#To rise again at a decent hour

[bookcoversonly]

Title: To Rise Again at a Decent Hour | Author: Joshua Ferris | Publisher: Penguin (2014)

[flovverworks]

its an eternal wonder i dont have ships here considering akiras my single muse who doesnt mind romance. like i know exactly why (i smash ppl into the friend category faster than lightning) but theres something comedic about it

[utterlyazriel]

the green emotion

someone requested jealous!azriel and i... made up a whole plot. i hope it's decent and fulfills the craving ! i'm a firm believer than he's so silly when he gets jealous <3 friends to lovers, about 4k

Azriel was not a jealous Male.

That was what he told himself. Jealousy was something that possessed the likes of Cassian or Rhys, driven to territorial acts that likened them to wild beasts. Fueled by their protectiveness, their senses dulled beyond reason.

Jealousy was a sharp whip with a taunting bite and Azriel was one of few who did not bend beneath it.

He had adopted a strength over millennia, an iron will, that prevented him from harboring such unsavory feelings. He was a stronger male than that, not so easily willed by strong ugly emotions such as jealousy.

That was what he told himself — as he tailed behind you, hanging back far enough you could not detect his presence, his shadows shrouding him.

It was reaching evening in Velaris, the last remnants of the sun's dappled light scattered across the cobblestones. You were clothed in a velvet cloak that reached down to your ankles. Its hood was drawn up, to cover your face.

If Azriel didn’t know you so well, not the weight of your steps and the lithe you carried yourself with, you may have slipped by unnoticed.

But Azriel was the Spymaster for a reason — and you were keeping secrets.

Truly, it itched and picked at him as he turned reason over and over again in his mind as he followed you. What possible reason could you have for skirting around in the dark? To slip from your friends and cloak yourself, wishing to remain unseen on the streets of your home?

It didn’t make sense to him. No thoughts of treason ever breached his mind. You wouldn’t dare, he knew that. You treasured your family as deeply as Azriel did himself, having bled and fought for your space beside them many years ago.

But as Azriel traced the path you walked, knowing you were fully in your right to go about your business however you pleased, it couldn’t be ignored. Logic kept pointing fingers in the same direction.

If he did not suspect you of withholding vital information from your court, then his quiet tailing must be fueled by something else. Something as trivial as an emotion such as…. jealousy.

Azriel bristled at the thought and his wings shook silently behind him, as if shaking off some imaginary snow.

He did not get jealous.

He was simply… ensuring the safety of his court. Which included your own safety. Even the thought made him grimace in the shadows, knowing the smack he would receive from Cassian if his brother ever heard the implication you couldn’t fend for yourself.

You most certainly could. Azriel and Cassian had both spent their fair share of hours battling against you in the fighting ring, training you up.

And it’s hardly likely that the image of you — donned in your fighting leathers, forehead beaded with sweat, chest heaving as you gripped your sword tight and grinned across the ring — was something Azriel would forget anytime soon.

Cauldron boil him if he ever had to admit aloud just how often he thought of that image.

Still, something within him kept his feet moving, footsteps as quiet as the night.

Faelight illuminated across the cobbles, the light of the rising moon, brighter in this court than any other, cast across the doorsteps of the townhouses. You had wound through the streets and ended up two streets stray from the Palace of Threads and Jewels. On a doorstep that Azriel had never seen before.

Your hood fell to your shoulders as you pushed it back gently, revealing the column of your throat and the curve of your shoulders. The faint moonlight glided across your skin, a luminous glow curling up against your collarbones. Azriel swallowed from his place in the shadows.

It was never a surprise to find you beautiful. To revere your enchanting otherworldly beauty — that Azriel was used to. And yet still, even after all these years, he had not managed to master the way it stole the breath from his lungs every time.

A familiar hunger yawned within him. He averted his eyes from you to the door.

He forced himself to take in the details, listening as his shadows whispered things his eyes could not attest. An artist's home. Damaged and rebuilt in the last battle of Velaris. The inhabitant was a Male, living alone.

Something blistered awfully inside Azriel.

Why would you visit a home such as this? Azriel could think of a few reasons that could warrant a visit so late in the evening, with your face concealed and your footsteps light. He felt his stomach turn over. Something foul burned in his gut.

The door before you opened and Azriel turned his face fast, slicing his gaze to the ground before he could see the Fae who greeted you.

Suddenly, this felt too close to an invasion of privacy. If you wished to keep your lovers a secret, as he himself did, this was a direct violation of your wishes.

That was... if this man was, indeed, your lover.

Something vulgar, something ugly reared up in his veins. Azriel clenched his fists at his sides, siphons gleaming, and willed it down.

Jealousy would not become him. Jealousy was not— did not control him.

And yet he could feel it, coursing through his blood, choking up his throat. Azriel tried to push it down, to fight against it with reason, with logic. You were promised to no Male, least of all to him. But...

But he could've sworn.

As quickly as the words appeared in his mind, Azriel stamped them down with an icy fury.

A silent curse followed them, directed at himself for his own foolishness. How many times would he walk this road before he eventually learned?

There had been no heated moments between you, no wandering eyes, no lingering hands; none that he had not imagined. None that his mind had no conjured up in its own twisted hope.

When you sought him out in the night, tormented by your own mind and how it kept you from sleep, you were seeking... a friend, Azriel realised bitterly.

There was nothing deeper to your decision to show up at his door but no one else's. Nothing was hidden in the way you chose a seat next to him at every dinner, nor the way you found a way to be beside him at the tables at Rita's.

Sitting close enough so that he could smell the alluring scent of your perfume. Could see the gleam of your bright eyes as you glanced at him after every joke, almost as if to see what might make him smile.

No. He steeled himself, shutting down every sweet moment of you he had been subconsciously collecting, holding to a greater magnitude than you clearly did.

You were not like Mor or Cassian. You did not warm the sheets of many Fae beds, slipping in and out of them without a care.

You were... alike to himself, Azriel had thought. Dedicated yourself to one.

He scowled at himself in the dark. This— this rendezvous in the dark did not dispel what he knew about you. It did not make it untrue.

It simply meant his feeble hope, that the one, the Fae you might dedicate yourself entirely was him... was just that—a hope.

It did not sway the reality of the world, the matter of truth that you crept out in the night to meet on shadowed doorsteps. Azriel felt his shadows smoking around him, spun into a frenzy at his unwelcome revelation. He snapped in his wings a little tighter.

Coming here tonight, following you, had been a mistake.

—

It seemed perfectly logical after that night for Azriel to take a step back, to rein himself in.

Not that there was not much to rein back — but the small actions reserved just for you, the unrestrained smiles, the inside jokes ribbed back at one another.

The things he had perceived as meaning more. He knew, that if he wanted to protect his heart from further ache, he should stop doing them.

But... maybe the only thing he did better than fighting, he thought grievously, was being utterly lovesick for someone who would never feel the same.

At the very least, he would hold his feelings to secrecy. It began with the smallest retractions, like weaning an addict off their favourite drug.

Azriel knew if he pulled away too quick, it would send him into a sort of withdrawal — and after all these years spent together, he wasn't sure he knew how to live with a deficit of you. Of your brazen smile and sparkling eyes.

Slow and sure. Over the next week, he willed himself to quit bothering you, to empty a space in your life so you could invite in others, those that meant more to you. So, there could be space for your new... lover.

Even the word sounded bitter in his mind.

Azriel opted for longer training in the morning. Let his sparring sessions with Cassian bleed longer and longer, not leaving the blazing hot rooftop even when Cass winds up limping inside.

He had received a halfhearted scowl from the warrior, undoubtedly for how unrelenting he had been in his fighting this week.

The time he usually sets aside for you, to read side by side in the library, to bake, to enjoy each other's company — Azriel swept it aside for you, to free up your schedule.

Noticed how you spend your free time down in Velaris. He doesn't dare tail you again.

The week crawls by slowly, stretching out thick, black tar.

Come Sunday, a day you normally reserved for spending with him, Azriel knows his extra insistence on training isn't enough of an excuse to keep you away. He trains late anyway.

True to his suspicions, it takes less than an hour for you to appear— having come to find him.

Azriel can sense you, even before his shadows murmur sweet things in his ears about the most beautiful Fae watching him through the window.

You're lingering at the door, unusually reserved. He can feel your hesitancy, even as he works his aching muscles through yet another set of exercises. His shadows stay in close, the edge of his body whispering in and out of darkness, his siphons gleaming.

You wait, watching quietly, until the sword he's wielding, a strong, broad Illyrian blade, is placed down to rest. Then, there's the soft pad of your feet as you step out into the training area. He hears you coming but he does not turn to face you.

“I've missed you this week.”

Even with his back turned, Azriel fights to keep his expression neutral, even as his eyes flutter at your admission. There's a tug on his shadows, their desire to wisp across to you proving a challenge to resist. He holds himself still, stern, and doesn't even a ruffle of his wings to indicate he's heard you.

"I—" Azriel begins. He still can't bear to turn to face you. "I'm sorry to hear that."

He can hear the noise of confusion that slips from your throat — evidently, it isn't the response you're expecting.

Azriel focuses on the sword before him, his bicep bulging as he lifts its weight and wanders to the stand of weapons. He pretends to be immersed in the decision of which to train with next, even though he's been out here for hours.

Even with his silent cold shoulder, he can still hear you behind him, your feet dragging softly across the ground in what is surely a hesitant nervous action. But still, you haven't left.

"Well, maybeee…" You continue on, voice still aiming for light and breezy, as if he hasn't been avoiding you. You're still trying.

Azriel's chest tightens up with a familiar ache, one that always lingers around you. Since seeing you that night, on another Male's doorstep, its sting has become particularly cruel. Jealousy has a cold bite.

"If you’re nearly done... I mean, if your somewhat obsessive workout regime is finally complete..."

You're winding on, taking jabs that would normally make him smile. You'd take a gentle rolling of his eyes at this point. Azriel turns to you, his face remaining passive.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come sit with me in the library," You say, voice suddenly softer now that he's facing you. "If you’re not too busy, that is.”

Azriel steels himself, eyes cutting to the ground as he forces himself to not wilt beneath your hopeful gaze. He knew it would be hard to pull himself away from you but this? This is nearing torture.

He clears his throat. “I am.”

He turns and begins to peel off the layers of Illyrian leathers from his torso, remaining diligent at keeping himself from caving to you. He can feel the ugly emotion rolling just beneath the surface, a gruesome green monster that threatens his usual composure.

Behind him, he hears your soft, saddened oh. His wings give a tiny shiver at it, even as he continues the methodical process of unwinding after training.

Piece by piece, his armor comes off, until even his shirt has been shed. His skin glistens under the shine of the afternoon sun, the muscles beneath rippling and sore from exertion.

There's a moment of silence and Azriel keeps his head bowed as he gathers himself, prepared to bathe the sweat and grime off himself. It wasn't a complete lie he had told.

Perhaps, he thinks wistfully, he could wash some of his unjust jealousy away with it. Being so unwound by his feelings is taking its toll on him, considering how unused to it he is. He waits, ears keenly listening for the sign of your departure.

After a minute of quietness, he can only assume you've slipped away silently. He sighs, half in relief and half in his sorrow.

"What are you busy doing?"

Your voice pipes up and Azriel glances behind him, surprised that you haven't left after all. His wings tuck in a little tighter.

"y/n." He murmurs your name and it comes out almost as a plea. Now, faced with you pulling apart his loose lie, Azriel finds he doesn't have it within him to lie to your face. "Please."

You don't say anything.

Azriel's shadows dance around him, agitated and frenzied, and he wills them to calm— though, that had always been an impossible request in your presence. He takes a sharp inhale and walks towards the door, leaving you behind on the rooftop.

He gets halfway down the hallway, heading for his room before your voice calls out again.

"Busy avoiding me?"

You've followed him from the training ring and now you stand at the end of the hallway, your arms crossed firmly across your chest. Your face is contorted into a hard expression, a furrow between your brows.

Azriel sighs and turns back to you. He hadn't been able to keep his secret from Mor — why, oh why did he think that he would have any more luck when it came to you?

You— enigmatic, wonderful you. Maybe, all Azriel hopes to do today is to delay the inevitable rejection for a different day. An easier day.

A day where he isn't feeling so easily undone by his the enormity of his envy. Envious of what he can't have but so desperately desires.

As he turns to face you, it's impossible to miss the way your eyes dart down to his bare chest. You stare for a moment too long and it looks like it takes an effort to drag your eyes up. You swallow heavily, the bob of your throat unmissable. Even from afar, Azriel swears there's a glow to your cheeks.

No. No, he wasn't doing that to himself anymore! He wouldn't— he couldn't be having those thoughts about you anymore. You had a lover for Mother's sake.

"I'm not—"

"Oh my Gods, don't even try to say you're not avoiding me." You interrupt him sharply. You begin to stamp your way down the hallway, eyes narrowed, your annoyance clear to see.

A door in the hallway opens. Distracted by something over his shoulder, Cassian takes a blundering loud step out into the hallway before he freezes.

He spots you first, eyes widening and wings bunching up at your obvious fury. His head turns, finding Azriel down the other end of the hallway.

"Oh... Mother, this is happening now, huh? I'm just gonna— uh, get food later." He jerks his thumb over his shoulder, quickly turning and disappearing back into his room. His door closes with a quiet snip.

In the moment of distraction, you don't notice how Azriel has moved away stealthily— his shadows aiding his quiet getaway. He's not entirely sure what his plan is; he doubts he can avoid this argument by simply shutting himself in his room. Turns out, he's selfish enough to be willing to try.

Sure enough, it takes another moment before his wings twitch, his shadows reporting on your incoming footsteps moments before he hears them himself.

He busies himself with digging through his drawers and sends a silent request to the House, praying it might keep the door locked against you.

He can do this— he can swallow down his burning heart and keep your friendship he values so dearly, he swears he can. Just not today.

He hears the door open.

Glancing up, he narrows his eyes at the House and calls it a foul word in his mind. The Faelights of his room seem to twinkle mischievously in response.

"Az," You breathe softly.

His name sounds unbearably tender coming from your lips. His wings give a little rustle, curling closer around himself.

Despite his lack of reply, you aren't deterred. He can hear your footsteps, gentle and not at all like your prior furious stomps down the hallway, as they wind around his bed.

Chest stirring with an old ache, he keeps himself facing away. He slips a shirt on and prays you give him one more day to rein in his treacherous heart. One more day. He just can't do it today.

"Did I... Did I do something?"

Your voice is suddenly a lot smaller.

Azriel softens instantly at the sound of it, feeling his resolve begin to crumble. He crushes his eyes closed and thinks of what he had seen down in Velaris — forces himself to imagine you with another Male, in his arms, in his bed.

But even if his jealousy is so terribly unwarranted, he cannot bring himself to lie to you.

"No," The word grates out his throat roughly.

Because it's the truth. You hadn't done anything wrong and— and Azriel refused to hurt you just because he couldn't contain a few rampant feelings.

"Really?" The tinge of annoyance is back in your words and Azriel can't even blame you.

"Because then why it is that you have been avoiding me since— since the day I was-"

You cut your own words off and Azriel fills in the blank on his own. Since the day down in the city—where I saw you entering another Male's home, hidden in your cloak, like you were meeting a lover— and even though you're completely allowed to do that, I am like every other gods forsaken jealous Male in Prythian, getting upset over this, even if you are not truly mine.

He turns to you finally, his hands clenched at his side and he wills the next sentence out.

"What or who you choose to spend your free time with—" He inhales a long breath, forcing his face to remain neutral even as he feels his teeth grit together. "—is none of my concern."

Your face scrunches up, confused. Then the furrow between your eyebrows is back and Azriel feels a tad nervous. You aren't often angry, least of all with him.

"Cauldron boil me," You bury your face into your hands for a second. Then you drag them down languidly with a groan, peeking up at him over your hands.

"Did you follow me?"

Azriel feels a bit off-guard. His voice isn't as sure when he says, "It is my duty to survey my court."

You bristle a little at that and the nervousness within him grows a little bigger.

"'Who I choose to spend my time with?'" You repeat his words back to him with a tone of incredulity, your hands motioning wildly before you. Faintly, Azriel begins to sense the feeling of foolishness rising within him.

"For Mother's sake, Az, I was buying you a birthday gift, not sleeping with him!"

The moment the words burst from your lips, two things happen. Azriel stiffens, the true nature of your stealthy endeavor through Velaris making a fool of him indeed.

You were... cloaked and hidden because you had been planning a surprise. For him. For his birthday. Something he hadn't even considered was around the corner as it held no high merit with him. His eyes widen and his lips part an inch.

And you — you straighten up, eyes wide, looking as though you've been struck by lightning.

"You were jealous." You gasp.

Not a question, a statement.

"No," Azriel denies, without thinking. His heart rabbits in his chest. The irony of acting out the way he did, because jealousy had blinded him in the first place, is not lost on him.

Suddenly, all his envy is washed away, replaced quickly by a bumbling foolish embarrassment. He wishes he could winnow out of the House. He considers the window behind him for a moment, if only to spare himself from revealing his true feelings to you.

One glance back at your face, your expression edging towards crestfallen, and any thoughts of running away vanishes.

"Yes." He quickly amends, voice meek.

His wings give a little shudder, twisting in closer as he realises what he's admitted aloud. How there was no coming back from this.

No one had ever made him as loose-tongued as you do. Azriel is embarrassed to be caught stumbling over his words.

"I realise..." He croaks out, suddenly finding the slats of the floorboards immensely more interesting. His shadows have slowed from their nervous frenzy, making lazy motions instead, as if to soothe him. "That may not be ideal. My feelings, that is."

A beat of silence. Azriel studies a spot on the floor intently. His heart flounders wildly behind his ribs. His embarrassment seeps something closer to mortification.

Your shoes peek into the edge of his vision and Azriel's head shifts up slowly, his hazel eyes finding yours and burning into them.

His shadows whisper a thousand things to him — but all of them are dulled, quietened, as he simply stares at you. Feels something between the pair of you hang in the balance, just a breeze from unraveling.

Your eyes are bright. Acutely, he realises he can smell relief rolling off you in heavy waves. Amongst it, too, is a hint of... happiness. Happiness.

“Oh, you big Illyrian baby,” You coo, a teasing lilt to your tone.

His cheeks grow warm. Something white-hot tips down his spine as you step in closer, swaying into his space. He can smell the alluring scent of you and his heart thrums in his chest at your nearness, aching to be closer.

"Some spymaster you are, huh?" You say, voice barely above a whisper.

Azriel stays silent but his head tilts to the side just an inch in his puzzlement, his eyebrows knitting together. Hazel eyes peer at you with such an intensity that it sends goosebumps crawling across your skin— his eyes searching your face for answers to his thousand questions.

"Knowing everything except for this." You continue, words feather-soft.

You don’t say what this is but Azriel thinks he knows. Hopes he knows. His hands at his sides clench tighter, his fingers curled up into fists, and the motion catches your attention.

Moving so slowly, you reach out and gingerly take his wrist between your delicate fingers. Azriel lets you. A whine crawls up in the back of his throat and his swallows it back down.

He watches closely as you pull his hand up, forward, cradling it with your own two. His fingers twitch, so unfamiliar with such tender touches.

The shadows scouring around his shoulders burst into a frenzy, circling down his arms and twirling around your intertwined hands. It's as though they're... dancing, Azriel thinks.

"I... hoped." He admits quietly, his voice full of longing.

You shift his mottled hand, turning it gently so his palm is facing yours. Then you hold your own up against it, like you're comparing hand sizes.

Azriel can barely tear his eyes off where your hand presses into his to look up at you. Something molten hot begins to scorch through his veins. A realisation. A dream that may be finally answered. It feels like pure starlight.

Your hand is dwarfed against his own scarred one — and when Azriel curls his fingers, they hug the top of yours gently. You press back against his hand, like the smallest hug back.

You murmur back. "You don't need hope."

Your gaze skirts up from your joined hands, your lips twitching into a nervous smile.

Your eyebrows have drawn together in the middle, just a bit, as though what's happening is something you find devastatingly beautiful. As though you think that way about him. About the two of you, together.

Azriel finds himself thinking of all he would give in the world —all the mountains he'd move and dragons he'd slay— for you to keep looking at him that way.

"You already have me."

[fanfictionismyaddiction]

"Please, don't freak out, but I may have been in a tiny little accident." For Toto Wolff with wife reader. Thanks!! :))

Missed Call Part 1

Part 2

Word count: 962

Pairing: Toto Wolff x wife!reader

______________________________________________________________

The race was chaos—cars speeding around the track, radios buzzing with information, engineers and strategists talking over each other. Toto Wolff was in his element, focused on every detail, every split-second decision that could change the outcome. The adrenaline kept him sharp, his mind working at a hundred miles an hour. But in the back of his mind, there was a nagging thought, one that had been bothering him for the past hour.

He hadn’t checked his phone.

Normally, it wouldn’t bother him. You knew how intense race weekends could be, and you never interrupted unless it was urgent. But something was gnawing at him, a sense that he had missed something important. The race was finally over—Mercedes had done well, not a win, but decent points in the bag. As the team celebrated, Toto slipped away from the paddock to check his phone.

Several missed calls.

Your name stared back at him from the screen, and a cold sense of dread washed over him. You had called multiple times, then sent a short message: "Call me when you can. Please."

His heart dropped. This wasn’t normal. You never called like this during a race unless something was wrong.

Without a second thought, he dialed your number, his pulse racing faster than any car on the track. The line rang once… twice… and then you picked up, your voice quiet.

“Hey,” you started softly, but he didn’t let you finish.

“Why did you keep calling?!” he demanded, his voice harsher than he intended. “What happened? Are you alright? Why did you just stop?”

You took a deep breath on the other end. “Please, don’t freak out, but… I may have been in a tiny little accident.”

His chest tightened immediately. “A tiny little accident? What do you mean? Where are you? What happened?”

You tried to keep your tone light, but there was a faint tremble in your voice. “I was driving home from the store and… someone ran a red light. They hit me, and the car flipped. I—”

“The car flipped?!” His voice was rising, catching the attention of people around him. A few team members exchanged worried glances, sensing his panic.

“I’m fine now,” you continued quickly, as if trying to defuse the tension. “I’m a little bruised, but the paramedics checked me out and everything’s okay.”

Toto wasn’t listening to the reassurances. His mind was filled with images of you trapped, hurt, and scared. “You were in an accident, and I didn’t answer? You tried to call me, and I didn’t pick up?”

“Toto, please—”

“Where are you? Are you still at the hospital? I’m coming—”

“I’m home,” you interrupted, your voice steady but tired. “They discharged me. I wanted to let you know, but I didn’t want to panic you during the race. I thought you could call me after…”

“After?” Toto’s voice cracked. “After?! You were in a car accident, hurt, and I didn’t even know for an hour! I should have been there. I should have—”

“Toto!” You raised your voice, finally stopping him. “I’m okay. I’m sore, yes, but I’m not dying. You’re freaking out, and it’s only making this worse. I called you because I love you, but I knew how much was happening today. I didn’t want you to lose focus.”

His eyes darted around as he ran his hand through his hair, trying to breathe. The engineers nearby whispered, confused by his reaction. James Vowles approached cautiously, seeing his team principal pale and shaking.

“Is everything alright?” James asked gently, eyes scanning Toto’s face.

Toto shook his head. “No. Everything is not alright.” He looked at the phone again, like it had betrayed him. “My wife… she’s been in an accident.”

James immediately placed a hand on Toto’s shoulder. “She’s okay, though? Is there anything we can do?”

“She’s at home,” Toto muttered, barely hearing the people around him. “But I wasn’t there… I wasn’t there when she needed me.”

Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, you could hear the distress in his voice. “Toto, listen to me,” you said, your own heart aching for him. “I’m okay now. I promise. You didn’t know. You couldn’t have known. Please don’t do this to yourself.”

James gestured for others to step back, knowing how private Toto was about his personal life, but even he seemed unsure of how to calm his boss down.

“I could have known,” Toto said quietly, almost to himself. “I could have answered. What if it had been worse?”

“Toto,” you said, your voice soft but insistent. “I don’t need you to beat yourself up over this. I’m okay. You’re here now.”

He ran a hand over his face, finally starting to breathe more steadily. “I’ll come home right away.”

“You don’t need to,” you tried, knowing how much work still needed to be done post-race. “Take care of what you need to there, then come home.”

“No,” he said firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. “I’m coming now.”

You sighed, knowing you wouldn’t win this one. “Alright. I’ll be here. Just… don’t drive like a madman.”

There was a pause before he spoke again, his voice softer. “I love you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“I love you too. And you’ll be here soon. That’s what matters.”

Toto hung up, still shaken, but with a determination in his eyes. “I have to go,” he said to James, who nodded with understanding.

“We’ll take care of everything here,” James assured him. “Go be with her.”

Toto nodded, his usual calm and collected demeanor shattered, but he wasted no time. He needed to see you, hold you, and make sure with his own eyes that you were okay. The race didn’t matter anymore—only you did.

[crashandlivewrites]

Spread Your Wings- Part 1

This came from some very, very horny brainrot from a porn star by the name of Manuel Ferrara and got me thinking. And writing.

Pairing: PornStar!John Price x PornStar!fem!reader

Summary: Porn wasn't your ideal career choice, but here you were. Your manager has just contacted you saying a veteran of the field has requested to work with you as he winds down his career. The only issue? You've definitely gotten yourself off to him multiple times, leaving your professionalism in question. And John, well, John's not helping the situaiton with how he treats you.

CW: MDNI 18+ content, NSFW, porn industry inaccuracies, oral (f receiving), fingering (f receiving), fantasy relationship, John being an absolute munch (duh), consent and check ins (because John is responsible in every universe)

Word Count: 4.9k

Part 2 >

Read on Ao3

It wasn’t your first career choice, nor your second, third, or fourth. In fact, if you were honest with yourself, it was never even a thought. Yet here you were, several performances into your adult entertainment career and on a steady rise with a decent paycheque along with it. But you were yet to experience a big break, one that would just allow you to feel a little more settled, give you the standing to be pickier with the roles you selected to film. And you had feeling that this next one was going to be that breakthrough. 

Holding your phone in your hand, you read and re-read the message from your manager that he’d sent you earlier in the day. 

Got a personal request to film with you. John Price. Details listed below. 

John Price. John fucking Price. That man practically owned the porn industry. One of the most popular male actors for almost the past couple of decades. You’d be lying to yourself if you hadn’t done a deep dive or two into his repertoire of videos on long, lonely nights with a bottle of wine and some toys to accompany you. Porn was one thing. John Price porn was another. He was older, hot, and had thick, veiny, mouthwatering cock that made you squeeze your thighs together every time you saw it. But that wasn’t what had drawn you back to his videos time and time again. It was the way he seemed almost… tender. Rough, to be sure. But also, sweet.

 And he wanted to film with you. You. He had only released a few videos in the past year, slowly winding down his career to instead focus on his hobbies and other interests. Or at least that’s what his team had told the media. 

The document your manager had attached to the text was a simple call sheet with the basic run down of the shoot. It was nothing you hadn’t done before. In fact, it seemed vanilla in comparison to most porn, but that’s what John Price was known for. Soft sex. Romantic sex. Pussy pleasing— if you wanted to be a little crass, but that was the reason he was a massive hit with the audience. You’d also heard from other co-stars that he was incredible to work with. Charming, attentive, and made sure his partners always felt comfortable. 

And he requested you? 

That was the part that stunned you the most. You stared at the two names on the call sheet, his name directly next to yours under the subheading ‘cast’. You blinked, wondering if you’d imagined it. But your name remained, and you were meeting with him in— you glanced at the time and swore. Less than an hour before you had to be on site and the drive took a good twenty minutes on a good day. 

Hopping into the shower, you knew you’d have time to prep on site, but there was something in you that wanted to make a good impression on your costar, craved making a good impression to someone as decorated and well-respected as John Price in the industry. 

***

As your manager was walking with you to the meeting room, you realised you’d never actually met John Price before. Sure, you’d seen him around at a few work events, but he was a rare sight at social gatherings these days. You could feel the nerves bubbling underneath your skin as your manager scrolled on his phone, muttering comments under his breath as he went. 

“Pretty much one of his last videos. Or at least that’s what his manager said. I’m honestly surprised he chose you over someone more well known, but it’s great for your career.” The subtle dig wasn’t missed on you, but there was some truth to your manager’s words, and you’d been thinking the exact same. Why had he chosen to work with you, someone practically unknown to him? Maybe it was a question you’d never have an answer to as you stopped outside of the door, fixing your hair unconsciously before pushing the door open. 

He was already in the room, sitting next to his own manager, Kate if you remembered correctly, with the director at the head of the table. Smiling at the group, you ducked your head and mumbled a couple of apologies about being late as you hurried to your seat, directly across from him. There was a general murmur from the room acknowledging your apologies before returning to their conversations. You swallowed thickly as you raised your head, meeting his deep blue eyes as he stared at you, the corners crinkled as a wide smile stretched over his face, a smile, it seemed, that was just for you.

“Hey sweetheart, lovely to meet you. I’m John.” He spoke lowly, quietly, as though to the of you were sharing a secret. His voice was rough but soothing, exactly like it had been in all the videos you’d watched of him. Crossing your legs, you held out your hand to shake his with your own shy grin as you introduced yourself. 

“It’s an honour to be working with you, John.” It wasn’t a lie. You had a lot to gain from working with him. Just having your name on the call sheet was enough to open doors for you. The director was Nikolai, who you’d never worked with before, but you knew he was a good friend of John’s. He also shook your hand before getting the meeting underway, outlying the expectations, and going over the general script. There wasn’t much to the story, like most of John’s scenes, but you weren’t complaining. Little story meant less lines to remember and John tended to improv. Next was an overall brief of safety, a rundown of yours and John’s likes and dislikes during scenes before everything started to wrap up.

 Once signing the consent forms, your manager stood up, nodding to you as he collected the form along with Kate and Nikolai. 

“I’ll leave you two to it.” He spoke. Your brows furrowed, feeling your heart race as you glanced over at John who shot you a warm smile.  

“John prefers to talk to his scene partners one on one beforehand.” Kate explained, patting her colleague on the shoulder. “Something he’s always done. Allows you to get to know each other a little better.” 

“Oh.” Your voice was small, but you nodded as the trio left the room, leaving you alone with someone you’ve gotten off to before. 

“I know it’s a little unconventional, but I feel like it smooths things out for the scene.” He explains gently, pouring two glasses of water and passing one to you. “I’ve seen your work. You’re good. I liked the one you did with Johnny.” People often think that working in adult entertainment rids you of awkward modesty, but here you were, face heating and glancing away from the older man as he fully admitted to watching your scenes and was complimenting you on your performance.

Your scene with Johnny had been enjoyable, which had been a rare occurrence in your experience in the field. It was a job after all, not filled with screaming pleasure like scenes often displayed. But Johnny had made it easy, fun. Kept the mood lighthearted during the retakes and scene cuts. 

“It’s probably been one of my favourites to date. Johnny was good to work with. I know you’ve worked with him before.” John nodded. 

“A couple of times for threesomes and gang bangs when he was first starting out. But I stopped doing group scenes once he got on his feet. Wasn’t really my thing.” He shrugged, eyes carefully watching you even as he lifted the glass to his mouth. You hummed, pursing your lips, and interlocking your fingers. Letting out a huff, John placed the glass down and reached out, resting one of his large hands over yours, thumb caressing your knuckles. 

“You’re okay, sweetheart. I know the reputation my name can bring but I assure you, anything you’re not comfortable with, it’s off the table.” Your shoulders relaxed as your head lifted, a genuine smile on your face. 

“Thanks, John. I just… you’re very seasoned in the field.” You winced at the word choice, but he chuckled, standing up to walk around the table and take a seat next to you. 

“With my expertise comes the ability to adjust things to my liking. It’s why I work with Nikolai. He knows how I work, lets me run the show really and works his mastery by getting the angles that make me look mildly flattering.” 

“You’re flattering from all angles, John.” At the compliment, he raised his brow, eyes trailing down your body for a moment before snapping back up to yours. 

“Seen my work, have you?” He teased, the smile turning cocky as he leaned back in his chair, rested his cheek on his fist. You shot him a look of your own, which answered everything. “So, you know how I tend to conduct my scenes?” 

“You like to please your viewers.” You answered confidently (answering questions about your scene partners sex scenes is something both normal to want and possible to do, right? You might even get a good grade.) “Your tendency to lean towards softer sex brings in a more female-dominant audience.” The smile reaches his eyes, lighting them up in a way you found particularly charming. 

“I like to please pussy. An important distinction.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “It’s why I became more selective about my scene partners.” 

You were thankful your legs were already crossed over, covering the urge to squeeze your thighs together at the lowering of his tone. A question nagged in the back of your mind. Why you? But you weren’t confident enough to ask it.

“How do you want the scene to run?” You asked instead, turning the conversation back a little more professional. John shrugged. 

“I like to let things flow semi-naturally. Enjoy a lot of sensual touching and kissing. I’m getting older so I don’t enjoy the rough and fast constant fucking like I used to. Also, a lot harder to keep it going for that long.” He glanced over at you out of the corner of his eye. “Besides, I find my scene partner enjoys it more when there’s a lot more sensual physical contact involved.”

“And how would you know that?” Your voice was coyer than you felt, leaning towards him as you placed your elbow on the arm rest. His head tilted the expression on his face overwhelmingly cocky as he snorted. 

His voice lowered to a velvety purr. I’ve become good at reading people, sweetheart. I can tell the difference when people fake feeling good, and who’s actually into it. If I’m going to spend my time coming into a studio, I want to enjoy the day’s work, and for my partner to as well.” 

The hairs on your arms stood on end as his voice lowered, his eyes boring into yours as he waited patiently for you to respond. Running your tongue along the line of your teeth, you processed his words. 

“How do you know that we’ll work out, though? We’ve never worked together before. Wouldn’t it be easier doing a scene like this with someone you’re more comfortable with?” 

“Sweetheart,” John shuffled forward on the chair, placing a reassuring hand on your thigh, thumb tracing over the inside of your knee. “I’ve watched your work; seen what scenes you feel more comfortable with. Had Kate speak to your manager too, to get an idea of what your preferences were. I think we’ll work out fine.” 

“You asked about me?” Your eyes were fixed on where his hand rested, looking at the thickness of his fingers and swallowing. 

“I like to know who I’m working with. But I also had to listen to Johnny talk about you for hours after his scene. Thought I should take the buck down a peg and show him how a real veteran pleases a lady.” His breathing was levelled and composed, the complete opposite to yours, allowing him to hear exactly how much he was affecting you. You swallowed thickly as you tried to keep some semblance of professionalism while his thumb rubbed slow circles into your thigh, and you began to worry about the state of your panties.

“It’s porn, John.” You whispered, eyes blinking rapidly as you tried to surreptitiously shift in your seat. “It’s acting, it’s a job.” 

“Doesn’t have to be, sweets. Who says you can’t enjoy your work? Especially when you’re good at it, huh?” His smile broadened as he lifted his free hand to smooth over the bristles of his thick beard. Squeezing your thigh one last time before standing up, cupping your chin to ensure your head follows his movements. 

“You can back out at any time. Just say the word. But until then, I’ll see you in 30 on set, yeah? You’ll find your uniform in your change-room.” Two fingers tapped your cheek before he stepped out of the room, leaving you alone, hot, and bothered. Thank fuck for the change of clothes. Hopefully you wouldn’t soak through these panties as well, but after all, it is porn.

Taking a bit of time to freshen yourself up, you stood, staring down at the so-called ‘uniform’ John had told you about. A thin satin slip nightdress with some lacy white underwear, bra foregone. You couldn’t help but feel your heart in your throat at the thought of John specifically picking out the piece with you in mind. Surely, he’d done this with all of his costars. 

As you thought back to each of his videos, trying to recall what each of them had been wearing, unwarranted jealousy filled your head instead and you squeezed your eyes tight. He was a costar. Nothing more. This was his job. He was many years your senior. It was silly, childish, and petty to get jealous over the other people he’d slept with, especially professionally. But he’d chosen you to film with, and that stirred some primal, possessive part of you, and you slid the silk over you, wondering how thick fingers might rip it off.

A knock at the door pulled you out of your head, snapping you into gear as you changed. Pulling it open, you saw Kate standing there waiting. Her gaze remained professional as she admired the dress. 

“It suits you well. John’s always had a good eye for things like that. Come, let’s head to set.” Walking at a steady pace, you kept the conversation flowing. 

“Does John usually do things like this?” You pointed down at the dress, trying to keep your tone neutral. Kate laughed lightly, shaking her head. 

“Not always. Usually only with his favourites.” She gazed at you out of the corner of her eye. “But he’s so winding down on his career, so maybe he’s just in a generous mood.” There was something in her tone that left you feeling slightly baffled, no closer to understanding the reason why he’d picked this out for you. 

Stepping into the studio, the first person you noticed was John, dressed in a button-down shirt with fitted slacks. He whistled lowly, eyes unabashedly roaming over your figure. 

“Look at you. Knew that colour would suit you well. Come. The sooner we get started, the sooner we can enjoy ourselves, yeah?” He held out a hand, motioning towards the set.

“You didn’t have to.” You breathed, glancing down at the dress. “But I really appreciate the gesture. Almost makes me feel bad for not getting anything for you.” Taking his hand, he leads you towards the bedroom set, where you were playing his partner in an established relationship, waiting for him to come home late from work. 

“The gift is working with you, sweets, and looking so perfect in that dress.” His stare was a little hungrier this time, raking over your body. Squeezing your hand, he stepped back behind the camera as Nikolai motioned for the scene to begin.

***

As you stood leaning over the kitchen bench, you hear John step onto the set, placing down the empty prop briefcase as he sighed heavily. 

“Hey, sweetheart. I’m home.” A hand clasped over your hip as he pulled you towards him, burying his face in your neck. Reaching up, you cupped the back of his head, humming softly as you tilted your pelvis back against his. His fingers dug into your hip firmly, a deep rumble in his throat probably not audible enough to be picked up by the microphone. 

“Welcome home, honey. Did you have a good day? 

“Better now that I’m here.” He replied almost instantly, body hands now cupping your body, breath heavy on your skin as he trailed his fingers up and down the lines of your body. “Especially when my wife is lookin’ so pretty in what I bought her.” 

His… wife? That hadn’t been specified in the script. Sure, it said an established relationship, but there was something that stirred inside you at the sound of that word coming from his mouth in reference to you. And so, you played along. 

“Gotta make sure I look pretty for my husband, don’t I?” You purred, turning your head to his as you grinned, pressing your lips to his temple, nails dragging over his scalp. 

“Always look pretty, lovey. Pretty for me, hmm?” God he really was good at making his costars feel wanted, pinging the right receptors in your brain that craved this for real. You moaned prettily, arching your back for both John and the camera as his hands slid up your front, thick fingers ghosting teasingly over your breasts as he mouthed at your neck. Whimpering, you placed one hand over his, trying to urge his hand down, but he tittered in your ear. 

“So desperate, aren’t you? Don’t worry, you’ll get what you want. Just let me play with you first, yeah?” You nodded at him as you glanced over your shoulder. There was no way you were going to say no, not with the way his large hands were running over your body, tugging the pathetic excuse for clothing as he went. Your lashes fluttered as his lips sealed over your neck, sucking softly as he ground his erection into your ass. 

God he was already hard. The voice of reason in the back of your head told you he’d most likely taken viagra like a lot of the men did to keep it up for so long, but the fantasy you were playing through your head liked to think it was all you. Letting out another low growl, John bared his teeth, biting into your neck before sucking soothingly. 

“No marking!” You heard your manager exclaim in the background, before being hushed by Nikolai. 

“Don’t interrupt. He knows what he’s doing.”

As if to spite your manager further, John swept your hair away, latching onto the other side of your neck, drawing out a soft moan as you clung to his short hair, encouraging him further. 

“Yes! Please! Mark me as yours.” John presses his weight against you, causing you to fall forward onto your elbows on the bench. Hands cupped the globes of your ass roughly as he pressed a line of kisses down your exposed spine. 

“My pretty fuckin’ wife, aren’t ya?” His voice was thick with desire as his fingers teased the hem of your dress, scrunching it up until it lifted over your ass. John groaned as he revealed the swell of your cheeks, the thin straps of the white thong he’d bought barely covering anything. “Look at you. So fuckin’ pretty. Too fuckin’ pretty for me. Can’t believe you married me. I’m so lucky to have you, sweets. Perfect girl f’me ain’t cha?” 

Your head was spinning as the words of praise kept coming. Bent over the kitchen bench, ass on display for him, and held down by one of his strong arms made you feel incredibly vulnerable yet secure in a way you hadn’t felt filming before. 

“One leg up for me?” He tapped the outside of your thigh, and you hitched it up obediently, knee resting on the bench to expose yourself further to him. John let out a low breath as he sunk to his knees between your spread legs. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see a camera following his movements and so, like you’d been taught, you clenched, causing your clothed cunt to throb for the camera. And for John. You heard him chuckle and glanced over your shoulder to see him staring up at you with a brow raised. 

“Cheeky thing.” 

His hands ran up the backs of your legs, causing you to shiver in anticipation. His breath was close to where you wanted him and you whined in response, tilting your hips back ever so slightly to display your soaked underwear better for the camera. At that movement, John clicked his tongue and slapped your ass. 

“This pussy’s mine, y’hear?” He growled almost possessively, fingers digging into the backs of your thighs, keeping your legs spread for him. “Look at you. So wet and eager for me, huh? Bought you these pretty knickers and you’ve already ruined them.” One finger gently traced along the length of your clothed slit, and you keened, trying to push your hips back to gain more friction, but his other arm wrapped around your hips, pinning them to the cold bench. 

“Don’t get greedy now, sweetheart. You’ll get what you want, just let me admire you first.” Already, your legs were trembling as his thumb brushed against your clit. Gasping a little excessively for the camera, you bit your lip, fingers pressing into the stone below you as you felt him lift up the soaked underwear and pull them to the side. 

“Oh love.” He cooed, blowing gently on your sensitive, exposed skin. “You’re so wet. Have I been neglecting my duties as your husband? Not been treatin’ my wife right and leaving her desperate and utterly drenched. You been wet and wanting all day, sweets?” Though you couldn’t see his face, you could hear the smirk in his voice, hear the cockiness as even he knew you were this wet for him naturally. 

Moaning in affirmation, you shook your ass in his face. “God please… need your mouth on me, sir. Need it so badly.” He chuckled, thumb returning to brush against your clit, this time with no fabric in the way. 

“Being so polite, love. You really do want it, huh? My mouth on your pretty pussy? Look at it. So swollen and needy.” Gritting your teeth in impatience, you glanced over your shoulder, meeting his cocky gaze as lips pulled into a smirk. 

“Please, I need your mouth on me. I’m so wet for you. Want your tongue in my cunt.” The smirk faded slightly from his face and his eyes narrowed as he stared up at you for a moment. One finger steadily tapped against your thigh as time seemed to ooze by. Gulping, your brows furrowed, unsure if you’d said something wrong, but then he winked and leaned forward, licking a fat stripe up your slit. 

Breath hitching at the sudden movement, a broken moan left your lips as your eyes fluttered closed. Your body clenched as your hips twitched, angling them slightly to follow John’s tongue. Chuckling darkly, John whispers into your cunt, your own ears barely able to pick up the words. 

“There’s the real you, sweetheart. Gimme more of that.”

The soft whimpering from your mouth just urged him on, his tongue licking broad strokes over your cunt before he slid his fingers between your labia, spreading them to flick the tip of his tongue delicately over your clit. Jumping at the direct stimulation, you tried to pull away from him, but his arm still held firm over your hips. 

“None of that now, love. You’ll take what I give you like my good little plaything, yeah?” 

“Oh fuck…” You whispered under your breath, eyes fluttering as you nodded. Taking that as permission, he dove back in, lavishing your cunt like he was starved. His tongue dragged up the length of your slit before plunging in to taste you deeply, thumb working over your clit. Then, he kissed his way down so his lips could replace his thumb, sealing themselves over the bundle of nerves, sucking and flicking it at the same time. 

The bristles of his facial hair burned the insides of your thighs pleasurably as he buried his face into your wet pussy, nose prodding your hole as his mouth continued to work you over. His hands ran up your legs, caressed the backs of your thighs, and over your ass to spread your cheeks wider, giving him more room to work with. 

“John… oh my god John please!” You buried your face into the crook of your elbow as you moaned pitifully, feeling a genuine orgasm rising much faster than you were expecting. 

“Lift your head up!” The sharp voice of your manager broke you out of the fantasy and propelled you back to the reality of the moment. You were at work, filming. This wasn’t for personal pleasure; it was meant to be marketable for audiences. Lifting your head up, you tipped it back slightly, putting on a face for the camera as you moaned, not that you needed to fake much with the way John was devouring you. 

Snarling at the interruption of your manager, John’s fingers dug tighter into the meat of your ass, tongue swirling around your clit in sharp circles as he groaned, the vibrations running through your body, causing you to press your hips back onto his face.  A guttural noise rumbled in his chest as you did so, and he pulled away. John was panting heavily as he stared at you swollen, wet cunt, eagerly twitching and throbbing for more. 

“You have no idea how fucking good you taste, do you love?” His voice was gruff, lustful as he ran two fingers through your folds once more, spreading them to reveal your cunt so he could spit, and then plunge two fingers into you. Almost immediately, he hooked them expertly, just right to press insistently against that spongy spot inside you as he trailed soft kisses along your inner thighs. His beard was soaked with your juices, leaving the feeling of sticky wetness behind as he returned to your clit. 

Sucking in air, you felt your body beginning to slide over the smooth surface of the bench as your body temperature rose. John’s mouth returned to your sex, teeth gently grazing over the hood of your clit before pressing his tongue against you and sucking. Letting out a high-pitched wail, you felt yourself clenching around his fingers, hips bucking into his mouth as he continued to pleasure you. Unable to find purchase on anything stable, you gripped your own hair, throwing your head back as you moaned loudly, feeling your inevitable climax approaching. 

It wasn’t like you hadn’t orgasmed at work before, but it wasn’t common. And when it had happened, it certainly wasn’t this intense. Heart beating rapidly and your breathing quickened as the tandem effort of his fingers and mouth brought you closer. John could tell too, with the way he kept the same rhythm of his fingers and mouth, letting out muffled groans when he felt your pussy squeeze around his digits. You felt your entire body clenching before spasming, your orgasm rushing through your body as you twitched and jerked uncontrollably. 

“Fuck John… fuck!” You moaned lewdly, remembering to at least roll your eyes back excessively for the sake of the camera, when all you wanted to do was bury your face into your arm as your body shook from the intensity of your climax. 

John had pulled his mouth back, working you through your release with his fingers inside you and his thumb on your clit. Your juices dribbled down his arm and between your legs, puddling on the floor below you as he crooned. 

“Oh, fuck look at you. Fuckin’ squirting for me ‘n all. Good fucking girl. Good fucking girl! Knew you could do it. You’re so fucking hot, love. Wish I coulda seen that pretty face as you came like that.” He pressed soft kisses to your thigh between his sweet, vulgar words, fingers slapping gently over your clit to extend your orgasm for as long as possible before you jerked, the overstimulation settling in. 

Withdrawing and rising to his full height, John flipped you around effortlessly, so you were on your back and tugged you close. He wrapped your legs around his hips and pulled your body up by the back of your neck so he could seal his mouth over yours. Trying to fight the urge to simply go limp, you gripped onto his thick arms, but you could feel yourself sagging. Noticing, John pulled back, resting his forehead on yours. 

“Need a break, sweets?” He whispered, his voice earnest, and you knew he was looking out for you. His grip tightened around you, making sure he was holding you steady as you made up your mind. 

“I think so.” You nodded, sucking in breaths to try and calm your racing heart. “Haven’t cum that hard in a while, sir. I think I’ll need a breather.” He hummed, pressing a reassuring kiss to your cheek before signalling Nikolai over your shoulder. You heard the director yell to cut as John ran his fingers down your arms soothingly. 

“Tell me what you need.”

[tradgedyinwaves]

tw: cheating, car accident

Being John's assistant and girlfriend was hard sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time. Holidays were missed. Special occasions put on back burners. But when he was home, John made every effort to make it up to you. At least, he usually did.

You took care of their paperwork for the most part, submitting their reports once they were turned in with details of their mission. You made a point never to read them. You'd made that mistake once and gotten a first-hand account of how Johnny had shoved a grenade down someone's throat and then stood back to watch.

They were your boys, but that didn't mean they were stable. Simon liked killing people with his bare hands. Johnny liked to watch them explode. Gaz liked to wittle them down to nothing during interrogation(torture).

But your John? Well, he made sure his shots provided the most suffering. Shooting out the knees first, then the elbows, shoulders, spine and then finally the head. He had no issues getting the headshot, but liked to take his time.

With you, though? Oh with you they are protective and gentle. Harm almost never befell you with them around. The worst that had happened since the beginning of your relationship with John (and your indoctrination into their group) was that you'd stubbed your own toe on a chair you hadn't pushed in. It was your own fault really, love.

The team had returned the day before your birthday. What a birthday present, right? Wrong. As you greeted them on the tarmac with warm meals waiting in the car, each one gave you one armed hugs. John was last, pulling you to his side but not saying anything.

You could tell they were exhausted and that something hadn't gone quite right on their mission. They were always extra quiet and morose on those days, usually breaking out of it with a good meal and a decent night of rest.

That wouldn't be the case when you woke up the next morning next to...an empty bed? Usually, the day after he returned, John would sleep in, catching up on the hours of sleep he hadn't been able to get.

And went you puttered out into the rest of the apartment, you would find it empty. Boots, keys, and wallet were gone. Boonie hat missing from it's spot on the hook by the door. Maybe he was just out getting things.

He'd never missed a birthday if he was home and always made it up to you if he wasn't. So you waited. Took a shower, pampered yourself with the new body scrub you'd purchased just for this day.

When John wasn't back even a couple hours later, you headed up to the base as you felt the first prickles of anger rising on the back of your neck. You brought a lunch with you, an excuse for being there on your day off.

"Oh, just bringing Captain Price is lunch. Silly man forgot it again."

And so they let you in. No one questioned you, giving you warm smiles and well wishes. Some even wishing you a happy birthday for which you thanked them.

Stepping into John's office always made you cringe. It was an organized person's nightmare. Papers strewn everywhere, dirty coffee mugs left around sporadically, cigar ash filling the tray but also filtered around it like he was in a hurry. He wasn't like this at home, so you let him have his space at work the way he wanted it.

Except he wasn't in there. Keys and wallet, sure. So you knew he was on base. Leaving the warm meal on his desk, you meandered out to find the gym where you thought maybe they were sparring, getting rid of excess adrenaline from their mission.

No one there. At least, no one who knew where Captain Price was.

You spent the entire work day looking for him and when you never found him, you left the base. You end up stopping to grab a little cake for yourself and a bottle of wine, setting up at the coffee table.

And when you wake the next morning, you're still on the couch and the living room is a mess. And there's still no boots by the door.

So you go to work on your own (when John would normally drive you). You eat lunch on your own (when the entire team would usually join you in the mess hall). You drop off papers outside John's door (when you would normally go inside and leave them on his desk).

And you went home alone.

That was when you noticed some of his clothes were missing as was his duffel. You slept alone that night. And the night after. And the night after that.

By the time the next week rolled around and you'd slept alone for four nights, you were on edge and furiously upset. Not a word from your boyfriend of three years or his team.

And then the calls stopped going through. And the texts. So you called Laswell who was actually one of your best friends at this point, as was her wife.

"They're on another mission, hun. John didn't tell you?" "John hasn't spoken to me since they got back from the last one." "That bastard. I'm sorry. Unfortunately, they're already gone and I can't get you in contact with them until they're back." "I know. Just...tell him I love him?" "Absolutely." You went to work and did your job. When the taskforce was on mission, you were used for general paperwork needs in other departments since there wasn't much for you to do with them gone.

You went home alone and it felt wrong. Everything felt wrong.

It took another two months for them to return. But you weren't waiting for them on the tarmac. You were up to your eyeballs in new recruit uniform requests and even though you knew what time it was, you couldn't find it in yourself to care much.

Kate had been able to contact John and give him your message, but he never gave her one to return to you. And that had rubbed you the wrong way.

Forgetting your birthday was one thing. Disappearing and not telling you that they were going on another mission was another. But his silence was what hurt the most. Everything had been perfect when he'd left for the first mission.

It was hours later when you laid in bed that you heard the keys jingle against the lock. They wouldn't work, not the ones he had anyways. Knocking followed and you rolled over, throwing your pillow over your head to block out the banging and the sound of his voice filtering through the wood.

It stopped surprisingly quickly and you sighed, knowing you'd have to face him the next day at work.

You did. Sort of. You saw him when you came in, immediately turning to your office when he looked up. You stayed there all day, eating your lunch there and only leaving for bathroom breaks.

Unfortunately, you had some forms that needed to be turned in before you left but they required his signature. You didn't bother knocking as you went into his office, teeth grinding and prepared to be as short as possible. You weren't expecting the sight before you.

Your boyfriend leaned back in his office chair, eyes squeezed shut and grunting quietly with one of his own men between his thick, burly thighs. You could see the mohawk just above the desk, the sounds coming from a man you considered a brother ripping more holes into your psyche.

With a gasp, you dropped the papers and fled from the room, immediately grabbing your purse and fleeing from the building.

You could hear them calling your name, but you kept going. You'd have to find a new job or transfer, but that was a small price if it meant getting away from the only family you had.

But they weren't your family, were they? They were a family on their own. They obviously didn't need you. They leaned on each other in the field and at home. You took care of them, sure, but it wasn't enough apparently.

You got home and packed your bags, leaving behind anything that reminded you of the team or John. You left the keys in the lock with a post it stuck to the door.

"Go to hell, John."

You got back in the car and called Laswell, voice surprisingly even for what was going on.

"I need a transfer, Kate. Immediately." "Whoa, what happened? What's going on?" "He's cheating on me." Calm. Collected. Numb. "Excuse me?" "You heard me. With Soap. Probably the lot of them."

You didn't get to hear what she replied with as a semi plowed into the driver's side of your car.

I just want you all to know; this was supposed to be happy. It was going to end with a cute surprise party and apologies from everyone and nobody died. Oops, sorry.

Alternate Ending

Part Two

[put-me-through-the-wall]

Neighbor!Simon who can't help but roll his eyes the moment he hears the annoying peppy music play at exactly 9:30 every morning through the paper thin walls.

Though he's already been up for hours he missed being able to enjoy his coffee and newspaper quietly.

Simon hearing the bumping and thudding as you get ready for your day and slamming the door on your way out.

Hearing you every time talk on the phone, laughing loudly and talking a million miles a minute.

You getting excited after the multiple failures to strike up a conversation, he finally tells you his name.

Knowing when you came back home by the smell of your dinner wafting through the air vents. He can't deny it made his stomach ache as he munched on his leftover takeout.

His silent appreciation of how you become silent at a decent hour, seemingly out of respect for the quiet hours of the building.

Holding his breath whenever he opening the doors and whispering a prayer hoping not to run into you again and get held hostage in a thirty minute conversation.

How he has begun to memorize your schedule from the types of sounds resonating from your unit so he could dodge you in the halls.

He had to stop using the apartment gym after learning your enjoyment of the treadmill to blow off steam after a long day

As well as your habit of forgetting your headphones causing you to chatter about nonsense the whole time.

Resorting to running a few blocks around the neighborhood instead.

One day jogging his route and catching you in the corner of his eye, hanging on the arm of some guy, around the corner of the building

The irritation rising in him as he considered the noises he would be hearing tonight.

Coming home and taking a shower. When he shuts off the water he hears more noises from across the wall. He can hear you... crying?

He remains still as he hears you sob in your own bathroom, mumbling incoherently to yourself, followed by a few sniffles then starting the shower.

Him, unable to control the pang of sympathy that tightens his chest.

Starting to feel bad about the constant avoidance he decides to let himself be caught up in your conversation in the hallway.

Going to the gym but only on rainy days, and letting you yap on about your friends and how work was going.

Feeling excited when he recognizes a song through the shared wall. Maybe it wasn't that annoying.

One night hearing more strange noises while he sits reading a book in bed.

He hears a quiet whimpering making him feel bad again as it gradually grows louder.

Realizing the whimpering is not from tears when he can make a distinct word clearly slip through the layers of drywall and paint. separating your bed from his.

"S-simon.."

━━━━⊱♡⊰━━━━

A/N: Consider this a 1.5 part to my neighbor!Simon series so far. If this is sloppy I apologize, I am two glasses of wine deep on an empty stomach. I needed to put out something. Simon has been haunting me. Also, I'm sorry part two is taking so long. My mother-in-law has been in town and it's hard to get writing done when there is an extra guest in the house. If you want to be added to a taglist lmk! I believe I am 3/4 done with part two now. <3

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[visionsofmagic]

watching them as they train. ⭒ mk1

—✦requsted by anon.∗ imagine watching liu kang, kenshi, bi han, kuai liang, and tomas working out. you can’t help but ogle them. their muscles straining visibly, they are panting, sweat is rolling off them, THEN feeling them up. how do the guys feel about this?

╰┈➤ tags: spicy, sfw, pet names, sweating, watching, flirting, tattoo, gn!reader, use of y/n, no specific use of gender, boyfriend dynamic, fluff, ‘s all I suppose. ✩ wc: 2.3k ✩ rose’s notes: offf, this one was so spicy to write and I like how I imagined this entirely while reading your request, lol, love ya & thanks for this hot request! hope you all will like, enjoy. [also, changed the aesthetic of requests post, hope this one is prettier. muah!]

✩ liu kang.

being the god of fire, protector of the earthrealm, and having a decent power in his system, he needs to train his muscles, physical strength, and power as well as he does with his mindset. watching him sitting down on the carpet, eyes closed, hands connected while being inside his mind to power it up as if he’s not the most powerful soul in the entire timeline is the thing you do as a habit now, so, it’s not surprising when you find yourself sitting on one of the benches on the training area as he trains alone – no one else, just you and him.

it’s different than watching his peaceful closed eyes, a little smirk on his face from time to time as he knows you’re there to take a sight of his meditation – because he gladly allows you to. it’s different even within the air – it’s too hot to handle and the wind doesn’t help at all because how he has no particular sleeve on his upper part, wearing just pants as he trains with his sharp movements.

muscles getting tighter, sweat running from his neck to his exposed chest, professionalism is as clear as the sun’s rays and you can’t stop thinking about how easily he will use his skillful hands on your body – he’s making you weak by only training and you know that he acknowledges his effects on you, making his training session sharper and more powerful than it is needed as he turns his back, arms move fast, making his back’s muscles go visible to your eyes.

mouth getting wet on its own, your eyes travel from his sweaty hair to his sharp jaw, arms with visible veins, white tattoos covering his arms and a part of his chest beautifully, sweat flowing from there until they reach his abdomen, making you gulp in excitement.

is it wrong to fantasize about a god? you can’t answer, and you don’t care about it either – well, at least, your instincts don’t care because without calculating its outcomes, your legs move on their own as you get up, slowly approaching him. with each step you can hear his deep breaths, and can see his sweats shine under the light of the sun.

he stops at his movements when he feels you near, chest rising up and down still. standing in front of him with warm breaths hitting his hot chest, you can’t help but touch his arms’ tattoos full of sweat – slowly enough to get a warning from his parted lips. “y/n –“

“yes, my lord?”

you can see his eyes narrowing, mind studying the situation and knowing that you will not stop, not after both of your hands happen to be on his chest, rubbing his muscles from time to time and earning another warning from him as he grips your wrists – fingers still playing with his arm muscles, getting wet, “you should stop, I need to train for one more hour, pretty.”

“train with me,” you say, putting a kiss on his exposed chest before turning over, knowing the god of fire, the man of determination, can’t resist your open invitation, and agreeing.

“you will be the death of me, my love,” he says, picking you up in bridal style as he goes to his room – to train with you of course, much hotter this time.

✩ kenshi.

to get back his sword from johnny, and be worthy of his clan once again, kenshi tries his best – so hard to accomplish his aims – he needs to be strong, he knows it, and the knowledge pushes him to train over and over again until he can beat everyone who crosses his way and avoiding him to reach his destination.

and there’s one more reason behind it – having you as his audience. his beloved lover who likes to watch him get a good view of his exposed body, half-naked, showing his muscles off even though he will deny it. he can have his orange training clothes to wear but in that way, he won’t be able to see your parted lips that you bite and lick occasionally, eyes shining as they travel on his body shamelessly, hands move rapidly because of not knowing where to put them because your mind is not working entirely when he winks at you whenever he changes the way he trains – legs, arms, back muscles – doesn’t matter as long as you get heat rushing on your body which he knows so well.

“liked what you see, love?” he will ask, smiling down at you when he takes a break, chest rising up and down as he stands on his foot, hovering over you, teasing because it’s so fun to play with your cute mind.

“u-huh,” you say, looking at his chest and waist covered with sweat rather than his eyes directed at you, “like it so much –“ you add, and to his surprise, you put your hands on his waist, pulling him closer to you as you sit on the bench still, and eyes turning up to find him, “are you doing it for me to like it?” you tease back as your hands move from his waist to his abdomen, feeling his six packs tighten under your fingertips. “cute.”

“not as cute as you, prettiest.”

then, he will make sure you put your hands on his body whenever he takes breaks until he is done with training and takes you into his room, admiring your body the way you do to his. after all, he is such a pleaser that he needs to return the favor.

✩ bi han.

for being the grandmaster of the lin kuei clan, the man who seeks great power, bi han trains a lot – he needs to, he has to.

he never gets exhausted by training with his potent stamina and determination to become the best – the strongest to bring great accomplishments to his clan. also, he never gets tired of having you beside him as he trains after he tells you to watch him closely to see what a true and good training session will look like – well, half truth half lie because it’s not the only reason why he keeps taking you into the area, having you sit down on the carpet, on your knees and watch him – it’s all because of you though, you were the first one who requested to do it and from the way you look at him, his body and mostly muscles with parted pretty lips, he can’t bring himself to train alone when he can your pretty face lighten up with desire of him as he does it.

knowing he does it on purpose, you sit down on the carpet calmly – as much as you can anyway, watching him having only his pants on, ice appearing on his hands until it reaches his elbows, the temperature getting colder but you don’t – it only gets warmer for you when your eyes travel on his torso, chest, shoulders, arms – full of muscles and sweat, getting tighter from time to time with the impact of his hard training. oh, you think, he truly deserves the title of grandmaster.

thighs clenching together, hands getting between your legs, eyes sparkling, and lips getting licked, you know bi han laughs menacingly inside his mind whenever he takes a look at your messy situation – he definitely does it on purpose, doesn’t he?

your question is answered when he cleans his sweat with a towel before sitting in front of you on his knees, hands positioned on his lap, raising an eyebrow he asks, “did you learn anything from my training, y/n?”

nodding, you challenge him by saying, “yeah, I learned how your muscles move so beautifully, sir.”

he chuckles deeply, and letting you do what you wanted to do before, taking you by the wrist, he puts your hand down on his shoulders, “now learn how they feel under your touch, doll. it’s what your hands carve after all.”

instead of saying anything, you use your hand movements as an answer – massaging his rigid muscles on the shoulders, moving from his chest from there until they find his abdomen, full of thick packs, showing his masculinity off so perfectly that you put a kiss on his exposed body, earning a low growl from the man.

“if you keep doing that, I will use your body as my training tool, princess.”

he sounds deep and hot – you’re being a brat. “then, do it.” and he does it in a way you can never imagine before experiencing it.

✩ kuai liang.

he doesn’t mind having your company when he finds alone time to train his abilities to make them reach the highest point; on the contrary, he finds it amusing how you even bring snacks with you as if his training session is a scene coming out of your favorite show – you admit it though, he’s your favorite show to watch because how it cannot be when he has sightworthy attractive and cute features, especially in the training area in which he has nothing on the half of his body – yes, you see it every day and night yet it’s far more different when it comes to seeing him training with his tools to strength himself up.

watching him jumping, crouching, using his knives with long ropes you happen to have on your wrist a night ago, your hand stop in mid-air, not being able to eat a snack because of how your mouth keeps getting wet – the hotness coming from him and hitting you on the face heavily isn’t related to his ability, no, it’s only coming thanks to being so damn attractive right now; all sweaty, breathing heavily and rapidly, movements perfect, gaze he gives to you breathtaking.

“what is it princess?” he will ask, a knowing smile on his face, taking a bottle of water to drink as he sits down beside you, radiating two different kinds of warmness to your body, “I am the one who trains and you seem to be the one with no steady breath.”

his teasing stops when you can’t help yourself and touch the scorpion tattoo on his thick and big arm, moving from there to his shoulder slowly. chuckling, you say as your hands travel on his wet chest and abdomen playfully, “who has no steady breath now handsome?”

“oh?” he holds your wrist, pulling you closer, hot breath hitting your neck when he puts a kiss on there, “when I am finished with the train, you even won’t be able to have a brain to remember how to breathe, pretty.”

✩ tomas.

“what now?” he will ask firstly, trying to find a few excuses to tell after you sit on the ground, smiling widely and telling him you want to watch him as he trains – because, ugh, he knows he will get all shy and missing a few steps, or doing his sessions incorrectly with the effects of having your piercing eyes on him, studying him, literally seeing every move and it makes him a bit nervous because being the cute little boyfriend, tomas wants to be as perfect as he can be in front of you – no one else’s, except his brothers.

his desire to impress you in every way, the situation as possible gives him a bit of sadness when he shows some weakness as he does exercises, you behind him, sitting and watching – oh, he sucks, isn’t he – he will think until the moment he realizes that you don’t watch him train – well, you do, but not with the way he excepts.

your eyes scanning his arm muscles, back, thighs, and hands as if he’s a piece of art with thick and sharp features he has – he can see how you bite your lip from time to time, smiling face is long gone, replaced by the expression of passion and tomas can’t decide which one makes him happier; to realize his not-so-perfect training isn’t understood by you or to witness your greedy gazes as you keep your eyes on him, clearly liking what you see.

being addicted to pleasing you, tomas smiles at himself and without hesitation, he takes his tight sleeveless top off of his body, showing his body underneath it – getting proud when you begin to lick your lips, thighs getting clenched with pure instincts.

even at his shiest moment, he teases you by standing between your legs, holding you by the chin, and making you look into his shining eyes with joy, “you’re quite an admirer, my love, aren’t you?” he asks, leaving you dumb for a moment before you come into your senses, smiling as your palms position on his exposed chest, playing.

it’s his turn to be dumb at the sudden action, “after what I am watching is the most beautiful sight in all realms, of course.” your hands are shameless as they flow on his top, admiring it as a true admirer.

“then let me put on a show only for you, my goddess.”

[seospicybin]

BELONGING.

Bangchan x reader x Lee Know. (s,f)

Synopsis: Chan and Minho’s life together takes a surprising turn when an unexpected visitor arrives on the night of their anniversary. (14,2k words)

Author's note: Just a heartwarming read to sweeten your day ♡

Beep, beep, beep.

The keypad continuously beeping for a while after Chan entered the wrong passcode to unlock the door. His neighbor peeks through the door to check if someone is trying to break into the apartment next door but she sees Chan instead.

"Sorry for the noise," he apologizes with a courteous smile.

After knowing that Chan is simply struggling to get into his own apartment, his neighbor goes back inside and closes the door.

Chan tries another combination of numbers but it beeps again rather aggressively than before and it only aggravates him more. He groans out of frustration and immediately takes a deep breathe to calm himself down.

"Let's think, Chan!" He mutters to himself.

Just as he’s about to punch in another random sequence of numbers, the door swings open from the inside, and Minho stands there with his arms crossed, eyebrow raised.

“You know, if you actually came home at a decent hour, you'd remember the passcode,” Minho says, his tone somewhere between annoyance and playful teasing. He steps aside, holding the door open wide enough for Chan to step through.

Chan sighs, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as he slips off his shoes. “Minho, seriously, I’m sorry. Work made me come home late again. But…changing the passcode?”

Minho shrugs nonchalantly, but Chan can see the faint trace of a smirk tugging at his lips. “Well, you always said you like a good challenge, right?”

Chan gives him a weary smile and lets his bag slide off his shoulder, dropping it by the entrance. “I didn’t realize our front door would be one of them.”

Later that night, they’re lying side by side in bed, the room dimly lit by the streetlight filtering through the blinds. Minho has his back to Chan, his posture stiff as he scrolls through his phone, doing his best to ignore the presence hovering beside him.

Chan shifts closer, trying to bridge the distance. He knows Minho is still upset about him coming home late and made him wait.

“Minho,” he whispers, nudging him gently but there’s no response, only the silent, stubborn rise and fall of Minho’s shoulders.

So, Chan decides to up his game. He slides an arm around Minho’s waist, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of his neck. “I’m really sorry,” he murmurs, voice low and warm against Minho’s skin. “You know I’d come home sooner if I could.”

Minho sighs but doesn’t pull away, though his fingers still tap insistently on his phone screen. Taking this as a tiny victory, Chan smiles and leans in closer, kissing his way from Minho’s shoulder up to his jaw.

“I missed you,” Chan says softly, his lips grazing Minho’s cheek. “Every time I looked at the clock, I thought about you waiting here.”

Minho’s fingers finally still, though he tries to keep his composure. “You’re so dramatic,” he mutters, but there’s a hint of a smile in his voice.

Undeterred, Chan presses a series of playful, lingering kisses along Minho’s cheek, all the way to his temple.

“Is it working?” he whispers. “Are you caving?”

“Not even close,” Minho replies, but he rolls over to face Chan, his expression softened, eyes bright with the faintest glimmer of affection he’s trying to hide.

Chan’s grin widens. “Then I’ll keep trying,” he says, leaning down to plant a kiss on Minho’s forehead.

“And trying… and trying…” Each word is punctuated by a gentle kiss, until Minho finally breaks, laughter spilling from his lips as he pushes Chan’s face away.

“Fine! I get it, you’re forgiven!” Minho says, half-laughing, half-sighing, letting Chan’s arm wrapped around him.

Chan chuckles softly, pulling him in for a tight hug that Minho half-heartedly resists for a moment before melting into. They settle into each other, Minho finally letting himself relax against Chan’s warmth.

As their breathing syncs, Chan presses one last, tender kiss on Minho’s neck, a silent promise that he’ll be there, even on the late nights, and for a second, Chan thinks that maybe this is what makes every exhausting day worthwhile.

-

The bathroom is filled with the sound of running water as Chan stands in front of the mirror, toothbrush in hand, still half-asleep as he lazily brushes his teeth even though he's just showered. A towel hanging low around his hips, his curly hair is damp, and beads of water dotted the skin on his back yet a sleepy gaze is fixed on his reflection, half-lidded and unfocused.

Minho leans against the bathroom doorway, arms crossed, watching him with a small smirk.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he says, voice teasing. “Just a reminder, there's that dinner tonight and if you’re late, I swear, I’m serving you burnt beef Wellington.”

Chan freezes mid-brush, then meets Minho’s eyes in the mirror, a lazy smile spreading across his face. He spits out the toothpaste, rinsing his mouth as he chuckles.

“You’d actually burn dinner just to teach me a lesson?”

Minho raises an eyebrow, challenging him. “Try me.”

Stepping over to where Minho stands, Chan wraps an arm around his waist and pulls him close, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

“Not this time,” he says, his voice soft but full of warmth. “I’ll be home early. Promise.”

Minho’s eyes soften, a faint blush creeping into his cheeks as he tries to keep up the tough act.

“Good. You’d better not leave me waiting,” he murmurs, trying to sound stern but failing as his gaze drifts to Chan’s bare chest.

Chan laughs, giving Minho a light squeeze. “Can’t wait to see what you’ve planned.”

As Chan finishes brushing his teeth and about to step out of the bathroom, he catches Minho’s eyes lingering on him, trying—and failing—to look completely unimpressed.

“Like what you see?” he teases, leaning down just enough to bring their faces close, his voice dropping to a low murmur. “Maybe I should come home a little late… keep you waiting a bit longer, yeah?”

Minho crosses his arms, rolling his eyes as if entirely unfazed, though there’s a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

“Try it,” he says, tilting his chin defiantly. “See what you end up eating tonight.”

Chan chuckles, pretending to look hurt as he tries again. “Not even a little distracted?” he asks, his hand moving to Minho’s waist, pulling him in closer. “Guess I’ll have to try harder.”

But Minho’s having none of it. He reaches up and gently pushes Chan’s face back with one hand, his tone cool and unwavering.

“You’re not charming your way out of this one,” he says firmly, though there’s a flicker of amusement in his eyes. “You’re either on time tonight, or it’s burnt Wellington and instant noodles.”

Laughing, Chan lets his hands drop, backing off as he raises them in mock surrender. “Alright, alright,” he grins.

“Point taken. I’ll be on time.” He winks as he heads back to the bedroom to get dressed, throwing a playful look over his shoulder. “But you’ll have to admit I tried my best.”

Minho just rolls his eyes again, but he’s smiling this time, muttering under his breath, “You’re impossible.”

But as he watches Chan disappear down the hall, there’s a warmth lingering in his chest, the anticipation of their night together filling him with a quiet happiness.

-

Minho smooths down his shirt one last time, casting a quick glance at the clock. Just as the second hand ticks to the hour, there’s a knock on the door. He smiles to himself—right on time. Guess he really did take me seriously, he thinks.

He opens the door to find Chan standing there, a bouquet of flowers in his hand and a grin on his face.

Minho raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “Flowers? Really?”

Chan laughs, holding them out at him. “Thought I’d do something classic. Happy anniversary!” he says, his tone softening.

Feigning disinterest, Minho takes the flowers, sniffing them briefly. “Hmm, not bad,” he says, pretending to inspect them critically. “You almost look like you know what you’re doing.”

Chan just shakes his head, smirking as he slips inside, brushing a quick kiss over Minho’s cheek. “Glad I could impress you… even just a little.”

As they settle into their anniversary dinner, Chan savors the first bite and lets out an exaggerated sigh.

“Alright, you’ve officially outdone yourself,” he says, beaming at Minho. “You should make beef Wellington every night.”

Minho rolls his eyes, but there’s a pleased flush to his cheeks. “Don’t get used to it,” he replies, lifting his glass with a faint smile. “Next time, it might actually be burnt.”

Chan chuckles, reaching over to squeeze Minho’s hand and decides to tease him more by saying cheesy things, he knows how much Minho hates it whenever he does that.

“I don’t care what it is, as long as I’m eating it with you.”

They eat and talk, laughter filling the cozy space as they share memories and jokes, their glances softening as the evening draws on. Finally, when most of the food is gone, Chan leans in across the table, his fingers brushing Minho’s as he says.

“Compliments to the chef are not enough so...” he lets his words trail off as he pulls Minho in for a lingering kiss.

As usual, Minho doesn't easily caves in, he makes Chan works harder to make him return the kiss and when he finally does, Chan triumphantly smiles against his lips.

After a while, Chan takes a second to breath and just as their lips about to meet again, a sudden ring of the doorbell interrupts the quiet warmth.

Minho groans, pulling back reluctantly and leans on his seat. “If that’s another surprise from you, I swear I’ll hate it,” he mutters.

Chan laughs, reluctantly letting Minho’s hand go as he gets up from his chair and heads toward the door.

“It’s not,” he calls over his shoulder, “unless it’s flowers that somehow reappear.”

Chan opens the door and freezes, his eyes widening slightly as he takes in the figure standing in the hallway. It’s you, your gaze lowered, fingers fidgeting nervously. You lift your eyes to meet his, offering a small, shy smile.

“Hi, Chan,” you say, your voice soft but steady. “I'm sorry I... I didn’t know who else to turn to.”

For a second, neither of you speaks, the silence filling the space between you. Finally, Chan steps aside, his surprise shifting into something gentler.

“Come on in,” he says, voice warm despite his initial shock.

As you step inside, you look over your shoulder and give a nod. A little girl emerges from behind you, clutching a small stuffed animal and looking up at Chan with wide, curious eyes. You rest a gentle hand on her shoulder, steadying yourself. “This is my daughter, Lucy.”

Chan’s eyes widen, glancing between you and the little girl by your side, his heart pounding as he tries to make sense of the unexpected reunion.

-

THREE YEARS AGO

Chan had been looking forward to this moment the entire week. After days away on a work trip, all he could think about was coming home, seeing your face light up when he walked through the door, wrapping his arms around you.

But when he finally stepped inside, there was no excited smile, no warmth rushing into his arms. You greeted him with a polite smile, a quiet “Welcome back,” before turning back to whatever you were doing, the energy between you strange and muted.

He blinked, pushing down the faint pang of disappointment, telling himself you were probably just tired. “Hey,” he murmured, walking over to you, trying to shake off the feeling. “Missed you.”

You glanced up at him, your expression softening for a moment, but something in your eyes seemed… distant, like you were holding something back.

“Missed you too,” you replied, but the words felt hollow, like they were coming from a place far away.

Chan hesitated, then shook it off with a chuckle, pulling you into his arms despite the subtle tension he felt between you. “I swear, if I had to be away from one more day, I was ready to quit,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

You managed a small smile, letting him hold you, but your arms didn’t wrap around him the way they usually did, your hold tentative, almost reluctant.

He couldn’t help himself from asking, he looked at you with a hint of worry in his eyes. “Is everything okay?” he asked gently. “You seem… different.”

You got a bit startled by the question, and for a moment, there was something in your eyes—fear, uncertainty—but you quickly looked away, forcing a smile.

“I’m fine. Just a little tired,” you replied, voice calm but distant.

“Now, what do you say we make up for lost time?” He asked as he tilted your head, forcing you to meet his gaze.

It somehow worked to get you to smile and soften around him, you melted into his arms as he held you close and then slowly, he pulled you for a long, lingering kiss that cures his longing for you.

Without letting go of the kiss, Chan hoisted you up and you wrapped your legs around his waist as he carried you to bed.

He gently lay you down on the bed and then stood at the foot of the bed just looking at you with admiration pooling in his eyes.

He crawled onto the bed and hovered above you, his face only inches away from yours as he cupped your cheek and placed a soft kiss on your lips.

"I missed you so much I think I'm going insane," he murmurs before crashing his lips against yours again.

He sensed hesitancy in the way you returning his kiss but he convinced himself that maybe you were tired, maybe his long absence put a little strain on this relationship and he wanted to fix it in any way he could.

"Do you know?" He buried his head in your neck, planting fluttering kisses that he knew would help to relax you. He knew it works from the way you softly giggled. "There’s not a night where I didn’t think of kissing you."

Chan began making a trail of kisses down your clothed body and when his mouth reached your thighs, he purposely slipped his head under the hem of your dress. You couldn't see what he was doing under but you gasped when his hot mouth made a contact with your clothed sex.

The flimsy fabric of your underwear didn't stop him from opening his mouth wider to take more of you and drenching it with a mix of his saliva and your essence.

After a while though, he craved more than feeling you through your underwear, he roughly pulled your underwear down and pushed the hem of your dress upward until it hunched around your waist.

Chan put his hands under you and slightly lifted your hips off the bed to provide him with the right angle to savor your wet cunt with his mouth. You knew what his mouth is capable of doing, you knew he would tirelessly please you with his plush lips and slick tongue and at the same time, enjoying it cause you knew he gets pleasure from doing it.

He licked, he sucked, he buried half of his face in your wetness and you continously moaned, but it wasn’t enough for him.

Soon, his fingers joined in, two digits pumping in and out of you while he gently sucked on your clit, syncing the two stimulations to give you the utmost of pleasure.

"Oh, God!" You moaned as you arched your back asking for more.

He detached his mouth but kept the motion of his fingers going, his lips were glistening wet as he said, "Yes, baby, moan for me."

Your hand flew to his hair and tugged at it as more moans spilling out of your parted mouth. "Chan... oh..."

Chan triumphantly smiled for succeeding on getting you out of whatever made you seem different and bringing you back to him. He landed a soft kiss on your clit and then another one on the little patch of hair.

"That’s it," he murmured as he saw the way you were writhing in pleasure, "That’s my girl."

There was only one left thing to do and that was to make sure you reach your high, Chan kept the stimulations going and added a little speed to it, bringing you toward your climax until you—

"Oh, I'm coming..." you cried as you clamped his hand between your legs.

Chan didn't pull away just yet, he kept his hand there and gave your clit gentle circles to help you slowly coming down your high. He lowered his mouth on you and kissed your open mouth, letting your satisfed moans spilled into his mouth.

Breaking the kiss, Chan sat up on the bed and took off his dark t-shirt, exposing his sculpted abs that glows under the silver moonlight. He slyly smiled at you, taking your hand in his and brought it close to his mouth to kiss it. He put your hand on his neck next, then slowly, he dragged it down his front. He whimpered as your fingertips trailing down his pale skin and not stopping until your hand meets the waistband of his jeans.

"And now, my question is..." He mutterd as he keeps your hand on his lower abdomen, "Do you think about me too?"

His other hand worked open his jeans, the sound of the zipper opening cutting through the silence in the room. He pulled his jeans along with boxer down just enough to let his erection sprang free.

"Did you also think of me?" He asked as he wrapped your hand around his cock, swollen and hot to the touch.

He made your hand stroking it along with him and his eyes were fluttering as he enjoyed feeling your hand pumping his cock.

"Or this cock?" He asked again as he made your other hand joined in on pumping his cock. He then let go of his hands and letting you touched his cock the way you pleased and propped them against the mattress next to your head.

He leaned in close enough and placed a brief kiss that barely lasted a second. "Did you think of me at all?"

You repeatedly nodded in answer. "Yeah."

"Yeah? Think of me what?"

"Being inside me," your voice low it was almost like a whisper.

He caressed your cheek and placed another brief kiss on your lips. "Is that what you want right now?"

"Yes," you nodded again.

His head went to the side of your head and planted a kiss on the sensitive skin behind your ear. "All you have to do is say it," he whispered to you.

You waited until he hovered above you again and looked him in the eyes as you said. "I want you inside me."

Chan fondly smiled as he held you by the way, "I'll give it to you, baby."

In the moment that followed, he fulfilled your wish, pushing his cock deep inside you and began thrusting at a steady pace. In each thrust, he lost a layer of his senses and gave himself in to desire. Raw groans and desperate calls for your name endlessly coming out of his mouth.

At one point, you pulled your legs and in this angle, you provided him with more depth. Your hands lingered on each side of his waist and at times, glanced down to see his cock slipped in and out of you.

"Oh, baby..." you moaned as you clung to his shoulders and pulled him close to kiss him. "You feel so good inside me."

He hastily kissed you and through his gritted teeth, he muttered, "You feel good around me too."

With that, Chan slowed down but added intensity to his thrust, making you feel every drag of his cock against your walls. He didn't feel pressure to hold back as you cum already but he chose to keep going, wanting to stretch this moment as long as possible.

He kissed you and then pressed his forehead against yours, his hands groped around the sheets until he found yours and clasped them together.

"Can I cum inside you, baby?" He sweetly asked with a soft kiss on your jaw. "Want to fill you with my love."

"Yes," you whined as you pulled him closer and wrapped your legs around him tighter.

Chan buried his head in your neck, kissing and sucking on the skin there as the pleasure got too overwhelming too him. He dragged his mouth lower and took your breast into his mouth, roughly biting at it as he sped up, thrusting into you relentlessly until he came to his release.

Instead of pulling away, he pushed himself deep into you as he released his seed, along with a deep kiss that takes all of your breath away.

When he settled next to you on the bed, he took your hand and didn't let go, he kissed your knuckle, your palm, your inner wrist, he shoved your index and middle fingers into his mouth and gently sucked on them before pulled them away. He rested your hand close to his chest then turned his head to look at you. He saw the same fondness in your eyes but in that moment, he saw something else, something that looked almost like sadness.

"I love you," he said because he didn't know what else to do but convinced you that he's there for you, both physically and emotionally. He cupped your face and he saw as you leaned to it, finding the comfort you seek in the warmth of his palm.

"I love you too," you said back with a faint smile and in a split moment, everything felt alright again.

However, as the night went on, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Usually, you’d be telling him everything he missed, filling the air with stories and laughter. He wanted to believe you and that you were just tired, to shrug it off as nothing, but that nagging feeling stayed with him, growing stronger with each passing day, until the night you broke his heart and walked away without another word.

A week after that night, Chan’s world felt like it was tilting, spinning in slow, unbearable circles as he looked at you, trying to process the words you’d just spoken.

“You want to… break up?” he managed, his voice rough with disbelief.

You stood across from him, your expression a carefully held mask. “I think it’s best for both of us,” you said softly, but there was a tremor to your voice that betrayed you.

He shook his head, stepping forward, hands reaching for yours, desperately searching your face for something—anything—that would make this make sense.

“But…why?” he stammered, his voice breaking slightly. “Is it because I’ve been so busy? Because of work? I know I haven’t been around enough, but I’ll do better, I swear. I’ll make more time for us.”

You gently pulled your hands from his grasp, looking down, avoiding his eyes. “It’s not that, Chan. I… I just think it’s better this way.” Your voice was firm, but he could see the conflict in your expression, a hint of pain flickering across your features before you forced it away.

“Better?” he echoed, voice barely above a whisper. “How could breaking up be better?”

He felt the familiar ache in his chest deepen, like a wound reopening, bleeding anew. “We’re good together,” he insisted, almost pleading. “I thought… I thought you felt that, too.”

You swallowed, looking away, pressing your lips together as if to keep something from spilling out. “Please, Chan. Don’t make this harder.”

Chan took a shaky breath, still trying to keep his composure. “Please, just tell me what I did wrong. Tell me what to fix, and I’ll fix it. I’ll do anything.”

Your shoulders stiffened, and for a fleeting second, he thought he saw something—a glint of sorrow, maybe even regret—but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

“It’s nothing you did, Chan,” you said finally, your voice a strained whisper. “But… this is something I need to do.”

With that, you turned away, your steps steady as you walked out the door, leaving him frozen in place, watching you leave, unable to find the words to bring you back.

In the months that followed, Chan tried to move on, throwing himself deeper into work, but everywhere he went, there were memories of you, reminders of a life he had thought would be forever.

It took him a long time, a painful journey through grief and self-doubt, before he could let himself heal, before he could feel whole again. It wasn’t until he met Minho—sharp, sarcastic, and somehow healing—that he began to find peace with what had happened.

-

Now, as Chan stands in the doorway, staring at you and the little girl by your side, the past seems to come rushing back, all the hurt, confusion, and lingering questions he’s tried so hard to leave behind.

As you step inside his home, you take a quick, nervous breath, your gaze shifting to your daughter, who’s still holding onto your hand, eyes wide as she takes in her new surroundings.

You look down at her, giving her a soft smile. “Lucy, this is Chan. Say hello.”

Lucy peers up at him, clutching her stuffed animal tightly. “Hi,” she says shyly, her voice barely a whisper.

Chan crouches down to her level, a warm, welcoming smile on his face. “Hey, Lucy. I’m Chan,” he says gently, offering her a small wave. “I’m a friend of your mom’s.”

She nods, a hint of curiosity lighting up her eyes as she glances up at you for reassurance.

Minho steps into the room, casting a curious look between you, Chan, and Lucy, but he only offers a polite nod and a soft “Hi” to Lucy, who gives him a timid smile in return.

You take a deep breath, then gently squeeze Lucy’s hand. “Lucy, could you stay here for a bit? Mommy just need to talk to Chan, okay?”

“I’ll show you around,” Minho kindly offers, his tone calm and welcoming.

Lucy looks from you to Minho, who nods with a warm, reassuring smile, and after one last glance at you, she lets go of your hand and follows Minho into the living room.

Once Lucy is out of earshot, you follow Chan into a nearby room, nerves tightening your stomach as he closes the door behind you. He turns to face you, his expression soft but concerned, waiting for you to speak.

“Chan,” you begin, voice barely above a whisper. You look down, struggling to find the right words.

“I… I’m in a bad situation right now. I got evicted and I don’t have anywhere else to go. I didn’t want to bother you, but…” You trail off, unable to finish the thought, the weight of your circumstances pressing down on you.

Chan’s face softens, a look of quiet understanding in his eyes as he steps closer. “Hey, it’s okay,” he says gently, reaching out to place a comforting hand on your shoulder. “You don’t have to explain everything right now. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

You look up, surprise flickering in your eyes. “Are you sure?” you ask, still hesitant. “I don’t want to be a burden. I just… I need a few days to figure things out.”

Chan shakes his head, his voice warm and reassuring. “You’re not a burden. You can stay as long as you need. Don’t worry about anything else. Just focus on what you need to do.”

The kindness in his words catches you off guard, a wave of relief washing over you. After everything that’s happened, the simple act of having a place to stay, a place where you’re welcome, feels like a gift.

You fight back your years and manage a faint smile, nodding. “Thank you, Chan. Really.”

Chan smiles back, his hand giving your shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Anytime. Just know… you don’t have to go through this alone.”

The past month hasn't been kind to you and hearing those words from Chan is really comforting. There's a lump caught in your throat and it burns the more you hold yourself back from crying. You drop your head and begin crying, feeling like you can finally breathe after what felt like forever.

Attentively, Chan opens his arms and gently pulls you, he's holding you close, his hands land soothing rubs on your back.

"It’s okay, it's okay..." he repeatedly says, "You're here now."

-

Minho watches Lucy from his spot on the couch, noticing the way her eyes droop as she leans into the cushions. She’s small and quiet, with an unmistakable look of fatigue that tugs at something unexpectedly soft within him.

He glances toward the closed door where you and Chan are talking, catching snatches of the conversation as he sits with Lucy in the quiet of the living room. Words like “nowhere else to go” and “thank you” float through, hinting at the weight of the situation.

Minho’s fingers tap against his knee, mind racing as he pieces together fragments, but he quickly turns his attention back to Lucy as she shifts, curling up on the couch. Her little head nods, struggling to stay upright.

Seeing her like that, Minho gets up and slowly pushes the door open. He hears your cries and as the door swing further in ward, he catches you and Chan sharing an embrace.

Minho clears his throat to make his presence known and you quickly break away from Chan's hold, your back facing him.

“She’s looking pretty tired,” he keeps his voice low, gesturing to the couch and then glancing from Chan to you.

Chan looks at you and gives you a reassuring smile, then nods to Minho. “Yeah, I think we should get you and Lucy settled.”

Chan guides you and Lucy down the hall, showing you to a cozy guest room and making sure you have everything you need. You manage a grateful smile as you settle Lucy into bed, smoothing a blanket over her. With a final, gentle look, Chan closes the door, allowing you both some rest.

Later that night, as Minho and Chan lie side by side in the darkness, Chan wraps an arm around Minho’s waist, pulling him close. Minho can feel the tension in Chan’s hold, the way he hesitates before speaking.

“I’m sorry,” Chan whispers, his voice rough with sincerity. “I know this isn’t how I wanted our anniversary to go.”

Minho rests his hand over Chan’s, giving it a soft squeeze. “It’s okay,” he murmurs, trying to sound casual. “Plans change, right?”

Chan lets out a low sigh of relief, resting his head against Minho’s shoulder. “Are you… are you okay with them staying here?”

Minho hesitates, weighing his words. He can feel the questions bubbling up inside him, each one itching to be asked, but he swallows them down, forcing a calm smile instead.

“It’s fine, Chan,” he says, keeping his tone light. “It’s just a few days, right? I don’t mind.”

But as he lies there, his mind races with silent questions. Who is this little girl to Chan? Why did you show up now, after all this time? And what else might this mean for them?

He doesn’t voice any of it, though, just pulls Chan closer, letting him feel his support without pressing him for answers.

-

Minho stirs awake to the sound of soft clinking coming from the kitchen. He stretches, rubbing his eyes, and glances over to see Chan still fast asleep. Carefully slipping out of bed, he heads down the hallway, only to pause at the sight before him.

There you are, bustling around the kitchen, and at the dining table, Lucy sits munching on her breakfast, her legs swinging as she hums quietly to herself.

Minho can’t help but feel a pang of surprise—and unease. Usually, breakfast is his thing, the quiet, calming start to his morning. And now, someone else is filling that space.

You glance up from the stove and notice him, offering a warm smile. “Good morning! I made breakfast—I hope it’s okay.”

Minho nods politely, though he can’t shake the hint of awkwardness. “Morning,” he murmurs, glancing at the table as you set down a plate of food. “Thanks for, uh… taking care of it.”

You nod, busying yourself with the final touches. “I have to leave early for work, but Lucy’s all set.” You look over at Lucy, smiling softly as you fuss over her hair, straightening her shirt.

Turning back to Minho, you give him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for asking this, but could you keep an eye on her today? I really appreciate it.”

Before Minho can respond, you’re already grabbing your bag and heading toward the door. You bend down, planting a quick kiss on Lucy’s cheek. “Bye, sweetheart. Be good, okay?

Lucy looks up at you, nodding earnestly. “Yes, Mommy.”

“Mommy will be back soon.” You add with another kiss on the top of her head and with a final wave, you slip out, leaving Minho alone with Lucy.

Minho sighs, looking over at Lucy, who’s now staring at him with wide, curious eyes. He tries to shake off the discomfort, making his way around the kitchen to tidy up after breakfast, but every time he turns, he notices Lucy quietly trailing behind him, her tiny footsteps padding across the floor.

When he goes to do the laundry, she follows him, watching as he loads clothes into the machine, fascinated by every button he presses. When he heads out to water the plants on the balcony, she’s there too, gazing up at him with her big, unblinking eyes.

Minho feels his patience wearing thin. It’s not that he dislikes kids, but he can’t shake the feeling that his routine, his space, has been thrown off balance. Finally, he decides he’s had enough. He heads back to the bedroom and shakes Chan’s shoulder lightly.

“Hey,” he murmurs, casting a glance at the door, where Lucy is still peeking in. “Time to wake up. You have… company.”

Chan opens his eyes slowly, blinking at Minho in confusion before he sits up, glancing at Lucy and then back at Minho, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“She can't stop following me,” Minho whispers at him.

Chan rubs the sleep off his eyes and mumbles, "She probably just wants to play with you."

Minho sighs, crossing his arms, trying to mask the faint flush of embarrassment. “She’s your guest. Maybe it’s time you take over the babysitting shift.”

Chan chuckles, reaching out to give Minho’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Alright, alright. I’ll take care of her.” He swings his legs over the side of the bed, giving Minho a playful grin. “Besides, she seems to like you.”

Minho rolls his eyes, the faintest smile breaking through. “Yeah, well… she’s all yours now.”

-

As Chan watches Minho retreat to the kitchen with a faintly flustered expression, he can’t help but chuckle to himself. It’s rare to see Minho even slightly unsettled, but here he is, almost looking threatened by the presence of a two-year-old.

“She’s just a kid, Minho,” Chan murmurs under his breath, shaking his head with a soft smile.

Recalling the message you left for him, Chan retrieves the bag of Lucy’s toys from where you’d placed it by the door. He brings it to the living room and kneels down on the carpeted floor, setting out a colorful array of blocks, stuffed animals, and dolls. Lucy’s face lights up instantly, her small hands reaching eagerly for the toys as she plops down beside him.

“Is it your favorite toy?” Chan gently asks as he lays out all of her toys in front of her.

“Yup!” Lucy adorably nods.

They fall into an easy rhythm, building towers of blocks, arranging tiny stuffed animals in a pretend tea party. Chan’s heart warms watching her giggle with delight each time a tower of blocks comes crashing down.

It’s during one of these rounds of playful destruction that Chan catches Minho’s figure hovering in the doorway, his arms crossed as he watches them with an unreadable expression. Minho’s gaze flickers between Chan and Lucy, his brow furrowing just slightly.

A mischievous thought crosses Chan’s mind as he gets up and strides over to Minho, grinning. “Don’t tell me you're jealous because she’s cuter than you,” he teases, his tone light and playful.

Minho scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Please. I’m not worried about some toddler stealing my spotlight,” he replies coolly, but Chan can see the faint blush creeping up his cheeks, the way his shoulders tense ever so slightly.

Chan steps closer, his voice softening as he reaches up to playfully scratches Minho’s ear. “Hey,” he murmurs, holding Minho’s gaze, “nothing’s changed, alright? Just because she’s here doesn’t mean there’s any less of me for you.”

With that, he leans in, pressing a gentle, lingering kiss to Minho’s lips. Minho’s posture softens, his hands sliding around Chan’s waist as he lets out a quiet sigh, leaning into the kiss.

When they pull apart, Minho gives him a small, begrudging smile. “Fine,” he mutters, attempting to sound unaffected. “But don’t expect me to join any tea parties anytime soon.”

Chan laughs, squeezing Minho’s hand. “Noted,” he says, casting a glance back at Lucy, who’s now absorbed in her toys, babbling happily to herself. With a playful nudge, Chan heads back to the carpet, leaving Minho watching with a half-smile as he sits down to continue playing with Lucy.

-

"Dinner's ready!" Minho announces from the kitchen but no one is answering him.

He turns his head toward the living room and sees that Chan and Lucy are still busy playing, her giggles echoing in the room for any of them to hear Minho’s call for dinner.

Minho sighs and raises his voice louder. "Dinner's ready!"

Chan abruptly stops lifting Lucy in the air and puts her down, offering his hand to walk hand in hand to the kitchen. He takes her to wash her hands first before settling her on her dining table.

As they sit down for dinner, Minho carefully plates the food, setting each dish on the table with his usual precision. He watches as Chan gives Lucy a warm smile, helping her settle in her seat and making sure she’s comfortable.

Throughout the meal, Minho notices Chan’s gentle attention on Lucy—wiping the sauce from her cheek, cutting her food into bite-sized pieces, and patiently coaxing her to eat each bite.

At one point, Chan looks up and catches Minho’s bitter expression. “Hm…” he sniffs the air dramatically, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Is it just me, or does something smell a little… burnt in here?”

Minho narrows his eyes, but the corners of his mouth twitch in a faint smile. “Please, I’m not jealous,” he scoffs, trying to sound indifferent as he continues eating.

Chan laughs, giving Minho an affectionate nudge. “Whatever you say.”

After dinner, they all move to the living room, where Chan and Lucy settle in front of the TV to watch cartoons. Minho sits at the far end of the sofa, arms crossed, but his gaze keeps drifting toward the two of them cuddled up together.

Noticing Minho’s pout, Chan reaches out, giving him a playful tug. “Come here, Mr. Not Jealous,” he teases, wrapping an arm around him. “There’s room for all three of us.”

Minho sighs, pretending to resist, but eventually leans in, allowing Chan to pull him close. “Fine,” he mumbles, as Chan presses a soft kiss to his temple.

As they sit together, Chan tightens his hold, smiling at Minho. “See? Perfect little family moment,” he whispers, his tone both teasing and gentle.

Minho rolls his eyes but allows himself to relax, a reluctant smile finally breaking through as he nestles into Chan’s embrace, soothed by the warmth they share.

Menacingly, he puts away Lucy’s hand resting on Chan’s chest and replaces it with his while Chan can only chuckles witnessing it.

A moment later, there are beeping sounds coming from the front door and Chan rolls his eyes toward Minho in suspicion.

"You changed the passcode again, did you?" Chan asks with his eyes squinted.

With a smirk on his face, Minho nonchalantly shrugs and it's enough to tell Chan the answer.

-

"0-1-0-9."

You fumble with the numbers Chan had texted you, pressing them carefully into the keypad, but each time, the door refuses to unlock. After a few more tries, you’re about to give up when the door finally swings open, revealing a sheepish-looking Chan.

“Sorry about that,” he says, scratching the back of his neck.

“Minho changed the passcode and forgot to tell me.” He gives you a small, apologetic smile.

You shrug, offering a quick nod before stepping inside. “It’s fine,” you reply, smiling slightly as Lucy comes running toward you, arms outstretched.

“Mommy!” she squeals, hugging your legs. You scoop her up, brushing her hair back from her face as you carry her toward her room.

“And why are you still up?” You ask her.

Lucy sheepishly gestures toward the living room where the TV plays her favorite cartoons. “Watching cartoons,” she mumbles.

“It's past your bedtime, young lady,” you tell her with a playful glare. Pausing near Chan and Minho, you give her a gentle nudge. “Say goodnight, Lucy.”

She waves her tiny hand sleepily, mumbling, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, cutie Lucy,” Chan says back and gives her a soft pat on the head before letting you take her away.

A few minutes later, you’re settling Lucy under her blanket, humming a song while caressing her head to send her into sleep.

“Picture yourself in a boat on a river / With tangerine trees and marmalade skies / Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly / A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.”

Once she's fast asleep, you give her a soft kiss on the forehead, straightening as you spot Chan standing in the doorway, watching quietly with an unreadable expression.

“So... Lucy in the sky with diamonds, huh?” he says softly as he finally catches on why you named your daughter Lucy.

“You're finally catching up,” You playfully remark, taking the dirty clothes with you as you come out of the room and you head straight toward the laundry room. As you start sorting clothes, he leans against the doorframe, his tone casual yet curious.

“So… what do you think about all of this?” he asks, gesturing vaguely around, though his gaze lingers on you.

“About you dating... Minho?” you reply, glancing at him with a faint smile.

Chan seems to be taken aback by how accurate your first guess is. "Well... yeah," he sheepishly replies.

“It was a surprise, but then I remember our argument on who is the best Ryan,” you talk as you load your laundry into the washing machine. "And you passionately defended that Ryan Reynolds is hotter than Ryan Gosling."

"And I still stand by it," Chan chuckles, looking momentarily relieved, but his curiosity isn’t quite satisfied. “And… what do you think about Minho? I know it’s been… an adjustment, having you and Lucy here.”

You pause, folding one of Lucy’s shirts as you consider your words. “I haven’t really had a chance to talk to him. But the fact that he doesn’t mind us staying here says a lot. It means he’s a good person.”

Chan nods, seeming to take that in, a small smile touching his lips. “Yeah, he really is,” he murmurs, almost to himself. There’s a warmth in his voice that’s unmistakable, and you can’t help but feel a sense of relief, sensing that your presence here, however temporary, isn’t as disruptive as you’d feared.

With a gentle smile, you add, “I’m happy for you, Chan. You look… happy. It’s nice to see.”

He looks up, meeting your gaze with a quiet gratitude that speaks volumes. “Thanks,” he says softly.

For a moment, the two of you stand there in a comfortable silence, each lost in your own thoughts, both grateful to find this unexpected peace amidst everything.

As you both lean against the dryer, you slowly turn to face him and look him in the eyes as you say, "I know I'm three years late to this but Chan... I'm sorry."

His hand reaches for your arm and gently squeezes it. "There’s nothing to be sorry about," he assures you with a warm smile.

"We both know I wasn't a good girlfriend and the way I ended things..." you take a second to steady your voice. "I'm fully aware how brazen faced I am for coming here and asking for your help."

Chan’s gaze softens as he takes in your words, his hand lingering on your arm as if to anchor you. “You’re not. You’re just... human,” he replies gently. “I won’t pretend it didn’t hurt, but you did what you felt you needed to do. I get that.”

A faint smile touches your lips, relief mingling with lingering guilt. “Still, you’re here, helping me now after everything. I don’t know if I deserve it.”

“Hey,” he interrupts softly, his tone steady. “Don’t think like that. Everyone deserves help when they need it.”

For a moment, silence falls again between you, but this time, it’s heavier with the weight of unspoken questions. Then Chan finally speaks, his voice filled with a quiet sincerity. “Why didn’t you tell me? You could have told me and you wouldn't have gone through this alone.”

Your gaze drops, a little of the old hurt resurfacing and just like that, you break into tears. You cry into your hands, feeling embarrassed about everything.

Chan pulls you close, holding you close and letting you rest your head on his shoulder. He rubs his hand up and down your arm as he mutters. “You will always have me. I'm here.”

You nod, a warmth settling in your chest. It’s not easy letting go of the past, but standing here with Chan, it feels like maybe there’s a new beginning, after all.

-

Minho stretches, eyes blinking open to a peaceful morning. For a fleeting moment, everything feels blissfully normal—no guests, no interruptions, just him and Chan in their cozy space. He savors the silence, letting his eyes close again as he feels the warmth of the bed cocooning him. But then he hears Chan rustling beside him, yawning as he stretches.

“Morning,” Chan murmurs, planting a soft kiss on Minho’s cheek before slipping out of bed.

Minho hums in response, eyes still half-shut, enjoying the lingering quiet.

“Oh,” Chan says, his voice pulling Minho fully awake. “Just a heads up—she left early for a two-day work trip. Said she’d be back soon.”

Minho’s eyes open, the peaceful feeling beginning to fade as he realizes what this means. “Wait,” he says, voice still groggy, “so that means…”

“That means Lucy’s with us,” Chan finishes, a little too cheerfully, as if trying to soften the blow. “Come on, it won’t be that bad.”

Minho doesn't say anything but his pout is apparent so Chan tries another way to soften him. “I'll cook breakfast,” he announces with a quick kiss on his cheek.

Minho sighs, feeling a familiar knot tighten in his stomach. He watches as Chan goes to wake Lucy, who stretches sleepily in her little bed before reaching up for him with a giggle.

“Morning, sweet Lucy!” Chan talks in his baby voice at her and then scoops her up, effortlessly shifting gears into a gentle, playful mode as he carries her to the kitchen.

Dreading the chaos of the next two days, Minho reluctantly drags himself out of bed, following the sound of Chan and Lucy’s laughter down the hall. When he steps into the kitchen, he finds Lucy settled in her high chair, happily munching on a piece of toast while Chan fusses over the coffee maker. Minho watches them, a mix of apprehension and resignation settling in.

Chan glances back at him, a soft, reassuring smile on his face. “It’ll be fine,” he says, as if reading Minho’s thoughts. “We’ve got this, okay?”

Minho sighs but nods, taking a seat across from Lucy as she gives him a crumb-covered smile. As much as he dreads the unfamiliar routine, a small part of him feels… almost grateful for Chan’s confidence. With a reluctant smile of his own, he reaches for a piece of toast, bracing himself for the day ahead.

However, in the afternoon, Chan has to leave to take care of something at the studio. Minho watches as Chan pulls on his jacket, glancing back at him with a smirk.

“She just went down for her nap, so you’re in the clear for a little while,” Chan teases.

He comes up to him and plants a quick peck on his lips, “Just… keep her in one piece until I get back, alright?” he jokingly says.

Minho rolls his eyes, a faint grin tugging at his lips. “I'll try.”

With a final wink, Chan heads out, leaving Minho alone in the quiet apartment. The silence is welcome, if temporary, and he lets out a slow sigh, hoping the next few hours pass smoothly.

An hour later, Lucy stirs awake, her small footsteps padding down the hallway. Minho sets out a plate of snacks for her, guiding her to the couch.

“Stay here, alright?” he says, voice firm. “I’m just going out to the balcony.”

Lucy nods, munching on a cracker as she watches him. Satisfied, Minho heads outside to the small balcony, grabbing the broom as he starts clearing away the damp leaves from the rainy afternoon.

He’s only half-focused when he hears the light patter of tiny feet behind him. Before he can react, Lucy slips on the wet floor, falling to her knees with a small yelp.

Minho rushes to her side, instinctively pulling her up. “Lucy!” he scolds, his voice sharper than he intended. “I told you to stay put! Why can’t you just listen?”

Lucy’s big eyes fill with tears, her lower lip trembling as she starts to cry, her tiny voice breaking as she murmurs, “I want Mommy…”

At her words, Minho’s frustration melts into a pang of guilt. He looks at her, realizing how small and innocent she really is, just a little girl caught up in an unfamiliar world. He takes a deep breath, softening his tone as he gently wipes her tears.

“Hey… I’m sorry,” he says, his voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t mean to yell.”

Lucy sniffles, looking up at him with a mixture of hurt and confusion. Minho feels the weight of her gaze, a new understanding settling over him. She didn’t ask for any of this, and for the first time, he really sees how vulnerable she is.

“Come on, let’s clean those knees,” he murmurs softly, taking her small hand in his as he guides her back inside.

As he bandages her scraped knees, he silently resolves to be gentler, realizing she’s not the cause of his frustration—she’s just an innocent bystander who needs someone to care.

“Does it still hurt?” He asks in slight concerns after covering the scrape on her knee with a bandaid.

Instead of answering, Lucy looks at him with her teary eyes and whines, “I want my Mommy.”

Minho frowns, his phone pressed to his ear as he tries to call you, glancing over at Lucy who’s curled up on the couch, her eyes still red from crying. She clutches a stuffed animal tightly, her gaze flicking between him and the phone, hope evident in her little face.

But after a few rings, the call goes to voicemail. He lets out a quiet sigh, mentally running through other options. If she can’t talk to her mom, he has to figure out some way to cheer her up on his own.

He crouches down beside her, offering her a small, tentative smile. “Hey, Lucy,” he says gently. “How about we eat something? I think we have something special in the fridge.”

Her interest piques slightly, though her expression remains uncertain as she nods.

Minho takes her in his arms and heads to the kitchen, he sits her down on the kitchen island, opening the freezer and pulling out a small tub of ice cream.

“Ice cream?” He asks with a soft smile but deep down he's hoping it works to, at least, make her stop asking for you.

The little girl wipes her wet cheek with the back of her hand and mumbles, “I want strawberry ice cream.”

“Strawberry ice cream for Lucy coming right up!” He cheerfully says.

Minho scoops some into a bowl, topping it with a few sprinkles as Lucy requested. When he hands her the bowl, her eyes light up, the faintest smile breaking through. She takes a cautious spoonful, then another, and before long, her mood visibly brightens.

Minho can’t help but feel a small sense of relief as he watches her savor each bite. “Is it good?” he asks, smiling softly.

Lucy nods, looking up at him with genuine gratitude. “Thank you,” she says, her small voice filled with warmth as she flashes him a fond smile.

Minho’s heart softens at the sight. He hadn’t expected something as simple as ice cream to work so well, but seeing her smile makes him realize that maybe, just maybe, he’s not so bad at this. For the first time, he feels a small connection with her, and it surprises him just how much it means.

-

Chan steps into the apartment, his nerves already on edge. He’s been wondering all day what sort of situation he’ll find when he gets home, half-expecting chaos—or at least a sulking Minho in the aftermath of a toddler-tantrum-filled day. He silently hopes that Minho’s “keep her in one piece” promise has held true.

But as he closes the door, he’s met with… silence.

The calm feels almost suspicious, and he takes a cautious step forward, peeking into the kitchen. His brows lift in surprise when he sees Minho standing at the counter, prepping dinner. And beside him, Lucy is perched on a chair, carefully placing sliced vegetables into a bowl under Minho’s watchful eye.

Chan can’t help but chuckle softly at the sight, folding his arms as he leans against the doorframe. “Wow, I thought you might’ve sent her to the orphanage by now.”

Minho glances over his shoulder, rolling his eyes but unable to hide a small grin. “Trust me, the temptation was there.”

Lucy giggles, glancing up at Minho with a shy smile. Chan’s heart warms at the sight, surprised and a little proud of how well they seem to be getting along.

Chan steps into the kitchen, giving Minho a playful nudge. “Seems like you survived after all,” he teases.

Minho scoffs but gives a reluctant nod. “Barely,” he mutters, though there’s a glimmer of something softer in his eyes as he glances at Lucy. He ruffles her hair as she hands him another handful of vegetables, and for the first time, Chan sees a gentleness there that makes him smile.

“Well,” Chan says, grabbing an apron to join in, “looks like I came home just in time for dinner with my two favorite chefs.”

As the evening winds down and bed time comes, Lucy bounces up to Minho, wrapping her tiny arms around his legs. “Goodnight!” she chirps, looking up at him with a grin.

Minho blinks in surprise, and though he hesitates, he can’t help but smile as he pats her head gently. “Mmh... Goodnight!”

Chan chuckles, scooping her up. “Alright, let's go,” he says, carrying her down the hall to the bedroom. He helps her into her pajamas, tucking her in under the blankets as she nestles into the bed.

“Is Mommy coming home soon?” she asks, her voice small, looking up at him with sleepy eyes.

Chan smiles softly, brushing a stray curl from her forehead. “Mommu will be back before you know it. Just one more day, and you’ll see Mommy again.”

He draws hee closer to his side, suddenly feeling protective of her at the reminder that she has no one but you. “So, Lucy, do you like staying here with me?” he curiously asks.

Lucy innocently nods as she stares at his face.

“How about Minho? Did you have fun today with Minho?”

With her eyes getting heavier with each passing second, Lucy nods again. However, Chan can’t help but ask her one more question.

“Do you like me more or Minho more?”

After a while, Lucy confidently answers. "Chan!"

Even though the answer is as expected, Chan triumphantly smiles at that. He presses a soft kiss on the top of Lucy’s head and holds her close.

A yawn slipping out as she snuggles deeper into her pillow. Chan begins to hum her favorite lullaby, his voice soft and soothing as he sings until her eyes finally close and her breathing evens out.

When he looks up, he notices Minho leaning quietly in the doorway, watching them. There’s a gentleness in Minho’s gaze that makes Chan’s heart swell. Minho might not say it, but Chan can see that he’s slowly warming up to Lucy, and it brings a warmth to his heart.

Chan gives Lucy a soft kiss on the forehead, mouthing, “Goodnight,” before he stands and gently closes the door behind him.

As Chan steps out of Lucy’s room and joins Minho, Minho quirks an eyebrow, an amused glint in his eyes. “Look at you, playing the doting daddy,” he teases, crossing his arms.

Chan rolls his eyes, nudging him playfully. “You’re just jealous,” he replies, chuckling. “Admit it.”

Minho just shrugs with a smirk, but there’s no real irritation behind his words. They head to their own bedroom, slipping under the covers, and Chan reaches out to take Minho’s hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you, Minho,” he murmurs, his voice soft and sincere. “For… everything. For being understanding, for accepting Lucy without a second thought, and for being here with me through this.”

His gaze is warm, filled with gratitude as he looks into Minho’s eyes. “I don’t take it for granted, you know? I’m really grateful for you.”

Minho’s smirk softens into a small, genuine smile. He shifts closer, leaning his forehead against Chan’s. “You’re lucky I like you, Bang Chan,” he whispers, his voice playful but filled with warmth.

Chan chuckles, brushing his thumb over Minho’s hand. “I am lucky,” he replies, his voice gentle as he presses a soft kiss to Minho’s forehead, feeling a sense of peace settle over him. With Minho by his side, he knows he can face anything—even the unexpected challenges they’re now facing together.

-

The next day, Chan, Minho, and little Lucy head out to the grocery store together. As they walk in, they’re greeted by Halloween decorations lining the aisles—glowing pumpkins, skeletons, and eerie ghost dolls hanging from the ceiling. Lucy’s eyes grow wide, and she clings to Minho’s leg, hiding behind him as a particularly spooky skeleton’s jaw clatters with a creepy laugh.

Minho chuckles, glancing down at her. “They’re just dolls, Lucy,” he says reassuringly, giving one of the decorations a little poke on the eyes.

“See? Not scary at all.” He winks at her, trying to make her laugh by mimicking the skeleton’s spooky laugh.

Seeing Minho’s teasing brings a tiny smile to Lucy’s face, and she clutches his hand a bit less tightly, sticking close by his side as they continue down the aisle.

Meanwhile, Chan’s eyes light up as he spots a display of Halloween costumes.

“Oh! We should do matching costumes,” he exclaims, rifling through the racks with growing excitement. “What about pirates? Or superheroes?”

Minho raises an eyebrow, amused. “Are you really trying to dress us all up for Halloween?”

Chan grins, holding up a little cape and mask for Lucy. “Come on, it’ll be fun! Look, Lucy could be a little superhero,” he says, his enthusiasm contagious.

Lucy giggles, her earlier fright forgotten as she clutches the cape, trying to wrap it around herself.

Later that evening, after their grocery run, the three of them settle down in the living room for a cozy movie night. Lucy curls up on the couch between them, her eyes glued to the screen as the movie plays. Somewhere near the end, her little head begins to droop, and before long, she’s fast asleep, resting comfortably against Minho’s arm.

Chan chuckles, nudging Minho with a grin. “Look at you, Mr. Not Jealous. You’re practically her favorite pillow.”

Minho scoffs, rolling his eyes, but there’s a fond smile on his face as he glances down at the sleeping child in his arms. He carefully stands, lifting her in his arms as he heads to her room. He tucks her in gently, pulling the blankets up to her chin before quietly slipping out of the room.

When he returns to the living room, Chan’s waiting with a soft smile. “You’re really good with her, you know?” Chan says, wrapping an arm around him as they settle back on the couch.

Minho just shrugs, a bit flustered but warmed by Chan’s words. “Yeah, well… she’s not so bad,” he mutters, though there’s a softness in his voice that speaks volumes.

As Minho joins Chan in bed, Chan immediately pulls him into his arms, taking advantage of the rare alone time to shower him with gentle kisses. Minho smirks, leaning into Chan’s warmth as he presses fluttering kisses on his neck.

Not having enough, Chan hovers above him. Their lips make the first contact before the rest of their bodies become one on the bed. In a second, Minho’s hands going all over Chan’s body, trailing his broad shoulders, tracing the ridges of his abs, the muscles on his back and as soon as Chan lowers himself on him, Minho’s hands are gliding down his back and not stopping until his hands meet Chan’s ample ass.

Chan smiles against his lips as Minho starts fondling on his asscheek and Chan gets back at him by feeling Minho’s growing bulge inside his sweatpants.

With everything that happened, it feels like a long time since the last time they had sex. Chan needs this and with the way Minho easily giving in to what he wants, he knows Minho needs this just as much.

However, as things start to heat up— a quiet knock interrupts them.

With his hands resting on his chest, Minho slowly pushes Chan away and says, “Better luck next time!”

Chan sighs but quickly gets up, opening the door to find Lucy standing there, clutching her plushie with tears streaming down her cheeks. The soft rumble of thunder echoes outside, and she sniffles, looking up at him with frightened eyes.

“I'm scared,” she mumbles and gets startled at the sound of thunder.

“Hey, it’s alright, sweetheart,” Chan murmurs gently, crouching down to her level. He lifts her into his arms and brings her into the bedroom, letting her settle down on the bed between him and Minho.

As she clutches her plushie, Chan pats her back, softly humming her favorite lullaby, his voice a low and calming melody against the rumbling storm outside. Slowly, Lucy’s eyes flutter closed, and she drifts off, her breathing steady and peaceful.

Chan glances over at Minho, a mischievous smile on his face. “Hey, let's have one of these,” he whispers playfully.

Minho rolls his eyes but can’t hold back a grin. “Only if you’re the one carrying it,” he whispers back, nudging him.

Chan chuckles quietly, pulling Minho’s hand into his own under the covers. Despite all his initial worries, he feels this warm, comforting feeling settle over him. Having Lucy here, nestled safely between them, only seems to make his bond with Minho stronger. What he once thought might strain their relationship now feels like it’s brought them closer, and he realizes just how much Minho means to him.

They lie there together, hands intertwined, both feeling a quiet sense of peace as they watch over the sleeping child between them.

-

Minho wakes up to the soft sight of little Lucy nestled close to Chan’s arm, her tiny form making Chan look even broader and more protective beside her. Minho smiles, watching them for a moment before slipping out of bed, letting the two sleep in a little longer.

The sunlight spills into the kitchen, bright and warm, washing away any traces of the storm from the night before. As Minho pulls out ingredients from the fridge, he hears tiny footsteps padding across the floor. He turns to see Lucy, dragging her favorite plushie along, her eyes still a bit sleepy.

“Morning, Lucy,” he says softly, setting a plate on the table for her with a warm cheese omelet. Lucy climbs into her chair, her eyes lighting up as she takes a bite.

Minho smirks, watching her enjoy the food. “So,” he says with a playful grin, “who’s the better cook—me or Mommy?”

Lucy giggles, her cheeks puffed from her bite. “Mommy!” she replies without hesitation, her answer sweetly innocent.

Minho huffs in mock offense, rolling his eyes. “Biased,” he mutters under his breath, but he can’t help smiling as he watches her eat with such enthusiasm.

Before long, Chan shuffles into the kitchen, still a bit groggy but smiling at the sight of Lucy happily munching away and Minho standing over the stove. He slips an arm around Minho’s waist, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before taking a seat at the table.

“Morning,” Chan mumbles with another kiss pressed to his neck. He then turns to the little girl busy eating her breakfast and places a kiss on her head, “Morning, cutie Lucy,” he says with his high, saccharine voice.

Minho watches them, a warm feeling settling in his chest as he takes in the cozy scene. Just like Chan had joked, it really does feel like a little family. But as he watches Chan laugh with Lucy over breakfast, Minho realizes he doesn’t have to pretend—it truly feels like this is his family, too.

-

The late morning sunlight spills across the living room as the three of them lounge comfortably on the couch, watching Lucy’s favorite cartoon. She’s nestled between Chan and Minho, completely captivated, while Minho has his arm draped casually over the back of the sofa, feeling more at ease than he would have thought possible.

But the cozy moment is interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Minho groans, getting up to answer it, only to find you standing there, suitcase beside you. He blinks in mild surprise before his face softens, and you exchange a quick hug.

“I lost track of the new passcode,” you say with a chuckle, shrugging apologetically.

“No worries,” he replies, stepping aside to let you in.

Without hesitating, you come up to him for a quick hug, “How are you, Minho? I hope everything is well.”

Minho sheepishly smiles and closes the door behind him, “I hope so too,” he jokingly says.

The second you announce your arrival, little footsteps echo through the hallway as Lucy comes running, her face lighting up at the sight of you. She rushes over, throwing her arms around your legs, and you crouch down to hug her back.

As you greet Chan and settle in, the lively energy Lucy brings to the room returns with her laughter filling the space. Everything feels normal again—but as Minho looks around, he realizes this new rhythm, this new arrangement, is his normal now too.

It’s strange to think how far he’s come from his initial reluctance, but he can’t deny the warmth and quiet joy that fills him at the sight of this little makeshift family.

-

The kitchen is filled with the comforting sounds of chopping and simmering as you and Minho work together to prepare dinner. The faint laughter of Chan and Lucy playing in the living room drifts into the space, adding to the cozy warmth of the evening.

“You really should be resting after your trip,” Minho says, glancing at you as he chops vegetables with practiced ease.

You shake your head, a small smile on your lips. “I need to feel useful after being away. Besides, I wanted to thank you properly—for taking care of Lucy while I was gone.”

Minho shrugs, trying to act nonchalant, but a hint of a smile tugs at his lips. “She’s not so bad… keeps things interesting around here.”

Taking a deep breath, you seize the quiet moment between the two of you. “Minho… there’s something I need to tell you. I didn’t come here to interfere or… to try to win Chan back.”

He raises an eyebrow, smirking as he places the knife down and looks at you. “Good to know. I mean, I would hope you aren’t here to take him away from me. I’d miss the guy.”

A light laugh escapes you, and you feel the tension ease, if only a little. “Honestly, I wanted to be up-front. Lucy isn’t Chan’s child. She… I had her with someone else, after I made a mistake while I was still with Chan.”

You pause, struggling to hold back the guilt that still lingers. “I never told him. I was too ashamed, and I thought it would be better if he didn’t know.”

Minho’s expression softens as he takes in your words. He understands why you did what you did. He picks his words carefully before saying them out loud.

“For what it’s worth, you don’t have to carry that guilt here. Chan’s treating Lucy like she’s his own because, well, that’s just who he is. And… she’s lucky to have him in her life. We both are.”

You've been carrying it for a long while and your heart lifts at his words. For that, you offer a sincere smile and gratitude. “Thank you, Minho. For understanding, and for... letting us stay here.”

Minho gives a small nod, and his usual teasing smile returns. “Well, you’re lucky Lucy’s cute. She’s winning me over. Just don’t go telling her that.”

You’re silent for a moment, gathering your thoughts. As you continue slicing vegetables, you glance at Minho, hesitating, then finally let out a gentle sigh.

“Chan… he looks so happy with you,” you say, voice soft. “I can see it. He really loves you. I hope you know that.”

Minho pauses, clearly caught off guard by your words. “Yeah?” he asks, almost shyly, though he tries to play it off with a small smile.

You nod, your gaze shifting to where Chan is with Lucy, his laughter filling the living room. “He deserves to be with someone who makes him this happy. I couldn’t give him that but you do. And I really, really hope things work out for you both.”

Minho’s expression softens, a hint of gratitude flickering in his eyes that he doesn’t know how to react to that. “Thank you. That means… well, more than you might think.”

You both fall silent, the sound of your movements in the kitchen blending with the distant laughter of Chan and Lucy. In that moment, you feel a quiet sense of relief, knowing that Chan has found someone who truly cares for him, and that you’ve left him in good hands.

-

Dinner is lively, filled with light chatter and laughter as everyone enjoys the meal. Between bites, Chan glances over at Lucy, attentively wipes her slobbering mouth with a napkin. He beams when he remembers something.

“Hey, would it be alright if I took Lucy to the park tomorrow? I know a spot she’d love.”

You swallow your food and put your spoon down to answer him. “I plan on begin looking for an apartment anyway, so that would be perfect.”

Without missing a beat, Minho clears his throat and injects himself into the conversation.“Well, you’re in luck—I just so happen to have a cozy apartment that I keep meaning to rent out. Figured I might sell it eventually, but,” he shrugs playfully and glances over at Chan, “I keep it around in case I need an escape from Chan.”

The table erupts into laughter, and you look at him, surprised but grateful. “Are you serious? I’d be so thankful. Really.”

Minho nods with a grin and casually shrugs again, “Consider it yours, then.”

Chan catches Minho’s eye, a quiet look of gratitude passing between them. He feels a surge of pride, but more than that, a sense of certainty that Minho is truly the one he’s meant to be with.

Later that night, as they lay side by side in bed, Chan gently pulls Minho close, wrapping an arm around him. He presses a long kiss on his neck before deeply looking into his eyes to tell him his feelings.

“You know, I’ve never felt this sure about anyone before,” he murmurs. “I feel like… you’re the one I’ve been waiting for, Minho.”

Minho rolls his eyes but can’t hide the blush creeping across his face. “You’re getting sappy again, Chan.”

Chan chuckles softly, then leans in, his lips brushing Minho’s in a tender, lingering kiss. “I mean it,” he whispers. “I love you so much.”

Unexpectedly, Minho melts right away from Chan's confession, his usual sarcasm fading, and after a moment, he cups Chan’s face, a small smile playing at his lips. “I love you too.”

In this perfect, quiet moment, Chan knows that he’s exactly where he’s meant to be.

-

Moving into Minho’s apartment has felt like starting fresh—a safe, cozy space for you and Lucy, free from the burdens you once carried. It’s peaceful, even comforting, though sometimes it’s hard to shake the feeling of gratitude toward Chan and Minho for being there when you needed it most. They’ve become part of your life in a way you never anticipated, like family.

The apartment is still a mess and you struggle to find your makeup pouch from the unpacked boxes. When you finally found what you're looking for, you run back to the living room and squat down to be on the same level with Lucy. You carefully draw thin, delicate whiskers on Lucy's cheeks, stepping back to admire her in her little mouse costume. She giggles, wriggling with excitement as you look at her with a big smile on your face.

“Look at you, you cute little mouse!” you grin, smoothing down her costume.

Just then, the doorbell rings, and Lucy’s eyes light up as she dashes for the door. Her little tail wagging amd drags across the hardwood floor as she runs.

“Who do you think it is?” you ask playfully, following her.

She’s practically bouncing as you open the door, and there stand Chan and Minho, beaming.

“Oh?! I can see it now,” You gasp and chuckle when you finally recognize where they got the reference for their costumes. It's from Lucy’s favorite movie, Ratatouille.

Chan’s dressed in a chef’s outfit, his red wig comically tousled like Linguini’s, while Minho, wearing a sharp black suit and a deep scowl, plays the perfect Anton Ego.

Chan immediately crouches down, holding out his arms. “There’s my little Remy!” he cheers, and Lucy runs into his arms, giggling as he lifts her up.

Minho nods, raising a brow and it’s rather dramatic with the dark eye makeup. “Impeccable taste in costume, I must say,” he says with mock seriousness, giving Lucy an approving look.

“Wow, you all really went with the theme,” you laugh, impressed. “You even got the scowl right, Minho.”

Minho smirks, crossing his arms. “Of course. It’s a role I was born to play,” he says dryly, earning a playful nudge from Chan.

They line up in front of the camera, Lucy perched proudly on Chan’s shoulders, clutching his chef’s hat, with Minho standing beside them, a half-smile tugging at his lips. You help direct their poses, snapping a few photos as they make silly faces, then switch to a few “serious” ones with Minho scowling dramatically.

The three of them are laughing together, looking so natural and happy, and as you watch through the lens, your heart swells with warmth. This little found family has its own kind of magic, and it feels like something that might just last.

-

As Chan and Lucy head out for trick-or-treating, the apartment feels a little quieter, but comfortably so. You and Minho settle into the kitchen, rolling up your sleeves and preparing ingredients to bake cookies. There’s a sense of ease between you, both of you slipping into a relaxed rhythm of mixing, sifting, and rolling dough, laughter and chatter filling the room.

“So, how are you settling in here?” Minho asks, genuine curiosity in his voice.

“Actually, it’s been good. Lucy’s adapting well, and I have you to thank for that.” You glance around the apartment, an appreciative gleam in your eyes. “It already feels like a home.”

Minho chuckles, looking a little proud as he dusted the dough with more flour. “I’m glad to hear that. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if this place would be what you needed, but you’re making it work.”

A moment passes in silence as you consider whether it's appropiate or not for you to ask something personal with him. After a while though, you glance at him thoughtfully and decide to take a shot.

“So... you and Chan,” you say, a gentle nudge in your tone. “Are you thinking about... taking things to the next level?”

Minho chuckles at first, lifting a brow at you and he stays quiet, you take it that he doesn’t want to answer until he turns to face you.

“The next level? What, like adopting a cat?” he teases, though you can see the thought truly crosses his mind as he softens a bit. “But honestly... I know Chan. He’s always had this dream, you know? That picture-perfect life with a family, a house with a white fence, a dog… all of it.”

He pauses, looking down as he carefully arranges the cookie dough on the sheet. “Sometimes I wonder if I can give him that,” he admits quietly, his voice just above a whisper. “It’s not like I’m against it… I just don’t know if I’m enough to be his whole dream.”

You nod, understanding the weight of his thoughts and take a moment to assess it. “I think that dream matters to him, sure. But I also know that Chan loves you, and that’s the part that matters most.”

You give him a reassuring look and a warm smile. “If there’s anyone who can make him happy, it’s you. And honestly? What you two have—it's special. I’d be heartbroken if anything ever changed that.”

Minho looks at you, a slight smile pulling at his lips. He seems more at ease, even if only a little, as he nods in quiet appreciation.

“Thanks,” he says, voice soft. “It’s nice to hear that.”

He carefully slides the cookie tray into the oven, letting the warmth of your words and the baking cookies fill the space.

Chan and Lucy return from trick-or-treating just as the smell of freshly baked cookies are out of the oven. The moment they step inside, Lucy’s eyes light up at the sight of the cookies on the counter, and she eagerly scrambles onto the couch, settling in with her treat.

Everyone gathers in the cozy living room, laughing, sipping milk, and munching on warm cookies as a Halloween movie plays on the TV. But the true entertainment comes from you and Minho playfully teasing Chan, trading stories and memories like a friendly roast.

“Oh, he’s still as bad at drinking as he was back then,” you laugh, nudging Chan as he shakes his head, looking mildly embarrassed.

“Not to mention the spice thing,” Minho chimes in, smirking. “Can’t handle anything remotely spicy, huh?”

Chan groans, holding up his hands in defeat. “What can I say? Some things never change,” he grins, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

“Oh! Grow up, Chan!” You tease him with a mocking grin.

As the night gets late, Lucy falls asleep on Chan’s lap, her face calm and content from the night’s excitement. Gently, Chan scoops her up and carries her to bed, laying her down and carefully tucking her in. You join him, and together, you watch her peaceful expression, a feeling of warmth settling over the room.

“Thank you, Chan,” you say softly, watching your daughter sleep. “I’ve never seen Lucy this happy. She really, really likes you.”

Chan smiles, his gaze softening as he endearingly putting away the haie covering Lucy’s face. “She’s a great girl. Makes it easy.”

For a moment, Chan simply watches Lucy sleeping, endearingly putting the hair away from her face and then, he looks at you. With a gentle tone, he asks, “Can I… Can I be Lucy’s godfather?”

Your heart skips at the suddenness of his wish and how unexpected it is. Before you can respond, you feel the urge to tell him the truth, wanting him to understand everything.

“Chan, I know I should have told you sooner that Lucy is—”

Before you get to finish your sentence, Chan shakes his head and stopping you. “Despite it all, I want to be there for her, and for you.”

Overwhelmed by his words, you nod, a genuine smile breaking through. “I would love to, Chan. Besides, I can't trust Lucy to anyone else but you.”

Chan laughs lightly, his voice a warm whisper. “Not even Minho?” he teases with an eyebrow raised.

You laugh, nudging him playfully and lower your voice as you say, “Especially Minho.”

A gentle quiet fills the room as you both stand there, and for a moment, it feels like everything is exactly where it’s supposed to be.

-

Chan stands by the door, lingering a moment longer than he intended as you walk up to him with a gentle, knowing smile. “Thank you for everything, Chan,” you say, pulling him into a warm hug. He holds you close, feeling the quiet gratitude that flows between you.

When you pull away, there’s a slight shimmer in your eyes, and he gives you a reassuring nod, as if to say he’ll always be there, no matter what. “If you ever need anything,” he says quietly, “don’t hesitate, alright?”

You nod, laughing softly as Minho steps forward, offering a half-smirk. “Maybe not from me, though,” he quips, rolling his eyes with a small grin.

But when you hug him too, he softens, returning your thanks with a quiet sincerity that he doesn’t often show.

As you release Minho from the warm hug, you take a steady breath, your gaze softening as you look at the two of them.

“Thank you,” you say, voice thick with emotion. “For the first time in so long, I feel like I belong somewhere—like Lucy and I finally have a place and people we can call ours. I’m grateful for both of you.”

Chan smiles, squeezing your hand gently. “That’s what family’s for,” he says, his tone warm and steady. Minho offers a half-smile, trying to brush off the emotion, but there’s a glint of understanding in his eyes.

“Goodnight,” Chan says to you before stepping out of the apartment with Minho.

“Goodnight,” you say back as you linger in the doorway and watching them disappear into the elevator.

-

As Chan and Minho walk together, hand in hand under the soft glow of the city lights, Chan takes a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill his lungs. This—right here, right now—feels like home in a way he’s never known before.

He glances over at Minho, who’s watching the path ahead, his profile softened by the moonlight. Chan gives his hand a gentle squeeze, feeling a swell of gratitude for everything they’ve come through to reach this moment. For all the unexpected turns, the people they’ve grown to love, and the bonds they’ve forged. Somehow, everything led him here—to the love he’s waited for, the family he’s built, and the life he never thought he’d find.

“You know,” he says quietly, a tenderness in his voice, “I think I finally understand what it means to be whole. It’s not about finding pieces you think you’re missing. It’s about realizing that what you have is exactly enough.”

Minho looks over at him, a hint of something deep and unspoken in his eyes. “Then let’s keep it this way,” he murmurs, “for as long as we can.”

And as they continue down the quiet streets together, Chan knows that even if life shifts and changes again, he’ll always have this—the kind of love and contentment that makes every struggle worth it. Because they’re not just walking home tonight; they’re building one, with each other, step by step.

-

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[velvet-paradox]

Oops!

Fandom: Call of Duty Pairing: Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Female reader Summary: you accidently call Simon while taking care of yourself. (got inspo from lovi on twitter) Length: Medium Warnings: NSFW 21+ ONLY, strong language, explicit content, porn with very little plot female masturbation, male masturbation, descriptive actions, anal mentions, toy mentions, A LOT of dirty talking, detailed smut. ENJOY!!!

It's not that his phone is ringing in the middle of the night. It's not even the fact he'd just finally drifted off to sleep either. When he fumbled and grumbled, (of course he was grumbling) Simon Riley wrote the book on the Art of the Grumble you were certain, he was just relieved it wasn't Price. He was exhausted and was thisfuckingclose to telling the captain to pound sand if he had to pull another fifteen hour shift on base!

But no, it was not captain Price and it wasn't Johnny either. The screen of his phone stark white, taunting him in the dark of his room, as the time and your name and picture popped up. The one he'd taken of you and König in Vienna.

What was this about now? Simon huffed, dark blonde brows forming together. You better not be calling him from the bar again, needing a ride home, not trusting anyone else to swoop in to the drunken rescue. You saved money on Uber's and he got to look after you.

WIn - win.

" 'ello bird, what is it this time?"

Silence.

"Foxy, come on now, it's late. If you need a ride jus--"

"Oh yeah, oh that feels so good." You said through your teeth, hissing from a bit of a distance. What was that? Were you getting laid? Jesus H. You sounded breathless, out of it until some more rustling and now your voice wasn't so clouded in mystery.

You whined out something fierce which both confused and interested to the masked devil.

"Fox, can you hear me? Bird answer m--"

Another low whine followed by a low and quiet buzzing. "Oh fuck, I wish you were here. Oh fuck that feels so good, bet you would have a fucking ball using this one me. Oh Simon… please!"

He sat up quickly, his ear to the phone burning hot, a blush of discovery rising through his naked body, Ghost ran hot most nights, even in the winter months and said fuck it about four years ago and slept nude. Either you were having a decent fucking shag with another man named Simon, or you were thinking about him.

Well what have we here, you little sly little fox?

"So glad I got that princess plug, this feels amazing. Oh Simon, if you only knew, if you only fucking knew the things I want from you. What I'd let you do to me, what I want -oohhh fuck too much too much--" you cried and the buzzing stopped abruptly. You were panting and humming and without a second thought Simon's hand was stroking his waking cock through his sheets.

And just what did you want him to do? Simon bit his lip as he listened in, pulling his phone away only for a moment, making sure the volume was at it's highest before he put it on speaker.

"O-oh god, yeah. I don't wanna' cum again just yet! Want you to tease me, tie me up and make a mess. Mmmm maybe you'd make me clean it up too. I'd ride your fucking boots if you asked!"

Oh. Simon was not expecting that sentence or the filthy way you moaned, satisfied with saying it out loud.

"Can I? Can I L.T. can I ride your boots, I'll clean up m-my mess, I promise. Mmm, sitting under desk, your personal desk bunny you're," you really started breathing hard then, whimpering as he could now make out a wet, splotching sort of noise. Oh fuck- you were fingering yourself now. "Your fucktoy. Oh god! Yeah, I wanna' be your little fuck toy. Use me. Use my mouth, use my fucking pussy, I am so wet right now, oh shit!" You giggled wetly to yourself, gasping and Simon could only imagine you adding another finger into your spongy hole.

A fucktoy? boot riding? a plug in your asshole with fingers in your cunt? You were a nasty, freaky little thing. Oh this was better than any video he had watched recently! Interactive as he continued to stroke himself with you, the sheet had earned a wet pre-cum spot and had to be pulled away, Simon put his head down and spat on his cock, smearing his saliva around the girthy crown of it.

You were a dirty girl.

He loved it.

You were demure in the halls, paid close attention to detail, slick and sly when you need be, hence your call sign being Fox. You were quiet but funny, witty and no one had a bad word to drop about about you. Your lore on how you ended up with the 141 was something of legend, a myth that one day you just appeared like an apparition and no one questioned why. Just roll with it. You didn't cause trouble, kept your nose down but you knew things about each team member that soldiers could only dream of knowing. A book of secrets. Clearly.

Simon chuckled darkly to himself all the things you could come up with, possibly thing he hadn't even heard of. Simon wasn't into the BDSM scene, he knew a variety of knots of course but to use them on someone, never given the opportunity. As he spat on his cock again, the image of your face appeared. Maybe you liked to be spat on in too. The cute little whimpers and gasps you were doing on your end might suggest you like a lot more than just spit.

"Simon please! Bet you feel good, I know y-you're big, you'd stretch me out. Make me gape for you, oh fuck that's so hot!" You're erratic, your sheets are rubbing together faster and you're now on the verge of squealing like a stuck piglet. "Hold me down, pull my hair, those big fucking hands of yours on me, in me. Oh baby, finger me nice and deep, deeper than I can reach."

You wanted him so desperately and that made the lieutenant fuck his fist faster, slippery and noisy and wet. His hard cock just sloppily going up and down his shaft, he squeezed the mushroom cap like head of it, felt himself jerk and twitch before going hands free. Slapping it against his messy palm.

"Talk me through it baby, tell me what to do, how to do it. How fast, how slo-ow, oh yeah that's nice. Oh fuck I can feel it coming, I'm gonna' cum again. Shit." You grunted and made the most delicious sound Simon had ever heard in his whole damn life.

You were moaning, tapping the gem of the plug if he were correct.

Tap tap, tap tap.

"Oh yeah! Fuck my ass, finger my pussy, make me cum. Make me squirt, shoot your fat fucking load all over my face. I'll be your best girl, I swear it I swear it! I'm gonna' cum if I pull this out now." You cried, panting to your little hearts' desire. Simon was close too, he did his best to match your moans and sobs of pleasure, planting his feet and bucking his defined hips.

"I'd cum just about anywhere on ya', Foxy." Simon grunted quietly to himself. "Foxy fucktoy. Mmmm that does 'ave a bit of a ring to it, aye? Bad fuckin' girl."

You slapped something then. Your face, a tit perhaps, your pussy but you were whining and carrying on and Simon had to shut his eyes, imagining you working the princess plug in and out.

Oh for fucks' sake, he'd sell his left nut to see your pretty face, worn out, fucked out, in bliss and pleasure, sticking your pink tongue out. Eyes rolled back as you continued to fuck your fingers in tandem with his own fist.

"Gonna' cum oh shit, I'm gonna' cum again. For you. Only for you, sir!" He could hear your sloppy fingers plunging in and out of you pussy, faster and faster, louder and louder you became.

"Oh fuck yes, Simon! Yes, sir!"

You came with a shout, groaning and grunting behind your teeth. You sounded absolutely feral, pornographic. He couldn't hold it back any longer either, Simon bit into his cheek and came into his hand, it shot up and onto his stomach, muscles tight as he coaxed the last dribbling bits of cum onto his skin. He gave his palm a 'good game' type slap with his cock, laying back further into his pillows.

God damn.

"Fuck that was good. If only, if only you were here mmmm." You finally huffed out. You rolled over, to whatever side of your bed or maybe just readjusted yourself and your toys but he heard a clank of something and then your voice, clear as day. "What the fuck…oh my god. Oh no! Oh please don't be a voice note!"

Simon had to chuckle at your change in attitude.

"Oh for the love of… please be asleep. Pleasepleaseplease L.T. be asleep. I didn't mean to call --"

"On the contrary love," Simon held up his phone to his mouth, he heard you gasp on the other end. "I heard every last word and you sounded so damn fine. Bet you're glowing after coming so damn hard," you scrambled for words on your line, mumbling out a sorry excuse for an apology. He clicked his teeth at you like one would a horse. "Ah ah, Foxy. If there's a green Post-it on my door when I wake, your wish will be my command. And I am often fond of those aren't, Fox?"

"Very much so, sir."

"That's a girl. Now why don't you go get cleaned up and get some rest. Depending on your answer, soldier, you just might need it."

Simon chuckled to himself when he rose that morning, his entire door was covered with little green Post-its and none were the wiser when you passed each other in the mess hall.

[hannahbarberra162]

The Crocodile's Gambit (Croc x Reader)

on Ao3

The Crocodile’s Gambit  (1/2)

Croc x F!Reader

Fluff in this chapter, angst and fluff in the next.

WC: 3.3k

Summary: Crocodile needs a chess partner before he impales Buggy out of frustration. Again. He finds one in a most unlikely place. Set after the abolition of the Warlord system, right before Cross Guild is formed.

~~~

There were a few things that Crocodile missed about Nico Robin. The first being, she was incredibly competent. When Crocodile hired someone, he assumed they could do their job without being told how to do it. He didn’t want to have to micromanage anyone, especially grown adults. He loathed having to check in and make sure every step of a process was done correctly. He’d never had to do that with Robin, she was smart and capable. Anything he assigned her, she executed flawlessly.

But what he missed more than her competence was her chess playing ability. She was the only opponent within Baroque Works who had ever won against him. Her success rate was about 15%, which was significantly higher than anyone else Crocodile had played in years. Crocodile enjoyed winning chess matches but even more than that, he enjoyed losing them. He loved the challenge, the strategy, the simplicity, the complexity, everything about chess. And he especially loved it when he found someone who could best him.

Which made his stay with the complete idiot Buggy all the more intolerable. He and Mihawk were meeting with the Clown to determine whether a joint venture would be viable. After the absolution of the Warlord system, Crocodile had approached Mihawk for a business proposal. Crocodile had connections, money, and business acumen but didn’t like the spotlight. Mihawk had power and the reputation of the World’s Greatest Swordsman. Together, they could become unstoppable. Then, the question of the Clown arose. Buggy owed Crocodile a lot of money, Crocodile was ready to kill the Clown and be done with his foolishness completely. However, something the Clown had that neither of them did was a large loyal following. For whatever reason, the Clown’s crew were loyal to the death for their Captain. Any time the Clown docked his garish ship, he was greeted with fanfare and celebrations. There were waiting lists with hundreds of applicants, all waiting for a chance to be on Buggy’s crew. Crocodile didn’t understand why, but people were charmed by the Clown’s charisma.

Crocodile and Mihawk had been in negotiations with the Clown for a few days. It was slow going - each iteration of an alliance between the three of them had many stipulations and conditions that had to be discussed. Crocodile was fairly certain the venture would fail and he’d kill the Clown, but he kept his options open. After all, a dead Clown made no money at all. 

Crocodile was in desperate need of a good chess opponent, he felt his stress rising by the minute. Unfortunately, he knew he wasn’t going to find someone within the Clown’s ridiculous crew of idiots and low-lifes. Mihawk was a decent chess opponent, but the swordsman was rarely in the mood to play. Business dealings with the Clown left both of them irritated, and Mihawk’s outlet wasn’t chess. Each of them had their own room and office on Buggy’s ship, and Crocodile had his chess set sitting out at all times in his office, just like at home. He tried reviewing games he’d played against other opponents and playing against himself, but none of it was as entertaining as playing against another person. One morning before his meetings began, he moved a white pawn to an opening position on the board. He left for the meeting and forgot about chess for a few hours as he dealt with the Clown’s buffoonery and Mihawk’s recalcitrance. 

Returning to his office for an after lunch break, he was about to read the newspaper when he noticed someone had moved black, opposing his white pawn at e5. It had to be someone on the ship, but who? Mihawk had been with him in the meeting. Daz wasn’t a good player, he hadn’t played with Croc in years. No one from Buggy’s crew was smart enough, and Crocodile hadn’t brought anyone but Daz. Crocodile wasn’t concerned about someone infiltrating his office, but he was concerned about his growing boredom and irritation. If he didn’t find a good opponent soon, he’d probably kill the Clown before it was advisable. He decided to play the opening to the King’s Gambit, moving his pawn to f4, next to the first. Once it was time to leave for the next meeting, he knew whoever had moved the black pawn wouldn’t last more than 5 moves against him.

He was wrong. It was Crocodile who was now outclassed, outplayed, and outmaneuvered. Crocodile played delayed games against the mystery person as his meetings continued and hadn’t won a single match. Crocodile hadn’t lost this many games in decades, and he couldn’t have been happier. Crocodile returned back to his office after every meeting, eager to see his opponent’s next move. His opponent was ruthless, seeing through his plays, gambits, and traps with ease. He skewered Crocodile time and time again, to Crocodile’s delight. Every time he lost, Crocodile placed a gold coin under the black King, which was taken and the board reset the next time Crocodile returned. Crocodile wanted to know who he was playing with, but he was never able to catch the man in action, his office always empty when he returned.

Even though the negotiations were not going well, Crocodile was now having a wonderful time. He didn’t want the venture to end, he wanted to continue playing chess against his opponent. The Clown had noticed the uptick in Crocodile’s mood, asking for more ridiculous clauses in their contracts. It hadn’t helped the negotiations, but Crocodile hadn’t killed the Clown outright yet, which was saying something. Unfortunately, the time for reconciliation was coming to a close. Crocodile wanted to find out who the mystery opponent was and soon. He wanted to shake the hand of the man who had bested Crocodile so thoroughly and offer him a spot on his crew.

So Crocodile waited outside his office before his morning meeting. He wasn’t hiding, that would be childish. He was simply waiting in a concealed location to resolve an issue he was having. True, he could have waited in his office to see who the man was, but that would ruin the fun. And Crocodile hadn’t had fun in years. He would be late for the meeting, but it wasn’t going to be productive anyway, negotiations had stalled. The morning crew was coming in to clean his office - Buggy had a lot of useless staff (and a lot of overhead expenses) but Crocodile appreciated coming back to a clean office daily. He hadn’t really noticed them before, they were all part of the background for Crocodile. They were dressed like all of the other pirates who worked for the Clown - in ugly, lurid circus clothing. The various cleaners split off to their areas, with you entering his office to clean. You wiped down various surfaces, until you got to the board with Crocodile’s most recent move. You studied it for a brief moment, then picked up a black knight.

“What the fuck are you doing woman?” Crocodile recognized Daz’s voice. He must have been passing by, looking for Crocodile.

“Cleaning,” you replied, irritated by the interruption. You put the piece back down where it was previously, to Crocodile’s disappointment.

“Didn’t look like cleaning to me. Leave the Boss’s chess set alone unless you want trouble.” The maid was unconcerned by the threat, rolling her eyes at Daz’s words. 

“Game’s over anyway, doesn’t matter,” you muttered. Crocodile’s interest was piqued, was this slip of a woman his opponent? He watched you flip off Daz behind his back as he walked away. You bustled around the office, cleaning once more. As he watched, thinking you may be his opponent, he appreciated your form. You were graceful in your movements and meticulous in your work, and he found you beautiful in an unconventional way. The more Crocodile watched you, the more he realized how attractive you were. The hideous circus clothes you wore didn’t help, you had a huge orange scarf wrapped around your neck. But he saw your immense potential if you wore something less…flashy.  It didn’t take you long to finish cleaning, and before you left the room, you moved the black knight, putting Crocodile in checkmate. Crocodile ran his hand through his hair, smiling wickedly.

~~~

After his next meeting, Crocodile cleared his schedule for the rest of the day. He didn’t really care about anything the Clown had to say right now. He was far too interested in his little chess opponent to bother with anything else. He sat in a plush armchair, smoking a cigar, waiting for the time the cleaning crew came in. Around lunch time, you carried your cleaning supplies into the room. You immediately noticed Crocodile sitting in his chair and you started to back out of the room.

“Oh, sorry, I’ll come back -” 

“You’ll sit down,” Crocodile intoned, blowing billowing smoke clouds into the room. He gestured to the board in front of him. “Do you know how to play chess?” he asked. He knew you did, he was just curious what you’d say. You were a confident, aggressive chess player, and he wanted to see if that crossed over into your regular personality.

“I do, but I have to -”

“You’re dismissed from your duties for now. Sit. I won’t ask again.” You were a little nervous, but set down your cleaning supplies and sat across from him on another comfortable armchair. You perched on the end of the chair, like you were getting ready to run at a moment’s notice, fiddling with your scarf. Crocodile switched the board, you were now white.

“Go ahead. Start,” he drawled at you, blowing smoke. Your eyes flicked from the board to Crocodile, wary of the situation. Things weren’t completely genial between Crocodile and your Captain, surely you felt the tension on the ship. But you played, moving your pawn to f4. Crocodile parried, moving his pawn to e5, countering your opening. You played your turn, and by the time 15 minutes were up, Crocodile was in checkmate again. 

“Checkmate,” you said, leaning forward to stand up. Maybe you wanted to get back to work or maybe you wanted to get away from Crocodile, but neither was going to happen.

“You’re not dismissed,” Crocodile growled, steepling his hand against his hook, pleased with the match. “So, it’s you. You’re my opponent. You’re quite skilled at chess,” Crocodile observed.

“Yeah, it’s me. Do you want your coins back or something?” you replied. You were a little rough around the edges, Crocodile thought, but he could fix that. When you joined his crew, he’d work on your social skills outside of the chess board.

“No, you may keep them, you won them. I would like to make a proposition. I want to play chess with you tonight in the evening. Three games. If you win two out of three, you get 100,000 Beri.” Ideally, you’d play chess with him all day every day, but he would take things one step at a time. 

You narrowed your eyes, fiddling with your scarf. “What if I lose?” 

Crocodile leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. He spread his hands magnanimously, like he was granting you a favor. “If you lose, you have to join my crew and leave the Clown.”

You pursed your lips, thinking over his deal. “200,000 Beri,” you bartered. Crocodile smiled, enjoying your evident self confidence. 

“150,000 Beri per night, 50,000 Beri bonus if you win all three rounds,” he countered. You agreed, shaking his hook with your hand. You were either self assured in your ability to win, or didn’t mind leaving the Clown. Either way, you’d be coming with him when he left.

~~~

Crocodile was down 1,000,000 Beri and no closer to getting you on his crew. He knew you were good, but he hadn’t anticipated you were that good. Crocodile loathed losing money, but in this instance, he didn’t mind handing it over night after night. He thought that playing face to face would increase his chances of winning, but that wasn’t the case. You were even sharper when playing with him in person rather than delayed over the course of hours and days. You were a good sport about winning, and you didn’t gloat. You also took the time to explain your thinking when Crocodile asked you about your thought processes. You did, however, have a crass mouth that Crocodile didn’t care for. 

“Sucks to suck,” you replied after Crocodile complained you ended a game too swiftly for his liking.

“Do not speak to your superiors that way,” Crocodile snapped. He was peevish after having lost three games in under an hour.

“If you’re my superior, why do I keep collecting your Beri?” you said impishly. Crocodile nearly smiled at your antics.

“Speaking in such a coarse manner makes you seem less intelligent than you truly are,” Crocodile stated. He hated to see you present yourself like the common boors that made up the rest of the Clown’s crew. You gave him a bored look. 

“Give me my pieces and I’ll play you again,” you said. Crocodile was interested in playing a fourth round against you but knew you were trying to change the subject. He picked up your knight he had taken and held it out to you in his hand. You reached for the piece but he closed his hand before you could retrieve it.

“Hand me my pieces, please,” he said. 

“Hand me my pieces, please, Sir Crocodile.” You rolled your eyes, but dutifully repeated the phrase. Crocodile smiled at you, and opened his hand once more. You took the knight, your fingers brushing against his palm. It was the first time you’d made physical contact with each other. Crocodile wanted more. 

You didn’t let Crocodile win or handicap yourself when you faced off, you always played to win. So when Crocodile won his first game, he was over the moon. He was certain you were tired when he’d won, you almost nodded off once during the game. Crocodile was concerned for your wellbeing, and it tarnished his feeling of victory. He was…worried.

“Is the Clown working you too hard? Why are you so tired?” Crocodile queried as you yawned into your hand.

“Someone is making me play chess at night after work,” you replied.

“Please, you’ve been making more than you’d earn in a month in under an hour,” Crocodile scoffed. The games between you didn’t take that long, the Clown must be putting undue stress on you. He’d…fix that for you. You hummed, resetting the board for the third game. Crocodile had enjoyed winning, but didn’t want to play if you weren’t at your best. “Let’s end early tonight. Go rest.”

You looked up at him, unsure of what to do. “But it’s only been two games, and I lost one. If I lose the next one -”

“It is my idea to conclude early, therefore you will not be bound to the usual rules. Go to bed.” Crocodile waved his hand, dismissing you. 

“Thank you, Crocodile,” you said softly, lingering by the door for a moment. It was the first time you’d thanked him without his prompting.

As the days went on, you seemed to enjoy Crocodile’s company a little bit, not bolting immediately after he paid you your Beri. You had a keen wit and were able to counter Crocodile’s acerbic remarks with ease. It was obvious to Crocodile early on in your conversations that you were not well read, something else Crocodile wanted to amend. Crocodile loaned you a book about ancient Wano battle theory, asking you to read it as it would improve your chess playing. You returned it the next day, saying you read the entire work. Crocodile questioned you about the contents of the book, trying to see if you had just skimmed it or were lying. But you were able to answer his questions and provide your own insight into the strategies listed.

“What did you think about the treatise on aggressive methods of battle?” Crocodile asked. He had found a lot of useful thought exercises in the book. Having read it in his youth, it had become a cornerstone for his own strategy in becoming a Warlord and businessman. 

“In chess? I don’t necessarily agree that aggression should be the foremost method of attack. Aggressive moves only work if it's balanced with knowledge of your opponent. If you don’t know who you’re dealing with, things may not work out the way you planned,” you said while moving your Queen to check Crocodile. Crocodile hummed in agreement. You were clearly intelligent, Crocodile just had to provide you with direction. He knew people were not given the same opportunities in life and was happy to supply you with some. 

To that end, Crocodile was now taking an interest in your formal education. He loaned you book after book, and you read them all, sharing your opinions and thoughts on the titles. You had interesting ideas, and Crocodile found himself sharing his own with you. You tended to like mysteries and fiction novels, but read anything Crocodile lent you. You picked up and assimilated new information easily and had unique ideas, things Crocodile would never have thought about on his own. Crocodile found himself sharing his favorite books with you, just to see what you would say.

He appreciated your personality outside of the chess board the more you spent time together. Crocodile tended to make people nervous, it was practically a pastime for him. However, after your initial encounter, you weren’t tense around him at all. You didn’t mince words, you said what was on your mind, even if you knew it would annoy him. You were honest, as far as he could tell, and generally well liked among your crew. He appreciated your looks, but that was secondary to your personality, a first for Crocodile. He even started to appreciate your circus outfits, always completed by a large scarf, no matter the weather. Even without your chess skill, he would have liked to bring you onto his crew. He was going to broach the subject tonight and ask you formally to leave the Clown. He knew you would agree. He was the better choice by a long shot. Crocodile had more money, more power, more influence than the Clown would ever have. He was smarter, stronger, and richer, there was no way you’d want to stay with a second-rate loser like the Clown. 

~

“Checkmate,” you said, moving a rook into place. You smiled at Crocodile, as he ran a hand through his hair. “By the way, that’s your tell.” Crocodile’s eyes snapped to yours. 

“What are you talking about? I have no tell,” Crocodile snarled. You smiled again. Anyone else would shortly have been drained of life, but Crocodile found you endearing. Cute, even. 

“It’s good to know your own tells,” you continued, undeterred by Crocodile’s outburst. “You run your hand through your hair when you are blindsided. If you can sense something is coming, you don’t. But if you are surprised, well, that’s your tell.” Crocodile paused, no one had shared that with him before. But perhaps no one had surprised him as frequently as you. 

“Speaking of surprises, I have something I’d like to ask you,” Crocodile drawled, lighting a new cigar. You were already preparing to leave after the completion of the third game. That was another thing, Crocodile found himself wanting to spend more time with you outside of your matches. Having you on his crew would help with that as well. You sat back down, watching Crocodile calmly, waiting for him to continue. “I’d like you to join my crew.”

“No.”

You declined instantly and decisively. Crocodile ran a hand through his hair, scowling.

[bbydoll18xx]

This Is Me Trying

'I just wanted you to know that this is me trying.'

Azzi Fudd x Reader

Based on this request (sorry it took forever lol)

Masterlist

Word Count: 1.1k

Themes: depression, mild alcohol abuse, hurt/comfort

A/N: hiii so here i am trying out writing for someone other than Paige, and I really hope you like it! If this is a decent success I may write for other people as well :) And of course it was time to write a fic to go along with my most favorite song of all time (folklore stans rise up)

Lets do thisss

also sorry this is lowkey kinda depressing i am a sad girly

~

Your lack of sleep was showing in deep purple bruises under your eyes that no amount of even the heaviest concealer could adequately cover. You haven't slept well in days, and today’s shift had not helped your exhaustion. The day was filled with incessant neediness, people cussing you out, and an endless amount of shit.

Literally and figuratively. 

You walk into your apartment, just wanting nothing but to fall into Azzi’s warm and loving arms, but you’re met with the still darkness of an empty home. Your girlfriend was in Las Vegas playing against the Aces, and she would not be home until tomorrow afternoon. 

She had promised to call you after the game, but you weren’t sure if you would even make it through your shower, much less wait up for her by the phone for another three hours. 

Your eyes fill with tears, the feeling of overwhelming loneliness mixing with your exhaustion, and as you throw your stuff on the floor, dredging your body into your bathroom, letting the downpour of water drown out your own tears. 

You had become quite accustomed to hiding your feelings behind bright smiles and fake laughs, desperate to clutch onto the need to prove to everyone that you were okay.

Even if you really weren't.

Your girlfriend had enough stress on her, and the idea of her needing to worry about you, too, was enough to send guilt shooting through your entire body. 

You had kept up your facade all throughout college, choosing to take long, solo car rides until you had to pull over, the tears swimming in your eyes nearly blinding you. And when you were strung along to the bars with Azzi and the rest of her teammates, you drowned your sorrows and fears with liquor, numbing your thoughts and your body until you were delirious. 

You were the golden girl. 

You knew what jokes to crack for which group of people you were around at the time. Your grades were stellar. And you had bagged the prettiest, sweetest girl in probably the entire universe. 

So, you resented yourself for feeling anything other than being on top of the world, because it was actually quite the opposite.

It got worse once you graduated. 

Azzi was often gone, traveling for away games, and that left you alone to process the unimaginable emotions that came with your budding nursing career. Feelings of loss and incompetence clouded your brain constantly.

Today was no different. 

You had lost a patient, a kind, gentle woman who finally let go, taking her last breath while gripping your hand, completely alone. 

It broke you, and the devastating reality had sunk into your chest, crushing all of the air out of your fragile lungs. And you were now gasping for air, leaving you feeling bereft and vulnerable, like an open wound. 

Maybe that’s all you’d ever really be, and you could not help but think that you were the festering wound in yours and Azzi’s relationship, threatening to slowly tear it apart until the two of you were left standing in the tattered shreds of what used to be. 

You wanted things to be okay so, so badly, but the overwhelming feelings of loneliness and longing had set in, chilling you down to the bone. And you were scared. 

So you would just continue on pretending. 

Azzi comes home the next day, and you put the mask back on the second she walks through the door. You’d be lying, though, if her presence didn’t make you feel the tiniest bit whole again. You melt into her arms, drinking in her presence, as she rubs your back soothingly, her face pressed into the crook of your neck. 

Maybe everything would be okay, if only you could be honest with her.

~

Azzi lays in bed next to you, and you indulge in the way her smell has permeated the soft bedsheets again, after days of the scent slowly becoming less and less potent. She smells warm and comforting, and you nuzzle into her, desperate for her to fix every little part of you that was screaming out in insecurity and despondancy.

A low sigh escapes your throat, secretly wanting your girlfriend to pick up on your mood, and because she knows you better than anyone else, she does. 

“What’s wrong, baby?” She questions, her tone filled with concern and worry. She places a hand on your cheek, coaxing you to look into her eyes, and the glow of the lamp on the bedside table illuminates the kindness emitting from her deep brown irises. 

“I–” You begin, taking a deep breath and then stopping. Trying to put all your emotions into coherent words was quite the task. And honestly, you were terrified of how Azzi would react. 

Her thumb strokes your cheek, as she sits up fully next to you in the bed, eyes still peering into yours. 

“It’s okay, it’s just me,” she murmurs gently, and something clicks inside of you.

It was Azzi. You could tell her anything, and it would never even come close to dimming any of the love she felt for you. 

In that moment, all the anxiety you felt about coming clean seemed silly, like it had been built up in your head to great heights, and here it was now, crashing down all around you.

“I’ve been really depressed,” you mumble, your cheeks feeling warm from her touch and the prickling of shame. “For a long time, actually. And I really fucking miss you. I hate feeling like a needy girlfriend, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this.”

The confession pours out of you, and as the air stills between you, your heart races as you watch Azzi’s face contort into a look of hurt and confusion.

“Oh, baby,” she breathes, scooping you up and setting you into her lap, legs draped over hers as she interlaces your fingers with hers. 

“I’ve been missing you, too. And I didn’t want you to feel like you had to sacrifice your career for mine,” she murmurs, pressing a kiss onto your temple. 

Your shoulders sag in relief, and you connect your lips in a kiss. There were numerous unspoken words shared as your lips entwined in a sheer display of passion.

As you break apart, you gaze back into those dark brown eyes, pupils now blown wide. “Guess this means we’ll have a lot more time to be doing this,” you giggle, wagging your eyebrows at Azzi.

She shakes her head fondly. “Just want my sweet, happy girl back,” she whispers in your ear.

Little did she know, you already were.

~

I really hope everyone enjoyed this. I have been toying around with a lil Pazzi fic, so let me know if you'd be interested :)

xoxo katy

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[tradgedyinwaves]

alternate ending of this

Being John's assistant and girlfriend was hard sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time. Holidays were missed. Special occasions put on back burners. But when he was home, John made every effort to make it up to you. At least, he usually did.

You took care of their paperwork for the most part, submitting their reports once they were turned in with details of their mission. You made a point never to read them. You'd made that mistake once and gotten a first-hand account of how Johnny had shoved a grenade down someone's throat and then stood back to watch.

They were your boys, but that didn't mean they were stable. Simon liked killing people with his bare hands. Johnny liked to watch them explode. Gaz liked to wittle them down to nothing during interrogation(torture).

But your John? Well, he made sure his shots provided the most suffering. Shooting out the knees first, then the elbows, shoulders, spine and then finally the head. He had no issues getting the headshot, but liked to take his time.

With you, though? Oh with you they are protective and gentle. Harm almost never befell you with them around. The worst that had happened since the beginning of your relationship with John (and your indoctrination into their group) was that you'd stubbed your own toe on a chair you hadn't pushed in. It was your own fault really, love.

The team had returned the day before your birthday. What a birthday present, right? Wrong. As you greeted them on the tarmac with warm meals waiting in the car, each one gave you one armed hugs. John was last, pulling you to his side but not saying anything.

You could tell they were exhausted and that something hadn't gone quite right on their mission. They were always extra quiet and morose on those days, usually breaking out of it with a good meal and a decent night of rest.

That wouldn't be the case when you woke up the next morning next to...an empty bed? Usually, the day after he returned, John would sleep in, catching up on the hours of sleep he hadn't been able to get.

And went you puttered out into the rest of the apartment, you would find it empty. Boots, keys, and wallet were gone. Boonie hat missing from it's spot on the hook by the door. Maybe he was just out getting things.

He'd never missed a birthday if he was home and always made it up to you if he wasn't. So you waited. Took a shower, pampered yourself with the new body scrub you'd purchased just for this day.

When John wasn't back even a couple hours later, you headed up to the base as you felt the first prickles of anger rising on the back of your neck. You brought a lunch with you, an excuse for being there on your day off.

"Oh, just bringing Captain Price is lunch. Silly man forgot it again."

And so they let you in. No one questioned you, giving you warm smiles and well wishes. Some even wishing you a happy birthday for which you thanked them.

Stepping into John's office always made you cringe. It was an organized person's nightmare. Papers strewn everywhere, dirty coffee mugs left around sporadically, cigar ash filling the tray but also filtered around it like he was in a hurry. He wasn't like this at home, so you let him have his space at work the way he wanted it.

Except he wasn't in there. Keys and wallet, sure. So you knew he was on base. Leaving the warm meal on his desk, you meandered out to find the gym where you thought maybe they were sparring, getting rid of excess adrenaline from their mission.

You could see from down the hall that the lights in the gym were off. Strange, it was the middle of the day and there was almost always someone in there.

When you pushed the door open, you were greeted by the lights flicking on and a small crowd of people screaming "Surprise!" in your face. Your hand came up to press against the center of your chest, face splitting open into a wide smile.

The room was decorated in balloons in different shades of your favorite color. Streamers connected bunches of balloons and there was even a cake and some presents set off to the side.

John approached you and wrapped those big burly arms around your waist, lifting you into the air and spinning you with a rough laugh. "Happy Birthday, dove! Did you like your surprise?" He set you back on your feet but didn't release you, giving you a crinkled smile.

"I loved it. Thank you!" You leaned up and kissed him, John meeting you midway and growling softly against your lips.

"Oi! Don't hog the birthday girl!" Kyle exclaimed, coming over to pull you from his Captain's arms to get his own hug. "Happy birthday, sweetheart! You're not too mad at us, I hope?" He stepped back and looked down at you with those warm eyes of his.

"Not at all. Just next time? Don't make me think you hate me," you turned back to John with a soft glare to which he had the decency to look ashamed.

You were quickly joined by Simon and Johnny, the latter of the two crushing you in a hug where Simon gave you a small nod and a smile (you think it's a smile based on the way his balaclava moves). Even Laswell and her wife are there and you couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

Everything was right again in your little world.

I hope that was a good apology for the angst of the other one. Just a super fluffy little thing for my little shrooms.

[sodamnradd]

(slightly nsfw)

Yards away from the ramshackle cottage filled with people who don’t like him, Draco lets his himself cry. Snape dumped him here an hour ago and left after a private meeting with The Order.

Footsteps approach. Draco wipes his tears.

It’s Granger, carrying a bowl of lumpy pasta.

“I was saving the box for a rainy day but figured you could use it more than me.”

He stares at the offering, and scrunches his nose. “That’s revolting.”

She says, “I’m sorry about your father.”

Draco’s eyes sting. Then, since she still hasn’t left, he tries the lumpy pasta and finds it offensively delicious.

-

Two weeks later he’s playing Wizard’s Chess with Weasley when Granger appears, a bag strapped across her shoulder.

Weasley hugs her so fiercely, her feet lift off the floor.

“There are only two rooms,” says Weasley, welcoming her inside. “But you can share mine.”

She shakes her head. “The sofa’s fine.”

-

Weasley hurls a howling werewolf against a tree.

Draco stuns two more, searching the field frantically for Granger.

A scream pierces the air.

He doesn’t think before he launches himself between her and the feral wolf. Something sharp slashes his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, Draco takes Granger’s hand and touches the port-key in his pocket.

They land in a heap, gasping atop each other.

She’s bleeding profusely. Her forehead, her cheek, her chin.

-

It’s not until he’s cleaned her up, using magic to sew the scar on her temple back together, that she discovers his shirt is drenched in blood.

She makes a fuss when he removes his shirt. “This is worse than my scar. You should’ve said something!”

“We’re not keeping tabs, Granger.” Truthfully, he’d forgotten all about it when he’d seen her hurt.

Her hands are gentle as she cleans his wound.

They receive word from The Order that the battle was successful, but Ron has been reassigned to a different safe house.

“I won’t have to sleep on the sofa anymore.” She jokes, her breath warm on his spine.

It’s the oddest thing, but his cock stirs. Just the idea of Granger in a bed makes him feel too tight in his skin.

-

They play house for a few days.

Draco enters the kitchen one morning and falters when he sees her in his jumper.

“It was on the chair,” she says apologetically. “I was cold.”

“It’s fine.”

Seeing Granger in his clothes has a deeper effect than he thought. He’s hard again. Admittedly, he’s hard a lot these days.

-

They’re playing chess when Granger poses casually, “Who’s the last person you kissed?”

Draco says, “Pansy.” Without having to think about it. He meets her eye. “You?”

“Ron,” she says.

He tries not to wince, wondering if it was while they all lived together.

“Did you sleep with Pansy?”

His cock stirs again. He exhales. “Yeah,” he says, unable to ask the same question. He doesn’t want to think of Granger naked with another bloke. 

“Do you miss it?” she asks. “Sex?”

He gives her a telling look.

She makes the next move on the chessboard, cheeks aflame.

He shoves his chair back and, when she looks up, he pats his lap. “Come here.”

He thinks she’ll say no. That she’s merely curious and that her questions didn’t mean anything. But she doesn’t do any of that.

He watches, fascinated, as she rises from her seat. And when she straddles him, he’s pretty sure his heart explodes.

-

Sex with Granger makes war tolerable. He’s addicted after one taste. More. It’s all he ever wants. More and more and more.

On the sofa, on the counter, in his bed, in the shower, against his bedroom door.

Her body is lush and responsive. Her skin is gorgeous covered in his love bites. When she moans his name, Draco aches.

She’s doing exactly that, riding him furiously on the sofa with her hair tangled between his fingers, when the door swings open and Snape enters.

Granger gasps, ducking away.

Draco curses, plucking his shorts from the ground.

Snape turns around, giving them a few seconds to become decent. He’s ramrod straight and possibly not breathing.

“I’m so sorry professor,” Granger apologizes profusely. Her voice a little raspy. “We weren’t expecting you.”

“I would hope not,” snarls Snape, peeking cautiously over his shoulder. “I dare say, when we thought you two were occupied, this isn’t what we had in mind.”

Draco bites his lip so not to laugh. He’s not sure who’s more humiliated. Granger or Snape.

“Where’s the research?”

“One moment.” Granger dashes upstairs wearing Draco’s jumper inside out and backwards.

Snape says, “What are you smirking about?”

Draco shrugs, untroubled. “Nothing.”

“Attachment only causes distraction, Malfoy.”

“Or something to fight for,” he rebuts.

“And if she dies?” He sneers. “If you fall in love with that girl and something happens to her, you won’t survive. I know you.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to her,” he says firmly.

Snape narrows his eyes, realizing it’s too late for words of caution. “You fool.”

Draco says, “Don’t tell the others about this.” Because he knows they’ll separate them if they find out. “Please.”

Granger returns wearing trousers. She passes a ribboned scroll to Snape.

Snape stares in disdain, taking it after a beat too long. He glowers at Draco, his mouth forming a straight line. He says, “If you wish to survive, you’ll stop this.” Draco is about to protest, but Snape holds up his hand. “But as far as I’m concerned, I was never here. Good riddance.”

He slams the door on his way out.

Draco remembers the devastation of losing his father. Snape’s right. They probably shouldn’t.

And yet.

When Granger locks her arms around his neck and bursts into a fit of giggles, he melts.

To hell with it all. He’ll fight for them until the bloody end.

(976 words. Prompt: secret safe house relationship discovered by Snape from X).

[junedenim]

library pictures

because it lasts longer

warnings: smut, oral (m & f), piv, nudes, etc.

word count: 5.2k

He's lost in you. Your body stretches out, lanky in form and tall—taller than him, which he supposes isn't saying much. You possess a certain quality that he hasn't seen before. Sure, there's beauty, that's undeniable. He's worked with a lot of beautiful models. Ones that have won the genetic lottery. But you have more than that.

There's little competition for your looks but the way you move, the way you gaze upon the camera, the way you made Jerry, the old bastard, laugh before you stepped in front of Alex's camera. He's never seen anyone do just that and he's worked with a lot of beautiful women.

Your hand skims up your body, sultry in action. Every way you move feels sultry like you're seducing the camera. The other girls beside you try, pushing their breasts forward to the camera showing the sexiness of the bras all the models are wearing but you lightly touch your shoulder and it's the hottest thing he's ever seen.

Alex tries his best to stick to the task at hand, looking at you through his camera's viewfinder, but it's so easy to get lost in your bent knee, so accidentally but so intentionally. Every move you make feels careless and calculated at the same time like you're trying to get a rise out of him, out of every man in the room. Singing chants to the people who see this ad, imploring them: you want to buy this lingerie because it's the closest thing you'll have of me. Alex feels he is slightly losing it but he doesn't mind it. It's so easy to take intense pleasure in this sight.

"Should we do solo shots?" Alex suggests. It wasn't in the instructions for the campaign. They wanted a group shot of all the girls in the colour variety of their lingerie sets. But Alex knows they got the shot 20 frames ago so he might as well indulge a little if they still have 45 minutes remaining.

His assistant shrugs, not that he has any say. Everyone else looks toward Alex for the decision, asserting him as the boss of the set. "You," he points, "in the white."

You point a finger at yourself just to be sure.

"Yeah. Why don't you go first?" The other girls scatter to the sidelines and you slowly move to the center mark. You're not even posing, just waiting for him to lift his camera back up, and you already look magnificent, foot beveled to the side, hands behind your back.

He looks on, not even raising the camera, just staring at the sight before him. You quirk a smile. "Take a picture. It'll last longer." You giggle at your own joke, tugging his heart down and making him fall further.

Alex does as you tell him, snapping away. You're loose and in action. He swears every frame is usable and he's never had that happen before and it'll probably never happen again. He doesn't want to move on. He wants to get every angle he can. Wants to see every inch. Feel every inch. Memorize every inch.

He doesn't want to move on but you've already hogged a decent portion of the shoot so when Jerry nudges him that they should move on, Alex nods and just says, "Who's next?"

But you don't leave. You wrap yourself in a silk robe that probably feels as soft as your skin. You sit on the sidelines, right in his periphery, impossible to ignore. He takes a picture of it and claims it to be a test shot as if he hasn't been shooting with this camera on this set for nearly an hour now.

He runs through the rest of the girls quickly with little care and little notice. He watches you as you watch the whole photoshoot. The other girls are talking or on their phones, but you're observing, which leads to your eyes eventually landing on his. You send a coy smile his way, leaning back in your chair. He attempts to hold himself in by sending a friendly smile back.

When it's a wrap, everyone moves to change and Alex works to put his equipment away. Your eyes linger on one another as if some unspoken agreement is being made. Alex packs up pretty quickly, his assistant will handle the rest so he has a goodbye to his team and heads outside.

He's thankful smoking gives him an excuse to linger outside the building, up against the brick wall as toothpick-thin models pour out of the building. He waits, taps his foot on the asphalt parking lot, and waits some more.

And then you come out in big Jackie O. sunglasses and a trench coat, already smoking a cigarette. "Join ya?" You request, your leather loathers skimming the pebbles on the ground.

"Please," Alex invites. You walk closer, standing in front of him at the wall. Your hip juts out and he wants to reach out and feel the curve of you. He's not being secretive in his stare. He knows that you know he's looking. "You're good," he compliments. He's not sure if it's for your modeling skills or your role as seductress, despite being all wrapped up now, he's still turned on just by your aura.

You flick your cigarette and tilt your head slightly. "At modeling? No, no, I'm still kind of new to this whole thing."

Alex exhales. "Could've fooled me. You had everyone's eyes in that studio."

You raise an eyebrow. "Including yours?"

Alex softly chuckles, mildly mortified. "I guess I wasn't too covert in my stare."

You grin, shaking your head. "I don't mind though. You're the photographer. You are the eye of the beholder. It's very complimentary to a model."

Gradually, you two have moved closer to one another. Your shoe hits his shoe and it's impossible it isn't intentional. "You said you're new to modeling?"

"Relatively," you answer.

"You could come back to my home studio, I'll take a few photos of you that you can add to your portfolio. If you want," Alex offers. His eyes are clearly telling a different story as he looks at you from top to bottom salaciously.

You nod slowly, a sly smirk spreading across your face. "Okay."

He drops his cigarette and plucks yours from between your fingers, joining his on the ground.

*

You wait behind him as he unlocks the front door. His place is bare just like you had imagined. There's little in the kitchen and he doesn't own a television. He has a shelf of books but it looks covered in dust. He guides you, up a small set of stairs and past his bedroom to his home studio.

Compared to the rest, it's a mess. There are various sets of lights pushed to the side of the room. He desperately needs more shelf space as his cameras and lenses overtake the room. There's a small grey backdrop, but it's been partially rolled up. He has a makeshift darkroom to the side, which seems to have been designed to be the guest bathroom, but his stuff has overtaken it.

Alex seems to go right to work as he picks up a camera and instructs you, "You can put your stuff over there," pointing to a small chair in the corner of the room. You place your bag down and throw your coat over the back of the chair.

"Is what I'm wearing fine?" You ask, dressed in a black long sleeve and jeans. You feel nervous under his gaze, it's become more critical as he holds a camera in his hands than it was outside.

But he smirks and nods. "For now." He directs you again, pointing over to the messed-up grey backdrop, "Stand over there."

He fiddles with the camera and you realize it's film compared to the digital you used for the ad campaign. "Do you usually shoot in film?" You ask.

Alex chuckles, amused for some reason. "Suppose I'm pretentious in that way. I like the idea of having no idea what you're taking until you develop it otherwise we'd be here all day with how overcritical I get." He runs a hand through his hair and he seems stressed by even the idea of shooting digitally.

"You seemed fine back at the studio," you tell him.

"I had a good model." The compliment gets you smiling and he snaps a picture before you're even ready for it. "You're a natural, you know."

You shrug. "I've never had any work done."

He throws his head back in laughter. "You know how fucking cute you are?" He snaps another photo. "I feel like I could stand here all day and I'd never catch a bad shot. The way you move your body is like art. Like I'm watching Venus de Milo in action."

"Does that mean I have no arms?"

Alex laughs again. "Fine. The Birth of Venus or something then, some Botticelli painting in the flesh."

"Does that mean I should be naked?"

He stops and drops the camera to his shoulders, revealing his eyes, blazed and focused. "I won't stop you."

You're slow-moving and sensual as you reach the bottom of your shirt, tugging the shirt off, throwing it off somewhere in the vicinity of the chair. Your bra—different from the one from the photoshoot—is sheer pink, giving thin exposure to your nipples. He snaps away quickly, not even looking at the viewfinder, staring straight on at you.

You slip your shoes off and start to unbutton your jeans when he holds his hand out. "Wait," he commands, "just like this for a second."

"Okay." The idea of being captured half-dressed at one time would have felt foreign but you're used to being shot in much less, although, it still feels weird to be considered hot. To have Alex's voice boom across the room to stay dressed and not strip down to your panties. To be seen as desirable in your jeans as you did in lingerie.

"Bend down." You follow his command, squatting down, and he walks forward, hovering above you. "Look up." Your eyes stare straight into the lens up into his soul. He snaps two photos of your eyes piercing into him.

You take action, reaching up, tugging on the belt loops of his jeans. He's both choked up, blood rushing by the movement, and unable to take enough pictures of it. You're below him, practically on the ground, yet, dominant and controlling, completely taking him over and holding him in your grasp, smashing him like berries in between your fingers.

"Hold still," he orders.

"Haven't you gotten enough photos?" You argue, eager for more.

He rests the camera at his side, taking a deep breath. "No, I'm just pretty sure if you move anymore I'm gonna cream my pants."

"I can tell." You rub a hand over the hardness formed in his pants.

He jolts back. "Fuck, you can't do that to me." He chuckles timidly and you can't help but join him, giggling with pride.

You reach out, curling around his belt loop again, and yanking him back to you. "Come on. You can make a photo essay out of it. Call it: 'How to Give a Blowjob 101.'"

"Fuck, okay, but I gotta put the camera down or else I'll drop it." He takes one more photo of you, gazing up, bottom lip between your teeth, before placing it on the floor.

You're fast. He undoes his belt and you pull down his zipper, reaching in and pulling him out. You stare up at him and he stares right back. You take him around your lips and Alex immediately throws his head back, eyes shut, a groan escaping his lips.

Alex reaches down, fingers threading through your hair, pushing you down onto him. You engulf him completely, your nose rubbing up against his stomach, choking on him. He lets go and you pull yourself off of him, salvia covering your lips. Your hand continues the work, rubbing him teasingly. You play with the head, which really seems to make him go wild as he mutters, "Fuck," and is unable to make eye contact with you.

You take him back in your mouth, your tongue licking at the head. He grabs a chunk of your hair, holding it tight in his grasp to simply have something to hold onto. He juts his hips toward you, shoving his cock deeper down your throat. It's easy to tell he's getting close by the rough pattern he's handling things, unintentionally forcing himself deeper into you.

He's moaning and his grip tightens even more. "Swallow it," he tells you as he pushes you closer and closer to him. He pushes you down one more time before erupting in your mouth and you take it completely, every drop. "Good, good." He pats your head, exasperated.

Alex catches his breath and then bends down to collect the camera. "Take your jeans off now," he says and raises his camera.

"You first," you counter, "equal opportunity." He gives a crooked smile before pushing his jeans off, leaving him in his underwear and shirt. He goes to shoot again and you instruct him, "And your shirt."

"Alright." He takes his shirt off, leaving both of you nearly bare. "Now, jeans. Off."

You stand with your back to him and shuffle out of your jeans. You're slow, as always, intentional in each movement, pulling him into your trap and capturing him. You kick them off to the side and look over your shoulder, he clicks away.

You reach up to your bra's straps, pulling them down. "Bra now?"

He nods. "Just like you did with the jeans. Taunt me."

"Is that some kink you have?" You obey and pull the straps off your arms first.

"I'm taking photos of you undressing, what do you think my kink is?"

You laugh and reach behind yourself, unclasping it, and just, carefully, slowly, pulling it off your body. "That good?"

Alex lacks a vocal response. He just nods.

Your hands tempt him, caressing your own body, pulling on the hemline of your panties. You look at him, questioning the removal, awaiting his response. He stays silent though, bending down, taking a picture of you from below, making you look even taller, towering on all the species on Mother Earth.

"You gonna go down on me now?" You ask.

He drops the camera into his lap. "Yeah, but take them off first." He pulls the camera back up.

You drop one side off your hips, then the other side, shuffling it down before it's at your feet, he takes another picture, you completely bare with your underwear at your feet before he puts the camera down and moves completely under you.

Every touch is teasing, not giving everything up at once. He touches you, runs his fingers through the folds making you shiver. Your spine feels tingles spread up it and you find it hard to stand as his mouth goes on you. Every movement eats away at you, your footing unsteady. His nails dig into your thighs holding you against him. You can’t help grinding against him, but he seems to like that if the satisfied sounds he makes are anything to go by.

He fucks you with his tongue, stroking your clit, teasing it, tugging it, pulling a string of vulgarities from your lips. “God,” you gasp, tugging on his hair, “higher,” and he shifts, accommodating, devouring and he doesn’t let you go until you've ridden out every wave, falling over him. Everything is overwhelming and unbearable but you're dying for more.

"Sit down," he directs you, pointing at the floor beneath you.

You listen, shaky in your movement, but he helps, taking your hand and carefully you kneel down onto the floor. "This good?"

Alex chuckles. "Whatever makes you comfortable. Sit back, we're not taking pictures anymore."

"You can if you want," you offer, completely bare, sopping in every aspect, your breath still laboured.

"Not unless you want to make a sex tape."

"Oh," you giggle, "I'll stick with eroticism photography."

"Fair enough." He smiles and it makes you buzz. "You'll be my pin-up girl."

You lift an eyebrow. "Your pin-up?"

Alex moves closer to you, hovering in front of your lips. "Yeah." His hand touches the small of your back, tingles running up your spine. "Lay back."

You do as he says, but reach up, rounding your arms around his neck and tugging him down with you, kissing him harshly. His body lays on top of you, his lips fight back violently. His skin is warm against you and you hold tight to keep his skin atop yours.

He reaches down in between your two bodies and lines his cock up, he pushes in a little then all at once. He's forceful and you're already hot and heavy in your breathing, sharing and mixing with one another. His hands move down, pinching a nipple on the way, and it's tremble-inducing.

You push up, rolling him onto his back. He watches you in awe, the way you arch your chest and throws your head back as you begin to ride him, your entire body moving rhythmically just like when he was photographing you. You have such grace in a moment that's so explicitly dirty. He is so captivated that you direct him, grabbing his arms and placing his hands on your hips, encouraging him to hold you and to speed up the pace if he wants.

And Alex does want. He wants to see you thrash and shake on top of him. He grabs your waist, his thumbs press into your hip bones to stall you, and then he's thrusting up into you, meeting your rocking hips harshly, pushing his cock as deep into you as he can get it.

You whine and bite down on your bottom lip to prevent moaning whimpers, and bucks your hips wildly, your skin slapping loudly against his as your bodies meet, connecting roughly in the most intimate way imaginable. Alex gains control of his movements, how his cock hits that spot deep inside of you so effortlessly. How quickly he's pushing you to the edge.

You reach down to pull one of his hands off your hip and bring it up to your chest, pressing it against one of your boobs and leaving it there, knowing he'll understand what to do. He cups your breast as he thrusts into your, massaging the mound before pinching your erect nipple between his thumb and index finger, tweaking it roughly as you bounce on top of him. You pant out and arch into his touch, unable to stop yourself.

You start to clench around him and you know you're getting closer and closer. He releases the boob he'd been grabbing and moves his hand down, pushing his fingers up against your clit making it nearly impossible to keep breathing. You're crashing, grabbing his shoulders to not completely fall over on top of him but he doesn't let up, keeps pounding up into you and flicking away at you.

Your head falls forward, your hair curtaining around you as you convulse. His eyes close and sucks in a deep breath. He wraps his arms around your back and he flips you over. Alex just stays there a minute, gazing down at you, brushing the stray hairs off your sweaty forehead before he leans down interrupting the roughness by kissing you sweetly.

You're still kissing when Alex starts to move his hips, gently pumping into you, pushing into you shallowly. Your wrap your legs around his waist and your heels dig into his ass, pulling him closer into you. He starts to speed up, his thrusts getting longer and harder, each time he thrusts. He kisses you again through it, his lips slipping and sliding over your as your bodies intertwine. He rests his arm on the sides of your head, getting a better position as he starts to push his cock into you, hitting harder and harder each time.

"I'm gonna come," he whispers to her, nuzzling his nose with yours as his hips start to get frantic.

"Me too," you mumble, tightening around him again.

"Fuck, okay." He sharpens his thrusts, determined to get you off before him.

He moves quickly, plays all the same tricks again, brushes away at your clit again, making your engulf him, whining and moaning. You scrap your nails down on him, arching right into him, chest-to-chest, coming uncontrollably.

Alex is ready to follow soon after, pulling out, giving himself a few pumps before he comes onto your stomach. He takes a few moments to collect himself before lying down beside you, heavy breathing in sync with one another.

“I’ve never done it on the floor before,” you say.

He chuckles, throwing his arm over his forehead, nestling his head in the crook of his elbow. “Really?”

You shake your head, smiling, amused by his laughter. “I’ve only ever done it in a bed.”

“Really?” He turns his head over, looking over at you.

You shrug, resting your hands on your stomach. “Do I strike you as some sexual adventurous being?”

He muffles his laugh. “I mean, yeah. You don’t have to be sexually adventurous to do it on the floor. You’re telling me you’ve never done it in the shower.”

“I’ve never fucked in the shower but, you know, orally.”

He rolls over onto his side. His hand reaches out grazing around your belly button. “Let me fuck you in the shower.”

“Now?” You question, still setting your heartbeat to a normal pace.

He closes in on you. His hot breath radiating down on your vulnerable skin. “Yeah, come on, let me fuck you in the shower.”

“Gimme a minute.” You push him back down onto his back but gaze over at him, focused on the angle of his jaw as he swallows, the bobbing of his Adam’s apple. “What about you? You’ve done it on the floor before?”

Alex nods. “Yeah. Never in here.” Understandably so. The floors are hard on your backs and if the sex wasn't so good it would have been a pain the whole time.

You lay on your stomach, resting your head on your folded arms beneath you. “Well, don’t I feel special?”

“You should. You are.” He reaches out, petting back your hair. His fingernails scratch down, pull hairs behind your ear, and lightly tug on your earlobe.

You roll your eyes. “Come on, how many women have you photographed in here?”

“A lot. Never fucked one in here.”

Fascinated, you ask, “You’re a photographer and you’ve never fucked a model?”

“Never said that. But it’s not a habit.” You don't mind, he's naked with you now and not them.

“What did your last girlfriend do?” He remains silent, lips sealed. “She was a model!”

He laughs at your enthusiasm. “In my defense, I never worked with her. We met through friends.”

Alex places his hand down on your back, rubbing up and down the spine so softly. “What about you? This a habit for you?”

“My ex-boyfriend used to take pictures of me, but he was a stockbroker.”

“How grandiloquent.” His language makes you want him more. Who knew big words could be such a turn on?

“How boring," you countered. All those dull men before...

“No kidding," he quips, "you never fucked on the floor.”

“Well, you never fucked on the floor in here.”

He rolls over again, inching over you. His face right down beside you as he pleads, “Then let me fuck you in the shower.”

You sigh, “Okay.”

*

It's almost terrifying how comfortable you become with one another. Well, if Alex didn't take nude photographs of you and have sex with you within hours of knowing each other, however, he starts having you over more and more and not just for sex and photos, although that does often occupy your time. There are the dinners, the movies, and meeting his friends. 

And if you didn't already want to be with him all the time as a boyfriend, he's a great not-for-hire publicist, talking you up to his friends, who are photographers, company owners, and casting agents. He talks about modeling like it's the greatest art form (that might have something to do with him being a photographer, but he insists otherwise) and he's always proper with his words, never talking of sexiness or desirability. His love for it is always nestled in the words of critique: "beautiful arches" "delicate lines" or "the way her face catches the light." It makes you laugh.

One morning, after you've slept over, and he's needy and doesn't want to part, you accompany him to a gig. It's some high fashion shoot and you walk in your clothes from yesterday and one of his jackets carrying his equipment as he sets it up. 

An older woman with a thick posh English accent approaches you, asking, "And who are you?"

You extend your arm out, pointing to Alex, telling her, "The magician's assistant." Alex is all agrin over this and will have you refer to him as the magician several times. You'll laugh at him every time. 

When you walk over, he tugs you into him, arm wrapped around your hips. "We should have you in a costume next time."

You roll your eyes and pull away from him, placing the equipment down on a table. "I think you prefer me in a lack of attire."

Alex tilts his head side-to-side. "Fair enough. I'm liking you in my jacket though."

You slide your hands in the pockets. "It's very cozy."

He gestures to the set in front of you. "I need a couple test shots. Why don't you?"

"And have the scary woman yell at me again?"

"You're the magician's assistant. Help me work my magic."

You do what he tells you, not without saying, "You're corny, you know that?"

"You'll love it. You do love it." You fake annoyance but the smile across your cheeks tells a different story. He gets you giggling with all this corniness and dad jokes galore. The photos come out all happy and commercial compared to the serious haute modeling that follows but Alex says they're his favourite from the day. You roll your eyes, but the smile still tugs on you.

*

"Come back to bed," you tell Alex. 

He stays still, towering above you, camera in hand. It's early in the morning, freshly awoken, still naked from last night's activities. "I have to take a picture. How can anyone not want to take photos of you all the time?"

You sit up, the sheet kicked off you, fully exposed. "Well, usually, they like to touch the real thing, especially when it's their girlfriend giving you full range."

He tosses his head back, dropping the camera over his junk. "You know just what to say to get me hard."

You giggle, wrapping a hand around his wrist and tugging on it. "Don't fool me with your morning wood."

Alex tosses back, "Who do you think gave me the morning wood?"

"Well, why aren't you giving it to me?" You lean back, pulling him over you, and the time to resist has fallen as he places the camera down on the bedside table and his lips on you. 

You reach down, picking up his hard cock, and guide to your pussy. He reaches down and runs his tip through your wet folds teasingly. "God, you feel good already."

"It gets even better inside," you urge him, desperate for him to enter you. He has you shuddering as he rubs his cockhead against your aching clit. You shiver and Alex moves his cock back toward your entrance, positioning the tip against your hole and teasing you, wanting you to beg. "Please."

He finally pushes you. "Jesus," Alex groans as he’s covered in your warmth. He pushes further, you taking more of his length. He's buried to the bottom of you, your thighs flush together as you both take a moment to gather your bearings and get used to this first feeling of the morning.

Alex swallows thickly and shifts his hips, falling just a little bit heavier onto you. He slowly starts to rock his hips against you. You grip his waist tight, wrapping your legs around him, countering his rhythm, pushing him into you. His thumbs leave imprints on your skin, guiding you up and back from him. He doesn't try to control you, though, just helps pick up speed as you get into a rhythm together. "I want to feel you come on my cock."

"You will," you moan, placing your palms flat against his back to have something to grip onto.

Alex picks up the pace again, his hips thrusting into you hard, making sure you feel him deeply. He hits that spot dead on, and then you're falling apart, coming around him, your walls tightening and gripping his shaft as your thighs shake, the orgasm overtaking you. 

"Oh, god," you moan, reaching up and gripping his hair to have some idea of an earthly possession.

His eyes are glued to your face, watching in astonishment every time you come around his cock. His hands help to hold himself inside you, his skin tingling. Your pussy throbs and vibrates around his cock, and he curls his toes, so close, wanting to hold on. You're both sweaty, completely spent as he ruts into you, his pumping getting a bit sloppy as he gets closer to the edge.

Alex leans back and hooks his arms under your thighs, and pulls you closer, tilting your body closer to each of his hits. It feels just right, bursts of light exploding behind his eyes as he comes into you. His cock swells against the vice grip you have on it before he shoots his cum deep inside you. You throb together. "Fuck," he groans, his voice straining and cracking. 

He stays inside of you, not wanting anything to leak. You're pressed up against each other like he's stamping you down like a wax seal and you're melting to the corners of him. You cradle his head, resting in the crook of your neck. He feels so good and he is so good. You cling to him.

Alex raises his head slightly, just to make eye contact. “I don’t want to move.”

“Then don’t,” you counter.

“You aren’t uncomfortable?”

You shake your head. “Not right now.”

“I’m not too heavy?”

You shake your head again. “No.” He rests back down, tired like he didn’t just get a full night’s sleep. “I’ll have to leave soon.”

“No,” he whines, his grip on your arms tightening. “It’s my day with you.”

“I’ll come back later tonight,” you promise, combing your fingers through his hair.

He groans in your neck. The vibrations rumble your insides. “I think you should ditch it and hang out with me all day. I’ll take just as many pictures.”

“You’re not paying me.”

“Isn’t my lovemaking paying enough?”

You laugh and then you lie smushed like that for just a little longer. 

*

a/n: all photography & model knowledge comes from america's next top model, which i do believe to be the top authority on things.

[slasherscream]

A/N: shout-out to @abominableghostface, who was my beta reader and co-conspirator as usual.

CRAZY ASS BOYS GANG + WHAT TYPE OF "LEAVING IN THE MORNING" PERSON ARE THEY

❥ we ride at dawn. try and survive ❥

Billy Loomis - The man with the plan. When he says morning he means we are going to be in the car and on the road by the time the sun rays begin to hit the earth. Granted, it's not a hectic morning by any means. He'll have made sure the two of you started packing days in advance. There’s no last minute rushing around. No wondering if you packed a toothbrush, or your favorite jacket. You double checked everything the night before, and then checked behind one another to make sure. But no matter how peaceful the waking, being dragged to your car at 4:30am will make you want to kill him. He passes you your favorite blanket that he threw in the dryer last minute, a cozy protection against the dewy chill of the night turning to morning. When he tells you to sleep until he finds somewhere decent to eat you hate him a little less.

Jordan Li - By nature Jordan is more of a night owl. Through pure necessity they’ve molded themself into something resembling a morning person. Sure, the way they don’t start smiling before 10am shows you it’s not at all a natural state of being, but they do it anyways. 

So used to starting the monotonous, average days bright and early they’re definitely not going to want to start a vacation late. They wake up to the sound of their alarm. They wake you up to soft kisses pressed into your skin. When you open your eyes, scowling at them anyways, they can’t help but laugh, “Yeah I know, I know, fuck off. But we gotta head out before traffic hits.” 

Knowing how you are in the mornings Jordan packed the car last night. When you roll over, intent on ignoring them they roll their eyes and shift, so that he can drag you from bed no matter how hard you try and make yourself dead weight. 

You’re still half asleep, leaned up against him beneath the spray of the shower, but wake up when he flicks water at your face.

“Fuck off.” You grumble. 

“Once we’re on the road I’ll fuck off for at least an hour. Then we’ll grab breakfast, yeah?” He pushes a loofah in your hand and grins once you take it. They shift again, nudging you out the way with her hip so you’re sharing the water instead of hogging it, “Wash my back so we can head out.” 

When they wake you up outside a diner two hours later instead of one you’re feeling much more agreeable, pulling them in for a kiss when they open your car door.

Sebastian Valmont - A chronic riser with the sun. It doesn’t matter what time he goes to sleep, he is going to wake up right as the sun rises. He has black out curtains and takes morning yoga classes. The bastard. His body simply enjoys being awake at six am. Thus, he sees absolutely no reason why leaving for your trip should come hours after that. He’s going to be the one driving anyways. The maids packed all your things, and the butler brought everything out to the car. All that’s left is to get you out of the house. Sebastian helps you put on your clothes, laughs at the way he has to push your arms into your shirt, and drag you to brush your teeth. When he tucks you into the passenger seat he knows you’ll be asleep again by the time he slides into the driver’s seat. He sneaks glances at you for the first few hours of the drive, quietly listening to music and the soft sound of your snoring, enjoying every second.

Stu Macher - Ball of energy that he is, Stu is awake bright and early, and does not need time to “wake up.” He unfortunately acts like this is a universal experience. The fact that he’s excited about the trip makes his typical lack of empathy towards night owls even more brutal than usual. You’re unceremoniously dragged from bed. He tickles you as you brush your teeth. If you seem a little extra groggy that morning he hops in the shower with you and turns it on cold to get your motor running. He acts completely baffled about why you’re still scowling by the time he’s back from his banishment of loading up the car while you try to dress yourself in peace. To make matters worse he wants to talk about anything and everything with you despite the fact that the sky is still that sleepy shade of blue that’s half night, half dawn. You stare at him hatefully from the corner of your eye, grunting answers at him until you pass a diner that’s open and you can get caffeine into your system. His excitement for the trip is cute once you’re awake.

Kevin Khatchadourian - Rises with the sun and is deeply irritated that you don’t. On a regular day he rarely let’s you sleep in. You’ll be lucky if he chooses to start his daily routine without you. On the mornings when he decides to practice archery, which is most, you’ll get an extra hour and a half. By the time he’s coming back inside he wants you both moving around one another, starting the rest of the routine. Brushing teeth, making food, the idle chatter of your voice. Considering he’s not fond of changing your routine, which is exactly what a vacation is, he doesn’t want to hear a single complaint about the hour he wakes you up to start the drive. He also doesn’t let you fall asleep when you get into the car, even though he’s the only one driving. You’re keeping him company no matter how tired you are.

Sparrow!Ben Hargreeves - While he maintains a strict schedule of waking up early unless hungover he is by no means a morning person. He’ll wake you up as gently as he’s capable of if the shrillness of the alarm didn’t do the trick, rocking you by the shoulder until your eyes blink open. The two of you packed the car last night so there wouldn’t be anything to do or communicate with one another upon first waking up. Two non-morning people trying to talk to each other upon first waking up was a recipe for disaster. Especially if it was the pair of you. Quietly you go about your morning. Brushing your teeth side by side, bumping against each other every now and then instead of speaking. Ben grabs the green smoothies that he made for the two of you the night before, something to tide you over until you found a place he was willing to eat at (which was always an unnecessarily complicated task.) It’s thirty minutes of driving and radio playing softly before you’re caught in a bit of traffic and you’re awake enough to be sweet. You lean across the cupholder to kiss his cheek and he gives you a small smile,  “Morning, L/N.” The two of you are experts at sharing your mornings by now.

❥ we leave sometime before noon ❥

Jason Dean/JD - Will never wake you up before he thinks you’ve gotten all the rest you need. His favorite hobby is turning off your morning alarms if he thinks you set them unreasonably early in comparison to when you fell asleep. He’s certainly not going to break that pattern for the start of a vacation, when you should be resting. You’ll wake whenever you naturally wake up, JD still wrapped around you. You’ll shower, drink some coffee, do one last check of the luggage and then he’ll haul everything out to the car for you, no matter how much you both packed. He likes you to not lift a finger during your trips and it starts before you ever leave the house. It certainly puts you into a vacation mindset.

David Mccall - David himself is an early riser but likes to let you sleep in whenever he can. The start of a vacation is certainly one of those times. He spends the hours before you wake taking care of last minute things. He checks all the bags again, makes sure everything you could possibly need is packed, then loads up the car. He makes sure the house is clean so there’s no mess to come back to that you’ll stress yourself out over. Closer to the time he knows you’ll get up he starts making breakfast for you. He’s so focused on the task he jumps when your arms loop around his waist and you start to press grateful sleepy kisses to his back. You’ll be on the road in an hour or two, he’s in no rush. He wants you relaxed and enjoying yourself every step of the way.

Josh Washington - Due to his insomnia he is not falling asleep any earlier than one am most nights. To ask him to get up at dawn would be like killing a puppy. You both sleep in, wake up sometime just before noon. You like to be realistic about your expectations for yourselves, so there’s no rush. A late start was factored into the plans from the beginning. You packed everything into the car the night before, so all there’s left to do is hop in. You wake yourselves up with some music to start. Barely twenty minutes on the road you see a cute diner and stop for late breakfast. You smile at each other as the afternoon sun shines on both your faces, sleepily discussing what you’re most excited about doing when you arrive at your destination.

❥ secret third worse thing ❥

Nathan Prescott - Nathan likes your journeys to begin in the dead of night. Whether it’s heading to the airport or hopping in the car to start a long drive, a 9pm start time is the sweet spot for him. He doesn’t like waking up early to start trips in the morning. Nor does he like being stuck in the claustrophobic traffic of other human bodies or cars during the afternoon. You’ll be dead tired by the time you get wherever you’re going but having a good beginning to vacations is important. Especially for Nathan. When you start at night his anxiety tends to be lower for the whole trip. The things we do for love.