#It's been busy around the house this year in ways it. Normally isn't

[raifuujin]

Secret archives arrived. Which I won't be scanning for another day or so because it happened to get delivered on my b-day, but I have seen some people really interested in seeing it, so. Soon.

Who knows about the other handful of books that need to be added. I have them, but some digital versions have been shared for some that might be better to link than my physical ones, and motivation can be hard when I have to provide it. Also I got a used copy of Animal Crossing Switch months ago and keeping up with that mostly-daily has taken a solid chunk of attention in my off time. And then there's this 1000 piece Pokemon Ditto puzzle--

[pretty-little-mind33]

James Potter x fem!reader

Summary: Your boyfriend promises to watch over you when you want to get drunk.

Genre: SMUT-ish

Warnings: innocent!reader, intoxication, swearing, grinding on someone's thigh, mentions of sex (no actual sex considering reader is drunk), praise kink

JAMES POTTER MASTERLIST

Just as you extend your arm to knock, James slides in front of you and gently holds under your elbow. He's smiling at you fondly as he caresses soothing circles across your skin.

"I want you to know, love, just because we mentioned it doesn't mean you have to, hmm?" he reminds you, his voice low and husky.

You smile and nod your head, letting him wrap an arm around your waist, "I know, Jamie," you reassure him. James looks at you in such a way you know he understands and he settles into your side. He turns around when you knock, his arm still holding you close, and when the door swings open to reveal an already flushed Sirius Black, your boyfriend smirks.

"Prongsie!" Sirius cries happily, pulling James in by his collar and trapping him in a hug. James has released his arm from around you in anticipation of Sirius's gesture and you giggle, walking into the house behind them.

Sirius looks at you next. "Y/n!" he cries, "Your lovely lady looks as lovely as ever, Jamsey," he skips over and takes your hand in his, twirling you around. You can smell the faint cherry vodka on his breath as he holds up your hand and clumsily swipes a thumb along your knuckles. "Still no ring?" Sirius whines with a light-hearted pout.

James pulls you away gently, his cheeks blushed pink. "Alright, enough. Hands off my girl," he reprimands, holding you close as he presses a kiss to your temple. He's holding your hand almost possessively, but you don't mind.

"I keep wondering that myself, Siri," you join in the teasing and send James a smile.

The latter rolls his eyes but smirks as he helps you out of your winter coat. He hangs it up next to his own and then places his hand on your lower back so he can guide you around. It's a common gesture James doesn't even realize he's doing anymore.

Sirius and Remus's house isn't small, but it isn't big either. It's normally sized with dark brick walls and ivy near the upper windows. Inside, the fire is burning and the smell of cookies and wine is in the air.

Lily, Dorcas, and Marlene occupy the couch as they play a game of friendly poker with Frank and Alice. Remus, when he sees you all, stands up from his armchair and smiles widely.

"Y/n/n," he says as if he hasn't seen you in years. Which is a dramatic exaggeration.

Remus pulls you into a warm hug, which means you aren't next to James anymore and he pouts, "Why is everyone suddenly in love with my girlfriend?" he whines.

Remus chuckles and kisses your cheek, "Because she's just so lovely, James," he kisses your cheek again and you giggle. "Plus, you've been hiding her from us for weeks now. I'm starting to think you're doing it on purpose."

James shakes his head with a low chuckle, his hand finding yours. "It's not my fault she's been busy."

"You guys do realize I am standing right here, yeah?" you interrupt with a chuckle. Remus looks at you fondly. He nods and then hurries you and James over to the couch where your friends are.

Always the gentleman, James crosses his legs and sits on the floor while you squeeze in between Lily and Marlene, sending them smiles.

A few moments later Sirius emerges with two glasses of white wine. He grins and hands one to James before handing you yours. Instantly, your eyes flicker to James as you take the glass and look at the liquid.

He sends you a reassuring nod. Even in school, you tended to stay away from alcohol because you were scared. Scared of losing control. But, now that you're with James and you feel safe around him. You had brought it up a few days ago: that you wanted to try. James had promised to watch you, to make sure you don't drink too much or do anything stupid.

So, you put the glass to your lips.

Three drinks in and you don't feel drunk.

Rather, you feel completely normal – well almost normal as you seem to have a hard time keeping your eyes away from your boyfriend's hands. You tend to play with the hem of your dress in your lap and you're still sitting in between Lily, and now Sirius as he drunkenly animates his sentences.

James is still sitting on the floor, his arms draped across his knees as he crosses his ankles. From time to time, he'll look up at you and his eyebrows will scrunch as if to ask if you're okay. Your cheeks start to feel hot and you fumble with your hands to press them on your face. You squirm around, feeling pressure in your core as you bite down on your lip.

"Y/n," James's voice is hoarse and you look up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "Come here, dove," he whispers.

When you stand, you stumble to James and gasp when he pulls you down onto his lap. You hold onto him, looking into his eyes as his hand finds your thigh just shy from your ass. James frowns as he sees your expression but then his lips curl into a smirk.

Clumsily, he makes a show of standing as you cling onto him. Your friends don't seem preoccupied by you and James as he gently guides you into Remus and Sirius's small bathroom in the hallway. You lean against the sink, looking up at James and mumble, "W-What?"

James's knuckles caress down your cheek as he chuckles. "Hey, are you okay?"

You blink at him, trying to focus on something other than the heat from his strong body against yours. You hum, nodding. James's palm presses against your cheek first and then moves to your forehead. He frowns. "You're warm. 'You sure you're okay?" he asks with concern.

Your breathing becomes harsher as you stare at him. "O-oh- yeah. I'm g-good," you try to sound as normal as you can although his touch ignites a fire inside you.

James's frown deepens, looking you over. When you bite your lip, his eyebrow raises and the corner of his mouth slips upwards. He knows your signs all too well by now.

James slides his knee in between your legs, a soft gasp escaping your lips as your skirt rides up your thighs a little further. The coarse fabric of his jeans hits your cotton panties and your hands grip the sink harder. You look up at him, your eyes lidded. "J-Jamie?"

His hand slides up your cheek, tilting his head as he presses a sloppy kiss behind your ear. "Shh, it's okay. I'm here. I won't allow anything bad to happen to you, my lovely," he lifts his knee slightly and a shiver runs up your arms.

You clutch his shirt, your mind already starting to go fuzzy. You can't tell if you're just drunk or incredibly horny – perhaps you're both? All you know if you want James's touch. You want his lips, his hands, his cock. James's knee rubbing against your pussy interrupts your dirty fantasies as you sigh.

"I'm not gonna do all the work," James mutters and pauses his movements.

"More," You whisper, staring at him needily and James chuckles quietly.

"Shhh, my baby's simply a little too drunk for that," his voice is smooth and stern as he kisses the side of your lips, "I'm not gonna do that, lovie. I'm sorry. But, if you wanna get off on my trousers then who am I to deny you?" he quips with a knowing smile.

As if simply needing his permission, you roll your hips onto him and let out a loud moan. James covers your mouth with his hand, stroking your skin as you buck against him desperately. You're dripping and seeping through your panties to soak his jeans with your juices. You can't stop your soft, drunken, moans as you rub your sensitive clit against him.

"Good girl," James whispers encouragements, occasionally moving his knee to apply more pressure, "My good girl, aren't you? So needy when you're drunk, hmm?" he hums with a smile.

You nod, cheeks burning as your movements become even more desperate. It feels so good. He's making you feel so good and he knows it. James leans in and rests his hand behind your ear as he delicately kisses your head. He can tell you're close and he whispers sweet nothings in your ear as your mind goes fuzzy and your skin prickles with desire.

Your mouth opens only no sound comes out when you rut against him harder. James grins, enjoying having you so completely undone in front of him. You hold onto his sleeve, squeezing your thighs around his and tears of pleasure brim your lashes. James coos, "Aw, don't cry, sweetheart. What's the matter?" he teases and strokes his thumb across your cheek.

"I- I need more," you whimper, trying desperately to reach your high.

"I can't let you have more, lovie," James says quietly. He doesn't want to risk crossing any boundaries when you're drunk.

Still, he grips your hips and rocks them over his thigh, helping you. "Here, just let go for me. It's okay, I'll take care of you later I promise." You whine and lean your head on his chest as your pussy throbs.

You feel light-headed when you finally come, your juices soaking your panties and James's jeans. He kisses your forehead when you look up at him, eyes lidded. "Good girl, you did so good," he whispers, stroking a hand in your hair as you catch your breath.

James lifts you effortlessly onto the sink and you automatically spread your legs. You watch him as he bends over and rolls up some toilet paper in his hand.

He then hands it to you, "Clean yourself up, dove?"

You look at him innocently, silently asking him to be the one to clean you. James hesitates and bites his lip. Quickly, he dips his hand into your panties and collects your cum on the paper. He bunches it up and throws it in the toilet. He rolls up some more and wipes his jeans a little.

Finally, he flushes the evidence and kisses your lips. You squirm a little, uncomfortable from the wetness in your panties. James looks down and smirks.

He starts to slide your panties down your hips and looks at you for consent. You nod, staring at him. You're still in a haze from the liquor but you trust James. He slides your panties into his jeans pocket and smoothes your skirt. He sees your adorable frown, "No one will know, I promise," he assures you.

When you leave the bathroom, the hallway seems darker. James's hand rests on your ass, keeping your skirt down as you focus on not tripping. You don't realize how giddy and stupid you and James looks until you both enter the living room again and your friends turn to stare. Lily, Remus, and Marlene seem to compose themselves as they smirk behind their hands, but Sirius, in his drunken state, seems completely appalled.

"You did not just fuck in my bathroom, Potter!" he exclaimed. Laughs escape the others and you must look completely embarrassed because their smiles widen. James gently and playfully covers your ears as his voice strains to hide his amusement.

"Shut up," he chuckles and then kisses your temple, "we did no such thing, did we, lovie?"

You nod your head. You wonder if your panties are burning a hole in James's trousers just like your bareness is causing a burning in your stomach. James hands moves to your back as he caresses you comfortingly.

"So, why did you come out of the bathroom together?" Marlene interrupts and adds to the teasing, "Don't tell me Y/n needed help peeing?"

James sends her a glare and moves you through the living room and to the door. "It's late, I'm tired," he tries to take the attention off you, "I think it's time for us to drive home."

He drapes your coat over your shoulders and you're grateful he's taking you home. The neediness has been replaced by pure exhaustion and you grip his arm. James puts on his own coat and opens the door. He whispers to you, "Shh, you're safe with me," and kisses you again.

You both say your goodbye's and Sirius calls out one last time, "If I find any evidence you fucked in my bathroom, I'll personally kill you, James Potter," James pauses, knowing he's not finished and smirks when he hears Sirius's last comment.

"Shame on you for roping poor, innocent Y/n into your disgusting activities. And in my bathroom — "

"Sirius," You hear Remus warn, exhausted.

James holds your hand and starts to shut the door behind you,

"Next time, Remus and I will fuck in your bathroom!"

"Sirius!"

[woso-dreamzzz]

Injured (Alba's Version) II

Alexia Putellas x Teen!Reader

Summary: Something is missing

There is something missing, Alexia thinks that evening.

She isn't sure what it is but she knows there's something. Something should be at home but isn't.

It can't be Olga because she knows Olga is in Madrid with a client and won't be home for another week. Alexia misses her for sure, calling every night to make sure she's okay and ordering little gifts for Olga to find when she finally comes home again.

It's not Jaume because he's already in bed, fast asleep after a long training session after school. He's been doing well in school, solidly in the middle of the pack with all of his tests and exams. He's balancing everything very well.

The thought of her son fills her with pride. He's doing so well with his training too, leaps and bounds ahead of those in his age range and only seems to be getting better and better.

Alexia can already see, in her mind's eye, him debuting for Barcelona as a teenager. He's got the talent for it and the drive.

Playing for Barcelona is his dream, to be clad in the colours of the first team and play in a sold out Camp Nou just like Alexia did all those years ago.

She walks around her house, checking doors and windows are locked to try and work out what she's missing.

She checks the mantelpiece, in case a picture has fallen down but there's nothing.

All of Jaume's school photos are hanging up in pride of place for everyone to see. Nothing has fallen off. Nothing has appeared out of nowhere.

The only thing there is a layer of dust that should probably get cleaned up tomorrow when she has time.

But Alexia's not quite sure what she's missing as she heads back up the stairs.

Jaume's bedroom door is slightly open and she can see him snoozing happily through the crack like normal. Your bedroom door is closed.

That's normal too.

Your door is always closed. You always hide yourself away in your room, hidden from everyone else for most of the hours of the day.

Alexia sighs, shaking her head.

She's not quite sure what to do with you.

You finish school this year...

No, that's not right.

You finish school next year?

Maybe the year after that?

Alexia's not quite sure but either way you need to talk to her about your future, about what you want to do with your life.

Ballet is a nice hobby to have but Alexia doesn't know if you're talented enough to make it a job. Nothing has come home for you in a while and there's been no invitations to recitals and performances. To be honest, Alexia doesn't quite know if she's still paying for lessons for you because you never tell her about them.

It hardly matters though because soon enough you'll need an actual job and Alexia needs to know if you'll go straight out into the work force or if you're going to be going to university.

She isn't quite sure what you'd study but your self sufficient enough to know by this point.

Alexia can't remember the last time you've asked her for something but that hardly matters either. You've been independent for a while now. You know how to sort yourself out.

Alexia would just like to know in advance so she can plan her own stuff out like if you're going to need company when touring a university or if you're happy to do it by yourself.

She yawns, finally tearing herself away from your closed door.

It's very late and Jaume's got early morning practice that she's got to drive him to.

He could get himself there all on his own if he really wanted to. He's been very smug about his new bus pass, allowing him to meet up with his friends without Alexia shepherding him everywhere.

But, still, the mornings before football practice are something special between Alexia and Jaume.

Just the two of them in the car together.

They talk about everything and nothing.

It's the perfect time to catch up with her son, Alexia thinks. He's a very busy boy when school and friends and football is taken into account.

He does so much and has so little time so the car journey is always the best time to talk to him and find out what's been going on in his life.

It's a time that Alexia looks forward to every week but it's very early in the morning that they have to leave though so she really should be getting to bed.

Whatever conversation you and she should have can be delayed a little longer.

[reareaotaku]

Superboy vs Robin

Summary: The life of 3 best friends that get confused when realizing they have a crush on their other friend, Y/n Prince, daughter of Wonder Woman Pairings: Jon Kent x Fem! Reader, Damian Wayne x Fem! Reader Tw: Love V [NOT TRIANGLE!!! IT'S A 'V'], Slow Burn? Taglist: N/a

Pt II: Love in High Places | Pt III: Apple of My Eye

[This probably would have been better to write as a multi-part story instead of a one-shot, so I can really get the slow burn and such... Might make a part 2 if yall like this? Also hope this isn't bad because I've been wanting to write this for over a year....]

You had met the two boys when in the league's spaceship. Your mother was on business and sent you off to do, as she put it 'Children things', before taking off with Batman and Green Lattern. You rolled your eyes at her dismissal, but decided to find something else to do. Besides, hero work was boring anway. Nothing interesting about discussing rules and such anyway.

You walked around the large spaceship, before coming across a particular room. In the room where two kids, boys, around your age you didn't recognize. One of the boys, the one in darker clothes, must have felt your presence, because the second you stepped in he turned around.

Damian knew who you were. He knew who everyone was. He would look like a real fool if he didn't know the daughter of Wonder-woman. Too bad the same couldn't be said for Jon.

You awkwardly stand at the door way, now having both the boys' attention on you. You awkwardly wave, "Hey."

Jon's face lights up and he rushes to you. He loved meeting new people and you were nothing short of pretty. "Hi!" He grabs your hand, engulfing it with his own. "I'm Jon, Jon Kent."

"Y/n Prince." You tried to keep up with his handshake, but he was fast and strong, and by the time you could gather what was going on he had already let your hand go.

You looked past Jon back at the emo boy, but he was just staring at you. Jon looked over to see what you were looking at, before gesturing towards his friend.

"Oh, that's Damian. Don't mind him. He's.... Shy."

"I'm not shy. I just don't have any reason to speak to her."

Jon gasps, before glaring at his friend, "That's rude, Damian." He turns back to you, his face flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry about him. He's not good with people."

You nod, still staring at Damian. "He's Batman's kid, right? The son of those assassins?"

Damian's eyes widen, but only for a brief second. He could let such an emotion out.

"My mother mentioned it a while ago. She didn't say much, just that you were... Different."

"Yeah, he is different." Jon jokes, causing you both to chuckle, but Damian just rolls his eyes.

---

You and Jon stuck your faces to the fish tank. Neither of you had ever seen a fish tank before. You were both stuck in the house by your parents in fear of you revealing yourselves on accident. Your parents have isolated you both- Even Damian was isolated, but he wasn't as naive and foolish as you and Jon.

"Oh, that one's purple," You point to a triangle-shaped fish.

"No, it's a dark blue," Jon argues, causing you to side-eye him.

You rolled your eyes, but don't respond.

"Hey, Y/n."

"Yeah, Jon?"

He looks over at you, wide eyed and excited, "You ever been Tire-rolling?"

"Tire-rolling?"

---

"I don't know if this is a good idea, Jon-" You try and reason, as your hands grip the tire's rubber.

He smiles, his hands gripping the tire, "Oh, it'll be fun. Promise!" He then pushes you, but instead of pushing you at a normal strength, he accidentally uses his super strength and sends you flying. His eyes widen as his mouth drops, before he runs after you, hoping you don't get hurt.

You scream as the tire jumps and hits multiple things while going faster than you've ever gone before. You grip the inside of the tire so hard, that you can feel your nails digging into your palm. You hear cars honking, but there's nothing you can do, without using your powers.

Though, luck must have been on your side, because while you're mid way in the air, something goes through the tire and harshly pulls you down. Your face slams into the tire, your hands ripping the tire's rubber. The tire falls flat on the ground and you sit up, rubbing your head.

Above you was the one and only, Damian Wayne. He was in his school uniform and he was looking down at you annoyed. In his hand was a grappling hook, which you assume he used to save you.

You quickly stand up, brushing off your clothes, "Uh, thanks."

Before Damian can respond, like he would, you hear Jon calling out to you.

"Y/n! Oh my god, Y/n! Are you okay?" He's nearly out of breath as he runs up to you before he stops. "Oh. Uh, hi Damian."

There's a moment of awkward silence, before Jon goes back to his normal self.

"What are you doing, Damian?"

"Nothing." Damian is quick, calculated even.

You had only known the two boys for a few months, but it felt like you had known Jon your whole life and this moment felt like the first time meeting Damian. Though, Damian was busy, so you couldn't really blame him. He was the son of a man with an empire and an assassination group. He was bound to be tied up from time to time.

"Uh, do you want to hang out, Damian?"

Damian is taken by surprise. You wanted to hang out? With him? Why?

Jon went to speak for Damian, but Damian interrupts him, "Sure."

"Really?" Both you and Jon speak at the same time, before you both blush out of embarrassment.

"I mean, great. Wow, okay. Yeah, let's hang out."

---

Damian groaned, before laying down on the roof. He could hear Jon and Y/n snickering to themselves, probably over something stupid. He closes his eye, their voices slowly fading from his mind. He didn't know how you had convinced him to hang out with you on a roof in the middle night.

He didn't like you, so he didn't know why he listened to you. He had no reason to care about what you said or thought, but yet here he was.

You had some kind of pull over him and he didn't know why. There was nothing about you that was different from the other superheroes. Sure, you were pretty, but so was Starfire, Raven, Super-woman, etc.

He looks over at you as you lean on Jon's shoulder, whispering some secret into his ear. He wondered what secrets you two were sharing. Maybe if he asked you'd let him in? He didn't know.

He takes his eyes off of you and looks back at the sky. It was a dark and cloudy night, like most nights in Gotham. Though, unlike most nights, it was quiet; Almost peaceful.

It bothered Damian. More than he'd like to admit. He felt an ich in his skin, like he was supposed to be doing something, but there was nothing to do. There was no fight to fight or crime to solve. It was peaceful for the first time in a long time.

---

Jon liked you, a lot. Like more than he's ever liked someone in his life. He feels immense emotions when he's around you, even if your mother doesn't like him. Though, your mother didn't like men period.

He was thankfully you didn't receive that quality from your mother. You were much nicer and happier than your mother. But that could be because you weren't tortured in the same way your mother was by the women of Themyscira.

In fact, they adored you. They treated you like some kind of goddess and cherished you. Jon understood though. You were perfect- At least to him you were. He thought everyone should treat you like the perfect person you are because you deserve nothing less.

---

You were alone with Damian for the first time in all the years you've known each other. You sighed, squeezing your eyes shut. You didn't know how you were going to tell them you were going to be leaving for Themyscira.

Your mother wanted you to be trained by the Amazons to be able to control your powers and abilities. While she herself was banished, she knew they would welcome you with welcome arms.

You knew Jon would take it hard, but it was only going to be for a year. Just a year. A year you'd be away from your best friends. So, there was a part of you that hoped if you told Damian first, it'd be easier to break it to Jon.

"So, when do you leave?"

You looked over at Damian, confused, "Leave?"

"I heard your mother talking to my father. She said she was sending you to Themyscira to train. So," He sits up on his bed, making direct eye contact with you, "when do you leave?"

"Next month. I'll be gone for a year."

"A year?"

"Yeah. My mom wanted me to stay for 3, but I was able to talk her down from it."

"Have you told Jon?"

"No..."

"Well, you know he's not going to react well."

"Yeah. That's why I've been procrastinating it."

"Can I write you?"

You frown, "No. The island is cut off from the world. So, no contact at all. Not even with my mom."

He now frowns, but says nothing more.

---

You sigh, leaning on your hand, your sword tossed on the ground. Before you stood Philippus, your mentor.

"Princess Y/n, what is bothering you so?"

You couldn't tell her you missed your friends. If she knew they were boys you knew you would get scolded. The Amazons didn't like men, because they were chaos and destruction and they were peaceful. A part of you understood, because you've seen the terrible things men can do, but your friends- they weren't like those men.

"Nothing... Just tired."

She takes your answer, even though she knows you're lying. You were frustrated and annoyed. You had been here for a month and found yourself making no progress. This was pointless.

You could have been with your friends, but here you were on some stupid island. You wanted to your friends.

"You know, if you don't get these down in the upcoming year, you'll have to stay."

You straighten up and glare at the woman. "No, I won't-"

Philippus quickly turns around, looking at you offended, "Excuse me?"

"Nothing." You quickly respond not wanting to repeat yourself.

She huffs, rolling her eyes, but decides to leave the conversation.

---

It had been a year since you were forced, by your mother, to train on the Themyscira Island. They wanted you to know how to use your powers to the fullest potential. It was fine... But you missed your friends. You wondered what they were doing. You wondered if they missed you too.

---

Jon was estatic. You were finally going to return from the island. Though, there was a part of him that was worried that you wouldn't remember them or even worse, you would hate them.

"You worry too much," Damian told him.

Jon sighs, trying to collect himself, "I'm just worried." Jon fiddles on his toes, as he repeated looks out of the window, hoping to see you pull up. Though, you were no where to be found. He walks away from the window, his shoulders dropping. "How far is that place?"

"Themyscira? It's a few weeks by boat, but she'll be here soon. She's home now."

Jon lightens up, "Home?"

"Yeah, she won't be here for a few more hours."

Jon glares at Damian, "You had me here looking like an idiot!"

Damian chuckles, "Yeah. I did, didn't I?"

---

Damian wasn't surprised by your appearance, unlike Jon. Damian had already seen you, without you knowing of course. You think he'd let you leave without any kind of contact? He knew everything, thanks to his connections. Though, nothing could compare to you really being in front of you.

Jon was the first to hug you. His arms squeezed you tightly, nearly causing you to lose your breath. He didn't want to let you go- Just hold you forever. He didn't want you leaving forever, but he was forced to let you go.

"You look great, Y/n."

You smile, a blush forming, "You too, Jon." You look around Jon to see Damian, who was avoiding eye contact. It almost reminded you of when you had first met the boys. "No hug, Damian?"

Damian finally looks at you, his natural glare on his face. Unlike Jon, who had let his hair grow out, Damian still had shorter hair, but his features were sharp. Though, that didn't surprise you. What did take you by surprise though is how much he looked like his father.

While Jon looked like a mix of Clark and Lois, Damian just looked like his father. Well, minus his golden skin- He got that from his mother.

Speaking of Jon, you felt him squeeze your bi-cep. You looked at him confused and he blushed.

"Uh, what are you doing, Jon?"

"Your biceps. They're like... Huge." He's fascinated by your arms, even comparing it to his own. While he was naturally strong, because of his powers, you had trained relentlessly for a year and it showed when your arms were bigger than his.

You chuckled at his amusement, before his eyes lit up, "Ah, Y/n you've missed out on so much- Come on," He grabs your arm, leading you inside the headquaters of the Justice League. You are stopped though when Damian grabs your arm that Jon didn't have. Jon looks back, wondering why you stopped when realizing Damian had grabbed you.

"Jon, why don't you head up. I just want to talk to Y/n."

Jon seems reluctant, but you turn to him, "I'll catch up. Promise."

He sighs, but ultimately goes up the stairs and inside the building.

"You look nice."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"That means a lot coming from you, you know?"

Damian avoids eye contact. He's worried that you might see all his emotions, feelings and thoughts. He didn't want you knowing his darkest thoughts. "Yeah.. Uh, Jon missed you a lot... Obviously. Um..." Damian had never been like this- Lost for words. He always knew what to say. He had everything calculated, but now... Well, he felt lost. He felt your stare on him, waiting for him to finish, but he felt his tongue felt twisted. "It's good to have you back."

"Yeah, well, it's good to be back. You know, I've missed you a lot... And Jon. I've missed you both a lot."

Damian finally looks at you. Your eyes bleeding into his own. For a moment it felt like you two were the only ones in the world. Everything else was just dark and all that was left was you. That was until another voice spoke.

"Y/n."

You both looked up to see your mother. She gestured for you to come inside and you looked back at Damian.

"Well, I guess that I have to go."

"Yeah... I'll see yah."

"Yeah... you will."

You rush up the stairs, trying to stop the blush from forming on your face. You were so embarrassed and felt like the conversation was stupid. You wished you could have done it differently, but it was Damian. You were sure he wasn't as pressed about it as you.

If only you knew how much your life was about to change forever- All thanks to teenage boys' puberty.

[lucy90712]

Headcanon for all the boys you want to write this for :

He overhears reader talking to a family member/ friend about how *the boys* are the one for her and just talks about a longtime future with them

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Gavi: 

- you have a free day for once so Gavi begs you to come to his training session with him but he didn't need to do much to convince you as you haven't been to training with him in a while as you've been busy with school and work plus you haven't seen the rest of the guys in ages 

- as Gavi is still recovering from his injury his training sessions look a little different so he started his exercises after the rest of the team but kept training after everyone else finished so you watch him for a minute until the rest of the guys call you over 

- It's been a while since you last saw most of the guys so you catch up on what you've been up to which for you isn't a very interesting as you have the same routine almost every day with school during the week and work on the weekends 

- the conversation turned to your relationship pretty quickly and how things have been as Gavi has been able to do more and have more of his normal life back then the boys start talking about how sappy Gavi is and how he never shuts up about you 

- you tell them that you are the same way and you couldn't care less as you can't imagine being sappy with anyone other than Gavi as he is your past present and future 

- they tease you for saying that but you didn't care as it's the truth you love Gavi with every fibre of your being and you don't want to be with anyone else for the rest of your life he is the one for you 

- Gavi overhears you saying all of that which puts a big smile on his face for the rest of his training session and for the rest of the day it makes him so happy to hear as he feels the exact same way about you but he didn't want to just say it 

- he never tells you that he heard what you said but he thinks about it all the time whenever he has a bad day and he gets home and sees you it reminds him instantly of what you said and lifts his mood immediately 

- all it takes is for him to realise that as long as he has you all of the little meaningless things don't matter as in 5 days or 5 years you will still be by his side supporting him and those little thing won't even still be in his memory 

- that conversation you had without you knowing he could hear you will forever be his little pick me up and he never plans to tell you as he doesn't see the need to embarrass you by telling you what he heard 

Pedri:

- every summer Pedri takes you with him back to Tenerife with him to spend time with his family and to just relax but you didn't mind one bit as you love it there and you love his family 

- ever since Pedri introduced you to his family you have been really close with his mum she was glad to have female presence around and you were happy to spend time with her and create a bond with Pedri's family 

- seeing as you don't get to see each other too much Pedri's mum asks if you want to have a girls day when you are in Tenerife with Pedri and who would you be to say no to a girls day 

- the two of you go and get lunch and get your nails done together before going back to Pedri's house to sit outside by the pool in the sun with cocktails seeing as Pedri wasn't there when you got there 

- while you are sat outside you get to talking about your future and because you feel comfortable around his mum you tell her that you don't see yourself doing anything without Pedri by your side and how you never want to have to love your life with anyone else 

- as you are saying these things Pedri arrives home and starts to listen while standing at the back doors of the house he hears every word you say which just warms his heart as he knew you two were in love but to hear you put it that way really makes him happy 

- at some point you see a figure standing behind you out of the corner of your eye and you freak out until you realise it's Pedri but then you freak out even more thinking about what he heard as you didn't know if what you said would be too much for him 

- he quickly makes his way over to you and kisses your cheek and whispers in your ear that he wouldn't want to experience anything in life without you which makes you feel just as warm and fuzzy inside as Pedri did when he heard you say it 

- his mum hears what he said to you and it makes her smile knowing that her son has found someone special who he loves and who loves him back equally as much 

Jude: 

- being back in England for the summer means seeing family and this year as the summer break was shorter due to the euros and after spending the whole time in Germany with Jude when you fly back you go straight home to spend time with your family while Jude goes to see his 

- you spend a few weeks apart before you travel up to spend the last part of your time in England with Jude and his family as before you know it you will be back in Madrid and you want to make sure you see everyone before life takes over again 

- Jude is glad to have you back as he's missed you and Jobe is excited to see you too as you get on well with him and it's been a while since you've seen him 

- they had a sibling day planned for the day you arrived back as you came a bit early but they were quick to change their plans and invite you along and they both say that it will be more fun with you there anyway 

- you all spend the day together walking around town and going in all sorts of little stores on the high street most of which you only go in to get away from big groups of fans who want pictures with Jude and Jobe

- to end the day all three of you go for dinner and at some point Jude goes to the bathroom leaving you to talk with Jobe so he starts asking about how Madrid has been for you and you talk about how it was difficult to adjust at first but Jude helped you feel at home 

- that leads you on to saying how you could do anything if Jude was by your side as he just gets you and always knows how to help you through things or what you need at any moment which you don't think that anyone else could do 

- Jobe then asks if you think you'll be with Jude for the rest of your life and you say that you have no doubt that Jude is the one for you and you don't want to spend the rest of your life with anyone else 

- Jude heard all this as he walked back over and he can't help but smile knowing that you are so happy with him as all he really wants is for the both of you to be happy together and he tells you that as he sits back down which makes you blush as you know that he heard you

Ruben: 

- You and Ruben spent a few days away just the two of you after the euros but after that his friends invited him to join them for a few days on a boat so he asked you and you agreed so that's where you went 

- Ruben introduced you to his friends a long time ago but you don't get to see them very often so you hadn't met their girlfriends before but they were quick to introduce themselves and they all seemed really sweet

- you spend most of the few days on the boat talking to the girls and getting to know them so by the time the last day rolls all of you are so comfortable talking to each other about anything which is when they start to gush over your relationship with Ruben and how loving he is towards you 

- they keep insisting that you have the perfect relationship but you tell them that you are nowhere near perfect but because you know that you want this relationship to last forever you have learnt how to make compromises and nit fight about the little things that mean nothing 

- Ruben overhears you saying that which only solidifies in his mind that you are the one for him and it encourages him to take the initiative and take your relationship to the next step

- the day after your last day on the boat Ruben plans a whole day where it's just the two of you doing lots of fun little activities which ends with a trip to the beach for a picnic for dinner as the sun sets 

- just as the sun has gone down and the sky is all sorts of beautiful colours Ruben brings you closer to the waters edge where he suddenly gets down on one knee and asks you to marry him 

- he has a whole speech to tell you how much he loves you and why which he ends with mentioning what you said on the boat the day before which you had no idea he heard but it makes you happy that he resonated with what you said 

- if the girls didn't think your relationship was perfect before they definitely do after they hear the story of your engagement at a dinner Ruben organised to celebrate it 

[g-xix]

so like i know that you don’t really know AMP like that but can i get a fluffy oneshot for ray?? he’s genuinely so fine and funny and respectful so i just need something with him.

☁️Movie Nights | Rayasianboy_

Yeah sure I'll do a short lil drabble, im in the mood fo it

(post-writing grace wants to let it be known that it isn't short. u got 6.7k words here. enjoy.)

Movie nights at the AMP household happened about once every month. What with Duke living so far away and Kai always busy travelling or streaming - about every once a month when Duke stayed the night following a shoot, Kai wasn't too busy with Kevin Hart or some other celebrity chaotically livestreaming, and Agent, Fanum, Davis and Chris were present and available...

AMP movie night happened.

"We should watch a horror-!"

"are you crazy?! Put on a comedy or somethin'-"

"Just 'cus you're pussy doesn't mean we all wanna watch 21 Jump Street for the milli-a-billionth time-"

"I'm with Kai- it doesn't have to be 21 Jump Street- there's some new comedies on Netflix-"

It was always fun. The initial watch of Kai and Fanum arguing it out, Agent and Chris taking their respective sides whilst Davis watched and laughed - all petty debates quickly shut down when Duke just puts on a movie that everyone can agree on...

But the gang wasn't just confined to the AMP crew.

Everyone in the house was summoned when it was AMP house movie night. That included you, of course, as chef for the AMP house and Kai's cousin - he knew you were struggling to put your skills to use and find employment as a 17 year old needing money to support your side of the family as well as live your life. And having been close whilst you grew up, Kai wanted to help you out - hence he asked you to come and help cook at the AMP house and behind the set with the AMP shoots - promising accommodation at the house as well as a wage cut straight from all the money he earnt.

Whilst Kai was your blood relative, the rest of the boys became what you would consider family, also.

You could always play video game basketball with Agent on and off stream, or play little 1v1s on the actual court with Davis. You and Fanum had a special friendship considering he would sometimes just ask for a snack or lurk around the kitchen and have little bits and bobs whilst you cooked - hence there was a friendship that bloomed between you two, centred around food. And Chris and Duke were always interested in roping you into games starting petty wars in the house which you were always happily involved with.

You became the little sister to the AMP house, and this of course, meant that your presence was always necessary for a proper AMP house movie night.

Even if you annoyed everyone by threatening to lie or jump on top of someone.

Unfortunately for you, it seemed as though you were the only one in the house who liked touch. Not in an exclusively romantic or sexual way - no - just wanting to lean against someone or hold onto someone whilst watching movies. In an affirming way. Just for the sake of contact.

Unfortunately for you, being said, as nobody ever agreed with you.

It made sense; being seventeen and the only girl in the establishment, all of the boys made it quite clear that they weren't interested in any sort of contact - regardless of the chaste nature of it. The most you got was normally someone putting the arm around the back of the sofa, behind you - allowing you to somewhat lean against them, lean into their side.

Even Kai, your older cousin you'd grown up with, would disagree to even hugging you sometimes - given that he had always been less into physical contact.

Once, to start the movie night, Fanum had started shit stirring and making the both of you argue (unseriously) about Kai's lack of love or any physical contact. And that had ended with starting the movie an hour later, given that you and Kai began wrestling in the middle of the room (both cheered on by your respective sides), pushing and duelling one another with long polystyrene cylinders you'd randomly found behind a sofa.

There was always chaos and community to be found within your movie nights, and regardless of the movie chosen, or the boys' lack of contact with you... You always had fun.

"You seen Ray anywhere?" Kai ran into the kitchen, cameraman behind him wielding a camera which panned to you upon the question being asked. The fans knew of your existence as cook in the house and Kai's cousin, and despite the occasional shipping with other AMP members which was a bit odd considering your age was also public on your social media platforms - the fans seemed to be pretty chill and found you likeable too.

Kai slid his phone over so that you could see the chat also, knowing that you liked being able to know what people were saying whilst live.

"Which one's Ray?" You scrunched your brows together in confusion, wondering whether Kai had ever introduced you to a Ray before.

"I never introduced you to Ray??" Kai's own brows knitted together in confusion also, pausing his search to acknowledge that fact. You'd seen a thread on Twitter pointing out how similar yours and Kai's body language was having grown up so close, and found it cute that he mirrored your confusion with the same action of scrunching his brows together - a little smile lighting on your face as you shook your head, indicating that you hadn't in fact, met Ray.

Your smile was joined by a slight chuckle as you looked down at the chat on Kai's phone - watching as they flooded the screen with messages such as INTRODUCE HER TO RAY! and GET THEM TO MEET, expressing their intrinsic want for you to meet the enigmatic Ray.

"How long has he been here for?" You asked, checking up on the stove behind you as you asked the question.

"He been in and out the house for the last month or so - you ain't never seen him?" Kai re-questioned incredulously. "Taiwanese mf, like, this tall-" He stretched his arm out above him to exemplify the height. "-shitty haircut, lanky as hell...?"

"I've not seen a single person that isn't black inside this house, Kai." You shook your head to Kai's disappointment. "He been coming into the house for the last couple months though? How've I not seen him?!"

"Shit, I don't know either." Kai shrugged, setting himself on a barstool at the island. (idk what the amp house looks like i j hope there's barstool n a kitchen island) "Chat, you wanna see Ray meet my cousin?"

"Eurgh, I don't wanna meet someone for the first time on your stream, imma be awkward." You rolled your eyes, turning the hob off and stirring the cuisine within an adjacent pot on the stove. "We doing movie night tonight or is that next week?"

"Oh shit I forgot it's movie night tonight!" Kai exclaimed. "Chat, every month or somethin' we all watch a movie together - whole house and AMP gang - you tell 'em about it-"

Between yourself and Kai, the two of you managed to explain the concept of AMP movie nights to the chat whilst you plated up the rice and stroganoff, laughing and joking with the occasional threat of the wooden spoon - only to laugh whenever Kai flinched when you fake jumped at him with the wooden weapon.

"Go give those plates to Fanum and Davis," You gestured to the two plates on the table. "Duke, Chris and Agent can get theirs after they've played whatever basketball game they're playing... Does your Ray friend want a serving too, you think?"

"He can get a portion if he wants, I dunno," Kai shrugged the question away, picking up Davis' and Fanum's plate, awkwardly pulling his own plate of food between his arms and balancing it on his forearms. "Thanks girlie!"

"Yeah you welcome dawg," You mirrored his eccentric name-calling, chuckling as Kai gave his big bursting laugh as he walked out, cameraman following him.

The thought of Ray kept on your mind as you ate your portion, scrolling through your Twitter feed.

A random guy from another country you'd never seen had randomly joined your house? Without you even noticing...?? It felt a bit ironic, considering you spent most your time either in the living room or kitchen - both of which had a view of the front door and anyone who entered or exited the house...

Strange... You thought, chewing on the mushroom as you hard a distant yell of THANK YOU SWEETHEART from a room in the house, Bronx accent indicating it was likely Fanum shouting his gratitude to you for the food.

Switching from Twitter to Instagram, you looked at Kai's recent post - designer covering the boy from head to toe - the post from just 2 hours ago already decorated with several tens of thousands of likes. Quickly scrolling through the comments, you saw someone mention Ray - sparking an idea.

Clicking on Kai's profile, you clicked on the people Kai is following, typing Ray into the searchbar and looking through the profiles until you saw someone that matched the description Kai had given you.

Tall, Asian and not-as-shit-a-haircut as Kai had told you... You tapped on his recent post, one eyebrow quirking up at the subtle definition of his arms that showed with the white wife beater he wore. Clearly not as lanky as Kai had said, either.

You pulled the phone closer to your face as you scrolled onto the next picture, putting your fork down to zoom into Ray's face on the picture.

He had pretty features. Dark eyes and a cute lil smile...

You dropped your phone in shock, scrolling onto the next picture and seeing Ray without a top.

Your eyes widened as you withdrew yourself from your phone, staring into the distance and just grounding yourself for a second... Before picking your phone up again and bringing the phone close to your face to just...

admire.

Because damn was he good looking - broad chest and defined collarbones with subtle ab definition... You couldn't help yourself from zooming into the photo, eyes scouring the picture and just absorbing everything there was to see - marvelling at the pretty boy's posts just as-

"YO COUSIN-"

You quite literally jumped as the door opened, Duke's yell causing you to elicit a yelp as he ambled through the door with a wide grin and Agent trailing behind.

Your fingers fumbled, phone dropping from your hand and sliding across the table - just out of reach from you.

Duke laughed at your response, bending over and hand having to hold onto the kitchen tabletop to stabilise himself as he laughed at at the fear within your reaction - giving you a moment to reach out and grab your phone.... Realising that it had fallen face up with Ray's Instagram picture still on it's screen - your head snapping upwards and making horrifying eye contact with Agent, who had seen exactly what you'd been looking at on your phone.

"Fuck is you reacting like that for-" Duke guffawed, wiping at his eyes as he straightened up, getting poked in his arm by Agent. "What you doing that's got you all scared 'bout us for-"

"Why you looking at Ray's topless pictures?" Agent spilled with the fattest grin, his unfiltered honesty making you slap a hand over your face as you felt blood rushing to your cheeks at his brutal confession of your online snooping. And Duke was quick to snatch your phone from your hands following that - observing your phone screen despite your disputes and laughing as he saw the topless picture of Ray you'd been looking at on the Instagram profile.

"You thirstin' over Ray?" Duke's grin was astronomical as he asked it almost incredulously, holding the phone and pointing at the picture as if he couldn't believe it.

"What?! No- I don't know him - I've never even met him - why would I thirst over him...?" You rushed out, short fragmented sentences reflecting the panic that infiltrated your mind. "N-nothing wrong if I did though... Right?"

Agent and Duke collapsed against one another, bursting into a fit of laughter at your awkward confession.

"GUYS! Shut up! Apparently he's here in the house right now - I don't even like him! He's probably your old ass ages anyways - I don't know-"

"Girl he's your age, he's seventeen too," Duke cut you off, still donning his wide grin.

"Oh..." You felt a strange hope within the pit of your chest, your heart palpitating just a fraction quicker.

"Does that make you like him?" Agent quirked a brow and asked, handing your phone back to you yet continuing the interrogation nonetheless.

"I..." You trailed off as you thought about it.

For the past year or so you'd sort of forgotten or at least left all your crushes and romantic feelings behind - having devoted yourself to doing your job and helping with streams - all too caught up in Kai's influencer lifestyle.... And even when you'd found yourself initially with a micro-crush on Duke, you'd managed to quickly overcome it because of the age difference you knew was more than problematic.

But Ray being your age and literally being in the house with you?

That certainly changed your crush-thought-process.

"No way you crushing on Ray, that's wild," Agent smiled, less mockingly than Duke, as though he actually found it rather wholesome. Which would've made sense, given that Agent had a partner of his own and often expressed his happiness within having a girlfriend he loved.

"I don't know whether I have a crush," You were quick to shake your head though. "I don't know I don't know I don't know- I only found out about his existence like half an hour ago, Agent, I was just seeing who he was on Instagram..."

"Do you like who he is?" Duke interjected his question. "From what you've seen...?"

"I mean..." You found yourself trailing off again. "I don't know, he's cute and all but... Gosh, it's impossible to really know, isn't it? I mean, I've just seen a few pictures of him-"

"-And you like that shirtless pic of him don't you-"

You stared with a stony expression as Duke and Agent collapsed into a fit of giggles at their supposed witty comment.

"God, it feels weird talking to you two about anything to do with... boys."

"Yeah, weird knowing that's your type." Duke added on, making you facepalm.

"He isn't my type, I don't have a type - I don't date much - I don't even know what my type is."

"You should find out," Agent encouraged. "-by asking Ray for his number and going out with him."

"For his number?!" You repeated incredulously. "My God you two are ancient."

"What do you kids ask for nowadays?" Duke asked in confusion, running his hands through his dreads pensively.

"Snapchat or Instagram." You rolled your eyes. "Why am I talking about boys with either of you - you guys don't know shit about picking people up clearly-"

"HEY HEY HEY HEY-" They both rushed to defend themselves, their overlapping defensive shouts laughable.

"Look," You cut their defensive rambles off, raising your hands to gather than attentions, "This is cute and all, I get it, but you gotta understand... I don't even know who this guy is - yeah, I'll admit he's cute and all - but we're being real optimistic saying anything about guy who doesn't even know I exist - like - I just found out that he exists about half an hour ago! He might not even like me if we talked!"

"You too insecure." Duke rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "You ugly but you aren't awful - you don't need to worry 'bout Ray rejecting you, there's plenty out there for you."

"Well thanks I guess."

"You want us to set you guys up?" Agent raised his brows, Duke's eyes widening and mouth forming an o-shape as he realised Agent's genius, looking at you expectantly with a wide smile.

"No." You stated resolutely, crushing their spirits. "Wait 'til I meet him in person or something. He could be weird or we might just be awkward..."

"Ay say less," Duke nodded his head. "When you gon' meet him?"

"I dunno, whenever I see him I guess? He's done a good job avoiding me, considering I haven't seen him in the house EVER, when apparently he's been in and out for months, now..."

Agent gasped, grabbing onto Duke's arm as another lightbulb idea clearly hit him.

"We should introduce them at movie night tonight!"

"HE'S STAYING FOR THAT?!"

"We'll make him stay." Agent grinned as Duke nodded along in agreement, letting out a little aaaaa! of excitement from their decided plan.

You couldn't even stop them from doing it, as they giggled and ran out of the room - not even taking their portion of lunch that you'd cooked, as they left the room swiftly, gossiping like schoolgirls as they plotted whilst you just sat. Fearing what the duo was planning.

"YOU COMIN' OR NOT?"

You rolled your eyes at your jumpy cousin's yell from the floor below, your continuing to unroll your hair in your attic room, looking at your reflection in the mirror and hoping your curls would fluff out if your brushed them.

There was a knock at the door and before you could even respond, it was busted open.

"You're meant to knock and wait until I say you can come in, asshole."

"Yeah yeah yeah," Kai brushed it off before looking into the mirror and seeing your reflection. "The fuck, are you doing your hair for a movie night? Are you wearin' lashes too?"

You shrugged, feeling Kai's judgement bring a slight blush to your face. You'd sort of convinced yourself that if Ray was staying for movie night (and Duke and Agent were gonna try setting the two of you up) you would put on just a bit of makeup - try make yourself look a little better, you know?

"What you getting all dolled up for?"

You bit down on your lip, wondering whether you should let Kai in on it. Would it be a bit awkward? You'd done just a bit of research on Ray and realised that he was surprisingly Kai's best friend - they were tight as hell... Which meant that telling Kai might just be a liiiittle bit awkward.

"I'm just trying some overnight makeup out," You shrugged after a second. "Euphoria - you know that makeup brand? - they gifted me this, I'm jus' trying it out now... So I can wear it in future, you know?"

Kai stared at you for a second, reading your expression and making you uncomfortable under his gaze, wondering whether he knew you were lying...

"Man, I don't know shit about makeup- just hurry your ass up, we waitin' on you now."

With that, Kai gave you the three minutes you needed to unroll and brush your hair - put a few finishing touches on your makeup - and slip into your comfy hoodie and sweatpants, checking your makeup in the mirror one last time before skipping down the stairs.

You peeked into the living room, Davis catching your eye and gesturing for you to come on in, patting the vacant space besides him on the sofa for you to come sit.

Your eyes scaled down the sofa, seeing Kai - Chris - Fanum - Agent - Duke - Davis...

And no Ray.

"You lookin' for someone?" Agent asked with a knowing grin plastered on his face.

"Nope." You stopped Agent, swiftly advancing from the door to the space besides Davis and ignoring the way you could hear Duke's snickering from besides Agent. "Is that everyone?" You asked casually, finding yourself relaxing slightly as the prospect that maybe you wouldn't have to meet Ray with the pressure of Duke and Agent coercing the two of you into talking and getting close.

"Nah we just waitin' on Ray." Kai responded, throwing some snacks into his mouth. "-OH, that means you'll finally meet Ray tonight!"

"Oh." Your simple response came, Duke and Agent's muffled laughter seemingly ignored by everyone but you.

"He's a nice guy," Kai nattered. "I just met him by accident sometime but he's a nice enough kid - he's your age - you could have a friend in the house if you guys get close too-"

"Fuck you mean a friend, we're all friends here," Fanum cut Kai off.

"We friends tho-"

Kai began wrestling someone at the comment.

You rest your head in your hands for a moment, just letting yourself calm down for a second whilst the duo rolled around on the floor, mock WWE fighting each other at the mere mention of Tyla's friend-zoning.

"What movie we thinkin'?" Duke asked the remainder of people on the sofa.

"We startin' without Ray?" Fanum questioned, Duke just shrugging and mumbling some answer.

"I could do with a horror," You yawned, Davis rolling his eyes and protesting instantly.

"What about a thriller? That's like soft horror, right?"

"The Outsider's one I been wanting to watch for time - check that out-"

"That shit looks scary as fuck, hell nah-"

"Let's watch the opening and if it's all that bad we can try a different film."

Duke pressed play on the movie, Kai breaking up the fight to jump back onto the sofa and settle into his seat to get ready to watch the movie - only to have it paused as the door opened - everyones' heads craning around as the door creaked.

In a pair of Hello Kitty pyjama bottoms and a plain white tee, Ray stood in the doorway.

"You finally come down?!" Kai jumped onto his feet and exclaimed at the quiet boy, Duke pausing the movie. "You was taking longer than HER to get ready!"

Ray looked down the group until he saw the person Kai jabbed his finger at. You. His dark eyes bore into yours, tracing down over your body ever so quickly before meeting with your eyes again. Kai noticing the pause and realising-

"OH- I been meanin' to introduce you two-"

"You Kai's cousin?" Ray questioned, his English broken up slightly, accent evident within his voice which wasn't exactly deep or husky, owning any particularly attractive qualities... but something about it was soothing on the ear, regardless.

"Yeah, you're Ray I'm guessing," You nodded, smiling up at the boy politely, expecting him to be courteous enough to smile back.

Your smile slid off your face as Ray didn't smile back, however. Rude, you thought, internally rolling your eyes and deciding that maybe you weren't all that bothered with someone who wouldn't even smile back at you.

But no, Ray was quite straightforwards in stepping around the boys towards you and giving you a handshake... Which felt strangely formal - until Ray kept his hand intertwined with you and pulled you up to your feet with surprising strength, making you let out the slightest of gasps as Ray put an arm around your back - pulling you into a hug instead.

Your hands slowly wrapped around his body in response - just slightly shocked at... Well, everything.

A) Whatthefuck he was STRONG?! Sure, you'd seen that he had muscles from his Instagram posts - but shit, he wasn't exactly ripped - and he certainly didn't look like he had enough muscle to lift you up just with one hand

B) Ohmyfuck, he's so comfortable just giving a hug? No awkwardness, no weird lead up, just coming over here in front of everyone and pulling me into a hug? That shit's nice as Hell I gotta admit-

C) Damn he smells good - is that like... Pine? Something warm and comforting a lil like vanilla... or maybe some sage too...?

D) OhmyLORD he is tall. You and Kai were both cursed blessed with the short genes of your families, and donned similar heights... Which meant that Ray practically enveloped you within his arms and hug, your head resting just below his chest in such a way you could feel a heat rising to your cheeks - making the blush you'd swiped onto your cheeks earlier futile, as your flustered feelings reflected on your cheeks.

You opened your eyes slightly as you felt your mind going into overdrive at the hug Ray gave - catching the expression of the people on the sofa as you did; Kai and Davis looking relatively normal, though Chris and Fanum donned expressions of suspicion - their minds clearly already sensing some tension or connection, and Agent beaming as though everything was coming together - Duke raising a brow with a knowing expression, as if he'd seen this coming and was encouraging you to continue with... with something(???)

Ray was the first to pull back, making you realise you'd just sorta grappled onto him and forgotten that a hug was only meant to last for a moment.

"You two is both the same age too, so I thought it'd be good for you two to be friends," Kai explained, making you laugh - trying to cover the way you were all too aware about the fact that Ray's arm remained around your shoulders following the hug, still holding you sorta close to his body.

"Thanks Uncle Cenat" You pointed out his behaviour.

"You two should go sit on that couch with each other," Agent gestured to the adjacent sofa. "Given there isn't space for another two of you here."

You watched as Duke subtly bumped his fist against Agent, them two thinking they were sooo smooth at the suggestion, making you just roll your eyes and stay silent - not opposed to what Agent had suggested, but not wanting to pressure Ray into it, or appear as too eager or enthusiastic when Ray might not've cared at all.

However Duke seemed to take your silence as an opportunity to drop more hints.

"She'll try cuddle you though, you gotta watch out-" Duke couldn't even finish his sentence without laughing - your eyes widening in horror at the betrayal you felt as Duke spewed the truth. "She likes hugging and bein all physical like that-"

Your face fell into your hands in horror, shaking your head from side to side as the crew on the sofa burst out laughing at Duke's lack of filter, embarrassing you to no end as you hid your burning face within your palms.

You were horrified Duke was baiting you out. What sick sorta plan did he have to get you two together which involved publicly shaming you?? You could still feel Ray's arm around your shoulders despite Duke's ridiculing, but you could already imagine the expression he would wear: a pitying smile or mocking laugh matching the rest of the gang.

Fucking embarrassing.

You chose to look up at Ray - let his expression tell you that you didn't have a single chance with him, now that you'd been outed and embarrassed for being an oddball. That he thought you were weird and that you had 0 chances of building some sort of connection or having a relationship with the only person anywhere near your age within the AMP house.

Yet to your surprise, as you looked up and your eyes met Ray's - you saw no expression you were expecting.

He was fine with it.

He had a blank, unbothered expression, and seemed more interested in you than anything Duke was flacking.

"You want to cuddle?" Ray questioned with no evident nor underlying judgement within his voice. Just a genuine question, in which he didn't seem opposed to the idea - just wanting to know whether Duke was being genuine or not - clearly not wanting to misread the situation and accidentally be too forwards with you.

Your tongue felt heavy, mind whirring into overdrive as you couldn't even begin to respond to his question - a blush forming on your cheeks as your eyes widened with shock even more - after all, you hadn't even expected Ray to want to talk to you. Let alone be so to-the-point with asking to cuddle.

He was a man of few words.

But the words that Ray did speak? They got straight to your heart, and regardless of whether he knew the effect of what he said, he was only making you more into him.

It felt like some sickening fever dream; a guy your age, attractive and forwards with gestures of interest - asking you to come cuddle him and literally fulfilling one of your few visceral cravings; your want for physical contact with someone satiated by Ray, who was willing to do exactly what you'd been craving.

It was just too bad you didn't know how to express it.

Ray's arm slipped away - leaving your shoulders as he advanced across the room, sitting on the adjacent sofa and seemingly leaving you as he manspread his legs out, one arm wrapping around the back of the seat next to him as he looked up and made eye contact with you.

"Come then," He spoke plainly, leaving it open to you as he pat the seat besides him with his hand.

The AMP boys on the sofa let out OOOOOO's of surprise, Duke and Agent grabbing onto and slapping each others' forearms to get each others' attention and ogle at the way that shit was working out. Kai had his brows furrowed in slight confusion despite his grin - just a bit suspicious of the way that Ray seemed to be making advances towards you. Not to mention that they seemed to be working.

But you personally?

You couldn't help but fixate on how good Ray looked. The way that he was sat with his legs spread, white tee pooling at the bottom and contrasting the darkness of his hair and eyes...

You knew you'd spent too long just awkwardly stood staring, and you decided not to let the awkward moment persist - crossing the room and following in Ray's steps as you sat down besides him, hands within your lap as you felt your leg brushing his - that being enough contact to satisfy your shy self for the moment.

"Yo, pass a blanket." Ray said to Fanum, his blunt demand being met with Fanum widening his eyes with shock at the confidence of the boy with you.

"Hell nah gang, I ain't letting you do shit under a blanket with her," Fanum became defensive, despite the smile on his face.

Agent was the one to throw a bundled up blanket over Fanum's head, reaching Ray and letting him unroll it with Fanum scolding Agent whilst Ray gave you a portion of the blanket, throwing it over your body and getting you comfy.

Duke pressed play on the movie, and the screen lit up with colours, allowing the introduction to play out and capture everyones' attention once more.

Ray's hand drifted from the back of the sofa to your shoulders, whispering a "You okay with this?" which you nodded in response to, leaning back into his arm and enjoying the weight of his arm around your back, hand resting against your shoulder - long fingers running down the length of your arm whilst his thumb rest across the top of your shoulder, parallel to your collarbone. Occasionally, he swiped his thumb over your shoulder in a comforting way, giving you shivers which you had to conceal each time he did it.

As the movie played out, the horror began unveiling itself, until the main character found themself alone, in the dark, walking with solely a torch through a liminal space which had your anxiety rising.

"This shit scary as fuck" You heard Ray mumble from besides you, shuffling closer whilst you could feel his arm muscles tensing in clear fear. You nodded with fear in your body also, every muscle anticipating a jumpscare... And feeling Ray shift closer, you leaned into his body too, letting your body meet with Ray's side, head leaning against his shoulder ever so slightly as if testing to see whether he'd back out... Which he didn't. In fact, his other arm wrapped around your shoulders too, his head behind yours as if whilst holding you he was shielding himself from the screen and the awaiting jumpscare.

It was laughable how scared he was, yet you didn't considering the fact that you were also (metaphorically) shitting it. No, instead you wrapped your hands around his arms which sat around your shoulders, gripping onto Ray and scooting yourself into Ray's body, as though uniting the two of you could save you from a jumpscare on the other side of the screen.

Of course, it didn't.

Screams and yells ricocheted around the room as the tension was released by the jumpscare.

Ray's hands tightened around your body at the scene whilst you yourself jumped at the shock, turning your face away from the screen and squeezing your eyes shut, subsequently hiding your face in the crook of Ray's neck, your forehead resting against his skin whilst his hand just accommodated his movement and rest against your lower back instead.

"That wasn't even that scary," You whispered into Ray's ear as you overcame the shock of the jumpscare, bodies still squished together, embracing just in case another surprise scare appeared.

"You joking?" Ray pulled back, eyes widening as he looked at you, whispering incredulously. "This some of the scariest thing I have ever seen..."

"It was just some goofy creature - we didn't even see what it was," You giggled quietly at the frightened boy, even making him smiling a little bit as though your laughter was contagious.

Ahem. The two of you lost eye contact as Fanum cleared his throat, giving the two of you a pointed look to say-

"Shut the fuck up - is what he's saying." Kai's energetic voice broke the atmosphere. "And stop with all that cute shit too Ray, I introduced you two to be friends, I don't like whatever you're doin'."

You felt a blush return to your cheeks, feeling almost caught by your psuedo-sibling. At least he was projecting his distaste onto Ray instead of you, though.

Rolling your eyes as Fanum raised his brows and gave you a shuthethefuckup look as well, you pulled the blanket up to your neck and tucked yourself further up into Ray's body, letting yourself relax into his side.

Your head leaned slowly towards Ray, eventually making contact with his shoulder and just resting there. His arm still tucked around your shoulders, both of your bodies covered with the blanket... You let out a yawn from the warmth the blanket wrapped you with, simulating a cosy duvet tucking you into bed.

"Tired?" Ray whispered, his head leaning on top yours. He was quiet, but you could still feel the vibrations of voice resonating from his chest and against your body which was still leant up against his.

"Lil bit," You replied, feeling your eyes getting heavy.

"You can lie against me-" Ray shuffled himself around a bit - causing you to detach your head groggily, allowing him to readjust himself before beckoning you back - letting you lie with your back towards the armrest - legs across his lap.

You appreciated Ray's accommodating nature and rotated yourself to swing your legs across his, resting your thighs in his lap and lying your body back against the armrest of the chair - though your body was still close enough to Ray's for him to keep an arm around your back - your body still close to his, now flush with his chest and front.

You rested a hand around Ray's body, sorta hugging him, sorta stabilising yourself. The action made a blush rise to your cheeks as you remembered a mere few hours ago when you were looking at his pictures on Instagram and the abs he had beneath that shirt, back when Agent and Duke had caught you and initially planned on trying to set you and Ray up.

You could feel your eyes getting heavier by the second, breathing slowing despite the pace of the movie which had only just started picking up - and it seemed as though Ray just needed to say one thing before you clocked out.

"You're very pretty." His voice was soft. Quiet, as to not let the boys across the room hear. And his fingers gently ran through your hair as you lay back, near to falling asleep - though his words send impulses down your accelerator nerve, increasing your heartrate.

"Big talk from you," You smiled, returning the compliment. "Your insta pictures are... Nice."

Ray's face broke into a smile, his lips curling upwards - more towards the right than the left - his right eye crinkling with the muscles that uncontrollably contracted in response to the pride that glowed within him from the compliment.

"What you doing tomorrow?" The simple question came.

Was he fucking asking you out???

"Uhm, I think... probably working most of the day..."

"You free tomorrow night?" God he was persistent, and God you fucking loved that he wasn't gonna let go.

"Should be, yeah..."

"You want to go out?" Ray questioned. "With me?"

You literally felt your heart exploding, warmth erupting within your stomach happy chemicals flowing through your body at the fact Ray was interested.

Nodding your head with the fattest smile unwipeable from your lips, Ray grinned at your reaction also, nodding to seal the deal.

"I will take you out," Ray spoke happily, still quiet as to not catch the other guys' attentions. "Date style, yeah?"

"Date style." You nodded in agreement, giggling slightly at the fact Ray needed clarification. Cutie.

"I meant it when I said shut the fuck up, you two." Kai shushed the two of you, eyes glued to the screen but viewing experience diminished by your quietly unintelligible conversation in the corner.

"Sorry!" You apologised quickly, grin evident in your voice from the ecstatic feeling that flowed through your body, having been asked out. And Duke and Agent heard your smile within your voice - turning with knowing smiles towards you.

And this time, instead of rolling your eyes or hiding from Agent or Duke, you grinned back, nodding your head as if to say Yeah, it's working out.

Duke's grin multiplied by tenfold, biting down on his lip to try not to laugh out of excitement for the two of you - your first big shipper. Agent however, rolled his eyes, and you watched as a bill slipped from Agent's pocket into Duke's awaiting palm - wiping the smile of your face and replacing it with a look of confusion which Agent noticed.

Taking out his phone, Agent avidly pressed the screen, before looking up - your phone vibrating from your hoodie pocket.

3 New Messages

Agent: Lol before u came down we bet on what'd happen

Agent: Duke bet that you'd end up successfully making moves

Agent: I bet against lol

You: I'm glad you lost that money.

You slipped your phone back into your pocket, breathing out a breath of relief, contentment and tiredness as you got back into a comfortable position - eyes shutting, head becoming heavy and leaning against Ray's chest where he tucked the blanket around your back and put his arm around your shoulders, his fingers finding purchase within your hair and comfortingly running through the curls you'd rolled up an hour ago.

And listening to Ray's heartbeat and feeling his body warm yours through his white tee - ambient noises of the TV in the background as you slowly inhaled and exhaled, drinking in Ray's comforting cologne, you felt yourself slowly slipping away and happily falling asleep in his arms.

BONUS!

Waking up the next day, you were not happy with what you saw on Twitter.

FANUM

I was gonna do a stream having these two mfs meet up but they already seem pretty fuckin cosy 😭

AMP Kai FUCK IS TS i gotta have some mfkn words w Ray 😭 Arm round her n all - I DONT FUCK W THIS BEHAVIOUR WHEN IT INVOLVES MY CUS 🙏🙏 AMP updates 👀👀👀👀 SpeedyBeta WHAT IS THIS WHAT DID I MISS??? TheFroggyBoggy ONG GIRLLL HOW'D THEY GO FROM NOT KNOWING WHO EACH OTHER WERE ON THE STREAM TO BEIN LIKE THIS SpeedyBeta LITR HAHHA SUPER CUTE THO <33

Duke Dennis

He didn't even ask me for no rizz tips.

AMP Agent Still can't believe you won the bet smh 🙄😒 Atl smth acc happened here ✅ KingKennysimp101 Damn the spooning w the blanket n all?? I'm sorry i wasn't familiar with ur game Ray 😭😭🙏🙏🙏 AMP Kai I'm gonna be having damn words with that boy. AMP Davis She aint gonna like this post Duke 😭😭😭 Y/n You're damn right ab that Davis AMP Davis Duke your ass better be running💀💀 Duke Dennis Omw back to Atlanta as we speak 🙏

It's so wild that my first proper write for AMP is for Ray 😭😭 Hopefully this has drawn in some of the AMP girlies tho bc i have a fic in the work for DUKE, FANUM, and AGENT!

(add urself to my taglist if u wanna be notified for when i post them)

Hope you enjoyed reading!! Feel free to interact- whether that be a comment, vote or follow! Requests open, feel free to submit what u wanna see... Much love!!

To see more for AMP and other YouTubers, here's my MASTERLIST

And here's my WATTPAD, with 50+ more oneshots to read

p.s. Customise which Oneshots YOU want to be tagged in by submitting your preferences on THIS GOOGLE FORM

TAGLIST: (sorry I didn't do it last night i fell asleep b4 I could)

@kennysimp101 @speedybeta @thefroggyboggy @zomburexia @zandrax @supaprettyg @gyu-baby @spiritualz @daniiixoxo @koritoji @smh-anon @lila702980 @star-32 @mym3lodii @betashully @fillysmypookie @janialovesbetasquad @lisask8s @mcddyperez

[laura1633]

Here are all the lovely fics , I would be so grateful if you could give these fics a read and leave some nice comments for the authors who took the time to write them. 💕

It's been a great gun fight (You drew blood, I set myself on fire) by LeonSolo There will be one religion in Italy, Charles Leclerc. On his knees, he will pray to a God he was supposed to kill.

Red Light at Dawn by LuciThornz Five months ago Max was kidnapped by pirates. Miraculously he was found safe, and now his father has arranged for him to start courting the Governor’s son. But it’s not that simple, Max hasn’t told anyone the whole story of what happened at sea, getting captured was never part of the plan, neither was falling in love. Now Max has a plan to get back on the open ocean and find the pirate he fell in love with before it’s too late. The funny thing about plans is they never do go smoothly.

The Tortured Driver's Department by Shadow_reads Prompt Fill for Lestappen Birthday Challenge:  Charles said he'd love to have his own F1 team in the future, and Max already has Verstappen.com. Max is also experienced and is most suited to being a team principal. Their shared retirement arc is where they own a team together: Charles handles the press conferences and media, while Max focuses on the data and strategy.

Forever Love by stealmysunshine Charles isn’t going to wait around for Max to pop the question. Who says that there is a preordained question popper? There are two people in this relationship and Charles has every right to show Max just how precious he is and make him feel loved.

(k)not in public by bananasomg When Max accidentally invites friends to tag along on his and Charles' holiday to Greece (which Charles has coined their mating oasis trip), Charles isn't phased, and Max is easily convinced. Hallowed Ground by crimsonmidnight When an FIA racing law forces Omega Charles to take part in a mandatory mating hunt after getting the Sauber seat, Alpha Max vows to do everything it takes to claim him as his own.

The Wait Is Worth It by crimsonmidnight Max Verstappen's adventures in purchasing a fucking machine and using it when Charles gets an attitude.

Sutures by jadesaturn After years of grueling battles, academic rivals Max and Charles part ways upon graduating from medical school until they meet again as surgical interns at the same hospital. Their age-old feud continues, as expected. Grey’s Anatomy Enemies to Lovers but make it Formula 1.

A taste of the divine by (anonymous on ao3) female!Charles ends up losing her virginity to Max and he is going through it.

i'd wanna hold you (just for a while) by Kashoot Charles doesn't normally want to regress, choosing to ignore his needs in favor of keeping busy with all his other obligations. "I'm a racing driver, Max, not a baby!" Max knows better.

Preloved by LaurawritingF1 After getting caught up in another scandal, Charles, the crown prince of Monaco, is sent to an 'Omega Establishment' to find himself an omega in the hopes it will settle him down. Charles is not at all interested in picking out a pretty housewife for himself and is intending to return home empty handed until he meets Max, an omega housed up in the 'Preloved' section of the establishment and clutching hold of his pup tightly.

Everything Changes, Yet Nothing Does by Shadow_Reads The sun was setting over Monaco, casting a warm golden glow over the city. The gentle sound of waves lapping against the shore provided a serene backdrop, contrasting with the turbulent emotions swirling within Charles. Tonight was the night he would ask Max to spend the rest of their lives together.

how you get the boy(s) by amelielacy In which world-famous streamer Max falls in love with artsy single dad Charles.

Hunting Love by himmywimmy Charles becomes an unwilling participant in the pack’s annual mating run and to protect himself, he asks his alpha friend, Carlos, to catch him. But as the night of the mating run unfolds, another alpha seemed to be on the hunt for him.

5 moments of chaos and +1 moment of peace by LaurawritingF1 Charles and Max are retired and dealing with the chaos of looking after their children during the summer vacation. Jimmy, Sassy and Leo also make appearances. Them the breaks, they don’t come gently by imamessofawriter “They just announced that Charles is retiring.” Charles suddenly announces his retirement and then appears to disappear completely.

[i-padfootblack-things]

Unwritten [Aemond Targaryen x reader]

A/n: Hi everyone! I haven't written in SUCH a long time, I've been so busy with uni lately, and my writing is SO rusty. House of the Dragon brought me back to writing, since it's so good, and I'm quite literally obsessed with ALL the men & women there.

Apologies for any mistakes, it's late at night and english isn't my first language.

Requests are OPEN for most of the House of the Dragon characters.

Summary: Reader finds letters that reveal the truth behind her marriage to Aemond. He proves to her what their marriage actually means.

Nodding at the guards standing outside Aemond's study, I entered, expecting him to be sitting at his desk.

As soon as I stepped foot in the room, I was enveloped by the light that entered through the open window, and I understood why he enjoyed spending his time in here. It wasn't often that I came in this room, but I missed him more than usual. I let go of the surprise that he was nowhere to be seen, assuming he was going to come back soon.

The light breeze coming in from the window rustled papers on his desk, an action which distracted me from his absence. Wanting nothing more than to put them back, I made my way to the desk. My gaze dropped to them as I reached for what looked like letters.

My eyebrows furrowed as I noticed my house crest on them, the first thing I looked for was the date. These had been before I got married to Aemond. My heart squeezed in anticipation, as my eyes quickly scanned them over. My older brother, the one I thought to be so caring, practically signed me over to Aemond, in order to "ensure our family's safety".

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, trying to slow down my racing thoughts -- this wasn't a moment where I could let my emotions take over.

Scenes from before my wedding appeared in my mind, my mother telling me how in love Aemond must've been with me, since he requested my hand in marriage. All lies, I had been lied to for the past two years. My family betrayed me, filling my mind with lies, so I wouldn't be opposed to marrying him. My husband, the thought made me feel sick to my stomach, filled me with even more lies, all the times he said affectionate words to me, every time he told me he loved me -- none of them were true.

I had been told that Prince Aemond took a liking to me when he saw me a while back, during one of the formal gatherings at court. It was all fabricated by my mother and brother, who were desperate to win over the trust of the Greens. I had honestly been quite shocked at the news that the Prince wished for my hand in marriage, not believing my family's words. He repeated over and over that I had won over his heart in the mere moments we danced together until I actually believed them.

Dropping the letters back on the desk, I didn't care if they were organized or not, I had already made a plan. I will return to the bedroom I shared with Aemond, take some gold, enough to buy me a place on a ship, and run away - it wouldn't matter where, for now.

Before I could leave, the door to his study opened. "My wife, I missed you," Aemond's voice filled the room.

Turning towards him, I couldn't bring myself to smile back, so I just waited for him to reach me. One of his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me towards him, the other pushing a few strands of hair out of my face, a soft smile resting on his lips. I fought to not lean in to his touch, as I normally would. I had to remind myself of the letters I found, having to tell myself he didn't actually care for me-- it was just an act, a marriage of convenience, apparently. The dark thoughts made their way onto my face, as a shadow of worry appeared on my husband's face.

"What's wrong, my heart?" I tried not to scoff at the words he used. The hand that was resting on my face moved to straighten the furrow of my eyebrows.

"I found out I had been lied to." I tried my best to keep my tone even, pushing him away and grabbing the letters. "All the people I care about betrayed me. My family. My husband."

It was his turn to frown now, his eyes falling to the letters. "How have I betrayed you, my love?"

"Stop- Please, stop saying words like these if you don't mean them." I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the pain in his beautiful ones. I continued speaking, not caring that he wanted to say something. "My family told me you wanted to marry me. Not that they convinced you to take my hand. They sold me to you." My voice broke, so I stopped talking, choosing to control my breathing.

"Look at me." I kept my eyes focused on the wall behind him. "Please." He raised his hand, placing it under my chin and moving my face towards his. As soon as our eyes met, tears escaped. "Don't cry, my heart. Let me explain myself. It is true, your family came with the offer."

I scoffed, shaking my head sadly, but I let him continue.

"If I wouldn't have wanted to marry you, I could have easily denied them at any moment. Do you remember when we shared a dance years ago?" I nodded. "That was the moment I decided I would marry you. No matter the circumstances. It just happened that your family reached out first."

He lowered his head slowly towards mine, giving me enough time to push him away if I wanted to, but I didn't. "I love you," he whispered as he closed the distance between us, his lips lovingly kissing mine, then moving from my lips to my cheek, then my other cheek. My nose was next, then he kissed the tears that reached my jaw, from there going to my neck.

"I guess some parts were left unwritten."

Applying more pressure to the sensitive spot he knew on my neck, I moaned lightly, making him chuckle.

"Let me bring you to our bedroom, so I can show you just how much I love you." He picked me up, holding me closely. "You won't ever have to question my love for you."

Another A/n: I'm sorry my smut fans, but I stopped here- if people request the continuation of this fic (it would have smut- and A LOT)

[mxnhoo]

mwah! (k. sn)

ˋ "just bored, nothing else" ࿐ྂ ⁀➷ kim sunoo x reader genre : bro is your bestfriend, bestfriends to lovers (kinda..), inspired by that one sunoo live LOL, not proofread, kiss kiss kiss w/c : ~2.1k cly's note : finally back with something! god guys i'm so fucking sorry for being so inactive. i know i promised that i'd release my hyunjin fic very soon but i just had to write something else to get me back to writing altogether yknow? i hope you guys like this one, im insanely rusty and my kissing scenes are NAWT IT, but regardless hope ya'll enjoy it. wrote this all in one sitting, my ass hurts, if you enjoyed it, please do reblog like and comment! ANYWAYS GN.

border isn't made by me, credits to cafekitsune

The doorbell rang and you raised your eyebrows, looking at everything in sight as you patiently wait for the door to swing open. And it does after a while, and your bestfriend was heavily panting, his posture slightly slouched as he processed that you were here. "You're.. here," he managed to voice out through his heavy panting and you give him a small smile while your eyes lit up at him, "I am".

"Come in, kept you waitin', sorry," he spoke in short sentences, his voice still breathless as he stepped aside from the door, making space for you to walk in and you nod, stepping foot into his house and now being hit with the unfamiliar scent of his apartment. His new apartment. Sunoo had recently moved, and he invited you over because he wanted to show you around his house, catch up with you, y'know, stuff like that.

He was your best friend for a while, a few years, and as much as you admire him as a friend, you also wanted him real bad. Like reeal bad. He has stolen your heart since the first time you saw it and the boy's completely clueless about it, everything he does to you leaving you to question if he did it on purpose to hint something or if he was just being clueless.

He'd always invited you over to his house to hang, play games, stuff like that, but with him moving and his academic workload accumulating, he had been busy and had lesser time to see you, and today was finally the day you could see him after a few weeks. You glanced at the boy who watched you walk in and took the opportunity to ruffle his golden hair, voicing out a "How have you been?".

He smiles at you and slowly closes the front door behind you and locking it. "Good, just been a bit stressful lately, 'bout you?". You turned back to the sight of his new apartment, the same paintings that were hung on a different wall and old furniture that blended in with some new furniture you've never seen before.

"Great. Seems like you've finished moving in, how's it like so far?" you question, walking in more towards the living room, now setting yourself on the couch and looking at the light that was hanging above you.

"Been amazing so far! It gets tough without mama sometimes, but I can cope," he follows you but stands in front of you instead of sitting himself down, "Could I get you anything? Apple juice, orange, water". He remains silent before continuing, "Probably an apple juice right? Your favourite."

Your gaze fixates on him from the hanging lights, the image of him in your brain being refreshed as you took view of his facial features, his blonde hair slightly messy and his lips looking plump and kissable as ever. His lips slightly agape as he eventually started to catch his breath and his eyes looking down on you. You gulp at this sight of him, you almost forgot how beautiful looked and before you could go into a daze about how attractive he looked, you slowly nodded your head, a small smile forming on your face as he recalled your favourite joke, even if it was normal for best friends to remember these types of things.

"Okay, gotcha." was the last thing he said before walking towards his refrigerator. Your eyes followed his every move, the way he opened the refrigerator door, the way he pulled out a carton and closing the refrigerator before pouring the drink into a glass up that was conveniently placed on the counter near him. Your eyes lingered onto the magnets on his refrigerator when he closed it, recognising a photo that was nicely placed in the centre with 2 magnets at opposite corners.

"You still have that?" you pointed at the photo, and Sunoo turned his head over his shoulder, glancing at you before following where you were pointing to, and his eyes land on the photo. The corners of his mouth curl up before he placed the carton down, "Yeah, why wouldn't I?".

It was a photo of you and him in a party, sitting on a couch while posing with peace signs on both hands. It was when you two had first met when people had introduced you to each other or when you practically begged people to introduce you to him . The way you two clicked so fast is quite scary, and from then on you two were quite inseperable.

"I just think it's surprising," you reply, "Out of all the photos we have, you decide to put that one, y'know?".

"It's a special day," he instantly replies, turning his back with a cup of apple juice in his hand. He made his way to you and you raise your eyebrows at his response, "Special?". Your heart fluttered at the thought of him considering a day with you special, and you almost gave it away by putting the most stupid smile on your face, but it took every ounce of self-control inside you not to do so.

"It is the day we met after all," he sat beside you, offering you the cup of apple juice that you had requested. Your eyes slightly widened, and a small smile creeping onto your face as you register what he said. You hastily took the cup into your hand, "You care about those types of things? Like, first days, first meetings, stuff like that?". Everytime you meet him, he always seems to surprise you with something new with no fail, and that's one part you like so much about him.

He hummed, his approving sound accompanied with a small nod and you took a sip of the apple juice. The sweetness immediately hit your taste bud and you quickly swallowed, voicing out a quick 'Ahh' after the refreshing sip. Your eyes look at him and you realise he was already looking at you and it made your heart skip a beat.

"Why're you looking at me like that?" you chuckled, lowering the cup from your face as you flash him a grin. He quickly looked away, a faint smile on his face, "Just missed you".

There he goes again, saying things like that. Is he doing that with a purpose? Like to flirt with you, or is the boy just being genuine? Clueless?

You choked on your drink, his response being the last thing you expected and you shot him a bewildered look. He laughs at you choking, probably enjoying how he managed to get a reaction out of you and you glared at him.

"Are you just teasing me or what?" you questioned, placing your glass cup on the small coffee table in frornt of you.

"I am," he giggled, "I'm kinda bored so it's quite funny to tease you".

Oh yeah?

"Hey," you call out to him, your tone suddenly serious and his laughs die down, his eyes slowly moving to you "I'm bored too".

His eyebrows raised, feeling confused as to where this was going.

"Since we're bored, should we kiss?"

He chokes on the air, his hand flying to his mouth as he looked away from you. You gently patted his back as if you weren't the one who just dropped a 'let's-kiss' bomb on him, a smirk forming on your lips. Once he stopped coughing, he looked back at you, his cheeks a bright tint of pink and his eyes slightly widened, "W-what did you say?".

You looked at him with an amused expression, "I said, let's kiss." You honestly have no idea where this ounce of confidence came from, but if he wanna tease you, he can only get the taste of his own medicine right?

He started to stutter, his gaze being everywhere but on you as he started to scratch his neck, the way he was so flustered being so painfully obvious as you chuckle.

"I'm just kidding," you said. As much as you wanted to kiss him, your intentions were only to tease him back. Upon hearing you, his eyes shot to you, his eyes showing that he was slightly disappointed, "Why?".

"What do you mean?" you questioned. "Why were you 'just kidding'?" "What, do you want an actual kiss or something?" "Yeah.. Yeah, I do."

Now it was your turn to be flustered. You looked at him with widened eyes, your jaw quite literally dropping as you stared at him, taking a moment to process his reply. Sunoo wanted a kiss? And he just openly admitted it?

"Sunoo, quit the teasing, it's not funny at this point." "Who says I'm teasing? I'm being serious, Y/N".

Fucking hell, no fucking way Sunoo admitted that he wanted to kiss you. "O-okay wait, so you're serious about wanting a kiss from me, right?" you questioned, wanting confirmation and that you weren't just dreaming.

"Yes, I want a kiss from you, a kiss from your lips Y/N".

You blink at him repetitively before unconsciously standing up to your feet from the couch, your eyes still fixated on him.

"This feels so wrong," you nervously bit your lip and he sat up and reached out to gently hold your wrist, slightly pulling you towards him, "It isn't, don't worry".

"Do you really want this, Nu?" you spat out, suddenly feeling doubtful about everything and anxiety grew inside you. He gently tugged at your arm, causing you to look at him and he replied, "Been wanting this since forever".

If you said that your heart wasn't going to explode, you'd be lying. Your breathing rate picked up as your chest rises up and down hastily, and your gaze fall on his lips that were slightly parted. You looked back up at his eyes and you immediately notice his eyes on your lips. Your free hand cups his cheek, and you quickly voice out "Me too, Nu" before leaning in and closing the distance between the two of you.

His hand immediately released your wrist, his hands immediately finding comfort on your waist as he pulled you closer. The kiss was slow, passionate as both of your mouths moved in the same rhythm. You could feel him smile during the kiss and you slightly tilt his head to help you get more access to his mouth. Butterflies filled your stomach as you finally process that you were kissing your bestfriend, you were kissing Sunoo. The kiss was so passionate, and it was now evident that you two have been dying for this moment. The longing for each other added fuel to the fire, and your hands gradually make way to his hair, lightly pulling on it.

The surroundings around the two of you slowly start to seem non-existent as you both increasingly melt into each other. At this point of time, only you and Sunoo mattered, nothing else. He nibbled on your bottom lip, causing you to gasp and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue inside your mouth, exploring your mouth as much as he can. Both of your tongues fought a fiery battle for dominance, and to no surprise, he won. The kiss was becoming so heated and intense, and before things could escalate, your hands quickly trail down to his chest and you slightly push him backwards, pulling away from the kiss.

Both of your chests rise up rapidly as your foreheads rest on each other. Eye contact was maintained as you both looked into each other's eyes. "Did.. did that just happen?" you question, still trying to catch your breath as you remain in shock as to what just happened.

"Fuck yeah, been wanting that for so long you don't even know," he confessed. A smirk forms on his lips as his eyes quickly flicker to your lips then back to your eyes. You chuckle as you close your eyes, your head leaning on him even more.

You pull away completely to sit on the spot beside him on the couch, your eyes still on him and you shook your head, "How long exactly?"

"Since I first met you." he responded, his answer once again never failing to surprise you.

"Mutual feeling then," you confessed, your breathing slowing down as you finally manage to catch your breath. He seemed shocked by the fact, but he definitely wasn't complaining.

"Since you care about first's so much, then consider that our first kiss, yeah?" you chuckled. "Sure thing, just know it won't be our last."

[ripdragonbeans]

Zeno's Paradox // modern!Aemond x reader (1/2)

•Aemond x Reader, Aemond x Floris, Jace x reader•

Summary: You and Aemond instantly clicked when you met at university. So why did he choose Floris instead of you?

TW (overall): afab reader, p in v, oral (f receiving), swearing, talk of violence, talk of losing a body part

A/N: Thank you @exitpursuedbyavulcan for being my beautiful beta ❤️ and listening to my ramblings lol

Part 2

Ever since your first year of university, you and Aemond have been best friends. Not only did you two hit it off right away but there was just this pull to him that you couldn't ignore.

Aemond was from an “old money” family, as outdated as that saying is. His father was a successful business man and his mother inherited the business when he passed. The passing of his father never really bothered him too much, or as far as you knew. He wasn't close to his older brother, Aegon, but he was on good terms with his sister, Helaena. Once they all moved out of the house everyone went their own ways, Aemond included.

The first year of university is always a terrifying one. Not only were you new to the school, but you were new to the city. You took it upon yourself to completely move on to a new life away from your unhealthy family.

Your very first class of your first day was Philosophy 101. You made your way to the classroom, finding it almost completely full. You thought being ten minutes early would be enough to choose your seat but that was a mistake on your part.

Looking around, you saw a total of five seats open. Granted, it was a small class so the options could be worse. You took a bet on the seat closest to the front; it even had an empty seat next to it. Normally, being front and center isn't your first choice but you thought this would give a good first impression to your professor. You just hoped that no one would take the seat next to you.

Eight minutes had passed and you released your breath. No one sat next to you. You smirked to yourself and bent down to pull out your laptop. When you came up, however, a new person was sitting next to you.

He leaned back in his chair looking like he'd been there for hours. His hair was a striking platinum blond and cascaded past his shoulders. Tapping his pen on his notebook, he sighed as if he didn't want to be here. From the angle you could see him, he had two different eye colors; one was a vibrant blue, with a harsh scar running from the bottom of his eyebrow to just above his cheekbone, and the other was violet. He gave off the vibe as someone who didn't give a shit.

You rolled your eyes at his chill demeanor, assuming he'd be someone you'd have to guard your work from. The assumption, however, was quick to be discarded.

When the professor entered the room all talk ceased. What you specifically noticed, however, is how the guy next to you immediately sat up straight. Feet were immediately flat on the ground, back erect, hands stilled with his pen ready to write. As class started you switched your focus from the platinum blond boy to the professor in front of the class.

The professor was a lighthearted man but still took his class seriously. For every ice breaker question was a serious one, attempting to get a gauge on the knowledge of the class. You answered a few ice breaker questions, finding them fun and entertaining, but you were hesitant to answer the serious ones. The blond, on the other hand, avoided the ice breaker questions but was very eager to answer the ones focused on psychology. Every time he answered a question you had to hide your eye roll.

Of course he would be attractive and smart.

You shook your head and tried to banish the thought. Yes, he was attractive, that was for sure, but you couldn’t start your university experience crushing on a guy you’ve never even had a conversation with. No, this was supposed to jump start the beginning of your new life. This wasn’t high school anymore. No more crushing.

Back and forth was the banter between the professor and the platinum blond guy. He answered every question quickly and concisely, never to beat around the bush. Still, refused to answer any questions that would give away any information about himself. That little detail intrigued you. You understood not wanting to say anything about yourself, at least voluntarily, but absolutely saying nothing was a little odd to you.

The last round of questions, the professor told the class, was to be a speed round between two students. He looked around the class before his eyes stopped on you and then the blond boy. Being pitted against the attractive blond was not on your list of what to expect on your first day of university.

You looked at him with a smirk. “May the best win.”

He didn’t even give you a verbal response, merely a nod paired with a smirk.

The last few minutes of class was a packed one. Students picked sides, you or the blond. It was exhilarating. The professor fired off his questions in quick succession. You knew you were good but this blond next to you was better.

“Last question,” the professor began. “What is the answer to the trolley problem?”

The question barely left the professor’s mouth when the blond boy gave his answer, “There is no answer. Either run over one or run over three. Choose your guilt.”

You stared at him, mouth agape. Of course he’d have an answer for the trolley question. Such a basic question with such an answer but he was still able to answer it faster than you.

“I won’t say if that’s right but it’s certainly an answer,” the professor said. “Now get out, time for maybe your next class! I don’t know, I don’t know all of your schedules. I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

Almost everyone got up at one time, quick to collect their things and head out to whatever was next for. You were no different than them, packing up your things, but you did so with a smile on your face. It was a good first class of university. You smiled thinking of the last few minutes of class and how exciting it was. Pulling your backpack over your shoulder, you made your way out of the classroom and into the hallway, on your way to your next class. You managed to get in a few steps before you noticed someone walking right in step with you.

“Good game.”

You turned to see the platinum blond guy walking next to you.

“Yeah, sure good game,” you scoffed. “You got the last question so I do applaud you.” You smiled at him.

“Well, I’m Aemond. Figured you might want to put a name to a face. Also I thought it might be nice to have one friend while I’m here.”

You gave him your name. “One friend? Well, I’m honored to be the one.”

The two of you walked in silence before you asked him where he was off to next.

“Oh, I have Literature next,” he answered,

“Guess we’re heading the same way then,” you told him.

The two of you shared a smile when he leaned down.

“I’ll still beat you in every class,” he whispered.

You looked him straight in the eye. “We’ll see about that, Aemond.”

His name felt nice on your tongue. It was comfortable, something that seemed familiar even though you’ve never said it before.

Continuing your way to class, the two of you made some small talk. Once arriving at the classroom you took seats next to each other.

This professor was not really no nonsense, but more like she was ready to retire. Her fire for her class wasn’t there. Throughout the class you and Aemond made eye contact, having your own conversation of how boring this class was. It was a lot of eye rolling and eyebrow raises.

“Excuse me, do either of you have anything to say regarding Lysistrata?”

“Um…” Aemond blanked at being caught.

Guess this doesn’t happen to him much.

You smiled smugly to yourself at the thought.

“I think there’s nothing too deep about Lysistrata, to be honest. It’s supposed to be a comedy. All this crossdressing is just supposed to be funny.”

“And who said it was all cross dressing?” The professor asked, hand on her hip.

“It's an ancient Greek play. If it were actually put on during that time period it was usually just guys dressed up. Maybe they weren’t as obvious but they were still dudes playing women,” you said matter-of-factly.

The professor’s lips thinned as she nodded and took your answer. You smirked knowing you got under her skin. Looking over at Aemond you saw the amusement in his eyes. You winked at him before turning your attention back to your professor who was very obviously done with your bullshit.

The rest of the class passed uneventfully, just a few less eye rolls because apparently you and Aemond were not subtle at all. Class droned on and on. The professor let her bad mood get in the way of her teaching so she was snippy with every question asked. Eventually, you goaded Aemond on enough to ask a question.

He raised his hand. “So, professor,” he began, “what is your take on, um, authors putting themselves in their work. Is it valid?”

“Don’t be stupid, of course it isn’t valid. It’s lazy writing to write about yourself in a fictional matter.”

“Are you saying that Dante’s Inferno is not a valid piece of work?” Aemond smirked.

The professor’s face blanched. “No, no, that’s not what I’m saying. I mean-”

“You just said that it isn’t a valid piece of literature. Dante’s Inferno is one of the most studied pieces of work yet it is obvious that Dante is inserting himself into his own story.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” she waved him off.

“So you’re just going to dismiss it? I thought I saw it on the syllabus that we’d be studying it later this year and -”

“Yes, later this year, so please let’s wait until then, shall we? Thank you mister…”

“Targaryen. Mister Aemond Targaryen.”

If it were possible she paled even more. She simply nodded and went back to her lecture. Much like your professor, your eyes widened when you heard the name as well. Targaryen. Aemond was part of the Targaryen family, one of the richest and most prosperous business companies out there. It's been one day and the one friend you've made will probably be one of the most powerful men in business.

Class soon ended after Aemond’s smartass question; which was one of the best things you've ever witnessed. Aemond finished packing up his things, well his one notebook and pen, and waited for you to gather yours.

“That was an entertaining class,” he smirked. “Loved your comment on Lysistrata, I mean, you were right.”

“You were such a menace, it was great,” you laughed.

The two of you walked out in step with each other and joked about the class. If this was how each Literature class was going to be, it was going to be an entertaining semester.

Unlike the first two classes your schedules diverted from each other. You went to your next class, Latin, alone. There was no real reason to take the class except to earn the credit. The first class was basic introductions about declensions and such, breaking it down to the barest of bones. It was interesting, you got to learn about the history of Rome as well, something that has always piqued your interest.

You were hoping to meet up with Aemond again around lunch time even though you two never made a plan. Walking through the cafeteria you looked at the many options of food. All of them not looking so appealing. You settled on a safety food, pizza. After you grabbed your pizza you sat down at an empty table, hoping for either no one or a specific someone to pull up a chair. Instead of Aemond, however, a guy with wavy dark brown hair took his seat across from you.

“Sorry, there's really nowhere else to sit. Mind if I?” He asked.

“Um, sure. Seat’s not taken so you're all good,” you said.

Another attractive guy. Great.

You shook your head from the thought. At least you were willing to admit it this time. It took the entirety of the philosophy class to admit to yourself that Aemond is very attractive.

“My name's Jace, by the way,” he offered a little wave. “First year student, not really focusing on anything, just getting a generalized degree as of now.”

“I'm majoring in philosophy,” you replied and gave him your name.

You felt the presence behind you before you heard him.

“And I'm Aemond,” he practically growled. He turned to you. “This guy bothering you with his inadequacy?”

“No, he's -”

“I'm just trying to be friendly,” you were cut off by Jace, whose eyes were now hard.

“Yeah, I know plenty well how you can be friendly, Strong,” Aemond spat out.

Jace got up from his seat. “I dare you to say that again.”

Aemond’s cruel smile spread across his face but you interrupted them before either of them could do anything stupid.

“Okay!” You interjected. “I can see that there's some bad blood so let's just take a breather.” You turned to Jace. “I guess I'll see you around.” You turned to Aemond. “Let's go, you obviously need to cool off.”

“I don't need to cool down,” Aemond argued, “I just need to know he's never going to bother you again,” he looked pointedly at Jace.

“Relax, Aemond, it's no big deal. Let's just go.”

You pulled him along to get out of the cafeteria and to the adjacent building.

“What was that about?” You asked.

Aemond shrugged his shoulders. “It's…complicated. I don't want to get too into it but our families aren't exactly the best of friends.”

You raked your brain trying to remember if there were any other competitors when it came to the Targaryen business but none came to mind.

“I won't push you but I'll take your word for it, Aemond.”

Silence hung in the air, comfortable enough but not too comfortable.

“Where are you off to next?” You broke the spell.

“I actually have to meet up with my mother to go through some business things. Since my siblings don't really want to take the family company it's landed on me,” he sighed. He looked tired.

“If that's the case then I'll see you tomorrow, then? Maybe breakfast?”

“Maybe,” he pondered for a moment. “At least we know for sure we'll see each other on Wednesdays.”

“Yeah,” you smiled. “Well, I'll see you then, mister Aemond Targaryen.”

“Please, just call me Aemond. It's way too fancy to put mister in front of my name and tag along my last name.”

“Whatever,” you bumped his shoulder.

With one last laugh Aemond left you to your own devices as he went off campus. Luck just had it that your dorm was in the same direction he was going. When you saw his vehicle, however, your mouth dropped.

Of course he rides a fucking motorcycle.

It was a sleek black with a personalized license plate on it that read “Vhagar.” Aemond walked up next to it and ran his hand down the body of the bike before turning to his helmet. He pulled his hair back in a low ponytail before grabbing the helmet and putting it under his arm.

You didn't think he could see you but he turned around and made eye contact with you, giving you a knowing wink. Your cheeks heated up and you gave him a smile and a nod before making the rest of your way to your dorm building.

Walking back to your dorm you couldn't help but think about Aemond Targaryen and how lucky you’ve been to befriend him, on the first day of classes, no less. Already the academic year was looking up and you couldn't wait for the rest of it.

Tuesday came and went. You didn't see Aemond except for a brief time at lunch. The two of you quickly exchanged the encounters of your classes before his alarm went off to head to another class. Who you did see for a decent amount of time was Jace.

You had just taken a seat in one of your elective classes, Eyes of the Seven. It intrigued you. Never being a religious person yourself, you found the depths of religions to be interesting, to say the least.

Pulling out your laptop once again, you felt someone sit beside you. Excitedly, you turned to them, assuming the person to be Aemond. Instead, it was Jace who occupied the seat next to you. Your smile slowly dropped to an unimpressed sneer.

“Oh, it's you,” you said.

“Yup, it's me,” Jace replied. Despite your cold demeanor he kept up a kind face. “I'm sorry about yesterday, I didn't know my cousin would come in and cause trouble.”

Cousin?

“I didn't realize you two were related. He called you Strong.”

Jace tensed up. “Technically by blood, yes, I am a Strong, but I am also a Targaryen from my mother's side.”

Strong. You've heard that name before and now it clicked.

“Your side of the family is trying to get rid of Aemond's mother as head of the company,” you explained.

Jace looked sheepish. “That's one way to put it, I guess. It's complicated.”

“Sure, complicated.”

“While I wouldn't mind explaining the whole family fiasco to you, I believe our class is about to begin.”

The professor walked in the room, his presence demanding.

“Welcome to Eyes of the Seven. This will not be an easy class. Take your notes and you should be fine. Don't take them, and suffer the consequences,” he clapped his hands. “Let's get started, shall we?”

Unlike your classes from yesterday, there was no fun banter, no competitive knowledge game, no wise ass comments. In fact, you found yourself to be quite bored. You tapped your fingers absentmindedly as you listened to the lecture.

“Not as interesting as you thought?” Came a whisper from Jace.

“No, not really. Now shut up, I'm trying to listen.”

Jace chuckled; a sound that made you want to punch him. While you didn't know him very well, not Aemond, you still took Aemond’s side. You couldn't deny that there was something that intrigued you about Jace as well, though. Maybe it was his genuine kindness and desire to become a friend. Either way, you'd figure it out.

Wednesday came and you couldn't be more excited to start the day. You woke up feeling great, you did a little stretching; this day was going to be a good one. Picking out your outfit, you couldn't help but think about Aemond. Oddly enough, Jace popped in every now and then as well and you tried to shake away those thoughts. As you picked up your things and headed for the door, you thought about more snide comments you could make in Literature class.

When you arrived at Philosophy 101 Aemond was already in his seat. Next to him was a backpack in your seat.

“Did you save this just for me?” You sarcastically batted your eyelashes.

“Don't want to be stuck next to someone inferior, so yeah,” Aemond shrugged, but there was a ghost of a smile on his face.

The professor strolled in. “Now that we know a little more about each other, time to get to the nitty gritty.” He announced.

You raised an eyebrow at Aemond and gave him a sly smile. Another day, another challenge. You and Aemond have made an unspoken agreement that each class you shared together would be a competition. No high stakes, just bragging rights and pride. It was simply a way to entertain the semester and keep it rolling.

“First, for this year, Plato and his Allegory of the Cave. Can anyone tell me about it?” The professor asked.

Your hand shot up in the air, just a hair faster than Aemond's.

The words spilled out of your mouth. “The allegory of the cave is basically if you keep people confined and away from any new material, they will never grow as people and be simply ignorant of everything except for what they have been told.”

“Interesting. Anyone else?”

Aemond's hand lazily went up when no other hand did.

“It can also be viewed as ignorance is bliss, refusing to look and explore the world around you.” Aemond sat back in his chair.

“Excellent, I love these two takes!” Exclaimed the professor.

The rest of class was spent delving into Plato and some of his other theories. You and Aemond took turns answering questions, which the professor found to be very amusing. There was a twinkle in his eye, something you found to be suspicious.

“While it's the first week of classes, it's on your syllabus, so don't get too upset about it. Your project on Plato will be done in pairings and is due at the beginning of the mid-semester finals. I trust you all to pick your own partners, it's not high school. I'm sure some of you already have someone in mind,” he winked at you with the last sentence. “Dismissed!”

Aemond was out of the room before you, leaning on the wall, waiting.

“When do you want to start, partner?” He asked.

“You're not even going to ask me? Just assume?” you scoffed.

“Was there someone else in mind? I didn't see anyone else asking you,” There was a challenge in his eyes.

“Well, maybe,” you started, “I was going to ask Jace. Professor never said it had to be with someone in the same section.”

Aemond's eyes narrowed. “Don't joke with me.”

“Relax, I'm not going to ask him. He doesn't hold a candle against you,” you reassured him.

“Of course I'm better than him. Oh, look, your favorite class.”

You rolled your eyes at your arrival in the Literature classroom.

“Let's get this over with,” you muttered.

The class, much to your dismay, was boring. No opportunities for snide comments. It was really a lot of that silent conversation you'd have with Aemond through the hour and forty five minutes. There were no surprise projects announced, either, so the two of you ended your two classes together on a fairly blase note.

Since Tuesday, you've been able to avoid Jace but since it was Thursday it was inevitable. You didn't even wait for him to initiate the conversation; you just wanted to get it over with.

“Hey, Jace,” you said as he sat down.

“Oh, hey. I didn't think you'd bother to say anything to me.”

“Figured I'd start it as soon as I could do it'll stop sooner, too.”

Jace cocked his head. “Thank you?”

The professor entered and class began. Just like Tuesday, it was long and boring.

“Am I really that terrible?” Asked Jace when class ended.

“I mean, Aemond seems to dislike you enough so that's my reason.”

“You haven't even known him for a week and you're already taking his advice on people? Not a smart choice.”

“Wow, you really know how to make a girl feel special,” you rolled your eyes.

“One conversation without talking of my family, Aemond included. That’s all I ask.”

You looked at him, trying to get a gauge on whether or not he was playing you. He looked sincere, so you took a shot.

“Fine, I’ll take the bait. Tell me about yourself, Jace.”

Jace cleared his throat. “I am Jace Velaryon. I have two younger brothers, Luke and Joffrey. My brother, Luke, and I are close. We’d do anything for each other. I’m loyal at heart and I put those I care about above my own self. While I’m only going for a GED right now, I do have plans for my future that I can’t quite share with anyone yet,” he smirked. “Am I doing good?”

“Are you doing good? I mean, I’m less curious about your home life and who you are more as a person but you seem to be avoiding that.”

“Tough crowd, I see.”

“Unless there’s anything else you want to tell me, I’d like to go, offense partly intended.”

“Okay,” he skirted around you to stop you from leaving. “There’s this. I am apparently very charming.”

Jace gave you the biggest shit eating grin, it was something that was enough to stop you in your tracks.

“You got me there. I guess I do find you…charming in some sort of way. Fine, we’re friends.”

“Hey, at least you don’t hate me simply because of Aemond. That’s a win in my book.”

“I’ll probably still take Aemond’s side for most things, but, yeah, sure.”

“Awesome, I’ll see you around, bestie,” Jace called as he ran away.

What a weird dude.

At least you have one other friend now. That’s better than just having Aemond but it wouldn’t have bothered you. You and Aemond got along pretty well. It was like finding a long lost soulmate or something. You shook your head. You shouldn’t be thinking along those kinds of lines, you could end up hurt.

When the weekend arrived you took the time to take care of yourself. Taking care of yourself also meant some quality alone time, which you thankfully had since you didn’t have a roommate. You were supposed to but she dropped out at the last minute, leaving your roommate-less.

You dimmed the lights and got out your favorite little bullet vibrator and laid down on the bed. After a long week, you needed this. Between moving in and going to new places and being in just a new environment overall had you tense. Pulling your panties down, you turned on your vibrator to its lowest setting. You sighed as you put against yourself, the vibrations being familiar and calming. But you wanted more.

You stripped off your shirt and bra and upped the speed on the vibrator. One hand moved to clutch your chest and play with your nipples. You sighed and started grinding against the vibrator. It all felt so good. You haven’t felt this way in months.

More.

You closed your eyes and let your head fall back against the pillows. Your mouth opened with a strained moan. You couldn’t make too much noise, if any, living in a dorm. In your head there was someone. Violet eyes. Platinum blond hair. Aemond.

Fuck, you could feel him. His hands on you, his smart ass mouth on your own.

More. You turned up the speed one more time.

Your hips bucked against the vibrator, your other hand pinching your nipples. Fuck. It was so much.

“More,” you whispered. “Please, more.”

You felt it, that coil in your stomach, tighten, ready to snap at any second. You moved faster against the vibrator. Your other hand left your chest and went to your mouth. Biting your hand, you tried your best to stay quiet but it was just so good. It felt so good.

With one last switch of the vibrator, it was at full blast. Your whole body was shaking, everything was on fire. Your clit was so sensitive, you could feel everything.

And it was perfect.

It was almost here, that coil was about to snap.

“Please, please, please, FUCK!”

You came with yourself making a mess of the bed.

Lazily, you rolled over and turned off the vibrator. You knew you had to get up and clean everything but you wanted to catch your breath more.

Still in your haze, you murmured his name. “Fuck, Aemond.”

It was then that your eyes snapped open and the post orgasm haze went away. You quickly got up to take a shower, making sure it was as cold as you could take it. The water ran down your back and it felt refreshing, like a wakeup call. It was only the first full week. You shouldn’t be having thoughts like this.

Or maybe you should.

The weekend was uneventful as you really just took the time to vegetate and do nothing. It was a lot of work, getting through the first week of classes. You thought about the possibilities of how this year could go. Best case scenario is that Aemond and Jace don't kill each other. Worst case is that they both leave you, resulting in you being lonely and friendless. You tried to keep those thoughts out of your mind. This year would be a good one.

You and Aemond were sitting in the cafeteria going over your Plato project.

“Okay, but he said here that actors are basically liars,” you told him.

“He also said that everything they do is fake, pretty basic thinking, in my opinion,” Aemond said.

Back and forth the two of you went, getting annoyed with Plato in general.

“Why can’t I just hit him?” you groaned, putting your head down.

Aemond sighed. “Because he’s dead, remember?”

“Yeah, but I still want to hit him. Some of the theories and thoughts are ridiculous.”

“There, there,” he awkwardly patted your head.

After a few moments of whining on your part, you finally lifted your head up again to get back to work. All was going well, good progress was being made, until a certain brown-haired guy came bounding up to you.

“Hey, guys! What’d I miss?” Jace plopped himself down into the chair next to you.

“Jace…” you warned him.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Aemond all but shouted.

“I’m friends with this one here,” Jace pointed at you, “so I wanted to see her.”

Aemond turned to you. “You two are friends?”

“I can be friends with Jace, Aemond,” you crossed your arms.

Aemond tapped his pencil against the table. “Yeah, sure, whatever.”

“What’s made you so pissy about it?”

“Maybe you should ask Aemond what happened when we were thirteen,” Jace interjected. He was taunting Aemond.

Aemond’s face drained of color as he looked down. You could see that whatever Jace was alluding to was not a good thing.

“Go ahead,” Jace leaned forward. “Ask him what happened to his eye.”

“His eye? There’s nothing wrong with his eye,” you said while looking straight at Jace.

“You’ve never wondered why he has two different eye colors, why one doesn’t move like the other?”

“Honestly, I just thought he had heterochromia and a lazy eye.”

Aemond focused on Jace. “Go on, Aemond, tell your friend about the time you lost your eye.”

You turned to Aemond, finding him to look embarrassed. He was looking down and he was wringing his hands together on top of the table. Something was obviously bothering him.

“Don’t push him to do something he doesn’t want to do.”

“Fine, Aemond, if you won’t tell her, I will.”

If it were even possible, more color drained from Aemond’s face.

“It happened when we were thirteen. We were playing outside, you know, how kids do, when he got into a fight with some of our other cousins -”

“It was supposed to be fun, we were all supposed to be playing around,” Aemond quickly said.

“Ah, yes, I forgot how fun it is to have your eye torn out of your head.”

“It wasn’t torn out of my head!”

“You don’t get to fucking say what happened. You’re lucky I even gave you the chance to tell your side of the story, but you denied that as well.”

Aemond shut his mouth but kept a deadly glare on Jace.

“Long story short, my little brother, Luke, thought it would be fun to take a knife and use it as a dagger,” Jace said.

“You forgot the part where you gave him the knife,” Aemond whispered.

Jace ignored his comment. “Little Luke thought it would be funny to actually try to hit someone with the knife and he did. You can still see the scar -”

“- I was stitched up and told it wasn’t too big of a deal,” Aemond interrupted. “Luke got all the hugs and was told that it was an accident and that everything would be okay. For him, I guess it was. I got a scar and a fake blue eye out of it because they couldn’t give me one that matches my natural eye color.”

What. The. Fuck.

The silence was thick and all you could do was sit in it. There was nothing that you could do or say that would make the tension dissipate or to fix what was a mess between these two. Aemond and Jace were staring at each other as though one of them were about to get up and punch the other. Honestly, you wouldn’t be surprised if it would be Aemond to beat up Jace.

“And you’ve been going around with no guilt in your head?” you asked Jace.

“I admit I have some guilt but not so much after what happened later.”

“And what happened later?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe Aemond will actually tell this story -”

“Later.” Aemond cut him off.

“No, I think she deserves to know what kind of company she keeps if she still wants to consider you a friend.”

“No, I’ll tell her later, not here,” Aemond practically begged.

With no emotion in his voice, Jace said, “Aemond ran over Luke while riding Vhagar.”

“I didn’t mean to run over him.” Aemond’s voice was broken.

“Just like how he didn’t mean to take your eye.”

“He wanted to race!” Aemond stood up. “I lost control! It was raining and I couldn’t see anything!”

“...Is Luke alive?” you tentatively asked.

“Yes,” Jace replied. “He’s alive, Traumatized, but alive.” He leaned back in his chair. “Well, there you go, that’s Aemond. Still want to be friends with him?”

You looked at Aemond. He was still standing; breathing hard. Reliving it all, hearing it all again must have been terrible for him. You locked eyes with him and didn’t see anger towards you, but desperation.

“Yes. I still want to be friends with Aemond.”

You saw his body relax.

“And me?”

“You’re on thin ass ice, Jace. If it weren’t for you giving your brother a knife Aemond might still have an eye. But I think we're done here, tonight. I’ll see you around, Jace,” you dismissed him with a wave of your hand.

Once Jace left and you packed your things, you held out a hand and urged Aemond to take it. Slowly but surely, he took it. His hand was big and calloused but warm and comfortable. Your hand fit perfectly in his, almost like they were made for eachother.

“I’ll walk you back to your motorcycle,” you told him.

He merely nodded in response.

You weren’t expecting him to say anything else. He was obviously shaken by what was re-lived in just a few minutes and he certainly wasn’t expecting to do so any time soon. What Jace did was cruel, something you didn't think he'd do. He seemed so nice but when it came to Aemond all of that went out the window.

You squeezed his hand. “You okay?”

Aemond rubbed his face with his other hand. “Honestly? Not at all. Wasn't expecting that but it's whatever. I'll be fine.”

Together you walked in silence. When you arrived at his motorcycle he slipped his hand out of yours.

“Hey, be safe, okay?” You told him.

“Yeah,” was all he said before putting on his helmet and riding away.

You watched him all the way until you couldn't see him anymore. Since he left, all you could think about was Jace and his stupid choices. You'd get back at him though, it was a promise.

The next few weeks you spent snubbing Jace as much as possible. You made it a point to ignore him and to show that you were ignoring him. Aemond hung around you more often, looking for times outside of your usual classes to be with you. The Plato project the two of you have been working on has flourished. There would be no doubt that you'd both be passing with flying colors.

What was odd, however, was that he'd space out every now and then. Whenever you caught him you'd tease him about some imaginary girl he must be making up. He'd just smile and wave you off, saying it was nothing and that if it was something he'd tell you. You weren't quite sure how to make of that. You and Aemond weren't together but you'd be lying if you said you weren't slowly catching feelings for him.

Philosophy was always filled with playful banter and challenges. The professor himself found them to be very entertaining. He'd purposely pit you against Aemond, which was both embarrassing and exhilarating. Some classes you'd win, others he would. Either way, each class ended in good faith with a solid discussion on the lecture. Literature, sadly, was not as fun, but still very entertaining. You and Aemond were hell-bent on being absolute menaces in the class. Granted, you found the professor there to be incompetent so you'd both try to challenge her as often as possible.

“I can't believe you actually said that,” you laughed as you and Aemond made your way to the cafeteria.

“What? It was good obvious she didn't know what she was talking about, so I corrected her,” Aemond shrugged.

You bumped your shoulder against his. It's been about two months since the beginning of the semester and it was practically the halfway mark. Once again you caught yourself thanking whatever gods existed for placing Aemond in your life. Not only that but you couldn't have asked for a better project partner. It turned out to be something you were proud of, something you and Aemond created together with your brilliant minds. You two together just made sense, intellectually only, of course.

“I'm gonna go grab some food. Claim a table for us?” he was handing you his notebooks.

“Yeah, don't worry about me,” you called out to his fading figure.

You laughed to yourself as you went to your unofficially assigned table that you always sat at. You and Aemond always took turns getting food first, refusing to leave your things unaccompanied. While it wasn't common, and there wasn't much to steal from either of you, you figured it was better safe than sorry. You tapped your fingers on the table. You were getting hungry. Standing up, you craned your neck to find Aemond, which wasn't exactly hard. You saw him, with his food as expected, but he was looking down at a girl, a smile playing on his lips.

You didn't like that. There was a sinking feeling in your stomach. You and Aemond never hinted at anything but you thought you were getting closer. Your feelings were definitely becoming more apparent as the time you spent with him increased. It was only when you saw both the mystery girl and Aemond walk towards the table that you sat down and pretended to look busy.

Aemond came up to the table, smiling in a way that warmed your heart. He never smiled at you like that.

“Hey, this is Floris. She's in one of my other classes and I wanted you two to meet,” he said.

“Oh, hi,” you introduced yourself to her and forced a smile, hoping it didn't look fake.

“It's so nice to meet you! Aemond has told me so much about you!” Her eyes smiled when she turned to look at him.

“Wow, that's so cool. I've, um, never heard anything about you,” you awkwardly offered.

“That's so weird, Aemond and I are so close!” She placed her free hand on Aemond’s arm.

It was barely noticeable but you saw his cheeks heat up just a bit. He looked at her like she was the only person in the world.

“...You're close?”

“Oh, when we were younger our parents knew each other and they wanted so badly for us to date. Remember that, Aemond?”

“Earth to Aemond?” You waved your hand in front of his face.

He cleared his throat and shook his head. “Yeah, I mean she's not just from class. We just so happened to meet up again after years of being apart. My mother, specifically, told us we should date. She wanted our families to be closer.”

“And, actually, his mother’s wish came true!” Floris interlocked her fingers with Aemond. “He just asked me out!”

You stated at them. This couldn't be happening. “You asked her out in the cafeteria?”

“Not the most romantic place, I admit, but I couldn't wait. We were beating around the bush for a while.”

You forced a smile. “Congrats, guys. I think I'm actually gonna head back to my dorm.”

Aemond stopped you as you got up from your seat. “You're not going to eat?”

“I'm not feeling well. I think I'll just lay down. I'll see you guys later.”

You schooled your face into what you hoped was a neutral expression and quickly walked out the cafeteria hugging your backpack to your chest.

This can't be happening.

Aemond can't actually be dating someone. You swore up and down that it was fake, that it was a joke he was pulling on you. As you walked back to your dorm your mind filled with images of Aemond with Floris. Aemond and Floris on a date; Aemond and Floris kissing; Aemond and Floris together on Vhagar; Aemond and Floris making out. It was too much. Tears burned, threatening to spill, but it wasn't until you were safe in your bed you let the flow and mourned for what was never to happen.

The time came for you and Aemond to turn in your project and unsurprisingly you two passed easily.

“We did it!” You exclaimed.

The two of you were claiming your table in the cafeteria.

“We're a good team, you know that,” he pulled you into a hug.

Aemond doesn't hug you often, he doesn't hug often in general, so you savored this moment. You took in a deep breath and inhaled his cologne. For just a few seconds you could pretend it was you he was dating and not Floris.

You heard her before he let you go.

“Did you guys pass?” Floris yelled from across the room.

Aemond waited until she was within arms reach then pulled her in for a quick kiss. Your heart broke at the sight.

“Yeah, we did!” He smiled at her. That same smile you never got.

“I'm so happy for you both! I know you've worked your butts off.”

Butts. Because of course Floris doesn't swear.

You gave her a painful smile.

“Well I'm gonna grab my food and head to my dorm and eat there,” you told them.

They were too busy snuggling together and looking into each other's eyes to fully comprehend what you said.

Aemond practically dismissed you. “Yeah, I'll see you around.”

You did as you said you would, you got your food then went to your dorm. Watching them cuddle while you were eating would make you throw up. The thought of it almost makes you want to.

You didn't understand. You and Aemond were getting closer. There were even moments where you swore they might have been signs that he liked you. The small touches on your arms when you were studying; him putting his forehead on your shoulder when he was frustrated. It would make sense that he was flirting with you but it turned out to be false.

You don't know how long he was talking to Floris but it was enough for them to rekindle whatever they had when they were younger. The way he looked at her was the way you longed for him to look at you. He said that his mother wanted to bring the two families closer together, whatever that meant. You assumed it had to do with bringing the two companies together. Whatever his mother planted in his head took hold and he held on to that.

All of this made you feel sick. Every night all you wanted to do was cry and hug yourself. Nothing made you feel better, not even self care nights, and you tried. You tried so hard. So many things reminded you of him, specifically anything that had to do with psychology. You couldn't even think about homework without thinking of him. Movies would remind you of him. Romantic comedies used to be a source of comfort but now it just reminded you of how lonely you were.

Since Aemond and Floris started dating he didn't hang around you much. The only times you would even be able to interact with just him was during your psychology and literature classes. Even then, though, things were off. Your banter wasn't as exciting anymore and he made less and less witty comments in literature every week until he wasn't saying anything at all. Dating Floris changed him and you didn't like it one bit.

You were on your way to your philosophy class when you saw them. Floris was pushed up against the wall as Aemond trapped her in a passionate kiss. His hands were roaming up and down the side of her body and you could hear their soft moans. It broke your heart so badly you felt it in your chest. You made the decision to skip class that day. The pain of sitting next to Aemond would be too much to bear.

As you quickly walked away from the scene before you, you ran into Jace. Unluckily for you, there were tears streaming down your face. You couldn't help it; the dam broke.

Despite your disgust at Jace for what happened in Aemond’s past, you'd be lying if you said you still didn't find him charming. He was still kind to you, the times you've interacted in class.

“Woah, hey there. What's wrong?” Jace caught you by your arms.

“Fuck off, it's nothing,” you tried to get him to leave.

“You don't show negative emotions. You don't cry. Will you let me be a good person and help you?”

Torn between leaving him and telling him, you found the need to have a friend, to have someone to talk to, more pressing.

“Aemond. Aemond and Floris. That's what happened.”

“Ah, yes. I heard about that. Can't say I'm surprised, though.”

“Gee, thanks for the pep talk.”

“You're upset that they're dating?”

“Me crying about it doesn't make it obvious? Use your fucking eyes, Jace.”

“You fell for Aemond, didn't you?” There was a twinkle in his eye.

“I…yes. I - I think I did.”

“From what I remember when we were younger, Aemond was only friendly with Floris, nothing else. He's stupid not to choose you,” he cupped your face in his hand and wiped a tear away.

You looked at him with big eyes.

Why would he comfort me?

“I have an idea,” Jace started.

You gave him a wary look.

“Let's show Aemond what he's missing.”

You cocked your head. “What are you suggesting?”

“Be my girlfriend. Well, not really. Be my fake girlfriend. I don't mind pissing off Aemond and this certainly will.”

“You want us to fake date?”

“Yes, I thought that was clear.”

You took a moment to think it though. Dating Jace would certainly make Aemond upset. As far as you knew he still considered you a friend, however distant he may be.

Closing your eyes, you made your decision. “I'll fake date you, Jace.”

A smile spread across his face.

“With conditions!”

“Of course.”

You cleared your throat. “Only in public are we dating. Once we're in our dorms the fake is gone and we're not dating anymore, so no need for couple-y texts or anything and we’re absolutely not sleeping together.”

“I can do that, though the no sleeping together part kinda makes me sad.”

“Shut up,” you continued on, I'm okay with PDA as long as you're not groping me or trying to swallow my soul through my mouth.”

“So, kisses are okay?”

“Little ones. Have to make it believable, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, makes sense.”

“Then we're good.”

You held out your hand for him to shake it.

“A handshake?”

“It's a plan, a deal of some sort, so yes. Now shake my damn hand.”

Jace extended his and clasped his hand with yours.

“I'll see you around, girlfriend,” Jace gave you a quick smile before heading off to his dorm.

Watching Jace walk away, you thought of the plan you just agreed to. Fake dating. You hoped this would work. Aemond was protective of those he cared about, that you knew. So you dating someone he loathes might be enough for him to wake up. On one hand you felt a little bad for Floris, she deserved to find happiness as well, but you wanted Aemond, the one you fell in love with. Floris can find someone else.

[yongility]

NEO TV # I LIKE ME BETTER WHEN I'M WITH YOU. (jaehyun x reader) 3/?

genre: angst, suggestive, gang au, rich kid au, enemies to lovers (kinda), a lil of fluffy stuff. slowburn, series.

warnings: drug use mentions, gangs, fights, use of weapons, adult language, illegal activities, cheating (not on the main couple), toxic family environment, addictions, manipulation, insecurities, illegal street racing, death mentions. jeno is jaehyun's younger brother, angst, smut and if I slip something my bad haha.

word count: +10k?

a/n: I’m sorry this took too long to post!! 😭😭 but I been so busy with college rn, I’m going to graduate this year so I’m like having a lot of work lately, and I wasn’t satisfied with what I was writing so that was the reason it took longer than expected, sorry!

I'm a sucker for cliche stuff so as soon as this fic popped in my mind l had to write it down, english isn't my first language tho.

I'm sorry if this is too long TT, but this is kinda a slowburn? it might contain a lot of parts so wait for part 3! One of the reasons this is long af it's because I would like to show you how Jaehyun and (Y/N's life is before they get together! So pls pls don't skip anything I hope you like it!

if you want to be in the taglist, just lemme know;) enjoy!

The third day of the week arrived promptly, where (Y/N) found herself comfortably seated in one of the library chairs, with her chemistry books scattered on the table in front of her as she studied for the exams she had coming up, with Jungwoo beside her.

It was becoming her routine for the week; after last Friday's party, what she most desired was to avoid being at home, especially after having an argument with her mother when she returned from the party.

She didn't want to deal with her in a good time.

Annoyed that her mother had thought it was a great idea to take away her right to use her own car as punishment for disobeying her that night and leaving the house... staying in the library seemed the most pleasant option; with silence, able to listen to music through her AirPods, without her mother bothering her every five minutes and being able to review what she had learned in her last classes: it was something she could take advantage of. She took a sip of her vanilla latte, which had been sponsored by Jungwoo, who, in an attempt to apologize for abandoning her in that way during last Friday's party, promised to pay for each of her daily drinks for a week and a half, no matter the cost.

And even though (Y/N) could afford that or even triple, she was still happy about it. Gifted things tasted even better anyway.

Of course, she first gave Jungwoo a -no- beating after telling him everything that had happened during his absence, but still, she appreciated that her friend was okay even though she hadn't heard anything from him until Saturday night.

During these last few days, with a new routine, (Y/N) was almost always in the same places, at the same times, and if she was honest, she was surprised not to have bumped into Jung Jaehyun at any moment.

It was weird; she would normally see him somewhere around the school, either accompanied by Lucas or just sitting on one of the benches while smoking his 'n' cigarette of the day. But simply, since Friday, she hadn't heard anything from him... she hadn't even bumped into Lucas, which increased the level of strangeness, considering he was a social butterfly, he was always around. (Y/N) had been aware of her words after Jaehyun had taken her home: she could no longer continue with whatever deal they had, with all the stress of her own tasks and knowing that no matter what she did, her cousin wouldn't give up his addictions, it was best to give up.

Although it would hurt her soul to know that there was no way to help Daeho.

But thinking about it, she didn't know if she had really been sincere about each going their own way... apparently Jaehyun had taken it very seriously to not show up anywhere, and although (Y/N) knew very well that being close to him didn't bring her anything good... his presence hadn't been so bothersome in the last few days. Really, after sharing a few words and spending more time with him, she couldn't say that she disliked his existence. It was funny if you asked the (Y/N) from a month ago, there would be no way she could have imagined that, somehow, she would be related to none other than Jung Jaehyun, who, on the outside, just seemed to be one more problem.

She tried to stop thinking about it and tried to focus her gaze on the book in front of her, but after a few minutes... it was difficult for her. There was something inside her that made her feel uneasy but she couldn't think what it was.

"There’s a race in Kosmo today" her best friend's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

Kosmo was the neighborhood that was right in the middle of the city, dividing Kwangya and Neo Zone. (Y/N) knew that there were usually illegal races in that area because it was when the rich kids from Kwangya usually dared to compete against Neo Zone.

"And why should I care...?"

"Your cousin will go to bet," Jungwoo replied, interrupting her study session.

The girl opened her eyes in surprise and asked, "How do you know?"

"Daeho told Mingi, and Mingi told me," he replied simply, shrugging his shoulders. The boy fell silent for a moment and cleared his throat. "Don’t you want to go?" He asked curiously.

(Y/N) looked up from her books and observed her friend incredulously. "Why would I want to go?"

"To keep an eye on Daeho," he answered.

"I'm still mad with him, I've decided not to help him anymore. I really tried, I've been trying for the past few years, but he doesn't want help and now I understand," the girl confessed, closing her book and letting out a sigh.

"Still... don't you think it would be fun? Getting out of our comfort zone a bit... seeing what all this racing stuff is about. I've heard they're amazing," Jungwoo insisted.

"Jungwoo, my mom will kill me if she finds out I went to an illegal race," the girl continued, taking a sip of her coffee.

"She won't find out."

"Jungwoo..."

"Come on, (Y/N), we won't even be in Neo Zone, it'll be in Kwangya only. We'll go, watch the race, and leave. We won't even make contact with anyone. We'll go on our own," the boy assured her, moving closer to her. "Please, I think it would be interesting to break out of our routine, just for one night, what could go wrong?"

"Many things could go wrong, Woo," she replied.

"We won't know unless we try," he pouted, clasping his hands together. "Please."

She hated how persuasive her best friend was.

She sighed and shook her head. "Fine, but at the first sign of trouble, we're leaving without a second thought."

"I love you so much," Jungwoo replied, hugging her shoulders.

"And I really hate you."

______________________________________________

The night fell faster than she expected, and among the roar of engines and the intense music that could be heard on the outskirts of Kosmo, (Y/N) felt something cold run through her body.

She could see familiar faces here and there, some of her classmates from Kwangya were in the place, and from the opposite side, the cars and familiar faces of Neo Zone were present.

It was a strange atmosphere for her; she had always played it safe, and now she didn't even know what to think. She felt herself getting closer to Jungwoo to not lose him, the last thing she needed was for them to separate like they did at the party.

She didn't think she could survive alone.

And it's not that she was dumb to think otherwise, but her parents raised her in an environment where they made her believe that she shouldn't do things outside her daily life. (Y/N) was afraid of adventures. Her life was governed by being obedient and doing the right thing; she didn't know when the moment of rebellion she had a few days ago when she left home the night of the party had been wise.

And now finding herself in Kosmo secretly from her mother at an illegal race? She must have gone crazy.

She believed even more so that she had gone crazy when something inside her hoped to run into none other than Jung Jaehyun.

She didn't understand why the urgency of what was happening, and even less why she expected to run into Jaehyun before running into Daeho.

Maybe it was because she found it strange not to have seen him since last Friday's party.

But she knew that if there was one place Jaehyun wouldn't miss... it would be the race tonight.

"Are you looking for Daeho?" Jungwoo asked when he saw her looking around. "He's probably with Mingi."

How could she explain to her friend that the person she was looking for was none other than Jung Jaehyun?

She nodded without saying more, and they both continued on their way while cautiously observing their surroundings. The smell of marijuana and car engines was embedded in the place, the music made their ears ring, and the night breeze made their bodies tremble.

(Y/N)'s eyes drifted away when she noticed Lucas in the distance, having a conversation with another guy. Lucas felt her gaze on him and looked at the girl with confusion before approaching her after apologizing to his companion.

"Hey, Kwangya kiddos, what brings you here on this magnificent night?" Lucas asked enthusiastically.

"We wanted to know what these races are about," Jungwoo replied simply.

"Hmm, interesting," the tall guy nodded. "Well, you're in luck, Jaehyun will race today, are you sure you want to see the show? The best of the area against someone from Yellow Wood," Lucas explained while cracking his fingers slightly.

Upon hearing the guy's name, (Y/N) looked up and paid attention to Lucas's words.

"If you're interested in betting, come to me," Lucas advised.

"I think we're fine like this," said (Y/N).

"Alright, take care. I'll go look for my guy to get him ready for the race," Lucas announced as he patted Jungwoo on the back.

The guy walked away from them with a smile, and Jungwoo responded with one of his own, then he looked at his friend and frowned, "relax, you're anxious."

How could she not be?

But before she could even answer anything, a few meters away, she saw the familiar face she had been looking for. In the distance, the silhouette of Jung Jaehyun was leaning against his car while talking to a few guys from Neo Zone, his neck tattoos weren't very visible due to the darkness of the night but she could distinguish them a bit, then... as if he had called him, Jaehyun's gaze moved to connect with hers, making her freeze in place.

Jaehyun frowned when he saw her standing just a few steps away from him, looking like a lost puppy as she stood beside Jungwoo.

The sight reminded him of a month ago when Daeho had clumsily brought (Y/N) to Neo Zone. Although this time she was accompanied by her best friend, another rich and spoiled kid from Kwangya. He observed the outfit she had decided to wear, once again, just like that time, it wasn't extravagant, no famous brand could be seen in her attire, and the only piece of jewelry she wore was a pair of earrings that definitely looked like gold...

He hoped she wouldn't lose them tonight.

Because they made her look good.

The surprise was evident on the girl's face when she took a better look at the brunet's body, who was now walking towards her, wearing a hoodie with its hood over his head and as he got closer, the darkness of the night was no longer so intrusive. It hadn't been enough to hide the bruises that were scattered across his body.

There was one under his cheek, just below his left eye, and it was reddish, as if it were flushed. Then, looking at the ones between his jaw and his neck, she noticed how they subtly mixed with the ink of the tattoo he had on his neck. That one was difficult to distinguish thanks to the dark lines that adorned that part of his body, but if you paid enough attention, it was alarming.

When she lowered her gaze over his torso and then looked at his hands, she could see the intense shades of red that his knuckles contained, as if ground blood had accumulated on each of them.

It wasn't the first time she had seen Jaehyun or Lucas with a bruise or two on a school day, but it was the first time she had seen it up close.

Her heart was pounding a mile a minute. Why was it suddenly doing this?

"Did you lost your way home?" Jaehyun asked when he was in front of her.

"Jaehyun," she muttered quietly, "... are you okay?"

The girl didn't need much to realize that was the stupidest question she could ask right now, of course he wasn't okay. And although she knew this happened regularly in Jaehyun's life, she couldn't help but fill her head with doubts; what had to happen for him to end up like this?

... was that the reason he hadn't gone to school?

A small smile appeared on the boy's face, and even with the different colors decorating his face, she could still notice the dimples that formed in it.

Why did he still look good?

"I don't think you came here to ask that, Angel," Jaehyun replied mockingly. "I really believed in your whole story about us going on our ways, so what are you doing at a race where most of the spectators are from Neo Zone?"

The girl was left speechless. "Jungwoo brought me here."

"Well, if that's the case, enjoy the races, I think it'll be fun for you to spice up your Wednesday nights a bit," he continued with a sarcastic smile.

"What happened to you?" She asked again.

Jaehyun didn't answer.

He had gotten himself into big trouble... all thanks to Jeno.

He had trusted that all his merchandise would be sold by the time Monday came around, but after being at Johnny Suh's party, where other dealers were also present, he didn't manage to sell what he needed.

He had a little less than half left in his pockets and in Lucas's.

Luck had not been on his side this time, and when he had to be accountable to Lee Sooman, he had to take responsibility for his brother's actions. And despite telling him that he would not take care of him like he used to after the argument they had... he'd much rather take the beatings he had received than see Jeno the way he did in the mirror.

That time, it really felt eternal. He still remembers the angry (but also mocking) look Sooman had on his face when Jaehyun and Lucas brought the money to his office and after asking Lucas none too kindly to leave, that was when Jaehyun knew what was coming.

With Cheol Uk by his side, leading him out of the office to the vacant lot not far from the warehouse, Jaehyun could do nothing but accept what was coming.

It was one blow after another, and he knew well that at that moment, defending himself was not something he should do or he would end up worse.

He remembers feeling every punch with tremendous pain, and all he could think about was Jeno and how he would have felt if it had been him getting beaten up.

At least Jaehyun was used to the beatings and had no choice; he already knew that all of this was part of being someone from Neo Zone, so he simply had to continue to comply with what Sooman demanded to the letter unless he wanted to end up again in the position he was in.

What felt like hours was really just a few minutes; Cheol Uk stopped hitting him after a while and without saying more, he left. Leaving Jaehyun in the middle of the vacant lot with a broken lip and eyebrow as he spat blood and reached for his abdomen for some support to get up and walk to where he knew Lucas was waiting for him.

How much more? How much longer would he have to keep with all of this?

But, right now, it wasn't something he should talk about.

"It's really not something you need to know," he replied with a smirk. "You came to enjoy the race, right? Then do it, I'll be running in a few minutes, if you don't get scared by the atmosphere here before that, I'm sure you'll want to see me," Jaehyun continued, winking at her.

"I think it'll be fun to see you in second place," the girl teased.

"Baby... I always win," Jaehyun bragged, looking her directly in the eyes.

It was then that the girl didn't say anything else, she just kept her gaze on his. She hated feeling intrigued by Jaehyun himself. Because right now she didn't even feel like she was in Kosmo, with Jaehyun in front of her looking directly at her, she didn't even feel real. She was getting into fire and she knew it.

And she didn't know if she could escape from it.

For a moment she felt a heaviness on her shoulders and warmth surrounded her, causing her to snap out of her thoughts and notice that the jacket that Jaehyun was wearing over his hoodie was now over her body.

"You were trembling like a chihuahua," Jaehyun explained. "Don't consider it an act of kindness, I'm just returning the favor after having done my jobs those two weeks... at least now they won't kick me out of school this evaluation period," he continued.

"I'm not sure if I should feel good knowing that I'm indirectly helping an illegal business," she replied, adjusting the jacket.

"No one needs to know," he replied. "Good luck tonight, don't get lost too much because things get interesting," he said, and without further ado, he turned around to go back to his friends.

(Y/N) stood perplexed in her place, and it was then that she felt Jungwoo's presence next to her.

"What was that?"

"I have no idea."

_______________________________________________

The next morning, after putting her books back in her backpack, (Y/N) looked at the jacket folded inside her bag, feeling a heaviness and remembering the events of the previous night.

The rumors were true... Jung Jaehyun was the best street racer in the area, because he not only competed once the day before, but two more times, winning 3 victories in a short time, and to be honest, it had been impressive.

She hadn't run into him again after the brief conversation they had, and even though she had been waiting for it... she and Jungwoo bolted from the place when they heard the police sirens approaching Kosmo.

The last thing she needed was for her parents to find out about her escapade.

She didn't hear anything from Daeho the night before, she even doubted if he had really gone to the race.

She didn't want to give too much importance to the situation, which is why she chose to continue her path through the school hallways, hoping to return the jacket that was at the bottom of her bag and trying to divert her thoughts to something other than Jaehyun.

And as if she had summoned him, she saw him under the entrance roof as he leaned against the wall and took a drag from the cigarette in his hands. (Y/N) checked the day's weather and cursed when she noticed the raindrops falling lightly. She had forgotten about today's forecast.

Jaehyun was lost in his thoughts as he watched the rain and let out the smoke in his chest.

The bruises were still visible.

She stopped abruptly to take the jacket out of her bag and, without saying anything, approached him and handed it back to him.

Jaehyun looked at her with a raised eyebrow and blew out the smoke from his lungs.

"You're welcome," Jaehyun said as he took the jacket in his hands.

"Yes, thank you," she said, feeling her cheeks flush.

"Where did you park your car?" Jaehyun asked out of nowhere.

"I didn't bring it with me, my mom confiscated it," she blurted out without thinking, and when she turned to look at Jaehyun, she noticed a mocking smile on his face.

"Oh, mom took away your Porsche," he pouted mockingly and shook his head. "Come on, I'll take you home."

"I'm fine, Jaehyun. Thanks," she said as she looked at the rain.

"Come on, it wouldn't be the first time I've taken you. Plus, the school won't be closing anytime soon."

She thought about all the possibilities that crossed her mind, but something about her was excited to think about the ride home.

"Where's your car?"

______________________________________________

It was fortunate that his car was nearby.

Jaehyun turned on the heater as soon as they got into the car, and without further ado, the journey began.

It was just like the first time they had been together in the same car. Without saying anything, both with their eyes focused on the road, and it was then that they both realized that they didn't have a topic of conversation. The few times they had interacted had been about their interests and what they needed from each other at the moment. However, Jaehyun didn't know anything about (Y/N) that he hadn't heard at school, and (Y/N) didn't know anything about Jaehyun that she hadn't heard in the hallways or from her parents about the people from Neo Zone.

At this point, they weren't even acquaintances.

They had just coincided in something and that was it.

(Y/N) took the opportunity to send a text message to Jungwoo and tell him that he no longer needed to pick her up, without explaining more, she sent the text and subsequently, Jaehyun's phone rang.

The boy sighed and cautiously looked for a quick place to park even with the sound of the mobile phone ringing filling the car. He took the device and (Y/N) could notice the slight tension that seized Jaehyun's body as he read the caller ID, without thinking twice he answered the call.

The brunette felt weird being able to hear Jaehyun's conversation, so she tried to distract herself with something else. First with her phone, then looking out the window where she could see the rain beginning to dissipate, and then she could hear a "I'll be there in a moment" that made her react and turn to see him end the call.

The boy scratched his neck and then brought his hands to his face to rub it, let out a deep sigh, and looked at (Y/N).

“Uh, I need to do something quickly and your house is still a bit far... Do you mind if we stop by that place first? It's on the way” he asked with no other option.

“Does this has to do with your job?” She asked.

It took him a moment to respond: — No, it's not about my job. You can stay in the car, it's just that, I really need to get there.

After seeing Jaehyun's face and not being able to decipher what he was trying to say, (Y/N) nodded, not very sure, and that was enough for Jaehyun to quickly start the car.

Thousands of thoughts ran through (Y/N)'s mind. Eager to know where they were headed; she didn't know if she should believe Jaehyun that this wasn't about picking up or delivering goods or meeting someone who worked on the same thing he did.

She was only sure they wouldn't go to Neo Zone because they were far from there.

She could see how impatient Jaehyun seemed while driving, and that only made her even more nervous. What exactly did they tell him in that call to make him like this? She wanted to ask, but she knew she wouldn't get an answer.

She didn't know how many minutes had passed, she only knew that the rain stopped just before the car parked and she finally noticed where they were. A gray building was a few meters away from them, and it wasn't hard to recognize it.

It was the National Rehabilitation Center.

A long and large building, which was accompanied by an extensive garden, and from the outside, you could see that there were a huge number of rooms inside it.

Her head was flooded with even more questions knowing that this was the place where Jaehyun was needed.

“You can stay in the car if you want. I'll be back in a moment” Jaehyun said as he opened the car door and got out.

Curiosity got the better of her.

And that's why she got out of the car and followed Jaehyun. Without saying anything, they entered the building where they were immediately greeted by a nurse who seemed to know the boy well.

“Jaehyun, I'm glad you were able to answer the call” said the woman as she greeted them. “We need to talk to you”.

The boy nodded and turned to (Y/N), who just nodded and said, “I’ll wait for you.”

He smiled slightly and walked with the person until they reached the reception where she was able to pull out a few papers.

It had been, perhaps, about two weeks since the last time he had been there. A place he was very familiar with and where he regularly went; he had become good friends with the friendly nurses who apparently didn't care where he came from.

He was grateful that the nurse didn't say anything when his bruises and wounds were clearly visible.

“Has something happened?” he asked after a few seconds.

“ He's fine” the nurse said with a smile “but we need to talk to you about his stay here” she continued.

That's when the small smile on his face disappeared. Jaehyun knew what she was referring to. He swallowed hard before the nurse could speak.

“The payment is overdue, Jaehyun," the nurse confirmed what he already knew. "We care about Sicheng's health, but this is not my concern. You know that the center relies on patients' monthly payments, and the administrators in charge of them request them punctually," she commented as she handed Jaehyun one of the papers. "I understand your situation and Sicheng's, but there's nothing more I can do even if I wanted to; I've tried to delay the payment as much as I could, but unfortunately, it can't be delayed any longer. The administrators expect the payment soon, or we'll have to discharge Sicheng and send him home," she concluded.

It was difficult at first for Jaehyun to process everything the nurse had said, as more than ten things ran through his mind at once; one of them being his good friend Winwin, then, thinking about how he could quickly get the money he knew he owed to the clinic, considering the beating he had just received for not being able to complete a sale. So, what would he do? He still needed half the money for that monthly payment, and between the clinic's expenses and those of his own house for his family, he couldn't see a way to get the money on time.

He would have to ask for more stash to sell if he wanted to do it.

He couldn't let them discharge Sicheng.

Not while he hasn't made progress.

"I'm sorry," Jaehyun said. "I... I still have a little left to complete the payment. It's just that lately, it's been harder, and... how much time do I have to pay it?" the breathless boy asked.

"Considering that it's only the first few days of the month, and the payment is already two weeks late... I can't give you more than three days," lamented the nurse, making a grimace.

"I'll try the impossible to bring you that money on Saturday. Sicheng still can't be discharged; he hasn't progressed the way he was supposed to," he affirmed, a slight pout evident in his mouth.

What a contrast there was between his expression and the bruises, accompanied by the tattoos on his body.

Being in the Rehabilitation Center was the place where he could be most vulnerable.

"How is he?" he asked, lowering his gaze.

"Same as the last time you came to visit him," commented the nurse. "We're doing what we can, Jaehyun, but as long as he stays the way he is, we can't move forward. We need his will to help him."

When no words came out of his mouth, the nurse continued: "Jaehyun, you know you can go see him."

For Jaehyun, each visit was just as difficult as the day he decided to admit Sicheng to that clinic, and each one left him more tormented than the previous.

He would give everything if that means that Sicheng would go back to be himself.

He nodded after a few seconds and cautiously glanced back, where, not far away, (Y/N) was reading some brochures and observing the facilities around them; when she noticed the boy's gaze on her body, she walked toward him carefully.

The brunette didn't really know what came to his mind or what caused those words to come out of his mouth, but when he wanted to back off, it was too late, because they had already been expressed.

"Are you coming with me?"

And although (Y/N) had no idea why they were there or where they were going, she accepted anyway. So they found themselves walking down the long whitewashed hallway until they reached an elevator, and then they went up about three floors.

The atmosphere was cold, the hallways and rooms were well-lit, and they could see a few nurses and what she assumed were doctors walking around in their lab coats.

Jaehyun didn't know why he was allowing himself to show her that part of his life, especially when it was such a fragile part for him. He had tried to protect it cautiously for the past few months, and now he was there, accompanied by Hwang (Y/N), with the person he never thought he would meet at that moment.

He hadn't really thought of her when he asked if they could go there before going home; his head was only thinking about the clinic and Sicheng when the call had ended, and it was too late to change his mind when they had set off.

He just hoped the girl would be discreet enough.

They reached room 119, where Jaehyun pushed the door open and where in a wheelchair, they both could see Winwin, who was facing the large window of his room, looking outside.

(Y/N)'s surprised face did not go unnoticed; she was confused in a thousand ways. She knew who Dong Sicheng was; everyone in her school knew him, however... she thought he had simply left the city. She had no idea he was in that place. So in her head, thousands of questions arose about him, why he was there, and why he was in a wheelchair.

She could only react when she heard Jaehyun's voice: "Hey, buddy. How are you today?"

Nothing.

That's what he received.

Jaehyun walked over to him, and when he stood next to him, he crouched down enough to be able to observe him better. Winwin had his gaze fixed forward, his cheeks were a little rosy, his hair fell over his forehead, and his hands were resting on his legs.

Jaehyun sighed.

"Oh, I see you've taken a shower today," the boy mentioned with a smile, and again, there was not a single response.

When he noticed the presence of the girl, who had remained in her place throughout the visit and hesitated to approach them, he spoke: "Today I'm not alone; I brought company. Maybe you'll find it helpful to hear another voice that isn't mine or Lucas's... or the nurses'," the boy teased and gestured to the brunette to come closer, who obeyed. "Do you remember (Y/N)? She was in our class; we've coincided a couple of times, that's why she's here."

"Hello, Winwin," she greeted softly. Jaehyun made a grimace and stood up from his place to be at the girl's height.

"Don't expect an answer," Jaehyun commented. "There won't be one."

"I thought... I thought Winwin had moved to China," (Y/N) confessed.

Jaehyun snorted: "Yes, that's what everyone thinks."

Those words took her by surprise, and it was when she decided to remain silent, watching from a distance the little interaction between the boys: it was just Jaehyun saying a few words while adjusting Sicheng's hair without expecting any response.

Dong Sicheng and Jung Jaehyun had been friends since birth, being two little boys who grew up on the streets of Neo Zone, it was easy to click with each other. Winwin's parents had decided to move to the infamous area after his father had met Lee Sooman in some low neighborhood in Wenzhou, China, and he had offered him a job where he could have his family at least a little better off than in his country.

Winwin had not joined the gang since it had not been of great urgency to him; his father was the active member needed by the family, and if he were honest... the farthest he could be from the Neo Zone gang... the better. He was always Jaehyun's companion at all times. Best friends who shared every detail of their lives for years, Jaehyun took care of Sicheng, and he provided the most sincere friendship he had ever had... then, a while later, Lucas Wong and Mark Lee joined their adventures.

Four boys from Neo Zone with the desire to conquer the world, but unable to leave their sad reality behind.

Jaehyun still remembers that fateful day a year ago, and he still feels like it happened yesterday.

The guilt gnawed at him every passing day, terrorizing each of his nights as he wondered: Why?

Why did something like that have to happen to someone as good as Dong Sicheng was?

A year ago, when Jaehyun had chosen to go deliver a package of stash after Winwin had asked him to stay and keep him company, and he had denied that request... that decision still drilled into his head.

Winwin's family and he had been robbed in their own home. Knowing who had done it, the reasons for the event, and who had ordered such inhumanity, were still a mystery. When Winwin's parents along with him tried to flee the place by leaving in a car; it had not been the wisest decision they had made at the moment... because not long after, outside of Neo Zone, after the group of people who had robbed their home managed to shoot a clean shot in one of the tires of the rear part of the car, causing Winwin's father to lose control of his own vehicle and not a few meters later it would impact hard enough for the car to be shot in another direction, causing immediate damage.

Jaehyun only remembers receiving a call from Lucas and minutes later finding himself at the entrance to the Emergency Room of the General Hospital, where a stretcher with Winwin's body was being transported.

He remembers seeing the blood. He remembers hearing Lucas and Mark's screams asking to see their friend. He remembers standing still at the entrance to the Emergency Room.

But above all, he remembers thinking, what would have happened if instead of deciding to go sell that stupid package of stash, what if he had stayed at home with his mother and Sicheng?

A week in a coma and a diagnosis of paraplegia was what made Jaehyun lose his mind.

It had been a year since the accident, and Winwin had not even progressed a bit. After being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, it had been difficult to help the injury in the dorsal spine that he had suffered; the damage had been partial, Winwin could handle his movements and his sensitivity to walk again... if only he would come out of the state of shock he was still in.

There were too many things he experienced in so few minutes, so much physical and mental pain for what happened, that now, Sicheng couldn't react.

It had been a year since Sicheng hasn’t spoken.

The doctors assured that he could hear and understand everything, but he was simply mentally tired to process the words and make them come out of his mouth.

His body didn't react as it should either.

And until Winwin had the strength of his own will to do it, the only thing they could do at that clinic was to keep him on medication so that the pains would not persist.

But Jaehyun couldn't take it anymore.

What he would give for Sicheng to be able to enjoy life again.

Unfortunately, the visits he made to the hospital... didn't last more than half an hour since that was the place's regulation. So, his farewell was as quick as his arrival.

"See you on Saturday, Win," he put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't give the nurses too much trouble."

He could swear he heard Winwin laugh and say goodbye.

Even though that really didn't happen.

(Y/N), who throughout the visit remained silent observing both boys, could feel her heart in her hand. She had never believed she would see that vulnerability on Jaehyun's part, and knowing what it was about because of the importance his best friend had in his life, made her heart ache with sadness even more.

"Now I'll take you home," murmured Jaehyun when he passed by her without saying anything else.

The girl glanced back, looking for the last time at Sicheng's silhouette, who hadn't moved from the same place since they had both arrived in the room. She took a deep breath and left the room when Jaehyun was already far enough away.

She didn't know what to say. There were no words of comfort for the situation, and she knew it, that's why they both silently said goodbye to the nurse who had received them and continued like that until they entered the car, which was not parked far away.

Jaehyun allowed himself to lean back on the driver's seat as he closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"I guess you have many questions," Jaehyun said without opening his eyes.

She had.

"I don't know if I really should ask them," (Y/N) confessed as she looked at him.

The boy remained silent for a few seconds.

"Sicheng and his parents had an accident a year ago," Jaehyun said, opening his eyes to look at her. "An accident that was caused."

"By whom?"

"No one knows," he replied, taking his hands to the steering wheel of the car and squeezing it tightly. "His parents died instantly... Winwin arrived at the hospital in critical condition; it was a miracle that he came out alive."

"Why...?"

"Why is he in this clinic?" he interrupted, and she nodded with a knot in her stomach. "The accident had a great impact and damaged on his dorsal spine; the doctors diagnosed partial paraplegia; his sensitivity in his legs was minimal, and he couldn't make any extensive movements with his legs that didn't make him cry from the pain. After seven days, he woke up from the coma and realized everything that had happened, including my uncle's death... he hasn't said a single word since then... the doctors said it would take time for him to recover, and that eventually, he would speak, but Winwin doesn't have the will to do it; he's still in a kind of state of shock, and that has delayed his recovery," he explained, unable to see her in the eyes.

"Who... who pays for all this if Sicheng's parents aren't here?" she asked curiously.

Jaehyun sighed; "For the first few months, my boss covered part of the monthly fee, until suddenly he stopped doing it. Since then, I've been taking care of it."

The girl's expression was one of surprise.

"How do you do it?"

"That’s the reason I'm in the business that I'm in," he replied, changing his gaze to her, being able to see directly into her eyes and causing her to feel a shiver run through her body.

There was something about those bruised eyes that had done something to her.

"It must be hard," the girl said in a murmur.

Jaehyun snorted and nodded slowly. He hated being seen in his less tough character. The only person he allowed himself to be like that with was Lucas... or Winwin. And for a stranger to see him like that... made his blood boil.

"You know? Winwin loved dancing," Jaehyun said, smiling sideways as the memory came to his mind.

That fact wasn't strange for (Y/N), she remembers seeing Winwin at the school theater... the only boy from Neo Zone who was part of the dance team. She didn't even know how he had managed that, but he must have been good if the Kwangya students allowed him to be in the group.

"Now nobody knows if he'll be able to do it again," Jaehyun continued. "Winwin was the only one of all of us who really had a future, he wasn't even a gang member... he hadn't even gone through his initiation, and look how he ended up."

(Y/N) swallowed.

"Mark Lee is no longer friends with you, right?" The girl asked curiously.

"Things got complicated with him after the accident."

The brunette fell silent for a moment and then shifted her body to face him.

“Haven't you thought about looking for another alternative?” she questioned again “You know? If you let me help you, maybe I could get you a position at my father's company and...”

“Shh. I think I've told you it's not that easy.”

“ But it could be” she insisted.

Jaehyun scoffed and shook his head as he looked away from her.

“I not only have to cover this quota, I also have to bring money home, for my mom and for Jeno. It's the easiest way to get what I need” he confessed “besides, I told you once... in Neo Zone there's no way out, once you're in, you're in forever.”

The tattoos on his neck were what sentenced him to a miserable life forever.

But as long as that miserable life helped to ease the pain and managed to make Sicheng return to who he was, it would be worth it.

“It doesn't have to be like this” she murmured, focusing on her own hands.

"You don't know what it's like to be part of this," he countered in a low voice.

How had they opened up to have such a conversation so suddenly?

The girl felt her lip tremble as she remembered the scene she had witnessed minutes earlier in that room, and she couldn't help but think about how it would feel to lose a loved one in such a way... knowing that physically they were present, but mentally they weren't there.

(Y/N) had always had a heart easy to move, but she really never believed that Jung Jaehyun would be able to achieve that.

"Is that why you insist on continuing school?" she asked, looking at him again.

"Students are my best clients," he replied with a half smile.

(Y/N) didn't know how to take that.

She closed her eyes for a moment and then said, "I can help you with a few more assignments," she assured. "But only for a while and in my own way. But, I don't want you to involve me in any of the problems you're in, it will only be school matters. I don't want to be associated with anything you do, if anything you do is enough to help Sicheng, I'll try not to question it."

Jaehyun couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"If that helps you help me and me stay in school..." he paused "...I might be willing."

"What's the reason for your change of heart?"

"Because if I were in the same situation as you, I would also want someone to somehow help me," she replied, hugging herself.

The boy nodded with a half-smile, and without further ado, he started the car.

"Only school matters," Jaehyun confirmed.

She definitely didn't know what he had just gotten himself into.

______________________________________________

The day after the visit to the National Rehabilitation Center, something happened that made (Y/N) unable to concentrate enough during class hours. Her mind kept going back to the place over and over again, but how horrible was the situation the boy was in. One day you're capable, and the next... not even being able to move. How could anyone endure that?

At some point in the morning, during the physics period, her mind was spinning, her leg moving anxiously, and she bit her lips. She tried to erase the conversation she and Jaehyun had had the day before a thousand times and tried to erase the image of Winwin in that room.

But it was impossible.

Just when she thought she had succeeded, the image returned immediately.

She hated being someone who cared too much about things.

Because she knew something wasn't right with her when she found herself in front of the doors of the Rehabilitation Center.

Her coat shielded her from the cold breeze on that day, and as she clutched her bag to her, she didn't think anymore and entered the place.

She felt a little out of place when she entered the center, but after a few minutes, a presence came in front of her.

"Hello, good morning," the nurse greeted her. "Oh, you're the girl who accompanied Jaehyun yesterday, right?" She asked in confusion.

The girl smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm Hwang (Y/N). I'm Jaehyun's classmate... and Winwin's."

"How nice of you to visit us... are you here to see Winwin? It's rare to see someone come for him other than Lucas or Jaehyun," confessed the nurse.

"Um, yes... I could say I'm here for a visit," the girl smiled. "But, to be honest... yesterday I overheard a bit of his conversation with Jaehyun... I know Winwin's payment is delayed this month."

"Yes, usually Jaehyun finds a way to pay on time," she sighed. "But this month it's been delayed for a few weeks, and if I'm honest, I've been doing everything I can to keep Winwin from being discharged."

The girl nodded and asked, "Do you think Winwin's treatment will still take time?"

"I can't answer that accurately," admitted the nurse. "It's all a matter of Winwin's will, but to be honest, right now he has no will at all, so far as we're concerned, and if the payment continues to be monthly... he could spend another half a year here."

The girl understood the situation, and although she would like to think more about it... she didn't, so she didn't even know when she blurted out those words: "Is there any way I can pay for the next six months?"

The nurse's eyes widened with surprise, and she looked at the girl with enthusiasm. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," she replied. "I would like to help one of my classmates as long as I can. Money is not a problem," she confessed.

"Wow... thank you, i really appreciate that. Winwin is a boy with a lot of potential from what we know, and although we're sad that we haven't made the progress we want, we know that someday he will leave through that door better," (Y/N) smiled nostalgically.

"I just need to ask you something," the brunette confessed. "Could you not tell Jaehyun that I've paid?" she questioned.

"I don't know if it's easy to lie to someone like Jaehyun," the nurse laughed. "But since it's something good you've done... I'll try," the nurse walked to the desk with (Y/N) behind her. "(Y/N)?" She called and paid attention. "I know there may be many things about Jaehyun... but he's a good guy... beneath all that facade; he really has something good."

Those words hammered in her head. "Thank you."

_____________________________________________

(Y/N) reviewed the same line of text she had read five times now on some molasses topic. Trying to understand the topic deeply.

The air coming lightly through one of the library windows was enough for her to try to hug herself to take warmth, read a bit from the physics books on the table, and impatiently move her leg.

She didn't know at what exact moment a tall figure stood in front of her, but what she did know was that that person didn't seem very happy.

"Why did you do it?" Jaehyun let out while looking directly at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," (Y/N) replied while looking at her book attentively.

"I know you know. I thought I told you I don't need your money," Jaehyun repeated with annoyance.

"I still don't know what you're talking about," the girl stopped seeing her book and changed her gaze to the boy.

"Don't play with me," the boy exclaimed exasperatedly. "Why did I went to the center today and they told me Winwin's treatment has been paid for the next six months?"

The girl shrugged. "It could have been your boss."

"My boss doesn't give a shit about Winwin!" Exclaimed the boy. "I told you I didn't need your money, I was clear, I don't want to owe anything to anyone from Kwangya."

"You don't need to pay me back," the girl assured, standing up in front of Jaehyun. "With the money you'll save from that, you'll be able to sell less."

"It seems you don't understand a fucking thing!" Jaehyun raised your arms with annoyance. "Paying or not paying for Sicheng's treatment, it doesn't change the fact that I sell drugs!" The boy explained regardless of where they were; they were lucky the library wasn't being occupied by other people.

"Everyone starts somewhere!" the girl attacked. "I just wanted to take a weight off your shoulders."

Jaehyun scoffed and looked at her with a sarcastic smile.

"Why? I don't need your pity! If you hadn't accompanied me yesterday, you'd still be thinking Winwin had moved to China! You didn't give a fucking damn even when he was your classmate!"

(Y/N) started gathering her things and putting them in her backpack.

"Saying thank you would have been enough, Jaehyun!" the girl remarked. "I know you can do better with your life," she murmured as she turned to look at him.

Jaehyun's blood was boiling; he hated when people interfered in his life, as if he didn't already have enough to deal with.

"You don't know anything about me! You said it yourself; we're not even friends," he retorted.

"And what if I want to get to know you better?" the girl exclaimed without thinking. They both fell silent, staring into each other's eyes. (Y/N) didn't even want to say those words, but she did.

She couldn't deny that Jung Jaehyun was intriguing. She didn't know why. She didn't know why she had been avoiding him for weeks, but since that night at Neo Zone, when they had talked about the deal, she knew it would be difficult to shake him off, and when she had... something inside her wanted them to meet again. Why are things so difficult? They are two different people from different backgrounds; why would she suddenly be interested in him? Was it because she saw him vulnerable the day before? Or was it because she believed there was something good in him, just like the nurse had said?

She must be crazy to think like that.

"You really don't want to do it," Jaehyun said with a bit more calmness.

"I know you can get out out of that hole, Jaehyun."

"Winwin's parents tried, and look how that ended up!" he exclaimed. "There's no way out in Neo Zone, get that through your head," he explained. "There's nothing good about me. I don't even know why you think so, just because yesterday you saw something different or because I drove you home a couple of times, doesn't mean you know everything about me!"

"Stop acting like a fucking jerk."

"Like a jerk? This is reality! Your act of charity isn't going to change my life. I was born a dealer, and that's how my life will end!"

"I really believe there's something good in you."

"Well, keep believing it."

"If you ever feel grateful, you know where to find me," the girl said, gathering her things and walking out of the library.

Jaehyun cursed under his breath and shook his hands in frustration. In just a few days, the girl had managed to push his buttons faster than anyone else from Neo Zone.

But when he saw her walk out the door, why did he feel regret for lashing out at her?

_______________________________________________

The week had been slow this time. (Y/N) and Jaehyun had been avoiding each other like the plague, not even looking at each other when they crossed paths in the hallway. For the girl, it seemed like childish behavior, especially coming from Jaehyun and his usual façade; now he seemed nothing more than someone throwing a tantrum after she only wanted to help him.

But she still thought she really wanted to get to know him better.

What was behind his façade? What was it that made him who he was? Not the boy from Neo Zone, not the dealer everyone knew... who was Jeong Jaehyun really?

That question had been on her mind for weeks, and it disappointed her a bit to know that she might never know the answers to those doubts she had about the boy.

Today was warm compared to the weather last week. The sun was shining brightly, and luckily for (Y/N), her mother had decided to return her car. So her day had started off on the right foot, and hoping for a good day, she took the opportunity to stop by her favorite coffee shop in Kwangya. Ordering her usual vanilla latte and just before it was time to pay, a thought invaded her mind, and after debating it internally, she decided to follow her thoughts.

An hour and a half later, when she was the last one to leave her physics class, someone blocked her path at the classroom door. Holding her book to her chest, after the unexpected startle, she looked ahead to find no one but Jaehyun. Who stood silently in front of her, with the same leather jacket he used to wear, the same combination of marijuana and vanilla scent, and with the same enchanting eyes, that she had just noticed.

She was in dangerous territory.

And she knew it.

"I need to go to my next class, Jaehyun," the girl said shortly.

For a few seconds, the boy in front of her didn't say anything, he just watched her, until he sighed and slowly said, "Thank you."

Short and to the point, he didn't say anything else, and that was enough to make (Y/N)'s heart flutter in a thousand ways.

"For the coffee," the boy finished. "And for the notes."

"I did my part, I told you I would help you," said (Y/N) as she fiddled with her fingers.

"I thought you wouldn't after the last time we met," Jaehyun confessed.

"I'm sticking to that."

A small silence ensued. Two people face to face. With thousands of doubts between them and things to resolve. What had drawn them together? How was it that the universe managed to put two completely different people in the same place?

"Did you mean it?" Jaehyun asked, and when he noticed that (Y/N) didn't understand what he meant, he continued. "About wanting to get to know me more."

(Y/N) swallowed hard and looking him in the eyes, nodded.

"I still believe there's something good in you."

"Why?"

"I don't know yet," she replied honestly. "And it's killing me. A while ago, I wouldn't have wanted anything to do with you, not even to cross paths, but now, I don't know what's changed, but every time I try to stay away, it's like something brings me back here," she confessed, leaving Jaehyun speechless, who just watched her, trying to decipher everything she was saying.

It was killing him too.

"Let's go to my car," he said.

"Huh?" she asked, confused.

"You want to know more about me, then get in my car," he said again, this time making his way to the parking lot, with (Y/N) behind him, who didn't say a single word, just followed his lead.

What was he doing?

When they reached the car, Jaehyun opened the passenger door, causing (Y/N) to get in without protesting. Then Jaehyun got into the driver's seat and without further ado, started the engine. She didn't know what was happening or what would happen next, but right now she could only trust Jaehyun.

Even though she didn't know how bad an idea that might be.

A few minutes later, as they had traveled a long distance, (Y/N) noticed they were approaching Neo Zone, and with her eyes wide open, she panicked.

"This is me," Jaehyun said out of nowhere, catching the girl's attention. "See all these streets? This is where I belong. This is what I am," he explained carefully.

(Y/N) looked out the window, a couple of people smoking on the sidewalk, others passing joints, and other silent streets. The houses weren't that big... rather, they looked cramped. Unlike what she was used to, to her lifestyle, this didn't seem like it would be enough for a family.

But what did she know with the privilege she had?

"I grew up here, this is what I know," he commented. "Most people are born and die here, it's something that seems to be already written," he continued as his car slowed down. "Those of us from here have a different perspective on life... people from Kwangya lives for the money... we live to survive, and although it's getting harder and harder, we manage to do it," the car finally stopped, and still looking out the window, (Y/N) saw a small house in front of them. One story, not much to describe or point out, it was small but for some reason, it looked cozy.

(Y/N) changed her gaze to Jaehyun, who was still looking ahead and spoke.

"Is this your house?"

Jaehyun nodded.

(Y/N) smiled softly.

"Would you invite me in?"

______________________________________________

He doesn't know how (Y/N) managed to have an effect on him, but now they were there, inside his little house, (Y/N) carefully examining the walls around them and analyzing every aspect of the small space.

He was grateful there were no one at home.

"It looks cozy," (Y/N) said as she looked at one of the frames hanging on the wall.

"I guess it's not even a third of your house," Jaehyun assured to (Y/N).

“And no matter how many people are there, it always feels lonely," she confessed. "It's like no one leaves anything there, like it's something unimportant. As if it's not a home," she finished.

Jaehyun looked at her gently, and as she looked around, thousands of things went through his mind.

"To be honest with you," the girl spoke. "I see more vibes from Jeno in this house than yours," she said. "Many things here seem related to Jeno... but I don't see many things related to you..." she continued. "It's like you don't even think about staying here for long."

"I don't plan on leaving Neo Zone," Jaehyun asserted, crossing his arms.

"Don't you want a different future?"

"There's no future for me," Jaehyun pointed out. "And if there were, I'd prefer to give it to Jeno. He has much more to live for than I do."

"You also have a life to live. A future to write, you can change what is today, for something better," (Y/N) turned around to face the boy.

"I have no way out," the boy replied. "Do you think this is easy? After seeing my dad die and doing everything my bosses ask me to do no matter what. Taking care of my mom, Jeno, and now Winwin? Huh? Making sure Winwin becomes who he was again and that my brother doesn't end up being a fucking addict are enough reasons for me not to leave here," Jaehyun concluded, getting dangerously close to her, with a few centimeters separating them.

The words echoed in her head strongly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't pity me," Jaehyun said under his breath.

"It's not that. It's just that every time I think about all this and now that I see your place and I don't see anything that seems to belong to you, it makes me think that's what you're looking for, to belong to something and leave here as soon as there's an opportunity,"

Jaehyun looked directly at her, not knowing what to say. And afraid to think that maybe she was right.

Because yes, maybe he wanted to get out of there, along with his mom, Jeno, and Winwin; maybe he wanted to do something with his life that wasn't illegal, but what was the point of thinking about it when he knew he wouldn't make it? He was afraid to admit that he wanted to be able to change things, to be able to make his family okay, that no shadow from the past would follow them, that they would have a place where they could forge a clean and safe future.

"This has never been about what I want," Jaehyun commented with a future. "Since I was born, everything around me was the gang. After my father's death, I knew what was coming, and I knew I would never be able to get out of it. It doesn’t matter what I want. It matter what my boss wants, he has that kind of power, no one below him has their own decision. The whole life of Neo Zone is ruled by him," he concluded, even closer to her.

(Y/N) looked him in the eyes, her breath uncontrolled. Her chest heaved, and her hands were sweating.

"What do you want, Jaehyun?" she whispered.

The boy paused for a moment and looked at her lips.

"Now?" he asked, and she nodded. "Would it be unrealistic to say that I want to kiss you?"

"How realistic would it be to say that I want you to do it?

She didn't even finish the question because Jaehyun's lips collided firmly with hers. The boy's long hands slid through (Y/N)'s soft hair, her hair smelling of lavender shampoo. He gently covered her cheek with one of his rough hands, and she melted into the touch.

It wasn't a hurried kiss, as (Y/N) thought it would be; actually, Jaehyun was taking the time to savor every passing second. As if this moment would disappear at any minute and he wanted to hold onto it.

Was he looking for something to belong to?

His hand moved from her cheek to her waist, and she took the opportunity to press her body against his and release a moan of pleasure. As if she felt complete leaning against Jaehyun's warmth.

As if it was something they both longed for for a long time.

And even though she wanted to continue with the act, they were severely interrupted when a car horn sounded incessantly outside the house, causing them to separate with tremendous confusion. (Y/N)'s red cheeks were enough to make Jaehyun's heart race, but when he heard another horn, he took her hand and they walked outside in hurry.

And then, there was Jeno, being thrown out of the back of a car, blood streaming from a cut on his eyebrow, bruises scattered all over his body, and falling firmly to the ground after being thrown.

"I want this to be the last time your brother sets foot in our zone. Next time it won't be him we throw," the familiar voice of a boy from the opposing gang spoke up. Chris. Who was with the window down and smiling maliciously. "Neither will it be you, Jung. It will be the girl who will end up like this,"

Jaehyun moved abruptly from his place to try to reach the car, but it left as fast as it could, (Y/N) shocked to hear those words, didn't do anything more than approach Jeno to help him up. Then Jaehyun cursed under his breath and looked into the distance at the girl and her brother together.

And his chest tightened as he realized that now, she too had been involved.

And he believed there was no turning back, because she was right... Jaehyun wanted to belong to something.

But how selfish would it be to belong to (Y/N)?

a/n: well now you know what happened to Winwin TT. Once again I’m sorry if this took too long I promise I’ll try to update sooner this time!

taglist is open! if you want to be added just lemme know;)

taglist: @spicyryujin @kriizztin @daegalismybiasinnct @peachfulnight @gojoscumslut @bluedbliss @dear-97 @girlwholoveslpreppyattire @hana-off-icial @cigarettesafterjae

[puppyslutposting]

"Yeah of course I can be trusted to house-sit for you while you're on your business trip! :3"

I watch you pull out of the driveway, waving to you from the porch. As soon as your car is completely out of sight, I bolt inside and upstairs to your room. Now that I'm finally alone, I can go full puppy mode. And I already know just what I want to do... After all, I've had the biggest crush on you for a long time now. We're constantly flirting and teasing each other when we hang out, but neither of us has the courage to take it further. You know about all of my kinks, and you constantly tease me about them. You've even called me "good boy" before, which got me so wet I had to excuse myself. All of this sexual tension has been really getting to me, and I know exactly how to let off some steam...

I walk over to your dirty clothes hamper. There's a black sweatshirt haphazardly draped over the rim. I snatch it up and immediately put it up to my face, inhaling deeply. "Fuck..." I think to myself. "It smells just like them. I want them so badly. I NEED them, and they don't even know it. I just wish they would fuck me..." As I hold the cloth up to my face and sniff it lustfully, I slip a hand down my pants. I can feel I'm already pretty damn wet just from your smell, and realizing my own desperation only makes me hornier.

I throw the sweatshirt onto your bed and start stripping, throwing my clothes wherever with little regard. Once I'm fully nude, I take a second to just explore my body with my hands. I feel up my breasts and nipples, my hips, my face, and my thighs, taking note of how sensitive I am. Every touch leaves me desiring more, until I can't take it and I crawl into your bed.

I don't fully have a plan at this point, I just know I need to masturbate. Specifically while inhaling your addictive scent. I lay on my back and grab your sweatshirt once again, throwing it over my face. Then, I spread my legs open and start rubbing myself. My needy t-dick twitches wildly between my pointer and middle finger as I slide them up and down my wet vulva. I moan helplessly as your scent drives me into a heat, making more sensitive and needy than I've ever been before. Rubbing isn't enough anymore, I feel like I need to fuck you. I look around, desperate for something to slide my t-dick on, and then I spot it. The teddy bear I gave you for your birthday last year, sitting up in bed between your pillows. Under normal circumstances, I would have been absolutely flattered that you kept it in bed with you all this time, but in my current state I don't even consider it. I snatch it up and roll on top of it, mounting it like the horny mutt I am.

It's been about 30 minutes at this point. I'm a sweaty, panting, drooling mess. My face is shoved into your musky shirt and Im gripping the plush tight while I rut against it needily. I'm so focused on trying to cum, that I don't even hear my phone buzzing. I'm completely in a trance, my entire mind and body only wanting a release. I don't hear the car pull up in the driveway, or the front door opening, or your footsteps coming up the stairs. Only once you come into the room and start talking do I snap out of my trance.

"Hey, sorry, I forgot my-" Your words are cut short. You're shocked by what you're seeing, but you can't look away. My eyes grow wide and my face goes bright red with embarrassment as I try to cover my exposed parts. I stammer over my words, trying to cough up an explanation, but even I know there's no way out of this. I gulp nervously.

You feel your pants getting tight. You know you should be upset, but you can't help but to find it incredibly arousing that I would be so horny just by your smell alone that I would do something like this. But you're also so glad that there's finally a reason to break the sexual tension between us, and you can't help but to smirk mischievously. This is just too perfect.

"I think I'm going to have to teach you a lesson for this, mutt.~ You're such a bad puppy... Present your pussy to me. Now." You say, slipping off your tie and starting to undress. Your mischievous grin grows more and more as you think about all of the perverted things you'll be able to do to me now that you have me right where you want me.

Braindead and desperate for your touch, I immediately obey. After all, good boys do as they're told...~

[sankttealeaf]

gaze upon the stars

pairing ; gale x (cleric) gender neutral!reader

summary ; you make a comment that you've never really seen a meteor shower before, and Gale decides to correct that | AO3

other info ; you know who you are who wanted this3<3 enjoy just pure softness with everyones favourite wizard man<3 gale u are always a winner in my eyes. they star gaze, they kiss, that's it, it's so self indulgent!!

word count ; 4.8k

Your nightly routine usually involves one last check in with your companions before you retreat to your tent. It’s something you actually look forward to doing, gathering up everyone’s opinions on the day and where they think you should go next. As you finish up your conversation with Lae’zel, your attention shifts to where Gale’s tent is after hearing a small commotion coming from that direction. You approach hesitantly, seeing the wizard leave his tent with an arm full of books and a slightly befuddled look. When he sees you, his face lights up. 

“Just the person I wanted to see!” Gale grins, arms outstretched which causes the books to scatter on the floor. "I've been meaning to ask you a very important question." He holds up a book you vaguely recognise to be about the stars. “Are you busy? If you are, I highly suggest clearing those plans.”

“Hello to you too, Gale,” you laugh, taking the book from him and giving it a quick flick through. Lots of dense information about space and the cosmos and what to look for when searching the stars. It’s a little intense for a nightly read before bed so you hand it back to him. “What are you doing, exactly?”

"How are you with heights?" he asks, packing something away into a carriable box before giving you a grin. You have seen that look before - he has a plan in mind and is about to rope you into it. 

"How tall are we talking?" You glance at his packed bag and the other box at his feet, eyebrows raised in curiosity. He quickly places the book you just had into his bag as he stands.

He points eastward. "There's a hill not too far from here that overlooks the valley. It may make someone with a distaste for heights a bit queasy." He picks up his things, nodding in the direction with his head. "There's a meteor shower forecast for tonight and we’re going up there to get a good spot to watch it."

The strange box makes sense now, it houses his telescope. You give him a nod, stepping aside to give him space to walk past you. He begins to walk but stops himself, giving you a look. 

"You never answered my question."

You blink and give a shrug. "I'm alright with heights."

"Excellent!" He pushes the box with the telescope into your arms. "I've packed some food for us as well in case all that stargazing makes us hungry." 

You're a little confused but before you can question him he's walking off in the direction of the hill, leaving you holding his telescope with no other choice but to follow him. 

"Are you coming?" he asks, turning to give you a look of impatience. "The stars aren't going to wait."

"Normally people ask if they want to go stargazing before you hand them a telescope," you say as you rush to fall into step with him, not wanting to get left too far behind.

"You said you wanted to see this earlier."

You recall a conversation you had with Gale this morning where he told you about various meteor showers and you mentioned that you would love to see one. It's funny, you didn't think it would be so soon.

"This particular set of meteors that are due to fly over only occur once in every three hundred years! You're in for a treat tonight," he says through a grin, obviously excited for this little excursion out. As much as you would have liked an early night, watching the stars with Gale isn't a bad way to spend your evening either. It could be worse, after all. 

He summons four iridescent purple balls of light to follow you both, two around him and two around you as to help light the way. You can’t help but reach out to gently touch the glowing orb, feeling a small shock touch your fingertips. The magic feels different to your own, a spark of arcane energy crackles from the orb as you pull your hand back. You've never really thought about the difference between arcane and divine magic before - it's not something you ever needed to think about, but watching as the orbs float alongside you gets you wondering. There's been several times where you've seen Gale cast spells and for the most part they're exactly the same as how you use your magic. You've always wanted to sit down and ask him how he channels his arcane energy, to make notes on ways your magic was alike and ways they differ. There's never been a good time for it. 

The journey doesn't take too long, ten minutes at most. You fill the silence by talking to Gale about what's happened so far on this journey and where he thinks you all should go next. His plans align up with what you wanted to do which is always reassuring to hear. Sometimes you overthink what should come next and get too in your own head with each move you make, so it was comforting to know that you are on the same wavelength as someone else. 

The hill overlooks the entire valley and there’s definitely some height to it - you can see why Gale asked about having a fear of heights earlier. The dancing lights move ahead of you, illuminating a spot that seems to be the perfect place to stargaze at. Gale dismisses them with a wave of his hand and they move like lightning, dissipating into thin air. 

“Your magic is so pretty,” you say as you reach the spot the lights were just at. “It’s so… you.”

He looks taken aback by that comment, unsure of how to respond to it. “No one’s ever said that before. Usually it’s all about the power it holds but never about the aesthetic…”

“Well, they should say it more.” You give him a warm smile, a gentle tap on his arm as you pass him to place the box holding the telescope down. Despite how beautiful it looks it is certainly heavy and you are glad to be rid of the weight. 

A soft blanket is spread across the grass, the moonlight providing you both with enough light to be able to set up the space with ease. Gale begins to take out the telescope, reassembling it with a well practised ease that has you staring a little too long.

“Have you done much stargazing?” he asks, readjusting the positioning of the telescope. 

“I mean, I look at the stars often. Not in depth or anything,” you say with a glance up to the night sky.

He nods in thought, looking up at the twinkling lights and pointing. "Up there. Look." 

You take a step closer to him, eyeing the area of sky Gale is pointing towards. "What am I looking at?"

He moves to stand behind you and tilts your head more to the left, his touch ever so gentle. His hand lingers on your cheek as you spot what he has been pointing at - a small cluster of stars just below the moon, twinkling in sync with each other. It is beautiful.

"Woah," you say softly, watching the stars fade in and out. You count around seven of them, all huddled together in one close area, shining and sparkling in a way that you seem to understand. 

“Scholars reckon that cluster is due to burn out soon,” he says as he steps back. “In the next twenty years or so they might not even be in the sky anymore. A shame, really.”

“That’s… pretty sad, actually. They’ll just cease to exist?” You turn your gaze away from the stars, seeing him set up the telescope to point over at where you were looking. “We’ll never see them again?”

“Such is the life of a star. To exist, to die. Only ever looked upon long after you’re gone.” He peers through the scope, leaving you to sit with the words he just said.

In a strange way you can’t help but project onto that. All the things your God throws at you, hoping one day to be seen as a champion for them, only to be looked at in awe by other acolytes long after you’re here. Stars and martyrs seem to share similarities. You hope you wouldn't burn out before all that though. Everything you do has to mean something. It has to.

A gentle tap on your arm brings you out of your thoughts as Gale waves you over, retreating from the telescope to allow you to take a look through it. 

“Look here, this is something extraordinary,” he says as you approach, leaning down to peer through the scope. 

“Holy shit… A planet?” You pull away to look at him with wide eyes as he nods with matched enthusiasm. “You’re kidding. That’s an actual planet?”

“One of them!” He smiles as you spend a few moments looking at the planet normally and then through the telescope. “If I can remember where the others are located, I am more than happy to point them out to you. It may be the wrong time of year to see some of them clearly, though.”

“It’s so pretty. You can see so many colours through this,” you say in awe, a hand holding the telescope to steady yourself. It gets nudged out of place and suddenly you’re looking at a small set of stars - stars that you are certain you didn't see normally. “There’s so much out there… How do you remember where everything is?”

“Practice. Lots of it. Name me a star and I can most likely point it out to you,” he says, a hand on your shoulder as you stand up from the telescope. 

“I don’t really know many star names,” you admit sheepishly, but that doesn’t seem to bother him at all. 

“Even better!” He begins searching the sky for a moment, before pointing towards something. “See that?” The star he’s pointing towards is bright, probably the brightest in the sky. He’s standing behind you, arm outstretched in front so you can follow where he was pointing at.

“It’s bright. Wait - I know this. It shows the direction of true north, right?” You look at him, noticing how close your faces were in this position. You mentally send a prayer to your God that the moonlight wasn’t bright enough to show the blush spreading on your cheeks.

“Right on the mark.” He drops his hand, letting it rest on your other shoulder. You aren’t sure if you imagine it but you swear you feel a familiar spark as his hand rests on you, similar to what you felt when you touched the dancing light orb. 

“I think I can consider myself an expert at the night sky now. Best watch out, people are going to start asking me for knowledge on the stars instead of you,” you tease, leaning back to nudge into him with a playful smile.

“Alright then, my star expert. Where’s Jassa’s Dagger?” He takes a step back, a look on his face that you can’t work out. Your eyes turn to the stars and you search for something that looks anything like a dagger. The stars blend into one the longer you search and you give Gale a sigh, admitting defeat.

“Nothing up there looks like a dagger. If you point to some stars in a similar area and say it’s supposed to be a dagger, I will walk back to camp,” you say, though the threat is empty. 

He holds back a smile. “I was cheating a little. Jassa’s Dagger is only seen in winter in the north.”

“I can’t believe you would do that to me.” You roll your eyes at him playfully, retreating to sit down on the blanket. “C’mon, self-appointed star expert, show me the stars.” You pat the space next to you, eager to listen to him tell you everything he knows about the night sky. The two of you lie back on the blanket, the evening only beginning.

The moonlight is soft and gentle across Gale's face as he looks up at the sky, an arm behind his head as he points out different constellations to you with an eagerness that warms your heart. Seeing him in this light, in this moment where it's just the two of you, makes you want to be selfish and keep it like this. Would everyone miss you back at camp? Would they even notice? 

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" he says softly, a smile on his face as his eyes scan across the stars. You haven't been looking at what he was showing you, too enamoured by him to look away. The star's beauty is nothing compared to him, you thought. 

"Yeah, really beautiful," you reply, though you weren’t talking about the stars. 

He catches your gaze on him, and in this light you can see his cheeks flush red. "I thought we were stargazing… not Gale-gazing." 

You let out a laugh. "Can't it be both?"

There’s a moment where he considers something and he keeps his eyes on you for a little longer. “Only if it goes both ways.”

Now it’s your turn for your cheeks to warm up and you turn your gaze back to the stars, feeling his eyes on you as you pretend like everything is fine. It wasn’t, you can feel your heart racing and you hope that it wasn’t too noticeable.

A quiet settles over you both as you look at the night sky. Nothing but a slight breeze breaks the peace you have around you and you wish you could pause time to stay like this forever. It’s such a nice change of pace from running around all day, surviving by the skin of your teeth. You find yourself looking back at Gale once you are certain he’s no longer looking at you, and a smile crosses your face. He looks so at peace here. Another reason why you want to stay like this, you suppose. For so long you’ve both been dealt problems after problems and to finally carve out a moment’s peace? You want to be selfish. You feel like you deserve to be selfish right now.

He catches you staring again and moves his arm, an invitation for you to move closer to him if you want. It’s something you accept almost immediately, resting your head on his chest with a soft sigh of content. There’s only been a handful of times where you had an excuse to be this close to Gale and you were going to savour every moment of this. He’s warm, and in this proximity you can smell the faintest hint of old books, like you’ve just stepped foot in a library. It’s comforting and you ease yourself into his arms, gazing back up at the sky.

Now that you are both in the same space, he begins to point out specific stars and constellations to you, talking softly in detail about each and every one of them. His voice is calming; you could quite easily fall asleep to the sound of him. Maybe once all of this was over you could curl up in his arms with a good book with no worries except what to read afterwards. A quaint and quiet life away from tadpoles and illithids and sleeping in the middle of nature. You couldn’t help but feel a little silly for imagining a life with Gale once the tadpole is removed, having no idea if he even felt the same way towards you. You’re reminded that he’s quite literally holding you in his arms right now and took you stargazing because you brought it up earlier today. Perhaps it isn’t as one sided as you thought.

As you gaze up at the sky, looking at each star Gale points at that makes up a constellation, your eyes are suddenly drawn to some movement further west. Darting across the sky in a beam of light is what you only assume is a meteor. 

“I just saw something go across the sky,” you say quickly, tapping him in excitement and pointing in the direction of where the meteor flew by. Another moves across the sky and you grin widely, sitting up to get a better look. Gale follows, arm behind you and shoulder touching yours. He lets out a small gasp when another meteor is seen.

“Incredible! I wasn’t expecting them to be seen until later on,” he admits and you thank the stars for their early arrival.

Seeing each meteor race across the sky, sometimes multiple at a time, is wondrous. It amazes you how these things are possible and how this is the first time you were properly paying attention to it. So much of your nights were staring blankly at the sky and waiting for sleep to come but this was so different. You are actually enjoying it.

After a rather particularly dazzling set of stars shoot across the sky you turn to Gale to see his reaction but you’re met with his soft gaze on you instead.

“Hey… I thought we were stargazing,” you say quietly with a grin, ignoring how you are certain you are blushing. It’s fine when you were the one looking at him but to be on the receiving end makes you feel very flustered.

He doesn’t reply for a beat, instead moving a hand to brush a lock of your hair behind your ear ever so delicately. “I’ve seen a million stars, but nothing as beautiful as how you look right now.”

It is unexpected to the point where you have to remind yourself to breathe. Gale's hand rests on your cheek and you find yourself leaning into the touch. 

"Three hundred years is a long time to wait for the next meteor shower," you whisper, hand coming up to rest atop of his. 

"The stars can wait," he replies. 

You can't help but laugh softly. "That's not what you said earlier." 

He smiles in response and goes to reply, but his eyes are drawn upwards and drops his hand from your cheek. You’re met with the cool night air again and cannot help but miss his touch already. 

Above you the sky lights up with many trails of stars shooting across the space. When one disappears another takes its place and if your mind wasn’t so full of thoughts you would think of some poetic line about people and burning out and divinity. But right now all you could think about was Gale. As you look back across at him, you get the sense that he’s equally as distracted.

You reach for him, hand resting on his chest as the thought of how willing he was to sacrifice himself for everything crosses your mind. A frown forms on your face at that, the idea that things could be so very different if you had let him. 

“I’m glad you’re still here,” you whisper. Part of you hopes it was quiet enough that he didn't hear it but when his eyes widen ever so slightly at your comment you wish you had said it louder, to tell the Gods that they were not going to take the people you care about from you that easily.

“I’m glad, too,” he replies, his hand brushing against yours for a second. “As much as my sacrifice would help, I would miss these little moments… with you.” He takes your hand, pressing a soft kiss against your knuckles. The gesture is unexpected yet he does it so gently you swear your heart misses a beat. 

It’s like time freezes, as Gale looks up at you with a small smile. You brush your hand against his cheek, finding yourself leaning closer to him. There’s a mix of emotions you are feeling as the space between you both grows smaller - nerves and excitement course through your veins. 

“Is this alright?” he whispers as you give him a nod in response, a smile spreading across your face.

The kiss is gentle, short but sweet yet his touch lingers on you in a similar way to how your magic lingers after casting. It’s addictive and you cannot help but want more.

After living your life for so long following the demands and pressure of your deity, to allow yourself to indulge in such mortal desires is something you have never considered before. 

There’s still a hint of nervousness in the air, a hesitancy that echoes around the both of you. For so long the divine have played roles in both of your lives and now, in this space, it was just the two of you. No Gods, no outside opinions, just you and Gale and the millions of stars shining down upon you.

You didn't need the divine to tell you what to do or how to feel - you were allowing yourself this moment of peace in the middle of chaos. 

It's like a thousand stars are inside of you, twinkling and burning brightly as he reaches for you, meeting you for another kiss. His arms wrap around you and you feel the nerves melt away. Your hands tangle in his hair as he pulls you closer, leaning back onto the blanket. A soft laugh escapes your lips as you adjust to the new position, his lips meeting yours before they could be apart for too long. The kiss turns from gentle and shy to something deeper, only growing with each touch and movement. It’s like nothing you could imagine and all you could think of was wanting more.

From  the forest behind you a deep and sudden hoot spooks you both, an unexpected noise in the serene quiet you have carved out. A wave of divine energy leaves your hand on instinct, a guiding bolt scorching one of the nearby trees. The smell of burnt wood fills your nose as the flap of wings signals to you that the owl flies off, not wanting to be hit.

“You certainly showed that tree,” Gale says with a small laugh, hands resting on your waist as you turn back to him, embarrassed. 

“I guess I’m slightly on edge still,” you reply, the warmth of your magic still coating your hands. Perhaps you overreacted to that. “Though, if anyone is sneaking up on us I think I scared them away.”

Gale sits up and draws a sigil in the air, bringing back the dancing lights. He sends them away, casting light around the forest to make sure no one is sneaking up on you. When the lights show nothing but trees you relax.

“Perhaps it’s time we call it a night?” he suggests. “The last thing we need is for one of our fellow companions to come searching for us and you scorch them into a crisp.”

“You’re right.” You move back to give him some space, turning your gaze back up to the sky. “Who knew the stars could be so much fun?”

He laughs, giving you a look that suggests that he knows it wasn’t just the stargazing you enjoyed. “I’m more than happy to lend you books on the stars if you’re enjoying yourself that much.”

“Only if you read it to me. I quite like the sound of your voice.” You note the blush on his cheeks when you say that, and he’s quick to turn his back to you to start packing everything away.

The dancing lights return to your little area, the purple orbs of light flickering around you as Gale begins to pack away the telescope. You sit, fingers grazing across one of the orbs with a curious intent. A tiny shock of energy responds to your touch and Gale turns to look at you with a frown.

“Everything alright?” he asks as you give a nod, moving your hand away from the light that floats by you. He looks from the orb to you and smiles. “You know I can feel when you interact with them.”

“You can?” You gently poke the light and he laughs, taking a seat opposite you.

“It’s more like I can sense when things are interacting with it. Good for things like a mage hand or bigger spells, useless for others,” he explains and you nod, moving the light away from your face so you don't blind yourself with it. “I assume you have a similar thing with your magic?”

You give him a shrug, never having thought of that. “I’m not really sure. Your magic feels a lot different to mine, which makes sense, I suppose… being that mine’s divine in nature.”

He looks at you curiously, head tilted to the side. “What does it feel like?”

“It feels like lightning, but smaller. Every time I touch the lights there’s a crackle of energy,” you explain, hand brushing over one of the orbs that is near you. “It’s like I’m standing outside just before a storm… everything’s on edge and there’s a sense of static in the air.”

Gale nods as you speak, purple light casting over the both of you as the dancing lights rotate around. He looks pretty in the light and you want to capture the sight of him in your mind forever.

“And what does my magic feel like? You’ve certainly experienced enough of it to know.” You grin. There’s been many times where you would be at Gale’s side to heal him after a rough round of combat. No matter how many times you told him to keep back he seemed to enjoy rushing in and obliterating anything that came towards him.

“Warm. It reminds me of home if I’m being completely honest. I feel safe,” he says softly and you weren’t expecting that. “Not to play favourites but I prefer the feel of your magic than Shadowheart’s. Hers is cold, slightly suffocating in a unusual way. Yours is like… a warm embrace from someone you love.”

You immediately feel that comment going to your head and even though you wouldn't dare tell Shadowheart that, it makes you feel… something. It is hard to pinpoint the exact feeling but you know that you were going to think about that for a long while now.

Safe. The word repeats around your head and you feel your chest well with warmth at the fact that Gale felt safe around you and your magic. The divine works in mysterious ways and they seem to have blessed you with this moment. It made all the times you’ve healed him worth it.

Once everything is packed away, you begin the walk back towards camp hand in hand. It’s nice, though the closer you get back to the others you can’t help but grow nervous. The quiet away from everyone has been nice and it’s a shame it was over. As much as you enjoy the company of everyone else, sometimes they could get a bit much. You give Gale a sad look as you let go of his hand, but he just nods in understanding. This was new. You didn't want to rush anything yet.

Scratch runs up to you both as you enter camp and you’re quick to give him as many scratches as possible to keep him from barking and waking everyone up. Not that it mattered much, but you preferred your late night excursion out with Gale to not become the camp’s latest gossip. You walk back to Gale’s tent, Scratch following at your heel.

“This was fun,” you say, setting down the telescope case. “We should do it again.”

Gale gives you a sly smile. “The stargazing? Or the…” he pauses, taking a quick glance around the other tents to make sure no one else was awake. 

You’re quick to finish off his sentence. “Why not both?”

“I suppose you’re right. It was quite fun, even if it does feel a little juvenile to sneak away for a secret rendezvous of sorts.” 

“Would you prefer it if everyone knew? We can always announce it loudly next time,” you say with a laugh as he’s quick to shake his head.

“Gods no. Not yet, anyway. Perhaps in the future? If this is a thing we are to keep doing… I do rather enjoy your company, you know.”

“So do I.” You look behind you, and when you are certain the coast is clear, press a soft kiss to his cheek. 

As you start to take a step back, he catches your lips in a kiss. It’s over quicker than you would have wanted but you were both playing a dangerous game doing this so out in the open. But everyone was asleep, surely stealing kisses from him would be fine?

Against what your mind is telling you to do, you put space between you both. “Goodnight, Gale.”

“Goodnight,” he replies with a warm smile, watching you leave for a beat before heading into his own tent to hide how red his face was.

You retreat back to your own tent for the night, Scratch following behind you. Before you head inside to rest, you look back through the treeline up at the stars and smile. Maybe stargazing was more fun than you originally thought.

[genericpuff]

Webtoons Is Making Moves - So Should You.

We all saw it coming ages ago and now it's finally here. There's no more beating around the bush or doubting if anyone is "reading into it too much", Webtoons' use of AI in its more recent webtoons is not an accident, not an oversight, but by design, it always has been. And I guaran-fucking-tee you that the work that already exists on the platform won't be safe from Webtoons' upcoming AI integration through scraping and data mining. Sure, they can say they're not gonna replace human creators, but that doesn't change the fact that AI tools, in their current form, can't feasibly exist without stealing from pre-existing content.

Plus, as someone who's tested their AI coloring tools specifically... they're a long, LONG way away from actually being useful. Like, good luck using them for any comic style that isn't Korean manwha featuring predominantly white characters with small heads and comically long legs. And if they do manage to get their AI tools to incorporate more art styles and wider ranges of character identities... again, what do you think it's been trained on?

Also, as an added bit that I found very funny:

Um, I'm sorry, what fucking year is it? Because platforms like WT and Tapas have both been saying this for years but we're obviously seeing them backpedal on that now with the implementation of in-house publishing programs like Unscrolled which have reinvented the wheel of taking digital webtoons and going gasp physical! It's almost like the platform has learned that there's no sustainable profit to be had in digital comics alone without the help of supplementary streams of income and is now trying to act like they've invented physical book publishing!

"The future of comic publishing, including manga, will be digital"??? My brother in christ, Shonen Jump has been exclusively digital since 2012! What rock have the WT's staff been living under that they're trying to sell digital comics as the "future" to North Americans as if we haven't already been living in that future for over ten years now?? We've had an entire generation of children raised on that same digital media since then! This isn't the selling point you think it is LMAO If anything, the digital media market here in NA is dying thanks to the enshittification of digital content platorms like Netflix, Disney+, and mainstream social media platforms! That "future" is not only already both the past and present, but is swiftly on its way out! Pack it up and go home, you missed the bus!

Literally so much of WT's IPO pitch is just a deadass grift full of corporate buzzwords and empty promises. They're trying so hard to convince people that their business model is infinitely profitable... but if it were, why do they need the public's money? And where are all those profits for the creators who are being exploited day after day to fill their platform with content? Why are so many creators still struggling to pay their bills if the company has this much potential for profit?

Ultimately even their promised AI tools don't ensure profit, they ensure cutting expenses. The extra money they hope to make isn't gonna come from their content generating income, it's gonna come from normal people forking over their money in the hopes that it'll be turned around, and from Webtoons cheapening the medium even further until it's nothing but conveyer belt gruel. Sure, "making more than you spend" is the base definition of "profit", but can we really call it that when it's through the means of gutting features, retiring support programs, letting go editing staff, and limiting resources for their own hired freelancers who are the only reason they even have content to begin with? That's not sustainable profit or growth, that's fighting the tide which can and will carry them away at any moment.

I'm low key calling it now, a year or two from today we're gonna be seeing massive lawsuits and calls to action from the people who invested their money into WT and subsequently lost it into the black hole that is WT's "business model". This is a company that's been operating in the red for years, what about becoming an IPO is gonna make them "profitable"? Let alone profitable enough to pay back their investors in the spades they're expecting? The platform and its app are already shit and they're about to become even worse, we are literally watching this company circle the drain in the modern day's ever-ongoing race to the bottom, enshittification in motion, but they're trying to convince us all the same that they're "innovating".

Webtoons doesn't want to invest in its creators. We as creators need to stop investing in them.

[bravo4iscool]

Levi Baby🖤

The way I adore you for pairing Simon with a Chubby girl. I bring a thot to you if you're interested:

Bodyguard!Simon Ghost Riley x chubby f!reader

- He's newly retired , gets asked for a favor from Price for a friend's kid

- Said kid is a mid 20's thicc woman who is all business since she's a lawyer in Human Rights and involved with the UN.

- He thinks she's going to be a snob based off looks bc girl loves to dress and she does it well, she observes Simon as he is. Brooding, Haunted and Self Assureed with a drizzle of dark humor but loyal.

- They get off on the wrong foot [Simon was being an irrational ass forgetting his manners and respect], reader isn't scared of him and doesn't take lightly to being disrespect3d for no apparent reason.

- They're holed up living together under the radar since the thr3at to reader was pretty big seeing it was world leaders

- They're going to have to learn to live with each other, where Simon barks orders - reader is anamused and calmly condescends. He can't even get annoyed bc she's antisocial and a houseplant but he's trying

- doesn't help that he's so.so attracted to her.

*make this as suggestive as you want (give ghost heart attacks with her choice of home clothes please. We know he's touch straved, emotionally constipated and needed a therap session.

Make her stress him out by confronting all of that in her short fiery demon way please.

I hope your new year is sweet Love💋

oh lord. oH LORD. how can you write this and not think about me fainting😭 THIS IS- URGH- AMAZING AHHHQGACQGQVQZQZAVQ!!!!

i hope i can do this justice😭 normally i try to imitate simon’s accent but bro… i was just too tired to do it now, so i hope you can forgive me for that🥲

KEEP HITING ME WITH STUFF LIKE THIS OH MY GOD😩

not really happy but i tried my best :) also not proof-read!

(masterlist)

REQUESTS/ASKS OPEN!!!

“There’s no but’s!” Simon argues while almost dragging you—his protégée—along the hallway inside the safe house. “You’re in danger and it’s my job to protect you!”

“I’ve been perfectly fine on my own before,” you argue, trying your best to wriggle away from his grip. You hated it when he manhandled like that.

He turns around, his eyes fiercely staring down at you and you feel like they’re piercing through your soul. “Have you ever had the Taliban threaten you, huh? Or fucking ISIS? I don’t think so; so stop whining and follow me!”

You want to argue with him, tell him he’s not allowed to talk to you that way but damn, you knew he was right. Ever since you started working for the UN you’ve been threatened—you were getting used to it—but only by small groups not someone like the Taliban.

“We’re gonna stay here until the threat is eliminated for not serious anymore.” His statement leaves little room to argue but you’re itching to say something anyway. It’s wasn’t your nature to just shut up. You were a lawyer, you were used to arguing.

You grimace as you force yourself to accept your fate. You didn’t want to but in the end you knew Simon was right. So, you follow him, an annoyed look on your face. You hated it when he was right.

“It’s only temporary,” he grumbles as he kicks a door open and pushes you inside. “It’s not like I want it, okay?”

You only roll your eyes, throwing a halfhearted ‘whatever’ at him and inspecting the room he hauled you into. “This is where I’m gonna stay?” you ask him, a slight hint of defeat in your voice.

“Pretty much, yes. I’ll be on the other side of the hallway,” he explains, leaning against the door frame. “In case anything happened, of course,” he immediately adds; just so you don’t get a…wrong picture of this whole thing here.

“We got wifi here?” is you next questions when you turn to look at him, your arms crossed in front of your chest.

“No wifi. No contact to the outer world,” is his answer and you feel your blood start to boil.

“You have to be kidding me! How am I supposed to work then?” You throw your hands in the air, letting out an angry huff. “You can’t just cut me off civilisation!”

He only shrugs. “I can and I will. Work can wait, alright? Your life is more important now.” Again his voice leaves no room to argue but this time you won’t take it. You put your hands on your hips, looking up at him.

“You think that’s how it works? Then, please Lieutenant Riley,” you spit out his rank “fly over to the dozens of war criminals and tell them to stop too! Oh wait-“ you act shocked. “That’s not how it fucking works! You can’t expect me to sit still and look pretty while the world drowns in injustice!”

“Would make things a lot easier tho,” he mumbles under his breath while pushing himself off the door frame. “Just…do something that doesn’t require wifi or anything like that, alright?” Before you can even think of an answer he leaves, shutting the door behind him. Why the hell was he treating like some little child?

~

“How old is she?” Simon wants to know as he hands his old Captain the picture of you back. He’s sat on a chair, his legs spread, one arm resting on the back rest.

“Mid 20s,” Price answers, placing his folded hands onto the table. “She needs security and her father’s not really…trusting the usual companies; and since you’re nearly retired I thought you could use the job.” Simon holds Price’s gaze and nods along. “He trusts me, therefore he trusts you. She’s a lawyer, heavily associated and involved with the UN and human rights.”

“What are the details?” Simon slightly tilts his head, curiously raising his eyebrows.”

“24/7 protection. The full package. You’ve done it before,” Price explains and Simon once again nods along. “Before you take the job tho-“ he pauses. “She’s, well… she’s a lawyer Simon. You need to know what you get into.” The Captains gaze hardens, his back straightening. “She won’t like that she’s on protection detail, therefore she’ll be treating you like that.”

Simon only smirks, flipping his well kept coin between his fingers. “There’s nothing I can’t handle John. I’ve met people like that before and I was perfectly fine.”

Now Price was the one smirking while shaking his head. “I know and I don’t question your abilities but she’s a civilian—the one you’re protecting. You can’t handle this the way you’ve handled other subjects before.”

“I know what I’m getting into,” Simon assures in a calm tone definitely not knowing what he was getting himself into.

~

“Fucking hell,” Simon mutters when he first sees you. You’re walking straight to you office—the one he was sitting in—involved in a heated talk with that seemed like your secretary.

He’s able to make out single words but well, his hearing wasn’t the best anymore after nearly 20 years of military service. And now he thinks he probably should’ve stayed in the field.

The way you’re waking and talking and dressing just screams ‘snob’ at him. He slightly lowers his head to gaze at you, once again playing with his coin. Maybe he should’ve declined the offer and taken on the underground wrestling instead. Would’ve been more fun for sure.

As soon as you spot your guest you send your secretary away, bracing yourself for the following conversation. You weren’t a fan of getting security and you definitely weren’t a fan of the fact that it was a friend of your father’s friend and he—apparently—was everything but easy.

“Lieutenant Riley,” you greet him, extending your hand to him. When he stands up to his full height you slightly crane your neck; the professional smile still on your face.

“Ma’am,” he greets in a gruff voice, the skin of his hand raw and calloused as he return the handshake. “Pleased to meet you.” He isn’t. He just wants to leave but he brought this on himself so he needs to finish it now. ‘One year’, he told himself. ‘Then I can quit.’

“I can only return the pleasure,” you smile, clearing your throat. “Would you mind sitting down at my desk?” You ask, pointing towards said desk. “I think it’s easier to discuss business over there.”

Simon agrees, towering over you as he makes his way over to one of the chairs in front of the desk. You take place behind it, carefully straightening your blouse. He needs to warn himself not to stare. Fuck, why were you so pretty? A pretty little snob…

~

“This has to be taken seriously!” Simon raises his voice at you, successfully blocking the door of your office.

“This is nothing I haven’t dealt with before,” you argue with him, crossing your arms in front of your chest. “So please, Simon, let me get out of my office and back to work.”

He huffs, “Not a change. You’ll be staying here until the threat is cleared.” He glances over his shoulder, loving and hating the fact that you had a glass office. “Are these bullet prove?” he asks, looking at you again.

You sigh, “No.”

“We’ll have that changed,” he immediately answers and you start to shake your head.

“We’ll have nothing changed! You weren’t hired to renovate my office!” You walk towards him. “Now, Mr. Riley, please step aside so I can continue working.”

“Not happening.” He straightens up to his full height, expecting you to back off but you do the exact opposite. You swat your finger at him, looking up.

“I don’t care what you think, you will stay here; if you want it or not.” His voice is stern and stoic and you need to do your best to not full on scream at him.

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that,” you hiss, your index finger jabbing his chest. “I can make my own decisions, I’m a responsible adult. So don’t you dare talk down to me that way!”

When Simon doesn’t make a move you let out an angry huff and shake your head. Then you turn away and stalk towards your desk. “Fucking military man,” you curse under your breath, ignoring the way he stared you down.

~

You stare at your open suitcase, debating what to wear. On the one hand, you kinda were on your own, on the other hand, Simon was with you.

You were comfortable in your body—no question—you actually kinda liked the extra cushions but sometimes you felt like Simon was staring at you. Like he wasn’t able to take his eyes off of you and that made you…feel something. Something you were afraid of.

“Ah fuck it,” you say under your breath, fishing out some shorts and a shirt. You could care less about what Simon thinks. You both are only work related. Nothing else.

You tap down the stairs, walking straight into the kitchen. “You want something to eat?” You ask Simon, glancing at him when you hear him enter.

“You willing to make some?” he jokes, expecting you to say ‘no’ but when you say ‘yes’ his eyes widen and he pauses for a second. When you notice it you let out a small chuckle, opening the fridge and multiple cabinets to see what you could make.

“Any friends that’ll miss you?” he asks once you place a plate in front of him, looking up at you with curious eyes.

You shake your head, “Nope. Not really.” You sit down opposite of him, grabbing your fork. “Too busy to have friends.”

He tilts his head, blindly picking up the food either his fork. “No boyfriend?” He knows you don’t have one. You have no dates, no flings, nothing; but he wants to hear it from you. Maybe then his fantasies wouldn’t be so forbidden…

“Please,” you laugh. “We’d be divorced before we even married.” You take a sip of water and look at him. “I don’t have time for relationships and that kind of stuff. I have a target to pursue. Ain’t no time for distraction.”

He only nods in an understanding manner, playing with his beer bottle. “And you?” you ask. “You got someone?”

He shakes his head. “Nah. I’ve got you to deal with. That’s enough.” He smirks when he sees your facial expression, letting out a low chuckle. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for,” he continues joking. “But no. I don’t have anyone. Never really had.”

“Oh…” you say in an almost pitiful tone and he hates it. It not that he couldn’t get someone. He just didn’t want to. That’s a big difference. “Well not really different for me,” you then snort, slightly grimacing. You had this one guy ask you out for prom but that turned out to be a bet rather fast and after than you decided to not to date in school or university anymore.

Yeah sure, you were more chubby than other girls but that doesn’t mean that you’re not lovable, right? By now you were comfortable in your body—you were in your mid 20’s—but sometimes you felt yourself slipping back into the insecure girl you once were. The one who thought that no man would ever lay his eyes on her in a lustful or loving manner.

Simon’s itching to say something; to ask why you don’t have anyone… You’re perfect. You’re nice—even if he hated to admit it. You’re pretty, you’re so fucking soft… Did the men around you not see that?

“Simon?” You wave your hand around in front of his face, chuckling when he slightly flinches, his pupils blow. “Are you alright?” you carefully ask, eying him as if something was wrong.

But he only clears his throat, “Yes. Everything’s fine.” Then he hastily stands up and nods at you. “Thank you for the food.”

You watch after him as he leaves, a frown on your face. Was he really okay or was he just lying to you?

Simon on the other hand was probably turning red as a tomato. How could he allow himself to slip like that? Fuck, he needed to keep himself better under control.

As soon as he reaches his room he shuts the door and leans against it while opening his pants with shaking hands.

He had a—growing—problem and he needed take care of it. Now.

-

Approximately one week into the lockdown Simon finds you in the living room, crouched over a bunch of files and documents.

“What’s that?” he wants to know, looking over your shoulder.

“Work,” you simply reply, taking notes and pushing the papers around. You were so close, this close to finally finish this case but something was missing and it stressed you out.

He slowly nods, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “And how did you manage to get these files?”

“I’m a lawyer Simon. I have my ways and connections,” is your plain answer and you can basically feel him tensing behind you.

“What if they give away your location,”

“They won’t.”

“How can you be sure?” He tries his best to be calm but god, you were testing his nerves. He gave you strict orders and you were supposed to follow them.

You turn around with an annoyed sigh, looking up at him. “Because my father brought me those. You think he would sell me out to the enemy? I doubt so.”

You raise your eyebrow, waiting for any other complaint by him but be only looks at the files behind you, then at you again. “Maybe check the mission reports of the special forces.” With that he leaves you alone, more than confused.

You know why Simon told you what he told you when you find what you need exactly there. The mission reports were sitting somewhere beneath everything else because you didn’t pay much attention to them; in the end they were the solution.

Now you could finally link the crimes to someone and with that to the government or the military at least.

The next time you see Simon you almost jump into his arms, thanking him over and over again. “Now the case is finally closed,” you tell him with a big grin on your face, completely forgetting that you’re usually not so happy when around him.

Simon just awkwardly pats your back, pushing you off him and ignoring the burning desire deep within him. He knew it was risky to give you a tip but you were struggling and he didn‘t like that. He just hoped that you wouldn’t ask him why he knew that you should look at the mission reports. Once you knew that he was a war criminal this job would be over. And while you certainly were a pain in the ass sometimes he felt a very present attraction towards you.

-

Simon realises he’s a goner when he wakes up one morning and sees you walking around in a shirt. Just a shirt, as far as he can see and it does something to you. His hands are itching to touch you and he finds himself excusing himself more and more to the bathroom.

And you? You started to notice the kind of power you have over him and it makes you boast with pride. You, a chubby little lawyer in your mid 20s, has him, an almost 40 year old retired military Lieutenant, wrapped around your little finger.

After that you decide to play a little game. Wouldn’t hurt, no? Just subtle touches. Brushing his arm when you walk past him, patting his chest when he helps you with something, your legs touching his whenever you sit beside him.

He tries to shrug it off but you can practically feel how worked up he gets and how hard it is for him to keep him shit together; and that fuels you only more. How long would it take for him to break? To crumble beneath your touch, huh? You wanted, no, you needed to find that out.

Simon knows what you were doing. He isn’t stupid but he hates it. How was he so weak that you were able to play with him like that?

After a week, maybe two of you dancing around him he has you caged in against the kitchen counter, towering over you.

“What makes you think you can just play with me like that, huh?” he asks in a low voice, his eyes scanning your face for any reaction. “You think it’s funny? Working me up like that every day?”

You try not to be intimidated—or turned on—by him but god, he’s just- you don’t have any words for it. He’s tall, broad and fucking strong. You once got a look at the muscles under all his clothes and you weren’t the same after that. Nu-uh.

“I thought you like it,” you reply with a cocky grin, trying to overshadow your uncertainty. “Do you want me to stop?” You blink at him, acting all innocent and pure. In the corner of your eye you see his grip on the counter tightening. Oh, you had him where you wanted him.

A ‘bloody hell’ is all you get before his lips crash down onto yours and he heaves you on top of the counter. His hands find their way to your hips, scarred fingers tracing them and squeezing, wanting to pull you even closer.

The moment his lips touch yours you forget everything else. This is want you wanted—needed—for weeks. And lord, that man knew what he was doing.

You weren’t a fan of him dragging and pushing you around but right now? Right now you couldn’t wish for anything else. You bury your hands in the dirty kind strands of hair on the back of his head, gently pulling at them which results in him groaning in your mouth.

“Take me to the bedroom and maybe I’ll stop teasing you,” you breathlessly tell him once he breaks the kiss only to kiss you again immediately making you all hot and tingly.

You can feel him smirk against his lips before they trail down your neck towards your collar bone. “Ain’t gonna take you anywhere love,” he whispers and you’re able to once again feel him smirk against your skin. “Gonna fuck you right here on that kitchen counter. You want that?” he looks up at you through hooded eyes, which makes you swallow.

“Words love, words.” His tone is playful even tho you can see the desperation in the way his hands move all over your body, letting you see stars already.

“Yes…please,” you almost choke out, feeling like everything you want to say is being swallowed my your throat again. You’re unable to talk.

“That’s what I wanted to hear,” Simon teases, straightening up to kiss your lips again, cupping your cheek. “Gonna take good care of you,” he promises. “I’m gonna show you how a real man treats you,” he swears and you can feel a familiar but also unfamiliar heat building in the pit of your stomach.

(i got scared to write the rest👍🏼. i’m sorry, i’m still new to writing smut😭)

[seat-safety-switch]

On the edge of town, there's a house that's reported to be haunted. Because I am not capable of working a normal job, I took some money to investigate. I figured that, worst case, it would be just an old, creaky house, and I'd have a new project to keep me busy for an afternoon. It's very important that I be kept busy.

As soon as I arrived, I found the source of the problem. The house, being old, has been settling for years. One of the door frames leading from the bedroom has gotten out of square, so it squeaks. At night, I bet this made a pretty spooky moaning sound, surely leading to the mistaken belief that this place was haunted. Easy thirty minute fix.

Now, before you think too highly of me, I am certainly no Bob Vila. I'm not even a Bob The Builder. Houses and me are in sort of a detente, where they agree to slow down their slide into the Earth itself, and I agree not to rip out their bathrooms, causing them unnecessary pain. It's very cruel what most homeowners will do, but I digress.

Still, I know my way around the major parts, and it's amazing what a fresh couple of 2x4s nailed haphazardly around the kitchen do to sell to a homeowner that you are, in fact, licensed and authorized to do major structural repairs. Certainly not some kind of degenerate who drives around in a variety of dieseling Malaise Era shitboxes.

That night, as I was getting to sleep, I heard a spooky moaning sound. I was very angry that the doorframe had not in fact been fixed by my low-effort attempt at a repair, and I threw my hammer as hard as I could into the hallway in a blind rage.

"Ouch!" shrieked a voice, followed by the sound of a tumbling body wrapped in a crude ghost costume falling down several flights of stairs.

I was right, you know. Old Man McGillicuddy, the realtor who wanted to buy the house super-cheap, isn't a ghost. Or at least he wasn't.