#Jo Li Eats

[ryan-is-a-god]

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CONDIMENTS!!!!!

NO ONE NEEDS THAT MANY CONDIMENTS! AND BEFORE YOU SAY "THERES NO SUCH THING AS TOO MANY CONDIMENTS"

NO- NO- YOU THINK THAT, AND THEN ONE DAY YOU OPEN YOUR FRIDGE, YOU BOUGHT SOMETHING REAL, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, JUICE, IDC EVEN A GODDANMED CAKE AND WHAT DO YOU FIND? SO MANY CONDIMENTS YOU'RE DROWNING IN THEM! THEY AREN'T EVEN EXPIRED SO YOU CANT JUSTIFY TRASHING THEM AND THEY AREN'T EVEN YOURS SO YOU WOULDN'T!!!!

THERE IS NO SURFACE AREA NOT INHABITANTED WITH CONDIMENTS, AND ON TOP OF THEM IS MORE CONDIMENTS!!!

IM NOT EVEN OVER EXAGGERATING THIS LITERALLY JUST HAPPENED!!!!

[kajibunny]

.⋆｡🍓࿔˚what their kisses taste like...⊹ ࣪˖🍰˚⊹♡ w/ wind breaker boys

✿ featuring: ren kaji, haruka sakura, hajime umemiya, hayato suo, jo togame, mitsuki kiryu ✿ contains: fluffy fluff fluff, looots of kissing, descriptions of the way they taste ✿ a/n: i honestly think they would all taste really good (•ᴗ<˶)✧₊ ⊹ that's it, that's the post i guess! happy reading, cuties! ♥︎ ✿ wc: 1.5k

ʚɞ kaji - 

kaji asked you to hold his lollipop for him, entrusting you with his half-eaten candy in your hands while he went to buy a drink from the vending machine.

you pop the sweet sucker into your mouth, an unconscious habit. ever since you two got together you've always shared everything with kaji, so sharing his lollipop should be no exception, right? 

"that's mine." his eyes are now fixated on your mouth, where his lollipop stick hangs out of, and he can't help but think about how it's just been in his mouth about ten seconds ago, and he wondered if you could taste him on it too. 

"i'll buy you some more tomorrow." you told him, with no intention of giving back his lollipop at all.

"it's okay. i don't mind sharing with you." kaji takes out the lollipop from your mouth and gives you a taste of his own lips instead, pressing it against yours fervently. 

oh, so that's what he meant by sharing. 

notes of peach faintly made its way onto your lips, and transferring over to his as well. "this is mine, too." he declares, once again staking his claim on your mouth, which tasted just as sweet as the lollipop he just had, maybe even sweeter. 

kissing you left such a nice taste, fueling kaji's desire for more, so much so that it made him contemplate about the thought of replacing his lollipops with your lips instead.

ʚɞ sakura - 

sakura is still so, so blushy around you, even though you two have spent multiple nights together, his face still flushes scarlet whenever you did your nightly self-care routine, your shoulder touching his while he was brushing his teeth over the sink. he finished up and rinsed off, while you waited for him with a huge, proud smile on your face.

"good job, baby!" you peck his lips, obsessed with the way he adorably heats up every time you praise him, this time it was for not forgetting to brush before bedtime.

"wh-what are you doing!?" he jumps up after he felt your lips on his, which tasted of spearmint from the toothpaste he had just used. 

"giving you your goodnight kiss!" you replied, with a matter-of-factly tone.

the next night, sakura brushed his teeth again in your shared bathroom while you hovered over the sink, your cleanser in hand. after rinsing his mouth, he just stood there expectantly, as if waiting for you to do something. 

he stared at you with a blush sprawled across his face. "y-you're forgetting something!" he blurted out. you shot him a puzzled look. "am i?" 

sakura's eyes darted down to your lips, giving you a hint of just what he needed from you. "oh, your goodnight kiss? if you liked it so much, you should have said so!" you giggled, smooching sakura's lips like there's no tomorrow. 

ʚɞ suo - 

to say that suo is playful would be an understatement. underneath that sweet, smiling face, lies beneath a naughty guy who has an obsession with the way you taste.

"you have a little teacake at the corner of your mouth." suo, feigning concern, points to the space beside your lips.

"where?" you ask as you try to search for it with your fingertips, to no avail. your eyes brought itself back to suo's scarlet ones, now inches away from your face. 

his lips captures yours in an unexpected kiss, and suo's tongue darts out to lick off the little crumb of teacake at the corner of your mouth. "there, all gone!" he hums happily, a grin on his face, drinking his tea as if his mouth was not latched on to yours just two seconds ago.

now you know why you barely ever get to see suo eat, it's because he'll only eat if it tastes like you. 

ʚɞ umemiya -

you were supposed to wake umemiya up from his nap on the hammock five minutes ago, but how could you? 

his eyes were fluttered shut, hair down and relaxed, umemiya's chest heaving softly, looking like he was so at peace. you hoped he had been dreaming about you, which he probably was, judging from the way a content smile made its way across his lips. 

you just couldn't help yourself as you angled down and gave him a quick little kiss. you giggled to yourself as you caught the aroma of fresh herbs from kissing him, he was probably picking and sampling them and decided to take a little nap afterwards.

umemiya's eyes slowly opened to the sight of you, him immediately wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into the hammock with him. "i didn't even feel that, can you give me one more? pleeeease?" he pleaded, nuzzling his head on your shoulder. 

you complied, giving him another kiss, and he went to deepen it by pulling you even closer. "can you wake me up like this all the time?" umemiya could definitely see himself quickly becoming addicted to your kisses. 

you sighed and giggled, tightly embracing him. how could you ever say no to this man?

ʚɞ togame -

togame was definitely tall, no doubt about it. of course it has its perks and advantages too, like he can reach things for you really easily, he gave the greatest piggyback rides, he was your human furnace during cold nights, and the likes. 

but one thing his height got in the way of was kissing. particularly whenever you wanted to kiss him.

you tugged on togame's robe in a futile attempt to pull him down closer to you. a "hmm?" escaping togame's lips, as a little smile made its way across. he continued drinking his ramune while his eyes made its way to your form. 

"you're too tall, jo." you sighed. even on your tiptoes, you failed to bring his face down to your level so you could kiss him. 

"that so?" he let out a slight chuckle. togame eventually lends you a little help as he leans down until his face was directly in front of yours.

"you could've kissed me if you tried just a little harder, angel." he caresses your cheek, lightly teasing you, his lips capturing yours in a long, slow and passionate kiss. 

"i wanted to kiss you properly." a pout present on your lips. togame loved your cute little pout, it made him want to kiss you more and more. 

"don't worry, we can do it again and again until you are satisfied." 

jo togame was insatiable for you, loving the way you taste, always hungry for more. 

ʚɞ kiryu - 

you have been crushing on kiryu for quite a while now, him being 'totally your type', as you talked about him on and on to your friends, them eagerly listening to you gushing about kiryu's pretty pink hair, soft gentle eyes, beautiful piercings, cat-like smile and not to mention his silly hotdog phone case. 

your friends told you to just go for it, be bold and just ask him if he was dating someone already so that you could cease daydreaming about him occupying your thoughts all day and night, preventing you from getting a proper good night's sleep. 

"kiryu, is there a girl you like?" you nervously ask him.

"there is, actually." he replies. "would you like to see her? i can show you." 

oh. so he had someone he liked already.

the way he smiled as he gave you a direct answer made you want to bury yourself in the ground and never come out.

"y-yeah, sure! i want to see. is she pretty?" you tried to hide the discouraged tone in your voice, thinking about how kiryu's thoughts are probably filled to the brim with his crush, like what you had with him. 

"she is! super pretty! this is her." he picks up his phone and flashes the screen in front of you. half of you did not want to see the object of kiryu's desires, but you were curious and the urge to peek won over you. 

on his phone was a picture of none other than you.

it was a zoomed in photo of you, smiling and laughing while you talked with your friends, and it seemed to be taken after you had just waved "hi" to kiryu. it took a while for you to comprehend that what he meant was that the girl he liked all this time was actually you. 

"she likes you too, kiryu." your cheeks were tinged as pink as his hair, and as pink as kiryu's kissable lips. 

speaking of kiryu's kissable lips, they were making their way onto yours now, brushing against yours, as you felt the cold metal of his labret piercing touch the bottom of your lip. his lips were so soft and warm in contrast to his piercing.

"i've wanted to do that for a long time now." the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a sweet smile. little did kiryu know, you wanted his strawberry chapstick flavored kisses just as much, and maybe even longer.

© kajibunny 2024 / all rights reserved

[archiverstappen]

HI!! Hope you are well! I was wondering if you could do a smau, ferrari!reader (daughter of the ferrari family, like hier to the company? Idk how to explain lol) x max verstappen, where they have known eachother for a while through Jos and stuff, and they are really close, but everyone thinks it's just because they are friends? And then max hard launched reader because everyone is shipping her with one of the ferrari boys? Thanks! <3

hard launch ✧ max verstappen

max verstappen x ferrari! fem! reader

masterlist

had so much fun writing this! thank you for sending in your request anon <3 (requested)

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yn_ferrari eat pasta drive fasta 🍝

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scuderiaferrari See you tomorrow boss 🫡

username mother is mothering more than she has ever mothered before 😍

charles_leclerc bet you were drunk after drinking that amount of wine

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username “CHA” for CHArles?!??! 🥺🥺

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maxverstappen1 🫃

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yn_ferrari

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yn_ferrari always a meaningful race at monza! so glad to be back and see all the tifosi that came to show their support❤️ congrats to carlossainz55 for the podium! (and to maxverstappen1 for breaking the record 😒)

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maxverstappen1 Thank you, Y/N😚

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maxverstappen1 You still make my heart beat fast, Ferrari❤️

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yn_ferrari i thought i told you to keep it PG😡 5 SECOND PENALTY FOR MAX VERSTAPPEN

yn_ferrari unoriginal caption taken from song lyrics?! 183621 SECOND PENALTY!!

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yn_ferrari some things never change

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username okay i guess they’re cute or whatever🙄

maxverstappen1 ❤️💙

papaferrari Can you just give this old man a break…

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charles_leclerc 20+ years of this 🫠

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_

pictures (c) to pinterest and instagram

[lupinqs]

CHAPTER EIGHT ━━ Be You, Be Great

❀ ━ pairing: paige bueckers x oc (jo jacobson)

❀ ━ word count: 6.2K

❀ ━ warnings: angst, mentions of a panic attack/anxiety, underage drinking

❀ ━ links: my masterlist, nobody gets me masterlist

❀ ━ author’s note: this one is kinda all over the place i was gonna split it in two but i tried and i didn’t like that either so here this is anyways. also not proofread at all soooo

THE END of October brings a drought. Not the kind that wilts leaves or cracks the ground, but one that seeps into Jo’s chest and leaves her feeling parched in a way she can’t quite explain. It’s been weeks now since things between her and Paige started drying up, and, no matter how much Jo tries to ignore it, to act like everything’s fine, the ache of it gnaws at her.

It started just before Paige went back to LA and only worsened when she was there. All Jo got from her was clipped texts and dodged FaceTimes scattered with weak excuses about being busy with rehab. Jo had tried not to overthink it, convincing herself Paige was genuinely overwhelmed and that things would go back to normal when she came home.

They didn’t.

Paige still avoids her—not entirely, of course, because they live together, and avoiding her completely would be impossible. But she’s rarely in the apartment anymore, and when she is, it’s brief and transactional. She’s quiet during their rare interactions, offering half-hearted “hey”s and “what’s up”s before disappearing into her room or heading out the door again.

It’s just so different to how things used to be. Before, Jo could count on Paige to be there—physically, emotionally, all of it. They’d talk about anything and everything, share late-night snacks on the couch, or marathon stupid shows just because they could. Paige was Jo’s favorite person to spend time with. But now, it’s like there’s been a complete flip of a switch.

What makes it worse is the not-knowing. Jo has no idea why Paige is pulling back, why she’s suddenly so distant. She’s racked her brain trying to figure it out, wondering if she said or did something wrong. The thought of it eats at her, but she’s too afraid to bring it up. She’s terrified of making it worse or of Paige telling her something she doesn’t want to hear.

So, she says nothing.

Instead, she busies herself with other people. Ice, for one, has been in a bad place ever since dislocating her knee a few weeks ago. She’s out for the season, and Jo knows all too well how isolating that kind of injury can be. She’s been spending a lot of time with her, trying to cheer her up, keep her distracted. It’s been good for both of them, but not the same.

Nothing is the same without Paige.

And Jo knows that Paige is probably out hooking up with other girls most nights—she’s not stupid. Paige never brings anyone back to their apartment, which Jo is grateful for, but the idea of it still stings in a way she can’t explain. It’s probably just the principle of it, that Paige can go out and entertain these other girls every night while simultaneously acting like Jo doesn’t exist.

And this stupid drought lingers even under the bright lights of Gampel.

It’s First Night, the annual event kicking off the basketball season, and the whole arena is packed. The men’s and women’s teams have been split into two groups for the evening’s competitions, with Andre Jackson and Paige as the respective captains. Jo is on Andre’s team.

The evening kicks off with a dizzying mix of games, dances, and contests, the crowd roaring with every half-court shot and mascot stunt. Jo participates in a few challenges with her team, laughing when Andre attempts to dunk it over one of their managers and fails spectacularly.

It’s fun. It should be fun. But Jo can’t help but feel the weight of Paige’s attention—or lack thereof—throughout the night.

When the three-point contest rolls around, Jo is the last to go. Her name gets called, and the crowd cheers for their new freshman. She steps into her corner, shaking her limbs out. She doesn’t look at Paige—can’t, really—but, somehow, she still feels her gaze from where she stands at half-court. Jo doesn’t know how or why she always seems to register it, but the feeling is continuously at the edge of her awareness.

The contest is a blur. Jo doesn’t miss much, her muscle memory doing most of the work, and when the buzzer sounds, Andre and her teammates swarm her, lifting her arms in victory. She grins, basking in the win of it, but her eyes inevitably find Paige.

The blonde is clapping along with the rest of her team, grinning wide and hyping up the crowd, but when her gaze flicks to Jo, something shutters behind her eyes. She doesn’t approach, doesn’t tease her about beating her team. Doesn’t say a single word.

It hurts more than it should.

Jo retreats back to the sidelines, the cheers still echoing in her ears, though her head has started to hurt a little. Since the day she got here, Paige was always the first to hype her up—always the loudest voice in the room for her. Clearly not anymore.

The rest of the event passes in a haze. Jo keeps up with the energy of her team, but her chest feels heavy, weighed down by everything unsaid and unknown. By the time the night ends, she’s exhausted—not from the competition, but from the effort of pretending that everything’s normal and fine.

As the crowd filters out and the teams gather for a final photo, Jo finds herself standing a few feet from Paige. The photographers are shouting directions, rearranging players into rows, but Jo hardly listens. She risks a glance at Paige, who’s laughing at something Alex Karaban just said, her smile radiant and gummy and perfect under the bright arena lights.

But when Paige’s eyes meet Jo’s, probably having sensed her creepy staring, the smile falters. It’s brief—barely noticeable—but Jo sees it. She feels it. And it twists something deep in her chest.

Jo doesn’t know what she did to deserve this distance, but it’s killing her. Whatever is going on with Paige, clearly it might be bigger than anything Jo can fix.

And as much as she hates to admit it, Jo’s starting to wonder if Paige even wants her to try.

IT’S THE first game of the season—a guaranteed blowout against Northeastern—and the energy around campus is full of excitement. Paige should be, too. The start of a new season is always her favorite time of year, a chance to do what she loves most and remind herself why she worked so hard to get here. But this year, it feels more like a countdown to a role she doesn’t want to play.

Paige knows she should be grateful. Grateful that her recovery has gone smoothly so far. Grateful that she’s still part of the team she’s always dreamed of playing for, even if it’s from the sidelines. But sitting out isn’t what she was built for. She misses the adrenaline of the game, the weight of the ball in her hands, the feeling of sneakers skidding across the court as she runs a fast break. She misses the pressure—real pressure—and the way it forces her into focus like nothing else. Without it, she feels… aimless.

So, she’s determined to channel her energy elsewhere. If she can’t play, she’ll hype. She’ll coach. She’ll be Coach P, the way everyone loves her to be. It’s easier that way. Easier to focus on everyone else than to deal with the mess she’s made for herself.

Jo is a big part of that mess.

Paige hasn’t spent a single night in their apartment since she got back to LA—not one. It’s not like she doesn’t want to. She misses the way things were before, how easy and natural it was to be around Jo before everything got so damn complicated. But the thought of sitting in bed with Jo beside her, watching a movie or eating takeout like they always did, feels like far too much.

So, she stays away. She’s made a habit of bouncing between other people’s beds—random girls whose names she barely remembers by the morning. Paige has always been a little reckless when it comes to that stuff, but lately, it’s spiraled into something worse. A distraction. A way to drown out the feelings she doesn’t want to deal with.

But even in that, she’s careful. She doesn’t bring anyone back to her and Jo’s apartment—not after Jo saw Celeste sneaking out during the summer. Paige doesn’t want to do that—doesn’t want Jo to be dragged into her mess.

Paige tells herself she’s protecting both of them by keeping her distance. If she gives herself a little more time, maybe the feelings will face. Maybe they’ll go back to being normal, just friends, the way they’re supposed to be.

But the truth is, Paige doesn’t think it’s working.

She still catches herself watching Jo during practice, noting things she shouldn’t. The way her hair falls into her face when she’s running drills. The soft laugh she lets out whenever Nika says something characteristically stupid. The way she moves on the court—so quick and sharp, like she’s always a step ahead of everyone else. It makes Paige’s stomach flip in a way she hates.

And the more time that’s passed, the more Paige has wondered if she’s just fooling herself. That maybe these feelings aren’t going anywhere at all. That maybe this is just who she is now—stuck and restless, with a hopelessly crush on her roommate, teammate, someone who’s supposed to be her best friend.

She shakes the thought off as she walks into Gampel for shoot-around. Her teammates laugh and joke as they warm up, excited. Paige pulls on her best version of normal, slinging her arm around Azzi and teasing Nika about her taped-up finger.

It works for a while. Her voice rings out as she cheers for Lou’s perfect three-pointer, then for Aaliyah’s easy layup. She’s Paige—bright and loud and focused on everyone but herself.

Afterward, the team files back into the locker room, their chatter bouncing off the walls. Paige trails behind, mentally cataloging what she’ll say during the pregame huddle. But when she glances around the room, she realizes something’s missing.

Someone’s missing.

Jo isn’t there.

It’s not entirely unusual for Jo to slip away for a few minutes—she’s probably grabbing water or something. But Paige’s chest tightens anyway. She leans toward Ice, who’s scrolling through her phone on the bench.

“Hey, you seen Jo?” Paige asks, trying to sound casual.

Ice shrugs without looking up. “She couldn’t have gone far.” Then she glances at Paige, and gives her a look. Her eyebrows lift just enough to make the blonde feel like she’s been caught in a lie she hasn’t even told yet.

Paige’s jaw clenches. She straightens and brushes it off with a quick, “Thanks,” ignoring the unspoken why do you care now? hanging in Ice’s expression.

She slips out of the locker room before anyone else can ask questions, her sneakers squeaking faintly on the polished floor. The back hallways of Gampel are quiet except for the muffled sound of the crowd filtering in through the concrete walls. Paige assumes Jo’s probably just off clearing her head.

But then she hears it.

It’s faint at first, just a sharp, broken sound that makes her pause mid-step. She tilts her head, frowning as she listens harder. For a moment, there’s nothing, just the distant murmur of the arena. Then it comes again—a soft, muffled sob.

Paige stills.

Her chest tightens as she slowly scans the hallway, her eyes narrowing. She knows that sound. It’s raw, unfiltered, the kind of cry that comes from deep inside. Her feet move before she can think, her pulse quickening as she rounds another corner.

And there, huddled in a little alcove off to the side, is Jo.

Her head is buried in her hands, her shoulders trembling violently as her chest heaves with shallow, rapid breaths. Even from a few feet away, Paige can see how hard she’s struggling, her whole body curling in on itself as if trying to disappear.

Paige stops dead in her tracks.

She doesn’t know what to do. Jo isn’t supposed to look like this—broken and vulnerable and so completely unlike herself. Jo’s the happiest, brightest, smiliest person she’s ever met. But here she is, falling apart right in front of Paige, and it feels like the air’s been sucked out of the hallway.

“Jo?” Paige asks softly, hesitantly. “What’s wrong?”

Jo’s head snaps up, her tear-streaked face whipping toward Paige in a startled panic. Her wide, glassy eyes lock on hers for a split second before she looks away, hurriedly wiping at her cheeks with the sleeve of her warm-ups.

“It’s fine,” Jo blurts, her voice cracking as she waves Paige off. “’M fine. Nothing’s wrong. Just—it’s okay. You can go.”

But Paige isn’t going anywhere.

She steps closer slowly, cautiously, her heart pounding as she watches Jo’s chest rise and fall too quickly, her breathe shallow and uneven. Jo’s hands tremble where they’re clenched in her lap, her knuckles white, and Paige begins to recognize the signs.

“Jo,” Paige says again, firmer this time. She crouches slightly, trying to meet Jo’s gaze. “Hey, it’s okay. You can talk to me. I’m here.”

Jo shakes her head violently, her lips trembling as she stares down at her hands. “I don’t—I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she stammers, her voice shaking. “I just—I can’t—” She breaks off, gasping for air as another sob wracks her body.

Paige’s stomach twists. She drops to one knee, her hand hovering awkwardly near Jo’s arm before she finally touches her, rubbing gentle circles on Jo’s sleeve. “Hey, hey, just breathe,” she says softly, trying to keep her voice steady even though she feels like she’s about to unravel herself. “Slow and deep, yeah? Just breathe with me.”

But Jo can’t. Her breaths are too fast, too shallow, and the tears keep coming, spilling down her flushed cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” Jo chokes out. “I’m so sorry, I don’t even know why—I don’t know why I’m like this. Maybe it’s because I forgot to take my anxiety meds today, or—or maybe it’s just everything. I don’t know.”

“Okay,” Paige says gently, nodding even though she feels completely out of her depth. “Okay. That’s okay. Just take your time.”

Jo sniffles, and Paige watches as the younger girl’s nails dig into the fabric of her warm-up pants. “I’m just so nervous,” she admits, her words coming out in a frantic, breathless rush. “Even though I know—it’s so stupid, I know—we’re gonna win by, like, forty points. But I can’t stop thinking about. I don’t wanna mess up. I don’t wanna disappoint anyone.”

Paige’s heart cracks a little more with every word, though she knows it’s not entirely abnormal for a freshman to feel this way. That doesn’t matter. She doesn’t want Jo to feel this way.

The brunette’s breathing stilts again, her voice rising a little as she continues. “Especially not you,” she says. The words come out so soft, so sad, that Paige almost doesn’t hear them. “I don’t wanna disappoint you.”

Paige opens her mouth to say something, but Jo keeps going, her voice trembling as fresh tears begin to fill her eyes. “I—I know I’ve disappointed you—or—or made you mad,” she stumbles, her breath hitting on a quiet sob. “I had to have, right? Because, I mean—why—why else would you be ignoring me?”

Paige’s heart stutters at the words.

Jo’s tear-filled eyes finally meet hers, and Paige is struck by how wide and vulnerable, like every signal wall Jo has ever built is crumbling down. Her lip trembles as she whispers, “What did I do to make you hate me, Paige?”

The question lingers in the air, hanging heavy between them, suffocating Paige with its weight. The words pulse in her chest, beating against her rib cage, and suddenly, she feels like she can’t breathe either. The guilt crashes into her like a tidal wave, a suffocating, all-consuming force.

She should’ve been more considerate. She should’ve seen this coming—Jo’s feelings. She should’ve taken the time to explain, to talk it out. But instead, she had pulled away, had put this distance between them, thinking about all of her own feelings without even giving a thought to Jo’s. And now Jo thinks she hates her. Hates her. The thought slices through Paige, a sharp pain that she can’t shake. It feels like a punch to the gut. The fact that Jo—perfect, pretty, happy, sweet, smart, everything that’s good in the world Jo—could ever believe that makes Paige realize just how much she’s fucked this all up.

I’ve never hated you, Paige thinks desperately, but the words feel so empty, so hollow. They’re not enough. They’ll never be enough.

The irony of it hits her like a ton of bricks—Jo thinks she hates her, but the truth is far more complicated. Because it’s the exact opposite. I like you too much. The thought pops into Paige’s head unbidden, and her heart skips a beat.

She takes a shaky breath, her hand instinctively reaching up toward Jo’s face. The movement feels foreign, almost bold, but her fingers are gentle as they sweep under Jo’s eyes, wiping away some of the tears that still stain her cheeks. For a moment, Jo doesn’t react, her eyes still unfocused, the remnants of panic still visible in her expression. But then, slowly, her gaze meets Paige’s. Brown on blue, the contact feels like a jolt, like electricity running through her veins.

Paige’s heart stumbles, and she can’t stop herself from cupping Jo’s cheeks in her hands, cradling her face softly. She needs Jo to understand, needs her to hear this. She needs to make it clear—I don’t hate you. The words are stuck in her throat, tangled up with everything else she’s been feeling, but they finally tumble out, heavy and full of suppressed emotion.

“God, Joey,” she whispers thickly, “I could never hate you.”

Jo’s eyes are wide, filled with confusion and hurt, and she opens her mouth as if to protest, but then she asks, her voice barely a whisper, “Then—then why have you been ignoring me?”

Paige feels the weight of that question settle into her bones. She wants to tell Jo everything, to be honest, but the words fall down her windpipe as soon as they’re formed. You’re the reason I’ve been pushing you away, she wants to say. It’s you, Jo. It’s you, it’s you, it’s you. But she’d never admit that. It’s not fair—not when Jo’s happy with Asher. There’s no need to complicate things further for something that will never happen.

So, instead, Paige forces herself to breathe, to steady herself before speaking again. She looks at Jo, trying to read the sadness in her eyes, the confusion, the vulnerability that still lingers despite the panic subsiding. Paige feels another hot sting of guilt—how could she have let Jo feel this way? How could she have been so careless?

“I’ve just been in a bad place in my head recently,” Paige says, her voice quieter now, more measured. It’s not exactly a lie. It’s just that the full truth is too messy, too tangled. She needs a reason that makes sense, something Jo can understand, something that doesn’t risk breaking everything between them. “I’ve been frustrated with my knee, and… I guess it’s just all piled up.”

Jo listens, nodding slowly, her expression still tight with uncertainty. Paige adds, carefully, feeling the weight of the words press down on her, “And—and I really like this girl who doesn’t like me back.” She pauses, her stomach twisting with the admission, even though it’s only half of the truth. “And all of it together—it’s just… it’s made me pull away from almost everyone. I don’t really know how to deal.”

Jo takes in the words, her gaze dropping to the floor for a moment, her fingers twitching nervously against her thighs. Paige watches her closely, hoping that Jo can make sense of everything she’s said, that she can understand why Paige has acted the way she has in some capacity.

“But,” the blonde adds, knowing it’s necessary, “it’s not excuse. None of it is. I shouldn’t of pulled away. I shoulda talked to you, told you what was goin’ on. And I’m really fucking sorry I didn’t.”

For a long moment, there’s silence, and all Paige can do is wait, her heart hammering in her chest. Jo’s breathing has finally evened out, the tension in her shoulders beginning to ease, but there’s still an underlying fragility in the air.

Finally, Jo says quietly, “Okay.”

Without thinking, Paige reaches out, pulling Jo into a tight hug. Her arms wrap around Jo instinctively, holding her close, and for a moment, Paige can’t help but think about how perfect Jo feels in her arms like this. How soft and warm and real she is. The weight of Jo’s body against hers, the way Jo fits into her arms, feels so right that it almost takes Paige’s breath away. She buries her face in Jo’s hair, breathing in the familiar scent of her strawberry shampoo, the feeling of Jo finally grounding Paige in way that she hasn’t felt in far too long.

“’M sorry,” Paige murmurs into Jo’s hair. “’M so sorry for making you feel like that.”

Paige isn’t sure how long they stay like that, locked together, before she feels Jo’s hands move, shifting just slightly, gently beginning to pull away. The movement feels like a cold wind cutting through the warmth of the hug, and Paige immediately feels the absence, the space between them growing far too wide. She wants to reach out and pull Jo back into her, to hold her tighter and never let go, but—obviously—she doesn’t.

Jo’s eyes are still slightly red, but as she pulls back, her lips curve into the softest, most forgiving smile, a smile that feels so Jo—genuine and kind, even when everything else is unraveling. It’s almost unbearable to see, because Paige knows that Jo doesn’t deserve to be this forgiving. She doesn’t deserve to feel like this was all just something to brush off.

“It’s okay,” Jo says, her words wrapped in warmth, in that same kindness that makes her who she is. But Paige knows that it’s not okay. She knows that, even if Jo’s forgiven her, Paige is not so quick to forgive herself, because what she’s done is not okay.

It goes silent between them again for a long moment. Paige can’t think of what to say. She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. She wants to apologize again, over and over, to make sure Jo really knows. But the clock is ticking. The game is still ahead of them. The pressure of it presses in on her chest, and she knows that they can’t have this conversation now. Not before the game. Not when the adrenaline needs to take over and the court demands focus.

Paige takes a steadying breath, feeling the air fill her lungs, forcing her thoughts to calm down. She needs to help Jo. She needs to get her head in the right space before the game. Jo is here, with her, needing her. And as much as the emotional weight of everything is damn near overwhelming her, Paige pushes it aside.

She reaches forward, gently but firmly placing her hands on Jo’s shoulders, giving her a soft but decisive push to meet her eyes. Jo’s gaze lifts to meet Paige’s with a quiet, uncertain trust, and Paige feels the familiar surge of responsibility that always floods her when her teammates need her. She’s a leader. She has to lead. And right now, Jo needs her to.

“My dad texts me before every game I play in,” Paige says steadily. “‘Be you, be great.’ That’s all you gotta do today, Joey. Just be you, and it’ll come to you.”

It’s simple, but true. Jo doesn’t need anything more than to be herself. She doesn’t need to try to be perfect or live up to expectations that aren’t hers. She just needs to trust herself, trust her game.

Jo’s eyes shift slightly, a flicker of understanding crossing her face. It’s there, but it’s still guarded. The smile that Paige so desperately wants to see doesn’t fully reach Jo’s eyes yet, but it’s a start. She nods slowly, a small motion, but enough to let Paige know she’s listening.

“Josephine fuckin’ Jacobson,” Paige continues, saying her full name for emphasis, “you are such a good basketball player. And you’re gonna do great. Okay? Be you, be great.”

Jo takes a deep breath, and Paige watches as the tension seems to slowly ease off of her. She nods, more definitively this time, the hint of a real smile tugging at her lips. It’s small, but it’s there.

“Okay,” Jo says quietly, before repeating the word more firmly. “Okay.”

PAIGE’S MIND is fuzzy, her limbs heavy with the after effects of one too many dirty shirley’s. Despite the November chill, she feels hot, and her feet shuffle unevenly as she and Jo stumble back toward their apartment. They’re both absolutely hammered—there’s no other way to describe it. The world feels a little hazy, like everything around her is softly swaying. Her head spins, and it’s all a bit much, but it’s also freeing in a way. She hasn’t felt this loose, this light, in a long time.

Their win against Northeastern and the start of the season fills the air, hanging around them like a celebratory cloud. Jo played like Jo—21 points, 5 assists, 4 boards, 4 steals—just as Paige knew she would. A great collegiate debut, and Paige had watched every second of it from the bench, locked in. She’d felt so proud—and even a little awestruck—that Jo went out there and did that, after having such an emotionally charged pre-game.

Now, as they weave their way back to their apartment, arms brushing, legs tangling as they trip over their own feet, that sense of pride is still lodged in Paige’s chest, warm and comforting, like a glow that won’t fade. She can’t stop giggling, low and breathy, as Jo laughs along beside her. Their words are slurred, but that doesn’t stop them. Everything is funny—every little thing. Every misstep, every giggle, every second of pure chaos that they’re living in right now is a spark of joy after having been without it for too long.

Paige’s thoughts drift lazily, floating between the haze of the alcohol and the warmth of the night. She’s not sure when they’d started leaning into each other—just that they are now, and it feels comfortable. Familiar. Nice. Perfect. Great.

“You good?” Jo asks in a voice that’s too loud as she unlocks the front door to their apartment, then bursts into giggles again.

Paige snorts, stumbling a bit more dramatically than necessary. “I’m so good,” she says, her voice sounding more slurred than she means it to be. She throws an arm around Jo’s shoulder to steady herself, but the weight of her makes Jo stumble, and they both neatly collapse into the wall. They’re laughing too hard to care.

As soon as the door shuts behind them, Jo gasps suddenly and jerks her arm away, running ahead, the sound of her feet echoing down the hallway. Paige, still a bit off balance, blinks in confusion for a moment, then laughs drunkenly. “Bro—where you goin’?” she asks, her voice trailing off into giggles as she watches Jo hurry toward her bedroom.

Paige follows slowly. It’s odd, in a way—this whole night, this whole feeling. This morning when she woke up, she never expected to be here with Jo, giggling and laughing and things feeling normal again. She probably assumed she’d just be in someone else’s bed. But she’s not, she’s here—with Jo.

Jo. Jo, Jo, Jo, Jo, Jo. She’s so good at basketball, and she’s so good at being there for Paige, even when Paige fucks up. She’s still here, still making everything feel lighter than air.

Paige leans against the doorframe of Jo’s bedroom, watching the younger girl move around her room, back and forth, rifling through her closet with purpose. Clearly, she’s looking for something.

“Joey, what’re you doin’?” Paige asks. Her question hangs in the air, teasing, but it’s laced with affection—Paige can’t hide that part. Especially in her tipsy state, Paige can’t help but stare at Jo with a smile that feels like it’s stretching her face.

Jo doesn’t answer. She’s clearly very focused on something, her movements a little clumsy but endearing. Paige watches her closely, and she lets out another small laugh without meaning to. Her eyes stay glued to Jo, to how everything she does seems to command Paige’s attention. It shouldn’t be a surprise though—even without alcohol in her system, Jo is always there, always occupying every inch of Paige’s thoughts. Maybe it’s starting to get a little pathetic, actually.

Then, Jo suddenly straightens up, a gleam in her eyes. She pulls something out of the depths of her closet—a gift-wrapped box. She bounds over to Paige with her infectious energy, and before Paige can fully process what’s happening, Jo grabs her hand and tugs her into the room, practically pulling her off her feet in her enthusiasm. The force of it makes Paige stumble a little, but it doesn’t matter—Jo’s laughter fills the room, a sound so bright that it makes Paige’s chest swell.

The door slams shut behind them. Paige watches as Jo shoves the gift into her hands, still grinning, still beaming like she’s giving Paige the greatest gift in the world.

“Happy late birthday!” Jo’s words are slurred but joyful.

It is late. Very late, in fact. But Paige had been in LA during her actual birthday, and when she got back, Jo didn’t really have time to give her her gift for… obvious reasons.

But she’s here, giving her one now, and Paige feels so cared for and seen that she can barely even focus on what’s in her hands. The wrapping paper crinkles under her fingers as she tears it open, the motion slow and clumsy, but she feels her heart beat a little faster as Jo watches her do it with those wide eyes full or excitement.

The gift is a Lego set.

It’s one Paige has wanted for months, one that she’d seen in the store and practically drooled over, but she’d never let herself buy it. Jo and Aaliyah and Ines had been with her there, watching her ponder over whether or not to buy it. She decided not to, deeming it too expensive even if she certainly could afford it. But she already had, like, five sets in her hands—so, it was definitely a no-go that day.

But now she’s holding that set, because of Jo. Jo spent money on it, just for Paige. Just because she knew how much it would mean to her.

“Joey!” she exclaims, her voice full of awe and genuine surprise. She turns to Jo, blue eyes wide.

“Do you like?” Jo asks, voice soft but still excited.

“I love!” Paige responds with a wide, goofy smile. It’s true. She loves the thought behind it, the gesture, the fact that Jo cares enough to get her this, let alone anything.

It’s not long before Paige flops onto her back on Jo’s bed, the Lego set abandoned to the side, her arms stretched out like a starfish. Jo plops down next to her, the mattress dipping under her weight, and Paige has to fight the instinct—drunk and probably sober, too—to pull her closer. It would be so easy. One hand on Jo’s waist, the other around her shoulder, tucking her against her chest. It’s a dangerous thought, one Paige shouldn’t even entertain, but the drunkenness isn’t helping her self-control. Instead, she keeps her hands firmly to herself, pressing them into the comforter. She stares up at the ceiling for a moment before her gaze inevitably shifts to Jo.

Jo is staring at the ceiling, too, wide-eyed, like she’s marveling at the sheer existence of it. Her mouth falls open in an exaggerated “wow,” and Paige bites her lip to stifle yet another laugh.

“The world is spinning,” Jo announces, her voice filled with awe and disbelief, like she’s just uncovered some profound universal truth.

Paige can’t hold back her laughter this time. It bubbles out of her, loud and unabashed. “Bro, you’re so drunk,” she says, turning her head to look at her more directly.

Jo grins and shifts her gaze, meeting Paige’s eyes. “No, you’re so drunk!” she fired back, her words slurring slightly as she pokes Paige in the shoulder for emphasis.

They’re both laughing now, the kind of laughter that comes from being young and carefree and absolutely wasted. It’s the kind of moment Paige wants to capture and keep forever, this version of Jo so happy and light and hers, if only for now.

But then, the sharp trill of a phone cuts through the moment, jolting them both from their drunken bubble. Jo groans, her head tipping back against the mattress as if the mere thought of moving is too much effort. “Ugh, noooo,” she whines, squirming around to try and reach into her back pocket where her phone is ringing insistently.

Paige sits up slightly, propping herself on one elbow, laughing at Jo’s struggles. “C’mon, champ,” she teases, watching the younger girl twist and wriggle until she finally manages to pull her phone free. Jo squints at the screen, her tongue sticking out a little in concentration, before she lets out a soft, “Oh. It’s Asher.”

The name hits Paige like a splash of cold water, instantly sobering her. She forces her face to stay neutral, her heart sinking just slightly as Jo answers the call. She tries to brush it off, but it feels like someone just yanked her back to reality.

Jo’s voice brightens as she presses the phone to her ear. “Hiiii, what do you want?” she greets, the words teasing but affectionate. Paige watches her closely, her eyes scanning Jo’s face, cataloging every expression as Asher’s voice hums faintly on the other side of the line. She can’t make out the words, but she doesn’t really need to. Jo’s smile tells her everything she doesn’t want to know.

“Yes, I’m drunk,” Jo says with a laugh, rolling her eyes playfully. Another pause, another response Paige doesn’t hear. “Okay, yes, I will.” Jo giggles, the sound light and airy, and Paige’s chest aches. “Yes, I love you, too. Byeeee!” Jo hangs up with a flourish, tossing the phone toward the foot of the bed. It bounces off and clatters to the floor, but Jo just laughs. “Oops.”

Paige tries to laugh with her, but it doesn’t come as easily as before. She’s too caught up in the sting of hearing Jo say those words so effortlessly. I love you too. It’s not like Paige hasn’t heard it before, but tonight, when they’ve spent the whole evening laughing and leaning into each other’s space, it feels sharper, harder to ignore.

Before she can think too much, Jo scoots closer, collapsing onto Paige with a happy sigh. Her head rests on Paige’s chest, and Paige freezes, her heart slamming against her robe as a Jo mumbles, “Boys,” in an exasperated tone, as if that single word explains everything.

Paige forces a chuckle, but it’s quieter now, more subdued. Her mind races, but she doesn’t move. She can’t. She doesn’t trust herself to touch Jo, even though she wants to, desperately. She wants to wrap her arms around her, hold her tight, tell her that boys are stupid and unnecessary and that Paige could love her better, so much better. But she doesn’t.

Jo’s breathing slows and it seems within moments, she’s out cold, the alcohol taking everything out of her, her body heavy and warm against Paige’s. Paige shifts slightly, careful not to disturb her, and lets out a shaky breath. She hesitates, then lifts a hand, brushing it gently through Jo’s hair. The soft strands glide through her fingers, and it’s soothing in a way she can’t explain, even if it makes her chest hurt.

She stares at Jo, at the peaceful expression on her face. She shouldn’t feel this way. She knows that. But knowing—or the stupid space shit she tried that was clearly bad for both of them—doesn’t stop the feelings. It doesn’t stop the yearning or the way her stomach flips every time Jo looks at her. It doesn’t stop the way she knows Jo is happy with Asher, that Jo loves him, that Paige will never be anything more than her best friend.

But she decides that it’s enough. That it has to be. If this is the only way she can have Jo, then she’ll take it. She’ll take the laughter, the late nights, the moments like these where Jo trusts her enough to fall asleep on her. She’ll take Jo in any way she’ll give her, even if it breaks her heart a little more every day.

Because loving Jo, even from a distance, even like this, feels like the most natural thing in the world.

[taesancult]

[10:32pm]

jo x fem!reader

smut under the cut. mdni.

your soft lips were melting into jo’s own pair. you could barely stand it, he was just so pretty. you pulled away first, your lungs aching from the lack of air. your breath was heavy, pupils blown out, and cheeks warm. he mirrored your own look of lust; although, much shyer. his hair was a mess, strands sticking up from your hands holding onto it as you two made out. he looked incredible. his lips pressed together in a line as he looked away. “you’re so beautiful, i think you’re the most beautiful boy i have ever seen in my entire life.” you blurted out. his eyes went wide at your confession, his cheeks turning a soft pink as he started grinning. this ignited the fire in him even further, he grabbed ahold of the back of your head, moving you so that your lips could meet again. one of his hands was gripping at your hair, the other was pushing your back into him. it was like close wasn’t close enough for him.

you started instinctively grinding your hips against the painfully hard bulge in his pants. he was caught off guard, moaning into the kiss. you tugged at his shirt, letting him know that you wanted it off. he quickly shifted positions on the bed as he quite literally ripped his shirt off his body. he lied down with you straddling him. he rested his hands behind his head as he relaxed a little, watching you with so much intensity. your hands cupped his cheeks, as you gave him another kiss, then grazed his chest with your nails. his back lightly arched off the bed at the sensation. “don’t- don’t tease me, just touch me...” he whispered out, his cheeks flushed again. he was so needy, but still so shy around you. you just wanted to eat him up.

you slid your hands down his torso, feeling his toned body. he was so beautiful, and he was all yours. you kissed along his neck, whispering praise to him as you made your way down to his hips. you shed the rest of his clothes, so that he was completely bare in front of you, while you were still fully clothed.

you looked at his pretty, but painfully hard cock. “baby- stop.” he whined as he looked off to the side, clearly embarrassed by your staring. “i can’t help it, you’re so gorgeous.” you said as you looked at him with such strong desire, but also such genuine love. “can i touch you?” you asked sweetly. “p-please.” he whispered with so much lust.

you took ahold of his cock in your hand, the tip already leaking. your ego was boosted at just how much he was leaking already, it was truly a sight to behold. he was so needy, so desperate, but so unwilling to admit just how much he desired you because of his shyness. it was borderline cute.

you pressed your thumb against his sensitive tip before stroking him at a blissful pace. he threw his head back, whimpering out for you. “you can let it out. let me hear you, jo.” you said as you stared deeply into his eyes. his cheeks once again getting red as he felt his walls coming down; he was becoming more unguarded. you continued stroking his cock as you leaned over to whisper in his ear. “you know, your voice gets me so wet i could cum alone to the sound of it, my jo.” that alone was enough for him to lose it. he moaned out, the loudest you had ever heard him. his body slightly thrashing with every delicious stroke of your hand, he grasped onto your arm as you continued. “i can’t- can’t do this… anymore. i’m going to cum. i- i’m going to cum so much i can feel it.” he rambled out as the pleasure overtook him. this was the first time you had seen him truly lose himself and you had never been more turned on.

“that’s it. you’re such a good boy. my good boy.” you said as you smiled at him, his eyes rolling back as he felt himself on the brink. he was so desperate for his release that he started thrusting into your hand; hoping it would come sooner. you added a bit of pressure, making it feel even better for him and he felt his head spin. “wait, i’m gonna-”he whimpered once again as he came all over himself and your hand. his toned stomach was covered in so much cum as well as your hand. you kept pumping him, riding him through his high until he had no more to give you. he yelped as he felt the overstimulation and told you to stop. you stared at him, at the glorious sight before you.

he was lying there almost limply, abs covered in cum, with his arm shielding his eyes, but a big smile plastered on his face. his body was coated in a thin sheen of sweat and his chest was rising and falling rapidly as he calmed down. that image would be burned into your mind forever, probably.

[cressidagrey]

The moment I could see it - Part 6 (The End)

Pairing: Max Verstappen x Ariel Cane (Original Character)

Summary: 5 Times that Gianpiero Lambiase thinks that Ariel Cane and Max Verstappen are weirdly similar…and 1 time he is just happy that the two of them are no longer pining after each other. 

Warnings: 

GP's POV, mention of cancer, mention of parent's death

Author Notes: Happy Holidays! Better late than never, right?

If there was a truth universally acknowledged in the Red Bull Garage, then it was this: You didn’t upset Ariel Cane without paying the price. And the price to pay was dealing with an absolutely furious Max Verstappen. 

(Actually they had put that in the inoffical onboarding document a few years ago that every newbie was handed on their first day… After that one stupid strategist had thought that making an inappropriate comment to Ariel was the thing to do. The fallout of that had not been…pretty.)

Everybody knew this. Everybody kept to that truth. It wasn’t about disagreements about work. Ariel was more than capable to eal with that. It was about her being treated with actual respect an not like her whole reason to being there was for her to fetch Max’s coffee. 

Everybody knew that rule. Everybody kept to that rule, if they knew what was good for them. 

Unless you were Jos Verstappen. 

Jos Verstappen clearly thought he was above treating Ariel with a modicum of respect. Jos Verstappen was a fucking idiot. 

GP had half a mind to deck Jos himself, for daring to put his hands on Ariel.

Actually he would have probably done that. If he hadn’t also had Max on the radio in the middle of the race.

That was the one thing that stopped him from physically intervening. The race was his priority. 

GP knew that Max was going to loose his fucking mind over the fact that they lied to him. And quite frankly, he had ever right to it. 

At least, GP got to watch Connor drag Jos Verstappen away from Ariel by the scruff of his neck. Only after the damage was already done…but it was something. 

Something. 

Jos, predictably, didn’t look very pleased to be bodily removed.

"Let go of me!" he shouted, but his protests were in vain. Connor’s grip was firm and unwavering, his own anger etched on his face. Jos had clearly crossed the line.

Which also more than made Christian’s reaction to all of this more than reasonable.

Still, none of this suddenly erased what had happened. None of this fucking fixed the fact that Jos Verstappen had dared to slap Ariel across her face. 

The rest of the race passed by in a blur, GP keeping his focus solely on Max and the race. Max’s voice in his ear was the only constant, a reassuring presence during the chaos.

 When the checkered flag fell, though, the tension of the race was joined by the tension of the impending drama. The radio went silent, the moment before they was all dreading.

Quite frankly… GP had expected worse.

Max let himself be reasoned with. To an extent. 

He also didn’t bite off the head of any journalist even when it was clear that he wanted to…

To his credit, Max showed remarkable restraint. He was clearly seething with anger, his expression tight and his hands clenched into fists, but he somehow managed to hold himself back. 

GP could see the storm brewing just below the surface, but Max somehow kept it together.

Even when the journalists clearly wanted to get a rise out of him, asking about the confrontation with his father and with Ariel, Max managed to stay (relatively) composed.

He kept his answers short and clipped, his jaw clenched shut as he did his best to keep his temper in check.   

Max's responses were sharp, and it was impossible missed his obvious disdain for the question. He answered curtly, his body taut with tension. GP winced every time Max opened his mouth, knowing the press was going eat up the sound bites.

Still, all of them breathed a sign of relief when Max disappeared into his driver room. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving everyone else in a silent daze.

There was to hope that Ariel would be able to work her increible magic…somehow talk him away from the brink. 

GP just hoped that everything that ha happene in the Garage that day wasn’t going to destroy Max an Ariel’s friendship.  

The fallout of that particular scenario would be catastrophic. 

He wasn’t the only one who was thinking that, he was quite sure. 

30 minutes later, Max showed up again, to take his trophy home. 

And to the shock and surprise of everybody...he was calm.

Max, who had stormed off in anger only half an hour ago, returned to the public eye with an almost eerie calm. His expression was neutral, his body language relaxed, as he accepted his trophy.

The contrast between the fiery, angry Max from before and this almost eerily calm version of him was jarring.

Whatever Ariel had said to him… Whatever it was, it had been effective. 

GP could see the change in Max. The anger and tension from before were gone, replaced instead by that…calm. The tension having bled out of his body, his fists no longer clenched. 

God bless Ariel and her innate ability to stop furious blonde dutch racing drivers to go down the warpath. 

She was the only one that had this effect on Max. Regardless of whatever other shitty thing was going on, when Ariel was there as well, then Max would manage to hold it together. 

Sadly, GP had given up years ago that the two of them would ever actually admit the feelings that they clearly had for each other...but…there was that hopeless romantic somewhere deep inside him that hoped that one day the two of them would realise how absolutely perfect they were for each other. 

After the trophy, Max and Ariel disappeared back to their hotel room (GP didn't believe for one second that it wouln't end with Ariel curled up in Max's room, because he could be worth than a fussy mother hen…) and GP decided that he needed a bloody drink. 

So he ended up dragging Connor to the hotel bar and buying him a drink because that was clearly the least he owed him.

They weren't alone. Hannah, their strategist joined them as well, for a bit of a...gossip session.

And the topic, of course, was the usual. Max and Ariel. The two of them were always a source of intrigue an speculation within the Red Bull Team and today’s events ha only aed more fuel to the fire. 

"I am not definitely not envying Gemma right now," Hannah said with a snort as she sipped her cocktail. "She’s supposed to get Max to give out a statement. How high are the chances he’ll even talk to her?"

GP chuckled at that. "I'm sure she'll manage," he said, although he did not envy the publicist's job either. Max could be a handful even at the best of times, and today he would be… particularly uncooperative.

Not that anybody would fault him for that. 

Connor took a large swig of his drink. "Poor Gemma," he sai with a sigh. "She has her work cut out for her."

Connor was texting, his phone not stopping vibrating and he sighed.

"Who is it?" GP wondered.

"Who do you think?" Connor gave back drily. "Percy.”

Ah. Ariel’s brother. 

“That was quick,” GP said drily. Word had gotten out fast. 

“Sky has the whole thing on video,” Hannah said with a grimace. “I am surprised it took this long. Besides…the entire garage has been buzzing.”

GP sighed, taking a sip of his own drink. “Of course it did,” he said. “This team loves their gossip.”

"I didn't think Cane was actually going to care though," Hannah said carefully. “He has never seen…particular…” Hannah was clearly struggling for words. 

GP sighed. In the near ecae that he knew Percy Cane now, his opinion about Ariel’s brother had changed drastically. From “asshole who in’t actually care about his sisters” to “emotionally stunted genius who loved them very much, was absolutely horrible at showing it, but was actually a great guy once he stopped talking in riddles”. 

It took a while to look behind the facade. Percy Cane ruled over the electrical engineering epartment with an iron fist, didn’t accept anything but the best from the people who worked for him…but was also the first one who woul defend any of them if they had done nothing wrong. 

“He’s actually a nice guy, once you get to know him better,” GP said pointedly. “And Ariel is his little sister. He may not always shows that…” (or at least not in any way considered normal…) "But both of his sisters are very important to him."

“Percy can be…difficult,” Connor agreed drily. “But he is really, really fun once you get to know him. And he is also very protective over Ariel and Emma,” Connor acknowledged. "I've seen Percy in full big brother mode, and it's not something I'd like to experience myself. I am pretty sure he is going to destroy Jos Verstappen's whole life," Connor said drily."Not that I am going to stop him."

Hannah snorted, taking a sip of her drink. "None of us would," she said. "He can be pretty intimidating when he wants to be."

"I would not want to be on the receiving end of his wrath," GP added with a grimace. "Remember the one time that engineer spilled coffee all over his tablet?" he asked with a snort. "How long did all his emails come back as undelivered again?"

Hannah chuckled at the memory, a grin on her face. "Two weeks," she supplied with a snort. "So is he going to do the same thing to him?"

"He did that over a piece of tech. This is Ariel," Connor responded drily. "His revenge will be much worse."

"I need a drink," Gemma said at that exact moment as she slid into the seat next to GP. "Right about now."

"Well, looks like you came to the right place," GP replied with a smirk, gesturing to the drinks already on the table. "What do you want? It's on me."

Gemma reached for the bottle of tequila. “Apparently we need to celebrate.”

Hannah chuckled, "What exactly are we celebrating?" she asked curiously. 

Hannah wasn’t the only one who was wondering that. GP did too. 

"The end of a half a decade of stalemate," Gemma said drily after knocking back her drink. "Guess who finally figured things out?"

GP just stared at her. "No."

"Oh yes," Gemma agreed with a smirk. "4 hours ago, and it's as serious as it can be."

GP's eyes widened as Gemma spoke. "You're kidding," he said, his disbelief evident in his tone

Connor and Hannah simply looked at each other, their mouths slightly agape.

"No way," Connor finally said, shaking his head. "They actually stopped dancing around each other?"

Gemma nodded, a wide grin on her lips. "Oh, it's true," she said, taking another swig of her drink."They've finally stopped being idiots."

GP could only stare at her, still somewhat in awe. "This is...unbelievable," he said finally. "I honestly thought they'd never figure it out."

He had thought that the whole Max and Ariel thing was going to end in the worst kind of heartbreak to be completely honest. 

Hannah huffed, a mixture of disbelief and amusement on her face. "About bloody time," she said bluntly. "I was starting to go grey over here, waiting for them to finally get their act together!"

"Tell me about it," GP agreed, rubbing the back of his head. "It's been obvious how they feel about each other for years now. But they were so damn stubborn about actually acting on it."

Connor snorted, taking another swig of his beer. "You're preaching to the choir," he said wryly. "I've been ready to lock them in a room together for about five years now."

"Don't think Percy would have approved of that," GP pointed out with a smirk, and Connor chuckled.

"He's going to lose his mind," Connor said with a shake of his head. "The two of them...in a relationship. It's going to be an interesting time, that's for sure."

Connor's phone pinged again. He just sighed.

"Is he losing his mind already?" GP asked with a laugh.

Connor's face was a mixture of amusement and resignation as he glanced at his phone. "Yes," he replied simply. "Apparently Percy has written a whole 40 pages pdf document, which is his version of a shovel talk, so now he wants me to give him Max’s email address."

The table burst into laughter, the tension of the day finally easing into a lighthearted mood.

"A pdf document," GP repeated, almost unable to wrap his head around that. "Seriously?"

"With footnotes and all," Connor confirmed, a hint of amusement in his voice despite his words.

Hannah let out a bark of laughter. "Percy really knows how to go all out," she said, shaking her head with a grin.

"How many of these words aren't three syllables or more?" GP asked drily. "Maybe we should ask him to dumb it down a bit if he actually wants Max to read all of it and understand it. "

The group laughed again, with Connor snorting into his beer.

"Yeah, I don't think Percy has ever heard of the concept of dumbing it down," he said, shaking his head. "Guy is a literal genius. If anything, he's probably wondering how to use even more obscure words."

GP chuckled, raising his glass. "To Percy's incredibly thorough and undoubtedly terrifyingly effective shovel talk," he said with a grin.

The group laughed again, glasses clinking as they toasted to that.

"Here's to Max and Ariel finally getting their act together," Connor chimed in.

"It only took them five years," GP added.

"And countless missed opportunities," Hannah added with a smirk.

"Better late than never," Gemma agreed, taking a sip of her drink.

[reesespeanutbutterfuck]

(im)perfectionist

vinny hong x jo!reader

jay jo's imperfectionist sister meets the flawful vinny hong.

part 10

part 9 | part 11

pairing: vinny hong x jo!reader

cw: fem!reader, jo!reader, second person's pov (you, you're, your) rAgh get ready this part is just the beginning

—

On the way to Vinny’s house, you stopped by a convenience store that didn’t have that many people compared to the ones in the middle of the city. The last thing you’d want is to attract unwanted attention, and worse case scenario, to be spotted by someone your parents know and be reported looking like this and with a male.

Your stomach was begging to be filled. So with a single “hey, can I eat at your house?” to Vinny, he agreed—well sort of—and told you to grab something. If you weren’t being considerate you wouldn’t have had asked for permission, but it’s his house and you have to be respectful.

You both went to the convenience store but he said he’ll just wait for you outside. You grabbed convenience store food for the both of you. You didn’t bother to ask if he was hungry, you bought him food as an initiative. After you paid at the counter, you went out through the glass door of the convenience store and found Vinny outside. 

Taking a good look at his face clearly with the help of the light from inside the convenience store, now you can see some of the bruises that weren’t noticeable a while ago because the evening sky was already dark, started showing in hues of purple-blue. You know those hurt, but he’s either numb or good at hiding pain.

Just like you. 

“Ice?” Vinny asked after he examined the bag you were carrying when you got out of the convenience store. The ice was in a transparent plastic bag while the food was in a translucent one so he didn’t see you bought two sets of them.

“It’s for your bruised face.”

He didn’t reply. 

Why do you care? 

He started walking forward with you following behind, trusting him to lead you to his home. You don’t know why you trust him this much either, maybe it’s because he has shown you a lot of proof that regardless of his grumpy attitude, he’s harmless. You have trust issues, but somehow you don’t sense any ulterior motive when it comes to Vinny, even if your first impression of him wasn’t all that.

Vinny stopped walking in front of a gate down a small neighborhood. You immediately get the hint that you’ve arrived at his house. Vinny held the keys to the gate, he was about to open it, but at the last moment, he hesitated. He thinks about the fact that you’re wealthy and his house isn’t really pleasant to be in for someone standing in a social class like that such as you. He’s insecure of his status, and he’s ashamed of you seeing the proof of it. He contemplates whether he’s making the right decision. There’s a big part of him that wants to back out and decide otherwise.

But then when he looked over his shoulder to you, there was no sign of discomfort nor displease. Nothing but your normal face, patiently waiting for him to open the gate. He snapped out of his thoughts and wordlessly continued to open it. The priority here is treating your wounds and not anything else.

When you stepped inside his home, there were a few scattered things, although it wasn’t messy. It’s warm and it’s home. You scanned the interior as Vinny searched for the first aid kit his mother had, avoiding to see your expression, because if you were disgusted by his house, he’d rather not see it, honestly. But you weren’t. Not in the slightest.

While scanning his home, your eyes caught a glimpse of a wooden framed picture. It’s Vinny when he was a kid, and an older woman behind him holding his shoulders, who you reckon is his mother. There was another person but it looked like the picture was cut and the person was cropped off the frame. His dad? You shrugged it off and stared at the picture intently, specifically at the young Vinny. He has the same fiery hair and hetero-hued eyes. His unique facial features are natural, after all. 

Quite a lively looking kid, he was. 

He’s cute.

Meanwhile when Vinny found the kit, that was the first time he laid eyes on your face ever since you got inside his house, although only one side of your face was available in his view, he could see your small smile while looking at the framed picture. He halted his steps while holding the box.

You envied how he looks with his mother. In the portrait, he looked happy regardless of his knocked off front tooth. His mother was, too. How you wish you could experience that. You cannot recall a Jo family picture where your smiles are of genuine happiness. You shook your head and diverted your attention to Vinny, the grown-up one, who was now carrying a box, the first aid kit.

“You’re quite cute when you were younger. I wish you hadn’t grown up.” You commented and sat yourself at the floor, opening the plastic bag of convenience store food. Vinny’s mouth set in a hard line. “Can I have that picture?” you pointed at the framed picture.

“No.” He sat down with you while still keeping distance, that you didn’t mind, and avoided your eyes. 

“Fine.” You glared at him. “Eat while you deal with your cuts.” you gestured to his food. 

Vinny eyed at the instant ramyeon and self heating rice. “It’s you who should eat, not me. I didn’t tell you to buy food for me, I’m not hungry.”

“You are now.” you faced the mirror on his wall behind where you were sitting while holding your glasses and disregarded him. “I’ve missed you.” 

Vinny accidentally broke his avoidant eye streak to look at you, because for a second there he thought you were talking to him. You held your glasses like it was a beloved living thing before discarding Jay’s spare one that you borrowed and putting it inside the protective case, and wearing yours. 

“Go on, eat.” you told him while still looking at yourself in the mirror. You also pointed at the ice to gesture to him to ice his bruises.

Eventually, after contemplating, he took one bite and then got the gauze pads and betadine bottle himself to treat his cuts. You observed him, he sucks a sharp breath and hisses whenever he presses the gauze pad on his cuts. He’s having trouble with it, because he’s pressing his hand on his own wounds too hard. You sighed.

“Give it here.” you got the gauze pad from his hand and threw it. “You’re too rough with your own skin.” Then, you got a pint sized cotton ball and dampened it with betadine solution.

You pressed lightly under his eye. Vinny thought it’d hurt still, but when you were the one doing it, it didn’t. When Vinny registered the close proximity between the two of you, he looked away immediately. While you were focused on treating his wounds and completely oblivious, rather casual, to even consider just how close your face was to his right now.

Vinny opened his mouth while still avoiding looking at you directly. “You do have a sort of calling to always patch people up. Tsk, I can do it myself. Stop doing things for me.”

Not even Sung, that little fucker, has touched his face in any context, yet here you are.

“I just don’t want to see you in the emergency room when you get an infection because you treat your injuries poorly.” you looked up at his eyes for a second and continued with the scratches on his cheek. “Besides, the reason I asked if you have a first aid kit is because I want to know if you have tools to patch yourself up. You’re the one who wanted me in your house.”

Vinny’s mouth slightly hung open in disbelief. “Because I thought you wanted to patch yourself up before you go home!”

“Whatever.” you dismissively uttered. 

His hunch while waiting for you outside the convenience store, and strengthened by the ice, was right.

Both of you are here right now because you thought about each other’s injuries.

He thought of the conversation he had with Sung just a few days ago. “How is your stab wound, by the way?”

Your fingers halted as you were taken aback by his question. 

“It’s… fine, I mean, not fully, but the wound's closed. Although even if it’s already semi-healed, it sometimes stings when the weather’s cold.”

When you attended to his busted lip, he had the chance to finally look at you without you noticing because your eyes were fixated on the corner of his lip and you wouldn’t notice if he stares at your face. His eyes perceived your appearance in this closer look he was getting. Greyish feline eyes, long lashes, flowy dark hair. 

He thinks you look like somebody he currently knows, but he can’t point a finger who. 

“Done.” you finished securing the gauze with surgical tape. “You still gotta ice those bruises, though.” You sanitize your hand and pick up your chopsticks to go back to eating your ramyeon. “Don’t touch your wounds, wash your hands first. the E.R. 's cramped enough.” you reminded him.

Vinny groaned at your nagging as you continued eating. He stared at you as you spilled five whole ketchup packets on your corndog. Okay, that’s a lot, you clearly love ketchup, he can see that.

“Do they pay you in that hospital?” He asked while paying close watch to your weird eating habit.

“No, there’s no place for a high school student there. I’m just there because my mother wanted me to familiarize myself with medical procedures before I go to college. But then I became divergent from her sponsor and–” you stopped when you realized something. “The hospital training… Oh no, oh no, no. What is she going to say?” 

You anxiously sat and covered your mouth as you thought how you hadn't attended hospital training for weeks. 

“She’s going to kill me.” you mumbled, still anxious.

Beside you, Vinny looked puzzled. “Who?”

“My mom.”

“Oh.”

Vinny tried to read your facial expression yet he couldn't. Your mother must really be a problem. The fact that you were seriously willing to be stitched up by him, rather than go to a hospital where your mother would see you, already says a whole lot. Plus, the fact that you would have rather bled to death if he didn't come to your side, not because no one brought you to a hospital, but because no one convinced you to.

“Well, I gotta go home now.” 

You put all your trash in one plastic bag to toss outside on your way and stood up to stretch your back. You keep surprising him. You’re not even scared of walking in the dark. While cracking your spine, you lagged when you caught his eyes staring at you like you were an alien.

“What?”

He shook his head in disbelief. But then he also stood up and pulled his jacket. “Let’s go.” and then he left first. 

It took a moment to realize what he was trying to do. You let him do it because you gotta admit, talking to him amuses you, unexpectedly. And you feel good when you tease him.

“Wait a minute, you’re going to walk me home now? That’s really something.” he ignored you. “Hey, I’m not done talking to you, Vinny.”

“You got stabbed a week ago, you got into a fight tonight. And don’t call it walking you home, it sounds weird.” he grimaced. “I’m not doing this because I want to keep you from harm. I’m doing this to accompany you while you deal with harm.”

“Okay, whatever you say.” you said, obviously unconvinced. “What about your part time job?”

“It’s already late. I can’t come in now or I’ll be nagged.” Just thinking about how the lady manager’s going to beat his ass and nag him for skipping a shift already hurts his ears.

You grinned. “What difference would it make if I get mobbed or we get mobbed together? Do you think you’ll make a difference? What confidence you have.”

Vinny flashed a sinister smirk. “Then at least they’d suffer more by fighting the both of us.” 

You stopped your tracks. If you think about it, apparently Vinny has this subtle… protective instinct. You don’t know if he’s like this to anyone else. Just like when he could’ve left while you were sleeping after you were taken to the hospital, but he stayed true to his words and waited for you to wake up before leaving. Now, this.

He looked back at you with his heavy-lidded eyes that always made him look arrogant. “Well? Lead the way, grumpy.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why? You have unpredictable mood swings, and unresolved anger issues. It suits you.”

Childish he is, comparing you to one of Snow White’s seven dwarfs. He’s learning to make childish clapbacks. 

You threw an empty bottle at him, which he swiftly dodged. “You talk as if you’re not like that.”

“At least I don’t abruptly switch between being non-verbal and angry.”

You bit your lower lip in annoyance as you restrained yourself from how badly you wanted to smack the back of his head. You almost forgot about his injuries.

“I told you we should’ve gone for the shortcut. Who are those guys, anyway?” Not bringing up how those guys knew you too. From your past.

“Guys I once fought with.”

“Thanks anyway for letting me in your house, without me initiating it.” you said, highlighting the last phrase to make a point. “You’ve done a lot of favors for me. What do you want as a reward? Don’t ask for a girlfriend, I don’t have anyone to string you with.”

He looked straight ahead and breathed. “The charm is enough.”

“Charm? What–oh. That.” You realized what he was talking about. The cat charm. “Cute isn’t it? Looks like you. I didn’t know you liked it.” 

Vinny clicked his tongue. 

“That’s only a trinket, not a reward. You know, like, a promise of ‘I'll-see-you-again-soon-and-I’ll-give-you-something-better.’”

Vinny furrowed his brows, “Why do you think every favor done for you obligates you to give something back in return?”

“Well, that’s how I was raised.”

“Were you raised in chaos too and that’s why you can fight?”

“I only fight people when I need to defend myself.” You kicked a small rock out of the way. “I once initiated a fight with a male classmate but that was three or four years ago, because he was extremely sexist. ‘Kept making comments about what I do.”

The anecdote piqued Vinny’s curiosity of what happened next. “What happened after?”

“Oh, he dropped, transferred to another school, and got home-schooled.” You nonchalantly continued the story.

A moment of silence.

“What did you do?” Vinny looked at you suspiciously.

“What?”

He expectantly waited.

After seconds of a staredown, you were the first one to cave in. “...I accidentally broke four of his ribs,” your voice gradually grew quieter with every word.

Vinny’s expression went like he just heard a crime confession. He knows he's deemed as a savage, but you, you’re also something. Part of him wants to grin because of how normally you told a story of something unhinged.

“Serves him right,” He quipped. That sexist jerk deserved more than just getting his ribs pounded, he thought.

“So, take my offer. Let’s fight each other next time.”

Vinny groaned, “Is this still about Jay? I didn't even know him yet at that time.”

“He got impeached from being Student Body President and he got a suspension. Because of that the workload I have as the Vice doubled because of you, just so you know. I’ll only let it slide now because my body is sore, but I’ll get you back for that.”

You really held a grudge at him for that. For both you and Jay.

“I can walk and take care of myself from here, thanks.” You faced him when you reached the corner to your apartment.

Vinny stopped his steps to look at you. 

“Someone might see you and… tell my mom,” You voiced out even if he didn’t ask.

He opened his mouth to say something, but immediately closed it again. Another time. He didn’t say another word before turning back to walk in the opposite direction to find his way home.

The corner of your lips rose. “Hey, Vinny!” you shouted while his back was facing you at a distance.

His head panned to you.

“Thanks! I’ll give you back the favor somehow!” You followed while waving your hand. “Let’s fight next time! I’ll wipe the floor with you!”

He rolled his eyes and turned his back again to continue walking. Your mischievous grin impossible to wipe off.

Out of your sight, Vinny kept his genuine amused smile—often mistaken for a maniacal grin—to himself.

***

[svt-rosalie]

. . . ♡ WOMEN <3 ! ? 👛 ROSIE ★ ﾟ๑

ׁ ׅ ୨ ❪ female crushes on rosie! ❫ ୧ ⊹ ࣪

© 2024 , svt-rosalie rosalie masterlist!

the moment our gentle breaths touch

i'll be the one to drive you crazy

wait , hyolyn

JO YURI / SOLOIST

co-workers, semi-known to public est. 2023

𝜗𝜚. similar to eunwoo and his crush on rosalie, yuri’s crush started the same way. they both met on the set of squid games season two where yuri played a pregnant female that goes by the name of kim junhee and rosalie who plays cho sarang garam (mentioned multiple times in season 1), the daughter of cho sangwoo — a girl who’s just trying to find answers for her father’s disappearance, yet finds find love and a new found friendships.

yuri has never lies thought she was attracted to women or would date one but when it comes to rosalie, this women would risk it all! they really did become very close during filming but nothing was ever outwardly spoken about it.

but yuri has spoken in interviews that rosalie is her style (type) so fans have speculated but continue to just ship them as platonic friends to not make either parties uncomfortable.

HA SOOYOUNG / SOLOIST

one-sided?, known to public est. 2021

𝜗𝜚. yves literally makes it her mission for everyone to know that she likes rosie. weather they think it’s platonic or romantic, she gushes and raves about the female idol any chance she gets.

they’ve gotten the chance to talk briefly a couple of times but nothing ever really stuck to be able to exchange phone numbers or go out to eat together at any point. it’s mostly just a fangirl crush or school girl crush, whichever fits best.

plus yves is just in general a big fan of rosalie and her work both musically and acting wise. she literally spoke for 20 minutes one time on live about how adorable rosie was in true beauty when it first came out and how she hopes she can meet her one day and become friends. take it how you want it but please rosalie give yves just once chance, that’s all we ask!

forget about jihoon

HUH YUNJIN / LE SSERAFIM

best friends crush unknown to public est. 2020

𝜗𝜚. okay but what is a best friend supposed to do when you have a crush on one of your bestest friends on the world that’s also married and has been in a relationship for 4 years? that’s a great question because yunjin is wondering and has been for a long time!

yunjin’s crush started slowly, it was the little things that made her flustered and blush. then she wasn’t able to sleep at night thinking about rosie and wishing they weren’t just friends. it was a constant cycle of wanting happiness for her best friend but also wanting happiness with her best friend. it made her feel guilty for a long time but she pushed it deep inside.

rosalie is always so supportive and sweet to yunjin that even when telling rosie she has a crush on a girl, the blonde encouraged her bestfriend to be herself and not let society stop her from being who she wants to be! so despite yunjin’s own feelings she kept her secret to herself and continued to have her best friend in her life weather it’s platonic or not.

click here to join rosie’s taglist!

taglist — @angie-x3 @alixnsuperstxr @allthings-fandoms @peachyaeger @sakufilms @aysxldea @swagcandyfun @wonwooz1 @s4nsmoon @seolarzone @miyx-amour @novwonia @marissa-11 @magicsoyeon @skzfairies @btskzfav @vhsdolly @iamawkwardandshy @yaebbinnie @conniesbbymama @jihoonsbbygirl @kaitieskidmore97 @cheolsboo @mars11rules67 @svt-manon @g4ns3y

[moonwaterbigbang]

INTRODUCING THE 2025 MOONWATER BIG BANG

Hello and welcome to the 2025 Moonwater Big Bang! A big bang is a collaborative event between writers, artists, and betas! Writers will be writing a fic of no less than 20,000 words and be paired with a beta reader! Writers can also use pre-established beta readers if they so wish! Betas and writers will work together to create a fic that is focused on Moonwater (Regulus Black/Remus Lupin). Artists will ‘claim’ a fic to create two (or more!) original artworks for.

Community it’s important to fandom so we are very excited to bring you the Moonwater Big Bang, even if you do not plan creating for it! We love Regulus Black/Remus Lupin and we cannot wait to see what everyone comes up with as a community!

For any questions contact us via tumblr or email (moonwaterbigbang@gmail.com)! When sign ups open every participant will also be provided a link to the discord server via email! If you do not have a discord account you may struggle to participate in this fest due to important announcements and updates being provided there. We will also be providing updates via email however the fastest way to contact us and for us to contact you is via discord!

For more information including FAQ, Rules, and Schedule please see under the cut!

SIGN-UPS CLOSED!

RULES

GENERAL RULES

All participants MUST be 18+ in order to participate in this event. This is do to the safety of our writers, artists, and betas. If we have found out you lied about your age you will be prohibited from continuing to participate in current and future big bangs.

Due to the fact this is a Moonwater (Regulus/Remus) focused big bang, your works must be focused on that pairing. Side ships are permitted in your works as well as Remus & Regulus being paired with other characters in your works but these ships should not be the main focus of your work. If your work includes either character in a ship that takes away the main focus from Regulus/Remus we ask that you change your idea to be more focused around the pairing. If a side ship also becomes the main focus or even 50% of the focus we ask that you also change your idea to be more focused around the pairing.

All ratings are welcome for this fest, this includes NSFW and DD:DNE (Dead Dove: Do Not Eat). All works must be tagged appropriately and cannot be missing important tags or warnings. Betas will work with writers to ensure that their fic is properly tagged before being officially added to the collection.

All characters depicted in a sexual setting whether in fic or art must be 18+.

WRITER RULES

In order to sign up for the fest you must have posted a fic that has a word count of 20,000 or more. This work can be a WIP and it can be for any fandom and pairing, not just Regulus/Remus. If you do not meet this requirement but think you can still reach the required word count (20,000) reach out to us via tumblr or email (moonwaterbigbang@gmail.com) and we will discuss from there.

All works created for this big bang must be a minimum of 20,000 words. You do not have a max word count but be sure that your estimated word count can be achievable by the deadline. If you are not meeting the deadlines and have yet to request for an extension a mod will be reaching out to you via discord to discuss what is going on and if you can continue with the fest.

All fics created for this fest must be a new, complete, and original idea. Your work cannot be a sequel, prequel, or apart of a series, and must be a standalone story. All ideas cannot be shared publicly and will remain anonymous until posting begins. You cannot share snippets publicly. Works cannot be a rewritten fic of an already published AO3 work.

The use of AI for writing will get you banned from this fest permanently and you will not be allowed to participate in current or future events.

All writers will require a beta. If you have an established beta you can use them as long as you have them sign up using the beta form and join the discord server. If you do not have an established beta reader we will assign you one based off your fic concept and beta’s comfortability.

Due to the nature of a big bang we ask that you do not change your fic idea concept AFTER submitted your concept to mods. While this works in other fests it can throw off this fest because of tight schedule we have. If you have an established beta and you know their comfortability level with different works, you can reach out to a mod about potentially changing your idea. If you were assigned a beta by the Moonwater Big Bang Mods we ask that you do not change your idea because it can cause issues with your beta. (You can change details of your story and do not have to stick to your original outline, however the key plot or concept cannot be changed after concepts have been submitted).

Writers may not also participate as artists, but can participate as a beta.

ARTIST RULES

Artists must create two new and unique pieces for the fic they claimed. A banner must be created and one original artwork. You are welcome to create more than one artwork for a fic.

Artists may not also participate as betas or writers.

Artists are allowed to create for more than one fic however this shall only happen if we have a writer unassigned with an artist. You must sign up as a pinch-hitter on the artist form to be able to create for another fic. However if we do not get enough pinch-hitters and we need more artists to create for fics we will ask those who did not sign up as one if they are willing to do so.

Your artwork MUST be uploaded to the work on AO3 as soon as it is finished and ready to go. The deadline to create art will be detailed below with the schedule.

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All betas must be familiar with beta reading or at least know the different forms of beta reading. Betas should be able to provide timely feedback on your assigned fic(s) and be able to reach out and communicate with their assigned author.

Betas are allowed to beta read multiple fics as needed.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Q: Who can I contact for help?

A: You can email moonwaterbigbang@gmail.com, or reach out to us in the discord server

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A: Yes, but please reach out to us as soon as possible! We'll do our best to accommodate however long you need, but note that this fest does run on a relatively tight schedule. Dates are given ahead of time for this reason.

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A: This can happen, and we understand life gets in the way! If you need to drop out at any point, please let us know via moonwaterbigbang@gmail.com so we can find someone to fill in for you if need be.

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A: Posting will begin on September 1st, 2025. We will advertise on Tumblr. Please DO NOT post publicly on AO3 beforehand.

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A: Of course! However, please wait until the fic is public on the Moonwater Big Bang AO3 collection before cross-posting your work (fic/art) to any other platforms.

FOR WRITERS

Q: What are the minimum and maximum word counts?

A: Written works are required to be a minimum of 20,000 words. There is no maximum.

Q: Does my work have to be new?

A: Yes, it must be a new, unpublished work created specifically for this fest. And it must not be an idea that you have previously talked about on public platforms before (or during) this fest.

Q: Can I write more than one work?

A: Due to the relatively tight schedule and the word count required for this big bang, we do not permit writers to work on more than one fic. If you are co-writing a fic with someone else, that counts as your one fic and you will not be allowed to write another.

Q: Can I post my work as a WIP?

A: Your work MUST be completed in full (final draft) by July 31st, 2025. We will start posting on September 1st 2025. We ask that you wait to post your work on AO3 until it is a full completed work. Works can be posted to the AO3 before July 31st, 2025 BUT they must be fully done start to finish.

Q: Why are there checkpoints?

A: To ensure writers are on track to complete their works on time. This helps with writer/artist pairings since this fest is a collaborative effort. We want to make sure artists are claiming works that will be completed by the deadline.

Q: Where do I put my fic when it's finished?

A: We will provide more instructions closer to final deadlines, but there is a Moonwater Big Bang 2025 AO3 collection where fics can be submitted.

Q: How do I add the art created for my fic to AO3?

A: Artworks are due August 15th, 2025 when this date starts approaching we will send out instructions on how to add artwork to your AO3 work. If your artist is finished in full before this date, we can send out instructions earlier as needed.

FOR ARTISTS

Q: Can I illustrate more than one fic?

A: Yes! We will prioritize claims to first picks, and if there are leftover, unclaimed fics to illustrate, we will allocate those to artists who want to illustrate more than one fic.

Q: How many pieces of art do I have to make per fic?

A: Two — one banner and one piece of original art. You are also welcome to make more!

SCHEDULE

JANUARY 2025

01 – Sign-Ups Open!

FEBRUARY 2025

28 – Writer Sign-Ups Close

MARCH 2025

15 – Fic Descriptions & Notable Tags Due

20 – Writer/Beta Pairings

APRIL 2025

20 – Writer 50% Checkpoint & Summaries Due

MAY 2025

15 – Writer 70% Checkpoint

20 – Artist Sign-Ups Close

25 – Fic Concepts Available to Artists

JUNE 2025

01 – Writer First Draft Due

10 - Artist Claiming

15 - Writer/Artist Pairings

JULY 2025

31 – Writer Final Drafts Due

AUGUST 2025

15 – Artist Final Pieces Due

SEPTEMBER 2025

01 – Posting Starts!

If you don't think you'll be able to make a deadline or are in danger of falling behind, please reach out to one of the fest mods as soon as possible!

[corrodedcoffinfest]

Birthday Boy Pop-Up Masterlist

Another fun event has ended here at @corrodedcoffinfest! Thanks again to everyone who participates in any way to make these a success!

This event had 11 total entries from 10 unique participants: 11 Fics, 0 Pieces of Art & 0 Other Works were submitted.

I've updated the spreadsheet with these newest entries, bringing our current total from all events to 348!

And don't forget to check out our ao3 collection!

Stay tuned, the next event is happening in February, and the guidelines for it will drop today!

Fic Submissions:

Corroded Coffin Fest Pop-Up: Birthday Boy by @jo-harrington | Prompt: Gift, 21 | Rating: T | WC: 1502 | CW: None | Tags: No Upside Down AU, Friendship, Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Unseen Character Death

a birthday halfway forgotten by @steddieas-shegoes | Prompt: Birthday, 30 | Rating: E | WC: 3132 | CW: none | Tags: famous corroded coffin, band manager steve, established relationship, fucking on a motorcycle is ill-advised but they do it anyway, hand jobs, anal sex, domestic fluff

I'm sorry, I lied by @keaganz | Prompt: Birthday, 25, 30, ‘Seriously, age is just a number | Word Count: 5747 | Rating: M | CW: alluding to Domestic Violence | POV: Eddie | Relationship(s): Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Billy Hargrove/Chrissy Cunningham, Gareth Emmerson/OFC | Tags: Famous Corroded Coffin, Eddie is a menace, age difference, Musician Steve Harrington, accidental baby acquisition, meet cute, speed running starting a family, Steve has hearing loss, Steve needs a hug and gets it, Original Child character

Certified Freak by @thisapplepielife | Prompt: 25 | Word Count: 18,235 | Rating: E | CW: Explicit Sexual Content | POV: Gareth | Relationship(s): Established Steddie, Gareth/Eddie/Steve, Gareth/OCs | Tags: Omegaverse, Modern AU, Late Bloomer Omega Gareth, Alpha Eddie Munson, Omega Steve Harrington, Heat Sex, Knotting, Omega/Alpha/Omega Threesome, Accidental Bonding, Dinguses x 3, Eddie And Steve Are Trying To Help, But Make Everything Worse

I Missed You by @punkrockmlchael | Prompt: Birthday | Word Count: 3100 | Rating: E | CW: Explicit Sexual Content, Mentions of Starting a Family | POV: Gareth | Relationship(s): Gareth Emerson x Fem!Reader | Tags: Gareth Emerson, Corroded Coffin, Life on the Road, Pre-Established Relationship, Birthday Boy, Celebrating Gareth's Birthday on Tour, Soft and Sweet Sex

Wanna Lick? by @tedewitt | Prompt: Birthday, 40 | Word Count: 6505 | Rating: E | POV: Eddie | Relationships: Steddie | CW: Explicit Sexual Content | Tags: Modern AU, Established Relationship, Surprise Birthday Party, Steve has a boudoir shoot, Crack Fic, Smut, Oral Sex, Anal Sex

Just Another Day by @theold-ultraviolence | Prompt: “Seriously? Age is just a number.”, 40 | Word Count: 3k | Rating: G | POV: Eddie | Relationships: Eddie Munson x reader/female!reader | CW: Eddie is hospitalized but there’s nothing tragic or graphic going on, it’s described that he has a heart condition, 40 year old!Eddie, nurse!reader, she/her pronouns used to describe the reader, reader is in her late thirties, friends to lovers, mutual pining, sorta meet-cute, meeting again after high school, mentions of Eddie drinking and doing drugs, mentions of his childhood

The Gift that Keeps on Giving by @punkrockmlchael | Prompt: Birthday | Word Count: 3100 | Rating: E | POV: Eddie | Relationships: Eddie Munson x Popstar!Fem Reader | CW: Explicit Sexual Content, Mentions of Weed and Underage Drinking | Tags: Eddie Munson, Fanboy Eddie, Popstar Reader, Concert, Gift, Meet and Greet, Celebrity Crush

Over the Hill by @the-unforgivenn | Prompt: 30, 40 & "Seriously? Age is Just a Number." | Rating: E | WC: 11k | Pairings: Rockstar!Gareth x Drumtech!Fem!Reader | CW: Pining, unrequited feelings (but not really), age-gap romance (reader is 30 and Gareth turns 40), food mentions/eating (reader steals Gareth's fries), feelings - all the feelings, soft!Gareth, snarky!Gareth, smut (thigh riding, oral f!receiving, unprotected semi-public back-of-the-limo p in v sex) | Tags: Gareth Emerson, Fem!Reader, Corroded Coffin, Eddie Munson, Jeff Richards, Goodie (this name for him just fit in this lil fic), Roadies Jimmie and Richie, Driver Rob

nothing else matters - eddie munson by @keeryhours | Prompt: Birthday, 40, 25, “Seriously? Age is just a number.” & Gift | Word Count: 3100 | Rating: E | POV: Reader | Relationships: Older! Eddie Munson x female reader | CW: Smut (18+), oral sex (m receiving), unprotected p in v, restraints?, age gap

What friends are for by @earthlyangelbby | Prompt: 21 & Gift | Word Count: 1.1k | Rating: T | POV: Eddie | Relationships: None | CW: None

[circle-with-me]

in this light, you are mine - jolly karlsson x nick ruffilo

collaboration with @deathblacksmoke

pairing: jolly karlsson x nicholas ruffilo

tags/content warning: ⚠️ 18+MDNI!! au of sorts // tattooer nick/non-bad omens band jolly,roommates to lovers, pining, rough oral sex (male receiving), handjobs, anal fingering, anal sex, overstimulation, cum eating.

tag list: @concretenoah @malice-ov-mercy @sitkowski @somebodyels3 @baddestomens @cookiesupplier @collective-heartbreak @tearfallpixie @broken0mens @collapsedglasshouses @lma1986 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @meekahy @to-be-written @sammyjoeee @catharsis-in-darkness @unicornfairytail @itsafullmoon @slutfornoahsebastian @cheyyyyr @agravemisstake

word count: 4.2k

sign up for my tag list here

author’s note: this fic has been teased for quite some time now and i appreciate everyone’s patience and support as we’ve shared snippets and hyped it up. working with my bestie @deathblacksmoke has been incredible. i think we’ve created something wonderful and hope to share more with y’all in the future. thank you to our lovely @darksigns-exe for the beta 🩷

dividers by @saradika-graphics 🩷

“Where is it?!” Jolly grumbles, angrily sifting through his clothes hamper for the third time. He has checked his closet, under his bed, his drawers, the laundry room, everywhere for his favorite hoodie but it was nowhere to be found. The hoodie was a bright yellow and navy thing, very hard to miss. It was merchandise from a hockey team in his hometown in Sweden, even if they weren’t that great, it was still comfortable.

He racks his brain thinking of where it could be when he remembers his roommates' propensity to steal his clothes. Normally, Jolly wouldn’t mind sharing. The issue is that Nick takes his possessions without permission. His favorite snacks frequently disappear from the pantry; his shirts are stolen without being returned.

Jolly even found he had used the last bit of his very expensive shampoo when he was in the shower. He became so enraged that he jumped out of the shower in only a towel, covered in soap. The moment he located Nick he began shouting at him in Swedish, pointing the empty shampoo bottle at him. Nick just stood there, red-faced and flustered.

Jolly’s shampoo was left alone after that.

He surmises he’s discovered the culprit of the missing hoodie, instantly stalking down the hallway to Nick’s room. Jolly bursts through the door without knocking, annoyance plastered all over his face. The look swiftly fades as soon as he lays eyes on the younger man.

His roommate was indeed wearing his hoodie and while Jolly expected to be perturbed he instead found himself entranced. It wasn’t the hoodie itself so much but that he was only wearing the hoodie along with some white crew socks. It was so large on him that Jolly wasn’t even sure if he was wearing boxers underneath. He definitely looked, however, unable to take his eyes off how it had ridden up Nick’s thighs in the position he was sitting.

Nick says his name but it’s more of a question – an inquiry as to why Jolly just angrily stomped into his room. Jolly doesn’t answer, however, slowly backing out of the room and walking back to his own. He lies back on his bed huffing, attempting to make sense of what just happened.

They haven’t been roommates for long — maybe six months at the most. Jolly was left alone in the house after his last relationship ended. His band wasn’t big yet, but they went on small tours throughout the year. He didn’t want the house to sit by itself while he was gone so he placed an ad for a roommate.

Nick was the only person who replied that was even remotely suitable to live with. He had a job at a local tattoo shop and a good head on his shoulders. He even liked some of the same music as Jolly. Nick assured him that he was quiet and would barely know he was there, so he took a chance.

Their schedules being what they were, it was rare they saw each other during the day. Nick always stayed late at the shop and Jolly either was out of town or playing local shows late into the night. Both of them slept well into the afternoon if they didn’t have plans and kept to themselves.

One night, Jolly returned home to find Nick cooking, almost every dish in the kitchen was sitting dirty in the sink. Jolly had no idea how it took that many dishes just to make spaghetti, but he overlooked it. He teased Nick about what could possibly possess him to cook a whole meal at two in the morning and he shrugged as he handed Jolly a plate.

“My mama always told me that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

Jolly remembers how he had to fight away the butterflies in his stomach that night. The sweet smile Nick gave him didn’t help. The tightness in his throat made it difficult to swallow down the feelings he wasn’t ready to deal with yet.

After that, their late-night kitchen meetings became more frequent. They weren’t always over a huge meal. Most of the time they had stove top ramen or ice cream. Jolly finally felt like he was starting to get to know his roommate more, but the more comfortable they became the more he felt the need to pull away.

Jolly found himself staring at him longer than he should. He’d walk around in nothing but thin pajama pants, his soft belly slightly protruding over the waistband. Often he would catch himself wondering how it would feel to run his hands down the sides of Nick’s torso. Was he ticklish there? What kind of soft pretty noises would he make when he nipped at the flesh by his hip bo-

Jolly shakes his head, clearing the thought out of his brain. Just the memory of his filthy ideas were enough to get him worked up. He pinches the bridge of his nose, willing the stiffening in his pants to go away.

But he does feel something — a giddy sort of nervous energy when he arrives home to find Nick’s car in the driveway, wondering what he’s up to and hoping for another chat in the kitchen. A longing for Nick not to steal his hoodies, but to give them to him to wear when they’re apart. It’s a feeling he wasn’t expecting, hasn’t known quite this well before, but it’s enough.

It’s enough to have him moving back towards Nick’s door, knocking lightly before twisting the doorknob once more.

Nick sits perched comfortably atop his bed with one knee bent up against his chest and the other looped around the front of him. His arms are wrapped around his leg, head gently laid on top of his knee. The black-rimmed glasses he wears are screwed up on his face from the angle but he doesn’t seem phased by it. His black hair is tied into a bun that shakes slightly when he laughs at whatever he’s watching on tv. Jolly can’t seem to muster the strength to look away.

Nick glances over at him, propping his chin on his knee. He speaks but Jolly can’t hear him from all of the blood rushing through his ears. He’s far too preoccupied with the way Nick’s hand is now drifting against his thigh. Jolly swallows harshly, pushing his tongue out to wet his suddenly dry lips.

Nick smirks, patting the space in front of him. Somehow Jolly manages to push himself forward to sit on the bed with him. He opens and closes his mouth a few times to speak but finds he can’t articulate his thoughts. If he’s being honest, he’s unsure if anything going through his mind should be spoken out loud.

Jolly has a hunch that Nick knows what he’s thinking about though. He doesn’t miss the way Nick’s eyes wander, from his eyes, down to his lips and back up again.

Without thinking, Jolly takes Nick’s face in his hands and kisses him firmly on the lips. There’s no discussion, no exchange of words between them, but something about the look on Nick’s face told him it was okay.

Nick fumbles with the bottom of Jolly’s shirt to tug it over his head. Jolly complains to no one in particular about the inconvenience of clothes. Nick smiles against his mouth, nipping hesitantly at Jolly’s bottom lip. He breaks the kiss, to Jolly’s protest, lying back against his pillows in an invitation for him to follow.

Using both hands to spread Nick’s legs, Jolly kneels between them. He taps a finger on Nick’s knee as he contemplates where he wants to start first. He detects a hint of self-doubt on the younger man’s face and rushes to set his mind at ease.

Their lips collide with each other, to his surprise Nick is the first to request access with his tongue and Jolly gladly allows him. He moves his hands to the hem of his hoodie, gliding them up Nick’s thighs. He jumps at the contact and gasps into Jolly’s mouth. He chuckles, continuing his exploration.

Jolly wraps his fingers around his hips squeezing at the flesh. Nick makes another sound akin to a whimper. He squeezes again, another whimper.

“Mmm.. So responsive.” Jolly says, nibbling at Nick’s lower lip. “I haven’t even made it to my favorite parts of you, yet.”

Both hands slide up Nick’s belly, pushing the hoodie up as they move. His muscles twitch when Jolly’s fingers brush at the top of his waistline and he forces himself to hide a smile. Nick is ticklish. The flesh of his stomach is just as soft on his lips as he had imagined. The noises he makes when he sinks his teeth into him are even better.

Nick’s fingers dig into Jolly’s shoulders. Jolly bites down a little harder and he hisses, earning a quiet apology and his tongue soothing the area. Nick rolls his hips but Jolly presses him back down into the mattress.

“Patience, raring,” Jolly says, dragging his tongue over the patch of hair at the bottom of his stomach. “I’m still playing.”

Jolly feels his cock twitching against his chest. It takes every ounce of restraint not to pull him out of his boxers and suck him off. He hasn’t done that in a long time, though. Probably since his mid-twenties. His skills have gone to shit.

Nick interrupts his thoughts when he wiggles beneath him, a demanding whimper commanding his attention. Jolly cocks an eyebrow, waiting for him to use his words.

“Why’d you stop?”

Jolly crawls up his body, their faces now parallel to each other. Their lips graze, and Jolly pulls away playfully when Nick tries to kiss him.

“Sorry, love.” He pins him down with the weight of his hips, grinding Nick’s hard length against his own. “Bit distracted by everything I want to do to you.”

Nick wraps his hand around the back of Jolly’s head and crashes their lips together. The surprised noise he makes at his sudden surge of confidence turns into a strangled moan as Nick pushes his hand into Jolly’s sweatpants, closing his hand around his cock.

The expertise of Nick’s hand working him over has Jolly seeing stars. His touch is just on the right side of too rough. Reluctantly, he pulls Nick’s hand from his pants. Nick makes it clear he’s not pleased, however Jolly never lets go of his wrist—spitting in his palm and returning it, moving his hand for him to spread the saliva over his cock.

He stifles his moans against Nick’s mouth, and he swallows everything Jolly offers him. It doesn’t take long before he’s buried in the crook of his neck, hips desperately jutting into Nick’s fist. He nips at every centimeter of skin he can reach, uttering praises after each one. Nick’s hand moves faster in time with his thrusts, filthy gasps flooding his ears.

His orgasm builds quickly and he wants to succumb so badly, but he pulls Nick’s hand away again. He doesn’t complain this time, a smirk playing on his lips. Jolly sits up to catch his breath, passing a hand through his hair. Nick follows, seizing the opportunity to mark up his stomach.

Jolly can’t resist admiring him as he methodically nibbles his skin and soothes the area with his tongue. His thick eyelashes flutter so prettily as he blinks. The full lips that press against his body are soft, his top lip bearing a perfectly accentuated cupid’s bow.

His nose, Jolly thinks, is his favorite part. It grazes against him and he briefly wonders what it would be like to feel it pressed into his stomach while he’s deep in Nick’s throat. A shiver runs down his spine at the thought and he absentmindedly squeezes the back of Nick’s neck. His eyelashes flutter again; blue eyes moving upward to meet Jolly’s.

“Was starting to think you would never catch the hint,” He mumbles against his stomach, sucking another bruise into the flesh. “I’ve been waiting for a long time for you to make a move.” He slides his hands down Jolly’s sides, flexing his fingers around his hips.

“As you can see, I had to take matters into my own hands,” He pulls away slightly and Jolly’s grip on his neck tightens. It eases when he sees Nick’s fingers dipping into the band of his pants pulling them down enough to release his aching cock. The way that Nick licks his lips at the sight of him is dizzying.

“You mentioned one night how it drove you crazy to see your partners wearing your clothes. So I decided I’d give it a shot.” Nick takes him in hand, collecting the mess that had gathered at his tip. Jolly bucks into his hand and he smirks. “I guess it worked, huh, baby?”

Jolly removes his hand from Nick’s neck and places both hands on his shoulders, his hold now bruising. He’s putty in his hands and Nick knows it. A cocky smile spreads across his face as he slowly jerks him, occasionally placing soft kisses and licks on the head but nothing more.

“N-Nick…” He whines.

“Do you ever think of me?” Jolly groans at the question, his mind racing through all of the times he’s come over his fist thinking about the beautiful boy beneath him. He manages out a pathetic yes, eliciting a quiet laugh from Nick.

“I’ll tell you about a time I thought of you and then you can tell me one, how about that?”

Jolly doesn’t answer, he just stares down at him in anticipation.

“That day you got mad about your shampoo,” Nick giggles. “You came out of the shower dripping wet. Face all red. Yelling at me. So angry.” He wraps his lips around him and Jolly gasps. He pulls away as soon as he feels Jolly start to push into his mouth.

“It was so hot seeing you mad, hearing you yell in Swedish. You were so upset I bet you didn’t even notice how hard I was.” He reaches his hand underneath and massages him, a quiet “fuck” falling from his lips.

“You know, we should really invest in better towels, Jolls.” Nick says, wrapping his tongue around the velvety head. “I could see the outline of your dick through that paper-thin towel you had on. I came so fucking hard touching myself that ni-”

Nick’s sentence is interrupted by Jolly’s thick cock being shoved in his mouth. He waited as long as he could, but when a pretty boy is bragging about touching himself to the thought of his cock — why shouldn’t he give him what he wants?

Nick struggles to adjust to the girth in his mouth. Jolly grips his messy bun, his other hand grabbing his chin. He soothes his jaw, encouraging him to relax. With each thrust into Nick’s mouth, his eyes fill up with tears. The way he looks up at him as he swirls his tongue around him has Jolly feeling feral.

“That’s it, Nicky. Take it all. Cocky boys get their mouths stuffed.”

Muffled gagging noises send vibrations straight through him as he hits the back of his throat. A tear rolls down Nick’s cheek and he’s quick to wipe it away with his thumb, rubbing lightly over the cheekbone as a silent check in. Nick taps his thigh once in reassurance. Jolly smiles and praises him, his fingers twisting into the hair at the nape of his neck.

“You wanna know if I ever think about you, huh?” He grunts, rutting into Nick’s mouth. Nick hums in response, eyes fixed on Jolly.

“That night — God, that night you came to my show. We got really drunk afterward. You were bending over the pool table at the bar lining up your shot.”

“Had on those skin tight black jeans, fuck, when you looked back and winked at me. Knew you had caught me.” Jolly swears he can see Nick smiling around him. The glint in his eyes gives away that he remembers exactly what night he’s referring to.

“Couldn’t decide if I wanted to drag you into the bathroom or take you home and shove that pretty face of yours into the mattress.” Jolly pushes Nick’s head down further onto him and he gags. Tears fall freely from his eyes but he makes sure to give Jolly another tap to keep going.

“Instead I just fucked my fist in the shower when we got home. Moaning your name and hoping you couldn’t hear me.”

Nick moans at his confession, swallowing around him. Jolly throws his head back, pulling his hair by the roots. He slows down, drawing himself down his tongue until he pops out of Nick’s mouth. Gasping for air, he immediately grabs Jolly’s shaft to place him between his lips. Jolly laughs, pulling him off of him by his hair.

“Is my pretty boy drunk on my cock?” He breathes. Nick nods almost too eagerly, saliva falling from his open mouth. Jolly licks his lips, dragging them between his teeth. “Do you want me to fuck you like I’ve wanted to all this time? Fuck you in my hoodie and make you mine?”

Nick scrambles up Jolly’s torso to beg against his lips. Jolly lets him plead, plant kiss after kiss against him, relishing in the moment he’s wanted for so long. He gently pushes him back onto the bed, leaving Nick looking bewildered. He discards his sweatpants on the side of the bed, never breaking eye contact.

At the sight of Nick on his back for him, wide-eyed and eager but so very shy, his brain empties. This beautiful boy, putting all his trust in him, so pretty and pliable—he has to give himself a moment to enjoy it, to find his center.

Slowly, he lowers himself to cover Nick’s body with his own. As he kisses him, he savors the way Nick sighs into his mouth, threading his fingers through Jolly’s hair and relaxing further into the mattress.

He suddenly finds himself underdressed, completely bare above a mostly-clothed Nick, and he needs it to change immediately. Nick lets out the prettiest little whine when his boxers are slid down his legs. It’s music to his ears.

“Do you have—” he starts to say, burying his face in Nick’s neck, exasperated. Almost all of his confidence from moments ago has dissipated. It’s been a long time, is the thing. Without putting much thought into it, he couldn’t say when he last did this. He came in here so unprepared. But he has to get inside him. “Do you have lube, Nicky?”

Nick nods urgently. Jolly swears he can feel him vibrating beneath him.

“Bedside table,” he says. “Top drawer.”

He feels out of his element, shaky and unsure as he pours some lube out onto his fingers. He’s not exactly a novice, he has experience, but something about Nick and this entire situation makes him feel like a blushing virgin again. He has to make this good for him. He has to make it perfect so he can have it again.

Lying on his tummy with Nick’s legs slung over his shoulders, it all feels so real. Nick is the one presenting himself, vulnerable and bare for Jolly for the first time, but it’s Jolly who feels on display. It’s Jolly who feels like he has a hell of a lot to prove.

He gets his bearings with an experimental little swipe of his index finger around the tight ring of muscle. Nick moans so sweetly at the first push in, relaxing for him impressively, and Jolly finds his confidence coming back to him.

“Jolls,” Nick whines, already bearing down impatiently on his finger. The squirming has him wondering if he should press a hand to his hip, hold him down, but he decides against it. He’ll let the boy have his fun. “Jolls, please, more. I need it, baby, please.”

Never one to say no to such a pretty boy, especially when he begs like that, so polite, so sweet, he adds another finger. The relaxation, once again, is immediate. Nick accepts him so readily, almost like he was prepared for this but—no, he won’t think about that. Even as he pulls his fingers back out, going back in with a third just to see.

It’s a stretch, but barely. It’s suspiciously easy.

“You’re already open, aren’t you, love?” Jolly asks. Though the angle isn’t perfect to see Nick’s expression, he can see the way Nick lifts his hand and covers his face, so fucking shy. “Taking my fingers so easily, Nicky. You’ve been playing with this pretty little hole, haven’t you?”

God, he wishes he could see his face. He wishes he could have a hand on his soft skin as it heats with embarrassment like he knows it is right now. It’s enough, though, to see the way Nick nods so urgently. He knew it.

“Please, Joakim,” Nick gasps. He’s so desperate for it. Jolly thinks he feels pretty similar. “I need you to fuck me.”

How could he ever say no to that?

For all of the urgency he felt previously, suddenly he finds himself no longer needing to rush. The man who is so beautifully wrapped around him breathes into him like he’s his only source of oxygen. He continues to meet Jolly’s thrusts even as they slow into a languid pace.

The slower Jolly moves inside of him, the more anguished Nick’s whimpers become. He presses his head against the pillow, moaning Joakim repeatedly and he isn’t sure he can go back to hearing him call him Jolly ever again.

He kisses the tears streaming down Nick’s face, whispering quiet praises. Alternating between his neck and clavicle, he leaves soft bites marking his territory. They’re mostly for him. A reminder to himself that this moment is real. For once, he’s not going to open his eyes and it all be a fantasy.

Jolly grabs the headboard for leverage; pushing long and deep strokes into him. His other hand holds onto his waist, pinning him down to keep him in place. He feels Nick squirm beneath him, desperate for more.

“J-Joakim.. Ahh.. Please..”

“Shh. It’s okay, love.” Jolly whispers into his skin. “You’re doing so good for me.”

Nick threads his hands into his hair, pulling him in for a needy, wet kiss. His efforts to plead for more again fail as Jolly grinds deep into him. He feels Nick’s legs tremble around him and he doesn’t mind when they loosen a little. He runs his hand up his thigh, back to his hip, and underneath his hoodie to Nick’s dripping cock.

He cries out, arching his chest into Jolly’s as he begins to jerk him just as slowly as he rocks into him. Nick whimpers something unintelligible, squeezing his eyes shut. Jolly observes him as he falls apart beneath him, never imagining anything or anyone could be this perfect.

“I-I.. F- Oh-oh my god.” Nick stutters, dragging his lips between his teeth.

“I know, baby. It’s a lot isn’t it?”

Jolly’s question is answered when he feels Nick clench around him. He loses his grip on the headboard nearly falling on top of him but manages to recover in time. His resolve breaks, snapping his hips and moving his fist over Nick faster. He gasps then whines and Jolly fucks him harder, desperate for him to make that sound again. Nick’s cock twitches in his hand, and he feels him tighten once again.

“You’re so close, raring. I can feel it. Let go for me, I’ve got you.”

Nick chokes out a sob; white hot ropes of cum pulse over Jolly’s hand and onto Nick’s belly. Nick watches as he works him through it, panting, fingers clutching the sheets. Jolly presses their foreheads together and their eyes meet. Nick pushes his hair out of his face, pressing their lips together. Jolly sighs against his mouth, kissing him harder, lips curling into a smile before he’s gasping and releasing inside of him.

He’s barely caught his breath before he releases his hold on Nick, pushing his semen coated fingers into his mouth. Jolly hums, savoring the flavor - he tastes just as good as he imagined. Nick wraps his hand around his wrist, tugging his hand towards his own mouth. Jolly smirks, allowing him to taste what remained of him. It’s a filthy yet beautifully intimate moment between them, and he can’t look away.

They settle into each other's arms, sinking as far into the mattress as possible. The silence between them is comfortable. He listens as Nick’s pulse slows down; the rise and fall of his chest lulling him into a sense of security. He wants to tell him everything, every single thought and feeling roaming inside of his head. For the moment, he’s perfectly content laying here with his beautiful boy, softening inside of him.

Jolly’s fingers twist around the hoodie strings. It’s almost funny how upset he was such a short while ago. He can’t imagine it belonging to anyone but Nick now.

[bteezxyewriter12]

Just Want to Play/ 2

Pairing- Mingi x Named Reader

Word count- 4k

Includes- Mingi is tattooed and nail painted black, pining, oral, blow job, pussy eating, face riding, cum eating, cock riding, dirty talk, squirting, multiple orgasms, some fluff

Tag List- @mingtina @jaxminnie @yeosayang @delightfulmoonbanana @tannie13 @y00nzin0 @marsstarxhwa

@yeosxxx @seokwoosmole @jjongsbebe @wisejudgedragonhairdo @meowmeowminnie @woo-stars @borntowalkaway @usagionthered @san-realblkwife @seonghwasstar @jejeyeppeo @soulseobi05 @kpop-bambi @prayerofthehaim @realisticnotes @pinkies-things @insomniacatiny @stephy-nicole13 @mknae-jongho

Masterlists- check out for more fics

📝Masterlists 📝ATEEZ Masterlist 📝Mingi Masterlist

One week later

Mingi POV

Laying in my bed, I stare at the ceiling, not able to sleep

I haven't been able to sleep since I was with her

It's not even about the sex which was fucking amazing

It was holding her after, watching her sleep in my arms, feeling her cuddle against me that I can't get out of my head

It's everything I ever wanted

I've loved my best friend since I can remember

Wanted only her

I had other girlfriends, then fuck buddies but none have ever captured my attention the way she does

And she has no idea

Even now, after what happened, I don't think she knows how much it meant to me

I doubt she'll ever see me the way I wish she would

And I'm too scared to say anything, too scared to risk our friendship

So I sit back and watch her date other guys, support her

And wish she was mine

I was ok when she was dating strangers, guys I didn't know

But when I found out about her and San, I was fucking devastated

And I took it out on San

Avoiding him, snapping at him when he spoke to me

He finally asked me what my problem was and I lied

I told him I was jealous that he got to fuck my best friend first

And I asked him to talk to her for me but I didn't want her to know it was me until the day of

I was scared of her rejection

He was more than willing, telling me that her and him fuck casually

Which also pisses me off but I can't do anything about it

And I thought maybe it was just lust

Maybe if I was with her these feelings would go away

I was wrong

So wrong

-------------------------------

I'm sitting on my couch with the TV on but I'm not watching it

It's just on for noise

I'm either thinking about her or falling asleep

These sleepless nights are catching up with me

But even if I fall asleep, it's never for long

I'm feeling drowsy, my eyes closing when the doorbell rings

The loud ring startles me awake, making me jump

"Jesus", I mutter as the bell rings again

Standing up, I amble to the door, opening it

"Jo?", I ask, shocked to see her standing there

I don't remember us planning to hang out today

"Hi Mingi", she smiles, making my heart beat faster

I let her in, closing the door behind her

"Did you text me?", I ask as we plop down on the couch

"Oh uh no. Are you busy?"

"Nope", I answer, looking over at her, "I just thought maybe I forgot we were supposed to hang or I didn't read a text or something"

"No, I kind just showed up", she says quietly, "I uh..wanted to talk to you"

I'm getting a little nervous

We haven't really spoken much since last week

"What..what uh do you wanna talk about?"

"Well...", she says, trailing off, her gaze meeting mine, "Kinda wanted to talk about what happened last week... with us"

I nod, anxiety filling my body, "Yeah sure"

"Where did you go? When I woke up you weren't there. San was asleep next to me"

I'm jealous that San was there with her but realistically it's his bed, where else would he sleep?

"San woke me up when he got home", I explain, "I felt bad that we were asleep in his bed, so I left. You were so tired and couldn't be woken up. San told me to just leave you. He moved you to one side of the bed and said he was gonna crash"

She nods, "Makes sense since he was all the way on the other side of his massive bed"

San has a huge king size bed

I feel better that they were on opposite sides of it while me and her were cuddled in the middle of it

Not that it means a damn thing

"I was a little disappointed that you weren't there when I woke up"

I perk up at that, "Oh?"

She nods, her cheeks pink but she avoids eye contact

"Sorry"

"No I get it", she answers, "I uh also wanted to tell you....I had fun. With you"

I swallow hard, trying not to get my hopes up

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Shit Mingi, you fucked me so good I couldn't walk when I woke up"

I blink in utter surprise, "I..really?"

She nods, "I was so sore. And when I stood up I just fell down. San had to pick me up and carry me to the bathroom then back to bed. He had to massage my legs for like an hour so I could walk"

"I'm sorry", I apologize, horrified that I fucked her so hard I hurt her

That wasn't my intention at all

"No it's fine, I didn't tell you to get you upset or anything", she asks

"Oh uh ok...well why did you tell me?", I ask, curious and confused

She didn't have to tell me anything or ever bring up what happened again so I'm wondering why she is

"Well....uh...I'm just gonna ask you ok?"

Ask me what?

"Uh alright?", I answer

She takes a breath and looks at me, "Can I play with your cock Mingi?"

I blink, in complete shock at what she just said

If she did say it or maybe I'm imagining it

"Uh...what?"

"I want to play on your cock again. Can I?"

Ok my fucking god she did say that

"Yes", I answer immediately

It would never be anything but yes

"Are you sure? I don't want you to just say yes. I want you to want to"

"I do Jo. I really want to", I assure her, "I had a lot of fun with you too"

"Oh..that's good", she murmurs, glancing over at me, "So...now?"

I'm so good with now

"Now", I confirm

She smirks, then shoves me back hard on my couch, her hands already pulling down my sweatpants

Once they're off, her hands are pushing my shirt up, her lips pressing kisses into my abs, shivers running up and down my spine

My god, her lips feel so good, her kisses so good

I watch her tongue lick my skin before she kisses it, that sight driving me out of my mind

She kisses up my body, pushing my shirt up with every inch she moves

And I'm just laying in a daze, my skin trembling against every peck

Getting to my chest, she sits up, tugging on my shirt, "Off Mingi"

I nod, sitting right up and letting her pull it off me

Then I'm laying back down immediately, her lips kissing my chest, on the right dragon tattoo

I watch her kiss that one, then the other, trailing kisses up higher

When her lips sink into my neck, I let out the most embarrassing moan as she kisses right into a spot that feels amazing

"You sound so pretty baby", she murmurs, her hand sliding into my hair and tugging as she kisses right into my neck tattoo

I move my arms around her, holding her against me as her tongue licks me

"Fuck", I groan, her pretty little chuckle so sexy as she laughs in my neck

She begins her descent down my body again, kisses leaving fire on my skin, her fingers trailing after her lips

She pulls my boxers down as she kisses along my dick, making me gasp in pleasure

Leaving my boxers down to my thighs, her tongue slowly licks up my length, moans leaving my mouth as my eyes stay locked on her

"Didn't get to suck your dick last time", she murmurs, "Was a little disappointed"

"Ssss....sorry", I stammer, "I....I didn't....didn't know"

"Now you do", she smirks, "I like sucking dick"

Well that is definitely something I did not know about her

"Yours is huge", she says, licking under my head, "And I'm going to try to get it all in but I'm not sure I can"

That is more than ok

Any part of my cock in her mouth is good with me

"Please don't be mad at me if I can't", she says, giving me wide innocent eyes

"I won't...I promise. I won't be mad", I whimper

I can never get mad at her normally, I especially won't be mad about anything to do with sex

She nods, "Ok Mingi"

With that, her mouth moves around my head, sucking softly but quickly right off the bat

My body is thrown into incredible pleasure, the sight of her mouth around my dick arousing in itself

I never thought I'd see this in my entire life

She moves down fairly quickly, sucking away, spit falling down my length that's not in her mouth, her hand around the base, stroking up and down in time with her sucking

"Fuck", I whimper, my cock hitting the back of her throat the further down she goes

My head pushes into her throat, the tight space spasming as she chokes, the sound so pretty

I don't want to hurt her though so I start to pull back

"Uh uh", she growls, shaking her head

I stop moving and she pushes my head and now more of my cock into her throat

Her pretty eyes water, her spit all over my cock, dripping down, so messy and I'm so here for it

I like sloppy blow jobs

And I really like her blowing me

She starts bobbing her head, the sight of my cock moving in and out of her mouth mind blowing

And the pleasure is out of this world, every nerve in bliss

She moves down slightly with each bob down and I watch her desperately try to get my whole cock in her mouth, sucking like her life depends on it, tears streaming down her face

It's not working so well though

"I can't do it", she pouts, pulling off my dick, my mind exploding

She sounds so upset that she can't deepthroat my whole cock

I have no clue what to do with that

Her tongue slides up my length, licking against the underside of my head, then sucking there slightly sending chills down my spine

"Maybe I just need more practice", she says, her tongue swirling around my slit

Did she say practice?

"I uh..."

"Are you gonna let me practice? Let me blow you again?", she asks, her wide eyes staring up at me innocently, "I like sucking your dick"

Jesus Christ

I don't know if she's just saying this in the moment but I'm more than happy to let her practice on me

"Mingi!", she whines, sucking on my head loudly, "Can I practice with your cock?"

I nod immediately, "Yeah. Yes"

She smirks, "Good"

And her mouth is around me again, going down as far as she can, sucking like her life depends on it, jerking me off at the same time

My god she really does know how to suck and make it so pleasurable

"Mmm", she moans, choking around me, her teary eyes watching me

I groan in bliss as she brings me closer with that fucking mouth of hers

"Cum down my throat", she tells me, her tongue all over my length, "Wanna swallow it all"

"Fuck", I murmur as her mouth takes me in again, sucking hard

I move my hand in her hair, holding on as she throws me into a mind blowing orgasm

"Fuck, Jo! Oh fuck!", I cry, shooting cum down her throat as bliss wracks my body

I keep my eyes on her, groaning when I see her swallow, her throat tightening again and again, making everything ten times better

I hold her in place as I cum, her mouth still moving, still sucking

When it's over, I gape at her, never having felt such ecstasy before

"Fuck baby", she murmurs between sucks, looking at me, "Your cum tastes so good"

My mind implodes at her words

"What?"

"You taste so yummy. I swallowed it all. Look"

She opens her mouth, sticking her tongue out so I can see that she did indeed swallow it all

That gesture makes my cock throb in her hand

God, she's so hot

My body trembles on its own as her tongue licks my underside, then sucks on my head

Quicker than I thought possible she gets me rock hard and I'm so fucking surprised

Pulling off me, she sits up, her eyes on mine

"I'm gonna sit on your cock now", she murmurs, getting in my lap

"Please", I whimper, holding onto her hips, excited

I want her so badly

Aligning me to her hole, she sinks down, taking my head inside her

"Fuck", I cry as she slowly moves down my cock, her tight cunt welcoming me in

"Mingi", she moans, the sound of my name in her voice so fucking pretty, driving me crazy

Her hand moves down her body, her fingers rubbing her clit as she pushes down my cock

"Oh Mingi, yes", she cries, closing her eyes, her head tilting back, her cunt getting so much more wet as she slowly takes each inch, her fingers rubbing faster

The incredible sight of my best friend playing with herself as she takes my cock is seared in my memory, something I will never, in my lifetime, forget

"Mingi! I'm gonna cum on your cock", she pants, so close to bottoming me out, her cunt pulsing like crazy, "Please, can I cum on your cock?"

"Yes, yes baby. Yes", I moan, the pleasure she's giving me driving me crazy

She bottoms me out, my head nestled and rubbing her spot, coming at the same time

Her pussy chokes my cock again and again as bliss hits me

I watch the clear sight of her coming around my dick and I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful

Her hand falls away from her pussy as she leans back, holding herself up

I don't even think, I move my hand to her cunt, rubbing her clit, keeping her climaxing for a few seconds longer

"Mingi", she cries, her legs shaking around my body

When she finishes, her eyes open, her gaze moving to mine, a smirk on her face

"So good baby", she coos, leaning her hands on my abs, "Gonna make you feel so good right now"

Before I can say anything, she starts bouncing on my cock, up and down, throwing my body into pure pleasure

I watch her tight hole split around my length as she impales herself on my dick over and over, her cream coating my shaft with every bounce

"Oh fuck Mingi", she murmurs, her breathing increasing

I can't stop my hands from roaming her body, touching her soft skin, feeling it tremble under my touch, my eyes moving to her wiggling boobs

Her hands move to mine, putting them over her boobs, keeping her hands over mine and squeezing

"Touch me Mingi", she moans breathlessly, "Fuck, I want you to touch me so badly. Ever since last time I want your hands on me"

I can touch her no problem

Her hands slide to my wrists, my hands squeezing her boobs, the black nail polish I'm wearing so stark against her soft pale skin

Her body is sweaty, a pretty sheen covering her, her hair drenched, tears falling down her face from pleasure

She looks absolutely gorgeous

"Fuck, you don't know how long I wanted you on my cock", I whimper, watching her ride me, feeling the utter bliss she's giving me, "How long I wanted to hear you moan for my cock, cry for my cock, scream on my cock. How long I wanted you to want my dick inside you. Only mine"

Fuck, I fantasized about her for fucking years

For just this moment

Her bouncing on my dick, tears down her face, crying my name from the pleasure

Just like she is now

"Wanted my cock inside you for so long", I murmur, "Just wanted to wear your cunt like my favorite cock sleeve"

"You can", she cries, tears cascading down her pretty face, "You can wear my pussy anytime Mingi"

Fuck, I wish

"Don't lie, Jo"

She shakes her head, her hips dropping her pussy down my length over and over, the cream leaking from her cunt all over my cock and lap

"I'm not", she cries, "Fuck, Mingi, love being on your cock"

"Yeah aegi?", I murmur, "You take my cock so well. So small but you take all of me each time, fitting so perfectly around me. Wanna be inside you all the time"

"Please baby", she sobs, her body arching as she shakes in pleasure, "You can wear me all the time. Like an accessory for your cock"

I really like that thought

To just have her whenever I want

And it's not just for me

To be able to pleasure her, eat her cunt, make her cum all the time is so enticing

It's a wish I doubt will ever happen

"Mingi, gonna cum", she cries, her fingers digging into my arms, her hips lifting and dropping like lightning, riding me harder than any girl ever has

Giving me ecstasy like no girl ever has

"Fall apart on my cock baby", I demand

"Mingi!", she screams, doing just that as her cunt squirts all over the place, drenching my dick, my lap, my abs and my couch, her hips rocking on me, keeping my head rubbing her spot

I watch the stunning sight in awe, breathing hard

Her body spasms as she finishes, sucking in breaths as her eyes slowly open

I look at her through my sweaty hair, wanting nothing more than to keep pleasing her

Grabbing her hips, I move down the couch, laying down flat

Lifting her off my cock, I move her over my face, pull her down as I lift my head, my tongue all over her, tasting her sweet cunt again

"Oh fuck, Mingi", she whimpers, her legs shaking around my head

I keep a firm grip on her thighs, holding her against my mouth as I eagerly eat her pussy

Running my tongue along her slit, her pretty lips open for me, her cunt so soft, so wet against my tongue

I tease her hole, slipping just the tip inside her and pulling out before she can clench down on it

She whines, making me laugh as I keep playing with her

Rolling my tongue over her clit her body shivers as soon as I touch it, a loud pornographic moan coming from her

I switch between licking her clit and sucking on it, her pussy completely watering my face the more I play with her throbbing bump

And I absolutely love it

Her hips start moving as she grinds her pussy against my tongue, her breathing increasing, her hand sliding into my hair, holding on hard, moaning my name

I finally shove my tongue in her cunt, her hole throbbing hard, sending pleasure right to my cock

Sliding out of her hole, I run my tongue up to her clit, sucking on it once, the slide back down, dipping inside again

I keep pleasuring her this way, her hips moving faster as her cries become louder

I know from how hard she's pulsing around my tongue that she's close

The next movements have her coming against my face and I eagerly shove my tongue up her cunt, letting her orgasm all over it

Her sweet cream fills my mouth and I groan into her as I swallow greedily

Her hips still once she finishes and I take the chance to lick her pussy clean

She moves down my body, sitting on my stomach, looking down at me and smiling softly

"Now it's your turn to cum"

I just nod, so turned on

"Where do you wanna cum baby?"

"Inside", I say immediately, "Wanna cum inside"

Her smirk widens, "Wanna fill me up like you did last time?"

I nod

Hell yes

"Ok", she giggles, "I liked being full of your cum last time"

My eyes widen, shock hitting me

She's shocking me so much today

She turns around, pulling my boxers completely off and moving over my lap in a reverse cowgirl position

She reaches behind her, holding my dick up, looking over her shoulder at me

"Watch my pussy take your cock", she says

Yes ma'am

She sits on me again and I have the perfect graphic view of her cunt impaling on my cock

Her little hole swallowing my cock, cream leaking down my length, her pussy lips opening so beautifully for me

God, it's so erotic

She bottoms me out, her cunt squeezing impossibly tight, making me gasp

She begins to move, bouncing, sliding to my head then back down, engulfing me back in her tight welcoming cunt

With each bounce, she clenches around my cock the entire time, throwing my body into bliss, moans just spilling from my mouth

I watch her pussy stretch around me over and over, her cream making a pretty ring around the base of my cock and smearing around her hole

"Mingi", she cries, her cunt spasming and choking my cock in a vice grip, the wet sound of her pussy taking my dick so loud and pornographic

She calls my name again, coming on my shaft, the skin of her back spasming in pleasure

Ecstacy tsunamis over me as she yells, "Fill my pussy Mingi!"

Gripping her hips I pull her down my entire cock, throbbing and spilling cum into her orgasming pussy, stars blasting in my vision

"Fuck Joanne!", I gasp, the feeling of her pussy milking my cock utterly amazing

I can't believe it feels this mind blowing

We ride out our pleasure together, finishing at the same time

Letting go of her, she moves off me but doesn't go far, turning back around to face me

She lays down on top of me, burying her face in my neck, cuddling into me

My heart pounds in surprise but still, I wrap my arms around her, holding her

"I think", she pants, "That I want to keep this going"

I breathe in, hoping she's suggesting what I think she's suggesting

"You...want to keep sleeping together?", I ask quietly

She lifts her face from my neck, her eyes on mine, nodding, "Yeah. If you want that. A friends with benefits things"

I want it

It's the only way I can be near her, be with her and I'm taking it

And hopefully, maybe, she can see me as more that her best friend

Maybe she can develop feelings for me

I can always hope

"Yeah, I'd want that", I tell her, then continue, wanting to be clear about everything, "If we do this, then are we just sleeping with each other? Exclusively?"

"Yeah Mingi", she nods

I hesitate, "And San?"

"I'll tell him that we can't sleep together anymore. That I'm only going to be with you"

Relief fills me about that but I also don't want San to be upset

"He's not going to be mad?"

She snorts, "No. He's fucking some other girl too. One he likes but he's unsure if she likes him like that too. Now he can just be with her, stop being a coward and tell her how he feels"

I swallow at her harsh words

If San's a coward then so am I

It's just hard to tell someone your feelings when you don't know if you're gonna be hurt or not

So I get San's hesitancy

But I'm not telling her that

"Ok Jo", I agree, "I'll just be with you too"

She smiles brightly, "Great Mingi"

I smile back at her, happy that she's somewhat mine

She lays back down, her head on my chest, right under my chin, "Can we nap now?"

I chuckle, "Tired?"

"Yeah. You wore me out"

I laugh louder, "Yeah Jo, we can nap"

"Mmmm good", she murmurs, snuggling against me more

Holding her tightly with one arm, I move my other hand in her hair, playing softly with the strands

"Mmm feels good", she whispers, her eyes closing

I just smile as I close my eyes, grateful I can hold the girl I love in my arms, even if it's for a short while

It's better than nothing

[fangirlingfromdownunder]

A Sweet Mishap - Chapter 31

Pairing - Jensen Ackles x Reader 

A/N: I just want to start by thanking everyone for all the love on this story so far. Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list. Please read the TW below and only read on if you feel comfortable doing so.

Potential Trigger Warnings: mentions of domestic violence, rape, therapy, depression

A Sweet Mishap Masterlist | Main Masterlist

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

After my second show Jensen picks me up again and he starts driving towards my apartment. But as we drive back through the city streets I spot a gelato place. It’s quiet given the late hour, and I want to stop but I feel guilty. Jensen notices my sudden silence and glances over. We pass the shop and my shoulders sink, but I try to shake it off. To my surprise, he takes a U-turn at the next intersection and pulls into a park.

As he shuts of the engine he says, “Let’s go for a walk.”

“But-”

“Nope. No buts. Let’s go. It’s quiet out.” He swings his door open and I have no choice but to follow. We walk side-by-side through the surprisingly quiet streets and gaze through the dark store windows. Eventually we get a crosswalk that leads to the gelato store I spotted. He takes my hand and we cross together. We both scan the multitude of flavors before he steps forward and orders a double scoop cone with mint choc chip and chocolate. He then looks over at me for my order. I step forward and order a single scoop cone with cookies and cream ice cream with a strawberry on top. He swipes his card to pay for our order and we watch as we wait for our order. 

As we’re waiting I hear a familiar voice call out my name. I turn quickly and spot my younger colleague sitting at a booth with a few friends. She climbs over a guy and comes over to us. “You told me you didn’t recognise him! Did Stewie tell you to show him around? Why you?”

I look over at Jensen apologetically and he just smiles and hold his hand out to Jenna. “I’m Jensen, nice to meet you…”

I step in to introduce them. “Jensen, this is Jenna. She works at Mamma Jo’s with me.” I then turn to Jenna. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth, but you have to understand that we didn’t want this getting out. He deserves a quiet holiday without getting mobbed by paps and fans.”

The server calls out our order and I turn to grab it while Jensen takes a selfie with her. I sigh, but I can help but be in awe of how nice and accommodating he is. Jensen hands her back her phone and I hand over his gelato. Jenna thanks Jensen and turns, but then turns back to me and says, “Guess it really pays to be the manager, huh?

I badly want to tell her the truth but I’m too scared, I just nod and say, “You have a good night. I’ll see you on Monday.”

I quickly leave the store and speed walk in the direction of the car. Jensen rushes after me and unlocks the car once I’m close. I get in and finally take a deep breath. I can feel the cold, sticky sweet dripping down the cone and onto my hand and I can’t stop the tears. I hate hiding and lying and now I hate that I’m wasting Jensen’s money. After a few moments he finally gets in the driver’s seat. He hands me some napkins I didn’t realize he grabbed. I pass him the cone so I can wipe up the mess. Onc e I've gotten most of it he hands it back and I try to eat it. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have forced that. I just really wanted to do something normal and I could tell you wanted gelato. I’m sorry if I put you in a bad situation with your work.”

I shake my head. “It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have lied to her, but what could I say…”

“Yeah…it will be great when we can just come clean to everyone. But no stress okay, we’ll work it out until you’re ready.”

”I think it’s gonna be out of our hands…if we keep going out like this it’s inevitable that there’s gonna be photos and people sharing stories online.”

“You’re probably right…Im sorry…”

After swallowing a bite of decadent waffle I look over at him and say, “but you know it’s not even that…what I wanted more than anything was to set Jenna straight. Apologise, and open up and say us being there had nothing to do with work. That instead of her seeing us together and thinking I’m your tour guide it could just be as simple as two people hanging out together. That I could have a label to give her. Are we friends? Are we more than that? I mean, with kiss, cuddle, we had more than one sit down meal together, we’ve slept in the same bed…but because I’m so fucking terrified of- Shit, I’m sorry. You don’t need to listen to this…let’s just finish this and then you can drop me off at the Subway or whatever.” 

He places his free hand on my knee, but I keep my focus on what’s left of the sweet treat. “Firstly, there’s no need to apologise, if you need to vent, vent. I can listen. I am just a guy, you let me be that. So, friends, more than friends, it doesn’t make a difference. I can be here for you and listen and things will evolve at a safe pace. One that you’re comfortable with. And secondly, there’s no way in hell I’m dropping you off at the Subway at this hour. I know you take it when I’m not here and I can’t do anything about that, but we have a car tonight, so I’m not doing that to you. My best offer is that I’ll drive you back to your apartment and walk you inside or take you to Stella’s. You don’t have to spend the night with me, but you shouldn’t be alone right now.”

Silence falls over the car as we both finish our gelatos. Once Jensen takes the last bite he turns on the engine and pulls out of the park. He expertly navigates back to my apartment with some help from his GPS and walks me up to my door. When I lock it and open it my eyes instantly fall on that couch again before drifting over to the counter. Terrible memories that I’ve been working so hard to repress flashback through my mind and I know Stella was right. Everything now is about so much more than just Todd. 

I startle from my dreamless sleep at the sound of the door slamming. I try to squeeze my eyes shut and calm my breathing. I listen carefully as each boot hits the tiles with a thud, followed by his bag. Next the fridge opens and shuts. Then, the sound in most terrified of: the sliding doors crash back into the wall sockets. Light instantly floods the room except for in his shadow. I stare at the dark looming presence on the wall in front of me. I don’t dare move. But he doesn’t leave me a choice. He grabs my arm, my skin burning in the worst possible way, and yanks me to my feet in front of him.

”The fridge is empty. I work terrible goddamn hours, dealing with drunken idiots, the least I deserve is to come home to a meal and a welcome home kiss from my girlfriend. Instead what? You’re off trying to live some lackadaisical dream about becoming a broadway star. I never should’a put that idea in your head!” I can smell the alcohol on his breath the second he opens his mouth. Before I have a chance to respond, not that I know what to say, he pulls me out of the room and pushes me harshly against the kitchen and I slam into the counter. But I don’t have time to focus on the newest bruise forming before he’s spitting orders out at me.

I try to throw together the semblance of a meal, but he’s right the fridge is basically empty. Our measly wages barely cover the rent and utilities, not to mention his extracurriculars. I knew he was a sucker for a good bet way back in Texas, but since moving to New York he’s only gotten worse. And he never wins, so there’s nothing left for groceries. Still I obediently do my best and take the blame. His hours do trump my few at the coffee shop so I should be trying harder. As he eats and I clean up I look down at the red marks and forming bruises on my arm and I know no one will ever hire a lead who looks like this. But that far fetched dream is all I have left, so I cling to it. It quickly fades as his empty plate clatters into the sink, hitting my hand as it does. 

“Now was that so hard?” He hisses as he gets up and storms into the ensuite. Once he’s out of sight I finally let the tears fall.

“Y/N, Darlin’. You okay? Where’s your head at?” I’m brought back into the moment by gentle hands on my upper arms and a comforting voice. I blink a few times to push away the memory and focus on Jensen’s concerned features. I shake my head as I feel tears prick at my eyes and dampen my cheeks. He softly pulls me into a hug with my head against his chest. “You’re safe. Just stay right here with me in this moment. I’ve got you.”

After a few minutes, I gently try to pull back and he lets me. But as my gaze settles past him, I feel myself falling back into those traumatic memories—memories that I’d pushed so far down for so long. I know the only way through is to face them, and I will, with help of my new therapist, not tonight. I wipe at my cheeks and say, barely above a whisper, “C-Can w-e go to your h-hotel? I can’t-“

He instantly nods. “Of course. Whatever you need.”

An hour later we’re cuddling on the couch in his fancy hotel room, having showered and changed into comfy clothes that could resemble pyjamas. He has his arms wrapped around me as he pulls my back against his chest. He just holds me and I feel so safe in his strong arms. He doesn’t force me to talk and try to change the subject, he just holds me silently and waits patiently for me. I lose track of how long we stay like this before I finally feel comfortable enough to talk. “I’m sorry about before…I just-I have been avoiding certain memories for so long. Pushing them down, trying to pretend it didn’t happen. And I guess with the recent…events and starting therapy they’re resurfacing. There’s other things that happened in that apartment…between me and my ex that no one knows. Things that he did…said…the way he was. Stella knows a little, but I left out a lot of the details. The reason that I have trust issues, the reason the littlest things send me into a meltdown, the reason I’m terrified of how I feel about you…” As I finish talking I look over my shoulder to see his reaction. 

He just squeezes me the slightest bit tighter. “I’m not gonna lie…part of me wants you to tell me everything so I can share the burden. But I know it doesn’t work like that. You need to process it on your terms. I know even just saying what you did was a massive step for you. So, you’re doing great. And I’ll be here when you’re ready to share more.”

“Thanks.”

“Anytime, Darlin’. Whatever you need, I’m here. But I uh…I do wanna say something and I hope you’ll just listen and really consider it.” I sit up a little so I can look at him better. Once I’m still he continues, “I don’t think you should be alone in that apartment, especially at night. I know it’s got security now so it’s safer, but they can’t protect you from your thoughts. Whatever memories were haunting you tonight. You had a full panic attack, and I just don’t want you to have to go through that alone daily. I deliberately booked this hotel because of its proximity to yours…I can extend the booking for a few weeks or however long you need. I just want you to be comfortable and safe. I know I can’t fight your demons for you, but if I can offer this while you work through them.”

“But, Jensen I can’t-I can’t pay for it. And you-you need your money. You already have a place in Vancouver and Texas, you can’t…”

He rubs his hands gently up and down my arms. “In Vancouver I share an apartment with Jared, it’s less lonely that way and we get along great, like brothers really. So rent’s cheap enough. And I own my place in Texas, and since I’m barely there the utilities are low. I can afford this. My parents are always on my back about investing well for the future and not wasting my money. And I have. And this may be too soon to tell you or too much and I’m sorry if it is, but I want you in my future. And so I’m willing to invest in that. In you. In your most valuable asset…in your mental health.”

“Why me? I know I’ve asked before but I just-“

“It’s okay, I get it. It’s the fears, trust issues, the insecurities you mentioned. I’ll answer anything you need. Any reassurances you need to know I’m not messing with you. You remind me of home. You remind me who I was before the so called fame and craze that being Dean Winchester has thrown me into. I love Dean, I love the show, the fans all of it, it's a dream come true. But I also miss just being me. And with you I can just be me, a regular guy from Texas with a crush and a dream. And you inspire me, you remind me why I went into acting in the first place. Watching you up on stage and working so hard for your dream, it reminds me of my roots and keeps me grounded. And I want to share those passions with you. And you have a big heart, you always care for others before yourself. But now it’s time to care for you, and I know it’s hard, so I’m gonna be here every step of the way, to give you every chance to care for yourself the way you need and deserve.”

I tear up a little at his sentiments. Even in the early stages Trent and Tyler never said anything so meaningful. I can’t recall a time I’d ever felt this way, except maybe from my parents and that's different because they’re my parents, or Stella, but even that’s different, she’s my best friend. As if he can see my mind drifting again, he brings my hand up to his lips and kisses my wrist softly before just holding it against his lips.

“I can feel your heart racing,” he whispers.

I look at him and smile. “You really are a Pisces…” His eye brow lifts up in confusion, so I continue, “During a break from wedding planning, Stella looked up your star sign, she’s a sucker for all that stuff. I wasn’t sure if I really believed it, but yours definitely fits. You’re clearly very creative based on your acting skills, and you’re very in tune with your emotions. No guy has ever opened up with me the way you do. Nick and Stella are great together yet even she says he’s a man of few words. He shows his love in actions. You do both —not that I’m saying you love me— just you show you care by showing up, but you also talk in the way I need. I never thought I’d meet someone like that.”

“I guess I’ve always been a bit of an empath and comfortable with my emotions. I think it’s part of what makes me good at my job too, but I’m more glad that it helps you feel comfortable. And I won’t say that word yet, not until I know you’re ready to hear it and believe it…but I’m sure you know.”

I just nod and relax back into his arms. After some time of quiet I decide to try to open up. “Earlier, when I had that panic attack I wasn’t seeing the incident with Todd. It was my ex, Tyler. He used to come home late, tired and frustrated. And one night after a rough day, I’d failed one of my classes and got some harsh feedback from a tutor saying acting wasn’t my field and that I should consider a different dream, and so I came home and just went to bed. We had no food anyway since she barely had any money since he was a taxi driver and I was doing minimal hours at the cafe and he was addicted to gambling. But when he got home…he woke me up and made me make him dinner. But he didn’t just ask, he used to yank or push me around. That particular night he pushed me so hard I slammed into the counter. I was so covered in bruises, but he made me believe it was all my fault. If I was a better girlfriend he wouldn’t have to discipline me and continually teach me to be better.”

“I’m so sorry you went through that. I hope you know now that’s not true. You don’t owe anyone anything. You're not a child, neither were you one then you didn’t need teaching. And what he did was not discipline, not that he had any right to discipline you anyway. None of that was your fault, there was and is nothing wrong with you.”

“I’m learning that now. But it was hard then. He was a little older so I looked up to him. I trusted him. So I believed everything he said, until I caught him in our bed with someone else. I mean, I knew he was sleeping with other women, that wasn’t a surprise, he’d just never brought them back to our place before. He’d generally go back to their place.”

“And what, he fed you some shit about not being built for monogamy? Said he loved you but he needed more to be satisfied?” I stay quiet. “Well, that’s complete bullshit okay. Men, women, anyone can be monogamous if they care enough about that person. And if your partner isn’t satisfying you you either need to have an adult conversation about it, or buy a toy.” He sighs and then more quietly says, “Sorry, it’s just…I’ve known guys like that in the past and they really piss me off. I get polygamy is a thing, but only if it’s fully consensual, and I don’t believe that you gave full, knowing consent. You were gaslighted and manipulated.”

I shake my head. “I kinda knew…and I was glad. Because it meant I didn’t have to, you know. He wanted things that I wasn’t comfortable giving and more often than I could. So honestly I was a little relieved at first. But when his moods didn’t improve and he got more violent and demanding in other ways, I just thought I was failing in every way.”

“Oh Darlin’. He failed you, not the other way around. Relationships are a two way street, if you’re not both comfortable then neither should be.”

I roll over in his arms so I can face him. “Please don’t ever change.” In my head, I can imagine a happy future with the green-eyed man under me. I know it would involve a lot of long distance given our career choices, but at least I trust he would never hit me or force himself on me or deliberate hurt me in anyway. It feels like such a low bar, but given my past it’s everything.

He leans forward waiting mere inches from my lips waiting for me to make the final move. I close the distance. When he pulls back softly he whispers, “I’ll try not to.” He lays his head back against the armrest and guides his hands up and down my back, encouraging me to snuggle back down. I rest my hands against his sides and my head on his chest. We lay quietly like this until my eyes drift closed and my breath evens out.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Taglist: @stoneyggirl2 @hobby27, @n-o-p-e-never, @deansimpalababy,

@winchesterwild78, @kr804573, @chriszgirl92, @smoothdogsgirl

@speakinvain, @deans-baby-momma, @1967winchesterimpala

@lmg14, @superrey, @kamisobsessed

[lupinqs]

CHAPTER TWELVE ━━ Worried About You

❀ ━ pairing: paige bueckers x oc (jo jacobson)

❀ ━ word count: 5.9K

❀ ━ warnings: mentions of unhealthy eating habits

❀ ━ links: my masterlist, nobody gets me masterlist

❀ ━ author’s note: so many fun things to come without that boy in the way

MORNING COMES too soon for Jo, pulling her from the deep, restless sleep she finally fell into. At first, she doesn’t open her eyes. She just lies there, warm and still, trying to cling to the hazy edges of unconsciousness. It’s better there. There, she doesn’t have to think. But then she shifts slightly and feels the unmistakable weight of an arm draped over her waist, a steady warmth pressed against her back.

For a fleeting second, in the soft, blurry quiet of waking up, her brain wants to think it’s Asher. That maybe last night was some awful, vivid nightmare, and she’ll roll over and find him there, smiling at her like everything is fine and he didn’t throw the last five—or, really, nineteen—years of their lives away. But then her thoughts sharpen, reality settling like a stone in her chest, and she remembers everything.

It’s not Asher’s arm around her. It’s Paige’s.

Her heart feels heavy all over again, sinking with the weight of the truth. Asher cheated. Since September. Three months of doing God-knows-what with that Brooke girl.

Her throat tightens, and she squeezes her eyes shut, willing the tears to stay put. She cried enough last night. Too much, probably. And Paige—God, Paige—was there for all of it. Patient and kind, not saying much but doing everything Jo needed, like pulling her back together without even trying.

Jo takes a deep breath, feeling it rattle deep in her ribs. Slowly, she turns in Paige’s arms until she’s facing her. The room is dim, the light from the window covered by the blanket Paige always keeps over it. Paige is awake, or mostly awake, blinking sleepily at her. Her blonde hair is a little messy, sticking up at certain edges, and her face is soft and unguarded.

When Paige notices Jo looking at her, a soft smile tugs at her lips. She reaches out, her hand brushing some hair away from Jo’s face with a gentle touch. Jo leans into it a little. “Hey,” Paige murmurs, her voice still thick with sleep.

Jo forces a small smile of her own. It’s weak, but it’s something. “Hey,” she whispers back.

They fall quiet again. Jo doesn’t know what to say, and Paige doesn’t seem in a rush to fill the silence. Paige’s arm is still wrapped around Jo’s waist, and the younger girl finds herself wanting to be even closer. It just—it feels good, being held like this. Comforting. Safe. She closes her eyes for a moment, letting herself sink into Paige’s warmth.

It’s not like Asher’s. Asher’s arms always felt solid, familiar, but Paige’s—Paige’s feel different. Softer, somehow, though still firm with muscle. Not worse, just… different. And maybe Jo likes it more than she should.

Her mind keeps circling back to everything that happened, no matter how much she wants it to stop. The fight. The crushing, suffocating betrayal. The excuses. Jo’s loved Asher for so long, she doesn’t even know how to think of herself without him. It’s always been them. People used to say they were inevitable, like something out of a movie. It feels like a joke now.

Her fingers tighten slightly around Bubbles, the stuffed turtle Paige had thought to grab for her last night. Jo had clung to it like a lifeline, the soft fabric soaked with tears by the time she’d finally fallen asleep. Paige hadn’t let go of her the entire night. She didn’t even flinch when Jo’s sobs soaked her shirt.

Paige shifts slightly, pulling Jo closer, her hand still resting lightly on Jo’s side. It’s like Paige knows Jo needs this without needing to be told. She always does. Jo doesn’t know how she does it, how Paige seems to understand her better than anyone else.

Paige’s thumb moves absentmindedly over the fabric of Jo’s shirt, a small, soothing motion that Jo finds herself focusing on. It’s helps to pull her away from the spiral of her thoughts a little. She lets out a slow breath, her body relaxing just slightly more against Paige’s.

“Thanks for dealing with me,” Jo whispers after a while.

Paige’s hand stills for a moment, and then she squeezes Jo’s side gently. “You’re not something that has to be dealt with, Jo,” she says slowly, voice soft but steady. “I’mma always be here for you, ’kay?”

Jo’s chest tightens again, but this time it’s not entirely from sadness. She doesn’t have the words to explain how much that means to her, how much Paige means to her. So she doesn’t try. She just shifts a little closer, letting her head rest against Paige’s shoulder. Paige doesn’t say anything else, and Jo appreciates that.

Jo isn’t sure how long they stay like that. But, eventually, Paige begins to slowly sit up, her hand still pressed against Jo’s side. Jo watches as the blonde rubs at her eyes a little, before looking down at her. She offers her another small smile.

“I’m gonna make you breakfast,” Paige says determinedly, her fingers trailing across Jo’s waist. “Just stay here. Relax. Go back to sleep if you want.”

Jo blinks at her, her lips parting as if to argue, but she doesn’t really have the energy to fight—even if it’s just a little bit of bickering. Besides, the idea of staying in bed, cocooned in the comfort of Paige’s blankets, is all too tempting, even if she doubts Paige’s ability to cook anything remotely edible. She’s a little afraid Paige might burn their apartment building to the ground, but she also knows that Paige is trying to help in the only way she can think of, and Jo doesn’t have it in her to tell her no.

“Okay,” Jo murmurs. “Just be careful.”

Paige just grins down at her, expression warm and inviting. She squeezes Jo’s side again before swinging her legs off the bed, standing. Jo’s eyes follow her as she moves toward the door. The blonde glances back at her, saying, “It’s gonna be good, trust,” before leaving through the bedroom door.

Once Paige is gone, the room feels quieter—emptier.

Jo sinks back into the pillows, staring at the ceiling as the events of the last twelve hours replay in her mind like a terrible movie. She can still hear Asher’s voice, still see the guilt, the desperation in his eyes.

Her stomach twists with nausea as the memory washes over her. She really doesn’t want to think about it anymore, but it’s like her brain isn’t giving her any other choice.

Jo sighs, feeling like she’s been run over by a train. She rolls onto her side, her hand reaching for her phone. She’s got to know, has to see. The urge is too strong to resist.

She unlocks her phone and goes straight to Asher’s Instagram. It’s like picking at a scab, painful but impossible to stop. Unable to help herself, she scrolls through his posts, her thumb pausing over a photo dump he posted a couple weeks ago. In the first photo, he’s at a football game, smiling, looking so carefree, like he doesn’t have a single regret in the world.

And then she’s going to his following, her heart pounding as she searches for a name—Brooke. He only follows one, and, sure enough when Jo clicks on her profile—the girl goes to Penn State. This is her.

Jo clicks on the first photo and almost immediately regrets it. Brooke is beautiful—brown hair that falls in perfect curls, striking green eyes that seem to glow, and a smile that’s so effortless it feels like a punch to Jo’s gut. Jo stares at the photo, her mind racing with questions she doesn’t want to ask but can’t seem to stop. What does she have that I don’t?

The thought makes her throat tighten, and she’s about to click away when the door creaks open. Paige steps back inside, leaning against the doorframe and staring at Jo curiously.

“Whatchu lookin’ at?” she asks.

Jo hesitates, her finger hovering over the screen. She glances up at Paige, who’s already raising an eyebrow at her. With a sigh, Jo sits up fully in bed and turns the phone toward the blonde, showing her the photo of Brooke.

“Is she prettier than me?” Jo asks, trying to sound indifferent and failing miserably.

Paige’s expression shifts a little, her brow furrowing as she walks closer, stopping at the end of the bed. She leans in, looking at the photo for a long second before meeting Jo’s gaze, blue eyes intense.

“Who is she?” Paige questions, though her voice is firm enough that Jo thinks she might already know the answer.

Jo swallows hard anyway, the words catching in her throat. “The girl he cheated on me with,” she mutters. The sentence tastes bitter on her tongue.

The instant the words leave her mouth, Paige’s expression hardens. Without hesitation, she reaches down and snatches the phone right out of Jo’s hand. “Nah,” Paige says firmly, holding it just out of Jo’s reach. “You are not goin’ down that path.”

“Hey, give it back!” Jo protests, sitting up and reaching for the phone.

But Paige is quick, sliding away with a mischievous grin. “Uh-uh,” Paige says, her arm extended high with the phone, like she’s playing keep-away with a basketball. “You’re not gettin’ it back until you stop being all self-destructive.”

Jo narrows her eyes a little, her competitiveness somehow managing to break through despite the whole situation she’s got going on. “Paige, I swear—” She lunges, tackling Paige’s arm, but Paige squirms away, laughing some. The sound of Paige’s laughter—loud, unrestrained, and higher in pitch—is oddly infectious, and before Jo knows it, she’s laughing too. The sound bubbles out of her chest like a small spark of light breaking through the dark pressing down on her. It feels good, to laugh like this.

Jo pulls Paige, and the blonde ends up stumbling onto the bed. It freaks beneath them as they wrestle for the phone. Jo tries to pin Paige’s arm down, but she wriggles free easily enough. “Paige, I’m serious! Give it back!” Jo protests, hands grabbing at the older girl.

“I’m serious, too!” Paige retorts, dodging Jo’s next grab with an exaggerated roll. “This is for your own good, JoJo!”

“Don’t ‘JoJo’ me!” Jo huffs, planting her hands on the mattress to steady herself before diving forward again. This time, she catches Paige’s wrist, but Paige twists her body, and suddenly they’re tumbling together across the bed, laughter spilling out of them again. For the first time since she found out, Jo isn’t thinking about Asher, or Brooke, or the overwhelming heartache that’s been sitting heavy within her. All she can focus on is the sheer ridiculousness of her and Paige’s impromptu wrestling match and the warmth that comes with it.

Paige, of course, ends up with the upper hand. With one final burst of effort, she pushes Jo back against the pillows, straddling her waist and pinning her wrists to the bed. “Ha!” Paige exclaims loudly. But then her voice grows a little softer as she grins down at Jo, murmuring, “I win.”

Jo stills, her laughter fading as she suddenly becomes acutely aware of the position they’re in. Paige is above her, her legs on either side of Jo’s hips, her hands firm but gentle around Jo’s wrists. Paige’s face is so close, her still untamed bed head framing her flushed cheeks, her lips slightly parted as she catches her breath. Jo’s heart does their weird, traitorous thing where it skips a beat, and she doesn’t know why. Or maybe she does, but she refuses to acknowledge it because the insinuation would be nothing short of absurd.

Her eyes trace Paige’s face—those pretty blue eyes that always seem to see straight through her, the sharpness of her cheekbones, the way her mouth quirks just slightly like she’s still holding back a laugh. Jo’s gaze dips, just for a second, to Paige’s lips, and then she quickly looks away, heat flooding her cheeks. God, this whole Asher thing must have given her brain damage or something.

Paige doesn’t seem to notice Jo’s sudden shift in demeanor. She’s too busy leaning closer, her expression softening as she speaks. “You are a million times fuckin’ prettier than that bitch,” Paige says firmly, resolutely, the kind of tone she uses when she’s absolutely sure of something. “But stalking her is only gonna make you feel worse. I’m serious, Joey. I’ll revoke your phone privileges if I have to.”

Jo blinks, feeling Paige’s words cutting through some of the self-loathing that’s been poisoning her brain. Paige says it like it’s a fact, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, and it does actually make Jo believe her. Just a little.

Still, she can’t help the sarcastic quip that slips out. “What are you, my mother?” she asks.

Paige grins, leaning back just slightly but still keeping Jo’s wrists pinned. “Nah,” she replies, her voice light. “’M your captain. So you gotta listen to me.”

Jo rolls her eyes, but it’s more playful than annoyed. “Sure,” she mumbles, though the corners of her mouth twitch upward. She feels a little lighter now, like Paige’s words and antics have managed to patch up some of the open wounds.

But then Paige’s gaze locks with hers, and the air around them stills. They’re just staring at each other now, the laughter fading into silence. Paige’s hands are still on Jo’s wrists, her knees pressing into the mattress to keep her balanced. Jo’s pulse quickens as she stares at Paige’s eyes. There’s something in her expression—something soft and searching—that makes Jo’s breath catch.

Her thoughts begin to jumble into a mess of confusion and something else. Because why does Paige have to look at her like that? And why does she have to be so close, her presence so suddenly overwhelming? And, most importantly, why does it make Jo’s heart feel like it’s about to burst out of her chest?

The moment stretches heavily, until, like a switch is flipped, Paige seems to snap out of it. She blinks, breaking eye contact, and quickly rolls off of Jo, her movements abrupt. “C’mon,” she says, grabbing Jo’s hand and tugging her toward the edge of the bed. “Breakfast.”

Jo lets out a shaky breath, sitting up and following Paige. But as she glances at Paige’s back, a small part of her wonders what that was—and why she kind of wishes it had lasted longer.

PAIGE SITS on the couch, one leg tucked underneath her, the glow of the TV reflecting faintly off her face. The UConn men’s team is playing, but she isn’t paying much attention, not really. She’s scrolling through her phone during timeouts, trying to keep her mind from drifting to Jo. It’s not like she’s trying to smother Jo with concern—it’s just that lately, it feels impossible not to worry. Jo’s been… off. Maybe not in ways that anyone else would notice, but Paige sees it. She pays so much attention to her that it would be impossible not to.

Jo isn’t as okay as she pretends to be. It’s in the way she laughs, too loud and too often, like she’s trying to convince herself as much as everyone else that she’s fine. It’s in the way she brushes off questions about how she’s doing or jokes when someone pries too much. But Paige knows better. She sees how Jo has thrown herself into basketball like it’s the only thing tethering her to the ground, the way she pushes herself so hard in practice that she’s damn near sick afterward. She knows Jo is out at either ungodly hours of the night or ungodly hours of the morning, always trying to get more reps in. And it’s not just the basketball.

Paige can tell Jo’s forgetting meals. Lately, she’s been having to remind her to drink or hydrate herself much more often, because she can tell that she hasn’t. Paige knows Jo isn’t doing it intentionally—she’s just been forgetting, too caught up in everything else to remember she needs to take care of herself, too.

Paige knows Jo’s been struggling since the breakup with Asher, and while Jo has always been a perfectionist, always had basketball as her number one priority, this feels different. More self-destructive.

And Paige doesn’t like it. She doesn’t like feeling like she’s watching Jo slowly burn herself out and not knowing how to stop it. Jo doesn’t let people see her cracks—she’s so stubborn about it, only allowing people to see the happy-go-lucky side of her—but Paige sees them anyway. It’s like watching someone tread water, the strain starting to show in every movement, and Paige can’t shake the anxiety that one day Jo’s going to slip under.

She sighs, staring blankly at the TV as Alex Karaban makes a three. The apartment feels too quiet without Jo here. Jo said she’d be studying with Ice tonight, but Paige doesn’t entirely believe her. It’s not that she doesn’t trust Jo—it’s just that, lately, Jo hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about what she’s doing. Paige has a bad feeling she’s at the gym or running herself into the ground somewhere, but she doesn’t know how to call Jo out on it without starting a fight.

The sound of the front door opening snaps Paige out of her thoughts. She glances over as Jo steps inside, cheeks flushed pink from the cold, her ponytail bouncing as she kicks the door shut behind her. Jo grins at Paige, breathless and bright-eyed, as she bends down to untie her shoes. “Hey,” she says, her voice chipper in a way that only deepens Paige’s suspicion.

Paige narrows her eyes slightly, sitting up straighter on the couch. “Hey…” she replies slowly, her tone cautious. Jo’s coat is still zipped up, and her sneakers are wet, leaving faint marks on the floor. Jo’s grinning, but her face is shiny with sweat, like she’s been moving hard for a while. Paige tilts her head, her eyebrows drawing together as she asks, “Were you running?”

Jo shrugs off her coat, avoiding Paige’s gaze as she tosses it over the back of a chair. “Um… yeah,” she says, like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

Paige stares at her, incredulous. It’s nearly midnight. It’s December. It’s freezing outside. Jo is nineteen, a teenage girl running in the pitch-black cold of winter, and it’s so obviously not safe that Paige can’t believe Jo thought it was a good idea. And yet, Jo’s standing there like it’s nothing, like she’s completely unaware of how reckless it is, how it makes Paige’s chest tighten with something uncomfortably close to panic.

“Bro,” Paige says, her voice sharp, her heart pounding just a little faster as she sits up straighter on the couch. “You gotta stop doing that. You’re gonna get sick or fuckin’ kidnapped.”

“P, I’m not gonna get kidnapped,” Jo says with an airy, dismissive laugh, brushing her off like it’s nothing. Like the idea is so ridiculous it doesn’t even deserve consideration. But Paige can’t just let it go. She doesn’t like the thought of Jo out there alone, running through the freezing December night with God knows who lurking around, and the fact that Jo doesn’t seem to care—or even notice—just makes it worse.

Paige shakes her head, her lips pressing into a thin line as she gestures for Jo to come closer, patting at the couch cushion. “C’mere,” she says firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Jo hesitates for the briefest of moments before sighing and making her way over. She flops onto the couch beside Paige with the kind of carelessness that’s so uniquely Jo, her movements loose and unguarded. Without a word, she curls into Paige’s side, her head resting on Paige’s shoulder, her body folding into Paige like this is second nature. Because by now, it is.

Paige’s heart skips a beat, like it always does when Jo gets this close. She wraps her arms around Jo instinctively, holding her tight like she’s something fragile and precious that might slip through her fingers if she’s not careful. Her chest tightens with the feelings she never knows what to do with—feelings she’s spent months trying to suppress, trying to shove down deep where Jo won’t see them. But it’s impossible to ignore the way her body reacts to moments like this, the way her pulse quickens and her breath hitches, the way she feels like she’s holding her entire world in her arms.

“You’re freezing,” Paige murmurs, her voice soft but filled with quiet concern. She starts rubbing her hands up and down Jo’s arms, trying to generate some warmth. Jo’s skin is icy under her fingers, and the thought of her being out in this weather makes Paige’s stomach clench all over again.

“I feel good,” Jo disagrees, her tone light and casual, like she doesn’t even notice the chill seeping into her body. But Paige can feel the way Jo leans into her warmth, just a little. She’s been like this recently—minimizing, brushing things off, pretending she doesn’t need anything from anyone. It drives Paige a little crazu, but it also makes her want to hold Jo tighter, to make sure she knows she doesn’t have to do it all by herself.

For a few minutes, they just sit like that, Paige holding Jo close, her hands still rubbing warmth into Jo’s arms even though she knows Jo won’t ask for it. The TV plays in the background, but Paige isn’t paying attention to it anymore. All she can focus on is the weight of Jo against her, the steady rise and fall of her breath, the faint scent of Jo’s shampoo mixing with the cold air clinging to her skin. It’s a little bit intoxicating.

Eventually, though, the gnawing worry in the back of her mind pushes its way back to the surface, and Paige remembers something she needs to ask. She tilts her head slightly, glancing down at Jo. “Hey,” she says softly, her voice cutting through the comfortable quiet. “Have you eaten?”

Jo doesn’t respond right away. She makes a little face, her nose scrunching up like she’s just remembered something she forgot to do. “Um… this morning?” she says, her voice unsure, almost like she’s questioning herself.

Paige gives her a look, her brows knitting together in frustration and concern. “Jo,” she exclaims, her voice sharper than she intends. She knows she shouldn’t push, shouldn’t scold, but it’s hard not to when she sees Jo taking care of everything but herself.

“It’s fine,” Jo says, waving her off like it’s no big deal. Paige hates how easily Jo dismisses her own well-being, like it’s the last thing on her priority list.

“It’s not,” Paige says firmly, shaking her head. She squeezes her arms around Jo slightly, as if it might drive the point home. “You gotta eat to stay healthy.”

“I know,” Jo mumbles, her eyes fluttering shut as she leans further into Paige’s warmth. Her voice is soft, almost apologetic, but there’s something resigned about it too, like she’s heard it all before and doesn’t want to hear it again.

Paige considers pressing her, considers giving her a whole speech about how she can’t keep running herself into the ground like this, but something in Jo’s expression stops her. She looks tired, and Paige decides to let it go for now. Instead, she grabs her phone off the couch cushion and opens DoorDash, scrolling through the options.

“Whatchu want?” Paige asks, her voice gentler this time.

Jo doesn’t open her eyes at the question. Instead, she shifts a little, nestling closer into Paige’s side like she’s trying to mold herself into the older girl. “Pick for me,” she mumbles, her voice muffled against Paige’s hoodie.

Paige rolls her eyes, but there’s no real annoyance behind it. She knows this game by now. Jo says she doesn’t care, but Paige knows better—she always cares. Jo’s just too tired to bother making a decision for herself. And anyway, Paige knows her better than anyone else, so it’s not like it’s hard. Jo’s a creature of habit. She always orders the same thing: chicken tenders or a burger, fries with extra salt, and usually a ridiculously sweet milkshake.

Paige taps the order into her phone quickly, almost automatically, and then sets it aside on the armrest, her arm falling back around Jo like it belongs there. The weight of Jo against her is familiar now, like it’s just part of her life, and she wonders if Jo even realizes how often she leans on her like this. Probably not.

For a while, they just sit there, tangled together on the couch. Jo’s body is heavy against hers, the kind of heavy that means she’s suspiciously close to falling asleep. Paige feels the faint rhythm of Jo’s breathing against her side, slow and even, and she can tell Jo’s teetering on the edge of unconsciousness.

“Y’know,” Paige says softly, nudging Jo’s shoulder, “you can’t eat if you’re asleep.”

Jo frowns a little at that, her eyebrows pulling together, but she doesn’t open her eyes. “I’m tired,” she mutters, her voice thick and groggy, like she’s already half-dreaming. And then, after a beat, she adds, quieter, “And my body hurts.”

Paige lets out a sigh. She knows why Jo’s body hurts—of course she does. That happens when you push yourself as hard as Jo’s been doing.

“I wonder why,” Paige says dryly, giving Jo a pointed look even though Jo’s eyes are still closed, not even registering the glare Paige is sending her way.

Jo cracks one eye open at that, just barely, and then lifts her hand to swat at Paige’s arm in the weakest attempt at a rebuttal. Paige catches her hand easily, holding it in hers for a moment before tugging her upright, gently but insistently.

“Paige,” Jo whines, her voice taking on that petulant tone she gets sometimes when she’s tired.

“Shh,” Paige says, ignoring the weak protest as she shifts Jo around. It takes a little maneuvering, but eventually, she gets Jo where she wants her: sitting between Paige’s legs with her back pressed against Paige’s front, her head resting against Paige’s collarbone.

For a second, Jo doesn’t move, her body stiff with confusion, but then Paige’s hands find her shoulders, and she feels Jo relax all at once, like the tension just drains out of her. Paige starts working her fingers into the tight muscles there, thumbs pressing into the knots she knows are always hiding just beneath Jo’s skin.

It’s instinctive, really. She’s done this before, whenever Jo really needs her to, and she knows exactly where the worst of it is. Her thumbs trace the line of Jo’s shoulder blades, pressing firmly but carefully, and Jo lets out this small, quiet hum of appreciation, her head tilting slightly to the side.

“You’re so knotted up, Joey,” Paige mutters, half to herself, her fingers finding another stubborn knot and working at it slowly. As her own words register with her, Paige can’t help but think to herself—pause. That sounded far different than she meant it to.

Jo doesn’t appear to be thinking about that, though, instead making another little sound, something between a hum and a sigh, and she leans back into Paige more, her head tipping to the side to give Paige better access. “That feels good,” she mumbles, her voice low and drowsy.

Paige smiles faintly at that, though she feels her cheeks heat, too. Her hands move up to Jo’s neck, her fingers pressing gently into the base of her skull. She can feel Jo melting against her, her body going soft and pliant, and it’s almost too much. The closeness, the weight of Jo against her, the way her fingers are in Jo’s hair now, brushing lightly against her scalp—it’s enough to make Paige’s heart race, her stomach flutter.

“You gotta stop letting yourself get this tense,” Paige murmurs, her voice softer now, almost affectionate. “It’s not good for you.”

Jo doesn’t respond, just hums again, her eyes falling shut as Paige’s hands work their way back down to her shoulders. Paige keeps going, her fingers kneading gently, carefully, until she feels the last of the tension start to ease.

Eventually, she lets her hands still, her fingers lingering on Jo’s shoulders for a moment before she leans forward, resting her chin on Jo’s shoulder. Her nose brushes against Jo’s neck lightly, and she feels Jo shift slightly, leaning into her touch without even thinking about it.

“Joey,” Paige says quietly, her voice barely above a whisper now. “I’m really worried about you.”

Jo doesn’t say anything, but Paige can feel the way she stiffens slightly, her body tensing again under Paige’s hands.

“I need you to promise me you’ll take care of yourself,” Paige continues, her words coming out softer now, gentler, but no less firm. “I’m serious. You can’t keep doin’ all this.”

Jo doesn’t respond right away, and for a moment, Paige wonders if she’s pushed too hard, said too much. But then Jo shifts again, leaning back against her, and Paige can feel the way she nods, just a little, like she’s letting herself lean on Paige for once.

And even though Paige knows Jo might not be able to do good on her answer—not entirely, not yet—she also knows that if Jo can’t take care of herself, Paige will do her best to take care of her. She always will.

IT TAKES a couple of weeks, but Jo eventually starts slipping back into healthier habits. It’s slow, gradual, almost imperceptible at first—like the way spring melts into summer. But Paige notices every small change. She notices when Jo starts remembering to eat without being reminded, when she actually stretches after practice instead of just crashing into a chair. She notices when Jo finally stops going out on late-night runs, and she’s proud to say she played a part in putting an end to that.

Okay, maybe Paige’s a little overbearing. She’s aware of it, but she doesn’t care. If being overbearing means making sure Jo isn’t spiraling again, so be it. It’s worth it, even if it means insisting on walking Jo back to her dorm every night after team meetings and double-checking that she’s actually getting enough sleep. And if that also happens to mean sharing a bed almost every night—whether it’s in Jo’s room or her own—then that’s just a bonus. Paige tries not to think too hard about how much she prefers it that way.

Jo doesn’t complain. If anything, she seems to welcome it. She lets Paige pull her into bed when her eyelids get heavy at a respectable hour, lets Paige cuddle in with her. It’s just what’s become normal.

It’s only when Paige realizes what’s driving Jo—what’s keeping her grounded—that everything else starts to click into place. Jo wants a national championship. That’s what she’s been laser-focused on since day one, the thing that keeps her going even when her body’s sore and her mind is tired. And Paige gets it—God, she really gets it. She’s been there before. Paige knows what it’s like to push through pain, to have that singular drive that makes everything else fade into the background.

And because she understands it, she steps up. Jo doesn’t ask her to, but Paige can’t help herself. She starts staying after practice, waiting for Jo to finish her drills so she can point out the tiny things—the positioning of her feet, the angle of her wrist on a jumper, the way she can seal a defender better when posting up. Paige has been where Jo is; she’s been the All-American freshman, the star on the rise. If anyone can help Jo get to that next level, it’s her. And besides, with her ACL still recovering, she might as well make herself useful.

It’s not like Jo needs much help. She was elite when she got to UConn, and now she’s something else entirely. Since Azzi went down in the Notre Dame game a couple of weeks ago, Jo’s stepped up in ways no one saw coming. She’s putting up ridiculous numbers—National Player of the Year numbers, if Paige’s being honest—and carrying the team in a way that even Geno outwardly tells her he’s proud about. Paige is proud, too. Obviously.

They’ve never been closer. Which is saying something, considering they’ve been close since basically the first day of living together. But now, it’s like their lives are so tightly intertwined they don’t know where one of them ends and the other begins. They spend almost every night together now, to the point where it’s become more unusual to sleep apart. Paige’s bed or Jo’s bed—it doesn’t matter. When they’re on the road for away games, they’ve even managed to pull off the occasional roommate swap, with Ice (Paige’s roommate) and Dorka (Jo’s roommate) begrudgingly covering for them. The arrangement works as long as CD never finds out. And while Ice and Dorka make it clear they’ll throw Jo and Paige under the bus if anyone asks, Paige can tell they don’t really mind much.

Still, Paige can’t really ignore the blatant truth at this point: that this isn’t how normal friends act. She knows that. She knows this thing with Jo—whatever it is—has gone beyond the walls of regular friendship. Friends don’t fall asleep in each other’s arms. Friends don’t hold each other like this, tangled up in hotel beds with no space between them.

But Jo doesn’t seem to notice—or if she does, she doesn’t say anything. And Paige doesn’t want to ruin it by bringing it up, especially with the breakup still fresh and still in the unknown about whether Jo feels anything at all for her. So she stays quiet, pushes her own thoughts to the side, and tells herself it’s fine. It doesn’t have to mean anything.

Tonight is another one of those nights.

The hotel room is quiet, save for the hum of the heater in the corner and the soft sound of Jo’s breathing. The team had won earlier—a conference game that Jo basically dominated—and Paige had watched from the bench, half coach, half cheerleader. She can still picture Jo on the court, the way she sliced through defenders like they weren’t even there, the way she carried the team on her back like it was nothing.

Now, they’re curled up in the same bed, the blankets pulled up to their chins. Jo’s body is warm and solid against her, her head tucked beneath Paige’s chin, and Paige swears she can still feel the residual adrenaline humming through Jo’s veins.

“Jo,” Paige murmurs after a long stretch of silence, her voice low and soft. She doesn’t even know what she’s about to say; the words are just there, waiting to spill out.

Jo shifts slightly, turning her head so her cheek rests against Paige’s collarbone. “Hmm?”

“You were really good tonight,” Paige tells her, lips brushing against Jo’s hair.

Jo doesn’t answer right away. Instead, she presses a little closer, her arm looping around Paige’s waist. “’Cause of you,” she mumbles, her voice quiet, almost shy.

Paige swallows hard. She wants to say something, wants to tell Jo how much she really means to her, how proud she is, how she’s the best thing that’s happened to this team—but the words catch in her throat.

Instead, she tightens her arm around Jo, her fingers brushing against the soft fabric of Jo’s shirt. It’s enough.

For now.

[starrystevie]

for the incredible lex (@thefreakandthehair) in celebration of her big day! wishing you both all the happiness that this next chapter of your lives can bring you <3

as music and laughter poured out through the open back doors, steve and eddie were standing in the shadows, hands entwined and rings knocking together. there was a breeze whipping through the night air that always came with september, pushing up goosebumps on their skin under their department store suit jackets as it coursed over them.

"getting kind of chilly," eddie muttered, knocking his shoulder into steve's like it would give them the motivation to walk into their reception. he could hear robin in there singing something, no doubt a love song to nancy, and tried to tune it out so he could focus on the palm that was warming his. on the calm before the storm that was the rest of their goddamn lives.

"i kind of like it out here," steve replied with an easy smile, squeezing his hand once and then twice. "it's quiet. we get to just be us for one more second."

eddie shuffled impossibly closer, grin of his own pulling his cheeks up. "we can't hide here forever, sweetheart. gotta go dance so i can show off my new husband."

steve shifted the perfect amount so that he could press his lips to eddie's and wrap his free arm around his waist, pulling their chests together. eddie hummed deep in his throat and brought a hand up to thread into the back of steve's hair.

"you just want to go in to try and convince jonathan to play different music," he murmured against eddie's lips before kissing him once more. eddie pulled back and gave steve a look of mock indignation.

"me? never. you'd think getting married would stop the slanderous lies and accusations but even the holy sanctity of our union isn't enough to-"

steve tipped his head back in a laugh. eddie watched him like he was made of stardust.

"it's not even official in the eyes of the church, you drama queen."

with a tug that wiped the smirk off steve's face, eddie brought their foreheads together, releasing the hand that was tangled with steve's so he could curl it around his waist to bring them flush together. their eyes shut on instinct to be in the moment, to feel the night and feel each other. and just like it had been for the last five years of them being a them, the air that was dancing in their lungs was shared.

"yet," eddie whispered. he felt steve take in a shaking breath, the exhale making the curls around his cheeks flutter. "not official... yet."

steve tilted his head up, knocking their noses together gently, before opening his eyes. his eyelashes lightly brushed against eddie's skin and his fingers were trailing under his suit jacket to press against eddie's back, warmth seeping through his shirt and onto steve's palm.

brown eyes met brown eyes and it sparked through them like an oath in and of itself. they were matched in height, matched in eye color, matched in all the superficial ways that didn't matter. but they were mirrors of each other in the way that soulmates end up with different types of scars patched up by each other, with laughs that mesh together in harmony, with hearts that learned how to beat in time.

"i know, baby. when we..." steve started quietly, his lips still close enough to eddie's that he was tempted to pepper even more kisses onto them. "when it's official, it's not going to change this moment. you are my husband, mine. no slip of paper is changing that, you hear me?"

'husband' rang through the night clear as a bell, the trees blowing in the breeze like a celebratory dance for the two of them. the song inside changed to something softer and as it bled into their backyard, the two started up a dance of their own. it was easy to sway back and forth while looking in each other's eyes, not even picking up their feet like they were afraid of being swept off them if they did.

"i always hear you, stevie," eddie whispered.

eventually they'd go inside. eventually they'd eat the food that joyce made for them all and eventually cut into the cake that steve bought and eventually dance in the living room with the family that they made for themselves. eventually they'd cart the ones who could drive into their cars and eventually sit on the couch with wayne for a blessing of his own and eventually fall into bed like they've done a thousand times but this time with extra gold on their hands.

but right there, in the backyard with the trees dancing alongside them, they got to breathe, celebrating a day meant just for them and their matching heartbeats. they got to be steve and eddie just as they were made to be: for each other.

[yukuofficial]

Cooking Lessons with Ao Bing and Li Nezha!

Writting prompt: Ao bing teaches nezha how to cook, (which has gone wrong LMAO) so that nezha wouldn't die of hunger in waiting for ao bing to get his husband!material ass home to cook for him AND you can play the music while reading!)

Definition of Terms

Magic Sarap

- a brand of seasoning commonly used in Filipino cuisine. Its purpose is to add flavour to dishes and enhance their taste. 

In the apartment

Nezha is calling ao bing to go home immediately after school so that he can cook dinner because he doesn't know how to make any dish (aside from eggs or other fast foods)

He longed to eat something as delicious, like how his mother would make soups for him when he was a child. It is to calm him if his temper arises again.

He makes his voice louder, taking deep breathes and:

"I AM BORED FROM EATING THE SAME FOODS AGAIN AND AGAIN!

Whenever I eat, I feel like I need more yummy foods, but MY stomach keeps telling me to eat something better! Bingbing...I miss my mom cooking a bunch of heavenly soups"

In another perspective, Ao bing unknowingly blushed in embarrassment due to his roommate's given nickname for him. He then turned to his usual "bored" expression, but he can't help but smile as he is thinking a better idea. He whispers:

"Hey..! I've refrained you from calling me any nicknames, and also don't shout! we're not done with the practice here......how about this? i'll each you how to cook soups. I promised it is as easy as how you cook those foods."

Nezha, was too stunned to speak:

"hah? You have a nerve to doubt my cooking skills when it comes to cooking eggs! I make them better than you!! And argh, Nope, never! Do you know what happened last time when I tried to cook some dish? THE CURTAINS COOKED THEMSELVES TOO!"

Both corners of Ao bing's lips widened a little as he laughs towards nezha's last sentence and his little crash out. He clearly remembered that day when he had to go home fast as he can after one call from his neighbours that his roommate was burning the kitchen down.

And of course, he also remembered all of the shits he had to do in order to fix allat.

(He totally didn't have huge problems)

His small giggles died down, he doesn't want to look like he is ditching his practice like chatting his roommate.

His blue eyes looked at the other scene, his classmates gestured eachother to continue their practice:

"Okay okay okay!, we'll cook together. I can show you how to cook soups, but for now just don't make any funny ideas and wait for me. I have to go back for our final practice. Goodbye for now, zha'er"

Still, Nezha holds his phone and tells Ao bing after crashing out. He smirks at his idea:

"Hmmp...fine go home immediately after practice, and don't worry. I'll make you sure that I will learn quickly how to cook soups!! Hehe, Goodbye now bingbing—"

The sound of rain from the outside window was as loud as nezha's laughter, he can't wait to finally eat a fine meal for the longest time.

In the kitchen

Nezha and Ao Bing were now cooking soup together for their dinner. Nezha is holding a sache of "Magic Sarap" ao bing then tells nezha to put it in the cooking pot.

Still mixing the soup with patience. Ao bing nudged nezha's arm to add the seasoning:

"Bigyan mo na ng Magic Sarap (Put the Magic Sarap now), the tiny beads inside of the sache are the seasonings so you have to tear it first before yo—"

But oh God, not even seconds later. The whole sache was thrown in the cooking pot instead. It is now part of the soup, floating around as Ao bing mixes it with a spoon.

Ao bing scrunches his face, NEVER in his life he witnessed such atrocious move. He slowly turns his head like an owl, facing nezha with eyes like he's seen a ghost.

Nezha however, feels like he would either die out from hunger or laugh at Ao bing's funniest expression (he thinks). Realizing this, he should probably run away from the most dumbest thing he ever did.

Ao bing has that one iconic image of disgusted tanjiro. He raises his hand towards nezha, who was now laughing like a dying chicken and clutching his stomach. Trying run away from his roommate that now has flammable aura instead of his usual, nonchalant, and icy one.

There was a dark shadow casting down ao bing's head, he throws the hot spoon at nezha and shouts at him:

"ay TARANGTADONG P*TA! Hayop HAYOP! Tang*na ka— (Ugh, IDIOT DAMN IT! animal ANIMAL fuck you—)"

Nezha be cooking everything up except foods frfr.

[Notes: AAAAAAOWJWJAJAKAS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE WRITTEN SOMETHING FOR A FANDOM, I REPEAT! THIS IS THE FIRST TIMEEEEEEEEE— First of all, this lil one took one hours to make wtf and it is actually inspired by a tiktok video creds: @rvrengoku Where a png of sanemi and genya were cooking together and you know the rest. Second, my obsession for nezha fandom isn't quite as strong as the former fandoms I've been, but oh goodness. I never thought that I'll finally make a writing prompt, Im too lazy and always doubting myself because Im no good at writing. Lastly, English was never my first language, so I tend to make mistakes while writing essays 😭😭😭 so please bear with me aaaackkkkkksoosso. That's all, and thank you for reading 💕💕💕]