#I guess time has just stood still in the by then 10 months since the Maze and no one aged a day
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Forced | Charles Leclerc vr.
WC: 16.2K (It started as a 5K word and then I said okay 10K and things went from there)
Charles x reader
Summery: Being threatened and forced into a marriage wasn’t on your mind when you got invited to dinner by your parents.
Warnings: Cursing, forced marriage, bad parents, alcoholic parent, bad childhood, brief suicidal thoughts, half edited. tell me if I missed anything.
A.N: If you’ve read this before, no you haven’t I tried to save it to my drafts while I was at my part time job, and it showed network familiar fast-forward 2 hours and I don’t find it in my drafts, but I see it posted, It wasn’t all uploaded yet.
A/N2: If there has been a one shot I was nervous about positing, it’s this one. So many ups and downs, at one moment I thought about scrapping it but this idea has been in my mind for so long. I feel like I could’ve added so much and I have to remind myself this is a one shot and not a multiple parts series. CARLOS ver. IS COMING, not this week but I’ll start it once I have an outline.(send me ideas if you have any)
Masterlist
Carlos vr.
In the heart of Monaco, where all the rich, glitz and glamorous people live, the sun dips below the horizon casting a golden hue over the famous skyline of Monaco. The city is intertwined with the rich sport of Formula One. Many of the world's richest people live there, and so does your family. The famous Italian Morelli family, the rich of the rich. Generational wealth, very old money.
The family has been close with the Ferrari family for decades, and so Morelli has invested in the company very early on and has been receiving the benefits for years now. All of the children of the Morelli are born loving everything about cars and racing cars. However the new generation, not so much, they're straying from the driving and going into different ventures, trying different things. Yourself included, maybe when you were young but as you got older you never found yourself interested in cars or any of Ferraris teams in any motorsport, the last time you were at a race was when you were 10 and your parents had to force you to go, after that your older brothers stopped going so you said why can't I stay like them and that was that.
You defied your parents when you went to your choice of university, if it wasn't for you grandfather they would've cut you off, and so you went to art school and graduated with honours, but your parents still weren't there. Your grandfather passed away a few months later making your dad the head of the family.
Since then you've stayed in Italy after going and finishing university there, just the thought about going back to Monaco was out of the question, you have only stayed there during breaks from boarding school in Switzerland, both never feeling like home to you.
However here you are on a plane to Monaco for a mandatory family gathering, apparently something big is happening. the Youngest daughter to the family, the polite and elegant girl of the family, the least disappointment to your parents.
Your father had a driver waiting for you at the airport, not bothering to come himself even though it's been a couple of years since you saw him. Nothing has changed.
Getting ‘home’ yet again no one greeted you at the door but the maid who took your bag to your bedroom, you sighed and walked into the house looking for any sign of your family. You didn’t have to look for long, you found your mother on the balcony nursing a glass of some alcoholic drink, it was just a little after noon, a sight that you’re used to since you were young, your mum always being borderline alcoholic. Your guess is that she turned to the drinks to cope with living with your father, whom she chose to stay with for the glitz and the glamour of being a Morelli.
”Mother.” You greeted her, her head snapped to look at you, some of the liquid spilling as she placed her drink down and stood up, coming up to you with very wide arms pulling you in for a hug, your arms lay limp by your side for a moment before you returned the hug with one arm.
”Oh my baby, I didn’t know when you’d be in.” She said and pulled back to look at you.
”I sent you the details.” You mutter and she waves her hand waving you off.
”Come, come sit down, want a drink?” she asked, walking over to the drinks set on the side, you grimace and shake your head.
”No thanks, it’s a bit early for me.” You sit down across from her and look at the view, the view from the penthouse overlooking the pier, as much as you don't like Monaco the views there are breathtaking. “Where’s father?”
”He’s in a meeting.” She mutters and sips from her drink.
”It’s the weekend.” You reply but she just shrugs, unless he changed, your father never had work on the weekends, he hated them, he hated working anyways so for him to do so is something out of character.
”Your brothers just went out, sadly they didn’t come with any of their children.” Your mum pouted and you rolled your eyes, your mum is so out of touch with everything regarding her family, or anything in general, she acts so oblivious to the dynamic of the family, how all of her children live in other countries have their businesses and don’t want to be associated with the family name, the name she fought so hard to have.
”Okay, well, I’m going to my room to change.” You say and walk off leaving your mum on the balcony, texting your brothers in the group chat that you arrived, you laid down on your bed and scrolled through social media to pass time, you didn’t want to be here at all.
Once your brothers came, they made it to your room, the eldest taking the spot beside you on the bed and the second taking the sofa. It’s been a couple months since you saw them, but they’ve been texting you every now and then. The eldest, Matteo, is 8 years older than you, the second, Marco, is 6 years older, and you’re all at the age now where this difference isn’t that big.
You’ve all lounged around, your laughter ringing in the otherwise silent house. When the sun sat down you were called by the maids for the anticipated dinner. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and you'll be out of Monaco by tomorrow night. When you got to the dining room your father still wasn’t present, but you each took your place at the dinner table, with your mum at the head of the table across from your father’s empty seat and your brother’s each taking a side to your father and you between the oldest and your mum. It didn’t take long before your father arrived, he didn’t bother with pleasantries or hellos, he just took his place at the head of the table and food was served. You all ate in silence only the sound of the silverware hitting the plates is heard, something your mum tried not to grimace at each time.
“So… why are we here?” Matteo asked when the silence stretched for a bit too long for his liking, and he as did everyone minus your father wanted to escape this dinner.
”I have something that I wanted to talk to y/n about and I thought it’s best if you’re all present, as it’ll affect everyone.” Your father said, placing his knife and fork down, he took a sip from his wine glass and ran his eyes over the three of you like a predator, no ounce of love in him, you held your breath in curiosity and dread as the air hummed with anticipation, whatever is about to come can't be good. “As you know, our family has ties with the world of cars and motorsports, and Formula 1 has been a cornerstone of our family’s legacy for decades.”
”Not this again.” Marco mutters and your father gives him a warning look that has Marco clenching his jaw but saying nothing.
”In recent years, and since you three refused to have any hand in the family business or racing of any kind, our influence has waned, our presence diminished.” Your father continued, his voice carrying over the silence with determination, he speaks like you're in mediaeval times Matteo rolls his eyes. Dread fell onto you, you had no idea where this is going since it has to do with you. “I believe it’s time for us to take action.” His gaze sweeping across the room. “To reclaim our rightful place among the elite of Formula 1.” His eyes fall onto you and you forget to breathe, Matteo looking from you to your father. “I just came from a meeting with a Ferrari representative and we’ve come to a conclusion, y/n, we’ve arranged for you to marry Charles Leclerc.” Your fork clatters ringing in the air, your siblings and you are in shock. “This union will restore our family’s honour and secure our place at the top of motorsports history once more.”
As the implication of the head of the Morelli family proposal, no not proposal, fact, words, order, yes his order sank in, a palpable tension hung in the air, uncertainty and apprehension heavy.
And then your brothers were shouting, waving their hands, rage filled them. As for you? You felt betrayal, this is a death sentence to all your aspirations and dreams. Your eyes filled with tears, your throat closing in on you, your eyes fell to your plate and hadn’t moved. You have no idea who Charles even is, you have no idea who any of the Formula 1 drivers are at the moment, you haven't been in that sphere in so long.
”Come one, y/n, we’re leaving.” Matteo says and pulls you up, you stand up emotionlessly, your father still silent as he watched, you followed Matteo when your father spoke just as you were about to leave the room.
”If you don’t agree, then you can all kiss your futures goodbye.” Your father said and he dapped at his mouth with the napkin before he placed it on the table, that stopped you in your tracks along with Matteo and Marco stopped his shouting. closing your eyes, you let go of Matteo’s hand, of course it wouldn’t be that easy, your father wouldn’t just tell you and let you refuse, he had another thing up his sleeve.
”What are you talking about?” Marco asked his glare speaking for itself.
”I mean that, if your sister refuses or if any of you say anything or try to stop this marriage, you Marco will find that your company is suddenly without business and thus you’ll go bankrupt and you have two girls at home and a wife to take care of, and you Matteo, your stocks will plummet and you won’t be able to find a job as long as I live, all your inheritance gone and no trust fund to rely on anymore.” Cruel, he’s so cruel, how can he be your flesh and blood, how can you be related to this man? He’d basically kick you all to the street and his grandchildren as well, he has no heart that’s for certain.
”You can’t do that.” Matteo said but his voice was weaker, he knows his father is capable of doing this and much worse.
”Oh but I can.” Your father said with a smirk, his eyes settling on you once again. “So what will you do, y/n, would you let your brothers go bankrupt leaving them and their families with no money or future? Could you have this on your conscience?”
”This wouldn’t be on hers, it’s you, you’re doing this, don’t act like an innocent by standard when you orchestrated this, this scheme.”
”You know what? go at it, do the best you can, we’re not letting y/n marry someone she doesn’t even know, who the heck is Charles Leclerc anyways, I swear to god father if you make her do this I’ll-“
”I’ll do it.” You said and all eyes snapped to you, a tear left your eye before you whipped it away not letting another one leave your eyes.
”Wh-what?” Marco asked confused by your words.
”I’ll do it, but you have to write everything down, make a contract, that if I go through with it, you’ll leave them alone, the inheritance, the trust fund, everything.”
“No, no, y/n, what are you doing?” Matteo asked shaking his head, he doesn’t like this, he doesn’t want you to do this, his baby sister.
”I’m doing the only thing I can to keep you and your family safe.” You say to his, your eyes leaving your father’s to look at him. ”You just had a baby girl, and Marco, you’re about to have a boy, I can’t let this affect you.” You say to your brothers, Marco falls in his chair in disbelief. “Do we have a deal?”
”We sure do.” Your father says with a wicked grin on his face.
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Earlier that day in Monaco, Charles was on his way to what he assumed was a friendly meeting with some of Ferrari’s officials. His mind was somewhere else, he was thinking about the upcoming race, race strategies, how to secure a spot on the podium, he’s reached a point where he just wants to stand on the podium not win, just be in the top 3. He’s been struggling with the team the whole season and his personal life took a turn since the middle of the last season, it seemed to him that everything is taking a horrible turn. Little did Charles know that what’s about to come is so much worse.
As Charles enters the office, he’s met with a Ferrari executive whose name eluded him at the moment and a man he never met before, but a sense of unease crept over the monegasque man as he took in the seriousness of the situation.
”Charles,” Greeted, the man he didn't know, Charles shook his hand ever the polite man. “I’m Antonio Morelli.”
Charles recognized the name instantly, he knew the history of Ferrari and their ties with the establishment of Ferrari. “Mr. Morelli, it’s lovely to meet you.”
After they finished the introduction and sat down, Antonio sitting across from Charles started speaking. “Charles, this meeting has been set up because we need to talk.”
Confusion flickered across Charles’s features, his brow furrowing in apprehension, he had no idea what Antonio Morelli could ever want with him.
“Of course, about what?”
”It’s about your future and the future of Ferrari.” His heart sank at Antonio's words, this conversation is about to change the trajectory of his life. “As you’re well aware, your recent… actions shall we say, have caused considerable damage to your reputation and more importantly the reputation of Ferrari and the team’s standing in Formula 1.” A wave of irritation surged through Charles at the implication of Antonio’s words, but he had to bite back his tongue and stop the retort that threatened to spill from his lips. He knows this is not the time to argue, and it would only serve to worsen the situation further. “In light of these circumstances, and to save your reputation and your career.” Antonio held eye contact with the driver, his tone cold and unwavering. “I’m afraid I have no choice but to present you with an ultimatum, and you can choose whichever you like, it’s up to you.” Charles’s heart skipped a beat as he braced himself for the oncoming crash, he knew that whatever was in store for him wasn’t good. “You’ll marry y/n Morelli.” He stated as if he wasn’t just offering his daughter up to a man he didn’t know, yes he knows who he is but this is his first time meeting Charles. “Or you will find yourself without a seat in Ferrari and with no future in Formula 1.”
Silence filled the room as it seemed to spin for Charles, his mind is struggling to grasp what was just told to him, it felt like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of him leaving him without air and leaving him reeling with disbelief.
”I uh- but I…” Charles stammered struggling to come up with something to say as his voice is barely a whisper.
”There are no buts, Charles.” Antonio heard him loud and clear, his voice cutting through the turmoil going through Charles and reaching him. “This is your only option to keep your seat, your only chance to salvage and save your seat and career in Formula 1.”
Charles thought about all he went through to reach where he is now, racing in Formula 1 was his lifelong dream and he achieved it, but he hasn’t won a championship yet, he still has so much to achieve, so much to do.
“This isn't just about you Charles, this is about Ferrari as well, its about the fans and how they view you as il predestinato.” The executive said and Charles felt a surge of resentment rise within him, his fists clenching at his sides. How dare they blame him for all their problems? How dare they use him as a scapegoat for their own failings? He knows it's not just about him, it's to distract the fans from the failed car, the tractor he and Carlos are made to drive every week.
But as he met the unwavering gaze of Antonio and the executive, Charles realised that there was no escaping the reality of this ‘predicament’. He was trapped, caught in a web of deceit and manipulation and it looked like there was no escape for him.
With a heavy sigh and his head bowed, and broken spirit he nods his head in acceptance, knowing that he had no choice but to accept. No matter how much it went against everything he believed in, he had to agree, his sense of pride taking a hit. And as he left the room, his footsteps heavy with the weight of his newfound burden, Charles could only wonder what awaited him on the other side of the impossible choice that lay before him.
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Matteo and Marco both took your bag and booked you a hotel room. You had set your mind to the marriage and weren't backing down as long as your father was threatening your brothers, the only family, you count, that you have left.
It took a lot for you to make them stay back when your father called you to tell you to come home to sign the contract and to tell you what the next steps will be like. You get there and the maid greets you as usual, taking your coat, before you make your way to the office. There's a meeting table with 6 chairs placed to the side in the office, used when your father has business meetings at home, so not so often.
You place your bag on the table and sit down, your father soon walks in with a man following him. It turns out to be the lawyer, they sit across from you.
“As we've talked there's two contracts, one for the marriage, you'll share with Charles and the other for your conditions. You can start with that one.” The lawyer stated and you start reading, it takes a while as you focus on every word not wanting to miss a thing. You do find yourself getting emotional as you read, this is all becoming so real, it's actually happening. It takes a lot for you not to show the tornado of emotions swirling inside of you.
“Where do I sign?” You ask meekly and the lawyer points you to where you have to. You sign all the lines and hand him the contract.
“Okay the next one.”
“I need to go to the bathroom.” You mutter and stand up.
“Let's take a break.” Your father excuses you and you head out to the bathroom furthest from the office to hide in there as you're trying to fight the tears. You're literally signing your life away, tying yourself to a man you've never met before. Closing the bathroom door behind you, you splash some cold water onto your face to calm your racing heart. But seeing how weak you look, makes you want to cry more. A few tears manage to slip down your cheeks but you pat them away, trying not to ruin your makeup. Don’t let him see how much this is affecting you, you can’t.
Charles makes it to the address sent to him, he's led to a penthouse so big and fancy it surprised him even though he's been in many expensive houses. You can tell this is owned by a billionaire, everything is a step above all the other places he's been in, yet it looked cold, unloved and un-lived in. Charles couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at him, he had greed to this, this arranged marriage out of desperation to keep his career, to keep his name out of the public’s mouths, however the idea of entering a marriage with a complete stranger left him feeling uneasy. When he makes it to the office, he sees Antonio and the lawyer sitting down, the chairs across from them empty, but there’s a purse on the table. Antonio and the lawyer greet him and point him to the seat across from the lawyer, and just as he sits down, the door he closed behind him is opened, and his future wife walks in. Charles looked up the Morelli family but there weren't pictures of the adult children anywhere, when they were young there’s plenty, some at F1 races even, but after a certain point, he found absolutely nothing. What he found is the parents of the family pictured at parties and lavish ad luxuries events and trips.
Charles looked starstruck when he saw you walk in, he doesn’t know what he expected but you look absolutely nothing like your father, you look elegant, soft and so innocent. He reminds himself that you’ve also agreed to this, that you’re the daughter of the man that’s forcing him, how different can you be from your parents?
You saw him in pictures, you’ve read about him, everything you could get under your hand you’ve read. From his beginning in karting to F1, to the scandals he’s been getting into for the last year or so, how much it had affected him and his sponsors. On track he’s still doing good, the best he can in the car he’s given at least, but off track he’s living the life of a fuckboy, all that after he came out of a long time relationship. To you however he’s just the man that agreed to this marriage, to further his career to get to your family’s money, be connected to Formula 1 forever even, you don’t know but you don’t like him and dread the thought of being tied to him just like your mum is to your dad.
With heavy steps you make your way to your seat next to Charles and sit down, you refuse to look at Charles, but he kept glancing at you taking you in, your father had a smirk on his face that just irritated you to no end.
”Okay, let’s go over the key points in the contract together before you both can take it and sign.” The lawyer said. “Charles and y/n, you are both not to be seen in any romantic or intimate position with anyone but each other.” This was mainly for Charles. “The public needs to think that you’re both single for now.” Easy enough you think to yourself. “In a month's time, you’ll start being spotted with each other, but confirm nothing after about 2 months, y/n you’ll be seen at a race.” You already hated this so much. “From there you have to sell that you’re actually in love, we’ll then release a statement saying that you’re in a relationship and things look to be going good. Now, in 9 months you have to get married.”
”That’s not going to be believable, getting married in under a year of knowing each other.” Charles stated wanting to scoff at the stupid plan they had set up, you take the contract and flip through it reading all the conditions the things you have to do.
”And that’s why you’ll say that you’ve known each other for a long time, and you’ve just started dating recently.” Antonio said and gave a challenging look, that shut him up straight away.
“Why do I have to move back to Monaco?” You ask frowning, you hate this country, it may be small but you hate it, you’ve just gotten out of it permanently not even five years ago.
”Because this is where Charles lives-“ You cut your dad off.
”But he can move to Italy, it’s not that far.” Your dad wasn’t happy about you cutting him off but you didn't care, your life is in Italy not in Monaco. “And he races most of the year so he’s not in Monaco most of the time.”
”y/n, Monaco is the home of Formula 1, it wouldn’t make sense to move to Italy, keep your house there if you want and go there from time to time, but you will live in Monaco.” You huff but say nothing else, wanting this hell to end already. You’re both given pens to sign the contracts and before the ink even has time to dry you leave the room, leaving the three men watching after you.
Charles asks himself what he had gotten himself into, to him you sounded like a brat throwing a tantrum, because she couldn’t get the smallest thing she wanted, and now he’s stuck with you. Now your fates are sealed, intertwined. And you’re both losing hope.
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In the next month you don’t see Charles, he was off racing, and you were back in Italy, you’ll postpone your move as much as you can, your life is all in Italy, it’s where you’re living, working, that’s where your friends are.
Both you and Charles were sent booklets with all the information that you may be asked about for the other and you had to memorise it. You took the booklet and never bothered to open it, you weren’t about to make this easy, just because you signed doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing from here. Charles however read everything, he wanted to know who you are, he hadn’t gotten the luxury of finding a wiki page or an article about you.
The media and everyone around Charles notice a difference in him, he doesn't go out or sleep around anymore, but he’s also quieter and more reserved than before. Whenever he was asked about his mode or why he’s changed, he’d just deflect the question, change the subject or simply just shrug. Charles did find himself thinking about his future all the time, regret and second thoughts clouded his mind, but it was all too late now.
It was between races when you flew back to Monaco to meet Charles for your first ‘date’. In your time in Monaco you’ve booked a hotel room to stay in, not wanting to see your parents if not needed. You met Charles at the location sent to you by your father, you still don’t have Charles’ number.
It was a small and cosy cafe, where you’re both to sit and eat for an hour or so, there will be a paid photographer (paparazzi) waiting to snap pictures of you both. You arrived first and took a table near the window, but had your back to it, not wanting your face out there straight away. You tapped your fingers on the table as you waited for the Formula 1 driver to arrive. This ‘date’ to many would be a dream, but to you it had kept you up at night, dark circles under your eyes were covered by layers of concealer.
”Uh, hi.” Charles says and takes the seat in front of you, you give him a small fake smile in return.
”Hi.” You greet him back, and then there’s a long stretch of silence, that is so awkward you wanted to kill yourself, what do you say to your future husband that you’re forced to marry on your first ‘date’? Thankfully a waitress comes by and places two menus in front of you, and so you take your time flipping through, Charles has been here many times before, he knows what he’ll order so he takes the time to shamelessly look at you. He does admit that if it weren’t for the whole marriage thing, if he saw you somewhere he’d ask you out, too bad you’re a Morelli that he’s forced to marry. “Do you know what you’ll order?”
”Yeah, do you?”
”Yes.” You both order what you want before falling into silence. Charles clears his throat, searching for something, anything to break the awkward silence.
”So… how was your day?” He asked eventually, cringing slightly at his own words, you blink at him not expecting him to talk to you at all, you hesitate for a moment before you find your voice to respond.
”Fine, thank you.” Your tone is a little guarded, on edge, not trusting Charles, but you decide to play along and return the question. “How was your day?”
”It’s way okay.” And that was the end of it before your food arrived, you eat in silence both glancing at the other from time to time. This is suffocating, it just dawned on you that this will be your life from now on.
”This is awkward, maybe we can, I don't know, try to talk maybe?” You were uncertain and admittedly very awkward, but you have to get over the silence, you hate silence like this, you’re very talkative by nature, the only time you’re silent is when you’re uncomfortable.
”Okay, we have to act like we like each other anyways.” Charles muttered and took a sip from his water. “Did you come from Italy?”
”Yeah, early this morning, you were in Spain right?” You think you’ve seen that they were racing in Spain somewhere online.
”Yes, a couple days ago.” You nod to his words and fall silent again. “Nice weather today.”
You couldn’t help yourself but laugh, nothing is truly funny, but look at you talking about the weather and nonsense, trivial things, the irony of the situation is so funny. Charles smiles as he sees you laughing, he didn’t expect it but it’s his first time seeing you do more than a fake smile, you’re usually stoic, no emotions at all.
“I’m so sorry, it’s just this whole thing is just so…”
”Weird.”
”Yes.”
”Believe me I know.”
This breaks the ice a little, you still talk about trivial things, nothing personal at all, you talk about Italy he tells you about Spain, what countries you both think is better than the other, trivial, not important talk. But talk you did. As an hour came to close, you both paid for your part of the late lunch, Charles didn’t put up a fight when you said you’ll pay half of the food, he felt like you’re not at the point where he can offer to pay.
Walking outside you look up at him and give him one of those small smiles, that to him looked practiced and not genuine.
“I guess, I’ll see you at our next scheduled, uh ‘date’.” You say doing air quotes at the date part.
“Yeah, sure.” You turn to leave before Charles stops you. “Wait, let me get your number, so we don’t have to go through people to schedule something.”
“Great idea.” You mutter and take out your phone and you both exchange numbers. “Okay, bye.”
“Bye.”
With that you both went on your own ways, you went to walk around and get to your hotel, the weather is nice after all, and Charles went with him in his car.
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You and Charles went on a few more ‘dates’ each one with more pictures online, no one has figured out who you were yet, something you were forever thankful for.
F1Gossip
Liked by username5, username320, and 302,582
hear me out! I think charles is over his hoe era, in the last month he’s been seen with the same girl in Monaco, Austria and Hungary. I repeat it’s the same girl.
No one knows who she is but or what she does but could this be Charles new girlfriend?
More comments
username234 honestly good for him
username20 FINALLY!! I was over him with a different girl each week 💃
username083 I wonder who she is
username72 not good enough for charles that’s for sure 🤢
username294 i bet it’s just another girl who he flies around w/ him so he wouldnt have to go out and look for one
username498 come one guys we don’t even know who she is
username903 it’s giving me gold digger vibes
username465 Charles be careful
username983 seriously these comments are not it 🙄
username438 shut up no one asked you
username983 and I don’t remember charles asking for your opinion
username438 stop asking like you know him when you dont
username983 says yyou
username474 I don’t like this 😒
username832 me neither
username094 this is whey drivers dont post their relationships because you people dont even know who the poor girl is and you’re already attacking her
username873 Olivia was better
username384 girl they ended over a year ago get over it
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You’ve seen the photos and you’re impressed with how much you and Charles managed to sell it, one thing you didn't like is the comments, you’re dreading the moment they find out who you were. You and Charles would usually meet up somewhere for half an hour, once you got the okay that the pictures were good you’d both go your separate ways. Now he has his summer break which he’s spending in Monaco, so once more you fly to Monaco to start the next part of the ‘plan’. The soft launch.
Your socials are all private, but soon you’ll have to make them public, another thing you have to change. You made it to Charles yacht in Monaco, he was already there waiting for you.
”Hi.” You greet the Monegasque, with a wave of your hand and a small smile, Charles returns your greeting and helps you get on the yacht. You settle down as Charles gets the yacht out in the water for a good spot. You brought your sketchbook with you, you’ve had a few ideas about some paintings for a gallery you wanted to be part of and inspiration just hit you that morning, so as Charles sailed for a bit you sat at the table and brought up your supplies. You’re the kind of artist that likes to sketch things out before putting them to the canvas.
”What are you drawing?” Charles asks you when he comes in.
”Just a sketch for a painting I want to do.” You say and look up at him to see him handing you a drink. “Thank you.”
”I never saw any of your work before.” Charles stated and you smile taking out your phone, you always love showing off your work. Not many people in your life were interested in art besides those you met in uni so when you find someone you just want to show them.
”I’ll show you.” Charles sits next to you and looks at the phone, and suddenly he’s seeing a side to you that he’s never seen before, your face is bright and the smile on your face is true, this is your passion. you’re explaining to him what each piece is about and what they mean, the colours, the composition, what inspired it. In the next 30 minutes he’s heard more from you than he’s heard in the last month. Charles is smiling at you when you realise you’ve been ranting for a while. “What?”
”I just never seen this side of you before.” He shrugs and you sigh leaning back in your seat, angled slightly to his side.
”We don’t know each other, I only know what I’ve seen online.” You tell him, your smile is long gone, and you find yourself needing to talk to him about the arrangement, you both have never talked about it before.
”You haven’t read the booklet?” He asked confused, he’s read his over and over again.
”Just the first page, it’s all stuff you can find online anyways, besides I bet you mine is just filled with things my parents think they know about me, but aren’t true.” Charles is confused by your words, he’s been under the impression that you wanted this marriage to happen, that this was a part of your plan. It seems to him now that your relationship with your parents is a bit rocky.
“I feel like there's a lot of things we should talk about.” Charles said as he got the feeling that maybe you aren't as welling as he originally thought.
“True, I actually hoped to talk to you.” You said and were Facing Charles fully, he also turned to face you, your knees touching lightly. “Look, I know you that we don't know each other, and that there's things that we both want to do that this marriage wouldn't allow us to do, so I have a proposal.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
“I wouldn't mind you being with other girls, we'll be married in a few months and i know I'm not your type, so do whatever you want just keep to discreet.” Charles was dumbfounded by your words, he cant believe that this is what you think of him. He's also a bit irritated. But what can he say, his attractivities haven't been the most private as of late. “But, I'm Keeping my house in Italy and I'll go Monaco if I have to and nothing else.”
“Sounds fair.” Charles said and you put out your hand for a handshake, which he returned. “There's no reason for us not to be friends.”
“True, I mean we're stuck together for life now.” You say and shrug. “We should take some pictures for Instagram.”
You both go out and begin the small photoshoot you had to do. Posing and taking pictures to choose one for Charles to post on his stories.
By the time the Yacht docked the sun was nearly down, Charles got off first and helped get off.
“When are you leaving?” Charles asked as you both walked to the parking lot, you rented a car this time around.
“As soon as I find a plane, I usually don't book my return flight until I'm sure we have everything we need.” You explain and he nods. “Why?”
“Well, you see…” Charles rubbed the back of his head nervously, he didn't want to bring it up but he's been putting it off for so long. “My mum wants to meet you.”
“What? Why?” you're confused why his mum would want to meet you, unless. “She thinks this is real?”
“I couldn't tell her, it would break her heart, she would feel guilty and upset and I can't do that to her believe me I tried but everytime I couldn't.” Charles went on a mini rant, now this a side to him you never saw. You can tell how much he cares and lives his mum, you couldn't say you understand his feeling but just from hearing him you can sort of empathise with him.
“Okay, I'll do it.” You say and he stops from talking and looks at you, with wide eyes.
“Really?”
“Yeah, it means alot to you, I’ll play my part.” You shrug, not thinking much about your choice. “Practice anyway, we haven’t acted as a couple in front of anyone really.”
“Thank you.”
”No worries.”
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The next day, you got dressed and headed to Charles’s house where his family was gathering for an early dinner and a night together, enjoying the time where the three Leclerc boys had nothing to do. When you arrived, you could hear the laughter from inside, making you pause as the nerves came at full force, your hands started to shake and you had to pause before ringing the bell a few times. Taking a deep breath you pressed the bell, and waited. The door opened and you saw Charles, he must’ve been laughing before he opened the door because he had a big smile on that showed his dimples, and they didn’t dim when he saw you. You gave him a nervous smile.
”Hey, come in.” He greeted you and walked in seeing some of his family, this must be the reason behind the smile and the friendliness. Yes Charles has never been rude to you but you wouldn't call him friendly or loving or caring. Neither have you to be honest, so you wouldn’t blame him. You give Charles a quick hug and press your cheek to his in greeting. You put on your diplomatic smile that you had perfected when you were in boarding school, and look at the Leclercs, thankfully it wasn’t the whole family, just the boys and their mother. “Maman, this is y/n, the one I told you about.”
”Ah, y/n it's lovely to meet you.” Pascal comes up and pulls up in for a hug, that you clearly weren’t expecting, your eyes went wide for a bit before you returned the hug. Her smile and hug came in as a relief amidst the lies and the unknown tension between her and Charles.
”It’s lovely to meet you as well, Mrs. Leclerc.” You say in perfect french, and pull back to see her grinning face, all your words and smiles felt hollow, meaningless , you know the truth behind all this and it isn’t easy to lie to someone who’s so affected by it.
”Oh please call me Pascal, Charles didn’t tell me you speak French.” Pascal says and pulls you behind her to the living room where the other other Leclerc boys are.(after this point everything is French between the French speakers)
”Must’ve wanted to surprise you.” You say smoothly and smile as you shake hands with Arthur before you do the same to Lorenzo, who seemed reluctant, but you think nothing of it. His brother did sleep around with lots of women recently, and you’re the first one they’ve met in a while as well.
”I wonder what else he didn’t tell me.” Pascal gives Charles a look and he shrugs with a smile, he didn’t know you could speak French, it wasn’t in the booklet, it said you speak Italian, English and German.
“Maman, I just wanted you to find out from her.” Charles says and sits down next to you on the sofa.
”y/n, you’ve come at a good time, I was finishing the food.” Pascal said and went to go to the kitchen before you stopped her.
”Do you need help?” You ask standing to follow her but she refuses your help and tells Arthur to come help her instead. With a groan the youngest follows his mother to the kitchen and you’re left with the oldest two.
”So what exactly do you do, y/n?” Enzo asks, the way he said your name left a bad feeling in you, you looked at Charles and he gave you a nod in reassurance, but it did nothing to ease you at all. You’re in the lion’s den right now.
”I’m an artist.” You say with a polite smile.
”So you don’t work.” He said simply and your smile falls.
”Enzo.”
”What? I’m just getting to know your wife.” Enzo said and you freeze. His tone is sarcastic, your heart sank and your facade dropping. “Oops not yet I guess.”
“Come on, let’s eat.” You’ve only just met Arthur but you've never been grateful for anyone in your life. Enzo leaves the room first and you turn to look at Charles with fire in your eyes.
”You told him.” You hiss glaring at the Ferrari driver.
”Yes, I had to tell someone, and he won’t tell anyone.” Charles defends himself and you roll your eyes. “Your whole family knows.”
”Yes, but you know that, why didn't you tell me?” You huff, not liking how he didn't tell you.
”I just didn’t have the chance.”
”How convenient.” You walk away from Charles and to the dining room, where they were all sitting down, the polite fake smile was back on your face. You sat down in a chair and Charles sat next to you. You were back to playing boyfriend and girlfriend, but you couldn’t shake the feeling of Enzo’s eyes on you. Another thing you’ve noticed is how loving the family is, even Enzo’s anger is justified and comes out from a place of love. Your brothers love you but you weren't raised with love around you and it shows in how people act and interact with each other. You did get to know the family a lot that day, with good food, good wine, and amazing company. But at the end of the night when Pascal made Charles drive you home/hotel since he didn’t drink and you did, you sat in silence as the guilt ate at you slowly, you were looking out the window from Charles’s Ferrari watching the scenery lost in thought.
”I didn’t know you spoke French.” Charles said breaking the silence and bringing you out of your thoughts, you turn to look at him.
”Yeah, I’ve been speaking it since I was young.”
”It’s not in the booklet.” You laugh at his words and little pout he had on his face, looks like someone took reading the booklet to heart.
”Told you it’s not all true, I refused to speak French to my parents after the age of 9.” You told him and he gave you a questioning look filled with curiously, your family dynamic alway puzzling him and leaving him utterly confused. “They always wanted me to do this or that, and at home we always spoke Italian and then suddenly they wanted us to speak French, I learnt it but never spoke it in front of them, I speak six languages fluently, and know the basics of a few more.”
”SIX!” Charles is impressed, he speaks three and that was hard for him, imagine six.
”Yeah.” You chuckle at his surprise and bring out your hands to count them down. “Italian, because I’m Italian, French because Monaco, duh, German because of my school in Switzerland, English is a language everyone just learns, Spanish because I went to a trip to Spain in 8th grade and loved the language and then Dutch cause why not, and it has some similarities to German when it comes to vocabulary.”
“Wow, I’m impressed, and surprised more impressed though.” Charles says and you smile a genuine smile.
”I’m glad to impress, and if you ever need a translator you know who to find.”
Charles came to a stop in front of the hotel, he never asked why you never stay with your family when you’re here but he could only guess. “You know, you don't have to stay at a hotel, every time you're here.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose.” You say unbuckling your seatbelt.
”You wouldn’t.”
”I don’t know, maybe you’d have some company, I’m okay here seriously.” Charles sighed and here it is again your thoughts of him.
”I haven’t been with anyone since I’ve signed the contract.”
”Why.”
”Because no matter what, I’m not a cheater.”
”But we’re not in a relationship.” silence
”Have you been with anyone?”
”No, that’s not what i meant, I just mean that you can live your life how you want it.”
”Well, I don’t want to be a cheater we’re getting married in a few months.”
”Well, I’m not with anyone and haven’t been in almost a year.”
”Okay.”
”Okay, see you later Charles.”
”See you.”
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Charles_leclerc
Liked by Landonorris, Maxverstappen1, your username and 3,380,394 others
No place like Monaco ❤️
More Comments
username93 we saw the last slide charles
username24 Charles in his soft launch era 🔥
username37 does this mean the end to his hoe era for real
username76 I’m going to miss fuckboy Charles
username37 You’ll be missed charles 💔
username83 you all think its the same girl from the paparazzi pictures 🤔
username69 I think so, same hair and everything
Landonorris 👀
Carlossainz55 when did this happen?
username28 lol not even his friends knew
username86 I bet @/pierregasly knows what up
Pierregasly not this time
username08 can’t believe there’s a day where Pierre is as clueless as we are
username90 I bet she’ll be gone in a week or two
username87 Uh who is this?
username48 Charles be careful there’s a gold digger trying to leach of you 🤮🐍
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Charles posted a few more times, without bringing your face in continuing the soft launch part of the ‘plan’. you’ve met his mother another time, and like the first time, seeing her so happy for Charles and being in love with you left you with guilt that kept you up at night. Alas it was time for you to make your appearance at a race, your dad had talk to you on the phone and told you to hurry up, he also tried to arrange for a ‘family dinner’ that you’ve refused over and over again. With that being said you texted Charles and you both agree for you to go to the race in the Netherlands. You’ve arrived separately from Charles in, coming from Italy. Charles’s room was a suite at the hotel, with a big sofa and a king sized bed. Charles arrived a day before you and was already out for media duties for quite some time, you had a work obligation that you couldn’t get out of and you haven’t really tried.
By the time you arrived and were out of the airport and at the hotel it was already getting dark out, you got into Charles’s room with the key he left for you at the reception. The room was clean, you've noticed with his suitcase open on the side, the first thing you did was shower and get into some lounge clothes, it was an oversized set that you wore around the house when you had guests over usually, not the usual boxer shorts and bralette you enjoyed.
Your phone has been going for a good 15 minutes now, making you sigh and go to the balcony to get fresh air with your phone in hand as you willed yourself to pick up. It was night time, and you had only turned the side lamp on in the room, making very faint light come out to the outside. after staring at the screen for what felt like eternity and with a shaky breath, you finally muster the courage to pick up his latest call. Your heart was pounding in your chest.
”y/n, finally, I’ve been calling you for days now.” Your father’s voice rang through the line, it was laced with irritation and anger, all directed towards her, as always leaving her shaky and scared.
”Sorry, father, I’ve been busy.” Your voice is barely over a whisper, a strained silence hung in the air for a moment, your hold on the phone tightened.
”Look, I’ve been patient enough with both you and Charles, but if you keep ignoring me and not doing as I asked, then your brothers will bare the consequences of your action, or none there of.” His tone was serious and unyielding, making you feel like a child once more.
“We will, I promise, tomorrow I’m going to the paddock.” You tell him straight after, and you hate how you want to please him just to get him off your back, the fear in you not lessening with age, he still has a hold over you.
“Good, that’s good.” He hummed and you hear your mother talking next to him for a moment before he’s speaking again. “Your mother is asking when you’ll be over for dinner with Charles.”
”I don’t know, we’re both super busy and-“
”And nothing, you come here as soon as you can, I’ll have none of this busy nonsense.” Your father interrupts his tone firm. “It’s time for the excuses to stop, I’ve been letting you handle how you get it out to the public on your own, but what I say goes.”
”I’ll talk to Charles, we’ll-we’ll figure something out.” You mutter and tears gather in your eyes, you try to fight them but like always when it came to your father they just fall freely. No matter what, you have no choice but to complain with his wishes/demands. For some reason after meeting his family, the thought of Charles seeing yours is leaving you with a sense of dread and despair. soft sobs leave your mouth in waves, you look out at the view, you’re high, the street looks far away, and you wonder, just for a second, if you jump would you die instantly or would you be in pain, is that kind of pain better or worse that the one you’re in. shaking your head away from those thoughts, you turn to go inside.
Unbeknownst to you Charles has made it to the hotel room, just to catch the last of the conversation, and he’s heard you cry. He stood in the bedroom just watching you crumple under the weight of your emotions, a few times he had to stop himself form going to you and pulling you in for a hug.
When he sees you turning to come back inside he makes his way to the door of the room and acts like he just came in.
”Hey.” Charles greets you softly, he couldn’t act happy when he just saw you falling apart.
”Hey.” You put on a brave smile but he could see your wet cheeks and red eyes, your nose red as well. “How was today?”
”It was okay, tiring, but good.” Charles says and his eyes don’t leave your figure as he watched you escaping to the sofa where you practically had your back to him.
”That’s good, I’m tired as well, I think I’ll go to bed now.” You say and pull on the extra covers you found in the closet.
”Now? did you eat?”
“No, but I’m tired and not hungry.”
”Oh, okay, sleep well then.”
”Thanks, you too.”
Charles walks into the bedroom and closes the door lightly, you’re not sleeping and you won't find sleep for a while, your mind is swirling with emotions and thoughts that are hunting you down. You don’t cry but a few tears slip as you try not to think about what tomorrow will hold or all the things you have to do.
The next day, you wake up bright and early, before Charles’s alarm goes off, you don't need to shower since you did the night before, but you slip into the bathroom, and start on your makeup, and get dressed. You know that every single thing about you will be all over social media and criticised and analysed by thousands if not millions of people Charles has over 10 million followers on Instagram after all. When Charles was up, you were just finishing up your hair, the door was open. You heard movement from behind you and looked up through the mirror to see a shirtless half asleep Charles, his sweatpants low on his hips, your hands stopped mid air with your curling iron. You’re just a woman, you couldn’t help but let your eyes wonder, starting with his messy and tousled hair moving to his chest and arms and his abs.
“Morning.” His morning voice made you blink and look away, you had to swallow before you were able to regain your composure and your voice.
“Morning, I’m almost done.” You say and focus on not looking at him and just looking at what you were doing.
”That’s okay.” Charles says and goes to the second sink in the bathroom next to you and starts brushing his teeth, you both were doing your business in silence but your eyes wonder to him every few seconds, his eyes was half closed and he was half asleep still, so for you it was a blessing, being able to look at him as much as you wanted, so you admired him without him seeing.
You’re finished before him and leave the bathroom, it didn’t take long for him to be ready, dressed in his Ferrari team kit and a pair of skinny jeans, you bite your tongue not to comment on it, you’re not close for you to say anything about his choice of clothes.
On the ride to the track, you felt a sense of anticipation and excitement, your eyes looking outside the window taking in the city, after today your life as you know it will change. Every single thing you do will be under the microscope, you felt like a teen again but this time it’s not going to be just your parents watching, it’s going to be thousands of people, all with their opinions that they’re not afraid of saying, online at least.
”It’s going to be okay.” Charles said and you turned to look at him only to find him already looking at you. “You don’t have to be nervous, after we go inside, you can stay in my room if you want.”
”No it’s okay, I can do it.” You tell him with a grateful smile, as far as arranged marriages go, Charles isn’t the worst option, if you met in other circumstances you wouldn’t have gone for him simply for his career choice in F1 but you’re glad it’s not someone worse.
When you make it there and park, Charles gets out first and walks to your side opening the door, all with a smile on his face, he helps you out of the Ferrari and you get out and take your first look around, there’s fans everywhere all screaming and shouting his name. Some of his team are already waiting for him, and when he goes to sign caps and merch, one of the females introduces herself and stands with you. you ask her about her job and make small talk, while you’re waiting. She also gives you your pass that Charles requested and you put it around your neck.
“He’s signing a lot of things.” You observe your ‘boyfriend’ as he’s going from one person to the other.
“Yeah, he’s known for singing anything.” You hum and watch how nice Charles is with everyone. “We usually have to pull him away.”
They did pull him away and inside the paddock you guys went. Charles let you walk a bit behind him, knowing that photos of him will be taken and you’re nervous enough, he didn’t want to make it worse for you. it’s been so long since you’ve been at a race it feels like a life time ago, you forgot the sheer magnitude of the event, the air was alive with the hustle and bustle of people around you, creating an atmosphere that’s charged with excitement, and anticipation. After a long walk you make it to Ferrari’s motorhome, Charles introduces you to a few people who you can stick with when he’s on duty. His hand was on the small of your back when he was leading you through the crowds, but other than that you both weren’t showing any signs of affection at all. That didn’t change the fact that once he was in his race suit and it was hanging but his waist you were looking, it was today that you’ve realised how fit he is, he doesn’t just have a good face but a fit body as well.
Watching FP1 brought back all your memories of when you enjoyed racing, I mean how could you not, you’re a Morelli it’s in your blood. Maybe if your relationship was different with your parents who knows where you’d be today. In effort to distance yourself from your parents you’ve strayed from a lot of things that you enjoyed that they loved or wanted you to do.
Between the practice sessions Charles took you with him to get lunch at the cafeteria, he had to stick to his diet and you choose whatever you wanted. sitting down you’re soon joined by Carlos Sainz, you haven’t met him yet, but you saw him when you were looking up Charles online and his face is everywhere along with all the other drivers.
”Hey mate, you haven’t introduced us.” Carlos said and sat down across from the two of you, Charles was telling you about what to expect during the rest of the day and the next two days before he was cut off by his teammate.
”Carlos meet y/n, y/n meet Carlos.” Charles introduced you and you gave the Spanish driver a smile and offered to shake his hand.
”Hey Carlos.”
“Hello, I didn’t know Charles was bringing anyone with him today.” Carlos said before he started eating.
“Yes, I had work and we weren’t sure if I could make it or not.” Half a lie, you knew you’d be here for a while but you did have work.
“Ah, so what do you do?” Carlos asked and he was expecting to hear a model.
”An artist.” Carlos was surprised and proceeded to ask you about what kind of art, where you studied and about living in Italy. The three if you walked back to the brahe together that’s when Charles informed his teammate that you speak Spanish.
”You know y/n speaks Spanish, she says fluently but I’m not good enough to verify that.” Charles said and you gave him a look that had him laughing.
”You don’t believe me?” You ask him and he shrugs innocently.
"No need to worry, I can verify it for you." Carlos fake comforted his teammate and turned to you. "So where did you learn Spanish?"
"I took online classes when I was in 8th grade." You told him and he was impressed, you laughed at his surprised look, you are fluent and your accent is good. "I went to Spain once and just loved the language."
"Mate, she's fluent." Carlos turned to look at Charles who laughed at the two of you, Carlos then turned and continued talking to you. Charles was needed for something and so he left the two of you talking, Carlos was asking you about where you went in Spain and if you want to go again, he recommended a few places and then he learnt you spoke six languages, and so you were made to talk to him in all of them and his face was priceless, had you laughing. He may not have understood everything but he
knows enough to know you're fluent.
"Charles, where did you find this one?" Carlos joked with Charles when he came back, and that had your smile faltering and for Charles to freeze a bit, if Carlos noticed he said nothing.
“It’s a secret.”
“Fine, have your secrets.”
The rest of the day went by nicely and seamlessly, the Ferrari boys did good, no one was beating Max but they've done good. You haven't checked your phone all day, when you made it back to the hotel, Charles went to shower and you laid on the sofa to scroll through. Your Instagram account has gained over 10K followers, you had pictures of your work more than ones of you, but the secret is out, now everyone knows you. You didn't dare check Twitter; the app always scares you.
You heard the shower turn off, when you got a call from your father you contemplated not answering but knowing this would make it much worse you just picked up.
“Hello.” you say on the phone and close your eyes tight, your head on the pillow.
“What do you think you're doing?” Was the first thing you heard, he was angry very angry at what you have no idea.
“Wh-”
“Shut up I'm not done talking, do you know what you've done, why are there more pictures of you and Carlos than with you and Charles. Do you want to ruin the family reputation, do you not take this seriously?”
“What are you talking about?” Today was good. You had fun today and you've done everything he asked you to do, yes reluctantly and you push it off but you do it nonetheless, you sit up as you get agitated. “I've done EVERYTHING you asked me to do, I was just talking to Carlos, there's nothing to it.”
“Don't you fucking talk back to me young lady, haven't done anything good your whole life, you never listen, tomorrow I better see you and Charles selling this or you'll feel the consequences to your actions.” He hangs up and you throw your phone away, cursing under your breath your body shakes with sobs, your head in your hands. Nothing is ever enough for your father, you're never enough.
Charles sighs and this time he doesn't think about it he sits down beside you and pulls you in for a hug, you let him, your face hiding in his neck. Charles shushes you and holds you, you're clutching his shirt in your fist. Charles has a good heart he
doesn't like seeing people crying and he's come to see you as a friend now, a new friend that he's getting to know. It makes him angry that a father would make their daughter cry this much and wouldn't care, he feels blessed for having his parents and makes him feel bad for you. Your childhood must've not been easy. He whispers words of comfort in French and lets you let it all out, your body is shaking for a while
before you slowly stop, when Charles looks down he sees you sleeping. He moves you slowly not wanting to wake you up and carries you bridal style, and he manages to get you to bed before you begin to stir.
"What?" you say confused.
"Hey, just sleep." Charles says and pushes your hair out of your face, you look around and realise you're in his bed.
“No, this is your bed.” You tell him and try to get up but he stops you.
“Just sleep, it can't be that comfortable on the sofa.” He says and you lay back down.
“But you have work tomorrow.” You mutter and rub your eye, it's a bit sensitive from all the crying you've been doing.
“It's fine, a night on the sofa wouldn't hurt me.” Charles says with a smile but you're stubborn, you’re not about to let a man that drives fast cars for a living sleep on the sofa and wake up with back pains.
“Well the bed is big, we can share.” You say and Charles looks at you, he takes you in, you're half asleep, your eyes puffy and bloodshot with tones of worries and things to think about but here you are wanting to make sure he's okay and comfortable.
“Okay, yeah.” Before Charles could make it to his side of the bed you're already asleep, he lays there and wonders how many times you've cried yourself to sleep, how many sleepless nights you've had, how many times you went though restless days by yourself. He knows you have two brothers, he knows they're kind to you that they're not like your parents, but they're not in your life, it seemed to him that they moved out once they were old enough and forgot about you a little, both with their own lives now.
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The next morning Charles asks you what your father wanted and you didn't really want to tell him at first but he managed to get it out of you.
"Just tell me from now on, we're both in this not just you." Charles tells you as he drives to the circuit.
“But this is your life, and this is your career and I just don't want to be a burden or for you to have to think that you have to be stuck with me all day or something.” You tell him, angling yourself to face him.
“y/n, we're a team, okay, for this to work we have to be always on the same page and I consider you my friend now, so just let me help you where I can and you help me where you can okay?” You smile at his words, a team, you have someone on your team.
“Okay.”
When you make it to the circuit, it's a repeat of the day before, you stand to the side while Charles does his thing and he walks in front of you, but half way through he stops and holds his hand out for you with a smile, you blink a couple of times before you take his hand. When you get to the garage Charles is whisked away for debrief and you're left there, you were looking at his car admiring the Ferrari, when a mechanic sees you and walks over.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" He asks and you look up at him with a smile.
“Yeah, it's been years since I was this close to a Formula 1 car.” You tell him, there's rumours around that you're a Morelli and everyone in Ferrari knows of your family, so it takes him by no surprise that you've been close to one before. “It's so different from the ones in the early 2000s.”
“Much different, we have done a lot of changes, look…” And he begins showing you what has changed, why cars nowadays are faster and stronger, the aerodynamics and mechanical differences, some things go over your head, but you know the basics of a formula 1 car.
When Charles finishes up, he sees you talking with the mechanic. He's leaning over the halo as he's showing you something, Charles smiles and walks over.
“Do you want to get in?” Charles asks and you turn to look at him startled, and excited, giddy even.
“Can I?” You ask with a grin and he nods, one of the PR crew takes out his phone to video this while another takes pictures, you're a Morelli and you're getting into the car and Charles is now back in a committed relationship so he's back in his good boy era, all things that made them want to document this happening.
“Place your foot here.” Charles says and points to a spot, you do as he says and he holds on to your waist as you wobble a little before you push yourself up and over the halo, he removes the steering wheel before you sit down and watches you as you get comfortable in his car. His smile is big on his face as you get excited.
“This is amazing.” You say and Charles puts back the steering wheel. You put your hands on the wheel. “So many buttons.”
“Can you reach the paddle?” Charles asked amused, he can tell that the seat is a bit big for you, you wiggle your leg and shake your head no.
“You should be thankful I'm shorter or I would've taken your seat.” You tease him and a few people laugh.
“You like the view from the car?” Charles asks and you nod looking up at him, he's leaning over the halo to look at you.
“Yeah, last time I was inside one I was like 6 or 7.” You tell him and he hums to himself, always finding something new about you, you were right about the fact that the booklet had many wrong things, it missed a lot as well.
At one point in the day Fred came over to say hello to you, he like everyone found out who you were.
“Ms. Morelli, it's nice to meet you.” You shake his hand and smile at the team principal.
“Please call me y/n, it's nice to meet you too.”
“It's been a while since we saw one of the Morelli's in the paddock.” Fred said and you felt Charles move a bit beside you. “haven't seen your father as well.”
“Yeah, well me and my siblings went to school and then uni and just were so busy.” You say and don't mention your father, he has a lot of influence in Ferrari. Charles has a hand on your back in comfort, it seems that after yesterday he's taken the role of comforting you, there's something that has definitely changed in your relationship, you've grown closer and you feel comfortable around each other.
“Yes of course, who knew it'll be Charles that'll bring you back.” He commented and you looked at Charles and smiled, he returned the smile with one of his own. You both knew the truth behind everything and it was killing you both to have to be lying to everyone like that, but why is it getting easier, why is it that since you've grown closer and find more about the other that it's not necessarily all lies.
The rest of the weekend went along great, you met a lot of people and as expected your name and your family's relation to Ferrari was everywhere. Those calling you a gold-digger have now turned to calling you attention seeker. You did post pictures of you to Instagram and the Ferrari team posted the video of you getting in the car, and somehow they found pictures of you in an F1 car from the 2000s, you've never seen that picture before but here it was. Charles texted you saying how you've been in a Ferrari way earlier than him, making you laugh imagining him pouting a little at the thought. After that weekend you've been texting more, talking more and just discovering everything about the other.
➳➳➳➳➳┄┄※┄┄➳➳➳➳➳
A day before Charles has to fly to Monza you've both in Monaco for the 'family dinner' you've been dreading so much. You've made it to Charles's house to meet there before you head 'home'. Charles was in his bedroom finishing getting ready and you were on the sofa scrolling through your social media and texting your brothers to see when they'll be there.
“Is this okay?” Charles asks, coming out of his bedroom you look up from your phone and see him in a tan dress shirt, a blazer with a pair of dark pants, not skinny, he has one of his watches on and no other accessories. He. Looked. HOT.
“Yeah, just lose the jacket.” You say and stand up, he takes his jacket off and places it to the side. He holds his arms out for your opinion and you smile. Oh if you were a normal couple going to see your normal family, this would've been perfect. Instead you're going to see the man that's been threatening you both. You left your small carry-on at Charles' house, planning to head back to his, so you could fly out to Italy together.
Charles drove the small distance to your family house and parked in the space that's meant for you. You got a text from your brothers Telling you they're already there.
“Are you ready?” You ask Charles in the elevator.
“Yes, are you?” He doesn't want to see your father ever again, but this is much worse for you, you're related to that man.
“As I'll ever be.” You hesitate for a second before you say. “I’m sorry for what’s about to happen.”
“you don't have to.”
“I feel like I should though.” You both don't say more on the topic, as always a maid opens the door for you, and you both step inside, you're led to the formal living room, where the guests are always hosted, can't show everyone we're normal and have normal looking living rooms, oh no what will they say about us. The looks are where formal ends, because once you walk in you smile seeing how Matteo is sat with
his legs spread, and Marco is slouched in his seat, they're both being extra with it and you and your parents know it but it doesn't mean it's not funny.
"Oh y/n, dear I haven't seen you in so long." Your mum says and walks up to you kissing both your cheeks before she moves on quickly to Charles. “You must be Charles, it's good to finally meet you.”
“It's uh, it's good to meet you too.” Charles doesn't know what he expected but it wasn't this, his eyes moved from your mother to your brothers who had their sights on him, making him a bit nervous. They're protective of you, but so is he and they might not like him for marrying you, but he doesn't like them for not taking good care of you. He shakes all their hands and you exchange hugs, you don't bother saying or doing anything with your father other than a quick hello, before you both sit on a sofa together.
It's been four months since the start of this whole thing, and here you are all gathered together, the people affected, threatened, forced and orchestrated by this marriage.
"I heard you haven't won any races this season." Marco said and your eyes snapped to him, his tone is hostel, not friendly at all.
“No, RedBull has been dominating for a while." Charles says, shaking the dig thrown at him.
“He's been on podiums though.” You find yourself sticking up for Charles, he gives you a grateful look, which you return with a smile.
“So he hasn't been winning.”
“No one has been but Verstappen.” You roll your eyes at the childish behaviour your older brothers gained suddenly.
“And you grew up in Monaco?” Matteo then asks him.
“Where are you going with this?” You ask him confused by all the questions.
“What? I'm just getting to know my brother in law.” Matteo tried to act all harmless and innocent but you know your brothers well enough to know there's more to it than that.
“No you're not, please cut it out, it's not like we're all here because we want to anyways.” Your mum gasps, you give her a look, why is she acting like this is normal? You're all been forced to be here and as innocent as she likes to act, she's always in on what your father is up to. She knows everything.
“Let's move to the dining room, why don't we?” your father says and stands up, he thrived on chaos so he's happy how things are right now, split and concur is his favourite method. Charles takes your hand in his, making you pause and look at him he mouths 'it's okay,' and you nod and try to return the smile but you’re not confident and it shows.
Your mum made your brothers sit next to each other so you and Charles sat next to each other, he's closest to your mother and you're next to your father. Food was already laid out for all of you, the start of the meal was silent.
“You know y/n, I'm so happy you're finally in a relationship.” Your mother suddenly says and you stop the fork from reaching your mouth to look at her like she's crazy.
“What are you talking about?” Did she mean you and Charles or something else?
“I'm talking about you and Charles, you silly girl.” You scoff and place your fork on the table.
“You do know that we're forced right? You were here when your husband told me.” Your father sighs not liking where this is going, he's okay with you and your brothers doing whatever to each other but for a twisted reason that is not love he hates when you speak back to your mother.
“Yes mother, and besides, Charles isn't really a golden boy to be proud of having as a son-in-law.” Marco takes the chance to bring Charles in again, he's showing him that he doesn't approve of him.
“You know if you didn't like it, why didn't you stop this?” Charles asks Marco, he's tired of being blamed and the one taking the hits when the person responsible for all of this is sitting two seats down from him.
“Because he threatened to cut us off and stop us from working.” Marco was getting agitated and angry.
“Marco shut up!” You exasperated.
“And what? You let your sister take the fall for you, so you could live happily.” Charles shot back, anger for you cursing through his veins.
“Everyone calm down.” Your mum tried to reason but everyone ignored her.
“Oh so you think you care more about her than we do, now?” Matteo sneers and you groan, this testosterone fight is only going to lead to chaos.
“I wasn't the one who left her alone.”
“Okay, you all shut up right now!” your father shouted and everyone fell silent again. “This is unacceptable, Charles and y/n will be married, and you're all going to be happy about it and that's the last I'll hear of it.”
“So now you're telling us how to feel?” The words leave your mouth before you realise, Charles takes your hand in his, and you slowly look from the plate you had in front of you and up to your father, there’s not going back now. “You've dictated our lives, and even now we're all adults you're making us do what you want, we've done
everything you've asked, but you've never been happy, we were never good enough for you.”
“Don't talk back to me.”
“No, it's not fair, you sold me to someone you don't know, I'm your daughter.” You say and turn to look at your mother. “And you keep acting like you love us, when you know everything and just do nothing, you've never stood up to us.” She takes a sip from her wine glass. “Yes, that's all you do, drink.” You stand up and throw your napkin on the plate. “Let's go Charles.”
Charles stands up and follows you out, as your father shouts after you. “You stop right there you stupid girl.”
“I'll get married, okay, I'll do it, I'll do everything in the contract, anything other than that is none of your business.” You say not turning to look at him as you spoke those words and leave your hand clutching Charles's tightly.
Charles doesn't let go of your hand, and it gives you comfort, you have someone on your side at all times now, looking at Charles you're happy it's him you'll marry and not someone else.
“Thank you.” Your voice is just over a whisper, the dinner took too much out of you.
“Why? I don't think I've made it better.”
“No, you made it all so much better.” Charles sends you a questioning look, tightening your hold on his hand. “You were by my side.”
“I'll always be on your side.” Charles says and your heart skips a beat, there, he's done it, Charles Leclerc has done it, he has your heart, it belongs to him now and there's nothing you or anyone could do to change this. Charles doesn't let go of your hand when you arrive, he just holds your hand when you're walking off to his house, not in the elevator, not until you walk in. “Come on, I think we need to talk.”
You sit on the sofa with your legs under you and Charles also sits down facing you.
“I think we should've had this conversation a long time ago.” Charles starts, your heart beats faster in your chest as your eyes meet and you both don't look away. “Why did you agree to this marriage?”
“Because my father said if I don't he’ll cut us all off, he'll make sure none of us ever find work again, and my brothers, they have families and children, I couldn't let him do that to them.” you tell him and push your hair back. “I was happy the last couple of years in Italy and then he just dropped the bomb on me, and… here we are.”
“Here we are.”
“Why did you agree to it?” You've had your theories at the start of this relationship, but as you've gotten to know Charles you realised how wrong you are.
“I know you've read all the articles about me, it's a long story but I've been with my girlfriend for almost five years when I found out she was cheating on me.- Charles said his voice soft, making you take his hand in yours and give him a squeeze. “I spiraled after that, other than racing which isn't going great, I was always drinking and sleeping around, it affected me her cheating more than I thought it'd ever way, it just shocked me and left me not knowing what to do, my reputation was going down and the sponsors were getting anxiety so your father told me if I don't agree to this I'd kiss my dream goodbye, no future in Formula 1, and I couldn't, it's been my dream and I promised my father I'd do everything I could to be world champion and..."
“You haven't made it yet.”
“No, not yet.” You smile before you laugh, Charles looks at you like you're crazy and you shake your head. “Sorry, it's just so messed up, this whole thing is just so messed up.”
”It is.” Charles chuckles and you sigh, this is all a bit too much. “But I’m glad it’s you.”
An involuntary smile makes its way to your face, you just melted, heart skipping a beat and butterflies in your stomach. the whole shebang.
“I’m happy it’s you too, Charlie.” Hearing you call him Charlie makes him smile, your gaze not straying from the other, basking in the moment, a moment you could ignore everything and everyone, a moment that’s just between you too. Maybe this whole arranged marriage thing will be okay in the end.
➳➳➳➳➳┄┄※┄┄➳➳➳➳➳
Next day you both fly out in Charles’s private jet with his family and team, Lorenzo is still standoffish, but now that you know that he’s in on everything you don’t blame him. He’s not rude to you at all, but he’s cold, something that you attributed to how he was raised. Even though he knows his brother is forced into it, he hasn’t been rude after the first time you met, when he just found out the truth.
The plane landed in Milan where you live, but you went with the family to Monza for the race, promising to take Charles to your studio after the weekend.
The first two days, media and FP1-2, go like how all the other races go, this time you’ve met more drivers, you met Pierre and Kika are one of the ones you met and was found talking to. You and the model exchanged details and followed each other on Instagram, you all went out to have dinner after media day, and you and Kika sat together talking all the time, with Charles and Pierre sat on each side of you not understanding how two people who just met could have this much to talk about and how you talk about everything.
pierregasly posted to their story
caption[ I think i lose my girlfriend @/charles_leclerc]
Charles_leclerc reposted to his story
Caption [looks like it mate]
➳➳➳➳➳┄┄※┄┄➳➳➳➳➳
Lorenzo was watching the both of you with hawk eyes, he felt like things have changed between the two of you or you’ve become better actors, because why does Charles have his hand on the back of your chair, why is your hands laced together a lot, why are you leaning into him, are do you have inside jokes and share those knowing looks. You’re having deep conversation, a closeness and ease that hasn’t been there before. So he takes the moment you went to Charles’s driver’s room to leave your bag there and took his brother to the side.
”What’s going on with you and y/n?” Enzo asked Charles, his brows furrowing.
”What are you talking about?” Charles asked, his breath caught in his throat, his heart pounding, he’s been denying his growing feelings for you, but it seemed like his brother picked up on it. “We’re just trying to make the best of a… difficult situation.”
Lorenzo wasn’t convinced he knew Charles, he knows there’s more to it.
“Don’t lie to me and don’t lie to yourself, Charles.” Lorenzo said his tone leaving no space for argument. “I can see the way you look at her, the way you care about her, you like her, and I think she likes you too.”
For a moment Charles was silent, his mind racing with emotions and he’s thinking about the time you’ve come to share together and how he’s been enjoying it. he had spent so long denying his feelings for you, burying them down, he tried to tell himself that no he doesn’t find you the prettiest most beautiful woman he has ever met, he hates when you go on rants about the things you love, he hates that you’ve picked up on so many habits he has and have come to understand him, he hates how you’re passionate and warm and kind and soft and elegant, he hates it, he just hates it. But here he is standing in front of his brother, the walls that have been down for a while are just made apparent to him, he just realised them. He nods, and a smile slowly appears on his face.
”Yeah, I do, I do like her.” Charles says his eyes are not meeting his brother’s as he’s lost in thought, his brows move slightly together and then he’s shaking his head no. “No, actually I love her.”
Lorenzo’s expression softened at his brother’s admission, a sense of understanding coming over him. “Then just embrace it, and let her know.”
”I just wish we met under different circumstances.” Charles confessed, his voice tinged with regret. “But either way, I’m just glad that fate brought y/n into my life.”
And as they stood there in the hustle and bustle of the garage, Charles knew that he’s ready, he’s ready to tell you what he feels and maybe start dating for real this time, have a samples of normality in your relationship before you get married.
➳➳➳➳➳┄┄※┄┄➳➳➳➳➳
After Sunday, Charles’s family flies back to Monaco and the Ferrari driver comes with you to Milan.
“Promise me you won’t judge.” You say to Charles after you turn to look at him, your studio’s key is already in the door waiting for you to twist it.
”I promise, mon amour.” Charles says and your face lights up at his pet name, you couch and turn to face the door.
”Didn’t have to say that.” You mutter and feel your cheeks turn pink, you open the door and lead Charles in, the big windows let in so much light but you go and turn on the light as well. The studios was spacious with high ceiling, paintings where leaning on the wall, a couple were covered, there was pain stains on the ground on the walls, there was a small kitchen to the side and a bathroom, there’s a pull out sofa against one wall with a few chairs littering the place and table with wheels, a table with no wheels, drawers of supplies and easels. This place truly looked like an artist's dream, it was messy but organised, it was all you.
”Wow.” Charles says and walks to the wall that had paintings on it, you follow him, keeping your eyes on him as you take in every little reaction he has. “You’re so talented y/n.”
”Thank you.” You reply softly. “You can flip through the paintings if you want, I'll make us tea.”
Charles has seen a lot of your work on your instagram and you’ve shown him a lot but seeing them in real life he realised they weren’t given justice with the photos, there’s so much detail in the work you’ve done, each brush stroke pressed with intention. Charles moved to the two covered ones, they were on the big size, his curiosity got the best of him and he pulled the fabric down.
”Wait Charles-“ It was too late, he saw them, his mouth hanging open as he stared at… himself.
“That’s-that’s me.” You sigh feeling embarrassed, your face turning red.
”Yeah.” You mumble and cough.
”Fucking hell, mon amour.” Charles turns to look at you and you’re looking away refusing to look in his direction, his eyes soften at your embarrassment. Charles walks up to you and you’re refusing to look at him, so gently cups your cheeks and your eyes meet his, getting lost in the shades of blue and green in his eyes. the shades you know from memory, the colours you painted and brought to life on your canvas. Charle’s breath gets caught in his throat, the words he was planning to say slipping from his mind, so he just presses his lips to yours, you gasp a little before following his lead, your hands clutching his shirt. It’s a moment of vulnerability, the product of simmering feelings that bubbled to reach the surface. your kiss deepened, becoming more urgent and desperate with each passing moment, as you’re trying to pour all your pent-up feeling, emotions and desires into this single electrifying moment. You move closer, your bodies pressed together, holding to each other’s curves, the intensity bordering on desperation.
When you broke apart, gasping for breath Charles’s hands are still cupping your face, his eyes ablaze with fire that threatened to consume you both.
”I love you, y/n.” He whispered, his voice raw with emotion, your heart swelled with joy at his words, and tears pricked at the corners of your eyes as you reaches up to caress his cheek.
“And I love you Charles, with everything that I am.”
With a shared understanding and longing and love you sealed the moment with another searing kiss, letting together us a oissionate embrace that seemed to stretch on forever. In that moment, amidst the quietness of the studio, you were no longer bound by a contract, but by the pure and unadulterated love for each other. In each other’s arms you’ve found the only solace and sanctuary you’ve ever needed or wanted.
➳➳➳➳➳┄┄※┄┄➳➳➳➳➳
It’s not to say that everything turned out to be what you wanted, in a couple months and while Charles was on his winter break your wedding was set. There was no talking your father out of it, but you weren’t dreading the moment anymore. You know that fate was going to bring you together in the end, one way or the other. Yes you’d still be dating, but in the end you’d get engaged and then married. Speaking of engaged, Charles did propose to you, it was a private event, only the two of you on his yacht away from prying eyes, with soft music playing in the background. The monegasque got down on one knee and asked you to marry him. Ignoring the fact that you’re bound by a contact you agreed instantly, tears in your eyes and a smile on your face.
But here you are now standing across from Charles, your eyes locked in a silent exchange if understanding, the weight of their circumstances hung heavy in the air. The officiant, cleared his throat and said his words singling to you to start your vows.
Charles took a deep breath, his gaze unwavering as he spoke his voice steady yet laced with emotions.
”y/n, I know that our beginning is not the one we would’ve liked for each other, but I’m glad that it did. But I know that fate has intertwined our future together, one way or the other I would’ve made my way to you. In you, I have found a companion, a confidante and a source of strength. I vow to stand by your side through everything that may come our way, to support you, to cherish you and to love you with all that I am, for as long as we live.”
Your heart swelled with emotion as you listened to Charles’ words, your eyes shining with unshed tears. You took a moment to compose yourself before speaking your voice soft but unwavering.
“Charles, Charlie.” You begin and your voice starts to tremble with emotion the more you speak. “When we first met I never imagined that our paths would be so intertwined, that I’d reach a point where I can’t imagine living without you. In you I have found a partner in crime, in life. You’ve showed me so much love that I never experienced before and for that I’ll be always grateful, I vow to stand by your side to be on your team, to lift you up when you falter, to love you unconditionally and with every fibre of my being.”
In that moment, those who doubted you, those that thought they won, those that wished your relationship would end, all knew that as you shared your first kiss as husband and wife, that you’re a team, a family, and that nothing can bring you down. You made each other stronger, you made each other happy, and you had your whole futures in front of you to heal all the wounds you had in the past, you’ll both grow and heal and live together.
Your journey is far from over, there’s so much that you’ll face. But you’ll face it together in each other’s arms, where you felt the purest kind of happiness.
#f1 imagine#f1 fanfic#f1 x reader#f1 scenario#charles leclerc x reader#charles leclerc imagine#charles x reader#charles leclerc one shot#charles leclerc#charles xreader#formula 1 imagine#formula 1 x reader#formula one imagine#formula 1 fanfic#charles leclerc fic#cl16#cl16 x reader#cl16 imagine#cl16 x you#cl16 one shot
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You love me though ˗ˋ꒰♡꒱ˊ˗
➥ pairing: Lee Minho x F!Reader
➥ genre: fluff, smut. MDNI
➥ synopsis: Minho helps you cook for you and your date, despite feeling jealous. However, when your date stood you up, Minho comforts you, making you realise your true feelings.
➥ warnings: smut, protected sex, fingering, clit play, blowjob, nipple play, blood [mentioned, not described], violence [mentioned, not described], cheating, unrequited love, explicate language, dirty thoughts [m], alcohol consumption, pet names [babe, kitten], jealousy – if i missed any, lmk!
➥ words: 7.5k
➥ a/n: i know, i know. another minho fic but this has been unfinished in my drafts for a while plus i have minho brain rot rn i blame taste soooo. i also got this idea from rewatching minhos vlogs and skz code ep 10-12, where he would cook for the boys. i hope y'all enjoy!
Feedback and reblogs are highly advised and appreciated!
➥ m.list
Flicking through various cookbooks, you groan, slowly feeling yourself becoming frustrated. You discarded the current book you were flicking through beside you.
You run your hand through your hair, looking at the piles of discarded books and printed recipes. You grab your phone, looking for something online but to no avail.
"What am I going to do? All these recipes are too difficult for me." You mumble to yourself. You put your head in your hands, feeling frustrated tears pooling in your eyes.
You sniffle, blinking back the tears as you thought of what to do. You have a date tomorrow night and – for some reason – you agreed to make them dinner at your place.
You have been talking to your date for 1 month before deciding it was time to take it a little further. Unbeknownst to him, you cannot cook a single thing, no matter how hard you try.
"Wait.. I know someone who can help me!" You grab your phone, pulling up the contacts. You press the call button, putting your phone to your ear as it rings. After two rings, you got an answer.
"What do you want?" You scoff.
"Well, nice to hear from you too, Minho."
"I'm busy, (Y/N)" Minho exclaims. You hear the sounds of something rustling, Minho making cooing sounds. You raise a brow.
"And by busy, you mean, 'I'm actually spending time with my three fur children so could you please leave me alone?'" you mock, doing your best Minho impression. Minho sighs. You can practically see his eyes rolling at you.
"Exactly. You know this so why are you bothering me?"
"Minho?" You question. You receive a small "Mhm" from him, indicating that he is half listening and half occupied.
"How long have we been best friends?"
"Since we were children, why?" Minho sighs again, realising where this is going. You giggle. "Okay, spill it out (Y/N) what do you want from me?"
"I need help, like desperately!"
"Okay, with what exactly?"
"Uh, well, you know how I've been talking to someone," Minho hums. "Well, they're coming over to my place."
"Look, if you've called me just to ask me for love advice, I'm not interested." Minho removes his phone from his ear, about to hang up on you.
"Nonono, waittt." Your desperate voice echoes through Minho's apartment. He rolls his eyes, placing his phone back on his ear.
"I'm cooking.." You mumble.
Silence. You blink, looking at your phone screen thinking Minho disconnected, but he was still on the phone with you.
"H-Hello? Minho?" A fit of laughter suddenly erupts in your ear. You can practically see his eyes scrunching up at the corners, his teeth on display as he clutches his stomach.
"Y-You?! Cooking?!" Minho splutters between his fits of giggles. "No way!"
"Minho! stoppp!" You whine as you pout, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"How did you manage that?" Minho's laughter dies down, a finger coming to the corner of his eye to wipe away a tear.
"Man! I don't know, okay! I guess I just want to impress them, so I said I would cook. I've looked at so many recipes, but they're so complicated, Minho." you grumble.
"Okay, first of all (Y/N) recipes are not complicated, they're designed to be fool proof. You just, really suck at cooking." You roll your eyes, moving you mouth in time with Minho's words, mocking him.
"Second of all, just order and pass it off as your own, I'm sure they wouldn't see a difference."
"I can't do that! That's just – morally wrong, Min!" You gasp.
"Then if you don't want to do that, why phone me?" Minho says, petting Dori who took vacancy on Minho's lap.
"Well, I was thinking–"
"Yeah, no wonder it smells like burning. Don't think too hard, you'll fry your brain." Minho laughs, interrupting you mid sentence.
"You're so meann!" You whine.
"You love me though, Kitten." You blush softly, going shy at his words. You can feel his smugness radiating through the phone.
"Fuck you, Min." You softly speak, playing with the ends of your hair like a shy school girl who has a crush.
"You wish."
"Min, stoppp. let me speak!" Minho chuckles.
"Okay okay, I'm sorry. You were saying?" You clear your throat, gaining back your composure.
"Anyways – I was thinking, seeing as you're so good at cooking – you could help me!"
"Uh, no."
"Huh? Why?" You whine
"Because, you got yourself in this mess, you can get yourself out of it."
"But Min! I'm your bestest ever friend in the whole wide world! You love me!"
"Yes and–" Minho cut himself off, clearing his throat as he runs his fingers through his hair. "I'm not helping you, Kitten."
"But, what if I start cooking and I suddenly burn my apartment down?!" You gasp, getting an idea "Then I can come and live with you Min! Wouldn't that be so much fun!!"
"Absolutely not! I have all the fun I need in the form of my beloved 3 cats."
"Plus me. It'll happen Minho. If I cook and I burn my apartment down, I'm going to live with you! It'll be so much fun! Just think of all the pampering sessions we would have."
You smirk, hearing Minho groan. You have him right where you want him – you won.
"Ugh! fine, you win. I'll help you out!" You grin, cheering victoriously
"Thank you Min! I love youuu." You coo
"Yeah yeah. Just get your ass down to the supermarket. I'll meet you there." Minho hangs up. You punch the air excitedly, basking in your glory.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Standing at the supermarket waiting for Minho, you shiver as the crisp autumn air runs shivers down your spine. You nuzzle into your scarf, hands in your coat pocket.
You look around at the various people walking past you and inside the supermarket. You look at your digital clock on your phone, your wallpaper background being of you and Minho, taking a cute selfie together.
You look up, seeing Minho walking towards you. You beam, waving your arms in the air before running to him.
"Minho!!" You shout, giggling as you run to him. Minho looks up, rolling his eyes at you before laughing softly. He stops in his tracks, opening his arms wide. You run into his arms, Minho grunting at the sudden impact.
You nuzzle into Minho's chest, taking in his scent as you hum. Minho looks down at you, smiling softly as he wraps his arms around your figure.
"I've missed you, Minho!" Your words muffled against his chest. Minho laughs softly, ruffling your hair. You whine, pushing his hands away.
"We spoke literally 10 minutes ago!" You pull away from Minho, fixing your hair as you pout at him.
"You know what I mean. You spend more time with your cats than you do with me." You whine.
"Because my cats are adorable and oh-so sweet."
"And I'm not?" You raise a brow playfully. Minho takes a few seconds to think, humming in the process. You scoff, playfully hitting his chest. He grunts and laughs.
"You know I've always found you adorable, kitten." Minho smirks, winking. You blush, burying your face into your scarf.
"Fuck you and your charms." You mumble. Minho hums, loving how you always act shy around him. It makes his heart swell up with more love for you.
Minho has loved you for as long as he can remember. He believes that you two are soulmates. He didn't realise he had feelings for you until you got your first serious partner.
Minho hated it. He hated it so much. How he couldn't have you to himself – it made him green with envy. Your partner wasn't exactly nice to you during the relationship. They had a history of cheating in the past but, for some reason, you thought you'd be different.
However, 2 months in and they had already fucked someone else. You stupidly forgave them after they spewed lies about how they would 'change' and 'it meant nothing, just a one off'. The cheating carried on for months as well as the constant disrespect
Your ex partner hated Minho because Minho wasn't blind. Your ex had you wrapped around their little finger so they knew they could get away with anything, however, Minho's different.
He saw past the bullshit and that scared your ex. They knew you went crying to Minho, they also knew that Minho 100% tried to convince you to leave them.
To add fuel to the fire, Minho and your ex got into a fight. Minho was around yours and your ex hated that, accused you of doing sexual things with him. You were dumbfounded, your blood boiling with rage as your ex screamed accusations after accusations.
Seeing you in so much pain and distress caused Minho to stand up for you, joining in calling him a bastard and that they don't deserve you. Due to rage, Minho said some things that should not be repeated. Your ex hated that, felt threatened so, in their usual cowardly ways, they swung so Minho swung back.
You broke up the fight, your ex calling you both bitches. You were in floods of tears. A busted lip and a black eye along with some blood were the only injuries Minho sustained. You helped clean him up and once done, Minho had a serious talk with you.
Minho is direct, he doesn't sprinkle sugar onto shit because at the end of the day, it's still shit. The words Minho spoke hurt but it had to hurt in order for you to open your eyes – which you finally did, after 9 months.
Since then, you have been healing with the help of Minho. He was so good to you, making sure you were eating and staying hydrated. Occasionally, he would storm into your apartment, swing you over his shoulder and force you to get dressed by throwing random items of clothing at you.
He loves you and as much as he wants to tell you his feelings, he's scared. He doesn't want to lose you and if that means being friend zoned until the day you both grow old and live with 10 cats, then so be it.
You take Minho's hand into yours. Minho made a mental note of how soft your hands feel against his skin. His heart rate speeding up a little as you drag him inside the store.
You grab a shopping cart, pushing it into the store whilst Minho walks beside you.
"So, what do I need?"
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
After half an hour of shopping for ingredients, amongst other things, you paid for it all, walking out the store with multiple bags in hand. You and Minho walk to your apartment. You somehow convinced him to help you cook and by that you meant – 'You cook, I watch'
But how could Minho say no to you when you give him your best puppy eyes, ones that make him melt.
Once home, you got to work unpacking. Minho rolls up his sleeves, washing his hands as you did the same. The ingredients for the meal you plan on cooking spread out across the counters.
"Okay. First things first, we need to cut the meat." Minho instructs. You nod, grabbing a knife. Minho keeps an eye on you, ready to come to your aid in case you hurt yourself. You place the meat on a chopping board, cringing at the texture.
"Ew! it's so slimy!" You whine. Minho shakes his head, laughing softly.
"Slimy? It's raw pork belly (Y/N) How can it be slimy?" Minho chuckles, grabbing a knife also and the veg.
"It just is okay. Don't question my intelligence." You state playfully. Minho looks at you as he washes the veg, eyebrow raised.
"Intelligence? What intelligence?" You pout, glaring at him as he dried the veg, smirking at you.
"You're so mean, Minho!"
"Yet you love me, kitten." Your face flushes red, heart rate slowly speeding up, like it always does when he is his usual charming self.
"Yes, I do." You admit, slicing up the pork. Minho swallows, pressing his lips together. He knew you meant it in the friend way however, he couldn't stop his heart from racing, pounding against his chest.
"Ah, this sucks." He whispers to himself, voicing out his thoughts as he peels and chop the veg.
"Minho!!" You whine, placing the knife down. His head spins to the side, eyes widening as he notices blood from your finger.
"Shit. Are you okay?!" He rushes to your side, looking at your cut finger.
"It hurts, Minho." You sniff.
"I know kitten. Go run it under the water. I'll get first aid." You nod, placing your finger under the cold water. You wince at the sting as Minho comes back with the first aid kit.
"Can I?" He holds his hand out to you. You nod, placing your hand on his. He brings your hand close to his face, looking at your wound.
"Oh kitten. What are you like." He chuckles softly. You pout, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "Lucky, it's only a small cut so, you'll be okay. I'll clean it and put a plaster on for you, okay?"
You nod, your bottom lip still sticking out. Minho cleans your wound and puts a pink plaster around your finger. He kisses it softly, making you go shy at the sweet gesture.
"Now, no more accidents. Okay?"
"Yes Sir!" You salute, giggling softly as Minho rolles his eyes and ruffles your hair.
"Let's get back to work kitten."
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
It took you and Minho exactly 4 hours to prepare and cook the meal for your date. You're currently getting ready whilst Minho sits on the sofa, sipping some cold water and browsing on his phone.
You instructed him to stay. You insisted you needed help in what to wear for your date and knew Minho would give his honest opinion. As much as Minho didn't want to, he did. It was bad enough he had to help you cook a meal for someone that wasn't him, but hey, if you're happy so is he.
You walk out your bedroom dressed in a sexy yet elegant dress. Your hair styled and face decorated with minimal make-up. You press your lips together, smoothing down your dress as you clear your throat.
Minho looks up from his phone, eyes widening at the sight of you. His body feels warm suddenly, blood rushing south as he looks at you up and down. His mind went blank
"So..?" You nervously ask after seconds of silence "How do I look?"
Minho's brain short circuits. He's speechless. To him, you're the most beautiful women on the planet and even though he is use to seeing you in casual clothing, seeing you in a elegant dress, was breath-taking to him
"Beautiful. You look absolutely beautiful, (Y/N). You're so breath-taking." You look at your feet shyly, playing with your fingers as you smiled softly
"R-Really?"
"Absolutely." Minho stands, walking towards you. He cups your face in his hands, making you look at him "You're the most beautiful woman on this planet."
Your face flushes red. The rosy red blush you used to decorate your cheeks, merging together with the colour of your flush.
"Y-You don't mean that Min." You whisper, hands coming up and placing them on top of his.
"I mean it kitten. With all my heart, I mean it. I've never seen a more beautiful, yet elegant woman in my life. You make me speechless."
He wants to kiss you. He saw your eyes flickering to his lips and back up again. He wants to convince you to not have this date. Every fibre in his body is screaming at him to just kiss your soft lips, even if it means you hating him for eternity.
He just wants a feel, a taste. To feel your soft skin against his fingertips. To hear your sweet, delicate moans. He's always wondered what you would sound like whilst his cock strokes the deepest parts of your body.
Are you loud or are you quiet? Do you whimper and beg or do you demand? So many questions he's asked himself. So many sinful thoughts he's masturbated to. So many times he's wished he could do sinful things to you
Now is his chance. Should he grab it with greedy hands or should he leave, allow you to have your date even if it means he has to watch from afar, yet again.
He wants it
He wants you. It's so close, he can taste it. That forbidden fruit coating his taste buds, making him addicted to you. His mind fuzzy as your perfume hits his nostrils. It's the same perfume you always use and has no effect on him, however this time, it's different. He feels dizzy. Greedy. Needy. He wants you so bad.
You clear your throat, removing your hands from his. Minho clears his own, blinking a few times as he comes back down to reality
"My date will be here soon."
"A-Ah. Yes, of course. I'll uhm, I'll get going." Minho rushes to the hallway, putting on his coat and shoes. "Have fun kitten. I hope it goes well for you!"
That's a lie.
He doesn't want it to go well. He wants it to end terribly. He wants you to phone him up, sobbing as you decide to tell him how much of an asshole your date is. He wants to be the one to hold you, kiss your forehead and tell you it's all okay. To soothe you of your pain, in more ways than one.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Hours pass by. Minho keeps checking his phone in case he misses you phoning or texting him, but nothing. Knowing that it was probably going well for you, he sighes, his heart heavy with despair and jealousy. Picking up Doongie from his lap, he rise up from the sofa, deciding to call it a night.
Taking off his clothing so he was just in his boxer shorts, he gets into bed. As he's about to shut off his lamp, his phone rings. Looking at his screen, a burst of excitement and hopefulness runs through his body as your contact pops up
There's only one reason why you would phone him so late – your date went terrible
"What do you want?" Minho gives his usual greeting. Silence. He blinks, looking at his screen thinking you disconnected before placing his phone back on his ear
"Kitten? Hello? Are you there?" That's when he hears it. Your heartbroken sobs. Minho shoots up out of bed, redressing himself.
"M-Minho." You sob.
"Hold on kitten, I'll be there."
He drives to your apartment, breaking every law possible but he didn't care. He hates seeing and hearing you cry however, when it comes to your heartbroken sobs, it hits Minho differently. It breaks his own heart.
He knocks on the door before using the spare key you gave him years ago. He lets himself in, looking around your place. He notices the food and table you set has been untouched. The bottle of wine plus one glass was missing from the table
"Kitten?" He softly calls out.
"Living area." Minho rushes to where you were, his legs carrying him as fast as they could. The living area is dimly lit with a lamp that was suppose to set a romantic atmosphere but now held a much sadder atmosphere
His eyes fell on to you, his gaze softening as he sees you sipping the wine on the sofa. He walks over to you, sitting beside you as he cups your cheeks softly.
"Oh kitten. What happened?" Tears prick your lower lash line, spilling over and replacing your dried mascara stains with new ones. Minho's heart break.
"T-They never came! I waited Min. I waited and waited and nothing." You speak through broken sobs, your breath hiccupping in your throat. Minho frowns, wiping away your tears with his thumb.
"Not even a call or text?" You shake your head.
"Nothing! Nothing at all. They just stood me up Min! It'd hurt less if they gave me a shit excuse but no."
Minho pulls you into his chest, rocking you back and forth slowly as he wrapped his arms around you gently. He strokes your arm soothingly. You rest your head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
His musk cinnamon scent hit your nostrils and before you know it, you broke down. Your sobs shake your body, breathing becoming erratic. Minho hushes you softly, stroking your hair to calm you down.
He thought he would be ecstatic to hear about your failed date. That way, he could selfishly have you all to himself. However, seeing and hearing you in so much pain, broke his heart and he no longer felt ecstatic, but sad and stupid.
"There, there kitten. It'll all be okay in the end." His soothing words calm your cries. You pull away from Minho's chest, your breath hiccupping at the back of your throat and chest.
Minho wipes away your tears gently. Your eyes swollen and puffy as they look glossy from the tears. Your cheeks flush red as your skin feels warm from your outburst.
"M-Minho." You hiccup, struggling to catch your breath.
"Before you even think about doing or saying anything, you need to calm down kitten. C'mon, take deep breaths with me." You copy Minho in taking deep breaths, slowly calming down and feeling your heart rate resume its natural pace.
"Good girl." Minho praises, kissing your forehead gently.
"Am I cursed, Min?" You mumble. Minho looks at you confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Every relationship I have fails. Maybe I'm cursed. Maybe I'm destined to be forever alone with 10 cats." Minho chuckles softly, shaking his head.
"You're not cursed kitten. You just haven't found the one yet."
"Have you found 'the one'?" You looked up. Minho was taken aback by your sudden question.
"Why'd you ask?"
"Well, I know you've had relationships in the past but when was your last one? 1, 2–"
"4 years kitten. It's been 4 years since my last relationship."
"Why so long Minho? You're a handsome man, you could have anyone you want."
"But I don't want just anyone, I want you" – is what he wanted to say. He ruffles your hair softly, making you pout.
"Thanks kitten. I'm flattered." Minho winks. "Now, go get changed into something comfortable." You pout, nodding slowly before standing and walking to your bedroom.
You return bare faced, hair down and wearing shorts and an old oversized t-shirt that once belonged to Minho. He smiles, his heart warming up as he sees the t-shirt.
"You still have that old thing?"
"Of course! It's special." You speak, sitting down next to Minho and grabbing your wine glass. He hums softly in acknowledgement. He spent some time with you, helping you clean up the forgotten food. Once he was convinced you were going to be okay, he decided it was time for him to head home.
"Well, I'm going to leave now kitten. Now that I know you'll be okay, I'll be on my way." Minho turns his back to you as he was about to walk to the hallway.
Your hand fly's out instinctively, grabbing Minho's wrist. He looks back at you over his shoulder, slowly turning to putty as you look at him with doll eyes
"Don't go." You whisper. Minho swallows. He's spent the night with you numerous times, however, tonight feels different. He nods slowly, agreeing to stay with you.
"Okay, I'll stay kitten."
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
2am rolls over. You and Minho are sitting on the sofa, laughing and gossiping. You both have had a drink so you were feeling a little bit tipsy.
"Don't you miss it, Min?" You ask before bringing your wine glass to your lips. You sip the red liquid, licking your top lip to rid of any residue.
"Miss what?" Minho's eyes dart to your tongue, watching it lick your top lip before disappearing back into your mouth.
"Sex." Normally, Minho would have rolled his eyes, scold you about how nonchalant and straight forward you can be when it comes to sex. However, with the alcohol running through his bloodstream, he didn't mind.
"Yeah. I do."
"What do you miss about it?"
"Everything. The touch, the taste, the sounds. I miss all of it kitten. I am a man after all and just like you, I have needs." Minho winks, sipping his alcoholic beverage. You stick your tongue out at him playfully "Do you miss it?"
You think for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah. I miss having a connection with someone though."
"What do you mean?" Minho looks at you, his hand placed on your thigh gently as he strokes your soft skin with his thumb.
"Well, I don't mind one night stands but I miss sex with a meaning. I want to feel connected, feel what my partner is feeling. I want to share it and enjoy it." You let out a deep sigh before speaking "I thought I did, but turns out they're just like the rest of them." You mumble bitterly.
"Don't worry kitten. You will find the one eventually. You're gorgeous, smart and adorable" You roll your eyes at Minho.
"Ahuh and pigs can fly."
"Don't be like that, kitten. I mean it. To me, you're perfect."
"I am?" You ask, looking at him with those eyes that makes him melt. He swallows his saliva. Now is his chance. It's now or never, even if it means sacrificing the friendship.
"Yes, you are. To me, you're the most perfect and beautiful woman to have walked the planet (Y/N)" You blush a deep shade of red. Your heartbeat speeding up and thumping loudly against your chest.
Your skin on your thigh feels hot where Minho is stroking and truth be told, you've forever felt like this around Minho. You've always thought it was because he's a charming man but maybe that's not the case.
Is this – love? Has 'the one' been right under your nose this whole time?
"Remember when you asked me if I've found the one?" You nod "The answer to that is yes, I have."
"Who??" Minho closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, preparing himself for impact. He opens them again, leaning in close to you. You swallow, frozen in place as his face gets dangerously close to yours.
"You." He whispers against your lips. Whether it was the events that happened or the alcohol in his system, he feels a surge of confidence run though him.
He leans in, connecting his lips to your own. Your eyes widen in shock. Minho's lips stay still as you struggle to understand what was happening. Minho's heart beating against his chest so hard, he thought it was going to rip out from his ribcage
Seconds went by painfully for him and when he thought all hope was lost, that he lost you for good, you close your eyes and move your lips against his, encouraging him to move in sync with yours.
A burst of giddiness and disbelief washes over him. You, the person he has loved since forever, was kissing him. It feels like his birthday had come so soon.
You don't hate it, in fact, you love it. Minho's lips are soft and plump. They mould together with your own, like you're made for one another. It's blissful to you.
You wrap your arms around his neck, fingers interlocking behind his neck to keep him close to you. Minho squeezes your thighs gently. You deepen the kiss, lust and want slowly washing over you and consuming your mind
Minho nibbles and licked your bottom lip, silently asking for permission which you granted. Your lips part for his tongue to dive inside. He tastes the inside of your mouth, wine coating his taste buds.
He hum in the kiss as you whimper. Your tongues meeting together. The wet muscles colliding and fighting for dominance – a fight that was guaranteed for you to lose. Saliva pools at the corners of your mouth, your fingers buried in Minho's hair as your skin feels hot to the touch.
Your mouth feels good. Minho's skilful tongue tasting and battling against your own. Lust pools at your core, breathing becoming irregular. Minho parts from your lips, panting softly as the oxygen resumed back into his lungs.
Your lips swollen, cheeks flush as you look at him and whimper.
"Minho. More."
Minho snaps. The rationality that told him no. That told him to hold on, snapped. He stands up, before picking you up by your ass. He cups under it as you wrap your legs around his waist, arms around his neck.
You mewl, feeling his erection against your clothed pussy. As Minho walks to your bedroom, you lick a long, wet strip up his neck, stopping at his ear. You nibble the lobe, causing Minho to shiver and grunt before kissing his neck softly.
Once in your room, Minho places you on the bed gently. Your back landing against your soft mattress. Ethereal. You look so ethereal to him. He wants to caress you, take his time with you. He wants to drive out each and every sweet moan from your lips.
He's wanted this – wanted you – for so long, that every fibre in his body is screaming at him to just pounce on you. Take you roughly, corrupt your mind. He wants to piledrive into you, make you so sore that you'd have no choice but to depend on him for help.
He's a rational man, but when it comes to you, the beast comes out from hiding.
"Minho." You mewl. "C'mere." You extend your arms out, doing grabby hands at him. Minho laughs as he kneels between your legs. The mattress dipping at his weight as he leans over you, hands planting firmly on the mattress against your head.
Leaning in, his lips attached themselves to the skin of your neck. Sucking and nibbling, you moan softly, hands tugging at the bottom of his t-shirt.
He pulls away for a second, taking his t-shirt off. You hum at the sight of his toned body. You place your hand on his chest, feeling how sturdy it is against your fingertips
"You've been working out?"
"From time to time." Minho states with a shrug. He takes your hand from his chest, kissing the palm of your hand gently as he looks in your eyes. You melt as you see nothing but love coating his honey eyes.
"Beautiful. You're so beautiful (Y/N)." you whine softly, turning your head to the side to avoid his gaze. Minho leans over you, tilting your head back to face him with his fingers against your jaw.
You whimper again, closing your eyes as your lips connect again. This time, the kiss is filled with passion, want and love. It's slow and seductive. It allows you both to bask in the feeling of each other. You feel Minho's love radiating from him and you hoped he felt yours.
He's always been the one. You've just been too blind and stupid to realise it – until tonight.
Minho slips your shorts off, throwing them on the floor. You shiver as his fingertips stroke the inside of your thighs, getting dangerously close. You pull away from his lips, lifting the t-shirt up and over your head.
You blush a deep shade of red, feeling exposed in just your baby pink cotton panties. Minho's eyes scan up and down your body, taking in every detail and curve you have to offer.
"M-Minho. Stop staring." You whimper, head turned to the side. You put your arms over your breasts, covering them. Minho clears his throat as he grabs your wrists gently, removing your arms.
"Don't hide. You're extremely gorgeous." His words coated with love as he speaks softly. He looks at your breasts, licking his lips before looking at you "Can I?"
"Of course." You nod. His head dips low. He plants soft kisses down your neck and between your breasts. He cups your left breast in his hand gently, squeezing the soft flesh as his lips kiss your right.
You hum softly. The tip of his tongue circled around your areola as his fingers gently stroke over your hardened nipple. He rolls the sensitive bud between his thumb and pointer finger.
You hum at the sensation, the tip of his tongue flicking across your nipple before he sucks and gently nibbles it. You groan softly, feeling his lips attach to your skin. He kisses and sucks the skin of your breast, leaving marks behind.
He pulls away from your breasts, his cheeks flush. He looks down at you, biting his bottom lip softly.
"Fuck, you drive me crazy." He whispers before kissing your lips again. His hand travels down your stomach to your inner thighs, stroking them slowly.
He gently parts your legs before moving to cup your clothed pussy. You groan in the kiss, his fingers rubbing up and down your slit, feeling a wet patch from your slick slowly forming on your panties.
He gently starts to rub your clit over your panties. Minho swallows each one of your sweet whimpers. Your fingertips lightly travelling down his back, goose bumps rising on his soft skin.
You tug at the waistband of his sweatpants, wanting off. Pulling away from your lips, he takes his sweatpants off, throwing them beside your t-shirt before sitting on the bed, back against the headboard.
You swallow, eyes darting to his crotch. An obvious tent had formed in his black boxer shorts, a wet patch slowly forming from his pre-cum. This time, it was Minho's turn to feel shy
"Stop staring kitten." Minho blushes, clasping his hands together in front of his erection. You sit up, crawling between his legs as you remove his hands slowly
"Don't hide, baby. Show me." You mewl. Minho groans softly, feeling your fingertips dance along his shaft through the material.
"You feel so – girthy. I wonder how you're going to fit inside me." You mewl, locking eyes onto him. He presses his lips together in a thin line, shivering at your words.
"I'll take care of you kitten, don't worry."
"Oh, I have no doubt about that Min." You kiss his shaft gently through the material of his boxer shorts as you hook your fingers under his waistband. You look at him with questioning eyes, to which Minho nods, granting you permission.
You pull down his boxer shorts, discarding them on the ground. His cock springs free from its restraints as a sigh of relief leaves Minho's lips. You swallow, eyes widening.
His cock a little over average in length however, he's girthy. Tip red and coated in a thin layer of pre-cum. His veins protruding along the side, fading at the tip.
"Kitten seriously. Stop staring at me. You're making me shy."
"You're so adorable Minho." You coo. You wrap your hand around the base of his penis, his skin hot against the palm of your hand. You hum softly, slowly stroking him as you lowered your head. The tip of your tongue connected with his tip.
You give small kitten licks, humming as the salty flavour of pre-cum coating your taste buds. You alternate between stroking him and massaging his balls causing Minho to groan softly.
You look up at him through your lashes, your core clenching at the sight of him. Rosy cheeks, glossy eyes and lips parted – he looks so dreamy. You close your eyes, wrapping your lips around his tip. You slowly lower your head, your warm and wet mouth trapping Minho's length. You take half of his length in your mouth.
You bob your head up and down slowly, wasting no time. Your tongue swirling along his length, saliva accumulation in your mouth threatening to spill from the corners. You stroke what you couldn't reach, wrist rotating.
Minho grips the bed sheets, sweet moans leaving his lips. He cannot believe his eyes. He's dreamt of this for so long, that seeing you give him a blowjob feels like another dream.
Your lips around his shaft, the feel of his cock stroking the insides of your mouth as your tongue swirls along his length feels so heavenly to him. He tucks your hair behind your ear, looking down at you as you look up at him through your eyelashes. You hum, the vibrations hitting his cock sending shivers down his spine.
You pull away from him, hand still stroking his cock. Your lips plump and eyes glossy with lust.
"Fuck, I can't." Minho grabs your shoulders gently, pushing you down so your back is against the soft mattress. You squeal, laughing softly.
Minho pulls down your panties, his mouth salivating at the sight of your cunt. Your slick coats your folds making it shine in the dim light. Using two fingers, he parts your folds before stroking up and down your slit getting his fingers coated with your juices.
You hum softly at the feeling, biting your lip as you anticipate his next move. He press his finger against your sensitive clit, rubbing it slowly as he uses your slick as lubricant. Your hips buck at the sensation, Minho chuckling softly.
"Everything okay kitten?"
"M-Mhm. everything is fine just, I haven't been touched like this for a while."
"Do you feel good?"
"I feel amazing, Minho." You look in his eyes and smile softly. Minho's heart leaping out of his chest. He wants to take his time with you, show you how much you mean to him. He's going to handle you with care, like you're the finest pottery on the planet.
"Gosh, you're so beautiful (Y/N)" He whispers, his eyes scanning your body. You were about to protest his statement until you feel a finger slowly insert inside your entrance. He stops at the first knuckle, slowly moving it. He can feel how tight you are. Your cunt clenching around his finger.
"Kitten, relax." He softly speaks, leaning down to kiss your lips again. You hum, allowing yourself to relax which allows Minho to pump his finger inside you. He can feel you loosening around his finger, more of your slick coating him.
He wants to add a second. He wants to penetrate you with his thick cock, but he vowed to himself that he would treasure you. Make it just as pleasurable for you as it is for him
You may have been friends since childhood. You may know each others habits, however, when it comes to sex, you both clearly have some exploring to do. It's all about the chemistry, the connection. It has to feel good for you as it is for him and vice versa.
Only when you moaned out a breathy "more" did he insert a second finger, slowly. You groan, feeling his fingers scissor and stretch you out. He curls his fingers against your walls, his fingertips brushing against you. You wither, soft moans leaving your lips as you grip onto Minho's bicep. His muscles visible tensing as he thrusts his fingers inside you, veins slowly protruding alongside his arm.
Minho takes this time to admire your body. The way your stomach tenses and chest rises rapidly from your laboured breathing. How you would struggle to hold onto something because you feel too good. Your hair fanned out on the sheets, a thin layer of sweat slowly forming on your body.
This image of you will forever be engraved in his mind.
"M-Minho. I need more, I need so much more." Minho swallows, slowing down his thrusts. His cock twitching at the implication.
"A-Are you sure, kitten?" You nod your head fast, looking at him with doll eyes, begging him to penetrate you. "Okay, only if you're sure."
"A hundred percent Minho. Please, I need you so badly." You whimper as Minho pulls his fingers out off you slowly.
"Protection?" You point to your side draw. Minho raises a brow, opening the drawer to reveal a pack of condoms. He takes one before kneeling between your legs.
"You have a habit of keeping condoms in the side drawer or?" You playfully glare at him as he smirks.
"You can never be too sure, Minho! Its always best to keep protection close by."
"I guess." Minho shrugs as you raise a brow
"Don't you keep a pack close by? You know, just in case you bring home a one night stand?" You question.
"Nope." Minho opens the packet, taking the condom out.
"So you mean to tell me that you don't use them?" Minho shakes his head slowly as he smirks at you "Why."
Minho pumps himself a few times before rolling the condom on his length. "Because kitten, I prefer to go in raw."
You press your lips together, shivering at his words. "Maybe one day, you can fuck me raw."
"Don't tempt me kitten. It's bad enough that I'm battling between being rough and being gentle." You smirk, opening your legs wide. Grabbing the base of his cock, he guided his tip to your entrance.
"Ready Kitten?" Minho speaks softly.
"I'm ready." Minho pushes himself slowly inside you, taking extra care not to hurt you the best he could. You hiss, the burn radiating throughout your body from the stretch.
Minho pushes half his length inside you, pausing to allow you time to adjust. Your tight cunt clamping around his length, making it harder for him to cling onto the little bit of rationality he has left.
Minho interlocks his fingers with yours, stroking your hand softly with his thumb hoping to relieve you of your discomfort. You squeeze his hand gently.
"It's okay kitten. Take your time. Just let me know when you're ready." He speaks softly. You whimper, nodding. Minho patiently waits for you to adjust. Seconds later, you indicate that you are. Taking your waist in his hands, he slowly starts to thrust.
You groan at the feeling, the pain slowly turning into pleasure the more he thrusts. Your warmth encapsulated Minho's cock, making him shiver and slowly drown at the feeling
"Minho, faster, more!" You whisper. Minho grips your hips tightly, inserting the remaining of his length until he's bottomed out. You groan at the feeling of fullness, gripping the bed sheets in your hands. Minho's thrusts become powerful and fast. Skin slapping on skin, moans mixing and bouncing off the walls. You wither beneath him, unable to comprehend the amount of pleasure you're receiving.
Minho was also struggling to comprehend his own pleasure. Your warm, wet cunt feels so good around him. He feels like he's drowning. His head kicked back as soft groans left his lips. His body shining in the dim light due to it being coated in a thin layer of sweat. Beads of sweat run down his forehead and temples as his hair stocks to his skin.
"This is so much better than what I imagined." He groans between pants. You purposefully clench around his cock, making his moan.
"You feel good babe?" He nods fast, bottom lip captured between his bunny teeth. "Me too, It feels so good."
Minho's hips began to falter, his movements becoming sloppy. He squeezes your waist tightly, panting hard before the pad of his thumb comes into contact with your clit.
He rubs the sensitive bud as he thrusts into you. Your thighs shaking as your body jolts at the new sensation. You moan and whimper, the knot in the pit of your stomach tightening. Minho feels it from the way your cunt has a vice grip around his length, making it difficult for him to move.
"I think I'm going to cum." You struggle to say between your pants.
"Cum kitten. Cum around my cock." You squeeze your eyes shut, your orgasm washing over you in an instant. You cunt clenches and releases around Minho as your body shakes and empty moans leave your mouth. From how tight your cunt has a hold of him, Minho stops moving as he groans, emptying himself in the condom.
Minho continues to rub your clit, helping you rid out your high as he shallowly thrusts inside you to help rid out his own. Once calm, you push his hand away, claiming you're sensitive to the touch.
Minho chuckles, pulling you out of you and taking the condom off. He ties it before disposing of it in the trash. He lays next to you as your eyes slowly close.
Pulling your sweaty body against his own, you snuggle into him, enjoying the warmth and comfort he provides. You hum softly in contentment as you feel yourself relax – sleep slowly consuming your body
"Hey, no sleeping. We have to get cleaned up Kitten." Minho speaks softly
"What's there to clean? We used protection." You whisper.
"Well, you're probably sore and sweaty, so we have to help you get comfortable."
"I guess so, but I'm too tired, so carry me!"
"Absolutely not." You pout as you whine.
"You're so mean Minho!"
"But you love me."
You smiled softly at him. The typical banter between you both now having a new meaning.
"Yes. Yes, I do."
#skz#stray kids#skz smut#stray kids smut#skz hard hours#skz hard thoughts#stray kids hard hours#stray kids hard thoughts#lee know#skz lee know#skz lee minho#lee minho#lee know smut#lee minho smut#stray kids lee know#stray kids lee minho#lee know x you#lee minho x you#lee know x reader#lee minho x reader#skz x you#skz x reader#stray kids x you#stray kids x reader#skz imagines#kpop#skz one shot#skz fic#stray kids imagines
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Hands to Yourself Pt10
Lovers🤍🤍
SURPRIIIIIIIISEEEEEEE
Guess who finally got her shit together and finished Part 10???? No but seriously, I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for how patient everyone has been waiting on this. I’ve been off my game lately. okokok I won’t ramble, but I love you all! hope it was worth the wait💖
Word Count: 11.1k
Pairing: Jake Kiszka x f!reader
Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI. Smut(Fingering, Unprotected Sex, Dirty Talk) Talks of pregnancy. (If I miss anything, please let me know!)
“Gimme some good news, Dr. Brooks.” You pleaded with a whine, “Is this cast coming off today?” You sat on the edge of the exam table, wiggling your arm at him. This was your third visit with the doctor since you’d been released from the hospital. The first was a week after your discharge, just to ensure your ribs were still healing well. Then another week after that, you went in to have the stitches removed before an ultrasound. “Jake won’t take me car shopping until I have full use of both hands…”
He chuckled softly, “He’s only thinking in terms of your safety, Y/N.” He took your arm, fiddling with your fingers, “Okay, I’m gonna cut this cast off and we’ll get an x-ray to see how the bones are looking.” Dr. Brooks laid the table flat, instructing you to lay down, and lifted your shirt. He pressed lightly on your ribcage, prodding his fingers around, “How’s the pregnancy? You went for an ultrasound the last time you were in… Sit up, I wanna hear your lungs.”
You obeyed, pulling your shirt back down to sit up, “It’s good, I think. I don’t really get sick anymore unless I eat pizza or spaghetti.” You placed a palm over your belly, “He does not like tomato sauce…I’ll be 14 weeks on thursday. I think I’m kind of showing?” You pulled the shirt taught over your stomach, showcasing the barely-there bump.
“It’s definitely possible. I’ve known mothers to start showing in their 12th week and some that don’t show until they’re well over 5 months.” He held the stethoscope to your back, “Deep breath for me, Y/N.” You felt him move it to another spot, pressing it into your shirt and telling you to breathe again, “Everything sounds great… So you said ‘he.’ It’s a boy?” He was scribbling something down on his clipboard.
“We don’t know for sure yet, but I have a strong feeling.” You rubbed your hands over your leggings, “I’ve been having these really vivid…dreams. Umm. It’s always a boy in them, so…” Your eyes fell to the floor.
The doctor looked down at you, studying your body language, “Y/N, have you scheduled an appointment with the trauma therapist I recommended?” He wheeled his stool in front of you and sat down, “Jake told me about the nightmares during your last check in. You should really consider going to see Dr. Lucera. She’ll help you understand why you’re having these dreams and present you with ways to deal with the PTSD.” He ripped a corner from one of his papers, wrote something down on it, and placed it in your shaking hand, “Call her office and make an appointment. I promise, it will help.”
You took the scrap of paper from him, “Okay. Yeah, I’ll try.” Ready for a subject change, you waved your arm in front of him again, “Is It time?” You raised your eyebrows at him.
“It’s time.” Dr. Brooks stood from the stool with a smile and walked towards the door, “I’ll be right back. Do you want me to send him in?” You gave him an enthusiastic nod as he exited the exam room, pulling the door shut after him.
Minutes later, Jake was coming into the room, “How’s everything looking, my love?” He stood by you, leaving a kiss to your forehead.
“He’s finally taking the cast off.” You grinned up at him, “You know what that means, baby…”
“It means you’re getting x-ray to see if you need a new cast.” He stated matter-of-factly, “Dr. Brooks already briefed me, Y/N.” He plucked the paper from your fingers, looking it over, “And we’re gonna schedule an appointment with the therapist he recommended when we get home.”
You tried to grab it back before he jammed it into his pocket, “No. I’m throwing that in the garbage. I don’t need help with anything, I’m handling it.”
“You’re not, though, love.” He caught your hand as you dug into his pocket, “Ignoring it and pretending it’s not happening isn’t handling it. Frankly, I think it’s making it worse.” He moved in front of you, bending a bit to meet you face to face, “Let’s compromise, baby… If you promise me that you’ll try one appointment, just one, we can leave here today and start car shopping. Cast or no cast.”
You negotiated a counteroffer, “I’ll make the appointment before I leave this room today, BUT…” You leaned in until your noses were almost touching, “I get to go back to work on monday.” He backed up, shaking his head, but you grabbed his shirt and pulled him back towards you, “Jake, it’s been well over a month. I gave you time like you asked, more than what was needed.”
Before he could respond, your doctor was coming in with a nurse, wheeling a cart with medical instruments, “Alright, Y/N, I’m going to give you a quick rundown of how this works… Have you ever had a cast removed before?” You shook your head as you looked at the tools on the cart. He took note of your nervous energy in the way you grasped tightly onto Jake’s hand, “There is nothing to be worried about, I assure you.” Dr. Brooks picked up the saw, holding it against his hand, “This is a vibrating saw, it cuts through the fiberglass but it cannot and will not cut your skin.” He clicked the button on and let it run over his palm.
You squeezed Jake’s hand harder with a faint gasp at the whirring sound. “Baby, it’s fine, look.” He held his free hand out for Dr. Brooks and allowed the man to put the tool against his skin, “See, it just tickles a bit, no pain, no cuts.” He pulled his palm back for you to see.
“Okay…” You nodded your head, giving your attention back to the doctor.
He placed the saw back on the cart and picked something else up, “Once we get through the brunt of it, we’ll use these shears to cut through all the padding.” He put them down and picked up the last thing to hold in front of you, “Then, once we have a clear channel, we’ll use the spreader to crack it open and slide it off so that we can see how you’re healing under there. Sound good?”
Taking a deep breath, you held your arm out, “Yes, just get the damn thing off…”
After your appointment, Jake was going to take you car shopping like he agreed but you weren’t really up to it, “Can we just go home, actually? Make lunch and watch a movie?”
“Of course, love.” He eyed you from the driver’s seat, “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, I just didn’t really sleep too well last night… I’m a little tired.” You were lying, but you didn’t want to tell him that the mere thought of getting behind a wheel made you anxious beyond belief. Thankfully he didn’t question any further, just made the drive home with a gentle hold on your freshly freed hand.
_________________________________________________
After getting home, you changed into shorts and a tank top to clean the house a bit before settling at the kitchen table for lunch. You couldn’t help but notice the way Jake kept watching you, studying you. Every time your gaze would lift from your food, you’d find his eyes on you. He watched you squeeze your hand around your wrist, rolling it a bit, “Does it hurt?”
“No, it just feels weird.” You stared down at your left hand, flexing your fingers and knuckles, “Mobility was limited, all I could really move were my fingers and even that was just barely. I think I just need to get used to moving it around.”
“Well… Just don’t push it. Dr. Brooks said the bone may not be as strong as it was.” Jake put his fork down, picking up a napkin to wipe his mouth, “I still can’t believe you got scared when he brought the saw out.” He laughed as he reached for his cup.
“Fuck off, I wasn’t even scared, Jake.” You threw your napkin at him, sharing his laughter, and stood from the table, grabbing your empty plate and his, “Are you still hungry, baby?” As you moved past him to put the dishes in the sink, he grabbed your waist, pulling you down into his lap, “Jacob!” You yelped as one of the plates crashed to the floor, shattering to pieces.
He took the remaining one from your hand and put it back on the table with a playful smirk, “I want dessert…” His hand went to the back of your head, pulling you in for a kiss. You wanted to yell at him for making you drop the plate but his lips were moving so madly against your own that you couldn’t focus on anything else. Suddenly, he was standing up and lifting you with him to sit you on the edge of the table. His lips went to your jaw, trailing their way down as he yanked the strap of your shirt to the side to kiss along your shoulder..
Your legs parted on their own, giving him the space to stand between them, “Baby, what is- Oh…” Your hands shot his shoulders as he grasped your hips, grinding his erection into you, “Would this have anything to do with how you’ve been staring at me?”
He bit down on your collarbone, drawing a gasp from you, “You look so fucking beautiful…” He pulled the other strap down, letting your tank top fall below your breasts, “My dick has been hard since you sat down to eat…Are they getting bigger?” He was cupping your tits, squeezing them gently.
“Well, I’m pregnant…so probably.” You giggled at his amazed expression.
Jake pulled the tank top over your head before dropping back into his chair and scooting it closer to the table, “Pregnant with my baby…” He leaned forward, pressing his lips to your belly, “Still can’t believe it sometimes. I made him…” He was staring at the teeny bump, brushing his knuckles against your skin.
You hooked your finger under his chin, lifting his eyes to you, “I don’t think you can take all the credit on this one, baby. It was a group effort.” You smiled down at him, poking the tip of his nose, “I can tell you exactly when we made him…or- at least when I think we made him.”
“When? How do you know?” He grabbed your hand, interlocking your fingers, and laid his head on your thigh as he gazed at you.
“My OB helped me kind of calculate it at my last appointment. It was confusing, but she gave me a general time frame of the conception date.” You pushed the hair from his face, cupping his cheek, “The cookout… That morning, in the bathroom. Do you remember?”
He turned his head, placing a kiss to the inside of your thigh, “Of course I remember.” He continued leaving wet kisses across your flesh, “I can remember just about every time I’ve been here…” He pressed his index finger to the front of your shorts, applying pressure to your clit, “You were too stressed, in a panic, and it was driving me mad.”
“Baby…” You whined as he drew circles over the fabric.
A smirk crept over his lips, “I had you in front of the mirror, the prettiest sounds falling from your lips… But you had to be quiet and you just couldn’t.” Jake withdrew his hand to hook his fingers into your waistband. You lifted your hips from the tabletop so he could pull the shorts down and drop them to the floor, “I had to put my fingers in your mouth to keep you silent and you bit me.” He brought his hand to your lips, tapping them, and you opened your mouth to let his fingers in, rolling your tongue around them, “Hmm. I remember how wet you got, watching me fuck you in the reflection.” He took his hand back and resumed the tortuous swirls on your clit, “Almost as wet as you are now, love…” He gathered your arousal, pinching his thumb and two fingers together to admire it before pushing his fingers into you.
You rested your feet on his knees, “You bit me back- Mmm. Your tee- shit…Your teeth marks were there for d-days.” His fingers were petting at the sweetest spot inside of you, causing your head to drop back with a lilting moan, “I love it when you mark me like that.”
“God, those noises you make…” His mouth was on your inner thigh again, nibbling his way closer to your core, “Fucking angelic, my love.” He opened his mouth, ready to grace you with his tongue but you stopped him.
You grabbed his face, “Jake, please. I wanna feel you.”
“Patience, baby.” He kissed your palm, keeping eye contact with you while fucking you with his fingers.
You sunk your teeth into your lip with a groan, “Just- think of the sounds I’ll make when you’re inside of me.” You knew you had him when his hand started to slow, inevitably stopping. Smirking down at him, you took his hand from you and pulled him to stand from the chair, “You weren’t lying…” You felt for his dick over his pants, feeling just how hard he really was.
“I told you… You’re so beautiful, all the time.” His breath hitched as you dipped below his waistband, grasping him in your hand, “But today- fuck, Y/N… Today you just- There was something different.” Jake squeezed his eyes shut, unable to concentrate on anything other than the way you stroked him.
“Something different, huh? Well, there’s only one thing different about me.” You used your free hand to grab his shirt and pull him closer, speaking into his ear, “Do you like me pregnant, Jake? The fact that my belly is growing…my tits…and it’s all your doing.” You nipped his ear lobe and felt him twitch against your palm.
He grabbed your wrist and removed your hand from his pants in a haste, “I can’t- I gotta- fuck.” Jake stuttered as he pulled his pants down, just enough to free his length, “I gotta have you now, baby.” He was desperate, one hand on your leg while he used the other to guide himself to your entrance.
You held his hips, watching as he slid himself through your folds, “Just do it, baby. Please.” You could feel your arousal gathering into a small puddle beneath you as you oozed with just as much desperation as him. You pulled on him, luring him just where both of you needed, “Fuck me, Jake.” It came out as a pathetic, needy whine but he couldn’t resist.
“I’ll give you anything you want, I swear to god, Y/N… Just keep talking to me like that, tell me what you want, pretty baby.” He finally pushed into you, his brows knitted as he held his breath.
“I want you to kiss me…” You released a soft sigh as he stretched you. His hand weaved into your hair as he leaned in with no hesitation, but you stopped him before his lips could meet yours, “Nuh uh.” You held your index finger over his mouth and he stared in confusion, “Kiss me…here.” You grazed your fingers over your collarbone and he dove in. Starting at your right shoulder, he trailed soft, suckling kisses the whole way to the left, stopping to dip his tongue into the hollow of your neck while giving deep, languid strokes with his cock, “That’s good, baby. Keep fucking me just like that.” You gripped his jaw, pulling his lips to yours in a hungry kiss as you whimpered into his mouth.
He broke away with a strangled groan, letting his head hang, “You fit around me so fucking well-.” He pushed your knees up to let your feet rest on the edge of the table, spreading you open, “So perfect together, baby… You and me…look at us.”
You dropped your gaze to where your bodies met, watching him fill you up over and over, “Touch me. Please just fucking touch me, Jakey.” You spoke through a slew of gasps and moans. Grabbing one of his hands, you pulled his thumb into your mouth, coating it in your spit, “Touch me here.” You guided his hand to your cunt, promoting him to follow your orders. You leaned back on your hands, watching him expertly strum at your clit, “Fuuuuck…That’s- I’m close.” Your eyes started to roll until he stopped moving, making you look up at his face, “Baby…”
Jake had himself buried completely inside of you, nudging your cervix with the tip of his cock. He remained motionless except for his thumb, still spoiling your clit, “Shhh. Stop whining. You think I don’t know how to pull you apart?” He kept his eyes trained on his thumb as he spoke, his voice a calm whisper, “I know your body so well, love… I could break you down to a molecular level and put you back together blindfolded.” His voice was like warm honey; thick and sweet, dripping over your body and drowning you, “You say the word and I’ll make you cum like *snap* that, sweet girl, you know I will.”
You were clenching around him fiercely, admiring how his face contorted with every fluttering pulse. You had no doubt that the second you gave a signal, he’d throw you straight into that endless freefall and you were ready for it, “Jake, now..” You needed it, demanded it.
He took his hand from your pussy and brought it up to curl around your throat, squeezing carefully as he pulled your mouth to meet his, “I told you I’d give you anything you want…” He kept a light hold on your neck, brushing his nose against yours as he drew his hips back. He bent his knees slightly and gave a single, sharp, perfectly angled thrust, watching as your jaw dropped open, “I fucking told you, baby.”
You fought to keep your eyes on his. Your mouth hung agape with a soundless cry as his fingers tightened on your pressure points, forcing your eyes into the back of your head. Your whole body convulsed, laced with zaps of blinding electricity. Your hands frantically grabbed for his hips, pulling on him, wanting him as deep as he could get, as a night sky exploded behind your eyelids. A black backdrop, spotted with tiny, bright specks, luring you into oblivion. He released your neck, allowing you to draw in a deep breath before gasping out, “God, Jake-”
He slowed his thrusts, giving you a moment to come down, “I need one more, my love. Just one.” Jake snaked his arms around your back, pressing your chest flat against his as you nodded silently. He began moving again, slipping into you with no resistance as soft, melodic whimpers poured from your lips, “C’mon, baby, you’re already there.” He watched your face scrunch up, your brows pinched, as you repeatedly opened and closed your mouth, unable to form words.
Your fingers searched for the hem of his shirt, ripping it over his head. You wanted him close, wanted to feel his sweat-sticky skin melded with yours, “I- oh…oh shhh-” You held onto him tightly, nails dragging across his back, “Jake, please… Oh pleasepleaseplease!” It was the last coherent thing you could muster before biting down on his shoulder as your second orgasm hit harder than the first.
“That’s it… That’s-fuck.” He stilled, a shiver rippling through his body as his own climax consumed him. He pulled himself out of you, stroking his length against your clit and letting the first bit of cum paint your pussy before slamming back into you. He lifted your trembling body from the table and sat back in the chair, keeping himself tucked safely inside of you as he hugged you to him and peppered sweet pecks to your skin. Once your aching lungs settled, you pulled back enough to look down between your bodies. Your fingers mindlessly swept over your clit, dragging through the mix of release, before you sucked them into your mouth. Jake’s eyes held onto yours as you lapped his cum from your digits with a mellow hum, “Goddamn, woman…” His hand balled into your locks as he pulled your fingers from your mouth to replace them with his tongue. He licked at your lips, rolling his tongue against your own to taste the both of you as he finally began to soften.
Your head fell to his shoulder as you closed your eyes, “If I wasn’t already pregnant, I definitely would be now.” You stayed there for a while, his hands gently rubbing your back while you listened to his calm breaths, “I’m gonna get up, baby…” You warned before slipping off of his sensitive dick.
He hissed, dropping his head back as you slowly stood from his lap, “Careful. I gotta clean this mess up.” He pushed you to the side, making sure your feet avoided the ceramic shards littering the hardwood, “Sorry, about the plate, love.”
You smiled at him, brushing the hair from his forehead, “Gives me an excuse to buy a new set of dishes.”
“Anything you want.” He stood up, tucking himself into his pants, “Go have a shower, I’m gonna take care of this.” His eyes raked over your naked body as he grasped your hips. You thought he was gonna kiss you but instead, he smirked, staring at your chest, “They’re definitely getting bigger.”
“You’re annoying.” You pushed him away with a laugh, “Clean your mess up, Jacob.” You pointed at the floor behind him before turning around and stalking out of the kitchen. Deciding on a warm bath, you headed straight for the guest bathroom with a plush towel and the small bluetooth speaker. As you waited for the tub to fill, you unlocked your phone to pick a playlist and found a text from Odessa.
Odessa 1:36pm: I miss you!!! Don’t wanna invite you over for another movie night…but we should do something soon pleeease!
You missed her too, missed everyone really. The time you and Jake spent together was great, no doubt, but it had been too long since everyone was together and you were dying for a family night. After sinking into the bubbly water, you texted Dess back.
You 2:25pm: I miss you too❤️ are you free tonight? I think I’m gonna invite the guys over for dinner. I’ll get rid of Jake for a bit and you can come early and help me cook
Odessa 2:27pm: Absolutely! When should I be there, babe?
You 2:28pm: Around 5. Can’t wait to see you!
“Baaaaabe!” You yelled for Jake after dropping your phone on the towel beside the bathtub, “Come heeeeere!”
He came rushing into the bathroom with the dustpan in his hand, “What? Why are you screaming?”
Sitting up, you rested your arms on the side of the tub, laying your chin atop of them, “Tell your brothers to come over for dinner tonight. I miss them.” You held your hand out, wiggling your fingers at him, “Round them up, take ‘em out for a drink or two, and just be back here by seven.”
He took your hand and knelt down, giving you a peck, “And you just decided this yourself?”
“I did. Dess is gonna come over early to help me cook and you need some time out with the guys.” Cupping his cheek, you pulled him in for another kiss, “Just don’t get so drunk that you can’t eat……dinner…” You bit your tongue between your teeth with a smile as he shook his head at you.
“You’re greedy…” Jake dropped your hand as he stood up and started to leave the room, “I’ll call Josh.” He stepped out, leaving the door wide open.
_____________________________________________
“Danny said he’ll drop Odessa off and pick me up, Josh and Sam are gonna meet us at the bar.” Jake was pulling his old tan boots on when a knock sounded on the door, “That’s probably her.” He turned around to open the door, revealing Odessa standing on the porch.
She squealed, pushing past him and straight to you, “You look so much better since the last time I saw you, babe!” She wrapped her arms around you, squeezing hard.
“I feel so much better!” You squeezed her back, keeping her in your embrace until Jake cleared his throat behind her. Releasing her, you looked up at him, “Have fun, baby!” As you turned to pull Odessa further into the house, he stopped you.
“Come back here.” His tone held a certain authority that had you scurrying back to him without question. His arm circled your back, hauling you flush against him, as he whispered over your mouth, “I think I deserve a proper goodbye, don’t you?”
“Hmmm…I don’t know that I can give you a proper goodbye in front of Dess.” You fell into him with a grin, letting your arms hang loosely around his neck, “I love you, Jakey.” You giggled as you kissed him, “Have fun, home by seven.” You gave him a pointed look before peeling out of his hold and grabbing your friend to go to the kitchen. “You want something to drink, hun?” You pulled a stool out at the island for her to sit down.
“Can I ask for wine? Do you even have wine? I don't know what the rules are for pregnant friends…” She took a seat, folding her hands in front of herself as she watched you move around the kitchen.
You laughed, pulling a glass from the cabinet, “There are no rules and of course I have wine. You know who I live with, right?” You grabbed two bottles from the small wine rack, holding them up for her to see, “White or red?”
She pointed to the white and waited patiently as you put the red back and poured her a glass before handing it to her, “Thank you, babe!” Odessa took a long sip from the cup and placed it on the island, “You got the cast off, where is your ring?” Of course she’d be the first to notice…
“Shit…Jake’s been wearing it on one of his necklace chains for safekeeping.” You looked down at your hand, “We were busy today, I guess we both forgot about it.” Lifting your shoulders, you shrugged, biting back the smile as you thought about just how busy you’d been a few hours earlier, “Remind to get it off of him when they get back.”
She eyed you with a knowing look, a smirk tilting her lip, “Yeah, okay…So, what are we cooking?”
“How do you feel about pasta?” You opened the fridge and began pulling out different ingredients, “I was thinking a simple Cacio e Pepe, maybe some bruschetta and a salad?”
“Oooh, that sounds so good!” She stood up and came around the island, “What do you want me to do? Gimme some direction.”
“Do you want to start chopping these? I’m gonna go grab the speaker to play some music.” You placed a cucumber and a few different peppers in front of her and grabbed a knife from the block, “Dice the peppers into big chunks and just slice the cucumber.” You handed her the knife and scampered out of the kitchen. When you returned, you couldn’t help but laugh at the way she haphazardly chopped the veggies.
“What?!” Odessa dropped the knife on the cutting board with a huff, “Danny does most of the cooking at home! I’m trying my best.”
“Oh hush, hun. You’re doing great, just keep going.” You watched as she resumed her task and clicked the power button on the speaker, allowing it to connect to your phone, “What do you wanna listen to? Any preference?”
She grabbed the dish towel to wipe her hands off, “Actually, can I send you this playlist I made a few days ago?” She took her phone from her pocket after you nodded in approval and sent the playlist, “It’s good, I promise! Just full of songs that my mom used to listen to all the time that really stuck with me.”
Opening it up, you pressed the shuffle button without looking through the songs and let it play, “God, I love this song!” You started singing as you walked to the counter behind Odessa to retrieve the pasta dough that had been resting, “Does she speak eloquently? And would she have your baby? I’m sure she’d make a really excellent mother!”
“Hell yeah, babe!” Your friend was swaying her hips as she chopped, joining in to sing with you, “And every time you speak her name, does she know how you told me you’d hold me until you died?”
It wasn’t long before the both of you were having a full blown concert performance in your kitchen, using wooden spoons as drumsticks and a rolling pin as a guitar while you sang at the top of your lungs.
And I’m here to remind you of the mess you left when you went away
It’s not fair to deny me of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know!!!
The song faded out as you both keeled over with laughter, gasping to catch your breath, “Oh my god!” Odessa was wiping the tears from beneath her eyes as she straightened up and tried to stop laughing, “That was fucking amazing, I really needed that!”
You came up behind her and wrapped your arms around her, “Fuck, Dess… I needed that too!” You hugged her tight as she gripped onto your arms and leaned into you, “I love you, Dess…I haven’t thanked you enough for everything you’ve done for me.”
“Awwwe, Y/N, stop. You’re gonna make me cry.” She turned around to face you with a genuine smile, “I would do anything for you, babe. I love you so much…” She paused, her voice taking on a less cheerful tone, “I’ll never forgive myself for bringing Sage into you and Jake’s life.”
“Odessa, it-.”
“Just let me get this out, please. It’s been weighing on me.” She cut you off and you silently nodded for her to continue, “I knew she had her issues, but I swear, I never expected her to try anything with Jake… The day she met him, in Atlanta, I made it clear that he wasn’t available. Hell, he made it crystal clear the way he ignored her desperate attempts at flirting.” She shook her head with a sigh, “She kept going on about him on our drive back and I told her, again, that you guys had been together forever and she needed to just forget about him, and I thought she did. She didn’t bring him up once to me after that and then at the bar that night, when I introduced her to you, I really thought she was over it. She didn’t even look at him once.” You listened intently, wanting to hear her point of view, “I wanted you two to be friends so bad. She was my best friend, but you and I were getting closer and I just thought you two could love each other as much as I loved you both…But she started changing and I didn’t realize it at first and maybe if I had-” Odessa leaned back against the counter, trying to blink away tears, “Maybe I could’ve prevented all of the shit she- I’m so sorry, Y/N.” Her cries echoed through the kitchen as she put her head into her hands.
You could feel your own tears forming as you reached out to hug her again, “Do not blame yourself, Dess. None of it is your fault. She’s manipulative, conniving…just a twisted fucking person. I was the one who let her get close to me.” You released her and stepped back, “I saw the red flags, ignored my gut feelings, and at the end of the day, that’s on me. But nobody is to blame for the psycho shit she did except her. She made her choices and she should have to fucking pay for them.” You took a deep breath, suddenly feeling angry.
Odessa used her sleeve to wipe her cheeks with a sniffle, “Yeah…I wanted to ask how she isn’t…like…in prison?”
“Haaa. Because she literally manipulates everyone. I don’t know how she does it, but she’s good.” You were chewing on your lip, thinking back on the last visit from Detective Walsh, “Do you remember the detectives that came to the hospital? The one was an asshole.”
She took a few seconds to think before nodding her head, “Oh god, yeah. They talked to me in the waiting room and the one with the mustache, he was super patient and listened well. The other guy hardly let me get a word in. He would ask a question and then fill my mouth with his own answers before I could say anything.”
“Yeah, well, his hostility came from the fact that he was fucking Sage.” You said it with a grim chuckle, “Detective Walsh came by a few weeks ago and told us that his partner got suspended after they found out. But get this…Sage said that the other detective forced her to do everything and now there’s an entire separate investigation going on that paints her as a victim.” Your head dropped back as you trained your eyes on the light above you, your voice a whisper, “It’s like she’s always one step ahead…I just wish there was a way to beat her at her own game.”
“I mean, she admitted to stalking you, taking those videos and pictures… Shouldn’t that be enough to prove she’s guilty of something?” She crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at you.
“There’s no proof that she admitted to it. She said it to us, yeah, but it’s just ‘hearsay.’” You held your fingers up with air quotes as you picked your head up to look at her again, “Detective Walsh said it’s a he said/she said and that without tangible evidence, it’s inadmissible.” You shrugged your shoulders in defeat.
Odessa’s brows were drawn together in thought for a moment, “But what if you can get her to admit it?” She was thinking hard and you waited for her to elaborate, “You said she’s always one step ahead, but everyone has a weakness, Y/N…And I think we know what her weakness is, or who anyways.” She spoke carefully, unsure of how you would react to her suggestion.
“No. Absolutely not. Jake has been through way too much at her hands.” You were shaking your head profusely, “I wanna see her get what she deserves more than anybody, but I will not use him to speed the process up.”
“Okay. Hey, forget I even suggested it, babe.” She grasped your face in her hands, brightening her tone, “How about we get back to dinner?”
You looked at the digital clock on the stove, “Shit… They’re gonna be back in an hour and I do not have time to roll and cut the pasta.” You picked up the bowl of dough from the countertop, poking it with your fingers, “We’re just gonna have to scrap it and use store bought.” You flipped the bowl over and let the dough ball drop into the trashcan before going to the pantry for the boxed pasta, “Alright, get in the fridge and grab the arugula, the parmesan wedge and the cherry tomatoes.” Grabbing a large pot from a cabinet below the counter, you began filling it up with water to place on the stove.
Odessa came back to the island with everything you told her to retrieve, “Now what?”
“Uhhh… Hang on.” You climbed up on the counter to get your big, wooden salad bowl from on top of the refrigerator, “Here. Put the arugula in here, the peppers, cucumbers, slice the tomatoes in half and throw them in and then shave some parm strips into it.” You hopped down and gave her the bowl then grabbed the cheese grater for her, “I’m gonna make a dressing while I wait on this water to boil, turn the music up!” You pointed at the speaker that was still playing her playlist.
“Yes, chef!” She was quick to follow your orders, dropping everything into the bowl as she finished cutting the veggies.
You whirled through the kitchen, reaching for a mixing bowl and snatching a whisk from a drawer, before stopping to mix up a vinaigrette. Cutting a lemon in half, you squeezed the juice into your bowl and added some cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt, then a bit of dijon mustard and some garlic and whisked it rapidly. Once you were satisfied with how everything was mixed, you picked up the olive oil and began drizzling it into the bowl while constantly stirring, allowing it to emulsify. You ran your finger along the utensil and licked the dressing off to taste it, “Dess, taste this and tell me what you think. Is it too much lemon?” You held the whisk up for her to try it.
She dragged her finger over the metal and pulled it into her mouth, “Mmm!” Her eyes were wide as she tasted the vinaigrette, “That’s so fucking good!” She picked up a slice of cucumber and dipped it into the dressing before tossing it into her mouth, “I need that recipe, babe…”
You giggled as she mumbled past the food, “I’ll write it down for you later. Once you have the salad finished, drizzle this over top and give it a good toss.” You passed the bowl to her and went to tend to the boiling water. After dropping the noodles into the pot, you spent a few minutes to whip up a quick garlic bread and get it in the oven to bake.
Everything was coming together smoothly and you and Odessa were singing along to the music and setting the table with minutes to spare before the guys got in. You placed the main dish in the center of the table, with the salad and garlic bread on either side of it, while she gathered silverware. Once it was all set, you both took a break to dance around the kitchen while the music played, Keep Your Hands to Yourself by Georgia Satellites.
My honey, my baby, don’t put my love upon no shelf
She said, ‘Don’t hand me no lines, and keep your hands to yourself’
You and Odessa were laughing through the lyrics as you twirled each other around the room and didn’t hear the boys come in until Jake opened his mouth, “What the fuck is going on?” He couldn’t contain his smile as he watched you shake your hips. He was coming across the kitchen, arms extended as he grasped your waist to pull you in, “Food smells good, love…” He was half shouting over the music and your own voice as you kept singing.
He leaned in for a kiss but you planted a hand on his chest while wagging a finger in his face with a wicked smile, “I said, honey, I’ll live with ya for the rest of my life… She said, no huggee, no kissee until you make me a wife!” You pinched the ring that hung on his necklace between your fingers and held it in front of his face, “My honey, my baby…Don’t put my love upon no shelf-.” You were cut off by Jake circling his arms around you and lifting you from the floor. You let out a squeal, wrapping your arms around his neck as he spun you.
He let you back onto your feet and pulled his necklace off to remove the ring and slide it into its rightful place on your finger, “Can I have a kiss now?”
“I guess so…” Your fist balled into his shirt to yank him against you and you let his lips find yours, “Mmm. You taste like bourbon.” Your tongue dragged across your lip and you’re sure Jake must’ve seen the fire that ignited in your eyes as he responded.
“You want me to just send everyone home so I can eat?” His voice was low, but not low enough to evade Sam’s ears, “I’m famished…”
“You guys are gross!” He was talking with a full mouth and you looked past Jake to see him standing with a piece of garlic bread in his hand.
You rolled your eyes at, “Sammy… You couldn’t wait for everyone to sit down?” You turned the music down as you padded over to him, “We worked too hard on this for you to just stick your grubby fingers in everything, go wash your hands.” You pointed to the sink.
He scoffed, rolling his eyes at you, “Y’know, I’m not your kid. You can’t boss me around like that.” It was a moot point, proved by the way he stalked past you to the sink and scrubbed his hands as you’d instructed.
“Hey, mama!” Josh tapped your shoulder and pulled you into a suffocating hug, “Dinner looks great, thanks for inviting us.” He placed a soft kiss to your cheek before releasing you and looking over your body, “You look good, Y/N.”
“You say that everytime you see me, Joshy.” You reached up to fluff his curls a bit, a habit you’d picked up over the past few weeks since he’d been around more often, “But I still appreciate it.”
He swatted your hand away with a gentle smile, “I know, but there’s something today…Something about your aura, maybe? I don’t know, I can’t place it.” He was studying you like he was trying to figure it out.
“Yanno, I said the same thing earlier.” Jake came up beside his twin with a smirk, “It’s something different…” His eyes flicked down to your chest and back up.
“Okay, yeah. Let’s eat?” You could feel your face getting hot as you headed for the table, stopping to give Danny a hug.
Your face pressed into his chest as he squeezed you, “It’s good to see you doing better, Y/N. You do look good.”
“She looks better than good. She’s hot as hell.” Odessa raised her third glass of wine to you from her seat at the table that she claimed 20 minutes earlier.
Sammy was behind you, his hands on your shoulders, “I don’t know what you’re all seeing… She looks a little rough to me. Kinda stinky too.”
You jabbed your elbow into his stomach, “Well then you probably don’t wanna eat my stinky food… Guess you’ll just have to order a pizza.” You turned around to stare up at him with a smile before forcing him into a hug, “I missed you, Sammy.”
He instinctively embraced you, his arms wrapping tightly around your shoulders, “I missed you too. But can we eat? It smells so good.” He pulled back with a grin as you nodded and gestured to the table.
“My love.” Jake held his hand out for you to take and led you to the table, pulling your chair out. Everybody else took their seats, Jake at the head of the table, Danny opposite him as usual. You and Josh were on either side of Jake, Sam beside you and Odessa beside Josh, her hand grasped in Danny’s.
They all took turns spooning food onto their plates. Jake made sure your plate was filled before he even thought about putting food on his own, “Baby, that’s too much.” You grabbed his wrist, stopping him from scooping another helping of pasta, “I was snacking while I cooked, I’m not that hungry.” He gave you a certain look. One that said he knew you were lying as he tilted his brows in question. You shook your head, dismissing whatever he was thinking, “I’m okay, baby. Promise. Just a little nauseous.” You whispered quietly to keep it between the two of you.
“You want me to make you some tea?” He took your hand, bringing it to his lips, “Tell me how to make it go away, love.” His lips brushed over your knuckles and you smiled at the way he still sent butterflies through your gut.
“Maybe just some water?” Your eyes followed him as he got up and went to the fridge to get you a bottle of water and came back, “Thank you, lover.” You leaned over the table to give him a kiss before settling back into your chair.
Conversations carried on as everyone ate and after a while, you all ended up scattered through the house. You sat on the couch, curled up to Sam as he rambled to Daniel about a science project they had in high school. Josh was thumbing through the shelf of vinyls, grumbling about how none of it was what he wanted to listen to. You giggled to yourself, watching him toss his hands around as he talked to himself.
“Josh, honey, what are you looking for?” You pushed off of Sam to stand up from the couch.
“Bob Dylan!” He threw his hands above his head with a growl, “Where is the Bob fucking Dylan?!”
Kneeling down beside Josh, you scanned through the vinyls yourself, “You know what, Jake might have some records in his office, come look?” You started the trek towards the back of the house with him on your heels. You noticed Jake and Odessa conversing in the kitchen as you passed and wondered what they were talking about. Pushing the door to the spare bedroom open, you stepped aside for Josh to enter and pointed to the record cabinet, “He always hoards a bunch in there. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to fight for my BB King albums… He likes to think that all the best stuff belongs to him.”
“That’s because it does.” Jake was standing in the doorway with a sweet smile, “What are you guys doing?” His arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you against him.
Josh was coming towards you, carrying a few albums, “Needed Dylan.” He held the vinyls up to his twin and stalked past him, heading back to the living room with everyone else.
“Baby, we’re gonna need to find a place for all of your stuff here.” You gestured around the room.
Jake walked further into the room, pulling you with him, “Maybe we just need a bigger house.” He sat in his leather chair, yanking you down onto his lap, “How do you feel about moving? Finding something with more space? I’ve been thinking about it and I just don’t think this place is gonna be big enough.”
You tangled your fingers with his, thinking it over, “This is home, Jake.” You held eye contact with him, “This is where we’ve built our life, where we really started… I don’t wanna just pack up and move on, leaving all the memories.” A grin cracked across your face as you spoke, “I want to make more memories. With our baby… I want to make him bacon and eggs in our kitchen and give him bubble baths with toys in the clawfoot tub.” He brought your hand to his mouth, holding your knuckles against his lips while he listened, “I want to sit him on our sink to put a bandaid over his knee when he gets his first booboo and fall asleep on the couch with him during nap time… Uncle Sammy and Uncle Danny will teach him how to swim in our pool and pyromaniac Uncle Joshy will teach him how to start a fire in the pit for the best s’mores.” Your voice cracked a bit as you started to get emotional, “If we need more room, we can build an addition. We can build ten hundred additions, I don’t care… But I don’t want to leave, Jake.”
He was blinking quickly, trying to hide the tears that threatened his eyes, “You’re right. This is home.” He nodded as his grin started to match yours, “We’ll make room, build an addition, it doesn’t matter. We’ll stay here forever if that’s what you want, my love. I’ll start packing shit up tomorrow and we can get to planning his room.” He brushed his fingers over your legs as you both looked around the room, dreaming up possible colors and themes.
Silence fell over the two of you for a bit until you tilted your head to look at him, “Hey. What were you and Dess talking about in the kitchen?”
The question caught him off guard and he hesitated before answering, “Uhh, it was nothing…” Jake paused, but he realized you weren’t going to let it go until he gave you an answer, “It was- I just never really apologized to her for some things I said while you were in the hospital.”
“What did you say to her?”
“It’s not important anymore.” He tucked the hair behind your ear, giving you your favorite, warm smile, but you could still see it in his eyes; He was fighting with something that he didn’t want to tell you. “Should we head back out there?”
Deciding not to press any harder in the moment, you nodded and stood from his lap, “We left all the children with Daniel, he’s probably ripping his hair out.”
You both rejoined the group and it wasn’t much longer before Jake was shooing everyone out the door, “Y/N is tired, it’s past her bedtime.” He chuckled as he pried Sam out of the hug he had you wrapped in, “Get out, Sammy. It’s time to go home.” Everybody took their turns to hug you and say their goodbyes before leaving. He closed the front door and locked the deadbolt before turning back to face you, “I’ve been waiting to get you to myself…”
“So… The funny thing is- I’m actually tired.” You scrunched your nose at him as you spun around to head to the bedroom, “You need to shower.” You stated it plainly before disappearing down the hallway. You changed into a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt and climbed into bed. Jake passed the doorway on his way to the bathroom. He showered fast to join you in bed as quickly as he could, “You didn’t have to rush, baby.” You rolled over to face him as he slipped beneath the comforter.
His hair was still wet, soaking into his pillow as he laid down, “I didn’t want you to fall asleep without me…” He lifted his arm, allowing you to snuggle into him.
You drew circles over his abdomen with your index finger, “Jake, you don’t have to keep worrying about the dreams… I’ll call that therapist tomorrow.” You felt him hum in approval and press a kiss to the top of your head. The darkness and the quiet of the night lured Jake to sleep quickly and you listened to his gentle breaths, waiting for the calm to take you as well while pondering how to fix the trauma on your own. Unfortunately, the only answer you could come up with was going to the source and she was the last thing you wanted to deal with…
_____________________________________________
No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t fall asleep. It wasn’t Jake’s snoring or the dreams keeping you awake this time, it was the deep rumble in your stomach. You tried to ignore it, but it was persistent. You looked over at Jake, making sure he was definitely sleeping, before carefully sliding out of the bed. You padded into the kitchen, keeping your footsteps light on the hardwood, and flipped on the light above the sink before heading into the pantry. Unsure of what you even wanted, you started piling things into your arms. Peanut butter, a bag of pretzels, a pack of chicken ramen; everything made your stomach growl harshly. You left the pantry and placed your findings on the island to go to the fridge and gather more random items. A bag of carrots, a variety of cheeses and a few other things, later, and you were hoisting yourself up on the island. Crossing your legs beneath you, you leaned over to pull a drawer open, grabbing yourself a spoon. You spun the lid off the peanut butter, taking a heaping spoonful and giving it a few licks before reaching for the carrots. Dragging a baby carrot through the creamy peanut butter, you chomped on it, crunching loudly with a delighted hum. You moved on, indulging in different food combinations, each one oddly better than the last.
You had a slice of mango on top of a cool ranch dorito, mid bite, when the kitchen illuminated with the overhead light, “Y/N, what are you doing?” Jake was rubbing his eyes as he took in the scattering of food surrounding you, “It’s after two in the morning, love.”
“I couldn’t sleep…” You mumbled in defense, plopping the rest of the fruit and chip into your mouth, “He was hungry, daddy.” You poked your lip out as you rubbed your belly.
He tried to fight the smile creeping over his lips as he crossed the room to you, “Well, when his cravings make momma sick, I don’t wanna hear it.” Jake leaned on the counter, observing the weird buffet, “Are you really eating all of this?” He reached for the pile of pretzels sitting beside you.
“Baby, I wouldn’t-.”
His hand recoiled, a look of disgust on his face, “Why are they wet?!” He wiped his hand over your sweatpants.
You giggled sheepishly, “We don’t like pretzels anymore, just the salt.”
“You’re just sucking the salt- Why not just eat table salt, Y/N?” He was gazing at you like you were from another planet.
“First of all, that’s gross. The pretzel salt has a pretzel taste, table salt is only good with tequila, Jacob.” You picked your small paring knife up and cut another sliver of mango, “You have to try this, baby…” Placing the slice on a paper towel, you drizzled it with sriracha and honey before stabbing it with a fork and offering it to Jake.
“I’m not eating that.” He was shaking his head vigorously, “You shouldn’t eat that. You really are gonna make yourself sick.”
Pulling the fork to your mouth, you took a bite of the fruit, “Oh hush. I feel fine and this is delicious.” You took the rest from the fork, doing a little happy shimmy as you chewed, “It’s even better with a dorito…oooh! and cream cheese with lemons is also really good, babe.” You reached for the last slice of lemon on the countertop but he snatched it from your fingers and put it back down.
His mouth dropped into a grimace, “Alright, that’s enough. It’s bedtime.” He grabbed your legs, pulling you to the edge of the island and helping you down, “I’ll clean up. Go brush your teeth and then straight to bed.” Jake pointed to the kitchen doorway, shooing you off.
“God, you’re such a buzzkill, dad…” You rolled your eyes before turning away, earning yourself a light tap on the ass, “Hurry up, I’m tired.” You rounded the doorway and headed for the bathroom to follow Jake’s instructions. When you entered the bedroom, he was already tucked back into bed, waiting for you, “You put the fridge stuff away and left everything else, didn’t you?”
He held his hand out for you with a sleepy smile, “It’s almost three now. I’ll clean the rest up tomorrow.” Once you slipped your fingers over his palm, he pulled you down on top of him, hugging you to his body, “I love you, baby. You know that, right?” His voice was quiet, meant only for you and no other thing, living or not, in the universe, “This life that we’ve built- that we’re building… I still can’t believe we’re starting a family, Y/N.”
“We already have a family, Jake, we’re just expanding it with a little piece of us.” You snuggled into him, pressing your nose into his cheek, “He’s gonna have the best uncles and grandparents and, most importantly, the absolute greatest daddy in the world.” You squeezed your arms around him as you kissed his jaw, “I can’t wait to see all the things you teach him, baby… Do they make tiny SG’s for little baby hands?”
“I don’t think they do, my love.” He placed a lingering kiss on your forehead with a chuckle, “He might not want anything to do with music, maybe he’ll wanna be a chef like his momma, take over the family business.” Turning his head, he stared up at the ceiling, deep in his thoughts.
You watched Jake’s smile grow, lighting up his eyes, and it made your heart swell but your anxiety was still poking at your brain, “What are the chances we don’t completely fuck this up, Jake?” You rolled off of him and onto your back, now staring at the ceiling as well, “What if I’m like…the worst mom? What if I get everything wrong?”
“Hey.” He rolled over, cupping your cheek to make you look at him, “We’re in this together. It’s new for both of us and we’re bound to make mistakes.” His hand went to your waist, pulling you against his chest, “I have no doubt that you’ll be an amazing mom, baby.” There was a pause before he added, “And on the very slight chance that we do fuck this up, we can always do better with the second one.”
“The second one?” You went wide-eyed as you tilted your head to look at him, catching his dimple as he tried to hide his smirk, “Okay, Jakey… I need some sleep before we get into that conversation.” He rolled away to turn the lamp off and came right back to his place, holding you against him once more. You snaked an arm over him before giving his lips one single peck, “I love you too, by the way.”
_____________________________________________
You sat at the small table in the corner, checking the time on your phone. You hated lying to Jake, hated that he had no clue what you were doing. When you couldn’t sleep, most of your tossing and turning in bed was accompanied by thoughts of the conversation you had with Odessa. But what if you can get her to admit it? You weren’t willing to use Jake. There was no way you could involve him in anything to do with her… So when you woke up and texted Sage to meet you today, you knew you needed an excuse to give Jake. “Baby, I’m just gonna get a ride into the city, I wanna grab a coffee and pick a few things up.” It wasn’t entirely a lie, you were sitting in a cafe right now, sipping a coffee. It just wasn’t the whole truth. He tried to argue, tried to tell you he would drive you, but you declined, telling him that you just wanted some time to yourself. He relented, watching you from the porch as you walked down the driveway and got into the back of an Uber. Now you waited. Would she show up? You checked the time again before opening up the text thread and reading back over your message.
You 8:05am: I’m giving you one chance to talk. I’ll be at the coffee shop at 10. You know which one. I’ll wait until 10:15.
It was 10:11pm when you put your phone down and looked up to see her coming through the door. She paused to look for you before slinking between other tables to get to yours.
She sat across from you, a weary look on her face and a rush in her words, “Why am I here, Y/N?” She was looking around the area, searching for something.
“If you’re looking for Jake, he’s not here.” You sat back in your chair, crossing your arms over your chest, “As for why you’re here, I just want to talk.”
She scoffed, almost like she was annoyed, “Talk about what? You have a restraining order against me, I could get in trouble for being here.”
“Of all the fucking damage you caused… That’s what you’re worried about?” Your disbelief was evident, “Why won’t you stop?” You stared at her, waiting for an answer, but she refused to meet your eyes, “After everything you’ve done, you owe me an explanation. Why us? Why me, Sage?”
“Because you don’t deserve him.” She finally lifted her head to look at you, tapping her fingers on the table, “You made it easy.” Her face showed no signs of remorse, “All I had to do was flirt, feed you a few lines… You were hooked the minute you saw me.”
“I don’t deserve him?” You sat up, resting your elbows on the table to really look at her, “You think you deserve him, Sage? Think you can make him happier?” You cocked an eyebrow at her, tilting your head.
A humorless laugh dripped from her mouth, “At least he would be enough for me, Y/N. I don’t need the attention of all of his brothers or people I meet in bars. I only need him.”
Now it was your turn to laugh, “Wow, you won’t let that one go, huh?” You picked up your coffee, taking a sip as you shook your head, “You know I didn’t sleep with either of them. I’m sure you’d have the proof if I did, but you don’t… You’ve been lingering in the background for months, just hoping to catch me doing whatever it was you suspected.” You leaned in close, dropping your voice low, “And when there was nothing to show for your psycho stalking, when you realized that nothing could come between me and Jake… You snapped. You wanted me gone so that you could slither your way in. Am I getting warmer?” You could tell the smirk on your face was eating away at her.
“He left after the Josh video, though, didn’t he? How did you sweet talk your way out of that one?” She leaned in as well, clenching her jaw.
“I didn’t need to sweet talk, honey. The truth presented itself on that one. Solid try, though.” You knew you’d successfully gotten under her skin and you were ready to end the conversation with one final blow. Sliding your chair out, you stood up, looking down on her, “Despite your efforts, I have a baby to worry about now.” You lifted your left hand to examine your ring, “Oh! And a wedding to plan.” You held your hand in front of her face, “You’re the least of my worries now, Sage…but I have a feeling that I’m still the most of yours.” Grabbing your coffee from the table, you flashed her a smile and walked by her to leave. She was pissed, seething with rage, but that was exactly what you wanted. She was right where you needed her, all you had to do was wait for her to take the bait.
Sage POV
You? Worried about her? Jake doesn’t want her… She’ll never be good enough for him, you just have to make him see that. But through all of your attempts, she still manages to wiggle her way out of everything. Manages to keep him in her grasp. He doesn’t want to marry her. She just has him believing that her baby is his, but you know better. Turning in your seat, you looked out the large window, watching her climb into the backseat of what must be an Uber. You watched the car pull away from the curb, an unkempt anger bubbling through your veins, until you felt a light tap on your shoulder. You whipped your head around to see him. Jake. Your Jake. He looked sexy…Always so sexy, “Jake… What is this?” You looked around, waiting for her to come back at any second, but then his fingers were on your chin, guiding your eyes back to him.
“She left, Sage. I have to be quick, she thinks I’m at home.” He spoke softly as he dropped his hand and took a seat across from you, “I’ve been trying to get away to see you for weeks…”
Something didn’t feel right… You craned your neck, scoping out the cafe again, “What is happening? Why are you here?” Slowly, your gaze came back to him, awaiting an answer.
He reached across the table, placing his hand on top of yours, and you thought you felt it trembling, but his steady voice distracted you, “I can’t be with her anymore, I don’t love her…” His voice. Oh god, his voice was like the greatest melody ever created, “I haven’t loved her for a long time, Sage.”
Why was he admitting this to you now? What was the catch? “At the hospital, you- What you said…” You thought back to his exact words, cringing at the way he screamed at you, “You said I was demented.” Your gaze went back to the window as you watched the cars go by, but your focus remained on the feeling of his hand over yours.
“I know. I had to. Everyone was there.” He paused until you brought your eyes back to him, “She was dying… I-” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat before continuing, “It would’ve looked bad if I just left her at a time like that.” He was shaking his head like his thoughts were troubling him, “It’s still hard… To leave her, I mean. She’s almost completely healed, but the baby-”
You cut him off, gripping his hand tightly in yours, “Jake, that baby isn’t yours!” You tried to keep your voice to a whisper to not draw attention to your corner, “I know in my heart it isn’t and we can find proof.”
He pried his hand from you to push his hair out of his face with a sigh, “I don’t know. She swears it’s mine, Sage. She wouldn’t lie, would she?”
“That’s all she does, babe. Just lie and manipulate and she’s not gonna stop until somebody makes her…” You took a deep breath, studying his face, his eyes, his body. Searching for any indication that he wasn’t being genuine with you before you confessed everything to him. His brown eyes were sad, you could see the pain he was fighting in them. He hated his life with her. She made him miserable. Only you could free him from it, “Jake, I need to tell you something…”
.
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.
.
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🤍Taglist🤍
@ohgodthefeeling-gvf @gvfpal @takenbythemadness @objectsinspvce @mybussyinchrist @wetkleenex-gvf @myleftsock @everyglowinthetwilightknows @ppoutine @sinarainbows @aintthatapity @anythingforjtk @alwaysonthemend @ohyoufancyhuh @montenegroisr @gvf23 @ageofbajabule @sacredmachine @ieatedasammy @seditabet @gretavansara @starcatcher-jake @hellowgoodbye @jakekiszkapunchmeintheface @jaketlove @interstellar-shores @blovesbees @bingb00ng @sanguinebats @psychedelicsprinkles @heckingfrick @writingcold @sadiechar @brookekiszkaa @alyson814 @ageofwagner @gvfmelbourne @fuckthisforreal @gretavanfreaky @watchingover-hypegirl @pinkandsleepy1934 @welllauragvf @gvfmarge
#jake kiszka#greta van fleet#gvf#josh kiszka#sammy kiszka#danny wagner#jake kiszka smut#hands to yourself#jake gvf#jake kiszka x reader#jake kiszka fic#sinsofstardust
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soooo i just realized heads will roll is kind of a road trip au lolol 🤭 and we all know jakey boy is a bit of a doof, so how about "... do you have any hobbies?"
It absolutely is!! It's one of the things that has me really excited about it. This takes place just a day or so into their road trip, and right after the first part of their story, which I have not written yet. 😂🤦♀️ Thanks for playing, Brandy!!
Realize
Pairing: future hunter!Curtis x slayer!reader x hunter!Jake
Warnings: A little bit of angst, I guess
You woke up in the back seat of the car, still on the road. It was pitch black outside. You must have slept for hours.
Curtis and Jake were having a hushed conversation in the front. You weren’t sure if they were being quiet because they didn’t want to wake you or didn’t want you to hear.
These were prime patrolling hours. That’s what you should have been doing right now. Instead, you were on the run, headed to who knows where with two complete strangers, the few personal possessions you’d been able to fit stuffed in their trunk. You were the most on your own you’d been since Gilliam had found you.
You leaned forward so your head was between the front seats. “Hey,” you said, and Jake turned toward you, while Curtis kept his eyes on the road. “I could use a bathroom break."
Jake looked to Curtis. “We could probably all use a stretch,” he rumbled.
Curtis hummed, then looked down at his dashboard. “Might not be a bad time to get gas, I guess.”
Jake messed around for a moment on his phone then said, “There’s a good exit about 10 miles up.”
Curtis moved his head enough to let you know he was talking to you when he asked, “That good enough?”
“Yeah, sounds good,” you said as you sank back into your seat. You didn’t say anything else until you got to the truck stop, but you noted the way Jake kept turning his head to look back at you.
As soon as the car stopped, you jumped out, heading inside to find the restroom. After relieving yourself and trying to clean up a bit in the sink, you headed out to the convenience store, aimlessly strolling the aisles as you looked at snacks. You didn’t have much money on you. That would probably become a problem. But you couldn’t bring yourself to care right now. Right now, you wanted chips.
As you tried to decide what kind you wanted, Jake came up and stood beside you. “Curtis wants to drive through the night,” he said, “put as much distance behind us as we can before we stop at a motel or something.”
“Sure,” you said, as you grabbed a bag of something salty. You went to get in line to check out and Jake followed you, a bottle of some neon-colored drink in his hand.
There were a few people in front of you, so you just stood quietly, awkwardly, as you waited. Until Jake cleared his throat. “So,” he started then paused. You looked over at him, and he ducked his head shyly. “You, uh, you have any hobbies?”
“What?” you asked.
He moved his hand in the air awkwardly. “You know, hobbies. Things you do in your free time.”
Free time? Every waking minute of every day of the last six months had been spent training and studying so you’d be able to fulfill your destiny—killing vampires. Kickboxing, aerobics, self-defense, reading arcane mythology—it’d all been for that one purpose. You didn’t do anything else. “Uh, no,” you said, “no hobbies,” as you finally reached the front of the line. You put your chips on the counter and then Jake added his drink and handed over the cash. You started to tell him he didn’t have to, thank him, something, but he was already heading out the door.
He stopped to hold it open for you, then fixed you with one of the warmest looks you’d ever received. “Well,” he said, “first order of business, I think, is to get you some hobbies.”
Kris's 700 Celebration
Tag lists are open
@stargazingfangirl18 @yenzys-lucky-charm @thezombieprostitute @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory @bval-1 @km-ffluv @texmexdarling @ladyvenera @roxyfan14-blog @darkserenity24 @femefetalelevelingup
#ask kris#kris's 700 celebration#brandycranby#we're all monsters#heads will roll#jake jensen#jake jensen x reader#jake jensen x female reader#curtis everett#the losers#drabble#ce characters#kris wrote something
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rhapsody in green
Link to this fic on AO3.
Words: 2786
Date posted: May 30, 2024
Summary: He tries to tell himself that he’s not being stood up. They said around six, and it’s only ten minutes past the hour. Around doesn’t mean six exactly, and sure, Lex got here half an hour early because he was worried he wouldn’t be able to find the place or something else would make him late, but Jimmy probably doesn’t have the same neuroses that Lex does. Maybe Jimmy hasn’t texted him saying where he is or what the hold up is, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, does it?
Lex hasn’t been back to Suicide Slum since he left for college when he was 16, and every time the door to the bar Jimmy picked out opens up, he half-expects his father to walk in. It’s mostly college students, though, some sporting the traditional yellow and red of Metropolis University, many crowded together at one round booth in the corner and laughing loudly. There’s a TV playing some show that Lex doesn’t recognize and isn’t really paying attention to, and there’s outdoor seating with a pool table that no one has touched all night. He guesses six o’clock might not be the right hour for the pool crowd.
“Ya wan’ another water?” The bartender asks in something resembling a Boston accent, and Lex nods rather than answering out loud, jumping and turning to look when he hears the door open again. It’s just another college student, smiling and waving at her friends in the booth.
He tries to tell himself that he’s not being stood up. They said around six, and it’s only ten minutes past the hour. Around doesn’t mean six exactly, and sure, Lex got here half an hour early because he was worried he wouldn’t be able to find the place or something else would make him late, but Jimmy probably doesn’t have the same neuroses that Lex does. Maybe Jimmy hasn’t texted him saying where he is or what the hold up is, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, does it?
Face it, Lex, he thinks as an older pair of men walk up to the bar to order a pitcher of beer. Jimmy probably realized that you two were incompatible and decided not to go through with the date. He’s probably sitting in his apartment trying to figure out how to text you to cancel. You don’t even know why he was interested in you in the first place.
The door swings open again, and before Lex can even turn to look, the bartender grins and throws his arms up in the air, his green sweater untucking from his pants to reveal the hairy bottom of a fat belly. “Jimmy! I ain’t seen ya in months! I was startin’ to think ya forgot about ol’ Bibbo Bibbowsky.”
“I graduated, Bibbo!” Jimmy laughs, and he sounds somewhat breathless, like he ran to get here. “I’m working at the Daily Planet now, it’s not a 10 minute walk from the apartment to catch a quick drink anymore.” There aren’t any chairs at the bar, so Jimmy leans his elbows on it, one of them bumping up against Lex’s.
“Well I never understood the college types,” Bibbo dismisses with a wave. “Ya still drinkin’ a starry night?”
Jimmy gives a thumbs up and then turns to Lex. “I’m so sorry that I’m late,” he starts, bowing his head down in what Lex assumes to be shame. “My last meeting of the day ran over and then I walked all the way back to the apartment and realized I forgot my jacket at the Planet and--”
“It’s fine,” Lex dismisses, with a sort of casual coolness in his voice that he thinks doesn’t betray the fact that he was totally panicking about whether Jimmy was ghosting him or not only a few minutes ago at all. “So this was the bar that you hit up in college?”
“This is the bar that everyone hits up in college,” Jimmy corrects while Bibbo slides him a glass of the same dark liquor that they were drinking when they first talked (really talked). It doesn’t look exactly the same, the gradient less smooth and fewer gold flakes suspended throughout. He guesses it’s probably cheaper. “You didn’t go to MU, did you?”
Lex shakes his head and takes a sip of his water. “The last thing that I wanted to do was lock myself in Metropolis for another five years,” he says. “I thought about going to Gotham U, but the crime rate is way too high to live there sustainably unless you’re super rich and can afford the nice neighborhoods. I ended up going to Columbia.”
“Up in New York?” Jimmy asks as though there’s another one. Lex nods anyway. “My parents went there. That’s where they met. Mom always told me that I shouldn’t put myself into so much debt for a journalism degree that I’d never be able to use to pay it off,” he says, rolling his eyes. Lex attended on substantial scholarships, but he has to admit that it was more expensive than staying at home would have been. He thinks MU even offered him a free ride. “So what brought you back to Metropolis then?”
“My sister. She’s five years younger than me. I started college a little early, but after I finished my master’s degree, I was pretty much just working some deadend job at a tech startup in Manhattan debating if I wanted to go for the full PhD or not. When she told me that she was starting school down here, I knew that our parents weren’t going to do anything to support her, so I moved back and took the job at AmazoTech.”
Jimmy stares at him for a second, and Lex would be anxious if not for the little smile just barely visible on his lips. He can feel his heart beating in his chest, and he’s sure his cheeks are pink again. “Y’know, you’re a really nice guy, Lex,” Jimmy says, and Lex wants to argue, but there’s another loud burst of laughter from the college students in the booth that cuts him off. He levels them with a glare, and Jimmy rests a hand on his shoulder. “It’s pretty loud in here. Why don’t we step outside?”
The outdoor portion of the bar is simple. Much like the outdoor dining in a restaurant, there’s a cement floor and a few tables with umbrellas. There’s one long table in the middle, which houses another large group of college students, but they’re passing around a cigarette (at least, Lex hopes it’s a cigarette) and speaking in more hushed tones. In the back, there’s the pool table, with a ratty couch seated a few feet away from it under an awning. Next to that couch is a window which leads back into the bar, presumably to order drinks without going back inside.
Jimmy drags him all the way to the back, plopping down on the couch next to the pool table. Back here, it’s almost quiet, the chatter at the other tables not carrying too far. “Is this better?” Jimmy asks, and Lex nods. Then, hardly a beat later, “Do you know how to play pool?”
Lex, in fact, does not know how to play pool. Based on how the game goes, Lex thinks that Jimmy probably guessed that. Jimmy breaks, the balls shooting around the table in a scattershot, two solids immediately getting pocketed. He manages to get a third before missing his fourth shot, the cue ball barely whiffing by a solid yellow ball. Then, for Lex’s turn, Jimmy presses himself up close behind him, grabs both of his hands, and carefully helps him aim the shot, murmuring some sort of advice about how to line it up in his ear that Lex does not hear at all over his heartbeat pounding against his eardrums. He’s sure his face must be bright red. The rest of the game goes rather similarly, with Jimmy pressed up close against Lex and holding him for each of his shots, until eventually Jimmy scratches (Lex learns what scratching is in that moment) and apparently the game is over.
“I think you should do a study with that big science brain of yours about whether or not beginner’s luck is a real thing,” Jimmy says, in remarkably high spirits for having lost.
“I don’t know how--” He starts, but Jimmy holds up a hand to cut him off and then leaves him there to go to the window and get them some more drinks. Lex takes the opportunity to lean against the table and take a deep breath. He’s not sure he’s ever had that much sustained contact with another person, and if he has, it definitely wasn’t positive.
There’s a tap on his shoulder, and he turns around to see a behemoth of a man with dark sunglasses and hair slicked back with so much hair gel it seems like the guy has probably never used hair gel in his life. He’s got the Superman body type, and it immediately sets Lex into mild fight or flight. “Excuse me, are you using this table?” The guy asks.
Behind him, Lex can barely see a tiny yet familiar woman, also wearing dark sunglasses. “Um, I think my friend was about to--”
“Are you guys serious?” Jimmy yells, loud enough that a few patrons at other tables turn to look at them. He stomps over, setting their drinks on the nearest table. “This is seriously not cool! Lois, I know this scheme was your idea, but Clark, you shouldn’t have let her drag you into it!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the woman (Lois?) says, at the same time that the man (Clark!) says, “I’m sorry, you’re right, we should just go now.”
All three of them stare at each other for a second, and Lex feels distinctly left out of the loop. “Um, hi,” he eventually says, and then all three of them turn to stare at him and he suddenly feels like that was definitely the wrong move.
Jimmy pinches the bridge of his nose with one hand and uses the other hand to gesture at the couple. “Lex, you’ve met Lois. This is Clark, my idiot best friend.” Clark waves meekly, and Lois grins entirely unabashedly, like she doesn’t understand what she’s done wrong. “They came here to spy on our date like children.”
“We weren’t spying!”
“Um, Lois, you called it a spy mission.”
Lois turns to (presumably) glare at her boyfriend, and then both of them reach up to take their sunglasses off. “It’s nice to more properly meet you,” Lois says, holding out a hand.
“Right,” Lex says skeptically, eyeing the both of them up and down as he shakes her hand like it might go off if he touches it wrong.
“They’ll be leaving now,” Jimmy says, shooting the both of them a look. Clark brings up a hand to rub at his neck and Lois glares right back at him.
“Oh come on! Clark says that you’ve never gone on a date with anyone in all the time that he’s known you!” Lex blinks, and Jimmy pulls both of his hands up to bury his face in them. “We were curious! Just one game of pool and then we’ll leave.”
Jimmy drags his hands down his face with a groan and then turns to look at Lex, like he’s silently pleading for him to send them away so he doesn’t have to. Lex can’t help but smile a little bit to himself. He’s never seen Jimmy really interact with his friends before, and he thinks that it could be interesting just to observe him in something at least resembling a more natural environment. Maybe he’d prefer that wasn’t their first date, but oh well. “One game couldn’t hurt anything.”
“See? One game couldn’t hurt anything!” Lois repeats, grinning at Lex, and he thinks he can feel the credit he’s earned with her. He can’t help smiling to himself a little.
“Fine,” Jimmy groans in obviously reluctant agreement. “But I’m breaking,” he insists, grabbing the stick he’d used in the last game and taking a long drink from one of the two bright pink drinks he had brought over for them. Lex takes a sip of his, watching Jimmy line up the shot and send the balls flying around the felt. They’re stripes this time, it would seem.
With his friends here, Jimmy doesn’t help Lex line up his shots like he had in their game, and he has to admit that he likes pool less this way. He bends as far over the table as he can, narrowing his eyes into tiny slits at the balls as he tries to calculate the best angle to hit them at. Admittedly, the physics of this game aren’t as straightforward as they seem.
He hits the ball too hard, and the one he tried to pocket goes tumbling around the whole table like a rocket before stopping against a wall.
Lois and Clark debate for a minute who’s going to take the first shot, and then Lex and Jimmy are treated to the comedic sight of Clark bending his hulking body over the table and Lois pressing her body against his the same way Jimmy had to help him line up the shot. Her hands don’t even reach his from behind, landing more at his elbows than his wrists, and even standing on her tiptoes she’s murmuring whatever advice she thinks is going to help him out into the base of his neck. He must be at least a foot taller than her, and Lex wonders for just a moment how that must work before realizing he absolutely does not want to know. But it does work, apparently, because Clark manages to pocket two balls with one shot.
When it’s Lois’ turn to shoot, Clark contrasts her so completely by standing at least three feet back, his arms crossed over his chest and his head tilted like he’s trying to actually watch her-- not just take her in, but observe what she’s doing. “Take a look at this, Smallville,” she exclaims enthusiastically as she takes the shot, only to not only not sink a ball, but to miss any contact with every ball in front of her. Lex coughs a laugh, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. “I’m going to get a drink,” Lois announces with a pout.
One game turns into three, until Lois, Jimmy, and Lex have all had much more alcohol than they reasonably should and Clark has started forcing his friends to drink water and gently pleading with Lex to do the same (fortunately, he doesn’t have to fight too hard; Lex is still not really a drinker). It turns out that Lex and Lois are both awful at pool, and the games are mostly between Clark and Jimmy, with their respective partners just slowing them down. This doesn’t really stop Lois and Clark from winning all three games.
“Okay, I should really get these two home,” Clark tells Lex apologetically, with one arm around Lois’ waist and the other around Jimmy’s shoulders.
“Nooo, Clark, c’mon! One more game,” Lois pleads.
“We have brunch with your dad tomorrow,” Clark says, with a tone like the last thing he wants to do is actually go to brunch with Lois’ dad. Lex assumes there’s a history there that he doesn’t know about. Then, eyes widening a little, Clark slips his arm off of Jimmy’s shoulder and says, “Well! Lois, we should really go close your tab.”
Lex and Jimmy stand across from each other, alone in a sea of strangers. “I’m so sorry about them. I thought they might do something like this, but then it just seemed--” He cuts Jimmy off with a kiss, and their mouths slot together like puzzle pieces. Jimmy is warm and smells like campfire and alcohol, his lips wet and plump. He brings his hands up to cradle Jimmy’s cheeks, which practically burn under his palms. Jimmy’s hands come up to his waist, sliding under his letterman jacket from a high school he hated going to.
When they pull apart, Jimmy’s eyes are half-lidded and his mouth hangs open just a little bit. It’s adorable, and Lex wants to kiss him again. “I had a good time,” he says instead.
Jimmy clears his throat and pulls away the rest of the way, shoving his hands into the pockets of his puffy blue jacket. “Right,” he says. “Well, let’s make sure to do it again sometime soon then, huh?” Lex nods, and Jimmy rushes away to join his friends. Lex can see him starting an argument, but he can’t hear him over the other people still populating the terrace.
Lex stands there for a minute just trying to catch his breath, his heart pounding in his chest and his cheeks burning. That went… better than he ever could have imagined. He went out with Jimmy, they had a good time, they kissed, and it was amazing. And he even thinks his friends like him which is… well, it’s more than he could have ever asked for.
#Darla writes#DC Comics#My Adventures with Superman#Lex Luthor#Jimmy Olsen#Clark Kent#Lois Lane#LexJimmy#Clois#POV Third Person#First Date#First Kiss#Pool
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Foundings
Warnings: swearing, politics, fluff, angst (naturally)
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Masterlist
Rewrite the Stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POV GARRUS
Garrus laid on the luxury soft bed looking up at the galaxy, watching the stars and blackness of where they laid. It was quiet beside the humming of the Normandy or the bubbles of the fish tank. If he wasn’t down in the Crew Member area or lounge with the others, he was here. In Shepard’s quarters. Laying in the bed that they both shared about 6 months ago.
He could still smell her lavender scent on the pillow just the place not warm but ice cold. His mandibles twitched from the sudden sunken feeling he kept getting. Garrus only had felt this feeling maybe 2 or 3 times. The first one was when him and his family found out about his mother sickness, how she wouldn’t be able to pull through it. Second the realization of knowing his teammates were being massacred by the Omega thugs. The last one…well…Shepard.
Garrus’s dreams is haunted by how he had to let go of Shepard, when she barreled head first toward the Citdal. Without him. “There is no Shepard without Vakarian.” Her haunting voice would echo. To his guilt he felt like he failed her, letting her go alone. Maybe if he was there, she could have walked out alive. Be alive. Be her…
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He didn’t flinch, didn’t move, hells he didn’t want to speak. Garrus wanted to be left alone, alone in his thoughts. “Garrus?” Spirits…Liara.
He let out a long sigh before sitting up and walking to the door. “Come in.” He said softly before sitting is the desk chair Shepard would sit in. Could be in.
The fresh dexto noodles hit his nostrils. Garrus didn’t even realize he was hungry until the growl that burst through the room. He usually would be embarrassed but instead he looked up at Liara. She smiled softly at him. “I figured that you were hungry, it’s been almost 10 hours since you haven’t come down.”
“I guess I lost track of time.” Garrus lied and he knows that Liara knew that he lied. She set the tray on the desk.
After a quiet couple of moments and him not even glancing at the food just at the tank, Liara spoke. “Tali was going to come up here and give a whole speech for you,” He snapped his head over to her after she let out a chuckle then Liara sighed. “We all miss her you know?”
Garrus knew that, he wasn’t blinded by the fact that Tali the first couple of weeks would drink and drink until she would sleep on the couch. Liara isolating. Joker has been not so talkative, since Garrus isn’t the only one who lost their companion. James would spar with anyone who was willing. Steve would try to be the pulling center to have everyone come to peace. Even Javik was upset in his own Prothean way.
It wasn’t until last week where everyone was coping with the fact that their Commander isn’t here. Not Garrus, when playing cards he missed the laughter coming from next to him when James and Steve would bicker. Or when standing around talking missed the vocals he heard when she talked. It wasn’t the same.
When Garrus didn’t answer and looked at the fishes Liara leveled with him. Her eyes looking at his. “She is alive,” Garrus whispered. “She has to be. Yet,” He paused watching as Liara stood up and sat against the wall next to the bathroom. “I don’t know if I believe that anymore.”
Liara sighed and nodded her head, thinking. “Have you read the Externet?”
“Yeah I haven’t seen anything.” He admitted. Garrus would be on there for hours refreshing over and over again until the next headline. Read it. Move on.
“I haven’t found anything yet, my agents haven’t responded still. Everyone is across the galaxy, I’m hoping that eventually we will hear that they found her, alive.” She murmured.
Garrus tapped one of his talons against the desk. The same sunk feeling. When Garrus didn’t put her name on the wall of the fallen, Liara immediately searched for days. Tali was and has been hopeful as well, really everyone has. Hope is a dangerous game to play, you can be successful in winning it or fail miserably.
Liara chuckled for a moment and Garrus looked down at her. Raising his face plates. “Do you remember when Shepard actually flipped the Mako.”
Garrus smiled he remembered how Shepard was pissed as they got out. It was on a grass type planet, monkeys took an important part from a Alliance drone. Instead of hitting one she swerved and flipped completely. Shepard was yelling at the monkey while it stared at her blankly walking away then called Joker to pick them up.
“How could I forget? Her yelling at the monkey,” He chuckled, actually chuckled. Which hasn’t happened since before landing on Earth to defeat the Reapers. Liara smiled and shook her head. “Joker was confused on why 20 minutes later he had a pick up.”
“She did not hear the end of it for months after.” Liara said laughing.
They both fell quiet before Liara inhaled, she was about to speak until the room was interrupted by a voice ringing through the room. “Hey, we are about 3 hours from Earth I would suggest to get freshened up for the new council.” Joker announced, his voice sounding a bit normal.
Liara and Garrus looked at each other then up. “New council?” Garrus asked.
“Yeah, Steve got the comms to work and Hatchet patched through. Sounds like the old council got killed as well.” Joker said. “So get showering, no one wants the smell of road kill bud.”
“Yeah yeah,” Garrus said waving his hands in the air like Joker was here. Joker just chuckled before it went silent again. Garrus looked down and sighed. “The galaxy has to keep moving.”
Liara sighed as Garrus helped her up from her sitting position. “Unfortunately that is how it goes doesn’t it?” Garrus nodded and watch her walk out. “Best suit Garrus.” She called out as the door closed behind her.
He froze for a moment before shaking himself awake. Garrus walked into the shower and turned it on. He inhaled deeply letting his talons hit the water. Warm. How she would like it, usually he would like it a bit warmer but she told him it’s healthier for her hair to have it in the middle. (Even though he looked it up and its freezing cold water.)
Garrus walked out and walked to a corner of the closet where he had certain armor and clothing in the corner. “You can bring things up here so you can be comfortable. Or if we are cuddling. Or when we…” She coughed when he slapped her ass.
He chuckled. “Miss me that much Shepard?” The tease, the start of a back and forth tease.
She snapped her head over, those beautiful green and brown eyes. Hazel. It reminded him of planets that had green sceneries with mountains. “Eh, no you just keep me company Vakarian.” How her vocals become silky when she teases.
“You always will have my company, my dear.” He said with more of a growl in the end. He didn’t mean to but damn Shepard made him feel ways that he never knew he could. Garrus walked over to her wrapping his arms around her. She exhaled deeply leaning into his touch, Putting her arms against his, while watching her fish.
“I think we need to shower.” She blurted out. He huffed letting go of her to pull her to face him.
“How long can we be?” He asked leaning down to kiss her neck.
Garrus opened his eyes as the water trickled down his body, the echo of her laughter in the back of his mind. He inhaled deeply as he started to finish up washing the rest of his soap off. Going back to Earth was hard for him to face, the last time he went was the last time he saw Shepard. He just hoped that it will be just a quick meeting and that would be that.
He got into his favorite suit, the one he wore back when Shepard and him went on their date on the SilverStrip. Spirits…What a night, the way the lights of the bar illuminated their bodies as they danced. They way her leg was latched on to his hip. Damn it how it made her smile.
Those hours went by quickly as he stood behind Joker as they watched Earth come into view. There was still ships that were blown up to bits, different kinds of course. Quarian, Turian, Asari, Salarian, Krogan, Geth hell even Batarian ships. Shepard did all this, had racies come together to defeat the almighty Reapers. Other ships floating around cleaning the debris.
“By the Godess.” Liara whispered as they passed a Reaper that the Alliance and Salarian ships, were taking apart.
Joker sighed then pointed. “Look at the Geth. They seem…lifeless…”
Garrus watched as their ships just floated around. Different ships gathering around them taking Geth out. “Seems like they are.” He said as they went into the atmosphere of Earth.
When the headquarters of the Alliance came into view, the destruction and smoke that surrounded the area. It was cleaning up well, just as anyone would want or hope for. Many species helping out lifting the larger things, carrying wounded. Them still finding bodies alive or not have him but more hope to finding Shepard.
“This is Alliance base, Normandy is that you?” The voice rang in front of Joker. The man sounded astonished, excited, thrilled?
“This is the SSV Normandy, we need clearance to land.” Joker asked looking at the landing area. Destroyed and non destroyed ships on the ground.
“You are cleared. Hacket is already waiting for you all. Welcome home Normandy.”
Home. Garrus thought as he turned away and headed towards the others that circled around the map. “We are landing.” Garrus announced as James looked up.
“Ah hell yeah! Can’t wait to actually feel the ground.” He cheered as they walked towards the door.
Garrus looked at the map and were the platform that overlooked everyone. He wish Shepard could see how this all ended, how we won. Actually won. He had his doubts of course, it didn’t look well for a while. Now…Now they are alive. “Garrus?” Tali asked putting her hand on his shoulder.
“I’m coming.” He answered walking side by side with her, the door was already open and the sunlight came peering through.
When Garrus walked out he saw swarm of people applauding, whistling, screaming. Soldiers mostly, from different backgrounds, colors, species. His mandibles twitched, they were being celebrated? Joker was waving as he wobbled down, Liara gave a slight wave and smile, Tali did the same, James was giving high fives, Javik trying his best not to make eye contact, Kaiden doing the same but slightly waving, and Garrus he tried not to pay too much attention but waved anyways.
Hatchet smiled as they approached. “Look alive and well Normandy,” He said looking around at them. “Been eager to see you all in person.” He frowned. “Sorry that the Commander isn’t here to see this.”
He had to expect her name to be dropped every now and then but it still brought that sunk feeling. “As are we.” Liara spoke as the all walked towards the building.
Once walking through the building there were others lined up against the wall with more clapping and cheering. Garrus was…well overwhelmed. There were many thank yous and cheers however, he felt like he was the last person to thank. The person that should be is…
“Oh,” Tali said as they came up with a statue of Shepard. “That’s…uh.”
Hackett looked over to where the statue stood. In the middle of the large room that had sections of hallways. The broken glass windows above to make the room more comfortable or bright naturally. “Uh yes,” He sounded unsure when looking at it. “The council suggested it, the human one.” He whispered while continued.
Garrus looked at it for a while, it was remarkably detailed, even got the small scar on her upper lip. “Garrus,” Tali asked standing next to him. “I think Shepard would blow that up.”
“I would have her a grenade too.” Joker mumbled following the rest of the group.
Garrus chuckled. “Yeah she would, probably yell at the council while doing it.”
Tali laughed a bit. “Let’s hope it’s gone before she sees it.”
Garrus felt his mandibles twitch once again. If she sees it, if she is alive. He walked with Tali as they were walking through the hallway, with no clapping. Just business, people running to and fro to their destination. Hackett walked through the car door that opened with walls that were not as destroyed. The alien council stood at the end. The Turian was a hologram and no other than Primarch Victus. So was the Salarian. The other three he did not recognize. Human, Salarian, and Asari.
“Ah they are here,” The Asari said as she walked towards them. “Pleasure to finally meet you.” She extended her hand to Garrus who shook her hand.
The human nodded his head before looking at the others. “Shall we begin?”
Victus nodded his head and the Salarian as well. “Normandy, I am very happy to see you all well,” Victus said as he itched the side of his mandible. “Wish I was there in person to hand out the medals we have.”
The Asari nodded her head as she stood next to the others. “Unfortunately that is not what is brought here today, tomorrow will be the celebration.”
“Celebration?” Kaiden asked as he looked over at them.
“Well of course. You are the heros at the end of it all.” The Salarian said as he waved his arm to them.
“We are here to greet you and ask for report of your travels is all and our…” The Asari stopped before frowning. “Condolences to loosing your Commander.”
“One of our best Spectres,” The human said putting his hands behind his back. “We will be celebrating her as well, tomorrow.”
Garrus looked over at Tali who looked at him. She glared at him and shook her head slightly. She knew just as well as him is that no one needed that right now. We need to know if she found or find her. “Are you not looking for her still?” Garrus asked looking at Victus.
Victus looked over at the Asari before looking up again. “We…We have been searching for her since the war ended. However, we haven’t found any sort of information about her being alive or dead.”
“We might cut the funding of finding her,” Garrus snapped his head over the the Salarian. “It is getting quiet expensive, which we can not afford at the moment.”
“Afford,” The word echoed through the room behind them. Garrus turned, it was a lady, in Alliance Admiral uniform. Her hair was slicked back into a bun and she had fair white skin. She looked just like Shepard but older with more white in her hair. “Please Jarro like anyone is going to be paying for what the Reapers left behind.”
“Admiral Shepard, we didn’t expect you to be in this meeting.” The Asari said with a smirk on her face.
The Admiral walked passed the crew and stood in front. “I never do plan on attending these meetings but since my daughter’s crew is standing here. I wanted to meet them,” She turned to them and smiled. “Which I am thrilled they are alive and standing.”
“Admiral this meeting was strictly for them, you have no…” Jarro started to say before she snapped her head over.
“Jarro I don’t have time for this the search for people including my daughter the one you plaster all over the galaxy is still being searched for. We have an Asari company giving those funds on top of Turian. The Korgan clan leader Wrex graciously did as well.” She handed a holopad to the human councilor. He looked down at the pad and nodded to the Asari who took it as well.
Jarro crossed his arms. “It’s been 8 months Admiral Shepard. She could be dead by now.”
“Could be. It has already been approved on the human council,” She inhaled deeply. “Which if I may is not your jurisdiction anyways. This was more as an informant for the Loula and Victus.”
Garrus smirked a bit, now he knows where his Shepard gets the spice. He always admired how Mila would shake the room around her with just words. Would put anyone in their spot who needs to be. He turned to see Hackett pinching the bridge of his nose. It was silent for a moment before a sigh left the salarian’s lips.
“Alright, we will continue this search of yours however…”
“Counselors,” Another voice came from behind it was a short man holding a pad. “You all might want to see this.”
When they granted that he could videos popped up on screens, it was a news coverage, it looked familiar to Garrus. His eyes widened as they all watched a group of men and women gathering in one spot. “This is Clove Beckom coming at you live from London. This was the last location of the sighting of Shepard, no one has found her until now.”
Admiral Shepard shifted seemed like she froze then she snapped her head over at the Counselors. “What is this? Is this true?” Her voice cracked as she snapped her head back at the solider who just stood there and nodded once.
The solider nodded his head. “I just received this message about 10 minutes ago.”
The Admiral’s omitool went off, all eyes on her. Her hand shook as she clicked it. “Admiral,” Garrus held his breath for the next line. “We found Commander Shepard. Ma’am. She is alive.”
“By the goddess.” Liara whispered. The crew was just as shocked didn’t know what to say or do. How could they? This whole time they believed she died went down and killed the Reapers.
Not Garrus, he knew she had to be but Garrus couldn’t believe it still. He is here and now she is alive.
#garrus vakarian#mass effect trilogy#garrus x femshep#shakarian#femshep#garrus#garrus x shepard#turian x human#mila reneè shepard
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Ren Jinguji (Repeat)
Translator: Mimi (twitter: _mimisaurora)
October - Fashionable Suite
It is now October.
Everyone on campus is excited for the school festival scheduled at the end of the month.
This is the first opportunity given to the students since admission to showcase their work, so everyone is eagerly planning out what they’ll be performing.
I wonder about Jinguji-san, though…
I do have to admit he's been taking his singing practice very seriously lately.
And the School Festival is a festival...
Jinguji-san loves festivals and will probably be going around the school with the girls....
Maybe we could do something together…
It’s something I’d like to do, but he might turn me down....
It might bother him if I asked....
Jinguji-san isn't someone who wants to be an idol in the first place….
Would he feel that performing on stage would be too much of a hassle?
Haruka: Hmm… What should I do? Ask him or give it up…?
I mumble to myself as I stare at the entry form for the school festival.
And then.
Ren: What is it? I didn’t know you were still around, Lady.
The moment I caught sight of Jinguji-san, I immediately hid the form behind my back.
Haruka: Jinguji-san… Didn’t you leave?
Ren: No, Ryuya-san asked me for some help a little while ago… Besides, what are you doing here at this hour? Did you also just hide something?
Great….
He’s got a good eye….
Select the phrase!
This is just, you know… (+10 love)
I guess now is my chance to tell him.
But then again, he might already have plans….
While I stood there wondering what to do, he quickly snatched the paper from me.
Haruka: Ah….
Ren: Hmph. It’s an… entry form for the school festival. What are you trying to keep from me?
Haruka: I’m not trying to do anything…. But… I was wondering about what to do about the school festival.
I spent so much time thinking about it that it got pretty late….
Ren: You were thinking about the school festival… Well, what did you come up with, Lady? Any ideas?
Haruka: This is a great opportunity I'd like to do something for... But there's not much I can do on my own….
I want to participate together with Jinguji-san.
I just don't know why I can't say that one thing better.
I was going to tell him, but as I look down, Jinguji-san releases a small sigh and settles down in the seat in front of me.
Ren: Why don’t you give it to me straight? You need me.
He sits sideways in the chair, bends his upper body to place his arms on my desk, and questions me from a breaths distance away.
I keep quiet and nod my head.
Ren: I like honest girls. Ok, Lady. I’ll lend you a hand.
Jinguji-san grins as he speaks.
Haruka: Um… A-Are you sure?
Ren: I’m shocked, we’re partners, aren’t we? Plus… I noticed how hard you’ve been working lately. Consider this a reward.
Haruka: T-Thank you!!
We’re participating in the school festival together.
Oh, I’m so happy!!
Ren: If we are going to do this, it has to be the best stage possible. No cutting corners. Sounds like a plan?
Jinguji-san wore a very serious look on his face, a look he didn't show often.
Ren: Now… What would be good? I’m sure everyone’s going to be singing or dancing. We wouldn’t stand out. A play would be difficult with just two people. Hmm~… What to do, what to do?
Jinguji-san places a hand on his chin and thinks about it.
Ren: I don't want to rush through the details. We need to think it through and come up with the best plan....
He's someone who always stands out no matter what he does, but...
Maybe it wasn't something that came naturally to him.
Maybe he's always put a lot of effort into carefully thinking about how to stand out from the crowd like this.
To have different ideas from others, to come up with different ways he can make himself look more glamorous, to make others remember him.
If Jinguji-san has been devoting so much attention to becoming the person he is today, then he must be a very hardworking person....
But he doesn't usually act like that at all...
Maybe he’s unaware?
Jinguji-san's every gesture, every action, and even the angles of his movements have always been executed to perfection.
I wonder if it's a result of him doing this all the time.
He may not realize how he’s looking into how to make himself look cooler every day.
Haruka: I think you look like a model simply with the way you walk and how sophisticated all of your moves are....
I blurt out a thought.
When I do, Jinguji-san makes a noise as if something came to him.
Ren: A model, you say. That sounds like a fun concept. A stage where I can show off my characteristics and your music…
Alright. A fusion of fashion and music... How about a fashion show?
His eyes shine like a little boy who has found a toy.
Select the phrase!
I love that idea! (+20 love)
Haruka: I think it would be perfect for you. Ah, I wonder what kind of music I can write for it….
Ren: I'd be happy with a stylish, trendy song.
Haruka: Then let’s go with that. We can pick out your outfits and work together on it!
We’re putting on a fashion show!
This is going to be so fun.
I can already see his catwalk to the middle of the stage, showing off the clothes in the most attractive way possible.
I need to create music that will elevate that moment in the most impactful manner.
I do love songwriting, but I also love composing background music just as much!
I only recently learned about background music in class, and I'm excited to be able to develop and present what I learned in this way.
So, having decided to put on a fashion show at the school festival, we stay late every day after school to plan for the event.
We flip through fashion magazines and pick out the outfits that he’ll wear for the show.
It was amazing how focused Jinguji-san got when he was serious about something.
He ties back his hair and goes through several magazines at the same time, jotting down detailed notes in a notebook.
There are times he's so absorbed in his work that he doesn't even hear when I call out to him.
Everything is carefully planned and organized to achieve the perfect result, from not only the outfits, but also the stage setup, the sound and the lighting.
He moves fast and efficiently, completing most of the project on his own.
He searches for the most efficient methods, but at times adopts innovative ideas, even if it means sacrificing that efficiency.
Even now, he continues to look in magazines, choosing the best possible outfit combinations, and creating simple rough sketches of them.
But if we keep working too late, he might end up hurting himself, especially when we have another tough training session early tomorrow.
Haruka: …Um…. It's past nine already. Why don't we finish for now and pick it up again tomorrow?
Jinguji-san was so engrossed in the project that I became a little worried.
Ren: It’s already nine? But it’s only nine, right? There’s still three hours left in the day. If you’d like to go home, be my guest.
Although, it is pretty dark outside…. I can’t let you go back alone.
He sighs and begrudgingly gets up.
Haruka: A-Ah, it’s alright! I just… thought it would be best because you’re going to be doing some back-up dancing practice tomorrow.
Ren: There’s nothing to worry about. I’m not the kind of guy to make a fuss about something like this. Rather, are you having a hard time with the project, Lady?
Haruka: Not at all, I’ve already finished my work for tomorrow.
Ren: And that's exactly why you're my partner. You know exactly what you're doing. You face head-on what most ladies would be discouraged or lazy to do.
I really respect that about you, Lady. You're a pro at what you do. Then, shall we continue to go at it a little longer?
Haruka: Yes!
Jinguji-san grins and takes his seat again. Then, he starts thumbing through a fashion magazine.
Ren: It might be a good idea to wear a double-tailored knit jacket with the gray button up to preserve its elegance....
Haruka: In that case, I think you’d look great with some gemstone jewelry as well.
Ren: I agree, it adds depth to the outfit without having the need to add layers. Similar to the way you wrote your song.
It’s not gaudy, but has a stylish overlay of sound that creates music with such depth and richness....
Haruka: I see….
I never would have imagined that Jinguji-san felt that way about my music.
It makes me so happy, because I always assumed that he was just passively listening to it.
He really understood me….
I was overjoyed, and I couldn’t look him properly in the eyes.
Ren: Hm? What happened? Why are you making that face? Did I say something weird?
Select the phrase!
I’m happy! (+20 love, +5 music)
Haruka: You didn’t. I’m just glad you really took the time to listen to the song….
Ren: You’re very lucky to be able to be happy about something like that.
He smiles and lightly pinches my cheek.
Haruka: T-Thank you.
Ren: It wasn’t a compliment. You… really don’t know how to take a joke, Lady.
Jinguji-san let out a laugh as he spoke.
On the day of the school festival….
It’s afternoon when I check over the clothes in the classroom, now serving as a waiting room, to go over the plan for the day.
Jinguji-san heads for the school gates with flyers for today's fashion show.
Haruka: Ah, he’s passing them out….
I look out one of the windows and can see him handing out the flyers to people.
Immediately, a crowd gathers around Jinguji-san as he walks around, even in the courtyard.
I watch as many girls surround him, and how he begins to chat happily with them.
He always has girls hanging off of him.
And he’s always so kind to everyone.
And to me…
He can be a little mean at times….
Maybe I should consider it a luxury to be able to experience a side of Jinguji-san that people don't know about.
It’s what I’ve been thinking a bit about lately.
Plus, I received a lot of advice from him while writing the music for the school festival.
The more I experience Jinguji-san's musicality and artistry, the more I grow to like him.
And I believe that through the music, he was able to get to know me a little better; the preparation period felt like a dream.
I hope we can continue to write songs together long after we graduate.
To stay together, long, long after….
Haruka: Gasp! This is not the time to be fawning over him. I have things to check on.
By the time I finish inspecting the clothes, Jinguji-san returns.
Ren: I’m back, Lady. I passed out all the flyers.
Haruka: Good job. Well, I just finished going over all the outfits and accessories. …And so, the stage set-up….
Ren: It’s all good. Everyone is in there already.
Jinguji-san points to himself as he speaks.
He’s amazing.
Only one of us gets to be on stage, and because there's not a lot of time to change, we'll have to move pretty quickly and make sure we get it right the first time.
There are clothes and accessories with similar designs, and although I only went over the order once yesterday, I‘ve already memorized the lineup.
I-I’ve got to do my best, too!
My hand tightens its grip on the sheet music I held.
And then…
Jinguji-san hugs me gently from behind.
Ren: Why are you so nervous now? Here, if you want, I can help you unwind….
He leans in and whispers in my ear, causing me to tense, rather than relax.
My heart races.
He holds me from behind, puts his hand on my cheek and guides me to look up at him.
Our eyes meet and I’m instantly drawn into his gaze.
Our faces are so close, sometimes our cheeks brush against each other.
His lips were right in front of mine, and it looked as though they were about to press together.
Haruka: U-Uh….
I stood there, mouth agape, absolutely clueless as to what to do.
Jinguji-san suddenly grins and removes the hand from my cheek.
Ren: I’m just messing with you. I wish you wouldn't look so troubled. Did you think I was going to kiss you?
Haruka: Eh, Ah, Well, I-I…. U-Um. I'm going to go get lunch while I still can!
I rush out of the classroom.
Ren: I must have startled her…. But, I would have never guessed she would be so flustered by a kiss from me....
That was startling.
I know it kind of came off like I was running away, and I hope I didn't accidentally offend him.
But still, Jinguji-san seemed to be in a different mood than usual a moment ago….
Agh…
My heart pounds at the memory….
I am so happy and so embarrassed and so confused as to what's going on all at once....
The butterflies in my stomach wouldn’t settle down.
I suppose he was just trying to be nice because I was so nervous….
B-But it was just a little too intense for me.
My heart is still hammering away.
I wonder when this will subside….
It's fine, I'll just take a little detour and go back after I calm down.
Many classes are running food stalls for the school festival today, and the place is full of delicious smells.
I bought some yakisoba and takoyaki before hurrying back to the classroom where Jinguji-san was waiting for me.
Along the way…
Female Student A: Hey, check it out. Looks like Jinguji-san’s hosting a fashion show.
Female Student B: I know all about it. He just gave me a flyer for it. He said I definitely needed to check it out.
Female Student A: He's just so wonderful, isn't he? I would let that guy tell me to do whatever he wants.
Female Student B: I’d rather he tell me!!
Jinguji-san…
I see he's pretty popular with everyone.
Everyone must also be attracted to his unique charm, like I was just a few minutes ago….
I bet any girl would have been as enthralled as I was. Jinguji-san is an amazing person, after all.
I walk back into the classroom and see how Jinguji-san is already dressed.
He appears so handsome looking out of one of the windows.
He looks like a painting no matter what he does.
Ren: Ah, welcome back. I was starting to think you weren't coming back at all. Where did you end up stopping by?
Select the phrase!
Well… (+20 love)
Ren: Well… what? Did some guy take you somewhere?
Jinguji-san stares straight into my eyes.
He sounds like he’s joking, but there was something a little intimidating….
Haruka: O-Of course not!
Ren: Well, alright. These kinds of events tend to have a lot of people trying to get your attention for no good reason. It’s particularly risky for you, Lady. Just make sure to look out for yourself.
Haruka: I-I’m fine, really. It’s not like I’m anything to look at….
I wave my hands in front of me as I speak, and then Jinguji-san sighs as he stands.
He walks to put his hands on my shoulders from behind.
Ren: It’s kind of scary how you don’t get it. It worries me, you know. I just want you to be careful.
He whispers close to my ear, his lips nearly brushing against my hair.
Haruka: …I will.
Ren: Alright, good girl.
That’s right. This food… will you feed it to me?
With that, he hands me a carton of takoyaki.
Haruka: Uh… Well, l….
Ren: It's what you get for taking so long. I was so worried waiting for you. So, here, tell me to go “Ahh”.
Laughing to himself, he closes his eyes. H-How far is he seriously wanting to go….
Haruka: You… Y-You want me to say “Ahh”...? …I-I don’t….
He keeps his eyes closed and doesn’t say anything.
Sigh… this is so embarrassing….
Haruka: S-Say… “Ahh”....
My heart races as I pick up a piece of takoyaki with chopsticks and bring it to Jinguji-san's mouth.
Ren: Mmm, that was good. Heh, didn’t think you’d actually go through with it. Thank you, it was absolutely delicious, in more ways than one.
He chuckles in response.
I… D-Did he….
Was he just pulling my leg…?
Urrgh!
And I took him so seriously….
I-I wish the ground would open and swallow me whole!
Then, finally, it was time for the fashion show.
Ren: Hello, little lambs, welcome to my show!
The crowd goes wild when Jinguji-san comes out on stage.
Female Student A: Jinguji-saaannn~!!! Good luck~!!
Female Student B: I love you~!!!
…Listen to those cheers.
It goes to show just how popular he is.
Ren: You are about to witness a marriage between music and fashion! Now, enjoy yourselves to the fullest!
From casual wear to more formal suits, he looks so handsome no matter what he's wearing.
All the items individually were basic in design.
But they were all luxury-made.
It made me realize how different things can look depending on who wears them….
Jinguji is much, much more attractive than the models in magazines.
He has an innate sense of style, but the most impressive thing is how he wears his clothes.
He looks great in everything.
Besides, his poses and walk were flawless, captivating all who saw him.
The many outfits Jinguji-san chose to wear were arranged in order backstage so he could put them on right away.
As soon as he walks offstage, I immediately help to dress him and rush to play a song.
Ren: Next up is the last number. Ah… right. I’ll be giving you a cue when I’m onstage.
Haruka: A… cue?
Ren: Yeah, I'll throw you a kiss with my index finger. That'll signal the climax. Can you play something that will bring the crowd to its feet?
Haruka: Ah, yeah…. But, what should I play?
Ren: That's your expertise, Lady. I'll leave it up to you. I'm off now. But, before I go…
H-He's entrusting me to decide.
I-I’m so nervous….
As I stood there motionless, Jinguji-san, who was starting to walk away, suddenly stopped and came back over to me.
Ren: I forgot something very important…. A good-luck charm to calm your nerves.
Haruka: ….
It lasted only a moment.
The second I felt him grab my arm and pull me closer, his lips were on my cheek…
And as soon as he pulled back, Jinguji-san held onto my wrist and beamed happily.
Ren: Relax, relax. We’re already here, so let’s make the best of it!
Having said his piece, he turns back and goes back on stage.
Haruka: …Ah!!!
I had no idea how to react to something so abrupt that I just froze.
Haruka: I… He… j-just now… k-kissed… my cheek…?
He just gave me a kiss…
Oh my God!
In no time at all, my nerves disappear, but my heart now aches with a different kind of tension….
Female Student A: Kyah!
Female Student B: Ren-kun! Look here~
Shrill screams fill the venue the second Jinguji-san takes to the stage.
Jinguji-san flashes a smile to all the girls as he moves to the music.
He is… so cool.
His improvisations, different from the original plan, were also very much in sync with the music.
Then, as I watch him from the wings, Jinguji-san suddenly shoots me a glance and winks.
My heart flutters.
The way he looked at me alone sent my heart racing.
He briefly kisses his index finger and blows it offstage…
A kiss reserved only for me.
I feel lightheaded from how overwhelmed I felt.
T-This is bad, Jinguji-san.
Your good luck charm isn’t working at all!
I’m super nervous!
B-But I need to choose the right song….
Because that kiss was his signal for the climax of the show.
Haruka: I have to… I have to put on a song.
I grip the computer mouse with trembling fingers, fighting through the drumming in my chest.
There are three songs that I prepared but haven't played yet.
We didn't agree on the closing song beforehand, thinking it would be best for me to see how the crowd has been responding first….
One is a classical yet trance-style opera.
Another is a cool techno rock number.
And lastly, there is a cool jazz song with a trendy saxophone bass.
I-I wonder which one I should play.
I need to get myself together… to calm down and choose quickly!
Select the phrase!
Jazz (+10 love, +10 music)
It’s no secret the saxophone suits Jinguji-san.
Alright, let’s go with this track.
I start the song, and Jinguji-san turns to the stage with a satisfied smile on his face.
Ren: OK! We’ve reached the final stage. Are you ready?
With a shout, the lights shining down dazzle and thunderous cheers break out through the crowd.
From offstage, clouds of dry ice roll out toward the stage, and a screen is displayed toward the back of the stage.
Then, many pictures of Jinguji-san are shown.
Haruka: These are all the outfits he wore on stage today... No way... I didn't know he was going to do this….
I stare in surprise toward the stage, and suddenly, Jinguji-san looks at me with a contented smile.
The crowd was as thrilled, if not more so, as I was by this unannounced spectacle.
Every time Jinguji-san moves to the music, the audience bursts into a frenzy of cheers.
It wasn't long after that he struck a final pose to the song.
And with that, the show was over.
Ren: Thank you all. On stage with you today has been I, Ren Jinguji, and Haruka Nanami, who was in charge of the music! Let’s give her a big round of applause!
…He went as far as to introduce me too….
…I’m sincerely touched….
I suppose this means he's properly acknowledging me as his partner.
Wows erupted through the venue and the audience followed it up with applause.
Female Student A: Ren-kun’s the best!
Female Student B: The music was really well done too!
Jinguji-san turns to the audience, blows them a kiss, and then leaves the stage.
The kiss kept the crowd going long after he had left.
And so the fashion show held by the both of us ended with great success.
Once the show is over, Jinguji-san is quickly surrounded by a crowd of girls.
Female Student A: Excuse me! That was absolutely wonderful! Can I have your autograph?
Ren: Ok! I can even sign as many times as you wish, if it makes you happy.
It gets the girls to squeal whenever he says something like this and flashes them a wink.
I feel a little left out every time I see Jinguji-san treating the girls so kindly.
Only moments ago, we were working hard together to achieve the same goal.
It makes me feel kind of lonely watching him return to being “for everyone”.
I couldn't break into the group of girls and kept my attention on Jinguji-san from the corner of the auditorium.
Ryuya: Yo! Good job out there, Nanami. You did great.
Haruka: Ah, Hyuga-sensei and Principal Saotome, you came out to see us. Thank you so much.
Saotome: Hahaha~! That was a very nice show!
Mr Jinguji overflows with charisma! It is quite impressive to see that he didn't forget about the fan service, either!
Haruka: Fanservice….
Right, that's why Jinguji-san is so nice to the girls, it's fan service.
Ryuya: You think so? It seems a bit much to call it fan service. Boss, shouldn't you have put a stop to it? I thought you said romance was forbidden.
Saotome: Hahaha. Do not worry. Mr. Jinguji’s touch begins and ends with it only being a service!
There is no romance! He has a good understanding of what it means to be an idol!
Haruka: A good… understanding?
Saotome: What I want to forbid is true romance!
True romance….
Saotome: But, Mr. Jinguji has no intention of partaking. He is not the type to be able to have a genuine romantic relationship!
Haruka: He’s not able… to have a genuine romantic relationship.
Those words, for some reason, pierce deep into my heart.
Saotome: Romance is forbidden! BUT pleasing the fans is a necessary part of being an idol!
He treats the ladies with impeccable discretion! I hope he keeps this up so he can gain more fans ahead of his debut!
Ryuya: I see what you mean now. That's one way to look at it….
Saotome: I have no desire to prohibit people from having unrequited love!
As long as Mr. Jinguji continues to not give in, I will not control his thoughts or feelings about it! Mhm. I’m so nice.
Ryuya: Nice… sure. Let's just leave it at that.
I can imagine how tough it must be for you to be partners with a guy like him, but hang in there. I have high hopes for you.
Haruka: Of course! I’ll do my best!
Saotome: Hahaha~. Please do so!
They both leave after that.
I see….
Unrequited love isn’t forbidden.
So even if you fall in love with someone, are you allowed to harbor those feelings without telling them?
If you only keep thinking of them that way….
You won’t be blamed for standing by their side.
In other words, if you want to be near them, you must not tell them you love them.
So, that’s how it is.
With these thoughts in mind, I gaze at Jinguji-san, who is smiling happily with one of the girls.
As the next show began, Jinguji-san, who finished entertaining the girls, noticed me in the corner of the auditorium and approached me with one hand raised in the air.
Ren: Hey, Lady. Good work out there. You were outstanding today. Will you be keeping up this pace with me in the future?
Haruka: Yes, absolutely!
Ren: Heh, glad to hear it.
*Haruka*
It was then that….
???: Ren.
A man in a suit calls out to Jinguji-san.
Ren: Brother….
He mutters to himself, and froze in place.
Haruka: Huh? Is he your brother?
Wow, they look nothing alike.
Jinguji-san is gorgeous and sexy but….
His older brother seems very calm and collected, his gaze straightforward.
Does it maybe have anything to do with the fact he wears glasses?
But, if anything, his demeanor reminded me of that of Hijirikawa-sama.
Haruka: Um… My name is Haruka Nanami, I’m Jinguji-san’s partner.
Seiichiro: My name is Seiichiro Jinguji. I see that my brother’s been in your care.
As I introduce myself, his brother briefly looks at me, bows slightly, and then turns to Jinguji-san.
Seiichiro: I was able to come and watch your show. It looks like you're doing good for yourself.
Ren: Hah! You bothered to come all the way out here just to make sure of that? Thanks a lot.
Jinguji-san retorts.
Seiichiro: Of course I would. I'm now your legal guardian.
He replies, pushing up his glasses with his index finger.
Ren: I don't recall ever asking you to do any of that. Go home…. And don’t ever show your face here again.
Jinguji-san….
He’s starting to fight with his brother like he does with Hijirikawa-sama and getting as emotional, no, actually, far more so.
Seiichiro: Ren….
Ren: You don't have to worry, I'll become the idol you want me to be, and serve as the walking, breathing billboard for the business.
Seiichiro: …Sigh…. You’re still as rebellious as ever…. Well alright, I’ll retreat for now.
His brother sighs, looking resigned.
Seiichiro: Ah, that’s right. Were those songs played on stage earlier your compositions?
As if suddenly reminded, he asks.
Haruka: Y-Yes!
Seiichiro: I see…. So they were…. I know it'll be a challenge, but please take good care of Ren for me.
Haruka: Ah, O-Of course!
Seiichiro: I’ll be on my way.
Just like that, he turns his back to us and leaves the auditorium.
His brother left Jinguji-san in my care.
Would it be alright for me to do so?
Haruka: So that was your brother….
Jinguji-san stares off into the distance as I mutter to myself, and his expression morphs into a grim one.
Ren: Why don’t you just come out and say it? You wouldn’t even know from looking at him.
Haruka: Uh… Ah. I didn’t…. I didn’t mean it like that….
I wonder what happened, because he was being pretty scary….
Ren: Of course we wouldn’t look alike. We’re not even related.
Haruka: Huh!?
Ren: Would you believe me if I said something like that?
He smiles as he speaks, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
He… has to be joking, right?
Haruka: Ah, y-you’re teasing.
Ren: Who knows. What do you think, Lady?
In spite of the playful tone in his voice, his gaze remains distant and vacant.
I can’t bear the thought of leaving him alone now, so I grab onto Jinguji-san's arm.
Haruka: Um. If there's something troubling you, please let me know. I may be of little help, but maybe just talking about it to someone will help you feel better.
Ren: Hey, hey, what’s this all of a sudden? This isn’t like you.
Haruka: Ah, s-sorry. You just seem to be sad, so I was wondering if there was anything I could do to make things easier for you.
Ren: Anything…? You can't go around saying that kind of thing until you're a little older, Lady. I'm not interested in talking about life with a child.
Haruka: ….
Ren: I wish you wouldn’t look at me like that. I’m not saying anything for certain. It’s just….
Jinguji-san looks absolutely heartbroken.
Ren: My father was old when my mom had me. It's as simple as that….
She died shortly after I was born. No one knows who my father really is.
I'm done talking about it. Oh, by the way, let this stay a secret between you and I. Please don't bring it up with anyone.
He smiles softly, placing his index finger to my lips.
I nod and he turns to walk off.
And yet, he looks so forlorn that I was tempted to chase after him and stop him.
And yet….
“I'm not interested in talking about life with a child.”
The words he had just said came back to me and stopped me in my tracks.
In the end, I could only watch his back as he walked away, unable to move.
They say that men weep with their backs, and for a moment I realized just what that meant.
After the school festival was over, the after-party began at the party venue.
Everyone is having fun dancing, but I watch Jinguji-san from a distance.
Jinguji-san….
He was really sad when his brother met with him earlier.
Now, he’s gone back to normal.
The person who was so torn a while ago and the person who is enjoying himself now…
I wonder who the true Jinguji-san is.
I wonder if he’s smiling despite the loneliness he carries in his heart even now.
Female Student A: Please dance with me this time.
Female Student B: Not so fast. I was next~
Ren: Heh. My helpless little lambs. It’s alright, I’ll get the chance to dance with everyone. Starting with… you.
Swiftly, he reaches out and pulls the girl by the waist toward him.
Female Student A: Ah! Thank you!
If I didn't know any better, I would have genuinely believed he and the girls were having a lot of fun.
But….
It’s hard to see him smiling as sorrow continues to shadow him.
I want so desperately to run over and share in his sadness right now.
But Jinguji-san doesn't want me around when he's with the girls.
There are just some who don't welcome the fact that I'm his partner.
I imagine that the reason Jinguji-san is so careful to keep me away from the girls is so that they don't get jealous of me.
It wouldn’t be right to disregard that act of kindness.
So I will simply watch him from here. That's good enough for now.
Tokiya: Shouldn't you be dancing?
I came to realize that Ichinose-san and Syo-kun were standing next to me.
Haruka: Ah… It’s alright. I’m just watching….
Syo: He’s such a player, though. He’s always got girls wrapped around his finger. Why don’t the teachers say anything?
Tokiya: Ren’s faking. He’s not being genuine with it. It's also unlikely for him to have a girlfriend with that kind of behavior.
Perhaps the teachers have seen right through his act.
The principal has previously said something to that effect.
It seems Ichinose-san also gets it.
Ichinose-san’s a very cool and collected person and someone who doesn't immediately appear to be concerned about others.... But I guess he really does watch over his friends.
Syo: Hmph. Maybe. You… don’t miss your partner when he’s being like that?
It’s not that I don’t miss him.
But I don’t want to worry these two.
Haruka: …I mean, Jinguji-san is a pretty cool guy, so I'm not surprised that he's popular with girls.
My job is to write songs for him. I don't particularly miss him or anything…
Our partnership only extends to our relationship as an idol and a composer.
Haruka: Because I am happy enough just being able to provide music to someone like him….
Syo: You know, you were staring at him with a pretty miserable look on your face. Why don't you go and join in once in a while?
Syo-kun….
Did he and Ichinose-san call out to me because I look lonely?
Haruka: But I don't want to be a bother….
Syo: You’re seriously too good for your own good… Alright! Then, let’s dance together today, just us two!
Tokiya: Syo isn’t tall enough. You two wouldn’t be dancing.
Syo: Shut up, don’t bring up my height!
Haruka: Ahaha. …Thank you, I’m feeling better because of you two.
They’re so nice.
I’ll do my best to not worry them too much.
Syo: I see, if that’s the case, then good. Just don't keep it all to yourself, okay? We're all friends here.
Haruka: Of course. Thank you again.
That being said.
This wasn’t something I could go around saying to everyone.
Because the things Jinguji-san told me is a secret between the two of us.
Once the after-party was over, the school festivities came to an end.
Tomorrow will be another day of business as usual.
Female Student A: You’re leaving already~? I’m going to miss you.
A girl stands alone in the hallway, looking at Jinguji-san with watery eyes.
It’s the same one he danced with earlier.
She’s a cute girl.
They look really good standing next to each other….
Ren: It hurts me just as much, but the festival is over. We have to say goodbye.
Female Student A: Then give me one last kiss. Okay? If you do, I'll be sure to leave.
Ren: My, what a silly little lamb.
Female Student A: Yay, Ren-kun. I love you.
Jinguji-san gently places his hands on her waist and shoulder as if to support her when the girl slips her arms around his neck and holds him tightly.
They stare into each other's eyes, and gradually bring their lips together....
They meet in a sweet kiss so gentle. Moving so delicately as if to confirm how tender it is.
The kiss before me is like watching a scene straight from a movie.
Haruka: …!!
My mind goes black for a second before thoughts begin racing
I was overwhelmed by a whirlwind of indescribable emotions, as if there were a growing black stain coating the depths of my heart.
I did not want to stay there for one second longer.
I was about to run away when my cell phone fell out of my pocket, clattering to the ground.
I hurry to pick it up, but as soon as I look up, my eyes meet Jinguji-san's.
Ren: Hn!!!
His eyes widen in surprise, immediately removing his hands from the girl.
Haruka: I-I’m sorry!
I had no idea what to do, but on instinct alone, I made the mistake of running out of the place.
Ren: Ah….
As I leave, it looks like Jinguji-san briefly reaches out his hand for me, and then just as quickly pulls it back.
He looked like he wanted to say something.
But… I didn’t want to go back.
I… I have a song to write.
Music is all that I have now….
I had to put all of my sorrow, all of my loneliness, into music.
If I didn’t, I fear I might fall apart.
I return to the classroom and play the piano by myself, but it sounds terribly unstable and the cacophony of notes I hear only serves to bury me deeper in my grief.
My tears drip onto the black keys, the music I play with these trembling hands is not something I ever want to share with others.
Even music….
Does it bring me nothing but pain now?
The thought alone makes me cry even harder.
So I spent the whole night playing the piano, never being satisfied with a single song.
Mini Game
Ryuya: Well. Let's go back to the basics and work on our rhythm again today. It might be fundamental, but it'll be harder than before.
You'll get left in the dust if you're not careful! If you want to become a composer, you have to keep pushing yourself!
Having said that, I'll give you an example first this time as well. Try to follow suit.
Let's go! Don't lag behind now!
(S rank)
Ren: What an innate sense of rhythm you have. You know what you're doing. I must say, I'm a little jealous.
Haruka: There’s nothing to be jealous of… Your sense of rhythm is better than mine….
But it's honestly nice to hear his compliment.
Chapter End
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Yes write that blurb!!!🥹😍😍
Hehehe can do. (Also i made this gif so don’t come at me for not crediting)
Word Count: 1.1k
“Oh, wait,” Carson pondered for a second as she stood in the middle of the living room, one hand on her hip, the other touching her face as she glanced around in thought. “Maybe the tree will look better over there.”
“Carse, I’ve moved this box three times. Please make up your mind, babe.” Auston groaned as he stood up straight and looked over at his wife.
It was December 1st, just a regular Thursday to everyone else and an off day for Auston, but to Carson, it was so much more important than that. Why? Because it was the day, the Matthews family was decorating for Christmas.
Since moving out of the condo and into their new house in Toronto, Carson was overwhelmed and excited by the space she had to decorate. To make it all more exciting, it was also Mia’s first holiday season which had Carson wanting to make it even more special.
However, she didn’t expect to be so stressed out.
The rest of the house was basically decorated. Carson made sure to buy festive decor around the house's main floor, including garland, glass jars filled with ornaments, lights and an unnecessary amount of Christmas-scented candles. She’d already offered to host at least two Christmas gatherings, not including when some of the family would stay with them later in the month.
There was a lot on Carson’s plate with all the planning she had to do, but even that wasn’t as bad as the dread she felt when it came to making everything look perfect.
“Ok, but what if we set it up in that corner, and it doesn’t look good?” Carson asked, a slight pout on her lips as she looked at her husband.
“I think it’ll look great in either corner,” Auston tried to reason.
“Well, Mia might want it in a different corner entirely.”
“I’m sure Mia doesn’t care where the tree gets set up, Carson,” he told her and nodded toward their 10-month-old, who was busy trying to climb into a box of ornaments. “She seems occupied.”
“Oh, Mia,” Carson reacted as she moved from her spot to go over and pick up their daughter. “You can’t go in there, little miss.”
Mia started giggling as Carson peppered her with kisses, and as soon as she was set back on the ground, didn’t waste any time crawling over to where Frank lay in front of the electric fireplace.
Carson watched Mia with a small smile, and Auston observed them both for a moment, his heart swelling with adoration. He didn’t want to ruin the moment, but he knew that he and Carson needed to figure out the tree situation before Mia got into something she wasn’t supposed to.
“What about this corner here,” Auston spoke up as he moved to said corner. “It won’t block the window seat, and you can still see it from outside. It’s away from the doorway into here, so Frank won’t be running into it all the time, and because it’ll be against the same wall as the TV and fireplace, we’ll still have a perfect view of it from the couch.”
“I guess that could work,” Carson responded, but clearly still thinking. “I just don’t want to get it all set up and regret putting it there.”
“You’re really putting a lot of thought into this.”
“I just want it to be perfect, Auston. Is you not stressing me out even more about it too much to ask?”
Auston blinked in surprise, not expecting that reaction from the woman standing across from him, and even Carson seemed surprised by her outburst.
“I-I’m sorry,” she apologized immediately and looked away from Auston, trying to blink back the tears she could feel forming as she fiddled with the sleeves of her hoodie. “I didn’t mean to snap.”
“Hey, it’s ok,” Auston assured her and wasted no time moving from where he stood so he could go over to Carson. Once he was beside her, Auston pulled her into his embrace, and Carson immediately wrapped her arms around him and leaned against his chest. “You wanna tell me what’s going on? I know there’s no way the location of our Christmas tree has got you this upset.”
“You know me well,” Carson chuckled and shook her head before sighing. “I’ve just been thinking about my mom a lot lately. She loved Christmas and always made it so special for Mya, Nate and me. It was magical, and I want to do the same for Mia. Obviously, I know she will not remember her first Christmas, but I will.”
Auston couldn’t help the smile that grew as he listened before moving to place a kiss on top of Carson’s head.
“I love you,” he mumbled against her hair. “Mia’s first Christmas is going to be amazing. I won’t question what you want to do anymore. When we moved in here, I promised you could be the interior decorator, which applies to holidays.”
“Even though I go overboard?” Carson asked as she moved away from Auston’s chest to look up at him.
“Yes, I think it’s cute.”
At that, Carson smiled and then stood on her tiptoes so she could peck his lips. “I love you.”
“And I love you,” Auston reminded her. “Now, about this damn tree.”
“I think you might be onto something by putting it in the corner by the window,” Carson chuckled as she stepped away from Auston and over to the corner he was standing in a few minutes prior. “It’ll cover some of the bookshelf, but I can live with that.”
“You say like these aren’t all books you’ve read and that you don’t have more all around the house.”
“And what about it?”
“Nothing, nothing,” Auston responded, smiling and holding his hands up in surrender. “Alright, so the tree goes in that corner. Final answer?”
“Yes, I think it’ll look great there,” Carson answered.
“Perfect,” Auston said before pushing the box toward the area. “Now that’s decided, we can finally start setting it up.”
“And fluffing, which I know you love so much.”
“Right… the best part.”
Carson laughed at Auston’s sarcasm before moving to lift the box of ornaments and lights over to where Auston started piecing the tree together, but before she could even look at the box, she was met by a thud a gasp and the sound of small items spilling out all over the floor.
Carson and Auston quickly looked to the source of the noise to find Mia sitting beside the now tipped-over box, surrounded by ornaments and looking at her parents in surprise. Soon, her shocked expression faded as she let out a happy squeal and grabbed an ornament by its string to swing around merrily.
Auston and Carson looked at each other again, trying not to laugh before Auston spoke.
“I don’t think Christmas decorating will ever be boring now that we have her to keep us entertained.”
#nhl imagines#auston matthews imagines#auston matthews fanfiction#auston matthews imagine#toronto maple leafs imagine#nhl headcanon#nhl writing#hockey imagine#AFTR
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A Guy
Dear Future Husband,
It's been several months since I've heard from CousinAR, who is freshly back from seminary and getting ready to start college, but on Thursday she messaged to say hey and also ask about my shidduch resume and what I'm looking for. And then she and her mom CousinES called me to discuss.
Because it's about a guy.
I'm pretty sure it's not you though, for quite a few reasons.
Reason #1:
I don't think our families would be compatible.
He's apparently from a yeshivish family with like ten kids, they all do impressive things for work, and they grew up in a very fancy place.
Me? Not so much. To pretty much all of the above.
I think I wouldn't fit in well at all with his siblings.
And I've been an oddball for so much of my life that if/when I get married I want it to be with a family that feels like family.
Or with someone who has literally nothing to do with their family so it's just the two of us in our own happy little bubble.
Either one.
Reason #2:
He has the exact same name as the father of the family that lived. next door to me pretty much my entire first 28 years of life.
MrNextDoor is a very nice, chashuv person. But he's also kind of overbearing and inserts himself into situations where he's not always welcome. I guess social cues are just not his forte.
I will admit that his pushiness has been a benefit on some occasions, as he's been able to accomplish some amazing things including setting up schools, getting neighborhood ordinances followed, and one of my non-frum grandparents actually got a proper burial because he not only insisted on coming to the levaya despite it being an hour away, but also brought proper shovels and stood there in the hot sun with my brother filling in the grave before the bobcat could come and finish the job.
But I'm a weirdo who just can not see past the name.
In a hypothetical situation where we dated and he actually liked me and I liked him and we ended up getting married, there would never be a day in my life where I couldn't say his name and not think of MrNextDoor and it makes me so uncomfortable to even think about.
It's just too ew for me, even if he is a nice guy.
(because I'm a mess of a human, obviously)
Reason #3:
He's 5 years younger than me.
And in case we haven't covered this ground yet, I'm an agist.
Whenever I hear about an age gap, my first thoughts go to what that time disparity represents.
For one thing, it means that I graduated high school the year he was bar mitzvahed. Which is weird.
For another, it means that he's still in his 20s and I'm so "middle aged" already. lol
And in a lot of ways he's still very young, while I'm just so decidedly not. Not physically, not emotionally.
And that also leads into
Reason #4:
He doesn't have a full time job yet.
He's bounced around a bit in terms of work, trying to find a community where he feels comfortable, and jobs have understandably come along with that kind of moving.
But that also means he's not a settled person. And he's young, he has that option in life. But I'm an old curmudgeon and although we may be compatible in a lot of ways, I need someone who is more settled than I am to be the rock in the relationship.
Reason #5:
He's studying to become a mashgiyach.
Not a yeshivah mashgiyach, but a food mashgiyach.
You may be wondering why that's a reason not to marry someone, and for some people, maybe even a lot of people, that's not a problem.
But I grew up in a household that was built on the instability of a family "supported" by a mashgiyach.
For the first 10 years of my life my father was hardly ever around. He worked odd, long hours out of town and constantly hopped from job to job.
I don't know if things are different now, but at the time mashgiyach work was more like gig work than it was a real job.
In those first 10 years my father worked at 17 different places, but the last two years he was at one location, so it was more like 16 jobs in 8 years.
That's not stability.
And I know we're in galus.
I know we're not supposed to be comfortable.
I know that just because someone has a steady job now doesn't mean they will tomorrow.
And I know that everything is in Hashem's hands.
But I also know that you have to do hishtadlus.
And if you're doing the work of a shoeshine man on the side of a road where nobody walks, you're not going to become a millionaire through your work.
Unless you're a gadol. I'm sure we've all heard those stories.
But for the beinoni - for those of us in the middle, we have to at least attempt steady, stable work at a certain pay grade for Hashem to provide that kind of sustenance.
And I don't see that happening for me with a mashgiyach.
Considering how much the average cost of living is today in the US, generally. And considering how much higher the average cost of living is today in the frum world... I don't see the paycheck of a mashgiyach cutting it to provide for a family, with or without whatever I'm making to contribute.
Reason #6:
I just don't know how to broach the whole "I don't think I can have kids" thing with my cousins.
On the one hand, I don't want to put a stumbling block before the blind by going out and forming relationships with young guys who believe that's a possibility with me.
On the other hand, I know that everything is in Hashem's hands and I know a woman who was told she'd never have kids and went on to have like 15, so just because I think I might not be able to doesn't mean I won't at all.
But having children is his chiyuv, not mine. It should be his decision whether or not to pursue a relationship like that.
So do I not tell CousinAR and her mom, the two people in this equation that I know and trust, about the whole kids thing?
Does even talking about it make it an ayin hara and less likely to happen for me?
Do I keep allowing CousinAR and her mom to make shidduch suggestions for me, all the while keeping this huge secret and finding reason after reason to shut down their suggestions?
Reason #7:
I don't really find him all that attractive.
I know, I know, it's the whole shallow conversation all over again, but it's true.
And again, that's such a hard thing to say to someone who is so excited to make the suggestion in the first place.
"He's so nice! And I was listening to what he was looking for and I just kept thinking you fit all those boxes!"
I've explained that even if I don't think I'm the right person, I'm more than happy to chat with someone even once to see if maybe I know someone else for them.
But
Reason #8:
I'm still a mess of a human. I think we know this. It's been established. We continue to go over this again and again.
And it's sweet that my cousins don't recognize that about me.
But that also means I'm hiding it really well. Which is a problem.
But I think we've covered all of that before...
And so, here we are again.
A nice suggestion, but me lost in the middle just so unsure of how to say "thank you, but no thank you."
I can't be the only one that struggles with this, right?
-LivelyHeart
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putting this under a cut because it's gonna get dark but also just...need to type this.
so. if for some bizarre reason you choose to read this, read with caution. or skip over. probably better if you skip past this and carry on.
a fun thing to realize on this 'lovely' monday night or tuesday now is just how few people would actually genuinely care if i disappeared. if any.
what brought this on you might ask, not that anyone is asking? well besides the normal horrid thoughts that run through my head on a constant basis, my mind decide to bring up the memory of when i was cleaning houses. and it was one of our regulars. and it was the same bathroom i always started in. and i got a message from someone who used to be an incredibly close friend. the message was saying that she was being committed because she had tried to commit suicide and was going to be gone for a bit. i sent replies but they went unanswered. i stood in that bathroom numb with fear and terror and a broken heart. i didn't hear from her for a week. i'll add that she's fine and happy now, with a partner and living a good life. we don't talk anymore because she's pulled away but i want nothing but good for her.
and that memory had me thinking about people if i were to disappear. and i just...i don't really have anyone?
what about family maybe, is what a normal person would ask, right? well. i just talked to my one brother for the first time on the phone since i saw him in person at the beginning of october because our relationship has became so strained. despite him and i being probably the closest in our family. my other brother i've talked to on the phone probably less than 10 times in our entire lives. there's a large age difference and it isn't until the last like...5 years we've developed any sort of relationship. i still know very little of his life tbh. mother? nope. i've been remembering things (a little, barely) from my childhood that are making me realize how bad our relationship truly is. a child should not feel as if their mother resents and regrets having them. that is how i feel. father? even worse. talk on the phone once a month, but only for six months of the year because he goes down south and can't dare to spend that extra penny, for maybe five minutes because he has this 'list' of things he discusses.
i genuinely do not have anyone in my life. work would miss me because i do so much but they'd replace me. and the only real life friend i have is hours away on the island and also married with 3 kids. we don't talk that often.
i know i have people here online that i talk to, but no one who really knows me?? and really, they'd move on. don't lie -- you would. i'm just a passing boat in your life. and look, i know part of it is on me for not letting people in, but that's because there's a lot of shit and no one really wants that. they want the fun and happy stuff. they don't want the dark and bitter stuff. learned that the hard way. multiple times. my heart can only take so much.
so i guess it just...sucks? realizing exactly how alone you are. and how much that sucks.
because no one would really know if i disappeared. no one really checks in. and i can't even fault anyone. i don't fault anyone. because i know everyone has their lives. and they're doing their own thing. and i'd never fault anyone for that anyways. i love seeing y'all live your lives.
but i know no one really cares about how difficult it was for me to get out of bed this weekend. how i wanted to just lay there and fall asleep and not wake up. and how much i'm dreading the long weekend coming up this weekend because it's one extra day of going through this. no one really cares about the scars on my skin or the itch i get to add new marks on a constant basis. bad enough that i had to buy new sheets because my old ones were stained with blood. no one really cares about the tightness in my chest that comes from the fear i face every day. no one really cares about the aches and pains i face every day because my body is basically shutting down. no one cares that i barely eat during the day. no one really cares, period.
and i'm not mad. i'm not.
i'm just...i'm tired. i'm so tired. and it was a gut punch to realize that no one would care if i disappeared forever. maybe for a little bit they would, but then they'd move on. and i don't blame anyone. really. i can't blame anyone.
i know i'm a lot. i'm too much. or not enough. or some odd mixture of both. i'm exhausting and tiring and can be overwhelming. it doesn't matter how many pieces of me i cut away to appease people. they always leave because of me.
i guess i'm just...ready to go away? to disappear and be done with it?
feels like the better option at this point.
i'm almost too tired to continue on.
i dunno.
#tanis rambles#trigger warning for...everything?#i dunno#don't read this basically#will more than likely delete this
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Chapter 1
Ito: (……Ah.)
The usual station front was crowded with people waiting for their someone. Among them, a man holding “something” with great care suddenly caught my eyes.
Ito: ………
Mao: Ito.
Ito: !
Mao: You’re already outside, I see. Sorry to keep you waiting.
Ito: It’s okay. I was actually looking around and just came out.
Mao: What about Mika-sis and the rest?
Ito: I just got a message saying “two more stations,” so maybe they’re almost here... Oh. Maybe it's that train.
Mao: Can you ask them to meet us here?
Ito: That's what we're talking about now.
So, which of the three nail colors did you choose?
Mao: I was pretty satisfied after trying them out, so I bought all of them.
Ito: What a nice shopping trip.
Mao: That reminds me, did you see something before I called out to you?
Ito: Ah. Someone was standing there... Oh, I guess he’s gone now.
He’s holding a big bouquet of flowers, and that really stood out.
Mao: A bouquet? Seeing you making that face, I thought it was something weirder.
Ito: …….
Umm. Sorry if this comes out of nowhere.
Mao: Yeah?
Ito: Mao-san.….
“An interesting and profitable flower shop.” What kind of flower shop do you think it is?
Mao: ……Is that a riddle?
Yuzuru: .….With that said, I have completed the reservation for the venue we wanted yesterday.
The next event will be held as scheduled.
I would like us to start preparing from today on while focusing on our assigned role. Looking forward to working with you.
Ito: Same here.
After bowing slightly to Kise-san who was sitting next to me, I returned my focus to the laptop on my lap.
Ito: (When we started working on this project, I thought it was still a long way off. Things unfolded tenfold faster than I expected...)
The cafe's special business day, held irregularly.
A one-day event where you can enjoy activities, experiences, and limited menus based on a specific concept.
Of course, it’s nothing foreign to rent a venue just for a certain event. That’s just how particular we should be in order to create a desired space.
The staff would get all dressed up in appropriate attire for the occasion, a very popular “Dress Up Event.”
Due to a series of circumstances, it's been several months since the last time it was held.
For me, this is a first for two reasons.
Ito: (The last event was held before I joined, so this is my first time participating and preparing.)
(Also….)
Ai: The issue of bringing in the leased equipment the day before has been resolved, I assume?
Yuzuru: Yes. Since there's nothing we can do about it, I was considering changing the venue.
Riku-san happened to be free, so he went with me to directly negotiate.
Since this is Yashiro-san's precious “first project” she said she would like to cooperate to the best of her ability to materialize it as precisely as possible.
Ai: Realize something as planned, huh….
At the moment, there aren't enough of those things you want to materialize.
Ito: …………I'm very sorry for the inconvenience.
Yuzuru: No, don’t say that.
The concept I proposed this time was “Florist.” The visual aspect is inspired by overseas flower shops.
The guests can enjoy a little fortune-telling and dishes with edible flowers.
After reading through the proposal, Kosaka-san’s first comment was “For better or worse, it's a passing mark.”
Ito: (According to Kise-san and Riku-san, if I was given “GO” for the costumes and venue preparations = the project has no problem.")
(Even in the worst case scenario, there should be no problem with holding the event...)
"Adding to the 'interesting' aspect of this event to make it profitable”. I was instructed to work on that in parallel with my preparations.
Obviously, I still haven't found it.
Yuzuru: Rather than thinking about going from 0 to 10, it's surprisingly difficult to think of what 1 you can add to a completed 9.
For now, let's just share ideas casually with “maybe this could work” in mind….
---Clack!
Roka: Ta-daaaaa!!!
Ito: !?
Yuzuru: Woah. Roka-san?
Ai: ……….
The person who came into the office while making the sound effect upon his arrival was Roka-san, who had finally made an appearance for the first time in a few days.
Ito: (This is the first time I've seen someone come in saying “ta-daaa”...)
Roka: Fufu, the surprise was a great success! Even AiAi was so surprised he couldn't speak.
Ai: More like I couldn’t care less. Do you remember how many times I have to tell you, who has done nothing but leave without notice and arrives late, to at least be quiet while entering?
Roka: As I always say, I’m not the president reporting for work, I’m the owner.
Because I'm such a friendly person, I have to casually show off something worthy of an owner in a place like this.
Ai: Do not show off what you don't have.
Roka: AiAi is harsh again today!
Hnggnnnhh... It's been five days and two hours. Is everyone the same? Rare-kun, what’s up~☆
Rare: What’s up! Food?
Roka: Oh yeah, I'm glad you're doing well. I'll give you some treats to commemorate our reunion. Here.
Rare: Munch.
Roka: Awch!! Rare-kun, the snack is not in my finger! Bad boy!
Yuzuru: I'm glad to see that Roka-san is still doing well.
Roka: As you can see, I’m doing awesome! Anyway, what have you guys been doing together? Gossiping about love?
Ai: If you're going to mess around, leave.
Roka: Relax, I’m just kidding. You were having a meeting, right? That much I know.
Yuzuru: We were just about to discuss the next dress-up event.
Roka: Hmm?
Kise-san gave a brief explanation and Roka-san listened while nodding along.
Just when I saw him folding his arms and looking down, he suddenly looked up after a few seconds.
Roka: In that case!
How about opening a flower shop, like literally?
Ito: Are we really going to open a flower shop?
Roka: I'll call it...
“Send flowers to your loved ones ☆ Florist Cafe”!
Chapter 2 >>
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moon knight fic idea that I had brewing in my head for 2 months but I can't push myself to write right now bc I'm having writer's block ofc
Might write them down as headcanons/bullet points to have them down before making this idea more concrete
fem!oc used for this fic idea btw! (can be read as a reader insert as well if you so choose as, but written this idea with an oc in mind), also lots of Japanese and other Asian mythology that I find would fit the story in mind, also I'm Asian so why tf not let me project a bit ok???
fic idea:
Imagine oc being able to see ghost and spirits (more specifically yokai and anything close to the sort) since childhood. Terrifying really.
Demon paralysis be damned when you open your eyes to see a literal shadow figure staring down at you. Panic attack ensue.
Oh yeah, did she mention the voice in her head guiding her on what to do with these spirits and how to handle them, yeah that's a thing too...
Apparently they're the goddess Izanami, overseer of the underworld Yomi. Fantastic.
She also mentions how more spirits are running amok and unchecked bc APPARENTLY THANOS' SNAP HAD FUCKED THE BALANCE OF LIFE AND DEATH. So I guess those that disappeared weren't actually dead but literally just ceased to exist and it threw Yomi is a disarray of chaos.
Basically the goddess was pissed. So now oc is their unwilling paranormal detective, being forced to faces these horrendous spirits so they can pass on. Fucking fantastic.
Also the Blip actually made it worse too. Great.
Apparently there's some consequences of being forced to help these spirits
They're not limited to out of body experience while taking the train home, usually with oc being in the place of the memory of the spirits that were either before or lead to their deaths. Awesome. More nightmare fuel for her ig.
While this happens to her mentally, physically her body will either be unconscious, spaced out, or even moving on its own unconsciously.
When she sleeps they become vivid nightmares she can't remember usually, only the terror she felt. Sometimes she'll find bruises and scratches on her and remember only bits of what happened. Night terrors. Check. Bodily harm. Check.
Works in the museum both Dane and Sersi works at too bc I can and pls Jeremy add some Dane/Steven/Marc interactions for season 2 pls I'm on my knees
Dane was said to make an appearance in Moon Knight originally but they didnt know how to add him so Dane is now in this fic bc idk what to do with this info now.
Dane and her are friends and friends only. He helped her get a job bc she's out of one bc she was Snapped.
Oh right she was snapped, forgot to mention that lol.
Yes she knows Sersi is an alien wizard. No she doesn't want to turn into a giraffe Dane.
If Dane is doing his Black Knight activities, 9 times out of 10 she doesn't know. She thinks he's distance himself bc of what happened to Sersi, and decided not to push.
Takes place a bit before the start of the series. She's Steven's neighbor but they dont talk much, only wave and greet each other on the lift and when they head to the same bus stop before she left to step onto the subway.
Goodness does Steven thinks she's adorable. A little better at social cues than he is but still as awkward. She a goober really.
She thinks he's cute too. Like a puppy.
Somehow they go on a date (personal headcanon that it was Jake that set Steven with a date bc he has the most social out all of them, which will make things real awkward for them when everyone finds out yikes). Well they try too. You know what happens on Steven's end but surpise suprise. She actually arrived late to the restaurant bc she had another out of body experience bc of some spirits she had encountered (thankfully it was in her home) by the time she arrived Steven wasn't there. It was hours later, she assumed that he thought she stood him up and left.
She ate the steak anyways. She was hungry.
She didn't dare to call or text him, afraid of what he'll say, so color her surprise when he called her instead.
What??? They have a date??? But it's Sunday. Confused, she decide to tell him that she thought he thought she stood him up. Both are confused. They decided to reschedule the date then, both hoping that this one goes well (tbh both were ecstatic that the other was giving them another chance).
Ofc that doesn't happen bc Harrow and his cult with Ammit ensue hijinks.
So Marc and her are complicated bc they used to be friends as kids but then her family moved to NY. They kept contract and talk but it became very minimal. Like simple how are you type shit. So they have no idea what the other looks like over the years.
So Marc is in for a big twist when he finds out Steven's date is her. It doesn't help he had a tiny itsy bit of a crush on her as kids.
But he doesn't have feelings for her he loves Layla still, right? It's probs bc of the fond memories he held of her as a child that makes him soft for her. No not bc she's kinda of a cute goof.
They're grump and sunshine embodied really.
Also embodies slow burn and friends to lovers trope real hard. Marc's gotta to learn to move on and live a happy life. It's hard but he'll get there.
He is emotionally constipated and will deny any possible thought of him having feelings for oc or any form of happiness.
Oc does not approve and annoys him with affection.
What the fuck was that????
A hug.
Disgusting. Do it again....
Nicknames. Nicknames! NICKNAMES!
Sunshine - Marc, Twinkle Toes - oc
Hc that Marc was kinda clumsy as a child and oc called him that to tease him (was more reinforced after they watched atla).
Steven call her his little sunflower.
Jake calls her his bébé usually.
And Layla.
They're divorced. They'll try to work it out but really Layla realizes that she fell out of love for a while now. The lies and guilt put a strain on their marriage.
That doesn't mean she doesn't care for Marc. She does. As friends.
She won't admit it but deep down, she thinks Marc was conflicted about his feelings whether he knew it or not (whether it was his guilt about her father or not, no one truly knowz). So seeing how he gets along with oc is good for him.
Layla slowly pushed him towards her bc she wants Marc to be happy as well and move on.
Layla is a good friend and wants everyone's best interests.
Now onto Jake.
Keeping in mind of the hc that it's Jake that asked oc out on a date on Steven's behalf. Well then things are gonna be messy. Bc haha they've met before. Like way before Marc met Khonshu and became his fist of vengence.
They met when she was in college and hit it off from there. I don't want to give away too much of their relationship but long story short. Jake does break contact with her.
So when everyone finds out about Jake things get awkward real fast and real bad.
Small hint of their relationship is ???? To lovers trope.
Khonshu is a manipulative bird brain and Izanami commit Khonshu hate crimes on the reg as she should.
Speaking of Izanami.
Goddess of Death and Creation. The overseer of Yomi, the underworld.
Yeah she's cool. Kinda unhinged but cool.
A bit over the top, but aren't all gods are???
Kinda gives off Scaramouche vibes from Genshin Impact but not as arrogant you know. She's not very well liked within the Japanese pantheon due to her role and also from her ex-husband's influences.
She really does care for oc. Thinks of her as her kin. She was a mother once too.
Speaking of her ex-husband, also commits hate crimes against her ex-husband Izanagi too (iykyk) and tbh go off queen.
Only oc sees her and she takes an appearance of a normal woman but dresses expensively. Thinking of Manwol from Hotel de Luna, same vibes as well tbh bc when I write Nami I think of Manwol tbh.
Oh possession is a thing too, ig
Bc with how oc acts, Izanami needs to take over when push comes to shove. Though this happens rarely.
Mostly this happens when oc is unconscious and in peril danger. Or when provoked enough to encite her fury or vise versa (usually the later is towards other gods of different pantheon, yeah she's still bitter they did nothing to restore balance in life and death). Sometimes when oc's spirit/consciousness is forcefully pushed out of their body, Izanami takes control to make sure the body is breathing.
Overall that's it for this word vomit. It's still in the process but if you want to know more lmk bc I haven't seen this idea in Moon knight fics just yet.
Fic idea inspiration taken from: Hotel de Luna (kdrama), Goblin (kdrama), Tomorrow (kdrama), The Uncanny Encounter (kdrama), Tale of the Nine Tailed (kdrama), Death Mark (game), Spirit Hunter NG (game), Mieruko-chan (manga)
#moon knight#moon knight x reader#moon knight x oc#moon knight fanfic#moon knight headcanon#steven grant x reader#steven grant x oc#marc spector x oc#marc spector x reader#jake lockely x reader#jake lockley x oc#gonna call this au/fic idea nightmare eyes bc i can#yes i know its a nitw reference but it makes sense tbh#nightmare eyes au
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Hi....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....
No one's ever asked me this before! I only came up with 9. It's hard to think of many that have stood the test of time, because my ADHD brain tends to become super obsessed with a piece of media for three months and then lose interest. But here goes. This is mostly gonna be stuff I have never talked about on this blog.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series) - I can't tell you why I like Buffy. I generally don't like vampire shows or any kind of "sexy monster" shows. When I'm looking for webcomics, I automatically skip over anything that has vampires in the description. And I don't like any other Joss Whedon shows. There's just something special about Buffy, I guess?
The Twilight Zone (1960s TV series) - When I was a kid, we used to watch the Twilight Zone marathon on the Scifi channel every New Years. I remember the first episode I ever watched was "Third From the Sun", and my little 8-year-old brain was blown away by the twist ending. A lot of it is super cheesy, but the series is just really nostalgic for me.
Forensic Files - I used to make fun of my sister for her "murder porn" and then I sat down and watched with her one time, and I got sucked into this story about a woman who was wrongly imprisoned for poisoning her baby (who actually died from a rare blood disease), and since my ADHD brain can't just like things a normal amount, I ended up binge watching the whole series. Now I just put it on for background noise. I'm still most interested in wrongful conviction stories.
Community (TV series) - Not much to say here. It's just really funny and I love the characters.
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Book series) - I read them as a kid and re-read them as an adult. It's wonderful world-building - a somewhat simple story that feels like it's part of a much bigger story.
Haikyuu (Anime) - Right around the time season 3 came out, Tumblr kept recommending it to me. I didn't think I would be interested, because I don't like sports, but obviously I was on the edge of my seat the entire time because Haikyuu is amazing. I've started reading the manga too, but I'm only five volumes in.
Someone Else's BL Manhua - I started reading a lot of webcomics during the pandemic. This was the first one I read, and still the one I return to the most. I don't know if I love it because it's good or it's good because I love it. I loved that my first time reading it, I genuinely didn't know what the pairings would be.
Monkey Island (PC game series) - So, like, super random, but it's this old school point-and-click adventure game series about pirates that you play by solving really out-of-the-box puzzles. I play a lot of point-and-click puzzle games, but none are as delightfully weird as Monkey Island.
Legend of Zelda (Video game series) - I feel like I don't really need to explain. They're just really well-constructed video games, and each game has its own gimmick that it makes the very most of.
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Norris is growing closer to the champion who inspired him to race | 2023 British Grand Prix
In his fifth season in Formula 1, Lando Norris says he is finally starting to get to know the person who inspired him to become a driver.
Last weekend’s British Grand Prix was the second time the pair have appeared on the podium together since Norris debuted in F1 with McLaren in 2019. Norris memorably scored his first podium at Hamilton’s expense in the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix after Hamilton was hit with a five second time penalty.The following year, they stood on the podium together for the first time at Imola.
Speaking ahead of last weekend’s race, where the pair would fight over second place, Norris described how his relationship with Lewis Hamilton has been “growing” in recent months.
“Over the last couple of months we’ve been chatting a bit more and getting to know each other a bit more,” he told media including RaceFans. “I still have so much respect for him and what he’s been able to achieve in F1.
Norris and Hamilton fought for second at Silverstone
“I’m not always the guy who asks a lot of questions to these people to get to know what they’re like and know what they think. I would say I do it in a more subtle way. I just try to understand how they think, and their thought processes, and just kind of understand what makes them them, what makes them special.
“I’m not always the most proactive in going forward and asking, picking people’s brains and stuff like that. Which I guess is maybe a better way of doing it, but it’s just not who I am at the end of the day. So I’m just happy to spend time with these people. When I say people, I mean people who are the top of whatever sport they’re in. People that I have a huge amount of respect for.”
Hamilton was a McLaren driver in the six seasons before he joined Mercedes in 2013. Like Norris he was one of McLaren’s junior drivers prior to debuting in F1 with the team.
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Being far apart in the pit lane has restricted how much interaction the pair can have on race weekends and Norris says he was not proactive in establishing a friendship with Hamilton in his first years in F1.
“It’s difficult when you’re in different teams. I’m not the biggest talker either, so it’s not like I chat to anyone really that match,” said Norris. “Probably only the team mates that I’ve had, and my current team mates. Those are the guys I speak to the most on the whole grid.
“But [Hamilton] has been very inspiring. He’s the guy that is part of the reason I’m a F1 driver today. Or the reason that I wanted to become a F1 driver. So weird thinking right now I’m racing against him.”
Norris said it’s clear Hamilton still has affection for his old team McLaren. “He still has a lot of respect for McLaren and I think he still has a lot of love for McLaren.
“I think he wants us to do well, which is still a nice thing because it’s where he started his career. I feel like wherever you start your career, you kind of owe them something in a way. And McLaren gave me an opportunity, so I’ll do something for them.
“Like I said, [the relationship] is growing, it’s good, getting to know each other more, which is a cool thing.”
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#F1#Norris is “growing” closer to the champion who inspired him to race | 2023 British Grand Prix#Formula 1
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A9. Who was your first ship?
B4. Who is your current favourite author? What is their best story?
B6. What is your favourite story trope? Why?
B9. Who is your OTP?
C6. Is there anything in canon that made you want to quit the show? What was it? Why did you hate it? [tmr]
D10. What is one story idea you really want to read but no one has written yet?
-💖 {currently having heart broken & repieced by the blood culmination}
Hellooooo and thank you for the ask <3
A9. Who was your first ship?
Hmm. Had to go back all the way to live journal to check that one but I think it depends if it means romantic ship or not? My first fanfiction was supernatural fanfiction featuring the brothers but my first ship must have been Dom x Brian from the Fast and Furious series. I haven't had the heart to revisit it since we lost Paul (10 years this year!?!) and I think I'm most comfortable that way.
Then I went through my (10 year) die hard phase then ended up here, not a lot of history to share, really!
B4. Who is your current favourite author? What is their best story?
Tolkien is my favourite author always and we all know his best story lol. I think this means on ao3 though so I'd say I tend to revere the things I can't do, so my favourite things are poetic descriptions and stunning world building. Which means I have to recommend my two darling loves Tattered_Dreams and singtome. I haven't read all their stories yet - all gifts to myself for when I finish tbc! - but I can tell you that Hard Rock/Callisto is singtome's opus (be ready for angst) and though it was never finished, the world building in Amalgamation by Tattered_Dreams once had me so enthralled I nearly broke my ankle on it (true story, I stood up after reading it, not realizing my leg had gone to sleep and rolled my ankle. I limped for a month and people made Newt 2.0 jokes, it as fab and absolutely 100% worth it).
B6. What is your favourite story trope? Why?
Oh god. I'm... this very contrary person who tries to avoid tropes (not possible, everything that can happen is a trope) and write each story as 'it's own thing' so I have a hard time answering this. Idiots to lovers? Probably? I don't think it's quite miscommunication that I write (though I hear that irritates some people to the nth degree lol) but my characters are always a bit dense to signals, or reluctant to risk falling in love or believing their interest is actually interested. So slow-ish burn I guess, though I don't have many long fics besides the obvious exception. Characterization and inner thought narration style are my favourite things to prioritize in writing so I think it's all the over-analyzing that makes it fun and satisfying for me to write out. I also like bed sharing kljasfkas lol.
(Edit: I just realized I answered this as a writer out of habit and this is a reading quiz. So I have maybe already answered my favourite things to read with poetic word choice and fantasy/sci-fi worldbuilding above but my favourite tropes to read probably are the same as the ones I like to write. Slow burn definitely, with a lot of characterization that feels well thought out and true to canon, and I also enjoy the compartmentalization in any type of courtesan/sex-worker fic, or any adjacent situation where the characters have an 'arrangement' . Anything where characters can be getting it on but thinking the other feels nothing for them and their feelings are unrequited heh - usually most simply because the act could be part of their job. It's probably because it just feeds a slow burn in a realistic feeling way for me. Characters' thought processes feeling Realistic is a big priority for me in a good, satisfying read. Marriage of Convenience is always one that usually works for me much better than Fake Dating for this reason, too. A green card or insurance fraud gives the whole act a Reason characters are working so hard at all the lies other than just. Fooling people lol.)
B9. Who is your OTP?
Still Newtmas.✨
C6. Is there anything in canon that made you want to quit the show? What was it? Why did you hate it? [tmr]
I saw the movies first and then read the books simply because I needed to write fanfic that would save Newt. It was actually a really funny experience because I had never seen something and felt the distinct NEED to create for it, or fix it, before (and I had sort of drifted from fanfic, only writing a short one a couple times a year, and I hadn't had a new obsession in years). All my other ships I had come to backward, ie. I felt a need to write, and found characters that would suit what I needed and then dug in. Newt's character and his tragedy really took hold of me. And I felt I needed to know the books in order to write acceptable fanfiction. I nearly didn't make it through them. Dashner himself has admitted to the gender issues that I felt were prevalent and toxic all throughout the books so that was pretty difficult for me, but the book I nearly didn't finish was tfc. The torture of a 4 year old child and the way it read like fanfic of his own work were not doing it for me lol.
D10. What is one story idea you really want to read but no one has written yet?
OOF lol I want to read all the stories and have so little time, so I don't feel equipped to answer this one at all. I hope everyone writes the ideas that come to them! Writing and reading are both such powerful experiences that everyone should have the pleasure of indulging in at least a little bit in their lifetime. <3
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10/06/2023 DAB Transcript
Jerimiah 6:16-8:7, Colossians 2:8-23, Psalms 78:1-31, Proverbs 24:26
Today is the 6th day of the month of October welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it is wonderful to be year with you today as we continue our journey into and through the fourth quarter of the year and the changing of the seasons as…well...here in the northern hemisphere things begin to cool down and…yeah…and get…get ready to rest for the winter. Yeah, it’s…here in the rolling hills of Tennessee the leaves will really do their magic and it can be really really lovely during this month and into next month. Of course, it really depends on where you are in the world. It could be just about time to turn springtime if you're in the southern hemisphere. And if you’re in the northern hemisphere depending where you are, if you're up north it's like yeah about time to snow. Like it will be nice and warm and leaves changing everything here in the rolling hills of Tennessee for another month into November, but by November it snows plenty of places in the northern hemisphere. So anyway, I don't know how we got on a big thing about weather. I'm not really a weather man. I guess I’m just looking outside as we prepare to take our next step forward. And let's do more than just prepare. Let's take the next step forward. We are working our way through the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament. We’re reading from the New International Version this week and today Jeremiah chapter 6, verse 16 through 8 verse 7.
Commentary:
Okay. I want to re-read for us a small paragraph, few verses out of the letter to the Colossians today because this is a very concise description of who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and who we are because of what He has done. In other words, this is a very concise spiritual description of our reality. And, so, Paul says, “in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form.” Right? So, in Jesus the fullness of God exists in bodily form. “And in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” Right? So, in other words, He is the most high. There is none above Him. “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self, ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through your faith in the working of God who raised Him from the dead.” Paul’s saying like we were utterly changed because of Jesus, fundamentally and profoundly changed. Changed from death to life, a new creature. Paul unpacks this by saying, and I quote, “when you were dead in your sins and in the un-circumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ.” Right? So, when you were dead God made you alive. “He forgave us all our sins having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness which stood against us and condemned us. He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them by the cross.” So, I mean I realize these are foundational pieces of theology that describe the Christian faith and describe the spiritual reality of our lives. And, so, well, I know we've heard some of this before because we've read it in other letters and we’re pretty far into the Bible. So, we understand these precepts and concepts. The question is, do we live like this is the truth? Is it our actual functional reality? This is something that the Colossians were struggling with, and Paul tells them, and I quote, “since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules?” And that right there is a big question the question that we need to meditate upon today and invite God into. If Jesus is the most high God wrapped in flesh who has come and put us back together, what was broken is restored and what was old is gone and we are new. If that's true, then Paul's question is fair. “Since you died with Christ why, as though you still belong to the world, do you submit to it?”
Prayer: Holy Spirit come into that question as we spend time going through the question and contemplating it today. If what You have done for us is so fundamentally shifting why would we choose anything less than total freedom, a freedom that You…that You offered to us. Why do we choose to be less and who we are in You? And the truth is there are so many stories in so many ways to try to answer that, the woundings of our lives, the way we were raised, the experiences that we've had, the fact that we’re rarely paying attention, and even the fact that sometimes we live as if this weren't true and enter into doubt. There’s all kinds of reasons that we would choose to be less but may we begin to understand that we are choosing this. The reality that You have presented to us is that we have been made new. Who we were died. Who we are is a resurrected child of God. May we not only contemplate why we would choose less but also give us the resolve to choose all that You have for us. We ask this in the precious and mighty name of Jesus, in whom all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form, and You have brought us to fullness. And we accept. Show us how to walk in fullness we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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