#I don’t like repeating my outfits but if I don’t wear the exact same thing I feel Bad and Weird and Wrong

[i-may-be-an-emu]

I hate clothes so much

[luvhughes43]

don’t have to pretend | blake hughes au

blake hughes au

summary: how blake hughes and nico hischier finally confess their feelings for each other

word count: 4.1k

“Nico, you know you don’t have to keep coming over anymore,” Blake whispered. she had been thinking a lot about their relationship lately, or lack thereof. she didn’t know how much longer she could take being so incredibly infatuated with him but unable to say anything. 

Nico looked confused, like the idea of not coming over to visit Blake was incomprehensible. Blake stared at Nico, waiting for him to respond. she hoped he would say that he wanted to be with her, that he had feelings for her… anything to suggest that he wasn’t just here to make her brothers playing less sloppy. she had watched the games, she knew that Jack was struggling and the reason was probably her. 

“I want to come over,” Nico finally responded, and although that's what Blake wanted to hear it wasn’t as satisfying as she thought it would be. 

They both sat in silence for a moment, drinking hot chocolates out of mugs decorated with little ice skates. “yeah but, if you’re here just because of Jack then-”

“I’m not,” Nico butted in. They both stared at each other. 

“Right well,” Blake was the first to shift away from Nico’s heated gaze, uncomfortable in whatever awkward tension she had just created. 

Nico cursed himself in his mind. She doesn’t want you like that, he kept repeating over and over again. Although, no matter how many times he told himself that Blake wasn’t interested in him, he would still hold out on any string of hope that he had. 

They had really connected over the few months that they had gotten to know each other, and either would be damned if they let that all go to waste. So, they both held on without knowing that the other person felt the exact same way. 

*

“You're going to get cold,” Jack had pointed out to Blake as he picked her up to go out. but of course, she decided against better judgement and had decided to wear her sluttiest top without any form of coverup so that she wouldn’t chicken out.

Jack hadn’t mentioned Blakes tiny top, and so she counted it as a win that his critique came in the form of needing something warm. “Like, I'm seriously not going to give you my jacket when you start complaining,” he continued with the roll of his eyes. 

“If all goes well tonight i won't need your jacket,” Blake had rebutted to Jack's distaste. 

“Yeah well, with your luck you're going to be single forever so I'll be waiting for you to complain about the cold,” Jack teased. 

“Right and… where’s your girlfriend?” Blake played into the sibling banter. “Last I saw your ex was on a lingerie mag and here you are… coming over to your sister's place before going out so she can help you pick out an outfit….” 

“Right, okay I'm done fighting now!” Jack said, lifting his hands up in mock surrender. “But seriously, do these pants match with this top,”

“You're wearing black skinny jeans, anything you wear is going to match, now go!” Blake responded, shooing Jack out of her apartment and into the hallway. She looked at her reflection in the mirror one last time before leaving, making a mental note to put on some more lip gloss in the car. 

“Who are you trying to impress anyway?” Jack had shouted once he and Blake got inside the bar. He was trying to find his teammates among the crowd, but it was no luck.

“None of your business!” she shouted back, catching the boy of her affections eye from across the bar. “Nico’s over there!” she yelled, turning to her brother who was already being pulled into conversation by somebody else. It seemed like fate was on Blake's side as she made long strides over to Nico who was, luckily, alone. 

Nico looked hot, and god… the things Blake wanted to do to him… she should be locked up. 

Blake wasn’t the only one appreciating the view though, because Nico was very clearly checking out his teammate's sister. His eyes trailed down Blakes face and onto her top, and if Blake had noticed him shift in his seat she hadn’t said anything. 

“You look good tonight!” Nico had leaned over so that Blake could hear him through the loud music. Blakes face burned at his comment, and she was glad that the bar's lighting was dim otherwise it would be very obvious that she liked her brother's captain. although, liked seemed like a very meager word when her whole world turned upside down upon seeing his dimples. 

“And you look very handsome!” Blake had turned her head close to his. She was going to need a few drinks if she was going to be this close to him all night. Especially, when all his teammates were here. 

Nicos face lit up with a smile, and Blakes immediately matched it with a bright smile of her own. 

“Sit beside me,” Nico said, pulling out the last empty chair beside him. He was still waiting for his drink. 

Blake easily complied, smoothly sliding the bar stool as close to Nico as was possible without raising suspicions. “So….” 

“Soo…” Nico copied Blake, both giggling at each other. They were two lovesick fools and yet, they didn’t recognize that the other was also helplessly in love. 

“So, how have you been?” Blake smiled, leaning an elbow onto the bar so that she was even closer to the brown eyed man. She was so down bad…

“I’ve been good, just waiting for a pretty girl to come sit with me, you?” he replied flirtatiously. 

“I’m really good! just waiting for a hot man to order me a drink…” she trailed off, focusing her gaze away from Nico and back to the bar staff.

“What do you want?” he said, already pulling out his wallet. 

A bartender came over to their section, dropping off a cold beer in front of Nico while offering all sorts of apologies for the wait time. He waved the waiter ramblings off, and instead looked towards Blake for her order. 

“A vodka cran,” she told the bartender, “double shot” 

Nico had handed over the cash. 

After some more harmless flirting, Nico led Blake back to the team’s table where she was greeted by everyone. 

“Nice outfit,” one of the boys piped up, eyes trailing down Blakes body. she was wearing some jeans and a tight corset top that pushed her boobs up just right…

“Don’t talk to my sister,” Jack huffed, swatting the guy in the chest. 

At Jack's words, your eyes immediately turned to catch Nico’s who was already staring at you. He looked torn, and before you could make any sort of move to question him he was shuffling chairs and sitting as far away from Jack as was possible. 

All night, Blake had been trying to catch Nico’s attention from down the table. He barely glanced in her direction for the rest of the night, and now she was afraid that when he did she’d start to cry. She felt so pathetic as the other guy's attention fell to her chest, reminding her that the guy she was trying to get wanted nothing to do with her at this moment. 

“I'm going to get another drink,” Blake said as she swirled the ice around in her cup. Jack nodded at her, and then she was walking towards the bar by herself.

Blake let the bartender make her “something special”, and she sat at the bar watching him pour a shit ton of juice and gin into her cup.

“Hey, you new here?” Some guy, blond and skinny sat in one of the many available seats next to Blake.

“uh no i’m not. Is that your opening line?” she huffed, giving the bartender a tip when she finally came back with her drink. Yes, Blake was being rude to the guy but she wanted nothing more than to be alone. Something that was impossible to happen in a bar at 1am. 

“Uh, can I have this dance?” The guy tried to correct himself, and Blake cringed as a mix of two songs from 2010 blared through the bars speakers. 

“No you cant-” Blake said, just as her head turned just enough for her to see a girl approach Nico. she couldn’t make out what they were saying, just that he was smiling in the same way he was earlier.  

“Actually,” Blake corrected herself, and the blond guy turned to his group of friends as if to say “i told you so, girls cant resist my charm…” 

the girl touched Nicos arm… “I’ll dance with you!” Blake forced a smile onto her face, turning back to the bar one last time to take a large swig out of her drink.

The blond guy grabbed her hand, and with a deep breath Blake let herself be dragged onto the dance floor which was coincidentally right beside the table filled with her brother's friends. 

The blond guy, who still didn't have a name, spun Blake around so that her back was against his front. she tried to lean back into him, but it all felt so wrong. 

The guy guided her hips, and her face heated up in shame as her brother's teammates started turning their attention towards her. 

Blake turned herself back around, now facing the guy who brought her to dance. they swayed together for a few more minutes, and as soon as the next song finished Blake was immediately bidding her goodbyes. 

She rushed over to the table, ignoring the blond guy's shouts for her snap. she grabbed her purse from her brother's chair. “Can we please leave Jack,” she practically yelled in his ear. 

he turned to his sister with a look of concern in his eyes. “Did he do something..?” he said, gesturing to the guy from earlier who was now retreating back to his group of friends. 

Blake shook her head. “I think i’m getting a headache,” 

Jack stood up then, waving to his teammates as he bid them all goodbyes. 

Nico had tried to catch Blakes eyes, but she refused to look in his direction.

By the time she and Jack got out to the car, she could feel tears of frustration threatening to fall. She had to keep her head glued to the window so as to not raise any suspicions with Jack, who was well… oblivious to all things that weren't in his direct line of sight. 

“Thanks for driving me home!” her words were rushed as she scrambled out of his car. “I’ll call you in the morning!” 

When her apartment door slammed shut behind her, Blake broke out into quiet sobs. She just wanted the mood from seeing Nico at the bar to continue for the rest of the night. It seemed that despite how hard she tried, nothing would ever come out of whatever she and Nico had going on. 

*

When Blake was 15, she had dated this guy who had lived a few doors down from her. The relationship didn’t last long, but sometimes Blake liked to think about the boy who broke her heart. Usually at night, usually when she was upset, and usually when she had nothing better to do than upset herself with her own life's events.

He had been nice at first, someone Jack had talked to a few times when he was out playing street hockey. She couldn't remember if Ryder had ever joined Jack and her brothers games, but that didn’t matter much anyway. 

What mattered was Blake overhearing him tell his group of friends that the only reason he was dating her was because she was going to compete in the olympics. 

“she’s like, the perfect girlfriend to have,” he had said to his friends. “i never have to see her, she's a champion, and like, I can make out with her and shit whenever i want,”

The last part hurt the most. Ryder was the first guy she had ever kissed and really been with. She didn’t have time to have boyfriends that weren’t always at the rink or the gym. Her seeking out Ryder and being with him was her own little act of deviance. 

Now that she’d gone to enough therapy sessions though, she was sure that the reason she wasn’t upset that he was with her because of her titles was because she wanted to be with herself because of her titles. When she was younger, she was solely defined by her medals. Therefore, it came to no surprise to Blake that her relationships would be defined by her achievements too. 

Anyway, that didn’t stop her crying to her older brother about the whole thing. 

She had bursted through Quinn’s door, tears silently streaming down her face as she fell face first onto his bed. He had brushed her hair from her face, asking her what was wrong. 

“He’s using me,” she had said, and Quinn looked upset enough for the both of them. 

“He’s such a fucking asshole,” he had said, looking at his younger sister with so much pity. “He doesn’t deserve somebody like you,” 

At the time, Blake wasn’t sure what “somebody like you,” had meant. All her life she was defined by her skills, her body, her wins and loses… she wished figure skating and relationships didn’t have to be so difficult. 

She hadn’t seen Ryder again after that. She had made no effort to go and see him, and Blake could’ve sworn she saw him slowly sneaking back inside his house whenever her brothers would go outdoors. 

Now at 20, Blake lays in her bed and reminisces on all the shitty parts of her life with a new lens. She remembers Ryder and how he had used her, her coach and how she forced Blake to compete through injuries, and then her mind turned to Nico. who hadn't necessarily done anything to hurt Blake but his lack of action made her feel pathetic. 

How is it that a man can flirt with you at a bar, make you believe for weeks that he truly likes you, and then refuse to make eye contact with you later? 

Blake’s head spun like one of those spins she used to practice. She had thought of calling Quinn but then what? She had already told him how convinced she was that Nico had liked her. It would just be embarrassing now to have to tell him that now she wasn’t so sure.

So, Blake did what she did best, wallowed in her own self-pity until she eventually drifted off into sleep.

*

A few days later Nico came knocking on Blakes door. She wasn’t surprised to see him, but she had already decided that she shouldn’t talk to him anymore. 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come over anymore,” she had told him. She hadn’t let him step through the threshold of her apartment, and she hadn’t changed her mind under his soft gaze. 

“But… Blake?”

“Nico, I'm really busy right now. There's a lot of stuff that i’m going through and I cant handle-”

“You can’t handle hanging out with me?” he had said, voice quiet. 

Blake had to look away from his pointed gaze, wanting nothing more than to just confess her feelings. But if Nico did like her like she thought he did, then his reaction to what Jack had said at the bar a few nights ago just proved to her that a relationship just wouldn't work out. And so, as Blake always does, she prioritised what she thought would end up working in the long run. Instead of pushing through pain to win medals, she was pushing through her feelings for Nico to protect her heart. 

“I’m sorry,” she had whispered to him, gaze falling to the floor when he finally walked away from her. 

*

Nico had thought that he was doing the right thing. Sure, he had let things go too far when he started flirting with Blake at the bar. But come on, she was so gorgeous, and she was exactly the kind of person that he wanted to be with. Forget “kind of person”, Nico thought. She was literally the only person he wanted to see or talk to. 

He thought that maybe he was taking advantage of her in some way. after he had started stopping by her house and visiting, and they had become friends… Jack had started telling him stories of Blakes abusive childhood. He couldn't even imagine growing up in a sport so toxic. And then of course there was her career ending injury, which is the reason behind them even starting to hang out. 

Blake Hughes was vulnerable, she was hurt and she was upset, and Nico wasn’t sure if love was even something she was looking for right now. He felt like he was stepping over some sort of invisible line, and that if Blake didn’t reciprocate his feelings, she wouldn't want to talk to him anymore. 

But he was proven to be right regardless, because Blake wasn’t talking to him and he had no idea why. 

*

blake.hughes added to their story!

The devil’s holiday event was lackluster. Jack had caught the eye of some pretty brunette and so he was off flirting and doing god-knows what. She had hoped that by now that Jack would stop insisting she came to these kinds of events and outings. But Blake guessed watching Titanic every night for the last week counted as a setback in her recovery journey. 

She swirled the drink in her cup, watching mindlessly as couples mingled and talked amongst themselves. This was just getting depressing. 

As the night continued nothing changed. She sat in her spot by the bar, conversing with the bartenders with as limited a vocabulary as possible. If her mother were here, she would definitely be scolding Blake for being rude. 

“You okay?” one of the girlfriends had asked Blake as they waited at the bar for another drink. Blake had nodded respectively, and when that didn’t appease the girl she sighed. 

“Boy troubles, you know?” she laughed, hoping that the awkwardness would be too much and that the girl would take the hint and leave. 

“Hit me,” she had said instead, and so that’s how Blake spent the next 45 minutes explaining to Jesper Bratts girlfriend all the ways in which an anonymous man had shown feelings for her. 

“I mean, it really sounds like he likes you. you know how men are, maybe you should make the first move?” the blonde had replied. 

“But there’s a lot at stake here… this guy is.. Well,”

“Standing over there?” Bratts girlfriend said, pointing to Nico Hischier. He looked gorgeous, and if Blake wasn’t so shocked that she had guessed correctly she probably would have melted to a puddle on the floor. 

Blake fumbled with what to say, opening and closing her mouth pathetically as her gaze moved from Nico to the girl perched in front of her. 

“You guys aren’t very subtle, Blake” she said, patting the girl on the shoulder before launching into strategies in which Blake could “get her man”.

After the talk and another drink, Blake was ready to pour out all of her feelings to Nico because when she really thought about it, could life get anymore awful? she was already never going to be able to figure skate again, and she and Nico weren’t talking… nothing could possibly be worse than this. 

Wrong. 

In the 35 minutes it took for Bratts girlfriend to convince Blake to confess her feelings to Nico, he had moved on. Like, literally moved on from the group of guys he was talking to and onto a far too attractive blonde. 

Life was actually cruel. 

Like they always do, Blake and Nico caught eyes, and before he could make a move to come talk to her she was pushing past people to get towards the exit. She’d text Jack that she left when she was far, far, away from this cursed event. 

*

Blake had just taken off her heels and pulled the backs of her earrings off when loud knocks echoed off her front door. 

“Jack, I literally told you I was going home. I’m fine!” she stressed, yanking open the door without really looking at who was standing outside. 

“It’s not Jack,” Nico’s voice was soft. Blake paused where she was standing, slowly turning so that she was face to face with the man of the last few weeks… Nico. 

He looked even better up close. His beard was shaven, tie a little loose. He was her weakness if that kind of thing even mattered anymore. 

“Nico,” she had breathed out, like she hadn’t imagined a single possibility in which he could be standing right in front of her. The weeks had seemed that long. Like there was no possibility that he’d still be waiting for her. 

“Blake,” he sighed, walking into the apartment and shutting the door softly behind him.

“I really like you, you know that right?” she admitted. “Like, every time I'm with you I feel so calm and yet so overwhelmed with the idea that you were made for me?”

Nico didn’t have a chance to react before Blake continued saying her thoughts out loud. “Whenever I'm near you I get butterflies and I've never felt that way about anyone before. You're, youre so different to anyone I've ever known. And I know that you're Jack's captain and that I'm his sister and that could make things really awkward for you but I really don't care! Because I like you and Jack’s just going to have to get over that when the time comes,”

“I bought your jersey! I don't even own my twins jersey!” she continued, pulling out her phone from her small shoulder bag. She flicked it open, pulling up her duolingo streak. “And Duolingo! I have Duolingo to try and learn Swiss German!” 

“Nico, if you don't feel the same way that's fine. I'm so sorry for thinking there was something between us,” Blake began apologizing, dropping the phone to her side as she started to calm down from the shocks of the evening. 

“I have a notes app filled with all of your favourite things,” he interrupted Blakes ramblings. 

“When I'm missing you, I make two portions of my dinner and bring some over to you as an excuse to see you. When Jack told me I didn’t have to come over to visit with you anymore, I was upset. My first thought was that I really liked you and that I didn't want whatever we have going on to end,”

“you liked me?” Blake spoke, her timid voice breaking through Nico’s speech.

“I still like you,” he responded, and not a second later was Blake’s purse falling to the ground as her hands wound themselves around Nico’s neck. 

He grabbed her by her waist, fingers dancing over the small of her back as he brought her into a passionate kiss. 

By the time they realized what they were doing, Blake was backing Nico into her room. “Are you sure?” he whispered, breaking away from their heated make out session to rest his forehead against hers. 

“I need you,” she was basically whimpering, but Nico paid that no attention as he slowly started sliding the straps of her dress down her shoulders. 

“You're gorgeous,” he whispered, trailing kisses from her lips all the way down to her cleavage. 

Blake moaned, gripping onto Nicos hair as the both of them sunk down onto her plush bed. 

*

In the morning, Blake woke up to her and Nico cuddling. Blake ran her hands lightly through his hair, all of last night's events rushing back to her with pleasure. 

Nico groaned when he finally came to, head moving against Blakes shoulder as he tried to shield himself from the light that was shining through her curtains. He placed a few soft kisses onto her shoulder before snuggling closer to her.

She set one of her legs over his, and then allowed him to pull her as close to him as possible. 

They would discuss the nature of their relationship later. but now, all the two cared about was spending as much time with one another as possible before life got in the way. They went back to sleep peacefully, knowing that they don't have to pretend anymore.

[sturnioloblogs]

Tipsy

Y/n x sturniolos

Summary: you are the sturniolos younger sister, they are very protective over you and one night you come home from a party thet they specifically told you not to go to, what will happen when they find you at the party a little tipsy? Are they mad?

Extras: In this you are 15 and your brothers are 20. You live in LA with them. Your best friends name is Lyla. Lyla’s older brother‘s name is Sam. 

Warnings: being drunk? Underage drinking. Swearing/language. Arguing. And I think that’s it lmk if I forgot anything.

A/n: Re-blogs are appreciated!!! hiiii soooo this is my first ever story. I really hope you like it and leave requests💕 I also write stories on my phone, so I’m so sorry that I don’t have the word count!!

A/n: Not proof read!

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I had spent my whole day trying to find the perfect outfit for tonight. You may ask, what’s happening tonight? Well I got invited to this party by the popular boys that all the girls drool over.

Luckily my friend also got invited, so I wouldn’t be all alone not knowing anyone and being hella awkward.

I have been to only been to a few party’s before this, so I’m kinda knew to this. My brothers have always let me go somewhere as long as they have my location and they know who’s hosting, and how old the people are going to be. 

I just have one problem. I’m 15 and the host are 17. And I haven’t even even told them I was going yet.

In my mind that’s not really a big deal and it isn’t! But to my brothers it’s like the world would end. And you might just say I could lie, and well I could. But let me just say I am horrible at lying.

When I lie I start to stutter over my words, and it’s really obvious, especially when you have 3 older brothers that are five years older than you AND very protective.

I was sitting on my bathroom counter doing my make up and getting ready for the party, while listening to White Girl, by Shy Glizzy my new favourite song at the moment.

I had this beautiful black dress on that hugged my curves, perfectly in all the right areas. My hair was perfectly curled and my make up was just the way I wanted it. 

As I hopped of the counter to spray some perfume on, my older brother Nick walked into the washroom.

“Hey y/n do you have a- WHOA sis you look awsome where are you going?!” I spun my body around to see Nick standing at the doorway with an empty tube of toothpaste, i’m assuming that’s what he wanted. “Oh I was just getting ready for this party that I was wondering if I could go to? But don’t worry I was already planning to go with Lyla, so I won’t be alone” I looked at him with puppy dog eyes. I knew Nick wouldn’t be the problem at all but Matt and Chris would. ”Well you know that I’m gonna say yes but Matt and Chris probably have a different answer” He said rolling his eyes.

Nick was probably the most supportive brother I had. And probably the least protective, which I didn’t mind.

“Ugh I knowww can you please just help me try to convince them if they don’t let me?” I asked ”of corse that’s what I’m here for!” Nick said giggling.

I walked down the stairs, Nick, following close behind. I had my converse in one hand (I know those aren’t dress-up shoes, but I wear them with EVERYTHING) and my phone, and the other.

Chris and Matt were sitting at the table eating supper, it was already about 7:30 pm, and Lyla was picking me up at 7:45 so I had to leave soon.

As soon as they both laid eyes on me, their conversation immediately stopped. Chris spoke up first by saying “where the hell are you going?” “So I was just wondering if I could go to this party? I’m going with Lyla so I won’t be alone! Please?” I say, almost repeating the exact same thing I said to Nick earlier.

Matt and Chris both looked at each other with an annoyed face, almost like they both knew the answer, without even thinking. “Who’s going and how old is the host?” Matt asked picking up some more food off his plate.

Oh shit well I’m actually fucked. Like I said, I am 15 and the host are 17.

So I decide that I am going to try and lie my way out of this.

“The h-host I-is” I was unexpectedly cut off by Matt saying “cut the shit y/n don’t try and lie and just tell us the truth.” I swallowed dryly, and started talking again “okay well the host is 17, a-and you might think that is bad.. and well it might be, but the people with only be 15 or 16!” This time I turned around to look at Nick while giving him “please back me up” eyes. “No” Chris said in annoyed voice. “What?! No Chris please! I have been waiting so long to go J-just please!” “Y/n we said no! Now go to your room before you get grounded!” Matt said raising his voice.

Tears prickled, my waterline, as I brushed past Nick and stomped back up the stairs to my room. I slammed shut and flopped on my bed to call Lyla I was mad, they never let me do anything.

(On call with Lyla)

“God they never let me do anything!”

“Well did you try and lie? I know you’re not the best at lying, but did you at least try?”

“Yes of course I tried! And you know how it goes I just stutter and fuck everything up”

“Wait have you ever snuck out?”

“Lyla you want me to sneak out?”

“I mean it’s worth a shot! And if you do my brother can still pick you up in 10”

“Fuck it, see you in 10”

(After call)

I have never snuck out before, and I knew it was risky. But my window was the top floor. I know that my sound bad, but there was a shed right underneath that, I could easily jump onto and onto the ground to get out.

And with that, I quickly tied my shoes, grabbed my phone and hopped onto the roof.

Let’s just say it wasn’t as easy as I expected, as soon as I got to my roof, I tripped and scraped my knee along the rough shingles. Then when I tried to jump down onto the shed, I realized the kitchen window was right next to it. And all my three brothers were still sitting at the table. I knew I would have to be extra quiet getting down. Luckily, this wasn’t in broad daylight but I still could have got caught easily.

After about 10 minutes, I finally got down, and walked down the street only a few blocks, so, my brothers wouldn’t see Sam’s car.

As the car pulled up, I hopped in the back with Lyla.

“Hey girl!!” She said pulling me into a warm hug. “Hiiii” I said, chuckling at her sudden hug “oh hey sam thanks for driving me” I say smiling at him as he turns around to look at me “no problem” he replies with a warm smile.

Luckily, the party wasn’t too far away, so it wasn’t that long of drive. It was fun tho me and Lyla gossiping about boys, and the best part was me telling her how I actually managed to get out of my house, and almost dying on my way down.

We slowly made our way up the long driveway, revealing the huge house in front of us. It was white with a bunch of huge palm trees in the front. There was blasting music lights, and a lot of people. I was definitely intimidated. this was probably the biggest party I have ever went to.

“You ready?” Lyla asked me, making me forget all about being scared “yeah let’s do it!” I said.

We said bye to Sam and started walking up to the house. We recognized a bunch of the people, because they were mostly all from our high school. But there were definitely a couple older people that I did not know.

As soon as I stepped in the house, the smell of weed and alcohol filled my system, giving me not needed anxiety. I was already worried about sneaking out, and on top of that the party was huge.

A couple of hours went by since I got to the party. me and Lyla have been taking shots left right and centre and living our lives. At this point, the alcohol had almost taken over me and I loved it. I wouldn’t wanna say I was drunk, but I was definitely tipsy. “Heyyy Lyla I need to go take a piss I’ll be back” I said, chuckling at my choice of words, she just nodded to me and continued to move her hips to the beat of the music.

I pulled out my phone and began scrolling through messages, while still walking, definitely not paying attention to anything in front of me.

Then all of a sudden it felt like I hit a brick wall. I quickly mumbled a “sorry”. Before I could walk three steps a rough hand grabbed my wrist pulling me back. “What the f-!” I quickly shut myself up by looking up to see Matt glaring down at me. He didn’t even say a word before dragging me across the floor “Matt st-“ I tried to protest and pull back, but he only yelled at me and pulled me harder “shut the fuck up!!”

He was mad. Very mad.

How did he find me? Did I have my location on? Did they hear me talk to Lyla? Are Chris and Ni-

My thoughts were immediately cut off by Matt opening the door to the mini van and throwing me into the back. He locked the door and called someone.

A few minutes later, Chris and Nick come running out of the house looking so mad, this is probably the biggest trouble I have ever been in.

Chris opened the passenger door, and plopped himself in the seat while glaring holes thought my body. I felt the doors open again and now see Nick and Matt both get into the car.

I wasn’t really expecting Nick to be that mad, but boy was I wrong.

“What the fuck is wrong with you y/n?!!!” Nick said shouting at me, as I began to feel the car start to move. “We specifically told you not to go!! S-something could have happened!” Chris said adding on.

I didn’t say anything.

All I did was look at them with tears slowly streaming down my face. I was embarrassed. I shouldn’t have gone.

But I did and I can’t go back now.

𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹

A/n Okay so if you guys want I can make a part 2? If you want me to add anything to part 2 definitely let me know!

But if you don’t wanna part 2 I won’t bother with making it.

Send other requests please!! re-blogs are appreciated 

@sturniolos-blog here goes nothing😭😭

Master list





[starsurfacemortalkombat]

Super fun idea (imo) - soft play! 🎠🪁Could you do MK1 Johnny Cage with a baby regressor (and toddler if that's fine) at one? Ty!

Hi!! Yes, I'm so sorry for how late this is!!! :(

This is a Johnny Cage w/ Babyspace Regressor pt 2, but the first for Toddlerspace Regressor!!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

CG Johnny Cage MK1 w/ Baby(pt 2)-Toddlerspace Regressor Hcs

⭐ He loves any and all regressors, but toddlers are his best fit!!! He’s really good with baby regressors too!!

⭐ We’ll focus on toddler regressor for a second:

⭐ Energetic toddlers that like to run around his house? My, my your energetic!! Thank goodness your Dada can keep up because he’s just that awesome! 😎

⭐ A crafty toddler? Amazing!! He loves crafty regressors, toddler or baby!!

⭐ Your making a mac and cheese picture? Wait a minute, is that his mac and cheese? Did you ask to use that? . . . Maybe he can let it go this one, his baby’s work looks so gorgeous!!

⭐ A sneaky toddler or baby? Now, now Mister/Missy, just don’t do anything too bad now!!

⭐ He finds it really funny when you try to sneakily grab an extra piece of candy, but your giggling a bit too loudly and he can obviously tell what your doing . . . But he won’t stop you . . Atleast this time

⭐ He’ll let you wear his sunglasses!! You can look just as awesome as your Dada!! 💪

⭐ Karaoke? Or regressors that like singing? Disney song night!!! He’ll even help you with the big kid words!

⭐ Now, some baby regressor focus!!

⭐ For crafty littler regressors, he’ll help guide your hand, or will happily accept a pretty scribbled picture!! He’ll even frame it after it’s happy time on the fridge!! :D

⭐ He’ll get you separate sunglasses, but the exact same as his

⭐ Not that he doesn’t trust you!! . . . But some babies chew . . And he likes his sunglasses, darling

⭐ Any kind of padding you need, he will never, ever, be mean to you about!!

⭐ In fact, I once said in my CG Johnny Cage w/ Padding Regressor Hcs that if you ever felt embarrassed about padding, he’d wear one with you just to show you that they’re not bad

⭐ ^ I stand by this Hc, he’s got the (loving) ego for it

⭐ Plus he��s your Dada!! He can’t have his baby feeling icky or embarrassed about something they shouldn’t be!! And he’ll do whatever he can to make sure your okay!!

⭐ Ugh, bottle-feeding 🥺

⭐ He loves bottle-feeding you, you on his lap, or your head on his lap, near naptime or just while watching a movie, his baby in his arms <3

⭐ Some general Baby/Toddler Hcs now:

⭐ He finds it really funny if you try to copy him

⭐ You flex in the mirror after he flexes? Now you two are giggling and flexing your muscles!! 💪

⭐ The only thing he doesn’t like is his own potty mouth, it’s not a bad habit, but sometimes some no-no words slip . . . Let’s not repeat Dada’s big kid no-no words, alright, Sweetheart?

⭐ He’ll buy you custom items!!

⭐ A plushie from a show you really like? He can get one exactly like it, he likes seeing you happy!

⭐ Custom-designed pacis or sippies/bottles too!! Whatever design or aesthetic - Whatever you want really! How can he say no to his baby’s happiness? He has the money 🥺

⭐ One of you two’s a cuddle bug, and it’s not always you

⭐ Johnny’s a MASSIVE cuddlebug, especially when you're small!! (although all the time really)

⭐ Sometimes Johnny fears that the Pappirazzi will find out about your regression, and he’s already made an entire plan in his head (especially one where they look bad)

⭐ ^ It would never come to this, he makes sure of it

⭐ Which is why he’ll take you out sometimes when your small!! Maybe a bit more for older kiddos or age dreamers, but a trip to McDonalds won’t hurt anyone

⭐ Restablishing, but his favorite activity with all regressors is

⭐ Have you seen his wardrobe? He’s got fashion (and costumes!!)

⭐ With baby regressors he’ll get soft onesies, or character onesies, and help you have a fashion show by carrying you on your make shift run way

⭐ Toddler regressors he’ll get some cute outfits, or costumes like his Indiana Jones one, and cheer as you put on a show for him and his stuffies (they all loved your rpeformance by the way!!)

⭐ Baby or toddler, he’ll try to always carry

⭐ Your his baby, he’s Johnny Cage, why would you need to walk or crawl when your Dada’s a big, strong, action movie star? 🥺

⭐ One of his little nicknames for you would be Superstar!! <3

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Sorry for the long no posting guys, I had a hard time writing for some reason these past few days. But don't worry!! I'll post more soon!! Finals schedule is coming up so I should be able to write some things during that time, hopefully. <3

[bardkin]

something about outfits, uniforms, & clothes in cartoons

inspired by a post about repeat outfits. [this whole “never repeat outfits” shit is not working for me. i get attached to one oversized sweater and that’s all you’ll see me in for a week.]

o()xxx[{:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::>

when it comes to cartoons, & animated series in general, each character, no matter how much screen time, has a distinct design, shape, and (usually / if they’re humanoid) outfit, that remains consistent between episodes. this uniformity is of course for recognizability & is intended to be for consistent animation. design details can get switched up from time to time, but the level of how much is added or taken, & for how long, depends largely on the plot and tone of that episode. drastic and/or permanent changes constitute a significant shift in a character’s arc. bottom line, there's always a purpose for any changes.

so... what kind of affect does that have on folks from animated sources? does it have an affect at all? what kind of effect does that have on me, before & after I realized I was fictionkin?

as someone with pronounced adhd/neurodivergence, something like having the same outfit, or at least very similar ones, every day, is comforting for a number of reasons.

I know what textures I like or that I’m at least neutral about, and what textures give me the Bad Sensory; repeats of the same shirt are going to feel the exact same, every time. (which I feel is a given for neurodiverse folks with sensory issues, but mention of it does matter here.)

when necessary, my “samey” outfits sometimes keeps me... grounded, in some ways? it's a bit hard to explain, but relates a little bit to sensory stuff. (something something "never felt 'right' in my own body, but outfits are something I actively choose, so I'm able to feel like a semi-functioning person when I'm having really bad/off days," something something.)

the consistency/”samey-ness” also helps me feel a bit closer to my gem-side, since my organic body can’t/doesn’t need hardlight clothes. (all Gems have a "uniform" that remains the exact same, unless they regenerate & choose to alter it.)

bottom line, my "uniform" is a core part of who I am; of my fictotype. it's kind of like phantom limbs, but clothes, if that makes sense as an analogy?? something I'm supposed to have, and not seeing it on my person is sometimes jarring and/or dysphoric in some ways.

small changes & adding accessories every now and then — my spiked choker, a bracelet, maybe some earrings, etc — is nice, but not a constant. I like to spice things up here and there, but even these accessories might eventually bleed into my uniform if they feel enough like “part of my (character) design.”

if a significant article of my “design” is missing (be it accidentally left somewhere, removed without my consent, etc) or too different from my uniform, I feel wrong. like if I have to wear shorts instead of pants, ankle-socks instead of long ones, or if I forget my jacket and don’t know where it is. unless I’m the one actively, purposefully, changing up my outfit, I often feel “off model” in a way that causes me varying degrees of mental & sometimes physical distress.

just recently, I was trying to shop for some new jeans (which is a nightmare of a task for a laundry list of reasons), as I've long since outgrown the few pairs I do own. I was looking for something with the same brand, size, etc, and perhaps even color if I could be so lucky, as a pair I'd bought half a year ago.

without going into too much detail, the trip ended up a bust & I was actually pretty (internally) upset about it. I didn't think much of it, at the time, but coming back to this entry made me partially realize why I was so distraught after my search came up empty.

bottom line, it feels weird and wrong and upsetting in ways I couldn't fully explain before, to have drastic deviations in my outfits. hell, my fictomere's only had two major changes to his wardrobe, and even then, it's not a far cry from his original design's clothes.

maybe it’s a little bit of my neurodivergence, or maybe a lot, and perhaps a bit of fandom headcanoning I saw forever ago related to my fictomere's possible autism. but... I feel strongly enough about it that I don't think the distinction of this (if I'm using the term correctly in this context) noema’s “true” origins really matter.

[maximotts]

𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔰𝔢 𝔣𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡 ☾ 𝔴. 𝔪𝔞𝔵𝔦𝔪𝔬𝔣𝔣

pairing ❦ dark!SW!Wanda x female stockholm!reader

summary ❦ it took your time in Westview to realize you didn't know how to live without Wanda Maximoff; luckily she welcomed you home with open arms

warnings ❦ smut, 18+ only content; fingering, possessive marking, innocence kink, manipulation, mind reading, magical restraints (arms only), humiliation, shameless overstimming, calling Wanda mommy, reader clearly has stockholm and Wanda does not care, probably missing something tbh

words ❦ 2.9k

a/n ❦ here's the first kinktober fic! the request was for dom!Wanda; I made it SW Wanda with a mommy kink to fit the week one theme so.. here we are

kinktober masterlist.

My little lamb, she’d called you, holding you tight while you wept. It felt like days you stood there, but somehow she’d gotten you inside, ever patient as you clung to her side, following her around in case you blinked and she disappeared.

“We shouldn’t-”

You were going to. When Wanda wanted something, she got it, especially from you. Way before she started asking, you were completing favors; Natasha used to tease you for being at the new girl’s beck and call, but you didn’t see the harm in it. She’d been through so much, seemed to constantly be mourning some personal tragedy, and you wanted to help. On some level, you always loved her.

Wanda only hummed, lowering herself down closer to where she’d trapped you atop the mattress she’d recently convinced you to share with her. It was easy enough; she knew you hated sleeping without her, since she’d gone, you’d been alone. That was her fault, she never should’ve left you in Westview. Poor thing, always so lost without her. “Shouldn’t doesn’t mean you don’t want to.”

She was directly in your ear, honey sweet voice luring you deeper into her carefully crafted web. Wanda loves you, she wouldn’t hurt you. She’s just.. not herself right now. It repeated like a mantra in your head, willing yourself to remember even as this new side of Wanda begged you to try and run.

“Well I..” You couldn’t say it; just the thought of the falsehood was bitter on your tongue. Wanda’s touch was soft, but insistent, gentle fingers smoothing down your thighs only to rake sharp nails back up, never breaking skin, only a reminder that she could. There was never a time where you’d forgotten how powerful she was, not a day you’d underestimated her, but where before it’d been out of the question, now Wanda would exact that power how she saw fit. 

As you hesitated, Wanda continued on unbothered, dim red wisps covering the lace underwear until they were gone completely. She’d given them to you to wear earlier and like the obedient thing you were, you complied. The moment her fingertips brushed over your mound, you shuddered, legs falling apart for her instinctively just like they had since the very first time.

“Tell me you don’t want it, that you didn’t seek me out hoping you’d find me and we could live happily ever after like you always wanted…” It was a few days ago you’d shown up on her doorstep; she’d sensed you at the edge of her barrier, wandering around lost amongst her apple trees. She’d let her house appear after confirming you’d come by yourself and for a while, it was normal.

Wanda looked herself, with the same kind eyes and warm reassurances you’d fallen in love with years ago, before Westview, before Thanos. Even now in this new outfit, crowding you in so closely you could feel her hot breath on your neck, something about it all rang of familiarity.. to trust her just as you always had. Wanda shifted her stance, letting her knees take her weight before positioning your thighs on hers, hands free to press a darkened finger over your lips the second you opened your mouth to speak. “Don’t lie to me, I’ll look in that pretty little head of yours.” 

“I- I don’t…” Having feelings for another person as a civilian was hard; having them as an Avenger was a heavy risk. Especially when the one you were crushing on was your teammate. She always seemed just out of reach, no matter how much you felt for her, something was always in the way. Another threat, another death, always some outside force keeping the truth from coming to light. You knew you wanted her, forever hoping Wanda not only wanted you right back, but would make any kind of first move you’d been too scared to. 

In Westview both of you were at peace, basking in the domestic life you weren’t ever afforded the luxury of having. It sounded terrible, but some days you wished Wanda wouldn’t have let the Hex go; you were together, carefree, and willing to neglect the horror of Wanda’s nightmares, the glitches in your cozy town… all of it, if you could only keep her smiling and happy. 

But nothing lasts forever, not even for the most powerful witch in the universe. It was devastating enough your paradise was shattered, but after years of teamwork, friendship, and whispered confessions, Wanda abandoned you without a word. You'd been inconsolable until weeks later when you spotted her amongst far off trees and despite all previous warnings, you ran to her.

My little lamb, she’d called you, holding you tight while you wept. It felt like days you stood there, but somehow she’d gotten you inside, ever patient as you clung to her side, following her around in case you blinked and she disappeared. At first Wanda was afraid you’d come to keep tabs on her, but it didn’t take long to realize you were here because you needed to. Maybe you’d become too dependent on her; she didn’t care. It was the opposite of a problem for her- and it wasn’t the first time the idea crossed her mind.

You and Wanda shared so many secrets, she knew you inside and out without needing to read your mind anymore— it didn’t stop her from wanting to. “I’ve always loved how innocent you were, sweet pea…” A single digit pressed into your waiting entrance, slow and steady, Wanda watching all the while as you eagerly took her in. 

“Don’t say that,” Wanda was well aware how much you hated being reminded of how little you’d done. Each time she did, you wished harder that she’d just show you herself. Years ago you’d told her of your inexperience, how your tumultuous upbringing meant relationships had been shoved aside; the day you admitted you’d only have a few fumbling drunk encounters, nothing satisfying or memorable, Wanda knew she should be your first. 

Fear of rejection or you pulling away kept her from trying, but now she could have you however she needed. After all she’d put you though, you still willingly came to her and that was all the confirmation she needed. It felt right and with nothing stopping her, why not indulge her perfect girl?

You’d trusted Wanda under the guise she’d never manipulate it against you like she was doing now, bending your words and testing your willpower until it would be insane not to agree with her. You should be outraged; you weren’t. You were impossibly wet from so little touch, soft and smooth and already raising your hips for more. “Wanda…”

“How am I supposed to believe you don’t know anything when you’re soaking my fingers as soon as I put my hands on you?” A chorus of whines was all Wanda got in response, your mouth not letting you betray the times you’d used your rare moments of privacy to stuff yourself full of your own fingers, painstakingly trying to reach a high you yearned for from Wanda instead. “Aw, you thought of me?”

Scared eyes snapped straight to the redhead’s, tears pricking at your eyes from both embarrassment and the struggle not to cum so quickly; with such precise curling hitting a spot you’d never known existed, each second felt more like a losing battle. Before you could tell whenever she was in your head, now you didn’t feel a thing, but there was no way you could focus hard enough to shield your train of thought. “I didn’t lie, you said you wouldn’t…”

“Oh I never said that,” She surprised you with deeper thrusts, catching you off guard and hurtling you over that first edge. Wanda fucked you through it, oh so satisfied with herself as your back arched and your fingers fisted the sheets she put on the bed just for you. As you forced your heavy lids to open, you caught Wanda bending over once more and the closer her lips got, the harder it was not to surge forward and kiss her. “Your head is such a fun place to be, practically welcomed me in with how often I’m on your mind. Just begging me to stop asking you questions and fuck you, to please, please kiss you this time when I make you cum…”

Wanda pushed another finger beside the other, stretching you open exactly how you’d dreamt she would for so long. She twisted them and you jumped, thighs twitching at every new angle. Similar to Westview, you should be terrified; you’d been bent to her will, seen her nightmares just like every other resident, but you weren’t then and now, with free will all you yearned for was more of this attention, for another orgasm— more of her. “You really want me to control you? Haven’t you heard how dangerous I am now?”

Of course you’d heard, it’d been drilled into you day and night after she’d gone, but nothing stuck. Everyone warned you away, begged you not to go after Wanda, to mourn your friend, appreciate your freedom and move on, but you couldn’t without her. No one else managed to find her, but she’d let you and nothing would ever come between the two of you again. “Aren’t you supposed to be afraid of mean witches like me? I could snap you in half before you blink.”

 “Wanda!” Her thumb brushed your clit, sending shocks of tingling pleasure through your system so suddenly you didn’t realize your hands were holding her wrist in place until your own slick dripped onto your skin. She let you fuck into your joined hands, giving in only slightly to press your lips together, rubbing over your swollen bud and forcing your jaw to go slack. 

Her tongue ran over your plump bottom lip as you worked to get yourself off, biting down until you both tasted sharp copper. “Ow! Please, I-!” 

Wanda licked the wound as you cried out, delighting in your protests because even though you whimpered, your walls clenched desperately around fingers, sucking her in ever deeper. No, you weren’t scared of the Scarlet Witch in the slightest; you didn’t know why, but she made you more turned on than ever. “I already know what you want. I just need to hear you say it.”

The edge to her was clear as day even in your hazy mind, instability swirling behind intense green eyes. She’d have you even if you denied it; Wanda was long done answering to anyone else. You’d only have a tougher time of it if you didn’t come clean, but she’d enjoy herself either way. “You want to keep me happy, see me smile again like before? Tell me the truth.” 

Your secrets were no longer yours, she’d read every single thought that passed you by if she had to— your stubbornness hurt yourself more than anything. “I want you. Mommy, please-” 

As soon as the words left your lips you were mortified, hands falling from her arm as you tried backing away; Wanda was quicker. She overtook you in an instant, invisible force pinning your arms above your head, prone and exposed to her downright predatory grin. 

“Mommy? Now where did an innocent thing like you learn that?” Wanda’s free hand stroked your face, hot with embarrassment as you made eye contact with anything that wasn’t the woman above you. The slap echoed louder than your surprised yelp, near painful grip forcing your head to face her and digging into your now stinging red cheek. “Look at me when I’m talking to you.”

That lingering danger was surface level now, posture stiff, nails scratching at your clammy skin as she stared straight through you. This Wanda you were more scared of. A mumbled apology brought her smile back, Wanda leaving your poor jaw alone to brush the stray hairs from your face while she started fingering you again, third finger added without warning. Her pace was a punishment, brutal and unforgiving, but between your arms rendered useless and your legs spread around her hips… all you could do was take it and you loved every second of it. 

“There you go, isn’t this better?” Wanda was happier the longer she watched you submit, fight and hesitation leaving your body with every push, every warm kiss upon your skin. “Don’t make me be hard on such an innocent thing like you, it isn’t fair.” When she left Westview, she missed you immediately, her main regret not taking the one person she loved who would survive outside her Hex. You needed her guidance as much as she needed your understanding; Wanda hoped every day you’d come back to her and now that you had, she’d kill anything that threatened to take you away.

Sharp teeth scraped along your collarbone, just enough to leave reminders she’d been here, that she’d finally had you. When she bit at the hollow of your throat, insistent and possessive, you knew it’d be a mark you didn’t have a hope to hide. You couldn’t take it, not when you felt every push and pull of her fingers, every curl of her lips on your chest. When you mewled pitifully, Wanda kissed a trail up your sternum, meeting your needy pout with a mocking pity. “What is it, baby? You want mommy to make you cum again?”

Your nod came without a second thought, uninhibited now in your quest for just one more blissful moment. “Yes yes, please.. I need it..” The second orgasm came as a welcome relief, shameless now in riding each wave out on your new lover’s fingers. Words were leaving Wanda’s mouth, but you could only feel the faintest hum of them behind your ear, your own gasps muffling her murmured sentences.

It was only when she found your red lips once more, sighing and moving to readjust your legs, that you realized Wanda wasn’t letting up. You were achingly sensitive after two times, thighs twitching and trying to close, to escape the too good feeling swarming your brain— but Wanda was stronger. “Wanda, I can’t-”

“Shhh, you will. What happened to mommy?” Wanda would keep you so content if you let her. She didn’t have to wait for your permission, could’ve put you under her spell the moment she saw you wandering, but she needed to know you wanted to stay. You needed her to take you and shelter you away from the rest of the world. “I’ll give you anything you want, little lamb. Just promise me one thing.”

It was oh so much sweeter to watch you shake and quiver with the knowledge you longed to be her with her, taking all you could handle and more. Your pathetic whimper nearly broke her heart, seeing you strain against your bonds all just to try and be closer to her. Wanda heard you yelling you’d agree to anything, thoughts loudest they’d been all night; she couldn’t wait to get used to this. “You’ll stay right here and be my good little girl forever. You won’t have to worry about a single thing ever again, doesn’t that sound nice?”

It shouldn’t have excited you, not while her fingers were fucking you too hard, too deep, or how selfishly she hiked your hips higher on her lap just to watch your abused cunt drip and spasm under her unwavering stare. But it did. You didn’t want to hide it either, not from her. Not anymore. “I promise, I’ll stay…”

“That’s my good girl.” You thought Wanda would stop, pull away and let you free, but she’d been serious about seeing you cum just one more time. You writhed as much as your tied position would allow, twisting and crying out for Wanda with your hoarse, overdrawn voice. She curled her fingers once more in time with devious pressure on your clit and you broke, a scream you realized too late was your own filled the bedroom, and if the tingling numbness in your limbs were any indication, you were well and truly spent. 

Only after your eyes refocused and caught Wanda licking her fingers clean did you notice the wetness still between your legs, sliding down the curve of your ass and definitely soaking the sheets. You wanted to be ashamed, but you couldn’t find it within yourself when the redhead was looking your way with such adoration. If this is what it took to be hers, you’d give it a thousand times over.

Wanda released you finally, guiding your arms down to your sides with gentle care. She backed away to let your legs rest as well, massaging your legs as they now lay limp on either side of her. You were still so sore and red, terribly messy but clearly you didn’t have a shred of energy to clean yourself off. Wanda bent at the waist again, nuzzled her face into your lower belly so lovingly. Exhaustion hit you like a freight train, your tired body like lead where you lay; there was no doubt you could fall asleep here, safe and spent under Wanda’s careful protection— but her lips grazing your folds set your frayed nerves alight all over again. “‘m tired…”

“I know, you did so well,” She was being selfish, she knew, but she’d earned the right to be so, especially when one more peek into your sleepy brain revealed more naughty thoughts swirling anew. “Poor little one, let mommy make it all better.”

[remcycl333]

What does Kim Velez say about inner conversations in the video? What made it easy for you to manifest in this video? My English is so bad that I want to watch the video but I don't understand anything. Could you briefly summarize what Kim Velez said? If you don't mind, could you summarize the Dylan James video please?

grateful for everything💘

hi! i'd be happy to do that for you :)

disclaimer: it's been a while since i've watched these videos so this is just a summary of the things that i took from them and got results from and use to this day!

this is the Kim Velez video that really helped me for anyone who wants to watch it (it starts at 3:20 lol). it helped me specifically with manifesting a specific person, but you can apply this to any of your desires. at the time i was watching Sammy Ingram and had the belief that i had to repeat the same exact affirmation over and over again every second of the day (example: my SP is constantly texting me). i would monotonously repeat the same affirmation all day long and had the limiting belief that you could only manifest if you use the same exact wording every time. this is NOT TRUE! but Sammy had instilled this limiting belief in my mind at the time. in this video by Kim, she talks about how saying affirmations all day long with the intent to create something and bring it into your 3D is not sustainable. part of the reason is because you're not fully living in the end. you're saying affirmations obsessively in order to get something instead of accepting the fact that it's already yours and creation is already finished.

[disclaimer: if repeating the same exact affirmations all day long works for you, continue doing this. but if you feel like this isn't working for you because you feel like you're obsessively saying affirmations in order to get something and you would like to change that, maybe this will help you. in the video, Kim points out that those types of affirmations work and will still get you what you want, but she suggests that you test out inner conversations and choose for yourself which feels better]

this is where the inner conversations come in. inner conversations are how you are talking to yourself in your mind throughout the day. it's your inner monologue. you want to manufacture inner conversations that you would naturally have if you already had your desire.

for instance, whenever i was manifesting my SP, this is an example of one of the conversations i would create in my mind:

"i love my SP so much, he is the best boyfriend i could ever have asked for. he is just so loving and attentive and perfect. i seriously can't wait to see him tomorrow. we're gonna have so much fun! we're gonna go on a cute little date and have a picnic! omg, i wonder what i should wear? maybe i'll wear my pink skirt..." and then i'd go on to plan my outfit and think about things that would happen on the date.

this literally helped me so much. i know it sounds kinda silly to plan an outfit in your head lol, but i remembered the inner conversations i would have when i was dating someone in the past and tried to recreate those. you don't have to plan an outfit or date if that doesn’t feel natural to you. that’s just what i did.

here is a transcript of what Kim Velez’s example of an inner conversation is in her video:

 “oh my god I’m in the best relationship of my life. I am so fucking amazing, I love the way this person loves me. I feel so loved and supported and valued and I am the fucking best. man it feels so good, no one can compare to me. I am such an amazing partner, my person appreciates me so fucking much. it is just so magnificent waking up to this person every day. i literally have the life that i fucking dreamed of.”

obviously Kim’s version is a lot more mature sounding than mine lol cuz i have the inner monologue of a young Gen Z girl. but that’s what i mean! don’t just repeat mine or Kim’s inner conversations in your mind, craft them to sound like thoughts/conversations you would naturally have! if you want you can write down a little script in your notes app or in a journal to give you an idea of what to say. but don’t repeat it monotonously every time, you can add random details every time.

obviously this takes a little more focus than just repeating the same exact affirmations over and over again, so i would do this while doing mindless activities such as dishes, cleaning, laundry, working out, showering, etc.

💛⭐️🌼🐝🍌���🍋🌟🌻

now for the summary of the Dylan James videos. I won’t link a specific one because this is what I learned from watching multiple videos of his. but Dylan really emphasizes the idea of it is done. what he recommends is when your desire pops into your mind to simply say “it is done” and force yourself to think about something else. this idea was kinda shocking to me at first because--like i said before--i had the limiting belief of having to repeat affirmations all day long. but i tried it out and it got me results SO. FAST.

basically the idea behind this is that you’re subconscious mind already knows what you want. you don’t have to keep telling it, it knows. declaring that you have something once is enough for it to manifest.

this is an analogy that has been used so many times but i love it so much. think of your affirmations as a seed. you declare “i have my desire.” that is you planting the seed. you have to trust that the seed will grow into a flower. in real life, if you plant a seed, it will not grow if you keep digging it up and making sure that it’s there and that the stuff you are doing to help it grow is working. manifesting is the same. if you keep thinking “it is working? is it coming soon? is it here yet?” you will be putting focus on the fact that it’s not here yet, instead of the fact that it is done and finished.

another thing Dylan emphasizes in his video is Trust. you have to trust that your manifestation is coming. you have to trust your subconscious mind, trust the process. you can’t keep obsessively worrying about it and whether or not it will happen/manifest. you have to trust that it’s done.

in his videos, Dylan encourages people to distract themselves throughout the day and to not think about your desire. like i said earlier, if you find yourself thinking about your desire, stop yourself and say “it’s done. it is so done I don’t even have to think about it” and force yourself to think about something else.

what i think is really helpful about this technique is that if you don’t think about your desire at all, then you don’t think negative thoughts about it. also by trusting the law and yourself so much that you can’t even be bothered to think about it is like a serious confidence and self-concept boost i swear. this is how i manifest most things because it literally works so fast for me. like within a day.

These two different “techniques” (for the lack of a better word), inner conversations and distracting yourself, can either be used together or separately. if you just want to do inner conversations, you can. if you want to do inner conversations during mindless activities and distract yourself and say “it is done” for the rest of the day, you can. or if you just want to throw yourself completely into never thinking about your desire anymore like Dylan James suggests you can do that.

or you can do none of these things! these are just the things that finally helped me to start manifesting consistently and gave me a huge breakthrough last year. if they resonate with you, great! if they don’t, you don’t have to do them. whatever feels natural and right to you :)

i’m sorry for the super long response LOL i didn’t expect to write this much. but i really hope this helps and makes sense! feel free to ask any further questions you may have :) !

[peachsayshi]

Chapter 22 - Halloween (I) 

Summary: Satoru tells you the truth.     

A/N: (18+ / minors and ageless blogs dni) So, clearly I update fics by taking forever to write them and then posting a bunch at one time. This was initially supposed to be one chapter but it was getting to long so I split it into two. There are only eight chapters left to this story which is so crazy to me! Thank you so much everyone for the support xo I hope you guys enjoy this update! 

(Three Years Ago - Halloween)

Satoru is running late.

Two and half hours late to be exact.

He promised you that he would go all out with a costume for Rina’s party, but now finds himself expecting a long, drawn out lecture because he failed to keep his word. 

He really did have every intention on surprising you tonight, but didn’t have the time to make it back to his apartment and change into his vampire attire as planned.

He spent all month searching for the right pieces of clothing to match his outfit. He found a fitted black shirt with pants to accent the intricately embroidered vest that he splurged way too much money on. He wanted to dramatically model the extravagant cape with the silky red fabric underneath, and flash a toothy grin to show off his set of fake fangs. He even reached out to Utahime in the hopes that she would help with his hair and make up, and she agreed only after he mercilessly teased her into submission.

He was supposed to slick back his silver locks, powder his face whiter than the natural color that he was blessed with, and shade the bags underneath his eyes with a deep purple to make him look as lifeless as possible. Instead, he combed through his hair with his fingers, feeling the strands flop over his face as he replaced his blindfold with his sunglasses. 

A part of himself wanted to impress you with the look he worked hard on putting together, but the other half just wanted you to be happy since you practically begged him not to flake out on tonight’s occasion when you called yesterday. 

“Rina and I are pairing our costumes, but nobody likes to dress up anymore. I don’t want us to be the only ones putting in all the effort…”

“It’s Halloween, of course people will dress up!” Satoru answered back nonchalantly. “You don’t have to keep asking me. I told you I would, right?”

You sighed, “Yeah, you’re right. I just can’t expect everyone else to do the same. This is my favorite time of the year but it’s so childish to even ask people to participate in this stuff…”

“Who the hell told you that?” Satoru scoffed with disbelief, his fingers gripping around his phone hearing the hurt in your tone. 

“It was just something Haru mentioned when I asked him what he planned on wearing. I guess he’s right, who cares about silly costume parties anyway…”

Satoru knew that you were just repeating Haru’s pitiful comments which only made him huff with disappointment. He tried not to dwell on the fact that you’ve been acting odd recently, but his gut told him that it had something to do with the sudden tension surrounding your relationship.

He wondered if your boyfriend finally found the courage to confess to his infidelity after he asked Satoru not to let his secret slip.

Considering how much you adored Haru, Satoru wouldn’t be surprised if you had forgiven him on the spot.

However, if Haru had actually admitted to cheating on you, and you had decided to forgive him as Satoru theorized...then why did it suddenly seem like you’ve been thrown off balance?

He tried to pry into the subject but you have been maintaining a barrier on discussing anything serious surrounding your personal life. This tied in with your sudden short tempers, and your friend found himself walking around egg shells in the hopes that you wouldn’t pick a petty argument with him over the tiniest things. 

You always apologized afterward, blaming your annoyance on your lack of sleep or that there’s been a lot on your mind recently. 

Excuses, excuses, excuses…

Satoru knew what the answer to the problem was but your friend just couldn’t bring himself to confront you about what was really going on.

He wasn’t hiding from the truth because he was loyal about keeping any promises to your boyfriend, but he found himself trapped in a situation that he didn’t particularly enjoy. 

If Haru did tell you the truth, then Satoru would not be able to handle any of your lame reasons about why you agreed to take him back.

Your friend cared about you in a way that was beyond his own comprehension, and understood that this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

He didn’t want to have to break the dam and unveil all of his true feelings about Haru, while risking your friendship as a result. 

On the other hand, if it turned out that Haru was still lying to you then Satoru would have no other choice but to tell you the truth.

He had plenty of opportunities to do so before, but whenever your face lit up at the mention of Haru’s name it became reason enough for him to bury the secret deeper inside. 

He wasn’t going to take away your happiness, and refused to be the reason behind your heartbreak.

By the time the sorcerer approached Rina’s front door his stomach had already twisted itself into more knots than he could count. 

From behind the frame he could hear the low thump of the bass bursting through the speakers, the sound of happy drunks singing along to the music playing, and the muffled conversations coming through the melodic tunes. 

He pressed his forehead against the door and exhaled before finding the courage to ball his hand into a fist and knock.

The door swung open and Rina stood before him in a fiery costume. She was wearing a short crimson wig, decorated with a pair of devil horns that matched her fitted full length dress while holding a toy trident in one hand. 

A teasing glint twinkled in her eyes when she met Gojo’s gaze.

“No costume, no entry” she joked with a quirked brow, as she dramatically pointed at his casual clothes with her trident.

Satoru pouted, tilting his head slightly as he looked down at her, “can’t you tell that I am an international super model?”  

Rina scoffed, “that’s what you’re going with?” 

Satoru lowered his shades, before delivering a smoldering squint to show off his best pose. 

“Satoru Gojo! The face that makes millions!” he boomed in a dramatic voice, mimicing the tone of advertisers before finishing his statement off with a wink. “Is that convincing enough?” 

Rina held back a smile before stepping aside. “Not to me but I’m pretty sure everyone else will believe it.” 

Satoru passed through the threshold, his tall frame obvious among the sea of strangers as he towered over every single person in the room. 

Rina cocked her head to the right, “she’s inside dancing with my sister.” 

Satoru ignored the way his heart thumped, his eyes quickly scanning the room until his gaze laid upon you and he parted his lips in surprise. 

You were wearing a glittered white dress, the thick straps were snug around your shoulders and the semi-sweetheart plunge revealed a subtle hint of cleavage. His eyes lowered, taking in how the fabric wrapped around waist until it flared out to reveal your legs underneath. Fluffy white wings fluttered as you danced, and you were barely able to stand straight holding onto your partner as you tried to keep your balance on your high wedged heels. 

When you finally looked over to Satoru, he felt his cheeks heat up instantly as your tinted lips spread into a warm smile. 

He cleared his throat, lifting his hand to salute a wave while trying to brush off the rush of emotions that ran through him.

You whispered something into the girl’s ear, then carefully stumbled your way over towards him. 

“Satoruuuu!” 

“Hey, you-ugh!...” 

Satoru groaned, stepping one foot back as he tried to catch the weight of your body in his arms when you fell into his chest for a hug. 

“You caaame!” you replied with enthusiasm, before pushing him away and furrowing your brows as you took a moment to judge his outfit. 

“You didn’t dress up?” you questioned with sad doe eyes, which only made the warmth spread from his cheeks down to his neck. 

“Work ran late,” he confessed with an apologetic smile, “but I really did have a costume planned-” 

You scoffed as you let out a short laugh, waving your arm in his face to brush off his words.

“Ohhh, it doesn’t matter.” you slurred, ”you’re here and we are going to have sooo much fun, right?” 

The smile falls on Satoru’s face, his lips forming into a straight line and his fingers hold both your elbows as he steadies you in place. 

“How much did you have to drink?” he asks in a low voice. 

“Don’t be a bore…” you grumble, lifting your index finger to poke his chest.

Satoru arched one eyebrow in response, unamused by your pathetic jab at his concern over you. 

Upon seeing the disapproval on his face you sigh before reaching for the collar of his jacket, and gently squeeze your grip around the fabric.

“Relax! I’m fine! I promise!” you reassured with another grin. 

“She’s more than fine,” Rina interrupts, and Satoru notices your best friend loop her arm around your waist to hug you from behind. “...now you can either join us in our dance or strike a few poses on your own!” 

Satoru releases you from his grip and you giggle before tumbling backwards to follow Rina’s footsteps. Within minutes you were back to shaking your hips and running your fingers through your hair, singing along to every song without a single care in the world 

Satoru made his way over to the kitchen, where he rummaged through the fridge to pull out a bottle of sparkling water. He tried to ignore the mild annoyance he felt by having his concern overlooked.

Regardless of what others believe, he knew you better than anybody else which is why he could see right through you.

***

Satoru stood in the corner of the room pretending like he was invested in the conversation with one of Rina’s old high school friends. She went on about her current experiences working as a flight attendant, going into great detail about all the different places that she traveled to. He could tell that she was trying really hard to impress him but he was busy getting distracted whenever he shifted his attention to you. 

Your arms were around Rina’s neck, the two of you swaying while murmuring a secret conversation in between your dance. The sorcerer's back stiffened when you brought your drink to your lips, taking another sip as you finally finished off the beverage.

Satoru merely let a few “uh-huh’s” slip to keep the conversation rolling, but the minute he watched you head towards the kitchen is when he found an excuse to cut the topic short and follow your footsteps.

You were reaching for the bottle when you felt slender fingers circle over your hand. 

“How about we have some water instead?” Satoru questioned kindly, lowering your wrist down before you could even fill up your cup. 

You spun on your heel, your senses gravely lagging as he easily managed to remove the empty cup from your grasp and replace it with a water bottle instead. 

“Fine,” you nodded in defeat before twisting the cap open, “...but only if it’ll make you stop starin’ at me all night.” 

“I’m not staring,” he denied. 

You scoff, rocking slightly from side to side as you chug down the water.

Satoru winced at your discomfort watching you swallow the beverage. 

“You definitely are staring...”  you groan with disgust, scrunching up your face as you tried to shake off the queasy sensation that suddenly washed over you. 

“Well, it’s not every day you decide to drown yourself in alcohol.” 

“Its a paarty, Satoruuuu...” you tease again, before leaning back against the counter and folding your arms across your chest. “I’m supposed to be having fun.”

Your friend merely hums.

“Well then, how about we sit somewhere and catch yourselves before our next round?” 

“Our next round? You plan on drinking with me tonight, International Supermodel?”

“That’s Mr. International Supermodel to you, and absolutely not.”

You shrug your shoulders as you try to move past him but you were quickly blocked by the length of his torso.

“Just for a little bit, please?” he playfully coaxes, “All of this is kind of stimulating for me and I didn’t even get a proper hello from you…”

“Satoru…”

“What if I promise you a dance afterwards?” 

That made your eyes light up immediately and you reached your hand forward to extend one of your digits in his direction. 

“One whole dance to whatever song I choose. Pinky promise?” 

Satoru chuckles to himself, watching you struggle to hook your finger around his. 

“Promise.” 

His hand finds the small of your back and he quietly guides you away from the stuffy crowd as he makes his way towards Rina’s bedroom. 

He could see the many eyes studying you both closely, but tried not dwell on how suspicious this might appear to them. 

A heavy silence took over when Satoru shut the door behind him. He watched you saunter towards the bed, plopping your entire body weight onto the mattress before releasing a sigh as you welcomed the quiet with open arms. Your hands reached down to your ankles, and you fumbled with the straps before kicking off your killer heels. 

“Maybe this is a good idea,” you slur, “m’feet are killing me...” 

“Well, you’ve been dancing like nobody’s watching you…”

“Except there was somebody watching me. A six foot tall creep with white hair, tryna to pose as a model when he promised me that he’d wear a costume tonight...” 

Satoru smirked before falling onto the mattress as he found his seat right next to you. 

“I’m just making sure that my friend doesn’t fall flat on her face.” 

You purse your lips at him, but upon reading the sincerity in his expression, you merely bump your shoulder against his in jest.  

“I guess an injury would kill all the effort I put into my make up...” 

“And what a waste that would be...” he replied with enthusiasm, subconsciously grazing you back as he presses his body into yours. He arches his neck down, moving his lips closer to your ear and dropping the tone of his voice unintentionally before speaking.

“You look great by the way.” 

“Think so?” 

“Absolutely...�� he answers back, releasing the tension from his body and allowing the conversation to flow with a familiar ease, “As a matter of fact, I think this costume suits you. You should wear it more often! Maybe, next time when you accompany me on one of my shopping trips...” 

“Wings n’ all?” 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way...” 

“I’m sure the sales representatives at all those luxury brands you like would have a field day seeing me next to you...” 

“What can I say, we’d make a pretty team...” 

You give him another genuine smile and Satoru can’t help but mirror you now that he’s broken whatever facade you were showcasing outside of this room. 

“Did you really put together a costume or are you toying with my emotions?” you wondered while angling your body to face him and then lifting your legs up on the bed to sit in a crossed legged position. 

“I'm offended that you would question me! I would put Dracula to shame from how good I would have looked tonight,” Satoru replied, reaching both hands behind him as he leaned onto the weight of his arms. “I guess it’s best that I didn’t wear it. I wouldn’t want to outshine anybody...” 

The corner of your lips lifted when he gave you a playful wink but you didn’t know that he was forcefully trying to keep his gaze away from the hem of your dress riding higher up your thighs. 

“Are you sayin’ that you would’ve looked better than me tonight?” 

Satoru ponders the question, using this opportunity to succumb to his flirtatious state as he quickly glances over your feathery wings. 

“I wouldn’t stand a chance against you, angel.” 

You drew in a sharp inhale, your chest rising and falling quickly as he caught you by surprise with his statement. He knew his comment must have flustered you but he didn’t really care. You looked unbearably cute tonight, and deserved the compliment.

“I-I don’t think the odds would totally be in my favor…” you breathed softly while trying to regain your composure. “Not with the way half the of the room has been lookin’ at you tonight.”

Curiosity prompted Gojo to lift his brow, “And how would you know?”

“I always pay attention to how people look at you.”

“Why?”

You shrugged your shoulders, “I mean, s’kind of hard not to notice when you look the way you do...” 

“Oh, right, because I’m a six foot tall creep with white hair… 

You roll your eyes, “you know that’s not the reason why...” 

“Yeah, but it’s what you said! People must think I’m a freak or something…”

“That’s not what I meant though!” you argued back defensively, unamused by the cocky expression on Satoru’s face. 

“Indulge me just this once and elaborate then...” he begged. 

“I’m sure you have plenty of girls who tell you exactly what you wanna hear,” you replied and Satoru tried really hard not to analyze the strange way you phrased that sentence. 

He tucked out his bottom lip and lowered his shades so you can see those blue eyes sparkle against the dim light. 

“Is that what you really think of me?” he sulked. 

“Yes.” you teased. 

Satoru dramatically gasped, one hand reaching to clutch his shirt directly over where his heart is while the other covered his mouth. 

“How...dare you...” he exclaimed, before launching his body forward and dropping his forehead onto your shoulder. “...you can’t just go around breaking people’s hearts like that!”

You giggled, “Satoru...” 

“What have I done to deserve such cruelty?! Does my loyalty, my friendship, mean so little to you?!” 

You pat him lightly on the back, but it only made him burrow his forehead into you even further. 

“How will I recover from this insult?! How will I cope?! Don’t you know that I’m an international supermodel?! Don’t you know that my good looks is all I have to offer?!”  

“Satoru, shhh!” you squeaked as his voice started to boom louder the more he got into the dramatization do his distress.

He was pretending to sob, and you couldn’t stop the rumble of laughter from escaping you because his hair was making you feel ticklish, and his warm breath was causing goosebumps to raise across your skin. 

“How can you shame me for the things that make me who I am?! Oh, I’m so huuuurt....” 

“Fine, Fine!” you yielded, reaching both hands to grab his shoulders as you pushed him off you. “I didn’t mean it! You’re the most handsome man that I’ve ever laid my eyes on. There, now can we cut the theatrics, please?”  

Satoru’s face dropped to his usual expression, his tone shifting with ease as he balled one hand into a fist and placed it underneath his chin. 

“The most handsome? Really?” he calmly egged on while pretending like nothing happened. 

You dug your nails into his shoulders before letting another loose comment slip from your intoxicated lips.

“Yes, really. You’re so handsome, it actually infuriates me.” 

Satoru’s mouth spread into a full grin and your eyes took in the sight of his pearly whites. 

“I'm never going to let you live this down. You know that right?” 

You furrowed your brows together and huffed, one hand sliding across his tee as you grabbed onto his collar. 

“The likelihood that I’ll remember this tomorrow s’very slim...” 

“Oh, I’ll be sure to remind you, do you worry about that...” 

“You can’t!” 

Satoru’s eyes widened and you were equally surprised from how stern you were with your reply.

You tightened your grip around his collar, swallowing hard before looking at him with pleading eyes. 

“You can’t...” you murmured, “whatever is said tonight stays between us, it’s our secret...” 

The sorcerer parted his lips caught somewhere between confusion and curiosity. He knew he was only joking, but the look of panic in your eyes was speaking volumes to him. 

“It’s just a compliment...” he replied nonchalantly, “it’s not a big deal...”

 “Just promise me, m’kay?” you begged, your free hand lifting up as you extended your pinky finger once more. “Please?” 

Satoru searched for an answer in your eyes but was met with only more mystery. He swallowed the lump in his throat, trying hard to ignore just how much closer you were to his body now.

He hooked his pinky finger around yours and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

“Nothing you say leaves this room, I promise.” 

***

“What’s going on with you?” 

Satoru was still holding your finger, your faces merely inches apart as he kept you grounded amidst the spinning bedroom. 

The pent up frustration of the last two weeks began to crawl up your throat, with all your internal thoughts ready to pour out of you as you finally found an opening to ease all the worries that’s been stressing your mind. You didn’t even realize that your eyes were welling up, that Satoru’s caring gaze was enough to strike you the hardest while you were your most vulnerable. 

You blinked back the tears, shaking your head as you murmured “nothing,” but your voice cracked which only made him disregard your lie. 

“You know you can talk to me, right?” 

You nodded your head. 

Satoru loosened his finger, his gaze falling as he watched you curl into your self when you folded your arms across your chest protectively. 

“Things with Haru...have been weird...” 

“Weird?” 

“He’s been acting strange, and I-I...” you sought out your friend, his attentiveness making you comfortable enough to let out a groan of frustration. “...I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.” 

Satoru’s expression remained the same, but you didn’t know that in the back of his mind he was starting to panic. 

“He’s always working now, and every time I bring it up he tells me that he’s tryna to build for our future...” you vented. “I just-I feel like I’m a crazy person for wanting to spend time with him. I plan out dates which he forgets or cancels last minute, and whenever he’s home he barely wants to talk. He keeps tellin’ me that he’s "too tired”...I can’t help but feel...distant...” 

You were wounded, and you bit your bottom lip as you looked down at your legs instead of Satoru’s eyes as if you were ashamed to admit the truth. 

“I feel like I’m a thorn at his side. He’s been picking on everything I do...everything I say...” you confessed, “We...we got into an argument before the party. I don’t even think he’s coming tonight...” 

“What happened?” 

You sighed, “I answered his phone while he was in the shower. Some woman called him from work...when I told him about it, he got upset with me. He said I had no right answering his work calls...” 

Satoru’s jaw twitched, but you were too distracted to notice.

“I told him it was an honest mistake, that I wouldn’t do it again but he shut me out after that...didn’t say a single word and left. I’ve been trying to message him, but he’s not answering me...” 

“That fucking ass-...” 

“No...s’my fault, ‘toru. He gets so anxious about this job, I shouldn’t have-” 

“Stop,” your friend sternly interjected. “don’t make excuses for him. You don’t have to do that. Not with me at least...” 

“I’m...I’m not...” you replied defensively. “I just-I’m tryna to make sense of it. I need to fix whatever’s wrong...” 

“But why do you need to fix it?” Satoru countered. “He’s the one who should apologize to you...” 

“I’m not being patient or understanding,” you explained, and your words were only making your friend’s blood boil. 

“Just the fact that we are friends tells me that you’re patient and understanding,” Satoru declared. “You’re not telling me anything that justifies his behavior...” 

“I dunno,” you mumbled as you covered your face with both your hands. “I just...don’t want this to escalate to a point of no return.” 

“Would that really be so bad?” 

You dropped your hands, lifting your eyes up to meet his as you were astonished by his bold question. 

“People change,” Satoru explained with an even temper, “...and sometimes we hang onto just a version of who they are...” 

“No, no...” you shook your head in denial, “No, that’s not what this is. We are just hitting a rough patch. I just need to see this through...” 

Satoru pinched his lids together, your name leaving him in both disappointment and anguish. 

“Look, there’s something you need to know...” 

“Satoru, I can’t lose him.” 

The white haired sorcerer looked at you in disbelief because your voice cracked not out of distress but fear. 

“Haru...he fits into my life perfectly. My parents love him, my friends love him, and he’s...everything I’ve ever wanted, everything I’ve ever asked for…” 

“So, you’re fighting for some perfect little dream at the expense of your own happiness?”

“I don’t want all these years to go to waste. If I lose him, then...then I’ll have to start all over again...” 

“Do you really believe that he’s the only man capable of loving you?” 

“S’not like there’s anybody else...” 

“And if there was?” 

An uncomfortable silence lingered between you both as Satoru’s question hung in the air. Neither of you had anything to say, but you were both staring intently at each other, while trying to read through the other person’s thoughts.  

Your friend wasn't quite sure if he could find a reason behind his question, and instead exhaled as he nervously scratched the back of his head and leaving you to speak first. 

“I...I think I need to lie down,” you murmured, “I’m feeling dizzy.”

Satoru felt the mattress dip underneath him as you crawled over to lay your head down on one of Rina’s pillows. You curled your arm underneath it, while you placed your other hand flat on top. You nuzzled into yourself, your eyes growing heavier as you started to blink them shut. 

“I don’t want you to settle because it’s comfortable. I’m just trying to look out for you, that’s all...”

Your friend could hear you breathing softly but you gave him no response. Satoru reached for the straps of your wings but hesitated as he retracted his hands back. He didn’t want to disturb you and instead proceeded to stand up as he adjusted the covers to ensure you you were comfortably tucked in. 

“Don’t go…” you mumbled, bringing your hand out to hold onto his wrist as you held him. “Please stay…”

When you finally drifted off to sleep, he exited the bedroom feeling exasperated. 

There was an unfamiliar weight that burdened him as he considered your words - authentic words that you would have never allowed yourself to blurt out under regular circumstances. 

The thought made him incredibly sad. 

He couldn’t comprehend why you felt this urgency to sell him your fairy tale, and upon realizing that there were cracks that were fragmenting your relationship with Haru, the guilt was starting eat him up from the inside out.  

If you were already having your doubts then there was no way for the truth to backfire. 

Satoru still had a chance to make things right with you. 

He concluded that you deserved the truth, already planning out the speech in his mind with every intention on seeing you tomorrow to revisit this delicate conversation.  

He didn't have any reason to linger at the party any longer, and ignored the inquisitive stares from the people around him as her emerged onto the scene. The Flapper Girl approached him once more, hoping to get a second chance at him but he rejected her advances with the excuse of having to leave urgently.

He found Rina and thanked her for the invite, before saying a quick goodbye and informing her of your sudden disappearance.

He left the party with a swiftness while trying to comprehend this unfamiliar tightness in his chest, and gulped down a breath of the crisp autumn air as he stepped out onto the street.

***

(present) 

“Haru is a chameleon,” Satoru explained, “He’s the kind of person who shows you exactly what you he wants you to see, without ever giving himself away in the process...” 

You absorbed his words but your body was growing numb. You were still trying to wrap your mind around him confronting Haru in the elevator, while recalling the conversation you both exchanged the night of the Halloween party but it merely played back like a hazy dream in your mind. 

“...I ran into Haru right after I left, and things got heated. I just-I couldn’t stand him lying to you anymore. Unfortunately, what I didn’t anticipate was for him to spread fowl lies to anyone who would listen...” 

Satoru sighed, his fingers closing over your hands as he held you carefully before continuing to speak. 

“Haru needed to save face and I was his scapegoat. He told Rina that we...that I...took advantage of the situation. He said that I was trying to manipulate you into breaking up with him, that it wasn’t the first time I tried to wedge myself between your relationship...everyone saw us go into that room together…it made for a very convincing story…”

“The argument?” you whispered, your voice trembling as you tried to piece together the puzzle of stories. 

“I couldn’t figure out why Rina resented me so much after you ended things. She made it perfectly clear that she didn’t want me crossing that line with you, and I...I agreed that I would keep my hands to myself. That was until you showed up at my place with your proposal...” 

Satoru felt you inch your hands further away, trying to slip out of his grasp and it hurt him to have to ease his grip. 

“Rina had a close friendship with Haru. I don’t blame her for believing him so easily. She agreed that she shouldn’t have been so naive regarding his story, but then again...I don’t come off as the easiest guy to trust either...” 

“Except...” you interrupted, your voice wavering when you sniffled and the sound made the sorcerer’s heart race as the blood rushed to his cheeks. “except I trusted you, Satoru.” 

Your touch left his and you shook your head in disbelief. 

“What...what happened after you left the party? What happened when you ran into Haru?” 

Satoru’s face hardened, and he ran his thumbs across the pads of his other fingers as he adjusted to the vacancy without you holding him.

“Haru showed me his true colors,” he declared in a gravelly calm voice, “...only this time I had a reason to intervene...” 

***

NEXT: CHAPTER 23 - HALLOWEEN (II)  - this is still a world where jujutsu sorcerers exist right? - just a hint for what's to come ;) 

TAG: @haikyutiehoe @damn-geto @pensivespecter  @ekaterinatepes @jelly-jellx @lollipopd @shuxjodie @heavenlyres @alreadyblondenow @nanamikentcs @artemisthestar @velvetlight333 @sluttoru @smoothy-ve @bloombb @mrsmorgenstern @smoothy-ve @bisexualwomanofcolour

[creepercraftguy]

NAEGIRI WEEK Day 5 - Autumn

Help comes from an unexpected place when Kyoko struggles to pick out the right outfit for her and Makoto’s autumn time date.

@naegiriweek

​Full Story below the cut. You can also find the story on my WattPad - https://www.wattpad.com/1290871841-naegiri-week-2022-creepercraftguy-day-5-autumn

(Also, I’m chuffed that Mod Capnii and I basically had the same idea)

"Ok...Sorry...you're gonna have to repeat it for me one more time because I'm just confused..." Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy stood in the middle of the school dorms hallway, staring up and down at Kyoko Kirigiri's figure in front of her, "so I'm just going to ask once more...Why are you covered in g-glitter?"

Toko's words were indeed true. Kyoko Kirigiri, the usually elegant straight-postured and maturely dressed detective looked very out of character. Instead of wearing her casual clothes or her uniform, she stood in the hallway, wearing shorts, a black crop-top and with glitter smothered in her hair.

Which was not a good look for her. Even someone scruffy like Toko couldn't help but point it out.

"If you must hear it again, I'll give you the quick version," Kyoko grumbled, clearly just as happy about her situation as you'd expect her to be, "I have a date with Makoto at the park in a bit. Sayaka dragged me up to her room an hour beforehand and invited all the other girls to "help" me pick a good outfit for it. As you can see, things went wrong, and they ended up doing the exact opposite of that."

"That still doesn't explain the glitter..." Toko snarked.

"Komaru thought the outfit Hina picked for me needed to be more sparkly, so she tried throwing a glitter bomb on it. That's why I'm like this..." Kyoko explained.

"K-Komaru's here too?" Toko asked.

"Yes, Sayaka invited her over." Kyoko said, "I thought she would come to see you. In fact, I'm surprised you weren't there."

"Psh! Yeah right!" Toko snapped, "what makes you think I would go to a dress-up party!? Like hell I'd want to help you with your stupid date! Wh-What, you think b-because I write r-r-romance novels I know wh-what the ideal d-date outfit is!? Is that it!?"

"Well...I did somewhat think that..." Kyoko admitted, "but I certainly didn't say anything of the sort...Apologies if I wasted your time Toko, but I have about 20 minutes left before I'm supposed to meet with Makoto-AH!?"

Kyoko started to walk past Toko, carrying her glitter soaked clothes, until the author suddenly grabbed her sleeve and pulled her away. Toko thrusted open the door to her room and practically chucked Kyoko inside.

"What the hell are you-UMPH!?" Kyoko snapped, but suddenly Toko threw something at her that hit her and smothered her face. Kyoko grabbed whatever it was that she had tossed and took a look at it. To her surprise, it was a flannel checkered-pattern dress, in pristine condition. Toko also reached into her wardrobe and pulled out some more clothing items. A pair of jeans, a shirt, a white undershirt and a black hat.

"M-My shower still works even is I don't use it," Toko pointed to it, "clean yourself up and put that on so I can fix you up some time BEFORE fucking tomorrow?"

"Toko..." Kyoko was touched by the act of kindness, but Toko still wasn't willing to accept it.

"D-Don't go getting all m-mushy on me!" she snapped, "i-if you hadn't b-brought up Komaru I wouldn't have bothered. If you're an e-embarrassment, her brothers an embarrassment, and if her brother's an embarrassment, K-Komaru herself is an embarrassment! She doesn't need to be more of an emb-barassm-ment than she already is!"

"Fine...in that case, I'll ask this." Kyoko placed the dress down neatly on the desk, "why is there a set of boys clothes with the exact same pattern here?"

"D-Don't you know?" Toko chuckled, "it's a thing c-corny c-couples like you guys do when they go on dates. Th-They wear m-matching clothes so that they c-can brag about th-their relationship to everyone without needing to s-say anything."

"Uh-huh..." Kyoko frowned, "so...you're saying that this getup won't be as effective on it's own until I convince Makoto to wear the other one?"

"Exactly!"

"And...why again do YOU have these clothes?"

"W-Well...it's...y'know, just in case!" Toko giggled, "imagine...Master Byakuya and I, wearing these...We'd attract looks and make everyone feel SO jealous HEHEHEHE!"

The very thought would no doubt irritate Byakuya beyond belief, but Kyoko kept that to herself considering Toko was going out of her way to lend her a hand. She instead looked at the matching pair of clothes and contemplated the situation.

To be honest, she was very torn on the idea. On one hand, the outfit Toko had picked was perfectly suited to the mid-autumn weather, and blended well with the orange afternoon skies and falling leaves of the park, so it was the ideal outfit. On the other hand, the idea of wearing matching outfits and standing out so much bothered Kyoko; plus there was no guarantee Makoto would be on board with the idea.

Still, it was worth a go.

"You know Toko, I think you're selling yourself short. You may think you don't know fashion or couple-related topics, but you're far more knowledgeable than you give yourself credit for," Kyoko smiled, "thanks for your help. Remind me to return the favor when you finally ask Komaru out on a date."

Toko made a noise that sounded very much like a sneeze, so Kyoko readied herself for Genocide Jill to come popping out. However, the "sneeze" was actually a splutter, and Toko glared at Kyoko with daggered eyes and a red face.

"D-DID YOU NOT JUST HEAR WHAT I SAID!? ABOUT ME AND BYAKUYA'S MAGICAL DATE!?" she shrieked, "m-me and OMARU!? I-I'm not-! We're not-!"

"Really? I thought for sure that you two were far too close to just be friends...guess I was wrong..." Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

"W-Well...yeah, we're close but...IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Toko snapped.

"You got me a present...!?" Makoto's eyes sparkled, "ooh! What is it!?"

Even for someone as abrasive as Kyoko, the excitement of her boyfriend was far too contagious. Even so, when she finally came forward to Makoto, she still didn't feel certain that this plan was going to work.

"I'm warning you," she said, "it might not turn out to be as good as you're expecting...But..."

Kyoko knew Makoto would be confused when she approached him looking so underdressed, but Makoto's face lit up with a mix of both realization and excitement when she pulled out both his and her outfits from behind her back.

"Wow! What a cute outfit-W-Wait! Is this a pair look!?" he exclaimed, looking back and forth between the outfits and Kyoko's flustered face, his expression growing more nervy, "Oh~? Hm~? Interesting idea Kyoko~ Though I didn't know you were the type."

"W-Well, I'm not..." Kyoko blushed, "the girls gave me some advice earlier and...Toko decided to lend me this. I couldn't exactly turn her down. I was honestly beginning to think that you wouldn't like the idea..."

"Toko? Why does she have an outfit like this?" Makoto asked.

"She claimed it was for a date with Byakuya," Kyoko explained, "which, if we're both being frank, isn't going to happen. Are you sure you're alright with this plan? I thought you'd have picked out your own outfit by now."

"Even if I did, this outfit is a present from you," Makoto grinned, "I'm absolutely going to wear it over any of my regular boring clothes. I really want to match with you."

"Wow that's...great..." Kyoko forced a thumbs up, "I'm...happy that you're happy."

Kyoko wasn't trying to lie through her teeth. She was being genuine, but was trying so hard to contain her joy in seeing Makoto's pure, untainted smile.

"Ok then. Let's change into these and head on out." Makoto took his outfit before Kyoko could say anything and headed off to his room. Kyoko on the other hand, stayed in the dorms lobby.

Even if Makoto approved, she still wasn't totally alright with the whole matching outfits thing. Even though she liked Toko's style, said style didn't really fit her.

Unfortunately, the outfits all the other girls had picked for her worked even less. Especially the weird scene-girl outfit with the puffy coat Komaru had chosen...and the ballgown picked out by Celeste...the Kimono wear Sakura chose wasn't suitable either...and god-forbid the tacky outfit Mukuro had stitched together. Clearly she had a worse fashion sense-than every one of them combined, ironic considering she was the Ultimate Fashionista's twin sister. That said, Junko hadn't been much help either. The outfit she chose was far too revealing.

However, this wasn't the only issue. The thought of being a "corny couple" as Toko had ever-so kindly put it, wasn't exactly appealing. She thought about this for far too long, and eventually, Makoto came back.

She had to admit, the flannel shirt and jeans looked great on him. But Makoto himself looked confused and rather let down.

"You haven't changed yet?" he asked.

"Um...well..." Kyoko scratched her head "I'm sorry...I don't think this style really fits me, so...Do you mind if I wear my normal clothes instead?"

"What, like your uniform or something?" Makoto asked, his heart clearly sinking in his chest just from the change in his expression, "but doesn't that defeat the purpose of matching?"

"Well, I guess so, but the outfit does still look fine on you on it's own," Kyoko said, "it's just...matching is...Well, if I must be honest, it's rather embarrassing..."

Makoto's face was dour and depressed. He looked at the flannel dress with complete and total disappointment.

"E-Embarrassing..." he considered, "you know, I guess you're right...Sorry I got so excited Kyoko..."

Kyoko was a stern figure and was always prepared for the worst possible situations whenever and wherever. She had stared killers in the face and been trapped and kidnapped multiple times over the course of her career. Yet out of everything she'd been up against, the one thing that she could not possibly hope to defeat was the earnesty of the boy she loved.

Kyoko re-examined the outfit. Even though it was a hand-me-down from Toko, which she had practically forced upon her, Kyoko had still brought the outfit to Makoto. She had basically given him half of a whole, and if she didn't wear it, what would even be the point of showing him both outfits?

Besides, it's not like she had many other options.

"You know what? I'm sorry Makoto. I was just thinking too hard about it." she smiled.

"No, no, it's ok!" Makoto assured her, "you don't like it. You don't have to force yourself."

"No, I'm not forcing myself," Kyoko told him, "Toko may have been the one to lend me this outfit, but I gave it to you as a present because I wanted you to be happy...Even though I wasn't sure whether you would be..."

"Aw, Kyoko!" Makoto beamed again, "why didn't you just say that in the first place!?"

Kyoko obviously gave in. She took the outfit and hat back to her room, dressed in both, and then headed out to the park in matching outfits with her boyfriend, sandwiches and other picnic stuff along with them.

"Hey...isn't that...?"

"Those two are members of the 78th class! The Ultimate Detective and this year's Ultimate Lucky Student! Are they on a date!?"

"Dude! They're wearing matching outfits!"

"Y'know, I heard a rumor that they were dating, but I didn't think they were THIS crazy for each other."

"Damn...Didn't think Kirigiri-san was the type..."

It unfortunately became painfully obvious what both Kyoko and Makoto had totally overlooked by the time they actually headed out for their picnic. The park they decided to visit was relatively close to the school building. It was an optimal choice, not just because it was close, but because of how pretty it was at this time of year. The bold and homely colours of the autumn leaves and the golden afternoon sun that shone down on them made this the perfect setting for a romantic time alone together.

Is what WOULD have been the case if they were ACTUALLY alone together. Since they had chosen the time to be right after the end of the school day, a lot of other academy attendees, not just from the main course, but the reserve course as well, were also visiting the park, and recognizing the two on site in their matching outfits. They had even spotted a few people they recognized. Their senpai in Class 77, Chiaki Nanami had said hello to them, accompanied by her friend from the reserve course, Hajime Hinata. They'd even ran into fellow classmate, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, and barely managed to avoid him giving them a lecture on code of conduct and retaining public image, even outside of school grounds.

Toko wasn't kidding about the couple's outfit attracting attention, but this was more than Kyoko bargained for. To be honest, if it was a bunch of random passersby, she might not have minded so much, but the obvious chattering and whispering coming from the people who recognized them were so distinguishable, even Makoto started to look bothered by it.

"Hey, K-Kyoko...Would you like another sandwich?" Makoto handed her some more food.

"Y-Yes please..." she said, shifting awkwardly as she reached out her hand to take it. Makoto leaned in slightly when she did.

"You know, I see what you meant about this being embarrassing..." he lowered his voice, "it's difficult to relax and enjoy ourselves with so many people watching us."

"Tell me about it," Kyoko grumbled, "somehow even this sandwich tastes unusual...God forbid if we run into anyone from my Grandfather's agency here..."

"Knowing my luck, it'd be a miracle if that didn't happen," Makoto scratched his face, "we stand out way too much for our own good."

"Toko did kind of warn me about this, so shame on me for that one," Kyoko hushed, "although, I think the real issue is the dating spot. This place is lovely, but the couples look is embarrassing in such an easily-accessible place like this one."

"Well, I mean...yeah, I'm feeling a little self-conscious," Makoto smiled awkwardly, "but...you know what? It makes for a nice change. In more ways than one."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not used to getting so much attention from people...Nor am I really used to going on dates in public like this...Especially not with someone as cool and as pretty as you~"

This sudden smooth move almost made Kyoko do a double take, but she retained her composure.

"When you put it like that, I suppose this is a new experience for me too," she smiled, "so long as you're happy, then I'm happy."

"You really mean that? Hehe...In that case~"

Without a word of warning, Makoto suddenly leaned in further and passionately kissed Kyoko on the lips. Her eyes widened, but in spite of the surprised and flustered glares of everyone around them, she didn't even feel the slightest compulsion to pull away.

"Woah! Look at them go!"

"Can't they see us standing here! These two are out of control!"

"So cute! I might have a new OTP!"

"Boyfriend and girlfriend? Nah dude, this is Husband and Wife shit going on right here!"

"Pah! Lousy show-offs! Rubbin' it in everyone's faces just because they happened to strike lucky!"

"Wh-What did you do that for?" Kyoko's lip trembled as Makoto pulled away.

"Tee-hee~ There was a bit of jam left on your lips," Makoto winked, "just getting it off for you~"

"Oh...I see..." Kyoko flushed, but then the realization dawned on her, causing her to frown at Makoto, "wait a minute...I haven't eaten any jam sandwiches...!"

"Hehe...I know..." he giggled cheekily, suddenly standing up and grabbing his wallet, "sit tight for a moment. I'm gonna go buy us some drinks."

Makoto walked off towards a drinks stand nearby, leaving Kyoko by herself with their picnic. Kyoko brushed her lips with her hand.

After a moment, she finally fully processed what had just happened. She double checked, but she indeed hadn't eaten any jam sandwiches since they'd arrived. If there was really nothing on her face, could only mean that Makoto had only kissed her so everyone else would see and be jealous?

"Psh...could he get any cuter?" Kyoko pulled her hat over her eyes and blushed profusely, "though...I wish he wouldn't just leave me alone in full view of everyone by myself..."

Not like the two of them side-by-side in matching outfits was any better. In fact, it was probably worse. But by now, Kyoko had more than accepted that for today, she was in the spotlight, and there was no going back.

Unbeknownst to either one of the Nae-Giri couple though, of all the people in the park who happened to be glancing towards them, they failed to notice the small group of people who were spying on them through binoculars. Curious about what was actually going down following their disastrous dress-up session, Komaru, Sayaka and Hina had decided to check in on the couple. By some unknown feat, Toko had also been dragged along to the park, though she certainly wasn't looking the same way as the others.

"OOOH! So bold!" Sayaka flushed as she saw Makoto kiss her.

"For real! There's so many people looking their way, but he's acting like no one in the world is watching!" Hina's eyes sparkled, "I'm proud of you Makoto! Didn't know you had it in ya'!"

"There's a lot of things about my brother that may surprise you," Komaru giggled, "but...I gotta say, not even I expected he would get them matching outfits to wear. They do look good though."

"Oh? Didn't you know?" Sayaka smiled, "I heard Toko leant Kyoko the outfits, and that she's the one who came up with the idea."

"Wait, for real!?" Hina exclaimed.

"Wh-What's YOUR problem...!?" Toko stammered, "I-I-I know that y-you probably think I'm a h-heartless wench of a w-woman, but I can be nice wh-when I want to be! Besides, i-if this moron hadn't covered Kyoko in g-glitter, I might not have b-bothered!"

"Eeehehe...Guilty as charged on that one..." Komaru chuckled nervously.

"B-By the way, s-speaking of heartless, it's p-pretty cruel of you t-to be spying on them like this. Keep going if you're getting a kick out of it, b-but I'm out of here."

Toko turned tail and began to leave, but Komaru suddenly rushed over and grabbed her arm.

"Toko, wait!"

"D-DAMMIT! What!?" she turned around and snapped. Komaru took hold of her hand and held it close, a huge grin on her face.

"I...I just wanted to say thanks a whole bunch for helping my brother and his girlfriend on their date. It was really cool of you!" she laughed, "who knew you were such a softy under all that awkward."

Toko stared at her, unable to tell whether the bright light that shone on her glasses was coming from the sun low in the sky, or from Komaru herself. Her face began to grow red, until she turned around and started stomping away.

"It's getting c-cold!" she snapped, "if I stay out here any longer I might sneeze!"

"H-Huh!? But...you look warm as toast! Toko, where are you going!?" Komaru called after her. As Toko rushed away, she cursed in her mind.

Damn those Naegi's and their contagious smiles...

[johaerys-writes]

WIP Wednesday

I was tagged in recent memory by @noire-pandora @hexcore-juggler @inquisitoracorn @zuendwinkel, thank you so much! Always a treat to see what you've been working on <3

I've finally got around to working on the next chapter of A World With You, and I'm so excited for the Winter Palace! Especially for all the different ways everyone's freaking out about it, lol. So have some Dorian doing what he does best: causing a scene 😌

Dorian’s jaw fell slack. His ears buzzed with white noise, and he had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t caught in some horrific nightmare. “Excuse me, Madame de Fer,” he said, “could you repeat what you just said, if you don’t mind?”

“Which part, darling?”

“The part where 'we won’t be choosing our own outfits.' I think my ears may have deceived me.”

“Haven’t you heard?” Vivienne tilted her head ever so slightly to the side, watching every shift in his expression with increasing interest. “Every Inquisition member attending the Masquerade will be required to wear a uniform. The exact same uniform. Even the buttons will be identical, from what I’ve been told.”

“The— what?” Dorian let the armful of books he was holding fall on Varric’s desk with a clatter. Varric’s pen rattled in its fountain when the whole desk shook with the force of it, and the dwarf jolted from his seat to hold it in place before it toppled over. The throngs of visiting nobles closest to them abruptly stopped their conversations to gawk at them, but Dorian couldn’t exactly bring himself to care right then.

“Vivienne, my dear,” he said tightly, “if you’re joking, this is the time to say it.”

“Oh, I’m being perfectly serious.” The edges of Vivienne’s full lips curled in a knowing smirk as she folded her arms before her with practised leisure. “I’m surprised you didn’t know of it, Dorian. Seeing as you spend so much of your time in the Inquisitor’s company. Didn’t he tell you?”

Dorian gnashed his teeth. “No,” he growled under his breath, “he did not.” For which Dorian would absolutely be murdering him in a minute from now. Uniforms? Uniforms? Dorian hadn’t worn a uniform since he was in the Order of Argent, and he’d been forced to wear that stiff, scratchy, black and white monstrosity they’d given them back then. He would be lying if that wasn’t one of the reasons he had run away in the first place— Dorian wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something that hideous. And now to be told that he’d be wearing such a thing to the party of the year? Oh, Dorian had some choice words for whoever came up with the idea, and they weren’t at all pleasant. 

Tagging forth to: @in-arlathan @elveny @mogwaei @pikapeppa @serial-chillr @faerieavalon @pinkfadespirit @dafan7711 @tessa1972 @aymayzing @tevivinter @juliafied and anyone else who'd like to share their work!

[lovelybarnes]

home- b. barnes

pairings: bucky barnes x reader

warnings: language, alcohol mentions and drinking, the use of my own headcanon that bucky gets very clingy when he finds someone he trusts and loves

about: (requested!) prompt 21: person a tugging on person b’s shirt

bucky has been a lot clingier than usual. you suppose it’s your fault, you have dragged him everywhere with you since you met him- although that was to help bring him out of his shell and get him to actually go outside. you’re not sure if your efforts have backfired, as he’ll be trudging behind you like a lovestruck puppy wherever you go, no matter if it’s around the compound or in the small boutiques you frequent. you convince yourself they didn’t, since his days aren’t spent locked in his room, which you consider a win.

a knock you identify as natasha’s interrupts your mutters about an entrance you hadn’t seen before, natasha’s voice cutting through the peaceful silence. “i swear i saw you in that exact same place like five hours ago,” she states, leaning against your door frame as you shrug, not looking up. “you should take a break, the plan you made yesterday is great.”

you’re going over mission plans in your room, trying to figure out the best way to infiltrate the very last hydra base and succeed in cutting off the last of the organization’s heads. bucky is sleeping, his head on your lap. the hand that isn’t skimming the lines on the blueprint is combing through bucky’s hair, calming him down and chasing away his nightmares. once in a while, you coo inattentively when he begins to stir, not wanting him to wake up.

you had been away for two days, during which he got a grand total of three hours of sleep, the rest of his attempts driven away by nightmares. you calm him down, he says, so he’s slept in your room with you ever since you got back. it’s a strange sight seeing the former winter soldier, over two hundred pounds and six feet tall, resting bitch face pressed on the skin of your legs.

“there are always possible ways to fail, i need it to be foolproof,” you respond distractedly. natasha rolls her eyes and raises her hand, holding a pair of black heels between her fingers. “we’re all going out in half an hour,” she instructs, and you furrow your brows, staring at the intimidatingly tall shoes, “what? we are?” natasha hums, raising an eyebrow at bucky, “i haven’t been able to spend any time with you since you got back, besides, you need to have fun for a few hours.”

“i am having fun,” you lie. and natasha, unsurprisingly, sees right through it, shaking the heels and letting you know you have thirty minutes. you sigh, pushing the plans away and stretching, already planning to wear something casual, even though wanda will probably have a fit about it and point out the new dresses you have stored in your closet.

“you do deserve a break,” bucky points out from your thighs, and you look down at him, not realizing he was awake. shrugging, you agree, “i guess you’re right.”

bucky hums in reply, sitting up and looking over the blueprints you just set down. “i also guess i have to get ready, then,” you say, pressing a kiss to bucky’s cheek before going to your closet and taking out what you want.

bucky isn’t in your room when you walk out of the bathroom, light makeup applied (an illusion because you have no idea how to do it), jeans and a loose shirt that you somehow make refined, and heels that you bought months ago with no real occasion in mind. you hope the heels pull the outfit together and get you the wanda seal of approval, avoiding getting sent back to your room and having the woman make a mess of your closet to find something else.

you check yourself out in the mirror one final time, squinting at yourself. “you look amazing, doll,” bucky compliments, coming in through your door to stare at you and kiss your shoulder. you look back at him, appreciating how he looks, stunning as always. “you don’t look so bad yourself,” you reply cheesily, admiring the smile that adorns his face when the words leave your mouth.

it appears you and bucky are the last to be ready, seeing how everyone other than sam, steve, and nat were already on their way to wherever it was you were going. “whoo,” sam whistles, and you twirl when nat claps and asks you to. “you look hot,” she comments, and you do a proud little bow, “i can clean up when i want to.”

“and this will be worth it. we are staying out late like we used to,” natasha declares. you grin, “hopefully i don’t fall asleep. missions are tiring. especially when you finish them that quick.”

“ah yes, we are celebrating the new record y/n set!” steve reminds, and you tilt your head in smug satisfaction. “oh yes, i did beat nat, didn’t i?”

shooting the russian redhead a faux complacent look as she smiles, “enjoy it while it lasts,” she replies simply, and you nod, “i absolutely will. i know there’ll be a new one by next week.”

you manage to drink half of your weight in liquor by the second hour you’re at the new bar, chatting with wanda over her and vision’s relationship while sam flirts with someone next to you. bucky is surprisingly invested in the conversation, pointing out how happy vision has been- as much as he’s noticed, he’s still getting used to vision being a synthezoid- which makes wanda blush and smile wider. you can tell his social battery is running out, though, and you can’t blame him, exhausting your own with how many times you’ve rejected guys and held useless conversations with both the avengers and random people you bump into.

natasha has managed to get you into the dance floor, and you manage to have fun, even through the tiredness that hasn’t stopped coursing throughout your veins and smell of sweat and sex. you’ve sweated out the alcohol in your system, sitting next to your boyfriend while you’re telling steve what you saw the other day. sam is listening along, head tilting back in laughter when you inform him that tony wears captain america underwear. how you found that out, you prefer not repeating.

bucky doesn’t add on to conversations anymore, instead listening silently and driving away any men that dare to bother you with a threatening glare. it isn’t needed, but appreciated regardless.

which each hour that passes, you can see less of the avengers and more of the sun’s yellow, your body planted in your seat, listening to the others’ conversations. you’ve bitten back enough yawns to know your night is ending, your shorter answers only reassuring you.

you’re nodding along to one of tony’s stories when you feel a tug on your shirt, not needing to turn to figure out who it is, but you do anyways.

“can we go home?” bucky asks, weariness clear in the bags under his eyes as you nod, tangling your fingers with his vibranium ones. you bid everyone goodbye, bucky lingering behind you, his own farewells a silent nod of his head if any.

you nearly fall asleep next to him in the car, and he swears it’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen.

-

he’s waiting for you on your bed as you get ready for bed, walking out and ruffling his hair when you see how he’s sprawled out. “come to bed, y/n,” he pleads when you begin to walk away again, his fingers pulling at your-his, really- shirt. “i’m almost done,” you promise, fulfilling it when you come back not a minute later.

he wraps you in his arms and is out like a light, dreams of you replacing the nightmares he’s had, and he vows he’ll never let you go.

[dreamwritesimagines]

Burn The Witch 4 - Making Believe [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s the next chapter, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.

Summary: A lot can happen in a coffee shop. 

Series Masterlist

Considering all the missions your superiors had sent you, this wasn’t the first one to make you end up with a gunshot wound, but it was the first one that you were assigned to seduce the target and ended up with a gunshot wound as a first impression.

Now that you had met Bucky, the next step would be easier. You just hoped he wouldn’t suspect something was up like General kept warning you about, so you had to make sure to memorize every single detail of your cover story.

Instead of being a trained assassin, you were now working in a milkshake shop.

Instead of having lived there your whole life, you were now clueless about the city since you had recently moved there.

Instead of liking horror movies, you now loved rom-coms.

New identity, new apartment, new car, new everything. It was as if the real you had never existed, but none of that was your biggest issue right now.

It was your new uniform for the milkshake shop.

“Jesus Christ,” you muttered to yourself, looking in the mirror before fixing your skirt. Even after a week, you still weren’t used to wearing it, the uniform was some sort of a retro diner waitress costume with red and white stripes, cinched waist and a white apron over the short skirt. “I’m going to kill whoever picked this after I’m done with the mission.”

“Y/N?” Chloe called out from the living room, “Come on, we need to go over everything for today.”

You ran a hand over your face and walked to the living room to find your two best friends sprawling on the couch. Keith let out a laugh as soon as he saw you in that outfit, but managed to hide it by pressing his fist on his lips while Chloe kicked at his boot.

“I didn’t say anything!” He held up his hands, “Will you break my phone again if I take a picture?”

“Yeah,” you pointed at him, “I will, so don’t even.”

“We need to go over the plan,” Chloe said, “Today is the day you accidentally run into Barnes, he’ll be at that coffee shop.”

“How do you know where he will be?”

Chloe scoffed, “Hello? I’m a genius hacker?”

Keith sat up straighter, turning the pages of your file.

“Okay so,” he said, “You guys will probably make some small talk, let’s have some practice. Pretend I’m Bucky, how will you talk about yourself?”

“We don’t need to practice it, it’s not my first rodeo,” you reminded him “I got this.”

“Y/N, no offense but he isn’t some clueless civilian okay? The guy was going after targets before you or your parents were born for that matter. The tiniest mistake could tip him off.”

“He has a point.”

“Fine,” you sighed, fixing your nametag, “Let’s practice then.”

Keith took a deep breath and cleared his throat, “Look at that, we ran into each other again.”

You frowned at his deep voice, “Bucky doesn’t sound like one of those robots in the Terminator, Keith.”

“I’m in the zone, just go with it,” he said as offered you his hand, and you shook it.

“Yeah, hi again.”

“I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“Oh that’s normal, I just moved here. A month ago.”

“You just moved here?” he repeated “Really? Did you get used to the city yet?”

“A little.”

“I bet your family misses you.”

“Not really, I grew up with my grandmother. She passed away last year.”

“Any siblings?”

“No.”

Keith raised his brows, “Can you be less specific?”

“Keith—“

“You’re not acting like a civilian right now, you’re acting like a spy who has been forced to socialize and he will see right through that,” he told you. “You have to give him more details, civilians talk about themselves a lot.”

“It’s true,” Chloe said, “Once I was in this speed dating thing and just- don’t ask. They don’t stop talking about themselves.”

Keith pursed his lips only for a moment, stealing a look at Chloe before turning to you,

“Let’s try again. Any siblings?”

You rolled your eyes, “Unfortunately not. I’m an only child but when I was a kid, I kept begging my parents for a sister. My mom asked me what would happen if I got a brother, apparently I went like “but mommy, you can give him back then!””

“There we go, embarrassing childhood memories,” Keith grinned, “Good idea.”

You checked your wristwatch, “I gotta run,” you said, “You guys can see yourselves out.”

“I was actually hoping I could stay a little more,” Chloe said, “To make this place look a bit more appropriate. I suppose you’ll bring him here at some point?”

You pulled your brows together, looking around. “Yeah, so? There’s a bedroom.”

“Ever the romantic, this one,” Keith said and Chloe shook her head,

“Y/N, he needs to see something personal otherwise he might get suspicious.”

You pursed your lips, deep in thought, “You mean like sex toys?”

“Oh Jesus…”

“Contrary to popular belief, when people say they want to see something personal, they don’t refer to sex toys.” Keith stated helpfully, “That being said, we’re all screwed if you end up falling for a civilian, you have no idea how to act like one.”

“I meant personal as in stuff to make your place look more homely,” Chloe explained, “Things from your cover’s past that show him we didn’t fabricate this whole identity.”

“Even if we did,” Keith mumbled under his breath and she nodded.

“Even if we did. He needs to see something personal when he comes here, like…” she motioned at the walls, “Like your childhood pictures or your art projects from when you were seventeen.”

“I was learning how to use a pencil as a knife when I was seventeen, Chloe.”

“Exactly. Just let me handle it, I’ve been watching so many makeover shows lately.”

You shrugged your shoulders, “Knock yourself out,” you said, “I have milkshakes to fill, see you guys later.”

“Go get him tiger!”

“You got this!” Chloe called out as you walked to the door, “Just be confident and your milkshake will bring all the ex-assassins to the yard!”

You let out a small laugh, then closed the door behind you before throwing your shoulders back and going down the stairs.

                                                         ***

Approaching the target as your training taught you had to have certain steps. You couldn’t just implant yourself in their life, you had to wait until they thought it was their choice to include you in their lives. Sometimes it took more time than you had patience for, but in the end it was worth it.

Seeing that Bucky Barnes was no civilian, every single step had to be checked twice.

Well the uniform would help the mission, at least a little.

A distracted target was a good target.

You lowered the binoculars before pushing them into your purse and fixing the apron wrapped around your waist. Bucky was sitting with Sam at the coffee shop and they seemed to be in a deep discussion, not even aware of what was going on around them. You took a deep breath and approached the door before you pushed it, then slowly made your way to the barista.

“Hi, can I get a cappuccino please? Small.” You smiled at her and went to the counter on the right to wait for your order. Out of the corner of your eye you could see Sam looking at you with a frown before saying something to Bucky, nodding in your direction. You kept your eyes on the counter, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet before you scratched around the tape of the bandage over the bullet wound absentmindedly.

Come on…. you thought Come on, approach me already, just come here….

“Here you go, miss.”

“Thank you,” you said, taking the cup off the counter before you started pouring sugar into it just to stall, and finally heard someone clear their throat behind you.

Bingo.

You looked over your shoulder and turned around, your jaw dropping.

“Come on,” you let out a giggle, “Is this real?”

Bucky smiled slightly and pursed his lips together as if he wasn’t familiar with the gesture, “Uh…hi.”

“Hi!” you said, your voice way too high pitched for a moment, “Wow. We meet again, my hero.”

His smile widened and he rubbed the back of his neck, “How’s your arm?”

“Healing,” you ran a finger over the tape of the bandage, “I didn’t die, that’s something. But the doctor said that was the worst bullet wound he had ever seen in his life.”

Bucky frowned, “Wait, really?”

“No, I’m just trying to look badass,” you admitted, making him chuckle, “They didn’t even think it needed stitches.”

“Ah,” he said and motioned at your uniform, “So you’re a…?”

You scrunched up your nose in what you hoped to be a cute manner and shot him an abashed look, “I know. I thought the exact same thing when I first saw myself in it.”

“I doubt that,” he mumbled more to himself and you tilted your head, batting your lashes.

“Hm?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly, “So the uniform?”

“I work at this milkshake shop just around the corner,” you said, “Apparently retro shops are popular nowadays. It’s supposed to look like this pin up style— can you tell me what’s wrong with the dress so that I can tell the owner what a ridiculous idea it is?”

He opened his mouth and closed it again, looking you up and down, “I don’t- it’s-“ he stammered “You know, it was such a long time ago. I think it looks perfectly fine.”

“Does it?”

“Absolutely.”

You grinned at him, “Well in any case, you should drop by sometime. Milkshakes are better than the uniform, I promise.”

“Yeah?”

You nodded, “Yeah! I would’ve invited you sooner but by the time I was done at the hospital you had already left, and they also told me you paid for the whole thing and the taxi, so…”

“Don’t worry about it,” he waved a hand, “It’s nothing.”

You bit down on your lip, “If you don’t mind me asking,” you said softly, “Why did you leave in a hurry? I mean obviously you didn’t have to stay, I’m sure you’re very busy and—“

“No no, it’s nothing like that,” Bucky cut you off, “I just didn’t want you to think you owed me anything, that’s all.”

“Huh,” you clicked your tongue, “I see. I was wondering what the catch was, didn’t have to wait that long. That’s good to know.”

He raised his brows, amused for some reason, “What’s the catch?”

“You’re too much of a gentleman.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not really,” you taunted him “Just unfamiliar.”  

His gaze lingered on you as you took a sip of your coffee, keeping your eyes on him.

“I hope you got home safe though,” he said after a beat and you thought for a moment.

“I did, and now I know to stay away from dark alleys in New York,” you said, “Lesson learned I’d say.”

“You’re not from around here?”

“I- no, I actually moved here just a month ago,” you said, “I grew up in a small town, we didn’t really have robbers or anything. And I managed to get mugged within the first thirty days in a big city. A true New York experience, I feel like I belong here already.”

“Your folks must be losing their minds if you attract trouble that fast in the city.”

“No one is losing their minds, it’s just me,” you said and when you saw his quizzical glances, you felt the need to explain. “I grew up with my grandma and I lost her a year ago, so…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Ah it’s okay,” you said, “She wouldn’t want me to live in sadness, she told me that herself. You can’t focus on what ifs, you know? We just decide what to do with the time left for us and that’s it. Past would drive all of us crazy otherwise.”

He looked almost surprised at your take on loss and when you saw the soft light in his eyes, you knew you had just hit jackpot.

“You’re a glass half full kind of person, huh?”

Nope, I’m more of a “use the glass as a weapon” kind of person.

“Yeah,” you said, “There are enough pessimists in the world, and they don’t need me within their ranks. No one really did anything nice by thinking the worst anyways.”

“Oh you were definitely not raised here.”

Your jaw dropped, “You know what Mr. Barnes, I’d take that as an offense but lucky for you, you saved me the other day, so I’ll let that slide.”

“Mm hm,” He looked like he was struggling with himself not to laugh, “Lucky me.”

You narrowed your eyes at him playfully, then checked your wristwatch.

“I should probably go, my boss cares a lot about punctuality,” you said, “But is it okay if I gave you my number?”

He stared at you for a couple of seconds as if he couldn’t believe you.

“Wait- really?”

“I mean I was going to wait until you asked me, but apparently you’re too much of a gentleman,” you joked as he hastily grabbed his phone from his pocket and handed it to you. You typed in your number, then saved it.

Y/N (The Milkshake Girl)

Bucky tilted his head, his brows furrowed, “What, you didn’t think I’d recognize your name?”

“Well it’s better to be safe than sorry,” you joked, “Besides you should really come by sometime. We have the best chocolate milkshakes. It’s on the house.”

He smiled, “I will.”

You took a step, then held your breath and turned around as if you had just remembered something.

As if it wasn’t all practiced.

“But not after 4 on Mondays and Wednesdays,” you said, “I volunteer at the soup kitchen then.”

That light in his eyes was almost gentle, as if he was worried he could hurt you just by looking at you, but couldn’t stop himself from doing so.

“I’ll see you not after 4 on Mondays and Wednesdays then,” he said and you giggled, then turned around and walked to the door. Sam was watching you with a small, proud grin on his lips so you waved at him and left the coffee shop, still holding the warm cup tightly in your hand.

As soon as you were sure you were out of their sight, you dropped the smile, exhaled a relaxed breathe and grabbed your phone to touch the contact on the screen.

“I’m sorry, our delivery service is down right now,” the voice said and you scratched around the tape on your arm before telling her the code;

“That’s okay, I can wait until the rain stops.”

There was a click on the other line and soon enough you heard the assistant’s voice.

“Hello?”

“This is Shrike, put me through the General.”

“Of course, a second please,” she said and you tossed the cup into the garbage can, then General’s voice reached you.

“Shrike?”

“Sir, I just called to inform you that I’ve contacted the target for the second time,” you said, “Everything is going according to plan, my report will be on your desk by tonight.”

“He didn’t suspect anything?”

“No sir.”

“Okay,” he said, “Don’t move too fast, alright? We don’t want to spook him.”

“Of course.”

“And Shrike?” he said, “Good job.”

A smile lit up your face, “Thank you sir,” you said and hung up, closing your eyes and leaning back to the wall.

“Okay,” you whispered to yourself, “You got this, he’s just another target. Let the games begin.”

Chapter 5

[willowbleedsonpaper]

Winter In The Shade VI

Part VI

Sirius Black x Ravenclaw Reader

W.C. : 2492

Requested by @amourtentiaa : It is Sirius’ fifth year at Hogwarts, the same year he ran away from home and to the Potter’s. Soon, he discovers the unfamiliar sight of his brother Regulus smiling and looking truly happy, next to him a Ravenclaw girl who immediately captures his interest. What will happen when the Black family gets involved in their sons lives and the ones they hold close to their hearts?

Warnings: None

A/N: I didn't proof read so I apologize for any mistakes.

Want to know when I post the next part? Add yourself to my taglist!

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

The distant chatter in the common room was nothing but a melody that accompanied your soft humming, moving around the room as you got ready. You found yourself alone in your dorm, your roommates long gone by then. You danced around your bed, your feet softly moving to the rhythm or the song stuck in your head as you laid your outfit for the night over the bed, a smile appearing on your face with an approving look. It wasn’t nothing that would make you stand out, but by no means it was something you would wear on a normal day around the Castle. You put it on gently, walking to the mirror as your smile brightened, you looked beautiful. Something you felt confident in, comfortable to wear for the night. You fell to the chair in front of the mirror, getting the silver necklace that would finish off the look for the night.

One more look at your reflection and you stood, standing straight “You’ll have fun.” you said to yourself through the reflection “You’ll have fun and make memories.” Your smile fell, the knot in your stomach tightening as you said. “You’ll find Sirius, dance and forget all this ever happened.” But did you truly want to forget?

You couldn’t deny that Sirius’ request had filled you with excitement when you forced yourself to stop pretending you were upset. You weren’t upset in the slightest, quite the opposite, actually. You were angry at yourself for feeling the way you did, for liking the interactions with Sirius even after you had asked him to stop. You had rolled your eyes when he flashed you with smiles from across the hall, glared at him when he sent dangerous winks in your direction while standing next to Regulus, you had turned on him and walked away when he crossed your path and even yanked your hand from your side as he brushed his hand against yours while walking through the halls. But there was no denying the butterflies waking up in your stomach when he smiled at you, the skip in your heart beat when you found him looking at you or the way your hand wanted to reach for the warmth of his. You were a confusing mess filled with guilt, what kind of friend will that make you?

You shook the thought from your head, looking at you one last time in the mirror before you left for the stairs of your common room. This is exactly why you’re doing this, you reminded yourself, you’re being a good friend. You repeated in your head as you descended to the common room, stopping in your steps “Reg?” you asked with a laugh, your voice high as he turned at the sound of your voice “What are you doing here?” you asked, hoping he didn’t see your mind crashing inside your head.

“I thought I’ll come here and walk you to the party like a proper date.” he said, standing from the chair “Memories, remember?” he said, his features completely relaxed.

He wasn’t supposed to be there.

You smiled at him “You didn’t have to.” you said, awkwardly placing your hands over his shoulders “You had something to do, didn’t you?” you reminded him “A class or something.”

He shook his head, the corner of his mouth lifting ever so slightly “ I’ll have time for that later, I only have today with you.”

You tilted your head, looking up at him with a soft smile “Oh, Regulus.” you whispered, lowering your hands as you wrapped your arms around his waist, his arms instantly holding you against him “You really didn’t have to.” you muttered.

“I think my best friend is more important than my tasks.” he said.

You frowned “Tasks?” you asked, moving to look back at him.

“Nothing important,” he told you “Shall we?” he moved to offer you his arm, one you gladly took as he led you outside. Walking in silence for a couple of minutes before you turned to him “Who let you inside my common room?” you asked, squinting at him.

He raised his eyebrows with a shrug “Myself,” he said simply “Answering a riddle, really? No wonder everyone is in and out of that common room.”

“Regulus!” you said with a squeal “Not everyone can answer those. It takes skill.”

He scoffed, both of you standing at the doors of the Great Hall, his eyes lowering to look at you “It takes a brain and common sense.” he replied, glancing between you and the party inside; a smile drawing itself over his lips as he watched the glint in your eyes, the excitement shining through. “Ready?” he asked, giving your hand a soft squeeze.

You turned to him, the glistening in your eyes never faltering as your smile only grew, reaching your eyes “Let’s make memories, Reg.”

*******

“Would you calm down?” said James, his body leaning against one of the pillars of the Great hall, his hand lazily holding a drink as he took a sip from it, his eyes looking over the cup and towards Sirius and his incessant pacing “Y/N doesn’t struck me as one to promise things lightly.” he said, Sirius soft scoff making him roll his eyes with a smile “She’ll show up.”

James patted Sirius on the back, the motion breaking Sirius’ gaze from the entrance, a scoff leaving his lips as he let the weight of his body fall against the wall “You don’t know that.” he said, fingers fidgeting with the rings carefully placed on his fingers “What am I doing, Prongs?” he asked, a look of disbelief taking over his grey orbs.

James laughed, throwing his head back in the air as he went to stand next to Sirius “Quoting the same words you told me years ago,” he said, placing a hand on Sirius’ shoulder as “You are screwed.” he said, repeating the same words Sirius once told James when he first starting liking certain redhead girl.

Sirius covered his face, his words muffled by his hands “Save me.” he cried playfully, the laughs of the two best friends only increasing in the corner of the Great Hall they had taken for themselves.

“Nah.” said James with a bright smile “I don’t think I’ve seen you this happy in a while. Better take advantage of it.”

Sirius bit his lower lip, shaking his head as he let out a breathy laugh. The words he had on his lips dying right there with the commotion of Peter running straight to them, Remus standing by the door making wide signs with his arms to gather Sirius’s attention.

“She 's here.” Peter breathed out, doubling over himself as he rested both hands over his knees, trying to his breathing back. James took hold of his friend's arm, leading him to the side “You ran all over the Castle, didn't you…” But James’ voice faded in the distance, as everything that surrounded Sirius once he saw you entering the Great Hall.

You took slow steps towards the party, your gaze staying on the ceiling since the first moment you crossed the big wooden doors. Even with great distance separating the two of you he could see the way your eyes shone with excitement, your smile the brightest he had ever seen on your face, he made sure to save that exact picture of you in his head. Always bright, always you.

It wasn’t until you broke out of your trance that he turned to the person walking with you, to the person whose arm you clutched to like your life depended on it. He had forgotten, you had a date. It didn’t surprise him when his eyes found the face of his brother looking at you with that smile that seemed so unknown to him, so distant. Your face remained the same, an almost childlike excitement to your features as you started to point out things, letting go of his arm to take both Regulus’ hands in yours, making small movements in the air to the rhythm of the music.

He expected his brother to shake his head, let your hands fall from the air and cross his arms, only to hear the small chuckle that left his chest, his hand motioning to you to lead the way as you jumped slightly in your place.

As you turned your body, your eyes caught sight of the older Black sibling, your features falling into softer ones while taking a firm hold of Regulus hand, a smile was drawn over your lips, one only Sirius could see as you walked an disappeared into the crowd

“What are you doing?” Remus snapped his fingers in front of Sirius, his face turning with a haze in his eyes “You were supposed to do something!” said Remus, his hands pointing wildly to the spot you stood a fraction of a second before.

Sirius nodded his head slowly, his eyes focusing on his friend “The party had just begun, Moony.” he said confidently “The night’s still young.”

*******

You led Regulus through the crowd, your feet moving to the rhythm of the music as you reached a more secluded place. It still had some students there enjoying the party but it was nothing like the main Hall where all the crowd was gathered.

“You promised me something long ago.” you said, lowering your head to meet his eyes.

“Did I?” he asked playfully, but still you could see the gears inside his head working to remember what he had promised, his silence a confirmation he had reached to nothing.

“You promised you would teach me how to dance.” you said.

His eyes opened wide, turning back to the ongoing party “You want me to show you how to dance right now?” He asked “During the party?”

“Yes!”

He took one hesitant look back at the party, the safe place where you two stood now almost making him refuse your request but one look at you it’s all it took for him to give in.

He offered his hand and you took it with a squeal, making him chuckle “It’s not even the right music, you know?”

“Does it matter?” you asked him.

A grin was plastered on his face, placing himself in front of you “It has never stopped me before.”

You smiled up at him, placing one hand over his shoulder as he took your free hand, his other hand firmly placed over your waist. “Ready?” he asked.

“Ready.” you said with a nod.

To say you learned how to dance would be a complete lie. He spent probably five minutes teaching how to dance before you both got distracted. In the end you ended up dancing to however your body felt the music, swinging your arms together in the air as he made you twirl, most of the time making you a dizzy chuckling mess. The Great Hall was left behind at some point, leaving the party and the crowd to be on its own as you and Regulus escaped to your own world. Laughter and quick footsteps echoed through the halls of Hogwarts, running as you chased each other around until you both could no longer breath properly.

Your bodies rested against the cold stone walls, letting it fall to the floor with your chest heaving at a rapid pace.

“That was fun.” Regulus said.

You chuckled, turning to him with a smile that in no way could compare to the one he had on his own face. He had his head thrown back, resting comfortably against the wall, he had his eyes closed and a smile adorning his lips. He looked peaceful.

“It was.” you whispered.

“Regulus.”

You snapped your eyes up, meeting a bored look in the boy in front of you He never stopped to acknowledge your presence, his eyes lingering on your friend as he jumped to his feet. You copied his movements, but he moved to stand in front of you, covering your body with his.

“Severus.” Regulus said back, his calm voice a contradiction to his reaction.

The boy paid you no mind, blinking slowly at Regulus “We’ve been looking for you.” he said, his voice low. “We didn’t see you tonight.”

“I was busy.” Regulus said with no further explanation. You tried to move away from behind his body, his arm stopping you before you could move.

Severus glanced at you briefly, his face remaining the same “I can see that,” he said “Still, I will advise you to sort out your priorities.”

Regulus face turned, his fists clenched at his sides “They’re sorted out, I can assure you.” he said through gritted teeth.

Again, you tried to move out from the small space Regulus had you in, looking over his shoulder to see Severus turned and walk away, not once looking back.

“What in Merlin’s name was that?” you asked in disbelief, letting out the breath you had been holding as you turned to meet Regulus’ gaze “Reg?” you asked when he stared into the distance, his eyes following the path Severus went.

“Nothing.” he said, putting on a smile.

“What was that?” you asked again, your eyes filled with worry.

“They were helping me before, nothing important.”

You turned, blinking rapidly at him “Not important?” you asked with a string of voice “He seemed ready to drag you with him.”

“He did.” he muttered, looking back “Y/N, do you think... “ he said, his words trailing off as you tilted your head, getting what he was asking.

“Oh,” you said, watching as he scrunched his eyebrows in worry “No, it’s fine. You go. It’s already late, I should go to bed anyway.” you smiled at him, a reassuring look on your face.

“Are you sure?” he asked again “I can walk you to your dorm…”

“No!” you said, your smile tightening as his frown deepened “I can go there myself. You should go before they send someone scarier.” you laughed.

He took your hand and gave it a squeeze “I’ll see you tomorrow before I leave, alright?”

You nodded, holding onto his hand as he started to walk away, his face turning back to you “Thank you for tonight, Reg.” you said, pulling his body to you as you hugged him.

His arms snaked around you, holding you close to him as he placed a soft kiss at the crown of your head “See you tomorrow.” he whispered.

Your hand stretched holding onto his until the distance made your hand fall, your eyes following him before he disappeared in the distance. You stood there for a couple of minutes, your mind racing over the last couple of minutes and the heaviness that had settled on your heart. You shook your head of all the worry, taking a deep breath before you turned back, starting your way back to the Great Hall.

You owed Sirius a dance.

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[shreddedparchment]

A Wife for Thor Pt.12

Queen of New Asgard

12/02/2020

Pairing: King!Thor x Reader          Word Count: 9,737

Warnings: fluff, cute babies, talks of pregnancy, angst, Avengers shenanigans, talks of sex

A/N: So this one is a bit longer than the rest, I really wanted to make sure that this one was a lengthy treat. I didn’t want to split the chapter into two between getting to the Avengers and then actually meeting them and spending tie with them. I wanted to keep it together. I hope you all like it! I had a lot of fun with it, and mostly, I just really love Thor. I want him for myself. If you happen to reblog, thanks so much for helping me spread my work! xoxo

Please DO NOT repost my stories on other sites or blogs!

REBLOGS are always welcome!

To say you’re a mess would be an understatement.

At least having Thor by your side gives you a small sense of stability, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re about to meet the Avengers.

Earth’s mightiest heroes.

People so famous that everyone knows their name. Even people in remote parts of the world know they exist.

The sensation of being pulled and gliding through the air in Thor’s arms as the Bifrost glow surrounds you both in your transport is nothing compared to the rolling of your stomach at the thought of saying or doing something stupid in front of Thor’s friends and comrades.

You hold him tighter, loving the way he feels in full armor. Only because it really drives home the fact that he could protect you from anything as opposed to being comfortable.

You’re dressed more simply though not at all casual. The outfit you’re wearing was shoved into your bag with two others in case of official events that might crop up during your honeymoon.

Because dinner with Thor’s teammates is supposed to be a relaxed event, you chose the most unimpressive of the three.

The bodice consists of a one-piece made of leather. Armor would be more accurate in describing it. Though bits of it have been dyed a dark yet also soft gray-purple, others, like the right breast piece and the strip that wraps down around your left side are a natural brown. Textured with a ridged design to compliment the thinner more boned design of the gray-purple section.

Around your waist and laced at the back is another a-symmetrical piece of that natural brown leather, but along the base of it is sewn a long flowing skirt made of a cotton voile base in navy and a sheer silk light blue making the effect of it together like shifting water.

The skirt is left open slightly on the right. If anyone pays really close attention, they’ll see the top of your thigh in the sway. Generally, the dress is appropriate and since this will technically be your first public outing with Thor, it was important you look the part.

Neither of you is wearing a crown. Not necessary really, if it isn’t an official ceremony or event, but you are wearing the large golden pin that Thor had made for you to put on the left breast of your sleeveless gown.

It’s the same interlaced arches that are on your swords with a crown that looks just like your wedding crown at the center where the arches connect.

It shines bright, brand new as it is, and is a symbol of your new status in the world.

A human Queen of Asgard.

It’s safe to say that your name is known from one corner of the Earth to the other which you only just realized when you were doing some research on the time it takes for a body to decompose in a demi-damp environment occasionally exposed to heat. You’d stumbled across a tabloid page with the headline How the New Queen of Asgard Bewitched the God of Thunder.

You hadn’t bothered to read the article because it was clear exactly what kind of reporting they were doing from the picture of you, which someone had pulled from the website of your old school, sitting on Thor’s chest with a photoshopped smirk and glowing red eyes.

There were a few others you read, most of them nice and from official news sources. All of them detailing your tragic childhood and your ascension to wealth. Then your birth ancestry was exposed making you a top candidate for Queen of the Asgardians and in one article for the New York Times, you recognized the pictures of your wedding as you and Thor stared at each other in all of your enamored glory.

Anyone with eyes can see that you love him and in those pictures, you can admit that it helps you feel a bit more secure in Thor’s love to see that he’s looking at you the exact same way. How can he look at you like that and not love you? Or at least be really fond of you?

As the air gets colder, mushy gray snow lining the streets below you, Thor’s body pulls up, preparing to stand as his speed slows.

You feel him step onto the pavement before you do, then slowly he lowers you, large hands so careful with you that you can’t help but look for his eye to see what he might be feeling.

His eyes are not on you though. They’re on the crowd that’s slowly begun to gather.

They’re giving you a wide berth, but they’re stopping to look, and some have pulled out their cell phones to take photos or record video.

You can hear whispers shift through the cold New York winter air, people leaning over to each other in excitement and curiosity. Much like the crowd back in New Asgard had when you’d driven by them to get to your dress fitting and the wedding parade.

You can’t really make out what they’re saying but Thor can, and he wraps his arm around your waist, turns you to face those that are nearest, and waves.

You follow his example and give them as kind a smile as you can, despite the sudden nerves eating at you.

Shit, do you have to say something? Are you expected to?

“Hello everyone. I know most of you have seen her in the papers and on the interwebs already, but this is my beautiful and lovely Queen. My wife, Y/N.” Thor declares, but even your name he caresses with the soft shift in his tone.

“Hello?” You don’t mean it to come out as a question, but it does.

Still, there are a few people that giggle at your reaction.

A sense of calm overcomes those watching, as if finally hearing you speak seems to have burst a bubble.

“Aw yew a pwincess?” A small hand tugs at your skirts and you turn to look down at an adorable little girl with smooth deep brown skin. Her hair is gathered in two small buns, tight braids keep it neat.

All you can really see are her big brown eyes, so wide and full of wonder.

You pull from Thor’s grasp and squat down to be on the toddler’s level. She can’t be more than three.

“She’s my Queen, little one.” Thor explains, squatting down beside you. “Queen of New Asgard. Isn’t she pretty?”

The little girl giggles and nods, then reaches up to touch your own hair which has also been braided, one long in the middle giving it a mohawk look, and several other small braids along the sides to keep it neat while flying.

At least that’s the bit that you remember from this morning.

Thor had pulled you out of bed at four o’clock, led you to a chair in the bathroom and then started messing with your hair. Of course, that sent you right back off to sleep but you remember asking him sleepily at some point why he was braiding your hair and he’d explained that it was to keep it from getting all messy while flying.

That’s the last thing you remember before he was suddenly kissing you awake and then your mind was busy with the delicious way he carried you back to bed and then heartbroken when he said you had only ten minutes more to sleep while he showered.

You’re so tired.

Smiling at the little girl, watching her own joy grow in her eyes gives you new energy and you take her hand and hold it in your two.

“It’s so lovely to meet you…?”

A woman hurries over from the crowd, voice frantic as she seems to have finally spotted her little escapee.

“RUBY!” The poor mother cries, hurrying to her daughter’s side.

“Ruby,” You repeat.

The little girl turns to look at her mother while you keep hold of her hand.

“Wook mama! A Ka-ween!” She giggles and her mother slows, hesitating now that she notices you and Thor.

“Holy shi-” Her mother says, “I’m so sorry.”

Hurrying forward, she takes hold of Ruby’s shoulders and pulls her close, not because she’s threatened by you two or anything. She must be shocked.

You let her hand go as it’s pulled gently, and Thor helps you stand back up. Once you’re standing, he reaches down to take hold of your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours.

“It’s okay.” You shake your head, smiling at the woman as Ruby turns to hug her leg excitedly. “She’s very sweet.”

“She’s a troublemaker. That’s what she is.” The woman counters. “D-Do I have to curtsy or somethin’?”

“Not this time.” Thor tells her, “For having such an adorable child, we’ll give you the curtsy pass.”

He’s joking. Teasing the woman.

“Thor…” You nudge him and he chuckles, amused by you more than his joke. “What he means to say is, yes. Normally you would have to, but he knows I’m already nervous out of my mind so it’s okay.”

The woman looks around behind her, aware of the flashing camera phones and the videos they must be taking. So, she turns back to you and clumsily makes a curtsy.

Little Ruby sees her do it and then turns to you and does an even clumsier version of the same bow.

“Thank you.” You manage to say, voice almost completely deprived of volume from how nervous her attention makes you.

“Yes,” Thor agrees, suddenly serious. “Thank you. Both of you, for the warm New York welcome.”

“It was nothing.” The woman says, dipping down to pick up Ruby. “Say buh-bye, Ruby.”

As they walk away, Ruby twists in her mother’s arms to look over her shoulder at you and Thor and waves.

“Buh-bye!”

“Bye, Ruby.” You wave at her, smiling at her cuteness before you look up to meet Thor’s gaze.

“See, that wasn’t so terrible.” Thor gives you a squeeze. “Just our luck that it was an adorable child to greet you first.”

“She was so cute!” You gush, wishing you could take her home.

Maybe Thor sees the deep want in your own face because he leans in and presses his lips to your temple before resting them softly against your ear.

“Don’t worry, cherub. Soon we’ll have our own little one running around the palace.” He promises.

Even though he means it in an innocent way, the deep tone and intent in his voice is also very clear and if there weren’t a lot of people watching, you’d pull him down for a kiss.

He smirks down at you, almost like he knows that you picked up on that lusty vibe despite his words being sweet.

“You’re not playing fair.” You complain.

Thor chuckles then gives the crowd, which has grown quite a bit, another wave.

“Something to look forward to when we go home.” He reasons.

“Will we get to do everything you want with this crowd around us?” You give them a look and tuck yourself into Thor’s side a little more but wave all the same.

All these eyes on you. Watching you. Listening to every little thing you say?

“I’ll make it possible, cherub.” Thor assures you.

He twirls his hammer, a near replica of the one his sister destroyed before they arrived on Earth and takes a step towards the crowd with the look of someone about to make a speech.

~~~~~~~~~~

When you look at yourself, you still look like you. Still wearing the dress you’d pulled on in the morning. Braids still in place.

Thor is still in full uniform. Still holding his hammer. But as the two of you walk through the city, no one stops to look.

After you and Thor had ducked into that first shop—a bakery that had lured him in by the nose because apparently the breakfast you’d cooked him hadn’t been enough—and emerged freshly fed, none of the people who had stopped to watch you when you'd landed were looking at you as you passed them.

Some of them even looked right at you then away as if they didn’t recognize you.

“It’s magic.” Thor whispers in your ear.

He straightens up, watching you with an amused grin as understanding overcomes your face.

“A trick my mother taught me that Loki has helped me perfect. Would you like us to see what they do? Our clothes, I mean? We’ll still see each other.”

“Sure.” You nod, excited by the proximity of magic to yourself.

Thor gives you a nod. He twirls his hammer, held loose in his right hand and it turns into an umbrella.

His clothes are neat and somewhat formal. More of a business casual with dark pressed trousers, a thick black t-shirt made of a heavy and soft cotton blend. His jacket is coal gray, with just the slightest hint of brown.

You gasp lightly, stunned by the sight of him with two electric blue eyes. No sleek black and gold eyepatch. Just two pretty orbs that blink at the shock on your face.

“What, love?” He worries, reaching down to place his hand on your lower back as the two of you continue down the sidewalk.

“Your eyes.” You shake your head, speechless.

“Oh, yes. Well, it helps me blend in.”

His blonde hair is styled too, a smooth wave of the longer hair along the top of his head. Why is he so pretty?

Thor chuckles.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” He teases, still looking forward.

“I’m staring,” You huff a laugh. “I’m sorry.”

But you give yourself a look and find yourself wearing a chic black pantsuit. More heavy cotton blend fabric from head to toe. It has that waterproof sheen though. Like if you spill something it’ll just roll off. Black long sleeve shirt with a higher than normal collar. It’s just a few inches short of being a turtleneck.

Over that you’re wearing a sleeveless wool trench coat with big black buttons and large pockets. The cut is feminine and left open since it’s cold but not too cold during the day with the sun streaming down.

It’ll be different tonight.

“We have these actual clothes waiting for us at the compound. I had them sent over when Stark told me that I’d be able to bring you for introductions. We can change in my room once we’re there, so we won’t be as constricted.” Thor takes your hand to his lips and gives it a kiss.

“You have a room at the compound? Isn’t it like a military base or something?” You wonder.

“Parts of it. There is a shooting range and a hangar with plenty of planes and jets. A pretty large garage with quite the selection of cars. Maybe we can go for a drive after dinner for some alone time?” He wiggles his eyebrows at you, but you’re still trying to wrap your mind around bedrooms at the compound.

“Do some of the Avengers live on the compound?”

“Yes.” Thor nods, his attention pulled away from his suggestive expression. “Several of them do. Wanda lives there. Captain Rogers, Natasha, Vision, Samuel and Barnes live there now too. Stark has moved out to be with Pepper on some cabin they purchased together a year ago.

“Barton lives with his family, so he doesn’t stay at the compound. And of course, for me it has been a home away from home. The only other person that stays there but doesn’t live there permanently is Banner.

“After we arrived from our journey in space, he took to his lab and slept at the compound for nearly six months before he finally went home. He hasn’t come back to the compound since. Says he’s working on something, but he’s promised to be here for our dinner.” Thor assure you.

Sad to say that you can’t exactly be as excited as he is as the list of names, he just went through looms over you like a test you didn’t study for.

Suddenly he stops, and he waves over at another tall blonde man with storm blue eyes and what looks to be a full beard. His slightly outgrown blonde hair is pushed back, the tresses smooth and silky as he hurries towards you both, brown leather bomber jacket zipped shut over a pair of jeans.

“Oh, you’re dressed up.” He says, but you recognize him and as Thor stops, you find yourself gaping at Captain America. “Maybe I should have picked something nicer.”

“Not necessary. You and the rest of the team are friends.” He takes Captain America’s hand and shakes it before they both meet in a quick hug.

“It’s been too long.” Thor admits.

“Well, you’re a busy man now. King and all that.”

“H-How did you recognize us?” You stutter, focusing on the mystery before you instead of the fact that Captain America is standing right fucking there!

“I let him see us.” Thor explains. “The veil holds only for those I want to shield us from.”

“Oh.” You whisper, not intending to but you have no air in your lungs again.

Thor seems to read your frayed nerves because he reaches around to wrap his arm around your waist and offer you some support.

“Captain Rogers, this is my lovely and very nervous wife, Y/N Y/L/N. Queen of Asgard and if I’m honest, the love of my life.” Thor’s honest gushing, the way he sounds honest and so freaking sincere brings you back to yourself a little and with a squeeze from him, you relax.

“Steve, Thor. Please. I’m not Captain America anymore.” He says, almost as if it’s a reminder.

This confuses you because as far as you know, Steve Rogers is still Captain America.

“I read the e-mail.” Thor says, shaking his head. “I thought perhaps it was a joke.”

“Since when have I ever joked about something this serious?”

“I don’t know, I thought perhaps you might have-”

Steve Rogers turns to you, ignoring Thor for the moment as he holds his hand out and slowly you take it.

“I know I should probably bow, but we don’t want everyone knowing who I’m talking to so, is a handshake okay?”

“Of course!” You say breathlessly as he shakes your hand softly. His grip is firm, but you can tell he’s very aware of not hurting you.

“It’s an honor to meet you,” He begins, then leans in towards you and whispers, “Your Majesty.”

Both of you are left smiling while Thor’s eyes are narrowed at the two of you.

“How do you find married life? Has Thor gotten on your nerves yet?”

You can tell he’s joking because while he’s talking to you, he steals a quick side-eye at Thor to gauge his reaction.

“Not yet. But he does like to eat all of the bacon.” You whisper.

Steve makes a pained look, directing it at Thor, still holding your hand in that gentle handshake.

“That’s a big no-no.” Steve agrees.

“Right?” You press, enjoying the pout on Thor’s lips.

“Alright, Rogers, release my wife’s hand.” He reaches and takes your hand out of Steve’s forcefully, but you and Steve only chuckle.

Thor pulls your hand up against his chest and with his other arm still around your waist, he’s basically got you wrapped up in his arms.

“Come on, everyone’s waiting.” Steve laughs, moving towards a black luxury sedan.

Thor makes to move forward but you pull back, resisting because meeting Steve Rogers was already stressful enough.

Now you have to go meet the rest of them? Can’t you just call it quits now?

“Cherub?” Thor looks at you, the concern pouring from him so overwhelmingly sweet that you give in.

He wants this so badly. It’s so important to him. You’ll also have to do many things from here on out that will make you anxious and stressed.

Suck it up.

“I’m just nervous.” You tell him, as if he can’t already see it himself.

“Thor?” Steve calls from the driver’s side of the car. He’s got the door open, both arms resting against the top of the vehicle.

“A moment, Steve.” Thor says, and for some reason it gives Steve a curious look on his face.

It’s almost as if he’s not used to Thor calling him by his first name.

“You have nothing to be nervous about, my love. You’ve already met Rogers and he’s like one of those dogs with the long ears and the funny long howl when it comes to sensing when anything’s amiss. Clearly, he likes you. You’re perfection, Y/N. You have nothing to worry about.”

Thor’s gushing should make you feel better, and it does a little. But you’re about to meet so many people. All of them important to Thor. What if you say something that makes one of them angry? What if you and one of them—or all of them—just don’t mesh well?

“I just-I-I don’t want to, I don’t know, disappoint you?”

Thor’s face falls into complete adoration. His smile is soft but wide and so pleased. He takes a step towards you, reaching up with both hands to place them on the back of your head, just behind your ears.

“You’ve already made me so proud, cherub. You’re here, standing with your head held high, greeting the people of a foreign country with grace and kindness. You’ve made jokes with one of my closest comrades already. I have every faith that you will continue to outshine me.” He chuckles as you relax a little more. “Do you need a few minutes?”

You shake your head, reaching up to take hold of his wrists. “No.”

“Ready?”

“Yes,” you nod.

Thor slips his hands down, flicking them gently so that he can take hold of both your hands.

He pulls them to his lips and kisses them, never breaking eye contact.

He must lose concentration for his magic because as he kisses your knuckles, his two eyes turn into one as the eyepatch takes its place again.

His regular clothes turn back into his armor and your own dress shifts back into the more Asgardian appropriate attire.

“Uh, Thor?” Steve Rogers insists.

Thor looks at him and with a nod towards his body, Steve Rogers communicates the problem.

You look around and people are stopping their shopping and walking and going about their days to turn and look at the two Asgardian monarchs suddenly standing on the sidewalk in a sweet and affectionate embrace.

“Oops.” Thor smiles at them and gives them a wave while simultaneously taking hold of your hand.

You follow his lead and give them a regal wave and polite smile as he pulls you towards the car. Steve Rogers is already there, holding the back door open for you.

You get in and he shuts the door as Thor moves around to the other side and gets in too.

“You distracted me.” He accuses you, reaching around you to pinch your side.

You give a small scream of laughter then look at the watching crowd with a startled and embarrassed smile, but they’re pleased by the exchange. Some of them taking video and photos. Others just giggling and laughing along with you.

There are a few young women and men who even look envious. And honestly? Who wouldn’t?

You look and Thor and as he chuckles at your reaction to his teasing and the reaction of those watching as Steve Rogers pulls the car away from curb, you can understand their envy because Thor is beautiful and anyone, even if in the end they decide they don’t want to be with him, would be lucky to share in his love.

~~~~~~~~~~

You made Thor promise to keep his hands to himself and you’re already regretting it.

You feel like you’re going to pass out. It’s all wobbly on your legs.

Knees are buckling and you might go down any second.

Thor takes an inch in your direction, but you give him a frown and he clears his throat before going right back to the spot he’d been in.

Both of you stand in a long common room. There are two modern armchairs in a gray almost beige cotton fabric. Two long sofas in an orange sandstone color sit completely occupied.

On the sofa to the right sit two beautiful red heads. One has short shoulder-length hair with pale blonde tips. The other’s long locks in a deeper less vibrant red fall to the base of her shoulder blades.

The brighter red headed woman has a sharp face, with large bright green eyes and eyebrows that start somewhat full on the inner corners and slowly fade into much thinner lines.

They’re perfectly shaped for her face though it does give her a sterner look.

She’s wearing a plain black dress with capped sleeves and a plunging V neckline. Her shoes are simple black flats though, which she taps against the floor as she waits for you to speak. Black Widow is just as fearsome as she looks in the news.

The other woman is much younger, her youthful face round. Her eyes are a pretty soft brown, more inviting though still a little distrustful. This must be Wanda, the Scarlet Witch.

It’s like she’s analyzing every move you make.

Fuck.

Beside her sits a man with peachy skin, short blondish-reddish hair. He looks older than her, but still handsome.

Despite the appearance of his older age, he has hold of one of Wanda’s hands. Fingers intertwined.

They’re together.

Vision, your mind provides.

On the other sofa sits Steve, his eyes kind as he waits patiently for you to be ready. Beside him sits a handsome black man with an exhausted expression.

You can tell that it isn’t directed at you, but he looks tired. Just home from doing some Avengers work, maybe?

Beside him sits a middle-aged man with small streaks of gray at his temples. His face is kind, but he seems like he’s preoccupied. Like he’s got places to be or things to do.

He keeps wringing his hands slowly, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as he watches you.

On the far armchair is the man himself, Tony Stark. He looks every bit a king in his domain, just like Thor back home in New Asgard.

He owns the place—literally—and everyone knows it just by watching him sit there. He’s inquisitive about you, his mind clearly racing from the look in his eyes.

He’s the most analytical out of everyone. He keeps looking at you from head to toe, every shift in your stance, the way you hold your hands, or the fact that you’re looking each of them over and making your own conclusions catches his attention.

The last person in the room, and the only other one standing aside from you and Thor, is a tall beefy man with shortly cropped dark brown hair. He also looks tired, and he reaches up to rub his exhausted face with his shining black arm etched with golden veins that run through the sleek indestructible metal.

Bucky Barnes, the former Winter Soldier. Though most people still call him that, from what Thor said in your prep when coming is that he’s been fixed?

No, that’s not the right way to phrase that. He’s not a dog. He’s been deprogrammed.

You don’t quite understand what that means, but you realized as Thor spoke that Hydra had done something to Bucky to make him do the things that he’d done. Like brainwashing, though you know nothing about how one gets brainwashed.

It made you sad, that someone would be that cruel and take from someone their identity and all the things that make them who they are. You heart aches for the former Winter Soldier and he gives you the tinies of smiles. Just a soft and subtle gesture of encouragement.

All eyes in the room are on you, and you’re freezing up so you appreciate the figurative extended hand.

When you speak, your voice trembles at first.

“I-It’s so…I’m s-so…”

They stir, sitting up straighter at the sound of your voice.

Get it together! You’re Queen of an entire fucking kingdom!

You clear your throat, and with a quick shallow breath you try again.

“I’m sorry, I’m a l-little nervous. I know how important you all are to Thor and I-I know this was sudden. We were both really sorry that you couldn’t come to the wedding but I’m so glad to meet you now. My name is Y/N, and I…I think that’s it?”

Turning to Thor, you find him smiling wide, singular eye bright. He’s proud and you can see it in the way he pulls his shoulders back and moves back towards you, slipping his arm around your waist.

Both of you are wearing the real versions of his illusion now minus the coats, formal King and Queen garb abandoned in his room.

Thor’s arm is a welcome warmth.

“That was wonderful, cherub.”

“Cherub?” A snarky voice teases, and both of you turn to look at Tony Stark.

“Leave them alone, Tony. I’ve heard some of the things you call Pepper when you think we aren’t listening.” The Black Widow, Natasha, cuts in.

“Like what?”

“Pudding-pop?”

“That’s a good one.” Thor observes. “Can I borrow it?”

“All y’all being really gross.” The new Captain America, Sam, points out.

“You’re just jealous you don’t have your own pudding-pop.” Bucky sighs, moving to the back of the sofa to lean both hands on the seat and look down at his friend.

“When’s the last time you had someone call you pudding-pop, Barnes?” Sam wonders, a clear attempt at a jab.

“Uh…1943? Just after I enlisted.” He answers, no sarcasm or embarrassment about that fact.

“You both need to get a life.” Natasha points out.

“You first.” Sam retorts.

Natasha fixes him with a look of confusion before getting up and moving towards Bucky. For a moment it looks as if she’s just going to pass right by him and into the kitchen behind him, but instead she slips her arm through his metal one and leans against him gently.

“I’ve got one. Don’t I, pudding-pop?”

The silence that follows is heavy but with building energy.

Then the room explodes with exclamations of, “What?!”

“When did this happen?!”

“How long have you two been a thing?”

“Why?!”

With their attention diverted, you relax, leaning into Thor’s embrace as Natasha catches your eye and gives you a quick subtle wink.

“I thought we were gonna wait?” You hear Bucky ask Natasha over the cacophony of voices demanding information, all of them on their feet again too except for Steve who is smiling and hiding it behind his hand.

Obviously he already knew, and it’s also obvious that Natasha revealed her relationship with Bucky for your benefit and to make meeting you the secondary event of this get together and while some women would be pissed that she’s gone and stolen your spotlight, you could not be more grateful.

~~~~~~~~~~

A metallic shoulder rubs against the side of your head and you lean away, gasping because you hadn’t expected the sensation.

You’re greeted with a metallic mask, similar to those of Tony Stark’s Iron Man helmet with slight variations around the mouth. The color is also brushed silver, the body white and red. It shifts to the side a little, away from you but it tips its head down in apology like an old 18th century gentleman.

“I’m sorry. Please, excuse me while I collect your empty plates.” The robot says.

“Sorry about the A.I., Cherub.” Tony says, then gives a quiet whistle. “Hey Bud, why don’t you take the night off?”

 Beside you, Thor chuckles at Tony’s new nickname for you. He’s done nothing but call you cherub since Thor did earlier in the night. It’s going to stick, or so Steve had promised.

The A.I. straightens up and puts the plates back down before moving off down the hall and out of sight.

“Bud?” Bruce Banner asks, who insisted you call him Bruce and drop the Doctor and the last name.

You have to keep reminding yourself to do so every time you talk to him. Because you can’t seem to remember, you’ve just chosen not to talk to him until you can.

Tony gets to his feet, moving around the table to lean over you, hand placed on his jacket to keep it from swinging against you.

“B.U.D.” He repeats, each letter on its own. “Buggy and Underdeveloped. I’m working on it. I’ve got their manners down. Jarvis quality though not as reliable. Vision is helping me work out the kinks.”

“I do what I can.” Vision says, Wanda reaching around to massage the back of his shoulders.

“You’ve made all the improvements. Tony had them calling us dickheads that one week before he asked for your help.”

“It was a typo!” Tony moves around to Natasha’s plate and piles it on top of yours, then Bucky’s who mutters a nervous thanks which Tony also mutters back a somewhat stiff approval.

You’re not given much time to notice their exchange before Thor’s hand finds your thigh under the table and he gives it a gentle squeeze.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.” You smile at him, reaching down to take his hand. “Just surprised. I’ve never been around artificial intelligence of that caliber.”

“Don’t worry, Cherub. You’ll be used to it soon. You’ll be getting an upgrade at that pretty space cottage of yours pretty soon.” Tony says, grabbing a few glasses one at a time as he moves around the table.

“I’ll help you, Stark.” Thor suddenly says and releases your hand to move around the table and grab the other plates and glasses.

Why does he call him by his last name? Habit maybe?

“Thanks,” Tony nods.

“Space cottage?” You’re not sure what he means.

“Yeah, that big wooden house you all call a palace?” Tony clarifies.

“Oh,” Silly way to look at it. “There’s steel too.”

Tony smirks, “Well, I’ll be sending some people over to get a security system installed and an advanced satellite scanner to catch any movements that might come in from—up there. With this new threat that-”

Thor coughs loudly, dropping a glass that makes a terrible shattering glass sound against the black tabletop. Bucky catches the glass and holds it still then offers it up to him again.

Tony meets Thor’s singular eyed gaze who shakes his head minutely.

“-which I guess you’re not supposed to know? Whoops.” And with that he turns and leaves the room.

You look at Thor and find him watching you, then he quickly turns and follows Tony out of the room.

Whenever you’ve read in the past that someone sees red, you’d always suspected that it was metaphorical. However, you see red as your brain short circuits and all you can feel is a level rage.

The one thing you’d asked of Thor was that he won’t keep secrets from you and here is one, not even a week after your wedding!

“Don’t worry.” Natasha interjects, getting up from her seat. “When it’s worth knowing about, Thor will tell you. He just doesn’t want you to worry.”

Your frown only grows. You can’t seem to get your sudden temper flare under control.

“You’re upset.” Steve notices, getting up when everyone also starts to rise. “Why?”

You follow their example and get to your feet, pushing your chair under the table before following them into a smaller living room space just off the main common room while trying to quell your anger.

The living room is mostly white and gray with a long sectional that is full of red pillows.

“Because I’m Queen of New Asgard.” You point out, speaking a little more firmly than you mean to.

Steve gestures to the seat at the edge of the sectional and you take it, swallowing hard as you shove some of that upset down into your tummy so that you won’t lash out at the very nice people that Thor sees as family.

“You are.” Steve agrees. “No one would argue that you aren’t.”

Does he not get it?

“He might not want me to worry, but I have a responsibility to the people of New Asgard. If something is happening that might affect them, I need to know.” You cross your arms across your chest, huffing lightly and letting that be the peak of your temper.

You don’t want to fight with Thor here in front of everyone.

The reaction isn’t what you expect.

Sam, who is sitting on the floor at the bend in the sofa leaning against it as the weight of his sleepiness begins to take over, whistles.

Long and slow.

Bucky chuckles as Natasha settles beside him, her arms crossed across her chest as she leans back into his arm.

They don’t look together even if they are, just comfortable. Bucky’s arm curves a little more for her and is the only giveaway that there’s more between them than friendship.

She smirks. On the sofa beside you, Wanda leans forward to try and get a look at your pouting face, her red curtain of hair falling over her shoulder. Vision is standing by the TV looking at a collection of records to put on a turntable that sits ready and empty.

Dr. Ban-Bruce isn’t anywhere in sight.

Steve settles in beside Wanda but closer to Sam, leaving enough room for Vision to sit when he’s finished with the music.

“Thor said you had some bite.” Natasha shares, “Said something about you standing up for Loki? What’s that about?”

You feel your cheeks burn, neck too. With a shrug, you drop your arms and clutch at the fabric of your pants by your knees.

“Yeah, dude’s pretty psycho,” Sam adds.

“Sure, yeah, because a bunch of people dressing up in costumes and going around fighting crime and otherworldly forces are completely sane.”

Shit, did you seriously just say that?

There’s a beat of silence, then, “She sounds very sensible. Now that I’ve had some time with it, I think the cape might have been a touch too far.”

Everyone chuckles, and you turn to look at Vision who finally picks an album and slips it in place.

“Sorry,” You offer, hesitating a moment before you decide to explain yourself. “Loki has been nothing but kind to me. And calling him a psycho offends me. I know you all and the rest of the planet, have issues with him and what he did…so did I, but he’s trying. And he’s family now…like you all…so…”

Your words trail off as you turn to look for Thor, but you can still see him across the common room in the kitchen, exchanging hushed words with Tony and it’s starting to rile you up again. What’s coming? What’s so important that Thor has brought in the Avengers too?

“What did Thor call it?” Bucky asks Nat.

“Bite.” Steve tells him, “She’s got bite.”

“I’d say it’s more like a sting. But she’s right. I don’t think any of us here can judge someone by their past. At least I can’t.” Bucky nods.

“Or me,” Nat agrees.

“Or me,” Wanda smiles.

And then the music starts. Vision turns, hands behind his back as he also smiles at the general pleasantries.

“Taylor Swift?” Sam demands, “Really?”

Vision’s smile vanishes and he gives him nice wide eyes of surprise, “I’ve never heard this one before.”

“Excuse me.” You get up and move towards the kitchen, determined to get an explanation while the room behind you continues to argue the merits of Vision exploring different musical avenues.

“Whose album even is that?” Sam demands.

Steve clears his throat, “I think you should both get some sleep. I want a debrief first thing in the morning. I might not be Captain America anymore, but I’m still running this show.”

“Don’t try to change the subject, you’ve never accepted the boss mantle until now. Which other albums do you have in your room that you’re too afraid to share?” Nat adds.

“Hey, I have no shame in my musical taste.” Steve defends.

As you near the kitchen, the open spaces separated only by two large circular pillars and a sleek concrete counter island, you slow as their quiet conversation begins to reach your ears. It wasn’t necessarily that you’re trying to eavesdrop…but they’re not talking about what you expected them to be talking about. So, you freeze.

Too nervous to move, forward because what the hell? Or back, because they’ll no doubt hear your retreat.

Where’s the talk about threats to the kingdom and planet? No, you get a nice dose of fear and jealousy instead.

“You only knew her for a week before you married her?”

“It was arranged. All of you knew this. I explained it the last time we met.”

“I get that, but what-” You can hear the hesitation in Tony’s voice.

Despite the fact that he knows he probably shouldn’t bring it up, he throws his dishtowel on the counter and turns around to lean against it as Thor’s hands continue to sift through the dishes, washing them slowly. “What happened to Foster? Weren’t you two pretty hot and heavy? Last time you brought her here-”

“Jane has other priorities.” Thor cuts him off, clearly still hurt from his breakup with Jane.

You hate the sound in his voice. Why does he have to be so clearly heartbroken?

“That’s all I get?” Tony asks, waiting and leaning in a little closer to Thor.

“What else would you have me say? It was hard to leave her. And if I’m honest, I still find myself thinking about what life might have become if she’d been ready to settle down.”

What?

You take a step back, wanting to get away from this horrible conversation you wish you hadn’t accidentally run into. Retreat being heard be damned!

But then, “Cherub?”

It’s Tony, a smirk in his voice as he turns to help Thor dry the dishes he sets aside.

“She is my angel.” Thor smiles, just a teeny upturn at the corners of his lips as he steals a glance at Tony.

Your heart gives a painful clench at the love that you’ve been seeing in his eye pour through in his voice.

“A celestial creature sent to me by fate. I had no knowledge of the capacities of love. I’ve only ever found love as I found Jane’s. We were met by chance, and the attraction was clear and instant. Intention as well. With my cherub, things though they grew quickly, were harder to find. I had to look past my own melancholia to see that she was there waiting for me.”

“She does look like she’s completely lost it.” Tony nudges Thor aside because he’s taking so long and takes over the washing.

“I hope you mean lost her heart to me?”

“What else? Her mind? Though why anyone would agree to rule an entire country is beyond me.”

“She’s brave.” Thor boasts, body completely relaxed. “I’ve never known anyone with her courage. The first night of our engagement she demanded that I be honest with her, even if I decided to keep Jane as a mistress.”

Tony looks at him, eyebrow quirked as he asks a voiceless question.

“Which of course, is out of the question. I entertained the thought for a bit, I can’t deny it. At the very beginning as I was making my plans to go leave Jane, to end things permanently so that I could do right by Y/N and really try to make our marriage something lasting—I wanted to keep Jane at my side by any means necessary.

“Imagining a life without her was painful and I hate to admit that I had every intention in those last moments before I saw her to ask her to be with me even after I was married.” Thor confesses, sounding torn between guilt and desperation.

You remember seeing that desperation in him before he’d gone to see Jane.

Even after his proposal to you, even after those earth-moving kisses, he’d wanted to keep Jane at his side.

Of course, he did. You shouldn’t be surprised by that. He and Jane had shared so much before you came into the picture. Before you were forced in if you’re honest.

Still, it hurts, and you hate hearing it.

For a second time, you take a step back, wanting to leave.

But then, “What changed your mind?”

Thor sighs heavily, exasperated, exhausted by something.

He crosses his large arms across his chest, black shirt straining against his biceps and pecs. He’s so massive. Standing next to Tony only accentuates that fact.

“It took her two hours to make time to speak with me, and another three before she stopped explaining her work on energy spikes in some far East quadrant of space to let me even bring up the fact I was officially engaged to someone else.

“The only reason I was able to hold off for so long is that she would come and kiss me every twenty minutes to promise that she’d be done soon.”

You hate that.

“It was the waiting around after three months of having seen her last and six months since we’d been together. I just couldn’t stand the thought of that always being my life. As much as I loved her, I didn’t want to spend my marriage waiting for a woman when another had already assured me of her commitment to rule at my side as wife and Queen.”

“Is that the only reason you’re so into your Cherub? Because she obviously likes you?”

“No.” Thor shakes his head, “No, there are many things about Y/N that draw me to her. Most of them I’ve discovered since I made the choice to really let Jane go. When I came home that night, she was there to lure me back from the pit I’d crawled myself into by telling Jane goodbye.”

Tony stops washing to fix Thor with a knowing gaze. He scoffs then turns back to his washing.

“So, the sex is good, is what you’re saying?”

“The sex is very good. Incredibly good. I have no complaints about our physical chemistry. In fact, it’s better than with Jane or anyone else I’ve ever been with. I’m not sure what it is, but we are very well suited in the bedroom. She has such vigor, such desire. I am never in no doubt of her want of me. It’s so good that I almost didn’t want to bring her here because then I’d have to give up an entire day of having her to myself wrapped up in nothing but her bedsheets.”

“Alright, I think I get the picture.” Tony holds up one soapy hand to stop Thor’s bragging. “So, she sleeps with you and makes you feel better. Jane makes you wait, so you end it for good. Did you at least give her a proper goodbye?”

Thor is silent, and this time, you don’t want to know. You’ve already guessed and have been suspecting that this is very much the case, but you don’t want the confirmation.

If that’s what happened when he went to see Jane, you don’t want to know. Even if it happened before you two were married and really together, it happened when you were already in the picture and your heart was already being swayed.

Stepping out from behind the large round pillar, one hand resting against the smooth black curve, you watch Thor think about Tony’s question, tilting his head up to look across the room towards the living room space where the Avengers are now laughing about who the hell knows what.

He sees you and his face loses color.

“Thor?”

“What’s the matter?” He asks, a small bit of panic in his voice.

He moves towards you and you move towards him, meeting halfway.

“Did you hear?” He knows, probably because of whatever is on your face that’s making him panic.

His large hands are already pushing your numerous braids back, throwing them over your shoulders gently so that he can place his hands on your neck.

“Thor,” You repeat, this time getting a hold of yourself and reaching up to grab his wrists and pull his hands down away from your face. “What’s coming?”

This is why you’d come in here, and this is what you’ll insist on knowing. Fuck everything else they were talking about. You don’t want to know, and you don’t care what happened or what Thor felt before both of you exchanged vows.

“What?”

He seems stunned by the shift of topic, despite the agony that you’d momentarily been in. His voice even cracks a little, too shocked by the change.

“The new threat,” You clarify. “This new thing that we need satellites back home for? What is it? What’s happening? I know that you probably don’t want me to worry or want to protect me or maybe you’re still thinking of me as a civilian? But I’m Queen of our kingdom, Thor. If something is coming for us, I deserve to know. I need to know what’s coming if I’m going to help you protect our people. It’s my job and I can’t do it if you don’t let me.”

“Cherub’s got a point.” Tony adds, and claps Thor on the shoulder before gathering up a tray and makes his way out of the kitchen and towards the others with a bottle of beer for each of them.

“You’re right.” Thor nods, reaching to take your hands and he pulls them up to his lips kiss away the pain that he must have seen you feeling.

He seems to know though that you don’t want to focus on that and so he doesn’t bring it up.

You can tell he wants to though. He really wants to talk about what was just said in this kitchen.

“Yes, you’re right, you should know and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I didn’t want you frightened or worried when you didn’t have to be, but you’re right. As Queen, you have every right to know what might be coming. But can’t we wait to talk about it until later? Tonight perhaps? When we’re alone?”

You don’t want to agree. You want to make demands of him and make him tell you everything right now. However, you also know that you’re a little angry about what you overheard and that’s probably why your pulse is pounding in your throat, heart ramming itself against your ribcage.

“Fine.” You huff then turn to move back into the living room.

“Hey,” He coaxes you back, voice low and deep so that the others won’t hear him.

He catches your wrist and pulls you back gently.

“Did you hear us? Because if you did, when I went to leave Jane I-”

“I don’t wanna know, Thor. If you slept with her, I don’t want to know.” You sigh, stomach clenching painfully. “You did what you have to do. It’s not like you and I fell in love in any kind of traditional way. We were forced together and now we’re married. I’m not stupid.”

“Of course you aren’t, and as true as all of that is, I don’t like the way you’re talking about it.” Thor agonizes, wrapping his arm around your waist to pull you closer and further into the kitchen out of view of the others. “You’re acting as if I don’t love you, or as if it’s a farce. I love you, cherub. It happened quickly, but it is real.”

“I know that, Thor,” It’s nice to hear though, because you’re seriously feeling weak in the confidence you’d spent every night since your wedding building.

For a bit there, you’d believed wholeheartedly that Thor loves you. You still do…but the realities of Jane and how quickly he’d had to end that relationship with her because he had to marry you to give his people a Queen have been brought to light and ruptured the bubble of your new marital bliss.

It’s also suddenly very clear to you that he must still love Jane very much. Even if he loves you too. There’s no way he can move on this quickly.

“You don’t look like you do. You look sad and it’s putting knots in my stomach, love. Please don’t doubt me now.”

Fuck!

You lean forward, shoving your forehead against his wide chest. You wrap your arms around his waist and fist the back of his shirt as he brings his hands up to the sides of your head. You can feel his lips against your scalp, kissing against the large middle braid that goes down along the back of your head.

“This is so hard.” You admit, hating your jealousy.

“I wish I could take all of your strife.” He kisses your head again, an audible smack. “I’m sorry I’m the one making it for you.”

Both of you knew that this would be tricky.

“I swear to you, cherub, it’s only you. You are the only woman I want and the only being in the universe that I want to bear my children.” His words are full of truth and you look up at him to find that same honesty in his gaze.

It’s pained and sorrowful and you hate it.

“I shouldn’t have listened.” You pull yourself up against his body and push yourself up with puckered lips.

Eagerly he leans down to meet your lips with his own but he shifts his head to the side to deepen the peck you’d wanted to leave you in no doubt as to his devotion, or at the very least, his passion.

He leans down to wrap his arms around you and press you up against the side of the pillar.

“Thor…” You whisper when he pulls back to tilt his head the other way. “We’re guests here.”

The reminder cools him down and he places his hands on your hips instead while you tickle the hairs on the back of his neck.

“We should get back to your friends.”

Thor sighs heavily, hating this idea, but he knows you’re right.

He reaches up to take hold of the back of your neck, squeezing it possessively before he leans down to give you one more quick kiss.

“Tonight, I will leave you in no doubt as to my devotion and love. I promise.”

His declaration takes your breath away, and apparently Bruce’s too as he sputters a cough around his own beer as he freezes on the other side of the kitchen by the fridge where another large round pillar lines a different entrance opposite the side you’re both standing on.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Bruce says, reaching up to wipe at the beer dribble around his mouth.

Thor takes his hands back and you slip out from between him and the pillar then make your way back towards the living room feeling flushed.

As you walk back in, observing the room, Steve and Vision are currently playing an apparently rousing game of Connect Four on the floor while Nat and Bucky sit cuddled up on the far corner of the sectional, talking quietly but also giving the two battling on the floor the occasional glance.

Wanda is on her phone, typing away quickly with a beer held between her thighs. Sam is standing by the records, despite his previous griping, nodding his head as Taylor Swift’s 22 fills the space.

Tony is on his own phone, standing in the far corner of the room with a sappy smile on his own face which tells you he’s probably talking to his own wife, Pepper Potts, who couldn’t make it tonight due to a work engagement.

All of them have a beer around them or in hand, and as you make your way towards the bend in the sectional feeling a little like you’re intruding, just as your back hits the sofa a cold bottle meets your cheek.

You jump a little but turn to look and Tony holds out a sealed bottle for you.

“You okay with import? Or do you want domestic?” He asks, holding his phone to his shoulder, brows drawn together as he waits for your answer.

“This is fine, thanks.” You take the bottle and then give him a quick smile.

“Good, because then I’d have sent you down to get your own.” He assures you, but a voice from his phone calls his name and he hurries away again, phone pressed to his ear.

You look at the bottle of beer in your hands, wondering if the top is a twist but when you go to turn it the ridges hurt your hand and you stop instantly.

Just as you’re about to lean over and ask Bucky to open the bottle for you, the sectional dips beside you and heat envelops your shoulder and side as Thor sits right beside you.

“It sounds like excuses to me.” He says, looking at Bruce who sits down beside him with a bit more space allowed between them.

“It’s not an excuse,” Bruce insists. “I’m working on something that needs all of my concentration. I’ll come visit soon, I promise. I’m going to be coming with Tony for the security system installation so, I’ll get to see the palace then.”

“Thor?” You hold the bottle up for him and he takes it from you, kissing the side of your head before he simply flicks the top with his thumb and it flies off and falls right on Steve’s head.

“Hey,” He complains, but then gets distracted as Vision connects his four red chips.

“I win.” Vision declares.

“Damn,” Steve concedes. “You got me. Go again?”

Vision dumps the chips, and they start splitting them up.

“Here you are, cherub.” Thor hands you back your beer, and you take a quick drink before settling in against Thor’s side a bit more comfortably as he gives you a squeeze but continues to chat with Bruce.

[kimvvantae]

puzzle; 7 (m)

➜  you and jungkook are best friends of a lifetime, even though your personalities are like unmatching pieces of a puzzle. the line between friendship and something more has never been crossed between you two - but that changes after a break up and a drunken night, when you not-so-accidentally cross this line to something much more. what happens when after this accident your non-matching puzzle pieces seem to match in a way you’ve never imagined?

pairing: jungkook x (f) reader

genre: smut, angst, comedy; friends with benefits au; college au

warnings: lots of swearing, a little bit of violence

rating: 18+

word count: 12k

A/N: sweet jesus it’s been so long but it’s finally here! this is the last but one chapter of the series. i genuinely hope you guys enjoy it and i reeeeally want to know your thoughts on it! feel free to leave a comment! if you feel i’m deserving of it lmao

enjoy!

➜  Chapters: check up masterlist in bio!

« playlist »

[bby bear]: where are you???

[bby bear]: you'll get late for class 

[you]: i knoww

[you]: the traffic is so heavy today 🤦🤦

[bby bear]: you should have come w me 

[you]: i need to go to the bank

[you]: i told you

[bby bear]: i could have taken u theer

[bby bear]: there

[you]: 🥺🥺 next time i'll go w you i promise!!

[you]: but i'm close

[you]: i'll probably lose the first period tho

[bby bear]: 🤦

You shove the phone inside of your pocket when you notice the pedestrian sign is finally green. The crowd on both sides of the avenue rush, everyone on their fast pace as usual. You're even forced to push some people in order to walk by.

Getting to the other side of the street, you stop in front of the building.

Tall as fuck. That cool kind of building with mirrors all over it, where only cool people wearing cool suits walking around holding cups of coffee on one hand and phones on the other hand talking business language kind of people work at. 

You certainly don't work here. You definitely don't have any stuff to do here. You surely are not close to the campus and you will lose much more than just the first period.

Seulgi will most definitely punch your face when she finds out where you are and what you're about to do.

You confidently walk inside the building, pushing through its glass doors into the pristine, modern and gigantic main hall. Your black boots contrast with the high heels all the other women wear around you. So does the rest of your outfit. Mini skirts and oversized hoodies are not part of the dress code here. You can almost hear their minds asking, what is this person doing here? The clanck clanck sound of their heels clicking against the marble floor is somehow pleasing, though.

You stop in front of the reception counter. A pretty girl opens a crystal white smile to you. Her hair is tied tightly, her uniform was ironed to perfection. "Good morning. How can I help you?" She chirps happily. 

"Good morning. My name is Y/N. I'd like to talk to Irene."

The smile quickly falters.

The girl side eyes her colleague that sits by her side. "Hmm… unfortunately, Miss Irene does not receive visits," she says carefully, still trying to keep her smile. "You must be mistaken."

You can see this girl thinks you're crazy. You quickly realize that people usually don't come at the reception and simply say they want to talk to Irene. But, well, what else would you do? You have to announce your presence somehow. 

"Irene is waiting for me. You can call her and ask if you want," you insist. 

The receptionist looks pale for a moment.

Hesitantly, she takes the phone and dials a number. You can still see that the girl thinks you're lying; she's probably ready to call the security guards. During her quick talk on the phone, you notice she's not talking to Irene, but with her secretary. 

You also see the moment her eyes widen.

She hangs up the phone and stands up, smiling widely again.

"Miss Y/N, Irene is waiting for your arrival," she says, and you notice the slight tone of panic in her voice. "Please, accompany me."

All the other visitors have to show their identifications and take a quick picture on the reception, you notice, but the girl simply ignores this procedure with you, guiding you to the elevator instead. She explains the situation to the security guard and he lets you in. The receptionist still looks slightly panicked. She's probably scared that you'll complain how the receptionist was rude to me directly to Irene, but you won't. Poor girl was just doing her job.

The elevator is big, too. It has a panoramic view of the city as it goes up to one of the highest floors. 

You always thought Seulgi was overreacting when she said how bad she sometimes felt for dating Irene, but now you kind of understand her.

You knew Irene was rich. You can recognize a Gucci jacket when you see one, and you've seen Irene wearing plenty of these. But Irene always acted so normal. Sure, she was elegant - and sometimes even arrogant -, but she was still someone very pleasant to be around. She never looked disgusted to be in your tiny but comfy apartment, she never made faces when she'd sometimes wear some of Seulgi's or your clothes when she didn't bring any to spend the night, she never complained to eat the junk food you'd buy for dinner. She was just… chill.

Because of that, you'd forget that she's rich sometimes.

Being in this massive building where everyone acted as if she was a princess made you remember, though.

Irene is beyond rich. Your standard of "rich" used to be Joy: someone that has a cool, big house in a nice part of the city. Irene partially owns a fucking company. She's so chill that you never even bothered to Google the company's name; you did this today to get the address, and it only made you more shocked.

Seulgi must have felt overwhelmed many times in their relationship.

But you're sure she was much happier back then than she is now.

You're used to their drama. They were already dating when you first met Seulgi, and you saw this cycle repeating many times. This time, though, things are not happening as usual. Seulgi is the saddest you’ve ever seen in these almost three years of convivence. Right after they broke up, you thought she was just being dramatic as usual… now you see that it isn’t simple drama. She’s actually sad and has been in this state for months. She doesn’t go out anymore, stopped doing the things she liked… she even got tired of Netflix. That’s probably the most shocking fact of all. 

Jungkook said you shouldn’t get involved in this, but you’re tired of seeing your friend being so sad all the time.

Their breakup was messy this time. They didn’t talk properly, didn’t make things clear. Seulgi is too stubborn to make a move (she’s totally lethargic at this point, both physically and spiritually), and Irene also seems too stubborn. Since none of them has the balls to do anything, you finally decided to step up and take action.

(Funny how you thought Jimin was annoying for trying to push you and Jungkook together, but you’re doing the exact same thing right now).

Well, look, you’re not exactly trying to push them into each other. First, you want to know Irene’s feelings and opinions on this situation. If you see that she has really moved on from Seulgi, then you’re ready to give your friend all the comfort and support in the world so she finally moves on. If Irene shows you that she still has feelings for Seulgi… well…

The speed in which she replied to your DM is a strong indicative of that.

The way her eyes glint with undeniable hope when the elevator doors open and she greets you is another indicative.

Irene looks gorgeous as always; she’s like a human version of Snow White. It’s kind of funny to meet her in her office like this. She’s almost like a female and hotter version of Christian Grey. 

Her ways of greeting you are polite and… hesitant. You understand why. She probably doesn’t get what you’re doing here in the first place, what you want to talk about. Considering you’re Seulgi’s friend, she must think you’d be mad at her or something.

“Why didn’t you call me, Y/N? My guests never enter from the common hall.” she asked. Oh. Common hall is what that massive hall is called. Almost like peasants area.

“I didn’t know.” you simply say, shrugging. 

“I’m sorry that we’re meeting here at my workplace. It feels too profissional, doesn’t it?” she smiles sheepishly.

Well… it does. You don’t even feel comfortable enough to move around her great office, afraid that you’d accidentally break anything (you’re sure that every little piece in this room is much more expensive than you’d be able to afford). 

“Come on, let’s go to the cafeteria. I think it’ll be more comfortable to talk there.” she politely suggests, and you just agree with her.

Irene guides you around the halls. This floor is less crowded, since only Important People with Important Tasks work here - and she’s greeted by all of them as she passes by. Their eyes immediately float to you, and they were surely asking themselves why Princess Irene was being followed by this peasant. 

The cafeteria in question is as pretty and neatly clean as the rest of the building. Soft music plays from the speakers. Irene chooses a more private table by the windows and asks if you want to have breakfast; you politely decline and both of you end up ordering simple cups of coffee. 

An uncomfortable silence lingers in the air.

"I… have to confess that I got surprised when I saw your DM," Irene speaks softly. Her eyes are glued on her cup of coffee. "It's been a while."

"Yeah." 

"How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine." a hundred different scenes pass on your head as she asks this, and you know that you feel anything but fine in the moment, but it's not as if you'll rant about your complicated love life right now. "But I'm sure you don't want to ask about me."

You see a shade of pink flush Irene's cheeks.

"Well… I don't think it would be right to ask about her." Irene says.

"Why not? It's not as if you didn't know I came here to talk about Seulgi."

"But she doesn't want to know about me."

You're left speechless for a few seconds.

It's funny to see the two sides of a breakup. Because of their stubborness, they became completely out of tune with each other. Irene thought that Seulgi didn't want to know about her, when you knew pretty damn well that Seulgi stalked her social media an unhealthy amount of times per day.

You cross your arms and lean your back on the chair. Irene looks hesitant, but you see she's eager to know whatever information you may have. That's not the behavior of someone that hates their ex.

"Can I ask you something?" you say. It's funny how Irene, the owner of pretty much everything around you, looks so cornered by you, her shoulders shrinking visibly. She nods softly. "Why did you guys break up? I mean, what's your side of the story?"

Irene sighs and passes her hand through her dark hair. She looks out the window. She doesn't seem irritated by your ask. She just seems… thoughtful.

It makes you realize that, perhaps, Seulgi's not the only one feeling broken here.

"We're… different." she starts quietly. "I have been trying to keep this relationship working for a long time, you know. Even though we argued a lot and disagreed about many things. But…" Irene sighs again. Sadness shadows her features. "It was getting hard. Seulgi never accepted my help. She knows that money is no problem for me, and I just wanted to help, but why did she act so angry every time I wanted to help you guys?"

Oh.

You don't miss the way she said "help you guys"; she must be talking about the times both of you were struggling to pay the rent. Oh God. You clearly see where their opinions diverge. Irene has always been rich; she saw money as something simple, giving money to others wasn't a big deal. Meanwhile, Seulgi must've felt dependent and it surely hurt her pride. Besides, there were enough people saying that Seulgi was only dating Irene to get money from her…

"And there's more." Irene's voice becomes quieter, more fragile. "My family, they're… very conservative. It was already hard enough for them to accept my sexuality. They never did, to be honest… but they particularly don't like Seulgi, because she's not, hm, on my "social level", as they like to say."

Ooh.

This is more complicated. Seulgi doesn't know what it feels like; her family is very open minded. She told you that, in the beginning, her parents were shocked when she told them that she also liked girls, but they slowly accepted it. Irene, on the other hand… 

"They keep saying that my relationship with her will be bad for the company." She confesses. "They said they'd even accept my relationship, as long as we dated in secret."

"What?!" you gasp. "This is disgusting!"

"I know." Irene nods, eyes focused on the mug between her hands. You have the impression that you see tears welling up on her eyes, but she blinks rapidly to dissipate them. "I… I was willing to go against them, because if they don't accept my relationship, then they don't accept who I am. But… I don't know if it's worth doing this if I'm not sure if Seulgi feels the same about me."

Ouch.

You remembered the night when they broke up. Seulgi came to you, crying, and said that she was tired of being with someone that wasn't brave enough to accept her.

Seulgi, my dear… you know nothing.

You can see that to go against her parents isn't as simple as it sounds. To Irene, going against her family involves reputation, money, and the company itself. It's definitely a big deal. Seulgi didn't understand how serious it is.

And Irene is willing to take this big step for her.

It's your time to sigh. 

"Irene." you lean closer, staring at her seriously. "Do you still love Seulgi?"

She blinks at your direct question. Irene looks down, gulps… and nods.

"I do love her."

You can't hear any hint of doubt on her voice.

That's what you wanted to hear.

"She's not okay." You blurt out the truth. Irene widens her eyes softly and looks at you. You see guilt on her eyes as she hears this. "I came here because I'm worried about her. She doesn't act like herself anymore. She even got tired of Netflix."

Irene widens her eyes in shock. "She stopped watching Netflix?!"

"Yes." You nod seriously. "And she still loves you, too."

Irene freezes when you say this.

Now, you're sure of the tears welling up on her eyes.

"I…" she stutters, unable to form a coherent sentence. "A-Are you sure?"

You can't help but giggle at her; Irene looks shy, almost like a teenager - scared and excited to know that her crush likes her back. You feel your own heart warming up at the sight.

"Of course I'm sure."

A smile wants to make its way up to her lips. "B-But what do I do? I can't just walk up to her like this. I don't want to start another fight…"

"Irene, believe me. Seulgi will listen to anything you have to say, as long as you're being honest. Tell her about the situation with your family. Prove to her that you're willing to stand for her. I mean, if you're still willing to…"

"I am!" Irene exclaims in a heartbeat. "I am. As long as she's with me, I feel like I can do anything."

You feel yourself smiling. Irene's eyes are shining like diamonds.

"But you also have to try to understand her." You say seriously. "Seulgi is not wrong for wanting to be independent. She's finishing her studies, she wants to build a career for herself, and she wants her own money. I know you're trying to help, but you have to respect her. Also, I'm sure she doesn't want to be a burden for you."

Irene nods vehemently. "Okay. You're right. I get it."

She doesn't hold her smile back anymore as a tear rolls down her cheek. She looks so immensely happy… it's a delightful sight. And you can't help but feel happy too, because right now, more than ever, you see that Seulgi found something rare and precious in this world.

True love.

And this fact itself is enough to make you feel that coming here was worth it - even though Seulgi might want to kill you afterwards.

"But hey, Irene," you call her seriously again. "I'm doing all this because both of you stupid asses couldn't, but if you make Seulgi cry again, I will kill you. I know where you work now."

Irene laughs at your very serious threat. She leans forward and holds both of your hands. "Y/N, thank you so much for telling me all this. I will forever be grateful. If you need anything- and I mean anything- I will help you, okay? Anything!"

"Alright, alright," you say, shrugging, the slight thought that a millionaire owns you a favor sounding nice. "Now, you better go talk to Seulgi. I can't stand her walking around the living room looking like a zombie anymore." Irene laughs softly. "And… I said I wasn't hungry, but now I kind of want that waffle."

Seulgi looks like a very grumpy zombie when you meet her in the corridor.

"Where the hell were you?!" Seulgi exclaims. "It's noon!"

"Yeah, I know." you shrug. "The bank was pretty crowded."

Seulgi narrows her eyes. Her hair looks messy even though it's tied up and she has bags underneath her eyes. She's wearing the top of her old orange pajamas. It has an old kitchen oil stain over the chest. Seulgi from months ago would rarely go out looking like this. 

"What the hell did you need to do there anyway? I didn't even know people still go to banks." She whines. "I was getting worried, you know?"

You walk down the corridor with your hands behind your back. You're glad Seulgi is too grumpy to notice the sly smirk on your lips, the way you kind of bounce by her side in expectation.

"Always so thoughtful, Seul. You're so cute, did you know that?"

She side eyes you, the frown deepening. "Why are you complimenting me?"

"What's the problem with complimenting you?"

"Whenever you compliment me it means either you want something or you did something that you know will piss me off."

Sometimes you forget how well Seulgi knows you. 

"Jesus, you're too stressed, girl. I'll pay you lunch, okay? Let's eat at that Italian restaurant you like."

"When you offer yourself to pay for stuff it also means that-"

Seulgi stops in her tracks, completely frozen.

"Irene?"

You step back silently and hold your breath.

This is the moment that might end your friendship with Seulgi if it goes bad.

Irene seems to be holding her breath as well, her eyes round - scared, hesitant, hopeful. 

And they stand there, looking at each other. As if time has slowed down. As if there was no one else besides them in the busy corridor.

If this was a drama, you imagined that the romantic soundtrack would kick in now.

"Hi, Seulgi." Irene says softly. "It's… it's been a while."

It seems that Seulgi's brain is struggling to function. "What… what are you doing here?" the fact that she does not sound defensive or aggressive but genuinely surprised and confused relieves your chest. 

"I came here to talk." Irene says. "Just… just talk. But if you want me to go…"

"No." Seulgi interrupts her embarrassingly too fast. "It's alright. We… we can talk. Just talk."

Their eyes are gleaming and the ghost of smiles appear on their lips.

Your chest fills with triumph as you silently walk back. Not that either of them would even notice you anyway.

You're too far to hear what they're saying now, their soft voices drowning in the middle of the many more people walking around the corridor, but you still kind of hide inside an empty classroom, half of your body peeking outside of the door to watch them. They're talking and smiling timidly. You feel tempted to take some photos, but it's better not to. You kind of feel like an intruder watching them, even if you're this far-

"What are you doing?" 

You almost feel your spirit jumping out of your body when the male voice asks dangerously close to your ear, turning around in a jump to see the source.

Now you don't know if your heart is beating so ridiculously fast because of the scare of because of the view in front of you.

Jungkook looks down at you with a puzzled expression, his hands behind his back, his body slightly leaning on your direction. He's wearing a modern grey hanbok over a black t-shirt and slippers. His backpack hangs from one shoulder. His hair is half tied up in a small bun, curly bangs falling over his eyes. This is precisely what makes your heart almost fail. You've been wondering how he would look like with his hair tied up ever since he decided to let it grow…

He's got no business looking this good. No. Fucking. Business.

But you're a master of pretending you're unbothered, so you just point ahead at their direction with an excited smile. Jungkook's eyes look up to where you're pointing and his eyes widen.

"Oh!" Almost instantly, he kind of hides behind you as well. It's hard to ignore the warmth of his body on your back, even though he isn't close enough to touch you. "Did they make up? Are they dating again?" 

"I hope they will." it's weird how you're both speaking so low, as if they could possibly hear you over the loud chatter. 

"What if they start fighting?" 

"Don't even say that! I put my friendship with Seulgi at risk to get these two to talk!"

You turn your head in time to see Jungkook's eyes frowning as he realizes what's going on.

"It was you?"

"Of course it was."

He crosses his arms over his broad chest and shakes his head slowly in disapproval. "You said you wouldn't get involved!"

"I never said I wasn't going to get involved." you bat your lashes prettily at him, trying to give your best innocent look (unsuccessfully). 

"You damn gremlin."

You whack his chest. "Aw, come on! Just look at them and tell me it isn't working!"

Both of you look ahead again to see them smiling sweetly at each other as they talk. You bounce and giggle excitedly like a little kid. "Look, look! She's blushing!"

Jungkook tilts his head to the side. "But what about Jennie?"

"Oh, Irene and Jennie went out on dates, but it didn't work out in the end. They're just friends." you repeat the exact same words Irene told you earlier. 

"Are you sure?"

"Well, if she cheats on Seulgi, I'll kill her."

You watch as they slowly start to walk away side by side, heading towards the exit.

You jump out of your "hideout" and open your arms in triumph. "I did great this time, didn't I?!"

Jungkook chuckles and leans on the doorway, arms crossed. "Whatever you say."

You're an expert at acting unbothered, but right now it's really hard to do so when he looks at you this way.

He has a pretty lazy smile on his lips. It makes you feel hot inside and your stomach jumps and your heart races. His gaze is intense… but not in the way you're used to. That look isn't his I want to fuck kind of look, it's… it's… shit, you don't know what that means, but it's pretty intense. Why is he looking at you like that?

You just hope he doesn't notice how your legs are wobbly.

It's the first time you see him in person since two days ago, when he slept at your house. Two days after you had sex even though you said you wouldn't. You didn't talk properly about what happened there. To be honest, your brain still didn't process that well. 

Things are awkward between you two - but this time it's a different kind of awkward. A type of awkward that made your cheeks burn while you cleaned yourself and got dressed. A type of awkward that made you feel all fuzzy and warm inside, that made a silly smile grow on your lips every time your eyes crossed his from the other side of the living room, an awkwardness that forced you both to look away and try to pretend your cheeks weren't aching from the damn smile that didn't want to go away. A type of awkward that didn't let you talk about what happened - as if none of you wanted to talk about it, to just keep it engraved in your minds forever, as if talking about it would take all the magic of the moment away.

You don't hate this type of awkward. 

It's not uncomfortable. Not like what has been happening for the past months. Yet, you feel that you need to talk about it - to sort things out clearly and straightforwardly this time… because if the way he's looking at you means anything, then maybe… just maybe…

"I've got good news." Jungkook says suddenly (because he noticed that you've been staring at each other for far too long to not be embarrassing anymore). 

"What?" you fiddle with your own fingers, trying to ease the tension.

"Remember that director I told you about? Mr. Choi?" You nod. "He invited me to work with him."

Your jaw drops, your eyes widen. "What? Are you serious?!"

Jungkook nods excitedly. "Yeah. Well, I'll be like the assistant of the assistant, to be honest, but… he invited me to work with him on his next project. I'll gain some real experience, at least…"

"Are you kidding? This is great, Kook! What the fuck!"

You jump over to hug him, your arms dropping around his shoulders, and Jungkook quickly hugs you back. His low excited giggle right next to your ear makes goosebumps crawl on your skin. 

"I'm so fucking proud of you!" And you couldn't be more honest. Jungkook has always been so  hardworking; he deserves all the success and recognition in the world. You always thought so.

"Thank you," his voice is still low and excited.

He caresses your back. It makes yet more goosebumps crawl on your skin. 

Oh, God. He still smells like baby powder. He always does. You feel tempted to sniff the crook of his neck, just to take a little bit more of his scent, but you hold yourself back. It's not like hugging Jungkook is something new to you. Fuck, after everything you've done, hugging should feel like nothing. But for some reason… hugging him right now feels like a lot.

Feels awkward.

So awkward that you have to remind yourself that you're in the middle of a corridor full of people, and that this hug is taking way too long, so you step back before your brain completely malfunctions. 

"A-And," you clear your throat and put a strand of hair behind your ear, furiously avoiding his gaze. You never thought that Jungkook would make you feel shy like this. Shy and Y/N shouldn’t make sense in the same sentence. "When is this next project?"

"In two days. I think he decided to put me on the crew last minute."

"This means that he really trusts you."

Jungkook smiles sheepishly and massages the back of his neck. "I just hope I won't mess things up."

"You'll do great, Kook. You always do."

He lifts his gaze to you again.

That same look again.

You feel that everything is blurred except him again. No one else is in that corridor. No loud chatter. Just him and his starry eyes, looking back at you, eyes that smile as much as his lips.

God.

You need to sort things out.

You can't just stare at him with heart eyes like this anymore. You need to talk about what happened. This conversation feels awkward because you're both trying to act normal, pretending that there isn't a fucking elephant in the room - an elephant that makes you think of a mattress in the middle of your living room, of sunrays touching his exposed skin, of old pajamas being thrown around and sweat and soft kisses and salty tears dripping down your temples.

You need to know if he also felt that that morning was different. You need to know if he feels the same. Even if he doesn't - even if his heart lays with Yeri or Joy or whoever it might be - you need to know, and you don't care about what the outcome might be. You just can't torture yourself like this anymore.

So you inhale and gulp.

"Jungkook, I was thinking… are you busy after classes?" you ask timidly.

He presses his lips together. "Actually, I am. The boys and I are planning to celebrate the end of the semester tonight."

Mission abort! Mission abort!!

"Why?"

"Oh- it's nothing. I was just…" you can't think of any excuse. "It's not that important anyway. Forget it."

Jungkook looks at you with suspicion. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I'm sure. Nevermind."

He still stares at you for a while, frowning. 

"You wanna come with us?"

"No!" you shake your hands dismissively. You're not having this super important conversation surrounded by all of his friends. "I'm just gonna bother you guys. It's fine, Jungkook. Enjoy your night." 

Jungkook shrugs. He takes his phone from his back pocket for a moment. "Well, I gotta go. I promised I'd pay Jimin lunch."

"Alright."

You start to walk in opposite directions.

“But we can meet tomorrow, right?” You turn around way too fast when you hear Jungkook say, a few steps away from you. He looks hesitant, an awkward little smile on his lips. “I have some stuff to do, but we can see each other at night. After I finish preparing my stuff. We could meet, right?” He visibly starts to look more and more awkward as he speaks. As if his confidence started to vanish. It’s kind of adorable. “You could come to my place. O-Or I could go to yours, I don’t care- I mean, can I?”

Your heart is bouncing crazily inside of you. You don’t notice how you’re mirroring his awkward smile. “Of course, Kook. When did you ever need permission to go to my apartment?”

Jungkook frowns as if he just realized how stupid his ask was. “Guess you’re right. Or maybe we could go out somewhere, right? It’s been a while since we went out, the two of us.”

He’s right. All you’ve been doing for the past months is meet to have sex. You don’t even remember the last time you two did something that didn’t involve getting naked. 

“Sure, let’s go out.” 

You stare at each other for a few more awkward moments (awkward is a word you’ve been thinking a lot about lately). See, that’s not how things would go between you two back then. Neither of you ever needed to ask previously to go out. You’d just usually drag Jungkook out of his house by force when you deemed he hasn’t been taking enough sunlight (fucking Overwatch). Or Jungkook would call you at 3am because he was bored of playing Overwatch and just realized there was only expired milk and an empty box of cereal in the cabinets because the last time he and Jimin bought food was 2 weeks ago and he’d be like “hey, let’s go to Walmart” and you’d be like “what the fuck Jungkook it’s 3am” and he’d be like “but Jimin’s not home I need help” and you’d be like “fuck you” but twenty minutes later you’d both be on your pajamas pushing a cart inside of an empty Walmart as you barely register Jungkook ranting about how he thinks he’s lactose intolerant because he had diarrhea the last time he ate yogurt.

That’s kind of how things used to go back then.

At the same time you desperately want your relationship to go back to normal, you don’t really hate the way you’re feeling right now.

“Right, I gotta go.” Jungkook snaps out of it faster than you and nods. “I’ll text you later.”

“Okay.”

Again, you turn around and start to walk in opposite directions. Slowly. Hesitantly. Because both of you know you don't want to go. Both of you know you still have a lot to talk about.

But maybe later.

[bby bear]: i kinda want to kill you rn but

[bby bear]: thank u so fcking much

[bby bear]: ily

[bby bear]: bitch

You're smiling so hard that your cheeks might probably start to ache. If Seulgi texted you this, it means things went really well with Irene. 

The chatter in the dining hall is nothing but background noise on your ears as you scroll down your boring Instagram feed, the plate just half eaten in front of you. You’re not really hungry. Maybe the stress of studying for finals messed your stomach. The hell’s finally over, at least, and you’re sure that your grades won’t be that bad (Seulgi didn’t want to do anything, but you at least convinced her to study with you. That’s the only thing that got her out of her bedroom. Her zombie state was kinda the reason why you studied so hard). 

Some text notifications pop on your screen, but you just swipe them away since none of them are from the person you’re waiting for. All of your friends are planning to go out tonight and some of them are asking if you want to go. No, you don’t. Honestly, you’ve not been feeling yourself these days. Past you would always be up to a party. Past you wouldn’t be having lunch alone in the dining hall - honestly though, you don’t even mind being by yourself. Nothing would make you feel emptier right now than being surrounded by random people. Just one person matters at the moment-

“Hi.”

You almost drop the phone inside the plate when you look up to see who just sat in front of you.

Joy.

Your throat feels suddenly bitter. You have to gulp.

“Jesus, I didn’t even notice you come,” you inhale and chuckle. “How you doing, Joy?”

Joy smiles. “I’m fine.”

She’s lying.

There’s something in the way she looks at you and in the way her smile looks plastic-fake that makes you shiver.

It makes you think that she didn’t even want to be here.

Well, you don’t know about her, but you certainly feel uncomfortable right now. You can’t lie that you’ve been feeling kind of guilty these days because you’ve been fucking the guy she likes in secret, but a big fat load of guilt hit you especially after two days ago. Joy went on a date with Jungkook and barely a few hours later you had him inside of you. And, of course, you had rough sex with him inside of her bathroom. All the while you knew Joy liked him and encouraged her to be with him-

Wow, it’s getting hard to look at her right now. 

You really are a bitch. In the beginning you didn’t feel bad because you stupidly assumed there weren’t feelings involved. It was just friends with benefits, right? You even agreed that you could have sex with other people. If Jungkook started dating Joy, of course you’d stop doing it. Also, there was nothing between you two. You didn’t even feel jealousy.

Things changed, though, and at some point you genuinely started to hate this poor girl for breathing around Jungkook. And now you feel guilty because you realized that you like the guy that she told you she had a crush on months ago.

I took a shower this morning, so why do I feel so dirty right now?

A shiver runs down your spine.

The way she’s looking at you… what if she knows-?

“I’m throwing a party tonight,” she says suddenly. “To celebrate the end of the semester. You wanna come?”

You’ve been fucking the guy she likes for months and there she is, being nice and inviting you to her party. You really are a fake ass bitch-

“O-Oh.” You rub the back of your neck. “I, uhm… thanks, Joy, but I’m not feeling very well today. I just feel like sleeping, to be honest.” You chuckle sheepishly again. 

Joy nods. “Alright.”

She doesn’t insist. It looks like she doesn’t even care. As if she’s just being polite.

In fact, it kind of looks that she’s relieved that you said no-

“So, how was your date with Taehyung?” She changes the topic quickly. “We didn’t even talk about it.”

Right. She’s talking about the person you don’t even want to think about because there’s only so much guilt one person can feel at once. 

“It was fun.” You say. “We had a lot of fun.”

It sounds stupid, the way you can’t even articulate your date with him. You’re not lying - you had fun… kind of. 

“Are you dating him now?”

Okay, this is getting strange. Not the question, but the way she asked. You’re 100% sure she’s annoyed by something, and honestly looks uninterested in your current state with Taehyung right now, so why is she asking anyway? 

“No, we’re not.” You admit. 

Joy stares at you in silence as if she’s waiting for you to say something more, but you say nothing else. Joy then nods. This is getting very uncomfortable.

You feel that she’s about to leave, so you pick up the courage to speak again. She touched this topic anyway.

You know it’s wrong to ask. You shouldn’t. But you’re so curious that you can’t help.

“A-And, uhm… what about you and Jungkook? How was your date?” you try so hard to pretend you’re not dying curious to know.

Joy stares at you in silence again. She isn’t smiling.

“He didn’t tell you?��

What? Is there something to tell?!

“No. Jungkook’s kinda private about this type of thing,” you’re lying, of course, because even if Jungkook didn’t want to, you’d usually annoy him with questions about his dates so hard that he’d end up telling everything that happened.

Joy looks away and quirks one eyebrow. “Oh. I assumed he would have since you guys are so close.”

The way she says so close bothers you.

It’s her turn to rub the back of her neck, her eyes glued on the table - only she doesn’t look nervous. Yeah, she’s annoyed. Joy takes so long to talk that you’re about to repeat your question, but she finally speaks:

“We also had fun. Jungkook really is a sweet guy, right? He did nothing wrong. He’s so polite that it ended up annoying me, honestly. More polite than I would have wanted him to be…” Hah, so they didn’t fuck! Great! “Well, he dropped me home and I invited him to spend the night and all, but… He was very polite. He apologized a lot and said that he couldn’t stay…”

Joy licks her lips. Why the dramatic pause? Say it already, come on!

“He’s also a very honest guy, right?” She chuckled, but she clearly didn’t think it was funny. “He said that he thought I was an amazing person, but things wouldn’t go further than this because…”

For the first time, Joy lifts her gaze and looks at you.

“Because he already had feelings for someone else.”

You’re honestly not breathing anymore.

Joy is watching you very carefully. You’re as stiff as a board.

“Not a fun way to finish a date, right?” She says and chuckles, again, it’s clear she isn’t happy at all. “Anyways, I have to go now. Bye.” 

She gets up and walks away before you can even say anything, as if this conversation was being unbearable for her.

Meanwhile, you just sit there. Frozen. Breathless.

He said things wouldn’t go further than this.

Your throat feels very dry out of sudden. Very, very dry and coarse, as if you’ve eaten sand. 

Because…

You take the water bottle from over the table and drink it in one big, big gulp, until the bottle is empty and your shaking fingers crushed the fragile pet bottle.

He already had feelings for someone else.

You get up and take the tray so fast that you almost drop everything.

Your movements are fast as you walk out of the busy dining hall, your heart beating loudly on your ribcage, your breathing irregular and your mind working at 200 km/h.

He already had feelings for someone else.

He told Joy this. He dropped her home and told her the truth. He apologized. He… he said he already had feelings for someone else. Jesus Christ. Your heart is beating so fast it feels like it’s going to stop anytime soon.

He- He-

He might be talking about Yeri, a little, hesitant voice inside your mind whispers. Well… sure. You’ve been suspecting it for a good while. But… after Jungkook dropped Joy home and said this he-

He went to your apartment.

He went to you.

You feel the need to stop walking and lean on the corridor’s wall. The world around you is blurred.

What is this feeling bubbling up in your chest? A feeling so strong that it’s almost spilling over? This thing that makes you open the widest smile you ever opened and makes you want to jump around the corridor like crazy?

He came to me. He came to me. He came to me. He came to me.

He came to me!

But-

But there’s still the Yeri possibility. 

You need to know the truth. To hear him say it, and you can’t wait another day - not anymore.

You take your phone from your bag and type with shaking fingers.

[you]: hey

[you]: can we meet today?

[you]: i really need to talk to you

Jeon Jungkook is a simp. 

He doesn’t like this word. He thinks it’s annoying how people would call a guy a simp just because he’s treating a girl with minimal decency. 

But, like. He’s a simp. He knows he is. He took a long time to admit this, but lately his pride has been already so crushed and stepped on by a particular pair of feet that he can’t even bring himself to feel anything anymore.

Actually, no. He has been feeling like shit for a long time. It’s just the alcohol anesthetizing him right now.

That’s just his second bottle of beer and he already feels kind of dizzy. It’s been a while since he last drank alcohol, that’s probably why his resistance feels weak. He makes a mental reminder to not drink too much. Jungkook knows that he gets really talkative when he’s drunk and he always ends up saying stuff he shouldn’t - and today especially he can’t end up saying stuff he shouldn’t with that guy around.

If he knew Taehyung would be here too, Jungkook wouldn’t have come. Yes, he knows he’s being childish. He knows he’s angry at someone that didn’t do anything wrong, he knows that jealousy is bad, he knows that technically he is wrong because he’s been dicking down the girl that he knew his friend liked. He knows all that, alright?!

Jungkook throws his head back and sighs, passing his hand through his hair. A chilling night breeze touches his cheeks; since the inside of the bar was already full and they were too many, everyone decided to sit on the outside part of the bar. Jungkook hasn’t been paying attention to anything anyone around him was saying and neither was he interested. He thought that coming here would make him forget about the things that have been troubling him, but in the end he’s just thinking more about them.

I could excuse myself and go home. He thought. I have a lot of things to do anyway. I wouldn’t be lying.

He feels a hand rest on his shoulder and looks at Jimin, sitting on a chair by his side. The look on Jimin’s face already says everything. Jungkook sometimes thinks that Jimin has telepathic superpowers; how does he always know what’s going on before anyone even says anything?

“You alright?” Jimin asks in a low tone, careful not to call anyone’s attention. The younger one nods.

“Yeah.”

“You’re lying.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you drunk?”

“I’m not.” Jungkook reassures. 

Taehyung laughs loudly from across the table and both of them end up looking at him. Jimin looks back at Jungkook. 

Jimin sighs. “You know you can go home if you want to.”

“Yeah.”

Jimin rolls his eyes. “Just… don’t do anything stupid.”

Jungkook looks at Jimin and sips a bit more of the beer slowly.

“Yeah.”

Jimin smacks his shoulder and goes back to his previous conversation with Hoseok.

How Jimin always seems to know what’s going on… it annoys Jungkook a lot. He wasn’t supposed to know anything. It’s not like Jungkook told him about his feelings, Jimin just… realized. They were doing grocery shopping one day and Jungkook mentioned how last time he went to Walmart you told him that the diarrhea he had wasn’t because he was lactose intolerant but because the yogurt was expired and then Jimin turned around and simply said:

“You like her, right?”

And Jungkook gasped.

Jimin smirked knowingly and just kept pushing the cart. He said nothing else - but it was as if Jungkook had just confessed his deepest feelings right there.

This happened a little bit after Jungkook and Yeri broke up and kind of made him feel offended. How could Jimin say he liked you? He hadn’t even gotten over Yeri, Jimin knew very well. However, it seems that Jimin is not only a telepath, he can also see the future, because he couldn’t be more right.

If Jungkook’s being honest with himself, some months ago he wasn’t really really sure about what he felt about you. As the “Yeri” scar started to heal he got more aware of his own feelings and actions towards you, but it was hard to sort things out because he was always in denial. That desire to hold you close and hug you and take care of you and not let anyone hurt you anymore? Well, that was just his protective side. You have always been one of his dearest people. Jungkook also knew that he had a little possessive side. He was sure that this feeling would eventually vanish.

Maybe he was also frightened because he knew it wasn’t reciprocal. You never even looked at him in a way that might mean you felt something else for him. He wasn’t going to confess something he wasn’t sure of to someone that definitely didn’t feel anything for him and destroy a life-long friendship.

But oh boy, how things have changed.

They changed the moment you hopped on his lap that night inside his car. Jesus, that first week was hell for Jungkook. He was trying so, so hard to forget the messy drunken memories of his night with you - especially because, the moment he woke up and saw the pure face of terror on your face when you realized what just happened, he thought of how much you regretted that and all of his hopes died right there - the hopes that maybe, just maybe, you could be more than friends.

Yet, he got to taste you again. Two times were all it took to get him addicted.

He couldn’t stop anymore - and it hurt him much more than he would like to admit. He felt that he was being used, even though he let you do it (and he enjoyed it every time, not gonna lie). He felt worthless, he felt angry at himself because he couldn’t stop and because you were so, so fucking stupid, so fucking blind, he felt sad because he watched as your friendship started to slowly die down, and now he feels jealous and guilty because he’s been seeing how Taehyung likes you - how Taehyung even asked him advice to ask you out - and he didn’t stop fucking you anyway.

That day at Joy’s house? It was ridiculous. Jungkook still doesn’t understand what the fuck happened to him, why he felt so angry. Perhaps he was finally getting tired of how dumb you are, how you can’t see what’s right in front of your face. 

Just thinking about you hurts now. And Jungkook thinks about you a lot. There he is, surrounded by his friends, where he should be talking and having fun, but he’s too busy thinking about you. In two days he’ll start working for Mr. Choi, his first real job. He should be thinking about it. Not about you.

He can’t stop thinking about your flustered face.

You don’t look flustered that often. Especially not around him. 

He thinks this is very intriguing.

What hurt him the most in all this - the thing that made him feel like a piece of shit more than anything - is that he knows you too damn well and he knew that it was never special to you. To you it was just sex, it was just fun; whenever your lips touched you never felt like you were being swept off your feet like he did, whenever you touched him you didn’t feel like just then, in that moment, everything was right - as if the Universe was only created for that specific moment to happen, as if the Universe was expectantly waiting for the moment his fingers ran on your skin freely since the very beginning.

He never felt like this with anyone else. No other pussy has ever made him feel this poetic. 

The fact that Jungkook knew you didn’t feel the same was exactly why he couldn’t stop; this would be the closest he’d ever be from you in that sense - and honestly, after he tasted you, he didn’t want to go back to stage one. You were like a drug. You brought him comfort, you brought him bliss. Having sex with you became somehow of a escapist method. But, just like every drug, you started to make him feel sick… so sick that he couldn’t stand to be around you when you weren’t fucking. 

He drifted away.

God, he even stupidly tried to move on, but Joy was a foolish try. Jungkook felt bad for using her like this - even though he never even kissed her, he felt that he was fooling her anyway. Going on that date with Joy made everything worse, because he was with that gorgeous, intelligent and lovely girl, but he couldn’t feel anything but fucking empty.

He also realized that you couldn’t be his drug anymore. You deserved much more than that. That’s why he drove all the way to your apartment like a magnet. He preferred to go back to stage one if necessary, if it meant that he could be around you without feeling like a worthless piece of shit anymore.

Of course - things didn’t work out that way.

But that morning- it was different.

Jungkook has to sip more of his beer just thinking about it.

It was different.

It was… quiet, very quiet. Much more quieter than he was used to. And much closer than he ever remembered. 

All the times he had sex with you - his body was being pleased, but his soul felt hurt. This time, though, he felt that his whole self was being healed. You didn’t feel like a drug. You felt like a cure.

As if you were connected in somehow of a deeper way.

As if this time, it wasn’t one-sided on his part.

Jungkook can’t stop thinking about it. His pessimistic side tried to convince him that he was being delusional or dramatic (he has this tendency to overthink anyways) and maybe he was, but, again… you don’t usually act flustered, especially not around him. And you’ve been looking flustered around him for quite some now, even before that morning. Sure, your friendship became uncomfortable at some point and he realized that none of you knew how to act around each other anymore, but still… 

What about that time you saw a picture of Yeri on his computer?

You looked very, very awkward.

Or how you sometimes seemed bothered when Joy was around. You teased him a lot at that pool party. Jungkook knew you could get kinda kinky sometimes (he knew you liked the thrill of possibly being caught), but that felt like too much even for you.

His pessimistic side once again tried to convince him that he was seeing things. You wouldn’t be acting jealous. You were never jealous of him with any girl. Never. You even encouraged him to be with Joy, right?

What if… what if maybe, just maybe…?

Stop getting your hopes too high, his pessimistic side scolded. You look stupid.

I’ve been looking stupid for a goddamn long time, Jungkook thinks back. His pessimistic side looks back at him with disdain.

Jungkook frowns and looks at the bottle of beer on his hand. This is just regular beer, right? He surely isn’t so drunk that he’s already arguing with himself.

I should probably go home.

Or…

He could go to your home.

You wanted to talk to him earlier today. You looked very hesitant - again, very uncharacteristic of you. It felt like it was something important. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind if he knocked on your door unannounced - wait, you never cared. At least when your relationship didn’t involve rough sex. I mean- you didn’t mind not even when you started fucking, to be honest.

Why do I feel so nervous? I’ve never felt nervous over such a stupid thing. I mean, she’s the same dumbass I’ve known my whole life.

You’re probably home doing nothing. That’s also very uncharacteristic of you. Normal you would be at some club or party right now, celebrating the end of the semester. Normal you would probably have tried to drag him along. Or you’d meet some time during the night when you’re both too drunk to be standing and then you’d end up at 5am at the usual Burger King because you’re both hungry, and the Burger King employees would be staring at you both with anger and disgust because you’re both laughing like stupid and talking too loud and they’ve been up all night and can’t stand two drunk costumers this early in the morning.

It sounds nice.

Jungkook remembers that Seulgi and Irene made up, which means that Seulgi most definitely isn’t home.

Which means you positively are home alone.

Home alone, huh.

Jungkook sips more beer. 

This sounds nicer.

But, hey, it’s not like he’s being dirty minded (well, at least not entirely). He really wants to know what you wanted to talk about - and suddenly, he doesn’t feel like waiting until tomorrow. Maybe it’s the alcohol (maybe he really shouldn’t finish this beer), but he wants to see your face a lot right now. Your flustered face. And he kinda feels like holding your face with both hands and kissing you very slowly. And he kinda feels like going very very deep inside of-

You know what? Fuck it.

Jungkook puts the bottle over the table and is ready to get up. His excuse is ready. Nobody’s gonna think it’s strange anyway - Jungkook has actual stuff to do.

But he doesn’t have the chance to move when he notices a person approaching the tables where he’s sat.

He freezes.

It’s you.

You’re looking down at your phone before you lift your head and see the group of familiar faces a few meters away from you. You’re alone.

Jungkook’s heart starts to beat furiously inside his chest. A smile unconsciously increases on his lips. What are you doing here? He didn’t know you’d come. He’s also sure that he didn’t tell you which bar he would come to earlier today. Adrenaline rushes through his veins as a hundred ideas run on his mind in those few seconds; did you feel the need to see him as much as he wanted to see you? Did you have the same idea as him? Were you so eager to see him that you couldn’t wait until tomorrow-?

Your eyes finally cross his.

That’s when Jungkook notices something isn’t right.

You look surprised, then a second later you frown, then you slowly widen your eyes.

He knows you too damn well.

You didn’t know he’d be there, too. You’re surprised to see him. And it looks… it looks like you didn’t want to see Jungkook there.

“Y/N!”

A loud, excited, familiar male voice bursts out.

Jungkook watches frozen in place as Taehyung gets up in a swift movement, holds your face with both hands and kisses you.

Taehyung’s lips are warm against yours. They taste like toothpaste and beer.

The kiss is very brief. Taehyung breaks it alway soon, but still holds your face with his hands. He’s smiling widely.

“You're late, missy!" He says happily.

You're frozen in place.

This isn't happening. 

"I-" you stutter. It seems that your brain went into complete malfunction. "I, uhm…"

Your eyes travel back to Jungkook.

He's just watching. Not moving a muscle. No.

No no no no no no.

This can't be happening.

Jungkook wasn't supposed to be here. You thought- you thought he was going to celebrate with his classmates, you didn't expect Taehyung would be here too. No, no. Just no. 

You see the exact moment his features get as hard as stone. The way he clenches his jaw tight.

You can't breathe.

When you texted Taehyung earlier, you didn’t really like that he told you to meet him at a bar. A bar wasn’t the right place to have this type of conversation - you also felt bad that you’d probably ruin his end-of-semester celebrations - but you agreed anyway because you desperately needed to make things clear with Taehyung before you had that talk with Jungkook. You decided to do this because Jungkook was honest and fair with Joy; you needed to do the same. You left the worst of the impressions when you let Taehyung kiss you that day. You needed to tell him the truth, or else he’d just suffer more - and you couldn’t be a bitch enough to just dump him by text.

But fuck -  you didn’t expect Taehyung would fucking kiss you in front of everyone the moment he saw you!

With the corner of your eye, you see Jimin looking from you to Taehyung to Jungkook very fast, his face going pale as he realizes what just happened. No one else notices that something’s wrong.

Jungkook breaks eye contact with you and gets up from his chair. Jimin looks at him, helpless. You know that expression. He’s angry and- and-

Hurt.

You step away from Taehyung, trying to get control over your body again. It feels like pure frost has filled your veins. “T-Taehyung, I…” Your mouth is very dry again. You clear your throat. “C-Can we talk somewhere else?”

You suddenly hate how oblivious Taehyung is and how touchy he is because it’s clear that he’s moving his arm to hold your hand. What the fuck?! We just kissed once, it’s not like we’re dating!

“Sure. Do you wanna get inside? Wanna get a drink?” He asks with the same happy smile. 

You’re trying to think of something to say, but again, someone else behind him gets your attention.

“You’re going this early, Jungkook?” Hoseok whines, oblivious to the whole situation. Jungkook is putting his backpack over his shoulder. He’s looking down, jaw still very tight. Not a word said - yet you could see exactly how hurt he was. 

“Yeah. I have a lot to do.” He simply says. 

“Aw, come on, man!” Taehyung encourages. “You can stay a little longer!”

If Taehyung was a little less oblivious, he would have noticed the death glare sent in his direction.

“I can’t.”

A shiver crawls over your entire body as the death glare is now directed to you. 

He’s so, so hurt.

Jungkook’s walking away.

Stop! You want to scream. You got it all wrong! Don’t go!

But you don’t have the chance to stop him, and Jungkook doesn’t have the chance to walk away, and Taehyung doesn’t have the chance to understand what’s going on.

Everyone turns their heads when they hear a boisterous, scandalous laughter, and the sound of someone clapping their hands dramatically.

Now you’re sure that your veins are frosted. You shiver again - yet this time, it’s pure fear.

It’s Mike.

A very, very drunk Mike.

He looks the worst you’ve ever seen him; his clothes are a mess, his hair has grown a lot, and he hasn’t been shaving lately. His eyes are widened, red and maniac. He stumbles as he walks closer, everyone on the table - and the people on the tables around - stopping to look as he still claps ironically.

“Oh, look at what we have here!” he’s loud. Very loud. “So interesting!”

You notice that Jungkook isn’t walking away anymore - in fact, he comes back a few steps, standing closer to you. His body language has changed. Jimin has also gotten up; it seems that Taehyung might be starting to understand what’s going on.

“This is the funniest shit I’ve seen in a looooong time,” Mike continues. God, he’s drooling. This isn’t happening. That’s not possible.

You watch as some guys come closer to Mike and recognize them as his friends. One of them holds Mike’s arm. “Come on, man. Don’t start a scene. It’s not worth it.” He says in a rather low voice, but you can still hear it.

Mike gets off his grip aggressively. “What do you mean? Of course it’s worth it!” Mike looks at you and grins like a madman. You feel another shiver run down your spine. “Hello, Y/N! It’s been a long time! How have you been?!”

“Your friend’s right.” Jungkook speaks up. “Get out of here.”

“Ooooooh,” Mike shakes his hands as if pretending to be scared. “Look who’s here, too! It’s the bestie! Jeon Jungkook, the best friend your girlfriend could ever have!”

Pretty much everyone on the outside part of the bar is paying attention to what’s going on. They whisper between themselves, looking at Mike, you and Jungkook. You feel so embarrassed that you might as well faint. You feel that you should have said something already, but your brain is still malfunctioning. 

“Jeon Jungkook, the friend that will want to fuck your girl so bad, but he won’t because he’s a coward!” Mike screams and laughs like a maniac.

Jungkook steps up closer to Mike in a brusque movement, but Jimin’s fast enough to hold him back. At this point, all of his friends have already gotten up from the table, wanting to stop Jungkook from doing anything.

“Shut up, Mike! Let’s go!” Mike’s friends try to stop him as well, trying to drag him away, but even though he’s drunk, he’s still strong enough to stay in place.

“You think I didn’t know, huh, Jungkookie? You think I didn’t know that whenever I was balls deep inside of Y/N you wish it was you? You always wanted to make her scream like a bitch the way I did!”

At this moment, the fear and shame are overwhelmed by anger. Without realizing, you are the one stepping closer, you are the person who Taehyung has to grab the arm in order to stop. “Shut the fuck up, you son of a bitch!” You hear yourself yelling.

People on the tables around have gotten up - the noise of many chairs scraping the floor getting louder than the worried voices of the people trying to get away from this mess. You hear someone - a guard from the bar, maybe - threatening to call the police, but you can’t pay attention to him.

“Oh, but that’s exactly what you are! A whore!” Mike yells back. “You got so sad that I cheated on you, but haven’t you been doing the same to me?! You think I didn’t see you two inside the car that night?!”

That night… in the car…

Did he... ?

You freeze again when you see Mike pointing at Taehyung. 

“Hm, you’re Taehyung, right? Are you dating her now? Well, be aware of her best friend right here, unless you like sharing your girl! But Jungkook likes leftovers, right, Jungk-?”

He doesn’t finish the sentence.

Jimin isn’t strong enough to stop Jungkook from jumping over and landing a punch on Mike’s nose.

There’s yelling and the sound of tables turning as a whole lot of men try to stop the fight and glasses breaking and Jungkook screaming incomprehensible things as he holds Mike’s collar and punches once, twice, three times, and then Mike’s mouth and nose are bleeding, and Jimin, Hoseok and Taehyung are trying to get Jungkook off Mike but it seems that not even the three would be enough to stop him.

You’ve never seen Jungkook so mad. It scares you because Mike is too drunk and can’t defend himself - but you’re not scared for Mike, that fucker can die -, you’re scared of what might happen to Jungkook.

So, when Jimin and the others drag Jungkook away as he still tries to free himself violently, you somehow squeeze yourself between them to hold Jungkook’s arm.

“Jungkook, stop!”

The black-haired man looks at you, his eyes red with rage in a way you’ve never seen before. 

You didn’t notice that, in your despair, your eyes filled with tears. This is probably what makes Jungkook stop for a moment.

“Enough! I called the police! Everyone out of the bar!”

A siren can be heard from far.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here!” Jimin yells.

Another mess as everyone grabs their things and to try and run out of the bar - even the people that weren’t involved. You see that Mike hasn’t fainted as his friends grab him out of the bar in a rush.

Jungkook has to get out of here, it’s the only thing on your mind. Jungkook thinks the same apparently, because he’s quick to take his bag from the floor and jump over the bar’s fence to the sidewalk. You assumed that he didn’t drive his way here because he knew he would drink - which means he had to run.

Your only instinct is to follow him. 

You jump over the fence too, much more clumsily than him. Jungkook is already running down the street. 

As you’re about to follow him, you hear someone call your name.

It’s Taehyung.

He’s standing on the sidewalk as customers run out of the bar. And the look on his face crushes your heart.

I am the worst person in the world.

“Y/N, what he said… is it- is it true?” He asks quietly.

You open your mouth as if to say something, but nothing coherent comes out of it. The guilt rushes with adrenaline through your veins. You knew he would be hurt, but it wasn’t supposed to happen this way. It wasn’t.

“I-I’m sorry, Taehyung,” is the only thing you can stutter.

You don’t see what face he makes next - both because you can’t take it, and because you’re already turning around and running down the street after Jungkook.

Jungkook is the only thing on your mind.

You can’t let him go away like this.

You run through the busy streets full of bars. As usual, they’re crowded with people. Some of them look at you running like crazy when you pass by, but you can’t stop running because you can still hear the sirens.

Jungkook has some damn long legs. He runs much faster than you and doesn’t even look back. You can barely breathe and your stomach hurts as you unsuccessfully try to catch up to him. You keep running and running and running until you’re on less busier streets, until the bars are left behind and now you’re on a more residential part of the neighbourhood. As Jungkook crosses an almost empty square, you decided that your body can’t take it anymore. You stop gradually, feeling your entire body scream in pain.

“Jungk- Jungkook!” you yell. 

The black-haired man finally looks behind his back and sees you; he widens his eyes in surprise and stops. 

“Why are you-?”

He doesn’t have the time to finish his sentence as the sound of the sirens get closer. You immediately start to run again and this time - instead of running in front of you - Jungkook waits until you get closer to grab your hand, forcing you to run faster. You two cross the square and run into a stair alley with houses on both sides. It’s quiet here. Jungkook crouches down behind a big trash bin, making you crouch down as well.

You both make as much silence as possible (considering you’re both panting heavily), both sweating, and wait until the sounds and lights of the police siren go away.

After maybe five minutes Jungkook gets up again, dropping his backpack on the floor. He cleans the sweat on his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt; you rest your hands on your legs, trying to recover your breath. Your stomach hurts as if it has been stabbed. Maybe I should start working out.

You notice that Jungkook’s right hand is hurt; his knuckles are swollen and bleeding a little. He frowns in pain as he analyzes it. “You- you’re hurt.” you stupidly stutter. Jungkook shakes his head.

“It’s nothing.” He says in a low voice. “I said I would beat him up if I saw him…”

Out of instinct you step closer to him, worried, and lift your hands to hold his swollen one.

But Jungkook steps back before you can even touch him. He literally flinched away from you.

It feels like an arrow has just buried itself in your heart.

He’s not looking at you.

“Jungkook-”

“No.” He shakes his head again. He’s breathing heavily as if trying to calm himself down. “Don’t… don’t say anything. Please.”

It’s getting so difficult to breathe. Jungkook puts his hands on each side of his waist, staring at something on the floor - clearly avoiding your pleading gaze.

“But Jungkook, I… you didn’t…” why the hell can’t you speak a coherent sentence anymore? That’s why you followed him all the way. You must make things clear, but seeing his face right now makes you hesitate. Jungkook looks genuinely angry; you’ve never seen him like this, ever.

He throws his head back, looking at the sky, and lets a very dry chuckle past his lips. His expression tells you everything you need to know - he’s tipsy, not entirely drunk.

“You know, I don’t even understand why I’m angry.” You’re not sure if he’s talking to you or to himself. “There was never anything real happening, right? We were never real.”

You feel yourself choking on your own words. What does he mean?

“Jungkook, you have to listen to me. I just wanted to talk to Taehyung-”

“You don’t need to explain yourself, Y/N!” He interrupts and finally gazes you back with bloodshot eyes. “We’re fuck buddies, right? It’s just for fun, right? No real feelings involved. It’s not like we’re supposed to care.”

Tears start to make your sight blurred. Each word of his sound more and more bitter, more sad, more hurt, and it feels like someone has buried the arrow in your heart deeper when you realize that his eyes are getting teary, too.

“Stop saying that. You know it’s not true. You’re the person I care about the most in this world-”

“If you start saying how I’m your best friend I’m leaving you right now.”

You frown and blink, trying to dissipate the tears. “B-But it’s true-”

“For fuck’s sake, Y/N! I’m in love with you! Stop acting like you don’t know that already!”

It feels like your brain and your limbs and your lungs stopped working all at once.

Did he… did he just…?

Jungkook exhales heavily. He looks so tired. He rests his back against the wall in front of you, once again avoiding your gaze.

Something tells you that this should have been a happy moment. Deep down, you feel the pure bliss and excitement and it feels like your heart will combust - because you finally heard the words you wanted to hear the most coming directly from his mouth, you finally understood everything; he felt the same, the fucking same.

Yet, all the happiness is being overwhelmed by worry.

You’re watching him intently. You know the man in front of you better than you know yourself. You’ve never seen this expression before - this mix of anger and hurt have never been directed towards you. You’re scared because you don’t know what it implies.

It’s his breaking point.

He might be giving up on you right now.

You don’t know what to say. For a long moment, you just stare at him as he tries to calm himself down - always avoiding your gaze. It seems that words won’t come out of your mouth no matter how hard you try.

“Since when?” is the only thing you can whisper after a long time.

Jungkook shakes his head and lets yet another lifeless chuckle. “I don’t know.” He says in a low, broken voice.

Your fingers are shaking as you close your hands in tight fists. He needs to hear the truth.

“Jungkook.” Yet again, you hesitantly step closer. Your voice is fragile, pleading. “You got it all wrong. Please, you have to listen to me. Today, I-”

“Yeah, I know I got it all wrong from the start.” He interrupts you again. Shut up!, you want to scream. Let me fucking speak!

However, you can’t speak anymore when you notice the tears dripping down his face.

Jungkook is crying.

It’s your fault.

He passes both hands over his face as quickly as the first tears started to fall and sighs heavily. He takes his bag from the floor and shoves it over his shoulder again, turning around before you can see his face again, before you have the chance to say anything.

“I’m going home. You should go home, too.”

And he starts to walk down the stairs way too fast.

Your body is moving before your mind registers and you try to catch up to him. “Jungkook, wait-”

“Don’t.”

Is the only thing he says without looking back.

This makes you stop.

You watch, frozen in place, as he walks down the stairs. You keep your eyes on him as he crosses the empty square again. He’s almost running.

He wants to get away from you as soon as possible.

You know Jungkook too well. You know that, even if you followed him, even if you insisted, he wouldn’t want to hear you anyway. He’d probably despise you even more. This is what made you freeze.

You suddenly feel your legs get weak and sit down on the stair steps. Not only your legs, actually. All of your limbs feel heavy. 

You don’t remember the last time you cried like this. The unstoppable tears just coming and coming and the sobs barely let you breathe. 

You’re crying because you’re ashamed of what just happened at the bar - how Mike made you feel humiliated in front of all those people. You’re guilty because you weren’t honest with Taehyung and now there’s no way back - you let him believe in whatever he wanted to believe instead of making things clear, and now he’s hurt.

And the worst of all.

You’ve been hurting Jungkook so bad for so long without realizing. You hurt the person you cared about the most. 

All of it is your fault.

God, it hurts so much.

You know Jungkook too well. He’s the person that has been always there with you for better or for worse. You always knew you’d have each other’s backs no matter what happens; he’s a part of you, the most important, most precious part of you.

This time, you genuinely don’t know what will happen from now on.

This time... you don’t know if Jungkook will ever forgive you.

[definitelyseven]

risky business | one (m)

summary: you were hired to be with everyone else but Park Jinyoung

one (m) | two | three |

You stared at yourself through the mirror, watching the half-naked women behind you rush to get ready to go on stage. Tonight was your first night at the club and you were extremely nervous. It was obvious you didn’t fit in here but you had to do this. You didn’t have a choice - not when your mother left you with thousands of dollars of medical bills and you father thinking he can pay it all off by gambling. You were millions of dollars in debt and there was no way you could pay it off without doing this; without selling your body. Your sister was still young and you couldn’t put her through this. She didn’t deserve it. She was innocent. 

“You should put on some lipstick,” the woman behind you suggested. 

“Thanks,” you smiled weakly as you took the lipstick from her. You twisted the cap off to reveal a bright red lipstick; a color you would never wear. 

“I’m Momo,” she introduced. “This doesn’t seem like a place for a girl like you.”

“Y/N. You’re right, I don’t belong here. But I need to be here,” you tell her without revealing to much detail. 

“Don’t worry. Most of them are nice and great tippers. Just follow my lead out there.”

You quickly patted some lipstick onto your lips and followed her out. The club didn’t open for about another hour but there was a special guest today and all the girls were requested to come in early. 

“Mr. Park, these are my girls. They’re all very good,” the manager of the club said before handing the attractive man a portfolio which you assumed was filled with pictures of all the girls here.

The man seemed disinterested though. He was busy scrolling through his phone, didn’t even bother to take the portfolio out of the manager’s hand. The manager eventually set the portfolio down on the table. It was awkward - all the girls were standing there half-naked, ready to shake their asses off for random men but the men standing in front of you was unbothered. It was like you didn’t even exist to them. But then again, how could you? These men were well-dressed, handsome and obviously wealthy. They could get any women they wanted so why were they here? 

“Are these girls not to your liking Mr. Park?” the manager spoke again. 

The man finally looked up from his phone and towards you and the other girls. He was attractive, really attractive. He looked like one of those models in the magazines - not one single flaw. He watched the girls carefully, mentally picking out which girl he didn’t want and then his eyes met yours. 

You held your breath, feeling awkward. This was the first time you revealed so much of your body to anyone, let alone strangers. You wrapped your arms around yourself, rubbing them up and down to keep warm. You could feel the goosebumps on your skin. 

“Her,” he finally said. You looked up from the ground and see him pointing at you. The girls around you began to whisper - you were just as shocked as they were. “I want her,” he repeated. 

After the man selected you, the manager rushed the other girls out of the room. You don’t know what you were selected for but he chose you. He picked you. 

You continued to stand there awkwardly until another man ushered you to come closer. You slowly made your way over to the men, taking a seat next to them. 

“You’re perfect.”

“I’m sorry but what am I perfect for?” 

He chuckled at you before speaking, “What if I can offer you another job that pays more than this one?” 

“How much?” you asked interested. 

“Two, three times as much. I’m willing to pay for something that’s worth the price,” he smirked. 

“W-what do I have to do?” you asked, scared. 

“Don’t be scared princess,” he continued to smirk, making you blush. Even his smirk was attractive. “What’s your name?”

“Y/N.”

“I’m Jinyoung. Park Jinyoung,” he introduced himself. “I have a proposition for you.” You raised your eyebrow at him, curious as to what his offer was and how much money you could make from this. “You work here because you need money. I work with a lot of rich, powerful and secretive men. Men that are willing to pay anything to have their fun.” You chewed on your lower lip as you listened carefully. “You’ll be doing what you’re doing here but during the day you’ll be in an office - something you can eventually put on your resume.” 

“Why me?”

“These men that I work with have seen all types of women but the type of women that is the hardest to find are the innocent but kinky ones,” he teased, tipping your chin. You gulped, nervous from his touch.

“How do you know I’m innocent and kinky?” you asked, mumbling the last word. 

“Just by looking at you. That’s why you’re perfect,” he reminded. You looked down at your lap, debating whether or not to take the offer. Jinyoung was right - you’d be doing the exact same thing here anyways but you’d be in an office. It looks so much better on paper.

“O-okay,” you agreed. “What do you want me to do?”

That night you met Jinyoung was almost three months ago. He saved you from working at the club, from stripping for random men. At least now, your sister won’t have an older sister who strips for money. These past few months Jinyoung and his team worked hard to train you into the perfect secretary by day and the perfect seducer by night. 

Today was your final test.

“I’ll wait here,” Jinyoung said before taking a seat by the fitting area. Your last test was to pick out an outfit that would make any man swoon for you. It seemed easily enough but if someone would have asked you to do something like this three months ago, it would be nearly impossible for you.

You were different now. Three months of hard work to change you into someone completely different; someone that exuded confidence, someone that can speak various languages, manage another person’s entire day, and most importantly seduce anyone that laid eyes on you which was by far the hardest thing to do.

“What do you think? you asked Jinyoung as you smoothened out your tight dress that accentuated your curves and revealed just the right amount of cleavage that would make any guy look twice.  

Jinyoung looks up from his phone and at you. He smirks in satisfaction as he shifts in his seat, spreading his legs slightly apart at the site of you. You could tell from the tent in his pants that he enjoyed what he saw. “Stunning,” he said proudly, making you blush. He made his way over to you before turning you around to face the mirror. He stares at you, scanning your body from top to bottom while he licks his lips. His hands made his way to your sides, his fingers dancing against the fabric of your dress. Jinyoung gives your waist a small squeeze. You hissed at his touch. He brushes your hair to one side, revealing the nape of your neck to him. He runs the back of his hand up and down your neck as he plays with your ear. 

“Like what you see?”

“Mhmmm, the confidence,” he hummed, giving the back of your neck a small squeeze. That was lesson #1 - confidence is attractive. Jinyoung reaches inside his pocket and takes out a diamond necklace. “Last piece to make this outfit perfect,” he whispered in your ear before putting the necklace on you. 

“There’s one last thing you can teach me,” you tell him. Jinyoung looks at you surprised as he has nothing left to teach you. “I’ll eventually have to sleep with them, don’t I?”

Jinyoung turns you around to face him. He strokes your cheek gently. He didn’t want to lie to you. “There’s a possibility that could happen.”

“Then teach me.”

“Teach you?” Jinyoung repeated. 

“Teach me,” you paused. “Jinyoung, I’m a virgin.”

“Oh...I didn’t know. If you-”

You shake your head, “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want it to be the reason that I couldn’t do this.” You paused again, waiting for his response. “I want my first time to be with someone I know, someone I trust.”

“I can’t do that,” Jinyoung rejected softly. 

“You can,” you assured him. “I need you to do this for me. If you want this to be successful than do this for me. Please.”

Jinyoung nods slowly, finally agreeing to your suggestion. He lets out a light sigh before pulling you into his arms.

“Do you live here?” you asked once you entered into his luxury condo.

“It’s one of my many estates,” he explained, taking off his tuxedo. You were nervous but you knew Jinyoung will take care of you. He always does. “Want a drink?” You nodded, watching him pour the drinks. 

“Expensive,” you teased as you took a sip out of the beverage. 

Jinyoung clears his throat before setting his drink down. “Show me what you got,” he demanded.

“W-what?” you almost choke.

“Show me what you got,” he enunciated. “Pretend I’m like those men.” You didn’t know what to do. You’ve never done this before. You slowly set down your drink, running different scenarios in your head on what to do next. “Don’t think, just do it.” Jinyoung takes a seat on the couch, carefully watching your next move. You swallowed the lump in your throat. You could do this. You have to do this well. 

You slowly made your way towards Jinyoung, your eyes on his as you gently bit your lower lip. You stopped in front of him before taking a seat on his lap. You run your palms up and down his chest, stopping just below his collar. You leaned in close to his face, feeling his length poke against your thigh as you pressed your body against his. Jinyoung’s hand rubs your lower back, fiddling with the zipper on your dress. 

You got off Jinyoung’s lap and kneeled down in front of him. You licked your lips before looking up at him. He was eager, desperate for you to do something; anything. You rubbed his thighs up and down, inching closer and closer to his length. You stroked him through his pants, feeling it grow harder by the second. You licked your lips again while you unbuckled his pants. His cock was pressed tightly against his pants, aching to be released. You bit your lip, nervous about touching him. 

“Don’t think, just do it.” You pulled his pants lower until his cock was fully exposed. It sprung up almost automatically. He was hard; the tip of his cock bright red with a large bead of pre-cum threatening to fall. You gulped before rubbing your thumb over the tip. Jinyoung lets out a low groan, attempting to hide his moan. His tip now wet with his own pre-cum, you opened your mouth and twirled your tongue against the tip of his cock. He hisses at your touch. You opened your mouth wider, slowly taking in his length. He moans feeling how wet your mouth feels against his cock. You didn’t know any techniques but you did know that sucking was the right thing to do - so you did. You sucked him hard like a lollipop while wrapping your hand on the base of his cock, stroking him long and hard. You bobbed your head up and down until the tip of his cock hits the back of your throat. You kept bobbing your head up and down, hearing him moan and swear under his breath. You had one hand on the base of his cock, stroking him slowly while the other hand massaged his balls. You feel him twitch in your mouth as he groans in pleasure. Jinyoung gets lost in pleasure and thrusts his hips forward. His cock slams into the back of your throat making you choke. “Fuck...” Jinyoung runs his fingers through your hair, gripping tightly onto it. He guides your head up and down his cock, each time harder than the next. “Shit baby...” he moans loudly before pulling away.

You pulled away from him, saliva dripping down your chin. “Did that feel good?” you asked him, staring up at him. 

He chuckles out of breath, “Yeah....” You get up off your knees before wiping your lips.