#CAN WE SAVOUR THIS FEW MINUTES THEY WERE TOGETHER

[theryu]

I WAS ONLY EXPECTING GRUMBO CRUMBS. I WAS GIVEN A PLATE FULL OF IT WHATT

[briseroyawritingsblog]

𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖

𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎!𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒕!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

• +18 minors do not interact. established relationship, shopping trip, dinner date at home, SMUT/ protected sex, anal sex, soft sex, lots of french kissing, size kink, breeding kink, too many feelings (reader) life in 2051, fluffy things and etc.

𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 / 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

dividers by @cafekitsune & @anitalenia 🤍

“Why don’t you just move to my bed..?” Logan wondered caressing your hand softly. Thumb drawing circles on your knuckles “Would you like me to do that Sir?” Looking up into his eyes you read his emotions. He nodded “Yes princess..” batting your eyelashes he smiled pulling you closer to him. “I shall move to rest next to you Sir” confirming upon his lovely request your arms swung themselves around his neck. “I will take a shower bub, I forgot about the movie.” cheeks heating up at his words replaying the events that happened few minutes ago. “I cannot refuse you Sir.. I love you” Logan cooed against your lips kissing you slowly and long savouring the taste of your glossy lips. “And I love you..” hearing those words again from him you felt pulsing in your chest. Warmth spreading through your entire body. “I will prepare fresh pyjamas for you. Would you like me to change the sheets as well?” Suggesting while your dainty little fingers scratched his bearded cheeks. “That would be nice” he hummed watching you bat your curly eyelashes at him his heart picking up the speed pulse spiking. The sheer beauty of you “We are one— joined souls… forever” logan smirked. “Are we now princess?”

“What else do we need?” He chuckled softly watching you load the cart with groceries.

“A lot. I plan to cook only the best for you Sir” your lips curled into a soft smile. You wore a black maid dress, a rainproof coat and knee high boots. Your clothes arrived delivered and securely packaged in boxes.

“You do enough..” he whispered in your ear standing behind you as you pushed the cart. You melted into his embrace kissing his cheek softly. Some people nearby mistook you for a real human being— women complimented you. They complimented your black long locks, until you removed your glasses which covered your eyes. You had sclera hues, and for humans that was scary. You adored children so if they approached you you knelt to their height and spoke with them. Logan saw it, he only watched in awe. How was that even possible he held so much love for you? You let the children touch your hair and your hands. “One day I want to be like you!” Little girl said with a giggle.

“Come on sweetheart..” Logan extended his hand towards you when he saw security guards nearby. “We had a complaint that she’s a robot. We do not allow them to stay here or let alone engage with people. They can be dangerous” you looked at Logan gently hiding behind him lowering your eyes putting your glasses back on. “We are leaving—” he grunted shooting a death glare towards the guard forming a fist. You stopped him cupping his knuckles feeling the sharp tips of his pushed out claws against your palm “That’s alright Sir, we are leaving now” after paying and bagging the groceries together you remained silent. The child told you that she wanted to be like you one day— she thought that you were a human being. You wanted that so much— to be real for him. For your love. The thing was people mistook you for the failed kind of robots, you wanted to be better. Those who rebelled against humans you were not like them you couldn’t be ever.

“We will have the groceries delivered. Whatever you want princess. I don’t want them to judge you or stare at you. It angers me” Logan admitted as you chopped the vegetables for his dinner. “I completely understand Sir. I just wanted to be with you” you admitted and Logan sighed softly. “And I want to be with you. Every moment I get to be with you— I wouldn’t change it for the world. If anything happens to you” you put down the knife clashing distance with him locking your arms around him kissing the side of your neck snuggling in his arms closing your eyes inhaling his scent. The warm woodsy kind— your senses taking in every part of his body. His own arms coiled around you kissing the top of your head pulling you even closer to him until he lifted you your thighs wrapping themselves around his waist clinging to him. “Don’t ever let me go Sir” you blinked facing him your noses touching. “I can think of many reasons to keep you around princess” a soft smirk painted his features large palms cupping and holding your butt slowly walking around the kitchen with you. Hearts forming before your eyes leaning in kissing him long letting his tongue penetrate your lips. You moaned raking your fingers through his dark mane pulling him closer your lips being engulfed by him tasting the aroma of his whiskey breath.

You finished plating his dinner, steak with tons of veggies and a side of fries. Sitting opposite him opening his laptop while he ate his dinner complimenting every bite how good it was praising you on. “Sir? Shall I respond to your emails from work? You have over 100 unread.” Your cheeks blushed at his lovely compliments. “Come here.. fuck the emails..” he leaned back on his chair sipping on his drink. Eyes hooded, face full of affection for you. “I’m just a fuckin’ fool in love with you” he sighed taking your hand once you walked over to him. He pulled you to his lap so you straddled his hips. You lied your cheek on his shoulder draping your arm around his other shoulder closing your eyes humming a song to him. “I love you just as much—” whispering your mouth cupped his ear kissing him there.

Something occurred that night. While you rested on the bed, your eyelids shut something formed in the middle of your chest. A red ball of energy— right under your rib cage. The ball of warm energy started to pulsate. It became redder and redder to the point anyone could see the wires under your skin. You were not aware of what was happening you were completely resting and recharging. The light in your chest formed a shape of human heart. It was beating faster and faster until it found its own pace. Logan woke up at the red light in the room, he sat up next to you placing a hand on your chest you were warm. Rubbing your cheek with the back of his knuckles softly, how could a robot become half human? Unplugging your charging system he scooped you in his arms holding you placing his cheek on your forehead. “Is there something I can do for you Sir?” Your eyes fluttered open and he remained silent. The light in your chest faded away and you didn’t feel any different. “Logan..” you reached for his forehead kissing it. “What?” He whispered not believing you said his name for the first time. “Say it again.” furrowing your eyebrows you nuzzled your face against his neck “James..” his face softened. “You said my name” nodding softly “Yes.. you’re my boyfriend” bringing you down on the bed cupping your cheek he kissed your mouth softly. “You have a heart” closing your eyes placing a hand over his own heart listening to his heartbeat “It beats for you”

— Love Overdrive —

“James..” gasping for air your hands clutched the silky sheets beneath you as you found yourself under Logan. His large body shielding you, letting you feel his weight. His arms were under you as he rocked his hips into you from behind. His ragged breath coated your ear as he filled you out. “I love you..” you let out the softest moan but soon his hips picked up the speed sheating his protected cock deeper in you feeling how you coat him in your creamy essence and god he lost his mind burying his face against the back of your hair letting out the softest grunts and whimpers as he grabbed your breasts “I’m here.. I-I’m here.. I’m yours” you felt his emotions, you tamed him. He was so lost and you found him. “Fuck.. fuck…” he rasped parting your thighs even more as you were on your knees making sure to hide all of his cock in your warm centre. “You better stay princess.. need to tame your old man..” he breathed kissing your shoulder, your lips remained parted in pleasure. Taking his cock out of your wet inviting centre, rubbing the swollen mushroom tip on your other hole which seemed so tight and god you were so soft. “James” you panted looking over your shoulder as he grabbed the base of his protected cock prodding your puckered hole. You cried out— “Fuck” he groaned. Hearts formed in your sclera eyes as you bit your lower lip whining at the feel of him. Clenching around him the moment he slid right whole inside of you he gasped. “Holy f-” grunting he pulled you to kneel up between his parted thighs. Your back leaning on his chest as he grabbed your pussy from the front holding it snapping his hips against your butt stretching your other hole repeatedly. You mewled wrapping your arm around his neck touching his hair. “Oh James, Logan.. ughhh.. mmmm” you let out the softest moans and mewls which spurred him on fucking into you quicker and quicker not holding back. “You feel so good.. tightest holes I ever fucked, ugh” whispering in your ear you licked your lower lip tilting your face to him leaning the back of your head on his shoulder kissing him. Your tongues glided over each other and his thrusts became faster, harder. As if he was trying to climb inside of you “Mine.. mine mine..” sliding two of his fingers in your wet mound from the front he remained pounding your other hole until he couldn’t anymore. The moment he stilled and released all of his tension with a broken whimper. Getting rid of his used condom he reached for a new one, making sure it was correctly rolled over his swollen cock which dripped with so much cum.

“Lay down..” you breathed watching him do so climbing on top of him locking your hand around his warm length pumping it. “Shit..” he breathed chest heaving eyes hooded with desire again. His claws slowly pushing out “Shhh..” licking your lower lip you sitting on him completely touching his shiny claws with your fingers bringing them to your mouth your tongue dancing on his middle one “Ughh..” he smiled at you carefully gripping your thigh as you nestled him right in your honeypot. “I love when you orgasm” you whimpered moaning with every move of your hips as you gyrated yourself on his length your thighs rubbing on his own “Because I’m the cause of it.. I love when you push out these claws because the pleasure is too much..” his mouth parted “Fuck you’re.. you’re the cause baby.. one day you will carry my little wolves” you nodded biting your lower lip again speeding up your hips fucking him just right. “Yes Sir.. yes.. ughhh yess..” fingers tangling around his dogtags pulling on them gently you whined as he became even harder for you close to cum again reaching behind you to place your hands on his knees you rode him until he came and it was an eruption.

“Princess..”

-

(Any grammatical errors I apologise in advance)

[magicshopaholic]

Words Unsaid (Jungkook x OC)

Summary: Jungkook has something he wants to ask you, but the timing just never seems to sit right.

Pairing: Jungkook x OC

Genre: Fluff

Rating: 18+

Word Count: 7.3 K

Warnings: none

A/N: This took longer than expected to post (but a surprisingly short amount of time to write). Savour it, for the angst will be back in full force next fic :D Takes place a couple of weeks after Unfinished Business and can be read standalone.

Tagging: @bbl32 @ggukkieland @bangtannoonalvg @pb-n-juju @juciu @jeoncookie-bts @quarter-life-crisis2 @dreaming-with-happiness @meirkive  @faearchives @margopinkerton @sumzysworld @purpleseoul7 @kflixnet (italics cannot be tagged. If you want to be added to the taglist, drop a comment or ask)

Listen to: "thinking out loud" by ed sheeran

jungkook masterlist | main masterlist

The sun is near setting when lunch comes to a natural end. Namjoon places his credit card on the bill out of habit and, somewhat conscious that it’s not just the two of them here, Jungkook drops his on top of it.

“All good, kid.” Namjoon good-naturedly flicks Jungkook’s credit card off the bill just before the waiter picks it up.

Feeling Lia’s eyes on him, vaguely amused, Jungkook feels his ears heat up and quickly pockets his credit card. “What’s your plan for the rest of the day?” he asks, desperate to change the topic.

“Not much.” He shrugs. “Probably pick up some stuff at this store we saw earlier today, then maybe a walk down the Han if it gets cooler…” He turns slightly as Kaya returns to her seat, fluffing out her hair a bit.

“Seoul has never been this warm, has it?” she remarks. “I’m glad I cut my hair before I came here.”

“It should rain soon,” answers Lia, in her accented English. While her grasp on the language hadn’t necessarily been a surprise to Jungkook, the way it sounded - and how much he liked it - definitely was. She hadn’t ever spoken much English around him, for there was never much of a need, but when Kaya visited and they’d finally met, Jungkook discovered he was obsessed with her English accent. It made her sound older, unattainable and - ironically – more Korean.

“Maybe it will,” says Namjoon, nodding and looking out the glass windows at the sunlight.

“Maybe it will while you’re walking down the Han river,” points out Jungkook. 

“Looking forward to it.”

“Oh, that reminds me - can we make a detour home before we head to the market?” Kaya asks him. “I need to pick up my power bank. My phone’s almost dead.”

Namjoon nods. “Sure. You guys need a ride?” he asks Jungkook and Lia.

“Oh -” They exchange a look, for they were dropped by a company car after Jungkook finished filming a promo. “Actually, yeah,” says Lia, nodding. “We also need to stop by, uh, Jungkook’s house for a minute. You’ll want to change, I guess?”

Jungkook nods mutely, his neck getting hot again. He avoids Namjoon’s eyes; the older member’s subtle questioning a couple of days ago, about how serious is this getting, had been one thing. That, coupled with the abrupt way he and Lia had stopped talking when Jungkook had returned from the men’s room earlier during lunch, made him uneasily conscious that something was still unsaid.

They head out of the restaurant, waiting until Namjoon’s car is brought out by the valet before ducking inside quickly, Kaya in the driver’s seat and Namjoon in the passenger seat next to her. Jungkook notices a few phones out in the open and pointed towards them as they drive away.

“See you tomorrow!” Lia waves at them as they drive away from the porch of Jungkook’s building in Hannam-dong, where his new penthouse sits tucked into the top floor. As the car disappears around a corner, both of them turn around and head inside together.

In the lift, Jungkook watches the numbers increase, his hands in his pockets and his bottom lip between his teeth. The words are there, somewhere, in moments at the tip of his tongue and in others, so far away that they may as well be someone else’s.

“Hey.”

He’s jerked out of his reverie. “Yeah.”

Lia is looking at him, frowning slightly. “Everything okay? You’ve barely said two words since we left.”

“I’m fine,” he answers as the lift stops and they step out, the doors opening right in front of his apartment. “I just, uh…” He pats his pockets and pauses. “... forgot my keys. I think. Shit.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she mutters easily, reaching into her small sling bag for her own keyring and selecting the shiniest one. “This is when it helps to have a spare set with someone else,” she points out.

Jungkook nods sheepishly and steps aside so she can unlock the door to his home. “Actually, Lia…” He takes a deep breath as Namjoon’s face swims to the forefront of his mind, the familiar raised eyebrow and chin tilted upward that, irritatingly knowing but unwilling to give him the answer. No, he would want Jungkook to come up with the answer himself. 

He clears his throat as Lia pauses. “Yeah?”

“Um, I was wondering -” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Just say it. Say it. He makes the mistake of glancing at her again, her raised eyebrows and - to his slight anxiety - hopeful expression.

Shit.

“Would you, um… do you think you would you like to…” 

Come on now, Jungkook, Namjoon would say sternly. Say it already.

“... try a beef bulgogi tonight? I know we usually do pizza on Sunday nights but I saw this recipe online and I really wanted to try it. Plus, we won’t even have to shop - we have that fillet in the freezer so part of the work is really already done, if you think about it…”

He’s rambling, he knows, but it’s only to try and distract himself from the annoyance at himself as well as the brief but clear disappointment in her expression. Her shoulders fall slightly and she bites her lip, turning back to the door and pushing it open halfway.

“Beef bulgogi sounds great,” she says finally, looking up at him after a moment’s hesitation, and giving him a small smile. “Thanks.”

He follows her inside, still deflated. Lia goes straight to the fridge for a bottle of cold water while he heads into his room, shedding his t-shirt on the way. Turning on the bathroom light, he grabs his facewash from the wall-mounted shelf, half-stocked with haircare products, face scrubs, masks, serums and a tub of scrunchies and claw clips. A Dior perfume he’d gifted her earlier this year was also there next to his own Calvin Klein cologne. 

Realising he’s been staring at her belongings for over a minute with emulsified facewash on his face, he quickly scrubs it off and hurries out, passing by her chest of drawers next to the closets. 

Jungkook wishes he wasn’t such a coward. He wishes he had the exact right words and that his mouth moved on its own to deliver the message to her. She’d helped him set up the apartment when he’d moved in last month; most of her belongings are here, she returns here more often than not after work, half the groceries in the pantry are stocked by her. She has a set of keys, she uses his extra parking space - but none of it matters as long as it’s still Jungkook’s house. 

In the kitchen, Lia is standing by the counter with a bowl of watermelon in front of her, scrolling on her phone. She looks up when he enters. 

“I cut the other half that was in the fridge,” she informs him. “Rest of it is inside.”

He swallows. “Thanks.”

Jungkook doesn’t know what he would do without her. The house feels far too big and empty when she isn’t around and he wishes there were some way for her to get that message without him having to spell it out.

But if you do spell it out, comes Namjoon’s voice again, what’s the worst that could happen.

She could say no and then I could die, he thinks, shuddering.

He stands on the opposite side of the counter and leans over to examine the pink fruit. Lia raises an eyebrow and pops a piece into his mouth. 

“Wow. Sweet,” he comments, voice slightly muffled. 

She half-chuckles and nods, going back to her phone and taking a piece as well.

Say it. But is this really the moment? Does there need to be a moment? What would that moment even look like? What would she want that moment to -

“Kook,” says Lia, slowly placing her phone down. “I was thinking… I’ve been coming over here after work the last few days. And I’ll probably be here tomorrow as well, so…” She bites her lip.

“Yes,” whispers Jungkook breathlessly. If Lia were to ask the question - nothing like it. No chance of rejection, no scope for awkwardness. Of course, if any of the guys got wind of the fact that she had been the one to ask, they wouldn’t let him live it down, especially Jimin. Suddenly, he half-hopes she isn’t asking.

“Do you think it would be weird if, you know…”

Holy shit. Screw Jimin and his opinions. Despite a crappy first date a year ago, if this is really how far they’ve come since then, he should consider himself the luckiest man in the world. Unexpectedly, Jungkook’s heart begins to race. 

“… if I went home on Monday evening? It’s been a while and I have an important meeting on Tuesday and all my blazers are at home so in a way, I have to…”

Jungkook nods mutely, barely hearing her, for his heart is hammering so loudly he can hear it in his teeth. It occurs to him that Lia might have been anticipating the same question and subsequently felt the same disappointment, and it only serves to make him feel worse.

“… take my car, too. Jungkook?”

He looks up warily, irrationally worried his shame might be written on his forehead for her to see, possibly triggering her to pull the plug on this entire thing, this whole relationship, to save herself the embarrassment of dating a silly pop star who can’t string six words together -

“Hm?”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m fine,” he chokes. “Thanks for the, uh, the fruit.”

Lia raises her eyebrows, but there’s a flash of knowing in her eyes. Not wanting to decipher it, for there’s no telling where his mind will take him, he shakes his head slightly and leans forward, kissing her on the cheek.

It doesn’t end there. Later that evening, Jungkook is still reeling from his horrendous inability to pluck up the courage to ask his girlfriend a simple question. The general mood between them seems to have gone back to normal, somewhat, but it nags at the corner of his mind.

They are heading to the executive floor gym in his building, accessible only to the handful of residents on the top floor, when another opportunity seemingly presents itself.

It’s a glorious workout in one of the best gyms in the country; in fact, Jungkook is rather upfront about it being one of the main reasons he chose to buy a property in this particular building in Hannam-dong. Towards the end of a particularly difficult set of reps on the bench press station, Jungkook looks up to see a face, upside down and hovering above him.

“Shit!” he gasps, gripping the barbell tightly so it doesn’t fall on him. 

Eunwoo grins. “What’s up? Wasn’t expecting to see you here today.”

“I could’ve died,” points out Jungkook, sitting up and giving him a friendly dap. “No, Lia wanted to work out, too, and it’s been a, uh… somewhat stressful day.”

“Yeah?” Eunwoo, also sweating and glowing, looks around the gym with his hands on his hips. “Lia is here? Oh, there she is…” He nods at the treadmills where she’s jogging fast, AirPods in and the rest of the world shut out.

They chat for a bit about nothing in particular, catching their breath. Somewhere during the conversation, while they’re at the water station and filling up tiny glasses with fruit-infused ice water, Jungkook wonders if the time has truly come to pick another’s brain. Eunwoo is a good friend and they’ve known each other a while, but it would be the first time he’s actively confided in someone else about his love life. From his experience, it could go either way.

While he’s pondering this, Eunwoo nods and flashes a smile at something over his shoulder.

“Hey, guys.” Lia walks over and pours herself a glass. Her skin pale and glowing, her cheeks flushed lusciously. The ends of her high ponytail stick to her damp collarbones and Jungkook bites his lip without thinking, ridiculously attracted to her at the moment.

“Noona, do you agree with JK’s plan of building a home gym?” Eunwoo asks, seamlessly continuing their discussion. “It’s going to be so much maintenance of equipment,” he tells him, shaking his head.

“Really?” Lia turns to Jungkook, frowning. “When did that happen? I thought you were happy with this gym.”

“I am - and I’m not planning on building a home gym,” he clarifies, suddenly anxious with both sets of eyes on him. “I was just discussing the merits of possibly having one.”

“Such as?”

“Well… privacy, for one. I know the building has good security but they're also fairly lax with allowances,” he points out, not wanting to specify the incident last week that had prompted this train of thought, when he was half-certain he’d spotted someone pointing their phone at him and Lia. 

“Allowances? You mean guests?” Eunwoo wrinkles his nose. “They don’t allow guests in here.”

“Yes, they do.”

“No, they don’t. They don’t allow anybody but residents in the gym.”

There’s a brief but painful pause following his words. 

“They do, actually,” says Lia.

“I don’t think so.”

“Yes, they do,” adds Jungkook tightly, glaring at Eunwoo and moving his eyes deliberately in Lia’s direction, hoping to God he’ll drop it.

Eunwoo frowns slowly, apparently working this out. “What?” he mutters, shaking his head at Jungkook. “No, I’m just saying… wait, how are you so sure?”

“Because I’m technically a guest,” says Lia lightly.

“You are?” Eunwoo raises his eyebrows. “But I thought you were - oh.” To Jungkook’s horror, a blush creeps up his friend’s face. Lia goes still next to him and it takes every ounce of Jungkook’s strength to not turn in her direction.

For the next few seconds or so, the three of them stand there in silence, scarcely making a movement. 

“Excuse me? May I?”

“Yes! Of course, of course -” Jungkook immediately blurts out while Eunwoo practically trips over himself to take a step back and make way for another patron. 

“I’m going to stretch and cool down for a bit,” says Lia, touching Jungkook’s shoulder. “How far along are you?”

“Oh, I still have a bit to finish,” he answers, a bit apologetically. “I was going to box for a bit before ending with cardio.”

“That’s fine, I'll just head back h- uh, to your place and shower… if that’s okay?”

Not least because she hasn’t needed to ask such a question in months, Jungkook nods wordlessly. She gives him a small smile and moves away, and Jungkook watches her leave before turning back around to see Eunwoo giving him a look.

“Shut up,” he mutters.

Eunwoo chuckles as they head over to the boxing bag. “Man, I am so sorry about that. I really thought you’d asked her to move in with you - I thought part of the reason you bought a new house was because you wanted her to move in. You were asking about bathrooms with his-and-her sinks, man. What happened?”

“Okay, first of all, I only asked if you’ve ever seen one in real life - not that I wanted one,” he corrects immediately, strapping on his gloves while Eunwoo gets behind the bag, ready to hold it. 

“And the other thing?”

“I’m working on it,” mutters Jungkook, going into stance and holding his hands up. “I just want to do it right. Make sure it’s a good time, that I’m not hurrying anything - that kind of thing.”

Eunwoo hums and nods. “Well, if it helps, she didn’t seem freaked out. If anything, she looked a little annoyed.”

Jungkook freezes. “She did? She looked annoyed - wait, really? Are you serious?”

His eyes widen. “Wh- no. Not - not annoyed like that. Not like a pissed off annoyed, more like a… like a chill annoyed.” When Jungkook says nothing, he shakes his head. “You know what? Don’t worry about it. Maybe it is too soon. Or maybe it isn’t,” he amends quickly. “What do I know? You know my last three relationships lasted, like, four months each - so I’m probably not the best person to be giving you any kind of advice.”

“That’s the most airtight thing you’ve said so far,” mutters Jungkook. “Alright, I’m coming in.” Waiting a moment for Eunwoo to grip the bag, he cocks his elbow back and punches it.

—

Despite his deadly faux pas, Eunwoo had inadvertently provided Jungkook with a rather helpful bit of direction. Perhaps it is time for him to lean on a friend for advice, but Eunwoo was also right that he is not one of them, not with his flighty flings and lack of depth in them. The advice matters and so does the friend, prompting Jungkook to ask himself: which of his friends is the expert on the opposite of short-term flings?

“Namjoon hyung!”

Namjoon stops in his tracks at the sound of his name and turns, waiting for Jungkook to catch up with him. 

“Oh, thanks,” says Jungkook, taking a cigarette from the pack Namjoon offers him and leaning forward so he can light it. “Thanks for getting us the evening off, by the way.”

“Kaya is leaving this weekend,” is all Namjoon says in response, shrugging.

“Right.” Jungkook nods, taking a drag and blowing it out, wondering briefly if he should care that they might be seen smoking right outside the Hybe building. “Won’t this make you a couple minutes late, though? If you want to make the best of the next few days?”

Namjoon chuckles. “I don’t want to smoke inside the house.”

“Uh-huh. Speaking of which…” He exhales, suddenly nervous. “I was hoping for some advice.” He clears his throat. “Regarding… relationships.”

Namjoons raises his eyebrows but says nothing else. “M-hm.”

“I have reason to believe,” he begins slowly, “that Lia might want me to ask her to move in with me.”

“Okay.”

Jungkook pauses, searching his leader’s face for a hint. Finding none, he continues. “Well… I want to ask her. But I also don’t want her to feel like I’m asking her just because she wants me to ask her. And I also don’t want to mess it up.”

“How would you mess it up?”

“I don’t know… maybe I’m completely off track and she doesn’t want to move in with me at all? Maybe she thinks it’s too soon?”

Namjoon nods, hearing him out. Then he shakes his head. “Well, personally, I don’t think that’s the case.”

“What isn’t? You think she wants to move in?” Jungkook’s momentarily relief is interrupted by a horrifying thought. “Oh, my God - did she say something to you? Yesterday, at brunch, when I went to the men’s room?”

“Jungkook, you were gone for two minutes.”

He’s about to argue but stops himself. He knows Lia and she is hardly the type to secretly vent her feelings to his friends behind his back, hoping it will get back to him. No, she’s more straightforward than that.

Somewhat satisfied, he takes a different turn. “Okay, let’s get down to it, then. How did you ask Kaya to move in?”

“Well…” Namjoon frowns thoughtfully. “Actually, I didn’t.”

“You… what?” Jungkook squints. “Wait, so… you didn’t ask? You both just knew, telepathically, when to start living together?” he asks incredulously, thinking privately that it could just be believable.

“No,” says Namjoon patiently, chuckling again and flicking some ash off his cigarette. “I didn’t ask because I didn’t have to. Where else is she supposed to live when she comes to Seoul? Where am I supposed to live when I go to see her?”

“Yeah… okay, but… well, would you say you live together?” he presses. “Or do you just, like, crash at each other’s place when you visit?”

“Well, we definitely don’t crash at each other’s place,” he mutters. “Maybe we did right in the beginning? I guess I’d say we live apart, but it’s only because we have to. I don’t know - when she came to Seoul for work last year while I was in service, she stayed at Hannam even though her aunt lives in the city, too.” He shrugs. “If that helps.”

“Huh.” Jungkook considers this. “So, like, do you guys ‘go home’ or do you go back to ‘your place’?”

“Home,” he answers casually, not skipping a beat. “Even her apartment is home. ‘Home’ is what you make it, to a large extent. It’s a place of comfort - an apartment is only part of that,” he says wisely. “I feel more at home in her studio apartment in London with her than at Hannam by myself. The people make the home - and that’s for you to decide.”

Jungkook stares, feeling his cigarette burn away in his hand. “That’s really not the kind of thing I’m looking for, hyung,” he states, before dropping his face in his hand.

Namjoon clicks his tongue and stubs his cigarette on the tray atop the trash can next to him. “Don’t overthink it,” he says, clapping him on the shoulder. “Go about it logically: she’s been your girlfriend for six or seven months now, you bought a new place which is significantly bigger than your old one and she’s in her thirties, meaning she’s most likely thinking long-term.” 

Jungkook gazes at Namjoon’s raised eyebrows, quite certain he’s meant to pick up some meaning out of this. “So…”

“So… if you’re worried she might say no…”

“Chances are… she probably won’t?”

Namjoon grins and nods. “Exactly. Just be yourself, be genuine, be honest - and remember you’re both together for a reason. And I think - I think - she has a thing for you, too,” he adds seriously.

“One can only hope,” he mutters, albeit slightly mollified. “I really don’t want to mess this up.”

Namjoon observes him - for too long. For a moment, it seems as though he’s about to say something that makes Jungkook’s stomach jolt unpleasantly, but at the last second, he shakes his head.

“Impossible to mess it up. Honestly,” he says reassuringly, and Jungkook almost believes him. “It’s a part of the journey and if you think she’s expecting it, just take the plunge. Don’t add unnecessary pressure by trying to make it perfect.”

While the last bit simply isn’t in Jungkook’s DNA, he nods anyway. 

—

“Damn it.” 

Lia doesn’t look up from the email she’s writing, despite Dal’s repeated exclamations from the kitchen. Finally, he sticks his head out around the door.

“Did you know the faucet is leaking?”

“Yes,” she mutters, still not looking away from her screen.

“And did you know it’s dripping out of the sink zone and onto the floor?”

“Yeah?”

“And did you know it’s fucking disgusting?”

Lia sighs and finally turns her head to glance at him. “Yes, I know. I mopped it up this morning.”

Dal steps out, frowning. “So this much water leaked in the last six hours?” When Lia nods, he sighs heavily and trudges into the living room, falling onto the sofa. “I suppose we can text the landlord but I don’t know what good that will do.”

“Probably as much as it did when we told him about the seepage in the bathroom ceiling.”

“Yeah. Didn’t realise the kind of shoulder strength you need to baste upwards.” A moment later, he chuckles. “Helped that there were three of us there, though. Jungkook was really looking for any excuse to be around you back then, wasn’t he?”

Without meaning to, Lia feels a smile creep up her face at the memory. “It was cute,” she says, slightly defensive. “And we really needed the extra hands, especially to clean up.”

“Oh, sure.” There’s a comfortable silence, the only sound being the clicking of Lia’s keyboard. “Speaking of,” he speaks, and his tone is slightly different, “I’m surprised to see you here.”

Lia doesn’t look up, but she’s certain she knows where he’s going with this. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. You haven’t been around much.”

“You think so?”

“M-hm. In fact, I was starting to wonder if you’d moved out or something and I missed the memo.”

“You were still paying only half the rent, though, weren’t you?”

“Lia.”

“‘Sup.”

From the corner of her eye, she sees a movement and ducks out of habit.

“Lee-lee,” he says again, and she finally meets his gaze.

“I know what you’re getting at, and no,” she says dryly, “no updates on that front. I’m still your roommate for the foreseeable future.”

Dal raises his eyebrows. “Okay.”

Lia turns back to her laptop but doesn’t resume her typing. “What?”

“What what?”

“You’re still looking at me.”

“No. I’m just looking in your general direction.”

She gives him a look. “Just say it.”

“I thought you were moving in with Jungkook.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because he told me last time he came over that he wanted you to move in with him.”

Lia scoffs. “No way did he say that. Liar.”

“Fine, he didn’t use those exact words,” he admits, rolling his eyes. “But he just happened to mention that his new place is bigger, that the gym is fantastic, that it has a really good running trail or something…”

“Maybe he was just making conversation?”

“... and how much closer it is to the Hybe office.”

He works at Hybe, too, technically. The words are on the tip of her tongue, but she can’t deflect anymore; Dal will see right through it. She sighs and puts her laptop away.

“What do you want me to say?” she asks steadily. “We aren’t living together. It’s not the end of the world.”

“I’m not saying it is, at all.” He holds up his hands. “Do you want to, though?”

Lia is silent for a moment. “He needs to ask first. But… yeah, I guess. Could be fun. We’ll save on a lot of fuel.”

“Ooh, stop, I’m swooning.”

She flashes him an embarrassed sort of smile. “You know what I mean. We basically do live together already - but this is a big deal for Jungkook. He’s never done the long-term relationship, adult couple milestone thing before. The last thing I want to do is scare him off.”

Dal nods thoughtfully. “Well, hopefully it’ll go better than your last adult couple milestone thing.”

She snorts, covering her face. “Hey, to be fair, I did move in with him,” she points out. “Kind of.”

“You lasted less than a month before you were back here.”

“Yeah. God, he was such a manchild. Can’t believe I was ever attracted to him.”

“I told you he had an asshat kind of face. But you didn’t listen. Didn’t he have a shrine to his ex-girlfriend in the bathroom or something?”

“It was a couple of bottles of her shampoo and lotion, not a shrine,” she corrects him, “but, sort of. He was so blown away when I asked him to get rid of it - like, sue me, I don’t want to live with my boyfriend and sentimental haircare products belonging to his ex. It just goes to show, you never know enough about your partner until you actually share a living space together.”

“You think there’s more to Jungkook? Because I like him for you, honestly. But he seems to be a more…” Dal grimaces, trying to find the word, “... what you see is what you get… kind of person.”

“That’s a good thing,” she remarks. “Means there’s no lying, no games. None of that shit.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Well, it’s good you know what you want. How long are we planning to wait for him to pop the question?”

“We are not waiting for anything. I, on the other hand…” 

It’s a good question, unfortunately, one that Lia has deliberately tried not to think about because there’s simply no correct answer.

“... will take things as they come.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

She narrows her eyes at her oldest friend, recognising both teasing masking genuine concern. “I’m not going to pressure Jungkook. And I’m not going to get my hopes up either,” she states, trying to ignore the quiet tugging at her heart and standing up, stretching.

“Hey, just say the word and I will -“ Dal makes a flailing kind of gesture and flexes his triceps, “- whip him into shape.”

“Oh, really? Not only will it probably be evenly matched, but who’s going to help you both carry cartons of beer into each other’s houses if you’re both maimed?” She taps her temple sarcastically.

“Well, you’ll be a resident in one of our houses at any given time so I guess we’ll be looking at you.” Dal shrugs in satisfaction as Lia chuckles and starts heading inside her bedroom, considering a shower before bed.

“Oi, Lia.” 

Lia turns in her doorway, recognising the subtle change in tone once again. It wasn’t surprising that Dal and Jungkook got along easily enough; despite her boyfriend’s initial reservations, most of which were based on Dal’s gender and inopportune timing, he had eventually moved past it to begin actually enjoying his company. Oh, he would never admit it, but Lia had woken up more than once in her own bed, alone, while hearing two male voices laughing in the living room with the television on.

As for Dal, the only thing he had needed to say was “Lee-lee, for once, you’ve found a good boy.”

Therefore, while Lia prefers to handle her relationships herself, she recognises the value of her oldest friend’s opinion.

“I just want to let you know,” he begins seriously, and she feels the muscles in her face go slack. He bites his lip. “I just wanted to let you know,” he repeats, “that if Jungkook has a shrine to his ex in his house, you can always move back in here.”

There’s relief, and Lia doesn’t want to admit there’s relief. “Shut up,” she mutters, turning back around as Dal laughs at his own joke behind her.

It’s not the greatest comfort, but Lia uses it as such after that. Worst case, I move back in with Dal, she thinks. We stay roommates until we’re eighty, when either I die first from stress about work or he does driving his car like a maniac. Jungkook brings a carton of beer to the funeral and shares it with whichever one of us is still alive.

It’s a mildly depressing train of thought, especially when she imagines her eighty year old self heading back to her apartment while seventy-seven year old Jungkook, in his infinite wisdom, still hasn’t asked her to move in with him.

Nearly a week later, Lia has successfully kept her desires to herself, while Jungkook has continued trying to pretend he isn’t thinking about it just as much.

“Remind me again why we’re going to this club?” she asks him as they walk to his car in the basement parking. “It doesn’t really sound like your scene.”

“It isn’t,” he admits. “But the DJ tonight is a friend of a friend… of an acquaintance, who’s also kind of an ex-colleague.” He wrinkles his nose. “I wouldn’t normally go but he helped me out during the production of my debut album and I accidentally told him I owed him.”

“Ah. Mistake number one.”

“It might be. You look quite club-ready for someone who doesn’t really enjoy clubs either,” he remarks, playfully smacking her backside. “Leather pants and everything.”

“Faux leather,” she corrects, leaning over and bumping his hip with hers. “I figured I may as well look the part of a popstar’s girlfriend. Plus,” she adds after a moment, as they climb into the car and begin strapping in, “it’s the only party outfit I have at your place.”

Predictably, Jungkook freezes for a moment before clumsily buckling himself in. He doesn’t meet her eyes and swallows as he looks ahead.

“By the way, I hear the gin martinis at this club are to die for,” he declares, completely transparent. “Did you know, the martini is one of the top five drinks people order on a first date?”

Abrupt subject change coupled with a random fact that doesn’t sound completely true; Jungkook is nervous. It’s exasperating and endearing all at once.

“That’s… interesting. Maybe you should’ve invited your single friends tonight. Or if this DJ is an ex-colleague, at least the ones in your group.”

“What, all two of them?”

“Isn’t it three?”

“I don’t think so.” Jungkook shrugs as they pull out of Hannam Hill. “Or maybe it is. I don’t know. Yoongi hyung isn’t very forthcoming about his dating life and I’m too afraid to ask.”

Lia chortles as they turn into the main road, reaching for her party clutch for her phone, when she realises…

“Oh, no,” she mutters under breath.

“What?”

“I, uh…” She bites her lip, internally swearing at herself. “I was moving stuff from my regular bag to the clutch and I forgot… you know what, can we make a quick detour to my apartment? It’s on the way.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. If you take a right after the signal then you can take the parallel road to the church at the end of my street.”

“That’s not the same road - and come on,” he whines, his shoulders falling. “I don’t want to take a detour. What did you even forget? Power bank? Because my phone is fully charged.”

“It’s not a power bank - look, it’s kind of important, Jungkook. It’ll take, like, five extra minutes.”

“But -”

“Kook!”

“What? What did you even forget that’s so important? Is it make-up or something? Because you look -”

“It’s tampons, Jungkook.”

“It’s -”

“Tampons,” she repeats. “And I don’t want to stop at a drugstore because they may not have the exact brand that I use and most of the others chafe… down there.”

There’s a few seconds of silence while Jungkook stares out of the windshield as the car zooms down the road, his ears turning red.

“Which signal was it again?”

True to her word, they reach her three-storey apartment building a few minutes later and jog up the stairs together.

“I swear, I just need to pick up a couple of extras,” she promises him. “The last time I was caught without any on me and then I had to borrow one and it was just the worst time I - oh, my God!”

Lia gasps as she stops in her tracks in the doorway of her apartment, Jungkook right next to her. 

“Is that -”

“Water,” she sighs, shaking her head. “Shit, it came into the living room? I thought we fixed that damn leak,” she mutters. She places her hands on her hips and looks up at Jungkook.

“Well?”

Jungkook looks blank. “Well… what?”

“Well… I’m going to have to wade in there,” she says slowly, already dreading it. “Do you want to come?”

“Ordinarily, I would love to because that sounds so fun, but these are Balenciaga.” He raises his right leg to show her his shoes, mimicking her position until Lia looks away.

“Alright. Wait here then,” she tells him, before gingerly placing one heeled foot into the water and cringing in anticipation. It reaches ankle deep, missing the hem of her pants only due to the height of her heels. With no specific attachment to her shoes, she takes a couple of more hesitant steps.

“Ugh, I can hear the faucet dripping from here,” she grumbles. “Sure you want to just wait out there?”

“Totally. You’re doing great, though, baby.” He grimaces as she walks further in. “Is it cold? It looks cold.”

“No, it’s room temperature. I’m just glad it hasn’t reached the sofa or the cushions or anything in the - whoa!” Lia grabs the arm of the chair beside her as she slips, thankfully saving her ankles as her knee breaks the fall.

There’s a sound of splashing before Jungkook is right next to her a second too late. “Shit, you okay?”

“Uh, yeah. No injuries, I think.” She twists to see him kneeling next to her. “What happened to your Balenciagas?”

It seems to have occurred to him only now. “Oh…” He looks down at his shoes, now submerged. “I can try blow drying them, probably?”

“Probably.” She tries to hide a smile before giving up. “Take them off before they get any more damaged, though.”

He takes her advice this time and they both rid themselves of their shoes, tossing them on the chair before splashing their way into the kitchen.

Jungkook whistles. “Wow, that’s some leak,” he remarks, following her as she falls to her knees to get a good look at the thin but steady stream of water spilling from a crack in the pipe. “Is this the only leak?” he wonders out loud before pressing his hand against the crack so the water suddenly stops.

“No, there’s a small one here, too,” she answers, squinting at something on the other side of the pipe, a little higher up. “It’s only a few drops out of this one but it’s still bad enough.”

“Maybe we can -” Jungkook grunts and tugs at the pipe, “- wrench it into place? To block this crack?”

“Doubtful. It’s a really old pipe, too, so I’m afraid it might break.”

“It’s metal - can metal break?”

“I mean… yeah? I guess? Look, it’s all rusted up here.”

“Oh, yeah…”

In his effort to look, Jungkook’s hand slips off the crack and the flow of the water resumes. 

“Okay, this can’t go on - we need to block this for now so we can get rid of this fucking flood,” she decides, noting in worry how the water level is slowly rising. “And I’m calling the landlord tomorrow and giving him a piece of my mind.”

“Um -” Jungkook looks around from his position by the pipe. “We have a towel, some flour and stuff… maybe we stick some dough onto it?”

“Worth a shot but I don’t know if it’ll hold till tomorrow. Maybe we should try moving the pipe,” she admits, holding the top of it and wondering if it’ll work.

“Okay, let’s do that. Worst case, we find a plastic or metal box, cut it in just the right dimensions to cover the crack and fix it around the pipe.”

“Worst case.” 

Jungkook waves her over and they grip the pipe together. “If this goes south, just remember that I love you.”

Despite the chaos and the fact that her faux leather pants are damp and disgusting, Lia snorts. “Shut up, you dork. Come on, let’s do this.” Both of them pull the top part towards the lower one to try and close the gap.

“A little to the left, come on…”

“It’s - not - moving -” Lia bites her lip and jerks the pipe back, accidentally slipping again and falling back onto her boyfriend. The jolt makes Jungkook tip over and the pipe twists on the rust, bursting.

“Oh, my - “ Jungkook’s words are cut off when a jet of water hits him square in the face. Lia gasps and reaches for the pipe as he fumbles, sputtering, and lunges towards the pipe to turn it away.

“Jungkook, no! It’ll break if you -” 

But Lia is cut off as well and almost knocked backwards by the force of the water. It’s everywhere now; her clothes, her hair - she’s fully drenched. Next to her, Jungkook looks like he’s been dunked into a lake, his long thick hair sticking to his forehead.

“Take cover!” he yells, pulling open a cabinet behind him with one hand and yanking something out, while the other hand covers the jet of water uselessly. He replaces it with the lid of a cooking pan and tosses her another one which splashes into the water next to her.

“Thanks! I - Jungkook!” She brandishes the utensil while trying to dodge the water. “It’s a sieve!”

“What?”

“It has holes!”

“I can’t see! Wait -” He crawls towards the cabinet but slips midway, swearing loudly. 

“Careful!” She ducks and tries to get to the pipe but feels him grip her forearm and pull her back.

“You’ll hurt yourself!” he yells, handing her another pan. “Jesus - how did you guys let this stupid faucet get this bad?”

“I told you - our landlord is a jackass who ghosts us if we bring up fixtures!”

“Well -” Jungkook pauses, wincing a little as the water continues to ricochet off the pan he’s holding up. “In that case, this is probably as good a time as any to ask you this, but do you want to move in with me?”

Lia almost swallows a mouthful of tap water. “What?”

“Just - I mean, this apartment is unlivable!” he says loudly. “And I’m a much better landlord! And also -” He gags and spits out some water, “- I love you and all!” He shrugs awkwardly, drenched to the bone with his oversized t-shirt sticking to his shoulders and chest.

Lia tries - she really tries - to keep a straight face, to attempt to understand what goes on in Jungkook’s head. But it’s a lost cause, for at the end of the day, whatever it is, it just works. Through the irritation at her landlord and the general shock of being waterboarded by a broken pipe, she sees it. A shine in his doe eyes, a hint of nervousness. 

She doesn’t realise immediately why the water hits her suddenly with force or why Jungkook’s eyes widen belatedly.

“What are you doing? The water is - oh.” The anticipation turns into the beginnings of a smile when he works out why she has knee walked all the way towards him and he stands on his knees as well, just as she reaches him and places her arms around his neck, and kisses him.

When she pulls away, he’s grinning. “That’s a yes?”

“That’s a thank God you finally asked.” 

Jungkook nods sheepishly. “I wanted it to be perfect, honestly. I was just waiting for the right time and -” He sighs, shaking his head so droplets of water fall from his hair.

“You know what? I think this, unexpected as it was, is pretty perfect,” she says honestly. “So… I guess that’s a yes,” she clarifies, meeting him in a kiss once again.

There’s a muffled sound and then a splash, followed by a gasp.

“Oh, my God! What the fuck?”

Jungkook jerks away, pursing his lips. “As long as he is never allowed in our house,” he declares, glaring and pointing in the direction of the living room.

She gives him a look. “Pretty sure you’ll crack before I do on that front,” she guesses, just as Dal appears in the doorway of the kitchen, looking incredulous.

“What the fuck happened in here?”

“What do you think? That damn faucet,” she snaps, pointing at it. “This is the landlord’s problem now - he and his insurance can handle it.”

“I agree, but - God, are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, we were using lids…” Jungkook picks his up and places it in front of the stream of water, much more unfazed about it now than he was before. 

“Lids? Why didn’t you guys just turn off the water?” Taking a long step across the flooded kitchen floor, he reaches for a panel behind the left-most cabinet and twists a lever - and the water stops.

Speechless, Lia turns to look at Jungkook who is looking back at her with equal dismay. “We thought of dough before we thought of turning off the water,” he mutters, shaking his head.

“And we’re taking it to the grave,” she replies, squeezing his hand.

He’s wet, his designer clothes ruined - but Jeon Jungkook is glowing. A moment later, he squeezes her hand back.

“Deal.”

—

Thank you for reading. Don’t forget to leave a review :)

[footygirl114]

Oscuridad (Alexia Putellas X Reader)

Y'all wanted drama, I hope you brought a parachute for this cliff ;) but here's part 7. Thank you to anyone who's stuck this far, commented, reblogged, sent a message you are the ones driving me to finish this series <3

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

The slight brush of fingers on your temple, and the whisper press of lips on your forehead was the first feeling you had as you slowly woke up. When you blinked your eyes open you were met with Alexia smiling at you, leaning on her arm beside you. You smiled at her and asked “are you watching me sleep?” 

Her smile widened and she softly answers “You are cute when you sleep.” 

“Weirdo” you chuckled and then reached up and pulled her down closer whispering “good morning gorgeous” against her lips before you closed the distance and kissed her. 

She pressed against you slowly licking into your mouth, letting your tongues tangle together. After a few moments she pulled back and whispered out with a smile “a good morning indeed.” 

Smiling wide up at her you take a moment to savour the view “you are beautiful” you say softly keeping your eyes locked on her. 

You watch as the blush deepens on her cheek and she leans back on the pillow beside you with a chuckle. She turns on her side and moves her head to your pillow keeping a bit of space between you and she asks “how did you sleep?” 

Moving your hand up to her face, you use your thumb to caress her cheek and you answer “best night of sleep I have had in a long time.” 

She smiles back and smirks asking “did someone tire you out?” 

You chuckle and ask her back “did someone not tire you out?” 

She smirks at you and says “babe I am a professional athlete, I have a lot of stamina” and she moves to straddle your thighs. 

You smile and place your hands on her thighs on either side of you, feeling the hard muscle there, and you smirk up at her “One day I am going to get you under me.” 

“Oh I am more than happy to let you be on top, but first let me show you just how far my stamina can go” She smiles and leans down to kiss you. 

Before she connect your lips, her phone on the bedside table starts ringing. You groan out and say “ignore it Ale” and you both pause chests heaving watching each other waiting. When it stops and starts ringing again, she groans and rolls off of you to stand beside the bed grabbing the phone. 

“It’s Mapi” she says with a groan “let me get rid of her.” 

You watch as she moves to the bathroom, still naked, your eyes are locked to her backside as you listen to the one sided conversation in Spanish, that you do not understand. When the conversation continues, and she emerges in a bathroom and she meets your eyes with an eye roll you assume you wont be picking up where you left off. 

She walks out of the bedroom, softly closing the door and you lie on your back for a moment, moving your hand up to your lips and you cant help but smile as you remember how good she felt and tasted. You move and get out of bed, moving to the bathroom you take a few minutes to wash your face and brush your teeth with the spare brush she left on the counter for you. Once you feel a bit more human you grab a t-shirt off of her dresser and chuck it on. 

You move and walk out of the bedroom, and you ask her “I hope you plan on feeding me real food, not that you don’t taste-“ you don’t get to finish because when you look up you realise she standing there with both Mapi and Ingrid in her kitchen.

“Y/N, sorry I tried to get rid of them but Mapi has a key card to get in” She says as she moves out of the kitchen towards you with a soft smile. “I should have warned you” she says softly as she stops in front of you, when she meets your eyes you know she asking if your okay. 

You smile at her and look over her shoulder to meet Ingrids kind apologetic eyes and Mapi’s mischievous eyes. You smile at her and lean in and say “there’s no denying this to them, we may as well tell them” and you finish with a soft kiss on her cheek. 

Alexia’s smile widens and she turns towards them and says “Yes you were both right, but you need to keep it between us.” 

Mapi smirks and says “I have 3 questions.” 

Alexia rolls her eyes and places a hand on the small of your back and she whispers to you “you do not have to indulge her.” 

You smile up at her and answer “I will answer only three questions.” 

Your eyes are still on Alexia as Mapi asks “you will?” 

“Yes but thats question number 1.” 

Alexia and Ingrid both laugh and you turn towards Mapi and Ingrid and you smile at them. “I like you Y/N” Mapi says. 

“sorry we didn’t get you a coffee.” Ingrid adds with a small smile. 

“It’s okay, you weren’t expecting me in Alexia’s bed this morning” you smile at them and move to sit on a stool at Alexia’s island. Alexia moves to stand beside you, you feel her arm on the back of your chair and you twist so your legs are pressed against hers beside you. 

Mapi and Ingrid share a look and you think Mapi is being warned but she smirks and turns to you and asks “So did Alexia finally knock the professional stick out of your ass?” 

“Mapi!” Both Ingrid and Alexia exclaim, Ingrids scolding punctuated by a whack on the arm. 

You chuckle at their reactions and her question as you answer “I can confirm that there was nothing up my ass.” 

Mapi chuckles at the answer and Alexia laughs and says “Y/N” 

Ingrid smiles and looks at Alexia and says “we may need to keep these two apart.” 

Alexia chuckles and reaches down to grab your hand as she asks “Mapi you have one more question?” 

She nods and asks “What are your intentions with Alexia?” 

The seriousness of the question throws you, expecting it to be more of a fun one you take a moment to think. When you see Alexia start to speak you squeeze her hand stopping her and you keep your eyes on Mapi as you start “Listen, I had no intentions of coming out here and meeting someone, let alone falling for the person I was tasked to protect. but there is something between us that I have tried to ignore and I cant.” 

“Y/N, you don’t have to explain.” Alexia says. 

You turn and meet her eyes and say “I do, cause she’s just protecting her friend, but I have no intentions of hurting you, all I ever wanted to do is protect you, even more so now Alexia.” 

She smiles at you and leans down and presses a soft kiss to your lips, before she can deepen it you hear a cough from the two in her kitchen and you both pull back with a small smile. Turning towards Mapi she says “I’m happy for you two, now can we order in breakfast since we won’t be going out? I am starving.” 

Everyone chuckles and enjoys the rest of the slow Sunday morning. Them knowing about you and Alexia, means you are both comfortable with each other, the hand holds and small touches is nice, and when you get to fall asleep sated and exhausted in Alexia’s arms again that night you know there was a smile on your face as you drift to sleep. 

**

The next week stays with the same flow, you are both careful to keep things professional outside of her apartment, but whenever you are both together you cannot keep your hands off each other. You spent every night in her bed, she took her time to show you we stamina and you were sated and sleepy everynight. 

When Saturday game day rolls around you are waiting for Alexia in her kitchen, Its an afternoon game and the team had planned on going out after the game. You were preparing for this to be the last time you were able to touch her till you got back. When she walks out with a small smile, she says “sorry, couldn’t find my phone” and she moves closer to where you are sitting at the counter. 

She moves between your legs and wraps her arms around your neck, you move yours and settle them on her ass pulling her closer to you. “Are you ready to go?” you ask into the space between your lips. 

She chuckles and leans slightly closer and asks “I just need one thing.” 

“oh yeah?” 

“Yeah, a good luck kiss” she smirks and leans down pressing her lips to yours hard. You pull her closer into you, she pulls back and nips on your lower lip before pulling back slowly. 

“we should go.” she says and presses a kiss to the tip of your nose and pulls back completely out of your reach. 

When you don’t follow she chuckles and holds her hand out and waits for you to grab it and then she pulls you with her. “you are a tease Ale” you tell her as you stand beside her in the elevator. 

Her chuckle follows you out to the car, and while you drive her there you cant help but meet her eyes in the mirror every chance you can get. With it being a game day, you have to park and escort her into the building as the players go into a side entrance. When you park in the designated spot you hop out and move to her door, looking around for anyone watching, as you do not see anyone you smirk when you open the door. 

“what-“ before she can ask the question you have leaned into the car and pressed a hard kiss to her lips.

You pull back and tug on her ear with your teeth and whisper “I have plans for you later, so do not tire yourself out too much out there.” You pull back and offer your hand to help her out, as you smile and say “Mrs. Putellas, this way.” 

She’s dazed as she gets out and you cant help but to put your hand on her back to guide her in, slightly teasing it down to her ass with a squeeze and then back to the small of her back. Once you get out of the protection of the parking lot you remove your hand and continue to walk beside her. You smirk the whole way in knowing you got her back for the teasing, and when you hold the door open and she meets your eyes you know you go under her skin. 

**

The game and rest of the weekend goes off without the team did end up partying, and you ended up spending both Saturday and Sunday night in your own bed. On Sunday alexia spent the night at her moms, and on Monday morning your driver had arranged to bring her back to her apartment. You were waiting outside leaning against the car ready to take her to training, you realised you were giddy and couldn’t wait to see her. 

When she comes out your smile grows twice the size and you say when she gets close enough “good morning Mrs. Putellas.”

She smiles and replies “Could be a better morning, but I will take this” with a wink. 

You chuckle and open the door and say “My lady.” 

She blushes and gets into the back seat. You move around to the front seat and when you get in you meet her eyes with a wink. “oh before I forget can you remind me to call the internet people later, they need to send a tech out my internet isn’t working again” she says with a smile. 

“of course I can babe” You tell her with a wink. 

The rest of the ride is spent flirting, and you spent the rest of the day in anticipation of being able to touch and taste her again. Michelle sends you a message during the afternoon asking for some paperwork that you have in your apartment. You know it will delay your reunion but you have to do what your boss asks. 

You are waiting leaning against the SUV when Alexia and Mapi walk out of training together. “Hola Y/N, were you waiting for little ol me?” Mapi asks with a smirk. 

You raise an eyebrow at her and ask “Where’s Ingrid?” 

Alexia laughs and Mapi chuckles “She’s staying for rehab, Alexia said you would drive me home.” 

You chuckle and open the door and says “Ms. Putellas and Mapi.”

“I don’t get a Ms.?” Mapi pouts. 

You raise your shoulders and say “no you don’t cause I don’t work for you.” 

Alexia chuckles and shoves Mapi in the car and she says “lets go.” 

The ride is fun, but you are too wound up to enjoy their banter. When you drop Mapi off, the last bit of the ride is silent, but you meet alexia’s eyes every chance you get. You both get out and head into the lobby and you tell her that you have to run to your place then you’ll be up. 

“Mrs. Putellas!” the security guard in the lobby gets her attention when she walks in and he says “the internet technician is up in your apartment working on the internet now.” 

“Oh wow quick response they must have known, thank you.” she says surprised, but she moves to her elevator and sends you a wink and says “Hopefully you won’t take too long.” 

You shake your head with a chuckle and watch her doors close as you move to your elevator. While you are riding it up you think about the day and how you have missed her. As it dings on your floor you realise she said that she hadn’t called the tech yet. Your mind immediately spins and you press the lobby again, when it doesn’t move you start pressing the button frantically and it finally starts descending. 

When you get off you, sprint out of the elevator and press the button for her floor, and you turn to security and yell out “call the police and tell them to get here ASAP” as the doors open and you hop in and press the button for the penthouse. 

The ride up you are thinking of every possibility but none of them are good. You have no idea what you are about to walk into when the doors open. You body is buzzing and when the doors open and you immediately spring into her apartment you are met with a sight that sets your blood running cold. 

The man, the one who snuck into the stadium, and sent the two men after Alexia at the party is standing in the living room, with an arm around Alexia, and a knife pressed to her neck. When he sees you he smiles and says “finally the whore is here to join the party, don’t come any closer or our pretty girl here will die.” 

[yelenasdiary]

Flufftober request:

Wandanat x reader (romantic)

Didn't really have a full-on idea for this one. But something fluffy. Maybe like a cute date after being working nonstop. Or them cooking together.

Pecan Pie

Pairing:  WandaNat x Avenger! GN! Reader

Summary:  After a relaxing weekend, you and your girlfriends spend a quiet Monday afternoon baking. 

Warnings:  None, all Fluff! | 1.2K

Translations: Detka (baby), miláčik (darling in Slovak)

AC: I thought this was cute!! I hope you don’t mind that I decided to keep it Fall themed! Enjoy x 

October Special Masterlist

To say you were excited was an understatement! You'd been waiting for this day since mid-September, well, let's be honest, since last Halloween! It would be the second Halloween you got to spend with your girlfriends, Wanda and Natasha. Sure you guys have spent other Halloween's together but not as a couple. While you had returned from your solo mission early, you went to the store and grabbed everything you, Wanda and Nat would need for the planned baking afternoon on Monday.

Your girlfriends arrived home around lunch time on Sunday, giving the three of you the perfect night to be snuggled up watching spooky movies. Halloween was right down your alley as it was your favorite holiday. The others knew that when Halloween came howling around, to leave you in the kitchen to bake up a spooky feast. 

Tony was throwing another one of his big parties, this time for Halloween and you confidently told him that you, Wanda and Nat would have the food covered. You made a list of things you wanted to make with your girlfriends, everything from popcorn balls to pecan pie. Wanda could help but chuckle to Nat as they watched you put your apron on, of course a Halloween themed one. They loved how happy the holiday made you and even more that they got to enjoy it with you. 

"Well? Don't just stand there, we have so much to do!" You playfully teased your girlfriends as they stood in the doorframe of the kitchen. The two women laughed before walking over to grab an apron each. 

"Where do you want me to start detka?" Natasha asked not before placing a kiss on your cheek as she wrapped her arms around your waist. Natasha was always the trouble maker, she loved distracting you with the touch of her lips while she could barely keep her hands off you. "Honey don't distract them yet; we haven't even started" Wanda placed a hand on Natasha's forearm as she made her way behind the two of you. 

"I want to get some of savoury food done first before the desserts!" you turned in Natasha's arms now facing her. She smiled softly making you blush at her eye contact, "does that mean I can savour you?" the red head asked in a smooth and flirting tone. "Natty!" you giggled, "we're never going to get anything done with you being like this" you added before reaching up on your tiptoes to kiss her plumped lips.

"I'll be serious now, I got what I wanted" Natasha playfully winked when you pulled away. You smiled softly at her before swiftly moving out of her arms and moving over to the kitchen island, "I printed off each recipe so pick 1 recipe each and we'll get the prep done a lot faster, whatever needs to bake the longest will go first in the oven" you explained as you spread out the many recipes on the dining table, away from the mess that was only going to get bigger. 

After a few short minutes the three of you picked a recipe to make, Natasha picked mini-Pumpkin & Feta pies, Wanda picking the Pecan Pie while you chose Pumpkin Hummus. "Okay so the pecan pie will take the longest to bake, Wands you have first dips on the oven then Natty!" you smiled with excitement as the three of you wandered back to the kitchen island and began picking up the ingredients that you all needed for your picked recipe. 

It wasn't long until the mess in the kitchen was scattered around the countertops, flour and other chopped ingredients ended up on the floor, a mess you promised to clean up later to save the cleaning staff the hassle. Wanda's pecan pie was baking in the oven when you felt her come up behind you and gently place her two hands on your cheeks, "OMG!" You almost jumped, Wanda started laughing as you turned around and exposed the flour print hand prints she left on your cheeks. 

"Now that's a baked good I'd like to eat" Natasha commented as you grabbed a small hand full of flour from your silver bowl and rushed over to Wanda, sprinkling it in her hand before throwing the remained of the flour at Nat. Both women broke out into laughter, Wanda wrapped her arms around you and pulled you closer into her while giving Natasha a certain look. Nat read between the lines and grabbed the bowl of flour form your section of the kitchen, she walked up behind you and poured the leftover flour over your head causing you to squeal. 

"You guys are so dead for that!" you teased, shaking the flour from your hair. 

The whole compound could hear the commotion coming from the kitchen, laughed and squeals filled the kitchen which made the compound feel less like a place of work and more of a place everybody called home. 

You grabbed the large bag of flour and threw handfuls of flour at your girlfriends while ducking behind the end of the kitchen island as they gently threw other scraps at you. The small food fight got serious when Wanda distracted you by asking you to check on her pie while Nat came up behind you and cracked an egg over your head. You gasped as you turned to your red headed girlfriend, "you did not!" you said, reaching for the chocolate sauce that was in a squeeze bottle, "you're going to pay!" you added. Both of your girlfriends unbale to stop laughing. 

You squeezed a decent amount of chocolate sauce onto Natasha's chest, pointing the bottle directly at her before moving it into Wanda's direction who squealed loudly and ran away, using a dining table chair as a shield from the chocolate treat. None of you realised that Tony, Steve, Maria and Sam were watching everything unfold from the doorframe of the kitchen. 

"Is it too late to call a bakery? We'll need food for tomorrow" Sam looked over at Tony.

"Nah, It's Y/n, they'll make it happen, don't stress" Maria replied before Tony could open his month. The four Avengers watched their friends destroy the kitchen in a food fight mess before one egg hit Steve's stomach. The three of you froze as your eyes met the other four watching in amusement. 

"W-we'll clean this up!" you stuttered while looking at Tony, "I promise!" you added in hopes he wasn't mad. Wanda wrapped one arm around your waist while Natasha wrapped her arm around the other side of your waist, "it was our fault" the women said in sync. 

"I don't care who started it, just don't let the pecan pie burn or else Steve will be mopey" Tony replied before walking away. Steve watched him, shaking his head. 

"Are you happy now?" you looked at both of your girlfriends, "we're a mess, the kitchen is a disaster, and we haven't even gotten to making the popcorn balls!" you added with a pout. 

"Oh miláčik, you stress too much" Wanda clicked her fingers together, using her magic to instantly clean up the kitchen and yourselves. "How do I almost forget you have powers?" you playfully shook your head at Wanda, "let's get back to baking!" you added with a smile.

Taglist: @itsmv3 | @katiemay-025 | @romanoffs-widow | @maria-403 | @boredandneedfanfics | @wandamaximoffspuppup | @xox-little-troublemaker-xox | @shibugs | @music-4ever

[confused-wanderer]

Bruce never asked for this.

There’s an eight year old, staring at him with the most intent expression he’s ever seen.

“CAN WE SEE HIM??”

He sighs, trying to maintain his scowl but it’s gone. Batman has now melted to Bruce, who stares down at his ward.

“It’s twelve in the morning. You need sleep.”

“I was in a circus, we never slept at your times.”

Bruce. a voice in his head pipes up. This is a child. This is a fragile being entrusted in your care. You cannot expose him to the dangers, to anomalies that could threaten harm in the future. Even those with god like abilities who’ve sworn to protect.

Especially those with god like abilities who’ve sworn to protect.

But it’s been three weeks. Dick hasn’t slept a wink, Bruce has been on edge as a result, and they both needed to rest. And both were too stubborn to admit it.

You’re doing this for a greater cause, he reminds himself as they watch from the shadows.

You’re doing this for Dick.

“The air smells different doesn’t it? Even the noises and the darkness. It’s not the same.”

He looks over to Robin, currently pinching his nose and making a face.

“Why do you think that is?”

He watches Dick blink, reading between the lines before finding the challenge Bruce poses. The child puffs out his chest, body tense as his eyes scan the area, doing a little break dance in the process.

“We’re not in Gotham!” Dick declares.

On seeing the nod of approval, Robin’s eyes bulge as he stills.

“We’re not in Gotham?? Why aren’t we in Gotham? Are we chasing down a new suspect? A bad guy? Did you want to go sight seeing? Or shopping? Because you need better clothes. Oh or is it-”

Bruce winces. He should be used to the onslaught of noise. And hyper activeness typical of a kid vibrating with excitement. But he likes the chatter, and lets the babble continue until Robin finally realises what it means to be a human and takes a breath.

Batman lets his mind go blank before it warns him of how everything could go wrong, lets his hand hover over the wood and knocks.

It takes three seconds before it swings open, and the embarrassed smile on Clark’s face dissolves when it sees the guests.

He watches the reporter freeze, mouth opening and closing as if trying to find the right words before Bruce decides to save him the trouble.

“Robin. Meet-“

“The reporter. You’re Mr. Kent right?”

That gets both his and Clark’s attention. Robin is by his side, one hand behind his back and squeezing Bruce’s cape for reassurance while the other is clenched.

He knows that look on Dick’s face. He’s trying to assemble an invisible puzzle, trying to place Clark in his world and assessing him.

Batman clears his throat.

“May we come in?”

Clark’s eyes snap to him. They knew each others identities of course, had worked together on several cases. He knows the thousand silent questions Clark was biting back right now.

But guess what? Bruce was tired. So. Very. Tired.

The door is pulled back, and they both enter, Dicks grip on the cape tightening.

“Is anyone else here.”

“No. Is there something wrong Batman?”

He looks between Clark and Robin, and sighs.

“Robin. Meet Superman.”

Clarks eyes widen, and Bruce savours the last few minutes of blissful silence before Dick processes the information.

There’s silent squealing, and Dick starts vibrating again.

“YOU’RE SUPERMAN?! OH GOLLY I ALMOST DIDN’T RECOGNISE YOU OH MY GOD SIR GOOD EVENING HOW ARE YOU WHERE’S YOUR COSTUME CAN YOU FLY-”

Clark’s eyes widen, clearly taken aback by the energetic chatter and curiosity the child has before his eyes soften and he kneels down before Dick, unbuttoning his shirt just enough for him to see the logo peeling out.

It was a playful gesture of mock secrecy, and that, Bruce notes with satisfaction, was the last straw.

Dick launches himself at the other, asking thousands of questions and rambling on and on about the stories he’s heard and begging Superman to show him his powers.

It’s clearly getting a bit too much for Clark, who takes a step back and shoots a pleading look at Bruce.

“He’s all yours. Don’t do anything stupid.”

And then Bruce leaves them both, ignoring the spluttering protests and helps himself to a glass of wine in the kitchen.

It takes less than two seconds before Superman follows him.

“Batman-“

Bruce raises a finger to motion for the other to wait, before he takes a swing of his glass. It wasn’t nearly enough to even make him feel tipsy, but the taste helped him pretend he could.

“He hasn’t slept for weeks, and he’s not listening to me. He’s been wanting to meet you though, so good luck.”

That shut him up. And if it didn’t, Bruce didn’t care. He had crossed his limit, played tennis with it and shot it into the sun before venturing so far back that he couldn’t even see it anymore.

Dick drags Superman back, latching onto his arm and demanding answers to his questions. There’s only enough time for Bruce to see the panic in Superman’s eyes before he’s gone.

Clark wouldn’t do anything to harm Dick, he tells himself as he watches Clark take off his plain clothes and don the cape. He has contingencies in place, Dick has kryptonite he’s been instructed to use just in case, and there were hidden devices locked onto their locations ready to fire at him and alert Bruce if anything.

It takes three hours of talking, flying and games of tag across the city before Dick’s eyes finally grow sleepy. The kid stubbornly refuses to admit it, and when Clark makes a comment about being tired he almost has a heart attack when Dick dives into the freezing water and then gives a thumbs up to say he’s not anymore.

Yep. Clark figures, swooping up the shivering kid before going to someplace warmer. just like his father. Too damn stubborn they might just escape fate just because of spite.

The minutes tick by, and as Superman carries Robin and flies above the city, silencing the noise and the bustle it isn’t too long before the chatter ceases, and Robin slumps.

Clark breathes a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the boy’s company, or that they weren’t having fun. But Batman had always kept his distance, always been closed off and refused help, or even assistance when the situation was dire. Yet here he was, barging into Clark’s apartment with his child in tow.

Clark dared to hope.

Was it a sign of trust? of the beginning of an actual friendship? Or was it a test?

They silently enter his apartment just as the morning light starts to peak through the shadows, and Clark freezes.

Batman, feared protector of Gotham, cold, paranoid, vigilant batman who didn’t let anyone near him, who never showed his wounds or vulnerability, was fast asleep on his couch.

The mask was off, and the normal grimace on his face was gone, replaced by a calm, peaceful look that Clark didn’t want to disturb.

Dick mumbles in his sleep, awoken by the lack of movement and makes grabby hands towards Bruce. Clark chuckles. Bruce really did have a soft spot. Who would’ve thought?

He gently placed the kid next to Bruce, who stirs when Robin latches onto him but just grumbles before an arm protectively covers Dick and promptly falls back asleep.

They don’t acknowledge it the next day, and by the time Clark gets home from work they’re both gone, with a note from Robin demanding Superman meet them again.

Superman jokes about it years later when they partner for a case, saying that Dick saved Bruce from a lifetime of solitude and loneliness. He never expected the other man to have a fond look on his face before he agrees.

And even now, years later when Robin has now become Nightwing, the entire league at some point has seen Batman dump an overly energetic Nightwing onto Superman before leaving.

Flash even commented that it reminded him of a grumpy cat tired of her kitten and dumping it on the golden retriever to take care of it for a while.

[lvnleah]

— America, baby! IV

this is a little short five part series about Beth and Rory's time in America and the struggles that come with it as they're away from Viv :)

thank you to @scribblesofagoonerr for the help on this mini series! also appearances from Buddy and Monkey throughout! 

series masterlist can be found here

August 24th 

When you slept in a little longer than usual this morning after sleeping through all night, Beth felt like she’d won the lottery. You had been in America for a week now and hadn’t slept through the night or slept in one morning at all. 

It was currently 8:30 AM and Beth had been able to get herself ready as well as spend some time on her own. While Beth enjoyed the rare quiet morning, she kept glancing at the clock, savouring every extra minute you slept. 

By 8:45 AM, you stirred, your little face scrunched up with the remnants of sleep as you sat up in bed. Beth greeted you with a soft smile, watching as you, still groggy, made your way to the window seat where Beth had been scrolling through her phone. 

Without a word, you climbed into Beth’s lap, curling up against her chest. Beth wrapped her arms around you, holding you close as you settled into the comforting warmth of her embrace. For a few minutes, neither of you spoke, simply enjoying the peacefulness of the moment. 

Eventually, Beth broke the silence, “Did you have a good sleep, Roo?”

You nodded against her chest, still too sleepy to talk much. Beth smiled, brushing a few stray curls away from your forehead. “I’m glad. How about we get some breakfast?”

You grumbled a bit, not quite ready to leave the comfort of her lap, but the mention of breakfast had your interest. Beth knew pancakes were your favourite, especially with extra syrup, and that was enough to coax you out of bed.

Beth gently shifted you off her lap and onto the bed, giving you a playful poke on the nose. "Alright, let's get you dressed little madam so we can go downstairs for some pancakes!”

You nodded, still holding tightly onto Twix, your teddy bear, as Beth helped you pick out an outfit. Together, you decided on your favourite Arsenal jersey, the one with Beth's name on the back. It was a bit big on you, but you loved wearing it. You had a little collection of shirts that had Beth and Viv’s names on the back. 

Once you were dressed, Beth took your hand and led you to the bathroom to wash your face and brush your teeth. You insisted on brushing Twix's fur too, giggling as Beth pretended to help. 

“All clean, just like you," she said, making you smile as she placed a kiss on your forehead. 

With your morning routine done, you and Beth finally made your way downstairs, where the smell of pancakes and breakfast filled the air. As you walked into the kitchen, you were greeted by some of the staff as you passed by. 

"Good morning, Roo!" one of them called out, making you grin shyly.

Beth guided you to a chair, and you clambered up with Twix in tow, eager to dig into your breakfast. Beth sat down beside you, ready to help with cutting up your pancakes.

As you took your first bite, Beth smiled at you warmly. "Yummy?"

You nodded enthusiastically, your mouth full of pancake. "Yummy, Mummy!"

As you happily ate your pancakes, the kitchen buzzed with the lively chatter of Beth's teammates as they began to fill the room. Steph, Katie, Caitlin, and Vic joined you around the table, each of them treating you like the little niece they adored.

Steph, seated beside you, smiled as she sipped her coffee. "So, Roo, did you sleep well last night?" 

Beth chuckled beside you, wiping a bit of syrup from the corner of your mouth. "She slept like a champ. I think all the excitement finally caught up with her."

Katie nodded at your shirt from across the table. "Look at you, wearing your ma’s jersey! You look like you're ready to join the team."

You giggled, "I play football too!" 

Vic, sitting on the other side of you, reached over to give Twix a gentle pat on the head. "And Twix is your number one fan, huh?" she teased, making you nod eagerly.

As you finished your last bite of pancake, Beth handed you a napkin to clean your sticky fingers. "All done?" she asked. 

You nodded, wiping your hands with the napkin. "All done!"

"Good job, Roo," Steph praised, reaching across to give you a high five. You slapped her hand with a big grin. 

"Alright, now that you're all fueled up, what do you say we go kick a ball around before training?" Katie suggested, her eyes glinting with mischief.

Your face lit up with excitement. "Yes, please!"

Beth smiled, glad to see you so happy and eager. "Okay then, let’s go outside for a bit," she said, standing up and taking your hand.

After kicking the ball around for a bit with Katie, Beth set you up in the shade with Vic so she and the others could do some training. Training was over before you knew it and you had made another colouring for Viv to add to your little collection. 

You headed upstairs to your hotel room where you spent some time with Beth and Steph before heading down to the pool with them. 

"Ready to go to the pool?" Beth asked, knowing how much you loved the water as you headed into the lift. 

Your eyes lit up with excitement as you nodded your head, “Mhm! So excited!”

With your bag packed and your favourite towel in hand, Beth led you to the indoor pool. When you arrived, some of the team were already playing around in the pool. You immediately spotted Steph and Vic, who were already in the water after heading down before you, waving at you to come join them.

Beth helped you into your swimsuit, making sure Twix was safely sitting on a nearby chair. You practically jumped into the pool, where Steph and Vic were waiting with open arms. 

The cool water splashed around you as you landed in Steph’s waiting arms, her laughter mingling with yours as she lifted you and twirled you around. Beth watched from the poolside, a smile on her face as she saw how happy you were. Your excitement was contagious, and soon the other teammates joined in, splashing and playing in the water with you.

Vic pretended to be a sea monster, chasing you around the shallow end while Steph helped you practise your kicking. The pool was filled with your joyful squeals and the playful banter of Beth’s teammates. It was a relaxed, carefree morning, the perfect way to unwind after the training session earlier.

Beth eventually slipped into the water as well, swimming over to where you were showing Steph how fast you could move your arms. 

“Look at you, Roo! You’re getting so strong,” she praised, giving you an encouraging smile.

“I’m a fast swimmer, Mummy!” you declared proudly, splashing a bit as you tried to mimic the strokes you had seen Beth do before.

Steph nodded in agreement. “You’re going to be faster than all of us soon!”

After a while of splashing and swimming, Beth noticed your energy beginning to wane. She swam over to you and gently scooped you into her arms. 

“Alright, my little fish, I think it’s time for a break,” she said softly, noticing the way you were starting to lean against her, your eyes drooping slightly.

You didn’t protest, instead, you wrapped your arms around Beth’s neck as she carried you out of the pool. “Can we do this again tomorrow?” you asked sleepily, your head resting on her shoulder.

Beth chuckled, wrapping a towel around you to keep you warm. “Of course, Roo. But first, let’s get you dried off and maybe take a little nap, okay?”

You nodded, already feeling the day’s activities catching up with you despite it being just after lunch. Beth sat you down on one of the lounge chairs, drying you off gently before helping you back into your clothes. Twix was waiting patiently on the chair, and you reached for him immediately, holding him close as Beth finished getting you dressed.

With you bundled up and snuggled against her, Beth led you back to the lift. Steph and Vic waved goodbye, promising to see you later, and you waved back sleepily, too tired to do much else.

Back in the room, Beth tucked you into the bed, pulling the blankets up around you. You held Twix tightly, your eyes already half-closed. Beth sat beside you, running a hand gently through your damp curls.

“Did you have a good time today?” she asked softly, her voice soothing as you drifted off.

You nodded, your voice barely above a whisper. “The best time, Mummy. I love you.”

Beth’s heart melted at your words, and she leaned down to place a soft kiss on your forehead. “I love you too, Roo.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

August 25th

It was match day and you were much happier than last week although Beth wasn’t sure how long it would last before you were grumpy and tired in the heat again. 

It was hard for you to contain your excitement as you ate your breakfast with Beth and Steph, Beth had to keep reminding you to eat and stop being a little chatterbox. The excitement bubbling inside you was impossible to suppress. Every few minutes, you'd interrupt yourself mid-bite to ask Beth and Steph questions about the game. 

"Mummy, are you going to score today?" you asked. 

Beth chuckled, cutting up another piece of pancake for you. "I'll try my best, Roo. But remember, it's all about the team. We work together to win."

Steph chimed in, "Are you going to cheer for us today, Roo?”

You smiled, nodding your head. "I’m gonna cheer so loud!" 

“What are you going to cheer?” Steph asked, “Are you going to sing Mummy’s chant?”

“Yeah!” You nodded, taking another bite of pancake. “I’m gonna sing Meadooo! Meadooo!”

Beth and Steph exchanged amused glances, knowing that your energy would be both a blessing and a challenge as the day wore on. Still, they couldn’t help but smile at your enthusiasm. 

Steph grinned at your enthusiastic response, clearly entertained by your excitement. “Oh, I love your singing, Roo!”

You smiled at the praise, happily munching on your pancake, your legs swinging under the table.

As you finished up your breakfast, Beth glanced at the clock. “Alright, little one, we’ve got to get ready to head to the stadium soon. Let’s get you into your matchday outfit.”

You hopped off your chair, Twix tightly tucked under your arms. “Can I wear my Arsenal jersey again?”

Beth smiled. “Of course you can. But let’s make sure it’s nice and clean first, okay?”

After breakfast, you and Beth headed back to your room where your matchday outfit was waiting. Beth helped you into your jersey, it was this seasons one with Beth’s name on the back. You loved it a lot!

Once you were dressed, Beth packed a small bag with some snacks, your water bottle, and of course, Twix. She made sure you were comfortable and ready for the long day ahead, knowing how tiring it could be for you.

"Alright, Roo, let’s go find Auntie Steph. We need to get to the stadium," Beth said, holding out her hand.

You grabbed it eagerly, practically dragging her out of the room. As you both made your way down to the lobby to meet the team, you couldn’t stop talking about the game. “Mummy, how many goals will there be? Can I play with the ball at the end? Is Buddy going to be there?”

Beth listened patiently, answering each of your rapid-fire questions with a smile. “I’m not sure about how many goals there will be, Roo. If you’re not too tired, we’ll see about letting you have a little kickabout at the end, okay? And of course, Buddy will be there!” 

Your eyes lit up at the promise, and you nodded eagerly. “I’ll be good, Mummy, I promise!”

The team bus was already waiting outside, and as you approached, the other players greeted you with smiles and waves. You were a little bundle of energy, skipping ahead to find your seat next to Beth. Steph and Vic sat in front, and you chatted with them nonstop about all the things you were looking forward to.

When you finally arrived at the stadium, the noise and hustle of match day filled the air. You held tightly onto Beth’s hand, your excitement calming down a little as you started to get overwhelmed. 

It was the same stadium as the other day but it was a new surrounding that was very big. You made sure to stick with Beth as you didn’t want to get lost. 

Beth brought you inside the locker room, where you were greeted with a few high-fives. "Look who’s here!" Caitlin called out, making you grin. 

Katie was quick to come over and scoop you up into a big hug. "Yer ready for the game, mini mead?"

You nodded, the excitement almost too much to contain again. "Yes! I can’t wait!"

As Beth got ready, you found a spot next to Beth where you could sit with Twix. Beth had made sure you had everything you needed — some colouring books, your headphones for when it got too loud, and of course, a little Arsenal flag to wave during the game.

Just before it was time to head out onto the pitch for warm-ups, Beth crouched down in front of you, adjusting your jersey and giving you a gentle smile. 

"Okay, Roo, you’re going to sit with Vic during the match, alright? And remember, stay close and listen to what she says." She explained. 

As the team headed out, Beth helped you settle into a seat right by the pitch with Vic. You sat there with Twix, your little legs swinging Back and forth. 

Beth knelt down beside you, adjusting your hat to shield your face from the sun. “You’ve got your snacks and your water, right?”

You nodded, holding up the little bag Beth had packed for you. “Got everything!”

“Good girl,” Beth said, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I’ll be right out there, okay? And if you need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Okay, Mummy!” you replied, your eyes already drifting back to the field where the players were doing their final stretches.

“Thank you for sitting with her, Vic.” Beth said as she turned to the Dutch woman. 

“Oh, it’s no bother!” Vic smiled, “I love my little bestie! We’re going to have a great time aren’t we?” 

You nodded, smiling as you took a sip of water, “Me and Vic have the best time!”

Beth smiled as she gave you a quick kiss on the forehead before she had to join the team for the warmups. As the warmups progressed, you sat comfortably beside Vic, watching the team do their warmups. 

The stadium started to fill up, the buzz of excitement growing around you. Your little Arsenal flag waved eagerly in your hand, and every now and then, you’d glance at Vic to make sure she was watching too.

You grinned, your eyes glued to the field as the warmups continued. However, as time passed and the match drew closer, you started to notice a shift in Beth. Her smile began to fade and she started to look a bit sadder than usual. 

"Why does Mummy look sad, Vic?" you asked as Beth walked down the tunnel with a physio. 

Vic glanced at Beth, then back at you, her smile a little softer now. "Oh, tiny, I don’t think she’s sad. Sometimes, before a big game, we can get a bit serious. She’s just focusing on doing her best."

You nodded slowly. “How about we do some colouring for a bit? It might help pass the time," she suggested, pulling out the colouring book Beth had packed for you.

You nodded, allowing Vic to help you set up your crayons and book. There were still a few minutes to go until kick-off, the colouring book didn’t keep you entertained for long. 

"Can we go see Mummy?" you asked as you grew bored of waiting for the game to start. 

Vic nodded, standing up and leading you toward the tunnel. "We can go see her quickly.”

As you approached the locker room, you spotted Beth immediately. She was standing with the physio, her knee was being iced, but as soon as she saw you, she smiled and opened her arms wide.

You rushed into her embrace, burying your face in her chest. "Why your leg being ice?" you mumbled against her shirt. “Is it poorly?”

"I’m okay, Roo," she whispered. "My leg just didn’t feel right, so I decided not to play. I didn’t want to hurt it any more. That’s all!”

“I’ll kiss it better!” You said, pulling back and bouncing on your toes. “Did that for Vic and she said it ‘elped!”

Beth laughed at your sweet words, "I know, sweetheart. But you don’t have to worry. I’ll be just fine. I’m going to rest, and I’ll be back to playing before you know it."

You looked up at her, "Promise?"

"I promise," Beth said softly, her voice filled with warmth and reassurance. “Why don’t we go and watch the game huh?”

“Yes! See Steffy play!” You nodded, jumping up and down in front of Beth. 

You headed back out and this time sat on the bench with Beth and Vic just as the team was preparing in the tunnel. As they made their way out, you stood on your little chair and waved your flag as the game got underway. 

At one point, when Caitlin almost scored, you jumped up and down, nearly toppling over the edge of your seat. Beth quickly grabbed you, pulling you down into her lap. "Careful, Roo! We need you safe and sound," she said with a laugh.

As the first half wore on, the heat of the day began to take its toll on you. Your earlier enthusiasm started to wane, and you leaned against Beth as you sat on her lap. 

“Is it almost over?" you whined. “I’m so warm, Mummy!”

Beth brushed some hair out of your face, smiling down at you. "Not yet, Roo. We can go inside for a bit if you want?”

You nodded, rubbing your tired eyes. “Yeah…I  warm!”

Beth gently lifted you off her lap and stood up, taking your hand. "Of course, let’s go find a cool spot to rest for a while little one."

Vic offered you a comforting smile as she stayed behind on the bench, "I’ll save your seat, okay?"

"Okay, Vic!" you replied, giving her a little wave as Beth led you back down the tunnel.

Inside, the air-conditioned hallway was a relief from the heat outside. Beth guided you to a small lounge area where you could sit comfortably on a cushioned chair. The cool air washed over you, your tiredness now more apparent now that you were out of the sun.

Beth crouched down in front of you, brushing a few stray curls away from your forehead. "Feeling better now, Roo?"

You nodded, your eyes already starting to droop again. "Yeah, I’m tired."

She smiled softly, reaching into your little bag and pulling out your water bottle. "Here, have a drink, sweetheart."

You took the bottle and sipped slowly, leaning back against the chair with Twix. 

“Do you want to rest here for a bit longer?” Beth asked after you finished your water.

You shook your head, but your eyelids were heavy. “No, I wanna watch the game with you!”

Beth smiled as she saw how sleepy you were. "Alright, Roo. But let’s stay here just a little longer, okay? Until you feel a bit cooler."

You nodded again and Beth lifted you up before sitting back down with you on her lap. You snuggled into her chest as she gently rubbed your back. The room was quiet, and the cool air lulled you into a light doze, your body relaxing completely against Beth’s chest. 

A few minutes passed, and Beth noticed how your breathing had slowed, your little body leaning heavily against her. She smiled softly, knowing that this brief nap would help you recharge for the rest of the day.

After a while, you stirred, blinking up at her with sleepy eyes. "Can we go back now?"

Beth nodded, standing up with you in her arms. "Let’s go, Roo."

With your head leaning against Beth’s shoulder, you walked back to the pitch. The match was still going on, but you felt much better after your short rest.

Beth set you down and you climbed back onto the bench next to Vic, who greeted you with a wide smile. "Feeling better, tiny?"

"Yeah," you replied, settling back into your spot with Twix.

For the rest of the game, you sat in your own seat in between Beth and Vic with a colouring book to keep you entertained. You weren’t too bothered about the game going on around you. 

Towards the end, you crawled onto Beth’s lap with Twix and snuggled into her chest. Beth ran her finger over your cheek as your tiny eyes fluttered shut only to flutter back open as you fought off the sleep that was trying to overtake you. 

After a while, you gave in and ended up falling asleep cuddled up in Beth’s arms. The game ended a few minutes after you had fallen asleep, Arsenal had lost 1-0 to Chelsea. Beth carefully stood up from the bench, careful to not wake you up as she joined the team for the post-match huddle. 

“Looks like someone’s tired,” Steph giggled as she stood beside Beth, “The sun must’ve tired her out!”

Beth nodded in agreement, “I think it did, she had so much fun she wore herself out!”

[thatfeelinwhenyou]

HANDS ON YOU — 051 (finale)

IN WHICH; ILAND 2 happened and you debuted first place as the leader of LUMIÈRE. Having been told that your group is involved in a lore crossover with ENHYPEN, you navigate work, friendship, and love while trying to make it in an industry filled with animosity and condemnation. When life throws you lemons, you gotta make lemonades chuck it right back!

smau + written (2.4k words)

❥･• chapter 51 — number 1 fan

As the live stream comes to an end, Heeseung wastes no time. With a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes, he draws you close, pulling you into the most enchanting hug you've ever experienced. It's a hug you've yearned for the last 6 months, one that seemed like a distant dream while he was touring the world and you were immersed in your own whirlwind of commitments, filming variety shows, and preparing for your next album.

But even amidst the hectic schedules, neither of you let a day pass without hearing each other's voice. Late-night calls became a ritual, and even when exhaustion threatened to consume you both, you persisted, staying up into the ungodly hours of the night just to cherish those precious moments together.

And now, as your head gently rests against his chest, you feel an overwhelming sense of contentment. This hug is more than a simple desire; it's a need that courses through your very being. The absence of his touch left you yearning and anxious. Yet, as his arms wrap around you, you feel that unsettling void within your chest fill up with his very essence. There's something different about his embrace—something that makes you fit perfectly into every nook and cranny of his arms, like missing pieces of a puzzle. Leaving no doubt that this embrace is where you truly belong.

“And to think you were chasing me away just a few minutes ago.” A soft, breathy laugh escapes Heeseung's lips as he playfully teases you. You feel the warmth of his breath brush the ticklish surface of your skin, and it sends delightful shivers down your spine. With an almost instinctive response, you bury yourself deeper into the crook of his neck, savouring the intimate moment between you two.

"Oh, get a room!" Yuna groans, her playful protest piercing the air. You can almost see her rolling her eyes at the display of affection, and the other members join in with knowing glances and suppressed giggles. "Maybe we will," Heeseung replies, a hint of mischief in his eyes as he plays along. The girls erupt in mock disgust, teasing the two of you further, and you can't help but blush under their teasing gazes. The girls' playful reactions got you pouting in annoyance, but you couldn't help stealing a glance at your boyfriend, who was already gazing back at you with adoration.

With a tender smile, Heeseung gently clears his throat, "Now, if you'll excuse us," He signals for you to grab your belongings and takes this chance to sneak little gifts and souvenirs to your members. You can't deny that you're fully aware of his actions, but you decide to say nothing, knowing that this is his way of expressing gratitude to your members. They kept you company and distracted you during the long months he was away, and he wants to show them just how much he appreciates their support.

His actions speak volumes about the depth of his affection for you and the genuine concern he has for those close to you. It only makes you fall even more deeply in love with him, knowing that he cherishes not only you but everyone who's dear to you. You watch with adoration as he effortlessly spreads happiness around, knowing that he has a heart as big as the universe, and that it belongs to you.

As you draw closer to him, he reaches out with a gentle touch, enveloping your hand in his and intertwining your fingers. "Take good care of our leader, Sunbae-nim! We can't function without her," your members cheer playfully, referencing an inside joke that elicits laughter all around. You can't help but roll your eyes in mock annoyance, silently mouthing to Heeseung that you'll explain the joke to him later.

Amidst the laughter and banter, Yoon's voice rises above the rest, calling out with a grin, "We want her back by 10 a.m. tomorrow!" The playful demand earns a chorus of agreement, and you sigh defeatedly, not even bothering to refute. As they continue teasingly setting curfews and conditions, you can't help but be grateful for the bonds you share with your fellow members, who always manage to make even the most emotional moments light-hearted.

Tugging gently on Heeseung's hand, you signal that it's time to move on, and he follows your lead without hesitation. There's a warm glow in your chest as you walk hand in hand, knowing that your friends are just a step behind, supporting your newfound happiness.

As you walk side by side, Heeseung steals glances at you, his eyes a beautiful mix of amusement and curiosity. "Stop staring at me like that," you playfully chide while swinging your intertwined hands as you walk, noticing the glances that the passing staff is casting your way—not that it bothers you anyway.

Despite dating publicly for months, a lingering unease still gnaws at you when others watch you together. You worry about what they might think of Heeseung because of you, but talking to him has always helped ease your mind. Heeseung doesn’t know it, but his presence has a way of soothing your anxieties. You also don’t know how you quite literally wear your heart on your sleeves, and he was able to instantly sense your inner turmoil.

"Cut me some slack," he teases in response in an attempt to get your mind off of it. "Let me make up for all the times I didn't get to see you." His hand squeezes yours gently, and you try to maintain a stern expression, but a smile inevitably breaks free. Curse Lee Heeseung and his endless rizz.

"So, where are you taking me?" you inquire with a playful smile, intrigued by the mysterious plans Heeseung seems to have in store. He gracefully slides open the door of the black van for you, and you step inside, acknowledging his manager with a warm greeting.

"My room," Heeseung responds nonchalantly as if he didn’t just spout the most out-of-pocket thing ever, right in front of his manager. For a moment, you’re taken aback by his boldness, and your mind unwillingly brushes over the mere thought of being in an intimate setting with him.

His words hang in the air, and he quickly realises how suggestive he must have sounded. "I didn't mean it that way!" he clarifies in a rush, his cheeks tinged with a charming blush. "I just meant I wanted to spend some alone time with my girlfriend, maybe watch a cute movie or something." A delightful snort escapes your lips, unable to contain your amusement at his accidental innuendo. His manager, trying to maintain a composed exterior, can't help but suppress a chuckle, which only adds to Heeseung's endearing embarrassment.

"Smooth, Hee," you tease playfully, reaching out to squeeze his hand affectionately.

"I'd love to watch a cute movie with you, wherever it may be."

As the van begins to move, you find yourself getting lost in the enchantment of the moment. There's something captivating about being with him—the way his eyes gleam with sincerity and the way he makes your heart race with just a few words. Unbeknownst to Heeseung, it is now your turn to be utterly mesmerised by him. With a gapingly adoring stare, you drink in every detail of his face. The soft glow from the street lamps passing by casts an ethereal glow on his sharp features, accentuating them.

You marvel at how each line and curve of his face seems perfectly crafted, as if he were a work of art. His eyes, like sparkling stars in the night sky, hold a world of emotions that you can't help but get lost in. His smile, a gentle curve that warms your soul, is like a beacon of happiness. You want to capture this moment, etch it into your memory forever, and hold onto this feeling of bliss.

It didn’t take long for the van to come to a halt in front of the apartment complex, and his manager playfully ushers you out, shooting you both a teasing glance. It's been a while since you last set foot in ENHYPEN's dorm, the last time being when fate intervened with Heeseung accidentally posting that confession tweet that brought you together (thank God). Your time together is often spent in the sanctuary of HYBE's many recording rooms or your own dorm room. Being the gentleman he is, Heeseung insisted he was perfectly okay with being the one always going to you, making you feel like the most cherished person in the world.

As the door to the apartment swings open, sounds of laughter fill the air. The lively banter led by none other than Jake, passionately “coaching” Ni-ki on a game of League of Legends, "Go for the tower, not the minions, you idiot! Where is Heeseung? I literally cannot trust this kid with anything!"

Heeseung stifles a laugh, his cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment. You can't help but find his reaction adorable, knowing that even as the responsible eldest, he can't escape the playful dynamics of the group. It's a side of him you treasure, seeing how he is able to freely embrace his inner child whenever he’s with his members.

He places a gentle hand on the small of your back as he guides you into the apartment. The rest of the members notice your arrival, and they all greet you warmly. It feels like coming home, being surrounded by the people who are not only important to Heeseung but who have also become dear to you.

Ignoring the chaos unfolding right outside his door, Heeseung and you settle into the cosy covers of his blanket, dressed in one of his many hoodies, ready to embark on a movie night. The room is softly lit, with the warm glow of LED lights creating an ambience of comfort. “So, which cute movie are we watching today?” You inquire, watching him scroll through the Disney+ catalogue on his laptop.

“Toy story?” He responds, his eyes filled with the excitement of watching his favourite animation for the nth time. You found this absolutely adorable; Lee Heeseung, who racked up a mysterious bad-boy reputation, is actually a softie at heart who can recite every single line of Toy Story by heart.

The familiar Pixar Animation intro plays on the screen, and you lean comfortably against the headboard of his twin-sized bed. The movie unfolds before you, but you can't help but steal glances at Heeseung every now and then. His eyes are fixated on the screen, but you can sense that his attention is divided between the plot and you.

To be frank, you weren’t really paying much attention to the movie itself and more so just enjoying the company. His presence alone is enough to make your heart skip a beat, and you feel a rush of warmth and affection every time your eyes meet when he excitedly looks over to you whenever a part of the movie he liked is coming up. You were already pretty exhausted at this point, but you still tried your best to reciprocate his energy.

Sensing the sleep threatening to wash over you, Heeseung wraps his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer to him. You rest your head gently against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart—a soothing rhythm that complements the movie's soundtrack.

You feel Heeseung shifting beneath you, his warm touch reaching over to pause the movie that was about to reach its climactic moment. "You didn't have to pause it," you protest gently, not wanting to rob him of the enjoyment he seemed to find in the film. "Go on and finish it, I know you want to."

However, Heeseung's eyes are filled with fondness as he gazes at you, his affectionate smile melting your heart. "Princess, I wanted to spend this time with you," he murmurs tenderly, tucking a lose strand of hair behind your ears, his words wrapping around you like a soft embrace. "There's no point in watching it if it's not with you. If you want to sleep, I'll go to sleep with you." He pouts playfully, and before you can respond, he carefully adjusts your bodies so that you are now lying down fully on his bed, wrapped securely in his arms.

His fingers gently stroke your hair, the loving gesture as an attempt to lull you to sleep. Instead of making you drowsy, his touch sends a surge of excitement through your veins. You become hyper-aware of his every movement, your heart beating faster as you feel the warmth of his breath against your skin.

In this intimate moment, time seems to stand still. The world outside his room fades away, leaving just the two of you entwined in your little cocoon. You're drawn to him, like a moth to a flame, unable to resist the magnetic pull he exudes.

As you lie there, wrapped in his embrace, you can't help but marvel at how effortlessly he understands you and how he always puts your needs before his own. Heeseung's love is a sanctuary—a place where you can be vulnerable and cherished, where you feel seen and loved for who you truly are.

With your head pressed firmly against his chest, you are able to hear clearly how his heart begins picking up pace.

“Why is your heart beating so fast?” Your trapped hands play with the fabric of his sweater, and you can feel him tiredly smile against your head.

“I have the most beautiful woman in my arms, I think any man in my position would feel the same.” You gush at his confession. Heeseung, once again, never fails to shower you with compliments, reminding you time and time again that he feels privileged that you chose to be with him. In this fleeting moment, you realise how deeply you've fallen for him, how your heart beats in sync with his, and how he's become the centre of your universe. The realisation fills you with a mixture of awe and gratitude, knowing that you've found something rare and precious.

Each passing moment feels like a dream, and as you drift off to sleep, cradled in his arms, you know that this is just the beginning. With Heeseung, every moment is an adventure, and every touch is a promise of something beautiful.

Lee Heeseung is and forever will be your number-one fan, just as you will be his.

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♡。·˚˚· ·˚˚·。♡

authors note: anddd that’s a wrap! thank you for staying with heeyn till the very end 😭 no words can even begin to express how grateful i am for each and every one of your support. i started out this smau as a creative expression and ngl i did kind of lost the plot somewhere (didn’t know what i was doing half the time) but hey we bounced back! ig? fret not, there is still a bonus chapter coming out soon (fluff warning btw) and also mayyybe something else i’m planning 🫣🤫 until then, please do stay safe, happy, and continue loving enhypen! xoxo, thatfeelinwhenyou 🤍

taglist! @softiehee @annoyingbitch83 @rshmra @aernx @heebrry @flower0930 @harperwasstaken1 @haechansbbg @renjunoya @heeheesang @spilled-coffee-cup @jwnghyuns @ocyeanicc @neozon3nha @pshchives @casualzo @captivq @suvgs @iea-tsand @yohanabanana @wonyoungsvirus @shinsou-rii @fluerz @enhaz1 @bbangiez @gothhyucks @l0tisflower @sxftiell @yunwonie @ddazed-lhs @samvagejkflxhrt @alexisalwayshigh @stopeatread @hajimelvr @heart4hees @gyuszie @clairecottenheart @jaylans-stuff @immortal-imagination @kxr0mi @sserafimez @thatoneembarrasingmoment @jiaant11 @beatr2x @mihrosie0209 @jhopesucker @salsateriyniki @r1kitti @coffeeew @s00buwu

[katatonicimpression]

Exodus de-aged for prompts!

Send me Prompts!

So, full disclosure (any kind of) age-regression is one of my all-time biggest squicks I can't stand it. I should've noticed this was on the prompt list. But I have done something with this! It's a little off prompt but still.

“...indulge thee for another hour yet. But no more beyond that.”

Bennet paused, slowing his steps. What.. what was happening?

He looked around to see sand, hills and rocks. The sun in the east, low but already too hot. 

He knew where he was. He’d been here before.

“Bennet?” His companion said.

Bennet turned his gaze to see exactly who he had expected. 

Garrington stood a little ahead of him, his cloak partially covering his face to shield it from the sun. 

“Eobar…” Bennet let the name fall out.

He tried to get his thoughts together. Why was he back here? In Egypt, so close to where he had encountered the false god. Why was he reliving this memory?

“The sun ails thee already,” Eobar said, with a mixture of concern and vindication. “I was right. We must make shelter.”

“You were right?”

“Aye. And yet thou-”

“I insisted we continue,” Bennet finished. “Because we’re nearly at the cave. I could feel it.”

He remembered this. How they’d argued, how they’d been travelling at night to avoid the hot sun, but on this morning Bennet had charged onwards past sunrise because he was so eager to find what was calling to him, and so sure that it was right.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered Heather. The acolyte with the power to manipulate time, who had been training her craft in his last conscious memory. He surmised that his current situation was a result of this. He expected it to be remedied soon.

“Bennet?”

“We walk on. It is near,” Bennet said because what else could he say? This was what had happened.

The wind would pick up in a few hours, bringing with it enough relief from the heat to convince Eobar to keep going. Then they would reach the cave by noon and find the scroll. And then…

Then, by Bennet’s reckoning, Eobar would be dead and Whitman would be his companion, unbeknownst to Bennet at the time. 

He stole a glance at the other man, at his clearly miserable expression partially obscured by his cloak. Maybe miserable was not the word - grumpy? Yes, he was sulking like a spoiled child, overheating and tired but continuing with this journey because Bennet asked him to. 

Bennet knew that Garrington’s mind had been seized by Whitman before, but that was before they had met. And he knew that Whitman would inevitably argue that all these memories were his also. The thought angered Bennet. No, these memories were his. His and Eobar’s. And the man beside him was definitely Eobar.

“As a boy,” Eobar said, a teasing tone already arising in his voice. “I was taught that patience was the noblest of virtues. I can see that for all thy piety, that lesson must have flown over thine head.”

Bennet smiled, then snorted a muffled laugh despite himself.

Eobar chuckled too, then flashed him that bright smile. The man he remembered, clear as the day.

They should have camped one more night, he found himself thinking. They should have savoured this time, protected it, kept it, hidden it away from those who would take it from them. And Bennet had not been mistaken, their destiny did indeed lie where they sought, but he was so, so wrong about why.

But he could save it now, if only for a minute, a few hours. He could keep Eobar with him, he could say all he wanted to say, all he never said. All the things that he had said, but could say again, over and over. They could hold each other, have each other.

Instead they walked on, in near silence, for a further twenty minutes. Then Bennet found himself back with his acolytes, and the incident was forgiven and forgotten. The mission came first.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

‘I want it that way’

So inspired by the artwork posted by @mirrorshards that made me write this. (I hope it is all right.)

For @flashfictionfridayofficial with the prompt #FFF249 Open your eyes

And for @fluffbruary April 14 : coffee | florist | vision prompt

Fandom: Brave Bang Bravern

Pairing: Ao Isami x Lewis Smith

Number of words: 576

Ten minutes. Roughly. As soon as Lewis put on his Tricolour shirt, tentacle-like hands grabbed him from behind. The owner’s hands belonged to one Ao Isami, whose jet-black hair suddenly grew like daggers sprouting from his head. Lewis played with it, pulling it gently, letting his fingers savour its texture. Despite its appearance, the strands were so soft to the touch.

“Isami… I am not leaving you…” The American lieutenant assured Isami. On the surface, Lewis wanted to appear tough and cool. But deep inside, he was so grateful of Isami’s turnaround. He cherished it, preferred that Isami would stay that way. In truth, it’d break Lewis’ heart if he were forced to leave the Japanese officer again behind.

“You say that and then you go poof!” The shorter man mumbled on Lewis’ neck. Like a small affectionate dog, Isami began to lick the exposed skin of his nape and sniffed.

Lewis noticed his—Darn, Can he say it now?—lover’s eyes that remained close during the amorous proceeding.

“Isami, open your eyes! Look at me.” Lewis ordered him.

Isami shook his head. His hair tickled Lewis. The fear that the American would vanish from his vision concerned him. He then turned around and hugged the dark-haired man before him. So tight that the two of them couldn’t breathe anymore.

“Nope. No can do. What if you disappeared again?” Is this the stoic Isami that Hibiki and Miss Miyu used to tell me about?

“I am not going anywhere, Isami. Never will I do that. Besides, it wasn’t what I wanted. If I could, I would survive. But.. Isami, I came back, didn’t I?”

“You did! And I was grateful for it. Captain Satake wanted to talk to us. There might be examinations and lotsa interviews that I don’t care about. But.. but I am not in the mood for all of it.”

Just in time when the intercom at Smith’s room rang. The American dragged Isami with him still holding his waist to answer it.

“Admiral King wants to see us too. Come on, Isami, we have to see them now,” If Lewis could, he would stay with Isami in bed forever. Speaking of bed, they might ask the procurement officer to… oh well.

“Promise me, Lewis, please promise me that you won’t do a disappearing act again,” Isami held his face.

“Not going anywhere… won’t go anywhere…” Lewis kissed him full on the lips, their first time in this dimension, where Lewis as human again. The memories on the beach resurfaced. New lovers under the moon, blessed by the bonfire.

“Get this, Isami, I will stay with you. With Lulu. God knows that girl needs us. But only if you want me to.”

Isami didn’t reply instead he held him more tightly. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Lewis bit his ear gently.

“Come on, love, they are waiting for us. I guess, we have so much explanaining to do.” He stood up, arranged his shirt and his trousers too. Wouldn’t get caught with this condition, no way.

“Isami! Let’s!” He held his hand to Isami, who wasn’t convinced.

“All right, let’s get this over with. Then I want to stay in bed all day.”

Lewis laughed.

“If you want to!” The two of them walked together hand in hand knowing that it would be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.

~ fin ~

[fridamoss]

Is This Love (That I'm Feeling?) Bob Floyd X Loot (PART 6)

Summary: Bob & Loot get it on.

Warnings: Smut, curses 18+ only.

Word count: 4,658

Archive of Our Own // Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

You pulled up outside the Hard Deck in an Uber. Bob said he would meet you at the front door and sure enough, you could see him standing there alone, shifting on his feet looking anxious. He was fixing his hair into place when he saw you walking toward him. His jaw almost hit the ground, you were wearing the slinkiest, shortest dress with heels and he since he knew exactly what you were wearing underneath, he couldn’t help his mind going to the first filthy thought that popped up.

‘Hey Robbie,’ you cooed, heels clicking as you took the last few steps to where he was standing stock-still.

‘Hey,’ he began before you cut him off with a kiss. Your lipstick had smudged on to his mouth and you wiped it off with your thumb. 

It took a moment for him to come back down to earth. ‘You look real nice,’ Bob swallowed, ‘you look beautiful,’ he finished, clearing his throat.

Giving him a once over, you noticed his boots had been shined recently, his turn up jeans paired with a tucked in shirt just gave him the sweetest 50’s boyfriend vibes.

‘Damn, you look good, can we just take it back to mine already?’ Your hands roamed his chest, you didn’t even notice you were biting your lip until you caught Bob staring at your mouth. 

‘Kidding, I really want that drink.’

‘Did you wanna eat?’ Bob pointed toward a burger van parked on the lot next to the bar. 

‘New rule, Robbie, never assume I don’t wanna eat.’ 

You ate slow, savouring every bite of this burger van meal that Bob had insisted on buying for you. He’d even specified no onions for his order, so he wouldn’t gross you out later, even though he loved all the additions to his burger.

Bob sat facing you, straddling the picnic bench as you ate, pushing your hair behind your ear each time it escaped in the warm breeze. He smiled while you talked to him, you had a wealth of knowledge for someone who was only out in the world for a decade, he thought. 

There wouldn’t be a time when he didn’t want to listen to you, he’d be a good partner, he’d care for you, enjoy your company and the best thing was you were way more outgoing than him, so he could sit back and let you do the talking. He’d like that. So he leaned in and kissed you while you were talking about redecorating your little apartment. ‘I wanna help,’ he said, making your heart flutter in your chest. 

The music wasn’t too loud in the Hard Deck, but it was a little abrasive compared with the sound of the ocean Bob was enjoying just moments ago. 

You’d been waving and hollering over at people you recognised; which was everyone, Bob noted. He managed to get Penny’s attention and ordered two beers before sidling up to you and putting a hand on your waist. You were chatting to someone, looking only mildly interested in the conversation, Bob thought he knew their face but wouldn’t be able to tell you their name. 

You turned, taking the beer from his hand, giving him a soft smile and a look that said ‘give me just a minute and I’ll be all yours.’ 

Bob stood, not awkwardly, but happily by your side, with his thumb rubbing along your silky dress, feeling the lacy band of your pretty panties.

‘It’s you guys!’ A drunken Fanboy made his way through the crowd, elbowing people to get up close, beer in hand. He leaned against Bob, ‘Oh man, I’m so happy you’re together. HERE together,’ his eyes were wild in his head, he’d had way too much to drink.

Bob hoped he wouldn’t hear his room mate puking tomorrow morning, he gave his friend a tight lipped smile.

‘I saw you got the condoms from my dresser!’ Fanboy thought he was whispering. ‘It’s cool, man.’ Garcia clapped a hand on Bob’s back, leaning in to his ear. ‘I hope you have a nice time.’

Bob could see you eyeing Fanboy, feeling terribly sympathetic to what you knew was an embarrassing moment for Bob.

When Fanboy had hugged you both and moved off in the direction of the pool table, you turned to Bob. ‘You ok? You’re quiet.’

Luckily, the embarrassment had faded a little by the time you’d finished your conversation with your acquaintance. 

‘I’m good, I’m happy.’ 

‘You’re too sweet, that guy is way enthusiastic, I can never get rid of him. Next time, be a bit obnoxious and he’ll fuck right off.’ 

Bob laughed, your eyes narrowing, hoping you’d get a reaction from him.

‘Gotta let him know you’re my girl, huh?’ Leaning in to give you a kiss, you were interrupted by Phoenix. 

‘You’re here!’ Her face nearly split in half when she smiled. 

‘Are you all really drunk or somethin’? Bob muttered, shrugging his jacket off and laying it across his forearm. He made a mental note to offer it to you when you left later tonight.

‘I’m just happy you guys are kinda making it official. Bob has been agonising over every text he was sending to you,’ Phoenix rolled her eyes, she loved Bob, he was the most chill guy to be around but it had been painful for her to see how excited and apprehensive her friend had been.

You and Bob looked at each other, seeing the small smile rising on his face, you figured you’d answer for both of you, ‘yeah, it is official. Can’t let this one get away.’ You laughed with Phoenix, she told you a story about how Bob had helped an old lady with her groceries while he kept his hand on you, stepping in closer when someone passed him. 

Everyone managed to come by and say hello, like it was your party and everyone was doing their duty in thanking you for inviting them. Eventually, Bob whispered ‘let’s get out of here,’ brushing his lips against your earlobe. You shivered, turning your head a little toward him, ‘kiss my neck.’ You had no idea why you said it, right here, in front of all of these people you knew from work but you didn’t regret it when you felt Bob lean in and kiss your neck softly, he had been running his fingers along your spine for the last few minutes. The sensation had you closing your eyes, hoping you wouldn’t lose it completely. His nose grazed the back of your neck as he kept kissing, small pecks turning to longer sucking kisses. 

Anything on the back of your neck drove you wild, nothing would get you wet faster. The idea of Bob finding out these little kinks of yours made you giggle. He lifted his head to look at you on hearing the sound. 

Biting his lip, he grabbed your hand and pulled you away from the crowd. 

‘You don’t wanna say goodbye?’ Knowing he didn’t, but you asked anyway. 

Bob walked backwards, pulling you with him, positively eye fucking you. 

The quicker you got back to a bedroom the better, yours or his, you didn’t care. 

The fresh air hit you, setting your skin off with goosebumps. Bob draped his jacket across your shoulders before tapping his phone open to order an Uber home, ‘your place?’ he asked, there was no way in hell he wanted Fanboy to ruin his night when he barged into their apartment, the way he always did after a night out and a belly full of alcohol. Making all of the noise and mess as a herd of cattle.

The journey took only a few minutes, but Bob had sat so close to you in the back of the car that you were sure the driver sped up just to get you both out as quickly as possible. You were grossing people out with your PDA already. Bob’s nose was behind your ear, whispering sweet things that sounded so incredibly dirty while his fingers move up your thigh, your legs parting just an inch for him. 

Bob helped you step out of the car, holding your hand until you reached your door. While you fumbled in your bag for your key you noticed the door was already unlocked, you distinctly remember locking it before you left.

‘Robbie,’ the panic in your voice stopped him from hooking his finger under the strap of your dress. His eyes following to where your hand was shakily pushing the door open. 

The light in the living room was on. Bob instinctively stepped over the threshold before you, putting a hand back against you protectively.

Both of you tip toeing, eyes darting into corners. Someone had broken into your apartment. The realisation hit you just before the panic on seeing movement from down the short hallway, a figure appeared at your bedroom door.

You felt Bob stiffen and stand up to his full height before you grabbed his arm, holding him back.

‘David!’ Fucking relief. ‘What the fuck?’ 

Bob furrowed his brow. Why the hell was Loot’s husband here? 

‘You don’t answer your phone now?’ David stomped towards you, his shirt open almost to his navel, tanned skin on show. 

You made an ‘oh’ sound and pulled your phone from your bag, realising you hadn’t checked it for hours. There were several missed calls and texts from David.

‘I was worried about you. You hung up on me saying he was at your door,’ David nodded toward Bob, who was standing with his arm still shielding you.

‘I’m David by the way,’ your husband held out his hand for Bob. 

‘Bob,’ was all he could say, shaking the hand that was offered. 

‘You’re way cuter than she described,’ David stated, mater of fact. ‘Jealous,’ he look at you pointedly.

‘Well, since you’re fine I’m leaving. Goodnight.’ And just like that, your friend was gone, closing the door behind him.

‘Uhm…’ Bob’s face displayed all of the emotions running through his head.

‘Sorry,’ you whispered, locking the door. 

‘At least he cares,’ Bob shoved his hands into his pockets, wondering what he could say.

‘He’ll call me tomorrow to talk about how hot you are, I just know it.’ 

Bob looked you for a beat before kissing you hungrily, surprising even himself.

He’d met your husband and felt no jealousy. All the feelings he’d had about how an unusual situation this was disappeared as he breathed softly against your mouth. 

‘You’re still cool to stay?’ 

You reached for his hands, placing them on your hips. He nodded while dipping down for another kiss. 

‘He didn’t beat the shit out of me so I suppose he’s allowing me to fuck his wife.’

‘Robert Floyd!’ 

Both of you giggled, hands beginning to grab at each other. 

‘If I don’t get you into my bedroom this second, I think I’ll lose my mind.’ Bob had his hands on your back, pulled impossibly close to him. 

‘Agreed,’ without much effort, he dropped his hands to your thighs and hoisted you onto his hips and carried you towards your bedroom, dropping you unceremoniously onto the bed. You bounced, giggling, watching him toe off his boots. ‘I’ll be right back.’ 

Grumbling, you grabbed out for him, almost catching hold of his shirt.

He giggled down at you, ‘I just gotta go to the bathroom real quick.’

Two minutes without him was too much. As soon as he closed the door behind him, you sat up onto your knees and pulled him towards you. He leaned down and dissolved into your kisses. 

‘I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since the first week of January,’ he admitted, eyes closed.

‘That was the week I transferred,’ you ran a finger across his lips, a slight patch of stubble on his chin rubbing along your palm.

Nodding, he allowed his hands to roam across your shoulders and down your arms. ‘I saw you on the tarmac, my first flight after I got back from my folks place back home. My head got so messed up, I forgot what I was doing, Nat yelled at me,’ he remembered, smiling. 

‘Do you think you’ll remember what you’re doing if I take this off?’ Sitting back on your haunches, you slipped the straps of your dress off your shoulders, squeezing your tits together to give him a full view of your cleavage. 

‘Yes ma’am,’ he hummed, planting his face between your tits and groaning. 

His voice was muffled while he buried himself further, making you giggle. Your hands were stroking the back of his neck, gripping his wide shoulders when you felt his teeth scrape against the soft flesh of your breast, his nose was nudging at your bra, pushing it aside. Immediately his lips found your nipple and pressed a delicate kiss there, waiting for your reaction. 

Whimpering as he teased until your bud hardened. ‘Fuck, keep doing that.’ You purred.

‘What about the other one?’ Bob’s hands were running up your sides to squeeze at your breasts, both of you moaned in unison, his lips kissed over the fabric of your dress, searching for the peak of your other nipple, you could feel him smile when he found it, suddenly pulling the material down to expose you to him. Helping him get full access, you shimmied the straps all the way down your arms and leaned back, allowing him to push your tits together and place feverish kisses across your hot skin. 

‘Jesus, Robbie, you’ll make me cum.’ The admission made him start, that’d be a first. He looked up at you, his glasses askew.

‘Can I take these off?’ Gently lifting the glasses free, you found his clear, pretty eyes looking at you, pupils blown wide with lust, a soft grin on his lips. He was already drunk on you and he’d only had a mouthful of your tits. He couldn’t wait to get his mouth on the rest of you.

Images flashed in his mind of the last few evenings in the shower, jerking himself off at the thoughts of sucking love bites into your flesh all the way from your chest to your hips, along your ribs. Bob’s grunt was feral, making you bite your lip, a flood of arousal hitting you.

‘Robbie, baby.’ Was all you could say, Bob pulled you close to him and devoured your mouth in a heated kiss, his tongue was on yours as his knees hit the bed, gently pushing you on to your back. Reaching behind, you unclasped your bra and threw it across the room. His eyes lit up as he watched you wriggle, leaning one knee onto the mattress, he climbed slowly toward you, leaning down to kiss a trail from your breastbone to your neck, finding the faded love bite he’d given you in the supply closet. He let his fingertip brush across it briefly before taking a handful of your breast, again leaning toward it to suck the nipple into his mouth. 

Your back arched off the bed, for a few moments Bob got lost in you. ‘You smell so good,’ he whispered, hips beginning to grind against the bed. 

‘May I?’ Warm hands moved up your thighs to hook into the waistband of your pretty panties.

‘I love these, by the way,’ Bob hummed in appreciation as you lifted your butt off the bed to let him roll the green silk off of your legs, joining the discarded bra.

Bob pushed your dress up to your waist, bunching the fabric in his hands. 

‘You’re pretty everywhere,’ he mused, eyes now fixed on your wet pussy. Your moan was a siren’s call for him, he moved in closer, pressing kisses across your thighs, letting his lips rest against your folds for just a second before moving off again.

You squirmed in anticipation.

‘Oh, you liked that?’ 

‘Bob I never thought you were a tease!’ Your chest was heaving with want. ‘Please, please, please get your mouth on me.’ 

A rush of blood to his cock made him rut into the mattress involuntarily. 

‘Yes ma’am,’ he grinned, kissing you right where you needed it. His tongue flicking out at your clit, rubbing his face gently up and down your slit, noticing how sweet you tasted to him. 

‘I knew you’d taste good,’ he whined, grinding himself against the mattress. 

Your fingers found their way into his hair, the strands coming loose while you began moving your hips to meet his face. 

He was sucking at your clit softly, moving his face from side to side when he heard you gasp, moving faster as your groans got louder. 

Bob ran his hand along your stomach, up towards your mouth, pressing two fingers onto your tongue, silently asking you to suck on them. 

Once they were as wet as he wanted, he placed one at your entrance, peeking at you to make sure you were comfortable, pushing in gently, warming you up the way he knew he should. 

A broken cry of his name disappeared into the air, you were grabbing your nipples between your fingers while Bob kissed and licked and sucked at your delicate parts. 

He started making that ‘mmm’ sound that drove you wild.

‘Bob get up here!’ Finding your voice, not wanting him to stop but you needed more than just his fingers. 

When he pulled free, you felt your arousal leak out of you. Bob breathed in your scent and looked up at you, almost as if he had forgotten you were there.

God, this man got titty drunk and pussy drunk, he liked being down there, you realised. 

There was no warning before you starting pulling at his shirt, sliding it up over his arms. Bob hopped off of the bed and began unbuckling his belt, his hands shaking a little. 

There was a tattoo on his chest, just a small thing you could see in the lamplight, right under his collarbone. This was the first time you’d seen Bob without a shirt and boy he looked good.

‘How did you hide this for so long?’ It wasn’t really a question he needed to answer, Bob wasn’t a show off. You knew he’d be well put together. He was muscular but not overly so, just in perfect proportion. He had those beautiful muscles that shaped themselves into a ‘v’ across his hips, leading down to the waistband of his boxers, which you unceremoniously pulled down as soon as he undid the button on his jeans.

For the second time that day, you licked your lips when you saw him spring free. His erection hitting his stomach and settling into your palm as you reached out for him. 

With one lick you tasted everything that was him, your mouth opened and took him in, he jerked a little at the sensation. wrapping his fingers around your hair and pulled a little, eliciting a moan from you.

‘You like hair pulling?’

‘Mmhmm’ was all you could say, your mouth was stuffed full of him. Peeking up at the man standing over you, running his fingers through your hair, he had a look in his eye like he was about to eat you alive. 

‘Ok, stop,’ he stuttered, moving his hips back. ‘I’ll cum,’ he admitted, seeing your questioning look.

‘I like it too much and you’re really good with your mouth.’ Bob took your chin between his thumb and index finger and kissed you hard. 

Tongues met with increasing need. 

‘Bob get the condom.’ You panted. He nodded, sitting onto the bed and pulling his legs free of his jeans. 

He rooted around in his wallet before pulling out a string of condoms that had been stuffed in there hastily earlier that evening.

‘How many did you bring?’ 

Bob’s ears flushed pink as he scrambled to rip one free. ‘I just…I took whatever I could.’

‘Poor Fanboy’s not getting any tonight,’ you laughed, kissing his cheek moving over to straddle his lap. You squeezed your knees against his hips and ran your tongue along the shell of his ear. A soft groan escaped from his lips, lips that were wandering across your neck.

You took his hand and brought the condom packet to your mouth. He watched you with half lidded eyes as you tore the pack open with your teeth.

Not safe, but pretty fuckin hot. 

Bob ran his hands along your thighs, stopping to squeeze your ass while you gently took his cock in your hands and ran the condom along his length. 

Just as he had done that afternoon, he put his hand under your chin and asked you to spit.

Bob let it drip onto the head of his cock and wipe it down to the base. 

‘I don’t think I need any lube,’ you hitched your dress up to your waist and lined yourself up to take him.

Nodding in agreement, he kissed you tenderly, feeling the head of his cock notch at the warm entrance of your cunt. Breathing out when he felt you sink down just a little. Moving your hips in a small circle, you eased onto him, letting yourself adjust to his size. 

He was definitely the biggest you’d had. ‘That…feels…amazing,’ you let your head fall back, Bob took advantage of the skin in front of him and started kissing and suckling at your neck, your shoulders, anywhere he could put his mouth. 

He grunted as you sank all the way down onto him, your breath hitched at the feeling, you were so full of him. 

Bob whispered your name, pressing his forehead to yours, guiding you up and gently back down. ‘I’ve been dreaming about riding you like this, Robbie.’ 

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak, lest he begin talking nonsense. He wanted in that moment to say he was falling in love with you. But he knew the rule, never tell a woman you love her while you’re fucking her. 

Instead, he pulled your body closer to his. You loved the feel of his chest hairs tickling your breasts, your nipples rubbing against him in the most delicious way.

Every part of his skin felt as if it were on fire, he felt alive, wanted, loved in that moment.

Your hands pulled at his hair, nails scratching along his back, kisses exchanged and tongues meeting in desperate need for each other. 

You thought Bob was beautiful in the soft lamplight of your bedroom, sitting on the edge of your bed as you made love to him. Kissing his brow and holding his face in your hands. 

His hand rested on yours, pressing your palm to his cheek muttering how much he loved being with you. 

Another hand rested your hip, keeping your dress out of the way so he could glance down and watch himself disappear inside of you. Little gasps of pleasure had him responding with thrusts of his own. ‘Oh Robbie, I’m gonna cum.’

Bob took your hand from his face and pressed your fingers onto your clit. ‘Show me how you do it,’ it was a demand that had no bite to it, he yearned to see you fall apart on him. 

Pinching at your clit you started grinding against him without lifting yourself off his cock, he moaned at the change, grabbing your ass harder and pushing you against him, matching your thrusts. 

Your head fell back as your climax peaked, Bob sealed his mouth around your nipple and sucked hard, your legs squeezed at his hips, grinding faster now that he was panting, he was close too, crying out and burying his face in your neck. Hot breath fanning across your chest as both of you came down. Holding him close, you stroked his hair and he responded with much the same, stroking your back with his large, warm hands, feeling as if he were the safest right here with you. Neither of you moved for a few minutes. Moving would have made the act final. Done. It was over. 

Both of you knowing it wouldn’t be the last time, just the first of many. 

‘Ok my legs are starting to cramp.’ Lips on his forehead, his brow and finally his mouth. His softening cock slipped out of you, slapping against his leg with the weight of his spend. Your arousal dripping out of your pussy onto his thigh.

‘Sorry, Robbie.’

‘Don’t be.’ He sighed, the look he gave you would have made you melt into a puddle, but while he held you tight, you just answered in a mewling sound, unwilling to let go of him.

‘We didn’t even get to take off your dress.’ 

Bob stood, holding you against him as he walked toward your bathroom, only stopping to set you on your feet, on the bath mat, rather than the cold tile. And you loved him for that. 

Bob was a considerate man and now you found he was a considerate lover. 

He waited his turn to clean up, deciding to forego any clothing and walk around your apartment naked. 

There were several seconds of you checking out his ass before he turned at the kitchen sink and caught you. 

‘Where is shy Bob gone?’ You turned your head to the side questioningly as he gently moved your hair across your shoulder so he could plant a kiss on your neck.

‘I think you fucked him out of me,’ was his response. You scoffed. Bob liked it when he could feel your tits jiggle against him. He noted that he needed to make you laugh more often.

‘Get into my bed, before I turn you out of my home for being crude,’ it was an empty threat and he knew it. 

You loved these little moments of Bob that no one else got to see. He had filled up two glasses of water and followed you back into your bedroom, setting a glass on your bedside locker before climbing in next to you, pulling you down onto his chest. 

You ran your fingers along his tattoo and looked up at him, your chin resting against his pec. ‘What’s this?’

Bob had his eyes closed, a happy grin on his face. ‘My one and only tattoo.’

‘I’ve never seen one before.’ 

‘You haven’t?’ Bob queried, a tone of surprise.

‘Well not in the flesh. People in the navy generally keep them covered up.’

Bob was curious, had you only slept with people from the navy? He bit his tongue, though he wanted to know all about you, it really wasn’t any of his business who you had in your bed before him.

‘It’s the plane I first learned to fly in.’ His voice was husky with exhaustion.

‘Do you wanna sleep, or talk?’ 

Bob wrapped his arms around you, breathing in the scent of your shampoo., nestling his nose in your hair.

‘It’s been a long day, but I’d like to listen to you. Tell me about what you wanna do the next time I see you.’

You were tracing circles around his tattoo, excitement bubbling inside you. ‘Well, the next time I see you will be tomorrow morning, when I wake up and you’ll be next to me.’

Bob squeezed you and did that sweet ‘mmm’ sound again.

‘Sounds perfect.’

‘You are perfect.’ You whispered, waiting for him to scoff. Instead he took a deep breath and said ‘no, you are.’

‘My perfect girlfriend. With her pretty hair and her pretty eyes and great ass.’ 

Both of you giggled as you pinched his side. 

‘Go asleep then and I’ll see you first thing in the morning,’ he mumbled into your ear as you turned around to turn off the light.

His breathing soft and slow as he drifted off to sleep holding you against him.

[lasatfat]

Happy Friday!! How about "It's not like we haven't slept together before" + "We don't have to talk about it." from the only one bed + morning after lists, for anyone you feel like?

only one bed + only one bed, morning after

So, this ended up a direct sequel to a fic I wrote a few years ago, All the Time in the World. It's pretty much just smut without plot, so I don't think you need to read that one first? You can glean what happened from the context here.

The Morning After

When she wakes, Samson is already gone. She’d expected that; he has plenty of work to do, and judging by the light leaking in around the divider curtain, the sun is already well up. Torunn sits up, stretches her arms, and when she puts her hand down on the pillow, something crinkles under her palm. There’s a note there. She hadn’t been expecting that.

Sorry, had to get up early. Didn’t want to wake you. I’ll be on the training ground if you need me.

                      -RS

She laughs to herself. He’d initialed it, like she wouldn’t know who was there. Not as if we slept together or anything, Sam.

She washes, combs the tangles out of her hair, and ties it in its usual bun. She has a clean shirt and breeches ready, but the vest will do her another day. All the dirty stuff goes in the laundry tub to soak. Once she’s dressed, she sets out for the training ground. The snow stopped sometime overnight, but the wind has blown fresh powder over most of Samson’s footprints. She can tell, however, that he didn’t try to cover them. She thinks of the bruise bitten into her shoulder…and in turn of what he growled into her ear. They don’t have to know it came from me.

So, she takes the scenic route, just to be safe. She heads around the lake, shuffles over the frozen water, clambers up the rocks on the other side, and walks to the blacksmith’s cottage. Harritt scowls at her as she walks past – he hasn’t thought much of her since she threatened to burn his moustache off, but then, he started it when he spat at Dorian for no apparent reason. She gives him the good old one-finger salute. Specifically, the middle one.

At the training ground, she stands just over Cullen’s shoulder. “How’s it going, Commander?”

“Well, thank you,” is the perfunctory reply.

“Good. How’s the head? Any better?”

“Much. You were right about the rosemary.”

“Nice,” she says. “Listen, I need to borrow your captain for a minute. He wanted an update on the archery lessons.”

Cullen nods. “I can relieve him now, if…”

“Nah, there’s no rush. Just when you come to a natural break.”

The “natural break” doesn’t come until lunch. Torunn spends the time watching the troops train, and being trained – Cullen is just about toeing the line between ‘strict’ and ‘arsehole,’ and Samson has a habit of knocking people’s arms and legs into proper place to correct their stances. He catches her eye a couple of times, but they only trade nods of the head. He only approaches her when the food comes out and the trainees are queueing for their portions, and it’s not until they duck into the command tent and ties the flaps shut that he drops the act completely. They aren’t just friendly coworkers in here. Everyone in here knows that last night happened.

“You came the long way around,” he says.

She shrugs. “Well, you wanted it discreet.”

Samson pulls his head back, astonished.  “Yeah, discreet, not ‘secret under pain of death,’” he protests. “I’m not ashamed of you. I just don’t want everyone knowing the ins and outs.”

“There were a lot of ins and outs,” Torunn agrees, but files that information away for later. “Come on, you set me up for that one,” she adds, in response to his raised eyebrow.

Samson’s expression softens. She takes a step towards him, he takes two, and when they meet, it’s in a tender kiss. He hadn’t thought much of that last night, but he seems to be enjoying it now. Torunn savours it – savours him – until he decides to break the kiss. She catches his bottom lip with her teeth, just so he has to pause, before she lets him go.

He clears his throat. “Anyway, you wanted me for something,” he says.

“Just checking in,” she replies, breezily. “I take it you enjoyed your audience with Lady Richards.”

Samson cringes. “Torunn, that is awful,” he says, even as he bites back a laugh. “Awful.”

“Yeah, there’s a reason I don’t bring that one out until after the sex. How are you?”

“Me? I’m fine,” he answers. His expression grows more serious. “What about you? You got a bit teary back there.”

Torunn flushes. Turns out it was too much to hope that he wouldn’t bring that up.

“We don’t need to talk about it,” he adds.

“No, it’s alright. It’s daft, that’s all,” she says. It’s downright embarrassing, but honesty is part of the deal. “No one’s ever wanted to watch me like that before. It…it got to me a bit, y’know? But in a good way.”

She expects laughter, or pity, but when she looks at his face, she’s met only with understanding. “Been a while since anyone wanted me either,” he admits.

Torunn nods, soberly. She doesn’t know all the gory details, but she knows from Varric’s book that he lived rough on the streets of Kirkwall for a long while. That would be enough to crush anyone’s self-worth. Shit, it would probably crush anyone else’s will to live.

(That is, if anything in that book can be trusted. She knows for a fact that that Orsino thing was made up, if only because she ran into him on the road between Kirkwall and Starkhaven about three months after he was supposed to have died. Either that, or it was his fucking doppelgänger. Stranger things have happened, she supposes).

She shakes herself out of that tangent. “Well, for what it’s worth, I had a really good time. We could do it again, sometime.”

“Give me a week, and maybe,” he laughs.

“I didn’t mean right now, you knobhead.” She gives him a playful shove. “Ruthers thinks we’re talking about the archery lessons. If he asks, we really need some smaller bows. We’ve got some dwarves in the class that are struggling, and they are not happy with me.”

“Leave it with me,” Samson answers. “I’ll light a fire under Threnn’s arse.”

He moves for the tent opening, and starts pulling the knots on the door flaps loose.

Torunn speaks before she’s really thought it through. “Hey, there’s a group of us that were getting together tonight, in the tavern. Blackwall’s gonna teach us how to play Diamondback. D’you wanna come?” It might be too much too soon to start hanging out on the daily, but fuck it, they’re friends, aren’t they? He can always say no.

Samson shrugs. “I already know how to play Diamondback.”

“Good. You can beat him and pretend you’re naturally amazing at it.”

He smirks back at her. “Yeah, alright. I’ll see you there.” And with that, he ducks out of the tent. Torunn stays a minute longer, smiles to herself.

Yep, you picked a good one there, Torunn Adaar, she tells herself, and she follows him out into the open air.

[footygirl114]

Estrellas (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

Sooo part # 6, thanks for sticking with me for this long (if you made it this far lol) This one is basically fluff and it gets a bit spicy - 18+ if you squint.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

As the time ticked closer to 7pm, the more your nerves grew. You were so excited to take her on a proper date, but you were also so nervous that you would mess things up. You had ran around all afternoon getting thing together, that you barley had time to shower and get ready before you needed to be out the door. You had texted Alexia earlier and told her to dress warm and comfy as you’d be outside, and asked her to meet you at the car in the garage. 

You were standing there 5 minutes before 7 running through the mental checklist you had going on to make sure the date was perfect you almost missed Alexia getting off the elevator walking up behind you. It’s like you can sense her, he nerves in your body were ignited and as you turned toward her, the nervous butterflies disappeared and were replaced by excited ones. She smiles softly at you and when she’s in range you softly say “hi beautiful.” 

She steps up right in front of you and you run your eyes down her body, noting the black leggings, comfy sweatshirt and trainers on her feet. “hola hermosa, I missed you today” she says and reaches out to squeeze your hand. 

“I missed you too” you whisper into her hair as you pull her into you and wrap her in a hug. 

She squeezes her arms around your waist and you take a moment to savour it, before you pull away and open the front door for her. With an exaggerated bow you say “your chariot my lady.” 

She chuckles and moves to get into the car, leaving a kiss on your cheek and whisper of “you are a nerd.” 

You chuckle along with her and move to close the door, jogging around your side to get into the driver seat. Turning towards her as you put your seat belt on you ask “are you ready to be amazed?” 

“Amazed?” she asks with a smile. 

“It has been a long time since I had someone I wanted to impress, but I am confident you will still like me after this date” you finish with a wink.

She chuckles and asks with a smile “how long has it been?” 

“Since I’ve been on a date or had someone I wanted to impress?”

She shrugs and says “both.” 

“Over a year and a half since a terrible blind date, and the last girl I tried to impress was in the 10th grade, but she was dating the quarterback and I never had a chance” you finish with a wink. 

She laughs and says “well I feel lucky to be the one you now want to impress.” 

You lean closer and press a kiss to her cheek and say “i’m the lucky one cause you’re letting me Ale.” You lean back and start the car and say “lets get this amazing date started.” 

The drive to the date is filled with comfortable small talk, and Alexia’s pestering about where the date is. She keeps asking and when you finally pull into the parking lot and turn off the car you simply say “lets go gorgeous.” 

You hop out of the car and move to grab two backpacks from the back seat, and you meet her at the back of the car. She asks “where are we?” 

“My spot. Now I can carry both bags, one on the front and one the back, or the professional athlete I am taking on an amazing date could carry one for me?” you ask her with a smile. 

She chuckles and holds her hand out and says “this professional athlete can carry a bag for you.” 

You move to help her put the bag on her back and once she’s secure and you hold your arm out to lead her towards the trail you are walking on. When she walks by you smack her on the ass and  say “we don’t have much time so I hope you can keep up” and you take off at a slow jog towards the trail and she chuckles but you hear her footfalls fall into step behind you. 

A few minutes into the short hike you slow down and turn around and ask her “I thought you were a professional athlete Ale.” 

“You are going to get it Hermosa, you better know who your teasing” she says as she moves to pass you up the trail. Before she can walk by you grab her hand and press a kiss to her cheek and then move to follow her. “Letting me lead?” she asks over her shoulder. 

“No I just want to watch your cute butt babe.” you chuckle and keep pace behind her, her chuckle making your smile grow bigger.

The last few bits of the trail are completed in comfortable silence, and when you break into the opening and you notice that your timing is perfect and the sun will be setting in about 15 minutes. You pause and let her walk a bit closer to the edge. You have been here many times, you found it on one of your first runs in the city, you liked the quietness and that you can see the whole city over the edge. The sun sets behind the city and it makes the scene even better. 

“Its beautiful” she says as she keeps looking out over the city and the sun. 

You move closer to her and you say “you’re beautiful.” 

She turns towards you and smiles and hold her hand out for you. You chuckle and move closer and pull the bag off her arms. She watches as you pull a blanket out, and spread it out on the grass. Then move to grab the container of cheese and crackers and the container of sandwiches you had prepared and place them on the blanket. Last you move to grab the bottle of champagne, and when you dig you cant find the glasses you knew were on your list. 

“fuck, where are they” you are talking to yourself as you dig into the bag. “They must be in the car, maybe I can run down quickly, I’ll be right back” you say as you look up at her. 

“whoa whoa Y/N, hold on” she stops you and places both hands on your cheeks making you look at her. “Whats going on beautiful?” she asks you. 

“I wanted this date to be perfect, and I forgot the glasses for the champagne and now its not gonna be perfect. I need to run down to the car and hope they are there or this date will be ruined.” You can feel the anxiety building in your body and you dig your nails into your palm trying to ground your self. 

“hey look at me” she says to you “Hermosa, I am right here look at me.” When you meet her eyes she smiles and says “this date is already perfect cause I am with you Y/N, glasses aren’t going to change that. We could have had Mcdonald’s in your car and I’d be happy beautiful, I just want to be with you.” 

“really?” you ask her.

She nods and moves to grab the champagne, she opens the bottle and then takes a swig straight form the bottle and says “anyways who needs glasses.” 

You chuckle and step closer to her and press a kiss to the corner of her lips. You pull back and ask her “Shall we watch the sunset?” 

You both sit beside each other on the blanket trading sips from the bottle of champagne, eating the food you bought. You both keep the talking to a minimum enjoying the silence and the sunset, when the sun finally disappears and the champagne is gone she gets up and moves to start packing up, you let her put the empty containers away and then you move to lie on your back. 

“come lie with me Ale” you tell her patting the blanket beside you. 

She smiles and says “okay.” She moves and lies beside you both on her back your hands tangled together, you can feel her head against yours. After a few moments she asks “what are we looking at?” 

“the stars, I love looking at the stars.” you say quietly. 

She squeezes your hand and asks “why the stars?” 

You take in the moment and keep your eyes on them as you tell her “When I was over there, I would lie awake at night, listening to distant gunfire and explosions, but I was able to focus on the stars. No matter where I am I know the stars are the same ones, and they’re always going to be there. It helped me sleep knowing that the stars I looked at every night where the same ones that the people I was protecting here were seeing.” 

You feel her turn on her side beside you, and when you turn your head towards her she meets your eyes and says “My father loved the stars, and he always said the same thing.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yes, i have always loved them.” she says with a smile. 

You keep your eyes locked on hers and you whisper out “Kiss me Alexia.” 

She smiles and leans down over you, and presses her lips to yours. When your lips meet its like something inside you shifts and feel the tight coil of control you always have relax, and you let yourself feel her and enjoy her touch. Moving one hand up you cradle her cheek and pull back smiling at her. 

“wow” she says with a smile. 

You smile and lean up and press another kiss to her lips, pulling back and asking “want to get out of here?” 

She nods and moves to hop up and holds a hand out to help you up. She pulls you into her when your standing and you wrap your arms around her and squeeze tightly. She pulls back and says “Let’s go before it’s too dark to get back.” 

The walk down is quiet and you both walk together hands intertwined, with soft smiles exchanged along the trail. You help her in the car again, and before you start the engine you lean in and kiss her again. You both have to pull back when you cant stop smiling into the kiss. 

The ride home is soft and filled with laughs and her hand on your thigh. When you get back to your building, and you pull into the parking garage, when you cut the engine, you smile at her and ask “so was it an amazing date?” 

She smiles softly and leans closer to you and says “It was okay, It could be better.” 

“Oh yeah?” you ask and lean closer placing a hand on her cheek.

“It’s getting better” she smiles. 

You smile and press your lips to hers and when you pull back you ask “better?” 

“Its getting better” she smiles. 

Chuckling you hop out of the car and open the door, and hold your hand out to her. She takes it and hops out of the car, you pull her with you to her elevator and scan your pass and push her into it. You crowd her into the back wall, pushing your body against hers, you connect your lips and when you feel her tongue tangle with yours, you can’t help but let out a soft moan. The dinging of the elevator breaks you apart. You pull her off it and ask “better now?” 

She smirks and pulls her hoodie off leaving her in just a tank and she walks backward and says “It’ll be amazing soon beautiful” and holds her hand out for you to follow her. 

You smile and slowly follow her step by step until she has her knees against the bed. You stop right in front of her and push her back onto her bed. You pull your hoodie over your head leaving you in a t-shirt standing over her. You smile at her and raise an eye brow watching her. 

She chuckles and undoes the button on her pants, pushing them down past her hips. You move to pull them off asking “Will this make it amazing babe? or should I work a bit harder?” 

Throwing her pants across the room you move to kneel over her “I think you are doing just fine gorgeous.” 

You straddle one of her legs, settling your weight on your hands on either side of her head, you press your thigh to her covered core and ask a hairs width from her lips and ask “how are you feeling now?”

She lets out a low moan, moving her hips to find more friction against your thigh and she warns “y/N, don’t tease me.” 

You move to press harder against her core, and you ask again “tell me how your feeling babe.” 

She moans and says “so good, I am so wet Y/N.” 

You lean in and connect your lips with hers, and you press your tongue into her mouth at the same time you press your thigh harder into her core, using your hands to encourage her to grind on it. You slide a hand down and move it under her shirt and push her bra to the side, you find her nipple and twist it and the moan she lets out makes you even wetter. 

You pull your mouth back from hers and lean into her ear asking  “can you cum from this babe? I want you to feel so good for me pretty girl” Finishing with a bite to the bottom of her ear.

“fuck Y/N” she moans out and grinds hard against your thigh, “i am close.” 

You tug her ear again and press your thigh harder into her core as you tell her in her ear “cum for me pretty girl, let me make you feel so good.” 

She lets out a loud moan of your name and you can feel her body let go, you pull back and watch her face as she cums with another moan of your name. When you feel her body slow down you pull back and move to lay beside her leaning on your arm, with one arm on her stomach you press a kiss to her temple and let her settle down. 

When she’s come back down she turns to meet your eyes and says “holy crap babe, I have never done that before.” 

“done what?” 

“orgasm with my clothes on, but this whole night has been amazing” she says with a smile. 

Smiling you ask “so it was amazing?” 

She smiles and before you can blink she’s straddling your hips and has your arms pinned behind your head. “You are amazing, and this date has been amazing. But its now time for me to show you how amazing I can be” she says with a smirk and leans down and presses her lips to yours.

[charles-and-camilla-fanfictions]

All the Time in the World - Chapter 10

Birkhall, March 2020

I’ve barely pulled on my clothes to face the morning before the door barges open and he rushes in. We’ve been counting down the days, and the result of that last COVID test took so long, I feel that time is pulling a trick on us and is in fact reversing. I accept his embrace without restraint, needing it as much as him and I reach to push my face into his neck to breathe him in. We stand tangled together for a long time, reaffirming our love for one another in the oldest and simplest of ways. We’ve been avoiding the conversation we’re about to have for the past week, a few more minutes won’t matter as I savour that sense of completeness from being wrapped in his arms, as my hands run up and down his back, relishing having him here to hold, squeezing him as tightly as I can, feeling the returning pressure. We’ve always done the making up from an argument the wrong way round. Any serious conversation has always commenced after we reassure each other how much we love each other. A large part of me would take this love and disregard any conflict but sometimes the strife is necessary to heal, to move forward.

“I love you. You know I love you?”

I hear his whisper and sigh. Here it starts.

“I don’t see a way out of this, my Darling.”

It makes me smile, even as I get a prickle through my skin in anticipation of the awaiting conversation. “You never do see a way out of it. Be more positive, Darling.”

“But this time, I really don’t.”

“By which you mean, you’re not willing to concede anything…”

“Don’t let go of me.”

“Do you remember Penelope?”

“No.”

“Yes, you do, Penelope, you know, tall Penelope…”

“Not helping…”

“Penelope… You know her. She used to be a sucker for the hair magazines and she’d come round to my flat and cut her hair and you’d get annoyed because this short blonde hair was everywhere and I don’t think you quite believed me that it wasn’t another man…”

“Massive boobs.”

“Yes, Penelope!”

“Married an old man…”

“He wasn’t an old man. He was only about twelve years older than her.”

“You’ve not spoken about her in years. You’re really procrastinating.”

“She sent me a letter, I got it yesterday. Her husband’s just died, of COVID. She’s beside herself because she thinks he caught it off her. She’s blaming herself.”

I feel his arms squeezing me tighter. “You always do this.”

“Do what?”

“Make excuses for me. I know what you’re trying to say and I love you for it, but that wasn’t why you were so upset with me.”

“She told me to hold you very tightly when we were together again.”

“I’ll hold you tighter.” There’s a pause as we do indeed hold each other tighter.

“How’s William?”

“He says he’s fine. I don’t think he is. He’s said his wifi isn’t working properly so we can’t video call. I know I’m old but I know an excuse when I hear one. What have you heard?”

“Kate was evasive. I think he’s a lot worse than he’s letting on.”

“It’s not even public that he’s ill.”

“People will worry.”

“When it’s about someone else, you understand duty.”

His words hit me as a blow to my entire body and I pull away from him, holding onto the bedpost to steady myself. “I understand it perfectly.”

“But you suggest you can shirk it because you’re upset? When the rest of the country can’t?”

“Yes. You think I’d just be ‘upset’ if you were dying?”

“Do you think your feelings are stronger than Penelope’s? Or anyone else who has lost their spouse and not been there with them?”

“Yes.”

“That’s incredibly selfish.”

“You don’t get to temper my feelings. Put this the other way round. How would you feel?”

“That’s completely different.”

“How is it any different?”

“I’d be with you.”

“What?”

“I’m not letting you die alone.”

“But that’s exactly what I’m saying!” The indignation at his remark rails my skin into hackles.

“How would it look if I left my wife to die alone in hospital when everyone knows I could bend the rules to see you? I’d look like a coward, and everyone would think I have no heart.”

“So you’d only be with me because it looks better?” My words are very quiet but I see his face and he knows I’m angry.

“I didn’t say that, don’t extrapolate. I’m talking about public perception. Feelings don’t come into it.”

It’s like being shot. I gulp, feeling my temper boiling through me, controlling it with difficulty. “Get out.”

“No.”

“Get out of my room before I completely lose it with you.”

“Lose your temper. I’m not leaving.”

“Fine, I’ll go!” I step forwards towards the door and he grasps onto my wrist. “Get your hands off me!”

I see him hold his hands up. “Don’t walk out on me.”

“If you think I’m staying here a second longer…”

“You can’t go, Darling, it’s lockdown. You can’t leave. We have to talk about it.”

“Just try and stop me!”

“Milla, please…” He swoops to the doorway and stands in front of me. Once, I would have barged past him and marched out into the grounds, storming through the heather, knowing he was behind me, at a distance, watching that I’m safe, waiting for me to calm down. Today, I’m filled with a hopelessness which leaks through my body and turns the anger into despair. The despair is too heavy for my knees and I sit down on the bed as they buckle. I wouldn’t want to become predictable anyway. He paces like I’m a wild animal, not knowing what to do or to say. I lie down on the bed and turn my body away from him. By the time he dares to sit next to me, the tears have started and I push my face into the sheets but when my shoulders give me away, I feel him turning me, lifting me until I’m sobbing against his chest.

2010, Clarence House

He fusses around me so badly sometimes, it’s peaceful to shut the door to my bathroom and block everything else out, the order, the adherence to a schedule, the need for perfection in everything. It extends into the ways he feels things ought to be conducted, some of these opinions I share, others I do not. His insistence on the both of us bathing rather than showering, for instance, is sometimes irritating, but this morning, the hot water warms my aching bones and I lean back gratefully, pleased with the time to myself.

“Darling, where did you put your phone? It’s ringing and it won’t be quiet.”

Standing in place of the door, he looks at me expectantly, a breath of cold air cooling my shoulders, which sit above the water. My peace shattered, I sigh. “Under my pillow.”

“Under your…” His face screws up in distaste. “You know my thoughts about having that too close to your head.”

“Mmmm. Yes, and you know mine…”

He stands, mouth open like a goldfish. “You care that little about what l think?”

“I’m trying to bathe, Darling, to get a modicum of quiet before…” That look on his face. My words trail off as he’s in a different world. He’s not present when his face looks like that. “Darling?” There’s no response. “Darling!”

“Hmmm?”

“Charles!” That did it. His eyes move up to meet mine. “Finished ogling?”

His cheeks flush slightly and he smirks at me.

“Out!” I point to the door and he turns to leave, chuckling.

I sink down into the tub, letting the water submerge me, enjoying the feeling of tranquillity brought about by the cocoon of the water. Holding my breath and with my eyes closed, I can escape from the world here. When I surface, I should feel reborn. I don’t. Every ache and pain remains. My hair needs washing and I can’t be bothered. Nor do I want to get up and dressed and styled. I’d prefer to stay here all day, reading a book, not moving. Eventually, the heat from the water is transferred into the cool of the air and my skin has wrinkled up into prunes. I toy with simply turning on the hot tap but I hear my husband’s dulcet tones. 

“We’re leaving in an hour. You need to hurry up.”

I sigh. I’ve still not washed my hair. Then the door opens and I consent to help with my hair before being chivvied out of the bath and into my dressing room. It’s a very female sort of peace in here. I’m wrapped in a huge dressing gown as my hairdresser blows my hair dry and styles it, chatting away amiably. Usually, I do my own makeup, but my team have evidently decided that there is not enough time as that’s applied onto me like I’m a doll. My clothes are set out ready for me and I let them dress me, appreciating the help when I can’t summon the energy to do it for myself. Hat affixed, broach pinned on my coat, shoes polished and gloves on, I walk down the stairs towards my impatient husband. He smiles at me, marching down the corridor to help me down the last steps, then kisses my neck, making me chuckle.

“The car’s ready.”

“I’m never late.”

He rolls his eyes at me, “You just enjoy making me panic.”

“Your tie isn’t done correctly.”

“You never think it is.” 

But he smiles down at me, enjoying the fussing as I fix his tie and remove a bit of fluff from his coat, taking pleasure in being able to go to work together, relishing the soft kiss I can give him before I take his arm to walk to the door.

[razieltwelve]

Yun-Farron Solutions (Final Rose AU)

Fang took a moment to savour the scent of the cigar before she took one last puff and then tossed it onto the creature bound by the ring of salt and a handful of esoteric seals painted onto the ground in blood.

“You bitch!” the creature screamed, writhing as the flames spread over its twisted, malformed body. “I’ll kill you! I’ll your family! I’ll kill your fucking dog!”

Fang smirked. Being a werewolf had its benefits. Being able to smoke a cigar without worrying about cancer was one. Being able to use her own blood for seal work without worrying about dying of blood loss was another. But the best thing was being able to laugh at creatures like this for being stupid enough to pick a fight with a werewolf on a full fucking moon.

“You won’t be doing shit.” Fang tossed some more kerosene onto the screaming creature. “Those seals? I’m not sending you back to the Pit. You’re on a one-way trip to Oblivion.”

The creature renewed its struggles, but it wasn’t going anywhere. She’d tracked this damn thing for close to a month. She’d learned exactly what it was, so she could pick seals that would exploit its vulnerability to the max... and then she’d waited for a full moon, so those same seals could be empowered by her werewolf blood.

It was the difference between chugging around in a car with a cute, little V4 engine and roaring around the neighbourhood in a beast with a V8 under the hood. The seals might not be the most efficient things she’d ever thrown together, but they packed a fucking punch like a bazooka.

The creature stopped screaming after another ten minutes. Just to be sure, Fang waited another five minutes before sweeping the ashes into a pile and dousing them in acid. A spritz of holy water on the remains was the finishing touch.

Satisfied that the creature was not only dead but was actually going to stay dead, Fang pulled out another cigar.

“That is an awful habit to have.”

Fang didn’t bother to turn. “Finished up already, sunshine?”

Lightning’s scowl was a physical force. “Yes, actually. The cultists responsible for summoning that thing were surprisingly forthcoming with information.”

“Was that before or after you ate a few of them?”

“I am a vampire, Fang. I do not eat people. I drink their blood.” Lightning sighed. “Was the holy water really necessary?”

“You can never be too careful. Besides, it’s not like it can actually harm you.”

Lightning wasn’t some paltry fledgling in the same way that Fang wasn’t some newly turned pup. Holy water might annoy her, but that’s all it would do.

“Even so. It’s presence is... aggravating.”

Fang turned. As usual, Lightning was dressed like something out of a gothic novel. Ancestors... vampires really did take fashion seriously, especially the older ones. Gods forbid they dress like regular people. Hell, even the younger ones had their own styles, the most popular of which was a kind of steam-punk re-imagining of what they thought the classical era had looked like.

Lightning dressed sort of like that... but then again, she’d actually lived through those times.

“I can tell what you’re thinking,” Lightning drawled. “And I am not about to take fashion advice from someone who dresses like a hobo.” A century or two ago, the words might have been laced with genuine contempt. Now, however, there was only fond exasperation behind them.

“Yeah, well, there’s not much point in my wearing expensive clothes everywhere when transforming rips them to shreds.” Fang took a puff of her cigar. She should order another batch soon. She was starting to run low. “What did you find out?”

“They learned how to summon that thing from an acolyte of a very old friend of ours.” Lightning’s eyes narrowed and flashed scarlet for a split-second.

“Fuck.” Fang snarled. “Salem? Was it asking for too much for the bitch to actually stay dead?”

“Fang, we both knew she was unlikely to stay dead forever. That’s what happens when you bind your soul to a slumbering eldritch monstrosity who is most famous for eating a whole bunch of other eldritch monstrosities. At the very least, however, she can’t be at anything close to full strength if she’s sending her acolytes out to teach a gang of barely literate conjurors who have only just barely glimpsed the surface of the Twilight World.”

Fang sighed. Shit. She really should have brought some booze. As if reading her mind, Lightning tossed her a bottle of bourbon. “Where’d you get this?”

“Fang, if I’m going to murder a whole gang of cultists after tearing through their minds, a bit of theft is hardly going to matter. Besides, it’s not like they were in any condition to appreciate it.” Lightning waited for Fang to take a swig straight from the bottle before doing the same. “We’re going to have to get the band back together, so to speak.”

“Yeah. If Salem is back, we’ll need all of them.” Fang could already feel a headache forming despite her werewolf physiology. “You realise that nobody has even seen Raven for, what, three hundred years or something?”

“Three hundred and twenty-five to be precise.” Lightning’s brows furrowed. “But Summer might know where she is. Even if she hasn’t said anything so far, she’ll tell us once she knows Salem is back.”

“Yeah. That’s true.” Fang glanced up at the moon. “You can handle that, right?”

“Summer and I are still on speaking terms,” Lightning said with careful blandness. “Although she may be reluctant to leave her current... life.”

Fang chuckled and shook her head. “I almost admire her audacity, thinking she and Taiyang can just settle down and live regular lives. None of us can. Once you’ve walked in the Twilight, there’s no going back, not for people who’ve gone as deep as we have.”

"True. But I can’t blame her for trying.” Lightning turned. “We should go. We have calls to make and plans to devise.”

Fang laughed and followed her. “At least Vanille will be happy. Who knows what kind of shit she’s got prepped in case of emergency?”

[suekreandtheidiots]

The Joy of Parenting

Location // Characters: Aberdeen // Sofia and Craig

October 2004 - Sofia and Craig talk about their oldest son.

Status/Notes: finished / I love writing these two, and I love parent couples who are still very much in love with each other after years of being together!

___

October 2004

Strong but gentle arms wrapped around her body from behind, and Sofia closed her eyes, leaning into the very familiar touch with a content smile and breathing in her husband's scent. Sun and salt water in his long hair, his favourite cologne as well as a hint of fresh wood - it was an illustrious scent she could never get enough of, even after twenty years.

"Let's go and eat out tonight, Sof, hm?" Craig murmured into her ear. Sofia could practically see his wide smile, without turning around, right in front of her inner eye.

"What?" she laughed.

"I want to take you out to dinner, dear and hard-working wife of mine."

"Where does that come from now?"

"Well, I feel much better than I did last week, I made a secret wish on my birthday… that is now not so secret anymore, mind you, and it's been ages since the last time we went out. You're always so busy saving animals-"

"He says like it's a bad thing-"

"-and I miss going out with you!"

"Well, our budget's been a bit tight after all, with all the repair work in our bathrooms, Ali's new sets of sports gear and Lance's latest school trips? Besides, we are also still saving up to support him through university." Sofia said, snuggling a little deeper into Craig's embrace, savouring the moment.

"And we always managed to put food on the table, too." Craig said. "We've always been doing just fine, Sof. I have an eye on our finances, too. You just worry too much."

"Nooo, I just prefer to keep my head out of the clouds, unlike a certain gentleman whom I happen to be very much into… despite his tendency to gloss over certain situations." she mocked, knowing that Craig would not take it personally. He never did.

"Have I ever met that bloke? Sounds like an idiot."

There we go.

"Briefly, I think. He's quite adorable, actually." Sofia giggled and lightly patted Craig's arms.

The gentle pats were their own little signal to let go of each other, any time they didn't exactly want to part but had to, and Sofia sure would have loved to lean into her husband for a little while longer, but the ice cream that was sitting at the bottom of one of the grocery bags on the counter was probably about to melt right in front of her eyes within the next few minutes and that was not at all why she had bought it.

Once Craig let go of her, she started unpacking the bags, handing him some of the items so he could store them away.

"Nah, seriously, Sof… what do you say?" Craig tried again, putting a package of spaghetti into the cupboard above him. "Hm? Just us tonight. We can drop Ali off at Finn's and, as far as I know, Lancie has plans, too."

"He does?"

"Heard him say somethin' earlier and from what I understood, he won't be home before ten or so."

"I love how he's only sixteen and just assumes that curfews are no longer a thing for him."

"He's a good kid, Sof."

"I know, I know."

Craig put away the two new boxes of Weetabix and leaned against the counter. A wide smile spread across his face. "So, what do you say? I could get a table at Humphrey's at six o'clock?"

"Hm, go on?"

"Then we should be done with dinner around eight, at the latest, and that still leaves enough time for me to get you home real quick and show you some of my finest woodwork, if you catch my drift."

Sofia groaned. "Dear god, Abbott, that's it, I'm going to hide that book about puns."

"So that's a no to my well-crafted plans?"

Sofia pursed her lips and thought about Craig's idea.

She actually had made plans to declutter her office tonight, to go through all the documents she had not had enough time to sort into their appropriate folders in the past few weeks, and after that she had looked forward to wind down in front of the TV with one of her favourite movies, "Gone With The Wind" (hence the ice cream), and go to bed early, to enjoy a night of peaceful sleep.

A date with her husband, however, with the outlook of some… woodwork, as he apparently liked to put it now, was all too tempting.

Between them both working full time and managing everyday life with two very lively sons, making room for some actual romance could be a challenge, and it really had been a while at this point. Neither Sofia nor Craig had liked that a whole lot.

Sofia decided that her office could probably wait another day or two.

"It's a yes." she smiled. "Stop referring to sex as woodwork, though, and you will get lucky tonight."

"It's a charming code word, though?" Craig hopped on the counter and made himself comfortable, snatching one of the shiny bags next to him, opening it and devouring a handful of crisps within seconds. "Any time the boysh are around and we talk about woodwork, they'd remain entirely cluelesh."

"Really?" Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Have you met your own sons?!"

"Well… at least Ali would be clueless, and he might remain so for a long time, now that his cute little mind revolves all around football."

"Let's just hope so."

Sofia sighed at the very unsettling thought of her youngest eventually growing up, too, and she had just put away a can of baked beans when another thought crossed her mind. She turned to her husband.

"So what is Lancie up to later?" she asked. "I haven't seen him all day, and, well… he never really talks to me anyway."

She did her best to make the last part sound like a casual statement, and she knew that it had never been personal either, but the way Lance felt mostly drawn to Craig still had potential to nag at her sometimes.

"I don't know, really. Think I heard him mention 'Diana', though."

"Dear god, no." Sofia let out another groan, losing composure for a second, despite trying not to, and leaning on the counter in frustration.

Next to her, her husband chuckled and helped himself to another handful of crisps. "You really don't like the little lass, eh?"

"I want to, Pooky, I really do. It's more that... I don't know, I just don't like the way she makes Lancie run after her. That's just not like him at all."

"Sof, he's sixteen. A damn teenager."

"So? Doesn't mean he can't have any standards?"

"You're cute. Do you really need me to spell out for you what he's after?"

"Craig!" Sofia moaned. "You're not helping."

"What? Most of us go through that awful phase, and trust me, it pains us more than it does you."

"And how would you know that?"

"Because you lassies know you're sweet and gorgeous, and intriguing, and that we're all into you no matter what, and you know we know it, and you can do whatever you want with that. Don't tell me you weren't a scheming little goddess at sixteen."

"I wasn't?!"

"I don't believe you at all." Craig laughed. "What I wanted to say, though... we usually come out of that phase as better, wiser people."

Sofia glanced to the side to where Craig was still sitting happily on the counter, his long legs dangling and his blue eyes sparkling with excitement as he was looking at his bag of crisps like it was his own, personal revelation. He, too, resembled a damn teenager in this very moment and it was one of the things she had always loved about her husband - life, no matter the circumstances, had never hardened him and she hoped it never would.

Her lips curled up into a smile. "Better, sure. Wiser however-"

"Hey, I managed to woo you!"

"I was young and very easy to impress." Sofia laughed.

"You were never easy to impress, Miss Thomson, I am really just that great." Craig pointed at himself with two thumbs, grinning like the gorgeous, confident fool he was, before he joined in laughing.

A few moments later, he shrugged and added: "Honestly, Sof, don't even worry. Besides, it's not like there's a whole lot that Lancie could do wrong, so let him do his thing, he'll be fine."

Sofia cocked her head.

It's not like there's a whole lot that Lancie could do wrong.

What a strange and out-of-the-blue statement that was. It sure sparked her curiosity, so she decided to address it.

"What do you mean, he can't do wrong?"

"You know what I mean. Our oldest isn't exactly set up for failure, right?"

"I don't even know how to answer that."

"Just think about it - has Lance ever done anything truly stupid? Name one thing!" Craig dared her, putting his bag of crisps away, before he jumped off the counter, proceeding to put the last few groceries to their designated places.

Sofia smirked and raised an eyebrow. "So you're tryin' to tell me that you already conveniently forgot how he snuck out to a party he wasn't allowed to go to last year?"

Her husband turned around, making a face. "Oh, that-"

"And didn't even manage to sneak back in, like he had planned? Instead he passed out drunk at some stranger's house and we called him about three hundred times, worried sick, before he gave a sign of life - the next afternoon."

Craig pressed his lips into a thin line, and he blinked. "Just, uh… name one other thing he fucked up."

Sofia laughed and gently tugged at the hem of her husband's sweater jacket. "Pooky, what are you even on about?"

"That party incident was merely a glitch, don't you think? What I'm saying is that our son is a force of nature. I'm so proud of him. I mean, he's good at everything he tries, it almost scares me."

Ah. The age old tale of the Golden Boy. Sofia looked down and bit her lip.

She had always loved how Craig had proved to be a devoted father. In spite of what everyone else had to say about their young relationship back in the days, he had done simply amazing right from the start and while there had been many voices trying to talk her out of 'settling for that silly lad', Sofia had always… known. Sure, Craig had been young, but even back then, in his very early twenties, she had sensed that hint of security about him. It was never about money, status and possessions, she could've had that plenty of times. Craig Abbott had the heart and soul that she had always looked for, to even think about starting a family. Craig had always seen her for her, and he wholeheartedly believed in the people he loved.

Sofia had always known that and not much had changed about it, but the past was the past and the present was right here, always waiting to be faced in whatever way necessary. And believing in loved ones was one thing. Putting them on a pedestal, however, was another.

"Lance is good at everything he does, that's true." Sofia nodded reluctantly and she let a few more moments pass before she went on. "And I'm beginning to wonder whether that's actually a good thing."

Craig put his hands on each side of her neck and gently caressed it with his thumbs. "That doesn't make any sense, love. How can that not be a good thing?"

"Because I'm not sure if I like the person he's becoming... because of that."

"Come on, Sof. What is that even supposed to mean?"

"Haven't you noticed how... reckless he has become? Inconsiderate? I mean... sometimes?"

"He's neither reckless nor inconsiderate, he's confident."

"Confidence is a good thing, I'd never complain about that. I don't know, Craig, it's the way he talks to his friends sometimes. His tone, his manners. Happens with Cal, mostly. You might want to listen a little closer the next time the two are talking."

Craig sighed. "I don't know... aren't you reading a bit too much into all of this?"

Sofia knew that her husband was not exactly trying to brush off her concerns or to invalidate her perception on purpose but it still angered her a little that he did not even try to think about it for a while longer, pretty much proving her point right on the spot.

"Perhaps I am." she shrugged. "I can't help but notice a little change, though. You keep encouraging him in a way that... I don't know." She sighed. "I don't know, Craig. There's just something I don't quite like about this."

"So what? Lance has figured some things out sooner than others, what's the big deal? Makes things easier for us! It's what I'm talking about after all, he's a bright one, and I still don't know how that's a bad thing."

"Because teenage years are exactly the time to fuck up. It's how we truly learn and grow. We make mistakes. We learn. We grow. All the time, on repeat. We need to experience those mistakes, to really feel the weight of them. That way, we learn how to reflect ourselves. How is Lance supposed to do that if no one is around to humble him every once in a while?"

"You want us to wear our own kid down?!"

"God, Craig, no!" Sofia groaned. "Of course not. All I want to say is… you might want to grant him a little more room to make mistakes. Because he will. He already has. Question the things he says. Look a little closer, just every once in a while."

"Who says I'm not doing that?"

"I'm not saying that it happens on purpose, but you aren't exactly- I mean, sometimes-" Sofia struggled to find the right words. "The way you talk about him sometimes, like he's already a fully fledged grown up friend of yours… it concerns me."

Craig pulled his eyebrows together and made a tiny step back. "But… why? I love him and I admire him. Why can't my son be my friend, too? How is my support wrong all of a sudden?"

"It's not wrong but… I don't know, Craig. And you know what, sometimes I can't help but ask myself whether you remember that we have another son."

"Hey, no. Just no! That's not fair, Sof." Her husband now let go of her entirely. He took another step back, crossing his arms in obvious defense, and shooting her a glance of disapproval. "You know I love Ali just as much!"

"Well, I can sure assume that, but does Ali know?"

"Sofia, what the fuck is this about? How did we go from dinner plans to me being on family trial, what did I even do?"

Sofia looked down and shook her head. Damn. That was not at all how she had meant for her concerns to come out. She made a step forward and gently squeezed her husband's upper arms and she knew she was not exactly acting reasonable right now, but acting reasonable could be so hard when the subject of debate was her children. Her still-so-very-young sons.

She had to let Craig know that this was still an eye-to-eye discussion.

"Look, I'm sorry, Pooky." she said, stroking his arms. "You are definitely not on trial, and I am not trying to hurt you here, but… sometimes I can't shake off the feeling that you're..."

Doing more harm than good. No, way too harsh. And not quite true either. Sofia pondered her choice of words carefully.

"... that you're putting Lancie in a position he is not at all ready to be in. You may see a force of nature but he is still a boy, Craig."

"Are you… are you tryin' to tell me that I love my son too much?"

"No. No, Craig, that is absolutely not what I'm trying to tell you." Sofia shook her head. "I love the way you love him, alright? I'm just a wee bit worried you might be putting more pressure on him sometimes than what is good for him, without you even realising. You know how you get carried away at times-"

"I'm not putting any pressure on him!"

"Craig-"

"It's not like I expect him to do any of the things he does? I never expected him to master "Painkiller" on the drums at only fourteen, I never expected him to do that well in school and I sure don't expect him to go to med school. It is what he wants, Sof, it's all him! He is the driving force in his own life, he has always been."

"I know that!"

"So what are we even arguing about?!"

"We're not arguing!"

"No? Because it feels like that to me!"

"We're not! I just happen to know that Lance looks up to you. He looks up to you so much, and it might not appear like that to you but he wants your approval. He wants you to think high of him. I know my son, too. He might favour you and he might not even be aware of all the things I just said, but I can see it."

"If it was me he looks up to, he would strive to become a rockstar and hedonist."

"Craig." Sofia breathed out in mild exhaustion and she rested her forehead against her husband's chest.

"The doctor thing is cool, too, though." Craig said after a few moments, offering a tone so soft now that Sofia instantly knew that she had him back on her side, right where he belonged. Craig put his arms around her once more and gently rested his head on hers. This felt good. They stood like that for a while until Sofia felt ready to speak again.

"All I want to say is… try and look behind the facade at times. Be gentle with him." she murmured. "After all, this world won't always be. He might be more fragile than both of you think."

"I am gentle with him. He doesn't care for it all that much."

"I'm not telling you to coddle him. I just- I need to be sure you have his back, even when he messes up."

"Why would you even question that?" Craig asked, unusually timid, stroking her hair while he was still gently rocking her in his arms.

"I know you think he can't do anything wrong but... just play pretend for a moment." Sofia pulled out of his embrace, not much, but just far enough so she could look up into his face. "Assume that Lance does something really stupid... will you be there for him? Will he have your unconditional love and support, even when he's not the amazing self you admire so much? Even when he makes loving him very hard?"

"Sofia-"

"I just need to know, Craig. Please."

Her husband took a deep breath, and he also took his time before he answered.

"Sofia, I will always love him, no matter what he does. And I will always be there for him, too. Even when he messes up. Even when he messes up bad. It... it hurts that I have to spell it out like that."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm having a moment. It's been quite a week, I'm letting it all out on you and I'm so sorry."

"It's all good, love, but you need to tell me what this is really about."

Sofia pondered the question. "I don't know. Sometimes I hate seeing him grow up so fast. Love it, too. But mostly hate it these days. The world is scary, and I keep wondering whether we're giving our sons enough-"

"Shhh. Hey. Our sons have great parents, trust me. They will be fine."

"Why can't I be the funny and gorgeous, happy-go-lucky half of this relationship at times?"

"Because you're perfect the way you are, and no one wants you any other way. And I get that you're thinking about these things, Sof, I really do. I think about it, too. But our sons growing up is the way things are supposed to be, and we may not always like it but neither you nor I can change it. All we can do is watch them live in the moment."

"I know." Sofia sighed. "Wow, that was one hell of a speech, I just remembered again why I love you."

"I told you I'm just that great!" Craig smirked down at her, earning himself a light punch to his upper arm but it only made him laugh and pull her a little closer again. "It'll be alright, love, Lancie still has us. And just to assure you once more - I'll be around to catch him the second he falls. I promise."

Sofia nodded. "Alright, good. I'm sorry, Pooky... can't promise it won't happen again but I'm done being a crazy mother hen for now."

"As long as you always end up telling me what's on your mind, I'm fine with you acting a little crazy at times."

Sofia let out a little laugh and gave her husband another little squeeze.

"Are we good?" Craig asked, kissing the top of her head.

"We're always good." she assured him and stood up on her toes to kiss him. "I meant what I said earlier, though."

"Hm?"

"I know you love him. Of course you do, but please make some room for Ali, too. It won't hurt. He needs his father just as much, if not more. I mean, you have already established that Lance is a force of nature so I think you can let him run free sometimes."

"That coming from you, right after your crazy mother hen meltdown?"

"Arsehole."

Craig let out a hearty laugh. "I promise I'll make room for my little Ali. Of course I will. He'll be fed up with me soon enough."

"You don't need to suffocate him?!" Sofia scoffed. "Just... pay a little attention to him, he's really sweet and entertaining, actually."

"I know he is, and now that I think of it... the prospect of having an entire lifetime of pestering both my sons to pure and utter exhaustion ahead of me... it's pretty great!"

"Oh god." Sofia groaned and rolled her eyes, but she did it with an honest smile. It felt so good to let it all out every once in a while, and another thing she loved about her husband was that he always had a way of making her feel better.

"Honestly, I live for that!" Craig added, a mischievous little spark in his eyes. "For now, though... how about we both finally enjoy the prospect of going out to dinner later?"

"Sounds great to me!"

***