#I am a big boy who enjoys liquor

[troublesomecousin]

About to see a production of A Christmas Carol, and I am full of the Christmas Spirits (alcohol)

[zevrra]

same anon from before :3 but another thot

HEAR ME OUT. i saw a tictok the other day about how jayce just does what he’s told and oh em geeeeee commanding jayce to mess Vik up ie. kissing him up and down, jacking him off all while you watch. SCREAMING WITHOUT THE S

includes: [nsfw!!] [18+ only, mdni!!] jayce is an obedient little thing and does what he’s told! :3

ft. jayvik x gn!reader

extra(s): thank you so much for this request anon! this was a lil fun to write ;3 i hope you enjoy tho!! feel free to request for more! (i also barely skimmed over this so forgive any errors kshdjh <3)

“jayce, you’re such a good boy and you listen so well,” you muse, running your fingers through thick brown hair. his soft, hazel gaze stares up at you from his seated position before you, his head resting on your knee. “always so eager to please, hmm? but it’s not me who needs attention tonight.” you add as you rub your thumb across the high of his cheekbone.

jayce had been to another council party and had come back home to you and viktor rather…tipsy. honestly, he was actually really drunk and far more clingy than he normally was as his head rests in your lap. if it were any other night when you didn’t have reports to go over and present before 6 am tomorrow; you’d be all for jayce’s little advances to join in on his and viktor’s fun. but tonight he’d just have to enjoy viktor’s company alone.

“listen to me, pretty boy. i want you to make vik feel good, can you do that for me?”

jayce looks at you with slightly saddened eyes as you caress his face. his pretty, begging eyes were sure to work on you if viktor had not stepped in. “are you sure you cannot join us?” he asks, his own hand brushing along jayce’s bangs as he leans back against your desk.

“i’ll just have to watch tonight.” you respond with a smile.

and that was far easier said than done.

for jayce, he still wanted to have you involved in any way he could get you— and that came down to you ordering him around like a lost puppy. he wouldn’t move, kiss, or touch without your instructions. he wanted to obey every word you spoke while you watched from the sidelines. and vik was no help at all either; he wanted all of this. wanted your gaze to watch their every move while jayce followed your every order to make him feel good. wanted to know you were included just as much as jayce did. and after some pretty pouting and a mix of pleas, you finally agreed.

so between paragraphs breaks of whatever paper you had written up days before; you would take a glance at the men leaning against your desk. coming to said break, you look up from your notes as viktor is pressed against jayce’s chest while jayce trails kisses against his neck, his hands roaming over viktor’s thin waist. somewhere along the line you had managed to get them to strip their shirts off, without tearing any clothes thankfully, but jayce still refused to advance unless you told him so.

“kiss him baby.” you order jayce who happily obliges.

jayce turns viktor’s face towards him, kissing him eagerly as he caresses vik’s jaw with one of his big hands. their tongue’s clash together as they make out and jayce eats up every groan he draws from vik. you watch as jayce presses viktor back up against him, gripping his hips from behind, as the two kiss each other like they were both air they needed to breathe.

you glance briefly away to go over the next paragraph on your notes. you find yourself reading the printed words faster than before solely so your eyes can find the two of them just a little bit faster.

“blegh, i can taste the liquor you drank jayce.” viktor gripes as he breaks the kiss, sticking out his tongue a little. he could clearly taste the strong alcohol lingering on jayce’s tongue; and it almost made you want to taste jayce too, just to confirm.

“m’sorry v…” jayce apologizes with a little drunk pout before chasing after viktor’s lips once more. he returns to kissing viktor as you finally finish the paragraph as your gaze settles on the two once more, while their eyes fall closed as they kiss. you watch as jayce’s tongue runs over vik’s bottom lip before diving between his parted lips and you have to stifle your own whine watching them. you wish you could be jealous but you’re the one who declined in their activity so you’d just have to continue to watch, for now. thank god it was a tasty sight to behold.

“take his pants off, jay. he’s so hard.” you softly instruct, gesturing to the strain on viktor’s pants. even out of the corner of your eye you could see the bulge inside of his pants, begging to be freed. jayce is quick to have his hand travel down the front of vik’s thin torso, fumbling with the belt of his pants, as vik breaks their kiss once more to groan deeply at jayce’s large hand brushing up against his erection. and you can only watch for so long as jayce attempts and fails a few times to undo vik’s belt before you finally reach out with your free hand to unclasp the belt for jayce. who quickly does away with the it, muttering something incoherent about how horrible the design was, while smoothing a hand down the front of vik’s pants; giving him a firm squeeze. you smile at the noise vik makes.

“jerk him off for me pretty boy. make him feel really good.” you sigh, reluctantly turning your eyes to your notes once more.

you glance quickly over your notes while out of the corner of your eye you watch jayce practically manhandle vik. he’s unceremoniously yanking down the other’s underwear and by the sound vik makes you know jayce has wrapped his fingers around his cock. your eyes scan over the paper in your hand as your leg subconsciously bounces. and if listening to viktor softly whine wasn’t enough to distract you, the sound of jayce whispering sweet nothings while stroking viktor off was for sure making it a little harder to pay attention to the paper in your hands. and while you do manage to read the last few words of the paragraph (and you’ve probably had to re-read it a few times) you thank god; for there’s only one more paragraph left now. you debate going over it as quick as you can, finishing off the notes right then and there but before you can, viktor's voice draws your attention to the two once again.

“j-jayce!” viktor whines, throwing his head back. his fingers grip jayce’s forearms, while jayce continues to stroke him off, practically standing on the tip of his toes as he craves more and more from jayce. pleasure written all over his face as his amber eyes stare at jayce’s fingers rubbing over his tip. you knew how sensitive he was and so did jayce, clearly targeting his weak spot; even when drunk he was damn good with his hands. the sight and the noises slipping from both men made your thighs ache with need. you couldn’t deny your own growing want inside of you as you simply watch the two.

“your hand will not be enough jayce.” you mutter, eyes fluttering up at jayce’s drunk gaze. he glances at you just as he plants a heavy kiss against vik’s neck as his hand falters just a little at your words. realization breaks through the fog of his inebriated mind at what you’re telling him to do and he’s quick to act. he repositions viktor to take his spot on the desk and in one swift motion he drops down to his knees, adjusting viktor’s bad leg onto his shoulder to rest, while his hand wraps around the base of vik’s cock once again. without hesitating jayce is just as quick to wrap his mouth around the thick of vik’s head, swallowing him down until the very base.

at this point, you’d rather chew on glass than read these damn notes anymore but you manage to rip your eyes away from them one last time, skimming over the words as fast as you can, retaining absolutely nothing, just to finish off whatever paragraph you had left. finally done with these damn notes, you toss them onto the other side of the desk not being used, and hurriedly stand up. you strip off your shirt before joining viktor’s side. your fingers push through jayce’s dark hair while you capture vik’s lips and you eagerly get to swallow his moans this time. you can just barely taste the lingering liquor on his tongue from jayce but it’s still there; just enough as you press your tongue against vik’s.

viktor and jayce share a groan as you join their little entanglement. you press your other hand against vik’s thigh as jayce continues sloppily sucking him off. vik breaks your shared kiss with a whine. “thought you were just watching tonight?” viktor mutters with a sharp cry as jayce sucks, particularly rough, against his tip.

“yeah well, you two are gonna be the death of me.” you respond before diving back to his lips once more.

after the three of you finished fooling around for the night you’d definitely have to re-read over those damn notes again before tomorrow morning…you weren’t getting any damn sleep tonight.

[saberlight1]

lovefool — billy the kid

pairing: billy bonney x fem!reader

warnings: mentions of violence, fluff, Y/N usage, reader is a cowgirl and gunslinger, hints towards murder, one bed trope, standard billy the kid warnings.

authors note: hii!!! i’m so happy to be writing about billy, thank you anon for sending in this request that this is based off of. i loved the show and slowly am getting more obsessed with tom blyth everyday i swearrr. i hope you enjoy!

masterlist

You and the boys damn near fell through the doors of some random boarding house you came across— the lot of you attempting to run away from a rival gang that caught you stealing cattle.

Jesse threw 10 dollars down on the counter, more than enough to get rooms for you all. You had been running around all day— but the smell of gunpowder and crimson blood still clogged your nose hairs and adrenaline still pumped through your veins. You simply wanted a bath and to go the hell to bed.

But, who would you be to turn down Jesse’s smiling face, holding out a shot of whiskey for you.

You sighed, your hat tipping down with your head as you shook it, your hands rested neatly on your gun-belt, cowboy boot tapping softly on the floor as you pretended to weigh your options.

“Oh, c’mon, Y/N.” He held it out for you. “Drink with us!”

You chuckled. “Why not,” You went to sit down at the bar next to them.

“Hell yeah!” Jesse and the rest of the boys who were scattered around the bar cheered— you normally weren’t one for their after hour shenanigans.

“Only for a little bit, though. I’m tired as hell.” You said, downing the whiskey shot.

“Sure,” Jesse waved you off with a knowing look, ordering a couple more rounds for you all. You laughed, going along with his antics as always. You had known Jesse since you were young— he was the one who had vouched for you in this group, who had helped you gain the respect that you had today.

You let out a hiss at the burning feeling of that whiskey going down your throat, slamming the shot glass back onto the table.

“I’ll have what they’re havin’.” You heard that familiar husky voice from next to you. Billy Bonney stood with a small smirk toying on his lips as he sat down on the stool next to you. He nodded at the bartender when he slid him said shot, the outlaw throwing it back without hesitation.

“Where you been, cowboy?” You asked, slightly tipsy.

“Been at the Saloon playin’ Poker.” He responded.

“You win?”

His smirk only grew. “Sure did. It was a big pot too,”

“Good for you, Billy.” You smiled, turning back to grab you and him another shot. “To your winnings.” You cheered, the pair of you clinking your glasses together before downing them.

“Aye, y’all get that cattle?” He asked, leaning closer to you with a quieter voice. “Y’all stink of gunpowder.”

“Nah,” You shook your head. “Their boys came out— the shots scared the cattle away, and we ain’t have enough ammo to fight ‘em off so we had to cut and run. Shot a couple of them, though.”

He hummed. “We’ll get ‘em next time, Y/N, don’t worry.”

“I hope so. Jesse here is runnin’ up his tab right now and we barely got enough cash to buy food.” You shook your head with a bitter smile. “Aye, at least we got liquor.”

“We’ll figure it out— we always do.” Billy reminded with a comforting smile.

“Yeah.” You sighed, trying to push the worries away. You downed one last shot before pushing yourself off the bar stool. “Alright, boys, that bath is callin’ my name. See y’all tomorrow.” You turned, heading to the stairs as you heard a string of good nights.

After washing up, you put on a comfortable nightgown, heading to the room that matched the key Jesse had given you.

You carelessly threw the door open, the towel in your hands still wringing out your wet hair. But said towel almost fell from your grip once you saw a shirtless Billy standing in the middle of your room.

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” You apologized as soon as his confused gaze landed on yours, backing out of the room. “Thought this was my room,”

He sighed, throwing on the shirt he was changing into before you walked in. “You’re good. Jesse told me downstairs that he ain’t have enough cash to get me a room— Hope you don’t mind, but I’d rather bunk with you than the one of the boys.”

“Oh, yeah, no, you can sleep in here. I don’t mind,” You nodded, walking in and shutting the door, placing your gun-belt down on the nightstand. Your eyes drifted to the small twin bed before you, your gaze going back up to Billy’s nervously.

“I can sleep on the floor, it’s alright.” He immediately tried to come up with a solution, already knowing what you were thinking of.

“Billy, I’m sure your back hurts just as bad as mine— if not more.” You waved him off. “I don’t want you to wake up even more sore tomorrow. It’s fine.. I ain’t scared of sleepin’ in the same bed as you. Unless you’re scared of sharin’ with me,” You lightly teased, laying down onto the bed, opening the covers for him.

A soft smile crept onto his lips. “Now, why would I be afraid of such a pretty lil’ thing like you?” He poked back, his words sending a blush to your cheeks as he got into bed, taking you up on your offer. The bed was quite small, and to ensure Billy wouldn’t fall off you were kinda hanging off the side.

A giggle left your lips. “There’s no way I’m not gon’ roll off this bed in my sleep and face plant onto the floor.”

He laid on his back, one arm thrown behind his head so he could look down at you. His gaze lingered onto yours for a moment— and you could see the gears turning in his brain. “Here,” He flipped onto his side, his hands slowly tugging you into him so your back was to his chest, his arm loosely hung around your waist. “I won’t let you fall,” He whispered into your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

“Thank you,” You leaned up to blow out the candle lit next to you before snuggling back into his arms, smiling. “G’night, Billy.”

His arms tightened around you, and you could hear a faint chuckle from behind you, the man placing a soft kiss to your head. “G’night, darlin’.”

[concreteburialplot]

Delicate Beginning Rush

pairing: nicholas ruffilo x fem!reader

masterlist: here | crossposted; ao3 | word count: 4.8k

warnings: alcohol, fluff??? who am i ????¿, shy nerdy nicholas, awkward fumbling drunk sex, oral (f receiving), mutual masturbation, nick has a big massive fat-, cum play ??, subby nick if you squint, reader doesn’t know anything about star wars / pop culture ? lol, au; college omens, 18+ MDNI

summary; your friend drags you to a house party you never wanted to be at but end up being grateful when a cute shy boy changes the course of your night

a/n: this is a work of fiction, don't like it don't read it. don’t be mean for no reason & let others enjoy things thnx :)

Around you rages a random college house party that your roommate dragged you to. The house itself was huge and almost dollhouse-like. You weren’t sure who’s party it was or who all lived there, all you did know was that your friend was on a mission. You’ve met the group of boys your friend was interested in a couple times. She’s been trying to get with one… or two of them? You aren’t quite sure anymore. But they were some boys from your English class that happened to be in a band – at least that’s what you’d gathered with various random study dates with them. They were chill, but you could tell that they were mostly interested in your roommate. At least that’s what it seemed like, with the way they’d usually only pay mind to her while you’d be working on assignments.

But now, you sit on the kitchen counter of this giant house with a raven-haired tattooed boy standing between your legs. You both are tipsy, giggly messes.

Your hands intertwined with his and playfully sway back and forth at his sides; the warm alcohol running through your veins makes you both more touchy-feely than normal. The drink coats your body in a tingly warmth.

“How come I didn’t know you were so funny huh?” You nudge his shoulder with the right set of your connected hands. Your fingers slip from the hold and brings the plastic cup full of neon blue to your lips. You take a sip looking up at him through glassy eyes over the white ridge of the cup. The sickeningly sweet beverage burns your throat with at least 3 different liquors mixed.

His tan cheeks are tinted peachy pink from the alcohol and a sweet smile tugs at his lips. “I don’t know.” He shrugs and takes a sip of his own drink. “I don’t really talk much I guess.”

Which was true. Now thinking about it, in all your group hangouts he was mostly silent, only speaking when spoken to. The other three boys were loud and quite talkative. Especially the two your roommate was pining after, both with long hair and one with an accent. It really depended on the day which she was leaning towards more. Tonight, it was Jolly, the one with the accent.

“Yeah, I noticed that.” You say softly, “But you seem much more talkative now with some of…” You hold up the horrid concoction you were given, “Whatever this is.”

He smiles, “Yeah, I guess it helps me out of my shell a little.”

It seemed to help him out of his shell a lot, with him talking to you for the past hour and making you laugh harder than you had in a while. You barely even knew what his voice sounded like before tonight. But you found that you really enjoyed it, it was deep and raspy but upticks when he’s excited about something. It swirls a flurry of butterflies in your tummy that you write off as just the alcohol’s doing.

“Well, I quite like you out of your shell Nicholas.” You beam sitting up. One arm wrapping around your own midsection and the other feeding more sips of drink to your mouth. You find the edges of your lips curling at how the blue liquid tinted the inside of his lips. You wonder if the stain on his mouth tastes just as sweet as the drink.

A blush coats his cheeks, and his eyes fall to his cup, “Oh, you can call me Nick.”

“Alright, Nick.” You grin and take the last sip of your drink. “You know it’s awfully loud in here.” You use a tried-and-true line.

“Oh, well, we could um,” He knocks back the last of his own drink. “We could go up to my room?” He offers kindly.

Hook.

Line.

Sinker.

“Sure, I think that’s a great idea.”

You hop off the counter and he takes your hand, weaving you through the crowded party and up the stairs. He pulls you into his room, the second door to the right. The room was cleaner and more decorated than you’d expect from a random college boy.

Your eyes wander across the shelves of figurines, books, and posters on the walls. It was all quite… “nerdy”, the only thing you could really recognize was Star Wars while the rest just seemed like miscellaneous anime memorabilia. It didn’t make it any less pretty or interesting, quite the opposite, you were awestruck.

Another wall was covered in framed records that hung above a bookshelf filled with vinyls and topped with a record player. Your gaze flows down to where propped guitars litter the floor.

“It’s lame I know.” He scratches the back of his neck with a subtle embarrassment on his face.

The mandatory college boy light strips around the room were set to purple and moving the light in a pattern – alternating between blocks of bright violent and dim violet. Your eyes followed the blocks as they trailed along the ceiling. The light strips and a warm yellow lamp on his night were the only sources of illumination.  

“No, no.” Your eyes finally land on Nick again. “I think it’s really cool.”

He chuckles and shakes his head, “No, it’s definitely not that.”

“Most boys’ rooms are bare with a mattress on the floor. Your room is so full of personality… and you have a bed frame.” You laugh. “It’s cool. I promise.”

The more you looked at his personality-filled room, the more you wondered how he kept all of this contained. You would’ve never guessed this is what his room would look like. But you sure were happy you were found out.

“Well, I’m glad you think so.” He says and sort of shifts on his heels. He picks up some random fidget toy and begins playing with it, it’s obvious he’s a little nervous.

You carefully sat on the bed, making sure not to disrupt the nicely made sheets.

“I don’t know anything about that stuff.” You say naively. You’ve been around enough nerdy boys to know that always gets them going.

“Of what? Star Wars?” His glassy eyes grow wide and shocked.

You giggle at his reaction, “Yeah, any of it really. Like all this stuff in here. Except the music, obviously.”

“No way.” He scoffs. “There’s no way you’ve never even seen one Star Wars movie?”

“Nope.” You lift your shoulders to a shrug, “But I’m sure you’re about to tell me about it.”

“Well, I mean, it’s only my civil duty to inform you about them.” The edge of his mouth pulls into a playful grin.

You bite down on your lip to stifle another liquor-soaked giggle. “Alright. Well, let’s hear it then.”

The way the corners of his lips curl directly into his cheekbones is so adorable you don’t even mind that he’s derailed your mission of hooking up.  You pull yourself further back into his bed making room for him.

“Okay, so.” He says excitedly with an uptick in his voice and scrambles to sit next to you on the bed. He takes an inhale before beginning to speak, almost like he doesn’t even know where to start.

Even though you were originally in this for something completely different, now you don’t mind just sitting here and listening to him excitedly talk about … whatever he’s talking about.

You let him drunkenly ramble without interrupting him, nodding at any points he was making. He lost you fairly early on, when he started to explain how the movies are chronologically not in order or something along those lines. But that didn’t stop you from just listening to him speak or admire how animated he got with his hands while explaining things.

He was just so cute – the way when he smiled, really smiled, it lit up his whole face. This smile reached his eyes, lighting them up with so much life. This was the first time you really noticed his eyes, with the purple lights reflecting in them you couldn’t even tell what color they truly were – they looked grey, then blue, then green all at once. When you were really lost in them is when he caught you.

He reeled his arms back to his body, giving you a little embarrassed smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to talk so much.” His gaze fell before bashfully meeting you again.

“No, no, no.” You quickly answer, immediately feeling guilty for not paying enough attention. “I liked listening to you.”

“Oh, you don’t gotta say that.” A light pink coats his cheeks before his eyes fall to his fiddling fingers. “I’m used to it. Most people don’t tend to listen to me anyway.”

Your chest twists at the thought of anyone ever making him feel unheard or ignored.

“Hey, no.” You reach between you and grab his wrist, then meet his eyes. “I was listening to you. I really like hearing you talk. Okay? You can keep going if you want.”

He blushes a little more and gives a small nod. “Okay.”

He continues on some tangent he left hanging, and you return to your place with your chin on your palm supported by an elbow to your knee.

You didn’t lie, you really do like listening to him – you said nothing about understanding anything he said. Especially with how fuzzy your head is right now, you don’t understand a single word he’s saying. All you can pay attention to is the smooth waves of his cadence and his adorable mannerisms.

He pauses and chuckles nervously, “What? Did I lose you again?”

The edges of your lips curl up, and you shake your head.

“No.” You hum and press your lips together as you reach up to tuck some hair behind his ear. “I’m just wondering if you tell every girl you bring up here about Star Wars.” You giggle.

He nearly scoffs at even the idea. “No, definitely not.” He reaches up to scratch his arm “Mostly because I never really bring anyone up here. I usually stay here during their parties. They’re not really my thing.” He shrugs and fidgets with his thumbs as he speaks, transfixed on them while occasionally looking up to meet your eyes. “I don’t really like the loud music, or the people… or the alcohol usually. Really none of it is for me.”

“Well, I’m really glad you were down there tonight.” You smile sweetly, just admiring how pretty and delicate he is. You move your hand just a bit forward so that the tips of your fingers interlace with his and lean towards him.

A shy grin spreads across his lips, “Yeah me too.” He replies softly while matching your actions and moving closer to you. His eyes dart from your eyes to your lips and you can’t help but mirror it. His lips were perfect and plump and all you wanted to do was be on them.

From all the pieces of him you’ve gathered tonight, it’s easy to assume that he’s probably pretty anxious and can’t read social cues that well. So, you decide to spell it out for him.

“I want you to kiss me, Nick.” You breathe into the gap between your lips.

He gives you a quick but urgent nod before softly crashing his lips into yours.

The kiss ignites sparks all over your body, firecrackers exploding within each cell. Your hand finds his cheek to pull him in closer. His tongue swipes across your bottom lip asking for entrance and you oblige without a second thought.

His tongue hesitantly flicks at yours which begins a playful dance between them. It’s not rough or dominance-seeking, it’s needy and soft.

You tangle both hands into his long long locks and lean back on his bed, pulling him on top of you between your legs without ever breaking the kiss.

He’s so gentle with you. His hands stationed at each end of your body, one soft on your face and the other resting tenderly on your side. His tongue was skillful but mellow, just enjoying the kiss with you. It’s not often a guy wants to take his time and not rush, but he didn’t seem to mind, in fact, he was setting the pace.

It’s exciting and delicious all at once.

Your hand meets his face to bring him even closer before reaching up and tangling your fingers into his dark hair again. His scent fills your nostrils and it’s something woodsy and… spicy? Sweet, but peppery. The smell of his cologne goes straight down between your legs and worsens the throbbing there.

You continue the lazy kissing but take the lead again and slowly guide his hand to your tit, letting him know that it’s okay to touch you. He doesn’t need much convincing; his hand begins needing the soft tissue of your breast over thin t-shirt fabric. His fingertips lightly pinch your pebbled nipple. You can’t help but let out a tiny whine into his mouth.

You’re reminded of just how drunk you are when your numbed fingertips trail down his shirt to his belt and fumble with it. You struggle with the button and the zipper, but you finally reach his hardening cock. He lets out a small groan once you start palming him over his boxers. While you can’t even see it, you can tell it’s big – which surprises you, especially with his shy demeanor and the tight-ass pants he usually wears.

He follows suit, letting his hand trail down your side until it’s between your thighs beneath your skirt, running a finger between your panty-covered lips. You moan into the kiss; you need him like air – more than just his finger over cotton.

Since he seems to base his actions and pace on yours, probably out of courtesy to make sure he’s not crossing any lines, you dip your hand past the wide band of his boxer briefs. His cock is thick and heavy in your hand as you begin pumping him within his boxers.

It works, he dips into your panties and lets his fingers explore you. He rounds your clit nearly causing your entire body to convulse. Then he slowly brings them down to your entrance which makes you immediately roll your hips up towards his hand – your core aching to have something, anything inside you. A louder moan escapes once you feel two fingers slip inside you.

You pump his large member in your hand, and you can feel his pulse in it. The walls around his fingers tighten once he starts rutting into your fist – he needs you just as badly. You break the kiss, and your chests rise and fall rapidly together. He doesn’t pull away, instead, he presses his forehead against yours.

“Jesus fucking christ you’re so fucking big.” You breathe out heavily between you two.

Pink flushes across his cheeks in the cutest way. “Thanks.” He replies shortly almost as if he’s ashamed to receive the compliment.

Your brows knit together and your head tilts to the side. “What’s wrong? I’m sorry if I-”

“No, no, it’s not that it’s just…” He presses his lips together for a moment. “It’s big.”

You chuckle, “I mean yeah, every guy says that right?”

“It’s just… I just don’t wanna hurt you.” He says sheepishly. “If you want to go further that is, of course.”

You watch him with a skeptical gaze trying to analyze his features to see if he’s joking but, he seems serious. Of course, he feels big in your hand, but you don’t have a full gauge of it – you can’t see it. Surely it can’t be that big. He’s probably just exaggerating. Regardless, you find it endearing that he’s so concerned about hurting you.

“I’m sure it’s fine.” You wave off the conversation because you enthusiastically want to get back to the journey you were on before.

His lips urgently find yours again and his fingers continue their plight inside you – two curling right into your sweet spot and his thumb rolling small circles into your swollen clit. You’re grateful for the loud party downstairs that masks some of the noises you’re making.

Your hand works on him at the same pace as his fingers do on you. Deep groans rumble in his chest and in the back of his throat.

Breathlessly, you pull from the kiss looking up at him like he’s a glass of water after a trek through the desert. “Fuck- I” A moan slips from you. “Fuck I need you. I need your cock.”

“Are you sure?” He asks and pulls away, “Because I–“

The pulsing in your core outweighs your patience and you hastily tug down his pants, letting his cock spring out fully.

Your eyes widen at his size. He wasn’t joking - he’s fucking massive. So massive in fact that it almost terrifies you and makes you question if it could even fit inside you. It’s almost as long as your arm and thicker than a can of RedBull.

Nick must’ve picked up on your fear because his cheeks grow rosy in embarrassment. “See. I told you.” He says dishearteningly. “It’s okay if you don’t want to try, I really understand. Just let me eat you instead?”

You blink at him, somewhat taken aback by the whole situation. As much as you wanted to try – and you really wanted to try, the worry of you both being too drunk to properly prep you was imminent and you really didn’t want to risk him hurting you.

“Okay…” You agree timidly. “Sure.”

He smiles seeming happy to just be able to make you feel good regardless. His lips meet yours again and repeat the same soft dance as earlier for a moment before beginning to pepper kisses down your body. First, your neck, giving you open-mouth kisses with an occasional suck. Then, down your torso and tummy until he’s finally between your legs. He swiftly slips your panties off.

His inked fingers help to spread you open, using your own arousal to easily slide between your lips.

“So pretty.” He mumbles before diving in causing an abrupt whine from you at the sudden stimulation.

His lips and tongue work as delicately and meticulously between your folds as they did with your mouth. You could swear his tongue was made of some sort of magic from how good he was making you feel already. His tongue was masterful in how it would flatten and then curve around your swollen clit.

You peer down at him at work, and he was so beautiful, eating you like it was the only thing in the world that mattered. He must’ve felt your gaze on him because he looks up at you with lustful but sweet green-grey eyes. They make your breath hitch in your throat.

It was artistic how he’d move his tongue up and down in swirly wavy patterns serving you a perfect rhythm of stimulation then rest then repeat. Not too fast, not too slow, not too hard, not too light. His tongue was immaculate.

“Fuck Nick,” You groan, letting your head fall harshly back on the pillow and your hand dives into his hair again. “Fuck don’t stop, that feels so fucking good- Fuck.”

The knot in your tummy grew more with each twist of his tongue and when he started incorporating his fingers again, hitting just the right spot, you knew you were done for.

“God, fuck!” You moan out loudly, tugging at his roots and rutting your hips up into his mouth. The knot threatening to snap at any given flick of his tongue. “Fuck, fuck, Nick, fuck I’m gonna cum!”

He speeds his pace up ever so slightly, not enough to ruin your ride but just enough to push you over the edge. He even lets out a moan against your cunt letting you know that really fucking likes the way you’re reacting to him.

Your grip on his hair is tight and probably painful but the screams that leave your throat distract you from staying gentle. Your legs clamp around his head and your back arches from the bed as you release fully onto him. He groans deeply against you again, seemingly even more turned on than before.

He doesn’t stop, no matter how tight your legs suffocate him or how hard you pull at his hair. He doesn’t stop for a second. His speed is perfect, enough to keep you going but not enough to overstimulate you. He keeps you riding a delicate tightrope, stretching your climax out as far as he can.

Your tummy fills with rampant butterflies and a buzzing spreads across your skin as he gently carries you into another orgasm. Pleasure crashes into you like a tidal wave to shore. Every inch of your body reacts to him, bending to his skillful craft.

Screams erupt from the base of your throat, your body not able to contain the rush of euphoria that he’s sent you into. Your hips rut up into his mouth and your walls spasm around his fingers but he keeps his actions steady and consistent. His fingers curl and thrust into you harmoniously with his tongue, letting you ride out your high on his face.

You pat his head a bit to indicate you were done. He looks up at you so happy, so grateful to serve you. His eyes are bright and full of pride that he was able to make you feel that good.

He pulls away, revealing him working his still-hard cock in his hand. Watching him move his fist up and down his veiny shaft and roll around his head has you buzzing again. He slips his fingers from you and replaces his working hand with the one covered in your juices, using your orgasm as lubricant.

“Fuck.” He mumbles, his eyes still fixated on your dripping cunt.

Your hand slithers down between your legs and use two fingers to spread yourself open for him. His tongue swipes between his lips as you begin playing with yourself – dipping into your entrance to gather some arousal to bring up to your pulsing clit.

You bite down on your bottom lip while his hand speeds up on his member, the sight of it turning you on beyond belief – especially since he was using your slick to work himself. He pumps his member faster and faster, his chest heaving accordingly. You’re both transfixed on each other’s actions, just getting off at the sight of the other fucking themselves.

The head of his cock is so swollen and dark red and leaking precum. It’s massive and could probably fill your entire mouth if you were to suck him off. His hand grows erratic and sloppy as his other keeps him propped up on the bed.  

You feel a 3rd climax creeping up on you, filling your bud with nerves begging for relief again. Your free hand slides up your torso to squeeze your breast, watching him start to unravel. Your fingers work precise circles around your nub, occasionally moving down into your entrance. You never knew how powerful it could feel watching a man get off on just the sight of you. You loved the way his eyes tracked your fingers, how they’d widen if you spread your folds for him, how his hand would speed up if you fucked yourself.

“F-fuck.” He mutters, letting himself rest down on his elbow. “Ah-uh- fuck, I’m gonna cum.”

He quickly lifts his shirt to reveal his tummy just before milky white ribbons decorate the tattoos there. His eyes flutter close, and his head lulls back as he works every bit of cum out of himself. His lips part slightly, letting delicious groans and whimpers pour from his mouth.

Thankfully, you’re just as close and his moans along with the sight of him coating himself in cum push you over the edge. Flashing white blinds your sight and your thighs clamp around your hand. Your fingers don’t stop moving until his hand does.

You ride out your highs together before your bodies relax back into the bed. You lay there breathless beside him, your chests rising and falling rhythmically. He hadn’t even fucked you but that was still some of the hottest sex you’d ever had. God, his tongue was nothing short of magical.

The silence between you both is awkward but endearing, unfamiliar but delicate. Your tummy fills with fluttering butterflies just at his proximity. Finding a guy who made you feel like this was the last thing you expected to happen tonight.

A chill from the air conditioning reminds you that you’re still bare from the waist down. Strawberry pink flushes your cheeks as you lower your skirt back down. He follows suit and tucks himself back into his boxers.

You nervously chuckle and go to speak but he starts at the same time as you. The blush on your cheek only worsens.

“Oh sorry I-“ You both fumble over each other’s words again.

“You go.” He offers.

“No, no you go.” You reply, motioning for him to speak.

He chuckles with his eyes adverting yours. “Um, sorry if – if, you didn’t want, erm, this.” Referencing his jerking off.

“No – no it was –“

“You just – you sounded so pretty.” He blurts out. “And you tasted so good… I just, got worked up.” His cheeks and the tip of his nose coated in a deep pink. “Sorry.”

You try to keep yourself from smiling too big because you find his embarrassment so cute.

“It’s okay. I liked it.” You reassure, and for some reason, it tints your cheeks too.

“You did?” He asks almost shocked.

“Mhm.” You reply, digging your teeth into your lip and nod. You liked it more than wanted to admit. “A lot.”

“Okay.” He nods bashfully. “I, um, I’m gonna clean up now. Can I get you anything?”

“Hmm, maybe a water when you’re done?”

“Okay.” He sits up a bit. “Um, do you mind just kind of, looking away?”

Your eyes furrow and your head tilts at him in confusion but you comply. “Sure.” You cover your eyes with your hands. “Why am I looking away?” You question, seeing as you just saw a lot of him.

He shifts in the bed, and you hear him slip his shirt off, probably to use it to clean up his mess.

“I don’t know. I just don’t like to be shirtless around people, I guess.” He answers shyly.

“Oh, I’m sure you look good!”

“No.” He scoffs adamantly, “Definitely not.”

“I don’t believe you.” You hum, wiggling a bit while still covering your eyes. “But I’ll take your word for… for now.”

You sense him get off the bed and open some drawers. After a few moments, he lets you know it’s okay to look again. You open your eyes to see that he’s changed into a graphic tee and a pair of shorts that have some kind of wolf design on them. He somehow looks even better than before.

He returns with two bottles of water, one for you and one for him. He shuts the bedroom door so gently like he’s trying not to wake anyone, as if there isn’t a raging party downstairs. He hands you a water bottle before he cracks his own open and takes a gulp.

“Thanks.” You say with a small smile. As you steal your first sip, you take note of his shirt. “Deft-tones?” You sound out the word trying to make out what it means. “Is that a band or something?”

The look that washes over his face as he’s drinking is pure shock and confusion. You may as well have told him you didn’t know who Mickey Mouse was. He abruptly pulls the bottle from his lips with furrowed brows, “You’ve never heard of Deftones?”

You press your lips together and shake your head, “Nope.”

“You’ve never watched Star Wars and you’ve never listened to Deftones? What rock have you been hiding under?” He teases.

“I don’t know, a heavy one I guess.” You giggle and give him a shrug.

“Oh man. If I wasn’t still so drunk right now, I’d play you something.” He laughs and sits on the bed beside you. “But anything I play right now is gonna sound like ass.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that.” You smirk and shake your head. You hadn’t heard his band play, but judging by how skilled his fingers were, he had to be good.

“No, no. It’s true. But you’ve gotta let me play something for you sometime.” His grin begins wide then shortens. “If you want that is.”

Right then, you couldn’t imagine anything you wanted more.

“I’d love that.”

tag list; i don't currently have a general tag list for all my fics so if you'd like to be added to that pls lmk!

a/n; thank you for reading if you did! i'm not that good at writing smut so sorry if it wasn't that great! i really enjoyed writing this one bc was just so fluffy and awkward and sweet, which is so different than anything else that i normally ever write LOL

Thank you for any support you guys ever give me on any of my works, it truly means the world to me that you guys enjoy my words and lil plots.

let me know if you liked it! i love hearing your thoughts 🩷

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL - Korea is coming after your office romance crown, Japan

March 2023 Wk 3

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Bed Friend (Sat YT, GaGa & iQIYI uncut) ep 6 of 10 - (sorry, yes I knew they extended it to 10, and I don’t think it’s a good sign) I thought the kink moment was kinda cute, and it illustrates the best thing about f-buddy relationships, license to play and explore. Also language play! (You know phi/nong is also for pets, right?) Poor Uea never gets to keep a grain of happiness very long - so now he’s pushing it away and self isolating. Sigh, I do hope there is happiness for a few eps at the end of all this trauma. 

Future (Thai Sun YouTube & Gaga) ep 1 of 5 - Based on a y-novel by Faddest (En of Love) about an engineering student and a dentist. Expect this one to stay soft, it’s from the 21 Day Theory people. I LOVE it. Bad sound and wooden acting but this is a classic old school Thai pulp. Older shy (but delightfully manipulative) sweetie dentist Ana with crush on younger sappy sunshine jock engineering student, Fuse. Very much a puppy/cat pairing. I admit, knowing all the various characters’ back stories means everything makes more sense. The friends’ conversations make me laugh a lot, but this is a very talkie show, with not awesome subs, so certainly not for everyone. I’ve already rewatched the first ep 3x. 

Pastsenger (Thai Weds Gaga) 3 of 12 eps - I enjoy that its the tsundere uke developing feelings first. Unusual approach. I also like that fake dating is being deployed to protect the girl from a stalker. It’s silly but I’m starting to like this show more. 

A Boss and a Babe (Fri YouTube) ep 4 of 12 - Honestly, the boss character isn’t really that tsundere. He’s basically a big old softy. Also baby boy very jelly. I would be too. Ex is v hot. But we keep being told things about these 2 characters but not shown said things on screen. Like the writers think they are telling one story but what we are watching is completely different. It’s... odd.

Tin Tam Jai (Tues Gaga & iQIYI) ep 4 of 12 - Aw, P’Park has an emotional support uke. OMG they brought the flirty faen fatal crumb back! YES. I love him. 

The Promise (Thai Weds YT) ep 4 of 10 - Good advice about secrets. It better come out and it better be a good reason... like witness protection. I am starting to get annoyed and feel manipulated the more they drag it out. But from the preview it seems like next week brings the PAIN. I have never been more ready. 

Chains of Heart (Sat iQIYI) ep 6 of 10 -  Will I ever understand this show? I hate that such good acting and chemistry is squandered on such an incomprehensible script. Is the “Korean doctor thread” a set up for Lue actually being Din (dead lover) with a new face? Because I suspected that at the beginning but if that’s the big twist in this narrative it’s a super clumsy twist. I hope they don’t. I’d rather it’s that Din turned himself into Ken - creepy, but less predictable. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Our Dating Sim (Korea Thurs Viki) eps 5-6 of 8 - Miracles of miracles: The kissing is even good in this one! Aw, baby wants to be courted. The redial phone call flirt had me flappy-handing and cackling. How are they THIS cute? It hurts my heart, two nerds in love. Also being linguistically outed at work is my new favorite trope ever. I rewatched these 2 eps an embarrassing number of times. (Warning, it looks like we got us a classic 1yr Kdrama separation coming down the line. PLEASE subvert this trope ODS. PLEASE.) 

All the Liquors (Korea Thurs Gaga & Viki) eps 7-8 fin - I guess I just don’t get over-dramatic angst about silly things. The premise of this show seems to be overreaction to some stuff, under-reaction (more typical KBL) to everything else. So not allergic but an alcoholic grandma who drank herself to death? Cute confession and kiss. They are so shy and sweet with each other. For a Korean drama this had a great ending which elevated it a lot over the many other KBLs of this type (Tasty, Sweet, Ocean, etc..) 

Final thoughts: A pretty classic foodie set KBL that managed to distinguish itself from others in this category by having a particularly satisfying final episode centered around found family. Sunshine sweetie soju rep gets involved with a shy introverted chef who doesn’t drink. Has a somewhat uneven plot, but If you are looking for a restaurant BL with Korea’s signature softness, then this is a great option. FYI I may identify with our baby party boy hedonist more than any other BL lead ever presented. 8/10 

I present actual footage of P’ABL whispering in your shell-like about what you should watch next... 

Unintentional Love Story (Korea Thurs iQIYI) 3-4 of 10 - (here’s how I am getting it) ALL THE TROPES these 2 eps. Cohabitation! Pretty house! Flirting. Ooo evil agent ex? White towel sponge bath doesn’t get deployed by Korea very often. Other thoughts: Why does the ceramicist’s car look like a hearse? How is Gongchan SO CUTE? Boyfriends-to-be eating together is great. So many self-worth issues in this one no wonder @heretherebedork​ loves it. (This is an unexpectedly long series, too. 10 eps and each one is over 30 min. That’s crazy for a KBL = Light on Me territory.) 

A Shoulder to Cry On (Korea Tues Viki & Gaga) eps 3-4 of 7 - this sort of emotional and mental manipulation (from narrative and characters) meets bully romance isn’t my thing. (And should be left up to Japan if it must exist at all IMHO.) Ultra cringe, humiliation, and emotional torture for everyone! (What is this, fan fic?) Result: therapy is needed for everyone, including me, who continues to have trust issues with this show. 

Jack o’Frost (Japan Fri GaGa) ep 6 fin - delayed until next week 

It’s Airing But ...

Love Syndrome (Thai Sat WeTV) stopped at ep 2 of 12 - I’m just not into any aspect of it (except Lee Long Shi and I can watch him in Tin Tem Jai) - saving to binge if the end is solid.

Blue Sky Complex (Japan ???) 5 eps for VR - adaptation of Kei Ichikawa's manga started Feb 27 on 360 Channel (SHOCHIKUch) a VR distribution service. Will inter-fans ever get to see this, and if it’s filmed for VR will it adapt without being overly dark and fuzzy? I have questions. But as usual, you do you Japan and we will wait (im)patiently to see if you remember the rest of the world exists. This is my preferred kind of live action yaoi, so fingers crossed.

Boyband (Thai) ep 2 of 10 - Stopped airing on YouTube, and only available in Thailand & Japan. Not sure if they’re working a distribution deal or just fucking with us.

Cafe In Love (Thai ???) 10 eps on Ch3+ - Thai pulp, about trying to save a coffee shop. FairyGodBLer came through for me, but I’m collecting to binge just in case. It’s my new policy with the grey stuff.

Destiny Seeker (Tues WeTV Thailand) 10 eps - it’s not on any WeTV I can get ahold of. Bad Buddy the pulp rebirth meets Japanese handsome host club action. Same as above.

Make a Wish (Thai Weds ?) from WaGa Creative staring Fluke Natouch (OhmFluke UWMA etc...) & Judo (The Miracle Of Teddy Bear) in a medical-fantasy. It seems to be a light-hearted romance with a comedic flair. About a doctor who sees ghosts and a deity who resides in a Bodhi tree that earns merits whenever he fulfills a wish based on a y-novel by Sammon (Manner of Death, Triage). Too hard to find. 

In other news

I finished watching Why You... Y Me (hold over from last year). It’s basically Puppy Honey + a band + excessive fujoshi, so NOT my jam, but the main BL side is nicely handled love triangle, if that’s your thing. There is a tiny gem of a story (buried in amongst the rest of this nonsense) about friendship, support, love, and owning your identity. But BL is very much the secondary plot here and the main plot is AWFUL so I can’t give it more than 5/10. Still it’s all on YT if you wanna give it a try. 

I also finished The End Of The World, With You AKA Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu. (Speaking of Japan psychologically bullying us.) Conclusion? It’s not BL (no BL tropes used, a sub-genre is defined by its tropes, BL is a sub-genre of gay romance). It’s a quirky road trip found family gay drama/romance. It’s fine if you like this kinda artsy tortured character thing. I don’t. But it’s well done high heat from Japan so... 6/10 I guess?

Next Week Looks Like This:

The Eighth Sense starts weds Viki, I’m thinking this is KBL doing JBL style again, so no promises on an HEA for this one. It’s giving me. His (the series) feels. But it could be more in the Blueming vein. Remains to be seen. 

Full list of upcoming in March 2023 is here.

2023 forthcoming BL master post. (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

This Week’s Adventure in Captions

Actually, Fuse said meeha which is usually translated as wifey (there are other slang words for bottom). Fuse is trying to establish a sexual and romantic dynamic where he plays “the male role” and he is doing this with Ana for several reasons: 1. Ana made the first move. 2 Ana is older. 

This is definitely one of those were the captions are OK but old-fashioned, it helps to know the common used terms and parlance. They are ALSO never saying boyfriend, they are always saying faen (gender neutral). 

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

I really liked this phrasing (Boss & Babe). 

Double date!

The cuteness, it burns us. How is Gongchan a 2nd gen idol, nearly 30, and still the ultimate macknae? Inquiring minds would like his immortality pill, please and thank you. (Unintentional Love Story) 

Another gay cactus baby! (Why did tumblr lose its mind over this? Here’s the BL meme primer) 

I love it when a show calls out it’s own tropes. 

I also love it when a show accurately reviews itself. 

All from Our Dating Sim. 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? Okay so Ireah on Peak Time did a bitty cover of Bad Love by Hynn and now I’m obsessed with it. I like her original a lot but I really want him to drop a full cover of it someday. 

[isdalinarhot]

im planning to go on t soon, and i wanted to know if theres anything you would tell someone about to go on? unexpected side effects, cool things that happened, general timeframe, etc? its cool if no

-orgasms change day 1 brother. like that’s the first real change is that all of a sudden you cum different. and your sex drive goes up immediately too if you’re someone who isn’t ace in the way where you don’t have a libido either. Not a distracting amount but you sure do go man pop culture sure was right about the general horniness of teenage boys

-bottom growth won’t be noticeable until like 3-4 months in, but it’ll start hurting within like a week. Just power through it and wear your most comfy undies. Now that I’m. Jesus 7 months on T? I get less growing pains in that regard but in the beginning it’s mildly uncomfortable but also kinda cool

-if you have penetrative vaginal sex get lube asap because while you still do get somewhat wet, it won’t be nearly as much as you did pre T. Better safe than sorry.

-YOU WILL SWEAT SO MUCH. like i don’t think anyone prepared me for how sweaty i was gonna be always. A neutral thing but yeah

-the second big thing I noticed was I was better at lifting heavy objects about a month in. Like I am a wimp weakling who doesn’t work out so I don’t have dramatic increases in strength but I used to fight for my life to carry a bag of groceries and a gallon of milk in from a grocery run and now it’s no problem. It used to take me 2 arms to carry my 2 liters of vodka home from the liquor store and I’d be dying by the time I got home but now I can hoist it under one arm no problem and don’t start getting sore until I’ve been walking for like half a mile. It’s super cool!

-you will smell worse like objectively due to boysmell being stronger than girlsmell and also all the sweat so I recommend showering about twice as often as you did pre T. So like if you only needed to shower once every 2 days now do it daily, if you needed a shower once a day do it twice. Don’t wash your hair more than usual though!

-some people get hungrier on T, I personally didn’t. Keep some beef jerky (or some mixed nuts if you don’t eat meat) on hand just in case because T hunger is very much a Protien Hunger (or so I’ve heard).

-my voice started changing about 5 and a half months in, and it’s gonna be pretty easy to deal with when talking, but singing will be kind of a landmine while you try to navigate your new range. I’ll let you know when that evens out 🥲

-body hair is more of a genetic thing, and is different for everyone. My friend got the beginnings of a mustache 2 months on T, I have 0 facial hair but darker hair on my forearms and belly 7 months in. Be patient.

-like, the day before you start T it is in your vested interest to take a neutral nude both of your general body and of your junk just so that when you’re like “am I going crazy or has my fat redistributed/has my bottom growth been noticeable” you don’t have to fight for your life to dig through ancient nudes/hole pics for some measure of comparison. Speaking based on personal regret here

-you may not have the Ideal Body Type you daydreamed of having as a repressed teen at the swimming pool, because this shit is unpredictable, but you will definitely have a body that feels more like home

-your skin will get rougher and that might be sensory hell if you have sensitive skin BUT it lets you open jars and bottle caps easier. Enjoy your new superpower (guy they hand their drink to so you can open it)

-mood wise you won’t become an aggro monster, but you will have PMS style irritation easier. If you take antidepressants those work wonders on managing that, so DONT SKIP YOUR MEDS if you take them (you already shouldn’t, but now you have extra incentive!)

-be aware that if you drink (and possibly with other drugs too, but I don’t do any of those regularly), your tolerance will likely go up a little. Make informed choices on how you go forward with this — the health teacher approved choice is that you just resign yourself to being a little less drunk now, but I’d be the worlds biggest hypocrite if I recommended that with a straight face.

-you’ll cry less, but you won’t feel less sad — it’s more like not crying as much or getting ~emotional~ about stupid stuff. I still tear up during climactic emotionally moving moments during books and movies, just not when sharks are eating the POV crab in a nature documentary

-the first rule of transsexuality is be yourself and have fun — there’s no shame in realizing that it isn’t for you after giving it a shot, but if you never try you’ll live your whole life wondering. Most changes that happen within the first month or two are reversible, so you have some grace period for figuring yourself out

Very excited for you! Good luck and congrats!

[chambersandfogg]

June 24th, 1922

It was days ago now, but I’m only just recovered from my third annual summer solstice fête. As always, it was a rip roaring success, worth the morning head that followed. Despite the absurd temperance laws in place now, New York has continued to flourish as the place to have a good time and the life of a theater owner and producer has introduced me to all sorts of people.

Actors, writers, musicians, film stars, and, of course, New York’s wealthiest families—those are the people who filled my Long Island home. Even Houdini himself has become a regular attendee, something I delight in. I longed for so many years to be noticed by him for my work as a magician but, despite meeting him a few times, I know I never made any kind of impact. I know this because he can now come to my house and drink my liquor and talk to me of his work without any spark of recognition in his eyes. I am ten years his senior and yet now, for all intents and purposes, twenty years younger. He treats me as such—telling me of his shows and travels, reminiscing about the turn of the century as if I truly was just a boy when we entered the nineteen hundreds.

There is something thrilling in pulling the wool over a great illusionist and skeptic’s eyes. There were some in attendance who should have recognized me as Fogg, but they seem to accept my new name and history with no question. It is a jolly crowd, full of the brightest minds of a generation, but they still see what they want to see. In any case, I am enjoying playing the part of the newly rich Jack Sinclair, even if it means that none of my guests ever truly know who I am.

The one guest who does know me—and the one I was most surprised to see walk into the garden—is Charles Chambers. He has been invited each year and, until now, never graced us with his presence. I don’t know what changed that he decided to come this year, but given the last time we saw each other was at the opening of “Pick a Posy” in the fall, I was pleased he came. As he almost always does, he disappeared into the night after sharing a drink with me at the opening night party and, while we’ve written, he remains as distant and unknowable as ever.

So you can imagine my shock when he agreed to stay the week here on the estate. He’s out walking the grounds as I write and I don’t know what it is he seeks out there, but he’s spent hours outdoors every single day since he arrived. A few other guests lingered for a day or two and the staff is here of course, but as of this morning, the only two occupants of the house are Charles and myself.

I find that I’m oddly nervous in his presence now that he is the only one remaining. I would not have anticipated the urge to entertain the man but, then again, we’ve hardly spent more than a day together since we worked on our World’s Fair act all those decades ago. I have no idea what kind of host he expects me to be or even how long he plans on staying—he said a week but I haven’t heard any noise about his travel plans. I would be happy if he stayed out the month here, perhaps into the Independence Day festivities. But for a man who is so constant and stoic, he has a tendency to be unpredictable.

He appears well. His work debunking the worst charlatans of the world is clearly invigorating and fulfilling him in the way my producing work does for me. It is heartening, that both of us have found new vocations that inspire us. If we are truly to be this way for the rest of time, I have to think it is vitally important that we continue to find endeavors that keep us engaged and occupied. My years of laying about after the war gave me great insight into the sorrow an idle mind can bring.

The rummiest thing happened at the party in fact—Scott and Dorothy, who had never met before but got on like a house on fire, were stacking coupes to pour champagne into when the whole thing came toppling over with a great big crash. And for a moment, I could have sworn that I was back on the front. I clearly had had too much to drink already by that point in the evening, because the whole room around me went foggy and indistinct and the old pain in my leg flared as if I had just received the injury.

I’m grateful that Charles was there. Somehow he intuited that perhaps I’d gotten a tad too sozzled, and he was at my side in a moment, ushering me into the library with the rest of the party none the wiser. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to extricate myself, as in that moment I feared I would collapse. We didn’t speak much when he sat me down in my favorite armchair, but he poured us both a brandy and we sat in peaceful quiet for a while. It really was the strangest thing. I certainly flinch at loud noises here and there—nothing so extreme as shell shock I don’t think—but this was something else entirely. It’s burdened my mind these last few days.

I wonder if it would be worthwhile to speak to Charles about it. While not the most forthcoming man, he is a decently good listener and is, of course, the person on this earth who knows me the best. But there is a strange distance between us that I cannot seem to cross. We spoke a little at the party, and have dined every meal since, but outside of that it feels that he’s avoiding me. Which I cannot fathom, given that he’s chosen to stay.

While theater producing is certainly keeping me occupied for the time being, I suppose, when in doubt, I’ll always have the mystery of Charles Chambers to fall back on as an activity to fill my endless days.

[from the personal diary of J.S. Fogg]

[to read the pre-1917 entries, join Atypical Artists and get access to the archive of 24 entries (5,000+ words), as well as ad-free episodes of Atypical's whole catalogue. to receive future monthly missives straight to your inbox, sign up for free here]

[themusedump]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

The following is a collection of quotes from Vinland Saga. These are taken from the manga. Chapter 1 - 54, the series prologue which is covered in season 1 of the anime. Feel free to change as needed. Warning for violence, slavery, and other dark themes.

---

"Oh geez. The attackers just retreated."

"Idiots performing a full frontal attack on a fortress..."

"I'm not looking for some cheap reward."

"Your warfare is pitiful and I can't bear to watch."

"We will pave your way to victory."

"Guarantee a reward for me."

"Ooh. You're so scary."

"I saw no deception in his eyes."

"We've got to get over this mountain before the moon rises."

"Just as I thought. They're powerless to resist."

"You're a tough kid, know that? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"That was the deal. I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Can it wait right now?! We need to get out of here!"

"Look at all the treasure."

"You'd be dead in three days, you klutz."

"Bring out some good liquor."

"Do you really love gold that much?"

"So anyway... Can you be a witness for me?"

"There is a different way to correctly control any person."

"Hey, isn't he kind of cute?"

"... You've grown, haven't you? How old are you now?"

"Things don't come back to you as fast when you get old."

"This isn't some big mistake inside your head, is it?

"Oh right. Now I remember! He was the fool who gave in life in exchange for his kid's!"

"Can't get emotional in battle."

"He is bound by his pride and past."

"If I had to live without pride, I'd kill myself."

"What a pitiful sight!"

"Every man alive is a slave to something."

"I suppose it would be a waste of breath to tell you not to get back at them."

"Are you a slave too?"

"For some reason, you remind me of myself."

"I wouldn't know how it feels to be a slave."

"I couldn't... kill."

"Enjoy your life as a slave then. You deserve it."

"I can't afford to be optimistic."

"That looks painful. What is it? Whips?"

"He's a slave on the run."

"But I don't have anywhere else to go..."

"He's stopped breathing!"

"A chain is the only necklace suitable for a man."

"Only steel chains around the neck will turn a man into something useful."

"Don't make me chain you."

"I shall not stand for those who make light of the law."

"Only by chains can an outlaw join the ranks of good humans."

"Do you really think you have removed his chains?"

"You will be joining us in this battle."

"A long time ago, I made a living by killing men. But one day, I came to hate it."

"I grew tired of killing. Tired of death."

"The time has come for me to pay the price of all my actions."

"The sword is a tool to kill others."

"Who are you going to kill with this?"

"Who is your enemy?"

"You have no enemies. No one in the world is your enemy."

"There is no one you need to hurt."

"Does that mean he's going into battle alone?"

"As usual, your men have no class."

"They just don't like the Christians."

"I'm just in it for the money. Consider the job taken."

"I didn't realize you were strong enough to jest with me so."

"Tell me about your heroics, man!"

"Do you think they'll let us go if we surrender?"

"He's more than a monster..."

"Aha! Very perceptive!"

"I like guys with a good brain in their head."

"Forgive me. I cannot spare you the brunt of my might."

"You're a strong man. Strong enough to lead an army."

"The only reason I am forced to rely on this sword at all... Is because I am immature."

"A true warrior needs no blade."

"Learn to treasure your life a little."

"Men are all talk."

"Run."

"Why did you come here?! Didn't I tell you to run away?!"

"I don't fight for money. I fight for the killing."

"If we want to stand out, this is the place to do it."

"... Promise me a reward."

"Only those that work on the battlefield get what they want. That's the way of the warrior."

"My life won't come cheap."

"This lovely fool is mine!!"

"I'm willing to indulge this boy's wild suicide mission."

"Uhg. What a mess."

"Looks like they left you behind."

"Poor guy. And you tried so hard too."

"Ooh? Dead already?"

"Still got your will to fight, eh?"

"Oh dear... There he goes."

"My shoulder is dislocated. My right ankle sprained... And a few ribs broken, I'd say..."

"Blast him. Damned crazy madman!"

"If you can't walk, we're just going to leave you here."

"Insane rat-bastards...! What's so fun about all this battle stuff!?"

"I want you to forget about revenge."

"Do you think that will make me happy?"

"You're up early. The sun has yet to rise."

"Too noisy for you to sleep, eh?"

"...... Don't talk to me."

"Are you getting the wrong idea? I'm not one of you."

"You might think you're so clever, manipulating me. I'll let you keep thinking that way. Until the day I slit your throat."

"Hmph! Very scary."

"Time is on your side."

"You will grow older and I will grow old. One day, you will beat me."

"... This is a tedious story. What's your point?"

"So impatient, we are!"

"You ought to listen to this old man's words of wisdom."

"The world of man is slowly but surely... Growing elderly."

"Look, one of the great ironies. Dawn of the age of twilight."

"It's the twilight of all time. No use in letting it pass without a fight."

"They're madmen. Fools drunk on battle."

"I'm here to rescue you. I'll guide you out."

"A man's faster on his feet when he's unnerved."

"Love is the thing that gives all other things value."

"Pathetic. Are you really the same age as me?"

"What? Are you sulking? A big lump like you?"

"Say what it is you've got to say with your own mouth. Your tongue ain't cut out, is it?"

"I am not keeping my silence because I am a coward! I... I am being cautious, I must be cautious!"

"I... I'm different from you lot."

"I am a prince. I have my status to think of."

"Hpmh. Not bad for an excuse."

"I have never seen such an impudent knave!"

"Nobody has ever spoken to me like that!"

"Then it's a fine new experience, ain't it?"

"Shut up and sit down."

"Bah... It's started to snow."

"I can't do anything about the weather no matter how much you complain."

"I'll free you from your worries."

"If only the whole world was always at war."

"There is... No father that does not love his son."

"Do you always eat alone?

"Looks like the battle is over."

"Hmph... The stew's gone cold."

"Unhand me, you knaves! You dare defy my commands?!"

"I can tell what a man's like just by looking at his face."

"I have hated every single one of you. You're worth less than swine."

"Not bad, you whoresons."

"You can't die until I kill you!"

"Lay a single finger on him and I'll kill you!"

"Touch him and I'll kill you!"

"Your courage ain't bad."

"I don't know if you'll be in any condition to talk once I'm done teaching you your lesson."

"Are you telling me to live in this world alone?"

"Do you truly think I can survive?"

"Don't go... I love you."

"Now nobody who loved me remains on this earth."

"Death is that which completes man."

"Is there no love in the heart of man?"

"It seems that the battle has come to an end."

"I grow tired of this."

"I do not wish to see any more fruitless struggle."

"This fight has no meaning. Do not die for nothing."

"Didn't ask for your help. Look after your own wounds."

"Get away from me! Don't touch it!"

"Good. The sentries have gone away. Let's go."

"Damn it... How pathetic."

"Fuck off. I'll kill you, you bastard."

"I was hoping that you'd show a bit more guts."

"Are you wounded?! Are you alright?!"

"Are you in position to fight?"

"Are you shittin' me?! Do you have a death wish!?"

"You've grown to be quite the smartass in a short amount of time, haven't you?"

"God is probably watching us right now, as we speak."

"We will take back what has been taken from us."

"You had me scared shitless back there."

"I had to change. And now I have to change everything."

"If I ever see you on the battlefield, I'll kill you. Ally or not."

"You're smart and strong. I admire you."

"Aren't you lonely?"

"I wanted... to be your friend."

"Aye. You're my... only friend."

"Do you understand what I'm saying? The fight is over."

"Someone had to save her. Not a god. Not a hero. But somebody."

"After spending all that time in the middle of those bastards, I'd have happily killed all of them."

"I can't let that debt go unsettled."

"Bah... Bastard making me chase after him..."

"You're alive..! What a relief!"

"So... you are seeking revenge..."

"Everybody's obsessed with conspiracy bullshit."

"You're disgusting,"

"That's not the face of a true king."

"....? Screams...?"

"Is this the first time you've ever stabbed someone?"

"..... Well done."

"Stand up straight. This is a crucial moment."

"How could you act so stupidly reckless and get yourself stabbed, you idiot!?"

"Come on! Get up! We can get you fixed up later!"

"Cone closer so I can talk to you..."

"Just kill me."

"So kill me. After all, aren't we enemies?"

"Are you really going... to... die...? You're lying, right?"

".... Still looking down on me, you bastard..."

"I'll never forgive you! How dare you die on me like this!"

"What will you do with your life?"

"That's enough. It's time to move on."

[seokgyuu]

→ genre: smut, college au, crack → pairing: Jun x Afab!Fem!Reader x Minghao → synopsis: you have never been a person who turns down a challenge, but when your best friend challenges you to hook up with 13 boys in one semester you kind of wish you were.

→ warnings: threesome, dirty talk, mouth fucking, nipple play, edging (kinda??)

→  word count: 4.9k

previous ; masterlist ; next

A/N: hey everyone! it took forever to write this, I am SO sorry. For some reason I cannot tag those who wanted to be tagged, please just shoot me another message if you wanna be added. This smut.. its a little more graphic than the ones before, I think? But I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think! Also, I added some more plot, lmao. You know, to act like this is an actual fic and not just some porn. Anyways. Happy new year! Hope you started off 2022 better than I did, lol. 

Even though the semester had already started a few weeks ago, you had yet to attend a party. So, when Jiwoo texted you an address only a couple days after your success with Wonwoo and told you to come to this place that was, apparently, throwing the biggest party of the semester this weekend you were definitely not appalled. There, so your best friend had said, you would meet a boy named Jun. He was from China and studied Microbiology and Jiwoo had met him by chance. The party was held at someone’s house, who’s you weren’t exactly sure, but it was said to be huge and in one of the most expensive neighbourhoods of the city. You and your friends were big party goers, or at least had been the past semesters, but this time around it seemed to be different. While you obviously had your mind set on your studies, you also had a whole different task at hand that you couldn’t just ignore. Jiwoo herself had succeeded in seducing Kim Donghan just two days ago and you had yet to pick another target for her. You were sure that this party would be perfect for that.

It was only a few minutes after 10 pm when you arrived at the party that was already going at full speed. There were people dancing in the huge living room that was graced by an enormous chandelier that looked incredibly beautiful and expensive. The kitchen was filled with more people who were all eager to get their hands on all the liquor that was being served. There was an extension to the kitchen that was probably the dining room when it wasn’t used for parties like these. Now, it was empty and basically served as another room to dance in. Chairs and loveseats were spread around the room, mostly on the sides so people could sit down and either relax or make-out – both of which you could see once you’ve stepped inside.

“There he is!” Jiwoo suddenly said into your ear and pointed at a boy sitting on one of the loveseats with a cup in one and his phone in the other hand. He seemed to be concentrated on whatever was showing up on his phone, his pretty face in a slight frown. His hair was short and brown and parted in the middle, he was wearing a light green jumper and blue jeans that hugged his thighs deliciously as he was sitting. All in all: he was extremely attractive, and you couldn’t wait to get started.

“You have a wonderful eye, Jiwoo-yah,” you said as you grinned at her over your shoulder. Giving you a thumbs up, she quickly walked back into the kitchen, leaving you to your task at hand. Straightening your back and checking your reflection in the mirror hanging on the other side of the hallway, you started walking towards Jun – only to be beat to it by a guy you also didn’t know. He sat down next to Jun and took the cup he was holding from his hands only to replace it with another. Then he also grabbed the other boy’s phone and slid it into the pocket of his long black cardigan. Frowning, you watched as Jun looked over at the other guy and said something you couldn’t hear. They seemed as if something had happened, as if whatever Jun had seen on his phone had something to do with the change of cups and the seriousness on their faces. Now, this wasn’t off to a good start after all. You decided to go onto the dance floor and watch them for a while, see if you could catch Jun’s eye in any way with whoever the other guy was sitting right next to him.

Once you were happy with where you were standing (meaning right in Jun’s point of view), you took a sip from the drink you had gotten earlier with Jiwoo and began swinging your hips to the sound of the music. You were aware that the other people around you would probably look at you and perhaps even try to dance with you, but you decided to just act like you didn’t care. Dancing was something you loved to do, something you were confident in. Whenever you and your friends attended a party, the dance floor was your place to be. You knew how to move and how to look sexy for anyone to take notice of you and so it came to no surprise that you soon felt the eyes of Jun on your body. As if accidentally, you let your eyes wander to the loveseat he was sitting on – only to be surprised by not only him but also his friend looking at you. You raised one eyebrow and felt the corners of your mouth twitch. Now, this was an interesting turn of events. You allowed yourself the smirk you had been holding back, but adverted your eyes again to continue dancing, letting your arms slide over your own body and finally reach over your head, your hips going in elegant circles, swaying to the hip hop beats that were currently filling the room. It didn’t take long until you felt movement close to you and soon enough there were two bodies caging you in. Jun was standing in front of you with his eyes sparkling as he smiled at you and his friend stood behind you, his mouth close to your ear.

“Mind if we join your dance?” He then continued to whisper, and you bit your lip as you smiled, shaking your head.

“Please, be my guest”, you whispered back, and he smiled, nodding at Jun who nodded back and gave you another pretty smile before pulling you closer by the hip with one hand. Immediately, you put your one hand on his shoulder close to where his neck began and let the other wander off to his friend’s nape behind you.

The temperature got hotter right then and there and you were sure that there was no way in hell this was gonna end up with just you and Jun going to one of the probably many bedrooms this place had to offer. But before that could happen you would have to talk to Jiwoo to get her approval. This would mean that instead of one you could scratch off two more boys from your list. Also, you haven’t had a three way in ages, which only made the situation even more exciting.

Still, you had to talk to Jiwoo and get her to accept Jun’s friend (whose name you still hadn’t found out) as your fourth suitor. It was just that you really didn’t wanna leave the party of three but stay right where you were. Jun’s one hand was still on your hips as the other was on your back, while his friend had one hand wrapped around you, pressing your butt against his crotch. The other was on your hip right above Jun’s. Their movements and looks excited you to the maximum and you haven’t felt this attractive and wanted in a while – not even by Joshua or Wonwoo. Maybe because it was a different scenario, maybe because this was all based off on looks and movement and not playing around for a few days before finally achieving what you wanted to. Here, it wasn’t about getting to know them and make them get into bed with you by flirting your way to a date or joining a team to make them notice you – this was a party, this was a game in itself. They probably hadn’t come here for the same purpose as you or maybe they did. All that mattered now was that you were here and so were they. Your bodies close together, sweating and breathing in the same air. Feeling their hands all over you as well as them feeling yours.

You continued your play for a while, switched places so Jun was behind you and his pretty friend was putting one of your arms around his nape as he pressed himself against you, a cheeky smile on his lips. It was then that he leaned forward, and you suddenly felt his lips against your earlobe, felt the way he breathed on it and made you shudder under his breath. He chuckled and let his lips wander off to your neck, pressing kisses onto it. His lips were soft and warm, and you closed your eyes as you still swayed against the two bodies and let the sensation of the boy’s kisses take over you. Meanwhile, Jun had placed both his hands on your hips and was grinding into your ass, making you well aware of the bulge inside his jeans. You pressed your butt against him and felt his hands grab you tighter, making you bite your lip. A hand was on your chin and when you opened your eyes again you saw the man in front of you staring right into your eyes, his thumb now aiming for your bottom lip and freeing it from your teeth. Without a warning (not that you needed one) he leaned in and pressed his hot lips against yours, immediately letting his tongue slide into your mouth and making you moan into the kiss. Now, Jun was the one to shower your neck with kisses, sucking on your skin as he still kept moving against you, swaying with the music as well as trying to be as close to you as humanly possible with all these clothes between you. It hadn’t occurred to you that it would be this easy if you were honest. Not that you were complaining. Feeling two hot men against you, one of them devouring your lips while the other was probably leaving marks all over your neck – yeah, you wouldn’t trade that for anything right now.

The kiss with Jun’s friend got hotter and the need to be alone with them grew with each second you spent pressed between them.

“Should we go somewhere more private?” you finally asked as you separated from him and watched how he and Jun shared a glance before nodding. Jun now took your hand and lead you somewhere, his friend tailing along, holding your other hand. It wouldn’t be hard to see from an outsider’s perspective what you guys were up to. And so, once you’ve gotten back into the kitchen and you spotted Jiwoo, her eyes widened a bit when she saw that you were not alone with Jun. You tried to send her the obvious question with your eyes, and she looked from Jun’s friend to Jun and back to you, only to break out into a huge smirk, nodding her head as she held up both of her thumbs. You grinned back and gave her a wink, before Jun finally led you out of the kitchen and to the stairs that were kind of hidden between the hallway and what seemed to be another big pantry. Whoever lived here apparently needed two pantries, very well.

 Jun seemed to know his way around the house and eventually stopped at one of the doors upstairs. The music was not as loud here, but the bass was still buzzing through the walls. Once Jun had come to a stop so had you and his friend and you looked at them both, a mixture of confusion and amusement on your face.

“Before we go in there,” Jun started as he looked at you with his pretty brown eyes, “we won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with. Both of us are interested in you and it seemed like you were also interested in both of us, but still… we want to give you a chance to say if you-,”

“If I’d rather just fuck one of you?” you chimed in, one of your brows raised. The boys looked at you surprised, but then they laughed and nodded.

“Yeah. That,” Jun’s friend said. You clicked your tongue.

“Don’t you worry. I am fully consenting to having you both go in there with me. Even though, I must say, I would really like to know your names. If you even wanna share.” That made them laugh again.

“I’m Jun,” Jun said, and you nodded. Obviously, you knew that already. But you weren’t gonna tell him that.

“I’m Minghao,” now, you finally knew all relevant names. Nodding, you smiled at them and introduced yourself too. Then, it was game time.

“Well, boys, I guess we should go in there. I’m sure you have a lot more to show me than just your names.”

 Hell, had you been right. The second the door closed behind you, there were hands and lips all over you. Minghao had his hands on your face, kissing you just as hot and heavy as he had done on the dancefloor and Jun had his arms wrapped around your waist, kissing your neck from behind just like before. Together, you were making your way to the Queen-sized bed standing in the centre of the room and finally all sat down onto it. Minghao let his hands wander from your face down your neck and to your breasts that were hidden underneath a tight black body you were wearing. But at least no bra. Your nipples got hard the second he started touching you and you found yourself a moaning mess under all their kisses and touches. Quickly, you turned your head and now kissed Jun on the lips for the first time, letting one of your hands wander under his shirt that he eventually took off, Minghao following him shortly after. The straps of your body were shoved down your shoulders by Minghao and he started kissing along them, his hands now carefully massaging your breasts, his thumb and forefinger squeezing your hard nipples once in a while, making you squirm.

“I need to take these off, in order to take this off,” you explained, pointing at your jeans and then your body. They nodded and a second later you found yourself completely naked with the exception of your thong laying on the bed with two handsome men making you feel like heaven. Jun was back to kissing you, something he was incredibly good at, his tongue dominating yours as his hand was rubbing your thigh, so close to your core but not yet where you needed him. You took the chance to concentrate on him for a moment, letting your hands wander off to his jeans and opening them hungrily.

“I think she really wants your cock, Jun-ah,” Minghao said, grinning against your jaw. He had been busy with marking your neck when he noticed your fumbling. As if for a treat, he moved down and took your right nipple into his mouth sucking on it slightly, catching you off guard. You arched your back and one of your hands fell onto the back of Minghao’s head clawing into his hair. He chuckled against your boob and looked up, meeting your eyes.

“Looks like someone is into nipple play,” Jun smirked and ended what you had started, getting himself out of his jeans and pulling out his already half hard cock for you to hold. You found yourself staring at him for a moment before you couldn’t help yourself and let your thumb hover over the tip of it – wanting to get the precum spread so you could jack him off better. But Jun had a different idea.

“Nah, ah, ah. I think it’s time for you to get on your knees, baby girl,”

God, him giving you a pet name did wonders to you. Quickly, you did as he asked, getting on all fours, your mouth now right in front of his cock, ready to take it all. Caressing your head, Jun looked at Minghao now, who nodded. He had had to part from your boobs and was now positioned behind you, his hands now on your ass, slowly stroking it. You were sure that he could smell your arousal by now, was probably dying to feel you. But something told you that he wasn’t the one who was calling the shots right now.

Jun grabbed his cock and slowly started moving his hand up and down, getting himself harder as he looked at your face.

“Are you eager, hm? How should we do this? Me fucking your mouth while Minghao eats you out? And then fucks you? How does that sound, baby?”

“That sounds perfect,” you replied and bit your lip when you watched a drop of precum pooling at the head – the urge to lick it away incredibly strong. Jun moved towards your face a little more and clicked his tongue, before nodding again.

“Well then, Minghao, how about you start? I want to see her begging for me to fuck her mouth.”

It probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but when Minghao pulled off your thong, had it pooling at your ankles and then continued to spread your legs for him to have a better access to your throbbing pussy, it still did. His tongue was between your folds right then and you moaned loudly, aching your back, moving your hips against his mouth. Minghao’s tongue was something you weren’t sure you had ever quite experienced like this before. He was quick, but it wasn’t rushed. He only slightly touched your clit if even and when he did it was only for a split second before he went back to circling every other inch of your sensitive skin. Jun kept on watching you, how your face fell and light up whenever Minghao touched you somewhere you were especially sensitive.

What Jun could not have predicted was the deep moan escaping you once Minghao had finally pulled your clit into his mouth and started sucking on it. Jun’s cock twitched and for a second his movement became faster, the original idea of you begging for his cock gone for a second. But then you opened your eyes, your mouth hanging open and you saw the way Jun was looking at you, saw the way his cock was now fully hard and oh-so ready to be devoured into your mouth. You felt empty without it, suddenly, wanted nothing more but to feel him inside of you, even if it was just your mouth for now.

“J-Jun, I-, oh, please, I want your cock in my mouth so bad, please,” you breathed with glossy eyes, and Jun didn’t find the strength in him to ask you to beg again. Mostly because he was sure he would just cum right on your face if you did. Without any more hesitation, he grabbed the back of your head and pushed you forward, his cock now shoved down your throat. For a second you gagged, but you quickly adjusted, moaning around him when Minghao let go of your clit and instead kept flicking his tongue against it. Jun started moving and threw his head back, enjoying the wet and hot heat that was your mouth around his cock to the fullest.

“Shit, you take it so well, baby,” he said and you felt yourself clench around nothing, only able to nod at his remark. He fucked your mouth slowly at first, but once he shared another look with Minghao, he upped his pace. It was delicious – the way it felt whenever his tip hit your throat, the way the tears tingled in your eyes. You knew why he had started to move faster, when suddenly there were fingers sliding through your folds, getting themselves wet to – another muffled moan around Jun’s cock. Minghao had taken two fingers and thrusted them inside you, letting you adjust for just mere seconds before starting to fingerfuck you to the best of his abilities.

“Fuck, she’s tight. And so wet. Such a wet pussy just for us,” Minghao chuckled, but you could clearly hear the arousal in his voice and at this point you knew you would have begged for him to fuck you even more pathetically than you had begged Jun before.

Jun kept his pace, his hands still on your head and was once again throwing his head back as he breathed loudly, moaning here and there when you swallowed around him.

“Shit, I won’t last long. What do you say, baby, should I cum in your mouth?”

He asked as he still fucked you mercilessly, looking down at you with a somewhat diabolical smile. He was incredibly sexy. All you could do was nod, because yes, god, please, you really wanted him to cum down your throat. Jun took that as a sign to fuck your mouth even harder and quicker, the gags now becoming a little more frequent, but not to the extent that would make you worry. No, you loved it. How he lost all control in your mouth, how he used you to get off. It was one of your favourite things in the world when it came to sex.

“F-fuck, I’m-I’m cumming,” Jun moaned one last time, thrusting quick once, twice – then you felt his hot semen shoot down your throat. You swallowed all of it, or at least as much as you could, some still somehow managed to leak out of your mouth and onto the mattress and waited for him to ride out his orgasm before he pulled out of you and fell against the headboard.

“Can I take her now?” Minghao asked breathlessly. His fingers were still hard at work, and it took everything in you not to cum just from that.

“God, fuck, yes, please take her,” you answered instead of Jun and Minghao smirked behind you, waiting for Jun to give his okay, which he did a second later.

Minghao then proceeded – positioned himself behind you, grabbing something from the pants he had taken off – you were pretty sure it was a condom – and finally lined up his cock with your entrance. He slowly moved forward, sliding into you awfully slow. You were impatient, to say the least.

“M-Minghao, please- just, oh my god, please just fuck me, I am begging you,” you cried out, feeling horribly embarrassed. It did the trick though. Minghao immediately pushed into you as hard as he could, making you almost scream. His hand shot forward, and he wrapped it around your throat, pulling you up against his chest.

“Is baby begging me now, huh? How desperate are you for me to move and fuck you? Can you tell me?” He whispered into your ear, his hips still. You bit your lip and whimpered, trying to move your own hips – but Jun caught on and was back on his knees, holding your hips steady.

“What a bad girl. Trying to move without permission? Without enough begging? How bad of you.” Jun shook his head in disappointment and leant forward, taking your nipple into his mouth and biting onto it. It hurt, no question, but the pain felt good in your current state, made you clench around Minghao who couldn’t help but thrust forward at how good it had felt. You whimpered again. Jun dropped your nipple and looked at you, his eyebrows raised.

“Beg him, Y/N. Beg him to fuck you or he won’t.”

“Didn’t I already beg?” You asked breathlessly, a small pout on your lips. Jun let out a small chuckle, his eyes scanning you from head to toe, then he let one of his hands fall down your body – his thumb suddenly aggressively circling your clit. Your whole body started to shake as you tried to move, but instead of both of Jun’s hands holding you in place, it was now Minghao’s other hand and the one that Jun had left on your hips. He looked into your eyes, the diabolic smile back where it had been earlier.

“Beg. Or he won’t fuck you,” he said and you felt yourself growing closer and closer to your realease the more he rubbed your clit, but right then, the second before it hit you – he stopped. He stopped and drew his hand back. You were close to crying.

“B-but I al-already beg-,” you began but then the thumb was back, making you scream in pleasure and need. If only you could move your hips, if only you could finally come. But again – the second you were sure you were gonna see stars, Jun stopped. It was easy. You had to beg Minghao to finally fuck you and it would be over. Maybe Jun would even continue his work on your clit and you would come twice. Maybe, you thought, it was time to give in.

“Minghao, I am begging you, pl-please fuck me. Please. Need you to f-fuck me so badly,” your head was bright red, if from embarrassment or arousal, you couldn’t say. Maybe both. But the second Jun nodded his head with that smirk you wanted to kiss right off his face, it didn’t matter. Minghao finally started moving his lips frantically. You moaned loudly and were only stopped by Minghao shoving two fingers into you mouth for a bit, before moving those down to be the one to circle your clit. You were close to yelling, that’s how good it felt.

Jun, meanwhile, leaned back again and lazily stroked his cock as he watched Minghao fuck you. You couldn’t keep your eyes open and so you leaned your head back against Minghao’s shoulder, feeling like his dick was either about to burst inside of you or have you burst around him. With his fingers on your bud it didn’t take long for you to get to your first release. It had only taken a minute before you moaned that you were cumming and felt the world go black for a second. Minghao didn’t stop there though, no, firstly because he hadn’t cum yet and secondly because he knew there was more. With the way his cock was thrusting into you, you were sure he was gonna make you come like that too and it wouldn’t take long.

“You take my cock so well, princess. Such a good little slut, aren’t you?” Minghao said into your ear and you nodded frantically, making him snort into your ear.

“You like being called a good little slut, huh? How dirty of you,” and then he suddenly pushed you forward, so that your back was arched and you had to steady yourself with your hands. Jun licked his lips and told Minghao to move, so that you were back with your head in front of his cock.

“Be an even better slut and suck him off again, princess. He is lazy though, so work for him to cum.”

You did not need to hear that twice. Eagerly, you took his cock into your mouth and bopped your head. With Minghao still thrusting into you at god speed, it didn’t take much of your own effort. Jun watched you with glossy eyes, the way his cock kept disappearing into your mouth only to come out again and do the same thing again. He watched how your tongue worked at the backside of his shaft, the way it pressed itself against your tip. You were sucking his cock as if it was a delicacy and it almost made him cum right then and there again.

“Fuck,” he groaned, before he did the same thing as earlier – he grabbed your head and pressed it down onto his cock, thrusting rapidly into your mouth and cumming into it the next second. His dick twitched and even though there was less then before, some of it still managed to leak out of the corners of your mouth.

“I’m- fuck, I’m-“, Minghao stuttered behind you, but didn’t get to finish because his dick was next, twitching inside your pussy and, once- twice, came right into the condom. With his climax followed yours that had you moaning loudly and high pitched, right when Jun had pulled his cock out of your mouth again. Minghao helped you ride out your orgasm while still coming down from his and eventually pulled out of you to fall against the headboard – all sweaty and exhausted.

You all found yourself leaned against the headboard a few moments later, naked underneath the blanket Minghao had spread over you. This atmosphere was different from the one with Joshua or Wonwoo, mostly because Joshua had been the one to rush out after you had finished and Wonwoo and you had been in a rush. Even though both other situations had been hot in their own way, you liked this one better. The laying with each other, the finding your breath again and just remaining silent as you enjoyed each other’s presence.

“Do you do this often?” you asked after a while, looking at Jun and then Minghao. They both now looked at you, question marks in their expression.

“What exactly?” Jun asked. You chuckled.

“Find a girl two have sex with together?”

“Ah, well. Not really? Just… you know, sometimes,” Minghao answered, shrugging while grinning. You nodded.

“I see.”

Then it was silent again for a while. It wasn’t awkward, just…quiet. But the silence was yet again disturbed when you heard the sound of a phone going off somewhere on the ground. You watched as Jun hesitated before he finally turned to the side and stretched out to get a hold of Minghao’s cardigan and get out his phone. Curiosity got the best of you and you looked over at his screen, seeing something you kind of wished you hadn’t.

 Wonwoo [11:53pm]: she still hasn’t texted me back

Wonwoo [11:53pm]: do you think she hates me?

Wonwoo [11:53pm] should I just come to the party?

header credit: @playmetheclassics

[age-of-greta]

The Lovers

The Lovers represent relationships and choices. Its appearance in a spread indicates some decision about an existing relationship, a temptation of the heart, or a choice of potential partners. Often an aspect of the querent's life will have to be sacrificed; a bachelor's lifestyle may be sacrificed and a relationship gaine, or one potential partner may be chosen while another is turned down. Whatever the choice, it should not be made lightly, as the ramifications will be lasting

Author’s note: hi everyone! This story has two different time jumps per chapter, then and today. I am planning on posting an update weekly as of now. This is my first ever fic and I proofread it, but typos happen. Enjoy!!

Pairings: Jake x Reader & Sam x Reader

Warnings: alcohol consumption, cursing

Word count: 4.5k

PART 1:

THEN:

“Fuck.” You half whisper while trying to get your shitty lighter to flicker. It’s a windy night and you’re a little buzzed, so lighting your cigarette has proven to be a challenge. You weren’t a real smoker, well that’s at least what you told yourself, just when you went out. Which wasn’t too often, not since getting your big girl job and starting grad school. You wore pale mom jeans that hugged your curves just right with a black bodysuit underneath-paired with your platform docs. Your hair was blown out and you wore a full face as you did every night out. It wasn’t hot or cold, but the wind was pissing you off. But then again so were a lot of things. Your friend Lana had run off with her ex for the 40th time and you were ready to call an Uber and get out of there.

“Are you kidding me man?”

Your eyes dart over to the entrance of the bar where you see a perplexing sight. There is a tall lanky boy, in shorts quarreling with the bouncer, who you know as Mike. You huff out a laugh. “Well of course you can’t get in dumbass. You’re in shorts.” You think to yourself. But then as you study the scene longer you notice he has a pack of smokes and a lighter in hand. Of course you could probably scavenge around for another lighter, but this seems like a good deed you could check off for the day. You saunder over to the bouncer and throw your arm around him.

“You serve liquor in plastic cups for god’s sake! How the fuck are shorts not appropriate for the setting?” The lanky boy exclaims, running his hand through his long hair.

“I’m not going to fucking tell you again-“ but you cut off the bouncer.

“Hi Mike.” You smile at him. He smiles back. “Hey there, what can I do for you doll?”

“Well I know the dress code is here for a reason, but this is my friend from out of town. I asked him to meet me here and I failed to tell him what to wear. Alas I didn’t think it would be this bad. But can we make an exception, just this one time?” You bat your eyes at him and plaster a huge smile on your face.

He huffs. “Goddamn. You know what-okay. Only because it’s for you, but next time please make sure he isn’t dressed like a prepubescent child.” Mike says, throwing a glare at the lanky boy. The lanky boy holds up his middle finger, but before Mike could retaliate you grab his hand and pull him towards you.

“Thanks Mike I owe you!” You exclaim while still dragging the lanky boy behind you. You get back to the wall you were standing on before you turn to face him.

“Lighter.” You say to him as you flick your eyes down to his hand.

“What?” He states looking at you confused.

“The lighter. I need a light.” You say to him motioning towards your cigarette.

“You did all of that for me so I could light your cigarette?” He questions with an amused look on his face.

You laugh in return. “Well I figured I could do you a solid, then you could do me one. Plus good karma and all.” You say to him with a smile.

“Hey, that's fair.” He says throwing his hands up at you. Then he takes the lighter and flicks it, motioning you to put the cigarette in your mouth. You do, and he cups around your mouth while he gives you a light.

“Thanks.” You say as you exhale your first drag.

“No, thank you.” He says as he takes the cigarette from you and puts it in his mouth. You look at him in surprise and he just smiles back at you.

“So the least I could do is buy you a drink. I’m actually here with some friends who fucking ditched me at the door I guess.” He says to you as he hands you the cigarette back.

“Oh so they either didn’t notice or didn’t give a shit that you were standing outside with no way in.” You giggle.

“Seems like it. I’m Sam by the way.” He smiles, extending a hand towards you. You tell him your name and accept his handshake.

“I’m very glad to meet you. Now let’s go drink.” Sam says pulling your hand guiding you inside through a sea of people. When you finally made it to the bar your cigarette had long fallen out of your hand. You hope you didn’t burn anyone along the way, but it was so crowded inside you feared you might have. You notice Sam still has a hold of your wrist at the bar.

“What do you want?” He yells over the loud pop music that you weren’t too fond of.

“Tequila sunrise!” You yell back with a smile.

Sam finally gets a bartender and orders two double tequila sunrises and two lemon drop shots. He only lets your wrist go when he grabs the drinks.

“Here you are my lady.” He says as he hands you the shot and the drink.

“Cheers!” You exclaim while clashing your paper shot glasses together knocking them down on the bar before shooting them back.

“Okay let’s go find my brothers.” Sam says as he takes your wrist in his hand again. Brothers? You think, suddenly very confused. Oh shit. He wasn’t a fraternity boy was he? You had just gotten out of that lifestyle not too long ago and started feeling like a loser knowing you had made friends with another frat bro. Sam lead you all the way across the bar and then outside to the back.

“There you are you fucks!” Sam yelled towards a group of three other guys.

“Ah the prodigal son returns!” Exclaims one of the boys, shorter than Sam with curly hair with the sides shaved a little. You sigh in your head by the sight of the haircut, absolutely a frat boy.

“I got fucking snuffed outside. They tried to not let me in because of my goddamn shorts.”

“Well Samuel I tried to tell you that you looked like shit but- oh I’m sorry who is this? Honey, did he kidnap you?” The curly haired one says to you with a smile. You giggle at him.

“Very funny Josh. Actually this is how I got in. My knight in shining armor here saved me from the shorts hating bouncer. Guys this is y/n.”

You smile softly at them.

“Wow I’ve always loved a girl who gives back to charity. I’m Josh, and behind me here is my brother Jake and this is Danny.” Josh says to you with a smile.

You look back at the other two, who just looked at you for the first time as they were off in their own conversation. You see one about Sam’s height with curly black hair and another around Josh’s height with long brown hair. Long brown hair looks at you curiously and offers a small smile.

“So you guys are in a frat?” You say questionably. You hadn’t seen hair like this in any frat house you had been in, from three of them at least, but styles change. They all look at you and start laughing.

“No mama. Why would you think that?” Josh says with a laugh.

“You said you were brothers? So I just assumed. Atlanta has plenty of colleges around here, and you’re at a bar on a Saturday night.” You say while your cheeks turn a shade of pink still not quite understanding the situation.

“Oh no. Like we are all brothers. Well except Daniel, but close enough.” Sam states to you.

“Yeah and Jake and I here are actually twins.” Josh states pointing to him and Jake.

“Oh thank god.” You huff out taking a sip of your drink.

“You don’t like the frat boy culture huh?” Danny says to you, smiling.

“Considering I just escaped it two years ago, not really.” You say with a sigh.

“No shit.” Sam says, looking at you with wide eyes. “You’re a sorority girl aren’t you? I’ve never actually seen one in the wild.”

“Not anymore. I graduated, and for your information Sam I was the President.” You say beaming up at him with playfulness in your tone.

“Oh wow madame royalty over here and she’s college educated! No wonder you have so much pull around here.” Sam says clinking your cups together.

“Oh totally.” You laugh out, rolling your eyes at him.

**

Over the course of the next hour and half you proceeded to go from a little buzzed to very tipsy. You and Sam kept pounding down tequila sunrises and laughing at stupid jokes you kept making about everything. Eventually you and Sam start taunting Jake and Josh to play you in cornhole. They obliged and had Danny be the point keeper.

“Okay wait! Before we start we have to do something about this shit music. I’m sorry if you like pop, but I cannot deal with it any longer.” You say proudly, feeling bold since the liquid courage has taken over.

“No shit I agree! Fuck pop music!” Sam yells back.

“Yeah fuck pop music! I’ll be right back.” You yell to him walking towards the DJ booth.

Jake and Josh, who are also beyond buzzed, laugh and nod their heads. You stride off towards the outdoor DJ, who you know because he’s a friend of Lana's ex boyfriend.

“Hey Graham! I need a huge favor. We can’t play this shit right now. I am about to play a serious game of cornhole and I need better music so I can focus.”

He laughs at you. “Someone is having fun tonight. Giving me flashbacks to your college days. But sure babe. What do you want?”

You walk back triumphantly while Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine” starts to play in the background.

“Hell yes sorority girl!” Sam says as he high fives you.

“Yeah, much better.” Jake says through a smile, which are the first words he has spoken directly to you.

**

“YEAH WE FUCKING WIN!” Sam screams as he picks you up and twirls you. You had just thrown the last bag and sunk it in the hole claiming victory over the twins.

“Damnit. Hell of a throw though, hats off to you mama.” Josh says as he fake tips a hat towards you.

All of a sudden you feel a tug at your left arm, a rather hard tug. You spin around and see Lana with mascara running down her face. “Can we go?” She squeaks. You know immediately why she’s crying. It’s the same song and dance everytime we go out. But nevertheless she’s your best friend, so you rub her arm and tell her yes.

“But hold on I need to-“ you start.

“No please, I need to go now. I'm going to be sick and I hate it here.” She tugs your arm and starts off to the exit. You start moving your feet in motion with her, and you’re pretty drunk so you yell and wave trying to signal to Sam that you’re leaving.

“Sorority girl! Wait what’s your number?” Sam screams as he tries to follow you through the crowd.

“865-27” is all you get out before you’re swallowed up by the crowd back inside again.

TODAY:

It wasn’t often you found yourself back in your hometown. But today was one of those days. There was a festival in south Tennessee and you were meeting your friends that you hadn’t seen in nearly a month. It was hot, really hot. You had on a pair of light wash short denim shorts with a black crop top that was cut down horizontally and laced back up. With it you had your trusty black platform docs with black large sunglasses and a clear Gucci bag on your shoulder. Your hair is blown out to full volume, but you know it’s only a matter of time before the humidity gets to it. Your makeup is edgy, a full face, nude plump lips, and a smokey eye with your lash extensions. Your nails were done in an almond shape with white tips. You were definitely a girly girl. You enjoyed looking pretty, it gave you confidence. But you also loved your edgy style that you always stayed true to. Today you knew why you wanted to be fully done up. You walked over to the beer stand closest to the entrance, looking down at your phone frequently.

“Michelob Ultra please.” You said as you laid down a ten on the counter. They popped the top and handed you the tall boy.

“Y/n? Is that you?” A familiar voice says. You look over your shoulder and it’s Cole. A guy you knew in high school who you had a weird little fling with. But that was ages ago.

“Cole! Hi!” You said to him. Giving him a small hug. You hadn’t spoken in years so this interaction felt a little strange.

“What are you doing back here? I thought you were an Atlanta girl now.” He says with a smile.

“Yeah I am, but I’m here for the festival. I’m meeting some friends actually.” You say to him looking down at your phone again. You notice behind him are other guys you know from high school. You smile and wave at them.

“Are you guys playing the festival?” You ask him, remembering he played in a band in high school.

“Nah come on they couldn’t afford us.” He says jokingly. You laugh, but then feel someone hugging your neck. Cole looks at you with wide eyes. You turn around and it’s Danny.

“Oh my god Danny!” You say as you wrap him in a hug.

“Hey stranger! We picked up your bags on the way here.” Danny says to you, breaking the hug.

You smile at him. “Perfect, I'm so excited for this weekend.”

Then you see the rest of the crew. Immediately your eyes dart to Jake. Who looks so ridiculously good. He is in his light wash jeans with a linen short sleeve shirt, unbuttoned almost all the way of course, with his white vans. His hair is in a low messy bun and he has his sunglasses on. The sight of it makes you drool and you can tell by the way he’s looking at you that he is drooling as well. You intentionally hug Josh and Sam before making your way to Jake.

“Hi Jake.” You say to him with a goofy smile on your face.

“Hey lover.” He says to you while pulling you into a hug and kissing your cheek. “You look so fucking good.” He whispers into your ear. You let out a giggle.

“So mama are these friends of yours?” Josh asks with question in his voice. You look over at your high school friends and they are gawking at you and the boys.

“Oh yeah! Sorry my bad. Cole this is-“

“Greta Van Fleet? You’re friends with Greta Van Fleet?” He chokes out.

You huff out a laugh “Uh yeah. This is Danny, Josh, Sam, and Jake. Guys this is Cole, a friend from high school. And that is his brother Luke and their friend Parker.”

“Pleasure.” Josh says with a bow.

“This is so lame but do you think we could get a picture?” Cole asks.

You look back at the boys and they all nod. This is so strange to you. You have been friends with them since they had put out their first EP. Now they have a studio album out and everytime they get recognized in public you feel out of place. Their growing fame is what makes your life so hard, but you would never say that out loud. You take their picture and hand the phone back to Cole.

“Thanks so much. It was so great to see you again y/n. We need to catch up sometime. I would love to take you to dinner or something while you’re in town.” Cole says to you.

“For sure! But I won’t be in town long, I’ll actually be headed to Nashville tonight for the long weekend. Then back to Atlanta Tuesday. It was good to see you though.” You say to him with a half smile.

“Well any friend of y/n is a friend of ours. We have a show tomorrow in Nashville to celebrate the end of our first leg of this tour. I will leave 3 tickets at the box office under y/n’s name.” Josh says with a smirk on his face. You knew that Josh had micheveious intentions behind his actions. You shoot him a look.

“Oh wow yeah! We will be there thank you! Y/n it was really great to run into you. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at the show? Cole questions.

“Sure.” You say with a smile that you have to fake. It’s not like you had any hard feelings towards Cole, but some things are better left in the past. Somebody that you used to know should stay that way in this case. But here you are. You walk off with the boys and wave your highschool friends away.

“So who was that?” Jake says to you with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“A guy I knew in highschool.” You say nonchalantly.

“Hm” he hums. “He seemed pretty excited to see you.” You giggle. “Actually Jake, he seemed pretty excited to see you.”

Jake tries to hide his laugh. “Yeah well I mean can you blame him?”

“Not in the slightest.” You say in a flirty tone.

“I need a beer. You want anything?” Jake asks you.

Josh interjects. “Yes brother, I would like a beer as well. Please fetch one for me.”

You flash your beer can to Jake and shake your head laughing at Josh.

“Wasn’t asking you asshole.” Jake says, rolling his eyes. “Be right back.” Then he walks away to catch up with Sam and Danny to grab beers.

“Fuck Josh why?” You say looking at him.

Josh laughs. “Oh come on Mama. When I heard that dinner comment I knew that made Jake clam up. So I needed to stir the pot a little. I can tell he was not just some regular guy from high school.”

You breathe out a laugh “You’re a fucking menace Joshua. I missed you.”

“Oh Mama you know I missed you. Hell we all missed you. Especially our dear Jakey. He wouldn’t shut up all week about spending this weekend with you. We have an itinerary you know.”

You laugh at him. “An itinerary? That’s hot.”

Josh lightly slaps your back and grins at you.

“It’s going to be one hell of a weekend, that's for sure mama.”

**

Jake returned back to you with two beers and a pretzel in his hands. He handed a beer to Josh and the pretzel to you. He knew how much you were a sucker for a soft pretzel.

“Ah, thank you brother.” Josh said to Jake while dramatically taking a sip out of the tall boy.

“Thank you Jake.” You say and take a bite out of the pretzel. “Oh wow. This is so good.”

“I thought you would like it.” He says with a smile and takes a sip of his beer. He leans down to kiss your cheek and then suddenly takes a huge bite out of your pretzel. “Oh yeah so good.” He says with a full mouth. You giggle at him and he takes your hand in his.

“Let’s catch up with these idiots.” He says as you make your way into the festival trailing behind the other three.

“I missed you y’know.” Jake says to you while giving your hand a squeeze.

You look at him with doe eyes that he can’t even see due to your sunglasses. “I missed you guys a lot too.”

“You know what I mean.” He says lowly.

“Jake-“

“Hey y/n get over here!” Sam yells to you.

You smile softly at Jake and hand him the rest of the pretzel and beer as you walk toward Sam. Your eyes widen when you see what he had in his hands.

“Sammy what the fuck?” You breathe out with a laugh. Sam is standing there with two hand grenade drinks and a stupid smile on his face.

“Rematch?” He quips to you playfully.

The last time you had encountered hand grenades was when you went to New Orleans with the boys while they performed at a music festival. You had all gotten so trashed on Bourbon Street, but you and Sam had been arguing about who could drink the fastest. You swore it was you and he swore it was him. Danny had bought you two frozen hand grenades to settle the fight and crown the champion. You both put up a valiant effort with your chugging, but about half way in Sam started puking everywhere. Thus you were crowned queen of the hand grenades. Part of you knew it was because Sam had filled up on so much gumbo at dinner, but you took your win with pride anyway.

“Sammy we just got here and you’re already trying to get me plastered?” You said to him with a huff.

“Oh come on. Don’t tell me you’re chicken? I haven’t seen you in a month, the least you can do is chug this shitty frozen gasoline with me.” Sam says handing you the drink.

You let out a long sigh. “Fuck it, let’s go.”

Danny and Josh let out a cheer but Jake just shakes his head and looks at you.

“Okay, ready you two? On your mark, get set, go!” Danny yells.

And it’s on. You tip back the plastic tower and start guzzling like it’s your last drink on Earth. The sweet but strong frozen liquid hits your throat like you’re drinking straight from a boozy glacier. You look over at Sam mid chug who is significantly doing better than you are. You can’t lose to him, it would inflate his ego too much. You close your eyes and open your throat letting the rest of the contents empty then take a gulp so large it hurts.

“Holy shit! She got you again Sam!” Danny says with his arms in the air.

Sam looks over at you with big eyes and drops his cup to the ground with liquid still at the bottom. “Goddamnit!” Sam sinks to his knees dramatically. At this point you’re doubled over breathing hard with the biggest brain freeze. You feel a hand on your back.

“Are you okay?” You look up and it’s Jake with his brows furrowed together with concern.

“Just peachy.” You say smiling at him. He shoots you a weird look and you know he isn’t pleased with you. Jake is absolutely all for partying and having fun, but never when it puts you in a compromising position like this.

“Seriously Jake I’m good. Just brain freeze. But I think in approximately 10 minutes I will be on my ass, so you need to catch up.” You say to him standing up fully again.

“And you! You fucker I got you! Fair and square! You can’t blame it on the gumbo this time.” You yell at Sam pointing your finger at him.

“You’re right. I will never question you again madame. You are too impressive.” Sam says standing up and dusting off his pants.

“Well if you two are done with your pissing match. I will be needing some more alcohol.” Josh states.

Jake hands you the rest of the pretzel, but intentionally not the beer. “Please eat this. And me too Josh I’m right behind you.”

**

As night began to drift in at the festival you were positively buzzed, and to be fair so was almost everyone else. You and Jake were sitting on a blanket he had bought while everyone else sat around you in the grass. His arm was around your shoulder and you were cuddling into him. Fuck he smelled so good. Like lavender, cedarwood, and a hint of leather. There was an AC/DC cover band playing on stage and Jake was swaying his feet to “Shoot to Thrill.” It was moments like these when you wish Jake could be your life. Just like this. But you knew better. It’s not like he wasn’t interested. For the past almost year and a half you were together but not really. Jake wanted to be and you did too. But you wouldn’t allow it. You knew with Jake’s lifestyle came all kinds of travel, time consumption, and many different people. Since their ever-growing popularity it has only gotten worse. You did everything couples do. You talked on the phone, texted, went on dates, fucked- a lot, and even bought each other gifts. But that line was always there. You didn’t want him to break your heart and you didn’t want to lose your friends; especially Sam who had become one of your very best friends. So you settled for this. You wish you could say it took away the anxiety of wondering if he had slept with other people while you two had this thing going on. But you didn’t dare ask. Jake was different though. He would. ask you about men in your life, and it drove him absolutely crazy that you had gone out on a date with a co-worker six months ago while he was in South America. But the truth is you had never been interested in anyone else. Not since you met Jake anyway. Jake was your person, and it gutted you to know that you would never have him in the way you wanted him. That’s all you could think about at this very moment. You felt Jake lay his head on top of yours, and it snapped you back into reality. “Hey lover, are you ready to get out of here? We have a two hour drive ahead of us, and sadly we won’t be alone.” “Yes please.” You replied

Jake got up and helped you to your feet. He folded the blanket and motioned for the other three to get up and get moving too. You walked out of the festival with Jake’s arm linked with yours. By the time you had gotten back to Danny’s 4Runner you were tired. You climbed into the very back seat and Jake followed too. Danny being the responsible one, hopped in the driver’s seat and Sam got in the passenger. That gave Josh the whole middle of the car to spread out in. You laid your head on Jake as Danny started to drive. Jake began tracing small circles around your arms and put the blanket he had just bought over the both of you. Once it was completely dark and low music filled the car Jake leaned down and kissed you. Not just a peck, a deep long kiss that left you wanting more. He pressed his forehead against yours and said, “I’m so happy I get to spend this long weekend with you.” With that, you were on your way to Nashville.

• thank you all for reading!!!!

[obeymeluv]

Isnt devildom liquor weaker than human world liquor? Mc had beat Asmo in a drinking contest. How do you think it they'd act, completely hammered in the human world. I think harder liquor means stupider drunks.

Spoiler alert to the in-game MC’s “heritage” reveal. You know, the descendent/reincarnation thing. If you know, you know.

Below: Thoughts on Devildom liquor + the specific incident Nonnie is talking about with Asmo in game + THE ACTUAL ANSWER TO THE ASK. My bad, haha.

My thoughts on Devildom liquor at that point in the game:

The MC is not as affected because they are human/angel. Maybe the angel part fortifies MC and makes it harder for them to get drunk?

Maybe the HUMAN side of MC is what makes it harder for them to get drunk on Devildom liquor? Like...everything in the Devildom is made primarily for demons so maybe there are ingredients in there that specifically affect those with demon blood. Maybe humans don’t have the biology to be inebriated by those ingredients?

I am a little fuzzy on that point in the game but did Asmo pre-game? Like, a lot? Did we ever find out? I could see him being so emotionally distraught that his lovely MC is leaving that he just wants to be sloshed. Maybe he assumed MC beat him in a drinking contest because he forgot how much he already drank?

Maybe Solomon gave MC a heads up that Asmo was down for drinking and gave them a pre-game potion of their own to ward off the affects.

End hypothesis: Maybe Devildom liquor IS strong (for demons) but that potency just can’t translate in human bodies so the bros (Lucifer especially) don’t want MC drinking it because they’re not sure what it will do. They just ASSUME it will do to MC what it does to them.

Other thoughts: Because demons sprinkled little secrets to the humans over the course of history, gave them trinkets and magic and things, I’d like to think they gave humans the idea or process of alcohol-making but are TOTALLY not prepared for the end result. All the flavors, types, etc. 

As far as I understand it (at the point I’m at in the game), travel between the Devildom and human world was widely discouraged until Diavolo could make a program that united the three realms and improved the overall image. So basically everyone has been separated for thousands of years.

What if demons are equally bad at holding human world liquor? I could just see a drunk Asmo being like, “What is this? Sangria? This isn’t what I told them to call it.” as he’s trying to drink and (speed) walk away from Beel, who wants the fruit out of the pitcher.

I could just see them all getting TOTALLY wasted on human world stuff just because they thought “Ahh, we taught them this 5,000 years ago! Of COURSE we can handle it! We invented it!” (spoiler alert: they cannot). Like, I’d like to think their biology works against them here. They heal quicker and probably get over stomach aches and things quicker, so they probably metabolize alcohol quicker to restore bodily equilibrium so they probably get flash-drunk off of just about anything with a decent alcohol content. 

HOW THEY WOULD ACT (AKA: the real question)

The facts: 

They’re all going to be like drunk kittens, big bassy purrs and wanting to cuddle you or scent you. 

They’ll basically curl up in a pile together; you occasionally have to move body parts (so no one suffocates). 

Do a head count every now and then, give them some crackers/carbs when needed, and put water all around them like a summoning circle because when one of them wakes up, all of them will and they’ll act like big babies

Put a bucket near Lucifer and Asmo, they’re sympathy pukers.

Levi and Belphie need total sensory deprivation when they wake up. You may only breach the darkness to bring them things to settle their stomach and anything to kill the headache

Just give Beel bread and anything like Gatorade/Pedialite. He’ll help you with the others after three loaves or so.

Asmo will be especially pitiful and demand you take care of the others first. Once they’re decently able to take care of themselves he’s near teary-eyed, demanding tummy rubs and tell him he’s still pretty even though he feels awful. Please get him a sheet mask.

Mammon’s not functional enough to help with anything major but he’s standing the next day so he rubs that in everyone’s face. He’s the one shuffling around with a half-eaten sandwich, looking for any comfort item (heating pack, cold wrap for his head). He will demon screech at you if you touch any of the lights in the house.

As Mammon comes to, he demands dim lights and acts like a grumpy mom. He’s making porridge and they better shut up and eat it. Says it’s for him but there’s a suspicious amount of bowls nearby.

Satan just swears he’ll never drink again (like always). Dutifully waits for porridge. Spends most of his time letting cold water run over his head. Can’t spend too much time hunched over because he gets nauseous. Baby him a little. Find a way to let his head float in a bit of water where he can lay down and he’s as quiet as a mouse. 

Who can drink the most? (Best to worst - my opinions only)

1) Beel (body mass helps), 2) Mammon (party king), 3) Asmodeus (huuuge history with mixed drinks. Boy is READY), 4) Lucifer, 5) Satan (neck and neck with Lucifer - casual drinker only. Even wine is rare for him), 6) Leviathan, 7) Belphie (usually sleeping instead of drinking). 

Lucifer:

We’ve seen little gags about how ‘Lucifer got drunk and unplugged the router’ so this guy’s either going to be super cuddly, a hot mess, or both

You know the people who fluff their hair, comb it back, undo a tie or some buttons and just get comfy as they drink? That’s Lucifer.

He’ll smile a bit more, laugh a bit more, and there will be some color to his cheeks

He’s not sloppy, just cozy. 

Drunk Lucifer is not overly loud but he is honest. He won’t throw himself into groups or pester all the brothers, but he’s up for some accidentally-heartwarming one-on-one

When he’s drunk he’ll lay his head on your shoulder and let you play with his hair

Will not win any drinking games. Is actually a lightweight compared to his brothers (see best > worst drinker, above).

Mammon:

GO BIG OR GO HOME! MAMMON’S HERE TO PLAY FOR BIG MONEY! (AKA: bragging rights that he can handle more than his brothers)

He and Asmo are quick to get the drinks flowing because they want to try shots of everything. 

He and Asmo are pretty good at matching brothers to drinks and tasting subtle notes, things like that

Show Mammon beer pong once and it’s done. He’s betting the brothers he can whoop them and is somehow able to pull off ping pong ball math to get Lucifer shit-faced real quick (might do it even faster if Belphie or Satan slip him some money)

The type to be like “Bet you I can hit that cup right there--third row, second from the left.” and can do it flawlessly. You have to give him head pats or $5, that’s the rules.

He’ll be one of the bros you have to chase around and make put his clothes back on. Boy will try to strip and strut

Will definitely hoard his favorite bottle (picked it on smell) and spend a majority of the time trying to drink it and avoid the bros. (”YOU CAN’T MAKE ME SHARE IF YOU CAN’T CATCH ME!”)

Leviathan

Not the best drinker. Not a frequent drinker at all.

His envy makes him drink because as he starts to go on a tangent about how ‘it’s not fair! Everyone’s having a good time!’ when he realizes it’s as easy as picking up a drink. Like...he can join in too.

Levi won’t grab himself an alcoholic drink because he’s a nervous over-thinker. Asmo or Mammon will just hand him a cup like the resident Liquor Fairy and he trusts their judgement

The first one to let his demon form out just because the liquor is a little warm in his belly and he feels like he’s flying? Also comfortable?

The excited drunk who goes on animated, slurred rants

The loud laugher

He’s honestly so adorably animated that anyone who knew him would be surprised? He seems far from a shut in

Trade off: he can’t hold his liquor well

Boy probably trips on his own tail or thinks something snagged his ankle to bring him down when, in fact, he just fell down

Sways when he sits

When he’s done, he just wants a nice comfy lap to lay in and maybe play with his hair. 

Like Lucifer, liquor will make him confess all his feelings. 

Watch out for the tail. It will be all over you when he starts to lose the ability to wrap it around himself.

Satan:

It’s a toss-up as to whether he gets drunk before Lucifer or vice versa. I’d like to think his tolerance is slightly higher since he might run in the same circles as Asmo, but he is a part of Lucifer so I’m sure it balances out

He’s a drink snob and this is what hurts him the most. He goes to fancy tastings and random things he’s invited to, but this is a drop in the bucket

He’s never gone hardcore before because he’s afraid he’ll be prone to anger

He’s not. He’s actually a lot like Levi. He just wants to smile and laugh and have fun.

The one who knows a lot of random/interesting stuff and has unexpectedly awesome party tricks

He and Asmo act as instigators and somehow con everyone else into getting drunk. It’s mostly because he wants blackmail material, but he enjoys the mind games

He’s the one you’re going to have to carry BUT he’s super chill when he’s having a good time. You want him to wear a lampshade? Okay, but only if you call him Enlightened One (get it?)

Makes bad jokes. Lucifer definitely laughs

The one that randomly dances with someone at the party. But it’s a fancy dance or slow dance, not something crazy

Will try to prove he’s not as drunk as he is by reading or reciting something and just breaks down into snorts and giggles

Cat Mode: Activated. He wants to be all over you. Hug him and play with his hair, please.

Asmo:

Asmo isn’t really different from his usual self.

He’s a little social butterfly, making his rounds and checking on people

He’s the silent, sneaky drunk. No one notices he’s drunk until his face starts getting red and his eyes get glassy

The quiet cuddler. Just progressively gets closer to you until he’s resting his head on your shoulder, hugging you from the side and asking you to give him his drink.

Would be the happiest person on the planet if you literally just held his drink up to his lips and let him drink it when he wanted to. You just love him so much?! You’re so thoughtful?! He wants to cry

Guilty party #2 for ‘chase him around and make him put his clothes back on’

Next in line for ‘Liquor makes me tell the truth and my darkest secrets’.

Will try any activity at the party and will dance at least once with everybody

If he gets in a fight, that’s because someone doesn’t respect what he put on the party playlist. He knows good music, okay?!

Has a personal goal to steal one drink from everyone, drink it before they realize, and hand them back the empty cup as he slips away. Something about it just amuses him.

Wants to leave lipstick/lip gloss kisses on people. Thinks they’re the cutest accessory!

The one who loses something at the party and makes everyone look for it the next day

The one who’s passed out in a random spot and no one has the heart to move them but everyone checks on them to make sure they’re safe. When everyone’s turned in for the night, he is safely moved like the precious baby he is.

Beel:

The one who takes the longest to get drunk. You don’t know if it’s because of his build or how much he ate to offset the alcohol

Unofficial baby sitter of the group. Pays special attention to everyone but Belphie, Asmo, and Levi in particular.

Not super loud. Just vibes and enjoys time with his family.

He’ll participate in the party activities because he does have that competitive streak but he’s not as invested in it as Mammon. If he wins at least once he’s proved his point and is on to something else

Surprsingly, #3 to ‘you might have to chase him and make him put his clothes on’. Drunk Beel is convinced he’ll get over the alcohol faster with less clothes because of temperature regulation and something that doesn’t really make sense because he’s slurring

Will drink more if Belphie is nearby or if he can hold onto Belphie. Taking care of Belphie and knowing he’s okay (in a tactile way) makes him a little more carefree. 

Doesn’t really confess like the other bros but he’s the one no one can really hear talking because his purr takes over everything. His purrs are so loud and deep! Big boy is truly happy

Drunk Beel is affectionate as ever and this is where you learn that demons can express affection by licking people. Most of the bros end up with a Simba-style mohawk. It’s just one lick but Beel’s got a long tongue and it fucks with hair real good.

Will jump in for a song or two if karaoke is a thing at the party. A really good singer but wouldn’t do it unless he had a decent amount of alcohol in him.

He’s the type to trip over stuff trying to help clean up. If he falls down he says he’s just ‘taking a break’ and will ‘help in a minute’. Might not get up again.

Once Beel lays down, Belphie, Satan, and Levi drunk crawl/stumble/slither over to him for warmth. This is how the cuddle pile starts.

When he lays down, if you get anywhere near him, he’s begging you to lay down with him. Wants to whisper little compliments and lovely things. A big sap. Handsy but will definitely know when to lay off and will listen if you get uncomfortable. 

Belphie:

Honestly, doesn’t really drink. He’s more interested in the nap.

His biggest motivation is to get the others drunk so everyone’s quiet and he can sleep. Definitely wants Lucifer blackmail.

He’ll have a few things but he prefers a lot of something mild versus a mix or a few shots of something super potent

Will try the funnel drink challenge.

The third enticer. He wants to work everyone up (Lucifer especially) and get the booze going.

Borrows off of Beel’s body mass and ability to handle alcohol here and there, but it all catches up with him eventually

The type to have really diluted drinks because he’s already sleepy by nature and doesn’t want to faceplant with a shot glass.

Will slow dance with Asmo. When Asmo starts to struggle with his weight as Belphie gets cozy and sleepy, Beel steps in and you just see the twins purring and warbling to each other as Beel just scoops him up and lets him sit on his hip like a toddler.

Another one who wants to slither into your lap and take all your attention.

The type to do random shit like boop your nose and giggle about it.

The one who doesn’t want anyone else to touch you. If he’s laying on you then the others need to leave you alone. It’s not hard to understand!

[pgrdorms]

Hi! Since it’s almost that time of the year, could I request what the PGR boys would do on Christmas? I don’t necessarily simp for any of them (I am very much gay), however I have friends who are quite down bad for them and I’d like to surprise them with a Christmas gift like this >:) Thanks!

Christmas with the PGR bois

SFW | Gn!Reader | Fluff

Camu

He and Roland get the alcoholic eggnog ready

He actually asked Watanabe for the eggnog recipe but didn't mention to him about the alcohol he's adding

He got Wanshi as secret santa and bought him noise cancelling headphones

Changyu

Helps Watanabe prepare a big feast

Gets up early in the morning with you to buy ingredients from the market

Also buys his secret santa, Watanabe, a present from the market

He bought him a new baking set from the market

Chrome

He's up at 6am getting everything ready, he's assigned roles for everyone to do

Firstly he asks Changyu to buy ingredients, then asks Kamui and Wanshi to get the decorations ready

He puts Lee in charge of those two to make sure they don't screw up

Chrome then asks Watanabe to cook for later, but to also watch over Roland so he doesn't mess anything up

Bought his secret santa Roland tickets to Hamilton because 3 months ago he wouldn't shut up about it

Lee

He had a huge headache trying to keep Kamui and Wanshi out of trouble

Kamui keeps suggesting weird decorations or putting them in the wrong spot

Wanshi keeps wanting to fall asleep and not help at all

Ends up doing most the decorations

His secret santa is Kamui (how did that happen) and he bought him the newest puzzle game he's always wanted

Kamui

Very excited! Can't stop moving around

Wants to make this the perfect Christmas ever, but doesn't realise how much he sucks at decorating

Lee is his secret santa (almost seems rigged) and he got him a handmade coupon of 1 full hangout day with Kamui (why would he think Lee would want that)

Roland

He keeps Watanabe occupied while Camu goes off to buy alcohol and make the eggnog

Will either talk a lot to Watanabe or just cause a bit of mischief around the house

He almost forgot to buy his secret santa a gift, he just grabs something he has from his room.

Poor Changyu receives a Roland's oversized sweater

Wanshi

He's tryna get away to sleep but Lee keeps bothering him

Ends up making a really pretty pillow/blanket fort with fairy lights and tinsel for him to sleep in

His secret santa is you actually, he bought you an entirely new outfit he had seen you eyeing (because he plans to ask you out on a date with you wearing it)

Watanabe

During the day he's in charge of watching Roland

He's not dumb though and knows Camu is making alcoholic eggnog, he wasn't being very subtle

Let's it slide though because he actually wants some too

Chrome is his secret santa, he got him a multi purpose all in one cleaning tool

Christmas party

It goes off with a bang, all the fairy lights turn on and the music blasts through the speakers

Watanabe and Changyu come out with plates of lots of delicious food

Everyone sits down at the table chatting, Roland passes the spiked eggnog around

Of course Chrome swaps yours out for regular eggnog he made as backup

Changyu sits next to you, telling you about each different dish and picking some out to put on your plate

Kamui is talking the whole night, really excited to spend time with everyone

Lee is just silently eating with Wanshi enjoying the food, chiming in every now and then to tell Kamui to shut up

Camu and Roland get rowdy and tipsy on the eggnog, pressuring others to drink too

Watanabe can hold his liquor but is a bit red in the cheeks, he's talking to Chrome about going to the markets together sometime and getting bargains on items

When it comes to opening everyone's presents:

Changyu goes first giving his gift to Watanabe, who very much appreciates the baking set. "Now I can start testing out making pastries."

Then it's Watanabe who gives his gift to Chrome, who is very excited to try out the cleaning item after the party

Chrome gives the Hamilton tickets to Roland, who becomes very excited and immediately asks if you want to join him (everyone protests)

Roland then gives his "present" to Changyu who tries to be happy at first, but then gets clearly annoyed about the lack of thought

Next is Camu who give his gift to Wanshi, who is very grateful for them and wants to try the headphones immediately

Wanshi then gives you his gift, he's quite excited about it actually when you unravel the gift

"Woah you bought them clothes!" "No fair...why couldn't you buy me something new Roland." "Hey try them on!"

You change into the outfit, a bit shy and impressed how well it fits you

"Now that you're wearing my gift commandant...want to go out with me?"

Everyone protests, wanting you to go out with them instead

"W-wait! I need to give my gift to Camu!"

You pull out a neatly wrapped present box and hand it to him

He excitedly unwraps it, taking out a a custom made scarf you knitted

"Sorry...I didn't know what you wanted...so...I notice you wear v necks and...I wanted to keep you warm."

Camu smiles brightly and pulls you in a hug, suggesting you to make the scarf long enough so you both can get wrapped up in it

Tagged: @genshinarchives, @asoundofdrop

[theforgottenmcrmy]

After All (Part 3/?)

Pairing: Riff x OC Jet Girl

Warnings: Explicit Language, Racism, Suggestions of Violence

Summary: Besides, if she came back, who's to say she would even want to see him? He’d be more than willing to bet that she wouldn’t, unless it was to slap him across the face. But, if she did, he would accept it graciously after all that he’d done.

Word Count: 3600 ish.

DISCLAIMER

Please note that this is a reimagining of the film West Side Story (2021) and as a result is slightly AU.

Masterlist /// Part 1 /// Part 2 /// Part 3 /// Part 4

A/N: Thank you guys so much again for all the likes and everything. Can’t even explain how motivated I am to work on this when I see the notifications on my phone. I’m sorry this one wasn’t as long as the last (which you can find here). I planned on making this and Part 4 a single part, but the length was even longer than the last chapter, and I couldn’t resist ending this one on a bit of a cliffhanger. Plus, posting two chapters this way this gives me more time to work on Part 5. I’ve got Part 4′s rough draft all typed out, so expect the next one a bit sooner. Again, if you feel so inclined, please feel free to interact to let me know if you enjoyed this. If anyone wants to be tagged in future parts as well, please feel free to let me know. Hope you all enjoy, and have a good weekend! :)

Part Three: Rest in Peace

About 18 months later…

“‘Tis a sad day, gentlemen.”

The sound of crumbling cement, shifting rubble, and jackhammers filled the air as a crew worked on tearing down the old apartment complex a few blocks over. The New York City Committee on Slum Clearance had declared the building condemned. No one local had the funds or willingness to repair it. The inevitable conclusion was that it ought to be torn down. A new, shiny apartment complex for the stinkin’ rich was to go up in its place.

As sad as seeing the neighborhood they’d always known literally being torn down brick by brick and being replaced with something foreign and new was, there was a more upsetting scene before the young men at this given moment.

“Rest in Peace,” Big Deal bid solemnly, placing a hand over his heart in reverence.

“God bless you,” Mouthpiece added mournfully, taking off his cap that almost always covered his head, and placing it over his heart as well, “You was a fair lady, ye olde Irish Pub.”

Big Deal, Mouthpiece, and Balkan watched from the corner across the street as old man Williams handed over the keys to the Irish Pub to its new Puerto Rican owner.

“This place is goin’ to the dogs,” Big Deal declared sorrowfully. The two men acros the street shook hands, and Old man Williams left.

Mouthpiece quickly placed his cap back on top of his head. “Where we supposed to go for a drink now?” he asked. The Irish Pub had been a favorite hangout for a while, largely due to the fact that old man Williams didn’t care enough to confirm anyone’s age, and that meant fun for the whole gang.

“I guess we’ll just have to obtain our booze at the liquor store,” Balkan suggested mischievously.

“And how long ‘til that gets sold?” Big Deal posed.

A silence fell over the group as Action joined them, newspaper in hand. He looked at them curiously, wondering what they were frowning at. He followed their line of sight across the street, and frowned as well. “Boys, what happened to the Pub?” he demanded.

“Oh, you know,” Balkan replied hotly, “More of the same- people like us getting out, and people like them moving in.”

All four of the young men watched as the new owner of the Irish Pub, or whatever it was to be called now, took a moment to look around the block. He spotted the lot of them almost immediately, and frowned back at them. After making a point to stare at them disapprovingly for a moment, he quickly turned, entered the building, and locked the door behind him.

Action sighed defeatedly. “Come on,” he told the guys, nodding his head in the direction down the street. “Too late to do anything ‘bout it now. Besides, Riff’s expectin’ us.”

——————————————————————————

Riff watched from the small bedroom window as the old apartment complex a few blocks over began to tremble. Slowly, but surely, the fourth floor was disappearing from view. The roofing on the building had been torn apart and removed a few days ago. Given that it was partially caved in and in poor condition, they made rather quick work of it. They’d make rather quick work of the rest of the structure too, and eventually, it would disappear from his view entirely.

Riff had watched several buildings disappear from view over the past year or so. The whole neighborhood was changing, physically. When the New York City Committee for Slum Clearance finished with the West Side, he was sure he wouldn't even be able to recognize it anymore. All the old but familiar buildings would be gone, reduced to rubble. The people who lived there would be displaced, at least the ones who hadn’t already left. It was becoming increasingly apparent to him that he and the guys were very likely going to be among the casualties of the decisions made by the fat cats in City Hall.

Of course, he never let on about this to any of the guys. They all had their own problems to worry about. They didn’t need to be reminded of the potential impending doom when they were hanging with their brothers- the Jets. They were family. And no matter what happened to the neighborhood, that fact would remain. It would be easier, though, if they weren’t all made homeless in the process.

As Riff watched the apartment complex being disassembled in the distance, he hadn’t realized Graziella had already woken up, and was gathering her things.

“Good morning,” she called to him from across the room, where she was putting on her shoes.

Riff finally tore his eyes away from the window, and turned to face her. “Mornin’.”

“I’m gonna head out,” she informed him, throwing her thumb over her shoulder and towards the door for emphasis.

“Right.” He nodded once in understanding. “I’ll see you ‘round, then?”

Grazi smiled sheepishly. “Yeah… but it may be a few days. I’m gonna be in the doghouse for a while, I imagine.”

Riff knew that was very likely. Grazi came from the other side of town. Her father was a doctor, and her mother was a socialite; both of them were individually wealthy before they got hitched. They were swimming in cash now. He remembered Grazi mentioned that her father nearly had a heart attack when she told him she was seeing Tony back in the day. Now that she and Riff were seeing each other, even if it was casual, he was fairly certain that her father would have approved of him even less. In fact, the fact that the relationship was casual almost certainly made the matter worse in her father’s mind.

“Do you want me to walk you out?” Riff offered.

Grazi shook her head. “Nah, it’s okay,” she politely declined. She headed towards the bedroom door, but stopped once she reached it. She looked over her shoulder, and playfully suggested, “Try to keep out of trouble today, yeah?”

Riff smirked. “Me? Always.”

Grazi smiled at him one last time, before leaving. She shut the door gently behind her.

When she was gone, Riff sighed to himself, and took a quick look around the room. In the corner of his eye, he saw the desk. It had stacks of papers just waiting to tumble over at the slightest bump or breeze.

As much as he dreaded the thought of it, he made himself walk over to the desk and take a seat.

His uncle had left the city to move with his aunt to upstate New York just a few months beforehand. When he did, he left his auto repair shop for Riff to run in his stead, though the old man still owned it in name. His uncle had done this under the guise of a gift, which Riff had agreed to, albeit skeptically. Riff had worked in the shop for his uncle back in the day, and he knew the job. Then he and his uncle had their falling out, and he had to crash with Tony’s family for a while. Part of Riff wanted to believe the scoundrel was feeling a bit remorseful for what had happened, and that he was just trying to make amends with his nephew before he visited the pearly gates of Heaven.

It didn’t take but a week for Riff to realize that instead, his uncle had given him one last metaphorical middle finger. The bastard.

His uncle had taken out loans to keep the place going as the neighborhood started to decline. Now those loans were in default. There were also taxes past due. When his uncle managed to keep employees for more than a day or two, he didn’t give a damn about their professional behavior, or lack thereof, while they were on the clock, and as a result of a few botched repairs (most likely from a drunken repairman or two), the reputation of the shop was in bad shape. There was also the issue of possible clientele. The few folks in the neighborhood who remained and had cars had been dissuaded from giving their business to the shop due to his uncle’s previous management tactics. The rest of the neighborhood population, which seemed to be an increasing majority, didn’t have the funds to afford cars. Even if they did, Riff severely doubted they’d be willing to give him their business. Ah, the lovely Puerto Ricans.

Still, despite all the obstacles, the fighter in him refused to allow himself to give up on it. He couldn’t, not while there was still a chance, however small it was. The Jets had supported him as well. The auto repair shop was the unofficial, but official, headquarters for the gang.

While Riff lived in the one bedroom apartment above the shop permanently, the guys knew that if any of them had troubles at home, Riff would let them crash there without a second thought. Many of them took him up on his offer, sleeping on cots with blankets in the otherwise empty living area. In fact, Diesel and Snowboy seemed to be semi-permanent residents as of late.

The guys who crashed with Riff and a few of the others who were older, or who had dropped out of school entirely, helped Riff with the little business the shop was able to bring in. And for their part, when they were on the clock, they made every effort to be as professional as they could muster. It went unsaid that while there was always likely to be stealing and other less than savory ways to obtain the funds they needed to survive, working in the shop seemed to give some of them a taste of what it would be like to make a truly honorable living. Riff included.

Now, if only he could make sense of the damn books. The sooner the shop got out of the whole with the defaulted loans and taxes, the more of a chance it stood against being condemned and turned into rubble like that apartment complex.

The sounds of one of the garage doors opening from the shop below signaled that some of the guys had arrived. Riff stood up, unashamedly eager to get away from dealing with the books for now, and headed out of the room and into the living area.

Diesel was still asleep on his cot, that much was obvious from his near boar-like snores.

Riff rolled his eyes, before leaning down and patting Diesel firmly on the arm. “Come on buddy, time to get to work.” Diesel woke with a startle, before rolling over. Out of the corner of his eye, Riff noticed Snowboy pull a blanket up and over his head across the room. “You too, Snowboy,” he called.

Snowboy grumbled something unintelligible in response as Riff exited the apartment through the front door. As soon as Riff stepped foot onto the landing overlooking the shop floor below, he spotted Action, Mouthpiece, Balkan, and Big Deal closing the garage door behind them.

“Fellas,” Riff greeted them with a smile, turning and heading down the stairs.

“Mornin’ Boss,” Balkan replied cheerfully.

“Hey, was that Grazi we seen leavin’?” Big Deal asked.

Riff landed on the concrete floor with a soft thud. “Even if it was, what’s it to ya?” Riff replied with mock irritation, though his playful tone betrayed his challenging words.

Big Deal held up his hands in surrender, and sat down on a nearby tool chest.

“Here ya go,” Action told Riff, handing him the newspaper he’d gotten him that morning. Riff nodded his thanks, before promptly opening it and taking a look. Action looked back up to the landing as Diesel and Snowboy left the apartment, now dressed but still looking quite groggy.  “Ah, good morning, sunshines!” he called to them in a sickly sweet tone.

Snowboy scowled as Diesel gave Action the finger.

Riff’s eyes skimmed the first few articles of the paper, searching for anything related to the New York Committee on Slum Clearance. It wasn’t unusual for the Times to write an article or two every now and then about what the latest plans were.

“Hey Riff, mind if I take the comics?” Mouthpiece asked hopefully.

“Yeah, yeah,” Riff answered distractedly, not taking his eyes off the article he was reading. He grabbed the section of the paper requested and blindly handed it to Mouthpiece.

Mouthpiece took the comics with a child-like grin, scurried over to the nearby workbench, and hopped up on it to sit down. He leaned back against the wall, making himself comfy as he started grazing over the pages.

Diesel and Snowboy had finally joined the guys on the shop floor. Diesel popped the hood of the station wagon that had been brought in yesterday for an issue with the engine, and Balkan walked over as well to take a look. Snowboy headed over the workbench, and started looking for some tools. During his search, he lightly shoved Mouthpiece further down the workbench when he was in his way.

“I don’t know why ya bother readin’ that crap,” Action told Riff quietly, noting that the rest of the guys were distracted. “By the time anything’s in there, it’s already too late.”

Action had had Riff’s back since Tony got into trouble. While Riff didn’t openly discuss his concerns about the neighborhood with anyone, Action read him like a book.

Riff shrugged nonchalantly. “Like to know what’s comin’, I suppose,” he answered casually as he read the last few sentences of an article.

“Pub’s gone,” Action informed him plainly. “Happened this mornin’.”

Riff sighed, folded the newspaper shut, and discarded it in the nearby bin. “Ain’t that something…” he mused. He was quiet for a moment, before a brilliant thought struck him. 

“Fellas, I think we’ve been workin’ too hard lately,” Riff stated. Several of the guys nodded their heads in agreement. “It’s about time we kicked back a bit. What do ya say to a good ol’ game of basketball at the park tonight?” he proposed.

There was an audible response of approval from the group.

“I’ll head out now, start spreadin’ the news,” Mouthpiece offered, dropping the comics section beside him and hopping down off the workbench. “What time ya thinkin, Riff?” he asked.

“Don’t forget to go swing by the school around lunch and tell Baby John,” Riff reminded him. “And let’s say… 6 o’clock?”

Most of the guys knew what Riff was suggesting immediately, and exchanged knowing looks. 

“Hey, ain’t that when the Sharks normally play?” Mouthpiece questioned, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

Riff fought the urge to sigh. He clapped Mouthpiece lightly on the shoulder. “Precisely. It’s a free country, ain’t it?”

“Oh… oh! Right, right.”

As Mouthpiece passed him in a flash to head out of the shop, Riff noticed the comics he left on the workbench. “Come on, what have I said about leavin’ stuff lying around in the garage?” Riff hollered after him.

His question was moot; Mouthpiece was already long gone, and he exited out the side door of the shop.

Riff sighed lightly, and swiftly picked up the comics off the work bench. As he did so, he caught a glance at the other side of the page, the obituaries. It was a section of the paper Riff never bothered to read, but something about it made him hesitate. He took a second to glance over the names curiously, not expecting to see anyone notable. The shock came not but a moment later.

Catherine Thomas.

The witch. She’d been found dead in her apartment last week. She wasn’t that old… or was she? Was she sick? Roxie would know.

He froze.

Roxie.

How many months had it been since he had spared her a thought? Probably quite a few. It was odd, someone who used to occupy most of his waking thoughts now rarely seemed to cross his mind, and when she did, it was for something like her aunt kicking the bucket. The more Riff thought about it, the more guilty he felt, and when it came to her, he already had plenty of things to feel guilty about.

Riff folded the section of the newspaper wordlessly, and threw it away in the nearby bin with the rest of it.

Where even was she these days? He knew she had left for that university last year. Wouldn’t it be letting out for the summer soon? Baby John had mentioned something the other day about how glad he was about the upcoming break, but that was high school… Wouldn’t she have to come back anyways to take care of her aunt’s affairs?

“Hey Riff, can you bring me over that wrench?”

Diesel’s question temporarily broke Riff from his thoughts. Without missing a beat, he found the wrench Diesel was referring to, and tossed it to him. Riff knew that thinking about Roxie this much was pointless. Maybe that was why he hadn’t thought about her in so long.

Thinking about her only led to him feeling things, and having feelings in this neighborhood were a luxury that not many could afford, especially guys like him. Feelings wouldn’t defend you if you got jumped. Feelings wouldn’t be able to feed your kids if they were hungry. Feelings wouldn’t be able to cough up cash when Uncle Sam and the New York Committee for Slum Clearance came knocking.

Having feelings didn’t do him any good when he decided Roxie was better off without him. Having feelings didn’t make him feel any better when Tony got sent upstate.

And yet, he couldn’t help but wonder… was she happy now? Well, she probably wasn’t happy at that particular moment, with her last living relative now gone, but otherwise… He almost wanted to know. If he knew, it was quite likely the only way he would be able to confirm whether he had actually done the best thing for her when he let her go.

Riff had left a piece of himself behind with her the day he walked away, and the decision he made put a strain on his friendship with Tony. He knew Roxie must’ve hated him for it, but if she was thriving now, outside of the neighborhood, it would’ve all been worth it. …Right?

Riff shook his head in an effort to clear his mind. What he would give to just have a few moments to speak with Tony right now. Tony would slap some sense into him, one way or the other. Just another few weeks, Riff reminded himself, and he’d get his chance. He’d gotten a letter from him just last week, he thought he was going to get out sometime around the middle of summer.

Riff knew how much a month in the county jail had changed him… he couldn’t imagine the Tony he’d meet when he got released after being locked up for a year. But Riff would be there for him, whoever he was now, just like Tony had always been there for him.

“You okay?” Diesel asked him when he noticed that Riff had been lingering for a few moments.

Riff nodded. “Never better,” he assured him with a smile. He walked over to one of the two garage doors, and opened it with practiced ease. It was better to have at least one open when they were working in the shop anyway, in case anyone driving by decided to be generous and give them their business.

Riff knew he should really get to work, but instead, he took another moment, and leaned against the garage frame. He watched the street as cars passed by, and as the activity in the neighborhood started to pick up for the day.

The West Side was changing, and he’d see to it that he, and the guys, would be prepared for whatever came their way.

Tony would be back soon, and that meant things could only get better.

Maybe Roxie would come back too, but he tried not to dwell on that too much.

Besides, if she came back, who's to say she would even want to see him? He’d be more than willing to bet that she wouldn’t, unless it was to slap him across the face. But, if she did, he would accept it graciously after all that he’d done.

——————————————————————————

Dear Ms. Thomas,

Please consider this correspondence a follow up to our meeting that occurred last week. While I have given the information you presented to me the utmost consideration, I was unable to successfully convince the other members of the Board of your cause. As such, the decision initially made by the Board regarding your tuition funding still stands.

This letter serves as official notice that your merit scholarship will not be offered to you for next semester.

We understand that this scholarship was initially awarded to you due to your personal scholastic accomplishments, and we hope that is something that reassures you and gives you peace as you process this decision.

However, the Board receives many scholarship applications each semester, and unfortunately, we made the difficult decision to award the funds that were initially allotted to you to another student who was in more immediate need.

The Board commends you on your remarkable grades these past two semesters, and I want you to be assured that your enrollment with our fine university is not revoked by this notice. If you are able to pay the full tuition rate for the upcoming fall semester, we would be happy to have you return to the university’s halls in September.

I hope you have a pleasant summer break. This decision is final, but if you need any of this information clarified, please feel free to schedule another appointment.

Thank you for your time,

William Collins

Board of Trustees

A/N: Thank you for reading, and please feel free to give a like if you enjoyed. :) I plan on posting Part 4 on Monday, and will link it here when it’s available.

Part 4

Masterlist

[ptergwen]

jingle your bells

w/c: 1.7k

warnings: mentions of drinking and a suggestive joke

summary: peter gets drunk at tony’s christmas party and confesses a thing or two

a/n: today’s the day yayyy merry christmas guys i hope you’ve gotten and gave some good stuff!! i hope you’re all staying safe too <3 this was requested as a headcanon but i put a twist on it because why not

━━━ ➳❥

your dad loves parties. hosting them, attending them, crashing them. he’s actually known for it.

this year, he’s throwing a little party for christmas. everyone at the compound is coming, but there’s someone you care about more than the rest. peter. he’s one of your favorite people and closest friends.

your crush, too.

these things can be a bit overwhelming, so the two of you always stick together. you’ll sometimes sneak upstairs to your room and binge movies with pajamas and all kinds of junk food. it’s your own party in a way. you two enjoy the time you don’t spend at the real ones more than anything.

thor and bruce are currently doing their own rendition of all i want for christmas. your dad made the mistake of setting up karaoke. you laugh along, natasha dragging them in every way possible. steve snaps to the beat. wanda is covering her face in second hand embarrassment. vision offers tips that he searched every possible database for.

sam and bucky took peter somewhere a while ago. that can never be good. he’ll probably come back covered in whipped cream or something stupid. those two never leave peter alone. it’s kind of sweet when you think about it.

“thank you! thank you very much, children,” thor grins as everyone applauds the performance. bruce takes a bow. “we’ll be here all night.” you shake your head at the two of them. they’re too funny. natasha shares a look with you. “boo, get off the stage!” bucky calls as he enters the room. sam and peter follow behind him.

peter is smiling like an idiot, not that his smile isn’t adorable. it just seems a bit off. you really have to find out what they did to him.

“uh, this is my stage,” thor scoffs and grabs the microphone off the stand. grimacing, bruce puts a hand on his shoulder. “let’s calm down, buddy.” “no, i think we should do another one. santa baby.” he points to natasha. “hit play for us, thanks.” she sighs and puts the song on through the speakers. you can’t win with thor.

you watch sam whisper something to peter, then bucky cackles. tony and pepper make their way in and sit down next to you on the couch.

“what’s going on in here?” pepper asks you, nudging your arm. you’re more concerned with what’s going on with peter. “a sing off. it was karaoke, but bucky riled thor up.” your dad clicks his tongue. “that absolute madman.”

“he’s not the only madman tonight,” your mom comments, widening her eyes at the sight in front of her. you furrow your eyebrows and follow her gaze. your mouth drops open.

peter is dancing around in front of them. he’s trying to hip bump bruce, who keeps inching closer to thor. sam and bucky are doubled over from the other side of the room. they ruined your poor peter.

thor chuckles and pats peter on the back. he happily accepts it very much like a puppy would. he’s wearing a headband with jingle bells on it and there’s a weird stain on his shirt.

“little spider has been drinking,” thor announces, peter’s cheeks glowing red. that makes sense. you immediately glare at sam and bucky. they raise their hands in defense. they’re still on the hook.

“god, i can smell him from here,” natasha agrees and waves her hand in the air. “they‘d be able to smell him from sokovia,” wanda mutters. “parker? are you shit-faced right now?” your dad speaks up, a look between concern and anger on his face. his giggling gives him away.

“it’s christmas. you’re drunk out of your mind on christmas. i can’t have that.” tony points upstairs, signaling for him to go. you’re pretty sure peter didn’t process a word of that. pepper rubs up and down tony’s arm with a frown. “oh, tony. don’t be a grinch.” he sighs and watches peter try to climb into steve’s lap.

“he needs to sleep this off, pep. kid hasn’t had a drop of alcohol before tonight.” it’s true. he’s big on not drinking until he’s old enough. you have to wonder what changed. “i’ll bring him to his room, dad. he shouldn’t go alone,” you offer, already getting to your feet. “thanks, y/n/n. look at you, making good choices.”

you walk up to steve and give him an apologetic smile. relief washes over his face. “he’s all yours,” he laughs out. “all yours,” peter repeats in a giggle. “mhm. let’s go, peter.” you take him by his arm and pull him away from steve.

he’s easy to drag along because of the state he’s in. he nuzzles his face into the side of your neck, your arm around his waist.

“you smell so good, y/n. sooo nice,” peter almost sings, sniffing you for good measure. “you don’t,” you deadpan. the two of you pass by sam and bucky on your way out. “you’re actually messed up for this,” you tell them under your breath, bucky gasping. “hey, miss stark. it was his idea!” sam yells out to you. you’re not in the mood to hear it.

peter cuddles into your side while you lead him up the stairs. his breath is hot on you and wreaks of expensive liquor from your dad’s cabinet. you never imagined you’d see him like this.

he’s still clinging onto you, so you open his door by pressing your back to it. “come on, pete. you have to lay down,” you tell him as nicely as you can. he stops walking in the middle of the room. “wait. lemme show you something.” he wiggles his eyebrows and shakes his head around. it makes the jingle bells on his head... jingle.

“did you like it?” peter asks and leans his head down to do it again. stifling a laugh, you grab his shoulders. “yeah, peter. i liked it. you can stop jingling your bells now.” “you should... should jingle my bells,” he slurs, smirking at you. you quickly take your hands off of him. “oh my god, you’re so drunk.”

he’s doing all the things you wish he would when he’s sober.

“are you mad at me?” peter pouts his lip out. “don’t be mad at me, y/n.” you press your own lips together and take a seat on his bed. he plops down next to you, pushing his head against your shoulder. “no, but i am mad at sam and bucky. i can’t believe they’d do this.” his face twists up in confusion. “and on christmas.”

“do what?” he wonders and settles his head on you. “let you drink?” you ask like it should be obvious. it should be. “no, no, no. they were helping me.” peter puffs some air out of his cheeks. that gives him the idea to blow into your ear. you flinch and push at his shoulder.

“peter, they gave you alcohol. it’s clearly not good for you.” “no, y/n.” he closes his eyes and lays his head on your shoulder again. “i got my own. they-“ he’s interrupted by a hiccup. you can’t help but laugh, pulling him closer. “‘scuse me. they helped me with something else.”

drunk peter is kind of cute. super cute, to be real.

“what was it?” you decide to entertain him, figuring he’ll say something ridiculous. “asking you out,” peter answers way too casually. you almost don’t believe him. then again, he’s pretty self aware at the moment. it’s probably because his powers give him a higher tolerance.

peter feels your heart speeding up next to him. he presses his head to it so he can hear. “you- are you serious?” you stammer, willing him to look up at you. “uh huh. i like you a lot.” a lazy smile takes over his face. “a lot a lot.” “peter...” he’s still going.

“i asked them for advice. it sucked. we were in the kitchen and i remembered your dad’s...” he pauses to think of the word. “stash. i thought drinking would make me loose.” he moves his body around for a visual.

you’re still shocked sam and bucky let him go through with it. it does sound like them, though. you’re more shocked peter likes you back and just admitted it.

sober peter would never admit any of that.

“you don’t have to change anything for me, pete. i like you, too.” you grin down at him. peter returns it and puckers his lips at you. “cool. does that mean i can get a kiss?” letting out a breath, you help him sit up again. he whines about it for all of ten seconds before yawning.

this isn’t exactly how you saw this moment going. peter is too shy to ever really initiate anything, and you never knew if he felt the same. you’re always trying to figure out each other’s boundaries. he has to debate with himself about little things like giving you his jacket or facetiming you at night.

he never wants to overstep. you never want to scare him off. having him drunkenly snuggle with you breaks all those boundaries. at least something finally does. the kiss will have to wait until whatever he drank leaves his system, which hopefully won’t be long. his powers are a possibility once again.

“it’s nap time for you,” you tell peter like he’s a kid. he protests like one, too. “but i’m not tired.” “yeah you are. you just yawned.” he opens his mouth to speak. you talk first. “lay down.” he’s caught off guard this time when you push at his chest. it makes him fall back on the pillows.

you giggle and take the jingle bells off his head. they can’t be comfortable. peter makes grabby hands for you. “come lay with me, baby,” he mumbles into the pillow his face is squished in. your heart flutters hearing him call you that. his arms do look inviting. they’re all ready to hold you.

too bad he’s on time out.

“i can’t. i’m supposed to be back downstairs already.” you unenthusiastically get up from the bed. peter groans, rolling onto his side. “i want christmas cuddles.” “you’ll get some after your nap,” you promise and poke his shoulder. “and a kiss.” he closes his eyes the literal second you say that.

you like this boy way too much.

[biggest-stupidhead]

Bad Timing {Epilogue}

AN: I am so so sorry for this being posted so late on here. I've had it posted on ao3 for some time now and recently became aware that it was not on here! So here you go! Please enjoy :)

Summary: Growing up and letting go.

Word Count: 5.3K

Warnings: none?

_______

People always tell you to enjoy your high school years, even though they seem to be the worst years of your life. You could officially say that those people were full of shit, high school really was nothing too special for you. You had scraped by with a 3.6 GPA and made some lifelong friends sure, it was fine. But you didn't revisit those days too fondly. Especially not the days after Levi left, that summer had been rough. But you survived it and the two years of school that you had left without your big brother and Hange in school alongside you.

Your graduation day came and went, and now you were sitting in your apartment in New York city staring at a wedding invitation. You had been expecting it in the mail for some time now, Erwin had proposed to Hange shortly after graduating and they were finally able to save enough money to pay for a wedding. Your coffee had gone cold, the mail for the week spread across your table along with your homework.

"Whatcha got there?" Sasha plopped down into the seat next to you and you snapped out of your thoughts.

"My brother's wedding invitation." You explained, handing her the fancy card. She examined it and then flipped it over as if expecting more.

"Where's the menu for the reception?" You scoffed and snatched the card back a small grin dancing over your lips.

"That card will come later." You tossed the invitation aside and returned your focus to the paper that you had been working on. Sasha groaned but then began shuffling through the rest of the mail.

"Oh wait, here's something." She passed you another card and you raised a brow at it. Clearly, it was another card from your brother, this one contained the important dates like the rehearsal dinners and such. You raised a brow when you noticed the list, Nanaba, Moblit, Mike, Nifa, yourself, and finally Levi's name. You blinked slowly as you processed the information, of course, you had known that Levi would be Erwin's best man. But you hadn't really thought much about having to spend more time with him.

The last time you saw him was two years ago on Thanksgiving. He came home and surprised your family. Needless to say, you had asked Sasha to join her family after your family ate dinner. You felt bad about ditching your family but when you had seen him you panicked. Your mom had been upset with you, but in the end, she said that she understood. And now you were expected to face him again. For a time you imagined that when you saw him again, you would be grown and put together. With a job and a degree to match, with a closet full of perfect clothes, you would be grown up. So would he, and you could forget about those nights with red cups in your hands filled with cheap liquor, smoke in your lungs.

But the problem was, you didn't feel grown, even though you were twenty-two now. You didn't have to ask Erwin to buy you booze with his fake I.D. But you still found yourself in those parties, that same plastic cup in your hand. You found yourself in the bathrooms of these frats, body pressed against some random boy or girl.

It wasn't necessarily that you thought of him when you kissed other people, or at least not anymore. There had been a time when you had thought of him, compared how the person's hands felt against your skin in comparison to his. You had wondered if he thought about you too if he sought out girls and women who resembled you. You doubted it, he probably moved on, as effortlessly as he always did.

You would probably never know if he thought about you, even if he did you felt like he wouldn't admit it. You sighed and stood from the table, your coffee has long gone cold, and you had lost your motivation to do your work.

"Can I be your plus one?" Sasha asked, cracking an egg into a pan over the stove.

"I guess." You relented, it would be awkward if you brought a romantic partner. Even if you could find one in time for the wedding. Which you probably wouldn't.

"Sweet." Sasha squealed, doing a little happy dance as she stirred her eggs.

"Yeah." You said, walking across the kitchen and hanging the invitation and rehearsal dates on the fridge door.

_____

The days grew colder and the date for the rehearsal crept closer. You had been in touch with your brother and Hange, who had sent you some of the plans for the wedding. Mundane stuff like the color scheme, the theme, table arrangements. You had been surprised to find that they were having the ceremony in New York, in a nice hotel with one of those big ballrooms that looked like it belonged in a castle.

They had already been legally married, something that they had done a few months ago. You hadn't expected them to hold a big celebration since the actual marriage was done in a courthouse with you, your mother, and Hange's parents present. But something must have convinced them to hold this party.

The rehearsal was in two days, and you couldn't sleep a wink. You knew Levi would be there, and you were angry at yourself for feeling resentment towards him. You had after all told him to go to school, you had no right to be angry with him. The leaves on the trees were starting to fall, and the air was chilled and seemed to bite your skin when you went outside. Erwin and Hange were flying in today, and they planned to visit you at your apartment. So you and Sasha were cleaning up the usual mess that accumulated each week.

You lit a candle on the coffee table and straightened up the bookshelf in the corner. Sasha was baking cookies in the kitchen, the scent of pumpkin spice and cream cheese frosting overpowered the apple spice candle you had lit. You plopped down on the couch and looked out the large window, overlooking the busy street below.

"They should be here soon," Sasha said as if you didn't know already. You hummed in agreement and pulled your phone out of your pocket. Sure enough, Erwin had texted you informing you that they had just left the airport.

"Should be here in about twenty minutes." You told her, standing from the couch and coming to see if she needed a hand. Baking had always calmed you, and truthfully you weren't sure why you were so nervous to see Erwin and Hange. You had seen them a few months ago at the courthouse, had taken them out for drinks afterward and everything had been normal.

But for some reason, the knowledge that Levi would be back in the states soon had you on edge. And you knew that they were the reason, but it wasn't their fault that you had ended on bad terms with him.

You busied yourself with the frosting, whisking it until the clumps were gone and it smelled of vanilla and confectioner sugar. Sasha was pulling out the sheet of cookies, each one nearly perfect in size and beautiful golden orange. You had been so caught up in your tasks that you missed the first three texts that Hange sent you. You only checked your phone when she called you.

"Hello?" Your phone was sandwiched between your ear and your shoulder, as your hands were covered in flour and sugar.

"(Y/n)! Boy am I glad I got a hold of you, listen we're on the street here can you let us up?" She asked and you quickly wiped your hands off on the front of your old t-shirt.

"Yeah sure, I'll be down in a minute." And with that you ended the call, grabbing your keys from the bowl on a table by the door and slipping your feet into a pair of slippers. You hurried down the stairs and rushed to the front doors of the building. Sure enough, Erwin and Hange were on the street, each one holding a suitcase, coats pulled close to their bodies.

"Hey, guys." You forced a grin as you let them in, Hange wrapped her arms around you and you hugged her back tightly.

"So good to see you," She cooed and you turned to give Erwin a hug as well.

"Yeah, how was your flight?" You agreed as you took one of the bags from Erwin.

"It was good." Erwin smiled at you and you smiled back genuinely this time. You led them up to the elevators and punched in your floor number. The doors opened slowly when you got to your floor, and you guided them down the hall to your door. The wreath on the door was crooked but you couldn't be bothered to fix it now. You jammed your key into the keyhole and pushed the door open, the scent of cookies and the candle washing over you once more.

"Wow, it's so cozy in here." Hange mused as she set her bag down in the entryway. Erwin did the same, taking his coat off and hanging it onto one of the available hooks.

"Hey, guys!" Sasha ran over and jumped into Hange's arms, who squealed as the two spun around. Erwin and Sasha briefly hugged before she excitedly motioned for them to follow her to the spare room the two of you had made for them. Usually, it was a makeshift office, with a bed in the corner, but you had made it as homey as possible.

As they settled in you took out the last batch of cookies and set them on the stovetop. Sasha was asking them all kinds of questions about the food at the reception, what they wanted for dinner tonight, classic Sasha.

They came out of the room, and sat at the table, sharing a look you couldn't quite decipher.

"(Y/n), there's been a slight issue." Hange held her fingers up, pointer and thumb nearly touching.

"What is it?" You asked, concerned that it had something to do with their celebration.

"Well, Levi's flight was supposed to come in tomorrow, but I guess he got an earlier one," Erwin said, his face twisted into a look of discomfort. You frowned, not sure what this meant for you.

"He should be here in a few hours, and he couldn't book a hotel room, so we were wondering if he could crash here?" Hange looked at you hopefully and you winced, this was a very difficult predicament.

"Well..." You looked to your tiny living room couch, knowing full well that he could sleep on it.

"Of course!" Sasha agreed before you could interject.

"Thank you guys so much, wouldn't want him sleeping on the streets." Hange laughed, relief washing over her face.

"Yeah..." You laughed awkwardly, a pit forming in your stomach.

"He should be here in the next hour or so, we can go pick him up!" Hange seemed so excited, so did Erwin. Maybe they missed the days that you all got along, all shared the same roof, the same worries, and friends.

"Ok yeah sure." You tried to feign excitement as Hange and Sasha began plotting to make a welcome sign, Sasha running into the office to pull out one of the spare poster boards that you kept laying around.

She came back into the room, clearing off the table and laying the board down along with an array of colorful markers and pencils. Hange and Sasha began sketching out words and drawings of baguettes and croissants. While they were distracted, Erwin touched your arm, coaxing you to join him in your bedroom. He sat on your bed, patting the space next to him and you fell into the space,  your body pressed against his. He wrapped an arm around you and rubbed your arm. The way your mom did when you were upset, the way your dad had when you had been small.

"You didn't have to do that." He said softly and you sighed, relaxing further into him.

"I know." You mumbled, eyes looking at the small dresser across from your bed, pictures of your friends and family perched on the surface.

"We can find him a hotel, I know that you probably don't want to see him." Erwin was trying to comfort you, double back on their imposition from earlier.

"It's ok it's not for very long." You wanted to seem put together, to seem like you didn't care about this, that you had grown up and these small things didn't bother you anymore.

"If you change your mind we can figure something out." Erwin's hand stilled, squeezing your bicep before his arm left your shoulders. You sighed and angled your body to face him, taking in his face and the softness in his eyes.

"I won't." You said, trying to look brave and big, but Erwin smiled at you, reaching out and ruffling your hair. You glared at him as you brushed your hair back into place.

"You know he asks about you sometimes," Erwin said out of the blue and you couldn't keep the shock off of your face.

"He does?"

"Yeah, asks about school, who you live with. When the next time you'll be home." Erwin listed off these things and your foolish heart squeezed in your chest painfully.

"Why?" You interrogated, heart beating against your ribcage.

"I suppose it's because he cares for you." Erwin smiled at you, and you blushed, head tilting down and looking at your hands in your lap. You weren't sure what to say, of course, you could say that you still cared for him, but were you ready to admit that out loud?

"Oh." You simply responded, threading your fingers together and pulling them apart to distract yourself.

"I'm sure he's looking forward to seeing you again." Erwin seemed to be pushing you for a better reaction, you couldn't exactly say what he was looking for, however. You could hear Sasha and Hange laughing in the kitchen, they sounded happy. You wondered if Sasha had missed this, you knew that you had.

"Let's go check on them then." Erwin stood slowly, waiting for you by the door. You stood with him, masking the anxiety swirling beneath the surface of your open face. You walked out and your lips curled into a timid grin, Sasha threw you a marker and you caught it in one hand. Erwin sat on the couch and scrolled through his phone. Hange was shading the words, Sasha was doodling a steaming cup of coffee. You sat, the marker clenched in your fist, eyes trained on the clock as the minutes ticked by slowly.

____

The four of you were smashed inside of an uber, the afternoon light was waning, reflecting off of the buildings. People were going home to their families, the airport was busy and the uber dropped you off at the curb. You remembered the last time you had welcomed Levi home, when you had been bouncing off the walls eager to see him. You were internally excited now, but you felt more nervous than anything.

Through the mass of bodies, each person with a destination in mind, you would've missed him. But you would know him anywhere, he was wearing a simple grey sweatshirt, a pair of black jeans. His hair was trimmed the same way, his eyes that same empty grey. When he saw you all, Hange holding the sign high in the air, bouncing on her heels. His eyes narrowed and he changed direction to meet you, Erwin greeted him first, pulling him in for a hearty hug. Hange was next, throwing her arms over his shoulders and pressing a kiss to his cheek. He pushed her off and his lips twisted into a sour sneer.

"You're married now." He said simply and Hange squealed.

"Exciting isn't it?" Her voice carried over the drone of suitcase wheels and soles of feet hitting the floors.

"Simply thrilling." Levi seemed that he could care less, until his eyes finally met yours. His brows raised and his lips parted, but the reaction was brief, quickly replaced with that familiar blank stare.

You offered him a tight-lipped smile, Sasha looked at you before stepping forward and giving Levi a quick hug. He looked at you over her shoulder, his eyes roaming up and down your body. If it had been anybody else you would've winked, or even said something witty. But you shrank under his scrutiny, your body wasn't as it was when you were sixteen. Your hips had gotten wider, your wrists weren't as slender, your cheeks chubbier. It wasn't something that you were self conscious about, but under his eyes you withered.

"Shall we get dinner?" Hange clapped her hands, breaking the tension between you and Levi.

"We should order take out! I'm sure Levi's tired." Sasha was eager to ease the awkwardness and the five of you made your way back to the uber waiting for you outside. Sasha sat in the front of the car, Hange and Erwin sat in the way back of the SUV, leaving you and Levi to sit in the middle row. You pressed yourself against the car door, putting as much space between you as you could manage.

If you had been in highschool, you would've sat in the middle seat, knocking your knees with his, played with his fingers. But you were grown now, and so was he. You rolled up to your apartment building and you all hurried inside, the chilly air nipping at exposed skin. You were glad that you and Sasha had tidied up the apartment now. You dropped your keys into the bowl by the door, Sasha did the same. All of you stripped out of your coats and hung them up, Levi stood in the doorway as the others all made themselves comfortable. He was taking in the cozy space, the couch with the throw pillows, the coffee table with magazines and books stacked in the center. The plants on the tv stand, the pictures hung on the walls, the scent of apple spice and pumpkin cookies hanging in the air.

"You can put your stuff in here." You offered, the first words you had said to him in four years. You wished it had been something more meaningful, but apparently it wasn't in the cards for you. As you showed him the office you tried to remember the nights you laid awake, thinking of how you would talk to him again one day. You thought of the days you stared at your phone, messages open words swirling in your mind as you yearned to say something.

"Thanks." He grunted, setting his bags down next to Hange and Erwin's. You nodded and turned to leave, he didn't stop you. He followed you back into the living room, where Hange and Erwin were cuddled up on the couch, looking through Netflix for something to watch. Sasha was on the phone, probably calling your favorite Chinese restaurant.

"-Yeah the usual please, oh and can I add an extra order of-" She paused before beaming at whatever it was the person on the other end said.

"You know me too well Jimmy, oh hang on one moment," She put the phone against her chest and turned to Levi.

"I got some pot stickers and chow mein, you want anything else?" She asked him and he shook his head, sitting on the opposite end of the couch from Hange and Erwin.

"Yep that's all." She returned to her phone call, you sat in the arm chair on the other end of the room, watching the screen as Hange flicked through the movies and shows.

"Should be here in thirty minutes." Sasha sat down on the arm of your chair and slid down so she was on your lap. You wrapped your arms around her middle and looked over her shoulder.

"Have you guys seen this show? It's so good." Hange paused over Sex education and you hummed in agreement. It was a good show, you and Sasha had binged it with Ymir and Historia.

"Yeah it's really good!" Sasha agreed, Hange clicked on it and the first episode began to play. You snuck glances at Levi, who was scrolling through his phone with a blank expression. As the episode wore on, you began to relax. This atmosphere reminded you of before you and Levi were friends, when he would only speak to you when necessary. You were at least comforted that he didn't seem to resent you, but you also wished you could get some closure.

Just as the thought passed through your mind, your phone buzzed in your pocket, and you struggled to dig it out. Your eyes widened at the message on your screen, a text from Levi.

Can we talk?

Your heart pounded in your chest, eyes looking at the message, you could feel his eyes on you, gauging your reaction. You looked up at him, then to Erwin and Hange, who were laughing at the show. Finally you looked back to him and nodded slowly, nudging Sasha to stand she slid off of your lap and took your spot on the chair.

"I'll go wait for the food downstairs." You excused yourself, grabbing your coat and keys from the bowl.

"I need a cigarette, I'll come with you." Levi stood, Hange and Erwin looked between the two of you, a gleam of excitement passing between them and Sasha.

"Sure." Hange snickered and Erwin nudged her sharply.

The two of you stood in the elevator in silence, and you prayed that he would speak first, it was him who had asked to talk after all. He kept pace with you as you walked through the lobby and out the front doors, the chilly fall night air whipped through your hair. He leaned up against the side of the building and pulled a cigarette from his pocket along with his lighter. He cupped his hands over the end of the cigarette, head bending to block the wind. When he straightened up the cigarette glowed and he pocketed the lighter once more. He blew a puff of smoke out to the side, also averting his gaze.

"Thought you wanted to be friends." He said, voice cold as the air that filled the space between you both.

"That was a long time ago." You didn't mean to sound so harsh, but how were you supposed to justify those words you spoke so long ago. You hadn't texted him, and he hadn't texted you. It was mutual, or so you thought.

"You've grown up." He nodded at you and you shuffled your feet, tugging your coat over your knuckles.

"So have you." You were glad he changed the subject.

"How's Paris?" You asked, steering the conversation to him.

"Same as it's always been." He took another hit and this time he didn't turn his head, letting the breeze sweep the smoke away. You licked your lips, eyes stuck on his own mouth.

"How's that?" You asked and he scoffed, eyes locked on yours, you didn't care if he saw you staring at him, how could you not?

"I'm out of school, so it's better now." He spoke so casually, as if you were just old friends seeing one another again, as if you hadn't held each other at night, hadn't tasted each other's lips.

"That's good, are you going to stay?" You paused, knowing how confusing the question was, did you mean staying in the states? Or staying in paris? You didn't even know what you meant, little lone what response you hoped for.

"I mean....in Paris. Now that you're finished with school." You clarified and he looked at you thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure yet. Kenny is getting older. He needs someone to take care of him soon." Levi's voice carried a different tone to it you noticed. Even though his English was good, he now had an accent, smooth as honey and rich as chocolate.

"I haven't been home in so long." You murmured, and your mother hadn't told you about Kenny's declining health.

"Neither have I." Levi agreed, although you knew this.

The silence fell between you, thick and chilled. You wished it was easier, but you had known that Levi was difficult to talk to, difficult to know. You watched him shamelessly as he took another long drag, his eyes were lidded, but he wasn't averting his gaze. He held the cigarette out to you and who were you to say no?

He watched you as you took the cigarette and placed it between your lips, inhaling it with ease. Not like when he would pass you his dab pen in high school and you would cough, now you had practice. You had shared cigarettes with Annie, as she went to school here, with Ymir and Eren. He nodded as you let the smoke twirl away on the breeze, taking the cigarette back and hitting it right after you had, as if he wanted to taste your lips.

"You really have grown." He commented, a gleam passing through his eyes, lip quirking up in a smirk.

"I guess so." You shrugged, he passed the cigarette back to you and this time you took a longer drag, as if you wanted to taste him as well.

"How's school for you? You're in your third year yes?" He asked as he took the cigarette back, you nodded in agreement.

"It's good enough, I should graduate this coming spring." You told him and he nodded in approval.

"You always did take those college credit classes in high school" He let out a bitter chuckle and you smiled at him, enjoying the flash of his teeth, the way the smoke curled out of his lips.

"I did." You agreed, nodding your head and looking down a bit sheepishly. You looked up at him to see his reaction, his eyes were locked on you, a look you couldn't quite distinguish.

"You're smart, I'm not surprised." He murmured and you flashed him a smile.

"You too." You took a step closer, nudging him playfully he nudged you back, and your stomach erupted with butterflies.

"I mean it. You've changed." He said, his hand catching your wrist and you felt like your heart was going to leap out of your throat.

"Is that a good thing?" You asked, his hand slipping into yours, cold fingers playing with the rings on your fingers.

"I haven't decided yet." He said thoughtfully, twisting one of the rings on your middle finger, thumb sliding over the stone. He was busying himself with the jewelry, lashes brushing the dark circles under his eyes. He looked so beautiful in the late light, the street lights casting shadows over his face, over yours. The wind picked up, blowing your hair in your face, he reached up and tucked the strands behind your ear, hand lingering on the side of your face.

"I hated the way things ended between us." You admitted, the words spilling out of you before you could catch them. He looked at your face, eyes flickering over your features, the way your lips were parted, your tongue licking the chapped flesh.

"So did I, I never meant to hurt you." He said, although it was too late for that, too late to fix what had been broken. But you were a forgiving creature, no matter how hard you tried to hate him, you had longed for his touch, his cold fingers rubbing your jawline.

"I told you to go." You whispered and he blinked at you slowly.

"Do you regret telling me that?" His words shocked you and you paused to think. No, you didn't regret it, he was successful, he was living a life that he wouldn't be living if he stayed in that tiny town in the hills.

"No, of course not." Your lip twitched up into a smile. His did too, and he leaned forwards, pressing his nose to yours, mouth slightly open. The scent of menthol and the spearmint gum he was chewing on the plane hung in the air between you. Your breath smelled of menthol and pumpkin cookies, the sweetness of it dripping off your tongue when you spoke.

"But I missed you." You admitted, lips grazing his as you spoke and he hummed, turning his head slightly. You nearly whimpered, all these years of yearning, and you were here with him, his breath mixing with yours.

"I missed you too." He agreed, and you couldn't wait any longer, turning your head and slotting your lips with his, lips locking firmly. His other hand with the cigarette came to cup the other side of your face, thumbs running over the apples of your cheeks. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer, feeling his heat. His teeth knocked against yours as you both opened your mouths, devouring each other.  You pulled back, filling your lungs with the cold air, skin prickling from Levi's hands as they cupped your face, one hand wondering down the column of your throat. His fingers stilled, eyes trained on your neck, watching your pulse jump through your skin, the beat of your heart so strong.

"I'll come home." He said, eyes still watching your throat, fingers fiddling with the necklace that sat against your collar bones.

"Why?" You asked, that fickle surge of hope consuming your mind and heart.

"There's a lot of reasons..." He dodged the question, thumb brushing against your collar bone.

"Like what?" You pressed, a playful grin on your lips.

"Well, for starters, my uncle needs some help. And...I'd like to see you graduate." He said, looking up at you, eyes soft and vulnerable.

"Really? I'd like that." You chuckled, leaning forwards to peck a kiss to the corner of his mouth. He scoffed and brought his hand that held the cigarette to his lips, taking another drag. The cigarette was getting small, the hot butt of it nearly burned down to his knuckles. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to yours, the smoke in his lungs entering your mouth and you inhaled it gladly. When you pulled away the smoke curled from both of your lips.

"Order for Sasha?" The voice made you both jump, Levi threw the butt of the cigarette down and extinguished it with his shoe. You fumbled in your purse, pulling out some cash and exchanging it for the paper bag of food.

"Have a good one." The guy tipped the rim of his baseball cap to you and you looked at Levi with wide eyes.

"Oh my god."  You mouthed as the man climbed back into his car. Levi scoffed, watching as he pulled away from the curb and back onto the street.

"Let's get up there before it gets cold, I'm starving." You said, and the two of you went back up into the apartment. Everyone gathered at the table, Sasha pulled out paper plates, nobody commented on the flush on your cheeks. Or the glances you and Levi shared, they pretended not to notice how you sat next to him on the couch. How your knees knocked together like they used to. You knew now that you would enjoy whatever Levi would give you. If he just wanted to be friends, then you would be friends. If he wanted more, then you would give him more. You were just thrilled to have him back, sharing the same space as you, the same friends. You leaned into him, he leaned back, arm wrapping around your shoulders.

You felt young again, full of hope and excitement. You didn't care that he had left you all those years ago. All that mattered was he was here now, holding you close. You couldn't say what the future held for you and Levi, and for once you were ok with that.

[wannabe-fic-writer]

Moment In Time

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary: Just when you've gotten out, you’re given a reason to come back.

Warnings: Might be some mild language.

Chapter 2

* * * * * * *

“Oh no one is judging you ya big doofus.” You trail a finger along the shiny metal surface, looking at your tinted and distorted reflection.“ Just think it’s a little unnecessary.” Looking up at Tony, you smile.

His brown eyes roll, a hand grabbing onto the roof of the sports car to assist in pulling himself out.“ There’s nothing unnecessary about having options.”

A snort of a laugh falls from your lips as you walk to the next car.“ Yeah sure. If that’s what you want to call this.” 

“Half of these aren’t even mine.” He defends himself, hanging the keys up along with the other sets.

Pursing your lips you point to the car you’re in front of,“ who does this belong to then?” 

“Natasha.” He answers, taking far too much delight in the way your challengingly cocky attitude drops.

So you decided to hang out for a while, see a couple floors and let Tony explain some things to you as he liked to do, then head home. But you’d found a reason to stick around. Or, better put, Tony found reasons for you to stick around. 

You’d go to a floor, take in the sights, the tech, and listen to the man ramble on about the functionality of the floor. Around floor five you were ready to head out but Tony claimed you couldn’t see the medical floor and not go to the labs. And you couldn’t see the labs without seeing his workshop. 

This reasoning went on and on until you found yourself in the garage. The sun had set a few hours ago, lights automatically flicked on inside the tower and the seemingly day to day sounds of the tower went away. 

It’s quiet now, save for you and Tony talking and him occasionally starting up the cars.

You can’t lie and say you don’t enjoy hanging out with Tony. You’d always enjoyed your time with him, his actions and ideas unpredictable and so genius from the moment he learned to talk. But you also can’t lie and say you weren’t getting tired. A low, dull, rumbling started in your stomach not too long ago from the lack of food since this morning.

Making a bit of a show of looking at the last car, a sleep silver Audi that you know belongs to Tony, you check out the interior and make comments on the exterior. Then over exaggeratedly, you yawn and stretch your arms out. 

“Alright T. It’s gettin late. Think it’s about time I head home.” You tell him, walking over and gently dropping your hand onto his shoulder. 

He chuckles softly,“ Y/n, what kind of friend would I be if I let you go all the way back to Brooklyn while you’re tired and clearly hungry?” He pats your hand on his shoulder,“ you know Maria didn’t raise me that way.” 

It takes every ounce of willpower to not toss him somewhere so you could leave. But you know it’s been some time since you and Tony actually hung out and while he definitely has some ulterior motive to this, his persistence gave it away, you oblige him. Your reasoning is that you know the food will be good. 

What you aren’t expecting, however, is to find the entirety of the Avengers sitting around the living room on the main floor. Unlike the other floors that were quiet, a low chatter fills the space and a clanking of cutlery to ceramic plates. 

With Tony’s arm around your shoulders, you’re guided to the tables lined with food that looks delicious. Tony obviously has some private chefs around here. 

“Um, am I crashing some type of party or bonding time?” You ask him as he starts to pile food onto his plate.

“No,” he smacks his lips and waves you off,“ not really. We just eat together. Cap says it strengthens the team and all and I pay for the food so everyone comes. I’m sure they’ll be glad to have you.” With an almost devilish smile, he puts a bread roll on his plate and turns away. 

Your narrowed eyes follow his retreating form. Sighing and shaking your head, you grab a plate, put a little of everything on it, then head over to the unoccupied bar. 

Before you sit down to eat, you grab one of Tony’s expensive bottles of liquor off the top shelf. Pouring yourself a glass, you walk around the bar, catching the eyes of a couple members of the team before you sit down. 

As you eat and drink, the laughter and banter of the team behind you erasing the silence of the room, you can’t help but remember the numerous times you’d had the privilege of being around your friends like that.

* * * * Flashback * * * * 

With a friendly smile you push your chair out and stand up, walking over to the kitchen doorway. Reaching forward you grab the glass dish from the woman’s hands.

“Careful it’s-”

You nod and smile,“ I know. I’m fine.” 

Marie’s eyes squint at you and she nods in understanding as she remembers. Patting your arm she turns back to the kitchen right before Jarvis comes out and follows you to the table. 

Whispering a quiet ‘excuse me’ to Ana, you reach around her to place the dish on the table, then refind your seat across from her. The second your butt touches the seat two sets of eyes are on you. 

“Y/n please tell this buffoon how ludicrous his invention sounds.” The angelically accented voice of your close friends says. You swear you can feel her gaze burning into your temple. 

You look over at her, opening your mouth to speak when Howard cuts in. 

“No Y/nn, tell Margaret that this is genius. It’s revolutionary!” He exclaims and your eyes widen a little. 

Face morphing into an expression of offense, Peggy turns to look at Howard and they start bickering again. 

Smiling amusedly, you lean back into the chair, making eye contact with Jarvis’ wife An from across the table.

Both of you shake your heads, An chuckling softly just before Jarvis comes to sit beside her. 

“Howard,” the man looks up at the stern but sweet tone of his wife.“ That’s enough honey.” She gives a smile that matches the sweetness of her tone. 

The Brit beside you snickers and you lightly smack the side of her leg with the bag of your hand, muttering a quiet,“ relax.” Which results in her huffing and crossing her arms, sending a glare at Howard that she fixes just as Marie sits down across from her. 

Despite having been bickering since long before now, the Agent and Philanthropist waste no time in playing nice over dinner. Alongside them, Marie, An, Jarvis, and yourself have one of many very entertaining dinners. Laughs exchanged between all of you. 

* * * * Flashback End * * * * 

You’re yanked from the memory when a heavy weight lands on your shoulder. 

Tensing up, you prepare yourself to fight whoever it is but you quickly remember that you’re in the Avengers tower with earth’s mightiest heroes. The chances of this being an attack are slim.

Still slightly tense, you look over your shoulder at the owner of the hand on your body. To find America’s golden boy looking down at you. 

“Everything alright?” He asks, seemingly concerned. . 

You give him a small smile and chuckle softly,“ all good Captain.” You give a playfully mocking salute and he sighs instantly afterwards.

Walking around the bar, he leans on top of it with his fingers laced in front of him.“ Listen I- I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did on the jet earlier.”

“That’s one way to put it.” You take a bite of your food, staying silent until you swallow, then sipping your drink.“ We’re good. I know my unexpected bombing was, well, unexpected.” He chuckles lightly at your words and shakes his head. 

When he reaches up  to almost nervously rub the back of his neck, you know he isn’t completely sure that everything is good.

“Have a drink with me Cap.” You tell him, nodding to the shelf of alcohol behind him. 

Looking from you to the drinks, he nods.“ You can call me Steve.” He tells you, putting some ice in his glass then pouring his drink. 

“Well Steve,” you raise your glass to him and he gently taps his against yours.“ Feel free to call me Y/n.” You tell him, sipping your drink.

He smiles softly at you, your invitation seemingly having done the job of calming his nerves slightly. Light conversation flows between the two of you, a back and forth of questions that answers don’t hold much consequence but still shed some light on the types of people yourself and Steve are. 

By the time the sun has disappeared beyond the horizon and the sky is littered with stars and the lights of every skyscraper you and Steve are well through one of Tony’s more expensive bottles of liquor. Loud laughs sound from the two of you as you joke with one another. 

While the alcohol doesn’t affect either of your systems as it would someone else, the other occupants of the living space would assume you were drunk.

It intrigued more than a few of them how loose and easy going Steve is. It wasn’t as if he never had fun with them or drank, but there seemed to be something about you that brought an even lighter aura to the older man.

“It was incredible. I’m telling you,” you shake your head with a small smile of excitement.“ I wasn’t inclined to be excited about it since I was there to see the Yankees kick ass, but the Dodgers played exceptionally well.”

Steve has a small smirk on his face, nodding approvingly as he sips his drink.“ Well I can’t say I’m surprised.” 

Once again you laugh, finishing your drink and leaning off of the bar top.“ Ever proud, Mister America.” You say teasingly, bringing yet another laugh from the tall blonde. 

He finishes off his drink and you take a deep breath and release it.“ Welp Cap,” pushing up out of your chair, you smile at him,“ it was a pleasure chatting with you. Ever want to talk about the good ole days-”

“I’ll give you a ring.” He holds his hand out to you and you shake it firmly.

As you take up the glasses and your plate you nod a goodbye to Steve and go your separate ways, you to the kitchen and Steve to the elevators. 

Setting the dishes in the sink, you turn the water on and lean against the counter as you wait for it to get hot. Just before your mind can begin to wander you catch sight of movement in your peripherals. 

A smirk almost instantly pulls onto your face at the sight of the red head walking in. Her green eyes are already trained on you with a look in them that you can’t describe. 

“Agent Romanoff,” you nod to her, smirk still in place. 

She takes small purposeful steps closer, stopping a few feet away from you,“ you lied to us. Member of SHIELD for a while?” She raises her eyebrows and shakes her head with an overly sweet smirk,“ you founded SHIELD.”

You hiss in a breath of air through your teeth, turning to face away from her as you chuckle.“ I didn’t lie, actually. Withholding all of the truth is a different thing.” Drying the plates off, you set them on the rack to dry, the forks and cups following afterwards.“ And let’s make something very clear, I am not a founder of SHIELD.” You dry your hands and turn to her.

“Really? Cause SHIELD records say otherwise” She reasons, stepping closer. 

Eyebrows raising at her further approach, you do the same. You smile softly at her and close the distance between you two, leaving just under a foot of space.“ I understand you aren’t happy with the redacted details of my history Agent Romanoff so let me clear it up for you.”

Natasha tilts her head at your words and listens intently as you continue.“ I didn’t found SHIELD. I was the first ever agent. Agent Carter and Howard Stark saved me and administered me an enhanced version of the same serum Steve took. I owed them my life and I made sure to protect them,” you falter at that, jaw clenching as a horrible memory flashes through your mind.

“That’s how you met Tony?” She asks. It wasn’t missed by Natasha. The ex-assassin could read anyone. The second she noticed the distant look in your eyes she knew something was wrong and while she was curious, something told her not to ask about that. 

You shake your head to clear your thoughts and look at her.“ Was in the hospital the night he was born. Watched him grow up.” You smile fondly,“ he’s family.”

For a moment it’s quiet. Still you watch Natasha, unsure if she’s finished or not. Just when you think she’s done, you nod and head towards the door, only to stop when she speaks. 

“Why did you come for us?”

Turning from the door, you look over your shoulder at her,“ I owed Nick a favor.”

Her eyes narrow at you and you give a small nod before leaving out. 

Neither you or Natasha would’ve guessed that would be your last conversation for the span of the next week. While you were at the tower a few times, to drop off something you’d talked about with Steve or pick up Tony before the two of you went and hung out somewhere, you hadn’t gone inside. 

She wouldn’t admit it to you but Natasha had started to wonder when you’d come back. Not only does your reputation precede itself, something about your personality intrigues her more than she’d ever been before. She wanted to see you again, talk to you again. 

Green eyes look through the clear blue glass, brows slightly pinched together at the sight of you and Tony hugging. Natasha debated with herself whether or not she was going to go speak to you as Steve jogged out of the front doors and over to you, sharing a handshake and a hug. 

The last thing the ex-assassin expects to feel is the little flutter in her stomach when you smile brightly. 

She tears her gaze away from you, frown deeper than before. Her thoughts running a mile a minute. 

When a weight drops onto her shoulder she almost flinches. Grabbing the hand on her, she twists it and forces the person to stand in front of her, slamming them into the window. 

“Well damn.” You curse, using your hand on the window to push yourself off the window. A chuckle falls from your lips as Natasha let’s you go.“ Guess it wasn’t a good idea to approach a trained agent without speaking.” You say jokingly, green eyes snapping down to the smile on your lips and back up.

There’s an incredibly short pause from Natasha before she channels her usually straight expression.“ What’d you want Y/Ln?”

“How bout a smile Romanoff.” When a beat passes without her expression changing you sigh.“ I want a cup of coffee. And I want you to come get one with me.”

“Come again?” Her expression cracks slightly as her eyebrows raise slightly. 

You tilt your head and smile softly at her.“ You were practically shooting lasers at me through the window. Figured either you wanted to get out of the tower or you were jealous Tony and Steve were taking up all my time.” A teasing tone wraps around all your words and Natasha instantly scoffs. 

“I have no reason to be jealous of Stark or Rogers.” She says and you nod.

“I figured as much. Which means you want to get out of the tower.” You nod for her to follow you.“ Cup of coffee does everyone some good.” 

Natasha watches the confident stride you make towards the door, not once looking back as you just know she’s going to follow. And she does, despite her pride telling her not to.

The coffee shop isn’t too far away from the tower so you walk. Unlike your walks with Steve, it’s silent. The redhead stays two steps behind you, not saying a word as she follows. 

A burst of cool air rushes past the two of you with your first step into the coffee shop to the sound of the bell jingling above you. Smiling softly at the familiar building you walk further in.

Natasha takes into account that there are no more than ten customers inside. For a New York coffee shop it was incredibly quiet and quaint. 

“Love it here,” she hears you mumble as you step up to the counter.“ Hi, can I get one medium black coffee and a large iced coffee with two creams and two sugars.” The woman rings you up and you pay. Pocketing your wallet as you turn to face Natasha. 

You smile at her lack of emotion. There is no reason for you to be as grumpy and blank as she is.“ I’ve been to a lot of places but here, they have the best coffee.” You tell her. 

Her head tilts slightly and you purse your lips and nod. Once again it’s silent as you wait, then you grab the coffees when your name is called, turning to hand the black coffee to Natasha. 

With things going the way they are, you have an internal battle on staying here or just going back to the tower. Taking one last chance, you nod to an empty table and sit down. Natasha coming over and sitting as well.

“Look, Natasha, you can’t hate me so much that we can’t even have a coffee together.” Your tone of voice is one of confusion and slight sadness. 

Frowning once again at the emotions in your voice, Natasha watches you. Green, calculating eyes and a blank expression are the only signs of how hard she’s thinking right now. 

With a huff of a sigh she says,“ I don’t hate you.” She admits, face finally giving way to emotion.“ I- I barely know you.”

“Well maybe we should change that.” Holding up your cup of coffee you take a sip and tell her,“ I think if you give me a chance, I might not be as bad as you think.”

Her eyes narrow and for the first time ever, you see her crack the smallest of smiles.“ We’ll see about that.”

* * * * * * *

Taglist: @owloftheshadows @natasha-danvers @blackxwidowsxwife @yumusak-yastik