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#Feels like the clock is ticking on me lately and if I ever do find a partner it’ll be when I’m so old and desperate I’ll just settle
mustainegf · 2 days
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This is a crazy sad idea I had the other night
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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ¹⁹⁸⁷
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I wake up to the pitter of rain against the windows. The air was dead, with the smell of old wood and the remains of cigarette smoke from the night before. The house held its breath. Lying there, in sheets that smell of memories, the leather and aftershave smell with the damp air and cleaving to everything in this room. His room.
James has left his space this way ever since, the mess of records that he insists have some sort of order, utter chaos to anyone else. Guitars leaned against the wall, scattered papers on the desk. Hard to tell, really. A few half empty beer bottles remained on the nightstand, one of them with the label peeling off where his fingers had unconsciously picked at it.
I sit up and blink away fogginess in my head. My body is heavy, I'm trying to move underwater. Really, I don't want to get up. I want to be wrapped in the warmth of this room, in the memories that lean against me from every corner. But I know I cannot stay here forever. The guys will be up soon, and we'll all gather in the kitchen, making laugh, eat whatever we can find, making plans for the day. It's 1987, and life moves fast. Even if I don't feel like keeping up.
Lately, James has been different. Quieter. Or maybe I'm just noticing things that were always there. The way he sometimes stares off into space, his fingers tapping out rhythms for his own ears. The way he lingers a little too long in doorways, expecting something or someone to appear. He doesn't talk about it, though. None of us do. We just keep going, acting like everything is okay.
Maybe he's downstairs already, fiddling with his guitar, a low hum of his voice humming along to whatever song's in his head. I smile at the thought. James Hetfield. My roommate, my best friend, and sometimes... I don't know what. Something more, maybe. Or something less. It's hard to define what we are.
I drag myself out of his bed and into my jeans,the necklace around my neck is getting heavier with the days. The little locket inside, the one I never take off, a picture of him. I rarely open it. I don't have to. I can pull up his face on the screen in my head anytime. Those diamond cut blue eyes, that wonky smile capable of illuminating the whole damn room.
I trudge softly down the stairs, trying not to make any noise. I used to joke this place was haunted, maybe the ghosts of musicians still waited here, looking for their chance at popularity. James would laugh at me for it, calling me ridiculous, but sometimes. Sometimes, I truly wish it were. And maybe it is.
But it's still an empty kitchen. No James, no one else. Just the light patter of rain, the ticking of the clock on the wall. My face droops immediately. He's probably out in the garage, messing with his guitar, or he went for a drive. That's what he sometimes does when his head needs clearing. I'm fine. I'll see him later.
I sit at the table, running my fingers over the grain of the wood in an absent circle. The house is too quiet. Too still. I shut my eyes and try to recall the last conversation we had, but it's all hazy, reaching for smoke. My mind drifts and for one moment, I might have sworn I heard him, his voice calling my name up the hallway. I snap my eyes open and my heart's racing. But there's nobody.
Just the house. Just me.
I shake my head, feeling pathetic. Need to stop doing this, stop waiting for things that aren't there. I'm not some little girl anymore.
But still… I was hoping the house was haunted.
I lie later on his bed, gazing up at the ceiling, the Scorpions poster on his ceiling boring an image into my skull. The rain has calmed. I have no idea why I am in here. I should do anything else, do something else. Instead, I draw his pillow closer to me, inhaling into the now-faint scent of him that still clings to the fabric. I know if i keep breathing it in, it'll only smell like me. And that's no good.
I simply wish that he would just come back now.
I heard the opening of the door behind me, and my heart leaps half a second, hoping it is him, but it isn't. It's Cliff.
He steps inside, his eyes soft as they land on me, knowing exactly what's going on. That's always been him, kind and patient. He doesn't say anything, not for a minute or so, just walks over and sits on the edge of the bed, his weight sinking into the mattress.
And then I don't know why, but I just start crying. It's out of nowhere, tears spilling down my cheeks before I can even attempt to stop them. They soak into James' pillow like a hello. It's kind of really embarrassing, actually. I'm not a crier. But here I am, sobbing into James's pillow like some sort of broken thing, and I have no idea why.
Cliff says nothing more, but reaches out and gently brushes my hair from off my face, and I imagine his touch is James'.
"He loved you, you know," Cliff says in a voice soft enough that it caresses my slow heart.
My body freezes up. "What?
"James," he says, his fingers still moving through my hair, soothing me like I was a little girl. "He was crazy about you."   I shake my head, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "You don't have to say that, Cliff. I know you're just trying to make me feel better."
But he doesn't laugh. He doesn't even smile. He just looks at me with those sad eyes of his, chestnut hair falling slightly in his eyes.
"He was gonna tell you," Cliff whispers. "After the tour. He had this big, stupid plan. He wanted to take you out to dinner, make it all special, you know? He was nervous as hell about it, too."
Why is Cliff saying this? Why now?
Again, Cliff says, "He never had the chance." Cliff's voice is no louder than a murmur. "But he loved you. Really did."
I wrap myself into a tight, clinging ball with his pillow. "But he's still here," I choke. "James is… he's still here, Cliff. He's just… he's just out somewhere, right?"
There's such a long pause, when Cliff speaks again, his voice is full with a sadness that I don't want to recognize. But I do.
"He's gone, sweetheart."
I shake my head wildly, eyes refusing to believe what I already know is true. "No. No, he's not. He's coming back. He's just—"
"He passed, remember? Last year. The bus."
I stop breathing as the room tilts, heavy with fog, pushing against my skin, promising to smother me. I remember, yet I don't want to. I don't want to think about that night, the phone call, a feeling of my love slipping away.
"I saw him," I whisper, my voice shaking. "I swear, Cliff, I saw him. He was right here."
Cliff doesn't argue, won't try to reason with me. He just pulls me into his arms, holding me as I break apart. He strokes my hair, whispering soft words that I can't quite make out, but it doesn't matter. All that matters is that James is gone. He's been gone for a year, and I've been living in this house, waiting for a ghost that will never come home.
Cliff lays me back down, tucks James’ blankets around me as if I am some sort of child. He doesn't leave, though. He stays beside me, his hand resting on my shoulder.
"He really did love you," Cliff says again, much softer this time. "More than you know."
The house isn't haunted. At least, it isn't haunted the way I wish it was.
I still wear you in my locket, James. I always will.
And maybe someday I'll find you again.
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insanechayne · 2 years
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Time for more rambling from me, since I can’t post these thoughts anywhere else
Having a lot of feelings about being lonely, wanting a partner, etc. So I’m trying out Facebook dating, simply because most of the features are simpler than other sites and I don’t really want to get sucked into Tinder or some other app. But people seem to be all the same no matter what platform you’re on. Most don’t bother to read the bio description, so I wonder what even is the point of having one. And even when I try to message first and keep up an interesting conversation I often get nothing in return. So many either don’t know how to hold a conversation, or they don’t reply in the first place. Why match with me if you don’t want to talk to me? Why even be on a dating site/app/whatever if you’re not going to try to make a connection in the messages?
It feels like I’m trying to find a needle in a haystack, but the haystack is as big as the whole world. Even when I find someone attractive, and think of an interesting opener to message them first with, and we have things in common, I’m left trying to carry the whole conversation on my own. Or I get people messaging me being overly pushy, wanting me to reply with the speed of light, or add them on some other app (like Snapchat), and then get upset and stop talking to me if I don’t
And it’s hard trying to make connections in everyday life because I often don’t have time/ability to go out and do fun things and meet people. Most people I see are through work, and you’re probably not looking for a date when you come to an ER. Not to mention I now live in one of the most active, outdoorsy areas and yet I am very much an indoor person (and my chronic pain/disability issues make it hard for me to do many things), so that knocks out a good chunk of potential matches right there. I’m also a chubby person, I know what I look like, and I know what most people consider to be attractive (and I know that it isn’t me). I don’t fault anyone for having preferences. But at some point I start to wonder if there’s something wrong with me personally, since pretty much every other overweight person I know has a partner and they’re very happy. How is it everyone around me can get dates/relationships so easily and I’m still struggling my whole life?
I’m having a time of things right now, and it’s not fun
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lilacwants · 3 months
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million dollar man.
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18+ notes: my sweet, flawed english man:’). summary: billy butcher finds solace and deepens his bond with you during a tender, intimate night after a rough day. warnings: soft billy, mature content, oral (f! receiving). discretion is advised. word count: 1.7k
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part 2.
You knew Butcher had a temper, a way of seeing red that could make anyone in their right mind stay clear of his path. But it was different with you. He had a soft spot, a rare vulnerability that he guarded jealously from the rest of the world. But tonight, he was late. And that wasn’t like him.
The clock on the wall ticked louder as the minutes dragged on. You tried to focus on the book in your lap, but your mind kept wandering back to Butcher. The scars that crisscrossed his back, the shadows that darkened his eyes, the rare smiles that lit up his face. He was complicated, infuriating, but he was also the man you’d come to care for more deeply than you’d ever thought possible.
The door creaked open and you snapped your head up. Butcher stood in the doorway, his silhouette framed by the dim light from the hallway. He looked exhausted, his shoulders slumped and his usually sharp eyes dulled by fatigue.
“Hey,” you said softly, closing your book and standing up.
“Hey, love,” he replied, his voice rough around the edges. He stepped inside, kicking the door shut behind him, and you noticed the blood staining his shirt.
“Jesus, Billy, you’re hurt,” you exclaimed, rushing over to him. He waved you off, but you could see the pain etched on his face.
“Just a scratch,” he muttered, but you weren’t convinced. You guided him to the couch, making him sit down while you went to fetch the first aid kit.
When you returned, Butcher had already started to unbutton his shirt, revealing a nasty gash on his side. You winced at the sight, but kept your expression neutral. He didn’t need pity; he needed someone who could help.
“Hold still,” you said, kneeling beside him and carefully cleaning the wound. He hissed through his teeth but didn’t flinch away.
“Bloody hell, that stings,” he grumbled.
“Well, maybe next time don’t pick fights with people twice your size,” you teased gently, trying to lighten the mood. He snorted, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
“Can’t help it. It’s in me nature.”
You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah, well, your nature’s going to get you killed one of these days.”
“Not if you keep patchin’ me up,” he said, his eyes meeting yours. There was a sincerity in his gaze that took you by surprise. You finished bandaging him up and sat back, feeling the weight of his stare.
“Why do you do it?” he asked suddenly. “Why do you stay?”
The question caught you off guard. You’d asked yourself the same thing many times, especially on nights like these when the danger seemed too close. But the answer was always the same.
“Because I care about you,” you said simply. “And because I know there’s more to you than what everyone else sees.”
He looked away, his jaw tightening. “I’m not a good man, love. I’ve done things…”
“We’ve all done things,” you interrupted gently. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve a chance to be better.”
He didn’t respond, but you could see the internal struggle playing out on his face. You reached out, taking his hand in yours, and squeezed it gently.
“You don’t have to do this alone, Billy. Let me help.”
He looked down at your joined hands, his thumb brushing over your knuckles. “I’m scared,” he admitted in a whisper, so quiet you almost didn’t hear it.
“Of what?” you asked softly.
“Of losing you. Of letting you in and then watching you walk away.”
Your heart ached at his words. You knew he’d been hurt before, that he carried more scars on the inside than the ones that marred his skin. But you also knew that he was worth the risk.
“I’m not going anywhere,” you promised. “Not as long as you want me here.”
He looked up, his eyes searching yours for any sign of deceit. Finding none, he nodded slowly. “I want you here. More than anything.”
You smiled, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to his lips. He kissed you back, his grip on your hand tightening as if afraid you might slip away.
The apartment was quiet, the only sound the gentle hum of the refrigerator and the distant traffic outside. Butcher and you had spent the evening wrapped up in each other, the weight of the world momentarily forgotten as you enjoyed a rare moment of peace. The bandage on his side was a stark reminder of the dangers he faced daily, but tonight, you wanted to focus on the here and now.
Butcher's hands roamed your back, his touch firm yet tender as he pulled you closer on the couch. You could feel the heat of his body, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath your fingers. His lips brushed against your neck, sending shivers down your spine.
"You're beautiful, you know that?" he murmured against your skin, his breath warm and intoxicating.
You smiled, threading your fingers through his dark hair. "You're not so bad yourself, Butcher."
He chuckled, the sound low and gravelly, vibrating against your throat. "Not sure what I did to deserve you, love."
"You're not getting rid of me that easily," you teased, tilting your head to capture his lips in a soft kiss. The kiss deepened, growing more urgent as he pressed you back against the cushions. His hands slipped under your shirt, caressing your sides with a possessive tenderness that made your heart race.
"Let me show you how much I need you," he whispered, his voice rough with desire.
Before you could respond, he was lifting your shirt over your head, his eyes darkening with hunger as he took in the sight of you.
"Billy," you breathed, your fingers clutching at his shoulders as he trailed kisses down your chest, his stubble grazing your sensitive skin. He paused at the waistband of your pants, his gaze locking with yours.
"Is this okay?" he asked, his voice softer now, laced with an unexpected vulnerability.
"Yes," you replied, your voice trembling with anticipation. "Please."
With a growl of approval, he undid your pants, pulling them down along with your underwear in one swift motion. You were left exposed before him, your skin tingling with the cool air and the intensity of his gaze.
"Fuck, you're perfect," he murmured, his hands gripping your thighs as he spread them apart. He lowered himself between your legs, his eyes never leaving yours as he pressed a kiss to your inner thigh.
You gasped at the sensation, your fingers tangling in his hair as he trailed kisses closer to your core. The first touch of his tongue against your folds sent a jolt of pleasure through you, your back arching off the couch.
"Billy," you moaned, your voice barely more than a whisper. He groaned in response, his hands holding your hips steady as he delved deeper, his tongue swirling around your clit with a skill that left you breathless.
He took his time, alternating between gentle licks and firm sucks, his eyes watching your every reaction. You could feel the tension building inside you, the pleasure mounting with every flick of his tongue. Your breath came in ragged gasps, your body trembling as he brought you closer and closer to the edge.
"Please, don't stop," you begged, your fingers tightening in his hair as you teetered on the brink of release. He growled against you, the vibrations sending a shockwave of pleasure through you that pushed you over the edge.
Your orgasm crashed over you, your body convulsing with the intensity of it. Butcher didn't stop, his tongue continuing its relentless assault as he milked every last drop of pleasure from you. You cried out his name, your vision blurring as waves of ecstasy washed over you.
Finally, when you could take no more, he pulled back, his lips and chin glistening with your arousal. He crawled up your body, capturing your lips in a searing kiss that left you breathless all over again.
"You taste fucking amazing," he growled against your mouth, his hands cradling your face as he kissed you deeply. You could taste yourself on his lips, the intimate act only heightening your desire for him.
"I need you, Billy," you whispered, your voice raw with need. "I need all of you."
He didn't need any more encouragement. In one fluid motion, he was shedding his clothes, his body pressing against yours as he settled between your legs. You could feel the heat of him, the hard length of his cock pressing against your entrance.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice rough with restraint. "I don't want to hurt you."
"I'm sure," you replied, wrapping your legs around his waist and pulling him closer. "I want you. All of you."
With a groan, he entered you, the sensation overwhelming as he filled you completely.
You clung to him, your nails digging into his back as he began to move, each thrust sending sparks of pleasure through your body.
He set a steady rhythm, his movements growing more urgent as he lost himself in you. You met him thrust for thrust, your bodies moving together in harmony.
The world outside ceased to exist, the only thing that mattered was the connection between you, the unspoken promises and the love that bound you together.
As you neared the edge once more, you felt him falter, his breath hot against your ear as he whispered your name. With a final, shuddering thrust, you both tumbled over the edge together, your cries of pleasure mingling in the stillness of the night.
Afterward, you lay tangled in each other's arms, the sweat cooling on your skin as you caught your breath. Butcher pressed a kiss to your forehead, his hold on you gentle but unyielding.
"I love you," he murmured, the words carrying a weight that made your heart swell.
"I love you too," you replied, your voice filled with a certainty that left no room for doubt.
In that moment, you knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, you would always be his side. He was your million dollar man after all.
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lunarmoves · 26 days
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"what." moon's voice is a low drone somewhere beneath you, vaguely amused. "are you doing?"
"nothing," you respond, a hint of a laugh in your voice as you press your cheek harder against him. you'd just gotten out of the shower, and the coolness of his smile is a stark relief against the warmth of your face.
"this is not nothing," comes his flat reply, and you feel the way his face tilts slightly. your head moves with the motion. slim, metal fingers come up to grab at your hips, pressing into the softness of your flesh. you can feel the way they flex slightly against you and have to suppress a snicker.
"i don't know what you're talking about," you say, arms wrapping tighter around his slim shoulders. you are precariously perched atop him, knees keeping you upright from where they are positioned on either side of his thighs. your chests are nearly pressed together, a breath of space between them.
he huffs. "your hair. is in my mouth."
"no it's not." you huff back and only press your face even harder against his static smile. "you can't even open your mouth."
"says who."
"says me." your voice is slightly muffled, yet his rings clear even with you splayed over him. echoing slightly in the moonlit space of your living room.
"will bite you one day," he retorts, and you can feel the way he sinks back into the armrest of the couch you're both on. it makes your own body lean deeper into his own, causes you to eventually sit atop his slim abdomen.
"will bite you one day," you mimic his voice, then decide his smile is not cool enough anymore to bring you relief. you pick your head up slightly and move upwards before resting your cheek back down on his faceplate. better.
"ow," moon immediately says without emotion. you bite at the inside of your lip to hold in a laugh. "my eye. ow."
"oh stop being such a baby," you say, squinting your eyes down at him—or what you can see of his face, anyways, with how close you are to him. "you can't feel pain in your eye."
"ow," he only repeats. "can't see. big head."
"you're the one with a big head."
moon makes an indignant sound. "unbelievable. first you obstruct my mouth. then my eye. now you say i have a big head? unforgivable."
"you'll survive," you giggle out, and moon only grumbles incoherently in a manner that you know is lighthearted. he gives your hips another gentle squeeze.
a silence—comfortable, relaxed—elapses between the two of you. it's fitting, with the late hour. you are growing ever more tired with each minute that ticks by, soothed by the quiet whirring you can hear coming from moon's internal fans. the way his face presses reassuringly back into your own. the warmth of his palms. a content sigh escapes your lips.
"do you think," you eventually murmur sleepily, dancing between consciousness and unconsciousness, "if i press you close enough, i could absorb you into my body?"
moon snorts and you smile with the absurdity of saying that question out loud. and yet, he indulges you.
"not doing it right," he tells you in a quiet voice, no louder than the ticking of the clock you can hear in the distance. you make a questioning sound. "here. like this."
and before you know what's happening, you feel your entire world flip.
your back comes into contact with the cushions of the couch, your eyes snapping open from where they'd been half-lidded. you are pressed into something soft yet firm, held tightly within sturdy arms that wrap firmly around your back. your legs automatically hook around his waist, ankles crossing.
you grin up at moon, the way he has pressed his face against yours—except, it's a little strange, with your nose poking up between the two of you. there's barely any contact between your faces apart from the tip of your nose and your forehead that he tilts his faceplate forward to meet with his own. it's silly, but you do not find yourself minding. ruby light washes over your cheeks from his optics, warm and all-encompassing.
like this, moon's lithe body covers your own completely, your arms dangling over his shoulders as he gives you a gentle squeeze. "see? now i can absorb you."
"yeah," you breathe softly into the minute space between your face and his, a grin mirrored back at you. you give him a gentle squeeze back. "just like this."
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nouearth · 2 months
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small things like these.
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pairing. clark kent x male reader.
word count. 12.2k.
summary. a moment like having a cup of overly-sweet, sugary coffee spill all over you was one of the reasons why you'd been charmed by a clumsy man named clark kent.
content warning. fluff, eventual smut, corenswet!clark, top!clark, bottom!reader, strangers to lovers, brief lois lane mention, yearning!friends, clark has a sweet tooth, kissing, rimming, blowjobs, praising, sweet verbal, size difference, body worship, breeding, sweet and passionate love-making!
a/n. i recommend listening to the normal people soundtrack while reading!
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I: MAY.
It all started with a crash.
The smell of gasoline was poisoning. Cars were lined up like dominos, passing gas from one engine to another, and the scent was festering in Clark’s nostrils, its rotting smell seemingly quadrupled by the summer heat. That was the charm of the city. The smell, and the constant scream of car horns as traffic began piling up. In the eyes of his folks, Clark can see his Ma and Pa doubting his sanity had they ever witnessed Metropolis. His Ma would shake her head in disapproval at the size of his apartment, and his Pa would be overstimulated into disbelief as the trio held hands and swam their way through the swarm of people who were simultaneously being chased in pursuit by one reminder: 
FASTER! YOU’RE RUNNING LATE!
“Oh, crap—“ Hugging the coffee cup to his chest after switching arms, Clark rolled his sleeve up to check his watch. Quarter to nine. “Crap, crap, crap, crap!” Panic finally set in, charging Clark forward into the sunny abyss of office-workers.
This would be the last time he would grab coffee right before work. He’d paid for the consequences already by nearly missing his morning meeting multiple times. Heavy emphasis on nearly as his shoes would audibly skid from turning from one corner to another upon the race he had against the clock, as the slippery leather of his shoes would nearly make him take a tumble if he hadn’t corrected his footing once he began sprinting to his cubicle, and as he sat down in the uncomfortable seat of his chair, only to rise back up once Mr. White made his entrance, nearly missing roll-call. Out of relief, Clark would take a sip of his Frappuccino. The whipped cream deflated from the race, though its vanilla flavor was unaffected as the foam happily danced on his tongue, mixing deliciously with the sweetened coffee. he would feel himself replenished with energy the more sips he took. “Damn you…” He would gulp, licking the vanilla foam off his lips, repentant in his mutter, “Why do you taste so good? Right when I’m supposed to let you go, you reel me back in…”
Clark was a certified Metropolitan.
“Sorry—I’m sorry—‘Scuse me! Passing through—“ 
Nearly there. The man was a mountain of muscle, sturdy and well-knit upon first glance, but Clark used his muscles for good, to protect others in situations where they needed him for leverage, not to harm. Upon instinct, he turned a shoulder for a woman to pass through, sparing little contact, then another when a father chased after his kid. It was hectic, his cup of coffee almost losing his grasp in midst of the scuffle, but Clark managed to find a silver lining in the crowd in midst of the clock ticking: the revolving door to the Daily Planet, an entrance Clark has become irrevocably beholden to. 
“S-sorry!” 
A man yelled out, “Watch it, asshole!” In midst of bumping shoulders.Few met his height. Many would either desire to have his height, or to be in the arms of the man who towered over 6’4. Though, in the morning of Metropolis, most if not all deemed it a nuisance.
Breaking out of the herd of people, Clark felt liberated. His legs moved in larger steps, and his elbows spanned from his sides like how they normally should as he ran into the revolving door and pushed against the partition to turn. He checked his watch again. Three minutes left. “Come on, come on—“ One hand squeezed his cup of coffee, and the other clasped his ID badge. His fingers felt slippery from the condensation of his drink, so he squeezed harder, pacing forward to the elevator, then faster when the elevator opened with only a single patron, you, occupying the space.
Faster. 
Clark’s thighs were on fire. 
His watch, two minutes.
Faster. Almost there. 
Clark let out one last breath as he was nearing, holding it out in preparation to stop the elevator door from closing. A relief of a smile came to spread across his face when it opened to accommodate his charging entrance from a few feet away. Usually, he was met by an expression of irritation by anybody who was occupying the elevator, but you looked bewildered, your eyes opening wide milliseconds later upon realization. 
Fear, as your mouth opened to shout, “W-wait! S-slow down!”
It was all in slow motion, watching your face contort to a various of expressions, and then nothing, as Clark clenched the cup of his drink with the force akin to batter hitting a home-run, popping the lid off the cup in process, and spilling the Frappuccino onto the frightened man, with extra vanilla whipped cream and all. All you needed as a cherry on top of your head, and you were ready to be sold as a Monday lunch special.
Maybe his beginner’s luck was running out of flame.
II: MAY.
Luckily, not many people seemed to use the bathroom in the morning. They must’ve gotten it all out of their system before coming to work. You were bent over the sink, wiping your face with god-knows how many paper towels.
“Just my luck…” You grumbled, squinting at your reflection in the mirror as you wiped the corners of your eyes, then your forehead, and then your ears. No matter how many times you’d lave your face with water, you felt sticky, gross, and worst of all, you looked like a mess. You still had your hair and clothes to clean, the smell of vanilla syrup sickening to your nose. The latter was definitely going to require an insane amount of bleach and arm grease to get the coffee stain off.
The door swung open not too long after, and in came the culprit who’d painted your clothes in brown and white, wide-eyed and panicked like he was searching for a lost puppy, then apologetic and defenseless as if he was the puppy that ran away.
“Shoot, I’m so, so, so sorry—“ He brought his hands to his head, pulling at the messy dark curls of his hair. You side-eyed him, responding with nothing but silence, and then a crinkle of the paper towel as you squeezed out the water. 
“Save it.” Your tone was pointed, though you didn’t necessarily mean for it to come across as aggressive as it did. It was already a bad start to your day. Your milk expired, you ran out of frozen breakfast food, and the bakery you liked to visit in the mornings temporarily closed for renovations. All forewarnings to this very moment, where you had been cleaning whipped cream out of your hair. You held out another damp paper towel towards the man, and then waved it when he simply stared, or rather embarrassingly gawked at the mess he had created. “Get my neck.”
“Y-yeah… Of course.”
Silence. You weren’t sure how long you two have been at it, but you’ve managed to fill the trash can half-way with the paper towels. In complete, utterly awkward silence. His touch was delicate, the paper towel gently cascading over your neck in small swipes, even though you’d shown him that you were more than capable to pierce through him with your glare alone. Laser beams would ricochet off your reflection, bounce off the tiled walls of the bathroom, and somehow strike him through the heart and tear that oversized vest right off of his large frame.
The anger only settled when the man repeated his nth apology, moving onto wipe your hair clean. You closed your eyes to calm yourself, breathing out a deep sigh, because it was a mistake. You were having a bad start to your day, and… so was he? Wouldn’t be a surprise. Mondays were notorious in fucking up the week.
“It’s… fine. Not like you meant to do that.” You looked at him through the reflection, his brows scrunched from hyper-fixating on every lock of hair that was blessed with his whipped cream. Was he always this handsome? And why is he towering over you? Why is he so close? 
“Who gets a Frappe in the morning though?”
“I—Black coffee doesn’t really help me stay awake.” A nervous laughter now that you were making conversation with him. It was the complete opposite of how he physically looked. A sheep in wolf’s clothing. “Nor does it taste that good.” He muttered, cleaning the last lock of your hair.
“I would tell you to watch your sugar, but I’m guessing… you got that down?” You didn’t mean to make a comment on his broad body, but the difference in stature was laughable. “(M/N). You?”
“I-Uh, Clark. Clark Kent.” He washed his hands in the sink next to you, lips opening to what you could presume to be another apology. You’ve only met him for fifteen minutes, but you were beginning to catch his habits.
“Okay, Clark.” You stepped forward, crossing your arms, and you could feel the rattle of his gaze as he glanced at you from the reflection. “I work downstairs, at the gift shop. You can apologize by bringing me lunch for a month straight.”
“Wait—A month?! T-that’s kind of expensive, don’t you think—“
“Hey, you can make it yourself. Get it from the supermarket. Scraps from a restaurant’s garage bin nearby. I don’t really care.” You leaned against the counter, stifling a smile as Clark looked rather charming flustered like this. “If you were really sorry, you’d be committed to making up for it nonetheless.”
“That’s a little extreme for someone you don’t know…?”
You shrugged, then turned on your heel. “Spilling a drink on someone isn’t exactly an ideal way to introduce yourself, you know.” Dusting your fingers of water droplets, you began your exit. “Also, I need a new shirt.”
“W-wait—“
“See ya, Mark!”
“It’s Clark!”
Maybe his luck was just beginning.
III: JULY.
“So…? Ready to guess?” The smile on Clark’s face was filled with anticipation. He watched you chew the contents in your mouth in an obnoxiously poised manner, an inside joke between the two of you as you two had been binging on cooking competition shows. You tilted your head in thought like the pretentious judge on one of those shows, pausing mid-chew like something strange had collided with your tastebuds, then continued as if it had faded away. “Come on, I’m dying here.”
You swallowed, taking a sip of water to wash down the bread. “Hey, I need more than a bite to figure the ingredients out!”
“(M/N), you’ve practically eaten half of the sandwich already.” Clark took his half of the sandwich and sank his teeth into the pillowy bread. 
“Look who’s talking.” You rolled a piece of white bread in between your thumb and index finger until it formed a ball, and playfully threw it at Clark’s shoulder. “I didn’t get to eat dinner last night.”
It was a strange feeling in Clark when you said that. His chest swelled a little, as if his heart kicked it from within. “Why’s that?” He slowed his chewing to clear his ears, putting aside his tastebuds for his attention.
“Well, they’re expanding the gift shop, so they’re asking me to work longer hours to help out. No one else said yes, and I need the money, so there was no question about it, you know?” He watched you dust off your fingers on a napkin. He knew of your habits now. Take a sip of your water, which you did, then fully settle your arms onto the table, unabashedly gazing into his eyes to give your tastebuds a break. His eyes altered to the tip of your tongue, peeking out to lick a crumb off your lip, and Clark mirrored onto himself.
It was a secret vaulted in the deep abyss of Clark’s stomach - well, not so much considering Jimmy liked to run his mouth - but your eyes were his favorite parts about you. Even when they were seemingly set aflame on the day he’d met you, your orbs have since had a way to reel him in like bait and never seemed to have let go. He would find himself free-falling into what soon felt closer to home with every second that would pass by.
“Doesn’t mean you have to skip dinner, though.” 
There was a breeze. Gentle and swaying like the jazz music playing in the balcony of the café. It sifted through your hair like sugar would through fine mesh. One got caught on a few strands—wind— and it blew back to recognize your features with the sun, beaming on features that Clark would someday have the courage to say he adored.
“Why? You thinking about bringing me dinner too?” He doesn’t like that you tease him so effortlessly. Clark also doesn’t like how easily flustered he gets, which prompts the cycle of teasing to begin with. 
With hesitation, he tried it himself once, saying something about how you looked good enough to eat or something when you styled your hair back for a change. Though, what came out was something along the lines of: “You look like you eat good enough,” and Clark would rather forget that interaction even happening.
“Haven’t stopped bringing you lunch, if you think about it.” The memory of his first meeting with you brought a smile to his lips, and yours as well, because you two tend to sync thoughts. 
“Yeah, two months now… When’s that going to stop?”
“It’s a routine now. I don’t think I can find it in me to suddenly stop feeding you.”
“Hm, you’d make a good boyfriend, Clark.”
“Yeah…”
IV: AUGUST.
“Nervous?” 
The powdery top note of your hairspray tickled your senses. You counted in your head, holding back a layer of Clark’s hair in your palm. One, two, three, four… Once you reached thirty, you released, sealing the pushed back fringe in place with another layer of the grooming product. 
“How can you tell? Do I look nervous?!” He’d been chewing on his lip, playing with his fingers, moving in his seat. It was like a toddler, but unlike a toddler, Clark was an adult. An adult who had enough awareness to refrain from making any sudden movements while someone had a scalding hot styling iron in their hand.
“Clark, you haven’t stopped shaking your leg since you sat down—“ You delicately pulled a curly strand to the front of his forehead, and it was another reminder how easily Clark could pursue a career in Hollywood. If only journalism hadn’t been such a strong passion for him. Though, with the way his nerves had been electrifying his body—maybe he made the right call in the end.
“Oh—Sorry… I’m just—I don’t know. What if I mess up? I say the wrong thing to Lois, and then she hates me forever? Then what? She tells the entire office about what a terrible—”
“Whoa, I think you’re thinking way too far ahead here. What happened to you being Mister Optimistic all the time?” You ushered him to get up from the seat, and then handed Clark his dress shirt and tie. “Besides, I don’t think Lois would do that. If you like her, that must mean she has some type of soul.”
“I guess so.” Clark muttered, changing into his shirt. Perfectly tailored to his body contrary to the oversized button-downs he was used to wearing. “You wanna hang out after?”
“Uh… you sure you’re going to be free? And not… you know,” Your brows raised, giving Clark a knowing look, and it was that flush of skin that you secretly adored coming in hot, boiling on the apples of his cheeks as Clark quickly deciphered what you meant.
“I don’t sleep with people on the first date, (M/N).” It was priceless. The horror on Clark’s face upon the accusation, his orbs retracting like he’d seen a spaceship landing on earth for the first time. You couldn’t help but laugh out loud at his confession while tidying up his living room. 
“I know a lot of people do! I just had to make sure.” You waited on the couch as Clark changed, replying to missed messages, scrolling through updates on multiple social media accounts, until you heard Clark approach from behind.
“Ahem,” He cleared his throat, announcing his presence, and you turned upon the sound. “Looks okay?”
It was Clark.
It was Clark, but a more refined version of him. Not that he was sloppy in the first place, but simply… you could see him clearer, his own confidence radiating like it had finally discovered an escape to its freedom. His eyes, clear blues that sparkled even when the approaching night began casting shadows through his blinds and onto his glasses. It helped that you styled his hair back too, framing his face for the whole world to admire, and most importantly, for his date to as well. You reminded him to stand tall, and he took that into consideration through his posture straightening, and his chin raising.
“Y-yeah, you look… great.” It was infectious. His smile while he admired himself through his mirror. His dimples smiled back at him, and you felt your own lips curling on their own, like you’ve eaten a candy that was too sweet for its own good. “Lois is going to love it.”
Cavity-inducing.
“Yeah? Oh—I have to pick her up soon. So, you’ll be here, right?! I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep if it goes well—“ Clark let out one last breath, then a shake of his arms, and he found his nerves rattling up again despite as he approached the door.
Ten steps closer than before to Lois.
“It’ll go well, I promise!” It was his moment. Clark’s moment. Yet, you felt weird about it. You wanted to look at him for longer, a sudden greed to keep him in his apartment for longer.
“All right… wish me luck.” He turned to look back at you, appreciative in his smile, but his eyes looked guilty, meaningfully longing akin to the way he had looked when he spilled his drink on you.
That’s right.
“Good luck.” Apologetic, you remembered when he finally exited the room, and closed it shut.
Clark gave you cavities.
And like all cavities, you needed to get rid of them.
You needed to get rid of Clark.
V: DECEMBER.
It was partially his fault, wasn’t it?
There was no doubt in mind that you and Clark have been spending less time together. Clark was never a big texter, but he found himself messaging you a lot more often to make up for the fact that he had rarely seen you the past few weeks. Lunch was spent with Lois, dinner was with Lois, drinks were with Lois, binge-watching TV… with Lois.
“You’re always talking about Lois…”
It was why he preferred meeting up, because you never answered your phone, especially these days. If he was lucky, you’d spare him more than four messages a day before saying goodnight.
You never liked saying goodnight, and neither did Clark. By preference, Clark liked to fall asleep on the phone with you where he would catch your snores, and the embarrassment of it all would keep you awake for a little longer, at least until it was Clark’s turn to retiring for the night. It felt safe, knowing that he wasn’t - to some extent - alone in his bed. That he could mumble your name in his sleep, and you’d toss in bed, his voice ricocheting off into your own dreams.
It felt intimate.
“Hey, give me a call whenever you get back. Lois and I found this really cool aquarium you’d really like! I got a turtle keychain for you too.”
“(M/N)? Hey, I totally forgot about dinner last night! Work’s gotten so busy, and then Lois wanted to go out, and my parents were calling, so—Let me make it up to you? We can go to that diner you’ve been talking about.”
“Hey, (M/N)! Didn’t see you at the shop today… Doing okay? Not sure if you got the sandwich I left for you on the counter. Or maybe someone had stolen it. But text me? Let me know?”
“It’s Clark. Why am I telling you—I saw you the other day, but… you seemed like you were in a rush? I’m guessing renovation is taking a toll on you? Give me a call…”
“Hey, uh… Listen, If I did something… Will you let me know, please? I-I don’t know. I don’t know what’s happening here, between us, but… I just. I miss—”
Clark didn’t want to seem obsessive. Absolutely not. 
But this was getting out-of-hand. He was panicking. He’d been panicking for the past few weeks since this whole charade had started. It was only right for him to worry like this, about his best friend. To go from aligning his lunch breaks with yours to sitting stone-faced at his cubicle with a half-eaten sandwich in his Tupperware was a huge disruption to his routine. It was like the world had turned against him in solidarity. Knowing his own mind, Clark deserved it.
There had been a farrago of missteps, too many of them to count, for Clark to simply shrug it off and see the silver lining through them for the next day, for the next week, or for the next month. It wasn’t like before he’d met you, where he would simply get caught in a long line of office workers waiting for their coffee, and then received a free pastry because they had messed up his order twice. Or how he would sleep through his alarms, where his body clock fortunately alerted him awake before traffic would begin to dominate the streets. 
No, this was different.
He’d earned a raise since then, for his great work on profiling the Superman, but it was all he did now. When it wasn’t Superman, it was being Superman, and Clark wished there was someone to talk to. To celebrate with, now that he can splurge a bit more on himself. To vent towards, about how it was obvious that he’d been holding Lois back since their relationship started. To shout with while he watched a movie because the killer had been in the main character’s house all along. To lament towards, because Lois had called it quits, yet in spite of that, it wasn’t as painful as the way you had been treating him. To scream out the month’s omen with, because maintaining this double-life of his was wearing him down.
Moments of happiness, catapulting his memories of you with laughter and warmth, had felt like a wound. A piece of him was broken. He felt hollowed out - a pineapple without its core - more so than ever, losing you as quickly as he had became friends with you, as quickly as he had fallen for you. Spineless, if he just watched you slip out his fingers and float away.
He needed to bring you back. He needed to tie you around his wrist like a balloon, like how his Ma and Pa would when they took him to the fair as a kid. At least if you float away again, he’d chase after you like he should’ve the first time.
If luck was on his side, you’d let him hold your hand and cruise the winter sky together. And if a miracle was in the palms of Clark Kent, he’d reckon voyaging the four seasons as one would turn over a new leaf.
VI: DECEMBER.
The air was frigid. The glass pane of your window shivered against the cold, frost webbing your reflection from corner to corner as you peered out into the city. Noses red and cheeks flushed, symptoms of the freezing cold as they endured the walk home. Careful steps across the sidewalk, into the street, as flakes of white fell to the earth. 
For an alien, it would summon silence. Those sparkling crests that would melt upon contact—an invasion they would yell in terror as the flakes seeped into their skin like acid. But for humans, people like you, it brought laughter. Giggles pierced the air, couples holding each other close to gather heat, but to also keep each other from slipping, and the world had only felt warmer despite the snow’s best efforts.
Your smile reflected off the joy radiating off of multiple passersby. Kids with their guardians. Dogs with their owners. Parents with their own parents. The holiday was nearing, spirits ramping in midst. As the streets emptied, leaving you in nothing but the cruel howl of the wind, you couldn’t bring yourself to caring about your favorite celebration. There was little need for your participation if you didn’t have anyone to spend it with.
To be completely honest, it was your fault.
Clark was happy. He was happy to have someone who shared the same interest in him. He was happy that Lois could bring the best out of him, either out of his work or out of his personal ambitions. Lois would make Clark the man his parents would be proud to see after silently agonizing over months on whether the city would be good for him. He was happy to share this new chapter in his life with you, and you had little patience to see him blossom.
You couldn’t bear it, knowing that it could’ve been you.
God, you were being childish. This felt like high school all over again, except… not really considering you weren’t out in high school. You’ve watched enough coming-of-age films to know that the audience would’ve deemed you immature. Worst of all, you would’ve vented to Clark about how foolish the main character was being.
Your romantic experience had been limited to silently crushing on guys in your classes to hooking up with strangers through an app. Maybe that explained why you were acting out. Why you preferred isolating yourself from the root of your happiness instead of surrounding yourself with it. When was the last time you were ever in love? With the family dog? With her puppies? No, actually in love… with a person, with a man.
“Fuck.” The ice cream in your mouth suddenly stung the back of your jaw the longer the spoon sat in your mouth. You’ve been looping Clark’s voice messages, debating on whether it was too late to reconcile, whether he was too upset at you to even want to have you step a foot inside of his apartment. 
“I miss you. I really miss you.”
You winced, groaning in discomfort, tensing your jaw as the voice message looped like some kind of hypnotic spell. “I miss you. I really miss you. Miss you. Miss. You. (M/N). I miss you.”
The sweetness bulldozed your molars. It was unbearable. You tended to your cheek, holding onto it as you hastily slipped on your coat and beanie.
Throbbing. Your gums.
Your hand yanked the door open, and you marched outside, into the blanket of snow.
Beating. Your heart. 
The cavity was returning, and you needed Clark’s help.
VII: DECEMBER.
Clark had mixed feelings seeing you at his doorstep.
This was not how it was supposed to go. He was the one that was supposed to be drenched from the snow. Shivering like an unkempt toy, with severed electrical currents making him twitch at the modest breeze, at the welcoming warmth. He peered down at you, where you met his gaze. Clark registered a broken and a contrite heart, and he could only respond in complete silence. Frozen in place because the visit was unexpected, but also because you made his heart swell to the point of nearing combustion, and it took all his might to control himself from pulling you into a hug.
“Hi.” You sniffed, wiping your runny nose. There was a stark contrast between your body temperature and Clark’s, he could feel the frost biting his own skin.
“Hi…” Clark took a step closer, but he couldn’t cross the distance between you and him, halting as if there was an ice barrier. No, control yourself, Clark. “I—Come in.”
A wet layer of skin; narrow hills from your eye bags, past the apple of your cheeks, and down to your chin. Crystals would form along your tears if you hadn’t insistent on wiping them clean. You never liked being vulnerable with him. With anyone, for that matter.
Clark stepped aside to welcome you in. You passed one glance at him, hesitant and apprehensive, but the warmth reeled you in, one shoe at a time. He was so close to you. Your arm nearly brushed against his, close enough as if it had almost nudged his elbow.
“You’re freezing—I-I’ll make some coffee.” He headed towards his kitchen, then paused to glance back at you, resembling the skittish reporter you first met as his indecisiveness staggered his following steps. “No, Tea? Hot water? I don’t know—“
“Clark, that can wait… Uh, how about we talk… first?” Clark could see it. He could see how you felt like a stranger in his apartment, a place he’d nearly asked you to move in as his roommate considering you spent so much time here. 
You carefully took off your coat, and Clark immediately went to your aide to gather it into his arms and put it on the coat rock. Though, not before letting the smell of your cologne linger in his nose, because god, he missed this. 
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s… talk.” He gestured towards his couch, tidying up the sweater that was beginning to feel constricting on his body.
Other than a tiny Christmas tree hiding in the corner of his living room, not much had changed. Everything was right where you’d last seen it, including a polaroid Clark took of you and taped to his ‘Wall of Memories.’
Out of instinct, you sat at your side of the couch, and Clark sat to the left, right beside you. Your palms ran over the cotton upholstery, then paused when your finger dipped into a ripped hole you had accidentally created when you two were watching a horror film.
“So… how are you?” Clark was staring. He didn’t mean to, but seeing you beside him felt… unreal. Maybe he was dreaming. The space next to your hand looked inviting, so his own hand naturally found its place, laying it there with his pinky finger barely grazing yours. You’re real. His pinky twitched when your finger brushed against the tip, and you pulled away. No, no. Come back.
“I’m good, well—long story, but…” You sighed, and Clark was patient as you took a moment to gather your thoughts. It was unlike you. Not that it was bad, but it was extremely attractive how outspoken you could be, especially regarding subjects you were passionate about. It was like you rode the ocean waves, swam with large strokes because you had a goal in mind, to convince Clark that mint chocolate chip was the best flavor of ice cream and whatnot.
“Before we catch up, I’m sorry… I don’t really know what I was doing, but it was my fault. I’m childish, I know that. I pushed you away because I was jealous… of Lois. And—please don’t hate me, but I hated how you looked at her. And how she looked at you.“ You breathed, your eyes casted downward like you were ashamed of being capable of human emotions. Then they clenched, because you heard how incredibly thoughtless you were being, yet that didn’t stop the tears from forming.
“And I was supposed to be happy for you, Clark. I mean, I knew I didn’t have a chance to be with you, but I somehow convinced myself that one day, you’d look at me with the same amount of affection you’d look at Lois. I would wait, and wait, and it was getting… painful. I mean, who am I kidding? I should’ve let you adjust first before growing impatient, but it felt like I was being replaced, and I was afraid of the inevitable, Clark—“
Now, you were floating. And out of fear, Clark felt his hand come alive, and spider close to your hand again. Tie him before it’s too late. It was up to Clark to change the trajectory of your descent. The pinkie that had lain next to your own crossed over and locked over yours. The barrier of ice that had been building between the two of you shattered into a million shard and he was frozen. A million of them pierced into Clark’s skin when he took your hand into his, and the clasp of your hand into his had bonded.
“Clark, what—“ Your eyes widened, letting in fragments of Christmas lights to highlight the glossy sheen of the tears welling in your sight. 
Without questioning it, Clark pulled you into his chest and felt the crumbled wetness stain his sweater. One by one, his fingers loosened to let go of your hand to support your body with his arms. Strong, thick arms wrapped around your body, fitted snug against you like a vest. There wasn't any resistance from your end, so he held you longer, then tighter in case you’d let go of him. 
It had never felt so good holding someone’s weight.
Two hearts pulsed against one another, and then as one as Clark buried his head into your neck in silence, while you rested your cheek against his shoulder. You clutched yearningly at his back, and Clark ran his palm over yours. Completely different motions, yet they told the same story, the same ending.
“I missed you.” In harmony, Clark’s voice mixed with yours. Clark often marveled at it, how often he came into sync with you as a pair. Another, when you mustered up the remaining energy to blindly breathe out a sweet laugh against his neck, and he followed, his soft lips inking your skin with a grin.
He didn’t want the hug to end, but it had to sooner or later. Clark needed to see you, as much as he needed to touch you. Releasing you from his hold, he settled for the middle. Large hands found their way back to the vacancy of your own pair and he leaned his forehead against yours, watching your eyes come back into focus as you gazed upwards, officially sharing his yearning.
“What are we doing, Clark?” It was dangerous. There was a heat to his cheeks that needed to connect with the one festering on your own. A dryness to your lips that needed a fresh paint of balm. Clark silently leaned closer, yet your gaze steadied, like you were silently anticipating something. “Lois…”
“We’re not together anymore.” He revealed once to his parents, and that was that. It was a strange feeling bringing up his relationship with Lois again, considering they’d both healed from it and moved on as friends. It was better that way, felt better too. 
Your lips parted for another question, but Clark was quick to answer. “November...”
“I’m sorry—“ Undeniably, Clark’s patience had run its course. He didn’t spare a single second for you to catch your breath. Instead, letting gravity pull the weight of his head until his nose pressed against yours. Multiple forewarning bumps to your septum that made you crease your nostrils, a charming expression he’d later marvel over. 
Clark allowed himself to sink further into you, applying all of his weight to push you back into the cushions of his couch to then finally capture your lips for one yearning kiss. It was cathartic. He’d wanted this for months. His mouth on yours, his hand into yours, and now that it was finally occurring, Clark wanted to savor the moment. Your body was reacting prosperously, opening your legs to close the distance between Clark’s body and yours. You wrapped them around his hips, condensing him groin to groin. Gentle tremors rattled down Clark’s spine as he pressed into you, mouth and hip, stirring wondrous feelings that ignited from the bonded bodies. First with the utmost uncertainty, then with a starry vehemence upon catching your delightful little sounds in his lips, in his mouth, on his tongue. He swallowed, releasing your hands to tuck his left beneath your head. A cushion, or a reminder to him, as his thumb carefully caressed your cheek, that this was real, that this was happening. You gasped, occupying your free hands around his neck because you felt yourself slipping. Whether it was off the couch, or from your original state of delusion, Clark was going to catch you no matter what.
“I love you.” Scratch that, he was never going to let you go. Not this time. You had no doubts about that as he repeated those three words into your mouth like you needed convincing, then kissed you again to lock his stubborn pleas in place. His glasses bumped against your face, but the feeling of his mouth on yours felt too good for you to complain.
A breather, you pulled away soon because Clark was stealing your oxygen, and you needed to tell him before you would embarrassingly faint from overdosing on the simplicity of his kisses. You took one look at him, gently pushing his head back before your hands had taken his cheeks hostage and cupped them, analyzing what made you fall for him in the first place. Thick dark curls that fell gently over his forehead. Clark’s eyes fluttered shut when your fingers ran through them, the pressure of his scalp gratifying like a long stretch in the morning. Wide frames that were too big for Clark’s face, but had he gone any smaller, they would’ve completely hid the beautiful blues of his eyes. You straightened the crook of his glasses, grinning because the bewildered look on his face resembled a puppy’s. His physical appearance made your heart skip more than a couple of beats, yes, but it wasn’t the main attribution to your attraction.
Your hand trailed from his neck, to his chest, then to his heart. Boiling, his heart was pulsating rapidly like yours, and you sighed.
Because it was here. This was why you fell in love with him.
“I love you.”
His heart was making popcorn, and the scorching heat was rising to Clark’s cheeks. “Thank, god.”
Clark pressed one kiss to each of your palm before leaning back into you, and continuing where he left off. Your laughter was eaten up by his mouth. Suddenly ticklish as Clark catapulted your lips with an uncontrollable laughter of his own. His body shook with yours, heart pounding at one’s chest to bond with the other as he held you close once again.
Nothing was funny. Just simply relieving.
Now tighter, drawing you into his arms when the collective laughter was enough for the couch to move a nudge and roll your intertwined bodies onto his floor. Clark could laugh all night long with you, something that could pull a world record if there was someone to verify the interaction, but something began aching inside of him when he was reminded of your hips against his, groins rubbing in simultaneous pleasure. He maintained his position on top of you, in between your legs, and seized the opportunity to press against you. When your laughter was interrupted with a stifled whimper, without a doubt, Clark was a goner.
“Can… I?” He leaned up, his curious palms on your inner thighs kept you spread on the floor. You watched inquisitively, anticipating, hardly masking it with a low-effort grin.
“Can you… what? Not sure what you’re asking, Clark.” Your elbows supported your body, leaning onto them as Clark bit his lips at your obvious teasing. You wiggled your hips while his hands did their best to avoid touching you there, anywhere but there, until you gave him permission. Chewing, because he was trying his best to control himself upon seeing your crotch twitch with agony.
“Come on…” His palms roamed the back of your thighs, then towards the front again, because he needed to occupy the anticipation of his sweaty hands. “Don’t make me say it.”
“I’m not a reporter like you, Clark. Unfortunately, I was never good at deciphering clues or hints. You pulled him down by the collar of his vest, wrapping your legs back around his hips because you loved making him flustered. “Give it to me straight.”
“I—“ Clark surrendered at the touch of your lips on his. Gentle and sweeping, you kissed him like fall of snow, and he melted, whispering into your mouth, “I… want to make love to you.”
His voice registered sweet, in both mind and body. Your tastebuds bloomed when he kissed you again and slipped a tongue in without much warning. Your pants felt tighter as Clark began his antics again and ground himself against you, eagerly rubbing his larger bulge over your own. Clark was a growing cavity, festering right down to the root, but it was no longer painful.
It was indisputably pleasure.
“I’m all yours.”
There was something hidden in Clark’s gaze, something that his glasses had been unfairly shielding from you. You reached up to put aside his glasses and felt your breath hike when the quick glimpse of his gaze matched the avidity of his mark to your neck.
He refused to part from you. Even with the eagerness of stripping you, he needed to be in close proximity. Knit vests off, Clark returned to mark at your neck. Sweaters tossed, he quickly studied your figure and where you were most sensitive with his tongue and palms Wet and warm, you whimpered. Pants kicked, he helped you out of them while he clumsily stumbled out of his. Slow down, you’d laugh with him, and Clark would find his balance with a hug from you before he could embarrassingly take a tumble. A trail of clothing led to his bedroom, where you laid on the bed while Clark sat on his knees, decorating your entire body with the tiniest, yet wettest kisses. He palmed himself to this, squeezing his erection to the restricted pulsation of your own. Every time he ran a marathon of licks up your leg, your briefs twitched. Clark neared closer to your thighs, then inner thighs, every lap, and the twitching doubled.
“Clark…” It accidentally came out as a whine, and you were grateful that it did because you’d been keeping an eye on his clothed erection, watching it unfurl from a stuffy mass to an intimidating thick shaft where it began outgrowing his original side tuck and throb against his left thigh. It would be more than a handful, two if you were being pessimistic.
“Baby, be patient… I missed you.” The pet name came out of nowhere. They didn’t have nicknames for each other, but Clark felt good calling you that, and seeing how your cock began pulsating rapidly at the sound of his voice, he’d reckon it felt just as good hearing it for the first time.
After teasing you with multiple sequences of nearly kissing your bulge, Clark finally caved in and pressed his mouth to where the tip of your erection was hidden. Its location marked with a tantalizing wet spot that made him moan when he could taste your salty leakage through your briefs. Mouthing it, licking it, you watched Clark with an open-mouth, finding yourself mimicking his licks to the open air as you imagined his own erection was in your mouth. You played with your nipples, and it was heaven. You could get off to this. Clark could too, as he began rutting into the mattress, laving the center of your briefs with his wet tongue.
“I wish you could see yourself right now. You look so sexy, so…” Clark never finished his slurry of a sentence, clearly high off of his desire to ruin you. Your lids felt heavy, pinching and twirling your nipples to his languid mouthing like it was your lullaby. His voice came to a complete halt, a beat of silence that you’d come to query, until your eyes immediately widened at the warmth of his mouth surrounding your cock, finding your unspoken question answered.
“O-oh, Clark.. .That’s—mmf!” One hand was fondling your balls, while Clark’s other was stroking himself through his briefs after tossing your underwear to the carpet. His mouth was full. Warm and breached with your stiff shaft. His cheeks hollowed, and your body arced toward the ceiling as a result of holding your moans back. 
On the contrary, your body was trembling. Cold tremors electrified every bone in you as Clark explored your cock with his thick tongue, building your excitement to a rattle. He’d secure you in his mouth, sucking and refusing to let you go even when your fingers laced and pulled at his hair, a lazy attempt to push him off, but it only encouraged him to suck harder, lick at the underside of your cock, at your veins, swirling over the glossy tip, tasting the salt you’d produce solely for him, because of him. “S-stop, I’m going to come if you keep—“ 
“Sorry, you just taste so good…” Reluctantly, Clark pulled you out with a subtle pop, wiping his remaining saliva on the back of his hand. Your cock was twitching in a shiny coat of spit as you and him both watched his masterpiece of a tongue have its remaining effect on you.
“My turn…” It was a declaration. You crawled forward onto all fours while Clark watched in anticipation. He sat up on his knees upon you reaching for the waistband of his briefs. With a slow pull, his large erection sprang free with a heavy bounce, and your pupils dilated. “Jesus, Clark…” You removed his briefs, tossing it to join the floor, and he sat back on his knees while you marveled over his girth. Its size submitted you into silence. A tint of envy, but mainly of wonder as you couldn’t possibly imagine fitting him inside of you.
“Hey, you don’t have to…” Clark could see the fear in your eyes. The intimidation. Though, he would never admit that he was extremely turned on from watching your expression morph into utter astonishment. His cock, however, couldn’t care less. Thick and mighty veins blasted from the base of his raging hard-on to the very plump tip of the bulbous head. It was as equally as inviting as it was intimidating.
“I want to. I’m just… kind of jealous, that’s all.” You laughed to yourself, wrapping a firm grip around Clark’s shaft and watching in awe at how you couldn’t close your fingers around him, even when you had adjusted your hand. Clark’s cheeks were scalding. Was there an adjective to describe someone who was embarrassed, but extremely aroused right now? He’d have to look it up, but he was that. He watched how your mouth practically salivated for him, working him in slow strokes because you were careful not to anger this phenomenon of a creature.
“You’re perfect, wouldn’t change a single thing about you. Where would be the fun in all of this if we all looked the same?” You hummed at the comforting words, somewhat feeling guilty over your cock hardening over such a sweet consolation. 
Nonetheless, it wasn’t something you were going to dwell on. You knew Clark loved your body, he would’ve inhaled you whole if he could. As a token of appreciation, you nuzzled over the underside of his cock, lining gentle kisses over the veins that made you the hungry, desperate man you were displaying for him. “I love you.”
Clark would burn this image of you, drooling over the sight of his cock, over the tense of his muscles as you licked his abdomen, sucked at a birthmark on his hip, then hollowed your mouth out to accommodate his erection. “I love you.” He exhaled from his gut, nearly seeing the whites of his eyes as you didn’t spare a second in warming him up to your throat. 
“Baby, slow down… You’re going to choke—“
“Mmfggh—“ Sweet sounds. Delicious noises that made his spine tingle, that made his muscular chest puff up as it swelled with so much selfish pleasure. You looked up at him with such pureness, a determination that Clark was afraid to shatter if he made you stop, so he simply watched. Petting your head, brushing strands of your hair that threatened to obscure the parts he’d loved most about you. Your eyes sparked with glee as the salt of his cock watered your tastebuds. You let your hands roam free on his body. One palm admiring the toned muscles on his stomach, the other stroking the inches of flesh that haven’t been in your mouth yet.
Then, your eyes filled with tears, as you became overzealous from your mouth blooming with arousal and heat as you took more of Clark. Past the tip now, your tongue flattened at the underside of his veiny cock to make room for his large shaft. Your cheeks hollowed while you sucked, and you could taste Clark leaking on your tongue again. Thick and salty pre-cum dancing over the bed of sprouts.
“Baby, careful…” Despite his warning, Clark couldn’t help but thrust every now and then into you.
It was difficult stuffing Clark inside of your mouth, but you proceeded. Further and further, you sank your head. Clark carefully held you while his gaze marveled at the warmth of your mouth. You’d splutter into a gag when you lodged him into the back of your throat, cramped and gratifying despite the tears in your eyes. Clark was quick to pull you back in case you choked on your own spit, and he knew you. He knew you were the type to take on a challenge. Before you could complain about him pulling you away, he brought you up for a kiss, meeting you half way as he bent forward. His hand was on your nape, tenderly massaging in case you pulled a muscle, and he smiled at your fluster when he pulled away. A thin line of spit connected the pair of lips, a display of devotion for one another. “You did so well.”
While Clark laid you on the bed once again and reached for lube out of his bedside drawer, you were kissing at the underside of his jaw. He’d left a mark on your neck, so it was only fair that you made your presence known as well. Your teeth nibbled on the stretch of skin as your lips wandered off to suck on a patch of skin on his neck. The smell of his body wash was strong in your nose when you buried your face into him, suckling until Clark’s neck had skipped the initial stage of turning pink, and instead, an ardent red. “Don’t finger me too much. I want to feel you.” Your cock throbbed in anticipation.
“No way, (M/N). I’m going to hurt you if I don’t.” He sealed off any potential retorts from you with a smooch to your lips, and then affectionately bumped his forehead to yours, sparing you a teasing smile. “And I promise you, you’d still feel me even if I spent an hour warming you up.”
Your heartbeat spiked.
You brought your knees up after he placed a pillow beneath your lower back. Clark took his sweet time lubing his fingers and erection. There was an obvious motive behind the gaze he’d spare you. A smugness in the curl of his calming smile. He made sure you were watching as he bucked his hips up when he slimed his cock with a glorious amount of lube. The remaining lubricant was used to lather your rim, and then the surface of your lips as he brought his hand up-close.
“It’s cake-flavored. Haven’t used it yet.“ Clark said with a laugh, pressing his lubed thumb to the center of your mouth.
“Of course it is. What’s with you and sweets?” Your lips parted to let your tongue peek out and take a swipe at the wet layer of his skin. Artificially sweet at first, but it wasn’t unpleasant enough to detract you away from it. After taking multiple samples of the lubricant, you closed your mouth around Clark’s thumb, and that was when the base notes hit your tongue. The scent of vanilla tingled your sinuses, as well as the artificial flavor of the sweet commodity spreading pleasantly on your tongue the more you sucked. It tasted more like marshmallows than a cake, but you weren’t complaining. You pushed his thumb out with your tongue and nodded in approval. “Tastes nice. Why do you need it to taste like cake though—“
“Because I like cake.” With a push of your thighs, Clark was back on his knees again. He haunched over to face your exposed entrance once you locked your arms around your legs, holding your knees to your chest. Then, he flattened his tongue over the smooth surface of your crack. One stripe to sample the quality of the flavor. Another to discover the depth of vanilla blossoming on his tongue. And then another few laps, because your bare flesh tasted infinitely better than whatever was mixed in that bottle of lube.
“Clark…” You wished you could properly watch him. For now, you had to settle on blindly watching the top of his head from the opening of your legs, dark curls bouncing as he eagerly devoured and lapped up the layer of lube that slicked up your opening. His tongue swirled over the rim of your hole, teasing at first, to sample you again, then he pressed his mouth to your entrance. The movement of his languid mouth nipping and mouthing made you pucker. It was an automatic reaction, you clenched, then opened, and Clark seized the opportunity and slipped his tongue inside of you, officially tasting you. “C-Clark! That’s—Mmf!”
Clark was under hypnosis. Everything that was said to him, that was plead towards him while he ate you out was drowned out by the sound of his slobbering. Two palms on your asscheeks stretched you out while Clark thrusted his tongue inside of you like daggers. When you clenched around his tongue, Clark pulled back to carefully push a lubed finger inside of you, spreading you back open. “I wish you could see this right now, (M/N). Your hole’s so pretty.” He looked up at you, lips beaten red and his fringe tousled, while he pumped two fingers inside of you now, smiling at the way your body had a mind of its own, floundering within your own hold, completely stripped of insanity and instead, disheveled over the smallest touch. “You look so pretty.” Your cock twitched in solidarity. 
For someone who made it seem like he absolutely got no action, Clark was a natural talent in pleasing you. His fingers were thick and deep inside of you, curling at various spots you hadn’t even brushed once in your lifetime. You bit your lip, writhing in suppressed arousal, and Clark would watch in awe as he simultaneously licked around your rim and thrusted his fingers inside of you. Three now, spreading, twisting, and churning in and out of you smoothly with the help of a fresh paint of lubricant. His thick pecs bounced with every draw of his fingers, sweat beginning to form over his neck and shoulders as the heat between you and him only escalated. He broke out into cold sweats, watching you unravel your sanity before his very eyes, and Clark was eager to be the cause of your destruction, for you to equally ruin him.
You’d let your legs collapse onto the bed a while ago, but it was fine, because once you were properly warmed up, Clark took matters into his own hands and balanced your feet over his shoulders, pulling out and orienting his hips before you. He slicked his cock in another layer of lubricant, the smell of vanilla mixing pleasantly with his arousal, and he leaned for a sweet, but confirming, pushing your knees towards your chest in the process.
“I love you.” He softly whispered into your mouth, forehead to forehead. Words of affection that you couldn’t possibly imagine growing tired of. Your stomach was in knots, your heart tugging one way, and then another, as you two shared a gaze. A silent one, but surely meaningful because you felt close to tearing, looking into his sweet, adoring eyes. It nearly ripped when he repeated those three words again in your ear, gentle like the kisses he was adorning the shell of your ear, ticklish like the way he had been tracing your rim with the tip of his cock.
“I love you…” It came out as a purr, and you gave his shoulders a loving squeeze. I’m all set.
Upon the completion of your breath, Clark pushed his hips forth. Slowly, you felt your hole opening. Wider, as it took in Clark’s hot pulse. Gasping, as it was a struggle to fit the head of his cock inside of you. Your body naturally reacted in pushing back the intrusion out of your body, swelling around the plump glans and clenching to prevent him from moving any further. “C-Clark—“
“M-mm, relax—“ He grunted in the depth of your mouth, distracting you with another open-mouthed kiss. But Clark was persistent. He was nearly there. One more push, and he was in. He used the back of your thighs as leverage, pushed your legs further back, and pushed with careful might. Not enough to hurt you, but enough to break through the barrier that refused to let you two bond. Clark was pushing. You were pushing back. It was a battle for territory, a toll on your body as you broke into cold sweats. You inhaled at the increasing soreness, but nonetheless endured because you’d endured worse. 
You’d lived through the loneliness that was your life without Clark, and that was absolutely unbearable compared to this. The thought of spending eternity with him reconciled you with near pleasure. You two would go on to do everything together. Holding hands with him in public would be a no-brainer as you helped him shop for a new suit. You’d celebrate his promotion over dinner, either homemade or a fancy restaurant, because Clark deserved the luxury of life. And if all things go well, he’d reward you for staying by his side and supporting him with a ring. Nothing too grand or magnificent, because you were never too keen for the lifestyle of the wealth. And knowing Clark, he’d ramble about how he could buy another engagement ring if you weren’t happy with it, completely forgetting to ask you about the inevitable: Will you marry me?
Exhaling once more, you brought a hand to his nape and gently pushed his forehead to yours. Then his nose squished with yours when you felt your body arched off the bed in response to Clark finally breaching inside of you with one tantalizing thrust, goosebumps fluttering over your skin and amplifying the soreness by tenfold. “H-hh! Clark!” You choked out, straining your neck as your body felt like it was burning. Scalding with pleasure and pain all at once.
“I got you. I got you, baby…” Clark slipped an arm beneath you, cushioning your body when gravity pushed you back onto the bed. He began lathering your neck in pacifying kisses, stilling his hips while doing so. “Doing so well, doing so good. You feel so good, you know that? You make me feel so good.” Clark was drunk on the grasp you had around his cock. So tight, you felt so tight, and he anticipated what you’d feel like beyond the first few inches of him.
“You’re okay?” For moments now, he’d been kissing you to divert your attention from the pain. Wiping beads of sweat off your face with the back of his hand. Massaging your chest and playing with your nipples. Anything to get your body to relax. Though, the most effective remedy was when he gazed into your eyes and rambled. Clark knew that. He felt your muscles loosen when he’d make a silly joke, or when he’d bring up a memory about losing his shoe at work. Touching was the easiest effort and you loved the weight of his palms on you, but you were most sentimental about Clark finding other ways to temporarily shift your mind to a sanctuary. All in all, the power of his humility was a force to be reckoned with.
“I’m okay… Just been a while.” Your lips slurred against his, kissing Clark again, extremely appreciative of his patience. “Think I’m all good now. You can move.” You confirmed with a gentle pat to his cheek.
“I’ll make you feel good.” It was a promise.
Clark kissed at your ear. “I’ll make you feel like you won’t want to stop when we’re about to end.” A symptom.
His lips moved to your neck. You shivered at the ghosting of his mouth, of his tongue, before he’d rightfully claim another spot on your neck as his own. 
Clark reeled his hips back until only the tip was left inside of you. You whimpered at the emerging heat, but it was beginning to become bearable.
“I’ll make you feel like you were made for me.” You felt yourself split into two when Clark brought himself forward. A gasp slipped when you felt your hole stretch. And then continued to push itself to its limits as he worked himself inside of you with gentle and subtle thrusts, until Clark was an inch deeper. The grasp you had on his shoulders was extreme, egg-shell white as the sweat in your palms threatened to loosen your grip. The husk in his voice trembled while you swelled around him. Rapid pulsations embraced the thick veins of his cock, seemingly massaging him out of appreciation, a token of your gratitude because pleasure had finally materialized in the loss of your agony.
The toned muscles of Clark’s thighs slapped into the back of your sweaty thighs with every thrust. A salacious sound that wouldn’t cease. Louder. Harder, when Clark was comfortable enough to properly move inside of you. “Because you are.”
Properly stir your insides. Your face said it all. Your sight blasted as you watched Clark with dilated pupils, mouth agape like you had better counter to the flattery of the man’s words. Instead, you found yourself choking back on them. Words. They would’ve been affectionate words. They came out as stifled moans because it was embarrassing for Clark to see you like this. Grunts when Clark lodged himself deeper inside of you. He was just as motivated by a challenge as you were. The challenge of making all sorts of delightful noises fall from your mouth out of your own will.
Sweat dripped off of him like he’d just returned from a blacksmith.  A sweltering fire would heat him up. Not to burn him, but to make him pliable enough for the blacksmith to shape the perfect man out of Clark’s flesh and bone. A chisel to carve out the deep dips in his upper traps, where your palms loved occupying. Another at his waist, where you’d hold Clark to help him dig you deeper. Then a hammer, used to forge the sturdy muscles on his athletic body. Deep hills and valley, crafted over his pecs and abdomen to let his sweat drain onto your body.
“You’re made for me, as much as I’m made for you.” Clark murmured.
A vow.
With that, Clark mounted you, both of his palms grounded to the space by your shoulders to stabilize his catapulted position. He pushed his full weight on top of you. Your legs folded towards your chest, alongside the sink of his body, until your knees signaled the end of their mobility. A kiss to your left calf to keep you alert, a bite to the other to warn, and Clark propelled his hips forward without the intention to stop. Further and further, your mouth and eyes widening as he tunneled through your contraction, until his cock was deeply-rooted fully inside of your hole. Clark settled himself inside of you with a yearning groan, and you retaliated with staggered cry.
“C-Clark, I feel so… full. Honey, fuck—” Your skin prickled with goosebumps knowing that Clark had fully breached your hole. There was no doubt about that, yet your hand snuck down to blindly confirm the achievement, to see if you could slot your hand between his pelvis and your ass. But Clark was pressed flushed against you. No gaps. Only the thick hairs of his pubic region came into contact with your fingers, and your cock twitched.
You were completely and utterly full to overflowing.
“You’re squeezing me so tight, baby. You feel so good. So warm. So… tight.” Clark huffed out a few breaths and slid his cock nearly out before slamming it back into you. 
“U-uh-huh.” You panted at the sight of his arousal. How gratifying it was to Clark, being inside of you, to the point where his eyes would roll back, and then feel the need to slow his deep thrusts, because he was close. You could tell. You could feel his cock throbbing harder. Veins hotfooting a nearing high as you stimulated his aching muscle, and you were stroking your leaking dick to the feeling.
“I love this… I love you. I love making love to you.” His cock hammered your insides, the thick head of it raking past your sweet spot. It made your cock tremble, your glans crying out with thick, teary pre-cum. When your moans hiccuped a pitch, Clark realized he had mined gold.
“C-Clark, I love you—“ Your firm cock slid through your closed fist every time he moved, the creaking of bed springs following every motion of his thrust. It wouldn’t be long before you made a complete mess on your body. “Oh, god—“ Clark clasped his mouth around your tongue, greedy to feel your moans ricochet off the walls of his cheeks, and into the depth of his throat. Veins charged his arms as he pinned your hips to the bed. You were floating, higher and higher. The roam of your hands, over his sweaty pecs, his shoulders, his neck, his abdominal muscles, his arms—you were stimulating Clark’s body so he doesn’t stop. Motivating him to blind you with his devotion, starry skies and all.
“P-Please, Clark. God, that’s so good. You feel so—“ Forehead to forehead now, Clark was watching you passionately through heavy lids, alternating his gaze from the silent plea in your eyes, to the beaten and swollen muscle of cock in your jerking fist. All while he throbbed inside of you, overwhelming you with the pulsating of his thick cock veins, making love to your hole with the refusal to stretch his approaching climax.
So close, you were so close. You held Clark by his neck with one hand, and refused to let him pull away.
Faster and faster, his cock consistently drilled into your prostate, drumming against it with a deep swivel of his hips and more, until you couldn’t hold back your cries. Your pulse raced as your cock twitched with your heartbeat, speeding the flicks of your wrist to outpace Clark’s thrusts. 
It was a tense battle to see who’d erupt first. Harder. Harder. Faster. You were a mess, and so was he. You made him a mess. A drunk intoxicated by carnal desire. Sweat clung onto his fringe, yet he had never looked so attractive, powering into you like a madman, impaling you with his love, with his devotion, with all of his might, brute force, through gritted teeth. You gripped him hard by his biceps, unsure of whether your cries of pleasure were heard between the thunderous sound of his thighs connecting to your asscheeks and the creaking of bed springs. You took a chance to cry out again, to warn him that you were close. 
“C-Clark, I’m going to come…” The bubbling feeling had been too irresistible to delay any longer. Clark locked eyes with you upon your alert, and groaned. His tongue came out to skim the bottom of your lip, and you strained forward to cover his mouth with yours, sealing the pair of lips in a slow kiss, contrary to the rapid rhythm that had overtaken the rest of your body, and it stole your breath and made you all dizzy. Your cock only needed three more pumps.
Clark panted a few quick breaths, bracing his body in anticipation by clutching onto your hips until his fingers had turned white. “Want to see you come from my cock…” What you heard in his murmur was beyond want. 
It was need.
Two. 
You reminded Clark that you were going to come.
One. 
His forehead pressed hard against yours, and he switched his gaze to your jerking fist.
“Clark—“
“Let it out. Show me how much you love me.”
You yanked your hand a millisecond before the inevitable, and Clark watched in pure bliss, maintaining his thrusts as your cock erupted with white. Thick shots of cum catapulted across your body with the aid of Clark’s thrusts drilling semen out of you. Layers of creamy ropes messily inked your body from abdomen to chest, and that was all it took for Clark to spill his load inside of you. 
His hand like claws on your waist, he pummeled your insides for a few more seconds, delivering your ass with powerful thrusts, and you sobbed out in between breaths, clutching a bundle of his hair in both fists. Finally, Clark grunted, unloading himself inside of you with a scalding bite to your lips. You felt his cock pump, his balls jolting as it drained itself inside of your cavity, filling you up with an unspoken affirmation that you were his. He pushed his cum deep into your hole, powering through the cold tremors overhauling his body, and resumed thrusting inside of you. 
Shallow and slow, but enough to spread himself all over your walls. Enough to remind you of the memory when you had been claimed as his, in case you’d ever forget.
You shuddered, dropping your legs to wrap them around his waist, because you could never forget. Couldn’t if you had tried. Not when he was milking his orgasm into you, dumping his warm seed into your hypersensitive hole until he filled you to the brim. Not when you prevented him from pulling out, because you pressed the heel of your feet into his lower back, and countered his thrusts with swivels of your pelvis, gluing him shut to you. 
Until you were bonded to him.
“I love you…” Lethargy in his voice, his eyes closed. Clark worked so hard, and you immediately rewarded him with a slow kiss, embracing him close to you after.
“I love you.” He tucked his head into the crook of your neck, evidently gratified by your response as you felt the corners of his lips tug into a smile. You murmured sweet praises in his ear, petting the back of his head to calm the electrical currents stimulating his body.
“We… have a lot of catching up to do, by the way.” Clark suddenly spoke, and your eyes weakly opened, inquisitive over the strange tone in his voice.
It was also funny. How absolutely massive the man was, yet in your arms, he was cuddling up to you as if he wasn’t aware of his own weight plastering you.
“Yeah? Something on your mind, or you wanna save that for tomorrow?” You idly twirled a piece of his hair around your finger, windmilling it out of affection.
“I mean, I guess so? It’s been on my mind since we’ve met. And it’s been killing me on the inside.” The stubble on his chin tickled you when he lifted his head to look at you. The expression on his face suddenly made his warning seem all the more significant.
Concerning, as you propped yourself on your elbows and frowned. Despite your risen position, he was insistent on continuing to rest his weight atop of you, not that you had minded. “You’re kind of scaring me, Clark. What is it? Did you get fired or something?”
“No, no. Nothing like that. I—It’s just…” He stammered, then heavily exhaled. Thoughts of regrets plagued his mind at first, but he trusted you. You could see it in the light of his eyes. “Okay, here it goes. You know... how I’ve written multiple articles about Superman?”
“…Yeah? Got you on Perry’s radar, didn’t it? He seems to only like talking to you, which is impressive. Not surprising though—”
“Yeah, well… It’s just—there’s a reason why… he only sees me.”
“Why? Is it because he saved you or—”
“Clark, what are you doing with your eyes?—“
“Wait, holy crap—“ 
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nouearth. please do not repost, plagiarize, or translate my works. and if you like this story, please reblog and leave a like!
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ladywhistlewrites · 4 months
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Hiiiiiii can I request a wife x Anthony bridgerton story where they are newly married and back from their honeymoon so Anthony works a lot where reader nearly never sees him so when she goes to talk to him he snaps at her and takes his stress out on her and reader gives him the silent treatment until she feels like it’s enough. Pls make him work for her forgiveness 😭😭😭😭😭
hii thanks for sending an ask!!🩷 hope you like it :))
Anthony Bridgerton x wife! reader
***
The morning sun casts a golden glow through the windows of your shared home, a beacon of warmth and new beginnings. You and Anthony have just returned from your honeymoon, the memories and whispered promises still fresh in your minds. Every corner of your home feels infused with the love and joy of your new life together, a life that seems to stretch out before you with infinite possibilities.
The first few days are blissful. You and Anthony spend lazy mornings entwined in each other’s arms, sharing laughter over breakfast, and planning your future with excitement. His touch, his voice, everything about him fills you with an overwhelming sense of contentment. You are his, and he is yours.
But as the days turn into weeks, you notice a change. Anthony, ever the diligent worker, begins to spend more time in his study, pouring over documents and attending meetings. At first, you understand. You admire his dedication and are proud of his accomplishments. Yet, gradually, his presence becomes a rarity. He leaves early and returns late, often slipping into bed after you’ve fallen asleep and rising before you awaken.
One evening, after another long day of waiting for him, you decide to confront him. The house is quiet, the only sound the ticking of the clock in the hallway. You find him in his study, hunched over his desk, the dim light casting shadows on his face.
“Anthony,” you call softly, stepping into the room. He doesn’t look up, his attention firmly on the papers before him. You take a deep breath, trying to keep your voice steady. “We need to talk.”
He finally glances up, his expression a mix of exhaustion and impatience. “What is it, my love? I’m very busy.”
The endearment feels hollow, and your heart aches. “I know you’re busy, but I miss you. We barely even spend time together . It feels like you’ve forgotten about me, about us.” you murmur
He sighs, rubbing his temples. “I haven’t forgotten. I’m doing this for us, for our future. Can’t you understand that?” he says with venom in his mouth.
“I understand, but what good is the future if we’re not happy now?” The words tumble out, your voice rising with emotion. “You’re consumed by your work, Anthony. You’re neglecting our marriage.”
His eyes flash with irritation, and before you can react, he snaps. “Just mind your own business, will you? I’m doing what needs to be done.” he spats.
You stand there, stunned and hurt, his harsh words cutting deeper than you’d imagined possible. Without another word, you turn and leave, the sound of your footsteps echoing in the silent house.
In the days that follow, the pain of his outburst lingers. You decide to give him the silent treatment, unable to bear the thought of speaking to him. You avoid him, your interactions reduced to strained silences and cold civility. He tries to reach out, but you turn away, your hurt and pride keeping you at a distance.
Anthony, realizing his mistake, begins to make amends. Each morning, you find fresh flowers on your bedside table, their vibrant colors a stark contrast to the dull ache in your heart. He sends you beautiful gowns, their fine fabrics a reminder of his thoughtfulness. Every day, he apologizes, his voice earnest and filled with regret.
“I’m sorry, my love,” he says repeatedly. “Please forgive me.”
A week passes, and you find yourself missing him more than you can bear. The sight of the flowers, the sound of his apologies, all begin to chip away at your resolve. One evening, as the sun sets and the house is bathed in the soft glow of twilight, you find him in his study once more.“Anthony,” you say quietly. He looks up, hope flickering in his eyes. “I forgive you. But you must promise me, promise me that you will never speak to me like that again.”
He pulls you into his arms, holding you tightly as if he might never let go. “I’ve missed you too, more than you can imagine.”
You stand there, wrapped in each other’s embrace, the world outside fading away. In that moment, you know that no matter what challenges lie ahead, you will face them together, bound by love and the promise of a future filled with happiness.
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pinkslaystation · 3 months
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No longer a memory [Simon 'Ghost' Riley]
You are reading: [Part 2] Read [Part 1] here! Word Count: 1.4k You viewed Simon as your friend, but clearly he did feel the same.
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When Ghost was asked about his emergency contact, he mentioned Soap's name.
"You can't put down another soldier, mate. Gotta be yer ma or summit." His higher-ups informed him.
"Why no'?" He grumbled, leaning against the wall in the dingy office.
"Wot if you're on a mission with 'im? Wot if he's injured too? Hm? Just do me a favour and put down yer missus, will ya."
Ghost rolled his eyes in annoyance, slamming the door shut as he walked out. With an important mission coming soon, it was vital that everything was in order before they left.
He just doesn't get it. Why does a skilled killer like him need an emergency contact? He's only been fatally injured once, and when they contacted his previous emergency number back then, was it really a big deal with someone at the nearest Maccies picked up?
Gaz frequently laughs at him, "Tried to call your mother, ordered a quarter pounder instead." It's a running joke in the team.
Ghost skims through his phone contacts, and he's embarrassed to see how few numbers he has: 5 being his teammates including Gaz, Soap and Price, one being KFC, one being his mother which he had saved under Slag. He scrolls up and down rapidly, debating to himself, should he just give them a fake number?
No...they'd find out again.
He clicks under the spam numbers.
His eyes shift to a familiar number.
It was yours.
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The monotonous ticking of the clock paired with the irregular typing of the keyboards were burnt into your brain unknowingly. You've lost count of the number of days you've been in the menial job now, your first job since graduating university. How long have you been with that company, 2 years? 602 days now? You're counting the days 'til the weekend but even during that, you've got no one to come home to.
What a pathetic life.
Sometimes you wonder what Simon was doing in that exact moment was he working like you? Was he also in London? Did he...think of you, the way you think of him? It's possible he's forgotten, I mean after 5 years you've lost contact with the majority of your classmates- so much for best friends for life.
You check your phone, 9:28 P.M. 2 more minutes and you're running out of there.
By the time it hits 11 P.M., you're tucked away in bed a movie playing the background as you're aimlessly listening to reddit stories on TikTok whilst watching a minecraft speedrun.
You switch to using Instagram, by that I mean stalking. Your friends seems to be growth further away from you, one sending you an e-invite to their wedding, one welcoming their 1st child into their families, and yet you're still hung over about the last day of secondary school. The way the last time you had seen him had been in form, when he glances at you walking in late. The way his hands would purposely linger against yours when you were asked to hand out sheets to the class.
The mere thought of him jolted you. That, and the sound of your phone ringing.
It was an unknown number.
There's a hitch in your breathing. Was this a sign? What's the phrase, speak of the devil and he has appear? Was it perhaps...Simon?
You wait for a minute before picking up, not wanting to come across as desperate.
"...Hello?" You murmur.
"Hey." The voice is harsh and cold. It reminded you of Simon.
"Simon?" You whisper, a smile appearing on your face.
There's a pause on the other end of the line.
"What? No- Alan. From Accounting. You left some documents here at work, they seem important. You gonna pick 'em up?"
You blink. Once again your're stuck in another fantasy. In what world would it be Simon? The man who couldn't even reply to your texts in summer holidays. The man who wouldn't even attempt to return a full smile when you locked eyes in the corridor. The man you shouldn't have feelings for. Because, well, it's not like they were ever reciprocated.
What a pathetic life.
Alan, the dickhead from Accounting interrupts yet again. "Yo, you there? Wan' me to bin them?"
You sit up in your bed, sighing deeply uncomfortable, "Pull up your pants man, I'll be there in 30, Jesus. Just leave them on my desk."
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Question. What's short but intense, most people dislike it, but you find it thrilling? One would think a conversation with Simon. But the answer is: London traffic.
You'd assume the usually busy roads to be dead and empty at 11:30 P.M. ish, but you're heavily mistaken, my friend. Seems like London nights are the life of the party. Driving past busy clubs and lit up pubs, whilst listening to One Of The Girls by The Weeknd [SUCH A GOOD SONG-] made you feel like a movie star in a coming of age film.
One where the guy gets the girl.
Of course, the majority of the drive you've being beeped at, or you're doing the beeping, but it's what really appealed to you when making the move to the heart of London. Life moves on whether you want or not, might at well be at the capital of England. Though sometimes you feel you're more likely to run into Simon in the north...
By the time you reach the entrance of your workplace, you begin regretting your outfit decisions, making eye contact with yourself in the reflection of the glass doors: A black hoodie and flared joggers. Nothing wrong in the clothing of course, but compared to the Data Analysts and Investment Bankers that are judging you right now, it makes you feel like the smallest person in the room.
Just a elevator ride up, grabbing your shit, another ride down, brisk walking to the car, and you can go back to the comfort of your bed. Easy, no?
You're in the elevator finally. The weird look from the receptionist really was the cherry on the cake.
Soon enough, the doors open again at the 9th floor, and you're met with the dark room of your department, which only had 2 of your colleagues slaving away at their desks, one which you're 99% sure is rotting away as they type on their keyboard.
You briefly nod at the two as they look up from the elevator doors opening, to which they returned.
Where's that file, where's the fucking file. You mumble to yourself, sifting through all the papers from your desk. The rotting lady looks up to you, shushing you for the noise.
Yeah, if only you had the courage to shush your toxic-ass husband...You think. Soon we'll hear your reddit story next to some trashy ass run on Subway Surfers on Tiktok...
The way down the elevator was excruciatingly slow, which was odd considering it was working perfectly fine 5 minutes ago.
The doors open again, at the 8th floor and 3 analysts walk into the once quiet elevator, and now you're face to face with the loud chatter of clients, and business meetings and...who left a mess in the men's toilets...
A phone rings again, and the analysts all search their coats, thinking it was theirs.
Not me.
Neither.
How is there service in this elavator-
Someone coughs, and you open your eyes from drowsiness, the 3 business musketeers silently urging you to pick up your from and rid them off that irritating ring tone.
Silently apologising, you bring your phone out of your hoodie pocket. It's another unknown number.
With no hesitation this time, just pure frustration and fatigue, you pick up the call, "Alan, I swear to God, if you're calling me again-"
Correction. There is service in the elevator. It just wasn't good.
The line breaks at the other person on the phone speaks.
"He- Co- It's an emergen- He- -mon Ril- -jury-"
"Huh?" You respond, partially not hearing as the line breaks every now and then. but also because the other 3 people decided it was okay to talk on full volume.
You try once again, "I'm sorry I can't hear you."
"Missi- crash- 3 dead- -husba"
You snort, you wish these 3 analysts were dead right now-
"-Rile- Come- t- -ocation- sen- -by text- -sband-"
The line goes dead, and you're stuck staring at your phone with more confusion than you had started. Husband?
What was that? Wrong number? No, they had addressed you by your full name. You couldn't hear much, but from what you gathered...an emergency? I mean, that alone you could tell from the shrill from the speaker's voice.
The elevator door opens again and this time, it's the ground floor and all 4 of you walk out. It looks like the scene where the rich, popular characters make a grand entrance, straight out of a K-drama, except one person clearly missed the memo about dressing formally.
You check your phone's call log, debating whether to call them back.
Before you can lock your phone and shove it back into your phone, it dings again, a text from the very number. They've given you a location. A quick search on your phone, shows you google images of an army training ground. You check the time. It's just past midnight.
Looks like you're going on an adventure.
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The drive to the army grounds was shorter than Google Maps had said, and now you're parked on the side of the roads waiting for the gates to be opened.
Theories are racing through your head right now, who do you know that's in the military currently?
Your coworkers? No.
Your university friends? No.
Your secondary school classmates? No.
Simon? Can't be.
The gates open, and you drive to the 2 men standing by the doors to the building, one is dressed like a doctor, the other? Like Stalin.
You get out of your car worried, "Hi, someone called over the phone?"
"Aah, yes. Mrs Riley. A pleasure to meet you. I mean I didn't think you were even going to come." He turns to the doctor.
You don't fail to hear the words exchanged between the both of them.
"What if she works at Maccies as well...she's dressed like it-" he murmurs, smiling at you widely.
The doctor on the other hand, seems to be more tense about the situation, "Sir, can we just send her in already, it's 1 A.M., I got a family to go home to-"
"Wasn't your wife cheating on you though-"
"Sir- How do you know- Okay, Miss. Mrs... Riley, was it?" The doctor turns to you.
You raise an eyebrow at him, "No. Um, no. My first name's not Riley, it's-"
"Will you just follow us. Please."
The inside of the building was almost the opposite than the outside, a loud brightly lit environment with crowds of doctors and nurses rushing around, compared to the silent dark grounds.
"Sorry, where are we going exactly?" You question, as the two men walk in front of you.
"You're handling the news better than I expected, Riley." The military leader (?) notes.
What news?
"What news?"
There's no follow up answer, instead they lead you to a quiet corridor, just outside a room, to which they gesture you to open. The doctor reads from a file, "He's going to be fine, just a few cuts and bruises-"
You interrupt, "I'm sorry?"
"What he's trying to say- we found him unconscious, seems like he inhaled too much of the gas. Thought he was in grave danger. Wasn't responding to anything. Broken rib cage, but he'll be fine. He always is, this man."
The doctor agrees with the solider.
"Indeed, a few months of bed rest, and he's be back in better shape."
The two stare at you, as you look at them with an unreadable expression.
"...And...I'm here because?"
They share a confused look.
"You're his wife, no? His emergency contact? That's what Simon said at le-"
"Si-Si-Simon?"
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One second you're at home, the next you're a work again, and now you're in the bathroom with your head in your hands, sitting on the toilet lid, panic pulsating through your blood. For some reason, you can't find it in yourself to tell the truth, that you're not Simon's wife, so instead you pussied out and excused yourself to the nearest bathroom.
The good thing is, the 2 men believe you're crying over Simon's injuries, the bad thing is that he's awake. And he's been made aware of the call to his emergency contact: his wife.
"Good to say you mate. Called your wife. Sensitive one, that. Rushed-"
Simon breaks out of his dazed look. "Wife?" He barks.
The doctor shares a knowingly glance to the solider, Simon's higher up. "Yes...the one under your emergency contact?"
"Wot- Oh. Er- Yeah." Simon clenches his jaw, rubbing his temple, "Did she pick up or sum-"
"No Simon, she's here. In the bathroom."
The minimal colour in Simon's pale bruised face drains out in a click, and he's staring dead straight in front of him. For a second, no one talks, there's no movement, not even a breath is exhaled. Simon's not religious but he prays the 2 can't hear his beating heart thumping rapidly.
How was do when he sees you? A smile? A wave? A 'haven't seen you in so long'? No...he selected spouse when he put your number down for his emergency contact, if anything, he's got a role to act in front of the staff and higher-ups.
There's a knock on the door that breaks the silence. The door creaks open awkwardly, and a small head peeps out.
Simon's breath hitches.
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When your parents instructed you to get out fairy land, you did. You were called delusion by your friends throughout adolescence, and you're teachers feared your expectations in life were always too high.
You remember the first time your parents told you the story of how they met. In your mind it was a romantic story, two doctors meeting together for the first time in the hospital, locking eyes and blushing furiously when their fingers touched through gloved during a high-risk heart transplant surgery. So when they mentioned that it was mere 'marriage of convenience' type relationship to you, your belief of love at first sight hit the iceberg of reality and sunk. Sunk deep.
So mustering the courage shouldn't be that difficult, right? Love doesn't exist...
The first step into the hospital room felt like walking into every exam hall you've ever entered in your entire life merged into 1...times 10. Nerve-wracking was an understatement.
Your goal was to just lie and act at his wife, play pretend and hope Simon plays along with it. It's all acting.
A marriage of convenience, you could say.
"Hey, Si-"
Your breath breaks, cutting off your own words as your eyes lock with Simon's. The room seems to shrink, and the bustling noise from the hospital corridor fades into the background. Simon's gaze is intense, his usual stoic expression softening for a brief moment. It's something the doctor and the soldier haven't seen, given the 5 years of knowing SImon.
He reaches an arm out, without speaking a word.
"Oh, erm." Taking his hand, he gently drags you, motioning you to sit on the chair beside his bed. Small electric shocks course through his fingertips and into yours, a warm feeling bubbling through your chest, and you can't help but smile at the way his eyes lock onto you, as his fingers gently caress your hand.
Simon’s grip tightens ever so slightly as you sit down, his touch simultaneously reassuring and questioning. You swallow hard, nerves prickling your skin. It feels like a minute has passes by the 2 spectators in the room feel like their watching a slow-burn romance movie.
The soldier clears his throat, breaking the silence. "We’ll give you two some privacy," he says, gesturing for the doctor to follow him out. As the door clicks shut behind them, the heavy silence continues to fall over the room.
Simon’s thumb strokes the back of your hand, a gesture that feels both foreign and familiar. His mask of stoicism cracks, revealing a hint of vulnerability beneath. "I didn’t think you’d come," he murmurs, his voice a low rumble. Your heart rate increases with every word he speaks, the hints of his northern accent peaking through the harshness of his voice.
You smile. "Well, here I am," you reply, attempting to sound casual despite the thundering of your heart. "Guess I couldn't ignore the call of duty." Your attempt of a pathetic joke makes him grin.
Simon interlocks his fingers with yours, and you swear your body changes to manual breathing. "SImon...You don't have to act, they're not here..." You mumble.
Simon chuckles softly, the sound sending shivers down your spine. His eyes, usually so guarded, now seem to search yours for something unspoken. "I'm not acting... and...I'm sorry," he says, his voice barely above a whisper.
"What for?" Both of your hands gently hold Simon's and you notice the way just one of his hands dwarf both of yours.
"That day...the last day. I tried to come, I swear, love. I was late-"
"I waited for you Simon." You blankly state. Simon freezes at the slight frustration in your voice, "I waited so long for you, hell, the teachers nearly kicked me out."
Simon nodding understandably, grinning slightly at the thought.
"I know. I asked our form tutor, missed ya by 15 minut-"
"Then why didn't you call me Simon? Hm?"
The lack of response let's you continue, the heat from your hands warming Simon's.
"I called you, I texted, I reached out to your friends-"
"-but it's difficult when I had none, right?" Simon cuts you off, his eyes urging you to look at the situation from his perspective, "The moment I saw you in that classroom on that first day, you were the only person that smiled at me. When I forgot my lunch, it was you that shared with me by your desks. Fuck, it's always been you, and I was too fucking embarrassed with myself to even be around someone as perfect as you."
Simon squeezes your hand as he continues.
"I didn't want you to be seen with me, because...you deserved better, love. You've always had. Good grades, good school, good life, didn't was you to be dragged down by a dick like me." He huffs out, turning away, "Signed up for the military that day, y'know. Remember when you said you wanted to just give up on your dreams of uni and jus' join the army. Just use all your frustrations on a gun or sumthing... I bulked up over that very summer."
You stifle a warm tear as it escapes and runs down your cheek.
"Wanted to be someone for you, swear down. So I signed up for the military...and I- that day. I was going to tell you...and ask you out."
Raising your eyebrows, you feel the atmosphere shifting, he continues.
"Yeah," Simon chuckles, reminiscing, "Wrote a letter cos I didn' know how to get my feelins across. But uh, I was too late. And when I asked your friend, and they told me you were moving out for uni...I just thought it was better to let my feelins die out. Didn't wan to drag you down any further..." He mumbles the last part.
A mix of emotions flood through you as Simon's words settle in the room. The weight of the years apart, the misunderstandings, and the unspoken feelings hang in the air. You take a deep breath, wiping away the tear that escaped earlier.
"Simon," you begin softly, your voice trembling with a blend of sadness and hope. "You never dragged me down. If anything, I felt lost without you."
Simon's gaze shifts back to you, eyes searching for any hint of resentment or anger. Instead, he finds warmth and understanding, a look he's not seen in years. "I thought you'd be better off without me. That you'd move on and find someone who could give you everything I couldn't."
"But I never wanted someone else," you confess, your voice firm despite the quiver in your heart. "I wanted you, Simon. Even when you weren't there, I kept hoping you'd come back. Do you know how many times I've looked at my phone hoping it was you that was calling me?"
Simon laughs, moving ever so slightly closer to you, his thumb continuing to stroke your hand, his touch grounding you both in the present moment. He takes a deep breath, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts.
"I'm here now," he says finally, his voice steady. "And I'll call you ever chance I get. Don't want to waste any more time."
You squeeze his hand in response, a small smile tugging at your lips. "Neither do I."
Simon presses a chaste kiss against your forehead and you lean against him.
"The name Riley really does suit you, y'know." Simon whispering into your hair.
"One step at a time, Si." You whisper back, burying your smirk into the crook of his neck.
Maybe your parents were wrong, maybe love at first sight does exist.
Outside the room, the 2 men straight in awe at the couple. The doctor sighs, "No more trouble in paradis-"
The solider nudges the doctor, "You wish that was you, huh."
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me rn
tags -> @lilliumrorum, @kxtz3, @poohkie90, @rainlovesyou12, @restrictionsapply-blog, @lunamoonbby, @nigthmar3moon, @thychuvaluswife, @itsnourm, @bubusi11, @chessecakelover, @owkittie, @cheomain, @corvusmorte, @k4es, @mandythemint , @copiasratscheese, @yyiikes, @funkyysho3es, @delta98-idk, @spankmydepression, @yourfavbabigirl
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abbyromanoff · 1 year
Text
YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE
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PAIRINGS: GF!Natasha Romanoff x reader
WORD COUNT: 5,142
WARNINGS: Nat is ghost face, smut, killing, blood, dark!Nat, Nat has a dick, cnc, dubcon, daddy kink, begging, praise, degrading, fingering, facials, dry-humping, knives, carving, pain kink, hair pulling, manipulation, size kink, tummy bulges, blowjobs, breeding, unprotected sex, kinda dark!R, very dark descriptions of death, kinda depressed!r, mentions of cheating (no cheating actually happens tho), think that’s all :)
NO ONE IS PERMITTED TO STEAL, COPY, OR REBLOG MY WORK AS THEIR OWN!!
Your eerie apartment was filled with complete silence. You could hear the clock on the wall slowly ticking away at your life, but you couldn’t find it in you to care. You couldn’t find it in you to care if your entire existence would vanish in the spot, there was nothing left for you to live for anyways.
You clicked through the channels mindlessly, hoping to find something that could entertain you. The pizza box left on the table had three pieces left - all cold. Your girlfriend had been out for god knows how long. Your phone was next to you, taking Nat’s spot on the couch. It was nearly dead, but that didn’t matter, you didn’t get any notifications anyways.
Suddenly, after minutes of surfing through the tv, the blasting sounds of a breaking emergency filled your ears. The news reporter, a blonde woman most likely in her late thirties, stared dead into your eyes without knowledge of it. She read the words from the telegraph, a small shake in her voice as the man next to her hid a fearful gulp.
It started a few months ago, people reported dead all around the city. The only problem was that it was New York, there were small and large crimes daily; no cop, no matter how good, would ever be able to figure out who was the masked killer.
There had already been over ten found bodies, there was a small part of you who wished you were one of them. Blood would smear the walls of the victim's houses, a new letter to create a large sentence being designed ever so slowly. You wondered what they’d do if they got to each letter, would they stop? Would they be caught beforehand? You didn’t know, and you didn’t want to know.
Every video you found online was all about the same topic, who is this new Ghostface, as they called him. When would he strike again? Is it even a he? You didn’t bother, they were just a bunch of conspiracy theorists who had such little to do in their lives that they became so invested in others. So what if they were crazy? Isn’t everyone at least a little bit?
You could hear the sound of keys dangling outside of your door and rolled your eyes, she was back.
“Hey, beautiful.” She muttered when she got near you, planting a kiss on top of your head and climbing onto the couch. She took the spot next to you, accidentally sitting on your drained phone.
“Look who’s home.” She tried placing her arm around your neck, only to feel you shuffle away. You wouldn’t even look at her, only going to stand up and grab the recycling left on the coffee table.
“Oh, c’mon, are you really mad at me?” She attempted to pull you back down, make you sit with her so she can finally hold you; but you shrugged her off. She sighed, rolling her head back and trying to find comfort in the cheap sofa that did nothing for her.
“Why would I be mad? Because you were out all night and didn’t bother to text me or call me back? Or maybe because you smell like that bitches perfume?” You asked, sarcasm evident in your voice. She groaned and stood back up, yawning as she walked into the kitchen where you stood, back facing her as you scrubbed the dishes.
She watched you for a moment, her side leaning on the fridge as she crossed her arms over her broad chest. She waited for anything else, any other comment, but none came. Instead, she grabbed a warm beer from the six-pack box that was resting on the floor next to the counter. She easily popped open the cap and flicked it in the direction of the trash, hoping it made it in.
Your gaze traveled to the side when you noticed the glass bottle being placed next to you and let out a deep and frustrated sigh as you felt her hands rubbing your arms.
“You really think I’d fuck someone else when I have you right here?” She smirked with pure cockiness, it nearly made you want to puke. When you still did not indicate forgiveness or submitting, her smirk dropped.
“Why don’t you believe me, doll? I give you everything you ask and you still don’t trust me?” You felt her crotch poking your backside and tried to hide the goosebumps that arose to the surface. Her hands were gentle as they moved your hair to one side, letting your neck be displayed as you subconsciously leaned into her pecks. She kissed from your exposed shoulder up to your jawline, stopping there as you felt her hot breath against your cold skin.
“Nat-”
“Shh, isn’t this what you wanted?” You showed no evidence to prove her right. You wanted her to feel bad, it’s what she deserved. Who was she to think she can just take off whenever she wants, fuck who she wants, and have the audacity to get annoyed at your worries.
“You’re so hot when you’re mad, makes me just wanna- take you right here.” You felt her hands slide down your pants and dip into your panties. She audibly gasped when feeling your wetness gushing on her fingers.
“You want this, hm? You want daddy’s fingers?” Your palms gripped the ends of your countertop as her middle finger rubbed your clit slowly.
“More.” You choked out, your hips involuntarily grinding into her, chasing the pleasure. She chuckled, shaking her head and tsking.
“No, no, you need to tell me you want it, baby girl.” Your mouth opened, only to release a silent scream as she eased a finger into you. You fucking hated her, despised her, but she knew you perfectly, she knew exactly how to make you tell her how much you love her.
“I want it.” She hummed, signaling for you to continue. You groaned in annoyance, your hand traveling to your chest where you palmed your tits.
“I want it…daddy. I want you, please.” You struggled to get out through gritted teeth, hating how the words sounded coming from your mouth. This was the last time she’d get away with something through fucking you, you’d tell yourself, yet you seemed to repeat those words in your mind every single time. And every single time you ended up back in this situation, orgasms rushing through you while you acted like a desperate whore for any sort of attention she’d offer.
You wondered if her other woman felt the same as you, who couldn’t despise her every move?
“That’s a good girl, you’re daddy’s good little girl, right?” You nodded, your head falling on her shoulder as you tried to find hold of something. Her cock rubbed against your skin as she fucked herself to your pleasured state.
“Cum with me. Make a fucking mess, you slut.”
Your sleeping body laid with the blanket covering only your chest to the tops of your thighs. Nat was next to you, brushing the hair out of your face and smiling at your state. You look beautiful, you always did, but you looked even better when you were shut up for once. She wished she could just fuck that attitude right out of you.
Of course, she wasn’t cheating, no idiot would do such a thing to someone like you. You were a feisty little thing, if you ever found out she was cheating you’d beat her ass into her own grave and plead insanity - she taught you well.
“I’ll be back soon, pretty girl.” She whispered even when knowing you couldn’t hear such words. You shuffled in your sleep and she gave your forehead one last kiss before standing, finding a new pair of boxers and a bra before grabbing her clothing. She had everything she needed in her bag - her mask, outfit, and most importantly, her knife. The best part about it all was that the knife was a custom design you ordered for her for your first Christmas as a pair. It had her initials on it with a heart next to it, reminding her of your love. Your past love for her at least, everything was different now. She didn’t want to hurt you, but you couldn’t figure her out just yet. She’d tell you eventually, she wanted to, she loved nothing more than bragging about her killings, and with you, she’d finally have someone to do so with.
There was still that fear that you wouldn’t accept it though, it wasn’t exactly an easy topic to be brought up. But she couldn’t wait to prove to you that she was in fact loyal, just maybe not clean of her sins.
With one last glance, she left, closing the door behind her and walking down the stairs of the cheap building, shuffling the bag from shoulder to shoulder. She threw it in the car once she found her keys, settling herself in the driver's seat and preparing herself before driving off, her main destination in mind.
“Alright, Mar, let’s see just how well you handle it.” She mumbled to herself, her elbow slamming into the glass of the woman’s back window. She was in, the easiest part was done, and now it was just her time to have fun.
When you woke in the middle of the night, 2:43 AM reading on the clock, you searched for your lover, only to come up empty-handed. You bit back the bile in your throat and threw the blanket over you angrily, grabbing the suitcase you kept under your bed. It was meant for trips, now it was being used to kick out your girlfriend; if she even was that anymore. You didn’t know what changed her, who changed her, but you were done. If she wanted someone else then she could have them, she already used up all the chances you offered her.
Then, there was the sound of the keys rattling, she was back for the last time. You stood up with the luggage in hand, throwing the door open as you were planning to be greeted by a hickey-stained Nat with more excuses pooling out of her, but there was no one to be seen.
“Get the fuck out here, Nat.” You waited for something, but there was no sign of her. You noticed her keys resting on the ground in front of the door, covered in blood. You gulped, taking a step back from nothing.
“Nat? Babe, where- where are you?” You yelled out, your head turning in all directions to look for her. You still found no one, it was pitch black, and nearly impossible to find any sighting of anything besides the luggage by your feet. Your hands were sweaty as your body was stuck in place, you couldn’t move.
“This isn’t fucking funny, Nat, get out here right now.” Hands landed on your shoulders, a low whisper coming to your ear.
“Boo.” You jumped, turning around only to find a person dressed in all black besides their mask. The face covering looked like the design of a ghost, one that a child would draw as their mother praised them for what a good job they did, even if they knew it was horrible.
The man twirled the knife in his hands, watching your fear grow in your eyes and motions.
“Aww, did I scare you, baby girl?” You were able to really listen in on their voice this time, it sounded familiar. You suddenly regretted everything you had said earlier on, you weren’t ready to die just yet.
“No need to be scared, it’s just me.” The man went down on one knee in front of you, knife still in hand near their leg as his hand ventured to his mask, removing the plastic only to see,
“Nat?” She chuckled darkly, reaching up to switch on the light that was sitting on a small table next to you.
“What the fuck was that?” She tried to reach out for your face, only to be pushed away; she wasn’t having that. She gripped your arm tightly, your wrist starting to ache the more she squeezed. She took pleasure in seeing such pain and fear in your features, it somehow made you all the more beautiful.
“Nat- stop it, you’re hurting me.” She smiled darkly as you spoke.
“Perfect.” You thought this was the end, she was going to kill you, your girlfriend was going to kill you. But there seemed to be no move made to do so.
“If you’re going to kill me just get it over with already.” She let go of your arm and you noticed the tensity in her jaw increasing, her head turning just enough for her darkened glare to look all the more dangerous.
“Oh, baby, you really think I’d kill you? There’s no point, it’s not like anyone would miss you.” The words hurt even more than your wrist in the moment, you bit back a remark, choosing to play your cards right and not argue with the woman now pointing a knife at you.
“No, I’m not going to kill you, we’re just gonna have a bit of fun together, alright?” The cold metal pressed against your neck, the sharp tip nearly causing you to leak blood. You whimpered the further she went, your skin barrier breaking as a red substance slowly dripped down your neck.
“Fuck, you don’t know how badly I’ve been wanting this, I’ve been just dying to see you dripping in blood all at the hands of my knife.” You didn’t move, didn’t speak, the fear of what she’d do to you if so indulging you.
“You know, I was planning to come home to my gorgeous little girl laying in bed, ready to take me whenever I want. But instead, I came home to a suitcase of my clothes ready for me, you were gonna kick me out, huh?” You slowly nodded, wetness pooling in your eyes and your shorts. You squeezed your eyes shut in shame, it was so wrong to be needy after such things, she was holding a deadly object to your body and you were still turned on, were you just as crazy as her?
“But seeing that look in your eyes I- fuck, I just wanted you so much more. I was going to tell you, but I- I didn’t know how you’d react, you know?” She was practically manic as she spewed jumbled-up words, her eyes wide and her laugh being as haunted as her soul.
“I mean, just watching Maria on the floor, begging for her life to be saved- it just made me want to shove this knife so deep inside of her and watch as her life slowly drained from her eyes until there was nothing left.” Your own eyes widened at her words, trying to scramble as far away from her as you could. There was no escape though, you were pressed against the wall and she was surrounding every part of you, including your mind.
“Don’t run from me, baby.” She started. “All of this- all of it would’ve been prevented if it wasn’t for you. God, you’re just such a fucking slut, whoring yourself out to practically everyone. Do I not do enough for you? I fucking killed for you and that’s not enough?” You knew this was all the manipulation tactics that she noticed seemed to work with you, and it was working. You were ready to spit out apology after apology, praying for forgiveness, just like all of her victims.
She quickly reached for her bag, and you wanted nothing less than to know what was in there. She grabbed a small book, opening it to show the multiple photos of bloodied victims fallen at her hands. She looked proud, excited, all to show you her work.
“Maybe these people would’ve still been alive if it wasn’t for you.” You tore your eyes away quickly, you couldn’t stand seeing such brutality. It wasn’t your fault, you weren’t the one who hurt them, you told yourself. But there was that nagging thought, what if she did kill them because of you? Sure, you flirted, you had old flings but they weren’t contacted since you started your long relationship with Nat.
“Maria didn’t deserve this, none of them did.” You sobbed out, flinching when you felt her hand on your cheek. It was a soothing matter, one meant to calm you, but it did everything but. Suddenly, the same hand connected harshly with the skin, causing it to instantly redden in pain.
“They wanted you, baby, you should’ve known that. You think I didn’t pick up on Maria’s glances at your ass or these, perfect breasts of yours?” She groped your body with desire, shuddering out a breath while doing so.
“Of course, you didn’t notice, you thought she was just being ‘nice’, so fucking stupid.”
“And Wanda? She had a husband, Nat, a family.” Instead of giving you the response you wanted, an explanation to it all, she just continued to tease your nipples with the pad of her thumb through the fabric.
“You know I’d never kill you, right?” It took you a moment before you could get out a hesitant nod, struggling to fully believe her. You always trusted her, but times changed, and so did she.
“I like hurting people, it excites me. But you, I could never do such a thing, I never want to see you in pain, pretty girl.” She murmurs, moving her free hand to her crotch where she rubbed herself thoroughly.
“I just- you ever get so angry, so sick of someone, you just wish you could, like, kill them? Sometimes when we get into those heated arguments, I just wonder how much you’d be willing to beg me not to hurt you.” You watched as she slowly slid the black suit over her head, revealing her black sweatpants. She lowered them to her knees, and let her boxers make way to your vision.
“I’d never act on it, but with others, you don’t need to care about how much they mean to you, because their life costs me nothing but annoyance. I’d kill every last soul on this planet just for you, all you’d have to do is ask.” She grasped your hand, leading it to her confined cock as you palmed her length. Your breathing was ragged, shaky as you refused to look her in the eyes. You knew if you stared too deep into that emerald glaze, there would be no stopping. You wouldn’t be able to stay mad at her if you saw the care hidden deep inside of her.
“If I let you touch me, will you stop?” The killings are what you meant, but there was a hidden meaning in the words.
“I can’t promise you I’ll be able to, love.” There was a small whimper escaping her lips as you dipped your hand inside her underwear, grasping her cock in your hands as you stroked with a back-and-forth motion.
“That’s it, don’t stop.” You couldn’t believe yourself, you were sick, insane. Was this normal? No, it couldn’t be. But it felt so good, there was no stopping it. You wanted to see her face contort into pleasure, you wanted to see what she’d do to you. Would she treat you the same as Maria? Would she kill you when you were done? Did she mean it when she sputtered those words? You didn’t want to die just yet, you used to think you did, but that was until you faced death with open arms. How could a criminal, a serial murderer, a psychopath look so perfect? She still looked the same, but there was blood covering her hands and her red hair was messy, her forehead covered in trails of sweat.
“I’m- God, you’re such a good little girl, so fucking perfect.” She noticed the way your thighs clenched, rubbing together as your hips jutted into the air.
“Does someone like when daddy compliments them? Tells them how good they’re doing?” You nodded quickly, your mouth aching to land on her crotch.
“Yeah? You like being a good girl? Or do you like being a good little slut for me?” Both. The answer was both. You wanted nothing more than to prove your worth to her, but you wanted her to treat you like you had none.
“I’m cumming, baby, I’m fucking cumming.” She clenched her jaw tightly and groaned deeply as continuous spurts of cum coated your face. She looked down, grasping your hair in her hands to create a ponytail before forcing herself into your mouth. She could feel the salty tears that had traveled down to your lips spreading amongst her dick, making her grin.
“Swallow daddy’s cum, little girl.” She whispered, dragging you up and down as you gagged around her. Some dribbled down your chin, but she didn’t mind, and neither did you. It had been so long since she felt the warmth that was your mouth, you had been refusing to have sex with her until earlier today. When she finally got her hands on you, it felt magical, like a long-awaiting finale to a show.
“Your throat is so fucking tight,” She said. “I know you must be so wet, you like it when I’m rough, don’t ya’?” She extracted her length from your mouth, causing you to let out a multiple of deep breaths. She tossed your loose shorts to the side after ripping them in half, her biceps flexing in the short moment it took to do so.
“I’m gonna fucking ruin you, Y/N.” She rarely ever used your name, it was almost odd to hear such a thing. She got ahold of your thighs, pulling you forward and, if it wasn’t for her your hand massaging the part of your scalp she tugged, your head would’ve roughly slammed against the wooden floor.
Your thighs were then lifted to meet your stomach, her cock standing tall as she guided herself to prod at your hole. She rubbed up and down your folds, moaning lowly at the wetness coating you. She pressed herself teasingly against your clit, watching as your lips twitched upward.
“Nat- condom.”
“Oh, no, baby, I have a little something planned for tonight.” She eyed you with a soft smile as if it was the most obvious thing, you wished it didn’t turn you on as much as it did.
“You giving me that look isn’t going to help your case, it only makes me want to fuck you even more.” She stated when you gulped, giving her a nervous and feared look. This wasn’t your Nat, this was someone else, but you loved her just as much.
“F-fuck, you’re so warm and- tight!” She mumbled as her tip slowly opened you up. It was difficult to fit close to half of her inside of you, you didn’t know how you’d manage all of her. She held girth to her, and she was proud to point it out. She loved noticing how tiny you were compared to her, how her cock seemed to stretch you out more so than anything ever has before. No toy had come close; you became dependent on her length to fulfill your needs.
Your shirt soon joined your shorts as she tore it off you, roughly grasping your breast and squeezing as if it were a stress ball.
“Don’t do that. You’re a big girl, you can take it.” You whined pitifully, but her gaze was only filled with lust as her skin managed to press against yours. You had never once been able to take every last inch of her, but you were so wet, more than you’ve ever been. This side of her brought out something inside of you, something so shameful, you didn’t want to acknowledge it. But Nat did. She could sense how badly you had been wanting to spice things up for months, it was almost starting to turn out to be boring between you two, and she never expected you to act so compliant.
“Daddy, you’re so big.” She rested both arms at either side of your head, staring down at you with an intensity you longed for. You could see how badly she was trying to hold back from hurting you, but she wanted to so much. The thought of you covered in your blood only made her cock throb and pulse. She leaned down, letting her mouth ghost against yours, causing you to pull her forward to connect yourself with her. Her tongue poked at your lips, begging to get a taste of you. You didn’t let her, only pulling back with your eyes slowly trailing from her parted lips to her forest-green eyes.
“Fuck me, Nat.” She never liked her name all that much, she thought it was basic. But hearing it come from your mouth with your voice, it did things to her.
She pulled her hips back, her length sliding out of you, only to fuck itself back into you. Your tits jumped with your body as the thrust, her gaze couldn’t leave them.
She was in a deep state of arousal, even worse than you. And her knife was right there, it would’ve been so easy to repeat her actions onto her own body, but you didn’t want to. You didn’t care if she was a killer, you still loved her, you were as sick and gross as her. If anything, the thought fascinated you. You always enjoyed gore movies, and she was more than ecstatic when she found someone who shared her deep love for such acts, and you thought it was normal at first. That was until she asked you if you ever thought about doing the same things they did. You instantly said no, a little too quickly. Nat knew you were far from innocent, but she loved this part of you more than anything. You accepted her, even if she was insane.
“That feel good?” She asked, her voice coming out in stutters and cracked moans. You had released a loud whimper when she hit that spot deep inside of you, your nails clawing at her skin. She liked the pain, it sent a thrill through her body.
You felt a sharp poke against the skin of your thigh, looking down only to find her weapon covered in the blood of a previous fool, and now you were just the same.
“Nat-”
“Shh, just- shut up and take what I give you, alright?” She let the knife cut into you, leaving red liquid behind as it trailed down your body. It was warm, yet it still sent chills down your spine.
“You look so beautiful with my design, sweetheart.” She had carved an ‘N’, waiting and hoping for the end result where it’d scar your body forever. She didn’t know why she loved it so much, maybe if she hadn’t lied to the psychiatrists, she’d know.
“You think I should do the same thing…here?” Your skin lied a red trail that followed up until your neck, stopping short as she noticed your breathing patterns change.
“I could easily kill you, and no one would know.” She chuckled, bringing her face to rest on your shoulder, her nose against your neck as she inhaled your sweet scent. The knife pressed down a little harder, letting the skin break as a droplet fell.
“I know you won’t.” You whispered, goosebumps erupting over your skin. You were close, so close. You needed her, anything from her.
“Smart girl you are, hm?” Her hips were starting to lose rhythm the longer she went, it was growing more difficult to keep the same pace. The coil in her stomach had been begging to be let free, to finally relax as she came.
“You gonna cum, baby?” You nodded, moans consuming you making it impossible to speak. She finally leaned back, placing her palms on your stomach where a bulge appeared. She gasped, drawing in your attention as you hesitantly followed her vision. You bit your lip in hunger when noticing what caught your girlfriend’s attention, you had found her loving the way she could overpower you at any moment; taking you however she wanted because you couldn’t deny it. She adored being larger than you, it fueled that pride hidden inside of her.
“Oh, daddy must be stretching you out so, so much, huh? You’re just a cute little slut, so small compared to me.”
“Please-”
“Please, what?” She felt her peak rising further, she needed to release.
“Please cum inside me.” She was already planning to whether you wanted it or not, but seeing your dislike to the thought of children or pregnancy, she thought you’d never let her do so. She grinned, throwing her head back as she tried to muster out a response.
“I am, baby, I’m gonna cum so fucking deep inside of you. Cum with me.” She felt your juices coating her length as your legs shook violently. Pumps of her release shot into you, a deep groan caving its way out of her.
“You’ll look so sexy carrying my babies.” She had the image planted deep in her mind, she wanted to make it a reality.
“Yes! Please- God, fuck!” She didn’t stop after your first orgasm, causing your sensitivity to grow until you couldn’t take such abuse anymore. The blood on your skin had dried, and red hand marks that would soon bruise made way to your vision.
“You’re okay, just relax.” You couldn’t believe it, the murderer you had spent nights praising for their impressive kill count and multiple days fearing was your girlfriend, and you didn’t even hate her for it.
“I told you, I’ll kill anyone for you. I want us to get away from the city, find someplace to lie low for a little bit, at least until they cross me out as a suspect. We can be happy, we can have everything you’ve always wanted, together.” She kissed the back of your hand, letting them leave a pattern up your arm until she reached your face, leaving a long and passionate kiss on your lips.
You weren’t ready for this, you didn’t even have money. And there were so many things that could go wrong, but wasn’t it worse in a place like this? There, you’d have a knowing of where Nat would be, she wouldn’t have to hurt anyone anymore. But would she ever really stop? Or was she just saying that to ease your worries? You didn’t know, but you also didn’t care. You’d always have Nat, in any way possible.
“Okay.”
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dreamescapeswriting · 9 months
Text
The Project ~ LMH
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⤜WORD COUNT: 2.7K
⤜GENRE: love story, established realtionship, professor x student, first kiss, sweet, fluffy, cold minho, sunshine reader
⤜PAIRING: Minho x Fem!Reader
⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - January 2024
⤜MASTERLIST
A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to another year of writing and making your requests come true! I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I love writing them! I hope this is okay for you my love!
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They always say that great love stories are when you fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time and that couldn’t have been more true for you. Things had taken a weird turn in such a short span of months that you could hardly believe any of it was actually happening, and to you of all people. You hadn’t exactly been the luckiest when it came to finding love or even a relationship but everything had changed four months ago.
“I want you all to focus on the storytelling this time around, but not through the characters speaking with one another.” Your professor spoke out, glancing around at the class before his eyes landed on you lingering for a few short seconds before moving back around the rest of the class once again.
“With your next short film, I want you to focus on telling a story with the background, with music…With foreshadowing. Don’t make it easy. Challenge yourselves.” You resisted the urge to let out a groan, foreshadowing had always been something you struggled with when it came to your work so you knew you were in for a long night of studying. The bell rang and almost everyone moved in an instant, sliding out of their seats and falling into comfortable chatter about their projects that they were going to bed working on while you glanced at your professor. 
“Miss Y/ln, let me see you for a moment.” He spoke without looking away from his bag as the classroom emptied leaving the two of you alone and your heartbeat quickened, taking you back to a few months ago when this first happened to you.
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“Miss Y/ln, let me see you for a moment.” The voice broke out making your skin crawl, you’d been so close to the exit that you could practically taste the freedom on the tips of your tongue. You bit back the urge to groan as you stepped backwards and turned around to face your professor who was looking back at you, his expression was completely unreadable but that had always been Minho’s expression. Ever since you'd joined his class he'd been this way, you'd heard from other students he was like it with everyone so you tried not to take it personally but it was hard not to when he was so blunt all of the time. 
That was why you did everything to stay out of his radar, doing everything possible so you'd never have to be alone with him or even get a bad grade. 
“We need to talk about your last assignment,” He told you as he dropped the DVD case onto his desk, his eyes staring down at it and you could have sworn you felt your heart shattering as the seconds ticked by, the clock on the wall seemed louder and you felt your palms sweating.
“Was it not good?” You hated yourself for the way your voice shook whenever you had to speak to him, you’d do everything within your willpower not to have any time alone with him or get into trouble with him.
“It’s not that it’s not good,” He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he looked at you. When he took you onto his course he’d been told that you were the best of the best and someone who wouldn’t need much instruction when it came to working on projects but it seemed that might not have been all true. Your past work was good, great even, but lately as his class dove into the romance category of movies and short films you seemed to be struggling more and more.
“It doesn’t feel realistic. Truth be told, it’s like a really terrible hallmark movie.” If your heart had shattered before it was in tiny pieces now and stomped into the ground. You’d work so hard on your projects, all of them including this one, and yet he was so blunt and cold about it.
“You’ll redo the whole thing.” Your stomach dropped, you’d worked on the project for months. Creating the perfect story and then finding different actors who would be willing to actually work with you was hard enough. It wasn't as though they were lining up to be in films they wouldn't be paid for but would have to put in hours for.
“But-”
“And we’ll do some research before you film.” He told you coldly, picking up his bag and staring at you. His stare made you feel as though you’d turned to stone as you registered what he just said
“We?” You quizzed, following him as he made his way toward the exit holding your bag tightly. What did we mean? There was no way he was going to be allowed to shoot a film with you.
“Yes, We’ll meet up on Saturday morning at 8 in the Happenstance coffee shop.” He told you sternly giving you no time to reject it as he made his way into the busy hall and disappeared into the crowds of people making you whine a little. Spending time with Minho was going to kill you, literally, the man was too good-looking for his own good but that wasn’t why he made you uncomfortable.
The man was cold and blunt not to mention it looked like he could stop a titan in its tracks with one simple look, he scared the hell out of you and everyone else within your class now that you thought about it.
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It doesn’t feel realistic. 
The words rattled around in your head all of the previous night, you could barely get any sleep all night long as you stayed up worrying about what today was going to bring. You’d even gotten to the cafe the second it opened, notepads in your bag, camera and anything else you could think of was stashed away since you had no idea what Minho had in store for you.
“Another refill?” Seumgin asked as he walked over to your table, holding up the jar of hot coffee, you couldn't count the cups you'd had on one hand but you were gladly going to take another if it meant keeping you awake.
“Yes-”
“She won’t be needing it.” Someone answered for you, your eyes travelling up to the voice when you saw Minho standing there. Except he looked completely different than he did as your professor, here he looked completely relaxed and at ease. Dressed in a pair of black jeans, and a plain white shirt and his hair was ruffled a little, he looked…Good. Too good, you knew you must have been staring for a while so you quickly looked away from him and down at your hands.
“We’ll take two teas and some food, something Yn likes.” He said before sitting across from you and watching you closely. He knew you came to this cafe a lot on your weekends since he’d seen you through the windows more times than he cared to admit. Seungmin glanced in your direction before nodding and making his way behind the counter.
“I’m an adult, I can order my own food.” You mumbled childishly.
“And yet, you’ve been here since they opened and haven't had a single thing to eat.” He mumbled looking at you, shaking his head in dissaporvement
“How did you know that?” You quizzed, slightly offended, if he’d been here as early as you were why hadn’t he said something or come in while you waited for him? 
“Not important, get your notebook out. We’ll be here for a while.” He tapped the table and looked out of the window. The truth was, he’d been on a run this morning when he saw you inside of the cafe and part of him wanted to stop and come in with you but he held himself back.
“What are we doing…exactly?” You mumbled reaching into your bag and pulling free an empty notebook and some pens, glancing at Minho and looking away faster. You didn’t want to stare at him too long in case he found it weird.
“We’re going to study couples, watch how they interact and talk with one another.” You blinked at him confused as to why watching couples would be a good use of your time.
“Why?”
“Your work is too stiff, I assume you’ve been in a relationship before now?” The air around you turned thick and it was hard to take in any breath as you stared at him, your mouth opening and closing like a fish as you tried to think of something that you could say but your mind was blank. 
“No?” Genuine surprise laced his voice as he stared at you, someone as beautiful as you there was no way you’d stayed single for so long.
“I don’t see how that's important.” You grumbled looking down at your hands again, it wasn’t anything to do with him if you’d dated or not.
“Because your romantic films are missing something…and now I know why.” He bit back a smile as he watched you processing everything before sighing.
“Fine, but I still don’t see how it’s going to help-” You stopped as Seungmin came to the table, placing down a pot of tea and two cups before placing your favourite breakfast meal in front of you.
“You won’t. But it’ll help, trust me.” He smiled at you taking the teapot and pouring two cups worth out for the two of you.
“We will meet here every Saturday and go to different date spots, finding couples to focus on.” He said calmly as if that was the normal thing in the world for someone to do.
“Isn’t that stalkerish?” You mumbled looking at him as he stared back at you,
“It’s research, look at this couple.” He nodded his head at the woman and man walking toward the cafe hand in hand, you recognised Chan as the man but the woman was someone you’d never seen before. He opened the door for her with a giant smile on his face,
“Write down how they act together,” Minho told you, sipping on his tea before you frowned watching the couple together.
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It was like that for months, constantly watching couples together, you’d fallen into a pattern with Minho spending almost every weekend and every night after classes with him until he told you that you were ready. Although he hadn’t been allowed to help you write the story or record he’d offered to watch the final cut which was why you were sitting on his living room floor dressed in a baggy shirt and some sweatpants. After the first few weeks of working with Minho, you’d relaxed around him, finding a pattern with him as you worked together but the lines between you began to blur.
On the weekends when the two of you would do your “research” you’d go to different dating spots and you could feel your feelings toward Minho changing every single time you were together. Tonight was no different as the two of you getting ready for a cosy night in to watch your final piece.
“You’re on your final scene?” Minho questioned as he sat on the floor beside you, placing a bowl of popcorn on the table and grinning at you.
“Yep, I think you’re going to like it.” You pushed some popcorn into your mouth and smiled, looking at your laptop screen as you readied the film to play on his TV and he watched you closely.
Ever since the two of you had started this endeavour he’d found himself falling for you more and more and yet he was doing nothing to stop himself, he was throwing himself to the wolves and hoping you’d catch on that he had feelings for you or they’d go away eventually. 
Relationships between a professor and a student were prohibited, the age gap between you and Minho was basically nothing anyway, a few years but that was nothing when you were both mature adults. As your eyes glided across your screen Minho couldn’t help but look into them, smiling when he watched you biting your lip as you concentrated on something hard.
“Want to know something funny?” You asked suddenly, pulling him from his daydream and making him hum in response quickly looking at the TV so you didn’t get freaked out by him. 
“I used to be scared of you for the longest time…” As soon as the admission left your lips it was as though someone had poured ice water down the back of Minho’s shirt. Scared of him? He knew he wasn’t the most approachable of people but the last thing he ever wanted was to come across as scary.
“Really?” He questioned, his voice coming out a little sadder than he had wanted, frowning at you a little before he watched you nodding at the screen not noticing it had upset him a little.
“Yeah, you were so blunt…cold but…but after spending so much time with you I’m realising that none of that was the real you, this is.” Your eyes finally met his and he was staring at you, grief-stricken as he watched you.
“You’re nothing like I thought you were and I find myself….missing you when we’re not together.” You whispered, the two of you inching closer to one another without noticing until Minho’s left hand was gently cupping your cheek and his thumb was gently running across your bottom lip sending shivers up and down your spine. Your heart raced as you watched him, your eyes flicking to his lips as you slowly wet yours desperate for him to make a move.
“Minho-” Your plea was cut short as he closed the distance between the two of you pressing his lips gently against yours as sparks flew from your body. Your eyes slowly fluttered shut as your laptop slid onto the floor beside you and your arms moved to wrap around the back of your professor's neck.
Maybe it was wrong to be making out with him on his floor but if this was wrong you never wanted to be right again. You moaned out as he pressed you closer to him, your lips moving in perfect harmony with one another and your movie began to play in the background but it was ignored.
You pulled away breathlessly, your foreheads resting on one another as you tried to wrap your head around everything that was happening.
“None of this was to get you to be with me,” Minho panted heavily, looking at you as he licked his bottom lip,
“I really did want to help you with your project…I didn’t do this to take advantage.” He was starting to ramble a little bit and you let out a small giggle at how cute it was to see your once cool, calm and collected teacher now rambling and ranting to get his words out.
“I understand…Kiss me again,” You begged, pushing yourself into his lap and once again reconnecting your lips with his in a heated make-out session.
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“You wanted to see me, professor?” You stated as you reached the front of the classroom, Minho quickly glanced around to check no one else was there before he wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you against him.
“You look beautiful today” He said plainly, running his hand over your cheek causing your whole body to flame up at the small contact.
“Thank you,” You stuttered a little, you weren't quite used to all of the attention you were receiving but you were trying to deal with it all.
“We still on for dinner tonight? I was thinking of taking you to my favourite restaurant,” Minho told you as he collected his bag, slinging it over his shoulder before taking your hand into his own and making his way out into the corridor.
“Sure, but I have some studying to do first. My media professor set us a task,” You smirked before he tickled your sides. The two of you worked comfortably with one another and you moulded well as a couple but he was still your professor which meant hard tasks from him where he wasn’t allowed to help you - not that you would ever let him.
“Study on the weekend, I want you tonight.” He whispered before kissing your cheek softly and you both made your way out into the parking lot and in the direction of his car.
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kotoku · 3 months
Note
hiii ! Can I req an aventurine and/or doctor ratio x reader (fic or headcanons is fine) where reader hides how they feel about stuff and they’ve been struggling and one day aventurine walks in on them breaking down? Things have been rough lately lmao, thank you !!
ᴅʀ ʀᴀᴛɪᴏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀɪɴᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴ ꜱ/ᴏ ᴡʜᴏ'ꜱ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ᴅᴏᴡɴ
pairings - aventurine x reader / veritas ratio x reader
content - reader is gender-neutral/ established relationship/ reader has been going through it/ reader ends up having a break down/ angst with comfort/ comfort fic
warnings - a bit of self harm, swearing
⋘ ʟᴏᴀᴅɪɴɢ... ⋙
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You were never the type of person to show your vulnerable side to people, no matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t.
You never wanted anyone to feel the weight of the burden that was placed on your shoulders. The weight that would only continue to build up until you eventually succumbed and suffocated beneath it. It was something only you would have to deal with, and you made sure of that, keeping those you loved at a distance so they’d never see your deteriorating mental state.
So when Aventurine came home early one night to find you a sobbing mess in your shared bedroom, you were terrified. How could you let this happen? How could you do this to him?
You sobbed harder, hands gripping your arms with such strength that would leave bruises later on.
He quickly knelt beside you, hands shaking as he tried racking his brain on what to do. 
Think Aventurine, think.
Gently placing his arms around you, he shakily whispered reassurances.
“I’m here, I’m here.”
“What happened, My Love? You can tell me anything, everything.”
“I’ll always be here by your side, I’ll never leave you.”
Eventually, you had calmed down enough to where your sobs were reduced to sniffles. You couldn’t cry anymore, even if you felt like it. There were no tears left for you to shed, only hiccups and broken sentences. 
“I’m sorry…”
“Why are you apologizing, _____?” 
“Because…” You looked at him with red, puffy eyes. “I… I let this happen. I let you see this side of me that I never wanted anyone to see, you to see.” You looked down at your arms, purple and blue dotting your skin as remnants of where you were gripping. “I never want to place the burden I feel..onto others.”
In the silence, Aventurine could hear his own heart breaking all over again. How hadn’t he noticed your suffering? How could he have let this happen? He enveloped you in a hug, one that wasn’t too tight or loose. He couldn’t let you go, no matter what, he would never let you go.
“_____…” Aventurine felt tears of his own well up in his eyes, head burying into the crook of your neck. “You are never a burden, how could I ever think of you as such..?” You felt your eyes sting, closing them shut as your arms came to rest around his shoulders. 
“I’m sorry for not noticing sooner, for not being there…” You wanted to protest, to tell him that he was wrong, but you only shook your head, voice much too weak to talk. He held you closer, his tears dripping onto your shirt. The two of you stayed that way for a long while, the clock ticking closer to midnight.
Eventually, Aventurine released you from his firm hold, rubbing his eyes as he sniffled. 
“_____…” 
You looked up at him with tired eyes. “Yes..Aven?” 
He held out his pinky, signaling for you to interlock your own with his. “Please. Please promise me that..you’ll tell me if there’s something wrong… I’ll be here to listen to your problems, no matter how big or small they may seem… You are so important to me, to others…” You raised your pinky.
“I promise.”
Aventurine smiled, his eyes slightly puffy and wet with unshed tears. “I love you so, so very much, _____.”
You felt your heart swell at his words, a sob stuck in your throat as you brought him into another hug. 
“I love you too, Aven.” 
Just for him, you will try your hardest to never tread alone, for he will always be by your side no matter what.
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Veritas Ratio was never an emotional person, always choosing to remain calm and composed. However, that did not mean he did not care, for he was always expressive in his own ways when it came to you. 
You knew the doctor loved you dearly, so much so that he would do anything for you if it meant you being safe by his side. And yet, he did not know of the burdens that dug into your skin, the fear of showing your vulnerability acting as shackles as it anchored you deeper into dark waters. No matter how hard you tried to swim up for air, you would only get dragged back down, the surface just out of reach for your battered hands. 
Again, and again, and again. A repeating cycle that just became a part of your routine. 
You could handle yourself just fine during the day, but when night came, so did the problems you tried so hard to bury. To avoid disturbing Veritas’s sleep, you would slowly creep out of your shared bedroom into the bathroom, staring lifelessly into the mirror as you let the cold water run in the sink. 
Some nights were rougher than others, the tears that you tried to suppress spilling over to mix with the running tap water, the sound of it silencing your sobs. However, it also silenced the approaching footsteps coming towards the bathroom door that was left ajar, a soft gasp startling you as your eyes darted to the entrance. 
Shit. 
You splashed the cold water into your face, attempting to mask the tears that you were previously shedding. 
“Veritas..I–”
“_____, what happened?” 
Your hands gripped the towel that you were drying your face with, tears dotting the corners of your eyes as you inhaled a shaky breath.
“..Nothing..happened. I was just having some difficulty sleeping…” You mustered a smile. Yet it never reached your eyes, he noted with a sigh.
“You don’t have to lie to me, _____.” His arms crossed over his chest, eyes softening as they gazed into your puffy ones. “If there’s something bothering you..I’m here to listen.”
You couldn’t hold your smile anymore, eyes beginning to water as you avoided his gaze. 
“I just… It’s been rough recently.” Tears fell down your face as you thought about all the problems that weighed on your mind. “Work hasn’t been the greatest and all these things are happening– I’m just..a mess.” Staring at yourself in the mirror, you felt a wave of exhaustion hit you once more. “A mess…” 
Veritas tilted your chin so that you were facing him, his eyes full of emotions but concern was prominent. “_____, you don’t need to face these problems alone. As your partner, it is my duty to offer my support and care. You are my utmost priority.” His words filled your heart with so much love for the man, you could feel yourself beginning to cry harder. 
“I love you so much… Thank you..Veri.” 
“Of course, _____. I love you too, never forget that.” 
⋘ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ! ⋙
note - i hope these drabbles provide a bit of comfort for you and that things get better for you anon! :) stay safe and healthy everyone.
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kakujis · 1 year
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do you love me? 2;
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synposis: they wake you up at 3am to ask if you love them. pt 1 here. 3 + 4
warnings: gn!reader, clingy bfs, no set timeline, kazutora's is a lil sad, insecurities, implications of cheating(there is none tho). not proofread!
feat: kakucho, kazutora, izana.
a/n: after i wrote the first part, i wanted to do the same thing but switched! this is the most flowery, fluttery, butterflies searching for a drink type beat drabble i've ever written. i haven't written like this in a while soo i hope it makes sense lol. the tone of kaku's is a lil different because i started his first oops! also big ty to @fuyuluvr for helping me finish izana's bit. ♡
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kakucho had never once doubted you, not when you’ve told him he’s the sun and the moon and the reason why the stars gather in the night sky, cheesy words always getting a hot blush on his face. how could he, when you’ve barreled through the doors of your shared apartment to jump into his waiting arms, peppering kisses along his jaw, whines of “i missed you! i missed you!”. 
but it’s hard lately when he finds you and rindou with hushed voices at the gym, sitting on a bench, sheepish grins on your faces when he approaches to ask what the two of you have been talking about. 
“nothing!” you exclaimed, slipping your phone back into your pocket, scooting farther from the blonde beside you. “i’m gonna head out okay? i’ll see you later.” you exchanged one more glance with rin who nodded to you. kakucho remembers the surprised look on your face, when he pulled you into a particularly tight hug pressing his lips to your forehead, “see you at home,” you said, eyes softened before breaking free and walking out. 
he tried his best to not pry throughout his workout, tried his best to not get angry when rindou asked, “you alright?” when he noticed the particularly quick responses that kakucho was throwing at him. 
“yeah, i’m fine.” he assured, fighting the urge to accuse his friend of anything nefarious. but man was it hard with this little nail in his heart hammering away at his insecurities and worst fears. maybe it was time to take izana’s advice and “just ask them about it.” 
and that’s how he ended up here, sitting awake at 3am listening to the tick of a clock. even in your sleep you clung on to him, drooling and snoring on his arm. 
gently, he reaches over to shake your shoulder. the shift made you cling harder, eliciting a whine from your sleepy state. kakucho chuckles, before he shakes a little bit harder, already feeling a little silly at his concerns. 
“you awake yet?” he asks when you finally start to blink your eyes and glance up at him. 
“hi,” you yawn, using your hand to wipe at your drool, “what time is it?” you prop yourself up, squinting at the clock on the wall. 
“like 3am.” he says, unable to hold back the smile on his face as he studies your sleepy expression.  
“hmm? why are we awake then?” you yawn again, droopy lids starting to fall again, but kakucho stops you before you’re able to fall asleep. 
“wait,” he mutters, pulling you up so that you’re pressed against his chest and facing him. he places his hands on the sides of your cheeks, staring straight into your drowsy eyes. “do you love me?” 
the question catches you off guard, you’ve never seen him so serious before. there’s a crease in his brow and his heterochromatic eyes hold something like worry, something that’s scared, as if you’d say no. 
you blink off the sleep that once riddled your bones before scowling, “kaku.. what kinda question is that? of course i love you.” you assert, squirming until you’re straddling him. you place your hands on top of his own, prying one down to lace with your fingers. “why?” 
he looks away, burning under your gaze, “it’s nothin’,” he mumbles, dropping his other hand from your face. but since you’re fully awake now, the haze of sleep gone, you catch on fast, the wheels in your head rewinding back to earlier that day at the gym.
“ohh,” you hum, removing your hand from his and cupping his face this time so that he’ll look at you. “is this because of earlier? with rindou?” 
“maybe..” he says, eyes darting away from yours, “it’s just weird you don’t want me to hear what you two are talking about and it’s also not the first time so...” 
you sigh, climbing off of him and reaching over to the nightstand on your side of the bed to grab your phone. settling back next to him, you unlock the screen and click on your messages. you wiggle your phone at him adding, “i’ve got nothing to hide, see?” before you open the texts with rindou:
y/n: HEY
rindou 🙄: hi
y/n: IS PROJECT KAKUCHO STILL A GO??
rindou 🙄: project kakucho??? 
y/n: dont tell me u forgot… his birthday is coming up!!!
the conversation continues with the plans the two of you had made specifically for kakucho’s birthday, the venue, the people invited, what kind of cake you should get, etc. you scroll slowly, periodically glancing up at your boyfriend as the blush on his face deepens. probably from a mixture of embarrassment and the way every mention of his name has some type of adjective describing how cute he is. 
“see? i wanted to surprise you.” you say, beginning to hand the phone over, “you can scroll up even earlier if you want.” 
“no, i trust you…” he says before taking your phone and putting it down on the nightstand. “sorry, that was sort of stupid of me.” honestly, he had completely forgotten about the occasion, it was just another day for him. 
you shake your head, “well.. i can’t blame you. if i’m thinking about it from your perspective, i’d probably be a little suspicious too.” 
he blinks, caught off guard by the way you agreed without a hint of sarcasm. “really?” 
you nod, “yup… especially if i didn’t trust my partner, cmon now! rindou?” you tease and he groans out another “sorry.” 
“couldn’t you have thought i had a crush on one of your cute friends?” you scoff, crossing your arms. 
“rindou is cute though.” he says quickly and matter of fact, not really processing what he’s just said. 
“huh?”
“he’s… y’know, he’s good looking.” he repeats, gesturing with his hands and glancing down at you. your face is unreadable as you take in the information, those little gears in your head turning again. 
“hm. well, if he’s so good looking then you should totally date him.” you joke, trying your best to keep a straight face. 
“that’s not what i meant!” kakucho exclaims, running his hands down his face and you laugh. 
“gimme my phone, i’ll set you up.♡” you chime, holding your hand out. “besides i think he’s into you too! totally checks you out at the gym.” 
“can you stop?!” 
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kazutora: 
kazutora has an annoying little habit, where he doubts if you really love him, which culminates in late night questioning. you’ve assured him many times before that you don’t mind, you’ll tell him as many times as he wants and you’ll reassure him whenever he’s doubtful, but he hates it. this little worm of insecurity that digs its way through his stomach, his chest, until it makes it up into his brain, shaking and bouncing off it’s walls until he can’t take it anymore. 
he hates this feeling, more so because he knows it’s stupid, he knows there’s no reason for it, there’s never been any indication for it and yet, he still cries or lashes out because of it. like maybe he's not that good of a person, maybe he's not what you need, and maybe he'll never be enough. what better time for insecurity to sink it’s fangs in than the dead of night? 
he rolls over, cheek squished against the pillow. reaching over to quickly pull you closer to him, back against his chest. you shift a little, rousing out of sleep, tilting your head up towards his with a little curl of a smile. it’s so easy to read him now and pick up on his mood changes, but you think nothing negative, instead feeling warm that sometimes he’s so vulnerable with you, searching for his security like a child looking for their favorite blanket. 
“hi tora,” you mumble, voice heavily laced with sleep, “what’s wrong baby?” he doesn’t answer at first, the only response to you being an even tighter squeeze under his muscled arms. you respond back, wriggling under his touch, pressing so far into him it’s as if the two of you are trying to mold together and become one. 
“do you love me?” he asks, voice barely louder than a whisper. 
“i’ve never loved anything more,” you proclaim and kazutora gives a little needy whine while his hands start to wander up the expanse of your skin and you giggle as his touch tickles you under the sheets. 
“you’d pick me every time?” he asks, the heaviness in his heart lightening with each breathy giggle of “that tickles!” but it’s his way of comforting himself, whether it’s running his hands over your bare skin or inserting them into your jacket pockets while he holds you from behind, kazutora finds solace in the warmth of your body. 
“mhm! every time, without a doubt! now stop!” you say in between laughs, desperately trying to push his hands off of you but he’s stronger, hands curling into the plush fat of your side and you yelp. “toraa!” 
“hmm?” he teases, continuing his relentless assault. but the way you’re kicking and squirming has his hold on you weakening. you’re unable to fully control your movement, thrashing as your elbow flies back, hitting him right in the stomach. “ow, fuck!” he groans, releasing you and rolling over. he grimaces as he places a hand where you hit him, curling inwardly on himself. 
out of breath, you roll onto your knees, sitting up while you scoot closer to him. one hand rests on your side, aching from your previous uncontrollable laughter. 
“not my fault.” you pant when he glances up at you with puppy dog eyes. “i told you to stop.” you roll your eyes at him, but the pout gracing his face persists and you give in. you bend over, brushing away stray blonde locks from his face before you bend down and give him a kiss. “sorry.” 
“s’okay,” he grins, eyes crinkling as he pulls you back down into his embrace. there’s a few minutes of silence, the only noise being the occasional swivel of fabric underneath your feet as readjust every so often. “you really meant it, right?” he asks, breaking through the silence, that pesky little worm still rearing it’s ugly head in his thoughts.
“every word.” you reply, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. you place a finger on his lips as you continue, hoping to dispel the rest of his worries. “in any dimension, in any lifetime. if i could live a thousand lives, i’d pick you every time.” 
he blinks before he’s pushing your head down to rest on his chest. there’s no vocal response, instead only the tremble of his body as his grip on you turns crushing, one hand’s fingers intertwined with the tresses of your hair. you realize now that it was due to his embarrassment, a silent plea to just this once, not look at him as his relief spills out as fat, droplet tears that run down his face and onto yours. but it’s okay, you’ve always embraced the rain. 
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izana:
izana thinks its insane every time you pull at the that strings that hold together his weary heart. but you pluck at them with each call of his name that rolls off your tongue like a siren call, entrancing and pulling him towards you and only you. with those vibrations he seeks you like a moth to a flame, fluttering towards your light and basking in the glow. 
heavy and sluggish, he trudges up the stairs to your shared apartment inwardly cursing about how late it is. the plan is to take a shower and get in bed as quietly and quickly as possible. you’re definitely asleep by now, so he tries his best to enter silently, not wanting to wake you. but as he tiptoes into your bedroom, the sight of you asleep huddled under the covers as you hug izana’s pillow has him falling onto the bed, gently taking the pillow from your arms and replacing it with himself. 
you scrunch your face as you awaken, heavy lidded eyes blinking and adjusting to the blurry image of izana before you. pretty lavender eyes watch you with a small upturned grin that grows wider at your, “mm?” the chirrup of your voice like the birdsongs in the morning. izana thinks you’re the prettiest melody, better than any song on the radio or classical composition. 
“good morning.” he says and you tilt your head quizzically, squinting at the alarm clock on your nightstand, the lull of sleep still beckoning you over. 
“it’s 3am, zana,” you whine when you read the red blink of numbers, trying to roll over but he holds you still, arms wrapped around your hips. 
he shrugs, a smirk on his face. “and?” 
“and i was sleeping.” you mumble, irritation lacing through your voice before frowning and closing your eyes. 
the quirk of his grin falls, settling into a line, he’d be lying if he said it didn’t hurt. he knows he came home late and he knows it’s probably annoying to be woken up, yet he was hoping you’d still be excited to see him, to be with him.
“do you love me?” he asks, knowing it’s a dumb question. your reaction is normal, but being around you makes him feel abnormal, and he’s so greedy for everything you’ve got. he thinks you’ll reprimand him again for keeping you awake, but instead you hum when he starts to caress your face, the pad of his thumb running over your skin in airy strokes.
“mhm. i love, love you.” you reply, happily keening up into his touch, pressing your cheek further into his hand. 
“say it again,” he says and you open one eye, quirking an eyebrow. you almost say, “really?” but the insecurity dancing in his eyes stops you and you comply.
“i love you.” you say again, a little louder this time. 
“again.” he commands.
“izana..” you huff. you know him, this could go on for hours if you gave in. 
“just one more time, please?” he pleads hanging onto his last word. he’s never told you, but this is his favorite song, the kind that always gets stuck on replay in his head. the one that he puts on to comfort him when the outside noise of daily life is a little too loud. 
“i love you.” you sigh, conceding and punctuating it with a quick peck on his lips and he grins. “happy now?” 
he nods, “i’ll never get tired of hearing that.” he presses a kiss to your cheek, letting you settle back into a more comfortable position. you lay with your back to his chest, as he cages you from behind. “now get some sleep, its late.” 
you’re quick to look back at him, eye brow raised in disbelief.  “you’re literally the one who woke me up?” 
“shh, that doesn’t matter, just go to sleep.” 
“but-“ 
“good night, love.” he interrupts, thinking that he should record it the next time you sing him such a pretty number. 
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grapehyasynth · 4 months
Text
nature boy
wille has always been told not to expect to marry his soulmate. others dream of the day they’ll get their soulmate mark – it appears the day after the first meeting and is there every day after, but changing each day to reflect something meaningful from your soulmate’s previous day – but wille’s mother insists he has duties to fulfill, that he can create his own fate and find a partner whether or not she's a soulmate. (and yes, they only ever discuss in terms of she.) 
he's on his way to another one of the dates his mother keeps setting up for him, and it's about thirty minutes before he needs to be at the restaurant, but instead he's at a greenhouse. he approaches the front desk, where a young man in a button-down shirt open over a looney tunes t-shirt with a name tag that reads Simon is nodding off over a textbook.
"i was hoping to buy some flowers for a first date," wille explains, when simon has looked up.
"we don't actually do bouquets," simon says.
"i know, i - i thought i would get something they could plant, afterwards," he clarifies, and he hears himself use they and tries not to make anything of it. he’s trying not to second-guess himself, knows his mother would tell him to go with a traditional bouquet, can picture erik all dashing with a few roses.
simon sets his pen down, looking at wille with a new expression, like he's reconfiguring his impression of him. "that's really thoughtful. i can help you with that."
wille follows him into the greenhouse, winding past tables of ceramic pots and meter-tall fronds, ducking under some vines that boast a sign about an upcoming workshop. simon hovers over a few plants before moving on. every now and then he glances at wille, seeming to size him up and factor this into his considerations. (wille wishes he knew what simon was seeing.) finally he scoops up a medium-sized pot with pale purple flowers, holding it out to wille with both hands.
"spreading bellflower. it's similar to the small bluebell, which is--"
"our national floral emblem,"  wille finishes for him, because of course that's the kind of nonsense his mother has made him learn, though it feels a lot less vapid in this moment.
simon looks impressed. "exactly. everybody wants the small bluebell. we don't sell a lot of the bellflower."
"it's perfect," wille tells him, and as he lifts the flowers to his nose, he sees simon's eyes crinkle with a smile.
his date is lovely, much more unpretentious than he's used to, nervous but striving to be genuine. she's definitely a bit thrown by the flowers, and she sounds apologetic when she explains she doesn't have any outdoor space, not even a balcony or patio, and her windowsills are too slim to host the plant. wille feels a bit wounded, wants to insist that she could just find a small table and set it near the window, but she's already suggested that he take it home with him and care for it "for me, until i can visit," she says, and he doesn't mind the idea, actually - has grown a little attached to the flowers.
he goes to sleep thinking of brown eyes and purple blossoms. he wakes up with them on his chest. the blossoms, that is, not the eyes. the spreading bellflowers bloom across his chest like elaborate watercolor tattoos, and he feels his heart leap behind the flowers as he traces them reverently. so he met his soulmate yesterday, and the bellflowers were meaningful to their day. but is it the boy from the greenhouse, or his date?
he knows who he wants it to be, but maybe fate, like his mother, has its own ideas about his path.
he doesn't want to contact simon or his date until he knows a bit more, so he has to wait a full day. he drags himself through his classes at uni, biting his nails down, the bellflowers burning under his clothes. (he'd been tempted to wear a v-neck shirt, show them off, but he also wants to cradle it to himself for a little while.) he stays up late, skin itching as the clock ticks towards midnight, at which point the bellflowers fade. instead, vines twine up both of his arms, curling like bracelets, embracing his wrists and forearms and the cut of his muscle. he knows those vines - couldn't name them, but he recognizes them from the greenhouse. there'd been a sign next to them, for an upcoming workshop, which he's guessing simon led yesterday.
he has an answer. and if the interest is mutual - which it isn't always, with soulmate marks, but he suspects it might be, if the bellflowers were a meaningful part of simon's day - then he is eager to bloom under this plant boy's touch.
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i-luvsang · 1 year
Text
adorable — choi jongho
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1.2K MILESTONE EVENT ☆ CLOSED  gn!reader , fluff, comedy , frenemies to lovers , cw : one bed trope eheh, unedited as per usual , wc : 1K , tysm for the request anne lovely !! hope you enjoy as much as i enjoyed writing it <333 @ssaboala
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honest to god, you have no idea how you got here. genuinely, the situation ended up so complicated that you couldn’t recount the story if anyone asked. all you know is that, somehow, you are stuck in a resort room with choi jongho, while everyone else is blessed with, more or less, their preferred roommates. and in any other room, you’d be just fine with jongho. you had tried to trade with mingi and yunho, because their room has two beds. but they insisted they wouldn’t even fit in one bed together. both you and jongho had argued that would be better than the two of you having to share, but the two tall boys just laughed and shoved you out of their room.
so here you stand, side by side with jongho, staring at the single bed as the clock ticks later and later. you shiver in your summer pajamas, silently cursing the blasting air conditioning that the both of you failed to find in order to adjust the temperature.
the silence lasts a few more seconds before jongho breaks it awkwardly. “i’ll sleep on the–”
“don’t say you’ll sleep on the floor, that’s so stupid,” you cut him off. he rolls his eyes.
“what, are you gonna do it?”
“no,” you scoff. “i enjoy being free of back pain, thank you very much. but if you’re that scared of sharing a bed with me, go kick yeosang’s partner out of their bed and share with him.” he makes a face of disdain at you, effectively shutting down your senseless offer. you decide to take initiative, walking over to the bed and pulling the covers down. “i’m going to bed. i’m tired. you’re welcome to join me if you can work up the courage.”
he scoffs at your usual antics, watching as you slip under the covers, turning your back to the other side of the bed. but all he does is follow in your wake, sitting down on the bed and flipping off the last light in the room, plunging you two into momentary darkness before your eyes adjust. he throws a look over his shoulder to see the dim outline of your back facing him before laying down and pulling the covers over himself.
it’s certainly awkward knowing that he’s right there, but as you settle into the mattress, you become more concerned with the cold that seems to seep into the bed with you. you had prepared for hot, summer weather, and stupidly forgot about the normal blessing of air conditioning which has now turned into an enemy of sorts. with the cold settling around you, you become even more aware of jongho’s presence mere inches away from you, his body heat calling to you like a forbidden comfort. you curl further into yourself, hoping that your sleepiness will win out over the cold so you can ignore the discomfort and the charming boy beside you. but your unlucky streak continues when you feel jongho turn to face you, then hear his quiet voice.
“c’mon, i can tell you’re freezing.” you turn your head to see him staring at you, his arms open as if to invite you into his embrace. “i won’t tell anyone that you like to be the little spoon, honest,” he teases.
you scoff, more out of shock than anything else. you can’t even seem to come up with anything to say in response.
“hurry up before i kick you out of the bed and let you freeze to death on the floor,” he threatens, but as per usual, he’s all bark and no bite. only for you, you’ve begun to notice as of late. that despite the constant bickering the two of you share, neither of you would ever do anything to hurt the other. that maybe, just maybe, underneath all of his sarcastic wit, he cares about you. just a little bit though. because of course, you only care about him a little bit.
you huff out a false sigh of frustration before closing the gap between the two of you, holding back a real sigh of relief at the feeling of his warmth enveloping you. with your back flush against his chest and his arms around you, you admit only to yourself that it feels like a bit of heaven came down and graced itself upon you. he doesn’t say anything else, doesn’t ask if this is better, doesn’t even tease you. he just lets you stay there, doesn’t push you away when he can feel your muscles relax and hears your breathing even out, even though you never intended to fall asleep like that.
so when you wake up as warm and cozy as can be, it feels like yesterday’s fiasco, because, for a moment, you can’t remember how the hell you ended up in your position. there are strong, sturdy arms wrapped around you and they could only belong to one person. choi jongho. startled and drowsy, unable to recall what happened in bed last night, you roll out of his hold, so fast you nearly tumble to the floor if it weren’t for his quick reaction. he grabs you, pulling you right back into him. you stare at him, dumfounded.
“what the hell are you doing?” you whisper-yell right into his face. 
“keeping you from falling off the bed, idiot!” he retorts, hands still glued to your waist.
“well why the hell were you holding me when i woke up?”
“i was keeping you warm because apparently some of us don’t know how to pack properly for trips,” he shoots right back at you. “and you’re the one who fell asleep in my arms.” it’s hard for him to hold back the thought that it was adorable. “don’t look so shocked,” he says, taking in your wide eyes and, well, shocked expression.
“d-don’t be shocked?” you question wildly. “hah! ‘it was adorable,’ you say?”
it’s his turn to look utterly surprised. “what?”
you let out a full laugh at that. “you didn’t mean to say that out loud, did you?” he yanks his hands away from you when he realizes what you mean.
“that’s not what i sai–” there’s a furious blush spreading across his cheeks as he sits up.
“that is what you said!” you exclaim, following him into a sitting position. “you think it’s adorable that i fell asleep in your arms.”
and there’s no way he could deny you.
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avensthetic · 5 months
Text
𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐌𝐄, 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔
𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 (40mp, deco*27)
to you who sobbed as you looked at me who was troubled yet smiling, i say: "welcome home!" because yesterday and tomorrow as well, there is a place here for you to come and say "i've come home!" tw: brief mentions of abuse, slavery, blood, and a pet name. nothing graphic.
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𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚
━━ ╸i almost left. almost did plenty of times if i’m honest. it's stupid, i know. running's always been my solution, my way of gambling with the inevitable disaster that follows me around. i’m selfish aren’t i? i didn’t even think how destroyed you would be. but i thought it was better than dragging you down with me.
i’m a fool. me, a man who's gambled everything and walked away from worse, nearly bailing on the one good thing i've got in my damn life. i know i don't deserve you. every day i wake up expecting my luck to run out, expecting it all to go up in flames, you getting sick of me and leaving.
but everytime i come home, sometimes late, sometimes smelling like the deals i had to make, blood and all that, and you're there, waiting patiently, eyes lighting up in relief and delight seeing me unharmed. you smile, and that simple "welcome home" ... damn, doll, it's like finding an oasis in my damn desert of a life.
i’ll be here…if you’ll still have me.
love, kakavasha
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deep down, aventurine was still the terrified boy sold at the slave market, his worth measured in a handful of copper coins. all the credits in the world, all the influence he'd acquired, couldn't erase that brand imprinted on his soul.
his gaze drifted to you, sleeping soundly. a pang of guilt and love twisted in his gut. you were the one good thing in his life, a beacon of warmth contrasting the memory of the cold shackles that once coiled around his neck and wrists. the way you smiled at him, the unconditional acceptance in your eyes... it was everything he'd ever longed for, and yet, it felt unbearably fragile.
aventurine always believed he didn't deserve this happiness, this soft illusion of home that your presence created. his hands, stained with blood from past betrayals and gambles gone wrong, felt contaminated. every day with you was a borrowed luxury, a ticking clock until his rotten luck inevitably turned, and he destroyed this haven as he'd destroyed everything else he touched.
a bitter laugh threatened to escape his lips. ending it... maybe that was the kindest thing he could do. spare you the pain of his inevitable downfall, let you find someone worthy, someone who wasn't cursed like him.
he tiptoed closer, unable to resist tracing a finger along your cheek. aventurine had already been through a lot—beaten, starved, used. but the thought of never feeling your touch again, never hearing your voice, was the one pain he wasn’t sure he could handle.
you stirred slightly, mumbling a soft greeting even in sleep, “kakavasha? welcome home.” his heart constricted. that simple welcome, offered so freely, had been his lifeline through countless dark nights.
your promise echoed, “when you say i’m back, i will always be there to greet you with a welcome home.” who was he kidding? he can fool others, but not himself. and aventurine finds himself holding onto your hand tightly rather than let go.
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𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕 - 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 - 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓
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joels-shitty-puns · 5 months
Text
Kings & Queens
Pairing: Post-Outbreak!Joel Miller x Reader
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Summary: I saw a list of reverse writing tropes, one of which was "too many beds" which I thought was hilarious until my brain went crazy. So here's where my mind went when there are oddly... too many beds.
Word Count: ~900
Warnings: None! This could even be read as platonic.
Other stuff: No descriptors. It can be romantic or friendly. Choose your adventure.
To those of you who are reading this: Thank you! I know I haven't written in months. I have barely even been on here. I want that again, but mentally I just haven't been feeling like much of anything lately. That being said, I saw the trope and I had an idea and quickly scribbled this down. It is short, not my best work, and doesn't have much emotion, but I did it :) To those of you who might also be struggling, I see you! You'll get through this. I hope all my tumblr buddies are doing well. I miss you guys.
_________________________________
It had been nearly a year of patrols with Joel. A year of nasty buildings and hard rocky floors to take shelter for the night, a year of either taking turns on watch, or being stuck sharing the same sleeping bag. Or the same mattress. Your only reprieve was your nice bed in Jackson, which you knew was safe, and warm, and most importantly… yours.
Joel was… alright. You two were friendly at best. But for the most part, it was all business. He didn't like to talk much, and you became tired of receiving looks or grunts when asking about Ellie, or Tommy, or his former life. But you worked well together, you made a good team, and you trusted each other to stay safe. You had run into trouble before, and you always had each other's backs. Words were often left unsaid, but you both knew what you meant to the other.
So when you stumbled upon an abandoned shopping mall while scoping potential areas of left-behind goods, it was a breath of fresh air. Malls could be dangerous with so much ground to cover, and so many potential hiding places and dark corners for the cordyceps to fester.
But the mall could also be a light at the end of the tunnel. A plethora of abandoned items to loot and sell or keep for yourself.
After hours of digging through every nook and cranny, you managed to fill a couple of bags full of items, and planned to make it a regular stop on your raids. But as the time grew later, the long-broken clock didn't tick on, and the windows grew dim, you knew it would be an overnight stay. However, choosing a sleeping spot was becoming exhausting with Joel around.
“I saw a sporting goods store. They probably have some sleeping bags, or maybe even a tent,” you provided.
“Nah, we're indoors. I wanna sleep like I'm indoors,” gruffed Joel.
“Oookay. How about that old food place? I think I saw a conveyer belt in the kitchen, next to the oven! It looks like it was used to make pizza,” you chirped excitedly. “I bet we could set up some blankets and make it like a bed.”
“Look, I know that machinery and oven have been dead for years, but on the off chance there's some malfunction, that just seems like a Final Destination event waitin’ to happen,” Joel shook his head.
“Wow you're difficult..” you huffed. “What if we go into the old children's photography studio and make a fort! The walls are even painted to look like a sky,” you offered with doe-eyes.
Joel just looked at you before grumbling back a “no. My back would kill me. There's gotta be a bed in here somewhere.”
Upon finding an old, faded mall map, Joel studied it before picking up the pace with a clear destination in mind.
He came to a stop in front of “Royal Mattressty.”
You raised a brow before saying “royal… mattress-tea?? What?”
“It's a play on words. Royal majesty.” 
“That's the stupidest thing I ever heard,” you rolled your eyes.
“No, no, it's because mattresses come in Kings, Queens, and-” he broke off at your grimace.
“You're such a dad!” 
____
The two of you made your way inside, only to find nearly 100 beds. Memory foam, spring, water, reclining… the possibilities were endless.
“WOW!” You squealed, running from bed to bed. “There's too many beds. I can't choose!”
Joel stretched, moving to a bed near the back corner. “I'm gonna set up here for the night. Sleep where y’want,” he gestured.
Sitting on a few different beds, you finally settled on one. A perfect, firm yet soft bed at the far end of the store. It was against a wall, allowing you to still see the door and keep your back safe. Perfect.
____
But as the night ticked on, you tossed and turned. You weren't at your home in Jackson. This bed was nice… but it wasn't your safe, cozy cabin.
When you aren't home, you're with Joel. All this time you've been wanting space at night, but now you feel scared and alone. Even a bit cold. But Joel was over on his own bed, probably sound asleep. You wouldn't dare take that away from him.
___
Until what felt like an hour passed.
___
And then another hour…
___
Finally, it had been about an hour and a half when you gave in. You wouldn't be getting any sleep at this rate. Fatigue is a dangerous fate when you need to be alert in this world. So you swallowed your pride and walked over to Joel's bed in the far end of the store.
But he wasn't there…
You wandered back, a bit nervous, until you spotted him. Curled up on a mattress only a row away from yours, you saw him blink in the night.
“You moved beds?” you whispered.
“Yeah, there was a draft over there…”
“A draft? In a mall with no electricity and no windows in this store?” You asked skeptically.
“Mmhm…” he grunted, sleepily.
“Sure. Well… turns out there was a draft over in my corner too. Move over,” you nudged.
“Draft, huh?” He wiggled over, letting you in the bed.
“Mmhm…” you mimicked his earlier grunt, settling in next to him.
“Good night Joel,” you whispered.
“G’night,” he replied, pressing his body closer to yours in the king sized bed.
Maybe there is such a thing as too many beds after all.
__________
Thanks for reading!!! Let me know what you think, and be sure to check out my masterlist for more. Reblogs are appreciated! Xoxo
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yan-lorkai · 8 months
Note
Hi! I remember that a while back, you did some yandere alphabet for Idia? If it’s alright, could you expand on the part for letter Q? The idea of thinking you successfully escaped him and the Island of Woe only to be tracked down and brought back from where ever you are hiding has my brain in a chokehold right now. Thanks!
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.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ A/N: I maybe expand a little too much, as this is somewhere between 2k and 3k lol. But I love him too much! Oh and Ortho also appears in the fic to help Idia, hopefully he's not too ooc! It took me a while to finish this, but I hope you like it darling. ⁽⁠⁽⁠ଘ⁠(⁠ ⁠ˊ⁠ᵕ⁠ˋ⁠ ⁠)⁠ଓ⁠⁾⁠⁾. Yandere alphabet anon was referring to can be read here!
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ Warnings: Yandere content, kidnapping, memory loss induced by drugs and spells.
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The early hours of the morning are always the worst for Idia, sleepless nights thinking about you and if you are safe find their way into his heart and mind, the same way he used to stay awake after the incident with Ortho. It's been exactly a week and a half since you fled the Styx guarded base and he hasn't slept since.
The ticking of the clock seems to drag on longer than necessary, causing Idia to let out a long sigh as he lets the footage of you remain frozen on one of the monitors he watches so carefully. He runs one of his fingers over your face and part of him wants to feel your skin again, your characteristic smell, see your smile.
Instead, he touches the cold, inanimate glass, and feels his heart break again. It's his fault, really. It's his fault for not paying attention to you, to what you wanted, to letting you stay in your room, alone, but mainly because he taught you how to deactivate the Styx system in case of emergencies so that you could escape if something happened.
Even though time passed Idia worked every day to find you, his love wouldn't let him stop trying, he needed to protect you from the world and make sure you never left him again. If you left, then it's definitely because someone threatened you, someone definitely did something to you and he would find out who it was and what that person did, but later. He was committed and determined to find you.
He will ratify his mistake, this time he will really protect you and keep you close. This time, he will tell you "I love you" every day and night.
It's only a matter of time.
"Brother, your tea is going to be cold." Ortho's voice snaps him out of his thoughts, just a second long enough for him to take a deep breath. Ortho points to the tea that rested next to some sandwiches, both untouched.
You used to make him sandwiches too, you used to sit and listen to him. Reluctantly Idia drinks his tea even as the cold liquid rips down his stomach, the pain doesn't seem to register in his mind as he drinks until not a drop remains.
"Why?" He asks his younger brother and then turns to his computer screen. The question torments him too much. Why did you leave him? Don't you love him anymore? Did he do something wrong?
"I don't know." Is all Ortho can answer as he leans over the computer. The younger Shroud reviews security camera footage, watching your pleasant expression turn to one of despair as you run through the empty halls of STYX late at night.
He and Idia watch you leave the main building and disappear. "What are the chances of them still being here?" Idia asks him, a single drop of hope still present in his voice.
And his brother sends him a look of pity, but as the voice of reason Ortho forces himself to explain. "Very low. Styx patrols scanned every corner of the Isle of Woe and did not find them, so my calculations suggest that they may have gone back to the Land of Dawning and gone elsewhere afterwards."
Idia turns around, appearing to have an epiphany. A small smile forms on his blue lips as he looks at Ortho like he hasn't looked in recent days; it's the same look as when he's about to win a game.
It's the look of someone who realizes they have the advantage in a game. And Ortho almost feels sorry for you, almost, but you chose to run away and leave him and leave Idia without trying to tell them what was wrong. He doesn't know if he can trust you anymore, and he doesn't know how his brother can trust you anymore. The signs are all there, you weren't forced to do this. You premeditated everything. And if that's not the case, Ortho wants to hear your reasonings.
"Of course, heavens, how did I not remember that?" Idia laughs, but it's not a pleasant sound. It's painful, as if his soul is being ripped apart, as if all the joy in the world has ended. "We receive supplies every month, they must have gotten on one of the ships and from there gone to Sunshine Land, which is closer to here. It's just a few days of travel."
"Don't you think they would go to Queendom of Roses?" Ortho asks, staring at the small map that his brother opened, interested in his thought process.
Subtly the younger Shroud pushes the plate of sandwiches towards the older one, wanting his brother to taste the food after so many days hiding in his laboratory to work non-stop. Idia notices this, obviously, and despite anything tasting like sand on his tongue, he still forces himself to eat it.
His stomach complains after so many days of hunger, but the pain doesn't bother him. "They're smart, Ortho. They know that if they went there I would follow them, after all Ace Trappola, Deuce Spade, Trey Clover and Riddle Rosehearts live there, and they are people Yuu-shi trust a lot."
Ortho watches Idia's fingers slide across the keyboard and the numbered folders slowly appear on the computer display. IP addresses, real-time videos of the houses and neighborhoods that each of your friends lived in being displayed on the huge monitors. And Ortho almost can't contain a sigh of admiration for his brother being so knowledgeable.
"They are closest to Ace and Deuce, and these two live in areas close to each other. The cameras would have recognized Yuu the moment he saw them, if they didn't then they didn't go there." Idia concluded his trail of thoughts.
"How are you going to proceed then?”
Idea smiles. "First I will adjust our satellites, then I will go to them with my suit." He hesitates a bit, but lets out a sigh and fluffing his brother's soft hair, he asks. "Can you get me some water from the River Lethe, Ortho?”
Nodding, he does as he's told.
The older Shroud's gaze returns to the bright screens, eyes tired and watery, with a location in mind now he redirects his satellites to find you. And in a few seconds they would find something interesting, the internet today was something fascinating and it was at his disposal; people were always recording themselves, taking photos and sending messages, and Idia had access to everything.
His satellites were his eyes and ears. And soon they would see you. Soon he would have you back.
The ticking of the clock no longer bothered him. The monitor screen lit up with a location and your face appeared on a background from a video made by a kid who wanted to be famous in Magicam, it was so quick, just a thirty second but it was enough. A reverent sigh leaves his lips and he feels himself smiling, feels his chest tighten and a new wave of determination wash over him. He almost couldn't contain his excitement.
Ignoring this, Idia observed the background of the video and ran a recognition search on its database. There were few options to explore and little by little he eliminated them until there was only one likely place left where you could hide. It was a hunch, a feeling that, like the people of that country, you would take shelter in an inn in the middle of nowhere, where there was only forest everywhere.
Where surely you had thought that he wouldn't discover you.
"Brother, here it is!" Ortho brought with him water from the River Lethe in a bottle. Water capable of erasing memories and making a person reborn; just as you would forget and be reborn to be the person Idia knew you were.
"Your suit is also operating at full capacity and ready for use." He informed Idia.
For the third time that day he was smiling. He knew where you were and he would have you back soon. Idia took the bottle, watching how the water shaked and shone, part of him would hate to have to erase your memory. But this part lasted remembering that you chose this, this part wanted you to face the consequences.
"Let's go, Ortho."
......
Your days have been filled with the sensation that at any moment, you would be back in Idia's arms, subjected to his gaze as if you were a rare specimen deserving of isolation and study. It was disconcerting, terrifying. And now, small things made you anxious; a shadow behind you, the wind whispering in your ear, a nightmare in the middle of the night.
Honestly, you seemed like a zombie. Dark circles under your eyes, exhaustion draining you like a leech. But at least you were a very much alive and safe zombie. A zombie that had been doing its best to disappear without a trace, and so far, it had worked.
You avoided crowded places, some days not even leaving the small house where you were staying, afraid that Idia might find you. He shouldn't be able to find you, right? You hoped not.
You hoped that the ghosts STYX had captured had been released and attacked Idia. You hoped their system had short-circuited and everything exploded – him, the ghosts, the secret organization his family commanded.
You wanted everything to disappear. The hot sun on your head, the heavy bags of food you carried, the cicadas flying by your head. The shadows of the trees moving in the wind, the barking of dogs, and the singing of birds. Everything could vanish, and you wouldn't mind.
Today was the last day you would be here, with plans to go farther away, to do the impossible if it meant escaping Idia Shroud, once your best friend and boyfriend, who had slowly revealed his darker colors as your relationship progressed. He was untouchable, but you were not.
You had been here long enough; it was time to move. It was time to find another place to hide, another place to live, and then move again. You needed to be in constant motion; otherwise, he would find you.
A tired sigh escaped your lips as the outlines of the small cottage you were staying in began to be seen on the horizon. The small wooden roof reflecting strangely on a figure standing by the door. No, not a figure, but two.
Shiny, made of metal. Austere as if nothing in the world disturbed them.
Your heart stopped at the same second. It beat so fast that it seemed to crawl and fight against your ribcage to escape. You controlled yourself, taking a deep breath and surveying the terrain, ironically, as Idia had insisted you do before making a move.
The perimeter was clear, and there was no one hiding anywhere. If you were going to escape, now was the time. Slowly but determined, you moved away on shaky legs, holding your breath while your eyes remained fixed on the two static figures.
Mechanical arms closed around your waist, and you screamed, trembling like a kitten about to get its first shot. Due to the short stature, you deduced it was Ortho behind you, holding you so tight it seemed he wanted you to suffocate – and hey, he did, since you betrayed him and his brother but he won't act on these thoughts because his brother loves you.
You struggled, your eyes still trained on the two figures in front of you.
"Oh, that?" He laughed at your confusion. "A hologram."
You turned to look at him, trying to find a weak point you could use, controlling the apparent growing panic on your face. A solitary drop of sweat descending on your forehead.
"For someone who managed to escape us, you didn't think of the obvious, did you?" Ortho teased, his grip tightening every second as you continued to struggle and push him back. His yellow eyes gleaming with mischief as if you were just playing.
A few months ago, maybe you would have enjoyed playing with him, helping Idia test Ortho's infrared sensors by playing hide and seek, unaware that such modifications were made only to make finding you easier. But you knew now, just as you knew that the young Shroud had several new changes in his program.
And you couldn't do anything. Even the command to turn him off was different from before; Idia changed it several times and never repeated the same password.
And now you had an idea why; so that you could never use them if needed.
"You know it doesn't have to be like this," he murmured with a little laugh in his voice. "You're just going to tire yourself out."
But you didn't listen, forcing your feet to work and propelling yourself backward to throw him off. If you couldn't escape running, you would escape rolling and crawling like a wounded beast. But Ortho didn't budge an inch, genuinely intrigued by what you were attempting to do.
It was like trying to push a car uphill, alone, your arms and legs quickly growing tired. And the worst part was that all this futile effort amounted to nothing.
Descending from the sky in his STYX suit, Idia looked different. Satisfied. Still, the same tired expression that adorned your face was etched on him; you didn't sleep for fear of him finding you, and he didn't sleep for fear of losing you. His lips trembled for a second, and his eyes gleamed as if he would burst into tears.
You almost preferred him to cry. At least then, you would have the pleasure of telling him how pathetic and weak he was.
Instead, he approached you. And he was calmer than you thought possible, so calm and confident that each step felt like your death sentence had been assigned. Back to the apathy of your dark, empty, and mostly lonely room.
For someone who claimed to love you so much, Idia left you alone most of the time, so distant, unreachable.
You should never have agreed to go there in the first place; you should never have agreed to meet his parents or that organization. Never should have shown kindness to him.
"Is it not enough? Having stolen me from the only place I knew in this world, now you want to steal my freedom too?" It was a question you knew the answer to, preparing for what was to come.
Idia had other plans, choosing to open his hand to show you a small vial with a crystal-clear liquid. "Do you know what this is?"
You gave him an ironic smile. "Surprise me, Shroud genius. It's not like I'm going anywhere!"
As if to prove your point, you resisted Ortho's grip once again, but it was a futile attempt.
Idia smiled at you, the same giant and awkward smile you used to love, as if he knew something you didn't. And you really didn't know – how he was here or how he found you. Or what he held so firmly as an ace up his sleeve.
Whatever it was left a bad feeling in your chest, his hand slowly caressing your cheek as if he needed to feel that it was real. His thumb traveled from the contours of your lips to your cheek and up, holding your face with great reverence.
"Remember those Greek myths you used to tell me? Remember the water from the river Lethe?"
Of all the things you prepared to hear, that wasn't one of them. Your heart was pounding like crazy in your chest, and Idia wanted to hear one of your tales. You almost laughed in disbelief.
Still, you answered, buying time for someone to come check on you or a gap to open. "It's water that makes people forget things. What about it?"
Idia shook the vial with the fascination of a curious child, as if he expected the liquid inside the flask to erupt in bubbles or explosions. Nothing happened, but he looked at you in a peculiar way, his smile widening.
"Exhaustion has made you sluggish, Yuu-shi." He seemed to find amusement in that. Shaking the flask once more, he added, "What do you think is inside? Poison?"
Yes. Yes, you thought it was poison. Maybe he was just deceiving you, playing some mind game to make you lower your guard. Or whatever; you didn't care at that moment. You cared that you were trapped in the place with no way to escape. Finding a way out was your priority.
At your lack of reaction, Idia continued talking. Perhaps he liked being able to explain things to you, as he had done so many times in the past. His fingers focused on slowly opening the flask's lid.
"I've always found it curious how the stories from your world are distorted, strange. But there is some truth in one of them: the river Lethe exists, and its source is within STYX." Now open, the flask released an attractive and sweet smell. It smelled exactly like your favorite dessert, but there was something more.
It made your mouth water, your mind filled with thoughts, and you leaned forward, eager to taste that water. Moments ago you were struggling to not get closer to him, now you there was a great wall separating you that you needed to cross. You didn't why you were acting like this, but you needed it.
Ortho loosed his hold on you and watched as you throw yourself into his brother's arms eagerly, getting closer and closer to him, unable to resist the small spell Idia had cast on the water and that was strongly tempting you at that moment.
"Say ah, and I'll let you drink." Idia slightly pulled the flask away, watching your consciousness and will struggle with each other.
You were no match for this game. You never were, never would be. You were just a being without any magic living in another world entirely alone, a being that needed his protection. A simple spell had completely taken away your free will, how sad.
"Ah!" You intoned as he ordered, opening your mouth so you could drink from the precious liquid.
Idia brought the flask to your lips and watched as you took a sip of the water of forgetfulness. The liquid went down your throat, leaving a cool and effervescent trail behind. For a moment, nothing happened, but he didn't panic; after all, you were there in his arms. He won again.
"Did it work?" Ortho asked, curious. And Idia nodded, knowing it had worked before even seeing the result.
Your eyes, once filled with dark memories and worries, became glazed and distant as if you were no longer in control of your body. An ethereal veil seemed to envelop your mind, completely erasing all your memories.
From now on, you would only know the world Idia presented to you. There would be no more of your world, NRC, and your annoying friends. No more silly thoughts that made you feel anxiety and fear or the desire to escape. From now on, your home would be wherever Idia was.
The brothers watched with satisfaction as the transformation took place. You, without remembering who you were or what had happened, looked up to meet Idia's yellow and cunning eyes, your eyes reflecting only serene emptiness. You seemed to want to ask something, but you couldn't formulate it in words.
You observed his arms around your waist and the scenery around you. The place was beautiful and peaceful.
"Things are confusing, aren't they, Yuu-shi?" Idia held your chin, making you return your gaze to him. There was something hungry in his look that almost made you take a step back. Almost because his arms kept you in place. "I'll explain everything when we get home. For now, don't you think it's better if we rest a bit?"
As if waiting for this moment, a yawn escaped your lips, and you noticed how tired you were. Your back ached, your eyes watered, and a second later, another yawn escaped you. You nodded. A nap sounded so good right now.
Idia held your hand, guiding you to the small cottage that you had made your home during the time you were missing. After you and he had slept a little, then you would go home together.
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