#Gonna tag on going series for bigger reach!

[ma1dita]

pushover

luke castellan x dionysus!reader

a/n: usually you’re the one stitching Luke up but the one time he gets to do it for you, he knows you’re milking it. no trouble!verse tags, can be standalone -> she’s an ACTRESS okay? who tf wouldn’t want luke to kiss a booboo; this was a forgotten draft for my partners in crime series feel free to read

wc: 1.2k

“OWWWW!”

The sun shines again on Camp Half-Blood peeking through Luke’s dark curls as he towers over you, laughing from his position above. Your knee is scraped after cushioning your fall, or perhaps your attack, after Luke thought it’d be funny to push you again as he walked past.

Well, today’s been kind of boring, so might as well make the most of it right? 

As a daughter of Dionysus, you do love to put on a good show.

There’s a glimmer of mischief in your eye as you do your best to convince him that he’s maimed you but as his eyes fall to the slightly aggravated skin, Luke sighs at the way you look like a kicked puppy, lower lip jutting out as you squint up at him.

“Stop being so overdramatic. It wasn’t that serious.”

“YOU SHOVED ME INTO A BUSH!” 

The howl that leaves your throat catches the attention of other campers, who are familiar with your dramatics and your penchant for picking a fight with the son of Hermes. Luke sighs and runs his hands through his hair, groaning in embarrassment. 

Gods forbid he look like the bad guy.

“Seriously, trouble— you're acting like I pushed you off a cliff,” he grumbles finally crouching down to reach for your leg to check how serious it is. 

It’s not.

“You're a barbarian. Just because you think it's funny to push me around doesn't mean it actually is! Luke.... I can't walk! It feels like my bone is coming through. And I have so much work to do today, and now I'm gonna have to walk super slow…” you groan, still on the ground. Luke rolls his eyes and once he's checked the injury (the whole menacing palm-sized scrape) his expression softens the tiniest bit. He’s still kinda pissed off at you for being a drama queen though.

“Alright, it's not life-threatening so you're going to be fine. Look, I can carry you if I have to.”

Batting his hand away you roll your eyes, “Like I'd let you. You'd probably toss me into the lake again.” 

Luke smirks, “Probably, but I swear to the gods that I wouldn't do anything to maim you. Not on purpose at least.” It’s almost criminal how easy it is to get on your nerves—he thinks you’ve finally shut your trap until he watches you fake crawl away to get a reaction out of him. Quite frankly, it’s embarrassing to everyone watching so he scoops you into his arms like you weigh nothing. Luke chuckles softly, wrapping his arms tightly around your squirming frame so you won't fall as he begins walking.

“So difficult. I swear…”

“Me? Never!” you groan, flopping in his arms like a dead body. Your dead weight makes his arms strain a little but his muscles are fun to look at from any angle, so… 

You miss it when he starts speaking again, “You're too much, you know that?” A smirk grows upon your face, “And you can't get enough. The infirmary is the other way, Castellan....” Luke huffs as he turns 180 towards the infirmary, sighing softly at the way you are sprawled in his arms. But he keeps quiet because he knows how to pick and choose his battles. Something about the realization that he’d only do this for you makes him bite his lip in thought. But you think he’s trying to not laugh at you.

“What? You maim me and then you make fun of me? Haven't you done enough?” The words slip by as you peek at him through one open eye, his cheeks flushed and rosy. Hopefully, his brawn won’t expire on the short trek to the infirmary.

“You're lucky I don't drop you right now,” Luke jostles you with a lopsided grin he can’t hide anymore and it steadily gets bigger at the sound of your surprise.

“Don't you DARE, Luke Castellan!” 

Grabbing onto his mop of curls, the boy winces as his nose brushes against your wrist, and the shockwaves it sends through your system are enough to send you reeling. Maybe it’s the way you almost sway with each step he takes, smooth and steady like a sailboat even when he’s carrying you like this.

He ends up having to carry you inside the infirmary and the Apollo kids on shift stop and stare at their two best counselors in the doorway. Luke tries to ignore them, setting you down on an empty cot and getting the medical supplies he needs to treat your wound. He looks at you propped on the bed like a little princess, cross-legged and fluttering eyelashes waiting for him to clean you up. It's not serious enough for ambrosia, he thinks, so he grabs an alcohol wipe instead.

Luke looks like he's trying his hardest not to smirk as he grabs your leg and begins carefully cleaning the scrape.

“Ow! Gentle! When I patch you up after you spar I don't do it maliciously!”

“I am being gentle, stop wriggling!” Luke grits his teeth as he continues to wipe the drying blood away. He's trying to be careful, but he's clearly irritated that you're not making this easy for him.

Tossing your knee over his lap and getting closer, suddenly you go quiet at the proximity. There’s something intimate about being tended to so delicately in a room filled with people. A quiet in the chaos reserved for only the two of you.

“So what, you think I'm too good for ambrosia? Sending me off to heal like a mortal— what type of nurse are you?”

“You drunk on ambrosia for a scrape would definitely make your dad thrilled and have the both of us cleaning the stables for the rest of the week,” Luke lets out a brief snicker as he meets your gaze, rolling your eyes as you lean against the wall. His hand unconsciously rubs circles into the skin above your knee, featherlight yet firm at the same time. You try to ignore the goosebumps that rise in its wake.

Luke doesn't say anything about it while he continues to look at you. He realizes that you look quite pretty even with windswept hair and dirt on your cheek, but he can't let you see that he's noticed. Something shifts in the air of the infirmary, more overpowering than the smell of antiseptic and it bubbles in both of your chests, overflowing and seeping into the small space between you.

Not bad for a boring day, you suppose. You make him piggyback you for the rest of the day in an attempt to guilt-trip him. But the huge smile on his face has all of your campers thinking otherwise.

—

The next day, he sees you walking perfectly fine. In fact, with the way you’re rushing to scold a Hephaestus kid for almost setting the armory on fire, he’s not sure he’s ever seen you move that fast in your life.

Warmth settles on your cheeks as your eyes dart between the kid you’re yelling at and Luke’s narrowing eyes from afar, and you can’t quite tell if the rush of emotions is from what you’re doing versus who you’re really looking at.

Maybe the next time he pushes you around he’ll find out.

[veltana]

Stranded - Intro

✦ Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Fem!Reader ✦ Word count: ~400 ✦ Rating: Mature ✦ Warnings/tags: Grumpy mountain man!Bucky, don't ask me about US geography just go with it, eventual relationship/romance/smut. ✦ Summary: Your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. ✦ Note: You voted for it, so here he is! I'm trying something new with this and making this an interactive story! I'm gonna post a poll tomorrow and you get to vote for what happens in the next part. You're also invited to send suggestions for what you want to happen in upcoming parts! I'm gonna be tagging everything with #stranded series.

Masterlist | AO3

It wasn’t your plan to be stranded in the middle of nowhere, but you are nonetheless.

A slew of curses fall out of your mouth as you stand in the freezing cold, trying to get a signal on your phone. It is still light out, but the sun is starting to set and the road you’re on has been deserted since you stopped.

Accepting defeat, you tuck your phone back into your pocket and try to devise another plan.

You can wait by the car, hoping someone will come by and be willing to help you. But you also remember seeing a small sign up a gravel road some way back.

Either stay out in the cold and die of hypothermia. Get murdered by someone stopping under the guise of helping you. Or get murdered by a loner in the mountains. None of the options seems very appealing to you. Walking back to town is not an option, either way, it’s too far.

After some thinking, you decide you can't stay and put a note in the window of your car that you’ve gone for help, and please don’t break into your car.

Fortunately for you, you’re actually kind of prepared for this. You have reasonable boots, a thick coat, beanie, and gloves. Rummaging through your suitcase, you stuff some other useful things into your backpack, before locking the car and starting to walk.

The gravel road is steep, but at least you’re warm, and not thinking about the chill that will come when your sweat cools. You catch a glimpse of a chimney and a thin trail of smoke rising between the hills and that keeps you going. Dusk is closing in, and you hope to reach the place before the road fades into darkness.

As the hill crests, you take a few seconds to catch your breath and get a better look at the house for the first time. Or, it’s more of a cabin, low and simple, but its windows glow warmly in the fading light, and a truck sits outside.

At least you’ll be warm when you get murdered!

You knock firmly on the door and wait. For a few seconds, there is nothing but stillness from inside, before you hear heavy footfalls on the other side of the door.

As the door opens you put on your best smile.

“Hi!” you introduce yourself. “My car broke down on the main road and I couldn’t get a signal, but I saw the sign and walked here. Do you have a working phone or wifi that I could use to get in contact with a towing company?”

The man eyes you up and down. He’s so much bigger than you, with blue piercing eyes, long hair held back by a black cap, and a scruffy beard. The silence stretches and you’re starting to think that maybe he didn’t understand you.

Then he grunts and says, “Come in, I’m Bucky.”

[anystalker707]

training (trying)

Pairing: Sam Monroe x [gender-neutral] Reader Summary: you finally convinced your boyfriend to go to the gym with you. Tags: gym rat reader / drabble / whiny sam (as usual)

based on an interaction between @bimbo-baggins2-0 and @speaknow-sw

MASTER LIST

          “Got it?” You asked, letting the barbell down, and you really wanted to believe that Sam had been paying attention to your explanation, but the look on his face didn’t convince you.

Sam finally huffed and nodded. Your muscles looked terribly good when flexed, and it was easy to allow himself to imagine one of his band shirts tightly spread over your muscles. “Okay,” he said. “What’s this called ag—” He cut himself off with a groan when he grabbed the barbell from your hands—or at least tried to, since it fell to the ground with a muffled thud at the same moment. Silence stretched for a few seconds before he scrunched his face, a string of curses leaving his lips.

You nodded faintly and moved to change the plates for lighter ones. They were tiny compared to the ones you used, and Sam didn’t know which was a greater humiliation—the big difference between the weights you two lifted or how it seemed pathetic to have two little, thin plates on the bar like that. “Biceps curls. Just curls.”

The gym wasn’t all that crowded at that time of the day, aside from some people occupying a couple of equipment and the instructors wandering around. Taking Sam to the gym was an effort already, so you didn’t want to hear any more whining, in case there were too many people, though he still found something else to complain about. Well, the bad music choice wasn’t your fault, and he did have to eat proper food because Monster isn’t a meal, and you can’t grow bigger without eating. He didn’t have gym clothes, but he put on some shorts and a black t-shirt that contrasted highly with his pale skin, showing some of his sides because of the low cut, and it worked.

“All good,” you said, pushing the heavier plate away with your foot.

Sam continued staring at the barbell with his arms crossed over his chest, cheeks tinted red because of the embarrassment and the rush. How was he supposed to remember so many details and exercises? Eventually, he nodded. He positioned his feet with the same hesitance his hands carried when dancing across the barbell to find a proper grip on the rough metal. He finally stood up properly and took a deep breath to start the reps.

“Twelve.” Your eyes ran over his form to analyze the performance. Sam wasn’t the best, with those thin arms struggling to lift the weights that barely reached half of what you could lift, trembling with each movement. It shouldn’t be so adorable. You took a step behind him, touching his elbows lightly. “Hold still and align to your torso.”

His bottom lip was caught tightly between his teeth when Sam looked at you through the mirror, breath hitching as he kept doing the reps the best he could. They reached lower each time, barely going halfway up. You’d have to spend longer at the gym now—an hour babysitting him, an hour training.

“Up to your chest, baby boy! I know you can do it.” A chuckle would’ve escaped your lips if there weren’t the risk of accidentally discouraging him. “C’mon, almost there. Three… Two… One…”

Sam exhaled heavily as he let the barbell fall to the ground, hissing as he stretched his arms.

“If you keep letting it fall that harshly, the owner’s gonna kick your ass,” you warned. He glared, but it didn’t last long—his attention averted to the tingling sensation in his muscles. Sam mumbled something under his breath, about to walk off when you placed a hand on his shoulder to pull him back, pinching the back of his neck lightly. “Two more series. I know you can do it.”

Sam wouldn’t dare complain too much and get on your nerves again, not when you could manhandle him so easily. He was lost in thought as the memory of you carrying him around, lifting him off the couch so that you could sit down with him on your lap. How he would wrap his arms around your neck, legs around your waist, and your hands held his thighs firmly. So hot. He enjoyed it a little too much. Fuck, you could never find it out. Just when you were about to say something, he quickly grabbed the bar from the ground again, starting the reps, feeling a mix of pain and numbness in his biceps.

“Arch your back like you do it for me, baby.” Your breath was hot in his ear, sudden—Sam’s eyes widened, and his arms wavered. “Come on, Sam! Twelve more! The first one didn’t count!”

⋆°｡⋆🎧🎸★ 𝖇𝖆𝖉 𝖗𝖊𝖕����𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 ★🎸🎧⋆｡ °⋆

[intoanotherworld23]

Chasing The Shadows

Pairing: Reader x Robert Floyd

Warnings: Mentions of killing and death, and description of violence, some minor kissing, swear words

Summary: When a deadly new virus breaks out into the world you and Bob Floyd fight for survival and for each other

Okay y’all this is someone completely new I’m writing for so you’ll have to let me know what you think of it so far! Hearts, reblogs, and comments are highly encouraged and appreciated! If you wish to be tagged for Lewis Pullman or this series let me know! IM TAGGING EVERYONE ON MY TAG LIST FOR THE FIRST CHAPTER SO IT CAN REACH A BIGGER AUDIENCE! Thank you everyone so much I love you all! XOXO

Check out my other works on my Hall Of Hunks

"What's on the news?" Asking your husband as you plopped down on the couch a beer in hand passing him one.

"Somethin about a virus." He responded as he took a swig of his drink. "Already making its way into the states."

"A virus?" You questioned him as you looked over at him. "What kind of virus?"

"I don't know sounds like the flu or something." Shrugging your shoulders as you both continued to listen. Nothing was really being said about anything so it really peaked your curiosity as to what was really going on.

"Please the flu never really makes it through this town anyway." You scoffed hearing that. "Even if it did they wouldn't talk about it on the news."

"Well maybe if you stop talking and listen they'll tell us." He said making you lean back in exaggeration as you glared at him.

"What did you just say to me?" Placing your hands on your hips.

"You heard me." He mocked you as you opened your mouth partially lightly smacking his shoulder making him laugh. "Shhh there talking."

"You asshole." You joked both of you chuckling.

"Sources say this deadly virus is already spreading across the nation faster than the flu." Sighing loudly as that thought went out the window. "From what we've been told the major symptoms are high fever, rage, uncontrollable hunger, and swelling of gums."

"Jesus Christ what the hell kind of virus is this?" Bob asked leaning forward his elbows on his knees.

"Hospitals are filled with people all showing the same symptoms and doctors can't seem to figure out what the cause of this virus is."

"This definitely sounds worse than any flu I've heard of." Placing a hand on your chin eyes glued to the tv now.

"Hope they find the sorry son of a bitch who brought it here." Bob quipped as he quickly glanced at you.

"If he isn't already dead." Whispering but Bob still heard you anyway as he glanced at you with concern. "What?"

"Nothing." Stopping himself from really saying what was on his mind.

In that moment neither one of you really knew what to say or how to react exactly. This was the kind of stuff you saw on fantasy shows that had people wondering what if. Both of you were a little scared how how serious it sounded. Figuring you weren't the only ones who were feeling the same way.

"What should we do?" Whispering as you felt fear creeping up behind you. "Should we leave?"

"No I say we stay here until things calm down." Bob suggested sounding calm but you knew by the look on his face he was worried.

"Doesn't sound like things are gonna calm down soon."

"I bet in less than six months all that panic will have been for nothing." Bob shrugged his shoulders leaning back into the couch.

"Well there's no way in hell I'm gonna stay cooped up in this house for six months." You argued crossing your arms over your chest.

"State officials are asking that everyone stay inside and don't go out unless absolutely necessary." Bob looked at you with a proud smirk shaking your head at him with a giggle. "The only way to contract this unknown contagious virus is by being bitten or scratched."

"We'll just have to avoid being bitten or scratched." He joked nudging your shoulder.

"Please Robert don't joke this is serious." Keeping your focus on the news watching as they showed videos of different people being wheeled into hospitals and people driving by neighborhoods showing people losing control in their front lawns.

"I am taking it serious darlin." His tone softened when he could see the serious look on your face. "I'm sorry."

"Shit you'd think it was the end of the world or something." Bob shook his head as the newscaster continued to speak.

"Well it damn well looks that way." Showing a group of people already torching a building.

"Fucking hell." Bob exclaimed.

"Everyone is gonna lose their fucking minds once they all watch this." Taking a swig of your beer. "You remember what happened with that snow storm last year people wiped out everything in stores within days."

"Imagine what they'd do if we had an apocalypse." You continued feeling Bobs eyes on you.

"Baby I seriously doubt this is the apocalypse." Feeling an arm wrap around your shoulder pulling you in close. "I'll keep you safe don't you worry."

"I know you will it's just scary." Admitting to him as you felt your eyes tearing up.

"Nothing and nobody is going to even come close to hurting you." Kissing the side of your temple his lips lingered for a few moments.

As the two of you sat there drinking your beer flipping through channel after channel, and all they were talking about was this virus. Even your reality shows were being interrupted by breaking news. You've never seen anything like this before in your life.

Friends and family texting you non stop asking if you were okay. You were just hoping Bob was right about everything will eventually blow over. They'd have to find someway to stop it or at least slow it down. Then everything would go back to normal, and you and Bob would be safe.

"Let's go to bed baby." Bob turned the tv off as he stood up grabbing your hand lifting you off the couch. "Enough of this shit."

"I don't think I can sleep now." Pulling the covers back as you climbed into bed Bob right behind you.

"I know what I can do to help you sleep." Wrapping an arm around your waist as he pulled you flush against him.

"Babe stop." Giggling as he wiggled his hands to the edge of your pajama bottoms.

"Come on I promise it'll be the best you've ever had." Burying his head in your neck kissing your collarbone trying to move on top.

“You’ve said that one before.” Hands pinching your sides going into a fit of giggles as he started tickling you.

“Better watch that pretty little mouth of yours.” He warned as he hovered his body over yours.

"Bob." Moaning as you felt him grinding on you hands moving along the length of your legs.

Before anything else could continue further a loud boom shook the house cause both you and Bob to look out the windows. Leaning up on your elbows as Bob jumped out to check what the noise was. Watching as he looked around not seeing anything that really stood out.

"The hell was that?" Asking him as you sat up completely.

"I don't know baby I don't see anything." Shaking his head as you walked back over to you. "I think maybe it was a crash or something."

"That sounded a lot louder than a car crash." Timing couldn't have been more perfect as you both heard another crash.

"Robert that's not a crash that sounds like something exploding." Standing up as he walked out of the room to the front door.

Following after him as some of the neighbors were already ahead of you and Bob. Standing on their lawns looking around to see what those noises were, and where they were coming from. Fear was written across everyone's face, and parents tried to keep their children inside.

"Did you see anything?" Bob yelled to the neighbor across the way.

"Looked like an explosion from the center of downtown." He responded watching as Bobs face fell hearing his words.

"Get inside." Bob pointed at you as he jogged in behind you slamming the door shut. "Get inside now."

"What?" You yelled at him as he paced around the room. "Robert what?"

"Sounds like someone is blowing up the town." Covering your mouth with your hand a gasp slipping past your lips.

“What do you mean blowing up?”

“I don’t know there just blowing up the town.”

"We can't stay here." It came out more as a suggestion than a question.

Before Bob could respond his phone started to ring. Walking back into the bedroom picking it up hearing his muffled voice as you just stood there. Feeling like your feet were stuck to the ground, and your body was starting to slowly freeze. 

You couldn't believe what you had been seeing and hearing. None of this felt like it was actually happening. Everything went quiet to where you literally could only hear yourself breathing. Your eyes staying open not even able to blink.

"Yeah yeah we'll meet you there." You heard him say as he hung up the phone and came back out to you. "That was my buddy he lives on the other side of town says we should leave he's got a safe house for us to stay at."

"What's going on?" Asking him your voice shaky as your eyes started to water.

"People are destroying the town and police are shooting people down in the streets." His words made your eyes go wide. "There patrolling neighborhoods and refusing to let people leave their homes."

"So then shouldn't we stay here." Whimpering as you could already hear commotion from outside.

"No it's not safe we have to leave now." Running to the closet grabbing a couple of bags. "Take only things that we need."

Handing you a bag you started filling them with medicine, food and bottles of water. Bob filling his with an extra set of clothes and other medical supplies. Once your bag was filled you quickly zipped it and then ran into your room to change into something else, and slipping on a pair of shoes.

Taking a solid minute to think about what was happening. Trying your hardest not to burst into tears. Leaning forward as your head started to spin, and you felt like you were going to be sick. Praying and hoping that this was all some kind of terrifying dream, and you would wake up safe in Bobs arms.

"Here." Bob blurted as he shoved something cold and hard in your hands.

"I've never shot a gun before." Looking at the dark gray steel weapon laying flat in your hands.

"Let's just hope you never have to." Not knowing whether he was telling you that or himself.

It seemed a little overdramatic having weapons, but judging on what you were hearing and seeing weapons were probably necessary. Besides Bob wouldn't just hand you a gun unless he absolutely thought you would need it to protect yourself. Especially if anything were to happen to him.

Setting the bags near the front door as you waited for Bob who grabbed yours and his phones. Bob taking one last look around the house making sure you guys didn't forget anything. Neither one of you knowing when you were going to be back if you would come back at all.

"Let's go baby military is moving in now." He looked up from his phone as you both grabbed a bag and headed to the truck outside.

Throwing your bags into the bed of the truck as you hopped inside. Bob starting the truck pulling out of the driveway and down the road. Looking around to see people loading their vehicles everyone with a look of panic on their faces not knowing what was gonna happen.

None of this felt real in your mind, and almost felt like it was some kind of drill. Maybe you and Bob were acting like everybody else, and just panicking for no reason. Maybe everything would die down in a few days. Or maybe things would only get worse and never end.

"Do you think we'll be able to make it?" You asked Chris after minutes of silence.

"I don't know sweetheart." His answer had your stomach churning. "But I'm gonna do everything in my power to keep us safe."

"How long are we gonna stay there for?"

"Until all of this blows over." Hearing the engine roar as he put his foot hard against the gas pedal.

"What if this never blows over?" Sniffling as a tear ran down your cheek.

"Then we'll stay together no matter what." Answering without hesitation.

"I love you Bob." His hand grabbed yours kissing your knuckles as he kept his eyes on the road.

"I love you too." Remaining calm was his man focus in order to help keep you calm so you didn't start to panic.

Neither one of you spoke the rest of the drive as you got closer to town. People yelling and screaming down the streets some people were even attacking others. If you weren't terrified before you were absolutely petrified now.

People were breaking into buildings, stores, shops, and pharmacies. Leaving them with handfuls of items running away nobody even attempting to stop them. It was pure madness and it was happening right in front of your eyes.

Hearing a loud rumble as you looked up to see a couple of helicopters flying over heading towards the center of town. Most likely military which means they were already in town blocking people from leaving. This was far more worse than you and Bob ever imagined.

Looking down one of the streets to see a military tank blocking anyone from leaving or entering. People filling the streets as they were begging and pleading to leave. Guns being drawn in their face to anyone who dared to get close enough.

"We'll go down this street avoid them as much as possible." Turning down another street that was empty.

"What if there at this safe house already?" Your mind going to worst case scenario.

"They won't." He snapped making you jump a little at his tone. "Besides he would have let us know and we'd go somewhere else."

That's when something started ringing in your ear, and that's when it hit you it was gunshots going off. You didn't want to look back, but you couldn't help it as you heard screams echoing around you.

Regrettably turning back watching as men opened fire on people bodies dropping to the floor, and blood filling the streets. Crying as you faced straight ahead Bob grabbing your thigh massaging it in comfort. Keeping his brave face on knowing exactly what was happening behind him.

He was going to protect you and keep you safe as long as he could. Even if it meant that he had to sacrifice himself to do so he would in a heartbeat. Your safety is a priority to him.

"Are we almost there?" You asked as he turned down a dirt road.

"Yeah baby less than a minute." Nodding his head as you rested your head against the head rest closing your eyes for a quick minute.

All you wanted to do in this moment was just sleep. Sleep and not wake up until all of this was over. Thinking that sleep would help calm your nerves, but in all reality all you would be able to do is just close them and not actually sleep.

Neither one of you prepared for anything like this, and never thought that you'd have to. You and Bob were clueless just like everybody else. The both of you were just going to have to take things one step at a a time, and hope things didn't take a turn for the worst.

"Baby we're here." Bob spoke softly your eyes opening slowly.

Looking forward as you saw a brick house straight ahead. The doors and window were sealed shut with some kind of steel. As Bob parked the car you both cautiously looked around. Everything was eerily quiet, and all you could hear was the sounds of the trees rustling, and the crickets chirping.

"Where is he?" You asked not seeing anyone.

"He's preparing the bunker." Looking over at Bob who was on his phone. "Said wait a minute and he'll be out."

"He's got a bunker hidden in this house?" Looking skeptically at the house raising your brows.

"Yep his old man left him this house." Bob turned to you. "Said it would take a lot more than a couple bombs to get through to this place."

"Gee that's comforting." Sighing out loud making Bob chuckle.

"It's better than being stuck out there baby." He did have a fair point there.

Which was the truth since it sounded like people were going crazy out there. If it meant staying in someone else’s bunker for a while to stay safe then that’s what you were going to have to do.

"God I hate when you're right." Grumbling as he grabbed your arm and pulled you close to him.

"Please you love it." Teasing you as he kissing your cheek multiple times.

"Just a little." Pressing your thumb and pointer finger together as you giggled.

"We're gonna be okay baby I can promise you that." Moving a hand up to your head stroking the back of it.

"I know you'll keep us safe." Pressing your hand against his both of you staring at each other.

A door creaked open catching both your attention as your focus now went to the opened door with a man standing in front of it. Bob hopping out of the car as you followed suit. Each grabbing a bag as you walked over to him. Eyeing the man with caution not knowing who he is.

Bob seemed to trust this man enough to do this, and you trusted Bob. Of all the people this guy could have called he chose Bob. Thanking your lucky stars that you would have some place to at least hide when all this is going down.

"Thank you for this Jake it means a lot." Bob patted the man on the back as he nodded.

"Bob this is my girl my wife Y/N." He introduced you the man glancing over to you. "Y/N this is an old very good buddy of mine Jake Seresin."

"The hell do you mean by old?" He scoffed cocking his head to the side.

"Your older than me." Bob joked as he punched his arm.

"Nice to meet you Y/N given the circumstances." Bowing his head down to which you gave a quick nod. "Alright let's head inside."

Following Jake inside the room it was practically empty. Expect for some desks and dressers that were opened and emptied. If you wouldn't have known better you would have thought this house was abandoned.

Your heart was starting to race a little bit more as you were being escorted around the house. Imagining a bunch of men running into the house with guns loaded ready to blow all of you sky high. Your breathing was becoming a little uneven and heavy.

Bob grabbed your hand in his noticing you were looking around and not really paying attention. Looking up at him as he gave you a weak smile and squeezed your hand. Silently telling you that everything was going to be okay.

Jake pulled back what looked like a bookshelf that revealed a metal door. Starting to feel a little hope and relief that things we're going to be okay with you both. Feeling a weight off your shoulders that you would both at least be sheltered.

"Just down these steps are where you'll both stay." He opened the steel door as Bob moved you in front of him hands on your shoulders.

Jake leading the way down a flight of steps turning on some fluorescent lights looking around to see steel walls. Multiples shelves stocked with food and water. Setting your bag down not noticing how dry your mouth was until you were staring at gallon jugs of water.

"This should last you both a couple months." Motioning around to all the food and water. "Here's where you two can sleep."

"And I even brought down some games so you two wouldn't die from boredom." Pointing to a shelf full of board games making Bob laugh. "Can't have any electronics on just in case there tracking."

"Which means turn your phones off." He requested as both you and Bob shut them down and threw them on the beds.

"What are you gonna do?" Bob asked Jake with concern and feeling bad you guys were taking over.

"Stay up top keep an eye on things." Shrugging his shoulders not sounding worried at all. "Make sure nobody gets in."

"Are you gonna be okay?" Bob not satisfied with that answer and worried for his friend.

"If I need you I'll holler brother." Jake joked both of them laughing while your face remained stoic.

"Jake thank you again for this." Bob praised with generosity.

"I would expect you to do the same thing for me." He responded smacking his arm with a grin.

"Absolutely brother." Bob shaking his hand with a loud clap.

"Do they know what kind of virus it is?" You spoke up both heads turning towards you.

"Yeah they do." He nodded his head as he looked down.

Neither you or Bob liked the way he said that or how his body language changed. Turning stiff and rigid like he just walked into something he didn't want to see. He stayed silent for a moment decided whether or not he wanted to tell you.

"What?" You pushed wanting an answer that he was hesitating on answering.

"The living dead."

[angelsanarchy]

Alkaline: Euronymous x Y/N Series CH 13

Tagging: @ophelialaufey@madamemaximoff06@forever-not-gonna-sink@ajmiila02@liquidsmoothdomme@shady-the-simp @auggiethecreator @tempt-ress

Oystein couldn't shake what Y/n had said about his music. She actually liked it. She wanted to hear more of him playing and now she'll never agree to go to another show. He wanted to be pissed off. He wanted to blame Pelle or the rest of his friends, anyone but himself. He hated not being able to talk to Y/n, or see her out and about. She had changed her shifts at the shop so frequently now that he never knew when she was in and Hammeed wouldn't tell him when she was working. He just said that she's got "things".

"How can you go bigger though? I mean the pigs head and bleeding into the audience is insanity but what could possibly top that?" One of their friends asked.

"What if you start cutting the wrists of the people in the audience? That would be crazy!" Pelle frowned at the suggestion.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure legally we would have some problems. If they want to cut themselves during the show, that's one thing but Pelle needs to stick to slicing himself up." Hellhammer made a valid point.

"What about bringing more road kill to shows? Passing it around?" Pelle suggested earning a nod from Oystein.

"You sick fuck, I can barely stand the smell of you guys day to day. The venues we play would kick us out in a heartbeat." Oystein laughed seeing Pelle find realization in the fine they received for the last bag they left behind.

Oystein's stomach lurched when he saw Y/n walk into the bar with a girl and guy with her. He hadn't ever seen her with friends and he wanted to assume they were co-workers but his lack of knowing put him on edge. He let his hair fall in front of his face so he didn't make eye contact with her. She noticed them immediately and walked past them without a second glance. After awhile, Oystein didn't care if she caught him staring, he wanted to know who she was with and why this guy was talking so closely to her. He didn't take into account that it was loud in the bar and that there was another girl with them. All he could think about was her being talked up by some random guy who looked like the complete opposite of himself.

Eventually he stood up to try and move towards the bar and talk to her but one of their crew noticed her finally and stood up.

"EURO LOOK! It's the buzz kill from the show!" He shouted. Y/n rolled her eyes and the two with her looked concerned.

"Maybe we should ask her what she thinks would be more black metal, Dead slitting his throat onstage or drinking the blood of a crow?" Oystein didn't say anything. He figured she would just ignore the question but she propped her elbows on the bar and sipped a beer.

"I think it's about as fucking stupid as cutting himself on stage and bleeding out in a sandwich shop." Now she had the attention of everyone.

"We've already established that you have no idea what black metal truly is. We don't play love and light. We play death and destruction." Oystein knew everyone was looking to him for fight and she laughed at him.

"It's sad you really think a genre of music has to reach people by offing yourself. Hopefully you have a backup singers list." She was tipsy and he didn't want to challenge her but he was on the spot now.

"How could you possibly understand the pure unbridled disgust and debauchery that goes into our world. You live in a mundane existence working two jobs and spending your time with sheep. Dead's connection to the music is his life force spilling out of his veins, breathing in the rot of death and spewing it onto those who worship in the darkness." Oystein preached, riling his crew and holding Y/n's eyes as she finished her beer, listening to his rant and seeing straight through his bullshit.

"Really? My mundane life is a product of circumstances. We all can't be financially supported by our parents, Prince of Darkness." Y/n slammed her now empty beer bottle on the bar top

"Y/n don't." Her friend tried to pull her back as she approached Oystein and made sure to step right into his space, unafraid.

"If you truly believe the absolutely idiocy pouring out of your mouth, you have got serious problems." Oystein breathed in her scent trying not to feel anything but he can't shake it.

"I'll meet you guys outside." Y/n told her friends who quickly hurried past Oystein towards the door as she walked towards the bathroom. Oystein tried to get lost among the crowd so he could intercept her coming out of the bathroom and she wasn't expecting him to yank her by the arm into a phone stall.

"Get off of me! You don't get to touch me ever again." Y/n growled.

"What the fuck is your problem? You ditched me, remember? Why are you coming at me in front of them? What point are you trying to make?" Oystein argued.

"Your minions called me out. I didn't start this Euronymous." The way she said his name stung.

"You didn't have to take the bait." Oystein pressed making her laugh pushing past him to get away.

"Newsflash, when you act like an idiot in public, you get what you get. Maybe control your little followers and I won't have to make you feel inferior in front of them." Y/n was getting under his skin and she knew it. He pressed her roughly into the wall and she stared at him.

"Why do you want me to be an asshole to you? You walked away and I'm trying to deal with that-"

"You don't get to treat me like a disgusting, worthless insect. You and Pelle and the rest of those fucks might get away with this bullshit but I won't be quiet." She gritted her teeth so close to his chin, he had to actively fight the urge to kiss her.

"You know you aren't like everyone els-" She shoved Oystein's chest hard sending him stumbling back into the opposite wall with surprising strength.

"You don't want me to make a fool of you? Stay away from me. Stop asking about me, stop showing up at my job wanting to know my schedule, stop putting my name on your fucking grocery courier. Just...fuck off." She finally walked away leaving Oystein still leaning against the wall, feeling truly hurt by her words. He had told her that all she had to do was tell him to fuck off. He didn't want to believe she wanted him to actually leave her alone but she said the magic words. He just didn't expect it to feel so heartbreaking.

[moonstrider9904]

Coruscant

Chapter 9 of Moonwalker: The Flame

{series masterlist} {next chapter} {previous chapter}

{crossposted to Wattpad - coming soon} {crossposted to AO3}

Summary: Sarah goes undercover to aid Riyo Chuchi on Coruscant, but in doing so, she is faced by her most unspeakable fears.

Tags/Warnings: Mature. Canon-typical violence, death, threats, force-choking, implied sex, language.

Word count: 7.7k

Songs: The Gem Sea Giant

Sarah sat back on one of the passenger seats of the Marauder with her eyes closed. The absence of light made it easier for her to focus on the sounds around her, from the whirring of the Marauder’s engines in hyperspace to the subtle chatter between Tech and Wrecker coming from the cockpit. She couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but the tones of their voices were constant and relatively calm despite the fact that they were headed towards Coruscant.

It had been a long time since any of them had been to Coruscant.

A sudden laugh emerging from Wrecker prompted Sarah to open her eyes, and when she did, she noticed Echo sitting across from her. His arms were crossed and his gaze was gracefully set on a point on the floor, oblivious to the fact that Sarah was looking at him. She stared at him, wondering what could possibly be going through his mind, and for a moment, she felt remorse. She’d been through a lot those recent months, and she wouldn’t deny it, but she couldn’t help but feel for a moment that she’d become detached from Echo.

That was when Echo felt her gaze on him, and he looked up. His brown eyes looked tired on his pale skin, and Sarah could swear that the bags under his eyes were somehow heavier. Sarah’s eyebrows furrowed in worry, but in return, Echo directed a soft smile at her as if he wanted to dismiss any of her concerns. It wouldn’t work.

“What’s with you?” Sarah asked him.

With that same gentle smile, Echo shook his head. “Just thinking. This mission Rex is asking us to help him with… it seems a hell of a lot bigger than anything we’ve done in the past few months.”

Sarah’s gaze absently wandered to the floor as she quickly recalled the events of the past months, and she was inclined to agree. Save for helping out Gungi and the Wookiees on Kashyyyk, and her own internal endeavors, Echo was absolutely right. Everything else they’d been focusing on for the past months paled in comparison to Rex’s efforts. It made his work seem like the front lines while the batch were on mere guard duty.

“Yeah, I get what you mean,” Sarah obliged.

Echo got up and walked across to take a seat next to Sarah, leaning back on the wall behind him and gazing up at the ceiling. “It’s better than being alone, I guess.”

“Echo, is there something on your mind?” Sarah asked gently.

Echo chuckled softly. “Yes.”

Fair answer. Sarah hadn’t asked him what was on his mind. And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t kept a secret from him throughout the past weeks. Enjoying his company, Sarah leaned back on the wall and gazed up at the ceiling much like Echo, and the two remained in silence until he finally broke the silence again, trusting in the confidence of his best friend.

“I was relieved when Rex’s transmission came in,” Echo confessed.

Sarah nodded slowly. “Yeah, boredom leads to insanity.”

“It’s not just the boredom,” Echo said. “Wherever Rex is involved, we know we’re gonna be doing something meaningful.”

The two sat up on their chairs and looked at each other. For a few moments, Sarah’s gaze traveled absently around Echo, deep in thought as she pondered on his previous words, reaching her own realization.

“I hate to break it to you,” Sarah began, “but so long as we’re mercenaries, our drive will always be the money at whatever cost.”

“Oh, I know,” Echo nodded, unamused.

Sarah chuckled. “I don’t like it either. It just seemed like the only choice after Kamino. It was the way to go.”

“But you want something more,” Echo prompted.

“Of course I do,” Sarah replied. “I want a home. I want my family together again.”

Echo nodded slowly and momentarily avoided her gaze at the realization that what they wanted was vastly different, and Sarah couldn’t help but observe his body language.

“That doesn’t mean I won’t keep fighting for now,” Sarah added.

Echo met her gaze again, silent. Sarah then leaned back on the wall again and softly sighed.

“You remember what Hunter told us when we joined them?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah,” Echo smiled briefly. “It was a different life back then.”

“And your path was different,” Sarah looked over at Echo. “The thing about paths is they can morph.”

Echo nodded, deep in thought. “I also remember what Rex told me. If that’s where you feel your place is…”

“Then that’s where you belong,” Sarah finished.

They made silent eye contact.

“That’s right,” Echo whispered.

Sarah smiled at him. “You were always the best of us, Echo.”

“Come on, the batch are crazy, but they’re all fine men,” Echo humbly declined.

“I don’t mean the batch,” Sarah stated. “I mean the GAR. The 501st.”

A sad smile appeared on Echo’s features as flashes of blue-painted armor and legions of clones marching raced through his mind, only for him to be brought back to his present life as a mercenary. His features then dropped, deep in thought.

“What would Fives have done in this life?” Echo asked.

“Honestly?” Sarah sat up with a chuckle. “Fives would be blazing through the galaxy, most likely with Rex. He’d despise the Empire more than anyone I currently know, but he’d use that to do good.”

Echo chuckled in return. “Yeah, he would.”

The two accompanied each other in silence until the Marauder exited hyperspace and Tech announced they were approaching Coruscant. Tech flew the Marauder into the planet’s atmosphere while everyone gathered in the cockpit and waited to land among the lower levels of Coruscant, seemingly far from the main complex of the city where the Senate and the Jedi temple were… or at least, the ruined Jedi temple.

The Marauder landed on a platform about halfway down one of the pits on the lower levels of Coruscant, and just as the engines were powering down, Sarah could see through the windshield that Rex’s figure was approaching the ship. She smiled at the sight and made her way down towards him with the others, lunging at Rex and giving him a big hug when she reached him.

“What happened to your hair?” Rex chuckled as he hugged Sarah back.

“Cut it,” Sarah giggled. “I kinda miss having it long, though.”

“Don’t, it looks nice,” Rex smiled serenely, letting Sarah go so that he could acknowledge the others. He first greeted Echo, and then Hunter, and as Rex finished greeting the entire squad, Sarah became aware of another person approaching them.

It was a young Pantoran woman who walked with an air of elegance. Her outfit was professional, and though she was clearly among the higher classes, nothing about her came across as opulent. Her long lavender hair was done upward, and the golden markings on her cheekbones contrasted with her rich blue skin; her eyes, large and round, held an unfathomable amount of wisdom for someone who would almost appear too young to hold whatever position she held, most likely a result of recent unfortunate events she’d had to witness.

“I’d like to present Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora,” Rex gestured at the woman as she stopped in front of the squad.

“Oh, we’ve been there!” Omega said excitedly.

Riyo looked over at Omega with a gentle smile, and then she greeted the others, demure with a hint of gratitude. Riyo’s gaze lingered on Sarah for a moment with a gentle curiosity, and her discreet smile widened subtly. Sarah felt it too. In other circumstances, Riyo would have been someone Sarah would want to befriend. She’d heard of Riyo many times from the clones and from Ahsoka back in her days in the army. It was nice to finally put a face on the name.

“Thank you for coming,” Riyo spoke. “If your reputation precedes you, we might have a chance against what’s going on here on Coruscant.”

“How can we help?” Echo asked.

Riyo’s gaze landed on Echo and she smiled softly, appreciative of his support.

“You’ll need context,” Riyo answered. “Please, follow us inside.”

Riyo turned around and led the way for the others to follow. Rex took notice of Omega following closely behind Sarah, and he hesitated, fumbling towards Sarah and Hunter and speaking in a hushed voice.

“Er…” Rex began. “I’m not sure what we’re about to show you is alright for Omega to see.”

Sarah and Hunter exchanged a wary look.

“What is it?” Sarah asked.

Rex leaned in and whispered the answer in Sarah’s ear, and she felt herself going pale.

“I’m not sure I want to see it,” Sarah admitted.

“You’ve seen worse in your day,” Rex assured her. “The kid, however, still has some innocence I’d like to salvage.”

“She can handle it,” Hunter affirmed. “She hasn’t exactly been shielded. Not like I didn’t try to.”

“Then come on,” Rex gestured.

Sarah fell to the back of the crowd and remained close to Tech as Rex and Riyo led them inside to what appeared to be a repair shop, and Sarah was doing fine until she saw the casket ominously placed on a large table. She stuttered in her footsteps—caskets and anything having to do with post-mortem were usually where she drew the line. Regardless, duty called.

Tech noticed her faltering. “Are you alright?”

She sighed. “Yeah. Just… hold me.”

Sarah clutched Tech’s forearm, and soon, everyone had circled around the casket only for Rex to reveal that the body inside had belonged to a clone, adding an evident tension to the air. In an attempt to leaven the weight of the sight in front of her, Sarah focused solely on Rex as she held tighter onto Tech, and Rex explained how they’d gotten there. He told the squad about Slip, about his discovery, about what he’d been doing and trying to achieve since the last time he and Clone Force 99 had met. When he finished, Riyo looked at the squad solemnly.

“Slip was taken out by this clone assassin not long after he came close to uncovering the truth about what happened on Kamino,” Riyo said. “And the assassin was after me as well.”

Echo sighed with disillusion evident in his features. “But how could a clone do such a thing?”

“Before he… died,” Rex began, his gaze faltering as he said the words, “this trooper spoke in a manner I’ve never heard another clone do so. That at any trace of identity, from his identifying number to any markings, were erased.”

“Erased?” Sarah asked.

“How is that possible?” Tech inquired.

“I don’t know,” Rex answered. “But all of these signs point to mind control, brainwashing, and we’re not even talking inhibitor chips here. This is far more sinister.”

Sarah broke through her fears and looked down at the casket, her thoughts pondering on the clone who lay inside it. She thought about this clone having begun in the army, fighting the cause he was bred for. He had brothers. He had a name, and a story behind that name, as all clones did. He was forced into serving the Empire, and then for some reason, he was plucked and put through some sort of training to turn him into a lethal masked assassin who would be capable even of killing his brethren. It was unthinkable.

Sarah looked up at Rex and Riyo. “What do you need us to do?”

Riyo stepped forward. “For starters, I need someone to testify to the Senate about what happened on Kamino.”

“We’ll do it,” Omega said. “We were there.”

“I can testify,” Echo proposed.

“That won’t be enough,” Hunter said. “You’re going to need proof. If the Senate and the Empire are already on the fence about clones, the testimony of a rogue group won’t sway them.”

“Which is where you actually come in,” Rex said. “Admiral Rampart is on planet, as is his Venator.”

“Rampart’s here?” Sarah let go of Tech and walked forward in front of the whole group. “Where?”

“In the Senate,” Riyo replied. “He’s representing the military forces for this bill.”

“What about his legion?” Sarah continued digging. “His squads, his elite soldiers, are they on the planet too?”

Riyo’s features softened in sympathy. “I have no way of knowing.”

“If we had seen Crosshair anywhere around here, you’d be the first to know,” Rex assured.

Sarah nodded, sighing her agitation away.

“If you can retrieve the command log from the Venator, then I can show it to the Senate,” Riyo said. “We’ll need it before sunrise tomorrow. I can keep Rampart occupied in the meantime, as well as try to sway some more of the senators toward our cause.”

“Let me go with you,” Sarah proposed. “Please.”

“I could use the help,” Riyo nodded.

“Can I come too?” Omega spoke up.

“No offense, Sarah, but you stick out way too much,” Wrecker intervened. “Maybe it should just be Omega and the senator in there.”

“I can get her a disguise,” Riyo said. “She’ll blend in perfectly. We just need to cover your marks, and I’m sure I have colored contacts somewhere.”

“That’ll be perfect,” Sarah agreed.

“Be careful, both of you,” Hunter instructed.

“Yeah, we’ll get what you need from the Venator, senator,” Wrecker added, and chuckled at the end. “Hey, that rhymed.”

Riyo chuckled at Wrecker, and the group scattered to prepare for their respective parts of the mission. Riyo, Omega, and Sarah disappeared deep into the repair shop, and when they returned to the landing platform, Omega wore a blue poncho over her attire and Sarah stole the spotlight. She was dressed in a burgundy gown with long sleeves that covered all the marks on her arms. The gown was discreet, but the color matched her to Riyo. Her hair was done in a low bun that covered any of the dark red strands that could have been exposed at the tips, and she wore a single golden brooch over the bun to further sell her status. On her face, Sarah wore foundation the tone of her skin to cover up all her markings, and her nebulous eyes were concealed by the gray contacts Riyo had available. The gray contrasted with her olive skin, and the full disguise made Sarah appear regal, as if she’d never fought a battle in her life. She drew every pair of eyes toward her as she made her way across the landing platform, and though Sarah was aware that she looked good, she couldn’t help but feel like a stray tooka with a diamond collar.

“Oh, she’ll blend in alright,” Echo said, and he directed his gaze at Riyo. “You did a great job with her.”

Riyo returned the smile. “That’s a relief.”

Sarah watched as Echo and Riyo’s gazes lingered on one another for a second too long until Riyo stammered and walked over to Rex to review final details of their plan to retrieve the command log. Echo watched as Riyo walked away, and when he turned to look at Sarah again, he noticed her temporarily gray eyes were already on him, and she wiggled her eyebrows at him.

Echo scoffed. “No one’s gonna believe you’re her handmaiden if you keep acting like a child. Omega’s being more mature than you, for crying out loud.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Sarah cooed.

“You implied it,” Echo growled.

“You were staring at her,” Sarah wiggled her brows again.

“I think there’s something on your face,” Echo stood up to Sarah.

Sarah giggled, and she finally stood down from her teasing, looking at Echo with slight worry. “Be careful out there.”

“You too,” Echo replied, saluting her with his scomp.

Echo walked back to the squad, and Sarah was then approached by Tech. He was fully armored and had his helmet on, and as usual, he stared directly at his datapad as he walked up to her. He stopped close to her, reaching out a free hand to take Sarah’s.

“Crosshair is not on planet,” Tech said.

“What?” Sarah asked. “How do you know that?”

“I tapped into the military logs,” Tech showed her his datapad’s screen and looked at her. “He hasn’t been on Coruscant for a long time.”

“Does it say where he went?” Sarah looked at it.

“I’m afraid not,” Tech replied. “His destination is classified. Only his commanding officer will know where he is.”

“Well then, if I run into Rampart, I’ll say hi,” Sarah nodded.

“Sarah…” Tech tugged at her hand.

“Yes?”

Through his goggles, Tech scanned Sarah from head to toe before finally landing on her gaze again, his eyes visibly softening.

“Take these imperial clearance codes, I forged them myself. They’ll help you get into the senate,” Tech said. “Remember our distress signal agreement.”

“I will,” she smiled and pressed herself close to him. “You be careful too.”

“Always am,” Tech rested a hand on her waist.

They held each other for a brief moment before letting go, and Sarah walked over to Riyo and Omega for them to depart. Tech made his way back to the rest of the squad, seemingly oblivious to the way Rex was staring at him as he walked by. Rex then faced Hunter, unable to hide his surprise.

“When did that happen?” Rex asked.

“Why don’t you ask him?” Hunter growled.

“Hunter is still not adjusted to the fact that Sarah and I are a couple,” Tech said, his eyes still glued to his datapad. “I do not hold it against him.”

“Well…” Rex stammered. “We should, uh… probably… get going?”

Wrecker chuckled, shoving Hunter playfully. “Tech totally stole your girl.”

Hunter glared up at Wrecker before putting his helmet on. “Shut up.”

“The very reason why Sarah and I concealed the truth for so long was to avoid this sort of immature conversation,” Tech said. “We have a very brief window of time to get Senator Chuchi the command log. Let’s not waste time.”

“Right,” Rex steered back into his role of leader. “Let’s go, boys.”

The clones put all other things aside and headed towards the imperial shipyard.

*

Being inside the Galactic Senate headquarters was an experience of its own, but Sarah found it far more enjoyable to listen to Omega’s numerous questions and the way Riyo gracefully answered each one of them. Hearing Riyo talk about the senate and what she was trying to achieve would really make one strive for a higher purpose despite what they were trying to do, and it dawned on Sarah that a sensation such as that one was rare when working as a mercenary or a pirate. She thought back to the conversation she had with Echo on the way to Coruscant, and she found herself understanding more. And although Sarah probably wouldn’t jump at the idea of being a senator—it wasn’t as if roaming around freely in imperial proximity was a good idea anyway—Sarah realized there were times when even she lost sight of what she wanted to accomplish.

It was just as Crosshair had once put it back on Kamino. Sarah and the others were merely drifting through the galaxy from mission to mission without a cause or a purpose. Sarah missed having something greater to drive her.

And when the three of them turned a corner and Sarah saw a familiar face, she was suddenly reminded of what that drive was.

“Ah, Senator Chuchi!”

Sarah despised that voice.

“Admiral Rampart,” Riyo acknowledged him, pulling to a halt when she was just in front of him with Sarah and Omega flanking her sides.

“I thought it best to let you know that I have begun preparations for tomorrow’s vote,” Rampart said. “Surely, you must understand that this bill is in the best interest of the galaxy. Is that not what we are all striving for?”

“Yes, the common and greater good should be what all senators and imperial representatives achieve,” Riyo masked her disgust with dignity. “Though I’m afraid that rushing the voting on the military bill will yield unforeseen results.”

“No need to worry, senator, it has all been revised and handled by only the best officials,” Rampart answered.

Sarah’s blood was boiling. He didn’t acknowledge her or even Omega, as if they weren’t even of importance to him. And his good natured speech was despicable; Sarah knew just how much of a monster he was, and without even trying to hide it, her repulsion towards Rampart bled into her eyes as she pierced into him with her gaze. It was only then that Rampart bothered to look in her direction just as he was finishing what he was saying. His gaze lingered on Sarah, and he didn’t retrieve it; his eyes seemed to harden only faintly at her, and when he smiled in acknowledgement, Sarah could feel the twisted intention behind her.

“Senator, you did not tell me you’d be accompanied,” Rampart commented.

“It’s not uncommon for senators to bring their staff along, admiral,” Riyo answered with professionalism. “Especially not on days with such long hours.”

“It’s a pity, otherwise, I may have brought some staff of my own,” Rampart continued to look at Sarah as he said it.

Sarah clenched her fists behind her. She knew exactly who he was talking about. Riyo must have felt the tension rise, and her hand glided over to Sarah’s shoulder, bringing her attention away from Rampart.

“Admiral, what would you say if my handmaiden were to escort you?” Riyo asked.

Sarah tried not to look too quickly at Riyo, but that was the last proposition she’d expected to come from her.

“Pardon me?” Rampart asked.

“You are still quite new to this, and my handmaiden knows the protocol,” Riyo said looking at Rampart, and then she faced Sarah. “I can finish the preparations on my end. The vote is coming up soon, and it wouldn’t be right for the senate’s guest to be wandering around such a large facility with no guidance.”

The new plan became so clear to Sarah that she wondered how she didn’t come up with it first. It was perfect. Sarah would keep Rampart occupied while Riyo and Omega did everything they had to do, and in the meantime, Sarah could do some digging of her own.

“Well, if it’s no major problem to you, senator, I would be delighted to accept,” Rampart looked at Sarah.

Riyo gazed over at Sarah too, but all the latter did was smirk over at Rampart.

“Of course,” Sarah said.

“Very well,” Riyo nodded at Sarah. “I’ll see you after the vote.”

Sarah bowed lightly in deference, and she stood still as Omega and Riyo began to walk away. The silence grew thick as Sarah was left alone with Rampart, and when Riyo and Omega were out of sight, her eyes landed on him again, unamused. When Rampart looked at her, he scoffed and brushed a tad of fuzz from his uniform.

“Well, miss, why don’t we go somewhere more comfortable while we wait for the vote?” Rampart held his arm out to escort her.

She felt she would have puked, but she took his arm regardless of how unwilling she was to continue playing the handmaiden charade. They walked silently down the halls until arriving at a deserted room, one decorated elegantly with a large desk, chairs, and a couple couches, even a balcony that could overlook the whole city. Sarah walked in and examined it—it looked like the mix between an office and a home, and thankfully, the only thing missing from it was a bed. Sarah flinched when the door closed behind them, locking her inside it with Rampart, but she wouldn’t back down, not at that moment.

Rampart looked at her and seemed amused, and although Sarah was almost sure had recognized her already, she wasn’t willing to blow her cover while there was still a possibility she could fool him.

“You could have at least tried a different voice,” Rampart broke the silence. “However, your disguise is commendable. You almost had me fooled, but you didn’t have to speak for me to see right through you.”

Sarah said nothing, and her gaze on him was unfriendly.

“I know what you’re after,” Rampart said. “I can either give you what you want or keep you in the dark.”

“You’re not in charge here,” Sarah answered.

“Oh, but I believe I am,” Rampart threatened, pacing closer to her. “To be in here, you had to be thoroughly searched. You have no weapons on you, and using your abilities will give away your identity. Your hands may as well be tied behind your back.”

Rampart stopped just in front of her, towering over Sarah with an arrogant look plaguing his features. Rather than intimidation, Sarah felt impatience, and she wasn’t willing to continue stalling.

“Where is he?” Sarah spat.

Rampart raised his brows, shocked that she would get there so fast, and he laughed. “You do amaze me with your one track mind. Of course, it comes as no surprise to me, not after the last time you went to Kamino. All the time you and CT-9904 spent locked inside his private quarters… I’d have reprimanded both of you sooner had I not liked what I heard. Not to mention, what I saw.”

Sarah’s eyes widened, disgusted at his implications. “You saw nothing.”

“My senior commanders are under constant surveillance,” Rampart said. “I saw it all.”

She bared her teeth at him.

“I came close to making a proposition of my own,” Rampart continued as he came even closer to Sarah. “You two were having all the fun. Perhaps my involvement may have swayed my opinions in favor of the clones.”

“You disgusting son of a—”

“Watch your language, dear, it’s not appropriate coming from a handmaiden,” Rampart sneered.

“Quit playing around!” Sarah shoved Rampart enough to make him tumble a couple steps back, much to his surprise. “Tell me where he is.”

Rampart dusted himself off and regained his composure, and all hints of teasing and desire left him. “I’d pretend your terrible behavior would drive me to take it out on him, but the mere confirmation of you being alive is enough.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Sarah growled.

Rampart smirked. “He told me you were dead.”

Sarah’s features momentarily softened, but with every second that passed and every word that came out of Rampart, any fear Sarah felt morphed into anger boiling through her veins.

“And it’s no surprise why,” Rampart continued. “I simply expected better, though perhaps one could not blame him. An error in judgment as grave as that one is bound to happen after thirty-two rotations stranded in a platform on Kamino. Regardless, lying to a commanding officer is still a grave offense.”

“Thirty two?!” Sarah stomped toward him. “You left him there for thirty-two rotations?!”

“Why do you yell at me?” Rampart said calmly. “You left him there for good.”

“That’s not true!”

“I was overseeing my official imperial duties, I couldn’t be taken away from my post to scan the ruins of Tipoca City. And he tried to cover up for you even after that,” Rampart mused. “Ah, what a tragedy. It almost makes it pitiful that I’ll have to enforce the consequences now that his lie has been uncovered—”

Rampart abruptly stopped talking to clear his throat, and he coughed in an attempt to talk again, suddenly feeling himself unable to breathe. His once confident gaze widened in fear, and he looked at Sarah again to see her holding her hand up in front of her, with her palm facing up and her fingers tensed like claws. She stared at him viciously, mercilessly, and all around him, Rampart could hear a low rumble as he made a futile attempt to free himself from the invisible strain over his throat. Sarah watched unwaveringly as Rampart squirmed, guiltless after all the trash and the threats he’d spat her way. She felt the power coursing through her, the hate and the anger rising within her as she walked closer to him and Rampart attempted to crawl away.

“If I let you live, you won’t lay even a finger on Crosshair,” Sarah snarled. “You will tell me where he is. Now!”

“I-” Rampart struggled. “I don’t know where he is!”

“You lie!” Sarah growled, pressing harder.

“He was reassigned to a lieutenant by the name Nolan!” Rampart cried. “I haven’t known his whereabouts for months, I swear!”

Sarah didn’t relent.

“Please!” Rampart begged. “You need me alive!”

Only then did Sarah release Rampart from her grip. He dropped to the ground coughing and clutching his chest, looking up at her in fear with a hint of anger. Sarah walked up to him, equally unamused with him.

“Where is this Nolan?” Sarah asked him.

Rampart didn’t respond. Sarah held her hand out again without power, only as a threat.

“I can still do this,” she said.

“I don’t know where he is now,” Rampart flinched. “He’s on a series of missions along several imperial outposts. CT-9904 was reassigned months back, his records are no longer under my possession.”

“You’ll get me those records,” Sarah ordered.

Rampart scoffed. “What makes you think I’ll do that?”

“If you get them to me, I’ll sway Senator Chuchi to vote in favor of your bill,” Sarah said.

Rampart raised an eyebrow. “That could take days. The vote is tomorrow. You’ll need to sway her before.”

“Not a chance, I don’t trust you enough,” Sarah said.

“I don’t trust you either,” Rampart snarled. “I think you’re just an infatuated girl angry at the world because she can’t have her little toy with her. Perhaps if you’d had any sort of experience with a real man—”

Sarah wouldn’t listen to any more. She had just begun to raise her hand, but anger blinded her from her surroundings, and Rampart was quicker to react. From his belt, he took a taser, one like Sarah had never seen before, and all it took was one tap of the electric tip to paralyze Sarah’s entire body, sending her plummeting to the ground squirming in pain and whimpering helplessly. The taser didn’t render her unconscious, but she was still unable to move, unable to do anything to defend herself.

“You almost had me there,” Rampart mocked. “Too bad you’re simply too weak.”

Sarah groaned at him, wishing she could at least muster the strength to reach out and scratch him, smack him, punch that disgusting face of his, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t do anything.

“You made a mistake crossing me. Have fun with the Coruscant guard. They’ll most likely take you to the Emperor himself once I tell them what your crimes are,” Rampart replied. “And don’t even think about looking for your little clone while you’re on the inside, you have my word that your precious CT-9904 will face the firing squad.”

Sarah growled. She strained and struggled, unable even to yell at Rampart as he made his way outside of the room while Sarah lay there helpless. She wanted to believe, with every fiber of her body, that Rampart had just been spewing empty threats. She wanted to believe she hadn’t just sealed her fate as well as Crosshair’s, that she hadn’t just failed miserably and cost herself and her family far too much for anyone’s good. And as the fear coursed through every corner of Sarah’s being, all she was able to do was weep in desperation.

Hours passed as she lay there, alone and in the dark. The only good that could have possibly come of it was that no Coruscant guards arrived to take her away, but she was still sulking in her terror and her misery. Sarah tried to move her body to no avail; each time, pain shot through her limbs. But she couldn’t risk wasting precious time. Every second she spent there, Rampart could have already given the order against Crosshair.

Sarah put the fear of pain aside. The fear of losing Crosshair for good was far too great for her to care about anything else. And so, she pushed through it, straining her arm towards the belt of her gown and reaching for her hidden comm, crying through the pain until she finally brought the comm up to her lips and dialed Tech’s frequency.

“Sarah?” Tech’s modulated voice came in through the comm. “What is going on? Are you alright?”

“Tech…” Sarah whimpered. “Tech, you need to come help me. Please.”

“Where are you?” Tech asked her. “Are you not with Omega? She just received the command log.”

“No, I’m in a room somewhere in the senate building,” Sarah replied. “I can’t move.”

“Are you hurt? Sarah?”

“I—” Sarah hiccuped, stifling a sob. “I was tased, I can’t move!”

“Sarah, be patient, Omega’s on her way to you,” Tech assured. “I will infiltrate the senate—”

“No, it’s too dangerous!” Sarah cried. “Tech, I… I messed up.”

“Sarah, you’re going to be alright,” Tech comforted her through the comm.

In full force, Sarah began to wail.

“I just did something terrible!” She kept crying. “I think I just put Crosshair in danger!”

“Sarah, please breathe,” Tech told her. “What do you mean?”

“Sarah?” Echo’s voice came in through the comm. “I need you to calm down, and I need you to explain.”

“I tried to get information from him, from Rampart,” Sarah sobbed. “But it backfired, and he threatened him! He threatened Crosshair!”

For a brief moment, there was silence through the comm, but soon enough, she heard Tech’s voice comforting her again.

“Rampart is currently busy with his bill’s vote,” Tech explained. “If we lay out the facts, we know that he has no access to Crosshair at the moment, and once the truth about Kamino is exposed, he will be rendered a criminal. No one will be taking orders from him, nor will he have the autonomy to execute his own plans.”

“Crosshair’s going to be fine, Sarah,” Echo said through the comm. “You just wait for Omega to go get you. She’ll come through. Once we’re all back together we’ll figure something out.”

“Hang in there, darling,” Tech said. “We’ll be together soon.”

At that moment, the door to the room Sarah was laying in opened, and she felt three different pairs of feet approaching her. She thought she was done for, and that the Coruscant guard had finally made it to her, that she was going to be taken prisoner most likely to suffer a fate worse than just being in a cell, but the fear began to fade when a soft, small hand placed itself on Sarah’s shoulder.

“Sarah!” It was Omega who cried out and gently helped shift Sarah to look up. She was accompanied by two of Riyo’s bodyguards, and one of them had a first aid kid from where he retrieved a vial. He injected the liquid just behind Sarah’s hip, and though the sting of the needle did little to relieve Sarah, she felt the antidote spreading through her body and the mobility slowly returning. Not long after, she was finally able to relax, and her eyes drifted toward a worried Omega, who gently stroked Sarah’s hair.

“What happened?” Sarah asked. “Are you okay?”

Omega nodded, and a little tear slid down her cheek. “I’m okay. Are you?”

Sarah began to sniffle again as the two bodyguards helped her stand up, and as she panted, Sarah reached to clutch Omega’s shoulders.

“What happened? Where’s Riyo? Did you get the command log?” Sarah inquired.

“Yes,” Omega said. “And, well… Rampart was arrested.”

Sarah couldn’t help but feel relief, but the fact remained that his arrest didn’t mean he didn’t give the order before.

“So, the senate knows that Tipoca City was destroyed intentionally?” Sarah asked.

Omega nodded, but she reflected no sense of victory. “Yes, but… There were clones on that Venator, clones serving the Empire when it happened. It gave them leverage.”

“How?”

“The clone rights bill failed,” Omega looked at the ground as she spoke. “And the senate voted almost unanimously for stormtroopers.”

Sarah’s heart sank. Even in their success, they’d been faced with a surprise failure.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Omega said softly. “Tech contacted me while he was with you.”

Sarah nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, let’s go.”

*

As Riyo and Rex were filling the squad in on the outcome of the voting, Sarah sat silently in the Marauder. Her legs were pressed tight together and she held her hands over her thighs, and she was slightly hunched over in her posture, her eyes vacantly staring at a point on the ground. She’d let her hair down and removed the contacts from her eyes, and she constantly found herself looking at whatever reflecting surface she could just to make sure they were still their natural blue and pink starry hues.

Despite her evidently having tapped into her inner darkness, her ill premonition from the caves hadn’t yet come true. Sarah knew she had to be more careful. And as she continued to ponder on how easily she’d slipped into such an extreme, she felt her chest going cold and her head getting heavy, with her hands subtly beginning to shake.

Sarah straightened up when she heard someone climbing up the Marauder’s platform, and she sighed softly when she saw that it was Echo. Her features dropped at the sight of him.

“If you need me to stay, I will,” Echo told her. “But I’m telling you, I’m sure Crosshair’s going to be fine.”

Sarah got up from the chair and walked over to him. “I truly hope you’re right, Echo. And as much as I do want you to stay, I don’t want to stand in the way of your path.”

With a sad smile, Echo thanked her silently.

“How did Omega take it?” Sarah asked him.

“She’s upset, as we all expected,” Echo answered.

Sarah nodded slowly, and she inhaled sharply as a small realization made its way into her mind. “Actually… here, I want to show you something.”

Sarah went to the back of the ship and searched around the Firepuncher’s pack for the little hard drive she’d kept close to her for a while now. Never having found the ideal moment to sit down and watch its contents, Sarah knew that it was either now or an indefinite wait. She made her way back to Echo with the drive and she plugged it into one of the computers, selecting the first file on it.

“What is this?” Echo asked her.

“AZI gave me this,” Sarah said. “He said I’d want to see it because of who’s in the recording and, well… I think you’ll want to see this too.”

Sarah pressed play and, on the screen, the vivid image of a long lost loved one appeared. He was tall and handsome, smiling with the most charisma any living being could have, and he looked like the perfect soldier in his white, blue, and gray ARC trooper armor. He was staring right at the camera, chuckling just before standing up from where he was sitting.

“I’m telling you, she’s freaking amazing,” Fives said in the recording. “She’s got these cool markings over her face and her eyes look like galaxies. You’ll know her when you see her, you can’t miss her.”

“And is her name also a word play on a number?” AZI’s voice filled the recording. “Like yours, Fives?”

Fives chuckled. “No, no, her name’s much prettier. Her name’s Sarah.”

Sarah felt herself tearing up at the recording, but she wouldn’t bring herself to regret watching it. It was simply painful to see Fives so happy and to remember how she’d lost him, and inevitably, the fear began to creep into her heart again at the thought of losing Crosshair in a similar way.

“Oh, she’s coming!” Fives said in the recording. “Hey, were you filming this entire time?”

And the recording ended, taking them back to the file select among several other videos in the drive. Sarah and Echo stood for a moment in silence, each one smiling sadly and pondering on the past.

“Fives started this,” Echo broke the silence. “He discovered the inhibitor chips. I owe it to him to continue his legacy.”

Sarah nodded and looked at Echo through teary eyes. “He’d be so proud of you, you know that?”

Echo chuckled sadly. “Sarah, you’re gonna make me cry.”

Echo and Sarah faced each other and held hands, and Echo looked at her in the eyes with a gentle gaze.

“I’m not gone forever, alright?” Echo said. “You have my frequency and I’ll be there if you ever need me. That’s a promise.”

Sarah sniffled as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “We are too.”

The two pulled each other into a tight embrace, holding one another as if they’d never let go.

“You go and find him,” Echo suddenly whispered. “You find him and you bring him back.”

Sarah pulled apart from the hug enough to look at Echo. “Who?”

Echo gave her a jokingly disappointed look. “Jabba the Hutt. What do you mean, who?”

Sarah chuckled through her tears. “I thought…”

“He’s our brother and he’s been controlled and manipulated, much like that clone assassin, and every one of our brothers within imperial ranks,” Echo said. “He deserves his freedom as much as any one of us do. I’m gonna fight for all of us, Sarah. For Fives, for Cody, for Hevy, for Cutup, Droidbait, 99, everyone. Including Crosshair. But… something tells me you’ll see him before I do.”

Before Sarah openly wept, she threw her arms around Echo and held him tighter than ever. She sobbed into his armor, wishing time could stay still and she wouldn’t have to let go of another person she loved. But she couldn’t stay in that moment, and instead, she pulled apart to look at Echo in the eyes, and she willed her tears to stop for long enough to speak to him.

“I’m proud of you, Echo,” Sarah said. “We all are.”

Echo smiled at her. The two leaned in close and their foreheads rested on one another for a brief yet timeless moment, and after that, Echo walked down the Marauder’s platform. When Sarah was alone again, she browsed the files to keep her mind occupied, and she was doing alright until she stumbled upon one that sparked her distress all over again when she saw the identifying number.

CT-9904.

In a heartbeat, Sarah opened it. The recording wasn’t a heartwarming as Fives’ had; it was a silent recording of Crosshair sitting up on a bed in what appeared to be the Kaminoan medical facility. The recording had been taken before Bracca, as she could tell from his missing scar and his full head of silver hair; he’d been stripped of his armor and was merely in his blacks, and as he sat up, he looked tired, unwilling, unhappy. In silence, Crosshair had looked directly at AZI as he recorded him and spoke a few instructions to him, but while AZI talked, Crosshair remained with the same lack of spirit in his features.

Sarah felt as if he was staring directly at her, and she felt her inside world begin to crumble. She should have fought harder to remain at his side, she should never have parted from him. She should have done a better job keeping him safe, and now, there was no telling what was going to happen to him. She thought of Echo’s words, his encouragement to find Crosshair and bring him home, but what good would that do to either one of them if Rampart’s threat went through?

“I think he’ll be fine.”

Sarah flinched when she heard Hunter’s voice filling the Marauder, and she quickly stumbled to pause the recording. Hunter walked inside slowly, inevitably looking at the image of Crosshair on the screen, and when he looked back at Sarah, he held out Tech’s datapad for her.

“Senatorial logs,” Hunter continued. “They apparently have this system in the hallways where they monitor movements and record where their more important staff goes. According to these logs, after Rampart left you in the room, he returned to the senatorial chamber. He was never accompanied by any subordinates, nor did he send out any executive orders, communications, or similar, all the way up to his arrest. Everything he said, everyone he interacted with, is documented here.”

Sarah took the datapad and observed the heavily logged datasheet before looking back up at Hunter.

“This means…” Sarah trailed off.

“Rampart didn’t give the order,” Hunter gazed heavily at Sarah despite his comforting words. “He was arrested before he could.”

Sarah sighed sharply and she sat back on her chair, panting as she assimilated the facts.

“He’s safe,” Sarah whimpered just before looking up at Hunter again. “How did Tech find this?”

“He didn’t,” Hunter said. “I did.”

Sarah’s eyes widened slightly at such an unexpected revelation.

“I know how to hack a few things myself,” Hunter added as his features softened, though he still seemed mildly upset. “I just knew it would eat you inside. I heard how worried you were. I could feel it. And you’ve been through enough already.”

Sarah’s features softened as she clutched the datapad close. “Thank you.”

Hunter gave a soft smile at her before turning around and heading into the cockpit, and shortly after, the rest of the squad followed. The last one up was Omega, probably having lingered behind to say another goodbye to Echo. When she was on the ship and the platform closed behind her, she scanned the ship with her eyes until she found Sarah, and when Sarah looked at her, she opened her arms, inviting her in as her own eyes filled with tears again. Omega ran up to her and threw her arms around her, sniffling into her shoulder, and the two remained as such as the Marauder took off from Coruscant.

For the entire duration of the trip, Sarah and Omega remained close to one another, until they both eventually drifted off to sleep where the recent events couldn’t haunt them.

Thank you for reading! Please reblog to support me! Divider at the top made by stars-n-spice.

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NEXT CHAPTER ->

[merryfortune]

I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do

August 15th: Marriage | Sea Bathing/Beach | Crossover

Title: I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do

Ship: Sideshipping | Anzu/Shizuka

Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,191

Tags: Past/Referenced Child Abuse, Fluff and Angst, Hopeful Ending

   It was a little too late to have cold feet about it. 

   Not too late for a divorce, Shizuka reasoned, even though she and Anzu had only been officially married for all of what… two hours? The cake still had its knife in it in case anyone wanted to go for seconds after the bridal dance.

   Marriage was a big, bureaucratic thing. It also seemed like something well way off into a murky future tomorrow that would never actually become today but lo and behold. The bell now tolled for her and her lover, letting half the countryside know that she had become Mazaki Shizuka. 

   The thought filled her with bubbles for a while. Cheery, exciting bubbles of a happier future which was so faraway, it could never happen. Now it just filled her with bile. She felt like she could puke it all up and over her sparkly white shoes bought especially new for the occasion. She could taste everything at the back of her throat, the wedding cake, the main meal, yesterday’s breakfast, whilst she stared at the champagne slowly going flat in her glass. 

    “Are you okay?” Anzu asked. “Not feeling nervous for our big dance, are you?”

   “Oh, um, only a little.” Shizuka lied through her teeth.

   Anzu reached across the head table and placed her hand at the edge of it. She tapped the pristine tablecloth and coaxed Shizuka to place her hand atop of Anzu’s. That’s better. Anzu held her hand, stroked her skin. A tingle went down Shizuka’s spine as she listened to Anzu’s kind words that proceeded.

   “We’ve practised so much, you’ve done so well. We’re gonna stun.” Anzu encouraged her, entirely oblivious to the problems causing the obvious raincloud of Shizuka’s head.

   “Yayyy.” Shizuka weakly replied.

   That was true. Anzu’s words did spark joy - or at least the idea of it. Shizuka smiled sheepishly as she recalled all the effort that had gone into the wedding. The fraught discussions of if it should go ahead at all because of what Shizuka had witnessed as a child during her own parents’ marriage. It lingered but it didn’t lose her completely.

   She knew the sacrament and milestone meant the world of Anzu who was so full of so many dreams and Shizuka wanted to be one of them. So, she said yes with a heart in the right place and full of hope. The mania that followed was stressful but it was fun, too. She felt like the centre of not only Anzu’s world as her bride to be but the whole world’s.

   Shopkeepers bent over backwards for them as potential patrons since weddings meant an even bigger pricetag could be attached to their goods and services. The window shopping and actual shopping for an engagement ring. Cake testing and florist visiting. Dress shopping was the best and the worst, not a moment was spared in the pursuit of perfectly tailored glamour. 

   The result was that this was not a wedding that had happened overnight with little foresight or forward planning. It had been in the works for two years.

   Yet now, for all that preparation, Shizuka wanted to leave Anzu at the altar. Or she should have. She was regretting not doing that now but it would be a waste to spoil a good dress and a banquet and how much money it cost to hire venues and such.

   The sound of squeaky shoes on linoleum alerted Shizuka to the end of her reverie. Anzu looked up and over her shoulder, welcoming Katsuya back to the head table.

   “Hey girls, I mean, ladies,” he said as he held onto the back of Shizuka’s chair to say hi, “I just got done talking with the DJ, you two’s dance is queued up if you want to get ready. Powder your noses or something first.”

   “Thanks, Katsuya.” Anzu said and she glanced at Shizuka. “Do you need anything first?”

   “Er, nope, I’m good!” Shizuka chirped.

   Anzu gave her a big smile, the corners of her eyes crinkled with laugh lines and excitement. Shizuka’s stomach plummeted to the floor and she was taken by the hand, pulled along by Anzu to the centre of the stage. The lights around the dancefloor dimmed as they made their way to the middle of it. Their guests - only their nearest and dearest - whooped and hollered. 

   A wedding was a series of exciting events - the vows, the kiss, the cutting of the cake, and then of course the dance - but as the final one, this one had the most pressure on it to get right. Or wrong and be made a joke of for years to come. Shizuka hoped that it wouldn’t be the latter.

   She had the world’s best broadway dancer to guide her. She also had eight weeks of practice behind her with the world’s best broadway dancer and her favourite choreographer as well. In theory, she should be fine. Even with what felt like thousands of eyes on her, Shizuka took position with Anzu in front of her.

   Anzu’s hands were calm and steady amid the nerves. She was so effortless when it came to her passions, her talents. She worked hard and the rest, she just trusted in that hard work, that it wouldn’t be in vain but Shizuka wasn’t quite so free.

   “You ready?” Anzu asked, her voice a whisper.

   “As I’ll ever be.” Shizuka murmured. She so badly wanted to be sick.

   She had woken up this morning feeling like a princess. On top of the world. Now she felt like the pauper, or more accurately, the pauper who should have been inside of a pauper’s grave. She should have rolled over and pretended today was written off, that nothing of import was scheduled to happen.

   Their music started. Shizuka hazarded a smile. Those opening notes were so comforting and familiar. Even if they heralded the beginning of the choreography, there were so many things to remember and opportunities to make a mistake but this was their song. Or one of them, at least. It was light and silvery and reminded Shizuka of her and Anzu’s first night together in New York. It was Christmas and they went sleighing through the snow. Oh, it was magical.

   Holding onto that memory, with Anzu holding her hand through every motion, Shizuka allowed herself to re-enter her very own wedding. She was spun and twirled, dipped to and fro. Anzu took the “masculine” lead so she could show off her more masterful talents at dancing. She had the whole crowd proud with her moves. 

   Anzu looked so gorgeous as she danced a modernised version of the waltz. She was in her element, sparkling beneath her makeup and well coiffed hair. Her footwork was swift and delicate, the tule of her dress bounced in tune with the music and her movements. It was very clearly the happiest moment of her life.

   And for both herself and for Anzu, Shizuka couldn’t be happier and yet.

   She was still detached from it. Eaten away by her worries, merely going through the motions as though she were the doll inside of a ballerine’s jewellery box, turning on a screw. Not that she minded. The dance was simultaneously an eternity and not long enough as the music began to fade out. She had done it. She had survived dancing with Anzu to conclude the official matters of their wedding.

   It was a weight off. Literally. Shizuka’s shoulders no longer felt quite so sloped as Anzu changed how she held her wife around her waist.

   They paused long enough to take a vow. Katsuya’s voice was boisterous over all, he couldn’t be happier for his sister and his now sister-in-law. It embarrassed Shizuka.

   “Thank you muchly.” Anzu announced. “Please, feel free to enjoy more food, the music, let’s party until dawn!” She split into laughter.

   But Shizuka wasn’t.

   And that popped up on Anzu’s radar. Shizuka didn’t know if that was an “oh no” moment or a “finally” moment. Either way she felt guilty as Anzu readjusted herself. The music changed to more upbeat party songs to coax people onto the dancefloor. 

   “Hey, um, is everything okay?” Anzu asked quietly.

   She took Shizuka by her hands again, propping them up on Anzu’s shoulders and Shizuka let it happen. The distance between them, with Shizuka’s elbows locked, made them look like middle schoolers leaving a ruler’s worth between them. It was kind of silly. Especially as, together, they bopped along to a Top 40 favourite from twenty years ago. Shizuka stared at her feet though as they did so as she mulled over Anzu’s question. Anzu waiting patiently, not pressing it as they were in public and if Shizuka was close to a melt down, neither would want that as they were the centre of attention.

   “Well, um, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” Shizuka mumbled half way through the song.

   They drew in closer to one another. They were more romantically chest to chest whilst remaining appropriate for a wedding. Shizuka absorbed Anzu’s bodily warmth, deeply breathed in her pretty perfume and sighed.

   “I want a divorce.” Shizuka announced.

   Anzu snorted in disbelief, “What?”

   “Well, um, I’m… I’m worried. What if this isn’t such a good idea?” Shizuka rambled. “Like, this whole. Getting married thing.”

   Anzu’s expression softened. She had been ready to cop this as a joke but she could sense from Shizuka’s melancholy that this was really eating her up. Shizuka appreciated the shift as well. She licked her lips and was mindful of the heavy rhythm of how her heart was pounding in her chest.

   “I just remember being so scared of my father as a child.” Shizuka mumbled. “He was awful to me, to Katsuya-nii, and of course to our mother. He drank all our money away, pushed us around. I have no good memories of my parents’ marriage. I know I was so young and sickly but it was quite formative.”

   “Oh, Shizuka…” Anzu breathed, dripping with sympathy.

   She cuddled Shizuka closer. She rubbed Shizuka’s back and it made her arms twitch. They still danced. They slowed down, their footwork was clumsy and they were out of time with the music. To their friends and family, it looked like they were slow dancing. Not having a heart-to-heart as they whispered amongst themselves.

   “What if you start doing that?” Shizuka murmured, her brows furrowed. “What if you lose your job and blame me?”

   “I would never.” Anzu replied.

   “Do you really think I’m so awful?” Anzu asked, head tilted, trying not to be offended.

   “No, not at all!” Shizuka protested. “I think you're wonderful, the best woman in the world and I’m very fortunate to have you but…” Shizuka’s voice trailed off. Her tone of voice was frantic until it fizzled out. She took a breath. “Or, worse still, what if it's me? What if I wake up and start being horrible to you?”

   “Oh, Shizuka, you would never.” Anzu gasped, more offended at the idea of Shizuka turning abusive than her.

   “How do you know?” Shizuka argued, eyes watering. “What if I start drinking and start pushing you around?”

   “You wo-” Anzu stopped herself in her tracks and Shizuka cringed but looked up at her, studying her. Anzu took a deep breath and she nuzzled against Shizuka’s face.

   Shizuka requited the affection. Anzu’s face was soft but chalky with foundation and other makeup. 

   “You're right.” Anzu told her.

   “Huh?” Shizuka blinked.

   Anzu pulled back and shrugged, “I don’t know what will happen in the future. I don’t know what I’ll be like nor what you’ll be like. Anything can and will happens, I could get hit by a truck tomorrow-”

   “Don’t say that!” Shizuka interrupted.

   “That’s rich,” Anzu laughed, “but you get the point, right?”

   “Right…” Shizuka chewed on her reply.

   “Marriage is hard.” Anzu started again, reiterating. “We’ll probably fight, we’ll probably have really boring days and really busy days. We’ll have good ones and bad ones but we’ll make it work, I promise.”

   Shizuka smiled a small smile. The butterflies in her stomach were back but it felt oddly good. Not great but it was fuzzy and hopeful which was good enough for her to deem it, well, good. 

   “Thanks, Anzu,” Shizuka replied, “that… That I can believe. That we can do it, we can put the hard work in.”

   “I’m glad,” Anzu murmured and she leaned in, “but if there are days which are excruciating, which make you want to throw in the towel, there are steps we can take before we get to a point where… where we hurt ourselves or each other, you hear?”

   “I do.” Shizuka replied.

   She tilted her head up and she kissed Anzu on the lips.

   Her lipstick was glossy. Her breath had the tingle of champagne. Shizuka committed it all to memory and took Anzu’s words here more to heart than their actual vows that had been rehearsed many a time in the bathroom mirror. She kissed back and surrendered herself to the idea that perhaps marriage can be a dream of hers as well.

[forthencho-pacino]

i think Bungie, and by extension, Sony, should acquire Halo

Look, i've been an xbox stan my whole life. never got into console wars as such, but just preferred xbox, mainly because Halo. it practically held my hand and led me into the world of obscure sci-fi and sci-tech. and i heckin love the franchise. the lore, the games, ｓｏｍｅ of the media (didact damn thee, new tv series). and its because i love it that i think the franchise has a foot in the grave rn. we've seen so many people leave, so much hype gone to shit, so much of the player base just...gone.

i'm not gonna say that keeping this kind of a storyline going is easy. shit, i take a week to think up a half-decent daydream scenario. but after so much time, money, and manpower, the state of the franchise really should've been better than what it is. i'm pretty sure its just MCC and HW thats keeping it as alive as it is right now.

plus, i don't really think that microsoft acquiring activision is a good sign, either. this is a studio that has a history of stifling worldbuilding and employee freedom to get its games. heck, Bungie left activision to continue building Destiny 2, with one of the main reasons of the split being ''creative differences''.

game-wise, Halo was in its golden days with Bungie. i'm pretty sure all OG Halo players remember the Bungie opening to CE, their last message post Reach, and overall just how good the game was with them. agreed, the lore might have suffered a bit, but look at Destiny. its one of the most lore rich worlds that we have right now. so, clearly, they've gotten good with the worldbuilding.

HI might've had a good launch, but that was basically because of 2 things:

hey, its a new Halo game, ｌｅｚｚｇｏｏｏ

it takes place on one of the most important locations in the Halo-verse, Zeta

we've literally seen Bungie's rise to fame, as heckin Beyond Light became the console launch, not HI. i don't think i can comment on the player bases, because D2 is available on more platforms, but if you do a comparison of only Steam and xbox player bases of HI and D2, i'm pretty sure D2 will come on top (not gonna bring MCC into this because that's not something that was purely 343 and microsoft).

part of Halo's charm might be the platform exclusivity, but i'm pretty sure that the exclusivity doesn't count for shit if the franchise is practically dead. which honestly looks like a near future event for Halo. HI failed to deliver on multiple fronts, the TV series was practically a MAC shot into the franchise, and all the creative leads for the game leaving microsoft doesn't leave a lot of room for hope.

bungie taking their baby back has some chunky potential to boost the game back up. bungie gets something to work on after D2: Final Shape, Halo, comes into the arms of a team that has been doing pretty well in terms of game maintenance, story writing (ik Lightfall kinda sucked, but lets be honest, the general trend is still in Bungie's favour), and overall upkeep. not only that, the game gets access to an even bigger player base. and i'm pretty sure the worst case won't be all that different from what it already is.

a metric shit ton of people love the franchise, and i really think that most of us won't really mind Halo losing its ''Xbox exclusive'' tag, if it means the saga enters another golden age, which is something we all want to see.

[dragonleighs]

✨ Fic Writing Review 2023 ✨

I haven't actually been tagged by anyone but I saw @bereft-of-frogs give it a go and thought what the hell, why not (I hope you don't mind me tagging you 💜). I also don't have anyone in mind to tag but if you see this feel free to tag me (or not) and give it a go yourself!

Words and Fics

192,428 words posted according to ao3 but at least 90k of that has been carried over from previous years.

Broadly speaking, I've written for two fandoms. The Witcher (Netflix series and Blood Origin) and Jedi Fallen Order/Survivor.

14 fics posted, but again two of those were started in 2022 and another in 2020, all three finished in the beginning of this year.

13/14 of the fics posted/updated this year are finished, one started but on hiatus while my current jfo WIP continues to consume my brain.

Speaking of, said WIP is curently sitting at 132k and only has two or three chapters left before I can start editing.

most recent fic: It's only slaughter, we're only liars (jfo)

longest: that would be A Quest for your Memories (the Witcher), the fic that was haunting me from March 2020. Originally supposed to be a one shot, it ended up being 51,734 words long.

shortest: Echoes (blood origin, 1,118)

Top Fics by Kudos

A Quest for your Memories (794)

I'd Burn So Bright It Blinded (623)

What's The Point (440)

If You Ask Me For My Fire (299)

After The Blood Comes The River (211)

Unsurprisingly they're all witcher fics since it's a much much bigger fandom than jfo/s

Gonna give some love to my personal faves since the Jedi ones can't compete:

It's only slaughter, we're only liars

No more time for my loss

Touchdown

My fandom fic events in 2023

Whumptober which took up a lot of September but was a lot of fun. I enjoyed coming into it with a new fandom since I didn't bother last year.

Upcoming Events and Projects for 2024

My priority at the moment is to finish my current WIP and then start editing it. While I'm doing that I might try to finish off some of my older fics that have been left hanging.

After that I've already got a whole two part thing planned out that will hopefully be a litte shorter that I'm really looking forward to getting to. Beyond that, I don't know. I'll continue to tie up loose ends (there's a lot of them) or I'll keep writing new stuff. Either way, I don't see me stopping any time soon.

I've had a lot of fun writing this year, though for a couple of months I was worried I was running out of inspiration (mostly because my then current hyperfixation was waning). But then Jedi survivor came along and I've been hooked ever since. I didn't used to think I was capable of writing long fics but between finishing a couple of 50k's and now having such a long WIP I can see I was just being silly. "Do it scared" is good advice.

Happy new year!!

Rules & Tags* below the cut!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

*I usually do stuff like this on my sideblog but that's not where my main focus is any more and idk how many people know about my main. Hence why I don't want to start tagging fandom people. Also idk many people in the jfo/s fandom or who has already done it.

So no tags becasue I'm too shy basically and I don't see that changing any time soon sadly. I love being tagged, I'm just bad at reaching out first...

[apompkwrites]

the outland kingscholar || leona kingscholar

masterlist characters: n/a (reader-centric) genre: fluff(?) contains: more ocs, sort of a transition for the fic ig?, still tagged w/ leona because fic :D summary: with their identity now discovered, (name) is shown a glimpse of the villagers in mwezi miji. notes: finally i get to use the other two boys i've had prepared for this series!! anyway, probably gonna get around to officially drawing them if insp stays? anyway, expect a bit more oc content for the fic just because i have plans >:) parts: [og post] | [the lesser kingscholar (1)] | [the broken kingscholar (2)] | [the two kingscholars (2.5)] | [the runaway kingscholar (3)] | [the outland kingscholar (4)] | [the grown-up kingscholar (5)]

the moment that question left atiena's mouth, a chill ran down your spine. you were hoping, praying, that she wouldn't know. that no one would know. and yet here you were, alone in a dark room with no one but a stranger that knew who you were.

"i... uh... i don't--"

"no use trying to hide it," atiena chuckled, shaking her head. she leaned back in her chair and her wings spread out behind her, making her seem bigger than she was. "you're a lion beastman."

"so?" why did you say it like that? oh, great seven, have mercy...

"let's see..." atiena hummed, bringing her hand up to her chin. "to start with, you weren't from the dens. that much was obvious when my son had to explain the very concept to you."

you pursed your lips.

"and so that only left the kingscholar territory. because gods know that the others in the outlands wouldn't let in a lion beastman," she continued.

"but... how did you know i was a kingscholar?" you managed to mutter, your body beginning to tremble at the mere thought of what could happen.

will she send me back?

"i wouldn't have thought you were a kingscholar at first," atiena explained before standing up. she walked over to the wall and reached up, grabbing a paper that was hanging on a corkboard covered in other sheets. she sat back down in her chair and placed the poster on the table.

missing: prince/ss (name) kingscholar

"...ah."

"we don't normally get knews from the kingscholar territory, but the king seemed adamant on getting these out," she mused, her smile no longer seeming to reach her eyes. "they're worried about you. as a mother, i can tell just from this poster alone."

"...how?" you hissed, crossing your arms in a huff.

"...now i can't say for certain, but i think of it that way because of fast it got to us out here," atiena mutters, leaning forward. "see, on the rare occasion we do get news from the kingdom, it's usually already outdated. but this?" she taps the poster. "this is recent news."

"...because i'm a royal," you rolled your eyes, ignoring the twisting and clenching in your chest. "that's why."

"...maybe," atiena merely shrugs. "back to the topic, why are you out here?"

you don't know what compelled you to answer. perhaps it was a weird game the king of beasts was playing. or perhaps it was simply just a cruel twist of fate. but, in the end, it didn't matter what caused it.

"i ran away."

"well, i gathered that much, little cub," atiena laughed, this time a real, genuine laugh. "i asked why."

"...the people in the castle are... cruel."

and, as if atiena knew the true life you lived, she didn't push any further. she simply nodded and stood up, leaving you alone in the interrogation room with nothing but the poster with your name and face plastered on it.

it wasn't until light flooded the room that you tore your eyes away from the poster. you turned in your chair to see atiena, her head peeking through the doorway and her wings casting a large shadow inside.

"come on, little cub," she hummed, waving her hand. you lingered in the chair for a moment.

i don't want to go. what if she sends me back? what if... the elders are out there?

"don't keep us waiting," atiena smiled softly. her voice wasn't full of malice or annoyance, but rather understanding. "else nuru'll come running to drag you out."

and, once more, the door closed, leaving you in the dark with the poster. that dreaded poster.

r--iiiiiip

"there they are," atiena mused, her wings flapping behind her gently. nuru, who was previously running around, skidded to a halt and changed course towards you.

"finally! took ya' long enough!" nuru laughed as if he were greeting a lifelong friend. "c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

"huh, i... uh..." you stammered as nuru dragged you by the arm. you looked over their shoulder at atiena, who merely smiled and waved her hand as if bidding her children adieu. with no help from atiena, you turned your attention back to nuru, who continued to run through the village with you in tow. "where are we going?!"

"ma says you're gonna stay with us for now!" nuru beamed. with his back now turned to them, you could see little white wings poking out from his shirt. "ya gotta meet my friends!"

you didn't get another word out before nuru stopped. you bumped into his back as he knocked on the door in front of him.

"jabali! jabori!" he called, his small wings moving excitedly on his back. "open the door!"

"no!" another squeaky voice shouted from inside the house.

"wha-- why not?!" nuru huffed, crossing his arms. his wings now flipping on his back.

"didn't you hear? your mom brought an outsider here," the same voice whined.

"shush!" nuru hissed, his grip tightening on your arm. "jus' open the door, jabori!"

"what?!" the door finally slammed open. twins stood on the other side, one sporting a scowl while the other seemed to cower behind him.

freckles dusted their faces and shoulders, the speckles just barely visible on their dark skin. their brown hair was tipped with light cream, the curls nearly mixing with the dark brown ears that twitched on their heads. sa if in response to each other, your ears twitched a second before the twins' did.

"that's the outsider!" the second twin, the one that opened the door, growled. he leaned closer to nuru and whispered (still loud enough for you to hear), "what are you doing bringing them over here?!"

"'s fine," nuru grinned before pulling you forward. he motioned up and introduced, "they're from kingscholar territory! so 's not like they're a den dweller or anythin'."

"still!" the first twin whined, shuffling closer to his brother. "we don't know... anything about them, ru!"

"i'm right here," you finally grumbled, pulling your arm out of nuru's grasp. "at least tell me to go away if you're gonna talk about me."

just like them.

"then get outta here," the second twin huffed, waving his hand.

"no! they're stayin'!" nuru demanded, reaching back to grab onto you once more. "look, they're nice! ma said so!"

"did she?" the three children questioned in unison.

"mhm! mhm! she said to get them used to the village!" nuru grinned, turning to look over at you. "sorry about them! they're... really my only friends i trust."

"aw," the first twin smiled, only to be elbowed by his brother.

"look," the second twin sighed, "if... if you want us to get along, come back in the morning. it's, like, the end of your mom's shift, right? so it's like two in the morning or somethin' like that."

"...ah," nuru laughed nervously before nodding. "'s a promise, 'kay?"

"mhm," the twins hummed almost absentmindedly. and without a proper goodbye, they shut the door.

"that went well!" nuru grinned, prompting you to roll your eyes. you didn't say anything and nuru didn't seem to mind. all he did was hum to himself as he grabbed you by the hand, dragging you back the way you came through the cold, quiet streets of mwezi miji.

taglist: @brokenncrown @help-meplz @destinationdesignation @rainys-personal-garden @kalims @sxftiebee @luxaryllis @auld-a @the-dumber-scaramouche @ayra2452008 @tinywho-man @minteaspoon @kitty-chan33 @hornehlittleweeblet2 @letskeepitsimpleshallwe @atsuki-mitsuri @catgirlwannabe @miss-puregotti @havens-not-here @valka-230 @sacrificialwife1 @cherrykissesss890

[honeystwiggypeach]

Eddie and reader being called by the principal because his daughter got into a fight and when they get to school they realize that the fight was with Steve's son (it could be that Steve's son cut a part of her ponytail and she threw bottle of glue in his hair as revenge)

Just gonna try to send all the things that came to my mind everytime I think about them with kids 😭

Bestie I love this request so much!! Also pls do I literally love writing requests like i think I go feral when I get requests so pls send them also because they’re my favorites to write with kids and babies!(if you guys want me to write anything that’s not a part of a series pls specify bcs I’m just using these for my series😭)

Dad!Eddie x Mom!reader

dad!eddie masterlist!!

Tw- cursing, cutting hair?

Lucy was probably in third grade ish, by this point you and Eddie had taught her that if anyone ever fucked with her it was fine to rough them up a bit, with her going to school in Hawkins with lots of younger siblings and kids to the people who bullied you and Eddie in high school you expected it to be worse.

Today you’d put in two little pink bows on her curly little pigtails and she loves it so much.

Unfortunately for Lucille, Steve’s son did not like it so much.

Jack was in a pissy mood. Lydia had squashed his pet walking stick this morning and though she had apologized that didn’t change the fact that he’d have to look for another one, and poor Lucy had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time sat infront of him during their inside recess.

He’d reached into his bag moving slowly so she couldn’t see when he quickly snipped off a curl or two.

She wanted to cry and throw a tantrum when she’d turned around to notice her neighbor sitting there with one of her precious curls in his hand staring back up at her as he processes what he’d just done.

But before he can do that she’s yanked the scissors and cut an even bigger chunk from his hair.

Well that was right before they’d gotten into trouble.

Lucille is sat in the principals office pouting with her arms crossed over her chest as she waits for her parents to get here.

“Lucy?” You gasp looking at the missing chunk of hair that was so clearly visible.

You were hoping it wasn’t bad but when you’d snapped the small rubber bands both you and Eddie’s eyes widened, right across her forehead she was left with curly little bangs and seeing your faces just made her want to cry was it that bad?

But when you’d both seen Jacks new hair cut you decided maybe hers wasn’t so bad…

After a horribly long conversation with the principal you’d finally gone home and Lucille wanted to sob when Davie asked what happened to her hair.

You sat her down beside Eddie showing her how you trimmed her dads hair before she agreed to let you trim the bags properly and just settle for a hairstyle like her dad’s.

Let me know if there’s anything else you want to see because I love writing requests so much!!

Tags~ @miracleboysel @jessyballet @reticent-writer @bubbledtee @marishortcake @marrigold-2002 @griffinfinity @jvmisvu @eddiemunsonsfavbitch @ruinedbythehobbit @k-k0129 @lacunaanonymoused

[holycrimin]

It hurts to love.

Karl heisenberg x male!reader

Tags: Hanahaki and angst

SFW

(Note: In this au, none of the main events happen with ethan, as he is not in this story. Also SPOILER WARNING.)

(Warning: probably shitty plot, but i'm trying my best ok)

[Your pov]

It all started a year or two ago, when mother miranda had found me lurking around the village. As i was not a local, she deemed me suspicous. However, before she had the chance to kill me, She had a spark in her eye. As if she had an idea. And before i knew it she was using me as some sort of vessel for her daughter, Eva. Although i am a male, she had seen something special in me apparently. I had also found out that her daughter had passed away and she was determined to bring her back.

It failed.

The experiment... failed.

I was no longer deemed useful.

She had proposed me two options. become a servant or assistant to one of the lords, or die. A slow, and painful death.

Of course I chose to be an assistant.

She was kind enough to let me choose who to work for, thankfully.

Lady dimitrescu was very much intimidating. And from what I've heard, if you mess up even just a little while working for her, you will be sent to the dungeons. Never to be seen again. And she isnt really fond of men, so I wont be choosing her.

Next up was Donna Beneviento. She was nice, although her doll 'Angie' is a little... how do I say this... creepy. It doesnt help that i have a huge fear of mannequins and dolls, so I dont think i'll be choosing her anytime soon.

And then theres Salvatore Moreau, dont get me wrong he's a great guy but.. he might accidentally drown me. I might be overreacting, but the guy smells. Although, I feel bad that he's treated so poorly by the other Lords, but i think it's for the best if i stay away from him.

And.. i guess my only option left is Lord Heisenberg. I just hope that he wont be that much of a hassle, even if he IS kind of an asshole...

A day before i start working at the factory, Mother Miranda forced us to spend the day together. To 'get to know eachother' I assume.

Lord Heisenberg looked pissed off, he wasn't really fond of me. He was more pissed off at Mother miranda though. Most likely because he was forced to spend time with me. I quickly learned what he called the 'basics of him'. Basically, common facts. Such as, the fact that he can bend metal and his deep hatred for Mother Miranda. that was basically all that he told me.

The following day was my first day at the factory. As we were walking along the factory, he stopped in his tracks. "Listen pup, there's rules." He practically growled. "First of all, Don't touch my shit. Second of all, don't go around the factory without me knowing. And third of all, Don't try to get to know me, we're keeping a proffessional relationship, got it?" He said.

"Uh.. y-yes Lord Heisenberg." I very nervously stammered, lightly blushing at the nickname he gave me.

"Good, now let's get to work."

Present day

That was around a year or two ago, and while i have gotten closer to the other lords, i never managed to get to get close to Lord Heisenberg. And..

I'm an idiot who fell for him... And... I know he'll never feel the same way. I've tried getting his attention, impressing him, but... nothing's working. Every time i try to get close to him, wether it's emotionally or physically. I get pushed away, literally and figuratively.

It's my fault really. I fell inlove with a man who was emotionally closed off. His charisma, his voice, everything about him just makes me fall more and more inlove with him.

I know i wont have a chance, hell, i dont even know if he's into guys... Guess i really am an idiot, huh?

Later that day, Lord Heisenberg asked me to help him with something. I agreed of course, and during that time I tried to know him more. "Jesus christ, are you trying to get me to open up or something? Cause' that's not gonna happen, so give it up." He spat out, "a-ah... sorry Lord Heisenberg.." I stammered out.

A few minutes of silence pass. Suddenly, he grabbed my hands. "I- ugh.. Just- you're doing it wrong. Here, let me help." He said, while holding my hands 'teaching me how to do it right'.

Of course my face started heating up, the feeling of his slightly roughed up hands on mine... it feels nice. Although this is probably the only time i'll ever get close to him.

"Hey pet, you ok? Geez, you're practically as red as a tomato." He said, while still holding my hands. "Uh.. y-yeah..! Uhm... i.. i'm good.." i stuttered, feeling his breath on top of my head. He was bigger and taller than me after all.

"Well, whatever you say, pup." He shrugged as he continued his work. I got a little flustered on the nickname, i never got used to that..

After, he went and ordered me to get supplies fron the duke.

As i was walking along the pathway to the duke, a few lycans were following me. They didnt seem to be attacking, so i just left them alone. However when i reached the duke, the lycans were gone. How strange.

"Well well well, if it isn't Heisenbergs pet! What brings you here, young man?" He says, with a shit eating grin. "Ah.. well, i'm just here for some supplies is al-" i was then cut off with a series of coughs, "Oh my, are you alright?" said the duke, genuinely concerned. "O-oh i'm fine i ju-" i was then cut off by another series of coughs, but just when i stopped, a small white flower petal came out of my mouth.

"Oh dear, i hope this isn't what i think it is... Are you sure you are alright?" Asked the duke. "I.. i dont know," i pause and look at the small flower petal in my hand. "do you know what's happening..?" I questioned him, very much confused. "It may be something called the 'Hanahaki disease'. It was said to just be an urban legend. Where, if you were suffering from unrequited love, you would begin to cough up flower petals." He explained. "I didnt think it was real.." he muttered to himself.

"..." i was silent as i stared in shock and horror, I'm.. coughing up flowers..? Like actual, real flowers...?

From.. unrequited love.... i should've known, i... i should've known that he would never feel the same way.

How could i be so stupid, to think he would fall for a mere mortal like me. Or atleast.. i think i'm mortal. "Well," the duke spoke up, "luckily there are two ways you can get rid of the sickness." My eyes lit up, "the person you like, either loves you back," he continued "or, you can get surgery. Not only will it remove the flowers, it also removes all of your feelings for this particullar person permanently."

"Th-that's great! I can finally get this 'hanahaki' disease while also getting rid of my feelings for him-!"

"Him?" The duke asked as he cut me off, "do you mean Lord Heisenberg?"

"Uh-" as i think about him, i start coughing again. This time, blood was spilling over. And so were many petals. "Oh dear.. so just the mere thought of him triggers it..?" He said, concerned. "Uh... i'll just... take the supplies. Thank you though, duke."

"No problem, stay safe. But remember, the longer you wait around with the flowers still inside you, the worse your state will become." He informs me,

"I'll try to get the surgery as fast as possible duke." I said, waving him goodbye.

As soon as i walked out, those same lycans followed me all the way back to the factory. Strange isn't it? Anyway, when you finally arrived at the factory, supplies in hand, I hear Lord Heisenberg open up the door.

"Here, let me help you with those." He says as he starts taking some of the bags.

"...Why are you being so nice all of a su-sudden?" I stammer as i try to hold in a cough. "Would you rather not have me nice, pup?" he growled. As i opened my mouth to speak, i was interrupted but a fit of coughs. Blood spilt out as did the petals. Heisenberg didn't seem to notice as he was already far ahead.

I try to cover it up as much as i can as i try to catch up with him. "Jeez.. Finally, you caught up-" he cut himself off. "Why is there blood on your face?" He said, slightly concerned. I froze. "Uh.." that was all i could say. "Whatever.." he said as he wiped the blood away from my face. A faint blush spread accross my cheeks.

I excused myself to the bathroom as i felt another fit of coughs. More blood splattered out as well as more petals. God it hurts. I heard a knock on the door. "Hey pet, you've been there a while, you sure you're alright?" He said

"Uh- yeah, i-i'm fine..!" I said, trying to hold in my coughs. "Well just make it quick, we have work to do." "Yes sir..!" I reply back quickly, not wanting to upset him. I quickly cleaned myself up and walked out of the bathroom. "Took you long enough." He sighed, annoyed. He went ahead and grabbed his hammer, dragging it along the metal floors. It was loud enough for him to not hear you cough up more petals.

~later that week~

My condition kept getting worse and worse, to the point i was barely able to breath. I've consulted the duke, however nothing seemed to work. No matter how much medicine, herbs or other medicinal items i jammed into my body, it just won't go away.

I was asked to come over Lady Dimitrescus castle, i'm not exactly sure why. Maybe she heard of this 'hanahaki' disease?

As i make my way to the castle, lycans started to follow me. Even more than before, why was this happening?

I finally arrive at the castle, the lycans seem to be watching me very carefully. I hear the doors open, and out came a tall lady. "Ah, Y/N! I'm glad you came! Come in." She said, holding the door open for me.

I walked in and was immediately tackled with a hug. "Uncle Y/N! You came!" Exclamed Daniela, one of Lady Dimitrescus daughters. "Oh, uh... hello Daniela." I say, hugging back. I never imagined them to warm up to me. "Now now Daniela, me and your Uncle Y/N have something to discuss."

"Aww man... well, i'll see you around Uncle Y/N!" She waved goodbye to me. "I'll see you around, Daniela." I say as i wave back. As soon as her footsteps were no longer in range, i spoke up. "So.. what did you want to talk about..?" I carefully asked the tall woman, not wanting to be sliced to bits. "Well, as i said before, the duke has informed me of something related to your wellbeing."

"So... you've heard about this.. 'hanahaki' disease, i assume...?" I say as i tense up even more. "The duke told me about it, and when i asked why he was informing me about this, he simply stated it had something to do with you. So tell me, do you have it?" She asked me with a concerned expression.

"W-well.. I-.." i say, sighing. "Yes, as far as i know." I reply, not wanting to lie to her. "As much as i dislike that wretched man, Heisenberg, i must ask, is he the object of your affection?" I froze. "Well... uh-" i cut myself off as i break into a fit of coughs growing more and more violent than the last. "Oh dear- MAIDS!" She called out, panicking, as blood and petals fall out of my mouth. She patted my back as i continue to cough. "So... it is Heisenberg.. I am terribly sorry Y/N i did not know this would happen.." she said, apologetically.

"I-it's alright-" i break into another fit of coughs. But instead of petals, this time, there were fully grown flowers. "i.. i can't b-breath.." i say almost blacking out. The last thing i see and hear are the maids, Lady Dimitrescu shouting to get the duke, and the door opening to reveal... Lord Heisenberg..? "Goddammit, out of my way-!" Was the last thing i heard before blacking out.

•

•

°

.

.....

I woke up to the duke. I sat upright, "what... happ-" i was then cut off by the duke. "You're awake! Honestly, i.. didnt know if you would wake up.." he said sadly. "Thankfully, i was able to patch you up just fine. And after days and hours of research, i finally found an alternative to your hanahaki!" The duke said, switching from a sad, to a cheerful mood.

My eyes light up, "W-wait, really!?" I said as a smile creeps up on my face. The duke gives me a small bottle, "Here, take this. Free of charge!" He said as he smiles brightly. "Now, you should drink it as soon as possible. Lord Heisenberg is waiting for you outside."

"I will, thank you duke!" I said as i waved him goodbye. As I walked to the gates, I take the small bottle and drink it. Within seconds, the flowers were gone. I could finally breath again!

Walking out with a small smile, I saw Lord Heisenberg. "Oh, hey-!.. uh.. i mean, hey. You're awake, lets... get back to the factory..." he stammered out.

..

Was it just me, or were there tears on his face..?

The walk to the factory was silent, but as we walk up to the factory gates, he stops dead in his tracks. "Before we go in, I just uh.. wanted to let you know that the duke let me know about how you really felt about me." He said. "And.. after a long time of thinking about it.." he cuts himself off as his cheeks turn red,

"...I like you too." He confesses.

But,

I don't feel any different.

I don't have butterflies in my stomach.

I don't even feel my face heating up.

It was like...

I was never inlove with him in the first place.

"I... I'm sorry, Lord Heisenberg... but.. I dont feel the same way anymore. I think... it was that small bottle the duke gave me, but.. I am sorry, i don't feel the same way." "W-wait.. you're.. you're joking, right...?" I watch as his expression goes from flustered to heartbreak. "..." i grow silent.

"Let's... let's get inside... we'll catch a cold if we don't." I say, opening the doors to the factory, not wanting the situation to get more awkward. "...Y... yeah... just, gimme a minute.." he says as his voice was slightly shaking. "Alright.. just... please be quick, you'll get a cold." I said, walking in and closing the door on him.

[Heisenbergs pov]

"I... I'm sorry, Lord Heisenberg... but.. I dont feel the same way anymore. I think... it was that small bottle the duke gave me, but.. I am sorry, i don't feel the same way."

"W-wait.. you're.. you're joking, right...?" I say with my voice slightly shaking. Dammit.. god... fucking...

DAMMIT...!

Just when i thought i finally found the love of my life, he's stripped away from me.

"..." he was silent.

I could feel the heartbreak slowly filling me up.

"Let's... let's get inside... we'll catch a cold if we don't."

"...Y... yeah... just, gimme a minute.." i stammer while i try not to break down infront of him.

"Alright.. just... please be quick, you'll get a cold." He says, as he walks in and shuts the door. Heh.. it's cute how he still worries about me when..

Nevermind.

I need some time to thi-

My thoughts were interrupted when i started to violently cough. What i didn't expect though...

Was a flower petal.

"..."

"Heh..."

"So this is what he felt." I said, as i look at the bloody flower petal in my hand.

[hercleverboy]

the comfort of rain

spencer reid x reader

summary ↠ spencer reid is her soulmate, isn’t he?

category ↠ angst

warnings/includes ↠ heartbreak, unrequited love

word count ↠ 1.6k

“Do not bother holding on to that thing that does not want you. You cannot make it stay.” — Rupi Kaur

Spencer Reid was her soulmate.

She was sure of it. The pair had been inseparable since she’d started working with the BAU four years prior, practically joined at the hip, never one without the other. 

He’d never fail to bring her breakfast on days filled with paperwork, when he knew she’d barely slept and craved nothing more than a banana muffin from the bakery down the road. He simply placed it on her desk with a warm smile, receiving a thankful one from her in return. 

Such a small gesture, but it meant the world to her. 

He would press little kisses to the crown of her head after they arrested an unsub, a small act of thankfulness that she was ultimately unharmed. An appreciation that she was okay, safe. 

For all intents and purposes, they were only best friends. Though she’d been helplessly in love with him for years, and she had an inkling he felt the same. She didn’t want to make assumptions, but then again she was the only person he ever really got up close and personal with. Sure, he’d hug the other team members too occasionally, but she didn’t see him holding Emily or JJ’s hands on the jet home after a case that ended badly. He didn’t give them countless book recommendations, or spend his evenings watching TV shows that she was in love with just so they’d have something else to talk about.

He always offered her his coat when it was cold, or when the rain began to fall heavily and she was only in her shirt and jeans (despite how he’d commented, as he looked up at the sky, that it was likely going to rain based on the colour of the clouds. She never listened to him.) 

One of his most treasured memories is the time they were hanging out at his place on a rare Saturday that they didn’t have to go into work for a case. They were watching some eight-part crime series on Netflix that she’d finally convinced him to watch with her, after her complaining about needing someone to talk about it with. The loud clap of thunder cracked through the sky, making her jump up from his couch in excitement, looking out the window as rain began to fall heavily from the grey clouds above. She looked out silently as the rain pattered, watching how people on the street below rushed to find shelter from the unexpected downpour. 

Spencer frowned, coming to stand behind her. 

“I love the rain.” She commented, noting his presence behind her. 

His frown deepened. “Why? It’s cold and wet and- gross.” 

She chuckled quietly at his comment. “You’re not wrong there, but I meant more that I love watching the rain. I like the way it sounds. The way it smells. It reminds me that I’m alive. It’s comforting.”

It was quiet for a little, the sound of the rain pinging harshly against the window. 

“Pluviophile.”

She turned back to him, speaking softly. “What?”

“Pluviophile. It refers to a person who loves the sound of the rain. They often find a sense of joy or peace of mind during rainy days.”

She bit her lip to stifle her smile and turned back to the window, giving him a simple nod in return.  She was always somehow surprised by his never-ending plethora of knowledge.

They stood and watched the downpour together in a comfortable silence.

Spencer supposed the rain wasn’t so bad, after that.

In the recent weeks, she found herself wanting so badly to confess her feelings, but as every friends to lovers story goes- she feared rejection. She feared him leaving. And she’d certainly rather love him from afar than confess her feelings and risk losing him.

He’d managed to embed himself so deeply in her heart that she was sure there could never be anyone else for her.

She was mesmerised by him. Compelled by every word that left his mouth, enthralled by all his random knowledge and infinite number of stories he’d committed to his memory. When they sat on his couch watching Doctor Who, she’d gladly listen to any time travel related ranting he wanted to get off of his chest, without any interruptions or eye rolls. (She could listen to him talk forever.)

She’d often fall asleep on his shoulder, and he’d smile down gently at his best friend, a woman he cared so deeply for. 

She stuck by him throughout everything, and she never sugar-coated things. If she thought he was being petty or overreacting slightly in a situation she was the first to bring it up, to call him out. And he’d listen, too, because he trusted her more than anyone and it’s likely she was right about it. She took care of him, in a way that no one ever had before. It was unspoken between them that they’d essentially die for one another, two souls destined to be one another’s everything. 

When he confided in her one night that he was afraid that he should’ve amounted to more, she was quick to soothe his worries. She held him as he sniffled into her shoulder, with hushed reassurances that he was already doing incredible things, and that his work was making the world a safer place, one case at a time.

She was particularly close to JJ, the woman who had become like a sister to her. She told JJ of her feelings for Spencer, and the blonde had just smiled at her in response, as if it had been obvious. 

“You should go for it.”

“Really? You think so?”

“Think so? I know so. We’ve all seen the way he looks at you. You mean everything to him.”

That conversation was the final push she needed to decide that it was time to come clean about her feelings.

With the nervous pit in her stomach being overwhelmed by the excitement she felt, she tried to clear her thoughts. She could only hope this went well. She was meant to meet Spencer at his place for the evening, and so knocked gently on the door when she arrived, taking deep breaths to prepare herself.

The door swung open, Spencer flashing her a smile when he saw her. “Hey! I’m glad you’re here, I have something to tell you.”

She grinned, making her way past him into the apartment. “Oh god, what did you do this time? Did you misplace your phone again?” She joked, sliding off her jacket.

Spencer shook his head, biting his lip to supress his smile. 

“Okay. Then what is it?” 

He smiled then, and it was a smile she’d hadn’t seen him wear before. One that was so much bigger than the rest, one that reached his eyes and made them glimmer with hope and glee.

“I- um. I met someone.”

and just like that, her face dropped. 

“Her name is Maeve, she’s a Geneticist. We’ve been talking over the phone for about a month now. I know what you’re going to say, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I just wanted to see if it was going to go anywhere-“

Her ears stopped tuning in to what he was saying. She could only hear the pounding of her heart filling her ears, tears burning her eyes as she tried her best to keep them at bay. That’s the smile he’d had, the one she couldn’t quite place at first. She recognised it now. The realisation hit her like a train. 

Lovesick.

Spencer had stopped talking, looking at her with concern. “Are you okay?”

She snapped her head up to meet his eyes.

No, I’m not okay. I’m in love with you.

Is what she wanted to say. 

Instead- 

“Sorry, Spencer. I think I’m gonna have to take a rain check tonight. I’m feeling a little sick, so I think I’m just going to head home.” 

“Oh, are you sure? You can always stick around here for a bit, I could take care of you. You know, technically I am a doctor.” He grinned, attempting a joke.

She didn’t laugh, but gave him her best fake smile, one she could only hope he didn’t read too much into. She hoped he couldn’t see the tell-tale profiler signs of devastation on her features that she was so desperately trying to hide. 

If he did notice, he said nothing about it. 

She shook her head. It was taking everything in her to hold herself together, but she’d be damned if she ruined his happiness because of her own pitiful feelings.

She remembered the smile, his beautiful, lovesick smile. It was for Maeve, not her. It made her heart ache in a way that felt like it was trying to claw its way out of her chest. 

“It’s okay. I’ll uh- I’ll text you later.” She mumbled, grabbing her coat before leaving the apartment, leaving a confused Spencer behind. 

However, all was forgotten when his phone started buzzing, Maeve’s name flashing across the screen. He smiled.

Outside in the car park, she sat in her car as the thunder cracked above her, the treacherous rain coming down in harsh hits against her windshield.

She found herself grateful for the rain in that moment, as the dam holding her emotions back broke, tears flooding down her cold, pink-tinted cheeks.

She placed her head in her hands and began to sob, her uneven breaths and heartbroken cries being slightly muffled by the patters of the rain hitting the gravel outside.

She felt comforted by the sound.

It was as though the sky was crying with her.

Yes, Spencer Reid was her soulmate.

But she just wasn’t his.

Tag list - @beyonces-breastmilk @pinkdiamond1016 @itsmyblogandillreblogifiwantto @thelovelyrose @averyhotchner @cynbx

[stutterfly]

Love Bytes 09 |  Trivia: 01001100 | KNJ (M)

Last time on Love Bytes 08: After a night that left your head spinning, your best friend confessed his feelings for you. Now that you’ve admitted the same, everything is different.... but is it?

Rating: M (Explicit 18+)

Word Count: 17K

Series: Love Bytes (9/9)

Genre: Friends to lovers, IDIOTS to LOVERS, fluff, humor, slow burn, friendship feels, angst, pining, sexual tension, SMUT, Bestfriends!au, CollegeProjessor!Namjoon, IT/Nerd!Reader

CW& Other Tags: corny humor, nipple play, an absurd amount of kissing, dirty talk, grinding, fingering, hair pulling, sexual instruction, let’s play just the tip, cunnilingus, blowjob, protected sex, sexual roleplay, unprotected sex, adoring boyfriendJoonie, suave Joonie, supportive friendships, love talk, dorks in love

Pairings: Namjoon x Reader, brot7

Posted January 2021 by stutterfly & cross-posted to ao3. Do not repost.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

You’ve crossed the line you’ve been so afraid of only to discover there really isn’t anything to fear at all. Namjoon has already made you a totally non-burnt breakfast and told you about the success of his student following the release of the poetry program. When he brings up the poem he wrote as an example, you beg him to read it for you.

He apologizes again for that day when you clicked on the document containing the draft, with dozens and dozens of half-thoughts and scribbled words placed within. He wasn't ready to show you then. He settles on the couch and opens his laptop. You look over his shoulder as he clicks a vaguely familiar document labeled: Trivia_L_Final. Unable to sate your curiosity, your eyes scan through the first few lines but he quickly flips the screen down.

“Patience."

"Ugh," you complain. "But you said I could see."

"I said I was gonna share," he clarifies with a snort. "That doesn't mean I want your speed-reading ass going through it at lightspeed without understanding any of it."

"Fair." You cross your arms but stare at him expectantly, trying your best to be patient.

“Is this love?”

He pauses to spare a glance up from the screen and freezes when his eyes meet yours. Even after everything you’ve shared he still finds himself sweating through the thin tank top he’s put on. Although he’s sure he’s masked his apprehension behind a wall of stone, all it takes is your soft, reassuring smile to break through. A wave of serenity quickly douses the anxiety. It crashes against his wall, and erodes its harsh edges until all that’s left is a familiar longing to kiss your lips.

“Is this love?” he repeats with emphasis. “Sometimes I know. Sometimes I don’t.”

He can’t stop grinning at the way your smitten gaze matches his own. It’s a difficult decision, but ultimately he chooses to ignore the urge to pull you in for the hundredth kiss of the morning and continues on instead. You sit and listen, hanging on every word you know was painstakingly thought out and written for you.

You're my person. You're my desire. You're my pride.

You're my love. One and only love.

The closing words are left echoing in your head. It’s so easy for you to forget that Namjoon is as smart as he is. Right now you feel too stupid to respond. Nothing can possibly match the perfection of his poem.

“Please say something.” He quickly closes his laptop and sets it aside. “Actually, wait, don't. It was too much wasn’t it?” He reaches over and places a large palm over your forehead and begins lightly rubbing. “Delete it from your brain.”

A laugh bubbles from your throat. “What are you doing?”

“Wiping your hard drive.”

His response has you cackling. Did he really just make such a lame joke all on his own? You grab his wrist and pull him close while a big cheesy grin graces your features. “I think I’m rubbing off on you.”

He groans as he leans in and pauses before kissing you. “You are.”

His hand gently cups the back of your neck as he slips his tongue inside your mouth. You lose yourself to the rhythm of your tongues rolling across one another, hungry to keep tasting and feeling. It takes every ounce of self control you have to pull away long enough to breathe out a compliment.

“You’re incredible. Your poem is so good.”

“I had a good muse.” He smiles and moves in for another kiss but you press a finger to his lips.

“I mean it. I love what you wrote. I don’t think anyone’s ever written anything so beautiful with me in mind.”

To spare himself from the embarrassment tingling in his belly, he presses his lips to the pad of your finger with a few light, teasing kisses before moving to repeat the motion against your neck. Goosebumps immediately prickle at your flesh and you can’t help the way your hands travel along the warmth of his body, seeking to consume his heat to assuage the chill in yours.

“You make it easy,” he mumbles, kissing a line up to your ear.

“Do I? I thought I made it harder.” Your smile grows impossibly bigger as you reach down to palm him through his basketball shorts and find exactly what you’d been hoping to.

A breathy sigh warms the shell of your ear. “Fuck. You know you do.” He drags the lobe through his teeth and exhales another sigh at the way you tease his shaft. “Wanna practice?”

He whispers the words against your ear like they’re some secret he’s almost too shy to reveal and you deliver your response with equal timidity. “Please?”

Warm fingers press into the skin at your stomach and travel upward. The action disregards the flimsy white fabric of your borrowed shirt, which slides up with the rising of his arm. You think he's about to cup your breast when he suddenly changes direction and slides his fingers around your ribs to tickle you.

"Na-Namjoon!"

You're a little offended that he would do you dirty like this when you basically just begged him to fuck you for the second time today. But, if you're being honest you're also incredibly grateful. He knows how to take the nerves out of everything with such ease that you almost forget how new this aspect of your relationship is.

You grab at his hand, effectively pulling him down into a kiss brimming with laughter between the pair of you. When you try to retaliate he grabs your wrists to keep your cold fingers at bay. As his tongue dips into your mouth again, he slowly guides your hands above your head. You shift beneath him, spreading your legs so he can slot a knee between them and get even closer. It feels like it's always been this way. Nothing's going to change. This is just you guys. It's always been you guys.

At the heart of your friendship, it's always been about you being dorks together and having each other's backs. You'd never considered the possibility of adding even more physicality to it before but now you don't want to imagine life without it because it feels so fucking good. It feels so fucking right.

Instead of bearing his weight down on you, he drags your bottom lip through his teeth and lets it snap back. He hums a satisfied sound as he rises, pulling you to your feet with him. Your head feels light and for a moment it feels like you might float away, but his arms are strong and they ground you in a tight embrace. He begins walking you backwards and peppers your neck with light kisses.

“Trying to get me back into your bed, huh?” you tease.

He brushes his nose against your neck and inhales deeply, taking in your scent before expelling an airy, audible sigh. “Ah… You see right through me. I mean we could do it on the couch if you prefer. I just thought it might be a little more comfortable, you know, somewhere where I can lay you down so you don’t get a leg cramp or anything.”

You can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of his statement. “How considerate.”

“Yeah, you know, ‘cause I plan on being between your legs as long as it takes.”

“Oh?” You feign ignorance. As he spins you towards him you’re glad he’s holding you steady because it feels like you’re about to faint. “As long as it takes for what?”

The tone of his voice drops low as he leans against your ear. “To make you cum.”

You stiffen in his embrace, frozen by interwoven fears of inability and inadequacy.

“Is that okay?” he asks, guiding your stiff form towards the bed.

The large, borrowed t-shirt bunches up around your thighs as you sit on the edge. It seems like every few days he’s telling himself he’s never seen you look so beautiful. Maybe you’re really to blame for the increased frequency. Now you’re looking at him in a similar light to the way he’s always seen you, and it’s added a new layer to everything.

“Yeah.” You nod, pausing to chew on your lip. “Just… don’t expect too much, okay?”

“Hey, no pressure. I promise. I just want to make you feel good.”

You pull him into a kiss before wiggling backwards up the bed. He follows your lead, slotting a knee between your legs as he climbs over you in an attempt to chase your lips.

“You do make me feel good. All the time.”

He assails your neck with kisses until he’s hovering above your lips. “Really good, though. Like right now. Right here.”

He takes a moment to meet your eyes as he ghosts his fingertips over your stomach, traveling down towards your mound. Almost as if he second guesses himself he stops and moves his hand back up to rest just above your navel.

“Can I try again?”

An embarrassed smile creeps across your face. “You really want to, huh?”

“Of course.” He pauses and his voice drops to a low whisper. “Will you show me how you like it?”

Your palms slide up your cheeks until your fingers cover your eyes. You purse your lips and try to keep your brain from short-circuiting. “Joooon.”

“What?” He shakes his head and offers a small laugh. “Why are you so shy now?”

“Because,” you murmur.

“Because...?” he prods when you leave the explanation unsaid.

“I’m embarrassed.” The words tumble out in a whisper but he seems to catch them regardless.

Hot, sweaty palms encircle your wrists and push them aside. It doesn’t take much effort to separate your hands from your face and when he does he slides his hands up to meet yours. In perfect sync, the pair of you weave your fingers together like you have a thousand times before.

The truth is that you want him. You want him so badly that your cheeks are on fire and all you can hear is your heartbeat in your ears. Despite seeing his mouth in motion, every nerve ending in your body is preparing for his touch. Anticipation overrides every other command in the forefront of your mind as your knuckles press into the pillows beside your head.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he whispers, planting a kiss on your cheek. “Your body is perfect. I could spend all day exploring it, exploring you. I wanna learn what feels good for you. Teach me. Teach me how to make you cum.”

In a stupor you blink slowly and gape at him in wonder, offering a tiny wordless nod. You’re not sure if you’ll be able to instruct him with much success. It’s not like you’re a teacher in any sense of the word and it’s definitely not something you’ve ever tried to talk through with a partner. But his eyes seem to sparkle in the dim light and the sight floods you with the determination to try, even if you don’t know how to begin.

Luckily Namjoon has an idea to assist with comfortability. He carefully positions himself beside you and runs his fingers down your chest, basking in the sight of your areola, which are perfectly visible through the faded fabric.

“You look so hot in my shirt.”

Your ears flush with heat at the compliment. Massaging light circles around the nipple he’s chosen to tease, he watches in wonder as it grows rigid. He experiments, alternating featherlight touches with a tiny pinch between his fingers.

“Do you like this?”

Words seem to escape you at the moment so you nod and mirror his actions on your other nipple. The barrier between his fingers frustrates your growing desire for skin on skin contact. You slowly hike up the shirt past your stomach to expose your breast. His eyes widen and guiltily dart away.

You pull the shirt back down abruptly and sit up with hot embers of embarrassment heating your cheeks. Maybe he's having second thoughts now that he's seeing you up close again. Before your mind can spiral too far he places his hand over yours.

"Sorry. It's not that. I just— Promise me you won't ask me to forget? I want to remember how you look, how you feel, how you taste.”

Relief cools the fire in your face and you half-heartedly chuckle as you climb over his lap. Cupping the side of his face, he Instinctively he leans into your touch.

"Joonie, I don’t think I could ever do that now. There's not a single restore point we could go back to, and I don't want there to be. I never want to pretend like I don't love you with my whole heart ever again. Because the moment you kissed me it's like this weight lifted from my shoulders. Everything I'd been locking away in my heart finally broke free. And it felt… incredible. It felt right. There's not a doubt in my mind. You're my person. You're my light. You're my pride."

"My one and only love," he adds with a kiss to your palm.

You smile and nod, pushing down the tears threatening to spill out of your eyes with a joke. "Are you gonna change your mind now?"

"Wouldn't dream of it." He smiles at you softly, watching you struggle to regain your composure as you sit back on his abdomen.

"Good. 'Cause it's like a totally binding thing now."

"Oh, okay," he laughs and lifts himself with his elbows to get a better look at you. "You gonna type up those terms and conditions for me? I'll sign, Geeksquad. Get me those papers."

"Yeah, yeah. Let me write a draft right now.” You press him back against the bed and lean over his chest, splaying your fingers out for a moment before pretending they're tapping away at a keyboard.

"Under this agreement, I, Y/N, agree to the following conditions..."

"God, you're a dork."

"We have fun. We have lots of…" you stop to giggle and wiggle your eyebrows, "you know, sex when we both want it."

He rolls his eyes but he's smiling so big his cheeks hurt. "You're so corny and I'm here for it."

"And…" you pause and meet his eyes as you fake-type the next condition. "We don't ever feel bad about loving each other. I'm in love with you and I don't want to waste another minute of my life acting like I feel any other way."

He looks down at his chest. Your fingers have stopped moving. "Is all that going in the, uh, love contract? It's a binding thing, you know."

"Yes, yes," you agree, pretending to catch up on typing. "If something doesn't work, we will talk about it. Deal?"

He doesn’t even stop to think about it before he answers, looking down at your fingers like they'll show him an invisible dotted line. "Okay where do I sign?”

"See I'm typing on your heart because that's how this works. So..."

You bite your lip and lift your shirt over your head, watching his eyes struggle to stay focused on your face. You really don't deserve him.

"You type and sign right here." Your fingers lure his gaze down to the valley between your breasts and then slightly to the left. "Right on my heart.”

He ghosts his fingers over the area you’ve pointed to and licks his lips, trying to hide his smirk. “Actually your heart is a little bit lower and a little bit…” He massages his fingers against your breast. “Here.”

“Hmm. Educational and strategic. What a combo.”

"Do I gotta type the whole thing up before I sign?"

You roll your eyes. "Depends. You gonna type as shitty as you usually do?"

He tongues his cheek as he starts tapping away at your breast with his two pointer fingers. It’s too true to reality. “Under this agreement I, Kim Namjoon--”

“Nevermind this is taking too long,” you complain, wiggling over his lap. He quickly drums his fingers over your chest. “--Agree to everything you just said. Signed... Namjoon...” His fingertips trace his name along your breast. “It’s a deal.”

“Okay, okay.” You laugh and reciprocate. “If you break it I'll probably cry and Jennie will beat you up."

“Like I would ever…” he mumbles.

With a rut of his hips he cups your breasts in his hands and resumes gently working his fingers over your nipples. Following the slow rhythm he sets, you grind yourself down and thumb at the band to his basketball shorts, pulling them down just enough to reveal that sliver of dark hair leading below. A loud groan escapes with his breath. His heart aches to feel you against him again, without barriers.

He sits up and heaves his shirt over his head with reckless abandon. His arms are immediately wrapping around your waist, fingernails digging into the skin of your back with the hope feeling your body can assuage the ache in his chest. The heat of his mouth envelops your nipple before you can comment on his earnest behavior and you whimper instead. His rough embrace draws you closer, and his sinful tongue batters your nipple as you loop an arm around his neck and tangle your fingers in his hair.

The suction of his mouth makes you throw your head back. “Fuck, Joon.”

He moans and skims his lips across your chest to show your other breast love. Despite his adoration for the current position of his face, it’s not enough. Greed overtakes him. He holds you tight and musters the strength to flip you onto your back. The tiny squeal you make in response makes his dick twitch. You make such wonderful sounds.

As you draw him into a kiss, the barrier of silky basketball shorts do nothing to conceal his hardness. It makes you crazy. You want to feel his dick glide against your folds again. When you raise your hips to grind your clit against him he meets your motion with equal enthusiasm.

“Take them off,” you mumble. “Put it in me, Namjoon. Please.”

It’s hard to say no when every fantastical thought about you he’s ever had is now coming to fruition. How long has he yearned to hear those words? He thinks of earlier. He thinks of the disappointment he holds for his own performance, how he squandered his opportunity to make you feel the way you deserve.

“But I wanna go down on you,” he insists, slowly making his way down your torso. He plants deep kisses as he goes, working a trail of tiny dark marks into the surface of your skin.

“Joon…”  Your fingers claw at his back as he descends.

“Show me how you like it. I’m a good student. I promise.”

The ever present flames in your chest burn hotter, searing a path to your cheeks. He kisses along your hip and pauses to inspect the bruise from your earlier slip. He carefully creeps past it, and instead focuses on the skin of your inner thigh. Taking your hand in his, he positions it over your cunt. He rests his cheek against your thigh to watch the way your fingers settle in place.

“Are you gonna be looking at me like that the entire time?” You laugh, covering as much of your sex as you can with your hand.

“I’m a quick learner,” he assures you. “Plus…” He leans in and laps at the glistening slick in the space between your fingers. “I could taste you all day.”

“It’s after noon,” you mumble, drawing your fingers away to allow him greater access to your folds.

“Mmm,” he hums against you, letting his tongue explore every crevice of your labia. “You want me to keep going?”

Your head falls back against the pillow and you lift your hips with a whimper. “Yes.”

“How?”

Pulling his mouth back just enough to allow your finger to creep back into place, he offers a blissful sigh as you work light circles against your clit. He places a finger over yours and follows the movement, listening to your quiet breathing. He cocks his head to the side and repositions, sliding his finger beneath yours to take control.

“Like this, baby?”

It’s been so long. You’d forgotten just how good it feels to have someone else touch you, to not have to put the work in yourself to attain the reward. It feels so good. Maybe you will be able to let go.

“A little more pressure.”

You guide him again by pressing down over his finger and moving him towards the peak of your clit. He immediately gives in to the change of pace. After a little while he finds his own rhythm and you move your fingers to the back of his head where you tangle them in his hair.

“Yes, like that.”

Confident in his ability to hit that spot again, he glides his fingers down to tease your entrance and brings his lips to your clit. Your entire core tingles as he presses down and creates suction around the tiny bud. As your hips lift in ecstasy he wraps an arm around your thigh and slips two fingers into your slick cunt. Much to his delight you moan in tandem with your desperate exhale.

A proud grin spreads his lips apart and he does his best to hide it by battering his tongue over your clit instead. How many fantasies has he indulged in? How is it that they all pale in comparison to your true taste and sounds? Determined to keep himself on task, he focuses on the spot you seemed to favor and presses his lips back down while rolling his tongue along you. His fingers curl up and search for the promised sweet spot within your cunt.

You tense and clench around his fingers, body desperate to draw him deeper, to take more of him inside of you in any way that you can. Then you feel it: the unmistakable pleasurable pressure steadily rising within. You don’t want to let it slip away this time. With the pads of his fingers pressing as close to your g-spot as he can, the area of your clit you need him to hit with his tongue seems to shift.

Palms shaking, you pull on Namjoon’s hair to guide him to your newest point of pleasure. “Right there. Right there.”

He moans and expels shaky breaths through his nose. Immediately feeling guilty for being rough, you soften your grip and lovingly smooth back his hair. Disheveled, sweat-slicked strands fall against his forehead, rebelling against your touch.

“Sorry,” you mumble, cradling the sides of his face, trying to draw him up from his position. “Did I hurt you?”

He doesn’t budge. Dark brown eyes flicker upwards. The electric tingle in your heart steals your breath as you’re caught in his lurid gaze. He digs his fingernails into the soft flesh of your inner thigh and the energy contained in your chest bursts. Shockwaves of internal chills scatter throughout your body.

“Don’t you dare apologize,” he whispers. “Pull me however you want, baby.”

His voice is so low and soft that it barely registers to your ears. Your brain doesn’t have time to process the words before he drags his nose over your clit and sucks on your labia. You gasp out his name as he moves back to tongue your clit. He keeps his eyes on you as he plunges his fingers into you with a renewed sense of urgency, desperate to make you say it again. It doesn’t take long for a stuttered verse of his name to sputter from your pretty lips.

Another shockwave of excitement pulses through your gut. He makes it so easy to lose yourself in the pleasure he offers. Any shame and anxiety falls to the wayside, making way for your impending orgasm. You gasp out a pitiful sound and grind your pelvis towards his soft, plush lips to create even more pressure where you need it most. There’s no doubt he feels the way you clench around his fingers and because he reaches as far as he can in search of your g-spot and looks to your face for any sign of discomfort. Instead he finds you looking back through half lidded eyes that threaten to close any moment. With your eyebrows knitted together and quivering lips parted, he knows you’re on the brink of coming undone.

You reach for the back of his head as you lift your hips and cry out. You might not make those exaggerated pornstar moans, but yours are infinitely better. It’s better than anything he could have imagined. His name spills from your lips again, tired and quiet as you come down. There’s no need for you to tell him to stop or push him away this time. His softened lips are already crashing down against your mouth.

As you glide your tongue along his, the tang of your own juices fills your mouth. It doesn’t bother you. If anything it spurs you on to wrap your arms around his back and pull him closer. You tug on his shorts again. This time he raises no argument. He inhales a shaky breath as he goes in for another kiss and works the clothing down his legs until he’s steadying himself over you and clumsily struggling to kick them off.

You take his face in your hands while he gracelessly fights the fabric caught around his ankle and he smiles at you. Another jolt of electric butterflies pulse in your gut, frazzling your senses as they travel outward from their point of origin. By the time the sensation reaches your brain, it carries along the weight of your feelings. You reflect on how he cares for you, how he’s always cared for you. Navigating the key pleasure points mapped to your body is just one more way he can show it. You’re so incredibly lucky to have someone in your life so attentive and considerate of your needs. It makes you wonder how you meandered through life without a guiding light like Namjoon to lean on for support. Meditating on that thought threatens you with torrid tears.

“I love you,” you whisper.

Before he can respond with you draw him into a deep kiss, crossing your legs behind his waist to pull him closer. His shaft presses against your sensitive clit as he grinds himself down. While your body reacts with a twitch, you still roll your hips up to meet him. His bottom lip quivers and you suck it between your teeth, slowly drawing it away from him. When it snaps back to him he chases your mouth and presses you down into the pillows.

He follows the enticing motion of your hips with a loud groan. The slippery nature of your folds promises to make his entrance effortless. Each pass his cock makes over your cunt is another strike against his willpower, but god if it doesn’t feel amazing. It would be so easy to slip in, just a little bit, just enough to satisfy the aching need of the tip that inches closer and closer to your cunt. The way you lift it for him only serves as a greater invitation.

He rolls himself through your slick folds, floating on the high of the pleasure, encouraged by the moans you breathe into his mouth. He ruts into you, coasting into your entrance just enough to make him break the kiss with a whispered expletive. You whimper as he retreats and try to beckon him back with another gentle roll of your hips. He sighs, allowing himself to rock back into you enough to coat the tip of his dick with your warmth. Your cunt pulses against him, seeking to lure him further inside.

Again he surrenders to your salacious advance, sheathing the head of his cock in its entirety within your heat. You gasp and moan at the welcome intrusion, pulling on his hair as though it will move him closer than he already is.

“Please,” you whisper. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

Desperate to feel the stretch of his cock diving deep inside, you make your best attempt to raise your hips higher to take more of him in. He moans into your mouth, gently rocking himself further into your cunt and then slowly pulling back out.

Playing this game is dangerous. He knows that. But with each gasp and moan he pulls from you, the stakes rise. He tells himself he’s allowed to drive another moan from you with his teasing. Just one more time. One more sound. He tests his own resolve with each shallow thrust, never sinking deeper than before.

“Joonie,” you whine as he pulls back again. “Please. Stop teasing. I want your cock in me.”

His stomach does a somersault and it snaps him back to reality before his hips can snap forward instead. He leaves the comfort of your sweet cunt to lean over you and fish for the packet in the drawer of his nightstand. It should be right on top, but it’s not. Where the fuck is it?

The sticky wet head of his cock slips against your belly while he frantically rummages through the drawer. You shudder and reach down to take him in your palm, earning you a breathy curse in response. He spares a glance towards your mischievous eyes before looking down at the way you gather the moisture from the peak of his cock and pump it down to the base. His eyes roll back in delight for a moment and he drops onto the weight of his arm. The drawer rolls out farther than it should and promptly clatters off its track and onto the carpet below.

“I can fix that,” he announces.

“Are you okay?” You laugh, trying to sit up to help.

“Fine,” he murmurs, leading you back to the pillows with a kiss. “You just got me a little...”

His eyes wander to the nightstand. Perched on its surface are the remaining foil packets he’d been searching for in the drawer with its contents now spilled on the floor.

“Oh my god.” He sighs.

“Yes?” you press with a smile. “You good?”

“Mhm.”

He quickly snatches one up, fumbling it in his hands for a second before he recklessly rips it open. He leans back on his knees to roll the condom on, but about halfway down his shaft the rubber splits and snaps against his fingers. He vents a frustrated sound from his throat and scolds himself internally for being too excited, too eager. He wasted another one in his haste.

“I’m sorry,” he says in defeat. “Hold on.”

You’re already carefully opening the last packet while he rises to discard the bits of ruined rubber. “It’s okay. Come here. I got you.”

As he approaches the bed you reach out and begin to slowly roll the new condom down his shaft. He watches your hands roam over his cock with wonder. You seem much more confident now that he’s made a complete fool of himself for the millionth time today. Maybe you won’t think of him as so much of a saint now. He’s just as much of a mess as you are.

“You don’t have to worry so much,” you say with a slow pump of your hand over his cock. “I always have that five dollars, you know?”

It’s difficult to take your eyes off of the perfect shape of his dark cock. It’s veiny and thick in your palm, and long enough to make you wonder how it might feel hitting the back of your throat.  You manage to shift your gaze to his face and beam at him.

His worried expression melts into a dimpled smile. “Geeksquad saves the day again, huh.”

“Yeah. Pretty great, right? So, come here.” Despite feigned confidence, your jaw trembles with anxiety as you settle against the pillows once more. Nerves set your body alight with excited anticipation. “And put your cock in me.”

He slots himself between your thighs and cups your cheek, catching the subtle shiver of your body.

“Cold, baby?”

“Excited,” you admit, grazing your fingers over the expanse of his back until they’re nestled in the hair behind his neck. You kiss him.

It doesn’t matter how much time he’s had to recuperate. As soon as your lips are on his and he’s teasing himself into you, he knows he’s in trouble. You’re so tight. How is he supposed to last? Inch by slow inch you take him in, then out again. Your fingers twirl around strands of his hair until you’re sure it can’t be twisted any further.

“Oh fuck.”

Your jaw drops and you gasp a stuttered slew of nonsense as he bottoms out. He remains there, unmoving as your body adjusts to the stretch of his cock. Every executable file in your brain stops working as you lie beneath him with your mouth agape, eyes wide, and fingers tangled in his hair.

“Need a minute?” he asks, peppering kisses along your bottom lip and lightly working it between his teeth.

Finally you find the command in your brain to resume all processes. You moan into his kiss and purposefully clench around him.  “Do you?”

“Evil,” he murmurs as he begins setting a slow, steady pace with his hips. “Goddamn, you’re tight.”

You throw your head back in ecstasy, exposing your neck for his mouth to latch onto. Your hands explore the muscles of his back, digging into the sculpted flesh with your nails. He grunts against you, sucking a mark into the crook of your neck to muffle the sound. Taking time to follow the creases dividing the defined muscles of his triceps, your palms drift further down to curl around the pillars of his forearms. Without disrupting his pace, he reaches up to lace his fingers with yours.

The back of your palms press into the soft pillows beside your head. You’re connected as deeply and as literally as two people can be and still you crave more. When you moan his name into the open air he trails a line of sloppy open-mouthed kisses to meet your lips. You meet each slow thrust with a roll of your hips and a desperate need to keep him inside of you forever. Frenzied panting fills the space between you as you break the kiss.

Dark eyes full of adoration peer down at you, focused on the way the force of his accelerated thrusts shake every part of your body but leaves your gaze untouched. It’s insane just how much he cares for you. By now you must be sick of hearing his declarations of love, but he wants to say it all the same. He wishes he could make you cum for him like this. He would do anything to make you cum a second time before he does. Maybe with more practice he’ll learn your body well enough to make it happen. For now he’ll settle for making you feel good. You’re enjoying yourself at the very least.

A smile spreads across your face and a sweet laugh slips out. “What?”

“What?” he echoes, lost in the sight of you beneath him like this.

It’s like his head goes empty when you laugh like that, when you look at him like you’re shy and infatuated at the same time.

“Looks like you wanna say something.”

The serious expression plastered on his features matches the intensity of his whisper, “Yeah. Maybe I do. You wanna know what it is?”

Every muscle in your cunt contracts around him. He purses his lips, takes a slow breath through his nose and relaxes his pace.

He leans next to your ear and whispers in a quiet tone, “You’re just so fucking sexy.”

You’re so flattered that all the embarrassment resting on the tip of your tongue dissipates the moment you open your mouth. Flustered words form and then decompose the moment they’re to be spoken into existence. All that comes out is a broken sound of uncertainty.

It’s like the lights dance in his eyes as he takes a moment to straighten up and regard your features. His lips press against your forehead, then your nose and he pauses over your lips.

“I love you.”

The words fall from your mouth easier than ever. “I love you too.”

He kisses you like it’s the first time: passionate, desperate, and needy. You break off to rest your forehead against his.

“So are you gonna cum inside me or what?” You can barely conceal the smile that breaks through your pursed lips.

“Wow. So am I just a piece of meat to you, Geeksquad?” he jokes.

“I mean… Protein right?” You make a ‘yikes’ face at him and start to laugh.

He shakes his head but he’s grinning like a fool. “Well if it’s what you want…��

Just like that he calls your half-bluff. He ducks his face into the crook of your neck and begins to suck another mark over the fading mark from his earlier endeavors. Your laughter quickly turns into a string of moans as he resumes the previous tempo of his thrusts. A surge of adrenalin flips your stomach on itself and excitement pulses through your body at the thought of his cum slowly dripping out of your cunt.

“I do.”

You squeeze his hands and shimmy him away from your neck so you can sink your teeth into his shoulder to hide the shame of your desire. A broken moan rattles its way up his throat as he entertains the fantasy you’ve conjured in his mind.

“You want me to fill you, hmm?” he whispers in a breathy tone between shallow breaths.

There’s no doubt in your mind that he feels the way your cunt tenses at his words to offer a wordless answer, but you also offer a muffled hum of affirmation.

“You want me to fuck my cum into you just like this, baby?” His words are followed by the sound of his balls slapping against your ass at a new feverish pace.

“Yes,” you whimper and bring your lips to his, high off the sensation of his dick plowing into you.

“Gonna take it all for me?”

“Mhm. Cum for me,” you plead between sloppy kisses. “Cum inside me.”

“Oh shit, baby,” he gasps.

You don’t get another opportunity to coax him into letting go because he’s already slamming his hips into you and crushing his mouth over yours. He’s buried deep inside of you when his hips still but you wiggle beneath him and purposefully clench to give him the tiniest overdose of pleasure. He sighs as he leans back, finally releasing his death grip on your sweaty palms.

“You’re beautiful,” he says, planting a kiss on your forehead.

“You’re sweet,” you murmur, running a hand through his sweaty hair. “Good lay too.”

He rolls his eyes but smiles nonetheless. “Likewise.”

When he pulls out to rise and dispose of the condom you already miss his shape, but the unmistakable ache starts to set in: the ache of a pussy pounded too well after a long hiatus. You clamp your legs together and roll onto your side to expose the skin of your sweaty back to the cold air of the room, closing your eyes as you listen to the patter of raindrops against the window.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Mmm.” You don’t bother opening your eyes. “I seriously need another shower. Sorry about your bed.”

He kneels on the floor next to the edge of the bed and carefully moves the hair from your face. “You can soak my sheets any time.”

“Hmm. I’ll keep that in mind. Sounds gross though. Definitely don’t wanna lay in the puddle behind me.”

“Tired?”

“Yeah.”

“You gonna sleep right there?”

“No.”

You’re such a liar.

He lets a few seconds of silence pass before he speaks again. “How about shower and movie?”

You peek at him from beneath one eyelid. “What movie?”

“Thinking The Kick, unless you have something else in mind.”

“No, that’s— Wait, what time do we have to be at Tae’s?”

Namjoon’s eyes widen and he rubs the back of his neck. “Later… Uh, about that. Are we— I mean on one hand I don’t wanna make a big deal about it but…”

You bolt upright. “Oh no. They’re gonna make such a thing out of it. Nevermind. I’m never seeing them again.”

“It won’t be that bad.”

“Won’t it? Oh my god, if I show up in your clothes…”

“Geeksquad.” He grabs your face.

“Joonie.”  

You reciprocate the action and squish his cheeks towards the center of his face, causing his lips to pucker. He quickly takes your hands into his own.

“Hey. Look at me,” he pauses to make sure you meet his eyes before he continues. “You’re fine. Stay. We’ll figure it out when we get there and we’ll do it together.”

“Okay,” you breathe a sigh of relief. “Okay.”

“Be my ride?” He flashes you his wide dimpled smile.

“Only if you’re mine later.” You wink and draw him into a chaste kiss.

───── ⋆⋅☆·⋆ ─────

"Geeksquad."

His voice sounds distant and soft while reminding you you’re home. In this moment, you’re safe, you’re warm, and you’re loved. It’s too comforting to move away right now, too comforting to bring your eyes to open, so you cling to the heat of his body.

“Hey,” he tries again, gently nudging your shoulder. “Geeksquad, wake up.”

You make sure that your distaste is apparent with a loud grumble. You nuzzle against his chest with your cheek and hum like it will drown him out. He laughs softly as the sound fades away. He briefly lets silence fill the space, which allots you the precious seconds needed to hit the imaginary snooze button and doze off again. It seems he isn't having it when he lets out a loud sigh.

“You missed the end and it’s already five,” he tries to reason. “Weren’t you the one who told me not to let you sleep too long? Unless…” He carefully snakes his fingertips down to your side, hoping to remain undetected. “...You changed your mind about going home to get all cute because you finally realize you are cute, you know, without trying."

You groan against his chest and that seems to be enough to keep him quiet. Just as he feels your head begin to drop down he starts talking loudly.

"Oh, I see. You just really wanna be out flaunting how good you look wearing my clothes. That’s it, right?"

You lightly smack your hand against his chest but don’t allow yourself to let your guard down until you’re certain he's given up.

"That must be it," he continues. "Not you... Being a pain in the ass to wake up. At all.”

With your head pressed against his chest, you find it difficult to drift back off with every loud word dropping from his mouth and vibrating straight into your eardrum. Still you rock your forehead against him and try to ignore his booming voice. When his fingers dig into your side to tickle you, your body jolts up straight and you can’t help but laugh.

“Wow. She speaks,” he jokes. “...Kinda.”

You wiggle against his grip, thrusting your chest up while dipping your head back. You attempt to scold him with his name between a fit of giggles. “Stop,” you wheeze.

“But I love the way you laugh.” His fingers relax despite his words. He leans in to press his lips to your perfectly exposed neck.

Your breathless laughter quickly transforms into a subtle slew of whimpers. He swathes his tongue across a particularly sensitive spot and your breath hitches. You grab his arm and pull down like you want him to crush you like a bug. He doesn’t. Instead he smirks against your neck when he feels your nails dig into his bicep.

“Joonie…” you whine.

He offers his inquiry in the form of a hum that radiates vibrations from the point of contact with your skin.

You’re embarrassed to admit the million things you want to ask him to do right now in place of complaining about his teasing. “Come closer.”

“Closer how?” he murmurs before kissing that spot again.

You take the hand at your side and slip it beneath the worn fabric of your shirt. You don’t have to lead him very far until he’s molding the flesh of your breast with his hand and you’re panting shallow breaths into the air around you. The sweet kiss at your neck turns into a sinful demonstration. The things he could do to you, for you. Do you truly know?

You know you never want him to leave. The heat from his mouth seems to sear a path of lava straight to your core. Your fingers glide through his hair and settle at his jaw. It takes all of your self control to gently push him away from that delightful spot he’s found so that you can plant a soft kiss against his jaw.

You draw out a groan as you pull away. “Maybe we should just cancel.”

“Mmm, don’t tempt me. You know I will,” he murmurs, chasing after your lips.

You lean back just a bit further, a grin plastered on your face as you allow him to press his mouth against yours just one more time.

───── ⋆⋅☆·⋆ ─────

The rain has been reduced to a light patter against your windshield now. You’re grateful that visibility is decent as you pull up to the familiar curb in front of Namjoon’s building. Already waiting just within the building’s entrance, he sprints out at the sight of your headlights. He eagerly hops into the passenger seat and you do your best not to look over at him. Suddenly, you’re nervous. Have your palms ever secreted this much sweat in your life? Still you keep your hands planted on the steering wheel, staring ahead like you’re playing the role of a first-time chauffeur.

Sensing a lingering apprehension, he clears his throat as his seatbelt clicks into place. “Everything okay?”

Keeping the car in park, you allow yourself to look over at him. He smells good. He looks incredible, even in a simple black tee and jeans. And he’s looking at you like all he wants to do is kiss your lips for the millionth time today. It’s like you can feel the anxiety melt from your face.

“I’m nervous,” you admit, shaking out your hands as though that will clear the sweat from them.  “I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”

Your sheepish laugh causes him to reach out for your sweaty palm. To your surprise his hand is just as hot and moist as yours. Regardless of how uncomfortable it is, he holds on tight and laces his fingers between yours.

“It’s okay. Me too.”

The pair of you stare at each other for a few seconds in silence, just smiling and trying to think of what you were going to say before promptly getting lost in one another’s eyes. How is it you’ve never noticed the softness in his features when he looks at you like this? It still feels kind of surreal. But your heart skips a beat and you allow yourself to acknowledge the way heat radiates from your cheeks. You want to kiss him, to reassure him you’re not going to waffle on him again, but you’re too entranced by the infatuation smeared across every aspect of his face.

When you finally speak, he starts at the same time and you both have to pause and laugh. Silence falls between you, but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s charged. It’s shy. It’s excited. He bites his lip and drags it through his teeth as his eyes rake over any part of you they can.

“You look beautiful.”

You lick your lips and your smile grows larger in response. “I- Thank you. I’m. We-- I mean, you look…” A nervous laugh slips into the breath between your words. “Hi.”

He leans across the armrest and plants a soft kiss against your lips. The moment you reciprocate his tongue dips into your mouth and glides against yours. It takes all of your willpower to keep the car running instead of plucking the keys out and dragging him back into his apartment to fuck him stupid. Still you rely on him to break the kiss.

“Hi,” he whispers, dragging a thumb across your cheek as he cups your jaw. “Still nervous?”

You nod. “My stomach hurts.”

“Hey, they’re our friends. It’ll be okay.”

“I know. You’re right.” You sit back against your seat and stare blankly out the foggy windshield. “I haven’t answered Jennie all day. She’s asking and I… I don’t want to answer.”

His heart sinks. It sounds like you want to keep things a secret, even though he knows you’re a terrible liar. No wonder you’re so nervous. It’s the last thing he wants to do, but if you asked he would attempt to cover for the both of you. He sincerely hopes you don’t ask.

“It’s just… I don’t want it to be a text. I mean, do we go in holding hands?” you ask, instantly allaying his fears. “Do we just announce it?”

He breathes a sigh of relief. “Geeksquad, come on. Pretend like nothing’s changed. Things are basically the same right?”

You nod, but your expression casts uncertainty over the action. “Right, right. We can just say it like that, right? I mean, we still work at the same place. We still like to hang out together. Watch movies,It’s just a little more… intimate. You know, the kind of time you spend with someone that you care about and like… make out and have bomb sex and—”

“I’ll tell them we’re together,” he interrupts. “You’re my girlfriend. You signed the love contract.”

“Okay but you’re not going to tell them about the contract right?”

“Mmm. Maybe. Didn’t see anything about it in the terms and conditions.” He laughs.

“Uh, the fine print says you’re sworn to secrecy of its existence. You know, like fight club.”

“Must have missed that. Didn’t have my glasses on, you know?”

“Oh, here.” The lightbulb in your head flickers on. You rummage through the compartment beneath the armrest, presenting Namjoon with the glasses you’d been meaning to return for some time now. “Maybe these will help. You left them at my place.”

“Shit. I thought I lost those.” He sighs, taking them from you. “Wish I hadn’t ordered another pair.”

“Sorry, I kept forgetting to give them to you,” you admit.

He smiles. “Did you forget, or were you pining over me? Be real with me, Geeksquad.”

You roll your eyes. “Okay. I’m gonna start driving before I push you out of this car.”

“Sniffing them because they remind you of me?” he teases.

“Yeah. They smell like avocados.” You laugh as you turn your attention to the road. “You’re lucky hipster glasses are in.”

“Alright, baby.”

He hums in amusement, sparing a glance out the window beside him. It seems like the barrage of rainy days may be coming to an end soon. At least he hopes so. There’s not much he wouldn’t give to take you to his favorite hiking spots, have a picnic with you under clear blue skies, or lay on a sandy beach with you by his side.

“You keep calling me baby,” you point out quietly, pulling him from his reverie.

“Wha— I’m sorry. It was heat of the moment and it felt really natural when we were fucking you know? But if it’s weird now, I-I can stop. I’ll stick with tried and true Geeksquad.” He stumbles through his embarrassment in true Namjoon fashion.

“No, I like it. I just wanted to tell you it... makes me feel good. Way better than Geeksquad.”

“Yeah, you are.”

You smirk and reach for his hand and he gives you a tight squeeze, driving the rest of the way in a comfortable silence. Holding his hand is enough to keep you distracted from all the noise in your head.

───── ⋆⋅☆·⋆ ─────

Knock-knockknock—-knock-knock.

The answer to your knock is the resounding pound of Hobi’s fist through the barrier of the door.

KNOCK-KNOCK.

The door swings open and Hoseok’s smiling face greets you. Namjoon’s hand falls from around your shoulder on instinct. Although Hoseok’s eyes briefly drop to Namjoon’s twitching fingers he draws no further attention to the reaction, stepping aside and gesturing for the pair of you to enter. Seokjin’s incoherent shouting carries from the other room, nearly drowning out your greetings.

“It’s about time.” Hoseok tips a bottle to his lips and the majority of the liquid sloshes back down as he makes a face and runs to shove it against Yoongi’s shoulder. “Yuck.”

Yoongi takes a hearty swig without so much as a glance away from the kitchen. The unmistakable bounce of a ping pong ball springs from the unseen room and you lean back to attempt to see around the blockade Yoongi and Hoseok’s bodies have created between you and whatever is happening in there.

“They started playing while we were waiting for you. Should be done soon,” Hobi says, walking back towards you. “Jimin and Tae put up a good fight but Jungkookie is too good.”

“You didn’t have to wait. We could have met you there,” Namjoon says, rubbing the back of his neck and stealing a sideways glance at you.

Hoseok raises an eyebrow and smirks, his eyes following Namjoon’s to you. His bony finger pokes your spine and you instantly tense and straighten your posture.

“I think we all wanted to wait.”

He knows. Even as you spin towards him you feel it. Despite the words left unspoken, somehow he already knows.

Yup. It’s time. Just get it over with. Easier thought than done.

“Why?” you blurt.

“Well...” Hoseok begins, ghosting his fingers over your shoulder as he walks towards the couch to put his shoes on. “We wanted to see you guys. Had a feeling we might not see too much of you as the night goes on. Figured you might want some,” he pauses to finish knotting his shoelace, grinning at you as he stands, “hmm, alone time?”

“I— Pssfht. What?” The unexpected shrillness of your voice cuts through the space between you. You clear your throat and do your best to dampen your anxiety. “I mean, like, why would we—? We’re—We, uh, whew… Is it hot in here?”

Words are no good right now. Anything else you say will just be another unnecessary embarrassment to endure. Your heartbeat resides in your ears as your flight response kicks in. Namjoon must hear it too because drapes his arm around your shoulder and pulls you towards the comforting mass of his chest.

Your fingers fidget with your keys even though you know you won’t need them tonight. You consider tossing them in the bowl Tae keeps on the counter, but that would require walking past the rest of your friends and abandoning Namjoon. You agreed you would face them together.

Namjoon smiles softly and gives your arm a reassuring squeeze. “We’re good, man.”

“Are you?” The look on Hoseok’s face tells you he’s hoping you’ll expand on Namjoon’s short answer. “How are you doing, Y/N? Has that douche tried to contact you?”

You almost forgot about Jihoon. It seems like such a distant memory now. The sting of his words echo in the darkest corner of your mind, but not for long. A smile forces those thoughts to scatter as you look to Namjoon for support. You take a breath and exhale a relieved sigh.

“Nope. He’s gone for good, I think.” You reach for Namjoon’s hand, using the courage his touch instills to fuel your confession. “If he comes back around I’m sure my boyfriend will try to kick his ass.”

“Wait. It’s finally happening?” Hoseok’s eyes go wide and he springs from the couch in an instant to poke his fingers against your sides. He didn’t expect to be totally correct in his assumptions, but he hoped for it. “For really real?”

You said it first. Out loud. Namjoon’s stomach churns in excitement as he looks at you. You’re grinning like a dork and nodding even though he knows you’re embarrassed as hell. Yeah. He’s pretty sure he’s never been more in love with your goofy ass smile. Hoseok covers your entwined fingers with both of his hands and practically drags you both towards the kitchen.

“Guys, guys! It’s official!”

The ball leaves Jungkook’s fingertips, launches across the table and circles the rim of the final cup as his opponents turn away. The room goes quiet, save for the airy spin of the ball slowly decelerating into the contents of the cup. Namjoon adjusts his glasses and you swallow hard under the burning spotlight of your friends’ eyes.

“Drumroll, please!” Hoseok demands with a smile, rolling his tongue to begin the buildup. “Bdrdrdrrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdr--”

Yoongi presses his lips together to hold back a smile and begins drumming his fingers on the wall beside him. Not willing to be outdone, Seokjin and Jungkook join in, pounding their fists on the table, followed by the light tap of Jimin’s hands against his thighs, and the smack of Taehyung’s palms against his face.

“I present to you the moment we’ve all been waiting for…” Hoseok ducks behind the pair of you and lifts your arms like you’ve just tied for victory in a boxing match. “Joonsquad!”

The inflection at the end of his tone makes you cringe almost as hard as the nickname.

“Nope. No. We’re not calling it that.”

“Joonsquad? Really?”

The combined cheers from your friends drown out your objections.

Jimin’s arms are the first to wrap you both into a tight bear hug. “I’m so happy for you both.”

The statement seems genuine, but you’re flooded with the embarrassing memory of drunkenly slobbering over his face. Namjoon had always reminded you that Jimin was used to keeping things casual but still you find yourself ashamed for going there. Harmless flirting and games of chicken ruled your friendship with Jimin for so long. You used to fantasize about his lips exploring your body, but it seems so preposterous now. You’re not sure when it happened, but things changed.

Despite your mind’s acknowledgement of his beauty there is no worry accompanying it, no butterflies wreaking havoc on your senses. Your simple crush has faded into surface appreciation. It seems easy to recognize that now that you’ve stopped trying to push down the feelings you have for your best friend. Any lingering affections you bear resemble nothing more than a strengthened friendship, much like the one you’ve shared with Jennie for years.

Even with all the back slaps and fistbumps, Namjoon’s eyes are trained on you in a smitten stupor. Embarrassment does nothing to steal the light in your eyes or the joy in your laugh. All of the congratulations in the world can’t reach his ears when you’re looking at him like that.

“I knew it!” Jennie comes running from around the corner, pushing past all the men in her path to throw her arms around you. “No wonder you’ve been dodging my texts. I wanna know everything.” She attempts a whisper, but softness doesn’t translate through the liquor already clouding her voice. “In detail.”

Namjoon clears his throat loudly to combat the redness spreading along his ears. “Where are we headed? Seesaw?”

Everyone looks at one another like they hadn’t really thought about it.

“Sure. Your first drink is on me.” Yoongi throws an arm around Namjoon.

Hoseok weaves his arm beneath Yoongi’s from Namjoon’s other side, beginning to walk them towards the door. “It’s a dancing night, don’t you think?”

“How about we hit up the strip club after?” Jungkook suggests, already tugging his sneakers on and stumbling towards the door.

Seokjin rolls his eyes and claps a hand around the youngest’s neck. “Do you really want to break up a couple so soon?”

“What? They can look together, right? Wings doesn’t discriminate. It’s like a bonding thing. You don’t mind, do you, Y/N?”

“Don’t worry, Y/N. We’re not going there.” Seokjin turns back to Jungkook to whisper, “Not every celebration needs to be at a strip club.”

“I’ll remember that on your birthday,” Jungkook mutters, already on his way out the door.

The others begin to follow suit but before you can get too far, Taehyung latches onto your elbow. “Keys.”

“Right.” You produce a tangled mess of keychains and keys. Namjoon hangs back to wait with you, leaning against the doorframe as Tae disappears.

“You’re always welcome to stay here,” Tae offers as your keys clang against the others in the bowl.

Namjoon chews on his lip and looks to you. As long as you’ll lay next to him he doesn’t care where he sleeps tonight.

“Depends how drunk we get,” you reply with a smile, lacing your fingers with Namjoon’s to lead him out of the apartment. “Thanks, Tae.”

He grins and pats Namjoon’s shoulder after locking the door. “Don’t worry, Jungkook washed all the sheets yesterday.”

You flip up the hood of your sweater and tighten the strings to cover your face. You’re definitely not coming back here tonight.

───── ⋆⋅☆·⋆ ─────

You’ve done your best to balance your attention between your friends throughout the night, sharing food, drinking and laughing together. But as the night continues you feel your energy draining with each attempt to remain social and engaged in conversation. You’re grateful when Namjoon steers the conversation away from you, leading most of the table towards the bar to collect more drinks for everyone. Only Hoseok and Yoongi are left to hold down the table with you. You’re pretty sure Namjoon is counting on the majority of the group getting distracted and splitting off. At least you’re hoping that’s what he’s playing at because you’d really like to get away from all the questions and stories.

When you yawn Yoongi nudges your elbow out from under you, forcing you to catch yourself before your chin slams against the table.

“Tired?” he asks with a smirk, eyes focused elsewhere.

“Mmm,” you agree with a nod. “I guess I should get up before they come back or I’ll be stuck here forever, huh?”

“You know, you’re not being rude if you want to head out. You don’t have to stay and prove anything. We’ve all been rooting for you to get together. If you wanna slip away for some privacy, you should.”

It’s funny how well your friends know you. You can’t even remember what life was like before they came along.

“A break from questions would be nice,” you admit with a stretch of your arms.

Hoseok, who’s been nursing the same drink all night, brings the glass to his lips and gulps down a rather large sip and scrunches his features together. “Blegh. Ooooor you can come dance with me.” He wiggles his eyebrows for good measure.

You stare him down, tonguing the straw to your tequila sunrise and trying to steal the last sip of the drink from the ice that remains in your glass. Is he trying to fuck with you?

“Don’t worry, I’ll be good.” He laughs, offering you his hand. “Namjoonie’s not much of a dancer, but I think he’d be willing to learn from you more than me. Think I can teach you something to show him before he gets back?”

“Hobi, I know how to dance,” you say with a laugh, although you’re already taking his hand.

“Mmm, do you though?” Hoseok flitters his free hand back and forth. “Ehhhh.”

With a roll of your eyes, you spare Yoongi a glance. “You coming?”

Yoongi leans back in his seat with a shake of his head. He casually pops a fry into his mouth.“Go on. I’ll send Namjoon your way so Hobi will keep his hands above your waist.”

“That’s just rude,” Hoseok scoffs, pulling you towards the dance floor.

He’s true to his word, dancing as respectably as someone with hips like Hoseok can. He guides your hips with his hands as he sways behind you.

“You’re perfect for him,” he says.

“What?” Your rhythm falters and you lose your sense of balance, stepping on his foot as you try to keep yourself from falling. “Sorry.”

He laughs, tickling your sides. “See? That’s what I mean. Took you dummies long enough to realize it.”

“It’s my fault. I was too scared and stupid to see what was right in front of me this entire time.” You sigh and lean back, surprised to find his chest a decent distance away. “I still think he’s too good for me.”

“Oh, pffft. Stop it,” Hoseok chides in your ear.

“I hope— Ugh, nevermind.”

“What?”

A small chuckle escapes with a held breath. “It’s dumb.”

“So?”

“I just— I hope my love is good enough for him.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.”

His hands hug around your stomach and push you closer to him, but the way they subtly tremble as they descend to rest on your hips feels different. When Hoseok steps around and hands still clasp you from behind, your heart soars. If not for the familiarity of the stiff chest at your back and the loving embrace enveloping your form, you might be nervous.

Namjoon’s lips caress your ear as he whispers, “You know it is.”

Even your best attempt to hide your embarrassed smile would fail, so it’s a good thing you’re not even trying. Hoseok wears a satisfied grin as he watches you turn towards Namjoon for a shy kiss. He thinks about leaving you with dancing advice, but instead he decides to slink away wordlessly. There isn’t anything he could say right now that the two of you would hear, not when you’re in a world of your own like this.

It’s easy to lose track of time as you grind against him, teasing him with every swaying motion of your hips. Every sigh against your ear spurs you on to press him further. Even with all the layers between you, the hard length grinding against your ass is ever-present and obvious enough to make you want to bend over so he can take you right here.

Instead you dance and feel his body move against yours until exhaustion starts to set in. Tae and Jennie are already waiting for a ride by the time you step outside. Your cheeks ache from smiling so much and every muscle in your face is too tired to speak. She looks just as tired as you but she gives you a small greeting.

It’s funny how you don’t find anything odd about the way she leans into Tae as they sit near one another, or the way Tae is absentmindedly stroking her hair. You feel like it should be odd, but the world is so far away that you can’t hold the details in your brain long enough to make a connection. Between the haze of alcohol and sleep, you’re too far gone to think too much about it.

Namjoon keeps his arm around you as he talks to Tae, but you don’t catch much of their conversation. Sleep threatens to take you where you stand. You count yourself lucky that Namjoon cares for you so well. You close your eyes to rest for a moment, but when you open them again he’s unbuckling your seatbelt and helping you out of the lyft. You shuffle past the threshold of Tae’s home.

Namjoon leads you down the hall to the guest room and pulls on the dangling chain on the lamp  near the bed. A soft yellow glow fills the room as you start to sleepily yank the clothing from your body. Namjoon quickly goes for the open door, but Tae is already in the doorway averting his gaze with one hand and holding a small quilt in the other.

“Thanks. She, uh, gets really cold,” Namjoon says, blocking your body with his frame as you bend at the waist to untie the shoes you now realize are blocking your pants from sliding over your feet.

“Sorry. Let me know if you need anything else,” Tae mumbles, clearly embarrassed. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” Namjoon murmurs back, clutching the quilt as he softly closes the door and turns to you. “Baby.”

“Hmm.”

Your foot is stuck in your shoe but you can’t get your foot out because your shoe is stuck in your jeans. This is a conundrum.

“Baby, you’re gonna fall. Sit down. I’ll help you.”

“I can do it,” you mumble, plopping down on the edge of the bed.

“I know,” he says, already on his knees before you.

He frees your legs and gives you a kiss as he helps you wiggle below the bedspread, setting the quilt on top of your side.

“It’s hot,” you mumble.

“I know.”

“Too hot for blankets.”

“I know. How about the sheet?” he asks, rolling everything back except for the topsheet. He knows you. You’ll want them again soon enough.

“Mm. Come here.” You reach your grabby hands out for him as he flicks the light off.

“I’m coming.” He laughs and slides beside you. “So needy.”

Although you know he can’t see you pout, he pulls you toward his chest anyway and it turns into a smirk against his warm skin.

“It’s ‘cause I needy--you” you slur with a giggle, planting your lips against his chest in a drawn out kiss.

“You’re a hot mess and I love you,” he says, shaking his head.

“Love you, too.”

It’s clear you’re already falling asleep but he gently strokes your arm until the world around you begins to cool and fall away. When you roll away with a shiver, he carefully secures your body in a cocoon of blankets and drapes his arm and leg over you. Not even overheating could keep him from your touch. A wave of calm overtakes him.

This time he knows: this is love.

───── ⋆⋅☆·⋆ ─────

Months into your relationship,you’ve have prepared for the end of the semester by planning a little vacation for just the two of you. Namjoon struggles to get through his last day of work, daydreaming about staying at Tae’s summer home and laying on the beach with you. His favorite hiking spot isn’t too far from there and he’s been dying to take you and show you the clearing of wildflowers he loves so much. Hopefully they’ve bloomed beautifully.

He yawns and stretches out, flipping the binder on his desk. It’s been a long day, commemorating the end of a long week. He’s exhausted, but he’s graded every last paper and is in good shape to submit final scores by the deadline. His phone buzzes against the dark wood in the only spot bereft of errant papers. He flips the screen around, finally allowing himself to check the time and give in to distractions.

You: Still working bae

He smiles, thumb gliding over the screen effortlessly while attempting to organize the mess on his desk.

Namjoon: Just finishing up. You: 😏 You: can I You: come before you finish You: it’s only fair

He halts his efforts to stare at his phone.

Namjoon: … You: yes?? Namjoon: 🤦‍♂️ You: what? I’m serious You: 😈😈😈 Namjoon: You on campus? You: I mean... You: who else is gonna be your ride 😘

He shakes his head, smile growing wider as he glances up at the monitor before him. He definitely doesn’t miss running to catch the last bus on late nights. He’s nearly done logging final comments. He’ll be done sooner than you can get here, but this might be as good a time as any to make the reveal.

Namjoon hits the icon to call you, swooning at the familiar image of you stealing his drink. He straightens his glasses and types away at the keyboard while trapping the phone between his ear and shoulder. It doesn’t ring for very long.

“Joonie?”

“Hey, I gotta upload these grades but I’m having trouble.”

You sigh. The last thing you want to do tonight is work, especially not with what you had planned. “What kind of trouble?”

Even as he types away on the keyboard, his mind searches for a term, some kind of red alert to get you off the phone and into his office so he can tell you in person.

“Uh… blue screen.”

“Blue screen of death?” You rub your temple. “What does it say?”

“Uh,” he swallows, pausing to proofread the comment along with the grade he’s about to submit. “It just restarted.”

“On its own?”

Submit.

“Yeah.”

“Is this the first time it’s doing this?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, see if it starts up okay. We can always come back before we go on vacation.”

“Baby, I really want to get these done tonight. I was so close to being done so we can start tonight.”

You sigh heavily and check your makeup in the rearview mirror. “Is it starting up?”

“No, it’s beeping.”

Even straining your ears doesn’t help you pick up on the sound.  “Are you sure?”

“Can you come here? Please?”

Your heart melts. “I’ll be right there.”

You turn the car off and grab one of Namjoon’s oversized hoodies from the backseat. You slip it over your skimpy outfit and carefully make your way to the library, tugging on the hem like it will somehow magically cover all the exposed flesh down to your knees. No such luck. Regardless of how many times you’ve practiced wearing these awful heels, it’s not like you expected to be walking up several flights of stairs in them.

There’s no security guard at the station across the quad. You don’t know if you should feel as happy as you do about that. Despite the voice in the back of your head telling you to get in your car and demand an escort to his office, embarrassment outweighs any fear for safety and you push on. Only a familiar yellow cardigan draped over a chair greets you at the receptionist’s desk, its occupant long gone for the night.

Adrenaline pumps through your veins as you climb the stairs, passing stack after stack of dimly lit bookshelves until you’re standing outside of the only office still illuminated. Thankfully the door is propped open and you power walk as fast as you can towards it. The faster you can fix it, the faster you can head home and celebrate the end of the semester the way you originally planned.

He nearly tips the chair as he stands. It hits the back wall of his office with a graceless bang. “Y/N? Are those heels? Did you drive here in those?”

It’s difficult to keep your lips as they are when he adorns that expression, features battling between where they might settle: aroused or awestruck. You’d rather not screw up the perfect lipstick application you worked so hard to achieve— not yet at least. The plan is to be on your knees when that happens.

“You look—” he pauses as his traveling eyes try to glean any information they can. His voice lowers to a whisper and he quickly attempts to sate his curiosity with a wandering hand up your thigh. “Are-Are you not wearing anything under there?”

Before you can answer his fingers find the pleated fabric hidden beneath the hoodie and a new, eager question fumbles from his lips. “What are... you wearing?”

As much as you’d like for him to keep exploring, you muster enough willpower to smack his hands away. It’s only fair that he has to wait while you work.

“Computer first. You said it was beeping. Did it ever start back up?”

He swallows hard as you round the desk and start troubleshooting. It’s hard to think when all the blood in his brain is quickly evacuating in favor of inhabiting a far less intelligent location. He’s supposed to say something. He knows that much. But you look so beautiful he forgets how to say it. Your brows furrow in frustration and you sigh his name.

You’ve done your makeup, your hair is down for the first time in a long time, and you even put on a cute outfit as far as he can gather. But here you are in his hoodie, donning a pair of blue-light blocking glasses, rolling up the baggy sleeves, and tying your hair into a tight ponytail as you start to go into full on geeksquad mode. Even with your hunched shoulders and irritated tongue clicking, you’re trying to help him, still beautiful in the way he loves.

Underneath all that skin-deep beauty that fades with time, within the wrinkles that have already begun to crease the edges of your eyes and the corners of your mouth, you shine. You shine brighter than any star he’s ever seen. Months of reflecting your light haven’t been enough to show you the true glow of your soul, but he’s confident that one day you’ll see it.

He’s pulled back to reality as your scowl settles on him. Repeatedly pressing the power button with your finger won’t change the fact that he’s purposefully unplugged it, a fact it seems you’ve come to realize when you reach for the VGA cable and there’s nothing there.

A charming, dimpled smile graces his features and he picks up the monitor with ease. “I, uh, think maybe something fell off before you got here.”

“There’s nothing wrong with your computer, is there?” You lean back in the chair and sigh as he stands there like a fool on the opposite side of the desk, cradling his LCD screen like a bouquet.

“No,” he says sheepishly. He gently lowers the monitor to the floor and sighs. “I planned on presenting this better, but you distracted me. There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about for a while now.”

Your stomach is spinning and you take in a deep breath. Oh fuck. Is he really going to break up with you? No, he can’t be. He wouldn’t be smiling about that. Would he?

“Nothing bad,” he quickly adds, circling behind the desk and your chair in one large stride. His thumbs dive into the fabric of your hoodie to rub circles into your shoulders.  “At least I don’t think you’ll think it’s bad…” Terror strikes at his belly and he adds, “Unless you do...”

“Joon. Please. You’re stressing me out. Whatever it is, just tell me.”

He spins the chair around and squats down onto one knee. He straightens his tie and reaches for your hand, sending your stomach on another rollercoaster ride, only this one is running in the complete opposite direction and you’re equally as unprepared. You’re not really a marriage kind of person. Well, maybe you are, but you’re not sure. It’s too soon to know! You’re more of a limbless amoeba at this point, stuffed into heels and floating with the other protozoa in the petri dish of the universe, unthinking, just existing.

The world stops as he reaches into his coat pocket and you find yourself too petrified to speak. You close your eyes and slump into the chair like you’ve become a being comprised solely of pudding. Your skirt rides up as you sink and your panties shrink into the world’s thinnest thong. Have you ever held a breath for this long? Maybe you’ll melt through the mesh seat and evaporate into the cheap carpet below. It takes him too long to realize his latest mistake.

It was probably the pudding hand that tipped him off.

“Oh. Shit. Okay. No, look at me. I’m not—” He laughs and sets something in your palm, closing your fingers around it and holding them there. “Look.”

You finally settle on the floor before him and squeeze the item in your palm. It feels unremarkable, like a basic wire or plastic cap. The most remarkable part about it is that it is definitely not a ring.

Relief washes over you with the breath you exhale. “Joon. You’re killing me. Please.”

“Here’s the thing.”

He releases your hand so you can look at this unremarkable thing that has caused you so much panic. It’s the plastic head of a CAT5 plug, pins and all. You tilt your head to one side and inspect it with childlike curiosity and bewilderment.

“I’m not that bad with computers. I mean, I’m not like you-level, but I’m not as bad as you think.”

Things begin to click into place. This isn’t just any ethernet plug. It’s the first one, the one you couldn’t fathom disappearing like it did, leaving a mess of wires in its wake. Namjoon just seemed so clueless that you naturally blamed drunken students vandalizing campus property for shits and giggles. It never crossed your mind that the sweet, quiet professor could have staged the whole thing.

“Before I knew you, I wanted to know you. But I felt like I needed an excuse to talk to you so I…” He reaches into his pocket and adds various bits of broken plastic and screws to your cupped hand. “...did this.”

You blink stupidly at the pile in your palm, watching busted pieces of plastic slide off the side of the tiny heap of junk and fall onto the floor beside your knees. “Oh my god. You…?”

“Breaking things seemed like the easiest way to spend time with you,” he admits. “At least at first. I started doing less destructive things after a while. Deleting empty documents. Unplugging my keyboard. Turning off bluetooth. Moving my email shortcuts. I mean, damn. I thought you caught me more than once. I kept waiting for you to call me out. I dreaded it. I hoped for it.”

A cackle bubbles in the back of your throat but you suppress it with a snort. “So you held onto these? This whole time?”

“I didn’t know if I should like, recycle them or not and it’s not like I could ask you. And I mean googling that just seems suspicious. I’m not about to land myself on a watch list or something. But like, for real, you should definitely tell me if I can recycle them though because I have more and I would really like to clean out my drawer.”

Laughter breaches your lips in full force. “You faked being bad at stuff this whole time? Joonie, are you serious? I can’t believe I fell for the way — the way you type!” You cough and wheeze, trying to catch your breath between laughs. “With two fingers! I should have known. Only dads type like that. Oh my god. “

He offers a sheepish smile. “Actually, I really type like that. Something about the keys.”

“Oh.” Your laughter dies. “Sorry. I mean that like… mmm. You know what, I meant what I said. Kinda crazy, considering you text faster than me.”

Namjoon rolls his eyes. “Okay. Texting is different.”

You cross your arms, burying the broken pieces in your clenched fist. “Have you ever needed my help? Should even come running anymore?”

“Hey, sometimes I really do. I’m still clumsy. Plus, it’s out there now. I have no reason to waste your time... unless you want me to. I won’t stop you from climbing under my desk in those hot pants you wear with all the little pockets.”

You furrow your brows and scoff, an incredulous grin spreading across your face. “My cargo pants? Those pockets are huge.”

“Not compared to your ass.” He shakes his head with a smile, holds up his hands like he’s cupping your ass and pretends to squeeze it a couple times.

“Why are you like this?” You laugh with a roll of your eyes.

“Excuse me, who’s the one getting so drunk she’s going on thinking it’s hot to talk about making guacamole with my avocado dick?”

“Vaguely remember that. Smeared it all over me though, didn’t you?” You grin and wiggle your eyebrows.

He purses his lips and takes a breath. “If you mean watched you drink too fast on an empty stomach while we waited for takeout, sat with you while you dry-heaved for 20 minutes untiI I carried you to the couch and held your hand till you drank enough water to fall asleep, then yeah. Smeared it good.”

“And that’s why… I love you.”

You lean in and stop short of his lips, sitting back enough to narrow your eyes at him.

”Wait a minute. Projector.”

If you’ve been living on a ramen and cereal diet for two years because of a man’s inability to properly express romantic interest, you’re going to be pissed, regardless of how much you love said man now.

“Oh, hey, no. Hold up. The projector was a real accident. I cried,” he reminds you. “I will proclaim you as my goddess and savior for all time on that one.”

“Goddess, huh?” you smirk and close your fist around the busted pieces, leaning in for a kiss. “You gonna call me that instead now? I think I like that better than Geeksquad.”

He hums disagreement against your lips, “Mmm-mmm.”

You rest your forehead against his. “Promise me you won’t purposefully break anything else going forward.”

“I promise. That includes your heart,” he whispers, cupping your chin and pressing his lips against your cheek.

“You are so corny.” You pull at his tie, grinning as you lure him to your lips again. “And I’m so here for it. Now are you gonna help me up so we can start our vacation? Or are you gonna sit there with a hard dick and pretend like you still have work to do?”

He clicks his tongue and rises to his feet to extend a hand to you. As you attempt to pull yourself up, he reaches for your sides and lifts you with ease until you’re perched on the edge of his desk. He didn’t ask you to part your legs yet they spread for him anyway, wrapping around his waist and pulling him close.

“Are you gonna make me guess what all this is about?” he asks, tilting his head to the side and giving your crude ponytail a soft tug.

You smirk, staring at the red streaks of your lipstick circling his mouth while you try to ignore the heat between your legs that begs you to take him right here. You’ve imagined fucking on this desk thousands of times, but at least you still have enough sense to realize the risk in playing out that fantasy. He’s got a perfectly good desk at his place anyway.

“Take me home and maybe you’ll get to find out,” you say, pulling your keys from the hoodie pocket and letting them hang from your finger.

He groans as he takes them from you. “You know I can’t do highways.”

“Backroads are fine.”

“It’s gonna take forever,” he complains, dropping his head to your shoulder.

“It’s a good time to practice. Come on.” You pat his back a couple times and hop down from the desk, making sure to grind yourself against his erection. “I promise I’ll make it worth the wait.”

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As soon as you’re in his apartment, you remove the hoodie to reveal your very crude surprise: a slutty schoolgirl costume. Eyes wide and jaw slack, he stops loosening his tie to imitate a lifeless statue of a drooling neanderthal.

“Y/N, what is… Why?”

“Because,” you begin in a low, sultry tone as you drag your fingers over the soft silk still in his hand. “I want you to teach me a lesson.”

His soft exhale fills the space between you and he stumbles to form a response. He laughs nervously, unable to compose himself. “What?”

You bite your lip, suddenly feeling stupidly uncertain. “You… watch this porn all the time, don’t you? At least I thought you did. Oh. Oh god. This is stupid. Sorry.”

He grips your shoulders to keep you from running towards the bedroom. His eyelids flutter for a

second as he struggles to compose his thoughts. “No. It’s fine. I’m all for roleplay. I’m just... I’m not into the teacher-student trope.”

You frown and reach into the hard-drive files of your brain for any porn you’ve seen on his computer. He’s lying and he knows you know it. He wilts under your puzzled gaze.

“I’m not that into it. Like a lot. I’ve seen some, but only when the story is there.”

“Oh, the story?” You hold back a giggle.

Is he really trying to tell you he’s watching porn for the plot to cover for some terrible porno choices? He should know by now that you don’t care about that. You’ve watched more than your fair share of terrible videos just to get off and immediately hated yourself after. It shouldn’t come as a surprise considering he pretended to be a total idiot with technology for years to cover up his feelings.

“What? I’m serious. I think it’s great when the woman is the teacher and the guy is her equal, you know? She definitely makes as much as he does, if not more because she does it in tight clothes because of the dress code, you know? And he comes in one day after hours and is like how does all this work, anyway? And she starts explaining but you know a button snaps and there’s tension. Baby, you know I’m a feminist. I would never—”

“Joonie. I’m not judging you. I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t into it myself. I thought it might be fun. And I mean… I really wanted an excuse to have you bend me over your desk, but if you’re not interested I can just—” As soon as you start to work at the buttons of your blouse, he reaches out to stop you.

“We can try it,” he says, bashfully taking a step back and tapping his fingertips against yours. “I’d like to, if you’re down.”

You see an opportunity to break the tension and put him at ease, donning your best valley-girl accent. “Oh em gee, Professor Kim! You are, like, my favorite teacher. Is there some way I can get some extra credit? Puhleeeaase.”

“Nope, none of that,” he says with a laugh, twining his fingers with yours. “As a rule you cannot use that voice.”

“Fair enough.” You lead him towards the desk and gesture to the chair nearby. “How about I’m the teacher since you like that plot point so much?”

He chews his lip to hold back a toothy grin and watches with eager eyes as you bend at the waist to inspect the desk before him, giving a clear view of your ass and panties as your skirt rises. You relocate anything valuable to the nearby bookshelf and work on gathering the papers strewn about the surface.

“Sorry just let me gather up all my extra paychecks,” you mumble.

Once the desk is clear you perch yourself on its edge. Namjoon is already holding out a hair tie and a pair of glasses.

“You forgot these at the staff meeting.”

You roll your eyes and grin, working your hair into a messy bun and resting the glasses atop your head. “Thank you, Professor Kim.”

“Professor Kim is my father. Call me Namjoon.”

You purse your lips and try your best not to laugh, uncrossing and recrossing your legs purposefully. “I suppose you can call me Y/N, then.”

He makes no attempt to hide his lurid gaze, but his eyes travel to your face and he smiles. “Can I call you beautiful, instead?”

“Very smooth, Joonie,” you chuckle, breaking character for a moment.

“Joonie. Hmm. I like the way that sounds in your mouth.”

“I think there’s something else you’d like in my mouth. Maybe you’d like to put it in?”

Namjoon straightens in his seat as you approach, chest heaving in anticipation as he spreads his legs further so you might slot yourself between them. He dips his tongue into your mouth and you work his belt off, slowly sinking to your knees as you try to will yourself to break away from his kiss. He’s eager to unzip his pants and free his cock for you. It stands at attention, eagerly awaiting your touch.

Your breath warms the tip as you skim your lips across him, teasing him just enough to have him twitching, aching to thrust into that pretty mouth. He bites his lip as he looks down at you and inhales sharply through his nose the moment you grip his shaft. The moan that follows is like music to your ears and you grant him the flat of your tongue to reward such a sound.

He combs his fingers through his hair and clutches your shoulder as you take him into your mouth. The dark swollen head of his shaft is thick enough to make your jaw ache, but the sound of him cursing and losing all sense of coherence makes it worth it. As he sinks further into your mouth, he tilts his head back and squeezes his eyes shut in ecstasy.

You take him as deep as you can, allowing your spit to coat his cock. He likes it when it’s sloppy, when you’re drooling over yourself while he fills your mouth and you’re more than happy to oblige. Your eyes water as he flirts with the back of your throat with a soft, shallow thrust. When you choke his head snaps up to focus on you but you wave his concerned look away and grip his shaft tightly.

A thin string of precum and spit still connects your mouth to him as you lean back for just a second to compose yourself.

“Hope you don’t have any other meetings planned.”

“Why’s that?” His palm gently cups the back of your head, waiting for the moment you’re ready to take him again.

“I’m gonna make a mess of you.”

“Good.”

You meet his eyes and gather as much spit in your mouth as you can, allowing it to dribble down his cock before pumping your fist over him. He doesn’t have time to guide your head back down because you’re already on him again, working him over with your hand any place the warmth of your mouth can’t reach.

He chokes out an expletive and buries a hand in your hair, taking in the sight of your perfect mouth offering the bliss he craves. “You take me so well.”

You bob on his cock until he snakes his fingers down to undo the first button of your blouse, granting him access to a sliver of cleavage. He’s eager to see more of you, to feel more of you. Even after months of being with you, it doesn’t take much to tip him over the edge. He won’t last much longer if you keep going, but he’ll be damned if he blows his load in your mouth before even getting an opportunity to touch you.

“I wanna feel you,” he murmurs, leaning forward to coax you away from his cock and back to his lips.

The moment you press your lips against his he reaches for your waist to help you stand. He’s about to follow suit when you surprise him, straddling his lap and grasping at his tie to pull him towards your chest. His cock throbs as it grinds against the slick barrier of your soaked panties, begging for entrance as he buries his face in the splendor of your cleavage. A roll of your hips tempts him to push your panties aside and plunge into you like this. His fingers work as quickly as they can to pop open a few more buttons before slipping down to grip the meat of your ass.

“Fuck me,” you plead, grinding yourself down.

His arms tense and before you can entice him further he stands with a grunt, hoisting you onto the desk. You barely have time to react as he yanks your panties down and plunges a finger into your dripping cunt. Planting an arm behind you and keeping the other clasped around the back of his neck, you weakly attempt to keep yourself somewhat upright.

“How about you make a mess for me instead,” he whispers, leaving your cunt in favor of rubbing quick circles against your clit. “And then I’ll fill you up. Walk you out of here past everyone so they can see my cum dripping from your thighs. Everyone will know what a filthy slut you are for me, won’t they, beautiful?”

The way your muscles tense up nearly gives you a cramp. You bite your lip and nod with a pathetic fucked out grin as he fucks his fingers into your cunt, continuing to rub against your clit. Your elbow wobbles and you frantically grasp at his shirt instead, balling the material into your fist, desperate to undo the buttons but too close to nirvana to remember how to perform such a simple task. Your legs shake against the surface of the desk, and while the steady rhythm of his finger against your clit is heavenly, you’re ready to cry when his fingers leave your hole empty and aching to be filled.

“Joon, please.”

As soon as the desperate plea leaves your mouth, the tip of his cock teases your entrance, providing small, shallow thrusts that send you soaring past the threshold of your release. He can’t help but smile against your kiss as you drag his bottom lip through your teeth and melt into his form. Your walls spasm wildly around him and he gradually lets the pressure off your clit, instead increasing the pace and depth of his thrusts. He fucks you through the shockwaves of pleasure that follow your orgasm, stilling only when your eyelids stop fluttering and you’re able to meet his gaze with a fatigued satisfaction.

“Why’d you stop?” you wonder, lazily opening the buttons on his shirt. Pert brown nipples poke out from beneath the soft fabric, with the silky tie still swaying between them.

He watches you with a smile for a moment before pursuing the last few buttons of your blouse. Quickly working it off your shoulders, you give him the opportunity to reach for the clasp of your bra. It doesn’t take long for him to sweep you into a deep kiss, entranced by the way your skin feels against him while he’s still buried inside of you.

“Bend over this desk for me, baby. Show me that sexy ass.”

You whimper at the loss of his cock but do as he asks, knowing you’ll soon be full again. He lifts your skirt, takes both cheeks in his hands and squeezes before giving one side a slap. The moan that escapes you is embarrassing and it spurs him to repeat the action.

“Fuck,” he whispers, finally allowing his cock to press against cunt once more. “So fucking wet.”

Your own juices coat the expanse of your thighs, slowly trailing down them. Without warning he slams into you hard and fast. Wet slapping sounds fill the room as he holds your hips, driving them back to meet his thrusts.

“So fucking tight.”

You grip the opposing edge of the desk and moan. “You’re so deep, baby.”

“Fuck...” The word is exhaled through a shaky breath.

“So deep you could read me poetry,” you whisper, unable to stop the joke even though you know he’s on the cusp of cumming.

He huffs out a strained puff of air as he tries his hardest not to laugh. He gives in to the laughter after you begin to giggle. Unable to save himself, he leans into the joke that threatens to ruin his orgasm. “You’re my person. You’re my desire. You’re my pride...”

His thrusts are sloppy, his legs tense. You crane your neck to look over your shoulder to make sure he’s not mad. It must be your own grin that is contagious because he’s smiling even though he’s shaking his head at you.

“You’re my love. One and only love,” you recite for him, reaching back for his hand and pushing your hips back into him with force.

His grip on your hip tightens and he squeezes your hand. He slams into you a final time with a moan, ensuring he’s as deep as he can be before filling you with his seed. The pleasure amplifies every time you try to wiggle back for some sort of movement and he moves his hand to your ass, digging his fingernails in like it will keep him grounded. He leans over your form, kissing any bit of skin on your back his lips can reach.

Regardless of the sensitivity he keeps himself buried in you, hoping by some miracle he’ll stay hard enough to fuck you a second time. He can’t tell what’s his mess and what’s yours anymore as it drips down his balls to his thighs. As he finally slips out, you turn to face him with a sweet smile on your lips.

Your fingers glide through his hair and trail down to cradle his cheek. “I love you.”

Namjoon leans into your touch, pressing his lips to the inside of your palm. “I love you too.”

Maybe it’s the endorphins, but he can’t remember the last time he felt so comfortable and happy with another person, someone he can be so unapologetically himself with. He’s completely certain that he’s bound to you by fate. The love you share is destiny, a gift from the universe he never intends to take for granted.

No matter what the future holds, he knows he wants you by his side through it all: his one and only love.

[soft-angelic-kiss]

We’re all  a little bit crazy (5)

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therapsit! Izuku x Patient! Bakugou x Patient! Todoroki x Patient! Shinsou x Patient! Reader

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Chapter 5 trigger warnings- Y/N gets into a small fight, mentions of taking pills, the use of the word psycho and mentions of suicide// lemme know if i missed anything

if that makes you uncomfy don’t read!

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chapter one here    

 chapter two here  

chapter three here 

chapter four here

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He woke up again on a plush bed after sleeping comfortably, his cheek slightly bruised and a dull pain running through it, he placed his hand on it and nothing felt swollen which was a very good sign. He let out a sigh and moved up to his elbows so he could look around. 

It was different from all the other rooms he’d been in, It had more color, drawings all the walls.. Comfort stuffed animals they sometimes give you at the hospital even bigger stuffed animals.. The room was comfortable.. 

He finally looked next to him and on the floor was Y/N, who was listening to music occasionally flinching from the headphones as she colored in a little book. He didn’t wanna disrupt the girl, so he sat up and carefully grabbed his clipboard looking for her file… 

 F I L E   4

(Patient Name) Y/N Yagi  (Patient #437)

 (Date admitted) 8-3-2009

 (Patient age) 19

 (Patient disorder)  Anxiety, Severe Depression, Sensory Overloading issues, and short temper, but never escalates, ADHD, PTSD, Anorexia, self harm and suicidal thoughts

(History/cause)  When she was 4 her family home went up in flames causing the death of her father (Okorashi) and older brother (Ekai) Which gave her an extreme fear of explosions and loud noises. From the ages of 4-7 her mother became an addict and an alcoholic. She took up abusive habits that left a few horrific scars on her body. When she was 7 her mother finally passed from an overdose that caused her uncle to have to take her in, He’s a kind man and treats her kindly, He sent them here in hopes of making her better, and more ready to come home. He visits often.

(Has patient...)

-attempted suicide?

-attempted homicide?

-attempted any act of self-harm?

-attempted violence on past employees?

-attempted escape?

 (Other). If she gets sensory overwhelmed she tends to scream, hot, kick and cry. They find comfort in the other patients, Bakugou, Todoroki, Shinsou and the boys downstairs. She tends to stick her nails into the skin of whoever grabs her, she needs to be sedated if she has a breakdown. 

(Danger level) 9/10

Izuku raised an eyebrow, the description of the person sitting down in front of him.He felt like it didn’t match her at all. He decided to take a gentle approach to greeting Y/N to make sure she didn’t have an “episode” as the paper put it. 

He gently swung his feet over the side and crouched down hoping to get into her sightline. He crawled to sit in front of her placing his hands on the floor in front of her coloring book. 

Y/N looked up, slightly startled but then took her headphones off, the change causing her head to spasm backwards before resuming her normal position. “Hi!” They smiled, placing her hands on the coloring book in front of Izuku’s. “Hi, Y/N right?” He spoke calmly, not wanting to put off the human infront of him. “Yeah! And you are...Izuku? Midoryia?” She tilted her head curiously and smiled, pumping a fist into the air when Midoryia nodded a smile being brought to his own lips. He was absolutely hooked by Y/N. Their backstory, their personality, they were such an interesting person and he couldn’t wait to learn more. 

“Yeah. You got it right, good job.” he chuckled when her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment from his praise. Izuku chuckled again and leaned forward slightly and watched as Y/N leaned back. 

Izuku shook his hands carefully and leaned back “Is this more comfortable?” Y/N nodded and smiled softly leaning forward again to resume coloring. Izuku smiled and decided to just watch her for a few moments.

The two hung out not moving position for at least half an hour, until Y/N looked towards the door and started cowering when the door opened and the men in white stood there with a medical tray full of many medical instruments he'd never seen before. 

Y/N jumped to their feet and tried to hide behind Izuku as one of them said “Y/N, Please I don’t want to have to repeat what happened yesterday.” He went to reach for her but she smacked his hand and continued standing behind Midoryia who was eyeing the men with a suspicious look. 

The blonde one who had spoke already finally went to grab them only to have his hands smacked away, but instead of a hand, he felt a clipboard against his wrist as he cried out “what THE-” the man went to hit Izuku but the greenette had blocked his second hit as well 

“She’s scared. I’m going to have to ask you to leave because you are not helping.” Izuku’s tone held dominance and authority as the man scoffed “Oh really?-” His words were cut short as Y/N lept towards him and started hitting him. 

she had gotten a few punches in before Izuku had interfered and pulled her back and away from him holding them, they cling to him. “She’s just psycho-” he started again but was cut off by Midoryia straight up shoving him out of the door 

Midoryia had shut the door and looked at the medical supplies and then at Y/N who was back on their bed. Midoryia hummed softly looking at them with a soft but concerned gazed “Are you alright?” They nodded timidly “U-um.. yeah, i think..” 

They kept eyeing the cart and rubbing their arms. Izuku was angry beyond belief but kept his cool for Y/N. “Do you know what these are?” he asked as he walked over to the cart. Y/N nodded “Those are what the use to sedate me and give me my medications..” Izuku nodded and looked at the cart, it had 4 different pills, a tiny box of apple juice and a needle filled with a liquid. He picked up the needle and watched Y/N flinch back 

Izuku shook his head “No, no.. i’m gonna dispose of it, not use it okay?” He went and wrapped it up throwing it in the hazard trash can in the bathroom coming back out looking at the cart. 

“Okay, do you have an order you need to take them in or can you just take them one at a time?” 

Y/N looked confused as they stood up walking to Izuku and the cart “I c-can just take them.. why are you helping? aren’t you supposed to..” 

Izuku shook his head “So far all of you have said that… No, i’m not supposed to be mean, i’m supposed to help you get better so can you take..” he handed Y/N two of the four pills and handed her the apple juice “these and then the other ones?” he smiled

Y/N nodded and took the two and then waited 30 seconds before taking the other two. Izuku nodded and smiled “Thank you.. Now I believe” He stopped and checked his watch “It’s almost dinner time, If you want you can go head down to the cafeteria?” He smiled at her

Y/N thought for a moment “Will you come eat with me?” She tapped her foot on the ground and looked away as Izuku chuckled

 “It’s not my dinner break,” Y/N had frowned and got ready to ask again.

“but I’ll still come sit with you?” Izuku smiled when Y/N’s face lit up 

Y/N gave a big smile and nodded “Okay!” they had opened the door and ran out with an excited yell of “KATSU! TODO! SHIN!” as she catapulted herself into the boys arms as they hugged her back. 

“Why don’t you go to the cafeteria and We’ll be right behind you okay?” Shinsou spoke caring and calmly and all three boys had a quirk of a smile as she smiled and ran off down the halls “GOT IT!” you could hear their laughter as they went down the stairs with a much kinder doctor.

As Izuku walked out of the door locking it behind him he was quickly met with the three faces he’s seen previously looking at him with glares. He gulped before speaking in a meek voice “Y-yes?” Bakugou raised an eyebrow and scoffed before nodding at him “Not a bad idiot.” and the other two nodding in agreement before the bell above them rang for dinner.

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tag list~  @buckyneedsplums @lazywriterfullofideas09 @notchittatenn @physco-101

for some reason it might not let me tag you also if I forgot you just lemme know!

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a/n: I’m so sorry for getting this out so late! I’ve been very busy recently and I’ve been preparing for BIG things in my personal life so chapters may be extremely short or non existent. I also didn’t plan to have so many supporters for this series so i didn’t really have a clue what to do with the story. I still don’t. I have one more chapter ready in my head but after that I’m not sure where this series will go. Anyways, as usual I hope you enjoyed and please feel free to reblog, like or say something in my inbox! I’m open to writing one shots if you guys are interested, I was thinking about writing one shots instead of continuing with actual chapters after chapter 6