#also like either they all dressed the exact same and like half were just shirtless/had open shirts most the time

[junotter]

what i think is the reason I'm Just Ken is a good/as popular as it is is because the way it somehow explores both what its like to be a woman and man just through ken.

like the line "I'm just Ken. Anywhere else I'd be a ten." just feels very hitting as a woman in a social media world, especially if you've seen the truerateme subreddits and the ways they judge women.

and of course the fragility and inability to find meaning/self worth outside of a romantic relationship due to the strict boxes placed on men and male relationships (and even friendships between men and women).

theres more and i know im getting annoying with the barbie posts but i did really like the movie, regardless of how "bland" its feminism is. also just all the chronically online feminists complaining about how basic it is, like oh should we tell everyone? Should we throw a party? should we invite andrea dworkin.

like is it perfect? no. does it lack in intersectionality and have poc characters act as the support to white characters? yes. should ken probably of apologized? yeah. but many things can be true about one movie.

[hopespeak-hs-hostclub]

Since I don't have an original idea maybe Gundham NSFW ABC's

Also if you do anon names can I be 🦎 anon? If not it's okay I just wanted to ask!

YES I LOVE TANAKA SO MUCH I planned on doing this anyway 🦎 anon so I’m DOWN! Also yes you’re officially my first anon with a name I love it! Welcome!!!

NSFW ABC’S : Gundham Tanaka 💖

A (Aftercare) Gundham is so sweet and loving after sex with you. The two of you always shower together, and while you’re getting dressed he’ll make the two of you hot tea, and put on a movie in bed so the two of you can just snuggle and drink tea all evening until one of you (usually you) fall asleep.

B (fave body part) ASS. GUNDHAM IS AN ASS MAN! He likes to grab it and smack it and kiss it and bite it. He’s a sucker for your ass.

C (cum) he’s literally the ultimate breeder. So naturally he cums inside of you every. Single. Time. And you love it of course.

D (dirty Secret) it’s no surprise that Gundham is a little old fashioned about things. Well, same goes for romance obviously. He hates sexting and sending nudes, but he loves writing you erotic notes and leaving them on your nightstand, or bathroom counter for you to see when you wake up/get home. Usually they include something about how he can’t wait for his dark beauty to come home so he can absolutely ravage them. Ya know, cute romantic stuff like that

E (experience) You’re his first and only! He’s very shy and doesn’t express himself well, so when you two finally started dating, you were his first everything. Relationship, sexual partner.. all of it. But he caught on quick and he’s damn good at it.

F (favorite Position) he actually prefers missionary because he wants to constantly be able to kiss you and be as connected and close as possible. But don’t think that’s the only one he loves. Gundham is also obsessed with fucking you doggy style. From that position he can pound into you as hard and deep and rough as he wants, and also don’t forget that he has a preference for your ass.

G = (Goofy?) a little bit. Since he’s only ever slept with you there’s always some errors that embarrass him, but make you giggle and kiss him. Which makes him do the same. It’s super cute and makes you both fall more in love with eachother. Also since he was a virgin before meeting you there’s lots of experimenting that makes you both a little embarrassed and laughing sometimes.

H = (Hair) He’s never fully shaved, but he does trim and groom himself regularly. He doesn’t mind what you do either way, because he loves you regardless.

I = (Intimacy) sex with Gundham can definitely be goofier, but it’s usually incredibly intimate. He wants to touch and bite and leave marks all over your entire body. He usually lights candles and on birthdays, holidays, or your anniversary, he also has some rose pedals because even though he’s an emo boy, he’s also super romantic. He doesn’t give his love to just anyone, so he’s gonna absolutely shower you with it.

J = (Jack Off) Before meeting you he would jack off all the time. Here lately not as much. But when you’re not able to come over, he’s not afraid to think about you and enjoy himself.

K = (Kink) well he has a breeding kink. But besides that, he also realized he liked overstimulation and orgasm deprivation- but not to you. He wants to be over stimulated. He wants you to do all of that to him. Even though he has a “I’m better than everyone” thing going on most of the time, in the bedroom he’s actually very submissive. He does take charge every now and again, but for the most part he wants you to dominate him.

L = (Location) mostly your apartment/ dorm. But for his birthday you got a romantic hotel room with a jacuzzi bath tub you fucked in more than once. You’ve also had sex in hot tubs, pools, tents in the woods while camping, and in his car at night on a cliff. As long as you’re alone and together he’s so happy.

M = ( Motivation) sit on his lap and whisper in his ear. “Hey my sexy prince of darkness” something like that. Kiss his neck. He’s going to m e l t. Anything you do that’s even remotely sexy is all it takes.

N = (NO) he doesn’t wanna do animal play. He won’t use a collar or leash or treat you like a pet. He loves you in a different way than his animals.

O = (Oral) as much as Gundham adores when you blow him, he almost always cums too quickly without meaning to, and usually tells you not to do it. He’ll always happily give you oral though. He loves making you feel so blissful with his mouth

P = (Pace) slow and long, but also deep and hard. He wants to be buried inside of you, but never want it to end.

Q = (Quickie) oh yes. Shower quickies, after work quickies, just because quickies, waiting for dinner to finish quickies. But he also loves to make an entire evening out of having sex with you.

R = (Risk) yes and frequently! As mentioned before he’s never gotten to experiment with sex or kinks before meeting you, so the two of you have tried a lot of stuff.

S = (Stamina) at most he cums 3 times, but usually just two within like and hour and a half of foreplay and sex. He likes orgasm deprivation remember? Wink wink

T = (toy) can’t say you two haven’t used any toys ever. You’ve both been handcuffed, whipped, blindfolded, and tied up

U = (Unfair) he doesn’t like teasing you at all. He always feels bad and gives in as soon as you start to beg him. But he fucking loves when you tease him. At first, becoming such a whimpering mess was embarrassing for him. But now he’s obsessed with it.

V = (Volume) He isn’t quiet by any means, but he’s not the loudest. Gundham’s voice is so deep that all of his moans, groans, and grunts are very very loud in your ears. He also screams when he talks without realizing it sometimes, so you can imagine he accidentally gets real loud sometimes.

W = (Weird fact) if you’re ever trying to get him horny, wear something sexy in the color black. As the true overlord of the underworld, he loves black, and he always thinks you look so sexy in it. Especially when you’re trying to be sexy.

X = (X-Ray) 9 and a half inches. hard. When he told you that you literally didn’t believe him and eventually made him measure for you and prove it. He knows how to work it too.

Y = (Yearning) he doesn’t just want to fuck you. He wants to make passionate love to you every night of his life. He’s grown addicted to your body, and you feel the exact same for him. That’s why you have so many quickies and long long nights together. Because you both crave each others touch so frequently.

Z = (ZZZ) as stated before he loves to make you two tea and watch a movie in bed. Typically the two of you watch half the movie, finish the tea, and pause it to take the dishes to the sink and use the restroom. Sometimes somebody makes a snack to enjoy in bed once you resume the movie, and cuddling. 9 times out of 10, you fall asleep first, on his shirtless chest, arms wrapped around him tight. Doing his best not to move, he turns the tv off and adjusts the two of you to lie down more; and he falls asleep holding you to his chest.

[sweetcheol]

college boyfriend!wonwoo

—genre: fluff

—au: college

—pairing: jeon wonwoo x reader

—song to listen to while reading: falling for u — seventeen

—word count: 2.9k words

—warning(s): mentions of sex, a bit of cursing. also i feel like this is a bit of a mess but so am i when thinking of wonu so

never, in your two years of university, had you actually met your best friend’s roommate

his name was wonwoo, and according to mingyu, he spent most of his time either in class or working as a waiter at a diner downtown

the only times he seemed to be home was either late at night, after you had either gone home or passed out on mingyu’s bed while he slept on the couch, or early in the morning, after you had gone to your own classes

which was weird considering how most of your days were either spent in class or in mingyu’s flat, as it was bigger and way more comfortable than your tiny dorm

you knew he existed, of course, because sometimes you’d come to find a hoodie of his lying on the couch

or a book neatly placed on the coffee table with a bookmark stuck somewhere past the middle

sometimes you’d even find a cup of half-drank coffee resting on the sink, a rarity considering just how neat mingyu’s roommate seemed to be

you’d seen him in pictures

he would be tagged in some instagram story drunk mingyu had posted when coming home from the club, the roommate rolling his eyes at the taller boy for making a mess as he entered the flat

or he would be smiling in a group picture taken at some birthday dinner with the rest of his and mingyu’s friends

and you had seen him in the portraits that hung in their living room; some of his and his family and some of his and his friends

and you had heard of him

oh boy had you heard of him

mingyu never really stopped bringing him up, blabbering about how wonwoo had accidentally opened the door to the bathroom while mingyu was showering (which was a big deal since mingyu had... broken the shower curtain a week before and still hadn’t gotten a replacement)

or talking about how he had almost choked on his soda after he was told his photos were selected to be exhibited at a showcase

and at that point, you were sure you were pretty much acquainted with him ... without even having said hello

but you had never actually seen him

and the first time you did, it was so rushed and chaotic, that it was almost as if you hadn’t (or at least, that’s what you would have wanted)

because you and your friends had gone out clubbing

and you had ended up drunk off your ass

which caused your roommate to call mingyu, the only person she could actually trust with your well-being in such a state, to pick you up because she was going off with someone for the night

and mingyu, being the loyal best friend he was, was left to deal with you and your nonsense

which included you practically screaming a very slurred “hey! you’re the roommate! dude, you’re cute!” to wonwoo as mingyu ushered you to his room

poor wonwoo was just coming out of his room when you had walked (kind-of) inside the flat, hair a mess with a big grin on your face (despite your now-ruined lipstick)

and it was a bit astounding at first

because wonwoo had never actually seen you either

he’d always thought it was weird, of course, because of the way mingyu always talked about you... he had always thought you two were pretty much a thing

it’s not like mingyu had ever spoken about you in that way, but the thought had planted itself in wonwoo’s head and now there was no way to shake it off

and the fact that he’d walked outside his room to find you and mingyu laughing and cooking breakfast together next morning didn’t help

because you had music playing and were lip syncing and smiling at each other

and wonwoo only whispered a quick “good morning” before he walked back inside his room with a glass of water in his hand

because well ... you were cute

but you were also with mingyu

and weirdly, after that night, the two of you started seeing each other almost everyday

turns out you shared not one, but two classes, and had not once noticed because you sat in opposite sides of the classroom

and you frequented the same coffee shop, almost always stopping by for your daily caffeine fix at the exact same time

and you were usually around the same spots in the library, faces way too deep in a book to ever notice the other

and well... you thought he was cute too

but he sort of, kind of, definitely avoided you whenever you saw him

he wasn’t rude or anything, but he’d never spend more than five minutes around you whenever you ran into him

not even when you laid in mingyu’s couch eating pizza and watching re-runs of your favorite dramas, because wonwoo basically chose to eat cold cereal alone in his room than to be around the two of you together

he was very observant, and in those few weeks, he had noticed you

like, really noticed you

and how you both enjoyed the same kind of books, drank your coffee exactly the same, listened to the same type of music and even had the same kind of humor

he noticed how similar you two were

he noticed how perfect you two went together

but you were with someone else already

except you noticed all of those things too

but once again, wonwoo avoided you like the plague

so that had to mean he didn’t like you, didn’t it?

it broke your heart when thinking about it

and you tried to ask mingyu but he was always like “nah, he doesn’t hate you. i think?”

so you were back to staring at him in class and hoping he wouldn’t turn around and catch you in the act

little did you know that you were slowly falling for each other

but being so similar, you tried your best not to think about the other

and as finals came around, it wasn’t that hard, because again, you both immersed yourselves in your academic lives so much it basically became your sole focus for that one period of time

until the boys went out to celebrate soonyoung’s a+ in his calculus test

and wonwoo saw mingyu make out with some girl in the middle of the dance floor

his hands balled into fists by his sides almost unconsciously, and he was 100% sure he would’ve gone and told mingyu off if only he wasn’t entrusted with dealing with a very drunk seungkwan, who was doing a very good job with keeping him occupied

because he kept trying to pick random sing offs with every single person his eyes fell on

and just because the rest of seungkwan’s roommates were equally drunk, he and jun had to spend the night at their place to make sure they were going to see the next day

but as soon as he went home the next morning and ran into a ... very shirtless mingyu, he went off

and boy did he go off

“how could you do that to (y/n)? do you even know how lucky you are? fuck, mingyu, you’re such an idiot. i swear, if you don’t go and apologize your ass off - no, actually don’t do that. you don’t deserve (y/n), you know? after what you did?”

and he just kept ... going

and poor mingyu was just staring at wonwoo as he blabbered whatever was on his mind at him and he was ??? so confused

“what the fuck are you even talking about?”

“i saw you! i saw you making out with that girl last night! and you brought her here, didn’t you?”

“well, yeah, but i-”

“see! that’s what i’m talking about! you cheated on (y/n) and go about it so casually, as if-”

“wait! cheated on (y/n)? wonwoo what the fuck?”

and mingyu ... he looks so lost that wonwoo would probably had just left if only he wasn’t so mad at him

because he was so, so, so head over heels for you

and the thought of you being hurt made his blood boil

“what does (y/n) have to do with this?”

“you’re their boyfriend! and you brought a girl home!”

“jesus fuck wonwoo, you got it all wrong! (y/n)’s my best friend! that’s it! we’re not dating, oh my god.”

and wonwoo was just ??? standing in the middle of the kitchen, face red, hands balled into fists and just about ready to swing at mingyu to defend your honor

and so it dawned upon mingyu. why would wonwoo even care? did you two even know each other?

“wait! do you like (y/n)?”

and wonwoo basically rolled his eyes at mingyu as he walked away and left the taller boy in the kitchen by himself

and well ... wonwoo didn’t know what to do

because he had tried to keep his feelings to himself for so long

and now they were basically fighting, with all their might, to come out

and he felt as if he was dreaming, or in some sort of daze, because before he could even realize, he was walking back into the kitchen and to a (still) very confused mingyu

“can you give me (y/n)’s number?”

mingyu nodded, still analyzing the situation, and handed him his phone with wonwoo’s yelling still buzzing in his ears

“i’m sorry, by the way”

and it must have been the remains of his sudden jolt of adrenaline, because his fingers were basically gliding over the keyboard as he texted you a sweet hi, it’s wonwoo. mingyu gave me your number, hope you don’t mind :)

you didn’t see the text until a little after when you woke up

because well... you’re so not a morning person

but when you looked up your phone you nearly passed out

because it was a text from wonwoo

your crush, who you could’ve sworn hated your guts before that morning

and you also had like 15 missed calls from mingyu and a very confusing text you didn’t even understand (something about him being scared? and demanding you to go to his apartment? in all caps?)

so you took a shower, got dressed (slightly more elegantly than you usually did when you hung out with mingyu) and went over to his flat

and to your surprise, it wasn’t mingyu who opened the door

it was wonwoo

he was smiling at you, and it was the most beautiful smile you’ve ever seen

but then you heard mingyu’s voice from the kitchen

“thank god, go somewhere else and sort out whatever it is that’s going on before wonwoo actually punches me in the face”

and you were really confused

but didn’t fight wonwoo when he took your hand in his and guided you away from the apartment and to your usual coffee shop for you to have breakfast together

he told you everything over a plate of warm croissants and two iced americanos

his cheeks were tinted pink and he’s smiling in embarrassment, but his voice didn’t falter

because talking to you felt natural, as if he had been doing it for a long time

and you feel the exact same way

so you didn’t say anything when he held your hand over the table as you both talked about how funny mingyu must’ve looked when wonwoo went off at him

his cheeks were tinted red the whole time

that doesn’t change as you start going out

because even when he’s your boyfriend, you so much look in his direction and his face is flushed red

talking about that, nobody knew the two of you were dating at first

except for your (now traumatized) best friend

so when the boys were hanging out at mingyu’s apartment and you came out of wonwoo’s room with you very flustered boyfriend walking behind you, everybody was like ???

and it didn’t help that mingyu saw the two of you and went “not when i’m around for gods sake”

the boys looked so confused when wonwoo was like “oh, we’re dating”

because some of them knew you

“wait so... mingyu’s best friend... and his roomate...” followed by a giggle from the one and only yoon jeonghan

and a very loud whine from mingyu hehe

the tall puppy you call your best friend lays off it a few days afterwards

he’s still a little scared of wonwoo but it’s okay to him, because your boyfriend often uses it to his advantage

like the the time the two of you were cuddling on the couch, each with a book of your own, and mingyu kept going on and on about how the three of you should go out for some ice cream

and wonwoo stared at him like he did that one morning

“you know what? maybe jihoon wants to go get ice cream, enjoy the rest of your day”

but anyways

your relationship with wonwoo is really, really, really domestic

like the two of you spend way more time just cooking together and having deep-ass conversations in his bed while cuddling than anything else

one of your favorite things to do is laze around in sweatpants and hoodies while reading and listening to music

because if you basically lived in wonwoo’s apartment as mingyu’s best friend, you spend even more time there now that wonwoo’s your bf

he even cleared out one of his drawers for you because you kept on leaving clothes there every time you spent the night

mingyu even added you to the “neighbors!” chat after declaring you their unofficial third roommate lol 

you also go on plenty coffee dates

especially before class

and then when you get to your shared classes, hand in hand, people are like ??? were they dating ??? but don’t dwell on it too much bc you two do go along like two peas in a pod

study dates in which you two DO study but also have a great time

because you’re listening to music and helping each other revise over some snacks

talking about music, he’s always making you playlists

he’d literally be listening to any song and think of you, so he’d have like 15 playlists full of songs that “sound like you”, as he says

you’re always cracking jokes around the other

and people don’t get it sometimes

but you always do

so when you’re around the guys and woo cracks a joke that no one laughs at but you, he feels rather happy?

i mean he’s always like 🥰🥰🥰 anyways so

boy dresses so comfortably

that if you ever get to wear something of his, you’d be in heaven

he’s pretty tall ? and broad ? so his clothes fit you so so comfortably

and he gets super shy whenever you do but it also makes him so happy

especially if someone else notices

like if you go out late for dinner with him and gyu and wear something of his and mingyu goes like “isn’t that wonwoo’s hoodie?”, boy goes like 🥰🥰🥰 once more

i feel like the two of you don’t necessarily flaunt your relationship

since he’s pretty shy i don’t think he’d be into pda

but you’re always super close to each other

and if he feels comfortable enough, he’d hold your hand or put his arm around your shoulders

if you ever go on a night out together though

oh boy hehe

prepare for wonwoo’s hands to be on you at all times

especially when you’re both a little tipsy and in the middle of the dance floor

all of the guys would look be low-key scared at how close wonwoo and you are grinding dancing, completely lost in the music (and each other)

because it’s so much closer than what they’d ever imagine coming from the two of you

which prompted mingyu to be super awkward around you two for the following days hehe

talking about that, mingyu basically flees the apartment he hears even the faintest noise coming out of wonwoo’s bedroom

and idk i feel like, opposite to his usually quiet nature, he’d be pretty vocal in bed

super into dirty talk don’t even fight me on this

it’s more like super amped praising than actual dirty talk but still

loves it when you ride his thigh

loves it when you ride him in general

idk i feel like the two of you would have a sex playlist

and the songs on there are suuuuuper sensual

so it’s not like you’re going at it wildly but it’s... really intimate and ~spicy~

super into holding hands and kissing you so damn hard as he gets close

he once tried to give you a strip-tease but went super shy right in the middle of it and you never spoke of it again lmao

i feel like wonwoo would be a super romantic lover

not the type of romantic that recites poems and buys you flowers every day or anything

but the way he kisses you when there’s nobody else around, and you feel like it’s only the two of you in the whole world

and the way he looks at you, with so much love and adoration it almost makes you cry

and the way he holds you at night, so close to him you can literally listen to his heartbeat 

and the way he opens up to you when you’re alone in his apartment and goes “i just... i never thought a love like this would even be real, you know?" 

he literally never gets enough of you

but it’s okay, because you don’t either

[yoontopia]

𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 | 𝗺𝘆𝗴

pairing: min yoongi x reader

genre: anti-soulmate au; light smut (in the form of making out, thigh grinding), angst if you squint, fluff, strangers to lovers, arranged marriage (kind of)

rating: M (for the light smut, swearing)

word count: 5.4k

summary: either you find your soulmate by the time you’re 25 or a partner is chosen for you, that’s the law. (un)fortunately for you, you were just born without a soulmate scar, an anomaly in a world defined by fate, so it seems your decision is made for you. you meet min yoongi the day after your twenty-fifth birthday and its everything but what you were brought up to believe. there are no sparks, no bells, and definitely no love.

author’s note: unedited because I wrote it pretty much in a sitting. will be editing later!

You are happy for Solhee. She’s twenty four-and a half and manages to find her soulmate by literally running into her outside the twenty-four-seven grocery store on the corner of the block. Solhee barely had six months to go before it would have been too late for her. The system assures you that you will find your soulmate, your other half, before the age of 25. If this doesn’t happen, the government intervenes and matches you with someone they see fit.

 It wasn’t always like this. Your parents met when they were in their thirties, and are very much soulmates, if the matching marks on their wrists are any indication. But the government insists that anything after 25 is too late, especially to further the population. Society literally dictates that you’re married off by the time you’re 25.

 You don’t want to know what happens if you don’t follow the law. And you’re happy Solhee doesn’t need to find out either. Solhee’s soulmate scar shines in the sunlight as the two of you sit out in the park, sipping on juice boxes and eating home-baked cookies. She tells you of her meeting with her soulmate, and the rush to get married so they can make it in time before the deadline. A plain, white gold band glitters on on her left ring finger.

 “It felt like coming home,” she tells you, sighing and staring up at the blue sky. “Finding my soulmate, I mean. You know me, I never believed in this stuff. I figured if I didn’t find them, Big Brother would just hitch me off with someone and that would be okay. But I’m glad I found her in time. I can’t imagine it now if I hadn’t.”

 You nod along, taking a sip of your pineapple juice. It’s sour, but you like it. Your eyes wander over to Solhee’s wrist — her mark is a small crescent-shaped moon — it matches the one on her fiancee’s wrist, and it stands out on her pale skin. You squeeze at your juice box to get the last remaining drop out, trying to ignore your empty, unmarked wrists.

 Your soulmate mark never appeared. The latest you should’ve been able to see it would have been your 18th birthday. You remember, hiding away from your own party, rubbing your wrists raw, begging it to show up. Looking back, you aren’t sure who it was you were begging to.

 Of course, you aren’t alone. There are several cases like yours. Marks that fail to show up, or even individuals who have the mark but don’t manage to find their soulmate on time. There is a solution for that — the matching program ensures you don’t end up alone.

 After seeing your friends and coworkers find their soulmates though, you’re not sure you want someone to be arranged for you. It feels artificial and feels like you’re missing out on something incredible. What if the person they match with you doesn’t love you? What if you don’t love them?

 It’s been a while since you’ve entertained such childish thoughts. You’re an adult now, almost 25, and this is a reality. In the next two months, on your 25th birthday, you’ll wait for the government to contact you. They’ll send you a name and then check in on the two of you consistently to make sure the match is happening. It’s not like you have a choice and you suppose its better than being completely alone and soulmate-less for the rest of your life. In a way, you’re almost grateful, as someone who doesn’t have the mark. You just wish things could be different.

 You watch Solhee marry the love of her life exactly on her twenty fifth birthday. She glows in her dress, and as her best friend and maid of honour, you’re busy making sure the wedding goes by without a hitch. You’re the last of your friends to turn 25, meaning you’re the only one in the group currently single. Taehyung and Jimin, also friends from your college days, laugh and tell you to enjoy the last of your bachelorette days, but their entwined hands are all you can focus on. You know they’re just trying to make light of a rather depressing situation, and you’re grateful

 You meet Min Yoongi on a snowy evening, the day after you’ve turned 25. He’s got curling dark hair, ears adorned by various earrings that dangle in the light. A delicate nose, and strong hands. He looks at you like he’s looking at a stranger, which for all intents and purposes, you are. You clutch at the letter in your hands with his name on it. You smile tentatively at him. He doesn’t smile back.

 It doesn’t feel like coming home at all.

 You move in with Yoongi as soon as the new year starts. He has a roomy apartment in the centre of town and lives by himself so its easier. He helps you move your boxes into his place. He never says much, but he’s never rude, or mean to you. In fact, he’s been polite, respectful — even caring, in a way you are to a coworker or an acquaintance. He shows you around his small flat. It’s two bedrooms, one of which he’s turned into a small studio. You know he works in the music industry, but aren’t sure what his exact job entails.

 “I can move my work stuff to my actual studio at the company,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “If you don’t want to sleep in the same bedroom, that is. I don’t want to force you.”

You smile slightly, scratching your cheek.

 “No it’s fine,” you say. “I don’t want to encroach. I promise I’ll stick to my side of the bed.” He nods.

 “I usually work odd hours,” he says. “I DJ at the club down the street some nights, so I don’t come home until early morning hours. Usually I work from home during the day. There’s a schedule on the fridge.”

 “Um, I work a regular 9-5,” you tell him and he nods again. “I’m home on the weekends and evenings.” It feels a little like drawing up a schedule with a roommate. You don’t really mind. It could’ve been so much worse.

 Yoongi’s running a hand through his hair. You notice he wears a lot a jewelry, and file away this fact for later. His ears are adorned again with several earrings, pierced in multiple places. Bracelets clink on his wrists of various materials and colours. A single, silver necklace hangs around his neck, two fish swimming in a circle. He’s a Pisces, you realize. He’s been twenty five nine months longer than you have.

 “Make yourself comfortable,” he says, waving a hand towards his small, but cozy living room. A small couch and an armchair sit pointed towards the TV. A guitar sits in the corner of his studio, next to an old brown piano. Hints of music adorn the place, photos of Yoongi with his friends at various concerts and gigs. He looks different when he smiles. He has yet to smile at you.

 You spend the rest of the day moving in, and its evening before you emerge from your now-shared bedroom with Yoongi. He’s nowhere to be found and the taped schedule to the fridge tells you tonight he DJs.

 There’s containers full of food on the counter with your name on them, and you assume he’s left you some of his own meal. You eat alone, and do the dishes. You go to sleep that night, feeling no different from your usual self.

Months pass by quickly once you’re settled in with Yoongi. The two of you fall into an easy routine. You cook breakfast, and he cooks dinners and lunches are usually eaten at work. You split your grocery costs.

 Honestly speaking, he’s a really easy roommate to live with. As time goes by, you get to know more things about each other. You learn that he likes meat more than anything else, that he has a tendency to overwork himself when deadlines are near. He has three close friends that he’s grown up with, and an older brother. His family owns a small brown poodle called Holly. His brother is a chef at a Korean restaurant in the city. You’ve met him once and liked him. He’s allergic to seafood, but eats it anyway because he likes it too much.

 You also know he has, or had a soulmate. One time you caught him coming out of the shower wearing nothing but jeans. You were curled up on the living room couch watching TV and you could see him shuffling around shirtless in the bedroom, looking for a shirt to pull on. It’s the first time you see him without his usual bracelets and there is a mark on his wrist. You can’t make out what it is from where you’re sitting, but its there, clear as day against his milky white skin. An uncertain feeling curls in your stomach.

 Until this point, you’d assumed Yoongi was like you — wrists bare. But this changes things — either he’s never met his soulmate, or they aren’t around anymore, and you don’t know what’s worse. He hasn’t spoken about it, and you almost understand why. It’s not like the two of you are close. Everything you know about him, you’ve gleaned from information you’ve received indirectly. You understand now, why he keeps you at an arms length.

 You catch up with Solhee and Jiyeon over brunch. The two are bright eyed, fresh off their honeymoon. Hands entwined under the table, giggling. You laugh along with them, forgetting for a minute about your situation, that is, until Solhee brings it up.

 “So how’s Yoongi?” The question is casual, but you know it’s a loaded one. Solhee isn’t just asking how Yoongi is.

 “Fine,” you pick at your food. “He’s asleep right now — worked till late.”

 “Hey he’s the DJ at Tropical right?” Jiyeon asks, leaning forward. “The popular one.” You’re dazed. Six months of living with him and you don’t even know which club he works at. You nod anyway, not wanting to appear clueless. “I heard he’s really good. Taehyung knows of him through Seokjin.”

 “Kim Seokjin?” You ask, surprised. It’s one of Yoongi’s friends. Jiyeon nods. “He owns the club.”

 “Hey we should go check him out one night!” Jiyeon is excited, and clueless. You smile half-heartedly at her and Solhee sighs. “Tae can get us into Tropical on the day Yoongi works — when does he work?”

 “Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays,” you reply. Jiyeon nods.

 “So… who’s down for it tomorrow?”

 The club is sweaty, and crowded. You’re here without telling Yoongi, a fact that already makes you feel guilty for some reason. The strapless number Solhee had forced onto you clings to your skin as you follow your friends towards the bar. You haven’t been to a club since university and you can’t help but feel a little out of place.

 “There he is!” Jiyeon screams, pointing towards the small stage at the other end of the dance floor. Sure enough, Yoongi stands there, two laptops in front of him. His hair is tucked into a baseball cap, but other than that he’s dressed the way he usually is, in jeans and a silk button up. The music is loud, and your heart thumps in your ears. “Let’s go closer!”

 The three of you make your way closer to the stage, maneuvering past the sweaty, drunk bodies. You can barely make out the music he’s playing, and you know barely anything about music to know what’s good and what’s not. He must be good though, if the crowd is anything to go by.

 Solhee pulls you and Jiyeon into a corner next to the stage with a good view and the three of you stand there bopping along to the music. Even though you barely know him, you have a strange feeling of pride curling up inside you. He’s incredible.

 Your eyes glaze over the crowd until they land on a woman, standing only a few feet away from the three of you, one arm crossed under her chest, the other caressing her chin. She’s also watching the stage, a smile on her face. The world seems to spin for a second because your eye catches the mark on her wrist, and you don’t have to double check to know that it matches the dark haired man on the stage.

 The night goes from bad to worse when Yoongi jumps off the stage after finishing his gig, and she runs up to give him a hug. You feel like throwing up, but nothing compares to what you feel when his eyes find you over her shoulder.

 Things quickly sour after that. The peaceful relationship the two of you shared previously is shattered. You avoid him on the nights he’s home, preferring to crash at Solhee’s, who’s more than happy to accommodate you. Jiyeon apologizes profusely but you cannot blame her, not when none of this is her fault in the first place.

 “Don’t you think you should let him explain?” Solhee asks one day over dinner.

 “There’s nothing to explain,” you say automatically. “Their marks are there — it’s self explanatory.”

 “What a harsh system,” Jiyeon adds softly. You nod. If there was a way for Yoongi and his soulmate to be together, you’d want it to happen. Then maybe you wouldn’t feel like an awkward third wheel. “Do you think they found each other after the deadline?”

 “Definitely,” Solhee nods. “Otherwise he wouldn’t have been matched.”

 “I don’t want to come in between anything,” you say softly.

 “Oh honey you’re not,” Solhee says. “None of this is your fault.” You bite your lip, holding back tears threatening to fall. You haven’t cried in front of people in years. “It’s not Yoongi’s fault either. You should really go home and talk it out. He probably misses you.”

 You choke out a laugh at that. The idea that Yoongi misses you is ludicrous. You were a nuisance to him at best, even though he’d been nothing but respectful of you and your space.

 “What the two of you need is to spend time together,” Jiyeon says, and Solhee nods. “Get to know him, tell him he needs to come clean with you with everything. Maybe then things will see peace.”

 You decide to go home that night. You know it’s a Tuesday and Yoongi should be home. Stomach in your throat, you shakily unlock the door to his—your— apartment. The TV is on, and Yoongi is curled up in the corner of the couch, swaddled up in a blanket. It’s only been a little over a week, but you find you’ve missed him. You find you’re also surprised he’s actually here. A part of you had almost expected him to take off. He turns to look at you and starts, hurrying to turn the TV off. It’s oddly clumsy from someone who you thought was aloof, and it almost makes you giggle. Almost.

 “Hey.” You say lamely.

 “Hey,” he replies back. It’s awkward. This is such a bad idea. Who decided confrontation was healthier than hiding from your feelings? You’d like to prove whoever it was wrong. You sigh, slumping a little, mind wandering again to the pretty girl that is his soulmate. You don’t usually hate how you look, but in this moment you can’t help but draw comparisons. Yoongi’s pretty too after all. Giving him a curt nod, you begin to make your way to the bedroom.

 “I’m sorry.”

 You pause, and turn to look. He’s standing up now, blanket still around his shoulders. A closer look tells you he looks tired. His ears are devoid of earrings for the first time, hair unkempt and greasy. He’s not wearing his usual bracelets — you suspect he only did it to hide his soulmate mark from you. You must be staring at him with a dumbfounded expression because he repeats his hushed apology.

 “For what?” Your voice is just as shaky.

 “Everything.” He says instantly.

 “Do you love her?”

 “No.” his reply is instant again, and you find yourself believing him. There’s no lie in his eyes. “I met her a month after we… moved in together,” A month after the government threw the two of you together against your will.

 “Do you want to try things with her? I promise I won’t come in between that, I know how wonderful it can be to—”

 “No.” He says again, his voice firm. He takes a tentative step towards you.

 “Why not?” You’re genuinely curious. He shrugs, almost as if he doesn’t know the answer himself.

 “Don’t want to.”

 “Why not?” You turn to face him completely now. The two of you glaring at each other. He’s struggling to find the words and stares up at the ceiling in defeat.

 “I don’t wanna leave you alone alright?” He snaps. You scoff

 “Don’t pity me. I can take care of myself just fine. Did it before you came along too.”

 “Don’t act brave when you don’t have to,” his voice is softer now. “You think I don’t hear you cry to yourself at night when you think you’re alone? Or when you hang out with those friends of yours and get suddenly quiet?” You open your mouth, then close it. Yoongi had attended a total of one party with you and your friends. You were surprised he picked up on it at all.

 “But she’s your soulmate,” you say, confused. He shrugs and sits back down on the couch, flicking the TV back on.

 “Yeah, she’s also someone I don’t know, and someone I’m not going to bother to know” he says easily. “I’m not gonna chase after her if it means losing a friend.” You didn’t even know he considered you a friend.

 “B-but that night at the club?”

 “Didn’t know she’d be there,” he says. “I’d told her to never contact me again the day I met her. Just because she thinks its okay to be unfaithful to her partner doesn’t mean I think its okay too. I’m not about to live that kind of life, especially with someone who thinks something like that is okay.”

 “Oh.”

 “Yeah.”

 You take a hesitant step forward.

 “What’re you watching?”

 “Sky Castle.”

 “Can I— can I join you?” He nods, patting at the empty spot on the couch next to him. “What if you regret this down the line?” You ask at last, sitting down on the other end of the couch. It’s your worst fear and you can’t believe you’re voicing it. “What if one day you wake up and wish you’d gone after your soulmate instead of settling for me?”

 He smiles faintly, more to himself than anything. You think this is the first time he’s probably smiled in your presence.

 “I made a choice already 5 months ago. Haven’t regretted it yet,” he says simply. He doesn’t deny that he settled for you, not when it’s the cold hard truth. You settled for him too after all.

 The couch feels like home for the first time since you’d moved in.

 Things change again quickly after that. You and Yoongi fall back into that seamless schedule, but now there’s a little something to it. The two of you are still far from a couple, but you find yourself curling up next to him in front of the TV more often. He waits for you to eat the meals the two of you are able to eat together. The two of you even do activities outside the apartment. You meet more his friends and he meets more of yours. Its progress. You don’t mention his soulmate again, and neither does he.

 You find Yoongi’s actually a really easy person to get along with. He’s funny in his own dry, sarcastic way, often saying jokes with the straightest of faces. He snappish and straightforward and has an incredibly low tolerance for bullshit. His friends baby him, probably because of his smaller stature and childlike features, and although he grumbles, he lets them. You even think he enjoys it. He smiles more in front of you now, gums on display, and you know that his cold persona in the beginning was just a front. In reality Yoongi is a shy, awkward boy that finds it hard to make friends, and so he comes off aloof, but is anything but

 It also makes sense to you why Yoongi had been so firm in staying with you all those months ago. He’s steadfastly loyal, never going back on his word, and even honest to a fault. Sometimes, when you’re in one of your self-deprecating moods, you think he only chose to stay with you because of his principals, and not because he actually cared for you beyond a friend. But you’re glad he’s here nonetheless. With all your friends paired off, you’re glad you have someone to do things with. Someone who, in a way, belongs entirely to you.

 You marry Yoongi exactly one year after the two of you met. Non-soulmate matches don’t have the deadline to wed as soulmates do. As long as Big Brother (as Solhee so lovingly calls the federal government) knows you’ve been matched in their system, you can take things easy and get to know one another. How sweet of them to allow that, you think to yourself sarcastically.

 He looks smart in his plain black suit, hair neatly parted, showing off his forehead and well marked eyebrows. He looks older like this. You wear a simple white dress, and carry a bouquet of lilies down the aisle. Yoongi doesn’t cry with happiness at the sight of you, but his slight grin warms your heart. You know that whatever the case, you’ll be comfortable with him.

 He plants a simple kiss on your lips, a formality more than anything else. You and Yoongi aren’t physical. What you share is a platonic friendship, and you try not to let your mother’s suggestive wink cloud your mind. While you like Yoongi, you’re not sure you think of him in that way, and he definitely has never thought of you as anything more than a friend. Yoongi’s hands are warm and calloused and familiar, and you think you can learn to make a home in them.

“My parents are soulmates,” you tell him on your wedding night as the two of you lie on your shared bed staring up at the ceiling. “They met when my mother was 27, my father 32.” You don’t know why you’re telling him this. You’ve changed into your comfy PJs, but Yoongi is still in his dress shirt and trousers, top buttons undone, tie loose. You want him to know you.

“Mine were too,” he hums. You turn to look at him. You’ve never met his mother. His father and brother were at the wedding, but you weren’t sure if the topic of his mother was a sensitive issue. “Until things didn’t work out and she left him.”

“Oh?” Stories like that were rare. This is your first time hearing one. Yoongi doesn’t elaborate on his mother’s life and you don’t ask, grateful that he’s entrusted you with this information.

“I guess that’s why I don’t really believe in the whole soulmate thing,” he continues, sitting up and pulling his tie off. “There’s no such thing as fate or destiny. It’s all about choices and commitment.”

His soulmate mark is visible to you now as he gets up to take his shirt off and change into something comfier. It almost looks like a tattoo, a small fish, not unlike the one he wears in his necklace. The mark is familiar to you now, but it doesn’t carry the same pain. His words are new to you, having grown up around talks of fate and destiny, but you find comfort in them. Hearing him say it like that makes your heart warm. The two of you fall asleep easily that night, facing each other, but still a few feet apart

 Yoongi’s eyes flash as you enter the bar. You’d gotten dressed at Solhee’s place and she’d sat you down in her chair, eyes devious, and done your makeup. You feel uncomfortable in your skin, face heavy with everything she’d slapped on it and you pull down your skirt.

 “Cheer up, you look hot as fuck,” Solhee hisses beside you as the two of you make your way to the reserved table where the rest of your friends are. “If Yoongi doesn’t get a boner after this, I don’t know anymore.” You shush her hastily, ears going red as you sit down across from your husband. He’s still staring at you, something dark evident in his eyes, and you try to ignore the roaring in your ears.

 Marriage had treated you two well. You still weren’t physical, but sharing pecks before heading off to work, or cuddling and hand holding weren’t foreign concepts anymore. You weren’t sure how far Yoongi wanted to go, and you didn’t know what you yourself wanted.

 Yoongi looks good today. He’s wearing his infamous dark silk button up, with the top three buttons undone so you can see the column of his throat. His hair is parted and in the dim lighting he almost looks like a feline ready to pounce on his prey. You swallow.

 Your husband’s beauty is not foreign to you. You’ve seen him shirtless before after all. You’ve seen his hands as they glide over piano keys or when they pluck at his guitar. Yoongi is beautiful and you can’t deny the attraction you have grown to hold for him. Your insecurities however, prevent you from verbalizing your thoughts. There’s just no way he’d be attracted to you, not in that way. Next to Yoongi, you look painfully average.

 He doesn’t say much, just sits across from you and sips on his whiskey, occasionally leaning forward to snag a nacho from the shared plate the table has ordered. You wonder if he’s angry at you about something.

 Halfway through the night, the several glasses of wine you’ve drunk catch up to you and you excuse yourself to go to the bathroom. You’re trying not to stumble and you’re thankful you make it to the bathroom in one piece.

 When you come out of the stall and are washing your hands, you jump when you see Yoongi enter the bathroom.

 “Yoongi!” You hiss. “This is the girl’s bathroom—.” Yoongi raises a well-marked eyebrow, and walks up to you in two quick strides. Before you know it, he’s crushed his lips to yours. You’re taken aback but you melt into the kiss quickly, hands roaming up to grasp onto the front of his shirt. His hands settle on your hips before moving to grab your ass. You gasp and he takes the opportunity to explore your mouth with his tongue.

 Dimly you’re aware that this is technically your first real kiss. He tastes like whiskey as he pulls you closer to him, shoving a leg between your thighs. You let out a whimper, and you can feel him smile against your mouth. He lets go with a pop before latching his lips onto your neck. You throw your head back with a groan, freely grinding on his thigh now as he licks a thick stripe up your neck and nibbles at your ear.

 “Let’s get out of here,” he groans, voice deep. “Before I fuck you in this disgusting bathroom.” You moan at his words and make a voice of complaint when he pulls himself away. You straighten your skirt hastily and eye him, his lips swollen and smeared with your lipstick. He grabs your arm by the wrist and pulls you out of the bathroom, out of the bar and into the crisp night air. The two of you giggle as you walk to your apartment, Yoongi stopping you periodically to steal kisses.

 You unlock the door hastily, and he pushes you in, slamming the door behind him and latching onto you immediately. You moan as his hands reach your skirt and pull it up over your ass.

 “God,” he groans in between kisses. Your shaky hands are unbuttoning his shirt. You push it off him. “Please tell me you want this.” He walks you towards your bedroom, shoving you onto your bed.

 “Yes,” you respond instantly, breathless, looking up at him. “Yes, oh god, of course I do.” He’s climbing on top of you now, leg back between your legs. You grind onto his thigh, wild moans escaping your mouth as he sucks a bruise onto your neck, his rock-hard erection prominent against your core. Your hands find his belt and take it apart, undoing the buttons on his jeans. He sits up to push his pants off him before reaching over to tug your top over your head. You’re left in a bra and underwear, your skirt bunched up at your waist, staring at him expectantly.

 That night is simple, the two of you moving in unison, finding what the other likes. Your hands disappear in his hair and he makes a home in the crook of your neck as you reach your respective highs.

You fall asleep blissful and satisfied, curled up in Yoongi’s arms.

 Your relationship takes yet another turn after that moment. Now its like the two of you can’t keep your hands off of each other. Consequently you do it on every surface in the apartment. It’s funny, you think, you haven’t even said the L word to each other yet, and you’re not even sure if you do. Growing up, you were taught that one came after the other, but your relationship with Yoongi is anything but conventional.

 At night, he holds you, curling his body around you like a child. You can hear his heartbeat this way, and nights soon become the things you look forward to the most.

 It still doesn’t make the relationship easy. You argue, slam doors, ignore texts, but at the end of the day when you crawl into bed, apologies evident on your tongue, he pulls you in and kisses the crown of your head wordlessly.

 You and Yoongi are solid; a team, almost. You think you work well together. Growing up you were taught that finding your soulmate meant ringing bells, and puzzle pieces feeling like they were slotting into place and you spent your entire adolescence craving that. But whatever this is that you share with Yoongi is special, in its own way. There are no sparks, no flashing lights, and definitely no bells. Now you know what Solhee meant all those years ago about the feeling of coming home. There isn’t any other way to describe this feeling.

There are many more turning points in your relationship that you look back on fondly — the day you told him you loved him is one you remember vividly. It was nothing special, just casual conversation over dinner. He’d given you a blinding smile and returned the sentiment.

“Do you regret it?” You ask, out of nowhere. You’re washing dishes and he’s beside you helping you dry them.

“Hm?”

“Choosing me, back then. Do you regret it?” You know the answer already. Gone are the many months you spent belittling yourself. It’s been a few years with Yoongi now and you know exactly where you stand with him.

“I wonder sometimes,” he hums. “How differently things would’ve played out.” Don’t we all, you muse to yourself. You could’ve been matched with anyone but somehow it was Min Yoongi that stood in front of you on that cold, snowy that day, unsmiling and unfamiliar. It feels like a lifetime ago. When you look at him now, he’s heartbreakingly familiar. You know him like the back of your hand. “But there hasn’t been a single day where I’ve regretted you.” You grin and poke his cheek with your soapy hand.

“Go wake Sunhee up,” you laugh. “It’s time to feed her.”

“Yes ma’am,” he tells you dutifully and you watch as he shuffles into the second smaller bedroom. Gone is the studio equipment, replaced with pastel green walls and a small wooden crib Yoongi had crafted himself. Sometimes, when you look in there, you can still see a dark-haired boy with his eyes closed, playing on that old brown piano.

[dameronology]

rockstar {s.r x reader} - 2

summary: it’s been two months since you sunk your chipped black nails into steve rogers’ heart. it’s bliss - maybe you’re living in a dream world. {part one here}

I’M SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG but part 2 is finally here! and i don’t even have an excuse because i’ve literally been doing nothing in lockdown. also this has two new characters, the bandmates, they’re only side characters/kinda comic relief but they were so much fun to write 

i’m gonna make a taglist so if you want to be added, let me know xx 

- val xx 

One month.

One month with you.

And the best month of his life. 

Steve couldn’t quite bring himself to say that he loved you - at least not to your face. He was certainly infatuated by you; obsessed with every sarcastic word that rolled off your tongue, entranced with every curve of your body and every mark on your skin. He was drawn in by every bold grin and cheeky wink; enamoured by your very state of being. 

It was a cold Wednesday morning; you’d turned on the heating in your apartment, but there was still a chill in the air. You were sat at the piano in your living room, a half-finished cigarette resting between your lips and a cup of black coffee resting atop the instrument, steam forming against the glacial air. 

You were surrounded by hundreds of pieces of paper; some were scribbled with lyrics, others with melodies and musical arrangements. They were scattered across the rug, and both your coffee and dining table. Getting musically stressed was all in a day’s work for you, but this particular song was being stubborn. 

Steve, who had still been asleep when you traipsed out of bed thirty minutes previous, was stood in the doorway of your bedroom. He had your sheet wrapped around his shoulders, watching as your hands absent-mindedly floated across the keys. You were wearing his shirt; it hung off your shoulders, a few tattoos peaking out the top. He’d seen a lot of beautiful sights in his life but this one certainly took the top spot.

He watched as creased your brow - something you always did when you were in deep concentration. 

‘Come back to bed?’

You jumped at the sound of his voice, turning to face him with a tired smile on your face. You dropped your pen and took the last sip of your coffee, jumping from your seat and skipping across the room to see him. He took you by the waist and you leapt up, wrapping your legs around his waist and pressing a kiss to his nose.

‘I would love to come back to bed but I gotta work, baby.’ you sighed, your hands wandering through his tufty blonde hair. ‘This song is stressing me out.’

‘I know a way I can help you relax,’ Steve’s face twisted into a grin.

‘You make a convincing-’ you were cut off by someone knocking excitedly on your door.

You groaned, dropping your head into the crook of his neck. There was only two other people who had access to your front door without buzzing through; you loved them both dearly but they were a real pain in your ass (especially when they were cock-blocking your chances with Captain America).

You leapt down from Steve’s waist, pressing a kiss to his lips.

‘Put on some clothes,’ you ordered, pushing him towards the bedroom, ‘and fix my sheets, Rogers!’

You heard Steve mutter something about how you were killing him, doll. You rolled your eyes and smiled to yourself, grabbing some black skinny jeans that had been strewn on your sofa. You tugged them on and then jogged to the front door, preparing yourself for the two clowns that awaited you.

‘What do you two morons want?’

You were met with the grinning faces of your band-mates. Alex was a six-foot-tall man child who still dressed like a My Chemical Romance fan circa 2005; Damian, meanwhile, was a self-described bisexual disaster with tufty brown hair and a never-ending collection of flannel shirts. And, above all, they were your absolute best friends. Platonic soulmates, if you will.

‘We haven’t heard from you in three days.’ Damian elbowed past you, swaying into your apartment.

‘We thought you were dead,’ Alex chimed in.

You folded your arms tightly across your chest, watching as your band-mates sauntered in. You didn’t intentionally spend three consecutive days locked in your apartment - it just sort of happened. You and Steve had met up on Friday for a drink, and he was still here on Wednesday. Time sure did fly when you were getting fucked by a super soldier. 

‘I’ve been busy.’ You muttered.

‘Doing what?’

‘Her new boyfriend, probably.’

‘He’s not my-’ you paused. Was Steve your boyfriend? You hadn’t that conversation yet. 

You hadn’t had a boyfriend for a long time. You weren’t short of casual flings - not by any means. It was simply that you hadn’t met anyone worth giving the time of day. And Steve Rogers, you found, was worth giving every second of every one of the rest of your living days.

‘Is he hot?’ Damian asked.

‘Very.’

‘Can we see - ‘

‘- sweetheart, have you seen my shirt?’

You felt the air leave your lungs when a shirtless Steve Rogers exited your bedroom. It was partially to do with what a glorious sight it was and half to do with the fact he hadn’t met any of your friends yet. And, aside from Sam and Bucky, you hadn’t met any of his either.

It wasn’t because you were ashamed; rather, it was au contraire. Whatever this thing was, it was close to your heart and it was close to his. It was your little secret; a tiny world you’d built together. It was too precious to expose to the world - not yet. 

Steve stopped talking when he saw the two other men in the penthouse. He recognised them from the photos on your wall. Except, in the pictures, they were sharing the same, menacing glare that you had. Now, they were grinning like two Cheshire cats.

‘Fuck my life,’ you murmured quietly, hiding your face in your hands, before taking a sharp breath and gesturing between the three. ‘Steve, this is Damian and Alex.‘

‘Right, great to meet you guys.’ Steve, momentarily forgetting his shirtlessness, flashed his beautiful smile, sticking his hand out for them to shake.

‘Believe me, Captain America. The pleasure is all mine.’

‘My eyes have been blessed-’

‘- right, that’s it!’ You snapped. ‘You two, out! I’ll see you in the studio later.’

‘But we have so many questions, sweetheart.’ Your nostrils flared at the use of Steve’s nickname.

‘I will throttle you, Damian!’ You threatened, showing him towards the front door.

‘We love you, Y/N!’

You scrunched up your nose, opening the front door. ‘I love you too. Now fuck off.’

You let the door shut behind them, dropping your back against it. You covered your face with your hands and let out a groan as you slid down it, collapsing into a pile on the floor. Steve, who was still stood in the centre of the room, pulled a face at you, as though he were pitying you. 

‘Don’t look at me like that, Captain America.’ You pointed a finger at him. 

‘I’m not looking at you like anything,’ he couldn’t hide the grin on his face. ‘You’re just so overdramatic. It’s very funny.’

‘I am not overdramatic!’

Steve shook his head and marched over to you, slamming his own back into the door with an over-dramatic groan. He slid downwards - exactly as you had - until he was sat next to you, mimicking your exact actions.

‘Does that look familiar, doll?’

‘It’s easy for you to say. You work with the Avengers, not Tweedledum and Tweedledee.’

‘They seem nice.’

‘I...’ you bit your lip, eyes wandering off ahead of you. ‘They called you my boyfriend.’

Steve furrowed his brow, his head dropping onto your shoulder. ‘Why do I get the feeling that you’re not ready to have that conversation?’

You took his hand on yours, playing with his fingers. They were almost twice the size of yours (and they did things, so many things) and you loved holding them. He towered over you in every way possible. You’d never been the kind of girl who wanted a man to protect her but with him, you didn’t mind so much. 

‘I like what we have now. You and me, and no-one else.’ You murmured quietly. ‘The minute you put labels on things, it creates pressure.’

‘Pressure to do what? Be together?’ He tried to hide the coldness in his voice. 

‘To take the next step!’ You said. ‘You start dating, then you’re official, then people expect you to get married and have babies-’

‘- Your bandmate called me your boyfriend. I didn’t propose to you.’ He stood up, and you immediately yearned for his touch as soon as it left you. 

‘Steve,’ you grabbed onto the door handle, steadying yourself as you leapt up. ‘Commitment just freaks me out, okay? It always has.’

He bit his lip, eyes glued to the floor. ‘What are you saying?’

‘Nothing. I’m not saying anything-’ you took his hands in yours. ‘I’m just asking you to be patient with me. Please?’

--

Later that day, Steve was sat in his office at the compound. It had been a slow morning; there wasn’t much in the way of missions and the reports he’d been working on were dull. He kept picking up his phone, checking to see if you’d texted him.

He still smiled every-time, nonetheless. His background picture was one he’d taken of you; you’d gone on a date to Central Park, and he’d got a snap of you with ice cream on your nose, signature scowl on your face. You had a pair of dark-rimmed Ray-Bans resting on your nose, a black beanie covering your hair. It was his favourite picture of you, because you were adorable and terrifying in equal measures. 

You still felt too good to be true. Before you, every attempt he’d taken at dating had been so complicated. Modern dating was a thousand times harder than it used to be. But, you were simple. You were so open about your feelings that he knew where he stood. It wasn’t exactly like you wore your heart on your sleeve but you were brutally honest. It surprised him sometimes, the way you just came out with things. The way you just said it how it was. 

You’d left things up in the air that morning. You and Steve both had to get to your respective workplaces, and you hadn’t yet had the time to properly sit down and talk. Part of him was terrified for it – what if you were going to end it?

‘I need your advice, Buck.’

Bucky looked up from his laptop, a frown across his features. For a minute, Steve felt bad for distracting him from his work, before he saw the Sims 4 loading screen on his desktop. 

‘What’s up?’ He asked. ‘Your girl getting you down?’

‘She’s not my girl,’ he shot back. ‘I mean…Y/N freaked out this morning when one of her bandmates called me her boyfriend.’

‘You’ve met Alex and Damien?!’ Bucky’s eyes widened, but he quickly cleared his throat. ‘I mean – not relevant. What did she say after?’

Steve rolled his eyes at his friend. ‘Told me she had some issues, asked me to be patient. I think it kinda opened a can of worms.’

Bucky paused, drawing the end of his pen along the table as he thought for a minute. ‘Figures. I think she’s right – you guys have been pretty intense. She probably just needs some time to find her bearings.’

‘What if I’m waiting for something that’s never gonna happen?’

‘Is she worth the wait?’ His friend raised his eyebrows. ‘Only you can decide that.’

--

Across the city, you were in the studio. You were sat on top of a piano, a guitar resting in your lap as you quietly strummed at it, waiting for inspiration to hit you. You were three quarters of the way through finishing the particular record that the band had been working on – but the last part was dragging. Your mind was a thousand miles away as it was, the face of a particular super soldier at the forefront of your mind.

‘You got anything?’ Damian called across from you. He was sat at his drumkit, occasionally whacking at a cymbal hopelessly.

‘Nope.’ You replied ‘I was thinking something like this-‘

‘-we have company!’ Alex announced, entering the room.

You glanced up from your guitar, eyes widening when you saw that Steve was with him. He shared a similar expression to you – nervous, perhaps. You cleared your throat and put the guitar to the side, hopping off the piano. Your boots clipped the key on the way down, a few notes emitting from the instrument as you walked across the room to face him.

‘We’re going to go and talk outside.’ You announced. You took Steve’s hand, pulling him out the room.

You exited the studio, heading out into the backlot of the building. The ground was wet with rain, a few droplets still falling from the sky. The sky was grey, air still thick with damp from the weather. You leant against the wall, boots crunching under the gravel of the ground, scrunching your nose up as a gust of wind hit your face.

‘I’m sorry that I freaked out this morning.’ You finally broke the silence between you. ‘I just…I guess I that I was enjoying that little bubble that we were living in a bit too much.’

Steve smiled, nodding. ‘I know. Me too, doll.’

‘It’s just that things are going so well between us that it freaks me out.’ You continued. ‘Because I know that means it’s going to become serious.’

‘So, what are you thinking now? Where do you want to go with this? With us?’ He took a step closer to you.

‘Every time that I’ve got to this point in a relationship before, I’ve ended it.’ You sighed, but immediately panicked when you saw the look on his face. ‘Oh god, I should not have lead with that – I mean…You’re the first person I’ve met that I want to take that step with. It freaks me out but I want to do it. You just gotta me halfway, yeah?’

Steve’s face softened, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He wrapped his arms around your torso, pulling you into his chest. The action was soft, filled with relief and maybe – just maybe – love.

‘So, does this mean I can officially call you my girlfriend?’

You nodded, beaming. ‘I might freak out the first few times you do it, but of course.’

You pressed your lips to his, hands running through his soft hair. You both fell back against the wall, but you broke the kiss before it could become too heated. You knew where it was going and you weren’t going to put it past you and the super soldier to try and find somewhere to get off in the studio.

‘We gotta back to work,’ you sighed. ‘But I was thinking – the guys have been banging on at me all day about wanting to meet the rest of the Avengers.’

‘That’s funny,’ Steve chuckled, ‘because Bucky has been secret fangirling over them.’

‘Maybe we could go out for drinks?’ You asked. ‘Tomorrow night?’

He pressed another kiss to your lips. ‘It’s a date.’

‘Good.’ You beamed at him. ‘D’you get a cab here?’

You fumbled around in your pockets, producing a lighter, a crumpled-up piece of paper and a set of keys. You tossed the keys to him, and Steve caught them. He’d been dropping hints about wanting to ride your bike again – it was the other thing he’d been obsessed with since the night you two met.

‘Take my bike.’ You said. ‘I think it needs to be ridden by someone who doesn’t grind its gears.’

‘And here I was, thinking you couldn’t get any better.’

You rolled your eyes, pressing one last kiss to his cheek. ‘Now go! I’ve finally had some inspiration for a song that I’ve been stuck on.’

Was it soon to be writing songs about him? Probably. Did you care? Absolutely not.

[trashmagines]

Three’s A Party: Four x Reader x Eric

TrAshy Says: This literally just popped into my head so if it’s shit, you know why. No hate to Tris but reader’s jealousy is almost as bad as her boys ;)

Warnings: A little violence, Suggestive themes 

__________

“I don’t know how you do it, Y/N.” Tori exhales, nimbly dodging your fury of punches. 

Though she preferred the laid back nature of tattooing, Tori still liked to spar, especially with you. It was the perfect time to catch up on life and hone your fighting skills. You guys may have been best friends, but neither of you went easy on each other, as told by the bruises that were starting to form on both your bodies. 

“Do what?” you breathe, blocking a high kick. “Date both of them. One of them is bad enough, but both? Together? You’re just asking for trouble.” 

This isn’t the first time your relationship has been the topic of conversation, but it still catches you off-guard all the same. Tori uses this to her advantage and swipes your feet from under you, knocking you flat on your back and pinning you underneath her booted foot. You tap out begrudgingly, and she half-smiles at your glare before helping you up. 

“I know you don’t like them, but-” “Correction, I like Four; it’s Eric I don’t like.” “BUUUUUUT! They’re both apart of my life. Yeah, it can get hectic, I won’t deny that. But they care about me and I care about them. Honestly, it’s not as bad as most people think it is.” 

Tori simply nods, knowing that even though she doesn’t really understand, she should stop talking about it for now. She hands you a bottle of water which you sip from graciously, before declaring that she needs to get back to the shop. 

“Same time next week?” “Of course, Tor.”

You wave goodbye and exit the pit, quickly making your way toward the space you share with Eric and Four. When you open the door, a heavenly scent drags your willing body to the kitchen, and you see a shirtless Eric standing over the stove. 

“Damn it smells amazing in here.”

The smile you’re greeted with makes your heart flutter, and Eric quickly turns off the burner before crossing over to you and connecting your lips. 

“You’re late.” he states when he pulls away. “Maybe you’re just early.” you smile. 

Eric returns to the stove and begins plating what he’d cooked. You notice that he only prepares two plates, and you instinctively speak up. 

“What about Four?” “He’s training one of the initiates and he said not to wait. You didn’t get his text?”

You hadn’t checked your phone the entire time you were with Tori, and sure enough, when you do, there’s a missed text from Four. 

Hey Y/N, helping Tris train; she’s afraid she won’t make the cut. Don’t wait up...or do ;) - Four

Even with the suggestive end, you find yourself frowning. So what if Tris didn’t make the cut? If she couldn’t hack it on her own, that was her problem. So why was your boyfriend helping her? Your dissatisfaction must have been plain to see, because Eric chuckles as he looks between you and your phone. 

“Hmm, are you jealous, princess?”

Your head snaps towards him and you scoff as if he’d just accused you of the worst crime. Both Eric and Four were known for their jealousy; people barely even looked at you when they were around for fear that they’d somehow invoke your boyfriends’ wrath. You, on the other hand, swore you weren’t the jealous type. And yet...

“Now you know how we feel.” Eric grins, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek. 

Four doesn’t get back until after both you and Eric are already asleep. 

__________

You hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, honest. You’d been walking down the corridor toward the tattoo parlor when you heard them, Tris and Christina. 

“So that’s why you’ve been coming back so late! Getting cozy with a leader, huh? That’s bold.” “Shh! We’re not getting cozy, he’s just helping me train; that’s all.”

You stop in your tracks immediately. 

“Sure, sure. So you don’t like him? Not even a little bit?” Christina asks with a playful lilt.  “Even if I did, he’s already in a relationship. A happy one by the looks of it.” “Yeah, true... On the other hand though, Y/N’s also dating Eric. I mean, does she really have to date both of them? Would it be such a crime to at least see if Four is interested?”

You don’t stay long enough to hear Tris’ reply and you’re still fuming when you plop down in Tori’s chair. She takes note of your clearly frustrated state after setting up her tools, and she decides to ask about it when she’s well into the process of lasering ink into your skin.

“I just... overheard something that upset me.” “Yeah? What?” “It... It’s stupid, don’t worry about it.” “If you’re this mad it’s probably not as stupid as you think. Plus, I’m your best friend; you’re pretty much obligated to tell me about things that are pissing you off.”

You playfully roll your eyes and Tori smirks at you, waiting for you to give her the details. So you do; you tell her about Four’s recent late-night training sessions and the bit of the conversation you’d heard. 

“I hate to break it to you, Y/N, but you’re definitely jealous. Of an initiate.” “I know! Like, god, is this really what Eric and Four feel when people flirt with me? If so, I kind of understand where they’re coming from.” “At least you didn’t punch her.”

You raise your eyebrows in surprise, then a wicked grin slowly spreads across your features as you get the best idea. 

“Y/N, no. No! Don’t be like them!” “I won’t hurt her...too bad.”

Tori sighs in defeat as she removes the pad covering the skin below your chest. She helps you stand and you revel in the new, intricate sternum piece. Still smiling, you pay her and thank her for the wonderful idea. She knows this won’t end well. 

__________

A few days pass and Four still finds himself helping Tris, much to your dismay. You’d even walked in on them after returning to retrieve your forgotten jacket, and the sight almost made you scream. Four had his hands on Tris’ hips, perfecting her form as she beat on a punching bag. Though you knew he was only correcting her, your skin burned at the way she was looking at him. 

If you’d had a throwing knife on you, it probably would have been whizzing through the air at them already.

The next day, you wake up before Eric and Four, ready to exact your revenge plan. You dress in a black sports bra and leggings, both of which accentuate your bust and butt respectively. You then pull on your favorite cropped zip jacket and head out without saying a word to either of them. Your phone goes off consistently throughout the day, both men wondering why you hadn’t spoken to them all morning. By the time afternoon sparring sessions roll around, you’re grinning at the number of missed messages as you make your way towards the training room. 

You practically burst through the door, all eyes drifting to you as you stalk toward Eric and Four. You remove your jacket on the way over, both men taking in your outfit like you knew they would. Before either of them can ask what the hell you’re doing, you turn your attention towards the initiates. 

“There’s going to be a little challenge today. Anyone that can beat me in a fight will move up two spots on the ranking board.”

Murmurs spread throughout the group as you step onto the platform. Four is about to speak up, but Eric silences him with a wave of his hand, a smirk adorning his features. He knew exactly what you were doing, and he wasn’t about to stop you.

One by one, initiate after initiate challenges you, and one by one they all fail. You’ve successfully taken down even the highest ranking members, managing to send a few to the medical bay. 

“Who’s next?”

The remaining initiates look among each other, none of them wanting to succumb to your fists. You chuckle softly as they all visibly recoil under your gaze. When you finally look at Tris, you smile sweetly.

“You. Get up here.”

Tris’ eyes go wide, but she knows she can’t exactly say no to a leader. Hesitantly she steps onto the platform and gets into her defensive stance. You do the same, and when Eric shouts to begin, you charge at her. She just barely dodges your attacks, and even manages to deliver an elbow blow to your jaw. Unfortunately she misjudges how quick you are, and with one powerful side kick to the gut, Tris is sent over the platform’s edge, her back colliding hard with the concrete floor. You stand tall, looming over her as she groans before turning your attention to the rest of the clearly worried initiates. 

“I don’t care what that board says, you’re all weak.” 

You step off of the platform, only sparing your boyfriends a glance before grabbing your jacket and exiting the room. By the time they get back to your shared place, you’ve already showered, changed, and started dinner. You pay them no mind until you feel a pair of arms wrap around your torso. 

“I won’t lie, watching you kick ass is always hot, but you could have just talked to me if you were jealous, princess.” Four’s voice tickles your ear as he places gentle kisses on your neck.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” you sigh, leaning back against him.  “Oh really? So you sent seven people, one of them being Tris Prior, to the medical bay for the hell of it?” Eric asks, standing beside you. 

You bite your lip to keep from grinning, but both men see right through you. Four shuts off the burner you’re currently using, then turns you so that you’re now sandwiched between him and Eric. The latter rests his head on your shoulder, his hands massaging tiny circles into your lower back, while Four rests his hands on your torso right above Eric’s and shakes his head at you. 

“Y/N, you know that neither of us want anyone but you. You don’t ever need to be jealous.” “Funny; I say that to you two all the time, yet people won’t even look at me if you’re around lest one of you decides to make their life a living hell.” “That’s different,” Eric pipes up, “we can’t do better than you, but you could definitely do better than either of us. Especially Four.” “I’m sorry, who came in second place on the ranking board? Oh that’s right, you.” “Fuck you, Four.” “Boys!”

They go silent as you look between them, and a light laugh passes your lips. 

“Tori was right; I don’t know how I put up with you two.” “That’s easy. It’s because you love us.” Four smiles confidently. “Besides you know what they say: Three’s a party.” Eric chuckles.  “We’re not really having that much fun though...” you trail off. 

Both sets of hands on your hips tighten reflexively at your tone, and when your eyes meet Four’s, he’s not surprised to see the lust burning in them. Stepping closer to you, effectively trapping you in a wall of heat and muscle, Four speaks, his breath fanning across your face.

“We can easily change that.”

[thenovelartist]

Falling for the Dork, set 5

<<Previous set  Next set>>

14.      The Valentine

They’d been friends for a year and a half now. And Marinette had had a crush on him about a month less than that. Meaning Marinette had been sitting on her hands for about seventeen months now.

It was time for her to do something about that.

She had spent the first thirteen days of February writing and rewriting a love confession to Adrien. Thirteen days making a pretty, decorated, heart-shaped card to put said love confession on.

Then Valentine’s day rolled around.

And she completely chickened out.

Instead of giving it to Adrien directly, she shoved it in his locker.

Coward.

All throughout the school day, she was just waiting for Adrien to bring up the card. But he never did. And honestly, her heart continued sinking throughout the day.

“Do you want to do something for Valentine’s day?” Adrien asked after school had ended.

Marinette blushed bright red. “Wh-what?”

“I don’t have anything better to do, and I haven’t been able to hang out with you for a few days.”

“O-oh,” Marinette said, heart deflating. “I thought you were talking, like, for Valentine’s.”

“No,” Adrien dismissed with an easy grin. “Just hang out together. You know I don’t have anyone.”

Her heart was cracking. “What? No one came up and confessed their undying love to you?” She said it as a joke, and she hoped beyond hope he didn’t realize she was fishing for anything.

“Actually,” he said, his smile fading a bit. “I did get a love confession.”

“Oh yeah?” Marinette asked, her heart fluttering nervously.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t signed.”

And her heart flat out stopped.

“I feel bad about throwing it away or anything,” he said. “Because they obviously out a lot of thought and effort in it, but at the same point, I don’t know who it is.”

Say it! Marinette’s mind screamed. Tell him, idiot!

“And it’s kind of a shame,” Adrien continued. “Because statistically speaking, high school relationships don’t last, you know? Why get in one only for it to last a year/year and a half and then break up when school ends because you split to different colleges and all that? So, I feel bad about it, but I want to wait and give my whole heart to the girl I see myself spending my life with, you know? Why casually date during high school?”

Marinette’s mouth snapped shut, unable to respond to that. Her heart hurt, a lot. But at the same point… she could see where Adrien was coming from. She found it good advice, to be honest. And that he thought that way because he wanted to give his all to the girl he would end up marrying…

“That’s super romantic,” she managed to say. Because that was the truth.

Adrien’s smile was gentle and sweet. “My mom told me that,” he said. “My dad was the first person my mom ever dated because she said that there are a lot of people out there in the world and it’s easy to give your heart to anyone you feel anything for. But if you give your heart out too much, how much will you have left for your one true love?”

“Your mom was really wise.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said. “That little piece of advice stuck with me. She was a model but she was also really smart. She learned early on that there are a lot of people willing to fawn over her, but she learned to distinguish what was love and what wasn’t. That’s how she knew my dad was the one. Because there was more between them than attraction and she was willing to take the risk on him.”

“That’s really beautiful,” Marinette said. Because it was. That was fully the truth.

“I always thought so,” Adrien said, his voice soft with remembrance.

Marinette sighed. Her heart wasn’t broken per se, but battered and bruised it was. “Do you want to come over for chocolate cupcakes and Ultimate Mecha Strike three?” Her heart was going to need a little more than that, but she would temper her sweet tooth around Adrien today. She’d nurse her battered heart with ice cream later.

Adrien grinned. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

  15.      Love Rivals

Adrien did not like this feeling. It was a very bad feeling. An ugly feeling. Another guy could flirt with Marinette, and Marinette could flirt back.

So what was this awful tightness in his chest?

“Dude, green-eyed monster much?”

Adrien glared at Nino. “What are you even talking about?”

Nino gave him a flat look. Not surprising. Adrien knew his voice was too aggressive for that question to be serious.

“She’s just a friend,” Adrien said. “She can flirt with some slick rock star if she wants to.”

“You don’t want her to,” Nino said.

“Not the point,” Adrien growled.

“Totally the point.”

Adrien glared at Nino once more before turning back to glare at the guy flirting up a storm. And Marinette seemed to be eating up his flattery.

Adrien squashed a growl in his throat.

“Just don’t kill Luka with that death glare, ‘k bro?”

Adrien should just deny it. He wasn’t jealous. He. Wasn’t. Jealous.

“No promises, Nino.”

He was jealous.

  16.      Beach

They weren’t seniors. And they weren’t American. But when Kim found out about the traditional “senior ditch day” the Americans held as tradition, he and Alix decided to pull the class on board. Besides, it was going to be a very hot day and the school’s A/C system was broken thanks to a dare between Kim and Alix.

Marinette didn’t want to know how that happened, and Kim and Alix weren’t telling.

So, after convincing the class that it was only one day, they threw caution to the wind and organized to meet up at the train station and commute together to the beach.

It was a two-hour trip, but they entertained themselves well enough. And when they got to the beach, the last dredges of regret faded away. It wasn’t too full, which was understandable for a Wednesday when school was still in session. It also meant they had quite a bit of room to romp and play.

“You know,” Alya began, laying out on her beach towel as she watched the guys strip out of their shirts and race to the water. “Today was a great idea.”

“You just want to see Nino shirtless,” Alix quickly interjected. “Just like Marinette wants to see Adrien shirtless.”

Marinette sputtered. “I do not!”

“Yeah, you do,” came the chorus from the girls.

Marinette didn’t argue. Because… she kinda did.

“Let’s be fair,” Alya said, her voice full of teasing. “I want to see just how cute nerd boy is. Marinette can’t have anything other than the best.”

“Hey, Marinette.”

The girls all turned to the voice, only to see Adrien approaching. Shirtless, wet, hair slicked back, and a crooked smile on his face. “You coming or not! Water’s great.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, trying not to look him over even though she very much wanted to. “Give me a minute.”

Grinning, he nodded and turned around to head back toward the water.

“Wow,” Alya whispered.

Mylene hummed her agreement.

“So handsome!” Rose quietly squealed

“Not bad,” Alix said with a smirk.

“You guys,” Marinette hissed, stripping out of her tee-shirt dress cover-up to reveal her ladybug swimsuit.

“Girl,” Alya said, “You scored. He’s like… a ten!”

Marinette knew that. She’s known that for ages. And he only keeps getting better. “Hotness doesn’t have a thing to do with it.”

“It’s just a bonus, right?”

“Exact—wait.”

Alya smirked. “Don’t deny it. You like him. He’s hot. Just wish he was a little less nerdy.”

“He’s perfect,” Marinette snipped. “Besides, what does it matter? He doesn’t like me in that way.”

“That’s not what his face said when you were stripping out of your dress.”

Marinette froze, her blood running cold as her face heated up.

“Omg!” Alya said, spinning to see Juleka. “You mean I missed him checking her out?”

Juleka smirked. “And he liked what he saw.”

Scratch that, Marinette’s cheeks were on fire.

It took a moment for her to gather her wits, especially when her friends were totally freaking out on her. Only then did Marinette finally make it to the water.

Throughout the day, Marinette couldn’t help but sneak glances at Adrien, wondering if he really could have been checking her out—and maybe checking him out in the process.

  17.      Confession

It was after the beach trip he really couldn’t hide it any more. He really liked Marinette. Seeing her in a ladybug swimsuit was his undoing. Never mind the swimsuit was one piece, it still showed off plenty of skin and her trim little figure and he was just…

He was a goner.

It was the first day of summer vacation, and Marinette was more than happy to invite him over even though she was exhausted from studying.

“Princess,” he purred. “Were you staying up too late again?”

She nodded. “How do you always notice?”

“Because I just beat you at UMS three. Twice in a row.”

Marinette sighed, letting the controller fall into her lap. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m not really up for competition today.”

“I can tell.”

She leaned over, collapsing against his side and settling her head on his shoulder.

Adrien grinned, his heart racing at the contact. “Take a nap.”

“But you’re here,” she bemoaned. “I don’t want you to go.”

He didn’t really want to go either. “Tell you what, Princess,” he said. “Why don’t we watch a movie instead. And you can nap through it if you want. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

She blinked a couple times at him before a small smile crossed her face. “I like that idea.”

Marinette grabbed her laptop, then the duo climbed up to Marinette’s bed. Adrien propped himself up against the pile of pillows and plushies before pulling Marinette close to his side.

She tensed for a moment, and Adrien briefly wondered if it was too much, but then she relaxed, making herself at home against him. Adrien quite liked the feeling.

The computer was placed on Adrien’s lap, and Marinette booted up a movie they both enjoyed, only to crash out fifteen minutes into the film.

Forgetting the movie, Adrien looked down at the sleeping beauty against his chest. He couldn’t help but smile and took a long moment to relish this feeling; the warmth that bloomed in his chest, spreading out to every inch of his body.

Eventually, the urge became too strong and he pressed a light kiss into her hair. “I care for you so much, my princess,” he whispered.

If he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn she smiled in her sleep.

[kae-karo]

texas smash babey

anyway can't believe it took me a week to post these but here are some Great™ pics from MHAcon texas smash last week special shoutout to @dabidevito the very incredible shiggy, baku to my kiri, and long todo (as well as the one doing all my eyeliner for me thank u so much), @/texas_fatgum/texasfatgum (on insta/tik tok) who saw me as kiri & screamed KIRISHIMA!!! super excitedly and then asked to take a pic, and the wonderful smol child named isabella who gave us the adorable mina drawing. honestly the most wholesome event I've attended. v v wholesome stories below the cut

on the literal first day, ten seconds after we arrived, a smol child ran up to us as kiri and baku and asked if they could take a pic with us it was very sweet

shoutout to the todo and dabi (katie and micah) who ran up to us and went KIRIBAKU then proceeded to chat with us for like half an hour

there was a panel with kurono and overhauls voice actors and they deadass were the funniest people and SO chaotic. kuronos voice actor was talking abt how he transitioned from the more gangster style voice to smth a little less Like That and his literal description for his thought once kurono takes off his mask was "he hot". overhauls va got all of the 8 bullets' vas in a twitter chat as soon as they were all announced and then they all got pizza. it was a q&a session and at one point a kid raised their hand, and kuronos va asked their name and the kid just rattled off their question instead and both of the guys were like THAT'S A REALLY LONG NAME at the exact same time, then high fived

a kiri (I think? I cant recall but they had red hair so probs either that or a todo) and a deku who just like. kept enthusiastically waving to me?????

the person who complimented my red contacts (as kiri) and said they really took the cosplay to the next level and they hadn’t seen anyone do that before (I literally turned to rose a minute later and was like.....okay so clearly they havent been on tik tok lmao)

the vendor person who caught my attention long enough to gesture at me, then their own shirt, then give me a thumbs up (cause I was wearing a red riot shirt)

on the second day I was hawks and rose was shiggy and as soon as we walked in someone was like "oh I love ur hawks". this happened several times (or some variation, like people just going HAWKS)

THE LOVELY PERSON WHO WALKED INTO THE BATHROOMS WHILE ROSE WAS FIXING HER HAIR, SAW ME, AND WENT "OHMYGOD YOU'RE HAWKS?????" then covered their mouth and was deadass speechless for several seconds

the dabi who said they liked my flower and vine tattoo :')

the person who not only came up to us and went SHIGAHAWKS? (to which I immediately responded I PREFER DABIHAWKS BUT YEAH) and then asked if rose was supposed to be texas shigaraki (yes. yes she was)

the person who came up and asked us to sign their wooden block that they had a ton of other cosplayers sign??? very wholesome

ONCE AGAIN ISABELLA WHO GAVE US THEIR MINA DRAWING AND SAID THEY THOUGHT WE MIGHT LIKE IT AND ALSO THEY LIKED OUR COSPLAYS

extremely special shoutout to the person who showed up in a SHIRTLESS HAWKS COSPLAY with some extendable/retractable FUCKIN MASSIVE WINGS that were probably a good 7ft across, u a real one my dude. they took pics for like 2hr with people, had their own music going, and the postmates driver who dropped off our food saw them from two stories down and asked us about them. also shoutout to the kid who was with their parent and, as they left the big-wing hawks and passed us (I was in hawks as well) said "normally he's not shirtless, he's wearing a shirt like that"

the todo cosplayer (we later found out this was katie, the todo cosplayer who found us a bit later) who asked the gran torino va if midoriya was all mights secret love child

the people who asked various vas if they believed the dabi=touya theory, and the amajiki va who deadass said "isn't that basically canon?"

shflshdkhskf I almost forgot the panel on bnha Theories hosted by pretty reckless (idr which social media they're on sorry rip) like we were hit with SO MANY theories all at once it was a challenge to really think through them all but it was a BLAST

seriously I cannot express how many amazing and adorable cosplays we saw. tons of dekus and todos and bakus, someone had this BOMBASS shinsou wig, another person had an incredible mei wig? someone made a full mei-during-sports-festival costume and it was awesome. there were so so so many amazing shoes like I cant even begin to say how many shoes rose and I pointed out to each other. the baku with red/yellow/orange camo jeans and a dope black hat??? the nejire in her hero costume? a ton of excellent dabis??? bonus points to the ones with red feathers in their hair. lots of togas in full costume. the smol child dressed in full amajiki hero costume??? the dope-ass tetsutetsu hero costume??? the tokoyami and dark shadow cosplayers??? that villain!todo. a fair few hero costume bakus (truly incredible those gauntlets are a Whole Thing and I applaud you) and a few hero costume kiris as well. literally so so many wonderful people they were all incredible

like. I've heard horror stories of bnha cosplayers, attending cons, etc. but every single person we interacted with was super kind and respectful and wholesome, I genuinely had such a lovely time and I'd absolutely do it again???

[queen-scribbles]

Certain as the Sun

@pillarspromptsweekly fill #78, the long-awaited Ederity wedding fic that killed me with cute. (Roll For It elements: Dengler for my NPC the Watcher gets along well with, candlelight/kiss, and flirting/affection)

Charity had always been an early riser. This was not because of her faith or her livelihood, though it certainly came in handy for both, but just the schedule she kept naturally. Today she was up early even for her.

If it counted as ‘being up early’ when you were so excited you didn’t truly fall asleep. She was going to spend the day running on joy, adrenaline, and murkberry juice, that was certain as the sunrise. And she didn’t even care.

Charity ran through her mental list as she waited for Tavi to arrive. She’d  picked the flowers last night, as late as possible so they would at least be sort of fresh. The chapel was all set up, though Tavi would have to light the candles. She’d pulled out her dress and made sure it was in good condition... The only thing left to do was curl up on the couch with Sparrow and doze until Tavi got there to help her get ready.

It was both too long and not long enough when there was a brisk knock on the door, followed by Tavi letting herself in before Charity had even made it to her feet.

“Thanks for helpin’ with this, Tav,” she said, carefully moving Sparrow from her lap to the couch as she stood. The calico let out a half-hearted mrrr of protest before curling up and going back to sleep.

“You kiddin’? I wouldn’t miss this for the fuckin’ world,” Tavi grinned, running one hand through her hair. “It’s absolutely worth bein’ up at the asscrack of dawn.”

Charity laughed. “Still, thanks. This whole thing’s so last minute, it’s nice havin’ a friend who can be here. Now....” She pulled out her ponytail and shook her head so her hair fell loose around her shoulders. “You said you aren’t great with hair. What can you do?” It was best to get right to business; they only had about an hour until sunrise.

Tavi grinned apologetically. “Ponytails and braids, and even the braids are kinda shitty.”

“Well, luckily, I know some styles that fit those limitations,” Charity said with a smile. She ran through a few of them, explained the reasons a bride might choose them, but left it up to Tavi. If she was willing to help out at the last minute, the least Charity could do was make it easy for her.

“Eh, fuck it, I’ve always liked a challenge,” Tavi smirked at the end of the list. “Let’s do the first one you mentioned, with the braids back to a ponytail. That’ll look real pretty on you, an’ I think I can manage it.”

“If you’re sure,” Charity shrugged.

“Yep. Sit down and tell me where to find what I’ll need.” Tavi cracked her knuckles.

“String for hair ties is on my dresser, the flowers to weave in are in the spare room,” Charity said as she settled into the lower-backed chair in her living room.

“About those, anything special with how they go in?”

“Kinda?” Charity played with a lock of hair. “There’s red, yellow, and white flowers, you do one at the start of each braid, three of each color, but there’s no set order for the colors. You can alternate, group ‘em together, do it randomly. It’s your choice.”

“Got it,” Tavi nodded. She ducked in the two rooms in turn, emerging with everything she needed. “Pray for me,” she said teasingly, “or you’re gonna be real lucky Edér loves ya no matter what.”

Charity snorted. “You’re just fillin’ me with confidence, Tav.”

“Hey, you’re the one who asked me,” Tavi reminded with a laugh. “An’ I do have a rough idea of what I’m doin’, it just won’t be perfect and fancy.”

“Doesn’t need to be,” Charity assured her, then fell silent in order to not be a distraction while Tavi worked.

<>O<>O<>

It was good her hair didn’t need to be perfect; Tavi’s assessment of her skill proved accurate. She got the braids in, relatively straight and only a little lumpy, the flowers miraculously unbruised, and tied the loose part up in one of the messy buns Charity used for gardening before sticking more flowers in the ribbon securing it.

“There we go,” she said triumphantly as she stepped back. “Pretty as a picture.”

“I’m so relieved,” Charity deadpanned, grinning as Tavi rolled her eyes. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Anything else you need me to help with?”

“Actually, since you’re gonna be waitin’ in the chapel anyway, t’ be our witness, could you light the candles? There’s a lot, an’ if I have to light ‘em and get dressed it’ll take too long,” Charity explained as she glanced out the window. There was the faintest hint of pink showing. They really did need to hurry.

“Sure thing,” Tavi said. “Again, anything special?”

“There’s two skinny ones an’ a wider one a little apart from the rest at the front, don’t light those. But all the rest.”

“Alright, sure.” Tavi gave Sparrow one final pet before heading out toward the chapel.

The first flutter of nerves hit as Charity stood in the doorway of her room, looking at the dress laid out on the bed. I’m getting married. Exciting as the thought was, it was also a little intimidating. She traced her fingers over the flowers embroidered down the sleeves and along the hem; red and yellow stitches twined together against white linen, painstakingly and lovingly done by her mother. I wish you could be here, Charity sighed as she carefully slipped her shirt off so as not to wreck Tavi’s work on her hair. I wish it was safe to tell you... But it wasn’t, no matter how sure she was her parents would love Edér, so she would have to content herself with having her mother there in spirit via the needlework on the dress and equally beautiful woven sash, also in the traditional red and yellow.

Charity smiled to herself as she pulled the dress on--just as careful around her hair--and tied the sash. She knew as well as any Eothasian the red was for life and the yellow for prosperity and happiness, but it was funny in this case how the colors also matched her and Edér’s hair.

Speaking of her hair.. She peeked in the mirror to check and was relieved it still looked good. No slipping or drooping or frizz.

The sky out her window was decidedly more pink. She really should hurry; Edér would be waiting for her, and they needed time to complete the ceremony so she could get back out of the dress, maybe remove some of the flowers from her hair, before Hendyna showed up to help her get ready for the ‘real’ Berathian wedding. She’d gotten away with the half-truth that her dress’ design was from her Ixamitl heritage, but being completely ready hours before the wedding might make her friend suspicious.

It took all of ten seconds for personal preference and the warm weather to justify going barefoot, which meant she  was ready, and just in time. With a smile at her reflection and a deep, shaky breath, Charity picked up her bouquet(iris, white heather and camellias), squeezed her necklace pendent to steady her nerves(overwhelmingly giddy rather than scared, but still jangling), and made her way back to the chapel.

She could see the candlelight through the windows, but was quickly distracted from both that and the still-cool earth under her feet because she’d been right. Edér was waiting for her.

Charity watched his smile bloom like the coming sunrise, lighting his whole face as his eyes crinkled at the corners from the breadth of it. She was pretty sure her face was the match of his.

Edér whistled softly as he reached for her hand. “Char, you... you look....”

She laughed when words failed him, because she knew the feeling, and replied,  “So do you,” through her achingly wide smile, heart beating faster as she linked her fingers with his and his outfit registered. His green shirt was an exact match for the one she’d lent him months ago, after their (brief) snow battle. The one she’d ‘borrowed’ from her father and never given back. “Where’d that come from?”

“Oh.” He smiled sheepishly and squeezed her hand. “You, uh, never asked for it back, and I kept forgettin’.... Found it yesterday an’ figured wearin’ it today was as good a way as any to give it back.”

Charity raised an impish eyebrow at his insinuation and somehow grinned wider. “Temptin’ as that is, dontcha think you might draw a tad too much attention if ya meander back to town from my place shirtless? Keep it for now.“ She pushed up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I’ll reclaim it later.”

“If you two stand out there flirtin’ much longer, you’re gonna miss the fuckin’ sunrise!” Tavi hollered from inside the chapel. Edér and Charity both laughed bashfully and squeezed their joined hands tighter.

“She’s got a point,” he said, still smiling wide enough to crinkle his eyes at the corners.

“She does,” Charity nodded. “Nervous?”

“I was, a little,” Edér admitted. “That’s good, right? Knowin’ this is important an’ all. But...” He met her gaze steadily. “I’m not anymore.”

She giggled like a love struck teenager because it was her wedding day and she was allowed. “Same. Shall we?”

“Absolutely,” he grinned back and opened the door.

It looked like something out of a storybook; rows of candles lit down either side and across the front, rays of the sunrise spilling in through the windows to highlight the motes dancing through the air. Tavi was waiting at the front, grinning ear to ear. Her outfit was different, Charity noticed--still grey trousers and knee-high black boots, but she’d pulled on a surcoat over her sleeveless tunic that was the fanciest thing Charity had ever seen her wear. The ruffled hem almost brushed the tops of her boots, and the mid-bicep length sleeves were ever so slightly puffed, unless Charity’s eyes were playing tricks on her. The teal and grey color scheme was both typical Tavi and a very good choice.  It didn’t take long for them to traverse the length of the chapel and reach her. Charity raised an eyebrow and cocked her head toward Tavi’s outfit, and the elf just shrugged and mouthed ‘Later’ with a wink as she stepped around them to stand in the center aisle.

A traditional Eothasian wedding would have a witness each for bride and groom, but Tavi was the only one Charity and Edér trusted enough to know how fully they were still practicing Eothasians. And since she was good friends with both of them, they’d agreed that would be enough. The Berathian ceremony was the one that would count in most kith’s eyes, anyway. They could tweak traditions for this one.

Which they had done--been forced to do--in a couple places. Charity set her small bouquet down in front of the unlit trio of candles. She and Edér each took one of the narrower candles, lit it from the line of candles along the front wall, and returned them to their places before facing each other and joining hands.

Charity took a deep breath. This was another change; normally the priest officiating would not be one of the kith getting married, but--as with the witnesses--they didn’t have much choice. “Edér....” The swell of emotion in her chest choked her, and he squeezed her hands encouragingly. This, this is why priests don’t do their own... But she had Edér for support, steady and certain as the sun. She squeezed his hands back with a grateful smile and started again. “Edér, do you freely pledge your heart to me, swearing to stand by me and me alone, holding fast together through any dark times that come until the Light of joy shines once more in our lives?”

Edér smiled wide at her rush to get the words out, thumbs rubbing the backs of her hands, and nodded. “I surely do.”

Another shaky laugh and wide, giddy smile--Wael’s eyes, was she tearing up?--and it was her turn. “And I freely pledge my heart to you, swearing to stand by you in all things, binding myself to you and you alone, holding fast together through any dark times that come until the Light of joy shines once more in our lives.”

They loosened their grip and turned to face the candles. Their inner hands came together again, Edér’s palm pressed to Charity’s knuckles. On cue, Tavi stepped forward and wrapped the palm-wide yellow scarf(the most delicate thing Charity had ever knit, she was actually rather proud how well it turned out) around their joined hands.

Almost through, Char, you can do this. “Do we both pledge to respect and cherish each other, honoring our commitment in times both easy and hard, until the Wheel parts us?”

“I do,” Edér said, slipping his fingers between hers.

Charity grinned wide as she replied, “I do, too.” She took what she hoped was the last steadying breath and proceeded. “Upon... Upon our solemn, freely given oaths, I now proclaim us bonded in marriage from this day on.”

She and Edér each took one of the narrow candles with their free hands and brought them together over the wider one in between until the wick kindled. Then they set down their candles, and together unbound their hands, though neither let the scarf drop as they stared at each other, the world seeming frozen in breathless anticipation.

“And now, Mayor Teylecg,” Charity broke the spell, grinning wide, voice catching, “you can kiss your wife.”

Grinning so wide she thought his face might split, Edér tugged on the scarf to bring her closer, then let go to instead wrap his arms around her waist. “Nothin’ I wanna do more, Missus Teylecg,” he said, and obliged.

Charity was vaguely aware of Tavi whooping loud enough to wake the blazing dead, but that played distant second fiddle to her husband--husband!--holding her close for a kiss so passionately, purely joyful it took her breath away. She wrapped her arms around his neck, almost dropping the scarf as her hands curved the back of his head and she went on tiptoe to deepen the kiss. They both held it as long as they could before pulling away.

Charity settled back flatfooted, her hands slipping around to cradle Edér’s jaw. “You’re a real good kisser, husband,” she whispered.

Edér grinned boyishly and rested his forehead against hers. “You ain’t too bad yourself, wife.”

She giggled and tipped her chin forward to steal another kiss. “I love you.”

He grinned even wider and kissed the tip of her nose. “I love you, too.”

“Much as I’ve been lookin’ forward to this and loathe as I am to fuckin’ interrupt,” Tavi began as she did just that, “Hendyna’ll prob’ly be here before long t’ help you ‘get ready’, Char.”

“No, you’re right,” Charity sighed. She pushed up on her toes for one more kiss from her husband. See you in a couple hours, love.”

“Can’t wait, darlin’,” Edér said, giving her another sun-bright smile as he (reluctantly) let her go.

Neither can I, Charity agreed silently as she headed back to the house.

<>O<>O<>

The Berathian ceremony paled in comparison. It was lovely, of course, and she was touched by how much the people of Dyrford seemed genuinely happy for them, and Harbinger Boedmar did a fine job. But to Charity, that one was window dressing, a show to satisfy local customs. The first one... that was the one that counted, in her mind. She really would need to find some way of thanking Tavi for the suggestion.

But that could be handled later, because she was enjoying the party. Dengler and Peycg had outdone themselves with the food, and their staff insisted on handling the serving so the two of them could join the reception, knowing how close they were to Edér and Charity. There was music and dancing and everyone she considered a friend in her chosen home was here....

But the best part--well, aside from the fact Tavi had actually dressed up for them, and stayed that way for both ceremonies--was that Edér hardly left her side through the whole joyous, wonderful party. There were moments, of course, when they were pulled in opposite directions, but they always found their way back together.

“So happy for you,” Dengler said, shaking Edér’s hand while Peycg eschewed any trace of formality and just pulled them both into a hug. Both were common sentiments among the many friends and well-wishers, and it made Charity almost feel bad about her slowly rising urge to leave. She treasured her friends, but wanted to be alone with her husband, and finally the latter won out.

“Whaddya think the odds are we can sneak away?” she whispered to Edér, head resting on his shoulder.

“Well,” he surveyed the crowd. “They all look pretty happy and occupied. But we are the reason they’re here, so... ‘bout the same as sneakin’ away from that stelgaer.” 

She snorted a laugh and rubbed her hand along the scars that still marked his arm. “’Least they won’t try to maul us...”

“True,” Edér laughed.

“Whatcha talkin’ about?” Tavi asked as she plopped down in a nearby chair.

“How to get outta here without folk makin’ a fuss,” Edér said. “We’re both ready to call it a night.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet you are,” Tavi smirked.

“Not like that!” Charity automatically protested, but blushed and conceded, “Well, alright, yes like that, but I’m also just... tired of bein’ social.”

“I understand,” Tavi said with a wink. “You two just leave, I’ll handle any questions or whatever.”

Edér raised an eyebrow, one arm settling around Charity’s shoulders. “You sure, Tav?”

“Hel, Teylecg, I’m already wearin’ the closest fuckin’ thing to a dress I’ll likely ever wear in my life for you,” she laughed, tugging on the ruffle-hemmed surcoat.  “I think I can play diplomat for ya, too.”

“‘Preciate it, Tavi,” Edér said with a smile and Charity seconded that.

They waited for the right moment--when almost everyone was caught up in another fast tempo song--and snuck off, hurrying through the twilit streets hand in hand. They didn’t slow until they were almost halfway back to Charity’s--theirs now, and gods that made her giddy--house.

“Evenin’ stroll’s a good way to end things, huh?” Edér said, slipping his hand from hers to wrap his arm around her shoulders again.

“Nice an’ peaceful,” Charity agreed softly, before letting mischief color her voice as she amended, “though it ain’t over ‘til I’ve gotten this shirt back....” and wrapped one arm around his waist to tease her fingers under the green fabric meaningfully.

Edér chuckled, flinching as she brushed a ticklish spot. “I like the sound of that, but hang on til we get home, huh?”

“S’ppose I can manage that,” she said playfully. “Long as we don’t dilly dally too much. Husband.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Wife.”

----------------------------------------------------

OH MY GOD I DID IT THEY’RE MARRIED NOW WOO.

I’m gonna type up something separate with all the details about the Eothasian wedding headcanons, but I will say Charity’s dress is loosely inspired by this one(yes, Ranna, I was in your Ixamitl tag :D), just with less poofy sleeves, and Tavi’s outfit is from the Vailian clothing concept art, the one on the far right

[chaos-weekly]

Didi was never going to admit this, not even to Nollie, but Jude Jackson had a nice set of abs. Of course, that was one of the last things she saw before quickly falling asleep in a bed that smelled exactly like JJ. She’d been swathed in all night when he’d had his arm around her, and now she was wrapped in it even more. At least he smelled nice.

When she woke in the morning, Didi went through her mental checklist meant for whenever she woke up in a bed that wasn’t her own.

Was she alone? Yes.

Had she fallen asleep alone? Yes.

Was she naked? No.

Had she had sex? No. Although the thought had definitely crossed her half asleep mind after seeing JJ’s abs. And his arms and pecs and shoulders and back and ugh. He was hot. She hated it.

But she was in JJ’s bed, and it wasn’t for a weird reason or a sexual reason. Which was probably even weirder than a weird reason—it not being sexual. Sighing, Didi sat up and pulled on her bathrobe—really, it was a silk robe just like the one Nollie had been wearing the night before. Short, maybe, but it covered even more than the t shirt she had slept in over her underwear.

Didi didn’t look at her phone, just grabbing it on her way out of the room to find food. A glance at the couch showed that JJ was still asleep, sprawled across the couch looking incredibly comfortable. A glance at the fridge showed her that JJ needed to go grocery shopping. He had some milk that was close to expiring, some cheese, and a few other things. No eggs to make herself an omelette. Figured. He was a bachelor. Maybe not publicly, but he was.

“Okay, I’m ordering takeout,” Didi said, walking over to the couch. She reached down, shaking JJ’s shoulder. He murmured incoherently. Of course he was a heavy sleeper.

“I’m ordering breakfast. What do you want?” she asked again, louder. This at least got him to open his eyes. He looked at her in confusion, and she was pretty sure he was surprised for a second there. Probably shocked to see a woman he hated waking him up with promises of food.

“What’s your favorite place for breakfast?” Didi asked again, shaking her phone for emphasis. He squinted at her in the morning light.

“The diner down the street. Mary’s Place,” JJ answered after comprehension finally settled in.

“Cool. Now sit up, I’m not sitting on one of those bar stools while I wait.”

“So demanding, baby girl,” JJ muttered. It wasn’t worth glaring at him for the nickname, though. That would probably only encourage him. Luckily, though, he did sit up.

It took a few minutes for her to order their food for delivery, but she did finally get it. It was only then that she checked her texts. Nollie wanted to make sure she was okay and that JJ hadn’t been murdered. Nothing from Xander, which was a little weird. She expected him to bother her about sleeping with JJ. There was one from her mom, saying how nice she looked on the white carpet and asking who her handsome date was. Didi smiled and rolled her eyes. She and her mom had grown apart since their poolside Madonna days, but her mother was still an important person in her life. Work just happened to keep Didi plenty busy.

Then she saw that Jared had texted her at six am. All too early for a Sunday, but what he’d said was even worse.

‘For my sake, I hope you got lucky last night.’

What?

Jared had always been, not interested, but concerned with her sex life and how it impacted her career. She understood it from a publicity angle, but this had nothing to do with publicity. This was just creepy and. And. And Didi didn’t know what else!

“I’m going to murder him,” she stated, still shocked. What else was there to say?

“Xander isn’t that bad,” JJ joked, but he sobered up when he glanced at her phone screen.

There was a lot of colorful language to follow for the next thirty seconds. And many angry and confused exclamations. Didi was pretty sure someone finally hated Jared as much as she did.

“That’s none of his business,” JJ finished, running both hands through his wild red curls. He had stood up, and his swearing had left him breathless. Didi felt the exact same way.

“Yeah, well, he apparently doesn’t think so,” she spat out in frustration. She locked her phone and let her head fall back against the couch.

“How on earth does he think that’s an appropriate thing to say? How does he have a job if he says things like that?” JJ was appalled, and it comforted her knowing that he was as freaked out as she was. Actually, he was probably more freaked out. He wasn’t used to behavior like this from his manager.

“Because hooking up with other famous guys has landed me in plenty of hot water because Hollywood sucks. Because he still thinks I’m the reason Xander and Leah broke up. Because he thinks he can make every personal part of my life his business.” She dropped her phone, eyes squeezed shut. As soon as this fake dating contract was up in six months and three weeks, she was firing Jared. And probably suing him, too. She had legal grounds for that, right? If not, Didi would find legal grounds.

JJ swore again and finally sat back down on the couch. “Jake is bad, but he’s not like that. That’s screwed up.”

She sat back up with a resigned shrug. “I’m firing him as soon as I can. He’s done enough crappy things already, but this is straight up creepy.” Didi shook her head, done with this topic.

“How is Jake bad?” It didn’t occur to her that this was her first actual conversation with JJ, who still seemed rattled by Jared’s creepy comment. But thankfully, JJ understood that she was dropping the topic.

“He’s a workaholic. Doesn’t have faith in us making it last. Obsessed with taking every opportunity for fame. We don’t get much free time. Only reason I’m here right now is ‘cause of the photo op arranged for later.”

That sucked. Big time. Jared was messed up, but at least he didn’t control every aspect of her life.

“That sucks,” Didi said, eyes downcast so she wouldn’t stare at his chest. He was still shirtless. But she wasn’t about to complain.

JJ shrugged, but the knock at the door kept him from saying anything more. He got up and returned a minute or two later with two leftover boxes and silverware.

“Here ya go, princess ,” JJ said when he handed her her box. This time, Didi didn’t roll her eyes at the pet name. It wasn’t as bad as sweet thang or baby girl. Doll hadn’t been too bad either, though. Not that any of this mattered. She was here for seven months and then JJ would be out of her life for good, and everyone would be better off for it.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, a lot quieter than normal. Thankfully, JJ didn’t try to bring anything up again, so they ate in a silence that wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. After eating, while she was getting ready for the day, he cleared out one of his bedroom drawers. It surprised Didi, but she placed her travel toiletries in there without a word.

“Hey, JJ?” she asked as he walked her towards the door. Didi was dressed now, a garment bag for last night’s gown in one hand.

“Yeah, doll?”

“Don’t mention the Jared thing to Xander. He’ll flip out,” she requested, her voice surprisingly soft. Maybe this had rattled her more than she thought. Xander may have been preparing to tease Didi and JJ for the next seven months, but he was partially doing it to bother them for laughs. He would probably try and publicly bring down Jared for what he’d said. Except because of contracts and NDAs, Didi would get sued if that happened. It would be an even bigger mess, and she loved her best friend, but she didn’t need his protective side to kick in.

JJ looked a little surprised by her request. “I wasn’t gonna. Why would I tell him?”

Great. This was awkward. “I dunno. ‘Cause we’re both friends with him, I guess.” She had definitely read the situation differently.

“Not his business unless we want it to be,” JJ pointed out, opening up the door for Didi. As expected, a few paps were out front of his small townhome. Show time.

Didi flashed him her biggest grin, standing on her tiptoes and launching herself at JJ with a giant hug.

“Sorry,” she whispered, not for the hug, but because she felt bad dragging him into her Jared mess. Not that she’d even dragged him in. Jared had forced everyone into this situation.

But at least Didi could have some fun with it. She pulled JJ’s head closer to hers, and pretending to whisper something in his ear, she nipped the top of it. It was flirty, but still gentle. And also in full view of the cameras.

“I’ll see you tonight, baby,” she called out once she was almost to the car that would take her home to Nollie. Didi was pretty sure they weren’t actually seeing each other that night, but the words slipped out. She gave JJ, who was smirking at her, a wink.

Maybe he wasn’t as absolutely horrible as she thought. He had nice abs, if nothing else.

[joohoneyhoe]

Anything you can do, I can do better.

[song inspiration: Flum ft. Tove Lo - Say it]

Info: im jaebum fuckboy!au x oc fuckgirl!au genre: pure smut word count: 4.3k a/n: all your bias’ are gonna burn after this. ALL HAIL THE BIAS BURNER SIN JAEBUM! (possibility of a part two)

[New Message: Im Fuckboy]

What the fuck was he messaging me for? 

Im Jaebum, the biggest fuckboy around. He was just as big of a fuckboy as I was a fuckgirl, though. It’s not like we ever talked, unless we wanted to fuck one of the other’s friends. Other than that, we stayed out of each other’s way. There was no reason for us to associate. Period.

So, why is he texting me?

[11:14 pm] Im Fuckboy: What are you doin’?

[11:14 pm] Im Fuckboy: Hey!

[11:14 pm] Im Fuckboy: Lilith!

I rolled my eyes so damn hard it hurt my head.

[11:15 pm] Me: What do you want?

[11:15 pm] Im Fuckboy: You’re not at the party. Why?

[11:15 pm] Im Fuckboy: Fuck everybody here already?

[11:16 pm] Me: Ha! You’re one to talk

[11:16 pm] Me: You’ve fucked every single one of my friends

[11:17 pm] Me: Is that why you’re texting at a party? No one left to fuck either?

[11:17 pm] Im Fuckboy: You say it like you haven’t fucked all of mine too

[11:17 pm] Im Fuckboy: Which you have

[11:18 pm] Im Fuckboy: But, no that isn’t why. I just realized I’VE never fucked you

[11:18 pm] Im Fuckboy: And I want to

I held my phone in my hand in confusion, unable to comprehend what I had just read. He was fucking with me.

[11:19 pm] Im Fuckboy: Did I lose you?

[11:19 pm] Me: No. I’m confused

[11:19 pm] Im Fuckboy: What’s confusing about it?

[11:20 pm] Im Fuckboy: You + me = 👉👌

[11:20 pm] Me: Thanks for laying it out for me genius

[11:21 pm] Me: I meant I’m confused why all of a sudden you want to fuck me

[11:21 pm] Me: Since fucking when?

I sat with my phone in my hand. No doubt I was intrigued as to why the sudden interest in sleeping with me. We both knew what kind of girl I was. And we both knew what kind of guy he was. I wasn’t his type and he wasn’t mine. At least I think he isn’t. I never fucked dominant guys, I just wasn’t into not being in control. I knew that’s not how Im Jaebum was in the bedroom at all. My girlfriends had told me his dominance was just as prominent behind closed doors as it was outside of them.

[11:23 pm] Im Fuckboy: Since fucking always

[11:23 pm] Im Fuckboy: You forget it’s my friends you fuck

[11:23 pm] Im Fuckboy: You think they don’t tell me how fucking amazing you are?

[11:23 pm] Im Fuckboy: How dominating and in control you like to be

[11:24 pm] Im Fuckboy: I’d be an idiot to not wanna fuck you

[11:24 pm] Im Fuckboy: Someone needs to show YOU what it’s like to be dominated

[11:24 pm] Im Fuckboy: Plus, you and I both know I’d fuck you better than any of them

[11:24 pm] Me: Did you forget you fuck my friends too, Im Jaebum?

[11:25 pm] Me: Because that’s not what any of them would say about it

That wasn’t true. Not one of them had a single thing to complain about when he fucked them. If anything, they only wanted more. As far as I knew, he was a God in bed. I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought about fucking him, showing him exactly what he wanted to show me.

[11:26 pm] Im Fuckboy: Well, I guess you’ll just have to let me prove it to you

[11:26 pm] Im Fuckboy: I’ll fuck that attitude right out of you

I felt a pulse between my thighs, squeezing them together to get a little friction. I looked down at my attire, an idea coming to me. I was dressed in a black cami and simple black silk sleep shorts. It would be so easy to toy with him right now. I switched to my camera and took a selfie. It was from my mouth down, bottom lip pulled between my teeth, finger hooked in my strap and pulling it down slightly.

[Sent: Image.jpg]

Let the games begin, Im Jaebum. 

[11:26 pm] Im Fuckboy: Jesus Christ

[11:26 pm] Im Fuckboy: I knew I wanted to fuck you for a reason

[11:27 pm] Me: Your turn

[11:28 pm] Im Fuckboy: Hold on. I’m already headed back to my room

[11:28 pm] Me: Hurry. I’m impatient

I got up from my bed, pacing the floor as I waited. I hadn’t been this excited about possibly getting a nude in a long time.

[Received: Image.jpg]

I don’t think I’d ever opened a text message so fast. And man, was I not disappointed. He had taken it in the exact same pose, except he was shirtless. His jeans hung low on his hips, the band of his underwear showing. He was absolute Sin to look at. I knew why all my friends wanted to fuck him.

Because now, so did I.

[11:30 pm] Im Fuckboy: Anything you can do, I can do better

[11:30 pm] Me: We’ll see about that

I pulled my top off in one swift motion, moving to sit at the edge of my bed with my legs spread wide. I quickly snapped the picture, not thinking twice and sending it.

[Sent: Image.jpg]

It took less than thirty seconds for my phone to start going off, a smug smile spreading across my lips. This was insanely gratifying.

[11:31 pm] Im Fuckboy: Goddamn, you’re fucking hot

[11:31 pm] Im Fuckboy: I’m so hard already

[11:31pm] Im Fuckboy: But, now it’s my turn

Why the hell was this so arousing? He did this with every girl, there was no doubt in my mind about that. He shouldn’t be able to make me this wet already. I always kept myself in control. How was this situation different than any other time?

[Received: Image.jpg]

Fuck.

My mind completely blanked looking at his picture. He was sprawled across his bed, pants gone with his large hand shoved down the front of his underwear. What was showing of his face was just his lips, which had the most sinful smirk I’d ever seen.

[11:33 pm] Im Fuckboy: You’re awfully quiet right now 

[11:33 pm] Im Fuckboy: Especially for someone who likes to talk back all the fucking time

[11:34 pm] Me: Fuck you, Jaebum

[11:34 pm] Im Fuckboy: Please do

[11:34 pm] Me: Just shut the fuck up

[11:35 pm] Me: It’s my turn now

This time, I laid down on my bed and turned a video on. I kept everything but my mouth out of the frame, a clear shot of my naked chest, silk shorts and legs. I popped two fingers into my mouth and then slowly trailed down until they disappeared beneath the silk fabric. I cut it right at that and pressed send.

[Sent: Video.mp4]

I sat and waited for what seemed like forever until my phone went off again.

[Received: Video.mp4]

Oh, shit.

Once again, same angle as myself, but his underwear were now gone. His long fingers wrapped around his thick cock, stroking slowly as he groaned out my name. A noise involuntarily left my lips, my thighs pushing together out of instinct.

What the fuck am I doing?!

My phone began to ring, startling me from my thoughts.

[Incoming Call: Im Fuckboy]

I swiped accept and pulled my phone to my ear, taking in a deep breath before answering. I needed to be in control.

“Yes?”

“Fuck, Lilith. I need to fuck you so bad.” Jaebum informed me, I could hear him still stroking himself, his breathing ragged. I let my hand dip back down below my shorts, fingers teasing my clit as I listened to him breathe heavily in my ear.

“Do you now?” I teased, the ache between my thighs only increasing as we talked.

“Fuck yes I do. Come over. I can’t keep doing the phone thing. I need you NOW.” he pleaded, his voice almost giving off a whiny tone. It was satisfying to think that I, could make Im Jaebum beg. He was never going to live this down.

“I’m not going anywhere. If you want me, you can come and get me. You initiated this conversation and you’re gonna finish it.” I directed, my tone low and authoritative.

“Are you serious, Lilith? I’m so fucking hard, it’s painful. Just come over here. It’ll be easier.” he reasoned, a bit of a growl at the edge of his words.

“Nothing we want in life is easy. Either you come and get me or jerk yourself off for the night. Your choice, fuckboy.” I heard him let out a huff of annoyance, no doubt pissy about my conditions. He wasn’t going to get me as easily as he did all the other girls. If he wanted me, he was going to work for it.

“Fine. I’ll be there in five minutes and you better be ready. I’m going to fuck you senseless.”

“I’ll believe when I see it.”

He must have sprinted all the way to my apartment off campus, because he was knocking on my door four minutes later. I had put an oversized white t-shirt on now, it being winter and too cold to wander around half naked. He could work for it anyway. I wasn’t going to be an easy lay by any means.

I opened the door slowly, revealing a windswept haired Im Jaebum. His peacoat was unbuttoned, his scarf hanging as if he’d just tossed it around his neck. He didn’t even bother to button his pants when he pulled them on and his shirt was half stuck inside his jeans, boots unlaced. He was a flustered mess and I couldn’t help but smirk up at him.

“Are you going to let me in or make me stand out in the cold with this ridiculous hard on?” I stepped aside, gesturing with my hand for him to come in. I gently shut the door behind me, locking the locks before turning around to face him. His eyes were jet black, boring straight through my calm demeanor. For once, I didn’t know what to do. The dominant stance he was taking with me, was something I hadn’t dealt with in a long time. I was the dominant one with everyone I fucked. Plain and simple.

He slowly made his way over to me, taking his scarf off and tossing it on my couch, along with his coat. I tried to remain as stone faced as possible as he raked his eyes down my body shamelessly. Next thing he did was take the pads of his cold fingers and run them up my bare arm, sending goosebumps running along the surface. He leaned in, his lips also ice cold against my ear.

“You know, for someone so dominant, you’re being pretty submissive right now.” my eyes snapped up to his, a scowl darkening my face. He grinned, knowing he’d gotten the rise he was looking for.

“Are we going to fuck or not, Im Jaebum? Stop wasting my time.” I spat, hands on his chest to push him away from me. He took hold of one of my wrist, yanking me to him, bodies pressed together. 

“I told you I was going to fuck that attitude right out of you, and I intend to do so. Are you ready for that?”

“Who said I was going to let you? We’re both dominant and both want to be in charge tonight, how’s that going to work? Did you think I’d just let you boss me around like you do all those other girls? Sorry, I don’t do submissive.” I whispered, teeth nipping at the underside of his jaw. I could feel him shudder under me, my underwear dampening from the thought of him submitting to me.

“I’ll tell you what, Lilith. How about we compromise?”

“You and me? Compromise? Don’t make me laugh, fuckboy.” his hand found it’s way under my shirt, finger tracing from the base of my spine, all the way up.

“Hear me out.” he demanded with a snarl, surprising me a little.

“Fine. What?”

He began pulling me with him towards my bedroom, his eyes never leaving mine. Once we were in my bedroom, he slammed my door shut behind me.

“You let me do something to you that I KNOW, you’ve never let anyone do. And then, I’ll let you do whatever you want to do with me. No complaints.” he suggested, both of his hands now wandering beneath my shirt. 

“And why do you get to go first? It’s my apartment, so my rules.”

“Tsk, tsk, Lilith. I ran all the way here because you wouldn’t come to me. Had you done that, you would have gotten to go first. But, you didn’t, so you don’t get that privilege. I do.” I grunted in complaint, hands trying to pry his away from me, but he refused to let that happen.

“Come on, it’ll be fun. I promise.” he encouraged, lips just centimeters from mine.

“Fine.” his hands left me instantly, making me ache at the loss of skin to skin contact.

“Get your clothes off and stand with your back to me at the foot of the bed.” he ordered, his face hardening. I crossed my arms over my chest, still feeling salty about having to be the submissive first. He stalked back up to me, his lip curling upward in irritation.

“Clothes. Off. Now.” I breathed in deeply and decided to just do what he asked. I wasn’t going to do what I wanted to do to him any sooner this way. Nonchalantly, I began removing one article of clothing at a time, dropping them on the floor as I moved. I let out a loud sigh when I finally stood where he wanted me to, hands on my hips. I heard him chuckled from behind me as his hands fiddled with something. His breath was hot against my neck, but I remained in my defiant stance. He wasn’t about to turn me into a quivering mess, no matter how badly I wanted to be.

“You ready?” he questioned, his voice barely audible.

“Whenever you are, big boy.” I quipped, eyebrow arching.

Suddenly my eyes were being covered by a black silk scarf, a gasp leaving my lips as I reached up to touch the fabric. Jaebum tied it off, then grabbed my wrist and yanked them behind my back, immobilizing me.

“Nuh-uh. No touching, baby. I told you, you’re giving up control completely to me. This is how I want you to experience letting someone else take the reins. No sight, only your hearing and touch, IF I’m feeling generous.” his laugh was dark in my ear, making me let out a whine I couldn’t control.

“God damn you, Im Jaebum.”

“He’s going to after the things I do to you.” he picked me up bridal style, startling me from the lack of warning. He tossed me onto the bed, my hands reaching out to keep myself steady. 

“Turn over and put your hands behind your back.” this time, I found myself doing what he told me without a second thought. Anticipating what he had planned for me. Maybe I had been missing out on something all along. Hands finding my hips, he yanked my ass up further, the cold metal from the button on his jeans rubbing against me. I felt another silk scarf being wrapped around me, this time my wrist.

He smoothed his hands over the curve of my ass and down the back of my thighs, wrenching them apart. 

“Now, be a good girl and try not to squirm.”

His tongue ran up my slit, eliciting a moan from deep within my chest somewhere. He took two fingers and pulled my folds back, his tongue instantly going for my clit. I jolted from the contact, my body hyper aware of every single touch. I could feel his fingernails leaving marks in my thighs as he held them apart, his mouth doing things I’d never imagined it could do.

I let out a broken cry when he pulled away from me and then his palm landed hard against my ass. He pressed his back against my secured arms, lips trailing my neck and shoulder.

“Is this as bad as you thought it would be, Lilith?” his deep voice next to my ear made the hair on my neck stand tall. All I wanted right now was to get this blindfold off so I could see him.

“Terrible.” I lied, maintaining my cool as best as I could.

“I guess we’ll just have to keep going then.” he slide down my body, his hands trailing behind him, touching every inch of flesh he could. I wanted to complain, tell him to hurry up and make me cum already, but I knew that would just prolong the torture. He pressed his tongue flat against my folds, moving them apart to delve in further for a few moments before denying me again by removing his mouth from me.

“You can’t tell me you don’t like this, Lilith. You were so wet before I even put my mouth on you. Deny it to me and yourself all you want, but your pussy doesn’t lie.” he murmured, his lips kissing along my inner thighs as they trembled.

“If my hands were free, I’d smack the shit out of you.” he gave my ass another hard wack.

“Which is exactly why your hands are tied. I knew you’d be a hitter.”

He went right back to work, this time pushing two fingers into me. The air left my lungs, not being able to see making it that much more intense. His teeth bit down on my ass, definitely leaving behind a mark as his fingers worked the inside of me. I couldn’t even speak, the only sound leaving me was shaky breaths and small moans. Curling his fingers, he hit me right where I needed him to, making me let out a scream.

“There we go, baby.” he praised, his fingers continuing their abuse on my g-spot for a few moments. He pulled his fingers from me without warning, making me let out a noise of discomfort. 

“Do you want your hands or your sight back? Your choice, Lilith.”

“Take off the blindfold! Please, Jaebum!” at this point, I wasn’t above begging anymore. I was loving every single thing he was doing to me and I didn’t want him to stop. I would grovel at this point.

“Your hands it is then.” he undid the tie in one go, my hands landing on the mattress.

“Cocksucker.” I yelled, reaching back to swing at him. He grabbed my wrist again, pulling me up until I was sitting on my knees with my back flush to his chest. He put a finger on my clit, applying light pressure as he circled slowly, lips kissing below my ear. 

“Oh Lilith, did you really think I’d give you what you wanted that easily? That’s no fun. Now, be a good girl. No more trying to hit me. I’m here to make you feel things you never have with anyone else, just let me.” his fingers now traced patterns on my stomach, almost in a soothing manner. I took a deep breath, calming myself before reaching behind me to wrap my arms around his neck.

“Okay, I’m trusting you.” I replied softly, feeling his soft hair on the tips of my fingers. 

“Good, I want you to turn around and lay down now.” I felt him get off the bed, I could hear his jeans hitting the floor, along with his shirt. Not long after the thud from his jeans rang in my ears, the bed dipped between my legs. I jumped when his lips touched my hip bone, still hyper sensitive to touch without my sight. My hands reached for him, fingers finding his hair and carding through it. He continued to travel upward, stopping at my navel and then going up to the underside of my breast, sucking a deep purple petal there. 

I took a sharp intake of breath when his lips wrapped around my nipple, swirling his tongue around it slowly. My hold on his hair tightened, eliciting a moan from him before he bit down. I cried out, not being able to tell if I loved it or hated, maybe both. 

“Good girls don’t pull hair. Do you want me to take your hands away again?” he threatened, me shaking my head no almost violently. I heard him chuckle, tongue soothing over the bud he had just bitten so harshly. His index and middle finger slid back into my heat and he curled them immediately, making my back arch off the bed. 

“Man, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you like being submissive.” he teased, his fingers now moving languidly inside me.

“Please, I need cum Jaebum. I’m not above begging at this point.” I confessed, fingernails digging into his broad shoulders, feeling the muscles flex underneath. I heard him groan, obviously happy with my words. 

Instead of responding to me, he just picked his pace right back up, making sure to hit right where he needed. The coil in my stomach tightened, on the verge of snapping. I felt his tongue begin to work my clit, surprising me once again with the contact. Both is tongue and fingers worked vigorously to bring me to my high and it wasn’t long before the coil snapped and sent me plummeting into the strongest orgasm I’d ever had. 

His name left my lips in a scream, the neighbors without a doubt hearing me. I could feel him moving up my body, fingers still lodged inside of me, helping me come down from my high. His lips landed on mine, much more gentle than I would have anticipated. He swallowed my moans, tongue finding my own and teasing it. After I finally came down, he pulled his mouth away and removed his digits carefully. 

My chest heaved as I tried catching my breath, hands running up and down his defined arms. I felt his hand on the side of my face, fingers slowly pushing the fabric of the blindfold away from my eyes. He completely removed it, my eyes finally getting to meet his again. 

“Hi.” he greeted me with a smile, his eyes soft and gentle. It wasn’t a look I’d ever seen on him before and oddly enough, I liked it.

“Hi.” I finally answered back, arms winding around his neck as I smiled up at him.

“So, I think it’s your turn now. I had my fun and I promised I wouldn’t complain about it.” he pointed out, leaning down to leave open mouthed kisses on my throat. I pushed him back, wanting to see his face after being deprived of it for so long.

“I have a better idea, how about you just fuck me how you want and next time it’ll be my turn. Deal?” I offered, the look of shock evident on his face.

“I get to fuck you more than once? Fuck yeah, it’s a deal.” he grinned widely, mouth crashing down on mine in a hungry kiss. I put my fingers back in his hair, tugging it roughly. 

He lined himself up with my entrance, pushing in without any resistance. He snapped his hips into me mercilessly, the sound of skin hitting skin echoing in the room. He moaned next to my ear, then bit down on my earlobe. I raked my nails down his back as my legs locked around his waist, pulling him closer. He reached between us, rubbing my clit to help me reach my peak faster. I could feel it already building up, threatening to hit me like a train.

“As much as I want to keep going, I don’t think I’ll make it much longer.” he informed me, his breathing labored as his dark eyes searched my face for disappointment. I simply grabbed his face and kissed him again, taking him by surprise. After I dragged myself away from his soft lips, I rested our foreheads together.

“We’ve got plenty of time to try again.” he let out a laugh, then thrusted into me harder than he had previously, flinging my head back.

“Fuck, Jaebum!” I shouted, a death grip on his hair as he continued. 

“Come on, cum for me again. You’re close, I can feel it.” he pressed down harder on my clit, the sensation throwing me into the deep end, my climax trying to drown me. I screamed for him, cursed and yanked his hair as I let it take over me. Not even thirty seconds later, he released into me, ribbons of cum coating my walls. My name left his lips like a curse, his brow furrowed as he milked himself dry.

After we had both come down from our highs, we just sat there, staring at each other. I didn’t even know what to say, honestly. He was, hands down, the best I’d ever been with. Extraordinarily giving, for a fuckboy. Carefully, he pulled out of me, grabbing the silk that had been over my eyes before moving to lay next to me. He toyed with it, fingers feeling the silky fabric.

“Sooo…we’re going to do this again, right?” he probed, eyes locked on the scarf.

“I mean, I still have my end of the deal to do and I definitely am not giving that up.” he glanced over at me, eyes roaming my sweaty face,

“So, that’s a yes then?” I smacked his chest, making him laugh as I slung my left leg over his and placed my arm around his waist. His skin was damp, but I could care less. I couldn’t remember the last time I wanted to cuddle after sex. Jaebum tossed the silk scarf aside and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, tugging me closer. We lay in silence, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. More like, content silence. That is until I broke it.

“Wanna know what your name in my phone is?” I asked, tilting my head to look at him. He smiled, eyebrow arching.

“What?”

“Im Fuckboy.” he laughed loudly, his hand moving to cover his mouth. It gave me butterflies to hear that sound leave his lips, something that I hadn’t experienced in years.

“That’s funny, because guess what yours is?”

“What?” 

“Satan’s Wife.” I sat up and began hitting him playfully, his hands flying up to protect his face. He grabbed my waist and tackled me down onto the bed, pinning my arms above his head before leaning down and kissing me. He pulled away, making me jut my bottom lip out in a pout.

“I never said it was a bad thing, Lilith.” he pointed out, kissing my face over and over.

“Touche. Now, shut up and fuck me again.” I demanded, trying to pry my hands free, but with no avail. 

“Gladly.”

[sandpapersnowman]

[PREACHER SECRET SANTA] i must be dreaming (or we’re onto something)

woo!! posting a little later in the day than expected but it is all in the name of Quality bc my gf has spent the last like 4 hours editing with me and she singlehandedly polished this stone into a Gem :’)

for the lovely @homelygrantaire who asked for ‘con artist cassidy/jesse/tulip’

it’s also on ao3 with proper tagging and links!

explicit, all fun and consensual, ot3!

This is the third hotel room they've been in since the talk happened, and they all came clean about their feelings and they all kissed it out.

But that's the furthest they've gone.

Yet.

"'Con artist' implies, like, betrayal," Cassidy says. "That's what 'con' stands for, y'know? 'Confidence'? Like, you gain someone's confidence, y'know, their trust, and then you fuck them over."

Tulip rolls her eyes.

"Okay, but it doesn't have to mean complicated shit," she replies. "If I tell someone they can trust me and I'll pay them back tomorrow, and then I don't, that's still a con."

"Sure, but what's artistry about that?" Cassidy scoffs. "That's, like, a con trick or something. Or just being a dick. Con art would be an elaborate plan to pay them back, and then paying part of it, but later they let you in their house to make a phone call and you steal a bunch of their shit."

"That's just robbery, Cass."

Cassidy thinks for a moment.

“Yeah, I guess it was,” he mutters, like he’s done that exact thing before. Of course he has. "Okay," he accepts, "what about this?"

He sits up on the motel couch and shuffles his ass to the edge; it's the position that means he's got it, the next thing he says is gonna be genius.

"The shell game," he says. "Or cups, or cards, or whatever. You put a ball under a cup and shuffle the cups around and have someone try to follow it."

"Yeah," Tulip says, "you let them win a couple times and then when you get them to make a bigger bet you swap out the ball without them seeing, or swap the card, or whatever."

"Yes! That's con art."

"Slapping some paper cups around is art but a good lie isn't?"

"I never said that," he says quickly, and points at her. "You know I love your lies.”

She snorts.

"Since when are you the expert on con artistry, anyway?" she asks. "Last I checked the only thing you were an expert of was getting on Jesse's nerves."

He snorts too, and, speak of the Devil, Jesse returns from a convenience store run.

"Jesse!" Cassidy barks. If he reels Jesse into the conversation first, he'll take his side, right? "Help us settle something."

Jesse sets the bags of microwave meals and alcohol on the big desk every motel always seems to have.

"One of these days," Jesse sighs, "you're going to run out of things to argue about, and I'm gonna come home to dead silence and have a stroke."

Cassidy and Tulip both snort, a mimicked, almost-identical sound that's arisen from spending so much time together, perfectly in sync, and Jesse smiles between the two of them.

"What is it now?"

He takes his jacket off and tosses it on the bed before he sits beside Tulip. Only one of her legs is hanging far enough off the end to touch the carpet, sitting with one crossed over the other.

"First of all, it's not an argument." She kisses him 'hello'.

Jesse freezes up against her.

He knows that Cassidy is in on this now, and none of them have any problems with it. It's great; it feels like all of his and Tulip's rough edges have been sanded down just enough for Cassidy to slot himself into their world. It's good.

But he's also more than aware that they've all been dancing around the actual sex part of all three of them being together. The way Tulip has brushed his hair back with her fingers and re-crossed her legs so her ankle catches his is just a bit too much contact for a 'hello'. It’s definitely instigating something.

He can feel Cassidy's eyes on them and that makes him blush more than Tulip's mouth does.

She finally pulls away, casual as can be, and returns to their conversation as though Jesse's not sitting on the edge of the bed with his fists in the sheets, looking halfway toward debauched.

"And second," she continues, voice as level as a gun to his head, "it's not a who's right, who's wrong thing, anyway."

Cassidy is smiling at them both with that big, lazy grin that shows all his teeth and looks dangerous if you can't catch the spark in his eye.

"Okay," Jesse says. "So what is it?"

Neither of them speaks. Glancing from one to the other again, he realizes that now they've both got the same expectant look.

"What?"

Cassidy scoffs. "Do I not get a kiss hello, Jess?"

Oh, the offense in his voice.

Jesse swallows. "Didn't know you wanted one," Jesse says, instead of 'you big dramatic baby' or 'you scheming fuckers' or 'I'll give you a lot more than a kiss if it'll wipe that smirk off your face'.

Cassidy stands smugly (and if anyone can be smug just by standing up, it's Cassidy) and puts himself at the end of the bed, his knees almost touching Jesse's. He isn't straddling him, or crowding between his legs, but the way Cassidy stands over him, waiting, says that he won't be bending down to kiss him until they get more comfortable.

Jesse chooses the less nerve-wracking option and slides his hands over Cassidy's thighs, slowly, and barely curls his fingers as though he'd like to pull him closer.

Cassidy follows the ghost of the motion, brings his knees up on either side of Jesse's hips as though he did go through with it, and Jesse breathes a shaky exhale when Cassidy settles his weight on his thighs.

"You alright?" Tulip asks quietly.

It's obvious now that this is a thing, something Tulip and Cassidy have both conspired about to ease Jesse into the thing without him having to directly address how bad he wants it. They know him and the second either of them pushes too far, they know he'll tell them to stop, but in a hundred years he'd never ask for any of it out of fear or anxiety or something).

"I'm good," Jesse whispers to her, but his eyes haven't left Cassidy's grinning mouth, unfamiliar lips thinner than Tulip's but equally inviting, screaming please, Jesse, kiss me.

Cassidy waits until Jesse's focus flicks back up to his eyes like he's asking permission, and then he closes the distance. Jesse's mouth is every bit as warm as he'd hoped, and after a few hesitant seconds, Cassidy tilts his head more to make it deeper, more involved, and Jesse groans into it.

They've kissed before, drunk or at Tulip's request or just a good morning peck on the cheek while they're both still too tired to overthink it -- but never with such blatant intent.

Cassidy's hands move from staying safely at his own sides to lightly hold onto Jesse's shoulders, and that is the right call because Jesse's hands press, up his thighs and then his hips and finally settle with one hand on his lower back and the other cradling his side. He’s holding him closer than they've ever been as he pulls Cassidy flush against his chest.

"Shit," Cassidy groans into his mouth.

Jesse feels cool fingers at the back of his neck, but they aren't Cassidy's. Tulip's fingers thread into the hair at the base of his skull and tug, not painfully but not gently. He lets her separate them so she can guide Jesse’s mouth back to hers.

He feels Cassidy's fingers next, his knuckles light over Jesse’s collarbone as he starts undoing shirt buttons.

Jesse continues kissing Tulip, but feels his way to Cassidy's front for the hem of his shirt -- nothing buttoned or tucked in like Jesse's, just a gaudy T-shirt he stole from the last laundromat they passed through, and when his hands move under it, Cassidy's hands move to meet his instead to help him get it off.

He had closed his eyes kissing Cassidy, and then Tulip, but he opens them and pulls back so he can take Cassidy in. He's seen him shirtless before, but never with an excuse to really look.

He can't help running his hands over Cassidy's tattoos while he looks at them; some seem much, much older than others, and he briefly wonders which is the oldest. Some are smooth, properly done so they don't leave scar tissue, and others are raised only enough to notice when you're running your fingers down them or rubbing a thumb softly along its edge.

"I like this," Cassidy says, breaking through his haze. "Sweet, speechless Jesse."

Jesse swallows against his dry throat and tries to laugh, but Cassidy is pushing him back so he can undo the rest of his shirt buttons.

He hesitates at the last of them, hands directly above Jesse's belt buckle.

"Do you want me to...?"

Cassidy runs a thumb over the smooth metal on his buckle. Do you want to go the rest of the way with this? Are you comfortable with that?

Jesse sits up on his elbows and looks down at himself, and where Cassidy’s hips meets his. It almost looks ridiculous because they’re both hard and still mostly-dressed, but he wants the image of them seared in his head.

He nods. Cassidy beams.

He opens Jesse’s pants and pushes them under his ass, and they both laugh when Cassidy has to shuffle completely off the bed to get them down over his feet. Cassidy takes his jeans off while he’s up, and God, Jesse can see half the detail of his dick through his thin, beat-up underwear. His face goes a few shades redder, and he covers it for a moment by pulling his undershirt off.

Cassidy is grinning at him when his shirt is discarded and he can see again. His grin redirects itself to Jesse’s left.

“Tulip?” he asks. “You joining us?”

Jesse had almost forgotten she was there, even with the weight dipping the bed in beside him.

“Jesse?” she asks. “Your call.”

“Yeah,” he says without hesitation. “Of course, if you want.”

She slides off the bed and turns her back to Cassidy, both of them now directly in front of Jesse and both looking like they want to eat him alive.

“Unzip me.”

Cassidy obeys easily, like he’s spent his whole life waiting to hear those words.

He ducks his head to kiss her cheek as he pulls her zipper, and something ugly and possessive rips through Jesse’s stomach out of habit, but then Tulip’s smile goes soft at him, and the feeling is forgotten in favor of heat.

“Slower,” Tulip whispers, and Cassidy obeys that, too.

His mouth moves down to her neck, kissing past her jaw and pecking under her ear as he makes his way to her collarbone. His hand stays on her zipper, almost to the end of its length, and the other rubs up her arm. His fingers tuck under one dress strap and help it fall, and his mouth follows that, too, open and wet over her shoulder and back up.

Cassidy’s fingertips distort the fabric at her sides as his hands slide under to help push her dress the rest of the way off.

(Is this the first time Cassidy has seen Tulip topless? Jesse imagines it can’t be, not with the constant close quarters lately, but like this? In this context?)

His hands slide over her ribs, prominent when she stretches back to lean into him. His fingers fit perfectly into the divots they make in her skin, thin and long like he could hold her lungs in place for her if she wanted him to.

The two of them are a vision together, both naked except for a pair of horrible bright green briefs and a pair of (definitely stolen, he remembers Tulip slipping them in her bag at a mall) deep blue lace panties. They have the kind of visual contrast he and Tulip have never had, Jesse always too tan for his hands to stand out so prominently on her skin. Similarly, he thinks the two of them are just differently built enough that Cassidy will look like even more of a noodle against Jesse’s thicker frame, he’ll have to lean down just enough to kiss him when they’re both upright.

Again, his and Tulip’s rough edges, huh?

“His fingers are fuckin’ cold,” she warns, and both the boys laugh. Jesse knows that already, from less intimate situations, but he appreciates the thought.

Cassidy gives her neck one last kiss, with a shaky scrape of his teeth that makes her shiver.

“Stop teasing,” Jesse groans without meaning to.

He doesn’t even know which of them he’s talking to.

“Go on,” Tulip tells Cassidy, over her shoulder, with a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Cassidy’s hands drag and hesitate to leave her skin, but return to Jesse’s like a magnet when he moves himself back up onto Jesse’s lap. There's something strikingly hot about Cassidy being so close that he can taste his breath while his dick is jammed up against his stomach.

"Hey," Cassidy says. The nerves in his voice aren't hidden, but he doesn't look like he’d bothered -- it's a good nervous. The kind of nervous that will fade into security and familiarity, and isn't that the sappiest fucking thing to think of while his hot new boyfriend is rubbing himself down onto his lap?

Jesse smiles. "What's the plan?" he asks, glancing at Tulip. She hasn't returned to the bed yet, and despite the brief moment of I can do this, he's not sure he can handle Cassidy one-on-one yet.

"The plan is relax," she chides. "You trust me. You trust him. Means you trust us."

She crawls forward to his side again and kisses his cheek, then the corner of his mouth, and then her small hand is tipping his face up to hers so she can kiss him properly.

"We've got you, Jesse," she whispers.

Cassidy kisses the opposite corner of his mouth, the one Tulip didn't kiss, silently agreeing with her. He takes a shaky breath in, and it's even shakier out.

"Do you want to -- " Cassidy starts to ask, and rolls his hips down in a way that clarifies exactly what he's suggesting. "Y'know, you could -- "

"Not yet," Jesse answers quickly. "Not right now." God, one day. He'll fucking dream of the day he fucks Cassidy, but that isn't today. "Just hands, maybe?"

Cassidy nods and kisses him again. "You want me 'nd Tulip to both do it?"

That's the worst idea Cassidy has ever had, because Jesse holds back a moans at just the thought of them both, each with a hand on his dick and him watching both of them slicked up with lube and precum.

Watching himself spill over two sets of knuckles while they both kiss him stupid, hopefully.

"Jesus," he croaks. "Sure, yeah, if -- yes."

Tulip does something like a giggle beside him, and kisses his cheek again. "Yeah, Jess?" she asks, low and purposefully sultry. "You want both of us to jerk you off?"

His hips twitch into an involuntary grind against Cassidy, and his breath hitches the same as Jesse's.

"Yeah," he says again.

Tulip grins, the same dangerous show of teeth that she perfected when she got her braces off in 4th grade, and looks to Cassidy.

"Scoot."

Cassidy does as she says and slides himself more to Jesse’s right, slipping his knee between Jesse’s thighs to straddle just one.

He opens his legs more so Cassidy can comfortably settle back down, and Tulip mirrors his position over the other side of his lap. He's got the two most beautiful people on the planet in this hotel room, each straddling one of his thighs, and all he can think to say is a mindless, groaned-out "Fucking Christ, shit."

His hand twitches up to rub Cassidy through the single layer of cloth keeping his dick from being actually touching Jesse’s skin.

"Can I -- ?" Jesse starts to ask, but Cassidy is already nodding.

"Yeah."

Cassidy kisses him again as Jesse tentatively cups his hand around him. It’s not mindblowing -- Jesse has to get past the odd angle and all his nerves, first, but it’s something.

“You couldn’t have worn something cuter?” Tulip asks, referring to Cassidy’s God-awful, also-stolen underwear. “We could put CGI over those.”

“Sorry,” Cassidy says sarcastically, “I didn’t realize I needed to be dressed to the nines to sit on Jesse’s dick.”

There’s a split second where Tulip tenses, worried that Cassidy might freak Jesse out, but he gives a bark of laughter instead.

“They’re fine, Cassidy,” he says, and squeezes him through them with more confidence.

Cassidy bites his lip to shut himself up, but it doesn’t stop the flush spreading over his face.

Jesse’s other hand slides up Tulip’s thigh, and he gives her a quick kiss.

"Don't worry about me," Tulip sighs, even as she presses her hips forward.

“Shut up,” Jesse says good-naturedly, as he slides his hand between her legs. His fingertip pull lace back so he can slip his hand into her panties.

She rocks down against his fingers with a grin, and keeps rocking her hips -- he presses up for her, not dipping into her but giving her more pressure, more to use.

His attention starts to wane from Cassidy and focus on her, and she smacks his arm lightly when she notices.

“Jesse,” she scolds, “focus on Cassidy.”

He feels guilty that he can't multitask and actively get them both off, but Tulip's still moving her hips and he can feel how wet she is. As in most things, Tulip can handle herself.

“Fine,” he sighs, sounding exaggeratedly put-upon. His wrist already aches from holding the same tense position for Tulip to grind down on, but he wouldn’t care if it broke his wrist.

He kisses Cassidy again, and slides his hand up to his waistband as well. “Can I?” he asks again.

“Yes.”

Cassidy sits up higher on his knees so he can pull his briefs low enough for Jesse to touch him properly. While he does that, Jesse uses that time to really focus on Tulip.

She’s always been a hair trigger, and at times like this, where Cassidy is waiting on him too, he’s especially glad for it. She’s almost at the edge when Cassidy’s finally got his underwear down properly, and he admires her with Jesse while she shakes. She’ll need more than this, she’s always needed to cum two or three times to feel truly satisfied, but they can work on her again later.

She’s breathing out curses and her hand has moved to push Jesse’s harder against her when Cassidy leans over to help; he kisses her neck and up her jaw, while one of his hands starts roaming over her chest again to help give her just that little bit extra.

Jesse uses both hands, one still rubbing between her legs and the other sliding over her thigh and ass to help her shove forward into his fingers.

Tulip peaks with a strangled moan and Cassidy kisses her through it, scraping teeth over and over like flint against her skin.

Her whole body shakes as she dismounts Jesse’s thigh.

She falls down to his side, still panting. Jesse’s hand follows, sliding between her legs again to feel her, cum-slick and hot as the sun, and knowing that just because she can’t hold herself up anymore, that doesn’t quite mean she’s done.

They both ignore their own wants in favor of watching her, as she squeezes her eyes and legs shut while Jesse keeps stroking her. The new angle is easier on his wrist and allows him to press and push her further than she needs. As sensitive as she is now, moving his fingers too much would only hurt her, so he stills them and just lets her rock into his touch for those last few ruts she needs while her hands grip at the blankets with white knuckles.

Jesse’s hand is still trapped against her, making the pressure even worse, her body squirming like she can’t stand it. She reaches down to force his hand harder against her, still trying to get him closer, harder, more.

After a few more seconds, her hips stutter up one last time, hard enough she arches up off the bed, and she cries out one more overstimulated ”Fuck” before she collapses again.

She spreads her legs enough to push Jesse’s hand out of her underwear. He smiles at her.

“Jesus,” Cassidy groans against his cheek. The twitch in his cock that must be painful answers Jesse’s question of whether Cassidy and Tulip have gone this far yet.

Jesse lovingly squeezes Tulip’s thigh, a promise to finish up with Cassidy so they can join her all fucked up and half passed out. They smear tacky against her skin, but the lazy grin on her face says she doesn’t mind.

He tries to wipe his hand off on the blanket, but Cassidy catches his wrist before he can. He brings Jesse’s fingers to his mouth and licks at them, sucking the taste of Tulip’s wetness off and putting on a show for Jesse, gazing up at him like he wants a lot more than fingers in his mouth.

“Oh, fuck off,” he mutters, a pang of want hitting him at the same moment Cassidy’s mouth closes over a knuckle. Cassidy laughs around his finger and lets go.

“Come on,” he begs, rutting his hips up to push his cock through Jesse’s fingers again. Jesse wraps his fingers around him again, tighter, turning his full attention to him now, and stroking him feels as natural as breathing now that he’s gotten more used to it.

Cassidy pants against his mouth between kisses, but as Jesse keeps going, gets a little rougher, hand sounding a little more lewd as it moves, Cassidy can’t even keep up with that. He buries his face in Jesse’s neck and bites. Not hard enough to draw blood, he’s thankfully got slightly more self-control than that, but enough that it stings. Jesse pulls him closer and thrusts up against him too, because God, he wants Cassidy just as bad as Cassidy wants him right now.

Cassidy’s trying to swear against his skin, but Jesse can only make out the vowels and teeth of it. He catches something that sounds an awful lot like ”God, fuck, don’t stop”, though, and it’s only moments after that that Cassidy goes tense and spills himself over Jesse’s fist.

He keeps fucking up into Jesse’s hand as he cums even as Jesse loosens his grip, unsure of how sensitive he’ll be.

His teeth detach from Jesse’s neck, and he hears a long, satisfied ”God” on his pulse.

Jesse’s hand is gross, cum and sweat clinging to his skin, and that he wipes on the blanket. He’ll have to leave a better tip for housekeeping. Oops.

“We were supposed to be getting you off, Jess,” Cassidy finally says, still trying to catch his breath against Jesse’s neck.

“Sorry,” he sighs, certainly not sorry. He slides his hand around Cassidy’s waist and holds him there, arm slung around him. It’s strange; Cassidy is almost as cold as he usually is. Vampirism will do that, he guesses.

He’s still the hardest he’s ever been in his life, and Tulip has regained enough functioning thought to notice.

“C’mon,” Tulip says to Cassidy.

She’s wobbly as she sits back up, still barely shaking while she arranges herself so she can lean most of her weight on Jesse. Her hand slides over his hip and over his thigh, barely scratching her short nails over his skin. He’s still wearing underwear, and she tugs at the band to start pulling them down.

Cassidy barely moves; he stays on Jesse’s thigh, but lets his weight slide so he’s kneeling at Jesse’s side with a leg thrown over his. His face is still pressed against Jesse’s neck, though now it’s smeared sweaty and lazy over to his shoulder as he’s gotten more comfortable and limp against him.

“Tell us what you want, Jess,” Tulip says.

“Anything,” Jesse blurts out. “Just want you,” he sighs. It’s a general ‘you’, and he makes sure Cassidy knows that by squeezing him with the arm wrapped around his waist.

He feels Cassidy smile against his skin. He tucks his thumb into his waistband too, and they carefully maneuver his ratty white briefs down his thighs.

“Nice,” Cassidy says out loud. Jesse’s been leaking since Cassidy sunk his teeth into him.

“Right?” Tulip says. “At least he’s good for something.”

Jesse tries to laugh, tell her to shut up, maybe, but he’s already too overwhelmed to do much more than huff and put his arms around them both.

Tulip’s fingers wrap around him first, at the base of his cock, and Cassidy’s wrap around him above hers, and it’s… Hot... But awkward.

“Maybe -- “

“No, yeah, let’s -- “

“Yeah.”

Tulip and Cassidy wordlessly come to a solution, and then Jesse feels them thread their fingers over him.

His long-time girlfriend and brand new boyfriend are holding hands around his dick.

“Oh my God,” he moans, half because it’s ridiculous and half because it’s the hottest singular thing that has ever happened to him.

“That feel okay?” Cassidy asks.

“Yes,” he answers.

Their hands move slowly, a surreal kind of pressure that’s nowhere near what Jesse would need if it wasn’t the most incredible feeling, and probably the most emotionally climactic sex he’s had since him and Tulip got together for the first time.

He doesn’t last long at all -- between both of their hands around him and both of them tugging his head back so they can kiss at his neck, he’s amazed that he lasts as long as he does. It’s their hands stuttering against each other that pushes him over the edge, both trying to move faster for him but not managing the right rhythm.

He groans one last time into Cassidy’s hair, arms tight around both of them. He forces himself to watch, as much as he wants to shut his eyes against the feeling of it all washing over him. He doesn’t dribble over their fingers as much as he’d expected, too worked up and tense for it to come any softer than a slow gunshot up against his stomach.

He lays back, dragging them both down with him, and he tries to take deep breaths so he’ll stop seeing stars.

Tulip removes her hand, but Cassidy’s stays for just another moment, just a couple more admiring, overstimulating strokes that squeeze a few more fat drops out of him. His dick looks as spent as he feels.

The room seems too still while he’s dizzy from it all, and he’s just starting to feel like he can think again when Cassidy breaks the silence.

“Who’s getting the cum rag?”

“Gross,” Jesse groans, because that’s the worst thing to call it, even if it’s the most accurate. “Also, Tulip.”

Tulip groans too. “Why am I getting the cum rag?”

“Because you’ve had the most time to recover from sex brain. And the… The sex legs,” Cassidy explains, either agreeing with Jesse’s unspoken logic or just not wanting to be the one that has to get up. Jesse nods regardless.

Tulip groans again, but rises on shaky legs to go get it. Jesse barely hears the water running over the sound of his blood rushing in his ears.

She tosses it at them, her part done, and collapses back against Jesse.

Cassidy, the gentleman, wipes Jesse’s stomach off for him. He even sits up and tries to wipe his own dry jizz from where Jesse had smeared it on the blanket, as much as he can, and then tosses the washcloth back toward the bathroom.

Jesse pulls him down to lay next to him too.

"That's gotta count," Cassidy says, tucking himself under Jesse's arm. "He was confident making him go to the store wasn't a trap."

"But he got something out of it too," Tulip reminds him. "He didn't get ripped off, he got jerked off."

Cassidy and Jesse both snort, Cass with a proud "Good one!" and Jesse with a slightly disgusted but decidedly not-bitter "Gross."

"So a con would have been making him get us off, and then we just, like, didn’t get him off?" Cassidy looks up at Jesse with a snort. “He tried to do that anyway.”

Tulip snorts too.

“Just… Jesse can fuck off,” she says, like they’re not talking over his chest. “If he hadn’t been trying to do that and we’d just left the room or something, that would have been a con. Or something.”

She nuzzles her face down against his chest to get herself comfortable.

“I can’t think straight, who cares?”

Jesse and Cassidy laugh then.

“Is that what the argument was about?” Jesse asks. “What counts as a con?”

“It wasn’t an argument,” Cassidy and Tulip mumble in sync.

Cassidy turns so he’s more on his back, leaning on Jesse’s arm like a pillow and bringing his hand to his own chest to thread their fingers together.

Jesse kisses his temple.

Somehow, all tangled up, they sleep through the night.

[evellyynn7]

That Night pt.2 of Meeting Mr. Wrong

            “It all started on a dark and cold night, November 7th to be exact.” I said very quietly almost regretting doing this. Dean was such a good listener, his eyes looked at me with such compassion as i told the whole story.

          “Lets do something crazy tonight guys!... unless some of you are gonna be little wusses” Steve was looking at us 3 girls, Nancy Wheeler, Barbra Holland... and me. He was of course mostly referring to Barb since she looked the most nerdy out of our bunch, he thought we would be at least a little bit easier to loosen up and i mean that in a dirty way too.

            Billy Hardgrove was there along with Tommy H and Carol. They of course were there to get lucky and wasted while my 3 friends and i were just trying to up our popularity status. “Hey here’s a clever idea, why don’t we play a little game to help these newbies ‘loosen up’ Billy said with a wink to me and his famous smirk. “That may be the only smart thing you’ve said all day Steve” joked. The others laughed and agreed while the rest of were nervous at first but warmed up to the idea while Barb was always against this ‘loosening up’ game.

           “Alright, fuck it, how do you play the damn game” i couldn’t believe i said that, i guess that was just all that naughty that’s been shunned away from my good girl act. “Oooo this pretty little girl has a naughty side?” Billy said this in a shocked but intrigued way. “C’mon Billy just tell us how to play the damn game” Nancy saw how i was learning to just go with it so she followed along. “ Okay book worm don’t get aggressive” Billy said this with less interest and more annoyance of Nancy. “Okay so newbies have to prove themselves to us by doing some dares that are given to you by yours truly” he winked and let out a puff while gesturing to his friends. Steve interrupted fast “So i’ll start with miss wheeler, i da...” Billy cut him off with anger in his eyes. “But my good friend forgot to mention the best part!, if you guys cant complete the dare then you have to strip one item each time” he seemed proud of his lustful command.

         After several halfly and fully covered dares, there laid 4 girls in either just a bra and panty or maybe they still had a sweater or jeans on. I was one of the girls in just a bra and panty but i never felt so alive and bad but i loved it not to mention i was far past drunk. I knew that barb felt uncomfortable the whole time and so did the whole group so they went easy on her and she just had to take off her coat. “Ok so this one is for Liv over there.” Billy said grabbing my hand while I lounged on the chair carelessly with my drunken and half covered gorgeous bod. His eyes lingered and he couldn’t hide his blushing and lustful eyes. This drove me crazy cause he was so handsome and sexy but i didn’t want to get to far, i just wasn’t ready for anything that big. I stood up very unsteady and barb saw that, she came over and told me that we should all go and that she would drive. “I think we all had enough fun why don’t we start heading home, you don’t look to well Liv.” “I’m fine i don’t need you to be a mom right now, why don’t you go you never fit in anyways, and don’t say that i don’t ‘look good’ for all i know your probably just jealous.” I knew right after i said it that i screwed up but it was too late. “ You know what, im done trying to be a good friend, i will go home and good luck trying to get home like that, maybe one of your new ‘friends’ can sober up before driving.” she left in tears running towards the woods. “Whoa whats up her ass!” Billy laughed and began kissing my neck but i just stood there in shock and a dazed confusion.

          Later that night Billy and i had made our way to Steve’s couch while tommy and carol took a spare bedroom and Steve led Nancy to his room. I had a feeling of what was going to happen but i was not in my right mind to fully stop it. He leaned in and starting kissing me slow then it suddenly turned harsh and passionate, i could feel his hands making there way up my thigh and i let out a small gasp. “Hey im not sure i wanna take this that far“ i mumbled against his lips but he ignored me and just kept going further up. I heard a faint scream and broke the kiss. “Did you hear that?” “Hear what doll, the only thing i wanna be hearing is you moaning my name.” he smirked then slowly went in again and then bit my bottom lip slowly. Little did i know that it was barb coming back to drive us home since she was actually a good friend who cared for us regardless and not just someone who was only trying to get in my pants. “ Billy i dont know about this” “Oh cmon your just shy but ill be gentle and then all youll feel will be pure bliss” he then lowered me on my back and made his way down by kissing me in every spot that sent chills to my body so i let go and just went with it.

          The next day Barb wasnt at school and nanc and i just thought that she was just mad at us but as a week went by we were beyond worried untill 2 days ago when we heard about her on the news, thats when our worried hearts turned into broken grieving hearts. The only good thing was that news report landed on a saturday and i could be a wreck the whole weekend and process things before heading back to school. Thats when things got crazy and people started suspecting her best friends and the sad truth was that i knew something others didnt, this slight piece of evidence could make everybody i care about turn on me.

                “And thats how it all went down Dean, I know i sound absolutely terrible but i want justice for barb.” He was looking at me with wide eyes and a dreamy gaze but i couldnt quite make out what he was thinking. “Wow olivia im shocked but so happy you told me, everything will get better from here on out” he gave me a reassuring smile and leaded me back to class and he happened to casually lay his hand on my waist and guide me, then whispered i think you sounded like a strong and beautiful girl for what you had to go through but im also gonna sound like a douche when i say this but im glad you didnt go after your friend cause it might have gotten you too and i wouldnt be able to meet the strong and beautiful girl standing right in front of me.” i blushed like crazy before walking into the class, once again all eyes were on me and Dean noticed so decided to do something about that. He walked in and said, “Every body should know that your classmate Olivia has helped this case tremendously and you all should give her a smile the next time you see her” “ i should be seeing you around miss hopper” he smiled and winked at you in a professional manner but you could tell it was far from that.

                  A week has past and your uncle hopper went away for a couple of days to solve this case with the winchester brothers, leaving you to watch El. Today she went to go hangout with her bunch while you stayed home and catched up on some vampire diaries. *knock knock* i was shocked to hear a knock on my door, maybe my uncle came back early i thought. I get up from my comfy spot and open the door to a pleasant surprise. “Dean!! how are you? we haven’t spoken in a while and i thought you were supposed to be with my uncle” i was confused yet happy since all my memories had been good with dean and i trusted him on something that meant so much to me. “ Well your uncle asked either me or my brother to check up on you and i happily agreed” he flashed his dazling smile and walked in. I sat on the couch and he sat next to me, for the past few hours we caught up and got to know each other on a whole other level, it was like weve always knew each other and time seemed to fly. I showed him my room and my personal things including some secrets. “ Ive always wanted to tell you this but i think your absolutely gorgeous.” he kept his beautiful blue eyes latched on me and leaned in for a kiss.I went in and soon enough we were naked on my bed over heated and satisfied. “You can spend the night” i said smiling at him with my fingers tracing his bare abs. “Im sure theyve got this covered for tonight” he smiled down at me and kissed my forhead, then we fell asleep in an instant.

              The next morning was amazing, waking up to a shirtless sexy Dean was priceless and epecially getting to watch his cute face sleep. He woke up with a smile and said “ Mornin gorgeous, how did you sleep, i know i slept well with you by my side” he pecked my lips “I could say the same” I got up to kiss him more passionalty and put some clothes on in the bathroom but as i was leaving i felt his eyes heavy on my naked body. I shut the door and got dressed but i stayed in the bathroom because i heard my uncle enter my room screaming his head off! Dean was shook and got up fast trying to defend himself while my uncle was saying “I cant belive you!! i practically told you to babysit her for a few hours and i come home to you naked in her bed doing who knows what! time to leave Mr.Wrong, youve helped enough. As i finished getting ready i walked out with shame all over my face and my uncle telling me to go for somebody my own age.

[ketchupfriesandfireguys]

First of all, I love your blog, bless this blog. Anyway, what kind of headcanons do you have for Grillby? One of mine's is that he can speak but it's very difficult to understand if you're not used to it (and Sans being one of those people that easily understands him--)

I love your blog too; your art is fantastic and I always try to put all your Sansby content I can onto this blog~

Firstly, I love your speech headcanon - I like that a lot, and it explains why he has translators in his restaurant, and why Sans seems to perfectly understand him without the need for his translator bird monster sitting at the bar!  It also makes his relationship with Sans real special, which I am ALL for!

I wrote out Grillby’s literal entire backstory here, but if you’re looking for just headcanons, skip to the last bit under the cut!

I’m going to separate this into sections because I love Grillby and spend too much time thinking about him, lol.  But here are all my headcanons!  Enjoy!

EARLY LIFE

Thanks to @sushinfood and his fantastic voice acting clips (which can be found here, at @sushistreams​, if you’re interested!), I share the headcanon that Grillby was not born, but summoned, in order to train up and fight in the war against humanity.  He did start out young, and he was at first extremely reluctant to fight in the war - he spent a lot of time training to fight, but was prone to tiring easily and becoming overwhelmed with the future responsibility to fight in an inevitable war.

In between intense training sessions, Grillby was taught by Gerson (the shopkeep in Waterfall) and King Asgore how to cook, as a method of diverting any fears he had into a constructive - as opposed to a destructive - manner.  And since then, he had always wanted to open a restaurant one day, after the war had passed, to keep up the morale of his comrades and friends, and to help his people (and himself) heal.  He also wore fake glasses at this time because he thought they made him look older and more mature.  (They didn’t.)

THE WAR

Grillby was deeply affected by his time as a soldier in the war.  Before the war, he was very talkative and could even be kind of goofy sometimes, similar to the way Papyrus jokes around in-game at times.  Smart jokes and passing comments that take a moment to digest before you have to turn away and snicker to yourself.  He was quite popular as well, being friends with a wide range of monsters - including but not limited to the king and queen, the royal scientist, and most of his fellow soldiers.

One monster in particular he was extremely close to was Sans’ mother, Arial, who was the previous leader of the Royal Guard.  Through a series of very unfortunate events, she perished in the war before Sans was born, and Gaster, Sans’ birth father, managed to save his newborn son.  (That’s a whole crazy story in itself that makes like -500% sense, but just roll with it for now.)

Losing Arial, the leader and front line general in the war, took its toll on the entire Royal Guard, and monsters were forced to retreat shortly after that, losing over half of their entire population - they retreated under the mountain and were sealed there, and the war concluded.

EARLY UNDERGROUND

Grillby, once underground, realized he could actually pursue his early dreams to open a restaurant - it took him a very long time to scrape up the money to do so, but he managed to get enough help to get a small, shabby bar set up in Snowdin.  (As for why he chose Snowdin of all places, he wanted to bring some warmth to such a cold part of the Underground.)  It was many years before it was actually running, let alone at all a popular hangout.

After this rough and straining transition, Grillby had a sharp shift in personality due to a severely negative morale of monsterkind as a whole, and was quite negative while not in his restaurant.  He dressed less formally, and while not on the clock, would smoke outside his restaurant.  (I like to think this was sort of a punk phase, and he may or may not have owned a motorcycle.  Might’ve styled his flames into a ponytail.  Definitely fought with the Canine Unit of the Royal Guard.)

MEETING SANS

Grillby met Sans during this not-punk-phase, during a smoke break.  He was not very keen on speaking with many other monsters (unless, of course, he was picking a fight, as noted above), and he mainly spoke in sign language after the war.  Sans, also knowing sign language, introduced himself, and quickly set up a tab at the restaurant, immediately getting on Grillby’s nerves.  Sans kept the tab open, even if just by 1G, in an attempt to rather smugly get to know Grillby a little more...intimately.

They started out as a sort of flirty “we’re not dating, what are you talking about” sort of couple.  Many of Grillby’s regulars took bets on whether or not they would ever actually date, and to absolutely no one’s surprise, Sans stood up on his stool after having probably one ketchup bottle too many and leaned over the counter and stole a smooch from the then-absolutely-flustered-bartender.

DATING SANS

They dated for a while during this time, even if the relationship was more physical than emotional at first.  As they began spending more time with each other, though, they learned more about one another - Grillby began to speak with Sans without signing, and Sans learned to listen a little harder.  Grillby grew to be a lot more formal as his restaurant grew much more successful over the years.

The two of them stayed in a steady relationship for a long time, until Sans suddenly stopped showing during the day, and only came at night, to either get handsy with him or to pass out miserably after getting absolutely wasted.  This, as one would expect, did not fly well with Grillby.

Grillby was the one who broke things off with Sans, but it was only after a lot of rather passive aggressive fighting that they actually did anything about their wreck of a relationship.  Sans didn’t take it very well, as he was dealing with resets at this time and was in a pretty deep depressive state, and Grillby was angry for a while - the kind of quiet angry that just sort of burns in your gut with a constant ache.

AFTERMATH

After the resets stopped, and monsters managed to get to the surface and stay there, Grillby was the very first monster to fully integrate with humans, because he (of course) had to open up a new restaurant.  Monster currency was worth a lot of human currency, and he could open up a nicer place than he ever could have dreamed of while in the Underground.  And, of course, Sans was one of his first customers there too.

They were tense at first, but there were eventual apologies, and they became extremely close after they were finally freaking honest with each other, who would’ve thought?  They began dating again after that, and they’re super dumb and flirty and punny with each other today!

MISCELLANEOUS HEADCANONS

Grillby lives not with Sans, but with Fuku - who is simultaneously like a younger sister and like a therapy dog to him.  Though, Grillby does stay over with Sans very often, and vice versa.

Grillby suffers from PTSD from his time serving in the war, and because of this, he is afraid of thunder and lightning.  Whenever it storms, Sans teleports over to his place and helps Grillby through it.

Grillby will do extremely un-Grillby-ish things, but only if he’s alone with Sans.  (Ex - screaming profanity after whacking his shin on something, telling the occasional Extremely Dirty/Inappropriate Joke, ugly laughing at something that really isn’t all that funny, etc.)

No one believes Sans when he says Grillby does these things.  Absolutely nobody.

Grillby is actually his last name!  His first name is Kindle.

He hates it.

Sans teases him about it all the time.

Grillby’s flames get brighter with stronger happy or angry emotions, and more dim with sad or upset emotions.

He used to cry a lot when he was younger, but he has sort of learned to repress emotions as he got older.  Sans hates this, despite doing this same exact thing himself.

Despite this, he does have big emotions sometimes!  Sans is usually not there to witness them, unless they come in the form of a panic attack.

Frisk calls him “Uncle Grillby” and won’t leave until he’s picked them up and given them a hug and held them on his hip for a minute or two.  Frisk has Grillby absolutely wrapped around their little finger.

On that same note, Grillby usually doesn’t particularly love children.  Frisk is a definite exception to that rule.

Grillby does need his glasses to see - it wasn’t from any particular incident or anything, though, he just needed them as he got older.

Grillby doesn’t have any teeth!

Despite being a chef, Grillby does not eat normal foods.  He tends to eat things that would kindle a fire!

He eats herbs during the holidays to make his restaurant smell like cinnamon or nutmeg.

If he is shirtless, you can see his soul through his body!

OKAY I’M DONE THANK YOU FOR READING

[bettybettycooper]

Black Coffee (Chapter Two)

This chapter is PG-13!! Also I promise I’ll update sooner next time, I’ve had exams :)

Click here to read chapter 1 if you haven’t done that yet.

The morning, as always, comes too soon.  Betty fights back the urge to hit snooze and gets up out of bed in one fluid motion, goes to the bathroom to brush her teeth, and grabs her already packed cheer bag on her way to the gym.

She gets to practice the same time as Cheryl.  They chat in the change room, mostly about cheerleading but also about Cheryl’s fucked up parents and a girl she met in her chemistry lecture.  (“I swear, Betty, that girl is gay.  You should have seen her hat.  It was BACKWARDS!  Oh and did you hear about Ronnie?  She met the HOTTEST GINGER EVER at the football party.  But I’ll let her tell you about that.”)  

By the time they’ve changed, the rest of the team has arrived, and the change room is full of tired voices and blurry eyes.

Cheer practice always wakes Betty up.  

When Cheryl finally says, “that’s a wrap girls, I’ll see you bright and early Wednesday morning!” Betty makes a beeline for Veronica.

“So, Ronnie,” she says, as they’re heading back to the change room, “heard you, ahh, met someone at the party.”

Veronica’s eyes light up and she grabs Betty enthusiastically by the shoulders.

“I met the hottest ginger on the face of this earth.  He’s on Varsity, and he’s like, an 11/10.  And he is a great kisser.  Seriously.”

“Oooh, do you have a picture?”

“Yeah, he’s been snapchatting me!  I’ll show you – or wait, do you want to grab coffee later this week?  We could invite Cheryl, too.”

“Yeah, absolutely.  I have some free time on Thursday?”

“You’re booking three days ahead now?”

Jughead wakes up while Betty is in her fourth class of the day.  He’s only missed one so far, and he really was planning on going to English, but… His bed is so warm, and the room is so quiet without Archie, and he really, really wants to watch Trainspotting again.  

So that’s what he does.  There’s a blonde girl in the movie, just for one fleeting moment, and she reminds him so much of his barista.  It’s completely coincidental, he tells himself, that this is the point where he realizes his morning erection is still pressing insistently into his thigh.

When the movie’s over, he reaches into his boxers, admitting defeat and letting the shame wash over him, and does not think of anyone or anything in particular while he gets himself off.  No, all he thinks about is sex, about how it would feel if a small wet mouth were wrapped around him instead of his too-familiar hand, about how he would hold back a handful of blonde hair so he could see her face better –

It’s at that point that he comes, feeling dirty and gross and immediately regretting letting himself entertain that image.  Nobody’s ever going to have sex with him, anyway.  It’s been 18 years.  It’ll be at least another 18 more.  Maybe he should just hire a prostitute and get it over with.

No, that’s not what he wants to do.  It’s not really the physical aspect he craves anyway.  It’s more just the connection – he’s never even had a best friend, let alone someone who feels so comfortable and safe around him that they invite him into their body.  God, what a thought.

He should probably go to class now.  He only has one left today, and it’s in 20 minutes, which gives him just enough time to clean up, get dressed, and put on a pot of coffee.  There’s a condom wrapper in the garbage can, and despite all of Archie’s faults and utter lack of a personality, he’s jealous that sex is such an easy thing for him.  Maybe if he’d played football in high school, that could be him now, too.

He sees her once, on Wednesday, when he makes his now-daily stop at The Littlest Bean.  She doesn’t take his order though, she’s stocking cups in the back (his stomach still jolts).

As he collects his coffee and gets ready to leave, they make eye contact.  She smiles (he melts) and then goes back to work.  This shouldn’t make his whole day, but it does.

Betty catches sight of him just as he’s leaving the store.  He’s wearing a grey beanie today, covering most of his mess of black hair.  He catches her looking, and she smiles, embarrassed.  She can’t help it that he’s so goddamn attractive.

In Photojournalism class on Thursday, Betty gets a text.  It’s from Veronica, and it says “meet us at the littlest bean xoxo.”  As if Betty would forget.  The location, though, she hadn’t been consulted about.  She spends more than enough time within the pink walls of The Littlest Bean every week, she doesn’t need to go their on her own time too.  But it sounds like they’re already there, and Betty knows how much Cheryl likes their macchiatos, and well, she does have a staff discount.  

They’re both poring over Veronica’s phone, presumably giggling over the mystery ginger, when Betty enters the shop.  She waves to her coworkers behind the counter and takes a seat at the sturdy white table next to Cheryl.

“Betty! Oh my God.  Look.  He’s basically Justin Timberlake, but ginger.  He’s Justin Gingerlake.”

“You think Justin Timberlake is hot?”

“Yeah?”  Veronica says, then thrusts her phone in Betty’s face.  

“Oh, I – oh wow,” she says.  This ginger boy is much hotter than Justin Timberlake.

“Right?” Cheryl says.  “You should’ve seen Ronnie at the party, she just grabbed that ginger bull by the horns and-”

“What’s his name, V?” Betty asks.

“Oh, his name is really dumb.  It’s Archie.”

“Archie?  As in, short for Archibald?”

“Unfortunately,” Veronica says.  “But his abs make up for it.  You should see them, they’re incredible.”

“Oh, I bet.”

“He’s going to be at the party this weekend too, he said he can’t wait to see me again.”

“Oh girl,” Cheryl says with a grin, “you are so in.”

“Which party?” Betty asks, and is met with shocked looks from Veronica and Cheryl.

“You don’t know about the party?”

“No, I mean, I probably won’t be able to go anyway –“

“You’re going,” Cheryl says.  “We’re going to drag you there if we have to.  You can’t have two weekends off in a row.”

“I didn’t have the weekend off!  I was at a Model UN conference!  I got assassinated, for God’s sake.”

“You need to get laid, Betty,” Veronica says.  “How long has it been?”

“What’s the party for, anyway?”

“How long, Betty?”

“I’ve been to enough football parties to know that none of the varsity players are interested in me. I’ll come, MAYBE, but I’m NOT looking to get laid.”

“It’s not an official football party.  Lots of other people will be there. HOW.  LONG.”

Betty takes a deep breath.  Veronica and Cheryl are laughing.

“There was the one guy, in frosh week…”

“That was two months ago!” Veronica’s mouth almost hits the table.

“You are coming to the party, and we are going to get you laid,” Cheryl says. 

 “In fact, if everything goes according to plan, all of us are going to get laid.”

Betty jumps in, desperate to change the subject.

“Ooh, Cheryl, anyone in particular?”

Cheryl blushes beside Betty, and tries in vain to suppress a grin.  “The girl from chem class.  I got her number, and her name, and I invited her to the party.  We’re gonna hookup.  Or date.  Either or.”

Betty gives her an enthusiastic high five.  Cheryl, a serial monogamist, has had trouble finding gay girls who want to commit to anything more than a casual fuck.  Most of them, Betty suspects, are just straight girls looking to experiment.  Ah, college.

“So will you come?” Veronica asks, leaning forward over the table towards Betty.  “It’s not really a question, but you should say yes anyway.”

“I’ll come, I’ll come.” Betty says  “But next weekend is for studying.”

“Deal,” Veronica says.  

“We can get ready in my room,” Cheryl says.

Ten minutes after the girls leave for class, Jughead, diverted once again from Coffee Planet by the sign on the door, walks through the spotless glass doors of The Littlest Bean and orders a coffee.  

He’s more disappointed that his barista isn’t behind the counter than he’s willing to admit.  The coffee, though, is as god as ever.  

He sits for a minute to check his phone before he walks home, in a comfy metal seat that’s still warm.  He will never know that just a couple minutes earlier, the girl he can’t stop thinking about was sitting, talking about sex, even, in the exact same spot.

Archie is taking pictures of himself shirtless when Jughead gets back to the room.

“New girl?” 

“Yeah, but this one I really actually like.”  He’s flexing in their half-length mirror, hair wet from the shower.

“What are the other girls then, sex toys?”

“It goes both ways, Jug.  It’s not taking advantage if you’re on the same page.”

Archie is right, and maybe Jughead’s just jealous, but he almost wants to rip into him for being such a player.

“True.  Another volleyball girl?”

“Nah, cheerleader.  I met her at the football party last weekend.”

“Cool, cool.”

“There’s another party this weekend, a bit more casual, wanna come?” Archie asks.  This isn’t the first time Archie’s invited Jughead to a party, but it still feels nice.  

“Yeah, actually.”  Jughead says.  “Thanks man.”

Archie really isn’t too bad, he’s just the lovable dumb sidekick in the depressing movie that is Jughead’s life.  He just needs to get rid of all his resentment and jealousy, and then maybe they can be best friends.  Or at least friends.  Friends would be nice.

Cheryl’s room is HUGE.  Her incredibly rich parents had wanted her to room with her twin brother, and upon realizing that coed roommates were Not An Option, bought out double rooms for both of them, for “sleepovers.”  

(Jason had stayed in Cheryl’s room only once, and he had passed out on the other bed while Cheryl wiped the vomit off his face and poured his vodka down the bathroom sink.)

It’s convenient, though, for parties.  Or even just getting ready for parties, like right now.

They do their makeup first.  Cheryl does hers light and natural, while Veronica does not.  Betty’s opening a pink eyeshadow palette when Veronica says “absolutely not,” and snatches it away.

“You’re going full smoky eye tonight.”

Betty rolls her eyes.  There’s no fighting her on this one.

Veronica makes quick work of Betty’s makeup, and Betty has to admit it actually looks pretty good.  She usually never wears eyeliner, mostly because she’s awful at applying it, but Veronica’s given her perfect black wings and a dramatic shimmering eyeshadow.

Hair is next (this is just a house party, no time for anything fancy), then Cheryl hands Betty a black crop top/mini skirt combo that probably costs more than Betty makes in a month.  

“I brought my own clothes, Cheryl.”

“Cool, I don’t care.”

“I’m going to wear these pants, and –“

“You are not wearing pants on my watch.  Girl, show off those beautiful legs.”

Again, there’s no point in fighting.

After a couple quick tequila shots, the girls are off towards the student housing district, buzzed and giggly and excited.  Betty’s not sure where the thought comes from, but she wonders if the hot “black coffee” guy will be there.  Probably not.  He seems way too cool for this kind of party.

He really, really did intend to go.  As Archie leaves for the party, freshly showered and smelling amazing, Jughead almost regrets his decision.  Almost. 

But he only has four beers left and he’s really tired and he probably won’t know anyone there other than Archie anyway.  He can go out with his film friends tomorrow, maybe get one of the older ones to buy him some more beer.  

It will probably be a lot more fun than some football party anyway.

So, comforted with this knowledge and full of exhaustion, Jughead spends a couple minutes doing homework after Archie leaves, then crawls in to bed, knowing he’ll be woken up in a couple hours when Archie comes home.

By tomorrow morning, he’ll know exactly what he missed, and his feelings about skipping the party will be drastically different.

[potionruneroarsfelton]

Rhink Fanfiction

This is the first writing that I’m posting. Based on a prompt.

12-01-17 Closed eyes enveloped him in a crimson void. It was early February, the remnants of the winter chill surrendering to the oncoming season and vanishing slowly. But the mountaintop was covered in snow and the temperature in the cabin was less than comfortable. He could hear the ambiguous sounds of nature, pushed to the background by his overworked brain. Located deep within the forest, their cabin gave the illusion of living in the middle of nowhere, which was precisely what he had asked for. This project had a lot riding on it. He had assumed it would bloom productivity. Productivity. He gave an internal scoff. 2 days in the cabin had yielded nothing. Not a single arc in the story line, not a single supporting character, not even part of a song. Absolute squat. His creativity seemed to have hit a wall while his “partner” was constantly distracted by his disrupted routines and irregularities in the workplace. I was at least trying. All Link has done is arrange, rearrange, complain, rest, yell and complain some more.  He was lying on his bed, dressed in nothing but his underwear, ignoring the goose bumps rising on his skin whenever a breeze blew too close, too cold. It was one of those days. There was nothing playful about the arguments they had been having, no hint of humour when insults were thrown. It was one of those days when the frustration wasn’t on his skin; it was deep within his bones. Anger and dissatisfaction weren’t pricking at his nerves, they had lit a fire in his gut, making his vision bright red. How many times do I have to go through this shit? In the 39 years that he had put up with life, he had felt like this a few times. When he and link were on the verge of breaking bones, when his family had almost become broke, when Jessie had considered breaking up, his mind had painted itself red. It had gotten worse every time and always left him with a nagging knowledge that someday, it might be unbearable. In his younger days, he had tried different ways to cope. The alcohol buzz was a downer and would pull his spirits even lower, not to mention the hangover. He couldn’t talk to link- he had already spat a lot of venom he would regret later. By isolating himself in the mountains, he had effectively cut off anyone else who could have helped. He recalled his college strategies- hooking up, getting violent, all that weed- which had made his life, and the throbbing in his head, a lot worse. Why am I still here? He opened his eyes, hoping to escape the scarlet haze of slowly boiling bitterness. He stared at the wooden beams on the ceiling, lying motionless under the weight of all his responsibilities. He felt paralysed under the people relying on him. He felt helpless against the barrage of thoughts flooding every crevice of his mind. He felt like he had perfect recall- he could almost hear the stinging, spiteful words from every fight he’d had with Link over the past 33 years. When he tried to shift his focus, he could see the cake splattered on the floor, shattered glasses of wine. He could feel the heat on his face from having screamed unthinkable things at Jessie, who looked at him with tear stained cheeks as she ripped her dress, if only to release some of her anger. That dress was red. Her lips were red. His eyes were red later that night, knowing that neither his wife nor he was going to forgive him for ruining her 30th birthday. Do I even know what I’m doing? What I’m living for? Was this all a mistake? The love of his life was taking care of his family for him while he voluntarily dragged himself away. A friendship that began with innocence, grew with care, toughened with brutal honesty was beginning to feel manufactured. The rawness with which he used to interact with Link had now become a carefully fashioned, partly scripted entertainment program. All of this to pander to an audience who were more interested in unearthing their insecurities and commenting on their looks than the content they created. The content he poured his heart into. The content that birthed most of the fights, awkwardness and accusations. The content that might cost him his best friend. Everything is nasty. He was becoming acutely aware of his body. It startled him how much he was repulsed by it. He is not an exhibitionist. The thought of millions of people staring at their screen, eyes unblinking, following his muscles when he was shirtless on the internet, made him feel nasty. A random comment echoed in his brain. “You aren’t entertainers. You target depressed teens with painted smiles and fake intimacy. You’re pimping yourself out to pander to lusty girls who are half your age. You may not be traditional sell outs but you’re a lot more dangerous”. Nasty.

Rhett closed his eyes. The troubles of the day had taken a deeper turn, becoming a darker, burgundy hue. Or maybe it was maroon. He always had trouble with those two shades.

The bedroom windows rattled as the wind picked up. He could hear the howling, from outside and within. He noticed the long shadows, barely discernible in the descending darkness. This negativity was flowing through his bloodstream, poisoning him as he just laid there, a passive onlooker. The passion in him to do something about this, to change what ate away at him had fizzled out. Just as he was about to succumb to the darkness and maybe catch some troubled sleep, the door creaked open. He didn’t bother to look- he could sense the scene unfolding in front of him with his eyes shut tight. He knew the man walking in. He had unwittingly memorized Link’s features because they had dominated his thoughts all his life. He had unabashedly grasped Link’s soul through his countless observations and all their conversations. He had irrevocably trusted Link, sometimes on instinct alone. He knew the man; he didn’t need to look. Is he gonna talk? Maybe the turmoil was dying down- he heard every soft footfall echo on the wooden floor with impressive clarity. Thud thud thud… In rhythm with his heartbeat. But he wasn’t in the mood to acknowledge it. Link walked right up to the bed and for a moment, everything was quiet. His thoughts vanished as his whole being tensed, waiting for the next blow to fall. “Turn over”. What? Annoyance flared in him. Why was he being ordered, and a peculiar one at that? When was this man-child going to learn to communicate, to behave the way that Rhett would prefer? He had half a mind to ignore him completely, but he didn’t have the grit to have another fight today. Wordlessly, he flipped onto his stomach, heartbeat slightly erratic, thoughts a relentless blur. I feel exposed. The first touch was a mild surprise. Soft, wide palms pressed into his shoulder. They moved an inch or so apart and pressed again. And again. He was self conscious about the knots, the tightened muscles and the very obvious stress in his upper body that was giving away his exact state of mind. The hands were warm, confident and familiar as they moved downwards, working on his upper back. The heels of Link’s palm dug into the spots which were predominantly affected by his frequent back pains, which Link had witnessed firsthand since they had begun. The balls of his thumb traced soothing patterns on his flesh. I don’t need you to take care of me. A part of his mind remained indignant, though his body was quickly surrendering to the serenity of the massage. It felt like his hands were physically removing the negativity from within him. It felt like Link was casting a spell to repair the wear and tear of simply existing. Most of all, it felt like love. This man had had a long day, maybe longer than Rhett’s. Yet here he was, battling through his exhaustion, knees on either side of Rhett’s waist, trying to make Rhett feel better. It was Link’s way of saying “I love you”, and “I’m sorry”. He turned around, abruptly stopping the massage, overcome with the urge to see Link’s face. Sad blue eyes were filled to the brim with everything he was feeling, easily understood by Rhett. He could see the same weight, frustration, anxiety and guilt that had plagued him just a few minutes before. Something he had said before flitted by, “things in our lives that are not just parallel but we experience them together”. Emotions surged through him as he realized exactly what that meant. What it means to have someone who not only understands but also lives through everything he feels. What it really means to not be alone. But in those naked, vulnerable eyes, he saw something far more disturbing. He saw fear. I wish I could take care of you. There was a lump in his throat. Suddenly, none of his doubts mattered. His past mistakes, their changing dynamic, constraints and disappointments and confusion just didn’t matter, because he knew why he was doing it. He had known when he had first decided to write a comic with Link in grade school. He had known when they had taken the blood oath. He had known when he had decided to quit his decent paying job to attempt a career in an industry that couldn’t even support itself at the time. He had known when they had put their earnings into this new project. He was following his heart and Link was the best man to do it with. Nothing else mattered. He looked calmly at the face that looked so troubled, the face of the man who always knew how to give Rhett a breath of air when he was threatening to drown in his personal red sea. His expression was gentle and his voice sweet when he said with full conviction, “We’ll be okay, bo”. And maybe he knew how to save Link too because he could have sworn, his eyes got a little bluer. We will be okay. I won’t have it any other way. Link plopped down on his stomach beside him, head turned to look at his face. “I know”, he said, in a tired but steady voice, and Rhett knew he meant it. He looked back, nothing but kindness on his face. His brain was moving on to Buddy System, making a mental note to start working on the script when he said, “I think I might be maroon-burgundy colour blind.” All he got in return was an exasperated smile and a “Goodnight Rhett.”