#The Sweetest Beat Set 3

[cocomanga]

The Sweetest Beat - Set 3

Pairing : Megumi Fushiguro x Fem!Reader,

CW : JJK AU. Daddy Kink, Noncon, Dubcon, Praise Kink, Size Kink, Oral, BDSM, Unprotected Sex, Edging, Drunk Sex, Aggressive Sex, Overstimulation, NPD Abuse/Trauma

Please Note: please block me if my work is not your cup-o-tea I do not own any of the character art

Reader is encouraged to listen to music mentioned for context. :)

WC : 14K! (got kinda crayzeee!)

Wanna take it from the top? Start at Set 1🎶;)

<< The Sweetest Beat - Set 2

The Sweetest Beat - Set 4 >>

TSB - Masterlist ~ AO3 | Wattpad | Playlist

Synopsis: Megumi Fushiguro is the leader of a fresh new rock band. They're currently playing covers and gaining a following at an alarming rate, skyrocketing his career as an indie artist. But when his best friend introduces him to a beautiful someone and sparks fly, he's challenged to navigate her fear of loving freely.

..... Minors: You have no business here. Love you, but please don't ....

▶ SET 3 Say it Aint So - Weezer Everything In It's Right Place - Radiohead Destiny - Zero 7 Coral - Fractures Process - H.E.R. Snooze - SZA Whoa - Snoh Aalegra Finesse - Drake Autumn's Dreamland - A.G. Sully I Adore You - Yebba Your Interlude - Sabrina Claudio Take Me Home - Paper Kites Roslyn - Ben Pellow Lippincott - Animals as Leaders Do For Love - Snoh Aalegra Tastes so Good - Sabrina Claudio

A low, humming vibration gently pulled you from your peaceful slumber. As your eyes slowly adjust to the dim sunlight peeking through the closed wooden blinds, you notice your phone sitting silently on the bedside table.

It's... not mine...

With a little grunt, you lift and turn your throbbing head toward the left side of the bed. Your arm slides several times across the cool sheets. You look over, blinking, to find that Megumi is quietly tucked away underneath the soothing pitter patter of the shower.

Say it Aint So - Weezer

played softly in the room from the speaker.

His phone vibrated a few more times on his table, then went silent. You closed your eyes, plopping your head back down, grateful to regain the quiet.

Not 5 seconds later, another vibration. You opened your eyes, looking at the glow of the screen illuminate that side of the room.

2 rings. . .

5 rings. . .

8 rings. . .

A frown formed on your face as you hoped they'd simply just call him back later. Obviously he's busy, right?

11 rings, then finally, silence.

Geez.

You let out a breathy sigh.

Surely they're done.

It rang again.

You know, its funny we live in a day and age when we can actually assign personality traits to people based on the way our little devices are used.

That many rings?

Had to be one of two people. His mother... or a woman. Tch.

You decided to look. I mean, you're in his damn bed after all. You deserved at least that much since they wouldn't relent.

You sluggishly dragged your body over to peek at the screen after the 12th ring:

"Nanako". You let out a chuckle laced with a little attitude.

Welp, it doesnt say 'Mom'.

She finally stopped calling.

You decided it really wasn't any of your business but you were still curious. You retreat to your side of the bed, sinking your headache back into the plush pillow, facing that amazing window as the shower in the bathroom stopped running.

You hear the door open and as the misty air wafts over your way, you feel, and smell Megumi emerge steamy fresh and clean. As you inhale that wonderful fragrance that you hoped he'd never stop using, you turn your little smile around to face him.

He stood in the doorway, illuminated from behind by the light in the bathroom, his perfect athletic figure leaning against the door frame with a towel wrapped low around his waist as he brushed another one across his jet-black hair.

Damn he's hot.

You hid most of your wide smile in the pillow.

Well, Nanako, can't say I blame you, honey.

He stood there, his hooded eyes observing you for a bit. "Good morning." He finally uttered as he tilted his head sideways to get a better look at you.

You revealed your smile with a breathy, "Good morning".

An adorable smirk formed on his lips as he approached the bed. He sat on the edge, "What a pleasant voice you have in the morning."

You blushed into the pillows, taking another deep breath.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, still looking at you with a beautifully warm expression on his face.

His question triggered your memory that something other than adoration was happening in your body. "Definitely hungover." You whined, with a frown.

"Yeah..." he replied, as he acknowledged his own throbbing headache. Well, the bathroom's all yours now. Choso's making breakfast. The food'll help.

"Choso?" you chuckled. "Really?"

He huffed, "Yea. He's actually a damn good cook."

Giggling softly as you sat up on the bed, your hand immediately reached for your head as the throbbing continued to pound behind your eyes.

Megumi handed you a bottle of water that was sitting on his bedside table.

"Thank you".

"Of course."

You got up from the bed as you opened the bottle and chugged as much of it as possible on your way to the bathroom, suddenly stopping before reaching the door. You turned back toward him, "Megumi... I, wanna apologize for- "

"Don't worry about it." He interjected as he stood up to face you. "It's really ok." he said as he observed your concerned facial expression.

"No, I..." you started as you held your head down, shaking it back and forth, in an attempt to make sense of yourself. "I was-"

"Bad?"

You looked up quickly, blushing, genuinely embarrassed, your brow furrowing a bit as you averted your eyes again.

He continued, in an unnervingly soft tone, "You... were bad." still managing to peek up through his lids at you, even though hes taller.

Megumi had that emotionless gaze down pat, his dark blues always pierced clean through you, exposing your innermost desires.

He slowly stepped closer with his hands behind his back, clad only in the white towel, soft black lines below his lower abdomen disappearing behind it, leading down to his print as it became more visible by the second.

You took a deep breath, standing there quietly as he turned his head in toward your ear, his voice in a hushed tone, "But . . . we took care of that, right?"

Your body clenched from your core as his deep, soft voice vibrated in your ear, his words reigniting a fire, and the memory of the unforgettable "care" he quite literally put into you.

Everything In It's Right Place - Radiohead

Played as he slid the back of his hand softly down your cheek, his thumb gliding across your lips. "Are you trying to tell me that you need more discipline?"

You felt a deep 'thump' in your chest. Your body temperature seemed to rise steadily, but you shook your head slowly, your eyes fluttered as you mustered an answer barely above a whisper. "No".

Megumi smirked slyly, whispering, "You don't sound too confident, sweetness." His fingertips wrapped around to the nape of your neck. "How about a little help in the shower, hm?" He took a few steps toward you, leading you backwards into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"Y-your..." you stuttered, as you gathered the strength to look up into his lusty eyes. "...your friends will hear us."

He leaned in, his lips as close as an inch from yours. "Not if you can stay nice and quiet for me, yeah?" He reached for the hem of your ripped tee, pulling it past your beautiful curves, up and off, his eyes roaming all over your bare skin.

With a little blush, you chuckled softly as you stepped over the edge of the enormous bathtub into the shower. You faced the head, exhaling as the warm flow of water soaked into your hair.

Megumi stepped in behind you, observing how beautifully the water cascaded down your curves. He wrapped his hands around your waist, gliding his fingertips softly across your skin, sliding them up to cup your breasts as he gently fondled your nipples.

Your body immediately buckled under his touch. You arched your back, pressing yourself against his hard length as he explored you with his hands. They followed the flow of the water, traveling down to massage your clit and folds, already soaked from both the water and your response to his gentle fingers, making your moans far too difficult to avoid.

"Shhhhh..." he whispered, as his lips gently pressed into your earlobe, the soft smack sending shivers all over your body as he slipped his thick dick back and forth between your thighs and two of his fingers from his other hand in your mouth.

"Mmmhhh," you moaned, having a hard time containing yourself.

Megumi could tell you were already so close. His tongue slid across your ear as he breathed, "Let me in before you cum, sweetness..." His breath hotter than the temperature of the water and his voice tickling as it vibrated in your ear.

Already quite dazed, you parted your quivering thighs a bit more, planting your foot on the edge of the tub, welcoming him.

As Megumi bent his knees for the perfect amount of leverage, he covered your mouth as he thrusted hard, pushing his entire length inside. He screwed his eyes shut, pressing his head into your neck as he grunted, his arm wrapped around you, holding you in place. "Mmmm! Fuuuck..."

Your entire body tensed as your walls gripped him pulling him further inside. You struggled to contain your sensual moans that managed to leak past Megumi's fingers as your eyes fluttered shut.

He paused for a moment, his breaths hitching in his throat as his body quivered, basking in the warmth of your slick heat. He slowly pulled out, then thrusted back in harder, again, and again, and again, quickly pushing himself, and you to the edge.

His left hand left your mouth, and wrapped around your neck, his right arm held you firmly as your sopping wet core received him, his thrusts hitting your sweet spot both relentlessly and deliciously. Your hands clutched his slender, yet muscular forearms as he maintained his grip.

Megumi's groan vibrated deeply in your ear, "Cum for me beautiful... cum all over my cock..." as he held you firm around your neck, firm in your hole, and firm around your waist, his strong embrace causing you to erupt from the depths of your core as he clutched you steady.

He released into your womb, your arousal blended beautifully with his, running down your legs with the flow of the water. His lips smashed into yours, his tongue massaging yours in another deeply passionate kiss as he pumped the remnants of spend into your core, savoring being nestled inside you as if it would be his last time.

*~*~*~*~*

As you finish gathering yourself and all of your things, you hear happy, cheerful voices on the other side of the door, along with

Destiny - Zero 7

floating on the airwaves into the room with the aroma of fresh pancakes and bacon.

You finally emerge from the master suite, still feeling the need to catch your breath after Megumi successfully took it away for the second time. You see the members of the band, hanging out in the kitchen around the table having breakfast.

As comfortable as you were becoming around Megumi, it felt terribly awkward. Almost as if you were attending an event, uninvited. You weren't a part of this band and, without the veil of alcohol, your presence felt a little more ... intrusive.

Not to mention, you were awfully loud last night... or... this morning. Surely someone heard you.

You wondered if you could creep past them unnoticed, but also hoped for quick eye contact with Megumi.

Choso caught you first. "Hey singer!"

He yelled from the kitchen with a mouth full of pancakes, kinda blowing your stealthy cover as you slinked your way toward the front door. "You get what you came for?" he flashed a big smile at you, quite satisfied with himself.

Asshole.

You cut your eyes at him, then nodded toward the door of his room. "Did they?" you asked as you flashed a phony smile back at him.

"You're damn right they did." he said, followed by an obnoxious laugh.

You shook your head, unable to hide your giggle.

Megumi made his way over to you. His hair lacking spikes since the shower, layered in wispy strands over his eyes, the strands in the back curving gently around toward his neck. He saunters over in baggy grey sweatpants, and a crisp white V-neck tee, contrasting beautifully with his black hair and dark blue eyes, looking like a fucking breakfast platter himself. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah... I've actually got a lot to do today so I'd better get home." Yeah, a 'lot'. Like escaping the embarrassment of being his groupie for the night, for starters.

"Okay." He said, "I'll walk you out."

"No, you don't have to. I've already called an Uber. It's outside."

"I'm walking you out." He insisted, slipping on shoes at the door.

You smiled, pressing your lips into a flat line.

You walked down the long carpeted hallway relatively quietly as Megumi trailed behind you. You both stepped into the elevator, maintaining a "healthy" distance while inside.

He stood on the opposite side of the metal box, his eyes observing your demeanor before traveling up to the illuminated numbers at the top of the doorway as he muttered, "I enjoyed your company." glancing back your way, flashing a killer smile.

It felt as if all you could do was blush, since it seemed everything you needed to say was successfully expressed in the shower this morning, and in the glow on your face.

You got downstairs and he held out his hand. "Your phone."

You fumbled through your satchel, unlocking it and gracefully handed it over.

He added his number. "Our next show is in about a week. You think you'll come?"

You smiled warmly, "Sure."

"Alright." He huffed with a smirk, giving you one last once-over. "See ya, sweetness."

*~*~*~*~*

You sat in your cozy breakfast nook, so glad to finally be back in your personal space as you took another sip of ginger tea, staring out the window, listening to

Coral - Fractures.

Nobara continued to request more info from you over the phone. "It's his birthday. Don't you at least want to see him for a little bit?"

"Nah... I really dont". You answered. Feeling a tiny wound open somewhere in the recesses of your heart.

"I just... I don't want to deal with what might come with it. There's always something, you know? He always finds a way ... to hurt me."

"I agree. But... you can love him from a distance, right? See him, say hi, ask how he's doing, set a time limit, honor it, and leave."

"He's such a chore to be around sometimes you know?" you whined.

"Tch, yeah." she huffed. "I understand. I mean, I've never experienced it to that degree, but I get it. I'm just saying, maybe do this small part. For you. Not that you have anything to prove, but he'll never be able to say you weren't the best daughter to him."

"Okay. I'll go."

Narcissists are the worst. People talk about them a lot these days, but unfortunately for you, you had to deal with a few your entire life. One covert, and one overt. Let alone your grandparents.

As far as relationships go, you had always been a people pleaser. A "yes" girl so to speak, yet never receiving the same regard in return. The result of constantly having to work for attention at home, and a fear of abandonment. Without even realizing it, you developed a habit of being "nice" out of necessity.

Nobara brought love to you in a way that you hadn't known. That's why she's your best friend. No matter what, she always cared for you. She never demanded anything from you besides you being yourself. And you cherished her.

Itadori turned out to be the same. It was the first time in your life that you had found people who truly loved you. Genuinely. Without strings or stipulations.

The irony was though, sometimes you still felt bad, as if you loved them because they love you... Weird right? Of course that's not the only reason you love them, but it still felt like an unintended condition within no conditions. Life is so bizarre.

Your dad was a musician. A damn good one. But his ego was more than excessive. He worked hard, learned guitar, keys, lead several bands and taught many vocalists over the years, including you.

His image was important to him. He worked hard to make a name for himself. As a result, many well-known, musicians in the area knew him well. He'd likely be remembered if he were mentioned at any popular music hall.

You sang on numerous projects he worked on; albums, events, shows, etc. and loved working with him, in the beginning. It felt wonderful to see your dad work so hard and be so happy doing what he loved. He was undeniably talented and you supported him genuinely, just because.

However, when the time came for you to work on projects of your own, something that would support your career as a solo artist, he wasn't there. He didn't have the time or the drive to help. Before long, you noticed that as far as he was concerned, you and your talents were to be used only for his benefit.

And forget communication. Whenever you saw him, he talked only about himself. For hours sometimes, never really asking about you. If you interject or attempt to add to the conversation, maybe you get a word in edgewise, but then it's back to him. All about him.

Doubtful he knows much about who you really are; your likes, dislikes, how you've been, your friends names, etc. Even now.

It was truly exhausting dealing with him.

As a result, you just kept your distance. Set boundaries that would work for your life. It often felt selfish to you, but you came to realize that your mental health is important too, so you do what you can.

Nobara taught you the meaning of self-care. She knew how to have a healthy balance in life of caring for others, and not neglecting herself in the process.

That's something you were still learning.

"Try to think of it as going to a hospital to visit a mental patient." Nobara continued, "The reality is, he doesn't deserve special treatment. And it'd be a miracle if he changed. But you deserve to do what you love. And you love to love. So do it. For you. And sort of for him because really, we all need it. Even the assholes."

You chuckled, "Thanks bestie."

"By the way... Are we gonna talk about 'The Rockstar'?"

You went silent, not having the slightest idea where to start, your heart immediately skipping a beat at the mention of him.

"Oh my god, girl I can hear you blushing from here! Hahaha! What the hell happened to you last night? I was looking all over for you!"

"He's... really great. Amazing actually." you said with a giggle.

"Yea?" She whispered, "Did you stick around?"

"Um..." you uttered with a tiny huff.

"You did!!! Ha! Yaaas! Was it that fire or was it that fire? 'Cause I know it was that fire." She wailed.

"An inferno, sis. oh my gawd. Nothing like it." You let out a heavy sigh.

"Buuuuuut ...?" she questioned.

"Tch, I don't know... I feel like I moved way too fast with him. It's not like having sex makes a relationship or anything, you know?"

"Girl, I think he really likes you whether he realized it the first night or not. Don't over think it. And don't underestimate yourself. You're gorgeous, sweet, and talented. He can see that. If it's happening, just let it happen."

You took a deep breath... "Yeah." You continued, "But... how do I know he doesn't just see me as the girl who screwed him on the first night? It'd be so embarrassing to keep coming around, if that's how I'm perceived."

"Did he ask you to come to the next show?"

"Yeah, and... Oh! By the way," you said, as something hit your memory." he received quite the persistent phone call this morning before I left".

"What do you mean 'persistent'"?

"Woke me up blowin' up his phone. Repeatedly."

"Really? Was it his mom?"

"You chuckled, if I were to guess, I'd say no. Do you remember he answered his phone at the table when we ate pizza?"

"Uh.. No...?"

"Anyway, I'd bet any amount of cash it was that person. Somebody by the name of Nanako. She didn't seem to want to take 'no', or 'wait' for an answer. I'm curious if he's dating her".

"Oh wow. Well, that explains some of your hesitance about him."

"Hm?... I hadn't thought of that. I mean, we just met, so I wasn't expecting him to not have anybody in his life, but... I have zero complaints if he cuts 'em off. Ha!"

"Okay!" Nobara agreed. "But look, if he thought you were just a one-off, he definitely wouldn't have invited you back. You need more information about this mystery woman before drawing conclusions."

"You smiled and sighed. Yeah, I suppose you're right."

A vibration interrupts your call, as you notice one coming in from another line.

"Hey, I have to take this. I'll see you later at the bar, K?

"Ok".

You look at the screen and notice it's your boss.

"Hello?" you answered, confused.

"Hey, do you have a minute?" He asks.

"Of course. What can I do for you, Sir?"

"Something's come up. We have a few classes we have to conduct overseas for some new recruits. We're putting together a team to head over and do the training. I know its a little out of the blue, but you're one of my most capable. I was hoping you'd join us."

"Um... Wow? I'm not sure I can do that on such short notice."

"Look, I'm sorry about the time frame, but this is a really important project that needs to be done to help sales and production. You're one of my best. I really need you on this. I'll double your pay for the eight weeks you're there."

"What? Eight weeks?!"

"Yeah. In India. We're conducting two courses, four weeks each. You'll get room and board while you're there, plus some excellent experience to add to your resume. You won't regret it, I promise. I'm really sorry to spring this on you, but some of the others, they have kids, families -- they've already solidified schedules that make it next to impossible for me to get them to help out. I only have a few I can really depend on for support. Please, I'm begging you. I really need your help."

Really? Now I'm on call? …

This is a lot of money, though, so you decide it's worth the sacrifice. "Okay, Mr. Geto. I'll do it."

"Aaaaah! Thank you so much. We leave in a week."

"Okay."

Damn.

*~*~*~*~*

At this point, It had been a few days since you'd seen Megumi. You wondered how he was doing. Knowing what you know about him, he's probably preparing well to make a great impression at the next show.

For now, they're doing covers, so its not like they can play the exact same sets every show for the same venue. Which means they have to practice and memorize music from other artists, and try hard to make sure the audience appreciates it.

As hard as he's working, he's likely having some crazy rehearsals. You could totally see him busting everyone's balls as their leader.

"Over here!" You waved at Nobara as you sat in the middle of your favorite sushi bar, waiting for her and Yuji to meet for dinner.

Process - H.E.R.

played on their system. Fresh food and warm sake is a cure-all for sure, and you were more than excited to indulge.

"Can you believe this, girl?" You said to Nobara as you roll your eyes.

"Oh god, no. That's crazy. And such short notice?" She said as she sat next to you at the square table. "Couldn't they find someone else?"

"Apparently not." you shook your head, "All the trainers with preset family-oriented schedules couldn't help. And I wont be back for two whole months."

"Wow. It's good money though right?" Nobara asked with a deep frown.

"Great money. But... I really wish I could see Megumi's show. That turnout was crazy on their first night. I can't imagine how the next one'll be."

"Yeah. But Since they're doing so well, you'll see more soon."

"I guess you're right. My plane leaves the night of the show at 7."

"Hmmm... did you tell him you're leaving?"

"Not yet."

"Why not?"

"He's busy getting ready for his next performance. He doesn't need his groupie chasing him down."

"Girl if you don't pick up that phone and call him, Nanako will."

"Stop it. Haha!"

"I'm, serious! Don't underestimate persistence, girl!" She said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like you're stalking him. Just drop him a line and let him know what's what."

"Ok, I guess I'll do that at least."

Itadori had just walked in, checking for your presence at the door. He finally saw you and walked over.

"Hey guys." He sat at the table smiling brightly.

"Hey Dori. It's good to see you." You smiled back. "How's everything at the bar?"

"It's going great. Kinda crazy though. Megz's show nearly sold out."

"What? Are you kidding me?!?"

"I kid you not. The tickets are 50 bucks, too."

"Wow! He really is becoming a rock star."

"Tell me about it. And with that kinda turnout, I'm gettin' a nice bag, too." He said, all excited. "I visited a rehearsal yesterday. They're gonna do a couple originals."

"Oh my god! That's amazing!" you exclaimed, freaking out a little.

"Yeah, I know right? If they're received well, pretty soon he'll have grown out of this venue. Of course that depends on how much more music he plans to make. But they also have to start thinking about which cities to hit next. Can't just be known in your hometown you know?"

"True. That's tough, too. Some crowds are really hard to work with. Especially if they don't know you." you grumbled from experience.

"Yeah, there is that part." Yuji agreed. "So what happened to you last night?"

You looked at him and said with a straight face, "Megumi happened."

"HA! I figured as much." he laughed.

"Tch, yeah that's what I told her. Apparently it went well though, right?" Nobara added, nodding toward you. "but, she kinda thinks Megumi sees her as a groupie."

"Yeah, no. Megz doesn't do groupies."

"What? Yeah right. Since when do guys not hook up with girls who throw themselves at them?" you inquired, since you, apparently, were one of them.

"Yea. What even makes you say that?" Nobara chimed.

Itadori went on, "I mean, he's kinda different. More … serious. He doesn't like to start ventures he's not planning to finish, and as long as I've known him, that includes women."

"I find that hard to believe." you said, chalking his advice up to him just being a good friend to his "boy".

"Yeah well, he's been like that since we were kids. He's always been driven, always wanted things to go well for himself. Which means keeping distractions to a minimum."

"Hm, I guess that's logical..." You shrugged. "Except the fact that anybody who wants to be an hoe can be a hoe. I'm just sayin."

Nobara looked at you with a "you-got-that-shit-right" face.

"Ha! Well, that's true. Buuut... situationships like that can ruin a career. Especially from where he's sittin'. Think about it. What if he got with the wrong kinda girl? Someone who brought drama or bullshit to his business, or his band. He could run the risk of losing everything. It's not worth it to him. And I can't say I blame him."

"Hmm... well, what about Choso? He doesn't seem to have a problem with that kinda thing." you pointed out.

"Yeah, well Choso's a different breed." Itadori huffed, "He's also not the leader of the band. If Megumi wanted to, he could just hire another singer. Also, Choso might act like an ass sometimes, but he's actually a great guy, and pretty serious about his friends, too. We didn't hear much from his girls last night did we?"

You frowned, "Now that you mention it, no. Not a damn peep." chuckling at that revelation.

"Megumi's a good guy. Just keep talking to him. You'll see. Communication is key and all".

"Okay. Thanks for the insight, Dori." You didn't expect him to talk shit about his boy, but... you were grateful for the info.

"Yup. You're such an overthinker. Its okay, though. I get it. But just remember, people usually think more of you than you think they do. Just relax. It'll work itself out."

"You smiled warmly at Itadori , and turned to Nobara. "Wow. You're a lucky girl, you."

"You'd better believe it." She smiled brightly and winked at him.

Itadori held his chin up as he chewed his edamame with a huge grin on his face.

You all finished your meal and parted ways.

As you approached the train station, you decided you might as well hit him up.

You: Hey Rockstar. Just dropping a line that I got called away to work. I'll miss the show :(

Not 3 minutes later, he texted you back.

Megumi: Called away?

You: Yeah. Its kinda nuts. Going to India for 2 months😅.

Megumi: Whoa. That is nuts. I was looking forward to playing for you. 😢

You: lol For me?

Megumi: Yea, for YOU.

You: Aww... Dont worry. You'll have plenty of screaming girlies out there.

Megumi: Just one screaming girlie will do. 😌

You: 🤭 Can't make money that way.

Megumi: Ha! No cap.

Megumi: So when do you get to India?

You: Plane leaves at 7, the night of your show. Takes a couple days.

Megumi: Call me after you get settled in there?

You: Sure. But... Won't you be busy?

Megumi: Maybe, but I'll make time.

Damn charmer.

You: Okay. I'll do that. ttyl

*~*~*~*~*

You got in to your hotel a full 2 days after you left home. You slept quite a bit on the plane, but were eager to wind down from being cramped in that tin can. You took a shower and headed out, since there was a restaurant on the beach where a few of your colleagues agreed to go.

You sat alone at a table, ordered a fire curry appetizer and decided to give Megumi a call since you were nice and relaxed. The restaurant played some pretty chill music.

Snooze - SZA

Megumi didn't answer.

Must surely be busy.

Your phone rang less than 5 minutes later.

"Hey. How's India?"

Your smile grew wide the second you heard his voice. "Hey... They have us set up in a beautiful hotel here in Chennai. Right now, I'm at a beachfront restaurant having curry and a delicious pineapple cocktail."

"Woooow … How nice for you." he said as he laughed quietly. "Sounds like more of a vacation than work."

You chuckled, it may feel like that now, but I'm sure it'll get quite busy here soon."

"Well, its evident that you're quite the amazing woman to have them not only depend on you, but offer that kind of treatment."

"Hey beautiful. Is anyone sitting here?" A stranger asks, stopping at your table, his hand on one of the empty chairs.

You answered, "No, But I'm actually on the phone."

"Is it your man?" the stranger asked.

"Um... no... but. I don't need any company right now, thank you."

"You sound so sweet, rejecting him." he teased. "Why didn't you tell him I'm your boyfriend?"

"Tch, because you're not?" You rolled your eyes, chuckling playfully.

He snickers over the phone. "Well damn. It'll suck for me if you get one while you're there."

"Oh yea? Why is that?"

"Because then I won't have a chance."

"A chance for what exactly?"

"To finish what we started."

"Oh okay..." you giggle. "We'll see if there's anything left of you when I get back after all those amazing shows. Your fan base is gettin crazy."

"You think so huh?"

"Of course. You're quite the phenom on the drums. And Maki... geez. All of y'all are fantastic and I'm not just gassin'. I couldn't imagine you not makin' it big."

You could hear his smile over the phone. You really missed his smile. Interestingly enough, you started to notice how good making him feel good felt to you."

"Well, thank you. We're working pretty hard."

"I bet. And... you're performing originals? How did that go at the show?"

"Better than expected, actually. We tried tracking requests for availability and got good results. We decided to go ahead and release an EP at the next show."

"Woooow... I sincerely hope you go real far, real fast. But I gotta admit, I'll miss these conversations, Rockstar."

"'Rockstar'?" Megumi huffed, "Is that how you think it is?"

"Oh yeah."

One of your colleagues yelled out to you. "Hey! You comin' to the beach with the group?" As the next song played.

Whoa - Snoh Aalegra

"Is that the same guy?" Megumi asked, curious.

"Nope, that's someone else."

"Sounds like you're more popular than you think I am."

"Yeah, right." you replied. Hmmm... now's as good a time as any, you thought. "So, did you get a chance to call Nanako back?" You asked, as you took a considerably large gulp of your Malibu Pineapple.

Megumi paused for a moment before answering. "I figured you saw that. I guess you heard the phone that morning huh?"

"How could I not. Seemed pretty urgent."

"Nanako's my ex." He let out a deep sigh. "She's uh... she's trying to rekindle things and I'm just not interested."

"Why not?"

"We don't see eye to eye. I met her at college. Through Yuta. We even dated for about a year."

"That's a long time. Why'd it end?"

"She thought I was crazy for wanting to have a solo career in music. She felt I should stick with my professors, maybe work with their connections in orchestras before pursuing an independent goal so 'lofty'. Tch. That's what she called it... 'lofty'."

"Yikes. I could see how that's a problem."

Megumi huffed. "Yeah. I mean, we had a decent relationship, I just... she didn't believe in me."

"Hmmm... I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's cool. I mean, it's over. That's not gonna change."

You understand the persistence an ex can be on sometimes, but like Nobara said, that could easily become an issue. And drama is definitely not your thing.

"I'm better off with people who are in my corner." Megumi continued. "Even my parents supported me when a lot of others thought I was just dreaming."

"Yeah? That's good. And definitely not something to take for granted."

"For sure." He agreed. "So you said you sing?"

"Yeah. I tried for a long time. Even laid a couple tracks down." you revealed.

"Whoa. Where are they?" Megumi asked, actually sounding excited.

"I have 'em stored at home, and of course in a file on my computer and a couple drives to avoid losing 'em."

"Can I hear them?"

"Well, they're not mixed... so ... they're really just a little music with my vocals I laid on them in pretty raw form."

"Oh I definitely wanna hear."

"Okay. But you know artists aren't supposed to distribute material that isn't registered. I mean, what if you steal it?" you joked.

"I would never." he breathed, a cute low laugh escaping his lips.

You giggled. "Of course you can hear. I'd actually love to know what you think. Though I'm kinda nervous."

"Will you sing for me in person? It'll be like a private concert."

"Ha! Even so, I'd still be super nervous. I think singing in front of one person is more nerve wracking than a crowd."

"Makes sense. One pair of eyes can be a lot more critical. But there's no need to be nervous. It's just me."

"Yea... just you." you chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"You're a professional. I'd hate to make a fool of myself, so I'd better be able to actually sing before I present something to you."

"I get that. But in my experience, most people who can't sing don't get as far as putting anything on a track. I'm willing to bet you're pretty good. Besides, we're friends now so its not like I'd be rude to you."

"Oh we're friends now?"

"Of course. What? You don't wanna be friends with me?"

"Sure 'Megz'."

"Oh, is that what we're doing now?" he snickered, playfully. "You're calling me 'Megz'?"

"Ha! Yea. Your friends call you 'Megz' right?"

"Tch... only the good ones." He replied, with a blush you couldn't see. "I'll allow it."

"Oh, well thank you very much sir." you retorted sarcastically.

"So … now I'm curious. Why didn't you continue your music? Did you lose interest?"

"No, I just... honestly felt like I was always on my own. I worked with my dad for years. Singing in concerts, leads on his songs at events and performances. He just didn't support me the way I supported him. Life's a lot harder when you're going at it alone, you know?"

"Hmmm... Do you still talk to your dad?"

"Yea. As a matter of fact he's having a birthday dinner when I get back. I was reluctant to go, but..."

"You don't want to?"

"He's … severely narcissistic. Usually when I see him, he sits and chats about himself. He doesn't really have much interest in me. He's often rude, belittling, dismissive... It's been a while since we've talked. I plan to go and say hi, but..." You rolled your eyes.

"That's tough. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yea, it is. But, thank goodness for Nobara and Yuji. They've been so great to me. Nobara has helped me through some difficult times dealing with my dad."

"Well, I'm rooting for you. And I hope it goes well."

"Thanks Megumi. I really appreciate that coming from you."

Mr. Geto waved at you to come over to a table with colleagues for a quick word. "Well, I gotta for now. It's good to hear your voice. I hope all your rehearsals go well."

"Can I call you tomorrow?" He asked, hopeful.

"Of course!" you replied warmly. "Talk to you later."

*~*~*~*~*

'Tomorrow' came and went.

He texted you, but you couldn't talk.

The next day was the same.

They had you working crazy hours, and the communication barrier was difficult to navigate with the trainees, making you so much more exhausted after each session.

You were physically and mentally drained. You texted periodically, but by the time you were finally able to settle down and chat with your friends again, long enough for a decent conversation, it had already been 3 weeks.

Megumi had dived into tons of rehearsals with his band, especially on weekends, working hard on originals he'd planned to release in another show they would do, so his calls couldn't come as often either.

You were able to chat with Nobara, mostly during lunch breaks, but phone tag between you and Megumi became an ongoing thing. And you were too tired most evenings to talk long.

You were finally able to reach each other for a reasonable amount of time in the middle of week 4. You had meetings and classes that day, and Megumi was in rehearsal.

"When do you think I can see you?" Megumi questioned during a break as his group discussed some intricate parts of a song.

"Uh... I won't be back unt-"

"I mean, tonight. When I call you back. Can you video chat?"

You blushed. "Um... It'll probably be really late but, sure. Of course."

"That's cool." he said, "I'll be looking forward to it."

*~*~*~*~*

It was another long day. By the time you got home, it was almost 10pm. You were exhausted, but still anxious to talk to him. As soon as the door to your room closed behind you, you dropped your things, opened up the app and set up your laptop at the small office table in front of the moonlit window, facing you. You popped on your music:

Finesse - Drake

You relaxed your mind, took a deep breath, and called him.

"Hello?" after a moment of him fidgeting with the screen, his beautiful face appeared.

"Heeeeeey". You said as softly as possible, trying to contain your enthusiasm, a warm smile spread across your face the moment you saw his.

He sat at what appeared to be a desk, gazing.

There was a long moment of silence as you bit your lip, blushing, waiting for him to speak.

"How are you?" he said finally, peircing you with his eyes.

"Glad to be back here." You said, still smiling, taking a deep breath. You were so happy to see his dark blues again. "Where are you?" You noticed it looked like an office space.

"At my studio."

"What?" you said, shocked. "You have a studio? I totally assumed you guys just booked one."

"Nah. I rent it out to others to use from time to time. That's one of the reasons I get so busy. I cash in on the profit from bands renting from me, but the space itself is actually paid for by my parents."

"Wow."

"Yup, as long as I don't stop working. That was our agreement ever since I left college. I continue to work toward my dream, they'll help support the cause. They've been great."

You held such admiration for him. "You always fascinate me." you muttered, shaking your head. "You're such a pro."

Megumi smirked and blushed, "Are you still working?" He asked, noticing you're clad in your long sleeve button down blouse, and ... glasses? "You look so... corporate."

"Yeah, tell me about it." You chuckled, rolling your eyes. "I'm a little exhausted, but, I feel so much better now that I get to relax."

"If I were there, I could help you relax."

"Heh, oh I'm quite sure you could." you said, resting your head on your palm.

Megumi 's eyes scanned your features as he leaned back in his office chair at his desk, dropping his hands into his lap as he swiveled side to side slowly. All expression but adoration had gone from his features. "You are so damn beautiful".

His complement only made you blush harder. "Thank you. I'm not exactly comfy yet though until I get out of these stuffy clothes."

You looked at Megumi staring at you, not making a sound, or responding. The tension between the two of you quickly became palpable.

"Okay. Go ahead." he said, breaking the silence.

You squinted into the screen. "Go … ahead?"

"Yeah. You said you needed to take off your clothes. Go ahead."

He'd caught you off guard. You averted your eyes suddenly. "Um..." you laughed nervously. "I can't do that."

Megumi smirked, entertained at how cute you were getting all flustered. "Well, why not?"

"Because"... you replied, "What if someone sees?"

"I promise you, I'd never let that happen. This is my office. And right now, I'm the only one here." He licked his lips, still swiveling lightly in the chair. "The doors are locked. The front door and the office door. Sometimes I even sleep here."

"Oh... wow." you replied.

Thorough.

You watched him swivel as his hands moved beneath the view of the camera, under his desk as he waited patiently for you. His eyes never leaving your face.

Another song played as you locked eyes with him, drowning in his blues.

Autumn's Dreamland - A.G. Sully

His resolve never faltered. Not even slightly. He was so intimidating sometimes. Such a fucking boss. And you loved it.

You maintained eye contact as you reached up for the buttons of your blouse, undoing them slowly, one by one. The light from your laptop and of the moon glowed softly across your bare skin, more of it coming into view as you opened each one.

He stopped swiveling, once you reached the fourth, getting a peek at your hot pink satin bra covered in lace, showing from underneath. His bottom lip disappeared into his mouth, his gaze fixed.

"Are you sure I'm not distracting you from your work?"

"100% certain." He leaned into his computer with his left fist pressed into his mouth and his elbow propped up on the desk. His right hand stayed out of view.

You removed your top, revealing your beautiful lingerie, and reached up to remove your glasses.

"Leave them on." Megumi urged. "Please."

You smiled, biting your lip, running your fingers down the left side of your neck and your shoulder slowly as you watched him take you in.

"That looks like a cozy spot you have there." he said, as he peeked behind you. "Why don't you go relax on the bed?"

You turned, looking at the bed, then back to him as you blushed, realizing where this is quickly headed. You flash him a coy smirk, "Okay."

You took the laptop with you and propped it up on a stack of books on the bedside table so that he could view the bed and you clearly.

"Good girl." He said, with a smile.

Your face turned pink as you saw his beautiful smile. "You're such a tease Megumi."

"Am I?" He replied, eyebrows raised. "Who says I'm teasing?"

You cut your eyes at him, suspicious.

"You gonna finish undressing for me?"

"Really?" you huffed, kinda surprised at yourself for doing this.

"Oh Absolutely. I told you. I wanna see you. All of you." He replied.

"Can I? Please?" he requested with a smirk curling up into the side of his adorable pouty lips that made you practically melt.

My god... what is this man doing to me?

Megumi spoke as though he heard your thoughts, "If you really don't want to, you don't have to. But... I really, really want you to."

You paused for a moment, but stayed locked into his gaze as you pulled your ponytail holder from your hair, shaking it out. You stepped back from the camera so he could get a better look. You unbuttoned and unzipped your slacks, the lace top of your matching pink undies peeking out of them.

"Hmmm..." Megumi lets out a soft moan from behind the screen as he observes your movements with hooded eyes, slowly rubbing his lips with the back of his fingers, and bites down on his left thumb.

You lean into the screen, your cleavage being the only thing he sees for a moment while you shimmy out of your pants. They drop quickly, pooling around your heels.

Megumi's eyes widen. "You're wearing heels, too?!"

"Of course. I was working today." You smirk as you step back further from the camera to show him the black heels with pink soles you wore to work.

"Wow. You're stunning. I see why the guys there can't let you spend a moment alone. Can't say I blame them though. I wouldn't either."

You giggle playfully as you twirl around in your glasses, lingerie and heels.

"Oh my god … you're so gorgeous". He mutters as he's sitting there with his hand left covering his mouth. His right hand still under the table as his right arm moves ever so slightly.

You sit on the bed, peering at him, curiosity painted on your face. "What are you doing?" you giggled.

"Nothing." he lied.

"I don't believe you."

"I'm watching you, sweetness."

"Yea? But what else?" you asked, licking your lips, pressing your cleavage together as you got closer to the camera, the next song played softly:

Waterfall (I adore You) - Yebba

Megumi smirks, as if there was a small chance he didn't want you to know what he was actually up to. "Well... you have quite the affect on me. I'm enjoying the view."

"Can I see?"

"Can you see what?" he asked, teasing, but also knowing he wanted nothing more than for you to tell him.

"The affect I have on you."

"You have to say the magic word."

"Pleeeeease, Megumi?"

The moment you said that, his dick pulsed in his pants.

"May I see? Pretty please?" you begged, peeking over your glasses.

Now dying to show you, Megumi pushed his seat back from the computer, his enormous print chiseled into his dark denim jeans. He leaned back in the chair with his legs parted, propping his elbow up on the arm while his right hand groped his large bulge.

You could hardly contain your gasp as you saw him. You blushed hard and licked your lips, your core clenched so tightly you rubbed your thighs together as you body tingled all over. You turned away, gently rubbing the nape of your neck.

Megumi missed nothing. "You're hiding from me again." He scolded. I told you not to do that. You like what you see?"

Your heart pounded hard in your chest as you replied softly, "Yes."

"Then why don't you be a good girl and show me how much you like it?"

Your desire for him surged through every part of you in an instant. Pure want and arousal began to show up all over your face.

You moved back away from the screen, positioning yourself in the middle of he bed, leaning back on your palms, rubbing your legs together.

"There's my girl. Now open up those legs for me."

Your heart felt as if it would pound right out of your chest. Your body temperature rose steadily as he spoke. Need coursing hot through your veins as you breathing became heavier.

Why does this man have such an affect on me?

"Whats the matter, sweetness?' Megumi teased, seeing your reaction, and realizing you were no more immune than he was.

"I'm. . ." you opened your legs up slowly. Your cute pink undies revealed a spot slightly darker in color than the rest of the fabric.

Megumi suddenly began breathing heavier himself. "Mmhh...You're wet." his tongue peeked out from the corner of his parted lips.

"Yes." you breathed.

He leaned in to the screen, resting his mouth between his thumb and first finger. "Why is that? Hm?"

"I... I don't know." You began to squirm on the bed as your body betrayed you, refusing to conceal your feelings. Your eyes grew heavier.

"Sure you do."

Your pupils widened as adrenaline coursed through your body.

"Is there something you want?" Megumi asked, softly.

"Yes."

"What do you want?"

"I want … Megumi."

"Yea? And what do you want from me exactly?"

"I want Megumi... to touch me."

"Touch you where?"

You slid your hand from you hip, around to your inner thigh, sliding your fingers slowly up you middle, flinching as you touched your clit, throwing your head back.

Megumi's eyelids lowered slowly as he felt the adrenaline coarse through him. "You want me to touch you there? With what?" His voice, soft and low.

"With … with your hands." you moaned.

"And what else? Do you want anything else?"

"Yes."

"Tell me what you want from me. Tell me clearly, exactly what you want from me."

"I want... I want Megumi's cock. Inside me."

Megumi took a deep breath as he watched you rub your hot middle with your fingers. You breaths were deep and heavy, as you writhed in desire. In want, in need of him.

"I want Megumi here."

"Take off your panties and let me see you." Megumi breathed.

You did as you were told.

Your Interlude - Sabrina Claudio

Blended into the air as Megumi pushed his seat back again, spread his legs open, and unzipped his pants. He released his thick dick, rubbing it from base to tip in his large hand, his eyes glued to the screen, glazed over as he bit his lip. Arousal painted all over his face.

Seeing him touch himself, holding that beautiful cock completely outside of your reach, your body called out to him fiercely. You laid your back down on the bed as you squirmed, aching for his thickness to be pressed inside you.

You squeezed your legs together as you covered yourself with your hand in an attempt to satiate yourself.

"No, baby..." Megumi commanded. "Open up. . . I want you to open up nice and wide for me. Let me see that pretty pussy."

You opened your legs slowly, revealing to him that you're dripping onto the bed as you massaged yourself with your hand.

"Fuck. You're so wet, for me baby. I want you so bad."

"Haah... I want you, too." You begin moving your fingers around in circles on your throbbing clit, as your entire body begged for Megumi's touch. You arched your back, pressing your head into the soft bed. "I remember... how you felt."

Megumi's stroked his cock as he listened to the sound of your sweet voice, and watched you writhe in desire for him.

"I remember your hands as they touched me." You lifted your other hand, squeezing your breasts. "Your lips, on my clit... how they kissed and sucked me... haaaah... ~Megumi..."

Megumi's brow furrowed hard against itself as you called out to him. his dick was rock hard, throbbing against in his hands, pulsing and calling back to you, as he stroked himself to your beautiful body.

"Your … your tongue..." you moaned, "How you … licked me over and over. Megumi... please... I want you so bad."

Chills went up and down his spine and goosebumps covered his skin as he watched you pleasure yourself by mimicking with your hands all the things he did to you that night.

He gazed lecherously, white hot longing in his veins. He fisted his length, squeezing and panting, wishing your wet, throbbing pussy was covering him, pressing down on it. An insatiable thirst took over, to feel your slick heat take every inch of him in.

Your fingers, now sopping with your wetness, slipped into your hole as he watched. Your moans were music to his hears, pulling the same from his mouth as his entire body trembled with erotic fervor.

His eyes... his hands... his lips... so visible, yet unable to touch you, drove your desire to the brink of unbearable as you pumped your fingers in and out of your core.

Megumi couldn't take his eyes off you. Your sexy heels pressing into the bed, your pretty legs curving up to your hips, your hands massaging places he couldn't, the beautiful arch in your back, the line in your neck leading up to your soft lips that called out his name.

He wanted to take you so badly. To drive his thick dick deep into your cunt, pound you relentlessly, and fill you up, making you his.

His large hands moved even faster across his cock as his frustration built from watching you cum all on your own, from thoughts of him.

You both peaked as your arousal poured out all over your hands. Megumi squeezed and pulled his throbbing, aching cock until his come spilled all over his...

He came, right there in his office, wanting, needing, aching to be inside you.

You both stared into the camera, breathless, looking into each others eyes through the blue screen. Realizing yet again your indescribable yearning, your thirst for one another that can only be quenched by closing the distance.

"When you get back here," Megumi proclaimed, catching his breath, "I want you to come to me. Come straight to me."

"Yes," you promised. "I will."

*~*~*~*~*

It seemed that night, seeing him that way, made things much harder. If you weren't thinking of him before, that sure as hell wasn't the case now.

Megumi was always on your mind.

Unfortunately, you got even busier as you drew closer to the end of your stay in India. Your team was leaving soon, so they wanted to be sure they took full advantage of your presence there.

At this point, all you wanted was to just get home. You wanted to see him. By the time your last day there arrived, you could barely concentrate on work.

Texting wasn't anywhere near enough. And since he had a show every week now, he was even harder to reach.

It felt as though this man had taken over your every thought. You longed to feel his touch. His eyes. His presence.

Your thoughts of Megumi were clouding your mind, spreading throughout your body like the sound of music on airwaves.

And now, you were finally on your way home.

You touched down at about 3pm, and though you remembered your promise you were also tremendously exhausted. Tired after being tugged every direction from your superiors and subordinates, and now you could add jetlag to the mix on top of attending a dinner.

You decided to go straight home and get some rest so you'd be prepared for whatever fresh hell was waiting for you at this event.

You were irritable. Anxious. Uncomfortable. And you really didn't want to drag Megumi into it. You just wanted to get it over with and go home. You told yourself you'd call him when it was over.

You showed up at a beautiful 4 star restaurant at 7pm in the heart of the city, relatively close to the place Megumi would play tomorrow night.

Why cant I stop thinking about him?

I wish he were here with me.

You felt so desired with Megumi. But still felt like you needed to keep a safe distance. He's on the fast track to success, and you really didn't want to be a distraction to him in any way. Regardless of your level of intimacy, you genuinely cared about him.

You were torn between complete and utter submission to your feelings, and maintaining some semblance of control, for your sake, or for his... Or … both?

When you walked in to the restaurant, your dad's party was set up in a private room filled with around 25 people. He was sitting with his buddies, chatting at the long dining table. You gave him his gift and said hello as you leaned in to speak to your grandmother.

Take Me Home - The Paper Kites

Played on the system. "I don't like those kinds of dresses they really make me look fat." she said to you, completely disregarding any type of formal greeting. "Turn around so I can see the back." She said, grabbing your arm, spinning you like you were a display rack at a truck stop. "You really shouldn't wear that either." she insulted.

You were already aching to leave.

Your dad said hi, giving you an uncomfortably crushing hug, and introduced you to the table as his 'talented daughter'. "She's super talented, but not as good as me!" he laughs at himself.

You thought of what it must have been like to have supportive parents like Megumi's as you sat at the table to order dinner. It was extremely hard to imagine. His life is truly admirable.

After nearly an hour of backhanded compliments, blatant insults, being interrupted mid-sentence, and ignored during any moment you mentioned anything about you, you couldn't take any more.

You felt like you were suffocating, surrounded by mean people you had no choice but to be with. People who really didn't give a shit about you. And this was family. Asking for a normal conversation among them was like pulling teeth.

All the rude comments, disrespect and/or disregard for others your dad practiced, even to the people he called "friends", your grandmother dug right in and either defended him or egged him on with phony laughs, then would turn right around and talk shit about him to the person sitting next to her.

She spent a lot of time putting on this "sweet" and "harmless" persona in public, but constantly belittled and hurt people in private. But she always made sure her insults were dressed up with a smile.

You'd tried. God how you'd tried. Tried talking to him, and to her. Many times. Tried heart to hearts that always resulted in them either walking away and not taking responsibility, or accountability for their behavior, or simply gaslighting you for speaking on it.

And today, no way were they gonna trap you into making a complete fool of yourself in public for calling them out on bullshit they know they're doing. Only to be gaslit again.

It was enough. You couldn't breathe. "I gotta go, Dad." You walked out of the event, even as he and your grandmother were asking you to stay. The contrast between your friends and family was glaring.

As soon as the fresh air hit your face you felt a weight lifted. Like you were released from prison. You walked what felt like 2 miles down the street in your dress and heels not realizing your cheeks were colder due to tears pouring down your face.

Why are they always like this?

Now I really can't call him. I can't dump all this on him.

You hailed a taxi and made it home.

You found yourself calling Nobara as you settled inside, telling her how it went. You let her go after a few minutes, trying to keep yourself from burdening her too much with your problems, and cried yourself to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*

Today was Megumi's show.

You wanted to go. You really did but … you felt like you needed more rest. A break. From everything. From doing anything. Being anything right now was just too much. You just didn't want to deal with any more right now.

You missed him but didn't call him because you knew he'd be busy; Preparing for the show, the show itself, the after party.

But... he called you.

You didn't answer.

Obviously not because you didn't want to talk, but because if you did, the venting, the waterworks, the unloading would start. Nobara had put up with you for years, the poor thing. But... would Megumi even understand?

Would he even want to deal with me if he knew how fucked up I am?

And now, since you'd waited so long, you were afraid to talk to him, afraid that he'd maybe want to end things. You didn't want to hear that from him. Not him.

He was your inspiration. One of the few lights you had in this world that lit up your life with happiness and brightness and fun. You didn't want to do anything to ruin that.

And you didn't want to bring him down. Unloading your hurt on to him isn't fair. He has so much going for him, why disrupt that?

How could you?

Nobara called. You didn't answer her either.

I'll just let this day pass. I'm tired.

~I'll just give everyone a break from dealing with me.

You had planned to go out with Nobara again tomorrow. A girls night.

I'll see her then.

And I'll hopefully see him... later.

*~*~*~*~*

Nobara scolded you as you sat at the bar.

Roslyn - Ben Pellow

Played on the speaker. "I told you. When you're having trouble like that, you can come to me." She urged.

"I know, but... I don't wanna be a burden." you replied.

"Why would you think you'd be a burden? Besides, you can't decide that for me. I'm your friend. I don't want you suffering alone. I love you. I care about what happens to you. I want you to be safe and happy."

"I'm sorry. I just … they were so awful. And I mean, combined with the way I was feeling after coming back from that trip, I was far too overwhelmed."

"Yeah. I could imagine." Nobara started. "I did talk you into going. I'm sorry if I pressured you."

"Oh my god no, it's not that at all. Attending wasn't the issue. I just … need them to treat me better. Although that'll probably never happen." You said, fidgeting with the bottom of your wine glass.

She paused for a minute as she looked down stirring her drink with her straw. "Megumi... asked about you." She continued without looking up.

It didn't sound like a good report.

"He was wondering if you got home ok. Asked if we'd heard from you. I told him I'd meet with you today."

You looked at her, considering what she said about you not reaching out to her. You looked outside the window as it started to rain. Turns out you did the last thing you wanted to.

Tears began pooling in your eyes. "I uh … I disappointed him. Didn't I?"

Nobara bit her bottom lip as she took a breath. "Look, we're almost done here." she said, finally looking up.

"This is the address to his studio." She put it into your phone. "He asked me to have you come by after our dinner. It's pretty close to this place. "Shouldn't take more than 5 minutes by taxi."

"I cant leave you here alone. It's late."

"Dori's on his way."

"Oh. Okay." you plugged an Uber ride into your phone. "Thanks Nobara. I love you. And I'm sorry."

"I love you too. Talk to him. Okay?"

*~*~*~*~*

You stood outside of his studio looking at the door, actually scared to face him clad in your little black slip dress and heels you wore out with Nobara. The rain started coming harder, so you went ahead inside without waiting for someone to come to the door.

When you walked in, Megumi was at his kit, practicing

Lippincott - Animals as Leaders

He didn't notice you at first, considering how loud he was playing. His eyes were closed, he was in his zone. You approached him slowly, nervously, fidgeting as you drew closer.

It was like it had been an eternity since you'd seen him play, also as insane as it was, he'd actually improved. You creeped forward, watching in amazement as he pulled off some of the most complex beats you'd heard from him yet.

He was mesmerizing to watch.

God. He's even more beautiful than I remember.

He smashed the last beat, and stopped immediately when he saw you. He stood up from his kit, breathing heavily, biting his lip in silence as he stared at you.

You averted your eyes down toward your fidgety hands, his gaze and dominance consuming you, as it always does.

That powerful presence of his.

"Nobara, she..." you glanced at him, catching a glimpse of his dark blues for a moment before looking away again. "she said you wanted me to come here. I can see you're busy, so I can-" you pointed toward the door.

"No." Megumi propped his sticks across his snare and walked away from the set slowly toward you, stopping a foot away. He stared for a moment, panting a bit. "I'm fine."

You seriously had a hard time looking him in the eye.

"Nobara told me about what happened …" he started, his breathing slowing, compassion and softness in his tone, blending with the soothing sound of the rain patting the roof. "...with your dad. That you had a hard time. I'm sorry."

"It's um... it's nothing." you huffed as you shook your head.

"It's not nothing. It's something. And it matters. You matter."

You glanced up at him for a second as he spoke those words, working hard to fight back more tears. You could feel your body trembling. It's possible he could see it, too.

"Come with me". he said, leading you to another door adjacent to the large room he played the drums in.

It was the office you saw during your video chat. It was much bigger than you'd imagined. There was a large window on the back wall, opposite the door, covered with blinds and thick black curtains. His swivel chair was positioned in front of the window, facing his desk, where his computer sat.

"Wait here for a sec." he asked, as he disappeared out the office door.

There was a large, plush rug in the middle of the room, and directly in front of you, a few feet from the door, was the back of a huge fluffy black suede couch which faced his desk. It was enormous, a half sectional, and must have been the one he'd slept on. There was no coffee table in front of it, but 2 small tables on either side. In addition to a loveseat on the left, and a chair on the right.

Your eyes traveled up the walls, widening as you noticed they were covered with accolades of all kinds. Photos of him, with different artists, awards and plaques from high school to after college, along with documented achievements and signatures.

Megumi was far more accomplished than you'd ever known. Albeit not a surprise to you. Seeing that on his wall, in his office, was awe-inspiring. He's a formidable man. An amazing man. But... you knew that. Right from the start.

His speaker was on low, playing

Snoh Aalegra - Do For Love

as you heard him locking up the front before he made it back into the office and closed the door, also locking that behind him.

"Megumi, I just... I didn't want you to get the wrong impression of me. I couldn't just..." you trailed off, realizing you were just posturing.

"This sounds familiar. You told me you'd be here."

"I know. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to lie." you expressed with genuine regret, fighting back more tears.

He stared at you for what felt like an eternity. Your eyes refused to make contact with his out of fear you'd start bawling.

"I thought about calling you. Maybe asking you to go with me and-"

"I would have." He interrupted. "I would've gone with you. Been there for you. I would have supported you."

"But you were busy... I didn't want to impose..."

"You can't decide that for me. That's my decision to make. My decision, if I'm too busy, or if what you say or do is too much. I decide if it's too much for me. Its not."

As he spoke, he noticed you constantly shying away from him. "Look at me. Please."

You lifted your face up slowly, your eyes reaching his last. The look on his face surprised you. Even pained you a little. He looked genuinely hurt. Concerned. A hard line formed between his brows, his eyes, searching yours for reason. "I missed you".

You felt your heart skip a beat and whispered, "I missed you, too. And I'm sorry".

"Do you? He muttered, "and … are you?" concern still apparent in his features.

You gazed up at him, taking a deep breath. "Of course."

The longing in his eyes was far more than apparent than any form of frustration. "Show me." he requested.

"Show you... what?" You squinted, confused.

"That you're sorry."

A series of questions flooded your mind.

What? - being the most obvious.

"Show me that you're sorry." He repeated, seeing the confusion in your eyes. "Take off your dress and kneel".

You flinched, as your eyebrows shot up "Excuse me?"

"You … were bad." His dark blues piercing a hole directly into your eyes, making it clear that he's kidding you not, apparently.

"You lied. You neglected me." he slowly took two steps back toward his desk, leaned against it, crossing his arms and legs. He repeated, "You said you're sorry. So... Take off your dress... and kneel."

You stood watching him for a moment, your lips slowly parted, mimicking a jaw drop as you stared. He was dead serious.

You were searching your brain for the reason you were actually, even for a second, considering doing what he asked - no - told you to do. After scraping your upper molars with your tongue, in awe of the sheer size of his balls, your body began to move … In obedience.

You raised your dress up past your hips, pausing for a moment. You looked up at him as if expecting him to stop you. He didn't.

He simply stood there, looking away, waiting for you to do as he asked. His blank expression giving you no indication of emotion.

You continued, sliding your dress up over your curves, revealing more of your smooth, bare skin in the dimly lit room.

You tugged it over your breasts then up over your head and around your hair as it flung over your right shoulder.

You then tossed it on to the chair as you stood revealed, covered only in your black lace lingere and black heels.

Megumi slowly turned his face back to look at you. As his eyes took you in, you hear something similar to a gasp as you looked down toward the floor.

He pushed himself off of his desk, his hands behind his back. He took two slow strides toward you, stopping at your chest just centimeters shy of your body. He turned his head toward you, his hot breath wafting down your neck as he whispered, "Kneel".

You did as you were told, lowering your body slowly, planting one knee after the other on to the carpet, facing the window.

He grabbed a pillow from the chair, dropping it lightly to the floor in front of you.

You leaned in, sliding your knees on the pillow, far too nervous - and embarrassed - to meet his gaze, still looking down to the floor.

Megumi walked around you slowly, his gaze like warm soft hands, exploring all over your body... that tangible gaze you loved, covering you, regardless of what he was doing.

What was he doing?

Is this a...

punishment?

or … a consequence of some sort?

"I told you to come to me." He started, his voice firm and resolute. "I said, 'come straight to me'. I would have taken care of you. Given you what you wanted, or needed. I wanted to see you... touch you. I wanted to be with you. That's something that only you could give me. You promised me you would, but you didn't. And now... you will."

He stood in front of you, his waist, mere inches from your face.

"Take off my belt."

Your heart was racing, you mind wandering. What is he planning? Yet... you could see his bulge, his manhood begging for release from behind the confines of his jeans.

You did as you were told.

You reached up to his buckle, your core clenching at the sight of him. Your heart beat harder than ever as your trembling hands slid the leather strap through the buckle. Something about this was exciting.

You tried to avoid his bulge as you leaned in to pull the strap from the loops, your face mere centimeters away, as you finally slid it off.

He took the belt from your hands and walked behind you. After a few moments, you suddenly see the belt strap float past your face, resting across your collar bone. He'd wrapped it around your neck, securing it loosely in one of the notches he'd just created. The cold leather making your body shiver, the metal buckle sending a chill down your spine as it touched your skin.

He walked back around to face you. "Is this making you angry?"

"No."

"Do you want me to stop?"

You hesitated a moment, giving it sincere thought. "No."

He crossed his arms in front of him, "... what's your favorite color?"

Your brow furrowed a bit, "Turquoise."

"If you want me to stop. I'll stop immediately. If at any moment this becomes unbearable for you... say, 'Turquoise'. Do you understand?"

'Unbearable'?

Goosebumps pressed forward all over your body. "Yes."

Your heart was beating even faster now. You had never been here before. It was...

Slightly scary... but...

Somehow...

Wildly arousing...

What the hell is happening?

It was as if you were meeting a brand new version of yourself for the first time in your life. A version that you were surprised to find you enjoyed.

You slowly looked up at his face... as your gaze met his, your core clenched from deep inside you as if jump-starting your heart. Your breathing became heavier.

"Once we begin... Do not take your eyes off of mine. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes sir."

"Yes sir."

As your gaze remained glued to his, he unzipped his jeans, pulling them down. They pooled around his ankles as he stepped out of them. He was wearing deep red boxer briefs with a black band. They looked amazing on him. "Pull it out."

You had to grip the band of his boxers in each hand in order to pull them down. Your body tingled as your fingers made contact with his bare skin.

They grazed his smooth abs in front of each hip, as they curved down into the band, sliding outward around his waist, pulling them down over his perfectly round ass, then curving back around across his hipbone toward the smooth, jet black strands that trickled down his v-line.

He was rock hard, the fabric pulling taut against him. The band struggled over his bulge as you pulled them down. It sprang free; his large, throbbing cock, right in front of you. It was so... fucking beautiful.

The sight of it nearly made me cum...

"Take it in your hands and look at me."

Attempting to maintain your composure, you gripped the shaft, in both fucking hands. The moment you touched it, a shiver went through your entire body. It's temperature hot against your skin as clear fluid seeped from the tip.

You felt him flinch immediately also. You took a deep breath as you looked up at him. He trembled against your hand, his eyes closed, breathing hitched and heavy.

Tension spread like lightning throughout your body. You felt the slick, pooling between your legs, saliva filling your mouth as the fire inside you burned fiercely.

He slowly opened his eyes, holding your gaze. He ran his fingers through your hair, gripping it into a messy ponytail in the back of your head, held in place by his right hand.

He gripped the loose strap of the belt in his left, wrapping it in a firm hold. As you locked eyes with him, he spoke clearly and deeply, "Open your mouth".

... fuck! I almost came again...

Your entire body felt as if it were closing in on itself.

You did as you were told.

"Now... make me come." He pulled you forward by your "collar", your tongue making first impact on the thick, smooth tip. It was warm. Precum glazed your tongue, mixing with your saliva. The heady, slightly salty flavor blended with his familiar aroma, flooding your senses.

Tastes So Good - Sabrina Claudio

Played as your brow furrowed and dizziness took over. It was as if you'd been holding your breath, starving, for months. You exhaled on contact, your eyes rolling into the back of your head. The taste of him...

The tender part of your lips wrapped firmly around him, gliding smoothly across his veiny shaft. Your body grew increasingly weaker as you fell under hypnosis. Tiny moans escaped your vocal chords as you trembled uncontrollably.

Megumi missed nothing. "Keep your eyes up here."

His voice... you slowly looked up into his eyes as your head bobbed, your tongue tracing the lines in his throbbing member as he pulled you further onto him. His fucking eyes... you had yet to see such fire.

I'm... so... so wet...

The desire to shove his cock between your legs grew more intense by the second. Your knees shook underneath you, pressing deeper into the pillow.

As Megumi observed your face, your quivering body, your glazed over blown out eyes, your pink cheeks, he groaned deeply, his mouth gaped open as his breathing hitched. His eyebrows pressed together as he watched you take him deeper down your throat.

He gripped your hair tighter. "That's it, sweetness. Very good..."

A chill went up and down your spine as he spoke. You wrapped your lips around him tighter, sucking a little harder, hoping to pull more praise from his mouth and more come from his cock.

Megumi's eyes fluttered shut as he threw his head back, thrusting his hips forward as he slowly fucked his dick into your mouth, only covering a fraction of his length.

You responded, just as a good girl should, using your hands to compensate for the parts of this beautifully engorged thing that your mouth struggled to envelop. Using your saliva to coat him, you hummed against his length savoring his heat and his flavor.

The sound of his moans were utterly intoxicating, urging your boldness forward. You gazed longingly into his eyes as you sucked him off, your hips moving, telltale signs of just how good all of this was making you feel.

Your brow furrowed in a silent plea for his approval as his dick pumped in and out of your pretty little mouth.

Megumi smirked, locs of your hair tickling his wrist as he yanked at your collar, widening your throat with each thrust as he continued fucking his cock into your face. "Yeah... Good girl." he grunted.

Noticing your constant trembling and the flutter of your eyes, he tilted his head, glancing between your thighs. His eyes widened, finding that you were dripping down your legs.

He gasped at the sight, a sharp tinge of adrenaline pulsing through his thick pretty cock as you held it in your mouth and your hands.

Your eyes closed as more of Megumi's precum spilled onto your tongue. You raised your chin up toward him, your pupils wide and your mouth wider, showing him just how good you can be for him.

Edging toward release at the sight of you, his hips bucked forward as he trembled, throwing his head back again, his hand tightening even more around your makeshift collar, the other around your hair.

He hissed "Aaah yes... I'm gonna come. Your mouth feels fucking incredible." He moaned as his thrusts stifled in pace. His mouth remained open, granting him more oxygen as he peaked. "Fuck! Don't stop."

As he pressed in deeper, pulling the leather and pushing his swollen head toward the back of your tiny throat, you hummed against him, with a slight gag and more saliva slipping past your fingers, tears pricking at your eyes.

You moved your hands faster, squelching and tightening your grip as they slid up and down his shaft, your wet tongue dancing around the tip, your lips plumped from the friction.

"I'm coming... fuck! I'm coming..." he moaned, trembling.

You tightened your mouth around him as you felt the warm, thick liquid shoot out from his tip to the back of your throat. The sound of his voice, the sensation of his strong hands shaking as it gripped your head, the pull of the collar, his moans as he came, all unbearably intoxicating.

Sure to lock onto his gaze, you raise your head as you pull him from your mouth, your lips sliding across the shaft all the way to the tip. You stayed there, your tongue orbiting and gliding over his slit, gently sucking the sensitive head, pulling every drop from inside.

Megumi practically doubled over in pleasure as he watched you suck at his oversensitive dick, a few more times for good measure, then letting go with a wet, satisfying smack.

He frowned deeply, still trembling and gawking at you in awe. He lifted his hand to your chin, pressing his thumb past your wet lips as he slipped it into your mouth, rubbing your tongue, finding no remnants of his seed. He stood there for a moment smirking, catching his breath, his dick refusing to lower its head. "Shit..." He moaned... "That's my good girl."

His praise satiated you. Gratified you. Megumi was fucking delectable. Inside and out. The pleasure that came with satisfying him was nothing short of incredible.

You wanted more. Needed more.

But... You were dying for him to... just … touch you. Aching for him to put his hands on your body. You desired him. Craved him.

In this short time, your connection, your compatibility, your chemistry, was all so perfectly aligned, regardless of anything else.

Megumi clearly wants you. Just you. And you wanted him back.

"Please..." you whispered.

Megumi froze at the sound of your voice.

"Please... touch me..." you pleaded.

Genuinely perplexed, he asked, "Am I not touching you now?"

"Please, Megumi." You answered as you looked up at him, trembling.

"I need … to feel your hands. ... just touch me. Anywhere... Everywhere... I want you, Megumi." as your tears welled, you allowed them to finally fall from your eyes.

Megumi held your hand, kneeling, wrapping his arm around your waist as he helped you up, your shaky legs threatening to give out from underneath you.

He cupped your cheek as he stabilized you with his strong arm, and pressed his lips against yours in a passionate kiss that reinforced the longing apparent in every bit of his touch. His tongue danced excitedly across yours, his lips, caressing and sucking your softly.

"How's this?" He purred as he slid the back of his hand down your cheek, curving his fingers around to the nape of your neck.

"Perfect," you whispered, as you relaxed in his arms.

"Good." He muttered, "because we're not finished yet." pressing your cheek with his as he began kissing you on your neck. He then turned, and in one quick movement, pulled a handle on the couch, converting it into a bed.

"What the..?" you couldn't help but laugh. "Are you kidding me?"

"Hey, I told you I have to sleep here sometimes. May as well be comfortable, right?" He shrugged, grinning.

"True … but uh … how many others have been here?" you asked, half joking, half thinking this might be where brings his fans?

Megumi turned his head toward you quickly, then chuckled as he held his head down. He looked back up at you with a grin. "Just you."

You cut your eyes at him in disbelief. "Just me, huh?"

He observed your expression, as he attempted to subdue a laugh, knowing how crazy it must've sounded to you. He paused for a second, then took a breath, "Do you have any idea, how expensive some of the things in this place are?" He squinted.

"Well..." you had some idea, but...

"I'm not asking out of arrogance … Maki and Yuta? They each have two guitars here. My kit, Toge's computers, one of his keyboards, and a Yamaha, Choso's mic's, not to mention the recording equipment, speakers, and …" He shook his head. "If I wanna bring somebody around for just a night, it damn sure won't be here."

Your eyebrows jumped as you smirked, pressing your lips into a hard line. "Makes sense..."

Megumi stepped toward you. His hand reaching up for your cheek as he leaned in to you, taking a breath wrapping his arm back around your waist as he pulled you close. His fingers grazed your chest as he gripped the strap of the belt, still hanging from your neck. "Are you okay with this?" And you knew he didn't mean just that.

You looked up at him as he leered at you though hooded blues. A sly, mischievous grin curling up into the corner of his mouth.

A chill went up your spine as you whispered, "Yes sir."

He leaned in to your ear, blessing you with those soft kisses you love, tickling your lobe. "Good..."

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"...'cause I'm your Daddy now."

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<< Set 2 / Set 4 >>

Set 4 Preview: "... “We’d better go… before I lose control and devour you right here”.

Your heart skipped a beat, electricity surging through your veins as he spoke. What this man does to your body is sometimes inexplicable. But he was right. It’s time to go, or you’ll become extremely irresponsible in this moment.

You let out a heavy sigh, lifting your head up as he held you, looking into his eyes with a sultry gaze, suddenly feeling a surge of confidence. “Then let’s go, baby.” You whispered. Then leaned over to the couch, grabbing your bag and jacket. ..."

Thanks for reading! ✨🥰✨

Notes: As always, I welcome any and all critiques, suggestions, and comments regarding my work, since I truly feel all of those may make me a much better writer! I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read my little stories, and if you'd like to be tagged in releases, don't hesitate to comment below! 😊💖🎶

©cocomanga 2024 | Please do not plagiarize, copy, or distribute my work.

Fanart Art: Courtesy of @Pinterest Ombre Caution/DNI & Animated lines: Courtesy of @cafekitsune

[with-my-calamitous-love]

LOVE LEFT ME LIKE THIS AND I DONT WANT TO EXIST

katsuki bakugou x reader

katsuki, japan’s number 1 hero, discovers his fiancé’s dark past and questions everything.

themes of abuse and violence. please read with discretion 🤍

part 1/2

inspired by florida!!!

all you had to do was beat the charges.

first, the body. he’d laid there, mouth foaming and blood pouring from his neck. you had checked his pulse. the deed had been done. standing over him, your eyes wandered to any means of disposal. ultimately, you decided to let them discover it.

second, the evidence. you made sure to use gloves and specifically used his favourite rocks glass, the one he’d drink out of before heading to see you. you’d leave it on the coffee table next to the couch where he currently laid. maybe they’d believe this was his doing, if luck was on your side. you’d write a suicide note on his behalf- you hadn’t thrown our those gloves yet, anyway.

third, the getaway. because you weren’t going to let them drag you away with his body in a bag. the weight of what you had done would do nothing but shackle you down. yes, you’re haunted, but right now you had to act just fine. your heart was tied up with laces and crimes.

and your cheating, abusive, husband seemingly died out of nowhere, supposedly committing suicide on his own accord while his young marital partner disappeared? well, no one asks any questions where you’re headed now.

you did your best to lay it to rest. meanwhile, japan mourned the loss of a seemingly good and innocent pro hero, to whom you now widowed.

✧.* ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ ✧.* ✧.* ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ ✧.* ✧.* ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ ✧.* ✧.* ⋆.˚

3 years later.

most of your life had been running and hiding. the thought of settling down anywhere, in a city where you were nothing but a mere guest in. you didn’t trust trust, you didn’t trust happiness. all until meeting katsuki one day.

the thought of ever loving a despicable, power-hungry pro hero set off sirens in your head. but there was some allure about katsuki that made you forget the shadows of your past.

little do you know, he fell for you first and he fell harder. it was impossible not to be enamoured with him- a gorgeous, 6 foot tall blonde with a cocky attitude and fierce determination. who you, at first, wrote off to be a shallow douchebag, but who turned out to be the sweetest, most chivalrous gentleman you had ever gotten the pleasure of knowing.

perhaps your favourite thing about him were his dreams. the things that drove him to be better. his determination to be a good hero, to be the symbol of peace like the ones who came before him. theres a certain light in his crimson eyes that you can’t miss. he shines bright in this light, dazzling your heart and daring you to love him.

so, after just 2 years of dating, you and katsuki are now engaged and living together. the public knows of you, with both adoring and jealous fans by your side.

it gave you this rush. loving him was passionate as sin. every time you’re with him is one hell of a time, even if its something simple as watching a shitty movie together or folding laundry after work. only occasionally, you’d look over your shoulder, making sure no one was following you.

right now, he’s in the kitchen with you. you’re seated on the counter while he cooks, letting you taste-test everything. the glint of your engagement ring looks stunning in this light. katsuki’s happy to be the first person you’ve been married to. at least, he’s happy believing that.

though, somethings different about him this time. he’s quieter, his mind ruminating on something.

he looks at you, the love of his life, seated on the counter wearing his clothes, and wonders how you could be capable of lying to him.

he sighs, putting down whatever he’s doing. he wants to know the truth.

“babe.” he starts, not fully facing you. your ears perk up at the sound of his voice. “yeah?”

he walks over to you, looking you in the eye with his beautiful red eyes. you could sink in them.

“i’m the first man you’ve ever committed to.. right?”

he asks, though it’s something you’ve told him time and time again. previously, he’s wanted to know for some insecure reasons. you’re his one and only, and in the past, he’s just wanted to know you’re on the same page. it’s something you’ve told him everyday.

“yeah.” you smile, hiding behind that facade. “why do you ask?”

he takes a step closer, looking at you. his eyes are pleading, because he wants you to tell him otherwise. please, tell him that what he’s heard isn’t true.

“i wanted to see if you’d lie to me.”

your heart drops.

“what… what are you talking about?” you almost laugh, nervously. that anxiety creeps up your throat. its pathetic the way you thought you could even keep this up.

he sighs, running a hand through his ashy blonde hair in stress. it was wishful thinking, believing that he, a pro hero charged with investigating and bringing justice, would never find out about your crime. for a moment there, it felt good. like you were really gonna get away with it.

he walks past you, rummaging around in his bag before putting the files on the counter next to you. evidence. the man you had taken out, and links that suggested you had done it. your hands shake, seeing how its all stacked against you. looking him in the eye was out of the question.

truthfully, he isn’t sure who he’s looking at. he knows he loves you, but love has never before made him question everything like you’re doing to him. he sighs before continuing.

“kirishima showed me everything.” he says. “he and his team were investigating this case in a city nearby here. i didn’t think much of it until he told me you married the guy, and left right after he was pronounced dead.”

he looks at you, into the face of the person he loves more than anything. he’s begging you to say no. he’s begging you to be innocent.

“did you do it?”

you swallow hard, eyes darkening as you think of your options. was it worth it to lie anymore.

please say no. he thinks. please tell me it isn’t true.

“…i did what i had do.” you whisper, finally confessing.

and his worst fears are confirmed.

his heart sinks, furious as he looks at you. he’s trying to discern if this is the person he knows, if this is the person he loves. his voice is shaky, hands trembling with unbridled rage he tries to keep under control.

“why.” he says, not a question but a command, like venom. you almost flinch at his tone, though you can’t say you blame him. he person he’s set on marrying hid something so huge from him for years.

“its not what you think.” you insist, truthfully not knowing where to start. you cringe at the way your voice cracks when you speak.

his eyes narrow looking at you. “then what is it? you committed a heinous fucking crime and i’m suppose to think its for a good reason?”

god, if katsuki knew half of how hard you life had been. he had a hunch you were going to lie to him again, and it only made him angrier. “tell me the truth. i wanna know-“

“i had a husband before you.” you cut him off. he decidedly holds his tongue, surmising that he’s finally getting the truth from you. so, he waits. impatiently patient.

“i was young, and i had just run away from home.” you explain, the memories of your past crawling back up your throat. “my father was a creepy, rape-y bastard. couldn’t last another second in that house.” you say.

his heart aches at that. he had some idea that your childhood was less than ideal, but the thought your own father did that to you was more than he could bare. though he’s angry, he knows you didn’t deserve it. “i’m so sorry.”

you simply nod, praying for mercy as you continue. “so… i ran away. there weren’t a lot of people who could help me, or who could bring me in. i stayed on the streets most nights.” you sigh, wishing you could run into katsuki’s embrace. on other day, he’d gladly shield you away from all this hurt.

“and then… i met this guy. a hero, believe it or not.” you chuckle bitterly, much to your fiance’s chagrin. the thought that the bastard who did this to being someone like him made him sick.

“he got me a job, and helped me get back on my feet. i fell in love, as stupid and naive as that sounds.” you say. “…and when he asked to marry me, he said it’d only be on paper. that it’d just be so i could have shelter, food and water. i felt like he saved me.”

katsuki nods, still trying to process all of this. “but he didn’t save you… did he?”

you shake your head.

“turns out i married my father.” you say, darkly. he bites his lip, suspicious confirmed. those abused as children are more likely to move on with someone else abusive, after all. its sad cycle that he wishes he could remove you from. though it seems you had your own way of doing that.

“i was gonna die in that house.” you whisper, voice cracking at the seems. “so…”

you can’t even finish your sentence.

he isn’t an idiot. he can connect the dots. but even though the climactic end of your sentence is obvious, he still can’t quite wrap his head around it. he still loves you, though he’s mad as hell you kept this from him.

“i laced his whiskey and watched as it killed him. after, i… i packed my things and left town. took his money, too.”

his silence is killing you. you wish he’d say something, that its okay- though its not. that he still loves you- though he shouldn’t.

you speak again, maybe trying to fix this mess. “i know its wrong. i know its fucked up. i shouldn’t have.”

he lets out another breath, eyes noticing the way your hands shake. those hands, the ones he’d hold in his own, had blood on them.

“and why didn’t you think to tell anyone? no heroes, no police?” he has the nerve to ask, though its a valid question.

you snap, tension breaking as you push yourself ofd the counter and away to face him. “because i don’t TRUST you fuckers!” you cry, yelling while tears spill from your eyes.

silence.

bakugou stared right back into your eyes as you said that, and his expression immediately hardened again. he was angry all over again. for one, he already knew you didn't exactly trust heroes, albeit except for him. but this just hurt him. he knew that he himself was a hero and would protect you with his life.

so why couldn't you see that?

“i’m going to give you one more chance to re-think what you just said.”

but you stand your ground. “no.” you say, shaking your head. “i was abused for years and no one heard my case. i was dismissed and shunned for years until finally, i ran away. and when i did, i was stupid enough to trust again. to trust one of you power-hungry assholes! and how did that end!? with me being scared to come home everyday! with my husband using me like a god damn punching bag!”

his expression immediately drops at your words. hearing what you went through as a kid hit him like a truck. but, on the other hand, he was still so angry. he wanted to tell you that not all heroes are like that, that he wasn't like that.. but the anger was overpowering both his thoughts and his feelings as he listened. he wants to tell you that it’ll never happen again, but his emotions slip it before he can say that.

“and because of what happened with him, you think we're all like that?!” he roars back.

“its different for you and me.” you say, tears refusing to subside. “every-time i’ve let my guard down i’ve been beaten. nothing good comes from trusting.”

so, he wonders if you ever really trusted him. why agree to marry him if you supposedly didn’t believe in trust, or in love? he feels his whole world begin to crumble around him.

he can see now, putting those signs together. your hesitancy when you first met. your trust issues, your reluctance to speak on your past. it all made sense now, and he hated it.

“thats why you were so hesitant to let me in, huh?” he asks, looking at the ground. he’s struggling to keep calm, between his anger towards the monsters of your past and a little towards you.

“you thought i’d be like him?” he asks, and that question physically hurts your heart.

“no! i love you!” your voice cracks like its a lie. both of you notice that.

suddenly, i love you was like the worst thing he’s ever heard.

“and its worse because i’m a hero too, huh?” he asks. but you can’t answer that. instead, you opt to look down, letting your tears soak into your clothes.

“thats not what i thought.” you say, though you aren’t exactly sure who you’re convincing. “i promise, i know you’re different.”

and he is different. katsuki bakugou was nothing like the demons you had fought in your past. he was bright, and warm, and his love felt like home. more specifically, a home that was about to be torn down.

“then why didn’t you tell me, huh? why keep this from me for years?” he asks, still wanting answers.

to this, you almost scoff. it should be obvious. “how do i tell my boyfriend, who is the #1 hero in the country, the pillar of justice and peace, that i murdered someone? that my own hands took someone else life!?”

god, he’s livid. he can’t even look at you, though he admits he kind of understands why you hid it. he believed you were an angel.

“..and you have the nerve to think i’d stop loving you over it!?”

“YES!”

that answer made his anger hit a new record. He grabbed your arms, pushing you against the wall. he held you against it, his grip firm on your wrists, his eyes filled with anger as he looked over your face.

“do you really think I'm like that? do you really think after everything we've been through I'd just stop loving you that easily?”

he was yelling at this point, but he could also hear his voice break slightly as he spoke. he’s crying too.

“you’re hurting me.” you firmly speak.

the fear on your face makes him realize what he’s just done.

exactly 2 seconds after his question, he lets go, backing away. he stutters to himself for a question, seeing what he’s done like a knife through his chest. maybe he wasn’t any better. maybe you had a right to not trust him.

“i’m… fuck, i’m sorry. i’m so sorry.” he says, trying to wipe away your tears. he stops as you flinch away from his touch, only making him hate himself even more.

he loves you, and all he’s wanted to do was protect you. he’s angry, yes, but the last thing he’s ever wanted to do was hurt you. he’ll never forgive himself for that.

silently, you grab your jacket and keys and leave the apartment.

part 2 soon! 🫧

[dollfacefantasy]

SWEET ESCAPE ♡

pairing: carlos oliveira x puppy-hybrid!fem!reader x chris redfield

summary: carlos takes off for a few weeks to plan an escape from umbrella for you and him. during that time, he enlists chris redfield to watch over you. when he returns, the two men you've come to care about want to have some fun with you.

cw: nsfw (18+), smut, p in v, masturbation, threesome, hybrid!reader, daddy kink/ddlg

a/n: first kinktober fic yay. i know the pictures don't match timeline wise but re5 chris is my fav so let's pretend. i'm gonna try to get my kinktober fics out early each day (someone suggested 3 am which i think is totally cute) but we'll see how that goes. thank you guys for reading, reblogging, and commenting. smoochies <3

kinktober slot: day 1 - hybrids

"I've only been gone a couple weeks, pup. Did ya already forget who your daddy is?" Carlos's voice sounds through Chris's living room.

As soon as you hear the familiar timbre, your head snaps in his direction, ears perked up and tail already wagging fast enough to create a tornado. You hop off your spot on Chris's lap and bolt over to the man you'd been missing for the past few weeks.

You launch yourself into his arms, burying your face in the crook of his neck to get a deep breath of his scent. His laughter vibrates in his chest against yours, and he spins you around like some princess at the end of a cartoon.

"I didn't forget. I could never forget," you mumble and nuzzle the beating warmth of his pulse point.

"I know, puppy," he chuckles, rubbing your back before he sets you on your feet. "You look like you were pretty comfortable with Chris though."

The words aren't said with malice or jealousy, just some more teasing. Carlos expected this when he left you in Chris's care. As soon as Jill handed him the scrap of paper with Redfield's number, he assumed you'd form a bond with the other man.

He wasn't stupid, and he knew you. His sweet puppy girl. You were his partner in the field, given to him by Umbrella. But now he was done with Umbrella's shit, so by extension, you were too. The past couple weeks he'd been gone was spent making arrangements for you two to flee to somewhere they'd never be able to drag either of you into their meaningless war ever again.

Gently scratching behind your ear, he sways a bit with you in his arms. He'd missed the feeling of your smaller frame against the muscles of his chest.

He loves you, he loves you, he loves you. Ever since you'd skittered to him from the lineup of other mercenary hybrids, he felt you latch on to some deep part of him. It was why he was gonna get you out of this life where you and him were treated like weapons.

When deciding who to leave you with, his first choice had been Jill. He trusted her, and she understood what you were and what you would need. It's not that you couldn't take care of yourself; you were physically and mentally capable of that. You just suffered from a touch of separation anxiety as a result of the canine attributes inserted into your DNA. You needed someone to devote yourself to, someone to keep you from being too lonely. She wasn't up for that task though. She had enough emotional baggage on her own. She couldn't support yours.

That's why she recommended Chris. Responsible, caring, attentive. He had all the right qualities to handle someone like you. Carlos met with him, and he had to agree. He introduced you to the other man, and you had no problem getting along. If Jill trusted him and you didn't sense anything off, he felt fine about leaving you with the guy.

But still, he knows how you are. He knows you can be needy. You love physical affection. You love having a lap to sit on and a firm hand to give you head pats and ear scratches. Just add a deep voice to coo at you about how you're such a good girl, just the sweetest little thing and you're set.

You look up at Carlos with a shy smile in response to his teasing. "That's just cause Chris is nice to me," you say.

He huffs another laugh and heads over to the couch with you, sitting down and pulling you onto his lap.

"I'm sure he is," he says, bouncing you a couple times before directing his gaze to the man sitting in the nearby chair. "Has she been good for you?"

"Of course. No complaints from me," he says. The flat line of his lips tilts upwards slightly.

"That's my girl," Carlos praises with a peck to your cheek, "Chris took good care of you, huh?"

You nod proudly, drawing chuckles from both of the men in the room.

"Did he do it as good as daddy?"

That gets a less certain response from you, but it garners the same amount of amusement from them.

"Good girl. Don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings, huh?" he teases.

Chris watches on and interjects. "I think I did a pretty good job though. Didn't I, puppy?"

He speaks with a knowing cadence, subtle seductiveness. You know what he's implying but so does Carlos. Before he'd left you with Chris, he'd been honest about the full nature of your relationship. Told him you were used to getting his dick at least once a day. It was basically a part of your bedtime routine, cumming knocked your lights out better than any melatonin could.

He wasn't sure if you'd want that from Chris. Certainly not right away. But after a week or so, he could picture you getting a little needy, desperate for something to fill the void Carlos's absence had created. And Chris was the perfect candidate. Big and bulky, warm and gentle. He wasn't mad about it. He made peace with the possibility of this happening. Even if you did let Chris soothe you for a few nights, you'd still be coming with him when the fog cleared.

"You did good," you agree with Chris. One of your legs lazily swings as it dangles from Carlos's lap, brushing the leather edge of his boot each time.

"Just good? I remember you saying it was more than good," Chris taunts affectionately.

The words trigger another wave of timidity over you. You sink back into the safety of Carlos's embrace and shrug. "It was pretty good."

"What'd Chris do that was pretty good?" Carlos chimes in. 

"Nothing," you say, too fast for it to be the truth.

"Oh c'mon. You can tell me," he says before teasing a little more, "You're not gonna get in trouble."

You pause, mulling over your decision. But then you decide to give in a little.

"He gave me a special treat."

Carlos grins at the answer. Now that you had admitted it in your terms, he knew he could keep poking and prodding. Even though he was ok with what had happened between you and Chris, he still felt an air of possession pluming up within him. The desire to make sure you knew who you belonged to.

"A special treat?" he echoes, one of his hands sliding over your thighs and between your legs. He doesn't actually do anything there, but you still jolt at the feeling.

You hear Chris chuckle from where he's sitting, bringing heat to your cheeks.

"Why don't you just tell him, sweetheart? You had no problem begging for it when we were alone," the older man taunts.

"Doesn't surprise me. She knows how to get what she wants," Carlos says. His fingers move back and forth on your inner thigh.

You squirm on his lap, looking up at him with your pair of natural puppy eyes. The truth floats between all three of you, left unsaid but known by everyone.

"What're you acting so shy for?" Carlos coos as his large hands slide up your waist, "You have nothing to hide."

Chris rises from his chair and sits on the couch with you and Carlos, only maintaining the illusion of separation by sitting at the other end.

Leaning into Carlos more, you let the question remain unanswered. Interest swirls in your pupils at the potential of Chris moving closer.

"Acting like I'm a stranger now?" he jokes.

You shake your head. Your eyes dart between the two of them as if they were two wolves closing in, ready to tear you apart.

"Don't be so nervous, baby. You know daddy's gonna take care of you," Carlos whispers.

And he stays true to his word. After a little more teasing, your clothes have come off while his are pushed around, leaving the necessary parts accessible. Chris stays in his spot mostly watching, only interjecting when needed.

When they get down to it, you end up face-down, ass in the air on Chris's couch. Carlos ruts into your cunt from behind, panting with each sloppy thrust. Your head bobbles against the other man's thigh. Soft whimpers pour out against the rough denim of his jeans. His hand strokes over the curve of your head in a soothing rhythm.

"Fuck, I've been missing this," Carlos grunts from behind you.

His hand splays across the small of your back and pushes down, keeping you at the perfect angle to take each thrust to the hilt. You whine as his cock rams deep into your insides. The occasional yelp bursts from your lips when his tip brushes your cervix, but Chris hushes you from above with sweet reassurances.

"You're taking it so well, puppy. Taking your daddy so well," he coos. His hand not occupied with petting you pumps over his cock lazily.

Your fingers dig into the meat of his leg. You nod weakly to affirm his statement. Carlos chuckles at your fucked out state and smacks your ass, knocking you forward.

"He's right. I can tell you've been missin' this. She's squeezing me like she wants me to never leave again," he rasps. His shaggy hair sways with the rocking of his hips.

"Never- ah- never want you to leave again," you repeat, your lips smooshing against Chris.

"Daddy's not leaving, baby. Never again," he growls while plowing into you.

A chorus of moans and whines come from you. The drag of his cock on your velvet inner walls has your eyes rolling back and your legs kicking lightly against the cushions.

Chris watches from above, the pace at which he jerks himself off steadily increasing. He can see a small patch of drool on his pants where your head lies. Reaching for you, he cups your jaw and lifts your head to make you look at him.

He sticks his hand out in front of your mouth and simply says "Lick."

You're not in any place to question the order right now, so you do as he tells you. You stick your tongue out and lick a broad stripe from the base of his palm to the tip of his middle finger.

He watches on with satisfaction as you wet his hand. When you're done, he lets go and allows your head to thud against his leg again. He brings the now saliva-slick palm back to his length and gives it a few tugs, the sensation much smoother with your added lubrication.

Carlos grins at the sight. He grabs you by the back of your neck and tugs you upward, forcing your spine to arch and his cock to slide even deeper.

A loud cry echoes from you at the new angle, but he holds you there and keeps bouncing his hips against the plush flesh of your ass.

"Look at you, so polite for Chris," he teases.

You can't really respond. The way your head bobbles around is enough to keep any coherent words from forming inside your mind. 

"Chris," he says, calling the attention of the older man, "Isn't she a good girl?"

He takes the bait and nods. "Of course she is. Such a good girl," he agrees.

Your tail wags, brushing against Carlos's stomach in the process. He laughs and uses his freehand to pat your ass again.

"You hear that, babydoll? Everyone knows how well-behaved you are. The perfect little puppy."

Now you do manage to respond. A loud whine bursts from your lips and you nod wildly.

"Uh-huh," you choke out, "'m daddy's perfect puppy."

"That's right," he huffs out with a laugh, "Think you deserve a treat."

Your tail starts whacking back and forth harder between him and you.

"You think you can cum? Think you can cum for daddy?" he asks.

Another quick nod shakes your head up and down.

"Mhm! I can, I can, I can," you babble.

"That's my girl," he praises, "Do it for me then. I want you to cum all over my cock."

To help you out a little, he snakes his free hand around your waist and pushes his fingers between your thighs. His digits swirl around your swollen little bud, sending shocks of pure ecstasy through you. You feel the building fizzle in your belly that makes your toes curl. Your fingers curl and uncurl, trying to find anything to hold onto.

Chris offers you the hand he's not using to pleasure himself. You snatch it and lock on, holding it for dear life while Carlos fucks into you hard. His own cock is flushed and aching, ready for release as well. He strokes it a bit faster, beating his fist up and down, up and down.

Carlos can feel you tighten up. Your body trembles with its proximity to release. He circles his fingers with more speed and applies a bit more pressure.

"That's it, baby," he coaxes from behind you, "That's it. Come on. Cum for daddy. Be a good girl for me. Show Chris how pretty you look when you let go."

The words send you crashing over the edge. You throw your head back and buck violently in his grasp. His strong arms keep you in place. They hold you nice and secure so he can fuck you through it.

Chris finishes next, unable to take the sight of you unraveling. He groans and melts against the plush cushion behind him. Pearly white ropes of cum jump from the tip and spurt onto the skin of his stomach. He pumps every last drop out of himself, still holding your wavering hand as Carlos starts to shoot his own load into you.

He moans loud too and strengthens his grip around you. The last few thrusts are particularly brutal. They nearly topple you over flat onto your face.

Carlos doesn't unhand you until he's done and feels his cum has been fucked nice and deep into you, hard enough to make up for the period of separation that preceded this.

When he pulls out of you, he scoops your body up and twists you around to cradle you in his lap.

"My baby," he whispers between a few kisses, "Always so good for me."

You nuzzle into the affection, and he strokes your jaw, directing you to look up at him. His fingers then turn your head, guiding you to look at the other man in the room.

"Chris did such a good job taking care of you. I think you should tell him thank you," he says.

You look at Chris with shyness in your eyes, as if he hadn't just watched you get your brains fucked out. "Thank you, Chris," you say.

He smirks at you, still a bit hazy from his own release. "No problem, pretty girl."

You can feel Carlos grinning against the side of your head. "How about you show Chris how thankful you are. Give him something to remember before we hit the road," he teases.

Now, Chris smiles and pats his lap. "He's right. I'm gonna miss you once you're gone, puppy. Maybe you can help me feel a little better about it."

A smile of your own spreads across your face. Leaning forward, you crawl in Chris's direction. At this rate, you'd be tiring yourself out, ready to sleep through the long car ride tonight and wake up at the location of your sweet escape.

[mommypieck]

𑄽୧ on the phone with yuuji𔓘 ᰍ

kinktober day 29: *y/n attached one photo*!!!

✯⁠ yuuji itadori x reader

✯⁠ warnings: phone sex, sending pictures, masturbation, fingering

He didn't mean to look, he tells himself over and over. Yuuji was over at your house earlier today, and he accidentally saw some questionable photos in your camera roll. He never thought you were the type to take these kinds of pictures, but he has to admit, you were so pretty.

Your body was clad in dark green lingerie as you posed for the camera. One photo stuck to him more than others, a photo of you on your bed with open legs in the air. Although he couldn't see your face, he had a good view of your panty-clad pussy and boobs.

Maybe you were forced to take these pictures, he thinks to himself, deciding to talk with you about it. He feels nervous as he grabs the phone to text you.

me : hi y/n, we need to talk

Great start, he thinks. Now he sounds like a best friend trying to confess his feelings. But in reality, it's exactly what he is. It doesn't take long before his phone dings.

y/n 🐱: hiiii yuujiiii, what's the matter?"

of course, you would use multiple i's in hi. It makes his heart melt. He wonders what exactly he should type.

me: i saw some pictures on your phone. are you okay?

Your heart jumps. The photos you took were for your crush, but he didn't enjoy them as much. You feel embarrassed that your best friend saw them. But in the end, it's not a big deal.

me: do you like them yuuji? <3

You like teasing boys. They always get so flustered and cute. It takes Yuuji several minutes to answer.

yuuji-boo: yes

me: call me

"Hello." your pretty face comes on the phone screen, making him blush deeply. You're in that same green lingerie from before as you batt your eyelashes to the camera. Yuuji feels like he's about to faint, his cock slowly getting hard.

"You don't have to feel bad about seeing these pictures." you smile at him. Your smile is contagious, and he can't help but return the smile.

"Y-you look pretty." he stutters over his words, he can't even look you in the eyes. Yuuji has always been the sweetest boy you have ever met, and maybe a little part of you enjoys that he's seen you naked.

"Do you wanna see more?" you tease him, putting on that cute pout you do. He feels his heart skip a beat. Of course, he wants to see those pictures, but why are you so willing to show him?

"Why?" he squeaks, making you laugh. He really is the cutest.

"Because I like you," you whisper, giggling as you do so. It's now or never, yuuji thinks. He's pretty sure you're not joking with him, and if he has the chance to see you naked, he's gonna take it.

"Okay. I wanna see more."

"Touch yourself for me, I'm gonna do the same." you roll on your back, angling your phone so that he can see most of your body. Your hand travels down your panties before you tease your clit. His only desire right now is for you to take them off. he wants to see that pretty pussy.

You might as well read his thoughts because you take them off in the next second. Now, the only thing hidden from his eyes is your boobs. His mouth salivates at the thought of sucking on them.

Taken back by your body, he doesn't realize he's been stroking himself over his pants. He shoves his hand down his underwear, gripping his cock. Yuuji is not sure if he should give you a show too, but he sets his phone on the bed when he sees you looking him straight in the eyes, your tongue lolled out.

"Oh my god." he moans, stroking himself harder. The faces you are making are a sight for his sore eyes, and not talking about the noises.

He swears he dies when you pull your bra down and let your boobs be free. They are better than he imagined. He's a certified ass guy, but those things might change his mind.

You tease your opening before letting two of your fingers slide inside of your pussy. Suddenly the room fills with your juices squeaking, almost telling him to bury his face in between. He wants to taste you so bad.

Yuuji feels close. It's been a few minutes since the call started, and he's already on the edge of cumming. It's truly embarrassing.

"Let's cum together," you say, adding another finger to the two. Tears start gathering in Yuuji's eyes as he tries to stop his orgasm. You can see that he's close, but you like teasing him too much to let him know.

"Are you close?" he asks you, and you giggle. Oh, that poor boy. Your palm bumps perfectly on your clit while your fingers hit your g spot. You know it won't be long before you cum too.

"You can cum if you want to." thank you, thank you so much, he thinks. A moan drills out of his mouth as he cums all over his hand. Some of staining the sheets.

Yuuji's moans are what tip you over the edge, and you cum on your fingers. His eyes go wide when you pull out your fingers, and they are all covered in your juices.

"I hope this won't affect our friendship," you tell him after both of you calm down. yuuji smiles at you. he really enjoyed this.

"No, it won't. But I want you to send me more pictures."

That won't be a problem.

taglist: @mcharris747 @huuuuut30 @krispsprite @bejewelledd @cawwn @veryninjanacho @jamayah @dngerwayz @nwptune @universlypiratecolor @ffakegucci @merachannie @d1lf-luvr @th3girln3xtdoor @nobody289x @iheartpieck @gia999 @kawasgirl @st4rrlighttt @candyeyeroll @7haze @banchangsbbbg @nigthmar3moon @softlilpeachxx @d1gitalbathh @jaenniii @raeeesblog @satorustar @balenciagarette @erp1007 @herefor-tojis-tits

[jonathansthickthighs]

My Sweetest Heart 2: Yandere! Fushiguro Toji x Reader

Description: You have a one night stand with Toji and now he won’t leave you alone.

Part 1 here

Part 3 here

Part 4 here

Part 5 here

Trigger Warnings: yandere, obsessive behavior, female reader, AFAB reader, toxic behavior, stalking, desperate toji, no smut this chapter, implied smut, alternative universe (no curses), age gap (reader is in her early 20’s, toji is in his mid 30’s)

A/N: im so overwhelmed by the amount of notes on my first post, tysm :’). This is a soft, slow chapter. Steamy smut next chapter 🥵

Not edited!

It had been a week.

Disconsolateness spread through Toji’s chest like a wildfire, the wretched feeling not leaving his soul since that damned night. But was it really damned? Toji dreamt of that night from the moment he set his gaze on you, but why. Why did you have to behave like he was nothing to you? He was certain no man would ever make you experience the ecstasy he made you feel, the pleasurable sensations you felt only he could provide. Yet, you haven’t answered a single one of his texts. The extraneous feelings were clouding his mind, making his thinking unclear.

The things you do to him.

If you could squeeze your way into Toji’s mind, you would be able to see the profoundness of his love for you, but he wasn’t sure how long he could let you explore his mind before you fell into an deep abysm of pure darkness. He would never allow that darkness to collide with the love he held for you. He would never in his life time hurt you in any way, nevertheless he would not hesitate to hurt —kill— any man who did as much as lay his eyes on you. You were his one and only treasure and he was never one for sharing.

Would it seem too desperate to call you? He already refrained himself from texting you more than twice a day, but the way you were ignoring him was making the hole his chest feel larger with each painful minute that passed from the lack of notice from you. He spent the last seven days watching you from afar, which was nothing new to him, but he felt the progress he made with you had dissipated. Why did you have to behave like he was nothing to you?

You were right across the street from him.

You were at a local café, sipping on some iced coffee. He knew you lied to him when you told him you didn’t drink coffee; he had watched you enter and leave the place countless times. Thus it was another reason why he felt hurt by you. He was aware of how despicable he was, nevertheless that’s not how he wanted you to perceive him. That’s why when you started making all those excuses, he felt like you were seeing right through him, like you could see how bad of a person he truly was. In the labyrinth of his soul, he felt an inexorable need to reshape your gaze upon him, the same way he would mold clay under the weight of his hefty fingers. Even if the whole world saw him as scum, he harbored a silent hope to be seen through a lens untainted by judgment by you.

Each beat of his heart was chanting a plea for you to fill the void within. He wanted to demonstrate he had a vulnerable tenderness reserved only for you.

He observed you chatting vigorously with your friends —the same ones from that night. He wondered if you told them about him. Would you go into detail about everything he did to you? Would you start getting flashbacks from all the things he did to you? He could envision the supple flesh of your thighs rubbing together, feeling your underwear dampen from the memories of him mounting you, making you squirm under him. Toji felt himself harden in his pants at the picture of you getting all hot and bothered because of him. A recollection of memories of your enchanting body flooded his mind each passing day, his groin aching with a ceaseless desire to be engulfed by your tight, warm cavern once more. He needed you more than he ever needed anything in his entire miserable life.

He decided the only way he could reclaim your attention was in the flesh, so before he could form another thought about it, his large figure plotted his course toward the café with gumption.

He strode into the aesthetically pleasing looking place, with practiced nonchalance, feigning ignorance of your presence as he made his way to the counter to order some simple black coffee. Once he paid for the overpriced coffee, he turned straight to the table you and your friends were occupying. You were laughing beautifully at something silly your friend had said and in an instant, you locked eyes with Toji.

A smirk tugged the corners of his scarred lips. He could tell you were experiencing a sense of inner turmoil running through you. Your friends noticed your shift in mood, their gazes pivoting towards the source of your abrupt change in demeanor. When they noticed what you were looking, they started giggling teasingly questioning if that was “the hottie you banged the other night” quite loudly. It was safe to say your friend weren’t ones for being subtle.

On the other hand, Toji’s chest swelled with pride upon learning that you did, in fact, tell, your friends about him. He was starting to believe that approaching you in the presence of your friends had been a nothing short of brilliant. He was well aware of his talents and it was abundantly clear that the most conspicuous one was his charm with women. He was going to win over your friends so they could influence you into giving him a chance, knowing all too well the powerful sway that a woman’s friends held over her decisions —especially when it comes to men. He was going to use your friends to his advantage with unyielding determination.

Toji could see you visibly tense up as he made his way to your table.

As soon as he was standing in front of you, your named rolled out of his mouth almost seductively, the smirk never leaving his perfectly sculpted face. “I hope I’m not intruding, wasn’t expecting running into ya here. It’s so great to see you!” He exclaimed without forgetting to greet your friends, forging politeness. He couldn’t give two fucks about your friends, but in order to execute his plan it had to be done.

Your lips curved upwards, a hesitant smile forming on your face. “Toji, wow! It’s good to see you too.” You rose from your seat awkwardly extending your arms in a friendly embrace. He instantly enfolded you into the embrace of his strong arms, not denying himself from indulging himself to the irresistible urge to inhale the delicious scent of your hair. Gods, if only he could live in your embrace forever. You were wearing a yellow summer dress that hugged your frame exquisitely. Holding you so close, taking in your scent, plus this little piece you were wearing had him almost coming in his pants. To make things even better for his perverted self, he was certain, by looking at your cheeks flushing with a deep hue of scarlet, that you had felt his hard on press against you while you were being embosomed by him.

Your friends gaze bore into at you expectantly as you jumped momentarily forgetting their presence. With a quick apologetic smile you hastened to introduced them. “Oh! Toji, these are my friends.” You told Toji each of their names and he nodded attentively, inwardly acknowledging that he was going to forget their names instantly. “It’s a pleasure. With all due respect, I have to say this has to be the most good looking friend group I’ve seen, quite frankly.” He playfully danced on the edge of flirtation, his words laced with a charm that clouded the insincerity of his words. And of course, your friends giggled gullibly, already smitten by the Adonis standing in front of them.

“No wonder miss ma’am here went for you. Not only are you a sight for sore eyes, you’re also good with your mouth!” Your friend teased, the rest of them agreeing with her making your cheeks deepen into a brighter shade of crimson, the flush of embarrassment spreading like fire across your delicate face. Toji knew what you were thinking. You knew exactly how good he was with his mouth, having experienced the onslaught of his fierce tongue in your cunt.

“Ah, you girls flatter me. And trust me, your pretty friend here is well aware of what this mouth is capable of.” He joked, eliciting peals of laughter from your friends.

“Girl, he got a sense of humor too? Why haven’t you married him yet?” Your other friend chimed in. In response, you laughed with a hint of discomfort, failing to understand how your friends couldn’t feel the tense atmosphere that surrounded you. You had recounted to your friends how he had been texting you nonstop for the past week, collectively agreeing to label him as nothing short of a creep. Yet, as they now met him face to face their skepticism suddenly melts away and they transform into Toji advocates? You didn’t understand. “Why don’t you sit with us, Toji? Let us get to know you a little!”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Toji chuckled, planting himself in the chair right next to yours, a little too close for your liking. He turned to you, a wide grin lighting up his features, meanwhile you settled into your seat with a frozen expression, like that of a deer in headlights. The morning after your night with him lingered in your mind, haunted by the memory of his hand grabbing your hair. Though he didn’t harm you, a sense of unease lingered, leaving you unable to shake the feeling of dread. You thought you’d never see him again, so running into him here took you by surprise.

As your other friends interrogated Toji, your best friend seized your arm, pulling you aside so she could talk to you closely. “Oh my God! You never mentioned how nice he is! Why have you been ignoring him this whole time, you bitch!” She voice came out in a furious whisper.

“I’ve told you before, I’m not looking to get into relationship at the moment and he’s so persistent. I just don’t want to lead him on.” You replied feeling annoyed at her abrupt change in demeanor. “The best men always come when you least expect them. I think you should give him a chance! Just go on one date with him and see how it goes from there on.” She insisted, her tone pleading. You were starting to feel guilty for avoiding him. Could your best friend be onto something? One date wouldn’t hurt, would it?

“Fine, but only one.”

Your best friend erupted in excitement at your agreement and sprung from her seat.

“Well girls, remember that thing we had to do? We gotta dash.” Confusion clouded the faces of your friends, prompting your best friend to shoot signals with her expressions, discreetly urging them to leave you alone with Toji. “W-wait, wha—“ Stammering in puzzlement, you attempted to grasp the situation. Your friends caught onto the unspoken cue and swiftly began gathering their belongings preparing to leave you two alone.

“Yeah, that’s right. We have plans… without you.” One of them giggled teasingly as they hurried out of the café.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

You couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before you. You made eye contact with Toji and he chuckled at your bewildered expression. “Quite the friends you’ve got.” He remarked casually, trying to hide the fact that he was shaking from excitement at being alone with you at last. He was fighting hard to conceal the thrill that vibrated beneath his skin.

You let out nervous laugh in agreement and joked, “Right. Making plans without me all the sudden.”

An awkward silence settled between you for a moment before you decided to break it, “Toji, about the texts—“

Toji interjected quickly, “Oh, don’t worry about that, sweetheart. I understand if things have been hectic lately. I’m just glad you’re okay. No pressure at all. Although, I do hope we can talk once in a while, I would like to get to know you more.” Toji mastered the art of concealing the ache of your week long indifference, cloaking his wounded heart with a facade of nonchalance. Determined to shield you from the depths of his longing, he masked his feelings, refusing to unveil his yearning for your attention.

You smiled genuinely at him for the first time since he got here. “I wouldn’t mind that at all. But, I would like to clarify that I’m not looking for a relationship right now. If we could keep things casual, I would really appreciate it.”

Toji felt a twitch in his eye; you were going to make things difficult for him. “I get it, sweetheart. No compromise.” For now.

You grinned at his acceptance and suggested, “You mentioned a mean ramen place in your texts. How about we go there now?” The realization that you were asking him on a date sent a wave of anticipation through him. Getting to talk and share his time with you again was the only thing he had been looking forward to the whole week. He let his gaze linger on your soft features, you were undeniably beautiful. He was determined to make your heart his, he knew he had to step up his game.

“I would love to, sweetheart.” Toji replied eagerly, excitement coursing through his veins. Temptingly, he added, “We could also go watch a movie at my place afterward, if you’re up for it.” You squeezed your thighs together, considering the myriad possibilities that could unfold once you two were alone at his place.

“Sure.”

[superprofesh]

The Five Times Colt Seavers Almost Kisses You (and the One Time He Does) — Part 6 (Final)

Pairing: Colt Seavers x reader

Description: The one time Colt Seavers kisses you — or, rather, the first time.

Rating: T

Word Count: 4.6k

Tag List: @strangedeerconnoisseur, @icantwaittoliveandlearn, @moonlightandstarshimmer, @chemococktailonthehouse, @1word (sending directly to the rest because Tumblr isn't cooperating)

Author’s Note: Well, folks, we've come to the end of this fic, and I hope it's everything you've all been waiting for. I can't express how much your kind words and amazing feedback has meant to me, and it has truly shaped this fic in more ways than you know. I'm really going to miss writing this fic, soooo........ if y'all are interested in a little epilogue, I'm up for that ;) Thank you all, and I hope you enjoy!!

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Colt can’t get out of the camera crew’s station fast enough. He’s been searching for you all morning, but Holly finally pressed a note in his hand, telling him that you asked her to pass it on to him. He instantly searches for a quiet place where he can read your note, dreading what it might say.

Yesterday shook him up, in more ways than one. Staring down the headlights of a train while Elijah Gordon pushed him to stay a few more seconds was terrifying even for him. Seeing you engage in a showdown with Gordon himself in front of the entire crew was so completely unexpected and selfless that he hasn’t been able to get it out of his mind. No one has ever stood up for him like that.

The more he’s thought it over, the more he’s realized that he’s been blind. Blind to your feelings, blind to your sincerity, blind to the fact that he’s been on the verge of his sweetest dream come true. He’s been pushing you away because he thought he wasn’t good enough for you, but after what happened yesterday, he’s starting to realize that doesn’t matter.

He keeps remembering the look in your eyes when you were in the tent together. The gentle way your fingertips stroked his hair, the soft skin of your neck against his lips, the way you held him as if he were designed to fit in your arms. If your fierceness in defending him didn’t convince him that he needed to wake up and confess his love for you, the heated look in your eyes did. His plan upon finding you has been to simply pour out his heart and see if you’re still willing to accept him after everything that’s happened.

Colt finally finds an empty bench a few stations down from the camera crew, and he unfolds your note carefully. A gentle smile crosses his lips when he sees you’ve scribbled it by hand, your artistic handwriting scrawled in green ink across a piece of office paper. The smile slowly fades, though, as he scans the contents of your letter.

Dear Colt,

I’m sorry to leave without saying goodbye, but I figured we’ve already said a lot of things that are more important than goodbyes. I want you to know that I’m not leaving because you hurt me or because I’m angry with you. I just think it’s best this way, for both of us.

I quit my job last night as Gordon’s set director. After everything that’s happened, I just can’t work for him. I’ve already had a few offers back in L.A., so I’ll be fine. I wish you the best as you finish the movie. You really are the best stuntman in the business, and I hope you stay safe.

I’ve already told you most of what I feel, so I won’t beat a dead horse any more. Still, in case I haven’t told you enough, I want you to know that the time I’ve spent with you has been the happiest I’ve had in a long time. I don’t know why you’re so dead-set on believing you’re not good enough for me. That thought has never entered my mind and never will. You’re the best person I know. When I look back on my memories of love, I will always think of you. Whatever you think you’d be holding me back from, it doesn’t matter to me half as much as you do. Please believe that.

I wish you all the best, and I hope one day our paths might cross again. Until then, thumbs up and happy landings.

Colt squeezes his eyes shut once he’s finished reading the letter, fighting the urge to crumple the piece of paper into a ball. How could you have been so stupid? his inner monologue chides him. How could you not have recognized unconditional love when it was staring you in the face?

The memory of your touch hits him like a knockout punch. Suddenly, every moment the two of you have shared comes back to him in excruciating detail. Smudging paint on each other’s faces. Walking you back to your hotel room. Flirting with you at the club. The look in your eyes when you ran to him after the train stunt. Your hands on his face, in his hair.

Setting his jaw, Colt glances at his watch. 7:42 AM. If he can figure out where you’re leaving from, he can catch you in time. There are a lot of things he needs to say before it’s too late, and now, for the first time, he’s ready to say them.

He folds the paper, tucks it into his pocket, and starts running.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You grip your steering wheel with white-knuckled hands. The sun has already risen over the mountains in the distance, but the beauty of the landscape is the furthest thing from your mind.

You can’t believe you actually left. You’ve never quit a job before, especially one as high-profile as this one. But you just couldn’t take it. You couldn’t work for someone who would so carelessly risk the life of one of their employees. Especially when you happen to be in love with that employee.

You haven’t told anyone but Holly (and Gordon, of course), and she understood. She also promised to pass along your note to Colt.

Writing that note is the most difficult thing you’ve ever done. You wrote eight versions of it before settling on the one you passed to Holly. The most painful part was knowing that that note may be the last time you ever communicate with Colt. Saying exactly the right thing was vital, and you finally felt satisfied with the ninth version, which included a lot less poetic verse and a lot more explanations of why you were really leaving.

The airport is looming on the horizon, and a wave of emotion sweeps over you, biting at the backs of your eyes. What was the point of knowing him if this is how it has to end?

You can’t stop replaying your memories with him as you pull closer to the airport parking lot. Things started out so simple and easy between the two of you — making each other laugh, sitting together at lunch, cheering on each other’s projects — but once the tension between you started heating up, maintaining a friendship has seemed almost impossible. You thought you could handle it, but it turns out you’re not strong enough to face Colt every day if you can’t express your love for him openly.

You pull into a parking space, facing the vast grassy field that leads to the plane runway. A passenger jet soars into the air, leaving a trail of jet stream behind. You’ll be aboard one of those planes within the hour, and maybe when you get to L.A., you can leave all your sorrows behind you.

You’re still trying to muster the strength to climb out of the car and drag your suitcase to the airport, when something… odd catches your eye. On the busy street leading up to the airport entrance, a vehicle is moving too fast to be driven by a normal person. The truck rounds the corner to fly up the airport drive at top speed, and your heart constricts.

That’s Colt’s truck.

All your attention is suddenly laser-focused on that familiar GMC pickup, and before you know what you’re doing, you’ve leaped out of your car and started running as fast as you can towards the driveway. A few seconds later, Colt’s truck pulls to a stop on the side of the drive, and he jumps out without even bothering to turn the truck off.

The fifteen seconds it takes you to get halfway across the grassy field feels like an eternity, and by the time you’re halfway, Colt has already cleared the distance. He sweeps you into his arms, holding you off the ground as you try to catch your breath, completely overwhelmed by this grand gesture.

He came for me. He couldn’t let me leave without saying goodbye. It’s not over yet.

You’re content to stay like that, suspended off the ground and feeling his heartbeat pound against your chest, but Colt carefully sets you back on your feet and holds you at arm’s length. His face is a jumble of a thousand emotions, more than you’ve ever seen from him in all the time you’ve known him. He’s breathing hard from his enthusiastic sprint across the greenway, but his eyes are illuminated by his excitement at catching you in time.

“Colt—” you start, gripping his forearms as if he’s going to disappear.

He shakes his head, cutting off whatever you were about to ask. “I’ve been wrong. I’ve been so wrong.”

You raise your eyebrows in disbelief, trying to make sense of his words. “Colt, how did you find me here?” you ask.

“I got your note,” he tells you. “Holly told me how to find you.”

“Don’t you have to be on set?”

“Actually, I’m not filming anymore.”

You can’t hide your confusion. Colt isn’t working on the movie anymore? What kind of insane coincidence could this be? “What?” you squeak, gripping his arms even harder. “Please tell me you didn’t quit because I did!”

Colt shakes his head, which relieves you. “Tom quit the movie last night,” Colt explains, his eyes never leaving yours. “Called Gordon and told him he was sick of taking orders and wasn’t working for him anymore. I’d say it had something to do with you taking Gordon to task yesterday,” he adds with something that sounds a little like humor. “Tom doesn’t want something like that reflecting badly on him.”

You laugh in pure disbelief, amazed at the turn of events you could never have expected. “Well, I never thought I’d be grateful to Tom Ryder for anything,” you say honestly, and Colt laughs with you, genuine joy behind his eyes. You search his face for answers about why he has rushed to the airport to see you. You begin, “Listen, you didn’t have to come all this way just to tell me—”

“I did,” Colt says definitively. “Believe me, I did. Because what I have to say isn’t something that can be done long-distance.”

Your heart drops. This is it. After all this time, you’re about to hear the words that you know are true, the ones you’ve been waiting for, from his own lips.

“Colt…”

Colt takes a step backwards, his hands falling from your arms to hold your hands between the two of you. The look in his eyes can only be described as utter sincerity.

“I have been so wrong about selling you short,” he says softly, emotion threatening to break through his voice. “I keep putting you on this impossibly high pedestal and believing that you’re way too good for me. I thought you could never feel what I feel because I don’t see myself the way I see you. To me, you’re every wonderful thing that ever existed.”

Tears spring into your eyes at his words, so totally without guile. “Are you serious?” you whisper.

“Absolutely serious.” His eyes blaze with an intensity you haven’t seen before, and his grip on your hands grows tighter as he says, “Listen, I’ve never said this to anyone in my life, but… I love you.” Colt stops, his voice catching in his throat when he sees the tears streaming down your cheeks. “I’ve been in love with you since the first time I saw you on set painting that triple-sized stop sign.” You both laugh at the memory, relieving some of the overwhelming emotion.

He keeps going. “I’m so in love with you it actually scares me,” he finishes, “because nothing has ever meant so much to me as getting this right. I can’t keep holding it back, and you deserve to know. It’s killing me.”

“Colt…” It’s as if you’ve forgotten every word but his name.

Still, Colt presses on, trying to get three months’ worth of communication out in three minutes. “I’m not asking anything in return,” he tells you insistently. “If you still want to go, I won’t stop you. You don’t need to say or do anything, but I just had to get this out. After yesterday, with the train stunt almost going wrong, and you telling Gordon off, and then when you told me you love me and want to be with me no matter what, I don’t know… it just sort of woke me up.”

Your eyes brim with tears again, and you squeeze his hands, giving him an encouraging smile to keep going. You can feel his pulse in his hands, flying as fast as the jet planes soaring over the nearby mountains.

“I’ve been holding back because I didn’t want you to be stuck with a guy like me.” Colt can’t seem to stop the avalanche of words spilling out of his mouth, every one as sweet as honey to your ears. “I keep imagining this amazing future for you and thinking that I’m only going to hold you back and get in the way. I’m still not sure it wouldn’t be that way, but… I’m not the only one who gets to make that decision.” His voice thickens with emotion again. “No one has ever cheered me on the way you do. No one has ever supported me with everything I do, and made me feel like I actually have a chance at real love. But you’re different. You make me feel like I can do anything, and if you still want me after all we’ve been through, I’m yours.”

The look in Colt’s eyes is enough to make your knees feel weak, and you throw yourself forward to steady yourself, wrapping your arms around his neck and burying your face in his shoulder. Colt’s instant embrace is more welcome than you could have imagined.

“Of course I want you,” you whisper in his ear. “Just you, no strings attached.”

Colt holds you against him for a few moments, long enough that a plane takes off from the landing strip and zooms far enough away that it doesn’t drown out his words. Finally, carefully, he pries himself out of your arms and holds you at arm’s length, his hands on your waist. “Look, I can’t promise that it’ll be easy,” he continues in a rush. “I’m a stuntman. Life is scary and dangerous and all that.”

“I don’t care about that,” you answer honestly, beaming through your tears. “If it’s what you love doing, there’s nothing I want more than for you to do it. I can handle it.”

“It’s not just that. I’ve never… I’ve never had a serious relationship before. Everything will be new for me, and I’m going to make a ton of mistakes.”

Colt’s eyes are misty, too, and your heart is so full of joy that it feels like it will burst. You know it must be radiating from your face, because Colt starts grinning back at you, seeming to sense how much you’ve been aching to hear these words from him.

“So am I,” you insist, your hands fluttering back and forth from his face to his shoulders over and over. “Mistakes are just part of a relationship. As long as we communicate and stay committed, we’re not going to fall apart just because of a few mistakes.”

Colt nods, flexing his fingers against your waist as his smile overtakes his entire face. Still, he doesn’t lose control: he seems to be holding back until he’s finished saying everything that’s been building up over the months. You’re more than happy to let your gaze wander over his wonderful face, to bask in the fact that Colt Seavers loves you back and isn’t going to let you go.

“There’s one more thing,” he says gingerly. “I… I don’t really have a lot of grand aspirations for the future. I’m a stuntman because that’s what I love doing, but there aren’t a lot of ways to move up the ladder. I’ll be doing stunts until I’m dead or until I can’t anymore, so basically, my future is just to be a working-class guy. I’ll just be an unknown stuntman.” He hesitates at the end of his speech, as if he honestly believes this could be a problem for you.

You want to laugh in sheer glee, but you hold back so Colt won’t think you’re taking his seriousness lightly. “If that bothered me,” you inform him, moving your thumbs lightly against the sides of his neck, “I would never have fallen in love with you in the first place. Colt, I’m not exactly shooting for the stars myself as a set decorator. Sure, I may have a chance to work on even bigger films, and it can always open up some new opportunities, but I’m not doing this to climb the ladder either. If we’re both working-class professionals for the rest of our lives, that’s fine with me. As long as I have you in my life, I don’t care what kind of life it is.”

Colt’s eyes finally brim over with the tears he has valiantly been holding back. His hands are trembling against your waist, and he ducks his head so you won’t see how much this confession has affected him. You pull him close to you again, resting your head just below his chin while he squeezes you tightly enough to take your breath away. This is what heaven must be like.

He’s whispering something against the top of your hair, so low you can barely hear it. “I’m so sorry.”

You shake your head. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I do,” Colt replies, the regret in his voice obvious. “I haven’t been able to make up my mind about what to do because all this has been in the back of my head. I should have just come clean with you the first time you ever let me know how you feel.” He lifts your head with his fingers under your chin, meeting your tear-stained gaze with one of his own. “It would have saved you all this heartbreak,” he whispers.

You smile up at him, resting your hand on his cheek. “What’s love without a little heartbreak?” you tease him. “That’s how you know it’s real.”

Colt finally returns your smile, his shoulders relaxing as if he suddenly believes that this is real. “I promise I won’t break your heart again,” he says solemnly.

“I believe that.” And you do.

Colt is looking into your eyes with all the passion of the ocean in a storm, and you can feel the blush in your cheeks building just from the way he’s looking at you. You’re suddenly hyper-conscious of his hand that’s still resting under your chin, tilting your head back to look deep in your eyes. The hand that is slowly, ever so slowly, bringing your face closer to his.

Colt hesitates for a moment when your lips are just inches apart. You’ve been here so many times, so close to a kiss, and have parted every time. This time, however, you know his heart is beating for you alone, and you feel like you have all the time in the world to savor this moment.

His gaze flickers down to your lips, and his breath seems to double its pace as he considers what he’s about to do. He lifts an eyebrow at you, as if asking, Are you ready? Your smile tells him all he needs to know, and finally, finally, Colt closes the endless distance between you.

The moment your lips meet his, your heart whispers, This is what you were made to do. Colt’s kiss is everything gentle and passionate, his lips moving slowly against yours in a rhythm that is so incredibly natural. His hands find landing spots on your back when you tighten your arms around his neck, pressing yourself against him as he deepens the kiss.

Every last circuit in your brain is exploding in the sweetest way possible. Is this how it’s supposed to feel? you wonder, and Colt pulls away from your mouth at that exact moment, fixing his eyes on yours with an expression that tells you he’s wondering the same thing.

The separation only lasts a moment, though, because now that Colt has had a taste of your lips, he can’t get enough. He kisses you again, and again, and again, and again, until you’re both so out of breath you wonder if you’ll ever recover. His hands move up and down your back, clutching your body so tightly against his that you’ve started breathing in rhythm with each other. You can taste salt on his lips, and you have no idea if it’s from your tears or his.

Just when you think you’re about to drown in the sweetest possible way, Colt presses one more soft kiss against your lips, then pulls back so you can breathe. You find yourself gasping for air and aren’t surprised to see him doing the same. Your hands stay on his shoulders as they heave up and down, and he doesn’t loosen his hold on you for a second.

“Colt…” you sigh, your lips feeling like they’ve actually changed shape, “I’ve dreamed about this so many times. You have no idea.”

He inclines his head toward you, resting his cheek against yours. His beard scratches your skin in a way that sends a delightful shiver down your spine. “Me, too,” he whispers against your cheek.

“Promise me this is real.”

“It’s real,” Colt assures you, dipping his head so he can press a kiss against the skin right below your ear. “Realer than anything I’ve done in my life.”

You feel like your body is about to sail into orbit at the contact, and you grip Colt’s broad shoulders even harder as his lips move down your neck, across your throat, down to your collarbone. You know you’re making breathless sounds that betray how much he’s exciting you, but you are far past the point of caring.

With every kiss, it’s as if Colt is repeating the words he said just a few moments ago: I love you. I love you. I love you. One of his hands moves from your lower back to cradle your chin, tilting your head to the side to give him better access to your neck.

“I’ve been aching for you,” he murmurs close to your ear. “Burning for you.”

His words inspire an entirely new shiver down your spine, one that makes you stand on your toes and arch even further into his arms. All you can manage to choke out is, “I love you so much… so much…”

You slide one hand into his hair, remembering how he reacted the last time you did that. Right on cue, Colt lets out a soft sound that makes every inch of your skin erupt into goosebumps. He goes still in your arms, his mouth still on the curve where your shoulder meets your neck. You run your fingers through his hair with firm but gentle strokes, reveling in the way he seems to melt in your arms.

After a few moments of it, Colt finally straightens again, his intense gaze locked on your face. You leave one hand in his thick hair and let your other wander to his face. Using just your fingertips, you trace his forehead, his cheekbone, his nose, his lips, his jaw, everything you’ve been dying to touch. Colt’s eyes flutter closed at your touch, as if he’s about to come undone right before your eyes. Your heart leaps when he leans his head to the side, leaning in to your touch.

You choose to copy his actions, rising up to press your lips to his pulse point, right below his neck. The way Colt’s hands on your waist flex in response tells you you’ve found something he likes. You trail your way up until you’re peppering kisses behind his ear, then on his cheek, on his nose, on both his closed eyelids.

At the sensation of your kisses on his face, Colt opens his eyes and smiles at you. It’s a new smile this time, one that speaks of a new emotion he’s feeling for the first time. Peacefulness. Assurance.

Colt raises his hands to frame your face, tucking the strands of hair that he’s pulled loose back behind your ears. His voice breaks when he says softly, “I may never find the right words to tell you how I really feel about you, but I promise I’m going to take every opportunity to try.”

You rest your hands on his chest, grinning as you reply, “We’ve got the rest of our lives for you to think of the right words. I’ve heard all the ones I need to know what you mean.”

Colt’s eyes are brimming over with the love he’s been demonstrating, the adoration, the gratitude, the sheer bliss of sharing this moment with the one person he’s been waiting all his life for. “You’re everything to me…” he murmurs, lowering his lips to touch yours again. “I’ve never…” he restarts, only to interrupt himself with another kiss. “No one has ever…”

He doesn’t even try to finish the last sentence, and your lips are meeting in a gentler kiss, one that calms the fire you’ve been building for the last little eternity. His lips are so soft against yours, coaxing things from you but never demanding. Colt’s hands stroke through your hair and down your spine, holding you close against his chest protectively. You can feel every breath he takes, every movement that reveals how wrapped up he is in feeling you with him.

Another deafening jet plane roars over your heads, but neither of you take the slightest bit of notice.

Colt finally slows your kiss down, pressing his lips to the corner of your mouth and leaving one of his hands to tangle in your hair. He doesn’t pull away, just lets his lips linger on your jaw, as he asks casually, “So, Sofonisba, are you still flying out?”

“Sofonisba?” you repeat, words slowly drifting back into your brain.

“I was running out of artist nicknames,” Colt explains, a husky edge still noticeable in his voice. “Had to look that one up.”

You grin at him, though he feels it rather than sees it. “I don’t have to fly out. I don’t exactly have somewhere to be.” You snuggle closer to him, not quite ready to leave his comforting embrace. “Haven’t even gotten my ticket yet.”

Colt hums in approval at that, the sound lingering on your skin. “In that case,” he suggests softly, “what do you say to some coffee?”

“Can’t think of anything I’d like better,” you say honestly.

Colt returns your smile, pulling you forward for one last, reverent kiss to your lips. Then he wraps his arm around your shoulder, and the two of you gaze off into the distance, where another plane soars into the sky over the mountains.

You don’t know what lies ahead for you, and you know Colt doesn’t either. But you are assured of one thing now, and that is that you’ve found the man you were made to be with. All it takes is one glance up into his eyes to know that he’s confident of the same thing.

That’s more than enough for you.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Epilogue

[absolutebl]

Top 10 Most Underrated BLs of the last 3 years

(mid year 2021 - end 2023)

This list will not include BLs that ended their run in 2024. I need some distance to know if something is actually underrated (We Are maybe?) or justifiably ignored.

1 I Cannot Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan 2023 Netflix?)

This classic friends-to-lovers BL is everything Japan does best. Angsty. Emo. Aching. Driven by real thirst. Yamato is deeply in love with his childhood bestie, Kakeru, and has been for ages, increasingly unable to hide his ungainly damaging high school need. He wants Kakeru in every way possible and it oozes off of the screen. Kakeru is silly and a little simple, but not frenetic or overly camp about it. He is earnest, and genuinely wants to keep Yamato in his life, which means giving a romance (and gayness) a fair chance. We watch him realize his affection and what form it can take in a truly authentic way. This show was impossibly kind to both of its lead characters and I felt almost honored that I got to watch something so lovely and rare play out on my screen. Full review.

2 My Ride (Thai 2022 Gaga)

Thai BL grew up with this pulp (the first ever pulp to make my end of year top 10). It’s a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine (AKA a cinnamon roll couple) plus mature explorations of relationships using one of the softest, sweetest, and most innocent friends to lovers vehicles. Kindly, overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi rider in an “other side of the tracks” slow burn romance. The support cast is excellent, making for great friendship groups and family dynamics. With honest queer rep that adds to, but doesn’t impede, the story, and genuine conversation about the nature of class, wealth, and classism, not to mention communication, honesty, and respect for boundaries, you can’t go wrong with this show. In other news, I am a sucker for a single dimple. Full review.

3 Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku (Japan 2023 Gaga)

A lonely salaryman (+ talented cook) gets accidentally adopted by a college kid (and his little brother). I was always gonna love this show if they stuck to the original yaoi (which is very dear to my heart). And they did! Paralleling it almost exactly. It’s a quiet & cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. Possibly too slow for some but definitely high up there for me as the best of what Japan can do with softness (like Restart After Come Back Home). It’s only flaw (if I dare say such a thing) is that it is not really “romantic.” Lovely & sweet but the romance beats are being used to build a family relationship, not just couple intimacy, but that's OK with me. This is a very safe show for anyone to watch.

4 About Youth (Taiwan 2022 Gaga)

A truly lovely little coming of age high school BL with a classic YA low drama but high angst and earnest depth. I didn’t even mind the singing, and that’s saying a lot. A weak seme/uke dynamic but tons of BL tropes (both rare in a high school setting but common for Taiwan) makes this one feel both sweet and colored by real world authenticity and grit. Full review.

5 Step By Step (Thai 2023 Gaga)

This was Thailand’s answer to The New Employee, and everything I loved about that show I loved about this one. This office romance between a stern boss and sweet subordinate felt more authentic to cubical work than previous Thai BLs of this ilk. That authenticity added tension to the narrative and its characters development (how novel). I also really enjoyed the charming side characters and the brothers' relationship to each other (although I could have done without that brother's side BL). Full review.

6 DNA Says Love You (Taiwan 2022 Gaga)

DNA deserves extra marks for an upbeat approach to a queer story arc that other shows have systemically mishandled with sadness (in the guise of realism). There is a twist, which I found predictable, but knowing what would happen didn't spoil this show. The leads are luminous and engaging, and it’s full of queer found family representation and an unexpected amount of domesticity, plus it’s Taiwan, so the kisses are great. The first few eps are rough going but have patience, it's worth it I promise! The second half is really special and life/love affirming - and the end is big-grin charming. Full review.

7 Unintentional Love Story (Korea 2023 iQIYI)

Of all the BLs on this list, this is probubly the MOST underrated. OMG the plot! Uke forced into a totally understandable betrayal, falling in love despite himself, put into a corner he can't get out of, the AGONY, the PAIN in those gorgeous eyes. Gah. Okay, so: A boy loses his job due to trumped-up corruption charges accidentally discovers his ex-boss's favorite artist, now a recluse. Evil manager offers him his job back, if he can convince the artist to rejoin society. Instead, they fall in love. I found the artist a bit stiff and reserved but Gongchan (maknae of B1A4) is a fucking GIFT - he carried this show (which I do not expect from the idol element). He was luminous with extraordinarily expressive eyes, just drown in the emoting abyss. The external conflict, social tension and pressure is complex and beautifully executed, plus Korea gave us legit side dishes (NOT a love triangle, hally-fucking-luya). Full review.

8 Dear Doctor I'm Coming for Your Soul (Thai 2022 iQIYI)

This is a romance between a doctor trying to save his patients and a reaper who is both his enemy and (eventual) lover (basically the genius premise of a gay Doom at Your Service). High concept looks good on you, Thailand. It’s lovely to see KarnNat back on screen together and they are still great, and Karn is just as painfully beautiful as ever. I enjoyed this one more than its ending deserved, and the best I can say is that it’s not strictly HEA but if you’re okay with Life: Love on the Line, you’ll be okay with this BL. It’s set up well, there’s no surprise unpleasantness like HIStory 3: The BL that shall not be named. Full review.

9 Destiny Seeker (Thai 2023 WeTV)

A darn near perfect pulp featuring 3 likable grumpy/sunshine pairings with uncomplicated iterations of enemies to lovers. At least one half of each does a decent amount of pining and there’s good chemistry, classic tropes, and excellent communication rep. It’s fun and full of linguistic jokes. Sublimely cheesy but a good rainy day offering with tons of rewatch potential. (Also WAR PEANUTS!) Full review.

10 Make a Wish (Thai 2023 grey)

A doctor who can see the dead strikes a bargain with a wish-granting irreverent tree angel - naturally they fall in love (from Sammon: Manner of Death & Triage). Stars Fluke Natouch opposite not Ohm, but who cares because Fluke has chemistry with everybody. Once again the Thai afterlife is incredibly bureaucratic but I enjoyed the premise and the unfolding of the story (it’s not predictable but still satisfying and with nice little twist). I like that the doctor is just gay AF - fag hag bestie and made of swagger. The cast is excellent but the comedic stylings are a bit overblown and tonally off. It has sad parts and did make me cry but is ultimately happy with a great sex scene, good smiley kisses, and all the agency.

10 others I rarely see anyone talk about:

Triage - Many would put this at the top of the list, but I don't find it very rewatchable and that weighs a lot in my assessments. Still it is GOOD and very underrated. BL does Groundhog Day featuring a doctor stuck in a time loop who must save a poor little rich boy from death by seducing the stuffing out of him, then PLOT TWIST, poor little rich boy must do the same for doctor! Unfortunately… stuffing keeps leaking. I thought the plot was engaging if a little redundant and occasionally exhausting. The pairs were all well done, low heat but with decent chemistry and the support characters were likable (or unlikeable, as required). My reason it's not in the top 10? If anything, the romance arc detracted and distracted from the main plot, but that doesn't stop this from being a genuinely good show it's just time loop is not a trope I personally enjoy. Review here.

See You After Quarantine? - This under appreciated gem is Taiwan’s answer to Gameboys and is just as charmg and adorable yet still as quintessentially Taiwanese as one might hope. It features a Japanese love interest and the cutest most confused disaster gay. Slow burn because the two have almost no actual screen time together and yet manage some truly amazing chemistry. Honestly how does Taiwan do it?

The Tasty Florida - I don't know, maybe it's Speed nostalgia, but I love this one, classic Korean BL with all those strengths and flaws... but The Prettiest.

You Make Me Dance - it's Korea but somehow they got this one, maybe by featuring mature characters and a real world crisis? Also they both ve hot.

Blueming - at the time it got a lot of attention but it seems to have faded into obscurity under the shod of The 8th Sense and Love of Love's Sack. This was a precurser to both and well worth a watch if you like it when Korea gets a little gritty.

Love Stage!! (Thai version) - I liked this IP alerady more than most. But this is the best of the 4 adaptations, and the first full Thai version of Japanese IP. It's both charming and notable in the industry. Hard to find and that's why it gets so little creddit but I think it's well worth the effort to track down.

Oh! Boarding House - I think most who watched this din't jive with it because it's an ensamble piece witha wicked love traingle. But I really enjoyed it. It felt like the move Kdrama BL that Korea has given us and I like me some Kdramas.

What Zabb Man! - one of the better BLs to come out of Star Hunter in the last few years. I like this pair a lot more than most, and the sides are wicked great. This is probably one of my favorite food themed BLs, actually.

2 Moons The Ambassador - possibly the lowest scoring BL to appear on this list but I just really like the leads. Nothing else is good, but they are kinda awkwardly fantastic. I also like how gay af the seme is.

Stay By My Side - This show was an interesting take on the "ghost boyfriend" trope. About a boy who is tormented by hearing the dead, except when he is around one other boy - desperation+proximity = love. Despite a strong initial premise it ended up mostly being enjoyable for sappy domesticity but nothing more. Still, I always give extra credit for the diabetes-inducing sugar content and rewatch capacity.

Requested by the lovely @l1xyz

FYI: I judge “underrated” on the strength of what I see people talk about (or more precisely not talk about) on social media, MDL reviews, and YouTube watch numbers (when available, as compared to comparable shows from the same country). 

Because of this, statistically, there will always be quite a few BLs that are difficult to get hold of.

Here's my pulls of the Top Underrated BLs prior to 2021. Considering the amount of content generated over the last few years, the pool to draw from is likely about the same.

My Top 10 Most Underrated BLs prior to 2021

Seven Days

Restart after Come Back Home

Wish You

Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding

He’s Coming to Me

Oxygen

My Day

Most Peaceful Place

HIStory 2: Right or Wrong

HIStory: Obsessed

I'd throw Great Men Academy in there, but I always dither over whether it actually is a BL.

[gtgbabie0]

Hello!! I requested the First Kiss story and I cannot emphasize how much I absolutely loved it 😭♡ It was so soft and fluffy omg </3

Another idea I had was Leon catching you wearing one of his clothes for the first time and he thinks it fits you perfectly even tho it's oversized or something like that :00

Tysm and have a good day/night!! <33

Is that mine?

{Leon’s first time seeing you wearing his clothes}

SOBBING!! thank you for requesting again my love!! 💕💕

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Leon Kennedy doesn’t hate without reason, and a good reason at that, it’s safe to say that he hates working late, and he hates being away from you, but when he walks into the house to be met with you in a pair of shorts and one of his shirts, well, he can practically feel the hatred leave his body.

It might just be his new favourite sight, the way his shirt hangs on against your body, how the fabric drapes off your shoulder ever so slightly, he thinks he might just lose it completely.

“You’re finally home!” Your arms wrap around his shoulders as you pull him into you, his head resting against the crook of your neck.

It’s such a small thing, but the thought of you picking out one of his shirts and putting it on just makes something inside him tingle, and it renders him completely speechless.

“I cooked up some dinner, there’s leftovers in the fridge whenever you’re ready” You let him know with the sweetest tone he’s ever heard and surely you’ve got to know what you’re doing.

Your hands gently cup his face and your thumb graze against his cheek, and hum softly at the feeling of his slight stubble, and before you can skip off into the kitchen, his hands grab for your hips pulling you back into his arms.

“Is that mine?” A stupid question, he obviously knows it’s his, it’s so very clearly his.

You look up at him, “Oh, yeah I missed you today so I just...” You trail off your hands motioning to his shirt you’re wearing, and he can’t help the smirk that splays across his lips.

His hands grasp at your sides, dipping under the shirt as he pulls you impossibly closer, and his heart skips a beat at the idea of you missing him, rummaging through his draws for a shirt, his shirt.

You giggle as his hands run over your belly then to your back, gentle fingers grazing along your naked skin, as he leaves soft kisses against your jaw down to your neck.

“You should’ve called me sweetness, I would’ve left work early” he whispers into your neck, god he’d missed you so much.

Your fingers weave through his hair as he continues to pepper your soft skin with his warm kisses, “I can’t do that Leon, your work is important” you tell him feeling a little breathless at his loving actions.

“Not as important as you are angel” You go giddy at his words.

His eyes flicker over your body for the fifth time and there’s an odd sense of pride that settles in his chest, you’re wearing his shirt, and he just can’t seem to shake the feeling, and maybe that’s why his hands are still roaming your body.

“You look so fucking good in my clothes, you should wear them more often” he smiles as he nuzzles further into your neck, and you chuckle hearing his stomach grumble in protest, he was hungry.

You try to push away from him but it’s pointless as he just holds you tighter, “Come on, you need to eat baby” you giggle as you guide him to the kitchen with him practically glued to your side.

He stands behind you with his chin resting on your shoulder whilst you dish up his dinner, “Leon, what’s going on you with?” You chuckle as his lips trail down your neck lingering on the sensitive parts, and you squirm at the soft feeling.

“Nothings wrong, I just wanna be close” he mumbles against your skin, “I like it when you wear my clothes” he adds, just above a whisper.

You giggle as you awkwardly move to the table to set his plate down, “Yeah I gathered that baby” you smile as he sits down on a chair, and before you even have time to turn around to get him a drink his hands are already grasping at your hips.

“Come sit” he says patting his thigh with a hopeful look in his eyes, “We didn’t get to have dinner together” he looks up at you with a smile and you don’t miss the almost playful look that flashes through his eyes.

“I’m not sitting on your lap while you eat Leon” you chuckle feeling a little bad at the way his shoulders drop ever so slightly, “I’ll sit next to you, just let me get you a drink,” you tell him, brushing his fringe from his eyes and he nods with a grateful smile.

You get him a drink before taking a seat next to him and his hand immediately rests on your thigh as if out of instinct, “You already ate right?” He asks, and you nod with a smile watching as he eats, and you both sit there talking about your days, with his hand soothing against your thigh, and he doesn’t leave your side for the rest of the night, you take a mental note to wear his shirts more often.

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[world0fmadness]

BEACH WALK

mick schumacher x reader

♡ general headcanons for a beach day with mick!

୨୧ second set of headcanons… how’re you guys liking these so far? i really like writing them <3

♡ view my formula 1 masterlist here

reading music recommendations: beach walk by whitewoods - sleep forever by black honey

♡ you guys didn’t really plan on going at all! you just woke up and realised neither of you had any plans so why not take a short drive and enjoy the summer heat on the beach with soft sand between your toes and the smell of the ocean in the air?

୨୧ so you pack a little picnic basket with fruit, sandwiches and lots of water, two beach towels and off you go! leaving angie at home with food and water due to it being a bit too hot outside for a dog to sit on a beach for hours

♡ on the drive, he has the windows down and lets you play all your music in the car, tapping his fingers to the beat and sometimes quietly singing along to them when he knows the lyrics

୨୧ when you arrive at the beach, it’s much more quiet than expected and you guys set up in a cozy corner, away from prying eyes

♡ he applies your sunscreen for you, he’s the sweetest man ever buuut you think it might’ve just been an excuse to feel you up just a little

“ let me do it meine liebe, you can’t get your back ” ( you don’t think you’ll ever get over how good it feels hearing him call you that sugary sweet nickname in his native tongue )

୨୧ not that you mind of course, it’s not crazy sexual and his hands feel amazing massaging the cream into your shoulder blades and upper thighs

♡ at some point, he leaves to grab you both some ice cream from a nearby stall

୨୧ you offer to go with him but he doesn’t want you leaving all of your stuff and getting up from your comfy position

♡ while he’s gone, another man thought it would be wise to come up and flirt with you, ogling your body like a child looking through the window of a candy store

୨୧ you showed him no attention, obviously, only ever responding to mention mick

♡ eventually mick comes back, two ice creams in hand

୨୧ a strawberry ice cream with extra sprinkles for you and a simple chocolate ice cream for him

“ meine liebe! i got the ice creams, extra sprinkles for you- ” ( the confused sound he loud out when he looked up and saw the man still makes you laugh when you think back on it )

♡ safe to say he is DUMBFOUNDED when he’s standing above you and in front of this man attempting to woo you…

୨୧ you stare up at him through your sunglasses and can’t help but laugh at the sour look on his face

♡ the man, being stared down by mick, quickly bids you goodbye and speed walks away, much to your relief

୨୧ mick quietly sits on the towel next to you and, still sour about what he just witnessed, slowly hands you your ice cream

♡ noticing he had ice cream dripping down his hand, you laugh and lick it from his hand, earning that boyish smile and a kiss from mick :) the irritating man is quickly forgotten about

୨୧ you guys eventually decided to take a dip in the sea to cool off ( and wash off your sticky ice cream fingers ), not going too far in, the water only reaching a little above your hips

♡ he splashes you a little while you both laugh but, not wanting to get salty water in your eyes or in your mouth, he mainly just holds you close while talking about your plans for the week

୨୧ when he’s napping with a cap over his face, blocking the sun from his eyes, you walk the short distance to the shore to collect some seashells and rocks

♡ you find some that are gorgeously blue, just like mick’s eyes and can’t wait to show him

୨୧ when he wakes up, you throw your legs over his hips and gently sit over his stomach, immediately putting the shells and rocks up to his eyes, examining the colour comparison… they were a match! you were definitely keeping them

♡ he was very confused at first but when you told him what you were doing… oh boy, he somehow fell even harder for you, so grateful to know that he’s on your mind as much as you’re on his

୨୧ you guys spend the rest of the beautiful and warm day cuddled up on a shared towel… his hand gently stroking an infinite heart pattern on your back <3 occasionally feeding each other pieces of fruit from the picnic basket you brought and exchanging soft kisses

♡ when the day rolls into the late afternoon, the sun has set and the beach has gone silent… you and mick are packing up, ready to go home to angie and cuddle in bed

୨୧ he picks up all of the things and slightly bends his knees, gesturing for you to get on his back

“ i can see your eyes barely staying open meine liebe, get on my back, i’ll carry you to the car ” ( he’s right, the heat has sucked out your energy )

♡ so, he carries you to the car, puts your stuff in the boot and softly drops you down into the front seat, bending down and gently brushing some sand off your feet and legs before kissing your head, closing the door and walking around to the drivers side

୨୧ you fall asleep in the car on the way home, mick’s free hand rubbing comforting circles into your knee

♡ but when he pulls into the driveway, he doesn’t wake you, he just picks you up and carries you, bridal style, inside <3 making sure angie doesn’t get too excited and wake you up

୨୧ he carefully changes you out of your beachwear and into one of his shirts, places you in your shared bed ( angie hopping up and curling up by your feet not so soon after ) before getting changed himself and sliding into bed next to you

♡ instinctively, you curl into his side and he wraps an arm around you, legs tangling together under the blanket, nuzzling his nose into your hair and letting out some sleepy mumbles of love

“ what a day hm? sleep well meine liebe, i love you so much ”

୨୧ what a day it was…

ynln: beach day with my man 🐚 ☀️ 🍦

loveuyn: “ my man ” 🥹 they’re so cute, i can’t

mickynforever: cuteee! i love these two so much

mickschumacher ✔️: any day with you is a good day, meine liebe 💛

> ynln ✔️: love you, my micky ❤️

schumacherlove: god damn… they’re living the dream life

> mickynforever: yeah 🥹 just a chill beach day with nothing but love in the air

racermicky: the “ m ” necklace! so damn adorable, i want what they have

> mickynforever: he has her initial on a necklace too 🥹

[cocomanga]

The Sweetest Beat - Set 4

Pairing: Megumi Fushiguro x Fem!Reader,

CW: Daddy Kink, Praise Kink, Size Kink, Oral, BDSM, Unprotected Sex, Edging, Drunk Sex, Aggressive Sex, Overstimulation, NPD Abuse/Trauma, Intense Feral Megumi.

READER DISCRETION ADVISED: HEAVY Noncon/Dubcon Please DO NOT proceed if that triggers you. Yes, I'm so extra. Ha! This is the Megumi I want to royally f*ck up my life honey. I couldn't find him in fics so I created him myself. Brace yourself.

Note: please block me if my work is not your cup-o-tea. I do not own any of the character art Please respect my blog art.

Reader is encouraged to listen to music mentioned for context :)

Total WC : 15K

Wanna take it from the top? Start at Set 1🎶;)

<< The Sweetest Beat - Set 3

The Sweetest Beat - Set 5 >>

TSB - Masterlist ~ AO3 | Wattpad | Playlist

Synopsis: Megumi Fushiguro is the leader of a fresh new rock band. They're currently playing covers and gaining a following at an alarming rate, skyrocketing his career as an indie artist. But when his best friend introduces him to a beautiful someone and sparks fly, he's challenged to navigate her fear of loving freely.

..... Minors: You have no business here. Love you, but please don't ....

▶ SET 4 Your Interlude – Sabrina Claudio Lung - Vancouver Sleep ClinicPrototype – Andre 3000 Lippincott - Animals As Leaders The Pretender - Foo Fighters Smile Like that – Esperanza Spalding Closer To Me – H.E.R. Double Back – Coco Jones I’m not OK – H.E.R. Thinkin Bout You - Frank Ocean Love You Like I Do – Vancouver Sleep Clinic Fall In - Esperanza Spalding

The office gave off a bit of a chill, with the exception of the body heat between Megumi and you. Most of the time no one was present there at this hour. The atmosphere was tranquil. Still and quiet, pierced through by the sound of the radio he always kept on in his office, the volume turned down extremely low for white noise, playing a familiar song:

Your Interlude - Sabrina Claudio.

The two of you rested peacefully together in these early hours of the morning, in one of his most precious spaces, somewhere important to him.

Megumi had awakened just before dawn, gently tugged out of the depths of his slumber by his consistently wandering mind. Even as he rested in his subconscious, his body, delightfully disoriented, reminded him that things were somehow not the same today.

Today, there was something very different. Something special.

You were there with him. Lying peacefully next to him. The warmth he felt was reminiscent of his childhood, waking up to a gift on Christmas morning. Your beautiful presence by his side.

You were his. And finally, in the most intimate way, completely relaxed and perfectly … vulnerable.

There was no denying how much he liked you. And yet, as of right now, unfortunately, this is a complicated position for the both of you to be in. On mornings like this, Megumi had a hard time.

His body seemed to have a mind of it's own and, of course, he preferred to tame it by something much warmer and softer than what he alone possessed.

Now, this time, he finally had someone. Someone soft. Someone sweet. Someone nice, warm, and cozy. Comfortable. Safe. Someone he truly not only wanted, but needed.

And it’s you. You’re his.

As he peered toward you, and his eyes adjusted to the dark, the shape of your face slowly came into view as slivers of light peeked through tiny openings in the thick drawn curtains. He turned his body toward you, on his soft, comfortable sleeper. It had been about six hours since you both passed out, and he couldn’t be happier to see you here, still next to him.

It felt as if it had taken so long to get you here. You are so beautiful to him. And somehow he could never get enough of you.

I knew I’d always want her. From the moment I saw her.

As relaxed as he is, Megumi’s a special type. The passionate type. The dominant type. The … insatiable type.

After taking time away from you, after getting a taste of you and you disappearing the way you did… last night? That wasn’t enough. Not even close. And seeing you like this? It was only a trigger. A trigger that quickly fired off another round in the barrel of his ravenous nature.

His heart beat heavily in his chest as his gaze rested on your sleeping face. His blood quickly warming in his veins as he took in the perfect image before him that he was sure to record in his mind. He wanted to always remember you like this. And the way he fiercely desired you. He hadn't quite told you. He wanted to show you.

I hope she knows what she’s gotten herself into…

Lung - Vancouver Sleep Clinic

began to play as you lay there, quiet and pretty, the blanket pulled over your back, your hair in a ruffled mess, strands twisted softly in random directions across your face and his arm as he lay next to you.

Your lips slightly parted, your breaths soft and slow, interrupted by tiny murmurs as your head rested comfortably on your forearm.

Megumi’s gaze hovered at your face, his desire stirring inside him, the desire to feel you all over again. To touch more. To taste more.

He gently pinched the blanket and pulled it down slowly, sliding it off of your back as he watched the fabric rise and fall over the outline of your body, unveiling your beautifully smooth skin, the side of your bare breast just barely revealing your nipple as you lay on your belly, his eyes riding each and every one of your curves like waves as they traveled up and down your body.

So fucking pretty.

He reached his large, calloused hand over toward you, his fingertips grazing across your supple skin, it's texture soft and smooth. Your tiny flinch and sleepy moan at his touch, and the contrast against his hand arousing him all the more.

His lids fell halfway over his eyes as he took in the sight of you. He couldn’t help but lean in and kiss your soft shoulder which curved upward into your arm as it supported your head.

She still smells so good.

He inhaled deeply as he pulled the blankets down more, his temperature rising steadily with every extra inch of your body that his eyes could see, until the blanket was completely removed, revealing you in all your beautiful splendor.

Megumi had a tendency to get what he wanted. He never felt the need to speak much, because he’s confident in his value. Not overly confident, but… content. If he ever had something to prove, he had no issue doing so, simply by existing at his best, which was usually excellence. That consistently got him where he needed to be.

Anything it seemed he couldn’t get, he accepted as just not being meant for him. It was what he believed in. Getting shit done meant not being complacent, not settling. Doing what’s required.

He always felt that obtaining something truly meant to be, something he needed, was a sustainable responsibility. And you, you were absolutely something… no… some one he needed.

You were his next greatest accomplishment. Not only an attained goal, but him reaching yet another level of greatness in his life. He recognized greatness. And YOU were it. Precious. Amazing. He had no reason to desire less. He wanted someone as great as you.

Many of the people he regularly met were … abrasive to say the least. Personalities riddled with anger, disregard and ulterior motives, with the exception of his band and his best friend of course. The people that seemed to travel through his life always just wanted something. To attach themselves to him, or to somehow control him to get what they felt they needed.

But not you.

From the very beginning, your frequency was high. A genuine disposition on a wavelength of kindness, your voice a gentle vibration, and a level of humility that he rarely ever saw.

Your sweetness was like an addiction to him. It dripped from you like honey, and he could smell it on you like a starved grizzly.

Ever since the first night the saw you, He craved you. Constantly.

I need more. Right now.

You stirred as he carefully lifted your hips, pushing a pillow underneath you, just enough for him to gain access.

One more should do it.

Your body was completely limp as you lay there, unconscious.

He positioned himself behind you as he sat on his knees between your thighs, one of your knees propped up around the pillows, the other leg straight. He could see between them, but only just a little. He was unable to view your entrance clearly, let alone get inside without moving you a bit more.

His heart thumped faster each second as his hooded dark blues traversed up and down your legs. Your smooth, beautiful legs, leading up to that pretty round ass.

Megumi hovered his entire body over yours, leaning into you, his hands resting on each side of you in the position of a push up, his face nestled into the crook of your neck, pressing his chest softly into your back. His arms held him up as he inhaled your scent, nuzzling into your neck with his eyes closed, planting soft kisses in different areas of your nape and shoulders.

Haah… she drives me fucking crazy.

His hardness pressed firmly between the soft cheeks of the tops of your legs as he exhaled. His face and lips followed the curves of your back as he slid down lower, lifting a hand to slowly trace the outline of your body, pressing lightly against the sides of your breasts, gliding down to your waist as he peppered your back with kisses, strands of his hair following the patterns his lips left behind.

He reached your thighs, leaning his face in between your legs, dark blues staring into your center … that sweet peach that he gets to taste, hopefully now, as often as he wants.

Megumi began to recall that night he sat in this very room, gawking into his computer at you as you were in an entirely different country, slinking around on a bed that he couldn’t join you in.

How many times had he replayed those images in his mind? The sound of the moans you made echoing in his head, torturously audible as he visualized you touching yourself, calling out his name.

How many times had he revisited that moment in his mind as he lay alone in his bed, his cock pressing against the fabric of his boxers, swelling and aching for you to the point he had to free himself of the strain, the pain of it swelling, begging desperately for release that he had no choice but to grant himself?

How many times did he need to stroke it hard to make it soft? To tame it as it’s stiff, angry head leaked when he thought of you, that sweetness that dripped from you like honey, your beautiful body. Your sensual voice. Your big pretty eyes.

You seemed so untouchable then. So far away. He wondered when, or if he’d ever get the chance to see you like this again.

And here you are.

He won't let you go again. You tried it.

And if you try again, he'll stop you.

He'll stop you every time.

… she’s mine.

He gripped your thighs, spreading them apart as you laid there, unconscious. His dick twitching at the sight, his bottom lip disappearing into his mouth.

I want… just a little taste…

Megumi slid his hands upward from the middle of your thighs to your ass. He squeezed, eyes filled with lust, observing how the stretch of your skin caused your entrance to spread open just a bit, your pretty folds blossoming like a flower. He leaned in squeezing a bit more, biting his lip, gawking at your tiny hole, wondering how he ever fit inside.

His breathing became heavier, his body tingling as a hard line formed between his eyebrows. He was growing more ravenous.

She's so fucking hot.

His eyes dart up toward you, checking to see if you’re awake.

He hissed, feeling his dick pulse, begging for entry. His brows wrinkling more as he gripped your thighs, pressing your legs open and his thumbs in, pushing outward, spreading you even wider.

He flicked out his tongue, pressing it between your folds, dipping it into your hole softly as to not startle you awake, rotating it in tiny circles as it inched further inside with each small circle, then closing his lips around it with soft kisses.

As you lay on your belly, he kissed your clit, then slid his tongue up to your entrance, pressing it deeper inside your heat, then trapping the fleshy layers between the tender part of his lips as he sucked.

He repeated each pass again, kissing your clit, licking up to your hole, plunging it inside, sucking your flesh. Again and again, opening you wider each time. Your taste driving him nearly mad.

He remembered how that night, the first time he touched his tongue to your lower lips, how sweet you were. He couldn’t wait to taste you again. He could devour you every day and never get tired.

He remembered how he damn near desperately wanted to submerge his entire body inside you and bathe in your nectar. His cock throbbed almost painfully at the thought.

Megumi moaned against your core, his pulse quickening, his thoughts growing foggy from your intoxicating scent as he licked you like candy.

He used his thumbs to widen you even more, bringing your opening more clearly into view. He was now rutting his tongue inside, thrusting, pushing harder, desperate to go in as deep as possible.

He flicked it against your gummy walls, blissed out on your flavor.

His dick jolted eagerly, calling out to you. He reached down, holding it in a tight grip, as if telling it to wait its turn while he lapped up your juices with his tongue.

You stirred from the commotion, feeling strange sensations in your sleep. Your body tingling, tremors starting and stopping in intervals.

“Mgh!..” … Is it a dream?

You thought

She’s gonna wake up

He thought

Ah … she’s fucking delicious. “Mmgh” N-Need to get inside...

“Mmmh!”... you moaned, stirring even more, half asleep.

Your eyes rolled around behind your lids, tiny moans escaping your lips as Megumi continued, keeping his screaming cock at bay as his mouth fucked and sucked on your sex.

He noticed your squirming, your hair tossing around as you writhed.

He kissed you one last time on your glistening pussy, then hovered his face up over it. He held you open with a semi-strong grip, he coated his tongue with saliva, opened his mouth and watched it fall, glazing your opening.

“Haaah fuck”

He leaned into you, his hard body over yours, his solid muscles flexing as he propped himself up with his arm, his hair falling over his fiery eyes as he looked down at your face, your eyes still closed.

He reached down, gripping his thick, hot, angry cock in his hand, pressing the tip into the wet mess he'd made.

He pressed in a little harder... his eyes fluttering, then flicking up toward your face as he waited for your reaction.

"Mmm… So tight…"

You moaned, and whimpered… a little louder than before.

He pressed in harder. Slowly…

You stirred more. Your eyebrows scrunched, “mmhh!”

what… “ahh”... what’s happening?

Harder still, halfway in, he let go of his throbbing cock, rock solid, and needing very little assistance going forward. He gripped your inner thigh, opening you up even more.

His darkened eyes watched you move around, his other arm gripping the sheets against the mattress next to your head for more leverage as he rocked his hips, thrusting his big dick further inside you, your gummy walls clenching around him.

Pressing deeper still... Megumi couldn’t contain his own whimper as he sank into your tight, hot, wet, cunt.

“mmmhh.... ~Megumi!”

Oh my god… He feels so good! “Ha-ah…”

He’s … so fucking big.

You could feel him shudder with every stroke, your voice riling him up even more, his steady rhythm wavering as he fought the urge to go over the edge, dying to cum inside you and fill you to the brim with his seed. He gripped your hips with a constraining hold so tight you’d think he was afraid you’d get away.

He’s so strong… that will... leave a mark...

He leaned in further, pressing his chest against your back, sucking hot pink blotches onto your neck and back as he continued to slide his length slowly in and out of your slick heat.

He’s… marking me… branding me.

Megumi propped himself up by his elbows as he grinded his hips slowly into you, savoring every inch of your passage that his length covered, his hands fisting into your hair after gently brushing it up off of your back and neck with his fingers.

His tongue feather-light as it glided along the line of your neck behind his wet kisses, sending shivers up your spine.

He groaned as his long shaft pumped slowly in and out, your bodies flush against each other, while he continued to color the skin on your nape with soft sucking motions, realizing you were fully awake by now.

“Can’t run from me anymore...” he hissed into your ear.

He was completely drunk on your pussy, steadily growing more feral. His body trembled, goosebumps pressing out against his skin as his dick dragged along the gummy walls of your tight heat.

More… fuck, I need more of her.

His hitched breaths wafted over your neck as he thrusted, his shaft disappearing even deeper into your core, reaching desperately for your sweet spot. “ha-ah wake up pretty girl.” his deep, raspy voice cooing directly into your ear, the warmth of his breath wafting down your neck, his jet-black hair tickling the side of your face.

“Ngh! … Me—gumi! You… you feel so good baby.” You whimpered into the pillow as your body trembled beneath him.

The feeling of him exploring you, his hands, his soft hair, his beautiful face, his deep dark blue eyes gazing over every part of your body in every secret place, his long, hot cock filling your insides, his deep sexy voice… every touch, look, or piece of attention you receive from him never failed to have you melting into slick hot puddles.

His words, and at the pace he was moving, felt so amazing, tears pricked at the corners of your eyes as you relaxed, your combined vibrations gliding beautifully along the same wavelength.

“That’s my girl”. He purred, still holding you tightly in his grasp.

You lifted your waist up a bit from the pillows, granting him easier access to you as your face mushed back and forth, your lips parting as you gasped, eyes still closed, letting him do whatever he wanted with you.

Megumi responded, releasing your head, snaking his hand down curving it around your thigh toward the front, pausing his thrusts as he began massaging your clit with his middle fingers, the sharp sensations causing you to jerk his length even deeper inside you.

Your moans became even louder, your body entranced by the feeling of this man’s meticulous ministrations.

Megumi’s thick hardness throbbed deep inside your sweltering heat as it jerked and pulsed into you all on its own. The weight of his body held you still, forcing you to take everything he gave you.

Megumi pushed out a low grunt, then hissed softly into your ear. He pulled out slowly, just a bit, then pushed back in to the hilt. “Haah... fuck, you feel so good.”

You couldn’t help but moan his name. “M~Megumi!” as you held in your release.

“Who's pussy is this, love?”

“Megumi's.”

“Ngh…” he buried his face in your neck. “that’s right… Now, I need you to go ahead and cum on daddy’s dick.”

He pressed in one last time before lifting the weight of his torso off of you, pulling you by our waist from the pillows, spreading your thighs wider with his knees.

He tightened his grip on your hips as he flattened one of his hands against the small of your back, sliding it up to the middle, pressing it down.

You responded with a deep arch, feeling his length press inside you, impossibly deeper.

Your belly felt it’s absence as his heavy shaft pulled slightly out of you, then back in, over and over as he began to move faster, thrusting and squelching and pumping in and out of your soft hole.

His mind went dumb and his mouth gaped open as he rutted into your sex, sweat dripping, muscles spasming, blissed out as he ravished you, hitting your sweet spot with every thrust, beating and beating as your soft walls massaged his length.

Your chest and head pressed deeper into the mattress as Megumi’s hands firmly grasped your hips, drilling himself into your core.

His eyes rolled back with his head as his face turned toward the heavens, the euphoria of being inside you taking over his being. “Haaah…so wet … aaah! … you make … me … fucking… crazy” he beat harder, deeper, pounding relentlessly as he felt himself peak…

You whimpered as your arms stretched out wide, your hands tightly gripping the sheets around you, “Nghaaa! … I’m.. Ugh! I'm cumming baby! …” your entire body convulsed even as you climaxed, clutching him fiercely, the sound of skin on skin slapping, echoing throughout he room.

As Megumi felt you coat him, soaking his cock in your sweet cream, he doubled over, continued to fuck himself into your messy center, his tip kissing your cervix until every drop of his hot cum was milked from him, filling your hole to the brim.

You both rode out the high, moaning together, his chest rising and falling as it pressed into your back, his hot tongue making more long strokes across the back of your neck and shoulders.

Megumi had seared himself into your body.

And god, you loved how it burned.

*~*~*~*~*

Work was tedious, and as demanding as usual.

Mr. Geto took full advantage of your abilities, as well he should, since you had more than proven your worth at this gig. However, after that last work trip you took, it seemed to be much easier for you to work up the courage to ask for compensation whenever you were expected to stretch your self thinner.

“Would you be willing to go on another one?” Mr. Geto asked as he walked into the breakroom where you were filling your mug up with your 3rd cup of coffee.

“Another… What?” you asked, pouring in cream and sugar.

He closed his eyes and flashed you a huge fake smile, jokingly. “Another work trip of course.”

“Oof…” you said, raising your eyebrows as you nearly burned your mouth on the scorching hot coffee. “Maybe hire some more help?”

“I could do that… or you could get that bag” he quipped.

You chuckled, “Touché sir. Tch”.

“Hey, look, why should I train another group right away when I have one that’s more than capable right here.” He held out his hands, shrugging his shoulders.

“I get it, but the few of us can only do so much. Have you had any other employees train for this position?”

“I have, actually. We worked together for a while just before I transferred here. His name’s Sukuna. He’s a powerhouse. Great work ethic but kind of a hard ass. He’ll be coming by this office next week.”

“Well that’s a relief. Hopefully he’ll work well with our team.” You said, with a slightly concerned look in your eyes.

“I’m sure he will. I’ll keep you updated on the details. See you later.” Geto waved as he walked out of the breakroom back to his office.

You waved back, relieved that you’ll get a break from his overwhelming expectations, but hoped a brand new leader in your department wouldn’t cause any issues.

You decided not to worry too much about it, especially since you were able to trust Geto to take care of his team.

“Three hours left” you sighed, on your way to your desk. “I’ll be glad to get back home.”

*~*~*~*~*

You walked about two blocks from your work to the train station.

The air was crisp outside, as the temperature began to fall slightly below usual. You could feel the chill just underneath the breeze, welcoming Autumn, your favorite time of year where the leaves graced the ground in their fiery shades and tints of reds and yellows.

You stood at the edge of the platform as you watched your train approach. You took out your earbuds and popped them in, playing

Prototype – Andre 3000

Thoughts of Megumi began swirling around in your head. You never seemed to have to wait too long before your mind was filled with him. Your life, and everything in it seemed easier to manage now that he was a part of it. That was a warm feeling, but one you had strangely never known before.

The way he seems to lift the weight of the world from your shoulders was far too easy to become addicted to.

It was as if you had drifted off into an alternate universe. A universe where the people who made you happiest existed.

This wonderful, adventurous life, this one, is the one you had been looking for. The one you had been longing for.

After all, it was a life you were building for yourself. You had Nobara, Yuji, and now, you could say you had him. He had practically shown up out of nowhere. Unexpectedly, and spectacularly.

Your warm heart skipped a beat in your chest as you relaxed into your seat. You held your head down, the metal grinding against the tracks piercing through to your ears past your music, while flashes of Megumi's dark blues burning through your eyes sparked into your head.

Neurons fired in your brain, triggering a tingling sensation that spread throughout your body to your core as you blushed, recalling his touch, his intensity, and the way he just took you.

You periodically snuck quick glances up at the strangers’ faces on the train, hoping no one had noticed that deep blush on your cheeks as goosebumps peaked on your skin, and you pressed your knees together.

Everything Megumi was made him unbelievably desirable, especially to someone like you. Someone who desired to be taken.

You knew that this environment, this … atmosphere, between you and him, especially considering what has already happened, was like fertile ground. Fertile enough to cultivate whatever brooding emotions were lying dormant in your soul.

What better companion to share them, to nurture them with than him? Someone like-minded, who shared your interests, desires, and tastes... someone extremely compatible with you.

The train screeched to a halt, snapping you out of your daze as you smirked to yourself while rising from your seat. You jostled through the heard of people leaving the train, headed up the stairs, emerging out of the hole in the ground and started on your journey a couple blocks from the station back home.

Megumi had taken you home that morning, waited for you while you got ready for work, and had given you a ride there, considering how much energy he'd drained from you the night AND morning before.

“It’s the very least I can do” he said, with that cute smirk. He had come up for just a second without coming inside, to grab a copy of your track so he could listen in the car while you got ready.

You can still remember how you felt as he gazed at you, leaning his head on the back of his seat while he assured you he’d be there waiting for you when you’re done.

He was all over you now. In your life, in your head, and in your heart, and you welcomed him.

As amazing as it was, It still felt strange to think you were so much closer to being an item. And even more strange to know that your feelings for him had been turned up to a level you’d never experienced before.

With this knowledge, there was one thing for absolute certain. You needed to maintain a distraction to keep your anxious attachment at bay. This was yet another “thing” for you.

Thanks a lot dad.

Trusting yourself to keep a healthy distance was a tall order, unfortunately. Needless to say, your past relationships had more than reflected that. It wasn’t something new.

Of course, you were talented and pretty, so it wasn’t like you couldn’t have ended up with a guy at some point if you really wanted to. A guy isn’t the same as your guy though.

It’s this one. He is the one you want.

Unfortunately, it was that part that scared you the most. It often felt like the one you want always got away somehow. Your clingy nature had betrayed you more than once, and you refused to allow it to fuck you over again. You had worked out a way to fight this. Kinda.

You’d decided to take your time, to relish him, living in the moment, enjoying him for who he is right now, staying as grounded as possible. That’s as good as it gets for now. Nothing is set in stone, so it’s best to relax and just be mindful.

Megumi’s beauty, his inner beauty and outer beauty was as clear as crystal. Yet it was also quite obvious that thinking he was perfect was far from reasonable.

Life is life, and you’re only human. It was only a matter of moments, minutes, seconds, before you crashed headlong into one or more of those things that make him tick, those things that you have no idea are there until they show up. Inevitably present in either him, or you.

It was great and all to run into someone who seemed to be a perfect match, but you understood that you were just as deserving of greatness as he is, so you vowed to yourself to maintain your grip, but a loose one.

As you reached the door of your apartment, a vibration rattled inside your bag as you shuffled through all the junk in it to find your phone.

“Hey girl!” Nobara’s bright, cheerful voice was a refreshing welcome, blossoming through your heavy thoughts.

“Hey! What’s up girl?”

“Where you at?” she asked.

“Literally just making it home from work.” you opened your door to your quite messy place, things strewn about everywhere from this morning as you hurried, trying not to force Megumi to wait forever for you to get ready.

“It’s been a few days since we talked. How did everything go with Megumi that night? Are you guys, ok?”

You took a deep breath, plopping down on the sofa. “More than ok. He’s…” you looked up toward the ceiling, closing your eyes as you searched your mind for the right word to describe exactly what you were feeling about him. “…satisfying”.

Nobara’s smile slowly spread across her face. Genuinely happy to hear the contentment in your voice. “Wow.” She chuckled, “Glad to hear it honey.”

“Yeah. Thank you so much. For everything.” You said to her, loving the fullness and warmth in your heart.

“Of course. You know I love you. I’m here for you girl. I really am happy for you. You deserve this.”

Your smile seemed to spread even wider at her kind words. “The vibe is just so... nice. I really don’t wanna screw this up.”

“You won’t. I’m willing to bet that you can’t even if you tried.”

Your brow furrowed a bit as you processed what she said. “What do you mean by that?”

Nobara huffed, “Well, I don’t think that would be the case if you were someone else… Someone with low morals, or if you were a jerk or something. But you’re a sweet person.”

She continued, “What do you think I could do, as a real friend, that would cause you to never speak to me again?”

You squinted a bit, pondering. “Um… nothing really... outside of killing me. Which would suck.” You chuckled.

“Uh yeah! See?” She said. “If he’s yours, he’s yours.”

You giggled “so profound, professor!”

“Hey, I’m just saying.”

“Nah, I get you.” You smiled, “I suppose you’re right.”

“So… on another note, I wanted to let you know, someone texted me, asking where you were after you left me.”

“Who?”

“Your dad.” She replied with a snarky tone.

The heavy sigh you released seemed a little too loud. “What did he say?”

“He just asked where you were. Said you didn’t answer when he called. I assume he might've had something important to talk about since he called me. You might wanna ask.”

“Hmmm…” you frowned, “That’s weird. I didn’t see a call or text from him. Okay, I’ll reach out. Thanks for letting me know. How is Yuji doing?”

“Tch. As sweet as ever. I’ll be seeing him a little later. Probably you, too right?”

“Um… Yeah, sure?” You didn’t know what she meant by that, since you hadn’t planned anything but figured it was a general statement.

“OK cool. I’ll call you later.”

“Okay!”

“Byeeee!”

*~*~*~*~*

You hopped out of the shower feeling refreshed, having had a small meal since you weren’t that hungry. You decided to text your dad to see what he wanted, opting not to call. If you did, it was highly likely you’d end up listening to him talk for hours.

You: Hey dad. Nobara told me you were looking for me?

Dad: Oh hey daughter! I couldn’t get a hold of you at the time so I thought maybe you were with her.

You: Oh, ok. Whats up?

Dad: I have a show to do, I wondered if you had some free time to sing backup for me.

You: I’m not sure. Can you send me the details for the event?

Dad: Ok I will!

You: Ttyl!

You set the phone down on the couch next to you, slightly confused at the sudden request. It was really strange for him to ask this now, since it had been so long since you’d worked with him. The first thing you thought was that he must have had a contact fall through, or someone quit.

That was typical.

He wasn’t exactly kind to his singers. Not all of the time. Especially if he was comfortable with them or under stress. Whenever something was off, or if they got a note or understanding of something wrong, he could be pretty mean.

You figured it was a good chance for you to get your feet back into the water though. Of course Megumi is guilty of inspiring that in you. Maybe you should just warm up the old chords again.

Just then, your phone vibrated again. Speak of the hottie.

Megz: wya

You: Hey. Home. Whats up?

Megz: Come to rehearsal.

You: Really? What time?

Megz: About 6?

You: At the studio?

Megz: Yup.

You: K… See you there.

Wow. You could feel your entire body beam. A rehearsal?

So exciting. You wondered what he's like in his element, what he’d look and sound like bossing around his band mates, and now you get to see what could be an entirely different side of him.

This is his work. His livelihood. And he’s sharing it with you. Just as before, you felt like he was opening up his world to you. Inviting you to be a part of it with no hesitation. It was nice.

But what about Maki and the guys? You wondered if they’d be just as comfortable with you all up in their space like that.

Not to mention how ridiculously nervous you were about letting him hear your track. You’d talked about it before, briefly, but you were thinking since he’d played it in his car, he could just give you a quick, useful critique or something. But he hadn't mentioned it.

God forbid he plays it in front of anyone else.

Oh my god, I’ll die… he wouldn’t do that.

You couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy since, in your experience, studios are obviously the place where new music is heard, rehearsed and perfected.

He’d better not. Seriously, Megumi. Please don’t.

You mumbled to yourself as you plugged in an Uber ride and got ready to go.

*~*~*~*~*

You arrived at the studio around a quarter after, hoping you wouldn’t walk in on an important part of a song and interrupt something.

Your body was filled with curiosity and nervousness, especially considering the last time you were here, Megumi was fucking the life out of you. In his office no less. Your eyebrows wrinkled as a shudder went through you at the thought of it.

Embarrassment also crept through each of your nerves as you approached, the sound of their loud instruments and Choso’s voice vibrating in a muffled cadence against the windows and door as they played

The Pretender - Foo Fighters

Which would be performed at their next show.

You grabbed the handle pulling it open, and to your surprise, Yuji and Nobara were standing in the doorway to the control room from the foyer, hanging out as the band played behind the glass shield in the live room.

Your eyes brightened, your nerves relaxing a bit as you approached them with a smile and an excited gleam in your eyes. “Heeeey!”

“Told you I’d see you later.” Nobara beamed back at you as you sauntered over toward her and Itadori.

“I had no idea until Megz invited me! I’m so glad to see you guys!”

“Ah I see.” Nobara giggled. “Made it a surprise huh?”

Your smile lit up the room. “Hey Yuji!”

“Hey sweetheart. How’ve you been? You’re glowing like a new moon!” He replied.

“Oh my god… Am I?” You questioned with a frown, rolling your eyes, your hands swiftly moving to cover your face.

“Uh… yeah?” Nobara added, the contagion of your smile reaching her first. “It’s a good look on you.”

Itadori huffed, “Yeah, you look pretty happy”.

You nodded, your lips pressing into a thin line as you blushed toward the floor.

Itadori’s smile also widened as he observed you attempting to hide the heavy pink in your cheeks.

You elbowed him as you leaned in, pushing his arm playfully. “Gimme a break, guys.” You murmured.

Yuji wrapped an arm around your shoulder, squeezing you close to him as he kissed you on your head. “I’m happy for you, babe.”

You caught a glimpse of Megumi watching you interact with your friends as you turned toward the glass window that allowed a clear view into the opposite room where the band played.

Your lips disappeared into your mouth as you made eye contact with him, and quickly averted your gaze as the pink filled your cheeks even deeper than they had a moment before.

As usual, Megumi’s eyes remained locked on to you, staring for what felt like far too long, smirking at your adorable shy face, granting you a quick upward nod before finally drawing his attention back to the guy next to him, who was apparently directing him.

Your heart thumped heavily in your chest. He made you feel like a love crazed schoolgirl. You continued to peek into the room where he sat at his kit as the guy you didn’t know talked to him, then turned to look at you, smiled, then turned his attention back to Megumi.

You were struck with curiosity and overwhelm as you observed the atmosphere, which felt was completely different compared to the last time you were there.

Obviously, more people and instruments were present, and the entire place, was lit up. Apparently Megumi had two kits here, one in the large main area of the studio, and one behind the glass where they recorded.

The band was back there with him going over their process, deciding which parts to replay. The director was apparently a guest producer that Megumi used as a neutral party to help him get everything recorded since he spent most of his time on that side of the window with the band.

Considering Megumi’s level of talent, and his high standards, the guy had to be just as excellent at his job, if not, better.

They all played their hearts out, as per usual, while you, Itadori, and Nobara sat quietly on the couch in the “control room”. The place looked beautifully professional. And … expensive.

You’d had plenty of experience working in different studios across the city, and understood many of the nuanced practices of performing, laying down, and mixing tracks in ones similar to this, but you could tell that Megumi and his family put a lot of time, energy, and money into this place.

You remembered what he’d mentioned before about bringing people here. You couldn’t imagine not monitoring and/or scrutinizing every soul that set foot into these rooms, let alone trusting them to begin with on the outset of inviting them here.

There were multiple mixing boards in the control room, computers, a couple guitars, and two keyboards. In the live room was several electric guitars, two acoustic electrics, two electric bass’ AND every band member was inside the “live room” holding an instrument.

There were multiple professional microphones including the ones in the isolation booths, as well as foot pedals, speakers, amps … you could go on. It was nuts.

There was money everywhere in here, and it was clear that every instrument was obviously used, yet close to pristine.

The room you sat in was comfy, which had a couple couches and a coffee table for guests, away from the music as to keep you from disrupting the recording.

It was amazing. You felt so special, being granted the opportunity to see this amazing band’s process, like being let in on exclusive content. It was only a matter of time, only a little time too, until they hit it big, and you could say you were here, at their beginning, witnessing even the hiccups and re-dos, and all the times they created something spectacular right on the spot.

The guy Megumi talked to was on his way out of an isolation booth, which was attached to the control room you were in. He was handsome, had a great vibe, and a warm smile. They seemed to get along really well. Megumi even smiled a lot more with him.

“Who is that guy?” you wondered, whispering to Yuji as you watched their interactions.

“That’s another one of Megumi’s good friends, Ino.” Yuji answered. “He also went to school with them, but graduated a year before Megumi left. He studied music production there and has a studio there also.”

“Wow.” You huffed, “No wonder”.

“No wonder what?” Yuji asked, hearing you thinking aloud.

“Oh, um, I was just thinking, ‘no wonder Megumi works with him’. He must really know his stuff.”

“Yeah for sure.” Itudori agreed. “You already know. Megz doesn’t play games when it comes to his work. Ino’s the same way.”

You couldn’t help but smile, watching him direct his attention to Maki and the others while twirling his sticks around between his fingers, as Ino now addressed the entire band.

He’s such a fucking badass.

… “God he’s hot.”…

Nobara’s eyes grew wide as she turned over to you, her mouth gaping open as she started to laugh.

“Oh, shit did I say that out loud?” you gasped as you covered your mouth with your hand, giggling.

“Girl, you are so funny!” She chuckled, rolling her eyes.

“My bad, I was just thinking and it slipped out!” You smirked. “He IS though… shit! I can't fucking contain myself!” you whispered, biting your lip.

Just then, Ino sauntered over to the mixing board interrupting your girl’s moment with the most serious, yet confident look on his face. “Hey there” he smiled, looking directly at you as he sat in the fancy swivel chair in front of the soundboard.

“Hey” you said, still giggling a little.

“I’m Ino.” He held his hand out to shake yours.

You shook his hand, gladly introducing yourself, excited to meet yet another extraordinary person, courtesy of Megumi.

“You’re coming out after this right?” he asked, turning toward the board as he tweaked a few knobs.

“Out?” Experiencing a little déjà vu, you asked, “out where?”

“Yeah,” Nobara agreed. “Time for another gathering” she expressed with a jump of her eyebrows. “Aaaand this time, I’m not wasted.”

“Yet.” Itadori interjected.

You let out a quick chuckle. “So where’s the meet-up this time?”

“Of course you don’t know.” Nobara added. “We’re going to Megumi’s”.

Your heart just about jumped out of your chest. All this time, you and Megumi had still not seen each other’s places.

Well, he saw the outside of yours that morning he walked you out of here and drove you home so that he could take you to work, but he didn’t come in. He said something about it being your personal space and he didn’t want to invade it until you were ready.

Damn charmer, right?

You’ll see his personal space now. Yet another one of his personal spaces. But with your friends… and his band… so… it wasn’t like… he was making it personal for you.

Your mouth hung open a bit as you processed the idea of being in Megumi’s home. Where he sleeps every night. Where he rests his head. I mean, you definitely didn’t want just anyone wandering around in your personal space, and knowing Megumi, he didn’t decide to invite just anyone over on a whim.

His selection is always curated. Just as it is for you. And it wouldn’t be a far fetched notion to presume he had instruments there, too.

You now understood how he felt about coming into your place. But this was … fun. Exciting.

You glanced over at the clear window into the next room where he sat, only to see him, yet again, staring over in your direction. It was as if he was waiting for your reaction to the invite.

Maki called him after a few moments, ripping his gaze from you. He looked over to see what he needed just as Ino was instructing them to finish the last song.

“Ok one more and then we’ll hear the new song.”

“New song? They’re doing another one?” you asked, curious.

“I dunno.” Nobara answered.

You were actually pretty excited to hear it, hoping it was one of the originals they've been doing. It was, the one you walked in on Megumi playing the last time you came here.

Lippincott - Animals As Leaders

They all laid it down perfectly, even Choso took part even though it was an instrumental, wrapping up that ridiculously complicated song.

“Okay, you’re up”. Ino said.

You looked at him, then looked around as if there ware another person near you that you didn’t realize was there.

“Excuse me? Are –” you looked over at Yuji then at Nobara, “are you talking to me?”

“Yup” Ino said with a little smirk.

“Up?” You squinted, “Up for – what exactly?”

“Why don’t you go talk to Megz for a sec?” he replied.

You looked over to Megumi as he simpered toward you.

You’ve got to be kidding me…

All you could think was ‘this sure as hell better not be what I think it is’. He wouldn’t do that, right? Reality hitting you as you got up to go talk to him.

What the hell were you feeling? You decided it was definitely fear, mixed with some other things… you looked over to Nobara for some understanding, mouthing the words “what the hell is going on?” confusion showing up all over your face.

Yeah, that’s what it was. The extra feeling was frustration. Maybe even anger. But you weren’t sure how to place it yet so you decided not to panic.

Though that was crazy, since you were walking into a live studio with a boatload of professional performers in the middle of a place you’ve only been in once to fuck the greatest man you’d ever known.

What the hell?

You creeped over toward the door, Megumi sitting at his kit behind a shield. Maki, Toge, Yuta and Choso were all in this room as well, chatting amongst themselves while you nervously approached Megumi, freaking out.

“What is going on?” you whispered to him, genuinely confused, but also scared as hell.

“Don’t be mad.” Megumi said as you approached him.

“What?” You replied, looking around feeling like you were the last person to know what was happening.

“I just… I let Inumaki hear your track, and he agreed to play it for you. I was hoping you’d sing it while we’re here.”

“What?! Are you kidding me?” your eyes were like a deer's in headlights.

“You can say no. I promise, its ok… I just … I was hoping you’d just let me master it for you.”

You hid your face in your hand, hoping the gesture would make you completely invisible. “Yeah. I’m gonna have to pass.”

“Please… let me take care of it for you?” His voice and expression was so sincere it almost pissed you off.

“Megumi…” you whispered, a little louder than necessary, but with a nervous smile. “Out of nowhere like this? You didn’t give me time to prepare or anything. I didn’t even know you were having rehearsal today until last minute!” You finished with a grimace as you turned your face toward him so only he could see it.

“Are you sure? I mean, Ino can just…”

“No Megumi.” you interrupted. “You said I can say no,” your eyebrows raised as you looked around the room, leaning further in to him, whispering, hoping no one could hear you. “… so I’m saying ‘no’. this feels too forced. I don’t like it.”

Megumi’s big dark blues looked down quickly at his sticks, then back up at you as they squinted slightly, a small grimace forming on his lips. “Okay.’

“Can we please talk about this later?” It was as if you could feel all of the eyes in the rooms on you and him.

“Of course.” He answered, his voice barely above a whisper.

You turned on your heels, and walked back to the other room, to your spot next to Nobara, your lips pressing into a straight line as you approached the couch, sitting down slowly and leaning in to her, extremely embarrassed by that interaction.

“Is everything ok?” Nobara asked, a troubled look on her face.

“I think so… I’m not sure.” You answered with a small frown, feeling as if the room was closing in on you.

Ino looked over to Megumi who actually, for the first time, appeared embarrassed himself. His face taking on the appearance of a child who had just been scolded. He maintained that look of serious thought as he stared down at his sticks for a moment, his brow furrowing a bit.

He glanced up at Toge, who appeared to be waiting for his queue from him. Megumi quickly, almost unnoticeably shook his head, then turned his attention to Ino, who apparently understood.

“Well, um… Okay then.” Ino continued. “Let’s listen to the last take of the first song again, see if you guys are ok with it, and I think we’re done.”

*~*~*~*~*

As you sat, processing what had just happened, you remembered you had to find out from your dad about his event.

Happy to have an excuse to escape from the tense environment, you excused yourself from the room to call. You noticed there was poor reception on the phone inside the studio. Only one bar displaying the closer you moved toward the front door.

It now made sense that your dad couldn’t reach you before, since you came here after meeting with Nobara that night when you missed his call.

You gave him a call, tapping the green button just as you reached the front door. It was fine though, as you had no desire to cause any interruptions in their performance.

“Hello, Daughter.” Your dad chimes in, sounding quite cheerful.”

“Hey. How’s it going?”

“Do you have time to chat?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks for calling. Our performance is this Saturday. I was hoping you could perform your song with us as well as background on songs you already know. We’re having a quick rehearsal with the band tomorrow night.”

“Saturday? And tomorrow? So soon...”

“Well, you might have guessed, someone quit on me.” He ended his statement with a loud hearty laugh.

“Oh. Uh… Well… I have a show that I’d already planned to go to this Saturday.”

“Our performance is early in the day. It’s for a wedding, so I can’t delay it or find anyone else soon enough to replace them.”

“Oh… well… okay. I think I can manage that, as long as it’s ok that I leave by 5.”

“Yeah! I’m doing the reception also that evening, but you don’t have to be there for that. Just the wedding, since they requested that one specifically.”

“Sounds good. Where is the rehearsal going to be tomorrow?”

“It’ll be at my house. And you may not need to stay for more than an hour or so.”

“Okay”

“Are you at a show now? I can hear music…”

“Well, I’m actually at a friend’s studio right now.”

“Really? What friend?”

“You don’t know him. I met him a few months ago. He’s a great a–”

“Hey I’m gonna have to go I’m sorry, I was supposed to be back thirty minutes ago. I’ll talk to you later, ok?”

Figures.

“That’s fine. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

As you gripped the phone in your hand, you lowered your arm to your side as it swung like a pendulum. You rolled your eyes, taking a deep breath then closing them, turning your face up toward the ceiling.

Par for the course with him. The second you begin speaking about anything that doesn’t revolve around him, he’s completely uninterested, or has no time for it. It would be so nice if he’d care about or get involved in your life. Just a little.

You noticed the sound system on low as usual in this main room, the foyer of this studio as it played

Smile Like That – Esperanza Spalding

You suddenly hear the door open. Nobara walks over to you quietly, with an odd sense of urgency. She grabbed your hand, turning you toward the door.

“It’s time for you to come back inside” she said, as she let go of your hand while simultaneously turning the knob.

You entered the room, noticing Toge, Yuta, and Maki talking with Yuji, while Choso chatted at the soundboard next to Ino.

Megumi, however, still sat at his kit on the phone, smiling from ear to ear. You looked at him with a squint, tilting your head, then turned back to Nobara.

She looked back at you with a straight face, one of her eyebrows raised and whispered, “He said ‘what is it Nanako’, when he answered.” She crossed her arms, looking back through the window at him. “look, it might be nothing, but … I just thought you should be aware.”

He was sitting, slightly hunched at his kit, with one of the biggest smiles on his face that you’ve seen in a while.

What the hell is happening? Is he serious right now? What the fuck could be so funny if he’s talking to his ex?

You felt your stomach begin to turn. Along with the trajectory of this whole night apparently. You were beginning to feel a pretty ugly emotion take over. One that made you considerably uncomfortable.

You looked away from him, inexplicably disgusted for a second, down to the floor as you bit the inside of your jaw, and as your eyes made their way back up, they happened to land on Choso’s face.

“Hey singer!” he joked, as a huge smile spread across his lips.

You took a deep breath, licked your lips glanced back over at Megumi, then back down to the floor as you contemplated what your next move should be.

Choso glanced over at Megumi, then back at you, as his smile faded. He slowly stood up from his chair and walked over to you, “Hey. Everything ok?” he asked with a tiny wrinkle between his brows, His voice much kinder than you’d probably ever heard it since you met him.

Your breath hitched in your throat as you swallowed hard, taking another deep breath before answering, worried that the sound may not carry the way you needed it to.

“Uh… You know…” you looked up at Choso’s surprisingly concerned face as you smirked nervously. “I’m not sure. I think I’ll head home.”

“Do you need a ride?” He asked, a tiny frown on his face.

“Yeah, there are a couple cars here that can get you where you need to go.” Nobara offered.

“No, sweetie it’s fine. You stay with Yuji, k? I want you to have fun”. You turned to Choso. “Hey, are you having company? I don’t want to cause you trouble, too.”

“No, I’m not. And it’s nothing, don’t worry. Just let me know when you’re ready. Ok?”

You nodded a couple times, flashed him a smile, and he wandered back over to sit next to Ino.

You were pleasantly surprised at his behavior, especially his consideration toward you. It seems Yuji was right about him.

Megumi was apparently having an interesting conversation. He barely looked up from the phone. Whatever, or whoever it was damn sure had him pretty enamored.

You found yourself in the same place as in the beginning. A spot where you didn’t wanna make “it” your business. It was time to go.

You took a few slow steps over to the window where he sat and knocked twice. He looked up, his smile fading almost immediately as he caught the not-so-happy expression on your face.

You flashed him a quick peace sign. And turned around to leave, motioning to Choso that you were ready with a quick upward nod.

“Love you. I’ll call you tomorrow” Nobara said with disquieted eyes as she held out her arms to hug you goodbye.

“K.” you felt her warmth in the hug.

She squeezed you extra hard, “It’ll work itself out. Don’t worry, ok? Just trust yourself.” She whispered as Choso walked over to open the door to the main room for you.

You stepped through after waving goodbye to Itadori and the others.

Closer To Me – H.E.R.

was now playing on the system. Just as you and Choso made it to the middle of the main room, Megumi reached you. The door to the control room closing behind him.

“Hey! You’re leaving?” he asked, apparently genuinely confused.

“Yeah” you huffed softly. “I have to get up early and I uh, I have a commitment that I have to keep for tomorrow night, so…” you said as you nodded toward the door, avoiding his gaze.

Megumi glanced toward Choso, squinting as he addressed you. “I can take you if you really need to leave now.”

“Well,” you looked up at him square in the eyes. “you seem a little… preoccupied. I’d hate to be a distraction.”

Choso’s eyes dropped to the floor, then back up at Megumi, then you. “I’ll give you guys a minute.” He said, as he made his way back into the control room.

The vibe was so awkward. It was starting to annoy you.

Still, you didn’t know exactly what to say. Why would he be talking to his ex while you’re waiting for him? How could he do that while you were there, kekeing in your face with another chick?

It was … disrespectful to say the least. And flat out made you uncomfortable.

“What’s going on?” He asked.

“You looked away, your lips disappearing into your mouth as you inhaled, then exhaled.”

“Please look at me.”

You turned your hesitant gaze toward him.

“If something’s on your mind, I really wish you’d say so.” He said, quite nonchalantly.

“I don’t like drama, Megumi.” It felt as if your breath was leaving your body faster than you could use it to form your words.

It was like anything you said to him would sound like a complaint. You didn’t wanna speak. Not because you didn’t have anything to say, but expending the energy to do so seemed like … too much. The thought of it was exhausting.

You stood there, arms crossed around the strap of your bag and your jacket, staring into his eyes.

He stood before you, frozen, his expression blank. His hands stuffed in the pockets of his oversized grey sweatpants, the ankles at the hem almost swallowing his black and white converse, the waistline covered by the hem of his thick black hoodie.

He seemed to have all the time in the world as he waited patiently for you to say what was on your mind.

“Why … did you invite me here?” you asked, bluntly. You figured getting this over with quickly would be the least tiring route.

“Because I wanted you here.”

“To see you flirting on the phone?”

“I wasn’t flirting.”

You rolled your eyes, pausing for a moment, taking another deep breath. “Look. I’m not your boss.”

“Yes, you are.”

“What?” you huffed.

“Tell me what you need.”

“I need a ride home.”

“I’ll take you. What else?”

“I need you to not embarrass me in front of your friends, by forcing me to do something important without discussing it with me.”

“Done. He frowned. And I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Who were you talking to?”

“Nanako.”

“Why?”

“She called, asking about Ino, and whether he would be staying here overnight.”

“Is that what was so funny?”

“Were you upset that I was laughing?”

“At her? Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because if you’re mine, you’re mine.”

You could see Megumi forcing back a smile, as he blushed ever so slightly down toward the floor.

“…it won’t happen again.” he smirked, looking back up at you.

“Are you going to answer my question?” you asked, pointedly.

“Of course. Her sister jumped on the line in an attempt to convince me to not be too hard on her, while also mocking her. I thought it was funny. I wasn’t talking to Nanako at that point.”

“Fine. But if she wants to talk to Ino, what is she calling you for?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. I’ll address that, too.”

You looked away.

Megumi’s eyes grew smaller as he gazed at your pouty face, his bottom lip disappearing into his mouth.

“Come home with me.” He asked, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Maybe another time.”

“Please?”

“No.”

His tangible gaze never left your face as he smirked. “Okay. I’ll take you to your place … for now.”

You cut your eyes at him slightly. “Thank you.”

*~*~*~*~*

The ride home was pretty quiet. The deep blue console of his quite beautiful sleek black ride lit up your faces in the night as

Coco Jones – Double Back

played on his system. You worked hard to keep your eyes on the road, or at least on the dark features of the different people of all shapes and sizes whooshing by, along with the nightlife lights, casting various shadows as you stared out the window. The cool evening breeze glided across your skin, gently tousling your hair.

As you stole glances over at Megumi, you couldn’t help but notice how amazing he looked just driving. His long legs stretching out from under the steering wheel, his thighs resting far apart, surely providing “him” some breathing room for that beautiful bulge peeking out from under his thick grey sweatpants.

His full, long, veiny hands rested on the steering wheel as he drove you safely where you needed to go. As you approached a stop light, your eyes traveled up from his legs, to his hands, up his arms, to his face, only to find him staring back at you. As he propped his elbow up on the window, turned toward you, his body mimicked the same position he had that first night backstage after his show, when he sat next to you on the couch.

Your gaze lingered a couple seconds longer than necessary, as you pressed your knees together, rubbing the side of your neck as you turned to look out the window.

It’s so hard with him. It felt nearly impossible to rip your mind away from him. But you had to get back. Tonight was … different. And you needed some space for now.

As disappointing it was to realize, apparently Nanako is still a factor somehow, and you were going to find out exactly how much of a factor she is. Lingering exes is a “no” for you. Megumi pulled up to your door, parked the car, and got out.

What is he doing?

You were surprised to find that he was making his way over to open your door for you.

“Thank you” you said, as you stepped out onto the pavement, the cool air hitting you a little harder than expected. You hadn’t realized how hot your body was becoming, sitting next to him in the car.

He closed the door as you stepped out, looking down at you, a tiny smile playing at his lips. “Will you be at the show on Saturday night?”

“Mhm. I’ll see you there.”

“Okay. Goodnight”.

“Goodnight Megumi.”

His eyes followed your figure as you walked up to your apartment door. You fumbled for your keys for a moment, finally finding them and unlocking it.

You turned to see Megumi leaning against his car, hands in his pockets, waiting for you to get safely into your house before he got back in and pulled away.

*~*~*~*~*

You rolled around on your bed, having kicked off your thick blankets. Your mind reeling.

Ugh, what is my problem?

You turned over toward your bedside table, the small light brightly illuminated on your clock, which displayed four am.

You remembered that your bestie spent last night at Megumi’s. You wondered if she and Itadori had stayed over. Your mind wandered to what Megumi was doing, and if Nanako had called him again.

It was so irritating to not be able to keep him off of your mind. You turned to lay on your back, your eyes fixed onto the ceiling, your fan whirring slowly above you. You tossed your arm over your eyes as your Bluetooth played

I’m Not OK – H.E.R.

quietly. You sat up and slid your bunny slippers on in one quick motion to grab some water from the kitchen. Suddenly the room felt extra cold for some reason. Your hand gripped the edge of the counter, the cold sending a chill up your spine. You gulped down your water, placed your glass in the sink, and headed back to the bed. You lay there, sprawled out, facing the ceiling.

As your lids lowered back over your eyes, Megumi’s face flashed into your memory. His eyes gazing intently at you as you confronted him about his behavior. How can he be so beautiful while pissing you off? He’s always so goddamned chill.

You recalled his body as he drove you here in his sleek black car. The way he stared back at you, the feelings that rushed through you as you made eye contact.

Your hands made their way down between your inner thighs. You realized your body was hot. Your thoughts, full of him. Your hand continued to rub the inside of your legs, sliding up toward your clothed center. You slid your fingers up and down your slit, grazing across, slightly teasing your clit. You flinched, as a visual of Megumi’s long fingers and his sexy smirk crossed your mind.

Your eyes fluttered shut, your brow furrowing as you squeezed your legs closed over your hand, trapping it between your thighs.

Ugh… stop it.

You said to yourself, Go to sleep. Please.

You hand reached up to grab the side of your neck, as you thought of how thick his bulge looked under his pants. You recalled the feeling of his long fingers wrapped around your neck. Chills covered your body, your hand gliding down toward your chest as you gripped your breast, a moan escaping your lips before you bit it.

Your other hand reached up to grab the other breast, as your fingers pinched the hardened buds. An image of him looking up at you from between your legs flashed into your head. Your body trembled as your breathing hitched, your thighs rubbing together as your core clenched.

No, girl.

You moaned as your clit seemed to get more sensitive by the second, your thighs pressing against it making you flinch.

Not now. Just go to sleep already!

You peeled your hands away, curling up into the fetal position, locking your hands under your cheek. You let out a big sigh, you asked yourself why you were so uneasy. Yes, you wanted Megumi. You always wanted him.

But you didn't need to be so … anxious though. Why are you like this? You really only had one answer.

Your family had worked so much of that shit into you, it was really hard to break away from. And you could only do so much on your own. The fastest way you could think of to get past it is to dive in and face it all head on.

What you really didn’t want, is to hurt anyone in the process of you figuring things out. You cared so much about your friends that you truly didn’t want them caught in the crossfire. But what could you do?

They had already scolded you before for backtracking. “Trust yourself” that’s what Nobara said. But how, when you feel you’ve betrayed your own best interest so many times?

It was so scary thinking you’d have to sing in that environment, directly in front of such professionals when you really hadn’t even rehearsed, and wasn’t even told about it. You weren’t even sure you wanted to sing that one if at all. It really was that part that bothered you the most. Not so much Megumi asking you to do it, but how you felt doing it at all.

Did I overreact?

Maybe, but… it’s easy to apologize. And Megumi seems to be a reasonable guy. He still should have told you first, though. Your brain was turning thoughts of these things over and over in your head.

You picked up your phone, thinking you should text something to him, only to find that he had texted you at two thirty-seven a.m.

Megumi: I really am sorry for upsetting you. Forgive me.

You sigh to yourself in an attempt to calm the obvious fire in your damn loins, rolling your eyes and shaking your head to yourself as you drift back into sleep.

*~*~*~*~*

“So, how was everything last night?” You asked.

“It was amazing, actually.” Nobara replied, chomping on her snack she was having in the middle of her lunch break at work. “Well, Dori and I had a great time. Megumi is super hospitable. Had food there for us and everything. It was nice… sorry.”

You giggled “Why are you apologizing?”

She whined “I’m sorry about what happened! I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I admit, I felt some kinda way about him being on the phone with Nanako too, but it wasn’t my place to stir anything up.”

You smiled, “Its ok. Thank you for saying that, but it was my responsibility to stay cool. You know you’re my girl, and I love you. I appreciate you looking out for me.”

“Yeah, but … you know me!” She continued, “I got ahead of myself. I had to apologize to Megumi, too by the way. I felt so bad for getting up in your business.”

“Yes, I do know you, and that’s exactly why its ok. Really.”

“He said that, too.” She huffed. “Are you on your way to your dads?”

“Yeah. It won’t take long. I already know the songs we’re doing, and there aren’t many. I have to sing one solo. I practiced a bit before work. Been drinking warm water all day and doing warmups.”

“Mmm. … Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, whats up?”

“Why didn’t you wanna sing last night? Megumi told me.”

You paused for a minute while considering it. “Scared.” You huffed. “That’s basically it. Plain old fear.” You uttered as you rolled your eyes. “Part of me was annoyed and upset at Megumi for putting me on the spot like that, but mostly it was just me freaking out. I didn’t wanna screw up too bad in front of everyone.”

“Why so worried, though? You’ve done this like a million times.”

“I know. I just… I think I’m also like, putting him on a pedestal. It sucks. I’m fucking irritating myself.”

Nobara giggled, “I totally get it. I felt like that around Yuji when I first met him. I ran from the bar every time I ordered from him, freaking out about how hot he is like some teenager.”

You chuckled, “He’s is super adorable. Can’t blame you for that.”

“You just need an icebreaker or something to help you get over it. Even though you guys have already slept together…”

“Yeah, I know. They’re just so good at what they do. I’d want to make the best impression.”

“I have an idea.” Nobara chuckled to herself, “sorry, I just said I didn’t wanna stir anything up and here I go again!”

“What? tell me.”

"Why don’t you ask him to come to the wedding?”

You pondered the idea for a second. And of course it made you nervous. “You think I should?”

“Well, you’ll already be singing, mostly in your comfort zone with your dad’s band, and if he comes, it’ll just be him and not his whole group.”

“Hmmm,” you giggled. “Really?”

“Do it. Seems like a chance for you to break the ice a bit more and relax around him. Especially while you’re essentially in the middle of doing something you love.”

“Yeah. It definitely still makes me nervous. But its worth a try for sure.” You smirked for just a second as you thought about something. “Not you and Itadori being my relationship coaches lately…”

“Girl, look!” Nobara chuckled, “Whatever works, ok? I’m here for you, and I’m sure he is, too! Go for it. We’re rooting for you guys.”

“Thank you, love. I really appreciate you guys, too.” You replied.

“I’m gonna get back to work.” Nobara grunted. “Weekend’s almost here! I’ll see you Saturday night?”

“Yup!”

“Talk to you later.”

“K!”

*~*~*~*~*

You arrived at your dads home, and as you approached the door, you could hear music thrumming from inside. You walked right in, since he usually kept the door unlocked for artists as they arrived. It was likely a knock wouldn’t be heard over the music.

Upon entry, you waved at everyone, saying hello as you looked around for a place to sit. His full 5 piece band was present, and 3 backup singers, only one of which you knew.

“Hey! How are you?” your dad asked, as he saw you come in.

The drummer, bass and guitar players were rehearsing a specific part. You found a seat, and waited patiently for them to finish as you spoke to the singer you knew.

You’d forgotten how much you loved the smell of instruments collected in a space, and the feeling of accomplishment you got, from even arriving at a rehearsal.

Being part of a group that has a similar goal, knowing you had a performance to do, and that people would be waiting to see you was always a satisfying thrill to you.

You wondered why you didn’t feel this right away when you arrived at Megumi’s studio. It’s almost as if you forget yourself when you’re around him. He’d drawn you in so much, that you forgot to relax.

The rehearsal went smoothly for the most part, you laughed and joked around with the girls, even at some of the jokes that were made by some of the band members at your dad’s expense.

Then it was time for him to teach the girls a part for one of the songs. You knew your dad had a tendency to forget things sometimes as he played. It might have simply been his old age, but he’d often play something, ask the group to execute it, change it, then get angry when it was done the original way.

It happened on several occasions, and each time, he’d take his frustration out on the musicians. Yet another reason you didn’t care much to work with him.

He taught the part he wanted you all to learn, played in C, but then changed it to C#. They didn’t quite understand how to execute it and kept singing it in C when the chord progression changed.

It was a common mistake for many singers to make, especially when one of them was consistently louder than the others, and inadvertently caused confusion.

However, the way your dad handled it was less than desirable. “Whats goin’ on here?” he asked with a frown, pacing back and forth in front of the group. “How are you not getting this?”

The girl you knew, Joy, answered, “I feel like we get it, we just have a habit of singing it a certain way and need a minute to learn the new way.”

“Yeah, but” your dad continued, “Y'all sang it once correctly but you keep reverting back to the original key! Its not that hard.” He turned to you, and asked you to do it as he sat at his keyboard.

He played the progression, and you sang it in C#. He still managed to get upset. “Why are you singing it like that?”

“What?” you looked at him in confusion. “That’s the way you just told us to do it.”

He stood there for a moment, cutting his eyes at you. “No – are you kidding me?! Y'all ain't gon’ make a fool out of me on MY stage. People are coming to see me, not y’all messing up.”

Joy looked at you, as she was the only other person singing it correctly, and all you could do was nod to her in agreement and roll your eyes at the way he was treating you all. The tension in the air was thick, and exhausting.

The entire band could see how erroneous his behavior was, and you were honestly glad that you weren’t the only one to witness it this time. When it was time to go, you were more than happy to leave.

*~*~*~*~*

Thinkin Bout You - Frank Ocean

played as you sat on your bed, exhausted after having your shower, ready to go to sleep. You thought about Megumi. He’d danced around in your head the entire time you were at the rehearsal. The difference between his methods of teaching and your dad’s were like night and day.

You decided to call him this time.

“Hello?”

The sound of his voice was like music to your ears. It was like your heart lit up, and illuminated your entire body. “Hey. You busy?”

“Hey there.” He sounded happy to hear from you. “not for you. How are you?”

“I’m actually pretty exhausted to be honest.” You said with a sigh.

“Oh yeah? Your hot date not go well?”

“What?”

He chuckled softly. “You said you had a commitment to keep tonight, right?”

“Oh, yes. But it definitely wasn’t that.” You retorted with a huff.

“That’s good to know. So, what happened?”

“I just had a rehearsal with my father.”

“Oh wow… How did that go?”

“It was … a lot” you sighed again. I’m glad to be home. And so happy to hear your voice.”

“Hmmm… well, I’m sorry to hear you had a hard time. But I’m glad to hear yours too.”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure.”

“Would you be willing to come to a wedding tomorrow?”

“Wow. This is so sudden. But my answer is still ‘yes’”

You laughed at his joke. “Not mine, silly. I have to sing a solo there, and I wanted to ask you if you’d like to come”.

He paused, for what felt like a full minute. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” You smiled. “I’d actually love for you to come if you can. I know you have your show tomo –”

“I’d love to come. Thank you for inviting me. Sounds exciting.”

“Exciting? It’s a stuffy wedding.”

“Yeah, but I get to hear you sing. LIVE. I can’t wait.”

You blushed so hard you could swear he’d see it over the phone. “It starts at 11am.”

“Can I drive you?”

“You’d do that?”

“You have no idea what I’d do for you.”

“Okay. It’s a date.” You sat in silence for a moment, feeling his presence over the phone. “And then I get to see you perform.”

“Yes. So we’ll be together all day?” He asked, excitedly.

“Is that what you want?”

“That’s what I want.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.” You agreed. “I also, would like to apologize.”

“For what?”

“I feel like I… overreacted a little last night. I still wanted you to talk to me first, but I got scared and freaked out. I’m sorry for that.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I should have asked first.”

“I also… miss you” you felt your heart skip a beat at your own admission. You both sat with the phone between you, listening to the silence on the other end as you relaxed in that moment. You were happy to have let him know how you truly feel.

Megumi took a deep breath over the phone, intentionally, it seemed, as if he wanted you to hear it. … “I miss you, too.” He replied, softly.

“Come and get me at ten, okay?”

“Sharp.”

*~*~*~*~*

You were ready by nine thirty.

Finally, your weekend was here.

You were so tempted to have a mimosa with your one waffle and one egg you ate for breakfast. God forbid you ate too much, ridding yourself of space in your belly for “air” you’d need while singing, and you didn’t want to hurl from freaking out.

You had some “Throat Coat” tea, warm but not hot, and sipped plenty of water. Hopefully not too much, since you’d end spending more time in the bathroom than you would at the microphone.

The butterflies fluttered in your belly, relentlessly tickling your insides, keeping you from settling down.

Megumi would be there any minute, and you couldn’t be more nervous. So much happening at once, a performance, a solo, one you had to do with your dad no less, it had been a while for you, and you were doing this in front of your new guy, someone you respected as a talented artist.

If you were honest, what you felt was a blend of excitement and pure nerves. It was practically like an official date, and you really missed hanging out with him, but it was all so overwhelming.

Your dress was simple, sleek and form fitting, a bodycon, black, asymmetrical neckline, while your hair was pulled back in a beautiful messy braid, the tail of it traveling down toward the middle of your back. You had all of your earrings in, four up one ear and five up the other, with a chain linking from your helix to your lobe.

Then, finally, a knock at the door.

You clicked over to it in your black 4.5” open toe stiletto’s, stood there for a moment, took a deep breath, and opened it.

You stood there, holding your breath for a minute, as a hard line formed between Megumi’s brows as he took in the sight of you.

You released your breath, a smile spreading across your face. “Hey.”

“Wow.” He stood in the doorway, gazing, his eyes traveling up and down your form as his lips parted.

As you motioned for him to come in, he covered his mouth with his hand. And turned his head to the right, grabbing his lips. He stuffed both of his hands in his pockets as he hung his head low.

You closed the door as he walked in, flattening out any wrinkles in your dress with your hands.

With his head in that position, he licked his lips and looked up at you with a smirk. “You look absolutely ravishing”.

His smile was breathtaking.

He was wearing a slightly oversized black v-neck cashmere sweater, the fabric settling beautifully on the curves of his chest, relaxed at the hem, scrunched up in the middle of his forearms. His pants were a slim fit, black, and tapered at the ankle, not his usual baggy attire, but still his style, and fit him beautifully.

His Doc. Martens were perfectly black, as was his hair, sleek and still spikey, but styled a little differently, concentrated to the left, shorter spiked strands reaching for his face on the right side, contrasting against his slightly pale skin and beautiful dark blue eyes. He looked as hot as he did the very first time you saw him. Only a little more … shiny.

“And you look… like…” you bit your bottom lip as you looked him up and down.

Megumi walked over to you slowly, his chest stopping less than an inch from your face. He looked down into your eyes. “What do I look like?”

“Like, uh…” you shook your head, at a loss for words.

His hands reached up to your neck, his fingers snaking around to your nape, his thumb pressing your chin up. His lips hovered close enough to steal breath from between yours. You leaned in, pressing your lips against his. The sensation piercing straight to your core.

It felt like it had been an eternity since you’d kissed him. It was as if you could finally breathe again.

His lips were soft and warm as they pressed gently and sensually against you, landing several kisses before parting yours slightly, his tongue requesting entry. You were more than happy to invite him inside. He slipped his tongue in, sliding it across yours.

The taste of his kiss was like receiving drops of cool water after nearly dying of thirst. Every stroke of his tongue left you wanting more, you opened your mouth wider, tilting your head back, melting into his arms as he pressed forward granting your wish.

His hand remained around your neck, as you always loved it to be, as his other hand curved around your waist, pulling you even closer. Feeling his body against yours made you weak, his stiff member pressing against the curves of your belly.

You wanted nothing more in this moment than to open up to him completely as his strong arms maintained their firm hold your body.

But he broke the kiss, trailing them along your jaw as his lips reached your earlobe where he planted a single kiss. His arm wrapped around you tighter, as his hand gripped you at your waist, fingers digging in, tickling your side. “We’d better go… before I lose control and devour you right here”.

Your heart skipped a beat, electricity surging through your veins as he spoke. What this man does to your body is sometimes inexplicable. But he was right. It’s time to go, or you’ll become extremely irresponsible in this moment.

You let out a heavy sigh, lifting your head up as he held you, looking into his eyes with a sultry gaze, suddenly feeling a surge of confidence. “Then let’s go, baby.” You whispered. Then leaned over to the couch, grabbing your bag and jacket.

*~*~*~*~*

The building was filled to capacity, the low hum of individual conversations floating throughout the beautiful, bright space. The wedding was being held in a large church, majestic and pretty, decorated with the couple’s chosen themed colors, florals and fabrics.

Love You Like I Do – Vancouver Sleep Clinic

played in the background.

The platform you were positioned on was set up high in the back of the building. The band was on the right side of the platform. Your dad at the grand piano to the left of you, the band to the left of him while the other singers were slightly behind you to the right.

Megumi was in the audience, surprisingly close to the front, having taken the seat of someone who conveniently didn’t show up. An enormous grin plastered across his face the entire time as he sat wide-eyed, watching your every move.

Every few minutes or so, you’d see him chatting with the elderly woman sitting next to him, her smile clear evidence of his charming nature. He’d look up periodically, lock eyes with you, smirk, and flash his teeth. You’d chuckle each time, rolling your eyes.

Nobara was right. You could feel some of the disconcerting tension melting away the longer he spent in your presence.

Suddenly you hear your dad, snapping at one of the helpers for not getting him a water when he’d asked. Your smile slowly fading as you saw the frustration on the face of the person he’d yelled at.

“Y/N! Can you get me one of the waters I asked for? PLEASE!” he practically screamed across the stage.

Your eyes flicked over to Megumi, who was watching you intently, his eyebrows wrinkled, and a squint in his eyes.

You looked down toward the floor in embarrassment as you got up from your seat, walking off of the stage to help them grab the waters. “I’m sorry about this” you whispered to the helper, resting your hand on their shoulder.

“Don’t apologize to them! That’s their job! They should have this stuff ready for me!” your dad yelled down from the stage.

The helper looked at you, “We had to wait until they brought them back from the grocery store. There was someone assigned to bring them, and they forgot. I’m sorry” he uttered.

“It’s okay, don’t worry. We have them now. It’s not a big deal. Thank you so much for providing them for us.” You whispered to him. You took a deep breath, and the waters, and walked them back up to the stage, passing them out to each of the band members, your dad snatching one from your hand.

You sat back down in your stool, waiting for the announcement of the bride. I just wanna get this over with. Is all you could think, as you squeezed your hands together, and slowly breathed in and out, working to relax your mind again.

You glanced out toward Megumi. He was now sitting back against his seat, arms crossed, his eyes locked on you. A frown in his forehead and his lips scrunched up in the corner of his mouth.

Your lids fell over your eyes a bit as you observed his obvious concern. You mouthed the words “Don't worry. It's okay.” a smile tugging at your lips.

Finally, the announcer said, “May I ask everyone to please stand for the bride?”

Butterflies tickled your belly as you stood, locking eyes with Megumi again as you approached the microphone, your smile now spreading wider. It was a beautiful thing; his presence alone, knowing he was there for you, made this experience exponentially more tolerable.

Everyone turned toward the front of the church as the doors opened for the beautiful bride, Megumi being one of the only people still facing the stage, his dark blues glued to your face. Your father played the intro, you took a breath, closed your eyes, and began singing:

Fall In – Esperanza Spalding

After singing your first line, your eyes opened slowly to the very spot Megumi stood. You maintained fierce eye contact with him as his widened. Your beautiful notes filled the room, echoing off of the walls, rounding out the sounds of the notes flowing from the piano.

Megumi's face dropped toward the floor, looking back up toward you with a beautiful blush as you continued to sing to him.

Your hands reached up toward the handle of the microphone, sliding up and down the stand as you became more engulfed in the song, your chest rising and falling with your breaths. Your eyes never left his, even for a second as you sang from the depths of your heart.

As the bride made her way to her beloved, Megumi's blue eyes came more clearly into view as he stood frozen in place, his gaze growing more intense. You leaned into this moment, enjoying the effect you and your beautiful song had on him.

You felt completely in sync with him again. Your connection had always been empowering, with him always being an inspiration. But today, the feelings rooted in your heart for him seemed to dig themselves deeper, spreading out further, finding new places to settle in it’s recesses.

The intense desire to be even closer to him grew stronger. You needed more moments like this. To know him more. And to show him more of you. To open up areas of your heart for him to see that you typically wouldn’t show a soul. No matter how scary, no matter how secret.

Megumi was unable to take his eyes off you.

Likewise, you were unable to take yours off him.

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And tonight, your body will surely follow suit.

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<< Set 3 | Set 5 >>

Set 5 Preview: ... You took a deep breath and a long pause, your eyes wandering a moment, then surveying his features coolly. “Then, you’ll have to commit, too.”

He huffed, rubbing the back of his hand down your cheek, his long fingers sliding around toward the back of your neck, his thumb grazing the sensitive skin of your bottom lip as he met your gaze.

“Hmph, that’s the easy part. And … I’ll have you in my studio every night.” He purred, lifting your head as he leaned in, rubbing his lips up your neck, then laying a soft kiss on your lobe.

“Such a hard worker you are.” you moaned, his body weight and his touch, stealing your breath.

Megumi huffed, “You have no idea.” ...

Thanks for reading! ✨🥰✨

Notes: As always, I welcome any and all critiques, suggestions, and comments regarding my work, since I truly feel all of those may make me a much better writer! I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read my little stories, and if you'd like to be tagged in releases, don't hesitate to comment below! 😊💖🎶

©cocomanga 2024 | Please do not plagiarize, copy, or distribute my work.

Fanart Art: Courtesy of @Pinterest/@Berserker049 Ombre Caution/DNI & Animated lines: Courtesy of @CafeKitsune

[joongtreasure]

Cupcakes and Kisses

Mingi x Fem Reader (ft. ATEEZ members) Word count: 6.6k Genre: high school au, jock Mingi, kissing booth au Note/s: Based on the film Kissing Booth (2018). This was in my drafts since 2021? + Mention of Changbin of Stray Kids <3 hehe Photo credits: 1, 2, 3

High school—it's the period for the most embarrassing moments of your life. Not only was it the time for raging hormones and puberty, but also a time for wrong decisions.

And today was no exception.

Today was the last day of the pitch for the spring carnival at KQ Prep. The student council required every club in the school to set up a booth for the event. Or else, no extra funding for club activities.

You were the vice president of the culinary and baking club, or as others would like to call it, the foodies. It's not that bad or insulting, to be honest (depending on you if you take it to heart). It is certainly not for your best friend, Jung Wooyoung, who was also the president of the club.

You and Wooyoung were like a tandem, a buy-one-get-one-free deal. In many ways, you and Wooyoung fill each other up: you were the shy and patient one, while Wooyoung was the confident and loud one. There was never a boring moment with him, but that doesn't mean all moments with him were good. Like right now...

Wooyoung, with a firm grip on your school blazer sleeve, dragged you across the hallway, whining, "It's a good idea!"

You, on the other hand, tried to pull away, saying, "No, it's not!"

Wooyoung grumbled. "The water sports are doing a toss and dunk booth! We have to beat their sorry asses!"

"You just want to beat Changbin!" You tried to pull away again but Wooyoung's grip was so firm that your school shoes were starting to skid against the school floor. "How is a kissing booth by us any better?!"

"It will be a hit!"

"It spreads germs!"

"We'll provide sanitation and mints!"

"We could be sued for public indecency!"

Wooyoung sighed and let go of your hand. "Oh, come on, live a little, Y/N."

You shrugged. "Can't we just make a bunch of food for the carnival? I know everyone will be hungry."

Wooyoung gave you a pointed look. "Everyone is going to sell food and trinkets at the carnival."

"Well," you jutted your chin out in confidence, "we could do, uh, well, an apple bobbing competition?"

Wooyoung scowled at you. "That's boring." He sighed. "Look, the majority of the officers already agreed to the kissing booth, Y/N. Except you."

"That's because you implied that San will be in the lineup of kissers," you stated. "Even though you haven't even asked him yet."

"That's because he and I think alike. Trust me, he would agree."

You pouted. "And trust me, the food will sell."

Wooyoung smiled and patted your head. "Oh, sure, you do that," he said before turning around and scurrying towards the student council's office.

You sighed.

-----

You slumped on the empty front steps of the school, sporting a frown on your face. Wooyoung was taking so long in the meeting. You hoped the kissing booth was rejected by the student council.

The doors of the school opened, the sound of the creaking metal startling you out of your thoughts. You looked back to see Song Mingi, the star of KQ Prep's basketball team, exiting the building and looking fresh out of a shower. He probably just finished practice.

You looked away before he could catch you staring. Mingi was one of those guys who looked straight out of a movie—tall, handsome, athletic, always wears a varsity jacket, drives a Jeep, and center of the school's attention. But it would be foolish to think that he's arrogant and proud like the trope. He's one of the sweetest and nicest people you ever met. 

You had a few classes with him. You could say that the interaction between the two of you is funny. He could be playful yet gentle and respectful at the same time. And in time, you also found yourself liking him like the entire student body.

Unbeknownst to you, as soon as Mingi saw you alone on the steps, he smiled and slightly hurried down. "Hey, Y/N," Mingi greeted, plopping beside you on the warm pavement.

You internally freaked when you saw Mingi next to you. The loose shirt, the sweet scent of his shampoo, and the dopey grin were too much for your poor heart. 

"You had a club meeting today?" Mingi asked.

"Not really," you responded. "I'm waiting for Wooyoung to finish his pitch for the spring carnival."

Mingi nodded. "And what will your club be doing?"

You groaned. "Don't remind me. It's embarrassing."

Mingi chuckled. "Why? It can't be that bad."

You sighed before muttering, "it's a kissing booth."

Mingi's eyes widened in surprise. "That's... interesting."

"It's all Wooyoung's idea," you shrugged. "Nothing better than to capitalize on teen hormones, right?"

"Right," Mingi said monotonously.

Seeing his somewhat dry response, you slumped. "I told you it was an embarrassing idea."

"No, I mean, yes—I mean," Mingi stuttered a response. "It was just unexpected, that's all." Mingi somewhat looked conflicted, but he still smiled softly at you. "Is it alright for me to ask if," he paused.

"If what?"

"If you—I mean, would you be joining?" Mingi asked.

You blinked in thought. "What do you mean?"

Mingi studied your confused expression before shaking his head. "Nevermind," he said, standing up.

You groaned. "Great, now you got me curious."

"It's nothing." Mingi laughed. "But, hey, if teen hormones bring you the money, then, why not?" He said, making you laugh as well. "Got a ride home?"

"Yeah," you smiled, "I'm riding with Wooyoung."

Mingi nodded. "Alright, I'll see you around then, Y/N."

You blushed. "Yeah, see you," you said as Mingi continued his way down the steps.

"Hey," he turned to you one last time, flashing you his oh-so-perfect smile. "You look cute as always, Y/N," he said before heading towards the parking lot. You swore you could've melted right on the front steps that day.

-----

It was no surprise the council approved the kissing booth idea. You totally blame Wooyoung. The boy could probably smooth talk himself out of jail if the situation calls for it.

Your club already started building the podium and mini stage for the booth in the school courtyard because there wasn't room in the Home Economics classroom. The weather was too perfect to ignore by anyone who had free period at the time.

"I'm going to get more paint," Wooyoung said to you before jogging towards the doors and into the building.

You were left alone with a few of your members, who were engaged in a hushed conversation while you minded your own business. 

You took a peak at the guys playing at the basketball court. It's no surprise that Mingi and his friends were playing. They always do during free period. They must really love the sport. 

It is also no surprise that they have a few spectators as well. It's the only time you would ever find Mingi and his friends setting their blazers aside, donning only their school shirts that accentuated their build so heavenly. Not that you were staring…

Speaking of, Yunho and Mingi laughed among themselves as Yunho tried to shoot the ball. Mingi effectively blocked him with his hand, however the ball bounced out of the court. It bounced until it was rolling over the pavement and stopped right where you were painting. You were able to grab the ball before it could barrel into the newly painted podium.

Seeing where the ball ended, Mingi ran towards you. "Hey," he greeted as he picked up the ball and crouched down next to you, "it's looking great. What's it for?" He asked, referring to the podium.

"It's for this week's carnival," you answered with a sigh.

"Right," Mingi chuckled awkwardly. "Umm," he paused, "so what will you be doing while," he drifted off, evidently conflicted as he pondered over his words carefully.

You looked at him funny. "While...?"

"While, you know," Mingi shrugged, "while people are kissing."

"I'll just man the booth," you said nonchalantly. "I'll leave it to Wooyoung and the others to facilitate the germ spreading."

Mingi laughed, looking somewhat happy and relieved at the same time. "Still haven't warmed up to the idea, I see."

"Never."

Mingi grinned. His face morphed into embarrassment as Yunho called for him from a few meters away. "Are we going to play, or are you too busy mingling, Mingi?"

Mingi rolled his eyes before smiling at you. "I gotta go. I'll see you around, Y/N."

You waved at him as he stood up and went back to his friends. You chuckled at the sight of Yunho giving Mingi a headlock and basically hauling him back to court. The boys laughed between themselves before returning to their game with their other friends.

You were feeling blissful, like how you always felt whenever you and Mingi talked to each other. You truly liked the guy. However, the blissful feeling was short-lived as a wild Wooyoung plopped down next to you. "What was that?!" He asked.

You blinked curiously at him. "What was what?" You looked at the spot you were previously painting. "I'm almost done. I didn't miss a spot as far as I could tell."

Wooyoung rolled his eyes. "I wasn't referring to the podium. I was referring to you and Mingi!" He exclaimed.

You looked at him funny. "It was just a friendly conversation."

"Friendly?" Wooyoung sighed exasperatedly. "Oh no no no, honey, you didn't see what I see. The guy is into you!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Wooyoung," you shook your head. "We have always talked like that. He's just super nice—"

"Na-ah! Again, you didn't see what I see," Wooyoung replied. All of a sudden, Wooyoung's face broke into excitement. He started slapping your arm, making you groan not in pain but in annoyance. "I just thought of the most brilliant idea EVER."

You frowned, not liking where this was going. "What?"

-----

"This is worse than you pitching the kissing booth idea to the council."

"Oh, come on," Wooyoung said as he kept pushing you towards the gym where the basketball team was training. "I will be of service to you forever if you manage to get him."

It was already past class hours when Wooyoung dragged you into putting his idea into action. He said you guys should have a meeting about the spring carnival after class. But alas, he deceived you again. That sly fox, you thought.

Wooyoung faced you towards him. "Alright, your uniform is clean, no evidence of your lunch anywhere," you rolled your eyes as Wooyoung checked you up and down. Wooyoung scrutinized your face before smiling triumphantly. "No booger or drool in sight too," he said.

"You—!" You exclaimed, but Wooyoung turned you around again and shoved you closer toward the gym doors. Sighing, you walked toward it, and right when you were directly in front of the entrance, you looked back at him. "How is this the most brilliant idea you ever had, again?"

Wooyoung shrugged. "The plan here is simple: talk to Mingi and his friends into joining our lineup of kissers so we can get more people to come to our booth."

"I don't want to use him, Woo."

"The man's too soft for you," Wooyoung smiled. "He will do whatever you want, I guarantee."

You gave him the most innocent look you could ever muster in an attempt to change his mind. But Wooyoung just shooed you with his hand and raised his eyebrows pointedly. With a defeated sigh, you opened the doors and entered.

The basketball team was in the midst of a practice game. You immediately spotted Mingi, running while dribbling the ball across the court. When he managed to outrun his opponent, he immediately made his shot, the ball flying through the air and into the hoop. You stared at him, awed as he was in his element. 

A bunch of squeals echoed in the gym. There was an audience watching with excited grins and squeals near the team's benches. It was an open practice after all. Sighing, you sat awkwardly at the side.

The coach blew his whistle, signaling that training was over. The players rejoiced and immediately jogged to their bags scattered on the benches. There were a few girls who called for Mingi, but he only smiled sheepishly and went to his gym bag. 

"Hey, Mingi," Yeosang, his friend and teammate, spoke between his breaths. "Isn't that your friend?" 

Mingi looked at wherever Yeosang was pointing. And true enough, you were there at the edge of the bleachers, awkwardly twiddling with your fingers.

"Yeah," Mingi said, dumbfounded at the thought of you watching their training.

"I think she's looking for you," Yunho, Mingi's best friend, said. He shook his head in amusement, eyeing Yeosang knowingly as Mingi started wiping his sweat and combing his hair deliberately to the back. Mingi hastily gathered his things before approaching you.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile.

You stood up awkwardly. There was something about a wet-haired Mingi in a basketball jersey that had you tongue-tied for a moment. "Uhh, hi, umm, Mingi."

"Were you waiting for me?"

"Umm, yeah, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, have a seat," Mingi said as he sat a bleacher apart from you, not wanting you to smell his sweaty state. "What's up?"

"Well, our club is hosting a kissing booth for the spring carnival," you slightly frowned at your awkward self. "Umm, but I think you already knew that."

Mingi chuckled and nodded amusingly. "Yeah, you might have mentioned it once or twice," he joked.

You let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I did, didn't I? But, well, you see, Wooyoung asked me to ask you about something."

Mingi nodded again, urging you to go on.

You sighed nervously. "Can you," you cleared your throat, "can you be—wait, I must emphasize that it was Wooyoung's idea."

"It was Wooyoung's idea," Mingi repeated. "Got it. Crystal clear. Now, what's up with Wooyoung's idea?"

You sighed defeatedly. Well, here goes nothing, you thought. "Can you be one of the kissers for our kissing booth?"

Mingi's eyes turned wide. "What?"

Your lips formed a thin line. "Umm, can you be one of the kissers for our kissing booth?" You repeated, less confident this time.

Mingi blinked unbelievably. "Why me?"

You sighed. "Well, Wooyoung was hoping your friends too. He said that having the players of the basketball team would bring revenue to the booth."

"Oh."

You frowned. "I'm sorry, I told Wooyoung you might be uncomfortable with it, but he insisted that I should still ask you."

"Why would I be uncomfortable with it?"

"I don't know," you shrugged. You were busy playing with the ends of your school blazer as the conversation pursued. "I guess, I didn't pin you to be the type to openly kiss strangers, or show public displays of affection."

"Maybe," Mingi side-smiled, "maybe not. Or, maybe it depends on the person."

"Oh," you muttered, "sorry. I didn't know."

Mingi then leaned on his knees, getting a better view of your slightly flustered face. "Do you want me to be a kisser?"

"What?" You stared at him blankly.  "Well, Wooyoung said—"

"I mean, do YOU want me to be a kisser?" Mingi emphasized, "You as in Y/N L/N, and not Jung Wooyoung?"

You didn't reply immediately, pondering over what his question meant. "Why are you asking me?"

"I don't know," Mingi said. "I feel like I should listen to you."

Why, though? This conversation was going nowhere and it was making you more nervous than before. Not to mention Mingi's inquisitive gaze that had you looking anywhere but him. 

Do you actually want him to, though? I mean, the kissing booth opens so many opportunities, but you were uncomfortable with the thought of him... the thought of him kissing...

"No," you said.

Mingi smiled, nodding at your answer, which confused you. "Then I won't," he sat properly again against the bleacher, letting his intense gaze turn into a soft one. "I won't join then."

"What? Why?" You were dumbfounded. 

"Just tell Wooyoung I'm busy or something," he said. "But I will try to talk to my friends, though. Emphasis on the word 'try.'"

"W-Would you have joined if I said yes?" You probed, but Mingi already stood up as if the conversation was already over, smirking at your confused look.

"Do you have a ride home?" He asked.

"Umm, yeah, Wooyoung's right outside," you answered.

"Well, then, I'll see you around." Mingi smiled at you for the last time before exiting the gym.

You sat back on the bleachers. Though your stance was already relaxed due to the conversation being over, your mind still couldn't wrap around what just happened in the conversation. Would he have agreed if I said yes?

The doors of the gym creaked as someone entered. It was Mingi again. He approached you with a different glint in his eye this time. What now?

"Hey," Mingi greeted. "Could you hold this for a moment?" Before you could ask, he put the object he was referring to in your hand. It was a set of keys—car keys, in particular. "Don't lose it, okay? I'll be quick, I swear." And just like that, he left again.

You stared at the keys in your palm. You really like Mingi, but he was seriously giving you a whiplash at the moment.

Your phone buzzed in your blazer pocket, indicating that you received a text message. You pulled it out to see a text from Wooyoung.

There's an emergency at home. Had to pick up Kyungmin from our grandma's house. Go get your man!

-----

You walked back and forth in the hallway, in front of the boy's locker room. You didn't know why Mingi left these keys with you, but you figured you had to return them to him before you leave for the bus stop. You couldn't just leave it somewhere and message him about it. Someone could steal it. Or worse, someone could steal his car.

Just in time, Mingi exited the locker room, fresh out of the shower and now sporting a big hoodie and sweats. "Hey," Mingi smiled.

"Hey, you gave these to me for some reason," you jiggled the car keys before placing them on his palm.

"Right," Mingi chuckled. "Shall we?"

You stared at him. "Shall we what?"

"Wooyoung already left, didn't he?"

"How did you know?"

Mingi chuckled. "The hallway was empty when I left," he shrugged, putting his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, "I figured he went somewhere."

"Ah, yeah, he said he had an emergency at home," you responded, following Mingi outside the school. 

Truth be told, Mingi met Wooyoung in the hallway.

---

Mingi smiled as he saw Wooyoung in the hallway. "Hey," he greeted. "Sorry, I don't think I can join. I think I have to visit my grandma that day."

Wooyoung slumped. "Oh, okay. Where's Y/N?"

"She'll be right out, I guess," Mingi replied. "See ya—"

"You like her, don't you?" Wooyoung asked.

"Uhh," Mingi blushed. "I-well, I, umm—"

"Yup, you like her," Wooyoung smirked. "Why won't you ask her out then?"

Mingi sighed. "I don't think she's interested in me in that way."

Wooyoung scoffed. "Believe me, she does." He started walking away. "I'll be taking my leave. Hope you get the guts to ask her out."

Mingi sighed again when suddenly he remembered, "Hey, aren't you her ride home?"

Wooyoung turned around and started walking backward with a smirk. "Am I?" He waggled his eyebrows before disappearing in the hallway.

Mingi grinned and shook his head in amusement before rushing back inside the gym to leave you his car keys.

-----

Mingi glanced momentarily at you with a smile. He would have to apologize in the future for using your kindness like that. But he hoped that doing this would drive him to ask you confidently out on a date.

Mingi opened the school doors wide enough for the both of you and waited until you were completely outside before closing it. 

"Come on, I'll give you a ride," Mingi offered.

"Oh, no thank you," you hastily refused, "I'll take the bus."

Mingi shook his head. "I'm not taking no for an answer. We live a few blocks away, anyway, so it's really convenient."

"But I don't want to impose," you sighed.

"You're not, Y/N," Mingi said. "And you won't. Like ever."

You sighed again. "But—"

Mingi shook his head then snatched your school bag. "If you ever want to see this bag again, you're going to have to catch me," and with that, Mingi ran towards the parking lot.

"Hey, no fair!" You followed him, pouting as the distance between the two of you widened. Damn his athletic build.

You chased after him, groaning in annoyance when Mingi reached his car and wiggled your bag as if to spite you. But you both found yourselves laughing as soon as you almost barreled into him and he caught you before you both could barrel into his jeep.

"Come on, Y/N, it's really not a bother," Mingi said, opening the passenger door.

You sighed. "Fine," you huffed as you grabbed your bag and settled in his passenger seat. "Just this once," you told him.

"Oh, don't count on it," Mingi said, winking at you before closing your door. You swore he would be the death of you.

As Mingi drove his jeep out of the school lot, you both fell into a casual conversation. "So why don't you want me to be a kisser?" Mingu asked.

You narrowed your eyes at his teasing expression. "Oh, stop smiling. I don't want anyone to be part of that"

"I guess, you didn't have much say on the idea?"

You slumped against the car seat with a soft 'yeah.'

Mingi looked at you momentarily before focusing on the road. "What was your idea?"

"Nothing special." You smiled. "I was thinking of just baking cupcakes or pastries."

"I think that's a great idea."

"Yeah, right," you muttered sarcastically.

"No, I swear. I think your baking's great," Mingi stressed.

"How would you know?"

"Because I bought and ate a lot from last year's fundraiser." Mingi smiled and chuckled, almost as if he could smell and taste your fresh batch just by thinking about it. "Especially those cupcakes. I swear, they're good."

"Huh, no wonder the cupcakes sold out easily," you chuckled. "We had an influencer."

"Or," Mingi drawled, "your baking is just that good." He smiled, switching his gaze back and forth between the road and you.

"Said no one ever," you shot back teasingly.

"I just said like seconds ago that they're good." Mingi shook his head in disbelief. "You don't take compliments very well."

"Maybe because I don't usually get them," you retorted.

"Ahh, all the reason for me to compliment you more then."

You looked at him before turning away upon seeing his smirk. "Oh, stop it," you said jokingly, but your heart felt like it was ramming against the seatbelt of his car.

The car slowed down to a stop just right in front of your house. You were about to thank him when Mingi suddenly exited the car. He rushed to your side before opening the car door.

"Thanks for the ride," you said. "You didn't have to do that." 

"I don't mind," he replied, following you to the front door.

"And you didn't have to walk me to the door." You chuckled. "It's literally like a few steps away from the fence."

"But I want to, though." Mingi shrugged and put his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie.

You both arrived at the front door. You were too busy finding your keys to notice that he was lingering to stay with you longer. As you opened your front door, you finally noticed his awkward stature. "D-Do you want to have dinner with us?"

"Oh," Mingi snapped out of it. "Uhh, maybe next time. My mom's waiting for me at home."

You nodded in understanding. 

"Y/N," Mingi sighed. "Do you want to...?"

"What?"

"I mean, umm," Mingi scratched his head awkwardly. "Do you—do you have any of those cupcakes lying around?"

"Oh, could you wait here for a minute?" You smiled before disappearing into your home.

Mingi palmed his face in frustration, muttering 'stupid' and 'dumbass' to himself. He pulled himself together when he heard your footsteps nearing.

You came out again with a small box in hand. "I baked them last night but they're still good," you said, handing out the box of cupcakes to Mingi.

"Thanks," Mingi grinned sheepishly nonetheless. "I'll give some to my mom."

"You better," you smiled.

"Thanks again, Y/N. I'll see you at school," Mingi started walking backward with a soft smile.

"See you," you waved at him. "Thanks for the ride."

Mingi winked at you before hopping into his jeep. As soon as Mingi's jeep disappeared into the night, you slumped against your front door and tried to calm your blushing self.

-----

It was the day of the dreaded carnival. The field where your school held the said carnival was almost in full swing, the lights and excitement gradually increasing as time passed by.

Your club has been there since early morning to finalize everything for the booth. Despite your judgment against the club's concept, you still had to do it for the sake of the team. 

Although, you had convinced Wooyoung to sell baked goods nonetheless. Your point was to remind the audience that you were still the culinary and baking club of the school. Thankfully, he agreed.

So, here you were, setting up a separate table for different baked goods beside the registration.

Wooyoung surprised you with an arm around your shoulder and a big grin. "I can already feel wads of money in our laps." He dramatically inhaled for effect. "I mean, look at our lineup so far."

You begrudgingly looked at the people readying themselves on the mini-stage. 

Leave it to Wooyoung to invite people from the top of the high school food chain. Everybody likes Wooyoung anyway. At least there were a few friendly faces—school mascot San, street dancer Seonghwa, up-and-coming celebrity Jongho, and... student council president Hongjoong?

"How did you get him?" You almost giggled at Hongjoong's icy demeanor just standing in the middle of the lineup.

"Oh, he owes me," Wooyoung said nonchalantly. When you gave him a look, he just replied, "Don't ask."

You shook your head as if to shake the idea of Hongjoong in Wooyoung's debt. It's an amusing sight, though.

"So where's your pretty boy's friends?"

You shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen them ever since."

You knew it was too good to be true. Your moment with Mingi lasted only a day as you haven't seen him for the rest of the week. Not even on free period. And when you had a class together, he looked like he was about to doze off and fall from his desk. You didn't want to be a bother.

"Oh, wait, nevermind. Here they come."

You immediately glanced up to see Mingi, Yunho, and Yeosang walking toward your booth. You could feel the crowd starting to buzz upon seeing the star players approach the kissing booth. Your gaze landed on Mingi who sported a plain oversized shirt and ripped jeans. So simple yet so handsome.

"Hey," Mingi greeted with a smile, never looking away from your gaze.

"H-Hey, how have you been?" You tried to keep your blush at bay.

"Well—"

"We're so glad to be here, Y/N. Mingi really convinced us to be here," Yeosang smiled in a—teasing?—manner, which you responded to with an awkward chuckle. 

"Yeah," Yunho chimed in. "Mingi really, really wanted us to join your kissing booth." Yunho smiled widely at Mingi, who only rolled his eyes.

"That's great, great news!" Wooyoung rejoiced. He quickly winked at you before ushering Mingi's friends to the lineup.

When you and Mingi were the only ones left, you smiled sheepishly. "I hope it wasn't much of a trouble convincing your friends."

"Don't worry, Y/N, it wasn't." Lie(-ish). Yunho and Yeosang complained a lot and made Mingi do whatever they liked for the past few days. From doing their homework to washing their cars, they were relentless. He hadn't gotten any proper sleep because of it. But, it wasn't really much of a trouble since he was doing it for you. Well, your club. But mostly for you.

Mingi stared at the table of baked goods in front of you. "I see you convinced Wooyoung to continue with your idea." He smiled.

"He still listens anyway." You chuckled. "Do you want one?"

"Definitely. I'll take a—" 

Before Mingi could finish, Wooyoung appeared and dragged you away from Mingi. "Sorry, Mingi! We're about to start now!" He yelled, but not before freezing on the spot as an idea popped into his head.

Wooyoung went back to Mingi with you in tow. "Actually, can you do us a favor and man the table? I need Y/N for the register."

You clicked your tongue and were about to protest when Mingi immediately said, "Sure."

You looked at him curiously. "Really?"

"I don't see why not," Mingi smiled.

Deep inside, Wooyoung was popping confetti. Wooyoung thanked Mingi before going to the center of the mini-stage. You placed yourself at the registration table as Wooyoung shouted, "And the kissing booth is officially open!"

----

You thought you could handle the smooch-fest behind you. But... you thought wrong. The amount of kissing and hooting was too much for your poor heart. Thank the heavens the registration continued to pile up and you had to put your sole focus there. Well, not entirely.

You would sometimes peek at Mingi who had his own long line to attend to. Mingi manning the food table seemed to generate a longer line than the kissing booth, which made you chuckle softly before turning your attention back to the registration.

It wasn't long before Mingi managed to sell everything on the table and he approached you with the funds he generated. You dumbfoundedly accepted and stared at the small lunchbox where he put the money. 

"I hope I did well, Ms. Y/N." Mingi smiled.

"You did, Mingi," you replied. "Thank you so much for helping us."

Mingi shrugged. "It was no problem." He looked at his watch. "Well, I have to do something for the time being. Will you still be here later?"

You nodded. "I'm here 'til it closes."

"I'll see you then." Mingi winked before disappearing into the carnival crowd.

-----

If you were being honest, the rest of the afternoon felt slow despite the buzz around your booth. With Mingi gone, it suddenly felt boring. You didn't show it though. You still wanted to be presentable to the carnival-goers. 

As night rolled in, the excitement started to die down. The crowd dissipated until only a few people were passing by the booths. The kissing booth was more successful than you thought, thanks to Wooyoung and his lineup of volunteers. 

As Wooyoung set aside the podiums, you counted all the money you had raised from the kissing booth and food table. You were halfway done when Wooyoung finished packing up and stood beside you. "So, how much did we earn?" He asked.

"I'm not done counting," you said. "But, we already have enough to win the student council's favor and have some extra funds for our own," you happily gleamed.

"Yes! Let's get drunk and party!" Wooyoung cheered.

You glared at him. "You're joking, right?"

Wooyoung forced a smile and patted your head. "Of course, I'm joking," he said, though his tone didn't sound as sincere as you had hoped.

You tutted before turning back to the money in your hands. For a moment, Wooyoung was quietly watching you count the bills. Then, all of a sudden, he spoke, "Oh, would you look at the time, it's getting late. Gottagohomenowbye," before scurrying away.

You looked up confused, your eyes following his seemingly excited figure before landing on a tall one that was walking towards the booth. You tried to hide your fluster as Song Mingi stopped in front of the registration counter with a smile. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," you smiled sheepishly. You can't help but notice the oversized windbreaker that he is now sporting. "Umm, we've closed already."

"I know," Mingi said, "I just came here again to talk to you."

"Oh, what about?"

Mingi scratched the side of his head. "Uhh," he mustered, "nothing in particular. What are you doing?"

"I'm just counting all our earnings," you referred to the bills in your hand. "Thanks again to you and your friends. I think you were the ones who attracted the crowd, Yunho and Yeosang especially."

Mingi scoffed. "If the crowd knew how weird they are, they wouldn't be lining up at all."

"And you're not?" You teased.

Mingi raised an eyebrow. "Who wanted me to join your lineup again?"

You rolled your eyes. "That was Wooyoung, not me."

"Sure, okay," Mingi shrugged with a smirk. 

You shook your head, wanting to wipe that smirk off his pretty face. You turned back to your money and jotted down the numbers under the last person to register. "Weren't you interested in our lineup of kissers? I can't thank you enough for helping us and being here and all."

Mingi leaned over the counter and crossed his arms. "No, not at all," he answered as he watched you work.

You looked at him and chuckled. "So you just came to watch your friends make out with a bunch of people, then?" 

"Well, I did to maybe get some material for blackmail," Mingi chuckled then cleared his throat, "but I was also waiting for someone."

"Oh," you said. You sounded so dry that you wanted to beat yourself up for seeming affected. "Who?"

"For you, actually," Mingi answered without a hitch, making you blush madly. "I—uh—also got you something." He placed a small chick plushie on the counter. 

You smiled uncontrollably as you grabbed and squeezed its fluffy material. "Where did you get this?" You happily asked.

"The claw machines rented by the robotics club," Mingi sighed. "My talent is limited to basketball I guess, since I only got one."

"It's cute," you chuckled. "What is this for anyway?"

"I figured a gift is better than $5 for a..." Mingi trailed off, unsure of how you would react.

Your face morphed from happy to surprise upon realizing what he meant. You looked him in the eyes to see whether he was joking or not, but eventually, you avoided his intense gaze. And you suddenly realized how close he was as he continued to lean over the counter, waiting for your response. "Stop that," you mumbled, "please."

"Stop what?"

"That," you said, not looking at him as you pushed him gently away from the counter. "Stop messing with me." 

Mingi sighed as he stood properly, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. "I'm not messing with you, Y/N. I," he paused, plucking up the courage, "I want to kiss you—no, I want to ask you out first because I like you a lot."

You bit your lip anxiously. He wouldn't mess with you, right? You continued to stare at your feet. You can't bear to see if he was joking or not.

Mingi leaned over the counter again in an attempt to see your face. "I can see that you're holding yourself back. What's stopping you?"

You sighed, meeting his eyes for a moment before looking back down. "You're Song Mingi—"

"Nope, don't start. I don't wanna hear that bullshit. Give me a logical one like, I don't know, you don't like me back?" Mingi said sternly. His deep voice made the hairs on your nape stand. "I can date whomever I want. And that's you, Y/N. I like you for who you are. You're sweet and kind to everyone. You're one of the smartest people I know. You even stand up to your best friend for what you think is right."

You bit your lip again in a fluster, still too shy to make your move.

Mingi sighed. "If you don't like me back, it's alright, Y/N. I'm not going to be mad." He smiled softly. "I'm sorry for bombarding you with these things. You don't have to answer when you're uncomfortable." He moved to walk away, but you instantly grabbed the lining of his jacket to stop him.

"No, I—" you gripped the material nervously. "I like you too, Mingi. I—" You paused again, not knowing how to say your problem.

Mingi's eyes widened in surprise but waited for you to finish.

"I like you, Mingi. I—" you gulped. "And I also want to kiss you."

"But?" Mingi asked. "I feel like there's going to be a 'but' there."

You looked down at the counter. "But, I don't know how."

"I'm sorry." He smiled apologetically. "We don't have to kiss right now. We can just have dinner for now—"

"But I want to," you blurted out, which you immediately apologized for nonstop.

For a moment, you thought Mingi was going to laugh at you. You guessed that most of the people your age had already gotten their first kiss. Heck, your club's booth was a testament to that. So you were utterly embarrassed by your confession. 

However, Mingi did no such thing. "Move over," he said. You didn't know what he meant until he climbed over the counter. You almost tripped backward when he jumped down right in front of you. He caught you just when you were about to stumble.

"What are you doing?" You mused.

"Can't you tell?" Mingi teased as he held your face tenderly. "I'm trying to kiss you properly."

You shook your head in disbelief and amusement. This guy is really sleek. 

"C-Can I kiss you, Y/N?" Mingi asked. He rubbed his thumb against your cheek, comforting you.

You were extremely flustered by the warmth, not to mention the anticipation of what he was about to do, so all you could do at the moment was nod silently at his question.

Mingi smiled. You thought your heart was going to explode as Mingi came closer. You thought he was going to kiss you on the lips right away, but he planted a soft kiss on your forehead first. Then on your nose. You had to refrain from giggling, given the soft moment. Then he slowly came closer to your lips. You closed your eyes when you felt it against yours.

You couldn't explain it, but you felt warm and fuzzy inside despite your heartbeat ramming against your chest. The air felt soft yet exciting at the same time. It was definitely more than what you had imagined it to be. 

You slid your hand against his chest and rested it behind his neck. His hands softly slid against your waist and pulled you closer. You could faintly hear Mingi humming in delight. And a few moments later, you both stopped to gaze at each other.

Although, you still had trouble maintaining eye contact with his intense ones. And Mingi just chuckled lightly at the sight. "You still don't want me to be a kisser?"

"No, I—" you pouted and Mingi just laughed.

"Don't worry, you're the only one I want to kiss," he murmured before kissing your forehead. "Dinner?"

[savventeen]

you say the stupidest (sweetest) things

pairing: seungkwan x gn!reader rating: 16+ (for swearing) wc: 4.5k prompt: seungkwan + "things you said at 1am" summary: you say stupid shit on the best of days, so when seungkwan comes over when you're having a bad bout of insomnia, the last thing he expects to hear from you is an accidental love confession warnings: insomnia, mental health issues, dissociation mention tags: fluff, friends to lovers, first kiss, reader is a little unhinged but who isn't tbh, they're also highkey allergic to genuine expressions of love/affection but they're working on it, banter, stimming, wrestling like children to try and work through emotions, reader is some flavor of lgbt+ (they make an "i've never done anything straight in my life" joke), reader's pov is dramatic bc they're dramatic oops a/n: this is for @dokyeomin as a part of my emergency commissions (check out the post here) and this was only supposed to be 1k but it 100% got away from me... i hope you still enjoy the fluff and all of the attached nonsense <3

From: Y/n 🔪 [11:47pm]

yo kwannie if i impulsively decide to go to the 24h convenience store how harshly do u think they'll jusdge me for buying every flavor of gummy candy available *judge i wanna see if i can melt them down into one Ultimate Gummy u know for Science

Seungkwan pauses brushing his teeth and stares down at your messages.

To be fair, it's probably not the strangest thing you've ever texted him. He's known you since your second year of college, after all, so he has about half a decade of experience with all of your various y/n-isms under his belt now.

Which is how he knows to trust his gut when it tells him that this probably isn't your usual brand of nonsense.

He spits the toothpaste into the sink and dials your number. You answer on the second ring.

“Before you say anything,” you start, “I was only half-serious about the gummies thing. Like, it's a fun idea, you know? In theory. But in actuality? I do not want to deal with the mess that it would create. Or the smells. Well, the smells might actually be pretty good depending on—“

“Uh-huh,” he interrupts dryly. “Y/n, when's the last time you slept?”

The beat of silence that follows is enough to confirm his suspicions, and the hesitant “Um” that follows is just the icing on the cake, really.

He sighs. “The fact that you have to think about it says enough.”

“I don’t need to think about it,” you argue petulantly. “I just… don’t wanna tell you.”

“Y/n...” he groans, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Look, I know, I'm sorry.” And you do sound a little bit sorry, at least. “I'm just. Having an episode. Don't worry about it.”

His shoulders droop as the words sink in. “Episodes” are what you've taken to calling your intermittent bouts of serious insomnia.

Generally speaking, you sleep about as well as the average twenty-something with a caffeine addiction. But every few months or so, it's like your brain completely forgets how to shut off and you end up staying awake for 40+ hours straight.

“Well,” he says, putting his toothbrush away and going back to his bedroom. “You know that ship has sailed, right? You know I'm gonna worry about it.”

Your deep sigh crackles over the line. “Yeah, I know.”

“So. Where're we at this time?”

He mentally braces himself. The two of you have done this enough times now that he knows that you know there's no point in trying to lie or beat around the bush.

“Uhhhhhhh, I'll be hitting the 46-hour mark in about 20 minutes.”

“Aish.”

The fact that you can say that so casually makes his heart hurt. He knows that whenever he doesn't get enough sleep, he makes sure everyone knows it and thus babies him accordingly. But you've always been so intent on hiding anything and everything you struggle with. It's taken years for him to bully himself past the walls you keep hidden behind shit-eating grins and an over-willingness to help.

“Okay,” he says, moving to the dresser to grab an extra set of clothes. “I'll be over in an hour.”

“Wait. What?”

“You heard me.” He tosses the clothes onto his bed before going to grab one of his duffle bags, firmly asserting, “You've got an hour to mentally prepare yourself for my arrival.”

“Honey, you've got a big storm comin',” you quote at him without hesitating.

“You sure do,” he assures with a snort. “Better get ready to feel the wrath of my friendship.”

“Why do you have to love so aggressively?”

He rolls his eyes while he throws his clothes into the duffle bag with one hand. “Because it's the only way you'll accept it, idiot.”

“No, it isn't.”

Your pout is so audible through the phone that Seungkwan has to stop and glance at the screen in disbelief.

“Y/n. Y/n L/n. Do not stand there and lie to my face like that.”

“I'm not lying!”

“Not—” He gesticulates wildly with one hand like he's going Can you believe this shit? to an invisible TV audience. “Okay, tell me this: what did you do the last time I sincerely monologued at you about how much you mean to me as a friend, hmm? No bits, no bullshit, just me telling you how much I love you and how amazing you are.”

A beat. “I'll hang up on you, Kwannie, don't test me.”

He barely resists the urge to shove his face into the bedspread and scream. “You're literally proving my point right now!”

“Kwannieeee,” you whine, because you know he's right.

“Also, because I'm never letting you live it down, I will remind you exactly what you did."

You say his name again, but it's muffled, and he assumes it's because you're hiding your face in shame.

“I gave you a sincere, heartfelt speech about how much your friendship has changed my life for the better and made me become a better person—” he ignores your wordless pterodactyl screech, “—and how do you respond? By staring at me like a deer caught in the headlights, slowly raising your arms to give me double finger guns, winking, and then slowly backing out of the room like an awkward mannequin!”

“...”

“Well?” He puts his free hand on his hip. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“… I’ve changed a lot since then.”

Seungkwan rolls his eyes before moving to continue packing his overnight bag. “It was literally three months ago.”

“Yeah, and? Doesn't change the fact that I've changed,” you assert.

“Into even more of a nuisance? Yes, you're absolutely right.” He smiles when he hears you scoff playfully.

“Listen here, Boo Seungkwan. You know that well-rested Y/n is ready to throw down with you at a moment's notice. What do you think sleep-deprived, zero-impulse-control Y/n is going to do the second you get to their front door?”

“Stop referring to themself in the third person, hopefully,” he mutters, finally zipping up his bag and heading to the door. “And then after that, they're going to let me bully them into resting.”

“Hmm. The council has heard your proposal, briefly pondered it, and deemed it “unnecessary” on the basis of: they're a bad bitch that can't be stopped by neither time nor physics nor any god of your choosing.”

Seungkwan scoffs as he puts the call on speaker and sits to put on his sneakers. “Well, “the council” can go fuck right off.”

“What if the council would like to fuck right on?”

Pausing in the middle of tying his laces, he blinks down at his phone. “I'm— what?”

“Okay, real talk, what do you think it would mean in this case? Like, would this be like a 'hop on' versus 'hop off' situation? Or more like an 'I'm down for this' versus 'I'm up for this' kinda situation? Because it would have very different outcomes depending.”

Seungkwan decides that this is a debate better left for another time. “I think it means that I'm going to be at your house soon and that if you're not in your pajamas with hot Sleepy Time tea and the series Planet Earth ready to go, there will be consequences.”

“Booooooo, you whore.”

He finishes tying his laces and jabs his finger at the phone. “Consequences, Y/n.”

“Ugh, fine.”

“See you soon, love you, bye.” He hangs up before you can get another word in, but doesn't move from his seated position in the entryway.

Slowly, he takes a deep breath in and lets it out, taking a moment to lean back on his hands while he stares at the back of his front door. Specifically, at the large collage of sticky notes and pictures and doodles that have taken up residence there.

A few of the notes are ones he's gotten from other members of your shared friend group over the years (the one from Chan that reads "if u eat my rice i'll eat ur kneecaps xoxo" hangs proudly in the center, right next to a picture of him sleeping that Seungkwan managed to capture from an extremely unflattering angle). But most of them are from you.

Dumb puns, meme references, bullshit animal facts you made up just to get him to laugh… almost all of them are stupid in that extremely charming way that only you somehow manage to pull off.

But the one he's staring at now is almost completely hidden by other notes and pictures that have been added to the collage. It's a pale blue, the ink starting to fade a bit with time — the first note you ever gave him, back when you two were just people who happened to sit next to each other in an astronomy class.

Even though most of it is hidden, he doesn't need to be able to see all the tiny words you crammed into the small space to already know exactly what it says.

how do u make a space party? u planet :P u looked sad today, hope this makes u feel a little better also if this is 2 forward feel free 2 pretend i don't exist. or punt me in2 the sun idk u'd be doing me a favor tbh

He'd almost skipped class that day because of how bad he'd been feeling, but he'd decided to try and push through. And before that day, neither of you had interacted with more than a polite greeting and the occasional question about the homework.

But then you'd passed him that note, and he'd passed one back that said “that's dumb. but thank you” with a smiley face, and you'd passed another one back that said “do u think lizard people have ever been to space?” and the rest, they say, is history.

Seungkwan shakes his head with a sigh before standing up and grabbing his bag and his keys, striding determinedly out the door. He's got a best friend to take care of.

Seungkwan should be at your place soon, and you're not quite sure what to do in the meantime.

You have your laptop hooked up to the monitor in the living room with Planet Earth queued up, you have the kettle filled with water and ready to go on the stove, and you have mugs and teabags ready on the counter next to it.

The Required Tasks™️ have been completed as much as possible without the arrival of your best friend, and now all that's left to do is wait.

Which, normally, you're not the worst at. You're excellent at entertaining yourself, actually, mostly because there's always something to think about. Whether it be about cute dogs that you've seen over the past week (I wonder if the pomeranian down the street will let me pet him next time), potential plot twists for the new fantasy drama you're a little bit obsessed with (what if Gregothy was cursed the whole time???), or generic ponderings of the human existence as a whole (do souls have the metaphysical equivalent of a fingerprint?), you're pretty much always thinking about something.

Which is totally fine and dandy and cool or whatever when you have the ability to, you know, shut it off. For example, when you need to do something simple and necessary like, oh I don't know, go the fuck to sleep.

You also hate when that manic mental energy somehow translates into kinetic energy as well. It makes you feel like a hamster in a cage, watching yourself running and running and running on that stupid wheel until you exhaust yourself.

Tonight's metaphorical wheel: stimming like wild in the kitchen. Flapping, rocking, (gently) slapping, making weird and fun mouth sounds, the whole shebang.

And again, normally stimming is fun. Stimming is great. But stimming because you feel like if you don't stop moving you're going to literally vibrate out of your skin is, to put it lightly, Not It.

It takes you about ten minutes to work out all of the energy until you no longer feel like your blood was replaced with pop rocks.

With a groan, you lower yourself to the kitchen floor and lay down face first. Because despite how exhausted you feel in every possible way, there's still something like an itch in your conscious, a fucking pea underneath the miles of mattresses that refuse to let you just. Fucking. Sleep.

Your pity party must've lasted longer than you realized (or, more likely, you dissociated for a hot second there) because suddenly someone's knocking at your door at the same time you get a text from Seungkwan.

And you know it's a text from Seungkwan specifically because you got Vernon to help you change your notification settings so that whenever Seungkwan texts you, the "i love you.. bitch" sound clip plays instead of a normal text tone.

For a fraction of a second, you contemplate slowly inching your way to the door like an uncoordinated caterpillar, but you swat the thought aside like you’re swatting a gnat and you awkwardly roll to your feet and make your way to your front door.

Without hesitating, you unlock the door, swinging it open with a flourish and sticking a finger right in Seungkwan's face before he can utter a single syllable, forcing him to cross his eyes.

You open your mouth wide like you're going to say something, pause for a moment, then tap your pointed finger to his nose with a quiet "boop."

He blinks, expression turning deadpan, and sighs. "I should have expected this, honestly."

“Yep!”

You let him into your apartment, and he makes himself right at home, mildly bitching at you as he goes to get the tea ready, and something within you shifts.

The inside of your head is still a bit of a dumpster fire, unfortunately, but inside your chest... something clicks into place that you're not sure that you're ready to name. Whatever it is, though, it's soft and warm and kinda feels like your heart is being hugged.

Smiling to yourself, you follow him into the kitchen.

💤 💤 💤 💤 💤

It was pretty much straight to “business” after that, and it only takes Seungkwan one cup of tea and two episodes listening to David Attenborough's dulcet narrations for him to knock right out, leaning heavily against your shoulder on the couch.

Which means it's now the perfect time to sit there and Admire Your Bro™️.

It's rare to see him so still, you think. He's an active guy, in pretty much every sense of the word, and you always feel a little honored when you get to be witness to his quiet, vulnerable moments like this one.

He looks so serene, face smoothed out and painted in soft twirling shades of blue from the screen of the monitor, though you can't see too much of it from this angle. Mostly you just see his cheeks and stupidly adorable button nose.

And you've seen the same thing a million times before — in all kinds of states and expressions — and despite how much you've tried to ignore it, each and every time you've caught yourself noticing just how cute Seungkwan is, it's caused that thing in your heart to scrunch up, full of the L-word feeling that you've kept unnamed for what feels like forever now.

Except, maybe that thing in your heart is tired of scrunching up. Maybe it's decided that it's tired of forever.

Maybe that thing has finally decided to burrow itself out of the walls you've built up because you find yourself finally allowing yourself to think, Holy shit, I think I'm in love with you.

You don't realize that Seungkwan has completely stilled against you, but you certainly notice when he suddenly throws himself forward so he can turn around and stare at you incredulously. Only he overshoots a little bit and ends up falling off the couch with a squawk and a dramatic flail.

"Oh my god, Kwannie are you okay?!"

He stares at you from where he fell, wide-eyed like you've grown a second head or like the time you'd tried to convince him that birds weren't real and actually just a government conspiracy.

"Am— am I okay? No??"

Now it's your turn to move off of the couch, coming down to his level to see if maybe he hurt himself when he fell. "Fuck, okay, did you hit something? Do you need an icepack?"

Seungkwan being Not Okay is maybe one of the worst things that could ever happen in the entire universe and you're trying not to panic as you reach out to check for injuries.

"No, no, stop—" he bats away at your hands and you stop in your motions, now kneeling in front of him. "I'm not hurt!"

Your brain does the cartoonish screech thing as it comes to a halt, and you furrow your brows. "But.. you just said you're not okay?"

"I'm not!" His eyes are still wide in shock, but he also looks confused and maybe a little bit like he's about to cry?

Oh no. If he cries and it's somehow your fault (because it has to somehow be your fault) you think the world might actually end.

"Okay, uh. I am— confused,” you start, sure you must look as lost as you feel. “But, um, what can I do to help?"

He swallows, and a part of you realizes that he's looking at you with an expression you've never seen before. "Did you mean it?"

Knowing that it's significant but not yet knowing why, you maintain eye contact. "Mean what?"

"What you just said."

You blink. "...that I'm confused?"

He shakes his head. "No, before that."

You have a hard time remembering what you just said when you're not sleep-deprived and worried you've just somehow accidentally caused irreparable emotional damage to your best friend. "Uh... when I asked if you were okay?"

"No, fuck," and it's a shock for some reason, hearing him cuss right now. You hear him say much worse things all the time, but you think it might be the way he said it — with a kind of desperate vulnerability that you're not sure you've ever heard from him before.

That thing in your chest twinges and you think maybe you're the one who's gonna start crying.

He says your name like a plea, and then he's on his knees right in front of where you're kneeling on the floor, reaching forward to cup your face in his palms. "You said— Y/n, you said "holy shit I think I'm in love with you.””

Oh.

You're pretty sure your heart falls right out of your ass and bounces across the rug, judging from the way it comes to a dead stop. You blink at him. Full of new and sinking kind of dread, you whisper, "...I said that out loud?"

He laughs, but it's tinged with incredulity and sounds a little too close to a sob for comfort. "Yes! You did!"

And wait, no, your heart is still stuck in your chest, because you can feel it start pounding against your ribcage in double, triple, quadruple time. He must see the fear in your expression, because suddenly his eyes are narrowed in a determined scowl and he growls, "Oh no you don't."

Then you find yourself going down with a yelp as Seungkwan octopuses himself around you, trapping you within the confines of his surprisingly strong arms and legs as he basically tackles you to the floor.

You try and wiggle away even as you know it's useless, and he grits, "Y/n dammit, answer my question."

"Why were you even awake?” You deflect, getting an arm free and trying to give him a wedgie. “You were supposed to be asleep!"

"I was supposed to be asleep?!” He screeches, easily evading your reach and poking your ribs to get you to reflexively pull back your arm. “You're the one who hasn't slept in literal days! And stop avoiding my question!"

"No!" He has you trapped once again, and you resort to licking his arm.

"Oh my god!"

He muffles his scream into your shoulder, long and frustrated, and then he just... goes limp. He loosens his hold and just lets his full body weight kinda crush the parts of you he's ended up lying on and just... lays there.

This is your chance, you know — to wiggle free and escape and run away from your feelings just like you always have.

But, for some reason, you don't — that scrunched-up thing in your chest holds you back. You stay there, lying beneath Seungkwan on the floor of your living room at one-something in the morning, and the two of you just breathe.

"It's okay, you know," he murmurs after a moment, so quiet you barely hear him over David Attenborough still narrating softly in the background. "If you didn't mean it. It's okay."

Holy shit, I think I'm in love with you.

And you realize how easy it would be to play it off, to blame it on the sleep deprivation, the way you blurted it out like that — to say (to lie) you meant it completely platonically, like the way you propose to Mingyu at least once a month when he cooks you all dinner.

And you also realize, quite shockingly, that despite how a part of you still desperately wants to run away, the larger part of you wants to stay. Doesn't want to run. Doesn't want to lie anymore.

You swallow heavily, briefly close your eyes, and take in a deep breath. "And if I did? Mean it?"

This time, you do notice when Seungkwan goes still. Slowly, he lifts his head so he can look you in the eyes.

When he doesn't say anything, just continues to look at you with an unreadable expression, you try to continue.

"Would you— would that— would it be okay? If I meant it? When I— when I said that I'm in love with you? Is— because um, like you said, it's okay if it's not, and uh—"

Your nervous rambling comes to a stop when he once again cups your face, but it's gentler than before, closer to a caress. The whole time you'd been talking he'd been slowly sitting up, and now he's on his knees next to where you're still lying down on the floor, looking down at you like all the hope in the world is somewhere to be found in your expression.

"Y/n." he says your name like it's something precious, and you feel the absurd urge to burst into tears. "It would be very okay." His thumbs make gentle arcs across your cheeks. "And just to be clear: you mean it in a non-platonic sense, right?” He chews on his lip. “Hopefully, in a very much romantic sense?"

Staring at him staring at you, eyes bright with hope and a little bit of wonder... you can only imagine you must be looking at him the same way. Your chest feels like it's full of helium but also like something warm and gooey is sloshing around in there. And all that hope and wonder and holy shit is this actually happening? is causing your tongue to stick to the roof of your mouth, and all you're able to get past your lips is a breathless, "Hopefully?"

"Oh my god," he groans in frustration, but it's light and airy and makes you think of amusement park rides and fairy lights and how you want to annoy the shit out of this man for the rest of his life, if he'll let you. He's shaking his head, smiling, beaming, and he asks, "Why can you never give me any kind of a straight answer, huh?"

"Because it's my life's purpose to be the bane of your existence until the day we die," you say, reaching up to hold his face too. "Also because I've never done anything straight ever in my life."

And then your body is moving before your brain can think it though, dragging him down until you can press your lips to his and finally, finally know what it's like to kiss Boo Seungkwan.

He makes a little noise of surprise, one that you can feel buzz against your lips before he melts into you. And oh, any thoughts you might have had are forcefully ejected from your brain because all you can focus on are his lips pressed to yours, the way they move slowly, gently, turning this chaste kiss into the most scorching experience of your life. His nose bumps against yours and the heat of his warm breath sends tingles throughout your body, and his hands, fuck, his hands are still holding you gently but also with a firmness that feels like he doesn't want to let you go.

And then he's pulling away, and you whine at him because this may be the cruelest thing he's ever done to you ever in your entire life. "Noooooo, why'd you stop?"

"Because, as much as I'd love to continue to make out with you on your floor while an old British man narrates about life on the Serengeti—” he mercifully ignores the way you choke on your spit at the way he talks about making out with you so nonchalantly "—it's past someone's bedtime."

Your mouth drops open in offended shock. Was he actually going to put you to bed like a child? Like you both hadn't just declared your romantic love for each other? "Are you fucking serious?"

He just stands up and crosses his arms, looking down at you with a single raised eyebrow. You take the part of you that finds it annoyingly attractive and promptly smother it, crossing your own arms from your position on the floor.

"I'm not a baby," you definitely don't pout.

"Hmmm...” And then the bastard fucking pouts at you. “But you're my baby."

You blink at him.

"Welp, that was nice while it lasted,” you grunt, rolling to your feet, “but I suddenly need to relocate to Antarctica and become a penguin herder.”

He pulls you into his arms with a laugh, and you let him, burying your face in the crook of his shoulder.

“You know,” he starts after he's held you for a few moments. “This isn't how I ever imagined how us confessing to each other would go.”

You snort.

“But also,” he continues, “it feels very 'us' doesn't it?”

"Yeah,” you murmur, not bothering to lift your head from his shoulder.

“Mmm, is someone finally sleepy?” he teases, starting to waddle you both towards your bedroom. “Did all the emotions finally wear you out?”

Instead of nodding, you lightly kick him in the shin and the sappy part of your brain that is currently in charge of everything thinks that his indignant squawk is one of your most favorite sounds.

The sappy part of your brain is right, of course, and when you wake up in your bed 15 hours later and accidentally smack him in the face, the urge to run is a little bit smaller than it was before. And the way he flushes bright red after you sleepily kiss him on the cheek is an image you're going to cherish until the day you die.

[liminal-space-lesbian]

BG3 Ladies x Bard Tav headcanons

Request: For request, can you write some about a bard tav and the female companions thank you have a nice day!

Thank you so much for this request, I just wanna apologize in advance and say I’ve never played a bard and know next to nothing about them, so if this is dreadful I fully apologize 😭

Karlach:

Karlach is your number one supporter. She ADORES when you play your lute in the evenings by the fire, it lulls her into a calm sense of security. She admires how you can play something so gentle and comforting, and then at the Tiefling party you strummed an enthusiastic tune.

She definitely dances along to your music, and sometimes if you sing she’ll join in. She’s not a great singer but she makes up for it with her enthusiasm. The time she doesn’t spend boisterously laughing or dancing her breath away, she sings along happily.

She’s so protective of you, oh my word. Any time you’re in a battle, she’s more than confident you can hold your own, but also you’re so precious to her that she tries her very best to keep you out of harms way. However, sometimes she hangs back to watch you viciously mock an enemy. “Yeah, you tell ‘em soldier!” She’ll shout encouragingly as she pulls her great axe from the corpse of an enemy. She also finds it impossibly hot when you mock an enemy.

Shadowheart:

Shadowheart is such a sucker for when you play her a ballad on your lyre. She will lounge back with a glass of wine and listen contentedly as you play. You may or may not have sang her a love song once, and she was quite literally swooning.

When you play a more energetic tune, she claps along and taps her foot to the beat. She’s not much for dancing, since she’s worried she’ll embarrass herself. If you beg enough she’ll give you a little jig though. Only if you’re alone though.

Other than your musical inclinations, she’s extremely impressed with how you charm people so easily. “Well look at you, you practically have them begging at your feet already.” And she’s not wrong, a sweet smile and a bat of your lashes and you get your way. She’s susceptible to your charms as well, don’t get me wrong. She just finds it incredibly endearing to watch you get your way.

Lae’zel:

Lae’zel complains that your drumming is incredibly annoying and pointless, but you catch her nodding her head to the beat more than once. If you’re charming enough you can get her to admit your music is… bearable.

When you set a marching beat during your travels, against her better judgment she will tramp along to the tempo you’ve set. During battle she is rather impressed by your skills Though she finds your ability to befriend anyone silly, she can’t deny its effectiveness.

Oh, and when you sing to her? She’s a goner. She will pretend to ignore you, but when you stop singing she’ll turn her head to glare at you. “Chk, tired already?” She’ll taunt, only settling back down when you continue.

Dame Aylin:

Aylin adores when you play your flute for her. She could listen to you play for hours, simply watching you adoringly. Every once and a while she’ll request a specific song, and absolutely sing your praises when you deliver.

Sometimes she asks you to sing for her, so she can fall asleep. She does have trouble sleeping sometimes, since her dreams are filled with memories of being trapped in shadow fell :( but you always are there to soothe her with a song.

Aylin always keeps you out of harms way in combat, even though you can hold your own. You’re too preschools for her to risk, so she makes sure you stay swell away from combat. She does appreciate your help when you boost her and your companions abilities with a warding spell. She is rather proud of your arcane abilities.

“Darling, aren’t you just the sweetest. Whatever would I do without you?” She always showers you with kisses after a battle, making sure to show her appreciation for you <3

Isobel Thorm:

Isobel loves watching you play your violin. She thinks it’s incredible how you so gracefully sway about, your fingers forming chords smoothly as your other hand draws the bow across the strings. It’s all skill, and she can see that.

When you play something more upbeat, she’s the first to be standing and supporting you, dancing the night away and cheering you on. She’ll also encourage your companions to dance as well, she wants to share the joy she feels by your music.

She also loves watching you fight, your nearly effortless grace in which you charm and smite enemies is something she greatly admires. “You impress me more every day, lovely.” She’ll call across the battlefield as you stand amongst a group of charmed enemies. You flash her a thumbs up in response, continuing your spell casting.

A/n

Sorry if these are kinda bad but I’m writing this in bed after working all day so 😀

[seeingivy]

the softest kind of love

actor!eren x f!reader

**part of my method acting series

content: this is what we call fluff no plot. eren kissing reader every five seconds, me in my easter eggs era. eren and y/n enjoy your last days of your love struck bubble before I ruin your life.

an: you guys had me feeling like the devil incarnate after last chapter. anyways, I put that evilness away for 5k ish words before I unleash my true form again. enjoy <3

song of the chapter: invisible string!!!

previous part linked here

--

The second Historia walks into the room, Eren pops out of his seat, nearly running to the door to poke his head out. The hallway is empty - except for the crew members setting up the new costumes and fittings for filming next week. 

No sign of you. 

“You know, you could at least pretend you’re excited to see me.” Historia says, pinching Eren’s arm. 

Eren gives Historia a swift hug and a kiss to the cheek before pulling back, his hands resting on her shoulders. 

“You okay? How was the reception to the entire thing?” 

“Good. More people are coming out. Backing me up.” 

“I’m glad, Hisu. It’s nothing short of what you deserve.” 

“Tell Y/N thank you, I couldn’t do it without her. Your girl has been bigger than life these days.” 

He smiles, squeezing her shoulders once. 

“You know. If you told me where she was, I could do it right now. Shouldn’t she be coming for the table read anyway?” 

“She isn’t feeling well. She stayed out in the cold to talk to all of the fans that were lined up and then she was stuck in the airport for so long that she didn’t sleep. Levi and Hange gave her the day off to rest.” 

Eren immediately runs over to his seat, directly across from Levi and Hange and gives his best smile. 

“No, Eren. You can’t have the day off to hang out with Y/N.” 

“I’m not going to hang out with her, Levi. Just let me take care of her, she spent two days in the airport after performing and interacting with people all weekend with Historia.” 

“Eren. She’ll be fine. She just has to sleep it off.” responds Hange, the two of them scribbling through each other’s scripts. 

“I’m not even in these scenes. And you owe me, Levi.” Eren says, narrowing his eyes. 

Levi narrows his eyes, flitting his line of vision to the name card next to his seat, and then back to Eren. How was Levi supposed to know that Eren was all but estranged from his half brother? 

“If I do this one thing for you, you can’t hold it over my head again.” Levi says, glaring at Eren. 

“Thank you!” 

Eren leans over the table to give them both a hug before running straight out of the room to the townhouse. Levi brings his hand up to his cheek as he grumbles under his breath. 

“Is it just me or is he more touchy lately?” 

“Poor, Y/N. He’s probably strangling her to death up there.” Hange responds, laughing. 

--

After speed running through making a bowl of ramen, Eren all but runs up to your room, to find you nestled in your sheets, with a pink nose. You have your lines propped up against your sheets, your face embedded in the pages of your script. 

Eren sets down the bowl and snatches your script before he leans down and presses the sweetest kiss known to man to your lips. He can feel you smiling against him, your cold hands coming up to cup his face. 

“Eren. I’m kind of sick you shouldn’t-” 

He rolls his eyes as he presses his lips to your palms, leaving two soft kisses on where you’re still cupping his face, before he climbs into the sheets with you.  

“Tease. I’ve been waiting for a month now.” 

“I’m going to get you sick. And then you’ll have to take a day off like I am.” 

“I’m already taking the day off today. For you. So just try really hard to not get me sick okay?” 

Eren reaches over to your nightstand, where the bowl of ramen is still steaming, and hands it to you. You give him a grateful smile - and Eren’s heart skips a beat - before cupping your hands around the bowl, the steam making your glasses fog up. 

“How was it? The entire thing?” Eren whispers, his breath tickling your forehead. 

“Good, Eren. They-they really believed Hisu.”

Historia had decided that she wasn’t going to be quiet about what happened with her agent. In fact, she was going to be loud about it.

And she asked for your help, because she wanted to use music to do so. Eren was immediately disapproving, not because he didn’t want Historia to do it, but because he didn’t want you to help her. It’s not that he didn’t believe in you, that he didn’t think the work was important. But what you guys were doing was the equivalent of putting a target on your back and there’s only so much he can protect you from. 

You told him you had to do it, that you had to help her and he dropped all his protests and helped you both. The three of you wrote The Man in six hours and then you and Historia immediately went and performed it in New York. 

Eren brings his hand up to cup your cheek, his fingers soft against your skin. 

“You-you know it doesn’t usually go this way right? I-I don’t want you to-” 

“Get my hopes up. I know, Eren. That’s why I’m glad it did work out for her of all people. She-she deserves her spot at the table and roles because she’s a good actress and she-

“I’m not trying to bring you down, Y/N. I-I just want you to be careful. Did you see what happened with Sukuna and Hyla? She’s basically dragging his good name through the mud. I was worried that if it didn’t go over well, they’d start coming for you. And they can be ruthless. And mean. And throw bricks through your bedroom windows and-” 

You bring your hand up to Eren’s cheek, his eyes fluttering closed as he sinks into your touch. 

“Is it weird having Zeke here, Eren? Does it remind you of-” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess.  Seeing him pisses me off. I like being here because it feels like home. We do other roles and movies but this is always where we come back to. It feels weird to have him intruding in on something like that, you know?” 

“This is still our place, Eren. Him being here doesn’t change that.” you whisper. 

You rest your head against Eren’s chest, his heart rapidly beating under your ear, as he brings his hands up to your hair. He’s messily braiding through the ends the way you taught him, his hands swiping through your tangled locks.

“We should come up with secret codes. We-we still haven’t told them all we’re dating and I-I’m not embarrassed but we should when it’s-” 

“When it’s right, Eren. Maybe when we’re done filming this season, because knowing us I feel like people will catch on the second we start doing press.” 

Eren nods, squeezing your shoulder once.  

“That one. It means I’m here and I’ve got you.” 

You take your elbow and jab it straight into his side, making Eren squirm. 

“Ouch, Y/N.” 

“That one means that we need a second. To talk to each other, without anyone else around.” 

Eren shifts over to your side, reaching forward to secure the loose strands of your hair around your ear. 

“And that one. It means I want to kiss you right now but I can’t.” 

“God, Eren. We won’t even last a week without them finding out.” 

--

You and Eren amble down six hours later to find all of them milling around in the kitchen and Armin standing there, camera in hand. His polaroids are well littered and taped to almost every wall now, barely an empty patch on the wallpaper. 

You make your way over as Eren stops to talk to Armin, Jean and Miksasa giving you quick arm hugs and kisses on the cheek as you run your hand on the wall. You and Eren are smack dab in the middle - the pictures from season one and two at the forefront. Eren comes up at your side, tucking your hair behind your ear. 

“Already?” you whisper. 

“Can’t help it.” Eren whispers, giving you a smile. 

Armin comes up behind you, slinging his arm around your shoulder and standing in between you two as you rest your head against his. 

“Hey ‘Min. I just got to the end of the script, you’ve got some really big scenes this season. I thought we were going to have to put you on the death wall there for a second.” 

“I’ve got a feeling that I’m going to be the victim of Levi’s insane standards this season instead of Eren.” Armin grumbles. 

“Thank god. He’s ruthless.” Eren says, as he gives the both of you a pat on the shoulder before walking away. 

“I heard that, brat.” Levi says, walking into the kitchen with Hange and Erwin in tow. 

Armin gives Levi a sheepish smile as he walks away, finishing his season pictures. Levi beelines to your side, placing his hand flat against your forehead to check your temperature. You swat his hand off as you give him a smile, the two of you leaning against the wall to watch everyone. 

Bertholdt and Sasha are fighting over a very lazily played game of Scrabble while Eren and Hange play a very intense game of ninja around Reiner and Mikasa’s cookie frosting. 

“So are you guys dating?” Levi asks. 

“Are you going to give me some unsolicited dad advice if I say yes?” 

“Obviously. That’s part of my job description.” 

You look over at him and give him a sheepish nod, confirming his suspicions. You don’t miss the way his face breaks out into a smile, which has your cheeks burning with the mushiest, sweet feeling you’ve ever felt. 

Levi may not actually be your dad, but his approval means the world to you all the same.

“Good.” he says, looking over at the two of them - aggressively arguing over who won their game of Ninja. 

“That’s it? Good?” 

“I’ll save my unsolicited dad advice for Eren. Give him that whole ‘hurt my girl and I’ll kill you spiel’” he says. 

“Spoken like a true father, Levi.” 

Levi squeezes your shoulder once before tucking you into his arm, his embrace warm. He clears his throat as he talks and you swear his eyes are watering. 

“Hange and I are doing a vow renewal at the end of this season. We haven’t told anyone yet because we’re just going to do a small thing in the backyard on the last day. But if you and Eren could write a song for us to do the first dance to, I’d really love it if you-” 

“Shut the fuck up. You want us to write a song?” 

“Language. It’s a surprise for Hange, they’re really into that whole music, serenading thing.” 

“Really, Levi? You’d let us do something that important?” 

“Eren is Hange’s favorite. You’re mine. And I’ll kill you if you tell anyone I admitted that out loud.” 

You can feel the tears welling in your own eyes as you look over at Eren and Hange laughing near the sink and Levi smiling at you, every little part of your heart touched by the sentiment. 

“Permission to say something cheesy?” 

“No, Y/N.” 

“I love you, Levi.” 

He rolls his eyes, a deep sigh leaving his chest, before he responds. 

“Yeah, yeah. Love you too, kid.” 

Eren and Levi switch places, Armin pushing the two of you closer together to take the last season start polaroid. 

“Okay, guys. What’s the pose this year?” 

You and Eren give each other a look, before pulling up your sleeves at the same time. Armin gives you two a shocked smile as you stand to the side, pointing at each other's matching tattoos for the picture. 

The second Connie catches sight of it, he immediately runs over with his camera, the bright light flashing in your face. 

“This is part like ONE HUNDRED of the L/N-Jaegers. I-they have matching fucking tattoos oh my fucking god.” 

--

You shuffle through the mess of letters Levi gave you - the ones he wrote Hange when they worked on La La Land together - to piece together the lyrics for your song. You and Eren agreed that it should definitely be a soft piano ballad, which is more their speed for this backyard vow renewal they’re having. 

The letters are enough to bring tears to your eyes alone - the line between Levi faking letters for their method acting to really falling in love with Hange crystal clear. Because he went from writing her fake prose, soft flowery poetry to sharing memories with them, about himself. 

Which is saying a lot, because Levi’s like a book glued shut. 

Pictures of him from when he was younger, in Centennial Park with his parents. Him working a stupid job at a yogurt shop in between roles in Los Angeles. Him trying Hange’s favorite restaurant and sending her a very scathing review back. 

That’s what love is, isn’t it? Sharing every little part of yourself and every feeling you’ve had - ecstatic, overwhelmed, happy, sad, bored, and soft. 

You start scribbling the broken fragments of lyrics swimming in your mind into the notebook, your hand not moving fast enough for the places your head is running. 

“Time, mystical time, cutting me open than healing me fine? You’ve got a weird mind, kid.” 

You look up to find Zeke peering over your shoulder, before settling into the seat at the table right across from you. You immediately drop your pencil right into the book, instinctively looking to the left. 

Right. Eren already left for set. 

“Ah. They’re song lyrics.” 

“That’s right. You’re the singer.” 

There’s a tone in his voice, one you can’t place that sends a wave of discomfort down your spine. 

You’re trying your best. To give Zeke a clean slate, to not let what Eren said taint the view you had of him because you should form your own opinions. But god does he give you the shivers, his entire aura ice cold - the complete opposite of the warm, fireplace Eren reminds you of. 

“I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Zeke. I’m Eren’s brother.” 

“He mentioned. Welcome to the cast, I hope you’re liking it so far.” 

He gives you a smile as he readjusts in the seat, sinking down into the chair. 

“So what did he tell you? You’re looking at me like I’m the figment of your worst nightmares.” 

“He didn’t say anything to me. You-you just caught me off guard because I was in the zone and stuff.” 

“I haven’t talked to my brother in a while. But I still know him. What did he tell you?” 

You swallow hard as you start gathering Levi’s letters, tucking them back neatly into their corresponding envelopes. 

“Just that you guys don’t talk. Aren’t very close. It just came up once, he-he’s met my brothers before and just said you guys aren’t like that.” 

“And you hate me for it?” 

“No. No, I don’t hate you.” 

“But he does?” 

“Eren doesn’t hate you, Zeke. You just hurt his feelings, that’s all.” you respond, whispering the secrets he told you in confidence into the air.

Zeke sits back in his chair, his legs spread across the length of the seat as he gives you a smile. 

You can already feel your heart sinking, irritated at yourself for even giving Zeke a sliver of information Eren wouldn’t have wanted you to mention. 

“You love Eren, don’t you?” 

“No, I don’t. I was just saying that because-” 

“Would you believe me if I told you I had to stop talking to him? For his sake?” 

“No. Who does that? He’s your brother. I can’t even imagine going a day without talking to my little brother, he’s literally my entire world.” 

“Would you do it if it meant protecting him?” 

He gives you a look as you ponder the question, the dilemma he just presented you with. Would you stop talking to Falco if it meant protecting him? 

“Of course, I would. I love my brother. I-I’d do anything for him.” 

“And I would too.” Zeke responds, giving you one last smile before walking out of the kitchen. He passes Eren on the way in, the two of them giving each other an ice cold look before Eren takes the seat next to yours. Eren pesters you about the conversation and you tell him all except for the last part. 

You’re not sure if that’s something Eren should know. It would probably just piss him off more. 

--

You watch as the makeup team takes Eren up to the top of the set, the crystal caves they made for the scene glittering in the light. You run your hand against the painted material, each sparkly crevice nearly blinding your eyes. 

“They really went overboard with this one.” you murmur, walking with Mikasa. 

“They got a bigger budget after last award season. I think they spent it all on this entire scene.” 

You both snicker as you run to the sidelines, joining Sasha on the sides. You all sit in your respective seats as Eren, Historia, and Rod take their spots. Levi gives Eren a thumbs up from the directors chair and Eren quickly slips his shirt off, readjusting his hands into the arm restraints. 

“Eren! Share the workout routine! I’ll lick those abs.” screams Connie, earning a fair amount of laughs from the cast and the crew. 

You can see Eren turning red at the comment, the crew adjusting the last of the microphones and the props onto the set as Levi starts rolling the cameras. Connie leans over, whispering in your ear. 

“How does it feel to see someone else living your dream?” he says, a laugh falling out of his mouth. 

“What the hell are you talking about, Con’?” 

“Historia and Eren are about to be the new couple of the show. I can see the edits already.” he says, poking your sides. 

You swat him off, giving him the finger as you focus back on the scene as Eren and Historia start acting in the scene. Your reaction only goads Connie and Reiner on more, the two of them just trying to piss you off now. 

“Look at how they look at each other, Y/N. You wish that was you, huh?” 

“Shut up, Reiner. We’re literally the main couple of the show. You’d be stupid if you shipped Historia and Eren after the Thank You scene.” 

“Feeling territorial over your man, Y/N?” Bertholdt says, the group of them laughing. 

“Bertholdt. I thought you were above stupid shit like this.”   

“You make it too easy. You’re-you’re looking a little green.” Bertholdt responds, pressing his hands to your face. 

“And you’re looking gray. Like a half dead loser who gets eaten by Armin of all people at the end of the season.” 

They all laugh at your response as you feel your cheeks burn with irritation, the thought of the entire thing pissing you off. You look up at Eren and Historia, the two of them sitting on the ledge as Eren gets caked in the red makeup for the scene before they start filming again. They’re both smiling, looking down at you guys. 

When you make eye contact with Eren, he gives you a wave which you halfheartedly return. Which only fills Connie and Reiner with more delight, because now they’re mimicking you, all of them laughing with tears in their eyes. 

“Imagine losing a two season lead to Historia.” Connie says, poking you in the sides.

“Imagine being one of the only characters without a romantic interest. At least my character can get some.” you respond. 

“You think they’re method acting? Looks pretty real to me, don’t you think, Y/N?” Reiner says. 

You stomp off to the other side of the set, to the snack table, where you’re angrily chewing down one of the pastries when Hange walks over. You can still hear them joking over there, tears flowing out of Connie’s eyes. 

“You frown any harder and you’re going to get wrinkles, kiddo.” Hange says, poking the soft of your cheek. 

“Sorry.” you respond, your tone harsh. 

They give you a laugh as the crew starts pulling Eren and Historia down from the ledge. Historia and Eren are wiping the makeup off each other’s faces as they laugh, chasing each other off the main set as they join the rest of them on the sidelines. 

You turn to the side, angrily biting into another pastry on the snack table as you hear them giggling behind you. 

“Where’s Y/N?” you hear Eren ask, as he slips his jacket back on. 

“She’s moaning and groaning by the snack table.” Jean says, smacking Connie on the back. 

“You guys are being mean. You’re obviously hurting her feelings by insinuating there’s something between Eren and Historia.” Mikasa says, shaking her head disapprovingly at them. 

“What?” Eren responds. 

“We were just joking with her and she got all mad for no reason. You and Historia just looked really romantic up there for a second and we were teasing her about it, saying you’re going to forget all about her.” Connie explains. 

You can feel your cheeks burning, the entire situation mortifying as you feel your face turn red. Because them saying it is one thing but telling Eren is another. The crew starts working on getting your harnesses attached for the next scene as Eren walks over, politely asking them if he can have a second with you. 

“Hi Y/N.” 

“Hi Eren.” you grumble, crossing your hands across your chest. 

He gives you a smile as he snakes his left hand around your waist and uses his right hand to cup your face and kiss you straight on the face. He’s pulling you closer with his hand, your cheeks burning at the sounds of them all cheering and screaming a few feet away from you. He lets go after a few seconds, his forehead resting against yours. 

“What happened to telling them at the end of the season?” you whisper, a smile making its way across your lips. 

“They were pissing you off. Had to set the record straight.” he responds, pressing a kiss to both of your cheeks before pulling back.  

Sasha and Mikasa run over, crushing the two of you in a hug as they all excitedly squish you in their embrace, hundreds of questions falling out of their mouths. 

How long have you been dating? Are you in love? Have you done it?

“Connie. You’re disgusting, you know that?” Armin says, snapping a picture of everyone crushing you in a hug. 

“Guilty as charged.” Connie says, smirking. 

“Connie. Bother her again and I’ll make it a point to do it in your bed.” Eren says, cupping your face in his hands as everyone laughs. 

--

Eren joins you at the piano, two steaming cups of tea in his hand. He sets them both at the head of the piano before pressing a kiss to your cheek. 

“Hey.” 

“Hi. I-I think it might be done.” 

“We’re sticking with invisible string?” 

“Seems right, don’t you think?” 

Eren leans forward to press a kiss to your cheek again before settling his hands on the keys as he starts playing the tune, your voice filling the empty air of the set. 

Time, curious time Gave me no compasses, gave me no time  Were there clues I didn’t see?

You give Eren a nod to join you on the melody as you play the notes on your side of the piano, your cheeks hurting from smiling. 

And isn’t it just so pretty to think  All along there was some invisible string  Tying you to me?

Eren stops playing the keys as he leans his head against your shoulder, pressing a kiss to your shoulder before talking. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t sing right now. Your voice is sounding tired, love.” 

“We just did so many takes of that scene yesterday with Armin and Erwin. And then we all spent a good twenty minutes crying after we realized it was Erwin’s last scene, so I’m all spent out.” 

Eren plays a loose melody on the piano as you press a kiss to the top of his head. 

“Where’d you come up with invisible string?” 

“It’s one of those old folktales, Eren. About soulmates.” 

He gives you a confused look as he keeps playing, the piano singing in the air. 

“Basically, when you’re born, there’s a little string tied around your pinkie and one around your soulmates. And no matter how far you are, you’ll eventually find the other end of your string and your other person because you’re tied together.” 

“Do you ever think about stuff like that? About soulmates and other lives and stuff?” 

“Sometimes, it can be fun. Like what we’re doing in another life, how we ended up together.” 

“You think we’re together in other lives, Y/N?” 

“You don’t, Eren?” 

You give him a fake angry look which has him back pedaling really fast, the words spilling out of his mouth. 

“I-no. Of course, we’re together. We’re meant to be together, every universe and every time-” 

“I’m teasing, Eren. You don't have to think that just because I do.” you respond, smacking your fist against the piano and sending a shred of discordant notes in the air. 

“Ouch, princess. You’re no musician.” 

“Oh?” 

He laughs, taking your closed fist off of the keys and lifting your hand to his mouth to press a kiss to your knuckles. 

“We have hundreds of love stories out there, Y/N.” 

“Oh yeah? Like what?” 

“All the classics, of course.” 

“Like? I need concrete examples, Eren.” 

“There’s one where we fake-date and fall in love. And then there’s one where you somehow end up being my roommate and-” 

“Roommates? That’s so fucking corny, Eren.” 

“Roommates. Like you somehow end up having to live with me against your will and then obviously start liking me because I’m so charming.” 

“Ew, Eren. You would hate being my roommate. I’d probably piss you off by singing in the shower every morning.” 

“See that’s the thing. I’d hate it at first but then it becomes super endearing to me. It’s part of the romance, falling in love with the little things.” 

“Okay, Cupid. I didn’t realize you were an expert here.” 

“Let’s go home, yeah? We need to wake up early for the vow renewal tomorrow.” 

Eren starts packing your notebook into the bag and handing you your cup of tea as you slide around on the bench. He walks down the length of his set before realizing you’re not next to him and trails back, bending down to sit in between your legs.

“Hey. What’s up?” 

You put your hand against his cheek as you look at his green eyes, round and full, staring into yours. It’s on the tip of your tongue. You love him. And you miss him when he’s not even gone. 

“Nothing, Eren. I just thought about how after this week, we won’t be coming back here for another three years. When am I gonna see you?”

Eren jumps off the ground and takes his seat on the bench again, wrapping his arm around your shoulder. He presses a kiss to the top of your head before murmuring against your hair, his voice soft. 

“I’ll come where you are. You can come where I am. We-we’ll see each other, okay?”

“Okay, Eren. You’re right. I-I’m just being silly.” 

He leans forward to drag you up on your feet and the two of you stroll your way back to the townhouse together in the dark. And the confession still burns on the tip of your tongue. 

--

You and Eren stay seated on the piano bench, well after you guys finish singing your song for Hange and Levi, to watch everyone from your perfect vantage point on the front of the dance floor. 

Levi and Hange are still swaying in the middle, the two of them laughing into each other’s faces as Hange steps on Levi’s feet for the sixth time. Sasha and Reiner are doing some very serious tango dancing, and destroying anyone who makes it into their pathway, and Jean and Mikasa brushing noses as they softly smile into each other’s faces. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am right now, Eren.” you say, looking over at his green eyes. 

He’s all dressed up, in a nice black suit and his hair nicely styled against his forehead. He’s wearing a pink tie, intended to match the pale pink long dress you borrowed from Mikasa. 

“Why’s that?” 

“I don’t know. There’s so much love in the room.” 

“Connie getting seconds for the tenth time is love?” 

You laugh as you lean your head on his shoulder, laughing into the fabric. 

“No. But look. He has an extra plate that he’s piling onto for Sasha. Her feet have been hurting all night and instead of making her get up with him, he’s doing it for her. That’s love, Eren.” 

“You always notice things I don’t, sweet girl. Tell me more.” 

You smile as you place your chin up on his shoulder, pointing out each little thing in the room. 

“Mikasa and Jean have been in the back corner all night. And when we were singing, Jean pressed the softest kiss to Mikasa’s cheek and her face turned all pink, even after all this time.” 

Eren places his hand around the small of your back, rubbing small circles into your back as you go on.

“Armin is the most competitive Monopoly player known to man. Marco’s been sliding all his extra money to Reiner so he can stay in the game.” 

“Erwin took a picture of Levi and Hange during their first dance from the back side, because he knows Levi wants the view of the picture to be Hange and not him.” 

“And Levi and Hange, they’ve been swinging in the middle of the dance floor since we stopped singing and the orchestra started playing. Which was like forty-five minutes ago. They-they’ve been talking this entire time, never running out of things to say to each other, with the biggest smiles on their faces.” 

Eren looks over at you, the soft, sweet look in your eyes as you look at everyone in the room and it makes his heart melt. 

“Levi and Hange are really in love, aren’t they?” Eren asks, drawing his eyes that give away too much from you. 

“The softest kind of love. I-I’ve never seen two people so in sync before. I feel like every time I look at Levi when he’s with Hange, he looks like he’s never been more at peace.” 

And Eren can see it - the way Levi’s shoulders are relaxed, the smile on his usually blank face, and the wrinkles near his eyes. 

And when he looks over, all he can see is it on your face too. The marks of love. Full, pink cheeks - which he’s sure is from the makeup Mikasa helped you with. The softest, most excited smile on your face as you scan the room, only pointing out more and more of the tiny little signs of love he’d never even see on his own. 

“I love you.” 

You look over at Eren, his green eyes gentle and heartfelt as he takes your hand and squeezes three times. 

“Eren, you-” 

“I love you. The three squeezes - that’s what they’ve always meant.” he whispers, his hand warm in yours as me mimics the motion you’ve done a hundred times. 

You can feel the tears stinging in your eyes as you bring your hand up to his cheek, memorizing the way he looks, bathed in the golden lights strung from the ceiling to the end of the backyard. 

“There’s love in the room. And it’s right here between you and me.” you whisper, before Eren closes the space between you and leaves the warmest, softest kiss against your lip - so deep you can feel it tingling all over your skin. 

The softest kind of love.

--

next part linked here

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@k0z3me @kayleegomez @yihona-san06  @bsenpai  @sweetenertea @mykyoon @violetmatcha  @rebeccawinters @cutiejg @bokutosthings @bookwrmm @mblrrr @wheredidmycrowngo @somethinginyoureyes7 @chilichopsticks @okaystopwhore @you-always-made-me-blush @itzmeme @firelordazulaaaa @whoami-72 @g-ghostly @intimacywithceline @erensmoodygf @cocomellxn @princess-ackerman @jaegerfiles @cacapeepee @squirrelspoetry @rui-0836 @moonmalice @invisible-mori @sofiasber @bbybeeb @timetobegone @tee4str @ttokki2 @leave-rae-alone @ec3lipsy @officialsimpp @gojojang

pls comment on this post or any of the chapters if you want to be added to the taglist <3

[faetima]

Hi!! Can I please request a hanahaki fic with blade? I'm not sure if you've written for him though!

Also, please take some breaks! You've written a lot of fics lately, you might get overworked 🤍

𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫. .

. .hanahaki just had to put you through fucking hell, didn't it?

// tws ; lil bit of cursing, blood ; gn reader ; modern au, hanahaki au

a/n: OH MY GOD ANON YOURE LITERALLY THE SWEETEST ILYSM OMOGMOGO

i will be writing a part two to this.. soon enough :3

you couldn't do anything about this stupid disease anyways, so what was the point of even trying?

you heaved up clusters and clusters and clusters of ugly bright red petals, their sickly sweet scent making its way up to your nose. you felt so fucking nauseous and dizzy. the fragrant miasma of flowers overwhelmed you. you wanted to vomit or cry or die or anything but cough up these dumb stupid flowers.

the flowers flopped onto your floor--your newly polished floor-- ungracefully, covered in slick mucus and freshly coated in splatters of blood. they smeared the previously pristine tiling with blood, the iron stench of it mixing with the flowers and filling up the entire room. you just wanted the disease to kill you already. if it was going to either way, why make you suffer?

after what felt like hours and hours and hours and hours of coughing and heaving and choking, the flowers finally stopped fucking coming. you took shaky shallow breathes, trying to ground yourself.

your palms stung, and you looked down to realize you had been digging your nails into the palms of your hand almost strong enough to draw blood.

your gaze trailed up to the stupid fucking flowers.

upon closer inspection, you realized they were spider lilies. red ones.

his favorite flowers.

too bad you hated them.

--

his eyes were the same exact color of the flowers you had just coughed up.

blade sat two seats in front of you and one to the right, and whenever you saw him you couldn't help but wonder why you had fallen for him.

he was always so indifferent and cold. sure there might've been something warmer under his icy exterior, but you weren't the type of person to go dig through someone's cold attitude just to find out what they were actually like.

but some days you wished you knew what was under that cold front of his.

--

you were getting worse.

you'd barley come out of your room to stretch your legs or go to the bathroom or even eat.

the spider lilies were killing you from the inside out. of course you had to have hanahaki for someone who probably hated you, if he even knew you existed, that is.

and, on top of that, out of all flowers, the ones you coughed up had to be toxic.

if just hacking up the flowers was bad, the nausea they caused because of being toxic was worse. you couldn't even go five minutes without feeling abdominal pain and nausea.

ugh.

--

blade swallowed hard.

why did he feel like this? why did his heart beat so fast when this random ass person passed by?

he gritted his teeth.

"kafka," he grumbled, barley glancing in her direction.

kafka glanced up from her book, setting it down elegantly and tucking a strand of mauve hair behind her ear, adjusting the tinted glasses sitting atop her head in the process.

"yes, bladie?" she grinned a little, and blade could only groan in irritation.

"who's that?" he muttered, gesturing towards the person he had been thinking about earlier.

"why?" kafka mused. "you've never been interested in learning others' names before now. what's changed?"

"nothing," he muttered gruffly, crossing his arms across his chest. his ears felt hot and his heart was beating faster and he was getting butterflies and he didn't know why.

kafka grinned, eyes glinting with amusement.

"ooh, i think someone has a crush."

"no."

"okay, let's go talk to them then bladie."

"no!"

"why not? is it cause you like them?"

"..fine. let's go talk to them."

--

your head fell forward a little. another sleepless night of coughing up flowers didn't bring you any good.

suddenly, your eyes snapped open.

was that.. blade? walking towards you? with kafka?

no, it probably wasn't. you were probably just sleep deprived and hallucinating or something.

but then you smelt the strong and unmistakable scent of anise, too real to be your imagination.

[julianalvarez9]

everybody's a ferrari fan / ben chilwell

pairing: ferrari driver!reader x ben chilwell author's note: had this idea months ago but the ben brainrot came back today so i had to get it out quick fc: bianca bustamante (my belovedddddd) <3

yourusername

Liked by benchilwell, charles_leclerc16 and others.

yourusername focused on the next race 🏎️

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charles_leclerc can't wait to beat you again 👊🏻

yourusername always so good to me hervé

user1 ANNOUNCE YOU'RE DATINGGGG

benchilwell you'll crush it 💪🏻

| ♥️ comment liked by yourusername.

user2 i love you soooo much you're such an inspiration 🥺

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MAY 30, 2023.

masonmount added to their story. / yourusername added to their story.

[mason's caption: when you come to see your friend and he doesn't even look at you 🙄 benchilwell)

benchilwell added to their story.

[caption: when they catch you unprepared 😂]

yourusername

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yourusername using the off-season to learn new things! 🎹🎶

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charles_leclerc stream my songs ;) aus23 and mia23 out now!

yourusername they're too depressing for me mate

user1 THEY'RE DATING I KNOWWWWW IT

f1 are piano lessons mandatory in the scuderiaferrari household? 😂

scuderiaferrari they are! 😁

benchilwell you're good :)

yourusername not as good as you

user1 WAIT WHAT????

JUN 16, 2023.

yourusername

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yourusername f1 gp winner but i like to be a passenger princess sometimes

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user1 that's definitely ben 🥹 please can they confirm already?

scuderiaferrari get yourself a girl that can do both 😁

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masonmount bet he's going soooo slow 😂

benchilwell

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benchilwell sebastian vettel was right, everybody's a ferrari fan ❤️🏎️

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user1 FINALLYYYY

masonmount think you took the whole ferrari fan too far mate 🧐

yourusername don't be jealous maseee

user2 little chilly is the sweetest kid ever 🥹

scuderiaferrari 🌶️👊🏻

kepaarrizabalaga went to see redbull last year and didn't get to kiss max, something isn't adding up 🤔

redbullracing we can invite you again this year!

yourusername i can set you up with charles if you want a ferrari boy for yourself 😉

SEP 9, 2023.