and fuck, did you taste so fucking good.
he couldn’t get enough, the tip of his nose brushing against your clit as his tongue explores every inch of you. his tongue applies pressure to your clit as he sucks lightly, swirling in circles as you buck your hips.
“oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.”
toto didn’t have to ask if you were close. he could sense it, the way your muscles were beginning to tense up. the way your hips rocked back and forth, practically riding his tongue. the way your voice was growing louder and louder, yearning for more and more.
already this close and he had barely even started?
fuck, was he going to have fun with you.
“toto,” there it was again, his name from your lips, “toto, i’m going to — you’re going to make me cum.”
“you deserve it,” he pulls away, mouth and chin glistening, “you deserve it baby. cum for me. be a good girl and cum for me.”
the words coax you to the edge, and you feel a finger wedge its way into your tight hole, your walls stretch, adjusting to the size of his finger. just as you get used to one, he shoves another inside, pumping them in and out, curling once they’re inside.
the euphoria crashes over you like a tidal wave as his mouth plants kisses over your clit, practically making out with your pussy. you feel your walls close in, the pleasure wound up tightly in your lower abdomen.
“toto,” you’re almost breathless, “i-i’m going to cum.”
moans flood toto’s ears as you orgasm, your thighs squeezing against his ears. your muscles twitch and shudder, juices dribbling down his chin.
pressing one last kiss to your pussy, he catches his breath, wiping his chin.
before you know it, two fingers are pressed against your lips, “taste yourself.”
opening wide, your tongue dances along the digits, licking them clean. toto watches in awe, a fiery hunger burning within.
it took every fiber of his being not to just spread you open again, filling you up, claiming you.
claiming what was rightfully his.
“oh my god,” you exhale, scrambling to muster a single coherent thought, “that was—“
“you’ll get more.”
your back meets with the mattress once again, hands on your head, “holy shit.”
“never had a man make you cum like that before?” you want to slap the smug smirk off his face.
but you stop yourself, feeling a frown form as he plucks his clothes off of the floor, shoving his legs into his slacks.
“leaving so soon?”
“i have to go,” relief ripples from your head to your toes as you sense his disappointment. he was just as upset to go, “i want to stay baby, but i have about sixty-two missed calls and seventy texts. they’re wondering where i am and i need to get going.”
“that’s all right,” reaching for own phone, you wonder if you were in a similar predicament.
you couldn’t quite remember, but you were sure you had missed a few meetings. one of them was more than likely with the press. one was probably a team meeting before the next destination.
“what’s going to be your excuse?”
toto pauses momentarily, leaning over to give you a swift peck, “the answer is simple. they won’t get one. they don’t need to know where i was.”
“someone’s grumpy,” you giggle as you notice the prominent frown.
“yeah i am.”
“and why’s that?” you arch a brow.
“because i want to fuck the shit out of you,” the casual delivery has you reeling, your heart fluttering as he shoves his arms into his dress shirt.
“i want to watch you cum again and again and again. but i can’t. i have to go about my day as if i didn’t just taste pure ambrosia on my tongue. i have to sit there and answer phone calls, emails, my team, and act like nothing ever happened.”
“is it hard for you?”
“of course it’s hard,” toto runs a hand through his hair, and you pick out the tightness of his jaw as he speaks, “i want to tell someone. i want to tell someone how the most beautiful woman in the world has me wrapped around her finger. how i’m putty in her hands. but i can’t.”
“toto, i—“
“i hate to interrupt you,” he crosses over to the bed once again, scooping you up in his embrace, “but i really have to go. i’ll text you, okay? maybe we can rendezvous at some point in these next few weeks. i’ll fly you out. you wouldn’t have to pay a single penny.”
“okay,” you nod, inhaling his scent one last time, attempting to memorize the way his arms feel around your frame. it was far too quick, toto pulling away, tousling your hair.
“be a good girl for me. i’ll see you soon.”
“i’ll see you soon, toto.”
and just like that, he was gone.
biting your lip, you curl up on the mattress, throwing the comforter over your body.
you shouldn’t cry. not over this.
but why did you feel that urge? why was it becoming increasingly more difficult to focus on anything other than the team principal?
yeah, you had a crush on him. that was years ago, when you were a teenager. that was innocent, a young girl swooning over a man nearly three times her age.
now, that crush was developing into something much more. something far more complex that you could have ever imagined.
you were falling head over heels for toto wolff, whether you liked it or not.
and you couldn’t fight it, no matter how hard you tried to push those feelings away. you had tried to seal them away in a box, throwing out the key.
somehow toto had found that damn key.
he was the key, really.
and who knew what would happen if you opened the lid to that box.
however, there were far more pressing matters.
picking up your phone, you scroll through your messages, notifications, and emails.
there was nothing too crazy you missed, just a quick debrief before you all left for home for the next week or so.
although, one particular text caught your eye.
it was james, sent about fifteen minutes ago.
good morning, american girl! i’m not sure if you’re aware, but the fia has made their decision concerning your tussle with george. it’s not good, but it’s not bad either. i figured you were probably not feeling up to the team meeting since you got pretty banged up from the crash. get some rest, then give me a call when you can.
also, is there a reason why toto wolff approached me yesterday? he was asking about your contract. do you have any idea what that was about?
˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖
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Beautifully Cruel World-Chapter 1
Series Masterlist | The Pack | Next
ABO Non-Idol Stray Kids Universe Poly OT8 x Reader 18+ MDNI
Here's the first chapter of my ABO SKZ series. Just reminder this is both my first SKZ and ABO story. So please be kind. As of right now I don't fully have a schedule for posting, but I'll try to post as often as I can.
Warnings in the Series Masterlist as well as any other information needed
Chapter 1
“The family and pack will be better off without you anyways, you little bitch.” An older male alpha yells at a female omega as she runs from the house and quickly gets in her car.
Y/n starts her car and speeds off without looking back. She wasn’t able to grab anything as she left, she barely even managed to grab her car keys and most differently didn’t have time to stop and grab her shoes having run out of the house barefoot.
She wipes away her tears unsure where she’s even going. She’s just been kicked out of her family and pack which in reality she doesn’t care about as there was no way in hell she’d be going back willingly anyways. But she has nowhere to go and no plan of action.
Y/n drives as far as she can until the car dings at her indicating she’s moments away from running out of gas and pulls off to the side of the road in front of a park as she has no money. She takes in a deep breath before letting out a blood curdling scream and hits her steering wheel a few times, not able to hold back her tears anymore. Y/n slumps in the driver seat and cries, unable to believe what her life has come to.
This world is cruel, especially for omegas. A hundred years ago a deadly disease caused the almost extinction of omega’s. Only less than a quarter of the omega population who were immune survived and were taken and sold to hopefully produce more. Over those hundred years the omega population has risen but not enough that it became common practice that a pack would share an omega among the alphas and betas if they were lucky enough to get one. But because of the still rarity, omegas are treated as possessions and slaves to most packs, whether bought by the pack or born into it before they are sold.
It’s uncommon for any omegas to be somewhat free and after Y/n had presented and was kept under close watch by her family and pack and kept her life more low key, all she dreamt about was being free and maybe being able to find real love, maybe even her true mated pack but as she got older she knew that’s all it was, a dream. Something she could only read about in books. The moment she presented Y/n’s family who is made up of mostly betas with a few alphas knew they had to do anything to keep her true presentation a secret. Including giving her omega suppressant injections every month that will calm her scent to almost beta like and keep her from having heats or omega tendencies. An injection that Y/n is supposed to get another dose of in a few days before her scent will start to fully normalize back to her omegas.
A male alpha and two male betas walk through the park taking a nice stroll, the betas talking excitedly as the alpha follows behind them fondly watching his two mates. It isn’t until the betas smell a change in their alpha’s scent that they turn to see the older male had stopped a few feet back and seems tense.
“Channie hyung, what’s wrong?” Felix asks, grabbing Jisung’s hand walking back to their mate.
“I smell an omega in distress.” Chan says while looking around the area.
Both Jisung and Felix take in a deep breath sniffing around and they smell what their alpha is smelling. It’s faint but no doubt about it being an omega in distress which causes Jisung to whimper. Chan grabs Jisung’s hand that Felix isn’t holding onto and drags the two along while he follows the distressed scent. The closer they get the stronger the scent gets for the two betas.
“What are we gonna do when we find the omega?” Jisung asks, looking around searching for anyone who seems to be upset.
“I don’t know yet.” Chan answers as he zeros in on a car parked on the side of the road of the park noticing a crying female slumped in the driver seat and realizes that’s where the scent is coming from. “All I know is we need to help her before some ruthless alpha catches her scent and tries to do something to her.”
Chan doesn’t exactly say what it is other alphas could do to the omega not wanting to upset or scare his two betas but there isn’t a need to as they understand what he means as the alpha drags them to the parked car. Once close he lets go of Jisung’s hand, walking up to the driver window and knocks softly which causes the crying omega to jump and turn to look at him.
Y/n stares at the alpha for a moment scared as to why he’s there and berates herself for having not smelled his presence sooner but reminds herself that her last suppressant injection is still effective for at least a few more days so he most likely isn’t knocking because of her being an omega. It’s when she sees the concerned looks of what she assumes are two omegas holding hands behind him that she finally wipes away her tears and rolls down her window a bit, only enough to be able to talk to each other through. It’s then that she realizes she assumed wrong but the two behind the alpha is for sure a beta and possibly still an omega but she’s unsure.
“Y-yes?”
“Are you okay?” He asks, resting his arm on the top of the car and leans in a bit.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay.” She sniffs and tries to sound convincing. “Just had a bit of a shit morning is all and I’m about to run out of gas, there’s not enough to go anywhere.”
“How can we help?” Chan taps the top of the car not fully believing the girl.
“There’s no need.” She shakes her head. “I can figure it out, don’t wanna be a bother to you guys or anything.”
Chan gives her a sad look. “It wouldn’t be a bother to us. And it isn’t safe for an omega to be out here alone like this.” Y/n tenses up at this, unsure how he knows she’s an omega, her scent should still be beta like for a few more days at least. “Is there someone in your pack we can call? Do they know you’re out here?”
Chan doesn’t miss how the girl tenses up at the mention of her presentation and how terrified she looks when he asks about contacting her pack. And that’s when he notices the bruises on her wrists that she’s hiding in her lap. Based on the lack of a matting bite on her neck Chan knew she hasn’t been sold to a pack by her family yet. But based on her condition he assumes her family pack isn’t much safer for her anyways.
Y/n shakes her head no, looking both scared and sad. “There isn’t anyone you can call.”
“Let us help you in some way.” Felix steps forward with a desperate look. He has this deep feeling that she belongs with them somehow and knows the other two feel it too.
Jisung then steps forward as well. “Do you have anywhere to go?”
Y/n hesitates as though she’s thinking about her answer before sadly shaking her head no and looks down at her lap when she notices her bruised wrist is visible to the alpha and covers it as subtly as she can. Something in her is telling her she can trust these men, that they won’t do anything to her.
Chan notices her movement with a frown. “Why don’t you stay with us tonight? We can help you figure out what to do and where you need to go.”
“We won’t hurt you.” Felix says. “Chan's younger brother is an omega as well as one of my sisters. We’re very protective of omegas because of it. As well as the rest of our pack, another one of our alpha’s has an omega brother. We’ll help you, I promise.” Y/n realizes then that he, who she had assumed was possibly another omega, is actually a beta who seems very omega-like.
Chan understands why she still hesitates to agree. His heart sinks when she rolls the window back up thinking she’s denying them but sighs in relief when she turns the cars engine off and unlocks the doors. He steps back a bit and opens the door for her to step out, he is shocked when he sees she’s barefoot.
“Do you have a bag or anything we can grab from the trunk?” Jisung asks, also frowning at her being barefoot.
“N-no.” She stutters and watches in confusion as Felix moves and crouches in front of her.
“Hop on my back, I’m not letting you walk to our car barefoot.”
“That’s okay, I’m probably too heavy for you to carry anyways.” She starts to walk around him but the alpha stops her by grabbing her waist and hoisting her onto the beta’s back who quickly grabs her legs wrapping them around his waist as he stands and she quickly wraps her arms around his shoulders to stabilize herself.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about ‘being too heavy’?” Felix starts to walk. “I’m Felix by the way. The alpha is Chan and the other beta is Jisung.”
“Y-Y/n.” She stutters and turns to look at Chan as she feels calm being carried on Felix’s back and actually enjoys how he smells and how safe she feels right now. “I have to ask… h-how did you know… that I’m an-an omega?”
Chan and Jisung look at her confused and she feels Felix’s body go a bit rigid.
“What do you mean? I can smell your omega scent. I smelled that you were distressed and followed it. I know how rough it can be for omegas in this world so I knew I needed to help.” Y/n looks at Chan shocked and confused. “Why did you think we wouldn't be able to tell that you’re an omega?”
She goes deep in thought about the situation. She knows for a fact that the injection is still effective for a few days. She gets it done on the first of every month even though the injection is effective for 35 days. And tomorrows the first of the new month, meaning she still has at least 5 days until it wears off, which she doesn’t know what will happen then as she’s never missed an injection. The only way anyone could smell her through the suppressant is if they are her fated mates. But that’s impossible right?
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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬
Satoru Gojo
[Chapter 19] Late Night Shenanigans
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Pairing: Satoru Gojo x f!Reader
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“Satoru…” You look at him, and he looks back at you with the same confusion. Sayo takes the seat that’s next to Ren’s, leaving Satoru to take a seat next to you on the plane. He could sit literally anywhere else, but he won’t. There’s a lot to talk about anyway.
“Who are you?” Ren asks, his blue eyes wide as he looks at the pretty woman that sits next to him. Sayo smiles at him, unsure of how to introduce herself. She puts out her hand for Ren to shake.
“I’m Sayo. What’s your name, buddy?” She introduces herself, and you’re extremely confused with everything. Her reaction, or rather, lack thereof. Satoru never told you that she knew, but based on his reaction, he didn’t know that she knew either.
“I’m Ren.” He responds with a big smile on his face. He still doesn’t have an idea who Sayo is and why she’s here, but you two seem fine with it, so he’s fine with it. Perhaps she’s like Shoko, a friend of his mom’s.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Ren. I’m your dad’s friend.” Sayo answers, making you even more disoriented. Perhaps she doesn’t want Ren to ask too many questions about who she is, making Satoru’s job easier. Sayo’s eyes then fall on you, “Your son is so cute. He looks just like Satoru.”
“Uhm… Thank you.” You respond. How are you supposed to answer that? That’s Satoru’s wife, a woman who just found out that her husband has a son. Well apparently she didn’t just find out but anyway. There’s a lot of questions that you have to ask, but not in front of Ren.
“You know this is a business trip, right? You can’t–” Satoru begins, making Sayo roll her eyes. She knows this isn’t a business trip, she isn’t a dumbass.
“I’ll stay away, just want to enjoy the beach and relax. Away from everyone.” She says. She gets comfortable in her seat since it’s going to be a long flight.
Ren’s first flight goes smoothly, so much so that he swears he wants to grow up and be a pilot. You wonder how long it’ll last though since last week he wanted to be a firefighter. You managed to nap on the plane so you’re thankfully not too tired when you get to your destination– Plus you avoid the awkward situation that you were put in thanks to Sayo joining your trip.
“Woah!” Ren looks around amazed at the beach house when he steps inside. He’s been inside his grandma’s home many times but for some reason, the much smaller beach house impresses him more. Of course, it’s still pretty big, but nothing compared to Satoru’s childhood home. Satoru chuckles, holding Ren’s hand as Ren begins to look around the place.
“The bedroom is over there, if you want to unpack and whatnot.” Sayo points to the door. “It’s the master bedroom though. I’m not sure of the arrangement you have with Satoru, but I’m sure he wants you to have the master bedroom.”
“Thank you.” Your voice is weak when you speak, embarrassed and awkward because of this situation. She begins to walk to the stairs but you call out her name before she can get too far, making her stop in her tracks. “Did he tell you?”
“He didn’t. But I have my ways of knowing.” She answers, and you begin to chew on the inside of your cheek since another question lingers in your mind.
“Aren’t you upset?” You ask her, and a laugh escapes her lips.
“I don’t care for Satoru as much as you think, honey. I’m surprised he hasn’t talked to you about our arrangement.” She says, which leaves you dumbfounded. You’re speechless, and after standing awkwardly for a minute or so, she decides to go upstairs.
“Arrangement? What arrangement?” You whisper, walking over to the bedroom that’s on the first floor to unpack. You come to a stop when Ren calls out to you.
“Mommy! Did you see the view!” He yells, and you chuckle as he runs up to you. He’s dragging his father along with him. Ren grabs your hand, and leads the two of you to the big windows that give you a view of the beautiful beach. “Can we go now?”
“The sun is beginning to set, Ren. We can go really early tomorrow.” You say, watching as the sky turns a pinkish color. Ren doesn’t just want to walk along the shoreline, he wants to swim in the water and play in the sand, and it’s too late for that now. It doesn’t help that you’re tired. You know that tonight he’ll be so excited that he won’t be able to sleep, but that’ll make your job all that easier because at the end of the day, he’ll be falling asleep in your arms.
You watch as Satoru pouts as well, but he isn’t going to argue with your decision. Ren looks up at his dad, hopeful that Satoru will do something. But Satoru just ruffles Ren’s hair. Satoru then proceeds to ask, “What do you want for dinner, bud? We can eat whatever you want.”
“Is Sayo going to join us?” You ask, and Satoru shakes his head. His next words just confirm to you that their dynamic is… Weird enough for a husband and wife. Perhaps it should’ve come to your mind when you saw the man making sex eyes to his old secretary, and after he kissed you.
“I don’t want her to.”
Ren was given his own room to sleep in, yet, he chooses to sleep in your bed. You never knew that someone so small could take up so much space, but Ren always has you on the edge of the bed, about to fall off. It’s something that makes Satoru cracks up when he walks into the bedroom to find you nearly on the floor because Ren takes up so much space. He wonders how you’ve managed to fall asleep. Satoru picks up Ren from the bed, carrying him out.
“Daddy?” Ren slowly opens his eyes, feeling how he’s being carried out of bed. Ren wonders what’s happening since he sees it’s still dark out. He feels Satoru kiss his temple, as they walk outside.
“We’re going to the beach, baby.” Satoru answers. It’s very late so they won’t be able to do much, but Satoru wants to let Ren at least play in the sand a bit. He’s been thinking about Ren’s pouty face, disappointed that he had to wait the whole entire day. He doesn’t know why he’s been just thinking about how disappointed Ren was, and it was keeping him awake. “Just for a bit, okay? We’re spending the whole entire day tomorrow here, so I don’t want you to get tired of the beach.”
“I won’t get tired.” Ren reassures his father, making Satoru chuckle. They’re still not staying for too long, he doesn’t want you to wake up and find out that Satoru has taken Ren out. Satoru realizes he forgot to grab a pair of shoes for Ren before walking out but he’s not too worried. It’s just sand, the only worry about it is that it gets everywhere. Satoru crouches down, rolling up Ren’s long pajama pants before the little boy runs to the shore.
“How’s the water? Is it cold?” Satoru asks as he takes off his own shoes to join his son.
“It’s warm.” Ren answers, and Satoru quickly verifies it as his feet touch the water. He grabs Ren’s hand before he goes in too deep into the water. Ren ends up taking a seat on the water, and Satoru bites down his lip, running a hand through his hair. He did not expect the child to take a seat in the water and ruin his pajamas. There’s absolutely no way that they won’t get caught now.
Ren begins to splash the water, and Satoru isn’t as stressed. It’s worth it to see Ren happy like this. Plus, he can do just about anything with Ren, after all, Satoru is his father. Satoru smiles, sitting down on the water as well, joining his son. His pajama pants gets completely soaked but he doesn’t mind. Satoru smiles, seeing how much fun Ren is having, “Are you having fun, Ren?”
“Yeah!” He exclaims. And for some reason, as Satoru stares at Ren, it dawns on him that this is something he has longed for– Sure, he’s thought about it, but reality really sets in. This is what he has really wanted for so long, and he finally has it. From you nonetheless.
A sudden happiness consumes him. He has been happy, he was the happiest he could be when he found out about his son but it just hits him how lucky he is. His little baby boy from the woman he’s loved the most. Satoru picks up Ren from the water, kissing his son’s cheeks then proceeding to kiss all over his face, holding him high as Satoru lays down, completely getting wet.
“Daddy!” Ren squeals, followed by a giggle. It’s the best sound in the world. He’s missed so many years of this but he tries not to think about it, he has time to make it up. Ren is not even five yet, he has a whole life ahead of him. A whole life where Satoru gets to love him.
Satoru puts him down on his chest, hugging him tightly. Satoru appreciates the moment, lifting his head a bit to look at his son’s white hair, and laying back down to look at the stars in the sky. He has the biggest grin on his face. When was the last time he was this happy?
“I love you, Ren.” Satoru says.
“I love you too.” Ren answers. Satoru relaxes with the sound of the waves as they hit the shore, his eyes slowly getting heavier and heavier. He guesses he should let Ren go because he isn’t doing anything while in Satoru’s arms, but Satoru notices that Ren has fallen asleep.
A sheepish smile comes to his lips, kissing the top of Ren’s head before muttering, “My baby boy.”
Satoru stands up, and just as he turns to walk back to the house, he hears your voice. You’re still in your pajamas, a hand on your hip, shaking your head in disappointment. Satoru feels his face get hot as he walks over to you.
“Sorry, I–” He begins, but you cut him off.
“There’s no need to apologize, Satoru. He’s your son too, you’ve allowed to do stuff with him.” You say, taking a seat on the sand. Satoru doesn’t know exactly what you’re doing, but he follows your lead. “I would’ve appreciated if you would’ve told me. I woke up a little scared when Ren wasn’t next to me.”
“I’m sorry.” Satoru chuckles. You look over at Ren, who sleeps soundly in his fathers arms. You see he’s wet, and you know he had the time of life. Satoru bites down on his lip before asking, “So… What are we doing now?”
“The sun is going to rise soon. It’s late– Or really early. Depends on how you look at it.” You answer. Satoru didn’t really look at the time when he got Ren, and he certainly lost track of time with Ren. “You can go back inside.”
“No, it’s fine. I want to watch the sunrise with you.” Satoru responds. You both sit in silence, watching the horizon for the first bit of sunlight to appear, but time seems to slow down. Both of your hearts beat fast, as if they were going to beat out of your chest.
“So… Sayo told me that you have an arrangement. Do you want to talk about it?” You speak up, the question bugging your mind. You’re not sure when you’ll have a moment where you’re semi-alone again.
“Not right now, really.” Satoru says, not wanting to ruin the moment now. He misses when the first bit of light graces the sky, his eyes focused on you. He knows he shouldn’t… But he leans in to press a kiss on your cheek, which catches you off guard since your eyes are elsewhere.
“What was that for?” You ask. You’re a little too happy about it, but you shouldn’t let it happen
“For our son.”
“You have a wife, and even if you didn’t, our relationship has been long gone, Satoru.” You remind him.
“Just a thank you kiss, nothing else.”
#[changes]#gojo saturo#satoru gojo#gojou satoru x you#jjk satoru#gojou satoru x reader#jujutsu kaisen gojo#jjk gojo#gojo angst#jjk#jujutsu kaisen#jujutsu kaisen x reader#gojo satoru#jujutsu gojo#gojo x reader#gojo fanfic
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ryomen sukuna x reader | college au [18+]
touchdown ch3 party rock anthem
ᡣ𐭩 pairing. football player! sukuna x journalism major! reader
ᡣ𐭩 summary. ryomen sukuna. your best friend’s frat brother. he’s tall, hot, suave, not to mention the best thing to happen to college football since…well, ever. he’s in a world completely different to your own. while he spends his nights partying and racking up his body count, you spend your nights reading and racking up your word count. but when the two of you decide to come to a mutually beneficial agreement, you realise you aren’t so different after all.
ᡣ𐭩 warnings/tags. 18+. fem!reader, fluff, angst, smut, college au, fraternities, sororities, partying, alcohol consumption, weed consumption, romance, jealousy, pining, slow burn, fake dating, opposites attract, acquaintances to lovers, she falls first he falls harder, sukuna being an asshole, best friend gojo.
ᡣ𐭩 chapter. 3/?
ᡣ𐭩 word count. 3.8k
ᡣ𐭩 a/n. hello again my loves! welcome to chapter three of touchdown!! i’m in the process of beginning to write my next college au as voted by all of you lovely people! that should be out soon, and i’ll be writing them alongside each other! they will be in the same universe, and i’m hoping to have multiple college aus in the same universe for multiple characters! anyways, on with the chapter!!
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“Sit your ass down.” Those were the first words you heard as you stepped into the door of your apartment, hands clasped together in a futile attempt to keep them warm from the november weather. In short, you were freezing your ass off. You tensed as you heard the voice, shrugging your coat off and tentatively tiptoeing your way into the living room with a sheepish smile on your face.
“Am I in trouble?” There say Yuki, legs spread, hands in her lap, with a terrifying look on her face. It wasn’t very often Yuki was mad at you, but when she was, your blood always ran cold. “Yeah sweetie, you’re in trouble.” She nodded her head towards the seat opposite her, and you quickly took a seat, looking down at your lap to avoid meeting her steel gaze.
“Is this about the laun-” “Shut the fuck up.” You closed your mouth instantly. You knew better than to argue with the blonde woman when she was in this mood. You’d known her since the freshman year of high school, where she picked you from the crowd, swung her arm around your shoulders and claimed you as her best friend for the rest of her days. You were a victim, really.
“You didn’t think to tell me? Did you think you’d get away with it?” You racked your brain for what you could’ve done that would have her this pissed at you. You’d always been an angel in Yuki’s eyes, and she protected you from the outside world the way a mother bear would. You were basically her baby. It was how you’d got through high school unscathed despite your invasive tendencies.
“Get away with…what?” She rolled her eyes, shifting her hips so she was closer to you, bringing one manicured nail up under your chin to force you to meet her eyes. Fucking terrifying. “You and Sukuna? You thought you could date the captain of the football team and not tell me?” You let out a sigh of relief, knowing she wasn’t truly mad at you. She was mad that she’d found out from someone that wasn’t her best friend.
“I should’ve known Choso would tell you. What a snitch.” You rolled your eyes, but Yuki was having none of it. “Spill.” Her eyes were still hard as she looked at you, but you could tell she was excited. You’d not shown an interest in a man beyond dragging him into your bedroom since you broke up with Toji in your senior year of high school. “Shit, okay. It’s new. Like, really new. Not even official yet. Obviously I know him because of Satoru being in the same frat, and I always thought he was hot, everyone thinks he’s hot.” Yuki nodded along with you, her brows furrowing every so often, especially when you mentioned Satoru. They’d always been rivals for your affection, ever since freshman year of high school, when they were both fighting to be crowned the title of your best friend.
“And then he was trying to dm me but i’m private, so he made Toru text me to tell me to accept, and he just kinda asked me to hang out with him after practice, and we’ve been texting and then he asked me to go to the par-”
Yuki screamed. Like actually screamed. The type that would make your neighbours think you’re either having really good sex or being brutally murdered. Neither of which had ever happened for either of you in that apartment.
“He asked you to go with him to the party tonight?” You nodded, and smiled as her eyes sparkled. It’s gonna be so hard to tell her about the fake break up. “He never asks girls to parties. He just picks one that’s already there and has her for the night.” Your stomach twisted awkwardly. You knew what Sukuna was like, you knew he had a body count higher than any number you could think up. But you didn’t like hearing it.
“This is a big deal, sweetie. It means you’re one step closer to actually being his girlfriend. He doesn’t change his routine for just anyone.” Your brows furrowed for a moment. Yuki seemed to know even more about Sukuna than you did. And it was literally your job.
“How the hell do you know all this?” The answer hit you before you could even finish your question. It was such an obvious thing.
Choso.
Choso and Yuki had met two years ago at a bike meet, and exactly the same way she did with you, she claimed him as her own. Choso was reserved, a quiet graphic design major with a heart of gold. You still don’t know how he ended up on the football team, but you suspected it was something to do with Sukuna.
“God. Choso is really invested in his brother’s life.” Yuki rolled her eyes. You were avoiding this line of questioning like the plague. She’d always been able to see right through you.
“You’re going to the party, right?” Of course you were. You needed those interviews so badly, and you wouldn’t get them if you didn’t hold up your end of the deal. Even if it meant going to a party at a frat house. You liked parties, even some frat parties, but you’d only ever gone with Satoru and Yuki. You were gonna be a whole new world now.
“Yeah. Wanna help me get ready?”
Yuki screamed again. Your neighbours were a homophobic elderly couple, and they’d always thought you and Yuki were lesbians. There was some truth to their thinking, Yuki really did like girls. The screaming wasn’t helping your case.
“Sweetie, you have to wear the red one. It’s his favourite colour and you look damn good in it.” You rolled your eyes, but nonetheless pulled out the red dress, while Yuki ran to grab a dress shirt that Choso had left after he got wasted and crashed after team’s award ceremony. You pulled the outfit on and you had to admit, you did look good. You weren’t big-headed but you knew you were somewhat attractive, and the outfit only brought it out.
“So hot.” Yuki giggled as she pulled your hair around, styling it exactly how you like. You’d done your makeup already, and now you were finished. You sprayed some perfume, knowing by the end of the night you’d stink like stale beer and axe body spray. “You ready?” You nodded, following her out the door. She held the car door open for you, as she always did. Yuki showed you exactly how a girl should be treated.
When you and Yuki finally arrived, the party was already in full throttle. People were making out on the couch in the yard, the doorway was clogged full of stumbling frat bros, and you were not happy. Yuki’s hand was clasped tightly around yours, as you used the other to send a dm to Sukuna telling him that you were here.
It took exactly five seconds for the pink haired man to appear in front of the two of you. “Listen. Do not leave her alone. I’ve got a bat in the trunk of my car and i’m not afraid to ruin your career.” His eyes fell to you hiding behind her figure, and you nodded, you knew she would actually do it. He held his hands up in surrender. Yuki didn’t play about you, and if anything happened to you because of him, they wouldn’t find the body.
“You call me if you need me. I’m gonna go find Cho, okay?” You nodded, smiling as she left a soft kiss on your cheek, and gave Sukuna a sharp glare.
“Y’know, Choso said she was a bitch, but I didn’t think he meant it.” You giggled as he took your hand, weaving the two of you through the crowd, hissing venomous words at anyone who got too close to you. “She’s just protective. She’s been like that since high school. She’s the same with Cho.” Sukuna didn’t like the way he slightly tensed at the nickname for his brother, but he chose to ignore it.
“Come on, princess. We’ve got a game of beer pong to win.” You grinned up at him as he pulled you along, and you were almost at the table when you heard a familiar voice over the boom of the dj in the corner.
“You bitch!” Sukuna swung around at this, as you turned slowly, meeting Satoru’s eyes. He stood there, mouth agape as he looked at your hand, which was still fused with Sukuna’s. “So it’s true. This asshole’s got you as his next victim.” He held a hand over his chest as he glared at Sukuna.
“Watch your mouth, Six.” The pink haired man’s teeth were gritted as he looked at Satoru with venom. “Toru, i’m not a victim. I’m also not a five year old you need to babysit.” Satoru reached out, tearing you away from Sukuna and tugging you into his chest, his hand smoothing over your hair. “Y/N, baby. My sweet, sweet girl. He’s an animal.”
You pushed him away, stepping backwards into Sukuna’s body, his hands coming to wrap tightly around your hips. It was so natural, the way he touched you. The feeling it gave you, was unnatural. “I’m a big girl, Toru. I can handle myself.” You gave him a wink, before turning on your heel and pulling Sukuna away like a lost dog.
“Thought we had a game to win?” He grinned down at you, before whistling at one of the other team members. You think his name was Noaya. He was younger than you and Sukuna by a year. “Move. Me and my girl got next.” His girl. It sounded foreign. You hadn’t been someone’s girl in a long time. You gave a small wave to the boys surrounding the table, trying to ignore the stares you were getting from the sorority girls in the room. Sukuna never had someone from the get go at a party. Who the fuck were you?
“Go ahead, baby.” Sukuna placed the ball in your hand and grinned when you instantly got it in the opposing team’s cup. Suguru groaned as he looked down, picking up the cup and downing the contents with a grimace on his lips. “Fuck. She’s good.” Sukuna’s hands were steadily stroking circles on your hips, and it ached how naturally this came to the two of you. You hadn’t been in a relationship since high school, and you weren’t sure Sukuna ever had.
You began to pout when Suguru’s throw landed straight into the cup before you. You gave a small sigh and lifted the solo cup to your lips, throwing your head back to get the contents down in one. You shivered when you finished, eyes falling to Sukuna’s with a small frown. “Ryo…will you get me a drink?”
Your hand had come up to his neck, your perfectly manicured nails stroking at his undercut deliciously. He shivered. He actually shivered. It felt too good. “Yeah, princess. What do you want?” He’d leaned in close now, and you could feel his breath on your ear. It sent a chill down your spine in the best way possible. “Hm. Somethin’ sweet.” You grinned at him, placing a sloppy kiss on the corner of his mouth as he began to retreat.
“Nanami. Watch her.” The blonde man in front of you, Nanami, nodded, moving to stand by your side.
“Hi. I’m Y/N.” Nanami looked formal, his hair was perfectly styled, and he sported a blue polo to go with the khakis he wore. So you opted for a handshake, holding your hand out for him. You noticed the slight upturn at the corner of his lips as he took your hand in his own. “You can call me Kento, if you’d like.” You nodded, giving him a small smile of your own.
“You’re on the football team too, right?” He nodded, and you spied the red cup in his hand, with what looked to be water in it. Smart guy. “Yes. Truthfully, I’m only there because it was required that I have a sports extracurricular. I tend to coach more than play.”
You were nodding along with what he was saying, and he watched your expression to know that you were genuinely interested in what he had to say. “What’s your major?” You were interesting. Nanami may have been boring, but he was probably the player on the team that Sukuna trusted the most. He was level-headed and he was honest. He’d been there too many times to save Sukuna’s ass for him not to trust him. This also meant that Nanami was always subject to whatever girl Sukuna was fixed on at parties. But you were different. You seemed to care about people for more than just their status.
“Accounting. I’m going into business with my father once I graduate.” You smiled, your eyes never leaving his as you held a genuine interest in the conversation. “What about you?” He saw the way your eyes lit up as you began to speak, you genuinely loved your major.
“I’m a journalism major. Specifically sports journalism.” He nodded along, and then something clicked in his mind. “Oh, yes. You’re going to be interviewing us all, correct?”
“Yeah! Ryo said he’d try and get you all on board with it. I’ve got a big project to do about how student athletes balance the personal and professional as well as sports. I hope he isn’t forcing any of you to do this.” Nanami noticed the way you seemed to tense. Everybody knew Sukuna could be harsh, but you wanted genuine answers from the men on the team.
“We’re all happy to help. I saw the order you had us in, any particular reason for it?”
“Well I wanted Geto first because he’s a business owner so he probably has to balance the most, and Sukuna’s last because he’s the captain. Everyone else was just in between based on who’s names I wrote down first.” Before Nanami could respond, Sukuna appeared again, a cup in his hand with a small rubber seal over it, a straw poking out of the top.
“We gotta buy more of those cup cover things.” You gave him a smile, tugging him down to kiss his cheek before taking a sip, your eyes lighting up as you got the sweet sensation flooding your tastebuds. “This is so good, baby.” The pet name rolled so deliciously off your tongue. This was all too natural. Sukuna smirked down at you, before leaning in close to your ear.
“Let’s go sit. Need these sorority whores to know i’m off limits for a while.” You scoffed, slapping his chest gently as he began to lead you towards the couch at the back of the room. “Don’t call women whores, Ryo. I’m sure some of them are really nice girls.” That was one of the main things you’d disliked about Sukuna. He was disrespectful as fuck.
“And some of them are whores.” You scoffed again as he pulled you down onto his lap, your arm coming around his neck to stroke his undercut again. “You’re also a whore, asshole.” You gave him a sickly sweet smile when you saw a group of sorority girls approaching.
“Kuna, baby. Who’s this?” Your eyes moved to meet the gaze of a girl named Yorozu. You knew she was captain of the cheerleaders, and she spent a lot of time around the football team. Maybe she would’ve been a good person to interview for your project.
“This is Y/N. My girl.” You were smiling politely at the girls, beginning to feel out of place. Almost as if Sukuna could read your mind, his thumb began stroking gentle circles on your hip, his grip tightening ever so slightly. “You? A girlfriend? Don’t make me laugh, Sukuna.”
“He’s not kidding. It’s a new thing, but he’s my man.” The possessiveness had never come so easily. You’d never been a girl to stake a claim on a man. If another girl could take him, she could have him. But you needed this. You needed to keep up your end of the deal so your project wouldn’t come crashing down around you.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, sweetie, but you’re just his newest toy. He’ll get bored of you and toss you to the side the second someone better comes along.” She had a sickly sweet smile on her lips, but you could see the bitterness clouding her features. He’d done her dirty, and this was pissing her off.
“Is that what he did with you? That’s sad. I guess he just needed the right girl to change his ways. Right, Ryo?” Sukuna’s smirk grew wider than you ever thought possible as you leaned down to pepper a few kisses on his neck, getting that sweet spot just under his ear so deliciously. “Damn right, baby.” The brunette girl scoffed, eyes darting between the two of you angrily.
“Ryo? What happened to you only going by your last name?”
“It’s a name reserved for my girl. Sounds so good coming out of her mouth.” You could tell Yorozu wasn’t going to let up any time soon, and you were growing uncomfortable with the attention on you. So you did the unthinkable. You violated your own fucking rules.
You grabbed his jaw gently, turning his head to face you. His eyes were searching yours for any sort of explanation. But you really didn’t have one. Instead, you leant forward, connecting your lips with his in a heated kiss. You hated how it made heat pool in your stomach when his tongue came out to nudge at your bottom lip, a silent plead for permission.
And you fucking allowed it. You opened your mouth slowly, allowing his tongue to enter and dance with yours in the most delicious way. His hands had slowly moved down, finding purchase on your soft ass, kneading the flesh between his large fingers. You were fucking making out with Sukuna in front of everyone.
At least nobody could deny your acting skills.
When you were certain you were safe from the venomous words of the cheer captain, you pulled away, sighing softly as you tried to catch your breath. Sukuna’s eyes were wide. He didn’t know what he was feeling, but he knew he didn’t like it. “What happened to no kissing?” And he was back. Signature smirk spreading across his face as he slowly took his hands away from your ass.
“Seemed necessary. It worked, didn’t it?” You wiped the corner of your mouth shyly where the spit from the kiss had pooled. “I don’t think anyone’s gonna doubt we’re fucking now.” He let out a breathy chuckle, eyes scanning over the crowd, noticing the stares and whispers. Everyone except the football team seemed invested in this.
Of course, Choso struggled to keep his mouth shut, so the whole team already knew about the two of you. And they didn’t actually care. They thought the same thing everybody else did. You were his shiny new toy, and he was gonna ruin you.
“We gotta seal the deal, princess. I’ll drive you home. Then everyone will think i’ve got you under me. Or on top of me.” He was grinning now. One of those annoying, shit-eating grins that only he could make look good. And you hated that he did.
“I don’t get in cars with men who’ve been drinking. You think I wanna die before writing about the NFL?”
“I don’t drink during the season. I’ll get you home safely.” You weren’t comfortable with him knowing where you lived just yet. You didn’t fully trust him. Not until he came through with the interviews. “How about we stay here? You’ve got a room right? I’ll just crash with Toru, and come to your room in the morning so it looks like we did something.”
Sukuna looked apprehensive for a moment, before nodding his head, and gently picking you up from his lap. “Lemme just talk to Kamo. You go find Six, yeah?” You nodded, before the two of you parted ways. You spotted the mop of white hair towering above the crowd, running over and nipping his ass cheek with a giggle.
“Well if it isn’t my slut of a best friend.” You feigned offence, holding a hand to your chest as you looked up at him with a grin on your lips. “I am not a slut!”
“Yeah you are, baby girl. Sucking face with Sukuna so shamelessly? Whore behaviour.” You slapped his chest with a giggle. You knew he didn’t mean it. Bad even if he did, his body count was higher than your rent. He had no room to talk. “Can I crash in your room tonight?” Satoru’s brows furrowed.
“You not staying with your man?” His eyes began to look around for his pink haired teammate amongst the crowd of wasted students. “I don’t wanna sleep with him yet. Gotta give him something to look forward to, huh?”
Satoru wasn’t as good at seeing through you as Yuki was, and you were grateful she wasn’t here right now. She’d call your bullshit and this whole ordeal would be for nothing. “You’re a tease, Y/N. You know you can always crash with me. He know you’re staying?”
As confident as Satoru was in his abilities, Sukuna would demolish him, and he wasn’t too proud to admit that. He didn’t wanna come between the two of you if it meant gaining a broken bone. “Yeah, he’s gonna stay in his room tonight.” Satoru looked surprised at that, but you didn’t push. You didn’t need to know any more about Sukuna than what was needed for your project.
And as if he’d been summoned, the pink haired brute appeared behind you, wrapping an arm around your waist and placing a sloppy kiss on your temple. “You wanna go upstairs, baby?” You nodded, waving shyly to Satoru who looked as though he was about to burst, and followed him as he guided you through the crowd and up the stairs.
“I’ve got a shirt you can use for the night. Make it look like you stayed with me. Just come by in the morning, and then sneak out. Should work.” You nodded slowly, taking the pink shirt from his hands. You turned on your heel, about to leave, before he stopped you with his hand around your wrist.
“Thanks, princess.” It was said with grit teeth, like it pained him to say it. But it was a thanks nonetheless. You nodded, giving him a small smile, before leaving his room. You trudged across the hall, before dipping into Satoru’s room, pressing your back against the door once it was closed.
What the fuck.
taglist: @kyo-kyo1 @kenmacantakemeaway @coldluminarykoala @sukubusss @clp-84 @ieathairs @acrazybiotch374 @sukuxna0 @gaychaosgremlin @toratsue @gojoscumslut @mocha-the-muse @livinggxd3adgirl @hahajsphaha
#x reader#jujutsu kaisen#jjk x reader#m.list#sukuna x y/n#sukuna x you#sukuna fluff#sukuna smut#sukuna x reader#jjk sukuna#sukuna ryomen#jjk ryomen#ryomen fluff#ryomen x reader#touchdown
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༯ OFF THE COURT — CHAPTER THREE 𝜗𝜚
paige bueckers x azzi fudd
themes: jealousy, angst, pining
word count: 3.1k
tw: alcohol use, swearing
a/n: hii my lovely’s! i honestly dk how i feel about this chapter, but i hope u guys enjoy it regardless. also please ignore the shift from past to present tense 😭 i realized i fucked it up like mid way thru but oh well! the movies i mentioned are also so good GO WATCH EM. and if u cant tell i love blushing i find it so cutesy. ALSO ONE SHOT IDEAS PLEASEEEEE. anyway, enjoy and hope y’all have a good week!
paige has a problem. it wasn’t that her aim was off, causing her to miss shot after shot. it wasn’t that her coach was yelling at her to get her head in the game. no, it wasn’t any of that. it was the fact paige couldn’t stop thinking about the curly brunette, even if her life depended on it.
ever since practice a few days ago, when azzi’s body was flush against hers, azzi had owned paige’s mind. and since her head is elsewhere, she failed to focus on everything else, especially basketball.
“what’s wrong with you?” nika asks paige, confused as to why her game was off, which is extremely rare for her.
without basketball, paige had nothing. basketball gave paige life, ever since a young age. even after trying other sports, her heart was always set on basketball. so when paige’s game had been acting up, it made her teammates, as well as coaches, confused.
paige glances at nika, “what? nothing.”
nika gave paige a don’t bullshit me look, “paige, cmon. you’ve been missing shots all day. something’s gotta be up.”
paige didn’t, wouldn’t tell nika about paige’s tiny issue. “i don’t know. bad day, i guess.”
“well get your shit together. we need you for tomorrow’s game.”
paige looks over at azzi, who was on the opposite side of the gym with caroline, “don’t worry, i will.”
later that night, paige was already laying in bed when her phone buzzes. it was a text from aubrey, asking the team group chat if anyone wanted to hang.
dorka, paige’s roommate, was already quietly sleeping on the opposite side of the room. paige looks at the time, 9:41 pm; she figured hanging out with her friends wasn’t the worst idea.
paige soon arrives at aubrey’s dorm. she opens the door to find a variety of her teammates; nika was seated on aubrey’s bed along with aubrey, lou was on the floor, while azzi and caroline were on jana’s bed, who wasn’t present.
fuck. of course azzi would show up, despite it being late at night. it was as if azzi somehow knew paige had been thinking about her— appearing just to torment her.
the two met eyes, paige held eye contact a tad longer than she normally would. heat creeped up azzi’s neck.
since there wasn’t much room on either beds, paige slumps against the bed azzi was sitting on.
“so what were y’all doing before i came in?” paige questions her teammates.
“trying to decide on a movie, but nobody is agreeing,” nika replies, annoyance in her voice.
“i say we watch she’s the man, but everyone here doesn’t have good taste, so nobody agrees with me,” aubrey says, rolling her eyes.
paige turns her head up to azzi, “what was your suggestion?”
azzi was caught off guard by paige’s question, “uh, i said about time.”
“oh my god, i love that movie. i agree with azzi,” paige announces.
azzi was shocked, to say the least. she never imagined a world where paige would agree with her.
they settle on about time. nika grabbed a few snacks and passed them around, while lou brought a few drinks in from the tiny kitchen.
a couple minutes into the film, paige grew uncomfortable with her spot on the ground. azzi noticed it by the constant shifting she had been doing. azzi reaches down to tap paige’s shoulder.
“you can come up here if you’re uncomfortable,” azzi whispers so the others wouldn’t be disturbed, while softly patting the spot next to her on the bed.
paige notices that her and carol had already shifted down, making room for paige. her lips curled into a small smile.
without a second thought, paige lifts from the floor and gently sets herself next to azzi, thighs nearly touching.
“thanks,” paige whispers. azzi simply nodded her head.
throughout the movie, paige’s thigh would occasionally graze azzi’s, sending butterflies to her stomach. there was a spark between the two, surely azzi felt it too.
caroline passes a bag of popcorn over to azzi, who instantly begins consuming it.
“can i have some?” paige questions lightly so she didn’t cause distractions for the others.
“of course,” azzi smiles, placing the popcorn in the middle of them.
their hands would graze while both going for the popcorn, paige let her touch linger longer than she should. she knew better. but her secret azzi fudd obsession got the better of her.
“sorry,” paige mutters, pulling her hand away after embarrassment covered her features.
“i don’t mind,” azzi looks at paige, a soft expression on her face.
paige had always been beautiful to azzi, but in this lighting, in aubrey’s small dorm, sitting on the same bed, mere inches apart, paige looked unreal. her blonde hair was the perfect kind of messy, lips were light pink, eyes so blue that they were practically transparent. paige’s cheeks flush at azzi’s eyes solely focused on her.
“okay guys! i’m exhausted, i’ll see y’all tomorrow,” nika jumps up from her spot, causing heads to look over at her.
paige and azzi took their attention away from each other, despite it being the hardest thing paige had to do.
“yeah, i should go too,” azzi agrees, beginning to move off the bed.
“same,” paige says, also moving from her spot.
the three say their goodbyes before leaving out aubrey’s dorm door. during the short walk down the hallway, the girls discuss their excitement for the first game of the season. they came to the end of the hall, where they could go either left, right, or continue straight. nika headed straight, off to her room. paige was going left, while azzi was going right. but both didn’t make any hints to move yet.
paige leans against the wall, azzi mimics her by doing the same on the opposite wall. a small smile crept onto her lips.
“you ready for tomorrow’s game?” paige questions the younger girl.
“beyond ready,” azzi’s smile only grows. she’s been waiting for this moment since before she could remember; her very first game in college basketball.
“you better be. i’m definitely gonna need you,” paige says without thinking. her eyes widen at her use of i’m. “we, i mean.”
azzi’s cheeks redden at paige’s comment about her needing azzi. not the team— her, accident or not.
“are you ready? you seemed kinda distracted at practice,” azzi brings up.
“i’m fine,” paige says harsher than she meant.
not wanting to deal with paige’s attitude, azzi sighs, “alright. see you tomorrow.”
paige desperately wanted azzi to stay with her. she wanted to grab her by the hand and pull her close; but she knew she couldn’t do that.
“yeah, see ya.”
the next morning, paige immediately shuts down any azzi thoughts from the previous day. she needs to focus on the game. it was the first of the season, and she eagerly wanted to make it a good one.
she brushes her teeth, washes her face, dresses herself, as dorka did the same.
“ready for this, p?” dorka smiles, excitement buzzing off her tall frame.
“always,” she matches her smile.
the two girls grab their bags and head down to the dining hall to grab some breakfast. nika, aubrey, jana, lou, carol and azzi were already seated and eating away.
paige prepares her meal before taking the spot besides jana, directly across from none other than azzi. they quickly lock eyes before looking away equally as quickly.
the team discusses plays they wanted to run in the upcoming game, all participating and giving suggestions. they soon finish eating before heading down to the gym for some smaller workouts, to get somewhat warmed up.
paige was still struggling to make her shots that she’d normally be making. when azzi notices, she casually walks over.
“can i suggest something?” azzi asks.
paige looks over at her, “hm?”
azzi strolls closer to the older girl, close enough to where paige felt her breath on
the back of her neck.
“what are you doing?” paige asks, breathlessly.
azzi places her hand on paige’s, adjusting it to where she liked. she then moves her elbow, “fixing your form.”
once azzi was done, paige shoots the ball, and is surprised to see it actually go through the basket.
“thanks, i guess,” paige grins.
the two girls continue shooting, getting their reps in when the time came to begin actual warm ups.
the game was about to begin; paige, nika, aubrey, azzi and jana were the starting 5. azzi feels an intense amount of pressure to do well, since she’s the only freshmen starting tonight.
the five girls huddle together, wide grins on their smiles, beyond ready to get this season going. paige speaks words of encouragement to her teammates as they all get into position.
uconn was up by 31 points, azzi having 19 while paige has 21.
paige runs the ball up the court, eyeing each teammate of hers. she passes the ball over to nika, who throws it over to azzi. she effortlessly makes the open 3, causing loud roars from the uconn student section.
the team was on a 9-0 run in the third quarter when paige sprints near half court and collides with a member from the other team.
azzi watches it happen and rushes over a little too quickly, for someone who claimed to hate her. azzi appears in front of the older girl, who was lying on the floor face up, and gently places her hands on her knees.
“are you okay?” azzi asks, worry laced in her tone.
paige was silent for a moment, still dazed by the impact. but when she glanced up at the brunette, a sense of calm quickly washed over her.
“yeah,” she answers, grabbing azzi’s hands that were being held out to her.
their hands held onto one another’s a moment too long. their bodies were slightly touching; neither made any movements.
it wasn’t until coach auriemma yelled at them did either of the girls make a move. paige was substituted for ashlynn to rest, and eventually, azzi was also subbed out for caroline to give other players a chance to play, as they were dominating the opposing team.
azzi settles down next to paige, the only spot open on the bench. their thighs were full on touching since the seats were so tight.
azzi rests her elbows on her knees before turning to paige, “you sure you’re okay? that fall looked like it hurt.”
paige smiles at azzi’s worry, “why? do you care or something?” she teases.
azzi’s face lit up with red, “um, no. of course not.”
paige lets out a soft chuckle before playfully pushing the brunette’s face, who who responds with a wide grin, dimples and all.
paige matches her smile with one of her own. god. she was otherworldly.
“you’re so fucking pretty,” paige mumbles, barely audible for azzi to hear, while dropping her heads, wrapping her arms under.
“sorry, what’d you say?”
“nothing,” paige replies, definitely not repeating her words.
the game ends, the teams high five one another before heading to the locker rooms.
“guys, since we played so well today, we should definitely celebrate,” jana suggests.
“what are you thinking?” nika asks, a smile tugging at her lips.
“ted’s, of course,” she laughs, “is everyone good with 7?”
each team member agree to meet at ted’s, the bar most uconn students attended, around 7. paige was buzzing at the idea of a dirty shirley temple, desperately needing one to get her mind off someone.
paige showered, applied light makeup, and picked out a comfortable but nice outfit.
around 6:55, paige leaves her apartment with dorka at her side, heading to ted’s.
the bar was absolutely packed with uconn students as well as the women’s basketball team. nika was talking to the bartender, aubrey was laughing at something jana said, while azzi was throwing back a shot.
the air seemed to shift when paige’s gaze lands on the young brunette. her heart instantly quickens as she took in her outfit. a light purple tank top that fit her in all the right places, paired with jean shorts that were doing wonders for her ass. her curls were down, slightly messy but in the most beautiful way possible.
making eye contact with paige causes azzi’s breath to hitch. heat floods her cheeks as she remembers the moments between them from earlier today.
stepping closer to the bar, paige lowers herself into an open seat, directly across from azzi who was completely surrounded by teammates. dorka took the spot next to her while lou made herself over to the two girls.
“dorka! p!” lou greets them, clearly already drunk.
“hey lou lou,” dorka smiles at her friend.
paige waves over the bartender, “can i please have a dirty shirley temple?”
the bartender nods, immediately reaching for a glass. paige was dying for a drink in her hand to take her mind off everything and everyone.
the shirley burns her throat as she took several gulps, downing nearly half the glass.
“calm down there, p,” dorka laughs at paige’s urgency to consume the drink as fast as possible.
“just thirsty,” paige replies.
after finishing her second shirley temple is when she noticed a tall man talking to azzi. her azzi. her fists clench at her sides as she throws a glare their way.
the man then lowers himself into the open seat next to her while casually shifting close, making their faces mere inches apart. azzi fidgets with her fingers, suddenly nervous from the attention.
paige presses her lips in a line to hold back her growing anger that was screaming to come out. all she wanted to do was walk over there and take what’s hers.
paige orders several more drinks, shots, whatever she could to hopefully get rid of the scene in front of her.
when a piece of azzi’s hair falls in front of her face, the man reaches out and brushes it behind her ear. his hand lingers for a moment too long, only causing paige to become more aggravated.
azzi laughs at something he said and paige decides she’s had enough. although she was completely aware she shouldn’t be doing this, she was supposed to hate azzi, she couldn’t help herself. she clutches her drink tightly in her grasp, a idea trickling in her head, and marches over there.
azzi almost instantly spots the blonde moving towards her at a rapid pace. her eyes widen when paige accidentally trips, spilling her drink all over the man.
satisfaction covered paige’s features, proud of her doing.
“jesus fucking christ!” he yelps, quickly jumping up from his position next to azzi.
“i am so sorry,” paige pretends to be genuine and concerned, even though herself and azzi knew it was complete bullshit.
the man grabs napkins, desperately trying to pat himself down, but ultimately failing. he walks away without as much as a glance back at the curly brunette, who continues to remain silent.
“did you seriously have to do that?” azzi questions paige, annoyance on her face.
“it was an accident, azzi,” paige sighs.
“sure it was,” azzi mutters as she grips her drink.
“it was,” paige replies defensively.
paige allows herself to sit where the man once was, feeling the air grow electric with the two being so close. azzi looks almost shaken by their close proximity, her eyes roaming paige’s body.
“paigey!” nika slurs, suddenly grabbing paige’s shoulders.
paige turns to her friend who was beaming, “what’s up nik?”
“oh my goodness, you totally missed it…” nika rants on and on about the hot bartender who was totally checking her out.
“i’ll be back,” nika grins as she jogs off to talk with the bartender once again.
“at least she’s getting some action,” azzi says, rolling her eyes.
“oh my god, i am so sorry i ruined the two minute conversation you had with some idiot. if you’re so interested in him, then be my guest; go find the fucker.”
“maybe i will,” azzi bites out, getting up from her spot and taking off towards the crowd.
it shocks paige that azzi actually went through with it— disappoints her, too. did she genuinely like the guy?
regretting her words, paige follows azzi’s trail, quickly catching up to the freshmen. she grabs her arm, making her twist around to face her.
“please, wait,” paige slurs in her drunken state.
“what do you want?” azzi questions, desperate to know paige’s intentions.
“you,” paige whispers, so quietly azzi can barely make it out.
“speak up, paige,” azzi replies, annoyed.
“please don’t go after him.”
azzi’s eyes crinkle, “and why not? you’re not my keeper.”
paige rests her hands on either one of azzi’s hips, uncontrollably pulling the younger girl closer.
“i know. i know,” she whispers, “just stay. stay here with me.”
azzi was taken aback from paige’s soft tone and sweet words. it was unlike paige to be like this to azzi, so azzi pieced together she must be drunk out of her mind.
“you’re drunk, paige,” azzi says.
“i’m sober enough,” paige’s lips turn up as she moves her hands to azzi’s face.
with her face in her hands, paige rests her forehead against the curly brunette’s, while her gaze drops down to her full, pink lips.
“what are you doing, paige?”
paige closes her eyes, not wanting to think about everything wrong with what she was doing and how it’d be like tomorrow.
“i don’t know. fuck, i don’t know. i just want to be close to you,” she whispers.
azzi gently places her hands on paige’s waist, pulling the older girl impossibly closer.
“fuck, az,” paige mutters, “i can’t stop thinking about you.”
paige was all azzi could hear, despite the loud crowd and blasting music around her. and her words meant everything.
“no matter how hard i try, you’re always there. you with your perfect curls and cute ass dimples,” paige smiles, twisting with a singular curl with her finger.
“oh yeah?” azzi matches the grin.
“yeah,” paige says, gaze focused on her lips.
right as paige leans in, azzi suddenly jerks back, her eyes wide with panic.
“p— paige, no. you’re drunk. you’ll regret it tomorrow,” she stutters, frantically stepping out of paige’s touch.
paige reaches out for azzi’s frame, “no i won’t.”
practically tripping over herself, azzi rushes over to her previous seat with paige right on her heels. she grabs her belongings before giving a lone glance back at the blonde; she was breathing hard, hands slightly shaking, with a disappointed yet shameful expression on her face.
azzi turns away and is gone before paige had the time to blink.
“god fucking dammit,” paige mutters to herself, ashamed of her actions that caused azzi to run off.
paige finds an open spot at the bar and orders yet another round of shots, not caring about the concerned looks she was receiving from her teammates.
paige swallows shot after shot, trying to drown her sorrows and any lingering thoughts of azzi. of course she had to ruin whatever was happening between them. of course.
“paige, don’t you think that’s enough for tonight?” aubrey cautiously questions her friend.
paige drunkenly chuckles, “not even close,” throwing back another burning shot.
#azzi fudd#paige bueckers#pazzi#uconn wbb#nika muhl#uconn huskies#basketball#paige x azzi#fanfic#pazzi fics#paige buckets#fan fiction#uconn women’s basketball
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