#The Fake Fiancée Proposition

[tastywordgasms]

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 THE FAKE FIANCÉE PROPOSITION BY VIVIAN WOOD Release date: June 28th The Fake Fiancée Proposition by Vivian Wood is NOW LIVE! Grab this steamy, fake fiancée, billionaire romance TODAY!! NOW AVAILABLE!geni.us/TFFPamazon  Here’s why you’ll fall for this romance: 💋Billionaire romance 💋Fake fiancé trope 💋A baby bargain 💋Steamy and spicy 💋She falls first, he falls harder 💋He calls her “Darlin” 💋Super…

[pandora-writes-one-piece]

The Meet Cute - Law's Story - 14

Source for pic

The Great Pretender 14 🔞

Word Count: 4413

Tags For The Whole Story: Fem!Reader; Law is a soft dom; you have bratty tendencies (not all the time); voice kink; praise kink; cursing; very suggestive behaviour and innuendo from the start; sexual tension; teasing; so much flirting; romance; slow-burn; fluff; slight angst; mature audiences (though explicit NSFW moments will be properly tagged on the chapter); possessive Law; protective Law; soft Law; teasing Law; manipulative Doflamingo; inappropriate Doflamingo; fake relationship trope; only one-bed trope; reader has some anxiety issues; reader is a control freak and perfectionist; modern day AU; Mention of ex mentally abusive relationship;

Special Warning: English is not my first language, I apologise for any possible spelling or grammar mistakes.

Summary: After moving away from the hustle and bustle of Grand Line City to help your father around the property following a horse-riding accident - and in the hopes of healing your broken heart after your asshole ex-fiancé cheated - you settle into the country calmness of the Calm Belt. You and Law (your father's doctor) start to build a flirty friendship because of your father’s procedure. So much so that when he’s invited to Baby 5’s wedding (his cousin), he asks you to be his date. His uncle Doflamingo - who is filthy rich - is very adamant on finding a suitable wife for him. Seeing as he wants to avoid that, he asks you to pretend to be his girlfriend for the weekend.

Notes: There's a bit of NSFW at the end of the chapter (what can I say, Law can't keep his hands to himself!) Seems like Doffy and Ichiji are intent on messing with Law and reader's mind... what do you think?

|Masterlist| | |Chapter 13🔞| | |Chapter 15|

“You may now kiss the bride.” Loud cheers follow the officiant’s words as Sai dips his head to kiss Baby 5. It's strange how you've only just met Baby 5, and now you're tearing up at seeing how happy she looks. 

Dabbing a bit of moisture from the corner of your eye with your knuckle, you turn towards the chairs and lock eyes with Law again. He seems pretty bored with the service, but when he senses your gaze land on him, his eyes soften, filling with warmth. 

Trafalgar Law is incapable of smiling at the end of his cousin's wedding, but one look from you makes the ice melt? What did you do to deserve him?

As the bride and groom walk away from the altar, guests start to rise, ready to meet the couple and congratulate them. Law approaches you with a smile, reaching for your hand. “I missed you.” His voice rings low and inviting, and you immediately blush when his hand slides up your arm and cups your cheek. 

“I was right here, in front of you.”

“But I wasn't touching you.” You giggle and lean into his touch, resting your hands against his chest and letting out a prolonged sigh. “Let me guess, Vinsmoke was an inappropriate bastard?” Law's tone turns from warm to icy in the blink of an eye. 

“Just his usual manipulative crap. But I handled him.” You smirk, tilting your head innocently. “I told him that if he touched me, I’d stab him with the cake knife. It was rather effective.”

Law laughs, a hint of pride in his eyes, then kisses your lips softly. “That’s my girl.” You nearly melt in his embrace before sharing another kiss and finally exit the tent to celebrate the newlyweds. 

You and Law stand a bit apart from the rest of the guests, secluded in your own bubble as he wraps his arms around you from behind. “You know,” he begins, “I can’t wait to take you home.”

“What do you mean? Like, to the room?” You snicker and turn your head to gaze at him. “Because I’m not against sneaking out for a little bit.” You say sultrily, leaning in to give him a small peck.

“Not what I meant, sweetheart, but an interesting proposition.” You chuckle as he bites your lip playfully. “I mean, really get home. Start our ‘something real’ in the real world. Away from… all this.”

You nod at his words, your heart warming a little more in your chest now that he’s actually said you’ll have something serious.

“But it’s not so bad here, is it? I mean, besides your uncle, we’re together in a very romantic setting, if I might add.”

He’s about to answer, a slight furrow of his brow indicating he’s going to share something that’s bothering him, when Baby 5 interrupts you both, calling your name. “I’ve been calling you for photos for a while! All the bridal party is gathering, and you’re the only one missing.” The bride grabs your hand, pulling you along while you hesitate.

“Oh, I don’t think it feels right, Baby 5. I mean, I’m just a fill-in, I don’t want your wedding photos to be ruined.” You try, a dry smile playing on your lips. 

“Nonsense! You're already part of my day, come on, now!” Law releases you from his embrace with a reassuring smile. 

“I'll be here if you need me.” He adds. 

“Law, come on, she's just taking pictures. What will she need you for? In case the boogeyman shows up?” Baby 5 snorts, but Law grunts. 

“He's already here…” He mumbles, but the bride is already halfway to the fountain where the pictures are being taken. 

With a look back at Law and a longing sigh, you fall into place near the other bridesmaids as the photographer starts choreographing the wedding party for some candid shots. Everything is working out well until Ichiji takes advantage of the opportunity created by the photographer’s mixing up the party, and stands by your side. 

“Here we are again, Doll. Are you still mad at me?” He's using that honeyed tone he used when he missed an important anniversary, had to reschedule a date, or, really, whenever he disappointed you. Your heart starts hammering against your chest in that familiar dance as anxiety takes over your senses.

“I never stopped. Now leave me alone.” You can’t help the shakiness in your voice, but you still deliver the words. You try to move away, but the photographer yells, ‘Perfect, now smile!’ So you stay still for the shot, feeling Ichiji's fingers creep around your waist. “Don't touch me!” You mutter, fists trembling as you try to maintain a happy smile. 

Click. ‘Another pose, everyone!’

You move to the other side, but peace doesn't last as Ichiji ends up next to you again. “Can't bygones be bygones? I already said I was sorry for cheating. It's just… nobody compares to you, Doll.” ‘Smiles! Big smiles!’ He leans close to your ear, his hot breath making you shiver in discomfort as you bite the inside of your cheek for grounding. “No one gives me as much joy to break as you.”

Click.

You turn, facing him with fire in your eyes, ignoring the way your heart tries to leap out of your chest. “I'm not the same naive girl I was, Ichiji. I refuse to fall for your manipulations. You are nothing to me now.”

‘Oh, someone's not smiling. Let's give it another shot!’

You seethe, gritting your teeth and forcing a smile, trying to ignore Ichiji's hand searching for yours, sweat dampening your forehead.

“I'm nothing to you now? But I used to be your everything. You can't let go of that so easily.”

‘Much better! Come on, now, mix it up again, goofy poses and we'll be done.’

“You seem like the one who can't let go, Ichiji. You were a mistake, and I've learned my lesson. Leave. Me. Alone.” This time, you stand well away from him. Sugar, already a bit tipsy, swings her arms around you for support, and you lean on her for a fun candid shot. Ichiji stays away. 

Thankfully. 

-*-

“Here, Nephew, I thought you might need a mimosa to help you through this.” Law sighs, his eyes never leaving you as you stand in perfect alignment with the other bridesmaids, a beautiful smile on your face. 

Accepting the drink from Doffy, he takes a sip and grimaces. “There's no orange juice in this mimosa, Uncle.”

Doflamingo chuckles and shrugs innocently. “Oops.” Law doesn't feel like engaging with him anymore, but he can't leave this spot. Vinsmoke seems to be following you around the set, and he's about one more smirk from the redhead away from marching down there. 

“Curious, isn't it, Nephew?” Law doesn't fall for the trap, though he knows very well that not asking won't stop his uncle from talking. “The way she keeps getting angry at him… look at all that… fire.”

Law takes another sip of his orange-free mimosa - champagne - a big one this time, clenching his fist against his leg and trying his hardest to ignore his uncle. 

“I'm happy you trust her, but I don't. I know her kind. She was with Vinsmoke before, and we all know how… likeable he is. So it can't have been for his personality, come on.” Doffy's chuckle turns dark and ominous. 

“Thank you for worrying, but we're fine.” Law's teeth clack together as he sets his jaw, trying to keep himself from grunting. He can feel you're distressed, but you can hold your own. You wouldn't want him to disrupt the wedding. 

“Yes, fine… for now. But look at them, Law, really look at them.” Vinsmoke’s hand is on your waist, and you didn't swat him away, he's leaning toward your ear, whispering something, and the fire in your eyes burns with such intensity he can almost feel the heat from this distance. You don't want him near you, though you’re trying your hardest not to disrupt the photoshoot. 

“Sure, Uncle. All I see is hatred.”

Doflamingo moves to stand directly in Law’s line of sight, making sure Law listens to what he has to say. “Exactly. When you stop caring, you become indifferent, cold, calloused. When you still care, it means you still feel. Hatred is just one small step away from passion.” Doffy takes a long gulp of his ‘mimosa’ and laughs, his eyes glinting as Law finds it harder and harder to shield his own emotions. “And, you know, Law… they both burn with the same intensity.”

-*-

“Thank God, that's over.” You mutter as you approach Law with a smile. “Hey.” His smile seems a bit more strained, but he doesn't shy away from your hug. “Missed me?”

Law chuckles, but a harsh line still remains between his brows, and this time, there's nothing stopping you from smoothing it with your fingertips. 

“What's wrong?” Law's deep sigh is a bit disconcerting, like he's carrying a weight you're not privy to. “You can tell me everything, you know? This trust thing, it's a two-way street…” Your tone seems light, but the intensity in your gaze proves your sincerity. 

“Doffy's been messing with my mind.” A groan vibrates against your neck when he buries his head against it. “Sometimes it's just hard to believe how lucky I am.” He trails a few kisses up your neck, along your jawline and stops a breath away from your lips. “How lucky I was to meet you.”

Threading your fingers through his hair, you close the distance between your mouths. Law pulls you by the waist against him in a consuming kiss. It's passionate, it's intense, it's mind-blowing. Like everything else with Law. When you pull away, he still chases your lips to steal one more touch. 

“We're both lucky, then. Because I'm the happiest I've ever been.” Law's gaze finally softens, and that annoying dip of his forehead disappears. “Please don't let any of your uncle’s words get into your head.”

Law nods, parting the hug and pulling you by the hand towards where the other guests are. “I won't.”

“Promise?” You plant your feet, not budging when he pulls you, so he can look you in the eyes. “You know he has an agenda, Law. He brought my freaking ex into this. He'll try to break us apart, I can feel it.”

“Sweetheart, there's nothing in this world that can take you away from me, got it?” Law gives you a reassuring smile along with a caress on your cheek, but none of it eases the weight in your chest or the feeling of foreboding in his words. 

-*-

The reception is in full swing now. Speeches have been recited, along with plenty of toasts. Food - and drinks - are flowing freely and everyone seems a bit tipsy and cheerful. 

“Can I have a dance with the lady?” A hand hovers in front of your face, and you smile widely. 

“Careful,” Law speaks to you in a hushed tone, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Cora has two left feet.” You smile at the indignant look on Cora’s face as you take his hand in yours.

“I resent that, Law. When it comes to dancing, I’m very graceful. It’s with everything else that I’m a little bit clumsy.” The two men share a warm smile before Law’s uncle ushers you onto the dance floor, leaving him to stare at you both, which only lasts a couple of seconds as someone approaches him.

“Trafalgar, may I have a word with you?”

Law sighs and closes his eyes as if gathering patience. “Vinsmoke. What do you want?”

“To clear the air between us. It seems a bit… stifling.” Ichiji laughs, taking a sip of his champagne.

“Consider it cleared, then. Thank you for the chat.” Law turns to leave, but Ichiji ignores his attempt to exit and continues speaking. 

“I remember things about her that you most likely haven’t learned yet.” The smirk he shows Law is lecherous, but Law merely clenches his jaw in response. “How she likes to be touched, her scent… the exquisite way she tastes. Unforgettable.”

His words sting. Law doesn’t want to imagine you with anyone else, let alone this creep. But he knows you were intimate with him, obviously, and he also knows Ichiji will thrive if he gets a rise out of him. So Law takes a deep, steadying breath, sipping his drink and watching you glide gracefully in Cora’s arms, a deep smile upon your lips. 

“I had four years with her. I know every shiver, every tremble, every gasp and mewl by heart. It’s not something that can be easily unlearned.” He taunts, his smirk growing wider. 

Law’s throat constricts, and he swallows hard to force out his words. “Interestingly enough, she forgot you just fine.” Law is not going to stoop as low as Ichiji is stooping. But he could remind the jerk that you told him you’d never felt the same way you do for Law towards anyone else. And that includes this bastard. But he doesn’t need to share that knowledge, as long as Law knows it, he’s perfectly fine. “It’s actually impressive, Vinsmoke, that you spent four years with her and still managed to let her slip between your fingers.” Law shrugs nonchalantly. “I guess I should thank you, though. For being an asshole. That way, she saw right through you.”

Ichiji’s smirk falters as he takes a small step back. “Just face it, Trafalgar, you’ll never have what I had with her.”

Law smirks, letting out a cold, detached laugh. “Thank God for that. Why would I want a failed, toxic relationship when I have something so much better?”

That worked well enough to wipe the stupid smirk off his face. “This is not over yet.” Ichiji mumbles.

“Oh, but it is, Vismoke.” This time, it’s Law who leans closer to Ichiji, his taller frame casting an ominous shadow over the redhead. “I’ll say this once, leave her alone or you’ll find out just how protective I can be of what’s mine.” Law’s voice is cold and dangerous, and Ichiji clenches his jaw in response.

Realising he can’t rile Law up, he retreats, mumbling curses under his breath as Law finally relaxes his stiff posture and refocuses his gaze on you. Between Doffy’s manipulations and Ichiji’s devious words, Law begins to think they may have joined forces to disrupt his and your peace. 

-*-

“You really are a great dancer, Cora, you weren’t lying.” You tease the older man with a smile, and he laughs back at you.

“Thank you, thank you.” He sends you for a twirl to emphasise what a great dancer he is, pulling another heartfelt laugh from you. When you’re back in his arms, his smile is still in place. “Truly, thank you.” He nods towards where Law stands and sighs. “It’s been years since I’ve seen him this happy. I’ve seen him at his best and his worst… he’s been through a lot, but just seeing how at ease he is by your side…” Cora’s hand squeezes yours and he lets the rest of the sentence unsaid.

You see Ichiji next to Law, and your stomach churns. “It’s mutual, actually. I’ve been at my worst for a few years… and with Law…” Your smile lights up your whole face. “It’s all so simple with him, familiar even. Like we always knew each other and were just waiting to meet again.” 

Your deep, enamoured sigh makes Cora beam as well. “It’s a wonderful feeling, seeing him this unguarded. We went through some dark times when his parents and sister passed, it was tough on all of us. But as he grew up, he seemed to return to the ease he had as a child. And then…”

Cora inhales deeply, a flicker of pain crossing through his eyes, as if he’s not quite sure whether he should be the one to speak of Law’s heartaches.

“Monet?”

Cora’s nod is almost imperceptible. “It wasn’t just that she abandoned him, I think he would’ve gotten through that. It was the betrayal. She broke his trust. And back then, he placed his trust much more easily than he does now. Doffy thought he was teaching a tough-love lesson to Law, and he did. Except that lesson took its toll and Law stopped trusting people altogether. He built his walls so high it was impossible for anyone to scale them. Even me…”

Your hand grips Cora’s shoulder tighter. You can sense that he must have resented Doflamingo and what he did as well. 

“I honestly thought he would never let anyone get close to him again.” A sad smile plays on Cora’s lips as he looks at you. “Eventually, he let me in again, and some of his walls crumbled, but never long enough for another relationship to blossom. I’m so grateful to you, I truly am.”

For a second, your heart clenches. You and Law have both lied to this wonderful man. He doesn’t know that you started this with a fake relationship. But you’re not faking anything now, so you can’t feel guilty about that, right?

And there’s no way you’ll ever break the trust Law has placed in you. You did the same for him as well: you opened up, baring all your insecurities and shame, and he took you in with open arms and zero judgement. You’re both helping each other heal. 

“Law deserves to be happy. To feel like he can trust and be trusted again. I want to be that person for him.” You can’t help the way your eyes shine as you speak these words, they sound like a vow, a promise, and you know that’s what they truly are.

“I think you already are.” Cora laughs and spins you one last time before the song ends, and he takes you back to Law. 

Law’s forehead is sporting that annoying dip again, and you know his conversation with Ichiji must not have been a pleasant one. 

“Here she is, Law. Safe and sound, no squished toes or sprained ankles.” You laugh alongside Cora, and even Law lets out a chuckle. “Have fun, you two.” Cora waves and retreats back to the party, stumbling over a chair and dragging down a plate of dessert with him. “I’m fine!” He exclaims as Law sighs and you giggle.

“Hi.” He murmurs as he places his hands on your waist and pulls you in for a small peck. “Want to get out of here?” Law’s lips curve into a mischievous smirk that has you chewing your lower lip in anticipation.

“We can’t. It’s too soon.” But heat is already gathering in your core as Law’s hands roam your sides.

“We’ll come back.” The whisper in your ear is sultry and makes promises you know he intends to keep. 

“Ten minutes…” You exclaim, already losing a battle you never intended to win anyway.

“Half an hour, at least.” He groans in your ear, hands tightening on your hips.

“Fifteen minutes?” You gasp when his lips kiss your neck. “Okay, half an hour.”

“You’re easily convinced…” A chuckle escapes your lips as you let him take your hand and guide you into the house. You both pass a few guests on the way but try to look as inconspicuous as ever as you navigate the ground floor. Law pulls you to a dimly lit hallway and opens a tiny door, it’s a small closet with some of the guests’ jackets and purses. 

With one last check of the hallway, he pulls you in and presses you against the wall, his body instantly pinning yours as his lips devour yours with unbridled hunger. His hands tease and grope your nipples and sides, roaming with intent, making you shiver and tremble under his devotion. 

“Couldn't make it to the room?” You whisper between bated breaths, and he chuckles, his lips pressed against your neck.

“Sweetheart, if I took you to our room, we wouldn’t return to the party tonight. And my cousin will be very disappointed if we’re not here for the slicing of the cake.” Law’s fingers curl the fabric of your dress, pulling it up and settling on your thighs. As his fingers catch on the lace of your panties, he groans, and you sigh. Law immediately catches your mouth in his, his other hand tangles your hair, and he tugs softly to deepen the kiss. The fire burning between your legs feels like molten lava coursing through your veins.

“Law…” You mumble when he breaks the kiss to nibble at your jawline.

“Sweetheart, you’re going to have to be very quiet. Because no one can see us here, but they can hear us.” His lips trail a path down your neck and over your collarbone. One of his hands returns to tease your nipple while the other plays with the hem of your panties. “Can you do that?”

“Depends.” You let out a breathy whisper. 

“On what?”

“On what you plan on doing to me.” Then you have to bite your lip to stifle a mewl as Law’s finger plunges inside your slit, finding you already dripping wet. He groans into your ear, his body pressed against yours only adds stimulation to the ungodly things his fingers are doing inside you. 

“Oh, I have very mischievous plans for you.” A small whimper escapes your lips as he circles your clit with his thumb. “Don’t make a sound, sweetheart.”

But that’s easier said than done. He eases another finger inside, but his rhythm is insanely slow. He circles your clit in tortuous motions, and just as pleasure is mounting up, the smallest of mewls leaves your lips and he stops, mouth hovering over yours. “Not a sound.” You move your hips against his hand in a silent plea for more, for him to finish what he started, and he returns his ministrations. Slowly, languorously, lazily. He’s driving you insane.

“More, Law, please.” You mumble, feeling your legs already trembling and the intense coil of desire ready to snap. 

“If you want more, you need to take it in silence.” His fingers flick your nipple, and you stifle another moan while you nod vigorously. “Eyes on me, sweetheart. If I’m not going to hear you scream, I need to see you fall apart.”

His fingers plunge deeper and faster, the pressure on your clit maddening as your breaths come in shallow, nearly silent gasps. Focusing your eyes on his, you can see the amber in them shining as he takes you in. Your legs tremble relentlessly, and you know you won’t be able to stay silent, not when the pleasure is overwhelming you, crashing with waves of bliss. So Law takes your lips in his and rides your orgasm with you in a shattering kiss, muffling your moans and swallowing your screams. 

When he pulls back and removes his fingers, you’re panting, small beads of sweat dampening your skin as Law smirks at you. “That’s my good girl.” His hand tilts your chin upwards so you meet his gaze again. “Think you can keep that up?” His tone hides a dare, and you don’t quite get what he means until he starts unbuckling his belt, his hand reaching into his pocket for a condom. 

A slight flush creeps into your cheeks as you nod. “I can be quiet.” He grins, getting ready and aligning himself with your entry while a hand wraps under your thigh, elevating it to create an angle. 

“Not a sound, sweetheart.” His whisper against your ear sends a shiver down your spine, anticipation making you tingle as you grasp his shoulders for purchase. His other hand holds your hip steady as he pushes himself inside you, slowly, inch by inch. Your head falls back in abandon as you trap an earth-shattering moan behind closed lips. “You take me so well, you feel so good.”

Law’s grip is firm and possessive as he thrusts with intent. He doesn’t want to keep you on edge this time, he knows there’s every chance of both of you getting caught, so he’s searching to fulfil your pleasure and his with effectiveness. “You’re clenching me so hard, sweetheart. Are you close again?”

You try to answer him, but a whimper comes out instead, and he groans. “I love that you can’t help but make noises for me.” Law’s control is also slipping, he clenches his jaw, brow furrowed tightly as his thrusts become relentless. “Almost there?”

A nod is your answer as your nails dig into his chest, gripping the lapels and trying to ground you on firm reality. “Fuck.” Law lets out just as a wanton moan begins to crescendo on your lips. He silences you with another kiss as the both of you swallow each other’s broken noises, ones you can’t seem to keep quiet as you fall apart and pleasure overwhelms you, overriding all sense of decorum. 

The tremors of the aftershock still course through you, making you shiver as Law pulls back, breathless and grinning at you. “You did so well, sweetheart.” He kisses you and caresses your cheek with his thumb as he composes his pants and helps you straighten your dress and hair. 

You open your mouth and instantly close it. Almost. It was just there. Three words. I love you. You almost said it.

“That was incredible, Law.” These words are safer. These words don’t bring uncertainty or disappointment if he doesn’t feel the same. So you stick with them. “Do you think anyone noticed our absence?” You’re still trying to catch your breath as your emotions rage war inside you.

“In the middle of so many guests? Maybe just my uncle…” You cringe, Doffy is the last person you want to have noticed you slip away. “I’ll go ahead and head to the bathroom, we’ll meet up at the reception, how about that?” You nod, you’re composed enough, Law helped you. The only thing that might give you away is the slight flush of your cheeks or the silly grin you can’t seem to erase. Law kisses your nose in an affectionate manner and opens the closet door. “See you soon.”

You wait another minute while untangling your hair and, with a deep inhale, you exit the closet, heading down the hall towards the garden. 

“Cariño, having fun?”

Shit.

Tag List:@rosidaze @beachaddict48 @armiliadawn @jintaka-hane @sprinkklz @baby5555 @hopelesslover06 @mars-mizuko @sleepykittycx @nerium-lil @eustasscapitankid @ren-ni @jqperi @lycoriskalmia @rainbow2312 @alexturnersgirl

|Chapter 15|

[ghostfacesvalentine]

You’re no good for me - Patrick Bateman x Fem!Reader

Pairing: Patrick Bateman x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Slight itsy angst/kinda unrequited love/loneliness

Type: One shot/Blurb

Request: the fake relationship trope w Patrick bateman needs to be a fic RIGHT NOW 😩😩

Word Count: N/A

Prompt: Based off the song “Diet Mountain Dew” / Fake relationship trope

Notes: This started off so Lana coded, but it did finish abruptly since it’s kinda like a tiny one shot/blurb. I just wanted to write something. Let me know what you think! No I didn’t proofread are you nuts

Word got around fast about the breakup between Patrick and his fiancée. Not that it was anything tragic to either party, but appearances were everything.

A playboy like Patrick was hard to keep up with, of course you made your attempts, gathering outfits that flattered you, experimenting with different styles of hair and makeup in hopes that you’d find your niche.

More like find Patrick Batemans time of day.

You weren’t even sure if they had finished splitting up by the time he approached you, one Thursday afternoon. Nothing about his character was subtle, not in the way he talked at least.

“Y/N. I have a proposition for you.” His attention catching you off guard.

He always spoke in a matter of fact, especially with you, never in a rude way, just maybe overtly confident. Whatever it was, always made you feel weak in the knees.

You daydreamed about him shamelessly, the way his lips curved into a tight smile after his sentences, the manner in which the air surrounding him gave a vague smell of his cologne. Patrick was used to the prolonged looks, but there seemed to be a sincerity in your eyes.

Patrick was talking but you weren’t listening, instead your eyes adapted to the shape of his jaw, the glistening cheekbones, all carved by his slick back hair and gently brushed eyebrows.

“Y/N” He prayed out loud.

Your dreaming cut short, now looking at him in an embarrassing manner. “Sorry.” You mumbled out, eyes dropping down to his glossy shoes then away towards the floor to ceiling windows.

“Could you do that for me? I’ll pay you for any inconvenience that comes with it.”

It was only then when you realized how much you really weren’t listening. Your eyes then braved enough to look at his own, chocolate delicacies that mirrored nothing. Patrick was handsome, there was absolutely no doubt about that, yet he never emitted any warmth, even as the back of his hand reached to trickle along the curve of your cheek.

“Yeah, of course, uhm. What do you need exactly?” You feigned the urge for clarification.

“Dinner. I need you to pretend we’re seeing one another. Again, if it’s not something that you’re interested in-“

You cut him off almost too quickly. “I’m there.”

And you were.

Both propped up in a two person table at the most exclusive restaurant in the city.

You weren’t sure if it was the booze or the simple privilege to have Patrick’s eyes on you, even if it was a little white lie. You didn’t have to fake much and you tried to push the idea of Patrick feigning his interest in you.

There were eyes on you both, of course there was snarky comments of rebounds and those wondering out loud if you were the reason his engagement was no more.

Patrick relished in the moment, the gossip definitely boosted his ego, too much for his own good. You, however, were just happy to hold his cold hand in public.

You didn’t have to fake much, you watched him in the most endearing way and though you weren’t old money, you gave Patrick the upper advantage of having your full attention on him when his business friends couldn’t pay anyone enough to keep their eyes on them.

Something about the attention you devoted to him openly only made him more desirable. You almost didn’t care for the bottle service he ordered for you both, nor the tasty delicacies that petrified his diet.

This somber ask of his made you feel like the stars were aligning for you and you were enticed to keep up with the facade.

It quickly became a habit, date night once every Friday became every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Then he would make sure those who had interested thoughts, would see you leave his apartment or him leave yours.

You never did anything other than “enjoy” each others presence. Mainly hearing about his day, drinking some of whatever he had, but mainly listening to his rambles about how he viewed those around him.

As the weeks morphed into months, the kisses you were over the moon to give him while his past interests were watching, now became more painful than before. You never took any money from him, much to his offense, yet he always made sure to give you the best time he could offer you.

Sometimes he would go the extra step to send you flowers, all to “keep up with appearances” but when you crawled into your cool and oversized bed on your own, reality would struck your heart.

You spent too many nights curled up in the corner of your bed while you knew Patrick was delightful to stick to his bachelor routine.

Much to his dismay, you started to get sloppy with your actions. It was a few months into your lie that your eyes began to wander. It started with the longing, seeing other couples who seemed genuinely interested with one another, sharing casual touches and warm feelings.

The ache had you thinking about the men who appeared affectionate, your eyes lingered longer than Patrick had been used to.

Clearing his throat caught your attention again, a fake smile crossed your face. “Of course, whatever you say.”

It was not the response he was looking for and it didn’t take long for him to see what caught your eye. “Really Y/N? He hasn’t made half of what he made last month, I have no idea what he’s doing here. Enjoying what he has left while he can I guess.” A malicious laugh spurred across the table from Patrick.

This time it came with an unsure gaze, worried that someone would be better than him.

“Hm?” You replied nonchalantly.

“Oh yeah. I know.” You soothed, your hand no longer reached for him, rather than to trace the curves of your fork.

You didn’t intend to make him feel small, but if you were being honest, his lack of interest in you began to mirror you. He was still as gorgeous as ever, yet when the doors were closed, it was hard to not long for a man who would kiss you when no one was looking.

Patrick didn’t understand what was happening, he didn’t understand why you were starting to decline in your part of the deal. He found himself competing more aggressively this time with those in the environment again, in this case, for your eyes.

You excused yourself to the bathroom, for the first time, you wanted to go home early. You didn’t even have to use the bathroom, you just wanted some space from him.

A hand latched onto your forearm, halting you from the entrance to the hallway where the bathrooms were. You looked back to see a handsome man in a white button up with a rag hanging from his side pocket. A glistening smile greeted your confused face “Hey, I’m sorry I just wanted to let you know that dress really brings out your eyes”

Before you could respond, you watched as he was gripped by the shirt and shoved to the side away from your sight. You tried to look for the waiter before you felt a frigid hand pull you by the wrist towards the entrance.

Your shoulders relaxed when you noticed it was the familiar figure of Patrick. He was furious.

“Y/N. I’m sorry- I was under the impression that we had an agreement.” He scolded as he let your wrist go when you made it to the sidewalk beside him.

You watched him blankly as he appeared to throw his tantrum. “Nothing even happened Patrick. You already made your point with your friends, I can’t keep up with this. I want to have my own person. My real person. I don’t want to scare others off because I have to pretend to have something going on with you.” You breathed out what was weighing heavy on your chest.

He almost couldn’t believe how you felt. He didn’t even know how to decipher what he felt. Deep down he knew what you meant, yet he didn’t care enough to let you go easy. “If you couldn’t do it in the first place, you shouldn’t have agreed.” He scolded again, roughly running his hands through his slicked back locks desperately.

“Well I don’t want to do it anymore.” You admitted. Patrick stared right through your eyes lacking of any expression. He’s never had to decipher his own feelings, how the hell could he figure out that what he was feeling was jealousy?

[gaypalz]

Agatha x Rio Fake dating Christmas AU with a sprinkle of miscommunication, angst, and pinning

Summary:

When Agatha’s mother needles her once again about her lack of love life, she snaps, telling her that in fact, she is bringing her fiancée. … except she’s completely single. Rio volunteers to be her girlfriend (suspiciously eager) and Agatha can’t decline her roommate's proposition (it’s not like Agatha’s about to tell Rio that she’s been in love with her for years) and shenanigans ensue.

Basically Happiest Season meets But I'm a cheerleader meets the fake dating trope ig lol

[jarofstyles]

Patreon Exclusive Series

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Buttercream

Y/N could be considered an odd omega, choosing her own path. Harry found a bakery with the most delicious scent and he’s tried every treat in the bakery case to find out what it is- or who it is.’

Or, architect H x Bakery Owner y/n with ABO in the mix

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy

Y/N loves her small town and has no desire to leave. Especially not after getting her dream job as the Styles family ranch, helping assisting with the award winning horses and breeding program. The mountain and valley view are a perk of the job- but the best view is the sweaty cowboy she gets a front row seat to.

Or, small town cowboy romance

Parchment

Hiding a pop star in her stationary shop in NYC certainly wasn’t on Y/N’s bingo card- especially since she didn’t know who he was. It’s a good thing he returned to thank her for her troubles.

Or, Pop Star H x Stationary Shop Owner Y/N

Diffident

Harry is shy and Y/N is not. Navigating the intricacies of college dating, nosy roommates, broken glasses, video games, callbacks and a different type of studying.

Or, nerdy H college au

Pleasure Island

Harry is on the reserved end, and isn’t too happy when his quaint little bookshop is neighbored by an erotic accessory shop.

Or, bookshop H x sex shop Y/N and their activities exploring the wilder side of sex

Welcome Home

Y/N has been hearing strange noises, feeling odd cold spots and…. Talking to the ghost that roams her house.

Or, Ghostrry! DARK CONTENT AHEAD!!!

Love Bites

Exclusive Wolfrry 🤭🤭

Lush

Living in Las Vegas, escort Y/N gets hired by tall, dark and handsome Harry to sit pretty on his lap… until he has another proposition that he’s hoping she’ll consider

Or, fake fiancée Y/N and dark!H

More coming soon….

[angelswing236]

"Just in case this doesn't work."

Fictober 2023

Category: Fanfiction

Fandom: Downton Abbey

‘Um, I need you to do me a favour. Er, I mean I need to ask you a favour,’ Tom said, falling over his words. ‘If you… if you could see your way to it, that is.’

‘All right,’ Mary said, amused to see him less than poised.

‘No, you can’t just say all right. You don’t know what it is yet,’ Tom said, looking flustered.

‘So, tell me what it is and then I can say whether I’ll do it or not. I can’t imagine I won’t, though,’ Mary said, sitting back in her chair.

‘I need you to, um… I wonder if you might, er…’ Tom stammered, his cheeks getting pinker as he struggled to articulate the favour he needed.

‘Oh, come on, Tom. It can’t be that difficult to say whatever it is you want me to do for you,’ Mary teased, gently.

Tom took a deep breath. ‘Will you pretend to be my fiancée?’

Mary’s eyebrows shot up, startled by his request. ‘Well, that certainly wasn’t what I thought you were going to ask me.’

‘What did you think I was going to ask you?’

‘I don’t know, but it wasn’t that.’ Mary eyed him speculatively, twisting in her office chair. ‘Why do you need me to pretend to be your fiancée?’

‘Promise you won’t laugh.’

‘Um, well, I’m not sure I can promise you that since I have no idea what you’re going to say.’

‘There’s this woman, and she… well, she keeps dropping hints that she’d like me to, er, to…’ he petered out, pinking up again.

‘To what?’ Mary asked, dying of curiosity. ‘Take her out?’

‘No, more like… stay in with her,’ Tom said, bright red now.

‘Stay in with her?’ Mary echoed, her eyebrows shooting up again.

‘Yes. She’s made it quite clear that she, um, well, she finds me attractive, and she’d like to, er… she’d like us to… to… well, I’m sure you can imagine the rest,’ Tom mumbled, barely able to meet Mary’s eyes.

‘She wants to sleep with you?’

‘Yes, she, um… yes.’

‘And you don’t want to take her up on her offer?’ Mary asked, trying to suppress her amusement at how bad he was at talking about this.

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘Sorry?’ Tom said, visibly shocked by the question.

‘Well, I don’t presume to know how you’ve handled that side of things since Sybil’s been gone, but I thought most men would jump at the chance if a woman offered to be intimate with them. Don’t you find her attractive?’

‘She’s very pretty, although she’s not really my type,’ Tom admitted, looking awkward. ‘But she has… well, I don’t want to be ungentlemanly, but she has something of a reputation.’

‘A reputation?

‘For, um, well, loose morals.’

‘Right. So. You’re not keen then?’

He shook his head. ‘No. I don’t… I’m not… no.’

Mary smiled. ‘Are you intimidated by this woman, Tom?’

‘God, yes,’ he confessed. ‘She’s just… she won’t take no for an answer. Every time I see her, she propositions me, and it’s exhausting.’

‘And you really don’t want to – how shall I put this? – perhaps scratch an itch with her?’

‘I thought about it, and I was tempted for a moment, I won’t deny it, but I know I’d regret it afterwards,’ he said, honestly. ‘I just want her to leave me in peace.’

‘So, you need a pretend fiancée to mark her cards?’ Mary said, thoughtfully.

‘Yes. She knows I’m not married, but I thought maybe she might back off a bit if she thinks I’m engaged,’ Tom said, the hope evident in his voice.

‘All right. I’ll be your fake fiancée,’ Mary agreed, taking pity on him. ‘Where do you see this woman?’

‘She’s a secretary at the firm we buy our agricultural feed from.’

‘Right. And when are you due there next?’

‘Thursday.’

‘Then I will come with you and, together, we will make her leave you alone,’ Mary said, decisively.

‘Thank you, Mary,’ Tom sighed, relieved.

On Thursday, Mary stood with Tom in the reception area outside the office of the manager at Billingham’s Agricultural Feed on the outskirts of Thirsk.

At the desk, an attractive woman with pneumatic curves and bobbed, peroxide blonde hair sat looking at Mary with interest, not remotely trying to hide her blatant curiosity.

‘Is that her?’ Mary asked, looking over Tom’s shoulder at the woman who had apparently been propositioning him so openly and persistently.

‘Yes, that’s her. Alice.’

‘She is attractive. In an obvious sort of way,’ Mary said, switching her gaze to Tom. ‘Are you sure you’re not interested in taking her up on her offer? Because you might not get another chance after this.’

‘I’m sure,’ he said with feeling. ‘Shall I introduce you to her now? Let her see your ring and tell her you’re my fiancée?’

‘Oh, Tom, you men can be so naïve,’ Mary said, fondly.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, now I’ve seen her, I think I’ve got a better sense of her. If she’s been forward enough to proposition you in her place of work, I doubt she’s going to back down because you tell her you’re taken.’

‘What do you mean? Are you saying it’s not going to work?’

‘I’m saying it’s time to put Plan B into operation.’

‘Plan B? What’s Plan B? I didn’t know we had a Plan B,’ Tom said, frowning at her.

‘You don’t maybe, but I do. Just in case this doesn’t work,’ Mary said, lifting her left hand and waggling her fingers at him, her engagement ring from Matthew sparkling under the electric lights.

‘What is it, then? This alternative plan of yours,’ Tom asked, perplexed.

‘This,’ Mary said, stepping forward, cupping the back of his head with her left hand, so Alice could see her engagement ring. And then she leaned forward and kissed him like she’d never kissed him before.

Tom made a surprised noise and then his hand came up to her waist, settling there as the kiss continued, becoming deeper and more involved than Mary had anticipated.

By the time they broke apart, they were both somewhat breathless. They stared at each other in silence until Alice’s voice broke through the charged atmosphere.

‘Mr Billingham will see you now, Mr Branson.’

Tom swallowed, took one last look at Mary and turned towards the office door. ‘Thank you.’

‘I’ll wait for you here, darling. Remember we have that appointment with the vicar in an hour,’ Mary called after him.

Tom glanced back at her, still looking a little dazed and nodded before disappearing through the door for his appointment, closing it behind him.

Mary took a seat and extracted her lipstick and her compact mirror from her handbag, her heart racing in the aftermath of her surprisingly passionate kiss with Tom.

Alice watched as Mary reapplied her lipstick. ‘Are you engaged to him?’

‘I am,’ Mary said crisply, snapping her compact mirror shut.

‘That explains it,’ the secretary muttered under her breath.

Mary gave her a cool look. ‘He’s told me about your kind offer. He won’t be taking you up on it.’

‘No, I can see that. Pity, though. If he kisses like that, I bet he’s good at other things, too.’

Mary stared at her, an unexpected jolt of curiosity ripping through her.

‘You’re a lucky woman,’ Alice continued.

‘Yes, I am,’ Mary said, holding the woman’s gaze.

‘And he’s a lucky man.’

Mary inclined her head, sure now that their little performance had done the trick and put a stop to Alice’s ongoing harassment of Tom.

The trouble was, if Tom had felt the same sparks she had during their kiss – and she was almost positive he had – their little charade also had the potential to change their whole relationship.

[triviareads]

happy valentines day! do you have any smutty book suggestions for today?

Happy Valentine's Day! The first books I'm going to shill because I've already been talking about them nonstop for a week are Adriana Herrera's Las Leonas series. It's genuinely fun and every single romance will make you want to kick your feet and giggle because they're THAT swoony and very hot. A Caribbean Heiress in Paris has a Dominican heroine (all the heroines are of Dominican origin in part at least) trying to expand her rum business abroad, and she enters into a marriage of convenience with the hero who's Scottish and her kinda-rival. And because it's Paris 1889, of course they do Stuff on top of the Eiffel Tower. An Island Princess Starts a Scandal is a sapphic romance between a STERN aristocratic older businesswoman and a bratty artist heiress who's running roughshod over her but like, in a HOT way. And of course A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke is probably going to be my favorite historical of the year and it's only February— and for GOOD REASON. The heroine is a doctor running an underground women's health clinic that provides VERY necessary treatments, including abortions. The hero is a Black duke determined to take down the aristocracy after he fought for his title, and it's PEAK one-sided enemies to lovers where she's perpetually exasperated by him even though she propositions him in the prologue (lol) and he's OBSESSED with her. Like genuinely, you will never read a man more down bad than Apollo is for Aurora.

I also feel like on the historical front, Amalie Howard's Taming of the Dukes series is kinda perfect for Valentine's Day, what with the romcom vibes (each book is inspired by a classic romcom), girl gang shenanigans, and they're fairly high heat. My favorites are Always Be My Duchess, which is inspired by Pretty Woman and has a starchy duke asking a ballerina to be his fake fiancée and only in part because he has an insta-boner for her, and The Worst Duke in London, which has the same set up as 10 Things I Hate About You but there's a TWIST because the heroine asks the hero to have sex with her so she can explore what she likes... and they're both virgins. Amalie Howard was inspired for that.

Veering into erotic romance territory, Katrina Jackson's The Spies Who Loved Her series is SUPER HOT, is very queer and racially diverse, has its moments of tension considering a lot of the MCs in the series are international spies/assassins(?)/hackers but it's fairly light and actually quite humorous all things considered. The first book, Pink Slip, is about the married spy couple who are in love with their PA and bring her on a vacation to neutralize an Eastern European dictator. As one does The second, Private Eye, is about a camgirl who gets involved in a plot with the same crew to take down a terrorist(?) and the hero is CIA and DOWN SO BAD for her ever since he was asked to conduct due diligence on her and came across her camming, but now he has to join her on camera?? To take down the terrorist?? Amazing stuff.

[bakugotrashpanda]

Two Truths and a Lie

Chapter 5: Dynamight and What’s-Her-Name

Bakugou x Fem!Reader

◈ Pro Hero, Fake Engagement ◈ Word Count: 1884

◇ Chapter Select

◇ Previous Chapter

You go on a date.

Gulls cry overhead when you exit the taxi. Salty wind from the ocean gently teases the edges of your clothes. Your first date with Bakugou. He texted you a day after posting a single word on his social media: taken. 

The plan is to keep it simple for your first outing — a walk along the pier, get coffee or something, chat. Ultimately the goal is to appear together. He set it up like a business meeting rather than a date, but Bakugou’s proposition was more like a job between two people rather than an affair of the heart. 

A swath of ash blond hair catches the corner of your eye. Your date stands against metal fencing separating ocean and land. His spiky hair and collar of his dark blue jacket are ruffled by the breeze. Even though he gazes out over the water, no doubt he’s aware of every person passing by.

Bakugou straightens as if feeling your eyes on his back. He appraises you while you do the same to him. His jacket pairs well with his dark green pants, and the black shirt brings the look together. Casual, but classy. You only hope that he thinks the same about you.

“Well?” You strike a pose. “Did I bring it? Or did I bring it?” 

Bakugou nods, the corner of his mouth curling up into an almost-smile. “Looks good, but you’re missing one thing.” He takes off his jacket and places it on top of your shoulders. It settles over you warm and comforting — and with a faint spicy, woody scent. So he does wear cologne.

Bakugou’s hand rests on your waist pulling you against him as you start to walk. Your arm brushes against his side. Are you supposed to hold onto him too? Two people walking side by side in some weird embrace? On the outside, it might look like an ordinary, lovey-dovey couple, but on the inside, you hate it. 

You plant your feet into the ground. “Stop. We’re not walking like this.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“We’re out of sync and I don’t know what to do with my arms.” To emphasize your point, you make a ‘what the fuck’ gesture.

Crimson eyes narrow, but he takes his hand off you regardless. “Ok,” he says, “What’s your smart idea for how to fool the world into thinking we’re head over heels for each other?”

“Hold my hand instead?” you offer. If he doesn’t like that, then that’s too damn bad. He hesitates, but casually passes his hands over his pants. ‘Kacchan won’t admit it, but he’s very protective of his hands.’ Midoriya’s voice flows through your head. A memory from long ago. 

Bakugou sticks out his hand and waits. “Fine.”

His hand is warm and dry against yours. Scars litter the back of it, some old and well worn while others are pinker, the skin healed but not much else. You have to resist the urge to take his palm and stare at it, trace the lines there and wonder what their stories are. Would he be self-conscious about that?

“So what, are we supposed to do all the ‘getting to know you’ stuff?” you ask as the two of you start meandering. “Tell you my dreams about life? Where I see myself in five years?”

“Why would I want to know any of that?”

“Because you’re my fiancé, asshole,” you roll your eyes. “Let me guess, your goal in life is to be the number one hero on the charts and be your own boss. And once you reach that, you don’t know what to do with yourself. You have no hobbies outside of work, and your only friend is Red Riot.”

Bakugou shoots you a disgusted look but doesn’t argue.

“So how far off was I?” you goad him.

“Whatever,” he mutters. The tips of his ears betray him and turn a light pink. Bingo.

“Alright, now me.”

“What?”

“Tell me what you think my life is like.” Show me what you really think of me.

Bakugou’s silent for a moment. You think he won’t do it — won’t cause a scene here in public listing off all your bad qualities where anyone can hear. “You don’t have an identity outside of Deku, and now that he’s moved on and you’ve lost all attempts at winning him back, you don’t know what to do with yourself. You have an alcohol problem which you’ll adamantly deny, an’ you don’t have any real friends and suck ass at making lasting connections.”

You hold your free hand up to your chest in mock indignation. “Well fuck you too.”

“You asked for it,” Bakugou smirks. 

The irony of roasting each other for being two friendless individuals while holding hands on a ‘romantic’ walk isn’t lost on you. There’s no bite to either of your statements, it just hurts that it’s true. 

Shops lining the boardwalk pass as comfortable silence descends. Your mind wanders. You never thought you’d be here, hand in hand with a man that wasn’t Midoriya. Bakugou is right – Midoriya took up so much of your life. And you had to have hobbies outside of him… right? You had to. There’s no way you blindly devoted five years of your life to him.

“We’re here.” A gruff voice pulls you out of your reverie. Bakugou nods at a small cafe. He holds the door open. The cozy shop is decorated with deep browns and light tans from the walnut leather chairs around coffee tables to the tall cedar bar tables. Fragrant fruity teas mix with earthy coffee – both overwhelming and comforting all at once.

You’re guided over to the counter and the barista takes your order. Bakugou pays for both drinks before you can get your wallet out. That’s fine. You can get the next thing. Maybe lunch? And if not that, whatever you do on the next date. 

While waiting for your drinks, something in the atmosphere changes. An intense pressure at the base of your skull. You need to get out of there. Something isn’t right. When you turn to Bakugou to say something, the words die on your tongue. 

Eyes. You can feel the eyes. They crawl over your skin, greedily taking you in. Everyone in the store is drawn to Bakugou… and then you. Hushed conversations go from everyday topics to you and Bakugou. The gossip floats around and you’re able to pick up bits and pieces. ‘Isn’t that…’ ‘Dynamight and what’s her name…’ ‘They look cute together’ ‘When did they start dating?’ ‘Do you think I could get a picture?’

Bakugou bends over suddenly, his mouth against your ear. The deep tones of his voice give you something to hold on to to keep you in the here and now. “We’ll leave after this.”

What’s maybe a minute or two drags on for eternity. 

Warm drink in hand, you follow Bakugou out. The only thing keeping you from running out of there is the fact that his body blocks the way so you’re stuck at his pace. He leads you down an empty pier, the morning fishermen gone for now. There’s nothing but the ocean’s white noise, small waves crashing in on themselves. 

“You’re not used to that.” It’s a statement, not a question. You purse your lips and shake your head. No, no you’re not used to it. “I should’ve fucking known.” Your position doesn’t garner much media attention. Your engagement will shake things up without a doubt. 

You stare out at the water and watch the rhythmic rise and fall as the tide comes in. “You’re a private person, how’re you used to it?” 

“Comes with the job.”

Gears turn in your head. “Katsuki,” you start. He nearly chokes on his coffee when you say his name. “You’re a private person. A very private person. Have… I never…” How do you tactfully ask this?

“Spit it out already.”

Fine. If he wants blunt, you can be blunt.

“You have had a girlfriend before, right?” you ask. “I’m not your first, am I?” That’s the one aspect of his life he’s kept completely silent. Until now. There were rumors that he had a girlfriend, and other rumors that he was single, but with no proof, it was all speculation.

To his credit, he recovers smoothly, only a red tinge to his cheeks. “I’ve never had a serious girlfriend before. Didn’t want one. Thought it was a waste of time.”

Fuck. “I didn’t take your first kiss, did I?” 

“I said I didn’t have a serious girlfriend, not that I haven’t fucked around before.” Oh. Just how much ‘fucking around’ is he talking about? Maybe made out with someone before? Some hands in the pants action? Gone all the way?

“I didn’t peg you as a casual kind of guy,” you say carefully.

“I’m not. I just wanted to get it over with,” he shrugs. So all the way. Just to say he did it. Interesting. No doubt there’s a lengthy NDA in there somewhere. 

His face screws up and heated eyes glare at you. “Are you using your fucking quirk on me?”

Your face immediately falls. He might as well have slapped you. The once welcoming ocean breeze feels like an icy kiss against your skin as heat drains from your face. Taking a step away from him, you try to keep your composure.

Your voice starts out shaky and you hate that it makes you sound like you’re about to cry. A small burning sensation in your chest spreads to your arms while a tiny whisper in the back of your brain advises you to cause chaos. “Katsuki Bakugou, I am only going to tell you this once so get it through your thick fucking skull. I will never ever use my goddamn quirk on you.”

You crush the now empty cup in your hand and stomp off. It doesn’t matter if he follows you. He’s just like everyone else. Throwing the crumpled cup into the garbage with all your might didn’t make you feel any better.

“Oi, that bothered you.” You spin on your heel and stare down your date, hoping he can feel the growing rage you’re tamping down. If you could, you have half a mind to dunk him into the ocean. What an inane thing to say.

“Of course it fucking bothers me,” you hiss. “When people go out to drink and say something stupid, they blame it on the alcohol. If anyone says something stupid around me, guess who gets blamed.” The words flow out of your mouth. “It’s not like there’s a light that turns on when I use it, so no one fucking trusts me.”

That wasn’t supposed to come out.

At least you didn’t tell him that even Midoriya had doubts about you.

Bakugou straightens, his jaw hard set. Slowly, he holds his hand out to you. “It won’t happen again.”

There’s a moment of hesitation, but deep down, you believe him. It won’t happen again. Slipping your hand into his, you nod and walk side by side back down the pier.

Truth: Bakugou can read you like an open book.

Truth: There’s attention on you now. A lot of it.

Lie: You had every intention of returning his coat when the date was over.

◇ Next Chapter

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[multirptrash]

Where My Heart Belongs

Spock’s Pon Farr was over - even though Christine had been ushered out of the room, she had been able to put the pieces of information she had together…Spock had had to mate to save his life, but he went down on the planet, Kirk faked his death, and now Spock was single and alive…her favorite things for him to be.

It might very well have been in her imagination, but it seemed to the infatuated head nurse that in the last few days since pon farr, Spock had been...looking at her more. After he very nearly propositioned her in his cabin (which she was still proud of herself for turning down) she would have expected him to ignore her existence and never speak to her again out of embarrassment.

Not that she was complaining, but her confusion still lingered in the back of her mind every time his eyes landed on her and stayed for that extra second, or when he would come to deliver something to the lab.

Don’t get your hopes up, Chris, she told herself every single morning. Just because he was now single (as was she after she had found that her fiancé had died in that cave) didn’t mean that he would be interested in her, or even anyone. Then again, the incident with Leila burned in her memory.

Christine shook her head and headed to the bridge to deliver something from McCoy to him.

@comdrspock

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: Lord Lysander Blackstone, the stern Duke of Montcroix, has only one interest: increasing his considerable fortune. After a series of betrayals, he keeps his emotions buried deep. Money, after all, can't break a man's heart—or make promises it can’t keep. But when his reputation for being heartless jeopardizes a new business deal, he finds himself seeking a most unusual—and alluring—solution . . . Once an up-and-coming ballerina, Miss Geneviève Valery is now hopelessly out of work. After refusing to become a wealthy patron's mistress, Nève was promptly shown the door to the streets. When she accidentally saves the life of a handsome duke, she doubts the encounter will go any better than her last brush with nobility. But instead of propositioning her, Montcroix makes Nève an offer she would be a fool to refuse: act as his fake fiancée in exchange for fortune enough to start over. Only neither is prepared when very real feelings begin to grow between them. They both stand to win . . . but only if they’re willing to risk their hearts.

Review:

He is known to be stone cold and like a Gargoyle but he might have just met his match in a sharp and beautiful ballerina who would sooner rip him apart than give him the time or day. Lord Lysander Blackstone, the duke of Montcroix is known for his stone cold demeanor that is reminiscent of a gargoyle to the point where his nickname is Stone. The only thing he is interested in is increasing his fortune and legacy after a series of betrayals and a harsh childhood he has learned to keep his emotions buried deep and to maintain a cool demeanor. When a potential business deal is put into jeopardy based on his reputation he finds himself asking for help from the most unusual person. After getting lost he ends up at the end of the gun of up-and-coming ballerina Miss Geneviève Valery, also known as Neve. Neve dreams about making it big as a ballerina, she loves dancing, but after a jealous suitor injures her sister and destroy’s her sister’s dancing career and her parents death Neve is left as the only bread winner and she has to find a way to get a job on the stage... preferably without having to be propositioned in order to get the role every single time. Neve doesn’t want to sacrifice her body or soul, so when she runs into Lysander and he offers her a job, she think’s its the perfect way to help pay off her rent, take care of her sister, and have spare money to hold her off until she can find a job. Lysander needs a fake fiancee, someone to hold off the vying mothers and daughters, and something to prove to his prospective business client that he isn’t heartless and can be trusted to buy the land. It was a simple offer: dress up, play companion for one ball, and get paid 100 pounds and she can keep the dress... except what starts off simple starts to heat up as the undeniable chemistry between the two lights up. Lysander and Neve are opposites, he’s cold she’s hot, he only sees the black and white and she see’s in shades... and yet for all their bickering comes passion and the undeniable urge to kiss each other. Lysander wants more and he offers a new arrangement: she stays and continues to be his companion until the season is over and he will pay her 5000 pounds and if she wants more he is willing to give it to her. Yet for all their brewing romance, they both have their own demons and struggles to get through. Lysander is struggling to deal with the childhood trauma his father put him through, the betrayals of his ex-fiancee, and just learning to let down his walls and let himself feel emotions while Neve is struggling to deal with if she can trust Lysander, if she can open herself up to someone like him, and if she is willing to risk her heart. They’re both so amazing, I loved reading this book so much and CANNOT WAIT TO READ THE REST OF THE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES!!! AHHH the romance was just perfection, their bickering and bantering, and their chemistry was off the walls. I swoon for them seriously. If you’re looking for a wonderful historical romance with lots of witty banter and seriously steamy romance, THIS IS FOR YOU. The pining, the light angst, the emotion... its so good.

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[eddysocs]

Orange Is The New Black OC Masterlist

Name: Alicia Cross

Face Claim: Ashley Benson

Love Interest: Natalie Figueroa

Fic Title: Cross My Heart

Plot Summary: Alicia Cross is a computer coder and hacker. That’s what winds her up spending two years in Litchfield. But, with her skills, she’s able to help boost the prison’s security system, and earn herself a cozier stay under the watch of Natalie Figueroa.

Name: Bambi Velazquez

Face Claim: Camila Mendes

Love Interest: Carol Denning

Fic Title: Deer In Headlights

Plot Summary: Renata was a girl who had it all, a close family, a loving fiancé and the biggest wedding money could buy being planned for her, until it all came crashing down. It turns out her perfect fiancé wasn’t all he was cracked up to be and Renata takes it upon herself to set him straight, but she takes things too far. Now convicted of manslaughter, she’s sent to Litchfield Max. That’s where she becomes known as Bambi. Now she’ll have to choose the right people to ally herself with in order to survive.

Name: Becc Salinger

Face Claim: Julia Garner

Love Interest: Alex Vause

Fic Title: Lock & Key

Plot Summary: A young and ambitious undercover police officer gets herself thrown into Litchfield to uncover the drug trade going on within its walls. She has to play the part and fit in with gen pop while keeping her eye open for suspicious activity. Yet Alex Vause is on to her. Cornering her one day, Alex has a proposition, she won’t rat her out to the rest of the inmates if she agrees to get Alex out early. While it’s technically something she can’t promise, she agrees anyway, if Alex will help her get dirt on those involved with the drug ring. It’s a dangerous game that could get them both killed if it goes south, but what’s life with no risk?

Name: Bodhi Maines

Face Claim: Emilie De Ravin

Love Interest: Suzanne Warren

Fic Title: Handle With Care

Plot Summary: Bodhi Maines' only crime was that she cared too much. Well, that and forgery of medical records. While trying to help a particularly troubled patient get the care they needed, Bodhi crossed a few lines, which landed her in Litchfield Penitentiary. Despite her circumstances, she remains the ray of sunshine she always was, at least on the outside. It’s only with Suzanne Warren that she finds she can express her real feelings about the whole thing and work towards some sort of acceptance of her crimes and herself.

Name: Camryn Wharton

Face Claim: Kristen Stewart

Love Interest: Linda Ferguson

Fic Title: Money Talks

Plot Summary: Cam spends her sentence like a fly on the wall, always observing. It works out well for her, for the most part. Very few people tend to bother with her. Really, she makes keeping a low profile look like an art form. But then the riot breaks out and what used to be order turns to chaos and Camryn's perfect little world is tilted on its axis. Forced to adapt to survive, Camryn finds a leg up in the form of trapped MCC employee Linda Ferguson. While no one else seems to know her, Cam does, and her half assed attempt at a fake name doesn’t fool her, but she lets her think it does. So she promises to be her protector, and should she need to use her as bait, so be it. Only falling in love with the immensely frustrating woman wasn’t part of the plan.

Name: Donatella Chernov

Face Claim: Gage Golightly

Love Interest: Red Reznikov

Fic Title: We've Got Time

Plot Summary: Donatella is a wild mob princess, getting too comfortable with her life. To teach her restraint, her father has her arrested for drug possession. She gets a sentence of six months in Litchfield. During the riot however, she gets more time that not even her father can get her out of.

Name: Juliana Negan

Face Claim: Jaina Lee Ortiz

Love Interest: Judy King

Fic Title: Food For Thought

Plot Summary: Juliana Negan is assigned to Judy King when she’s sentenced to Litchfield. It’s a big responsibility and not one that anyone particularly wants. She’s to see that the disgraced celebrity chef remains comfortable, given the VIP experience, if you will. Juliana didn’t dream it would include catering to Judy's every whim and demand, but she can’t quite get herself to hate the woman. Judy's southern charm works its magic on her and Juliana can’t help but fall a little in love. And when Judy tells her that’s she’s just desperate for companionship, well, things start to get a little messy.

Name: Romy Maldonado

Face Claim: Lindsey Morgan

Love Interest: Aleida Diaz

Fic Title: Cellblock Angel

Plot Summary: Romy Maldonado has always kept to herself for as long as she’s been at Litchfield. She's serving time for a non violent offense, and her quiet nature has helped her stay under the radar. Yet Romy's life takes a dramatic turn when she meets Aleida Diaz. Despite her desire not to get involved with anyone while she’s behind bars, Romy can’t seem to take her mind off Aleida. And when someone comes after her, Litchfield gets to see Romy's dark side. Romy becomes Aleida's guardian angel within the prison walls and Aleida learns to trust and depend on someone in a way she never has before.

Name: Roxette Ortiz

Face Claim: Monica Raymund

Love Interest: Big Boo

Fic Title: Fight For Your Rights

Plot Summary: Roxette Ortiz finds herself in Litchfield penitentiary after being convicted of assaulting a protestor at a gay pride parade. The hot headed Roxette is more than willing to go after anyone who dares try and throw a slur her way while she’s on the inside. When one altercation seems inevitable, Big Boo steps in and diffuses the tension. She pulls Roxette aside and sets her straight about the rules of the place and sort of becomes a guide for her. She helps her keep a cool head and the two of them bond. Roxette never thought she’d find the love of her life in prison, but hey, stranger things have happened.

Name: Thea Reynard

Face Claim: Rosa Salazar

Love Interest: Nicky Nichols

Fic Title: Can’t Quit You

Plot Summary: Known to the inmates of Litchfield as Lez Bait, Thea Reynard is thought to be far too pretty and kind hearted to do her job efficiently, but she can be assertive when she needs to. During the time when Boo and Nicky face off to see who can get the more points for bagging the most girls, Nicky sets her sights on Thea. When winning over Thea turns out to be easier than she planned, Nicky ends up in a sticky situation when Thea can’t quite let their encounter go. Boo thinks it’s hilarious and Nicky wishes she wasn’t starting to have a soft spot for her.

Name: Wendy Altman

Face Claim: AJ Cook

Love Interest: Gloria Mendoza

Fic Title: Two Wrongs Do Make A Right

Plot Summary: Wendy Altman is Litchfield's newest hire. Fresh out of training, with a save the world mentality, she’s met with the harsh reality of a women's prison. Still set on making whatever difference she can, Wendy starts to try and bond with some of the inmates. While she’s usually met with forced pleasantries, or a proposition from Nicky, it’s Gloria Mendoza that really makes an impact on her. She’s one of the few women who open up to her, and Wendy's heart goes out to her immediately. In time, she doesn’t realize she’s playing favorites until someone else points it out. Now she may have to be more discreet, but she’s in too deep to back out now.

[dreatine]

Hi! Pom directed me here- do you have any series or fix recs for a slow burn either enemies to lovers or fake dating/fiance? Thanks in advance!

Here’s some fake dating Spencer stories …that I know of… I believe Pom has lists for Fake Fiancé and Enemies to Lovers, so it’ll take time to check to make sure there’s no overlap of story recommendations.

Sunday Kind of Love by @jared-19-cant-reid

Faking It by @radiant-reid

[triviareads]

ARC Review of Please Don't Go, Girl by Naima Simone

Premise:

After saving Lena from an ex-boyfriend and then having a one-night stand with her, Kade asks for a favor in return: She will come with him to his family home in Boston and pretend to be his girlfriend to keep his brother's wife and ex-fiancée off his back.

Review:

This is a novella that clocks in at around 110 pages and 9 chapters, and Naima once again managed to bring out all the greatest hits: As I have said many a time, I love an immediate proposition and these two get to it by the second chapter after Lena is confronted by her ex and Kade (who, btw, is biiiiig and blooond) steps in and pretends to be her boyfriend, emasculates the ex, and has him kicked out of the club within three minutes (or something like that). Obviously, Lena needs a little comfort after this episode, and I do appreciate that Kade isn't honorable enough to reject her by citing "emotions" or something. It takes a special man to began making out with her, then hold her while she cries in a delayed reaction to the ex, and then smoothly continue to have sex with her. What a winner.

Anyway, in a true romance hero galaxy brain moment, Kade decides that a woman he hooked up with *once* is the perfect person for him to take home and introduce as his girlfriend to keep an ex away. Cue fake-relationship shenanigans that quickly turn into something all too real as Lena and Kade both grapple with ghosts of past relationships and try to see themselves of deserving a second chance.

The sex:

Here is what I'll always adore about Naima Simone: she's SO GOOD at writing sex in a way that's dirty and joyful and unapologetically celebrates bodies of all sizes and skin colors. There are two solid full-length sex scenes that don't skimp on description or dirty talk, and both occur during high-tension moments so the emotion shines through as well.

Overall:

Look, Naima Simone is my favorite author and for good reason. So I'd absolutely recommend this novella anyone looking for a short read that manages to fit in the perfect amount of plot, emotional development, and sex.

Thank you to Oliver Heber Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

[atinydise]

Stay for me

❦ Genre: Light angst, fluff.

❦ Pairing: Mingi.

❦ Word count: 911.

❦ A/N: Day 22 of “Ateez New Year Writings, Edition 2021” 🦋

"Congratulations Y/N!" Said Seonghwa, holding his glass of wine. "Thank you, Hwa," you bowed to him politely. "I can't believe our little Y/N is getting married soon." Added Yunho. "Stop being so dramatic." You rolled your eyes at the boys. "It's the same. You are not the little girl hanging out with us anymore." "You are getting married probably in the next months. Plus, you are going to leave South Korea, how can you stay so calm?" Asked Hongjoong. "I think I'm not realizing yet." You scratched your head, embarrassed. "Did someone saw Mingi?" Asked Yeosang. "It's been few minutes that I'm looking for him." You realized that you haven't see your best friend since the announcement of your engagement with your fiancé. "I will look for him." You walked far away from the loud music and tried to find Mingi. "Have you seen Mingi?" You asked your friend. She nodded and pointed at the balcony at the end of the hallway, "he's here for a while." "Thank you," you smiled sadly.

You walked slowly toward the tall boy. The atmosphere was tense, you hesitated to turn away and run to your fiancé. "Are you going to look at my back the whole night?" He asked, feeling your presence behind him. "How do you do that?" You stepped next to him. "No idea. I just can... feel you." He stared at the view in front of him. "Are you okay? You suddenly left and Yeosang is looking for you." "Tell him that I'm coming. I just needed to be alone." You raised a brow, "what's wrong Mingi? I can see when something is bothering you." "Nothing Y/N, you can leave and join back your fiancé." He smiled at you. "Just tell me, you know you can tell me everything." "No Y/N, I can't tell you everything anymore, because you are getting married." He finally turned around to look at you. "You don't understand what it's truly means." "Mingi..." "You are engaged," he started, "you are going to marry this... this piece of shit! And it's killing me." "H-He always have been nice to me." "You can't see that he doesn't care about you? He just wants to be married so he won't die alone." "He loves me." You mumbled. "Then if he loves you so much, he’s going to understand that you want to stay in South Korea. Where all of your friends and family are living." He raised his voice. "Not forcing you to go at the other side of this earth." "He has a job opportunity." "You've always been so naive." He sighed. "And you have a serious problem." You raised a brow, crossing your arms on your chest. "The problem is that you chose him over me!" He finally claimed angrily. You stared at him blankly. Mingi had been your best friend since elementary school. You always been close, even inseparable. During high school, you both crushed on each other. As you grew up, you saw Mingi in a different way and he did too. At your other friend's party, you finished kissing because of a bet. Even if everyone saw that you were liking each other, you decided to act like good friends. In any case you wanted to lose Mingi. When he debuted in Ateez, you both started to be more and more distant. He was an idol, so his schedule was full, and you met Jun at the college. You hung out often and decided to be his girlfriend even though your heart belonged to Mingi. Of course, your best friend was already against this relationship, but after few conversations, he calmed down and accepted it. "What I am supposed to do? Stay here, looking at you being so happy with someone else? That's what you want?" He asked. "I-I-" You stuttered, ignoring what to say. "I can do that for an hour, but don't ask me to do this for the rest of my life." He said. "I can pretend that I will be happy for you when I'll need to drop you at the airport, but it will be all fake." "I would never ask you to do something like this." "Am I supposed to be happy for you? I can't." "How are you supposed to do that while I can't even do it by myself?" You asked, your lips shaking a bit. Mingi immediately stopped to talk. What do you mean by that? That you weren't happy with him? "My parents loves Jun, that's why I accepted his proposition. I don't want to disappoint them." You confessed. Your best friend scoffed, "I don't know if you are too dumb or too nice." "Too dumb for loving you and too nice to make my parents mad." You sighed, ashamed of the coward that you were. "You just need to ask me some help and I'll get your life back." He handed his hand. You stared at him, hesitant. The moment you will hold it, meant that you would be drown by a thousand of problems and issues. But at least, you will be with him. "Don't be scared. You are young and you need to make the right decision for you." He said calmly. You didn't make a move. Your heart was torn between Mingi and your family. "I'll always get your back. No matter what." His smile was so reassuring for you. It felt like 'home'. "Stay for me Y/N." He whispered. Finally, you grabbed his hand. "Okay, let's do it. For us."

[texanredrose]

Okay, to put some limitations on this, I’m only including the WIPs that I’ve done more than a synopsis for... that I can remember... that’s on Google Drive... that I actually think I might post one day... but haven’t posted yet because my posted WIPs are fairly easy to identify... okay... I got tagged by @unsteadyshade and I’m tagging @faunusrights and @alexlayer69

1) Across Time - Inuyasha AU where Weiss gets thrown back in time to the ancient past, where she meets two demons (Yang and Blake) warring against each other over a misunderstanding.

2) Alpha’s Devotion - Omega’s Strength, but from Winter’s POV.

3) Bears, Oh My - An exhausted Winter, lost on a hike, comes across a cabin where Yang lives with her three pet bears.

4) Brave New World - Continuation of the Dishonored AU where Ruby and Winter reflect on the new Mantle.

5) Bruised - Third installment to the ace!Yang AU. 

6) Coming Home - Based on Dash’s Tiny Knight AU, Princess Blake is betrayed and stranded far from home and must rely on a reticent knight named Weiss to return to her kingdom.

7) Complications Always Arise - Papa Schnee is demanding Weiss marry before he’ll allow her to take his place as head of the SDC, so Yang volunteers to pretend to be Weiss’ beloved. No one else knows the relationship is fake, least of all Blake and Winter, and it’s just a bunch of pain.

8) Divided - Continuation of the By Moonlight AU where Whitley returns to the castle and Winter’s not upset by that- and Winter’s upset by the fact she’s not upset and has to figure out why her inner wolf is cool with this when she should, by all rights, be furious.

9) Dragonsbane - Mage Knight Winter hears tale of a dragon in the countryside that the local villages wish to see vanquished. Winter, however, has other plans.

10) Eye of the Beholder - Blinded and near death after a battle, Winter is rescued by the mysterious Yang and is nursed back to health despite her protests otherwise. (It’s a Medusa!AU.)

11) Fabled - Fable 3 AU where Princess Ruby and Princess Yang are forced to confront the fact that Queen Raven has lost her fucking mind, only to discover that fear drove the woman insane- a fear they must confront themselves.

12) Fields of Love - Farmer Yang offers a job and housing to apparent single mother Winter and her young daughter Penny. What starts as a kind gesture grows into something so much more.

13) Full Circle - Van Helsing (2004) AU, Winter and Weiss, amnesiacs employed by the church to handle all manner of unholy problems, are sent to discover what happened to King Taiyang. Along the way, they become wrapped up in a centuries spanning prophecy and a bloodline hanging in the balance.

14) High Bar, Low Blow - Yang owns a bar where the gimmick is that everyone’s an out of work actor and the staff is staging an ongoing drama on par with a soap opera to keep their customers coming back. Winter joins the staff and then things get a bit real.

15) Hoodlums and Hijinks - Robin Hood AU where Princess Winter and Princess Weiss are just as in favor for overthrowing the king as the group of bandits run by Ruby, Yang, and Blake. 

16) Last One 2: Electric Boogaloo (title subject to change) - a sequel to Last One where the haunt continues.

17) Lexical Access - Sequel to Tip of the Tongue, where Yang gives her girlfriend a bit of roleplaying payback.

18) Little Red - Carmen Sandiego AU where Ruby was kidnapped adopted by a group of thieves and raised to become the world’s greatest thief, but a chance meeting with Penny via a stolen phone opens her eyes to the wider world, and she meets the rebellious heiress Weiss, street smart Blake, and brawler Yang, creating a team that works to foil Ruby’s former friends while eluding capture by mysterious operatives with a somewhat familiar white color scheme...

19) Long Term Investment - Yang, a fae who lives in the woods, makes a deal with Princess Winter to save the Queen. The price? Winter’s firstborn. Winter misunderstands how she’s expected to get pregnant and Yang’s never actually intended to collect. Next thing Yang knows, Winter’s moving into the clearing beside her tree home.

20) Miscalculation - Another Omegaverse AU where Weiss is an omega and Blake and Yang are alphas, except Weiss lied and said she was an alpha when enrolling in Beacon and now she’s locked in a room with Blake and Yang on the verge of starting her heat. Sharing is caring.

21) More Than Words Can Say - Winter, rendered mute by a military accident early in her career, is honestly the best girlfriend Yang’s ever had. However, tonight’s the night they’ve decided to get intimate, and that includes showing some scars that they don’t show often. It’s less about sex and more about trust and intimacy.

22) Music of the Night - Phantom of the Opera AU where the mysterious, disfigured shade of the opera house, Weiss, finds herself at odds with the rich, jovial Yang in a competition for Blake’s heart. Then there’s Adam being a dick, too, and the opera house has never seen so much drama.

23) My Heart Will Go On - It’s the Titanic, but double the rich, unwilling-to-marry ladies and triple the won-a-ticket-to-a-ship ruffians. Penny’s there too; she, like Ruby, just really likes ships.

24) One Fucking Favor - Winter’s due for a long assignment and wants to make a sex tape for stress relief purposes. Yang doesn’t ask questions; she’s just the one with the camera. But then, Winter’s partner for the vid doesn’t show up. What’s Yang going to do about it?

25) Prophecy - Star Wars AU where Ruby, Yang, and Blake are trained as Jedi, Winter and Weiss are part of the clone army, and Ruby’s the chosen one. That’s a lot of pressure to put on someone, but Senator Salem is there to lend a helping hand...

26) Propositioned - Faunus experience bouts of heat; sometimes, they can safely ignore it and go about their lives, but every now and again, they really can’t. Concerned for Blake’s health as she’s skipped too many heats to be healthy, Yang sets up a partner for Blake’s heat. Blake’s not a fan but she does like the idea of banging Weiss Schnee.

27) Proven - ARK: Survival Evolved AU where Winter, after being ‘won’ by Yang, is taken into the bowels of the earth to learn how the underground tribes who inhabit the area survive in such an unforgiving environment. As she acclimates to the tribe’s ways, she finds herself carving out her own path, culminating in facing off against the Queen and proving herself worthy.

28) Reaping What You Sow - When Winter escaped to the countryside with Penny to start a farm, she knew she had her work cut out for her. In need of help and facing a harsh cold season, she hires Yang, a one armed drifter, to help her. The two end up needing the other more than they could’ve imagined.

29) Tear My Heart Open - Blake thought she understood how the world worked. As a member of the White Fang Gang, all she needed to do was keep everyone motivated to continue their ongoing street war against the police and authorities bent on keeping them down. But while running from the cops, she’s offered sanctuary in the home of one Weiss Schnee and her girlfriend, Yang. From there, her perception of the world is completely upended.

30) The Duel - After her father offered her hand in marriage to the winner of a tournament, Winter opted to assume a disguise and fight for the prize herself. In the final match, she faces Yang Xiao Long, a competitor she’s come to know quite well, and she finds her conviction to win wavering slightly. Is it enough to lose her the fight?

31) The Lies We Tell Ourselves - Weiss has made it; she’s opened her tattoo shop in Vale, well away from her father, and aside from a bad first impression with the florists across the parking lot, everything’s looking up for her- until her father finds her. Luckily, Blake’s been through some shit and doesn’t mind helping Weiss drive daddy dearest up the wall, even if it means letting her own parents think she’s dating Weiss. It’s not like either of them is going to catch feelings... unless...

32) The Princess’ Bride - After losing her fiancée to the dreaded White Fang Pirates, Yang vows to take to the sea herself and exact her revenge. Princess Weiss finds herself falling madly in love with Yang, who still loves Blake, and all this is thrown into even more chaos when Yang gets kidnapped and Blake comes back from the dead! 

33) Two for One - Yes, another Omegaverse AU. Five years after the fall of Beacon, Yang and Blake cross paths, each believing the other has spent the time keeping their mutual mate, Weiss, safe. When they realize Weiss is with neither of them, old wounds are torn open, but before they can resolve their dispute, Winter captures the both of them and hauls them to a remote part of Atlas where an SDC facility has been turned into a fortress. There, they find a mortally wounded Weiss clinging to life and raising twins daughters; she gives her mates until her death to endear themselves to their children, else the twins might opt to stay with Winter and be kept from Blake and Yang for good. Between learning about their kids, Blake and Yang navigate their complicated feelings and try to reconnect with Weiss, all while a sinister force gathers to destroy the fortress and steal the prize within.

34) Weaknesses - Loosely set in the Glamour AU, Yang is being forced to assume her mother’s position as leader of their vampire coven. Her fellow vamps disapprove of Yang’s werewolf girlfriend. Winter, of course, doesn’t care.

I got lazy and cut a bunch out. No, fuck you, I don’t have too many AUs, I will add more if I want. Also, some of these, the first chapter is posted on my Patreon. Don’t ask me which ones; I genuinely have no idea. I’m bad at this, y’all.

[vulcan-highblood]

You Belong With (someone better than) Me

Fandom: Naruto

Rating: T

Pairing: Umino Iruka / Hatake Kakashi

Chapters: 1/3

Summary: Exasperated with the ever-increasing number of well-meaning but annoying busybodies who seem to think he needs a man in his life, Iruka finally breaks down and asks Kakashi to be his fake-boyfriend in order to keep the wannabe-matchmakers off his back. 

The only problem is, Kakashi turns out to be a much better boyfriend than Iruka anticipated.

Read it on AO3

[For @the-umino-hours 1-year anniversary prompt: Fake Dating/Marriage]

Chapter 1: Will You Be My (Fake) Boyfriend? Please Check _Yes or _No

“That’s all from me,” Iruka lifted his eyes from the grade report he’d finished reading off, wrapping up his fifth student feedback report of the night. “Did you have any other questions about your daughter’s progress, Nakamura-san?” Iruka asked, gently closing the folder of Kanade’s information and handing it across the desk to her mother, who accepted it with both hands. 

“I did have one question,” she said, “It’s not about Kanade, but…” she tucked the folder into her bag and dug around for a moment before withdrawing a small photograph. “I wanted to tell you about the nice young man in this picture. He’s my cousin, Kotaro. A weaponsmith.” She wiggled her eyebrows conspiratorially. “He’s got a strong back and a lot of stamina, if you know what I mean.”

Iruka knew exactly what she meant. Face heating, he accepted the photo, sparing a quick glance down at it. He’d seen the man - Kotaro, apparently - around the village. He was tall and muscular, with wide shoulders and soft eyes. A rather unfortunate bit of facial hair, but Iruka wasn’t one to hold that against someone. Everyone had their idiosyncrasies. “I’m sure he’s very nice,” Iruka said weakly, tucking the picture into one of the drawers in his teaching desk. 

“Oh he is,” Nakamura-san insisted, leaning forward. “His contact information is on the back of the photo. If you’re interested.”

I’m very much not, but I suppose I appreciate the sentiment? Iruka thought tiredly, forcing a smile. “Thank you for your consideration,” he said. “As for Kanade-chan…?”

“Oh, she loves your class, and she’s been improving steadily, as you noted,” Nakamura-san said, finally taking her cue to leave. “Thank you for everything you do for her, Iruka-sensei.”

“Of course,” Iruka said, rising also and bowing politely. “It’s my honor to do so.” He held the bow as she crossed the room.

“Oh,” Nakamura-san paused at the door, “Just so you know, Kotaro’s usually only free on Sundays.” She turned and winked at Iruka. “But for you, I’m sure he could make an exception.”

“Ah,” Iruka said awkwardly, bowing again to avoid eye contact, “Yes. Thank you for the information.”

As soon as she was gone, Iruka flopped back into his chair and groaned loudly, covering his face with his hands. He still had another three days of parent-teacher conferences to look forward to, and that was his ninth proposition-by-proxy this week. What was it about being a single male teacher that made all of the village busybodies come out in droves? It didn’t make sense. Iruka wasn’t particularly clever or talented, and he certainly didn’t have much in the way of disposable income. So why had it come to this? He yanked open the desk drawer, staring forlornly down at the small mountain of photos residing there. He didn’t have the heart to throw any of them away, but at this point he was starting to run out of room for actual teaching aids in the drawer. Clearly, something had to be done about the situation. But what? 

Start dating? With what free time? Iruka was barely making ends meet with his punishing schedule as it was, he didn’t have time to date anyone. That’s why he was still single! He barely had time to take Naruto out for ramen between his missions, and woe to any man who thought Iruka would prioritize a date over spending time with the growing boy. 

But this was starting to get ridiculous, Iruka thought, shutting the drawer a bit more forcefully than was strictly necessary. No one had been so invested in his personal life when he’d been running missions. He paused, considering that for a moment, and decided that yes, it wasn’t just rosy hindsight. While his friends had given him some grief about being the perpetually single third-wheel, he hadn’t really been close enough to anyone else in the village to warrant that level of attention. So maybe it was more a problem of visibility? Iruka was almost always in the village these days - teaching, working the mission desk, taking Naruto for ramen… yes, the real problem here was that people were entirely too familiar with Iruka, so he bore the brunt of Konoha villagers’ well-meaning but excruciating attempts at matchmaking.

But how to get it to stop? He couldn’t even bear to throw out the useless photos, so telling them to their face that he didn’t have time for their matchmaking was out of the question. But he had equally little time to devote to deterring them! What he needed was something that would require very little effort, but would have significant enough visibility and impact to be both noted and respected by the villagers.

Packing up his supplies, Iruka considered his options. He could buy a fake engagement ring, but people were bound to start asking around about his mysterious fiancée. Worse yet, if it ever got out that the ring was a fake, he’d be back to square one, but instead of giggling it would be pitying stares and sympathetic hand-pats that accompanied the photos. It wasn’t that Iruka couldn’t get a date, and a fake ring might give the mistaken impression that Iruka thought he couldn’t get anyone without faking it. The issue here wasn’t a failure to get a date, but rather a lack of willingness to pursue the option. 

Could he get a fake boyfriend? Iruka immediately dismissed the idea. For one thing, he couldn’t afford an escort. And if anyone found out the boyfriend was fake, he’d be in the exact same position as he would be in with the fake ring - pity and hand-pats. No thank you.

Grumbling under his breath, Iruka gave the classroom a once-over, plucking a stray shuriken out of the wall and wiping the blackboards down one more time before letting himself out and shutting the door. He glanced at the hall clock and winced. It was late. By the time he managed to cook something, it would be too late to digest it properly. Besides, he had homework assignments to grade, and if he spent an hour or more buying ingredients and making an actual meal, he wouldn’t be getting to sleep until midnight. Then he would be getting up at six, rushing through breakfast and back at the Academy by seven to prep for classes. Ugh. 

Iruka decided he’d rather sleep an extra hour than go to the effort of preparing a healthy meal (especially since his healthy meals always ended up tasting terrible), so he headed in the direction of the nearest shop that offered carry-out meals. He picked up something with vegetables and a lean protein to feel like he was at least wasting money on healthy pre-prepared food. It was cheaper to cook his own, but at what cost? Iruka needed his sleep, especially with several more days of parent-teacher conferences looming in his future.

As he was waiting for his meal, he happened to glance outside and caught sight of Kakashi wandering by. Iruka immediately perked up, realizing that if the jonin-sensei was around then Naruto was probably somewhere in the village, too. Iruka hopped from one foot to the other, more anxious for his food to be ready. He really didn’t have time to go looking for Naruto tonight, but he wanted to see the boy. Maybe if he put off grading for one night, he could visit the kid. He could catch up on grading over the weekend. 

“Here’s your order, Iruka-sensei,” said Fujita-san, passing Iruka a wrapped bundle of delicious-smelling food. “Have a nice night.”

“Thank you!” Iruka beamed, rushing out into the night. By some stroke of luck, Kakashi was still out there. “Oh! Kakashi-san!” he called, hurrying over.

Kakashi, nose stuck in his usual reading material, lifted his head slowly, turning to Iruka. “Ah, Iruka-sensei. To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“Oh,” Iruka felt his cheeks heat as he realized how rude it probably seemed to jump straight to asking where’s Naruto? “Are you back from your mission?”

“Mm,” Kakashi made a noise of assent. “The kids did well.” 

“Oh, good! I’m glad to hear it. And you’re all fine?” Iruka looked Kakashi over, but he wasn’t really the sort to look injured, even if he was. Elite jonin like Kakashi didn’t get to that status by broadcasting their injuries. 

“Nary a scratch between us,” Kakashi said. “We just got back. I think Naruto might be looking for you, actually.” 

“Oh!” Iruka glanced down at his dinner. “I only bought enough for one person,” he frowned, then turned back to Kakashi and said, “Have you eaten yet?” 

Kakashi’s visible eye widened in surprise. “No,” he said slowly, “I haven’t.”

“Here,” Iruka pressed his dinner into Kakashi’s chest, “You take this, Naruto and I will find something for the two of us.”

Kakashi glanced down at the dinner, then back up to Iruka before carefully accepting the wrapped meal. “...thank you?” 

“Thank you,” Iruka countered. “Have a good evening, Kakashi-san.” Then, before the jonin could formulate a reply, he scampered off. 

~~*~~

The next morning Iruka dragged himself out of bed early so he could throw rice in a pot and toss some dry sardines in a pot of water. He managed to scrounge up some cabbage that had seen better days, chopped up some tofu, and was just throwing them into the fish-water when Naruto wandered into the kitchen, scrubbing his eyes and yawning loudly. 

“Morning, Iruka-sensei,” Naruto said, a bit too loudly for six in the morning, “Sorry I fell asleep here again last night. I was planning on going home, I promise.”

“I don’t mind if you sleep over, Naruto. That’s what the guest futon is for,” Iruka reassured him. “Are you hungry?”

“You’re cooking?” Naruto grinned widely. “What are you making?”

Iruka gestured at the simmering pot and then turned to dig in his fridge for the miso. He pulled it out and scooped up a large spoonful, gazed at it consideringly, and put about a third back. “Miso soup, rice, and I’ve got eggs in the fridge,” he said. “Nothing too fancy, I’m afraid.”

“Sounds great!” Naruto exclaimed. “Kakashi-sensei brings me breakfast like that sometimes. But he usually makes fish and vegetables too.”

Well good for him, Iruka thought, half sincere, half snide. I’m glad one of us knows how to cook.   He tasted the miso soup consideringly. It might have too much miso. Or not enough. Or was he supposed to take it off the heat before adding the miso? He didn’t remember. The rice pot wasn’t steaming anymore, and Iruka lifted the lid only to smell the distinct odor of scalding rice. “Oh!” he yelped, turning off the burner and staring at the rice, wondering if it had cooked through this time or if he would once more be having al dente rice for breakfast. He grabbed the spoon he’d used to taste the miso soup and took a small bite of rice. It tasted slightly burnt, but seemed soft enough. A little on the firm side, but certainly not the worst rice he’d ever made. 

Behind him, Naruto giggled. “Did you burn the rice again, Iruka-sensei?”

“That’s enough out of you,” Iruka groused. “I’ve told you before, the smoke adds flavor!” he scooped a large portion into a rice bowl, setting it down in front of Naruto before dishing up a second bowl for himself. Quite a bit of rice was stuck to the bottom of the pot. Lovely. He’d leave the pot to soak while he was at work, hopefully it would be washable by the time he got home. 

“Make sure you eat the cabbage, too,” Iruka warned, setting a bowl miso in front of Naruto. He moved back across the kitchen, plucking two small styrofoam containers and two eggs from his fridge. “And eat your natto, it’s good for you,” he added, plunking the little box down and setting the egg down beside it.

“You really need a new rice cooker, Iruka-sensei,” Naruto observed, ignoring the natto and cracking the egg over his rice, pouring a bit of soy sauce over it before vigorously stirring it in.

Iruka sighed, popping open his natto container and removing the thin paper covering the beans. He used his chopsticks to stir the fermented beans around before piling them atop his rice and cracking his own egg over them. “I’ll get one eventually. But this works fine, for now.”

“At least rice cookers don’t burn the rice,” Naruto pointed out. “I think that’s probably worth it, right?” 

Iruka shrugged. Rice cookers could get pretty spendy, and the ones at the secondhand shop had appeared to be on their last legs. He was saving up, of course, but he had other priorities. He could handle a bit of burnt rice. “You really should eat the natto,” he encouraged. 

“I tried it once, Iruka-sensei. I think it almost killed me,” Naruto said too-seriously. “I’m just not cut out for healthy food, I think.”

Iruka laughed before he could help it. “Oh, fine,” he shook his head. “Next time, then.” It was something of a joke between them by now - Iruka would give him natto, Naruto wouldn’t eat it, and the natto would go back into the fridge.  

The two of them ate in comfortable silence, and Naruto wordlessly gathered up the dishes, putting them in the sink before running some hot water. Iruka felt his eyebrows climb in surprise. “Oh?” he said, “What’s this?”

“You made breakfast, so I’ll wash the dishes,” Naruto declared. “Kakashi-sensei always makes me wash the dishes when he brings me food, so I’ve gotten pretty good at it,” he added, beaming with pride. 

“That’s very kind of you,” Iruka said, “I guess I’ll go get my things, then.” He hadn’t bothered unpacking his teaching satchel, but he still double-checked it to make sure he had everything he needed. That done, he wandered back into the kitchen, spotting Naruto attacking the rice pot.

“Oh, just let that one soak, I’ll get to it tonight,” he told Naruto. 

“Okay,” Naruto agreed cheerfully, setting it in the sink and following him to the door. They left together, Naruto not-so-surreptitiously sniffing his shirt. 

“If you feel you have to do a smell check, you should probably just shower and change,” Iruka chided. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Naruto waved him off. “It’s fine.” 

Iruka considered pressing the issue, but in the end, he decided it wasn’t worth the shouting. “Have a good day of training,” he said as Naruto drew to a halt at the corner of the street. 

Naruto beamed back at Iruka.  “You too, Iruka-sensei!”

Iruka waved him off with a smile, before picking up his pace and heading for the Academy. He had another long day ahead of him, and running late wasn’t going to make it any easier to get through.

~~*~~

“Thank you for always taking care of our boy,” Tsutsuji-san said, heading for the door, “And remember what I said about my friend Hiei,” she added with a small titter. “He’d definitely be interested.”

“Of course, Tsutsuji-san,” Iruka managed to say in a strangled voice, “Thank you for your consideration.”

“Oh you’re very welcome, Iruka-sensei,” Tsutsuji-san said. “Have a nice evening.”

“You too,” Iruka replied. As soon as she was gone he shoved the third photo of the night into his desk drawer. This had gone so far beyond ridiculous he wasn’t sure what word he could even use to describe it. Scowling, he straightened up the classroom, shoved some homework assignments in his bag, and matched out of the Academy in a huff. He had to find something to make this stop!

“Yo, Iruka-sensei,” Kakashi called as he exited. The jonin was leaning casually against the Academy gates, age-inappropriate reading material in hand. Kakashi glanced up fully as Iruka approached, his eye widening as he took in Iruka’s appearance. “Rough day?” he asked, pushing off the gate and transitioning to a more vertical slouch. 

“You could say that,” Iruka sighed, then frowned in confusion. “Forgive my rudeness, Kakashi-san, but why are you here?” 

“Maa, I wanted to ask you if you had time to grab dinner sometime. Since you gave me dinner yesterday, I thought I might return the favor,” Kakashi explained. 

“Dinner?” Iruka repeated, frowning. “What, like tonight?” 

“Whenever you have time,” Kakashi clarified. 

“Oh. Uh. Sure, I’ll get back to you on that…” Iruka turned to leave, then paused, an idea forming in his mind. “Say, Kakashi-san?” 

“Yes?” Kakashi was still standing there with a vague expression on his face.

Iruka glanced around nervously to make sure no local busybodies were watching, then leaned in. “How would you feel about making that dinner a monthly arrangement? I’ll pay, of course!”

Kakashi’s eyebrow lifted in response. “Mind if I ask why?”

Iruka glanced around again. “Do you mind if we talk it over somewhere else?”

“Like over dinner?” Kakashi suggested, sounding faintly amused.

“Somewhere private,” Iruka specified. 

“Dinner at my place,” Kakashi amended.

“At your place?” Iruka echoed faintly.

“It’s pretty private,” Kakashi assured him. “Just me and the ninken.” 

“Okay,” Iruka agreed. “When?”

“We can go now,” Kakashi suggested. “I have all the ingredients at home already, we just need to eat them.” 

“You bought enough for two?” Iruka asked faintly, not sure how this conversation had gone from maybe a dinner sometime to a home-cooked meal at the copy-nin’s house.

“I usually take some leftovers to Naruto,” Kakashi explained. “He never eats vegetables when left to his own devices.” 

Iruka laughed at that. “True enough,” he noted with amusement. 

“So it’s decided. You can tell me more about whatever it is you can’t discuss publicly over dinner,” Kakashi gazed at Iruka for confirmation.

“Sure,” Iruka agreed, mentally apologizing to his future self for the pile of grading he’d be doing this weekend. “Sounds great.”

Nodding, Kakashi turned and began wandering off, heading into the village. It was at this point Iruka realized he had no idea where Kakashi’s house was. Well. If Kakashi was going to agree to Iruka’s harebrained scheme, perhaps it was a good idea to know where the man lived.

It didn’t take them long to reach their destination. It turned out Kakashi had a modest one-bedroom apartment with a wide living room and a cozy kitchen and dining area. Kakashi pulled out a small induction burner, setting it on the table, carrying over a large pot a moment later. It was packed full of vegetables, tofu, shirataki noodles and beef. “Hope you like sukiyaki,” Kakashi said, pouring a thick sweet dashi broth over the ingredients.

“Are you kidding? I haven’t had beef for two weeks!” Iruka exclaimed, probably more excited than he should have been, but beef was expensive and he was starving. “This looks amazing, Kakashi-san!”

Kakashi scrubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, a blush rising on his visible cheek. “Maa, sensei, it's just a bit of chopping vegetables.”

“Yeah, well, considering I don’t even do that half the time, I’m impressed!” Iruka grinned at Kakashi, unable to contain his excitement. 

Kakashi set a small bowl in front of him with an egg, then carried over a steaming bowl of rice for each of them before settling down at the other table setting. “So,” he began, cracking his own egg into the bowl and lightly scrambling it, “What did you want to ask about that you couldn’t bring up in public?” 

“Well,” Iruka began, cracking his own egg, “Lately I keep having well-meaning people trying to set me up on dates, and honestly it’s starting to get on my nerves.” 

Kakashi hummed sympathetically to show he was listening, then adjusted the temperature on the burner to bring up the temperature of the sukiyaki broth. 

“So I was thinking,” Iruka continued, picking up the provided chopsticks and attacking the egg with a bit more ferocity than was probably warranted, “Maybe I should just… pretend to date someone? Just to stop the nagging.”

Kakashi turned from the sukiyaki to gaze at Iruka. “Oh? Were you planning to ask me out on a fake date, then?”

“Here’s the thing,” Iruka said, finally setting down his chopsticks to look Kakashi in the eye, “I have no time for dating. It’s why I’m not dating anyone currently. So I really don’t have the energy to spare for faking it, either.”

“Hmm,” Kakashi made a thoughtful noise. “Sounds difficult.”

“It is,” Iruka agreed. “And then, you offered dinner, and I thought maybe…” He tried to think of how to explain his thoughts in a nice (or at least nice-ish?) manner. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but… if I were going to only go on sporadic dates with someone, it would have to be someone who’s… also sporadic?” He grimaced, realizing that maybe this wasn’t the most diplomatic approach. 

“Ah,” Kakashi said, digging into the sukiyaki with his chopsticks, checking the doneness of the meat. “So you don’t want to go on dates, but you still want to pretend you’re dating.”

“Exactly,” Iruka exclaimed, pointing at Kakashi excitedly. “I need someone… low effort? Who wouldn’t care if we only went out, say, once a month. Or less, even. Less than that would be ideal.”

“I see,” Kakashi grabbed Iruka’s plate, plopping some beef on it. “Here,” he handed it back before serving himself as well. “So you want us to go on fake dates, but not very often. What am I getting from this arrangement?”

“Oh,” Iruka realized he’d not really thought that far ahead. “Well. I’m really busy, so I can’t offer much. I can, uh… buy you dinner once a month? Or maybe less than once a month?” Iruka offered, smiling weakly as he dipped the beef into his raw egg before dropping it onto his rice and shoveling it into his mouth. Oh. The rice was perfectly tender, the broth was just the right balance of sweet and salty, and the thinly sliced beef was melting with marbled fat. “Oh wow,” he moaned. “Maybe you don’t need to eat out, this is so good.”  

Kakashi snorted in amusement. His own beef had vanished, though his mask was still in place. 

Iruka averted his gaze out of courtesy before continuing. “So. Uh. What do you want from me, then?”

“Eh,” Kakashi said, serving himself some of the vegetables. “I don’t really need anything. But this sounds interesting, so I’ll do it.”

“You’ll pretend to be my boyfriend and you don’t want anything in return?” Iruka asked, surprised to have gotten Kakashi to agree so quickly. He’d thought the jonin would at least ask for something from him, but Kakashi seemed remarkably easy to please. Then again, that had been the whole reason Iruka had asked him in the first place - he wanted someone low-effort. 

“If I think of something, I’ll let you know,” Kakashi said. “Now eat, the sukiyaki’s not going to finish itself.”

~~*~~

It wasn’t until Iruka got home late in the evening that he realized he and Kakashi had never decided when their first official “date” was to take place. Oh well, he thought, dumping the pile of grading out on his kotatsu with a heavy sigh, surely they’d be able to discuss it soon enough. For now, he had homework to grade.

“Oh, hey Iruka-sensei!” Naruto called from the kitchen. “Welcome home!” he poked his head out to gaze at Iruka curiously. “You were out late.”

Urk. “Yes,” Iruka answered awkwardly, “I was having dinner with Kakashi-san.”

“Oh really?” Naruto asked, wandering out of the kitchen and into the living room. “Why didn’t you invite me?”

“It was rather last-minute,” Iruka admitted. 

“Oh,” Naruto said. “Okay. Cool.”

“Why are you here?” Iruka finally asked. 

“I came to wash the pot from this morning,” Naruto replied, “and then I ate some of the food in your fridge, so I had to wash my plate after that. Did you know you don’t have any instant ramen in your kitchen?”

“Yes,” Iruka replied with an amused snort. “There’s a reason for that. It’s not healthy.”

“It’s a lot easier than cooking, though,” Naruto grumbled. “So what did you have for dinner with Kakashi-sensei?”

“We had sukiyaki,” Iruka replied, settling down on a cushion and pulling out one of the homework papers. “Did you eat the rest of the rice from this morning?”

Naruto laughed. “No, actually I just ate some fried eggs.”

“That’s not enough for dinner!” Iruka protested. “You should have eaten more than that.”

“It’s fine,” Naruto assured him, “I had a big lunch.”

Iruka gave him a look, but Naruto didn’t flinch, so he must have meant it. “All right,” Iruka finally said, “But if you get hungry…”

“I know, I know, I just have to tell you.” Naruto flopped down on the other side of the kotatsu, wrinkling his nose as he eyed the homework spread across the table. “Oh, this stuff? Gross.”

“Hey, that’s my occupation you’re calling gross,” Iruka protested, setting his pen down momentarily to shoot a scowl in Naruto’s direction.

“Yeah, but homework sucks,” Naruto said. “I bet you didn’t like it when you were a kid, either.”

“Immaterial,” Iruka replied, “It’s important to make sure all the students understand the coursework and have a firm grasp on what we’re learning in class.”

“Oh sure, but important doesn’t mean it’s not boring,” Naruto shot back, grinning and ducking under Iruka’s half-hearted swipe at him. 

“If you’re just going to be a pest…” Iruka warned.

“I’ll be good!” Naruto promised, lifting his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I just… didn’t want to be alone tonight.”

“You’re always welcome to stay with me,” Iruka said, lifting his eyes to make sure Naruto saw he was serious. “You know that, right?”

“I do,” Naruto admitted, shuffling around so that most of his body was hidden under the kotatsu quilt, tucking it up under his chin and grinning at Iruka. “It’s just nice to hear it, sometimes.”

Iruka smiled. “Then I’ll say it as many times as you need.”

~~*~~

The next morning Iruka dragged himself out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. Rather than make rice, he had a vague inkling that maybe toast and soup would be good enough for the day. He dug some corn potage out of the fridge and had it heating on the stove, shoving the toast in the toaster. He scrounged through the fridge, finding a few tomatoes which he sliced up and sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. He dished up the sliced tomatoes, tossed the toast onto plates, and poured two bowls of the corn soup just as Naruto wandered into the kitchen. 

“Toast for breakfast, huh?” Naruto commented sleepily. “And tomatoes?” 

“And corn soup,” Iruka added. “I just heated it up on the stove.”

“Looks great,” Naruto commented, sitting down at the table and clapping his hands together. “Let’s eat.”

“Let‘s eat,” Iruka echoed, then dug in. The tomatoes were… oversalted. But still mostly edible if you ate them with the toast. The soup was fine, at least. 

“Thanks for the meal!” Naruto exclaimed after practically inhaling his breakfast. “I’ll wash the dishes.” 

“Thanks for the meal,” Iruka mumbled as he finished his own breakfast, then wandered back into the living room to pack his school bag. 

He and Naruto left together not too long after that, parting ways at the same corner as yesterday. Iruka trudged the rest of the way to the Academy, already exhausted. Just one more day of parent-teacher conferences, he reminded himself. Then he had a whole weekend… of double shifts at the mission desk. And all the grading he hadn’t finished yet. Iruka groaned. 

“Yo, Iruka-sensei!” 

Iruka blinked, not sure he was seeing things right. “Kakashi-san?” he said, spotting the jonin casually leaning against the Academy gates, drawing confused looks from passing staff members.

“Please, it’s just Kakashi,” he said, moving away from the gate and walking over to Iruka. “We’re dating, after all.”

“Right,” Iruka said, feeling off-center and a bit confused. “Did we… have something scheduled?”

“Nope!” Kakashi replied cheerily, then lifted a thermos. “But you looked tired after last night’s dinner, so I thought I’d bring you some of my favorite coffee.”

Iruka hadn’t gotten around to the grocery store to buy more of his own coffee, and the swill in the teacher’s lounge could double as paint-thinner. Coffee sounded marvelous, though he still felt a little confused . He stared at the thermos in Kakashi’s grasp, struggling to formulate a response. “But...why?”

Kakashi pressed the thermos into his hands. “Just a thoughtful gesture from your boyfriend, that’s all.”

“I can’t accept this,” Iruka protested, his hands closing around the thermos anyway. “I already told you, I don’t have a lot of time - ”

“It’s fine,” Kakashi assured him, taking a step back and lifting his hands. “I already made the coffee, so you might as well drink it.”

“True…” Iruka glanced down at the thermos with a sigh. He decided that he could accept this one gesture, so long as he impressed upon Kakashi that this sort of behavior couldn’t become a habitual thing. Iruka just didn’t have the energy to reciprocate, and he didn’t want it to look like Kakashi was putting all the work into the relationship. “Thank you,” he said, lifting his head to face the jonin, “I appre - ”

Kakashi was gone.

Sighing exasperatedly, Iruka waved the thermos in the air. “I appreciate it!” he shouted, just in case the man was still hanging around. He supposed that popping in with random gifts and then vanishing was to be expected when ‘dating’ someone as eccentric as Kakashi. He still felt bad, though. He’d specifically asked Kakashi to do this because he hadn’t wanted to go to much effort. If Kakashi was going to do his best to sell the relationship, it would look pretty bad if Iruka wasn’t doing his best, too.

With a groan, Iruka stared down at the thermos of coffee. This was going to be more work than he’d bargained for.