#Dude my phone has been back to back updating

[zero-is-nebulous]

Whats he lookin at

[immortalmrwavell]

Proof of Possession

(Original story posted January 6th 2022 and January 14th 2022) This story has been mildly Updated!

This story was originally posted in two parts but I’ve decided repost both parts together for your reading convenience

(Part 1)

Danny leaned back into the couch after the bizarre secret that his roommate Jacob had just confessed to him. “So… you expect me to believe that you actually have the ability to possess people? Come on Jacob. Really??” He snorted at the idea like any sane person would.

“Well I mean… it’s more like I merge with them kinda. It’s not like I become a ghost or anything. I can push myself inside their bodies and become one with them.” Jacob explained, trying his best to describe the power he held.

“Oh of course. Now it makes total sense.” Danny rolled his eyes a little.

Jacob sighed. “Okay I get. You still don’t believe me. That’s fair. I wouldn’t believe me either so I’ll just have to prove it to ya.”

“W-what do you mean…” Danny gave his roommate a weird look. He still didn’t believe Jacob but he couldn’t help feeling a tad on edge at that moment.

Jacob held his hands up innocently. “Don’t worry I’m not gonna do it to you dude. I was thinking of Mr Reigner maybe?” He began, immediately seeing the way Danny’s eyes lit up at the mention of their dilf neighbor. “I’ve seen the way you look at him. Can’t blame you either. Absolute daddy material. So how about I head over there, use my power on him. I’ll even send you some hot pictures of him from his phone as proof.”

“You know what?” Danny began, leaning forwards. “This sounds not only impossible but completely stupid… but if you’re somehow telling the truth then my phone is always on me…”

Jacob grinned. He’d kept these powers a secret for what felt like ages now. To finally have someone to share it with was going to be fantastic!

———

It was only a few weeks back when Jacob discovered he could actually take over the bodies of other people. In fact the first time it happened was by complete accident.

He’d been admiring this guy at the gym. Jacob had seen the dude there a lot which wasn’t surprising seeing how jacked the dude was. Guy looked like a total meathead and totally Jacob’s type. Naturally Jacob found his eyes wandering towards the hunk fairly often. He couldn’t help but imagine what it must’ve been like having a huge muscled body like that.

On this particular day Jacob watched as the hunk left for the locker room after his workout. That was when he noticed the jock had forgotten his water bottle nearby one of the machines he’d been using. Seeing this as a chance to talk to the handsome hunk he’d been eyeing up for months, Jacob grabbed the water bottle in an attempt to return it to its rightful owner. Perhaps he’d even get the chance to do some subtle flirting.

The bottle even had the dude’s name written on it. ‘Sam Warren’ it said.

Upon entering the locker room, Jacob whipped his head around in search of the guy he’d been drooling over only to find him standing in nothing but a towel. Jacob managed to dig up the courage to go over and talk to Sam. Yet as he got closer, he couldn’t help but further admire the man’s incredible side profile. Sam had a hypnotic shelf of hefty muscle he called pecs along with a pair of enormous arms that were probably strong enough to lift Jacob without a thought.

All he could think about was how amazing it would be to pilot a body like that. To take up so much space with all that muscle. To flex those pecs in a mirror every morning. To have men and women alike practically throwing themselves at him for a chance to hang from one of those gorgeous biceps. Those thoughts persisted through his mind as he grabbed the hunk’s massive shoulder.

“Hey man, is this your water bottle?” Is what Jacob would’ve said had he not felt a powerful jolt of energy surge through his entire being upon touching Sam. The same energy flowed through Sam’s body causing the jock to let out a sudden grunt in shock and discomfort.

That’s when something truly unimaginable happened. Slowly but surely Jacob’s hand began sinking into Sam’s flesh. He tried to pull himself back in a blind panic by grabbing hold of Sam’s other shoulder for support without thinking. Next thing he knew, Jacob’s other hand also began sinking inside.

Sam was unable to do anything but groan and let out the occasional curse. He wanted to shout and shove this scrawny guy away somehow but his entire body felt as though it was paralysed. All he could feel was Jacob's hands and arms sinking deeper into his body. Before long Jacob’s arms had completely disappeared inside the hunk, pulling him in closer as his chest began to press against Sam’s muscular back.

Then things started to get even freakier. As Jacob tried to move his arms from inside Sam, it was actually Sam’s massive ones that began to respond. At first they just twitched a little. But the more effort Jacob tried, the more control he gained until he was moving Sam’s arms like a puppeteer from behind.

He didn’t have much time to wrap his mind around it though as Jacob felt his own legs and torso begin to stick to Sam’s back and legs. His body somehow phased through both his own clothes and Sam’s towel. This time Jacob didn’t resist though. In fact as he started to realise what was happening, he started to go along with it.

He willingingly pushed his legs into Sam’s huge trunks, allowing the process to hasten rather significantly. Within a few moments his legs had become one with Sam’s. But that wasn’t all as Jacob thrust his hips as hard as he could against Sam’s thick muscle ass, allowing his cock and balls to phase inside the hunk. The process of which caused Sam’s large jock cock to twitch.

Soon enough Jacob’s backside disappeared inside Sam as well and his torso was already halfway there. Sam’s legs stumbled a little as Jacob gained control, just about catching himself before they fell. In that time Jacob’s torso had enough time to finish merging with Sam leaving only Jacob’s head now sticking out of that muscular back.

“N-nooooo-uughhh… get outta m-aarrhh… b-bro-uughhhh…” Was all the dumb jock could say between all his moans as quickly lost control of his entire body. Slowly but surely being forced into the passenger seat as Jacob took over.

Jacob had to admit, He was a little worried. He didn’t know what was going to happen to him once his head got pulled in. Would he still be himself? Would he remember what happened? Would he just become Sam? Unfortunately it didn’t seem like he had a choice now so he put on a brave face and took a deep breath. Moments after finally allowing his head to sink inside.

Sam’s eyes rolled back as his whole body convulsed for a moment or two. For him everything faded to black as his mind was pushed deep into his own subconscious. This however allowed enough room for Jacob’s mind to move in and take over completely. After a few moments his bulky new body began to settle as Jacob was at last able to see out of a new pair of eyes.

“Holy fuckkkkkk…” Were the first words that came out of his mouth. He sounded just like Sam. He WAS Sam! Jacob looked down at himself to see he was now in full control of the massive hunky body he’d been lusting over for god knows how long. He had no idea how any of it was possible but… it was!

He certainly didn’t waste any time getting to know his buff new form. Within seconds Jacob was already playing with Sam’s pecs. Squeezing them, flexing them and bouncing them to his delight. He did everything you could imagine a guy in his position would do. Flex his biceps, marvel at his newfound size and height, play with new ass a little, admiring his new and much deeper voice. It was beyond exhilarating!

Doing so created quite the stirring in his crotch and before he knew it Jacob was dropping his towel to see Sam’s juicy cock springing to attention. Pulsing and eager to be jerked. Jacob couldn’t help but wrap a hand around his new rod while flexing a bicep. He was already loving how huge and powerful he felt.

“Fuuuuuuck Bro! This feels insane!” The way he found himself speaking took him off guard a little. Bro? That’s not something he’d usually say. It must’ve been Sam’s jock personality seeping through. “Sooooo fucking huuuge!” He continued as he took no shame in kissing his biceps.

“S-Sam?” A voice came from across the locker room.

Jacob turned to see another buff as fuck dude. He recognised the man straight away. He’d been working out with Sam earlier on in the gym. In that moment Jacob found himself subconsciously digging into Sam’s memories and found that the dude’s name was Ken.

Though the other jock clearly looked shocked to see his gym buddy standing naked and gripping his cock, Ken also looked a little flustered as well. His eyes darted towards Jacob’s crotch more than once. That certainly wasn’t the response you’d get from any straight man which could only mean…

Jacob sauntered over towards Ken, his hard cock bobbing slightly as he did. “Go on. Grab it. I know you want to bro.” Jacob grinned devilishly, glancing down at his cock then back up at Ken. He couldn’t believe what he was saying but being in this body filled him with an unprecedented amount of confidence.

After that the rest of that day went on like an orgasmic blur for Jacob. First with him and Ken worshiping each other's thick muscular bodies. Only stopping when some other guys came into the locker room prompting them to run off to the showers together. It wasn’t long before Jacob had Ken on his knees sucking him off until he nutted down Ken’s throat. And shortly after Jacob was more than happy to return the favor.

Once they were finished, the pair got dressed before heading over to Sam’s place. Jacob drew on the memories of his host once again to find the way. The moment they entered the apartment, they were already making out again. Tugging their clothes straight back off until they made it to the bedroom. What transpired after that was a long evening of hot passionate sex where Jacob made sure to get his new virgin jock hole nice and stretched.

The following morning Jacob was the first to wake. One of his huge arms was draped over Ken’s still sleeping body. So far he’d loved every second of being Sam. Having these huge muscles and getting fuck another muscle stud over and over. It was an absolute dream come true! However, now that he had some time to himself, he began to wonder if he’d be stuck in this body forever. Would he want that? As amazing as this was, did he really want to leave his old life behind forever?

As doubts began to well up inside him, a strange feeling began to rack his body. It wasn’t too dissimilar from what he felt when he first merged with Sam. Before he knew it, his eyes began to roll back as his vision went totally black.

Jacob began losing control of Sam’s body causing it to go limp as his original body was slowly ejected out. Moments later, Jacob regained his vision as his head popped out of Sam’s back followed by his torso, legs and finally arms. It was almost like pulling off a body suit he’d been wearing.

Now back to his usual scrawny self, Jacob hopped off the bed as Sam’s body laid unconscious. Since his clothes had disappeared when he originally merged with Sam, he now found himself standing completely naked as he looked over the two sleeping hunks. In a panic, he quickly but quietly grabbed some of Sam’s discarded clothes. They were far too big but they’d have to do as he snuck out of the apartment.

Once he was out, Jack couldn’t help but laugh as he thought about how the real Sam was gonna react when he woke up. Sleeping in bed next to his gym buddy with a sore asshole. As a straight man he was never gonna live that one down.

Jacob learned to better control and understand his power over the next couple weeks. He possessed so many more men. All different shapes and sizes. All with different lives and backgrounds.

And all he had to do was touch them while wishing to become them.

Pretty simple right? Then once he’d enjoyed himself enough in a guy's body for long enough, all he had to do was wish he were himself again and he’d be ejected out. Ready to move on to the next guy.

———

Now Jacob was leaving his apartment to go pay his neighbor Mr Reigner a visit. Of course his roommate Danny didn’t believe him after finally he decided to tell him about his power. But he was certain taking over Mr Reigner would be more than enough to change his mind…

———

(Part 2)

After hearing a prompt knock at his apartment door, Mr Reigner opened up to see none other than one of the college boys from next door. “Oh Hey. What’s up Jacob? Something you need?”

“Nah nothing much Mr Reigner. I was just wondering if I could come inside to talk to you about something.” Jacob shrugged with an innocent smile.

“Of course! Come in. It’s my day off so I’ve got as much time as you need.” The man said with a genuine smile. “And call me Mike. Mr Reigner makes me sound old.” He added as he moved to the side to allow the younger man to pass.

Jacob almost began to feel bad about this as he entered the apartment. Mike was genuinely such a nice guy… but that didn’t change the fact that he looked like a total dilf. Besides, it wasn't like he was planning on stealing that sexy body forever. Just a little while so he could prove his powers to Danny that was all. And have a little fun of course. And so Jacob strolled through to the living room before seating himself on the couch, soon followed by Mike.

“So, what’s it you wanted to talk about?” Mike questioned.

“Well you see… I recently lost my job and I was wondering if you could help me look for a new one?” What he said wasn’t even a total lie. Due to multiple accounts of absence and lateness throughout the last couple weeks, Jacob had actually been fired from his retail job at one of the local shops. Of course this was all due to Jacob not being able to resist using his newfound power on hot dudes whenever he got the chance. Could you blame him for completely losing track of time?

Upon hearing that news Mike, the sweet guy that he was, jumped at the chance to help his young neighbor out. He said he’d make them both a cup of coffee then they could start discussing what Jacob wants to do and start by looking online for something. Being a carpenter himself, Mike mentioned that he may even be able to get Jacob an apprenticeship in carpentry if that’d be something he was interested in. And with that the older man headed off into the kitchen to make those coffee’s he promised.

After that Jacob decided he’d better get this done now before he loses his nerve. He waited about a minute or so before taking a deep breath. He jumped up from the couch and quietly made his way into the kitchen. There he saw Mike standing by the countertop with two cups as he began filling the coffee pot.

The young and very horny college boy couldn’t help but silently stare at his hot neighbor’s dad butt pressed tightly against those welling fitting shorts he wore. Just looking at it was giving him a boner. He wanted to have that ass sooo bad badly and in more ways than one. He still felt a little guilty but… to hell with it! Jacob let his hormones takeover as he practically pounced on Mike, wrapping his arms tightly around the older man.

“Jacob! What ar-roooo-o-o-o-oooooohhhhhaaa!” Mike’s words swiftly devolved into a powerful groan as his body tensed up. Mike found himself unable to move an inch as the super powered 20 year old held him tightly. Mike was only just able to tilt his head down enough to see the impossible happening right before his eyes. Jacob’s hands and arms phasing through his shirt and into his body!

The college boy hugged his sexy neighbor as tightly as possible, trying to push his body inside as quickly as possible. After having had some experience now, the possession merge process had become quite a pleasure for Jacob. It was written all over his face with a dumb smile as his chest and stomach phased through the clothes and entered Mike’s back. He couldn’t help himself as he thrust his hips forwards, smashing his crotch into the bigger man’s ass causing them both to groan out while Jacob’s cock, balls and pelvis sunk into Mike’s ass. His head was already about half way in by this point as he pressed his legs against his neighbor bigger, meatier and hairier ones. Mike’s eyes rolled back as Jacob’s entire being sucked itself inside his flesh. Finally ending as the college boy's clothes fell to the ground.

Mike’s, or rather now Jacob’s, eyes fluttered for a moment. Jacob’s being was getting itself settled inside the dilf body, causing it to jitter and convulse slightly. Eventually his eyes opened again once he’d gotten comfortable, now in full control of this handsome new body.

Without hesitation Jacob practically ripped off his shirt with a lust ridden look on Mike’s face. He tossed it to the floor before running his hands along the dense forest of fur covering his new chest and stomach. It felt wonderful…

“Damn this feels incredible! So fuckin’ hairy!” Out of all the men he’d merged with so far, Mike was by far the hairiest and he absolutely adored it! Not to mention the awesome beard. He felt like such a man! It was hard to even explain. Sure he’d merged with bodies that had bigger chests and bigger biceps but this was just a whole other experience. So far Jacob had only been taking over the bodies of dudes his age. So now being inside Mike’s more mature 36 year old body was truly something else.

As his hands continued to roam across his furry new torso and rub through his beard, Jacob’s new cock was quickly beginning to chub up. Not being able to resist the tent he’d made in Mike’s shorts, Jacob pulled open the waistband and the briefs Mike had been wearing to get a look at what the older man was packing. He certainly wasn’t disappointed as he was greeted by a thick, uncut cock that must’ve been a good about 7 inches or so. Reaching inside, he couldn’t help but give the pulsing rod a few strokes, sending waves of joy throughout his dilf body.

That’s when he noticed Mike’s phone sitting on the counter top and remembered what he’d promised to Danny. Digging up the self restraint to tuck his hard cock away, Jacob grabbed the phone and unlocked it with Face ID before swiping directly over to the selfie camera.

“Fuuuck… Mike is suuuuch a hot daddy.” He muttered to himself. Even the sound of Mike’s voice coming out of his mouth making his cock buck.

Once he’d finished admiring his handsome yet stolen face, he held out the phone and started taking a few photos and before picking out his favourite one. Jacob then jumped over to contacts before tying in Danny’s number. After that he selected the photo and sent it to his skeptical roommate along with a message

— Believe me now boy? —

Danny saw the message and picture moments. He must’ve been in shock because it took him a good minute to finally respond.

— Mr Reigner?? What are you talking about? —

Jacob rolled his eyes. There was no way Danny still didn’t believe this.

— Nope. It's Jacob! But can keep calling me Mr Reigner if you want 😏 —

At first he wanted to call Danny an idiot for thinking the real Mr Reigner would send something like that but…he didn’t wanna sound mean. Guess that was Mike’s kind personality slipping through.

— I told you I could take over bodies! —

Once again Danny saw the message but took a little while to respond.

— No no no this is a prank. You and Jacob are pranking me. People can’t just take over other people’s bodies. That’s all stupid sci-fi shit —

— Fine. If you still don’t believe me then I’ll just have to prove it in person. I’ll be over in 2 minutes 😘 —

With that Jacob set down the phone before heading out of Mike's apartment in nothing but his blue shorts and trainers. As he walked down the apartment complex hallway, he saw one of the other neighbors, Mr Davis, who Mike was good friends with. He couldn’t help but give the man a kind smile. Saying hello just as Mike would. Mr Davis gave him an odd look likely due to his bare chested ness but gave a friendly hello back regardless.

Danny’s heart jumped when he heard a knock at the door. After getting those messages, and especially that photo, from Mr Reigner he didn’t know what to think. There was no way Jacob had actually done what he said right? Possessing their dilf of a neighbor? There was no way…

He jumped up from the couch and made his way over to the door, hesitating for a moment before pushing down the handle. Opening the door, Danny was greeted by the man he’d had countless wet dreams standing shirtless before him with a devious smirk.

“Believe me now?” Mike smirked.

“J-Jacob? Is that really…you?” Danny still didn’t quite believe it but at the same time he was sure Mr Reigner wouldn't agree to go this far for a prank right?

Jacob gave Danny a soft smile as he leant down to his roommates level. Their faces were mere inches away. The hairy dad placed a gentle hand on Danny’s cheek before leaning in and sealing their lips with a soft kiss. Jacob’s beard felt incredible as it rubbed against Danny’s skin. This moment was everything the latter had ever wanted since he first laid eyes on Mr Reigner. Those ten seconds felt as though they lasted an eternity until the older man finally pulled away. Danny almost melted into a puddle as he looked deeply into those kind, soft brown eyes.

“Would the real Mr Reigner do that? Of course it’s me!” Jacob laughed.

He was right. The real Mr Reigner was straight and that kiss felt way too real for it to be part of a joke still. Which could only mean that it wasn’t a joke at all. This really was the real deal!

With that Danny offered the man inside, closing the door behind them. They sat down in the living room as Jacob re-explained his powers to Danny who this time around had a far more open mind about it.

“Sooo ummm… what should I call you now? Jacob or Mr Reigner?” Danny wondered.

“Oh just call me Mike. I hardly look like Jacob anymore and saying Mr Reigner makes me sound old.” Jacob chuckled. He didn’t even realise how he’d said almost the exact same thing that Mike had earlier.

“Well then Mike…” Danny began as he stood back up. “How’s about I help you break that new body of yours in a little.” He outstretched an arm to Jacob, pulling him up from his chair.

“I’d say that sounds like a wonderful idea.” Jacob leaned in for another kiss, this one far deeper than the last one as he felt Danny’s hands start to explore his hairy chest, squeezing his pecs as if he’d waited his whole life for it. “You know I got a good feel for my new dick earlier. I think you’re gonna love it boy. Nice and thick. And balls full of cum just for you.” He growled, trying to play into a more daddy-like persona as he glanced down at the growing hard on in his shorts.

Danny reached down and grasped Jacob’s cock through the fabric, earning a grunt from the man. “Holy fuck… you weren’t kidding. That thing is thick!” He stated, giving Jacob a rush of pride.

However Danny’s other hand drifted down the ridges of Mike’s back until he reached the waistband of those tight blue shorts. “However I was wondering…” His hand pushed down past the waistband into the shorts, causing Jacob to grunt again as he squeezed one of those hairy globes he called ass cheeks. “…If I could take that furry bubble butt of yours out for a spin first?”

With a chuckle Jacob agreed before the two locked lips once again. They continued making out with a fiery passion while slowly making their way over to Danny’s bedroom, discarding their clothing as they went. Danny wasted no time pushing Jacob down onto the bed, Mike’s furry ass presented in all its glory. After devouring that hairy hole for a good few minutes, he lubed up and slipped his cock inside. Jacob cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure as Mike’s virgin dad hole was suddenly stretched by a young college boy cock. Luckily for him though Mike’s body seemed to be quite the natural when it came to anal. Before long his ass was already adjusting to the feeling of a cock stretching it and before long he was groaning out in that deep baritone voice while Danny jackhammered that ass relentlessly. It wasn’t long before Danny could feel himself getting close.

“Come on boy! Daddy wants you to breed his hole with that delicious cum!”

Hearing his hot neighbor say those words sent Danny over the edge. He couldn’t hold back any longer as his cock exploded with cum inside the older man’s hairy ass. Filling that once never before used hole with a healthy load it so desperately needed. Afterwards they both looked at each-over, happy and exhausted as Danny pulled his cock from Jacob’s ass.

“Alright two minute break then it’s my turn to breed your ass!” Jacob stated with a grin.

———

And so the rest of that afternoon was spent exactly how you’d imagine. The two taking turns fucking one another until they finally wore themselves out. Now they laid in bed, Danny snuggling his head against Jacob’s hairy chest.

“So how long do you think you’re gonna stay as Mike?” Danny asked curiously

“I haven’t really decided yet… the longest I’ve stayed inside a guy was just over a day. Always feel like I need to get back to my life you know?” Jacob responded truthfully.

“…”

Jacob turned and looked at his roommate. “You want me to stay inside Mike don’t ya?”

“…Yeah.” Danny admitted with a blush.

“Well…I suppose I could stay for a while. And who knows if I like this body enough and it likes me then… I might see if I can make it a permanent arrangement.” Jacob grinned.

Danny looked up at Jacob in surprise. “No way… would you actually consider doing that?” He asked, trying not to sound too excited.

Jacob looked down at his bigger, hairier body before rubbing a hand through his hair and beard. Mike’s body was everything he’d ever wished he could be and now he had it. Why not keep it? Of course it wouldn’t be easy with the sudden disappearance of his old body and what not but he was sure they’d get through it. Besides, being inside Mike just felt so good. His kind and loving nature was having an incredible effect on him so far.

“Of course. How could I resist wanting to be your daddy?” He teased.

With that the new Mike kissed Danny on the forehead as they went back to an evening full of cuddling and kissing. Talking endlessly about how they were gonna spend the rest of their lives.

[bleedingoptimism]

Eddie manages the band's TikTok when they are on tour. The content is mostly behind the scenes of them on the road, news about where they will be going next, band practice, jam sessions, etc. The boys have been friends since high school and get along amazingly, like family. But also like shit, just like family. So there are also videos of Eddie laughing while Frank yells at Jeff for farting on his pillow in the tour bus or Eddie filming himself while running as Gareth chases after him for eating the last cookie. HIS last cookie.

The channel is pretty popular even though it doesn't update often. And the links to their merch store and ticket store while on tour, help a lot with the band's expenses. Music being online makes people buy fewer albums and vinyls. And Spotify paying 0,03 cents per song makes being an up-and-coming band that needs money to rent a studio for recording, bus fares, hotel accommodations and to pay the roadies and technicians… kinda hard.

But the TikTok helps! So Chrissy, Eddie's best friend, Gareth's fiance, and their manager, suggests that Eddie keeps the TikTok going while on break from tour.

It doesn't take long to come up with the perfect idea. Restoring Eddie's old van to make it a small house on wheels for road-tripping. But they’ll need a handyman, someone who knows what they are doing.

Luckily, Chrissy has a solution to that. Her cousin Vicky, just came back from traveling the coast on a huge RV with her girlfriend and her girlfriend’s best friend and, according to Vicky, the man is an expert. He built the whole thing himself, from the ground up. So Chrissy tells Vicky, who asks Robin, who talks to Steve, and the meeting is set up.

On the day of the meeting, Eddie parks the van outside his place, sits on the back, and hits record on his phone, “Morning!” he says to the camera, squinting one eye as the sun hits his face because it’s actually noon, “I’m gonna do something fun during the tour break and I wanted to take yall with me. You see, ever since I was young, I've had this dream. Well, other than becoming a musician who can live off his music, thank you for that by the way,” he smiles and tips an invisible hat towards the camera. “The second thing I've always wanted is having one of those built-in movin' houses, a little RV, a camping van, you know the ones” he wiggles his brows and moves the phone a little around him, to show where he’s sitting so people know where he’s going with this.

“Sooo I asked a friend of a friend of a friend, who is an expert on making dreams come true, to help me and we are gonna mod my van. My lovely Haley, my faithful baby, who has been with me since the beginning… I'm scared. This dude better be good.” he laughs nervously.

part two -> 📱💞🚙

And then his focus shifts to something behind his phone, “Oh, here he comes now!” he waves enthusiastically and keeps looking, either forgetting he’s still filming his reaction or too distracted to save face, he squints a little and then frowns, blushes and, chuckles nervously again, “Oh no. he’s hot.”

☕🥐💕 coffee? by the lake's shore?

[ohisms]

✱˚｡⋆ ↪ 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐍'𝐓 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏 ! ( a collection of sentence starters from season  1 of nbc's “ good girls ”. adjust phrasing as necessary . will be updated in the future . mature themes are present . )

specificity is good , but that's over the top .

chill , i'm like two minutes late .

alright , everybody be cool and nobody gets hurt .

do you think i could make it in L.A. ?

i don't need all that . i just want to be super famous .

you know , i'm just not really much of a church person .

maybe next time you'll take security more seriously .

oh my god , can you please just listen to me for one damn minute ?!

shame on you . shame on all of you .

move it before i shoot your face off , let's go !

you should probably get yourself a lawyer .

why is it so crazy ? i mean , it's a victimless crime .

can't you have my back on one thing , ever ?

this is me helping you not ruin your life .

damn . that was a good sell .

i should have been more careful , i panicked .

no ! i mean ... i don't know . maybe .

we're gonna rob that store .

have you lost your mind ?

we can't sit back and let everything be taken away from us .

no one's gonna fix this . we have to do it ourselves .

[ name ] ... hello ? are you okay in there ?

how did you have the money for all of this ?

i'm here to clean up a mess , [ name ] .

it's not a knock , we all have our strengths and weaknesses . you're a beautiful dummy . it doesn't make you a bad person .

this is five grand . enough for a plane ticket , and to get you started .

i guess you won't mind if i go to the cops , then . right ?

i handled it because you couldn't .

you've got a little ... on your face , kind of looks like blood .

what am i looking at right now ? WHAT am i even looking at right now ?

[ name ] , this is life or death .

i choose death . GIVE ME DEATH .

i have ... sort of a favor to ask .

it's not like you can't afford it .

what do you need that much money for ?

thank you for making me completely humiliate myself for no reason .

this is what winning feels like .

i'm gonna need you to say it with me . we are winning .

it's not like you're gonna kill me .

you don't have the guts . you're not killers .

thought you'd pull a fast one , huh ? make a quick buck ?

girls like you , you never think things through .

you've done this your whole life . you make these big messes and expect everyone else to clean it up . then you just ignore it .

you can't leave me here forever .

you are an incredible liar .

when bad things happen to good people , everyone goes crazy .

if it could happen to us , it could happen to anyone .

roll the dice . tell them to pull the trigger . see what happens .

hey , looks like we've got a survivor .

i am going the speed limit . i don't wanna get a ticket .

where does he think he's going ? boy , this is hard to watch .

if you go to the cops , so will i .

i thought we were done with this .

oh ! you'd rather just declare a kilo at customs ?

– or we could just steal it .

are you hearing yourself right now ?

do not call me crazy .

what if we get caught ?

there's always a choice .

dude , it's never gonna end . unless we end it .

i'm not gonna shoot him , i'm just gonna scare him a little !

forgive me lord jesus , i did not mean to shoot that man .

are we supposed to knock or something ?

i wanted my music for the road trip .

how long has it been bleeding like this ?

i need to take you to the hospital , i think you need stitches .

i wish everything could go back to the way it was .

i had no damn idea how good i had it until it was gone .

i know you hate me right now .

i'm sorry . i suck .

i had to do something really , really important .

what's more important than me ?

is there something you want to ask me ?

just making conversation .

you know the tradition is jordans over a phone line , right ?

be outside in two minutes or you're dead , i mean it .

it's so crazy , even saying it .

you asked for this ? you ASKED for this ?

you can't sign people up for criminal activity like it's a bake sale !

that is NOT what i meant when i said i'd do another job .

so you think you get to pick and choose what you do and when you wanna do it ?

no , i'm sorry . that is not gonna work .

what's your gut say ?

i can prove it ! i mean i can't ... but i want to .

why should i apologize ?

chill out with the cayenne .

maybe we need like , smelling salts or something .

well , i want him to not die in my house .

i am so tired of almost dying .

hey ! ... don't be mad .

you're a dead man .

shut up , just don't say anything . i will handle it .

just say you're sorry .

i wanted to do something nice , so that maybe we could start fresh .

i'm not proud of my part in everything .

oh , yeah ? what does that mean ?

[hysteria-things]

✿ PROMISE? ✿ PART FOUR.

ʚ♡ɞ 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 | 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈���𝐓 | 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 ʚ♡ɞ

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: chris x fem!reader

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: you’ve been living a secret life of being a party girl, but it gains the suspicion of a certain someone.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: swearing, mentions of drug use, underage drinking

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1,235

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: i updated the series masterlist to where it now has a disclaimer! i forgot to put it before🙈

𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐎? 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 phone, your friends jaiden and claudia’s faces fill the screen. jaiden is on her laptop while claudia is on the couch in her living room.

these are your girls. you didn’t grow up with them like the others, but you’ve bonded throughout high school. they’ve seen you have more breakdowns than anything but have stuck by your side all these years.

unlike some people.

“y/n.” claudia starts. “are you doing anything tonight?”

“no, why?”

she brushes her black bangs out of her eyes with her hand and smiles. “good because you’re coming with us.”

you blink at them. “i need more info.”

“paige’s boyfriend is throwing a party tonight. you in, or are you in?” jaiden says, adjusting her glasses that lay on the brim of her nose.

“when does the party start?”

“nine. i’ll pick you up around 8:45ish,” she says. you nod, silently saying you will be going.

since meeting them, you have been partying a lot. they’re not bad influences or anything. the number one thing you’ve always wanted to do was get out of your comfort zone.

another tiny secret is that you’ve done some drugs here and there. not to where you’re addicted, but to where you felt out of it.

not even the triplets know that.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ✿ ⋆⁺₊⋆

𝐀𝐓 𝐄𝐗𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝟖:𝟒𝟓, 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄 pings. it’s a text from claudia saying that she’s here. you walk to the room that’s next to your bedroom, which is your mom’s office. she’s sitting at her desk, typing away on her computer. “i’m going out with claudia and jaiden. i don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“this late?” she asks. she leans her head down slightly to get a peek at you through her glasses while she also wants to look at the computer screen.

“yeah. i won’t be out long, i promise. i’ll keep my ringer on for you.”

“okay. have fun, be careful.”

you walk out of the room, down the stairs, and go through the garage. you open the glass door and run down the driveway to jaiden’s car. “hey, girl.”

“hi.”

she grins at you through the rearview mirror before putting the car in drive. “how many people will be there? do you know?” you ask.

“it’s an open invite. that makes it better, in my opinion.” claudia replies, turning her head to face you in the backseat.

it felt like in the blink of an eye when you guys arrived. this guy didn’t even live ten minutes away. you can see the dimly colored lights from inside the house when the three of you step out of the car. it seems like he lives on a dead end, so there are some people outside either smoking, selling drugs, or making out.

the door is open and you can see a hoard of people inside, their voices overlapping the music that’s playing in the background. talk about an open invite.

you follow jaiden and claudia into the house. more voices and music progress the more you become closer. you guys squeeze through the crowd into the living room, where there is a bit more open space. paige is there, sitting on some dude's lap in a sofa chair. she is playing with his hair, which is extremely curly. she has a red solo cup in her hand that’s spilling from her being too focused on the boy. her eyes fall on you guys, and she gasps. “omg, hey guys!”

she gets off the boy’s lap and starts running over until she slips on what she spills from her cup. she balances herself, laughing. “paige!” jaiden exclaims.

that’s when the boy she was smothering herself on walks over. he is taller than you had anticipated, and his face has stubble on it. “finn, this is y/n, jaiden, and claudia.”

“sup.” he introduces with a nod.

“do you want a drink? i can get you something from the kitchen.” paige suggests, her voice loud enough to hear over the music.

you nod. “sure, what the hell?”

she links her arm with yours and drags you to the kitchen.

when you get there, she fills her drink before looking for one for you. “what would you like?”

“anything.”

“beer it is.” she laughs, grabbing one from the fridge full of different types of beverages. you open it and take a sip. you set your phone down on the counter but intend for it to stay there for only a second.

suddenly, your phone makes the noise snapchat makes when somebody sends you something, causing both of you to look down at it.

chris sturniolo is typing…

“holy shit.” she gasps. “am i seeing that right? is that the chris sturniolo that ditched you with his brothers?”

“shut up,” you mumble, and she looks at the phone again. this time confused. “are you guys friends again? does jaiden and claudia know?”

“i don’t know.” you sigh. “the four of us are trying to be, and i haven’t told them yet.”

chris sturniolo sent a chat.

paige hums. “i’ll leave you be. i miss my boyfriend.” she says with a smirk, leaving the kitchen.

before opening the message, you decide to go outside. it’s not like you’re going to call him, but the noise on the inside will make you have trouble thinking. you lean against the house with the beer in one hand and the phone in the other.

CHRIS

| hi :)

ME

| christopher.

CHRIS

| what are you doing?

ME

| i’m out with friends

CHRIS

| this late?

ME

| yes, mom

| i’m a big girl!

CHRIS

| you’re hilarious🤣

| where are you?

ME

| none of your beeswax, chrissy poo

CHRIS

| bringing back the old nickname i see

| your snap map says you are at finn yaw’s house

| do you not remember how much of a douchebag he was?

| he also DID NOT belong on the varsity lacrosse team he pissed me off idc what anybody says

ME

| jaiden and claudia invited me, and besides he’s dating paige😭

| why do you care anyway🤨

CHRIS

| i just want you to be careful that’s all

| i still care about you, you know

ME

| i appreciate the concern chris but i’ll be fine

| if it makes you feel better do you want me to text you when i get home🥺🥺 (you big baby)

CHRIS

| 😐

| please.

you leave him on open but continue looking at what just happened. you do appreciate his caring, but you still feel like a stranger to him.

you put your phone in your pocket to see paige hovering over your shoulder. “jesus!” you screech with a jump.

“sorry, i didn’t mean to scare you. i was looking for you to see if you wanted to play some beer pong but i noticed an interesting conversation was happening.” she wiggles her eyebrows. “i can tell he never stopped thinking about you.”

“i never stopped thinking about him either but he’s acting like we’re still best friends. i need to gain his trust back.” you rant, downing the rest of your drink. “it hasn’t even been seventy-two hours, by the way.”

“maybe he wants to be your best friend again.”

you sigh with a shrug. “let’s go play,” you say, walking past her to where the beer pong is being held.

𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭!

@bunbunbl0gs @lexisecretaccx @thy-mission @angelic-sturniolos111 @sophssturn @mattsneezing @janiellasblog @blahbel668 @meg-sturniolo @hearts4chris @mattslolita @sturnbaby @imwetforyourmom @tillies33ssss @sturnifyed @mayhem-72 @ripmattitude @p1xieswrld @alorsxsturn @txssvx @sttzee @multiluvr @delilahprentiss @matthewsspecial @sturnolio-luvs @sturniolho @suga-daddy-69 @tworosesblackthorn @luckistar-posts @gnxosblog @junnniiieee07 @sturnioloslurps @tylerthecreatorsrealwife @flowerxbunnie @imaslut4kehlani @sturniolosandmoree @hertvgirl @whoreforchrissturniolo @r4iyaa @sturniolotriplettoplover @mattybswife @freshsturns @loverrsposts @sturnlcvr @elliesturniolo1 @tpvmz @user283926392 @lalalands86 @sukiipjs @sturniologirl813 @leahrab @chrissturniolosslut @h3arts4harry

[obsessivestar]

'What If It's All A RomCom?' - a Ted Nivison x Reader.

{{-Story Description: You're a youtuber with a fairly decent following deciding to help your good friend Tanner with a minor film project, with you set as the leading lady. When the actor for the male lead is a no show, Ted takes up the role himself. One problem: This short film's a Rom Com, and you just met the guy.-}}

//18+, Def gonna be some smut. Reader is implied to be afab, under 5'5 and has specifically named friends, all who have no real connection to Ted.

This story will be in multiple chapters. Also gonna post this on Wattpad and Ao3 (when I figure them out LMAO) under the same username: ObsessiveStarla. Hope you enjoy :^)

Also idk how to do all the fancy Tumblr border stuff so sorry if it's all messy :^(((//

Word count: 2.3k

Chapter 1: No Show, No Movie.

I'm keeping my eye on the road, occasionally glancing at the GPS to make sure I can guide my buddy Tanner as he drives. We had quite an early morning to get to L.A., having been on the road for the last 2 hours to get to this airbnb we'll be staying at. Tanner's nearing the end of film school, so he's getting all his classmates and anyone else that's available and interested to help him with his big final project: A legit short film, filmed, written and directed by him. Having some experience with being on camera myself, he elected to make me part of the main cast. I don't mind at all, if it'll help him out. Even if it's a romantic comedy. I'll kiss some dude, get him that 100%. I'm excited for this.

"Has Conner messaged me at all?" Tanner asks, breaking the last 20 minutes of silence. I quit out of my daydream to check Tanner's messages. Other members of the crew have updated them on their location, including a name I don't recognize, but Conner hasn't responded at all.

"Nope. Mostly everyone else is nearly there though." I responded, lightly shrugging my shoulders. A humorous but knowing smirk creeps along the edges of my lips. "Think he slept in?" "I fucking hope not." Tanner huffs, his tone suggesting he's half-joking. "He is literally /the/ male lead. He's like one of the people I need there the most today."

I put the GPS back up on the screen and lay back against the passenger seat, slightly raising a brow to myself. What would happen if he's late, or doesn't show up at all? Could we even get a replacement in time? We only booked this place for the next couple weeks.

As we get off the highway and get even closer to our destination, I see a notification pop up on Tanner's phone, it's the name I don't recognize. Ted. He's not in our friend group and I don't recall Tanner mentioning him from class.

"Is Ted a new guy?" I ask, turning my head to Tanner. "Oh, no, he's like...a friend of a friend." Tanner pauses before reiterating "He's going to be the editor. He's a youtuber, like you; he went to film school as well."

"Oh. He's like the only name I didn't recognize."

"Yeah, he's a cool guy, no worries, he'll probably be there with me to help with the, yknow, directing too."

There's room for a response, but I don't continue the conversation. We don't have a lot of money to put into this, so that airBnb is also where we'll be filming everything. Most of the film crew and extra actors got their own accommodations elsewhere, but some of us will be staying /at that/ location itself. Wonder if that includes the editor? It'd be weird to share a house with a dude I didn't know, but if Tanner trusts him, I will as well. "I know where to go from here, let everyone know we'll be there soon."

I take Tanner's phone and let everyone know we're close by, including Ted, before setting the phone aside. Tanner pulls into what I thought was a street at first, only to notice its the driveway of the airbnb. Wild how we can't afford multiple sets and hotels, but can afford this villa-like estate for nearly a month. Hey, whatever works, right?

Tanner parks by the many other vehicles and grabs his phone before we both hop out. I can't help but look up at how tall the building is. It looks like one of those frat houses an influencer would own, like if you told me this was owned by fuckin' 'disney channel flow' Team 10, I would 100% believe you.

Tanner and I are greeted by most of the cast and crew as we approach the front door of the house, giving the appropriate hugs and handshakes as we head inside. That's when I spotted a tall man in a dark green sweater fixing up some professional looking cameras, dark hair slicked up to add to his already impressive height, with circular glasses to match the relaxed vibe I'm getting from him. To be fair, he only stands out so much to me because I don't recognize him. This must be Ted.

He looks up from his camera when he spots Tanner and I greeting the other crew members. I casually glance away to one of the pictures on the wall to avoid giving the impression I was staring. I have a habit of fixing my eyes onto people without realizing it.

"Traffic?" Is the first word I hear out of Ted's mouth, directed at Tanner. I don't really know what I was expecting to hear come out of this man, but it certainly wasn't a voice like that. It's strong, deep, almost fake sounding, like he's already playing a character, but no, that's just him.

"Dude, we passed by, like, 3 accidents" Tanner shakes his head slightly, putting his hands on his hips. "And Conner hasn't even gotten back to me, It's been an interesting morning."

As they have their conversation, my thoughts turn to a more curious nature as I contemplate what this guy actually does as a youtuber. If he went to film school as well, does he make long video essays? Commentary, like me?

"This is (Y/N), mine and Joe's friend." My thoughts are cut by the sound of my name, realizing Tanner was introducing me to Ted. Makes sense. We don't know each other. "She's gonna be the female lead."

"Ahhh okay, nice to finally meet you. I'm Ted." Ted personally greets me with a gentle handshake and a winning complexion. I return the handshake with a shy smile. "'Finally'?" I repeat to him, raising a slight brow.

"Yeah! Joe's told me about you, 'said you'd be shorter"

A sudden chuckle escapes me. Joe's my best friend and is part of the wardrobe team, of course he'd say something like that. "He's a dick.." I kid, shaking my head to myself. "You, on the other hand, are a fuckin' giant."

"Oh I know. I have to fuckin' duck down to get into any room upstairs. Tallhood ain't what its cut out to be" We both get a laugh out before Ted returns to setting up the cameras. I notice Tanner checking his phone again, visibly both anxious and frustrated.

"Man." Tanner speaks, seemingly thinking aloud. "Still nothing." "Isn't he the other lead?" Ted speaks as he moves to adjust the stand of one of the lights, glancing up through his round glasses. "I figured he'd be here first."

"He should've been here first." Tanner huffs, masking his clear frustration with a chuckle. "I-I don't know what I'm gonna do if he just doesn't show." "What would we have to do?" I tilt my head at Tanner, feeling a little anxious myself.

"I have no idea, honestly" Tanner responds, shaking his head. "At best, we'd have to find someone to take his place within the next, like, couple days. At worst, I'd have to cancel this whole thing."

I frown, trying to think of some helpful alternative in my head, but nothing comes up. I'd hate for everyone to have to go home, and getting the money back for the airbnb would be a hassle. We all pitched in for this place. As much as I've joked about it, it's pretty nice. 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, half the place is a giant living room and there's even more outside. I'd hate to leave without getting to sleep in one of those giant beds. All I can do is hope for the best, I guess.

About an hour passes. At this point, everyone except Conner has shown up on set and most of us that will be on camera are fitted and ready. We had already read through the entire script together over Discord prior to getting here, so all we need to do is just start filming.

I'm refreshing my memory with the script when I hear a notification ping from Tanner's phone. It takes him less than a second to pick it up and look at the message, pausing to read it. I see his expression go from relief to uneasy, his thumbs tapping on his phone's keyboard louder than usual as he responds before setting his phone down and taking a deep breath.

"Conner can't make it."

Silence fills the room for a moment as everyone looks up from their tasks. I approach Tanner, script still on hand.

"What? What does he mean he can't make it?" I asked, honestly shocked with what I was hearing. "So, yknow how he's just...not been responding since we left?" Tanner asks, looking understandably annoyed.

"Yeah?"

"Apparently he ate some bad food last night and has been throwing up since 4am. We left at 5."

The only thing I can do is run my fingers through my hair in frustration. Dude probably ordered bad chicken or something. Of course. "So our main dude, THE male leading role or whatever, has food poisoning." I say that as a statement, but I'm honestly just so confused, I don't want to believe it. "What do we do now? Could we hire someone else in time?" "Even if we could, we wouldn't have time to get the chemistry built up between you two." Tanner shrugs. "There'd be no way of knowing if it'll work out."

"I'll do it."

Tanner and I turn our heads to Ted, who's joined in on the conversation shortly after assembling the last light. My first instinct is to let out a sigh of relief, but I steel myself, trying to really process what he's offering.

"You? You wanna be the male lead?" Tanner points at Ted, rather surprised he'd offer. Ted seemed to laugh at the expression on Tanner's face "What's that fuckin' look for? You think I can't be romantic, Tanner?" "No--" Tanner cackles, putting his palms up defensively as he laughed. "That's not it! I just-- you haven't read the script, and, yknow..." Tanner pauses, shrugging his shoulders and tilting his head in my direction. "You two just met, you'll have to, yknow--"

"'Yknow? Yknow?' I KNOW, Tanner. I. know." Ted begins to mock Tanner in a friendly manner while pointing at himself, his strong voice easily overpowering Tanner's timid tone. "I've been doin' this since you were in little baby diapers, alright? I can read the script, I can kiss the pretty lady, I got this!"

I suddenly feel a whole lot warmer, resisting the urge to put a hand to my cheek. I mean, I have blush on already, but now I'm definitely blushing. I'll have to kiss this guy?

I mean.

That ain't a bad thing.

That's a nice lookin' dude. I'd be blind not to see it.

But I did just meet him.

"I mean...." Tanner seems to be at a loss for words, glancing in my direction once more. I realize I've been one of the main talking pieces of this conversation, yet I haven't spoken a word. "Ah--I.." I stammer out what was meant to be a coherent response, realizing I'm a bit more sheepish about this than I thought I'd be. He called me pretty. I...don't know what to do with that. I can handle a compliment, sure, but this was...

"Hey, sorry, I don't wanna step over any lines..." Ted's smile faded after my lack of a response, resting his hands behind his back. "Oh no! I-I wouldn't mind it at all." I finally managed to speak up. I swear, I felt like a bashful damsel in those old transatlantic-accent films. "I mean, like, better this than sending everyone packing early, right?"

"Real flattering." Ted responded with a renewed smile and a chuckle, getting another sheepish blush from me. "Whatever works for everyone, I'm down for it."

Based on Tanner's knowing expression, I can tell he gathered something of use from whatever that exchange was. "I mean..." Tanner repeats again, as if to remind us he's also there with filler words before taking in a sharp breath of realization, or maybe it was one of acceptance, I couldn't tell. Either way, he had an idea. "OK, how about this: most of the crew didn't get breakfast on the way up here and we're all gettin' pretty hungry, we could use some caffeine. How about you two head back out and get everyone something from Dunkin' or wherever? Get talkin', see if it works."

"You setting us up on a breakfast run, or a date?" I collect myself fast enough to make a joke, actually getting a decent chuckle out of Ted. Part of me couldn't believe I had even made that joke aloud, I was also kind of genuinely asking. "I am testing the chemistry." Tanner clarified slowly with a half smile. "And I...don't want to do it myself."

Ted and I look at each other, giving me a brief moment to realize Ted's eyes are brown. Don't know why I've chosen to collect that information now. Just another observation I've made for the day.

...Man, I'm hungry.

"Alright, but I'm not driving your car." I agree with a shrug. "No need, I got my Tacoma." Ted responds, making a clicking noise with his mouth and gesturing me to follow him outside.

"You...have your city in Washington?" I ask genuinely, getting another laugh out of him, not intentionally this time. "Toyota Tacoma. My truck." He corrects me, guiding me to an old dark green pick-up truck. "I've had this baby since high school. Graduated with it."

"Ahh, your high school sweetheart. Lovely. Happy to meet her."

"Fuck off" Ted jokingly scoffs, hopping into the drivers seat. I have this big grin on my face as I get into the passenger side. He's giving me this...oddly comforting vibe. I can talk and joke with this guy so naturally, like I've known him for longer than an hour.

Somehow, I get the feeling we'll get along just fine, even if I'll end up having to kiss him once or twice this month....

....That's got me thinking, how many times am I kissing this guy again?

__________________________________

|| Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 (smut) || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 (smut) || Chapter 11 || Chapter 12 || Chapter 13 || Chapter 14 (smut) || Chapter 15 || Chapter 16 || Chapter 17 ||

[chimcess]

Waterlog || pjm (4)

Pairing: Jimin x Reader Other tags: Olympic Swimmer!Jimin, Ex Olympic Swimmer! Reader, Swim Coach!Reader Genre: Strangers to Friends to Lovers!AU, Coach!AU, Swimming!AU, HEAVY Angst, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, fluff, eventual smut, I'm so soft for these two it's crazy. Word Count: 11.8k+ Synopsis: After a car accident ends her athletic career, Y/N has slowly started rebuilding her life again as a high school swim coach. That’s until she gets a request from an old friend and finds herself back in the spotlight as the new coach of Olympic swimmer, Park Jimin. Warnings: ANGST, crying, mental health issues, talking about mental health, I'm so soft for them it's actually wild, best boyfriend Jimin, did I say angst????, past drug use, past alcohol addiction, past trauma talk, crying, anxiety, hand holding, touching as a love language, Jimin can't keep his hands to himself, he does try his best though, pining, sexual tension, banter, I love these two A/N: I know we're a couple of weeks late updating, but I've been very busy with moving so I haven't had the energy to write. I did a very quick edit, so this might not be perfect. I'm planning on coming back once I'm in my new place to do a full proofread. Hope you like the update!

prev || masterlist || next || playlist

Hand clutching my phone, I sighed. All around me the airport buzzed with life. I had almost forgotten how hectic the Denver Airport was. A few feet away I saw a mother struggling to keep her children together while her husband scrolled on his phone. I must have made some sort of noise, subconsciously voicing my annoyance, because Jimin laughed.

“What’s going on, gran?” He teased, voice light. “See a couple of youngins on your lawn?”

I scoffed, tearing my eyes away from the family. “Just a shitty husband ignoring his children.”

He hissed, sucking in air through his teeth, “The worst kind of dude. Are you alright?”

Softening, I finally spotted my luggage on the conveyor belt. Twisting my torso, I did a light stretch and then quickly snatched the heavy bag up. “Not too anxious, right?”

He had been very worried about letting me come home for a visit. When I had originally brought it up he offered himself up for the job, but I was not a fan of that idea. My friends would definitely bring up our date and I did not want to deal with the awkwardness that would cause. Especially since we had yet to go on it. That would not matter to Hoseok, however, and the teasing would have been endless. Better to spare Jimin from their wrath for just a little while longer.

“I’m cool,” I replied, softening. “Just got my stuff from baggage claim. I’m going to let you go so I can call Andy.”

“Okay bug. See you in a few days.”

Harper had recently started calling me that, forgetting my real name and not caring enough to ask for it. Eloise had tried to scold her for it, but I told her I did not mind it. It caught on with Cameron not too long after that, and soon the entire Park family had started using the little nickname. Jimin thought it was adorable from the beginning but had only started using it after our talk the other night.

I laughed, “I’m going to call you tonight.”

“Aw,” I knew he had that stupid smile on his face. “Miss me that much?”

“Someone needs to make sure you’re staying out of trouble,” I replied, a confident pep in my step I had not had in years. “But yes, I do miss you.”

There was a pregnant pause. 

“I miss you too.”

I could feel my heart melting. I was still getting used to our new dynamic. On most days we were strictly business, and were able to set aside the very large, very apparent elephant in the room. It was not until we had finished with work that those roles dropped, and we were able to just be us. 

Ever since my confession in the car Jimin spoke a hell of a lot more. Apparently, he had a hard time keeping his feelings to himself and chose to talk a little less in order to avoid a slip up. He wanted to give us both a little bit of time to get to know one another before springing his crush on me.

“Going soft, kid?” Playing things off with humor was Jimin’s thing, but it had slowly started to rub off on me. “It’s only two days.”

“I know,” He pouted. “Call your friend. It’s cold and you’ll get sick.”

“Hey,” I cut the teasing tone I had, “You’re not upset I came here by myself, right?”

“No,” He chuckled with an unmistakable fondness. “I’m just messin’ with you. I’m not ready to meet your friends and you need some alone time. We’re good, I promise.”

I sighed in relief, “Okay. Good. I’m going to go now. Talk to you later?”

“Call me when you can,” He replied, voice light.

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye, bug.”

I was disappointed to hear the line go dead but knew I could aimlessly walk around this airport all day if given the chance, so long as he was there with me. Trying to get my thoughts back on track, I sent a text to Andy asking if she was here yet. If not, I was already making plans to call Jimin back.

Andy: I’m parked in 5 near C Gates

Andy: Be careful

Andy: Saw a lady almost get hit by a car just now

Me: See you in a sec

Me: Should I be worried?

I knew she was trying to make a joke, but car accident punchlines never went over all that well with me. Even if I knew the chances of that happening to me were almost zero, I really did not want to have a panic attack in the airport parking lot. 

Andy: Not at all. I’m so sorry for even saying anything. I can come meet you at the doors if you want.

Deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. Deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. Sigh of relief. I was fine. 

Me: I appreciate you

Me: Is babygirl here?

Dani would help the spike of anxiety dissipate. The girl was fearless and was sure to be distracting enough to keep me from paying attention to the oncoming traffic. I suddenly wished that Jimin was here. He always knew what to do.

Andy: Jin and I are weak

Andy: We let her play hooky

Bobbing and weaving through bodies, I tossed my phone into my purse and made my way out of the airport. The arrivals station was packed, and I would need to take the automated train to where Andrea was parked. It was my least favorite part about this airport, but it beat Dallas-Fort Worth by a landslide. I had gotten lost in that airport more times than I could count. 

Three minutes later I was getting out of the train and stepping into C Gates. I could smell Auntie Anne’s and felt my mouth begin to water. Checking my clock, I decided it would not hurt to make a quick spot for lunch. Andy would appreciate it and I knew Dani loved their pretzel dog. 

There was a little less traffic in C Gates. More of the expensive airlines let out here, and all you could see were business professionals pacing back and forth. A family on vacation bumped into me while I was waiting in line, and I almost gave up my spot when their toddler started screaming. 

“No, no,” His mother insisted, her hair a mess on the top of her head. “Between the girls and my mom, we’ll be here all day. Go ahead, sweetie.”

Two little girls danced around me as we waited, the line moving at a snail's pace due to the airport being understaffed. They asked me questions incessantly, and while their mother had tried her best to keep them in line, I told her I was fine with the extra attention. I loved kids and the girls were harmless. The boy in her arms kept repeating “pizza” and soon an elderly woman joined them. 

If the girls talked a lot, they had nothing on grandma. Not only did she never shut her mouth, she was loud and obnoxiously laughing every few seconds. The boy was quick to beg to be in her arms and mom got a break. She was back to attempting to corral the girls, but again they did not really listen. 

“They’re only like this when my mom’s around,” She sighed, frustrated and tired. “We’re meeting up with their father and they’re all a little restless.”

“It’s no bother,” I lied. The girls really were not that bad. Just a couple of four-year-olds having fun. The only person who was really getting on my nerves was her mother, but I was not about to say that. “Better to get it out now than in the car, right?”

She cracked a tired smile, “Right.”

Finally, it was my turn to order. The young girl behind the counter gave me an award-winning smile while another young blonde was in the back getting all of the orders out.

“Hi, welcome to Auntie Anne’s. How can I help you today?”

“Can I get one original pretzel, one cinnamon sugar pretzel, and a pretzel dog combo with a lemonade and cheese,” Glancing behind me, I sighed. “Throw in a pizza pretzel, two orders of pretzel nuggets, and whatever else the family behind me wants.”

She smiled, blue eyes twinkling prettily in the bright lights. Turning around I waved the mother over and told her to get something for her and her mother. She put up a small fight, but eventually gave in when she realized I had already put our orders together.

“Thank you so much,” I thought she might burst into tears when my card was approved. “You really didn’t need to do that.”

I shrugged, “It was nothing. Have a nice vacation.”

Walking to the pickup area, my order was already waiting for me. With nothing more than a simple wave, I left the dysfunctional family behind. The grandmother’s loud thank you seemed to echo off of the airport walls, but it was a little less grating now that I knew I would never hear it again. 

Andy threw herself at me when I finally made it outside, little Dani wrapping her arms around my legs with squeals of delight louder than her mother’s. Taking her pretzel, Andy gave me a fat, wet kiss on the cheek and told Dani she could eat in the car. 

“How’s gymnastics, girlie?” I asked the little girl once we were in the car. “Still kicking ass?”

“No,” She laughed. “I quit, like, forever ago. Appa put me in ballet classes.”

I gave Andy a look. The red head rolled her eyes, fixing me with a knowing look. I had been telling Jin to put her in dance for years.

“It’s been two weeks and she’s already trying to talk him into figure skating.”

“You’re a little hustler, huh?” I reached into the back, squeezing her knee. Dani giggled, angling her body away from mine. She was very ticklish. “Keep at it. You know your dad’s a sucker.”

Dani laughed, “My vovó says the same thing.”

We listened to Olivia Rodrigo on our way to the Kim house. Hoseok and Matilda had planned a huge coming back party for me, and from what it sounded like, I was going to meet Tilly’s new boyfriend. 

“Anything I need to know about Max?” I asked.

Andy was almost as in the dark about the guy as I was but was able to tell me he was a tattoo artist from California. The two of them met at Frank’s bookstore and by the end of their conversation Max had managed to get her out to dinner and in his bed. It was a whirlwind romance, one that made me feel uneasy about its foundation, but I was still obligated to be happy for my friend. They could be soulmates for all I knew, and I was not about to judge anybody else for their version of a first date.

“I don’t want to talk about tattoo guy anymore,” Andy whined playfully, turning up the radio when “Good 4 U” came on. “I need to know more about your little boyfriend.”

I groaned, “He’s not my boyfriend.”

This was why I was so adamant Jimin stayed away. We had yet to have a real talk about what we were, choosing to wait for our first date to iron out those details, but no one in my circle seemed to understand. All they heard was the word date and suddenly wedding bells started going off. 

“Stop deflecting. We both know he’s your boyfriend, official or not,” She laughed, stealing looks at her daughter in the rearview. “What’s he like?”

It was a hard question to answer. On the one hand, I felt like I knew him better than anybody else, but I was self aware enough to know I didn’t. His body language, the way he looked when he beat his best time, and all of his preferred gear were seared into my mind. The movies he liked, his favorite albums, and all of the best tv shows ever made. He went to college. He was the sweetest, kindest, most understanding person I had ever met, and yet… he still felt far away. The shadows that oftentimes clouded his vision were still a mystery to me, and when he came into practice with a lost look on his face, I felt helpless. I knew him and yet I didn’t.

“He’s quiet,” I finally landed on. “Very nice. Always willing to help other people out if he can. You’d like him.”

Andrea scoffed, “That’s it? The first guy you’ve dated in years and all you can tell me is I’d like him?”

“We’re still getting to know each other,” I sighed. “What do you want to know?”

We spent the rest of the car ride going over the last two months' worth of pining. I told her about Fiona, Jimin’s family, and all of my new friends. She almost pissed herself laughing when I told her about the night he asked me out, making so many Hoseok and Tilly jokes I had a difficult time focusing on the story. Andrea seemed to be finished with her interrogation when we pulled up at her house. 

Dani ran to the front door, her excitement about the party making any discomfort I had disappear. It was hard to feel uncomfortable with her around. Taking my hand in hers, the little girl shifted her weight from foot to foot, shouting at her mom to hurry up, and opening the front door anyway. Andy told her to calm down, and I just chuckled and went along with it.

The living room was filled with all of my favorite people, a large ‘welcome home’ sign hanging on the large, backwall. Underneath it was a huge table covered in food, a cake in the middle of it, and I had a feeling Sarah made it. Both her and Frank were the first people to notice me, their faces lighting up, and I let go of Dani’s hand in favor of embracing the elderly couple. The rest of the party comers erupted their voices loud and filled with love as they took turns passing me around. 

“Missed you, Otter,” Hoseok murmured in the crook of my neck, hands secured around my waist.

“Missed you more,” I replied, releasing him and catching Tilly. “Jeez, girl. Trying to kill me?”

“Come meet Max,” She replied, dragging me away from Hoseok.

Max was a tall, lanky guy with black hair that fell down his back. His clothes were on the baggier side, all black, and I recognized the band on his t-shirt from the shit Matilda liked to listen to in the car. He smiled at me, and I was surprised to see him rocking adult braces. He introduced himself, his voice deep and warm, and shook my hand. They were baby soft and covered in tattoos. 

“It’s great to see you,” I replied, genuinely meaning it. If I had to picture a guy more perfect for Tilly, I would come up empty handed. “Thanks for coming.”

He flushed, impossibly pale skin turning a bright shade of red reminding me of Jimin. 

“Anything for Mattie,” He replied.

Huh, he had his own nickname for her and everything. I would need to hang out with Max more before I could say if I liked him or not, but so far, I had a good feeling. Andrea’s worries seemed a bit silly now. They really liked each other, and Tilly’s heartbreaking, dimpled smile made me feel more confident in her partner. They would be just fine. 

The party was fun, and I ate more spinach and artichoke dip than was healthy. Hoseok and I talked about my afterschool visit tomorrow. The boys had a swim meet Saturday and the two of us were hoping we could tag team in order to iron out any issues they had been having. I was being placed in charge of the freshmen while Hoseok made sure the other kids were feeling confident and ready for the meet.

"Let's party!" Frank boomed, lifting a beer into the air.

I laughed, "Be careful, old timer. Don't want you to hurt yourself."

I thought of Jimin again. That sounded like something he would say. Surrounded by the people I loved, I laughed hard and partied harder. The plates of food came one right after the other, and I was happy that I still had a place here. Falling back into my step, I fit seamlessly back into the fold.

"Dance with me," Hoseok demanded, tipsy and red-faced.

"It's your toes," I replied, taking his head and letting him take the lead.

The other couples were already dancing and hooped and hollered as I awkwardly followed the steps. I was not always a bad dancer but lost some of my rhythm in the accident. Hoseok never minded and let me step on his feet without a single complaint.

"You look happy," He commented, spinning me around.

I smiled, "I am."

He smiled back, wincing when I stomped down on his toes again. I apologized, but he just held my hand a little tighter and kept moving. I hummed along to the song, filled with joy. He spun me again, and finally let me go when I slammed into Jin.

"Go get some cake or something," He laughed. "You're too dangerous to be out here."

I rolled my eyes, "I tried to tell you. It's your fault you don't listen."

"Don't need you anyway. I have enough swag for the both of us."

I watched, thoroughly amused from the sidelines, as he moon-walked around the living room.

I left just before midnight after staying behind to help Andy and Jin clean up. The others left a few hours before to get back to Denver at a decent time. My house looked the same as always, dark and empty, but I could tell the landscapers had been around. The grass was recently cut and edged.

The silence inside was deafening. I had always known my place was too big for one person, but after spending so much time in my little she-shed at the Andersons’ house, everything here just felt excessive. Tossing my keys in the bowl beside the door, I wiped my eyes and decided to just head to bed. I would only be here for three days. I would be back in Saline before I knew it.

Dragging my body upstairs, this sudden depression-filled fatigue made my shoulders feel ten times heavier. A chilling, almost insidious, hollowness began to spread across my body. I knew this feeling all too well and it made me feel pathetic. Could I not be on my own anymore? Had I really grown that attached to my life in Michigan? Finally getting into my bedroom, I realized that I had.

Saline was perfect. Living in Colorado Springs has always bothered me. The people here held more traditional values and making friends was difficult. I had Andy and Jin, but they were both very busy people. Andrea was a full-time nurse, Jin’s schedule was somehow even more erratic than his wife’s, and when they were off, they wanted to spend time with Dani. I was lucky if I saw them once every two weeks. 

Hoseok, Tilly, and Minho all lived in Denver, and while I saw them more often due to the meetings with Frank and Sarah dragging me into the city, it was not like we hung out every time I was out there. Days would go by with me speaking at all, and most of my weekends were spent in bed sleeping. Working at the school helped, but I would never claim anyone from the swim team to be a friend. I was not in the habit of befriending children.

Living in Saline was different. Jimin was always there to make me laugh, and when he wasn’t, I had people like Taehyung and Sam to keep me company. Giselle was young, but we got along so well I often forgot about the difference in age between the two of us. Megan and Yoongi were Michigan’s own version of Andy and Jin, and I could see myself becoming good friends with them given enough time. No one had kids, no one was too busy trying to keep up with crazy expenses, and I could find a little house away from the rest of the world to spend my life in.

I thought of the Parks, a family who I had come to love more than I thought was possible, and the Andersons who took me in and always tried to make me feel comfortable. Eloise and her kindness. Luna and Cameron. All of them. I loved and adored every single one of them, and it was then that I finally let myself really think about what I wanted.

Did I want to come back here after I was finished with the season? Did I really want this massive house if it meant I had no one to share it with? No, I decided. Stripping out of my clothes, the numbness was being replaced with a different strange feeling. It felt suspiciously like hope. Excitement came to me so rarely it was foreign and odd, but nice all the same. Jittery, I took my phone out of my pants pocket.

“Hello?” Jimin’s voice was scratchy when he finally picked up.

“Sorry,” I muttered. “Did I wake you up?”

“Yes, but it’s okay,” I could hear him shuffling around in his bed. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah,” I breathed, climbing into bed. Then, without thinking, I blurted, “I think I want to move to Michigan.”

I held my breath as I waited for his response. There was no telling how this conversation would go, but I was hopeful. Even if this whole date thing did not go very well, I was positive that we would be able to move past it with a little bit of time. We worked well together and if he was comfortable with it then we could continue working together. Regardless, there was always coaching at a school.

“Like, permanently?”

I nodded but after a moment of silence remembered he could not see me.

“Yeah.”

My stomach started to churn. As the silence on the other end began to stretch, the excitement I felt before faded. Even if I said Jimin and I could get past a potentially awkward break up of sorts, I would not pretend that the thought did not make me physically ill. We would never be the same if that happened. It would be something to think about if it came to pass before the Olympics was over.

“Did something happen?” He finally asked, and I could hear the genuine worry in his tone. “Are you okay?”

The fear shifted to hurt, irritation, and anger, making my eyebrows knit together.

“I’m fine,” I could not keep the bite from my voice. It was petty and wrong of me, but his insinuation that I was not in my right mind was insulting. It made me feel like a child. “Just- forget I said anything. I don’t know what I’m even talking about.”

“Don’t do that,” His steady calmness made me even angrier. “I’m only asking you because it came out of the blue, not because I’m not happy with the idea.”

Now I just felt silly. Here I was making these small revelations, waking him up from his sleep, and then getting snippy because he did not respond the way I had wanted him to. Ugh, I wasn’t even his girlfriend yet and I’m acting like Darcy. A shiver went down my spine. That was an insult above all others.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, the attitude from a few seconds before gone as quickly as it came. “I got defensive for no reason. Sorry.”

He chuckled, the sound barely audible over the phone.

“I forgive you. Now, why do you want to pack your life up for good?”

That made me laugh. It was a sad, pitiful sound. One that did not hold my usual spunk. One I don’t think Jimin had ever heard before. It was impossible to feel sad when he was around.

“I forgot how quiet my house is,” I admitted softly. “I love my friends, but I think coming back just reminded me of how easily I was able to fall back into the routine of it all. Jin and Andy are parents, Tilly has a new boyfriend, and Hoseok and Minho are always so busy with their own lives that I don’t see any of them as often as I would like to.”

Turning on my side, I blinked back a few tears.

“It might sound stupid, but I really do love Saline. I like how busy I am and all of my friends. I bought this place with the hopes of kids and a dog one day, but I don’t think that’ll ever happen, and now it’s just rooms collecting dust. I just-” I let a tear fall, my emotions starting to bubble over. “I don’t like how lonely it feels out here.”

“Doesn’t sound like you like it there. Have you always felt like this?” He asked.

I shook my head, the tears free falling in between sniffles and shaky breaths.

“Not always. Ever since Namjoon died things have been weird. There was a point when I felt suffocated because no one would leave me alone, and then one day everything resumed, and I just got left behind. It was like I woke up and two years just passed me by.”

Jimin comforted me while I cried, telling me how much he hated to hear me so upset, while I worked on calming down. There had been a time in my life when I was not so emotional, but therapy had opened up a whole new side of myself I didn't know existed. Rubbing my face, I sniffled and sank deeper into my mattress. For now, the waterworks had stopped.

“You were recovering,” He soothed. “Your body needed time to heal, and you were traumatized. I don’t think anyone can blame you for zoning out for a bit.”

I hummed, “I know. Doesn’t make it easier to swallow.”

“I know how you feel. When I pulled out of the Olympics last time there was a part of me that felt like a huge failure, but my dad was there to help get my head back on straight. He doesn’t seem like it, but he’s a really great shoulder to cry on.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” My voice was like sandpaper. “James is the sweetest person I’ve ever met.”

I felt heavy. Worn. Used. My eyes begged for me to shut them, but we were just getting back into safer waters, and I didn’t want to burst the bubble. I yawned, covering my mouth and hoping Jimin could not hear the sound. He had gone quiet.

“Can I ask you something?” Jimin’s voice broke through the comfortable silence that had formed around us. “You don’t have to say anything.”

“Shoot,” I forced myself to smile.

“What happened to Namjoon?”

I closed my eyes. This was something I knew would come up sooner or later. My lip wobbled uncontrollably as the second wave of tears crashed over me. I hated talking about this, but I knew it was going to come up sooner or later. Jimin deserved the truth, and honestly, I wanted to tell him. Being vulnerable with someone felt good. Being vulnerable with Jimin was divine. He was always so ready and willing to go along with things, listening and watching my every move, and trying his best to understand me. It was refreshing. It was nice. It was familiar.

“Was he in the accident with you?” He asked and his voice was so, so gentle. 

“Yeah,” I croaked, finally finding my voice. “I went out with some of my friends and got pretty drunk. I was tired and ready to go home, but my ride didn’t want to go home yet. So, I called Joon.”

I sucked in a deep, loud breath. Jimin told me I could stop, that I didn’t owe him anything, but I ignored him. This wasn’t about owing him. This was about letting the guy I liked get to know me. This story was a part of who I was, as fucked up as that may sound, and I wanted him to get to know this facet of my life as deeply as he knew the present day one. 

“Anyway,” I continued. “He offered to come and pick me up. Twenty minutes later I’m getting into his car and we’re on our way home. We’d just gotten engaged and bought our first house together- things were perfect. I had never been happier.

“We ended up taking the long way home because of an accident on the interstate. It was my idea, and Namjoon had a knack for going along with whatever I wanted. We were only two minutes away from the house when we got hit.”

I took a few deep breaths and wiped my face. Jimin was quiet on the other end. After a minute or two, I jumped back into the story.

“There was a four-way intersection around the corner from our place. Our light was green when we drove up. I don't think he thought to check if there was another car coming. He never even saw the truck. He, uh, died on impact.”

“Jesus,” Jimin breathed.

“The other guy was drunk as hell behind the wheel. Not paying attention. Funny thing is, he was the only person who didn’t get critically injured. Just a broken arm and a concussion. He wrapped our car around a light pole. My leg was pinned between the car and the light, and the airbag is what caused the brain injury.”

Jimin cursed under his breath, “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry that happened to you.”

“Yeah,” I gritted out. “Me too.”

He let me cry for a little while, saying over and over again how sorry he was and how he wished he was in Colorado with me. I did not have anything to say to him. It felt like my chest had been ripped open and my heart was on full display. 

I never questioned how quickly we went from barely talking, to joking around, to sitting up late at night on the phone talking about life. It just happened. Clutching my phone in my hand, I let out a deep breath and held back any more tears from falling. I never said it, but I wished he was here, too.

“Hey,” His voice was gentle when he spoke, so fragile and sweet, that I had to force down the sobs threatening to come out. “I just want to say I’m sorry for how I reacted earlier. You wanting to move here is probably the best thing I’ve heard all fucking year, but I just didn’t want to sway your decision.”

Sniffling, I tried to tell him I wasn’t upset, but he shut me down almost immediately.

“Let me finish,” His voice did not leave room for argument. “I know I don’t act like I’m insecure, but I am. I can be selfish and self-centered, and I’ve always had to really work on those parts of myself.”

“I don’t understand what that has to do with anything,” I mumbled, curling into a ball beneath my blankets. 

“Like I said, I can be a very selfish person,” He sighed. “There was this part of my brain just wanting to hear you say you were coming here and staying with me for forever. I didn’t want that to take over the narrative. And- no offense, but if you did move all the way out here just to date me, I think I’d be a little creeped out honestly.”

I snorted. Hearing that he felt the need to explain any of that to me felt like a small win, even if it did make an alarm go off in my head. It took courage to be that open and honest with another person, especially someone who just cried their eyes out. His compassion and understanding never failed to amaze me, and I was grateful he trusted me enough to let me into his mind for once. Still, it did not make the creep comment any less funny.

“Don’t laugh,” He whined, unable to stop himself from chuckling. “I’m being serious.”

“So do you want me to be a creepy stalker or not?” I joked, hoping to lighten up the mood. “Make up your mind, kid.”

“I think I just want you to be yourself,” I melted. “That’s been working out just fine so far. I mean, if you are a creepy stalker, you managed to get me to like you.”

“Mission accomplished,” I breathed, still reeling from his sweet words. “You better watch out, 007. There’s a new spy in town.”

“So, I’m Bond and you’re Joe Goldburg?”

“Exactly,” My cheeks hurt from how much I was smiling. “Penn Badgley would be a decent James Bond. He was really great in Margin Call.”

I bit my lip, trying to suppress my smile.

“Holy shit, you actually watched it?”

Margin Call was one of Jimin's favorite movies from 2011. He kept a very large notebook filled with all of the movies he’s ever seen, along with ratings, and if he should ever watch them again. He went through it one day and came across the action film, rewatched it, and then spent most of the day talking my ear off about how great it is. 

“Someone I know was very passionate about it, and it managed to pique my curiosity.”

Jimin sighed, but I could not tell what emotion was behind it. Definitely was not anger or frustration. Not sadness either. 

 “What time are you getting back on Sunday?” He asked, and I could definitely hear the affectionate tone his voice had taken on.

“Um,” I thought about it for a moment. “Six, I think.”

“PM?” 

“Yeah,” I curled up under my blankets. It was beginning to get really cold inside, but I did not want to get up to turn the heat on. “I have to double check my flight times, but I know it’s somewhere around there. Why? What’s up?”

“I know we already made plans for next week, but I was thinking I could pick you up from the airport and we could go out.”

My face grew hot, “I don’t think I’ll be dressed for a date.”

“You always look great,” He assured me.

I laughed, nervous and embarrassed, “Thanks.”

We had originally planned our first date to be the weekend after I got back. Jimin was adamant about giving me an experience, and I had been more than happy to indulge him a little. He was just so cute when he got excited. We were running on a limited timeline right now, though, since he had an upcoming swimming fundraiser with Swim Across America in Allendale. The team was raising money for cancer research, and I was very excited to be there to show my support.

Moving the date up meant we would have less to do next weekend, unless Jimin still wanted to keep our plans in place, but it meant we could focus on the fundraiser instead of trying to juggle a date at the same time. 

“I hate to go, but I’m really tired,” Jimin yawned. Pulling my phone away from my ear I was startled by how late it was. “I’ll text you in the morning, okay?”

I apologized for keeping him up so late. “Promise I won’t do it again.”

He hummed, already beginning to fall asleep, “Don’t mind. You’re always welcome to bother me in the middle of the night.”

“Night Jimin,” I whispered, blood pumping.

“Night bug.”

There was one thing I missed about Colorado- how quickly the snow melted. Michigan was seeing more snow as each day went by, but here in the mountains they would not start seeing the worst of it until the spring. For the first time in a month, I was able to forgo my large, puffy jacket in favor of a long sleeve and jeans. Jimin found my excitement over this endearing, sending a slew of heart-eye emojis in response to the mirror photo I sent him.

It was almost the end of the day when I pulled into the high school parking lot. The entire front office erupted in excitement when I walked through the front doors, hugs and well wishes overwhelming me. Sandra, the receptionist, could have talked all day if I let her, and after signing in, I politely told them all I needed to meet up with Coach Jung. I lied about stopping by on my way out and only felt a little bad about it. They were way too much for me.

“They’re going to be so excited to see you,” Hoseok mumbled, a smile stretching across his face as loud teenage boys got closer and closer to the pool house. 

“I’m happy to see them, too,” I replied. “Should we wait until they change to make the grand reveal?”

He shook his head. “Would you rather hug now or when they’re in speedos.”

I shivered, disgusted by the mental image.

“Thanks for putting that in my head, you sick fuck.”

Choking on his spit, Hoseok bent over, laughing so hard he started to screech. His laughter reminded me of a ghost's wail and was contagious. We were both so wrapped up in our little bubble we did not notice the doors opening.

“Coach?”

Wiping my cheeks, I caught my breath and made eye contact with Jordan. Baby blue eyes widened while a large, dimple smile overtook his face. Behind him, Gabriel announced that I was here, and the room was filled with excitement. I was not much of a hugger, but I was happy to greet each boy with one. Gabriel hadn’t stopped speaking since catching sight of me and had a few accidental slip ups about how much he disliked Coach Jung.

Hoseok had alluded to that being their main issue right now. The boys were having a hard time adjusting to a new face and missed me dearly. To his credit, Hoseok admitted that he was still getting used to the coaching thing and made a couple mistakes his first few days here. He had made it a point to apologize to them for being a dick, but the teens hadn’t forgotten or forgiven him for his snappy attitude. Especially the two oldest.

“When are you coming back?” Marcus asked. 

I smiled sadly, “I’ll be out for the rest of the year.” The tall boy deflated, sending a nasty look Hoseok’s way. “But,” I was quick to fix my mistake, “I’m planning on making trips to assist Coach Jung throughout the year. I wanted to be here for your last meet, but something came up.”

That something had been Jimin’s birthday, and I was not going to risk missing his party.

Regardless, Marcus and the team were very happy to hear they would be seeing me. 

“I promise I’ll be here for graduation, too,” I added.

Gabriel offered to give me one of his tickets and I gratefully accepted the extended offer. We stood there and talked for at least fifteen minutes before I finally told them to get changed and into the water. Without protest, all twelve of them went to the locker room.

“You know,” Hoseok chuckled. “You're going to have to teach me how you manage to do that.”

“Cinnamon buns from Mountain Shadows,” I put on my whistle and grabbed my clipboard from my duffel bag. “They’ll be eating out of your hand in no time.”

The team was glowing. Jordan stood in the middle of the boys, a large smile on his face, as he praised them for giving the meet their best effort. Having another win under their belt, all of them were buzzing with excitement at a chance at nationals. They only needed to win three more competitions to qualify. 

For the first time since I arrived, the icy contempt they held for Hoseok seemed to thaw. It brought a smile to my face. If I did not come back next year, I had a feeling the boys would be getting along much better. 

“What’s for dinner?” Marcus asked, looking at me for an answer.

“Coach said something about burgers,” I replied, gesturing towards Hoseok. “You should ask him though. I could be wrong.”

Gabriel chimed in, “Yeah, we’re going to Bingo.”

My mouth watered. Bingo Burger was one of the best spots in town. Their fries were hot and crispy, and I loved their shakes. Mulling over my options for dinner, I always found myself stuck between the Gone Shroomin’ Burger and the Happy Hippie. For a vegan burger, that thing was really fucking good. Then again, a thick, juicy beef patty smothered in bacon, cheese, and mushrooms would hit the spot. Indecisive and bored, I fiddled around with my phone and somehow ended up texting Jimin.

Me: Gone Shroomin’ or Happy Hippie?

The noise on the bus was just in the background now and easy to tune out. Hoseok was laughing loudly with the freshmen while the two seniors were in a quiet conversation in the seat in front of me. Marcus and his girlfriend broke up recently. I stopped paying attention once my phone vibrated.

Jimin: No idea what that means

Jimin: Gone Shroomin I guess

I bit my lip, suppressing a smile.

Me: We’re going for celebration burgers

Me: The boys won and Hobi is treating them since we’re out in Pueblo and not getting back to the Springs until after dinner.

Jimin: Speaking of food… I was thinking we could get some BBQ on Sunday

“Y/N!” Hoseok called, making me look up from my phone. “Tell your boyfriend you’ll call him later.”

“We need you to be the tiebreaker,” Twig chirped.

“What for?” I sighed, glancing down at my screen.

Jimin: Have you been to Union Rec yet? It’s BBQ and a taqueria

Me: No but I’m always down for a burrito

“Do mermaids have gills?” Twig asked.

Fully pulled out of my phone, I flipped it around and gave the boys my undivided attention. 

“Of course not. They’re mammals, so it would be a blowhole.”

Hoseok clapped his hands, “Thank you! That’s exactly what I said.”

Sliding further down in the booth, I closed my eyes and drowned them out again. Colorado’s air was so dry and crisp I was having to get used to the altitude change. I missed how wet and cold Michigan was. Smiling to myself, I remembered how much I hated it when I first landed. So much has changed…

Shuffling, I made myself more comfortable. We were only thirty minutes out from the Springs now, and we would be at Bingos right on time for Hoseok’s reservations. Feeling myself growing tired, I sunk even further into the booth. Eyes heavy, I let them slip closed, and slept for the rest of the bus ride.

Standing in front of my bathroom mirror, I smoothed down my skirt for the millionth time. The gray sweater I had thrown on seemed too casual now that I was looking at myself, but I did not know what else to do. It was a laundry day, but when I went to put my clothes in the dryer it refused to turn on. Violet said they needed a new one anyway, but that did little to improve my mood. The pretty red dress I wanted to wear was soaking wet and hanging from the shower rod to dry. I played with the skin on my lip, willing the black and gray outfit to somehow look nicer. On the other side of the phone, Andy sighed.

“You look fine,” She insisted, running her hand through her auburn hair. “Do a cute hairstyle and put on a nice pair of earrings, and you’ll be golden.”

“You don’t think it’s too plain?” I had asked her this five times now, and each time I got that same reply. “I mean, do I look like I’m going to a funeral?”

“The guy has seen you in sweats and no makeup and still wanted to take you out. Do you honestly think he cares about the color of your outfit?”

She had a point. Finally deciding to cave in and give up on my obsession, I took her advice to do something with my hair. A few of the strands were beginning to look silver, and my sideburns were looking paler every day, but after Hoseok told me he was starting to see a few grays, I decided to leave them be. If we were both going to be silver foxes, I liked the idea of doing it together.

“Are you wearing heels?”

“No,” I shook my head. I picked my phone up and went to my bedroom to find a pair of earrings. “It’s too icy. Silver or gold?”

She thought about it for a second, her face scrunched up cutely. 

“Silver.”

I landed on some thick, gun-metal hoops. They matched the color of the sweater perfectly and did not take away from my face too much. I had spent too much time on looking this nice to have an accessory dominate. Andy was happy with my choice.

I had gotten back a little earlier than I originally thought I would, and asked Jimin if it was okay that I meant him at the restaurant out here instead of making him drive all the way to Detroit to pick me up. He had put up a bit of a fight about it but relented when I said I was hoping we could hang out at his house after dinner. I said I wanted to get myself home, but I was really trying to see how bad the drive was from his place to mine. The thought of spending more time in his space made me feel like a teenage girl.

“How’s ballet going?” I slipped on a pair of black tights. It was freezing outside, and I wanted to have as many layers on as possible. “Has Dani made any progress in getting her figure skating career started?”

Andrea laughed but said that her daughter was getting closer to her goal every day. Jin was weak and did anything the little girl wanted if he could. This was the only issue they were both bull-headed about. Jin wanted to teach her to be responsible and follow through on things, and Dani was tired of preparing for figure skating. She wanted to be on the ice and her dad was afraid of pushing her too far too young. I was most definitely a team Dani instigator, and it was a point of contention between Seokjin and I.

“What did you think of Max?”

I smiled. That boy was definitely a character. The gang and I had a nice dinner before I left Colorado, and Tilly brought along Mr. Tattoo guy. He was quiet and when he did talk, he always had something completely random and out of the blue to say. He fascinated me and when everyone started huddling in their own groups to chat, I turned most of my attention to the new guy. 

He was a sweetheart, and it was a nice change of pace getting to know him. He hated being called Peter (his first name), went to college for nuclear engineering, and became a tattoo artist on a whim. A buddy of his wanted a new piece, paid Max to draw it, and trusted the guy with a tattoo gun. He was an apprentice in San Francisco for three years before moving to Denver to open up his own shop. For all of his eccentricity, he was very successful and down to Earth.

“He’s good for her,” I finally replied, zipping up my Doc Martens, I checked the time. I would have to leave soon. “I’m just happy there’s no drama between her and Hobi.”

It had been a year since they officially broke up, but I knew they fell into bed with one another a handful of times since then. Hoseok and I had talked about their weird relationship on one too many drunken nights, the swimmer the only person able I liked enough to force a glass of whiskey down. Tilly knew that I knew and would vent to me sometimes. They loved each other, knew one another better than anybody else, and it was easy to fall back into each other since we were in the same circle.

 I doubted Andy knew anything about that, we tried our best to keep her out of the loop, but she always said that they still had lingering feelings. I hoped Hoseok was handling this news well. He seemed fine, happy even, so I just rolled with it. If he had a problem, I was sure I would have heard about it by now.

“Speaking of Hoseok,” The humorous tone in Andy’s voice caught my full attention. “Apparently, Jin saw him at The Rabbit Hole with some blonde girl before you got into town. He just remembered to tell me last night.”

This was news to me. Wracking my brain, I tried to figure out if he had brought up a date, or even a person he might be interested in, but nothing came up. Shrugging, I let it go. It was probably just some girl he picked up at the bar. Still, that would be an expensive date.

“He hasn’t told me anything about that,” I murmured.

“Might be why he’s not bothered by new boyfriend.”

I laughed, “Or it could be that they’ve moved on.”

“Oh, please,” She pulled a face, eyes rolling to the back of her head. “We all know that’s not true. At least, not until recently.”

“Regardless,” I sighed, grabbing my purse and walking out of the front door. “It’s none of our business. If they’re happy that’s all that matters.”

Andy raspberried, “Boo. I hate it when you’re all mature and adult-like.”

“And right,” I joked. “Don’t forget about that part.”

Locking up my little house, I made my way through the Anderson’s. Violet was watching the Golden Girls on the couch while Calvin was reading a book beside her. It was a sweet scene that made me smile. I wanted what they had. 

I gave them a smile and wave as I passed by. Violet returned it in full, her eyes kind and gentle, before going back to her show. Calvin put his book down and asked what time I was planning on coming back. He wanted to keep an eye out for my car.

“Around midnight,” I replied, moving my phone away from my mouth. Andrea was rambling about the new doctor on staff. I trusted her disdain enough to know he was a huge dick. “See you two tomorrow.”

“Be safe out there,” He replied, going back to his copy of The Catcher and the Rye.

Andy and I were on the phone for the entire car ride into Ann Arbor. I enjoyed hearing her voice, the small distraction welcome when I felt my anxiety spike. Thankfully it was a Sunday night, and the streets were somewhat empty.

Once I got into the downtown area, I drowned out her voice completely. Andrea never minded. She just kept talking like I hadn’t stepped out of whatever conversation we were just having. Never got mad when I kept asking her to repeat herself either. She was a wonderful friend to me, and I was grateful to have her in my life. If I moved to Saline, she would be the person I missed the most.

I still hadn’t talked to anyone else about the possibility of moving. I was not sure how they would react, and I needed to have my mind made up before giving any of them the news. While I knew Andy and Jin would be supportive, and Tilly and Minho wouldn’t really care all that much (it just gave them an excuse to vacation in Michigan), it was Hoseok I was most on the fence about.

With him it could go either way. He would either be really happy and supportive or call me crazy. It came from a place of love, and I respected his opinion more than any of the others, so I had to be completely sure of myself before getting into something like that with him. If he thought for a second I was rushing into things he would go into overprotective, big brother mode and kill all of my excitement. He might even be able to change my mind if he fought hard enough. 

Pulling up to the restaurant, I was impressed by the sheer size of it. One half looked like an old warehouse while the other half was a small, white bricked building. A red neon sign glowed in the night and a large party was hanging out outside of the building. I could see Jimin in their little group and smiled. He was a very popular man in this area and was able to make new friends wherever he went. If I had to guess, he knew someone and is now best friends with all of them.

“Hey, I just got to the restaurant. I’m going to let you go.”

“Okay, baby,” Andy replied. “Have fun. Talk to you later.”

“Text you when I get home,” I replied. 

Andy was as hypervigilant about getting texts as I was. She was on staff at the hospital when Namjoon and I first arrived. I can’t remember anything from that night after getting in Joon’s car, but when Jin and I spoke about it he said Andy was one of the nurses having to help triage me. She had to be physically pulled away from my body once the doctors found out about our connection, but the image of my body that night is burned into her mind. She was the person who took care of me the most upon release and quit her job at the hospital for a little while in order to make sure I was well taken care of. Calls and texts were just our thing now and I always felt horrible for being part of such a traumatic event for her.

“Love you,” She said.

“Love you too,” I replied, hanging up.

Getting out of my car, I locked the doors and made my way over to Jimin. He caught sight of me before I reached the small group and broke out into a huge, heart stopping smile. Unable to stop myself, I smiled back and waved awkwardly. He said something to the group before meeting me halfway. 

“Hey, you,” He said, wrapping his arms around me. “You look really pretty.”

I laughed nervously, squeezing his waist. “Thanks. I tried my best.”

Pulling away, I was able to admire him a bit better. He was wearing light jeans tonight, a rarity as he preferred sweatpants and slacks, and a black t-shirt. A leather jacket was a staple in his wardrobe, and he always said they kept him warm enough. I never believed him. As always, everything was a tight fit and showed off his body perfectly. 

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” I said once my appraisal was finished. “Nice boots. Where’d you get them?”

He looked down at the black, Chelsea boots and shrugged, “Nordstrom, I think. Taehyung got them for me a few Christmases ago.”

Of course he did.

“Let’s go inside. I’m cold.”

Jimin laughed, “My apologies, ma’am.”

The restaurant was packed, but Jimin had arrived thirty minutes early to get us on their waitlist, so I only had to wait five minutes for our table to be ready. Jimin brushed off the gesture as first date etiquette, but I knew better. The kid was late to everything and yet he got here early so I wouldn’t have to stand outside in the cold. It almost made me reach out and hold his hand, but my nerves got the best of me. We were at our table before I could gather up some courage, leaving a disappointed, bitter taste in my mouth.

“I’m feeling Disco Fries as an app. You?”

Searching the menu for them, I nodded. “That sounds really good.”

We were quiet for a few minutes as we decided on what we wanted. The menu here was rather large, filled with Mexican foods and copious BBQ items. Having never been here before I had no clue what was good and what hasn’t, but from how many people were here I had to assume nothing was bad.

“Know what you want?” Jimin asked, breaking the silence.

I shook my head, “No idea. What about you?”

“I get the same thing every time I come,” He laughed. “The Korean BBQ Burger is really fucking good. I also like the enchiladas.”

Finding both items, my mouth watered. Everything sounded amazing, but I wanted to get a little out of my comfort zone. I just had burgers yesterday, so I was not feeling that. Maybe BBQ? Looking at the options, I shook my head. I could not eat a half pound of anything. Biting the dry skin on my lips, my brain felt like it was working on overdrive. Too many options.

“Welcome to Union Rec,” I jumped a little, startled. “I’m Annie and I’ll be your server tonight.”

My eyes locked with a pair of baby blues, and I immediately recognized her. She was the brunette from the bar a couple of months ago. Eyes sliding from me, she landed on Jimin and the bored expression on her face morphed into one of pure bliss. I did not understand why she had given me that nasty look back then, but it was much clearer to me now. She had a thing for Jimin. Remembering she had a boyfriend, one she screamed at over the phone, it made me feel nauseous. Poor Tom.

“Oh my gosh, Christian. What are you doing here?” She asked, sneaking a look at me.

“Got a hot date,” He replied cheekily, gesturing his hand my way. “You remember Y/N, right?”

She gave me one of those tight-lipped, fake smiles. I returned the favor. I was not really jealous per say, Jimin’s declaration making any possibility of that disappear, but I did not appreciate anyone trying to make me feel small. I was a gold medalist. I was a fucking Olympian. Whoever the hell this chick thought she was, I would make sure she never thought for a second she got under my skin. 

“Yeah, we met at Brecon’s,” Annie replied, completely ignoring me. “Thought she was your coach.”

Jimin either did not catch the insult or he was choosing to ignore it. His smile was still just as pleasant as it was when we first sat down. I envied his ability to keep his emotions so controlled. I knew I must have been glaring at the poor girl.

“She is,” He shrugged. “Doesn’t mean she’s not my girlfriend. Are you taking our order or…?”

Annie spluttered for a second before regaining her composure. All affection in her eyes was gone and replaced by irritation. It was definitely directed at me, but Jimin’s dismissal must have stung. I was happy to be rid of her. Putting in our order for Disco fries, Jimin got a Sprite and Annie left before I could ask for a drink. Sipping on my complimentary water, I forced myself to breathe in and out. She was just a petty, annoyed girl with a crush. That was all. So, what if she was being rude? I was fine. Everything was fine. After the fifth sip, I actually believed it.

Trying to keep my tongue in check, I went back to looking through the menu. Finally able to make a choice, I decided on the birria beef ramen and closed the menu. Hopefully little miss Annie wouldn’t spit in it. Hot again, I took another long sip of water.

“Excuse me.”

Jimin flagged down another waiter, a pleasant smile on his face. Confused, I put down the glass and raised an eyebrow. He winked at me before laying the charm on thick. 

“Hey Marty. Would you mind if we got a different server?”

The young girl nodded frantically, “Of course. Is everything okay?”

Jimin smiled, eyes like crescents. “Everything is fine. Just Annie on her bullshit. Don’t want to get her fired by talking to your dad.”

Marty rolled her eyes, “Figures. I’ll tell her I’m taking care of you guys. Just don’t expect me to be running around for you, man. I have an entire section by myself.”

“I want privacy anyway,” Jimin replied, smirking at me. “Thanks. I’ll tip you well.”

She laughed, “Just make sure you put it in my hand. That bitch has been stealing tips. Cosette is trying to convince pops to fire her, but you know how he is about the girl.”

Jimin shook his head, “I already know. Can you get my girl a drink? Annie ran off without taking her order.”

Marty looked at me, her deadpan stare making me burst into laughter. Apparently, it wasn’t just me. That helped. 

“Sorry about her. She’s a massive bitch. What can I get you?”

I smiled, my mood a million times better, “Iced tea, please.”

“You got it, babe. You ready to order?”

Marty took our orders and promised to be back with my drink soon. 

“How do you two know each other?” I asked Jimin, finishing off my water.

“We were in the same class back in high school. Her mom owns that flower shop on Michigan Avenue.”

That was surprising. I was positive the girl was no older than eighteen. She reminded me of a porcelain doll, her chubby cheek and big eyes adding something angelic to her overall look. Then again, Jimin did not look all that old either. It was easy to forget he just turned 24. The age gap was really messing with my brain.

Annie was back with Jimin’s drink a few minutes later. She said nothing when she practically slammed his cup on the table before stalking off. It was then that I knew who she reminded me of. Darcy. I wondered if they were friends. Definitely had the same attitude problem, that was for sure.

“Ignore her,” Jimin told me once she was out of earshot. “I’ve been doing it since middle school.”

The rest of our dinner went back without a hitch. With Annie out of the way, and Marty’s small and infrequent check-in’s, we were able to be in a bubble of sorts. He asked about my trip back home and filled me in on what happened over the weekend. He had finally told his parents about our date and said that his mom thought it was a great idea. James called me perfect a few times, too. I had a hard time believing it, but Jimin had never lied to me before. It was nice to know the people around him accepted me even if I was a few years older.

“My mom’s 9 years older than my dad,” He revealed in between bites of food.

Shocked, I stopped eating all together. I had no idea they were that different in age. Ne-Yeon looked so youthful and pretty it was hard to guess just how old she actually was. Even fighting cancer, that woman did not look a day over 40. James was also in great shape for his age. To hear they had their own age gap made me feel a little bit better. 

“Wait,” Something else occurred to me. “Your mom was in her forties when she had you?”

Jimin nodded, “45. She had Haru at 48.”

It made sense to me now. To Jimin, our age gap was nothing special. It was smaller than his parents’, and having an older mother did not bother him at all. In his eyes, we had all of the time in the world for marriage and kids. A small weight came off of my shoulders. It really did not mean anything to him. He was not just saying that to make me feel better either. 

“Do you want dessert?” He asked, his plate empty in front of him. 

I was almost done with my bowl, “What do they have?”

He squinted his eyes, thinking.

“I know they have this horchata banana pudding. It’s literally the best dessert I’ve ever had in my life. There are a few other things, but I can’t remember what they are.”

I chuckled, “Then we’ll have the banana pudding.”

Jimin was not exaggerating either. The pudding was delicious. I almost wished we had each gotten our own serving, but after seeing the bill we were happy we hadn’t. Jimin paid this time. We had a back-and-forth deal when it came to meals. I got us breakfast last Wednesday, so he was picking up this bill. This was, unfortunately, much higher than Denny’s.

“I’ll put gas in your truck,” I offered on our way out. “To make up for the difference from Denny’s.”

He scoffed, “Don’t worry about it.”

“But-”

“We’re together now,” He interrupted me. “If I want to pay for a meal, then I will. You don’t have to pay me back.”

“We’ve always done that,” I argued.

“That was before,” He countered, walking me to my car door and opening it. “This is now. And right now, I’m trying to take a pretty girl, in a pretty dress, on a nice date. That includes paying for her meal.”

Getting into my seat, I pointed out that I let him do the gentleman thing all of the time. Opening my door for me, pulling chairs out at restaurants, and even walking on the curbside when we were out together. The list was endless. The least I could do was pay for half of a meal.

“I don’t do those things to get on your good side,” Jimin replied. “I do them because I want to. This isn’t transactional. So, stop worrying about being a burden. I enjoy taking care of you. You deserve to be taken care of.”

I could not think of a good enough comeback, so I just decided to drop it. If he wanted to pay for me then he could. It was his money to spend. 

“Send me your address.”

“You still want to come over?” He seemed surprised.

“Yeah,” I nodded, already pulling up the GPS. “What is it?”

He sounded like Charlie when he won the golden ticket as he gave me his address. 

“Don’t get too excited now,” I joked. “Just because I’m coming over doesn’t mean anything.”

Jimin laughed, “I pretend I don’t even know what sex is until after date three, so don’t worry about it.”

That made me laugh, “Get in your truck. I’ll meet you there.”

Looking back at him, I felt giddy. His eyes were so alight, his joy written so clearly across his face it took my breath away. A happy Jimin was the only kind I wanted to see. Blowing caution to the wind, I finally reached out. Touching his stomach, I felt the muscles clench beneath my fingers.

“Thank you,” I said earnestly.

“What for?” He rasped, placing one hand over mine, pressing my hand further into his skin. 

“For-” I broke off, taking my hand away. The feeling of him underneath me was too much. “For being so accommodating. I really appreciate it.”

He laughed, the sound strained and airy. I was too embarrassed by my actions to look at his face, but I could feel his eyes burning into the side of my eyes. Unlike me, Jimin was always brave. Hopefully some of that confidence would rub off on me. Maybe then I could reach out and hold him whenever I wanted to. 

“You’re welcome,” He replied, and my thighs clenched together at how rough he sounded. Did touching him do that? Or was it the praise? It could be both. “Drive safe, okay? You can follow me if that helps.”

I nodded, swallowing. The icy air outside did nothing to put out the blistering heat coursing between us right now. It was overwhelming how hot it was. Turning up my A/C, I pointed the vent directly at my face.

“See you in a few minutes,” I breathed, still unable to look at him.

Jimin closed my door, and I leaned back in my seat breathing heavily. I watched him as he rounded the front of my car, those pants sticking to his legs like a second skin and groaned. I had never felt this level of desire for anyone before. 

He reminded me so much of Namjoon. His beautiful brain and love for music and poetry so reminiscent it managed to bring me back to happier times. In the beginning I was afraid my attraction to him stemmed from that link. Because he reminded me of something I had loved so dearly that meant what I was beginning to feel was just a projection.

I was wrong. So unbelievably wrong. Jimin had a passion that Joon could never replicate. If Joon was a warm blanket, then Jimin was like the tide in the sea. On the surface it was calm, steady, and beautiful. Underneath that was life like nothing I had ever seen before. He was refreshing and filled with this fire for life that reminded me of my own from years ago.

Namjoon was perfect, a boy-next-door, and soft spoken. Back then I had enough of that passion for the both of us. Now I saw more and more parallels between us than ever before. I was uncertain, waiting for someone else to bring excitement back into my life, too afraid to reach out and take what I wanted anymore.

And then Jimin was there with that big smile willing to take me on whatever adventure I desired. All I had to do was ask. It was exhilarating, fun, and I was happy to be a part of the ride. His softness, his kindness, his understanding- all of it wrapped up in a pretty red bow. A gift that kept on giving.

I did not love Jimin, but I knew then that I could. With his sharp tongue and charisma, it was impossible not to. Everyone else did. Who was I to think I could be any different? I was a slave to his happiness. It was in that moment, sitting in my car, that I finally understood what was happening.

I was falling in love and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Taglist: @ownthesunshine @screamertannie @lovelytaes-blog @pernesianparapio @tae-with-some-suga @sumzysworld @chimmisbae

© chimcess, 2024. Do not copy or repost without permission.

[woozvc]

shifts.

(part of my seventeen first love series!) [m.list]

synopsis - working at a 24/7 hypermarket and thinking you're about to get killed is not fun...but the dude you meet is beautiful so hey worth it?

pairing — jeonghan x gn!reader (reader is called pretty once)

genre/s — fluff, jeonghan is a menace, friends older brother troupe if you squint, reader works at a hypermarket late at night

cw— mentions of dark streets and getting followed (but like not really because he thought you were someone else), one direction is mentioned for a second (yes this is a cw), a lot of cursing

w/c - 1k ish

it's 11:03pm when your shift is finally over. it's a quiet friday night, the 24/7 hypermart you're working at is pretty empty which is perfect. most of your shift was spend in just organizing the shelfs and listening to music. that's why you love working here, it's easy money and it's near your house so why not?

“y/n! thank you so much for covering my shift today!”

“hey haein, how was your meeting?”

“um..it was fine haha, I know you like your 11-4am shift more but i had no choice, hope I'm not ruining your saturday”

“it's fine, I was free today anyway”

“let me get changed and you can log out” haein gives you a small smile.

haein is a year younger than you, you first met her when she randomly once ran into the shop at 1am in dire need of ramen. it looked like she was on the verge of tears. that told you enough, she was definitely your type of person.

“is it really that cold or are you dramatic?” haein chuckles looking at your large comically hoodie. you got it matching with her a few weeks ago. she wanted to thank you for putting up with her antics at early hours of the morning. you didn't refuse, a free hoodie is a free hoodie.

“it's December and I'm cold." you give her a glare (affectionate)

"don't leave the store until mark comes in and please dont put your headphones on, if someone walks in your need to greet them” haein gives you a small laugh with a salute and hugs you.

walking through this neighborhood has never been a problem. you know this place like the back of your hand, nothing could go-

“huh?” you turn around. there was something. you swear you felt someone walk behind you.

you look around for a minute, no ones around. that's when you decide to book it. taking a deep breath you start to run and crash into something, or, someone.

“haein chill out why the fuck are you running”

“who the fuck are you??”

you stare at the boy in front of you. long hair, lean frame and beautiful eyes-

“you're not haein.”

“last time i checked no I'm not” you quip back at him. being good looking does not excuse being a bitch.

“oh my god I'm so sorry” he extends his hand out to you which you take and pull yourself up.

“you have the same hoodie as my sister so i thought you were her.. I was planning to scare her so that i could ask why she was out so late I'm really sorry. it's just that usually her shifts ends right now and she takes this street home and”

“jeonghan?”

"you know me?"

it made sense. haein would come in sometimes and rant about her menace of a brother who she loved but sometimes was hard to deal with. for someone who has so much shit talked about him, damn does he look good.

you spend the next 5minutes telling jeonghan about how you know haein, the matching hoodies and why you were leaving the store at her shift time.

“she had a meeting with a club? she's not in any clubs?"

"I don't know I don't interrogate your sister"

“maybe you can” he hands his phone out and you give him a confused look

“put your number in, I'll ask you for sister updates. you can be my spy”

“that's creepy”

“I'm just concerned for her”

“still creepy”

“okay how about you give me your number because I think you're pretty”

you're so glad the street has barely any lights or he would've seen you red as a tomato right now. you quietly take his phone and put your number in, no further words needed.

jeonghan smiles at you and saves your number.

“I'll go meet haein now but I'll text you, you have good taste” and he walks away laughing. you stand there confused. what does he mean by good taste??

you start to walk home when it hits you. he pointed at your bag. a bag with a one direction badge on it that you put on when you were 12 and forgot about it.

“definitely a menace.”

a/n - I'm still on hiatus but I wrote this at 4am when I was sad and needed something to do sorry if it's not my best work :/

[disneyprincemuke]

where the fun begins, 2 * ls2 (ms47)

it’s friday: logan throws the party he’s claims he’s having just for you to come around, not even knowing if you’ll be attending

pairings: frat!logan x reader, college!mick x reader

notes: um im on my phone in school i dont have a word count and neither did i plan on making this this long… sry guys uwu hope u like it (i’m desperately running out of logan gifs pls help me)

biggest thanks to @angsthology for helping me out with the white man fight and smug logan because i couldnt, for the life of me, figure that scene out so thank yew baby :*

(f1 masterlist)

| one | two | three | four |

friday rolls around, two days since logan had seen you in the bowling alley with another guy. he also spent the last two days organising a party, completely last minute, sending the entire house into a frenzy to set it in stone.

typically, parties are structured and planned at least two weeks ahead of time. but this time is different.

he can't ignore the frustration that clouds his thoughts when he thinks of that night. or you, in general. all he sees is you wrapped around someone else's arms.

he's been watching the door for the past hour, curious if you had taken him up on his invitation. it's been two hours since the start of the party, and logan knows damn well that word has gotten around about their open house party.

it should have been invitational only, as they usually host their parties. but it's way too last minute to make it an exclusive party. so, they made sure word got around.

he knows that you know what time the party starts. because mick's friends have already made their way into the frat house, drowning in alcohol and pressed up against girls on the dance floor. he only wonders if you would ever come by.

logan folds his arms over his chest, smiling smugly as he watches the crowd pour into the dimly lit home. he turns to oscar. "see? i told you i could pull it off."

oscar stops next to him, hands in his pockets. "i got to say – this is the most effort i've seen you put in a girl," oscar teases, glancing at his friend from the corners of his eyes. "you must really like her."

"i just don't like losing," logan scoffs with an eye roll. "especially not to some loser like the guy she's with."

losing? no, he is jealous. but he would rather abolish this entire party as a whole than admit that to anybody.

"schumacher?" oscar laughs, throwing his head back. "he's not even a loser, mate. have you even talked to him?"

"whose side are you on, dude?" logan frowns, throwing his arms in the air. "there is a wrong answer to this question."

oscar rolls his eyes and punches logan. objectively speaking, he is on mick's side; for your sake. but in a friend perspective, he’ll always be on logan’s side. but even he can admit logan’s a bit of a dick sometimes.

"whatever, dude." he smiles to himself, watching liam open the door to let another crowd in. "it's a very well-put-together party. i'm surprised. where did you get the keg on such short notice?"

logan has this shit-eating grin on his face, one that oscar desperately wants to wipe off. but he can only step back and watch the downfall of all his antics. it's funnier that way.

"frederik knows a guy."

oscar raises an eyebrow. "alright, mate." he pats logan on the back. "liam’s hosting the beer pong. let’s go?”

logan shakes his head, staring at the door with his arms folded over his chest. “later.”

“staring at the door won’t increase the chances of her coming,” oscar hums proudly, patting him on the back. he pushes him through the crowd of college students and massages his shoulder as he tries to find where liam had set up the table. "and anyway, they're coming after pre-drinks."

logan stops in his tracks. "how do you know that?"

oscar steps back with a smirk. "lily told me. did i not update you on that?" he sighs dramatically and rolls his eyes. "must have slipped my mind."

he knew, since the night logan plotted this party, that you and your friends would be pre-drinking before coming here. another reason you're apparently dragging your feet here is for lily – not wanting her to be alone in a frat house.

as honest of a guy oscar tries to keep himself, it doesn't remove suspicion from him trying to take advantage of her. understandable and respectable. so he told you to take your time.

"dude!" logan scowls, shoving oscar back. "that's vital information you should have told me ages ago! i've watched the door like a fucking hawk all night waiting to see if she's coming."

"it's funnier this way," oscar giggles. "also, it's because i'm dating lily."

"you're what? since when? why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"way before you started seeing her. but you're focused on the wrong thing, mate."

"i doubt that, actually."

"oi, beer pong bitches!" liam screams, his hands cupped over his mouth as he beckons for the pair to approach him. he's knelt on a bar stool to catch their attention in the crowd. "logan is up first for the public versus the house."

logan chuckles, slowly making his way towards the beer pong table once more. "are you sure? i'm undefeated, mate," he turns to his friends, "you'll never get your turn if i'm up first."

frederik grins, gesturing towards the rows of red cups filled with sizzling cheap beer. "we wanna see how long you last."

oscar giggles, patting his back. "revenge for making us scramble to put together this party at such short notice."

"and anyway," liam laughs breathily, stumbling into logan's body. he takes a sip from the red cup in his hand. "we have another table for the casual games by the pool."

"and i don't get to play at that table? how rude," logan scoffs, stepping towards the table. he spreads his arms out as he looks around the crowd. "any takers?"

there are a couple who try taking logan down in his own game of beer pong. but as someone who's always in attendance at every party on campus, he's simply mastered the game – how to distract his opponents when he's losing, how to throw them off the game, and how to hit the ball into the cups.

he's figured it all out.

the games pass by very quick, and logan only drinks a couple of cups out of the 6 opponents that are brave enough to step up to the challenge.

"seriously?" logan giggles, slightly intoxicated from the beer. he watches the previous guy walking away, greeted by his group of friends and consolations for a 'nice try'. but logan knows it wasn't a good try. he didn't have a fighting chance at beating him. "where's the real challenge?"

"i could probably beat you."

he hears a chorus of 'oh's from his own friends crowded behind him, lifting his head to meet a pair of blue ones. he sees you first, hands on someone else's body and an arm wrapped around your shoulders. his eyes land on mick, smugly grinning at him with a hand inside the pocket of his jacket nonchalantly.

"yo, isn't that-"

"liam, read the room."

logan doesn't notice lily threading the edge of the makeshift circle over to his side, greeting oscar with a smile. he tilts his head at mick. "you think you can beat me? i'm undefeated, bro."

he sees you whispering something at mick, swatting at him with a small smile. logan knows that look: the flushed cheeks, swollen lips and slightly smudged mascara under your eyes. you'd drunk a little too much during your pre-drinks.

and so do you with logan: the heaving, permanent sly lazy grin and slumped shoulders. you even notice the way he's already slurring at his words.

"mick, should you really be entertaining this?"

mick smiles down at you, squeezing you with a soft shake. "just a bit of fun. we're at a party after all. i'll keep it friendly."

"i know you will. but will he?"

"trust me?"

you tilt your head and lift an eyebrow. you sigh with a small smile, "fine."

"asking for permission?" logan scoffs. "what are you, scared?"

mick scrunches his nose, lifting his hands from you. "no, mate. reassuring her," he smiles. he slowly tears his jacket off of his arms.

logan clenches his jaw at the sheer audacity when mick turns around and hands you his jacket. he feels a wave of anger, something he's never felt before, rising in his chest when mick leans down and presses a quick kiss to your red cheeks.

this might just be jealousy. but it's an emotion so foreign to logan that he doesn't even notice it. in his head, he's just mad that he's lost you to this guy.

someone rumoured to have gotten into the school through his dad’s connections.

"you sure you wanna embarrass yourself in front of her?" logan asks sweetly, biting down on his bottom lip. "one more chance to back out, schumacher."

mick shrugs and steps towards logan. "all in, mate."

"just making sure you don't embarrass your little girlfriend," logan grins, craning his neck slightly and squints his eyes down at you. "you don't want everyone to see him lose to me, do you? you should advise him otherwise."

you don't even get a chance to react before mick steps into logan's line of vision to you. "don't bring her into this."

logan scoffs, eyeing mick up and down. he furrows his eyebrows and tilts his head. "huh?"

"let's keep this friendly?" mick smiles. he extends his hand towards logan.

logan's gaze trails to the hand held out in front of him. he chuckles dryly before turning away, earning another chorus of gasps and shocked whispers around him, walking over to his side of the table. "you know how to play beer pong, don't you?"

mick purses his lips together, retracting his arm before padding over to his spot. "yeah."

liam looks between them, drunkenly filling up the new set of cups with beer. the kiwi can only hope that they keep talking so that he doesn't have to rush with the cups.

"i can teach you if you'd like."

"no, i think i can handle myself."

"alrighty," liam stands, clasping his hands together. "enough yapping. play the stupid game, you guys. it's just beer pong."

logan remembers a time when you used to be in this crowd. cheering for him instead of some random guy you met in one of your classes. you should be on the other side of the crowd next to oscar and arthur.

logan doesn’t do great with losing. if that hasn’t been implied, he doesn’t know any other way to show it.

mick crosses his arms over his torso. “make a shot, reigning champ.”

“i can be generous,” logan scrunches his nose, pressing his lips together. “guests first.”

the boy across the table shrugs. the game doesn’t go by as fast as the previous ones that logan plays. mick was actually true to his word, knowing how to play the game.

logan’s drank more cups than he’s ever in the entirety of the evening. he has to take a couple of deep breaths, staring down at the table when mick hits the ball into the last cup on his side.

he lost. he… lost? how is that possible?

“good game,” mick smiles with a polite nod across the table.

logan scans the table, taking his last cup into his hand. he hadn’t even stood a chance against mick. he still had more than half his set on the table.

mick swiftly turns around, ready to approach you when logan speaks. “one more?”

“mate-“

oscar taps liam on the shoulder, his one arm around lily’s shoulders, and grins. “no, let him do what he wants,” he glances at lily, who is smiling back at him, “i wanna see how this goes.”

“he’s gonna get himself into a fight, oscar,” liam mutters, pointing at logan. “you know him.”

“let him,” oscar shrugs. “he’s an adult — he knows what he’s getting into.”

“one more?” mick asks, halfway towards you. “are you sure?”

“yeah. best of three?”

“logan,” frederik calls out, pressing his lips into a thin line and shaking his head. “mate. he beat you fair and square.”

“no, it’s alright,” mick smiles. “no hard feelings.”

“very hard feelings,” logan mutters to himself, reaching to the side to open a beer can to replenish everything himself. “you stole my girlfriend.”

liam quickly takes over logan, swatting his hands away as he fills one cup sloppily with half of the liquid trickling down the side.

the next game goes by even quicker than before, the entire duration flashing right in front of logan’s eyes. he’s lost again. at least, it was closer this time. it was tied down to one last cup. mick simply played his shot better.

in normal circumstances, maybe logan would have just taken the loss as one would. but this is mick we’re talking about. logan will be anything but diplomatic about it.

“you had me nervous for a moment there!” you giggle. you move your arm out to avoid spilling the cocktail that frederik very graciously mixed for you during the game. “i thought you were going to have to play the third round.”

mick laughs breathily, blinking rapidly with a hand on his chest. “me too. i’m filled with alcohol,” he laughs, sweeping you into his arms. he pressed a sloppy kiss to your cheek, lifting you slightly from the ground. “let’s go whenever you want to?”

“aw, mate,” frederik sighs, heading over to mick. “house rules: the winner stays until defeated.”

“no way,” you whine, jokingly tearing frederik’s hands from mick. “i wanna head to the bar and get another drink with him!”

“fuck this,” logan mutters, throwing the racket down on the table. he snatches the last cup on the table and glances over at you excitedly bouncing as mick swept you up into his arms.

he rolls his eyes, whirling around and heading towards the backyard of the house.

mick hums as you engage in a conversation with frederik, his hand still on your waist. “um, hold on,” he whispers, tapping you gently. “i’ll go check on him. he looks mad.”

you tug on his shirt. “no, he’ll be okay. he’s just a sore loser, mick.”

he laughs, shaking his head as he detaches himself from your grasp. “i just wanna ask him if he’s okay. i’ll meet you guys at the bar.”

you hum hesitantly, letting go of his hands finger by finger. frederik nudges you in the direction of the bar where oscar and lily are already walking towards.

mick steps out into the backyard, hopeful to find the blonde that turned his back on them. while he didn’t frequent petty fights, logan’s reactions are just very entertaining to him. all because he had failed to appreciate your presence when he was blessed with it and mick stepped up to take you out on a date.

and when he was hearing whispers about logan remaining undefeated at the beer pong table, he took up on the chances. perhaps the alcohol made him feel slightly competitive.

he’s ashamed to admit that he let his ego get the best of him and that’s why he stepped up to logan’s challenge.

“mate,” mick announces his presence, slowly approaching logan sitting on one of the sun beds by the pool. “i hope you didn’t take the game to heart.”

“fuck off,” logan mutters, dropping his head low. he picks at the grass under the bed and clenches his jaw. “what are you doing here anyway? shouldn’t you be celebrating with your girlfriend?”

“she’s not my girlfriend.” logan looks up, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “yet.”

“seriously, what’s your deal? have you just come here to parade in my face that you got the girl or something?” logan pushes himself up to his feet. “i get it, man.”

mick sighs. “no. i was checking on you. you look like you had too much to drink there.”

“i don’t need you babysitting me,” logan shakes his head and folds his arms over his chest. “i’m a grown adult.”

“do you need some water? i don’t imagine you feel so good after chugging that much beer,” mick mutters under his breath. “you should really sit down.”

“don’t act like you care.”

“logan,” mick sighs, closing his eyes momentarily to let his frustration pass. “iced or room temp water?”

logan rolls his eyes. “stop acting all saint-like, man. i know you wanna hit me.”

“mate, i do not want to hit you.”

“for sure, you do. you just don’t know it yet.” logan shoves his hands into his pockets. he takes a step forward. “we all know you want to hit me. just do it.”

mick takes note of the step he takes, but stays planted into the ground. “i don’t want to fight you.”

“i know you do. the urge just hasn’t clawed at you yet,” logan grins sloppily. another step forward. “or are you holding back? because she doesn’t like messy guys and you’re scared you’ll lose her it you throw a punch?”

“i’m not holding back. fighting is a waste of time — i don’t like it.”

“she’s very conservative, dude, but she’s very forgiving,” logan nods, looking into the glass doors that lead into the house. he tries to spot you in the crowd but when he doesn’t, he returns his attention to mick. “you’re allowed a couple mistakes.”

“i’m not taking advantage of her like that.”

“i’m not asking you to take advantage of her kindness. i’m telling you that if you need to throw a punch or two, she will definitely forgive you. no need to be scared.”

mick laughs slightly, throwing his hands into the air to surrender. “i’m really not looking to fight with you. that’s beyond me, mate.”

“she appreciates when you let loose a little bit,” logan nods to himself. “why do you think we were going out all those months together? it’s not just cause i won her over with my charm, ya know. she’s got a bit of a wild side, mate.”

mick tilts his head, squinting slightly. he appreciates the extent logan is going to just to rile him up.

“if you don’t know that, then maybe she’s just not comfortable with you.” one more step forward. “i know so well a side of her even you’ve never seen before.”

“do you?”

“yeah,” logan answers in a low tone. he drops his head, one corner of his lips turning up into a smirk. “she’s got that perfect picture smile from a magazine, but you should have seen her when we went to this one party on campus.”

“ah. so?”

“do you know that she gets touchy when she consumes tequila?” logan perks up innocently. “very brave — she’s taken body shots before, you know. off of me?”

“okay? that was a frat party; of course you guys would host that kind of activity. i was there when that happened.”

logan ignores the jabs at the fraternity.

“kissed her yet? in case you haven’t, she tastes like those strawberry mints she always keep a tin of inside her pocket. they’re very minty, but it’s lovely.”

mick grins, pursing his together. “yeah, i know.”

“have you seen her in that one baby doll dress that she likes wearing a lot? what about her yellow sundress that barely covers her thighs?” logan pouts his bottom lip out. “it’s a scene when the wind comes by.”

“mate, you’re kind of crossing a line now,” the german chuckles. “don’t talk about her like that. i know you like her too.”

logan takes another step forward, eager to find that one trigger in mick. “do you know the mole she’s got on her hip? on the left side of her lower back. it’s really really visible when you’re fuc–“

“aw, fuck’s sake!”

logan almost bursts into laughter when he realises what had happened. his back meets the land of grass in the backyard, a pain shooting through his face. when he looks up, a crowd has formed around them during their conversation and liam is already knelt by his side.

lifting his head, he sees mick covering his face with both hands. he runs his hands through his hair as he looks down at logan with wide eyes, hands cupping his warm cheeks. “oh, my god. oh my god.”

oscar and lily pour out of the glass doors with a crowd following them out, the australian raising his eyebrows at his best friend lying back on the ground with a bloody nose.

“logan?” oscar asks, already knowing that he’s probably done or said something to trigger the normally calm headed man in front of him. “what did you do?”

logan scoffs, letting liam help him to sit on the sun bed. “i have the bloody nose and you’re asking me what i did? why don’t you ask him? he hit me.” logan points at mick as he takes the tissues that liam is putting into his hands.

oscar stares at logan. “really? you’re going with that?”

“yeah,” logan grins, glancing at mick. he presses the tissues to his nose, hissing when pain shoots through his face again at the contact. “god, dude. you don’t look like it but you can throw a punch.”

mick nurses his knuckle, taking a couple of steps back. “i know, mate. i’m not stupid.”

you stumble out of the glass doors, heaving as frederik keeps a firm grip on your shoulders. you were in one of the bathrooms upstairs — where it’s exceptionally cleaner — when mick threw the punch (frederik was holding your purse waiting for you outside the door).

when you made your way back down, the crowd inside the house halved. frederik would tap ollie, taking body shots off of someone, asking where everyone had gone.

and ollie, lying back on the table as he put salt on his stomach, pointed to the backyard and muttered something about a possible fight. “logan, maybe,” he muttered before promptly shooing you away.

you look at mick first, who has his shoulders slumped with oscar and lily by his side and is staring at you with guilt all over his face. then you look at logan, being nursed by liam and someone else, with a tissue and an ice pack against his face.

“yeah?” logan perks up with a scoff at you. “can’t pick who to nurse?”

@cashtons-wife @localwhoore @vroomvroomcircuit @foreveralbon @what-is-happening-helpp

[sturniozo]

Savage Love Part Two

Matt Sturniolo x reader Mafia AU

A/N: I’m so happy y’all like the first part it’s insane!!! I have so many plans for this fic tbh hehe I have so much ready already but I want to finish tutor as well which only has a few parts left but asshhhhhh thank you guys for all the praise on part one you have no idea how much it means to me!!!

masterlist

“You’re joking.” Emma says. I just stare at her. “No fucking way. Matt Sturniolo took care of you while you were drunk! A total stranger!” She smiles. “That’s a scoop!”

“Yeah, it’ll get you something big.” I nod.

“Not me, you. Too humanitarian for my writings. But you, with your do good and help the planet and its people look on life…. An article about the most ruthless and powerful man taking care of a helpless stranger while she’s intoxicated! That’ll get you something big!”

I smile at her. “I’ll have to get to writing it fast. Kyler doesn’t like old news. I’ll need it out by tonight for it to be any good to him.”

Kyler is our boss, the editor of our newspaper. Even though it’s a small newspaper outlet, our boss is a hardass, and I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t fired me already.

~

I set the stapled sheets of the freshly printed article on Kyler’s desk.

“What is this?” He asks without even looking up at me.

“It’s my article. Matt Sturniolo has a soft spot.” I bite my lip and Kyler looks up at me, seemingly intrigued.

“Matt Sturniolo?” He asks. I nod and he picks up the article, quickly reading and flipping through it. I had made sure to not mention it was me that Matt had taken care of, and made it seem like another person had told me about it. “Where did you get this?”

“Anonymous source.” I reply. Kyler nods and hands it back to me. “Send it to print and have it on a middle column that’s free.” He looks back at his computer and I take the article and quickly leave.

I smile to myself as I take the article to print. I tell the guys exactly what Kyler told me to tell them and they nod, taking the article from me and shooing me away.

I go back to my desk and sit down, not able to wipe the smile off my face. I look over my computer and see Emma, on the phone with someone I assume is another person she’s crossed when writing an article about them after they slept together.

Not long before the end of the day, Kyler comes out of his office for the debrief. Everyone tells him their scoops and he gives them the yes or no. Then it comes to me.

“Do you think you can talk to that anonymous source again?” He asks me.

I hesitate but Emma answers for me. “She definitely can!”

“Good. I want confirmation on the rumors that Matt Sturniolo is the head of the Mafia in New York. Can you get it to me?”

“She sure can!” Emma answers for me again.

“Get me confirmation in a month. I want updates and articles until then.” Kyler demands. He then surveys the room before leaving back to his office.

“A month? How am I supposed to get that information in a month?” I ask Emma.

“Well, you have his number don’t you?” She tells me.

I sigh. “I guess.”

“You guess?! Use the number! Call him! He’ll do it now!”

“Really?”

“If you don’t get that article in within a month, Kyler will fire you!”

I sigh again and pull out my phone and the card Matt had given me. I dial the number and put it on speaker for Emma to hear.

“Hello?” The other end says.

“Hi, is this Matt? We met at the party, you took me to the hotel room when I was too drunk to stand?”

“Dollface, I’ve been waiting for your call.” Matt says and my stomach flips in circles. “Did you change your mind?”

I laugh softly before saying “I guess you can say that.”

“Meet me tonight at 7, at the hotel.”

“Alright.”

“Bye dollface.” He says before hanging up.

“Dude, that was so booty-call-esque.” Emma says and laughs. “I thought you weren’t a hook up type?”

“I not. But I need this story.”

“I know. I’ll help you.”

“Help me?”

“You’re going into my territory. You’re sleeping with people for information.”

“Not people, just Matt. And who know is he’ll even tell me anything.”

“Oh he won’t tell you anything. You have to pick things up on your own.”

“What?” I laugh.

“Like if he takes a call after sex, what he says, who’s in the other end. Or if he says he has a meeting, ask who with. And keep hooking up with him. The more you hookup, the more he’ll be willing to share with you.”

I take a deep breath. “I can do this. I can hook up.” I tell myself.

The truth is I don’t think I can just hook up. The only guy I’ve ever been with and had sex with was my high school boyfriend, who cheated on me and made me feel like I wasn’t good enough half the time we were together.

“You got this.” Emma says

Tags: @stargirlsturniololover @sturniolobessed @eyelessdemon @sturnioloenthusiast @sturniolopookie @urmommysbathroom @qwertytit @whatever1021 @chrisfavoritepepsi

[miley1442111]

reaction confession- r.cameron (part 5)

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summary: a confession makes things even more confusing…

a/n: this takes place in a au where the stuff that happens in the show doesn't happen :) (also sorry this took so long to update, loads of stuff has been happening in my personal life that has put my hobbies in the back burner :)

tropes: childhood bestfriends to lovers, enemies to lovers

pairing: rafe cameron x fem! reader, jj maybank x reader (dw, not for long)

(use of Y/n, and the nickname Bunny/ bun (but i promise not in a weird way there's a story to it i swear it's not just one of those weird smut things))

warnings: mentions of drugs and drug use and drinking, fighting, cursing, Richard is a dick, rafe's mental health, reader is going through it, reader is going through it, talks of sex and feeling regret after it, mentions of dead parents and sibling, rafe being jealous, rafe is also going through it, rafe treats reader like crap, talk of nudes, mentions of sex, kissing,(and I think that's it?)

not entirely proofread

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Rafe was not a nice drunk. He was not a nice person, full stop. At least, that’s what he thought.

It was early to be getting drunk, but he didn’t care. Barry didn’t have any coke, and the Country Club didn’t care how drunk he got, he was a Cameron for fuck’s sake.

“Another,” he slurred at Jj. “Thanks.”

Jj placed yet another beer in front of Rafe. God, Jj was almost pitying him. Rafe used to be the ‘cool guy’. Everyone wanted to be friends with him, correction, everyone wanted to be friends with him and you.

Why weren’t you responding? Jj had texted you 4 hours ago. He checked his phone again.

“Why do you keep checking your phone?” Rafe asked. No snark, no rude tone, just a genuine question. Jj might as well indulge him.

“Waiting for a message,” he shrugged.

“Who from?”

“Y/n,” Jj answered, drying a glass.

“Why are you texting Y/n?” Rafe questioned, confused.

“We’re hooking up? I think, but I'm not sure. We hooked up last night, but now she’s not responding.”

Rafe was sober. His blood boiled. His mind raced. “Oh.”

You and Jj. You and Jj fucked. Jj fucked you. You fucked Jj. It made Rafe sick. How the fuck did he let that happen? You were with him yesterday, and he made you run off and fuck Jj.

How did he keep messing everything up?

“Right,” he nodded, and walked off, back to his table with the rest of the boys.

“I was trying to text Bunny,” Richard, one of the newest Kook boys sighed. “Yeah, she just… she’s blanking me dude. It’s so shit,”

“Sounds like what she did to you, huh?” Kelce smirked, turning to Rafe.

“She didn’t ghost me,” Rafe answered, speaking lowly.

“What?” Kecle scoffed.

“I ghosted her.”

“You fucking liar,” Topper chuckled. “I fucking knew it.”

“Doesn’t mean she isn’t fucking ghosting Rich, dipshit,” Rafe shot back, his anger rising.

Then Richard’s phone dinged. He turned it over and a message from you sat on the screen.

Y/n: Please stop texting me about nudes, I’m not sending you shit.

Rafe saw red.

“You motherfucker,” Rafe shook his head, voice low and slow. He leaned over the bar and grabbed him by the collar. “If you ever, and I mean ever fucking see you near her again, I will genuinely kill you Richard. I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Relax man, it’s not a big deal-“

“Did you fucking hear me?”

“You can’t control her-“

“But I can control you,” that ended the conversation. At least, he thought it did. That was until Richard swung at him, and something in Rafe told him not to fight back.

————————

He looked like shit. Busted lip, blown up eye, and a split eyebrow. He knocked on your door, just needing you. He may have also gotten extremely drunk on his way to your house… just maybe.

You opened the door and gasped, immediately bringing a hand up to examine him. “Holy shit, Rafe.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know where else to go,” he mumbled as you took him in. You sat him on your kitchen counter and began the tedious process of cleaning him up.

“You shouldn’t be fighting Rafe,” you scoffed. “Fucking hell Rafe.”

“‘M sorry baby,” he muttered.

“This is ridiculous, what were you even fighting about?”

“You.”

You stopped cleaning his eyebrow, staring at him.“Richard.”

He nodded, his hands circling your waist. “He’s not going near you again.”

“Rafe…”

“I didn’t fight him back,” he explained. “I’m being better for you. I’m not scary, I promise. ‘Don’t want you to be afraid of me. I’d never hurt you Bun, you know that right? ‘Never fucking hurt you.”

You felt bad for him, more than anything. You placed a hand on his cheek. “I’m not afraid of you Rafe. You’re just… rough sometimes.”

“I’ll be gentle, I just need you Bun. I love you Bunny.”

“Don’t say that,” you sighed. “Don’t stay things you don’t mean,” you contrived cleaning up his face, but he grabbed your hand and brought it to his lips, kissing your palm.

“I mean it. ‘Fucking love you. You’re my everything Bun-“

“Rafe.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” you chuckled. “Just let me clean you up, and we can talk in the morning.”

“Can I stay?”

“I’m hardly letting you walk home like this,” you shook your head.

You cleaned him up, gave him an old hoodie of your dads and brought him into your room. “Lie down Rafe, I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Don’t leave me-“

“I’ll be in the next room,” you sighed.

“Bunny!” He whined.

“4 minutes,” you promised. You left him in your bed and started beating up some random freezer food that you could find. Then, the reality of the situation hit you. Rafe was in your bed, bruised and banged up, he told you he loved you, he asked you out, and he told you he needed you.

“I don’t want you to be afraid of me,” he said, low, sober now. He leant against the doorframe, watching you like prey.

“I’m not,” you sighed. “It was just… a lot earlier. Alright?”

“I’m not scary to you, right?” He questioned. “You’re not afraid of me, right?”

You could hear his footsteps getting closer, his presence engulfing you. You could smell the liquor off him, practically taste it. You could hear his breathing, low and steady. You could feel his footsteps on the wooden floor. He was so close he could touch you if he tried to.

“I’m not afraid of you,” you answered, turning around and looking him in the eyes. “You’re just rough sometimes.”

He nodded, his eyes filling with tears. He believed you, he truly did. But he didn’t deserve your kindness, he didn’t deserve you to be so fucking nice to him.

“Oh, Rafe,” you sighed, wrapping your arms around his neck and hugging him closer. “It’s alright.”

“It’s not alright,” he cried, the dam breaking. “It’s not alright.”

He picked you up and put you on the counter, burying his face in your neck as you held him.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, brushing through his buzz cut slowly.

“I abandoned you,” he whispered. “And I’m so sorry.”

You shook your head. “That was a long time ago-“

“No it wasn’t! You should be angry with me, you should hate me, I fucking hate me! I left you! When you fucking needed me, I left you. Even after I swore to protect you, even after I promised your parents that I’d be there for you. I left you. And I’m so fucking sorry Bun,” he pulled himself out of your arms and started pacing the kitchen.

“I don’t know what you want me to say-“

“Anything! Get fucking angry, hit me, I don’t know! Just hate me, so I can stay away from you!”

“I don’t fucking hate you Rafe-!”

“Hate me!”

“Alright fine, you want me to hate you?” You scoffed, getting pretty tired of this shit. “Why the fuck did you do it Rafe?”

He stood still.

“Why did you read my messages? Why didn’t you reply? Why didn’t you show up to the funeral? Why didn’t you tell everyone on this insane fucking island that you ghosted me, not the other way around?! Why didn’t you listen to my voicemails? Why didn’t you pick up the fucking phone when I needed you?! Why do you fucking hate me so much?!”

He was silent.

“Why did you make me question my worth, my personality, my life, and fucking everything else at the age of 15!? And do you want to know the kicker? I would’ve fucking married you, if you’d have stuck around for me. I was so fucking in love with you when I left, that I blamed myself for you not responding. I thought I got too boring, too annoying, too clingy. No. I was just a teenage girl who wanted her best friend, and wanted her crush to like her back. And I won’t fucking apologise for that Rafe.”

“You liked me back?” He asked.

You rolled your eyes. “Yes!”

He again stood silent.

“Go to bed Rafe. I’ll bring in some food,” you sighed, knowing the productive part of the conversation was over (if you could even call it productive).

He followed your instructions, leaving you alone in the kitchen. You thought about it all. He had been in love with you too. Yet he left you.

————————

Rafe sat on your bed, eating the leftovers in silence. You sat at your desk.

“Come here,” he begged. You did. Of course you did.

He placed a gentle hand on your cheek, pulling you in.

And he kissed you.

————————

obx masterlist :) (all other parts here!)

navigation for my blog:). (criminal minds, obx, the bear, marvel, top gun, the hunger games, challengers :)

taglist: (comment to be added :))

@hockeybabe87 @maybankslover @anightlikethisss @linaaaaa654 @ijustwanttoreadlols @ihe4rttwd @sunny1616 @wearemadeofstardustO@rafeecameronsbitch @drewswifeeee @lovegeorgia @houseofperfecttaste @ymnizuh @maibelitaaura @harryweeniee @idkwtdwml123

[princessofgotham777]

Dating Jason Todd (Part Three)

fanfic type: angst, fluff, comfort (ongoing)

If you liked the Titans show but wish they handled Jason’s story line differently you might like this fic!

Hey so this is in fact my first time writing fanfiction (idk what my life has come to). Sorry if it’s cringy but also I would eat this up cause I LOVE some good angsty comfort fanfiction. I won’t write smut. I don’t think I’m gonna do requests but if you have any ideas feel free to let me know. Also of course I don’t own any DC characters this is purely fanfiction. Although I’ve had tumblr for a bit I’m not really used to posting stuff so sorry if I don’t format everything well. Thank you and I hope you enjoy. (I hope you like run-on sentences💀) (if you don’t like it don’t be rude just move on dude😃🧍‍♀️)

So story line, this doesn’t really take place in any specific universe but I’m gonna be pulling concepts from Titans, The Batman, Under the Red Hood, and whatever lore I remember from the CW shows cause I grew up watching those, then just my imagination of course. The beginning takes place when Jason is still Robin but he’s no longer apart of the titans. Reader is referred to as she/her btw.

Warnings: talking about death, suicide, depression, torture (it’s not graphic I hate gore it’s just sad)

Part Three: The Past

You, Kori, Gar and Rachel sat in titans tower in anticipation of Dick’s phone call. Roy had found the tracker in Jason’s wallet now you all were wondering if you’d found Jason or just his wallet.

“I just don’t understand why he didn’t wait for Dick and go about the plan as we all discussed and agreed to,” Kori says.

“He just wants to prove himself,” Gar says.

“He acts too good for Dick and too good for us, he acts unappreciative of everything Dick and Bruce have done for him,” Kori says.

“Hey!” You say. “He’s appreciative of them believe me, he’s always going on about how Robin was the best thing that ever happened to him. I love you Kori but don’t act like you know him,” you say.

“Okay, I think we’re all just a bit on edge,” Rachel starts to say when your phone rings. It’s Dick.

“You’re on speaker, did you find him,” you say.

“No and take me off speaker,” he says. Gar, Rachel and Kori all exchange confused looks. You take the phone off speaker and walk over to the kitchen.

“What the fucks going on Dick?” You ask.

“We found another note, Jokers kidnapped Jason. I’ll send you the note everyone at GCPD has been staring at it for the last two hours completely clueless though,” he says.

“Two hours?” You say. “Why didn’t you call me sooner?” You ask.

Dick sighs, “I wanted to see if we could solve it first,” he says.

“Right so you did exactly what I told you not to,” you say. “I’m going to Gotham clearly I need to be there in person.”

“Y/N you cannot come here it’s not a matter of if we need your help it’s a matter of safety Joker has Jason and so your next…he’s betting on you coming to try to rescue him,” Dick says.

“I can’t trust you,” you say.

“Fine I’ll ask Kori to come to Gotham, keep me accountable,” he says.

“Ask her and Rachel to go, I trust Rachel. Gar and I will stay at the tower,” you say.

“You don’t trust Kori?” He asks.

“Rachel is my best friend,” you answer.

“Right, put them on,” he says. You hurry back over to the three of them and put the phone on speaker. “Would you guys be okay with Kori and Rachel coming to Gotham and Gar and Y/N staying at the tower?” He asks.

“Sounds fine,” Kori says.

“Is Rachel going too a good idea?” Gar asks.

You give Rachel a look that lets her know you’ll fill her in later and so she says, “I’ll go.”

Rachel and you are sitting in her room when she finally says something. “I’m happy to help but you need to fill me in on a couple of things first,” Rachel says.

“Completely understandable,” you say.

“So why do you want me to go to Gotham?” She asks.

“Dick broke a promise…and I’m don’t think Kori will hold him accountable so I just want you to be there to keep me updated since I can’t be there myself and I trust you,” you say. “I know Dick saved you and you two have a strong trust but I also know you won’t keep anything from me,” you say.

“You don’t trust Kori?” She asks.

“I trust Kori how I trust everyone else on the team, but you’re my best friend,” you say.

“Okay second thing why’d Dick have you take the phone off speaker, that was weird,” she says.

“I don’t know honestly,” you lied. You knew exactly why. You and Dick had a past and the way you talked to each other was passive aggressive and overly demanding. You two didn’t want questions on why you guys always seemed to be so angry or emotional with each other so you put on an act in front of other people. Jason knew all he wanted to know about it. “He just told me they found another note, which he didn’t tell me about until two hours later that’s why I don’t want him to be my main source of information.”

“One more thing…I know you and I don’t really talk about guys,” she says laughing nervously. “But you and Jason like is your worrying like when you can’t find your favorite shirt or like-“

You cut her off and say, “No, it’s like if you cut off your finger and then you can’t find it and you only have ten minutes to sew it back on before you lose it forever,” you say frantically.

“Right, so I’ll go to Gotham Y/N, and I’ll help however I can,” she says. “This is stupid but,” she extends her pinky. “Pinky promise,”

“It’s not stupid,” you say taking her pinky with yours.

Rachel and Kori leave for Gotham leaving you and Gar the last two in the tower, the last two in the place you once called home. Later that night you and Gar sit by the floor to ceiling window eating pizza and drinking lemonade, looking out at the city.

“Do you and Jason ever talk about coming back and rejoining titans?” He asks.

“Sometimes,” you say. “We talk about it but then we remember how everything went down in the end and we snap out of it pretty quick.”

“None of them still really know what really happened,” Gar says.

“What do you mean? They think he did the stuff Rose did with the crosses and orange soda and shit?” You ask.

“No no, they know he didn’t do that, they just don’t understand why he left,” Gar says.

“First of all who’s us, us as in me, you, Dick, Kori and Rachel or us all plus Donna, Dawn and Hank?”

“The second one,” he says.

“He left because they didn’t believe him. Everyone was so quick to just believe it was him who did all that shit even after he said he didn’t. I know he can be an asshole sometimes to all of you but the truth is Dick acts the same way and no one ever gives him shit,” you say.

“You do.” Gar says.

“Huh?”

“You hold Dick accountable, you’re not afraid to call him out when he’s being an asshole,” Gar says.

“Yeah well Dick and Jason are more alike than people acknowledge. More alike than they themselves care to acknowledge,” you say.

“I forget you’ve known them both for so long,” Gar says.

“Yeah,” you say getting off the floor. “Hey I think I’m gonna try to get some sleep wake me up if you hear anything and I’ll do the same okay?”

“Sounds good,” he says.

I hope you enjoyed reading, like if you want another part I’ve got plenty of ideas and am lowkey having fun writing this so I hope people are having fun reading it🩷

Here’s my Masterlist so you can read the other parts

Masterlist

[charliemack]

ok as promised, i watched conclave

wrote down my thoughts and impressions as I went, live-blog style except i was blogging at myself

posted here for those who might care to see them, but below a readmore as it got a bit long. and, em. emotional

please know, i don't need answers to the questions I've made notes of here I already googled them. Also be warned, I never learned to spell and I'm not about to start now

oh dip john lithgow is in this, that bodes well /s

(look up the fancy papal ring)

There's angels in the walls

those glasses are doing nothing for StanTucc, gotta turn down the sexy somehow i suppose

(look up vatican death face keenex)

ok yeah a dude from the terror directed this, it's got pomp frotting all up against bruising mundanity. wax seal interposed with squeaky gurney wheel. good stuff

the heartbeat sound of the gurney clicking back and forth in the back of the ambulance SOMEBODY ISN'T FULLY DEAD YET somebody's getting ready to haunt the narrativvvvve

i will never not be obsessed with ancient institutions having to adapt to modern technology. Updating the security so they can't eavesdrop via lasers against the glass? Nuns on a motorcoach? Cardinals with wheeled luggage? Pile of '00s desk phones on terra cotta tiles? Cardinal with a bright red phone case?? Spectacular (I accept this is an American affectation, we have comparatively few ancient things here and our institutions tend to update themselves very very quickly)

Eminence Tedesco can slap my impudent hands any time he likes

ok yeah a dude from the terror directed this because it's black, white, red, and gold where the terror was black, white, navy, and gold

Oop here we go, intrigue starting

I'm sorry the travertine floors are gorgeous and I want them

LOL nuns in a commercial kitchen. magnificent

Oh ho ho the lost heir emerges, the tropes are hungry

(look up in pectore)

Hello Mr Lost Heir i mean Surprise Cardinal Benitez sir you have beautiful hands

Oop he praised the nuns, he's going to do very well

Oh WOW 25 minutes in and we got our first racism (or at least the first one I picked up on) 😬

Bellini: "I don't want the papacy" mmmm sure Jan

Lawrence the code switcher, speaking italian, speaking latin, calling Tremblay "Joe" - gotta respect it

There are wings in those walls

The fucking .... what is that, a Nespresso? Wild

Goodness but the set design on the dormitory here. I've been in meat lockers that were more hospitable

Well hello close-up silhouette shot. Trying not to make a theme of it but it's very clear the guy who did this also did the terror

Ralph Fiennes' eyes are doing so much heavy lifting here they should get second billing in the credits

The repetition of the ornate costumes such that the finery gets lost and we're left with a background texture that is also living people. Not to belabor the point but yeah a dude from the terror directed this

"Let me speak for the heart for a moment" -> me and everyone else in that room: this guy would be a really good pope probably

I am really impressed that all these red capes and hats are the same red, modern technology is a miracle

Normally an ominous bolting of a door would make me nervous but these guys all seem like they get along really well so it's probably fine

Are they gonna burn the ballots YESSS tHEY BURNED THE BALLOTS this is spectacular

We hear the crowd, we don't see the crowd. I see what they're doing here

Well that was the most circuitous way to tell that story, mr aide person Ray, but full points for building the tension

I wonder if the little motor coaches that ferry them to and from the dormitory will be electric someday

The holy father's ... turtles

OH this is delicious. In the span of six lines of dialog Benitez has flipped the situation around from Lawrence asking him about his health to Lawrence making a confession to him. SPECTACULAR

OH NO Disappointed StanTucc face, anything but that

These vote tallies are gripping. I'm gripped.

Ohhh the color story here. Lawrence you do not belong in this room. This is a room for the nuns, the chairs are blue, the walls are blue, the light is blue, the curtains are blue. His red cape and cap scream violence in a way his tone cannot overcome (I know blue=Mary, that's not the point that's being made here)

Ayedemi what did you doooooo

Wings in the walls again. And now also eyes of judgement

Ah. That's what Ayedemi did.

"So I still have hope" -> wow.

Another magnificently efficient scene. Twenty lines of dialogue? And a man convincingly goes from bluster to weeping

The candidates at empty tables while the fifth vote tally is a delicious choice

Oh look it's Bad-News Ray, also known as Drabs-of-Expedition Ray. I love this guy I wanna be this guy

At this point I feel like we're seeing Lawrence as a man in an extremely stressful administrator's job, a job he's had for a very long time, juussst edging right up to the upper limit of what he can reasonably handle. Sure hope the pot doesn't continue to boil - or something happens to diminish his fortitude

Those're some really lovely gold bedlinens there, Benitez. I guess we can speculate as to who the housekeeping staff are pulling for

There are pointed spears and arrows in the walls

Even the login screen in the nun room is blue, spectacular

And now comes Lawrence into the Blue Nun Room but this time without his red cape, and when we press into the close-up shot we can't see his red cap either. Excellent camera angles happening here

What's in your emaillllls, Sister Agnes??

Oh. That's tidy

Lawrence without his red cap now, and we can't see what's in the walls. Only the red runner on the floor (just like in a children's hospital)

OH. OH OH OH GOSH. Literal seal, literally broken. That was a deeply visceral sound effect

A delightful scene humanizing a holy and unknowable (cuz dead) figure. Aspirin. Rubber bands. Breath mints. Dirty eyeglasses

Sister Agnes is gonna beat Lawrence up and down that hallway or so help me. The spear points in the walls are facing upward now, we are in vigilant watcher mode

There are ghostly dead roots in the walls

Lawrence is a spectacularly lonely man, I think. Most priests are, but I think he is lonelier than most. Probably cuz he can't pray right now

oo-woo what's this in the headboard

Bellini you old grouch. Lawrence is right, by the way, pessimism is the refuge of a coward

GET 'EM AGNES HELL YEAH. The holy photocopier of revenge, that's delightful

(look up mendacious)

Hahhhhh get 'em Agnes. Go on Tremblay, deny it now

WOW

There are swirls of emotion behind Bellini in the walls, and tidy columns and rows of ordered distress behind Lawrence. In the walls

Tedesco has absolutely gorgeous hair, sir, please, tell us your secrets

HOLY SHIT

Oof

WOW

oh

.... sorry I need a moment

And we're back.

A quick comment: even here, in this scene, we don't see the crowd. Only the actions of the crowd. We are well and truly sequestered.

Nuns on the move! That bodes well, I'm sure

The walls are pillars now

Humans as texture. Flowing around a water fountain. Lovely

Tremblay's glasses are broken. Very nice visual

OH gosh Benitez looks like he wants to throw up

And here's Exposition Ray. With 15 minutes of runtime left

Clinic for what, said no one ever

OH

I stand corrected

(I thought it was AIDS)

I need another moment

OK, had to go do the dishes and walk around a bit but that is ... ok. Two words, and they are everything. I want to write a dissertation on this moment because ... because ...

I'm really glad this movie got made.

And that it was made this point in time, in particular

In a slightly lighter opinion: I'm shocked this came as a spoiler, with all the posts I've seen online. In retrospect I think I might've seen a post or two about intersex but .... wow. Just, wow

He has really beautiful hands

From personal experience: Benitez is correct. To exist between the world's certainties, so to speak, is a very powerful way of being human

We hear the crowd. We don't see the crowd.

His Holy Father's Turtle ohhh be nice to the turtle please

I am fascinated by the smoke-making machine. Was that a custom job? Is that a standard piece of equipment I was previously unaware of?

We hear the crowd. We don't see the crowd.

The walls are watching, and they seem unkind

But the birds are singing, and the nuns are happy. So maybe things will be ok?

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Double-Mutated Mikey

Chapter 44: Death of a Mutant

Continued from the short story written by @boots-with-the-fur-club

Prev || Next

Leo takes his three brothers down the hall to a more spacious area -- a mostly empty room filled with a few storage boxes and cabinets. Leo keeps them in the hall while he quickly surveys, making sure that there is no one nearby. They've had enough surprise attacks for today...

He gives the room a once-over before ushering them in.

"Here's as good as any," Leo breathes, his hands jittering ever so slightly as he grips his swords. "Let's get out of here."

"The sooner the better, if you ask me," Donnie grunts, still scratching at the tender sore on his arm.

"Are we sure that April and the gang will be okay?" Raph asks nervously, his hands wringing. "I don't feel good just leavin' em here."

"They'll be fine," Donnie reiterates flatly. "They have a government agent watching them and a robot to help. Plus, Cass is crazy, she won't let anything happen to them."

"But what if they find something crazier than Cass?"

"What on earth could be crazier than Cass?" Donnie scoffs.

Mikey giggles at the statement. Donnie smiles in response, though he's not completely sure why. He wasn't trying to make a joke.

"...However, if it makes you feel any better, I will call them and double-check to make sure that they are alright before we leave," Donatello offers.

Raph nods with a grunt, and Donnie quickly whips out his phone.

As Donnie speed-dials April, Leo goes to Mikey.

"You okay?" he whispers. "It's been a long day... are you holding up alright?"

"I think so," Mikey sighs. "Just... ready for everything to be over, I guess. I mean, it will be over today, right? Everything? All of it?"

"Maybe," Leo answers honestly. "I mean, I hope so. Once we get back, I doubt the TCRI will try to relocate you because of a definite lack of Chaplin. And with Fugitoid and Bishop working on their case against both the Earth Protection Force and the Techno Cosmo Whatever-It-Is, I'm sure that the whole organization will be dead and gone within the month."

Mikey gives a deep sigh of relief as he leans against Leo's arm.

"...But that doesn't mean that everything is over..." Leo mumbles.

Mikey looks up at him curiously.

"Whaddya mean?"

Leo reaches into his fanny pack and produces Mikey's cure.

"Do you know what you want to do with this?"

Mikey stares at it nervously.

"I...I thought I did," he mumbles. "Now I'm not so sure."

"That's okay," Leo nods, handing the syringe to him. "You don't have to know immediately. You don't even have to know by the end of the month, or the end of the year. Think about it for as long as you need, bro."

Mikey cradles the retro-mutagen gently.

"...I thought that if I had this, then it would be easy to take it," Mikey whispers. "I thought it was what you all wanted. But now..."

"It's totally your call, dude," Leo assures him. "We won't force you or make you feel like one option is better than the other. You're you, with or without your tail and super cool animal traits."

Leo ruffles the nonexistent hair on Mikey's head to make sure he knows that everything is okay. Mikey chuckles softly as he hides the syringe in a fold within his broken shell for safekeeping...

"Update, April has been notified of our departure," Donnie announces. "And everything is fine. She said that they not only found Cassandra, but also somebody called Dr. Finn."

"Finn?" Leo repeats. "That's the woman who shot the Professor!"

"She's a head scientist here," Mikey fills in. "She was mostly in charge of my surgeries and studies."

"I'm sure she'll be of great use to the Professor and Bishop," Donnie nods. "Now, let's get out of here."

"Alrighty, mi hermanos!" Leo says, huffing with effort as he pushes against his knees to stand. "¡Salgamos de aquí! Lo antes posible, ¡gracias!"

Leo swings the katanas and a shaky portal opens up. The bright flash of blue temporarily blinds them. Mikey squeezes his eyes shut and grumbles. His head is starting to hurt again... Must be the flashing light...

"Okay, this should take us to the lair..." Leo says, gesturing to the break.

"Should?" Raph questions. "You're not sure?"

"Hey, it's hard to focus on making a portal when you feel like you're about to fall over, dude," Leo mumbles exhaustedly.

Mikey's head continues to throb. He tries looking away from the portal. It never hurt like this before when Leo made a portal...

"Why the lair and not the Yokai resort where Dad and Draxum are?" Donnie questions.

Leo gives an exaggerated groan and rolls his eyes. Mikey grumbles a bit as well, stepping away from the portal and clutching his head tightly.

"It's my default safe location!" the irritated slider argues. "I always go there in an emergency! Besides, I don't exactly know exactly where we are right now, so..."

"We're on Staten Island!"

"Can we just hurry up and go through?" Raph interrupts, glancing back at the youngest sibling. "I don't think Mikey's doing so well..."

The three turn to see Mikey, still gripping his head tightly as they argue.

"...Michael?" Donnie asks, taking a cautious step. "What's wrong?"

Mikey groans in pain, barely managing to look up at his brother.

"I... I-I d-don't know.... m'head hurtss...."

He grunts and groans and growls, pressing his knuckles against his temples and squeezing his skull as the headache persists and grows.

Why does it hurt so much? Why is there a ringing in his ears that whirls around his brain? Why is the noise getting louder and louder??

Donnie takes a step closer to him, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

"Mikey, what's wrong--"

Mikey screams, falling to his knees.

The portal fizzles to a close as the three run to his side.

"Mikey, what's happening?!" Leo shouts, terrified. "Just tell us what--"

Mikey's screams turn up an octave as they transform to agonized sobs. He clutches his head so tightly, his knuckles turn white and the skin underneath his hands starts to bruise from the force.

"MIKEY!" Raph shouts, louder than his baby brother's cries. "Mikey, just tell us! What's wrong?! What's going on?!"

"H-he's --" Mikey gasps, writhing on the floor. "He's in my head!"

"Who?" Leo begs.

"DON'T MAKE ME DO IT!!" Mikey shrieks, sobbing loudly.

"Make you do what?" Leo asks, holding Mikey still. "Mikey, what is happening?!"

Mikey's face becomes a scowling snarl as he takes Leo's hands off of him and pushes him away, practically throwing him across the room.

"Mikey?!" Raph gasps, turning to look at him.

Mikey's eyes continually dilate, the pupils going from round and terrified to thin and cutting in an instant before growing wide in shock and confusion again. His facial muscles spasm, unsure which expression to hold -- hate or horror.

"I-I'm sorry!" Mikey begs, scooting away in fear. "I-I don't--"

Mikey screams again, skittering as far as he can before his back slams into the wall behind him. He sobs loudly, his head ringing.

"I DON'T WANT TO KILL THEM!"

Raph and Donnie jolt at hearing that.

Leo runs back in and slides right up to Mikey, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Mikey --" he says calmly, "-- you won't kill us. I know you won't."

"He's in my head!!" Mikey sobs, body jerking and jittering as he fights himself.

Leo takes in a deep breath and places a hand on Mikey's forehead.

His eyes glow white as he mind-melds with his baby brother...

Leonardo is almost psychically thrown back as his thoughts are blasted with death threats at full volume, orders flooding for Mikey to follow. The voice is garbled, indiscernible, yet part of it is strangely familiar.

Leo is certain he's heard these voices before...

'Wretched little pest...'

Leo steadies himself and grips Mikey by the shoulders.

"Mikey, you have to listen to me! I know you don't want to kill us, I know it's hard to fight these thoughts, but you have to!"

Mikey shrieks a shrill cry of pain as he stares at Leo blankly.

"I-I... I c-can't -- h-he's too strong, he's too loud!!"

"Who is?" Donnie begs? "Who is doing this to you?!"

The door creaks open slowly.

All eyes turn to see...

A monster.

Large and grotesque, a mangle of strawberry flesh and amalgamation of limbs, eyes, teeth, claws, tentacles, and thorny barbs. It lumbers slowly into the room, its eyes trained on the four boys.

"THERE YOU ARE..." he growls.

Half of the face is exposed, the skin of the wretch underneath and the tuft of hair frayed outward reveal the monster's identity.

"...Chaplin?" Leo says, his voice barely a breath. "It... n-no, you... I thought you were dead--"

The creature growls at him, snarling fangs bared.

"KILL THEM, MIKEY," he orders. "KILL THEM."

Raph stands up and guards Donnie instinctively. He reaches for Leo and Mikey as well.

"Don't listen to him," Raph states sternly, staring daggers at Chaplin. "He can't control you anymore, okay?"

Mikey can't answer. He grips his head so staunchly, he leaves bloody scratches where his fingers were. He presses his face against his knees, desperately hoping that the added pressure and self-made enclosure will help him ward off the demands and keep him protected like a fortress.

Mikey sobs loudly as he realizes it's not working.

"I WANT YOU TO KILL THEM, MIKEY," Chaplin repeats, becoming impatient. "DO IT. NOW."

Mikey's head lifts up softly, a blank expression on his face. His breath comes in shuddering gasps, his face drenched in sloppy tears. His eyes zero in on his brothers. He slowly stands up.

"...Mikey, no," Leo begs, standing along with him, holding his arms out to guard his brothers. "Mikey, please."

Mikey doesn't say anything. He just watches them.

"Mikey," Leo begs, eyes glazing over with tears. "Don't... I know you, you don't want this. I promised that... that nothing would change how much I love you. No matter what you do. But I know you can fight this, I know you can. I have so much faith in you, dude. I know you can do this."

Mikey's brow furrows. The corners of his mouth turn downwards.

"I know you can do it..."

Leo cautiously steps forwards and wraps his arms around Mikey in a hug. He squeezes him close to his chest, as tight as he can.

The markings on his arms, legs, face, and shell begin to light up.

Mikey blinks softly.

He raises one hand up to touch him.

"KILL HIM. NOW."

Mikey doesn't move.

Raphael and Donatello walk over and join the hug.

Their markings begin to glow as well.

Mikey leans into their embrace, burying his face in Leo's shoulders.

His body begins to shimmer.

The monster snarls and hisses with fury.

"INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE -- IF YOU WON'T DO IT, I'LL DO IT MYSELF!"

Chaplin pounces.

A golden mystic chain tears through the air and crashes into him, completely severing at least three krang arms from his body in the process.

Chaplin roars an ungodly sound at them, and charges again.

Mikey bursts from his brothers' hold and soars at the monster, chains in hand and eyes the colour of a thousand suns.

It's as if a nuclear explosion goes off in the room, knocking Leo, Raph, and Donnie into the wall as Mikey and Chaplin battle it out.

Raphael creates a giant hologram over himself and shields his two brothers, watching over his shoulder as Michelangelo goes absolutely ape and obliterates the monster one blow at a time.

Mikey severs arm after arm after arm after tentacle after giant jaw that attempts to literally bite his head off.

Chaplin knocks Mikey back just enough to get the upper hand and pounces atop him, threatening to rip him apart. His claws shred at Mikey's chest, gashing his shoulders, and even causing several more deep potential future scars on his face as he does what he can to damage his ex-perfect-living-weapon.

Mikey kicks the monster off his chest, sending him flying into the room above them. Mikey gets an idea and flies after him, grabbing the fleshy beast where he can and soars upwards, crashing him through floor after floor after floor until they disappear from sight.

"...Uh... so yeah, we should go after them?" Leo asks.

"Probably."

One mystic portal later, the three remaining brothers find themselves on the rooftop, where Mikey and Chaplin are in the heat of the duel, away from causing more structural damage. Mikey is swinging mystic chain after mystic chain at Chaplin, cutting him down to a more manageable size as he removes the krang parasites from him one by one.

Leo drops to his knees, worn out from the portal. Donnie catches him before noticing that the krang parasites are still alive, and crawling around in an attempt to reunite with each other.

"Raphala," Donnie seethes. "Hold this for me, will you?"

Raph takes their leader into his arms as Donnie activates his ninpo and transforms his staff into a variation of the bug-slapper he'd once made for capturing Draxum's oozesquitos. Only this time, the device will capture a different kind of 'bug'...

Meanwhile, Mikey's fight is showing to be more difficult than he expected.

Chaplin dives at Mikey, talons elongated and ready to stab him straight through. Mikey manages to dodge the claws, but not the tentacles that follow. The slimy extremity coils around him and throws his across the rooftop. Another appendage creates projectile thorns, and as Mikey regains his bearings, the krang monster begins firing.

Left, right, left, right!

Mikey has to dance quite creatively to avoid the projectile barbs.

LET ME TAKE OVER, Instinct howls. I CAN DO THIS BETTER, I WILL KILL HIM FOR YOU --

Mikey ignores him.

Mikey shoots his own projectile barbs and spines at Chaplin, making sure not to hit any vital organs, but only aiming at his feet and additional appendages.

One strikes right through and severes an arm from the body.

Chaplin howls profusely and retaliates, charging Mikey.

Donnie slides in behind the battle scene and scoops up the parasite, trying to keep them from getting out of hand. He doesn't notice that one -- which has managed to evade capture -- begins crawling up behind him.

"Dee, LOOK OUT!"

Donnie turns around just in time to see Raph's ninpo arm stretch out and slam down on the parasite, as though he were swatting a fly.

Donnie jumps away, pulling each limb he can as far from the squashed parasite as he can.

"Yikes! Thanks, Raph!"

"No 'probbles'," the eldest replies.

Leo slowly stands to his feet and wobbles over to Donnie.

"What can I do?" he asks. "How can I help?"

"I doubt you could keep up with Mikey and zombified Chaplin in your state," Donnie calculates. "But could you make a portal? Even just a small one?"

"Why?"

"We need the formula to eradicate these parasites as best we can."

"Got it," Leo nods, clutching his swords and creating a meager fist-sized portal. He sticks his hand through and pulls out three vials of glowing blue liquid.

"Perfect," Donnie sighs, pouring the formula into his ninpo weaponry filter. "Time for some extermination..."

As Donnie begins his obliteration spree, Leo glances back at Mikey, who is starting to slow down. Chaplin on the other hand, refuses to give up, his parasites forcing his body to move even through the injuries and exhaustion.

Mikey dodges the projectile barbs that Chaplin fires at him for the most part. One snags him in the side and creates a gashing mark. Mikey takes a quick knee, clutching his side. Chaplin seizes his oppurtunity.

"MIKEY! LOOK OUT!"

Mikey stares up just in time to see Leo's sword get thrown between them, and suddenly Leo himself phases in its place. He kicks Chaplin square in the jaw before slicing his katanas at him, the blows deflected by the thorny spikes the creature wears.

Raph joins in as well, slamming his fists against the monster as it tries to run Leo through with his barbs. The duo continue to fight against it, Mikey joining a moment later despite his injury.

Krangified Chaplin throws a pretty powerful punch at Raph, sending him reeling and clutching his face tightly. Mikey pounces on his back and starts tearing the krang parasites off of him with his bare teeth. The creatures shriek and howl, and Chaplin roars at him as well.

He reaches back, grabbing in fury. He grips Mikey's shell with desperation and throws him across the rooftop. As Mikey reels head over heels, he throws a series of mystic chains at the monster, which wrap over his body and pull him along.

The two whirl around each other, pulling and spinning as they fight to knock each other off the roof in a ridiculous version of ring-around-the-rosie. They soon lose understanding of where they are --

"Mikey, the ledge! Watch out--!!"

Mikey and Chaplin slip to the farthest edge of the building, Chaplin losing his footing first and dragging Mikey along with him.

Mikey's claws cling to the edge, van der Waals forces coming into effect and helping him stay connected to the building as best they can. Chaplin's krang limbs extend and reach out for the building as well.

The two are practically suspended in midair, hanging off the side of the building.

Raphael shouts to them, his ninpo arm reaching out and wrapping around Mikey's waist, trying to pull him back as Chaplin attempts to take Mikey down with him. Chaplin's eyes burn through Mikey's skull as Mikey holds on to the man's exposed shirt collar, gripping him tightly and carefully.

"I got you!" Raph shouts. "I-I got you!!"

"Pull him up!" Leo yells.

"I'm trying," Raph grunts, straining as he pulls and pulls with effort. "Chaplin's fightin' me! He's trying to pull Mikey down or somethin'!!"

Chaplin snarls loudly at Mikey as he attempt to absorb him into the krang parasites; the pink flesh begins to spread over Mikey's hand, still clutching Chaplin's neck. Mikey growls in protest, trying to wrench his hand free.

"Spray Chaplin with the toxins, Dee!" Leo shouts.

"I can't, I'd hit Mikey!!"

"Well somebody do something!"

Mikey suddenly gets an idea.

He reaches into the fold between his shell scutes...

"YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A MONSTER," Chaplin hisses at him.

"Maybe," Mikey answers, taking the syringe of retro-mutagen from its hiding place. "But I'll never be a monster like you."

Mikey stabs through the putrid alien flesh and pierces Chaplin's neck, injecting the cure into his veins.

Almost instantaneously, the cure takes effect, destroying the krang fused to him.

The parasites shriek in agony as they shrivel up and burn away into nothingness. Chaplin shrieks in unison as his body goes through extreme detox.

He nearly slips from Mikey's grip, but the double-mutant keeps a firm hold on him.

Raphael pulls the two back, and Mikey sets the man down once they are secure.

"...W...w-why..." Chaplin gasps, choking softly as the last of the krang melts from his face. "Why would you....?"

"Because THAT'S who I am," Mikey states, enunciating every words as he speaks, to drive the fact home into Chaplin's thick skull. "Not a monster. Not an experiment. Not a weapon. I'm just... Mikey."

The double-mutant box turtle smiles at the man before turning away to go back to his brothers and portal home.

...It's just too bad Chaplin didn't like that answer...

The mad scientist growls, grabbing one of the discarded spines on the ground and lunges at mikey, swinging for his neck.

Mikey's hears him coming and immediately whirls around, foot extended on instinct to swipe at Chaplin's ankles.

Dr. Chaplin roars, and manages to pounce on Mikey before his tail knocks him back.

The man is thrown harder than he expected, and cries in shock as he stumbles over the side of the building, before screaming as he falls to his true and final death...

Mikey gasps, hyperventilating as he realizes... he just... did that just happen?

It... it's over?

It's over. Ha.

Hah... He... he won...

He won, he really won!

Haha! He did it, he really --

A week of torment, so many days of recovery, and a full 24 hours of trauma later, Mikey has finally won!

He turns around to face the cheers of his brothers at the final and very real defeat of Dr. Chaplin.

Mikey smiles brightly.

His neck twinges.

He... h-he won, M-M-Mikey.....

Something hot flows down onto his shoulder.

His brothers' cheers fall quiet. Their expressions shift to that of horror and fear.

Mikey won... right?

The pain in his neck worsens. He looks down, and sees a trail of red...

Mikey lifts up a claw and feels at his throat. Why is it getting hard to breathe?

His hand brushes against something thick, long, and rough embedded in the skin. One of the krang spines. The one Chaplin grabbed, the one he... h-hhhe......

...The trail of redd becomes a stream down his neck and chest...

Why..... is the world... ssssspinninggggg.......

One of his brothers shouts out his name.

He looks out to them.

He smiles at them.

"Mikey.... do... good?"

Mikey manages to take one step before he feels his weight overwhelm his center of gravity and tip him over, eyes rolling in the back of his head as everything goes dark. The last thing he registers is Leo running to him, just barely catching him before he can hit the ground.

Mikey doesn't hear their sobs.

He doesn't hear their pleas.

He doesn't feel their warm embrace as they beg him not to do this, stay with them, stay alive, stay, stay, stay...

Mikey feels nothing anymore. It's just...

...dark.

But there's a light up ahead. One that is blue, and red, and purple...

...and orange.

He'll see them again. One day...

Prev || Next

[a-aexotic]

Hiiiii could you do a rafe x reader fluff where topper texts reader saying “rafe likes you too, but you can’t tell him!” but rafe has your phone so he sees the messages and asks you if you like him and I’ll that cute stuff🤭 please and thank uou🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

pairing. rafe cameron x fem!thornton!reader requested? yes no

warnings. i think honestly nothing but alcohol, swearing, sibling banter, lmk if i missed anything!

summary. you've liked rafe for a little bit now and you never though in a million years that he would ever like you back. until your older brother decides he's had enough.

taglist. @eli-yeah @vigilanteshitposting @midnightsgetawaycar @cilliansangel @voniikg @ninasw0rld @aavenxx

➜ missing out on updates? ❪ navigation. masterlist. taglist. ❫ backwards cap s1 rafe era>>>>>>>>>>>>> 😵

"Topper, no." You put your hand on the bridge of your nose, disappointed and annoyed. Ever since you've told Topper that you liked Rafe, he's been nagging him about asking him out.

Topper rolled his eyes. "Then how else are you going tell him you like him?"

"I'm not telling him until I know for a fact he likes me back, I'm not embarrassing myself." You stated matter-of-factly, making Topper groan and lay back on the couch, his arms crossed.

"You're a pussy, that's why." Topper mumbled making you whip your head towards him, angry.

"Oh shut the hell up, it took you how many months again, before asking Sarah out?-"

"That's different, okay, she had a boyfriend and I'm not a homewrecker." Topper countered making you cross your arms and move your gaze to the TV.

Topper was very persistent on helping you get with Rafe. No matter how many times you've told him that you were just waiting on the right time to tell him, he'd pass it off as you being a coward. It was getting pretty exhausting, Topper's nagginess was really starting to annoy you.

You and Rafe were friends, that's all it was at the moment. He's never shown interest in you and it would be really awkward if you told him you liked him, then he rejected you. You would never be able to face him again.

-

Rafe and Topper were at the Club, getting lunch before Topper was supposed to go shopping with his mom for your birthday present. They were sitting at their usual table, ordering drinks. You were turning the big 1-8 this week and Rafe wanted to get you something special.

He'd usually get you some jewelry or a gift card but that didn't feel right. "What should I get her?"

Topper rolled his eyes, this was the fifth time he'd asked today. He took a drink of his cocktail before quickly answering: "I don't know, you should ask her."

"Dude." Rafe scoffed, "that wouldn't be special if I just asked her. It has to be a surprise."

"Why do you care so much?"

That question had caught Rafe off guard. Why did he care so much? He wasn't obligated to get you a present, especially a special one.

Topper knew instantly why he cared. A smirk rose from his lips as he sighed contently. "You like her."

"What? No, I don't." Rafe countered as he furrowed his eyebrows in thought. Did he? Topper stared blankly at Rafe. "I mean, she's nice. And cute. But she's your sister so that would be really weird. But I mean you are dating Sarah... Not that I would want to date Y/N, but-"

"You like her. You like Y/N."

Rafe was quiet for a second as Topper smirked, taking a sip of his drink happily. Did Rafe like Y/N?

She did make him feel all giddy and nervous at times, but he'd known her his entire life essentially. He remembers having a tiny crush on her in middle school and he wanted to her ask to Homecoming Sophomore year but those times were different. They were both basically adults now.

Rafe was just confused. He didn't know why Topper had to blurt that out right now but now Rafe couldn't even think straight.

He was pulled out of his thoughts once he heard Topper's phone ring. "I gotta go, my mom's here. Don't forget, you're hanging out at our house until I get back."

Oh shit. He forgot he said he was going to stay at the Thornton's until he came back from the mall. His face flushed as he looked at his phone, trying to play nonchalant. "Okay, uh. Tell me what you get her."

"I will." Topper had a big smirk on his face once he left Rafe alone with his thoughts. Did he like Y/N? Again?

-

You and Rafe were in the kitchen, making some lunch. At first, it had been awkward because of Rafe's discovery but it slowly faded because it was one-sided. Rafe had never felt uncomfortable in your presence, you always had a comforting aura.

You and Rafe were joking around and laughing, per usual. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence to see you two together, close and joking around. Even though he was technically Topper's best friend, that didn't stop you two from becoming closer.

As Rafe watched you laugh, he felt the familiar butterfly feeling invade his stomach. He hadn't felt that way about anyone in a while so it was a foreign feeling, he tried to push it down and just enjoy the time with you.

You put down the knife you were using to cut the tomatoes and sighed. "I'll be right back, I gotta go use the bathroom."

Rafe nodded. "Of course, I'll be here."

You smiled back at him as you hurried up the stairs to the bathroom. Rafe was finishing up his sandwich before he heard a phone ting loudly next to him. He turned around to see your phone and he read it subconsciously. His face went read as he processed it.

top 😎 Rafe likes you, too. It's confirmed now, don't tell him. What are you waiting for now?? 🤨😜

His jaw was practically on the floor. You like him? And Topper hadn't told him? He felt betrayed but suddenly he realized that you liked him. He felt a flash of emotions. Was this a good thing?

Rafe didn't have time to process this information because you finished up in the bathroom pretty quickly. You jogged down the stairs, a smile on your face. You froze once you realized Rafe was zoned out.

"Rafe, you okay?" You questioned as you walked back to your spot next to him, putting the lid back on the peanut butter jar. He quickly zoned back in as he heard your voice.

"Yeah! Yes, of course, I just got uh, bored." Rafe says swiftly, smiling at you as you looked back at him, a suspicious look taking over your face.

You furrowed your eyebrows. "You sure?"

"Uh, huh." Rafe put his stuff away as you watched him, trying to figure out if he was being honest or not. You decided it was best to just leave it be, Rafe was nothing if not stubborn.

You got your sandwiches and strolled back to your way on the couch, Rafe taking the seat next to you. Rafe took the remote and resumed the TV show you two were watching, an unsettling awkwardness between you two.

You were trying to figure what was wrong while Rafe was trying to figure out what to do about this situation. He'd dreamed of this day for years; the day Y/N liked him back. But of course Topper had to ruin it and tell him. It wasn't exactly his fault because he didn't know Rafe was going to read the text, but with Rafe's absurd luck, he did. And of course Topper's big mouth would go and text Y/N the moment he'd realized Rafe liked you back.

You remembered you needed to respond to your friend's text so you pulled out your phone, and there was Topper's message. Your face went white as you registered why Rafe was acting so weird; he probably had read the text by accident.

That was why Rafe was acting so weird. You wanted cry of embarrassment until you had registered exactly what the text said. Rafe likes you too. He liked you, too?

Rafe likes you back? You furrowed your eyebrows again, was Topper playing some kind of sick prank? You checked the date and no, it wasn't April 1st. Topper wasn't the type to play a prank, so why exactly was Rafe acting weird? If he did truly like you, then why is being weird and distant instead of happy? And then you realized it was Rafe - of course he was going to act weird and distant.

"Hey, Rafe?" You whispered and Rafe turned his attention on you instead of the screen in front of him. "Did you uh, read my text on accident?"

Rafe's eyes widened. "Uh, why?"

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. "Why do you think?"

Rafe turned his gaze away from you, bashfully.

"Was it.. Is the text true?"

It took him a couple seconds before responding with a nod. He could try and deny it but where would that take them? Nowhere. It was already out in the open, he might as well address it.

You felt yourself heat up at the confirmation. Rafe liked you - but now all you could hear was Topper's annoying voice comment on how much of a pussy you are. You kept looking at the boy and you wanted to say something but you were nervous.

Rafe looked up at you for the first time for what seemed like hours and as he looked into your wide gaze, he felt himself melt. He couldn't help but smile at your shocked expression but you felt your shock fade into admiration, a smile crawling on your lips, mirroring Rafe's.

Rafe was never good at expressing what he was feeling but he wanted to. He wanted to say something he just... couldn't. So he did the one thing he knew he was good at.

He slowly lifted his hand from his lap and moved it slowly to yours, clasping it in his. You happily accepted it as you both stared into each other's eyes, a mutual nervousness shared between the two.

"Y/N." Rafe let out, breathlessly. "I do like you, seriously. I have liked you for years."

"Years?" You almost laughed but held it in, Rafe rolling his eyes at your tone. "I've liked you for a couple months."

"Wow."

"Well -- I mean, I've always thought you were cute, so." You mumbled as Rafe's lips turned upward again. His ego definitely boosted at that compliment.

"Even with the side part?"

You laughed at the mention of the iconic side part. "Yes, Rafe, even the side part."

"I've always thought you were cute. But the bangs were a no-no for me, I had to question my type for a sec there-"

"Shut up I was like, 12."

You guys both laughed until it died down for a little. Rafe squeezed your hand and then you remembered you were still holding it. You looked down and Rafe swiftly moved his other hand to your face. You both bored into one another's eyes and it felt like time itself had stopped. As Rafe pulled in, you closed your eyes.

Before his lips could land on yours, you heard the front door open. You whipped your head to the door, watching Topper come in, carrying a bunch of bags, your mother following close behind.

"God, I texted you guys like 5 times, I needed help!"

"How much stuff did you guys get?" Rafe's eyes widened at the multiple bags the two were carrying. He got up from the couch and quickly helped your mother, carrying all the bags she was.

"Thank you, Rafe." She smiled as Topper glared at Rafe. "Can you boys go put the bags upstairs for me? They're all for Ms. Y/N's birthday."

Topper scoffed, "Can you guess who's mom's favorite?"

"I think Y/N's everyone's favorite but-"

"Shut up, Rafe."

Rafe smiled at you and you felt yourself heat up at the comment. They walked but the stairs as you sat at the couch, in awe of what just happened. Rafe held your hand and was about kiss you? Your birthday week couldn't have gone any better. That's the best present anyone could give.

[tightjeansjavi]

trinkets

A/N: so I woke up this morning thinking about Dieter & gumdrop—better known as trash panda and trash possum 🥺 I just love how silly they are together and I hope y’all do too!

~word count: 1.9k~ yeah—idk what happened lol

Summary: Dieter almost burns his script in front of the director, you’re at home writing Din Djarin fanfiction on your tumblr account, Oh! And something about Dieter cloning his cock in silicone?

Pairing | dieter bravo x f!reader

Warnings: none, fluff, implied smut (phone sex bby), language, dirty talk, dieter and the reader being a menace together, one mention of drugs, readers nickname is gumdrop/trash possum, reader has no physical descriptions, +18 minors dni!

series masterlist

When Dieter is away for a new filming project, you end up house sitting for him because there is no one that he trusts more, (outside of his agent) than you, his gumdrop. Plus, he’s secretly hoping that if you spend more time in his home, that you’ll be open to moving in with him. It’s his genius plan that he of course came up with when he was stoned out of his mind.

He didn’t realize that he could just ask you to move in with him. That was far too simple!

So, for the month that Dieter was away filming, you were lounging in his home like a house cat. He called you multiple times a day to check in on you, and because he missed your voice terribly.

“What have you been up to today, gumdrop?” He was hunched over the side of his hotel bed at an awkward angle. It was a terrible day on set. He was used to the director making last minute changes to the scene, tweaking irrelevant details and minor character traits that no one would pay attention to. Dieter, however, was not prepared for his character's redemption arc to be completely fried to bits.

He compared it to what happens to an egg when you crack it on a pan that is too hot, and the whole thing ends up burnt and crusted onto the pan.

He was furious, and instead of just sticking it through, he stormed off set after he threatened to quit the film entirely.

“Hey, Dee!” You chirped enthusiastically through the receiver. “I’m out by the pool, with a fresh glass of homemade iced tea, and I’m finally getting to write the bit where my slow burn lovers are finally going to kiss!”

He felt his lips curving upwards into a lopsided smile at your enthusiasm as he pictured you in your sunglasses, typing away on your laptop, eyes dancing, little giggles slipping past your lips because he knew just how badly you wanted to write this next part.

“I miss you so fucking much, my little trash possum.” He sighed, scraping his hand down his face before he fell back against the comforter. “This is about that tin helmet dude, right? With the little green guy?”

“Oh, Diets, I miss you too, trash panda.” You paused your typing, reaching for your glass of iced tea and took a sip. “Yes, baby. Din Djarin and Grogu. Speaking of, when you come home next month, do you wanna go to Disneyland?”

“Are Din and the reader finally gonna kiss? Shit, is he gonna take his helmet off and break the creed? Please tell me he takes the helmet off!” He felt like one of your fellow dedicated readers on tumblr, anticipating when you would post the next chapter to one of your many prolific series. “Baby, I would absolutely love to go to Disneyland with you when I get home.”

You giggled softly, shaking your head and set your glass back down on the nearby table. “Dee, I can’t spoil it! You know this, baby. You’re just gonna have to wait for the update like everyone else.” You typed in a few more words to add to the current sentence you were working on before saying, “how’s filming going? Shouldn’t you be on set right now, baby?”

“Well, if I were the tin helmet man, I would absolutely take my helmet off and break my creed for you, Meshla. And then after that I would—” he grumbled and rolled over onto his stomach, “I left set because this fucking director is completely trashing the redemption arc that my character is supposed to have! I had all these cool ideas that pretty much have now just been flushed down the toilet, and I may, or may not have threatened to quit.”

“How romantic, Dee. You’d break your creed for me?” Your lips curved downwards into a set frown when he explained to you what happened on set. “Oh, Dieter, I’m so sorry. Why the hell would the director do that? It sounded like before that it was going really well, too.”

“I’d break every creed for you, gumdrop. But yeah, the guy is on fucking crack, I swear. It’s making my job so much more fucking difficult. Y’know, I thought that after winning my first Oscar that people in this bloodsucking industry would actually take me seriously. Guess not, huh? Guess I’m still just a fuckin’ joke in Hollywood’s eyes.” He scoffed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his ringed thumb and forefinger to suppress his oncoming tears.

“Baby, you are not a joke in Hollywood’s eyes, okay? If you and the director aren’t seeing eye to eye, I think you should give it one last shot to try and meet a middle ground? If he doesn’t budge, then I fully support you in quitting this job. You’re so passionate about your work, Dee. No reason to be pulling teeth just for a paycheck.” You reassured him, setting your laptop off to the side now so you could give your boyfriend your undivided full attention.

“And this is why I fucking love you, gumdrop. You always know how to validate me and talk me down. What the fuck would I do without you?” He stifled a chuckle. “So, I think I’m gonna give myself another hour to be pissed and grouchy about this, and then I’m gonna march my ass back to set, and give this dude a piece of my fucking—”

“Dieter.” You softly warned him.

“Baby, I’m kidding. But I am gonna try and see if he and I can reach a middle ground. And if we can’t, well, guess I’m coming home early, trash possum.”

“As much as I would love to see you sooner, I want this role to work out for you, Dee.”

“Me too, gumdrop.” He scratched at his beard with a sigh, and just when he was about to say more, there was a knock at his door and the familiar chime of his agent's voice. “I’ll call you later, okay? Cause I wanna hear all about the tin man kissing the reader, finally.”

“Okay, baby. Just remember, you’re my Dieter Bravo, and I’m so proud of you.”

“Love you to the moon and back, trash possum. Catcha on the flipside.” He ended the call, tossing his phone to the side and droned out, “You may enter.”

-

Later in the evening, and you were finalizing the final draft of the chapter, Dieter texted you and told you that the conversation with the director went well, and things were back on track.

Dee! This is great news, baby! I’m so happy for you 💗

Me too! He actually agreed that destroying my character's redemption arc was piss-poor writing, and he’s gonna have a new script ready for me in the morning. Did Din finally kiss the reader?

See what happens when you just communicate? So proud of you, baby. And maaaaybe. I just finished finalizing the chapter and now I just have to post it! 🤭

See, now if I never met you, I probably would have torn the guy a new one and then set the script on fire right in front of him. Y’know, like that scene in the Social Network, where Andrew Garfield’s gf sets the scarf on fire in his trash can? CLASSIC! Anyway, I’m gripping the edge of my seat! I can’t wait to read, gumdrop.

Ohhh! Yeah, that scene is a classic! I’m glad that you didn’t set your script on fire, Dee. I should have the chapter posted within the hour. Oh! And before I forget, when you come home next month…I have a surprise for you x.

Shiiii is it you naked in my bed and touching yourself? Is that the surprise? 🥵

Well that’s part of it! Butttt you’ll just have to wait and see! 😉

Oh, sure, tease me, why don’t ya? Got my cock stupid hard already, you little filthy thing.

Pics or it didn’t happen!

Tell me if Din and the reader kiss, then I’ll send you a pic ;)

You are a little shithead

Tell me something I don’t already know, gumdrop 🥰

Fine. Fine. They kiss! He takes his helmet off, but she doesn’t see his face. She keeps her eyes closed because she doesn’t want him to break his creed for her 🥺

Damn, that just made my heart & my cock ache :( Din is such a romantic! Be still, my foolish heart. Your readers are gonna eat that shit up, babygirl.

Please show me. That clone your willy dildo you got me just isn’t the same. And yeah, he is such a romantic! Just like you 💗

Oh, fuck. Are you using it on yourself right now? Hold on, I’m gonna FaceTime you! I need to see this for myself 😉

I miiight be.

Seconds after sending that text, Dieter FaceTimes you and his freehand is already slowly and gently fisting his cock in your view just as he sees you fucking yourself with the silicone dildo of his cloned cock.

“So pretty, good golly. You take my fake cock so well, gumdrop.”

-

It’s hours before Dieter’s flight into LAX is expected to arrive. You had just finished moving in all of your belongings from your apartment, including all of your silly little trinkets and knick knacks that you have now displayed on every available surface in his home.

Tiny animal figurines, built lego sets, little trinkets and bobbles and you even went and bought a cabinet to store yours and Dieter’s Funko Pop collection. Little pieces of yourself and your exuberant personality were scattered about the house. You were, in some ways, like a crow; you loved to collect pretty and shiny things.

When Dieter arrived home, bag slung over his shoulder, and under his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the stack of cardboard boxes neatly stacked next to the front door and his heart immediately swelled at the sight.

“Gumdrop?” He called for you, kicking his shoes off on the rainbow doormat next to yours.

He padded further into the house, stopping at the cabinet with your shared Funko Pop collection and into the kitchen where he saw that along the window sill, you had an array of different animal figurines lined up in a row, and the very first two animals were a little ceramic racoon and possum.Then he finally saw you, lounged out by the pool, typing away like a maniac on your laptop.

He dropped his bag to the floor and pulled open the sliding back door to accompany you outside.

You looked up from the screen at the familiar sound, lips curving upwards into a grin that stretched across your entire face. “Dieter!” You said enthusiastically, setting your laptop off to the side and ran over to him, nearly slipping into the pool on your way because you were so excited.

He met you halfway, wrapping his arms around you and hugging you so tightly it felt like the oxygen was being crushed out of your lungs.

“Hey there, my little crow. You moving in or something?” He said teasingly, loosening his grip around you as your arms looped around his neck, “Cause, I was gonna ask you to move in at some point but I just—”

You shushed him with a kiss, molding your lips against his in a warm embrace. “Surprise.” You carded your fingers through his hair, tugging him in closer, “You’re stuck with me now, trash panda.”

He smiled against your lips, kissing you back deeply, giving your ass a playful squeeze as you yelped in surprise, giving him full access to lick into your mouth, “Wouldn’t’ want to have it any other way, trash possum.”

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