#I’m very confident in my guess on which au but I don’t want to be wrong hskskjshsj

[cheswirls]

short asl thing based on @where-does-the-heart-lie's modern au :) i started this over a year ago but the beginning is all dialogue and felt more like a script to me i suppose??? which deflated my desire to work on it. anyway i checked it over recently and it's completely fine lmfao, self-confidence restored here we go !

-

"Yo. Aren't you usually in the middle of your shift by now?"

"I've been banned from the hospital."

"Like, for life?"

"No. For the next, uh.. Twenty-two hours."

"That's oddly specific."

"It was twenty-four, but I fell asleep after leaving the building."

"That wouldn't have to do with why they kicked you out, at all?"

"Hmmm. I'm too sleep-deprived, apparently."

"Ah. And, um, you called me because...?"

"I pressed a random number in my call log after waking up. Lucky you, I guess."

"Yeah. Right. Lucky me. And your car keys are...?"

"Confiscated."

"Ah, right, of course."

A beat of silence. Two. Three, then "Look, if you're busy, then–"

"No, no.  You called me, so I'll be there. Give me twenty minutes."

"Alright. Thank–"

"Thank someone else. Also, if you fall asleep in my car, I'm taking it as express permission to drive you around wherever I want."

"Ugh, go die. I don't even know why I bothered."

"LUCKY YOU, I guess," sounds off way too loudly in his ear. "No take backs. See you in ten."

"I thought you said–" Sabo breaks off as the call ends, leaving him staring blankly at his phone's too-dim screen. He squints, turns the brightness all the way up, and still squints as the sunlight proves too strong for the display.

Ace shows up in more than ten but decidedly less than twenty minutes. Sabo doesn't waste much brain power on it, only climbing into the passenger seat and yawning into his palm while his other hand fixes the seatbelt into the buckle. Not a second too soon, too, as Ace roars the engine to life and peels away from the curb at record speed.

Ace fiddles with the radio. He turns the music up, then dial it back down to inaudible. They hit the expressway and he leans over the steering wheel, frowning with his eyes fixed on the road far ahead. Sabo yawns again and this appears to be the limit to his patience. 

"Hey, so, I had a thought after you hung up on me."

Sabo grimaces. "You mean you–"

"Today's Wednesday."

He doesn't elaborate. Sabo is too tired to process. "Yes," he follows, after a second. He glances at the sky out the front window. "What time is it?"

"Oh, uh." Ace fumbles with hand placement so he can lift his watch to his face. "Nine forty."

Sabo takes a couple beats to try and process this, moves his eyes away from the skyline, and sighs as he pulls his phone out. 2:47 is what the display reads, which sounds much more believable.

"How did the minute hand get off?" he mutters to himself, chancing a look at Ace's busted wristwatch. Ace raises a brow, taking his gaze off the road to scrutinize Sabo. "No, it doesn't matter," he mutters to himself once more, sliding his phone away back on his person and out of his hands.

"My point is," Ace continues, like he hasn't just been interrupted by a whole thing. "Your timeout will be done midday Thursday. Did they switch your days off?"

"No." Sabo sighs. "They technically gave me the next thirty-six hours. Technically closer to forty. Something like that. I go back in on Friday. Sometime.” He tries to smile and it turns out very lopsided, from that he can make out in the rearview mirror. “Can you tell I’m tired?”

“I don’t think ‘tired’ is an accurate description,” Ace quips. “When did you eat a proper meal last?”

“Uh, yesterday. Maybe.”

“Maybe??”

“A ‘proper meal’ means different things to the two of us,” Sabo huffs. “On my account it was yesterday. I’ve had food since then, of course.”

“Alright, so here’s the plan,” Ace announces before absolutely whipping it around a curve. Sabo is his passenger in the passenger seat and had fully prepared to be so when he got in the vehicle, but he’d been vastly underprepared for this sudden course of action, which is how he ends up halfway out of his seat with his cheek slammed into the cold window. Ace doesn’t quite notice his brother’s terminal velocity until the car is once again on the straight and narrow, and only then it’s because of the audible thunk Sabo’s face makes when it collides with the glass.

“Aw shit. You good bro?”

“Ow,” Sabo mutters. “If I have broken bones I’m suing your ass.”

“Well, if you’re good enough to make jokes, I think you’re better than you’re letting on.” Ace keeps the wheel steady with one knee while he takes both hands away to crack his fingers. When he glances over at Sabo again, he looks even more pathetic – like he’s becoming one with the glass. “Anyway, as I was saying.

“I’m taking your ass home. You’re going straight to sleep and while you crash, I’ll make you something decent to eat and stick it in the fridge for you to heat up later. I’ll even make you two servings to eat two different times, since you clearly can’t be trusted to take care of yourself correctly.”

“Ouch.”

“I want you to conk out for as long as your body allows. We can reset your sleep schedule tomorrow, alright? Put your phone on silent; do not answer any calls. In fact, you know what, just give it to me.

Sabo glances over to see Ace’s hand held out to him, palm up. Fingers wiggling expectantly. His lips pull up into a grimace. “I’m not doing that.”

“Fine.” Ace takes his hand back. “But you will comply with everything else.”

“Wow! It’s so funny, I didn’t realize you turned into my mother overnight! Really tapped into your mom potential, huh? Anything exciting happen in your life that would cause that? I guess I wouldn’t know, since I’ve been a zombie for the past two days.”

“There’s nothing wrong with acting like your older brother, you dipshit, especially if you keep putting yourself through the wringer like this. You go home. You sleep. You wake up and eat. You go back to sleep. Then we do laundry. Does that sound agreeable?”

“That’s negotiable, at the least,” Sabo mumbles. “I will accept good food as a form of bribery.”

“Oh, nice, because I’m flat broke at the moment.”

Sabo makes a mental note of that, and then they’re pulling into the driveway. Ace lets him exit the vehicle by himself and then promptly manhandles him all the way onto the couch where it will be easier to force his body to relax than in a real bed. Ace knows this, so he calls him weird before chucking a loose blanket at his head. Sabo is almost too tired to function at this point, so he lets Ace have the last laugh in favor of finally closing his eyes.

Coming to is a surreal experience, especially since the sun is still out. He must make a noise because Ace is suddenly within view. His limbs are tangled in the blanket and still so heavy that he doesn’t bother moving. “Thought you would be gone,” he half-groans, eyes slipping shut again for a moment.

“I did leave,” Ace confirms. “I had to go pilfer some stuff to make stew with. It’s almost done, so I’ll hang here until then.”

Pilfer. That could mean any number of things. Sabo chooses to believe in the option where Ace is an upstanding citizen, and then remembers Ace saying earlier that he had no money. He frowns and squirms on the cushions enough to where it looks like he’s checking his pockets. “Where’s my wallet, Ace?” he bluffs.

“Somewhere around here,” Ace pipes up. “Your stomach will thank you for your contributions to the Portgas Household’s pantry!”

“Ugh, I got robbed,” he complains. “This sucks. ‘m going back to sleep.” He rolls over so his back is to Ace.

“Yeah, you do you, bro. Stew will still be here later. I’ll see you when you’re back in the world of the living.”

—

Luffy comes in late that night and slams the front door shut as loud as humanly possible. When he appears in the main room, he doesn’t seem to be upset, so Ace writes it off as a Luffyism. Sabo hasn’t stirred at the noise, so it’s all good.

Realizing this, Luffy pads closer to Ace’s side and looks at Sabo’s unmoving body warily. “Why is Sabo passed out like a corpse? Is he sick?”

“No, he’s not sick, he just can’t take care of himself. Which is why we are going to let him sleep for as long as possible.”

Luffy just nods to this, but it’s the uncomprehending Luffy-nod that means he’s just going to end up doing whatever he wants to regardless. Ace sighs, then jerks his head towards the kitchen. “He ate a little earlier, but I want him to eat again when he wakes up. There’s stew in the fridge if you want it – just leave him a little. Got it, Monkey D. Luffy?”

Luffy throws him a salute and then runs off in his socks. “Yippee! Ace made stew!”

“Think of your brother, Luffy, and make good choices!” Ace calls after him. “He’s a pathetic man who needs food to feel better or he’ll end up sleeping through Laundry Day!”

—

Sabo does not sleep through laundry day, but he does sleep for sixteen whole hours, so it’s just around noon when he forces himself up off the couch and into a warm shower.

Ace is around, which is mildly unexpected. But he’s still half-asleep, so everything is at least a little unexpected. He glances up from playing video games with Luffy to see Sabo leaving the steam-filled bathroom with his hair hanging around his shoulders. “You look like a wet cat,” he calls.

“Sabo’s awake!” Luffy cheers. “Ace thought you died at one point.”

Ace elbows Luffy in the gut, making him hunch over. “I did not!”

“He totally checked to see if your heart was still beating!”

“I’m undead, actually,” Sabo says completely seriously.

“Does that mean you don’t need to eat anymore?” Luffy questions. “Because I ate all the stew last night.”

“I saw that coming and made extra.” Ace finger-guns in Sabo’s general direction. “That’s why I bought two sets of ingredients. With your money!”

“With my money,” Sabo echoes, because it’s such a wild statement to have to deal with this early in the day. Well, early for him. “Fuck you.”

“I mean, I can tell Luffy where I hid–”

“Thank you, Ace, for agreeing to share your quarters with both of your brothers so we can all do laundry today on your dime!” Sabo raises his pitch so his voice is mockingly squeaky when he says this. He starts moving down the hall before Ace can start to argue, letting his and Luffy’s voices bleed into the background.

When he comes back out, now dressed, it smells significantly better than before. “I reheated the stew,” Ace announces, gesturing for Sabo to take a seat at the kitchen counter. “Let’s all have lunch before we head out.”

“You have to drink this too,” Luffy tells Sabo, sliding a Gatorade across the counter so it sets in front of him when he finally does take a seat. “Ace’s orders.”

“Gotta get those nutrients back somehow.”

“Aren’t we so considerate, Sabo?”

“Do you even know what ‘considerate’ means?” Sabo asks, lips quirking up into a half-smile. At Luffy’s shrug, it turns into a real smile. “Well, thanks anyway. Both of you.”

“No sweat. And look!” Ace brandishes a five dollar bill for both to see. “I found this baby for us to use on coins! It’s all on me today–”

“Where’s my wallet, Ace?!”

[moonsgemini]

don’t delete the kisses - college!rafe

summary: Rafe loses all his confidence when it comes to the girl he’s been pining after for years but maybe her plan to be alone with him will help give him the push he needs. Or maybe the guy that flirts with her and doesn’t take no will be his final straw.

warnings: MUTUAL PINING, fluff, self doubt, alcohol, friends to lovers kinda, college au, semi creepy guy, fem reader, she/her

wc: 4.3k

an: HI FRIENDS!!! guess who’s back fr this fine. I started a very new chapter of my life recently & kinda went through a little depression but I’m doing much better now & much more adjusted. I missed writing sm but I’m a little rusty so uh sorry if it's bad LOL

p.s I turned 23 last week. ik my bio already says 23 but I lied & was 22 but now I’m 23. LOL. also I’m not a gemini but I have a gemini moon.

Rafe was confident. Some would say he was a little cocky, but he never saw it that way. He saw it as knowing what he wanted and never stopping until he got it. Whether it be being the best at soccer, taking out the hottest girl, or getting a 4.2 gpa. Rafe’s charming personality always got him far in every aspect in life. Parents loved him, teachers admired him, girls practically threw themselves at him. Of course he had no problem talking to girls, it was almost what he was best at.

Except when it came to her. She made his words get stuck in his throat, all his thoughts leaving his head when his eyes would meet hers. Whenever she was in the room he couldn’t function, something their friends had started to notice. Rafe’s sophomore year y/n started coming around with one of his friend’s Wren. She inevitably integrated with the group. Y/n would go to the frat parties at the boys frat and Rafe couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Yet never once did he attempt to flirt with her.

Ever since Wren had introduced her to them he was gone. Her shy smile and wide excited eyes had reeled him in. She was sweet and a constant ray of sunshine. Which makes it an even bigger mystery as to why he can’t talk to her. It’s not like she’d be mean or reject him, but somehow he can never get any words out. Always turning into a clammy, awkward, stuttering mess.

Now that it was his senior year attending frat parties became less frequent and going to bars was more common for them. This just made his problem worse. Because now at bars guys would hit on her and he couldn’t do anything. He’d watch with a glare as some guy clearly not good enough for her tried to get her number. She’d always say no, he wasn’t sure why but he was definitely glad she never gave anyone the time of day.

Y/n was sick and tired of never having Rafe’s attention. She’d see him effortlessly talk to Wren and the other girls they were friends with but when it came to her it seemed like he tried to avoid conversation. He would make up an excuse to leave the conversation or would only give short answers. She figured it was to get her to stop talking to him, but she was not giving up that easily.

She wanted his attention because he was just so Rafe. He was smart, athletic, kind, and funny. Maybe he didn’t talk to her but she was always listening to him. When they went on a road trip last summer she sat in the back seat happily in silence because Rafe was talking to Mason almost the whole ride. Plus he is so handsome she swears he could be a disney prince. Y/n had a plan to get to spend some time with him. She wanted him to like her so desperately it was starting to hurt.

It was a Friday night and they were all going out to the bars and she had so graciously offered to host the pregame at her apartment. Everything was going according to plan as her friends all said they’d be there and said what alcohol they were bringing. Even Rafe had sent a text in the group saying he’d be there and that got her stomach fluttering with butterflies. Of course she had the perfect outfit to hopefully impress him and get his attention.

She was setting out shot glasses and solo cups when the first guests knocked on the door. With a giddy smile on her lips she walked over and opened the door. Of course Wren was a part of the group to first arrive.

“Y/n! I’m so happy you’re hosting!” Wren exclaimed as she hugged her. The other three behind Wren took their turn greeting her with a hug as well.

“What you don’t like our place?” Tyler, one of the guys she came with, asked.

Wren gave him a sour look, “Not really into houses with four boys who don’t clean after themselves.”

Kelce gave her an offended look, “Hey we do clean before you guys come over.” They all gathered in the kitchen around the breakfast bar starting to look at the different alcohol options.

“I wouldn’t call wiping down the counters with baby wipes cleaning,” Mariah rolled her eyes at the pair of boys. Just then another knock came from the door.

Kelce who was closest to the door went over to open it. Topper walked in first dapping (an: I cringed too) up Kelce. Behind him followed Mason and Jasmine who all took their turns greeting everyone. Then last but certainly not least Rafe’s tall frame walked through the door way. He smiled brightly as he greeted Kelce and moved on to everyone else. Once he got to y/n who was the last one left his wide smile turned into a closed lip grin. Instead of giving her a side hug the way that all the guys did and the way he did to the other girls he just gave her a small wave. She couldn’t lie and say that it didn’t hurt her but it wasn’t going to deter her from her plan.

Rafe had been a nervous wreck ever since that text she sent inviting them over. Kelce had turned to him knowing his best friend would be looking as pale as a ghost. Rafe didn’t know if he was excited or mortified. The hours before the pregame he had been trying on different outfits and making sure his hair looked okay. Why do I even care so much? is all he kept thinking as he finished spraying on cologne.

He cared so much because he was going to y/n’s. Every time he went in with the mentality that it would be different. He would be his usual self and be able to talk to her. But then when he’d see her all his confidence would disappear and he’d be trying to get away from her as soon as possible. He hated the effect she had on him, he hated feeling so defenseless.

After he chickened out of giving her a hug when he came over he lost complete hope for the rest of the night.

They were going to be leaving for the bar soon and all he had been doing was stealing glances at her every five seconds. She was sitting on her couch with a couple of the girls talking about who knows what. He knows that whatever it was it was making her smile big. She was glowing and radiating so much light he almost couldn’t look away. He loved how she blushed whenever talking about something she was passionate about, something he noticed she did. He also noticed how she constantly touched her hair when she was nervous.

His grip on his cup tightened as he thought about her. He wished he could be the one to brush her hair away or hold her hands when she felt nervous. He sighed and looked away, trying to pay attention to whatever story Topper was telling.

Y/n rolled her eyes playfully while smiling, “It’s a good plan guys! I’ll ask if he can stay behind to help me clean so then we can finally be alone together. God I hope he doesn’t say he’ll leave.”

Wren looked at her friend with sympathetic eyes, “This man has no idea what he’s missing out on.”

“You’re going through all this effort for the biggest player at this school,” Jasmine reminded her.

Y/n shrugged a shy smile on her lips, “But it’s Rafe. We know him, he’s-he’s a good guy.”

“She’s not wrong. He is a good guy,” Wren agreed.

Jasmine laughed, “Well let’s hope he actually tries to pull a move tonight. I’m tired of seeing you reject every guy for him.”

Y/n sighed, “If nothing happens tonight then I’ll give up and it means he really hates me.”

Wren put her hand over hers, “He doesn’t hate you babe. I promise you he doesn’t.”

“Ladies I think it’s tiiiime to head out,” Mason said as he walked over. The buzz he had clearly showing.

The three girls looking at each other before standing up. Y/n cleared her throat, “I-I think I’m gonna stay behind a bit.”

“Dude what? No you’re coming out tonight,” Topper said as they all walked into the kitchen.

“I’m coming out tonight Top. I just wanna stay back and clean a bit,” she gathered all the courage she could, “Uh Rafe could you stay back and help me?”

Rafe turned to look at her with furrowed brows. His kind was racing with reasons as to why she would want him to help. He was also fighting with himself to say no.

He looked over at his friends who were all smirking at him. He huffed a dry laugh, “uh yeah yeah sure.” He gave her a tight lipped smile. As soon as he saw her play with her hair and that smile form on her lips he knew she deserved a million yes’.

After everyone left Rafe and y/n started silently cleaning the kitchen and living room. Rafe glanced up at her every so often, catching her eyes a few times. A subtle heat would creep up on her cheeks when his blue eyes met hers.

She brought over a few beer bottles to the kitchen to recycle as she cleared her throat, “so Rafe how is uh soccer?” She needed something to talk to him about, the silence was killing her.

He looked up at her from where he was wiping the counter. The light buzz he had was making him feel a bit more like himself, “It’s good, season finally starts next week.”

She leaned against the end of the counter, “That’s good. I expect big things from you Rafe, you won the championship last year.”

He chuckled nervously, “Now I really have motivation to do good.”

She smirked, “well you’re like insanely talented so I regardless you’re going to kill it.”

“I will if you come to some games,” The words left his mouth faster than he could stop them. But he was glad he couldn’t stop himself. The blush on her cheeks and the way she looked down fighting a smile made any embarrassment he felt worth it.

“Of course I’ll be there,” She smiled at him, “thanks for helping me clean Rafe. I really didn’t want to come home to a messy apartment.”

“Anything for you,” He shrugged with a small smile.

Her heart was pounding in chest as she spoke, “One more shot before we go?”

He chuckled, “let’s do it.”

She looked around for shot glasses, “Uh I think we used all the shot glasses.” Her suspicions were correct when she opened the dishwasher seeing them in there.

Rafe’s stomach twisted at the idea that popped into his brain. He rubbed his hands on his pants anxiously as he spoke, “I can just pour it in your mouth like a couple of freshman.” He tried to joke hoping he didn’t make her uncomfortable with his suggestion.

Her eyes lit up mischievously feeling like a genius as her plan was going better than expected, “Only if you let me doing it you.”

He nodded laughing, “Fair enough, so what’s your alcohol of choice?”

“hmmm tequila,” She smiled.

He picked a bottle from the counter opening it and looking over at her with a smirk, “Ready?”

She chuckled nervously, “uhhh you first.” He handed her the bottle.

She looked up at him, his tall frame towering over her, “Okay you’re gonna have to lean down or something Rafe you’re too tall.”

He walked around to sit at one of the stools. His knees pointed to her, long legs spread. Without thinking she stepped towards him. Practically standing between his legs, “Get ready Cameron.” She smirked hoping to hide just how dizzy he was making her feel. She’d never been this close to him and it was overwhelming.

He tilted his head back opening his mouth. Her face felt hot as she started pouring the liquid in his mouth. She shouldn’t have been as attracted to it as she was. She pulled away after a few seconds. When Rafe was done drinking he looked at her with a smirk, “That was more than a shot.”

She shrugged feigning innocence, “Oops.”

He let a breathy sigh, a smile still on his lips. He couldn’t find any words to say because when he looked at her for too long he got nervous.

“uh it’s your turn,” He stood up taking the bottle from her hands. It was then he realized how close she was. She smelled so good he wanted to lean into her. He wanted to push her hair back and tuck his face into her neck, kiss her pulse as he breathed in her perfume.

Y/n opened her mouth and tilted her head back a bit. Rafe’s hands moved before he could think. He placed his hand on the side of her face, his thumb going under her chin tilting it up gently. Her mouth opened wider on it’s own accord, something in her wanting to do exactly whatever he wanted. Rafe noticed it too and his jaw clenched as he thought about her in ways that aren’t very gentlemanly.

She couldn’t even taste or feel the alcohol starting to go down her throat as she stared at him. Rafe looked incredibly hot as he stood over her. His lip tucked between his teeth as he concentrated not spilling all over her. The few seconds felt like minutes when he was this close. Rafe pulled the bottle away. As she closed her mouth swallowing the remaining liquid Rafe’s thumb wiped away a drop from the corner of her lip before pulling away. She quickly took a drink from the soda she had opened, trying to get the tequila taste out of her mouth.

He cleared his throat as the tension in the room was palpable, “So uh we should um catch up with everyone?” He said as a question because he didn’t know what to do from here. He wanted to do whatever she did.

Y/n wanted him to bend her over the kitchen counter. But she kept her composure nodding her head, “Uh yeah yeah.”

She stepped away from him instantly missing the closeness as she grabbed her purse. He waited by the door as she walked over. His eyes watched her every move. He held the door open for her as she walked out. He never once looked away as she turned her back to him to lock her door, he enjoyed this view of her. The skirt she had on could barely be considered a skirt, it made his pants suddenly get tighter.

He shifted between his feet as she turned around, a tight lip smile aimed towards her. Of course she returned a toothy grin with a short laugh, he was so cute she couldn’t get enough.

Y/n thought her plan was working, she felt like she was really getting him to open up to her and like her. But whenever she felt like she was getting somewhere his awkwardness would return and that feeling in her gut started blooming. The one that made her doubt herself, what if she had come on too strong back inside and that’s why he was being awkward?

-

Rafe watched her from where he stood by the pool table. She was waiting for the bartender to finish making someone their drink before ordering her second round when some random guy went up to her. From what Rafe could see it seemed like she wasn’t really enjoying the guy’s company.

He gripped his beer bottle in his hands as the guy stepped closer to y/n. She was giving him polite smiles and nods as he went on about who knows what.

The walk to the bar was mostly quiet between the two. A somewhat comfortable silence that was filled with small talk. Even after the moments they had pouring liquor into each other’s mouths they couldn’t be normal around each other. Especially Rafe. Anytime his shoulder would brush against hers he’d step over a little not wanting to make her uncomfortable. When in reality she wanted him to wrap his arm around her because she was cold and because he smelled good. The tequila hadn’t had much of an affect on him anymore so any confidence he had with her was diminished.

“Dude it’s your turn,” Topper nudged him trying to get his attention.

Rafe turned to him trying to act as if he’d been watching him try to get the ball in the pocket. He rolled his eyes, “Eager to lose Top.” Topped chuckled shaking his head not wanting to call out his best friend on his staring problem.

He set his beer down and slightly leaned over the pool table as he aligned the stick with the ball. He still had a clear view of y/n, of course he was still looking up at her every second as he adjusted his position. He pulled the stick back as before pushing it forward between his fingers he looked up and his heart rate picked up.

The guy that has been bothering her had put his hand on his girl. He had put his hand on the small of her back, his body pressing against her side as she uncomfortably shifted away from him. It was clear she didn’t want him near her and he wasn’t getting the hint. What made if even clearer was when y/n’s eyes met his from across the room, a desperate look in her eyes.

Rafe could hear his heartbeat in his ears as he grew more angry. He dropped the stick onto the table not bothering to say anything to Topper or anyone else. He took long strides over to them not wanting her to be in that situation any longer. He bumped into a few people on the way but he didn’t care enough to apologize, his eyes zeroed in on her.

Once he was standing behind her Rafe shoved himself between her and the creep. At first y/n was worried it was another creepy guy but as soon as she smelt the familiar dior cologne she knew it was Rafe. The whole time this guy James was talking to her she had been hoping Rafe could read her mind of her pleading him to help her. She had seen him watching them and for a second she felt a sense of pride as she saw a hint of jealousy in his eyes. She hoped she wasn’t wrong about that.

Then the guy noticed that she wasn’t too into whatever he was talking about and decided to touch her to get her attention. Y/n had been leaning on the bar watching the bartender make her drink not full turned to him to hint that she wasn’t interested. When she felt the hand on her lower back she tried leaning away, him thinking that means he should get closer. Panic filled her eyes as she felt helpless, usually ignoring them or politely turning them down would turn guys away but not this one.

Before he could get even closer is when she smelt that amazing dior cologne. Rafe gave the guy a shove, not too hard to where he’d draw attention. He didn’t want to make y/n more uncomfortable by getting the whole bar’s attention by starting a fight.

“Hands off my girlfriend,” Rafe said his voice laced with venom. She stepped to the side but still behind Rafe to look at the scene in front of her. Her eyes widened at his words, cheeks beginning to feel hot like she just took another shot of tequila.

James scoffed putting his hands up in defense, “Dude she was the one coming on to me.” Y/n scoffed glaring at him in disgust.

She was opening her mouth to say something when Rafe laughed mockingly, “Yeah I doubt she’d give you the time of day even if she was single. Go the fuck away now.”

Rafe turned around to her, barely any space between them. His brows furrowed in concern as he took in her glassy eyes and pink cheeks, “Are you okay?”

He looked even more handsome when he was worried about her. She wasn’t even thinking about the situation she was just in all she could think about was Rafe. Maybe her plan had worked.

She cleared her throat trying to find her voice, “uh yeah. yes. Can we actually go outside?” The room had started to feel too hot and stuffy, or maybe her body was just over heating from their closeness.

He nodded, “Come on, follow me.” He grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd. His much taller and wider frame creating a path for her.

Once outside she felt like she could breathe again until Rafe turned to her again and her eyes met his. He was so beautiful it hurt her to think about how maybe he just said what he said to help her. Maybe it didn’t mean anything. She wished he would just talk to her like he talked to everyone else and flirt with her like he did with every girl or like he did a couple hours ago in her kitchen.

“Y/n are you okay,” He asked her again letting go of her hand not wanting to make her uncomfortable. He immediately regretted it and wanted to reach for her again. Rafe wanted to move her hair out of her face and stroke her cheek.

She gave him her best smile even though he could see a sadness behind her eyes, “I’m fine Rafe, I could have taken that guy. It was just hot in there.” She tried to play off.

“You’re lying,” He said softly, “why do you seem sad? I can go back in there and punch the guy.”

She couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, “I’m not sad about that.”

“Then what is it? I can help.”

She huffed not really wanting to tell him but knowing she had to rip the bandaid off at some point, “Rafe why don’t you like me? Well I think you like me now. But before why was it only me you never talked to or even any ounce of attention to? But then you like step in and save me from a weirdo and act all concerned so I’m just confused.” She felt like a weight lifted off of her shoulders finally getting what’s been bothering her off her chest.

Rafe stood dumbfounded and feeling the world’s biggest dick. He didn’t think that she had noticed how weird he was around her and now he’s finding out she thinks he hates her. He should be punching himself. It takes him a few seconds to find the right words to say.

“Y/n you’ve always had all of my attention. I-I am always looking at you, in the least creepy way possible,” He sighed finally confessing, “Whenever I’m around you I-I can’t be that Rafe everyone expects of me because you make me nervous. You’re perfect. You’re so nice, funny, beautiful, the smartest person I know, and gorgeous. I was afraid I’d do something stupid or mess up and you’d think I was just some dumb jock.”

She stepped closer to him leaving no distance between them. She put her hands on his chest and looked up at him, “Rafe I’ve liked you since I met you. I-I have been dying for you to do something for so long now, please don’t keep me waiting any longer.”

How could Rafe say no? Her big eyes staring up at him with her warm palms on his chest that were now sliding up his shoulders to wrap around his neck. He grabbed her waist firmly bringing her impossibly closer. That nerve racked Rafe was gone as soon as he heard her say she liked him. He felt like himself now, moving with confidence as he walked backwards pressing her against the side of the bar.

At the same time that her back hit the wall he leaned down and connected his lips with her soft plump ones. She let out and soft moan at the feeling she had been craving since she saw him for the first time. Y/n didn’t even care that her back and hair were pressed agains the dirty wall because one of Rafe Cameron’s hands were sliding up her body and wrapping around her throat gently.

He kissed her with fervor trying to make up for lost time. And oh boy was Rafe already planning on just how he was going go make up for it. After a few minutes they pulled away breaths mixing together as they stayed close to each other.

“Wow,” She whispered before a giggle slipped past her lips. She had finally kissed him.

He laughed with her feeling the same giddiness she did. He reached up brushing some strands of her eyes, “I’m sorry I’ve been an idiot. Let me take you home and make it up to you.”

She nodded shyly. Suddenly not knowing how to act around the Rafe she had been praying to see, “Yes please.”

He smirked leaning forward and pressing a kiss below her ear. He nudged his nose against her ear before softly saying, “Please? Well aren’t you a good girl.”

[luveline]

Hey Jade! Just a request for the Steve Zombie AU (if you’d like!!! ♥️). What about a hurt/comfort before they reach the college where reader is having a really rough time and has a bit of a breakdown. Protective Stevie wanting to make things better but also being practical to like sort it out because they’re still on the road having to survive. Super “it’ll be okay. I’m gonna fix it!” vibes (because I just DIED when I read that line 🥹)

thank you for your request!! steve zombie!au ♥︎ fem!reader 1k

You’ve been inside of the apocalypse for so long that you can’t remember how long you’ve been inside of it. You’ve lost your family and friends, your life, your choices. You miss TV and movie theatres and frozen pizza, but more than anything, you miss how it felt to wake up rested. 

You miss Saturday mornings with nowhere to go. How you’d wake and spread out over your warm sheets, look up into the dimpled ceiling of your bedroom and take a moment to follow dust motes dancing between beams of insistent, golden sunlight. 

There’s no sunlight now. It’s raining hard, and you and Steve have nowhere to go. You’ve built the best tent that you’re able to build during such a sudden downpour, two sharp sticks and a tarp buckling under the weight. Every now and then Steve will reach up and slowly release the water that’s been up there, pushing his palm into the bump until it runs down the side of the tarp and away from you and your things.

You feel hopeless. 

Steve must see the look on your face. He’s getting very good at knowing how you feel. Which is great when you’re feeling great — you barely have to hint for a kiss anymore when you want one — and unfortunate when you’re feeling down. He knows you’re prone to despair, and his knowing makes it worse. He’s in the exact same boat as you watching you come apart. 

“Have my hand,” he says. 

You try to focus on what he’s said. Not take my hand, but have my hand. He offers his right hand to you, his knuckles scratched from a stubborn wooden fence, and smooths his fingertips over your palm with a deliberate gentleness. He squeezes your fingers as they slot between his, and rubs the back of your hand with his thumb. 

Things with Steve are good. You love him, though you won’t tell him that, and he has a deep affection for you at the very least. You don’t fuck, which had surprised you but isn’t disappointing — you’re almost always sweaty and you aren’t sure either of you are ready for that. But not fucking gives you a little more confidence in your relationship. He can’t be using you for sex if you don’t have sex. And besides, Steve isn’t the type to do that unless you wanted it too. 

He doesn’t lie. You like that about him. You trust him to be honest in his intentions.

He doesn’t lie, and he doesn’t sugarcoat. 

“I don’t know how long this will last,” he says. “The rain. We have to be careful. We need to stay dry, or it’s probably gonna kill us.”

“It’s just rain,” you say softly. 

“It’s about staying warm.” He rubs the back of your hand. 

"How do you know?" 

"I don't. I'm guessing. I'm always guessing." 

"What?" 

Steve shuffles toward you. Tarp or not, the ground feels damp and cold beneath you, and he must feel it too as he draws closer. He wraps one of your arms up in his and tugs it under his armpit, an uncommon shape to hug you in but by no means weird. Your right shoulder pressed to his, his face inclined in the dimness so you can see his eyes clearly. 

"I don't know what I'm doing, honey," he says, 'honey' said sweet as the real thing and just as smooth. He's trying to pull you back from the precipice of panic. "But that doesn't mean we won't be okay." He gestures to the rain. "I'll make it okay." 

"How can you?" you ask. 

His reassurance makes you cry. Tears well and fall, a cruel and burning lump takes station in your throat. 

"We don't have enough to stay here and wait," you say, looking at his chest rather than his face. 

"We'll make it enough. We have water, we have food for another four days. All we have to do is stay warm…" He grins at you. There's a hopefulness to his smile. "I can keep you warm." 

Your laugh splutters through tears. His eyebrows wriggle over his forehead. When the laughing turns into sobbing he doesn't baulk, only pulls your face into his shoulder and crooks his arm behind your head. You cry with an ardency made up of raw-tipped fear. 

"I don't wanna die here," you say. 

Steve shushes you, hand rubbing a too-quick motion over your back. He holds you together for the hundredth time. "You're not dying here." 

You're grateful he doesn't say, "Sweetheart, it's only rain." Because it isn't only rain that's hurting you tonight. It's everything. Everything but Steve. 

"You think I'd let that happen? We're doing what we need to do. We stay dry, we wait for the rain to pass, and we keep going." He kisses the tip of your ear. You almost don't feel it. "I will drag you out of this damn forest with me. I'll carry you if I have to." 

"You can't carry me, Harrington," you mumble. 

"You're lucky it's raining. I can't carry you," he says, disbelieving. "Are you kidding?" 

He starts to pull you up toward his chest. Steve is surprisingly strong considering he isn't too bulky, and your shoulders and back feel as if they're decompressing, shifting. You let your weight fall into him. He stops you from sliding down the length of his chest. You should know by now, Steve will always hold you up. 

The rain abates sometime in the early hours. You and Steve roll up the tarp, drag it dripping wet through mud and leaf mulch to the highway, and you keep walking until you find a place to rest. You try to say sorry for breaking down. Steve won't hear it, but he does accept the apology kiss you offer, and he gives your cheek an aching squeeze. 

[mythica0]

A whosamawhatsit?

🎂: Fop; a new wish

🧁.Dev

🍫: Peri

Summary: Dev gets his first ever lee mood. He is confused.

A/N: yes I’m writing lee dev ler peri again, what it to ya! This fic takes place after the other two I wrote, I kinda got a timeline going. Also I hope someone gets my title 🙏 (btw it’s pronounced who’s-a-muh-what’s-it) I’m not super happy with the ending but eh.

(P.S I got so flustered writing this. Also, Beta read by @randommusicalfluff!)

A whosamawhatsit?

Dev felt strange.

As soon as he woke up, he felt… odd. In a way he couldn’t quite place.

His whole body was buzzing, he felt like he was a soda can that had been shaken. He felt light and airy, and almost bouncy?

He was also in a better mood than usual? He didn’t know why he was just… less meh. He actually woke up and smiled.

He stretched and got dressed, having an Au-pair bring him a donut for breakfast.

“Hey kid, G’morning!”

Dev looked up at Peri and smiled, giving him a small wave. “Good morning, Peri!”

Peri sensed something. He didn’t say anything. He wanted to be sure.

“Well someone’s chipper this morning!”

Dev hesitated and smiled. “Yeah.. guess I am!” Dev was confused. He felt so… odd. He felt like he wanted.. something? What was it…

The rest of the school day went as normal, but the whole time Dev was contemplating and confused. He noticed more as the day went on.. he found things funnier than he usually did, felt a need for physical contact. And that bubbly, fizzing feeling in his stomach grew, along with to a sense of longing. If only he could figure out what he wanted!

Peri observed throughout the day. His sense had never been wrong before, and it was blaring! This kid had a lee mood, he just knew it. Time to have a little chat!

After Dev and Peri had arrived back at the mansion, and entered Dev’s room, Peri started the conversation.

“So, Dev, how are you feeling?”

Dev looked up. “Hmm? Oh, I feel great, thanks for asking!” He answered genuinely, smiling.

“That’s good! But I meant.. feel any different than usual?”

Dev didn’t know how Peri knew, but he replied honestly anyway.

“Actually, yeah.”

“Hmmm, how so?”

“Well.. I’ve felt like.. buzzy? All day. Also pretty light. I’ve found things funnier than usual… and a sense of … longing? But I can’t figure out what it is that I’m longing for.”

“Ahh, my sensors never fail!” Dev looked confused. “Worry not, kid, for I know exactly what you want.”

“How do you know what I want when I don’t?”

“Well, you’re in a lee mood! And I always know when someone’s in a lee mood.”

“A.. whosamawhatsit?”

“Oh yeah you don’t know what that is, do you?”

Dev shook his head, intrigued and listening but also very confused.

“Well, A lee mood is when someone wants to be tickled!” Immediately Dev’s face burned as he realized that.. yup, that was what that sense of longing was about. “It often comes with buzzing or tingling sensations and a chipper attitude, which you have been displaying!”

Dev blinked, and let out a flustered, “….huh.”

“Sooooo?” Peri drawled, teasingly.

“So- what?” Deb responded, an eyebrow raised.

“Do you want me to tickle you?” Peri said, so casually, as if discussing the weather.

Dev blushed even more. “Uh- I- ummm-“ he didn’t quite know how to respond. He did. But he didn’t wanna say that! That’s embarrassing!

“I’m not hearing a no~”

Dev continued to stammer embarrassedly.

“Don’t worry, I won’t make ya say it!” Peri teased, pulling dev into a hold. Dev covered his red face with both hands.

Peri smiled and started scribbling against the kids ribs, causing his joyous giggles to pour from him.

“Are you gonna uncover your face so I can see your precious smile~”

“Nohohohohoho!”

“Oh, really~ are you suuureee~”

Dev mustered some false confidence. “Ye-yeahahahah!”

“Alright then, guess I’ll just have to make you.”

Right after he finished his sentence, Peri shot up to Dev’s underarms, digging with just enough pressure to really tickle.

Out of instinct, Dev’s arms shot down.

“Aww, too bad~ where’d all that stubbornness go?”

“I Cahahahahant hehehehehehelp ihihit!! Ehehahhaha!”

“Well, if you’re gonna try to be all stubborn then you should probably work on that.”

“Eehahahhaahahaaa! Gehehehet ouhohohout ohohohof thehehehre!!!”

Peri pouted sarcastically. “I can’t~ my hands are stuck~”

“Nohohoho thehehey ahahahrehehent yohohou liahahahar!”

Peri made a fake attempt to remove his hands, before once again teasing, “see? They won’t budge! Guess I’ll just have to stay here and tickle and tickle and tickle for the rest of time!”

“Nohohohoho!! Gohoho sohohomwhehehere ehehehelse!!

“Oh, so you don’t want me to stop? You just want me to go somewhere else? And why is that, this a bad spot~?” The lilt in his voice made Dev’s face go even darker than it was.

“Nohohohoho! Eheheheee!” Dev was kicking lightly, unable to stop the happy laughter and energy that flowed through his whole body.

“No? That’s not why? Hmm… is it because you want me to tickle your little tummy? Is that why? Does this cute little tummy want some of the tickly tickly tickles?”

Dev blushed even harder(somehow) and continued to kick lightly and giggle. But he didn’t deny it.

“Oh~~? No denial?? That must be it, then huh~”

“Eeeehehehehahaha! Dohohohohooonttt!” Dev whined through his bubbly giggles.

“Oh~ so you don’t want me to tickle your little belly? You don’t want me to make you feel all giggly and happy from the tummy tickles?”

Dev just whined again, laughter never stopping, smile never leaving his face.

“No? You do? Well, then why’d you say ‘don’t’ hmm? If you do want me to tickle your tummy, then don’t what?”

“Nohohoho tehehehaseihihing!!”

“Aww, I’m afraid I can’t do that~ teasing is part of the fun!”

Dev just giggled some more.

“Well~ if you want me to tickle tickle tickle that little tummy of yours, you’re gonna have to move your arms. I’m still stuck!”

“Ihihihi cahahahahant!!

“Well then, why don’t I help you out~” Peri kept tickling with his right hand, but took his left and pulled Dev’s arms up over his head, with no protest. He held them there for just a moment, before digging into Dev’s oh so ticklish tummy.

Dev’s giggles grew bigger, renewed by the change in sensation.

Dev couldn’t and wouldn’t say it out loud, but he was having the time of his life. The ticklish jolts sending through his stomach to the rest of his body, making him laugh and smile and kick joyfully. Forcing him to be happy, forcing him to giggle and laugh brightly. At some point he had tears of joy forming in his eyes.

He was so happy right now, and that made him embarrassed.

After a good few minutes off the tickles, Peri stopped, sensing that the kid had had enough.

He poofed up some water for him, encouraging him to drink slowly.

Dev giggled for a while, breathing heavily, trying to brush away left over tickles. He drank the water, let his face cool down, and allowed his giggles to slow and then stop.

“Welp, now you know what a lee mood is, right?”

“Yeah, yeah- I guess I do!” …. There was a pause, then a breath. “Do you get lee moods?”

Uh oh.

———THE END————————————————

[frankoceanluvrr]

𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 - 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐑

pairing : friends to lovers , fem!reader , college!peter, college!au

warnings : nothing serious. english isn’t my first language, urdu is! so please tell me about grammatical errors like spelling and punctuation as those i struggle with

summary : [Name] and Peter have been friends since college started. He soon finds out his friend has a ‘crush’ on the masked vigilante Spiderman, and cant help but feel a little jealous.

italics = flashbacks !

“What you drawing?” Peter smiled, looking at your notebook.

You quickly shut the book closed, looking at him laughing, “you’ll say it’s dorky.”

“Oh, come on? Me saying somethings dorky? Isn’t that like, hypocritical?” He said, tilting his head.

“I guess nerd, forgot you take physics” You said, “and anyway, we’re supposed to be studying. Not focusing on little doodles”

“Please [Name], I promise I don’t think you’re secretly the biggest dork ever” He sarcastically stated, “and I definitely do not think you’re a bigger nerd than me.”

“How dare you cross that line!” you say, holding your hand on your heart, tilting your head back.

While you were doing your dramatics, he quickly got your notebook before you could even react.

“Hey! That’s private property.” you gasped, watching him gloat since he got the book.

He opened it and flicked through the pages to see simple notes covered in Spiderman doodles.

“Oh, wow dude you really are a dork” he laughed looking at every drawing, feeling himself blush a little bit.

“Aren’t you literally in a robotics club? Or what about the time you made me watch all of those Star Wars movies? How about the time—”

“Okay that’s enough” Peter interrupted, looking around the library.

“Exactly, I cant out nerd the nerd” you shrugged, “I bet spiderman isn’t a nerd.”

“He most definitely is. Probably old and wrinkly” Peter said quickly, “yeah, he definitely has crusty bleached hair and 47 years of age.”

“You really think so? I’d love him no matter what then. I’ve actually met him before.” You said, completely unaware of who you’re exactly talking to.

**

“Are you alright?” The superhero said, looking at you while you attempt to carry new furniture into your new student accommodation.

“Yep, I’m good. Great, actually. I really like this lamp” you tried acting cool in front of the superhero, but he could tell you were secretly fangirling anyway.

“I can take some of those in you know, it’ll be easier with two people.” He offered, watching you stare at all the boxes, “which floor will you be on?”

The mask gave Peter confidence, it made him feel like he wasn’t scared of anything. It was like he was a complete different person with the mask on.

“Sure, I’m on the bottom floor so it’s not a massive job. Anyway don’t you have like, superhero duties to attend to or whatever? Sorry, that definitely came out rude. I’m very thankful you’ve offered to help me and-” you rambled, wanting the ground to swallow you up whole.

“No, no, it’s fine honestly. I’m happy to help you”

You obviously couldn’t see, but he was smiling so hard under the mask.

Peter had been crushing on you since you first met, and it’s safe to say you felt the same. But neither of you confessed your feelings, in fear of what might be ruined.

After moving all your furniture inside, you had thanked him about a million times.

“Your smile is beautiful, by the way.” He said, looking at you.

**

“And that’s how spiderman helped me with all my furniture. He’s such a gentleman” You smiled, pretending to be all smitten, “He even said my smile was beautiful.”

“He wasn’t wrong.” He said, barely audible.

Without the mask, Peter was very shy and awkward. The mask “completed” him, and he was always said he was nothing without it.

“Who even uses the word beautiful anymore? The chivalry! But he probably says that to every girl, right?” You giggled.

“No” he said quite quickly, only to receive a confused look from you, “I mean like, obviously he won’t say that to every girl because none of them have a pretty smile like you.”

Your eyes widened slightly as you could feel the heat in your cheeks rise. All you could muster out was a simple “shut up” as you looked away.

“Aw, did I make you nervous?” Peter teased, still flipping through the doodles.

“I want to kill you” you said, still attempting to hide your blush.

“Moving on,” Peter whistled, “I stand by the fact he’s probably old and musty.”

“No, no, he sounded young. Also, I saw his abs through his suit. Definitely not that old.” You smirked before bursting out laughing.

Peter clenched his jaw for a second, then realised his crush was literally checking him out.

“Gross.” Peter said, not even trying to wipe the smile off of his face.

a/n : part 2 :

[katnisspeetaprim]

Slice Of Life Part 1

Jeon Jungkook/Reader

Summary: Your and Jungkooks first meeting and first date.

Warnings: idol!au, non Korean reader, store worker reader, fluff, kissing.

Word Count: 1821 M.list

2018

The first time you and Jungkook met, was when he wandered into your workplace at 2AM. You worked in a small 24 hour store and the place was always dead this time of night, so you perked up when someone walked through the door, happy to have someone to speak to.

‘Hello! Welcome.’ You cringed at how cheery you sounded for how late, or early it was. You couldn’t really make out the face of the man who just walked in, considering he was wearing a hat and also a mask, though from what you could see he looked quite young, maybe 20 ish?

To your surprise, he turned to you and bowed slightly, saying a quiet hello. You watched as he picked his items and walked to the counter. Various snack and drinks, along with tubs of ramen littered the counter, one tub almost rolling off which he clumsily caught.

‘So that will be 40,000 won please.’ You couldn’t help but raise your brow in shock when he pulled out a black card for such a small amount. You wondered how rich this guy was to be able to have something like that at such a young age, though you kept quiet. He went to take the bag from you but hesitated.

‘I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you Korean is very good.’ A smile grew on your face, not expecting the compliment.

‘Oh thank you! I’ve lived here since I was 12.’

‘Ah very cool! I bet it was scary, moving country so young?’ The stranger sounded genuinely interested, which only made you happy to share your story.

‘I guess so. My step dad is Korean and he got a good job over here.’ You explained.

‘So good that you have to work in a convenience store?’ He chuckled, but realised right away that that may have been a little insensitive... ‘Sorry.. I didn’t mean it like that...’  You held up your hand to stop him apologising.

‘No it’s ok. I don’t really have a relationship with them now, so I’m supporting myself how I can.’ You smiled warmly, hoping to make clear that he hadn’t offended you in any way. The man nodded as he looked over your smiling face. There was an awkward silence as you shuffled from one foot to the other.

‘Was there something else I can help you with?’ You asked, feeling a little intimidated under his gaze. He looked as though he was contemplating something.

‘I’m sorry if this is too forward, but you are very pretty.’ Your eyes widened and you felt a blush creep up to your cheeks. You brushed some stray hair behind your ear as you laughed.

‘Um thank you.’ You looked up. ‘I wish I could return the complement, but I can’t see your face...’ You glanced up at him, hoping he got the hint. He looked away, and you could see his eyes were cast down, like he was weighing up his options, before he slowly lowered his mask. Your eyes widened again. Stood in front of you, the man you’d been kind of flirting with, was Jeon Jungkook from BTS.

‘Oh, wow yeah. Definitely handsome.’ Was all you could manage to say. He smirked at your response. Jungkook was well aware of how he looked.

‘What’s your name?’

‘Y/N’ You try to say with confidence, pausing for a moment after. ‘I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know yours...’ You didn’t want to make things awkward, but you wanted to be transparent with him too. It was only fair. Jungkook looked down, still smiling but almost like he was disappointed.

‘I’m sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear..’ You trailed off, hugging yourself sadly.

‘Ah no, it’s not that. If you can talk to me like a human, that’s all I want.’ He spoke quickly , not wanting you to feel offended by his actions. You gave him the biggest smile you could muster.

‘I can do that.’ He grinned back at you.

‘Would it be alright if I came back here to talk again sometime?’ He asked hopefully.

‘I’m here every week night!’

After that night, Jungkook started coming in every other day just to see you. You enjoyed seeing Jungkook and not just because he was some famous idol. You felt a genuine connection with him, and you only hoped that he felt that way too. You wanted to ask him on a date, but you also didn’t want to over step and boundaries he may have. Maybe it was best to see how things play out for now, possibly just ask for his number and go from there.

Turns out you were worried over nothing. He ended up making the first move and asked you out to dinner. You said yes. Obviously.

Jungkook had insisted on picking you up for your date so you stood waiting on your front porch, fidgeting nervously as you checked the time yet again. He was late. By almost half an hour. You had text him to see if he was on his way, but received no response. At this point you were sure you had been stood up.

You sighed and looked down sadly, swallowing the lump in your throat as you took in your outfit. You had chosen a flowy blue, knee length dress and simple hair and makeup, not wanting to seem over the top for the first date.

You were in the process of unlocking your front door so you could wallow in self pity, when you heard the sound of an engine suddenly pulling up.

You turned just in time to see Jungkook jumping out and running up to you.

‘I’m so sorry I’m late! We ran late at practice, then we had to go to a meeting, and THEN  I couldn’t find anything to wear and the traffic...’ He was rambling, desperate to explain. You smiled softly, realising he had tried his best to get there.

‘Jungkook, it’s fine. You’re here now.’ He sighed in relief when he heard you speak. ‘Thank you. I promise to make it up to you.’

This place was way out of your comfort zone. You had been worried about being over dressed, but now you felt under dressed in this place. You tried to distract yourself with the menu, but your face paled when you saw the prices, plus there weren’t many vegetarian options either...

Jungkook was oblivious to your concerns as he spoke animatedly, not that you wanted him to notice. You just wanted to have a nice night together.

‘I’m ready to order. How about you Y/N?’

‘Umm-‘ You hesitated for a moment, eyes raking over the menu once more.

‘I think I’ll just get a salad and an eggplant and seaweed side dish.’ He frowned at your choice.

‘Salads? Are you sure that’s all you want? I’m paying if the prices are an issue?’ He didn’t want to assume you couldn’t pay, but he was aware that this place wasn’t within everybody’s budget.

‘No please, I don’t want you to pay for me.’ You waved your hands dismissively. ‘Plus it’s not that.’

‘Are you sick?’ he asked, concern filling his features. You smiled at his caring nature.

‘No. I’m a vegetarian and there just aren’t many options is all.’ You watched he face fall as you explained.

‘Ah right.’ He sighed and his shoulders sagged. ‘I’m sorry Y/N. I should have asked about that.’

‘No honestly it’s fine! I don’t mind eating salads, I swear!’ You tried to make him feel better, but it didn’t really work.

‘This is probably the worst date you’ve been on huh?’ He looked down sadly. The last thing you wanted was for him to be upset. You leaned across the table and gently placed your hand over his.

‘not even close. Really, I like being with you.’ He stared at your hand resting on his for a second, before turning his hand upwards to hold yours with a smile.

‘What do you say we get out of here? We can get takeout and go back to your place to eat?’ You raise your eyebrows playfully.

‘My place? That’s a bit forward, don’t you think?’ You smirked at him, causing a deep blush to form across his face.

‘NO! T-that’s not what I meant, I swear! There’s just 6 other guys at my place who won’t leave us alone...’ He stuttered out, causing you to laugh, putting him out of his misery.

‘I’m kidding! I know what you meant.’

After that, you both got up and left, ignoring the strange glances from the waiters as you walked out the door. Not long later, you found yourself spread out on your sofa, surrounded by various boxes of takeout.

‘This is definitely more my scene.’ You sighed contently as you finished your slice of pizza. Jungkook had removed his jacket, leaving him in a dress shirt that clung to his shape perfectly. You couldn’t help but admire him.

‘I’m glad I could get something right.’ He chuckled, stacking up the containers on the coffee table. You gently shoved his arm.

‘Stop that! I’ve had a good time tonight.’ He grinned at you as he leaned back, arm spread across the back of the sofa. You shuffled up next to him and nestled yourself under his arm.

‘Hi there.’ He smiled down at you.

‘hi.’ His hand came down to brush across your shoulder, causing Goosebumps to appear on your skin.

You looked up at him and caught his eyes boring into you. Without warning, he leaned down and kissed you. The action took you by surprise, but you excitedly returned his kiss. You bought your hand up to cup the side of his face as you made out with open mouth kisses.

You pulled back for breath and rested your forehead against his.

‘I didn’t expect that to happen, not that I’m complaining.’ He joked, pulling you close.

‘Yeah.’ You nodded with a blush, smiling wide. Your fingers ghosted over his chest.

‘What are my chances of a second date?’ You pretended to think for a second.

‘I’d say about 50/50.’ You smirked before giving him another quick peck.

‘Ah, I see how it is.’ He laughed.

‘OH SHIT!’ He suddenly exclaimed when he caught sight of the time.

‘What!?’

‘I didn’t realise how late it was! I need to go, early schedule tomorrow.’ He was disappointed, but he couldn’t risk being late in the morning.

‘I understand. I had a great time tonight.’ You stood and walked him back to the door as he put his jacket back on.

‘I’ll call you tomorrow, ok?’ You nodded in agreement as you pulled him into a tight hug. ‘See you soon.’ He whispered in your ear, before planting a kiss on your cheek. As you watched him drive away, you couldn’t stop yourself from giggling like an idiot.

[gyusrose]

➵ hopelessly devoted -> c.y

(first person p.o.v)

⚠︎ fluff - angst

✎ non!idol au, strangers to lovers au

summary : liking the most cold- hearted boy at school is definitely a challenge, specially when you’re willing to do anything to get at least a smile out of him.

yeonjun x fem. reader

wc: 4.0k

“another present for that idiot ?” soobin exclaimed.

“yes , it is for him, and that ‘idiot’ has a name, yeonjun.” you annoyingly rolled my eyes.

it’s no secret that i like the boy, who wouldn’t ? he was probably the most handsome human i’ve ever seen in my life, and the fact that he never talk or expresses himself makes me intrigued even more.

soobin on the other hand, thinks other wise…

“________, as your best friend i can’t let you embarrass yourself like this, he’s obviously uninterested.”

“hush , he just needs a friend and maybe we can turn into lovers who knows .”

soobin just shook his head in response.

“oh look he’s there! wait here.” i say as i saw the man of my dreams sitting in a bench listening to music it seems.

my confidence started to decrease the closer i got to him, he’s capable of making my knees fall weak anytime i see him.

i had brought him a box of homemade pastries , which by the way, took way too long to make.

i stood in front of him with the box of pastries in front of me waiting for him to notice me.

he looked up into my eyes finally and took one earbud out of his ear , kind of a signaling what i was doing here.

breathe in. breathe out.

“erm, i um brought you this…it’s some pastries i made and um i hope you enjoy them? “

maybe i should’ve listened to soobin .

his expressionless face made me even more nervous as he looked between the box and me.

“i don’t like sweets.” he spoke after about a minute of just blankly staring.

oh

he doesn’t like sweets?

of course he doesn’t.

“oh alright, i get it, i’ll get going now.”

literally kill me now.

i guess soobin saw the look on my face and the box in my hands to find out what happened.

“yes you can tell me ‘i told you so’ “

“i’ve told you this very fucking time ______.”

he’s right , this isn’t a new reaction from him, every time i try to gift him something or even start a conversation i’m left with little to no answers. but why?

he’s like that with everyone , except that one firmed he’s always around, taehyun.

in contrast taehyun is very friendly, i’ve had classes with him and i’ve had a few conversations with him, i can’t put together how they’re friends.

“i’d gladly take the pastries.” soobin said before snatching the box from my hands .

“alright class you have the rest of the time remaining to practice the type of problems we went over today.” our calculus teacher said before sitting down on her desk.

“at this point i don’t know what to do. “ i said pouting.

>>

i mentally groaned.

i just don’t get it. i’ve asked for help four times already today, i don’t want to burden her.

i utterly hate math, im no good at it. im more of a literature type of person, i love reading and writing but ask me to solve a damn calculus equation and i give up.

i looked over to where yeonjun is sitting, doing the problems so effortlessly.

he’s always been at the top of class, more like the whole grade, since forever.

an idea popped in my head making me smile at the thought.

as i was ready to go up to him , someone beat me to it.

ugh of course it’s arin.

“hey yeonjun? do you think you can help me with these problems? i’m kinda stuck.”

ha good luck in getting a response buddy…

“sure what section?”

WHAT?

how come he isn’t bothered by me and not her?

if i were to go up to him , i most probably would’ve gotten rejected or simply ignored.

but i mean, i can’t judge him.

i cant compare with arin.

she was much smarter than me, much prettier , someone who’s easy to fall for.

maybe i’m the problem?

for the remainder of class i simply sat in my seat spacing off, overthinking way too much.

what have i done to him? cant he just be nice ? i’ll settle for a small smile.

i barely notice the bell ringing and everyone heading to lunch.

“what’s wrong ? you look depressed as fuck ______.” soobin said snapping me out of my thinking.

i looked around finding the classroom completely empty.

“oh shit, i’m sorry soobin, nothing happened i just felt tired, don’t worry about it.” i assuringly smiled hoping he won’t keep asking questions.

“it was yeonjun right?”

shit he knows me too well.

i just stayed in silence signaling he’s right.

“whatever it is, i assure you to not think too much about it.”

sure.

i glanced at yeonjun’s seat and saw a book.

my eyebrows furrowed as i got up and grabbed it.

i opened it to the first page to see

‘property of choi yeonjun’

nevermind that sadness i felt seconds ago, i’m not giving up.

“for fucks sake _______.” soobin practically facepalmed.

>>

after school i made sure to be one of the first people out to catch up with yeonjun.

i saw him bid his friend goodbye and go on his way.

i jogged to where he was trying to stop him , but boy did he walk fast.

when i thought i was close to him i saw him get on the bus.

kill me now.

i sighed in defeat as i saw the bus drive away with yeonjun in it.

i walked back slowly in disappointment with the dark green book on my hand.

suddenly another idea popped into my head.

i ran back to school hoping i still had a chance.

thankfully i didn’t go too far away.

i looked around frantically when i finally spotted him.

“taehyun! wait up please ! “

he looked up to see who called his name. he sweetly smiled at me and waved.

“hi ______ what’s wrong ?”

“i need a favor from you, yeonjun left his book and i’m trying to give it back, do you by any chance know where he lives?”

i hope don’t sound like a stalker .

taehyun looks at the book i’m holding an chuckles.

“ahh i see, sure i can give you his address, hopefully you’re not a serial killer in disguise.”

i punched his shoulder lightly, laughing in response.

“i assure you i’m not.”

>>

“318”

“319”

“aha! 320”

holy shit…

this boy was stupidly rich.

even though it’s not unknown to me that he was pretty wealthy, i didn’t think it was this much. barbie and the dream house type of vibe.

i took a deep breath and ringed the doorbell.

a couple of seconds passed and i was getting impatient, almost thinking nobody was home.

the door suddenly unlocked revealing the handsome-ass boy.

he looked confused making me realize how awkward this was.

“um hey i’m- “

“seriously ? you’ve came here to bother me all the way to my house?” he suddenly says catching me off guard.

this is the longest sentence he’s said to me.

and god i wish he would’ve just ignored me this time.

“no you got it all wrong i’m-“

“don’t need to explain yourself, have i not been clear enough?”

“yeonjun i-“

“leave me alone for fucks sake, i want to be alone, don’t search for me, i don’t need you bothering 24/7, how did you know where i live ?”

“this is a misunderstanding i swear-“

“you probably followed me around like the stalker you are, go away.” he said before he shut the door on my face.

i normally wouldn’t act like this but tears just started falling from my eyes.

i’ve completely hit the definition of embarrassment. i can’t redeem myself from this.

i’ve made the only guy i’ve ever liked, completely hate me.

and it’s all my fault.

because of my clinginess, my annoyance, i was nothing but a burden to him.

i was halfway almost home when i felt droplets hit the top of my head.

fucking perfect.

just the cherry on top of my day.

the small droplets then turned into a full on storm, i could barely see where i was going.

“hey you! you’re gonna die out there.” i heard someone yell to my left.

i turned to see the owner of the voice just to see a male with an umbrella coming my way.

i don’t think i’ve ever seen him before. or maybe i just have bad memory.

“are you okay? this storm is wild, what are you doing here all by yourself?”

i got a better look at him and holy fuck. he was handsome.

“i was just trying to go home, i didn’t expect the rain to be this strong.”

“i know i’m a stranger but come to my house right in front, at least until it gets better.” he offered.

i looked into his eyes, i could tell he had good intentions , well at least he didn’t look like a psychopath or something so i nodded.

we both took off running to his house which was just like ten steps away .

as we made i inside i couldn’t help but notice how pretty it was.

this sure was a rich people area.

 “You can wait here, i’ll bring you a towel.” he said

i looked at my reflection on a mirror and i nearly scared myself.

i looked awful. my hair was damp, my mascara was runny, my eyes were swollen, i feel bad that he even has to see me like this.

“here you go, i also brought you some new clothes since yours are damped, hope you don’t mind.” he said giving me all the stuff.

never had someone , other than soobin, cared so much for me.

and i don’t even know this stranger’s name.

“no don’t worry i don’t mind ….?”

“heesung”

“thank you heesung, are you new around here? i haven’t seen you until today.”

“yeah actually i moved a few days ago, my family is from here so.”

i nodded in response.

“well you already made a new friend heesung.”

>>

“why are you suddenly sick today? you were just fine yesterday.” soobin said as he noticed my voice and stuffed nose.

“it just the weather, it’s getting colder, my allergies are acting up.” he nodded buying my excuse.

lord knows what he would’ve done if i told him that i was walking in the rain for half an hour because of yeonjun.

“oh by the way, i heard there’s a new guy in school, supposedly he’s from a rich family and shit.”

new guy?

“it’s no surprise if girls are already swooning over him without even seeing his face.”

“oh shit the bell already rung , see you later _____.” soobin waved as i made my way into my class.

i tried in all circumstances to ignore yeonjun, almost acting like he wasnt there.

god this is going to be hard.

making my way to my seat , from the corner of my eye i saw him, with his head down and earbuds in.

he deserves to be left alone. i should’ve not been so clingy and annoying, gosh no wonder he hates me.

i composed myself and sat on my seat, taking out a book to read.

which reminds me, i still have his book in my bag.

i’ll give it to him, one day.

“good morning class, i’m excited to announce there’s a new student joining us this year.” the teacher said as i saw a very familiar face walk through the door.

heesung.

to tell you i was more than thrilled to see him is the least. i had my little prediction that he was the new kid, everything just connected together.

as he finished introducing himself the teacher told him to find any empty seat in the classroom, and surprise surprise, there was one right next to me.

he didn’t hesitate to come my way and sit on the vacant desk.

“hey ______, remember me ?”

“how could i forget? you pretty much saved my life yesterday. and we’re friends aren’t we?”

>>

“i wanted to surprise you! yesterday when i saw your uniform, i noticed it’s the same as mine.”

heesung and i have been nonstop talking since he got here.

we’ve taken this time to get to know each other better. unsurprisingly, we have a lot in common, he also matches my energy, which is hard to find someone that does.

we both sat in a bench during lunch laughing and and talking with each other. since soobin left home early, it was just the two of us which honestly made me forget about my surroundings until i felt a pair of eyes watching me.

i turned around to find his eyes.

he quickly looked away though.

making me question, am i seeing things?

i must be.

>>

yeonjun p.o.v

my thoughts are eating me alive. i cannot stop thinking about her. i shouldn’t.

i was the one that told her to stay away from me, i was the one that told her to leave me alone, i was the one that didn’t want her to keep bothering. so why am i missing it?

the fact that she also seems happier doesn’t help.

i couldn’t help but stare at the way her and that new kid got along.

she was laughing, smiling, not one inch of sadness could be seen.

they looked like a couple. that only made me more annoyed.

how can she move on from me so fast? wasn’t she head over heels for me ?

shut up yeonjun! i’m acting as if we dated or something.

“what’s with the grumpy face?” taehyun came sitting down next to me.

i sighed.

“just got a bad grade.” i answers shortly.

taehyun looked at me suspiciously, not buying it.

“you sure? oh i don’t know i just saw you looking where _______ is sitting, you looked very bothered.”

shit , was it that noticeable?

“huh? what are you talking about? i’m just doing some homework, you’re seeing things. why would i be looking at her? she’s not even-“

“jeez calm down! i was joking around.” taehyun chuckled.

“haha, very funny.”

>>

- days later -

these past few days have been nothing but miserable.

main reason is ______.

i don’t know what’s got me so stern about her.

i want her to bother me, to talk to me, give me those little gifts i would always reject.

i want her to be with me like she is with heesung.

since she’s all i have in my mind, that caused a decline academically.

i wasn’t doing so well in tests or homework.

she’s ruining me for fucks sake.

“yeonjun? “ i looked up hoping to see ______.

i was disappointed.

“can i help you? “ i said quietly.

arin sat next to me nervously.

“you want to go to the fall dance with me?”

fall dance? completely forgot that was happening.

obviously i was planning to not go. but then the thought of making ______ jealous gives me a motive to do with arin.

i feel bad for using her, but i have to see if ______ still feels something for me.

“sure.”

>>

“does my hair look good?” arin asked me as she turned for me to see.

“yes it looks fine.”

we were on our way to the hall where the dance takes place. for some reason i was nervous, my palms were sweaty as fuck.

i was dreading this dance, i don’t go to these things throughout high school. part of me was hopeful though.

as we entered my eyes were almost instantly drawn to a certain person.

______.

she looked stunning.

her dress, hair, shoes, makeup.

she was breathtaking.

but it all got ruined by the male by her side.

of course they came together.

“yeonjun! i’m talking to you.” that snapped me out of my thoughts.

“pardon?”

“let’s go dance yeonjunie.”

ground just swallow me up.

>>

the night has been boring to say the least.

arin and i danced for a little bit, but then i went back to the table and she went with her friends.

all of this to not have ______ spare me a glance.

bored out of my mind i decided to go walk around outside.

i’m so glad i did.

“______?”

she looked up from her phone and looked at me.

i couldn’t read her expression which made me nervous for some reason.

“oh, hi yeonjun.”

this is it yeonjun, you have her all for yourself without that stupid heesung tagging along.

“how have you been?”

your p.o.v

what’s up with him now?

why’s he acting as if nothing happened? all the emotion s i felt with his words suddenly disappeared from his mind.

to say i was utterly confused was to say the least.

heesung had to leave early because he had an event with his parents, which left me alone since soobin didn’t want to come, as always.

so i decided to get some fresh air, and of course i ran into him.

“i’ve been doing fine really, nice talk, i have to go back.” i said trying to slide myself out of the conversation fast as possible.

but he stopped me.

he stopped me?

“look i wanted to clear the air between us you know? i shouldn’t have been so harsh with you that day, it wasn’t fair in my part.”

now he’s apologizing? out of nowhere?

he hated my guts and now he’s suddenly sorry?

“oh.”

>>

“and after all that he starts apologizing and shit as if i didn’t cry myself to sleep because of him ugh.”

i was currently ranting to soobin every detail of last night, mostly about the yeonjun part.

“no he didn’t, did he think you’d forgive him that easily?”

“i know right? even though part of me wanted to just kiss him and forgive him, i controlled my emotions and just pretty much left him there.”

now why am i starting to feel guilty?

it’s what he deserves ______!

“as you should, you’re nicer than me cause i would’ve snapped at him to be honest.”

“of course you would, but you know, i still like him, a lot.”

“yeah yeah we all know that, but what about heesung? for the few times i’ve met him, he seems like a way nicer and better match for you. in my opinion.”

oh yeah, heesung…

“i like heesung but not like that, i see him like an older brother honestly, sure he’s handsome and all but, yeonjun is just like, on another level.”

“you’re down bad _______.”

>>

of course the day i decide to straighten my hair it fucking rains.

and with my luck, i forgot my umbrella.

fuck my life.

i’m literally using newspaper to cover myself while waiting for the rain to calm down so i can go home since i normally walk.

soon the droplets were stopped by an umbrella.

“need some help?”

obviously it’s him.

clearly h needed one but i wasn’t going to give in.

“no thanks, the sky it’s starting to clear anyways.”

“seriously ______, take it.”

eventually i gave in and kindly took it.

i noticed the handle had his initials on it. cocky much?

how rich do you have to be for that?

“before you go ______, i still want to apologize for my actions, i know it’s not hard to forgive but do now i’m for real, i truly am sorry.”

his eyes. looked beautiful. he seems sincere, i hope i’m right.

as much as i tried to hold in all my words, they just threw themselves out of my mouth.

“do you know how much it hurt? those words coming out of the one boy you’ve ever liked? how stupid i felt? i understand i could’ve acted clingy and annoying but is it that hard to say it nicely?”

yeonjun p.o.v

i know i’m an asshole.

it hit hard the way she said that to me. i was the cause of it. im the reason she felt like shit, when she imply wanted to brighten my day or simply just talk to me.

yet i’m still hoping for forgiveness.

“i’m so sorry i made you feel like that, you had good intentions and-“ i stopped talking when i notice a slight tear fall from her eyes.

i immediately embraced her into a hug with no hesitation.

this wasn’t like me, i wouldn’t just grab someone for a hug, i barely liked hugs, only with my family i’m sure, so me , myself was surprised with my actions, i can just tell ______ was too.

even though i can feel her confusion, i felt her arms wrap around me hugging me tighter.

she was hugging me back?

a wave of emotions hit me.

does she still have feelings for me after everything i’ve done?

surely after some seconds we pulled away.

“i’m sorry, was that uncomfortable for you? i j-“

i cut her off.

“no _____, i found it comforting.”

it came a time where we both just stared into each other, forgetting the rain that was now dropping on our heads.

“let me give you a ride home.”

she hesitated for a moment but gave in to my offer.

we made our way to my car and i opened the passenger door for her to get in.

never did i think this would be happening.

the car ride was filled with silence, not the awkward type of it but more like a comfortable silence.

i even almost saw her eyelids drop.

“is it here?”

“yes, thank you so much yeonjun.”

“no problem, be careful, maybe we can hang out sometime? maybe be friends?”

“i’ll see, oh and by the way.” she said before taking out something from her bag.

a book.

my book.

i’ve been looking for it for weeks. how did she have it?

“you left it a while ago at your desk, i tried dropping it off at your house but that didn’t go so well..”

my heart warmed.

so that’s what she was trying to tell me what she came to my house.

i’m a real douchebag.

my attraction for her just got stronger and stronger that i pulled her into a kiss.

your p.o.v

HES KISSING ME?

shithsitshitshitshit.

how do i act? do i pull away? do i kiss back? do i just run away ? fuck.

i eventually decide to kiss him back and let me tell you.

it was better than what i imagined. can this dude be anymore perfect?

i wrapped my hands around his neck while his were around my cheeks.

this is like a dream come true for me, i still can’t believe this is happening.

as we pulled away we didn’t move away from each other and stayed close.

my heart cannot stop jumping .

“are you sure you just want to be friends choi yeonjun?”

oh soobin is not gonna believe me.

[jaelaxies]

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞

fluff; wc: 1 k.

Yeonjun x fem reader!; strangers to lovers!; fantasy au!; royal au!; tw: none but i guess Sable is a little agressive in his words only lol.

Song recommendation:  Blue Blood — IVE ( I’VE MINE)

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･

“I’ll burn the spot he’s standing on”

The giant obsidian dragon behind me, snarked off while looking at the medal hanging off Yeonjun’s neck with his ruby eyes, truly scanning which spot would be the spot to aim at. I could feel his gaze right at the nape of my neck, so I reached a hand and touched his face with care. “It’s okay, you don’t need to do that, Sable”

As crown princess, it was a task that was provided to me. To watch this whole competition and to acknowledge in the name of our kingdom, all the new recruits. Of course, in every single trial that I had planned meticulously, there was one black haired, tall and strong man who strategically beat them out. A new recruit even and if Ame was mad because he sensed disrespect; I was intrigued, enthralled even. Something about him was always catching my eye. He was special.

Sable huffed even more loud and annoyed when he saw the new recruit approach us, smiling as brightly as the gold medal dangling off his armor. Choi Yeonjun was a promising knight; he was remarkable in every single aspect. No one, even me, had a bad thing to say about him. I could comment on his over confident nature but sometimes, it played to his favor. As making this dare with the crown princess wasn’t something that any knight would have dared to do, even Sable showed a little bit of respect to the man kneeling in front of me.

— Please, get up Sir Choi. — I said while offering a hand to him; but instead, he slowly took it with one callused hand and directed it to his lips. They were soft and plump, the contact felt like something burning in my exposed skin. Something that immediately made me retract my hand, heart beating loudly in my ears. An unidentified alarm almost ringing in my soul— I think you proved your point, Sir.

— If so, your majesty, did I prove my commitment? — He stood up slowly, smirking at the height difference. “I really am going to burn that pretty face of his” Sable said sneaking closer to me, but as protective as he was, he wouldn’t dare to hurt anyone without a good reason. He was just…

“I am not Jealous! he’s just disrespectful to the princess!”

“Sure thing, Sable”

I took the round golden medal in my hand, looked at it for a little bit and showed it to Sable who was clearly uninterested in it or what it represented; the words “Royal Guard Knight” engraved gracefully on the surface. He was making his way through a very difficult path even with the knowledge of the consequences. That made my chest warm for a second, but — You may have won the competition, Yeonjun…

He smiled again, this time with his lips sealed. He really thought he would outsmart me on this one. Even if those pretty lips and those sharp eyes were captivating and I’m sure any lady would be pleased to be escorted by him; I had to make sure this game didn’t get out of control. So, I returned the same smile, the simple but calm tone that I always spoke contained within my words. —  Yet you dare to compare winning the heart of a woman with a mere competition?

He blushed furiously, shaken by my words. Yet, he didn’t back up. He stood in place, hand in his heart and tone firm but respectful. There it is again; this tone, this posture, this unspoken oath— I would never, your majesty.

There was no sign of mockery, he sounded serious. Like he would walk on the path of fire that Ame would shoot at him if he had to. Like he would cut all the thorns that surrounded me and my image. He was serious.

—You can call me by my name. — I said as I started to walk past him with Sable taking off to be on top. — You are my Knight now… and maybe if you keep up, you really could achieve what you want.

Sable roared in the sky, while I felt Yeonjun’s steps matching mine now. His presence was oddly comforting, and his company was the same. I had a duty but my heart seemed to have other plans; the loud beating that only me and Ame could hear, was bothering me. Why did I suddenly have to had this overwhelming feeling? I was always good at keeping my calm but…

I stopped in my tracks when I felt his hot breath on my ear, the tingling sensation in my stomach traveling to my face. — I will work hard to make your heart mine, your majesty. As mine, is already yours.

He took a little strand of hair and tucked it behind my ear, his fingers ghosting my skin. I almost wished his heart was as rebellious as mine. Making a mess in his ribcage and messing with his thoughts like mine was. — Even if it takes me an eternity.

—Then be prepared for a challenge. — I made the mistake to look back, our faces dangerously close to each other. — I’m not going to go easy on you, Yeonjun.

Looking at my lips and then at my eyes, I could see his dilated pupils and that devilish grin adorning his features again. — I never expected you to do so, my princess.

My princess.

I could get used to that, so much so that for once I let my whole armor down. I was the archer and the prey at the same time, so I shall try my best shot too. Shaking my head and directing my attention to the front, a smile tugged into my lips. — Then let’s work hard from now on. I also have a point to prove, don’t I?

The echo of my own words matching the sound of our matching footsteps.

“That if you make my heart yours, I’ll escape this duty of mine, this crown and this kingdom.. to be fully yours”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･

This had been in my head for a while! So I might turn it into a full series if I have the time so consider this a little snippet of what is yet to come;I really like this pair tho 🤍😭  I’m so excited for you to learn more about their dynamic. And finally we have a big 1k!

Thank you to everyone who has been loving and supporting my stories, i appreciate you all so much!

As always, feedback is really appreciated and I’ll love if you could reblog or comment if your really liked this one!

With love,

*°࿐Stella🤍

[icypenguin]

☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ It’s not her?

HEY GUYSSSIJHSIHSJOHS im finally uploading heehe ill upload for tomorrow and sunday too :D btw this will take place in modern au! reader is a female (sorry T-T) and i suppose its hurt/comfort so enjoyyy!

note: [f/a]: favourite animal

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prom was coming soon, everyone was excited ofcourse. you looked at lyney who was poking his lunch food. he looked lost in thoughts which is very odd. “hey lyney? you okay?” you tried talking to him but he didn’t budge. “lyneyyy?” you tried to call out for him again. but no response. “LYNEYYY!” he finally noticed your calling. “huh- oh” he looked at you with a straight face. “hey.. what’s wrong? you seem.. um idk, worried?” you looked at him with worried eyes. he’s never been like this before. “whaaat?! no way! ofcourse i’m not, i’m the brave and charming lyney!” he added a wink at the end. you chuckled at his response but then back to seriousness. “okay okay quit the joke, what’s wrong?” “nothing’s wrong y/n everything is fine!” he forced a smile on his face. you know you can’t really do anything else so you went with the flow.

“fine.. anyway, have you got someone in mind for prom?”. he placed a finger on his chin “mm i guess so…” a grin was added to his face. you didn’t know how to react, worried, glad, happy, sad, frustrated? “OOO who is ittt?!” you tried to act like you were excited but at the bottom of your heart, you were worried. your heart beated fast for him to say his answer. badum badum badum.. “hmmm… i can’t tell youuu! it’s a suprise ofcourse, just wait~” he winked again and now starting to eat his lunch.

you knew this was going to be his answer so you rolled your eyes and acted like you didn’t care. well, you didn’t want to look like you’re desperate for him because you think he’ll probably make fun of you anyway. well, the thought hurts you. “whatever i don’t care anyway” you tried acting cool and stuff. lyney hearing your response, it hurts him. he thought you’ll well- idk? beg for him to reveal the answer. but he’s not ready to say it anyway.

the bell rang, you both got ready to head to class again. “what do you have next?” you asked while you cleaned up your food. “bwiowogwe-“ “what?” you looked at him, his mouth was full of food. he looked like a chipmunk with nuts full in its mouth. you giggled at him, he always got his ways to make you laugh. “lyney! what do you think you’re doing?” you chuckle again. he tried to chew his food down but ofcourse it was tough so he mixed it with some water (idk if u think thats gross or what but u understand right? thats lyney).

after 3 minutes he finally swallowed all of the food in his mouth. “i have biology next” he answered like nothing happened. you chuckled again and smiled “great! we have the same class. now let’s hurry up!” you both quickly ran into the classroom because you were already late 5 minutes.

there you finally arrived and as you open the door, all eyes were on you both. “lyney, y/n, why are you both late? and together?” miss clorinde crossed her arms as she looked at you both. you looked at eachother blushing a bit. “my foot got stuck and y/n had to help me” lyney covered it up confidently. you went with the flow because is they know the truth its well- silly. “alright, if you’re both late again i’ll make you stand on one leg at the front” she declared, then she made a hand sign for you to sit on your desk.

there’s no desk side-by-side thats empty so you decided to sit next to lynette at the corner. lyney sat next to lumine at the middle. through the class, you kept looking at lyney and lumine as they both were passing notes. now, you’re sure he’s asking her out for prom.

the bell rang and you packed your bags. when you looked around, lyney was already gone. ‘oh he’s probably already with lumine’ you thought. but you noticed that he left his notebook in his desk. you searched for him and spotted him in the school garden… with lumine. he was holding a bouquet and a [f/a] plushie in his other hand. you knew he knows your favourite animal, but why give it to lumine? was he playing with you this whole time? was he just using you? the passing notes made sense then.

tears were starting to form in your eyes. you couldn’t hold it anymore and ran to your dorm. you didn’t care whoever was seeing you. your heart was broken. you went to your dorm and huddled up on your bed, letting all the tears out. you looked to the frame on your bedroom with a picture of you and lyney at a carnival together. you threw the picture on the carpet and cried silently. after some minutes lynette, your dorm mate, came in, “y/n?” she knocked on your door. “w-what?!” you continued crying. you didn’t care if lynette sees you crying, she’s been your bestfriend since you were a kid.

lynette opens the door to your room carefully and saw you huddled up on the bed. “oh y/n.. what happened?” she asked you in a worried tone. “i-i saw lyney asking lumine to prom! i mean.. what was i thinking? it’s obvious that lumine is better, smarter, prettier, sweeter, nicer, lovelier-“ “y/n.” lynette looked at you with a straight look. “lyney is waiting for you” “well- he probably wants to talk to me about lumine accepting him” you choked out a sob. “no.. no he doesn’t. please just see him okay?” she wiped the remaining tears from your face. you didn’t know what could possibly convince you to see him but a piece inside you told you to.

so you standed up, not caring if you look bad. and went to the door and as you open it, lyney is there holding the bouquet and the [f/a] plushie that he was holding infront of lumine. you were confused. “in a garden- wait y/n what’s wrong? have you been crying?” lyney got worried as he saw your puffy eyes. “what are you doing lyney? i saw you asking lumine out for prom..” tears were starting to form in your eyes again, and you hate it. they were starting to drop. “w-what y/n it’s not what it looks like. please dont cry” he tried to comfort you. “what do you like it’s not what it looks like?! you clearly asked lumine to prom and i bet she accepted you!” you were starting to cry again. “n-no wait hear me out! it was just a practice. the person i wanted to ask out to prom i-is you. i wanted to make eveyrhting perfect so i ddi a practice with lumine”. after hearing lyney, your tears stopped. “w-wait.. so you weren’t asking her out?” “no, ofcourse not, she likes that childe guy anyway- now may i do my thing?” you felt relieved to hear this.

you chuckled and nodded. “being clever as ever, sitting in a field with a bee. to the sweetest girl ever, will you go to prom with me?” he smirked at the end. you giggled at this and replied “ofcourse! ofcourse ofcourse ofcourse!” you hugged him vigorously and he gave you the bouquet and plushie. “aww you knew my fav animal!” you looked at the [f/a] plushie and the beautiful bouquet. “ofcourse, i’m a loyal one” he grinned. you blushed a bit and hugged him again. “you’re the best lyney” you gave him a supeise kiss on the cheek, now it was his turn to blush. lynette watching from afar, is delighted by the sight.

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thankyou sooo much for reading! im sorry if its too long hehe… ill post tomorrow and sunday as well. advices are accepted, thankyouuu!

[concreteburialplot]

Intertwined // 03

03 - when the party’s over

pairing: noah sebastian x nicholas ruffilo

masterlist/intro: here | crossposted: ao3

word count: 5.6k

warnings; alcohol, frat house parties, angst, frat!folio/frat!miserable bryan, inaccurate depictions of college experiences lmao, slight panic attack/ [nonsexual] overstimulation, frat hazing, drowning? but it’s kinda funny, confused jealous sad nicholas, awkward noah trying to rizz, folio has a silly nickname, crying, fighting, lots of internal dialogue, etc, 18+ MDNI

reminder; this is AU, nothing is meant to be accurate or realistic, including family members/names

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

NICHOLAS

In the bathroom across the hall, Noah messes with the pieces of his flippy hair that poke out and around his beanie.

In my room, I switch out the jewelry in my gauged ears and smooth out the short-sleeve button up shirt I chose.

The air between us had been somewhat distant and weird for the past 2 weeks since our… mutual activities. Though, I could tell that he was ready to go back to normal, which I do too.

It must just be harder for me to get past it, I guess.

We aren’t even out the door yet and I already regret agreeing to this stupid ass frat party.

He steps into the doorway and leans against the frame. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“I just gotta brush my hair and then we can go.” I say, still turned away from him.

“Cool…” He trails off, “I’m just gonna chill in the living room.” He thumbs over his shoulder.

“Okay. Sounds good.” I reply instantly, almost before he’s even done talking.

Once I’ve quickly brushed through my shoulder length hair, I grab my keys from the wooden hooks near the front door. “Alright I’m ready to–”

My eyes land on Noah, who’s wearing a black sleeveless muscle tee-like shirt and tight jeans. I’ve seen him in similar outfits a million times before but for some reason right now he looks so different.

“You good?” He chuckles and shoves his phone in his back pocket.

I shake my head from whatever fog is lingering there. “Yeah, yeah, sorry. I must’ve just dissociated there for a sec.” Followed with a fake laugh.

When we pull up to the frat house, it’s packed with cars practically stacked on top of each other. Thankfully I find a spot not too far and claim it as my own.

As Noah and I walk up, I’m in absolute awe. I’ve only driven past this house; I’ve never been this close to it. It’s one of the various neighboring fraternities and sororities that border a huge lake. I can see the lake peeking out from behind the house and it makes me wonder what it’s like during the warmer months. A rush of cold fall wind reminds me that summer break is actually over. I stuff my hands into my jeans and continue towards the entrance.

The house itself is beautiful, it’s massive, white with columns and giant black Greek letters just below the roof. Colorful lights flash through the windows and follow the beat of thumping house music. People pour in and out of the front door and from around the backyard.

Everything about it screams college. It’s exactly what Noah wanted. It’s exactly what Folio wanted. But I hate it already and we haven’t even stepped foot in there.

We step up to the front door that’s being guarded by two muscular men who look like if they flicked us, we’d fall over. They very dramatically step together blocking the entrance. “Who invited you?” They ask sternly.

My heart rate immediately spikes from the interaction. I grab the hem of Noah’s shirt discreetly and tug at it to pull him away, but he surprises me.

“Folio.” He speaks up with the most obvious forced confidence and straightens out his back, pushing his chest out a bit.

Their serious faces break into hearty laughs. The one on the left leans back to see past the right one, “Trout! Your invites are here!”

Noah and I look at each other with stitched mouths not wanting to burst out laughing at Folio’s new nickname. Fishing is about 75% of what comes out of his mouth, it’s no surprise his new roommates have already heard all about it. The other 25% is dedicated to girls, weed, drums, and bikes, naturally. I am sure he’s stoked about the lake that’s quite literally in his backyard for him to fish from any time he wants.

Nick rips through the crowd and he looks… well just like a freshman in a fraternity. He’s wearing some ridiculous helmet with beer cans attached to the sides and a tube to drink from. His tank top is neon green plastered with frat symbols across his chest. The smile on his face is the biggest I’ve ever seen it, even bigger than when he somehow managed to get a 73% on his final where he blindly guessed on every question.

“Yesss! My bros!” He yells excitedly and pummels us in a giant hug. It’s only then that I realize he’s completely soaked in sticky beer.

“Ew, Folio.” I scrunch my face in disgust and peel myself away from him.

Noah just laughs, even though I know the beer on his clean clothes is driving him mad.

“Oh, don’t be a downer Ruffilo.” His words already strung together gives away how drunk he already is.

I pull my phone from my back pocket to check the time. “Nick it’s only 9, how much have you drank already?” I ask loudly over the music.

“It’s part of the like,” He lets out a slurred burp, “The initiation, or whatever. Freshmen have to drink a certain amount. And… I did.”  He drunkenly chuckles. Folio never drank much before this and if he did, he was always a lightweight. If he really did drink that much, it’s a miracle he’s even talking somewhat coherently right now.

“Well you really should’ve paced yourself–“ I begin but he cuts me off.

He rolls his eyes. “I should’ve known you’d be like this.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” My brows furrow defensively.

“I would’ve had Noah leave you at home if I knew you’d be like this.”

I know he’s joking but it doesn’t make the tightness in my chest any less.

“C’mon Nicholas,” Noah grabs my shoulders and gives me a little shake. “Loosen up!”

I hate everything about this. It’s so confusing to see Noah this way, he was never like this before. Parties were his worst nightmare – until now apparently.

“Yeah, you guys need to catch up to me! Maybe you’ll have more fun!” Folio gestures for us to follow him to the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, there’s a couple frat guys playing bartender, one I recognize to be Bryan, Folio’s mentor.

“Bryan!” Nick runs up to him like a child asking for a toy. “My friends are here and they wanna get just as drunk as meee.”

The dark under eye bags on Bryan are borderline comical. The look in his eyes reminds me of the look that middle aged underpaid cashiers give you when you ask if you can use a coupon. He says nothing and mixes up a concoction that looks like battery acid.

“Here.” He slides two radioactive drinks towards us over a marble countertop. “That should get you pretty fucked up quick.” Then goes off taking orders from other people.

I dip close to Folio’s side, “Why does it look like he works here?”

“The sophomores have to ‘work the party’.” Nick hiccups, “So they stationed him there.”

“Oh.” Noah and I mouth in unison.

“It’s part of the initiation.” He repeats proudly, as if being indoctrinated into some sort of academic cult is something to be so proud of.

I take the time to actually look over the party – it’s packed to the brim. There’s every single kind of college student you could think of, even kids that seem “nerdier” than me and Noah.

Rockstar by Post Malone began blasting through the speakers and a grin instantly spreads over my mouth. A couple summers ago Rockstar was me and Noah’s song, we would blare it on repeat in my shitty car almost every day. We played it so much we got sick of it, and this was the first time I’ve heard it since then. I turn excitedly to Noah but find that he’s gone. I look around where I’m standing, suddenly feeling exposed. Everyone surrounding me is preoccupied one way or another, including Folio which I’ve just realized disappeared too.

Directly in front of me stands the only other person I even marginally know at this party.

I lean across the counter and tap at Bryan’s tattooed forearm. He looks at me and it’s different than he does when I’m with Folio. Thankfully, it’s a lot kinder.

“What’s up?” He asks over the music, leaning closer to me with his ear first.

“Did you see where Noah went?” I nearly shout at him.

He nods over to the couch across the room where Noah is sat talking to a group of what looks like sorority girls – no worse, wannabe sorority girls.

“Trout introduced them.”

What a comically horrible nickname.

My lips fall to a frown, and it feels like my heart has dropped into my stomach. I watch as one bottle blonde traces her fingertips over a tattoo on his arm that I did –  the first tattoo I’ve ever done on somebody else and the first tattoo he ever got. For some reason, the sight of it makes me feel sick, like I could throw up right where I stand.

When my gaze finally reaches back to Bryan, he’s ready to tell me the answer to a question I haven’t asked.

“I don’t know where Folio went.”

“Great.” I nod and push away from the counter. “Just…great.”  

I figured that we’d come here for a bit for Nick then leave. I didn’t expect us to actually interact – which seems naïve to think about now. Noah practically begged me to come with him to this incredibly obnoxious party, of course he’d wanna stay and participate.

I deflate, grab my cup of toxic chemicals and reluctantly walk over to Noah. I nudge his arm and when he turns, he looks surprised to see me, like he forgot I was here.

“Oh, hey I was just about to find you.” He slurs and throws an arm over my shoulders. “This is Kassidy.” He gestures to the small blonde girl he’s been talking to then gestures to another very similar looking girl. “And this,” He gives me a discreet extra nudge. “is Brooke.”

The girls give me over enthusiastic smiles and I give them a half-wave because that’s all I have left to offer. “Hey.”

“Whatever Bryan made us, is fuckin’ workin’.” He knocks back the rest of his drink. “Do you mind asking him for another for me?”

My brows raise involuntarily at his demand like I’m some butler.

“Here take mine.” I grumble and drop my full solo cup into his empty one.

“You didn’t like it?” He doesn’t wait to already take a sip.

“No.”

“I’m sure they have beer or something else-“

“I’m good. I have to drive your ass home anyway.” I snap and walk past him through the path between the couch and the coffee table. I plop right next to Brooke because I know that’s what Noah was trying to orchestrate, and where else would I go.

Brooke is blonde with what I assume are hair extensions poorly placed over her scalp. Her lips are overly full, like she drew around her lips with a lead pencil. Her exposed cleavage from a lowcut crop top would normally entice me, if she wasn’t so…her.

She tried talking to me, but I must’ve been too boring since she just hung onto every word Noah said instead. When Kassidy and Noah started making out was when she finally left and went to find new prey.

I’m stuck on the opposite side of the couch watching my best friend get his face eaten off by someone who doesn’t even know how to brush her hair properly. It’s been about an hour and a half since we got here, and it’s the exact opposite of “fun”. Maybe it’s because I’m not drinking that I don’t understand the appeal.

Noah or not, I’d rather be home playing Pokémon or Call of Duty or literally anything other than this. Between the blaring music and the belligerent people, the thumping in my chest returns. I run my hands up and down my thighs slowly in an attempt to calm down but the faster my heart races the quicker my hands go. The air seems to be thinning around me and the crowded people feel closer than before. But then when I look over and see Noah kissing Kassidy, I’m suddenly furious.

I’m not sure why I’m furious, maybe it’s because he dragged me here, or because he ditched me after dragging me here, or because both of my supposed best friends ditched me after dragging me to a place I didn’t want to be to begin with.

It’s anger and anger alone that forces me from my seat and quickly past by Noah, knocking his shoulder back abruptly. It’s clear that he doesn’t even fucking care that I’m here or that I’m miserable.

I brush past various sweaty party goers, hitting each shoulder on my way.

“Nick!” I hear a drunken Noah calling after me. He’s gaining on me quickly as his thin body easily passes through the crowd.

“I’m going home Noah.” I yell over my shoulder as I stomp through the crowd.

“What! Why!”

“Because I want to go fucking home.” I turn a corner I think might be an exit, but it turns out to just be another hallway in this massive fucking house.

“C’mooon Nicholaaas.” Noah drags out the words in the most annoying whine. The alcohol is blatantly tinging each word.

“I’m not talking to you when you’re like this.” I shout back harshly through gritted teeth.

I push on a door that I thought was a bathroom just to get away from him, but I stumble into what looks like a movie room. The room is dark with just a flat screen on the wall playing some random Netflix movie and a large couch.

Of course, only in a frat house would they have a dedicated Netflix and Chill room.

Noah staggers in behind me and takes in the room just as I do. He pushes past me, slams the door shut and locks it.

He crosses his arms, “Now you can’t leave.”

I sigh, extremely irritated. “Oh, I’m leaving.” I go to move past him to get to the door, but he steps over and blocks me.

My heart is racing so fast it’s really all I can think about. Everything is too much for me; the earsplitting music, my fuming anger, Noah, how dark the room is, the heavy brick sitting on my chest, how warm the house is, the fucking stupid movie on the tv, all of it is making me lose my fucking mind. My skin’s crawling just being here, everything in me just wants to book it out the front door. I can barely fucking breathe.

All I want to do is leave.

I need to fucking leave.

“Why are you acting like this?” He asks and his tone has a hint of sadness that suddenly makes me feel guilty for wanting to leave.

“Because I’m not having a good fucking time Noah. I want to go home. One of these girly bitches you’re talking to can take you home. Or you can get an Uber, I really don’t care. But I. am. leaving.” I say sternly to his face, my hands fisted at my sides.

Confusion washes over him, as if he hadn’t realized I wasn’t enjoying myself until just now. The confusion only angers me more because if he had even paid a single ounce of attention, he would’ve known I wasn’t having a good time.

He always knows when I’m not having a good time. I don’t know how he knows but usually I can just look at him and he’d just know.

Until now, apparently.

“Oh.” The edges of his mouth wilt downwards. “I just figured you’d hit it off with whats-her-name and…”

“Well, I didn’t. And I want to get the fuck out of here.” I cross my arms over my chest, using my heel to scuff at my opposite shoe.

Noah’s eyes divert to any place other than me in the room and shift back and forth on the balls of his feet. His fingertips fidget with his knuckles as the silence between us grows louder than the music outside.

“I don’t want to go home yet.”

The words feel just like a dagger straight through my chest, piercing my lungs and deflating me completely. I literally just told him I was leaving without him but for some reason hearing him say it aloud is more painful.

“Okay…” I can’t help the way my eyes drop to the ground. “Well, you can stay here then, I guess.”

“I mean if that’s-” Noah stops mid-sentence to pause and tilt his ear to the party noises behind the door. “Do you hear that?”

“Yeah, it’s just party shit.” I wave him off quickly so I can get out sooner.

His brows scrunch up trying to focus harder, “No, No, listen.”

It takes a bit but then I hear it too. “It sounds like chanting? What are they chanting?”

Noah leans towards the door and carefully cracks the door just a smidge in order to hear the crowd better.

“Are they chanting…”

“Trout.” We say in unison and look at each other with widening eyes.

It’s not unlike Folio to get into some sort of competition but this just doesn’t sound right.

“What the fuck?” I crack the door open further and watch as the entirety of the party makes its way through the back door.

We make it out of the room and follow the crowd into the backyard. Noah notices it before I do and grabs my arm, his eyes round and glued on the crowd.

“Oh no.”

“What? I don’t see-” Then I do. “Oh no.”

An extremely drunk Folio being carried over to the lake, frigid in the autumn cold.

“Well, I mean, it’s just a lake, right? It’s probably just part of the initiation shit.” I speculate, annoyed that I have to babysit not one but two of my friends at this party.

“No, no, you don’t understand, we have to stop them.” Noah says urgently. He grabs my hand and starts running towards the dock.

“Stop! Stop!” He yells though his voice isn’t strong enough to reach.

“Wait why!” I call after him, his longer legs crossing the vast backyard faster than I can keep up. My feet crunch various red solo cups that just thrown across the grass. “It’s just water, he’ll be fine.”

“Stop!” He halts where the lake meets the land, and his eyes don’t leave Folio for one second.

 “No, no, no.” He mutters between us.

I’m so out of breath I can’t even ask any further questions and double over just to breathe holding onto my knees. When I finally catch my breath and look back up to Noah, he’s shedding his clothes. He yanks off each of his Vans, tossing them into the grass.

“Hey whoa! What are you doing? You can’t go in there!” I stand there useless with the vague feeling of needing to copy his actions. “What’s wrong Noah, can you fucking talk to me?”

“He doesn’t know how to swim Nicholas! We have to get him.” His skinny jeans are already halfway off of him.

“What! What the fuck do you mean he can’t swim?” I hastily slip off my own shoes and begin unbuttoning my shirt. “All he fucking talks about is fishing. What kind of fisherman doesn’t know how to swim!”

“I don’t know, he’s a fucking idiot!” He’s at the edge, waving his arms and whistling but the roar of the crowd drowns him out “But he’s definitely not gonna be able to swim with how drunk he is. Hurry up!”

“I’m fucking going as fast as I can!”

I regret everything about this night.

I’m never going to another party ever again.

As if in slow motion Folio gets thrown in the water with the dock full of people calling out his stupid fucking nickname. Knowing him, he probably had no idea what was going on until he was midair. He lands into the cold water and the party carelessly makes its way back to the house.

We try getting their attention but they’re all so fucked up that not a single one listens. It’s completely still where he was dropped before a struggle erupts with flailing arms and splashing.

“I’m going.” Noah states urgently, regardless of how quickly I can get these tight pants off my legs. He runs in then jumps into full strokes towards Nick.

Once I’m down to my underwear, I follow Noah. I brace myself for the water and it’s even worse than expected. I hiss at the cold but hurriedly begin swimming after Noah. The water is green and murky and all I feel are long, slimy tendrils of seaweed tangling around my legs. I struggle to make it through without getting lake water in my mouth or my eyes but it's pointless.

Noah finally reaches Folio and even from the far distance I’m at, it doesn’t look good. Nick is heavier and stockier than Noah, and Noah can barely lift a gallon of milk. I’m not quite sure what he was thinking, maybe he was relying on some crazy adrenaline strength.

Noah’s got him but he’s a heavy, thrashing, coughing weight in his arms.

“God fucking damnit.” I mutter and push myself to swim even faster. “Is he good?” I yell from yards away.

“No! I need your help, Nicholas!” Noah’s voice is slurred, strained and breathless. That’s when I realize that I’m supposed to be the sober backbone of this operation.

When I reach them, Noah is just barely keeping Folio’s head above water. I assess the surroundings and decide getting him up on the dock would be the quickest option.

“Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do.” I say, manhandling Folio from Noah. “You’re gonna get up on the dock and I’m gonna try to lift him up to you and then you can pull him up. Got it?”

“Got it.” He nods and swims over the ladder, climbs up and kneels at the edge. “Okay, ready.”

With every bit of strength in my body, I swim both of us over and lift Folio up towards Noah. He hooks his arms under his armpits and by some miracle gets him up on the dock.

I cling to the metal ladder letting myself take a breath for a brief second. When I finally get up to the platform, Folio is on his side violently coughing, desperately trying to get out any water.

Once his hacking calmed down, he wipes the side of his mouth with the back of his hand and squints at us. “What the fuck happened?”

“You were drowning dumbass.” I snap with an eye roll crossing my cold, wet arms over my freezing chest. “Your ‘frat bros’ threw you into the lake.”

I’m suddenly very aware that I’m nearly naked on this dock and while it’s just the two of them, I still feel extremely exposed. I’m not fond of even having my shirt off on a beach day, nonetheless a dip in a frigid lake with a whole house full of strangers just a couple of feet away.

Noah rests back on his folded legs and places his hands on his boney knees.

“Are you okay?” His voice is light, soft, and airy. “We were really worried about you.”

Noah is gentle with Folio even though we just dove into freezing water for him. He’s kind and concerned and it’s the Noah I’m used to. Seeing him this way again swirls a flutter in my chest. I can’t tell if that’s happened before or if it’s new. Maybe it’s something that’s always happened, and I just hadn’t noticed until now? It feels both comforting and extremely daunting.

Maybe it’s just my body trying to heat itself up.

Folio continues to hack several dry coughs but ultimately nods. “Yeah, yeah, I’m good. I think.”

I can tell he’s still wasted and frankly, I’m surprised he didn’t just throw up Bryan’s mystery concoction when he was coughing up water.

“Okay can we go put our clothes back on now? I’m fucking freezing.” My teeth chatter as a cold gust of wind washes over my body.

We quickly ran over to the shore to put our mostly dry clothes back on, then came back to Folio on the dock. Noah got him to his feet and had him hold onto our shoulders so we could steady him back inside.

The party hollers as we make our way through with a cold and shivering Nick. It strikes an anger right through my spine. It’s a rage I don’t think I’ve ever felt in my life but it’s spreading through me like a bad infection.

I’m in a room of people ridiculing my friend who just almost drowned.

The same people who almost caused it.

And he still wants to be here.

These are the people he wants to be with.

These are the people Noah wanted so badly to come here for.

Folio guides us up the rounded staircase to his room. Since the house is so big and the frat is so exclusive, each member gets their own room. So, luckily for him, nobody else has to see this.

I drop his arm abruptly once inside but he’s too drunk to even notice. He sloppily rustles through his drawers to find clothes to take for a lake-cleansing shower.

“Well, if you’re going to take 5 million years to find a shirt, I’m just gonna dip.” I say more aggressively than intended.

Or maybe it was intended.

They both look at me with confused, furrowed brows.

“Whoa,” Nick slurs, “What fucking crawled up your ass?”

“Fucking nothing, I just want to fucking leave. I’ve been trying to fucking leave for the past hour.”

Noah looks more confused than him, if I wasn’t so angry, I’d even call it concerned.

“You weren’t having fun?”

“Oh my god, I already fucking told you I wasn’t having fun. If you had just been a half-decent friend for two seconds tonight, you might’ve seen that I was not having fun at all.”

My patience had long left me.

“Oh so, I’m a bad friend now?” Noah raises a brow and takes an offended step back.

A frustrated groan escapes my lips, “I just don’t understand why you both want to be here with these people.” I point in the direction of the party. “Those are who did that to you Folio. And you still wanna party with them?”

Nick looks at me like I have two heads.

“Yes? I’m part of this fraternity Ruffilo. This is like… my purpose or whatever.” He says, stringing along his words like they have long pauses between.

My eyes couldn’t roll hard enough. That was quite possibly the most frat-boy thing I’ve ever heard. Maybe this is the right place for him.

“Your ‘purpose’? Are you fucking kidding me with that shit?”

“They weren’t all bad…” Noah trails off while he scratches his arm, and his eyes fall to the ground.

“Oh who? Those whores you were talking to?”

A quiet hush falls across the dimly lit room and Noah’s face looks distraught, his eyes fluttering back down to the carpeted floor.

“What is your fucking problem, Nick?” Folio breaks the silence. He’s still shivering, dripping water everywhere, and holding a pile of sweats to change into after his shower.

“If you didn’t wanna fucking be here, you shouldn’t have come.” He pushes past both of us and exits the room.

Noah’s brown eyes land back on me once we’re alone. There’s a sadness to them that I can’t decipher.  

“Well, this is what you wanted isn’t it?” I question facetiously and spread my arms out grandiosely. “This big college experience?”

He blinks at me blankly. “Why are you being like this Nicholas?” He asks softly and it twists some invisible knife in my gut.

“Being like what? You dragged me here!” I drop my arms harshly back to my sides.

“Yeah, I thought you’d have fun.” He scratches his arm anxiously.

“What’s fun about sitting around watching you hook up with dumb sorority bitches?”

The words surprise me the minute they leave my mouth. I don’t even know exactly what they’re supposed to mean and I sure as hell don’t want to unpack it right now.

His brows curve up where they start and knit together. He notices the odd verbiage too.

Fuck.

“Is this because we-“ He begins but my accelerating heart rate can’t bear to even entertain what was about to come out of his mouth. Nor can I bear to hear it.

I can’t hear him say what we did together that morning those weeks ago. I’ve been trying to convince myself that it was just a dream - even though my mind hasn’t been able to let me forget it, nor has it stopped me from wishing it would happen again.

But I can’t hear him say it. That would make it real. And I so desperately want it to not be real.

“You know what?” I suck my teeth. “I’m done. I’m fucking over this. I’m actually leaving now.” I march over to the open doorframe and turn back to him once more.

His hand moves up and down his arm repeatedly as if he’s trying to self-soothe.

“Okay.” He replies quietly and finally looks up at me from where his eyes were locked on the floor. “I guess um. I guess I’m gonna stay and make sure Folio is all right.” He thumbs over his shoulder towards the bathroom. “I doubt anyone’s sober to drive so, I’ll just stay here tonight.”

It feels as though my ribs caved in on my chest; sharp boney splinters piercing the organs they house.

I guess a part of me wanted him to beg me to stay.

But he didn’t.

“Okay.” I nod and head out of the horrendous frat house.

I fight the lump in my throat and the burning in my eyes all the way down the grandiose stairs, through the bustling crowd, down the front steps, over the green lawn, through all the parked cars, until the door slams behind me in my own car. All at once it hits me and the tears unleash. I cross my arms over my steering wheel pressing my crying eyes against them, heaving my sobs against them.

“Fuck!” I scream within the small confines of my car.

I’m crying and frustrated and angry all at the same time. I don’t even really know what I’m upset about. All I know is that my chest aches in a way it never has before, which frustrates me even more. The feeling reminds me of when you’ve been doing math for an hour but no matter how many times you try, you just don’t fucking understand it.

I just didn’t want to party, why am I fucking crying?

Why do I fucking care if my friends are staying and I’m going home?

I try to calm down before leaving but the tears keep pouring out of me. Everything’s blurry on the drive home and I’m grateful I didn’t take a sip of alcohol.

When I arrive home, the house is quiet. Every light is flipped off and there’s not even water droplet of noise. My mom is at her night shift at the hospital and my sister, Stella, is at a sleepover. Whenever I feel like this, I always go sit on one of their beds and talk to them. They always make me feel better even when there’s not much to say. Even though Stella is younger than me, she somehow always knows what to say. In a lot of ways, she’s smarter than I ever will be.

I don’t bother turning on a light and shuffle off my shoes at the door. I circle to the kitchen. When I open the fridge for a water, the light burns my already raw eyes. I take the cold bottle and press it on my under-eye bags then practically slam the fridge door closed. The cold plastic helps soothe some of the swelling.

I scuffle across the hall to my room and the minute the door clicks in place behind me, I let out a deep sigh. I feel water threatening to prickle into my eyes again, but my head is pounding and I’m so fucking sick of crying. I shed all my clothes since they faintly smell like lake and alcohol, and even though I should shower to wash off nasty lake residue, I just can’t walk out the door again. My chest aches too much for me to leave this room.

So, I slip on new boxers and a random Star Wars shirt and get into bed. I slip in from the right side and it immediately feels wrong.

And it sinks in.

My bed is not my own anymore.

It is half mine.

Half Noah’s.

I scooch back onto the left and try to sleep but I toss and turn for an hour and a half. My mind is racing, and it is only filled with Noah. Stuff that shouldn’t even matter.

Is he okay?

Is he still drinking?

Where is he sleeping?

Is he with her?

Does he wish I stayed?

Does he regret not leaving with me?

Does he want to come home?

Is he going to try to get a ride home? Would it be safe?

Did I overreact?

I should’ve stayed to help Folio sober up.

I should’ve just gotten drunk.

Maybe I could’ve had fun if I drank.

I wouldn’t be so upset if I had just drank, right?

I’m only upset because I wasn’t having a good time, right?

Maybe my two best friends wouldn’t fucking hate me right now if I just pretended to have fun.

Is this just what it is now?

Am I going to get dragged to a party every weekend and have to pretend to enjoy it?

Will I lose them if I don’t?

I flip on my side, facing the door and my back to the window. Between me and the door there’s the vast emptiness of Noah’s spot.

The bed feels so… empty without him in it.

I tug the comforter close around me as I’m suddenly aware of the low temperature in the room.

I hadn’t realized just how accustomed I’ve gotten to him being here in the short amount of time been moved in.

It’s nice having someone take up space next to me in bed.

It’s nice having warmth where there used to be none.

It’s nice laughing until my stomach hurts before bed every night.

It’s nice having someone to shut off the lamp when I’m already half asleep.

It’s nice not being alone.

I like not being alone.

I like not being alone with him.

And I don’t know what to do with that feeling.

Next Chapter -> 04 - Snapped Neck

tag list; @ladyveronikawrites @cryingabtab @sinkingteethinwhitenoise @kingdomof-omens @the-hell-i-overcame [comment if you'd like to be tagged?]

a/n; Thank you for the support on this series and on my other series, Virality. I appreciate it more than you know. I love reading your comments and asks, they really validate and fuel me lol. Even though I'm not the best at replying 😅 but i am incredibly grateful for them, thank you.

I hope you guys like this one, please lmk if you do💘

[firstsprinces]

Thank you @wordsofhoneydew for the tag! So happy to hear that you’ve been on a writing streak! I hope you’re enjoying it and please give me all the Junora that swimming around in your brain!

I was all set to share some smut from the lumberjack Alex oneshot, but then I was looking through my old documents and found a 1D firefighter au from 2015 I orphaned on ao3, and feel like I could revise it into firstprince??

You can vote for it here, if you’re interested.

I’m sharing a snippet from the one part I edited as a test to see if I can make it work. Hope you enjoy it (or ask that I keep it in 2015 where it belongs!)

“You’re telling me you never had sex in your uniform? Do you know how much sex you’d get?” Alex exclaims like he can’t believe he’s hearing this from Henry.

"The uniforms stay at the station.” Henry says with a shrug, feeling slightly embarrassed at how open Alex is when it came to sex. Sure, they’re both adults, but Henry still likes the idea of having privacy in his life.

“Fine, then bring me to the station so I can fuck you in your uniform in your big fire truck.” Alex shouts, which echoes through his neighborhood.

Henry shakes his head and laughs at Alex.

Like the gentleman he is, Henry walks Alex all the way to his door. He doesn’t think of this as a date and he definitely doesn’t plan on sleeping with Alex tonight.

"Stay with me?" Alex asks when he manages to get his housekeys out from the pocket of his jeans. “I know you don’t pick people up at the bar very well but the whole firefighter thing is definitely a turn on.”

Henry shakes his head, politely declining the offer to hook up with an extremely drunk Alex. It just isn’t worth it to him, even though he wants to spend some more time with Alex. He just wants to get to know the sober version of him first. He’s an interesting and vivacious individual after a couple of drinks, and he can’t help but feel intrigued about how Alex is without the liquid confidence.

“I really am a firefighter.” Henry tells him with a smile.

Alex shakes his head. “No, no, no, you’re too sexy and too perfect looking to be a fireman. You’re like a sex fantasy fireman and I’m definitely okay with that.” He begins to say before he hiccups. 

"Goodnight, Alex.” Henry says, trying to get Alex to close the door and get him to go to sleep. He really needs it.

“Hey, if I set my house on fire, could you put it out without a shirt on? You can still wear the helmet and suspenders.” He continues to joke with Henry, but Henry knows that he’s probably being serious about this.

“You’re ridiculous. Get some sleep and please don’t purposefully set your house on fire just so you can see me again.” Henry says to him, already halfway down the sidewalk.

“But will we see each other again, right, Henry?”

Henry’s teeth sink into his lower lip and he lets out a breath. “I guess we won’t know until we do.” He sends Alex one last hopeful smile before turning his back on him and returning to his car.

Tagging: @onthewaytosomewhere and @priincebutt

[sassyandclassy94]

10 Questions for 10 Writers

Thank you SO much for the tag, @coneygoil !! You have no idea how much I love being included in these things🫶🏻

1. Is writing a hobby or a way of life?

Sadly, it’s just a hobby. My life’s kinda too busy to make it a lifestyle

2. A journal full of notes, or a clean completed manuscript?

A clean completed manuscript, thank you very much. Which is pretty ironic, given I’m a pretty chaotic woman.

3. Who (or what) is your writing inspiration?

SwanFire and ThePhoenixFeatherQuill. I went through a Once Upon a Time phase became a huge SwanFire shipper after my first rewatch and one night while I was lying in bed, I looked up SwanFire fanfics. The Phoenix’s masterlist was like, the first or second search result? So I clicked on it when lo and behold! The Spinner’s Son captured my interest. I clicked on it and fell in love. I looked for other medieval AUs but couldn’t find any so naturally, after seeing posts about writing what you went to read, I decided to try my own hand at writing one.

4. Which is worse: Someone you ‘idolize’ reading your first draft or listening to you sing?

Well… I’m not a singer (I sing WITH people sometimes) so, definitely having someone I look up to read my first draft. I remember when Red (an awesome writer who I also look up to and tumblr friend - check out his Into the Woods, it’s amazing!!) told me he checked out Secrets, Lies and Blessings after we met and started interacting during covid. I was mortified and wanted to crawl into a hole.

5. Has writing from someone else’s POV changed your perspective?

Um, maybe….? I delved into OC stuff this year and wrote a fic about Gale Cleven. Two people with totally different personalities and characterization than Baelfire and Emma so, I guess yes? Maybe it didn’t change my perspective but it’s helped me grow as a writer maybe? I don’t know, maybe I don’t understand this question…?

6. Tumblr, AO3, LiveJournal, or FFN?

AO3 and FFN by far!! They’re my favorites and go-tos. I started out on those babies! I think FFN is slowly dying though😔

7. AO3 word count? And are you satisfied with it?

105,744 - No, I wish it was higher. If it was it’d mean I’m more prolific.

8. What movie/book gripped you irrevocably?

Once Upon a Time started my writing hobby. I needed Neal to be happy and I was gonna write that, darn it! But with running out of ideas, writing SwanFire for 6 years straight, and going through a kind of heartbreak, I got really burnt out and kinda stopped for a while. It was The Boys in the Boat and Masters of the Air that inspired me to start writing again❤️ Don and Gale, man! They have a hold on me!!

9. What’s the highest compliment you could ever be given, and have you been given it?

That my writing is better than I give it credit for. And yes, Red told me that four years ago. He said it more articulate than that though (former English teacher and all, lol!) and him saying that made me feel a little more confident in my writing. I’ve gotten some pretty nice compliments about keeping my characters’ personalities true to canon and that’s pretty high praise too because I go real out of my way to do that.

10. What defines your writing style?

I… don’t even know? Even though most of my stories are romance, there’s also a heavy emphasis on friendship because a good old fashioned friendship is important to me (e.g. Emma and Eleanor). Theyre also very emotional. Whether it’s someone falling in love, preparing for parenthood, or suffering from PTSD, I want my readers to feel what he/she is going through and to be able to relate to them on a personal and intimate level.

Tags: Not me racking my brain to think of all the writers who follow and/or engage with me, and/or are in my notes🤕 @phoenixwrites @ljf613 @solo-pitstop-vibes @okieedokes @swanfireprincessmydear @fictional-at-heart @redbone135 @heatherfield @strangethings-everywhere @plasmabluefire @themeepyfreak And whatever other writer sees this and wants to participate, please consider yourself tagged! You can even say I tagged you. I want you all, especially new writers, to be included🫶🏻 No cliques in SassyAndClassy’s house!!! Oh my gosh is that ten??? DID I DO IT???? We won’t talk about how long that took me to come up with all of you🥴 I hope none of you will be annoyed that I tagged you🫣

[dandylovesturtles]

Please tell me something about the Shape of Water AU I'm very curious

this is just the doc title for my "100 Feet and a World Away" AU! I have the lore post linked in my pinned.

tldr: the boys get kidnapped young and raised in a lab by humans who aren't aware they have human level intelligence, and they try to escape.

I posted a bit about Donnie (aka Turtle Four) eating french fries awhile ago but here, have the rest of the scene too:

April unwraps something. The smell assaults his nose - greasy meat, cheese, that red vegetable he’s seen sometimes - and he slips into the water and swims over, popping out just shy of the fence.

“I’m sorry, are you eating during our escape planning meeting?”

“Don’t start with me,” she says, holding up a hand. “I had to work through breakfast to catch up on my homework for my morning classes, then work through lunch to catch up on my homework for my afternoon classes, and then I worked through dinner to catch up on everything else.” She takes a bite, chews, swallows. “This is the first chance I’ve had to eat all day.”

“Huff! Fine. But did you have to bring something with so much…” he flails his hands, “smell?”

“It’s just a burger. What, you never had a burger before?”

He stares at her. She catches his eye, and then lowers her gaze.

“Right. Stupid question.”

“Sometimes the humans bring those. The burgers, you said? They eat them around noon.” He thinks of it with distaste. He can remember exactly which of the humans tend to chew with their mouths open, or talk with food in their mouths. It makes him feel slimy when he watches. 

“We call that “lunch”,” April says. She looks at the burger, then back at Four. It’s with an expression he doesn’t understand, but he’s noticed from her more and more. “Do you want to try it?”

He hesitates. He doesn’t know if he wants to or not. The smell is overwhelming, and he isn’t sure how it will taste. How it will feel, in his mouth.

No one ever offers him food, though.

“...I’m perfectly fine with my nutrition blocks,” he finally says.

“Oh come on, Donnie, that’s not food.”

“It is. It gives me all the vitamins and minerals I need. And…” He stumbles over what he wants to say. He hates when he does that, but he doesn’t know the words for what he’s trying to convey. He wishes he had a bigger vocabulary. He wishes he were allowed to read.

Wishes get him nowhere. He has to focus on the task at hand. Only, April doesn’t seem to want to continue with their escape planning unless he makes a decision about the burger.

“...And?” she prompts, startling him.

“...I don’t know… some food… feels weird,” he finally says.

“Feels weird?”

“In my mouth.”

For a moment she just stares at him. He guesses he must have said something weird. Humans must not care about how food feels in their mouth. Maybe that’s just a turtle thing.

Or maybe his brothers don’t think that way either. Maybe it’s just a Four thing.

But then April’s eyes go a little wider, and she says, “Ooooh. You have texture issues, huh?”

“Texture?”

“Yeah. How the food feels. Some people get really bothered by it; guess you do, too.”

Oh. So it’s not just a Four thing. There’s a whole name for it. He learned something new! How exciting!

“Yes!” he declares. He feels more confident about it now. “I have texture issues!”

She laughs at that. It’s not a mean laugh. He’s not sure why what he said was funny, though, but before he can ask she’s tearing off a small piece of the meat on the side of the burger she didn’t bite.

“Here. Just try it.” She slips it through the gaps in the chain-link, where he can get to it. “If it feels bad, you can just spit it out. I won’t be mad.”

She’s always telling him that. That she won’t be mad. He doesn’t know why; he’s never seen her get mad, at least not at him. But she always tells him that anyway.

It makes him feel better, somehow, even though that’s illogical.

He takes the meat gingerly in his fingers and looks at it. It doesn’t look particularly appetizing. The smell is a lot, but not so bad now that he’s getting used to it. He likes meat - not that he’s had it much. Maybe it will be fine.

He puts it in his mouth and immediately knows it isn’t. He doesn’t like the way the meat falls apart. He can’t describe it, he just knows it’s wrong.

He spits it out. April said she wouldn’t be mad.

“No good, huh?” she asks. She doesn’t sound mad.

“No. It was bad, actually.”

“Hmm, alright…” She glances around, then grabs the sack and pulls out something else: a small container of something thin and golden brown. “Wanna try a french fry?”

“A french fry?”

“It’s just a fried potato.” She pulls one of the thin stick-things (french fry) out of the container and pokes it through the fence. “Here!”

He takes it, looking it over suspiciously. It has the same greasy smell as the burger, but it’s not meat, it’s “potato,” so it must have a different texture.

He nibbles the end, and oh.

It’s actually good!

He devours the rest of the fry. She laughs again, and when he looks back at her she’s smiling.

“Alright, so the fries are a winner. Here, have some more!”

She slips a few more through the fence, and then a few more. Four happily eats all the fries she passes him. They taste nothing like the nutrition blocks, they taste better than the nutrition blocks, and they don’t feel bad in his mouth, not even a little.

“When I get out of here,” he says, after downing the last one, “I’ll eat like this every day.”

“Maybe not fries every day. They’re pretty unhealthy.” She shrugs. “But there’s all kinds of other things out there for you to try! We’ll figure out all the foods you like to eat.”

[astrowaffles]

Lights, Camera, ...Action?

General Audiences | Fluff, Chaos

"Megumi-seaurchinhead – that’s a really good name – asks, ‘Why do you have different last names?’”

“Do you know how hard it is to get a name change?” Megumi asked. “Especially if it’s a name you’d already had for ten years?”

“Hard both financially, legally, and emotionally,” Gojo listed. “Plus Megumi Fushiguro has such a ring to it.”

“I guess you could’ve become Satoru Fushiguro.”

“Yah, but I’m famous.”

“Point taken. Megumi Gojo is an okay name I guess, it’s just weird. I’ve been Fushiguro all my life.”

“It’s his mom’s name,” Gojo added. “It would be a shame to swap your mom’s name for your adoptive dad’s. That’s not very #feminism, is it?”

“Did you seriously just say the word ‘hashtag’?”

“Hashtag feminism, dude.”

“Don’t ‘dude’ me. You’re old and wrinkly, and cringe. Next question.”

------------

OR: the jjk actor/interview au we all wanted

“Sometimes people ask me if you’re, like, actually mine. And first of all, what do you mean, ‘actually’?? You’re literally my son? And second of all, if they mean biologically, how old do they think I am?! I was ten years old when you were born. And when you were conceived-“

Megumi coughed violently and nodded his head towards the camera. Gojo immediately stopped talking.

“We were rolling? Oh. Well. ….Shit.”

The screen fuzzed out with a loud BEEEEP.

-

-

“Hey, I’m Megumi Fushiguro, and I’m in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 this March.”

“I’m Satoru Gojo! I’m also in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 this March. What a funny coincidence.”

“We’re here today to read your most frequently asked questions-”

“And it’s Father’s Day! So there’ll be lots about our relationship.”

Megumi hummed. “I feel like we should probably explain that first.”

Gojo inched towards Megumi, closing the gap between them on the couch. Megumi, engrossed in trying to find the right words, didn’t notice until Gojo managed to get an arm over Megumi’s shoulders. Megumi jumped.

“Holy fuck, don’t do that,” he scolded, hand over his heart. Gojo snickered and turned to the camera.

“We’re father and son! Hence the Father’s Day interview.” Megumi opened his mouth, but Gojo quickly put a hand over it. “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Peace and love, Megumi! Onto the questions!”

A member of the crew placed two small bowls, full of slips of paper, on the table in front of them. They also handed Megumi a clipboard.

“So, these’re the rules,” Megumi announced, shrugging Gojo’s arm off. “We take a question from that bowl-“ he pointed – “and answer it. Truthfully,” he added, staring at Gojo. Gojo put his hands up in surrender.

“Hey, I never lie! Just bend the truth sometimes.”

“Yeah, whatever. Once you’re done with the paper, put it on the table – and not back into the bowl.” Another stare. Gojo looked away. “If you don’t want to answer the question, you don’t have to, but you do have to do a forfeit.” Megumi pointed to the other bowl.

“How am I supposed to remember which one is which?”

“Does anyone have a pen?”

A woman quickly handed Megumi a marker.

“Thanks.” Megumi picked up the first bowl, and scrawled QUESTIONS on it, and then FORFEITS on the other.

“Woah, Megs, your handwriting is awful,” Gojo commented, inspecting the scribbles.

“Thanks, I got it from you,” Megumi replied. He put the marker down on the table and finished scanning the rules. “That’s about it, I think.”

“You wanna go first?”

“I guess.” Megumi carefully pulled a slip from the bowl. “This is from fishbowlbrain on twitter. ‘Do Megumi and Yuuji actually get along, or is it just acting?’”

“Do they get along? You have no idea,” Gojo groaned. “They’re such menaces.”

“He’s only saying that because we convinced the publicist to sell stickers of Satoru,” Megumi confided to the camera.

“Yeah, stickers of horrible freeze-frame moments!”

“We caught him mid-sneeze,” Megumi cackled. “Ahh. Good times.”

“That was last week.”

“Good times.”

“Seriously, I wish they were just acting. They do literally everything together now. Saw them at the nail salon a few days ago.”

Megumi held up his hand to reveal his green nails. “Aren’t they cool? Yuuji got red.”

“Very cool.” Gojo crossed his arms.

“He’s also mad because we didn’t invite him,” Megumi told the camera. “Come on, Satoru. It’s your turn.”

“Oh, hell yes!” Gojo shoved his hand into the QUESTIONS bowl and rummaged around, spilling a few. Megumi rolled his eyes and collected the spilt questions, putting them back in the bowl once Gojo had removed his hand. “Ooh! This is a good one!” He cleared his throat. “This is a question from … gojosxrayeyes? … on twitter. ‘Did you audition for your roles in Jujutsu Kaisen because of your characters’ relationship, or was it a coincidence?’”

“Satoru didn’t actually audition properly,” Megumi sighed. “They kinda wrote the part for him. I didn’t know he was in it, since I didn’t run in to him during audition week, so it was complete coincidence.”

“I do sometimes wonder if they wrote Megumi’s part for him, too,” Gojo mused. “Why does it fit him so well otherwise? Why are our characters father and son otherwise?”

“I mean, they’re not really father and son,” Megumi countered. “What did they call it? Oh yeah, you’re my ‘benefactor’. You just pay for stuff. Like rent.”

“I love being rich,” Gojo nodded. “And Tsumiki – she’s not related to us at all. She’s really lovely though.”

“It wasn’t hard to act like she was my sister,” Megumi agreed. “It would be nice to have a sister. Someone who can distract Satoru before he drives me insane.”

“No comment,” Gojo said. “Anyway, yeah! Coincidence, although I swear Megumi was a muse for someone involved. Your turn, Megs!”

Megumi picked another piece of paper out. “Yuujislefteyebrow wants to know why you always wear sunglasses.”

“What, in Jujutsu Kaisen? Only time will tell, my friend,” Gojo answered, wiggling his fingers mysteriously. “But in real life, I’m just susceptible to migraines.” He shrugged. “My turn!”

This time, Megumi put a hand to the edge of the bowl to prevent spilling. Gojo grinned and purposefully knocked their hands together as he took a piece of paper. Megumi punched his arm.

“Ow, Megumi! That hurt!” Gojo turned to the crew. “Did you see that? Did you see that? My own son-“

“Please read the question, Mr Gojo,” a woman’s voice said. Megumi sniggered.

“Yeah, Mr Gojo. Get on with it.”

“I am, I am! Ahem. Megumi-seaurchinhead – that’s a really good name – asks, ‘Why do you have different last names?’”

“Do you know how hard it is to get a name change?” Megumi asked. “Especially if it’s a name you’d already had for ten years?”

“Hard both financially, legally, and emotionally,” Gojo listed. “Plus Megumi Fushiguro has such a ring to it.”

“I guess you could’ve become Satoru Fushiguro.”

“Yah, but I’m famous.”

“Point taken. Megumi Gojo is an okay name I guess, it’s just weird. I’ve been Fushiguro all my life.”

“It’s his mom’s name,” Gojo added. “It would be a shame to swap your mom’s name for your adoptive dad’s. That’s not very #feminism, is it?”

“Did you seriously just say the word ‘hashtag’?”

“Hashtag feminism, dude.”

“Don’t ‘dude’ me. You’re old and wrinkly, and cringe. Next question.”

Gojo opened his mouth, then closed it. “You got me there.”

“I know I do. Here’s another question: ‘how do you get yourself to cry at sad moments?’”

“I am an emotional wreck at the best of times,” Gojo laughed. “I just think of a Mitski song or something.”

“Personally, I just get really in character. As Satoru said, my character is very similar to me, so if he’s crying, it’s probably a situation where I’d cry too. That’s sad enough as it is.”

“I don’t think you’ve cried in JJK, though?” Gojo thought for a moment. “I suppose even if you did we couldn’t mention it. It might be a spoiler. Wait, have I even cried?”

“Your character doesn’t really show emotions, does he? I might have cried once, or something. But I’ve cried more in other parts, and the same method worked for them. It’s always a sad moment anyway, so you just have to feel the mood and the emotions of your part, I guess.”

“Of course you have the perfect, actor-y answer,” Gojo sulked. “Now I just look stupid.”

“Listen, I just think Mitski’s more cathartic than sad,” Megumi shrugged.

“Bonus question, what’s your favourite Mitski song?” someone called from the back.

“Call me basic, but I like Francis Forever,” Megumi answered.

“Oh, that one is cathartic. I’m more of a Liquid Smooth man myself.”

“That one’s good too. But is that really one that makes you cry?”

“Nah. Have you ever seen Fruits Basket?”

“Yeah…?”

“Well. Now think of First Love/Late Spring but with Hatori.”

There was a pause while Megumi tried to focus on the image.

“…….Oh my god.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Yeah, yeah, I can actually see how this would work,” Megumi laughed shakily, fanning his face. “No, literally, this is working too well-“

“Wait, actually?” Gojo handed Megumi a tissue, obviously fighting a giggle. “I didn’t take you for someone who easily cried.”

“I’m not, I just really like Hatori, okay? They were in love, Satoru!”

“I know, I know. Shall we move on before this gets worse?”

Megumi blew his nose. “Please.”

Gojo rustled in the bowl for a bit. “Sunshineyellow says ‘how does Satoru feel about the possibility of their being a ‘real’ father for Megumi’s character in season 2?’ Woah, one step at a time, sunshineyellow! We’ve only just done season one – and the movie’s not even out yet!”

“Also, there’s a whole thing about what a douchebag he was,” Megumi interjected. “Yeah, the guy would be a biological father, but my character absolutely despises him. Why would we feel upset by that?”

“True, true. I think you do have to bear the context in mind. Also, they’re just characters! Separate real life from fiction, guys. I personally have a fabulous work/life balance.”

“So true. He forces me to lock my scripts away when I get home.”

Gojo gave Megumi a high five. “That’s how it should be!”

Megumi picked another question. “Toadinthehole asked ‘Why did they pair you up to do this interview? Surely Megumi should be with Yuji and Nobara?’”

“And then who would they put me with?” Gojo pointed out. “Most of the adult characters have minor roles and as a teacher, I interact most with the kids. If they put me with Kento or Suguru, it might actually be weirder.”

“Also, it’s Father’s Day. I’m here with my dad.”

Gojo immediately snapped his head to look at Megumi. “Did you just say what I thought you said?”

“Probably?”

“Awh, Megs!” Gojo launched himself at Megumi, wrapping every limb around him. “You’re so cute sometimes!”

Megumi said something, but Gojo was squashed over his microphone. Eventually, a crew member came to peel Gojo off.

“Sheesh, it’s not something to overreact over,” Megumi huffed, attempting to straighten himself out.

“It totally is.”

“I say it all the time.”

“And it gets better every time!”

“Would it deflate you to know that Yuji is doing this interview with Mr Nanami?”

Gojo paused. “They’re not related, are they?”

“No, but they do have a similar dynamic to us in the show, don’t they?”

“I guess so….”

“Yuji literally said that Mr Nanami is his TV dad.”

“He kinda is! That’s so sweet. Does that make me and Kento dad friends…?”

Megumi sighed heavily. “Maybe they should let us do an interview together. Like, the four of us.”

“Let Nobara join too! Wait, she doesn’t have a TV parent. What are we gonna do?!”

“Give her Shoko and let her join…?”

“I like it.” Gojo turned to the crew behind the camera. “Are you writing this down?”

“Don’t be rude to them,” Megumi chided. “But you know what would be cool? One of those interviews where you play with cats.”

“Oh my god, yeah! We could…”

Their voices faded as the screen turned to black. Text appeared in the centre of the screen: they got a bit distracted, so we have to cut out this bit. It’s just them talking about cats for fifteen minutes. Let’s get ourselves back on track …

The image returned and the audio faded back in. Gojo had shifted so he was sitting with an ankle crossed over his knee, arm slung casually over the back of the sofa. Megumi rooted in the bowl for another question.

“Oh, here we go! ‘Beside your own character and each other’s, who’s your favourite character in JJK?’”

“Ooh! Ooh! Nanami! I think he’s really cool. He’s just got a knife, maths, and the power of refusing to work overtime.”

Megumi laughed. “I’ve never heard it put like that before. Personally, I like Yuta – you won’t really know who he is since you haven’t seen the film yet, so I won’t say much. I just think it’s awesome how he keeps winning with the literal power of love.”

“Hell yeah! Peace and love!” Gojo beamed. “Can we do some forfeits now?”

“What, without the questions?”

“Yeah, I’m curious as to what they’re gonna make us do.” Gojo pulled one out of the bowl. “’Do ten star jumps.’ Well, that one’s boring. You can do that one for me.” He tossed the paper to Megumi, who grumbled something about it being Gojo’s idea, but stood up and started doing it anyway. “This one’s better. ‘Tell us the worst thing you’ve ever eaten’.”

“Isn’t that just another question?” Megumi puffed, on his fifth star jump.

“Yeah, but it’s an embarrassing question. And the answer is earthworms, when I was seven.”

“What?!”

“I know! Don’t I seem far too elegant to ever eat worms?”

Megumi collapsed onto the sofa, breathing heavily. “Don’t ever make me do exercise again.”

“Oh, you big drama queen. You and I both know about your 5k before bed.”

“Listen, it’s just relaxing-“

“Yeah, yeah. Pick another forfeit.”

“’Chug a bottle of sprite’. Uh, no.”

“What do you mean, ‘no’?”

“I mean no. I want another one.”

“How about ‘tell us your most embarrassing dream?’ Don’t tell me about your sex dreams, though.”

“You’re my dad, why would I ever do that.”

“We have a close relationship and we’re really close in age, you know. You might feel that I am a safe space-“

“Yeah, no. My most embarrassing dream was the time I dreamt I tried to do a skateboard trick but landed flat on my face.”

“That wasn’t a dream, that happened when you were nine.”

“Was there an audience of mermaids laughing at me?”

“No…?”

“Then it was a dream. A very bad dream.”

“You only have time for one last thing, either a forfeit or a question,” a crew member called out. Gojo pouted.

“Is it because we wasted all your time talking about cats?”

“Yeah,” the cameraman said.

“My bad, sorry,” Megumi apologised, reaching for QUESTIONS. “Let’s do one last question, shall we?”

“Yeah, these forfeits are bad.”

“Don’t be rude. Satorusshinyslipper says, ‘Tell us one thing we probably won’t know about making Jujutsu Kaisen.’”

“What, anything?”

“Anything, I guess.”

They both thought for a minute.

“Oh! I have one. My demon dogs are my actual dogs.”

“Ohhh, that is a good one,” Gojo agreed.

“They’re called Toast and Maple and they are absolute sweethearts,” Megumi smiled. “And they love Yuuji. It was so hard to stop Maple from just running over to him whenever we were filming.”

“Or me,” Gojo added. “Obviously, they live with me and have for ages now, and I’m like their bestie-“

“Keep dreaming.”

“I am! Anyway, it was worse with me because I usually wasn’t on stage during their scenes, so they kept trying to run off camera. We are so lucky Megumi is a master dog trainer or whatever.”

“’Or whatever’,” Megumi mimicked. “You’re so kind.”

“I know.” Gojo turned to the camera. “I guess that’s it, folks! Thanks for joining us-“

“And remember to catch Jujutsu Kaisen 0 ASAP. It’s actually a really good film, even if I do say so myself.”

“He’s right, you know. Like, subscribe, hit the bell – do whatever you gotta do. Keep watching JJK, and keep up with your favourite actors! Peace out!”

“What he said.”

The credits rolled.

A03 | Exclusives | Tip Me | Commissions

[presleyhearted]

Just in Time | one-shot

・❥・Pairing : Elvis Presley x reader

・❥・Genre: Time Travel!AU, angst, fluff,'70s!Elvis, loosely based on the TV show 'Timeless.'

・❥・Word Count: 7.6k

・❥・Summary: You are a part of a small team of people whose job is to time travel to the past, to prevent someone and his gang from changing history. But on a mission to protect a certain famous figure from the '70s, things take a turn. You are left to face the consequences of bringing the king of rock 'n roll himself to the year 2023.

・❥・Ratings & Warnings : SFW. A lot of angst, mentions of death, brief period of Elvis being unconscious, mentions of health conditions. Nothing too major though, don't worry.

・❥・Author's Notes: Hi! So this is my very first one-shot, I guess? I've never written one before and I have no idea what is the appropriate word count for one, if I'm being honest. This can also be read as Austin!Elvis if you prefer. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! Also I want to mention that this is not cross-posted anywhere else. This is my writing, please do not copy this.

@literally-just-elvis-fics

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“They are taking too long, “ You said, as you nervously fiddled with your fingers. 

“They’ll be back soon. Don’t fret too much Y/N, “ Your boss, Francine, replies with her arms crossed as she portrays all confidence and calmness. You still can’t believe that it’s been three years since Francine recruited you as part of her team, and how long it took her to convince you that it wasn’t a practical joke. 

After all, who the hell would believe someone who tells you that they are offering you a job to be a time traveller? It sounds like a classical plot from a sci-fi movie, you thought. But something in the corner of your mind, perhaps that wishful thinking of the child version of you - brought you to call Francine from the number left on the business card she gave you. 

Once she met you at what she labelled the headquarters, which was really an underground bunker that seemed to be reminiscent of the dystopian movies that were once popular, you began to believe her. Well, and then she showed you a circular-type of metal vehicle with it’s contents inside involving three seats with multiple seatbelts and all the technicalities of the engine and the buttons to operate it. Then and there, Francine told you it was the time machine - and the only one ever in the world. She then told you that it has been test-driven before by herself and the scientists and engineers involved in its creation. 

And so, you accepted. 

It turned out you weren’t the only sceptic though. Francine approached two other people to be part of her team, and eventually, just like you they accepted. The actual job itself was not time travelling for the sake of time travelling. Each mission entails that you and the two other people - Ashton and Colin - were to prevent a particular man by the name of Max and his gang from changing history. They were ruthless and would go above and beyond to create havoc. With each mission, you held your breath and hoped and prayed that the three of you would return to the present time unscathed. That and successfully completing the mission. 

The three of you would always go on the missions together, as without one of you - it’ll be harder to achieve the aim. Until Francine noticed that you were more tired than usual and had a fever running, which she then decided that Ashton and Colin go ahead without you. It is not that you didn’t trust them, it’s just the anxiety of the waiting. 

And so, here you were pacing back and forth. 

“I should’ve gone with them.” You looked at Francine, in which she shakes her head. 

“You and I both know that you weren’t well enough.” 

“But I’m perfectly fine now!” 

“Now, yes. But a while ago you passed out on the couch.” 

You know that she has a point, but it still didn’t settle the nerves in your stomach. Like something has gone horribly wrong with the mission. 

You sighed, “I just have this sickening feeling that something did not go well.” You admit to her. 

“The mission was simple.” Francine argues.

You shake her head, “No, it’s not. Going back to 1972 to track down Max and his gang from possibly murdering a famous star - is anything but simple. What if they got themselves caught? Got themselves killed? What if they did more harm than good?”

“Have faith, Y/N. Ashton and Colin have done this a thousand times.”

Despite her efforts to calm you down, your anxiety cannot help but build up and you spill your thoughts. 

“Not without me they haven’t.” You say, running a hand through your face now.

“I mean, if I’m being honest why the hell is Max targeting Elvis Presley?” You shoot Francine a confused look. 

“I don’t know. We don’t know. But I do know that Max is a deviously smart man. He doesn’t do things just because.” Francine answers. 

All our past missions that you embarked on were self-explanatory. Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, The Watergate Scandal, Henry the VIII, The Second World War, The Moon Landing etc. If you ever had to protect a specific historical figure, they were mainly previous presidents, part of the government, members of monarchy for example. Never have you and the team ever encountered a mission whereby the focus is on an entertainer. Sure, it is undeniable that in the world of performers and actors, they are some that are famous no matter what. Those ones that are still so well-known despite no longer being on Earth. Elvis Presley is one of them. But you are so frustrated on why you cannot figure out why target him? Of course, there is no denying of his impact on music. But music is simply just music. 

Also, not to mention, you have been an Elvis fan since you could remember. Growing up with your grandparents endlessly playing his records whenever you would be at their house. So, although you cannot visit as often as you used to when you were younger, those same records played in your own apartment. This in itself just adds to your frustration because how could you, a very dedicated Elvis fan - not have even an inkling of an idea on why Max and his gang would target him? 

“They are coming!” One of the tech people behind the computer yells, both altering you and Francine who share a look of alert. 

A strong gust of wind blows against everyone as the time machine appears out of thin air, effectively standing still on the empty ground just opposite you, Francine and the team of tech people and scientists behind their computers. You smooth out your hair from the havoc caused by the strong wind. The engine stutters to a silence. 

You feel your heartbeat racing impossibly faster than ever. This is it. Once the door opens, you’ll have your answers to your questions. But what those answers may be - that you are unsure of. 

The door to the time machine slides open, revealing the people inside. You sigh in relief to see your colleagues and friends - Ashton and Colin. Both are breathing and are very much alive, but are sweating profusely and appear to have gone through hell and back. In summary, both are alive but it was definitely not an easy mission. But your breath gets caught up in your throat as your eyes cast over the unconscious figure that has their arms wrapped around Ashton and Colin’s shoulder. 

“Please, do not tell me that’s who I think it is.” You say in warning, clearly rhetorically. Because anyone, you don’t even have to be a fan to know that is definitely him. Sure there are hundreds of Elvis tribute artists out there, but knowing what you know in the nature of your job - that is most certainly an unconscious Elvis Presley that they are carrying. He is wearing that infamous white jumpsuit, the one with all the intricate details of the gemstones and a blue silk scarf wrapped around his neck. Rings upon rings adorned his fingers. 

“Surprise?” Colin says half-joking, half- terrified at the glare you are shooting them two. 

“You-” 

“We can explain.” Ashton interrupts, putting his hand up. 

“I defended both of you against Y/N’s concerns, you better have a good explanation for this.” Francine speaks up, her forehead suddenly knotted. 

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“. . . now do you see why we had no choice?” Ashton finishes explaining. You have been listening to their explanation for the past thirty minutes, as the famous rock ‘n roll star remains unconscious on the bed. His chest rising and falling. 

Initially, they were both sent there to protect Elvis Presley and to do it quietly. But in a turn of events, both reasonably couldn’t have avoided, they had no choice but to carry him to the time machine and just go, just as the bullets of Max and his gang rained on the exterior. They hoped to find Elvis Presley awake, but Max had other plans and planned to hurt the star while he was in his slumber in his Las Vegas penthouse. Luckily, Ashton and Colin were a step ahead and figured his plan out - but they had no second to waste. They had to act fast, with no time to really think about the consequences. And now, after hearing their story, you really couldn’t blame them for their choices. You feel that you would’ve done the exact same thing. 

“I just heard word that Max has time jumped again. November 22, 1963 Dallas,Texas.” Francine reports. 

“The assassination 0f JFK.” You respond quickly. 

All three of you begin to stand up from your seats, ready to head towards the wardrobe to change into clothing suitable for the period of time that you are about to enter. Francine, however, stops you all from getting to the door before anything. 

“Ashton and Colin go. Y/N, stay here.” Francine says. 

You begin to protest, “What? No-”

“You watch over Elvis here. You know the most about him compared to all of us here, plus you are medically trained.” Francine says. 

She was right. When Elvis wakes up, it’s not like there is the option of rushing him to the hospital in case of anything. And the usual doctor and nurse that were hired by Francine, have already left as Friday evening is quickly approaching. It was only down to you. You graduated with a bachelor’s in History and then went on to graduate from nursing school. It is only logical that you stay behind and look after Elvis. 

But, you being naturally stubborn, still persist to protest. 

You were about to argue that Ashton and Colin may need to rest as well, but seeing as they luckily obtained no injuries, left out that argument. 

“But they won’t have a historian with them.” You attempt to argue. 

Knowing that Francine saw how anxious you looked while awaiting Colin and Ashton to return, she must hear you out this time round. You don’t think you can bare another moment of that nerves of knowing it was only them two navigating their way through such a point in American history. It can’t be handled lightly. There is no way. 

“She does have a point, Francine.” Ashton says.

“Yes, they will.”

“Who?” Colin speaks up, curiously asking. 

“Me.” Francine smiles confidently. 

“I-”

“Come on, it’s only one trip. I am a historian myself, should I remind you all.” She explains, which is true. You asked her yourself when you were newly-hired on why she hired you, when she could just go on these missions herself. Her reasoning was that she was the main manager here. She is handling and managing not just the team, but the other employees and the entire operation. So, she went on to look for someone who will solely focus on fulfilling the role of historian. Luckily for her, she found you to be well-versed in history and medically competent. 

After a while of back and forth conversation, you sighed in defeat and agreed to Francine’s decision. All three of them soon boarded the time machine and disappeared into thin air. You just hoped and prayed that they all come back successfully soon. 

As Ashton and Colin have explained, they escaped with Elvis when he was in deep sleep, which he still is. Although he is not injured in anyway, you believe that it doesn’t hurt to still do your checks on him when he wakes up. It is not everyday that someone from the past travels 50 years into the future. And not to mention, someone who you know has several health conditions. 

Now that they were gone, your focus was solely on the raven-haired star that remained asleep on the bed. There were only three rooms in the underground headquarters, in case anyone in the team wanted to sleep here instead of going back to their own house. Even whilst asleep, you cannot help but admire him. Tanned skin, infamous black hair, and not to mention his many jumpsuits. You feel that even without all the glitz and glamour, he would still look effortlessly handsome. 

A groan disrupts you from staring at him, a sound that came from him. 

Shit. You think to yourself. You were still so caught up in trying to process the happenings of the last few hours, you actually haven’t mentally prepared a script or something on how you’ll respond from his questions. Because you know he’ll have questions, any sane person would. 

“W-Where am I? Goddamnit, Red! Why is the damn light so bright in here?” He curses, his hand quickly shielding his eyes from the brightness of the light above him. 

“Um. . . I-I’m sorry. I’ll dim them a little.” You say, hardly recognising the timidness of your voice. You go to the light switch and click the button to lower the brightness, then frantically go back to your chair beside him. 

But now it’s different. Now Elvis Presley has his eyes open, a beautiful blue that you only saw in photos and old videos on youtube. His eyebrows are quirked up in confusion with his eyes squinting at you, as if trying to make sense of the situation. 

“What. . . “ He trails off, “You’re not Red.” He mumbles. 

“No, I’m not.” 

He begins to sit himself up, but you were quick to stand up and gently encourage him to lay back down. 

“Please, lie back down. I promise I won’t hurt you. I-I just need to do a few checks.” You say, attempting to bring back the confidence in your voice. But with his gaze so fixated on you, as if he is studying every inch of your face, you feel yourself heat up. 

He fortunately follows your instructions, but his questions spew out. 

You get out your pen-light from your pocket and shine it into each of his eyes, noting down ‘pupils equal and reactive.’  You then instruct him to try and push back from your hands, and to raise his arms and legs. This is to test his strength and ability to follow instruction. You note down that all are normal and are competent. 

Elvis sighs, “What’s your name, honey?” He says, southern drawl prominent and you feel a weakness in your knees. 

“Y/N.”

“Beautiful name. Y/N, can you please tell me what’s goin’ on?” 

You nod, still avoiding eye contact, “I will. I just need to check your vitals, okay?”

He nods. 

You fit a blood pressure cuff around his arm and take a stethoscope, listening intently to the systolic and diastolic beats. You are aware that due to his cardiac condition, he is hypertensive. The reading shows ‘140/90.’ Although you do not know his normal range, your clinical judgement says that these figures ring true with hypertensive patients. 

You then continue on to check his other vitals; heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, temperature. All seem to be within his normal range, although he is presenting a little tachycardic - which is normal for him, and as you have yet to tell him what’s going on, you are sure anxiety mixed into it too. 

“Okay. All seem to be fine.” You conclude. 

“Can I sit up now, doll?” He asks, and you finally look at him. 

“Yeah, of course. But take it slow.” You warn him and decide to place your arms around him, helping him sit up. Once he does so, he leans against the wall and you return back to your seat. 

He looks around the room and you know that look in his eyes. The look that he is aware something bizarre is happening, his face glances to the modern technology. A flat screen TV and laptop on the table.

“I’m not in the hospital, am I?” He asks a smart question as you have just performed a nursing assessment on him. 

You shake your head, “No, you’re not in the hospital.”

“Where then? How’d I get here?” 

You took a deep breath, “Some people tried to harm you and so, my colleagues, they had no choice but to bring you here. You are safe here.”

“Where exactly is here, honey?”

You bit your bottom lip, contemplating on how to explain it all to him. Or how much you can really say to him, as it is already such a danger that he is not in his time now. But then you remember the device that Francine told you about, a device that will help him forget about all this before he goes back. 

So then you explain it to him as best as possible, leaving out a few details of course. You tell him that he is in the year 2023 and about the nature of your job. You then tell him that someone was out to get him, and that’s the only reason why he has been brought here and now. You of course left out the details about Max and his gang, and also did not mention why you have this job in the first place. You simply told him that you time travel to protect history, to make sure that everything is how it is. No further detail. Afterall, once you return him back to his time period, he will naturally forget about all of this. 

Surprisingly, he took it better than you thought. Well, he initially thought that he was in some form of afterlife due to the unusual presence of modern technologies he had never seen before. But then you reassured him that is very far from the truth. Then he thought that someone was playing a prank on him, one of the members of the MM as he said, but you quickly shut down that theory of his. But then pretty soon after all that, he was calm and believed the truth of the situation. As a fan, after reading through many books written about him, you knew that Elvis was an open-minded person. He always believed that there is always so much more than what there is, so it didn’t come much to a surprise to you when he eventually did believe that time travel is real and he is indeed half a century into the future. That and also, unbeknownst to you, how could you not believe someone so beautiful and gentle with him? He was checking you out, and you oblivious as ever, did not even realise it. 

Elvis reveals that he is hungry, just like you predicted. The entire staff has decided to do a group order from a fast food place, in which you ordered two burgers, one coke, and one pepsi. A knock resounds on the door as one of the tech people hands you what you’ve ordered, so you thank him and settle back down to your seat. 

You hand Elvis a burger and a pepsi, “Thanks honey, I could eat.” He says to you, a grin finally showing on his lips. 

You smile back at him and eat your own burger. He is quiet for a while, savouring the flavours of the food in his hands. 

He takes a sip out of the Pepsi and smirks at you, “Hmm. . . how’d you know I like Pepsi?”

You should’ve seen that question coming. You didn’t even ask what he wanted to eat and drink, and yet, you have gotten it exactly right. It can be seen as a lucky guess, but the fact that you are a fan of his - now that is a much more believable reason. 

“Uh, lucky guess I suppose, Mr Presley.” You say, completely lying to your idol. You decided you didn’t really want to reveal to him that you were a fan of his, it did not seem to be professional. 

He whistles, “Mighty guess that is. Please call me Elvis, Mr Presley is my Dad.” He chuckles, and you nod. 

“Right. Sorry, Mr Pre- uh, I mean Elvis.”

You avoid eye contact again, feeling flustered by his intense gaze. You take a sip out of your bottle of coca cola. 

“You look out of sorts. C’mere, honey.” He says. 

“What?” You turn your head back to him, so much out of avoiding eye contact. 

“Sit next to me. “ Elvis says, patting the empty spot next to him on the bed. 

You hesitate. Sitting across from him in a chair was already making you flustered, and now he wants you to sit beside him? You don’t know how you could cope - the fanatic in you and the work version of you are suddenly at war. 

“C’mon, I don’t bite. “ He smirks. 

And so you sigh in defeat, standing up and sitting beside him on the bed with your back leaning against the wall like him. He smiles now in triumph. 

“How are you feeling?” You ask a reasonable and professional question. 

You have never brought back someone from the past to the present time. Lord knows what the possible side effects could be, what those could do to the person’s body. Even more so, someone you know is already experiencing challenges with his health back in his time period. It does not go unnoticed by you that Elvis’ breathing is abnormal and it is evident in the way he talks, how he would mumble his words before pronouncing them clearly. But you know that this is not a time travelling side effect, this is how he was back then - his known respiratory issues. Nevertheless, you feel your heart pinch at the reality of seeing it all before you. 

“Better now I have something to eat. Now, I’d much prefer to talk about you.” He says his flirtatious ways are not a surprise, but nevertheless you feel your face heat up. 

You spend the next hour just talking with Elvis. You find yourself mentally pinching yourself every now and again, as the reality of it all feels incomprehensible to you who is an Elvis fan. You find him stuttering from time to time and mumbling his words, but that boyish charm and that all too well-known southern drawl in his tone. You found yourself laughing, and you are pretty sure that your cheeks hurt from smiling so much. You’ve heard about Elvis’ sense of humour, but experiencing it yourself is a different matter. 

However, you found that no matter how much you try to divert the conversation back to him, he persists on getting it back to you. In which you found yourself involuntarily blushing as he gazed at you intently, his eyes drifting from your eyes to your lips from time to time. An action you know could very well indicate something, but before that could really go anywhere - you turn your head away very swiftly and clear your throat. 

Reminding yourself that this is work. You are at work. Work that so happens to now involve being in a room watching over Elvis Presley. 

“I-uhm-” You sputter, trying to find something, well anything really to change the subject of conversation. Your prayers seem to have been answered by the door opening and in comes Francine. 

“How’d it go?” You quickly ask her. 

She nods, “Good. All good.” Francine replies, going with a short answer knowing that she needs to be cautious with her words, as confidentiality is key with someone from the past being in the room. 

You sighed in relief at the news, “I’m glad.” 

Francine shuts the door behind her and approaches Elvis, they exchange introductions. But you know that Francine will receive a report from you later on about how he is really doing, in terms of health. 

“Y/N, can I please talk to you outside?” Francine asks, glancing back at Elvis very briefly. 

You nod and look back at Elvis, “I’ll be back, okay?” 

He smirks, “I’m not going anywhere, honey.” 

Once you exit the room and are now in Francine’s office, you are shortly joined by Ashton and Colin. They proceed to explain the details of their mission, but all your brain could focus on is the rock ‘n roll star that is sitting down by himself only a few feet away from you. Nevertheless, you pay attention to their explanation enough to know that the mission was a success. 

“So, how has he been?” Francine asks, you know she’s referring to Elvis. 

You nod, “Fine. Nothing too crazy, which is lucky, given that he was dragged into a time machine and dropped 50 years into the future.” You emphasise, as you shot both Ashton and Colin a look. 

They both just shrugged. 

“Hey, that’s good news right.” Ashton says. 

You sighed, “We need to get him back as soon as possible. Keeping him longer than necessary, well the fact that he is even here at all is already madness itself. “ 

Even though deep down in your heart, your fan heart, you didn’t quite mind that you get to spend time with him. But you know that this is not his time, he has to go back. 

Francine nods at your words, “I agree with Y/N. The longer we keep him here, the more possible consequences it could have to the past. We can’t have that.” 

Colin speaks up, “But how do we know that Max isn’t going to go back for him?” 

You become quiet. He does have a point, one you didn’t really think over. If he is returned now, how do we know that Max isn’t just going to repeat what he already attempted the first time around?

You all grow quiet for a few seconds. 

It was Francine who was the first to speak up, “We can’t be certain. But I do know that Max’s patience is not the greatest. If he does go back, he would’ve done it by now while we are here talking. Look how fast he time jumped to JFK. I have a feeling he won’t be returning for Elvis.” She confidently concludes. 

Colin slowly nods, “Fair enough. But I say we wait a while before returning Elvis back, just to make sure.” 

“Yeah, I agree with Colin.” Ashton says. 

You all then conclude that Elvis will have to spend three more hours before he is returned back to 1973. It is now just gone 10PM, which means all three of you need to go home now and get some rest, because you never know when Max time jumps again and you need all the energy you can when that happens. On that note, Colin and Ashton go home and you are now walking back to the room with Francine to say goodbye to Elvis for now. Francine informed you that she has called back the Doctor and Nurse to watch over him in the meantime, while you go home to rest. 

You both enter the room to find Elvis has fallen asleep. You quietly approach him and tap his shoulder gently, preparing to say your goodbye. He instantly wakes up at your action, as you know that he is a light sleeper - as his chronic insomnia being one thing he tried to fight. 

“Hi, darling.” He instantly grins at you. 

“I just wanted to say goodbye.”

He frowns at your words, “Goodbye?”

“Only for the meantime. I need to go home to get some sleep, but I’ll be back in a few hours.” You smile at him. 

But your words don’t seem to ease the frown on his lips. 

“Can’t you just stay here?” He asks, voice soft. 

Francine clears her throat and you almost forgot that she is in the room. 

“Don’t worry, Mr. Presley. I have the most competent medical professionals that will look after you while Y/N is resting.” Francine says.

But Elvis shakes his head, “No thanks, Ma’am. But I’m perfectly fine with Y/N.” 

You sigh at his stubbornness. 

“I assure you, they’ll take good care of you.” Francine repeats again. 

“I need to rest, Elvis. You’ll be fi-”

Before you could even finish your sentence, Elvis grasps your hand and you gasp. 

“What if I come with her?” He asks, looking at Francine. 

You and Francine both share a look of shock, eyes widened. 

“Elvis, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” You say, knowing that this is an insane idea and judging by the look on Francine’s face she’s sharing similar thoughts. 

“Mr Presley, with all due respect, I don’t think that is a safe option for you. Y/N will return after three hours, and then we’ll get you back home.” Francine explains, hoping that it is enough to convince him. 

Elvis’ eyebrows furrowed, “You’ll take me back to my time in three hours?”

You nod, “Yeah, the hours will go by fast.” 

He is silent for a while, his head down low in thought. You exchanged looks with Francine, perhaps he’ll finally agree. 

“Even more reason why I should go with Y/N.” He speaks up and you sigh. 

“Ma’am, I appreciate your concern about my health.” He looks at Francine, “But I-I’m most comfortable with Y/N. She’s the one I know the most since being here. I promise I won’t be trouble. It’s like you say after three hours, I’ll be gone.” He pleads, eyes hopeful. 

You slightly understand his stubbornness now. He does have a point somehow, if you look at it all from his perspective. It’s not a normal circumstance at all, and the person that he really knows was you. He only trusts you. And who can blame him? It was such an unusual situation, and you know in yourself you’d be acting the exact same way if you were in his shoes. 

You are snapped out of your thoughts when you hear Francine finally say something.

“Alright. I trust you to keep your word, Mr. Presley.” Francine says, giving him a look of warning. 

Elvis smiles in triumph, “Thank you, Ma’am.” 

Francine then turns to you, “Are you okay with this, Y/N?” 

You nod, not really being able to say anything right now.

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

Oh my god, this is actually happening. You say to yourself, trying to calm down and not freak out. Before leaving the headquarters, Francine was quick to warn you. She knew that you were a fan of Elvis, and of course by him being in your apartment - that is definitely crossing the line you’ve made between work life and personal life. But this is it. 

The drive to your apartment was anything but quiet, as even in the night time, the difference between the ‘70s and 2023 are strikingly standing out. This of course meant that Elivs was gawking at the difference in buildings, and the signs, the clothes people wore, and not to mention the cars that you drove past. It made your heart hurt a little to see him so excited, knowing that this will be the only time he’ll really live to see 2023. 

You’ve planned to go home to rest, but you really do think you won’t have much sleep. You’ll be too busy trying to worry about Elvis. You break out of your thoughts as you open the door to your apartment, letting Elvis enter first and then you. You quickly lock the door and flick the light on. 

“Make yourself at home. I’m just going to get changed, okay?” You tell him. 

Elvis smiles, “This is a cute place you’ve got here, honey.”

You change out of your work clothes and into something more comfortable - the typical sweatpants and sweatshirt. You then opted for letting you hair down, out of the strict ponytail it was previously in. You quickly to your night skin care routine, and went back to the living room. 

You see Elvis not on the couch, as you expected, but in front of the Google Home Hub that was on your kitchen counter. His eyebrows were furrowed as he muttered curses to himself, frustration so evident. You bit back a smile at his confusion.

You walk over to him, “Hi, what are you up to?” 

He looks over to you, his eyes briefly glancing at you from head-to-toe and not in a subtle way either. He clears his throat, scratching the back of his neck and points at the Google Home Hub. 

“This. The hell is this thing? What’s a tiny television doing on your kitchen counter?” He asks, and you can’t help but laugh at his assumption. 

“It’s not a TV. It’s like a um. . .  how could I describe it,” You mumble to yourself and then snapped your fingers.

“It’s like you know a very thin computer screen? Well, it’s that. You can search any information that you want to know, it’s like an encyclopaedia. But instead of having a keyboard attached to it, you can just tap with your fingers. But on this version, you can use your voice.” 

Elvis tilts his head at you, “Honey, I don’t know what the hell you just said.” He laughs.

You cannot help but laugh at his adorable confusion. 

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

Your eyes open, awakening from slumber. You yawn, quickly glancing at the clock in your living room as it reads 12.30AM. In just thirty minutes, you’ll be meeting back up with the team at the Headquarters - ready for Elvis to go home. Speaking of, you look around in a slight panic, but sigh in relief once you see Elvis on the couch with his eyes wide open as he stares at the ceiling. You originally thought about just sleeping in your own bed, but decided it wasn’t the best idea if you wanted to keep an idea on him. Instead, you opted for sleeping on the other couch right across from him in the living room. 

You spoke for a long time before you fell asleep. Both of you are so caught up in your own conversation. After of course trying to explain to Elvis the technology of today, in which he failed terribly at, but you both just laughed at it. He then went on to ask about what other ‘future things’ are available that differs greatly from the 1970s. But you also explained to him that some trends have been going in cycles and are coming back, like fashion for instance. He was quick to find your collection of vinyls, which inevitably led to him discovering your numerous vinyls of his records. He was quick to tease you about it, in which you shyly admitted that you were in fact a fan. 

But then the conversation turned from light-hearted to something a little heavier. You just weren’t prepared for it at all. Elvis noticed how whenever he would make a comment about him being an ‘old man’ in this time, you would grow silent very quickly and refuse to look him in the eye. Then again when he would question and wonder how he’d be living in this time period, so far from the young man that bursted into the scene in the 1950s. On how many people really are a fan of him, how many people remember him. Remember his music, he means. As he presumed that he retired from the music industry and just settled into family life. That is all his presumption of where he is in 2023. 

But then he caught you simply nodding hesitatingly at his theories, and he knew then and there that there was something you were hiding. You knew that before he leaves this time, his memories will be erased anyway, and so you told him. You told him about his unfortunate ending in this world. 

It was difficult for you to tell him, as you saw how watery his eyes got in seconds and how he was shaking his head in refusal of the truth. You couldn’t help but approach him and wrap your arms around him, wishing and hoping that it was different. You know that hugging him is not professional, but this one time, you had to make an exception. 

You saw that it was already 11PM now, it was time to get rest. You knew that your eyes were growing heavy, but you were worried about Elvis, knowing that sleep never was easy for him. But he assured you to not mind him, and just close your eyes. 

Now, it was 12.30am and you are curious to know if he had any shut eye. 

“You’re awake.” You say, and he turns his head to you with that smile of his. 

“I woke up just a little while ago, don’t worry.” He replies. 

You nod and you are unsure of what to say. Your last conversation before falling asleep was a heavy subject. 

“You know, I wished you lived in my time.” He jokes. 

“Why?”

“I-It’s hard to find people to talk to about all the stuff I wanna talk about. You know, they brush it off and are never really interested in it all.” He says, referring to earlier times when you let him speak extensively about all the spiritual books that he’s read and his questions about the universe, and the world in general. 

You are unsure how to respond, “I’m sorry. “ knowing that he always found it difficult to have someone to talk to about his interest, as everyone, even his closest friends laughed at him and didn’t really listen. 

“It gets so lonesome sometimes.” He continues, and you feel pain in your heart for him.

“And I ain’t stupid, you know. I know when a girl is pretending to be listening to me just because they want something else from me. But not you. And I don’t think it’s because it’s your job,” He shakes his head, “I think it’s just cause you are a good person. I can see that.” 

You smile, glad that he feels that way. 

“Thank you, Elvis. But you really are smarter than you give yourself credit for. Nothing you ever say can be too much or crazy.” You say to him, and he stands up and approaches you. 

He is silent, but his gaze keeps flickering from your eyes and your lips.

“Damn, how I wish I’d met you in my time.” He whispers, and then slowly you find him planting a kiss on your cheek. Your face heats up as he pulls away, and he is grinning at your flustered expression. 

Not long after, you receive a call from Francine that it’s time to meet back at the headquarters. You quickly change into your work uniform, grab your car keys and head out the door with Elvis. The drive back to the headquarters was quiet. 

Once entering, you immediately are greeted by Ashton, Colin and Francine. Francine tells you that she has decided that you join the team now in returning Elvis to his time period, after all, he’ll forget about this all anyway once you land there. Francine instructs you that to wipe his memory, you’ll have to wrap a bracelet around his wrist, which will make him fall into a slumber. Once he is asleep, the bracelet will shine green indicating that his memory from this event has been successfully removed, and you can then take off the bracelet. 

“Well, it was nice seeing 2023 even if it was short.” He says, grinning and then goes on to thank Francine. 

You were surprised at first on why Francine told you that Ashton won’t be coming on this trip. It will only be you, Elvis, and Colin. But Francine explained that Ashton opted out to get more rest, and besides, there’s only three seats in the time machine. Colin and Elvis went ahead on being seated and putting seatbelts on. 

This is when you pull Ashton aside, “You are the most energetic person I know, Are you okay?” You bombard him with questions. 

Ashton chuckles, “I’m more than okay, Y/N. “

“Then why did you-”

He leans over to your ear to whisper, “You are a huge fan of his. This will mean more to you than it will to me.”

You look at him in surprised, “Thank you.” You say to him sincerely. 

He simply smirks and ushers you to hurry, “Go, now. Before the machine leaves without you.”

“Oh, shut up.”

It was quick. Next thing you know, you have landed. After regaining initial shock from being in the ‘70s, you feel yourself become upset at the prospect of saying goodbye to Elvis. You know that you have to do this. But from all the conversations you’ve had in such a short period of time, being that close to him - you wished it never ended. 

But it will now, because now you are both standing in his hotel suite. Colin already said his goodbyes, as he waited outside the door. 

“Quickest trip I’ve ever been on, a plane has nothing on that machine.” He jokes, in an attempt to lighten the mood. 

You simply chuckle. 

“So, this is the part where you’ll make me forget?” He confirms, eyes downcasted. 

You nod, “Yeah.”

He has already explained how the bracelet will work. 

“Do you have to?” He asks, voice soft and gentle and you almost want to say ‘No, I don’t want to.’

You smile a little at him, “You know I do. It’ll mess-”

“Mess history up, I know.”

Silence.

“What if you stay?”

How you wish it were that easy. 

You shake your head, “You know I can’t do that, Elvis.”

He sighs, knowing you are right. He belongs in this time and you belong in yours. It’s just such a cruel thing that the one person he feels connected to, more than anyone else, happens to be you - a girl very, very far away from him. He almost cursed at the universe on why it had to be this difficult. 

“Thank you for everything, Y/N. “ He finally says, as he takes a seat on his bed. 

“It was no problem at all. “ You say, words are suddenly hard to find. 

“Are you ready?” You ask, in which he nods and takes a deep breath. 

You place the bracelet around his wrist, and in a matter of seconds - his eyes close. You were quick to hold onto the back of his head, as you gently placed his head on the pillow. You then propped up his legs, so now that he was in a comfortable position as he sleeps. The bracelet turns green, and you remove it from him. 

Perhaps you didn’t realise it then, but now you do - tears spill from your eyes, slowly staining your cheeks. A whirlwind of emotions escape your heart - the last hours of being with him, and the reality of his ending. You wished you didn’t have to make him forget, in hopes that he’ll change his ways and live longer. But you knew you couldn’t do that. 

As you look at the raven-haired man in front of you, you gently leave a kiss on his cheek and whisper to him, “I’ll always remember you.” 

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

Elvis is awoken from his sleep by Jerry, who tells him that rehearsals start soon and he should get something to eat. But Jerry’s words escape Elvis’ focus. 

“E.P?” Jerry says, trying to catch his attention. 

“Yeah?” Elvis replies.

“You okay?” Jerry asks, worry evident on his face. 

Elvis furrows his eyebrows, “Yeah, I'm good. I just had this really strange dream, man.” 

“What dream?”

“Well, I can’t really tell if it was a dream. It was dark but there was this voice, a woman’s voice.” Elvis explains, his forehead knotted in confusion. 

Jerry wanted to ask if it may be his mother. 

But Elvis confirms that it’s certainly not, “It wasn’t my mama. No, this voice is different.” 

Jerry crosses his arms over his chest, “What was the voice saying?”

Elvis shakes his head and looks back at his friend, “She kept saying the same words over and over again.”

“Which is?”

“I’ll always remember you.” 

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

It has been a few weeks now since Elvis returned to his time, and so you went back to your normal life. It was hard at first, trying to process the reality of everything that happened. You know it’s different now though whenever you listen to his music, a different kind of feeling. 

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that again?” You say into your phone. You were on the phone to your best friend, who was planning a surprise for their partner, and so he needed your help. Now he was saying the address to the surprise location, and you frantically were trying to find a piece of paper to jot down the address. 

You go through magazines and post-it notes filled with phone numbers and random lists written down. You finally find a small blank piece of paper, slipped in the very corner of one of the magazines on the coffee table. You click your pen and are ready to scribble down the address, but pause when you find out the paper isn’t exactly blank as you remove it from inside the magazine. 

Your eyes quickly trail off the words written, “Um sorry, can I call you back?” You say to your friend on the phone, in which he agrees and you both end the phone call. 

You gasp in disbelief because there on the paper was his handwriting. It read:

‘Thank you for listening and being there for me. You helped me more than you think, Y/N. Don’t forget me.’ E.P.

You were certain that it was his handwriting. You can’t believe it. There you were thinking that you’ll only have a memory of him, but now there is this. Something that you can treasure forever and you can’t help, but think that sometimes life has it’s way of gifting you small miracles. . . just in time. 

[ash-mcj]

kiri sully x female!reader

modern AU | all characters are adults

prompt—"i don't want a shy Kiri, I want a Kiri that gonna kiss me so hard in a party bathroom and go away giving me smile as if she didn't just make me so fucking needy" (x)

Tsireya was already running down the driveway towards your car when you pulled up to her house. You put the car in park and unlocked the doors half a second before she pulled yours open, a bright smile on her face.

“You’re here!” she greeted amiably. “You took long enough.”

“Yeah, yeah—I’m here now,” you said. Sure, you were a little late—but was it really your fault, when she invited you to come over less than two hours before you were expected to get there? 

Tsireya grabbed your hand and pulled you out of the car. “Come in and get something to eat and drink. We bought so much crap and it needs to be gone before tomorrow.”

“I can probably help with that,” you agreed, letting her drag you towards the front door. As you approached, you caught the rowdy voices of more people than you thought were supposed to be hanging out tonight.

You squeezed her hand and stopped walking, forcing her to pause with you. “Reya, didn’t you say this was a kickback?”

“It was,” Tsireya answered, then pursed her lips in annoyance. “Then Ao’nung invited his stupid friends, and now it’s a party. And our parents are going to kill us when they come home tomorrow, because Ongu already broke a picture frame by knocking it off the wall, and Koro doesn’t know when it’s time to stop drinking until he pukes.”

“You know what, I just remembered that I actually have to be up early tomorrow,” you lied, the thought of dealing with Ao’nung’s friends all night making you slightly regret coming. “I should probably get going.”

Tsireya’s eyebrows pinched together and you knew you were about to be hit with her pleading eyes—which nobody in the entire universe other than her own parents could hold strong against—but her expression quickly relaxed into faux indifference.

“Fine,” she sighed. “I guess Rotxo will have to try keeping the boys away from Kiri by himself. Hopefully he manages.”

She was evil. Everyone always thought Tsireya was such a perfect, sweet angel—but they were wrong.

You rolled your eyes and stomped into the house, muttering, “I don’t know what Lo’ak sees in you.”—which was a damn lie, because you probably would have gone for her if she wasn’t your best friend. She was probably the second hottest girl you’d ever seen in your town.

Right behind Kiri Sully, of course.

“Dude, stop,” Rotxo chuckled, as he watched Ongu dance around the living room to the beat of the music blasting from a stereo on the coffee table. “This is embarrassing.”

“Nah, bro, you look good—keep going,” Ao’nung cheered him on, his phone raised and obviously recording—probably for blackmail. You made a mental note to ask Ao’nung for the video later.

The coffee table was covered in empty beer bottles and soda cans—and you felt pretty confident that you could guess which choice of drink Ongu had, from the uncoordinated swaying of his body.

“Come dance with me,” he said, offering a hand to Nash’vi—who shook his head and playfully pushed him away.

“Nobody wants to dance with you,” Rotxo told him.

“Kiri does!” Ongu claimed, pointing at her. “C’mon, Kiri, you know you want to. One song.”

Kiri scoffed and raised an eyebrow. “I’d rather drink acid.”

“Oof,” Ao’nung snickered as he turned the camera to her. She stuck her tongue out at it, then took a drink from her soda.

“You’re breaking my heart, Sully.”

“That really sucks,” Kiri deadpanned. “For you.”

Ongu put his hand over his chest and stumbled backwards, as if he’d been shot—but it somehow turned into a very messy body roll of some sort.

“I think I have some tape in my car, if you wanna put it back together,” you suggested as you sat on the armrest of the couch, beside Rotxo. He held his half-empty beer up for you, and you took a swig, before passing it back. “I’m surprised Lo’ak isn’t getting in on of all… this.”

“He’s in my room,” Tsireya said, heading for the stairs. “So is Neteyam. You can join us, if you don’t want to hang out with these fools.”

“Well, what are you doing down here?” you asked Kiri. You’d rather be upstairs, but you weren’t going to leave her by herself.

“They needed a babysitter, since they collectively share half of a single brain cell, and I pulled the short stick.”

You gasped and put your hands over Rotxo’s ears. “Don’t say that about him—his heart is huge, despite his small size.”

Rotxo smacked your arms away from him and you laughed, before stealing his beer. 

As you brought the bottle up to your lips, you caught Kiri’s stare from across the room. Her eyes slowly roamed up your body, heat building in them as she took in the way the green dress you wore accentuated your figure. When she finally met your gaze, a smirk played on her lips, and she shot you a wink that made your breath hitch.

This had become normal, lately. You’d been dancing around each other for the past few months, and you were pretty sure that one of you was going to break soon and make a real move. Your flirting had started innocently enough. Boys would try to hit on one of you, and the other would jump in with compliments or innuendos that would make the boys understand that they were going for someone who didn’t play for the assumed team.

**

“Damn, Sully, your ass looks good in those,” Makeyo—a guy who went to highschool with you and apparently didn’t fuck off to college—said as he trailed behind Kiri on her way to the park bench she was meeting your friend group at.

“It would look even better in my lap,” you spoke, shifting one of your legs out from under the table.

Kiri turned to you with an almost disbelieving smile, and your eyes darted down to your leg, before returning to her. An invitation. You figured it was your job to step in if she was in an uncomfortable situation, right? Any friend would. Girls helping girls, or something.

“You’re right,” she agreed, stepping over to you and plopping down to practically straddle your leg and lean back against you like she belonged there. You wrapped one arm around her waist and waved your fingers dismissively at Makeyo with your other hand.

To your surprise, Kiri stayed there in your lap for the rest of lunch, and your friends didn’t even bat an eye at it as they all talked and shared food. You definitely had no complaints.

**

At some point, these interactions bled into moments where nobody was bothering either of you. Eventually, they began happening when nobody else was around at all.

**

You were slightly out of breath as you ran into your favorite coffee shop. You had work in about ten minutes, but you’d happily be late before you tried dealing with the bullshit of your job without caffeine. You had Kiri to thank for introducing you to the cafe, since she worked there. And by some miracle, she was working that morning.

“Running late?” she asked, a teasing grin on her face.

“Very. Be glad you’re working and didn’t have to listen to my ranting about it in the group chat.”

Kiri chuckled. “You think I don’t read the group chat while working? You’re very whiny this morning.”

“Shut up,” you sneered, though there was no bite in your tone. “I need a—”

“On the counter,” she cut you off, nodding towards the pick up counter, where your drink was waiting for you.

You stared dumbly at it for a moment, before a smile spread across your face. “You’re amazing.”

“I know.”

You grabbed it and immediately brought it to your mouth to start drinking as you hurried out of the shop, giving her a grateful wave as you left.

As you got in your car, you noticed writing scrawled on the side of the cup where the customer’s name would usually go.

‘the most gorgeous girl i know’

**

“I gotta go to the bathroom,” Kiri announced, standing up. She nodded to you and asked, “You wanna come?”

You wanted to say ‘on your fingers, absolutely’—but you more appropriately answered, “Yeah, sure.”

“Why do girls do that?” Koro asked. “They always go to the bathroom together.”

Rotxo shrugged. “Mysteries of the universe.”

Kiri snagged your hand as she passed in front of you, and led you down the hallway. She didn’t say anything or look back at you, so you didn’t bother speaking either. You paused when she reached the bathroom, but she didn’t let go of your hand—pulling you right in with her. Before you could question it, she kicked the door closed and quickly brought the hand that was laced with yours up above your head, pinning it to the door as her body trapped you against it.

“Hello,” you whispered, your eyes darting down to her lips only a few inches from your own.

“I like this,” Kiri complimented, her other hand running up the side of your dress. Your eyes snapped up to meet hers when her fingers trailed across the side of your breast. “When you asked me what my favorite color was the other day, this isn't what I expected.”

“Who said it was for you?” you challenged, though it came out a bit breathier than intended. “Maybe I wore it because I like this color.”

“I’ve never seen you wear green.”

“You pay that much attention to what I wear?”

“Yes,” Kiri answered without an ounce of hesitation.

“So what if it was for you?”

“Well, if it was for me, I’d show you how much I like it,” Kiri said. She hooked her finger under your chin and ran her thumb over your bottom lip, her eyes tracing the touch. 

“It’s for you.”

She grinned, her eyes finding yours again. “I know, baby.”

Your mind was still reeling from the endearment, but she didn’t give you any time to process it, before closing the space between your faces. She released your lip just to gently suck it into her mouth, and you let her. As her soft lips moved against yours with the fervor of dancing around one another for months and finally being able to touch, to taste, you realized that you really would have let her do anything she wanted.

Heat began pooling in your stomach when she let out a quiet moan as you caressed her jaw. Fuck, you wanted to hear more of that. Your fingers trailed down her neck, down to her chest, and then paused at the feeling of the familiar twine-wrapped rose quartz pendant you’d given her. 

She suddenly hiked your leg up onto her hip, and a needy whimper fell from your lips as she firmly pressed her thigh against you. Distantly, you noted that you could feel her grin as she languidly licked into your mouth. 

“You want me?” she whispered, her breath tickling your spit-slick lips.

“For a long time,” you confirmed, using your leg to pull her firmly against your body.

Two sharp knocks on the door behind your head startled you both, and you separated, chests heaving and faces flushed.

“Get out already—I gotta pee,” Ao’nung called.

You wondered if Tsireya would forgive you for murdering her brother.

“Occupied,” you snapped.

“I will piss in Kiri’s shoes, if you guys don’t let me in there in the next thirty seconds.”

Kiri rolled her eyes and shook her head. “We should probably go.”

“Or I could buy you new shoes,” you proposed.

“You’re ridiculous.” She laughed, her hands flitting about your body to quickly fix your hair and resituate your dress. “Sexy, but ridiculous.”

“We’re really gonna let Ao’nung cockblock us?”

Kiri smirked as she tugged you closer by your waist and brushed her lips against the shell of your ear. “You’re so desperate for me. It’s hot.”

“Guys!” Ao’nung complained.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming,” you said through gritted teeth.

“Not yet, but that sounds fun,” Kiri said as she moved you away from the door and turned the knob. “C’mon, let’s go rejoin the party. And maybe, in a bit, we can take my brother’s car for a spin. I have the keys.”

You nodded emphatically, fantasies flashing through your mind about how useful Neteyam’s spacious back seat and tinted windows were going to be.

Thank fuck you came to this stupid party.