#a few girls near me laughed awkwardly
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femslashspuffy · 11 months ago
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I will literally never stop thinking of the Kristen Stewart toe sucking scene
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classyrbf · 1 month ago
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TAP OUT, TAP OUT! — JJK MEN
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SYNOPSIS...the jjk men react to you doing the ‘tap out’ dance trend on tiktok
INFO...jjk men (gojo, geto, nanami, toji) x fem!reader, fluff, suggestive comments, possessiveness (in a cute way), not proofread
OTHER...likes and reblogs are appreciated
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GOJO
as soon as you set the phone up, gojo thought you were gonna do a cute couple video with him while he was sitting on the couch. He was smiling, completely oblivious to what you were about to do. You stood in front of the camera and waited for the music to start, turning around before the time hit one on the countdown.
As soon as Gojo heard the music he damn near leaped off the couch and grabbed your phone. “Satoru!” You gasped, turning to him with wide.
“Uhn uhn, baby. I can’t have you throwing your goodies back for everyone else to see!” He holds your phone over his head, making sure you couldn’t reach.
“Satoru, I wasn’t gonna post it!” You laugh, reaching for you phone. “I just wanted to see if I could do it!”
“See if you could throw it in a circle?! Baby—”
“Wait a second, how do you know about this trend?” You questioned, slowing raising your brow.
“Uh…um…Suguru showed me.” He awkwardly cleared his throat.
“You’re a horrible liar.”
“It was one video! Baby I swear!” He dropped to his knees, clinging onto your shirt.
“Get up, you drama queen!”
TOJI
“Toji, I wanna show you this new dance I learned!” You excited propped your phone up, smiling as you set the timer and turned towards him. “Look!”
“I’m watching, mama.” He sighed, resting his head in his palm while standing beside you. That’s when the music started and you began to do the dance, the first few seconds of it completely harmless. It when you started shaking your ass that Toji’s eyes widened and he immediately grabbed your waist and threw you over his shoulder to carry you away.
“Toji! I was showing you the dance!” You laughed.
“That wasn’t no damn dance. Can’t have anyone seeing my girls ass like that.” He finally put you back on your feet, staring at you as you had a full on laughing fit.
“That was so funny! You were so quick to drag me away!” You fanned yourself, still chuckling with tears in your eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, I don’t wanna hear it. Should know that ass is mine.” He grabbed a handful of your ass.
NANAMI
nanami was sitting in his office, typing away on his computer before you barged into his room, nearly giving him a heart attack. Without exchanging words, you propped your phone up and hit record. He closed his laptop and turned in your direction, brows furrowed as he wondered what you were up to.
He heard the music and watched as you began dancing, bending over lower and lower and it finally clicked in his head what you were going to do. He stood from his seat and stood directly in front of the camera, blocking the view of your ass.
“Nice dance, sweetheart but it should only be reserved for me. Don’t you think?” He smirked down at you as you stood back up, smiling at him.
“I wasn’t gonna post it!” You grab your phone, laughing at the moment when he completely blocks the view with his broad back. “I was just showing you!”
“Uh huh, just like all those other dances you were showing me?” He raised a brow. “Nice try.” He pecked your lips, walking back to his desk. “Your ass did look great, by the way.”
“Aweee, Ken!” You giggled.
GETO
as a prank you weren’t even going to do the dance, but instead close the bathroom door and blast the song to make geto think you were. You heard the audio on his phone a few times, knowing he’s seen the videos and what better way to prank him than to show him how it feels when youre shaking ass on the internet.
You quietly closed the bathroom and set up your phone against the sink, turning your volume up all the way and pressing the timer. You stood against the wall, a mischievous smile on your face as you waited for the moment he’d bust through the door. Over the music, you heard his footsteps and laughed to yourself when he flung the door open.
“What are you doing?!” He stood there, peaking his head in to see you were recording. “I swear if you’re out here shaking ass…Baby, I will literally crash out again.”
“I was pranking you!” You laugh, pointing at your phone. “That’s what your ass gets! Haha!”
“Baby, I swear you’re gonna be the death of me.” He glares at you, taking in a deep breath.
“How romantic.” You step towards him. “How about I actually do the dance, but…I dance on you, hm?” You question and immediately his eyes widened in excitement.
“I like the sound of that.”
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ebodebo · 29 days ago
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Bite to Break Skin
—hear me out: simon as your new boxing coach…
current warnings: 18+ SMUT MDNI, fem!reader, p in v, mentions of evil nasty men, bad interruptions of boxing lol, cliche as hell, but cutie, boob play, teasing, ghost being a bastard, some fingering, making you be still idk the term, multiple orgasms, & nasty kissing through his mask.
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"Goes by Ghost," Mac, the older man who owned the gym you frequented, said, leading you to the back section, where the boxing room was. 
"He's one of the best God-damn soldiers I've ever met, I'll tell you what. Saw him take out some insurgent with just his bare hands," he gruffly laughs out before glancing at your doe-eyed state.
His eyes soften, putting his hand on your shoulder lightly.
"He's a secret softie. He'll take good care of you."
You tightly grip the bag over your other shoulder as he leads you to the room this Ghost guy was in, your nerves getting the better of you. 
Mac grips the handle, but before he pulls on it, he turns to look at you. "He's not so good at casual conversation. Might be a little blunt, but most vets are. Just try to have fun, okay?" 
You nod meekly as he pulls the door open for you to step inside, closing it behind you as you fully step inside.
The room is dimly lit, with the only source of light coming from a few small windows high up on the wall.
You are in a relatively small room with punching bags, speedballs, and jump ropes neatly hung on the wall.
"You the new girl?" A deep, English voice boomed around the room in an echo.
You turn around quickly to be met with just about the hottest guy you've ever seen. 
He was tall, with a muscular build.
He wore a plain white t-shirt, dark gray sweatpants, a simple black Manchester United football cap, and a simple black mask covering his face's lower half.
"I—yes. I am," you stutter out, feeling a sudden surge of nervousness.
"Got gloves?" He gruffly questions, grabbing some focus mitts for himself and slipping off his cap.
"Yeah," you sputter, moving to set your duffle bag down to fumble through it before pulling out a pair of bright pink boxing gloves.
"Cute," he hums lowly as he sees you slip the neon gloves on, nearing back towards him.
You feel your face warm at his, granted dry compliment, but a compliment nonetheless. "Thanks," you murmur, now standing in front of him.
"Let's work on your stance." He demonstrates a broad, balanced stance. "A good stance gives you more power and speed."
"What if my stance isn't wide enough?" You question, awkwardly mimicking him, feeling out of your element. 
"You get socked," he says casually. "Widen your legs."
Oh. Oh no.
There was no flirty undertone whatsoever, though you couldn't help how your stomach fluttered at the ask. 
How the hell were you going to be able to work with him? 
"If you were to break like that," his voice is low, distinctly gravelly.
"Out there," he raises his hand to point out the window. 
"You're gettin' your ass handed to you." 
You nod lightly, inhaling a deep breath, determined to clear your mind and focus on the task.
"Focus," he rasps as you adjust your stance to widen your legs.
"Good. Now throw a jab," he orders, his eyes narrowing.
You raise a brow in confusion. "At what?"
"The air," he monotonously says, raising one of his brows. 
You turn to look over your shoulder. "The bag is right there?"
He lets out an irritated sigh. "And if I wanted you to punch the bag, I would have said so," he mutters in a sharp, caustic tone. 
"Just throw a punch."
You tentatively throw a jab, feeling an odd sense of adrenaline. 
"Rotate your hips," he commands. "Generates power."
You nod, throwing yet another jab, this time with a confident hip rotation, making your punch faster and more powerful. 
"Good girl," he gruffs. "Let's get you to practice your cross."
You spent the next thirty minutes or so reviewing various punch and foot techniques and only slightly googling him, growing increasingly impatient.
Hell, you didn't think you would be doing hard combat at the first go around, but you thought you'd be doing something a helluva bit more interesting than just punching some guys' hands. 
"Is this all this session is going to be?" You grunt out, laying a punch to his mitt. "Punching your hand."
There's a flicker of amusement in his eyes before he shakes his head from side to side. "You're not ready for more."
"Come on," you probe with a sly tone. "The whole point of this is so I learn self-protection. Some guy in an alley could try to rob me. I should learn something more practical."
He narrows his eyes at you before taking a breath. "Fine."
"Wait, really?" You ask with perplexity.
He shrugs. "You want practical? I'll give you practical."
You nod your head because hell yeah.
He's finally going to teach you something you can actually use.
"Block me," he mumbles, tossing his focus mitts to the side.
You let out a dry laugh. "I can't block you."
"Thought you wanted to learn more self-protection?" He clicks his tongue.
"Well, yeah...but I can't take you," you cross over your chest.
He lets out an arid chuckle.
"Sweetheart," he begins. "Most men that prey on women are built; they prey on women because they think they're weak. An easy target."
Your eyes shift to the ground, looking at the dark blue rubber flooring you stand on. 
"How bout' we show them you're not?" He tips his head towards you.
You bite your bottom lip in between your teeth until you taste a coppery liquid coat your tongue.
"Well?" He urges, crossing his arms over his chest. 
You glance up at him, inhaling a deep puff of air, before nodding your head and issuing a crisp, 'Fine.'
He gives you a curt nod, flexing his hands. "Gloves up."
"Don't take it easy on me," you say, raising your hands to assume a blocking position. 
He raises his hands. "Wasn't going to."
You puff out a breath, feeling confident despite your little training.
He threw a jab, precise and fast, to your left side.
You could feel the rush of air as his fist sliced through the space, the sound of his knuckles cutting the silence. 
You raised your arm to block it, but his punch was just a feint, and he quickly followed it up with a cross.
You tried blocking the cross, but his punch was too strong. 
His blow sent you stumbling backward, but you refused to give in, your arms flailing wildly to try and find balance, though to no avail.
As you fell, Ghost tried to grab you, but his own feet got tangled in ropes, and together, you both hit the mat, his hand extending out to rest beside you before his body weight fell on you. 
You both just lay there, panting and tangled.
Your nails dig into the flooring beneath you to suppress your nerves and the hoard of butterflies swarming in your stomach.
He has yet to look at you, his eyes wandering about the flooring as he catches his breath.
His eyes flick to yours already on him. 
"What?" He almost spits, the tension in his voice palpable.
"You—you have pretty eyes," you sputter out, your vulnerability laid bare.
There's a beat of silence.
With your eyes still locked on his, the air thickens, building an intense anticipation.
Until his masked lips, a tempting mystery, dip down and consume your lips in a passionate kiss.
You can feel the outline of his lips on yours, a tangible connection as you reciprocate the ferry kiss with equal fervor. 
Your skin is sizzling.
You're sure if someone took a match to your skin, you would be set ablaze. 
All you can hear is your own heartbeat as he pants through the mask, lips feverishly sucking on yours through the fabric. 
His fingers fumble with the hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head desperately as you throw your gloves off to the side.
"Christ," he mutters into your lips as he gropes your breast through your bra. 
You let out a whine at the contact, placing your hand over his, pawing at your breast, holding it tightly so he doesn't move it. 
His hand squeezes your covered breast before his fingers skim down to the band of your bra, slipping his pointer under to skim your sensitive nipple.
Your mouth hangs agape as his fingers prod the sensitive bud, flicking it and moving it against the rough pad of his finger. 
"Sensitive one," he tuts, taking his finger out and instead reaching to unclasp your bra, letting your breasts pour out freely. 
His coarse hand wastes no time fondling your bare breast, pointer, and thumb, going back to roll your nipple between the two fingers. 
You squirm under his touch, equal parts aroused and impatient. 
"You're impatient," he observes, his fingers still tweaking your nipple.
"I just—need you," your voice is already strained. "Can't wait."
The corners of his eyes crinkle, insinuating a smile—what a bastard.
"Oh," he hums in a condescending tone. "Thought you were going to be a patient girl," his finger skims down to the waistband of your pants before he pulls it away. "Was I mistaken?"
"No—no. I can be...patient," you force out, already mourning the contact.
"You sure?" He questions, his tone low and sultry. 
"Because only patient girls get to come."
You release an anguished moan at his words, issuing a hurried, breathless 'Yes.'
"You gonna be a good girl and let me play with you?" He brings his hand back to skim over your stomach.
Your eyes flick to his, full of irritation.
"I said yes," you say through gritted teeth.
He dips his head forward, eyes narrowing at your tone. 
"You're still impatient," his tone is low as he pulls his hand away again.
You shake your head from side to side, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "I—no. I can be patient."
His eyes glaze over your face—sincerity apparent in your eyes. 
He hums in acknowledgment, bringing his hand back to skim the warmth of your body. 
"Fuckin' perfect," he mutters under his breath as he drops to his knees so one of your legs is in between them.
His fingers move to dip under the waistband of your pants before gripping either side and slipping them down over your thighs.
He eyes the fresh wet spot on your underwear, reaching out to touch it with a finger. 
You let out a whine as your body thrusts forward at his touch.
His eyes snap back to yours in warning.
As his fingers rub easily over the fabric, you sink back into the floor. You suck in a breath, fingers balling into a fist as you close your eyes.
"None of that," he gruffs, gripping the sides of your underwear and slipping them off smoothly. "Open."
Your eyes snapped open to meet his dark ones, peering at you.
"Good girl," he praises, his pointer rubbing over your slit that was already coated with your arousal. "You're soaked, Sweetheart."
You hold a whine in your throat as his finger moves to swirl inside you.
He begins pulsing his finger inside you, prodding against your sensitive clit. 
You remain still as his finger moves against you, only moving your mouth to let out an occasional whiney moan. 
"Look at you," he coos. "Bein' so good for me."
His finger picks up pace, moving against your clit with much pace.
"Can you take more?" He grunts out.
You hastily nod your head—aching with the need for relief. 
When he adds his middle finger into the mix, you swear you see heaven—or something very near.
He's panting as his fingers move inside you with urgency, as you let out breathless wails and feel your lower stomach start to tighten.
"I'm gonna—come," you whine, head throwing back as you squeeze your eyes shut.
"Can tell. Squeezin' my fingers so tight," he groans.
It only takes a couple more pumps of his fingers for you to come undone.
Crying out in relief, chest heaving, legs shaking.
His name falls off your tongue as you come from his fingers.
Talk about a wet dream come to life.
You're still panting, coming down from your high, as Ghost reaches for the waistband of his sweatpants and underwear, tugging them down to unveil his painfully erect cock, the tip already leaking some pre-come.
"I won't last too long," you sputter with equal parts anticipation and excitement as he gives his cock a nice tug, hissing a little at the contact.
"Oh, trust me," he wheezes. "Me neither."
"But I need to feel you."
You feel your face warm, your stomach tighten, and your throat dry.
All of a sudden, you're aroused despite having just came.
He positions himself to line up against your entrance, eyes locking on yours. "Ready?"
You nod, gripping his shoulders tightly. "Ready," you affirm.
He pushes his cock into your already-soaked entrance with ease, grousing as his teeth clench.
"Shit. You're tight, Baby," he mumbles, pushing himself into you deeper—still not moving the entirety of his cock in. 
"Sorry," you murmur breathlessly.
"Don't apologize," he says instantaneously, hand moving to rest on the nape of your neck. "Feels fuckin' good."
Your eyes glint at the compliment, though squeeze shut as he starts pumping in and out of—feeling so full, yet empty.
"Need—need more," your voice is coarse. "Put it all in."
His eyes widen slightly. "You sure you can handle it all?"
You hiss out a breath. "I can."
He nods, pushing the rest of his cock inside you.
Your head falls back, mouth opening to make noise before he bends down to capture all the wines he elicits that slip through your lips. 
His mask is soaked.
You can feel the wet fabric against your damp skin. 
It's hot. Really hot. 
You could probably get off to just making out with him. 
The outline of his tongue moves under the mask to trace the outline of your teeth, fabric lightly snagging on them.
You groan into his mouth as you're wildly sucking at the fabric, franticly seeking his tongue and lips. 
"Fuck, Baby," he curses, his pace picking up. 
"You're so good—so good."
You moan into his mouth, mouth hanging open over his masked one, as you feel yet another orgasm approaching.
"I know—I know," he murmurs before you say anything.
He can feel you.
You press your mouth back to his, your tongue coming out to push through the fabric before you tighten around him.
He lets out a gravelly moan as he feels you come, gripping you tighter as he comes himself. 
He lets his forehead fall against yours as both your chests rise and fall almost simultaneously.
A curse falls from his lips as he pulls out of you, easing his underwear and sweatpants back up.
His eyes lock to yours. "Need help?" He asks with sincerity.
Your lip quips, shaking your head. "I can manage."
You pull your pants up, only slightly hissing, before gripping your shirt and pulling over your head.
He helps you to your feet, reaching down to grab your bra.
You shoo his hand away. "Keep it."
His eyes narrow as he smiles under his mask.
Grabbing your duffle bag, you sling it over your shoulder, shoving your gloves in it. 
"That was great—really great, but what if someone does try something?" You ask, your concern evident in your tone.
"Don't need to worry about that," he simply says, crossing his arms over his chest. 
"What? But what if—" You begin before he interrupts. 
"Just...listen to me. Yeah?" He murmurs. 
You narrow your eyes before your eyes soften up. "Yeah. Okay, okay."
"Come back tomorrow. Show you some new moves," he shrugs. 
"Similar to today, yes?" You cheekily ask. 
He lets out a dry laugh. "If you want."
"Can't wait," you chirp. "See you."
He gives a curt nod as you approach the door. You offer him a bright smile as you turn back, pushing the door open with purpose.
Stepping outside, you leave him to reflect on your interaction, giving him time to reminisce about the encounter for the next twenty-four hours until he feels you again.
You still wanted to learn how to protect yourself independently, but it didn't hurt that you had unexpectedly attained your very own guard dog, who wasn't scared to draw blood.
Just give him the command. 
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a/n: i can’t believe i haven’t done this before...we also don't need to talk about the logistics of this, okay?
divider!
reblogs & comments are encouraged!
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whoreforgyu · 3 months ago
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pb&j
MDNI 18+
✌︎ pairing; neighbor!kim mingyu x fem!reader
✍︎ genre; smut, neighbors to lovers, au, fluff
ⓘ tldr; after finally mustering up the courage to ask your fine ass neighbor for help opening a jar of raspberry jelly, he makes sure to fill yours up with some cream by the end of the night 😏
⚠︎ warnings; under 21 drinking (20yrs but turning 21 in a few days (& dw even though i am 19 i don’t drink personally, this is just for the fic 😭)), mingyu has a slight thing for older girls, mingyu is a sophomore and reader is a junior in college, mentions of ‘95 liners, awkward reader, mentions of food, lowercase intentional
✎ note; i’m a new writer so this is my first fic let me know how i did 🫣 got the idea to write this after i spent all night trying to open up this jar of coconut oil from trader joe’s lol 😭
⇅wc; 2.4k
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after what felt like an eternity of twisting, turning, and damn near college level research on how to open a glass jar, what are the odds that not a single thing has worked.
“run it under some hot water” they said.
“tap the lid with a heavy object to break the seal” they said.
“slap the bottom with the palm of your hand” they said.
but despite the hundreds of google searches and youtube videos you’ve watched, the tin lid to your jar of organic raspberry jelly hasn’t budged an inch.
“ugh!” you screeched, nearly throwing the damn thing at the wall. but you would much rather go to bed hungry than have to clean up fruit preserves mixed with shards of glass from the ground, or even worse, eat a dry peanut butter sandwich without jelly.
now, was there a quick an easy solution that you have thought of, but didn’t dare to act upon? well, yes! but that would require having to interact with your fine ass, johnny bravo-esque, tank of a neighbor— mingyu. at first, that option was off the table, but soon hunger got the best of you.
so here you are, standing in front of apartment 406 in some skimpy boy shorts that expose wayyy to much ass and a sweater, holding the infamous jar of raspberry jelly.
*knock, knock, knock*
the apartment goes silent, you feel nervous as the sound of foot steps walk up to the door, pause, and a zipper opens moments before hearing the lock turn. your cheeks heat up at the sight of him in a tank top with grey sweats. trying to stop yourself from ogling at his biceps, triceps, and quadriceps on full display, and you peep how his matching grey hoodie is coincidentally hanging from the coat rack.
the smell of sweet and savory spices bless your nose, if there’s one thing about mingyu, that man could cook. sometimes he’ll hand deliver you a bowl of whatever food he’s making, under the pretense of, “i made extra,” as opposed to “i was thinking about you, so i made a larger portion just to share with you.” and you swear he’s ruined your whole perception of food, you can’t help but think about how much better everything would taste if mingyu was the one who made it instead.
“oh hey _____, is everything alright?” he asked, looking up and down your figure, taking notice of the jar of jelly in your hand.
“yup!” you say awkwardly, accidentally look down at his man-cleavage “i just wanted to know if you could open this for me please?” an innocent grin plays on your lips as you shove the jar towards him, trying to ignore the way he was staring at them.
he laughs while gripping the jar and lid, twisting them in opposite directions before hearing a-
*pop*
“there ya go,” he says, handing back the jar. you sigh of relief before thanking him and turning to walk back to into your apartment, all while feeling a pair of eyes burning into your ass.
“y’know,” he blurts out. stopping you in your tracks, turning around to listen to him. mingyu couldn’t help but trip over his words at the sight of your doe eyes looking expectantly at him. “i’m making dinner right now, n’ i was just about to bring some over to you,” the tips of his ears now turning red, “but- i mean, since you’re already here, would you mind joining me?”
“yes!- i mean no- like no as in i wouldn’t mind,” shit, you think to yourself, what the fuck am i saying?
“okay perfect” mingyu says trying to hold back his smile (you know that cute 😗 face he makes), letting you into his apartment, allowing himself a closer look at your ass.
to no surprise, his apartment layout was an exact copy of yours, only furnished to his liking, of course. a dark stained wooden coffee table accompanied by a matching tv console, upholding a flatscreen tv and ps5, and a dark blue ribbed suede couch. hm, interesting.
“almost done, just need to finish sautéing these veggies,” he says now facing the stovetop, and you take the opportunity to get a real good look at his back muscles. you’re so glad you got front row seats to see them, since the view through the peephole of your door every time he came back from the gym wasn’t cutting it.
“could you help set up the table?” mingyu turns off the stove and grabs some plates and glasses from the cabinet above, breaking you out of your trance.
“yea, of course” you squeak, hoping he hadn’t noticed the way you were drooling over him just then. you set down the jar of jelly you, for some reason, still had in your hands on to the counter, and grabbed the placemats, utensils, and glasses from the drawers mingyu directed you to. he brings over the dishes and sets them onto the table before going back to grab a bottle of wine.
“you drink?” he asked raising a brow.
“not really, but i don’t mind having a glass,”
“how old are you?” he questioned.
“twenty one, how ‘bout you?” you wary.
“twenty.” he replied. there’s a brief moment of silence between you two before he’s sporting a stupid grin, like he knows he’s doing something he’s not supposed to, waiting to see your reaction.
“so where the hell did you get that from?” you pressed, raising your voice, baffled by his audacity to ask for your credentials when he, himself, isn’t even qualified.
“a frienddd~” his tone playful as he laughs. “relax, i consider this my early birthday gift, i’ll be twenty one on the sixth of this month.”
you think it must be from one of of his older friends, specifically seungcheol or jeonghan, those dudes from your engineering class who come by often, not that you’re keeping count. you sigh, you can’t blame him. you’ve had your own fair share of alcohol during your birthday party that you celebrated the weekend before your twenty first, especially since you could not afford to get lit on the wednesday night before your exam.
“fine,” you gave a tight lipped smile as mingyu pours you both a glass, starting to loosen up as alcohol soon calms your nerves.
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“wanna watch that new ‘baby reindeer’ series, i heard it’s crazy as shit!” mingyu laughs, as you two are finishing dinner.
“ yeah i’ve been meaning to start! just haven’t gotten around to it,” you finish up the rest of the bottle, while mingyu takes the dishes to load them up into the dishwasher. you grab the remote turning on the television, and plop down on the couch, briefly pausing to remind yourself that this isn’t your place, but he sure does make you feel like it.
after drying off his hands mingyu plopped himself right beside you, leaving only about an inch or two in between, and smoothly snakes his arm around you, being careful not to make contact though. you laugh to yourself at how respectful he’s trying to be, and wonder if he’s truly oblivious to the not so respectful feelings you have towards him.
half way through the first episode, you can’t help but feel warm, almost hot due to his body heat. his scent isn’t helping either, he smells like fresh clean laundry and natural musk. you want to study his face now that you’re up close, but it’d be too obvious, he’d notice right? wrong, frankly, his ass is not paying attention to you, so you take initiative and scoot closer into his touch, resting your head onto his shoulder, smirking at the sudden tension of his body.
“you alright?” mingyu speaks lowly into your hair, subconsciously helping himself to your scent. turning down the volume on the tv, he tilts his head to hold your gaze, dammit, there she goes again with those eyes, he curses. swiftly glancing at your lips, and back up to your eyes, it’s like he can read your mind. cautiously, lowering his hand to your ass, he helps you onto his lap. “whatchu tryna get into?” mingyu teases.
“i dunno know you tell me, you’re the one who’s got me on their lap” you tease back giggling while biting your lip.
mingyu uses his teeth to now bite your lip between his before kissing you deeply. he couldn’t wait for the day he could he could get his lips on your pretty plump ones. not a day goes by where he doesn’t think about getting the chance to mess with his pretty ass little neighbor.
whimpering at the sensation of his sunken fangs into your lip, you quickly match his energy, grinding your dampening cunt against his growing erection. his hands now gripping your ass like a vice, increasing the relentless speed and friction between you two. hand nearly getting crushed in the process, you reach between your bodies to free his now rock hard cock from his sweats, beginning to stroke him while slowing down to a more sensual pace. he breaks the kiss, letting out a loud whine as you spread the bead of precum, focusing right on the tip, and dip the pad of your thumb right into the dimple before rubbing circles around it.
mingyu’s body shudders as he throws his head back in ecstasy, blabbering a whole bunch of nonsense, while you lick and bite the sensitive skin from his collarbone all the way to his jaw. continuing to stroke his aching cock, “ah! ouu~ shit- baaabe- baby oh! fuuuuck~ m’ boutta-” are the only coherent words he’s able to slew before you cease all movement. his head shoots up, wide eyed as he looks at you as if your head’s missing.
you give him a sweet— almost taunting, smile before reaching under his tank to reveal his sculpted torso, chest rising and falling as you scrape your nails against every nook and cranny of his flesh. you lean forward to give a few licks and and sucks to each of his nipples. mind you, the man is still staring at you in disbelief. giving a sinister laugh, he holds you by your hips and and in one swift movement, shifts his body under you, so instead of sitting on his lap, you’re now sitting on his face.
mingyu wastes no time lapping at the mere outline of your pussy, desperately sucking your arousal through the fabric of your shorts. like a rabid dog he rips through the fabric with his teeth, lips immediately latching onto your clit like a vacuum. you let out a loud cry desperately grabbing fistfuls of his hair as a poor attempt to ground yourself before he’s gripping your waist, gliding your cunt alllll over his face.
“gy-gyuuu~” you whine, your legs starting to shake as you the feel pressure building up in your core. your thighs now locked tight around his head, you’re scared you may suffocate him but you’re far to worried about reaching your own orgasm to stop. “mmmph~ shiiit pleaseee~ oh my- no gyu! piece of shit!” you scream, as mingyu removes himself from under you, a shit eating grin playing on his lips, his face covered in your juices.
you squeal as mingyu rips off any and every remnant of clothing you still had on, and throws you over his shoulder— face down ass up, giving it a quick harsh slap before heading into his bedroom. throwing you down on the bed, he immediately attaches his lips to yours as he slips his thick middle and ring fingers inside of you, curling them just enough to make you cum better than any one of your pathetic toys ever could. if he could give you mind blowing orgasms just with his fingers, just imagine what universe he’d take you to on his cock.
mingyu teases your entrance with his fat tip, gliding it along your wet folds. his cock was looong, thick, and heavy, a vein running along the left side of the shaft. it felt like steel wrapped in velvet. he begins pushing his way into you, nothing could prepare you for the stretch he gave, he felt invasive, greedy, selfish. invading any space he could find inside your small tight cunt.
“just hold on to me baby,” he growls in you ear, his breathing ragged as he bottoms out, pelvis right against your ass. the man desperately trying to help himself from releasing right then and there at the feeling of your wet pudgy walls sucking him in, as if your body was trying to create a mold of his cock to remember forever.
your legs wrap tight around his torso, nails digging into his broad shoulders as he’s rutting into you like a dog in heat. he desperately pants, holding another vice-like grip onto your hips, the combination of your pornographic moans and walls beginning to clench and spasm around him making his cock twitch inside you like a bolt of lightning.
not even science can measure the amount of pent up tension that has built up in your core, the feeling painfully delicious. the sharp thrusts of his cock soon becoming sloppy as you feel him starting to shudder once again, his mouth now on your neck, sucking harshly at the flesh. he brings his hand down to your cunt, beginning to rub messy circles onto your clit making you cry out, sending you over the edge.
the knot in your abdomen comes un done, feeling like an explosion as mingyu shoots what felt like the entirety of earth’s population into your poor pussy. your body goes numb, your vision, seemingly no different than looking out of a kaleidoscope, seeing shapes and colors you didn’t even know existed.
mingyu lays on top of you, cock still sunken deep inside as if he’s trying to fertilize each one of your millions of eggs, his heavy breathing sinking you into the mattress even deeper than you were before. looking up he sees your fucked out state, locking eyes with you before giving you the filthiest smile you’ve ever seen.
you smile back, matching his same filth, before pulling him into another heated make out session. “ready for round two?”
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reshinless · 5 months ago
Note
Hii! I wanna request for a nsfw single dad! Wriothesley or Moze x kindergarten teacher! reader that takes care of their kids for them while they're at work 🤔
Thank you!! 🩷
──── age ain't nun but a number
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⠀ ۪ ⠀✧ synopsis. when he feels something for the single kindergarten teacher that their kid accidently calls them mom/dad. can't help the pretty thought of getting to call you his either
⠀ ۪ ⠀✧ pairings. wriothesley x gn!afab!reader (i use the term pussy :3) !!nsfw content ahead!!
⠀ ۪ ⠀✧ director's notice. i've yet to read about headcannons on moze! for now please settle with wriothesley only :pray:
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wriosthesley recently started to send his lovely daughter off to school, specifically kindergarten (homeschooled her for nursery). waving her off as she looks off to the classroom- before turning around to face him with small tears prickling her redish-pink eyes.
"baby, what's wrong?" he calms her down shortly after, but still with a sigewinne who was still visibly saddened at the thought of leaving her dad.
all of a sudden, a gorgeous figure comes out of the classroom, and kneels beside wriothesley in a way to calm sigewinne down as well.
"hi sweetheart, what's your name?" you took the small blue haired girl's palms into yours, they were a little cold. "i-'im sige-sigewinne!" almost as if completely cheering up after seeing how beautiful you were, her father completely stunned as well.
"i'm (name), how about you come in and meet the other kids inside, would you like that?" the small girl quickly nodded at your words, watching as you stood back up and offered your hand out to her, sigewinne who takes it just as fast, holding onto one of your fingers.
as you let the bunny-like girl into the classroom, you walk back up to flushed face of her father. "t- thank you for that. i- i- um.. i'm wriothesley." he offers out a hand as you chuckle lightly. "i'm (name), does she get anxious without you or was that because this is her first time away from you?"
"ah.. the second. you .. the teacher of the classroom?" "mmmm, yes i am." oh your voice was just as lovely as your face. his eyes scanned over your features while you discussed details on sigewinne's schedule. subtly checking you out before his eyes trail back up to see you aren't talking anymore. oh.
"oh.. ahem-" he coughs awkwardly to excuse his actions as your own face flushes a little. "i'll send you the rest via... hmm, where can i contact you?" perfect- a way to get your number!
"ah just.. here." he hands his phone to you, as you added it to your contact list. "i'll send it to you there then." you bowed and left to tend to your class of 20 kindergarten students. fuck you were beautiful.
cut to a few months into school days, sigewinne is doing great all but in one subject. which results wriothesley having to ask you for a bit of tutoring just for sigewinne, openly inviting you into their house.
you agree, not minding helping another kid. as you drove over to his house; you felt a little bit of fuzz in your heart, seeing a moderately-sized house, with fence which looks like its supposed to be white; was colored to be coincidentally the colors of sigewinne's hair. random strokes and lines scattered all over each standing wooden plank, you couldn't help but laugh a little.
as you got out, you observed out the sidewalk near his home had hopskotch sketches on the floor as well, how adorable. as wriothesley opened the door to welcome you inside, the house seemed pretty spacy.
"i know its not much, but this house was closest to the school." he chuckled as he led you over to where sigewinne was waiting. "tell me if you need anything."
wow he sounds even better upclose. his smile is pretty too, the apron he wore as he baked sigewinne-shaped cookies was pretty cute as well.
but as much as it all seemed very adorable, and fluffy. wriothesley couldn't lie what he'd been feeling the last few months in knowing you, and knowing how much sigewinne looks up to you, even overhearing the way she accidently calls you mom/dad, meaning that even if he proposed right here and now; his daughter would gladly accept. his last partners she never approved of- but with you, it's almost like she was actively trying to get you together.
before he walks into the room to ask if you and sigewinne are hungry; he hears her ask a little question. "miss/mister (name)! do you like my daddy?" sigewinne tugs at the hem of your sleeve. "ah- w- what do you mean?" "you like daddy, right? because you always smile when you go to escort me back to him, i don't see you do that to like.. aika's dad! or amira's mom! so you like daddy!"
unbeknownst to you; the strong, and big reputation fighter wriothesley blushed behind the closed door, hearing every little aspect of the conversation. putting the desserts back before putting his ear against the door again. "your daddy is nice, but i can't have relationships with my student's parents. it's unprofessional." "so you would date daddy if you didn't work here? oh but i'm gonna miss you in class if you leave!"
you found it adorable how she thought you'd leave your job for wriothesley, but you definitely couldn't afford doing so; not at the expense of your own living space being taken from you again.
"i just.. i guess you're a little right, 'winne. but i can't do that right now." "daddy makes enough money! this is only one of his houses!" "alright alright that's enough, let's get back to studying."
something so innocent, yet so captivating about the way you talked about him, you simply agreed about smiling the more you saw him. he felt mutual about it. ah- damn he shouldn't think the way he does about you, catching himself palming his urgent erection through the fabric of his boxers at night to the thought of your entrance sinking onto his length so politely- he's getting ahead of himself now.
but fuck it'd definitely be hot, to feel you on him, or watch how he'd be the one to arch your back as you creamed onto his cock. oh fuck, guess the pastries will wait. off to the bathroom he goes.
oh but the thought of you just bending over for him, telling him it's all his, he definitely could bust right here and now. stroking his girth, imagining how it'd be so slippery, so vulnerable just taking it like anyone would.
shit he already felt it coming- his dick definitely felt a lot more sensitive than last time he thought of jerking off to you; and damn did it feel good as hell. damn, was that already his cum on his own stomach.. he came at the thought of you again. third time this week. huh.
he came out, pulling his pants a bit, looking a little disshelved, more than earlier at least as you saw him walk by. "hey, i put her to sleep for now." you wave to him as you round the corner from her room. "mmm? that's good." he took a seat beside you, "oh uh, and i have a little favor to ask, you mind i stay for now? the rain doesn't seem like it'll let up anytime soon."
"yeah, sure, make yourself at home, baby." he hadn't realized the slip of tongue of calling you the nickname, barely noticing the clear flustered state he had put you in. "huh, what's with the face?"
you looked away, admitting it was nothing, 'till he ringed a strong arm around your shoulders, using his finger to make you look into his eyes, turning your head back to his. "then you'd tell me, yeah?"
you couldn't avoid how attractive it was, it was a swift reaction. you could feel something pooling/hardening down in your lower region, "it's really.. u- um nothing. i just.. i.." you held eye contact with him for a bit before you felt a hand grasp your hair from behind your head, pushing your lips into his.
you reciprocated the kiss for a bit, as you pulled away, eyes opened in shocked, as wriothesley looked like it was a normal thing between you two. "has anyone told you how pretty you are?
"..." "does it make you nervous when i stare? sorry, it's a habit when you're that gorgeous." "this.. is.. this is unprofessional! i- i'm sorry i-" you try to explain before he pulls you closer with his arm, "sigewinne sees you as a parent figure, it's fine."
"c'mere, pretty, she won't know we did this, and no one else will, not unprofessional if no one else will know. i know you want me too." he stroked your cheek, a smirk appeared on his face, while he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. "come on, break the rules just once, i'll show you a good time."
...
he had you pinned onto his mattress upstairs, clothes stripped and onto the floor, now he could finally observe all and every inch he's been longing to see of you. trailing his palms all over your body, exploring it as much as he could. "just.. tell me to stop if i need to, 'kay?"
he already pried your legs open with just his words, one of his snake up to the other, holding it with a gentle, and soft touch, making sure you knew he cared about the way you felt about what he was doing.
but it was the way it was basically, your pussy was calling to him, the way they tightened around his fingers. "damn- already wet for me, baby?" he teased as he lowered his head to set a kiss on your cheek, watching you whimper, and arch your back from the simple art of getting played with (and it was just his fingers, just imagine his cock!!)
as he unbuckled his belt, shit you couldn't deny the sound of hearing his pants lower and drop the ground turned you on so much- ahh you could already imagine the way it'd feel inside. but you didn't have to imagine because he already lowered his cock to enter inside you, shit you could feel your already split in half from just the tip.
you can feel his girth, every vein, and inch, you could feel everything. "shh baby, i know you can take it." you could feel a reassuring squeeze on your palm. you could feel his forehead in contact with your as he slowly continued to penetrate, so slowly, so sensually. you felt a plethora of emotions, the guilt being quickly washed over with pleasure.
"ah- uhuh? you like that? like the way my cock kisses your stomach, sweetheart?" he teases into the shell of your ear. sending shudders down your spine, kissing your neck briefly. "ahh- mmf! yes, i do.." you whimper out with shame, the way his shaft smacked against your g-spot felt so good.
your legs started to tremble. you could feel his skin slap onto yours, making loud sounds that definitely would wake his neighbors up.
the strength in his palms that kept your thigh up on his shoulder now never faltered. hearing each moan felt like he only wanted to penetrate you even more.
"ah ah ah. careful with your sound so, pretty. you might wake up 'winnie." coy teasing is heard from the low rasp of his voice- damn he knew what he was doing. it was hard as hell to keep it down if his cock made such an adorable bulge in your stomach.
reaching for your swollen clit, rubbing over it with his thumb- oh fuck you could feel your third orgasm coming already. it didn't help how quickly he thrusts inside you, adding onto the euphoria you felt pooling in your stomach. the pressure only got worse the more you could hear his groans.
you started to clench onto the base of his cock, making it even harder for him to penetrate your stomach the way he did previously. "damn baby- relax, tryna keep me in there, or something?" he teased, promptly speeding up his digit over your pussy.
"haahn- gonna.. gonna c-cum wrio- fffuck!" you moaned loudly, squirting succus, as wrio holds your hips close to his own.
"hooollyy shiiit.. came all over me baby." he says breaths between his words.
he slowly pulled out of you, finally leaving your puffy hole alone, keeping one of his hands on your cunt still. "stay still, pretty." he licked a stripe over it, progressively lapping up the mix of cum between you both in your hole.
there was just something about either keeping every last drop in there, or at least letting himself have a taste to indulge in more intimacy as you calm down from your high (or cum on his tongue again, whatever you want.)
wriothesley who carries you bridal style to the bathroom. cleaning you up, and lets you borrow some of his clothes for the mean time before you go back home.
"dad! look! there's a storm outside!" sigewinne points out, her little finger out the window, cheek against the glass.
seems like you won't leave for now, how about you stay for the night?
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act-nat-ural · 3 months ago
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Classroom Crush
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It had been a few weeks since Kiyoomi first noticed you. 
Sakusa Kiyoomi didn’t get crushes. He was meticulous, focused, and, in his mind, too busy with volleyball and his personal space to indulge in such frivolities. But there was something about you that caught his attention—a girl two seats in front of him, always scribbling in a notebook or staring absentmindedly out the window during class.
He didn’t know when it started—maybe it was how you carried yourself, or how your eyes seemed to light up when you talked about something you loved, even if it was just a passing comment. 
But no matter the reason, it was undeniable now: Kiyoomi had a ridiculous, inexplicable crush on you.
It was a typical Monday morning, the sunlight streaming through the golden slats of the classroom windows. Kiyoomi sat in his usual seat near the back, his posture stiff, trying to avoid any kind of attention. His fingers were drumming on his desk absentmindedly as his gaze kept flicking toward you. You were two rows ahead, sitting by the window, completely engrossed in a book.
He knew nothing about you—well, nothing beyond the fact that you always sat in that seat, and you were quietly kind. He’d overheard you laugh once or twice when talking to your friends, but most of the time, you were serene, focused, and almost always reading or writing. 
It was a little tragic, how his crush had never even had the chance to be something real. He had barely spoken to you—maybe three words at most: “Excuse me” when you accidentally bumped into him on your way to class last week, and “Can I have a piece of paper?” when you forgot your notebook. It was painfully insignificant, but his heart still beat faster whenever he saw you. 
Today, however, he couldn’t concentrate. Your scent—the same perfume you always wore—drifted toward him as you shifted in your seat. You had just opened your notebook to write something. He found himself absentmindedly staring at the way your hand moved, the grace in every line you drew, even how you bit your lip in concentration. 
“Kiyoomi?”
His head snapped up, his gaze snapping back to his desk before he realized it. His eyes met the professor’s, who was now standing at the front of the room, waiting for his answer.
“Sorry, what?” Kiyoomi muttered, wiping his hand across his face in frustration.
The professor raised an eyebrow, but before Kiyoomi could dig himself into a deeper hole, you spoke up, a soft but audible voice from the row in front of him.
“He was probably just distracted,” you said with a smile that almost made him lose track of everything around him.
Kiyoomi froze.
You had spoken to him. His heart did a strange little flip in his chest, and for a moment, he couldn’t think of anything except the warm, easy way your words had come. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment.
“Uh, yeah,” Kiyoomi muttered, trying not to make a bigger fool of himself. “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”
You shrugged, a small smile still on your lips. “It happens,” you said casually and then turned back to your notebook, the conversation seeming to end as quickly as it had begun.
Kiyoomi’s mind raced. That was it? That was the only conversation he’d had with you in weeks? But it felt like something more. His heart couldn’t help but keep replaying the way you’d spoken to him—so effortlessly, so kindly.
The next day, you weren’t in class.
Kiyoomi tried to ignore the knot of disappointment in his chest, but it was hard. He spent the entire class time distracted, glancing over his shoulder, half-expecting you to walk in any moment. But you never did. By the time the lecture was over, and he packed his things, he was already overthinking. Maybe you were sick. Maybe you had dropped out of the class entirely. Maybe you weren’t even interested in… whatever this feeling was.
He was halfway out the door when a voice stopped him.
"Sakusa!"
His heart stuttered in his chest, and he turned around so quickly that his bag swung awkwardly at his side.
There you were, standing near the door, your book bag slung over your shoulder, eyes scanning the room for him. You were alone, and you looked a little hesitant.
Kiyoomi swallowed hard. "You... you missed class yesterday."
"Yeah, I was feeling sick," you said, offering a small smile. "I didn’t want to bother anyone with it."
Kiyoomi found himself nodding, even though he wasn’t sure what to say. The silence between you two stretched for a beat, and then, impulsively, he blurted out:
“Do you want to... maybe study together sometime?”
Your eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh?”
He had barely said anything to you in all this time, and now this?
“Yeah. I mean, I don’t know... I just thought... Maybe we could,” he stammered, feeling heat creep into his face. “Like, you know, if you ever wanted to, or whatever...”
You laughed—a soft, genuine sound that made Kiyoomi freeze, staring at you in shock. 
“I’d like that,” you said, your voice warm. “Actually, I’m always looking for a good study buddy. You don’t mind math, right?”
"Not really," he replied, the edges of his lips curling into a shy smile.
"Great," you said, the smile now fully blossoming on your face, “I’ll text you the details later?”
Kiyoomi nodded, though he could hardly contain the flood of excitement rushing through him. This was real. This was happening.
As you turned to leave, you glanced back over your shoulder.
"See you tomorrow, Kiyoomi."
You walked into class a little earlier than usual, glancing around for an empty seat. Your eyes instinctively fell on the spot where you usually sat by the window, but today, there was a different kind of pull in your chest. The seat next to Kiyoomi was open.
You hesitated for a split second before shaking off the uncertainty. It’s just a seat. Just sit down, you told yourself. You’d spent the entire night thinking about the conversation from yesterday, about the way he’d looked at you with those piercing, quiet eyes, and how he’d blurted out that invitation to study together. You had to admit that his awkwardness was kind of endearing.
Taking a deep breath, you made your way over and sat down, silently hoping you weren’t making a mistake. But when you settled into the seat, the quiet thrum of the room didn’t feel so uncomfortable. There was something calming about being close to him, even if you hadn’t exactly exchanged much in the past weeks. 
From the corner of your eye, you noticed Kiyoomi glance toward you, but when you looked directly at him, he quickly shifted his gaze down to his desk, his posture as stiff as ever. You couldn’t help but smile. Even when he was trying to hide it, he was still so obvious. You wondered if he was nervous, too. 
Class started and you opened your notebook, pretending to focus on the lesson, but your mind kept wandering back to Kiyoomi. He was beside you, his gaze drifting toward the window as the professor launched into the lecture. He didn’t seem to be paying much attention—his pen tapping rhythmically on the desk in a pattern you could almost set your watch to. 
Your heart skipped a beat. Why did he want to study with you? You barely knew each other, and now you were supposed to spend time together after class? He’d barely said anything outside of casual requests or off-hand comments in passing. But somehow, yesterday, when you’d spoken, it felt easy. As if it wasn’t strange at all. 
The professor’s voice faded into the background as you stole another glance at him. His eyes were still distant, but his lips were curved slightly, like he was lost in thought. 
You wondered if he was nervous, too. It was a silly thought, really—Kiyoomi Sakusa, nervous? He was one of the best players on his volleyball team, he was smart, and composed, and everyone knew how intensely focused he was. But you couldn’t help but notice how out of place he looked when his gaze flickered to yours for just a moment before he shifted uncomfortably.
The class continued, but you couldn’t keep your focus. You did catch Kiyoomi looking your way a couple more times. Each time, his gaze would dart back to his desk like he hadn’t meant to. You couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up inside. 
It wasn’t like you had any more experience with these things than he did, but for some reason, today, things felt a little different between you two. You could feel the change, even if it was small. 
The bell rang again, signaling the end of class. You packed up your things slowly, unsure of how to move forward. The conversation from yesterday was still fresh in your mind, and now that the moment had arrived, you weren’t sure what to do next. 
You couldn’t help but steal another glance at him. He was already standing, stretching his arms above his head with a casual air about him. His face was still serious, but there was something softer about the way he carried himself today.
You stood up and made your way toward the door, your heart hammering in your chest. When you reached the threshold, you turned back, catching his gaze. For a moment, neither of you said anything, just locking eyes for a few seconds that stretched longer than they should’ve.
“Um... Kiyoomi?” you said, voice a little quieter than usual.
His gaze snapped to you, but instead of the usual guardedness, there was something almost... warm in his eyes, like he was waiting for you to say something. 
"Yeah?" he responded, his voice surprisingly soft. It made you pause, and your stomach did a little flip.
You took a step toward him, feeling a little less confident than you had intended. "I... um, I guess we can meet up later? If you're still up for it?" You looked down at your shoes for a moment, feeling a little awkward, but you couldn’t help but notice that the heat in your cheeks was starting to build up. 
He didn’t respond right away, but when you looked back up, you found his usual stiff demeanor had softened, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He nodded, his expression still slightly unreadable, but there was a subtle shift in the air between you.
“Yeah. I’ll see you after practice, then,” he said, the words coming out smoother than you expected. His voice was still quiet, but it held a certain finality to it that made you think that, yes, this was real. This was happening.
“Okay,” you smiled, and this time, it was easier to meet his eyes. 
You walked out of the room, your heart racing, a mixture of excitement and nerves bubbling up in your chest. You weren’t sure where this would go, but for the first time in weeks, you couldn’t wait to find out.
note: i wrote this instead of sleeping 😕
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withwritersblock · 6 months ago
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Feelslikeimfallinginlove
~feelslikeimfallinginlove by Coldplay~
Author's Note: Requested! this isn't my proudest work but it has been a minute since I've written anything. It's more about the beginning part of falling in love with someone, maybe infatuation Summary: Quinn finally meets the beautiful girl in the lobby. Warnings: a bit of a cliffhanger I guess? Word Count: 3,125 Quinn Hughes x fm!reader
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Quinn usually kept to himself, especially when he was in season. Being captain came with a collection of team bonding and leadership he had to do during the season. But outside of the team and his family, he usually was alone. 
He never wanted to cross the boundary of getting to know the people in his building, he usually tried to avoid any interaction at all. Until the girl in the lobby. He hasn’t spoken to her yet, but they’ve smiled towards one another a handful of times. 
Quinn couldn’t figure out if she lived in the building, worked in the building, or knew someone who lived there. And he hoped it wasn’t a boyfriend. Today was the first game of the season and he was nervous. The team had a tough playoff exit and they had even higher expectations this season.
He took a deep breath as he adjusted the collar on his brand new black undershirt. He wasn’t sure if he liked it. He usually wore the same three suit styles over and over again. This was new. He took a deep breath as he reached for his keys and his water bottle and began jogging towards the door. He pulled the door open quickly stepping out. He shut his door, quickly locking it. He lifted his gaze to see the same girl walking out of an apartment. 
Quinn paused for a moment when he saw a guy several inches taller than himself walk out behind her. Quinn’s small smile on his lips faded as he saw the pair, which quickly turned into a trio as another girl steps out of the apartment. He watched the other girl lean up towards the tall guy and kiss him on the lips. 
Quinn would be lying if he didn’t take a sigh of relief. He finished locking his door, keeping his gaze on the floor. He began reluctantly walking towards the three of them. He needed to pass them to reach the elevator. 
“No way! You’re Quinn Hughes!” the tall guy said as Quinn stared walking. Quinn lifted his gaze, looking towards the three of them. He forced a smile on his lips. 
“Yup, that’s me,” he said awkwardly, a nervous laugh leaving his lips. 
“Y/N, you should’ve told me you live next to the Captain of the Canucks?!” he continued.
“I didn’t want to tell you because of this, Corey,” she motioned towards the guy, a giggle leaving her lips. “We’re sorry. Good luck tonight!” Y/N said excitedly, the same kind smile on her lips. Quinn met her gaze, his lips curled up softly.
“Not a big deal at all,” Quinn said, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets. 
“See, sis, not a big deal at all, can we get a photo?” he asked. Quinn nodded, “Here,” he shoved his phone towards Y/N. She laughed. Quinn felt his heartbeat quicken, it was a beautiful sound. He didn’t want to hear anything else ever again. All he ever wanted was to hear her laughter. 
She gladly took the phone and began to take a few steps back. Quinn cleared his throat as he gladly stood beside the man, putting on a forced smile. Corey pointed towards Quinn, his jaw dropped excitedly. 
Y/N slowly pulled the phone down away from her face, a wide grin on her lips. Quinn’s forced smile became more genuine. Quinn cleared his throat as he pulled away from her brother. 
“Thanks man, good luck tonight!” he said. Quinn nodded before he looked towards Y/N. Their eyes remained connected for a moment, perhaps too long, before Quinn began to walk towards the elevator.
“Thanks, enjoy the game,” he muttered as he walked towards the staircase near the elevator. He began walking down the steps alone, trying to hide the grin forming to his lips.
“How could you not tell me you lived next to Quinn motherfucking Hughes?” he overheard Corey say. Quinn laughed as he walked down the steps while shaking his head. 
~~~
The game was close but the Canucks ended up winning and Quinn got three assisted on the night. He couldn’t stop smiling the whole drive back towards his apartment. He parked in his usual parking spot to see Y/N climbing out of her car. He pressed his lips together to try and stop the smile forming to his lips.
He slowly climbed out of his car, keeping his gaze towards the ground. “Great game!” she called out towards him, standing in front of her car. He lifted his gaze as he smiled towards her. 
“Hey!” he expressed as he walked towards her, she met him as they stood together in the center of the parking garage, “Thanks, it was a bit close for comfort,” he mumbled as he shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets. 
“I’m Y/N, I don’t think I said that earlier,” she offered, “And you guys were in control the whole time,” she said confidently crossing her arms over her chest. He chuckled nervously.
“Y/N, nice to meet you finally,” he said. He wanted to punch himself in the jaw. Why did he say that. Finally. As if he was waiting for them to meet. His eyes widened slightly and her smiled widened as she tilted her head to the side. 
“Nice to meet you too,” she said while adjusting the bag on her arm. He cleared his throat as he pointed behind him. She nodded as she began walking side by side with him. “Thank you for earlier, by the way, you made my little brother’s week,” she explained.
“No problem at all,” Quinn offered as he pulled the door open towards the lobby. Y/N smiled towards the front desk night host as the pair walked towards the elevator. “Does he live with you?” he asked, glancing behind him.
“He’s a freshman at UBC and lives at the dorms. He wanted me to take him and his girlfriend to a game. Obviously keeping the knowledge that we lived in the same building to myself,”
The elevator doors open quickly, allowing the pair to step inside. Shoulders bumping slightly as they stepped into the small space. “This is going to sound like I have a huge ego or whatever-purely just curious,” he began rambling as he pressed the button to reach the floor they shared. “If you knew who I was, why didn’t like ask for a photo or something?” he said a small laugh leaving his lips.
“I didn’t want to make it awkward,” she said while laughing.
“It wouldn’t be awkward at all,” he mumbled, turning his head towards her. She turned her head to meet his gaze, a grin on her lips as her eyes scanned his features.
“Well, now it would be be awkward,” she offered as the elevator doors opened to their apartment floor. She stepped out of the elevator first, spinning around to meet his gaze as he stepped out. 
“Why’s that?” he asked teasingly.
“You’re a completely normal person to me now,” she teased. 
He rolled his eyes playfully, “Oh really?” he asked as his gaze scanned her frame. She was beautiful. 
“Uh huh, you are simply Quinn Hughes, my neighbor, who happens to play for the Canucks,” she explained as she stopped beside her door. Quinn bit his bottom lip as he fought the grin forming to his lips. 
“Well, uh, Y/N last name I don’t know, my brothers also played tonight. I have yet to know how the game went. Would you like to come over and watch the game with me?” he asked, taking a small step towards her, his hands still in his hoodie pocket. She squinted her eyes slightly as she scanned his features. She nodded.
“Y/L/N,” she said.
His face scrunched together, a grin still evident to his lips, “A simple no would’ve sufficed,” he said while laughing.
She grinned as she rolled her eyes playfully, “It’s my last name, you ass,” she delicately pushed his arm back. “Is it okay if I take a quick shower before I come by?” she questioned.
He nodded, “Of course, I’ll see you in a bit?” he asked as he began walking backwards towards his apartment. She nodded before she spun around and began unlocking her apartment. He watched her walk inside. “Yes,” he whispered excitedly as he hopped slightly back towards his apartment door. He quickly unlocked it.
Stepping inside, he took a deep breath as he jogged towards his bathroom to quickly take another shower. He took one at the arena but he always takes a quick one when he gets home from games. He looked into the bathroom mirror as he giggled nervously. He glanced down towards his phone to see Luke was calling him. It was probably a good sign that they won.
He quickly brough the phone to his ear. “Lukey boy, did you guys win? Haven’t seen the score,” he asked as he clenched his jaw slightly as he tilted his head back.
“We won, it was close, also what the hell was that text you sent me earlier? No context nothing,” Luke said, a small chuckle leaving his throat. Quinn let out a sudden chuckle as he shook his head.
“Remember the cute girl in the lobby of my apartment?”
“Uh yes, sure, why?” Luke mumbled out. 
“She’s coming over in like twenty minutes,” he let out excitedly.
“How’d you manage that? I thought you were terrified to speak to any girl since your breakup,” he said jokingly. Quinn rolled his eyes.
“When’s the last time you spoke to any girl who weren’t dating one of your friends?” Quinn countered.
Luke laughed, “Alright, hot shot, enjoy your night. Tell me in the morning in as little details as possible please,” Luke mumbled before he hung up the phone. Quinn smirked as he quickly threw off his clothes as he jumped into the shower. 
After twenty minutes, Quinn shot up from the couch at the sound of a knock on his door. He smiled as he walked towards his apartment door. He peeked through the peep hole to see her standing outside of it with a bottle of wine in her hand. He unlocked the door and pulled it open. He felt his chest ache at the sight of her. His entire body felt hot as he examined her features in a short moment. 
“You didn’t have to bring anything,” he offered as he stepped to the side allowing her to step inside. 
“I wanted to,” she mumbled as she nervously stepped inside, “Are you allowed to drink during the season? I should’ve thought about that before I brought this over,” she rambled as she tightened her grip on the wine bottle. 
“We can drink,” he let out as he held out his hand for the bottle. She nodded as she gave it to him gladly. “I only do it every once in a while though,” he mumbled as he set the bottle on the counter. She nodded as she nervously twisted the small necklace pendant between her thumb and index finger. 
“What kind of glass would you like? A big glass or a bigger glass?” he asked. She chuckled.
“A bigger glass would be great,” she mumbled as she looked towards the tv, it showed the game about to start in a few minutes. Despite it being a recording. 
“Coming right up,” he expressed as he popped open the bottle. 
“Do you watch every game your brother’s play?” she questioned as she watched the camera pan towards the starting players on the ice. She didn’t recognize any of them. 
“I try, it’s always hard when we play on the same day, but I try,” Quinn explained as he poured the glasses. Making sure the glasses were a bit on the fuller side. “If I don’t get a chance to watch the full thing, I’ll watch the highlights or something,” he explained as he walked towards her, handing her a glass.
“Thank you,” she mumbled as she followed him towards the couch. “That’s really awesome,” she said as she sat beside him. He nodded.
“It also helps watching the other team play against my brothers because I know how they play so I get to figure out how to work against the other team by watching them with my brothers. It’s kinda fun,” he explained. Her gaze was on him the entire time, admiring the way his face light up as he spoke. He shifted his gaze, meeting her eye for a moment. “Sorry,” he mumbled dropping his gaze.
“Don’t apologize, I wanna hear more,” she said tapping his knee excitedly. He chuckled nervously as he glanced towards the screen. 
“Hear more about what?” he asked as he met her gaze. She felt her lips curl up slightly as she tilted her head to the side.
“You,” she mumbled. He nodded as he brought the glass of wine towards his lips.
~The next morning~
She left around one in the morning. Despite, being together for several hours, nothing romantic transpired. They chatted as they watched the game. Learning everything and anything they could during their evening together. 
Quinn stood in his kitchen, propping his phone up as he answered the FaceTime from Jack. “Quinny!” Jack shouted into the phone. He had already been up for a handful of hours while Quinn just woke up. The time difference was something they were still getting used to, despite both being in the league for years.
“Damn, lower your voice,” Quinn mumbled as he poured some olive oil into his pan. 
“Lukey said you had a girl over last night, you putting yourself out there again?” Jack asked excitedly. 
“I-uh I guess, I don’t know,” he mumbled as he lifted the pan up and watched the oil spread around. “All we did was talk,”
“About what?” he asked teasingly. 
“I don’t know, just anything. It was nice to just talk to a girl without feeling any pressure to hook up or whatever,”
“So you don’t want to hook up with her?” he asked, a small chuckle leaving his lips.
“I didn’t say that,” he chuckled, “I just want to get to know her,”
“God, you’re such a romantic,” Luke shouted into the phone from somewhere in their apartment. Quinn rolled his eyes as he looked towards the phone to see Jack laughing up a storm. 
“Just because I want to get to know a girl before I think about hooking up with her doesn’t make me a romantic,” Quinn let out, “It makes me a decent guy, which apparently you two are not,” 
“Oh whatever, Quinny,” Jack said while laughing. “Are you going to light candles and have rose petals on the bed for your first time together?” Jack teased. Quinn rolled his eyes as he fought off the smirk forming to his lips.
“Alright, bye Jack, bye Luke,” he let out in a sing-song way while he ended the FaceTime call while shaking his head. He cracked an egg as he let it fell into the pan before he tossed out the egg shell. He stared at the egg beginning to cook as he heard someone knocking on his door. He quickly turned his stove off as he jogged towards the door. He looked through the peep hole to see Y/N standing outside his door. 
He smiled to himself as he pulled it open, “Good morning, Y/N,” he said as he stepped to the side letting her walk inside.
“I can’t stay long, I have to get to work but-” she paused as she met his gaze, smiled towards his sleepy expression. “I never got your number last night,” she mumbled. He tilted his head back as he grinned. “And I figured if we are going to keep hanging out, I am going to need your number,” 
“Why are you going to need it?” he asked crossing his arms over his chest.
“Didn’t I just say?” she asked teasingly, trying to sound annoyed but failing. “I don’t want to keep appearing out of nowhere at your door, you know it’s weird,” she explained, fighting the grin on her lips. 
“Oh I see,” he let out as he held out his hand for her phone. She gladly handed him her phone. “You’re just going to miss me when I go on roadies so you want some way to contact me,” he said as he typed his name in her phone and his number. 
“I met your yesterday, like I could miss you already. That would be crazy,” she let out.
“Right right, so crazy that you decided to do this bright and early in the morning, instead of our planned hang out later tonight, right,” he teased as he slowly handed her phone back. She rolled her eyes playfully. 
“Oh whatever,” she said dramatically, “I’ve gotta go,” she said as she began walking towards the door.
“You don’t want to stay? Maybe kiss a little?” he teased. She rolled her eyes as she let out a sudden laugh. 
“I’m running late,” she said as she pulled open the door and began to walk out of the apartment. The door was slow to shut. He quickly jumped into the opening, propping open the door a little as he peeked his head out.
“That wasn’t a no!” he shouted towards her. She spun around and began to walk backwards. She had a huge grin on her lips as she shook her head. 
He returned the smile before he slipped back into his apartment. He shut the door behind him and laughed nervously as he walked back towards his kitchen.
He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket while he walked in front of the stove. He pulled it out to see an unknown number calling him. He smiled as he brought it towards his ear. “Hello,” he dragged out. 
“Did I hear you right, Quinn Hughes?” Y/N said on her end of the phone. 
“What’d I say?” he asked with a smirk toying to his lips. He hasn’t felt giddy like this in months, maybe even years. He missed the feeling. 
“Hmmm, that you wanted to kiss me,” she offered, a smile evident in her tone. 
“Did I say that? I don’t know if I said that,” he teased, “Are you sure you didn’t imagine it?”
“No, no I definitely heard you say it,” 
“Maybe you imagined me saying that because you wanted to kiss me too,” 
She let out a sudden laugh, “You just admitted you said you wanted to kiss me,”
“I don’t think I did. I guess you’re just gonna have to come over and find out,”
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fangisms · 1 year ago
Text
spring breaks loose
A/N: idk what it is but every evermore song makes me want to write ab this lifeless-eye, sexy-ass, grumpy fool. so first up is ivy! gif creds: @audrey-inspo
Pairings: Theodore Nott x Fem!Reader (implied Slytherin, but it doesn't matter)
Summary: Spring breaks loose, the time is near // What would they do if they found us out? 1.0k words
Warnings: fluff, secret... relationship?, major pining, kissing, lowk toxic friends (lovingly), friends to lovers
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Everyone wants to know about your secret fling. But it's not a fling, they just wouldn't get it. It's not some silly affair; you're not even sure there's a word for it under the umbrella term of relationships. What you are sure of is that there is something tying you to Theo that you've never felt with anyone else.
And he feels it, too. It's one of the few things he lets himself feel. How could he resist it? You.
So you meet up some midnights, awkwardly brush knuckles in the courtyard, let yourselves speak candidly with each other while dodging watchful eyes. For a while, it's easy like coloring in the empty spaces between clear cut lines. As long as you've got a steady hand, it should be simple. Even fun. Until you have to start sharing crayons with your nosy group of friends.
"Anyone else want to know what's going on between those two?" Draco says. He nods to Theo's fingertips tracing your kneecap where it's bent over his thighs. And where your wrist hangs from his shoulder as his head rests back against the couch, nearly dozing off.
"Yeah, me!" Pansy chirps.
Mattheo scoffs, pointing at Theo, "look, he's smiling, the wanker!"
He lifts his head, bearing his knowing smirk with pride. He spares a glance at you, then. And you press your palm to your mouth to choke down a laugh.
"Come on," P whines, "tell us!"
"Yeah, if you can kiss in private, you can kiss in front of us, too."
You whip your head round, aghast at Mattheo's request: "We do not kiss in private. We don't kiss anywhere!"
Theo lifts your legs from his lap, "Seems like a good time to turn in—"
"Ah, ah, ah!" Draco urges, "Not so fast"—Surprisingly, Theo settles back down in his seat—"If there's nothing going on, then prove it. Kiss."
Theo looks over at you, defeated. You both know they'll never give this up, it'll be months and months of teasing either way. At least this way will shut them up for a few hours. You shrug, and he rolls his eyes when your friends cheer and whoop.
"You lot are perverted," he sighs, smiling at you, "we need better friends."
You lean in and whisper, "Let's get this over with so we can find new ones."
Theo cocks a brow, leaning in, meeting you nearly halfway when he brings his cold hand to your cheek, thumbing over the warm skin. He's going easy on you, letting you take the lead. You press your mouth to his, clumsy but careful when he shifts closer. He recoils when you put your hand on his chest and slide your tongue against his lips. He'd call himself shy, but you know that look of embarrassment when he pulls away. It makes you smile.
Your idiots clap and form a chorus of 'aw's. Mattheo whistles, breaking Theo away from your piercing eye contact so he can quietly threaten him.
"You didn't have to use tongue!" Pansy shrieks. You scoff and stare at her, counting down from three on your fingers. She bursts out into laughter when you lunge after her on one, tearing off towards the girls dorms in a fit of giggles.
Theo watches you turn back for just a second to wave him goodnight. He holds up his hand, and you twirl around and head for the top of the stairs. Once you're out of sight, he lands a kick to Mattheo's side.
"You complete idiot," he grumbles.
...
You'd been staring at the dark ceiling, listening to girls filter in through the doorway until no one was left downstairs. You couldn't find tranquility enough to sleep or even shut your eyes for a while and pretend.
As the clock chimes once through the window, you shiver and creep toward the crackling fire.
His footsteps are rapid on their way down the stairs. You whip around just as he lands at the bottom of the steps, letting out a breath as he smiles at you. Both shuffling towards each other, he tries not to move too quickly in his subtle desperation.
Still, you nearly crash into each other.
“Hi,” you whisper.
“Hello.”
“I was just look—”
“Looking for you. Me too,” Theo huffs.
A few seconds linger between your slowly rising chests, your fingers ticking at your sweater’s sleeves, and his pushing through his hair. You open your mouth to speak just as he begins as well, and you both snap your mouths shut.
“No! You were first,” you say.
“Ladies first,” he shakes his head, “please.”
“Alright.” Something in you seizes and what seemed so easier to admit a moment ago has now been snatched from your chest, shriveled into oblivion. “I… really liked kissing you.”
His eyes light up. “Me too.”
You grin and shift a little, surprised at how bright his eyes seem even in the darkness. How his hair still coils sweetly down from his hairline in the middle of the night. And how he can still see right through you when it’s almost pitch black. Save for the dim firelight.
“And also,” he says, “I’d like to kiss you more. For longer. If that’s… if that works for you.”
“Yes! Yes, it does. I do. I do, too.” You’re out of breath at the admission, and he nods, seemingly relieved by your dulcet enthusiasm for him and all he does.
So he kisses you, dipping close and stealing from you what he has always wanted. Just a peck, or maybe it escapes him a little and he leans into it. But he pulls back to find you’re practically attached to him and neither of you want it to end.
“So… I guess this changes everything?” Theo whispers, cupping your elbow when you reach for his shoulder.
You shake your head, “it doesn’t have to.”
“I want it to.”
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wileys-russo · 8 months ago
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jenni hermoso ”i knew i would find you from here” a house party
j.hermoso II never too late
"i'm just gonna get some air!" you yelled over the music, kissing your best friends cheek who nodded, downing your drink and dropping the cup on a table on your way out, exhaling at the sudden peace and quiet of the backyard.
you pretended not to notice the few couples littering the back patio, curled up together in darkened corners and pool chairs taking advantage of the privacy as you wandered a little further away, sitting down at the edge of the pool.
this was supposed to be a high school reunion of sorts, though it felt a little sad to watch some of your now near thirty year old classmates try to re-live their 'glory days' most of the class now married, engaged or on call for their kids babysitters.
you of course had none of the above, having chosen to study right out of school and though you had a very high paying well respected job to show for it, you couldn't help but feel robbed of some other aspects of life you'd been too careless with.
"i knew i would find you here."
speaking of things you'd missed out on.
you looked up at her voice, a smile settling in your features as you took in the woman in front of you, no longer the awkwardly tall teenager you'd messed around with in empty classrooms during your free periods.
"jennifer hermoso fuentes." you smiled, pushing yourself up to your feet, stomach fluttering a little at the knee buckling grin she sent your way. "in the flesh, hola hermosa." the girl opened her arms for a hug as you settled into them, laughing as she jostled you side to side gently, kissing your cheek.
"of all people i expected to run into here, you weren't on my list jen." you admitted, the two of you breaking apart and taking a seat beside one another, legs dangling in the pool.
"mm and why is that?" she asked with a curious smile, leaning back on her hands and watching you. "a title winning national football campeón? slumming it at a house party with us campesinos." you teased as she playfully rolled her eyes and flicked you with water.
"what can i say? the honor is yours." jenni winked and you'd be lying if you said your stomach didn't do a little flip just like when you were a teenager.
"vale enough about me now! y tú? what are you doing with yourself?" jenni finished catching you up on everything around a half an hour later, bumping her shoulder into yours as you shrugged.
"-but sometimes i feel like i blinked and ten years has gone by, and i have a career sure but i do not have much to show for it in a way of a personal life." you wrapped up your summary, cheeks blushing pink as you looked away.
"what are you-" you questioned as the taller girl grabbed your hands inspecting them. "checking for a wedding ring, i would hate to be flirting with a married woman." jenni grinned cheekily as she dropped your hands and you couldn't help but smile.
"you have not changed." you chuckled at her abrupt boldness, jenni never afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve, one of the most honest women you'd ever known even if sometimes you did not ask for her honesty.
"i have too! i grew up, i am an adult." jenni stuck her tongue out at you as you shook your head. "big child in an adults body maybe." you teased, pushing her as a comfortable silence fell between the pair of you, the faint pulse of the music inside as the night ran late and the party started to slowly die out.
"hey you have something that none of the idiotas here have." jenni stated as you gave her a curious frown, caught off guard as she leaned in and pecked your lips.
"you've kissed a world cup winner!" her lips curled into a wicked grin as she lay down looking up at you and you had to laugh, touching your lips where they tingled a little at the familiar sensation of kissing her.
"maybe you have changed..." you mused, leaning down closer as she quirked an eyebrow, playful glint in her eyes. "...you used to be a much better kisser." you whispered, patting her chest and sitting back up as she looked up at you incredulously.
"es que tan?" jenni sat up quickly, clearly offended by the statement which only amused you more as you nodded. "sí, de verdad." you confirmed, features painted into a smirk.
"mmm well maybe you have changed too princesa." jenni echoed as you now raised an eyebrow at her, though before you even had a millisecond to comment you were plunged underwater, feet hitting the bottom.
"you used to be a good swimmer!" jenni laughed, doubled over as you resurfaced coughing and spluttering, eyes narrowed into a filthy glare.
but you hardly had a moment to condemn her as she dove in to join you, popping up in front of you with a wiggle of her eyebrows and a pearly white toothy grin.
"i did not miss you cabrón." you spluttered, treading water as the footballer swam even closer. "yes you did." jenni nodded, hovering right in front of you now, her face only a few centimeters from yours.
"i did not." "you did." "you wish." "maybe i do."
another silence fell between you as your eyes roamed one anothers faces, drinking in every little detail both new and old that had stayed or appeared in the ten or so years you'd not seen her up close.
"why did we break up?" you were caught a little off guard at the abruptness of her question, sighing at the way her eyebrow creased curiously.
"i don't know jen. you were getting serious with football, i was going to university. we just...we went down different paths of life that didn't cross over." you struggled out an answer, neither of you really holding any ill will with the other but you'd be lying if you said you hadn't occasionally found yourself doing a little internet deep dive into what your ex was up to.
"i only came here hoping i would see you." again you were caught off guard by her statement, searching her eyes for any signs that she was messing with you but only finding blunt honesty, her speciality.
"well...here i am." "here you are." jenni smiled and those butterflies appeared as you reached across to push a few wet strands of hair from her forehead, shivering lightly as a gust of wind blew hitting your damp skin.
"vamos, lets get dry." jenni nodded toward the steps, the two of you swimming over, jenni hopping out first and extending a hand to help you. "you didn't think this through, did you?" you questioned, motioning to both of your soaking wet bodies and not a towel in sight as she smiled sheepishly.
"well...i'm not staying far from here. i have a very spacious shower in my hotel room, and lots of towels, comfortable bed, movies on order, snacks." jenni grinned hopefully, poking at you as you smacked her hand and wrapped your arms around your wet form.
"are you asking me to come for a sleepover hermoso?" you teased as the taller girl chuckled and shrugged. "maybe. but just, with a little less sleeping." she hinted with another wink that had your stomach twisting, offering you her hand with a charming smile, brightening as you grabbed it and the pair of you headed off toward the side exit.
maybe it wasn't too late for some things to work out for you after all.
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after-witch · 2 months ago
Text
Quicksilver Girl [Yandere FF7!Remnant Trio x Reader]
Title: Quicksilver Girl [Remnant Trio x Reader]
Synopsis: You help a silver-haired man and his silver-haired brothers find their way in the city–didn’t anyone ever tell you not to talk to strangers? 
Word count: 11,000ish
Notes: yandere, threats of violence, stalking, mommy issues
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It was a solid testament to the bittersweetness of the world’s regrowth that the simple sight of an ice cream truck in the city made you want to cry. But for all the destruction that had rained on the city, that had rained on the world; for the terror that was Sephiroth and the near-destruction of the planet, it was these simple sights that healed (and hurt) the most.
It didn’t help that you had especially tender soft spots for children. Oh, soft spots for anyone, really–and your neighbors, the people you worked with, what was left of your family would attest to that. 
When someone said they were hungry, you did your best to feed them. When you overheard someone weeping over a debt, you would lend a coin or an ear or a pen and paper to plot out a way to dig out of a deficit. 
People’s troubles troubled you, and it made you feel better to take care of those around you. Friend and stranger alike. 
“Soft hearts have no place in this world,” you’d overheard your father tell your mother one night, mumbling, half-drunk.
Maybe he was right. Maybe in a world like this, your soft heart would get you into trouble one day. Or it would be hardened out of you like water grooving its way into a rock, with time and troubles. An inevitable weathering. 
But maybe you would be content to be the type of person who smiled and wiped away the edges of tears at the sight of a gaggle of children eagerly buying frozen treats, each running away with a smile–and often, already-melting ice cream–on their lips.
And it wasn’t just the children who wanted to reap the frozen fruits of the ice cream truck’s welcome arrival, you notice–a man, clad in what must be an entirely too-hot black leather outfit, awkwardly making his way to the front of the truck. 
He runs his hands through his cropped silver hair–it almost glitters, in the sun–and looks up and down at the time-worn stickers plastered to the front of the truck. One of the children behind him huffs a little and stands on her toes, bending sideways to peer around him.
The truck driver says something, and the man frowns. He points to one of the stickers and waits, expectantly.
You can’t help but overhear the exchange that follows. 
“If you don’t have any money, move out of the way. There’s kids that are ready to pay.”
The little girl shoves her hands in her pockets, fingers no doubt touching the precious gil she was able to borrow for the treat. 
The man makes a noise, something in between a growl and a whine, as he looks behind him at the growing line of kids–and in front of him, at the unimpressed driver. 
“No fair. It doesn’t say anything about money here!” The young man jabs a finger on the truck and–did the truck rock just a bit? No, of course not–and crosses his arms over his chest. He’s almost like a kid himself, you think, and a familiar tugging sensation in your chest creeps in.
You’re already hustling your way up to the truck, fingers digging into your purse for a few coins, when one of the kids in line lets out a barking, sneering laugh. 
“Everyone knows ice cream costs money! What’re you, stupid?”
Perhaps if you had been a moment later, it all would have gone wrong here. That kid would have been pulverized by an impulsive, angry punch and any bystanders would have fled screaming and you would’ve known to stay far, far away from this man and his silver hair and anyone else who showed up alongside him.
But you were a moment sooner, and nothing went wrong.
Instead, just as the young man turned towards the sneering kid, a scowl on his face, you were primly handing the truck driver enough coins for an ice cream bar.
“Please, let me,” you say, voice soft but firm–a I-won’t-take-no-for-an-answer tone, and the tension from the interaction melts as easily as the ice cream inside the truck under the hot sun. The truck driver shrugs and dips away from his window for a moment, before coming back and holding out a fresh chocolate ice cream bar.
The young man stares at it for a moment, then slowly reaches out to take it. The girl behind him doesn’t wait for him to move, bumping past him to get to the front of the line. And if you hadn’t just enabled him to get the creamy frozen treat he’d clearly wanted, maybe it would have bothered him. 
But he doesn’t seem to notice. He simply stares at you, brows furrowed, gaze looking all sorts of ways. Surprised. Pleased. Annoyed. It’s an expression you’re a bit familiar with; the sort of mixed-emotions that come with favors you didn’t quite ask for, but wanted, anyway.
You don’t take it to heart. You smile and step back from the truck, and he follows–sticking the ice cream into his mouth before abruptly yanking it out, mouth half-opened, a bit of chocolate dribbling on his chin.
“It’s cold,” he says, shock at the edge of his voice. But the heat of the day and his outfit and the richness of the chocolate must overpower the initial trepidation, because he slowly sticks it back in his mouth, savoring it. 
“Have you… never had ice cream?” You ask. You shouldn’t; you should just go, good deed done for the day.
But.
It’s hard not to be curious about him. His outfit is unusual; more like something you’d see in the old days. A roaming thug hired by Shinra, maybe. But they wouldn’t be out in the day, at least not anymore. 
But it’s the rest of him that really stands out. Silver hair that, even cropped short, has a shimmery look in the fun. And his eyes are, well. Unusual to say the least. A vibrant sort of green, like a living light.
His eyes glance towards you, then towards the ground. Shame, maybe.
“Of course I have,” he lies, and your heart pangs just a bit. He wouldn’t be the first person in this world to grow up deprived. The soft, stretchy bit your hard pulls towards him, and you look around for anyone that might know him. Might have come here with him, before he got sidetracked with a sidequest for ice cream. 
But there’s no one that you can see who might call this strangely dressed young man “theirs.” So you worry at your lip with your teeth, weighing the options, before finally asking–softly, kindly. 
“Are you alone?” 
“No.” He looks up at you with something like indignity. “I’m with my brothers.”
There’s a bit of good news. You smile. “Oh! I’m sorry…” But when you look around, there’s no sign of anyone that looks like a brother. The silver hair would be a giveaway, wouldn’t it? 
He looks around, too, and after a moment, meets your gaze with a lost expression that you can’t help but compare to the kids around you.
“They were supposed to meet me here… at… at…” He huffs out a sigh, and pulls out a cell phone. The sight is surprising–they can be pricey, although they are getting a bit more common. He flips open the top and presses a few buttons with his thumb, before holding it up in your face. “Here.”
Oh. He’s in entirely the wrong spot. And if he’s not from the area, there’s no way he’ll find it alone. That soft, squishy part of you squeezes your chest hard and despite hearing your father’s mumbling disapprovals through the metaphorical wall of your mind, you offer another smile.
“That’s on the opposite side of town. It’s a bit of a confusing way… I could walk you?”
A few emotions cross his face. Surprise. Annoyance. And finally, a sort of mild distrust. Again, so much like the children around you. Children who grew up on or off the streets but in a world where the next day was never a guarantee. It hurts a little to see this expression on a grown man, however young he might be. 
“Fine,” he tells you, half-mumbling. “If you want.”
“Well, I do want,” you answer cheerfully, and the surprise on his face doesn’t seem to quite go away even as he begins to follow you, frowning, shoving the rest of his ice cream bar in his mouth. 
The stares you get as you escort this strange young man through the city are worth the feeling of accomplishment you get–warm and fuzzy and light–from helping someone out. Especially someone who seems so lost, in more ways than one.
As for the strange young man himself, he’s not much of a conversationalist–but you’ve never minded doing most of the talking. He seems content to listen, mumbling yeses and no’s, or occasionally asking you questions about buildings you pass. 
He even tells you his name, after a while: “I’m Loz.” 
And if you tell him your name, and he repeats it a bit gruffly, chocolate ice cream on his lips, is it wrong to find it a bit cute?
After all–
It feels good to help someone in need, doesn’t it? 
There’s no mistaking it: the two men standing in front of an abandoned city hall (ruined, more like; no one had enough money to fix it, so the city hall was now in a repurposed hotel) must be his brothers. The silver hair with the same sort of sheen, and nearly matching black leather outfits. Part of you wonders if you ought to have gotten ice cream for them, but it would have melted anyway.
Neither of them look particularly excited to see you. Well, you can’t blame them. You are a stranger. There’s surprise tinged with a wariness and a not-so-thinly veiled irritation, at least on part of what looks to be his younger brother. Silver hair cut short and slightly uneven, like he hacked it off himself. The other brother looks older, with long silky hair that must,  you decide, take forever to comb. 
It’s Loz who breaks the tension, stepping forward, running a hand through his short hair. There’s still some chocolate ice cream left on his mouth. 
“She uh, showed me the way. I got lost.” The brothers’ gaze roams over you. Loz holds up his ice cream stick. “And she bought me this.” When his brothers merely blink at it, he shoves it closer to them. “There was ice cream on it!” 
It is the brother with longer hair who speaks first. Smooth and calm, and you get the image of one of those upper-crust salesmen, the kind who could convince someone to buy a motorbike they couldn’t afford in a thousand years.
“I see.” His gaze turns to you and there’s something in those eyes–the same as Loz, but vaguely different. Whereas Loz felt like a lost dog with a–haha–bone to pick, his gaze feels a bit more intent. Like it could pin you to the floor, if it wanted. “Thank you for assisting our brother,” he says, voice as silky as his hair. 
The younger brother scoffs at that. Scowls. Won’t even look at you. 
Well–you were never one to outstay your welcome. Clearly they have business here, and it certainly doesn't involve you. So you smile at the brother with the long hair and then turn to Loz, half-grin on your face.
“Well, I’ve got to get going. I’m glad you found your brothers! Bye! Be safe, okay?” 
You raise your hand and wave and Loz–to his brothers’ surprise, it’s written on both their faces–waves back. 
“Uh… bye.” 
As you walk away, you can’t shake the feeling of three pairs of eyes on your back. 
You never expected to see Loz again. Or his brothers. Yet it is exactly these three people that suddenly walk through the doors of the diner you waitress at, and how could you not notice? The diner itself seemed to freeze as soon as the door swung open, and a trio of young men with matching silver hair and leather outfits walked through.
While everyone else was keen to stare, you were quick to welcome them. It was hard, being the odd one out; well, in this case, the odd trio out. 
“Good morning,” you chirp, menus already cradled in your arm by force of habit.  “I’m glad to see you!” And you were, a little, in the way you were always happy to see anyone you’d helped again. 
Predictably, Loz is the only one who smiles at you. It’s a shy sort of grin that almost seems out of place on his muscular frame.
“Hey,” he says. “Someone said you worked here, so we… uh…”
In hindsight, this was perhaps the only chance you had to sidestep the horror to come; the only chance to realize you were being sought, and that to be sought by three young men with strange clothing and stranger hair was no simple thing.
But hindsight is never there when we want it to be, and instead of taking the phrase for the warning it ought to have been, you let it wash over you.
“Yep! I’ve been working here for a few years now. Why don’t you sit down?” 
They follow–the youngest first, you realize, and the other two fall in line as you lead them to a corner booth out of the way. Less stares, you think. But what a very strange family dynamic, indeed. From the friends you knew with siblings, it was the oldest who called the shots. But then, the world wasn’t exactly rightside up anymore, was it? Things changed all the time. Even sibling pecking orders.
You dole out the menus as easily as you dole your smiles. Each brother picks up a menu in turn. The youngest looking at it with something like scorn, Loz furrowing his eyebrows, and the brother with long hair and a smooth voice quickly taking in the fare.
“Do you need any help deciding? We’ve got a bit of everything.” 
The brother with the long hair sets down his menu. “May we have three waters?”
You don’t need to jot it down–lots of practice, and all that–so you nod. “Of course! And what can I get you to eat? I’m pretty partial to the sandwiches here myself, but–”
His smile is smoother than his voice, and it’s almost unnerving, almost enough to make you take a step back, when Loz interrupts, mouth pouting, eyes downcast–
“But I’m hungry!” As if on cue, his stomach growls. And not for the first time, you’re struck by how new he seems, despite his appearance and demeanor. And clearly, despite these what-should-be expensive leather outfits, this trio of siblings has fallen on hard times.
Oh, your damned soft heart would get you fired one of these days.
“You know!” Your voice is a bit too high, a bit too chipper. “We actually just had a table return some dishes because I got the order wrong… I was going to have to just throw it out and eat the loss but, if you guys wouldn’t mind taking them?” You smile, a bit crooked. “It would really help me out.”
Loz grins.
The brother with the long hair’s eyes widen, just a fraction, before they return to their serene-like stance. “Thank you,” he says, softly.
The youngest frowns, his lips curling into a bit of a sneer. His brothers look to him, and you’re struck again by the topsy-turvy pecking order you see in them.
Finally, he sighs.
“Fine.”
The brother with the long hair, you finally learn, is called Yazoo. And the youngest–his name cannot be pried out of his own mouth, and it is Yazoo that tells you–is Kadaj. 
They don’t say much about why they’re in town, and you don’t pry. It must be hard enough with everyone staring at them, whispers slinking over from the other tables. Well. With their silver-shimmer hair and leather outfits, it would be hard not to notice them.
Still. You do your best to put them at ease.
Maybe that’s why, when their meals are finished, Yazoo asks you:
“Do you know of a place to stay in the area? Somewhere… affordable, please.” 
Your heart–soft, stupid thing–pangs. There isn’t much in the way of affordability anywhere, but you suspect they already know that. But you know a few people, can pull in some favors. 
“There’s lodgings above the cafe,” you say, pointing to the staircase in the far corner. “It’s where I live, actually! I’ll tell them you’re looking for a place to stay, and we can work something out.” You don’t tell them that “work something out” usually means you picking up extra shifts for free in exchange for someone else getting a discount, because then they might decline your offer, and who knows where they’d end up? 
“That is… much appreciated,” Yazoo replies, weighing his words carefully. Loz looks between his brothers and decides on a nod.
It is the words of Kadaj–his first words properly directed to you without a grimace or huff–that surprise you the most.
“Yeah,” he says, and both his brothers look to him with something akin to surprise of their own as he looks up at you, his own mako-green eyes catching your gaze. “Thanks.” 
It is not quite a surprise that you see the brothers every day. Neither does it shock you that Loz, in particular, seems taken with you; he follows you around the cafe, and you even wrangle him into collecting used dishes when the normal busboy decides to skip out on his shifts. 
He doesn’t like the customers–none of the brothers seem to–but he always beams when you thank him for his hard work. It makes your heart pang, just a bit; where were these three before all this, that simple praise makes him look so happy?
It is, perhaps, Kadaj’s turn that genuinely surprises you. For within the days, the weeks, he goes from sneering at you to quietly popping up by your side when you least expect it. 
When you’re out for a morning errand, he asks to come along, sometimes not saying a word the entire time–sometimes asking questions about everything he sees, which you happily (if a bit sleepily) answer. 
When you’re sitting in the cafe on a rare free hour, reading a book, he (with or without his brothers) slides into the booth and wants to know what you’re reading, and why you’re reading it, and how long you’ve read it for–
When you’re in the back on an overnight shift, doing dishes, he shows himself in the doorway and asks why you’re spending your free time scrubbing other people’s messes.
“It’s not my free time,” you tell him, once. “I’m working.”
He scoffed. “Do you always work all day, then all night?”
You smiled, perhaps a bit of a grimace, given the hot water and occasional wad of tobacco you had to crape off a plate.  “Oh, It’s just–I’ve got some extra bills to pay, so I pick up late shifts sometimes.”
And something in his gaze then–did he know about your deal with the owner? Picking up extra shifts when your bleeding heart got the better of you?--made you want to look away. 
“You shouldn’t work at all,” he muttered, as he pushed himself from the doorframe and left. 
Well.
It was a nice sentiment, but not a realistic one.
One day, Kadaj is not downstairs with his brothers in the cafe when you come down in the morning, apron freshly tied. It is only Loz, sitting in the booth, turning an ashtray over and over in his hands with an almost fittingly ashen expression on his face.
“Loz?”
His head jerks up at the sound of your voice, and you swear–it couldn’t be a trick of the light–that there are tears in his eyes. 
Instantly, you swoop down into the booth, reaching across–fingers grazing the ashtray and taking it from his fingers. He clenches them, keeping them hovering into the air, until you (bold thing) grip his hands in your own.
He stares down at your hand like it’s a foreign object. 
“What’s the matter? Where are your brothers?”
His gaze pulls away from your hands and there’s no mistaking the watery lashline this close up–he has been crying. A pang in your chest makes you squeeze his fingers. Poor dear. Poor Loz.
“Kadaj is–there’s something wrong with him.” His lips pout, and up close, you can see them quiver. 
“What’s wrong with him?” You keep your voice soft and slow; like how your teacher used to talk to you, when you fell on the playground and couldn’t articulate what happened through your blubbering lips.
“He’s…” Loz frowns, squeezes his eyes shut. “His head is really warm. And he’s coughing!” He says the next part too loudly, and a few early-morning heads turn towards the booth. “I think he might be…” The word dying does not come out, but it’s there, written in his worry-stricken face.
You fight against the urge for an indulgent smile. Instead, you squeeze Loz’s hands, and he makes the softest noise of surprise. “It sounds like it’s a cold.”
Loz frowns deeper. “A… cold?” 
You do smile, now. Not out of pity but that sense of warm upcoming accomplishment: if there’s any type of crisis you’re completely capable of handling, it’s a simple cold. “Yes. Let me get some things together, and we’ll go take care of him, okay?”
Loz pulls one of his hands from your grip, slow and reluctant; but only so that he can wipe away his tears with the back of his hand. 
How endearing–if strange–these brothers have come to be in your eyes, you think, as you begin to create a mental list of supplies to bring up to their room.
For once, Yazoo does not look perfectly serene and put-together. He looks–well. Frazzled. Hairs out of place, a dull darkness lining underneath his eyes, and you sense a sort of soft fracture in his expression that widens when you step through the open doorway, Loz just behind you.
There are a million things that enter your mind when you enter their rented room–how sparse it looks with so few personal items, for one; how uncomfortable it must be for them to squeeze into the small space, for two–but foremost on your mind is that Kadaj is never going to get better like this. 
Curled up on a bed wearing his full leather outfit, shivering, sweat plastered to his forehead. You can see the remnants of where Yazoo has attempted to tend to him, but in all the wrong ways–not that you can blame him, considering how inexperienced and naive these strange silver brothers can be.
Kadaj is so out of it that he doesn’t realize you’re in the room for a few long moments. When he does turn his head, his gaze narrows.
“Who said you could come?” He murmurs, bitterly. “Go away. I’m not well.” 
Your lips press down and your hands find themselves moving to your hips. You feel like your mother, in more ways than one.
“That’s why I’m here.” You glance at Loz, at Yazoo, then back at Kadaj. “You’re not well, and we’re going to get you better.” You take a glance around the room–at blankets strewn about, none of them on Kadaj to keep him warm; at half-empty glasses of murky liquid that may or may not have once been milk from downstairs; at trash, bits and bobs, things that make the place cluttered–and your thoughts click into place.
“Loz, Yazoo,” you say, gentle, but firm, as you set your bag down on a thankfully clear side table. “The first thing is to get this place clean. People heal better in clean spaces.” You nod towards the cups, the blankets, everything else strewn about the room. “You two clean that up while I get to work on your brother, okay?”
There’s a brief moment where the two brothers glance at each other, then at Kadaj, sick and sweaty on the bed. He huffs out through his nose and turns away, which must mean something to the two of them, because they both get to work on clearing up the room. 
It’s cute, in a way.
It would be cuter if it didn’t leave you with a sense of pity in your stomach; just how did these three grow up, if this is how they lived? 
But there would be time to think about that later, when Kadaj was better. 
You’ll start with his choice of sick outfit.
“Kadaj,” you say, lowering your voice, taking a step forward. “You need to change into something more comfortable. A loose shirt and trousers.” 
He doesn’t look at you, not yet. Instead, he curls in further, and says, low but clear: “No.”
Ah, there’s that stubbornness from when you first met rising forward. Pride, too, you think. Well–what man wanted to be sick and weak in front of someone else? Especially someone he followed around like some sort of strange puppy with increasing frequency.
Your hands go to your hips. A well-practiced gesture your mother used to give you when you were equally stubborn. “Kadaj,” you insist. “You are going to change into something more comfortable. No ifs, ands, or buts.” 
It’s like the air gets sucked out of the room. Loz and Yazoo pause, each of them halfway to picking up something strewn about the room, looking to Kadaj. Kadaj, for his part, seems to scrunch. His expression, his body–before he looks to you with an expression almost as unreadable as the ones he gives you in the kitchen on certain evenings.
Mixed in with the urge to roll your eyes–men could be so dramatic–is a sprinkle of uneasiness in your stomach. 
“Fine,” Kadaj mumbles, finally, unfurling on the bed and sitting up. You pluck up a discarded sleep shirt and what appears to be sweatpants and hold them out. When Kadaj takes them, you just manage to resist the urge to smile–you don’t want to poke his wounded pride, after all. 
As he leaves to get dressed, you finally attend to your supplies. Inside of your bag is a hefty container of freshly made warm soup–your mother’s recipe, of course–and a batch of cold medicine. The sight of it makes you want to hum; it’s nostalgic, these trinkets from the days of being-cared-for. 
When you turn, all three brothers are standing in front of the bed. It’s a bit like something out of a story. There’s the brief thought of being a governess to abandoned children, but it is brief; these aren’t children, and you are just helping out three young men who seem ill-equipped to deal with life on their own.
“Let’s get you tucked into bed,” you say, and you watch as Kadaj slowly climbs onto the bed, his face turned to watch you–like an animal, you think, afraid to turn around. All the while Loz and Yazoo stand to the side, looking anxious. For his health? Or waiting to see if he’ll huff about being told what to do? Perhaps, you think, a little bit of both.
And you haven’t even made him take the medicine yet. It’ll be the worst part, you know from experience. The taste is–well. It tastes like medicine. But better the taste of medicine than to be sick. That’s what your mother used to say.
It’s what you say, when you hand Kadaj the spoon, he takes it into his mouth, and promptly chucks it towards the wall. 
“Perhaps there’s another medicine we could use,” Yazoo offers. Calm, like always, with a hint of something else underneath. It’s probably not the first time his younger brother has expressed… displeasure at doing something he doesn’t want to do.
“Nope,” you say, cheerfully, retrieving the spoon and doling out another dosage. “This is the best medicine in town.” You sit down on the end of the mattress, and hold the spoon to his mouth. “Here, we’ll do it the way my mom used to.” 
You don’t miss the way Kadaj tenses; the way Yazoo and Loz tense too, the creak of their leather a telltale giveaway. 
“One spoonful of medicine,” you murmur. “Then you can have as much soup as you want. Okay?” Kadaj eyes you warily, and you can’t help but smile, indulgent, soft. Like baked bread out of the oven. “I promise, the soup tastes much better than the medicine.”
There are a few almost ridiculously tense moments–you’re tempted to shove the spoon into his mouth, for goodness’ sake–before Kadaj opens his lips. You slide the spoon in and tilt it, and he swallows it down, grimacing all the while.
“There,” you say, beaming. “That wasn’t so hard! You’ll just need a dose of this every 2 hours–”
“What?” 
Sometimes you can forget how young he seems–no, not young exactly. Green. Like he sprung fully formed out of the ground, all green shoots, and nothing substantial underneath. 
“Every two hours,” you continue, ignoring his outburst. “And drink some soup afterwards. It’ll help with the taste and help you feel better.” The mattress creaks when you stand up and retrieve the container of soup, along with a second, medicineless spoon. 
“I have to go in for my shift. If it’s too hard to eat, let your brothers feed you, okay?” You glance towards Loz and Yazoo and it’s briefly startling, the way they look at you. Like you’ve done some sort of wondrous thing by simply getting Kadaj to take medicine, by handing him a container of homemade soup. 
“Thank you,” Yazoo says, almost slowly.
Loz cracks a smile–and cracks his thanks. “Yeah. Thanks.”
“Of course,” you don’t hesitate. You never have, when it comes to helping others. Especially, no–increasingly, these three–despite the sometimes off-putting greenness to them. Strange, you suppose, how they’ve begun to be woven into your life. “It’s nothing,” you finish, giving a wave as you leave.
But from the way you feel three pairs of eyes on your back–one staring longer, much longer, much harder–you get the distinct feeling that they don’t see it as nothing much at all.
You are doting and warm; inviting, like a blazening hearth stumbled on in the middle of some frigid night. A welcome, after being stuck in the dark for oh-so-long.
It’s a strange, blurry emotion. One he had never truly experienced until he met you. He tried to ignore it, at first. This strange sensation–this tug, this pull. 
Loz did not try at all, he thinks. Yazoo held his own, but not for long. But for Kadaj, the idea of viewing you as anything but yet another human in the way of him and Mother was abhorrent. Unnatural. Obscene.
At least, it was like that. Until inch by inch, you peeled back the hardened shell, like a knife slicing away an apple. Like the potatoes he sometimes helps you peel in the kitchen. You don’t even know what that gesture is, how significant you should find it. 
He likes it, in some ways. That naive core.
But right now, he can’t think about the things he finds appealing in you. He can only see ugly green, a nasty tinge that spreads through his veins, as you smile and dote and coo over a gaggle of children.
“Why is she wasting her time with them?”  He murmurs, almost spitting. 
They followed you here when you didn’t show up for your morning shift. It was easy enough to track you, all they had to do was find someone who withered easily under a well-placed scowl from Loz, and your destination was revealed.
An orphanage. 
It’s sickening, the way you smile at these children. Like they matter to you. Like you would barge into their rooms and make them rest and drink medicine. Things you should reserve for him–and his brothers–alone.
“Perhaps,” Yazoo says, ever practical, “she’s getting paid. Perhaps she needed another job.”
Kadaj doesn’t resist the urge to scoff. “No chance. She wouldn’t accept money for this.” 
Behind him, he hears Loz whimper. If he turned, there would be tears in his brother’s eyes, no doubt. The tears are irritating–he can be such a crybaby–but Kadaj would not deny that they were understandable at this exact moment.
It’s a betrayal, a wound. Every smile you give these damned children is stabbing it further in. It’s enough to make him want to dash forward, reveal himself, slash a silver path through the crowd of orphans and demand an explanation from your blood-spattered face.
“Brother,” Loz says, interrupting this fantasy and sounding as weak as the children you’re currently fawning over. “Do… you think she likes them more than us?” 
Oh, you are maddening. Loz was perhaps the softest when it came to you. You, who gave him ice cream, who walked him across town like a lost child. You, who are currently making him cry.  
It is Yazoo, as usual, who comes to his rescue.
“Of course not, Loz.” He can hear the reassuring smile in Yazoo’s voice, the way he talks Loz down from cries that go beyond sniffling. “She spends far more time with us, does she not?”
Loz hums in affirmation, as you say something–energetic, grin wide–to the children and usher them inside the orphanage. 
All three stare at the empty doorway where you used to stand. The emptiness is palpable, creating an endless series of questions that lead to only one answer: you’re giving someone else what you should be giving them. 
“Kadaj?” Yazoo doesn’t turn, and he doesn’t need to. Kadaj knows what he’s going to ask before he asks it. “Do we need to teach her a lesson?”
And oh, that thought is tempting. An apple dangling from a tree, half-rotting, desperately wanting to be picked before the last of its flesh went sour. 
How easy it would be, to grab that apple. How easy, to teach you this lesson now, he thinks; to keep you from straying from the path you ought to be on. 
But Kadaj is nothing, if not someone born to think about the bigger picture. And something in him, something he recognizes ought not to be there at all, is inclined to give you an ounce of mercy. If you behave. 
So–
“Not yet,” is what he says, leather gloves creaking while his fists clench, imagining all the sweet things you’re saying to the children inside. Reassurances and treats. “We’ll give her one more chance.”
You are a naive thing who is not aware that you have one last pitiful chance, and you squander it just two weeks later. 
To you, it is a casual announcement that you’ll be leaving for 2 weeks because you’re housesitting for someone in the sticks. A friend. The one that introduced you to the director of the orphanage. 
“And who knows,” you say, a smile on your face, “maybe I’ll even hear back about that assistant director position soon.”
The nail in your coffin, not that you know it.
At least you are smart enough to pick up on the shift in mood, when the three of them look at you like you’ve just admitted you killed their childhood pet. Not that you can imagine any of them having something as mundane as an old barn cat. 
“I’ll be back soon?” you try, offering the words slowly, something soothing held out on a platter. “It’s only for a little bit. My friend needs my help–” But you don’t even finish the sentence, because you get the distinct impression that it’s not helping in the slightest. 
Yazoo–the most restrained of the three, you know, the most practical–moves forward, his shoulder angling towards you.
“You shouldn’t go. It won’t be safe. It’s better to stay here with us.”
Loz looks at him hopefully–it almost makes you feel bad, but Loz often does–and Kadaj simply stares ahead at you, like he’s been doing since you said you were leaving. There’s something petulant in his stare, but it’s glossy. Like it’s covering something else up. Something you don’t want to peel back and see.
Something that makes a soft thought that’s been there all along, too quiet to hear and easily resisted before, get just a bit louder.
Maybe, just maybe, when you get back–you should think about distancing yourselves from these three. It would be inevitable, anyway, if you get the new job. 
But it can wait until you return. Some time away will do you good, anyway. You’ll be able to think more clearly at your friend’s house, out in the sticks, with nothing to worry about except insects getting in through a rip in the window screen at night.
For once, when you leave, you don’t feel their eyes on you.
They’re only looking at each other.
Your friend lives in the middle of nowhere. In a small house surrounded by dense forest, all signs of civilization reduced to the dirt road that was cut through the area years ago, connecting the sparsely placed houses with the rest of the world with chunks of dusty gravel.
Your friend lives in the middle of nowhere, with no neighbors in sight or sound. Peace and quiet, is what she said, remarking that you’ll have a chance for some actual alone time. Something you’d never get in the city, that’s for sure. 
Your friend lives in the middle of nowhere, and it’s dark outside. There is no sound by the natural buzz of the world, insects, chirping, the hum of the night. 
You are alone, in the middle of the woods, with no one around. And yet–
And yet someone is knocking on the door.
A firm knock. Intentional. One that makes your body jerk like a puppet.
Your first thought–some kids playing a prank, knowing your friend wasn’t home–is quickly washed away. She didn’t have neighbors even remotely close nearby, and this was not the haphazard, giddy knock of some teenager being dragged away by friends, lest you catch them in the act.
So who…? 
The knocking comes again. Louder. Slower. 
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Then a more reasonable thought: someone is lost. Their car broke down on this shitty dirt road and this house was the first one within miles. 
That thought gets you out of your seat, a cushioned recliner with a worn out cover, and you set down your book to attend to the stranger in need. How funny, that even when you’re meant to be taking a break, you’re bound to help someone out. 
But when you open the door, nothing greets you but the night, lit only by the moon ahead and the dim yellow light hanging above your friend’s front door. Insects dash against the glass bulb, hitting it with a desperate ferocity. 
Strange–you swore you heard a knocking. But as you go back inside, leaving the breeze and darkness and insects behind, it’s easy enough to wave it away. You’re alone, in a new place, it’s only natural to hear strange sounds. 
The house settling. An animal in the woods. Some nocturnal bird, maybe, pecking at the window frame.
By the time you sit down again with your book and a quickly cooling cup of tea, you’ve already put the sound out of your mind, wiped away all traces of who-what-could-be-at-the-door. 
It’s easy to get lost in your book now, without life pulling away your mind every few moments. Without the cafe, without the customers, without the familiar faces. Without–and it’s a guilty acknowledgement–three brothers trailing behind. 
It is when you have just crossed that threshold of being immersed in your book that–
There is another knock at the door.
Louder, this time.
And oh, how unmistakable in its human origin. 
Knock-knock-knock. 
Not the wind or some wayward bird, but someone with knuckles, curling them up and rapping them against the door. 
It takes you longer to get up from the chair this time. Something tight and low settles in your stomach–dread, taking root as you force yourself up and over to the door.
This time, you don’t open it right away. This time, you lean closer, pressing your eye against the peep hole, to see… nothing. Literally, nothing. Complete darkness, without even the light of the bulb above the door to give you a glimpse of the few feet in front of the house
Something has been taped over the peep hole. And it wasn’t there when you opened the door the first time.
That low dread in your guts begins to strum faster, tingling up and down your arms. You stare at the useless, black peep hole for far too long as you try to decide what to do–what to think.
Someone playing a stupid prank? Maybe. Kids who live out in the boonies and maybe heard from an aunt-uncle-cousin-brother that someone would be housesitting out here, and made the trek for some fun. 
Someone trying to rob the place? More likely, you think. Just as easy for a robber to hear from an aunt-uncle-cousin-brother that the normal inhabitant would be gone, replaced by a stupid city girl.
Those options are the only two that really stick in your mind as you peel yourself away from the door and make a pitstop at the kitchen. Your friend was no gourmet cook, but she did have a large, sharp kitchen knife. 
Perfect for slicing through hard vegetables. Perfect for–what? Defending yourself? If it was kids playing a prank, well, you wouldn’t dream of it. But on the chance that it was someone with less-than-good intentions… it might be necessary to defend yourself.
It might be necessary to have a weapon. 
It just might.
A few minutes turn into an hour, and there are no more knocks on the door. No more unusual sounds. Nothing but the breeze and the insects, and your occasional hum as you read your book. Though your mind never gets fully engrossed in it; you’re on the surface of the world, ready to step out at a moment’s notice, if necessary.
But you no longer feel like your guts are ice and the idea that this was either some silly prank or game–”I dare you to knock on the door and run off!”--becomes stronger and stronger. Heck, maybe there wasn’t anything taped to the peep hole after all. Maybe it was just hard to see out of it in the dark. Maybe the light bulb went out.
Who knows. Not you, that’s for certain.
But that lack of knowledge becomes less frightening and more a simple, accepted fact. Someone knocked on the door, or someone didn’t. It was dark, and hard to see. You were overreacting, that’s all. 
And as soon as that simpler–sweeter–accepted fact coats over the dread in your guts, you decide you’d like nothing more than to get dressed for bed. The book and tea and lamp light will seem all the cozier when you’re wearing your softest pajama set, certainly.
The knife is left next to the book while you head for the bedroom. It’s a cozy little room, with a warm bed and a quilted blanket that you think, if you remembered correctly, had been passed down in your friend’s family for at least two generations. 
Or was that the plaid curtains, currently pulled over the half-open window, billowing ever-so-slightly with the mild night breeze? A nice breeze, inviting enough that you’re debating keeping it open all night, even now, as you slip out of your trousers and stand there in your underwear. Your pajamas are resting right on top of that maybe-antique quilt, and you pick up the soft pajama shirt and pull it over your head. They’re soft, light blue, one of the few things you’d decided to splurge on buying new. 
Hmm. Actually… new curtains might be nice in your little room, wouldn’t they? Something to freshen it up, change it a little. Life had begun to feel more stale lately, more suffocating. You can’t quite pinpoint when, but–
A loud engine revs from the other side of the house.
Your entire body jerks and you instinctively jerk back so hard that you slam your elbow against the wall, pain radiating up your arm. The pain takes a backseat to the sudden numbness of the unexpected sound, the way your heart feels like it jumps out of your chest.
Your socked feet pad hard against the floor as you run, almost slipping, back to the front of the house. Your fingers shake as you yank back the curtains of the kitchen window, just in time to see a shape–someone on a motorcycle, the brightness of its headlight breaking through the darkness–riding away.
Instinctively, your eyes dart to the front door. It’s locked–good. That doesn’t make your heart feel any less jumpy. Maybe you should call someone. You can’t afford a cell phone, but your friend had a house phone. But who would come out here in the middle of the night? 
Especially over what might be–could be, still could be–some stupid prank. Bored teens on motorcycles who have nothing better to do than scare the shit out of you.
Well. Let them scare you. Your heart begins to thud instead of pitter-pattering like some terrified rabbit, and you breathe in-and-out through your nose to bring down the panic. You’re okay. You’re an adult. And you have a knife, anyway. Should you need to scare someone off.
The house seems less cozy and more achingly empty as you creep back into the bedroom and finish getting dressed, slipping on soft pajama pants that feel less comfortable than they did yesterday. 
Habit makes you force yourself to see the bright side. You’ll have a story to tell your friend when she gets back. And a story to banter about with customers at the diner, when you need to make that connection and get extra tips.
What a laugh–you finally get some alone time and someone decides to ruin it by being an asshole, and all you can think about is how to use the story to make more money.
It’s kind of funny, actually. What is less funny is the realization that hits when you go back into the living room and–
The knife is gone. 
The knife is gone–it was right on top of your book. You remember setting it down carefully. You remember it cutting through the title of the book. You remember seeing it before you went back into the bedroom–
Well. Wait. Do you remember all that? Had you actually set it down before you went to get changed? Maybe you set it down somewhere and just thought you put it down on the book. Maybe you left it in the bedroom, or–you whirl, looking towards the open-floor kitchen–you set it back on the counter.
Or maybe, you whirl around, you put it by the front door.
Which is open.
Just a crack.
No.
You locked it. Didn’t you? Yes, you checked it, you must have locked it. You’re not aware that your body is trembling until you take those few steps forward towards the door, heart thumping again, listening intently for the sound of someone outside.
Kids. Pranksters. Robbers. Murderers. Whoever, whatever.
But when your sweaty palm grips the door handle and turns it, there is nobody there. Again. Just the night, just the insects. One dives for your face and you gasp, jumping back in the house and locking the door–surely, double checking–with a thunk of the lock.
The mind makes wonderful leaps and bounds when it wants to rationalize something. And that is what your mind does now. You put the knife somewhere else–you’ll find it in a moment; you were mistaken when you thought you locked the door the first time. Even though you looked at it after you heard the motorcycle outside.
A trick of the eye, a trick of the brain. That’s all it was. Some bored teens playing a joke and you’re out here alone, turning it into something much bigger than it needs to be. Your friend did tell you that it’s easy to get paranoid when you’re out here, in the dark, all by yourself. 
The house creaks, she told you. Settles in the night, groans when the wind blows. Thoughts mush together, and there’s a brief thought that you ought to call someone, before you hear it. 
A motorcycle. Again.  This time, it comes from behind the house and you’re aware enough to immediately dash for the back door. There’s a window–shut–and you push aside the curtains. It’s harder to see in the back, with no porch light at all. But you do see wisps of engine smoke, the red lights of the motorcycle dash.
Stupid kids. Stupid, bored, mean kids. A brief flicker of sympathy–they must get lonely out here–is stamped out when the engine revs again and you jerk in surprise.
Well. Better to be bold than let them keep bothering you. With a swift motion, you undo the lock and peel the door back, just enough to take a step out onto the small pad of concrete outside the door. 
Your mother always told you to pretend that your father was coming home, should you be caught alone by someone who ought not to be there. So the thought on what to say comes quickly, a half-remembered lesson taught to you on your mother’s knee. 
“Hey! You’d better get out of here! My boyfriend is coming back any minute, and he doesn’t mess around!” 
The words echo into the night, bouncing off the crickets of insects. The figure on the motorcycle doesn’t move. 
“Liar,” someone whispers next to your ear. 
You have just enough mental coordination to stagger backwards into the house as you choke on your surprised gasp, pushing the door shut out of pure primal instinct rather than anything resembling a cognitive choice. Likewise, your fingers twist the lock shut, and it’s only after you hear the steady thud of the lock that consciousness returns to you.
There’s someone out there. No. Two people. One on the bike, and the person who spoke. You didn’t see them, didn’t even feel them next to you. Like they were some sort of ghost, only you know it’s not a ghost, because ghosts did not ride motorcycles.
Probably.
But now is not the time for debating the ins-and-outs of supernatural entities, as you head right to the house phone hanging on the wall and dial your work. The numbers twirl with each twist of the round dialer, leading you closer and closer to someone on the other end. The restaurant is open late; whoever took your shift should still be up and about, taking care of the stragglers, scrubbing everything up for the night. 
It rings once, twice, and it’s a certainty that you’ll soon hear the blissful sound of someone picking up–when it cuts out.
Fuck, seriously? You hang up the phone and pick it up again. But there’s no dial tone. There’s nothing at all. You try again, pushing every button a dozen times. It’s clear, however, that the phone isn’t working.
The receiver hurts underneath your tightening palm. The phone ought to be working. The phone ought to be able to call for help. But it’s not, and you can’t.
And someone is knocking on the door.
Again.
A polite, firm knock that does not at all match the frantic beating of your heart. It doesn’t stop when you don’t answer, standing frozen by the phone. It just keeps going.
“Go away!” You all but shriek. The knocking pauses–they must hear you through the door–before it resumes. Just as politely. Just as firm. 
They aren’t going to go away. The phone is dead. You need–something. Protection. Leaden feet take you into the kitchen, where the big kitchen knife may no longer be, but there’s a smaller one stuck in the knife block that should do in a pinch. 
If you had to defend yourself–could you? The most you’d ever done before was kneeing some creep in the balls when you were a teenager, just the way your mom had taught you, way back when. But kneeing a creepy jerk who cornered you in an alleyway is different than dealing with two strangers in the dark, in the night, in the middle of the forest.
When you reach the door, knife gripped in your hand, the knocking stops. Your breath comes out in loud, nasal spurts as you lean in towards the peep hole. Which is stupid, you realize, because it’s covered and–
Only it’s not covered anymore. You can see outside now, the dimly lit front of the house all tinged yellow from the bulb. And it seems impossible, but that’s all you see. The dull grass, the forest ahead, shrouded in darkness. Insects bopping to and fro, heading up towards the light.
There’s no one standing in front of the door. No one could have been standing there, knocking, fist curled and firm. You would have seen them running away, or seen the edge of them; a leg, an arm, as they darted away.
“This is bullshit,” you mutter, and with a brazen sort of bravery rushing through you, you decide to tell these pranksters off once and for all. It’s the only thing you can do, with the phone not working. The door unlocks with a twist of your fingers and you step out into the night air, the hum of insects louder now.
“Hey!” Your voice seems to echo into the trees, where whatever nocturnal animals rest in the branches must flinch at the disturbance. “I mean it! Leave now and we won’t call the police! My boyfriend is–”
But you don’t get a chance to puff up the qualities of your imaginary boyfriend, because something loud and close and awful suddenly comes to life in front of you. 
A motorcycle.
Revving its engine at the edge of the clearing where the dirt road connects this quiet little house to the forest trail. The headlight bursts through the darkness, unnaturally white, and with the help of the faded yellow bulb behind you can just make out the figure.
A young man with long silver hair.
It’s Yazoo. Yazoo, sitting on the motorcycle, revving the engine.
There is a brief rush of relief. A brief whirling thought of–Yazoo is here, and so his brothers must be here, and they can help you scare away these robbers or teens or whoever has been messing with you. 
It’s a stupid rush, a stupid relief. It fits you well, you think. That the first thing you thought to do was smile and think your worries were over, because the trio of brothers you’d been helping decided to check up on you. 
And then common sense hits you in the back of the head, and that relief is gone, replaced only with an ugly dread. 
It is Kadaj and his brothers who knocked at the door. Kadaj and his brothers who revved their engines. Who whispered in your ear. Who are scaring you. 
But–why? 
“What do you want?” You mean to scream it, to put some kind of force behind the question; but the words come out all tangled and choked. Like a pitiful whine.
And then the world goes dark. The headlight turns off at the same time as the porch light shatters, and your body reacts with a jerk that nearly sends you to the ground. You can hardly see, just the dimmest bit thanks to the light bleeding in from the opening door, and you hear the sounds of sets of feet moving in the darkness–
They’re coming for you.
By pure luck, you fumble your way back into the house, slamming the door shut with silver glinting in your line of sight. The sound of the lock is melodic and you take a few steps back, as if they might just walk right through the closed door. Like ghosts in a folk story.
But they don’t.
And then you wonder if you locked the back door after all, and your socked feet slide on the wooden floor as you pound towards the back of the house.
It’s locked–yes, yes, yes–and you think about trying the phone again when you hear it.
A window rattling.
You locked the doors, but what about the windows? They let in the night breeze, pretty curtains billowing. And they might just let in so much more.
It’s a mystery how your fingers manage to work, with so much fear coursing through your body, as you rush from window to window, double checking the latches. Locked, locked, all locked, thank goodness. Your friend must have locked them before she left, and you’re glad for it.
But the sound doesn’t stop, and now you hear the sound of a window shifting and–
The bedroom.
You make it to the bedroom just in time to see a figure clad in black leather, silver hair shimmering like a curtain in front of his face, climbing through the open window. Limbs all tangled, like some creature hauling itself out of a dirty well in the woods.
One of them–it’s Yazoo, you realize, his hair skirting well past his shoulders–is in the house. There’s no time to run, you’ve got to hide. Then find a way to get out of the house and get help. The practical details–how are you going to find help in the middle of nowhere, in the dark, with no shoes on?--don’t matter now.
All that matters is that Yazoo doesn’t see you. So you jerk away from the bedroom, forcing yourself to slide along in your socks, and open the hallway closet as softly as you can. But you don’t shut it–you need to see.
And you do see. You see Yazoo emerging from the bedroom door like he belonged there, and didn’t just crawl in through a window. 
Hiding inside the closet, it’s suddenly so easy to see why your boss thought you’d lost your mind when you started connecting with them. He’s–wrong, isn’t he? All three of them are wrong. The way he looks, the way he moves. Like some sort of sinewy animal, mako eyes almost flashing in the lamplight of the house.
He says your name, softly, in the darkness. It makes your stomach clench. 
“Where did you get to?” He asks you. You don’t dare answer. Instead, you watch as he dips in and out of view, checking the rooms, the corners, the crannies. 
Please don’t check here, you beg the world.
The world must be listening, because instead, he looks towards the back area of the house. The back door. 
“Perhaps you went back outside?” He murmurs, and the sound of his feet approaching the back door, the door itself creaking open, gives you the precious moment you need to flee. 
There’s no time for plans and proper thoughts. As soon as you realize Yazoo doesn’t step right back into the house, you throw open the closet door and dash for the front of the house. Fumbling fingers manage to undo the lock, and you fling open the front door–
To find Loz standing there, a half-grin on his face, an arm reaching out for you. You slam it shut and it bounces off his hand, catching it in the door as it slowly swings back open from the momentum.
Your brain registers his reaction–”Hey! Ow!”--as nothing but background noise as your own awful, incomprehensible noise of terror rushes from your pounding chest straight out your mouth.
There’s nowhere to run but the back door and you flinch sideways when you see Yazoo standing in the threshold, arms crossed. Instinct takes you to the only room with a lockable door, the bedroom, and you slam it shut behind you, locking it with a swift turn of your wrist. 
The window–the breeze is still wafting in, those pretty curtains that did nothing to protect you billowing. The window slams shut with ease and you turn the latch, blocking the only other entrance to the room.
You just–you just have to wait them out. That’s all. The thought is stupid and pathetic and you sit down on the maybe-antique quilt with it, running it through your head until it dissipates into nothingness.
They’re going to get in. They’re going to get in, and then–then what? What do they want? To kill you, surely. Maybe something more. Above all, above even the terror, you just feel incomprehensibly stupid for trusting them. Not just trusting them. Liking them, even. Fuck–
Something slams against the door.
There’s another sound–a huff, a complaint. Loz?
Then that something-what-is-it slams against the door again. And again. And again. And you hear the wood splinter before you see it caving in, see the edge of someone’s shoulder splintering the wood.
Then a leather clad hand busts through the hole, reaching for the lock that did little to keep them at a bay, after all. 
You’re lifting the window and pushing yourself through before they can even open the door, and if you had the breath (you don’t) you would surely let out a noise of triumph. They didn’t get you, they won’t. You’ll run–run until your feet bleed, until your lungs pop out–and get help. Someone on the road or someone else out there, cozying up in some middle of nowhere house.
The darkened vision of trees whip by as you dash into the woods, barely able to see in front of you in the darkness. You don’t know how far you run before you finally trip, a wayward limb or stump taking you out. The ground connects hard with your knees and your breath gets knocked out of your chest.
Get up, stupid, you think, just as someone’s gloved hand latches around your ankle.
You scream all the way to the house, digging your nails into the ground as you go; into the grass, at first, then the dirt of the backyard, and then scratching along the wooden floor as you try to claw your way to freedom.
The world goes topsy-turvy as you’re hoisted into the air–it’s Loz holding you, bigger and wider–and set down unceremoniously on one of your friend’s kitchen chairs. There’s a padded cushion on it. It’s red, with a dainty illustration of a flower embroidered in the middle.
The rope wrapped around you, pinning you to the chair, is not so dainty. It’s harsh and unyielding, digging into your skin as you struggle. All struggling does is make your breath come out even more ragged, until you find you can barely breathe at all.
Is this how you die? Tied to a chair, suffocating on your own fear? You can hear the wheeze of your own breath, feel the way your eyes hurt, wide and buggy. 
Someone taps your cheek with their gloved fingers. Enough to startle you with a faint sting. Your tear-filled vision makes out Yazoo in front of you, crouched, a look of awful concern on his face. 
“Calm down,” he says, in a way you might have admired before. He was always the one to calm down Kadaj, when he was being something of a brat. “Breathe in, through your mouth.” You do. “Now out through your nose.” You do, and he smiles. “Good. Now do it again.”
And you do, and you can breathe, and you don’t feel like you’re going to die choking on air; it doesn’t lessen the knowledge that they’re going to kill you some other way, now. But at least you won’t suffocate to death.
It’s a poor comfort, as your pathetic struggles fade to nothing, and you slump against the rope. You look up towards the three brothers you’ve come to know, each of them staring down at you with expressions you can’t quite measure up. 
They’re going to hurt you, before they kill you. That seems like a certainty.
It’s Loz who steps forward first. You expect him to take a swing, to use those muscles of his to break something. Your jaw, maybe. A few fingers.
Instead, he sniffles. 
“You don’t really have a boyfriend, do you?” The frown on his face makes you wonder if this is actually a dream. But it’s not. The rope, the pain in your sore feet, the sweat on your neck. Too real for a dream.
Yazoo looks towards you as he speaks, voice soft, edged with a warning. “Of course not, Loz.” 
When his gaze deepens, you shake your head. 
“I-I don’t. I was just… trying to scare you away.” How stupid that seems, now. A fake boyfriend to scare away these three, who could probably snap your neck with a gesture. 
Loz smiles through the beginnings of his tears, and rubs at them with the back of his hand as he nearly chuckles out a response. “I knew it.”
It’s this that does you in–Loz smiling and wiping away his tears like any other day, like you’d told him they were out of strawberry ice cream then found a pint in the back of the freezer. How can they act so casual, with everything they did? With you tied up on the damn kitchen chair in front of them? 
You burst out with the plea, tears prickling your eyes again, voice strained and terrified. 
“Please, just let me go. I won’t tell anyone.”
Yazoo leans down, ghosting your tears with leather fingers. His expression is calm as ever. It would be soothing, in any other circumstance. 
“We aren’t letting you go. There’s no use in getting upset.” It’s spoken so softly, almost sweetly. Bile rises in your throat. 
“But what do you want? Why are you doing this?” 
Your breath comes out faster again, no matter how much you try to slow it down. They aren’t letting you go; they’re going to hurt you; they’re going to kill you. The thoughts come out on an awful loop until the vision of Yazoo in front of you blurs away, and you hear the sound of a chair scraping.
It’s Kadaj, sitting on another kitchen chair, his arms wrapped around the back. He rests his chin against his hand and it’s like he’s looking at you for the first time. Mako eyes burn into your own and you wonder how they didn’t strike you as so wrong before. Before, you’d thought them pretty. Now you feel them pinning you, looking through you. 
Kadaj–was he even human? 
“You were going to leave,” Kadaj says finally, voice low and icy. You don’t know what he means, and it must show in your ragged, tear-stained face, because he scoffs. “You were going to leave us. For those orphans.”
Abandonment drips from his voice and your mother would slap you for the way something like pity still sparks inside your chest. Faint and buried down underneath the ropes, harsh and scratching, but still there. 
They didn’t want you to leave them. Would they kill you, if you did? If they thought you would? 
Words fail you, until they don’t. Until you’re promising stupid things, anything, to make them let you go. To make them not hurt you. To live through this night and then get home and gather anything sentimental and disappear into the world. You’d helped others do it, and you could do it, too. 
“I won’t leave,” you offer, voice choking. “I promise. I won’t take the job. They–they didn’t even offer it to me, they probably won’t, I’m awful, I have no experience, they wouldn’t–” Your voice hitches and your lips wobble as you make your promises. 
Kadaj stares at your mouth like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world, even as you end your pitiful diatribe with the words on loop. “I’ll stay, I promise, I promise, I’ll stay, I promise, I promise, I promise–” 
Kadaj pushes the chair back and he and his brothers exchange a look between them. A secret language you’ll never be privy to, these looks; these wordless glances that say more than anything.
Maybe they’ll let you go. Maybe they’ll have their fun–the way Kadaj looked at your mouth did not escape you–and let you go. Or kill you. If they kill you, let it be quick. At least let it be quick.
Kadaj is smiling when he turns back to you. 
“You are going to stay with us.” It’s a matter of fact that sits low in your gut as the three of them approach the chair. These three men, now strangers to you, all smiling down in a way that makes you feel sick.
You look at their hands for weapons–the kitchen knife, lost to the wilderness–but see nothing but the leather as Kadaj brings his hand up to your neck and gives it an awful squeeze.
The ocean rushes in your ears as the world goes spotty, then black–
And when you wake up, surrounded by three silver-haired brothers, you’ll be nowhere near this cabin or even the city. You never will be again. 
Soft hearts weren’t made for this world, after all.
387 notes · View notes
brainddeadd · 4 months ago
Note
luke hughes back in michigan and running into the girls he’s even crushing on for years since he met her at umich. quinn and jack are with him and they are so surprised because they have never see luke act this way towards anyone
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A sun-soaked afternoon at a local coffee shop near the University of Michigan. Luke, Quinn, and Jack Hughes walk in, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. As they chat and laugh, Luke's eyes scan the room, landing on a familiar face—you.
You’re seated at a table, absorbed in a book, and a soft smile crosses Luke’s face. He nudges Quinn and Jack, pointing subtly in your direction.
“Is that…?” Luke begins, his voice barely a whisper, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Yeah, it is!” Quinn replies, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve been talking about her for years!”
Jack smirks, noticing the way Luke’s demeanor shifts from relaxed to a flurry of nervous energy. “You’re actually blushing, dude. This is gonna be good.”
“Shut up!” Luke shoots back, his cheeks warming as he tries to compose himself. “I’m just… surprised.”
“More like you’re crushing hard,” Quinn teases, and Luke shoots him a glare.
“Okay, okay, I’m going,” Luke says, straightening his posture and walking over, trying to appear casual but failing spectacularly. He trips over the leg of a chair, stumbling slightly before catching himself, and the sound of the small commotion draws your attention.
You look up, a smile spreading across your face as your eyes meet Luke’s. “Hey, Luke! Long time no see!” you say, closing your book.
“Y-yeah! Um, hey!” he stammers, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. “I didn’t expect to see you here… like, at all. Are you, um, back for the summer?”
“Yeah, just for a few weeks. I’m excited to enjoy some time off,” you reply, your eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “What about you? How’s the hockey life treating you?”
“Oh, you know, just trying to survive the ice and all that,” he laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly flustered. “But, um, it's good! Really good.”
Quinn and Jack exchange amused glances from a distance, grinning at their brother’s awkward charm.
“Yeah? That’s awesome! I’m so glad to hear it,” you say, leaning forward, genuinely interested.
Luke’s heart races, and he feels like he’s lost the ability to speak coherently. “S-so, do you, um, come here often?” he asks, internally cringing at the cliché pickup line.
You giggle, finding his awkwardness endearing. “Only when I’m in town. This place has the best coffee.”
“Right, right! Coffee is great! I love coffee!” he exclaims, trying to regain his cool but only making it worse. “I mean, I like coffee. You know, not as much as other things, but it’s up there!”
You can’t help but laugh again, and Luke feels his heart skip a beat at the sound. “What’s your favorite drink here?” you ask, enjoying the banter.
“Um, probably the, uh, caramel macchiato,” he stumbles, finally regaining some composure. “You should try it! It’s—um, really good!”
“Sounds good! Maybe I will,” you say, smiling softly at him, sensing his nervousness. “I could use a little pick-me-up.”
Just then, Quinn and Jack saunter over, both grinning like Cheshire cats. “Oh, we didn’t mean to interrupt,” Quinn teases, crossing his arms. “But Luke here was just telling us how much he missed you.”
“Shut up!” Luke snaps, his face flushing deeper as he shoots his brother a playful glare.
You laugh, watching the playful dynamic between the brothers. “You guys are hilarious,” you say, trying to ease the tension for Luke.
“Yeah, he’s not usually this awkward,” Jack adds, winking at you. “You bring out a different side of him.”
Luke groans, burying his face in his hands. “Okay, can we not? I’m just trying to have a normal conversation here!”
You grin at him, feeling a flutter in your chest. “I think it’s sweet how protective your brothers are. You’re lucky to have them.”
“They’re more of a pain than anything,” Luke mumbles, but he can’t hide his smile. “But I wouldn’t trade them for anything. So, um, do you want to hang out sometime while you’re back?”
Your heart skips, and you nod eagerly. “I’d love that! Just let me know when you’re free.”
“Cool! Great! I’ll, um, text you?” he stutters, looking hopeful yet nervous.
“Definitely,” you reply, feeling a warm thrill at the thought.
As you part ways, Luke can’t help but grin as he rejoins his brothers, who are still chuckling. “What was that?” Jack asks, an amused glint in his eyes.
“I don’t know, man! I was just… talking!” Luke protests, but the smile on his face betrays his excitement.
Quinn claps him on the back. “Well, you didn’t trip over your words too much, so that’s a win!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Luke replies, still riding the high of your interaction. “I think I really like her.”
“Ya think?” Jack teases, but there’s a warmth in his voice. “Looks like someone’s got a summer crush.”
Luke chuckles, a dreamy look in his eyes as he walks out of the café. “It’s more than a crush. I’m gonna make this summer count.”
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r3starttt · 11 days ago
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GUITAR
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PAIRING: Ellie Williams x reader
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SUMMARY: Where you fall for your bandmate.
CW: requested months ago, sorry for that. Fluff. Modern AU.
AN: thanks to @topimpabunny for helping me write this <3
TAGLIST: @twopeoplee @greysontheidiot @sapphic-ovaries @bilsvlt @tlouloser @marsworlddd @1-800-fantasy @prwttiestbunny @thesevi0lentdelights @lvlymicha @stickycherritart @abbys-muscles @lott6i @usuck @thalchmy @lovelyy-moonlight
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As the tour neared its final, with only two cities left, the days felt heavier, not just with the physical but the mental exhaustion. There was about a week remaining—seven days of awkwardly dozing off on Ellie's shoulder during long drives between hotels, ot sharing late-night cigarettes while the rest of the band devoured greasy slices of pizza in the back of the bus.
Sometimes, Ellie would order the strangest dishes at fancy restaurants, pushing plates towards you with a raised brow and that silly smile on her face, silently daring you to try whatever odd creation sat before you because she never liked whatever she ordered.
It was the same routine you've got used to at home, just expensive and with a subtle shift you couldn’t quite pinpoint.
Your new album had become the album. You heard it everywhere—on the radio, in the restaurants you dined at, in the stores you wandered through. People recognized you more frequently now, and though the rush of success was thrilling, it came with suffocating attention.
The band had begun to earn a proper, equitable pay for the first time, unlike a few months ago when you were the highest-paid simply for being the voice, the face of the project.
Now, after endless rehearsals and countless hours spent side by side, the bond between all of you had deepened. It was impossible to go anywhere alone—someone from the band was always by your side. And truthfully, you preferred it that way. It felt like the early days, when the band was just an idea, and you were all strangers awkwardly navigating each other's space. Back then, you barely knew the teens who would later become family, waiting for the bassist to count you in, while now, they waited for your lead, their laughter contagious because you were the one making them laugh.
Yet, the fame you’d found felt strangely coincidental, as if it had happened by accident rather than design. It was your first proper album, and you wanted it to be special, so, each member had contributed a song, a break from your usual routine of writing everything yourself to later check with the band and other people to make it work properly and making something personal yet sellable.
Ellie had written one of them, of course—Ellie Williams, the girl who went viral a few months before the album dropped, the one who captivated the crowd with a stage presence that to you and everyone else in the band, seemed so unlike the quiet and shy girl who lingered offstage.
Her lyrics were tender, delicate, yet deeply abstract, they spoke about love in a way that couldn’t be easily directed at just anyone. You’d helped her shape them, fine-tuning the words until they fit with the band’s sound. There was a familiarity to her devotion, an intimacy that felt strangely personal.
The fans, naturally, ran wild with it. They created stories based on the stolen glances on stage and pictures a very intense fan took from late-night cigarette breaks, interpreting the alone moment as something more. A love story in the making.
But how could they not? After years of being side by side, didn’t you know Ellie better than anyone? She could read you, read all of you, with a glance. But the public, craving romance, chose to believe in something more.
You weren't the only one, the public would ship everyone in the band, and it was fun, so no one ever spoke about it.
And so, the rumors grew. What had once been innocent interactions turned into something else, something heavier. Still, you leaned into it, playing along with the joke. Sitting next to her during interviews, exchanging glances on stage, especially during her song. It became part of the act, a little game between you, Ellie, and the crowd.
By the end of the tour, it wasn’t even intentional anymore. It was just... your thing.
Before the show began, the backstage buzzed with the familiar hum of excitement, the echo of the crowd’s screams blending with the playlist the band had curated for the waiting fans. Your favorite song was blasting now, the melody spilling through the walls and bouncing off the concrete floors. The audience was singing along, their voices loud and passionate, filling the venue with a pulse you could feel deep in your chest.
You hummed the lyrics under your breath, half-focused as you scrolled through your phone, scanning social media for comments about your last performance in Seattle two days ago.
Around you, the controlled chaos of pre-show prep unfolded. A makeup artist dabbed eyeliner onto someone’s face in the corner, while another fluffed the drummer’s hair with quick, expert hands.
Next to you, Ellie fidgeted in one of those creaky rolling chairs, her knee brushing yours for what felt like the tenth time. She couldn't sit still, her fingers tapping out an erratic rhythm on the vanity as someone dampened her hair, her leg bouncing like she had energy to burn and no place to put it.
For a while, the two of you sat in an easy silence, the kind that only comes after years of knowing someone so well, words become unnecessary. But then, Ellie’s black, crooked nails crept into your view, tapping on your screen just enough to block it from your eyes. You sighed, shutting off your phone and tossing it into the mess of clothes, makeup, and half-eaten snacks scattered across the vanity—Ellie’s snacks, mostly.
"You good?" she asked, her tone teasing, but there was a nervous edge to it, her lips bitten raw from anxious chewing.
You gave her a sideways glance, rolling your eyes as you tugged at the collar of your shirt. "Are you?" you quipped, but your tone had more bite.
Ellie responded with a playful slap to your knee, her brows pulling into a frown, a silent question—Did I do something wrong?
"Fumbling the opening riff for the last three shows" you raised an eyebrow, your tone revealing exactly what you thought. A question and a statement in one.
As she does, her laugh brushed it off. With loud steps she pushed herself off the vanity, her converse dragging slightly on the floor as she scooted closer to you. The old chair creaked beneath her, and you could feel her knee against yours again, a quiet reminder of the space you shared. "That’s ‘cause I know you’ll cover for me," your eyes met in that playful glint, unmistakable. "It’s our thing, isn’t it?"
You didn’t have to ask what she meant. The way you two moved in sync on stage—the fleeting looks, the almost accidental touches that made the crowd lose their minds—it was all part of the unspoken act, the rhythm that made them believe there was something more than the love for music.
"Oh, so that’s what they’re here for?" you teased, leaning back slightly but keeping your gaze steady on hers. "To watch me save your ass every night?"
Ellie’s grin widened, her eyes narrowing with that familiar, quiet confidence. "Nah," she said, her voice dipping low, "they’re here for that look you give me right after I hit the wrong note."
It was the way she said it, the softness behind the teasing, that made your heart stutter for a moment. You were used to Ellie’s banter, the way she could disarm you with a smile or a well-placed quip, but this felt heavier somehow. The rumors, the touches that lingered just a second too long, the unspoken words hidden in the corners of her playful eyes—it all started to feel like something more. And for a brief second, you wondered if she felt it too.
"You keep talking like that," you murmured, your voice quieter now, "and people are gonna think we’re actually playing into it."
Ellie’s smirk softened, her gaze lingering on yours for a beat longer than usual. She didn’t respond, at least not with words, but her fingers casually reached out, grabbing a handful of sour gummies from the vanity, "Maybe we are," her tone almost too casual, lighter.
Just then, the familiar roar of a specific song boomed from outside— It was almost time. The crowd was waiting, growing louder with every passing second. Your pulse quickened, matching the beat of the music, and you could feel Ellie’s energy shift beside you.
It mirrored on how her chair came back to its original place, her way to give you both a moment to breathe until she stood, her movements slower than usual, and for the first time, there was a hint of hesitation in her voice, "C’mon." You nodded, counting to three in your head before standing up.
And then came the familiar rhythm of the night. The opening notes of the first song reverberated through the stage, and you forced yourself to move, pacing from one end to the other, your body pulling itself through the heat of the lights and the overwhelming roar of the crowd. Eventually you found solace in the other members. You caught their glances, subtle nods exchanged in the chaos, when the lights grew too bright or the sound too heavy.
But by the time the second song kicked in, something shifted. The rhythm found you, or you found it, and suddenly, everything clicked into place. Your voice carried through the venue, the echoes of the crowd’s chants blending with your own, and soon enough, the moment arrived where you could pause, breathe, and thank them—your people, your fans—for being here, for their endless support.
Then came the moment they loved the most. The part that had become a signature of every performance. Your hand slid gently beneath Ellie’s chin, lifting her face toward yours, your nails pressing just enough to leave the faintest marks on the edges of her lips. The mic hovered between your mouths, both of you singing the chorus in unison, voices blending in a way that felt intimate, almost too intimate for the stage.
And when the chorus gave way to her solo, you stepped back, your gaze locked on her with a look that was no longer just a performance.
It wasn’t fake—the feelings that surfaced as you watched her there, guitar in hand, fingers moving effortlessly across the strings. You still remembered when she’d first started playing, the way her fingertips had been rough, bandaged from the hours of practice. How you’d kept a stash of bandaids in your school bag, handing them to her with a teasing smile when she groaned in frustration at missing an easy chord. And sometimes, you swore she’d mess up on purpose, just to see you laugh. She’d helped you find your own voice, inviting you over to her place to practice together, pushing you to hit notes you didn’t think you could reach.
Now, standing on stage, so much time had passed, and yet, the memories felt as close as ever. You could still see that shy girl who had walked up to you after your first rehearsal with the band, gifting you a pack of mints and a bottle of nail polish the day after your birthday. She’d missed it, having barely known you then. "Good for your voice," she’d said, quoting something from Google about the mints. The nail polish? "I like your nails. Thought this color might look cool. Maybe you could do mine next time."
It was more than just an act, more than just something for the crowd to swoon over. It was the nostalgia of seeing how far you’d both come, from awkward first meetings to now, standing side by side under the blinding lights of the stage. And not just Ellie, but the whole band. These people who had let you in, who had become family. Every show was a reminder of that—of the gratitude that swelled in your chest, for being part of something so much bigger than yourself. For being allowed to belong.
-
“Thanks, I really mean it.” Backstage enveloped you in a familiar haze, a blend of sweat and excitement hanging in the humid air, even with the doors flung wide open. You held a beer in one hand, the cool glass resting on your knee, while the other leg stretched out under the small coffee table, cluttered with half-eaten pizza and discarded snack wrappers.
“Imagine if we’d given up on those quiet girls—our band would’ve flopped,” Jesse piped up.
He had been tough on you both at first, “If you never open up, it’s never going to work,” he’d remind you in every rehearsal until he finally broke down your walls.
Ellie rolled her eyes at him, a playful smile tugging at her lips. “Imagine if we’d given up on you, dude. Stop bothering.” With a gentle shove, she sent him reeling slightly, causing him to spill his drink across his shirt.
“She’s right. You were an ass to us,” you chimed in, matching Ellie’s playful energy, your gaze meeting Jesse’s, who wore a mock hurt expression. “You’re so meant to be,” he shot back, laughter bubbling from his chest.
“Shit, actually—” you began, setting your drink aside. “They’re saying our songs are related, like the lyrics give off similar vibes and stuff-” But he quickly interrupted, familiar with the comments online. “So, are you two gonna kiss already, or…?” Ellie laughed shyly, a flush creeping up her cheeks, the thrill of the moment mixing with the awkwardness of the conversation. "Fuck off"
“I was actually thinking we should,” you teased, leaning into the moment, watching Ellie’s eyes widen with exaggerated shock. Her expression morphed into one of mock disappointment as she found herself trapped between whatever this was against her. “Bro—” she spoke, her voice muffled by a mouthful of pizza, “if you want me that bad, just say so.”
Laughter erupted around you, filling the small backstage area with warmth and that sense of belonging you dearly loved.
-
With the tour finally over, everyone was back home. After years of relentless rehearsals, sleepless nights, and grueling performances on any stage that would have you, the band had made it. The fame brought more than recognition—it had granted each of you the chance to finally own your own apartments, a small but significant milestone. But none of you had expected just how exhausting coming home would feel.
Tonight was no different than the old routine you were just starting to forget—at least until you’d called Ellie.
You hadn’t expected her to pick up, let alone offer to come over. But she did, and now she was on her way. For the first time in what felt like forever, Ellie had volunteered to help without any ulterior motive. Maybe it was boredom. Or maybe, though she'd never admit it, she missed you.
Ellie had been trying to keep herself busy since the tour ended. She’d spent a night at Joel’s house, picking up her cat—who, to her mild surprise, was slimmer than when she left her. Joel had apparently decided Ellie’s feeding instructions weren’t trustworthy and had followed some Google advice instead. He’d kept her up late, asking about the tour, her health, and, not-so-subtly, about you. Ellie brushed it off with a laugh, insisting, “It’s part of the contract and stuff.”
The quiet of his place, the chirping crickets, and not having to deal with dishes or city noise had been comforting.
Back home, though, the boredom set in. She’d spent hours in bed with her cat, alternating between snacking on an embarrassing amount of sweets and scrolling aimlessly through social media.
When you called, she jumped at the chance to escape. Crowds had never been her thing, and the fame made going out even harder now. So, she headed to your place.
Meanwhile, you’d been keeping yourself busy too, sorting through the mess of your apartment while trying to maintain some semblance of a routine—vocal exercises, and, of course, scrolling through fan edits and comments online.
You missed the rush of the tour: the exhaustion, the adrenaline, the late-night parties with the band. But mostly, you missed Ellie.
She’d always been the one you were closest to, the one who felt like home no matter where you were. Watching videos of her onstage, reading comments from fans who adored her just as much as you did—it warmed your heart. There was something so Ellie about it all, a mix of quiet charm and undeniable presence that you couldn’t help but love.
Your phone buzzed, pulling you from your thoughts. She was here
Minutes later, Ellie stepped into your apartment, cat carried in hand. You barely gave her a chance to close the door before your focus shifted to the cat.
“Did you seriously bring her?” you asked, raising an eyebrow but already reaching to scoop the feline into your arms.
“What? You call her your baby but don’t want to see her?” Ellie teased, extending her arms to take the cat back. You ignored her, cuddling the purring creature like a newborn.
“She is my baby,” you said matter-of-factly. “Is she skinnier?”
Ellie shrugged, following you into the mess of your living room before plopping down on your bed like it was her own. “Joel fed her like Google told him to. Said she was too fat.”
You chuckled, leaning against the doorframe as Ellie kicked off her shoes. “He’s not wrong.”
Ellie rolled her eyes, unlacing her dirty Converse while the cat curled against your chest. “So,” she asked, her voice playful, “did you miss me?”
You looked at her, her familiar scent lingering in the room. “Yup. Can’t live without you, Ellie,” you replied, deadpan but sincere enough to make her pause mid-motion.
“Dude,” she muttered, shooting you a look before tossing her shoes across the room with a loud thump.
You laughed, setting the cat down and joining her on the bed. “I mean it, though,” you said, groaning as you stretched out beside her. “I miss the partying, the chaos… I’m too bored here.”
“Yeah,” Ellie agreed, leaning back on her elbows, her gaze meeting yours. “But it’s kinda nice, isn’t it? Having some time to do nothing for once?”
You tilted your head, watching her for a moment. She had a point, but it was hard to appreciate the quiet when part of you just wanted to be back onstage with her by your side.
The silence crept in slowly until you chose what felt like the right words.
“I just think we should go back soon." Ellie sighed, tipping her head back. “We deserve a longer break, to just... I don’t know, be normal for a second?”
You turned to look at her, your expression tightening. “Normal... Sure just, being on stage," you paused, simply staring st her. "It feels... right.”
She frowned, rolling her eyes. “Oh, so this doesn’t feel right? Me, here, with you?”You quickly huffed. Sitting up “That’s not what I meant."
Ellie seemed clearly bothered by it, but when wasn't she overreacting about life itself?
“It’s just... I miss it. It’s like it’s the only time we—” you stopped yourself, suddenly feeling exposed.
Ellie’s eyes flicked to yours, something unreadable in them. “The only time we what?”
You swallowed, looking into your lap before staring back. “The only time we get to have those moments.”
Ellie shook her head, running a hand through her hair. “Well, shit. Sorry for wanting to spend time with you outside of that.”
You blinked at her, not surprised but... conflicted. "Why is it such a bad thing that I want to go back?” She just groaned, flopping back against the pillows. “When did I say it was?”
“You’re insinuating that I’m crazy for wanting it.”
“I’m not saying that."
There was a silence again, this time louder than before, the type to ring loudly in your ears. It was only interrupted by the sudden purring of the cat settling on your lap.
“I’m saying we deserve a break, and that includes you.” Ellie spoke again, her tone quieter than usual. “I know that” you cleared your throat, playing with the soft of the fur.
Ellie let out a heavy sigh, sitting up and dragging her hands down her face, fingers lingering at her jaw as if grounding herself. “You’re making me feel bad,” she murmured, her voice quieter, but still laced with frustration. “For just—wanting to spend time with you.”
The weight of everything—of missing her, of wanting more, of not knowing how to say it—pressed down on you, suffocating. You pushed a hand through the cat's fur, letting out a dry, humorless laugh. “Els, the whole reason I wanna go back on tour is to see you more.”
Ellie blinked, her brows pulling together in that sheepish frustrated look so characteristic of her. “Why didn’t you just say that?”
You scoffed, shaking your head as you stared down at your hands. “Because I was fucking- i dont know, it's awkward,” you admitted, the words spilling out before you could stop them. “And you’re not helping—playing into the whole us thing—”
Ellie’s jaw tightened, her hands curling against the blanket before she slowly released them.
Yet, she used her stubborn for good and just leaned in, brushing your lips with her chapped ones.
She looked at you then, really looked at you, and for a long moment, the room felt too small, too still.
192 notes · View notes
lovebugism · 1 year ago
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Hi! Could I pls request a Steve x shy!reader drabble? Maybe they’re a bit of a bookworm and they have a meet cute at a library or bookstore or something ☺️ I love your fics, and I hope you’re having a good day! 💛
i've been working on this wip for ages but i loved this request too much not to finish! thanks for being patient with me anon!
summary: steve hopeless romantic harrington meets shy!reader at a bookstore and fluffy awkwardness ensues (meet cute, strangers to lovers-ish, fluff, 2.1k)
fictober (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)
Five hours go by like minutes, tucked away in the back of the library — your own little corner of the world. 
Because all your spare cash went to groceries and good food (and the newest Margaret Atwood novel just dropped), you hide in the back of the bookstore and get lost in the nostalgic earthy scent of the thick pages you’ve been waiting ages to read. 
You sit between the dystopian and gothic fiction aisles, back propped against the former with your knees folded to your chest, and speed-read as much as you can before closing.
The in-store café offers complimentary coffee and bagels. It’s lukewarm and a little cardboard-y, but it’s fuel nonetheless. You only get up once to use the bathroom and stretch your stiff limbs. Other than that very brief break, you’re relatively unbothered — until page 196, anyway.
“Where are the porno mags?” a male voice wonders from a few aisles down. It’s not the first voice you’ve heard all day, but it’s certainly the closest.
A feminine voice follows, nearer now. “There’s no porn, dingus. I was just saying that so you’d drive me here.”
“…That’s so fucked up.”
“You’ll get over it.”
“No, actually. I won’t. This might be the end of our friendship, now that I think about it.”
Their conversation draws closer and closer to you in time with their nearing footsteps. You figure they must be looking for a different section — certainly not the one you’ve had to yourself all day — but then they turn the corner of the aisle and stop short when they find you sitting there.
“Oh,” a pretty girl hums as she stares down at you, rouge mouth forming a softly pouted ‘o’ shape. 
Her hair is a sandy color, like a beach, and it’s chopped at her shoulders. She wears a pair of slacks and suspenders over an oversized button-up. She looks like a character from a book you wish you could write. 
She smiles down at you, a tad bit awkwardly. “Hello…”
“Shit— ” you curse, scrambling to get your legs out of the aisle. Your face burns as you bring your knees back to your chest. “I’m sorry.”
“No worries,” she shrugs and walks on by you. 
A pretty boy follows.
His hair is a really specific shade of brown — like chocolate syrup mixed with honey. It’s pushed back over his forehead, messy with intention. A few strands hang over his thick brows like they’re meant to be there. He’s got a layer of scruff on his chiseled jaw that’s a shade lighter than his actual hair. 
His wide eyes are a similar chocolate-syrup-honey color.
He’s almost annoyingly pretty. The kind of pretty that seems unfair.
“Don’t apologize to her,” the pretty boy jokes with a lopsided smile. “She’s a total bully.”
The pretty girl interjects. “Don’t listen to him. He’s an idiot. And stop bothering her, dingus— she’s obviously trying to read.”
You breathe out an awkward laugh through your nose. 
You don’t want them to think you’re actually annoyed, but you don’t have the words to tell them that. You have no idea what to say to them, actually. They’re obviously far cooler than you are, and the notion almost threatens you.
The pretty boy doesn’t follow his pretty friend. He lets her roam the aisle, obviously in search of something, and leans against the gothic fiction section across from you.
“So, uh… What are you reading?” he asks.
You don’t trust your voice to answer him verbally, lest the words get stuck in your throat and make you sound like Kermit the Frog. You flash him the dystopic, renaissance painting-esque cover with a tightlipped smile.
“Handmaid’s Tale,” he reads with a squint, then nods. “Sounds fun.”
“It’s not,” the pretty girl scoffs. She thumbs through her own copy of the book that she plucked from the shelf. “It’s the one I was telling you about on the way over.”
The pretty boy’s face screws up in disgust. “Oh. The one with gross men?”
“The one with the gross men.”
He turns back to you, looking apologetic. “Sorry, I take it back. Not fun.”
You smile wordlessly in response.
“He’s Steve, by the way,” the pretty girl says to you, nodding to the pretty boy. “I figured if he’s gonna keep weirdly hovering over you, you should probably know his name—”
“I’m not hovering!”
“—You can call him dingus if you want. I’m Robin.”
“Hi,” you greet, quiet and mousy.
“Do you come around here often?” the boy — Steve — wonders, bushy brows pinched and burly arms crossed over his chest. “I feel like I’ve seen you before—”
“Ugh. Stop flirting with her.”
“I’m asking a question!”
You purse your lips to the side in attempts to hide your smile and your gaze back to your book. 
They argue like a married couple. You wonder how long they’ve been together — six months or six years?
“Sorry about him. He’s not usually this annoying,” Robin quips with a playful twinkle in her deep ocean eye. She slams the book closed with a ringed handand walks back towards you. She pushes Steve ahead and away from you in the process. “Alright, I got the goods. Let’s go before they close.”
Your eyes widen as you look down at your wrist. 
Ten minutes until eight o’clock. 
You turn to the book once more and find that you’re about a hundred pages shy from the end of it. You tend to read like a maniac if you’re focused enough, but there’s no way you’re finishing it before closing.
“Shit…”
“You okay?” Steve asks, still lingering at the very end of the aisle, though Robin has already left for check-out.
You rise and straighten out your clothes — the very un-special sweatshirt and baggy jeans duo you’d changed into after work. It’s not unlike the navy blue henley and similarly colored denim he’s got on, but you don’t look nearly as pretty as he does.
“Yeah,” you shrug, not quite meeting his gaze as you return the book that feels like it only fits in your hands. “I just— I didn’t realize how late it was.”
You don’t expect to see Steve looking so concerned when you turn back to him. His brows are furrowed, honey eyes glinting in question. “You’re not getting it? You looked like you were almost done.”
“Oh, I don’t— I can’t…” you stammer then trail off, fidgeting awkwardly ahead of him. 
You don’t want this pretty boy’s first impression of you to be that you’re completely and utterly broke. Even if this is the last you ever see of him, you’ll only be remembered as that one girl from the bookstore who couldn’t buy herself anything. 
“I figured I could just come buy tomorrow and finish it…”
“Oh. Okay. Well, it was… it was nice meeting you, then.”
“You, too,” you murmur with a tightlipped smile, eager to get away from a moment you don’t feel very deserving of. 
Out of every girl this pretty boy could’ve chosen, why did it have to be the one in the very back of the bookstore who was too poor to get anything other than a free coffee and bagel? 
You chuck both in the bin as you head towards the exit.
The sun has almost finished setting when you leave — mostly disappeared over the skyline, but painting the sky a deep lavender shade unique to the twilight hour. You stand at the crosswalk — the man on the speaker shouting “wait!” at your side — as you anticipate the orange hand across the street to turn into a white stick figure.
“I told you she’d still be here,” a familiar voice sounds from a few paces behind you, mostly drowned out by the sounds of passing cars. A louder “hey!” follows. You only think the voice might be calling for you until it comes closer. 
“Hey!” It comes again, louder now.
You look over your shoulder and find Steve from the Bookstore striding towards you. 
Both happy and confused to see him, your wavering smile is paired with a pair of furrowed brows. “Hey…”
“Sorry, you just— you left this.”
When your eyes manage to flit away from his sculpted face — which you just noticed looks eerily similar to Michelangelo’s David — you find that he’s holding a book in his hands. Handmaid’s Tale. The same copy you were reading, dog-eared just like you left it.
Your contorted features never falter. “I didn’t…” you trail off with the shake of your head, laughing softly. “I didn’t buy that.”
“No, I know,” Steve shrugs with a crooked grin. “I did.”
You think he might be implying he bought it for you, but then you realize that’s crazy, because why would he do that for you? That’s the sort of thing that happens to girls in Brontë novels, not to you.
“Youdid?” you echo like an idiot because it’s all you can think to say.
“Yeah. ‘Cause, you know, you looked pretty interested in it and everything…”
“But you didn’t have to… You didn’t have to buy it for me—”
“It’s not a big deal. Seriously. I mean, it’ll save you the extra trip down here tomorrow, right?”
You meet his confident grin with a trembling one. “I can’t take it…”
“Well, if you don’t take it, that means I have to keep it, and—”
“He’s pretty much illiterate,” Robin calls from a little ways behind him.
She’s waiting by a pretty maroon car. It looks like a luxury model of some kind, shiny like it’s fresh off the lot. She leans against it like it’s hers, but Steve’s got the keys in his hand — the one not holding the book he bought for you.
“…I was gonna say I haven’t read anything since junior year of high school, but sure,” he concedes with a shrug. His eyes sparkle down at you— or maybe it’s just the street lamps flickering on. Either way, you feel your stomach whirling. He waves the book at you. “Take it. You’ll actually read it.”
“But…” you trail off, eyes flickering over to Robin. You step closer to Steve and lean in like you’re about to tell him a secret. “Won’t your girlfriend be upset?”
“Girlfriend?” the boy repeats with pinched brows. He goes soft with realization a second later, then starts to laugh. “No. Robin, she’s— No. She’s not really my type.”
“Oh. Shit. Sorry,” you stammer with wide eyes. 
If cool, pretty girls aren’t his type, then there’s no way in hell you are. 
Slightly comforted by his assurances, when he motions the book to you again, you take it. 
“Well, thank you, Steve. That’s… That’s really nice.”
He shrugs again. “’S no big deal. Really.”
“But I feel a little bad,” you confess quietly, peeking at him from beneath your lashes while you fidget with the book in your anxious hands. “I feel like I should give you something in return, or, I don’t know, like—”
“You don’t have to do anything,” Steve assures with the shake of his head. He swipes a hand through the chocolate-honey locks and flashes you a smile that borders on shy. “But if you wanted to go out for coffee or something sometime, then I’d be willing to call it even.”
Your cheeks burn. You don’t know if you’re breathing anymore, or if you even can. A quiet smile quirks at the corner of your mouth as you nod. “Coffee sounds good,” you answer sheepishly.
“Cool,” Steve replies coolly, like he isn’t totally beaming down at you. “Then, just… call me whenever you’re free.”
“Oh, I don’t— I don’t have your number.”
His sneakers scuff against the sidewalk as he walks backwards to his car. He just nods at you, smiling gently as he argues, “Yeah, you do.”
Your brows furrow in confusion — because you most certainly don’t. He was a stranger to you a little more than ten minutes ago. You have no reason to have his number. 
Realization settles over you like pinpricks down your spine, butterflies in your belly. 
You open the front cover of the book and find several numbers written down at the very bottom of the cover page.
Call me when you finish, the note reads in half-legible chicken scratch. I’m not really a book guy, but I could probably hear you talk about them all day.
He signs off with his name, number, and a sloppy smiley face. 
You don’t realize you’re beaming until you already are. 
When you look back up at Steve, you find him standing at the open driver’s side door, already smiling back at you.
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sweatyracoon · 29 days ago
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Savior with Fins
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Notes: credit for the beautiful dividers by @cafekitsune <3
I know this isn't my best but I just really loved the idea
Warnings: language, mentions of drowning, passing out, sharks, angst
You often went fishing on your own. It was one of your favorite pass times, seeing as you grew up on an island.
It was a small but loving community, and you found solace in it's silence.
You never killed something on purpose, always throwing your catches back into the water.
There was a group of guys swarming around the rent a boat business you came to once a week, and you found yourself scoffing when you were placed on a larger rent a boat with the group.
"Sorry, y/n. Your boat is in the shop. A hole was found in the bottom. But this way, it's a lot cheaper for you,"
John said, awkwardly scratching at his nape.
You rolled your eyes, getting on the boat. The guys mostly kept their distance, too busy playing around with their rods, getting the hook stuck in one of their hoods.
They were immature, and extremely loud and lewd.
Ad the boat drifted into deeper territory, they all started shoving one another, making the vessel shake. Your balance faltered, and you nearly dropped your rod into the water.
"Hey! Do you mind? You scared off my catch, you pricks," you yelled at them, pacing towards the blonde haired boy.
"What are you gonna do about it, princess? If you didn't want to have fun, you should have gotten on a different boat,"
You scoffed.
"Fishing is me having fun, asshole. Your the ones preventing me from doing so," you turned, about to stride towards your side of the vessel when suddenly you felt your shoulders caged.
"If you wanna catch fish so bad, go fetch," you heard the voice say behind you.
Suddenly, the strong grip led you towards the edge, a strong shove sending you overboard.
You yelled as you felt the cold water nip at your skin, the tide engulfing you as you thrashed.
Your head bobbed above water, and you heard the sickening laughs of the teens above you.
The boat drifted off, leaving you stranded in the depths of the sea.
It was miles from the island, you wouldn't make it if you attempted swimming.
Still, despicable knowing that, your survival instincts made you swim, struggle with the push of the waves.
You pushed yourself for what felt like hours, your vision blurring as you inhaled salt water, the burn keeping you alert. Your limbs felt as if they were on fire despite the freezing water surrounding you.
You felt your eyes closing against your will, your body stilling as you floated, exhausted. Black was all you saw as you felt your brain turning to mush, a large crash of the sea slamming itself onto your body, pushing you below the surface.
You woke up, startled, coughing aggressively. You felt the water swishing in your lungs. You lunged forward, feeling it creep up your esophagus, spitting it out. The salt made it burn.
After you were done hacking up bits of the sea, your eyes adjusted to your unfamiliar surroundings.
It was almost like a nook, the ones you would see in the movies behind a waterfall. The rocks were moist and glistening, and a soft sound of water hitting water filled your ears. There was also a pit filled with water a few feet from you.
Your clothes were damp, and your back ached from laying on stone. You weren't sure for how long.
Wait. How did you end up here?
You looked around again, noticing no other life than you and a few bugs.
Splash!
You whipped your head back to the body of water, noticing a large fin smacking back down, the stray water hitting your exposed legs.
You got up to sit on your knees, glancing into the water.
What you saw frightened you.
Despite the large tail you just saw, when you peered at the figure, you saw a human-like form.
It was blurry from the waves, but you saw a pale skinned boy with light blonde hair, his figure shaking with the tide. His pale body seemed to end near his waist, the color darkening immediately to a dark gray.
But that wasn't what scared you.
It was his eyes. They glowed yellow underneath the water.
You jolted back when he appeared to be rising to the surface, your breath quickening.
You scuffed your knee against the jagged rocks that made up the ground you sat on. You winced, eyes drifting immediately to your fresh wound.
Your mind was still fuzzy from the pressure of the water and new found pain on your leg that you didn't notice the creature coming out of the water.
"Hey! Careful, you could really do some damage," you heard the voice say.
His voice was deep. And had a thick accent to it, compared to the people in town.
You were so surprised. Surely, his top half looked human, but you didn't expect him to be able to communicate.
"Hey, you okay?" He asked again.
When you finally looked at him, you saw he was plopped at the edge of the rock where it met the water.
There was no shallow parts there, just a straight dive into the deep.
"What?" You were still confused about the whole situation, suddenly wondering if you were dreaming.
"Are you alright? Do you know your name?" His gaze turned into concern, looking around for what? You didn't know.
"I'm fine, I think...I'm y/n," you stutter, suddenly feeling cold.
"Ah. A pretty name. I'm Felix. You look hungry," he observed, bringing his finger out to poke your knee.
You flinched, pulling back.
"Sorry...I've just never seen a person so up close," he muttered, pushing his body back into the water, his head still above the surface.
"You eat fish?" He asked.
"Yes, I do,"
Without another word, he left.
You were stuck in this dome like cave with very little lighting, since the sun was going down. You took it upon yourself to look around, and was surprised to find some dead plants.
You brought it all to one corner, grabbing some jagged rocks. You scraped them together aggressively, and eventually, you had a small fire.
You hoped it would last.
When he came back, there was a torn net holding at least twelve fish, and you chuckled as he hurled himself up the ledge, sighing dramatically.
"Wasn't sure how much people eat so I got extra!" He grinned.
You noticed his sharp, jagged teeth, but for some reason, it didn't bother you as much as it should have.
"What are you?"
It came out before you could stop yourself. It was weighing on your mind for a while, giving you time to ponder while he was gone.
His smile faltered before he hid it quickly.
"I'm a shark," he said simply with a grin, opening the net of fish.
He grabbed a stick next to him before spearing the aquatic animal onto it.
"Are you sure? Sharks don't really...talk?" You took the stick from him, holding it over your small fire.
"I don't know? Me and my friends are all like this. I mean- they aren't sharks, but we can all talk? My dad called us hybrids,"
"Hybrids? So your half human?"
"I think? I mean I kinda look like you, but then the other half doesn't-"
He proceeded to keep handing you fish to cook, and you continued to while speaking with him.
"So your friends? You said they aren't sharks?"
His eyes sparkled at the mentions of his friends, his posture straightening.
"Nope! We're all different. I mean, one is a dolphin, the other is a squid, another a sea horse. We all couldn't be more different."
You nodded.
"So they aren't scared of you? Your a predator hybrid," you say, curious.
His eyes widened.
"Oh god, no! I have never hurt them or anyone. Honestly we're fearful of Minho, but I'm a playful way. He's the dolphin,"
You smile.
"I hear dolphins are the most dangerous animal out there,"
You both laughed.
"You might be right,"
It became silent suddenly, but it was a comfortable silence. The fish we're all cooked, so now you both ate.
"Do you remember how you got here?" Felix asked after cleaning the mess up.
You stilled, forgetting completely that you don't belong here. But he made you so comfortable, it feels like you had known him for years.
"Uhh, I fell off a boat? I was fishing I think." Your brain once again turned into mush.
"Two boys pushed you off the boat, y/n. I was lucky I got to you in time. The currents were harsh."
His eyes filled with sadness, his arm reaching up to rest on your calf.
You looked back at him, gauging his words. You remember yelling at the boys, but not being pushed off.
"I forgot," was all you could say.
"Listen, maybe you need some rest. It was a stressful day, after all. I can take you back to the island in the morning?" He tilted his head, his sharp teeth flicking through his lips.
"Oh, yeah. Sure. What about you?"
"I don't sleep much. I can keep the fire going, and go to find something for you to use on the water. If I don't, you'd probably get hypothermia," he grinned, his fin flicking against the water.
You smiled.
"The fire won't hurt you, will it?"
"No. As long as I get back to the water afterwards," he shrugged, scooting over to tend to the fire. "See?"
"Thank you Felix," you laughed, suddenly feeling insanely tired.
The last thing you saw was a heartwarming smile from him before it went dark.
You woke up to the sound of splashing, and fought the sun to open your eyes.
"Y/n? You ready to go?"
Your eyes Open to a cute, wet Felix. Behind him was a floating piece of wood, one that would be able to carry your weight.
"Yeah,"
He led you onto the platform, gently caressing your waist.
"Comfortable?" He asked, his hands hooked onto the sides.
"Yes, Felix I'm okay," you pat his head, watching his face contort into many emotions.
Confusion, denial, acceptance, enjoyment, happinesses.
He liked it.
"Alright, I'll be under the water this entire time, pulling from a rope okay?"
He almost looked like he didn't want to leave you out of his sight. It was endearing.
Wat you didn't know, however, was that he watched you sleep for hours. Not in a creepy way, but he knew it was cold, and didn't want you getting sick or anything. He admired you and your form. He would kill to have legs, and everything else that you do. Life underwater was harsh, even for him. It didn't matter if he was a shark hybrid or not. His caring and empathetic nature wouldn't let him be the predator he should be.
After making sure you were settled, he led you back home.
It took around thirty five minutes before you saw the big piece of floating land, but when you did, you felt your speed slowing down.
"Felix?" You asked, since he didn't come out of the water yet.
The water here compared to the cave was a lot darker. Why? You didn't know. But you were worried the rope cut loose and he didn't know.
It wasn't until you heard water from behind you that you started to worry.
"Felix. What's wrong? Did the rope snap?" You asked, bring your hand up to his wet hair.
He almost looked as if he were going to cry.
"Are you gonna forget about me, y/n?" He choked.
Your heart nearly broke.
"Of course not, Felix. Why would you think that?" You continued petting his head, watching his eyes roll back.
"You'll never see me again,"
"Woah woah woah. Says who? I can still see you, can't I?" You stop him, cursing yourself.
You hadn't even thought that far ahead.
"How would you? We are two different worlds, y/n,"
His eyes were large and shiny with emotion, making you swoon.
"I fish once a week. When I'm on the boat, you come find me, yeah?"
His eyes lit up suddenly, his demeanor changing.
"Really? You'd let me see you?"
"Of course, Felix. You saved my life!" You both laughed.
His light chuckle filled the air, despite being in the middle of the ocean.
"Alright, let's get you home,"
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xothatnerdykid · 1 year ago
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say yes to heaven (say yes to me)
Aizawa finds out you have a crush on him. Fluffy, slightly suggestive Aizawa Shouta/Eraserhead x reader drabble. Slight age gap, teaching assistant!reader. 1,937 words.
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"You know Y/N has a crush on you, right?"
You nearly choke at that, freezing up against the wall. You had been taking a phone call outside the faculty lounge when you overheard Yamada and Aizawa make their way inside, oblivious to your presence. 
"I thought I told you to drop it already, Hizashi," Aizawa grunts.
"Wait, you know?" A third voice, Nemuri, asks incredulously, followed by a noise that sounds suspiciously like Aizawa elbowing Yamada mid-laugh.
You feel your face heat up, mortified at their discussion. Of course Aizawa knew you had feelings for him, you all but slap yourself. How could he not when you clam up and turn into a stuttering mess whenever he’s around? 
You're well aware that plenty of the girls of Class 1-A (and even 1-B) harbor a not-so-secret crush on their sensei, and you're embarrassed to admit that you're not much better. You're always suddenly breathless and flustered to be near him.
Always a little too eager to help during training or classes. Always tripping over your words whenever he spoke to you. He must have tried to brush it off at first, but it just kept happening too many times for him to ignore.
"The only thing I know," Aizawa answers gruffly, "Is that this conversation is bordering on entirely inappropriate."
"What? Why? It's not like she's a student here or anything," Yamada retorts.
"She was, just a few years ago."
"Yeah, and now she's my teaching assistant," Nemuri counters.
But you can practically see Aizawa shake his head. "See? Same difference."
"Oh, lighten up! So you have a bit of an age gap—"
"I wouldn't call 8 years a bit of an age gap, Hizashi."
"Who cares about that? I think she could make you happy, Shouta, and you deserve to be happy."
“Now that I think about it," Nemuri adds. "You two would be good together. You need someone who can make you smile and stop being so serious all the time, and she..." She chuckles playfully. "For some unexpected reason, really likes that about you."
"Don't tell me you haven't at least thought about it?" Yamada teases. “I see the way you look at her, too, you know."
Nemuri squeals, "Just imagine, the two of you being all lovey-dovey. It'd be so cute!"
Your heart catches in your throat, but Aizawa is quick to interject.
"It doesn't matter. None of those things you said matter. To do anything about Y/N's feelings for me would be taking advantage of her."
"Fine," Nemuri huffs. "But the least you can do is talk to the poor girl about it. You can't keep giving her the cold shoulder forever."
There's a beat of silence before Aizawa dejectedly responds, "You’re right.” And you hear the door knob lock behind them.
______________________________________________________________
You pretend not to notice that Aizawa's awkwardly been standing behind you for almost five minutes now, hoping he'd eventually leave if you looked busy enough typing away on your laptop.
And he almost does, if it wasn't for Midnight and Mic, who you can see out of the corner of your eye, gesturing at him quietly but frantically to go on. 
Your heart races when he clears his throat. "Uh, Y/N, do you have a minute?"
"Um..." You want to say no but can't think of a reason fast enough, so you take your time closing your laptop instead, bracing yourself. "Sure."
You get up from your seat and turn to face him, but neither of you can meet the other's gaze, which just makes everything feel all the more mortifying. 
"I'm aware of...Er, I mean...I apologize if I've seemed a little standoffish lately."
"You mean more than usual?" You smile weakly, trying for a bit of humor.
When you look up, you're surprised to see that his expression is serious but gentle. He almost smiles for a second before he seems to think better of it.
"It's been brought to my attention that you might…” He sighs, then starts over. “If I’ve ever given you the wrong impression, I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention. I want you to know that I respect your feelings, but I think it’s best that we maintain a professional relationship."
“Of course! I-I never–You never–Um–" You swallow thickly, feeling your face burn up. “I agree.”
“Good. I hope this doesn’t make things awkward between us.”
Like it could get any worse? You bite back the retort.
You take a deep breath, attempting to regain your composure, and plaster on another half-hearted smile. “It’s fine. We can move past it.”
He nods, his expression neutral. “Glad to hear that.”
_________________________________________________________________________
But you do not, in fact, move past it. At least not for a couple of weeks. 
In the days that follow, you find that you can't shake off the conversation, the way he looked and the vulnerability in his voice lingering in your mind. The hours at work feel longer now that they're filled with lingering silence, heavy with unspoken words and punctuated with stilted conversations.
Even more embarrassing is the fact that everyone seems to know about your unrequited and inappropriate crush now, if they didn’t already. You notice Mic and Midnight's sympathetic glances, and All-Might's whispered concerns.
Their attempts to act normal around you are agonizingly obvious, so you make it a habit to be the first one to leave every afternoon and spend most of your days alone at your table, with your eyes glued to your laptop screen or your nose buried in a mountain of paperwork. 
So how, exactly, did you find yourself in this position? Alone with Shouta in his apartment and sitting in his lap with your fingers tangled in his hair and his tongue practically down your throat?
_________________________________________________________________________
Last thing you remembered, you were walking home when he suddenly fell into step beside you.
"Hi," you managed, giving him a weak smile. It must've been the first time you've ever been alone together since the talk. 
"Mind if I join you?" He tilted his head to ask, his hands in his pockets and looking as tired as ever. 
"Not at all," You tried to reply coolly, even though your heart just about dropped to the floor.
A familiar awkward silence fell upon both of you.
You bunched up your skirt in your fists, acutely aware of the way he’s looking at you. His usually stern face seemed almost…unsure. Finally, he broke the silence. "How have you been?”
“Oh, you know…” You waved your hand dismissively. “Just trying to get through each day.”
He nodded solemnly. “Listen, y/n, I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings last time we talked, because that’s the last thing I’d want.”
You shook your head. "No, not at all. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for the position I put you in."
"I just want you to know that...It's not that I don't..." He trailed off meaningfully, his eyes downcast. "I just don't think it would be appropriate or fair to you to pursue anything because...Your feelings for me…they’re not real.”
You felt your heart skip a beat. “What?” 
"I understand that you might be confused by...that the dynamics of our relationship might have clouded your judgement and made me seem…”
“Stop.” You level him with a fierce gaze and he does. You do your best to sound firm despite the sting of his words. “It’s one thing for you not to return my feelings. That I can understand. But don’t patronize me by telling me what I do or don’t feel. It’s clear that you think otherwise, but I’m not a child, Shouta.”
Aizawa, surprised by the intensity in your voice, leaned back slightly. He doesn't say anything, which gives you the courage to speak your mind, telling him off before you can think better of it.
“I don’t like you just because you’re older than me or I see you as some sort of authority figure. I like you because you care a lot but pretend you don’t. And it makes me want to get to know you more. I admire your dedication and hard work at being a hero and a teacher here.”
He looked at you thoughtfully for a few moments, then nodded, a flicker of realization crossing his features as he absorbed your words. “You're right. I shouldn't have assumed or tried to define your feelings for you. I apologize."
"Thank you."
"And as long as we’re sharing…” He rolled his sleeves up, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “I don’t think you’re a child, you know. I think you’re intelligent and perfectly competent. In fact, I think you're amazing."
The irritation and hurt you felt just moments ago was quickly chased away by the warmth that spread within you at his surprising admission.
He brushed his hair out of his eyes. "I was hesitant because I didn't want to take advantage of you, given our age gap—"
"It doesn't bother me," you said with newfound confidence, and he couldn't help but chuckle at your boldness.
"But maybe... I've been too cautious."
You tilted your head, smiling up at him softly, sweetly, like you used to. "What do you mean?" You asked even though you already knew, you just wanted to hear him say it.
He ran a hand through his hair again, rubbing the back of his neck. A nervous habit, you’ve noticed. "I mean, perhaps I've been so focused on maintaining professional boundaries that it's made me overlook the possibility of a genuine connection between us."
You bit the inside of your cheeks to keep from smiling any wider. "Are you saying...?"
He nodded, a hint of a blush tinting his face. "Would you consider having dinner with me tomorrow?"
_________________________________________________________________________
Fast forward to now, hours after dinner and one glass of wine too many, and you’ve somehow managed to muster up the courage to kiss him good night.
It catches him by surprise, but once he leans into it, he doesn’t let you pull away. He responds with an almost bruising eagerness, kissing you again, and again, and again, until you find yourself pressed up against the door of his apartment.
He jams his keys into the doorknob, leaving open-mouthed kisses along your jaw and down your neck.
But instead of swinging the door open like you expected, he puts his hand up against it instead, next to your face, and presses his forehead against yours.
“I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” he says breathlessly, his eyes screwed shut.
You draw a steadying breath of your own. “Why not?”
“Because,” he drawls in that frustratingly raspy voice of his. The one so low and deep you could practically feel it vibrating against your own chest, echoing off the walls inside of you. “You do something to me…to my self-control…”
You swallow thickly. “Do I?”
He nods.
“Good.” You link your hands around his nape, pulling at some of the hair there, and smile against the crook of his neck. “Then the feeling’s mutual.”
He puts his hands on your waist, gingerly, cautiously. “Doesn’t make it rational.”
You kiss his jaw. ”Why does it need to be rational?” And then his cheek. ”We’re both adults.” And then gently bite his ear, whispering, “Why can’t we let ourselves want what we want?” 
“And are you sure…” He pulls away a little, his eyes still closed and his eyebrows furrowed. “This is what you want?” He finally opens his eyes to search yours, and his are so smoky and dark you feel as though you're falling through the night sky.
You take a moment to gather your thoughts, captivated by the intensity in his gaze.
"Yeah," you answer, your voice steady despite the flutter in your chest. "I'm sure."
His smirk is the last thing you see before your eyelids flutter close and his lips are on yours again. 
He doesn’t waste another moment.
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poemsforchan · 11 months ago
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DO IT LIKE THAT
pairing: bang chan x reader
summary: you live a cliché with your coworker and you just happened to have a crush on him. luckily he seems to feel the same.
requested: by anon -> Is it possible to get a coworker! Chan smut?where he and the reader have to share a bed and he’s really nervous because he likes her. He’s definitely a sub for her and asks her to choke him because it’s one of his fantasies.
warnings: NSFW, oral (male receiving), choking but nothing too serious, chan is a tiny bit submissive but not much, afab reader but no use of female pronouns
MINORS DO NOT INTERACT
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You are stressed.
Stress is a feeling you are used to and is very much present in your day to day life but you don’t know the last time you felt it to this intensity.
The company you worked at had asked you and another employee to go to a meeting a few cities away. Driving back would be too tiring so you were tasked with getting two hotel rooms for the night, something you had to do multiple times in the past. You assured Chris, your coworker, that everything would be taken care of. You scheduled the entirety of the trip from the second you stepped out of your apartment to the moment you got back the day after. Everything seemed fine.
It wasn't.
After a long drive - in which Chris refused to let you switch places and drive for a bit so he could rest - and a boring meeting, you finally reach the hotel; just to find out you only had booked one room. Apparently, your sleep-deprived self forgot to change the room numbers from one to two when booking on the website and you had been so busy that you didn't stop once to confirm if everything was okay before the trip. Because of some concert happening in town, there weren't available rooms and you were presented with a choice: you either suck it up and share a bed with your attractive coworker or you deal with a long car ride back, meaning you would get home by dawn. Objectively, you should choose the second option. You are not working tomorrow so you could simply sleep all day. Going home would prevent having the awkward “do you want me to sleep on the floor?” discussion and it would most definitely keep your feelings in check. You are not a high school girl that needs an excuse to get close with her crush. Absolutely not.
“Well, I don’t mind sharing for a night.” Chan says, that big, stupid, pretty smile displaying his teeth and the perfect dimples. “Unless you don't feel comfortable, which is absolutely fine. I can just drive back and send someone to pick you up tomorrow?”
Maybe you do need an excuse to be near your crush. “I couldn't do that to you. We can just share a room.”
So, together, you make your way to the room. Like a good cliché, there was only one bed in the room but it was big enough to let you sleep without needing to be pressed against Chan’s body. It bummed you out a little. Now there wasn't an excuse to feel his warmth, maybe have your legs touch while trying to fall asleep, his face so close to yours that you could feel his hot breath…
You sigh, maybe a bit too loud since it has Chris turning to look at you. “Everything ok?” he asks but you can only nod as you drop your backpack on the bed and question every life decision you made that led you to this moment. You open your backpack to get your pajamas and almost whine when you remember that you packed the ugliest pieces you got. You were just being dramatic, of course. Your pajamas were simply a pair of old shorts (it had been kind of hot the past couple of days and you didn’t want to risk getting too warm because of pants) and an even older t-shirt with a band logo that was mostly faded. ‘Normal pajamas’, you tell yourself, but you just lost the opportunity to seduce your very handsome coworker with a sexy set.
“So unprofessional, shut up.” you murmur to yourself.
“Did you say something?”
Your head snaps in his direction and you laugh a bit awkwardly. “I said I was gonna change in the bathroom.” You say, lying through your teeth, as you gather the things you need in your arms and speed walk to the bathroom. You feel like you can breathe again when you lock the bathroom door and look at yourself in the mirror. A shower is everything you need right now and you can only hope you come out of it with a clearer mind and one less crush.
You remove your clothes and take a very cold shower so your mind can focus on your shivering figure rather than your coworker’s extremely hot body. It doesn't work. You leave the tub shaking and still thinking about Chris’ arms around you. You brush your teeth thinking about his body. Unfortunately, you can’t really come up with a plan B before you’re walking out the door. Fortunately, you’re glad you didn’t waste more time thinking of a plan B because your mind goes blank as soon as your eyes focus on Chris sitting on the bed. He’s looking at his phone, still wearing his suit and obviously waiting for you to be done so he can shower. You feel like screaming at the sight of his shirt unbuttoned almost all the way, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his hair messy from running his fingers through it.
At the sound of your steps, Chris looks up from his phone. You notice the way his eyes travel up your legs a bit too slowly until they settle on your face. You wished there was more noise outside because you’re not sure if Chan can hear your heavy breathing or your loud thoughts. You walk to the bed, trying not to stare too much at the man sitting next to your backpack. Carefully, you put your dirty clothes inside a plastic bag before shoving it inside the backpack. Chan still hasn't moved from his place and you can feel his intense stare. Once again, you can’t help but think this is unprofessional. Ok sure - there wasn't anything forbidding a hookup with your coworker. Your contract didn't specify anything about relationships of any kind but you still viewed it as improper.
You look again at Chris and his eyes are now on yours. You watch as his tongue licks his lips and think you don't mind being improper when the object of your dirty thoughts looks this good.
You move until you’re standing in front of him. Chris looks up at you with hooded eyes and shiny lips and something tells you he wants this as much as you.
“See something you like?” you say to the man, his legs spreading to accommodate you in between them.
“Definitely.” He replies, his ears already getting a bit red. You take off your shirt, basking in the attention Chan is giving you and your naked breasts. You slowly fall to your knees, looking up at the man through your eyelashes. This was most definitely a bad idea but how were you going to stop when Chris is looking down at you with those eyes? “I’ve been imagining you like this for so long.” He breathes out, his voice trembling a bit.
“Oh?” You finish unbuttoning his shirt. “You’ve been thinking about me on my knees? You’re sounding like a perv Channie.” You tease.
“N-no, I didn't mean it like that.” He stutters. With his help, you pull his pants and boxers down to his knees so you eye the dick standing tall and proud against his stomach. “I just… think about you.”
“Yeah? I think about you a lot too.” You admit, laying your head on his thigh as you look at him. “You always walk around the office with those tight shirts and pretty smiles. Makes me so weak.” You confess, holding the base of his cock with your hand. Chan hisses at the contact and his hand goes to your head, automatically pushing you closer.
You slightly part your lips to give an open-mouth kiss on the red-ish tip. You look up at Chris when your mouth fits his cock inside and he curses before throwing his head back to look at the ceiling. Moving your head up and down, you watch as the man above you crumbles under your touch. He curses and squeezes between his fingers the fabric underneath him. Your free hand sneaks past your shorts to touch yourself. Chris pushes your head down further when you whine around his dick as you insert a finger inside you. You gag around him and your coworker seems to like it by the way his hips start moving to fuck your face. Tears fill your waterline but Chris isn't even looking at you to see the damage, too focused on the sensations your mouth gives him.
His dick twitches inside your mouth and he immediately stops. Chan looks at you, breathing heavily as if he just ran a marathon. His lips are red, probably from biting it to keep his moans to himself. He looks good - too good for your own good, to be honest. You remove your hand from your shorts and his hand leaves your hair to settle on your cheek, a silent request for you to get up. Your knees hurt but you don't mind it. Chris moves to sit up against the headboard and you take off your remaining clothes before sitting on his thighs. His hands find a place on your waist, his thumbs rubbing circles on your skin as he now looks up at you with those intense eyes.
“Can I kiss you?” He whispers. You simply nod, leaning down to meet him halfway. His lips are soft and he tastes just like the mint he offered you after dinner. His kisses are slow and so sweet - you might actually fall in love.
“Do you have a condom?” You murmur against his lips.
“My wallet.” He replies. You get up to search for his wallet and, after following his instructions, you grab the condom. Chris had laid further down, his head now placed on the soft pillows. You go back to sitting on his thighs, opening the package before rolling the condom down his length.
“Are you sure?” You question. Chan nods as he says a small ‘yes’ and it’s enough for you to lead his tip to your entrance before sinking down on it slowly. “I need a minute…”
Chris is understanding. He stays still even if his dick is twitching like crazy inside you. He doesn't move even if you’re squeezing him like crazy. He waits for your signal before he’s moving his hips to meet yours. You place your hands on his chest for support and Chris is so focused on the way you move that he thinks that was the moment he fell in love with you. You bounce on his lap, head thrown back while you moan so sweetly, caring only about your pleasure. Seeing you like that is enough for Chris though. You look down at him, hands squeezing the flesh of his chest and arms as your moans grow a bit louder, needier. “I th-ink I’m gonna cum.” Chan manages to say.
You stop your movements immediately. “You can’t cum until I do.” Maybe it’s the authoritative voice you used (the same one you use when you’re ordering around people at the company that always has his pants tightening) or the hand that slips to his throat and squeezes just a tiny bit to make your point. Chan doesn't know, perhaps it was a mix of both. What he does know is that it has him spilling inside the condom with a strangled moan and a gasp. “You have got to be kidding me.
“I’m so sorry! I don’t know why that happened!” Chan starts rambling, saying everything that comes to mind without even thinking. You roll your eyes, get up and pull out his condom to throw away. You thank a higher entity that he had another one in his wallet or it would be a shame that your night ended like this. “I mean I’ve been thinking about- Well not with you obviously! Ok maybe with you, god I’m such a pervert and…”
“It’s not a big deal.” You interrupt his rambling. “It’s hot really.” You murmur under your breath. “Do you want me to choke you Channie?”
Chan looks like he’s about to cry, the tips of his ears a vivid red. “Yeah? Only if you’re ok with it.”
You go back to bed and repeat the same process you did a few minutes ago, except you’re now holding a softer cock. Chris’ eyes widen and he’s about to ask for a little break but then you're sinking down on him again and his dick seems to come back to life. Your hand now finds a place on his neck, fingers squeezing the sides just enough that he feels it but not enough that he struggles breathing. Chan likes the pressure there, mixed with you bouncing on his lap and moaning his name so desperately. You like the image of Chan under you, mouth parted while he whines at the stimulation and pleas to go faster. You apply a bit more pressure and Chris’ eyes roll to the back of his head as he tries to say something. The words don't come out but you still understand the warning. You keep the pressure, watching Chan suck in a breath before he’s spilling inside the condom once again. You don’t stop, set on reaching your orgasm as well. You let go of his neck to touch your clit, moving your fingers in circles while you get closer with each thrust. Chris squeezes your waist, helps you lift yourself up a few more times until you reach your high again.
You let yourself fall to his side, laying next to him on your back while breathing heavily. “Are you ok?” You hear Chris ask.
“More than ok.” You turn your head to look at him. “I’m so glad I fucked up the booking.”
“I’m glad you did too.” He sits down on the bed, stretching his arms above his head. “Let's go, we can shower together this time.”
With weak legs and a big smile, you let yourself get dragged by Chris to the bathroom. Today, you will enjoy whatever this is. Tomorrow, you will figure it out.
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