#Bit banged around but hey no hook in his shoulder yet so he's doing pretty well I'd say

[astermath]

fucking finally

pairing: chad meeks-martin x fem!reader

summary: the tension between you and chad finally comes to a conclusion after he takes you home from a party.

word count: 2K

warnings: cursing, porn w a bit of plot??, chad being a king and a charming mf, protected sex, oral (f receiving), MINORS DNI!!!

notes: first time writing for chad, I just found out his actor likes tattoos and anime?? what a dream man ahdshfd. anyways this was supposed to be abt something else but I got carried away, so I'll keep the other idea for another time lol. not proofread!!! lmk if you'd like to be on the tag list for further chad meeks-martin related content!

You and Chad had this strange "will they, won't they" tension going on ever since you met. You were kind of part of the friend group, sometimes tagging along to parties and hangouts, but not often enough for him to justify hanging out with you without it being a date.

And though Chad was well aware of his charm and charisma, and knew he could just ask you out, he enjoyed this thing you had going on. Though he wished it would lead to something, anything eventually.

And you felt the same. You weren't shy, you loved joking around with him, and you could tell there was something between you two. The tension had gotten to a point where his friends were practically starting to bet money on if you guys were going to hook up after each party or not.

And that night at the party was no different. The two of you jokingly (or not so jokingly) flirting back and forth, making Mindy practically lose it over your comments.

"Holy shit, can you two just like bang and get it over with already?" She sat on the couch next to Anika, an arm over her girlfriend's shoulder.

"I don't know," Chad said, his arm around you in the exact same way, "Can we?"

You rolled your eyes, legs flung over his as you sat on the couch across the other couple. "You fuckin' wish, big guy." You hid your smirk behind the plastic red cup you were sipping out of.

"Yeah," He looked at you and winked, before downing his drink, "kinda do."

The rest of the night was pretty eventful. You didn't drink that much, but you'd danced a lot, and even ran away from Chad who swore he was going to toss you into the frat house's pool.

Needless to say, you were spent. So Chad offered you a piggy back ride back to your dorm, and you happily obliged. Your cheek was squished against the back of his shoulder, eyes half closed as you gently rocked up and down along with the trudge of his steps.

"You fallin' asleep back there?" He turned his head slightly and you looked up.

"No, no... Wide awake, actually." You smiled sleepily.

"Great," He patted your thigh, "cause we've got some stairs to do."

You groaned loudly, knowing damn well he could easily do those stairs with you on his back. But you decided not to argue, hopping off his back. You wobbled for a moment, and he was ready to catch you, but you held your hand up in protest.

He walked behind you the entire way up the stairs. In case you fell, of course, not because he had a great view of your ass from that angle. Totally not. Although he had to admit the red lacy panties you wore under that skirt made an appearance in his line of sight every now and then.

You opened the door to your room and plopped face down onto your bed, groaning into the pillow. "Ugh... 'M so sore..."

He waited in the doorway for a second, grinning at how dramatic you were. "At least take your shoes off, that's just bad etiquette." He sat down on your bed and took off your shoes for you, setting them down gently.

"Yeah, well..." You turned around on the bed, an arm laid over your stomach as you looked at him. "I think threatening to throw your crush into the pool is bad etiquette too."

He smirked, scooting a little closer. "My crush huh? I didn't know we were confessing things to each other."

"Hey, I haven't confessed shit," implying you had yet to confess something to him, "but I don't see you denying anything."

He leaned in, holding himself up by his arm next to your body. You could smell him, just like when you were on his back before, and you were lying if you said it didn't turn you on at least a bit.

"I feel like it's kinda beyond denying now..." His hand gently settled onto the curve of your jaw, tilting your head slightly more towards him. You looked gorgeous underneath him like this, eyes full of curiosity and anticipation, body so receptive to every touch.

"Yeah," you smiled, "it is." You looped your arms around him, pulling him in for a sweet and passionate kiss. There was no one around you'd have to hide your desire from, no one to have to pretend for, you could just let go in front of him.

He melted into the softness of your lips, tongue slipping through to gently run across your bottom lip. Fuck he was good, of course he was, his reputation preceded him. "Well don't you just taste the sweetest..." He spoke softly, lips brushing over yours.

"Might still be from the alcohol..." You both chuckled, staying close. He took off his jacket, tossing it to the side, before going back in to your neck this time.

The taste of your perfume mixed with your natural body drove him nearly insane, pressing feverish kisses to your jaw and neck. His thigh rested in between your legs, and you were very aware of its position as you subtly your hips, grinding onto his leg.

"So impatient..." He mumbled against your neck, a hand sneaking under your top and playing with the lacy hem of your bra.

You scoffed, pushing him back a little so you could pull your top over your head, almost noticing his pupils dilate at the sight of your exposed skin. You reached your hands behind your back, ready to unhook your bra, doing so bit by bit, then slowly pulling each strap over your shoulder with a teasing smile.

He reached out to move your bra, throwing it to the side to join his jacket on the floor. He palmed at your chest, eliciting a soft moan from you against his lips, the kiss growing more heated by the second. He felt your smile and pulled back slightly. "Who's impatient now, huh?"

He grinned, leaning back to pull off his own shirt. "Shut up." He shuffled a little further down the bed and pressed kisses to the exposed skin of your thighs. Bless you and your love for skimpy skirts...

You bit your lip, a soft giggle escaping you when he dragged his tongue over your inner thigh. "Why don't you make me, huh?" You knew it was a stereotypical comeback, but you couldn't help yourself, your mind wasn't functioning properly at that moment.

"Nah," he said, hooking his fingers around the hem of your skirt and slowly pulling it down, along with your panties. "you sound way too pretty to keep your mouth shut." He pressed a soft kiss right above your pussy, and a shiver of anticipation went over your entire body.

You arched your back when he ran his tongue over your slicked, silky folds, hands gripping your thighs and pulling them to rest over his shoulders. Your hands reached back to grip the pillow your upper half was resting on, whimpering his name softly. You could practically feel his grin against your cunt from the reactions you were giving him, but fuck, it felt so good, you could care less about how desperate you were being.

His tongue found your clit and your thighs clamped down onto him. The sweet taste of you earned an honest groan from him, sending vibrations to the sweet sensitive bud he was nipping at. He looked up at you, tongue slowly running up your entire slit and you swore you wore going to cum right then and there.

But he had other plans.

"As much as I'd like to make you cum all over my face," he pressed a soft kiss to your thigh, "I feel like we've been keeping ourselves waiting for long enough." He sat up, hands on his belt. "Unless you don't want to--"

"No," you interrupted, propping yourself up on your elbows, "I mean... Yes. Please." You chuckled, bringing a hand up to rest on your cheek, feeling just how hot your face felt. "I feel like I'm going to explode if we keep this tension up any longer."

"Agreed." He said, and unbuckled his belt, working on taking off his pants while you reached for a condom from your nightstand. You reached it out to him, and upon taking it, he gently took your hand and kissed the back of it. You giggled, catching your bottom lip under your teeth as you watched him roll the condom on.

"Turn around for me," He said, giving your thigh an encouraging tap. You obliged, getting on your hands and knees, dipping your upper body down into the mattress so your eyes was sticking up for him. "Christ..." He ran a hand over your right cheek, before coming down with a smack hard enough to leave a red imprint.

"F-Fuck!" You gripped the sheets beneath you, and he chuckled behind you.

"I know you like that." He lined himself up, rubbing his tip over your cunt to lube himself up. "You told me once... 'as a joke'."

All those "jokes" and teasing finally accumulated to end up here, beneath Chad, ass up and face down.

He groaned your name as he entered you, almost painfully slowly so, bodies having to adjust to each other for a moment as he stilled. "Shit, baby..." He gripped your hips, squeezing when you clenched around him. "So fuckin' tight for me... Just the way I imagined..."

"So... Full..." You moaned out, the sheer stretch he gave your cunt sending waves of tingling pleasure through you.

He grinned. "Not even fully inside yet sweetie."

You turned your head, giving him a daring smile before pushing your hips back until your ass was fully backed up into him, taking all of his length inside of you. The two of you took another moment to adjust, before he slowly started moving his hips back and forth.

His thrusts were slow at first, rhythmical, but that didn't last long, as you kept asking, almost begging him, to go faster.

"C-Chad, please... More, faster, fuck..." Your thighs trembled when he leaned over, his cock angled to rub against the spot that made your vision go blurry. He started grinding against you, quick, shallow thrusts as he put one hand on your shoulder, the other remaining on your hip.

The sounds of skin slapping skin, the bed squeaking and the delicious groans and whimpers from the both of you filled the room. The distinguishable scent of sex accompanied it, the atmosphere growing hotter by the second.

He removed the hand on your shoulder, looping it around your waist and reaching down to play with your clit, middle finger rubbing circles over the needy bud.

"Fuck, baby, if you keep doing that, I'm gonna--"

He cut you off by kissing you, tongue slipping past your lips and stifling your obscene moans. He pulls back, a pussy drunk smile adorning his pretty face. "Gonna cum? Yeah, me too sweetie, me too... Fuck, this pussy is too damn good..." He started kissing at your shoulder. "Shit, I'm close baby, so close--"

"Me too, me too, oh my god don't stop, don't stop!" Your hands roughly gripped the sheets below you, crying out his name as you clenched down onto him, juices dripping down your thighs as your orgasm crashed through your body like a tidal wave.

The feeling of your walls clamping down on him sent him over the edge, thrusting into you one last time before filling the condom with his hot cum, grunting your name into the skin of your shoulder.

He collapsed onto you for a moment, cock settled nicely inside you. He wished he could stay like that forever, just snug inside you like that.

He moved his strong arms around your waist and turned the two of you on your sides, now spooning.

"Kinda... Don't wanna pull out..." He said, still panting a little.

"Don't..." You whined sleepily. "Let's just... Stay like this for a bit."

"Yeah..." He pressed a gentle kiss to the crook of your neck. "I'd like that."

tag list <3

@777iii

[unknownjpegs]

wraith

Alone.

It hangs in the air like that. Physical, weighty. An impeding stone wall come down between them. Tino images it, a brick slab falling from the sky through the rough of his home. Cutting the table in two clean halves and separating each from the other.

Without him.

“You always bring him with you.” Tino says slowly, hands clutching the clay mug of tea between his fingers. “Unless it’s too dangerous. And this? Having him here for a month…that’s a long time. Big distance. You’re takin’ more and more dangerous jobs. Is there something you want to talk about?”

“Not if you ask it like that, ares-face.”

The nasty little insult in her high, tinkling bell of a voice makes Tino duck his head and chuckle. She hasn’t changed once over the years. Maybe become a bit more weathered from countless steps under the sun; yet much the same as the young thing that slipped a fishing, slim hand into pockets to come away with fortune. The pretty woman that camouflaged in disguises to source illicit things (and alcohol) for Bunny. Who flattered and charmed her rich connections, encouraged them to do business with Happy. Who aided Tino, and Benji’s now-dead mother, to squirrel him from a fate worse than nobility. 

“One day you’ll get yourself in too deep.” He snorts. “Get lost.”

“Never.” She raps a freckled knuckle against his table, smiling crookedly before pointing at the sky. “Stars.”

“Aren’t you scared of —”

“Please,” the slight woman sat at the other end of his kitchen table scoffs. She flaps her hand in the air, shined wooden bracelets clacking together, and the hooks a thumb over her shoulder. “I was along with Mar six months when you came to me askin’ for help. Oh, how shall we kidnap a princeling?”

The urge to look over his shoulders is an ever-present one. While he has assured safety and anonymity, nothing is ever certain. So neither is Tino. 

“Shhh, Lia.”

On cue, the door of the cabin explodes open in a dizzy mess of stomping feet and flailing arms. The flurry meets in a tangle first at the butter churn, knocking it to the floor with a clatter.

“Hey!” He barks it with a bitten-off laugh — the adolescent chaotic mess of them is worse when they’ve both worked themselves up, but neither have yet developed decent balance. 

Their tangle of brown knees bang hard in tandem, and the tears begin that way too. Benji’s silent, his lip pushed out and eyebrows bunched. Maran isn’t, and that’s why Tino shies from showing his amusement. Not more sensitive than Benji, but he gets cheek-red and pouty if he feels he’s the subject of ridicule. He’s slim and birdlike in the chest and limbs in a way Tino’s own boy never has been, and yet he tosses his meager weight like he won’t, come a few years, be smacked aside with ease.

Because Benji shuffles to wrap his arms around Tino’s leg for comfort, Maran does not go to his mother’s outstretched arms right away. Instead, the taller boy takes Tino’s wrist and pulls it from the top of his best friends head. Settles it overtop his instead. He flashes a smile at Tino. Charming. Totally, wholly his mother’s.

“Benji started it outside,” Maran tattles monotonously, big eyes gone full-force. “He pushed me first.”

Tino purses his lips thinly together, fighting the grin. “That true?”

Benji’s chin is tilted down, fiddling with the hem of his tunic. His fingers wind and unwind around a stray thread that Tino notes, will bite off between his teeth and re-stitch later. He glances up at Tino with big, wet eyes that go suddenly hard when pointed at Maran’s pleased smirk.

“I’d push him right now, too.”

The courier tilts her curly head of hair back and laughs.

*

It’s a shit day in a shit week in a shit month in a shit year, and Maran simply cannot manage to handle the weight of it all in any other fashion than sitting himself on the side of the road and feeling very fucking sorry for his lot. 

And crying, maybe. Just a little. 

Little. Big.

When he felt upset, came to clutch at her skirt with shiny eyes threatening to spill over or already pouring, his mother would bend to him with a beaming smile. Wipe her thumbs under his eyes and ask: are these big or little, Mar? 

Big or little tears. Big or little hurt. Skinned knee, spider too close, toy snatched away, darkness too dark. He misses the days he’d respond big tears, because everything felt that way all shrouded in youth. Everything was a big hurt to him, then. And now occasionally he finds struggles to gauge the size of them in a way that doesn’t unduly stretch or condense. When a skinned knee is an amputation, or not there at all.

And still, big, he wants to tell her. Everything has felt big since he was young. So how is he meant to look at her brokenly spilled and ransacked courier cart, the only other thing she’d taken such good care of besides him, and call it big when it feels much more? How is he meant to look at the wet red splash on the dusty forest path, spilling from their old horse’s throat in a jagged wound, and call it big when it is more?

He’d like to tell her big tears, mama. These days they always feel that way. Just as they had been larger than life in youth. The biggest of them all spill forth when he finds time each season to visit Benji’s old man on his land. When he follows another forest trail, a path descending a hill through the woods just like this one. Quieter, serene. Dotted with the flowers she preferred, ones Tino and Benji helped him plant in mournful silence.

How is he meant to get there now, without a horse, without a cart? How is he meant to find his way back to Tino’s land, through the forest, to that element-weathered grave marker? He thinks of it sitting there in the forest alone, unvisited. Overgrown. Moss climbing its smooth sides where it sits tucked into a gentle shady spot near an ancient olive tree. On days nice enough, they would nap beneath it. If he can’t visit, can’t take care of the stone, can’t brush the crawling vines from the chiseled letters of her name, can’t tediously select a perfect few pebbles from the water’s edge to balance atop it, he can’t — 

Well, he can’t nap under that ancient olive tree and cry bigger-than-big tears, can he? Can’t wonder on the nature of hurt’s size and wonder if it becomes little, at all, ever. 

It’s a shit day and surely that muddies the rest of his mood, but as he stares at the dead horse and ruined cart, he doesn’t believe in little hurts.

So Maran cries. 

He cries even when the distant patter of hooves over dead leaves and dirt and stone thunders ever closer. He isn’t a fool, nor is he green; he has been a courier in this land for a long enough time, with an expert enough teacher, that he knows the things he ought not do. Sit on the side of a well-traveled path not unknown for harboring thieves and raiders, is one thing. Perhaps even traveling on it in the first place should have been higher up on his list of ought not do’s. Make smart decisions, his mother had tried to warn him. Trust that gut, Maran. It’s the best navigation of them all. 

That and the stars. He hears it in her voice like she’s right there. That and the stars and the magic.

“Robbery?”

Maran lifts his chin up and his eyes go wide with terror. The rider looks like a monster. Some featured beast with a pointed beak and — no, just a hat. A cape, and a hat. Mask pulled above a mouth, svelte black horse between legs strapped with all manner of weapon. Glass vials, pockets, pouches, and two quivers of ebony-stitched velvet. They look expensive. He wonders if they’re stolen. 

Maran’s eyes ascend slowly, but the ride is obscured by the setting sun behind him. 

“Bit of it, yeah.”

The rider’s face turns. He looks like a living blob of shadow, blurred golden at the edges.  “Looks like m-more than a bit.”

Embarrassed, Maran remembers that fat streaks of salty tears haven’t yet dried on his cheeks. He rubs at them with his sleeve messily, desperately. The stranger clicks his tongue and the horse moves slowly forward, well-controlled circles around the wreckage and the corpse of his own animal. “And murder.”

“Good mare.”

Why he shares this information, he isn’t sure. This roadside encounter could very well be his last; this person is dangerous, and most of the time Maran carries nothing but letters. Inheritance notices, deeds, pages between family members, perfumed parchment exchanged between lovers. He’s been meaning to learn how to protect himself. He’s sure of foot — bruises gained on the road aren’t often from tripping. 

“Belonged to my mum.” 

There’s a stretch of silence. Nothing but the sounds of the forest. Birdsong, distant rustling of animals underfoot of little beasts, and the soft noises coming from the forest path’s only living horse. 

“Well,” the stranger says it so quietly it’s nearly inaudible. His voice isn’t particularly strange, but Maran finds it so that the first thought that springs to mind when he hears it is: oh, lovely. “What else did they t-ta-take?”

Maran looks up again. The rider shrouds now in the leafy canopy’s shade. The brim of his hat is too large and droops too low for a glimpse. If you rob me too, I won’t be able to describe you to the guard. And if you choose to kill me, I think it’s only fair I see the face of the man who pulls a knife across my throat.

“They took the package I’m meant to deliver between sundown tomorrow. I’m a courier. They took my weapon, too. So, of course I’ve got no way to get it all back.” He glances at the wreckage. They took more, but he won’t speak further on that. It would be daring the tears to return in full force. “Not that I could. There’s three.”{

“Fortunate day for y-you, friend. To cross paths with a thief catcher right after being robbed.” The horse turns in a slow circle down the path. “Didn’t run into them. So that means they went east, huh?”

“Yes. Three —”

“Tracks are still fresh, too.” The stranger readjusts on the saddle. The flash of metal glinting eyes fall unbidden to black fabric as it flexes over a thigh. Maran frowns. “Shouldn’t take long. S-Pick what you can, then m-meet me at the east clearing.”

With that, he gallops off. And Maran — well, what else is he meant to do? He could go on foot, explain the situation, and then make a short journey on horse, long on foot. Do all that for free and still return to the sender with nothing but apologies. 

Instead, he goes to the east clearing and waits.

*

As promised, the wraith returns later that evening.

The tree line begins at the crest of a gentle knoll, its path winds a descent down the grassy slope and into the prairie below, cutting a well-worn slice into grass and wildflower. Maran waits there at the forest’s edge, arms tight around a canvas sack of things he managed to save from the wreckage. 

At the lower elevation witching hour fog collects amongst the blades and blooms. It shrouds everything in a mysterious grey, but his eyes scan it nonetheless. As a child, Maran used to dream of catching the tufts of smoke as they left a chimney. Holding them in his hands; the clouds too. He’d given himself a nasty scar, waiting for his mother’s attention to wane to climb their humble thatch roof and topple from it. 

He remembers lying in a pool of his blood, staring up at the cloudy sky and noting the shapes. He remembers his mother’s bracelets clacking as she fell to her knees beside him. They’d been noisier than usual, her hands shaking like that. That was the first time he could recall her swearing at him. Calling him a name in her frustration that would eventually become an affectionate nickname: little bastard.

He feels bled-out, sitting against the base of a tree and waiting. Watching. The thief catcher traverses the prairie as quick as the horse will take him, black blot on the horizon of murky bluish fog. As he draws near Maran realizes another saddled horse follows, roped to the bridle of his own.

He stole a horse? Well. Is it stealing when it’s stealing from thieves?

“Dead.” Maran’s wraithlike new friend announces. He hops down, kicking up a bit of dirt around his boots. “N-Nasty group, better off gone.” He tosses something through the air. Too late Maran realizes it’s a blade. It spins in a graceful, gleaming arc through the air and lands with a thick noise. Sinks cleanly into the grass between his splayed knees. It cuts nice, is kept with care. It’s Maran’s knife after all, and while it’s whittled so sharp as to slice flesh like butter, he’s never once used it.

 “Got y-your delivery and that cute little dagger back.”

Maran isn’t sure why he sits there for so long, knees tucked slightly and lips parted as he stares upwards. They’re the same height. He knows this from their encounter that afternoon. But he feels pinned to the spot by those ghostly white eyes. Even when they don’t touch over him — and Maran wishes, in the recesses of his brain, that they would linger — he’s stunned motionless. He wonders if this is how the catchr operates. If this his most successful method. He wonders if others are smarter to run. And yet Maran feels his legs heavy as though leaden. 

Stuck in place, weighted by a whisper in him. Some eerily sweet sound that beckons him still like a voice misty wind. A ghost of the plains. Stay here, stay here. 

“I don’t have nothin’ to offer as payment.” He stands slowly, brushing the seat of his pants. The knife returns smoothly to its empty thigh sheath and then Maran gestures to the horse with the canvas sack wrested over its back. “No coin until I get that to where it needs to go.” 

The catcher twitches. He’s broad shouldered and clearly strong, but when he moves like that he seems made of air. Nearly not there in the first place and so fluid with the cape that he disappears into a shadow in motion. All…smoke.

Can I touch that? Can I hold that in my hand?

 Obscured to Maran for a moment behind his steed’s neck, he rustles amongst the saddlebags. It feels like barely a breath before he’s stood once more in front of him. As the man slinks into the dappled silver moonlight like that, enough to be shown, Maran sees it. The shine of his black outfit. Maran gasps. The gloves, his sleeve, Maker — all of him — have been soaked through with blood. They shine with it. He churns internally with revulsion and fear. 

Killed them! Maran’s brain shouts even as his fingers dart out, wrap around the man’s wet wrist and his mouth blurts: “Is it yours? Are you hurt?” 

Now, the hat tilts back. Casts a shadow on a pale face, makes Maran’s breath hitch before it begins to pour in and out of him faster. 

There’s a smear beneath his left eye, high on a rounded cheekbone before it disappears beneath the hat into light hair. But — no, not a random splatter. It’s a handprint. Someone had grabbed him there, or tried to hold him back, with a bloody palm. 

Maran’s fingers go loose on his wrist. He glances down, and sees that his own hand is slick too. He stumbles backwards and sits heavily on the knoll, eyes blinking rapidly. There are eels in his guts that squirm and thrash, inch up his throat like they’re trying to escape, crawl up his spin and hiss in his ears. His own heartbeat in his skull, like he has his temple to a pillow. Or a chest.

The catcher crouches beside him. His head tilts liquid and slow. It’s not so hard to look him in the eye like this, when he feels so nauseous and floaty. Smoke-like if he turns his head too fast. He thinks of how the catcher moves.  

“Do you ever get sick like that?” Maran whispers stupidly, sudden dizziness making the words blabber from his tingling lips.

“Like wh-what?” The stranger asks. Sensation on his palm makes him glance down; it’s being wiped dry with a handkerchief produced from somewhere. Maran pinches his eyes shut at the spot shape of blood dotted against white. It looks to him like the outline of a turtle. ���Are you s-s-sick? Threw some tinctures in. Rations, plenty. Some b-basic supplies for the road, but if you’re —”

Their eyes meet. There’s no more tacky red drying between the creases of his hand, his knuckles, and yet the touch remains. He isn’t sure how ill that bodes for him. How dangerous. So Maran swallows and gently pulls his hand away, tucks it against a chest that rises in deep, slow breaths. He tries to calm down. He’s dizzy. He is dizzy.

“If we see each other again, I’ll have your payment.” He rolls his shoulders, eyes fluttering shut to ward off a wave of vertigo. They scrunch as his brow does. “I swear it, mate. And I will have some way to thank you for what you’ve returned to me. The food and all of it, my knife, the delivery, I —”

He opens his eyes. The wraith and his horse have disappeared. And there hadn’t been any retreating thunder of hooves.

Like smoke, in thin air. Poof. Gone.

*

Temporarily. For now sort of gone.

Maran makes his delivery, and must return from the lord’s estate back through the woods, back across the field, back home. It is on his second night of that journey, near the spot where they first met, that Maran makes camp. He goes off trail and plans to move through the forest that way. Guide his horse. He feels certain that if he returns to the spot of his mother’s ruined cart, sees it lying there in tatters or worse gone, picked carcass-clean, he’ll lose the remnants of his mind. 

Wonders if he actually might be, that night. 

Because there’s something in the forest with him. Somethings. Of course he knows there are things existing around him all the time. His mother taught him that. And she also taught him, and being on the road taught him, that there are things best left ignored. 

If you go around the curving path of a mountain pass and you see someone stood in the snow when you crest the other side, you must turn around and take another path.

But mama, what if it takes longer? 

That’s their path. It’s being used. You must go around. 

Maran hasn’t gone around. He’s traipsed through. And, until he sees the gleam of steel between two sparsely decorated branches, Maran thinks he’s gone insane. 

“Plenty to share,” Maran says to the wraith a mouthful of bread. It’s not the truth, but he’s stretched rations before. Not for a peace offering before but, first times for everything.“And I will, if you’re hungry. If you tell me how long you’ve been following me.”

The thief catcher pushes into the clearing. He falters just a moment before crossing to the opposite side of Maran’s campfire and settling down. He accepts the food Maran hands him.

“Days. Don’t suppose you have fresh butter ready?”

Maran throws his head back and laughs. When it goes all-breath and throaty, it reminds him of his mum.

*

They take a meal like that together on and off for two weeks. For the duration of his return trip, Maran is not once bothered. No vagabonds or thieves or bandits, not a single other soul. He knows why. He finds it thrilling to think of a wraith in the shadows watching over him at night. It feels like an adventure, like a story Tino would conjure for them. A scary one that his mother didn’t like him telling. 

The thrill is that fear in his gut when the firelight would flicker low, when Benji would leap at him and shout to make him startle. It also is something else. Something warmer, pressing behind his belly button like it means to claw from him. 

After meals where their fingers brush over shared slices of fruit, bread warmed (and sometimes charred, lost in conversation as they become) over flame, Maran sometimes dreams about splitting apart. Maran fears, a little, but he — there’s something else with it.

Something big. Bigger than big.

*

Months later, Ben turns to him across a soft swath of emerald green grass they have tossed themselves onto. The sun is low on the horizon. Maran imagines it hanging on by a finger to the edge and then falling as if from a cliff. They’re both warmed by its fading presence over the field, the company, and spiced wine he has no doubt Benny swiped from the market. They’re warming, and they’re reminiscing.

“Y-You remember that?” 

Their first encounter. How could he forget? 

He turns to Ben as well, eyes lidded with drink. How could I forget? He wants to ask the other man. It bubbles up in his chest. It seems important to say. From within something screams at him that it’s the right thing to say. Like looking up at the stars and taking the right turn. Right way. He’s going the right way.

How could I possibly forget? It has not been so long that he would. And, if honesty is what Ben is after by asking, Maran doesn’t think any amount of time could draw the memory away. Not now or ever. 

He clears his throat, blinking his gaze away out across the field once more. There’s a herd of sheep down the hill, so Maran counts them to distract himself enough to answer. “Of course. It was a dark and stormy night —”

“It w-was noon.” Ben sounds amused. “And hot.”

“The forest was dark, dickhead, hush. And anyway, afterwards it was dark as well. Scary. I still haven’t been to that field, that crossroads. I can’t. I avoid it, even when it’s quickest. It makes me…” He feels a hand brush over his knee, patting softly. “Ah. Right, um, best not to dwell?”

Maran settles back against the grass comfortably, lacing his arms behind his head and twining his fingers together. It’s a beautiful summer evening. They’re shaded in the afterimage of rustling leaves, specks of golden yellow dotted around them. For Maran, resting in the shade of a tree brings up certain memories. It feels ritualistic. Painful, even. But in this moment all he knows is a gentle breeze, good company, and peace. He could rest. He could nap. He could sleep a full eight hours like this. He knows he would wake up safely at the end. Be greeted with a slippery little grin — cruelly edged but liquid smooth just for him.

Just for me. Just for me. Mine. 

He sits up suddenly, turning at the waist. “Oh. Ben.” 

The man in question cracks one eye open. He’s in a similar position to the one Maran has just been in, knees tucked up as he lounges with that tattered cake spread under them like a blanket. Maran feels his cheeks heat up at that. The mental image of sharing a blanket. Lying somewhere side by side with Ben. Touching, and not even. Being in range to if he wanted. He does. He’s in range to do exactly that right this moment.

 And — yeah, yeah. He wants that very badly. He wants that more than anything at the moment, actually, and then he realizes he’s not breathing and takes a massive, audible gasp.

“Hm?”

But Maran is already leaning over, casting him in more shadow. One hand touches the grass beside his head, palm against the night-cooled earth. The other slides over his shoulder. It drags a path to settle first at his neck, thumb swiping over the strong line of his jaw, and then up into the messy knot of hair that sticks sweaty to the back of his neck. 

Maran smiles down at him, blinking slow. He hooks two fingers in the tie, pulling strands of shaggy blond hair free. He dips all five into the uneven layers, giving it all a teasing tug of a shake before going gentle. 

“I feel safe.” It’s an admission offered to the hollow of Benny’s throat, the dip between bones, that Maran has thought about on more than one occasion. He means to offer it again, to the point of his chin, but it gets caught on a breath and he can only sigh. Words are more and more impossible with every ticking second, every fleeting press of his mouth somewhere his thoughts have lingered far too long on. Neck again, bald patch in his facial hair, spot on the bridge of his nose.

Mouth. 

It’s not a kiss. Not really. Just a breezy feather of a touch. Ben’s are smooth. Slack. A breath tickles across his face as he hovers there. It seems an eternity, but it’s seconds. Surely only seconds.  

Maran pulls back. His arm feels shaky, so he braces the other on the ground as well.

“Do it —” Ben swallows, his eyes traveling in chaotic circles over Maran’s face, “Do it again.”

His close-mouthed smile splits wide. With a huff, he settles himself half on top, lowering to his elbows and bringing their chests suddenly hard together. His air bursts out in a dramatically agonized wheeze that makes Maran laugh. Arms immediately sliding around his waist, tugging him closer. Tighter. They’re nestled together, wound up and tangled. Maran will have to fight to get up, squirm to free himself, and the idea has his cheeks warming. Ben is stronger by far. 

“Okay,” he whispers. Scoots up to bring their faces together once more. As he leans down, milky, pearlescent eyes disappear behind blond-lashed lids. Maran has a laugh caught in his throat. It lodges there, syrupy and dripping, with his pounding heart. It makes him feel fizzy and alive. It overwhelms. He doesn’t know what to do with the feeling, so his smile curls more dangerously. 

He’s fascinated by the fact that, this close, he can see the spidery myriad of veins on lids. The kiss he lands against each is as light. He follows them up with a teasing brush of their mouths together before retreating, impish smile still in place.

“There.” He says roughly. His breath fans a stray lock of hair tucked behind his ear. Maran pulls the strand free to touch his finger to it, kiss the spot it vacated, too. “There, I did it again.”

Ben’s hand darts up from his ribcage to the front of his throat, cradling it gently. Maran is pulled slowly down, eyebrows hitching submissively. He’s been robbed before. Threatened. Held at knife point, aimed at by a bow, beaten and tossed about with a hand on his throat. He didn’t know it could feel like that. 

Beneath, pearl-white eyes have snapped open. They pin him — as they did on the road, as they did that night. As they have every single instance since. Maran thinks, probably every single instance in the future. 

A deft-fingered grip touches to the back of Maran’s neck suddenly. His gasp is throaty and rough. Sounds, to his own ears, a bit ridiculous — like he’s been stabbed. And that makes him tuck his chin, forehead knocking to Ben’s as he descends. They press together like this even more. So much touching. So much that Maran knew he wanted to touch, maybe, all this time. Perhaps not in this particular manner but…

Ben shifts, other hand drawing up his spine. The movement rucks his tunic up, which seems to have been the goal in the first place, because that cool hand settles against the dip as he arches. 

With insistent tugs, Maran is made to lift his head. Pinned by that gaze again, overwhelming; he squeezes his eyes shut with a soft noise. 

And suddenly the world moves. Oh, he thinks, that’s what it feels like. 

 The hand on his back snatches his jaw and he’s sent flying, cradled in both those hands as legs wrap expertly behind his knees. With a cry of surprise and a thump that knocks the wind from his chest, their positions switch. Maran is dizzy about that, about everything but that in particular. That they could be the same height but Ben’s stronger. Enough to size him up and toss him around as though he’s nothing at all to move. Ben is stronger and scarier and — 

Sneering down at him with that crooked, sharp-toothed grin. The hand on his jaw coaxes it, forces Maran to let his lip free from the bite of his mouth as it parts slightly. Ben groans, and the noise is enough to make him squirm. To make him…make another noise. 

“Do it again,” he growls. A shiver races up Maran’s spine, has him lifting his arse off the ground to press his hips closer. The dagger sheath on his thigh gets bunched a bit higher, tight ring of restraint that makes him toss his head back. Feels almost like the squeeze of a hand.

Touch me, he thinks up at the other man, the sun-dappled tree, the sky beyond. Touch me first.

“Maran.” He says instead, voice low and even. Dangerous. Maran blinks rapidly. Fingers on his jaw flex and give him a shake. The cup of his other hand reminds Maran he is being touched. That touch has been there for so long.

“Kiss me and do it right. Don’t wanna ask again.” 

Maran pulls him down with a pitiful sort of whine, arms crossing behind his head. He kisses as well as he can. Kisses how he wants to, even if it’s new and messy and hungrier than he’s ever had a kiss turn out. He can only hope it’s the right sort of kiss. If not, he’ll coax Ben to tell him things he ought to do.

[sysig]

“I’m not a fly, I’m a cat”

[oedein]

DEAL WITH IT.

pairing: bucky barnes x male reader.

warnings: SMUT. sub reader. unprotected sex, overstim, light degradation, pet names.

word count: 3.9k

A/N: lol sorry for making bucky so mean ;(

Standing in the bedroom of your shared bedroom with Bucky, the two of you were trying to find outfits for tonight.

Tony had invited all of the avengers to party to celebrate your latest mission with the squad ending flawlessly. As part of the team, you were going. Bucky was quite averse to the idea of staying out for the night at first, but after a few hours of you practically begging him, he finally caved. — It's not that Bucky wouldn't have gone at all; he would've most likely just tucked himself away in a corner during the whole night and minded his own very boring business. If it wasn't for you accompanying him, helping him loosen up and actually enjoy himself.

After spending a fair amount of time getting ready both physically and mentally, you arrived at the party without any further hindrance.

Bucky kept close to you, his shoulder bumping into yours every time you stopped to greet someone. An hour of just strolling around endlessly made you jittery, feet bouncing off the floor every time you stopped walking. The sound of your suits rubbing up against each other built up a mild frustration within you, making you grit your teeth. You decided to link your arms together as a result instead of walking around like you were gonna merge. The two of you were usually shy about showing affection in public, especially around the other Avengers, but something about tonight tempted you into being more physical with him. You ended up catching up with a friend for quite some time as you were on the way to a bar, making Bucky rather restless. Excusing yourself, you nudged into his side and turned to whisper in his ear. "Hey, 'might want to go there alone for now. I'll be there in a bit." Bucky nodded and pulled his arm away from yours, starting to walk away from you. You watched as he went to sit down on a stool in a far corner, ordering his drink in peace. Your eyes kept flickering over to Bucky as your friend spoke, silently watching as he brushed his hair out of his face and cracked his knuckles. The way he tilted his head back and sighed in frustration as his bangs fell into his face again made you chuckle quietly. You followed every minute movement he did, biting your lip. When he scratched his beard, squinted when someone was too loud, or the way he would look over at you, eyes scanning you up and down made you lose your sense of surrounding, only fixating on him. The friend from earlier was still talking but caught on to you zoning out pretty quickly. Not wanting to bother you further or waste time, they excused themselves and nodded towards your boyfriend, "Go catch up with him; we'll talk more later!" You would apologise countless times for being so out of it before your attention turned back to Bucky, your gazes connecting. "Buck, buck, buck!" You called out playfully, humming as you walked up to him. He turned the stool around as he heard your voice, giving you a slight nod in acknowledgement. You beamed up at him, taking the opportunity to move closer, nestling between his spread legs and leaning your back up against him.

Bucky leaned forward to rest his chin on your shoulder instead of just sitting straight, giving you a soft nuzzle.  As the bartender approached, you quickly added,  'I'll have whatever he's having.' craning your neck to the side and giving Bucky a wink. You could feel his chest rumble as a chuckle built up, the sweet sound escaping from his lips and lingering around you. You awkwardly wrapped an arm around him and turned, lips hovering over each other for a few seconds before they connected. A quick yet deep kiss. You hummed in discontent once he pulled away from you, placing a lasting kiss on your cheek instead. Bucky glanced at you, watching as you nuzzled your cheek into his chin and kept your arm around his shoulder before you leaned back into him. "You look so good in that suit, Buck. Giving me so many bad thoughts..."  you purred into his ear, watching as he suddenly turned in his seat. "And it's so hard to have all these thoughts with so many people around. I can't do anything about it." A string of tsks left you, and you shook your head playfully, turning to look for a drop of shock on his face.  To your surprise, he was staring straight ahead, gaze almost burning holes into the wall. You couldn't make out any emotions on his features, only noticing his visibly clenched jaw. A pang of satisfaction ran through you — the plan you wanted to set into motion earlier was seemingly starting to work. Bucky's attention returned to you, and he moved his hands to your waist, pushing you so that you would turn to face him. His eyes fixed on you as he leaned in closer, your noses almost touching.

"No." A single word left his lips, taunting you. The confidence from mere seconds ago crawled back inside, being replaced by a newfound annoyance of your boyfriend. You looked directly at him, letting out a huff in response. A smirk crept up over your features, and you placed an arm on his waist, "Aw, come on," you emphasised the last word, dragging it out as you nudged him with your shoulder, "you know you want it." You brought your hand up, dragging it against his crotch before it slinked under his chin, tilting his head down. Moving in for a kiss as he jerked back from the contact, you gave his bottom lip a tug before you pulled away. You heard a quiet 'fuck you.' escape his lips, making you giggle in return. You made sure to finish up your drinks before you got up, deciding to walk outside to chill off. The cold air bit at your reddened cheeks, making you shiver and press further into Bucky as you walked. Your hands curled up into fists, shaking from the chill winds dancing around you before Bucky eveloped them in his. The silent walk fell short as you stopped, turning to stand in front of him. You wriggled your hands free from his grip and placed them on his tie, playfully tugging on it. You reached down to his pants, fingers resting on his belt before you dragged your nails against the leather. You felt his muscles flex underneath his shirt, reacting every time your fingers would brush up against his abdomen. Bucky remained silent, watching as you pushed up against him, grinding your crotch against his, desperate for any reaction. Your eyes met, staring down each other, awaiting your next moves. Your shared warmth was soon gone, with Bucky almost peeling you off of him, moving his hand under your chin and tilting it up.

He ran his metal arm down your body until he stopped at your crotch, copying your actions. Before you could react, he pulled away, shaking his head at you dismissively.  The trip home was unbearably quiet, Bucky shutting down any advances you made, resorting to a painful silent treatment. Once you got to your apartment, Bucky ushered you inside and closed the door with an unexpected intensity that made you jump in surprise. Discarding your outerwear, the two of you began walking inside before you were stopped in your track, almost falling over as a result. Bucky was close behind you as his hand found its way to your pants, hooking a finger around your belt and pulling your back towards him. You yelped in surprise, stumbling back a few steps before you hit Bucky's chest with a soft thump. A sigh escaped him before he spoke, voice low and gruff. "I don't appreciate that type of behaviour. Especially not in front of others." His free hand found its way up to your face, fingers wrapping around your jaw firmly, turning you to face him. "Whatever you were trying to gain back there is not going to happen." He noticed a change in your posture, the way you almost cringed into yourself as you listened to his harsh words. As soon as you were about to speak up, Bucky was cutting you off in an instant. "Hm? D'you really think you deserve any of those things?" His words were laced in disappointment, watching as you desperately racked your brain to try and come up with a confident reply. "Aw, poor boy... not a single word, huh?" Bucky brought his knee up between your legs and pushed them apart, the fingers around your belt pulling you further into him. He grinded up against your backside, listening to your mewls. "Where did all that confidence from earlier go?" He huffed out a chuckle, hot breath fanning against your cheek. A satisfied smirk washed over his features as you shuddered in response. "Be good for once and sit down." He mumbled, giving you a slight push towards the living room sofa.  You gasped at the sudden movement, stumbling forward and catching yourself on the armrest before you sat down, anticipating Bucky's next move. He followed close behind, eyes never leaving your frame. The growing silence broke as Bucky reached out with two fingers in front of your face. He was towering over you, fully taking advantage of the angle he was at. "Open your mouth." You obliged eagerly, faster than he could finish the sentence. Leaning forward, you let your tongue lay flat against your lower lip and tilted your head back. You looked up at him proudly, expecting to hear praises; instead, you were met by his harsh silence again. Bucky watched as you wrapped your lips around his digits, fluttering your eyelashes at him as your gazes met. You could sense how impatient he was getting, so you started sucking on his fingers, coating them in your saliva. The muffled moans you let out against Bucky's fingers made his cock twitch in his pants, his bulge visibly growing. A string of saliva followed his fingers as he pulled away from your mouth, drool pooling up at the corners of your mouth threatening to spill out as well. Bucky slid down on the sofa next to you, pulling you up on his lap with his free hand once he settled. You rested your legs in between his before he began tugging down your pants and underwear. You followed suit, struggling before your shirt came off fully. Bucky discarded the clothes on the floor before he moved your legs on either side of him. Your member sprung free, plopping up against your belly, making you shudder as the cold air hit your sensitive tip. You looked down, watching as some of your precum ended up leaking on your stomach. Bucky brought his lubed up fingers in front of him and spat on them as well before he lifted your hips slightly. He moved his hand to spread your cheeks, letting a slick finger circle your entrance. He spent a good few minutes riling you up, the seemingly endless teasing never ending. "Hah- Mm.."  You tried to moan out in disappointment as he stopped moving, but the noise got stuck in your throat, leaving you even more frustrated. "Please, Buck.. please touch me." You leaned your head against his shoulder, drawing out a lengthy whine into his ear. "I don't think you deserve any of that, though, do you?" He tutted at your words and stopped moving his hand, "Dumb brats don't get their way. They have to deal with what they get." You huffed out in protest as he spoke, "M'not a dumb brat!" You gave his chest a light slap, laying your hand flat against it. Bucky hummed in response and turned your head to face him, "You sure are acting like one right now." As he finished scolding you, he started moving his fingers again —this time pushing his slick digits into you, slowly stretching you out. The sudden contact made you jolt forward, and your hands gripped onto his shirt tightly, knuckles almost turning white. Bucky watched you slowly unravel in front of him as he started to increase his pace. You threw your head back, whining loudly every time his fingers brushed against your prostate, threatening your body to climax early. He moved his cold, metal arm from your waist and wrapped it around your cock, starting to pump it with a steady pace. The added pressure made you keel over, laying your head against his chest as he kept pumping his fingers into you. The second you tried to show that you were close, he would suddenly stop and pull his fingers out, watching as your frustration grew. Tears began forming in your eyes from the teasing, spilling over as you looked at him, making you feel pure defeat. Bucky smirked, pleased with the state he had put you in. He leaned forward, placing small kisses on your cheek until he reached your lips, capturing them in a deep, salty kiss. You kissed him back, sniffling softly as he pulled away from you. He bucked up against you and nodded to the free space on the sofa, motioning for you to lie down. Once you had switched positions, you watched as Bucky moved to get up. You frantically reached out for him, not expecting him to walk away from you like this. He looked down at you and tsked, lifting his index finger and shaking it at you. "Come on, you gotta be more patient than that." He sounded disappointed again, making you wince at your sudden reaction. You curled into the leather sofa, hands at either side of your face. "You can't seriously believe that I'm done with you right now. Not when you're behaving like that." His voice echoed through the room as he walked out to get something. You felt the sofa dip as he returned and nestled between your legs. The familiar sound of a belt jingling piqued your interest, making you look over. Bucky came back with a bottle of lube in his hand, ready to prep both of you. He undid his pants and let his cock spring free, looking over to see you staring at him through heavy lids. A low groan snapped you out of it, your eyes following his hands, watching as he stroked his cock and lubed it up. Cars driving outside the apartment illuminated the room through your windows, letting you see all of Bucky for a few seconds, taking in the sight in front of you greedily. The way he threw his head back and the way his hand would occasionally twitch as he pumped himself was intoxicating. Bucky pulled his hand away from his cock and reached out for your waist, pulling you up on his lap before he lined himself up with your entrance. He pushed himself in, getting all of his cock to fill you up, growling as you squirmed. His thrusts started out slow and steady, your moans spurring him on. He brought your legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them as his thrusts turned harsher, almost feral. The room's silence was replaced by the sound of your erratic moans and skin slapping against skin. "Hands up over your head." Bucky suddenly huffed out, never ceasing his ruthless pounding. When you didn't respond, he decided to lean forward, bending your legs until he was close enough to your face. You gasped as his position switched, his cock pushing even deeper inside of you. His hand pinned yours above your head, holding onto your wrists tightly as he kept rutting into you. A loud whine escaped you as you tried glancing down at your neglected cock, wanting to relieve the pressure building up in your abdomen. Bucky noticed your shifting attention, tutting at you as he leaned back up, grabbing onto your hips. "Why don't you be a good whore and cum without touching yourself, hm?" It was more of an order than a question, and you bitterly agreed, trying to relax your arms as Bucky kept fucking you into the sofa like a toy. The assault on your prostate resumed, sending waves of pleasure through your body, cock twitching impatiently the closer you got. After the first time you came, you tried to sit up, expecting him to finish up as well. But you got pulled down into the cushions again, being stared down by an annoyed Bucky. He shook his head at you and kept thrusting. "Isn't this what you wanted?" He spoke through gritted teeth, trying to steady himself as much as he possibly could with you clenched around him. You nodded frantically and quickly moved your hands down, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt, hoping he wouldn't complain. Luckily he didn't, being too preoccupied with fucking you senseless and milking you dry. Drilling into you like it was the only thing he knew how to do. His hips snapped into yours aggressively, cock burying itself deeper in your ass, prodding at your prostate without mercy. After what felt like an eternity of being relentlessly pounded into and being brought to climax several times, you suddenly broke. "Hah, too much..." You moaned out, back arching off the couch and pushing you into Bucky. "It hurts, pl-ease!" Bucky ignored your cries, his pace increasing any time you started whining. He watched your cock twitch as he found your sweet spot again, moaning as you clenched around his shaft. You felt the familiar pressure build up in your abdomen again, pushing yourself off the couch with your elbows as you came for the nth time. Your red, sensitive tip rubbed up against your stomach, making you hiss and whine. Bucky suddenly slowed down, watching for your reaction. He heard you breathe out in relief, beginning to tear up and moving your hands to cover your face. A low chuckle escaped him, and he started thrusting into you again, reaching out for your cock as well. He pressed his palm against your tip, wrapping his fingers around it and squeezing. You gasped, letting out a string of curse words and cries, the overstimulation completely taking over your body. "I can't do... it, please." You managed to choke out in between sobs and broken moans. Clenching around his cock, you looked at him through your blurred vision, tears rolling down your burning cheeks. Your hands flew down and grabbed onto Bucky, digging your nails into his forearm, begging him for mercy. Bucky grunted from the pain of your grip and started to pump your cock in retaliation, your sharp cries making him shiver. He began thrusting into you again, the mixture of pleasure and pain making you roll your eyes back, mouth hanging open. He dragged a finger over your stomach, coating his hand with your cum before he spread it on your member, revelling in the way your shaking body reacted to him. His free arm grabbed onto your waist, angling you on him before he began drilling into you again, prodding at your prostate again. Your eyes found his, watching as his face suddenly twisted. Bucky's grip on your cock never relaxed; instead, he started to pump your shaft faster as his thrusts became sloppy and erratic. Bucky looked down, watching your fucked out face, before he leaned over you, releasing into you with a loud groan. He snapped his hips up, pushing to stay deep inside of you. You felt his cock twitch, his release making you shiver and cry out in relief. It pushed you to release for the last time, hips snapping up into the air as pain wracked your body, cock painting your torso and covering you in cum. Bucky thrust into you one last time before he pulled out, trying to steady his breath before he wriggled his arm out of your grip and tucked his cock back into his pants. He watched as your body shook, not being able to calm down fully. His suit and shirt came off, and he kneeled down on the floor next to you, wiping both of you off carefully with his shirt. He let it fall to the floor, scooting over to you and placing his cold hand on your cheek, stroking away tears that rolled down your face. A pang of guilt surged through his body as you looked down at him, eyes puffy and wet. You turned and flashed him a sad smile, breathing heavily into your shoulder. His hand reached out behind your head, grabbing onto a blanket that he luckily had placed on the sofa before, bunching it up in his arms as he got up. Bucky returned to the couch and bent over you, helping you sit up. He wrapped his arms around you securely, making an attempt to prop you up against the backrest. You laid limp in his arms, still trying to catch your breath through quiet tears. You watched as he pulled out the blanket, spreading it out and wrapping it around your shaking body, hushing your cries. "You did so well, baby. I'm so proud of you." He whispered soothingly and rubbed your back,

"Good boy, taking it all so well." Watching as you reached out a hand shakily, he took it in his, rubbing his thumb over your skin. Your breathing began to even out, eyes following Bucky's as his arms went under your legs and around you, scooting you over into his lap. He hugged your body closely, moving his head to kiss away the tears staining your cheeks. His right hand made its way up to your face, cupping your cheek and tucking your head under his chin. A loud hiss left you as your inner thigh brushed up against your still sensitive member, causing you to twitch and tense up. "Still hurts..." A quiet whine left you as you mumbled against the fabric, arching your back awkwardly. "...I'm all messy." Bucky grimaced and gave your side a gentle squeeze in an attempt to shift your focus. "I know, I know. It's gonna be hurting for a while, but you need to try to relax." He sighed deeply and peered down at you, "I'm not leaving until you can get up on your own." You hummed in response, snuggling into his lap, trying to stop shaking. A sudden feeling of anxiety bubbled up as you felt Bucky move until you realised that he was just trying to lay down with you on top of him. Your legs moved around, trying to find a comfortable position before you finally settled, hands grabbing onto the blanket and bringing it up to your face. Bucky brought his hand up from your waist and placed it on the back of your head, fingers massaging your scalp. He watched closely as your eyelids fluttered shut, making him sigh in relief. "I love you," His voice was soft and loving, barely above a whisper. "Such a good and patient boy, huh? Always holding out for me." He was finally praising you, making your stomach bubble up with pride. You lifted up a finger silently in acknowledgement and wiggled it around, listening to Bucky's soft chuckles in response as your mind began to cloud, leading you into a well-deserved slumber, your body ceasing its trembling.

[sleep-i-ness]

Wrong Door (Sirius Black x reader)

Synopsis: Your roommate wakes you up in the middle of the night because she can’t get into the flat. Or so you think. (Muggle AU) FOR MY 500 WRITING CHALLENGE

A/N: do not follow what reader does in this in real life. IF SOMEBODY PASSES OUT DRUNK AND DOESN’T WAKE UP, CALL AN AMBULANCE (usa people i don’t know what you do. call an uber to the hospital?)

WARNINGS: Alcohol, really shitty first aid, swearing

BANG! Y/N bolted upright. Fuck, were they being burgled? She checked her watch, groaning at the time. It was 3 in the bloody morning and she had an 8am class. She swore lightly under her breath; she’d clearly fallen asleep while studying on the sofa, a textbook on her lap and an empty bottle of wine in her hand.

She wasn’t one for going out in middle of the week, unlike her roommate Marlene, so being woken up in the early hours of the morning was a common occurrence. Usually Marlene would just stumble back into the apartment, tripping over everything lying in her way. Tonight, she had clearly decided to break the fucking door down.

Y/N heard a key fiddling at the door, and she sighed. That was when the pounding on the door started. Time for her to go help Marlene out.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she grumbled, extracting herself from the cocoon of sheets and cushions.

The banging didn’t lessen, and Y/N groaned as black patches clouded her vision momentarily. Mentally reminding herself to grab some water on the way back from the door, she trudged over to the hallway, propping herself against the wall for two seconds as she swayed slightly. Her fingers clasped around the latch and she pulled it, swinging the door open.

“You’re not Marlene.”

“You’re not James. Did he bring you over or something?” The brunette stranger rambled, pushing past her as he stumbled into the apartment. Y/N was too taken aback to protest at first, watching the man walk in as if he owned the place. “You can close the door, y’know. I didn’t bring back a girl this time because James said he’d literally kill me if I kept him up again. What a hypocrite.”

The man reached out to hang his jacket on an empty patch of wall, staring at it blankly when it fell onto the floor. He tried again, feeling for a hook that didn’t exist and Y/N watched him confusedly from where she stood by the still-open door.

“What on earth are you doing in my flat?” She found her voice at last; his audacity was astounding!

“Your flat? Love, just because James brought you over once doesn’t mean you can start claiming our stuff,” he seemed almost affronted, slurring his words as he let his jacket be on the floor. 

“No, this is my flat that I share with my roommate Marlene. Who the fuck is James? And, more importantly, who the fuck are you?” Y/N had to admit, she was getting a little riled at this point. This drunk man had just waltzed in and begun claiming the place as if she didn’t exist.

The man opened his mouth to protest before taking a good long look at the coral walls and pictures that hung all over them. He closed his mouth, paused, and turned to look at the hall table with their tatty fringed lampshade and geometric-print table runner. Y/N could almost hear the cogs whirring in his brain as he stared bemusedly at the room.

“Fuck. This isn’t my flat. Where am I?” He seemed honestly and completely confounded, scrunching his face up.

“You’re near Kensington, we’re a few roads back from the high street and the market. This flat block is number 48-53?” Y/N gesticulated as she tried to explain where exactly her apartment lay.

She was too busy explaining to notice the queasy expression spreading across the man’s face. He shoved back past her to stick his head out her door and promptly throw up all over her front step. Disgusting. And she was going to have to clean it up! He swayed back and forth, before collapsing backwards, narrowly avoiding falling feet-first into a pile of his own vomit. Y/N contemplated just leaving him there and shutting the door on him. But she knew deep down she’d sorely regret it if any harm came to him because she refused to help him. It wasn’t the dodgiest of areas, but the nights were bitterly cold.

“Hey,” she tapped him on his shoulders, calling upon her memories of first aid and how to deal with a drunk person. He didn’t stir, even as her taps got harder and she decided to take her chances and slapped him straight across the face. She gasped as a red handprint bloomed on his cheek, yet he still didn’t wake up. Hand still stinging, Y/N grabbed his arms, heaving as she attempted to pull him inside. Managing to pull him into the living room, she gently rolled him into the recovery position, ensuring that he was still breathing and that he wouldn’t choke on his own vomit. A dead man in her living room would be difficult to explain to her flatmate.

Y/N trudged to the kitchen, dragging her feet along as she pinched her eyelids to try and keep herself awake. She just needed to grab a glass of water to help with tomorrow’s inevitable hangover and a blanket for the drunkard. Somehow, she managed to complete the task, leaving her standing over the man now covered in her biggest blanket. She knew that she should go back to her room, but it just seemed so far, her legs protesting at the thought of moving an inch. Besides, the blanket was big enough to cover the two of them without having to even touch each other, right?

Sliding under the furthest corner, she quickly curled into a ball, eyes drifting shut before her head even touched the carpet.

:.

Waking in the morning, Y/N nuzzled further into the broad arms wrapped around her, sighing as she breathed in the stale scent of cologne and whisky. Her head pounding as she tried to recall the events of the night before that had led to her in a man’s arms. She startled, bolting upright as she remembered the drunkard who had stumbled through her door. And now she was in his arms. Fuck.

Seeing the man afresh with sober eyes, Y/N stopped to appreciate that he was actually really fucking attractive. It didn’t excuse him trying to break into her flat, but it helped, now knowing she’d cuddled him all night. God, that was embarrassing. How was she ever supposed to explain to the guy on the floor or Marlene what had happened. Slipping out from under the blanket, she tiptoed into the kitchen and slumped against the counter.

Coffee, she needed coffee. Then she could think about what had happened and how to sort out the man passed out in the living room.

Y/N filled the kettle up and spooned out the coffee granules into the cafetiere, frowning when her hand came into contact with air rather than her favourite mug. Fuck. It was still dirty from last night, probably abandoned on the table with her textbooks.

Meanwhile, Sirius groaned as he twisted under his covers. God, his head was aching, and his back was incredibly sore. Remus was going to kill him if he’d pulled a muscle; he was meant to be helping him move on the weekend. His mattress was uncomfortably lumpy; he knew he needed to get a new one, but he’d been putting it off. The bobbly fabric scratched his skin as he stretched out, flexing his fingers.

Hang on. Bobbly fabric?

Sirius cracked an eye open, flinching at the bright light. As his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight streaming in, his heart rate picked up. This was not his apartment. He was pretty sure they didn’t have such awful, tasselled cushions or green lace curtains.

Did he-? He glanced down, releasing a sigh of relief when he noticed he was still fully dressed. Okay, so not that drunk. So how the hell did he end up here?

“Here.” A girl stood in the doorway, an unimpressed expression on her face as she offered him a steaming mug of black coffee. “I didn’t know how you liked it, but I have milk and sugar if you need.”

Sirius nodded, still trying to process how he’d got here. She stared at him, waiting for something. He quickly backtracked the conversation in his head. “Oh, no, I’m good, thanks.”

He sipped at the scalding liquid, face contorting into an expression of pain as it scorched his tongue. His eyes trailed over the girl, surely he’d remember someone this gorgeous. “So,” he winced, “how did I get here?”

She pursed her lips, as if she’d tasted something sour. Okay so that had been a bad question to ask.

“You barged into my apartment, claiming it was yours, threw up on my doorstep and then passed out.”

Oh fuck. His head spun as it tried to remember the events of the night before. He did recall somewhat throwing up, but it was a blurry flash. “Sorry about that.”

She hmphed, stacking some scattered sheets on the small coffee table and collecting up dirty crockery. Sirius swallowed the coffee, grimacing at the awkward atmosphere. Funnily enough his parents had never bothered to teach him the etiquette for accidentally bursting into the wrong flat and passing out.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he fished it out, glad he didn’t have to feel the pressure of breaking the silence anymore.

JAMES: Where are u?

JAMES: When I said don’t bring a girl back I didn’t mean go back to hers

JAMES: Ur boss called. I said you were feeling under the weather. He said u should get over ur hangover & get into work

REMUS: Why did ur boss call me to ask if we went out last night? I said no btw

JAMES: He called again; said he’d fire you if you didn’t turn up before 11. I told him u were properly ill and I could send him a pic of the thermometer. I think I got you out of that one

JAMES: Mate, I’m getting a bit worried

Shit. When was that last one from? Okay, 11:15 and it was now 11:34. Sirius tapped out a reply to James, unsure how much detail to go into. I’m alright, be back soon. Yeah, that would do. He really couldn’t deal the endless mocking yet, once they’d found out what had happened they’d never let it go. So that would be saved for when the pounding headache had finally settled down.

His phone binged again. JAMES: We’re out of milk can you grab some on the way back?

Sure.

Sirius got to his feet, groaning as the room spun, beige walls all blurring into one. Rubbing at his face, he stumbled towards the kitchen, empty mug in hand.

“Hey, sorry, I don’t know your name.” He leant against the door frame, body sagging. God he was exhausted.

“Y/N.” Her tone was bitter, and Sirius couldn’t help the pang of guilt shooting through him. She’d probably stayed up all night worried he’d attack her or steal something.

“Well, thanks for the coffee, Y/N, and for not leaving me on the doorstep. I’ll get out of your hair now.”

He placed the mug down on the counter and slung his leather jacket on. She smiled at him, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes.

Y/N trailed him to the door, holding onto it as he stepped out, raising a hand goodbye.

“Bye.”

“Thanks, bye.” Sirius watched the chipped door swing shut, sunlight glinting gold off the battered number on the door. Hm, Number 51.

:.

Y/N groaned as the doorbell went. She’d just got settled into her studying. “Marlene, did you order something?”

“No. I’m broke.” Marlene yelled back, sticking her head out of her room. Her makeup was half done, mascara brush in hand and dress round her hips. “I can’t answer it like this!”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’m on it.”

She tipped the papers onto the floor, ignoring the mess they made. Future her could tidy that up. Trudging to the door, she grabbed her phone off the table. So that was where she’d left it.

“Hi,” she nodded at the delivery guy. He was holding a large bunch of flowers and Y/N bit back a sigh her eyes. Probably from another of Marlene’s boys. Honestly, she was thinking of opening up a flower shop, considering the amount of flowers Marlene’s newest was insisting on sending.

“Hi, I’m looking for,” the delivery guy scanned the list on his clipboard, “Y/N?”

She froze. Huh. “Yeah, that’s me.”

He tucked the clipboard under his arm, passing her the flowers. “These are for you. There’s a card with it.”

“Thanks.”

Y/N shut the door, staring at the bunch of vivid blooms in confusion. Who on earth would have sent her these? She racked her brains for any possible romance in her life, but nothing came to mind. With her luck, it was probably her grandma or something. Not that she’d be upset by flowers from her nan but a mystery lover was much more interesting.

She pulled out the gilded card from where it was tucked into the side of the paper, scanning the words.

Sorry for breaking in and passing out in your flat, princess. Text me if you want to go for drinks at some point: +44 7xxx xxxxxx

A smile broke across her face. Maybe she’d take him up on his offer.

-

-

all hp tags: @missmulti @acciotwinz @1marvelavengers1 @samnblack @neymarlionelmessi7 @okkulta  @gredandforge @onestela@yourenotafailureoverall  @milkshakelol

sirius black tags: @holybatflapexpert @methamphetaminee @thefernandasantana @uglipotata72829 @cheapglitter @lozzybowe @persephonehemingway @blisfvlll @mads-bri @fific7 @electrasworld666 @ccosmic-illusion @anniewhoiam @20coldhearts @imcreepininyourheartbabe @whointhehellisbucky @isntmadrid @blackblossomqueen @wheezyreads @tugabooos @atomic-chickenwings @its-evita-here @inkandpen22 @Rue-123  @emilianamason @mesmerisedalien

[untaemedqueen]

Third Wheeling

CEO!Yoongi x Reader

Genre: Strangers to Lovers!AU, Angst, Fluff, Smut

Chapter 8.

Warnings (Updating Still): Smut, Cheating, Unexpected Pregnancy, Unfaithful, Emotional Damage

Warnings In This Chapter: Angst

A/N: Always the most gigantic, humongous shoutout to my loves @xjoonchildx​, @ladyartemesia​, @ppersonna​ for rooting me on and making it so easy to write these characters who I have come to adore!

The house was quiet when you first woke up. There's an overwhelming sense of comfort in the air as you step out of your bedroom.

You've been getting into a daily routine here, without it you'd probably feel lost or without a purpose.

You really adored the small waterfall alcove beside your room. The sounds are so peaceful and the koi that swim beneath the glass floor are absolutely gorgeous. Entering here was always the beginning of your daily routine.

You weren't fond of wearing heels and for the first time in a long time you had on sneakers. After feeling sick for a few days you decided on a comfortable hoodie, albeit still expensive but you like it. The leggings you wear hug you closely and it brings you ease.

"Little dove?" you hear from behind as you stare down at the koi fish.

"Morning," you say, turning your head to the CEO as he leans against the doorframe of his bedroom.

His eyes are bleary, his forehead creased from the bright light that bleeds through the stained glass windows.

"Why do you always get up so fucking early? You should be sleeping, the baby needs rest. Does it not?" he asks, scratching at his neck with a yawn.

"I'm used to getting up this early, I did have a job not too long ago," you reply, looking over the waterfall walls.

He puts his head back against the door frame, his fingers combing through his sleepy bed head.

"I shouldn't be speaking to you anyway. It's before your morning coffee," you jeer, sitting down on the marble bench.

"Shut up," he retorts but you can hear the humor in his voice. You notice the corners of his lips flickering upward as he shoves off of the doorway.

"Madam?" you hear from the end of the hall.

Your attention turns to Maya as she bows.

Yoongi watches your face light up, he sees the true joy in you and he snorts gently in response. You're really a blessing to this house.

"Good morning Maya!" you say, standing up from the bench quickly.

"Easy does it, little dove." Yoongi murmurs, folding his arms.

"The neighbor Kim Yoona is here to see you." Tilting your head, you can't begin to register the name.

Yoongi laughs gently as he enters the hallway.

"Get me an Irish coffee, please Maya. I'm going to need it if Yoona is here," you turn to him as he speaks, watching as he rubs hand fists over his eyes.

"Who's Yoona?" you ask softly.

"Namjoon's wife. She's actually really sweet. Which is against my religion... so," he says before putting his hand on your lower back to escort you to the staircase.

You don't pull away from him oddly enough. You let him guide you, it's easier than fighting so early in the morning.

"She went to Sairmount Academy like us, too." he notifies you as you descend the stairs together.

"Huh." you mumble thoughtfully.

There were very few memories of Sairmount Academy you remembered. It's kind of bizarre knowing that Yoongi was around all throughout your schooling.

You didn't care to remember many things from school. It was always the same, you were poor and people were rich. You were bullied, Leena and Jin were the only ones who cared for you.

"Morning Yoona," Yoongi says as you reach the bottom floor.

Turning to you, you take in the woman who stands by the couch. She has light brown hair with dirty blonde highlights. Her body is slim and proportionate adorning light ripped jeans and a cashmere turtleneck. The thing that stands out the most though, is her paddock boots. She must really love her horses. She's clean cut and absolutely gorgeous.

But, as she smiles something seems familiar to you.

"Morning, Yoongles," he grimaces at her nickname, accepting the coffee that is rushed over to him.

"Why are you here?" he asks, leaning against the marble stairwell banister.

"Came to see an old friend." Yoona replies.

Tilting your head, your eyes begin to widen.

If she had black, long hair with small polka dot bows and if she was years younger, she would look exactly like an old friend.

"Bang Yoona?" You ask softly and she points to herself with a comical wink.

"That's me," she cheers happily.

"Oh my God!" you cry out, rushing over to hug her.

Yoongi raises an eyebrow as he watches you both hug. His heart warms at the sight of your pure excitement.

"Small world," he murmurs above the lip of his coffee cup.

"I changed my last name when I got married," she tells you, placing both hands on either side of your face as she pulls away.

You can remember when you were little. Yoona welcomed you quite like Leena. You were happy to spend time with her when you were seven. But, after time went on, she left to Germany with her parents when they accepted different jobs.

You were sad back then having only Leena but then it became a distant memory as you got older.

"You look amazing!" you compliment her as she brushes some hair behind your ear.

"As do you! Once Joon told me that it's you that got pregnant with Yoongi's baby I had to see you!" Yoongi smirks gently as you pull away from one another.

"This is such a pleasant surprise!" you cheer as she slings her arm over your shoulders.

"Come spend the day at my house. Leave Yoongi to his sad self," she winks at you and you giggle in reply.

"Fuck you." Yoongi mumbles. Yoona sticks her tongue out at him before pulling you towards the door.

"I'll show you my horses! They're so beautiful!" she tells you enthusiastically.

"Hey." Yoongi calls to you, whistling loudly for your attention.

You turn to him, a wide smile on your face which makes him smirk.

"Be careful and no riding the horses with the baby inside of you," he says pointedly.

You nod happily before hooking your arm around Yoona's waist.

"Watch out for her!" Yoongi calls to her and she snorts gently as you both walk up the entryway steps.

"Always. I probably know her better than you do," she retorts with a laugh.

Yoongi grimaces at the thought before rolling his eyes.

"Yeah well she's having my baby," he retorts softly.

He watches the front door close as he sips his coffee.

"Maya!" he calls to the empty house as he pushes himself off the stairwell.

"Sir?" he hears in the distance.

"Bring me my yearbooks!" he calls as he begins to ascend the stairs.

You better be careful or he'll raise hell with the Kims.

The walk to Namjoon's house is absolutely breathtaking. You've always stuck around the house, taking walks around the long stoned paths by the garden. But now, walking towards the large mansion in the distance, you can only be in awe of the sights before you.

"I cannot believe what a small world we live in." Yoona says, ripping you out of your trance.

You giggle as she hugs you tightly to her side.

"I know," you reply as you both move out of the way as a car passes by.

The limousine begins to slow down, the window sliding down as well.

Very unfortunate for you, the face of Sera is right in your sights.

"Good morning Yoona! You look ravishing today!" Sera's voice is filled with overly sweet tones.

Your stomach begins to roll at how fake she is.

"Hi." Yoona says briskly, hand gripping beneath your arm tighter.

"See you've taken on a pet project. How gracious of you." Sera says, leaning her body out the window and grimacing in your direction.

Your friend from childhood stops in her tracks. "I think Y/N is delightfully where she should be in life. Unlike you, Sera. If anyone needs a pet project, I'll be sure to have them reach out to you."

You can hear Sera scoff loudly as Yoona tugs you down the road.

"Oh, and Sera?" Yoona calls Yoongi's wife.

You watch the pretty woman angle her head out of the car as if she would be expecting an apology.

"It's 2020, no one drives around in a limousine anymore. It's an embarrassing way to flaunt your money. You should get a Rolls Royce or an Astin Martin. No one wants to see you in a rickety old limo. That shit is for the birds," you put your hand over your mouth, gasping with a laugh as Yoona tugs you down toward her mansion.

"I cannot believe you!" you squeal as she laughs loudly.

Entering Namjoon and Yoona's house you're astounded at how different yet gorgeous it is to where you live now.

The house has an English feel to it, limestone and wooden hardware really bring it all together. The house screams Victorian Gothic and you find it all so wonderful.

"What do you think?" Yoona asks as she passes through the sitting room

"This is beautiful, Yoona. I can't even believe it!" you say in awe. Your eyes glance up, looking at the chandelier before she's tugging you into the next room.

"Namjoon and I are a bit obsessed with old English history. Like this, this is my most prized possession in the whole house," she says stopping in front of a large glass case.

Looking down, your eyes widen so big they could almost fall out of your head.

Gorgeous jewels and diamonds sit nestled in silver and gold. There are crowns, necklaces, earrings and all sorts of other baubles.

"Holy shit!" you whisper out.

Your hands situate behind your back as if you're in a museum.

"All of these belonged to King Henry the Eighth and his many wives! My favorite is Anne Boleyns." Yoona says pointing at a crown that is more grandiose than all of the others.

"Yoona, these are really beautiful," you breathe out.

She wrinkles her nose gently, leaning against the varnished hardwood table.

"Ready to go see my horses?" she asks as her maid brings you both glasses of water.

You nod to her happily as you move away from the royal jewelry.

Stepping out into the backyard of her house, you can't seem to see where the line is drawn between her house and Yoongis. The grass is perfectly cut and a luscious green that makes you feel at peace.

"Just over here." Yoona calls to you as she takes off toward the horse barn.

"Whoa." It feels as if you're almost in a movie.

You can see men walking to and fro with metal buckets filled with water and different foods. They all have on the same uniforms, something akin to what jockeys would wear before a big race.

The horse barn, as you approach, looks just like a home. Something comfortable and clean that could very well have people living inside of it.

"My pride and joy is Rapture. He's won five awards since he's been born and he is the biggest sweetheart," your heart warms at how enthusiastic your childhood friend sounds.

The barn doors open and you feel as if you've been thrust into a fairytale.

There are six horses, all beautifully kept with various colors and sizes on their coats.  Whinies and neighs enrapture your ears as the animals spot Yoona.

"It's like you're the Snow White of horses," you whisper to her as she picks up some carrots by the front door.

"Well, they're my babies," she replies, a motherly smile plastered on her face.

"Jooheon," she calls out.

You watch a man around your age appear. His hair is a light shade of blue and his eyes are soft and doe-like. His cheeks are high and his jaw is sharp like it has been carved by the gods.

He's incredibly tall and muscular, his thick thighs quiver and flex as he walks towards you both.

"Madams," he says, bowing down to you both.

His eyes lock with yours as he stands back up, a smirk on his features as he winks at you.

Finally, Yoongi had brought home his laptop for work. He hasn't really given much thought to why he feels the need to stay home so much these days. He doesn't want to think about it, he just lets things be.

Throwing his feet up on his desk, his eyes falter to the stack of yearbooks that Maya has so kindly brought him.

Seeing Yoona this morning, someone he's always known suddenly knowing you, it made him curious.

How could he have gone throughout all of his Sairmount schooling AND college to never know you?

Sipping his coffee, he opens up the first yearbook.

His eyes narrow at the pages, looking over all the small kids with the same uniforms.

"Y/N. Y/N." he mumbles as his index finger glazes over the children's faces.

His eyebrows crease as he leans back in his desk chair.

You were in none of these pictures, not that he could see anyway.

Flipping through the pages of the book, he passes the newspaper club, the computer club, the chess club before finding solo pictures of each student.

His lips puff out as he skims along the pictures.

"Holy shit," he whispers, setting down his coffee cup.

There you were. Small and cute in front of his eyes.

But, there's something familiar about you as he continues to stare at the picture. You with your small tie and blazer, he feels like he's always known you.

Then it hits him, you were in his class. He fucking remembers you, sitting three seats behind him in History.

Purchasing his hand beneath his chin, he stares at the small pictures in his history textbook. He couldn't be bothered to study for the pop quiz and he knows that he probably failed.

His father was going to be disappointed, as always. His father is never proud of anything he does so why should this matter.

"Sir Min," the teacher, Mrs. Park, calls to him.

With the roll of his eyes, he looks up at his teacher.

"Yeah," he mumbles as Hoseok slides a note beneath the lip of his book.

"Do you realize that I've been calling your name for the past three minutes?" Mrs. Park asks as she leans down on her desk.

Running his fingers through his hair, the tip of his tongue grazes over his teeth. He leans back in his own chair, eyes glazing over the teacher with a bored expression.

"No. I was too busy looking at what underwear people used to wear," he mutters aloud.

He can hear other kids snickering and murmuring at his joke. A sly smirk begins to spread over his face while he fixes his tie.

"You think this is funny? You think failing is funny?" she quips as she holds up the quiz.

He can feel his neck heating up out of embarrassment.

"The future heir of Kisung can't even pass a history quiz? Maybe your parents should get a phone call," she asks him, her legs wading through the multitude of desks before plopping the sheet down on his table.

He takes in all the red lines that are scoured over the paper.

"I bet you can't even tell me when the Mongols invaded the Goryeo dynasty," she says earning a multitude of hushed voices.

He turns his head to the others behind him, his eyes dancing over the kids that sit with their eyes on their desks.

Then they falter to you as you stare at him shamelessly. Your small hands form fists as you look from him to Mrs. Park.

Secretly, you begin to raise your fingers.

One.

Two.

One.

Six.

He clears his throat as your eyes falter to your desk and he turns back to the teacher as she raises her eyebrow.

"The Mongols invade Goryeo in 1216," Yoongi says as he swings his arm over the lip of his chair.

She purses her lips at his answer, eyes narrowing at him.

Maybe your information was wrong.

"Well, if you knew that then why did you fail the quiz?" she asks softly, retreating to her desk at the front of the class.

He breathes a gentle sigh of relief, turning his head to you. He nods to you as Leena pinches your arm. Nodding back, the corner of your lips flicker upwards before pinching your best friend.

Yoongi chuckles to himself as he recalls the memory.

You saved his sorry ass that day, if it wasn't for you he would have had to kneel on rice in a corner for God knows how long.

"Interesting," he whispers to himself as he continues to flicker through the yearbook.

"You have a phone call, Mrs. Kim," someone announces from the entrance to the horse barn.

She hums in reply, running her hand over the soft mane of Rapture.

"I'll just be a minute, why don't you spend time with the horses. They seem to love you," she suggests and you nod happily as Rapture rubs his large face against yours.

Giggling, you hold out an apple slice for him and he takes it without complaint.

"You're so pretty," you tell the horse as he munches happily on the slice.

"Do you know anything about horses?" you hear from behind you.

Turning to the owner of the voice, you smile gently as Jooheon wipes a rag over his sweaty face.

"Unfortunately not. But, they're very beautiful," you reply as Rapture nuzzles the back of your head.

The stableman chuckles as the horse rests his head on your shoulder.

"Rapture always finds it easy to feel comfortable around gorgeous women," you can feel the apples of your cheeks blushing as Jooheon tosses the rag he holds up in the air.

"I'm sure you really like this job," you say, running your hand over the horse's neck.

He nods to your statement, leaning back against one of the wooden doors. "I've always liked animals more than people. When you look into a horse's eyes, you can see so much emotion. You can practically see their souls bare in front of you."

His admission makes you think. You can understand people that love and respect animals more than people.

"That's really sweet," you tell him as he fixes his uniform.

He gives you a smile, one that's enchanting showing off his perfectly white teeth.

"It's just the truth," he replies as Rocket, an all white horse, nuzzles his face.

"I know, girl. Don't get jealous cause I'm talking to a pretty woman," he whispers and this time your ears heat up.

"The Madam was telling everyone that you're an old school friend," he says, patting the horse's face.

You nod, a reminiscent smile on your features. "Yeah. Yoona was a good friend when we were younger."

He takes delight in how you smile, how perfectly shy you are.

"Did you move in around here?"

"Yeah. I'm living with the Min's," you answer as Rapture snorts gently onto your cheek.

"Must be nice to have money," he quips.

You shake your hands quickly. "Oh. I'm not rich."

He hums playfully, looking over your expensive attire with an unsure eye.

"I thought Min Yoongi was married," he counters as he slides his right foot up onto the stable door behind him.

You watch his thighs flex once more before clearing your throat. "He is. I'm just... I'm pregnant with his... y'know... his baby."

Jooheon whistles loudly at the admission. "Interesting. But, you're not dating him, are you?"

The question makes you laugh, feeding another apple slice to Rapture while shaking your head. "No. I am not."

Jooheon nods slowly as he stands up and you can hear the horse barn door opening to your right. "Can I ask you out on a date then?"

Puffing from his cigar, Yoongi leans back into the armchair he sits in. His fingers pull and push at his cards on the green felt.

"I call." Jeongguk mumbles and the CEO tosses some extra chips into the center of the poker table.

Although Jimin was invited to tonight's poker game, Yoongi thought it wise that he didn't accept. The shorter man was hanging on by a hair, the last time he was in this house.

Guk was more than happy to sit in his seat beside Taehyung for the evening.

The classical music swells throughout the room and Yoongi stares down at the chips in hand. Once that memory of you from childhood came flooding back, he can remember smaller ones too.

Ones like when you were being bullied or when the girls tried to steal your lunch. He can remember all the times he heard Leena screaming to protect you, and he finds himself feeling more accepting of her.

"Yoona had a great time with Y/N today. She loves her," Namjoon says, earning everyone's attention.

"Well I think they used to be friends, no? I don't remember much about Y/N but I remember that she was friends with Leena, Yoona and of course Jin," Hoseok says.

"What do you mean 'of course Jin?'" Yoongi finds himself asking, something inside of him growing terse and annoyed.

"Well he was always with them. He was Leena's boyfriend when we were younger too. He was the only boy that used to hang around with them."

He starts to simmer down at his admission. "Oh," Yoongi whispers.

"Read 'em and weep, hyungs," Jeongguk says with a smug grin, flipping over his cards.

Taehyung groans long and low, his hands carding through his hair as Guk shows them a straight flush.

"Goddamn. This kid wins in everything! Whether it's boxing, car racing or cards!" Tae complains as Guk collects his chips.

Yoongi chuckles to himself, lifting his whisky glass to his lips.

"I'm really glad Y/N has a friend around here." Namjoon says and to this the Kisung CEO nods.

He wants you to thrive. He can say this until his face turns blue.

As Maya begins to deal the cards once more, the library door slowly begins to open. The sound draws everyone's attention and they stay silent as you enter.

Your face is buried in a book, your feet slowly shuffling into the big room. The sight of you makes Yoongi smirk, your hand is pressed on your flat stomach as you continue farther into the room.

You look precious. Your hair is slightly wet from a shower not too long ago and your eyes are enraptured with the words you read.

"Beautiful," he whispers under his breath but the sound is swallowed by Namjoon clearing his throat.

You look up quickly, clearly startled by the noise.

"Oh my God, it's Thursday! I'm so sorry!" you cry out as you slam the large book in hand shut.

"No worries, little dove. Come. Get a book," Yoongi calls to you as you try to leave.

"Hey Y/N." Namjoon says with a comforting smile.

Your eyes meet his and the friendly face makes you smile widely. "Hi Joon. Good evening!"

You wink at Maya, scurrying behind her to find a new book to read.

Oh, Joon is it?

Yoongi rolls his eyes as he burns out his cigar. He wafts the smoke away from your direction, picking up his whisky glass.

You had changed your clothes. Now wearing a purple free flowing sundress.

Might be better to not have tight clothes on, if they make you uncomfortable. The father of your child finds himself thinking.

"Y/N. Can you tell Leena to call me, please?" Taehyung whines.

Turning to him, you narrow your eyes playfully.

Why can't Yoongi see you like this? Is it because he's too big of a dick?

He wishes you would be so free with him…

"Tae. I'm told that you're in the dog house," you jeer as you grab a book.

Tae, is it?

Yoongi gulps down the rest of his drink, his throat burning as his gut explodes with alcoholic fire.

"Tell her I'll book the penthouse. I promise," he says, holding out his pinky.

Humming cutely, you step onto the platform beside Maya. Grabbing his pinky, he gives you a wink and it almost sends Yoongi onto the fucking floor.

"Don't you have some reading to do, little dove?" he asks quickly, watching how tightly Taehyung grips at your pinky.

You look over at the CEO before nodding. He gives you a small smile and your heart stutters as you return it.

"I'm Jeongguk! But, you can just call me Guk or Gukkie," the youngest calls to you.

You bow your head to him with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"That's Hoseok," Namjoon says, pointing his thumb to the left of him.

You give a small wave before looking down at the book you hold.

"Well I'll let you get back to it. I'll just be reading," you say, mostly to Yoongi.

He nods above the lips of his glass, watching you press the book to your flat womb.

You're fucking endearing as all hell.

"Or, you can join us," Joon suggests.

Yoongi grimaces at the idea. Why would he fucking ask you to stay? In a room with all these handsome men? No.

"No. She said she wants to rea-" the father of your child begins to say before you cut him off.

"I might destroy you," you quip and his mouth hangs open at your banter.

Yoongi watches as Maya begins to smile, a proud smirk gracing her features already.

"Poker is about luck," Hoseok jeers.

"Well I did get knocked up on a pass by. Seems like I'm pretty lucky," you joke, making the others laugh.

Yoongi snorts to himself as you share camaraderie with his friends.

"That's my baby you're talking about," he says, pointing his index finger over the lip of his glass to you.

You give him a warm smile, the apples of your cheeks raising as you giggle.

"Here, noona. You can sit in my seat," Guk says and it rubs Yoongi the wrong way almost immediately.

"She can have my seat, you're a guest," he says quickly.

"Oh no, it's fine. Noon-"

"Y/N, come." Yoongi's voice is strict and you roll your eyes at his commanding demeanor.

Setting down the book on the lip of the table, you take his seat. He stands behind you, handing the burnt out cigar and ashtray to Maya.

The smell might make you feel sickly.

"Jeongguk always wins," Hoseok notifies you and you hum curiously.

"We'll see," you reply as you begin to stack Yoongi's poker chips. He can smell your shampoo, violets and vanilla--it smells amazing.

"You know how to play?" He whispers softly in your ear, you shiver at his warm breath, smelling the alcohol on his pallet.

It reminds you of your first night together and you press your thighs into one another at the memory.

"Oh, I know how to play," you reply.

He places his hand on your shoulder as Maya begins to deal.

"Don't spend all of my money, we play with real bucks here," Yoongi says, his thumb grazing over the softness of your skin.

You feel yourself relax as his skin grazes yours. It feels comfortable, it feels kind of right.

Lifting your cards, your thumb skims over the tops and Yoongi holds his breath waiting for what you're going to do.

A diamond ace and a ten of diamonds sits in your hand. Yoongi presses down on your shoulder, almost as if he's proud of you.

"Raise," you mumble as Yoongi slides his thumb over the column of your neck.

You can see all the other billionaires staring at you and you calmly grab three poker chips before throwing them into the middle of the table.

"She's got a good poker face," Hoseok quips as he lifts his glass of brandy.

You feel your heart pick up speed as Yoongi slides his free hand over your other shoulder.

"Good girl." He whispers softly in your ear and your eyes flutter shut at his praise.

What the fuck is going on?

This Yoongi, the one behind you feels so different than the man who you moved in with just a week or so ago.

"Who are you and what have you done with Yoongi?" you quip into his ear softly.

You watch as Maya begins to flip three cards, you snort gently as a king, a queen and a four, of the same suit appear.

"He's gone." Yoongi murmurs, earning widened eyes from you as you focus on your cards.

You watch as the others toss chips into the middle and you throw a few more as Yoongi sips his whisky.

Your stomach begins to coil as he presses his thumbs down into your shoulders with soothing circles. He's fucking massaging you.

You find your body relaxing into his chest and stomach.

Yoongi watches the way your thighs quiver as you cross your legs. He can see the back of your neck flushing and his tongue licks over his bottom lip slowly.

"So, Y/N," Joon says, elbowing Hoseok with a wink. You shy away from the CEO's touch and he feels like he's being rejected all in a quick second.

Yoongi sighs gently, his eyes flutter shut and he loosens his grip on you.

"Yoona tells me you got a date today," you clear your throat uncomfortably as the men look pointedly at you.

Yoongi's eyes widen at the new information. He pulls away from you, making up the excuse in his mind to grab another grab of whisky.

He can feel the rage beginning to burn through him, as if someone has lit the end of a stick of dynamite. His eyes flutter shut and he steadies himself on the lip of the bar.

How fucking dare someone try to ask you out. How dare they?

"Oh well, Jooheon is really kind," he hears how soft your tone is and he can't help the way his hand shakes as he picks up the whisky bottle.

Why does the prospect of you dating drive him almost to the brink of insanity?

"You told him no, right?" he finds himself asking, he stares at his reflection through the mirrored wall. His face is pink with anger, the veins in his neck protruding as he grips tightly onto his glass.

You can't see him, but you can hear how livid he is.

"Well, I-" before you can even reply, he's charging across the room.

His hand grips at your arm and without a second thought he's tugging you to the library door.

You swallow thickly as he kicks the door open with his foot in a moment of blind rage.

"Yoongi!" you complain as he pulls you into the game room next door.

He slams the door shut behind him, his back presses into the cherry wood. Narrowing his eyes at you, he sneers.

"You told him no, right?! You do remember the contract, correct? Or, are your childish feminine hormones making you blind?" he barks out.

Your face begins to set into a scowl as you continue to stare at him. Why not be a brat? It's something you're quite good at when you're upset with him.

"Well if I can't get cock from you, then I'll have to get it elsewhere," your statement drops like a bomb and in a second he's pushing you up against the wall.

"Don't you fucking dare get snarky with me, like that. No cocks are going in this tight little cunt, do you understand me?" he seethes through his teeth.

Your eyes meet his, both sets are glaring and determined.

"Well then, guess you should have accepted my offer to fuck me," you quip.

He chuckles darkly, the sound shaking you to the core. And, for the first time he places his hand over your stomach.

"You couldn't handle this cock in your pregnant pussy, believe me. If I even see you with another man, I'll fuck him up."

"Why, jealous?" you ask as his thumb swipes over your stomach.

The feeling of his hand over your child can only compare to the sun. It feels wonderful.

"What do I have to be jealous of? I have it all. And that includes you. You're mine," he barks out and you hum unsurely, turning your face away from him as his forehead presses to yours.

"Just because I'm having your baby, that doesn't make me yours," you reply, your eyes focus on the pinball machines at the far end of the room.

"Yeah. It really does, little dove," you can hear the agitation in his voice, the annoyance he feels can match yours.

The tip of his nose grazes over your cheekbone as he presses his face closer.

The burning anger in him subsiding as he continues to drift his hand over your stomach.

"Just... don't." It's practically a plea falling from his lips.

Your eyes flutter shut at his now soft tone.

"I told him no," you whisper and you can feel his breath of relief as it rushes over your lips and neck.

"Then why are you pissing me off?" he asks gruffly.

"Because you made me mad," you retort as his hands grip at your sides.

He stays silent for a second before responding.

"I know. I'm getting way too good at that. I'm sorry," he whispers.

You swallow thickly, he's apologizing? He's really not himself today.

"Did you get a concussion?" you ask as he pulls away from you.

He raises an eyebrow as he keeps you at arms length. His fingers comb through his hair, a few odd strands falling back into his eyes.

"A concussion? What?" he replies, confused.

"You're acting weird," you comment as he fixes his blazer.

He begins to smirk as he leans back against the pool table. "I told you, old Yoongi is gone."

Humming unsurely, you intertwine your fingers.

"I'd really like it if you could not give me whiplash every few minutes. Makes it a lot bearable on my neck," you say as you fix your dress.

His eyes falter to your swollen breasts, his tongue licks over his lips while he does his best to calm his breathing.

"I'll be more thoughtful," he whispers and you bite your bottom lip, nodding carefully.

"We should get back," you tell him as you push off of the wall.

He nods gently and he grips at your wrist as you try to walk away from him. You turn to him as his eyes become softer. "No boyfriends, no dates."

You smirk as you look him over. "No boyfriends. No dates," you promise and he cups your cheek gently without even thinking.

"I like the fierce you. Makes my heart feel warm," he comments, leaving you in the game room on your own.

When he touches you, it makes your heart feel warm as well.

Next Chapter --->

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[streetlight11]

Neighbour's Fate

Summary: He was your neighbour growing up but he has always been distant. You didn't know for what reasons he chose not to mingle with you or your younger brother. It's been 6 years since you saw him. One day, you best friend asks for a favour from you that would eventually lead you to meeting his close friends. Who would've thought your old neighbour was now one of your best friend's close friends.

Theme: university au, old neighbours to lovers

Genre: fluff, a tad bit of jealousy, a little suggestive

Warning: mentions of anxiety, one or two curse words, very mild harassment (grabbing of wrist, that's all)

WC: 6.5k

Pairing: Seo Changbin x Fem!Reader

a/n: This was just a spur of the moment kind of idea I had the other day, and so this was the work I created... Hope you guys like it :)

Growing up, you lived beside the Seo family. They were a family of four and so were you. Their oldest child was a girl and her name was Seo Jiwoo. Their youngest child was a boy and his name was Seo Changbin. You were pretty close to the girl, to the point where you would always go to school together but the boy had always avoided you for unknown reasons.

He wouldn’t even play with your younger brother. It used to upset you but as you grew up, you realized that you can never force anyone to like someone or do something they didn’t want to do. And for that reason, you ended up letting him be.

However, despite not talking to you as much as his sister did, he was very attentive on small little things and he noticed that you tend to get anxiety attacks whenever you are in front of a huge crowd or the centre of attraction. And he knows this.

You had just entered senior year when you heard news from your parents that the Seo family were moving.

You were sad considering you’re already so close to Jiwoo. But you couldn’t force them to stay there anyways. You accepted the fact that you probably wouldn’t see them anytime soon, maybe not ever. You bid them goodbye, not forgetting to glance at Changbin one last time before they drove off with their boxes loaded into a van.

Two years passed since they moved and you were finally going to college.

You decided to move to Seoul alone and your parents allowed it. Your heart was heavy to leave them behind but they understood that you were doing it because you wanted to further your studies. For that, they willingly let you go.

After graduation, you enrolled yourself into a college with your favourite course, not forgetting to find an affordable apartment for yourself. And that was the start to a new chapter in your life.

4 years passed by in a flash and you had managed to further your studies by going to university. You were currently a Computer Science major in Hankuk University, together with your best friend whom you met in college and have been friends ever since. He was two years younger than you but he was pretty mature for his age, and his name is Hwang Hyunjin.

It was a bright Thursday morning and you were just strolling to your lecture class when someone swung their arm over your shoulder. Right when you were about to curse, the familiar voice warned you.

“Relax, stop being too defensive will you?”

You clicked your tongue at him, seeing him shake his head a little to get his long beautiful blonde bangs away from his eyes.

“Then announce who you are first before putting your arm around me next time, will you?” You scoffed, earning a roll of his eyes. “You’re unbelievable sometimes, you know that?” Hyunjin sighed.

“I appreciate that compliment.”

“Whatever…” Hyunjin could only laugh as the two of you continued to walk to class.

Hours went by, it was currently lunch hour. You made it to the cafeteria in time when there still weren’t many students yet. Hyunjin was walking beside you, telling you stories about his ex-girlfriend whom he caught cheating on him last month when you spotted an empty table a few rows down from you.

With that, you grabbed his shirt and began to drag him to the table before anyone else occupies it. A few minutes later, you were just munching on your smoked squid when someone came to give Hyunjin a handshake.

You looked up to see two guys whom you knew to be in Hyunjin’s dance crew team that represented the campus.

One of them had pretty freckles all over his face while the other one had a cute gummy smile with doe round eyes. They simply acknowledged you with a friendly smile and a nod before walking away.

You’ve never really met Hyunjin’s friends before properly because you were shy.

Even with those two guys, you knew they were part of Hyunjin’s close circle of friends that had other guys from other campuses but you’ve never met them before. You weren’t sure if you even wanted to, if they’re all just going to be as equally good looking as the two dancers from your campus.

A few days later, you were lounging in your living room on a Friday night watching your favourite TV show on Netflix. You were in nothing but panties and a big hoodie that you remembered to be Hyunjin’s but you stole it one night when you slept over at his place after he broke things off with his ex-girlfriend when he found her cheating on him with a friend of his but not from his circle.

You were just seated on your couch with a chocolate almond drink in your hand when you got a text from Hyunjin.

With that, he told you to pick him up at his apartment so that you could go meet his friends at the mall and discuss his plan. It sounds ridiculously dramatic to you but then again, it’s Hyunjin. Nothing’s ever not ridiculously dramatic when it comes to him.

You texted him you’ll pick him up at around 2, in which he said okay. You were scheming through your closet to see what you could wear. You didn’t want his friends to have a bad first impression on you so you opted to wear a little feminine. After rummaging your closet for a good few minutes, you ended up pulling out a baby blue off shoulder, floral print dress.

You’ve worn this out with Hyunjin before once but mostly with your girl friends. You kept your hair simple with a messy low bun, leaving your fringe to frame your face as it parts nicely in the centre.

Once it was time to pick him up, you left your apartment. Not forgetting to bring your purse along to keep your important belongings.

You wore your favourite white Nike air force 1s to pair it with your outfit.

After you’ve managed to pick him up from his apartment, he tells you which mall they promised to meet. The drive there was filled with him complaining to you saying his ex kept bothering him on kakao talk and also social media.

He said he’s had enough so he wants to get back at her to show her that he’s moved on. He told you that she invited him and his friends to her birthday party at her house next weekend.

So he wants to use this chance for his payback.

You simply listened to his plan as you focused on the road ahead of you. Once you’ve found yourself a parking space, you park your vehicle and leave.

He walked with you to the restaurant, all the while talking to you about your dreadful assignment. You arrived at the restaurant, only for a waiter to approach you two.

“Uhh, hi. My friends are here actually. Table reserved under Chan I think?” Hyunjin said as the waiter went ahead and checked the booking list, only for him to nod when his eyes met the name that was mentioned.

“Ah, yes. Right this way.” He led you deeper into the restaurant as you followed behind Hyunjin.

You were too busy focusing on the crying child across the room, not realizing you were already at the table until Hyunjin’s arms wrapped around your waist to stop you from walking. You whipped your head around to lock eyes with him as he chuckled at you for being clumsy.

Just then, you turned towards the table and you saw a whole table filled with really handsome guys. You also noticed that the two dancers from campus whom you recognized pretty well by now.

“Oh, hey!” The one with freckles said as he waved to you and so did the other one. You smiled shyly to them as you rested your right hand on your left elbow.

You schemed through the different pairs of eyes, smiling to them as a way of saying hello.

Just when you thought you were done, you didn’t notice the one who got blocked by Hyunjin’s tall and lean body. It wasn’t until Hyunjin turned around to call for the waiter, that you finally locked eyes with the individual seated at the edge of the bench.

He was absolutely breath-taking.

He was wearing a grey shirt that hugged his upper body a little too perfectly.

His muscles were in full view. His broad chest puffing out against the soft material of his shirt. The sleeves of his shirt doing the bare minimum in giving his muscular arms air to breath. His shirt tucked into his black cargo pants that had a chain attached to the belt hooks.

He wore a silver chain necklace as his accessory and a few chain bracelets as well. His hair was styled to show his forehead despite it not being slick back. However, his eyes were cold at first but the minute he looked at you, you could’ve sworn his eyes went wide for a split second before it softened.

Your smile slowly disappeared as Hyunjin spoke up to get your attention, “Noona? You okay? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

With that, he chuckled as he turned to his friends and continued talking, “Friends, this is my best friend since college, Y/N. Noona, these are my friends, Felix, Minho hyung, Seungmin, Jeongin, Jisung, Chan hyung and Changbin hyung.”

At the mention of that last name, a sudden rush of adrenaline flowed through your veins as you turned to look at the said individual. Letting his name roll off your tongue.

“Chang… bin?”

The table fell quiet as your eyes diverted from his to the plate in front of him. The boys didn’t miss the frown that soon appeared on your face.

“Do you know him?” Hyunjin asked, genuinely intrigued by your reaction.

Why is the name making your heart flutter?

Just then, you looked back into Changbin’s soft eyes only to ask, “Seo… Changbin?” You heard a few light gasps from the guys but they weren’t your main focus right now.

You watched as Changbin shifted in his seat, making him ask, “How did you know my name?”

His question made you confused.

Was he not your neighbour? Was he not the same Seo Changbin you used to grow up next to? Was he a different Seo Changbin?

This made you feel slightly embarrassed thinking you mistook him for someone else. So you apologized, “I… sorry, maybe I mistook you for someone else.” With that being said, he didn’t say anything else as Hyunjin brought you to the empty space beside Jisung and Seungmin. During lunch, Hyunjin explains what his plan was to everyone.

You listened to him as well, occasionally giving him scoffs or a click of your tongue if you felt that he might be a bit too sassy about the things he wanted to do.

After lunch was over, they wanted to walk around the mall for a bit so you followed.

You had all just entered the lift to go down to level 1 from level 6. There were a few strangers who came in as well. You were the last to enter after the boys while the other shoppers came rushing in behind you.

You had just turned around when a rowdy bunch of people pushed you in further. You were about to lose balance when you felt a firm hold on your waist. What you also felt was your upper back accidentally crashing into a firm chest. You were secretly hoping your guess was wrong but it wasn’t.

“It’s okay. I got you.” His raspy voice said quietly in your ear over the noisy lift, making you turn your head slightly.

That was your first mistake.

The minute you turned, his lips accidentally brushed against your cheek as it was now inches away from your own lips. You were caught off guard by the close proximity so you softly gasped and were going to pull away from him when you accidentally bumped into the person in front of you.

That was your second mistake.

Because the minute you slightly bumped into them, the person turned around to give you a disapproving look, making you apologize quietly as you felt the hands on your waist wrap itself around you and tugged you against him as a way to comfort you.

Changbin simply hid his smile against your hair on his left where his face was between your head and the lift walls so none of his friends saw this.

Your heart was pounding against your chest as you unconsciously rested your hands on top of his forearms. After the crowd left the lift at level 3, you could finally breathe as Changbin let go of you before his friends saw him hold you.

You went home that day feeling lost and confused.

Does that mean he knows you, that he was simply acting as if he doesn’t remember you? Why else would he act that way, unless he’s that type of guy who knows his way around girls?

As far as you remember, Hyunjin has never mentioned being friends with fuckboys and that he says that his friends were all very sweet and humble guys.

Either way, you decided not to think much of Changbin and just carry out Hyunjin’s favour and you’d call it done with being around his friends. But of course luck wasn’t on your side and that it always has it’s way of turning things around in your life. This time, it was with Hyunjin’s friends.

More specifically, Changbin.

The day finally came, you were going to be Hyunjin’s fake girlfriend for the night. You weren’t really nervous considering you don’t have any special feelings for him. You were more anxious that you will be seeing his friends tonight. And that means you’ll be seeing Changbin too.

Hyunjin came to pick you up this time, coming earlier to pick out the perfect outfit for you to wear so that his ex would feel jealous when he sees you with him.

Hyunjin ended up choosing a pink satin dress with quite a deep neckline that essentially shows your cleavage. You were against wearing it at first but Hyunjin insists on you wearing it.

“Dude, you do realise I might get guys staring at me the whole night if I wore this right?” You asked, your tone was serious as he knows how you feel about being a centre of attraction. It gives you major anxiety. With that being said, Hyunjin gave in and chose a different dress that was also satin but with a decent neck line and a thin strap to rest on your shoulders.

It hugs your figure perfectly, with the hem stopping right on your mid thighs.

Hyunjin gave you the privacy to change as he waited for you in your living room. After you were done, you came back out with your purse and heels from your shoe closet.

Hyunjin almost choked on his own spit as he scanned you from head to toe.

“Woah! You are looking hot as hell!” He praised you, earning a roll of your eyes. You slapped his chest with your purse, telling him to get up so you can both leave.

The drive to his ex’s house took about 40 minutes, filling the drive with singing your favourite songs with Hyunjin and just laughing about random things. His friends were going to meet you two there, hence the reason why you were now leaning against Hyunjin’s car door with him towering over you.

He trapped you by resting both hands on top of his car roof on either side of your body.

“So, let me make myself clear. You can hold my hand, hold my waist, kiss my cheek, wherever you want up here…” You said as you pointed from your shoulder to your face before continuing your speech, “But, not my lips.”

Hyunjin pouted as he got a gentle slap from you to his chest, making him chuckle.

“Okay, but what if she wants proof of us dating and she asks us to kiss?” He asked, making you think through your potential actions.

“Fine, only if she asks. If not, don’t even think about tricking me into kissing you.” You warned as he scoffed, telling you that you were ‘no fun’. You rolled your eyes at him but the smile on your lips betrayed you.

Right when you wanted to look away from him, instead you saw a group of guys walking up to you and Hyunjin. Only to realize it was his friends.

Your eyes just naturally travelled over to the one walking near the curb.

Changbin wore a black skinny cargo pants, a black button down formal shirt tucked in, leaving the first few buttons undone. It definitely was low enough to expose a slight amount of his chest. He accessorized with his favourite silver necklace and a chain bracelet with a watch. He had a pair of black combat boots on to go with his outfit.

His hair was styled nicely to partially show his forehead and his undercut. You would be lying if you said he didn’t look good. But you decided to keep the comment to yourself as Chan smirked at you and Hyunjin.

“Damn, you’re not even inside and you guys already started the act?” Hyunjin wriggled his eyebrows as he pushed himself off his car only to snake one arm around your waist and pulled you against his side gently.

“By the way, you look really pretty Y/N.” Chan smiled at you genuinely, making you feel shy. But nonetheless thanked him for his compliment.

The rest of them agreed to their friend’s comment as well, saying that you look good with this dress.

The 9 of you soon walked to the house as Hyunjin slid his hands into yours swiftly when you were reaching the door. However, Changbin couldn’t help but feel jealous when he saw this. Yes he knows it was all an act. Yes he knows that it was only for a day. But why did he wish that was him instead of Hyunjin?

You arrived at the house, only for Hyunjin’s ex to open the door. Her smile immediately dropped when she looked down at your locked fingers with Hyunjin.

“Hey, you guys made it… And, with a friend…” She said through her clenched teeth.

“Oh my goodness, where’s my manners? This is Y/N, my girlfriend. Baby, this is my... friend, Yuna.” Hyunjin said as he slid his arm around your waist, making you smile at the girl and proceeded to shake her hand.

She was clearly uncomfortable but she just pressed on a smile as she welcomed the 9 of you in.

The birthday party was definitely leaning more towards a party which includes alcohol and random hooking ups with strangers. But since some of them drove, they made sure not to drink, including yourself because you don’t drink alcohol.

It has been almost an hour since you reached here and there were already a whole bunch of drunk university students everywhere in this house.

You were just seated on the couch next to Hyunjin and Minho with some of the guys. The only ones who were tipsy amongst the 9 of you were Jisung, Jeongin, Felix and Seungmin. You were just leaning your head against Hyunjin’s shoulder, feeling tired from having been surrounded by drunk students when you felt the need to get a refill of your non alcoholic drink.

You rested your hand on Hyunjin’s lap to gain his attention, who was busy talking to the other four guys, as all four pairs of eyes soon turned to you. “I’m gonna get a refill. I’ll be back.” You said as you got up after receiving a nod from him.

A few minutes later, you were just walking back to where the guys were sitting when a warm hand on your waist made you jump.

You turned around to see a guy whom you didn’t recognize, smiling down at you drunkenly.

“Wanna dance, baby girl?” He slurred over his words, making you excuse yourself. But when you turned to walk, he gripped your wrist so tightly that it made you drop your cup to the floor. You winced as he began tugging you towards the stairs.

But then a firm grip around your waist made you stop walking as someone ripped his hand away from yours only to throw a solid punch to his jaw.

“Fucking touch her again and I’ll break your nose.” Hyunjin growled as the guy began to stumble away. This has caught the eyes of those around you, making your anxiety grow. You didn’t realize this but you began to shake, something you always did when your anxiety was kicking in.

You were about to panic when the soft voice behind you managed to calm you down.

“Hey? Hey, calm down. Breathe. It’s okay.” Changbin whispered in your ear. It confused you on how he seemed to know that this was due to your anxiety but your mind couldn’t properly function right now.

So when Changbin called Hyunjin and told him you were shaking, the minute he passed you over to Hyunjin who immediately hugged you, that’s when it hit you.

This Changbin knows about your anxiety.

You allowed yourself to calm down in Hyunjin’s arms as he caressed your back soothingly and it worked.

A few minutes later, you finally stopped shaking as he pulled away from you only to cup your face gently. “Are you okay?” He asked, genuinely concerned for you. All you could do was smile at him and thank him, in which he told you it was fine and that he should’ve been more alert when leaving you alone in this kind of atmosphere.

You were just walking back to where his three friends were sitting, when a familiar voice called Hyunjin’s name behind you. The pair turned around as Yuna came to a stop behind Hyunjin.

She awkwardly glanced at you before focusing back at him.

“Hey, I need to talk to you… in private?” Yuna said.

“Why? We can just speak here.” Hyunjin said.

“I want to talk about something important… it’s about… us.” She paused. Hyunjin sighed as he stared at her with nothing but lingering pain in his eyes.

“There’s nothing else to talk about Yuna. You cheated on me when I told you I loved you. Was I not enough for you?”

“I’m sorry Hyunjin… I… I wasn’t thinking. Please… can we talk in private?” She said desperately, making you glance up to him who had an obvious frown on his face. You knew he wanted to talk to her to clear things between them. But you could also see that he was already tired of her bullshit and that he wanted nothing but to move on from her.

So you opted to give them space by holding his forearm gently and told him, “I think there’s some things you guys need to settle. Go. I’ll wait with the guys.”

You flashed him and Yuna a smile as you let go of his hand, turning around to walk towards where Minho, Changbin and Chan were sitting. The three of them were already looking at your direction, seeing the situation unravel in front of their eyes.

Hyunjin was at a cross road as he wasn’t sure if he should follow his heart or mind.

After what felt like forever, he decided to follow his heart and that was to completely end ties with Yuna. With that being said, he turned back to her only to speak up.

“I’m sorry Yuna. But all of that was in the past. I’ve already moved on and you should too.” Hyunjin said as he then turned on his heels and left.

He re-joined you and the guys, where you were sitting on the arm rest beside Minho since the other end of the couch was already occupied by drunk couples. Hyunjin was just standing beside you when Yuna placed her hand on his shoulder and roughly turned him around.

“That’s it? It was just that one time. You can’t tell me you’ve moved on that fast.” She scoffed as he raised his eyebrows at her in disbelief.

“With what you did to me, it only makes sense for me to move on this fast. Besides, I’m already dating someone now. You’re too late.” Hyunjin taunts but it seems like Yuna had a different plan as she scoffed at you.

“As if. I’ve noticed you two acting quite distant when I’m not near you. Just tell me you guys are friends and leave. I don’t need fakers at my party.” Yuna said, her tone visibly angered.

Hyunjin smirks, knowing that she was just trying to bite his tail.

“What do I need to do then to prove to you that I’ve really moved on from you?”

“Kiss her. If you’re really dating her and you guys aren’t just friends, then kiss her.”

There it is.

That was probably the last thing you’d wanna hear tonight. Especially not in front of Changbin. With that being said, Hyunjin smirks as he accepted the challenge easily. Since you both agreed on this before you entered the house just now, you knew you couldn’t really say no to it.

“Oh, sure thing sweetheart.” Hyunjin said as he turned to you and immediately leaned down to kiss you on the lips, hands reaching up to cup your face.

You swiftly moved your lips against his to make it seem legit. You could feel Hyunjin’s lips curving into a smile against your lips as you heard Yuna scoff and soon stormed off. Hyunjin pulled back the minute she left, only to apologize to you.

“I’m really sorry noona…”

“It’s okay.” You smiled as Minho and Chan began to tease you two for executing the perfect kiss, saying that it looks too legit. They even mentioned saying you two looked like a nice couple.

In which you responded with a fake gag, earning a soft punch to your arm by Hyunjin himself. You giggled but you completely missed the way Changbin’s eyes were burning with jealousy from seeing you kiss Hyunjin.

He knows this was just an act but why was he so pressed by the simple kiss?

A few days later, you were in class when Hyunjin told you he was meeting his friends this weekend and asked if you wanted to join them. You weren’t sure if you wanted to but you decided to go along with it. He said they planned to watch a movie and maybe go to the pier. You nodded, agreeing to tag along since he offered you to come.

Weekend finally came and you had just left your apartment. You wore your denim skinny ripped jeans, a white cropped fitted tank top and a black oversized jacket.

Hyunjin told you he was going to pick you up so you met him at the roadside in front of your apartment building.

You both made it to the mall to queue for the movie tickets. Chan was queueing with Hyunjin so you were left with the others. You were just scrolling through your Instagram when someone fed you popcorn. You looked up to see Changbin holding two popped kernels in front of your lips. You unconsciously blushed as you opened your mouth to let him feed you.

Changbin chuckled after feeding you, only to pop some in his own mouth. You stood in between Changbin and Jeongin against the wall while Seungmin, Jisung, Felix and Minho were standing in front of you three.

They were just talking amongst themselves when you glanced over to the full bucket filled with caramel popcorn that Changbin was hugging.

He saw you looking so he took some out and held it up to your mouth.

“Ahh, it’s okay, I can take myself.” You said softly, gently pushing his hand away but instead, he said something that made your stomach churn in a good way.

“Don’t worry, I like feeding people.”

You stared at him for a second as he teasingly tapped the popcorns on your lips, making you giggle. Changbin fed you a few times, even after you’ve entered the cinema theatre. After the movie ended, all of you made your way to the pier.

Once there, you were walking past the game booths which had some very cute prizes. Just then, your eyes caught a glimpse of your favourite cartoon character as a prize for one of the booths.

It was Stitch.

You gasped as you eagerly reached out for whoever’s arm that was nearest to you, only to grab both Changbin’s and Seungmin’s forearms on either side of you before pointing to the booth with the Stitch soft toy.

“Guys look! It’s stitch! It’s so cute! Omg!” You giggled, hearing both of them chuckle as you jogged over to the booth. It was a game of shooting which you clearly weren’t good at. Just as you were pondering over the game, a familiar voice spoke up from behind you causing you to turn.

“One round please.” Changbin said as he handed the man his bill before the man gave him a loaded nerf gun.

“What are you doing?” You asked as Changbin simply smiled at you.

“Playing the game?”

“Of course I know that… but why?”

“For fun…” He smiled as he began to aim for the targets. He was getting the shots perfect so far. Barely missing any target. After a stressful close round, you watched as he won a prize. You didn’t know why but you thought he was going to choose something that was for himself.

But instead, the next thing you see was the man reaching up to grab the exact one that you’ve been eyeing all these while.

Changbin smiled as he thanked the man for the prize. But when he turned away from the man, you expected him to walk back to his friends. You didn’t expect him to give you the Stitch soft toy and then proceed to say innocently, “Take it.”

You raised your eyebrows at him softly, clearly taken aback by his offer.

“W-What?”

“It’s for you… You looked like you wanted it so bad.” Changbin chuckled as he gently took your hands and wrapped it around the toy to make you hug it.

“Changbin… thank you…” You whispered as he could only smile, guiding you back to where the guys were. The minute you came back to where some of them were, you excitedly showed off your prize.

“Jin ah! Look!” You exclaimed as Hyunjin gasped at the size of the soft toy.

“Woah! Where did you get this?”

“From that shooting booth! Isn’t he cute!”

“You won the shooting game?!” Hyunjin asked in shock, making you blush as you turned to Changbin. He had a soft smile on his face before he spoke up for you.

“I did. So I gave the prize to her.”

The guys began to tease as Changbin rolled his eyes thickly at them.

“Oh? Was that a gift to her?” Minho smirked.

“Never thought I’d see the day Seo Changbin goes out of his way to win a prize for a girl…” Jisung teased. Changbin simply brushed all their comments off as you all continued walking. You have been hugging the soft toy for the past hour wherever you went, earning soft laughs from the guys. Just then, Hyunjin wanted to take pictures at the pier.

Felix was helping to take Hyunjin’s pictures while Chan was helping to take Minho, Jisung, Seungmin and Jeongin’s picture.

You were just burying your face in the soft toy when Changbin’s voice softly spoke up from beside you, “Do you like it that much?” With that, you turned to him and a bright smile decorated your face, warming his heart even more.

“I’ve loved it since I was young! He’s so cute! Don’t you remember? I used to bring my small stuffed-” You were rambling excited until you stopped yourself when you realized what you were doing. “Oh! Sorry! Sorry… I got a little carried away there…” You apologized as you avoided his gaze but you missed the little smile growing on his face.

But what he said next made your heart stop for a split second, almost not believing your ears.

“I remember…” He whispered so softly, you could’ve missed it if you weren’t properly listening. You whipped your head around as you stared at him in shock.

“You… do?” Your voice was quiet as his eyes held the galaxy.

But your little moment gets cut when Felix calls you over to take a picture with Hyunjin who deliberately drags you away from Changbin. He could only smile as he nods at Hyunjin’s figure behind you, signalling you to just go follow him.

You frowned as you stood beside Hyunjin and proceeded to take a few memorable pictures with him. After everyone was almost done taking pictures, you didn’t want the memory to go to waste so you turned to Hyunjin and quietly asked when the rest of the guys were already walking away.

“Jinie, can you take one picture of me with Changbin?”

“Why?”

“Just for memories…” You smiled and you definitely saw the confused look on his face but nonetheless, he smiled and called the boy over. When Changbin was standing in front of you, Hyunjin told him what you wanted. Changbin looks at you and a smile creeps onto his face before he agrees to it.

You soon reached down to slide your hand in his and brought him to the edge of the pier. You stood beside him with the huge soft toy in your arms. Right when Hyunjin was just trying to find the right angle, you felt Changbin snake his arm around your waist and pulled you closer into his side.

Your heart was palpitating against your chest as he turned to you and whispered softly in your ear, “I’m sorry for being distant back then. I hope you can forgive me and we can start fresh? Properly this time?”

You turned to him, only to find his face just inches away from you. At this moment, neither of you dared to move an inch.

Just then, you heard Hyunjin’s voice counting down from 3.

You turned to Hyunjin and back to Changbin, wanting to ask what pose you two should do. But the moment you turned to Changbin, he gave you no warning whatsoever as he simply pressed his lips against yours sweetly. You closed your eyes in bliss, enjoying the feeling when you heard the click of the camera followed by Hyunjin screaming excitedly.

Changbin was the one to pull away as his lips lingered over your for a second. You struggled to look at him, feeling your cheeks burn from embarrassment. “Was that okay?” He whispered, making you nod.

“Hey! Since when are you two a thing?! And secretly behind my back too?! Pfft…” Hyunjin scoffed but his cheeky smirk didn’t go unnoticed.

“Yeah… about that, we still have a lot to clear between us…” Changbin said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously but you helped him clear the air before Hyunjin got more confused with the situation.

“Let’s just say we have an unfinished history between us and we’re going to settle it once and for all, okay?” With that, Hyunjin nods as he wished you and Changbin good luck. The 3 of you rejoined the group, only for them to ask where you three were. Hyunjin simply said taking pictures, completely hiding the fact that he just witnessed his best friend kiss his close friend.

On the way to all your vehicles, Hyunjin asks if you wanted to ride home with Changbin instead and that he could send Jisung home. You turned to Changbin who overheard your conversation with Hyunjin.

You saw him smile as he shrugged his shoulders, so you turned to Hyunjin and felt your lips curving upwards into a soft expression, “I’d love that.”

With that, Changbin told Jisung the plan and the younger could only nod happily despite not knowing the true intentions of the car swap. After all of you had said your goodbyes, you followed Changbin to his car and he soon drove off after you told him your address.

The car ride was filled with jokes and laughter, purposely avoiding the main talks first until you got to your apartment.

You let him in, telling him to take a seat while you went to make him a drink. After you came back with his iced chocolate, you sat down with him on the couch. He took a few sips of it before he finally spoke up.

“Is it okay if we start over? I know I wasn’t the warmest when I was young… I barely socialize with you and your brother… I guess I was just too shy and a little antisocial back then.”

You smiled as you reached up to cup his face gently in your hand. “It’s okay Binie. I didn’t understand why back then but now I know.” You whispered, feeling him lean into your touch.

You didn’t know who leaned in first but the next thing you knew, you were kissing him.

On the lips.

Changbin wraps his arms around your waist as he pulls you onto his lap. Your heart was racing rapidly in your chest. He kisses you passionately, rubbing soft circles into your skin. Just then, your breath hitched in your throat when his lips left yours only to make his way down your neck.

“Changbin…” You whispered breathily, making him smirk against your skin.

You swiftly took off his shirt, pulling it over his head before doing the same for you. Changbin took a second to admire your body, seeing this much skin on you for the first time.

“Wow…” His voice soft, feeling yourself get shy all of a sudden. He chuckled as he kissed your lips to distract you.

He took his time with you, making sure he wasn’t hurting you in any way. He brought you to your room after a good amount of time on the couch. He had been so respectful of you that he would always ask for your permission to touch you anywhere. He left you wanting more.

He made sure to clean you after spending your time together before pulling you against him to cuddle. You couldn’t help but prop yourself on your elbow as you rested one hand on his bare chest, softly caressing it before sliding your hand up to cup his face.

“I’m so happy I found you again.” You whispered as he giggled. His eyes crinkled into two crescent moons that disappeared as soon as he smiled.

“I could say the same for you too.” Changbin said as he kissed you sweetly. Both of you fell into a deep slumber a few minutes later, waking up the next day feeling so warm and full in your hearts. You were happy that you met him again after all these years. Who knew you would end up with the boy whom you used to live next door to.

~~~

[moldisgoodforyou]

bahamas (iv)

warning: everyone is drunk ! , sexual references

wordcount: 6k

_________

The next morning, Allie strolled out of the bedroom with a messy braid, a cheesy grin and a blush that started the second James began to whistle. Colin flipped him off immediately, still as sullen as the night before. “Nice of you to show up.”

“I was busy.” She retorted, then immediately shook her head. “Not like - I just showered.”

“Did loverboy join? What’s his name again?” James questioned, sliding Allie a full plate.

“Carloooooos.” Julia sang, laughing as Allie glared at her. “I saw him sneak out this morning. He said hello. Nice guy.”

“He said he had to get to his shift, he teaches scuba lessons during the day. If we’re interested he said he could snag us a discount.” Allie shrugged, popping a blueberry into her mouth.

“Does he teach underwater basket weaving too?” Colin asked dryly, scowling.

“Is that a real thing?” Rafe asked, looking like he was actually considering the activity for a moment.

Sophie glanced over at him, concerned. “Baby.”

“It’s not?”

Julia shook her head at the couple. “I thought we had a boat today?”

“We do. We’re going sailing.” Rafe confirmed, glancing at his watch. “We’ve got an hour, but we need to pack snacks and drinks. Colin, can you help me grab the cooler from the attic?”

“You can’t grab it yourself?” Colin grumbled, pushing away from the table to follow Rafe up.

“No. It’s too big.” Rafe glanced behind him, making sure they were out of earshot of the group as he led him up the stairs. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“My problem?” Colin repeated, immediately getting defensive. “What the fuck?”

“Yeah, you’re being a dick about Allie’s hookup. No one would say a word if you brought a girl home.” He coughed as he unlocked the attic door and a small layer of dust flew up, the house unused since the beginning of summer. “Actually, maybe you should get laid, you’ll chill out.”

“I don’t have a problem.”

“Then quit being an asshole to Allie. She doesn’t deserve that.”

Colin sighed, helping Rafe tug the Yeti cooler down from one of the shelves. Once it was down, he glanced over at Rafe. “I didn’t mean to be rude. Sorry.”

“Apologize to her, not me.” Rafe told him, looking Colin dead in the eye like he could figure out some hidden secret if he stared at him long enough.

“I will.”

“Good. Just because you’re jealous -”

“I’m not jealous, just don’t like this guy -”

“Ha!” Rafe pointed his finger in Colin’s face, eyebrows raised. “I knew it! You like Allie.”

Colin froze, immediately looking towards the door then lowered his voice. “You can’t tell.”

“Wait, shit, seriously? I was just trying to get a rise out of you...Colin. Seriously? You mean it?”

“The tiniest of crushes. She’s cute.” Colin affirmed, regretting telling him already. “Just - you can’t say anything.”

“I won’t. Brother swear.” Rafe nodded, extending his hand to Colin. “Don’t you dare fuck with her though.”

“I won’t, I won’t.” Colin paused, not taking his hand to shake. “That includes Sophie.”

“Fuck, Colin, for real? You know she doesn’t count.” Rafe whined, running his hand through his hair. “She’s gonna get it out of me. Somehow. She always knows when I’m hiding something.”

“I mean it.” Colin shook his head. “No Sophie. No James, and especially no Julia.”

“Damnit.” Rafe sighed, but grabbed Colin’s hand and shook it. “Fine. You’d better apologize and start making moves or shut the fuck up and let her do her thing, though. No judging.”

“I will, I promise.”

“Good.”

The door banged open, startling them both as James stood in the doorway. “Yo. You two can’t handle this thing?”

“No, we got it.” Rafe shook his head, lifting it easily on his own to haul downstairs. “They send you up here to check?”

“Yeah, Jules started asking questions about last night and Allie clearly didn’t want to gossip with me around, so Sophie sent me up here to get you guys.” James paused, thinking. “She muttered something about you probably getting stuck in some secret fancy passageway. You gonna tell her this house is your dad’s company house, not some family heirloom?”

“I’m pretty sure Sophie wants to know as little as possible about what my family owns. I think she cried for a solid hour on the first night here.” Rafe frowned, taking each step one at a time.

“You tell her about the deb thing yet?” James asked.

“Deb thing?” Colin echoed. “Sarah’s ball? What does Sophie have to do with that?”

“...No. I’m not sure. I think she’ll either agree or rip my head off, no in between.” Rafe sighed. “Sarah’s getting presented at the debutante ball in the spring, Rose suggested Sophie gets presented as well with me as her escort, and somehow my dad thought that was a good idea. Establish her with high society, or whatever. I don’t think he’s forgiven me for breaking up with Brooklyn a week before her deb ball. Apparently me being her escort would have been good for us. Our family.”

James cocked his head. “She broke up with you.”

“Whatever.”

“Huh. Well. That conversation should be fun for you.” Colin patted Rafe on the shoulder just as they got down the attic stairs. Rafe now sported a thin layer of sweat from hauling the cooler down alone, despite him already having no shirt on.

“Oh yeah. Looking forward to it.” Rafe deadpanned, then put on a grin as they all re-entered the kitchen. He didn’t miss the way Sophie’s eyes trailed over his exposed chest, the way she leaned forward on the counter and bit her lip a little. “Found it!”

“Excellent.” Julia clapped her hands together and began filling it with a selection of drinks she’d laid out on the counter. “Sophie, stop eye-fucking your boyfriend and help me out.”

Sophie snapped to attention as Rafe held back a laugh at Julia’s lack of tact. “I wasn’t -”

“Yes you were. Drinks.”

Sophie shook her head, handing Julia drinks with a rising blush on her cheeks.

“I don’t mind, sweetheart.” Rafe murmured to her lowly with a grin, trailing his hand down her spine ‘til he rested his palm on her lower back.

“Ew, we just ate.” Allie complained, pushing her plate away from her. “Thank you for pancakes, though.”

“No problem. It’s my specialty.” Rafe beamed, gathering up the plates and sticking them in the dishwasher.

“Only ‘cause you can’t cook anything else.” Colin pointed out, dodging as Rafe aimed a square punch at his arm.

“He’s not wrong.” Sophie agreed, reaching up to kiss Rafe’s cheek.

“Aw. Thanks for breakfast, Mom and Dad.” James grinned, patting them both on the head.

Sophie whirled on James immediately, only held back by Rafe slipping his arm around her waist (more to protect James than her). “Stop. I mean it.”

“What are you gonna do?” James taunted, grinning. “Hit me? Rafe won’t let you.”

“I will, if you don’t shut up.” Rafe replied, shaking his head imperceptibly behind Sophie’s back.

“What? You weren’t pregnant, it was just the flu - hey!” James took off running the second Rafe let Sophie go, who immediately sprinted after him through the house.

“Fuck off, James!” She yelled, chasing him down the hall.

“I didn’t mean it!” He yelped as she threw someone’s flip flop at him, nailing him in the shoulder with surprising aim. “I’m sorry! Rafe! Help me!”

Everyone else watched from the kitchen, thoroughly entertained. “You gonna help?” Allie asked, glancing at Rafe.

“Nah. He deserves it.” Rafe shrugged. “They’ll get tired soon enough.”

“She only likes fighting when she’s flirting anyways.” Julia added. “I swear all your arguments before you two were dating was just foreplay.”

“Doubt it. She could be pretty mean.” Rafe grinned at Sophie fondly as she strolled back into the kitchen with a triumphant smile, then looped his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“Who’s mean?” Sophie asked.

“You.” James informed her as he followed her back to the group, dramatically rubbing a red mark on his shoulder.

“Okay, both of you, knock it off.” Rafe took charge like always, glancing at his watch. “Everyone go get ready, we’re getting picked up in twenty to get to the dock. Don’t forget sunscreen.”

“You really make it too easy.” Julia rolled her eyes, but chose to refrain from calling him Dad again for the fourth time that morning.

“So everyone knows?” Sophie asked the group, frowning.

“For the record, I was team baby. I think you guys would have very cute kids.” James said, already flinching away as Sophie lifted her hand toward him.

“Yeah. Rafe accidentally let it slip when I asked why you looked like hell that weekend.” Colin confirmed. Sophie had stayed at Rafe’s instead of her house so he could take care of her, and Colin had found her sleeping on the bathroom floor curled up in a ball at 2pm when Rafe was in class. (He decided not to wake her up, thinking she was just wildly hungover, and had texted Rafe a photo instead.)

“Great. Fantastic. But if one more person calls me Mom this week, I’m going to rip your heads off.”

“I told you you’re mean.” James grumbled, clutching his shoulder. “I’m gonna have a bruise. How am I supposed to explain that to whoever I’m hooking up with tonight?”

“Tell her you’re into pain.” Allie suggested, shrugging when everyone gave her a look. “What? It could work.”

“...Alright. Everyone go get ready, I don’t want to hear another word from anyone about their sex lives.” Rafe instructed, shooing everyone out of the kitchen as he and Sophie made it toward their room. “Sorry, baby.”

“It’s fine. I’d be more upset if we actually had a kid on the way.” Sophie conceded with a shudder at the thought. “How much did you talk about it with the boys?”

Rafe thought about it, about how James kept going on and on about how he wanted to be a godfather and how their kids would be adorable, and how Colin said he wasn’t really a huge fan of kids but obviously their kid would be family. He thought about how he shared with the guys how nice it would be to have a big family and know their kids would have several metaphorical aunts and uncles, and how much love and support they’d be surrounded by. It made him excited for the future - the far future, of course, but still.

“Not much.” He finally settled on answering, giving her a small smile. “You gonna wear my favorite suit today?”

“The pink one?”

“No, the blue one with the daisies. The one you wore in Nice?” He grinned. “Or, I guess, didn’t wear?”

She blushed, shaking her head. “I think that one’s dangerous to wear around you with our friends.”

“Any bikini is, sweetheart.”

“Control yourself.” She flicked his shoulder in warning. “I have a surprise for you tonight. Don’t let me forget.”

He perked up immediately, smirking. “A surprise? What kind of surprise?”

Sophie just shrugged. “You’ll see.”

“I’ll see...is it a leave-the-bar-early kind of a surprise? A need-the-house-empty kind of surprise?” He asked eagerly, his smirk broadening as she pulled out the light blue bikini from her suitcase.

She laughed, pulling off her shirt before she fumbled with untangling the bikini strings. “I think you can stay quiet enough that we’ll be fine.”

“Will you be able to stay quiet?” He teased, beaming in appreciation as she stood there shirtless in front of him, tongue in between her teeth as she concentrated on fixing the bikini. (He didn’t bother to help.)

Sophie ignored him, rolling her eyes, but glanced up and caught him staring. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

“Don’t tempt me, you know I will.” He shot back. “I know you brought your film camera I got you for Christmas.”

“The last person I want seeing my nudes is the freshman art student that develops my film in the photo studio on campus.” She replied with an eyeroll. “Though I’m sure he’d enjoy it.”

Rafe’s face dropped as he immediately grew protective, grabbing the bikini top away from her and deftly untangled the strings. “Get dressed. We’re gonna be late.”

“Okay, Daddy.” She replied innocently, biting the inside of her cheek to hide back a grin.

He paused, considering, then shook his head. “No. Sorry, no, can’t vibe with that. Find a different kink please.”

She burst out laughing, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, James paid me $10 to tell you that.”

Rafe huffed, tugging on his swim trunks and shoved his feet back into his boat shoes, then promptly slammed open the door, striding back to the group. “James! Fuck you!”

________

Later, once everyone gathered their things and made it down to the dock after their driver for the week picked them up, the boat driver helped them all onto the boat, offering his hand. He was younger, around their age or a little bit older, and Rafe scowled as the driver’s eyes lingered maybe a little too long on Sophie’s bikini top. Then the driver politely leaned over to Rafe to inform him that Sophie had the tag sticking out of her top, hanging on by a thread, and he dropped his scowl quicker than it had appeared.

It only took them twenty minutes before they cracked into the cooler, everyone satisfied with a drink in hand, and two failed attempts to go head-to-head in a shotgun contest with James left Sophie drunk within the hour. She had her sunglasses perched askew on her nose, eyes closed as she rested her head in Rafe’s lap, lying down on the seat next to him.

“This trip is good for you. I think this is the most relaxed I’ve seen you all year.” Julia commented, snapping a quick photo of the couple.

“I do feel very relaxed.” Sophie hummed, taking Rafe’s hand and starting to play with his fingers. “Hm. Relaxed. Relaxation. That’s nice.”

“You’re hammered.” Rafe pointed out, but looked down on her fondly. “I want you to eat soon.”

“Snacks.” She affirmed. “You’ll have to feed me. I’m not sure my jaw works anymore.”

James giggled, more tipsy than anything, but still lacked any filter. “Better for dick sucking.”

“Hey.” Rafe warned. “Watch your mouth.”

“Sorry. Just came out.” James shrugged, having zero remorse. “Can we go swimming? I wanna see dolphins. Do they have dolphins here?”

“Some dolphins. I’ll take you.” Their driver interjected, changing direction of their boat.

“Dolphins can travel up to 80 miles a day,” Allie informed them, confused when she got weird looks from the groups. “What? I’m from Florida, I wanted to be a dolphin trainer growing up. Everyone did.”

“Aw. You would have been good at that, Al.” Julia told her, topping off her drink. “Sophie, no sleeping.”

“M’ not sleeping.”

“No drunk napping.”

“M’ not drunk.”

“Well now you’re just lying.” Rafe told her with a smile, gently nudging her up. “C’mon, I need you to drink water for me. Have some snacks.”

“Here, Sophie.” Colin waved the bag of Sun Chips under her nose, grinning. “Try some. Yummy.”

She batted it away, frowning as she leaned back into Rafe. “Everyone leave me alone.”

He pushed her back upright immediately, ignoring her frown, and pressed a water bottle to her lips. “Drink.”

“Do the thing.” She lowered her voice, challenging him with a smirk.

“Sweetheart, I’m not gonna -”

“Then I’m not drinking.”

He sighed, resigned. “Drink water or I’m not letting you go out tonight.”

“Let me? You don’t let me do anything.” She argued, grabbing the water bottle away and took a long drink.

Rafe just nodded, clearly not in the mood for a fight. He knew Sophie was in charge of the relationship, but the second he said he wasn’t comfortable with something, she listened right away. “Okay. Sure.”

“Trouble in paradise,” James sing-songed, only to receive a glare from Sophie.

“You’re still on my hit list.”

“Me? What did I do?”

“You and Julia are on it.”

Julia sighed, glancing over. “You’re really still hung up on that?”

Sophie sat up a little more, her eyes lighting up, and Rafe braced for an argument. “I told you no -”

“And we’re both grown adults, Soph, we can make our own decisions -”

“You don’t even like him -”

“Ouch.” James mumbled, shrinking back into his seat as if he couldn’t be seen.

“Hey!” Allie clapped, standing and putting herself in between the girls. “Both of you, let it go. We’re not doing this again. Julia, drink more. Sophie, no more drinking.”

“But -”

“No.” She crossed her arms, staring them both down until they sighed, mumbling apologies. “Thank you.”

The boys all watched in silence, impressed, until Colin spoke up. “Right, well, I’m gonna go swim.” He and James nodded, jumping off the back of the boat, and Allie and Julia took a second but followed suit.

Sophie moved to join in until Rafe grabbed her around the waist, protective as he pulled her onto his lap. “Hey. You okay?”

“Yes. I feel good.” She promised, but couldn’t fully meet his gaze and was swaying with the rocking of the boat. “Can we go swim?”

“Will you wear a life jacket?”

“That’s embarrassing.”

“It’ll be more embarrassing if you drown.” He pushed her hair back, out of her face, and kissed her forehead. “You’re way too drunk right now, you’re making me nervous.”

She frowned, placing her hand on his cheek. “I make you nervous?”

“No, I’m just worried something’s gonna happen. Life jacket? Please?” He pulled it from under the seat, offering it to her.

Sophie rolled her eyes but let him put it on, strapping it tight across her chest for good measure. “Now can we go?”

He scooped her up with a grin and stood on the seat, ready to jump. “Now we can go.”

“No, Rafe - wait no!” She screamed, grabbing around his neck as he jumped into the water with her in his arms, plunging down and letting her go to float back up.

James snorted, splashing water toward her. “Nice life jacket.”

“I’d like a life jacket.” Allie interjected, closing her eyes and floating on her back. “Wouldn’t have to do any work.”

“Hold on - Allie, are you high?” Colin questioned, swimming closer and poking her arm. She’d only had half of a drink since they were on the boat, but was still acting strange and zoned out the whole day.

“Carlos gave me an edible. I ate it before we got on the boat.” She mumbled in reply. “I have more if you want it.”

“You took sketchy drugs from a sketchy guy?!” Colin exclaimed, much louder than necessary.

Rafe swam over with a frown, shaking his head like a dog. “Who’s taking drugs?”

“The bartender -”

“Carlos.” Allie corrected.

“The bartender gave Allie drugs.” Colin cut her off. “And now she’s high and probably something else.”

Rafe cocked his head, looking over Allie. “Al? You good?”

“I feel nice.” She replied, moving to tread water and smiled at them. “So nice.”

“Jesus Christ.” Colin cursed, while Rafe kicked him under the water.

Julia swam over, tugging Sophie’s hand to drag her along. “Oh, it’s finally kicking in?”

“You knew?” Rafe questioned, pulling Sophie into his arms as she tried to be subtle and unclip the life jacket.

“Of course I knew.” Julia replied. “Don’t freak out, I looked at it, it’s fine.”

“Oh, you looked at it, great. Thanks, Julia, I didn’t know you were the resident expert on drugs.” Colin huffed.

“Just weed, actually, I haven’t done anything else -”

James seemed to finally realize the whole group was congregated instead of doing their own thing, like he was. He swam under the water, grabbing Rafe’s ankle - who immediately screamed like a child and kicked James in the face. James bobbed up straightaway with his hand clapped to his nose and blood trickling from it like a leaky faucet. “What the fuck?!”

“Why’d you grab me?!” Rafe defended, letting go of Sophie. “This is on you.”

James launched himself onto Rafe, grabbing at him, and the two promptly started wrestling in the water, despite everyone’s protests. Colin stuck his arm in between them to break them up after a few minutes, tugging Rafe off of James and being careful not to hit James’ nose again. “Hey! Hey. Everyone back on the boat.”

“C’mon, Colin.” James argued, but hauled himself back up onto the boat anyways when Colin tapped his watch and reminded them all of their dinner reservations.

Once they all clambered back onto the boat and James had a towel and a can of beer pressed to his nose, the boat driver started taking them back to the shore. Sophie had sobered up somewhat and Allie was asleep with her head in Julia’s lap, with Julia absent-mindedly stroking her hair. “Hey, Rafe? Do you have any good recs for somewhere we could go for dinner?”

Rafe furrowed his brow, confused. “We’re going to dinner tonight, what do you mean?”

“No, no, tomorrow. I was thinking it could be just the girls, you guys could do something else -”

“No.” He replied, firm. “None of you are going anywhere alone. I don’t trust any of you when you’re drinking.”

Allie stirred, finally opening her eyes as she’d been listening in on the conversation. “We could invite Carlos to chaperone,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, I’m sure he’d love to tag along. Drag you into some trafficking ring too.” Colin grumbled.

James pulled the towel away from his face, confused. “So that’s a no to guy’s night?”

“No one is splitting up.” Rafe insisted, firm, and reached over to press the towel back to James’ nose.

Sophie cocked her head at her boyfriend. “Where is this coming from?”

“Look, I don’t even let Sarah go out alone here, and we’ve been coming here for years, she knows this place like the back of her hand. I don’t want something to happen to you guys.” He slung his arm around Sophie’s shoulders, pulling her close. “Any of you. I mean it.”

“Man, even my own father isn’t this protective.” Julia remarked casually, then immediately regretted it upon seeing Rafe’s wince. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. But that’s final say.”

“Okay, got it.” Julia raised her hands in defense. “So. Back to Carlos. Do you think he’d get all of us drugs if we had a threesome with him?” She suggested, only for everyone to stare blankly at her. “Oh my god, I’m just asking. It’s not like I suggested meth.”

“Who’s in the threesome?” James questioned, cocking his head.

Julia ignored him, barreling on. “That’s, like, an appropriate thing to ask, right? It feels like an island vibe. He’s gotta know where to get something.”

“Something.” Rafe repeated.

“Yeah.” She directed her question back toward him. “Hypothetically, if he could get us coke, would you say no? That’s like a rich person drug.”

“Rafe hasn’t done coke.” Sophie interrupted, assuredly, then frowned as Rafe seemed contemplative. “Right?”

“...No. Had to think. Been in the room, though, so probably got something secondhand.”

“That’s literally not how coke works.” Julia dismissed.

“I wouldn’t. I’m pretty sure that ruins the lining of your nose.” James supplied helpfully - Julia nodded in agreement, considering this newfound information.

“I’d consider doing molly.” Colin added. “But not from him.”

“Oh, like that makes a difference.” Allie deadpanned, always quick with the comeback while the rest of the group registered their surprise, because - Colin? Drugs? Two words that didn’t go together.

“It does, actually, but I get drug tested at NASA every single week, so.” Colin shrugged. “Not worth losing my future job.”

“Right. No one answered my question.” Julia sighed. “I’m open to a threesome with Allie or James. Rafe and Sophie, you’re out. Colin, I -”

“Yeah. Agreed.” Colin nodded, then hurriedly added, “I’m not saying I’m down for a threesome -”

“Hold on, why are we out?” Sophie frowned. “We’re hot.”

“Neither of you would share. It wouldn’t be fun.” James pointed out, only for Julia to nod enthusiastically in agreement.

“Exactly. You two are too, like, in love or whatever. It’s sick.”

“We would be great in a threesome.” Sophie argued, crossing her arms.

“You are too damn competitive.” Rafe mumbled to himself, shaking his head. “No one is having a threesome, no one is doing drugs. Not until we’re back under American laws. I’m not bailing anyone out of jail here.”

“Boo, Dad.” James grumbled, making Sophie lean toward him and raise her hand.

“James -”

“Okay, Sophie, chill, you can be the only one to call him Daddy -”

“Oh god, gross -”

“Home again!” Their driver announced with a grin, bumping the boat a little against the dock. The group snapped to attention, with James and Colin grabbing the coolers and Rafe helping the girls off the boat. He clapped the driver on the back as he was last to get off, murmuring something in his ear and slipped a wad of cash into his hand.

_____

After dinner, the group was dropped back at the house with the same driver they’d had all week, who now knew them all by name and knew way too much gossip about each of them. He knew that Rafe always sat in the front, the girls crammed into the back and James and Colin shared the middle, unless the girls were too drunk to crawl all the way back safely, and the boys would trade. They were all tired from a long day in the sun and agreed to call it with a lowkey night back at the house.

Once they’d all changed into comfier clothes, rather than how they dressed up for dinner, they congregated in the living room, sprawled out on the couches.

“All right, games. I have...uh…” Rafe rifled through the cabinet under the television, coming up short with only a deck of cards. “There’s just this and a poker set. We didn’t exactly play family games growing up.”

“That’s alright. We can play B.S.” Julia concluded, clapping her hands together with a grin.

“Last time we played B.S. it ended in a screaming match, and you and Colin didn’t talk for a week.” Allie reminded her, wary. Drunken card games in their group usually resulted in made-up rules that were only kept on track if someone wrote down the rules to lock down any possible room for arguments.

James and Sophie returned from the kitchen with two bottles of Sprite, two bottles of lemonade, a handle of vodka and six shot glasses. “Okay! Ready!”

“What the - guys, I said a chill game night.” Rafe raised his eyebrows as Sophie passed out the shot glasses.

“Yeah, we decided it’s our only senior spring break so we want to enjoy it.” Sophie told him, smacking a kiss to his cheek. “We’re playing B.S? Whose rules?”

“Normal rules, for the first round. Second round everyone adds a rule as you get away with bullshit.” Julia declared, shuffling and dealing the cards out to everyone with a surprising amount of skill. “Next birthday goes first, and if you don’t get away with it you have to take a shot. Or chug your drink for five seconds?”

“That’s me. And player’s choice, I think.” Sophie decided, sitting up and angling her cards away from everyone, looking a little too contemplative. She placed her card down, and Colin immediately shook his head. “Bull.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Take the shot, Sophie.” Colin insisted, flipping her card to reveal a jack instead of the needed 2.

“Fuck.” She muttered, following suit.

Rafe shoved her cup of water closer to her before she could pour herself a vodka lemonade instead, shaking his head. “You’re not even sober right now. Finish this first.”

“It’s alright, I’m fine.” She waved him off. “You’re next.”

The game continued on, escalating dramatically as they kept playing. By the time the first big bullshit was called, Allie had to accept at least 30 cards, the group had all taken at least one shot, Julia had been banished to the corner for a whole round, James was wearing Julia’s pink sunglasses upside down and Rafe had made out with Sophie three times, due to a rule he’d made up.

“Total bullshit.” Allie giggled as James placed five cards down at once on top of a huge stack. She was rivaling Sophie for drunkest of the group by far, slumped on the couch with her arms wrapped around one of the pillows as she wore a happy grin.

“Is not.”

“Is too!”

“Challenge!” Julia exclaimed, setting up two cups at the end of the table and handed them each a ping pong ball. (No one was sure when this was added to the rules, but everyone accepted it easily.) “Ladies and gentlemen, please stand.”

The two stood and took each other’s hands, laughing as they followed the customary pre-pong rule of spinning each other three times before taking their aim. “That was four! That was four.” Allie protested, having to grab James’ arm for balance as the room spun behind her eyes. “You need an extra spin.”

“Wait, dude, you put five down.” Colin pointed out, cocking his head. “Fucking idiot, take the cards.”

“Julia said challenge!”

“But you cheated!”

“The whole point of the game is cheating, dumbass!” James retorted, shaking his head. “She said challenge!”

“I said challenge!” Julia cried out, tapping her shot glass against the glass table to regain order. “Now throw.”

Both of them missed their mark terribly, James’ ball falling short and Allie accidentally nailing Rafe in the forehead with hers. “Sorry! Shit, sorry!”

“Oh, no, baby, are you okay?” Sophie asked worriedly, smoothing her hand over Rafe’s forehead as she combed through his hair with her fingers.

“I’m fine. I’m not sober.” He replied, humming with a smile as he leaned into her touch.

Everyone stared at the two of them with grins as they realized Rafe’s mistake in his own rule that he’d made up. The couple took too long to realize, slowly glancing around at the group. “What?” Sophie asked, sitting up straight. “What happened?”

“James missed the shot.” Colin grinned at Rafe, way too smug. “Pucker up.”

Rafe’s face dropped as it clicked for him - he’d made up the rule that a missed shot from falling short meant that person had to make out with the player who’d gone before for at least two minutes. It was a carefully calculated rule, he’d played pong with everyone in the group countless times and knew that everyone besides Sophie tended to overshoot, almost every single time.

Almost.

James laughed at Rafe’s expression, crooking a finger toward him. “Come here, buddy. Do you want me to get chapstick? Soph, do you have chapstick?”

“Do I have to?” Rafe groaned, standing up and striding over to sit next to James on the couch.

“It’s your rule.” Julia pointed out. Sophie shrugged in agreement, not quite putting together all the pieces.

“I’m really honored to be doing this with you, seriously.” James joked. “Sophie, can I touch him?”

“Just the head.”

Julia snorted, and she and James exchanged equally delighted grins at Sophie’s accidental innuendo.

Colin pulled up the timer on his phone, flashing it toward them. “Okay...alright. Whenever you’re ready.”

“Fucking hell.” Rafe sighed, but leaned in to make the first move, eager to get it over with. Both of them had their eyes closed and the kiss was relatively tame, albeit impossibly long.

“Oh.” Sophie murmured quietly, unsure how she felt, but uttered a warning “hey” when James’ hand automatically went to Rafe’s face. She decided she felt mainly neutral about it, but would be a lot more neutral if it was James and Colin kissing instead.

Julia was quiet for the first time all night, unable to tear her eyes away as she watched. Allie couldn’t resist a quick photo but giggled, hiding her face in Colin’s shoulder.

“Hey. Hey! Hey!” Sophie yelled the second the timer went off, leaning over and grabbing at Rafe’s arm to tear him away. “No more.”

James had his eyes closed and had unconsciously chased Rafe’s lips with his as they were pulled apart, but made a show of wiping his mouth afterward. “Okay. Well. Mark that under something I thought I’d never do.”

“And you’ll never do it again, so I hope you enjoyed it.” Sophie scowled, wrapping her arms around Rafe from behind and pulled him back to lean against her chest. “Stupid fucking rule, Rafe.”

“Sorry. Wasn’t thinking.” Rafe laughed, clearly unbothered as he tilted his head to press a short kiss to Sophie’s neck.

She grasped his head in both her hands, leaning down to press a sound kiss to his lips, as if it was a mark of ownership. “There. No one kiss my boyfriend again, I’m getting more snacks.” Sophie declared, getting up and heading into the kitchen.

“I don’t know about y’all, but I’m lowkey horny right now.” Julia muttered much louder than she intended.

“Thanks for sharing, Jules.” Allie laughed.

Julia glanced toward James with a desperate look, pressing her legs together. “Are we done playing? Or do you guys want to keep going?”

Oblivious as always, James shrugged, unfazed, moving back to his seat beside Julia. “Whatever you want. I’m down to keep playing.”

“Fuck, I need to get laid.” Julia mumbled much quieter so only he could hear, and he straightened up immediately like a bolt of lightning had shot up his spine.

“Actually, I’m good. Tired, actually. Yeah. I’m gonna - yeah.” He stood, offering his hand to Julia. “You look tired too.”

“Guys.” Rafe warned, glancing toward the kitchen where Sophie was still raiding the cabinet for any leftover snacks.

“Night, y’all.” Julia grinned, ignoring Rafe’s warning as the two strode off hand in hand to Julia’s room, making sure to go around so Sophie wouldn’t catch them.

Rafe sighed, but bit back a smile as he saw a dirty text pop up from Sophie, with a very detailed idea of how they could use up the rest of the whipped cream in the fridge. “Alright. Night, guys.” He promptly got up and left, leaving Colin and Allie alone.

“And then there were two.” The tension hung thick in the air as Allie leaned on Colin, giggly. “Fuck, I am so drunk.”

“Yeah?” He didn’t dare move, especially as she took his arm into her lap and started tracing lines as she connected freckles on his skin.

“I think I’m gonna call the bartender.”

“No you’re not.” Colin frowned, shaking his head. “No. You need sleep.”

She yawned, blinking up at him. “I’m pretty sure my room’s occupied.”

“You can take my bed.” He offered immediately, resisting the weird urge to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “It’s fine.”

“Where are you gonna sleep?” She asked, reaching up and tracing her finger along his cheekbone. “Your eyes are pretty, did you know that? You have a freckle in your right eye.”

“A freckle?” He smiled. “I’m not sure that’s right.”

“It is.” She insisted. “I can go in your bed?”

“Yeah, I’ll take the couch.”

“Okay.” She agreed right away, hauling herself up. “I gotta brush my teeth.”

“Good thing your bathroom’s shared with mine.” Colin reminded her, following her down the hallway. “Unless you really want to go into your room while...that’s going on.”

“No, thank you.” She shook her head quickly, stretching and nearly smacking him in the face. “Sorry! Sorry.”

“It’s alright, just be careful.” He laughed, ushering her into the bathroom. “Do your thing, I’ll fix my bed.”

They’d all changed into comfortable clothes and showered before playing the game, anticipating intoxication, but Colin still wished he had a reason to offer her something of his to wear to bed. He re-made his bed, even fluffing the pillow, before tugging on a hoodie.

Allie returned a few minutes later, giving him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Colin.” She touched his arm as she passed, crawling into bed.

“Of course. No problem. Yell if you need something, yeah?” He told her, smiling back before leaving and turning out the light, resigned to a night on the couch.

taglist: @drewstarkey @lemur46 @jjmaybanksbaby @edgeofgr8 @quxxnxfhxll @obxtess @hoodpankow @vtgirl802 @outerbankies @messagesinthesky @nicolecarsley @svechnikolan @ilovejjmaybank @obxtess @abbyj1822 @oopsiedoopsie23 @g4bster @jjmaybankzz @freddymaybank @dontjinx-it @illbesafeforyou @moniamaybank @tovvaa @jailcalledlife @sunshineitsfine44 @randomficsandshit @outerbankspreferences @outerbanksbro @karsinner @kkmaybank @whoeveniskendall @lemur46 @outerbankies

[retrogalwrites]

Touya Todoroki x Natsuo’s bride! Reader

Title: “Just say I do” / view on ao3

Summary: Yours and Natsuo's wedding day finally arrives, and Touya wants to see the bride in private.

Sequel to my previous fic "Fool me once, then again and again." I recommend reading that fic first but this can be read as an stand alone

Warnings & Contents: Dubcon, cheating, cuckolding, spanking, masochism, blackmail, breeding, impregnation fetish, creampie, bastard touya

Words:1857

The Todoroki household hadn't seen such a frantic day in a long time, but it was to be expected that yours and Natsuo's wedding day was going to be a rather elaborate event. As soon as the sun was out, everyone was up and about with the wedding preparations, fuzzing over the venue, the cake, the banquet, the dress, every minuscule detail mattered to a family of prestige.

You weren't allowed to see Natsuo until the time of ceremony came, all for tradition's sake of course. Keeping you away of your groom, his mother and sister insisted on staying by your side to get you all ready and perfect for such an important moment of your life, it made you happy to feel like part of their family already. Rei did your makeup while Fuyumi dressed you up, and the sight you made in your wedding dress was one to behold.

Everything was perfect, more than you could've asked for. It was not the privilege and opulence of a wedding planned by the Todoroki family that mattered at all, it was marrying the man of your dreams.

Your heart only longed to see the face of your beloved Natsuo as soon as possible.

But there was someone else who also couldn't wait to see you either.

It only took the moment Rei and Fuyumi had left the room for Touya to weasel his way in without being noticed. Locking the door behind himself, you already knew what he wanted, what he always wanted.

"Are you kidding me? Touya, you can't do this today..."

Your voice was soft, pleading, yet you knew better than to really put up a fight against him.

"Aww, c'mon sugartits, don't be like that."

He was all dressed up too, a black dress shirt with a grey vest that made him look absolutely stunning, and you deeply hated yourself for thinking that. He grinned at you, rolling back the cuffs of his shirt up to his elbows.

"You're going to be off to who knows where by tomorrow, I just want to say goodbye." He was talking about your honeymoon, of course, because you and Natsuo would be taking a week long trip to Hokkaido, which meant that you were not going to be accesible to Touya until then. "You look like a fluffy cupcake, sugartits. All pretty, and dolled up for me."

"This is not for you. God, get over yourself." You snapped at him, but like always Touya was simply amused by your most angry reactions.

"Hey, calm down. You should learn to take a compliment, if I like it then your cute baby groom will love it as well." It was the cheapest way to get you to submit, using Natsuo against you to remind you that Touya had the power to destroy everything the two of you had built.

"Touya, please..."

As an attempt it was useless perhaps, but not trying at least that much would only make you feel guilty for what you knew was coming. He made his way to you, the outline of his already hard cock straining the front of his pants was clearly visible. You hated how your body always reacted to the sight of his cock, knees trembling and crumbling in weakness.

"I mean it, you look so fucking hot right now." Soon enough his arms were around you, he held you in his arms in a tight grip that crushed you against his larger frame. Touya leaned down to kiss you hard, there never was a warning for those things when I came to him. Lips crashing against yours with his pierced tongue already forcing itself between your teeth and into the heat of your mouth.

The lithe muscle eagerly fucked your mouth hole, sloppily mixing your spit with his, almost passing it back and forth, while one of his hands had hastily pulled down the top of your dress, spilling your tits bare for him. Touya was quick to grope one of your supple breasts, roughly kneading the soft mound and digging his fingers into the skin, hard enough to make you squirm and cry softly at the pain. A sound he devoured straight from your mouth as he kept on sloppily kissing you.

You banged your palms against his chest to demand he give you a chance to breathe.

Pulling back, the lipstick that had been so carefully applied on you was smeared all over Touya's lips, which stretched into a wicked grin as he amusedly looked down at your pouting expression.

"You're ruining my makeup, asshole. "

"Right, right, my bad." He was not sorry at all.

Even through the frills and lace of your dress, you could feel his erection poking at your crotch with needy anticipation, and you found yourself quickly pushed towards the opulent vanity where Rei had done your makeup earlier.

Your upper body was pushed down on the furniture's flat surface, eyes facing the mirror on it, while Touya seized your hips with his large hands and forced your perky ass to stay up, pushing back all the layers of the dress to finally bare your backside to his hungry gaze. Touya greedily palmed the supple roundness of your ass cheeks. It was pathetic, how you were hopelessly trying to gather some of your broken pride to talk back, when the only thing in your mind was the feeling of Touya's still clothed cock rutting against your pussy, it was driving you crazy.

"Shit, what kinda whorish bride wears stuff like this, huh? You're such a slut." He hissed, fingers hooked to the elastic around the waist, quickly pulling your panties down to your thighs. Touya whistled, pleased with the sight of your wet, puffy folds. "Natsuo is a lucky man."

"Shut up."

"Hey, if we hadn't broke up, do you think you'd be my bride instead right now?" He sighed, something earnest about the longing in his words made you sick. "Would you've liked that? If I had proposed back then?"

"Touya, that's enou—"

 SMACK

The sound of his hand spanking your ass was loud, horribly loud.

 SMACK

The stinging pain shooting through your whole body had your back arching beautifully, toes curling inside your expensive high heels.

 SMACK

The skin of your ass had already become red and raw, it hurt so much, it hurt so good. You muffled your cry by bitting down your lower lip, but only barely, your quivering voice called his name like a cursed word.

But instead of a response, the only thing you heard was Touya unbuckling his belt, and you braced yourself for what was coming. Without any sort of warning, he angled the supple head of his throbbing, erect cock into your hole, before burying himself deep into the snug fit of your tight pussy. The intrusion was sudden, violent, with him balls deep inside you there was no way you could keep yourself from moaning out loud.

"Ahhh...!"

"Shiiiit...baby..." Touya groaned, mouth open and eyes shut in a blissful expression. Your pussy was just so perfectly shaped for his cock, your slipper walls tight around him like a form fitting fleshligth. He couldn't wait to start moving his hips, fingers gripping your ass as he drilled himself into your welcoming hole. He groaned low and almost feral when he pounded you from behind.

The soft smack of his balls against your bare cunt and the strained moans coming from your trembling lips were almost deafening in your ears. With every thrust, you could feel him hit that spot so deep inside you, that spot he knew better than anyone else, even better than your beloved Natsuo, and you hated him for it, hated yourself for it.

"Heh...you're making such a lewd face right now, you fucking whore." His voice was low and shaky, breath steaming agains your exposed neck as he leaned over to press his chest against your back. "That's right, even now you're nothing but my little whore." A dark chuckle just as his arms wrapped around your frame, hips still thrusting relentlessly into your cunt.

"Shit, you're squeezing my cock so hard..." Touya planted an open kiss on your shoulder. "You like being fucked by another man while your groom is out there, don't ya?"

"S-Shut up!! Please...stop talking...ahhh...and f--ah!!"

It was like begging to be pitied, to ask for respect while moaning every time his cock scrapped your insides into his shape. You covered your face with your hands, the soft fabric of your satin gloves pressed against your eyes desperately trying to block your sight of the mirror, did not want to see the reflection of Touya fucking you raw while you were supposed to be getting ready for your own damn wedding.

Salty tears pricked at the corners of your eyes, threatening to roll down your cheeks, and it took all of your will power to keep yourself from crying.

"If you get pregnant, who do you think will be the father?"

Your body was burning with pleasure, so close to your orgasm.  

"Stop it...please stop it..."

"Is it bad that I hope it'll be me?"

As he said that, or perhaps because he said it, your walls clamped around his cock as you came, your body trembling and shaking against Touya's. He hissed against your ear, and you felt the scorching warmth of his cum shooting straight into the entrance of womb, coating your walls in sticky white.

Touya kept trusting himself into you as he came, as if to push his cum as deep as he could inside you. His words on wanting you to get pregnant by him still ringing in your ears, filling you with am indescribable despair, as well as shameful thrill.

"Let's get you cleaned, before my dad comes looking for me."

Looking at yourself in the mirror then, turned into a mess in your wedding dress, tears finally started streaming down your face.

You heard the shutter of a camera going off, looking over your shoulder you saw Touya holding his phone, as he took pictures of your abused hole stuffed with cum.

"I'll need something to remember you by while you're on that honeymoon."

"Go fuck yourself, Touya."

He chuckled, careless as ever, unbothered by your rage and pain, as ever. After a pause, while he tucked himself back into his pants and you fixed your dress, he asked almost absent minded.

"So, do you think you'll get pregnant from this?"

"Shut up."

"Do you think it'll be mine?"

You didn't reply.

————

Watching you and Natsuo standing by the altar while exchanging vows was terribly dull, more that words could express. And Touya couldn't help himself from drifting to his phone, disregarding the angry glare his father sent his way from his seat a few rows ahead.

Opening his image gallery, he displayed on the screen the picture of your abused sex with his cum, eyes fixated on it, he could feel himself getting hard again.

A satisfied smile on his face, crooked and sadistic, as he heard your voice saying.

 "I do."

[cherripeach]

Chapter 12

Little Match Maker

Summary: Your life motto is “I have the power of god and anime on my side, don’t mess with me,” and you stand by that with your life. No human, magician, or random creature could ever stop your firm belief in it.

However, getting transported to this world that seemed to turn your already bad luck worse was not what you wanted to be in your life story, but you made the most of it. Making friends, enemies, and disasters, you were in your prime in this world, and so you decided to help as many people as you could flourish, at least what you believed to be.

Chapter 1:9 Fre sha vaca do

Lunch Time Group Chat!

Warnings: Curse words, 

Words: 2.5k

Relationships: developing but future twstxreader

The glare from the upperclassman Prefect standing behind Ace onto Ace could slowly disintegrate you, which is why you are very appreciative it was not directed at you. 

Cater flashed some finger guns and greeted the new face, “Hey there, Riddle! You look super cute today, too!” He even added a wink for effect. 

Riddle, the new face at your table, scoffed and turned his head to face Cater only to tighten his lips, then, relax them into a sickly smile, “Keep talking like that, Cater, and it will be off with your head, too.” 

Cater held up his hands, “Come on now, please go easy on me.” 

Grim whispered to you, “This is the guy who put that weird collar on me during the Opening Ceremony!” 

“Looks like it,” was your only response, but you were more concerned with how someone so small could have so much anger. Closer to hell is what you always believed. 

Riddle moved his sight onto you and Grim before starting his lecture, “You two are the ones who caused a ruckus yesterday, aren’t you?” He pointed his finger at Grim, “Would you refrain from referring to someone’s unique magic as ‘a weird collar’? Good grief, the Headmaster is too soft. Letting someone off the hook for not following the rules once will break the foundation. All those who don’t follow the rules should just say goodbye to their heads.” He shook his head at the end, but he seemed to talk in a continuous sigh as if everything was bothering him.

You mimicked his sickly smile he demonstrated before and started, “I’m sorry, but please concern yourself with your dorm members and their activities before you come at me.” You closed your eyes and smiled tight for dramatic effect at the end.

Riddle’s mouth flew open as he began to mumble, “Wha..what ever could you mean?”

Ace and Deuce were in a silent conversation below the new Prefect while his eyes were still wide on you. 

“I just thought that bullying and threatening to use magic on campus would be against the rules,” You shrugged your shoulders while frowning. 

A little, ‘Hmph’, came out of Riddle before he decided, “I’ll deal with your issue later, but know that the Headmaster may have forgiven you, but the next time you break the rules, I won’t let you off so easily.” 

You lightly rolled your eyes and drank some of your drink because you knew that this boy would take a while for him to calm down about your past mishaps. 

“Um…” Ace butted into your conversation and your glare off with a question, “By the way, Prefect… Is it possible for you to remove this collar?” His hand directed itself to point at the thing around his neck. 

Riddle nodded his head and answered, “I was thinking of removing it once you’ve repented, but judging from what you said a while ago, it seems like you’ve yet to do so. I’ll have you walk around like that for a while longer.You don’t have to worry.” He shook his head with the brightest smile on his face, “The 1st years’ lessons are focused more on classroom learning rather than magic training. If you can’t use magic, then something like yesterday’s ruckus should be impossible. It’s perfect, isn’t it? Now, if you’re done eating, hurry and go to your next class. Rule #271 of the Queen of Hearts: ‘You must not spend more than 15 minutes sitting at the table after you’ve eaten.’You know what happens when you break the rules, don’t you?” His smile disappeared after that, which brought you much more comfort than it should have. 

Ace sighed in response and muttered, “Another weird rule..”

Riddle voiced out, “Answer me with ‘Yes, Prefect!’”

Ace and Deuce both replied, “Yes, Prefect!”

Riddle nodded and ended with, “Good.”

Trey, the savior of you all, cut into the conversation, “Now, now. I’ll see them off, don’t worry.” His normal smile was far stretched too wide for your liking. 

Riddle scoffed for the fiftieth time you have been in the same conversation as him, “You’re the Vice Prefect, so you better do your job properly. As stated by the Queen of Hearts’ Rule #339, ‘After-meal lemon tea should have nothing more or less than 2 sugar cubes in it.’ In order to protect that rule, I shall need to buy more sugar cubes at the school store. I’ll be taking my leave now.” The Prefect was then found muttering to himself and walking away.

“Wait, man!” You tried to get his attention and even stood up, but the small dude was already on his way, too concerned about whatever he was mumbling about. 

Cater shivered,  “Man, that was scary…” Cater turned to you once you sat down, winked, and whistled, “But since I was here, I protected the sweet, little, new prefect from getting hurt.”

You rolled your eyes and thanked in a bland tone with a smile, “You are so amazing, Cat! I can almost see how respected you are.” 

Grim pulled on your coat to get your attention, “He’s really lookin’ like a bad guy now, yanno? That Prefect.” 

“Hey, that’s very rude!” Deuce seemed to disagree, but considering that he was shaking five seconds ago, you would disagree with him. 

“As much as I would like to say, he isn’t a bad guy. He’s really disproving my point,” You claimed. 

Two students with red bands passed by your table muttering something about a rule, you assumed one of Riddle’s, and how there needs to be a bit more freedom. That was all you could take from it. 

Trey and Cater went silent at that and just stared into space. 

Trey sighed before addressing, “The Dorm Head managed to become the head one week after getting into the school. He’s a little bit sharp-tongued, but he’s only got the dorm’s best intentions in mind, so he’s not really a bad guy…”

Grim shook his head, “People who think like that don’t just put collars on others.”

Cater and Trey both laughed before exhaling at the same time. Neither one of them had a smile on their face. 

You brought up something that has been bothering you, “You are right, Grim. However, my main problem is that the tiny Prefect is creating a space of fear and not safety for these boys at this school. Safety and acceptance should always come first. Fear only destroys.” You place a hand on your chin, “That magic spell thing doesn’t seem to help either.”

Cater tilted his head at your, “Hm? You mean Riddle’s unique magic?”

“Unique… “ Deuce voiced, “Meaning, it’s only exclusive to the Prefect?”

Trey explained, “Putting aside all the other magic in the world, magic that can only be used by one person is called ‘unique magic’. I think you’ll learn about it in detail if you pay attention in class.”

You joined in, “Very unique!”

Deuce and Ace only groaned at your joke. 

Cater furthered Trey’s explanation, “Riddle’s unique magic is being able to seal off another person’s magic for a given time.It’s called…

Off with your head!” The Queen of Hearts flashed in your mind while Cater made a cutting motion across his neck. 

Grim shrieked, “Even the name’s scary!” And clutched your cloak in his paws.

Cater agreed, “It is, especially, since magicians having their magic sealed off is similar to having your head chopped off. That's why, as long as you’re in this dorm, it’s better not to go against Riddle.” He smiled warily at everyone. 

You clicked your teeth with your tongue. 

Trey disputed, “Conversely, as long as you follow the rules, he can be pretty gentle.”

“Oh yeah,” Ace blew on his bangs, “Am I gonna be chased out again if I don’t come back with a tart…?” He smiled showing his teeth, but his eyes were narrow along with his eyebrows being stuck close together. 

Cater frowned, “Pretty much, That’s what Rule #53 says, after all. Oh, and since Riddle was looking forward to getting the first slice of that whole cake, he probably won’t forgive you if you don’t bring the same thing,” He ruffled his own hair and apologized, “Sorry about that.”

Ace huffed, “You said you want to get along, but you won’t let me off that easily, huh?!”

“This and that are different,” Cater objected with a sway of his hands. 

Deuce pointed out, “Still, isn’t a whole tart a little bit expensive?”

Ace groaned and smacked the table with his head, “I don’t have that much money though…” He even lifted his head to gaze at you with puppy eyes. 

You gave him a look of disgust back. 

Cater suggested, “Then why not make some?Those tarts were all made by,” He paused for dramatic effect and pointed both his hands to the green haired upperclassman,  “Trey here, y’know?”

“Ooooh,” You just had to comment, “Cute and can cook. Def husband material.” You giggled at the end of your comment. You were insanely jealous of whoever married him. 

Trey flushed a little at your statement and stammered out, “Well, not.. not really…” He began playing with his glasses after; he even took them off to clean them. 

Ace gasped out, “You made all that Trey-senpai?! Amazing! It’s better than what they sell here!” He stood up and motioned to the room around him, pulling a couple of eyes to the table the group was at. 

Trey, glasses back on,  admitted with a cough, “Thanks. I think I have most of the tools and ingredients here… But I won’t simply offer you my services.” His smile returned as his eyebrows rose up. 

Ace broke out again, “Eh?! You’re gonna ask us to pay you!?” He, finally, decided to sit back down because now even more eyes were on him. 

Trey chuckled and shook his head, “There’s no way I can extort money from a junior, you know? The next tart that Riddle wants to eat requires a lot of chestnuts. Would you mind gathering some for me?” 

Ace pouted, “It’s troublesome either way…! So, how much do you need?” 

“It’s going to be used for the Unbirthday Party,” Trey stopped to think, “So about two to three hundred will do.” He put up three fingers on his hand. 

Grim and deuce spurted out and jumped up, “That much!?”

You tilted your head in thought, “But aren’t they real tiny, so I guess it makes some sense…”You squeezed your thumb and index finger together.

Trey answered, “I’ll have you help me with roasting them and peeling them.” As if any of you knew how to do that. 

Grim whined at you, “Can I go back home? Pleaseeeeee.”

Deuce joined in Grim’s whines directed at you, “Me too.”

You blurted out, “No.”

Ace accused the two, “You traitors!” 

“If anything, I can help out,” You volunteered like the amazing person you are, not because it kinda sounded like free food. Not at all, “I don’t know what to do tho, sorry. But besides, it's not like I have much to do or look forward to from that dorm.” 

Cater clapped his hands in glee, “Making them together and then eating them together will make it more delicious!” He closed his eyes and smiled wide, “It’s that making memories that count. It might even help you start a cooking blog for all we know.”

Trey put a finger up to his lip, “Keep this a secret from the Prefect, but freshly made marron tart is the best. The only ones who can eat it as soon as it gets out of the oven are the ones who made it, you know?”

Grim on the same page as you knew this was free food, “Hey, you boys! Get your rear in gear! We’re gonna go pick some chestnuts ‘til we drop!” Food was the prime motivator for your dorm. 

You smirked at the cat, “Matching vibes, are we?” Turning to your green haired upperclassman, you questioned, “Where would we find these anyway?” 

Trey informed the group, “There are a lot of chestnut trees right by the forest behind the school’s botanical garden.”

Ace gave Trey a thumbs up before turning back to you, Deuce, and Grim, “Alright! Then, let’s gather in front of the greenhouse after school.” 

“Go, go! We’re goin’ chestnut picking!” Grim cheered from the table.

“Wait, does anyone know where the garden even is?” You asked. 

All three of them watched you correcting you, “Shouldn’t you know, Supervisor?”

Frustrated beyond belief at these three you smacked each one on the head and told them to, “Screw off, and never beg for anything from me again!”

Lunch ended peacefully with shoves from both Deuce and Ace, and Grim making your hair even more like a yarn ball the cat would love. 

The rest of the day passed by quickly.

In your first class after lunch, which was astrology where two homerooms were combined for it, you blanked out half the lesson and almost fell asleep, but you can really remember seeing and speaking to the feminine boy from the purple house. He dropped his pencil on the ground, and when you tried to give him his pencil that fell off his desk, he snatched it from your hand and rolled his eyes at you. 

You replied to him, “Okay, who shit in your cornflakes today?” 

The boy turned back to you scoffed and cringed, “I’m sure it was from just seeing your face.” 

You just turned away and slapped your head with the textbook, which was not the best idea as it created a noise that alerted the professor who then stared at you with confusion on his face and because the textbook hurts. 

The feminine boy let out a giggle while you were being lectured by the professor, and you were gonna hold that accomplishment high. 

Your last class of the day which was just an introduction of the school and its history had you stuck next to the tall green haired male from P.E. from another class. He never introduced himself, but whenever he would ask questions he would shoot his hand straight up and practically yell in your ear as if the professor was deaf. 

You basically lost your hearing in your right ear that day. The ear will always live with great achievements. 

He also scolded you whenever you said, “Complete bullshit.” to Ace.

Something about how such language should never come out of anyone who goes to the same school as his ‘young master’ does. Now that was ‘complete bullshit.’

The three of your friends laughed at you the rest of the class for having someone your age scold you like a mother would. 

Classes finally ended, and the three of you made your way to the Hearts dorm to drop your bags off.

You were just happy to receive some food for free.

------

Life has been a disaster! I’m not dead tho. 

[kopikokun]

Maybe It’s The Chlorine༄ l.jn

↳ Jeno feels like he’s swimming in jealousy as he watches you and Renjun from afar.

pairing; swimmer!jeno x reader

genre; fluff

wordcount; 2265 words

Request 23: Jeno + Friends to Lovers + “Did you do something different with your hair?” (65) + “Are you jealous?” (77)

— 𝐫𝐞𝐪����𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧. | 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬.

You don’t think being a little boastful is a bad thing.

Sure, pride is one of the seven deadly sins, in fact, if you’re not mistaken, it’s the very first one listed. You’re not sure… maybe it’s the second?

Anyway, back to your previous point.

Being a little proud is definitely not a cardinal sin. At least in your eyes it’s not. It’s basic human nature!

So, you excuse yourself when your ego inflates to roughly the size of a hot air balloon as the cutest boy in your year, Huang Renjun, offers you a compliment about your hair.

“I like it,” he says casually, smile as bright as the Sun. “You look nice with your hair like that.”

You lower your face, hiding your grin as you fiddle with the hem of your uniform. You meet his eye, showing him that ‘innocently beautiful’ face you’ve been practicing for the past week in the mirror. It’s not quite done yet, it needs a bit of refinement honestly--you haven’t been able to embody that almost angelic purity or make your eyes glimmer on the spot yet--but it’s getting there and all your efforts are proven fruitful when Renjun smiles softly.

“Really? I don’t think I look that n--”

A heavy weight befalls your shoulders, and you choke on your words at the sudden impact. The arm around your shoulder is damp, and you can feel the cold water seeping through the fabric of your top.

“Renjun!” the boy beside you greets, way louder than necessary might you add. If it weren’t for the fact that Renjun is standing right in front of you, you’d have smacked Jeno upside the head. “Coach’s waiting for you! Go and get changed, dude!”

Renjun’s eyes shift between you and Jeno, staying glued on his arm around your shoulders momentarily before he breaks out into a smile. “Sure. Sorry for being a little late.”

Jeno waves him away, laughing obnoxiously in your ear. The moment Renjun disappears into the changing rooms, you finally seize the opportunity to jab Jeno in the side with your elbow.

“Ow! Shit!” he hisses, clutching his side. He pouts at you. “Aww, why’d you do that? What if I get a cramp in the pool and drown?”

“Then drown, asshole.”

“Ouch, that hurwt my feewings,” Jeno whines, faking a cry. He wraps his arms around your shoulders from behind, caging you against him.

“Ew! You’re so gross!” You can’t help but turn a shameful shade of crimson as you feel the defined muscles of his taut body, a result of all those gruelling swim practices and competitions against your back. The skin tight material of his swimming suit isn’t making things any better either. His shoulders seem as wide as the Earth’s diameter as you’re practically engulfed by him. “Y-You’re gonna get my back drenched, dumbass!”

“Don’t worry, stinky,” he teases and you scowl at the nickname. “I wiped myself down just now.”

“Whatever, just get off me before Renjun sees,” you say, prying his beefy arms off of you.

Jeno crosses his arms, making them seem even more ridiculously muscular. You can’t help but stare. “Who cares? Let him see.”

You flush an even deeper colour. How can he say that so nonchalantly? “You’re so dumb, Jeno.”

“But you lo--”

“For somebody who was rushing me to get in the pool, you seem to be taking your sweet time, Jeno,” jokes Renjun, a hint of amusement present in his eyes as his gaze flickers between the two of you. He squeezes Jeno’s shoulder with his right hand, goggles hooked on his crooked index finger.

You can’t help but stare at Renjun’s lean body too. He’s more on the skinnier side compared to Jeno, but you know that you shouldn’t be so easily fooled by his appearance. Beneath his frame, lies almost a decade’s worth of hard-earned muscle. Oh, how you love the swim team.

Yet somehow, embarrassingly, you can’t help but compare Renjun’s body to Jeno’s, finding that you prefer the latters. Your ears grow hot again. It’s unfair to Renjun though, seeing as you have the biggest crush on Jeno. You’re not usually this humiliatingly whipped for Jeno—maybe it’s the unbearable stench of chlorine getting to you.

“Let’s go, Jeno,” says Renjun brightly, patting Jeno’s back before walking off to the pool. He sends you a little wave as he walks, and you wave back, smiling.

You really wish you had fallen for Renjun instead of Jeno. Things would be so much more simpler. You wouldn’t have to worry about a seven year friendship being sacrificed if you had.

Jeno scoffs beside you, imitating your weak wave in an exaggerated manner. “How come you don’t wave like that for me?”

You roll your eyes. “Don’t be such a baby, Jeno. Now go get to the pool before Coach whips your ass.”

Jeno smiles from ear-to-ear, raising his arm in a mock salute. “Yes, ma'am.”

You can’t stop the smile tugging at your lips, giggling at Jeno’s cute, but admittedly childish behaviour.

You’re barely two steps up the stairs of the bleachers when Jeno calls out to you, a few of the swim team turning to look at you before shaking their heads softly. “Hey!”

You turn to face Jeno, whose cheeks are dusted in pink, a catty ‘What?’ at the tip of your tongue.

“Did you do something different with your hair?”

Your breath catches in your throat, heart rate accelerating. You’d totally forgotten after all the commotion Jeno had caused.

“I like it! You look pretty!”

Some senior beside Jeno, who you faintly recall is Jaeho or Jaehyun or something (honestly, who cares right now?), nudges Jeno in the waist, a knowing smirk etched onto his lips. Jeno laughs, his cheeks growing redder.

You bite your lip in excitement, a warm sensation blossoming in your chest.

Dumbass.

This is definitely the chlorine’s doing.

You groan softly as you rummage through your bag, fishing out your water bottle. You frown at it. It’s empty. It’s not the bottle’s fault, really, it isn’t. You had already reminded yourself in your last period to refill it, but obviously, from the evident lack of water in the bottle, you had forgotten. It’s not the bottle’s fault but you still find yourself squeezing and stuffing it back into the depths of your bag. You slump in your seat.

“Hey, you want a sip?”

You look at Renjun who’s offering you some of his drink. A bit of his bangs fall into his eye as he tilts his head at you, an inviting smile playing at his lips.

You smile, touched that he noticed--although you weren’t being particularly discreet about it. “Sure. Thanks, Renjun.”

“It’s no big deal.”

You take a long, grateful sip,--well it’s more of a gulp really, but that’s up for debate--relishing in the feeling of the water sliding down your throat. Ironically, even though you’re surrounded by water, you’re thirsty. Maybe it’s all that thirst for Jeno you’ve been suppressing for all these years, something whispers to you and you dismiss the thought, nearly choking on Renjun’s drink.

You wipe your chin with the back of your hand, passing Renjun his drink back with a refreshed smile.

It’s sudden and you’re pleasantly surprised by the gesture when Renjun pats your head affectionately. Sort of like you’re his little sister. You’re struck with relief that you don’t like the guy.

Your gaze returns to the pool where you’re confused to find is now missing one of its swimmers.

Your eyes scan the area, sort of desperately searching for Jeno’s familiar figure. It isn’t hard to spot him due to the stark contrast between his dark swimsuit and the white, albeit a little grayish tiles that surround the pool.

You’re flustered and a tad bit unsettled to find him staring right at you, his face tense and shoulders rigid. You frown.

What’s up with him?

You pay him no mind as you huff and start a lighthearted conversation with Renjun. He’s easy to get along with and is a pretty decent guy. And maybe, you’re a little swayed since he complimented you and offered you some of his drink. What can you say? You’re easily won over.

Unbeknownst to you, you ignoring Jeno and solely focusing your attention on Renjun has the former even more aggrieved than he previously was.

He thinks you’re so absorbed in your little chat with Renjun that you haven’t noticed the way Jeno’s practically stomping up the stairs, probably creating a dent in each step. Obviously, you do notice but you brush it off as him being cranky after a swim. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Hey.”

You look up at Jeno who towers over you imposingly. It’s unfair how attractive he looks with little beads of water dripping down his face and his wet hair slicked back, a few stubborn strands falling forward. You resist the temptation to lick your lips. This isn’t some teen fic from 2016.

“What are you doing?”

You furrow your eyebrows at his tone, sensing his hostility. “I’m talking to Renjun, obviously.”

Jeno frowns. “Yeah, cool.” Now he’s the one to grasp Renjun’s shoulder, but instead of patting it lightly, he applies such extreme pressure that Renjun can’t help but wince. “Can I sit here?”

You scoff, gesturing to the available seat on your right. “There’s literally a seat right here—”

Renjun laughs despite feeling like his shoulder’s about to pop out of its socket. “No, no, it’s fine. Jeno seems like he’s dying to sit here.” He stands from his seat, glad to be free from Jeno’s death grip before leaving down the stairs. He sends you a small wave again, and Jeno, a cheeky grin.

You huff as Jeno falls into the seat beside you, replacing the cheery Renjun. “What was that?”

“What was what?”

“Why were you being so nasty to Renjun?”

Jeno quirks a brow at you, a silent challenge. “Why? Do you like him?”

“No, of course I don’t.” Dumbass, you think. The one I like is you.

“Then why were you being so lovey dovey with him?”

You can’t help but laugh in disbelief. What is he? A grandma? Who says lovey dovey? “No, I wasn’t.” You cross your arms, positioning your body so you’re facing Jeno head-on. “What’s up with you? Why’ve you got a stick up your ass?”

“Cause’,” he pauses, his once steady, almost interrogative voice reducing to a whisper, “cause’ you kissed him.”

You literally do a double-take. That’s how taken aback you are. “What? When did I kiss Renjun?”

“When you, uh, when you—” Jeno scratches the back of his ear, a nervous habit you’ve picked up on from all those years of silent pining. “Nevermind. Forget I said anything. It’s dumb.”

At the way his cheeks are overtaken by a pink tint is enough of a reason to pry. “Come on, Lee Jeno. Spit it out.” You smile wickedly. “Jeno,” you whine, “please?”

From the way he sneaks a glance at your pleading expression and hides his smirk behind his hand, you know he’s given in.

“You drank from his water bottle.”

Your eyebrows slowly raise as your brain short circuits. “What?”

“You know, it- it was an indirect kiss.”

A laugh is bubbling in your throat, threatening to escape if you’re not careful.

“Remember when we were in middle school and you wouldn’t let me drink from your bottle because that’d be like kissing?” he rambles, pulling on the long sleeve of his swimsuit and letting it snap back against his wrist.

“Jeno, we were kids back then.”

“And last week, you wouldn’t let me drink from your bottle because of the exact same reason?”

“Oh my God,” you snicker, “I was joking!”

“I- I know that!” he says, exasperated. “I just- Whatever! Like I said, it’s dumb.” Jeno flushes. “Don’t laugh at me!” He runs his hands down his face. “Oh my God.”

“Aw, Jeno,” you coo, coaxing another reaction out of him. “Are you jealous?”

“Yes,” he says, matter-of-fact, his face still in his hands. “Of course I’m jealous that you seemed so close with Renjun. How could I not be when I like you?”

Your laughter stops dead as Jeno’s… confession is left hanging in the air. “What?

“No, forget it,” Jeno says, getting up from his seat. “Forget I said that.”

You shake your head. “Wait, no, Jeno.” You grip his wrist, tugging at it softly, wordlessly asking him to stay. “You like me?”

Jeno swallows dryly. “Yeah, I do.” He looks at you, observing you, trying to gauge your reaction. “You can just ignore what I said if you don’t feel the same way, I don’t- I don’t want my personal feelings to ruin our friendship.” Jeno scratches the back of his ear once again. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” He laughs lightly, trying to diminish the tension. “Now, it’s going to be awkward between us, huh?”

“Who said it’s going to be awkward?” You smile warmly. “And who said I don’t like you too?”

Jeno seems stunned, his eyes wide. “You like me?”

“Yeah, dumbass,” you let go of his wrist, letting your hands rest in your lap. “Don’t make me say it again.”

Jeno goes silent as he comprehends what you’ve just told him.

“So, does that mean I can drink from your bottle now?”

You hang your head. “No, obviously you can’t.” From the corner of your eye, you catch the way Jeno’s shoulders sag. “Cause’ you can just kiss me instead.”

[staywritten]

Studio Time│Bang Chan

Studio Time│Bang Chan

Synopsis: Your boyfriend is producing your groups comeback and you learn the downside of dating a perfectionist. 

Genre: one shot, angst-ish? Happy ending, idol!Chan, idol!reader, fluff with more fluff at the end.

Word Count: 2108

I wrote this fic like 5yrs ago for a different artist lol But I re-read it recently and still really liked it so I re-vamped it for SKZ. Especially after that episode of Weekly Idol when the members said Chan was sweet to them but he was really serious when he was making music, so I figured this was the perfect fit. 

When your label announced that your comeback album will be produced by Chan you weren’t really sure what to think. You prided yourself on keeping your careers separate, but on the other hand he was an amazingly talented producer and it wasn’t often that he produced for idol girl groups. 

At this point of his career he was expanding outside of doing work for just Stray Kids. It was an opportunity at which both parties benefited. He could grow his portfolio in a way that wasn’t possible when just producing for Stray Kids and he was an up and coming name in the industry.

You two didn’t date publicly but your members and management were aware of the relationship, so some of the pressure was lifted. You didn’t have to pretend like you didn’t know each other. 

Walking into the JYP building, you led your members to Chan’s signature studio. Despite coming to his studio pretty regularly, it was a little nerve racking coming to it for work. You felt just as nervous as you did when meeting a new producer. “Are you excited to work with Channie? How lucky are we! What kind of producer is he?” Your youngest member chimed, hooking her arm with you. 

You nodded laughing, giving her hand a little pat. “I guess we are pretty lucky.” Not many producers would be open to input, but since your members had a close relationship with your boyfriend you figured the atmosphere would be lighter. “I’m not sure how he is as a producer honestly. He’s never let me see him work before. Like I’ve seen him make beats, but never recording.”

As you all walked into his studio you smiled seeing him sitting with Han on the couch. “Wally!” you chimed giving the bright green wall a little pat. 

“What about me?” Chan pouted. 

“What about you?” you teased, giving him a wink. 

You did your group greeting and bowed, laughing at how silly it felt. Normally that would be saved for broadcast and fan meetings but it was a force of habit as a leader.

“Awww cute!” Chan chuckled before formally introducing himself just to cover the formalities. It wasn’t often you got to see your boyfriend while working, but you also had to keep in mind that you still had to work.

Chan walked over to you, pulling you into a hug. You wrapped your arms around his neck, smiling brightly. “I missed you” he grinned. You did your best to ignore the aweing from your other members and Han. His nose brushed down the bridge of yours. 

“I saw you this morning” you played with the hair at his nape.

“I know, I missed you this afternoon” he laughed, pecking your lips, lingering just a moment too long.

You giggled, melting into his arms. “Aww, you’re being really cute today” you whispered, pulling back to look at him. “Don’t look at me like that” a smile tugged at your lips, as you gently grazed your nails against his scalp. “We have work yo do”

“Mmmm” he sighed into your touch. “I’m just excited to make this song. I worked so hard on it, it’s perfect for you” he smiled. “I made it just for you”

“I can’t wait” you chimed, pulling away from him. He whined letting you step back, a cute pout on his lips.

“Awww you guys are cute, it’s kinda gross” Han pretended to choke back a gag before laughing and grabbing his bag. “I gotta head to an interview, so I’ll catch you guys later.”

After the formalities, he played the demo track for you. Your members loved it. It was fun, playful and it had a bit of an edge to it. You couldn’t wait to record it. That was one of the plus sides about working with your boyfriend. You were actually very vocal at home about the direction you wanted to go in with your group.

This would be your first track of the new year, and all of your members were officially adults now. You wanted something teasing, and mature, yet still youthful and in true Chan fashion, he nailed it. 

All that was left now was to record it.

One by one your members did their lines, recording their parts in manageable segments. Chan was very caring with them, almost holding their hand through the process. “Minah, try singing it like this.” he coached her through it, reiterating her part, and changing the articulation toward the end. 

She was your youngest, and still wasn’t completely confident in her own voice yet so she was a lot to handle. She did her best to follow directions, but sometimes things were just out of her vocal range and when that happened Chan adjust accordingly. He coached her to give her the confidence that was needed to reach the note. Once she adjusted he clapped and gave her a thumbs up. “Very good, that was perfect! One more time, from the top.” In the end he changed up her part to best suit her voice and she had a cleaner take. 

You were proud seeing him so kind. You couldn’t help but watch him with the brightest warmth in your eyes. Your group were like your baby sisters and he was being so good to them. 

Unfortunately Minah wasn’t the most difficult take of the day, but he worked with each one of them carefully. In their defense it was a difficult song to sing. It was a very dynamic with lots of changes, not only was this a genre change from your groups usual music it pushed your vocalist and rappers to step up.  

Soon enough it was your turn to record. 

Although you couldn't really call it recording. 

Chan wasted no time in stopping you every few words. Perhaps you were spoiled with how doting and sweet he was with your members. Because it seemed that he had no intentions of treating you in such a manner.

“Babe, can you do it seriously?”

“No- Again that sounds horrible”

“Do it again”

“Again, from the top.”

“Again”

“It’d be nice if I had a single sample I could use.”

“If you can’t do it, perhaps we should have someone else do it?”

“This is kind of embarrassing”

Was this even the same person? You understood constructive criticism. Constructive is what he was with your members. This was just being mean. You slipped off your headphones and glared at him when he stopped you again. That time you were in the middle of another take. It would have been nice to get a single line out with his opinion.

You hated that you wanted to cry.

You had to deal with some pretty tough critics. Producers, songwriters, choreographers, your CEO. Making an album was a high stress process with a lot of hands on deck. It was your job, so naturally it wasn’t going to go smoothly. Especially when everyone had different creative views, but this was the worst recording you’ve ever dealt with in the entirety of your music career. 

You just hated being yelled at. 

He knew that better than anyone. All those nights, you would come home from work and he’d have to console you after you’d been scolded. Chan knew that yelling immediately shut you down. You bit back your tears, wanting to hold it together for your members. You could see them struggling from behind the glass. It looked like they wanted to say something, at least tell Chan to ease up, but you shook your head and took a deep breath.

Normally you would avoid confrontation and just sing it the way the producer wanted, but you just couldn’t do it. Because what Chan wanted, wasn’t you.

You finally set the headphones on the rack inside before walking out. “Where are you going?” he frowned watching you take your backpack. “We don’t have anything for your part. We need to start from the beginning”

You shrugged. “Give my part to Jieun, she’ll do it better”

Jieun gasped before reaching out to you, shaking her head profusely. “What? But Unnie-”

“It’s fine” you gave her a small smile, trying to calm her. “I’ll call the company directly and tell them I can’t participate in the recording”

“But it’s our comeback track! You can’t not have a part in it” Minah grabbed your hand. She looked back at Chan “Tell her to stay.” Seeing the hesitation in his eyes she frowned more “Chan tell-”

“That’s enough.” you gave her head a small pat. “I’ll be fine. I just need to get out of here. I’ll check in on you later.” you looked to your second in command “Jieun you’re in charge.”

Chan rolled his eyes before crossing his arms over his chest. “So you’re just leaving? Do you always quit like this? Is that the way you lead?”

You froze, hearing his words. 

Was he trying to hurt you? What could you have possibly done? He was fine earlier. You gripped your fist, your body shaking before leaving the room with your head held high. You knew when someone was trying to get a rise out of you, and you weren’t going to give him the satisfaction.

On your way through the lobby you ran into Han. He smiled initially seeing you, but as you wiped away your tears he frowned. “Hey…”  His gentle voice pulled you out of your thoughts. It was too gentle. Almost sympathetic. You looked up, scrambling to bring a smile on your face. That signature idol smile you gave to the cameras. “You don’t have to do that…” he gave your shoulder a small pat. “Do you wanna get some coffee?”

You sat across from Han at the cafe across the street. He didn't push you to speak. He just gave you a moment to sort out your feelings, let you take your time and figure out what to say.

He sipped on his drink. “Chan-Hyung was being a jerk huh?”

It wasn’t really a question. There was a certain understanding in his voice. You looked up at him, your eyes narrowing. “Is he always like that?”

He chuckled. “Sometimes. Chan is a perfectionist. Always was. Always will be. There are times when our group has come to blows because Chan can just be a little too much when criticizing. Threatening to remove Changbin-Hyung’s part from the song, getting frustrated in vocal ranges…real harsh criticisms...things like that. I don’t even think he’s aware of when he’s doing it.” he sighed. “Like when we record it just seems like the stress finally gets to him.”

Your shoulders slumped. “But he was really nice to my members…Absolutely sweet to them…he was only mean to me. Not that I would want him to yell at my girls-I’d literally kill him. But…” you sighed staring into your coffee. “Why was he being so mean…”

“He was probably being extra careful with your members…”

“What do you mean?”

“When we were recording our collaborative stage with Niziu, Chan was really nice to them. Doting, constructive, an angel. But that day was hell on us. It’s like he had pent up frustrations and just couldn’t hold it in any longer. I swear Minho-Hyung almost quit that day.”

“What type of bullshit excuse is that?”

He shrugged. “No excuse. Just how it is…Like he can only be himself with people that he knows will forgive him. He can be an ass sometimes, but he sure does put out amazing songs.”

“But at what cost?” you sighed, taking a sip of your coffee.

Later that night Chan came home, sheepishly poking his head inside to see you sitting on the couch. His eyes widened as he entered. “You’re still here?” his voice a little more surprised than he’d like to let on. A lingering bit of reliefe to his tone.

You sighed turning the page of your book “I was going to leave your ass. But I figured we should at least talk. Despite what you make think of me. I’m not a quitter” you set your book down before crossing your arms. “So talk.”

“Look, I’m sorry about earlier. It’s just-” he groaned, raking his hand through his curly hair. “The track wasn’t going where I wanted to. It was getting away from me…The only way I’d like the track was for your part to be exactly what I envisioned...for you to bring everything back”

It made sense he did give you the biggest part of the song. The chorus, and bridge were the most memorable of his demo and he gave them to you. He even had you sing the demo for the company to pitch the idea. At the time you thought it was sweet, you had no idea the burden it’d be. 

It was obvious this song was made to be a solo for you.

“Your members did their best, but they just didn’t have the vocal range to do the song the way I envisioned it�� So I made adjustments and compromises...” he sighed heavily. “And more adjustments...and more compromises...” he rubbed his temples. “Especially because if they can’t sing it at recording they wouldn’t be able to perform it on stage. So one change became another….” he sighed heavily, slumping into the chair. “I loved the song so much because it’s what I knew you wanted to release… But they just couldn’t...and…”

“I don’t think we can work together Chan…” you frowned. “You’re my boyfriend, and an amazing producer…but you can’t be both. In order for us to be happy with the track, and in order for me to be happy with our relationship we can’t work together.”

“We can still make it work. Let’s try again tomorrow.” he looked so hopeful. “I promise I won’t yell, and I-”

“You don’t understand Chan. You made me hate you.” your voice small, as you looked down. 

He sank down into himself. His shoulders slumping, hurt etched on his delicate features. Never in his lifetime would he have thought you’d say that. “You…You hated me?”

“I did…for a little bit…You made me hate myself…You made me feel like an inadequate leader, you made me question myself.” you hugged your knees. “I can’t feel like that ever again. I’m responsible for six other girls who look up to me. It’s so easy to get ransacked in this industry, to be pushed and pulled into concepts. They need to believe in me. I need to believe in me and my ability, but with you… I couldn’t. So for my sake…Let’s drop the project.”

He closed his eyes before nodding. “Alright…” He hated that he made you feel that way. He never intended it on getting that bad. He just panicked when he listened to the track, and you were the last person to record. You were supposed to be the saving grace of it. He wasn’t going to release something he didn’t at least like. Once again his overly perfectionist ways almost cost him something he wasn’t willing to lose. “I am sorry…” he whispered.

Producing was one of his greatest joys in the world, and singing was yours. There was just something so utterly heartbreaking knowing that you could never share your passions together. “I know…I’m sorry too.”

He bundled you in his arms, letting you lay your head on his chest. He pressed a kiss on top of your head. “I have one more compromise”

“You don’t give up do you?” you felt your lips tugging to a smile. “What’s your compromise lover boy?”

“What about I talk to your company into giving you this song for a solo for later this year? And you, me and Jisung write up a new song for your group comeback?”

“There’s no time”

He chuckled. “If anyone can write a song in crunch mode it’s Han Jisung” he smoothed down your hair. “I think with your help we can write something that’s mroe ideal for your girls”

“But a solo-”

“Baby I wrote that song for you.” he closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against yours. “That song was yours...And I need you to have it. You said your company was planning a solo debut anyway... so sing this.” 

“Chan I love you so much...But I can’t record an album with you”

His beautiful brown eyes gazed into you. “I offered you a compromise, offer me one too”

You pouted. “Fine, since you’re in the mood to make a deal. I’ll take your solo song only if I record with Jisung, and Changbin.”

“Deal” You smiled gently scratching his scalp, and placing a kiss at the base of his throat. “Mmmm...” a groan echoed from his throat. “I’m so sorry about today Baby”

“It’s fine” you relaxed into his touch as he traced patterns into your skin absently. You grinned. “It’s nice to know that you’re not perfect”

He chuckled, throwing his head back. “I never claimed to be perfect”

“Oh yeah?” You sat back, crawling onto his lap. A smile on your lips as you gazed into his eyes. “Mr. Perfect hair” you played with the hair on his nape. “Perfect smile” you placed a kiss on his lips. “Perfect dimples” your thumb brushing against his dimple. “Perfect voice” you pressed a kiss on his adam’s apple. “You are perfect in a million different ways.” you giggled “You’re just not meant t be my producer”

“I can live with loving you in a million other ways.” he stood up, lifting you in his arms and carrying you into the bedroom, your laughs echoing and filling the house.

End.

Hey Friends! I hope you enjoyed that. It was nice revisiting an old fic and breathing some new life into it. If you liked it let me know <3 

I’m sorry my Felix scenario is taking so long... I’ve rewritten it like 8 times and I’m getting a bit overwhelmed I’m gonna try and revisit it when my mind is clearer. I’ve been starting at the screen for far too long. 

Masterlist

∘Tags List:

@skzsprinkles @tophuphu @hugs4chan @channieboyo @tonfilm @innivspearb @mini-meanhoe @poutychangbinnie

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

One Night🌙7

Warnings: noncon sexual acts (to be warned later in series), Angry Andy, kissing.

This is dark!Andy Barber and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: One night changes your entire life.

for @kittykatlow​‘s 200 Follower Celebration

Note: Alright, here’s chapter 7. Andy’s anger is finally at a head.

Hope you enjoy it. Thank you. Love you guys!

Please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

Felicia waited for you on the patio of the restaurant. She already had a bright blue drink and waved to you as you approached the low barrier around the dining area. You sat across from her and cradled your purse between your leg and the arm of the chair. She handed you the drink menu and you sheepishly set it aside.

The waitress approached and asked for your drink order. You asked for a water and plated nervously with the corner of the menu.

“Water?” Felicia commented. “What are you, on a cleanse?”

You bit into your lip and glanced around. You couldn’t hide it forever. It was inevitable. But that didn’t make it any less embarrassing. You rubbed your cheek and leaned an elbow on the chair.

“I can’t…” You took a breath. “Why don’t you tell me how you’ve been before I get into it.”

“Wha-- uh, things are fine,” She gave you a suspicious look. “Benny and me are just fine. I’m sorry you couldn’t crash but… you back at your mom’s?”

The waitress returned with your water and you paused to give her your order. She took your menus and left you with a smile. You had a brief nostalgic moment for the diner thought it hadn’t been that long since you’d tendered your resignation.

“Yeah… it’s a long story.” You said. “Promise you won’t judge me.”

“When have I ever? Don’t you remember when I got us kicked out of that country bar?” She laughed.

“Ha, um, yeah, but…” You sighed and pressed your hands to your neck. “I’m pregnant.”

“What?” She chocked on her electric blue cocktail as she tried to sip. “Are you serious?”

“Kinda the reason my mom wanted me… out.” You sniffed. 

“Well, where are you staying now?” She set her glass down. “Better yet, who the fucked knocked you up?”

You looked around, hoping no one was listening. Felicia didn’t make it hard to eavesdrop.

“You remember when we went to the bar after my hours got cut? I got pretty drunk and…”

“You cabbed home with me,” She argued.

“Uh huh, well it wasn’t-- It was at the bar. In the… restroom. We just, you know.” You lowered your voice and touched your hot cheek.

“Oh my god, I never would imagine-- you!” She trilled. “Oh, I’m sorry, I know it’s serious but… wow.”

“Yeah, it is serious. Mom kicked me to the curb because the asshole who knocked me up insisted on telling her. And he wants to keep the damn kid,” You huffed. “On top of that, he’s…” Married. You couldn’t say it. “Well, I’m staying at his place right now. Not really ideal but it’s a nice place. I guess.”

She blinked and sat back. She scoffed in disbelief.

“Wow. Wow. I… I’m sorry I’ve been awol. I didn’t--”

“You didn’t know. I didn’t tell you.” You said. “Not exactly a shining moment.” 

“I can’t believe your mom kicked you out.” 

“Can’t you?” You rolled your eyes. “And I quit the diner.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, uh, got more house at the cafe.” You didn’t want to explain to her it wasn’t exactly your choice. “Look, I didn’t come here to talk about it all night. It’s all I can think of and it’s all so… overwhelming.”

“Then we won’t,” Felicia chimed. “Do you remember a few years ago when Liza met that guy online and he took her to the Chuck E Cheeze.”

“Oh my god, yeah.” You laughed. “And they got food poisoning.”

“She ran into him again. She said they’re giving it a second try.”

“You’re not serious?” 

🌙

You checked your phone as you finished paying the bill. You had a single message. From Andy, of course. 

‘ETA?’ Simple, short. The usual tone.

‘Should be home shortly. Probably around 9.’ You answered, hating that you had to check in with him like a teenager. Yet, if it could appease him and keep him off your ass, a few placid words were worth it.

“So, what now?” Felicia asked as she stood. 

“I should probably head home,” You fumbled with the strap of your purse as you hooked it across your body. 

“It’s not even nine. Jeez, I know you’ve got a baby on board but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.” She sang. “Come on, save that for when the kid’s actually here.”

“I don’t know,” You hesitated. 

Andy expected you at nine, and even if he understood you being a bit late, you really didn’t have the energy for a fight. But you weren’t a kid. You had every right to stay out past nine. Regardless of his house rules. Fuck him.

“Alright, fine, but… what are you thinking?”

“Drinks are a no and I don’t know if dancing is really a great idea but you should come back to mine,” She looped her arm through yours. “Benny’s out for the night but he left his Switch. When’s the last time I kicked your ass in Mario Kart?”

“Kicked my ass?” You scoffed. “That’s not how I remember it.”

“Must be pregnancy brain already,” She giggled. “Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you, mama.”

🌙

It was past eleven when you got in. You caught the last bus and hoped against hope that Andy was asleep when you got in. The sheer amount of messages that bubbled up on your screen assured you that he was not happy. You were reassured that the lights were all out, only the porch light remained on in expectation of you.

You unlocked the door quietly and eased inside. You closed it, muffling the click with your hand cupped around the handle. You turned the lock into place and dug out your phone, holding up the screen as a light as you faced the dark house. The lamp beside the couch bloomed with a yank of the chain as Andy sat up.

“You’re late.” He said tersely.

You cringed and lowered your phone.

“You didn’t have to wait--”

“I was worried sick. You said nine. It’s almost midnight.” He stood. “I couldn’t sleep. I drove all around looking for you. You couldn’t send me one text?”

“Sorry, I was… distracted.” You unlooped your purse and set it down on the round table beside the armchair, placing your phone beside it. “Next time, I’ll--”

“Next time? I gave you the rules. I was lenient with you and you do this.” His hands went to his hips the way they always did when he was angry. “There’s not gonna be a next time.”

“What do you-- you can’t-- you’re not my father. I wish you would stop acting like it.” You snarled. “Christ, you said you’d take your foot off the pedal, I wasn’t aware that meant it would land on my neck.”

“I have to work tomorrow! I have to make money so that I can pay for the baby! Not just a crib, or stroller, or car seat, but your hospital room and-- and-- clothes and--” He threw his hand up. 

“I had two jobs. You made me quit one.” You hissed. “You can’t throw this in my face.”

“If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be living with your damned parents. If it wasn’t for me--”

“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be knocked up.”

“Takes two to tango, sweetie.” He spat. “You weren’t helpless. If you’re such a big girl, you can’t act the victim.”

“Fuck you!”

“That’s what got us into this mess,” He snapped.

Your nostrils flared as you swallowed down your anger. You grabbed your purse and phone, and shoved the latter in the former. You stormed past him before he could catch you and swept up the staircase. You went to the guest room as you heard him behind you and slammed your door. You flicked the lock into place and went through to the bathroom to lock that door. You returned to the bed room and started shoving clothes into a tote. You didn’t need him. You could find a way.

He pounded on your door. “Hey, what are you doing? Let me in.”

“Go away, Andy.” You hollered. “I’m leaving.”

“And where are you going to go?” He sneered through the door. “Huh? Not gonna look good for you living on the street with the baby.”

You ignored him and kept cramming your stuff into the bag. You winced as the door thumped. You turned as it jolted in the frame again and the third bang saw the latch broken and the wood slamming against the wall. Andy rubbed his shoulder as he stood in the doorway.

“You’re not going anywhere,” He charged towards you.

“Stop!” You stumbled back and the bag slipped to the floor along with your purse. “Andy!”

He grabbed your shoulders and pushed you so that you fell onto the bed. You gasped as climbed atop you, holding himself over you as his nose almost touched yours.

“You’re scaring me,” You whimpered. “Please. Don’t hurt…” You touched his chest shakily. “The baby…”

“You think I’d hurt the baby,” He shook his head. “What the fuck have I been doing here?”

“I don’t-- Andy, please, get off.” You begged.

“Do you have any idea how fucking scared I was?” He got closer until his nose pressed to yours, until you could feel his breath on your lips. “I thought-- I thought something had happened to you.”

“Please, please, Andy, I’m--” The tears welled in the corner of your eyes. “I don’t feel--”

His lips smushed against yours and your hands were crushed between your chests as he kissed you fervently. You were stunned and light-headed. Your eyes rolled back as the room spun and you curled your fingers against him. You groaned as you tried to shove him away.

Finally, he parted but you still felt dizzy. Even laying down. Your head lolled as another wave rolled over you. Your eyes fluttered and your hands fell limp between your bodies.

“Help,” You murmured as you felt suddenly fatigued. “Andy--” Your breath went out of you and it felt impossible to get enough air. “Something’s wrong.”

“Fuck,” He pushed himself off of you and the bed bounced beneath you. “Fuck!”

He lifted you to your feet but you barely had the strength to stand. He wrapped his arm around you and led you to the door. You clung to him without thinking, afraid you would fall as your legs threatened to collapse. He scooped you up as you staggered and angled you through the door.

He carried you sideways down the stairs and bent awkwardly with you in his arms as he gathered up his keys and wallet.

“I’m sorry,” He uttered as he fumbled blindly with the door knob. “I’m sorry.”

Your head spun as it rested against his shoulder. You were inexorably tired. He got you outside and hurried to the car. He managed to get the door open and you slumped into the seat as he set your down. He buckled you up before he ran to close the front door and returned to the car. 

The engine rumbled and he backed up sharply out of the driveway. The street lights blurred in your vision and you closed your eyes. Your heart was racing and yet you still couldn’t breath. You listened to the empty streets and the whir of the engine as you felt the car’s motion speeding ahead.

Flashes of reality tinged the haze which fell over you. The sound of the car door, ‘EMERGENCY’ printed in large red letters, voices, panicked and calm, a flurry of activity all around. And then it all just faded away and you were no longer so tired.

🌙

You awoke to the sterile smell of the hospital room. The bright lights painted your vision in white and you looked over to the chair against the wall. The window was a dull grey as another Boston morning approached. Andy sat in the thinly cushioned chair, arms crossed, his chin lowered, breath steady. 

You groaned as you brought your hand to your forehead. You felt heavy and your head throbbed but the dizziness had faded. Andy grunted as he sat up and stood quickly at the sight of your awakening. He neared and hit the button attached to the rail of your bed.

“How are you feeling?” He asked as he touched your hand. 

You pulled back and scowled at him. All you remembered was him on top of you, smothering you. And that night before, creeping in the dark, touching you.

The door opened and a nurse appeared. She smiled as she approached.

“You’re awake,” She said. “How are we feeling?”

“Tired,” You grumbled.

“Would you like some water?” She asked. “We do have to check your blood pressure quickly but we can get you something before the doctor comes to talk with you.”

“I’m fine,” You breathed. Your lungs no longer felt so thick. “What happened?”

“The doctor will go over everything,” She pulled the cuff free from the machine and wrapped it around your arm. “You’re okay. The baby’s okay.”

You nodded and let her scribble down the numbers. She left you after adjusting your bed to a sitting position. Andy hovered around you and you felt like smacking him and yet you were too weak for that. You let your head fall back and stared at the ceiling.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean too--”

“Save it.” You croaked. “What did you expect, Andy? You know how fucking horrid it is? Having to tiptoe around you? Don’t you think it’s bad enough knowing I have this goddamn child inside of me? Sucking every ounce of energy out of me? I--”

You gulped as you suddenly felt like crying. You kept quiet and blinked away the droplets that threatened to fall. It was almost twenty minutes before the door opened again. The entire time, Andy kept pacing around your bed. His impatience made you restless.

“Hello, I am Doctor Ari-Hass,” The man in the white coat greeted as he took your chart from the plastic pocket. “You feeling alright, ma’am?”

“Better than I did,” You shrugged. “Is there something wrong with me?”

“Nothing serious.” He assured you. “It is normal for many women to experience anemia during pregnancy. It seems you are one of them. An easy fix. Iron and folic acid should help.”

You nodded and shifted on the bed.

“However, you display an elevated blood pressure,” He peeked at the folder again. “It is early on but it would suggest a high risk of preeclampsia later on in your pregnancy. This is not to say that the baby is in danger as yet but it does put in a higher category of risk.” He explained. “That means we need to decrease stressors and you will be expected to monitor your blood pressure at home.”

“Okay,” You sighed. 

“Do you work?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m a… a barista,” You said.

“Ah, yes, customers will be stressful, if possible, take an early leave from work, if not try to reduce your hours,” He suggested. “No heavy lifting. Avoid lifting at all, if possible. No running. Try to calm yourself when you feel anxious, meditation and breathing exercises as well.”

He smiled and glanced at Andy who listened intently, as if taking mental note of every word.

“And at the risk of being forward, I might add that… there are ways as a couple of relaxing,” He chuckled. “Orgasms reduce tension. Forgive my crudeness.”

Andy’s brow twitched and he cleared his throat. “Sure, we understand.”

“Good. Now you are all clear to leave. Your blood pressure is still higher than normal but it has shown improvement. I suggest rest. Lots of it.” The doctor closed your file. “And you can call and ask for me should you feel another episode coming on.”

“Alright, thank you,” You said.

He left you and you crossed your arms as you glared at Andy. You were both entirely deflated and inflamed by the news. Your job would be as good as kaput. You knew he wouldn’t let you go back and that meant more time with him. You sat up and rubbed your forehead.

“Let’s go,” You huffed. 

“We should talk--”

“Not now,” You pushed down the rail and threw your legs over the side of the bed. “The doctor said to avoid stress.”

[gaycaffeinebee]

They’ll Be in Late

Warnings: Fluff, tension, slight innuendo, power struggle

History/pre-knowledge:  

A and B’s relationship is pretty new; not everyone knows about it. 

They had an unplanned sleepover and B carried completely asleep A to bed the night before. 

A and B probably work together. 

C is A’s bestfriend/sibling that also works with the two of them. C is staying in the hotel across the hall from A and B. 

D is B’s bestfriend/sibling that works with or near where A, B, and C work.

*B wakes up to repetitive banging on the hotel door - A stirs a bit but they don't completely wake up - The two of them haven't moved an inch from where they fell asleep- B leans over to see A dead asleep - They just smile, holding back a small giggle cuz they don't want to wake A - The banging continues* "Jesus Christ!" *they attempt to get up without disturbing A - A rolls over and just latch on to B* "Damn it - okay" *They sit up and put A on they lap - B stands up holding on to A koala style - They walk over and open the hotel door - It's Person *C sees A half asleep in B’s arms - B immediately puts a finger over their mouth and shushes C* "Give us a bit we'll be out," *C nods and smiles - B closes the door and walks over to the couch to sit down, still holding on to A - they run their hand on the back of A’s neck* "Hey sweetheart- you gotta open your eyes for a bit longer," *A sits up, taking their head off B’s shoulder- Giving B the bitchiest ‘What the fuck do you want’ face- B smiles and laughs a bit* B- "Aw hey there good morning to you too - Alrighty do you want me to do your hair and makeup for work? And do you want left-overs for breakfast?" A- *they huff* "Questions?" B- *They just hold on to A tighter and relaxes into the couch* "Yes I know, communication is the goddamn devil,"  A- "Mhmmmm," B- "Sweetheart, you have to wake up," A- *groggily* "YOU gotta wake up - biTch," B- "Insulting the same person you called babe yesterday - low blow love, low blow," *A sits up, reluctantly* B- "Do you want to become one with my shoulder before this afternoon?" A- "Yes," *they slump back down on top of B for a second time* B- "Alright, can I get my phone please?" *A leans with B so they can grab their phone from next to the couch - B switches hands so they can still hold onto A - They unlock their phone, dial a number, and bring it to their ear - it rings a few times and then A hears a chirpy voice on the other end* over the phone - "Hi hi! This is D! What can I do ya for B?" B- "Heyyy D - Can I ask a favor?" D- "Of course of course- What's up?" B- "Can you tell *A and B’s boss’ name* that A’ll be late and then can you come to my hotel and pick A up for work in about 10 minutes? I don’t have a car right now," D- "Your hotel? For A- *A full name* is in your hotel room?! OH MY GOSH DID I MISS SOMETHING???" B- *smiling with slight annoyance* "Yes D, my hotel," D- "Hehe alright you got it kiddo - gimme 10- I'll be there," B- "Thanks D!" *He hangs up* B- "You wanna sit here for a little bit longer while we wait for D?" A- "Yes please," B- "Okay love I got you" *They hold onto A a little tighter* *silence* B- "You asleep yet?" A- "Uh no of course not," B- "Because I asked you to be awake or is because of something else?" A- "I can smell the food on the counter," B- "It was because I asked you to," A- "It was because you asked me to," B- *smiles* "Of course - Do you wanna snack a bit before D gets here?" *A sits up and looks B in the eye very directly* A- "Did you carry me to bed last night?" B- "You didn't answer my question-" A- "And you didn't answer mine," B- "I asked first," A- "And I-" *A re-situates themself - still straddling B - They lean in very close to B’s face with their hand now on B’s chin- "-asked second... and this is the part when you answer," B- *struggles to breathe for a second* "Yeah uhuh," *re-gains composure - they put their hand behind A’s back and quickly flip them over - now A’s back is on the couch and B’s face is less than an inch from theirs* B- *in a hushed voice* "I asked and now you don't get to answer. You’re gonna eat something," *A can feel B’s breath on their face and they don't know what to do* *B sits up quickly, gets off of them, and goes to the counter where the food is* *A sits up and gathers themself while B is fumbling around in the kitchen in silence- A stands up realizing B’s back turned to them- they walk up too B and turn them around, forcing B up against the kitchen wall - A finds B’s left hand easily (as B tried to flip A again) and they put it right above B’s head, pinned to the wall* A- "Hey hot stuff-" *A trails their hand softly but fast down B’s chest down to their belt buckle and hook a few fingers on it* "I think you have a small issue with following- *A pulls on their belt a bit and B takes a sharp breath* “-through on things," *A leans in with the goal to get to B’s neck- now realizing that they have a bit of height on B - A has to lean down to actually get close to B correctly* "You shouldn't play with me - k?" *A says intentionally breathing heavily up B’s neck- B’s breath hitched and face flushed red- eventually reaching B’s face again and directly looking them in the eye* "-'cause you'll loose," *D knocks on the hotel door quite loudly and then bursts into the room with a box of stuff and a room key- A turns around quickly standing directly in front of B- D sets the box down on the table next to the door and A runs over to D quickly* D- "AHHHH hi A!" A- *hugs D and turns them around so they can’t see B* "Long time no see D!" *A hugs them long enough to see, over D's shoulder, B's red face and them trying to regain composure - D lets go of you and turns around* D - *very concerned voice* "B are you breathin’ okay? You look like you just ran a marathon," *B is still holding eye contact with A, kind of panicked* *A walks over to B eyeing their pants, grinning, and then making eye contact again* "Yea they sure do, don't they?" *B breathes for the first time in what seems to be ages when A turns around to talk to D* *B has almost completely zoned out - A’s voice pulls them from this state* A- "Hey you - you wanna go freshen up while D works with me for a minute?" B- "Oh uh yea I'll go do that - now."

[closetedotaku01]

Tsukishima Kei - Cold Winter Mornings

Seasons of Love Masterlist

A/N: For all those who love Tsukishima Kei, I hope this keeps you warm

You’d always managed to change his mind on things like this. His hatred of PDA quickly evolved into a genuine desire to always be holding your hand, to kiss your cheek when you were being too adorable to resist, a preference for the back seats that bent his legs awkwardly so he could press his thighs up to yours. He can’t seem to help it. The way his patience is extended when he can watch you browsing through the bookshops. The way he has almost developed an addiction to that trashy TV show you’re addicted to. You’ve affected him. Taken hatred and annoyances and the displeasing parts of reality that always felt like inevitabilities, into the parts of life he most looks forward to.

But more than anything, Tsukishima hates the cold. He’s always been the cold one, forced to bundle up in extra layers, always caught rubbing his hands together before shoving them into his fleece-lined pockets.. Forced to wear gloves and scarves at a slight chill.

When he was young he was embarrassed of wearing ear muffs in autumn, so he chose to wear headphones to cover his ears, keeping his hands in his pockets. It was what helped him learn about his love for music, and it’s what helped him keep his distance from most people once he learned that was a necessity for his… safety.

Waking up those first few mornings as autumn shifted to winter, as the chill transformed into a burning freeze, were always the worst. He’d wake up with his bones aching, curled tight on himself, and then he would be forced to exit his bed. Put on a hoodie he used for cold night pajamas, throw on some socks, and turn the heater up. But by the time he did all that the bed would be cold again.

Like everything else though, you had a habit of changing his mind.

~~~~

Another morning he was forced to wake up early. Ripped from his dreams by the cold nipping at the skin exposed by shifting in the night. He should have closed the curtains last night. He’d do anything that might even mildly help keep the room warm. He got out of bed, shivered at the feeling of cold against his feet, and fixed the room to better fit his needs.

Crawling back into bed though, he was happy. Because you were there. Gorgeous and peaceful, and as he climbed back in…. the bed was still warm.

“Kei,” you whined, “you can’t leave bed when it’s this cold.” You pulled him farther into your warmth and rubbed his back, under his hoodie to warm him up. “Why are you wearing a hoodie?” you ask, annoyed by the extra fabric keeping you from his skin, but still tucking your head into his hoodie.

“I’ll take it off when you’re done warming me up,” he teased, welcoming the cold with a warm smile.

~~~~

“What’re you doing?” He asked, exhaustion keeping his eyes closed and his voice quiet.

“Playing with your hair,” you whisper as you continue to thread your fingers through the messy blonde tangles, shying away slightly embarrassed that he woke up at your ministrations.

“What’s your weird obsession with my hair,” he asks, nuzzling closer to you so you know that despite his teasing he’d never want things to be different.

“It’s so soft,” you say, brushing his bangs away from his face, and placing a soft kiss to his forehead.

His arm glides up your arm, resting behind your neck, before he pulls you down to kiss your lips, “Okay.”

His body relaxes again, his hand slipping down to your hips, as he enjoys the feeling of your hands, the sweet, familiar movements. Scratching gently at his scalp, carding through tangles, weaving your finger into his hair. It’s so relaxing.

It slips without him realizing, the cold forcing out honesty, “I could stay like this forever.”

He tries to think of something cool to follow up. A way to tease you. But his mind is too flustered in the early morning to have a good aspersion to toss at you.

“I could, too,” you say back.

He’s not sure if it was intentional, or if the early morning was also drawing the words out of you… but he loved hearing it. He sits up, your lazy hand falling from his hair, sliding down his cheek gently before landing on his chest. He smiles at how easy your touch is now. How it’s gone from something he overthought.. something he’d spend hours poring over, something that caused anxiety to well up in him… into the only thing he always trusted to calm him down.

He doesn’t want to move. Especially not when you look… so perfect. But he does anyway. He swings his legs off the bed, wincing at the cold that immediately clings to him, sucking away the warmth he’d stolen from you in the night, a short hiss leaving his lips.

You grab his wrist, “Hey! I thought you said you could stay like this forever. Where’re you going?”

He chuckles at your sleepy whines, “Turning up the heater. It’s freezing.”

You slide your fingers up to his elbow, and pull down. Hard. He crashes back into the bed and you giggle as you pull him toward you, “Then you better cuddle close.”

He couldn’t help it. The words fell before he could think better of them. He was too focused on the way you smelled as he tugged his body into yours. Too focused on the way the worn fabric of his tee shirt felt softer between his fingers when you wore it. Too focused on the way you slid your feet between his, locking your ankles with his. Too focused on your warmth.

“God, I love you.”

He didn’t even notice what he’d said. He didn’t notice until he felt every muscle of your body… every muscle that was pressed against him… tense.

“Kei… did you— it’s okay if it just slipped. I know it’s early… and it’s… it’s easy to get carried away in nice moments. But… did you … did you mean it?” Your voice is broken, and he hates that his mind is racing. Too much. Way too much. He can read you so well. But of course now is when his brain gives in. Too tired to detect anxiety or hope or if it was breaking because sleep was still heavy on you. Was it his heartbeat that was pounding so hard and fast? Was it yours? Why could he feel that thrumming everywhere. Throughout his whole body. Hearing each beat loud in his ears as coursing hot embarrassment raced through his veins.

And despite every bone in his body telling him to do otherwise… he could never lie to you.

He took in a shaky breath, but his words came out certain, “Yeah.” He presses a kiss to the crown of your head to keep himself calm, “ I meant it.”

Did he ruin it? Did he lose y—

“I love you, too.”

The second it took for you to process his words and to smile before responding... that was the longest second of his life.

The rest of that morning is a blur.

He remembers saying those three words a lot, simply because he felt like he could. He remember each and every time you said them back. The way you shaped your lips to turn the cold morning into burning heat, fluttering in his chest. He remembers the way you sent everything in him on edge. He remembers kissing you a lot. More than he’d normally let himself. Your forehead and cheeks and nose and every bit of you his lips could reach without moving because he was, in that moment, truly intent on making that morning last forever.

~~~~

Waking up next to you was always a reward. A blessing. A sign that, no matter what it felt like, he was pretty damn lucky.

But of course the cold was still bitter.

You were already sitting up, stretching your arms above your head, letting out that beautiful, tired sound he’d grown addicted to as his shirt rises to expose a sliver of your skin to the cold. It’s a sound he fully intends to hear every morning until the end of his days. Not that he’d tell you that. He usually feigned sleep while you stretched just so you’d never find out.

You knew. No one smiles like that in their sleep. And his eyelids have a way of fluttering to betray his attempt.

You start shuffling to get out of bed. And he hates the cold that he knows will rush in as soon as you’re out of the bed.

He never wanted to ask you to stay in bed. It was… too pathetic. Too clingy. It was a sign of desperation and he didn’t need you knowing how much he needed you. Not yet anyway.

But… the mornings leave him defenceless, walls down, doors open. Vulnerable. Completely bare to the warmth only you can give, or fully open to the biting cold. He already knows he’ll regret it. Knows that this is not the right move. The cool move. The move that’ll keep you swooning for him. But he can’t help it.

He wraps his body around you again. Tight. Close. “Not yet.”

You break away from him and the cold that sneaks between your body and his is deadly. He wants to pull you again. Tangle his legs with yours, hook his arm tighter around your waist and mold your back into his chest until not even you could tell where you end and he begins. But that’s not what he does. It’d hardly be the suave move. Not the move of the cool, stoic guy you’d been so enchanted by. He’d ask again if it wasn’t so pathetic.

He lets you go. Clinging to the warmth in his hand as it slides down your body and then off your hip as you finally finish sitting up. But the world warms again as you turn over, facing him, and burying your face into his chest. Throwing your arm over his body, your leg over his hip, holding tight to his warmth. “Not yet,” you repeat back to him, voice raspy and high from the sleep stuck in your throat.

You pull the comforter higher over his shoulder so his back is properly covered as you let yourself melt into his warmth.

He could get used to the cold with you.

~~~~

You wake up cold. Freezing actually. You turn around and reach out for the man you adore. The one who was surely hogging the covers in the corner as you froze on the other side of his bed. But he wasn’t there. You sit up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you try to piece together where he could be. He went to bed with you. He fell asleep before you. Maybe he had to pee? You turn to see the bathroom light off, no sounds coming from the dark room.

You get out of bed, wrapping a blanket around your shoulders as you head out of the bedroom.

“Kei?” you ask the darkness.

You hear his voice. A swear whispered under his breath. You find him under the tree, glowing by the fairy lights with three gifts, wrapped in paper you two hadn’t bought together, that he was trying to arrange.

You look at him questioningly, but he gives you no response aside from wide eyes.

“It’s cold,” you say, reaching your hand out to him.

“Go to bed then,” he says back, quickly shoving the gifts farther under the tree.

“The bed’s cold too,” you say, pouting.

“I’ll be there in a second.”

You creep up behind him, and throw both your arms around his shoulder, blanket draping over both your bodies. You tuck your head into his neck. He’s barely able to make out the whispers mumbled against his skin, “You’re cold too.”

“Then go to bed so you can warm me up,” he teases, rubbing a hand up and down your arm to warm you.

“But I’m cold,” you say with a tired giggle at your own neediness for his warmth.

He sighs, “Okay then.”

He stays with you, you warming his back as he finishes putting the presents behind the tree. If you hadn’t caught him, you probably wouldn’t have seen them in the morning. Probably a surprise that he came pretty damn close to sneaking past you.

When he’s satisfied he hooks his arms beneath your knees and carries you on his back. He takes you to bed and lays you down gently before joining you under the covers.

He traced shapes into your back as he held you close, only thinking of how you came to him, when you were cold.

[teletraan-meets-jarvis]

Monster - Part 1

AO3 Link

Characters: Commander Fox (Main), Captain Rex, Commander Thorn, Corrie Medic Triage (OC), Anakin Skywalker, Fives.

Summary: Fives' death through the eyes of Commander Fox.

Warnings: 16+, swearing, mentions of death.

Word Count: 1.6k

Click here for Part 2

Author’s Notes: First trip on the angst train folks. I've had this in my head for ages because I wanted to try something that wasn't relationship focused and I'm still not over this whole storyline with the chips, they were so darn close to exposing ol' sheev. Fox deserves some spotlight but i'm very sorry it had to be on this. I have got a part 2 practically written up already but wanted to test the waters with this bit first. Let me know what you think!! Fic below the cutoff :).

The title is from the song Monster by Starset. If you're after some good sci-fi related songs for the feels, Startset is where it's at.

Under the knife I surrendered The innocence yours to consume You cut it away And you filled me up with hate Into the silence you sent me Into the fire consumed You thought I'd forget But it's always in my head

Each step was quiet, calculated as CC-1010 moved into the storage bay. His men following his lead as they prepared to surround their target. General Skywalker was verbally defending the Chancellor from where he was captured in a ray shield. The target was unaware of their presence, time to move in.

Set to stun.

“Stand down, soldier! Get on your knees!” CC-1010 commanded, surrounded by his Shock Troopers. The target looked over at the unattended pistols. “Don’t do it solider.”

“GET AWAY FROM ME!”

“FIVES NO!”

Threat. Eliminate the threat.

Good soldiers, follow orders.

Set to Kill. CC-1010 never missed.

No.

Rex was screaming.

General Skywalker was ordering the Guard to lower the ray shields, not that CC-1010 could hear him over the ringing in his ears.

No.

The Captain was at his ARC-Trooper’s side, cradling his head. The blaster wound a disgusting contrast to the pure, shiny, white plastoid of his armour. The blaster wound that CC- no, that Fox inflicted.

No no no no no no.

The pistol fell from his hands and clattered to the ground as Fox came back to himself, the only sound which could be heard among the silence apart from Rex’s begging to Fives to stay with him.

Fox tore off his helmet. He couldn’t breathe. Fuck. The weight of what he just did crashed into him like a tsunami, threatening to take him down, tear him apart.

He stared at his gloved hands which shook uncontrollably. He tried to stop them but his brain didn’t have control of his body anymore. His men were looking at him, he could feel their gaze tearing into him like a jury to a defendant. Watching as their Commander fell apart.

He fell to his knees. No longer able to support his own body weight alongside the weight of his actions. He’d just killed another clone. One of his own vode. His own flesh and blood. That’d never happened before. Sure there had been traitors before among the clone ranks, but they’d never been executed on site. They’d never been pursued by Fox. Lucky them.

The chancellors’ orders echoed in his ears. “Eliminate the threat, Commander.”

Not bring him in for questioning. Eliminate him. No court hearing, no hearing Fives’ side like Slick and others before him. Just execution. And Fox was his executioner. Fuck he was going to vomit.

“Rex” Fox didn’t realise he was speaking until Rex’s eyes met his over Fives’ lifeless body, which he continued to cradle like his last hopes in this war.

Rex’s eyes were cold as ice, the power behind them attempting to freeze Fox to his very core. He didn’t blame him.

The heartbreak at losing another member of Torrent Company cracking the Captain’s usually unshakeable composure. As it fell apart piece by piece in front of Fox’s eyes, he was left staring at his little brother. His Rex’ika. Distraught, heartbroken, empty. He wanted nothing more than to protect him like back on Kamino, when Rex was a young cadet who feared the thunderstorms of their home planet. But Fox couldn’t protect Rex from this, Fox was the reason behind his brother’s agony, his loss. Fox was the monster.

“I-…” he couldn’t get the words out. He couldn’t explain himself. What could he say? I didn’t have a choice, I had to follow orders? That wasn’t going to fix the hole left in Rex’s heart. For losing Fives and for losing Fox too, because the Commander was sure he was dead to him.

Rex finally pulled his eyes away and it broke Fox’s heart. The Captain looked back down at his friend in his arms, his brother. He brought his forehead forward as he raised Fives’s, meeting him in one final Keldabe as he recited the Mando’a that had become far too familiar for them all. Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la. He cradled Fives close to his chest and hooked a hand under his legs as he got to his feet.

Rex’s face was stony, emotionless as he carried his fallen brother out of the storage bay. He held himself together as he brushed past the helmet-less Shock Troopers who stood stock still around their shaken Commander. He didn’t even spare Fox a glance. General Skywalker was hot on his Captain’s heels, going to offer support where he could. Just like that they were gone.

“Sir-“ one of the troopers went to place a hand on his Commander’s shoulder.

“Tell the Chancellor it’s done” Fox snapped out, the words tasting like bitter bile in his mouth. He did his best to regain himself as he grabbed his bucket, re-securing it and his emotions behind as strong a wall as he could fortify in his current state. Still shaking hands clasped around the dropped blaster and Fox finally returned to his feet, slightly unsteady.

“Return to base” his orders were flat as they came through the helmet. His soldiers didn’t react for a moment. He looked each of his men over, their shock at watching what happened bared to the world on their faces. He couldn’t take it. “Now.” Finally they nodded and made the move to leave the Gods-forsaken place.

Everything was a blur; people, places, all fading into nothingness behind Fox as he paced back to his office. His safe space. His feet carried him while his mind drifted, almost leaving his body in an attempt to protect himself from the internal horrors that threatened his grasp on reality.

Next he knew he was back in his office, no idea what route he’d taken to get there. The door had barely shut behind him before he stumbled to the small refresher attached and vomited. Choked sobs wracked his body as he emptied his stomach, tears creating salty tracks down his cheeks.

Once his body stopped torturing him, he finally backed away from the toilet and crawled to lean against the ‘fresher wall. His legs sprawled out in front of him as he threw his head back against the cool tiles. The sharp pain from the action doing nothing to bring him back, to distract him from the agony in his mind.

————

“Fox, Fox!! It’s Thorn, are you there?” The heavy gunner shouted from outside, his fists banging on the door demanding entry.

Nothing.

Thorn had heard what had happened, half the Guard already knew by now. Fox had been ordered to execute another clone by the Chancellor. As soon as the confirmation reached his ears, the Commander dropped everything to find his superior. He’d been friends with Fox long enough to know when he was nearing his breaking point, and he knew that this would throw him off the edge of his sanity.

“Kriff, Fox. I’m coming in!” He announced before punching the code in and rushing in to find his friend.

What Thorn found wasn’t pretty. Fox was propped up against the fresher wall, his head covered in a thin sheen of sweat, his amber eyes glassed over as he sobbed. He looked absolutely wrecked.

Thorn dropped to his side and took hold of his hands in an attempt to ground his friend. “Fox, hey Fox, can you hear me?”

Nothing.

“I heard what happened. I need you to come back to us, yeah. Maker, we need you Fox.” That got his attention, Fox’s watery eyes met his, but the Commander wasn’t fully present behind them yet.

“It wasn’t me” Fox choked out in barely a whisper, tears flowing freely again. Thorn moved forward and pulled the Commander into his arms, their armour fitting awkwardly against one another but it was enough. The broken man clung to his brother as he continued to repeat his words in a tear filled mantra against Thorn’s armour.

After what felt like forever, the shudders that tore through Fox’s body eventually died down to something more manageable. Thorn took that as his moment to try and get his Commander sat up again, maybe even get some water in him. He began to pull away slightly so he could look him in the eyes but as soon as he did, Fox started babbling again. At least it was a few more words than before.

“I set the gun to stun, I swear. I don’t know what happened. Once I saw Fives, everything went dark.” He tried to explain with as much coherence as he could. “They’ll never forgive me for this.” Thorn knew who he was talking about, his batch mates. Cody, Wolffe, Bly, Ponds and Gree. Fox had felt that their relationship was strained ever since he joined the Guard and his brothers went out to fight on the front lines. He’d become the cold leader of the Coruscant Elite Guard, he had the ‘cushy desk job’ while they had to watch their men die day in and day out on the battlefield. The sad truth was that they’d never understand the things the Guard had to go through each day. One night after a particularly tough day, he’d listened as Fox admitted that he wished he could provide his men with honourable deaths in battle to save them from their fates within the Guard.

Thorn’s chest felt like a vice as he cradled his friend, trying to absorb some of his pain as if it would help make things a bit easier on him. He’d never seen Fox like this and it was killing him. Why did the Chancellor always place the worst jobs on the Commander, why did he have to keep him so close, right under his thumb ready to make him do the dirty work. Never thinking about the aftermath, because the clones didn’t matter. So long as Fox kept showing up and performing admirably on the surface, the day to day pain and suffering wasn’t of concern to the Republic, least of all to the Grand Chancellor.

“Fox, I’m going to call Triage alright? He’ll know what to do.” Thorn announced softly, not getting much of an acknowledgment for his words as Fox started to drift off in his arms, his body’s exhaustion overtaking him for a blissful moment.

Continue to Part 2

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