#also I hope you guys like it I spent an ungodly amount of time doing this

[marigoldendragon]

I can't tell if this is the best team up or the worst.

[jinkoh]

lip gloss

younghoon x fem!reader

summary: younghoon really likes your lip gloss. what he doesn't like is the silly bet his friends made about you...

tags: strangers to friends to lovers, secret relationship (kinda), fluff, a little jealousy, alternating povs, clothes sharing (v briefly), SFW

wordcount: ~4,8k

a/n: who would have thought i'm coming back after a writer's block with a completely new group--certainly not me lol 🤡 i have accidentally developed an obsession with the lip gloss mv and spent an ungodly amount of time watching it

this is my first time writing for tbz (and i also don't know them that well yet) so pls be kind 👉🏻👈🏻

also this fic is entirely to be blamed on @blizzardfluffykpop bc we came up with the idea together. thanks for brainrotting with me, kate ❤️

Masterlist

Younghoon liked his friends, he really did. It was just that at times he had to remind himself of the fact. Like now, when they were making yet another stupid bet among themselves, fueled as so often by the never ending quarrel between the beach volleyball players and the surfers. Younghoon wasn’t a surfer but neither did he play beach volleyball, except for the rare occasions when they were missing a man, so he usually got out of these antics fine without picking a side. Still, this time the guys were being too much. Younghoon had already turned to Sangyeon in hopes of ending this nonsense, but to his utter disappointment even Sangyeon was in on this, confidently nodding along that his team would win.

It wasn’t that Younghoon didn’t understand the temptation—who wouldn’t want an excuse to talk to you? You’d caught his attention too when he’d come to the beach a few days ago. It was starting to get hot, spring slowly turning into summer, and the owner of the little beach bar had decided it was time to kick off the season. Instead of him though, someone else was manning the bar. You had an arm propped up on the counter and mindlessly scrolled on your phone. Younghoon couldn’t blame you, the bar wasn’t usually busy until later so it wasn’t like you had anything better to do. Without paying it any mind, he jogged down the beach to the volleyball net where he knew to find the others, the girl from the bar quickly forgotten over a very imbalanced game. In fact he didn’t think of you again until he walked back to the bar to get some soda for everyone. There still weren’t any customers around, but instead of doom scrolling you’d taken out some lip gloss, using your phone’s camera as a mirror as you swiftly applied it to your lower lip. He felt he shouldn’t be watching this, but he also couldn’t look away. There was something so captivating about this scene. Just when you were smacking your lips together (twice) you seemed to have noticed his gaze. You looked up with surprise in your eyes before giving him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, didn’t see you there. What can I get you?” The gloss made your lips look shiny. Maybe he had already been a goner then.

So, it really wasn't that he didn't understand. But betting on who’d get your number first seemed a bit much and, frankly, kind of rude too. There was no stopping them though, but perhaps he could at least give you a little warning?

He got up from where everyone was sitting on the sand, just far enough from the shore to not get wet, and jogged back to the wooden path that led further up the beach and to the bar.

“Where are you going?” Eric yelled behind him. “Not getting a head start, are you?”

Younghoon huffed a laugh. “What makes you think I’d join a silly bet like that?”

Eric grinned. “Scared of even trying, huh?”

“Mhm, sure.”

With a shake of his head he walked the last few meters to the bar, where he sat down on one of the stools at the counter. Once more, it was empty despite being late at night, but he supposed not everyone had the freedom to come out here this late on a weekday.

“So,”  you turned to him with a mischievous grin, before he could even say anything. “What kind of bet were you talking about?”

He ran his hands through his hair. “You heard that?”

“Was hard not to.”

“I’m not sure you really want to know.”

“I don’t care either way. But you guys have been stealing glances at the bar this whole time—you better not do anything that will get me in trouble with the boss.”

“They wouldn’t,” Younghoon didn’t hesitate to reply. Sure, they were silly and stupid at times, but they wouldn’t put someone’s job on the line for funsies. “But they also weren’t exactly looking at the bar.”

“They weren’t, huh?” You grinned and Younghoon couldn’t help but notice the shimmer of your lip gloss.

“It’s your number,” he said, tearing his eyes away from your lips. “They want your number.”

You nodded slowly, looking more amused than offended. There was a challenging glint in your eyes. “So, you think getting my number is silly?”

The question caught him off guard so his reply came out a little too slow to be smooth. “No, that’s far from silly. Just betting on it is.”

“Hmm, how do I know you’re not secretly in on it though?”

“Why would I butcher my chances by telling you about the bet then?”

You leaned over the counter a bit, propping up your head with your closed hand. “Maybe this is your strategy to appear upright and honest?”

He stifled a laugh. “Well, I’m honest. I don’t know about the rest.”

 “Fair enough.”

Younghoon didn’t get your number that night, but neither did anyone else and that gave him a little satisfaction. He’d offered to try and talk them out of it again, but you’d declined. “No,” you’d said with a grin. “I wanna see them try. It sounds fun.” 

He thought he possibly liked more about you than just your lip gloss.

The guys went all out. Some attempts didn’t seem too bad while others gave him a strong sense of secondhand embarrassment. But you seemed to be having fun with it, so who was he to intervene? And maybe, just maybe, he liked the way you’d throw him knowing glances from time to time, sharing a secret only for the two of you to know.

Yet, he wondered if maybe one of them would manage to sway your heart—he’d seen Kevin steal you away during your break earlier, to take you to the wooden jump tower near the cliffs. He liked to boast about his diving, and from the way Younghoon could hear you laughing from afar you seemed to be having fun. He stalled for a moment, watching how you were sitting on the pier, your feet dangling in the water. When Kevin pushed himself up with his arms to get onto the pier next to you, you playfully shoved him back, making him go under with a splash. He was laughing when he came back up, and so were you. That was a good thing, right? You were having fun. You already knew the thing with the bet too, so if you liked Kevin in spite of that then who was Younghoon to interfere? Kevin was a good guy anyway, and bet or not he seemed genuinely interested. No, there shouldn’t be any problem.

And yet, Younghoon felt bitter about it, a greedy part of him wishing he could have that laugh all to himself.

“So, can I have your number? In case I need a buddy to go diving with again sometime?” Kevin grinned up at you from the water, brushing back his wet hair. It reminded you of Younghoon, the way he’d run his hand through his hair every few minutes, pushing it out of his forehead just for it to fall right back into place. Maybe you should buy him some bobby pins—probably not. After all, you liked when he did that.

“Is that smile a yes?” Kevin pulled you out of your thoughts.

“Huh? Ah, sorry, left my phone at the bar,” you both knew it was just an excuse, but Kevin didn’t seem particularly offended. He swam over to the pier, resting his arms on the wooden board and propping up his chin.

“What has you so happy then?”

“Nothing much. Just a friend.”

“I can be a friend too,” he replied playfully. 

“Sure, friend,” you easily agreed, ignoring the flirty undertone that defeated the meaning of his words. Friends you could do.

To be honest, your expectations for this summer had been low. You didn't know anyone in this small town aside from your uncle and even though you had a good relationship with him, you could picture better ways to spend the hot season than helping out at his bar. To your surprise though, you were slowly starting to enjoy your time here. When you’d first heard of the bet it hadn’t left the best impression, but seeing them try so hard to impress you was a little cute and despite everything they seemed like sweet, genuine guys. And the fact that you knew about the bet made it pretty fun to watch the spectacle, even more so since you had someone to share mischievous smiles about it with. It felt like you were partners in crime, a secret friendship blooming between the two of you that had no real reason to be secret aside from the thrill of it all. 

You weren’t the fondest of riding the bicycle. In fact, back at home you didn’t even own one. You lived in the next bigger town and you got around just fine using public transport. That seemed unthinkable here though, with two buses running a day—one in the morning and one at night. So, if you didn’t want to walk everywhere, you had to make do with your cousin’s old bicycle that he’d used before he’d moved out for college. It was a little rattly but it was holding up pretty well—or at least that had been the case until today. You weren’t sure what exactly happened, but suddenly the counter pressure when pedaling had disappeared, and you’d almost fallen forward over the bicycle’s handlebars. Now you were standing at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, not even half way back to your uncle’s place with no reception and a chain that was just loosely hanging off the gears. It being night didn’t really help you to feel better about it all. While you knew it was probably safer here than in some street downtown that was bustling with drunk people, it still felt scarier, the tall trees along the road looming over you. Begrudgingly you pushed the bicycle forward, the lamp flickering weakly and barely doing anything to lighten up the path ahead.

In the distance, you heard the sound of an engine approaching, and the thought of coming across someone on this deserted street made your stomach churn with dread. A brief glance behind you told you it was a motorcycle, the headlight almost a little blinding in the darkness. Just before it went past you, you squeezed your eyes shut, hoping it would go by fast. You wanted to let out a relieved breath once it did, but then you heard the motor stopping only a few meters ahead. Your eyes snapped open, panic rushing through your veins as you watched the driver get off. Your grip around the handle bars tightened, making your knuckles turn white. You made a point of not looking at the guy, even when he came closer, but then you heard a familiar voice.

“Y/n? You good?”

You raised your gaze in time to see him take off his helmet. He shook out his black hair before pushing it out of his forehead the way he always did.

“Younghoon.” Relief washed over you.

“Sorry, did I frighten you?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“So, what happened?” He took an examining look at your bicycle. “Chain came off?”

You shrugged helplessly. “Whatever you say.”

He nodded slowly, running his hand through his hair once more. “I can fix that for you.”

“Really?”

“It’s pretty simple. But maybe something for daylight. Let me give you a ride home and we’ll come back for it tomorrow?”

You glanced over to the motorcycle that was waiting a little ahead and then back to Younghoon. Your expression must have been weary because he grinned. “Don’t worry I have a spare helmet. And I’m a safe driver too.”

“I wasn’t doubting you.”

“It’s fine if you were.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Mhm, sure,” he stepped a little closer, putting the helmet on for you and closing the fastener under your chin. Your breath caught when his fingers brushed against your skin, the feeling lingering despite the fleetingness of the touch. “Ready to go?”

You swallowed around the lump in your throat, trying to get a grip of yourself. “Just a—let me just—,” instead of finishing your sentence you just gestured towards your bicycle instead. He huffed a laugh and watched as you pushed it further to the side and leaned it against a tree in safe distance to the road. Once you’d locked it, you turned back around to Younghoon who was still looking at you. 

“Ready,” you croaked.

He smiled, and despite the darkness of the night you could see the small crinkles forming in the corners of his eyes. “Good.” 

You walked the few meters to his bike in silence and you thought there was an odd tension there. Or maybe you were just nervous about the ride, you reasoned with yourself. He got out his spare helmet, pushing his hair out of his forehead once more before putting it on. With ease he swung his leg over the machine before patting the leather of the seat behind him. You got on too, certainly looking a lot less dignified than he did and shuffled back as far as you could to bring some distance between the two of you. Before starting the motor, he looked back at you once more. “Hold on tight.” Unsure what exactly to hold onto, you clung to the edges of the seat, your nails digging into the leather.

He didn’t drive too fast, surely out of consideration for you, but you still couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. When he hit a small bump in the road, you let out a shriek, your arms instinctively letting go of the seat to wrap around his waist instead. You held on tight, the distance you’d made sure of before completely forgotten. Once you’d recovered from the brief shock though, you wondered if this was okay or if you’d overstepped. But Younghoon didn’t say anything about it and you didn’t want to let go again, not when you felt so safe with your arms wrapped around him.

The ride was over way too quickly, and you almost wished you’d given him wrong directions when he stopped in front of your uncle’s house. Chances of him catching on would have probably been high though, considering he was from here while you were just here for the summer.

“Are you sure it’s this one?” Younghoon said, after he’d taken off his helmet, looking at the house questioningly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I just didn’t know you were related to the owner.”

“He’s my uncle,” you explained matter of factly. “But how do you know he lives here?”

Younghoon chuckled. “This is a pretty small town, you know?”

“Right,” you nodded. You took your helmet off too, awkwardly holding it out for him to take. “So, uh, thanks for the ride.”

He tore his gaze away from the house to meet yours. “Was my pleasure.” There was that sweet smile again, making your heart melt. You smacked your lips together, the way you did when applying lipstick—a nervous habit of yours. His gaze flickered to the movement before wandering back up to your eyes. There was something there. He took a small step towards you, just a few inches but it felt like he was suddenly way up in your personal space. You thought he was going to kiss you, but he didn't move. Instead he just kept looking at you with an unreadable expression.

Unable to hold eye contact, you lowered your head, staring at your feet instead. “I should go inside then.”

“Mhm, you should. I’ll pick you up tomorrow? Is around noon good?”

“Pick me up?”

He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. “Your bicycle, remember?”

“Oh, of course. Noon is good. Should I give you my number? Maybe you can text me fifteen minutes or so before you’ll be here tomorrow?”

“Not worried that this is all just part of my scheme to win the bet?” His voice was quiet and yet there was a cockiness to it that made your heart race.

"Shut up." It was a weak comeback, but it put a grin on Younghoon's face. His gaze dropped to your lips once more before coming back up.

"Make me."

Your eyes widened in surprise, caught off guard by the bold implication of his words. You swallowed around the lump in your throat, your whole body was thrumming with nerves. Your gaze flickered to his lips. You inched closer. That's what he'd meant right? You wouldn't be overstepping if you kissed him now, right? You looked up into his eyes, just to be sure that you weren't misunderstanding things. But right when you did, he cupped your jaw with his hand, pulling you in until his lips crashed into yours. 

Kissing him felt so natural, it was as if all your secret smiles and shared grins had naturally led up to this moment. You kissed him until you felt breathless and even then you were reluctant to pull away. When you finally did, he didn't let you go too far, his thumb drawing patterns on your cheek and his eyes taking in every inch of your face.

"I think I should really go now," you eventually broke the silence when you couldn't endure it anymore.

"Okay," he whispered.

"Okay," you repeated. "I'll see you around noon."

Younghoon couldn’t stop himself from smiling on the whole ride home. You'd forgotten to give him your number, but he felt that it didn't really matter anymore. He could just ask you again tomorrow. After all, he'd gotten something way better tonight. He recalled the way your arms had held onto him tightly on the ride and your tousled hair after you’d taken off the helmet. Mostly, he recalled how warm your lips had felt against his. He couldn’t wait to see you again.

The chain was back on in a matter of seconds. Younghoon looked as if he’d done it a zillion times before.

“And you couldn’t have done that last night?” You asked from where you were standing next to him, watching as he wiped his fingers on a cloth. Nothing had happened since he'd picked you up and you'd driven back to your bicycle together. You almost wondered if it was all an odd fever dream and he didn’t actually kiss you.

“I did say it was easy," He admitted simply, "But it’s always better to check everything with proper lighting rather than letting you ride home on a potentially broken bicycle. Can’t risk you getting hurt, can we?" 

It was just common decency but somehow the way he said it, looking up at you with a cheeky grin, made your heart skip a beat and your cheeks flush. You avoided his gaze, your focus falling onto his jaw instead. “You have a little—” you motioned to your own face, trying to mirror where he’d stained his skin with grease just below the jaw line. He tried to wipe it away with the back of his hand, his grin traded for something more innocent. “There?”

The scene captivated you a little too much, thoughts of touching that jaw, of pulling him into a kiss circling your mind. In your daze, it took you a second to snap out of it. “Yeah,” you mumbled, not really paying attention. "There."

Younghoon thoroughly made sure the bicycle was safe to ride and only then started to pack up his tools. You watched as he diligently put them away. 

“How come you know how to do this?” you eventually broke the silence.

“What, putting a chain back on?”

“Yeah.”

“Hm,” he shrugged. “I like fixing things. And it comes in handy too, doesn’t it?” He said the last bit with a smile that you couldn’t help but return.

“Yeah, it does. Thanks again.” 

He got up and dusted off his pants. “It’s nothing. Call me if something happens again.”

“I will.” Your gaze followed him as he walked back to his bike, getting his helmet from where it hung off the handle bars. He didn't put it on just yet, taking a quick glance at the wing mirror first.

“You lied!” He complained in mocked offense, before turning back around to you. He wore a pout, his finger pointing at the grease stain that was still right there below his jaw line.

You giggled. “What can I say, I’m neither upright nor honest.”

Younghoon grinned and walked back over to you, his helmet still in his hand. "Is that so?" He asked as he stepped back into your personal space. You took a tiny step towards him too, closely watching his reaction. That grin was still there. With a racing heart you tugged the cloth out from where he had messily shoved it into his pocket. Then you reached up to his jaw, slowly wiping at the grease stain until it was gone. The whole time, Younghoon was watching you intently, your eyes, your nose your lips—

You lowered your hand when you were done, but he caught your wrist to stop you from going too far.

"Thanks." His voice was barely a whisper. Your eyes flickered to his mouth.

"You're welcome," you replied just as quietly, inching just the tiniest bit closer. You felt his breath on your skin and then his lips on yours, again and again and again.

Things between the two of you felt exciting and new and good—but there was also this looming uncertainty. Younghoon knew what it meant to him. But what about you? What was all this to you? Even though he didn't want to delude himself, he couldn't help hoping that this, that he was special to you. The secret smiles you exchanged started to feel a little different, like there was a little more. And there was: the two of you were texting a lot now that you'd exchanged numbers and you often came down to the beach earlier to hang out with him on the old lighthouse before your shift. You weren’t doing that for the other guys. Your gaze also didn't linger on them the way it did on him, no matter how much they pestered you. And of course you weren't kissing them either. That was, as far as he knew, reserved for him alone. That made it easy to endure when you were laughing and joking around with the guys. Except at times, you'd glance over to him with a cocky grin. Almost as if you wanted to make sure he was watching, as if you wanted to purposely rile him up. It made him want to walk over and kiss you right there in front of them, but you hadn't talked about these things yet and you seemed to enjoy the thrill of hide and seek. So, kissing was only allowed for when you were alone with no one to see.

Consequently he was keeping a low profile, sitting in the sand with some of the others and pretending not to watch from afar how Changmin and Juyeon were leaning on the counter, competing for your attention. Eventually he tore his gaze away to focus on the conversation in front of him instead, which only got interrupted when Jacob remarked that Changmin and Juyeon must have been unsuccessful, as they were coming back down to the beach. You on the other hand were not behind the bar anymore, a small sign indicating that it was closed for now. A feeling of worry started to spread in his guts. Did something happen? Did they make you feel uncomfortable? He knew his friends were good guys and wouldn’t ever intentionally do that, but just because it wasn't their intention didn't mean it couldn’t happen. Maybe it was nothing, but he just needed to make sure you were okay.

Without thinking further he got up from the sand, jogging past Changmin and Juyeon who looked at him in confusion, and up to the bar. You weren't anywhere to be found though, the little door locked and the space behind the counter empty. The other only place he could come up with was the lighthouse, so he made his way there, hurrying up the spiral staircase until he got to you, sitting in the middle of the steps and munching on a sandwich. You looked up at him in surprise as he stood before you, breathing a little heavy, but a smile spreading on his lips. He chuckled. He should have known he was worrying for nothing.

"You're on break?"

"Mhm," you nodded and scooted over a bit, making space for you to sit with him. "What's the hurry for?" 

There was a little sauce on your upper lip. He reached out to wipe it away and you simply let him.

"I don't know, I was wondering if you're fine."

"Why wouldn't I be?'

He shrugged. He didn't know either, after all you'd never been uncomfortable with the boys' advances. Maybe he was the only one who felt that way. 

You leaned in a little closer, bumping your shoulder against his with a cheeky grin. "Or were you maybe jealous?"

With a huffed laugh he met your gaze. "What if I was?"

He thought he saw your cheeks flush when you focused back on your sandwich. "Maybe I'd like that."

It was late, around midnight, and you listened to the sound of the waves as you sat side by side in the sand. The bar was still open, but your uncle had taken on the night shift, giving you the freedom to spend your time out here, away from people. You hear the music and laughter from afar and if you turned around you'd see the colorful string lights too, but you much preferred the view of the ocean in front of you. At least for now.

Younghoon was sitting close to you, his hand just barely touching yours. You wondered if he was cold in his white tee while you were all wrapped up in his cozy hoodie. You inched closer, intertwining your fingers and pulling his hand into your lap. Maybe you could at least keep his arm warm. He turned to look at you with a smile, before running his free hand through his hair.

"The boys would hate this," he said with a chuckle. 

"Would they really?" Your voice sounded more serious than intended. You knew it was just an offhand comment, but it made you wonder if that could be a dealbreaker for him. You knew he treasured his friends.

He considered for a moment. "Only if I'm not serious. They care about you, you know." 

"So, are you? Serious?"

"Yeah." He didn't shy away from your gaze. "I'm serious."

You squeezed his hand in yours and he squeezed right back and even though it was such a small gesture it gave you butterflies. He was serious about you, about this. With flushed cheeks and a smile tugging at your lips, you leaned your head against his shoulder. You sat like that for a while, back to listening to the waves.

"Maybe we should end their bet," you eventually mumbled. "Since they already lost." You could imagine the surprise on their face if you were to tell them.

"Mhm, we should," he rested his head against yours, "but not now. Let's stay here a little longer."

 "Yeah, let's."

"That actually makes so much sense," Eric exclaimed dramatically, after you'd told them a few days later. "How else would you have resisted my charm?" 

Changmin huffed a laugh. "Right, because you're so irresistible."

"Hey–"

"Anyway," Sangyeon interrupted, "that means the bet is off."

Sunwoo looked at him with a raised eyebrow, casually resting his arm on Younghoon's shoulder. "You're only saying that because you've lost. Younghoon is clearly on team beach volleyball. He just joined in on a game the other day."

Eric shook his head and formed an X with his arms. "Nope, no, he clearly said he wasn't joining."

Younghoon rolled his eyes at their antics, wondering if he should say something to make them shut up. But then he met your amused gaze and decided to leave it be. 

"What was the wager anyway?" You asked him quietly. 

Younghoon shrugged as he intertwined his fingers with yours. "I have no idea." 

You giggled. He liked the sound of it and the happy glint in your eyes. He also liked the shimmer of your lip gloss.

no tbz masterlist (edit: nvmnd here it is) but feel free to check out my other works if you liked this or leave a follow to keep up with future works~

[yuriisclumsy]

Inside a Game

Last Chapter | Next Chapter

𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗈𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌 𝗍𝗋𝗎𝗅𝗒. 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 2137

Authors note: I hope you lovelies are ready for the end of ACT I! I made a whole GIF for the chapter... Yeah, not doing that again in a while.

I couldn’t believe what I had seen.

She wasn't supposed to exist, yet…somehow…she was right there.

This wasn’t making any sense. How could a character in a video game be here!?

My mind flashed with a memory, a very important memory I had forgotten that would have answered where I was.

“What do you think [Name], pretty cool right?”

“Amalia, for the last time, I don’t know what you’re showing me.” She gasped, offended that I wasn’t paying attention to her explanation.

“This is the game I was talking to you about! It came out a few months ago, and I think it’s amazing!” She said with a big smile as she switched to another character. “Look! This is Lisa. She’s a librarian!”

I looked at the screen. There stood ‘Lisa’ in the middle of a pack of monsters. She was glittered in purple, and had a witches hat.

“A librarian? Shouldn’t she not know how to fight? You know, because she’s in the library all the time? I pointed out. “And what’s with the witch get-up?” 

“Uh, well, I don’t know much about her background yet, so I couldn't tell you why she fights… As for her being a witch…don’t know that either.”

“*sight* Her name’s Lisa, right? What about this guy?” I pointed at another of her characters that were in her team. I could see that she was ecstatic that I finally got interested.

“Oh, this is Kaeya! He’s one of my supports’!” She shoved the screen in my face. She switched to another character, “This is Jean. My first 5 star character. I love her!”

“I fail to see what’s so entertaining about the game. But, because you are my friend, I’ll listen to your rants.”

“REALLY?!” I covered my left ear.

“Yeah. You’ve listened to mine, so it’s only fair I do the same. Also, don’t scream in my ear.”

“Whoops, sorry,” she gave me the happiest smile I had seen from her for a while.

Amalia used to talk to me about this game whenever she could. It was her favorite. She’d spent an ungodly amount of time “farming” materials to ascend her characters. Talked days on end about the lore of the game, and her insane theories.

How could I have forgotten something like that?

When I snapped out of that state, I was met with another screen. It was showing a quest: A One-Sided Reunion. There was not a single decline, or accept button. The only option was to continue.

Quest:

A One-Sided Reunion

[Continue]

And why do these things keep on appearing in the worst times?! I flapped my arms trying to make the screen despair. Stupid hologram! I just had a traumatic experience, and this is what you do?! AGH!

The screen was still intact after I calmed down. The continue button kept staring at me to press it. I sighed in defeat. There was no other way of leaving this space, I had to press it.

I pressed continue and everything gained motion.

“Hello? Are you alright, dearie?” the woman – that I now know to be Lisa – asked. She placed a hand on my forehead, face filled with worry. I see her appeal now.

I took her hand off of my head, placing back down for her to rest. It feels weird when I know she’s a video game character.

“I’m fine, miss,” I gave her a smile, “I just remembered something important. Sorry I made you worried…”

“Oh, please, don’t apologize. You had to take your time. Are you the one Amber told me about? The girl who has amnesia? Are you remembering some things?”

Calm down [Name]. Just lie. It’s going to hurt no one.

“Yes. I just had a memory come back to me about a friend,” it wasn’t a total lie.

“That’s good.”

“Uh, I’m sorry. Is it possible to check out this book?” I need to leave this place. The fact that I’m talking to a character in a game is making me feel dizzy.

“Yes, I can check them out for you,” she said, walking to the stairs.

Seeing her from afar, her outfit is almost identical to her in-game model. If Amalia were here, she would be all over her. She had a weird fixation with her, just like my mom.

Wait… Is she into older women??? No, can’t be. She said she wanted to marry a rich man. An image of Amalia marrying a wealthy man came into my mind.

“Are you coming?” Lisa called from the stairs.

“Ah, yes!” Leaving the thought alone, I left the seat and ran towards her.

I excited the library as fast as I could when Lisa checked out the book. If I were to stay there for one more second I would have suffocated.

Turns out that meeting characters of a game in real life is not a dream come true.

I don’t understand… I strolled the streets of the city that had welcomed me with open eyes. How did I end up inside a game to begin with? 

I looked at the sky. The colors were muddied because of the dragon, but not that dark; it was cloudy.

Most people are afraid to step outside, leaving the streets feeling lonely. One or two clerks are open, and the few brave souls that didn’t fear a mythological creature, with knights doing routine checks.

If I remember correctly, Amalia explained the game follows a set of ‘Quests’ that advance the story. This city, for example, is the first place ‘players’ spawn in; the first region of Teyvat. According to the book and Amalia, there are seven nations, with seven gods, which we will meet.

From what I know, all the gods use other names when referring to them in the story. So, what is Barbatos' other name?

Amalia said that out of all the gods, she likes this one the most. Damnit! Come on [Name], she used to say his name all the time. Remember! I hit my head with the book to juggle my memory.

“Miss, are you feeling well?”

“AH!” I flung back with my book and hit something. Opening my eyes, I see a knight looking concerned.

Oh how embarrassing…

“S-sorry… I, uhm.. Better get going!” I dashed away, leaving the knight confused.

“Looks like you scared her Raymond,” another night said.

“*sight* I don’t think I’ll understand you youngsters anytime soon,” he eyed my leaving form with a frown.

I breathed in all the air I used for my escape from the knight, with my hands on my knees keeping me up.

“Ahg… I need to stop spacing out,” my heart calmed down to an extent. I found an empty alley when I was running, so that’s where I was.

There were some cradles in the alley, so I used them to rest.

“Ah…a place to rest is what I need…” I passed my forearm to swipe the sweat of my face. I looked at the surrounding area, then to my feet. “...Am I really inside of a game?”

If I really am, I should be familiar with the events that will happen in the future. This was Amalia’s favorite game after all, she didn’t stop talking until I played it. 

“Hmm, what happens at the beginning of the game…?”

“Why did you want me to download this game again…?”

“Because I know a person with your intelligence will appreciate it! Right now, you are playing the prologue of the game,” Amalia explained.

“...What happens in the story?”

“Nu-huh. Spoilers.”

“Amalia, I’ll probably toss this game in the trash bin later. You might as well tell me while I play,” I pressed the ‘W’ key to go to the next quest.

“Fine… The prologue’s main plot is the rescue of Dvalin,” she looked at my PC’s screen from the side, relaxing in my bed.

“Dvalin?” I inquired as I slay another hilichurl.

“Yeah. He’s the big blue dragon you saw in the cut scene.”

“Why are we saving him?”

“Because he got poisoned during a fight 500 years ago that left him vulnerable enough for the Abyss to manipulate him.” 

“Sounds deep.”

“OI, don’t make fun of my baby’s backstory,” she threw one of my pillows at me.

“OW–!”

“Anyway— You are going to help Save Dvalin with Barbatos. By the way, he goes by Venti. No, I’m not explaining why. Play the game and you’ll know.”

It was short, but it could have been worse given the one explaining.

The Traveler saves Dvalin… Isn't that what they’ve been calling Sirius? Wait a second– isn't Sirius the name I picked when I started the game…!?

“AH, concentrate!” I smacked my cheeks.

I played through the prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2,  the rest was told to me by Amalia, since I dropped the game, only playing here and there. I’ve been in this world for a few months, and so far the story has proceeded like the game. If I know the events that will transpire, then I know the future, if I know the future, I can either prevent and change things. And I can save myself from getting into anything dangerous!

Good thing I rejected their invitations to go with them. If I remember, Sirius had gotten sucked up in the air, and fought Stormterror – Dvalin.

“Now that that’s resolved, I need to figure out what kind of powers I have… I’ve been able to see cutscenes… Does that mean I have a system of-sorts?”

It would make sense, given that it’s a game, I need to have a game-system-power.

There must be a main menu somewhere. Or at least something similar to it.

Do I need to say it aloud? I puffed my chest full and closed my eyes at the embarrassing thought. I had to try it if I wanted to get somewhere.

“Main menu..!” I yelled, and I lightly opened my eyes to see if it worked. But there was nothing. “Guess that didn’t work…”

“What are you doing, [Name]?”

“AH!” I flinched and backed away, placing my hand on the cradle for support but missed. “AHHH! Uf!” I screamed as I landed on my side on the floor.

“Wah! Are you okay, [Name]?” The voice loomed over my form.

I looked up, only to be met with Paimon’s worried face.

“Paimon?!” I looked to the side as Sirius came forward, also worried. “What are you two doing here?!” Weren’t they supposed to be off on a domain?

“We just came back from finishing one of the tasks given to us by the knights,” she said. “Wait, don't try to divert the attention from Paimon’s original question! What were you doing just now?”

“Oh, uh… Nothing…?” I scratch my head.

“That sounded more like a question than an answer…” she put her hands on her hip, unsatisfied with my answer.

“Hahaha–ha…” I laughed awkwardly. Did you know there were 15 tiles from the entrance of the alley to where I sat? Neither did I, until now.

“Hey! Are you going to tell us what you were doing or not!?” She stomped her feet in frustration.

I stayed still, without saying a single word.

Sirius patted her back to calm her down. “Let’s leave her alone, Paimon. She has her reasons to stay quiet,” I looked up to see him smiling at me. “Are you hungry? We came looking for you to eat with us.”

“You can’t let her go just like that!”

“Now that you mention it…yeah. I am hungry,” I said, finally feeling the hours from the last time I ate. Had I been stuck in the library that long and didn't notice?

“Hey!”

I stood up from the floor, dusting my wardrobe.

“Is this yours?” Sirius asked as he picked up a book from the ground.

“Ah, yes! It’s not damaged right? Lisa would electrocute me if I let something happen to it…” I shivered at the thought of her using her electro vision.

“You know what? Paimon is leaving and getting that Sweet Madam Amber promised Paimon since you two don’t want to talk to Paimon.” The mad fairy floated away.

I felt bad for Paimon.

“Wait Paimon!” Me and Sirius catch up to her, “I’ll buy you dessert as an apology… Will you accept it?”

Paimon huffed, and flipped her head away from me. “Hmm, Paimon will think about it.”

“Oh, come on! Fine, I’ll buy dessert for three days straight! Is that better?”

“Okay, Paimon accepts!” She gleefully forgave me after the mention of more food.

I sighted and shook my head with a smile. That’s the Paimon I know…

“Can you two hurry up? Amber has been waiting for us for a while,” Sirius pushed us to go faster.

“Ah! My Sweet Madam!”

“Alright, alright I’ll walk faster,” he walked past me and talked to Paimon on what other foods they could order.

He knew I didn't want to talk about the thing they saw, his gaze landed on me when he noticed I was looking. I gave him a small smile, he reciprocated. He is too kind… I’ll tell you once I figure it out, Sirius…

I promise…

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ᘻɑ𝘚Ե୧Ⲅ⧿ℓἱ𝘚Ե

[joesburrows]

𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗦 — 𝗝. 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 / 𝗦. 𝗛𝘂𝗯𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗱

SUMMARY: You and Joe have been best friends since you were kids and when he decides to set you up with Sam one day, jealousy ensues.

PAIRING: Joe Burrow x Reader, Sam Hubbard x Reader

WARNINGS: Smut (18+, minors DNI), lots of swearing, slight choking, unprotected sex, drunk reader, drunk Joe and Sam

WORD COUNT: 5.6k

A/N: The picture that inspired this entire fic. I had started to get a little sloppy towards the end with my writing because I was trying to wrap it up as quick as I could but I hope you all enjoy!

------

For as long as time could allow you to remember, you and Joe were inseparable. The two of you became best friends because your parents were friends with his, so naturally, you were in each other’s lives from the moment you could both walk and talk.

And throughout the years of growing up together, Joe became your rock. There wasn’t anything you two didn’t do together. Went to the same elementary school, middle school, high school, and eventually college. You refused to leave his side, even when he ended up transferring to LSU. That’s how close you were with each other; nothing could separate you two or the magical bond you shared with Joe.

Or so, you thought.

You weren’t ever really interested in Joe because he wasn’t exactly your type. You didn’t even think he was that attractive. Shallow of me, you thought. But it was just the truth. He was always the center of attention and you just… Weren’t. You hated attention, matter of fact. But it was something about him taking his first steps into the NFL that had you questioning the way you felt about him. It was like he’d done a complete three sixty from the last time you’d seen him. Somehow, he looked way prettier and it was obvious that was beginning to take good care of himself. You wondered why you had cared so much now about how attractive he was. Maybe you were just proud of him. Or maybe there were some underlying feelings there. You didn’t know but chose to ignore them and bury them for as long as you could.

However, if Joe wanted to be the franchise quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, then he needed to keep up his appearance, right? And that’s exactly what he did. In his third season in the NFL, you could see the way his confidence had skyrocketed since his rookie season. It warmed your heart, but it also had you feeling neglected by your best friend and you told him as much. You didn’t even realize why you were craving his attention so bad; it didn’t seem like anything uncouth to be feeling that way. He was your best friend, after all. But Joe was practically a star now, and all you could do was sit back and watch, admiring from afar.

But what was Joe’s solution to you feeling neglected by him?

“You need to get laid or something.”

Appalled and taken aback, you swatted at his arm for even considering you needed to get laid to stop feeling neglected by him.

“What? It’s true. Getting laid makes everyone feel better. Plus, I know someone on the team who’s dying to get some action of their own,” Joe insisted.

You rolled your eyes dramatically and picked at your chipped nail polish. Here we go again, you thought. Joe had spent an ungodly amount of time trying to set you up with players on the team since 2020, but you always refused. Why? You didn’t really have a good enough reason, but you’d lie your way out of it every single time. It just wasn’t something you were interested in.

“For the millionth time, stop trying to set me up with the guys. I’m not interested.”

“Are you a lesbian?” Joe deadpanned as he placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands, staring at you stoically. The fact that he was so damn serious had you nearly bursting into a fit of laughter. “You know, because if you are, that’s really badass. I’d be so happy for you. I’d be the ultimate wingman—“

“What? No, I’m not a lesbian! Jesus, Burrow,” you quickly interjected.

“Then, what’s the real reason you keep turning down everyone I try to set you up with?”

You suddenly froze, not expecting the question. You didn’t want to be honest and tell him the real reason, so you’d have to come up with another lame excuse that you knew he’d just roll his eyes at. You had to protect yourself and your heart.

“Because, Joe. Why can’t you just live with the fact that I’m not interested? Why is that not enough for you?”

As per usual, Joe rolled his eyes, but leaned in closer to where you were sitting across from him. “Because I heard from a little birdie that Sam is single again.”

You had suddenly perked up at the mention of Sam being single. He was everything a girl could want in a man. Big, tall and literally sculpted by Greek gods. Literally everything that Joe wasn’t. You had once taken an interest in him a while back but didn’t know he was in a relationship at the time, so you backed off and left him alone. He was the one player on the team that you wouldn’t have minded being set up with.

And now, you were about to get your wish. But if Joe would’ve known it was about to be the biggest mistake of his life, then he would’ve stopped it from happening before it did.

—

By the end of the regular season, you and Sam had established a friends with benefits situation because you weren’t really interested in a relationship. Everything worked out perfectly because Sam wasn’t interested in one either. It was almost too perfect.

You didn’t like showing affection in front of anyone whenever you were around Sam, but something about the Bengals winning the AFC North Division tonight—and perhaps the onslaught of drinks you downed earlier—were enough to have you all over him. The two of you had found a secluded area in the locker room, away from the hustle and bustle of the boys smoking their cigars and dancing along to the music they had blaring over the speakers. You leaned up on your tippy toes and hooked your arms around Sam’s neck as he leaned against the wall behind him, going in for a sloppy kiss. You felt his strong, calloused hands grip your ass and pull you into him more. You could feel the prominent bulge against your thigh, and you moaned into the kiss to let him know.

“I’m gonna fuck you so good tonight, baby,” Sam said, pulling away from the kiss. “Promise?” You grinned, leaning in for another kiss that left you damn near paralyzed.

On the other hand, Joe knew you and Sam were messing around, but he never saw it because you kept it so well hidden from everyone. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to see the two of you messing around. The whole reason Joe had even tried to set you up with guys on the team was so that he could avoid his feelings for you. It was the ultimate cop out and it was foolproof. There was no way in hell Joe could ever confess his feelings for you. There was too much on the line and he didn’t want to ruin the incredible friendship the two of you shared. That was more important to him than taking the risk.

Joe had just finished taking pictures with some of his teammates and began to head for the showers when he happened to run into you and Sam making out against the wall. He stopped dead in his tracks and could feel a pang of jealousy wash over him. He wanted to look away but couldn’t bring himself to do so at the same time. He wanted to be in Sam’s position so fucking bad, but he was a coward and would continue to be for as long as time would allow.

For some odd reason, you felt like someone was watching you and Sam, so you had to pull away from him and find out for yourself. You looked to your right, but no one was there. Then you looked to the left of you to find your best friend standing there; confirming your earlier thoughts of feeling like you were being watched. You didn’t know what to say or even make of the situation. Words were caught in your throat and all you could do was stare at Joe with an apologetic look on your face.

Nothing was said between either of you. Nothing really needed to be said because the looks in both of your eyes spoke louder than words could. Joe got the hint and began to turn back around and walk away, but you had other plans. “Joe, wait—”

You had started to pull away from Sam, but he noticed what was going on and stopped you from doing anything else. “Hold on, let me go after him.”

“I’m not sure if you going after him is the best thing for this situation right now.”

“I got it, trust me. I’ll be right back.”

You sighed in defeat and watched while Sam followed Joe to wherever he was going. As much as you wanted to fix whatever the hell just happened between you and Joe, Sam may have had the upper hand more than you did. They could talk about things more level-headed than you and Joe probably could.

“Joe, man, if you don’t want me to see her anymore, I can stop. Plain and simple. I can see the way you look at her; she clearly means a lot to you. More than you probably let on,” Sam said once he finally caught up to Joe.

Joe picked up another cigar once he returned to his locker space and searched around for the lighter that he had misplaced until he saw it laying on top of a nearby table. “Honestly, Sam. I don’t really care what you do with her. I was the one that practically set this whole thing up.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean you can’t feel some type of way about it.”

“I don’t feel any type of way about it. Y/N can do whatever the hell she wants.

“So, you mean to tell me you wouldn’t care if I asked her out officially?”

No, I don’t fucking want that. That is the absolute last thing that I want, Joe thought to himself. But being the coward Joe was, he wasn’t going to say it out loud. He and Sam have had a really great friendship for years and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin anything between them, as well. It was such a messy and complicated situation and neither men could really make any sense of it.

“Alright, thanks for giving me the answer I needed.” And with that, Sam left Joe to make his way back to you. But you were nowhere to be found. You had to get out of that locker room because you felt like you were suffocating. Like the whole thing was your fault that things were now incredibly tense and weird between the three of you.

Later on that night, both Joe and Sam had invited you out to a club in Downtown Cincinnati to celebrate winning the division. You wanted to stay at home and sleep for the rest of the day, but you also wanted to get drunk and forget about what happened earlier in the day. And the more you thought on it, the more you felt like it would be a good idea to let loose a little bit.

You wanted to look hot and irresistible tonight, so you decided to slip on a bright red corset, paired with a black mini skirt, black chunky boots to match, and a Swarovski crystal handbag that Joe had gifted you for your birthday a few years back. You knew Sam wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off of you, but you also feared for Joe’s reaction to your outfit choice. It was like you purposely wanted to see if he would hold back on his feelings after what happened earlier.

 —

You were on your fourth or fifth drink of the night… You think? Honestly, you couldn’t tell or even remember, but that didn’t matter when you had Sam’s hands all over you as you swayed along to the heavy thumping of the music. You were sipping on a gin and tonic and out of the corner of your eye, you could see Joe sitting and talking to some of his teammates in the VIP section of the club that the team had rented out for the night. You wanted him to see you so bad; you wanted to see that fire in his eyes, the jealousy that you saw take over when he caught you and Sam together in the locker room. And for a second, you swore you did when you finally locked eyes with him. Your breath got caught in your throat and you could feel the heat pooling between your legs as he looked at you like he owned you, possessed you. It was a look he’d never given you before and you couldn’t deny wanting to see it again the more he stared at you. You could even see him visibly gripping onto the glass in his hand like he was pissed at you for doing what you were doing. Instead of walking over to him, though, you downed the last bit of alcohol left in your glass and set it down somewhere before turning around in Sam’s arms. Standing on your tippy toes, you whispered in his ear, “Any place we can find some privacy here? I feel like I’m being watched.”

You couldn’t hide the smirk on your face after you had spoken the last several words, knowing well enough that if Joe had heard you, even over the loud ass music, it would’ve set him off.

Sam’s grin matched your own he took your hand, leading you through the sea of people around you, but you also made sure to never tear your gaze away from Joe’s as you followed Sam to wherever he was taking you. But as you were being pulled in one direction, you could see Joe stand up and began to make his way over to you, nearly causing you to collide against Sam from behind because you weren’t paying attention to where you were going. “Ow, sorry,” you muttered as you rubbed your forehead where you had run right into nothing but tense muscle.

“I’m gonna go see what Joe wants if you’re cool with it?”

“Of course. I’ll meet you in that private VIP room. Just don’t keep me waiting too long.”

Right before Sam left, he playfully smacked your ass and threw a wink at you before disappearing into the darkness. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” you giggled and winked back at him.

“What do you want—” You started, but Joe cut you off when he finally came up to you, saying nothing and instead grabbing you by the hips, directing you to the nearest wall in the club until your back collided harshly with the surface. You let out a gasp from the suddenness and the pool between your thighs had started to make itself more prominent than before. You had never seen Joe act this way around you, more or less fucking manhandle you. Best friends weren’t supposed to act this way around each other. It was forbidden. But it felt like he was crossing the godforsaken line so many people refused to cross. And you couldn’t deny wanting him anymore.

“Stop looking at me like that, Y/N,” Joe leaned in and whispered into your ear breathlessly.

“Looking at you like what, Burrow? I’m not even doing anything,” you challenged.

“Looking at me like you want me to fuck you while you’re all over Sam.”

Oh, fucking hell. What was the point in holding back now? The two of you stared at each other for an entire minute, your breathing labored due to your arousal. You couldn’t stand it anymore. You literally threw yourself at Joe, crashing your lips against his for the first time ever. He quickly responded and threw every ounce of his being into the kiss; unable to keep his hands off of you now that he had you right where he wanted you after all these years. Finally.

When you pulled away from each other, no words needed to be spoken. You knew you needed each other and you needed it now. You took Joe’s hand and led him in the direction of the private VIP room where you knew Sam was waiting for you. And no, you hadn’t forgotten about him or kept him waiting, but you had an idea in mind that you’d been dreaming about from the moment Joe caught you making out with him earlier in the day. You were hell bent on having your cake and eating it, too.

You pushed your way through the door of the private VIP room, only to find Sam right where he said he would be, sitting on the plush sofa and looking through his phone. Though the door opening caught his attention and he quickly put his phone away but was confused to see you walking through the door with Joe inches behind you. Sam had begun to speak, but you raised an index finger to get him to stop before he could.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” you began, licking over your lips, “You’re both going to fuck me and by the end of the night, I don’t want to have the ability to walk. Got it?” The confidence in your voice came from all the times you spent being the boss of your own company and it had certainly paid off in more ways than one in this moment.

“Y/N, what the hell—” Joe said, but you cut him off.

“Shut up and go sit down next to Sam.”

Perplexed, Joe stared at you for what felt like centuries before he eventually decided to listen to your command and sat down right beside Sam like you told him to. But truthfully, you didn’t even know where to start. There was so much man to go around and it didn’t help that Joe and Sam were built very differently. They were both tall and around the same height. But Joe was leaner, while Sam was beefier. And you couldn’t stop your mouth from watering at the sight in front of you. You were hungry; you were the predator and they were your prey.

You had eventually decided on making your first move on Joe. You knew what sex with Sam was like because you’d been fucking around since the beginning of the season, so you wanted to start with something new. You could see Joe shift uncomfortably in place when you made your way to him, climbing onto him and straddling him with ease. Like it was something you had done before. You cupped his face in your hands and your lips met his for a fiery kiss that left you feeling over the moon. You never knew kissing Joe was something you needed, something you craved, until now. And Joe didn’t hold back either. He kissed you with the same amount of passion and it was clearly pent up from keeping his feelings hidden since the two of you could practically talk as kids. And you had gotten so lost in the kiss that you nearly forgot Sam was sitting right next to you, uncomfortably having to watch what you were doing with Joe.

Instead of ignoring Sam while you paid attention to Joe, you reached over and deftly unbuttoned his pants, wasting no time at all in slipping your hand past his boxers so you could firmly grip his cock. You could hear a faint groan coming from beside you and that caused Joe to pull away to inspect what was going on. He saw the way your hand worked its way up and down Sam’s shaft and even with bloodshot eyes, you could still see the intensity in his orbs. He didn’t want you anywhere near anyone else besides him now that he finally has you where he wants you. However, he knew that if he said anything, that it would start a fight and that was the last thing he wanted right now. He’d let you have your way for the night with both him and Sam, but it was the first and last time it was going to happen.

You saw the way Joe reacted to you paying attention to Sam while you were giving him attention, so it sparked an idea in your head. An idea that would likely have him begging for you, which is something you never thought you could see yourself wanting. But now that you practically had him in the palm of your hand, you wanted it more than anything in the world.

You climbed off of Joe and subtlety made your way to your knees in-between Sam’s thick thighs, your fingers making quick work of pulling his pants and boxers down and off in a matter of seconds. Your mouth watered at the sight of his cock that was ready and hard for you and you couldn’t resist leaning forward to close your mouth around the tip, earning a groan from the beautiful man sitting on the couch above you. You didn’t have to even look up to know that Joe was uncomfortable in more ways than one. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see him shift a few times and when you finally looked up, he was looking away from you. Pulling your mouth away from Sam, you huffed in annoyance and snapped your fingers to get his attention. “Eyes on me, Joey. Watch me while I suck your friend’s dick. Look at everything you could’ve had if you would’ve just told me you had feelings for me.”

“Y/N,” Joe growled, his voice strained.

“Shut up and fucking watch me,” you demanded. Without saying another word, you leaned back in and your tongue scooped up the pre-cum on the tip of Sam’s cock and you moaned in satisfaction once it slid down your throat. Finally, you could see Joe watching you with an uncomfortable stare as you took Sam’s length all the way back into your throat. Normally, you’d be looking up to Sam to gauge his reaction, but all you could do was lock eyes with Joe as you bobbed your head. Up and down, back and forth. Joe was squirming under your stare and you noticed the way his jeans grew tighter with every bob of your head.

Meanwhile, Sam really could’ve cared less that Joe was being ordered around to watch while you gave him a blowjob. In fact, he had his hands in your hair, his head was tilted back and he was letting out moan after pretty moan. And it was music to your fucking ears.

“Y/N, please,” Joe begged. You grinned around Sam’s cock and pulled your mouth off of him once you finally got what you wanted out of Joe. The fact that it didn’t even take long to have him begging for you is what drove you wild. With the back of your hand, you wiped the spit off the corner of your mouth and you braced yourself on Sam’s knees to help in getting up off the floor. “Did it turn you on watching me suck off your friend?”

All you got in response from Joe was a roll of his eyes, but you glared at him and he was once again squirming. “Yes. Fuck, Y/N. Yes, it turned me on.”

Smirking at Joe’s admission, you ignored him and decided to climb up onto Sam and straddle his waist like you’d done to Joe earlier. You bunched up your skirt around your waist and slipped your panties down your long legs, blindly tossing them somewhere over to Joe. You could hear the way Joe sucked in a breath as his fingers touched the material delicately; like he was afraid that having your panties in his hands was some fever dream. Joe rolled them up into a ball and stuffed them inside one of his pockets. He wasn’t giving those back to you. Not a chance in hell when you were making him suffer right now.

You rolled your eyes at the action and took Sam’s hard cock in your hand, giving it a few strokes before you lifted yourself just enough to allow the tip to penetrate your entrance. You let out a satisfied sigh and eventually slid all the way down until he was completely nestled inside of you. “Fuck,” you both groaned in unison upon the contact.

You quickly found a rhythm that you liked, bouncing up and down on Sam’s cock like it was the only thing you knew how to do. You always loved the way you could feel so full of him and yet, not full enough of him at the same time. You always wanted more, craved more. Sam was a goddamn man in every sense of the word and he had you damn near paralyzed with every stroke of his cock inside of you. You became so engrossed in the way you rode Sam’s cock and the way he felt that you completely forgot about Joe sitting there right beside the two of you, watching you fuck Sam.

“Stroke your cock while you watch me ride Sam’s cock,” you ordered him around again, “And I want the two of you to kiss while you do it.” It was a lot to ask of both of them, but you honestly just wanted to see if they would actually do it. Sam was a little more willing to do things out of his comfort zone, meanwhile Joe typically kept to himself and didn’t like taking risks. You could see the way Joe froze when you insisted on them kissing. Like it was something that was forbidden. He clenched his jaw as he watched your every move on top of Sam; and the more he watched, the more pissed off he became. He wanted his way with you more than anything in the world and he knew that if he wanted to fuck you eventually, he had to abide by your demands.

Sam turned to Joe, licking his lips. “Come on, man. Just let her have her fun. It’ll be forgotten about tomorrow.” And that’s exactly what he did. In one quick motion, Joe’s boxers and jeans were around his ankles and he took his cock in one of his hands right at the same time he felt a strong, muscular hand wrap around his neck, drawing him in close enough so their lips could connect. You let out some kind of animalistic sound at the sight of two of the hottest men you had the pleasure of knowing kissing right in front of you. It egged you on, encouraged you to want to work yourself on Sam’s cock even better than you had already been doing. “Holy shit,” you moaned and threw your head back in pure ecstasy.

Meanwhile, Joe was working his hand along his cock at a generous pace as Sam’s mouth possessively claimed his own, pre-cum leaking out of the tip and eventually dripping down onto his hand. But it didn’t bother Joe. He was drunk and wouldn’t even remember this in the morning. All he cared about was finally being with you. Even if it wasn’t in the way that he had wanted or pictured it.

“That’s so fucking hot. God, I want you inside of me so bad, Joey,” you breathed, working yourself to an eventual climax after the way you had continuously bounced on Sam’s cock. It took over your entire body and like always, you were trembling with pleasure. But you didn’t want it to end there. Oh, no, you had plenty more in store for the two men that sat in front of you.

After your high subsided, you climbed off of Sam and stood in front of both of them as if nothing had just happened which prompted the two men to break away from each other; wondering what you had up your sleeve next. “Joe, I’m going to get on all fours on the couch and I want you to fuck me from behind. Sam, I want your dick in my mouth while he fucks me. Sounds easy enough, right?”

Out of nowhere, Joe had built up some newfound confidence and he pushed himself up from the couch, making his way to you where he stood behind you, pulled your arms behind your back and roughly guided you to the couch. He bent you over the arm rest and rested his hands on your ass, gripping and squeezing as he pleased. He groaned at the way you felt underneath his longer fingers, desperate to feel more of you, to feel your tight walls clenching around him as he fucked you. The suddenness of his actions and the way he was manhandling you had you a complete and utter mess for him. It was funny how you could slip out of the dominant role so easily and hand it over to him when you had never been in the position with him before. But you liked it, loved it even. And you wanted to experience more of it. Especially when you were sober.

Without you expecting it, Joe withdrew his hand and he swiped it through the air; his palm coming down onto your bare ass and leaving behind a red indentation in the form of his handprint. You moaned, nearly on the edge and wanting to cum again from the unexpected action. You had no idea was so possessive in bed.

“Fuck, Joe. Please, I need you inside of me.”

“Sorry, what was that? I couldn’t hear you.”

You groaned, loudly, and pushed your ass back up against him in hopes it would bring some sort of relief to the warmth between your thighs. It was no use, though, because Joe noticed and spanked you again for even trying. “I need you inside of me, Joe. Fuck… Please give it to me.” Whimpering, you looked up at Sam with a look in your eyes that begged for his cock in your mouth. Sam took the hint and got up from the couch, instead deciding to kneel on the surface of the couch and wasting no time in directing his cock right back into your mouth. “Baby, fuck…” Sam groaned and leaned his head back, enjoying the way your mouth felt around him.

A sense of jealousy came over Joe again and he couldn’t wait anymore to be inside of you. He needed it just as bad as you did. Without giving you any warning, Joe plunged himself deep inside of you and you moaned around Sam’s cock from the feeling of finally being full of him. After years of pent up sexual tension and frustration that you didn’t even realize was there, his cock was finally claiming you. Finally. And it was just as you imagined it would be; perfect in every sense of the word.

You tried to focus on sucking Sam off as best as you could but it was becoming difficult to do anything else except allow yourself to fully immerse into the way Joe was fucking you. Sam noticed your lack of movement and began to fuck your mouth, driving in and out of you in a way you thought wasn’t humanely possible. And at the same time, Joe was fucking you dizzy; you didn’t know left from right, where you were at, how late it was. All you knew was that you wanted Joe to make you cum over and over again until you physically couldn’t anymore.

You couldn’t handle all of it. Sam’s dick in your mouth—practically choking you and Joe—fucking you like he was never going to be able to do so again. Considering you two crossed the line, you weren’t sure how things were going to be afterwards. If the sex would strengthen your bond or if you two just simultaneously ruined everything.

You lifted a weak hand up to Sam, desperately tapping his thigh to let him know that you needed air and to warn Joe of your impending climax. Sam nodded in your direction and he quickly pulled his cock out of your mouth, but that wasn’t about to stop you from coaxing him into his own climax. You wrapped your delicate hand around his length, pumping him profusely while you barely found it in you to finally warn Joe. “Fuck, Joey! I’m gonna cum. Please give it to me.”

Right on cue, your second climax of the night hit you like a freight train and you could sense Joe following right in your footsteps. “Fuck, Y/N. You feel so good,” he said as he unraveled, releasing every bit of his seed in you that he could. Moments later, Sam was also following, leaning forward to let go in your mouth. He had almost let go all over your face, but you were lucky to scoot forward a little bit before it could happen.

Joe pulled out of you slowly and when he did, you were so fucked out that you fell face first into the couch and you let out a groan from your now uncomfortable position. You didn’t want to move or get up. You could stay right there for all you cared. “Y/N, are you okay?” Sam asked, purely concerned as he reached for his clothes to dress himself again.

“I’m fine. Just leave me here to die,” you mumbled against the fabric of the couch.

Joe and Sam looked at each other silently for a brief second, then laughed in unison and you swore in that moment, you’d never felt more accomplished in your life for managing to snag some of the hottest men on the Cincinnati Bengals in one night and at the same time.

[babyyweebbitch]

Price and his two children

price is a father confirmed by me

content warning : female reader ,

you, John and Kyle all had a few weeks off, those days were spent by going out places and you and Kyle staying up late playing games or watching movies. John has adopted you when you were 16, he found you after your father killed your mother, brothers and himself and ever since you guys have been together. you joined the military with him not too long after and you three have been inseparable (besides on missions)

you are also pretty silent… you don’t talk to anyone but John, Kyle, alex and farah. you’re usually sticking by one of them on missions, mainly John because yaknow — he saved you.

one morning John woke up did his usual routine of making tea, breakfast and sitting outside for an ungodly amount of time smoking a cigar and either reading the paper, watching news on his phone or a crossword puzzle (i have a headcannon that he acts way older than he actually is)

he realised he hasn’t seen you or kyle at all since he woke up so he decided to go check and see if you two were still alive. he got up and went to Kyles room first, nothing so he went to yours and he was met by you and Kyle passed out on the floor with game controls by your heads, the tv still on and cups of beverages. he sighed to himself since he knew you both were up playing games again

“these two…” he said to himself — he did the classic take his phone out and take pictures of this moment “at least they aren’t dead — at least they aren’t dead….” he whispered to himself before he closed the door as quietly as he could before going to go back to whatever he was doing before.

after a few hours of john doing whatever it is he does in the morning you and Kyle finally got up and went to the living room like usual. john was watching television when you sat next to him and kyle went to get some tea.

“finally you two are awake — what time did you go to sleep last night?” he asked, giving you a few back pats and then a hair ruffle

“uhhh….” you said

“about five…. in the morning —“

“five in the morning?! really?”

“we didn’t realize it until it was five….”

john shook his head and you poked him on the cheek, forehead and nose over and over again until he grabbed your hand and stopped you from poking again.

“we have to go back to work in two days so i hope you fix your sleep schedules”

“we will…. well, i will — i don’t know about Kyle”

“we don’t even have one. we sleep whenever we aren’t in fear of dying. which is rarely”

“i was never able to sleep before i met you guys so i’ll be fine”

john chuckled before he got up, you fell on the couch full face plant on the couch and you looked at him all offended. john laughed at this and helped you up

“sorry”

“i’m gonna go to the shop, i wanna get a new chair because someone” glaring at kyle “broke my old one”

“you pushed me, asshole!”

“there was a bed RIGHT next to the chair, you could have changed your direction!”

“the bed was 10 feet from the chair”

“LEAP!”

“okay okay — i’ll go with you, kyle you’re gonna pay though”

“why?!”

“he who breaks the chair, pays” you said, holding your head high and speaking in a viking accent. you walked over to him and hip bumped him. kyle jokingly punched you, you then got him in a headlock and then the mini wrestling match in the kitchen started.

“guys! you’re gonna break something”

you got up and you went to hide behind the counter. you knew you had won this fight and you also knew kyle didn’t like losing so he got up and started chasing you around the living room.

john who was getting more tea watched this and it made him feel like you both were his kids… even though you’re not blood related. part of him wish’s that you guyes where never in the military so life could be like this all the time — you were actually happy for the first time in a long time. john just stood and watched you both play around and then he went to his room to get ready

“okay! okay! i’m sorry!” you yelled and laughed, Kyle let you go and you stared rolling away. kyle sat down and caught his breath “that you’re a bitch!” you immediately got back up and ran to your room and kyle chased you but you had shut your door in time

“okay! fine, you win this time”

“pussy!”

kyle laughed and went to get ready to go out with you and John. after you all were ready you and Kyle sat in the living room. you were texting Soap while he was out on a mission. John came out his room and he went to grab the keys from the kitchen

“you two ready?”

“i am, dunno about him” you pointed to Kyle who was sleeping, you grabbed one of the pillows and threw it at him pretty fast and hard too. the noise it made when it hit sounded like a bullet. kyle jumped up and rubbed his face before seeing you with the biggest smile on your face

“good throw but damn…”

“i learn from the best”

“thank you!”

“i was talking about alex”

“WOW!”

“ouch, okay i see how it is”

the three of you laughed before heading out to go to the shop, you got your chair and a few groceries for the house. once you guys out out the store and were walking back you were holding a new bags while Kyle was holding your chair in his shoulder

“why did you have to get the most expensive chair!” kyle grunted as he walked beside you

“so you won’t break it this time”

“fuck you”

“love you too”

again…. John wish’s every day could be like this — you and Gaz have made his life a bit brighter since you all met — he wouldn’t trade it for the world

[bunnys-babies]

What They Bring to a Picnic

BNHA x reader

warning(s): none! <3 not edited

a/n: tyyyy @kirixfilms for the ideaaaa :)) <333 big hugs! my thoughts on what they’d bring to a picnic date :) and what a perfect way to send the summer season on its way!

characters: izuku, shoto, iida, kirishima, ochaco, bakugou, denki, sero, & mina

Izuku

Homemade Pinwheels

He spent an ungodly amount of hours on pinterest trying to find the perfect treat to bring just to land on pinwheels. He had a slap from reality when he really tried to imagine himself cooking some dish that had at least 6 hours prep time - he’s sweet and devoted but he’s also realistic. So what better than a light but filling meal than pinwheels!!

He was so proud of himself it was adorable. He opens the tray with a big smile and a little “ta-da!” He gets even giddier when you take a bite and send him a little thumbs up and hum, telling him it’s “so good!” with your mouth still full. Yeah yeah you just made his week

Shoto

Water & Homemade fruit & bread cakes

His first thought was definitely keeping the both of you hydrated and he almost settled on just bringing water - until he thought about it a little more and realized hm, maybe he should contribute with something else, too.

And then he remembered those cute little easy to make cakes you sent him on TikTok a while back and it was like a lightbulb went off in his head :) you really should’ve seen him all focused with his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to evenly spread the whipped cream and cut the bread just right. Not only that, but huffing and puffing while cutting the fruit as he debated with himself how big the slices should be. He even made the strawberries line up like little hearts under the bread even if you couldn’t see it, he was particularly proud of that.

Iida

Those mini sandwiches with no crust

He’s SO so proud of himself as he sets them out for you two to share; even periodically taking glances at you as you take your first few bites, smiling to himself proudly when you hum and smile. He even still asks you,

“Do you enjoy them? I made sure to be careful cutting the crust!”

As if your joy wasn’t obvious enough.

He even made a few different kinds! That way you had your options with flavors - he knows your favorite, but maybe you wanted to try something new!

Overall a very considerate gentleman :-)

Kirishima

Your favorite drinks & egg salad sandwiches

He tries to keep it light but yummy for his contribution to lunch, but just in case you don’t like them (cause he forgot to ask rip) he’s made sure to bring your favorite drinks so you’ll be happy somehow.

He cuts them into diagonals (after trying and failing to cut them into heart shapes of course - which he made sure to tell you about) and thinks it’s so chic and cute and is very proud of himself for the fact (what a sweetie).

Please give him a kiss on the cheek and tell him thank you, he’ll be wearing he biggest brightest smile the rest of the week about it

Ochaco

Homemade Rice Krispies & Melon Kebobs

Picnic dates have always been a must for her, they’re fun and cute so she already knew what she was gonna make - something tasty and simple!!

She made sure she whipped out the scooper and made the sweetest melon kebobs with honeydew, cantaloupe, & watermelon! And of course she made to make those extra sweet Rice Krispies :3

She was so excited to show you what she made and see what you made in return, too. She was adamant on feeding each other the first bites of what the other made, and she made the cutest face and gave you the biggest smile with her mouth full when you fed her that first bite of what you brought :,,(((. She also loved the way your lips tasted so sweet when she gave you little pecks after having the Rice Krispies

She’s decided she’ll have to make those for you more often <333

Bakugou

Charcuterie Board

As soon as you mentioned you wanted to go on a picnic date he understood the assignment. You had been nonstop talking about charcuterie boards and how bad you wanted to try one and then you mention a picnic date? Yeah you aren’t slick he knows what you’re throwing down.

He shows up all straight faced and whips everything out while you’re just gaping at him like, wow? And he just rolls his eyes like it’s nothing and crosses his arms, saying you better enjoy it and he doesn’t want to see a single scrap when this date is over cause he put a lot of work into this damn thing.

You guys definitely walk home with tummy aches from how full you are, but happy tummy aches <3

Denki

Pop rocks & Shrimp Chips

Listen, he believes in convenience when it comes to a picnic. He doesn’t plan on going all out cause he knows he’s just gonna want to snack and then either cuddle or explore! So of course he packs his fav snacks he can take on the go!

He does feel a little sheepish when he realizes you packed lunches for the two of you, and all he brought was candy and chips. But after you give him a kiss on the cheek and tell him to get over himself

Sero

Charcuterie Board

ANOTHER one here, he’s seen the tiktoks and Pinterest pics, he knows what you really want. Besides, he would love to show up with something fancy like a charcuterie board layout and impress you. And so he does exactly that.

You stroll up with your water and other various treats in your bag and walk upon him sprawled out next to that?? You’re a little bashful at first comparing what you brought in your own bag, but he assures you it’s cause he wanted to make you feel special and you feel a little bit better.

He tries feeding you some cheese on a cracker, but some of the spread drips onto your shirt and he laughs, so he’s off feeding duty from now on.

Mina

Assorted Fruit

Girlie busts OUT with the seasonal fruit collection.

She skips up to you and pulls it all out of her bag, pre cut in nice Tupperware’s and it’s so fresh. She even made some chocolate strawberries as a cute little side!

She’s all about being cute and feeding you fruit and giving you a smooch after, humming when she tastes the sweet left over remnants of fruit on your lips. She’s also all about taking the cutest pictures of you guys together and posting them everywhere - she has one of you with fruit juice dripping down your chin as her lock screen cause she’s obsessed <3

—————

taglist: @kirixfilms - I hope ur feeling better with school and all that! (psps let me know if you’d like to be added!)

[deadpoetsmuses]

"inspiration". | neil perry, dps.

in which a summer is spent with the poets, with a significant feature of neil perry.

✧ title: "inspiration".

✧ pairing: neil perry x fem!reader.

✧ genre: fluff, with slight mentions of angst.

✧ word count: 2,733.

✧ warnings: written in headcanon format, home life mentions, the reader lives in meeks' grandma's house, knox being a simp for chris.

✦ author’s note: requested by @mybabysweetascanbe! it's kinda funky how i wrote this as a headcanon but it still ended up being my longest fic lmao. also i wrote the poem that neil made for the reader myself so i'm sorry if it's kinda cheesy 🗿 but i hope you all enjoy this one !! don't forget to take care of yourselves guys <3

✎ The summer holidays had always been a time for the poets’ relief.

✎ Their academic year was constantly filled with difficulties for the poets, but it was harder for some when they were home for the summer.

✎ Neil felt as though he couldn’t be himself-- he loved reading and writing even more so than he did with accomplishing any of his parents’ wishes, like heading into medical school. He especially loved to act, and it was rough to keep that concealed around his dictatorial father.

✎ Todd’s older brother would be at home as well, and it was worse enough being in his shadow; but it had gotten worse with every one of his parents’ daily proclamations.

“We were quite disappointed with your grades from last semester, son,” His father reprimanded, looking down on him with stern eyes. “I just don’t understand what’s gotten into you. Your mother and I raised you quite well and you have your brother to guide you along. You know that he’s remarkably intelligent and well accomplished. Why can’t you be more like your brother?”

✎ Charlie and Knox had been just like Neil. The constant pressure that their parents put on them about becoming a banker and a lawyer was daunting; and all they wanted was to simply live as regular teenagers without concern for their future.

✎ Fortunately, Meeks’ grandmother was a woman who had a colossal and motherly love for the poets with a sizable residence in which her grandson’s friends could inhabit during their vacation.

✎ Thus, the poets resided in the Meeks household in the summer before their senior year so as to escape the stress and troubles brought to them in their own homes.

✎ Even though the summer was fleeting and their time was short, the poets found their time to be everlasting when they met the student boarder of the house.

✎ She went by the name of Y/N, which was a name that sounded just as sweet as the lady to whom it was attached.

“Hello, everybody! I’m Y/N!” The girl said, reaching out her hand to shake one of the poets’. Truth be told, it had been quite some time since any one of the boys had been in close contact with a woman; so they found themselves to be quite the martians in the situation. It took a few moments before one of the poets-- Neil Perry-- could offer his hand and shake hers. “I’m Neil! We’re friends of Meeks and his classmates from Welton.” The boy swore that he felt a spark as their fingertips touched, but he tossed the feeling aside; along with the apparition that he saw of a faint glimmer in Y/N’s eyes.

✎ The boys instantly took her in to their little group, and they all fell in love with her personality-- which was a platonic statement of course; but Neil Perry found this to be otherwise as he actually began falling into love with the new girl.

✎ He loved the way she cared for her new friends, the way she projected her personality through the clothes she wore, and all of the little smiles she gave him.

✎ With every beam and twinkle that she delivered, Y/N found herself to be falling for Neil as well.

✎ He provided a feeling for her that made the blacks of her eyes expand and butterflies to quiver inside-- which was the very same one Neil had felt when he first laid his eyes on her.

✎ She had been a fantastic addition to the band of poets, and the boys could not have had it any other way.

Despite the summer coming into fruition, the poets did not fail to meet up in their little cave every once in a while to read poetry, discuss girls, and laugh. The first meeting of that summer was simply like any other. “Guys, what do we think of Y/N?” Meeks questioned. A clamor of answers that ranged between “I think she’s great,” and “Do you think Mrs. Meeks has any more people in her house like Y/N?” echoed in the dark cave. Clearly, the boys had favored Y/N; but certainly not to the point where they’d be infatuated with her. “Yeah, I think she’s nice. She’s really pretty too,” Knox added. “Woah there Knoxious,” Charlie replied, expelling out a chortle. “I don’t think Chris would like to hear that. And besides, she looks more like she’s Neil’s type than yours.” Charlie’s words weren’t incorrect, but it was needless to say that Neil had strongly agreed with that statement.

✎ Over the summer, they would all begin to get to know each other better.

✎ The poets eventually introduced Y/N to the intricate realm of poetry, and she wholeheartedly fell in love with every line that was recited.

✎ They enjoyed every moment of their fleeting time together. Of course, there would be times where the boys would get into small fights and bickers.

✎ Pitts would always be yelling at Charlie for taking an ungodly amount of time in the shower, while Charlie would be yelling back about how Pitts always seemed to inhale the food that Mrs. Meeks provided for them before he himself could even take one bite.

✎ Cameron did his best to do some summer reading at night, but he found it quite hard as his room was beside Knox’s room, and Knox would spend hours on end talking to Chris over the phone.

“Oh, Chris. How do I love thee?” Knox sighed, lacing the telephone cords in between his fingers. “That’s the title of a poem we learned in Mr. Keating’s class. It reminds me of how lovely you are. Of course, she’s not as pretty as you are,” Knox’s giggles not only erupted through the phone; but it travelled through the walls as well, disrupting Cameron from the climax of his novel. “We get it, Knox! You’re a romantic poet! Now why don’t you go tell Chris about how you finished with a D minus in English!”

✎ While all of the little squabbles took place, they hadn’t even noticed the slight change in Neil and Y/N’s behavior.

✎ Y/N seemed to be keeping to herself more often, while Neil appeared to have possessed an undying smile on his face around the poets; particularly in the mornings when everyone gets up early except for him and Y/N.

✎ Little did they know, Y/N’s room had been vacant for the past few days since the arguments began-- which was approximately three weeks after the boys had arrived to the Meeks’ residence; and Neil seemed to be giggling in his room every night when the rest were asleep.

✎ In the duration of those three weeks, Neil had become more familiar with Y/N than any of the other poets had been.

✎ They’d walk along the nearby river every morning, discuss poetry in the late afternoons, and eventually fall asleep in each other’s arms at night.

“How long have you been living here?” Neil inquired, peering into Y/N’s eyes. His vision didn’t have to stretch too far as his face had only been a breath away from Y/N’s. The pair laid together under the warm covers of Neil’s bed with their legs entangled in one another’s and their hands interlocked, talking about anything and everything that came to their minds. “It’s been two years since Mrs. Meeks took me in,” She replied, gazing over Neil’s chiseled face. “In the whole time I’ve been here, I think you’re the most interesting thing that’s happened to me,” Y/N added, beaming up at Neil. Hearing her words, Neil slowly leaned his lips onto Y/N’s forehead, giving her an endearing kiss. She too had been the most interesting thing to happen to Neil in a long time.

✎ For each and every day that they were together, Neil wrote love poems.

✎ His poems revolved around his time with Y/N and included detail of all sorts; such as how colors appeared to be more bright and more vivid when he was with her and how lovelier the birds had sounded in the morning during their walks.

"My love,

The luminosity of the golden sun

does not compare to the radiance

of your glowing skin.

In this air full of morning dew,

the most beautiful scent in the air

is still you.

The sounds we hear of the melodious

birds are all because of your presence,

and they sing only for your beauty.

I look into your eyes and I see nature

reflected back at me; but it is much more

pleasant to perceive than if I were to do so

through my own set of eyes.

Though the morning lasts for a mere set of hours,

My fascination for you can go for as long as

this smooth river flows.

✎ Neil felt embarrassed about being so infatuated with Y/N, so he kept his poems hidden for the time being.

✎ Somehow, the boys had failed to notice Neil and Y/N’s constant disappearance.

✎ Although, they’d make little remarks from time to time that ran along the lines of “Ooh, Neil found a muse!” and “Y/N definitely likes somebody here. It’s probably me.”

✎ The last comment came from Charlie, which later earned him a smack on the head from Neil.

✎ So, Neil and Y/N did their best to keep their relationship hidden throughout the summer.

✎ The two were rather domestic in their relationship; they did all of the typical-couple activities that everyone else had done.

✎ To anyone else it would have been rather common to witness, but to them it was simply extraordinary being with one another.

It had been a scenic day at the river that morning. The beauty of the nature surrounding it had been ordinarily pleasing to Y/N; but all of its best qualities were magnified for Neil as his hand was in hers and the only thing he could smell was her fragrance. He had been quite nervous for the entire morning as he promised himself the night before that he would finally gather the courage to say those three magic words he’d been imagining to say for quite some time. Unbeknownst to him, Y/N had been thinking the same and had been visualizing how she would say it at that moment for the past few hours since. Just when the cascading waters began to relax and the chirping of the birds started to quiet down, the pair stopped on their trail and those three words were finally professed by Neil in a sudden manner while Y/N had spoken the same in a clear and gentle tone. They looked into each other’s eyes, recognizing the same look of love and eventually realizing what was said. As it was acknowledged, the two lovers simply smiled at each other and kept walking along; their hearts now beating on the same rhythm and their minds thinking of nothing but one another.

✎ Time to time, they would go up to the attic and listen to the music from Mrs. Meeks’ old gramophone, caressing one another as they slowly dance along to the lyrics of Ella Fitzgerald’s songs.

✎ Neil would always sneak a flower out of Mrs. Meeks’ rose garden and leave it on Y/N’s bedside table for her to wake up to.

✎ One of Y/N’s ways of communicating her love would be recommending books to Neil that she thinks is encompassed with his personality. Since then, Neil’s library had enlarged to a great extent.

✎ There would also be some occasions where one of them-- mostly Neil-- would get a little cheeky and try to express their love for the other out in the open.

“Eat up, boys! You know there’s plenty more of where that came from, so don’t be afraid to dig in!” Mrs. Meeks endorsed, setting down a bowl of mashed potatoes. With a jubilant ‘thank you’, everyone at the table promptly began to tuck into the mouthwatering cuisine. The boys soon found themselves distracted with the heavenly taste of Mrs. Meeks’ cooking; and Neil took this opportunity to covertly sneak his right hand onto Y/N’s thigh under the table. A scarlet blush crept its way up to Y/N’s cheek as she sent Neil a glare. Though her eyes expressed the message of “Not here!”, every other signal in her body sent the message of ‘Yes, Please’ to a very triumphant Neil.

✎ The summer inevitably came to an end and the boys were forced to return to Welton, much to their dismay.

✎ They couldn’t stand ending their summer; and they especially couldn’t stand leaving their new friend behind while the rest of them stayed together.

“Oh God, How are we supposed to leave this beautiful girl all alone in this big house?!” Charlie pleaded, theatrically dropping down to his knees and shouting out loud to the heavens. “It’s all just too emotional for us,” Pitts added as he went along with his friend’s act, his head bowing down to the ground in grief as he placed a comforting hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Just take me with her, God! Let me be with Y/N at her all-girls school!”

✎ Despite all of the inconveniences they put upon Y/N, the poets really did leave a mark on her. These boys showed her a new way of life-- she knows what ‘Carpe Diem’ means, and she knows how to seize her days because of them.

✎ Of course, Neil had a harder time coming into terms with their departure more than anyone else.

✎ Leaving the Meeks’ residence meant that he was leaving Y/N, which was something that he hadn’t prepared himself for.

“I’m not ready to leave you,” Neil confessed. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. After the individual hugs and goodbyes Y/N had given to the rest of the poets, the ill-fated time had come when she had to bid her own farewell to her lover. Neil believed that though their time was short and fleeting, it truly had been something special and something that he’ll never forget. Y/N was his first love, his first muse, his first everything; and no amount of riches could ever sum up to the prominence of that. Y/N placed her hand on Neil’s face, stroking away his tears with her thumb as she felt her eyes begin to swell up as well. “I’ll write to you every day, Neil.” Naturally, Y/N was on the brink of tears as well. She couldn’t bear to leave Neil after everything he’s shown her. It feels like she’s known him forever, yet everything felt so new and exciting with him. She loved him too much, and she knows she’ll continue to love him long after.

✎ Neil was afraid that she would forget about what they had soon after she had left, so he decided to give her all of the poems he had written about her.

✎ As her hands clasped the thick set of parchment, the tears she had been trying so hard to conceal had all poured out, staining the paper and her hands.

“Neil… these are beautiful,” She croaked. Her eyes skimmed over every title and date, realizing that there had been a poem for each and every splendid day that they had been together. “You’re beautiful, Y/N. That’s why I wrote these,” Neil corrected. “Everything I love about you is in these poems, and all of the love I have for you is written in each letter. I just don’t want you to forget about me while we’re apart.” The absurdity of Neil’s words made Y/N chuckle softly before she stepped forward and linked her hands around Neil’s neck, reducing the space between their lips. “I love you, Neil. You’re always going to be in my mind and you’ll always have my heart in the little pocket of your Welton blazer.”

✎ Y/N felt truly fortunate to have met Neil. This summer had come as quite a surprise for her-- she did not expect to fall in love so soon and with such an extraordinary person like Neil Perry. He was everything she’d ever looked for and he gave everything she deserved.

✎ Even though the bright days of the summer had ended and the early falling leaves of the autumn was yet to arrive, the change was of no concern as the only thing that mattered was what had been consistent-- and for Y/N and Neil, the thing that stood still for the two of them despite all odds was each other.

dedicated to these lovely people!! @mybabysweetascanbe @disagreeingpoets @catflowerbean @galaxyrhytm @nananostalgic @ughgclden @towriteabetterlife @neilsemeraldsweater @yourpal @willowestelle

[alienaiver]

Some Seijoh boys and their first kiss (with you); pt. 2!

PREV. with nekoma!

Oikawa, Iwaizumi and Matsukawa!

warnings: none

wordcount: 1,123

content: first kisses part two!, FLUFF, gender-neutral reader, pre-timeskip, high school

notes: the other one ended up really popular i think so im… here again hehe! This time with the aoba johsai boiiis!!! I didnt have as much time as I liked so theres only three boys this time :’( tho I think these are a tad longer than the previous one! I hope you enjoy <3

Iwaizumi Hajime

Iwaizumi and you had been dating for several months now, and he was still overwhelmed by the fact that you even liked him back. He had to admit that he really wanted to try and kiss you, since your lips always looked so soft and plush and he’d spent an ungodly amount of time thinking about it – way harder than any other guy would. Last week he had almost kissed you but panicked a few seconds before his lips met yours, raising a hand to your hair and coughing, “uh, there was a horn beetle in your hair, I just removed it…” he’d explained in the lamest way possible and you had looked at him with a puzzled look and said, “so you leaned down… with your eyes closed… to remove it? Also, Hajime, a horn beetle?” to which he ever so politely had replied “shut up” and turned to walk next to you again on the way home. You didn’t miss how brightly red his ears were burning however, having an inkling as to what it was your boyfriend had truly been trying to do. Today they had a practice match against Karasuno and you had promised to be there for support, always enjoying watching him on the field, with his big strong arms and determined look.

It had been a tough match, Karasuno fighting tooth and neck so when Aoba Johsai ended up winning, everyone was in a shocked kind of state, not really processing it yet but you and the rest of the team members on the sidelines noticed and ran towards them to congratulate them. Iwaizumi immediately spotted you after realizing what happened and picked you up and spun you around, to which you couldn’t help but squeal. As you look around you spot Oikawa giving you a thumbs up so you smile brightly and let your hand caress Iwaizumi’s cheeks before leaning down and giving him a kiss on the lips. Iwaizumi lets out a surprised grunt and almost drops you on the spot before gripping you tighter than before and kissing you back. In the background you heard whistling which in turn actually makes Iwaizumi drop you.

“Do you… uh, do you wanna go home together, after all this?” he looked at the ground with his beet-red face. You smiled and said, “Hajime, we had already planned to do that.”

Oikawa Tooru

Oikawa adored you, and he never wanted you to feel anything less than perfect so it was a given that after you two started going out, he started planning. On your one-month anniversary, he was going to take you on an absolutely amazing and thoroughly planned date and, if nothing had been done from your end of the court yet, he was going to end it with your first kiss. He picked you up at 9AM sharp and took you to the amusement park where even your park rides were minutely planned before you went to a fancy cafe to eat lunch. As you were about to go to the local art museum after lunch you tripped on some crooked sidewalk tiles and sprained your ankle, Oikawa insisted you go to the hospital to get it checked out and even went with you. As you sat in the waiting room, 2 hours into waiting for an available doctor, Oikawa sneaked an arm around your shoulders. “I’m sorry I ruined our date, Tooru,” you sighed but he just looked at you with the most lovable gaze you’d ever seen before leaning in and leaving a peck on your lips, “darling, nothing’s ruined. We’re still together, right?” before dramatically picking up a random magazine and reading aloud for you. He mostly did it to hide his own blush but hearing you laugh at his antics made it all the more worth it.

Today you were hanging out together with Hanamaki at his place, playing Mario Kart together, where both Matsukawa and Hanamaki had teased you endlessly about your bad driving skills, “aw, you got in as number 12. You got the highest number!” Hanamaki had laughed out as he patted your back. You were pouting so much, determined to win at least one round against them when Hanamaki called for a break and went out to grab some snacks for you. As you tried to explain to Matsukawa that it had to do with your controller, that the fault wasn’t yours, all the while pouting like a little child, Matsukawa smiled and asked, “how can I make it up to you? While your pouting face is adorable, I’d like to see you smile more,” an arm reaching out to pat your shoulder in a weird supportive kind of move. Matsukawa half expected you to say something like his part of the snacks, a soda tomorrow at the convenience store or to let you win, he looked at you quizzically when you looked away from him shyly and mumbled, “you could.. kiss me if you… you know, want to?”

Matsukawa Issei

Matsukawa wasn’t a guy used to romantic relationships. The only ones he ever truly noticed were his captain’s and romance didn’t really come easy to him and wasn’t necessarily a priority. Until you had transferred to his class and rocked his world. He had fallen head over heels for you from day one and if it hadn’t been for Hanamaki’s annoying (but helpful, he had to admit) meddling, he probably couldn’t call himself your boyfriend now. He always acted extremely nonchalant and chill around you – which he thought wasn’t too out of character for his laid back personality but even he had to admit it was getting ridiculous but he also thought his own excitement for your relationship would completely scare you off, no one liked an overly clingy partner, right? That’s what he rationalized. He had recently admitted to himself how badly he wanted to kiss you but at the same time he suppressed it, since your first hand-holding a few days ago had gone completely wrong. His hands had been so sweaty because he was nervous that he didn’t dare to grab your hand again, in case you would dump him for having sweaty hands – what he didn’t know was that half of that sweat? Was yours – you had been so incredibly nervous as well and sweated buckets too, he had just been too caught up in his own embarrassment to notice.

The cuteness you oozed right now almost gave him a heart attack and he almost got whiplash from how fast his upper body moved to give you a kiss, lingering a little bit longer and leaning in for a second kiss, “you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

[taeyamayang]

I would like to join the 400 event.

My name is Tori and I prefer boys. I pick the cards: hearts, diamonds and the joker. My hobbies include reading, making miniatures, knitting and drawing. I’m a pretty quiet person even around friends. I don’t know what to say most of the time but I am funny when I am happy. I like guys who are serious and are kinda mean but a total sweetheart to me. I also have a love hate relationship with cocky guys.

Congratulations Pea! 🎊🥳

a/n: wow your word prompt is a challenge and i love taking on challenges 😌 (as if im not hAlf dYing thinking of how to insert amusement in the summary au gsnshsn i am: clown, jkjk) thank you for joining my event! i hope you like this one heh :)

you chose: HEARTS, DIAMONDS, AND JOKER

HEART: soulmate

YOUR SOULMATE: Iwaizumi Hajime

TROPE: body switch

GENRE: red string of fate | magic | fantasy

GIST: hidden in the shadows of the amusement park is a dilapitated tent that lures the curious. its uncanny exterior did not stop you from entering the 'hall of mirrors'. with dimmed lights as the only guide, you begin to explore the area. you look at yourself through the mirror as your reflection disfingures in each of the looking glass. inching your way to the glass you lay the pads of your fingers, touching the mirror and instantly you feel a burn run through your skin. stepping back as your reflex kicks in, your eyes widen at your imageㅡa tall man with masculine features is staring right back at you.

DIAMOND: bestfriend

YOUR BESTFRIEND: Kozume Kenma

TROPE: accidental hugs | i don't care about you (i would do anything for you)

GENRE: 10k words of eye glances and subtle smiles | 24/7 awkward tension but characters are two peas in a pod | kuroo is tired

GIST: days are spent in Kenma's room as you keep yourself busy by watching him play his games. your amusement towards video games grew ever since you became pals with him years back. even though you both share an ungodly amount of years together at times both of you still somewhat feel awkward towards one another causing kuroo, a common friend, to poke fun of your gauche actions; but once your eyes met with his' you know that you would do anything for him.

JOKER: enemy

YOUR ENEMY: Tsukishima Kei

TROPE: the devil and the angel

GENRE: devils and angels | we meet again, fool | fallen angel | afterlife | crack

GIST: years after death you were appointed by the higher being as one of the angels. your first mission as a holy being is to save the fallen angel trapped in hell and give him another chance to prove himself. descending from the heavens down to the depths of hell, to your amusement, you meet with a mortal enemy Tsukishima Kei bounded in chains. chuckling at his anguish state, your mission to give him an open heart is left forgotten. as a result, you were punished by the higher being. you are down graded to a fallen angel and is forced to stay with him in hell. the story goes on as you both juggle between wanting to kill the one another and proving your self-worth and kindness to the higher being.

join the event | Masterlist

[lizbotw]

Karasuno popsicle eating competition? 👀👀👀 (i saw you were bored so-)

Karasuno Popsicle Eating Competition

choco omg i loved this concept even though i was definitely not expecting it in the middle of fall, but also, i absolutely get. i spent all night thinking about this so thank you, you successfully cured my boredom, and now here it is, i finally wrote out all of my ideas. please enjoy because i had way too many thoughts about this ♡

Karasuno

100% Nishinoya’s idea.

What? He literally adores Garigari-kun popsicles. A proper popsicle enthusiast and therefore of course it would be none other than him that would come up with such a plan.

You would probably be walking home with the second-years after practice after a quick stop into Coach Ukai’s store to pick up snacks on the way.

Classic meat buns and crinkly packs of chips that always felt like they contained more air than well... chips—that’s what most of you had gotten. But Nishinoya? It was him and his trusty popsicle (soda flavored of course).

You had to stop too many times to keep track of because he kept devouring them before you could even blink and somehow the lucky bastard kept getting the ones with the sticks that qualify you to get another popsicle for free. You best believe he was cashing those in instantly.

You bumped Tanaka with your shoulder to get his attention, not taking your eyes off of the back of Noya as he disappeared up the hill and back to the store. “Why doesn’t he just buy a whole box of them at this point?”

“Mmm,” Tanaka hummed in agreement, hand deep in his bag of potato chips. He stuffed a few more in his mouth, crunching in thought. “Good point.”

Noya was never gone more than a few seconds and you didn’t even get the chance to reply before he came barreling down the hill, blue wrapper in his hand—prize secured it seemed.

The group didn’t resume walking just yet, waiting to see if finally Noya’s reign of exploiting Ukai’s store for free frozen treats would come to an end. (You were hoping the stick at the center of the popsicle would turn out to be blank, not have another cheesy message about how “You won an extra popsicle! Take this stick to any participating retailer to cash it in.”)

“Aren’t you tired of running back and forth?” That was Ennoshita, chewing on his meat bun and looking like he very much wanted to go home.

Noya pulled the popsicle out of his mouth to reply, tongue already stained blue. “Nope! It’s good cardio, plus I get a reward at the end!” As if to prove his point, Noya punctuated the end of his sentence by shoving the popsicle back into his mouth. It wouldn’t be long until he reached the stick and you guys would (potentially) have to wait another five minutes for him to repeat the process all over again.

“It makes sense to buy more than one though. We’re never going to get home at this rate,” Ennoshita grumbled. He was clearly too tired to be dealing with this or he would have dragged Noya away from the store by his ear a long time ago.

Before Noya could bring up the benefits of running up and down a hill in the middle of the night (on a school night nonetheless) again, Tanaka cut in. “Yeah, why don’t you buy an extra one for me, dude. Then we’ll match!”

It was like a switch was flipped and Noya’s eyes lit up, widening. “Dude, great idea!”

“Right? It was (Y/N)’s idea actually.”

“Tanaka, that was not what I said.” You were quick to defend yourself, casting a nervous side glance at Ennoshita who was already glaring daggers at you.

“Either way, I still think it’s a good idea. I’ll be right back-”

“Oh no you don’t.” Ennoshita grabbed a hold of the back of Noya’s shirt to prevent him from running off (he’d already gotten in position to run up the hill—getting two steps in before he’d been stopped—and if Ennoshita had been a second slower Noya would have gotten away completely).

“Even if you did get one for Ryuu, I don’t know if it’d be very fair,” Narita cut in. Clearly he was just being nice and thinking about everyone, but words had a tendency to get twisted when it came to matters like this, especially when the other second-years were involved.

“Yeah, what are the rest of us, Yuu? Chopped liver?” Kinnoshita finished off his meat bun and crumpled the empty napkin he’d been holding it with into a small ball in his hand to throw away later. He was smirking mischievously and you could tell he wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea of free popsicles.

“True. You really should be offering to get all of us one.” Of course Ennoshita was the one to deliver the final blow. The trio could be real menances when they wanted to be and judging by the look they all shared, they were clearly enjoying poking fun at Noya.

And of course Nishonya took their words seriously, a thoughtful expression taking over his features. Sarcasm? Not detachable when it came to popsicles. “You’re right.” Uh oh… Nishinoya having that faraway look in his eyes was never a good sign. “And if I get it for all of you then… I should just get for the entire team!” His voice increased in volume as he spoke until he had the sudden epiphany at the end that he shouted. Energized by the thought, he made to go run towards the store again but seemed to forget the vice grip Ennoshita still had on him.

Nishinoya struggling against the hold and Ennoshita trying to pull him back so you guys could finally go home and work on your excessive amount of homework quickly turned into a yelling match. You should have known it would turn out this way...

It looked like things were about to get messy, so you decided to intervene, speaking hurriedly before someone lost a limb in the scuffle. “I think it’s a good idea. Let’s just all go ask Ukai now if we can have popsicles tomorrow for practice and then we can go home.” You said the last part looking pointedly at Ennoshita—listen, you were also tired so you knew exactly how to get through to him. How Noya could keep going like this after a full day was beyond you.

There were a few more moments of grumbling and arguing but eventually everyone caved and agreed. And thus you six made the trek back up the small incline to the store perched off to the side. (“No, Nishinoya, we can’t ask him to bring only soda flavored ones. Where is the variety?”)

The jingle of the bell had Ukai looking up from the magazine he was reading and he fixed all of you with an exasperated stare. “You six again? Don’t you have homework or something?”

It didn’t take much convincing to get him on board and he waved a dismissive hand, leaning back in his chair, cigarette between his lips, and opening back up his magazine. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just get home already. I don’t want to be responsible for you getting back so late.”

He for sure delivered on his promise because the next day at practice you found a cooler hidden away in the storage closet in the gym. About an hour into a grueling practice session, he called for a break and revealed the surprise (thank god because Nishinoya had been buzzing with anticipation all day, almost spilling the secret several times, and you were sick and tired of it, please send help).

To say the team was excited was an understatement. The sweltering heat of the gym wasn’t exactly ideal and everyone was dying to go out into the summer sun—at least in the outdoors you had the chance of a light breeze whispering across your neck and relieving some of the suffocating tension of the weather.

Moving everything outside, you helped set up the cooler in the nearby school field.

Takeda was surprised that Ukai even considered doing something like this out of the blue and you overheard Ukai admit that he had been working the team pretty hard for the past few days and that they deserved a break.

The atmosphere was relaxed as some of the team members took up residence on the grassy field, sitting among the bright green and running their hands over the cushiony ground as they got situated.

Leave up to Nishoinya to completely ruin that.

Parking himself right in front of the cooler near the top of the hill and thus preventing anyone from gaining access to the mouthwatering treats inside, he declared, hands on his hips for emphasis, “We should make this a competition!”

Daichi was not having it. “Nishinoya, get down from there, we are not-”

“Challenge accepted!” Hinata and Kageyama were already glaring at each other, determination written all over their faces. (You’re pretty sure either Tanaka or Nishinoya told him some lie before about how eating an ungodly amount of popsicles would make him better at volleyball.) At this point, they were simply waiting for Nishinoya’s signal to begin.

“Now that’s the spirit! Let’s start!” And with that Noya stepped away from the cooler with a dramatic sweep of his arm, bowing low. That’s all the confirmation Hinata and Kageyama needed before they made a beeline for the cooler—you should make sure not to get in their way during this part because they are taking this very seriously.

Tsukishima would just scoff at their childishness, telling them to hurry up and move because they’re hogging all the space.

Tsukishima would not participate in “stupid competitions” of any kind, although he would take a popsicle (begruidngly so after Yamaguchi kept pestering him to do so; secretly he really wanted one though).

You could probably find Tsukishima sitting on the gym steps, rolling his eyes at Hinata and Kageyama. He was also the perfect distance away to throw snide comments at them without risking his safety. Just adding fuel to the flames from the sidelines—that was his role.

Yamaguchi would be perched faithfully next to him eating his own popsicle and Yachi would be leaning up against the side of the gym building since there was no more space left on the steps, talking with him. She kept getting over excited or focusing too much on the conversation though, so the sticky juice of her melting popsicle would be trickling down her arm before you could warn her.

She gets very embarrassed over the whole thing once you point it out and then when she’s busy flailing her arms in apology, that just gets the juice everywhere and then she feels even worse about it, and it’s a whole cycle from there.

If you wanted to join the trio, Tsukishima would not be willing to give up his spot on the steps, but if you kept bothering him about it, he’ll probably give in eventually to get you to shut up or you could take your chances trying to shove him over.

Yamaguchi would take pity on you and squeeze over a bit so you would have room, even though he barely had any space for himself.

Or honestly just go stand next to Yachi, she would be more than happy to have someone else to talk to. The only thing is you have to keep an eye on her melting popsicle or else the above scenario will probably happen except you’ll be right next to her when it does. I sure hope you didn’t wear your favorite shirt today.

Kiyoko is the unofficial referee for the competition.

She was appointed after a unanimous vote was taken between Tanaka and Nishinoya—yes, only those two got a say in it—and technically she would be the official referee if not for the fact that the official default for Karasuno is always pure chaos. Rules? There were no rules. Was this even a competition anymore? Why is everyone taking this so seriously? Does no one have any ideas for a prize for the winner? Why is Asahi on the floor?

Speaking of Asahi, he’s in charge of giving out the popsicles and supervising them in the cooler.

Noya tried to get him to join in on the real action of competing, but Suga and Daichi were absolutely against it because Asahi just looks like he would win. To them, that was automatically cheating (poor Ashai).

Kiyoko helps him out because she doesn’t have much of a job if the boys are doing whatever the hell they want anyway.

Please go hang out with those two at the cooler. You’ll have direct access to all of the popsicles (you now hold all the power) and you can actually relax and have a calm conversation—perfect for some lounging around in the sun. And if you did want to witness the chaos of the competition? Well you also have a front row seat to that. It’s a win-win situation honestly.

Nishinoya and Tanaka were, of course, a part of the competition with Hinata and Kagayama. Now the debate of whether the challenge was to eat as many popsicles as possible or to just eat a certain amount as fast as possible was up in the air because by God, they were doing both. That couldn’t be healthy.

Daichi originally started off just watching from the sides, shaking his head in disapproval and barking reminders at them to slow down lest they choke while on his watch.

Suga was next to him of course, eating his own popsicle and telling him not to be such a stick in the mud. He was enjoying this a little too much and honestly was already hatching a mischievous plan to join in on the chaos himself. Definitely cheers for everyone in order to rile up the situation further and then elbows Daichi in the gut when he tells him to stop encouraging them.

On one such occasion, as he rubbed at the sore spot on his side that Suga kept hitting, Daichi narrowed his eyes at the popsicle in his friend’s hand, taking special notice of it now. “Suga… what flavor is that?”

“Cherry. Why?” He continued eating innocently, although he had an inkling of where this was going to go.

“Didn’t you have two cherry ones already?”

“...maybe.”

There was a gasp of betrayal. “You know those are my favorite! You’re trying to eat all of them before me aren’t you!”

The bold accusation leads to them sharing a look and a tense beat of silence passing before they both sprint to the cooler, digging among the other flavors for the highly coveted cherry.

“It’s mine!”

“No, you have to learn to share!”

They inadvertently end up in the competition through this alone, grabbing as many cherry popsicles as they can and piling their arms high.

You have to remind them that the popsicles are going to melt if they keep that up and then there will really be none left, which then sends them into a new flurry of ripping open the packages and chomping down on the glistening red treat inside.

If you join in on the competition, I hope you have a big appetite because everyone involved is not slowing down anytime soon. They’ve doubled over due to brain freeze a few times already but that doesn’t seem to be stopping any of them. If you chicken out at some point, you will be socially outcasted. You have been warned.

Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita are actually being normal and sitting a bit away on the grass, eating their popsicles at a normal rate (not scarfing them down like some people) and actually enjoying themselves.

Ideal group to join—lots of space to sit near them and stretch out on the field, good view of the uh… “competition” (can it really even be still considered that? what do you call the absolute chaos that’s going on there? honestly, why is no one stopping them? where are you, coach? isn’t this your job?) but still a safe distance away from the chaos, and lots of things to discuss. That’s right, these three know all the drama going on in school so sit back, eavesdrop on the gossip, and enjoy. You may or may not choke on your popsicles a few times because how do they even know these things.

Lean back on the grass and bask in the sunlight with these three—the good vibes are there. You’ll probably all end up laying down in the grass after you finish eating and just talking, poking fun at each other and rolling around in the grass in laughter at the latest antic or joke you’ve come up with.

Coach Ukai probably should have thought this over a bit more because it’s hard to get anyone back to practice after having this small taste of freedom (also tensions are still high after the competition so no one wants to work with each other anyway—let’s hope the grudges don’t last long), so he basically gives up for the day and dismisses “practice” early (it had already spiraled way past that at this point so the term was used loosely).

Everyone who was involved in the competition either never wants to hear the word popsicle ever again or they’re feral for more once the cooler is empty (Nishinoya).

Who would’ve thought a normal walk home would turn out like this?

[lananiscorner]

The Felannie Playthrough Part 20 - Saving Private Judith

The Felix & Annette Only playthrough continues, with chapter 19, in which the main challenge is to rescue suicidal NPCs. Seriously, Judith, I love you, but wtf.

I decided to do auxiliary battles in the first week, so I could make use of the Head Chef Event in the second week. It didn't turn out as fruitful as I had hoped, but oh well.

In the third week, I did my final paralogue: The Silver Maiden. I gave Felix the Steal ability for this, so he could grab the stat boosters (one of the... like... 3 times in-game where you actually NEED the Steal ability), and put Hilda and Petra as adjutants, so they could get more flying rank (they were already well into level 30 and otherwise ready to become Wyvern Lords). Honestly, maneuvering around so Felix could steal the stat boosters before Annette slaughtered the enemy was the hardest part of this map. Thus concluded the post skip paralogues. I really wish they had balanced these better and put some of the pre-skip Blue Lions paralogues in the post skip period, because at least by then you will have 3 battle points per weekend, whereas most of White Clouds is spent with only 1 or 2 battle points (and a shit ton of low level quests that ALSO require points), unless you play NG+.

I spent the remaining two points levelling up skill ranks on Lorenz and Raphael, who ended up 78 XP shy of lv 30. In the fourth week, I explored again to take advantage of Sweet Tooth Week.

Lysithea (Gremory), Balthus (Warmaster), Sylvain (Dark Knight), Ferdinand (Great Knight), Ignatz (Mortal Savant), Leonie (Bow Knight), Yuri (Trickster), Dedue (Warmaster), Caspar (Warmaster), Dorothea (Gremory), Seteth (Wyvern Lord), Lorenz (Dark Knight) and Hilda (Wyvern Lord) all certified into their final classes this month.

Finally, it was time to tackle Saving Derdriu. The main worry here was to make sure neither Judith, nor Claude and his Hilda replacement die. Now, the Hilda replacement (or Hilda herself, if you did not recruit her) is not the problem--she’s an absolutely busted female Warmaster who tears through enemies like paper and has the good sense to heal herself if her dedicated healer NPC is dead or otherwise inconvenienced. Judith though? Judith is made of paper, will gladly run into the nearest enemy, even if you literally just saved her ass, and generally has to rely on lucky dodges to not die in this map. I hate it. I wish I could just... knock her out and leave her in that corner she starts out in, but oh well. Add to that the ungodly amount of gambit users on this map and the fact that the enemies with drops start out on the opposite side of where you need to go to stop reinforcements, and “routing” becomes wishful thinking. Thankfully, RNG was kind to me for a change and I somehow managed to get all but one of the enemies before I had to kill Arundel/Thales or else he would kill Judith.

You guys have no idea how much work and luck this took. lol

[hotpinkhoshi]

kiss it better | two

pairing: mark tuan x reader

genre: angst, smut, brother’s best friend au (sort of)

warnings: age gap (nine years), cursing, explicit sex, slow burn

summary: you were off limits for more reasons than mark could count. but everything changed for him the day you walked into his tattoo shop with those big innocent eyes and a laugh like his favorite song. he couldn’t. he wouldn’t. and yet…

a/n: hi babies, how are we all doing? life is weird right now. i hope you’re all staying healthy and sane. please take care of yourselves! regarding the chapter, thank you guys for reading the prologue and chapter one! i know it’s a more subtle and slow burn than the pact was, but TRUST ME it will allll be worth it in the end. oh, and i wanted to point out: if you were confused by chapter one, make sure you go read the prologue first! i had titled it “preview” before but honestly, it’s important that you read it before diving into the story. 

✩ index here ✩

“No way! I loved that show. I was so sad when it ended,” you said, fingers ripping apart a second slice of pizza for yourself.

Mark grimaced, shaking his head. “Agh, no. The special effects were laughable.”

“Oh, so you’re one of those people?”

His deep brown eyes narrowed at you from across the restaurant booth. “What kind of people?”

You licked your lips and shrugged your shoulders. “You know… a snob.” You fought a smile.

Shaking his head at you, Mark chuckled, a low gravelly tone. “No, no. I just can’t do it. When I was in school, I wanted to work on special effects. I know it’s hard work, but I think that’s why I hate seeing people do such a half assed job.” 

You raised a brow. “You wanted to do special effects?” 

“Mm,” Mark replied, chewing his slice of supreme veggie pizza. “Played a lot of video games… still do, but you know, it was all I did back then. I wanted to be in the business so bad, so I thought about it. It turned me onto graphic design, which turned me onto art, which brought me here.” 

You’d been at this pizza shop for nearly an hour and you hadn’t stopped talking since. It was so incredibly easy to talk to Mark, and you weren’t sure if it was because in some way, he reminded you of home. But in an unexpected way that didn’t make you sick to your stomach.

He was also far more interesting than you’d ever thought he was. You found it so impressive how he’d found his passion and fought for it, even if it meant he might fail. If there was something Mark had an excess of, it was passion. You could easily tell from just the first moment you asked him about how he’d gotten into tattooing. 

“Wow,” you remarked, licking pizza sauce off of your thumb. “I never knew you were into all this stuff back then.” 

“Well… when I graduated you were, what? Nine?” 

You grimaced. You remembered the ungodly long graduation ceremony you’d had to sit through with your parents, all while wearing the most itchy velvet dress and tights. At the time, Taehyung had seemed like such a grown up. It was no surprise that you’d seen him as the shining Polaris to follow as you navigated through life. 

“It doesn’t feel like it was that long ago,” you said, leaning your chin upon your hand. “Weird. I can’t believe you and Tae are so…”

“Old?” Mark finished for you, one brow lifted. 

You bit back a smile, shaking your head. “I’d never say that…” 

“It’s alright, you can say it. Every morning, I wake up and a new muscle is sore. They say your health starts declining when you’re 26, so you’re living on borrowed time.” 

“Hey, I still have a few years then. Besides, you look pretty healthy to me. I mean…” Without realizing it, your eyes glanced down at his arms, the firm muscles and veins on clear display. 

Maybe it was weird, ogling your brother’s best friend, when he probably saw you as his little sister. But you couldn’t help it… he’d really grown into adulthood. His face was a mixture of sharp features and round, doe eyes and full lips. It was only your body’s natural response.

“Thanks,” he replied and you noticed the tips of his ears flushing red. “Alright, are you ready to get out of here?” 

You were grateful for the change in subject. You nodded, and with only a little shame didn’t even bother trying to pay for the meal. Funds were extra low now after that tattoo, and you knew there was no way Mark would even allow you to pay a dime.

Mark led you out of the pizza shop and into his car, where your natural flow of conversation continued. You learned that Mark and Dahyun had been at the tattoo shop for almost five years now, and Mark was essentially the head artist. He had worked hard to get where he was, starting as an apprentice and moving up the ladder.

It seemed as if he wasn’t the most social employee, though. He was friendly with Dahyun and the guys, but he didn’t talk about them much besides when referring to work. 

As Mark pulled up to the address of the hostel you were staying in, you drew in a deep breath as you prepared yourself for another night of thumping bass and blasting machine guns. 

“Thank you for tonight, Mark. I really appreciate it. And… the tattoo, obviously. I love it,” you told him, gathering up your purse as you reached for the door handle. 

“This is where you’re staying?” He asked, eyebrows raised. 

It wasn’t the prettiest building, no. It was sort of falling apart, but it was all cosmetic issues on the exterior. Inside, it was… acceptable. No air conditioning and the blankets sort of smelled, but it would do for now. 

“Yeah,” you replied, hand hesitating on the handle. “It’s not so bad. The owner is kind of creepy, and my roommate sucks but it’s a bed. I don’t need much.” 

Mark was looking at you as if he didn’t believe a word you said. You saw his jaw working as he stared at the building, then averted his eyes back to you. Slowly, he shook his head. 

“You’re not staying there. Just… why don’t you come stay with me? I have a free second bedroom.” 

You shook your head. “No, no. Mark, seriously. I’m fine. It’s really okay, it’s just a place to sleep,” you said, repeating the mantra you’d been repeating to yourself each day before entering the hostel. Honest to god, it sucked. But you weren’t about to mooch off of someone else - you were determined to be on your own and that meant you wouldn’t take any favors. 

“Seriously, Y/N,” he started, his voice turning gravely serious. “It might be a place to sleep, but I can see the termites from here. Come stay with me.” 

“Mark,” you said, voice equally serious. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about me. I’ll text you if I have any questions about the tattoo, okay?”

You reached for the door handle once more and this time, Mark just watched as you climbed out of the car, turning just before you shut the door. 

“Thank you again. I mean it,” you told him, forcing a smile that you hoped looked natural. 

Mark’s face was a mixture of emotions that you couldn’t quite place. He was still worried about you, but for now at least, he’d given up. He didn’t look pleased with you, either. His knuckles were white where they held the steering wheel. 

He muttered a ‘you’re welcome’ before you shut the door. 

Turning towards the hostel, you took a deep breath and steeled yourself for another night in hell. 

-- -- -- -- --

You woke up, as usual, with sweat dripping down your neck and a kink in your lower back. You groaned, twisting your upper body in an effort to stretch as much as you could in the tiny bunk. It was a shit hole, you could at least accept that now. 

The owner of the hostel had a no-closed-doors rule, which honestly, you felt was a little bit suspicious considering the fact that the bathrooms were also co-ed. But things were different in the city, you figured. Maybe privacy wasn’t such a big deal. 

There were people talking loudly in the hallway, an American couple having an argument that apparently, couldn’t have been held outside or maybe a few hours later. You had to work tonight, and you’d been hoping to get eight hours of sleep for once. 

Rubbing your eyes, you sat up, your head just shy of smacking into the wooden frame of the bed above you. You unplugged your phone, finding two texts from Taehyung, one from your boss, and six from Mark. You opened your brother’s first.

Taehyung [07:04am]: Y/N, it’s been a month already. Stop being a brat and go home. You’ve made your point. Taehyung [07:24am]: At least tell me where you are, please.

You sighed and ran your hand over your face, your eyes falling shut as you tried to push his words out of your mind. He didn’t get it - of course he didn’t. He’d spent his whole life as the star of the family, getting anything and everything he desired. Any dreams he had, he was encouraged to follow them, no matter how crazy they were. Why couldn’t that same kindness extend to you? 

As you always did, you deleted his messages, but not without the usual tinge of guilt. 

You opened your boss’ message next, which was just a photo of your next schedule. A ridiculous amount of hours, but at least you could make up for the money you’d blown on your tattoo. 

Next, you opened Mark’s texts. 

Mark [12:33am]: Y/N, I was serious. That place is a dump and you shouldn’t be staying there Mark [12:35am]: Just come stay with me Mark [12:40am]: Even just for a little while, a couple of weeks Mark [02:03am]: Seriously Mark [02:05am]: I can’t sleep because I’m imagining you being eaten alive by termites Mark [08:03am]: I’m outside. Call me when you wake up

You furrowed your brows, eyes flicking up to the current time. 8:07. He’d only texted you a few minutes ago, then. Hearing your roommate peacefully snoring above you, you slid out of the bed and rushed through the doorway, dodging the couple still going at it in the hallway. 

Once you were in the common area, you called Mark. He picked up right away. 

“Mark, why are you outside?” you asked before he even had a chance to say hello. You couldn’t quite hide the irritation in your voice.

You heard him sigh on the other end. “Are you really asking me that?” 

“I told you, I’m fine.”

You felt a breeze and turned to the front desk, where the owner was standing, his eyes shamelessly roaming your frame. He had a fan pointing directly at you, causing goosebumps to form on your arms and legs. Usually, you slept in more than just a tank top and shorts, but you hadn’t been able to deal with the heat last night. 

“I’m not leaving until you come with me,” Mark said. 

Turning away from the owner, you walked over to the front window, one finger sliding the curtain to the side so that you could peek out. There he was, leaning against his car while he stared up at the building you were in. He looked pissed, which further annoyed you. Why did he care so much?

“I said no,” you told him, your voice as firm as you could make it. Mark rolled his eyes, a subtle smirk to the side of his lips.

“And I’m not accepting no as an answer. Just get your shit and let’s go.” 

You huffed in annoyance, letting the curtain fall closed once more. “Go home, Mark. You’re not my brother.” 

Mark laughed bitterly on the other end. “You’re right, I’m not. Do you want me to call him? ‘Cause I will.”

“No!” you replied quickly, squeezing your eyes shut. “Don’t call him. Please.” 

You were met with silence on the other end for a long moment before Mark replied. “Either you come with me, or I call your brother and tell him you’re staying in an infested hole in the ground. It’s up to you.”

Taking in a shaky breath, you opened your eyes, running your fingers through your hair. You didn’t get why he cared so much, or why he couldn’t just leave you alone and go on with his life. “Fine. Give me twenty minutes.” 

“Ten,” Mark said. “I’m hungry and I don’t feel like waiting that long.”

You rolled your eyes, not granting him a response before you disconnected the call. 

Needless to say, you took your sweet time as you gathered all of your things, tossing them into your duffel bag without any sense of organization. You weren’t quiet, either, figuring it was only fair if your roommate lost a few winks of sleep after all she’d put you through. 

By the time you were walking out the front door to the car, Mark’s lips were set into a deep frown, eyebrows creased as he watched you. 

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re going to get wrinkles,” you told him, tossing your bag into the already opened trunk. “In fact, you probably already have some, old man.”

“The hell are you wearing?” Mark asked, crossing his arms over his chest. 

You looked down at your clothes. You hadn’t taken the time to change out of your pajamas, simply because you were worried Mark would storm in if you took too long. 

“It was hot last night,” you tried, tugging the hem of your tank top down. Mark scoffed and walked around to the driver’s side of the car, muttering something to himself that you couldn’t catch. 

Once you slid into the passenger’s seat, Mark handed you an iced coffee. It was only slightly melted, and you had to admit, it was just what you needed.

“How did you know I’d come with you?” you asked, taking a sip while Mark turned the key in the ignition. 

“What?” he asked, barely paying attention to you as he pulled out onto the street. 

“You got two coffees. What if I said no?”

Mark glanced over at you, his lips pulled into a cocky smirk. “It wasn’t an option. If you said no, I was going to walk in there and make a scene until you came with me.” 

It was your turn to cross your arms over your chest as you leaned back against the seat. You wanted to ask him why it mattered to him where you were staying, but at the end of the day you knew why he cared. Your mom had taken him under her wing when he was a kid, even if you were too young to remember it. 

Your family had fed and clothed him when his parents were too drugged out to remember they had a child to take care of. In a way, you figured, Mark felt a duty to repay the favor somehow. Or maybe he was just a controlling asshole - you couldn’t be sure. 

“I’m not a kid,” you said under your breath, leaning your head against the cold glass of the window.

Mark didn’t respond, and you had to admit you were grateful. You didn’t need one more person telling you you were too young to know what you wanted, too inexperienced to make your own decisions. That was how you’d gotten into this situation in the first place. 

You finished your coffee by the time Mark pulled up to his apartment building. Compared to the hostel you’d just left, it was practically a five-star hotel. Nothing fancy, but from here you could tell all four exterior walls were in good shape and even that was an upgrade. 

You got out of the car, grabbing your bag from the back seat. Just as you went to follow Mark into the building, he stopped in front of you and turned around. 

“Look, I’m sorry if I was kind of an asshole. I just,” he paused to chew at his lip, scratching the back of his head. “I felt like I had a responsibility. To your family, your parents…”

Mark trailed off and you couldn’t help the guilt you felt in your stomach. You were still a child when Mark was going through the worst of it, but you’d heard enough from eavesdropping on your parents’ conversations to know they quite literally saved his life. 

You swallowed, wanting to reach out, but you resisted. At the end of the day, you hardly knew him, despite the connection you felt. 

“It’s okay. I appreciate that you care… I guess I was just determined to do this on my own. Without anybody’s help,” you admitted. 

Mark lifted his eyes to yours. “Sometimes you need to let people help.”

Like I did. You heard it, unspoken, in his words. Maybe you could have done it on your own, but it would be a hell of a lot easier if you accepted a helping hand from Mark. 

“Fine,” you breathed. “But only for a few weeks. And I’m gonna cook and clean for you to earn my keep.”

Mark laughed as you brushed past him, shaking his head at you. “You don’t have to ask me twice. How about you start with breakfast? I’m still hungry, you know.” 

[dindjarindiaries]

Bittersweet - Chapter 2: Pancakes and Perpetrators

summary: You join Marcus back at headquarters to watch over the mission—and to see him fall further and further into the Lisbon rabbithole.

warnings: there’s an f-word in here (i usually make that rated r but there’s only one hehe), angst, food

rating: T

word count: 3.918k

previous part ⟸ masterlist ⟹ next part

chapter 2: pancakes and perpetrators

You wake up in the early afternoon feeling much more well-rested than before—thanks to your dreamless slumber. With a yawn, you roll over and reach for your phone on the bedside table, pleased to see that there’s no notifications except for some random social media ones. You unlock your phone and instantly pull up your conversation with Marcus.

me: naptime’s over!🥱i’m about to head in.

You’re about to lock your phone again and freshen yourself up, but then you see the three bubbles pop up immediately, and you wait with a smile that you can barely bite back as you wait for his message to appear.

marcus🥞: Rise and shine, Sunny!☀️ You won’t believe what’s going on over here. Get ready for a long night.

You release a heavy sigh at the idea of having to stay at the office for an ungodly amount of time tonight yet also can’t help smiling wide at the appearance of your nickname. You’d been surprised when Marcus hadn’t used it earlier. He’d started calling you Sunny—short for “sunshine”—not too long after you started working together. Marcus had insisted that your fiery presence was like the sunshine bursting through the blinds in the morning, and the nickname had just caught on. You figure he hadn’t used it earlier thanks to your less-than-sunny attitude when you rolled into work this morning.

me: great. nothing like a sleepover after a nap.🥴 need me to bring anything while i’m out?

You lock your phone as you finally get out of bed, freshening up by brushing your teeth again and touching up your hair and makeup. You’ve just exchanged your work clothes for a fresh set thanks to the wrinkles you’d made in them when you hear your phone buzz again, and you pick it up to see Marcus’ response.

marcus🥞: I’m good for now, partner. Thanks, though. I’ll get us some takeout later.

me: alright. i’m heading over now, be there in a fewww🚗

marcus🥞: No rush! Drive safe.

You can’t help smiling at his concern for you—despite the fact that you know it’s just a part of his kind nature. You grab your belongings and make your way back down to your car, arriving to headquarters in record time. As soon as you step on your floor and into the art department, you see Marcus sitting at his own desk, looking up at you with a raised brow and a small smile.

“That was quick,” Marcus observes. “I thought I told you not to rush.”

You shrug as you place your bag next to your desk, practically falling into your chair. “I didn’t,” you insist. “Traffic was just really good, surprisingly.”

Marcus gives you a skeptical eye, chuckling to himself as he turns back to whatever he’s looking over on his desk. Despite the fact you just sat down, you get back up and walk over to him, leaning over his shoulder as you see the file laid open on his desk.

“Are these the perpetrators?” you question, raising an eyebrow as you see the pictures paperclipped to papers of personal information. You assume Marcus went and printed them out—he’s a visual person who likes to have things physically laid out in front of him, not just on a computer screen.

Marcus looks up at you with slight amusement. “What, did you sleep my entire briefing away, Sunny?” He adds a playful scoff at the end.

You close your eyes and give your head a shake, as if you’re jogging your memory. “Right. Sorry.” You gesture to your bag that’s still on the floor. “I’ve got my notes in there, too.” Marcus just nods, releasing a gentle sigh as he gathers the papers and fits them back into his manila folder. You cross your arms as you lean against his desk, facing where he sits in his chair as you wait for him to completely fill you in. “So, what’s the plan?”

Marcus also crosses his arms, gaze still piercing through the file on his desk before it shifts over to you. “We’re camping out here for the night with Agent Wylie, helping him oversee things while the homicide team moves in. Abbott’s gonna rein in our henchman with the help of Cho at a bar, and they’ll head to a party at the house where Jane and Lisbon will be waiting with some of our stolen art from the basement—hoping that’ll get our henchman to call in his leader.”

“And then we’ll get them there?”

Marcus shakes his head. You raise an eyebrow in confusion. “That’s what we’d do, yeah. But that wouldn’t prove that this guy really is the one who killed that man—according to Jane, we need him to lead us to his lair somehow. He thinks he’ll try to come back and steal the stolen art we have set up at the house, and that’s how we’ll trace him back to his place.” When you continue looking at him with confusion, Marcus just releases a curt chuckle and stands up from his chair. “I don’t know, there’s a lot of complicated shit that I honestly can’t keep up with. I’m just trying to do what I’m told.” Marcus nods towards you. “I advise that you do the same.”

You scoff playfully. “And why wouldn’t I?”

Marcus tries to hold back a smirk as he shrugs at you. “No reason.” He then walks past you and towards the rest of the floor, stopping to look back at you. “I’m gonna go check in with the team. If you need more info, you can check the folder.” Marcus gestures towards the manila folder he’d been looking over earlier before he continues forward. You sigh as you pick it up and bring it over to your desk, taking a seat and pulling out your notebook with the details from the briefing. 

As you’re copying down some of the information, you can’t help overhearing the laugh that unmistakably sounds like Marcus’, and you look up to see him standing with Lisbon just outside the doorway of the breakroom. You can’t help releasing a troubled sigh, twisting your lips and trying not to stare. When you look away, you also notice Jane turning around from a conversation he’s just been having with Abbott, also spotting the same sight with a similar grimace on his lips.

You shake your head and look back down to your work, knowing you’re in for a long night.

The afternoon drags by, and later you find yourself sitting beside Marcus at Wylie’s desk, watching his computer as he hacks his way into the cameras at the bar where the first perpetrator’s waiting to be lured. You’re digging into styrofoam containers full of takeout, trying to drown your exhaustion, frustration, and stress in the food Marcus ordered for you. There’s a lot of crazy things going on in the scenes you’re watching—fake fights, overdramatic flirting, and some pretty damn good acting, if you’re being honest—and it almost feels like you’re watching a TV show. Meanwhile, Marcus asks Wylie question after question, trying to figure out their methods and how each of these moves is going to help them in the future.

Often, Wylie will look at Marcus with a shrug and confess, “I don’t know. Jane will probably tell us later.” You and Marcus share a look that says everything you want to: obviously, he’s the one who’s running things over there in the homicide department.

Which makes you worry even more for the fact that Marcus is not-so-subtly developing a crush for his longtime partner.

You’ve probably been too observant—no, you’ve definitely been too observant, but what the hell—whenever Lisbon’s appeared on the screen. She’s donning a nice dress that fits her very well, which Wylie explained was hand-picked for her by none other than Jane himself (shocker). You always look out of your peripherals to see Marcus looking a little too closely himself. Often, he’ll cup his hand over his mouth, a habit that you’ve learned well thanks to all the time you’ve spent with him. He does that when he’s trying to hide his reaction to things.

Well, he’s doing a shit job at it.

You want to scream that at him, to warn him not to go down this road—but you still know, who are you to tell him that? Marcus has been unfairly dragged through the mud once, and even though you don’t want to see it happen again, you know he’s been feeling pretty lonely ever since and he’d likely be more than willing to put his heart on the line. Again. For Lisbon. Even though you’d been standing here the whole time, waiting for him to give you the chance.

“Sunny?” Marcus’ voice suddenly rings in your ears. You blink a few times from where you’ve been staring into space at one of Wylie’s screens, looking to Marcus’ gaze. “Don’t die on me yet.”

You snort and shake your head. “Sorry, Pike,” you sigh, closing your empty takeout box and setting it on the floor beside you. “I just got a little lost up here.” You point with your finger to your temple.

Marcus raises an eyebrow in slight concern. “Everything okay?”

You nearly scoff at that. No, actually, it’s not, you want to say, because I’m scared that you’re breaking my heart and I’m even more scared that you’re gonna end up breaking yours again, too. “Yeah, I was just thinking about all… this,” you answer instead, gesturing with a hand to the set up you’re seated in front of. Marcus chuckles a bit as Wylie releases a laugh along with a nod.

“Understandable,” Wylie says. “Jane can be a tough one to follow, especially in the mind.”

You swallow hard and try to hide your concern. Great. You’d assumed that, but now—thinking of Marcus possibly trying to woo the woman Jane’s obviously been going after—you’re even more afraid of what could come for Marcus. You’re sure Jane would have no shame in letting Marcus get his heart absolutely shattered if it meant getting Lisbon for himself. You pinch the bridge of your nose and let out a deep sigh. You can almost feel another headache coming on.

It’s late in the night—or, rather, early the next morning—when the team tells you that you’re free until the morning. You and Marcus both nearly cheer with delight, rising from your chairs and helping Wylie to clean up the space you’d gotten much too comfortable in this evening. Marcus agrees to call Lisbon with the updates on who’s lingering in the perimeter (of course) while you start to pack your things up for the night. While you’re stuffing things into your bag, you can’t help looking up at Marcus every now and then, trying your best to read his lips—a skill you’ve mastered since working for the art department.

Pancakes. That’s a word that you catch, and you wonder why the hell Marcus is talking to Lisbon about pancakes. You know he has a favorite place somewhere down the road from here, but you can’t imagine why he’d bring that up to her now. Unless… he was offering to take her there. But, she was in the middle of a mission, she couldn’t—right?

You groan with frustration to yourself, pulling out your phone and opening your conversation with Andy.

me: please help me. i’m making myself suffer, here.🤦‍♀️

Almost right away, she responds. You roll your eyes. Of course she does.

andy💞: what is it now, miss thing? is it that lipton girl you were talking about earlier?

me: lisbon, andy. teresa lisbon. not the damn iced tea 🙄 and yes… kinda. i think.

andy💞: relax, ma’am. i’m sure you’re all in your head rn, okay?🥺 wait until marcus actually says something.

me: you’re right. i’ll let you know if—

“Looks like they’re all set over there,” Marcus announces, walking into the room and nearly making you jump at his sudden arrival. You lock your phone and shove it in your pocket, hoping you don’t look too suspicious as Marcus collects his things at his desk.

“That’s great,” you respond, forcing a smile as you hoist your bag onto your shoulder.

Marcus looks back up at you once he’s done the same. “Listen,” he starts, voice soft as he takes a few steps closer to you. He doesn’t know it, but you want to melt into the floor at such a tone and movement—especially with that charming and kind gaze he’s giving you. “I know it’s late and you’ve had a hell of a day, but would you wanna stop for a quick stack of pancakes at the diner before we head home?” Marcus gestures with his thumb to the glass windows behind you.

Pancakes. Maybe he’d been telling Lisbon about his plans with you, after all. You smile genuinely this time as you nod. “That sounds… really nice, Pike.”

Marcus smiles back at you. “Great. Meet you there?”

You nod again, walking with him out of the building as you talk about what could possibly be waiting for you tomorrow. Jane didn’t fill you all in on the details, so you’re basically left to do whatever he tells you, which makes you pretty worried. Marcus feels the same way, which makes you feel just a bit better about it all. You agree that working with the homicide team isn’t exactly your favorite thing in the world before you split off to your cars, getting ready to head to the diner. Before you start driving, you take your phone back out and finish your text to Andy, first deleting whatever you had written there before.

me: you’re right. now, he’s taking me to go get pancakes.🙃

You bite back a smile as you set your phone aside, focusing on the road as you fasten your seatbelt and follow Marcus’ car down the street. The diner’s completely empty at this hour, which doesn’t come as much of a shock—even if it does have twenty-four-hour service. Before you get out of the car, you see a notification from Andy on your lock screen.

andy💞: HE’S DOING WHAT NOW??🗣 do you know what time it is? you better tell me all about this later.

You tuck your phone in your pocket as you grab your wallet and keys and get out of the car, walking up to where Marcus is waiting on the sidewalk before you enter together. You sit in a both and get your order in right away, both of you opting for water rather than coffee as you wait for your shared stack of pancakes. Marcus releases a sigh as he looks at you seriously. It makes your heart race a little faster in your chest.

“I’m gonna be honest here, Sunny,” Marcus begins, causing you to almost choke on a sip of water as you nod at him. You can feel your hands beginning to tremble a bit, wondering if this could be a pivotal moment for you. “I need advice.”

You raise an eyebrow at him, willing yourself to keep your cool. “Of course, Marcus. What for?”

Marcus takes a sip of his water, his fingers dancing along the side of the plastic cup as he exhales deeply. He looks back up at you. “It’s about Teresa. Lisbon. You know.”

Your heart instantly sinks. Of course. You knew this was coming. The trembling in your hands is now from disappointed and suppressed frustration rather than intense hope, and you force yourself to swallow back every word your mind wants to scream at him as you instead nod.

Marcus goes on. “I just think she’s—well, I think she’s a really great woman.” Obviously, you do. You always think the best of everyone. You need to stop doing that. “I think I might even… ask her to go on a date.” Marcus is obviously nervous to confess this idea to the open air, and his brow wrinkles together rather awkwardly as he continues to look at you. “With me.”

You genuinely chuckle at that before taking a deep breath. “Wow. Marcus, that’s… would that be the first time since—?”

“Yeah, it would.” Marcus obviously doesn’t want you saying his ex-wife’s name. You don’t blame him for it. In fact, seeing the look in his eye when it even comes up makes you want to cut this shit and comfort him. “But, I don’t know, Sunny, I just… I got a good feeling about her.”

You want to frown, but you won’t. You can’t bring yourself to. Yeah, you wish Marcus was saying all this about you, that you make him feel safe enough to put his heart out there again, that you give him good feelings, but you still feel happy that he’s feeling good enough about something.

You’d been right there through what happened to him before, and it was terrible to watch him go through. You brought him a countless amount of meals because he wasn’t able to think of cooking for himself, and at work, you had to cover his ass quite a few times because he was much too distracted to be paying full attention all the time. Now, he’s finally on an upturn, giving love another chance—and even if it’s not with you, that makes you happy for him. No matter how much it hurts.

So, you shrug, giving Marcus a small smile as you do so. “I think you should do whatever you feel is best, Marcus,” you say honestly. “You know yourself well. If you really think she’ll be good for you, then go for it. What’s holding you back?”

Marcus shakes his head, pausing to thank the waitress as she brings over two plates and the stack of pancakes, setting them on the table in front of you before walking away. He speaks again as he lets you serve yourself and then does the same. “I don’t think anything’s really holding me back,” Marcus confesses. You swallow back the pain that statement brings you. “I just want to make sure I’m not being too—y’know, eager.”

You grimace a bit upon hearing that. You know that’s how Marcus’ ex-wife phrased things when she spoke about the divorce. It still angers you because you know you’d do anything to be on the receiving end of Marcus’ “eager” affections, to feel like you’re the center of his world, to make him feel the same—.

“Is it, Sunny?” Marcus presses, his dark eyes filling with concern. “Do I sound too eager?”

You chuckle at him and shake your head, also trying to clear your previous thoughts from it. “I don’t think there’s anything ‘too eager’ about asking someone on a date, Pike.” Marcus smiles himself at that. “If you really want to, and you think you’re ready for it, then do it.”

Marcus keeps smiling at you as you distract yourself by eating another chunk of pancakes, trying to ignore the way his expression sends an entire group of butterflies fluttering inside your stomach. “Thank you, Sunny. Really. I think I will.”

You smile back—this one not being as genuine as the others—and give him a reassuring nod. “You deserve it, Marcus.” He raises an eyebrow at you, wordlessly asking you to elaborate. You stumble a bit on your words. “To, uh, y’know, have someone again. Like that.”

Marcus nods in understanding, smiling yet again at you. “Well, thanks, partner. That means a lot.”

There’s still so much you want to say. You want to warn him—to tell him about Jane and the way he’d looked at them before and the rumors about him and Lisbon and the way that you feel about Marcus and how you’ve been here the whole damn time—but instead, you let it go. You let Marcus redirect the conversation and you even let yourself get lost inside of it with him, sharing many laughs as you finish off your midnight “snack” together. Of course, Marcus insists on paying, and before you know it you’re heading back out to your cars.

“Thanks again for joining me, Sunny,” Marcus says, his tone soft and genuine as he looks over at you. “And thanks for your advice. It means a lot.”

You smile at him, keeping it as genuine as you can in this moment. “Anytime, Pike. You know where to find me.”

Marcus nods, offering a little wave of his hand before he gets back inside his car. You do the same and release a heavy sigh, waiting for Marcus to pull away before you lean your head against the steering wheel for a moment. Everything’s just gone horribly wrong: this midnight breakfast of yours turned out to be an opportunity for you to first hand witness Marcus’ pining for Lisbon, while you had to sit there like an idiot pretending you don’t have feelings for him and encouraging him to do exactly what you don’t want him to.

“Isn’t that love?” Andy asks you later, when you’ve gotten back to your apartment, got into your pajamas, and practically cried out the entire story to her. “Letting him go?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t fucking suck!” you wail, letting your face fall onto the pillow you’ve hugged onto your lap.

“I know, Miss Thing, I know,” Andy sighs. “God, I wish I could be there for you right now. But… who knows, maybe his feelings aren’t reciprocated.”

“Then he’ll be heartbroken,” you mutter, your voice muffled by the pillow, “again. I don’t want that for him.”

“I know you don’t. You big softie.” Andy takes another deep breath. “Listen, girl, I know this sucks. I know it hurts. But you’ve got to do what you can right now as his friend. Then, maybe later, the universe will reward you and finally get you to where you wanna be with him.”

You finally lift your head back up at that, rubbing your eyes with your hands to dry them as you nod at her. “I know.” You scoff. “That seems to be our phrase tonight, huh? So many things we know but I really don’t know what the hell’s gonna happen with those two.”

“Exactly. So, don’t worry about it for now. Who knows—it could be a little fling.”

You nod at her. “True, true. You’re right, Andy. How can you be so wise sometimes?” Andy laughs and shrugs at you while you stare at the clock, realizing it’s now past two in the morning and you’ve got to be back at the office pretty early. “Damn it. I gotta get to bed. Thank you for hearing me out, Andy.”

“Don’t even thank me, ma’am. That’s my job.” Andy gives you an encouraging smile before she bids you goodnight, and you hang up before resting your phone completely against your bedside table and reaching for the lamp there. You release a deep breath as you settle in your bed, staring at the dark ceiling and closing your eyes restlessly.

You hope that you’ll wake up and this’ll all be a bad dream—but part of you knows that you’re about to wake up to a true nightmare.

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marcus pike tag list: @opheliaelysia 

[heartbreakgrill]

That Smile; Luke Hemmings, Pt. 3

description: feelings are being felt, songwriting is coming to an end, and the time is slipping by.

a/n: pt 4.

“Calum, I actually fucking love this idea.”

Painted fingernails clenched a similar blue mechanical pencil, tapping relentlessly on a lined, worn out notebook. The studio was chilly, which was why you were wrapped up in a hoodie, zip-up jacket, fuzzy socks, and a blanket. Your legs were tucked underneath, sinking deep into the couch of the studio. Calum was slumped beside you with his own pen and paper. Michael was across the room from you, in a rolling chair, guitar in hand.

Ashton and Luke were in a different room, working through their own ideas. You decided it would be good to split groups up today. The dynamic needed to change, you had said, because its a Monday and we need to not let ourselves get into a phase. You’d chosen the groups, eager to work with one-half of the rhythm section and a killer guitarist. And, maybe, perhaps, you had put Luke into a different group because you were avoiding him.

It had been over a week and a half since that stupid party. You were ashamed, embarrassed, and so, so disappointed in yourself for getting emotionally drunk and crying in the arms of a client. Though it wasn’t obvious avoidance, Luke noticed. And he dished to Ashton, Michael, and Calum because he was also noticing growing feelings for you.

You had barely know each other for four months, but he knew he was getting too attached to your talent, pretty eyes, and bubbly personality. You reminded him of the good things in life, as weird as it sounded. He knew he couldn’t make advances without some kind of signal from you, which he couldn’t receive if you wouldn’t talk to him. And time was running out.

“Yeah? Thanks,” Calum replied, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He shared a glance with Michael, questions in his eyes, and Michael nodded. “Y/N?”

You hummed as you scribbled a few words, “Huh? Oh, how does, “I wont break your heart...Again! Can’t be another monster among men. No, that doesn’t work with the rhythm.”

Michael took over, “Y/N, why are you avoiding Luke?”

Luke liked your bubbliness, which shined through as you continued talking, “Are we going along with the counting idea? I like it being a reoccurring pattern, but kinda different each-“

“Y/N, c’mon,” Calum nudged her with his foot. “What happened?”

You suddenly stood up, notebook falling to the ground, pencil gripped so hard your knuckles turned white. “I’m getting coffee. I’m thirsty for coffee. Do you guys want coffee? Ill get you some coffee.”

They sat, shocked at how quickly you left the room, while you pushed open the door and sped to the break room. Your hand landed on the handle to the coffee pot before you could assess the room. Breath was short, eyes were bleary, and your stomach twisted in knots.

“Y/N? Are you okay?” Luke spoke from his spot at the table, sipping his own coffee. He didn’t care, in that moment, that you were ignoring him. He just cared if you were okay.

You took a deep breath and spun on your heel. “I’m sorry for ignoring you. I’m embarrassed and kinda scared and I’m not doing well, like, ever. When something like you happens, I get overwhelmed and step back. Its unhealthy, but its just what I do. I’m sorry.”

Luke stood up, approaching you with slow feet, “Woah, hey, its okay. It wasn’t that big of a deal. I was just afraid you were angry with me for the party.”

“Why would I be angry?” You looked up at him as your hand grasped the necklace on your throat.

“For holding you or giving you drinks or something. I’m sorry I let you get out of hand.” He shrugged.

You shook your head, the tears going away, “No, no. I needed it. I-“

You stopped yourself from spilling too much. Luke lightly grabbed your palm with his fingers, and he told himself it was friendly, the way your skin electrified and your eyes blew up. “You can trust me. I know we haven’t known each other long, but we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well. You can trust me.”

“Okay,” you took a deep breath. “Truth be told, I wasn’t just overwhelmed because of the whole songwriting thing. I was overwhelmed because my boyfriend broke up with me. It was a few weeks before that night, but I was letting it build. He said he hadn’t loved me in a while. And, I...I did love him. I do love him somewhat. It hurts so bad, but I haven’t had anyone because he...he was the only person I really knew here in LA. He was kinda controlling, so I didn’t have, like any friends when we moved here and he wouldn’t let me make them. So, I’m now in an empty apartment, with a bunch of unboxed boxes. And...”

Luke felt drawn away from it all. He couldn’t let himself love you in the first place, but even more so now. You were getting over someone, a fresh break up from two weeks ago. He would be a rebound, if you could even get yourself to touch someone else.

“Its okay,” he persisted, gulping the disappointment and chasing it down with another squeeze to your hand. “Keep going.”

“I got upset because I realized that, that night, a bunch of feelings were surfacing for somebody who wasn’t him. I wasn’t sad for a few hours and I let myself get infatuated with this stupid idea. I felt guilty and then I felt gross because its unprofessional to like a client. Its also impossible for it to work. I mean, I’m a slummy songwriter. Hes- Hes a rockstar.” You felt ashamed, letting your head hang low, and your eyes fall from his gaze.

Lukes own eyes lit up, pupils dilated with adoration, hope. The lump disappeared, instead replaced by this ungodly squeal that he couldn’t let out. This is it. Here it was, you liked-

“Calum,” You said it quickly, almost too soon for him to register and comprehend. “I-I like Ash-Ashton.”

He squared his shoulders, his jaw set, and the grip on your hand almost stopped the blood flow to his fingers. He realized he was tightening his hold, so he let up. The size of his eyes became small again, diluted with glistening tears.

Why did he left himself get hopeful? He couldn’t blame it on the fact that he barely knew you, you him. You’d gotten to know each other. Couldn’t blame you. You were human, going through receding heartbreak. Couldn’t blame Calum, who was clueless to the ideas. He could only blame himself for getting attached again, for getting this idea in his head of holding you, kissing you, loving you.

“Oh,” Luke didn’t let himself look disappointed. After everything, he couldn’t allow himself to look like a fool.

Your face fell at his reaction. “Yeah,” you quickly added. “Don’t tell him, or anyone. I dont think I want to, to be in a relationship. Right now, at least. Plus, I think he’s talking to somebody. Hes been writing hopeful love songs.”

He wasn’t. Those were Lukes ideas that Calum covered up because he knew his friend too well. He was protecting him.

You shared a chuckle. Lukes eyes tore from the cupboard above you, to the shapes of broken hearts in your eyes. He was sure they matched his own, but you couldn’t tell.

“I’m...here for you. If you need me, I’m here.”

You nodded solemnly, lifting yourself on your toes to wrap your arms around his shoulders. He cradled your waist, nearly reflexively nuzzling his head into your neck. You stopped yourself from kissing his cheek when you pulled away.

He walked you back the room, then back to his own area, already grabbing the pen he had abandoned and scribbling out a stupid sad song.

-

It was in the following weeks in which he found himself falling head over heels for you. The album was nearly done after almost six months, but you all knew there songs to be written. It didn’t feel complete to neither you nor the rest of the band. For Luke, it was because he didn’t have you.

What he had was moments. You laughing, leaning over your lap and your forehead crashing against his shoulder. You laughing, after a glance from Luke that was silly, after a joke Michael told, after a meme aum showed you. You, smiling, when Luke suggested a lyric, when he held open the door for you, handed you a cup of coffee. You, dancing, to a completed song you and him had written together one night after the boys left.

You had had an idea that day, but felt flushed out by the crazy amount of inspiration coming from every other person in the studio. Luke noticed you lingering behind when everyone walked out and decided to stay, too. You ordered in Chinese food, got carried away and discussed your star signs.

When you finally bid goodbye in the parking lot, Luke was lingering over your car door like that day he invited you to the party. When he finally slipped off to his car, he sat there for a moment and Googled something. He discovered your star signs were compatible.

The song was finished, lyrics wise. Neither of you were talented with the rhythm section, and the next week was spent with Calum and Ashton, writing and rewriting. A week after that, it was recorded.

You pressed play on the track, immediately bouncing up and down to the song, “Meet You There.” Luke already loved it when you wrote it, but watching you dance around, watching you as you pulled him off the couch and spun him around, he realized it was favorite song. Ever.

But, then you wiggled over to Calum, pulled him up in a similar movement. Calum grabbed your waist, dancing with you across the room. When he lifted you over his shoulder and spun in quick circles, Luke found himself frowning. He fell onto the couch, the soundtrack of the song and your heart-wrenching giggles like a depressing movie staple.

Luke had moments of you and Calum engrained in his memory. Calum offering his lap for you to put your legs, offering to grab you and Luke cups of coffee because he, “was thinking of getting one, too.”

Calum, taking silly selfies with you, singing your name funnily through the microphones whenever he was recording a part. Calum writing a song about you, albeit a twenty second bass line with your name and your personality the lyrics.

Luke had written you songs. Of course he had. He hadn’t shared them, but still. Why won’t you jump up from your spot on the floor, wrap your arms around his neck, kiss his cheek?

Why won’t you look to him when you’re cold, take his hoodie instead of Calums? Why wont you get a ride from him to the restaraunt for dinner? Why won’t you ruffle his hair, call him your best friend, wrap your arm around his bicep in a drunk haze? Why won’t you ask him for help on a specific song lyric?

Maybe you did these things with him a few times, but you won’t let it last long, as if you were purposefully pulling away. Luke didn’t want you to. He wanted to wrap his hoodie around you, pull on the sleeves, pull you into his chest. He wanted to grip your thigh, dance in the drivers seat as you bounced in the passenger side, hair fluffing in the wind. He wanted to steal a kiss when you stood on your toes to ruffle his hair, call you his girlfriend, not just his friend, carry you in his arms when drunk, write love songs with. Entire albums.

Why won’t you love him? He wanted to love you.

He wrote a song that night, a sad song with an upbeat tempo so he could disguise himself from the tears. A song about running, something he couldn’t wait to do when this was over. About letting the sky carry him to home, to actual good things he could have. Away from you and your stupid beautiful light.

-

In the moments when Luke was longingly staring after you, you were forcing yourself. You forced yourself towards Calum, made your heart gravitate to his own. At first, you knew you were using him when you asked for rides, held onto him, leaned close so he could smell your perfume.

He saw past the charade, sat you down for dinner, forced you to spill your guts. After that, you weren’t purposefully making Calum like you. After that, you were becoming close with Calum, using his friendship to make your aching heart feel better. You didn’t even know Luke was hurting in the first place. You were afraid to admit that he was the one you were talking about, scared he’d be weirded out or confused. So, you said Calums name.

You had your own moments. Lukes laugh when you told him a story from high school, when Michael was caught playing video games instead of writing, when Ashton would pick you up and slam you down on the couch. His eyes, lighting up when he finished a lyric, plucked a particularly satisfying chord on the guitar.

His smile. His smile when he said good morning, good night, and goodbye. His smile when you showed him a new dress you bought, his smile when you wore it the next day. His smile when you told him you bought a couch, his smile when he helped you set it up. His smile when you finished unpacking and told him excitedly. His grin when you told him you burned the last photo of your ex, when you sent his clothes to Goodwill. His grin when he saw your phone on a Pinterest hair style, when he said it would look pretty on you, when you wore it the next day proudly.

You wrote a song that night, a sad song about unrequited love. Slow piano music highlighted its soft notes. It wasn’t a song for anybody but you, something to get you through it all when this was over. When you wouldn’t see Calum, let alone Luke, when you were done.

They would forget about you. He would forget about you. You were sure of it.

If only your compability would help you turn your faces, so he could see those eyes light up, and you could see that smile.

-

TAG LIST: @oopsiedoopsie23

[bangtan-madi]

546 Days Without You — Ten: Day 300

Pairing — Seokjin x Reader

Tags — boyfriend!Seokjin, older brother!Yoongi, producer/songwriter!MC, military au (ish), idol au (ish)

Genre — fluff, angst

Word Count — 2.7k

Summary — Kim Seokjin is your entire world, and that world falls apart the moment he and your older brother Yoongi are conscripted into the South Korean military.

Part — 10 / 15

Warnings — none

A/N — I am so sorry for the long wait for this update, guys. Same old story; all work, no play. Hope it's made up for the absence somehow. Thanks for sticking with me <3

Previous — Next

The roar of the crowds grows louder and louder as showtime gets closer. Fans pour in for hours, elated and ecstatic to see the boys in person. Singing and dancing, cheers and laughter, all forms of joy fill Olympic Stadium. As the time grows nearer, you can feel the auditorium start to tremble under your feet. It's far from the first time you've been this close to a show—this has been part of your life for the last eight years—but being such an integral part of it gives the night a whole other feeling.

The only way you can describe it is pure wonder.

Peering down to see the massive crowds finding their seats, ensuring that you remain hidden behind the large stage lighting on the highest balcony, you force yourself to take a deep breath and hold it. It's the one thing that's worked consistently through the last year, and it's the one thing Seokjin's told you on a regular basis. 

"If your breath is off, you'll feel it," he'd repeat over and over on every call. And then he'd follow that up with a silly joke and force you to practice breathing with him. 

To which you'd always give him an eye-roll and sarcastic quip—while practicing with him, of course. It's his way of showing how much he cares. He'd talked you through plenty of moments of self-doubt.

"Remember: Sing for yourself first—the rest of the world can follow suit."

But the shoulder you leaned on that particular night was that of your brother. He'd been promoted recently and was given similar freeing privileges, so you no longer had to rely on such an archaic way of communication.

"Are you nervous for tomorrow?" he'd asked the night before, voice soft and timbre as you remember.

You'd tried to make it seem as if the nerves were gone, but even with the slight tremble in your voice, you could tell that he knew right away. You might've been able to fool most people that you were conquering the hoard of butterflies in your stomach, but Yoongi reads you like an open book.

"And don't lie."

"It's my first live show," you explained. "We've been practicing for the tour for months. I've been nailing my singing and rapping. All of us are spent, and tour hasn't even begun...but we're also the most excited we've been in a while. It feels like we haven't been with the Army in so, so long. Like years have passed."

"So you're torn, aren't you?"

Even though you knew he couldn't see you, you nodded your agreement. "I never thought I'd be so excited to tour with them. At first, I was horrified at the idea. And then I saw the benefits and thought it could be fun. Everyone's been so supportive and helpful. The boys and the team have guided me through all the parts I'd only seen from the sidelines. Now that I'm in the middle of it...I feel both honored and thrilled and terrified and nervous."

Yoongi chuckled softly at the confession. "That's awfully honest of you. Normally I have to pry it out of you."

"What can I say? I've spent an ungodly amount of time with Jimin. Like, even more than before. I'm now a professional feeler."

Your brother's laughter grew in volume, then fades as he insisted, "Well, your feelings are totally valid. The older I get, the more I realize that it's both normal and fine to have conflicting emotions. You can be both excited and scared. You can be nervous and thrilled. You can both be impatient to begin and scared of it, too. That's life. That's the human condition."

"Even if I feel sick to my stomach?" you asked with a chortle. 

"Especially if. We paint our lives as two distinct sides and tell ourselves that we must be in one or the other. We're happy. We're sad. We're scared. We're delighted. There are no in-betweens. But here's the thing: life is not binary. There's no black and white, and you have to learn to be okay with being all of these things at once. It's a lot, but it's the greatest part of life."

"And the worst," you added.

Yoongi laughed, "Well, that's part of it, too!"

You let out a huff of air and felt the uneasiness in your body settle down as his words hit home. "When did you get so wise, Yoongles?"

"I've always been wise. You're just now enlightened enough to see it."

Thinking back on that conversation, you can't help but chuckle and bring your attention back to the moment. The night is unraveling perfectly. All of the work and time and money that's been invested in this tour, especially the first night, is paying off. For once, the universe is on your side, and all is going according to plan. In a few moments, you'll begin the trek down to the stage interior and begin the final prep for the performance.

But in this moment, you stand with arms braced against the metal railing, gazing from the Army, to the stage, and up to the periwinkle sky. The lights are twinkling as bombs light up across the tens of thousands, and the horizon wraps around the stadium like a blanket. The weather is clear and the stars are beginning to show themselves. 

It brings a smile to your face when you realize you're comfortable with the medley of feelings in your chest, and that you find yourself more than willing to face the night with them.

Straightening up, you raise your hand to catch the wind as a breeze sweeps down from the clouds and into the crowds. Your smile grows, and a joyful sound builds in your chest. And for the first time, your heartbeat quickens not from fear alone, but from excitement.

Bounding down the stairs, two at a time, you sneak around the Army and make your way back to the boys. Most of them are already dressed for the first performance, with a couple finishing touches being added to their hair and makeup. Jimin catches your gaze first, forever the worrisome one. You give a reassuring smile, and the tiny line between Jimin's brows dissipates. 

Taehyung pulls you towards the stylist. "You need to get ready," he orders with a playful smile. "We have the first couple of songs, then you're up."

Nodding once, you turn towards your flashy tour garb that hangs on the rack to the side. "Got it."

"Are you ready, [Y/n]-ie?" Hoseok inquires.

You give the now-senior member two thumbs-ups, grin widening. "I got this. We got this!"

Namjoon ruffles your hair as he passes, surprised and thrilled with your eagerness. To which Jungkook shouts, "Let's get it!"

After the vocal line's song comes to an end, and the cheers begin to fade, you're ushered to the lift under the stage. Jimin holds your hand along the way, and he's the one that helps you up the step and onto the platform. Jungkook hands you your sparkly, white mic and leaves his tattooed hand on your trembling fingers as reassurance.

Hoseok adjusts your matching earpieces so that they stay in place, and Taehyung places a stabilizing hand between your shoulder blades. Namjoon's eyes lock with yours, and even though no words are said, the nod he gives you says everything.

Focusing on a calm exhale, you give a thumbs up to the members. As they visibly relax and back away from the platform, you raise your thumb towards the crew. A lever is pulled, and the gears in the lift groan to life. You crouch down as the platform begins to rise, letting your eyes flutter shut in one final moment of tranquility.

White noise. It's the only sound you can hear through the muffling of your earpieces. Not even technology can block out the cheers and elations of Army. The pitter-patter of your heart causes the smile to spread across your face.

Opening your eyes, the platform halts at the top of the stage. You straighten your legs as a rush of adrenaline pumps through your body. The sudden resurgence of energy has you blasting out onto the stage, as perfect as all those days of practice could be. Except this time, you have a sea of lights that play against the dark.

The live track begins to play, and you strut to your on-stage cue. Lifting the microphone to your lips, you begin to sing. From the very first note, the crowd goes wild. It's everything you could've dreamed and more. The way they immediately sing along, the way they dance along with you despite not knowing all the choreography, the way they cheer for someone who's as new to this stage as a trainee. Their support lifts you and carries you along your well-practiced routine.

The melody flows from the first verse to the chorus, then into the second verse. Not once does your voice crack. Not once does your memory falter. Not once do your feet tangle under you. If ever there were a perfect performance, especially with the high note in the bridge before the final chorus, it was this night in Seoul.

You know Seokjin and Yoongi would be proud as hell.

When the song comes to an end, the mic drops from your lips and your head rolls back. You take a moment to let the sight around you imprint in the back of your mind. Every part of this first performance, you want to remember it forever. Even the bittersweet fact that your brother and lover are far away from such an impactful moment.

Tears well up in your eyes as the lights fade. The backup dancers rush off stage, and you're pulled with them. You hadn't expected the sadness to hit you this soon after performing; by the time you're backstage with the members, your sight is blurry and your lips quiver.

"Whoa, whoa." Hoseok is over at your side in an instant, and Jimin cups your face between his palms. "You did great! Why are you crying?"

"You killed it," Jungkook agrees with a bunny-esque grin.

You shake your head fervently, brushing away the tears with the back of your hand. "It's not that," you murmur, and Taehyung wraps you in a back-hug. "It's not that at all."

That's all you have to say, and the others fall silent with understanding. Namjoon gives your shoulder a squeeze, and Jungkook offers you a bottled water. 

"Drink slowly and sit down," the leader orders softly. "Hoseok and I are up next, but take it easy with the maknaes for a second, okay?"

Nodding your acceptance, you watch as the two oldest skip out towards the stage for another wild and passionate performance. Jimin grabs your hand and, threading his fingers through yours, ushers you towards the break area backstage. The music and crowds fade away, replaced by quiet.

Jimin kneels down in front of you, while Taehyung wraps you in a side hug. Jungkook grabs a small snack from the side table and insists you get some food into your system so the shakiness stops.

"We got you," the youngest of the three chides. 

You give the brunet a grateful expression and take the chips from his grasp. It takes all your energy to focus on the three around you, in this moment, and not on the two that are absent. It'd taken you by surprise as you left the stage; you thought you'd come to terms with Seokjin and Yoongi being so far away. But after performing the song that poured out your emotions, you feel raw and exposed and drained. It's near impossible to tear your mind away.

However, eventually, you're calm enough to drink and eat a little, much to their relief. Blinking away the remnants of your tears, you heave a short breath and murmur, "Sorry...I don't know why I got caught up in that again."

Jimin's thumbs brush across your cheeks. "Don't be. It's always emotional performing a song for the first time. We should have warned you."

"And one of the members is always crying after a show," Jungkook chuckles. "So don't beat yourself up."

Taehyung adds, "It's almost always one of us."

The comments cause you to laugh, and the tension in the room dissipates. One of the producers pops her head through the door and says, "Jin's recording is up next. Are you still okay to go on stage?"

The boys turn to you, and you nod assuredly. Standing up, you drag them with you. The gentle squeeze your fingers give lets them know of your choice. They follow you without question.

It’s time to face the music.

And that’s what you keep telling yourself, time and time again, as the stage stands dauntingly ahead. Curtains and props rise up around you. Bombs light up the arena with their iridescent glow. Armys chant and sing, bringing your mind back to the present moment.

Despite the wondrous things you have seen the first day of the tour, despite being surrounded by five of your closest friends–men you consider your brothers, despite the great adventure that lies in front of you, the only thing consuming your mind at this moment is him. What you wouldn’t do to have him beside you, what you wouldn’t trade to thread your fingers through his, what you wouldn’t sacrifice to hear his angelic voice harmonizing with yours.

Then you hear it. 

As if from a hazy dream, somewhere in the fog that is your mind you recognize the vocals that begin to play. Unlike most of the performance, this particular piece is a recording. You’ve lost count how many times you’d watched it, in your darkest moments when the heartbreak in your chest becomes too much to bear.

As you glance to the side, to the gigantic screen at the back of the stage, you see Seokjin’s face exactly as your memory promised. This recording isn’t one from a music video or short film, nor is it from the tour or live show from earlier last year. No, the Jin singing now is barefaced and adorned in an ocean blue sweater with an image of RJ on the chest. A guitar in hand, he sings in the privacy of your home, the one you shared for almost two years before he left. It’s intimate and beautiful and goofy, everything you love to death about the man himself.

And it brings a smile to your face when you hear the song he wrote for you.

A gentle hand grasps yours as the song nears the second chorus. Jimin stands at your side, a look of cautious worry on his makeup-enhanced features. He doesn’t say a word, but his expression tells you what he would say if the microphones weren’t turned on.

Are you okay? Are you holding up? Do you need a moment before we go on again?

Giving a small nod of reassurance, you squeeze the hand of your closest friend in an attempt to reassure him. Jimin nods once and rests his chin on your shoulder. Both of your gazes shift back to the screen, back to Seokjin, back to one of several people you miss more than the world.

You’ve made it 300 days thus far, but it breaks your heart when you remember that you still have 246 days yet to bear. No one should have to stay away from the one they love for 546 days.

At that moment, you pray even harder for the strength and courage to make it 246 more days.

But until then, you’ll keep repeating those six words over and over until your fear disappears.

It’s time to face the music. 

Taglist — @joyful-jimin​​​, @gracehiii​​, @live-2-fangirl​​, @rjsmochii​​​, @btsnatalena​

[johnny-and-dora]

mini fic maybe? jake and amy and bringing their baby to the precinct for the first time

so funny story….you see my brain said mini fic but apparently my heart said 1000 words so anyway here’s wonderwall x-

Jake’s spent a significant amount of time in his life waiting for the elevator doors of the 99th precinct to slide open.

He remembers stealing glances at it for hours after Holt and Gina left for the PR department, trying to ignore the hollow sort of stuttering in his chest, half-hoping for this all to be some kind of elaborate prank or set-up for a heist that was still months away. He remembers fixating on it while some awful all-consuming fear fizzed uncomfortably under his skin, clenching his fists, trying to convince himself that Rosa would be okay.

All sorts of strange, exciting, terrifying, wonderful people have entered and left this part of his life through that elevator. Criminals and colleagues, friends and family alike. In fact, if he turns in his chair and glances at those doors now (for probably the fortieth time in the past five minutes), he will see the exact spot where, almost a decade ago, he first met his wife.

The thought makes him smile, and then compulsively check his phone again. Amy hasn’t read his last message, a simple thumbs-up followed by three yellow heart emojis, but that doesn’t worry him. She’s probably a little preoccupied, or else inevitably held up by her beat cops wanting to see her.

Still, he taps erratically on the desk, thrumming with anxious energy, hoping she’ll be here soon. He’s waited for people to arrive in the precinct before, but never like this. They’ve never been graced by someone so important and special.

He’s watched those elevator doors slide open and shut easily a thousand times in his life, but never has that elevator had the privilege of carrying the two most important human beings in the entire universe.

As if the precinct somehow understands how much of a big deal this is, he’s almost instantly rewarded with a sonorous, familiar ding – Jake whips his head around and meets Amy’s smile, leaping out of his seat to open the bullpen gate for her as she gently wheels the stroller forward towards his desk.

“Hi.” He quickly kisses Amy on the cheek before kneeling down to gently brush his daughter’s dark wild hair out of her face and kiss her on the forehead. “And hello to you, peanut.” She gurgles happily in response, chubby fist reaching out to grab his badge. He grins back up at Amy, eyes liquid and warm. “I missed you both, so much.”

“We missed you too.” She says softly – he’s been back at work all week, but he doesn’t think leaving them in the morning will ever get easier. Holt graciously granting him this afternoon off and Amy’s idea to meet him at the precinct has been the only thing getting him through the endless monotony of processing and paperwork today.

“So what do you think, kiddo? This is where mom and dad catch bad guys all day. Pretty cool, huh?” Jake asks – he gets another gurgle in response, which he’s presuming is either an affirmative or wind. He’s gonna go with the former.

They’re just about ready to leave when Jake hears a barely contained sob coming from the break room. Charles has tears unabashedly dripping down his face, par for the course with the other times he’s met their baby. Rosa leans against the doorframe, awkwardly patting Charles on the shoulder.

“God, she’s adorable.” Rosa sounds almost sickened at admitting it, but even she, Jake smugly notices, has a soft smile on her face at the sight of her goddaughter. No-one is immune to that smile.

“I know. With my looks and Amy’s brains and also Amy’s looks, she’s going to be unstoppable.” He proclaims proudly, smiling at his wife – she rolls her eyes affectionately.

“C’mon, I want to get to your mom’s before this little one gets hungry again.”

“Your daughter seeing the place where your love fully ripened for the first time? You can’t leave yet! This is a truly magical moment you’ll want to cherish forever!” Charles gushes, hands firmly clasped over his heart. Amy makes a light noise of disgust, probably at his use of the word ripened. Jake, who has been putting up with this all week, simply laughs.

“Sorry, bud. But, y’know, she’s probably gonna see a lot of this place. Plenty of magical moments to come.” He wants to say something dangerously cheesy about how every single moment with his daughter is nothing short of magical, even when she’s screaming bloody murder at 2am or throwing up on his shirt.

But Rosa will probably punch him if she says that, and he doesn’t want to risk Charles going into cardiac arrest. His mom awaits with the promise of lemonade and the chance for him and Amy to nap together while she watches her granddaughter, and that is an opportunity too precious to pass up on.

So instead they say goodbye, Jake slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder as Rosa hugs Amy and practically drags Charles away from the stroller. As the elevator doors slide shut with them inside, they both breathe a sigh of relief, happily cooing at their bright-eyed daughter. Amy rests her head on his shoulder, weary but content – for the first time all day, Jake feels himself really relax. For easily the thousandth time since their little miracle baby came into the world, he marvels at how lucky he is to have such a perfect little family.

They get a whole three hours of blissful uninterrupted sleep together later in his childhood bedroom. And at an ungodly hour the next morning when he’s slumped on the couch, his daughter finally sound asleep on his chest, Jake has to begrudgingly admit that his love is totally ripe.