#This is not what I signed up for but whatever

[whosashan]

Hugs Are Mandatory

PAIRING: clingy!lads men x gn!non-mc!reader

SYNOPSIS: Lately, your boyfriend had become impossibly dramatic—and hopelessly clingy. What's the reason for that?

A/N: I feel like my writing has really downgraded lately, so I felt like writing whatever I had in mind instead of doing a request ;p

Xavier

It wasn’t unusual for Xavier to cling to you, especially when he was sleepy—his heavy eyelids fluttering, the warmth of your scent lulling him into drowsiness as he melted into your embrace.

But lately? He had reached a whole new level of attachment. It was as if you were the very air he breathed, as though spending even a moment apart would drain him of life itself.

You were in the kitchen, making hot chocolate for your video game night, and yet—even now—he was right behind you, arms wrapped around your waist, his face nuzzled into the crook of your neck. The soft tickle of his breath against your skin sent a pleasant shiver down your spine.

“Xavi…” You chuckled, the amusement in your tone obvious. “You could just wait on the couch, you know.”

“I’d much rather wait for you here,” he murmured, his voice honeyed and low, punctuated by a lingering kiss against your neck.

You exhaled, shaking your head in mock exasperation before turning to face him. His big, pleading eyes locked onto yours, his lower lip jutted out in a dramatic pout. And despite the sheer closeness between you, he still looked like he wanted more.

“What’s up with you and this sudden clinginess?” you asked, raising a curious brow, though your voice was tinged with amusement.

For a moment, he simply hummed, rubbing his cheek against yours like an oversized cat. You frowned. Now that you thought about it, Xavier did have some very cat-like tendencies.

But then… the silence stretched. Suspiciously so.

“Xavier.” Your tone sharpened slightly, prompting him to finally meet your gaze. That’s when you saw it—guilt. Clear as day. He looked like a scolded puppy.

“I… may have accidentally stained your favorite hoodie,” he admitted sheepishly. “With… curry.”

You blinked. Processing.

Then, in the calmest, most serious tone you could muster, you said, “Xavier, I suggest you start running.”

His eyes flickered with panic, scanning your face for any sign of mercy. There was none.

And so, he listened. He turned on his heel, ready to make his grand escape—but it was already too late. You leapt onto his back, tugging at his hair (just enough to make him suffer, not enough to really hurt him).

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU BETRAYED ME LIKE THIS!” you howled, whining dramatically as you clung to him.

“OW! OW—HEY—OWWW!” He yelped, flailing helplessly under your relentless assault. “I’M SORRY!”

...

After an intense battle, you sat victorious, hair disheveled, while Xavier nursed his wounds—namely, the light bite marks on his arms and his sore neck.

“Keep going,” you instructed, arms crossed as you watched him scribble an apology letter, his wrist cramping from the thousand-word essay you’d demanded as retribution.

He groaned, rubbing his aching hand. “I swear my love for you is being tested right now.”

Guess his clinginess wasn’t entirely unprovoked, after all.

Zayne

You stared at your boyfriend, bewildered, as he clung to you with a desperate intensity—his face buried in your chest, arms wrapped around you like he feared you might vanish. Zayne had his moments, always loved keeping you close, but this? This was… unusual. And incredibly distracting, too, as you felt the warm brush of his breath against your skin while you tried, in vain, to focus on your book.

“Aww, babe, did something happen?” You set the book aside, fingers threading through his hair in slow, soothing strokes.

He let out a deep sigh, his grip tightening instead of answering. The silence was enough to make worry creep up your spine.

Gently, you cupped his cheeks and tilted his face up toward you, only to be met with those eyes—big, soft, and guilt-ridden. Damn those puppy eyes.

“Zayne…” You narrowed your gaze, testing the waters.

His response? To promptly bury his face back in your chest, as if hiding from the inevitable.

Your fingers stilled in his hair. “Spill.”

For a moment, he hesitated. Then, in a voice lower than usual—like he was about to confess a mortal sin—he muttered, “Darling… You do know how much I adore you, don’t you?”

Your brow arched. Suspicion bloomed.

And then, it clicked.

“No. You didn’t.” Your voice teetered on the edge of disbelief.

Zayne sighed. “…I’m afraid I did.”

The limited-edition chocolate. The one your friend had brought from abroad. The one you had been saving for a special occasion.

Oh. Oh, he was dead.

"Zayne," you began, tone deceptively calm, "as much as I love you, I feel like I’m about to kill you right now.”

Finally, he had the decency to sit up, meeting your gaze with an expression that was somehow both stoic and dramatically sorrowful.

“I apologize…” he murmured, as if this was some tragic accident. “I’m not even sure how it happened. One moment, it was in the pantry and then… gone.”

You inhaled sharply. “AGAIN?”

And now?

Zayne sat in front of you, watching—suffering—as you mercilessly devoured all his favorite sweets. Every last thing he was craving, even the rare, limited-edition ones he had been saving.

You held up a delicate macaron, twirling it between your fingers. His eyes lit up, lips parting instinctively, hope flickering in his expression.

“Oh, I bet you’d love a bite, huh?” you mused, bringing it just close enough to tease him.

His mouth barely opened before—poof!—the macaron disappeared. Straight into your mouth.

You smirked. “But traitors don’t deserve sweets.”

Zayne let out a betrayed sigh, slumping back dramatically. As if things weren’t bad enough, you had also sentenced him to the ultimate punishment: a one-week kiss ban.

And for a man who craved your affection like air, that? That was the cruelest torture of all.

Rafayel

Rafayel was clinging to you—as per usual. His body shifted restlessly as he tried to find the perfect spot on your lap, his head nestled against your thighs, his face nuzzling into them like a needy cat.

But something was… off.

Normally, he'd be whining about how comfy you were, or dramatically declaring that he could stay like this forever. But right now? He was unusually quiet. And that immediately set off alarms in your head.

"Raf," you murmured, brushing stray strands of hair from his face, fingers gently tracing his cheek. "Is something bothering you?"

He blinked up at you, and that was when you saw it.

The guilt.

His big, guilty eyes—a look you knew all too well—sent a shiver of suspicion down your spine.

And then, in a deep, tragic sigh, he began.

"Cutie…" He stroked your thighs, voice dripping with exaggerated sorrow. "Is your love unconditional? Would you still love me, even if I committed the worst of crimes?"

Your stomach dropped.

"Rafayel." His full name left your lips like a warning, making him tense. His expression somehow grew even guiltier.

"What did you do?" Your voice was calm—too calm. Your eye twitched slightly.

He hesitated. Then, finally, he exhaled and averted his gaze.

"I... I didn’t mean to," he mumbled. "It just kind of happened..."

Your arms folded. "Go on."

He swallowed.

"I—" He sighed again, looking at you like a man on death row. "I watched the new episode of Love Island without you."

Silence.

The betrayal.

Your breath caught in your throat. "You did what?!"

The sheer audacity. The disrespect. The ultimate relationship crime.

"How could you do this to me?!" you gasped, yanking your legs out from under him so fast that his head hit the couch with a dull thud.

"Ow—!" He winced, sitting up in a panic. His hands grasped yours in desperation. "Wait, don’t do anything drastic! I didn't mean—"

"It's too late now..." You freed your hands from his grip with a slow, deliberate motion.

He stilled.

You both knew what that meant.

...

"OW! Cutie, have mercy—!" Rafayel hissed, thrashing slightly beneath you.

You straddled him with a deadly smirk, tweezers in hand, plucking his body hair with ruthless precision. A sharp yank—his armpit. Another—his stomach. Then his leg. He flinched every time, eyes wild with regret.

"This is cruel!" he whined. "This is inhumane!"

"You did this to yourself." You gave him a faux-sympathetic smile, reaching for his arm next.

Another pluck. Another wince.

Rafayel groaned, flopping back dramatically. "Never again…" he muttered.

You leaned in, whispering in his ear with a wicked grin.

"That's what they all say."

Sylus

You sat comfortably on Sylus’s lap, his arms wrapped around you with a vice-like grip, his face buried in the crook of your neck. Cuddling like this was nothing new—Sylus lived for moments like these—but tonight, there was a different edge to it. A certain... desperation.

His fingers pressed into your back as if to mold you against him, his body tensed yet unwilling to let go.

“What’s got you squeezing me so tight, Sy?” you teased, dragging your fingers along his spine, relishing the way he shivered under your touch.

“Perhaps I just like having you close.” His voice was smooth—too smooth. Normally, the words would’ve made you melt, but there was something in his tone. A certain something you knew all too well.

You stilled. “...Did you do it again?”

The moment the words left your lips, his hold on you tightened.

“…Have I mentioned how absolutely stunning you look today?” He cooed, his lips brushing your skin. Classic. His go-to distraction tactic.

“Nice try,” you deadpanned. “Sylus. Did you, or did you not?”

He sighed, dramatically, like he was the victim here. “He was getting too touchy.”

You groaned, dragging a hand down your face. “Sylus, you’re going to give the poor guy a heart attack!”

The guy—as in your coworker. The one Sylus had sworn up and down was too friendly with you. The one he had, on multiple occasions, subtly and not-so-subtly terrified to the brink of quitting.

“You don’t need that job,” he muttered, pressing his lips against your shoulder as if that would erase his sins.

You rolled your eyes. “You know what that means.”

He went silent.

You both knew what that meant.

...

"Must I really do this?” Sylus sighed, standing stiffly in front of your workplace like he was being sent to the gallows.

“Yes,” you said firmly. “You will apologize. Or no cuddles and kisses for a week.”

At that, his eye twitched. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I would.” You smirked, sticking your tongue out at him, watching as his lips quirked into the smallest of smiles before he returned to his signature look of disgusted annoyance.

Just then, the door to the building swung open, and there he was—your coworker. Upon spotting you, he smiled… but then his gaze shifted.

And the second he laid eyes on Sylus?

He yelped and bolted in the opposite direction.

You blinked. “Did he just—”

You turned to Sylus. He was smirking. Smug. As. Hell.

“How am I supposed to ‘apologize’ now, sweetie?” he mused, feigning innocence, though the satisfied glint in his eyes betrayed him.

What a smug, infuriating bastard.

Caleb

Caleb was glued to you—more than usual. His arms wrapped around your waist like a lifeline, his face buried in your shoulder as he let out a deep, dramatic sigh. You barely moved an inch before he was pulling you back in, holding you tighter.

Now, Caleb was always affectionate, but this? This was next-level.

“…Okay, what did you do?” you asked suspiciously, stopping your fingers from running through his hair.

He stiffened.

“What?” He forced out a laugh, lifting his head to look at you with far too much innocence. “Can’t a guy just be madly in love with his gorgeous partner?”

You squinted.

“Caleb.”

“…Yes, my love?”

“What. Did. You. Do?”

He hesitated. His eyes darted to the side. Then—a guilty smile.

Your stomach dropped.

“I may have tripped and somehow landed on your bed, and somehow the diary was open, and somehow my eyes just happened to read the page about how much you love my arms—”

“CALEB.” You pushed him away (he immediately latched back on). “You read my diary?!”

“Hey, hey, don’t be mad!” He tightened his hold, nuzzling into your neck. “I love you even more now! You think I’m devastatingly handsome, and I quote—”

You groaned. “Caleb, you absolute menace—!”

“You wrote a whole paragraph about my voice, pipsqueak” He grinned, shameless. “I didn’t even know you paid attention to—”

“You’re dead to me.”

"Noooo!" He practically climbed into your lap, pulling your arms around him like you had to hold him. “You can’t be mad at me! I am your devastatingly handsome boyfriend, after all—”

"You know what this means." You cut him off, smirking.

"You’re my slave for a whole week."

Caleb gaped at you. “That’s cruel.”

"You deserve it."

"But—"

"You will be fetching me snacks, running my baths, giving me foot rubs, carrying my bag—"

“This is inhumane.”

"Oh, I’m not done." You grinned wickedly. "You will also cook me breakfast every morning, write me a love letter every night, carry me whenever I want, and—oh, this is my favorite part—you will officially be my personal hype man. If I so much as walk into a room, you will dramatically announce my presence and remind everyone that I’m the most beautiful person alive."

Caleb’s jaw dropped.

"You’re insane."

"You read my diary."

"...Fair."

"Oh, and one more thing," you added. "You're now on kiss restriction for three days."

His entire world shattered. "WHAT?!"

"That's right." You tapped his nose condescendingly. "No kisses. No cuddles unless I initiate them. No sweet-talking your way out of this, Mr. Snoops-Through-My-Diary."

He groaned, flopping back onto the couch. "I regret everything."

"You should." You smirked, patting his cheek.

But deep down, you knew Caleb was about to be the most over-the-top servant in history. And honestly? You were so ready for it.

[invincibledc]

ִ ࣪✮🕷✮⋆˙𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐅𝐀𝐌𝚰𝐋𝐘 𝐗 𝐒𝐏𝚰𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑ִ ࣪✮🕷✮⋆˙

Protege of Peter Parker, in their dimension/universe, Peter Parker use to babysit them. But due to the curious mind of a fourteen year old, they followed Peter when he left them. Thinking that they were asleep but really was following him. Looking over a cornered they didn’t notice a spider crawling its way to them in weird colors. It bites them, making them yelp. That currently caused the attention of a certain spider human who webs then up. Long story short, y/n whines to be his sidekick, I mean who wouldn’t want to help THE Spiderman! And especially when he use to watch them.

And you became Webster, you’re still working on the name. But still! You found out how the spider you got hit by gave you powers… but it’s kinda freaky to shoot out your own webs..

It all happened when you were patrolling with Parker, making small little web cobs in your neat spider suit that apparently was made by some stark guy. He’s kinda like an uncle to you perhaps? Like those rich uncles that let you go crazy and but whatever you want to just get you out of his hair.

Either way, your adhd is off the charts as you suddenly focus due to a very loving smack to the back of your head. The patrol goes wonderful, with just webbing up muggers, thugs, and robbers.

Dusting your hands off, smirking behind your expressive lenses of your mask, you couldn’t help but web a guy to a wall.

“Better think twice before mugging innocent civilians!” The mugger grunted with annoyance. “You little sh—” you web his mouth shut, cupping your ear. “What’s that? Yeah let’s not, we’re keeping this friendly.” You then looked at yourself that’s holding your device reading this as of now. Yes you. You pointed to yourself, but let’s stop breaking this wall. “Can’t believe this guy is actually wanting to ruin this. I mean can you believe it?!”

The mugger gave you a weird look as you were.. talking to yourself? He struggled against the webs, you finished your monologue and web swing off. “Bye bye mug man!” Childish giggling was echoed into the air.

“Man! Another night another— PORTAL?!” You looked to see a weird portal infront of you. You let go of your web, going to shoot it at another lamp post to avoid it. I mean literally, it wasn’t the usual portal Miguel would forced open for you. But the portal said “SIKE!” and grabbed you up.

Now here you are in some dark city that looks like New York… but more gloomy and stinks! Covering your nose through your mask, you gagged. “Ugh! Is this how it smells when changing babies diapers?” You walked around, before web shooting. As you were web swinging, you pulled out your less dominant arm and looked at the watch to contact anyone.

“Wonder if I can contact Peter from here..” you swung yourself into a street lamp, landing with a crouching formation. You dial around the thingy, “cmonnn.” Nothing. Groaning annoyed, you covered your face into your hands. You then looked at the readers reading this now.

“It’s not like I’m gonna be in some trouble in the top of five minutes.” You smiled as you gave the readers a peace sign before swinging off.

“WHY DID I JINX MYSELF!” You exclaimed, swinging through anything your webs can grab onto. You were being chased some 10 year old! You’re fourteen for crying out loud, no way you are being chased by some midget, but this kid got a katana! And the only person you know that has a katana is either Deadpool or your best friend who idolizes DP.

Each web was cut down with these bat shaped boomerangs or whatever you thought they were. You didn’t care, not at all. Only thing you cared for was just surviving this angry kid who got mad at you calling him a so called “midget”. You started to get tired, swinging yourself around a corner and hiding behind a dumpster. You listened closely to footsteps, for a few minutes you don’t hear anything.

Lettting out a breath of relief, you get up. “Hah, no one can catch the ultimate spider—” and you were captured in a net. The boy with a R on his costume glared behind his mask. “You’re infuriating.” “Hey that’s a big word for you.” Being cocky, the kid kicked your rib which made you groan. Okay, now you wish you had spider senses. You were then dragged to some cave?

So…. Why in the world where you tied up by some kid with a katana. And why were they’re like four other guys staring them down weirdly.

What’s going on?!

[tiramissyoucake]

(Refering to the reader beating the shit out of nogogglescible drabble) "lemme know if you want a fic" PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEAS PLEAS PLEAS PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEAHJ PLEADH PLEDSAF PLEADLS PLESRE-

Damn shawty OK! Here's a quick one!

CW: violence, masochism, dirty talk(?) It's no goggles cmon man

"Do whatever you can to beat it out of him." Is what Cecil told you before you came into the interrogation room. They had somehow subdued this version of Invincible and trapped him in dull room with only one giant one-way mirror, he was trapped and confined to a chair with giant technological confines caging his hand, as if his hands were through a cinderblock.

You were debriefed before you came here, you heard of the killing, how he behaved, naturally you were already wary of Invincible's strength, and this seemed like Cecil's worst nightmare. An Invincible that isn't on your side.

The 'Mark' with you right now had his head tossed back, leaning and lounging like this was a waiting room, he looked up; no goggles covering his dark eyes. "Oh, HeLLO!" He sat up, excited to toy with you. "I remember you!"

You ignored his rambling as you looked through a list. "Y'know, we used to bang in my world! Then you got emotional when I killed somebody and broke up with me. Total bitch behaviour in my opinion, but hey, the sex was— GUH?!"

You had reeled back your fist and swung it into his jaw as best as you could, watching him pant and groan as he readjusted himself. "Ooh! Oh you wanna play?! Fuck, I can't believe I felt that!"

"Where did you and your copies come from?" You started, eyebrows furrowed as his attitude was getting on your nerves. Mark paid no mind to your questioning.

"What copies? You think perfection can be made twice?! You wish there were mo— OUGH!" Another punch in the opposite direction, blood splattering past his lips.

"Answer my questions, why are you here?!"

"Get fucked, sugar♡" Mark grinned as he looked up at you, blood blending into his gums and soaking his teeth and lips, he wanted to piss you off.

You gritted your teeth in frustration, clenching your fists as you repeated the onslaught, his grunting and sputtering echoing in the room.

"Yes, fuck that's— GHK! YES! C'mon! UGH! Hit me again! Hit m—URGH! Oh fuck yes, harder! Harder!" He repeatedly tried to speak and yell at you to hit him harder, your knuckles growing sore and pained as he showed no sign of giving in.

You took a moment to breathe, hands reddened as your panting overlayed his groaning and moaning. "oooh baby... Hah... I know I'm invincible, but you hit like you wanna fuck me...!" His thighs parted further, bucking to get any friction. "Why don't you sit, huh? Gives you stability to beat the shit outta me!"

A cringe appeared on your features as he coaxed you on his lap, you could see a hardening beneath the fitted costume. This freak was horny.

"You're disgusting." You started while rolling up your sleeves, he could feel the arousal rush to his dick as he sat up, licking the blood of his lips.

"Yeah, c'mere baby— get mad at me! Hit me!"

The door clacked open as Cecil stepped in, his expression mirroring yours. "Alright, I can't watch this shit anymore, (Name). Hit the showers."

"I knew it! (Name)?! MY (Name) from MY world?!We were destined to fuck!" Mark announced excitedly while looking up at you. "Quit cockblocking, dickhead! Get out! I don't give a fuck if you cucks watch, just gimme 30 minutes alone here with—"

"You shut up! We'll deal with you later." Cecil watched you collect your things as Mark watched you like an abandoned dog, chest rising and falling. "Wh..?! Hey! Hold on! Not even gonna hit me bye?!"

You rolled your eyes, embarassed and angry by the interaction, you could hear him yelling as you left.

"Hey! Hey, come back whenever, sweetcheeks! Maybe I'll let you choke me while you ride me! You like that shit?! Fuck, you're just my type—"

The door slammed shut, you really hoped this ordeal would get sorted soon.

[anhesacardia]

Forbidden Promises

Chapter 7 (Series Masterlist)

Pairing: Modernau!Sukuna x Mother!Reader

Genre: Hidden Baby Trope

Summary: Reader opens up a bakery after running away from her three year relationship with Sukuna, effectively ghosting him and hiding away in the middle of the countryside. Unknown to Sukuna, reader also had a baby, and now is living peacefully until an unfateful meeting starts to pull her back into the life she so desperately escaped from.

Tw: Reader lowkey cries again, Misunderstandings resolved!! Finally!! Sukuna does kiss reader but consent is kind of implied. More drama ensues!! No Hana :(

Wc: 2.4k

Sukuna had always prided himself on being somewhat of a good actor, or at the very least masking his emotions better than anyone else. From a young age he learned the hard way that his emotions were to be suppressed, he wasn’t supposed to feel anything but anger and frustration. 

He can still remember his mothers disgusted face when Sukuna had taken barely a week to conform to the new rules set on him, distaste weighing heavy in her mouth as she pushed him away from her embrace.

“Don’t ever try that with me, Ryoumen. You will regret it.”

Her indifferent tone hit him like a bucket of cold water. The man couldn’t remember what happened next, Jin rushing in and comforting his younger twin as Sukuna held back tears.

That’s why he finds himself plastering a business smile on his face, masking the shock with a charming smile as he extended one arm out to Aoi, the other coming to wrap around your waist and pulling you closer,

“Ah it is good to meet you too…?”

He paused, letting Aoi introduce herself, shaking Sukuna’s hand with enthusiasm.

You quickly interjected before Aoi could go any further than her name and occupation, wrapping an arm around Sukuna’s and making up some excuse to pull him away from the sea of onlookers,

“I didn’t know you were going around telling other people I was your husband?”

Though Sukuna sounded offended, he was nothing but relieved. His eyes trailed down to the chain on your neck, a simple golden ring glinting in the morning sunlight. It felt like a heavy weight had been pulled off his chest. His arm dropped from your shoulder to the small of your back, resting comfortably like it did years ago. 

“That’s not- I haven’t been telling anyone you are my husband, it’s a simple misunderstanding,”

Sukuna hummed, high on the euphoria of the thought that you had no husband to be paying any actual attention to the words stumbling from your mouth. 

“Whatever you say wife,”

He smirked, feeling far too happy for himself as he turned his head to look at you, eyes gleaming in happiness. 

“That’s not the point- oh god you’re just so!”

That fond feeling rose up in Sukuna’s chest as he watched you fuss over the situation, freeing yourself from his grasp as you walked up the sidewalk faster. 

Sukuna merely took longer strides to catch up with you, eating the distance up in a few seconds as his hand wrapped around your elbow, tugging you away from the curb and claiming the space you left.

The action made you flush, highschool feelings returning all at once at the sweet gesture. So many people asked you what you saw in Sukuna, some even straight up asked you if you were being held hostage. They just didn’t know about your Sukuna, they didn’t know about how sickeningly sweet he treated you. 

He’s not even on social media, neither does he even know about the pathway rule but it’s ingrained in him to look after you, to make sure you were the most comfortable at any place. Maybe that’s why it’s so hard to let go of him after all these years. 

“Where did you even find out that I have a husband?”

Sukuna turned his head to look at you, almost pouting as his eyebrows furrowed together opening his mouth just as you opened the door to the bakery. 

“Let’s talk inside your house,”

He mumbled under his breath, making you pause as you sighed, flipping the sign on the glass doors of the bakery to display closed.

Sukuna sat quietly at your dining table, no longer awkwardly trying to fit himself in the cramped space, instead just staring at the tiny piece of furniture like it had personally insulted him. 

You whipped a few more pancakes, making sure to reduce the sugar content just like how the CEO liked it, placing a few berries on top along with a cup of black coffee. You were surprised he didn’t blow up on you without his daily fix- then again you suppose you wouldn’t know a lot of things about him, not after all this time.

Sukuna eyed the pancakes with a hungry look, scarfing them down as you watched him amused, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips,

“Is Uraume not cooking for you anymore?”

Sukuna glared at you, gulping down mouthfuls of the scalding coffee as he wiped his mouth with a napkin, 

“Nah they’re working at some fuckass restaurant, just been a while since I had your food,”

Sukuna continued eating his pancakes without a care in the world, like him saying that sentence didn’t have a million thoughts swirling in your head,

He missed me.. 

You thought to yourself, looking down at the cup of coffee in your own hands, twirling the cup so the liquid was sloshing around inside the ceramic. 

“Where did you get the information that I had a husband?”

You peeked through your lashes watching Sukuna finish the pancakes and the rest of the coffee. He looked like he was struggling to get the words out, licking over his lower lip and pressing his thumb to his temple as he was left in deep thought. 

Under his lip was the light pink stain of a strawberry and you instinctively reached over to wipe at with your thumb, eyes widening as Sukuna’s own shocked gaze met yours, 

“Oh uhm- Hana- she gets messy- so I,”

You pulled your hands back, immediately going to explain with a flustered expression while Sukuna started barking out in laughter. You glared at him with a pout, sitting back in your seat white your arms crossed under your chest,

Sukuna stopped laughing, wiping away imaginary tears as he took another napkin, wiping his mouth with it as he grinned at you. He then crumbled up the tissue in his hand, looking out at the balcony that was a few steps away from the dining room with a complicated expression.

“I guess you deserve to know what really happened back then,”

When Sukuna finally came home after five long weeks of not seeing you, he made a beeline for your room, then your shared bedroom, then the kitchen, then the specialized baking room he had built for you, then the living rooms followed by all the washrooms and guest bedrooms.

His heart was thumping irregularly in his heart, body drenched in cold sweat when he sent a thousand missed calls only to  find your phone abandoned  on the dining room table.

His head chanted your name like a mantra, like it would suddenly make you appear in front of him. A few days passed by where he didn’t really move from the house, praying to the gods out there that you were safe and would come back home. 

Uraume stayed over with him for a few weeks, cleaning up after his messes and cooking for him. They got to work immediately, slowly removing the traces of you that were left behind, pacing them all into a box and storing it in the attic lest Sukuna find them and go on a witch hunt. 

Sukuna had already established himself in the company- he had a few more fuckers to send to the afterlife and he could finally stop these month long trips away from you. He had officially been recognized as the CEO by all the board members, a velvet box tucked into his pocket when he came home, just for the ring to be discarded in one of his bedside drawers. 

He waited for a grueling three months before he decided enough was enough and hired people to go look for you. What he got in return was photos of you with an obvious baby bump, a man helping you walk with a hand on your back, smiling at each other like you were a lovesick couple. His ring was glinting in the light, both of you disappearing into the bakery as the man held open the door for you. 

Sukuna felt his heart stop, dread crawling up every blood vessel, scalding and freezing him at the same time. He crumpled the photo in his hand, frozen in place as he felt his head go blank. 

Uraume watched him with a careful eye, ripping the photo from his hand and frowning at the sight, 

“Sukuna-” 

The CEO held up a hand, chair screeching as he got up from his office chair, effectively silencing Uraume as they pocketed the photo.

“Get a new place for me. I will move in by tonight,”

You were silent when Sukuna finished his story, red eyes glancing at you every now and then at you as you picked at your nails,

“I was never married, I- there's been no one, not after you..”

Sukuna nodded, eerily quiet as he scratched at a sticker on the dining table, trying to scrape it off with his nail. 

“The man you saw, I think you mean my cousin. He’s married, three kids and all- Hana plays with them,”

You finally looked up, meeting Sukuna’s gaze as you continued, voice feeling far too raw and much too exposed. You took a deep breath, calming yourself 

“I would never-,”

You shook your head, biting your lip as you scowled at the mere thought, 

“I would never cheat on you- Ryo you meant far too much for me to even think of that-,”

Sukuna cut you off, voice unnaturally cold as he spoke, you wondered how long it had been since you heard that tone directed to you,

“Why didn’t you reach out,”

You took another long breath, looking down at your hands and then the worn out house.

“I was hoping you’d have moved on. I don't know- I hoped you would have found someone better, not someone like me. It was obvious that your board didn’t approve of me and I just-” I felt like you were holding yourself back for me, you were doing things you didn’t have to- just for me and that scared me. I never thought I’d have become the coward in our relationship. I just craved when we didn’t have to think so much just to be together. I was scared you wouldn’t want Hana even though I did. Maybe I was trying to fill in the hole you left when you went on those week-long missions, I was scared- I was just so scared Ryo. 

You wondered why the words you wanted to say didn’t come out, stuck in your throat like it was held down by cement, weighing heavy on your chest. The hurt of those unspoken phrases was far more than you thought them to be. The words swirled in your head, your mouth pulled to a thin line as you stopped talking, 

“I got rid of them all.” 

Sukuna finally spoke, getting up from his chair and pulling his seat closer to you, 

“Huh?”

Your voice squeaked out and Sukuna had a crazed grin on his face, cradling your face with his hand, thumb brushing over your cheekbones, 

“Every fucker that didn’t approve of you- thats why I left for so long,” You felt like time had stopped again, it was just you both again and it was like you were in his college dorm room again, cleaning up the cuts he got from punching a guy who was talking behind your back. 

“I promised I’d protect you, didn’t I?”

Sukuna leaned in closer, pressing his forehead against yours as his breath fanned against your face. You leaned into his hand unconsciously, biting your lip as tears streamed down your face. 

“Ryo I’m sorry- I’m so sorry, I just didn’t realize what I had done and by the time it was too late and I didn’t have the courage to face you-”

Sukuna shushed you, pressing his lips to yours in one go. He tasted like pancaked and salty tears and nostalgia all at once. He pulled away staring into your eyes as he wiped away your tears, 

“Stop crying you baby,”

Sukuna teased, pulling you closer by your shoulders and enveloping you in a hug. 

Sukuna and You stayed like that for a while, hugging each other till Sukunas back started to ache and he pulled you into his lap, resting head on your shoulder as he mumbled reassurances into your ear. 

“So why are you going around telling people you have a husband?” 

You stilled in Sukunas arms, pausing for a second before you continued. 

“Didn’t want people prying into Hana’s life and teasing her. She already gets into so much trouble for fighting with the boys in her class. Honestly I don’t know how she even learned how to fight,”

Sukuna chuckles, his laughter settling deep into your bones as you let yourself enjoy the timbre of his voice, 

“That’s my girl.” 

You rolled your eyes, scoffing as you got up from his lap and looking at the time, 

“Don’t you have work?”

You asked raising a brow at the carefree man, 

“Nah I’m letting the Gojo handle it for now heh, took a week off too” 

You smiled, Sukuna was having far too much fun relaxing around in your home. You started your way up the stairs, glancing back to see Sukuna on his heels trailing after you like a big tiger. 

“Well I’m going to get to work then,” 

Sukuna caught up with you on the top of the stairs, twisting you around to face him as his hands rested comfortably on your hips, rubbing smooth circles. 

“We’re not done talking though are we?” 

You stopped, averting your gaze as you avoided speaking on the topic. Sukunas hand came to rest above your collarbones, twisting the ring on your chain and tugging it off you, 

“When are you going to tell the kid?”

You sighed, pulling Sukunas hands away from you, he looked dejected for a second, immediately masking his emotions as he took a step forward, bending his neck to look at you  properly, hands fisting at his sides, 

“Are you trying to run away again pet?” 

You shook your head, words dancing around in your mouth as you bit your tongue, hands resting on Sukunas arms as you tried to comfort him, 

“With Hana, we should take things slow, she’s never asked me about her dad. She's kind of perceptive- never been one to pry about the stuff I didn’t like,” 

Sukunas jaw ticked and he glared at the floor, pulling away from you this time. 

“What- what about us,”

He called out your name when you didn't respond, adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he stared at you longingly, 

“Sukuna-” 

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Taglist: @lady-of-blossoms @shokosbunny @after-laughter-come-tears @glads-stuff @acidrefiux @linny-bloggs @dahliadaenerys @gojotech @emi311 @poopooindamouf @sadrna @domainofmarie e @sukubusss @nousija @pjofics @katsukiseyebrows @the-reas0n-is-y0u @krispywhisperswhispers @pillkits @rier @needsleep3000 @tangsakura @raquel12 @not-aya @melancholycries @desprrssooo-espresssooooo @tojisbabymommasblog @thebumbqueen @melancholycries @totallygyomeiswife @kiyotosbae21 1 @bwlol7 @ratedrrrr @ihrtbin @kunascutie

A/n: Issues are getting resolved but are they really. I want to build up the tension between Sukuna and Reader a bit more but a kiss was much overdue. MORE DRAMA!!!!

[eureka-its-zico]

Residuals Pt. 4

Ongoing Series

Synopsis: You and Robby spent seven long years together until the day it ended. You’ve done your best to create space; to become invisible. You can’t miss what you don’t see. Unfortunately, the universe (Gloria and the Board of Directors) seemed to have missed the memo.

Pairing: Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch x Reader

Genre: Established previous relationship, slight age gap (by about 15 years give or take), a little bit of tension mixed in with a little bit of hate yearning, cause she’s a saucy angsty fic ok

A/N: First, I read an article on burns to try and make this as accurate as possible, (article here by the NIH) but it’s still not terribly accurate. So, please, I tried lol. Secondly, I’m still screaming at the amount of love you guys have shown this series. Truly, I appreciate it more than y’all know. Thirdly, enter in a little extra dash of drama by Gloria (who redeemed herself in ep.12 but we ain’t there yet) and ya girl is just having a rough-ass day. Fourthly, yeah…she’s a thick chapter. Hopefully, it's still good because I’ve edited it as much as I can. As always, I hope you all enjoy. Thank you for the support and for being here. Much Love, Jenn

Warnings: Mentions of death, language

Words: 10k +

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Whitaker proved to be an adept student. He followed directions well and answered whatever questions you threw his way about proper wound care at home and possible infection risks around the burned areas. When you’d finished with the first patient, you ensured he knew to return to the emergency room immediately if they experienced any new or persistent discomfort, like pain or tenderness in the area, increased warmth, discoloration, or advanced swelling. 

“If the infection is invasive and takes hold of the wound, what is the main course of treatment, Dr. Whitaker?”

“We would contact surgery.”

“Correct. Why?” 

“The need for surgery would be based on the high concentration of the bacteria levels found present in the wound.”

“We’d check for signs of possible sepsis and a full check-up to narrow down if it's gram-negative or positive bacteria, which tells us further about our treatment plan. What is the chief cause of burn wound infections?”

“Staphylococcus Aureus - MRSA.”

“How would we verify the patient had MRSA or any other type of possible bacterial infection?” 

“By taking a sample from the area for testing -“

“You guys aren’t about to cut me up or anything, are you?”  

The sudden input from the patient caused a nervous tick from Whitaker. It halted his hands from finishing the last few loops around with the gauze. The patients' eyes darted nervously from you to Whitaker and back again. You gave your best reassuring smile while making sure the dressing was secured on his chest and shoulder.

“Well, Kyle, the faster we get you out of here, you take the antibiotics I prescribe you, and make sure you keep your burns dressed and away from exposure to possible germs, then no. We won’t be ‘cutting you up’ today.”

“Okay. Cool. Because that sounds really uncool.”

Dilaudid truly did wonders for conversations. You’d have to make sure the discharge papers were clear on his care and warning signs to look out for. Plus, add extra emphasis on trying to make sure not to share any items in the frat house bathroom. 

In truth, it wasn’t him, but his fellow frat boy neighbor in four that had you worried. So far, he showed no obvious signs of infection, but once the adrenaline of the moment wore off he noticeably seemed to slip into shock at having half his face, eyelashes, and eyebrow singed off. Not enough shock, however, to keep from asking if he’d make a handsome Harvey Dent for Halloween. 

The burns to his neck and chest indicate to you he was closer to the fire pit than his buddy Whitaker currently patched up. You’d ordered blood work, x-rays, and a culture swab on two-face and his friend just to rule out any surprises. 

You did your full assessment, asked questions, and directed Whitaker the best you could. You wanted to be the good mentor like Adamson and Singh had been for you. A good mentor like Robby was too. You would never admit it out loud but a small piece of you wanted Robby to see how capable you were. A silent bid to prove he could trust you with his interns and medical students. Between Robby, Abbot, and the previous attendings you knew you could teach. 

It wasn’t a hidden thing that you’d both meet here during your residency. Yes, it was Adamson’s circus, but Robby thrived under Adamson’s direction and the insanity the Pitt offered. He was funny, charismatic, incredibly smart, and showed a level of empathy that bordered on worrisome at times. A tidal wave of grief encapsulated him and carried him under if he wasn’t careful. Robby was exactly the physician any patient should want taking care of them when they arrived in the ED. 

And hell, you weren’t blind. Anyone with eyes could see that Robby was handsome. Painstakingly, stupidly, egregiously, fucking handsome. It was fucking criminal. 

Robby taught you so much in the time you’d spent here and you knew he probably still could but that would mean being around him. The two of you standing closer than you’d been in years was proving to be a dangerous thing. He’d fallen back into the habit of stealing touches and you’d fallen back into the habit of shamelessly teasing him with things he’d usually make you pay for later trapped between his body and whatever surface in your house.

It was a dangerous game neither of you realized you were playing, and both of you were losing fast. Instead of having your focus one hundred percent on the patients and being back in the ED for the first time in years, your focus repeatedly returned where it shouldn’t. At first, you could lie to yourself and say you were simply scanning the hallways and nursing stations to make sure you didn’t see him. Of course, that’s what you wanted to believe; to coast through this shift without any additional emotional trauma following you home. 

It was fucking impossible.

You could continue to lie to yourself all you wanted, but the truth was blatantly clear. Your eyes didn’t comb over the hallways and desks in hopes of not finding him. You didn’t quickly peer into rooms in anticipation that he wouldn’t be in one. You wanted to see him just as much as you denied that you didn’t. 

The day you left, you made sure to do it while Robby was working because you knew, that if he’d been home and asked you to stay, you would’ve. And if he didn’t fight for you - never uttered a singular word of pleading to keep you from leaving, you weren’t sure you could survive it. 

So now you found yourself hopelessly looking for him in all the places you swore you’d never go again. You may have chosen to leave, but it never meant you stopped loving him. The fact you were still in love with him made seeing the lost look in his eyes sting harder. You watched as he spoke to the parents of the kid who overdosed with no possible hope of waking up again, and you wanted to go to him. It was the shattering look of grief that made you forget how to move. Robby knew what was coming better than anyone else did. 

How many times was Robby the one in charge of giving the heartbreaking news that loved ones weren’t coming home? Shouldering the burden of listening to the breakdown of their world and being the pillar of strength and comfort while families struggled to rearrange? 

You hadn’t realized the black hole of anxiety was leading you down a rabbit hole until the sound of Whitaker calling out, “Dr. Fullerton,” at your side left you practically jumping out of your skin. 

Shit. How long had you been zoned out? Hopefully, you hadn’t said anything weird. Or incriminating.

“Sorry,” he swiftly followed up. “I was trying to ask where we were off to next, but, uh, you seemed a little…preoccupied.”

“Oh, yeah, no sorry. You can go back to the red zone. I’m just going to help McKay up in triage.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“What? No, not at all. You’ll have more of a chance to learn with Langdon and Collins.” What you actually meant was to see more if that was what he was into. “Also, maybe check on your last patient I pulled you away from earlier.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.” You watched him take your advice and, in real time, get ready to dispute it. “Why am I checking back in with Mr. Milton?”

What should you tell him? In the Pitt, it was easy to be thrown from one patient to the next - forgetting their faces and names as the minutes blurred into hours. Easy to forget they were waiting on test results that needed to be read by you and needed a treatment plan discussed and planned by you. Major issues could present as something small, something easily missable until further testing exposed the truth of the situation. If you went just the smallest amount of time without checking the results, without popping your head in for a visual, well, it wasn’t hard to imagine how sometimes those major issues finally presented themselves and everything got much, much worse. 

“Look, Whitaker. As much as the powers constantly stress about getting people in and out quickly like this is a drive-thru, we have an obligation to each patient to give them the best care we can. It means staying on top of orders and checking in regularly. Trust me, Whitaker, things can change quickly down here.”

“Okay, yeah. That makes perfect sense. Thanks, Dr. Fullerton.”

“You bet. See you around, Whitaker.”

He gave you an awkward wave and didn’t move right away. It wasn’t until you turned away from him that you heard him shuffle on his feet. A part of you was curious if you glanced behind you he’d still be standing there, deciding where to go.   

All that mattered to you was that you currently needed a new patient. It didn’t matter what the chief complaint was. Ideally, for the all-seeing eye of admin, quick and easy ones would look better. At this rate, you were positive your Press Ganey score was dipping. You were seeing patients at the speed of an R3; two patients per hour and they were after fast and loose results. But you wanted something with the capability to keep you occupied for hours. Preferably something that would require so much of your attention it would force you out of your head. 

Yeah, that would be good. It was too damn early still to be spiraling into a midlife crisis just because you had to work with your ex. An ex, you realized, who was wearing the damn navy blue hoodie you’d bought him on his last fishing trip to Canonsburg. 

No. No. Nope. You weren’t supposed to be thinking about him or stupid hoodies or the gold chain of his necklace that used to drag over your collarbone. How your fingers curled around the thin chain, using it like a lead, to bring him down on top of you on the couch. Absolutely not - you were at work and he was your ex. He was your ex and you shouldn’t fucking care how you could still tell after all these months he was sleeping like shit. 

You were almost back to Dana’s station, the monitor looming overhead like a beacon to salvation when you noticed Whitaker walking in tandem beside you. You cocked a brow in question that Whitaker rushed to answer. 

“The board is this way, so…”

Right. You knew that. 

“I was trying to talk to you but I think you were in deep thought or something. Again.”

Or something. God. That was twice. Twice your head was everywhere else but where it needed to be, which was at work. You should’ve fought harder when Gloria came to reassign you, but none of this should’ve mattered. 

You were a damn good doctor. You’d trained under the best, learned from the best, and kept progressively learning and didn’t stop. You spent years of your life on this because helping people was your passion. It shouldn’t matter where you were placed if you were down here to help for days, months, or years. 

Yet, in the matter of an hour, your mind waded into memories that were better off left for dead with your eyes searching for someone you shouldn’t. 

You didn’t know how to answer him. “Sorry, I should remember where everything is but find myself stuck daydreaming about the past and looking for signs where I shouldn’t and sexually fantasizing about your attending”, didn’t seem appropriate to tell a med student. So, you ended with a weak, “Sorry about that,” which passed for understanding. It made you feel like an ass, but you didn’t trust yourself to speak. 

You came to a stop just a few feet from Dana’s desk. Her back turned to you as she went through folders preparing patient's charts for transfer upstairs. Her eyes shifted up at the board and over to a newer resident you hadn’t met yet. 

Her gaze was fixed on the monitor; eyes scanning rapidly down the chart as if there was a code that needed cracking. You knew that look. It was a shared one you’d no doubt mirrored only an hour ago. 

“What do you need, Fullerton?”

Your head swiveled back to Dana and found her now facing you, her glasses removed, and waiting for your answer. 

“How’d you know it was me?”

“Are you kidding?” The question fell out of her in a chuckle. “You’re the only one I know who goes around taping on every damn surface when they’re thinking. You act like my five-year-old grandson, just less noisy. Barely.”

“That’s offensive,” you pointed out. 

“For who? You or my grandson.”

You felt the first crack in your defenses tug at the corners of your mouth. If you weren’t careful, Dana’s whip-smart comments were going to make you fold back into a routine you hadn’t been a part of in a while. It wasn’t just you who was slipping at this point, and you clocked the moment Dana began to realize it too. 

She was supposed to be upset with you - grumpy, mean remarks only. You were supposed to take them and dish them back so you could comfortably stay in your bubbles of denial and anger. The denial of what, exactly, was achingly easy to see. 

You both missed each other. More than either of you were willing to admit. 

Your reply sat cocked and loaded on your tongue when you remembered what transpired half an hour before. As much as you missed one another, you had to be careful with what you shared around her. It was obvious, whatever the ‘It’ may be, Robby would magically seem to find out. 

“Any quick ones up here? It’s only 8:30, and Robby’s already on my case for being too slow. I can usually at least make it to lunch before he starts hounding me.” 

Your attention swiveled back towards the resident. Her gaze fixed on the board before glancing between Dana and you. Hopefully, her question wasn’t meant for you to answer. You weren’t very good at picking off the board either. 

“Cut him a little slack today, ok? It’s the anniversary of Dr. Adamson’s death.”

Of course, Dana would cover for him. Intercept all incoming rapports of Robby being prickly and sometimes downright mean to bury them under the rug of understanding. 

Yes, it was the anniversary of Adamson’s death. It always would be. Grief wasn’t easy. It was messy and unrelenting in the moments it chose for sights, smells, and touch to materialize memories that recalled moments you wouldn’t get the chance to share with them again. A constant reminder of all that we lost. Time didn’t seal up that cavern their loss created; it just became more manageable over time. 

Robby never coped. Never allowed himself to grieve, heal, and thrive in the good memories he did have. The doubts and guilt haunted him every day in every step, every decision, he made. He housed it inside him like a ghoul in a cemetery feasting on the remains of who he was before Adamson’s death - before the pandemic. 

“That’s sad. But it’s still no reason to take it out on me. I’m just saying.”

You liked her. She got it. You wanted to properly introduce yourself. By the look on Dana’s face, you need to do it quickly before she breaks out into a lecture. Luck wasn’t on your side because Whitaker beat you to the punch. 

You didn’t want to eavesdrop on their conversation but you also didn’t want to go back to having a conversation with Dana, either. It left you the only option of staring back up at the beloved board. You’d just decided on 7 North when Dr. Collins walked by, her hands digging in the glovebox on the wall to retrieve a pair. Her eyes were on Whitaker and yours were on her. 

It wasn’t a secret that Robby and Heather had dated. Well, maybe to those in the Pitt, and not including Perlah or Princess because they suspiciously seemed to be psychic. Or just really loved to gossip. No, you’d learned about them when a friend spotted Robby and Heather out on a date. You’d only assumed it was a date because she repeatedly kept using the word cozy. 

And why should you have cared? It’d been almost a year since you’d left. You chose to leave and that meant making him free to date and find new love or whatever. You didn’t have a right to lay claim to him just because he’d been yours. And Heather? She was gorgeous. She was fucking brilliant, with a beautiful smile, and it suddenly made you feel uncharacteristically subconscious. 

Whether it’d been a date or they just seemed cozy (it was a damn date) you shouldn’t have felt jealous. You were fine. It was perfectly fine and healthy for people to seek out relationships and companionship. It was normal and you were fine. You weren’t any saint either. You’d dated someone briefly and, if you were honest with yourself, you could’ve stayed in that relationship. It was nice and easy. Simple. But you didn’t love him and you weren’t sure if you ever could. 

The problem of loving Robby - still being in love with Robby - was that he stood witness to your most intimate memories of love. There were stories woven into your bones that bore witness to the man he was and how he loved you. They were told in joy and tragedy, laughter and sadness. When Nathan kissed you, the earth kept spinning. He didn’t taste of bourbon or smell of leather and sandalwood. He didn’t spend time in the backyard sanding down tables or staining decks. He didn’t wear glasses that somehow slid minute by minute inch down his nose until he subconsciously tilted his head back to see.

In the end, you left because of one glaring fact: Nathan would never be - could never be - Robby.  

Dr. Collins told Whitaker to come with her for a teaching experience - an unconscious unhoused man was being brought in. Whitaker quickly moved to follow her lead in grabbing a pair of gloves just in time for the paramedics to wheel in the gurney. Said man was very much unconscious and appeared very much unhoused. 

Your time playing the gawking bystander had come to an end and you needed to get to 7 North. You pushed away from the counter when you were stopped by the resident from earlier barreling into your line of sight. 

“Dr. Fullerton? I’m Dr. Samira Mohan - R3. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Dr. Mohan stuck out her hand and you accepted it warmly. Besides the obvious annoyance from Robby hounding her existence, it seemed Dr. Mohan was friendly. She held a kind air about her that reminded you of Robby - only now that kindness held an edge of grumpiness because his empathy was playing an overwhelming game. By the sleepless bags under his eyes, you could tell he was losing. 

You wanted to point the probability of this out to her, maybe offer her a consultation for Robby’s apparent hard-ass demeanor, but quickly shoved it off. 

“It’s nice to meet you, as well, Dr. Mohan.”

“Would it be okay if I could confer with you later?” Dr. Mohan’s eyes shifted to where Dana stood only inches away. “In private?”

You weren’t sure if you should be flattered or wanting to run for the hills. Dana’s eyes practically bore into the back of your head, waiting to hear your answer. You knew no matter what you chose to say this was getting back to Robby. 

Fuck it. 

“Of course, Dr. Mohan. I’ll come and find you after my next patient.”

“Thank you. I look forward to speaking with you.” 

She cut a cautious glance over her shoulder and turned on her heel towards the south hallway. It must have been nice to make an easy exit. It was definitely something you were down to try but Dana stood closer to the counter, her glasses down the bridge of her nose, and accused you with a look of being a troublemaker. Your only defense was a shrug. 

“What?”

“What the hell was that about?”

Your brows converged together as you shrugged again. 

“How am I supposed to know, Dana? I haven’t even talked to her yet.” 

“Talked to who about what?”

Fucking kill me. 

What was with today? Were you unknowingly walking around with a ‘Kick Me,’ sign written by life? You’d gone over two years without ever running into Robby and within an hour in a half, you couldn’t seem to avoid him. 

And why was he standing so fucking close again? 

You didn’t need to glance over to your left to know he was close. The heat of his body, the nudge of his elbow against your arm informed you at breakneck speed you were close. Too fucking close, Michael. 

“Mohan seems to want to speak with Fullerton. In private.”

“You couldn’t just wait for me to answer, Dana?”

The words rose up your throat like bile, acidic with its irritation. You couldn’t help it. You didn’t need this shit. You didn’t know what Dr. Mohan wanted but the cryptic way she asked wasn’t doing you any favors. It was at this moment you finally chose to look in Robby’s direction. He was leaning into his elbow that rested on the counter. Even with his body slightly slouched the height difference was substantial causing you to crane to look up at him. 

The problem with this? He was close enough that your temporal lobe was overloaded with thousands of memories of his thumb gliding across your lips. Large hands taking hold of your neck and tilting you back at just the right angle for his lips to claim yours. 

When you were no longer held hostage to the sensory manipulation your brain concocted, you prayed to whoever was listening that you didn’t look as lovestruck as you felt. By the dark glint in Robby’s eyes, you were doing a piss poor job at being Switzerland. 

“What? So you can conveniently disappear by the end of the shift without any context or explanation? No, thanks. Been there. Done that. Not a fan of the outcome.”

“This bipolar verbal assault is getting real tiring, Dana,” you huffed. 

“Alright. Alright, enough!” Robby cut in. “I expect this behavior from patients, not my staff. Now, Dr. Fullerton, what did Dr. Mohan want to discuss with you?”

“Jesus Christ,” you sighed, “I have no fucking clue, okay? She just asked if she could speak in private and seeing as how she did ask for it to be private, I don’t see why you need to know.” 

“Ugh,” a dry huff of what might have passed for a laugh - a cough maybe? - exited his lips. His brow was drawn tight while he looked at you. No doubt wondering where you’d gained the audacity. “Because this is my emergency department. I’m in charge of the entire thing and I think I need to be aware of what is going on with my staff.” 

“Well, maybe if you stopped acting like an ass to said staff they wouldn’t be seeking outside counsel.”

A mirthless laugh exploded from between his lips. The sound carried part of the disbelief his eyes showed while he took you in. He was no longer leaning against the counter but had his arms crossed against his chest. You weren’t sure if he was looking at you like he wanted to throttle you or found you unbelievable. Neither option would make you a winner if you guessed right.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me,” he grumbled under his breath. “Are you a fucking counselor all of a sudden?”

“And what if I was? I would ask if you’d require my services, but we both know you’re allergic to seeking help.” 

You should’ve stopped while you were ahead. You were bringing up personal shit - inviting a possible fucking mess to happen - and yet you couldn’t help yourself. You kept poking the proverbial bear and damn it, you weren’t exactly sure you felt bad about doing it. Were you so desperate for a reaction from him - after all this time? What the hell was it going to prove? 

You watched the storm of emotions roll in. The deep set of his forehead and the dark clouds that zapped all residual warmth from his eyes. You weren’t sure if Robby was even aware he’d taken a step towards you, jaw flexing, and body slowly seeping into whatever free space you had left. 

Whatever words he would’ve said died in the aftermath of hearing shouts a few rooms down. It jarred you both out of your staring contest and sent him into action. One minute he was standing in front of you, the next, he was running to see what the commotion was. 

The second Robby was removed from your space, you took a deep breath in. Why did it feel like you were in a constant state of fight or flight? Your answer came in a set of blue eyes who homed in on you the moment Robby was gone. 

“When’s your next smoke break?” 

“Who says I still smoke?” 

“Dana, be serious. The day you quit smoking is the day hell freezes over. So - when?”

She regarded you for a moment. The scale in her mind no doubt weighed if this was going to be worth her time or possibly ruining her nicotine break. 

“I usually take it around 9:30. Why? You suddenly have the urge to open up?”

“Do you want to talk or not?.”

She could bitch, make jokes, and moan and groan all she wanted. You knew offering up a chance to talk would be all Dana would need to agree. Was it something you honestly wanted to do? Not really. Were you willing to do it so that at least you had one less person hounding you the rest of your shift? 

Abso-fucking-lutely.

“Ah, what the hell. I’ll see you on break kid.” 

A sigh of relief eased through you and you prayed Dana hadn’t noticed. You didn’t think she’d agree but, now that she had, you had a tiny ounce of hope this day wasn’t going to be so much of a shit show. 

“What was all that screaming about?”

You knew the question wasn’t directed at you. Robby must have made his return and the soft laughter wasn’t what you expected to hear. 

“We seem to have involuntarily just admitted rats,” he replied. 

“You’re kidding?” Dana scoffed. 

“If only I was. Whitaker was saying it was about three or four of them.” 

“And on that note,” you drummed your hands on the counter, “I am going to 7 North.” 

It wasn’t until you went to take a step forward you noticed the weight on your left foot. A weight that felt like something was sitting directly on it. You looked down just in time to watch a rat - a damn rat - scurry off your foot to run around the edge of the nursing station. 

What you did next wasn’t your proudest moment. You even used to pride yourself on being rational when it came to rodents. The shout that clawed its way from the depths of your stomach proved you wrong at lightning speed. 

You felt your body jump backward and collide with Robby. His hands were on your hips to steady you. You were bouncing back and forth on your heels, eyes scanning the area to make sure no further surprises snuck up on you. Your arms were bunched up at your sides and you were trying to talk yourself down from sweeping the remaining area with your leg. Just for good measure.

It was the feeling of his hands on your waist, the soft sound of his chuckle touching your hair that brought you careening back down to earth. Robby was close. Not like last time when your arms touched - closer than when he followed behind you into Allan's room. Even through your scrubs, you could feel the scorching heat of his palms spreading like wildfire through the fabric that sent your heart racing. 

He should’ve let go by now. The threat of you possibly knocking him over or you both tripping and falling was over. He could let go. He could just let go, but Robby’s hands were holding you firmly in place with neither of you willing to move. You refused to look behind you - afraid of what he might see if you did.

You were afraid of what you might see if you dared to look too. 

Slowly, you took a step forward, disengaging his hands from you. The sensation of loss was instant and you almost stepped back into him. Your body and mind were at war between desire and being rational. Fuck being rational. There was nothing rational about the way your heart brutalized your ribs. The need to ask stupid fucking questions that no longer mattered. The consuming way your body craved for him to wrap his large hand around your throat, whispering words of filth into your ear. 

You had to get away before you made a mistake. 

“Sorry about that. I’m going to just, ugh, go do my rounds now.”

You didn’t turn around while you softly spoke. You may have been delusional at times, but you weren’t crazy. If you looked back and Robby’s eyes gave away any hint of emotion - anything that sparked that dying ember of hope inside you - you would crumble. 

You should’ve fought harder to stay upstairs in family medicine or threatened Gloria with firing you. You were safer there. Now, you were rushing off to remember what patient room you were going to with Robby’s cologne clinging to your skin. 

You were a pain in the ass. But you were his pain in the ass. 

Used to be, his mind reminded him. 

Could still be, came his stupid heart's reply. 

Robby used to love it when you challenged him; called him out on his bullshit. You weren’t afraid to stand in the current of his disapproval or to openly have a debate, especially when you could see he was missing something. You challenged each other to be open-minded to change, because it happened so fast, and to accept that being wrong wasn’t failure but a moment to grow and learn. 

When you both stopped being open with one another, and being honest with yourselves, was when the challenging energy took a turn. Everything felt like a confrontation. Even in moments when the constructive criticism came from colleagues - from you - it felt like an attack he had to defend against. 

Robby saw it in you too. The small hints of walls slowly being built to keep the inquiries at bay. When your responses become short and brief or not at all. 

Now, before nine o’clock, you were in the Pitt not only wreaking havoc on his already fragile mental state but accusing him of…what? When you’d thrown the counselor's comment at him, Robby wanted to rage. How many times was it the main part of your arguments near the end of your relationship that he needed to talk to somebody? Anybody. How many times did he deny it? 

You’d thrown it in from the sidelines and it jarred him so much, Robby felt disoriented. For the briefest moment, Robby forgot that you were no longer together. His mind reflexively thought you were arguing about the same old tired thing. He’d taken a step toward you and wanted to ask, “And what about you?” 

You who wasn’t as honest and open with yourself just like him. There were things left unsaid between the two of you - the things that eventually buried the hatchet too far in to safely remove. 

What about all the times he’d found you in the bathroom sitting against the tub crying in the middle of the night? Your panic attacks and OCD tendencies that started after…

Every time Robby reached out to be there for you, your response was always the same. 

“It’s nothing, Michael.”  “I’m fine.”  “I said I don’t want to talk about it.”

Sure, Robby wasn’t open and was guarded in his own right but neither were you. Where he used to read the transcript of your emotions so delicately on your face, you’d closed yourself off to him and he no longer knew how to get in. 

An angry shout from down the South hallway thankfully tore his attention back to reality. His feet were already moving him robotically forward where he could see Olson entering Central 15. 

“Whoa, whoa what is going on?”

Robby directed the question specifically to one of his many team members in the room. Thankfully, Kiara started to explain or, more appropriately attempted to explain but he couldn’t fucking think through all the damn shouting. 

“Ok, ok, okay ENOUGH!” Robby couldn’t believe he was already raising his voice. Yelling at grown-ass adults like they were children. “This is a hospital. This isn’t ‘ The Jerry Springer Show’.” Although it was really, really starting to fucking feel like it with the morning he was having. “Ma’am, nobody’s trying to take your child. So why don’t you stay here with him while your husband talks to our social worker outside and straightens all this out?”

“Well, I don’t want him speaking for me and my son.”

It was clear by the wavering of her voice, that this was a tough spot for the mom to be in. Robby could sympathize but what he couldn’t sympathize with was starting a miniature war zone in one of his rooms. 

“Well, it is either you or him. Your son is not leaving, but you can be escorted out and even arrested if you refuse to cooperate. Nobody wants that. So you tell us. What do you want to do?”

Robby knew the answer before she replied. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that this mother didn’t fiercely love her son. Whatever situation the husband did to get them in this position was unfortunate, but the only option they had now was to press forward. 

“I’m staying with my son.”

“Ok, great. You do that. Are we all on the same page here?”

The last question he sent out was rhetorical. A feeler to see if anyone else was confused about what was about to happen and if further clarification was needed. God, Robby sincerely hoped it’d all been made crystal clear what the only two real options were; the only choice being to cooperate. 

“You okay?”

Robby could see Langdon was shaken up. It could be a lot dealing with a combative patient - harder when it was a parent just trying to make the right choices for their child. You were always the best at coming in and soothing cases like this one. Somehow able to give relief and comfort while giving the most gut-wrenching news of a parent's life while calmly explaining the next steps. You were able to keep people from feeling lost in the bad news and prepare them for the onslaught of change. 

Robby waited until Langdon confirmed he and Dr. King were good before he walked out of the room. Regarding parents with kids, Robby almost forgot Teresa asked to speak with him about David. 

Central 12 was just a few steps away from Langdon’s patient. It was close to being comfortable but too close to give Robby time to think. He felt out of his element here because he was running out of options. He wanted to help Teresa, because, while she did this to help her son, she knowingly put her own life at risk to get him the help he needed. 

But isn’t that what parents did?  

At times, they blindly waded into the fire if it meant that their child would be safe. 

All Robby could do was watch and listen while he told her about how he left. While he followed up her questions with his own and did his best to try and ward off the sick feeling burying itself inside his gut. 

“Do you think David would hurt anyone?”

Even allowing the question to come out of his mouth made a rush of nausea swell back behind his tongue. He didn’t want to ask it. Nobody wants to ask any parent if they think their child - a fucking child - could be capable of harming another human being. 

Robby carried his thoughts on the reasons why young men are more prone to violence these days. With idiotic podcast hosts spewing their hatred for women who were goal-oriented and not focused on babying them like their mothers. Boys who were told to bottle up their emotions: “Don’t share your feelings. Don’t get caught crying,” unless you want to be told that you were weak. There was so much bullshit in the world for kids to have to contend with these days that Robby didn’t find it surprising a lot of them were overloaded - overwhelmed by a constant flurry from the world to be someone different than who they are. 

Robby had plenty of talks with Jake about these things. He found it easy to lean into him with the both of them connecting during shared trips and quiet nights at the house. Robby made sure his stepson knew that Robby would always be a safe place for him to land. When the world got too crazy and if he couldn’t tell his mom Janey, Robby would be there. 

Because that’s what parents do - willingly walk through fire if it meant their kid would be okay.

“The nasal swab came back negative for COVID, RSV, and Flu - which is a good thing.” 

“Then what’s wrong? What about her eyes?”

The her in question was a three-year-old named Jasmine who was vocally letting you both know that she was not in a good mood, which was very fair. Nobody liked being sick. The only issue with her actively voicing her bad mood was that any high octave screams were soon followed up by a violent cough. 

The moment you stepped inside the room you’d been worried about RSV, especially because of her age. Lungs sounded clear with slight wheezing indicated in the upper left lobe. Thankfully, all major possible viruses came back negative. The unfortunate thing was that this specific viral infection just meant mom was going to have to ride it out.

“It’s still a viral infection. The conjunctivitis, since it started coming from both eyes this morning, it’s from the infection and sinus blockage. The whites of her eyes aren’t red in any way. The best thing to do is apply a compress every few hours on the eyes to help with drainage, saline drops, or spray on the nose to help clear up the congestion and suction as often as you can. Over-the-counter cough medicine is fine unless you need a prescription?”

“No, no, it’s okay. We have some at home. So, she’s okay?”

“Yes, perfectly fine. I just recommend having her sleep elevated to help with drainage and if you have a humidifier, use it. Follow up with her pediatrician in two to three days or come back to the ER if any new or persistent symptoms occur.”

“Thank you so much, doctor.”

“You’re so welcome. Make sure to wait for a nurse before leaving. I hope you feel better, Jasmine.”

 You gave them both a wave before exiting out of the quiet of the room and back into the noise. The nurse assigned to the room came over and held out a tablet and pen for you to take. Quickly, you scribbled a signature down, because doctors were notoriously known for sketchy penmanship, and began to walk towards a nursing station. 

Technically, you did have a second option you could take before throwing yourself into the next patient room. Dr. Mohan asked to speak with you. She didn’t necessarily give a time or a preference. It was more focused on secrecy, which you found a little odd. This was Pittsburgh Medical Trauma Center - it was a rare thing to have a private conversation here. You were curious to find out what it was Mohan wanted, a bigger part of you wasn’t ready for the headache of Robby undoubtedly finding out later. The worst option: is if you were the one who had to tell him to be the advocate for his resident.

The scent of his cologne still held tight to the fabric of your scrubs. Slowly, it was beginning to fade but if you leaned in close enough to your right shoulder you could almost get a hint of -

“Dr. Fullerton.”

You were a millisecond away from calling out, “I wasn’t doing anything!”. Was it too early in the shift to consider a name change?

Glancing over your shoulder, you find Gloria making her way towards you. Each step in your direction sent your fight or flight raging back into gear because fuck no. Between Gloria and Robby, the two of them were about to have you so damn stressed out there was a high chance for premature balding to occur. 

“Oh no. I’ve had enough surprises from you today.”

“I just wanted to have a chat - “

“And definitely enough of those,” you shot back. 

You weren’t exactly sure why you kept moving. If previous experiences told you anything, it was that she would follow you until you stopped on your own or she got you into a corner. At least stopping to face her was a choice compared to being cornered with no way out. 

Resigning to your fate, you took in a big meditative breath through your nose and turned around. 

“What can I help you with, Gloria?”

Your voice was so monotone you sounded like a robot. 

“I’m glad you’ve decided to stop running and actually talk to me like an adult.”

“I’m sorry, Gloria. You brought me down here to assist in decreasing triage wait times and that is what I am doing. Stopping to have a chat with you will reflect poorly on my scores.”

“Cute,” She bit back. The smile on her face was too harsh to be genuine. “Well, it’s funny you mention scores. I’ve been keeping an eye on the numbers and the system is showing barely any signs of process or improvement. Can you explain why that is?”

The simplest answer you could’ve given her came with one name, one word, and one human being. Robby. Robby was your fucking problem; the bane of your existence. 

Gloria shoved you down here not knowing all the variables that could hinder productivity. There were moments of clarity where your brilliance shined through and in a matter of seconds it evaporated again. Realistically, it was your fault. Your inability to control your stupid fucking emotions - you didn’t need to react every time you saw him. 

How could you not react when Robby did exactly the same? 

You weren’t stupid. You’d spent years, months, days, and hours with him. Every minute is accounted for in conversations and touch. It wasn’t insanity (although the jury was still out on that one) that made you believe - to fucking notice - Robby was affected too. 

But no way in hell were you divulging any of your innermost thought demons to Gloria. 

“Look around, Gloria,” you said, arms opening up to motion around the Central rooms. “There are no beds available. You ask for solid care, for good patient satisfaction scores and that requires multiple factors. To be a good doctor you have to listen to the patient's chief complaint that they’ve been waiting almost eight hours to tell you.”

“I am well aware of the current wait times in triage, Dr. Fullerton.”

“Oh, that’s awesome. Problem solved then because once we assess them and decide they need monitoring and tests to ascertain the issue, it’s only another three to six-hour wait. Maybe longer if it’s life-threatening. Not to mention if any trauma patients come rolling through the red zone adding another twenty-five to fifty minutes on their time.”

“I don’t see what any of this has to do with not having any beds. Not every situation in triage necessarily requires a bed to be seen.”

“Gloria, your precious Press Ganey scores are going to stay low if a patient doesn’t get back to a room. You can make beds available by sending people upstairs or how about removing the deceased guy in nineteen who’s been posted here since before I arrived?” 

“Robby is in charge of contacting the coroner's office about picking up the deceased.”

“And yet, the body is still here,” you pondered. “I know Robby, Gloria. He wouldn’t knowingly leave someone’s loved one here if it didn’t mean the coroner is backed up, which means our morgue must house him until then. And why are you complaining to me like I'm attending here? Robby is the attending - “

“I’m well aware of that - “

“You keep saying you’re well aware, Gloria but the fact is it feels like you’re not. It’s easy to come down here making demands but the reality is without the proper staffing and moving boarders out of the emergency department to free up space the numbers will never fucking change. Sending one doctor down here isn’t going to change shit.”

“Are you just about done, Dr. Fullerton?” She did a dramatic pause to allow you time to cut in. “The board and its administration are well aware of the pressures that staff face down here in the emergency department - that all hospitals are currently facing shortages. The fact of the matter is studies show close to seventy-five percent of ER visits are non-life threatening, which means more than half of those patients could be fairly seen in triage without needing a room.”

You could feel your mouth opening; primed for a response that Gloria was not going to let you detonate. Her hand waved to warn you not to cut her off. 

“I don't want to hear any more about boarding or staffing. I want to see the results, Dr. Fullerton. It’s already bad enough that there are rats inside.”

“To be fair, they piggybacked on an unconscious unhoused man, so,” you shrugged. If looks could kill, you’d have dropped dead right then and there. “Not helpful?”

“No. Not helpful,” she confirmed. “I do, however, have a proposition for you.”

You sucked in a sharp breath through your teeth. The earlier annoyance at seeing Gloria twice in less than two hours of your shift changed course. Dread ice cold and paralyzing coiled in the pit of your stomach. You didn’t like where this was going. 

“Is there a pass option?”

“This is an offer from myself and the administration. So, no, there isn’t a ‘pass option.’ How would you like to be considered for an attending position?”

“No.” 

The word barreled out of you without thinking. You didn’t need to think about this proposition Gloria, the administration, or whoever was trying to dangle in front of you. It was any doctor's dream to become an attending at a facility - it made you the doctor. 

You didn’t want it like this. 

“You didn’t even hear the terms.”

“I don’t need to hear them to know that you’re trying to be sneaky.”

“Robby is failing to meet standards -“

“Robby is a fucking good physician.” You fumed. “He’s one of the best physicians in trauma medicine you have here outside of Abbot.”

“No one is disputing that, Dr. Fullerton. The board is open to having you both down here during the morning shift, maybe even making a swing shift for you to help between shifts.”

You raked your hands over your face scrubbing hard to try and cut off a mirthless laugh that came out in patches between your fingers. 

“No - you want me to be a Judas. It’ll be a swing shift until you can get whatever data you need to confirm whatever fucked up plan you’re making.”

“Dr. Fullerton -“

“No!” You didn’t mean to shout the word at her. Or maybe you had. Whatever it was, it surprised you both. You should be quieter - don’t draw attention but your heart was thrashing wildly. Your hand swiped through the air to cut her off before she could attempt to continue. You didn’t want to fucking hear it. “Robby is a damn fine physician and to try and - I don’t fucking know, get rid of him because he doesn’t kiss the boards or your ass is fucking stupid. I don’t know half of what Robby or Abbot knows. I’m not them and it would be beyond idiotic to lose him.”

“Your opinion will be taken into consideration and I’ll dismiss your…outburst, for now, because of the current situation. But make no mistake, Dr. Fullerton this will move forward with, or without, you.”

You wondered if any natural disasters were named Gloria. It seemed possible since she came and created an instant upheaval of your day, completely devastating it in a matter of minutes and once she was done simply went about her day like nothing happened.  

She left you to deal with the aftermath. The rushing thoughts with a million questions - thousands of things you should’ve said to defend Robby. There were dozens of ways you could prove her wrong about him - that he fucking cared about his patients and was such a damn good doctor, phenomenal at times, that to equate all that he was and all that he did down to a simple metric of numbers was fucking ridiculous. 

All the sound in the room began to drown out around you. Somewhere in the background of the hum you heard a shout for help. It could be Code Blue. It could be anything. You tried to get your body to react, but the hurricane of anxiety was sweeping in fast and you were running out of air. 

You needed to sit. You had to act normal because the last thing you needed was Princess or Dana or fucking anybody else coming over to speak with you. Your hands used the counter like a rope to pull you along to the nearest computer. You quickly sat down and swiped your credentials to enter the computer, quickly clicking on anything just to appear busy. 

“How are you holding up today?”

The last person you expected to see at that very moment was Heather Collins. What did you expect? This was an emergency room and doctors worked inside of it. She offered up a close-lipped smile that matched the kindness in her eyes. She was genuinely wanting to know how you were doing and for the first time, you hated the question because you couldn’t answer it. 

Not truthfully, anyway. Who was ever truthful in answering that specific question?

So, you painted on a grin that more than likely resembled a grimace and prayed you didn’t look as tired as you felt. 

“It’s been…an adjustment.”

“What’s taking adjusting?”

Good god, this man was fucking everywhere. 

Robby came into view as he moved across the station to get to the opposite computer. The question was thrown out carelessly; he didn’t expect a response. He was pulling out his glasses and sliding them over his nose, his full focus on the screen. Test results thankfully took priority over your response. 

You were quickly forgotten by Collin’s who walked over to where Robby read the test results. She waited until he removed his glasses and stood to his full height. 

“Please don’t tell me you are going to intubate that poor old man?”

“It’s what the family wants.”

“So what? They want to torture him?”

“I explained all that.” 

It was painfully obvious this was a case you knew nothing about. By the sound of it, you were willing to bet five dollars that it was one of the elderly patients from a home who came in a little after 7:30 that morning. It meant it wasn’t your case. You didn’t need to know the information and you could continue counting down backward from ten while you reminded yourself that no, you weren’t Judas and -

“Dr. Fullerton, if a family came in -“

Fucking hell, you needed to stop zoning out. You brought your attention back to the two of them, wondering what you missed.

“You don’t need to ask her,” Robby interjected.

Collins continued like he’d never spoken. 

“And they had durable power over an elderly family member who had a pre-existing DNR. His family wants to intubate. It’s not what he wants. Whose choice do you honor?”

“What are you doing?” 

A singular brow of hers arched in defiance. 

“Asking for a second opinion.”

“I didn’t ask for one.”

They continued to bicker about the decision Robby made to not fight for a dying man’s wishes. You would’ve told Collins to let it go because once Robby’s mind was made up, it was like talking to a wall. Maybe she already knew that. 

God, what fucking twilight zone episode were you stuck in? You actively wanted the floor to open up and swallow you whole. Your eyes darted to the time on the bottom of the screen and you had to fight to keep your forehead from landing with a thud on the keyboard. It was only 9 o’clock. There were ten more hours of this day and you needed it to be over. 

Robby released a sigh that reflected how exhausted you felt. It wasn’t a physical exhaustion but one of the soul; a weariness that vines grew thorns and were beginning to tear you slowly open. You could feel your legs wanting to shift out of the chair and go to him. The urge was so strong your hands scrunched into fists to keep from moving - to quell the urge because he wasn’t yours anymore and you weren’t his. 

“Shit.”

“What?”

Robby’s best magic trick? Deflecting. Whenever he wanted the current conversation to end, and didn't like where it was heading, he diverted it completely into something else. Anything else that kept him from having to continue down a conversation he wanted no part of. You knew that trick all too well. 

“I got to go tell those parents their 18-year-old son is brain-dead.” 

“You want me to go with you?”

It should’ve been you offering to go with him. A comfort to the harbinger of bad news because it was never easy to give it. Never easy to stand in the storm of grief and simply be a bystander while their world ends in a matter of words. 

What did it matter who went with him? Who offered? At the end of the day, a family was forever going to be encapsulated by a loss too many people unfortunately knew. 

Vaguely, you caught the end of their argument. Robby wanted to perform an apnea test and a cerebral perfusion study. Dr. Collins didn’t agree. It offered the family false hope but Robby was right - maybe it did offer a false sense of hope, but with each test completed and results read off it was a graceful way to ease a family into acceptance. It gave them the time to process and grieve and come to the very heavy realization their son wouldn’t be going home with them. 

“They need time to process before they can accept what’s happening.”

“You ever consider taking that advice? Physician, heal thyself.”

Dear floor, please fucking open up wide so you can just swan dive right on in. Thanks a bunch. 

Heather knew. She fucking knew about the wall of grief - of acceptance - Robby himself was unable to accept. The King of dishing out advice left and right but unyielding in taking it. Suddenly, all the cool reserve of not caring about them dating evaporated in a crushing wave of heartbreak you shouldn’t have felt in the first place. 

Did he tell her about you? Did he share with her about…about what happened? Was he able to open up to her in ways he stopped doing with you? Their relationship was gone, but the respect and care were still there. 

The irritation came off him in waves. You should’ve told her Robby’s least favorite thing is being told to take his own advice. Or to heal for that matter. Oh, and to also maybe seek therapy. All three of those would turn his mood sour and aggravate him to peak levels at hyper speed. 

He shoved his hands down into his hoodie. His head swiveling between Collins and probably anywhere else in the ED. 

“Don’t you have patients?” 

There it was. The dismissal. The, in not so many words, “I’m done talking to you about this and everything else,” so he could make a quick exit. The magician's last trick before his temper was lost. 

Don’t look up. Do not look up. Don’t fucking do it. 

You didn’t need to look up. There wasn’t any reason to do so. You weren’t on their radar the last half of their conversation. You were just a bystander to a miniature car crash. The issue with crashes? Everyone who drove by couldn’t stop themselves from looking. 

The itch between your shoulder blades was your first warning sign. The weight of his gaze was bearing down on you. You didn’t have to react to it but it was a reflex to look up for him. To search for him in every crowded room and find yourself wishing he was there when he wasn’t. 

Your eyes found he was still looking at you. An in-house debate flashed across his features. If it was whether or not to come to you, you hope he chose not to. You just need a few moments of space. It was too much. You’d run from him and now he was just here all the time and -

“Why are you looking at puppies? You getting a dog?”

“What?”

For the first time since you’d opened the computer, you realized whoever was on it last left it open to an ad for a puppy. 

“Oh, no. This wasn’t me. Hey, earlier did someone shout a Code Blue?” 

You could also perform your own magical change of subjects. Robby took a moment to answer before giving a curt nod. 

“Whittaker’s patient that’d been placed in the hall. If you heard it, why didn’t you go assist? All hands on deck for a code, you know that.”

God, was he chastising you right now? A flood of irritation rippled over your skin. You wanted to snap at him. You weren’t a med student. But he was frustratingly right - you’d heard it and instead of running you’d kept yourself here. 

And Whitaker. It was his first patient of the day. He’d been so excited that he’d done good. He’d gotten praise from Dr. Robby about his work up and Whitaker wouldn’t shut up about it. It meant something to him. 

“I’ll go see if they need someone to switch.”

You went to get up but Robby was too close. If you got up from the chair you would bump straight into his chest. 

“You okay?”

The sudden care behind the question jarred you. How did he expect you to answer? There was no way you could be honest with him - not at that second. He was supposed to go break the worst news a parent could ever receive and he was worried about you. He should be worried for himself. You could warn him about Gloria but what good would it do if he thought you might possibly be in on it with her? Your sudden reappearance, while inconvenient, hadn’t raised suspicion like an ulterior motive waited in the wings just yet. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. You?”

“Never better.”

His smile held every worn line of fatigue that signaled his lack of sleep. His attempt at strength in a moment he refused to seek outside help. You found the same words Dr. Collins asked moments before crawling their way up your throat before you swallowed them back down. He wouldn’t change his mind and agree just because it was you. 

You wanted to be there because whether he voiced it or not, this kid whose family was seconds away from being told was gone wasn’t that much older than Jake. A single accident of taking non-prescribed Xanax ended his life. Jake was a good kid. You wanted to reach out and take his hand and tell him Jake would never - Jake was different. 

Jake was still a kid. 

Robby didn’t wait for you to reply before he headed towards the room. You kept telling yourself to get up and move. Go find Whitaker and the team performing cpr on his patient and do your part. Between everything that’s happened this morning: being forced down with Robby, seeing Robby, Dr. Mohan requesting to speak with you, Gloria’s ultimatum and now the news this young kid didn’t make it you were officially mentally exhausted. 

You needed to move but by the time your legs finally lifted out of the seat, Robby told them. The mother’s wail of agony resounded through the room and rose in octaves. The soul-wrenching loss of her child, her baby, turned the Pitt into a mausoleum of mourning. Her cries followed you down the hallway until you reached the curtain where Whitaker and others were on their third round of Epi, and you could see the continued despair evident in the room. 

It was barely 9 AM and you already wanted to fucking go home. 

As always, thank you so much for reading! Reblogs and comments are always appreciated <3

Tag list: @whatdoesntkillyoumakesyoustrange @travelingmypassion @jupiter-sky @catsgoogander @rosiepoise88 @It-jakeseresin @blackpopcorn @celmentine111002 @dcgoddess

[delugyu]

hii ! i definitely need a part 4 of the beomgyu drabble please 😭

hehe glad to see people are still enjoying this

one / two / three / four

(wc: 4.3k / warnings: gyu being kind of a bad friend 😭, dry humping, spit kink sorry, fingering, masturbation, virgin!reader, a bit of nipple play, cum eating, jealousy, some possessiveness)

it feels a little weird when beomgyu hangs out with you again. everything was fine until your mutual friends decided to leave together, leaving him alone with you at the bar. beomgyu had no problem being normal and cool a minute ago, but that all leaves him in an instant.

a month ago, this would have been the easiest thing ever. he would have been able to continue the night laughing and chatting with you like friends. how was he to know that teaching you how to give a handjob was going to lead to all this? that it would make it impossible to even look at you a little too long?

“i’m shocked yeonjun left before you did,” you say. he wonders how you can still talk to him so normally, as if nothing had happened between you two at all.

he tries his best to not make himself a fool in front of you. “yeah,” he says. he doesn’t know what more to say. he can hardly stand to look at you for more than a couple seconds at a time.

“you plan on leaving alone?” you ask. beomgyu’s body tenses for a second. a hopeful part of him thinks you might be flirting, but he also knows hope is synonymous with delusion when it comes to how much he wants you.

“not sure yet. are you?” he asks.

you shrug. “taehyun said he might come by, so i’ll”—the rest of whatever you say gets tuned out by beomgyu. he wants to listen and smile and root for you, and he feels like the worst friend ever for not being able to do so, but it’s so impossible to hear you talk about taehyun when beomgyu’s struggling with these weird feelings for you. he doesn’t even know what he’d call it. it’s not like he’s in love with you, but he feels sick whenever he thinks about you with anyone besides him.

he’s never caught feelings for anyone just from hooking up, so it can’t be that. he’s sure that whatever he feels for you is purely physical. he’s a man, after all; it only makes sense that lust would blind him this badly. he chooses to ignore all the signs that would lead him to any other conclusions.

beomgyu misses when you didn’t care about boys; he didn’t have to deal with all these confusing emotions back then. you and beomgyu were never super close, but being part of the same friend group meant that you at least hung out often. it was always fun and easy, at least until now.

“are you and taehyun really serious now?” he asks. maybe he should’ve bit his tongue, but he trusts that the question is innocent enough at face value.

you seem like you don’t know how to answer that, taking a moment to think of a response. “define serious,” you end up saying.

nothing that comes to beomgyu’s mind would be appropriate to ask you. do you let him touch you? do you go on dates as more than just friends? do you treat him like he’s your boyfriend? and, god forbid, do you have feelings for him?

“are you exclusive with him?”

you blink at beomgyu. “i mean… i guess not.”

“what do you mean you guess not?” beomgyu wants a straight up answer, cause if you’re not exclusive, he’s taking you home tonight, and if you are exclusive… well, taehyun will just have to hate beomgyu’s guts tomorrow.

“we never really talked about it,” you say.

“then you’re not. taehyun would make you his girlfriend if he wanted to badly enough,” beomgyu says, and it comes out much harsher than he intended. he only realizes it when he sees a bit of offense on your face. he quickly tries to recover, “i mean, i’m sure he really likes you, and he’d be super lucky to have you as his girlfriend.”

you just look more confused, brows slightly furrowed, head tilting just a bit. god, beomgyu wants to punch himself. what the fuck is wrong with him?

“what’s the point of this?” you ask.

beomgyu sighs and looks off into the crowd, trying to find his answer. instead, he finds taehyun walking into the bar, scanning the room until his eyes land on you. this is such a joke.

in an ideal world, in which reputation doesn’t matter and beomgyu doesn’t have to be mindful of his actions, he would have taken your hand and ran out of this place with you. he’d kiss you in the parking lot and make sure taehyun was the last thing on your mind. this is not an ideal world, though, and instead beomgyu has to smile at taehyun when he sits next to you.

beomgyu might literally throw up. why are you smiling at taehyun like that? you’ve never smiled at beomgyu with such adoration. taehyun’s whole demeanor is just sunshine and rainbows, and beomgyu’s sure it must feel so swell to have all your attention and affection at his whim.

whatever. “i’m gonna grab a drink,” beomgyu says, excusing himself from the table.

the bartender eyes beomgyu up and down like he knows exactly what’s up. beomgyu’s not exactly trying to act all happy, so it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he’s in a bit of a mood.

“just give me something strong and cheap,” beomgyu says. he needs something that will make the sight of you and taehyun being lovebirds semi-tolerable.

he heads back to the table after finishing his drink, and taehyun’s laugh is a lot more grating than he remembers. you look happy to see beomgyu come back, which at least feels like some kind of win. beomgyu’s not drunk, but he’s buzzed enough to sit here without feeling miserable.

some amount of time passes by before taehyun finally seems to be leaving. if you ask beomgyu, he’d say it was about five hours—the clock shows it was more like one.

“oh, come on, you’re not even gonna have one drink?” you laugh, grabbing taehyun’s hand when he gets out of his seat.

“he’s not much of a drinker,” beomgyu answers for him. taehyun laughs and agrees.

“i’ll see you tomorrow though,” taehyun says, squeezing your hand and smiling at you before stepping away. “and we gotta hang out soon too, bro.” taehyun slaps a brotherly hand onto beomgyu’s shoulder, patting it in parting.

“for sure,” beomgyu says, hoping he sells the excitement that he does not feel. he’s such a bad friend, and he feels like shit for not being able to act normal.

you look all set to go a few minutes after taehyun heads out. it’s late into the night, so beomgyu can’t blame you. but he also can’t let you walk home alone like this.

“can i bring you to your place? or at least get you a ride?” beomgyu offers, rising from his seat when you do.

“you can come to mine and just stay over. it’s late and i live closer anyway,” you say. a smile finds its way onto beomgyu’s face before he even realizes it. he’s surprised to see your lips curl up into a sweet smile back at him.

when beomgyu gets to your apartment, he takes his time analyzing your room. you have a lot of decor that he gets to look at while you change into more comfortable clothes in your bathroom. he’s already sitting on your bed when you come back, and his heart does this weird jumpy thing when you’re in his sight again.

“do you want the bed and i’ll just sleep on the couch?” you ask, standing in your doorway. beomgyu laughs at how cautious you are. you act as if you haven’t shared a bed with beomgyu before.

“just come here,” he says, patting the spot on the mattress next to him. you look so shy and sweet when you walk over, taking tiny steps and getting onto the bed like a dainty little thing. “you’re so cute,” he laughs, not bothering to hold back his words. he’s glad he didn’t, cause the way you smile and look away at the compliment makes his heart race.

beomgyu’s got this terrible thing where he just can’t keep his hands off you when you’re alone in a room. he rests a hand on your thigh, innocently enough to just be friendly. he thinks you look so adorable in your pajamas, meanwhile he’s still dressed in the same outfit he went to the bar in. the contrast between that gorgeous dress you wore earlier and the sleep set you wear now is so funny and endearing.

“beomgyu, can i ask you something?” your voice holds some sort of seriousness to it, and it hits beomgyu like ice cold water. his hand stiffens on your thigh.

“anything,” he says.

your hand lands on top of his, just lightly resting over it. your eyes are on your hands instead of beomgyu’s face. he runs his thumb over your skin to soothe you, trying to get you to relax, even if he’s a little scared to hear your question.

“do you not like taehyun?”

beomgyu halts all his movements. he doesn’t even breathe. it lasts just for a second before his facade comes back. “taehyun’s my friend. why are you asking this?”

you pick up beomgyu’s hand and lace your fingers between his. beomgyu thinks it might be the alcohol in your system that’s getting you to act so clingy and brave.

“you just seemed weird about him tonight,” you say.

beomgyu hums and nods slowly. “don’t worry about it,” he reassures, coming in to place a kiss on your cheek. maybe the alcohol’s got him acting brave too.

you turn your head and give him a smile that seems like you’re just begging him to kiss you. beomgyu’s not a strong-willed man—he sees you batting your eyelashes at him and it’s game over. with a hand on your chin, he leans in to give you a sweet kiss, and for the first time, he doesn’t think he has sexual motives behind it.

well, until you moan in his mouth. then he has a bit of a change in plans.

he brings you carefully down to the bed, not disconnecting from your lips once. his hands hold your face still, keeping you nice and pliant for him to lick into your mouth and keep making you mewl.

“we should make a new rule,” beomgyu says, face hovering just an inch from yours. you hum in question. “no more talking about taehyun when we’re alone.” the suggestion is accompanied by a laugh, but beomgyu’s only half-kidding.

“you’re crazy,” you giggle, pulling him in for another kiss. he thinks you’re the best kisser on earth. nothing feels as good as kissing you does, besides maybe making you cum.

“can i touch you?” beomgyu asks, breathing hotly against your lips, hungrily pecking you just for a moment so as to not stop you from answering.

you turn your face to the side then, and the slightest frown tugs at your lips. something about it makes beomgyu’s chest tighten.

“what?” beomgyu asks, coaxing your attention back to him with his gentle fingers on your jaw. he pouts as he observes your hesitance. “do you just want to kiss tonight?” he won’t push you farther than you’re willing to go. he’ll always prioritize your pleasure, and with that comes your comfort.

“gyu, tell me this isn’t wrong,” you say, running a hand through his hair.

“why would it be wrong?” he would hope that everything you do with him feels nothing but right. that’s how it feels to him.

“cause taehyun doesn’t know,” you whisper.

beomgyu’s quiet for a second, then he brushes your hair back soothingly. “he doesn’t need to,” he whispers back. his hand goes beneath your shirt to rest on your waist. the feel of your skin never fails to send electricity down his spine.

“what if he asks me out soon?” beomgyu hates the way your eyes shine when you say that.

“i thought we agreed not to talk about taehyun anymore,” beomgyu laughs, but it doesn’t sound very convincing. taehyun’s name becomes a bitter weight on his tongue.

what will it take for you to forget about him? does beomgyu need to imprint himself into your head? beomgyu’s lips tingle with a need to kiss you again, to burn his taste inside your mouth. he wants you to be full of him in every way you could be.

he leans in to capture your lips slowly, deeply. it’s a mess of saliva and needy moans, but when he feels your hands gripping onto his arms, he feels like a winner. he wants more of that—more of you being desperate for him, less of you thinking about other men. fuck, is kissing you stupid all it takes? because that’s not too bad of a price.

your hips cant up into beomgyu’s, and he can’t stop the laugh he huffs out at your eagerness. he’s normally the one pleading to get you off, so to feel you seeking out pleasure without beomgyu having to beg for it seems like a miracle. he presses his hips into yours, more than willing to give you the relief you’re looking for. you whine as he grinds against you, and he eats up your every noise like it’s what he was made for.

he pulls away to catch his breath, eyes full of lust as he watches your face contort with pleasure. god, he could watch you like this all day. he can’t believe no one else has ever seen this before. he leans down to your neck, sucking hard and not caring whether or not it bruises. he wants you more than words could let you know; he turns to marking you to show you just how bad he craves you.

you yelp when he starts grinding against you a little harder, and he bites down a smirk at the satisfaction he feels. he holds your hips down, keeping you in place so he can give it to you just how he wants, just how he knows you’d like. you have no clue how good he wants to make you feel; he’d love to see you overwhelmed and trembling, shaking nonstop and begging with tears in your eyes for more and more. he bets you don’t even know how much you could take. he wants to push you to your limits and find out.

his body’s buzzing with the need to get you off, to have you creaming in those cute little pajama shorts. he laughs when you whimper out his name, clawing at his shirt like this is already too much. he wants to go a lot further than this, though.

“we’ll have to stop when taehyun asks me out,” you whisper, breaking beomgyu’s fantasy. he almost runs a hand down his face from the exhaustion and irritation, but he holds back. instead, he levels you with a stare, one that seems to make you shrink back a bit.

his eyes flit to your lips. “open up,” he commands, patting your cheek lightly. your wide, confused eyes dart across his face for a moment, then you oblige. your mouth parts slowly, pretty pink tongue just barely visible. “wider,” he says, and you do.

he needs to show you what happens when you don’t listen to him. he lets a glob of his saliva fall from his lips, watching it slowly drip towards yours. your legs clamp around his waist, and he could almost laugh at the whole ordeal. you’re getting even needier cause he spit in your mouth? or is it because he’s being a little more strict with you? do you like being put in place?

he watches his saliva land on your tongue, dark eyes finding yours. “now swallow,” he says, and he rubs his hand over your clothed cunt as he says it. he feels your body tremble a little. you keep eye contact with him as you close your mouth and do as he says. beomgyu nearly cums in his pants on the spot.

“don’t bring up taehyun again.” he grinds his palm against you a little harder to get his point across.

“i’m sorry,” you say, and you sound so docile that beomgyu feels a little bad.

“it’s okay, baby. you didn’t know better. i just have to get this pretty head to stop thinking, right?” he kisses your forehead, and he feels you nod. you’re so needy right now that beomgyu thinks this might be a wet dream—he’s been dying to see you like this again. “will you let me inside you? just my fingers?” he asks.

you gasp as his fingers circle your clit, and he’s starting to feel how wet you are even through the layers of clothes. he imagines sinking his finger into you, something no man has done to you before. he gets to have all your firsts, he’ll make sure of it. no one else deserves it. no one else could make you feel like he can.

“j-just go slow,” you say. beomgyu can’t take your clothes off fast enough, throwing your shorts and panties to the floor in seconds. he has to stop to admire your pussy, rubbing your slit and gathering your arousal on his fingers.

“you’re the prettiest,” he praises, bringing your hand to his lips so he can kiss the back of it. you smile shyly, then gasp as he glides his fingers across your clit. he continues just playing with the swollen bud for a minute, wanting to get you soaking before he stretches you out.

he circles his finger around your entrance, teasingly applying pressure just to watch you squirm. he feels the ultimate power rush right now—he’s going to change your life, going to make sure you come crying back to him every night asking for his touch.

“are you ready?” he asks.

“yes, please.” you’re so sweet. he’d kiss you if he wasn’t so focused on watching your cunt as he starts pushing his finger in.

his eyes almost roll back at how much you're clamping down on him. he pushes in until his finger’s halfway in and gives you a moment to adjust to the feeling. he gives a couple shallow thrusts, listening to your breath catch, before he pushes in the rest of the way.

“look at you, doing so good,” he coos, letting his free hand caress your thigh.

“i-i can take more,” you say, clenching around his finger.

“are you sure?” you nod vigorously, and who is he to deny you? he pulls out, circling your entrance with two fingers now. “tell me if it hurts,” he says.

he pauses when you cry out as he pushes in, looking at you in worry. “no, keep going,” you insist, rolling your hips eagerly. he continues, getting his fingers in you the rest of the way and stopping to let you adjust. you already look so fucked out, body twitching and hands grasping at the sheets.

“can i move?” he asks.

“yes, please!” your voice is so whiny and breathy, and it makes beomgyu feel fucking crazy. he has to control himself and not jackhammer his fingers into you, even though he’s love to see you take it. you bring a hand to his arm, holding onto him like he’s keeping you anchored. he’s reminded of the greatest feeling in the world: the feeling that you need him.

“i’ll give it to you, baby,” he promises, slowly fucking his fingers into you. you’re insanely tight, and beomgyu doesn’t know if you’d even be able to fit his dick with such a tiny cunt. his cock sits hot and heavy in his pants, but he barely pays it any attention. he’s much more focused on working you up to the greatest orgasm ever.

you sob out his name, and he thinks it’s so cute that you’re already such a mess. he almost wants to put a third finger into you and watch you struggle to take it, but he thinks that might be too cruel. your walls are getting adjusted to his fingers now, and the slide becomes easier, fucking into you a little faster.

“oh my god,” you moan, arching your back and digging your nails into him. he can’t wipe the grin off his face, more than satisfied at your reactions. “feels so good,” you pant.

“yeah?” beomgyu asks, breathless as he increases his pace a little more, curling his fingers up. it takes him a minute to find what he’s looking for, but he knows he’s got it when you cry and your leg kicks out helplessly. he keeps pressing into that spot, curling his fingers up to hit it every time, relishing in the garbled moans that spill out of your mouth.

“beomgyu, i’m gonna”—you’re cut off by your own gasp, whining and arching further into the feeling. you look like a mess, and beomgyu’s never felt more attracted to you than right now. he’s dying for you to lose control, to spill your juices into his hand and become a brainless thing for him to play with.

he feels you tightening around his fingers, so much he can barely move, stuck pressing into you relentlessly to get you to your peak. you’re such a dream when you’re mewling and panting like this.

“fuck, that’s it, just let go for me, give it all to me,” he says, bringing his palm to your clit to aid in your orgasm. you look breakable, and beomgyu would do anything just to tear you apart and rewire your brain to only think about his cock. you lying so prettily beneath him, looking all vulnerable and sweet, makes him feel like the biggest creep in the world. the things he imagines doing with you right now are driving him insane.

he wants to flip you over and pull your hips up in the air, put your cunt on full display for him to ravage and do whatever he wants with. he wants to ram his dick into you while you gasp and whine under him, not even knowing what to do with all your pleasure. he’d make you all his one way or another, fuck you nice every day, make sure you never get the chance to want for another man.

he pulls his fingers out of you when it looks like you’ve had enough, and his slick hand immediately goes to his dick, pulling it from his pants and jerking himself off over your body. he doesn’t care how much of a horny dog he looks like—he’d hump your leg like a bitch in heat if that’s all you’d let him do. he’s just aching to relieve himself, beyond worked up after seeing and feeling you fall apart for him.

“pull up your shirt, babe,” beomgyu breathes out as he fucks his fist. you obey so nicely, exposing your tits for him to spill all over. he can’t even be embarrassed that you just watched him jerk off for less than a minute before cumming. he fucking needed that.

he groans as he milks out the last of his orgasm, watching the white substance land onto your tits and stomach. he collects what landed on your stomach onto his fingers, then brings them up to your mouth. he doesn’t even have to tell you to open, you just do. you’re so well-trained for him already, it makes his heart skip a beat.

your tongue laps at his cum, keeping your eyes on him as you clean him off. he pops his fingers out and leans down to lick the rest of his cum off your tits. you bring a hand to his hair as his tongue licks a stripe up the valley of your breasts. beomgyu thinks he was made for this—to ruin your body, to fix it, to please it, to worship it. he feels like this is the right place in the world for him as he takes your nipple into his mouth, sucking and swirling his tongue around the bud.

you sigh out, tugging harder at his hair as he gives your other breast the same treatment. he releases your nipple with a pop, then flicks his tongue over it just to watch you jump a little. he soothes your tits with eager hands, fondling the flesh as he sits back between your legs, looking down at you with a proud smirk.

“i should shower,” you say, fixing your shirt back down. you sit up and stretch, and something about this moment feels so domestic.

“let me join you,” beomgyu suggests, pulling you in by the hips to sit you on his lap. you laugh a little as he does so, then try (and fail) to push away his face as he delivers a million kisses to your cheeks.

“stop,” you giggle, leaning away to escape him. he probably should stop; he’s going a lot further than just simple hook ups. he relents, choosing to just look at you instead. you’re so cute, just staring back at him and holding back a smile. you stay like that for a minute before you look away.

“go shower,” beomgyu says, patting your thigh. you get up and he follows behind you eagerly. you turn to him in the doorway of your bathroom, poking a finger against his chest.

“i didn’t say you could come with,” you say, but you don’t sound like you’re totally against it.

he pouts. “don’t make me wait out here all alone.” your eyes trail down his face, and beomgyu realizes that this smile of yours is quickly becoming one of his favorite things in the world.

you step aside. “fine, but keep your hands to yourself,” you say.

“i will,” he agrees with a wolfish grin. safe to say, beomgyu breaks that promise the second you’re both beneath the water.

[cylci]

⋆୨ ʚ 𝐵𝓁𝒾𝓃𝒹!𝒮𝑒𝓋𝒾𝓀𝒶 𝓍 𝐹!𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇 ɞ ୧⋆

Fluff

Word count: 462

{Men + Minors dni}

݁˖⋆˚๋࣭⭑ ୭𖥔 ݁❀˖°

Early in the morning she wakes up without you on her side.

With her blurry sight she stumbles out of bed to her side drawer where she always leaves her glasses on top.

She couldn’t seem to find them as her eyesight deteriorated with the years, she has quite the lazy eye so she always keeps her glasses on.

It turned into a bit of an insecurity with age, she wished she started wearing glasses sooner to prevent it.

But now the present case, she can’t seem to find them.

You hearing her moving around the room, the grunts, the stumbling and moving things around.

You go to check her, leaving the stove on low as you made scrambled eggs for breakfast.

As you walked in you catch her crouched on the bed,with her arm under it.

“Hey watcha looking for?” You ask her concern walking up behind her placing your hand on her back. “Hm?”

“My stupid glasses, I can’t find them” she grunts getting up from the floor she was just on.

“Let me help you, just sit on the bed.” You tell her holding back a chuckle.

It was always funny seeing her frustrated over the little things, she hated once you poked at her about them.

Sevika always being the type to stress out in her head, all the 14 years you’ve been married already you always found a way to get her out of that brain clutter.

You knew the signs and you read her well, it’s a reason she loves you so much, because she doesn’t have to tell you much without you already figuring it out.

As you looking around the bed you see something peeking out from under her pillow, when you go to lift it up.

Ta-Da ! It’s her glasses…crushed..

She squints to what you found “Oh no… not again.” She says “fuck”

“Sev Ive been telling you gotta take better care of these, they don’t come cheap.” You tell her looking at her glasses checking to see you could glue or take whatever fix it needs.

“I know” she groans into her hands “ it’s the fifth time already, last time I fucking drove over them.”

You chuckle “yeah. Literally “

“Shut up” Sev breaths out “you made breakfast?”

“Yup, and we gotta order you new glasses. 2 pairs this time. No buts.” You clarify, last time you offered buying her two pairs. One extra just in case ,she assured you that these pairs would be different. They would survive.

“Let’s go to the kitchen, I don’t want the eggs to burn.” You grab her hand and walk her into the kitchen.

As she eats the food you serve her, now you gotta figure out a way to fix her glasses for temporary use. And later go on the computer for online glasses shopping. Fun !! ᯓ ᥫ᭡

݁˖⋆˚๋࣭⭑ ୭𖥔 ݁❀˖°

Hope you enjoyed ‎⚘⡱

DO NOT REPOST ANY OF MY WORKS ON ANY OTHER PLATFORMS. This is my one and only account.

[mxrcurysb1tch]

𓂃⋆.⟢ Astrology observations pt. VII ⟢ .⋆𓂃

｡𖦹° Hi my loves! I Hope you’re all doing well. Don’t forget that you can send me any astrology related questions to my asks and I will reply the best I can! (Please note that I don’t do vedic, persona charts or super minor asteroids). As always, take what resonates and leave the rest! <3

｡𖦹° 8th house synastry is the energy of unrequited obsession. It feels absolutely magnetic. Naturally, being the 8th house, the obsession will be very secretive and can involve frequently checking their socials, following them and just “happening” to be at the same place at the same time… generally just creeping on them in secret. The connection is likely to be very one-sided, with the house person being much more intrigued and concerned with the planet person. The planet person may be completely oblivious to these feelings. The house person may even be deluded into thinking there is a mutual connection. It can sometimes feel like being torn apart by the sheer weight of this longing and the impossibility of it all.

｡𖦹° 1h: Lilith/Pluto/Saturn/Capricorn/Scorpio: you probably have been told you have a resting b!tch face or just a mean looking face in general. Everyone thinks you look intimidating or angry or unapproachable. Don’t worry though, you’re baddass.

｡𖦹° Moon in the 1h synastry: The moon person is inclined to share their inner feelings with the house person because they feel intrinsically understood and comforted by them. The house person seems to instinctually know what the moon person is feeling and will know what to do to cheer them up and validate their emotions. I have this with one of my friends, his moon in my 1h, and despite us not being all that close, he opened up to me about something emotionally traumatic that happened in his life and I found myself compelled to do everything I could to make it better. We’re now really close because of that experience.

｡𖦹° I’ve noticed that 8th & 12th house natives have this interesting thing where they don’t always need direct experiences to learn lessons. I feel like they pick up on subtleties very easily so they can learn life lessons extremely fast and even without direct experience. They absorb the energy from those around them, learning what to do and what not to do just by intuiting and observing. Their lessons may be very psychic/emotional/mental rather than being outward so they can sometimes feel that though they have all of the same wisdom (and usually more) than their peers, they lack the concrete tangible experiences to go along with it and they can sometimes feel ‘left out’ of or unable to relate to the physical world.. They can also sometimes treat the physical world like it is optional or just not worth their time. 8th housers especially can develop a lot of apathy.

｡𖦹° Capricorn mars is the warrior placement. Mars is exalted in Capricorn and it is for a reason. Unless they also have other more emotional placements or afflictions, these people never ever throw fits. Instead, they calmly get on with whatever life has handed them and make the best of it every time. They are adept at turning pain into power and being extremely resourceful. They may have come from poverty or lack or even abuse but they do not wallow in it or allow it to stop them. These people have the drive and ambition to accomplish their goals despite any obstacle and that is truly an admirable trait.

｡𖦹° Libra moon with Aries Mercury is such an interesting opposition to have because they’re always talking a big game about all the thrills and dramas going on in their lives and all the people that have gotten on their bad side, who they hate and such but when you actually observe them in action they’re very accepting, easygoing people who don’t actually start drama or have these “wild” moments at all.

｡𖦹° it is really important for cardinal signs, especially moon to do something active or physical to get out of an emotional rut or stagnation. Transmuting and expelling energy is super important for them and creating something can help them to feel they’ve accomplished something for the day. Feeling useful and productive is extremely important for cardinal energy. Exercise is the biggest one imo but it could also be channeling energy into work, creative endeavours or even taking the focus off oneself and looking to helping others instead. Anything that is proactive. It may not help them to do a more passive activity or rest before they have had this release of stagnant energy because they might wind up more frustrated than before.

[siren-of-the-ocean-tumbls]

Hold up. Hold up!

So, Tim's doing his usual thing. Solving cases. Trying not to die. But there's a new cult in Gotham.

He rules out the Children of Dionysus first because they're recent *and they hurt Bernard*

Then he rules out the Court of Owls (as much as he can. Everything always seems to come back to them anyway)

He even rules out the Barbatos cult!

And the League of assassins, of course.

But nope. This is a whole new cult! In Gotham! That hasn't been here for generations. Which is a truly terrible sign.

"They're messing up the local ecosystem, Bern" Tim complains one night while they're lying on the couch. Bernard doesn't seem very bothered but they may just be because he was a part of a cult a while ago.

Seeing that Tim's still on edge, Bernard sighs "I'm sure it's nothing. They'll get squashed out like new rogues do all the time anyway"

Which is true. New cults don't tend to last long. Just like new rogues tend to end up hanging up their costumes after a few weeks.

Quicker if they somehow managed to piss off one of the actual rogues in the city.

"They've lasted long enough that I had to go investigate" Tim grumbles, a file in hand as he looks over the descriptions again.

No victims so far. Just scribbles. Symbols spray painted onto walls and eilings and floors. Mostly in abandoned warehouses, to be fair.

But what caught Tim's attention is that:

1) all the scribbles are written backwards. The literal letters inverted like mirror script.

2) They haven't been crushed or assimilated by one of the older, more established cults yet.

And 3) Whatever they were doing was actually working.

See, Tim prefers to keep his Batfam business tied to the detective side of things. Magic? Very much not in that category. Bart had laughed himself dizzy when Tim told him about the new cult and how he really just didn't want to deal with it. Given their history with YJ.

He'd left it to Jason and his weird hand/blood/evil?????? Swords.

Not Tim's circus. Not Tim's monkeys.

But then he started seeing problems pop up in the marina. People losing time. Losing memories. Seeing people he knew and love affected.

And if there's one thing Tim can't stand, it's doing nothing.

So here he is, bitching to Bernard while trying his absolute best to avoid a headache reading literal backwards talk.

Bernard sighs "You're not gonna sleep until you get that done, huh?" He asks, leaning onto an elbow, away from Tim onto the arm of the couch.

Tim's fairly certain his expression answers that question nicely.

Before he can verbally answer though, Bernard pulls the fils from Tim's hand, grabs a pencil from the table behind them and starts to scribble.

Tim, immediately frozen but quite intrigued, Narrows his eyes, leans closer to get a look at the notes Bernard is presumably scribbling onto his file.

And stops.

Detailed, illustrated notes. Not only on the writing but the symbols. The illustrations. Links that even Tim himself hadn't seen about taking advantage of the less fortunate. The placement of the warehouses.

"Bern?" Tim asks, hesitant but impressed.

Bernard huffs "Firstly, I got my mom's looks. But I got my dad's brains" he says simply. And that's how Tim knows something is wrong. Bernard almost never mentions his parents. Not after the restraunt attack.

"Mom was a wealthy socialite who loved to rebel against her parents quietly and without anything actually going wrong. And if that meant sleeping with some punk rock singer out of wedlock right before her marriage with Dad? Well. She honestly could have chosen worse"

"Just wish His band name was slightly cooler. I mean....Mucous Membrane? Are you kidding me?"

I keep thinking about this tweet and how much i want Bernard and Constantine to meet 🙏

[sagittariusmarz]

What’s next in love for you? (PAC)

A prediction & some insight for what’s coming next in your love life

Please take what resonates with you

Likes, reblogs, and comments are always appreciated!

Remember to follow to keep seeing more content from me 🤗🫶🏾

Pile 1

Currently I see that you could be trying to heal from a connection that you’re no longer in, I see that you may realize this person that hurt you isn’t the right one for you. I see that you’re trying to heal and figure out what about yourself you can change so that you can have healthier and better relationships, I see that even though this person hurt you, you still want to communicate with them but you’re not trying to give them another chance. What’s next in love for you is a new beginning after an ending, I see that you’ll be more confident and more sure of what you want. I see that you’ll be more charming because of your new found confidence and more in control, I see that you’ll be letting go of the past so that you can move forward. I see you letting go of whatever has been holding you back and feeling like you have more freedom, for some of you I see you dating and just having sex but not looking for anything serious. Advice- continue to focus on your dreams and goals, your love life will fall into place on its own. Have more discernment when it comes to the people you let in your life, make sure the people you date have your best interests at heart. You will find the long term and successful relationship you’re looking for just be more careful about who you pick to date. Signs- libra, Aquarius, taurus. Pisces in 2nd house/gemini in 12th house. Initials- B, Y, L, Z

Pile 2

Currently I see you trying to rebuild a connection or reconnect with someone from your past, this person may be triggering and this could be a karmic connection. I see that you don’t want to take a chance on them and be in a risky situation but you also don’t want to move on from this person, I see that you could have other options in case the connection doesn’t work or this person has other options but they’re not being honest about it/you could have found out about them having other options. What’s next in your love life is a renewal/reconciliation of a old connection and divine intervention, I see that the connection may speed up and it won’t be as stagnant but you will realize this person isn’t meant for you and that it’s time to let them go. I see that the connection wont be successful like you want it to. Advice- make sure that there’s balanced control in your love life and let go of anyone that’s toxic. You need to realize what a great catch you are and that you don’t deserve to get treated badly, make sure you’re getting the same energy and respect that you put out. Generous partners would make you happy rather than the selfish ones. Signs- Sagittarius/cancer, Gemini in 10th house/libra in 8th house. Initials- T, A, F, I

Pile 3

Currently I see you feeling sad or heartbroken over a connection, I see you feeling like you need time to yourself to heal. I see that you’re working on yourself and trying to be your best self, you might be mirroring the person you’re trying to get over because they’re still in your energy. I see you making healthier choices for yourself and spending time with friends or family, you may be venting to others about your problems so that it can help you move on. What’s next in your love life is you being more protective and defensive of yourself, I see you working on having more balance in your love life or in general. I see for some of you that having more balance in your life will help with your love life, I see you listening to your intuition more. I see that before getting whatever you’re manifesting for your love life you will need to work more on yourself, I see for some of you there will be more than one person that wants to date you and you will have to trust your intuition to figure out which one is best for you. I see you focusing more on your happiness and learning what’s best for you. Advice-be more secretive about your love life, remember to take care of yourself before you worry about everyone else. Let go of whatever is causing you to overthink, continue healing and focusing on what makes you happy. Signs- Gemini/Sagittarius, Aries or Leo in 3rd house. Initials- N, E, W, R, C, V, L, F

Personal readings are always available!

Divider @petalpxl

[makeitmingi]

When Flowers Bloom In The Dark [Chapter 18]

Genre: Romance, Mafia!AU, Violence, Angst, Slow burn

Pairing: Hongjoong x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Florist!Reader, Mafioso!Hongjoong, Mafioso!Seonghwa, Mafioso!Yunho, Mafioso!Yeosang, Mafioso!San, Mafioso!Mingi, Mafioso!Wooyoung, Mafioso!Jongho

Summary: When you appeared and wept at his mother's funeral, Hongjoong found himself wanting to find out more about you. A regular girl, who owns a flower shop in his territory and has a relationship with the mother that he hasn't spoken to in years, why hasn't he ever noticed you before?

[Warning(s): 18+ for violence, use of weapons, smoking, alcohol consumption, slight gore, gang affiliation, tattoos and character deaths. Minors DNI. This is a work of fiction and does not represent the Ateez members in real life.]

Word count: 3.2K

"B-But sir!" The male shakily raised a finger to try and object but when Hongjoong raised an eyebrow at him, he immediately stopped, gulping in fear. If the other employees saw the boss of the rental company like this, they would have lost all respect for him.

"You dare raise the rental of buildings in my area without telling me? Did you seriously think you could do whatever you liked?" Hongjoong crossed his legs.

"I'm sorry, sir!" The landlord begged on his knees, in fear for his life. But Hongjoong knew these landlords too well.

"You're going to return the rates back to what it was, you're going to give me all the profits you have made so far." Hongjoong listed.

"B-But-" The male stuttered

"I'm not finished. Your cut of the rental has now been lowered. I let you manage any building in my territory, let you make profits of MY buildings. And you do this." He tilted his head.

"If you can't manage it, I can just give the responsibility to someone else." Hongjoong shrugged.

"No, sir! Please don't, I will do whatever you want. I apologise, it will never happen again." The male bowed deeply.

"You better hope so. I don't usually give second chances. People that try to pull stunts with me never live long enough to regret it." Hongjoong grabbed the guy's tie, pulling him forward.

Hongjoong was beyond angry and everyone in the room could see it. It happened yesterday, when you casually mentioned that the landlord has been increasing your store's rental. Hongjoong immediately knew the landlord was pocketing the profit and no one gets away with doing that.

"Yes, sir." The male nodded his head shakily and Hongjoong shoved him back, making him fall back.

"Let's go." Hongjoong stood up and one of his men opened the door for him. He walked out of the building with his men following behind, all the way to their cars.

"Go back. I have somewhere to be." Hongjoong said.

"Sir." The driver handed Hongjoong the keys to the Rolls Royce and the men all piled in the working van.

"Here we are." Hongjoong stopped outside your store, parking the car. As usual, there were some people stopping to stare at Hongjoong's car but he was used to it.

"(y/n)? Are you here? Hello~" Hongjoong stepped into your store, closing the door behind him, a pep in his step.

"(y/n)?" He called out again when there was no reply.

"Hongjoong! What are you doing here? Didn't you see the sign? I'm actually closed today." You popped up from behind the working counter. Hongjoong stopped and blinked, shaking his head. He didn't even see the sign, he just came in through the door.

"Oh, no. I didn't see the sign, didn't notice it at all. Sorry." Hongjoong rubbed the back of her neck.

"No worries, I guess I shouldn't have left the door open. What do you need?" You giggled, gesturing for him to sit in the usual seat.

"Nothing, actually. I was... Uh... Just in the area doing some work and dropped by." He informed, gratefully receiving the cold brew tea you handed to him.

"Ah, I see. I hope your meeting went well then." You smiled.

"Wait, why are you closed today?" Hongjoong asked, taking a sip of the refreshing cold tea.

"I'm preparing for my big event so I don't really have time to tend to customers or prepare orders. I have multiple deliveries coming in today." You informed as you walked around.

"That makes sense. So you're working on your event stuff today?" You nodded your head.

"Yeah, that's my main focus. My friends are coming in tonight to help me work through the others stuff that I can't finish in the day. Then I'll go to the event tomorrow to finish setting up there so I have to make sure I have everything I need. It seems like quite a big event so there's a lot to do." You said.

"Oh! The event is tomorrow? Do you... happen to know where it is?" Hongjoong questioned.

"Actually, no. The organiser is rather secretive so I think it's a high profile event. They even sending people and vans over to transport me, the flowers and all that over to the event." You shrugged.

"Wow, that's something. But you'll do well, your floral arrangements are always pretty." He complimented.

"Thank you, Hongjoong..." You coughed to hide your embarrassment.

"Do you want to have lunch together? I can order in. Or if you're busy, I'll leave you alone. I bet you have a lot to get done, I don't want to be in your way." He said.

"No, it's fine. I have to eat too to fuel me, don't I? Sure, just order whatever. I'll eat anything." You chuckled.

"No, no. Come look." Hongjoong set up his iPad and pulled up the delivery food page.

"Ugh, just pick for me. I'm busy~" You threw your head back with a groan. Hongjoong snickered, knowing he successfully managed to annoy you. Since you were busy walking around, Hongjoong picked a sandwich and some .

"Go, do your stuff. I'll get the food when it arrives." Hongjoong playfully waved you off. You chuckled and nodded, refilling his cold tea before continuing your work.

"Also, let me know how much lunch is. We'll split it, 50/50." You said to him.

"No, no. I'm the one here, bothering you while you work. It's a treat from me." Hongjoong replied.

"You always say that and don't let me pay!" You protested. Hongjoong ignored you and worked on his iPad quietly. Did he have a dozen offices to work in? Yes. But he preferred to work here.

"Delivery!"

"I'll get it!" Hongjoong stood up before you could go to the door. He paid the delivery boy and brought the bags of food in.

"You ordered so much food, Hongjoong!" You exclaimed in shock when you saw him bringing in the bags that were filled with containers. You moved your things aside.

"You told me to choose. I'm indecisive." Hongjoong shrugged as you took the bags and laid the containers out on the table. Since you were going to sit and eat, you decided to use the time to work on the revised designs for the flower stands that would go at the entrance and the bouquet that would go on each table.

"Eat first, work later.." Hongjoong said, putting his hand over the iPad screen to cover it.

"I am eating. See?" You held up your half of the chicken sandwich and even took a bite to prove a point. Hongjoong took the drink out for you and put the straw in it.

"What drink did you order me?" You asked.

"Strawberry lemonade. It's Seonghwa's favourite here." He replied, taking his coffee out.

"He has good taste." You nodded in approval after taking a sip. Hongjoong chuckled and ate a bite of his own pasta, reading his emails. Suddenly, your hand came in front of his iPad.

"Eat first, work later." You repeated his words back to him. Hongjoong jokingly rolled his eyes and moved his iPad aside.

"Fine." He grumbled.

After lunch, Hongjoong quietly worked, not wanting to disturb you anymore but you did engage in conversation with him from time to time. And he helped you organise the deliveries.

"Thanks for your help." You straightened your back after the both of you hauled in another box of flowers.

"Don't mention it. You would have seriously hurt your back if you did all that on your own." Hongjoong let out a huff, pulling the box away from the walkway so no one would trip. His phone buzzed on the table and he checked it.

"Sorry, looks like I have to go. Work stuff to attend to, Seonghwa's pissed." Hongjoong sighed, sending you an apologetic look as he packed up his things.

"Mmm, don't apologise. You've helped a lot despite having to do work. Hope Seonghwa doesn't grill you too hard." You giggled.

"He won't." Hongjoong chuckled.

"Thank you for all your help." You said as you walked with him to the door. Too bad, you didn't see your group of friends approaching the store. They stopped in their tracks, as did you and Hongjoong.

"Uh... What's going on here?" Nana tilted his head with a smirk. Eve sent you a little wave.

"Nevermind them. Have a great night, Hongjoong." You turned to the male. Hongjoong nodded and waved to you.

"See you around." He met eyes with your friends before heading to his car. Their eyes followed him, widening slightly at the Rolls Royce that he was driving.

"Damn, (y/n). You have a lot of explaining to do." Hyunwoo whistled, making you roll your eyes.

"He's just a friend. He was in the area and dropped by to help me handle the deliveries. There's nothing else to explain to you guys." You said as you walked back into the shop with them trailing behind you. Jihoon lagged behind the group, turning to watch Hongjoong drive off in his car.

"Alright, these are the assignments for tonight. Arrange the flowers like these and the ribbons will go here." You instructed, putting a picture of the bouquets on the table.

"Yes, boss!" Your friends saluted.

"If there are any questions, let me know. Thanks again for helping me." You smiled softly.

"No need to thank us. We wouldn't have let you do all this on your own too." Jihoon squeezed your shoulder with a smile, the rest nodded in agreement.

"Let's get started!" Hyunwoo fist pumped.

"So, you and that guy." Nana nudged you. Eve giggled and leaned in to listen to you.

"That guy's name is Hongjoong. And like I said, just friends. Nothing else." You sighed, cutting the stems of the flowers as the two arranged them into the table setting.

"He's handsome though. You should go for him." Eve said and Nana nodded her head.

"I'm way out of his league. I mean, I only know him because he's Mrs Kim's son and I practically work for his family. That's probably all he sees me as... a friend, someone who knew his mother, someone who works as his gardener." You shrugged.

"Oh, you sweet naive child." Your friends teased. You tilted your head in confusion but they just snickered to themselves. You gave them disapproving looks and continued your task.

"Alright, no more teasing her." Jihoon came to defend you, trying to sound playful.

"Yeah! What Jihoon said." You crossed your arms with a small pout.

"Slowpokes, if we're gonna get any sleep tonight, we better work faster." Hyunwoo said, a bunch of flowers in his hands. He was in charge of picking the flowers from the bucket for each bouquet.

"Hyunwoo's right." You hummed and went back to trimming the stalks off the flowers.

Although as you worked, all you could think about was what your friends said. It didn't matter if you felt anything more for Hongjoong, you were so different from him.

"Where should I put these?" Jihoon's voice broke your train of thought. He carried the acrylic flower stands over.

"Just near the entrance would do. I'll put the bouquets on top of them at the venue itself." You pointed. He nodded and moved the stands. Jihoon had wrapped the stands in decorative wrapping and added a big bow right in front. The designs were over the top since they were to go at the entranceways.

"Let me help with that now. Tell me where I should be cutting." He grabbed a pair of pruning sheares to help you cut the access stalks off the bottom of the flowers.

"Here is about good." You held the flowers out to him to demonstrate the ideal height.

"Is this okay?" Eve asked, showing you the flowers that she arranged according to the design in the picture you gave her.

"That's great. Since Jihoon is trimming the stalks, I can start decorating them and wrapping them up." You said, putting your pruning sheares away.

"How are you transporting all this over to the venue?" Nana asked as she put together the bouquet.

"The organiser is sending a few vans and movers over. They apparently have people there to help set up." You informed.

"Honestly, that sounds a little suspicious... Why are they being so secretive about it? Are you sure this event is legit and everything?" She frowned slightly.

"Don't worry, it is legit. They sent over documentation and everything. Plus, they already paid so even if it was a sham... I wouldn't be too bothered with it, I think. It could just be a high profile event." You scratched your head.

"Maybe one of us should tag along with you. You know... Just in case." Eve suggested. Jihoon and Hyunwoo nodded in agreement.

"I'm not going to get kidnapped or anything." You threw your head back in laughter.

"(y/n), this is serious." Hyunwoo said.

"I knowwwww. But trust me, I'll be fine, I'll keep you guys updated regularly throughout the thing, okay? I promise." You held your hand up to swear to them.

"You better come back from this event with all fingers, toes and unharmed." Nana crossed her arms.

-

When Hongjoong arrived back, Seonghwa came out from the dining room with a stack of folders.

"Where's Yunho? I need to ask him something." He asked.

"I think he just went to bed, came back from a race. I told all the boys to cancel late night plans with the gala happening tomorrow. We don't need anyone in the hospital or showing up with a busted face." Seonghwa said. Hongjoong nodded in agreement and walked into his office with Seonghwa behind him.

"So... How was the issue with your landlords?" Seonghwa questioned, leaning against Hongjoong's desk.

"Settled. Luckily (y/n) mentioned to me that the rental has been increasing or else I wouldn't have known. Guy thinks he could pull a fast one on me." Hongjoong growled.

"Are you ever going to tell her? That you own the building she works and lives at?" Seonghwa asked.

"Not right now. I have other things to deal with. For this to have happened, it means I'm too distracted." Hongjoong sighed.

"You're always working hard anyway. So what did you do? Kill the guy?" Seonghwa raised an eyebrow. He knew Hongjoong's temper, especially when he gets backstabbed and/or betrayed.

"No. If I kill him and send another landlord, (y/n) will get suspicious. I really wanted to though." Hongjoong said.

"I know. Anyway, this is for you. Jongho said you wanted it." Seonghwa passed over the stack of folders that he had been carrying. Hongjoong nodded and opened the first folder on top, letting Seonghwa peeked over to see.

"You got background checks on (y/n)'s friends?" Seonghwa asked, recognising a picture of one of the girls that you were with at the racetracks the other night.

"I bumped into them earlier and I just want to make sure they don't recognise me or are a threat." The captain explained.

"This guy was giving me looks. I wanted to make sure he didn't know who I was." He pointed to Jihoon's picture.

"Or, you're a mysterious guy who is talking to one of his female friends and he's protective." Seonghwa suggested. Hongjoong sent him a look.

"Or he could have a crush on (y/n) and sees you as competition." Seonghwa stated directly with a shrug. Hongjoong's eyes widened but he regained composure and cleared his throat.

"That's impossible. And (y/n)'s not some prize that you win. It's demeaning to refer to her as such." Hongjoong said.

"Sure. That's the issue... Anyway even if it was really a competition, Jihoon has you beat." Seonghwa teased.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Hongjoong frowned. Seonghwa was mentally snickering, knowing exactly what he has done to Hongjoong.

"Look, Joong. You want me to be real with you. Firstly, Jihoon has known (y/n) longer. From what I saw at the bar the first time, he is protective of her and she's comfortable around him to be vulnerable, they're close. And honestly, you've been pretty mean to (y/n). Even if you do apologise and make up after." Seonghwa said.

"That's all based on your theories and assumptions, Hwa. Interesting but all assumptions." Hongjoong said, looking disinterested by turning on his computer to check his messages.

"I'm not wrong, Hongjoong." Seonghwa laughed.

"Whatever. Don't bother me, I need to work since we'll be busy with the gala tomorrow!" Hongjoong waved Seonghwa off.

"Goodnight. By the way, I left the new contracts there for you to sign. Get them back to me tomorrow, we'll be seeing partners at the gala." Seonghwa informed.

"Sure." Hongjoong nodded. Once Seonghwa left, Hongjoong began to look through the contracts.

"You've been pretty mean to (y/n)."

All of Seonghwa's words from earlier were constantly replaying in Hongjoong's head and honestly, it stirred up a lot of different emotions in him like anger, guilt, envy and jealousy.

"Ugh..." Hongjoong groaned and went to get himself a whiskey to stop himself from being so distracted.

Hongjoong already felt enough guilt whenever he did something to hurt you. He doesn't feel these emotions regularly, he kills without mercy, he runs the gang ruthlessly with toughness because as the captain, he cannot show any weakness.

"This is too complicated." Hongjoong rubbed his temples. He has never felt so many feelings altogether at once and he didn't know what to do with himself.

"Hyung? You're still awake?" Mingi poked his head into Hongjoong's office.

"Yes, why are you awake? Didn't Seonghwa set a curfew?" Hongjoong raised an eyebrow at the taller male, his outfit showing he was out.

"It's called sneaking out, hyung~" Mingi sang.

"Uh huh... I'm sure he won't be pleased to hear that." Hongjoong nodded. Mingi scoffed and came into Hongjoong's office, curiously looking at all the paperwork that was strewn everywhere.

"Lighten up, hyung! The gala is tomorrow. You look so gloomy and I could hear you sighing from the hallway earlier." Mingi chuckled.

"I know, that's why I have work to do, Mingi ah. I will be too busy with the gala tomorrow and I cannot afford to be distracted right now." Hongjoong said.

"Do you need help?" Mingi asked.

"No, you're too intoxicated right now to be looking over any official documents. And besides, even if you were sober, I don't even think you've completed your own work." Hongjoong blinked. Mingi rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that the captain saw through him. With a salute, he headed for the door.

"Do all this then have fun tomorrow, okay hyung?" Mingi said as a final statement before he left Hongjoong's office.

"Have fun.." Hongjoong repeated. Luckily, Mingi wasn't nosy enough to look through the folders that had the profiles of your friends. Hongjoong gathered those up

"Competition, huh?" He took one last look at Jihoon's profile and put the entire stack in his drawer, closing it after.

~

Series masterlist

[milykins]

Living on the Surface for the First Time

This HC is from my Bayverse turtles living above the surface as themselves AU. They don’t really have any enemies to worry about anymore because they all deserve happiness and a chance to live without having to hide.

This idea basically came about from Tumblr conversations, thank you! You know who you are, I tried to include as much as I could!

TW: None!

Mikey

It’s not about admiring the ladies or trying to find a potential girlfriend when Mikey and his brothers begin living among the humans.

He just wants to have fun and get to do human stuff!

It’s the mundane tasks that we take for granted every day that bring him joy at first.

It’s going grocery shopping and picking out every type of cereal he’s never had the chance to try.

He ends up in the kitchen sitting around fifteen open boxes of cereal, a half-gallon of milk and several empty bowls.

He revels at the chance to be able to enter into a comic book store and buy actual new comics. No more dirty, old, or used comics for him. He realizes that this is what he wants to do with his life: sell comics and make others happy by embracing their inner nerd/geek.

Getting tickets to a baseball game with his brothers is another thing he’d always wanted to do.

Mikey catches the flyball with his bare hand as if it were no big deal and gets the pitcher to sign it.

Mikey’s eyes shine as people cheer and treat him like a normal person who deserves to be there.

He and his brothers go to NYCComicCon! As themselves! He has the greatest time greeting fans, signing stuff and taking pictures.

Again, it's the simple things that he enjoys. Walking around in broad daylight just because he can, chatting it up with anyone willing to talk to him.

Ordering a street hotdog with every possible topping you can get and taking a bite like it’s the most amazing thing he’s ever tasted.

He’s even happy to learn boring stuff like putting out garbage and recycling and taxes.

He makes real, actual friends with humans, gaining acceptance has been his dream for a long time.

Mostly, he’s just happy to finally be able to enjoy the sun, skateboard, and go sit at the duck pond in Central Park.

He finally understands it’s about the little things.

Raph

When Raph begins to live on top, it’s not all that glamorous at first. He decides to try living a normal life, including using transit for the first time, eventually getting his license, and driving a car.

He initially regrets his choice after being stuck in a packed subway car or rush-hour traffic, but eventually comes around.

One of the first things he does is go to his favourite restaurant, a steakhouse, with his brothers. He’d always wanted to go there.

Getting tickets to the Knicks again, but this time he gets to sit in an actual seat.

The seats might be a little tight, but he doesn’t care. No more hiding in the jumbotron for him.

It's pretty nice to be able to order a beer and hotdog from the vendors like a normal person.

Going grocery shopping for him is kind of hilarious.

He stands at the juice display for at least ten minutes, unsure of which brand to pick. He’d never had a choice before; it was whatever they could grab or salvage.

It finally clicks in that he really can get whatever he wants so he picks three kinds of juice.

He experiences the nightlife for the first time, going to a comedy club, or a sports bar with Casey.

Going to an actual gym and making gym buddies who all want to learn his workout regimen and techniques.

Buying furniture for his place and lying on beds in a mattress store.

He’s never had a new mattress in his life and sinking into all that plush is heavenly.

Having new things, not old, busted, or scrapped together, is such a foreign concept to him that he almost feels like he’s not supposed to have nice things.

He goes to a craft store and is presented with wall-to-wall options. Every kind of yarn in every colour, all the knitting supplies he could possibly want.

He’s honestly a bit lost and overwhelmed until a kind, old woman moves to assist him.

After accepting her help, she invites him to join her knitting circle, and he actually goes.

Once it all sinks in, it’s not so bad, he decides. He could get used to this.

Don

Donnie has big dreams of living above the surface. He wants to help people and make the world a better place, but first, he starts small.

He goes to a computer store for the first time ever and chooses parts for himself.

Leo goes with him and promptly loses him in the store for an hour.

He finds him assisting and advising other customers in their purchases much to the annoyance of the actual employees.

He goes to every museum and art gallery in the city, even the children’s museum.

He takes pictures of everything.

Every dinosaur skeleton, statue, mummy, sarcophagus, and even the rocks in the geology section.

He is truly like a kid in a candy store getting to do all of the things he’d never gotten a chance to do.

In true nerdy fashion, the next place on his list would be the library.

He spends hours in this magical place reading as many books as he can.

He gets a library card! After establishing a place to live he’s able to bring proof of residence and can apply for a library card.

Once he gets it, he spends a hot minute admiring the first piece of ID with his name and address on it.

The next step for him is to get his driver’s license.

He and his brothers are probably the only ones excited to be at the DMV.

Donnie is too tall for the car provided by the DMV for the test so they need to use the garbage truck.

Of course, Donnie passes with flying colours, but the same can’t be said for Mikey, who fails the first time and passes on his second try.

Eventually, his dreams do come true, and he starts a company to help people with his inventions.

Leo

He is the hardest to convince of this lifestyle change.

After all, they have everything they need in the sewers, why bother changing all of that to be in the noisy city with all of those people?

That’s when his brother Donnie takes him to a plant nursery for the first time.

His entire outlook changes.

Leo ends up filling his cart with all kinds of plants to start a little greenhouse—not one with artificial light this time, but one with actual sunlight.

Okay, now he’s having fun. He spends weeks constructing this greenhouse with his brother’s help.

Setting it up with all of his plants once it’s completed is quite cathartic to him.

This is when he finally starts to come around and try things.

Of course, he goes to the games with his brothers and has a great time.

He visits a teahouse and experiences a newfound sense of peace and tranquility like he never imagined.

He tries a few restaurants, orders takeout, and quickly realizes that he doesn’t know how to cook anything other than rice.

Cue Leo taking a cooking class and learning how to cook for himself.

He goes to the grocery store to pick ingredients to make his first actual meal from start to finish.

He’s so proud of himself and posts the picture on social media.

He gets such a positive reception that he begins posting all of his meals, gaining a small fanbase.

It takes him some courage to join a local dojo, but he quickly develops a sense of belonging.

He would eventually open his own dojo with their support.

At home, he creates a reading nook for himself by the window in his apartment with the most comfortable chair he’s ever sat in and loves to read when the sunlight streams in at just the right angle.

He also takes the time to create a little zen garden for himself on the same rooftop as his greenhouse.

And Leo, being Leo, still checks in on his brothers to make sure they’re adjusting well to life on the surface.

This includes telling Mikey to remember his reusable bags when he goes to the grocery store, telling Raph what day to bring down his garbage and recycling, and reminding Donnie to eat when he spends eight hours at the library.

He may have taken the longest to convince, but once he’s established a life for himself, there’s no going back to the sewers.

He finds himself wishing he’d done all of this a lot sooner.

Taglist

@danceingfae @thelaundrybitch @iridescentflamingo @redsrooftopprincess @ninnosaurus

@the-cauldron-witch @thepinkpanther83 @avery73 @adebauchedsloth @sophiacloud28

@definitely-canon @scholastic-dragon @truffle-reblogs @fyreball66 @yorshie

Please let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist!

[gallusrostromegalus]

I'm currently in the middle of moving. What are the responses/inclinations/feelings/actions of the AEIWAM and TPOFATGIF cast to being asked to help someone move house?

TPOFATGIF: "Sure!" (does not yet realize how much work this is) Atem, Marik

(frantically trying to think of a polite excuse because they know how much work this is) "I can't, its a school night." Yugi, Tristain, Bakura

Will help, but their idea of helping is to pony up the money for a moving company: Odion, Mai Valentine, Mokuba

Makes a tidy income by undercutting the moving companies, if you're willing to sign a few waivers and pay in cash: Joey, Tea

✔️✔️Read at 10:03 AM: Seto, Ishizu, Solomon

AEIWAM: "Yeah Sure!" (Does not know how much work this is): Aizen did this ONCE while under cover, Rukia, Momo,

"Yeah Sure!" (Knows how much work this is and is a Good Friend who is not afraid of hard work): Ichigo, Chad, Tatsuki, Komamura, Ikkaku, Mashiro, Iba, Isane,

"Yeah Sure! I've always wanted to go Snooping through your stuff!" Orihime (learning things about your friends is how you show you love them!) Matsumoto, Lisa, Yumichika, Omaeda

Genuinely Enjoys the organizational and physical challenge of moving house: Kensei. Really missed his calling in life.

Will help (by hiring a moving company) Mizurio, Rose, Undercover Aizen after the "Couchstuck" incident Byakuya, Yoruichi, Nanao, Sasakibe

Will Help (You'd be better off without their help) Keigo, Gin, Shinji, Shunsui, Urahara, Yachiru, Shuuhei, Renji, Izuru

Can't help, but would really like to be asked sometime: Tousen (Major Spinal Injury, Ukitake (Imploding Lungs)

"No." Uryuu, Yamamoto, Soi Fon, Unohana, Mayuri, Akon, Hiyori,

Is bewildered that anyone might own enough stuff that they need help moving it: Zaraki (Was homeless for several centuries and has never purchased furniture. It's just something that is in whatever place he's staying, its there.)

[thekoalapastriesbakery]

SILENT NIGHT

formula one x autistic!male!reader

request: Ik requests are closed, but i wanted to write this down so I don't forget it lmaooo, Oscar, Sebastian, and/or Max with Autistic reader who goes nonverbal and struggles to communicate a lot. Totally not based on real events whaaaat 🦕

summary: non-communicative? no problem.

warnings: mentions of overwhelm, references to mad max (max), implied autistic!oscar, dork!seb that could also easily be interpreted as autistic!seb

contains: max verstappen, oscar piastri, + sebastian vettel

word count: 516 (184/158/174 split)

max verstappen — 184 words:

he could see the signs before you did. little fidgeting, eyes darting around, muscles tensing … all indicators that it wouldn't be long before you went into shutdown.

max did what he could to mitigate the effects on you. he got you out of the chaos of the paddock and into his driver's room. he didn't like seeing you get overstimulated. hated it, in fact. he wasn't shy about setting boundaries on your behalf—he'd shove reporters away from you, make snarky comments about the other drivers if they pushed you too far, demand red bull change their garage to make it accessible for you. (what use is being their golden boy if he can't use it to let his boyfriend come to races?)

you had some unique ways of communicating when you couldn't talk. sometimes, you could type or use assistive technology to get your point across. sometimes you could use sign language or emojis or charades. other times communication itself was so overwhelming that max was forced to guess from your body language.

good thing he was fluent in the language of you.

oscar piastri — 158 words:

he had problems with communicating too. he wasn't terrible at it—not at all—but he had times where he would either have a really bad stutter or feel immense anxiety at the idea of verbalising anything. oscar understood when you went nonverbal. both of you frequently used sign language or picture reaction books/apps when words are particularly distressing.

on the occasions where both of you would go nonverbal, you'd sit together on the couch and watch bluey. sometimes you would cuddle, sometimes you'd just sit on opposite ends and enjoy the show. the simplicity of it took away some of the pressure to discuss whatever happened. regardless of whether or not he was nonverbal at the same time, oscar was very very sweet.

he never pressured you to speak or even verbalise. he didn't initiate too many conversations, but he was also happy to keep a running narrative for you if the silence made you anxious.

sebastian vettel — 174 words:

the best thing about seb was that he never shut up. when you were nonverbal, he was always so happy to just ramble and infodump about whatever new project he was on at the time. sometimes it was bees, sometimes it was formula one history and trivia, sometimes it was just general facts. he loved entertaining you and he never held your communication difficulties against you.

you were almost always happy to listen to him. when all things talking or listening were too overwhelming for you, seb didn't take it personally. he just found a cat (you never found out where he kept procuring them from, but he always was good with animals) and plopped it down on your lap.

if you needed down time, he left you alone. he sent you periodic updates and reminders that he was still thinking of you. formula one had taught him that even when you don't want to talk to someone, you could still get lonely. he always wanted you to know that he wouldn't forget you.

©thekoalapastriesbakery :: please do not copy or rewrite my work on any platform !!

author's note: i have an autistic!drivers agenda if you couldn't tell 🙃 (also totally based on real events for me lol)

comments + reblogs appreciated!

taglist: @raizelchrysanderoctavius @crispysoup318 @op-81-lvr-reblogs @ncrsbrg @spoonfulofmilo @justaf1girl @widow-cevans

[taeghi]

niki - the enemies to lovers trope

"god do you even know how the geometry of interactions relates to the balance of bodies?" "um yeah, obviously i do." "really? because the awful way you do your pirouettes doesn't really show it."

summary : when you were younger, you thought you were lucky to only have to see nishimura riki at your dance academy, but your luck heavily changed when you end up going to the same high school together. and it especially got worse when the two of you are forced to be partners for the upcoming science fair.

wc : 6.7k

genre : mild fluff, angst and mildly suggestive - (no smut)

part of the classics series 🤎

authors note : sorry this took me 3/4 years to post lmao love u

you love ballet. 

you love the way it allows you to express your feelings. you love the way it makes your body feel like it's on fire and ice at the same time. the way it makes you completely exhausted afterwards, but you still crave more and more. 

you didn't, however, like nishimura riki. 

unfortunately, riki joined your dance studio that you ever so cherished when you were both nine years old. the first time you saw him, your dance instructor was introducing him to the class. he seemed harmless at first— to be honest you didn’t even think much of him as you greeted him with the rest of the class at your instructors’ signal. 

it was only when riki joined you at the ballet bar, standing on the other side of the barre as you, that you first felt that deep anger and annoyance towards him that you’d end up feeling towards him for years. 

you follow your instructors’ instructions and stand the barre in position ready to warm up with your pliés and tendues. starting in fifth position like you always do with your right hand on the barre, suddenly there’s a hand blocking yours, latching onto the barre where you usually hold it. 

“oh, um, my hand was there first, could you move up a little?” you tell the new boy politely, blissfully unaware of what a menace he was. 

“no.” he answers over his shoulder. the music starts and he focuses his eyesight straight ahead, bending into a plié. you scoff, taken aback by him. begrudgingly you step back, leaving enough room for him, you and the girl behind you. 

when the class moves onto ronde de jambe à terre, you almost forgot about riki’s response just minutes prior, focusing on your movements and following the instructors’ words. then, a sudden thud hits your shin that you’re standing on. 

“ow!” you lose position, stepping away from the bar and looking at the floor to see what hit you. you see just in time that riki’s foot had kicked you. 

“y/n!” you instructor snaps, “get back in position! no talking.” 

you open your mouth to respond, words wanting to come out to defend yourself but the glare that your instructor was giving you told you that you shouldn’t. you should know that talking isn’t prohibited during the warm ups. 

you sigh and get back into position, hearing riki’s low chuckles through the music. you glare at the back of his head whilst keeping up with the beat for the remainder of the class. 

you knew by the end of your first dance class with nishimura riki that you were going to hate him for the rest of your life. thank god, you only had to see him at your dance studio.

your reciprocal hatred with nishimura riki only increased for both of you as you aged, eight years later. 

everyone in the dance studio knew that you and riki couldn’t stand each other. you seemed that you couldn’t even be in the same room with each other for more than five minutes without being at each other's throats. 

it doesn’t help that you and riki are at the same competitive level of dancing. which means that a majority of your dance classes are with each other. the competitions you sign up for are the exact same ones that riki signs up for. 

somewhere along the way, you and riki started competing against each other with everything. whatever he does, you can do a hundred times better. it’s just that riki thinks the same thing about himself. 

you don’t like each other, yet, you’re seemingly forced to be together. 

you’re practicing your group’s recital routine in the free practice room. looking directly at your reflection in the large mirror that covers the entire wall. your ballet slippers are scuffed from all the practicing you’ve been doing recently. your dance studio’s recital is soon, anyways. 

the door of the room slams shut suddenly, making you tumble out of your pirouette. your eyebrows furrowed together, looking at the door behind you in the reflection. your groan of annoyance is covered by the classical music playing through the speakers. but you can tell riki can read your expression in the mirror by his face contorting into a laugh. 

you turn off the music, spinning on your heel to look at him, crossing your arms over your chest. 

“what do you want?” 

riki keeps his taunting smirk on his face as he shrugs, “nothing— just wondering if you even know how the geometry of interactions relates to the balance of bodies?” 

you scoff at his attempt to sound so smart, “um, yeah, obviously i do.” 

“really? because the awful way you do your pirouettes doesn’t really show it.” 

you glare at riki, your upper contorting into disgust. you huff and stomp over to your bag, slinging it on your shoulder as you push past him, leaving the practice room. 

you hear riki laughing behind you, “oh come on! loosen that damn bun of yours, it’s restricting blood flow to your brain!” 

you slam the door behind you, not giving him a second glance. 

damn, nishimura riki, he always ruins your mood. 

you can’t lie and say that it isn’t exhausting to always be fighting with him. and you also can’t lie and say that you haven’t done things to upset him on purpose either. like the time you accidentally loosened the lid of his water bottle and when he went to drink it it just so happened to spill all over him and the dance floor. you didn’t mind his glares from behind the mop as he was forced by the instructor to clean up the spilled water.   

but then again, riki and you have done so much fighting over the years that it feels impossible for there ever to be peace between you two. you’re just glad that there’s one more year of high school and then you can go to university and never have to see nishimura riki ever again.

you didn’t think about nishimura riki at school. you found school to be your safe space— away from the strict rules of your dance instructors, the sweaty smell in the practice rooms and riki. 

on monday, you walk into your science class expecting nothing out of the ordinary, except for maybe a dead frog or two that mr barr forces you to dissect. 

instead, you find nishimura riki sitting in the usual empty seat right beside yours. you stop in your tracks at the front of the classroom. your jaw is loose on its hinge as you stare agape at the sight in front of you.

 riki, your arch nemesis, your competitors, your rival, is in the one public place you could actually avoid him. his annoying presence now fills up the space where you once could avoid it. his smirk that you’ve wanted to punch off his face is directly towards you now, just like all your other classmates’ gaze. they couldn’t understand why your initial reaction to the “new kid” was so detrimental. 

“no. way.” was all you could speak, voicing the words that were circling your mind.

“aw, did you miss me, y/n?” riki’s smirk turns into a mischievous grin. you could see your classmates look at each other, realizing that  you must know each other. 

“this is, like, actually my worst nightmare.” you think out loud, your eyes dazed as you move to your spot, not comprehending what was happening. you couldn’t accept that this was your reality now. you prayed that this was one of riki’s usual, awful pranks. and god, this was his worst one yet. 

riki tsks mockingly as you sit in your spot, “i thought this could be more like a dream. don’t you wanna be classmates with me, y/n?” 

your jaw remains open as you look at him. you can’t think of anything to say. you slam your science textbook on your desk. 

you’d rather one of mr barr’s frogs.

thankfully, you only had your science class with riki. which is already one too many that you’d ever want with him. 

somehow, riki had been swept up by the group of kids that everyone wanted to be in during his first week at your school. he seemed to fit right in with the rest of them as they filled up the biggest table in the cafeteria. 

you couldn’t help but eat your french fries with a scowl as you looked over at riki and his new “group” of friends. how could everyone like riki so much whilst you did the opposite? the thought of him being nice to everyone except you ran through your mind. you ignored the fact that it left a slight sting in your chest. 

you weren’t going to let nishimura riki ruin your lunch. though, just the sight of him seemed to be enough since your plate of fries looks like it hasn’t even been touched. 

you groan as you get up, throwing your fries in the trash as you leave the cafeteria, hating that you can pick out riki’s laugh in the busy room so easily. 

“oh my god! y/n! hey!” a voice calls out to you in the hall. 

you glance up, instantly recognizing rei and jiwoo smiling at you. their usual matching headbands stick out to you as they approach you. 

“uh, hi?” you greet, unable to mask your confusion. they had never even looked at you before, let alone addressed you by name and in public. 

“how are you?” jiwoo tilts her head to the side, enhancing her slim jaw. 

“good.” you drag out the syllables, wary of what they want with you. 

“good! good!” rei chimes in a little too cheerfully, her hand gently swatting your arm with a friendly tap. 

“so, you know nishimura riki, right?,” jiwoo starts, her voice’s pitch increasing. 

“i mean, we go to the same dance studio, that’s it.” 

“oh!” rei perks up, “do you think you could give us his number then?” 

you look between both of them. their eyes wide with anticipation of your answer. their smiles were almost too wide and friendly for your liking. 

“i don’t have it.” 

“what?” jiwoo raises her eyebrow. 

“i don’t have it. i’m not friends with him, i just told you that.” 

“oh.” rei acknowledges your answer, looking up at jiwoo with an unreadable expression. you can tell she’s pissed thought. 

“okay, well.” jiwoo’s once excited voice now dull and dry. “see you around, i guess.” 

rei and jiwoo link elbows, turning away from you and heading back down the hall, not bothering to hear a response from you, even if you had one. 

you scoff as you watch them disappear into the cafeteria, probably to go try to talk to riki. 

nishimura riki has been at your school for only one week and he’s already taking over everyone’s mind. except for yours.

you hated science class. you’ve always found it boring and dreaded going. now that nishimura riki was in your science class, you contemplated faking sick for every class until the end of the semester. 

you could barely sit still in your seat during a normal science class, but now with riki talking to everyone in the class around you, his voice constantly being heard, you wanted to run out of there. 

thankfully, mr. barr interrupted their conversation to start class—a disruption you used to dread, but now, you'd rather listen to him talk about mitosis than hear about whatever riki did at some party last weekend.

“our class is going to be participating in the school’s science fair this year,” mr barr informed the class. which responded with a mix of groans and cheers. “i’m going to put you into pairs and you must come up with an experiment for the science fair.” the class wasn’t as thrilled as mr barr had anticipated. “there will be prizes, so try your best, please.” there was a little more chatter at the mention of a potential prize.

mr barr started to read off a list of pairings he had created for students to work in for the science fair. one by one, every student was put into a pair. 

“y/n y/ln,” you perked up at your name finally being called, “you’ll be working with nishimura riki.” 

your body tenses as you and riki turn to face each other, both reflecting an expression of shock on your face before returning to look at mr barr. 

“no, i can’t! not with him!” you groan out, your hands covering your face. 

“i can’t work with her, mr barr!” riki exclaimed, “she doesn’t know science.”

“hey!” you scowl at him, “i’m good at science!” 

riki scoffs, falling back into his seat, his body limp. 

mr barr looks between you two, “i expect you two to work really well together.” his voice tight and dry as he goes back to reading off his list.

“you look like you’re about to cry,” you can hear the grin in riki’s voice as he speaks. 

“i am!” 

riki laughs at your displeasure, only fueling the anger you hold towards him. you don’t know how you’re supposed to work on this project with him. you can’t even hear one word come out of his mouth that doesn’t make you want to shove a sock in his mouth. 

you guess you’ll just have to suck it up. like, how bad could working with nishimura riki really be?

you never thought that nishimura riki would be in your house. 

but sure enough, here he is sitting across from you at your dining table. paper, markers and your textbooks sprawled out in front of you as you try to come up with an idea for your science fair project. 

“that’s dumb.” riki tells you, sitting back on his chair, his arms crossed. 

you sigh in exhaustion. every idea you come up with for your science fair project he either calls dumb or too basic. you’ve been going back and forth with idea for an hour now and there’s nothing you can 100% agree on. 

“fine!” you toss your hands up in the air, desperate to just start this project, “what do you think is the best idea to do, then?” 

riki ponders a moment and flips a page in his textbook. “i think the idea about testing people’s colour perception is good.” 

your jaw drops, “i said that idea an hour ago!” 

he shrugs, “yeah, but i wanted to see what else you could come up with.” 

your mouth forms a tight line as you glare at the boy across the table from you. you remind yourself that your parents are in the room next door and had repeatedly told you to be nice to riki. somehow, over the years, riki has brainwashed your parents into thinking he’s nice. they, like everyone else, seem to not understand how you could have such an issue with the nishimura riki. 

you and riki start to devise parts of the project both of you can do. although you don’t really like the idea for the project, riki likes it and you don’t want to have to argue about  project topics for another hour. 

you’re focused on colour matching the squares you’re going to use for you project whilst riki leans his face on his hand. his elbow perched on the table top as he watches you. your heart picks up its pace when you realize his gaze is locked onto you. but you attribute it to your annoyance of him doing nothing for this project. 

“what’s wrong with you?” riki asks, his tone serious, non-judgmental. 

“nothing.” 

riki scoffs, “you’re biting on your bottom lip, i know something’s wrong with you.” 

you freeze with the two squares of different shades of green in your hand. your eyes slowly look to him, your teeth unlocking your bottom lip from their hold. “how do you even know that?” 

riki shrugs, “i know a lot of things about you.” 

you try to remain unfazed by his words, switching one of the shades of green for another one. he only continues with your silence, “you’re not as mysterious as you think you are, y/n.” 

you quirk an eyebrow at him, glancing at him briefly from the corner of your eye, trying to focus on your project. but you know the project means nothing to you now as you listen without looking at him. 

“wow, riki— you must really have nothing other to do than watch me all day.” 

his lips form a humorous grin, “yeah well, someone has to figure out what the hell’s wrong with you?” 

you glare at him over the sage green paper, “yeah? and what’s wrong with me?” 

you don’t like the way riki’s face is so serious when his eyes meet yours. it’s intimidating and you’ve never seen him look at you like this before. 

“you push people away because you’re scared they’ll see how much you really doubt yourself— how you really don’t have everything together.” 

you scoff, “i don’t do tha—” 

“and i know that you don’t hate me as much as you act like it. everything is like an act to you.” 

your dining room goes silent as you and riki look at each other. both of you are expressionless as riki’s words hang in the air between you. he’s waiting for your response that you’re too afraid to give. 

you feel exposed in front of him at your own dining room table. 

“you’re crazy!” you laugh at him, “we’ve always hated each other, riki. what are you talking about?” 

riki’s face drops at your answer, it obviously wasn’t the response he wanted from you.

“i’ve never hated you, y/n.” 

a cold wind runs over your skin, like a window suddenly bursts open right next to you. you look at him, trying to analyze any sign of deceit or humour in his face like usual. but all you can find is seriousness. you’ve never seen this side of riki before. you don’t know how to respond to him. it’s like he has you cornered mentally. 

“whatever, riki.” your voice comes out weaker than you would’ve liked. like a whisper. 

riki’s lips quirk into a slight smile, “push me away all you want— act like you don’t care if i hate you or not— but i’m telling you: i’ve never hated you, y/n.”

his statement sends you mentally spiraling. your chest starts to tighten as you think back to the past eight years you’ve known nishimura riki. all of it seems so childish and distant in just a mere second. like all of your anger and resentment you’ve blamed on riki, has really been from something else. but, you refuse to admit that. because then all these years of purposefully annoying and sabotaging him would have just been stupid distractions from the real problem that lays deep inside of you. 

“i don’t care if you hate me, riki.” 

your denial just makes riki smile more, “you’re so blinded by your own act.” he shakes his head as he speaks, similar to disappointment, “you’re the only one pretending, y/n.” 

riki’s words hit you more than you would admit. but your face stays stagnant, like they mean nothing to you. like they weren’t making you question everything you’ve ever felt in the past years. like you weren’t just defending yourself from being vulnerable in front of him after all these years. like you were keeping up this fake persona to protect yourself from everyone, including riki. 

your lips contort into a smirk, “you don’t know shit about me, riki.” unlike you, riki can’t mask his feelings with his expressions as much as you can, surprise etching on his face with your response. “pick the shades of red you want to use for this goddamn project and then get out.” 

you pick up a pair of scissors, starting to cut out the sage green you finalized your decision on, ignoring the bewilderment on his face as he watches you. 

when you’re about to snap at him to get to work, he’s picking up the cherry and ruby red squares, deciding which one he thinks would be best. 

something shifts heavily and frightening between both of you as you cut out the squares together, in silence. both of you having thoughts of the other.

you think that maybe, for once, nishimura riki is right. but you’re not ready to face that whilst he faces you. 

so, you keep cutting, as the truth slowly sets in.

nishimura riki was full of shit. 

your last conversation with him kept replaying over and over in your head. you’ve gone through every possibility of what his alternative motive was. this was the same boy who has pulled your hair one hundred times when your dance instructor wasn’t looking. the same boy who tied your ballet slippers together when you weren’t looking. 

and now he expects you to think it was all just you? that you were imagining this hate-ship between you? yeah, right. 

today, riki seems to be back to his normal self. he’s purposefully annoying you as you try to practice for the group’s recital in the practice room. you’ve been here for hours. everyone besides you and riki have gone home. the mirror is slightly foggy from yours and his panting and sweat. 

you can tell that riki just wanted to break you down, act like he knows you, oh so well, just for it to end with you being a part of some master prank of his. like you usually are. but, you won’t fall victim tohis plans this time. 

“if you don’t stop looking at the floor when you turn, i swear to god, i’m gonna fuckin’ lose it.” riki’s voice is frustrated from behind you. it only increases your own frustration at yourself. 

“well, stop fucking watching me then!” you snap at him. you hear him scoff behind you and you watch as he turns to walk back to his bag. 

you get back into fifth position, preparing to attempt a double pirouette en dehors, like you’ve been trying for the past three hours. 

just as you push off the floor, starting to go into the turn, you spin and notice riki pulling off his white shirt, his pale back visible to your eyes suddenly. you manage to catch every single muscle in his back. 

you land on the floor suddenly disoriented from keeping your head locked in one position while your body attempts to spin without it. 

the sound your body makes as it hits the floor has riki turning, his eyes wide as he sees you on the ground. he rushes his way over ot you. his hands racing out to you to grab underneath your arms to help you stand up again. “jesus, are you okay?” 

“yeah, yeah.” you nod, your head dizzy as you stand up on both feet. you feel his hands on your skin, making you step away from him quickly, “i’m fine.” your voice stern as you try to not focus on the way your skin burns from where he touched you. 

riki only has a soft smirk on his face, “you’re suppose to spot your head, not stare at me like you’re in love”

your jaw drops in shock ast his words, not able to say much except for sputtering out nonsense as the hot dance practice room fills with his laughter. 

“i would never look at you like that, riki!” 

“right, right. because you like, totally don’t look at me like that during my solos.” 

“i do not!” anger boiling up inside of you at the accusation. but you can’t help but wonder what you do look like when you’ve watched his solo’s before. you can’t lie and say that riki is a bad dancer. you and him are always at the same rank anyways so, you can’t really say he’s bad. but would you say you’re in love with him as you watch him on stage? hell no. 

“relax, elax,” riki’s voice settles down from his laughter as he comes close to you again, still shirtless. you cans ee every sweat droplet on his skin as he gets closer. the line between his abdomen that separates every single ab muscle. his hands reach out for you again, making you take a step back. he stops, his face serious as he looks at you, “just trust me for one second.” 

you sigh, relaxing as you stand straight up, hands at your sides as riki approaches you, his hands landing on your arms as he spins you around to face the mirror in front of you both. your back is against his bare chest. you can smell his familiar cologne far too easily for your liking. his height truly towers over you.you’ve only noticed your height difference now. you barely make it to his chin, having to turn your head up completely if you were to turn around and look at his face. 

you stare at his face behind you in the reflection. his eyes locked onto yours. 

“keep your shoulders down,” his voice is low as he speaks into your ear, not breaking eye contact with you. his hands press down onto your shoulders, relaxing them. “keep your back straight,” you gasp when you feel one of his fingers, ever so slightly, trail down your back from your neck to your midriff. you ignore the way his lips smirk at your response. 

“don’t forget to tighten your core,” he continues guiding you, now placing his hand on your front, lower abdomen. his hand ignites a fire where he places it. you wonder if he can feel the heat radiating off of it. “and keep looking at my face in the reflection when you turn, use it as a focus spot.” 

you nod as you let out a deep breath that your lungs had been begging for. without thinking much more about the fire riki was creating inside of your body, you push off the floor from fifth position. you keep your sight locked onto riki’s face in the reflection, just like he had said to. you manage to do a single, and then a double pirouette en dehors without thinking much more of it. you land back in fifth position, unable to hide the large smile spread across your face. 

riki is still behind you, your eyes still locked onto his reflection. you can feel his body’s warmth still behind you. his own smile on his face. your chest’s heavy breathing starts to simmer as does your smile. the tension between how close you and riki were standing was starting to take its toll on you as the fire in your body wouldn’t extinguish. 

you gulp as you turn your head to the left, eyes glancing up to meet riki’s as he turns his own head to face you as he still stands behind you. your faces are mere inches apart now. your eyes drift from his eyes to his plump lips. 

“have you thought about what i said?” riki’s voice whispers out to you, almost like he’s scared that anyone else would hear. that if he spoke too loud you’d run away. 

“yeah.” 

“and?” 

“you’re full of shit.” 

you push off of him, his grasp on your arms forced off of you as you walk away from him. 

“what?”

you don’t look at him as you start to pick up your bag, tossing it over your shoulder. you lock your sight on the doors of the practice room, wanting to run out of there as fast as you can. wanting to get away from riki before you give into something you didn’t know you could even feel for him. you want the fire to be watered down before it completely takes over. 

without another word, you leave the dance studio, deciding to walk home so the late night’s cold air can help cool down your body and clear your mind. wanting everything nishimura-riki-related to be completely smothered.

you didn’t speak to nishimura riki until a week later when he showed up at your house to finish your science fair project. you hoped that this would be the last time he would step foot in your house. 

you both settled into your, now usual, spots at the dining room table, sitting across from each other. your parents had left for a few hours tonight, wanting to go out for dinner together. they probably wouldn’t be back until later, which gave you lots of time to finish this dreadful project with riki. 

working efficiently with riki only lasted ten minutes before he started to annoy you. he obviously wasn’t in the mood to work on this project. he was swaying back and forth on his chair, his knees shaking off the floor. he kept sighing heavily, wanting to distract you from working on the project. 

riki officially got to you when he started to use your pen as a drum stick against the dining room table. 

“would you stop that?” you snap at him, trying to finish glueing the different hues of purple and pink squares to the cardboard. 

riki tsks, tossing the pen to the side, clearly not impressed by your lack of interest in doing anything else but this project. but honestly, you had trouble even looking at him since what had happened at the dance studio last week. 

the memory of how close his warm, sweaty body was to yours made your mind drift further and further away from sleep every single night. the way his voice dropped octaves as he instructed you what to do. his hands roamed your body, teasing you and testing you to see how much you’d take of his touch. 

the harsh smell of glue brings you back to reality, where riki sits right in front of you. 

“you’re not doing that right,” riki speaks, nodding to your placement of the purple squares. 

you look down at your work, “yeah i am.” you argue back, ignoring him as you continue to place them down with glue. 

“fine, but i would’ve done it a better way.” 

you sigh, sitting back in your seat, your fingers covered in glue as you glare at him from across your own dining room table. “why do you always have to act like you’re better than me?” 

riki doesn’t look phased by your outburst, just sits back on the chair, similar to your own position. “i don’t think i’m better than you. it’s just, like easier to piss you off when i act like it.” 

“you’re so annoying.” 

“yeah, but i like being annoying.” 

your face scrunches in confusion, “why would you like being annoying?”

you go back to focusing on your project, at least one of you should try to care about it since you have to present it to the science fair next week. riki doesn’t answer your question. but you hear him quietly stand up, walking around the dining room table. your heart picks up its pace but you try to ignore him and your heart. at least he’s being quiet. 

suddenly, you feel and physically see his presence hover right next to you. his tall figure casts a shadow over you as he stands in front of the light. you gulp and look up at him, not knowing what to expect from him now.

“because it’s the only way you’ll pay attention to me— the only way you’ll talk to me.” 

his voice is dead serious as he looks down at you. there’s barely any room between you two as you look at each other. trying to decipher each other’s intent and expression. 

“what are you talking about?” you ask him, forcing yourself to keep your voice steady as you ask him. 

riki leans down, putting one of his hands on the table right beside your own, his face only mere inches away from yours now. you’re basically forced to look nowhere but at him. your eyes locked onto his face. 

“c’mon y/n,” his voice is desperate, begging and desperate for something that you and him both know you can give him. 

“i don’t know what you want, riki.” your lies are getting easier and easier to see through, even for yourself. 

riki groans with pure frustration, rolling his eyes. before you can argue more with him, he leans over, through the last few inches between your faces, and presses his lips onto yours. 

it takes you by surprise at first. your eyes staying open as you watch his own close, focused completely on kissing you. but then you give in. 

you give in to what you’ve been subconsciously pushing away for years. the desire to kiss riki. to be seen and touched by him. your lips start to move against his in a hungry, hurry. it’s no longer a soft kiss like he had initiated. both of your bodies are succumbing to what you’ve both been deprived of for years. 

you pull away from him, both of your chests heaving as you stare at each other. your pupils are blown wide with need and something else. you’re sure your cheeks are flushed just as much as his are. 

you swallow harshly, grabbing onto his wrist as you stand up, “come.” 

riki doesn’t pull his wrist away as you lead him upstairs, into your bedroom, to where both of you had thought about countless times but never had the words to initiate.

you stand next to nishimura riki in front of your colour perception project for the science fair. the rest of the gym is full of your classmates and their projects. you can see through the crowd that the judges are getting closer and closer to your project and now your hands are sweating even more. 

you were already sweating profusely at the fact you had to stand next to riki and pretend like nothing had happened with each other the last time he was at your house. like your parents hadn’t come home early and caused you both to stumble down the stairs, acting like nothing had happened except for the progression of your project. 

you and riki hadn’t spoken since you had basically pushed him out of your house after he greeted your parents, trying not to act as awkward as you were in front of them. thankfully, your parents love riki, so not much thought went through their heads about how weird you guys were acting. 

but now, at the science fair, you were still acting weird around him. you tried to think about what the kiss had meant to him and to you. you couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that and you and riki had kissed, and it’s been days since it’s happened. 

you glance down the makeshift hallway in the gymnasium, seeing that judges were coming to your project next. you wipe your hands on your jeans, your chest picking up pace as you start to breathe heavily. 

“calm down,” riki grunts through his teeth beside you, trying to keep his smile plastered on his face as the judges approach. 

“i’m trying, just don’t mess this up.” 

you hear him scoff, “please, tell yourself that.” 

you manage to give him one more eye roll before the judges come over. 

thankfully, riki isn’t as nervous about presenting and as awkward to be around you as you are. he shows the judges how your colour perception project works. they pick up the glass filters you created, holding it over their eyes as they examine the designs you and riki made with all those different coloured squares you had spent a month creating and arranging. 

the judges and mr barr seemed impressed by your project, mumbling something about creativity that you couldn’t properly hear because riki had accidentally touched his hand against yours as you handed the judges the glass filters. 

as soon as the judges move onto the next booth, you’re leaving riki and your project behind as you beeline it straight to the bathroom. once inside you lean over the sink, trying to calm your breathing and the feeling of panic growing in your stomach. 

your knuckles go white as you grip the sink, trying to steady yourself. but it’s hard to do that when all you can think about is stupid nishimura riki. the way he knows you more than you know yourself. how he’s been there for every milestone of your life whether you realized it at the time or not. 

“no,” you mutter to your own reflection, “this isn’t happening,” a dry chuckle escapes your lips, “i– i don’t like him. i can’t like him.” but you know your words are the complete opposite of what you truly feel. 

your words hold no true credibility when the mere thought of riki sends you mentally spiraling. when his fleeting touch makes your skin feel like it’s on fire. the way his eyes scan you, even briefly, make you feel exposed, like he knows every single thing about you with just one glance. 

everything feels suffocating. 

but you know you can’t avoid this forever. that you probably like him more than he likes you. that you can’t keep pushing your feelings down and riki away just to protect yourself. you sigh, how will you face nishimura riki now?

when you head back to the gym, riki is standing in front of the bulletin board where all the scores are posted for the science fair. you stand beside him, not looking at him. 

you can tell from the corner of your eye that he's watching you. he opens his mouth to ask if you're okay, but you're quick to wave your hand dismissively, signaling for him to drop it.

he takes your lack of yelling at him to “shut up” seriously.

riki turns his head back to the bulletin board in front of you, his finger pointing to it, “we got second.” 

“what?” your eyes widen, searching for your name on the board. and sure enough, your name is next to nishimura riki’s in the second place spot. “oh my god!” you can’t hide the excitement in your voice. “congrats!” you tell riki, honestly. 

riki softly smiles in response, “congrats.” 

you shrug, “second isn’t bad considering we wanted to kill each other a month ago.” 

“speak for yourself, i never wanted to kill you, y/n.” 

you roll your eyes, “yeah? then what did you want then?” 

riki turns to face you, both of your bodies facing each other directly. 

“for you to finally admit that you like me.”

you try to fight the panic feeling growing in the pit of your stomach again, keeping the smirk on your face as you cross your arms over your chest, “you kissed me first, remember?” 

riki’s own smirk grows on his face then, “yeah, but i also remember you taking me up to your bedroom after so what does that mean?” 

your face flushes with heat as he recalls what happened between you. but you know that he’s right. “fine.” you sigh, preparing yourself, “i like you. happy?” 

riki doesn’t let a second pass before he’s pulling you into him, your body hitting his harshly but your lips are forced onto his. this time, you aren't hesitant to kiss him back. both of you smiling into the kiss in the middle of your school’s gym. 

riki pulls away first, “i’m ecstatic.” his hand drops to your hand, intertwining your fingers together with his. “now let’s get out of here before people start asking us if we’re dating.” 

“what?” you glance around the gym, everyone’s eyes are locked directly onto where you and riki are. before you can look any longer, riki is running, with your hand in his, out of the gym. he’s pushing through the crowd of students and teachers to get to the doors.

you hear his laughter in front of you as he mumbles “sorry”s to the people he’s pushing. you can’t help but laugh with him as you let nishimura riki, your boyfriend, lead you out of the science fair.

@ taeghi, 2024. do not repost or reuse in anyway.

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Mine 💚

Masterlist

Pairing: Billie eilish x Female!Reader

After years of work you got signed to a major horror movie studio,throwing your name into the spotlight. And quickly tossing you into multiple interviews to promote yourself and your new movie coming out. The press tour taking you almost all across the US. Including an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The interview was mostly about your new movie,the previous roles and the new studio you were signed to. Of course because it was Jimmy Fallon he had to keep the mood light and make jokes. During the interview, the audience was shown clips of you at various Billie eilish shows from the Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour. You had been to several shows and had the time of your life. Which was embarrassing and all you could do was just laugh.

“I’m guessing you had fun?”

“She’s just incredible” You chuckled,praising Billie.

Hours later the clips were all over the internet and your phone dinged with a message.

@ billieeilish Her name popped up,seeing that she sent you a message. 

@  billieeilish: “hey just saw you on Jimmy Fallon, you’re funny and congrats on signing to the new studio”

"Well I dabble in comedy 😉,and thanks" you added a winking emoji to emphasize the joke.

@ billieelish: "Dabble in comedy and final girl roles, apparently. your screams are iconic."

"So are your songs,I mean you saw the footage of me making a fool of myself at your concert 😂😅"

@  billieeilish: "I think you spelled 'living your best life' wrong 😂” You chuckled to yourself. 

"I guess I really did spell it wrong"

@  billieeilish: "glad you cleared that up 😂 so which song is your favorite?"

"Well I have two favorites 'You should see me in a crown' and 'lunch'"

@  billieeilish: "taste 🤌🏻 you might be the first person to not say all the good girls go to hell or something in my dms 😂"

"Or bad guy 😂"

@  billieeilish: "omg yes 😂"

"You really should consider adding copycat to the set list,if you're taking suggestions that is"

@  billieeilish: "oh, I'm always open to suggestions. 👀 I'll see what I can do. "

@  billieeilish: "You seem to be a big fan. How many of my shows have you been to?”

"Honestly I've lost track,I've been to almost every show for the past three years"

@  billieeilish: "Damn, okay, hardcore. I'm impressed. have you been to the international ones too?"

"Some,when they were close to the filming locations" you explained.

@  billieeilish: "Ah, right. acting superstar, I forgot 😂 what's it like filming horror movies? I bet it's nerve-wracking"

"Not really,it wears off after a while and you lose the 'scared' part of it. You gotta learn to fake being scared really well" you explained further.

@  billieeilish: "You're a great actress then, because you looked terrified in The long night"

"Let you in on a little secret,that shot was filmed like 13 different times and they went with one of the later takes. Meaning that terrified look and scream was entirely fake,at that point I had been screaming all day but no one can tell"

@  billieeilish: "Damn, respect. all that screaming, and you still look amazing 😂 I'd be a mess. you probably have a killer throat game" You chuckled.

"So I've been told but don't expect me to sing. You heard how horribly off key I was,but if you ever need someone to scream or something like that,you know the right person 😂"

@  billieeilish: "Well, if I ever need a scream queen, I know who to call. and don't worry, off-key is the new in. You'll start a trend 😂"

"Sureeee" you spelt it in a way that showed you were being sarcastic. "Whatever you say Billie"

@  billieeilish: "don't mock me. I'm a very influential person. I can totally change trends with one flick of my pretty hand 😂"

"I don't doubt that" you smirked but she of course couldn't see it.

@  billieeilish: "good, you shouldn't doubt me. I'm always right. just ask my best friend Zoe, she'll confirm it 😂" You chuckled,before texting back.

"I don't think I need someone to confirm it,I already believe you. Unfortunately I'm gonna have to let you go,I have a premiere tomorrow and if I show up one more time with dark circles under my eyes from staying up all night the makeup team is not gonna be happy with me"

@  billieeilish: "Aww, alright. Gotta let my new fan rest. Can't have those circles under your eyes ruining that perfect look 😉  have fun at the premiere, darling. Break a leg"

"You too,and get some sleep because I know for a fact you have a show tomorrow"

@  billieeilish: "oh, so you're keeping tabs on me now? 👀 I'm honored, really. and yeah, you caught me. I have a show tomorrow. but I'll be sure to rest up so I can give my best performance for my number one fan ;)"

"Oh,I'm not gonna be there,with the premiere the time just won't work out. But I know you'll do great"

@  billieeilish: "Aww, that's a bummer. I was definitely looking forward to seeing you there. But I get it, the timing sucks. At least you'll be there in spirit 😂 and don't worry, I'll make sure to put on a show worthy of you, even if you won't be in the audience. I'll pretend you're there watching, front row, screaming for me"

"Good night,Billie 💚"

@  billieeilish: "Goodnight, darling. Sweet dreams. can't wait to chat again"

The next day you sent her a few photos as you got ready with the makeup team.

@  billieeilish: "wow, looking absolutely radiant! The makeup team works miracles. I'm jealous, all I have to do is wake up and get dressed 😂"

"You're the lucky one here,I had to be up at five am for this. I wish I could just get up,get dressed and head out 😂"

@  billieeilish: "Ugh, five in the morning? brutal. I don't envy that. I'm already exhausted just thinking about it. but hey, at least you get to wear a gorgeous dress and walk the red carpet. I just get to run around on stage for two hours 😂"

"I'd still rather be there watching you than the red carpet"

@  billieeilish: "Aww, you flatter me. but really, don't underestimate the power of a red carpet moment. I've seen those photos, your fans go absolutely crazy over you. I'm jealous of that 😉"

"I gotta go,they're calling for me. Good luck with your show 💚"

@  billieeilish: "alright, break a leg out there! I'll be thinking of you while I'm onstage.Have fun ❤️" You got to the red carpet and took photos,did some interviews which consisted of questions about the movie and filming before you headed inside.

@  billieeilish: "How's the premiere going? I bet you're absolutely killing it on the red carpet. I wish I could be there to cheer you on"  You sent her a photo from the red carpet. 

"It's going pretty well although I still wish I was at your show instead"

@  billieeilish: "Wow, you look stunning! they could totally use that photo as a movie still. And aww, I wish you were at the show too. But know that I'm thinking about you every time I sing. Maybe I'll even dedicate a song to you 😉"

"Really,which one?"

@  billieeilish: "hmmm, let's see... I'll let it be a surprise 😉 But trust me, it'll be one you'll love. You have great taste in my music, after all. I hope you're settling in for the movie now, but I gotta get ready for mine. Talk to you later, darling" As soon as everyone got into the theater to watch the movie you snuck off,changing your shoes so you weren't wearing heels. You made your way over to her show,already having a ticket that you bought months before. You walked in and heard her singing. You listen closely to see which song it was. Billie was on stage, performing with infectious energy, and the audience roared in approval. The song she chose was ‘Happier Than Ever.’ Soon you were screaming the lyrics with her,but begin cautious to not be too loud. As the song ended, Billie took a moment to catch her breath. The crowd cheered on, and she couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline from the performance. She spotted you and shot a subtle smirk your way, clearly enjoying the fact that you were there. You smiled back at her,clearly overdressed for one of her concerts. You saw her chuckling,probably at how overdressed you were. As the concert continued, Billie continued singing, her eyes occasionally darting back to you, You continued to sing along with her,knowing every single word. As the concert reached its climax, the energy reached its peak. The crowd was electric, and you were right in the middle of it all, singing and dancing like you were the biggest fan. After the final song had ended and the lights went down, the crowd erupted into applause, and Billie's adrenaline was pumping. But as the audience began to file out, she looked around for you, realizing you were gone. A mix of disappointment and curiosity filled her mind.

"Sorry about running off,I had to get back in time for the after party so they wouldn't know I snuck off. I wish I could've talked to you but I had to be fast" You were gone but you did leave a message. "And your performance was absolutely fantastic," you added. You arrived back at your hotel room, kicking off your heels and collapsing onto the bed with a sigh of exhaustion. The after-party had been fun, but all you could think about now was how much you had enjoyed Billie's concert and the stolen moment with her. You were in the middle of washing your makeup off when you noticed tweets popping up with your name, mentioning that you had been at the concert. Curiously, you started scrolling through the mentions and comments, reading what people were saying about your surprise appearance.

"I'm dying! Y/N at Billie's concert? This is the crossover we didn't know we needed."

"I still can't believe I saw Y/N in the audience at Billie's concert. She was jamming out like the biggest fan."

"Wait, was that Y/N I saw at Billie's concert? OMG, she's such a huge fan! #Y/NAtBillieConcert" Immediately these were followed by others confused as you were supposed to be at the premiere.

"Yeah,she had premiere tonight,she must really be a big fan to sneak off just for Billie"

"Isn't she supposed to be at the premiere of her new movie?"

"Gotta admit, that's pretty impressive. Who would skip a premiere for a concert? Only a true fan."

"Wait, what? She left the premiere for Billie's concert? That's some serious dedication." You couldn't help but laugh at the confusion on Twitter as people started speculating about your whereabouts. And less than an hour the news outlets had picked up on the story,swarming with headlines such as.

@ EntertainmentWeekly: "Y/N Caught at Billie Eilish Concert: A Night to Remember!"

@ E!News: "Y/N Spotted at Billie Eilish Concert Amidst Premiere: A Surprising Fan Moment"

@ CelebBuzz: "Y/N’s Surprise Appearance at Billie Eilish Concert Sparks Speculations of a Romantic Connection!"

@ GossipCentral: "Y/N Skips Movie Premiere for Billie Eilish Concert: A Secret Romance?” You filled up the bathtub just as your phone dings with a message.

@ billieelish: "Hey, I see you made quite the impression on the media tonight 👀"

"Sure did,now everyone thinks we're secretly dating"

@ billieelish: "Haha, well, you know how the media is. they'll take any opportunity to spin a story. but just so you know, I'm not complaining about being associated with you like that 😉"

"They'll take anything,huh?"

@ billieelish: "Oh, absolutely. they're like sharks, circling any piece of drama or gossip they can find. but honestly, I wouldn't mind the media thinking we're secretly dating. could be worse, right?😏"

"It's pretty funny too,maybe you should come with me to the next premiere?" You suggested.

@ billieelish: "Haha, you know what? maybe I will. it'd give the media something to really talk about, right? and I have to admit, I wouldn't mind being your date to a premiere 😉"

"In that case I'll text you the details once I get them"

@ billieelish: "Perfect, I'll be looking forward to seeing you again and giving the media even more to write about 😉”

A few days passed and you talked less,mostly because you were both busy. You doing promotions for your next movie and she was filming for a music video,but she was stumped on one thing. The music video needed a princess of sorts to tie in with the song about how someone and their life looks like a fairytale. She just couldn't figure out who should play the princess,every actress didn't give the look in her eyes that she wanted. She was quickly running out of hope,having gone through a big amount of the actresses that auditioned.

@ billieelish: "Hey, I know this might be a bit random, but I've been stuck on something and I was hoping you could help me out. Can I ask you a favor?"

"I'll see what I can do,so what do you need help with?"

@ billieelish: "Well, I'm filming a music video, and I'm having trouble finding the right actress to play this princess role. I know it's probably a long shot, but I was wondering if you'd be open to trying out for it? I think you'd be perfect for the part."

"Sure,I could give it a try"

@ billieelish: "Really? That's amazing! Honestly, I was a little worried you might think it's a crazy idea, but I'm so glad you're game for it. When would you be free to come down to the set and give it a shot?"

"I have one more interview,so send me the details and I'll be there in one hour maximum"

@ billieelish: "Awesome, I'll have my team send you the address and any other necessary details. And don't worry, the scene is pretty simple. You just need to look pretty and act like a princess."😏

"Lucky for me I'm pretty good at that" you jokingly typed back.

@ billieelish: "Haha, I have no doubt about that. I've seen your red carpet looks, you totally dress the part of a princess. can't wait to see you in action 😉"

one hour later

When you arrived at the set, you noticed that the crew were already preparing for the shoot. Billie was in the corner, looking over the scene. She noticed you and quickly walked over.

"Hey, glad you could make it. ready to give this princess thing a shot?" she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Sure,now what should I do?" You looked around,trying to deduce what the scene was about.

"Well, we're shooting a scene in the forest. We want to capture the whole fairytale vibe, so I think we're going for a soft, almost floating kind of walk. you know, like a princess walking through the woods, lost in her own world." Hours passed as you filmed,the last scene was her laying on your lap as she sang.

Days later you were back on the set of your movie when you got a notification of a money transfer from Billie with a note that said “Thanks princess” Your eyebrows raised, and a small smile played on your lips, realizing that Billie had sent payment for you appearing in her music video.

"You know that's way too much,it wasn't that many hours" you texted her.

The one thing about it was,it was too much for that few hours of filming.

@ billieelish: "lol, don't worry about it. I wanted to make sure I paid you well for your time and the amazing job you did. consider it a bonus for being the perfect princess 😉"

"Okay,sugar daddy," you joked back.

@ billieelish: "Haha, sugar daddy? I like the sound of that 😉 but seriously, I just wanted to show my appreciation, and I think you deserve it. so consider it a thank you gift from your favorite musician 😉" A few hours later you had finished filming for the day,the music video was released and you sat down to see what people were saying. You scrolled through your phone, checking social media to see how fans reacted to the video. Comments were rolling in, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. People were going nuts over your appearance and some even speculated about your relationship with Billie. Comments like 

"OMG, the princess is a literal goddess! Who is she?"

"Billie and the princess are giving us major fairytale vibes"

"The way Billie looks at her 😍" filled the comment section. Fans also took notice of the fact that the music video had a more light and cheerful tone than her usual dark and somewhat depressing tone. 

"The chemistry between Billie and the princess is off the charts!"

"I think the princess is the reason for the happier vibe. There's something about her that really brings a smile to my face."

"Is it just me or does this music video feel different than Billie's usual ones? It's so light and cheerful!"

"The princess, the lighting, the vibes—this music video is perfect. it feels like a whole new side of Billie we haven't seen before."

"I don't know what it is about the princess, but she really makes this music video. The chemistry between her and Billie is unreal."

"I've never seen Billie look at someone the way she looks at the princess. there has to be some real-life chemistry there! the tension is insane."

And the comments continued as you took her to your premiere as your plus one. The fans went wild on social media after seeing photos of you and Billie together at the premiere. The hashtag "billieandprincess" started trending, and the speculation about your relationship reached new heights.

"Omg, did you see that look in Billie's eyes when the princess walked down the red carpet? pure love. I can't handle it." 

"Billie and the princess are owning this red carpet. seriously, they're giving us goals #billieandprincess"

"I can't believe they came as each others' dates! they look so cute together.”

"The chemistry is off the charts. I can't stop staring at their pictures. this has to be more than just a friendly outing, right?" 

“The way they're posing together is everything. I'm officially on the 'billieandprincess' train. this is the ship I didn't know I needed."  It was clear the fans wanted you together and that wasn't helped by her continuing to have you in music videos,playing various characters but always close to her.

"I'm fully convinced they're secretly dating. who else gets to be in this many music videos with an artist like Billie?"

"I can't believe they're in another music video together! every time they team up, the chemistry is just unreal." The idea that you were secretly dating quickly made its way out of the fans and reached the headlines in newspapers and magazines.

@ PopCultureInsider: "The latest scoop: are Billie Eilish and her onscreen princess truly an item? read more here to find out!"

@ TrendingNow: "Billie Eilish's latest music video sparks romance rumors with mystery actress. Could this be the real deal?" With both of you not confirming or denying it,which only served to make them speculate more.

You were both at her place,she had invited you over to watch a movie. You had a couple of drinks before she started talking.

"So, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about... about us." she paused, her eyes searching yours. "You know how the media's been going crazy with all the speculation and rumors about us, right?"

"You wanna tell them that we're just friends?" You asked.

"No, that's not exactly what I was thinking." Billie shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. You moved closer to her,her hand quickly moved to your waist.

"If we do..." you couldn't think of what to say,the alcohol clouding your mind.Billie's hand on your waist sent a shiver down your spine, and the alcohol in your veins made your heart pound faster. You took a deep breath, trying to compose yourself, but the proximity was making it hard to think clearly. She leaned closer, her face just inches from yours, her eyes fixated on your lips.

"If we do..." she repeated your words, her voice barely above a whisper. You leaned closer and kissed her,your hand moving into her hair and she pulled you into her lap. With a soft moan, she deepened the kiss, her tongue seeking yours. The world around you faded away as you lost yourself in the moment, the taste of her and the intoxicating heat of her body against yours. You ran your hands through her hair, holding her close, your body trembling with anticipation. The room was filled with the sounds of your ragged breaths and soft moans, a symphony of pleasure that only fueled the fire between you. Only for the moment to be interrupted by someone's voice. 

"Well, this is... unexpected." Just as things were getting even more heated, the sound of someone clearing their throat broke the moment. You both turned to see Billie's brother, Finneas, standing at the doorway, his eyes widened with surprise. "Looks like I interrupted something." He smirked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the two of you, still cuddled closely together on the couch. His playful tone was evident as he spoke. Billie's voice was filled with embarrassment.

"Finneas, hey... um, you're home early."

"Sorry, didn't realize this was a private party." Finneas chuckled, clearly enjoying the situation.

"Oh, shut up. Don't you knock first?" she retorted.

"Oh, my bad. I'll make sure to wait for an invitation next time."

"Well, you just ruined the mood." You couldn't help but smile at their banter despite the initial embarrassment. Finneas's easy-going nature made the moment less tense as he leaned against the doorframe. He grabbed something and left,but not without some remark.

"Oh, and just remember kids, protection is important." Billie tossed a cushion towards him, which he dodged. "Thanks, we'll keep that in mind. Any more sage advice, oh wise one?"

“Hey, just lookin' out for you two lovebirds! Safety first, remember!" You and Billie exchanged a look before bursting into laughter. Finneas had a knack for lightening the mood, and his playful banter eased the embarrassment you both were feeling. She tossed another pillow his way.

"We get it, we get it! Now, can we get back to our moment, please?" Finneas ducked out of the way, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the pillow. He smirked, clearly enjoying the banter. He turned his back and you tossed a pillow his way,this one hit him.

"Hey, that was a cheap shot!"

"Maybe now you'll think twice before interrupting next time." Billie was clearly finding it fun that you stood with her,despite your moment having been ruined. He scurried off,leaving her looking up at you as her hands held your hips still.

"Where were we again?" Billie looked up at you, a mixture of desire and affection dancing in her eyes. Her hands remained on your hips, a possessive touch.

"I don't know,the shock sobered me up" you got off her and stood up. "I could use a shot of something"

"Yeah, Finneas has that effect on people. Always pops up at the most inconvenient times." You both moved to the kitchen. "As for that shot you need, what's your poison?"

"Something strong"

"How's a shot of good old whiskey sound? It'll definitely kickstart your mood." You both downed the shots,the whiskey burning on its way down. She set the empty shot glass on the counter with a soft clink, her gaze fixed on you, a mixture of desire and anticipation in her eyes.

"So we're doing this?" you gestured between you two.

"Unless you've changed your mind." She took a step closer to you, the space between you growing smaller with each moment. Her hand found your hip again, drawing you in even closer, the heat of your bodies meeting.

"I haven't" you moved closer,pressing yourself against her. You picked her up and set her down on the counter. Sitting there, she looked up at you, her gaze dark with desire and a hint of mischief. Your hands moved up her thighs to her waist as you kissed her.Her hands found their way to your hips, pulling you even closer as she deepened the kiss, a soft moan escaping her as her desires heightened.

"Maybe you should write a song about me," you teased,trailing your hand between her thighs.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Being the subject of my next hit single." She looked up at you with a playful look, biting her lower lip as your touch sent sparks of pleasure through her. Trying to keep her voice even, she responded, her tone both amused and slightly breathless. You pulled her right to the edge,right up against you.

"Doesn't your princess deserve a song?" You knew what you were doing,playing with her.

"Oh, does my princess want a song all to herself?" She wrapped her legs around your waist, her arms looping around your shoulders as she looked up at you, a mix of playfulness and lust in her eyes. She leaned in closer, her words a playful challenge. You kissed her neck.

"What do you think?" It was a sarcastic question,one that didn't demand an answer.

"Maybe I do... maybe I want a whole album."

"Really now? Tell me more" you bit her neck,making her moan. "Make that album and I promise I'll give you the best night of your life" you whispered,moving your hands underneath her oversized t-shirt.

"You'd better keep that promise." You moved to pull off her shorts,moving to whisper. 

"Oh,I will" you spread her legs,your fingers hooked her panties and pulled them off. "I'm keeping these,I hope you don't miss them too much. And if you need more 'inspiration' call me"

"Trust me, I'll remember this for future inspiration. But I think you might need to give me something in return." Her panties had a massive wet spot,clearly she was enjoying this. You unzipped your top to show your chest as you leaned closer. She bit her lip, trying to control the wave of arousal that coursed through her at the sight. 

"That's a pretty good exchange... but is it enough to inspire a whole album?"

"Then touch them" you smirked

"Giving me instructions now, are you? I should've known you'd be the bossy type." Her hands slowly traced your skin.

"You should watch that pretty mouth,it'll get you in lots of trouble" your lips glistened with your lipgloss which had somehow stayed despite everything.

"And what if I like trouble? What if I want my pretty mouth to get me into some fun situations?" Your hand brushed against the inside of her thigh,before two fingers plunged into her. Your fingers slipping in so easily. 

"God,you're so wet for me"

"Y-You have that effect on me... It's incredible..." Her body arched into your touch at your words, a soft moan escaping her lips."Really" You pulled your fingers out and licked them. She whined and whimpered the second you pulled your fingers out. "Please... I need more, don't tease me like this" You smirked,knowing you had her at your mercy. You moved her body,putting her feet on the counter which made her spread her legs wide. Letting you see her fully as you drew lines from her ankle to her inner thigh. You took her hand and placed it between her legs. 

"Now,show me how you've touched yourself." You smirked,your hand covering hers. She moved her hand,circling her clit, her breath shallow and quick. "How many times have you done this,pretended,wished it was my hand?" You whispered into her ear. She let out a shuddering exhale as your words washed over her, the sound of them sending chills down her spine. Your free hand moved to her chest,softly squeezing as you kissed her collarbones and neck. You kissed her cheek,your hand moving hers in quicker circles. Her back arched and she moaned loudly. It didn’t take long at all for her to cum with your touch,you took over and let her ride it out as long as she could. “That’s it,good girl.”

Months later she had finished the album and was working on a music video with you. This one was completely sexual and you played along perfectly. One scene was her scribbling the word 'mine' all over you. Pretty much confirming your relationship to the media. You both knew that this moment was more than just a scene for the music video. It was a statement to the world that you belonged to each other. You were covered in the word and decided to post a photo to your Instagram,with the caption 'I think they got the message 💚' and tagged her on one of the 'mine' she had written on your skin.