#also she dates the worst people and parties/drinks too much to get the love her mom didnt give her and to finally feel fucking worthy

[mebeindelulu]

He calls you clingy - Im Changkyun

bf! Changkyun x fem! reader . a little bit of angst, fluff .

After a whole day spent at the university, finally you could meet your boyfriend Changkyun. So you picked up the take out and rushed to the studio where he was working on his new album.

When you arrived, the door was slightly opened so you quickly noticed that two people were talking inside.

"Uh... I can't go with you bro. Yn will be here in a minute. We spent littleraly the whole day yesterday but she can't live without me." You heard him ironically laughing, "I love her but Jesus... She is so clingy sometimes that it is annoying".

You were so so confused. You've never heard something like that from Changkyun. Yesterday you both had really a good time from coffee date, cooking dinner together to watching your favourite movies and walking around the Han river at night. And the whole idea about spending almost the whole day together was his idea, so hearing that you are "clingy" and that he has enough of you really got the worst insecurities out of you. Tears started to form in your eyes as you turned around and stormed out of the building.

In the bus you texted Changkyun that something in the university came up and you have to stay longer so you won't come to the studio today. When you arrived at your tini apartment you decided to drink the sadness away with wine.

To give Changkyun more space that he "needed", you thought that it will be a good idea to not text with him too much and to not meet with him as well this week. And the word part was that it looked like he is totally fine with that.

After one day that you declined his phone call saying that you have classes, he didn't call you anymore. And after two days instead of replaying to his "Good morning baby, how are you?" as you usually did sending him selfie or describing your day by the voice message, you only replayed "good, I'm just bussy" and he stopped to text you first. So you both were barely texting at all.

After a week of going to university and spending all your free time sitting alone in the apartment, your best friend could tell that there is something that is bothering you, so she told you to get ready because you are going to a party Friday night.

At the party you drink a few drinks and had fun dancing with your friends. You need that kind of distraction from overthinking your relationship and crying every night because your biggest fears came true: he got bored of you. At least that was what you thought.

One of your friends took photo of your group on the dance floor and posted on Instagram with caption "the single ladies", which could get interpreted wrong. Most of the girls in your group were not single. But the song that was played at the time when you were dancing was Beyonce's "Single Ladies" and that's why she added that caption. It had nothing to do with if you are taken or not.

When you were at the party, Changkyun was working at the studio, just like for the last couple weeks, working on his album. And he even wouldn't know that you are at the club if not his friend sent him a screenshot of your friend's "Single Ladies" post.

He suddenly got jealous and betrayed. You said that you will study all night and that's why you can't meet with him, when he asked if you want to spend the evening with him. It hurt him that you avoided him last week, but also he tried to understand you since you were studying so hard for the exams that are coming next week.

He couldn't understand why you didn't even texted him anymore like you used to. A single selfie and "good morning jiagi" would be enough for him. But there was only silence for the past week. And when he texted first you gave him only short replies.

But also deep down he knew that sometimes you need some time alone to isolate yourself from others and be alone with your own thoughts. And he thought that after isolating yourself from people you will come back to normal life and spend a lot of time with him.

But after seeing that you are at the club instead of being with him, he thought that something must be wrong. So he decided that it's enough. Changkyun put on his coat, took his car keys and rushed to the club that you were in (thankfully your friend added a location to her post).

You was standing by the bar with a drink in your hand when some tall guy joined you.

"Hi, what are you doing here?... Alone?"

You could tell that he is handsome, but weren't interested. Your friends were dancing on the dance floor but you were not in the mood to join them do you stayed here, drinking. But you didn't wanted to give such a classy answer so you decided to be a little bit cocky since you had nothing to do.

"And why are you asking, hmm?" He laughed at your question and tried to lean closer to you. But you took a step back. It was too much for you.

"Because a beautiful women like you shouldnt be alone in a place like that." He said putting his hand on your hips, which you immediately shaked off.

And at this moment someone pushed the man away. It was Changkyun. "Don't come close to her, she's mine. Understand?" You could see his jaw clenching.

"Okay, okay. Got it. Chill man." The guy said laughing and walking away.

You were happy that he was here but at the same time you were confused how he knew where you've been.

"Changkyun? What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question!!!" He yelled at you. "What was that? Who was this guy?" He was really mad. And you didn't like that he yelled at you like that... especially when you didn't do anything wrong.

He was angry seeing some guy that close to you, especially that lately you distanced yourself from him.

You suddenly become anxious, tears forming in your eyes, you lowered your head down. When Changkyun saw that you become tense, he shook his head and sadness took over his anger. He hated seeing you crying. And he knew that you really badly endure if someone is yelling at you.

"It's okay, I'm sorry. I didn't wanted to yell at you. I'm sorry." His voice soften as he took a step forward and took your hands in his. You relaxed by his touch.

"Let's go home, Okay?" You nodded your head to his question.

"But first I have to tell girls that I'm leaving" and as you said you quickly swiped of tears and went to the dance floor where girls were dancing and said that you are leaving with your boyfriend. Of course they wanted you to stay and tried to hold you but Changkyun intervened and they let you go.

You were driving in silence for the most of the ride. And it wasn't a comfortable silence. You both could feel the tension.

"Sooo you still didn't answer my question. What you were doing at the party? I thought that you were studying tonight." He asked looking at the road and avoiding an eye contact. You felt so terrible. You didn't want to lie to your boyfriend but you still was sad that he thought that you are clingy. And studying was an excuse to not to spend time with him and give him space. But right now you started to have doubts about it.

"I was but Mia decided that they can't leave me alone so I had to go with them." You answered mirroring Kyuns behaviour, looking ahead on the road.

"Oh, so you have time to go out to drink but you don't have time to give me at least one call, huh?" You could feel that he was hurt. But so you were too.

"I thought that I'm a burden to you so I decided to give you space..." You put your head low and started to play with your fingers.

At that time you arrived at your apartment parking.

"What? I've never said anything like that. Where did you get this from?" Finally he turned to look at you.

"But you did say something like that. About a week ago, when I came to the studio the door to your room was open and I've heard you complaining about me to Soobin. You said that you have enough of spending a lot of time with me and that I'm clingy. So I decided not to come in and instead I went home." Holding his both hands on the wheel he listened to you carefully as you quietly explained your point of view.

"I don't even know what to say right now YN." he looked at you with mixed emotions. You couldn't say if he is angry, sad or just disappointed. "Then don't say anything" that proved that he didn't care about you so you wanted to get out of the car as quick as possible but his hand on your shoulder stopped you.

"Don't. Please. I'm sorry, listen..." When you looked at him with teary eyes he thought that his heart stopped. It really hurt you what he said a week ago. Changkyun took your hand and hold in his both hands.

"Yn, baby. I didn't want to say that. I didn't mean that, really." He hold your chin and put it up so you were looking at him. "I love you and I love spending time with you, please believe me." A tear went down your face and he swiped it with his thumb.

"I just had a hard day. We are finishing my album and everything is just stressing me out. I know that it is not an excuse but I seriously had no idea why I said that, I'm sorry."

"Can I hug you?" You asked shyly and Kyun immediately hugged you caressing slowly his hand on your back and the other hand patting gently your head.

"If I ever say something like that again just punch me in the face" He said, which make you laugh.

"Do you want me to stay with you for the night?" He asked While still hugging you. You pulled out from his embrace. "Yes, if you can..."

"Of course I can baby" he said kissing your lips.

And that's how you both spent the night drinking wine and talking about this whole week. He said sorry to you a couple more times and promised that you are his favourite person and he will never have enough of you.

End.

[humanpurposes]

My Heart Belongs to Daddy, part iv, modern!Aemond

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist // For fear that you'll find out, how I'm imagining you

modern!Aemond x step-daughter

Warnings: 18+, smut, cursed dinner party, toxic family dynamics, Targaryen men being the worst

Words: 5700

A/n: Also available to read on AO3. And I made a Series Playlist :)

Over the last two months, finishing her thesis, taking exams, sending off masters applications and keeping track of a boyfriend has left little room in her mind for Aemond Targaryen.

For the last month or so she’s hardly even seen him. On the weekdays she gets up early and spends all day in the library. On the weekends she goes to Cregan’s place in central. He goes to the gym with Jace on Saturday morning and on Sundays he usually has a rugby match. Between that they watch movies in his room, go for drinks with his friends and sometimes she drags him around her favourite museums. 

The sex is good. For a bulky guy with a nose piercing and sleeve tattoos of wolves and weirwood trees, Cregan is surprisingly gentle. He makes her cum on his tongue, then he leans over to fuck her with his hands pressed into the mattress, looking between her eyes and the space where their bodies meet. He doesn’t say much, a few strained “oh Gods” and a grunted “fuck” when he comes. When they’re done he falls into the bed beside her, throwing an arm around her while he rambles about whatever happens to be on his mind, exams, internships, summer plans…

She’s happy to rest her head against him, listening to the humming of his chest as he speaks, letting it lull her as she slips into her own mind. Sometimes she still feels a little empty when it’s over and doesn’t have the energy to go for another round. She puts it down to stress. Or hormones. Or something. 

Now, being on the other side of everything she realises time is passing too quickly for her liking. 

Joan Jett blasts through the car speakers while Alys and Cregan go on about the season finale of some drama series she’s not kept up with.

Alys loves Cregan. Everyone loves Cregan because he’s a people person. He speaks to everyone he meets like they’re already lifelong friends and he has a remarkable talent for finding common interests. If she were cynical she would say he’s palatable.

The weather has been perfect so far, bright and sunny but with enough of a breeze that the heat isn’t unbearable. Ideal for the graduation ceremony.

She looks through the recent photos in her phone. She took a few nice ones of the Sept, the nave lined with columns and towering statues of the Seven watching over the cohort of students in red and black robes. She keeps swiping through photos of her and some of her classmates on the front steps tossing their hats in the air, a few of her and Joanna, one of her and Cregan, and one of her and Alys. 

Sometimes she thinks she looks nothing like her mother, but when they smile they look strikingly similar.

Everything had paid off in the end, the study dates with Joanna, the all-nighters, the last minute breakdowns crying over the kitchen counter with Alys. But she’s proud that she did it all on her own. Especially given how helpful Aemond had been last year. Just thinking about it makes her heart sink.

He’d been living with them for a few months by then. They were comfortable with each other, existing in the same spaces, eating dinner and watching movies together when Alys was out or working late. 

Sometimes he’d put his arm around the back of the sofa, letting her lean into him while they watched 90s thrillers, leaning into her every so often to make a joke or a profound observation. They could analyse movies forever, staying up late until their eyes were tired, leaning in closer and closer and never really realising it.

And then when exams came around, the stress just got to her. “It’s half the suffering,” Alys insisted, “you’re not doing yourself any favours, so don’t do it.” Easier said than done. 

There was one particular module on Conflicts in the Modern Era that was chipping away at her sanity. It was her last exam of the year and every time she went over her notes she just felt hopeless.

Aemond offered to help her study. He had loads of notes and old assignments on his laptop from his undergrad and his masters. They spent hours in the dining room, going over readings and practice questions.

He would sit next to her, leaning over every so often to read through what she was working on. Every hand on her shoulder, every reassuring “hmm,” or utterance of “good girl,” when she got something right sent shivers down her spine.

She knew it was wrong, but she didn’t exactly want it to stop.

The exam ended up going a lot better than she anticipated. She opened the paper and instantly saw that, by some miracle, there were a few questions similar to the ones she had done with Aemond.

She came home ecstatic. Alys was at work but Aemond was home, loitering in the kitchen. She practically leapt into his arms when she saw him, telling him every detail she could think of with a huge smile on her face.

Aemond’s hands settled on her waist. He leaned into her until all she could see were his bright, blue eyes. “I’m so proud of you baby,” he said in a voice that made her breathless.

He leaned in further until his lips were on hers, soft and warm, kissing her tentatively. She thought it might be over quickly, until she reached up, teasing her fingertips over the nape of his neck while his grip on her waist tightened, pulling her closer, kissing her deeper.

When they pulled away, both a little breathless, he rested his forehead against her and smiled. She smiled back.

But she snaps out of that trance when she realises they’re pulling into the driveway.

She looks across at Alys for a moment, laughing at something Cregan just said.

Her chest feels like it might crush under the weight of it all, but time presses on and things seem to be moving forward for the better. She’s happy with Cregan. Who wouldn’t be? He’s funny, smart, maybe a little over confident at times but she can forgive that. And she’s got the whole summer before she starts her masters. With Cregan in the picture she figured she might as well stay at KLU. He’s been trying to convince her to move in the flat with him. There’s no reason not to, it’s close to campus, his flatmates are nice and they seem to keep the place clean. She keeps saying she’ll think about it.

He reaches for her hand as Alys leads them through the front door.

The house looks immaculate and it fills her with dread. 

Alys has decided to use her graduation as an opportunity to host a family dinner. Maybe she’s intending it to be a grand offering of peace, maybe she just wants to show off, or maybe she’s just lost her mind because putting two halves of a warring family in the same room seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Not to mention she’ll have to introduce everyone to Cregan. 

The dreamy rhythm of a Mazzy Star song drifts from the kitchen. Aemond is leaning over the counter, in a black shirt with his sleeves rolled up, prepping a rack of lamb. She tries not to look at his hands as he takes pinches of salt, pepper and spices between his fingers.

Alys heads straight for the vodka, offering a round of martinis before the dreaded guests arrive.

She and Cregan both decline politely, and when Alys turns to Aemond he purses his lips. “I don’t drink vodka martinis.”

Alys rolls her eyes. “Thinks he’s so sophisticated,” she says to Cregan. 

Cregan chuckles and plants a light kiss to her cheek, muttering about taking a shower and disappears down the hall.

Her eyes meet Aemond’s for a moment. He smiles sincerely. He’s playing one of her favourite songs.

She tells her mother she’s going to get dressed, and feels Aemond’s eyes following her as she heads upstairs.

When she gets to her room she puts her graduation robes on a hanger and lies on the bed in the black slip dress she wore underneath. Something’s pressing awkwardly into her back, Cregan’s jeans and t-shirt. She tosses them across the room and falls back against the mattress, staring at the ceiling and listening to the hum of the shower.

Is it unfair to hate someone for listening to a song? Did he remember it was her favourite or was it a lucky guess? Maybe he was trying to tease her, or else it could have just been a coincidence, but that doesn’t seem like him. Aemond rarely does anything accidentally.

Cregan saunters in with a towel around his hips. He looks down at his clothes on the floor in front of the door. “Not where I left them,” he mutters.

She pretends not to hear him.

He gets dressed quickly, all he has to do is put on his jeans and clean white shirt. 

“How many people are coming tonight?” He asks, spraying some perfume on his pulse points.

She keeps her eyes on the ceiling. “Viserys, Alicent, Rhaenyra, Daemon, Jace, Baela, Aegon and Helaena.” Luke and Rhaena were going to stay home with Joffrey, and Daeron would still be in Sunspear until the end of the month. Just as well, there would already be too many people to keep track of.

“I hear some of the family stuff from Jace,” Cregan says, “sounds like a mess.”

She hums to herself. “Oh, you have no idea.”

She takes her hair out of its low bun and fixes it into a more casual look, leaving it mostly loose but out of her face. Her makeup has managed to survive the day pretty well. She touches up her blush and wipes away her lipstick, applying a sweet tasting cherry lipbalm instead.

When they reappear in the kitchen Alys is nowhere to be found but Aegon and Helaena have already arrived. 

Aegon and Cregan pair up nicely, swigging bottles of beer while Aemond pours out three gin and tonics.

She compliments Helaena’s patterned skirt and red boots. In return she admires her dress. “You two are matching,” she says, as Aemond hands them both their drinks.

He raises his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth are tight. “Happy coincidence.”

“Black’s not exactly a fashion statement,” she adds, taking a sip. 

Aemond hums in agreement.

She takes a breath to relieve the tension in her shoulders. “How are you doing?” She asks Helaena, “didn’t get much of a chance to talk to you at the wedding.”

Helaena’s doing a PhD in Etymology at Highgarden, between that and her various art projects she seems happy, but something’s off. She’s never exactly been outgoing but she seems particularly timid, wide eyes darting constantly to Aemond and Aegon. She’s nervous, but in all fairness they all are. Or they should be.

While Helaena goes on about species of butterflies, she finds her attention almost completely on Aemond, his hand gripping his glass in the corner of her eye, the sound of his breath, those well timed hums and the smell of his aftershave. She takes another sip of her drink to steady her nerves, hoping neither of them notice her hand trembling as she brings the glass to her lips. 

Eventually Alys waltzes in with Rhaenyra, Daemon, Baela and Jace following behind her. That seems like a good opportunity to escape. She goes to hug Jace and Baela, and follows them when they go to stand with Aegon and Cregan. 

The tension is palpable, Alys having a stiff conversation with Rhaenyra, Daemon lurking at the edge of the room with a glass of whisky, and Jace stealing glances over her shoulder, at Aemond and Helaena.

She catches whispers of their conversation but nothing tangible. 

“What’s your problem?” Baela hisses to Jace. 

He tuts. “He’s staring daggers at me, fuck’s sake.”

Aegon’s lips thin. He excuses himself curtly and joins his siblings by the glass doors to the garden. 

Their little group falls to an uneasy silence. 

“Well done, dickhead,” Baela says, rolling her eyes.

Cregan gives her a confused look. She puts her hand on his shoulder and comes onto her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “I’ll show you the powerpoint presentation later.”

Somehow the mood only gets colder when Viserys and Alicent walk through the door. It’s almost pitiful, watching Rhaenyra and Daemon trying to win his attention while Alicent keeps her hand on her husband’s shoulder, muttering into his ear whenever she can.

Not speaking to Aemond has meant she’s mostly been out of the loop, but she can guess they’ve not moved past the dispute over Viserys’ will.

Helaena and Aegon both go to greet their parents. It’s cordial at best, light hugs and pecks on the cheek, and Viserys shakes Aegon’s hand like this is the first time they’ve met. Aemond doesn’t go near them.

The lack of warmth is only more noticeable when Viserys greets Jace and Baela with open arms and a pleasant smile. He hugs her too, congratulating her— after all that is why they’re here— and shakes Cregan’s hand firmly.

She catches Aegon’s eye over his father’s shoulder. He frowns, almost comically and goes to find another bottle of beer.

Before long Alys ushers them all into the dining room.

Alys and Viserys sit at the two heads of the table and the others fill in around them. When they see Alicent has taken the seat to Viserys’ right, Rhaenyra and Daemon move to the other end of the table. Helaena sits next to her dad and they both smile vaguely. Aemond, rather diplomatically, takes a central seat between Aegon and Rhaenyra. 

In an attempt to avoid sitting across from either of his uncles, Jace settles next to Alys, and once Cregan sits next to him, the only free seat is directly opposite Aemond. She sits down without a fuss.

Once everyone is a bit more settled, Aemond and Alys go back to the kitchen to bring in small plates of salad and seared tuna.

It starts off with smalltalk. Cregan and Jace are muttering to each other on her left, while Baela and Helaena have a friendly catch up to her right, leaving her to prod at her starter, waiting for an appetite to appear.

She doesn’t dare to look up past the space in front of her plate, or the pair of eyes she can feel burning into her.

Once they’re finished, the plates are whisked away and Aemond presents them with lamb chops, fondant potatoes and summer greens, while Alys pours out glasses of red wine. 

Viserys’ knife scratches against his plate as he carves into the meat. “Really excellent lamb, Alys.”

“Aemond did the food,” she says.

He pauses, looks down at his plate and carries on eating.

She hears Jace whispering something into Cregan’s ear and they both grunt in amusement.

“Something funny?” Aegon asks sharply, reaching for his glass.

She finally looks across the table. Aegon’s face is a dangerous mix of anger and anticipation.

“Just admiring Aemond’s culinary skills,” Jace muses, spearing a cut of lamb on his fork, “didn’t realise he’d gone domestic.”

“Jacaerys,” Rhaenyra hisses.

Aegon huffs but keeps his mouth shut with a stern look from Aemond.

Viserys’ attention suddenly latches onto his grandson. The rest of the table falls quiet while he asks Jace about his exam results. 65 average. Just a few marks off a first.

Aegon nudges his brother but Aemond doesn’t react. 

Their father seems to notice. “Jacaerys is shadowing me for the summer,” he says pointedly. 

Aegon finishes off his glass and immediately refills it.

“Not coming to Dragonstone, then?” Helaena pipes up in a brighter tone, leaning to look at Jace.

The ancestral home of the Targaryen family, a beautiful estate along the coast outside the city. It’s more of a castle than a house really, passed down the generations over centuries. They use it as a holiday home now.

She went with the Strongs one summer. Ten weeks of beach trips, reading by the pool and fresh seafood for dinner every evening. It was the first time she really remembers meeting the Targaryen siblings. Aemond seemed so quiet then, always with his nose in a book. It feels like a lifetime ago now. 

Cregan’s voice in her ear takes her by surprise. “You alright?” He asks, stroking his hand along the silky black fabric on her thigh. “You looked a bit lost there for a moment.”

She can see Aemond looking at her in the corner of her eye. “I’m fine,” she says, pushing Cregan’s hand away.

“We’re just a little busy at the moment,” Rhaenyra says, “work is… hectic.”

Alicent visibly bristles. 

“Might make it down for a few weeks, if the boss lets me off,” Jace says.

“I’m excited to have you,” Viserys says, “good to get him used to the order of things nice and early.”

“Yeah, amazing what you can do when you have everything handed to you on a silver fucking platter,” Aegon says, casually taking a long draw from his glass.

Alicent and Rhaenyra look horrified. Daemon and Viserys are both clenching their fists. 

“He says as if Otto Hightower didn’t have to buy him a place at KLU,” Jace retorts.

Aegon shrugs. “So what if he did? Got the degree, didn’t I?”

“And what have you done with it?” Viserys says in a scathing voice, “bought a flat with my money. Drank and screwed your way through life with no concern for your career or your family.”

Aegon tuts. “The fuck does that mean, family?”

“Leave it,” Aemond mutters and the table settles into an uncomfortable quiet.

“At least Jace has some direction,” Viserys says, breaking the silence. For a moment his eyes dart to his wife.

Alicent’s brown eyes are wide and glassy. “And my children don’t?”

She watches Aemond’s lips flicker into a sneer before he composes himself and goes back to staring vacantly at his untouched glass.

“That’s not what I meant, love–”

Daemon chuckles quietly. “And yet…”

Alicent slams her knife against the table with a jarring clatter. “Maybe they would have amounted to something more if you had shown even the slightest bit of interest in your own children!”

A chair scrapes against the floor and Helaena’s silver hair billows behind her as she leaves the dining room.

Baela grabs her wrist and pulls her to stand. “Excuse us,” she says sweetly. Not that anyone will hear her over the shouting match brewing between Alicent and Daemon.

They find Helaena in the lounge, on the sofa, picking at her nails.

“Hey,” Baela whispers, coming to hold her hands so she stops.

Helaena looks up at them with glistening blue eyes and a trembling lip. It’s the first time she’s really seen the resemblance between her and Alicent.

Raised voices echo from down the hall. By the sounds of things Aegon and Viserys have joined in too.

Helaena releases her hands from Baela’s and presses her palms to her forehead. “I’m sorry,” she says, taking a few shallow gasps. “I just don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

Baela hums in agreement.

Tears start to trickle from her eyes. “I used to love hanging out with you and Jace and everyone. I don’t understand… what did we do wrong?”

She isn’t sure what to do. She feels so helpless just watching Helaena as she starts to cry. Baela sits next to her and puts her arm around her shoulders.

And while the arguing persists, Helaena eventually starts to calm down a little, wiping her tears on her sleeve and leaning into Baela. “We missed dessert,” she sighs.

“We have ice-cream in the freezer,” she says, “strawberry or vanilla?”

And just like that her face lights up. “Both.”

“Noted. Baela?”

Baela smiles sympathetically. “Strawberry please.”

She catches fragments of the insults being thrown around the dining room as she walks past. “Hightower leech”, “spoiled cunt”.

She sees a figure in a black shirt through the frosted glass door to the kitchen. She holds her breath as she opens the door.

Aemond is leaning over the counter, fiddling with a packet of cigarettes. He looks up as soon as he hears the door. She lets it close behind her and leans against it.

He stares at her with a tight jaw, a sad little pout on his lips and a slight scrunch in his nose. Despite everything she can’t help but feel sorry for him. 

She tuts to herself and goes to place two bowls and two spoons on the counter, avoiding Aemond’s gaze.

Not my problem.

She goes towards the freezer and hears Aemond sigh heavily behind her. She hovers her hand over the handle.

Not my problem. Not my problem. Not my problem.

“Is it stupid of me to ask if you’re alright?” She asks, turning to fave him.

One of his wide plams is pressed against the counter, his legs crossed casually at the ankle. “No.” 

“And are you alright?”

His nostrils flare as he takes a slow breath. “I told her this would be a bad idea,” he says, tapping the box against the counter. “But what do I know, it’s only my fucking family.”

The way the light shines on his face makes the scar over his left eye seem like a shadow. She’s never asked about the details of what happened, but then he doesn’t like to talk about it. 

Two months ago she would have held his hand or pulled him into her arms when he was this anxious.

But things have changed now.

“Aemond, I–”

“Babe?”

She whips her head round to see Cregan and Jace standing in the doorway. Guilt twinges in her chest and she doesn’t know why. A conversation is nothing to be ashamed of, surely? She hadn’t even heard the door open. 

“Baela and Helaena are in the lounge, right?” Cregan asks.

“Yeah,” she says, “I’ll be there in a minute.”

They both glare at Aemond before they leave. When she turns to face him, he’s looking back with a cold indifference.

“He seems nice,” Aemond says once they're gone. “Palatable.”

She starts to drag her teeth over her bottom lip but stops herself. Aemond’s eyes are so intense, glaring from across the room with a dangerous look of fury and sadness. That’s exactly how he looked at her, the night of the wedding, when they were in her hotel room. When he asked her about Cregan then she liked how it made him jealous. 

Her blood starts to simmer, a feeling that cuts deeper and hurts more than hate. “Is this it then?” She says.

His brows scrunch into a frown, but his wide eyes seem more bewildered than anything. “What do you mean?”

It’s like a switch clicks in her brain and something in her heart dies. These last few weeks, even with things going so well with Cregan, she’s carried Aemond with her, hoping that one day she’d wake up and things would have worked out differently. It’s what she’s been doing for the last year anyway, she just never managed to break the habit.

It has to end somewhere, the lying, the guilt, and the naivety that she meant something more to him than a pretty face and a convenient fuck. 

She needs to let go and she’s known that for a long time.

“Forget it. You’ve made your side of things clear,” she says, her voice starting to tremble. “This was never going to end well and I should have thought about that before I led myself on.”

She takes a step towards the door but he’s in front of her, keeping her between the freezer and the counter.

“Do you love him?” Aemond mutters, quickly and quietly.

She can feel her heart beating in her throat.

“Do I… what?”

He takes advantage of her hesitation. His hand clamps around her wrist as he moves to the door. It takes a few moments to realise he’s dragging her with him.

The door to the lounge is shut. She hears Cregan’s booming laugh on the other side as Aemond leads her further along the hallway.

And suddenly they’re in the downstairs bathroom. She stands in front of the sink, staring at her own reflection as the lock clicks.

She watches Aemond in the mirror. The room is small and narrow, even when he’s standing by the door he’s close. Then he starts to close the distance between them with slow, taunting steps until he’s standing over her.

She can feel him and smell his aftershave, the bitterness of gin and the sweetness of red wine.

There’s that dark look in his eye again, determined, and hungry.

“Did you really think I’d let you keep up this pathetic little act?” He murmurs, eyes fixed on hers through the glass.

“What act?” 

She lets out a little gasp when he places a hand on her hip and pushes his hips against her, grinding a growing hardness against her so subtly he might not be moving at all.

He leans into her but no part of him makes contact with her skin. She shudders at the heat of his breath running over her ear, neck and shoulders. “I said you were needy, didn’t I?”

Her shoulders flinch when a single fingertip touches the nape of her neck. He draws it gradually along her spine as she desperately resists the urge to cry out at the tingling sensation it brings, arching against him because her body has nowhere else to go.

“And so sensitive,” he says and stops just as he reaches her lower back. “It was all for me, wasn’t it? The crop tops, the staring, even Stark, you just wanted a reaction.”

She’s always been a good liar but when she opens her mouth to reply she finds she just can’t do it. She doesn’t want to, not when he places his hand on her side and traces over the curves of her waist, her hips, the pouch of her stomach and her thighs. It’s been so long since they’ve been this close, and it’s not close enough.

“You stopped wanting me,” she breathes.

“Stupid little slut,” he says, leaning his chin over her shoulder. He starts dragging both hands down her thighs, taking the hem of her dress with him as he moves back up. “How could I ever stop wanting you?” His voice is harsh and hypnotic all at once. Cold and unforgiving. It sets her skin alight and leaves her wanting more.

But it doesn’t make sense. He was the one who left the hotel room. 

“I don’t understand… this isn’t fair.”

“But you and I both know you don’t like to play fair,” he rasps, tracing circles over the tops of her thighs, occasionally brushing over the hem of her panties.“I just know these last couple of months have been fucking unbearable without you.”

She bites down on her lip to stop herself whimpering at his touch.

He groans as his head falls against her neck, hands still pawing at her legs and the dress hitched around her waist. “Let me fuck you,” he utters in that low voice that means it’s taking every ounce of effort to hold himself back. “I know what you need. Just be a good girl and let me fuck you.”

Anticipation floods her body. She can feel her self-control slipping. She can’t think straight, can’t think past him or a world beyond this moment.

She wants it too much to feel guilty, for now at least.

“Please,” she utters.

“Please what?”

“Fuck me.”

Suddenly his soft touches are gone and he yanks her panties down to her knees. One hand slides between her legs, prying them open enough so he can circle her clit with the pads of his fingers. The other snakes up her body and takes a gentle hold of her throat.

He finally brings his lips to her cheek. They graze over her skin as he mutters, “you said something to me, that night. What was it?”

She scoffs. “You’re such a cunt.” She can hear how weak her voice is as she says it.

“Mouth on you, baby,” he coos, “come on, I know you remember.”

She shakes her head fervently, hoping she can focus on the movements of his fingers, the pleasure building and building inside her. 

“I want to hear you say it, baby.”

She lets herself melt against him, clinging desperately on his arms, breathless but defiant as she meets his eyes in the mirror.

With a short huff he withdraws his hand, but keeps her against him by her neck. He easily undoes the buckle on his belt, bringing his trousers down just enough to free his cock.

She bucks her hips on instinct as he slides the tip through her folds, gathering her wetness, and smiling when he realises responsive she is to him.

“Have you always been this restless? Or have you just missed me?”

Her head hangs slightly as he teases between her entrance and her clit. She can feel how thick his cock is, how hard he is and she already knows it’s going to make her feel so fucking good.

The grip on her neck becomes firmer, demanding her attention back to the mirror. He holds her gaze as he slides into her tight, slick cunt.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he says, “look at how well you take that.”

He’s right. The sight of her pleading face and parted lips as he holds her and pushes deeper inside of her only adds to her arousal. 

He fucks her slowly, precisely, placing a hand on her stomach and pressing into her while the impact of his thrusts are muffled by fabric. 

“Can you feel that?” He whispers, “can you feel how tight you are? Can you feel how deep that is?”

“Ah— fuck, yes…” she chokes, savouring the burn and the stretch of his cock as he drags through her walls and hits her sweet spot. When his fingers come back to circle her clit it all becomes so light and perfect and deliciously overwhelming.

“I knew you still wanted me,” he pants between the gentle kisses to her cheek. “Say it.”

“No,” she manages to whimper.

“Say it.”

Her orgasm comes as a sudden burst of warmth and Aemond isn’t far behind, suppressing a grunt as his hips still and his cock throbs inside her.

A few moments pass and he turns her head towards him, keeping his eyes on her lips. He leans in to kiss her and she twists her head to the other side.

“Fucking brat.” 

Suddenly he brings her to face him fully, effortlessly lifting her by her thighs to rest her against the edge of the sink. 

There’s no teasing this time, no pretence, just need. He pushes himself into her in one cruel snap of his hips.

He’s too impatient to give her time to adjust before he starts to fuck her, fiercely and without mercy, hands digging into the flesh of her rear, pulling her in over and over again. He brings his forehead against hers, glaring into her eyes like he hates her.

But like this she can wrap her arms around his neck, hold him even closer and lose herself in just him.

“All you need to remember is you’re mine. You’re fucking mine and you know it.”

Tears well in her eyes and she can only take what he gives her. “Fuck… Aemond...”

Her climax builds until it’s almost excruciating, and then it tears through her, a release unlike anything she’s known for months. She keeps her arms tight around him, burying her face into his neck as her thighs shake and her whole body tenses and trembles.

Aemond doesn’t stop, fucking her through it until she’s writhing with the overstimulation.

“Too much,” she whines, “fuck it’s too much!”

He clasps a hand over her mouth to muffle her protest, dangerously echoing on the tiled walls and floors. He comes again, gnawing at his lip to keep himself quiet and spilling deep inside her as tears stream from her cheeks.

He admires the mess they’ve made as he pulls out, her cream on his cock and his cum leaking from her quivering cunt. His eyes flicker back to her face, his expression softening and his lips curling into a half smile.

Dazed and still desperate she leans into him, but her lips barely get to  graze his before he pulls away.

“Oh now you want to kiss me?”

She frowns, which only seems to amuse him.

By the way he grabs her jaw she doesn’t need to be told what to do. She offers him her tongue and swallows when he spits into her mouth.

A satisfied groan rumbles in his chest and her belly flutters in anticipation, as if he hasn’t just made her come twice, as if she can’t feel his spend starting to drip down her thighs.

He slips her off the sink and kneels down to pull her panties up her legs. Then he fixes her skirt, smoothing down the fabric with his palms.

“You’re going to be civil,” he murmurs, one of his hands coming to fix her hair. “You’re going to go back out there, kiss your boyfriend on the cheek, but I want you to think about me. Think about how good I make you feel. Do you understand?”

She nods.

“Words, baby,” he says as his hand comes to cup her jaw, stroking his thumb over her flushed cheek.

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, daddy.”

“That’s my good girl,” he says softly, leaning in to plant an almost chaste kiss to her lips.

She tries for more but he steps away, eyes roaming over her to make sure she’s presentable.

With a vague “hmm,” he carefully unlocks the door and slowly steps out. He shoots her a quick wink before he closes the door, his footsteps fading down the hallway back towards the kitchen.

Her legs almost give out underneath her and she clutches the sink to keep herself standing. 

That certainly wasn’t how she was expecting this evening to go.

She’s not sure how she’s supposed to show her face and go about pretending like nothing’s happened in front of their families. Maybe she’ll rediscover her ability to lie, kiss Cregan on the cheek and play the part of the sweet girlfriend, but what kind of person will that make her?

She looks at her reflection, at the glimmer of blissful tears and sweat on her face. 

A familiar laugh drifts down the hall.

How is she ever going to look her mother in the eye again?

General Taglist: @randomdragonfires @jamespotterismydaddy

Series Taglist: @marthawrites @urmomsgirlfriend1 @aaaaaamond @boundlessfantasy @sahvlran @tinykryptonitewerewolf @arcielee @tssf-imagines @aemondsfavouritebastard @skikikikiikhhjuuh @queenofshinigamis @lost-and-founds @izzydlb @dc-marvel-girl96 @xcinnamonmalfoyx @padfooteyes @castellomargot @pet1t3

[bluehourbucky]

Only You

pairing: ceo!yelena belova x reader

summary: yelena has been dating people who only wanted her for her money but you come along and show her that she's more important than all the money in the world

tw: Google translate Russian <sorry>

a/n: I love yelena with my whole heart <3

[masterlist]

Asking Yelena on a date was the best thing you ever did. You had alcohol to give thanks to, and of course, your friend Kate for making you go to the party in the first place.

The night you first saw Yelena was on New Year's Eve, at the top of a rooftop of the building that she owned.  Your friend Kate asked you to accompany her to a new year's party at a friend of hers. You were a bit unsure but you didn't have much choice.  Turns out that night you would meet the love of your life.

She was so stunning, you couldn't take your eyes off of her. At the time you didn't realise she was the host of the party and that it was her building, as she spent most of her time away from people. The black dress she was wearing looked so beautiful on her, it made your legs shake, and when she noticed you staring you blushed crimson red.

After hours of staring, and drinking you finally decided to go up to her, with a little encouragement from your friend. What's the worst that could happen?

"Hey pretty woman, you look like my future wife care for a dance?"  

in your defence you were a bit tipsy and you didn't exactly plan what you would say to her so your drunk brain took over.

She laughed and murmured something in a foreign language, but she took your hand nonetheless and pulled you to dance. The song that was playing was not set for slow dancing but you did it anyways.

"I promise I'm not wasted just a little tipsy. I just need your number so when I'm completely sober I can text you the time and place of the date I'm taking you on."

Yelena was taken aback by your straightforwardness. Everyone has been so hesitant to approach her due to her being such a successful woman. She was happy to give you her number, and if she was being honest, she would've given you the world if she could with the way you were looking at her

True to your word, you send a message apologising for the way you acted but also checking if she was actually interested in going on a date anyway. You didn't really give her much choice the previous night. Luckly she says yes, and the rest is history.

You had been dating for two years now and Yelena has learned so much what a healthy relationship is, but there's one thing she has a hard time processing - she doesn't need to buy your love.

From the first date Yelena knew you didn't ask her out because she was wealthy, you were the one that organised the whole date and were absolutely baffled when you realised she was the host of the party and the owner of that building and the companies CEO.

You were a little embarrassed for not realising that sooner, but Yelena made sure you knew that she wasn't offended and she found it very adorable. She still teases you about that first date.

You were falling in love fast but so was she, the two of you saw each other almost daily by the week three of knowing each other. It was so easy to talk to Yelena, she made you laugh like no one, she looked at you like you hung up the stars and the moon. She loved spending time with you,but she also loved spending money on you. At the beginning it was little things she was getting you, or at least in her eyes they were little, but for you it was torture. It wasn't like you didn't appreciate the gifts but it was too much.

That was one of the first fights you had, about how it made you uncomfortable that she was spending so much money on you even after you had asked her not to. Yelena had apologised and promised that she would work on it - and she did- but old habits die hard.

Even now, after 2 years of being together and a year of living together, there were still instances where Yelena had broken the rule of not getting you expensive stuff for no reason. You made a compromise that she can get you as many things as she wants to in any value but only for Christmas, whereas for other holidays and your birthday there was a limit.

For Yelena this was so hard to understand because she loved spoiling you, and she didn't see anything wrong with that.

________________________________________

Today you're going to surprise Yelena with a date night under the stars, she had been working tirelessly for the last month, working out an important deal.

You had made her mac'n cheese, and bought pizza from her favourite place, and of course made a congratulations cake (she had finally gotten the deal! she called you in the middle of the day to tell you).

However, she never stops working, like right now she was still taking calls doing god knows what, after work hours. You had to go get her out of the office. So after setting up everything on the rooftop you made your way to her office.

Yelena looks up the door when she hears the four knocks on her door, she thought everyone had left, maybe it was security? Her face lights up when she sees you.

"дорогая, what a nice surprise. And look at you, who you so pretty for?" You blush and walk right into her arms, you breathe in, and you feel at home. Yelena pulls you in a kiss that turns into a whole make-out session with you between her legs, her leaning on her desk, her hands wondering down to your ass.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, I'm going to have to stop you there. Have to show you something."

You run a hand over her bare shoulders, then take a strand of her blonde hair that has fallen on her face. She always manages to take your breath away, the white suit she's waring makes you weak.

"What is it that you want to show me, моя любовь?"

"It's a secret, so close your eyes." You give her a teasing smile, and she does what you tell her without a second thought.

Yelena follows you through the building, and when she hears the elevator say rooftop, she smiles. You forgot about the elevator having alerts for every floor.

"No peeking!!" you tell her and lead her to the little picnic you set up for her.

"Okay, open!" Yelena opens her eyes and looks at your bright and proud smile. A blanket was set up almost in the middle of the rooftop, two plates, and lots of food placed on it.

"Do you like it?"

"моя любовь, I love it so much! What is this for? Did I forget something?" she looks at you terrified, thinking she had forgotten an anniversary or something.

"Baby, this is for that deal you've been working out for the last month! Wanted to surprise you, treat you some food since you've been working so hard! You deserve it for your hard work, and it's been a while since we had a date night so why not celebrate together. You didn't forget anything don't worry!"

You pull her in for a kiss, one of your hands in her hair, the other around her neck, deeping the kiss. She pulls away to look at you, adoration in her face.

"Thank you so much, my darling. I love you so much. I'm sorry I haven't taken you on a date in so long. I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Don't apologise for that. I understand it's no problem, really, anything for you, my love. Now come on the food will get cold."

Yelenas heart warms up when she sees the amount of food and sweets you prepared. She can't believe you did all this just for her.

After eating, you two lay down, the spare blanket you luckly brought with you draped over both your bodies. Your head on Yelenas chest, hands intertwined under the blanket.

"I love you, you know that. Imma marry you, and you're gonna be my wife. And I'm going to buy you the most expensive ring and a house and anything else you ever want. If i could, I would buy you the world." Yelena says, and you lift your head so you can look at her.

"I am saying yes to all of that, but my love, I don't need the most expensive ring, I don't need the whole world. I only need you. You don't need to buy my love. I already love you more than I could ever love anyone or anything. As far as I'm concerned we can live in a small cottage house in the middle of nowhere. Just you and me. It would be more than enough for me."

Yelena is speechless. She didn't know how much she needed to hear that until you said it. She was led to believe that the only way of loving someone and being loved is by buying the love with money. Her lovers, people she called friends, always expected something from her, but you, you just wanted her. People didn't stay for her, they stayed as long as they had something to take from her.

But what you were saying is that she was enough.

Yelena suddenly sits up and pulls you into her lap, engulfing you into a tight hug - she's holding onto you, making sure you were there, that it was real. Sometimes, she doubted that.

"You really know how to win a woman's heart, huh, Мой дорогой. Ты моя жизнь [you're my life], мое сердце [my heart], мое все [my everything], мой навсегда [my forever].Я тебя люблю" Yelena whispers the last part and kisses you softly, her eyes sparking with tears and love.

"I just know you said some sappy stuff by the way you're kissing me, and I love you too. But about the ring, I don't mind it being a bit fancy, you know. I gotta show it off forever." she laughs at your words, you know her so well.

"What happened to -I only need you and nothing else?" Yelena asks teasingly, thinking about how she has gotten you a ring 6 months ago that lays hidden in her closet, waiting for her to finally ask you the question. You would probably kill her if you found out the amount of money she spent on it, but you deserved the best.

Instead of replying, you pin her against the floor and start kissing her.

[THE END]

a/n: I hope you enjoyed! I really had fun writing this and I already want to write another one shot for ceo yelena where she actually proposes I have so many ideas!

likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated <3

[faeriemarie]

(a very late) shiftmas catch-up 🎅🏾🎄

1. christmas caroling

your love’s like by sabrina carpenter - because it reminds me of my bf; von dutch by charli xcx - i’m shifting back to summer 2024; anything ha vay has ever released - her music videos are exactly my aesthetic and what i strive to look like

2. gingerbread houses

my house is a very boring suburban row house. but i still like it. i live with my mom and my sister, but i’ll soon move into my dorm at uni and live with my cr roommate. fav part of my house is my bedroom (obvi) and fav aspect of my dorm are my posters — i have george harrison and romeo & juliet (1968)

3. eggnog

drama going on in my dr? literally me and that i get crushes on too many people. i break up with my gf, have two crushes, and start dating my bf all in the span of a few months 😔

4. sledding

my friend group is my cr friend group. our favorite thing to do is go to local theatre shows and spend nights at karaoke. we go to a local diner after to eat sides and drink milkshakes that are way too big.

5. snowman

my fit inspo pinterest boards

6. stockings

my family is lowk the worst but i wanna keep in the trauma that makes me me. my favorite family member is my cousin jessica who’s one year older than me and my closest friend since birth. we spend christmas with my mom’s immediate family

7. candy canes

this is so toxic and shallow but literally looking at myself in the mirror and finally being beautiful and skinny. i need it like i need air to breathe

8. mistletoe

ahhh my s/o is named petro and i love love love him (scripted him myself too). he’s weird like me and likes old things so we go antiquing and visit museums. where i am a more 1960s filmmaker poet girl, he’s a total renaissance man who plays cello and oil-paints and is basically a chess grandmaster. we bask in our similar loserdom and it’s great

9. snowflakes

headcanons in my dr: my mom was the beauty when she was younger and everyone wanted her, my younger sister actually likes and admires me though she’d never admit it, my super religious best friend is a lesbian, i am my history professor’s favorite student 🤭, my boyfriend’s parents believe we’ll get married

10. icicles

my occupation is an amateur multi hyphenate: writer-director-actor-animator among other things because i can’t pick a hobby to save my life. primary job is being a uni student though. favorite aspect is having freedom to study what i want while pursue a career in entertainment. least favorite aspect is having to rely on my mother

11. tree skirt

found out about shifting from a random intriguing subliminal when i was in the sub community. first dr was an improved cr and current dr is a different improved cr. some things never change, even after 5 years

12. ornaments

objects in my dr but not my cr? my whole ass stop-motion set that’s beautiful and professional even though i made it alone in my childhood bedroom

13. sleigh bells

greatest privilege of all is my lifa app. the universe bends to my will with the click of a button and i can control anything i want :))

14. cookie cutters

i haven’t thought about this much honestly because i’m not big on scents

15. elf on the shelf

main wingman is always my cousin. she loves trying to set me up because she generalizes my type too much (thinks any random white boy will work for me 🙄). but she’s cool and somehow always has a new bitch which makes my job really easy. when we hang out we either go to the movies (my choice) or to a party (her choice)

16. wrapping paper

i like scripting in bullet points in either my notes app or a google doc. i’m very concerned with dates so a lot of my script is taken over by timelines

17. gift tags

my camera roll in my dr

18. snowballs

i want to make short films with my friends and get absolutely nothing done because we’re too busy cracking jokes and having dance parties

19. mittens

i make short films on my youtube channel and post short stories on my substack. i also watch a lot of movies (like 600 a year) and love to read classic literature.

20. ice skates

art museum dates with my boyfriend!! we could spend 5+ hours in MoMA and 8+ hours at the Met and it would be perfect to me

[super-unpredictable98]

Can you pleasee do a fic like 18 years after when their daughter brings home her bf for dinner who has the whole bad boy vibe and their whole interaction?

(klaus,vicki)

Meet The Parents | The Umbrella Academy AU

Pairing: Klaus x Vicky (OC - The Eighth Child’ Verse)

Word Count: 1,3 k

Warning: Strong language, mention of drugs

a/n: Thank you so much for your request, I had a lot of fun with it. I hope you like it, I really love writing Dad Klaus lol also I'm still working on requests so just keep an eye out everyone.

(Masterlist)

"Hello, Liebchen..." Klaus walked out of the bedroom following the smell of fresh bread and seasonings for the marinara sauce.

Even though he was 52, he still dressed pretty much like he always had. He wore a shimmery see-through crop top and the tiniest underwear, glitter from the party they attended the night before still covering his eyes, cheeks, and (somewhat gray) curls. Ah, the advantages of being empty-nesters...

Ever since Fortune left to go to college about 45 minutes away, Klaus and Vicky had been living like they did in their early 20s. Parties, weed, drinks, junk food, lots and lots of sex. No one understood how they got the energy, but they did. 

"Good morning, sleeping beauty! This has to be a new record, you slept for half a day," Victoria teased. "Hungry?" 

"Oh yeah, I'm definitely hungry," Klaus embraced her from behind and slid his hands up to feel up her chest. "You look even sexier now that I'm sober." 

"Thanks, but I don't think we'll have time for that now, Klausie," she laughed. 

"What? Why?" He pouted. 

"You forgot? Fortune is coming for dinner, honey, she's bringing her new boyfriend." 

Klaus' demeanor immediately went sour, it was the first time their daughter was bringing a boy for them to meet and he was sure he would hate anyone she introduced. Not because he'd necessarily be an asshole, but obviously because no one in the world can ever be good enough for his Fortune. 

In an effort to be as different as possible from his own father, he became the most doting dad he possibly could. It was a miracle his daughter turned out so sweet and grounded after how spoiled she was. 

"I know I promised to be cool about this dating thing, but..." 

"I know," Vicky stirred the sauce carefully while giving her husband a sympathetic look. "You never thought you'd be square and get jealous of your little girl, but there you are. Don't worry, Tunnie has a good head on her shoulders and good taste. She knows what a good man looks like, we raised her well."

He nodded, trying to blindly trust his wife, as more often than not, she was right. What's the worst that could happen? She was only 18, it's not like she could get pregnant... or marry way too young... or join a cult with this guy like several people did when Destiny's Children was around. Well, shit.

About an hour later the doorbell rang, Klaus had already showered and put on some less slutty clothes, so he ran to open the door while Victoria set the table. 

"My Tunnie!" He pulled his daughter into his arms and squeezed her as if it was the first time they saw each other in years (it had been a week). "I missed you so much, is your throat better? Did the medicine help?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine. I missed you too," Fortune chuckled, already used to the overprotection. 

"Oh, check it out! I love it," he took her arm to get a better look at her new tattoo of the moon. "Uncle Luther is gonna love it!" He joked, completely ignoring the boy waiting by the door as well. 

"Thanks," she smiled, pulling her boyfriend closer as her mom joined. "Dad, this is Jax. Jax this is my father, Klaus, and my mother, Victoria." 

"Hey," was all he said.

"So nice to meet you," Vicky went in for a hug despite being a little hesitant. He didn't seem like the type of guy her daughter would be interested in. 

The boy was tall and muscular, his arms were covered in tattoos, his long hair was shaped a little bit like a mullet and messy, he had a dangling earring, wore a spike necklace, and a leather jacket. From what they could count, he had two more piercings (on his eyebrow and his tongue).

"Jax? Like a dog?" Klaus laughed. "Come on in, dinner is ready."

An awkward silence engulfed the entire family while everyone got themselves some pasta and garlic bread. As a former horrible influence, Klaus could recognize one when he saw it, and he didn't like it one bit.

"So, what are you studying, Jax?" Victoria finally asked. She had to admit despite not being the sort of man she would've gone for back in her day, he was very handsome. 

"I'm in nursing school," he answered. "My mom was a nurse in Japan before we moved to America." 

Klaus nearly choked, a nurse? Really? That guy looked like he would punch someone in the face for asking him the time. 

"Oh, you're Japanese? Where are you from? My husband and I did a ton of missions- works there," Victoria smiled.

"Osaka." 

"Wow! That's amazing, we loved hanging around Dotonbori. Right, Klausie?"

"Um? Yeah, yeah, really cool place," Klaus nodded, trying not to let his thoughts wander too much. 

"Jax is also in a band, he plays the drums," Fortune added. "He helps at the animal shelter on the weekends and volunteers at the nursing home every Monday." 

"Good one," her father snorted before he could stop himself. 

"What do you mean, Dad?" 

"Oh come on, are we just gonna pretend like Asian James Dean looks like someone who likes to volunteer!" 

"Klaus!" Victoria scolded. "What did I tell you? You were never like this, you were never one to judge appearances, what's going on?" 

"Yeah, Dad, you always told me you can never judge a book by its cover when my classmates would tease me saying you're gay!" Fortune exclaimed. 

Meanwhile, poor Jax sunk in his seat wanting nothing more than to disappear. He was scared something like that was gonna happen and he really liked Fortune.

"I know, but- but you're my daughter! And he's bad news!" Klaus cried irrationally. "I know how that sounds, Vicky. I know I'm bad news too, but in a different way!"

"Klausie, you were the most promiscuous teenager I've ever met, you broke every law I can think of, you used every substance under the sun, and you were a cult leader involved in a tax fraud scandal!" Victoria scoffed. 

"Alright, yeah, that's true... but in my defense, it was the '60s, cults were all the rage!"

"Dad, you have nothing to worry about. Yeah, he's kinda intimidating at first, but he's a huge softie, he's just shy," Fortune said, taking her boyfriend's arm. 

"I- I wanted to leave a good first impression," Jax admitted. "But when I'm nervous, I shut down a bit."

Klaus suddenly felt like shit seeing the kid looking so scared. He never had that experience to meet Victoria's parents, he couldn't imagine how scared he would be, how horrible he would feel if they treated him like he treated Jax.

"You know what? Let's give it another shot, you seem decent enough. I'm Klaus, nice to meet you," he offered his tattooed hand. 

"Jax Hayashi, nice to meet you too," the boy smiled, grateful for the second chance. 

"Tell me in thirty seconds why you deserve to date my Fortune," he teased.

"I work hard, I always try to better myself, I cook, I'm good with kids and animals, I like to make her laugh, and... and I love her, she's the most amazing and most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life." 

Victoria grabbed her husband's arm, her heart tight with emotion. Just like him, Jax was good and sweet, just underneath a little bit of a weird surface. Fortune smiled, knowing her dad would come around after all.

"She really is, isn't she? Not to brag, but I helped making her," Klaus chuckled. "Fun fact, did you know Fortune here was actually conceived in 1963 right before the assassination of JFK?"

Tag List: @elliethesuperfruitlover @seanfalco @salvador-daley @firstpersonnarrator

[berkmansimagines]

Lavender Haze

A/N: Just wanted to write a cute little fluff! The new MV inspired me to post tonight 💜

Summary: You and Barry go on a late night date.

Pairing: Barry Berkman x hitman!girlfriend reader

Meet me at midnight

Barry reads your text one last time before walking into a secret underground dive bar. Your boyfriend just finished up a hit. You also have a job tonight. You suggested going out for drinks to blow off some steam after work. You and Barry have recently moved in together, so you’ve been spending most of your time at home lately. You wanted to break up the routine a bit.

You chose the bar because it’s under the radar. You heard about this place by word of mouth. Although you and Barry are living together, you’re still keeping your relationship under wraps. Your handler warned you about getting involved with anyone from work and you broke her one rule. You haven’t told her yet because you know that she would be pissed if she found out. You are just trying to protect what’s yours for as long as you can.

Your boyfriend looks around but doesn’t see you. He shrugs, wishing you were here. Barry is still a little anxious from work and you always help put him at ease.

“I need a drink,” Barry mutters to himself.

Barry sits down at the bar, saving the seat next to him for you. Then he orders a beer to help take the edge off.

The bartender is giving Barry his drink when he sees you walk in. And just like that, all of Barry’s troubles fade away. You spot your boyfriend at the bar and go over to him.

“Hey babe,” you give Barry a quick kiss on the cheek.

You take the seat beside your boyfriend. You also seem a little anxious coming from your hit.

“Sorry I’m late! My job took forever. The target was having some sort of dinner party and I had to wait for everybody to leave before I could finish the damn thing. That dinner felt never ending. People kept on showing up at the house, no one was leaving. I was getting so impatient…”

Barry listens intently. He doesn’t say too much. He can’t keep his eyes off of you. You notice him staring.

“What’s wrong? Why do you keep looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

Barry shakes his head.

“No. Sorry. It’s just… you look really beautiful,” he shyly admits.

You blush. Even when you feel like you’re at your worst, Barry still thinks you're gorgeous. He always knows how to make you feel good about yourself.

You take your boyfriend’s hand and suddenly forget what you were complaining about.

“So enough about me. How are you, babe?” you nod.

Barry sighs and his entire body relaxes. You’re the only person that asks Barry how he is. Sometimes Barry feels like Fuches or his friends in acting class only care about his skills. You’re the only one that cares about him for him, not what he can do for you.

“I’m doing a lot better now that you’re here,” Barry gives you a small smile, “Do you want a drink?” “Yes please!” you raise your hand to get the bartender’s attention.

Once you get your drink, you and Barry stop talking about work and enjoy your date. Nobody at this place knows who you or Barry are so you can put your guard down. You actually feel like a normal couple for once. The two of you are so focused on each other it’s almost as if nobody else is at the bar. You’re happy and in love. You just want to stay in that lavender haze.

The next thing you know, your drink is finished. You don’t even know how long you’ve been nursing it for. Barry eyes your empty glass on the bar.

“Do you want another?” he asks.

You shake your head.

“Close out the tab. I’m gonna head back to our place. I have a little surprise planned and need some time to get ready,” you coyly smile.

Barry raises his eyebrows, intrigued. Before he has time to ask, you pull your boyfriend into a kiss.

“See you at home,” you wink.

Barry watches you go with heart eyes. He loves you so much. You’re the one person that truly makes him happy. When he’s with you it feels like home. He always wants to be home with you.

I need to marry her…

And in that moment, your boyfriend realizes that he’s ready to pop the question.

Barry takes a deep breath. He is going to propose to you. He’s never felt so sure about anything in his entire life. He wants to spend the rest of his life with you and he wants that life to start as soon as possible.

[can-of-pringles]

For any of your OCs with romantic partners, tell me the exact moment each of them fell in love (whether or not they realized it at the time)

*cracks knuckles* /j Okay let's go

Marigold: It had to have been their second year of dating, one of the times when they were just having some time to themselves. Not doing much but definitely comfortable in just being in each other's presence. She thinks about how Peter brings peace and comfort to her life (which might be a surprise to some people) and it's all about how good relationships are when you're comfortable in the normalcy/mundane rather than the exciting times. I don't know if she realized at the time that she had fallen in love with him, but she knew for sure that she couldn't imagine spending her life with anyone else. She probably realized after a little bit when she had time to question it more.

Peter: Not that it was exactly the opposite, but during a mission that had gotten a little more dangerous than usual, they were both fine, but had to recover slightly. Peter realized that he wouldn't know what to do if something bad happened to Marigold, that he'd do anything for her, and that he had fallen in love with her quicker than he'd thought (ironic slightly? Lol) and the realization feelings grew more while they were both taking care of each other while recovering from the mission.

-

Rosie: I think maybe after one of their birthday parties and having a sleepover, they were sharing Rosie's bed and just cuddling. Rosie felt so comfortable and calm in Allison's arms and got the feeling that she never wanted to let go. I don't know if she recognized it as falling in love yet though. She had to sit with all the feelings for a bit until she was like "Is that what that is? Oh..."

Allison: It was actually when she was having a bad day, the dysphoria was being extra the worst™ and she broke down to Rosie about it, and even though Rosie couldn't really relate, she just held her and comforted her as she continued to cry, and she just tried consoling her and telling her sweet things, how much she cared for her and how she was the prettiest girl ever, etc. Allison felt a lot better afterward and realized how safe and loved Rosie made her feel. I think she realized then that she'd fallen in love with her.

-

Jelaa: Jelaa had developed a crush on Ahsoka while they were kids but just decided to bury it deep down and ignore it. It wouldn't have ended well while they were both Jedi. But the thing was the feelings didn't go away, and they actually grew stronger. While Jelaa was hiding for survival, during a particularly rough day she realized how much she missed Ahsoka and started crying, wondering if she had survived the purge. I think the missing and longing was when it happened, but once they were finally able to reunite and stay together, she finally realized oh this is like strong long-lasting in love feelings.

Ahsoka: She used to struggle with all the feelings as a kid/early teen, but there's not really time to focus on that while you're fighting for your life and stuff. I think especially after what happened with her leaving, Jelaa leaving too, and even what had happened to Barriss (who she also used to be close to) Ahsoka kinda just 'turned off' a lot of the grief and complicated feelings for a while. Once she had been able to grow up more and mostly get to more stable living (ish) and found Jelaa, she allowed more of the feelings back in and realized they made her stronger. She and Jelaa were still mainly hiding out together, but it's hard to ignore the romantic feelings while they're so close (physically and emotionally) and she realized after a while that she loved her.

-

Arith: Okay so listen, pretty much from the beginning, he had been amused by Iriel, maybe a little infatuated, but that didn't develop into a crush and then love until a little bit later. It was probably during one of their routine 'let's drink together and chat' nights. And of course, they had gotten closer unknowingly and it was also just sort of a deep-thinking kind of night, so it really wasn't that hard for Arith to realize how much he'd fallen in love with her. Imagine him looking at her for a second while she's talking passionately about something and then feeling his heart beating quicker before he glances down and takes a drink. He can deal with the feelings tomorrow.

Iriel: It took her longer to realize. Pretty much she'd been like "Yeah Arith and I are friends" (which you should've seen how she processed that ha) but then he just kept constantly flooding her thoughts, and at first she thought it was totally normal, but then she kept thinking about how nice he looked and how his eyes shined in the light and how pretty his laughter sounded and- and so she was slowly coming to the realization that friends don't usually think like this or especially at this amount, and it was confirmed for her that she loved him when she was taking care of him after another 'kinda usual but not really' "punishment" from work. He had said something like "you could at least let me make you coffee or something, I feel bad just laying here" and she was like "it's okay, there will be time for that in the future, I don't mind. we take care of each other plenty" and right there was when she realized how much she was willing to do for him and vice versa and how she'd fallen in love with him.

-

Kaia: It was probably while they were out on a date (like after a while of dating) they had gone to Paris for a little bit and were mostly just out and walking around, admiring some of the views (and each other ;)) and they were holding hands. And Odel said something like "we should come back here again sometime..." and Kaia's thoughts were like "for our honeymoon" and then she realized and started blushing. Odel asks if she's ok and she blames it on the cold weather. And Odel suggests they go someplace warmer then and she nods and wraps her arm around her waist and kisses her cheek.

Odel: She realized during late at night, while she had decided to stay over at Kaia's place (like a sleepover let me clarify) and I think recently she had been having a lot more conflicted thoughts about being with Kaia, more just about dealing with her feelings about betraying Heaven. She had woken up during the night from a dream about it and just watched Kaia sleeping peacefully next to her. Watching her calmed her down enough to start falling back asleep. There hadn't been peace and calm while she was still with Heaven. But she had it with Kaia. That's when she knew she loved her and that she was always going to be worth more to her than Heaven. She started to stop caring about Heaven after that and focus on her love for Kaia.

-

Silas: It was after Copia confessed and had basically broken down about everything that had happened (with Sister and what happened to the other Papas) and how Copia felt so hopeless about it and conflicted. Silas just focused on just comforting him and calming him enough to stop the tears for a while. Because despite learning about the terrible stuff happening in the Ministry, he knew it wasn't Copia's fault, and he felt more protective over him since he realized how much of a threat Sister was to him. He realized that despite everything they had grown so close and cared about each other. And then after that, then he realized he had fallen in love. And then the internal conflicting angst started /j

Copia: It was actually around the same time. One of his biggest fears had been how Silas would react to the truth but to his surprise he reacted better than he'd thought, and then after that he realized they were pretty much always going to stick together no matter what and be there for each other. Then he realized his feelings for him.

-

Dannie: They realized they loved Murphy after a while of dating. Even after their ups and downs, they still wanted to be there for her and that's when they realized.

Murphy: It's a similar story but it was after she had a particularly bad day. Murphy really struggles with being vulnerable and showing her true feelings, so when she lets her walls down and is really honest with Dannie, she's scared of rejection. But Dannie obviously doesn't leave her after seeing her on a 'rough day' and so Murphy starts feeling more comfortable with them and then realizes she loves them.

That took a while 😅

[ofescapisms]

(Katheryn Winnick) [THE FIGHTER]. Please welcome [MORGAN VOVK (SHE/HER)] to Huntsville, WV. They are an [45]-year-old [RESIDENT] who lives in [TOWN]. You may see them around working as a [POLICE OFFICER]. Poor unfortunate soul. We’ll see if they survive.

Background (terminal illness tw, death tw) :

DOB September 19

Morgan was born in Huntsville, an only child to two very doting parents. She was always a bit of an overachiever and always trying to be the best at everything.

She also had this constant need to prove how tough she was, usually the one to take any joke as a challenge and sometimes get in trouble for it.

When she graduated high school, she left town for college and in her first year befriended a guy in some of her classes. After a few months of being close friends, they started dating. He was the type of guy who just radiated kindness and made everything feel worth living for.

At their graduation, he proposed and they were married a year later. Morgan was the happiest she'd ever been, especially since her new husband agreed to move back to Huntsville.

They had three years of total happiness before he started getting sick. They didn't think much of it at first, but after some tests the doctors confirmed he had cancer. Morgan was completely shattered by the thought of losing him.

But he was always the optimist, always trying to get her to smile even when he was in pain and going through treatments. They tried for a year to beat it, but Morgan became a widow by the time she was 28.

She'd been working some corporate job that she had zero passion for up until then, but Morgan found out her husband had left her a letter telling her to go after what would actually make her happy because life was too short.

She quit her job and enrolled in the police academy, eventually becoming an officer.

Even though she knew that's where she was meant to be, there was still a huge hole in her life that she started to fill with partying, drinking, random hook-ups. When the paradox happened, she figured this was just what hell was like and she became more pessimistic than ever.

Facts/connection ideas:

Morgan is a hunter

I'd love to see some old friends, maybe people she went to high school with? People who have basically seen her at her best and her worst

Random hook-ups/fwb/very short flings could fit into the last 15 years

Also people she just doesn't get along with because she is past the point of trying to be nice anymore and will come off very blunt most of the time

[findtomorrow]

♕ ( n/a / 27 / cis woman / she, her, hers ) — did you see HALSTON SAGE wandering around the island today? they kind of look like HALSTON SAGE from certain angles? i heard around town that the COPY EDITOR is CHARMING, and DRIVEN, but also TEMPERAMENTAL, and OPINIONATED. people say that they remind them of FLUFFY PENS, YAPPY LITTLE DOGS, and PILES OF EMPTY STARBUCKS CUPS, and YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN by BILLIE EILISH is definitely their theme song. they seem like a nice enough person, but we all know how hard it is to keep a pristine reputation in a small town. ( admin jay / 26 / cst / she, her, hers ) 

✧*･ﾟ𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒚

in the gated community of kings haven, born and raised––janie did not spend most of her days on the playground ( pit stains ?? as if !! ). she spent most of her childhood running around her parent’s estate with her twin brother and avoiding etiquette lessons and her french tutor underneath the overgrown willow tree next to their tennis courts, her battered copy of anne of green gables close nestled in her lap.

her parents are loaded thanks to her mother’s side of the family. her great-great-great-grandfather was a successful started a vineyard from his own pocket of generational wealth that dates back to the industrial boom. the family business eventually branched out into california, spain, and italy as its success grew. now, they really don’t do much other than sit on the board and pretend they have opinions that are more important than their hired experts.

her dad married into her mother’s money, and it’s a bamford family tradition that the eldest son, or the husband of the eldest daughter if there isn’t a son, fills his predecessor’s seat on the board. ergo: her dad is on the board, and her mom goes to the country club and shops obsessively. 

janie, however, thinks this is bullshit.

her twin, josh, does not.

janie is guaranteed a large inheritance regardless (( so long as she smiles pretty for the cameras and marries a man her parents approve of )), but janie hasn't ever really envision being the blanche, even though she is devastating beautiful. she’s also the actual worst.

anyway, she went to columbia for a degree in english, and she writes fervently with her sparkly pink gel pen and scented lavender stationary because she’s a woman on a mission !! her dream is to write a novel that would reduce virginia woolf into tears ( in a good way, duh !! )

for now, she’s a freelance copy editor and writing whenever she has spare time between editing boring tech company blurbs and avoiding her mother’s calls.

✧*･ﾟ𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕

janie has struggled with her dyscalculia her academic career. she was convinced ( and so were all her teachers ) that she was just born stupid, and there wasn’t anything that she could do about it, so she really leaned into the ditzy, too-cool-for-school, popular girl trope in high school because that was easier than admitting she couldn’t even comprehend the numbers on her worksheets, let alone solve the problems.

she was a cheerleader™ all throughout junior high, high school, and college.

she was that person who talked a million miles an hour until you begrudgingly agreed to go to the senior sunrise pancake breakfast.

but she can definitely also be a giant brat and a pain in the ass when she doesn’t get her way bc she was mcfreakin’ spoiled her entire life.

driven as hell, and she is at her most brutal when she perceives something or someone as an obstacle to getting what she wants.

she’s always up for a good time literally anytime of the day. she loves parties bc she loves people !! and talking !! and mixed drinks !!  

she’s really into fashion and cosmetics.

can definitely be a bit of a label whore.

she has two little rat dogs she loves more than anyone in the world. one is a shichon named gilbert and the other is a cavapom named buffy.

she has literally no middle ground. she is either the most delightful person you'll ever meet or the worst person you'll ever meet depending on if you cross her ( or if she thinks you crossed her lmao ). this switch can also happen on a dime, so i'm sorry for her in advance.

✧*･ﾟ𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅

best friends: ( m, f, nb ), squad ( m, f, nb), childhood friends: ( m, f, nb ), roommates: ( m, f, nb ), casual hookups ( m, f, nb)

[bornefaira]

☼ OUT . //       y’all really out here........ making me write my fucking modern verse for e when i’ve managed to avoid that for like months

[bellafragolina]

Hi love! Could I request hcs for Raihan, Leon and Piers with a female s/o who when they meet them is a bodyguard of a really bratty and moody celebrity? The reader turns out to be chill and fun to be around tho?? But also is like "lmao this job is a joke." Type of person?

oooh, interesting!

🍓🍓🍓

Raihan:

Being a celeb himself, it’s not uncommon for him to attend events with other celebrities. He mingles about the small party, happily chatting with other guests, and feeling terrible for you as he watched you trail your charge around. As a bodyguard, this was your job, but as the little celeb spilled drinks and shouted at you, he couldn’t help but feel like you should find a new career.

Sadly, Raihan knows that going over to you is going to do more harm than good. Your celebrity charge pitches a fit if people talk to you instead of her, so he just admires the faces you make as the celeb chatters to people and generally acts a fool. If it wouldn't be detrimental to you, he'd go over and give you a kiss, to prove to your disbelieving charge that you're actually dating him (which she has mocked you about before despite there being pics on line of you two?), but alas, you told him no

You always have good stories when the both of you return home. Something stupid the celeb did, the comeuppance she got, how this or that occurred and it was the "worst thing to ever happen to her." You two share good laughs over the stories plus the media posts made about her shenanigans, and you assure Raihan you're looking into other charges to bodyguard for instead of prissy pants, but for now, he works on being a breath of fresh air once you come home

Leon:

Your charge is borderline in love with Leon, it's a little scary sometimes how obsessed she can be. So you and him keep quiet about your relationship whenever you're around with her, just so no drama occurs. Leon's not the biggest fan of your little celeb, but he has an image, and he's honestly just too nice to ever say no to a fan, no matter how bratty they are

One of the things that get him through it are your faces, made whenever she's not looking. Leon is trying so hard not to laugh when you wrinkle your nose or roll your eyes. He knows you think this job is a joke at this point, but contracts and all. He tries to make things easier for you whenever you're around by dropping hints that maybe your celeb should act a little nicer, but they don't tend to work

You don't mind, you're just happy to go home and be with him. You two joke and laugh over your dumb faces, and Leon tries to convince you to drop your celeb for someone else soon. Contracts can be broken under the right circumstances, can't they? You shrug at him and promise you're looking into it, so he pulls out his trump card. Be his bodyguard?

Piers:

It's a win/lose situation. On one hand, your celebrity charge is a fan of his, meaning you get to come to all of his gigs. However, it also means he can't talk to you after the gig because the celeb is demanding all of his attention and forces you to wait a few feet away so he won't be "distracted" Piers is honestly done with it, but this is your job, and so he tries his best not to be an ass back

But it's very hard, especially when your charge shows how much she likes to bad mouth you. She doesn't understand why anyone would want to talk to you, since she's there and you're only her bodyguard. It makes Piers want to rip his hair out, but you've already told him that this happens and you couldn't care less what she thinks, so he bites his tongue. He doesn't control his annoyed expression, though, which leads to her trailing off more often than not. Small miracles.

Piers is already on the phone with your company to assign you to someone else. He hates that you work for such a brat, and wants you guarding someone else, someone with manners. He'll step down if you ask him to, but please assure him you're quitting asap, else he'ls going to tear into that celeb the next time she calls you names

🍓🍓🍓

this one was fun, actually. i like imagining all the ways the boys would react to having someone so unashamedly mean to their bodyguard be in front of them. it has to be shocking. what do you even do in that situation?

anyway, sorry this took so long! i hope you enjoy it, and have a great day, love!!

~Renee

[erodasfishtacos]

The Brits Dilemma

” Prompt: Harry & Y/N go to the Brits. It’s the first time they’ve been away from their baby. Y/N is struggling but doesn’t want to ruin the night for her husband.

Word Count: 1.8 k +

Warnings: Depictions of breastfeeding

+++++++

The award show was going well. It was the first time Y/N had been out in nearly three months besides a few brunch dates and grocery shopping.

Usually, she was pretty confident in what she wore to accompany her husband to all of these flashy events - but not tonight.

Her bump had deflated but she was still attempting to get rid of the stubborn pouch that stayed after the baby had been born. It wasn’t anything out of the norm - just still trying to lose it.

She was breastfeeding and her breasts were much larger than before. They felt heavy and too big for her body. Not to mention, they were constantly swollen and achey. Pads were a must so she doesn’t leak through the tight satin black dress.

The dress was a beautiful custom design by Gucci that complimented Harry’s sharp suit but nothing felt right. It was digging into her sides and made it hard for her to sit on her chair.

The Brits were held in the O2 Arena which wasn’t very far from their London home but she felt like she was lightyears away from her baby. Even though she knew Sasha was in good hands with Anne.

Y/N was so proud of Harry for being up for five - yes, five different awards. It was a record for him and she didn’t want to let him down by complaining. It was his night. He’s been such a devote father - he deserved a break too.

So she swallowed down the anxiety she was feeling about being away from their little newborn for the night along with her worries about her changing body.

There was milling about between the tables before the show got started. Harry had people coming up him constantly - congratulating him on the album, the nominations, the baby.

Married life and fatherhood suited him well. A dazzling wedding band on his left ring finger, a necklace with an S for his daughter, along with her name freshly inked on right above his butterfly tattoo.

The open jacket he wore with is his barely buttoned dress shirt displayed it proudly. It was beautiful, done delicately in a timeless cursive. The font match his wife name that was tattooed on his hand.

He couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t excited to have a night out with his wife. He had Jeff booked a hotel for the night to have some alone time with you while his mum got to enjoy a night with her only grandchild.

Y/N was counting down the hours up until tomorrow when she could go home to see her baby. She should really tell Harry that she wants to go home and not out to a club and the hotel.

But the it just slowly starts to deteriorate further when a bald, plump business exec comes to greet the two of you. He gives his warm wishes about the birth of your child before smiling at Y/N and stating, “The baby weight will come off soon enough.”

Her throat closes up a bit and she self-consciously tries to push her chair closer to the table. It was the last thing that she needed to hear. Confirming all of her worst insecurities.

Harry glares at the man before turning to his wife, “Hey, you look s’perfect, my love. I’m so bloody lucky you’re mine.”

He’s truly trying his hardest to bring a smile to her face but he notices it’s never quite meeting her eyes. 

It get even worse when Harry gets his first award, male solo artist of the year. 

As she’s standing and clapping for him - she realizes she’s beginning to leak through her nipple inserts.

Y/N excuses herself in the middle of his acceptance speech to rush through the string of tables - out into the corridor. The last thing she wanted to do was for it to show up on a very expensive dress.

The echo of his voice can still be heard, “Love to thank my beautiful wife who makes writing sappy love songs easy and was the main inspiration for my recent album. She also just gave birth to our beautiful baby.....”

She feels awful when she tunes him out, finding the bathroom and hurriedly rushing in. There’s a gorgeous woman standing at the sink, washing their hands. 

Fucking Taylor Swift.

Any other time it’d be awkward and uncomfortable - running into an ex who wrote multiple songs about her husband.

But she couldn’t careless right now, “Hi, erm, this is really weird but could you unzip my dress? I’m leaking and - shit that was way too much information.”

But Taylor smiles kindly, “No! It’s okay, totally. No worries. Congratulations on your baby - you look so hot tonight.”

Y/N laughs and thanks her for unzipping the dress before going into a stall and locking the door. She slides her bra straps off her shoulders and disposes of the soaked pad in the sanitary bin.

Luckily, she has a clean burp rag that she gently swipes at her breast - wincing as it brushes against her swollen nipples. Even the soft fabric felt too rough on them.

It’s a minute or two before the bathroom door swings open, “Y/N? Lovie? Are you in ‘ere?”

She feels guilt at the panic in his voice. Managing to croak out, “I’m in here,” before leaning forward to unlock the door.

Harry waste no time in sliding into the stall before latching the lock again. Taking in the sight of his wife in front of him.

“I-I started leaking, M’sorry,” Y/N whispers, she has no reason to feel embarrassed but she is. “I missed your speech.”

“None of that, baby. I’ll give more speeches for you to hear - I only care that you’re okay. I’m sorry y’leakin, lemme help you, pet.”

In true Harry fashion, he takes the rag and turns on the sink - running it under warm water before carefully cleaning his wife up.

“Are they botherin’ you? They look irritated and super swollen, darling,” Harry frowns, a very gentle thumb coming to brush against her nipple. Then cupping her swollen breast in his hand, thumb rubbing at the pink skin.

“Just a little bit,” She lies, they’re absolutely on fire with chafing and skin irritation from the bra she’s wearing. She never thought she’d miss her nursing bras and sports bras this much.

He nods and helps place new inserts in her bra. Who’d think this is what Harry would be doing between accepting awards. Everyone unassuming in the arena.

**

Harry has been four for four thus far into the ceremony. They’d only had him go up and give two acceptance speeches. His hand firmly planted on his wife’s thigh throughout. 

When he went up for his second award, the camera zooms in and the crowd coos are he plants a kiss on his wife’s lips before pulling her into a hug - whispering something into her ear the audience can’t hear.

He was much more focused on his wife. He could read her fairly well - he’d like to think. Enough to know she’s having much fun. But he didn’t want to bring it up and make her feel bad.

Harry sees the way she keeps adjusting her bra, fidgets with his rings when his hands in his lap, and not even really looking up while one of her favorite artist - Dua Lipa -performs.

Y/N loved a good party before the baby. So Harry was hoping going to the Brits afterparty would make her feel better and then going back to their hotel room for a some alone time.

**

Y/N has been increasingly quiet when they’re exiting the arena after the final award artist of the year - which Harry had also won.

He was on cloud nine and admittedly a little distracted as he joked and laughed with a small group of friends on the way out. 

“Alright, should we all just pile into a cab for the ride to the party?” Nick Grimshaw asks everyone.

Everyone is in agreement - including Harry -as he calls to order one - standing in the blocked off area away from fans and paparazzi.

Y/N wants to tell him she wants to go home to Sasha but when she hears him say, “Can’t wait to get to Exhibit - haven’t been there in forever. One of my favorite clubs.”

She bites her tongue. Harry is enjoying his night out - why can’t she?

In the taxi, she’s sat on Harry’s lap as they make their way to the club. His one hand is on her inner thigh and the other is on her waist holding her steady.

In the morning, she’ll blame her post-partum hormones and anxiety. But she doesn’t even realizing her eyes are filling with tears and when she blinks they spill down her face.

She wouldn’t feel as embarrassed if she wasn’t in the car full of literal celebrities who are filled with adrenaline and excitement. Chattering and drinking from little liquor bottles they’d snuck in their jackets and clutches.

“Y/N, are you alright?” Rita Ora asks from her seat - noticing the streaks ruining your makeup.

She nods pathetically, wiping at her eyes but Harry is turning her to face him. His bright green eyes filled with concern as he studies her face.

The previously very obnoxiously loud cab becomes silent as they try to give the couple a semblance of non-existent privacy.

“What’s happening, dove? Are you hurting?” Harry panics, coming to wipe the smeared makeup away.

“I don’t want to go to the club,” Y/N sniffles, squeezing her eyes shut at how embarrassed she is of her behavior. She would usually never act this way - especially in public. And Harry knows that so it makes him even more concerned.

“That’s okay, pet. We can go have a night in, when the cab stops - we can uber back to the hotel,” Harry soothes, surprised when that brings on fresh tears.

“N-no, I want to go home. I miss the baby, I want to- need to see our baby. I-I can’t do this. My anxiety is through the roof, Harry. What if she can’t sleep? Or isn’t taking the bottle?”

“Baby, breathe, breathe. We can go home. I miss the bub terribly too. Have been worried about her all night.”

Harry tugs his wife into his chest further - tucking her head into his neck as he shoots his friends grateful looks. They all nod, sympathetic and understanding - despite them not having kids of their own.

**

“I ruined your night,” Y/N says softly in the back of the uber home. “I leaked during the show; cried in front of all your friends.”

Harry takes her chin gentle but firm until she meets his gaze, “You didn’t ruin anything f’me. All I care about is you and the baby - not some stupid award ceremony or party.”

He continues on, “You just gave us Sasha three months ago - y’bloody amazing. Best mum, best wife. Sexiest too - know you don’t think that right now but your body literally grew my baby. I get a hard-on everytime I see you.”

They both laugh, Y/N leaning forward to capture her husbands lips in a meaningful kiss of gratitude and thanks.

**

Anne smiles kindly when the two of them arrive home. A very fussy, red-faced swaddled baby coddled in her arms. 

“She hasn’t settled for quite a while now - she missed her parents very much,” Harry’s mum tells them, transferring her into her father’s arms. He’s automatically rocking and running his thumb over her cheek.

“Ooh, we missed you. Was Nana nice to you?” Harry coos. Sasha has already quieted and is blinking tearfully up at her smiling father.

“Such a good girl, best girl,” Y/N sighs, leaning in to kiss her downy hair. Harry’s hand coming to wrap around his wife’s waist as they peer down at their perfect little daughter.

Anne smiles at his son and daughter-in-law fawning over their little creation with so much love and adoration.

After a minute of chatting -Harry’s mum makes her way up to the guest room after a long night with a miserable baby. They make their way to their room where Y/N strips out of her tight dress and awful bra. 

She sits against the headboard in just a pair of soft cotton panties. Harry is gently shushing her and humming a melody as his wife gets situated. He knew she was anxious to feed the baby.

“That’s it my sweet thing. Y’missed us, hm? We missed you too, bub. Nana said y’wouldn’t take the bottle. Only want your mumma, hmm?” Harry coos, kissing her chubby cheeks.

He’s then giving Y/N the baby, who ferociously latching within seconds and begins eating like she’d been starved for the last week. Making weak little rumbles as she does so.

They both giggle fondly, Y/Ns fingers come to touch her fluttering cheek - memorizing her over and over again.

Harry gets onto the bed and settles next to the both of them. Watching his baby feed in amazement at what his wife was capable of. He smears a few kisses against her bare shoulder - hand on his baby’s back.

How strong she was - as he knew it had to be at least a little bit painful with how irritated her nipples had been. He can tell when she winces every once in a while.

He plants a few more kisses to her warm skin - noticing her eyes getting a bit droopy as Sasha feeds at a slow, suckling pace.

“If I’m being honest, being with you - watching you feed our baby...I’d rather be here than at any club.” 

Y/N snorts, rolling her eyes, “Sure.”

Her husband frowns, “M’serious, this is all I need, baby.”

“I love you, congratulation on all your Brits,” Y/N murmurs, pecking at his lips.

“I love you too. I meant it, during my speeches. I wouldn’t have been able to write those songs if you hadn’t inspired me. You’ll and the bab will always be the best muse.”

[capseycartwright]

"I am fed up with half-measures. I deserve better." (Got huge buddie and malex vibes from this one 👀)

ao3 link

The last thing Eddie expected to find at his door was Buck, of all people – not because Buck was an unusual fixture in his home; no, because Buck was supposed to be on a date.

Eddie had been trying his best for weeks now, to be the dutiful best friend, and support Buck’s relationship with Taylor – regardless of how much he wished Buck wasn’t dating anyone else – and it was hard. It was hard, and so Eddie was halfway through a tub of his favourite flavour of ice-cream (the excessively expensive one Buck had introduced him to, the one Eddie only bought when he knew Christopher wasn’t home). He’d also cracked open a bottle of wine Hen and Karen had given him as a thank you for babysitting Denny, one Saturday afternoon (he’d made a mental note to thank Karen – the woman had good taste in wine) and so Eddie was well settled in for an evening of feeling sorry for himself while Christopher was at a sleepover party.

Until – well, Buck decided to bang his door in.

Tucking his ice-cream into the crook of his arm, Eddie raised an eyebrow. “You have a key,” he reminded, looking a frazzled Buck up and down. He was clearly dressed for a date – wearing that blue striped shirt that made Eddie’s mouth water, a neat jacket over the top – but he was also clearly not on said date.

“I have had the worst day,” Buck declared dramatically, kicking his sneakers off in the hallway, brow furrowing as he noticed the bottle of wine on the table. “Do you have company?” he asked, clearly confused – Ana was long gone, to be fair, their relationship having ended weeks previously.

Eddie swallowed, glancing down at his very sad outfit of a pair of raggedy old sweatpants, and a grubby sweatshirt that had definitely seen better days – Eddie wasn’t a sentimental man, really, but Christopher always called it Eddie’s cuddliest sweatshirt, so Eddie didn’t have the heart to throw it out.

“No,” he reassured. “I don’t.”

“Wine, though?”

“Are you questioning my methods of self-care?” Eddie retorted. “I like wine, sue me.”

“All wine tastes the same,” Buck sighed, throwing himself on the couch, reaching for the bottle.

“You can have a glass,” Eddie intervened. “But I will kick you out of my house if you drink directly from that bottle, Buck. I’d like to pretend I have some level of class,” he sighed, padding into the kitchen and grabbing another wine glass – a set Abuela had bought him, when he’d moved to LA. “So,” he said, setting the glass down on the coffee table, pausing to take a scoop of his slowly melting ice-cream before he continued. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or are we going to play charades?”

Buck rolled his eyes, but took the wine glass, all the same, pouring himself a generous measure. He took a swig, before he spoke, raising an eyebrow. “Did you pick this out?” he questioned, no doubt thinking back to the evening where Eddie had been in charge of getting wine for their family dinner and had accidentally bought cooking wine. It was an easy mistake to have made, if you asked Eddie.

Eddie shook his head. “Present from Karen and Hen,” he clarified. “Stop deflecting.”

“I broke up with Taylor,” and oh, if Eddie hadn’t been waiting to hear those words for so long.

“I’m sorry,” Eddie tried, because he couldn’t look that happy about it, could he? It would give the game away – and in so many ways, Eddie was convinced his feelings were obvious, that he’d given the game away a long time ago, but Buck had never mentioned it.

“I’m not,” Buck looked furious, again. “I – we had this nice date planned, right? We made sure to pick a night where we were both off, where she doesn’t need to be in work early tomorrow, and I’m off, so we could get breakfast, too – really spend some time together,” he explained. “And I got to the restaurant and I waited, and I waited, and I waited for a fucking hour, Eddie, and nothing – no text, no call from her. I was sitting there, spiralling, wondering if she was – if she was dead, or something. Right? So, after an hour, I decided I was going to pass by the news station, and see what was happening, and do you know what she said?”

Eddie shook his head.

“That she’d told her intern to call me and cancel our date, because a story came up,” Buck practically spat. “I mean, is she serious? And like – I love that she has a career she loves, because she gets how I feel about being a firefighter, but she does this all the time and I just never feel like I’m even getting close to the top of her priority list. So, I – I asked her, if I was ever going to be something she prioritised over work, and she said no.”

Eddie winced. “She was honest, at least,” he tried.

“Totally,” Buck agreed. “And I appreciate the honesty – really – and it’s not like it ended on bad terms. We just didn’t want the same thing out of a relationship, and I’m not going to resent her for it. But – fuck, this is nice wine by the way – I am fed up with half-measures, Eddie,” he sighed, slumping back on the couch. “I deserve better.”

Eddie swallowed thickly. Buck did deserve better – and Eddie wasn’t going to sit here and pretend as though he was better, as though he knew he could be boyfriend of the year and give Buck everything he needed. But – Eddie loved him, and surely, surely that had to be enough? It had to be enough to love someone so much it felt like your love for them was etched into the very bones of who you were? Eddie so badly wanted to be enough.

“I wouldn’t,” Eddie said quietly, suddenly conscious of the melting ice-cream he was still gripping tightly. It had cost eleven dollars, he reminded – he should probably put it back in the freezer.

Buck looked at him, utterly confused. “What?”

“I wouldn’t love you in half-measures,” Eddie wasn’t sure where he was finding the bravery, to finally say it, to tell Buck how he felt, but somehow, somewhere, he’d found a bravery he wasn’t sure he’d ever had before. He had thought he’d be spending the rest of his life trundling along, desperately in love with a best friend who didn’t love him back. Eddie had accepted it, almost – because having Buck as a friend was better than not having Buck at all.

Buck’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes wide, and excited. “How would you love me, Eddie?” he asked, his voice soft, and trembling – the only giveaway that he felt as nervous as Eddie did, there and then, dangling on the precipice of something new, and wonderful.

“Forever,” Eddie said. “I’d love you forever, Buck.”

(And when Buck kissed him – he tasted like wine, and Eddie knew he tasted like wine, and Buck’s shirt was soft, under tentative fingertips as Eddie reached out to hold him the way he’d so desperately wanted to for so long, and –

Well, it felt like the beginning of forever.)

send me a prompt from this list

[kkusuka]

Have I told you I hate weak y/n’s that get pushed around by fangirls? No? Well, I hate them 😊

Let’s have Oikawa, Atsumu, Akaashi, Semi, and Terushima react to their normally calm gf, beat the dog shit out of a fangirl that tried to intimidate her for dating said men above. Reader just has a soft smile before cocking her fist back and boxing her shit before holding up the fangirl and looking to the rest like “You wanna end up like her? No? Then know your place~ ☺️”. Then she faces her bf with a sweet smile and says something affectionate like “I brought you lunch, dear. I made it just how you like it 😄” before kissing his cheek like she didn’t go Muhammad Ali on a bitch

<3

Oikawa Tooru<3

Oikawa’s had more than a few less than pleasant experiences with women

Considering he’s always been surrounded by them, from his sister's friends in middle school and being swarmed by them in High school and college- having women around him was nothing new

And for the most part, they were all pleasant

Giving him little gifts and food- that he always gave to you- and just telling him how much they loved watching him play

All things he can deal with before talking to his favorite girl, you

Though, there have been instances of some bold woman who just never get the hint

Whether it be drunkenness or some weird dream of having Oikawa to herself or just blatant disregard of his relationship

And right now just happens to be one of those times- but now you got a firsthand view of the madness.

Whoever this was clearly didn't understand relationships or personal space for that matter

She had a hand on his chest and was just blubbering about how she would be the best wife for him and would make life so much easier- much more than you do for him- and that was just what you saw from the ten seconds you were in earshot

He would normally laugh it offend continue seeking out autographs but he seemed to be locked in an iron maiden

“I promise! Forget about your girlfriend, she’s useless anyways!” and finally a perfect chance to make yourself known

“Tooru, I have your lun-” you attempted to grab him away, him shooting a pleading look to save him before your wrist was snatched from his arm and tugged away and shoved to the side then pushing your body away from the two

“Back off bitch!”

Now,  you were normally a pretty calm person, you knew how to deal with the women and you have been for years.

But you stand by the fact that it was never ok to put your hands on someone- no matter the situation.

But at that moment, you could care less about your silly reparations and breathing methods, that lady put a hand on you and pushed you

You could hear Tooru telling her to keep her hands off you but you just looked around and made sure that everyone saw what had happened, you don't need to be arrested anytime soon

Grabber her arm you detached her from your boyfriends and in the next second your fist was connecting with her face, watching her wither on the floor you turn to your boyfriend who’s now coming towards you

“As I was saying, I have your lunch.”

Atsumu Miya<3

Another guy who’s constantly surrounded by women

Although he is far less appreciative and nice to them, and he makes it a point to be abundantly clear that you are the only woman he will spend the rest of his life with

Something that wasn't too popular with a few specific fans

Every blue moon someone will find his phone number and blow it up with loving messages or try and get his address

The worst it’s been was someone finding his apartment number and thankfully being too far away to come by themselves but they did send some inappropriate images to his PO box and that led him to create an even thinker line between fans and himself

Thankful, the whole of them understood and respected his boundaries

Buuuuut there are always people who go the extra step

Like whoever this is crowding your boyfriend after a win against the Alders with a giant poster of him and a …. Thong

If you were the slightest more stoic you would have held in the laugh that started it all but it seems crazy is crazy no matter how you provoke them

That lady heard you laugh and the flood gates opened, in a split second her hand was on your cheek then she was on the floor holding what you could hope was a broken jaw

You didn't even realize you punched her until a shooting pain went up your wrist

Though before you had a chance to return to your lovely boyfriend, who was standing in the same spot shell shocked (and slightly turned on)  hand grabbed your ankle the flung you to the ground

It was, for lack of a better term, a catfight

She was hitting you and you were hitting her and she was screaming random shit about how awful you were to her precious Atsumu- seriously this lady was insane

Nevertheless, security arrived, and let’s just say that you were in much better condition than she was, who knew you could fight so well?

Though you weren't allowed to come to the next game and had to apologize to the heads of the Volleyball association, Tsumu was proud of you and the internet was on your side- so it was kind of a win-win

Akaashi Keiji<3

He surprisingly doesn't have a swarm of fangirls around him

But it’s much much worse, you’d rather have a mob of girls around him than the four specific psychos that never leave the poor guy alone

Everywhere in school at least one of them is watching the two of you, in class, at lunch- no matter where you try and eat- you swear you even saw one at the boba show you pass on your walk home with him

The worst part?

He thinks it’s funny.

It is hilarious to him that you try so hard to keep them away full knowing he would never leave you for the likes of them. It’s just too cute how you puff up your cheeks and huff about them and honestly, it's a breath of fresh air considering how much everyone kisses up to him

Well- he likes it when they are at a distance

On the off chance they get close to him, it's a different story. They truly are intolerable, and they away try bad-mouthing you to him like it was supposed to mean something that they don't like you

And they only ever do it when you’re away- cowards they truly are. And since they’re always watching, as soon as you left to buy the two of you lunch, one of them was on him in an instant

She was annoying and all she could say was ho you were a ‘poison’ in his life and he had to leave you as soon as possible

He didn't even realize you were there until a hand grabbed the back of her uniform and flung her off him. And from the looks of it, falling on the ground really hurt

“I’m a poison? That’s all you could come up with?”

You didn't even have to say another word, she was already out of sight

Not missing a beat, you handed him his lunch and started talking about the latest episode of the volleyball anime you loved.

Semi Eita<3

First off- a total power couple

Not only are you willing to beat a bitch, but he’s also ready to hype you up while you do it

It’s not confirmed you have, but there are rumors that you fought more than a few girls who were less than pleasant. And it’s not like you do anything for rumor control, you just laugh and turn the other way

Still, even with the rumor mill running rampant, some girls still try and shoot their shot

But this girl has to be the boldest woman on planet earth

Not only was she flirting with an openly taken man, but she was flirting with him as he held his arm around your waist. She even looked at you as she spoke to him, the audacity of people these days

“You like music? That’s crazy, I do too!” you wanted her to shut the fuck up as soon as possible.

What pissed you off more was that he knew exactly what he was doing, and he was letting it happen to spite you.

What happened after this you blame solely on the alcohol the party was providing and not on the fact you wanted to clock this girl the moment you saw her

It was just that suddenly your drink was in her face

Then her drink was in her face, and she was running to the bathroom, maybe she should listen to rumors more often because you don't think strawberry daiquiri will come out of a white crop too so easily

Terushima Yuji<3

He’s an ass

But he’s your ass, somehow

He’s a manwhore and an attention-whore, mix that should have been shot before it could grow into something more

By now you're used to the girls slipping him their numbers and hitting him up on every social media site possible and you remain happy to say he doesn't respond- probably too busy dicking you down to care about any of them

Plus, less than 1%  of them actually approach them in public, and they just happen to be the most insufferable people on the planet.

Desperation doesn't even describe it

Of that 1%, at least half of them try to touch him, running a hand on his arm, tugging at his clothes, maybe even a strand of his hair, all you can deal with because he knows what’ll happen if he even entertains their advances

But for some reason, the only thing that sets you off is when they mention the tongue piercing.

It invokes a rage unknown within you, the second the metal ball’s mentioned you see red. And he fucking loves it, you could be three prefectures over and the second the girl mentions it, you magically appear at his side like you’d been there the whole time

All of a sudden you’re all over him, disregarding this girls words as she tries to bring the conversation back to her, going as far as grabbing your shoulder, and since she touched you first- you had the green light

Your arm pulled back and your fist connected to her cheek

And like nothing ever happened you turned back to the blond

tags: @diamond-3 @rinsangel @heyheyitsne @angelalje @monisi @crystal-lilac @sadpotato10

[charles-rxwlands]

lay all your love on me

okay!! so this is my fic for @magpiencrow's 1.2k writing challenge.

this is based off of the song lay all your love on me, slowed, by putin

pairing: nikolai/reader

rating: general

tags: gn!reader w/ gn pronouns, fluff

summary: falling in love with nikolai lantsov told through several vignettes

or: mindless nikolai/reader fluff with a alina and ivan being little shits

warnings: right off the bat there's a nightmare about drowning in the ocean, and there's one (1) swear word at the end, but other than that, there's nothing

word count: 4.1k

read on ao3

constructive criticism, feedback, and reblogs are greatly appreciated !

I haven't written anything in a while, so i may be a bit rusty, but please enjoy :)

You were drowning, and also pretty damn sure you were going to die out here. Your lungs were on fire, screaming for air, but you couldn't emerge from the ocean for long enough to suck in a breath. Sure, your hand or head breached the surface every now and then, but a wave would come crashing down on you immediately after, destroying all your progress.

      The undulating waves threw you around like a football - a very pathetic one, at that. As hard as you tried to fight the current, it still insisted on moving against you (stubborn bastard), so really you weren't going anywhere. Just pathetically bobbing around in the same pathetic place. You couldn't feel your limbs - the only thing you could feel was the agonising ache in your chest. It was as if your arms and legs had frozen over along with your will to live.

      How easy it would be to just... 

...let the ocean take you...

      Suddenly, someone grabbed you by the wrist. You screamed, which was a mistake; immediately, salty seawater filled your mouth, making you gag and choke. Nevertheless, you valiantly tried to release yourself from whoever - whatever? - had their hold on you. 

      "Y/n, Y/n! Relax, darling, relax," a voice said, sounding out of breath. "It's me."

      You whirled your head around. Sagging with relief, you gasped out the name of your saviour. "Nikolai."

      "Yes. Yes, Y/n, my love, it's me. It's Nikolai," he soothed, running his hands over your wet hair.

      "Nikolai," you breathed. "Nikola-" - a wave reared up on its hind legs, ready to come crashing down onto your friend, ready to take him away - "no, no, Nikolai, NO-!"

   

You startled, eyes flying open. You were shaking like a leaf. Were you cold, or was it just the adrenaline from the nightmare still making its course? You shook your head as if to rid your mind of the dream. It wasn't real. Nikolai had saved you that night. It was fine. It wasn't real.

      But it could very well have been real, a traitorous voice in your mind whispered. Scowling, you cursed your pessimistic side. Even if a wave had separated you two, Nikolai would have fought tooth and nail to get to you again. You would have done the same. After all, you were childhood friends, and you knew better than anyone that Nikolai didn't let go of his loved ones so easily.

      He hadn't wanted you to accompany him on his journey overseas as Sturmhond. You insisted otherwise, channeling some of Nikolai's stubbornness that had rubbed off on you. ("You're not getting rid of me that easily, idiot. So let me come, unless you want me to steal your kneecaps."). 

      A half-smile appeared on your face as you thought back to the memory. Slowly, you got up from your bed. Your blanket was draped over your shoulders. You slipped out of your cabin quietly, walking down the hallway until you found yourself in front of Nikolai's room. He stirred in his sleep when you entered. The door creaked slightly, but it didn't seem like his distress was because of the noise.

      You sat on the edge of his bed. Nikolai, previously facing away, turned over to face you. His eyes were still screwed shut, eyebrows knitted together and an unhappy expression on his face. You frowned. 

      "Nikolai." you nudged him gently. "Wake up. You're okay, just wake up. It's just a dream."

      He opened his eyes, blinking at you. "Y/n?"

      "Hi," you said. A lock of golden hair fell over his forehead, and upon instinct, you reached to brush it away. He let you, not uttering any of his usual complaints. 

      "You were gone," he mumbled, undoubtedly referencing his nightmare. "I- I couldn't save you, and you were gone." 

      You shifted into a more comfortable position - your whole body was on the bed now, with your back against the headboard. He leaned his head against your chest, and you ran your fingers through his hair. "It wasn't real. It's okay. You saved me - I'm not going anywhere, 'Lai."

      "Me either," he agreed, wrapping his arms around your middle. A beat of silence. Then, "Thank you."

      You were more than content to fall asleep like this. Even if it meant waking up with an ache in your neck. Judging from the way he was curled up, practically drinking in your presence, Nikolai felt the same way.

      What a feeling it was to have found solace in Nikolai Lantsov, and to know he had found solace in you, too.

· · ─── ·𖥸· ─── · ·

Nikolai's pov

Nikolai watched from the corner of the ballroom as you laughed at one of Ivan's jokes. One would say that he was scowling, but the Prince of Ravka didn't scowl. No - he was simply observing your conversation with the Heartrender with visible distaste. He was not scowling. And he was not jealous.

      You and Ivan were smiling at each other, standing by the refreshments table, mouths moving quickly, the both of you obviously interested in whatever you were talking about. You threw your head back in a laugh. You looked gorgeous. Nikolai wanted to make you laugh like that - more than he wanted to admit.

      The last straw was when Ivan lay a hand on your shoulder, and then snaked his arm around you. You didn't seem perturbed by his touch - no, actually, you leaned into it. He bent down to whisper something in your ear that made you duck your head in embarrassment and lightly hit his chest. 

      Nikolai's glare deepened, if that were even possible. Okay, fine, maybe he was jealous. Did he even have the right to be jealous, though? It wasn't as if he was dating you, as much as he'd like to be.

And oh boy, he'd like to be. 

      Suddenly, Alina appeared at his side, seemingly out of thin air. He flinched. "Alina." 

      The girl in question had a mischievous look in her eye. Her hands were clasped in front of her, the long, flowy sleeves of her dress falling just past her wrists. The bottom half of her gown was a sparkly gold, whereas the top half was a dark blue. The two colours faded into each other at the middle, creating a gradient effect. It was a beautiful dress. You had helped Alina pick it out yourself, if he remembered correctly.

      "Hello, loverboy." she poked him in the side, grinning knowingly. "How's your crush on Y/n going for you?"

      "I don't have a crush on them, Alina, for Saint's sake."

      "Oh, is that so? You do seem... ah, what was the word... utterly whipped for them, contrary to what you just said," she said, tilting her head to the side, feigning innocence.

      "Am not," he argued. "I-," Nikolai paused, taking notice of you and Ivan walking past a couple metres away. Unfortunately, you were too engrossed in your current conversation to notice him. His eyes lingered on you. He only looked away when you disappeared back into the throng of people. 

      Alina let out a triumphant 'ha!'. 

      He directed his attention back to her and glared. "Alina, I swear-,"

      "Utterly. Whipped," she mouthed.

      "I will behead you," he threatened.

      She laughed. "In all seriousness, I really don't think Y/n and Ivan like each other like that," Alina said.

      "Well, of course not," he agreed. "Y/n very clearly has eyes for me. I can't say I blame them - who could resist all this? Everyone's all over me, as I'm sure you've noticed." 

      Alina stared at him pointedly.

      "Ah, except for you, of course. You seem to be the only one immune to my charm and charisma. An odd one, you are."

       She rolled her eyes. "Why do I even bother," she groaned. "Just swear to me that you'll tell Y/n you like them soon. Within a week. Swear on... your dignity."

      "My dignity?" Nikolai drawled.

      "Yes, your dignity, because if you don't fess up soon, I'll have to tell Y/n about your crush on them myself," she grinned smugly, and darted off before Nikolai could retort. 

      He sighed. As he saw it, he had three options:

      1. Blackmail Alina (because of course she wouldn't give in to simple bribery)

      2. Get on his knees and beg Alina to not tell you of his massive crush (there! he admitted it; he had a massive crush on you! One that he'd been harbouring for just over a year now, too)

      3. Listen to Alina, and confess on his own terms

      All three were mortifying, and things he absolutely didn't want to do. However, the last was considerably easier to do, and came with the most benefits and the least consequences. You had already seen him through his most embarrassing moments (and he through yours) so even if you rejected him, the humiliation would be minimal. 

      And maybe he wanted to confess. And maybe there was hope that you liked him back. Nikolai wasn't stupid - he knew when people fancied him. He suspected you liked him back, but then again, that could've been wishful thinking, or maybe he was misreading the entire thing.

      He didn't even understand why he was so jealous of the way Ivan and you had interacted. Before he had fallen heads over heels in love with you, his childhood best friend, people flirting with you hadn't been a problem. He'd encouraged it, even. But now, bitterness flared up inside of him every time he saw someone getting a bit too cozy with you. 

      In short, his feelings for you had completely destroyed his facade of smooth, suave, sexy Prince of Ravka. And it kind of terrified him how poorly he hid it.

· · ─── ·𖥸· ─── · ·

Nikolai had been acting strange lately, and it was bothering you. You feared the worst - had he finally caught on to your crush? You thought you'd been subtle until Ivan had approached you at the most recent party. Apparently, the scowl on your face as you watched Nikolai flirt with the guests had been fierce enough to kill.

      Ivan had given you (unsolicited) advice, telling you to be straightforward and direct. That was what he'd done with Fedyor, after all, and that had worked out well.

      You were pacing around your room. Ivan was perched on your bed, watching you have a borderline nervous breakdown like one would watch the view. 

      "You're enjoying this, aren't you, Ivan?" you demanded. "I'm about to make a life or death decision, and you're enjoying it."

      He chuckled. "I wouldn't call this a life or death decision, Y/n. If Nikolai rejects you, he rejects you, and it's his loss. If he reciprocates, good, and you'll be free to frolic in the meadows with him, all fine and dandy."

      You stared at him, your expression communicating, "Did you really just say that?", very clearly.

      "Okay, okay, fine, I'll be serious." Ivan relented. "Just tell him, Y/n. What's the worst that could happen?" 

      Just as you were about to respond - "Well, I don't know, what if he rejects me, things become eternally awkward between us, and our 10 year long friendship is ruined because I couldn't keep my mouth shut?" - someone knocked at the door. You opened it to find Nikolai waiting. His hair was perfectly styled, as always. He wore a dark turquoise suit jacket, and a simple white dress shirt underneath. The ghost of a smile appeared on your face; you had chosen the colour for him.

      "Hi, Nikolai," you greeted. 

      "Hello," he said. "Come on a walk with me. It's a lovely day outside, and both of us have been dreadfully busy lately - we may not get another chance to spend time together, I'm afraid."

      "Oh! Of course, just let me grab more suitable shoes- I'll be out in a minute- Ivan, move." You rummaged around your room in search of the sandals Nikolai had gifted you for your most recent birthday. Ivan flashed you a grin.

      "Tell him!" he whispered as you ducked out the door.

      You hoped you didn't seem too jittery as you took Nikolai's arm, even if your insides were filled with butterflies. He seemed deep in thought for the first few minutes of your walk. It wasn't until you were both outside that he finally spoke.

      "I hope you don't mind me asking, Y/n, but what was Ivan doing in your room?" he asked. 

      The question caught you off guard. Why was he so concerned about you and Ivan? It wasn't as if-

      Oh.

      Oh.

      "Nikolai, don't tell me- are you jealous?" you exclaimed.

      "Just answer the question, Y/n," he grumbled, which was enough of an answer for you.

      You laughed, only feeling a bit bad that you were so amused. Nikolai Lantsov, jealous. You found that incredibly funny. "Oh, I'm sorry for laughing," you apologised, even as another giggle escaped your mouth. "You don't have to worry, Ivan and I are strictly friends."

      He didn't seem convinced. "But the two of you at the party a few days ago-,"

      You cut him off. "Nikolai. I promise that there is nothing romantic going on with Ivan and I. And besides, I don't think I'm anywhere near his type."

      "Ivan likes men, Nikolai," you supplied, sensing his confusion. "Honestly, you need to keep up with gossip - he and Fedyor have been going strong for nearly three months now."

      "Oh," Nikolai said.

      "Yeah, oh."

      "And, uh, do you? Like men, I mean?" 

      You bit back another laugh. "Yes, I do. One man in particular, actually." 

      "Is that so? Care to clue me in on who this man is?"

      "You." 

· · ─── ·𖥸· ─── · ·

Nikolai's pov

"You."

      As soon as that single word came out of your mouth, Nikolai's brain short-circuited, and several alarms blared in his mind. ALERT! ALERT! THE PERSON YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH LIKES YOU BACK! 

      He was too stunned to speak, which was definitely a first. So, naturally, he didn't speak, but instead leaned in to kiss you. His lips brushed chastely against yours. A pause. 

      "I- I'm really sorry, Y/n, I should have asked beforehand-,"

      "Nikolai." you took his face in your hands. "Shut up." 

      And then you kissed him, and if his brain had been short-circuiting before, this was a full blown system failure. Sparks flew inside of him, and he was acutely aware of you and you only. It was a wonderful feeling, one that he immediately missed when you pulled away.

      "Wow," you said. 

      He grinned. "I'm that good of a kisser, huh?"

      When usually you would come up with a witty response, you just smiled. It was a smile Nikolai was pretty sure he'd die to see again. 

· · ─── ·𖥸· ─── · ·

Falling in love with Nikolai had been a long process. Your simple crush developed into something deeper like a leaky faucet dripping - slowly, but steadily. And then the realisation that you were in love with him hit you like a tidal wave. Drowning you, consuming every inch of your being, but not necessarily in a bad way.

       You came to your epiphany while laying awake in bed one night after a whole day spent with the esteemed King of Ravka. It was a wonder that you'd managed to spend a whole 10 hours or so in his company without getting fed up, Tamar had teased. He did annoy you - and had today - but you bullied him back plenty enough. It was easy being with him. Easier than you were used to. 

       You loved the way his eyes sparkled after correcting someone on their use of the word 'impossible'. Loved how he devoted himself to his country so selflessly. Loved how he smiled at you so genuinely and lovingly, even when you didn't have the energy to show your love in return after a bad day. Saints, you loved him so, so much, and you were so in love with him, too, and-

       Holy shit. You were in love with Nikolai.

       You were in love. With Nikolai.

       A childish giggle bubbled up inside of you, and you sighed happily. What a feeling it was to be in love with the King of Ravka, even if he didn't know it yet. 

· · ─── ·𖥸· ─── · ·

You twirled a small flower around in your hands as you walked side by side with Nikolai, your shoulders brushing occasionally. The taller blades of grass tickled your ankles, and a gentle breeze weaved through your hair. The sun peeked out from behind a few clouds, warming your face.

     Nikolai intertwined your fingers, sighing in content. He craned back his neck to meet the sunshine, eyes fluttering shut. He looked stunning, just standing there with his almost otherworldly beauty as light spilled over his fine features, highlighting every detail.

     "I'm in love with you," you blurted suddenly. "I love you, and I'm also in love with you, so. Yeah. I'm in love with you, Nikolai Lantsov."

     You gave yourself a mental round of applause for your eloquence and tact.

      He blinked. "Oh." The ghost of a smile appeared on his face, turning into a full-fledged grin when he finally processed your words. "Oh. I'm... I'm in love with you, too, Y/n L/n."

      You beamed back at him, and cupped his face in your hands. You gently ran your fingers against his cheeks, tracing a line down to the base of his chest. The fabric of his shirt was thin and soft, unlike the suffocating material his suits were made of. Lovingly, he wrapped his arms around your waist, and pulled you close. Your heart fluttered. Saints, you adored Nikolai. More than you could put into words. 

      "I love you," you whispered. "I love you so much, so intensely that it consumes me, and I'm drowning in it. But instead of it being hard to breathe, it makes breathing easier. It makes everything easier." 

      You interrupted your little speech by kissing him, just because it felt appropriate, and continued. "I was so lost without you, Nikolai. I didn't realise it, because as I've proved time and time again, I'm more than capable of holding my own-" you smirked as he rolled his eyes at the jab to his overprotectiveness "-but I was. I was a boat lost at sea, floating around in the waves, with no destination and no goal except surviving. Then you came along, and gave me solace. You were my salvation. You and your endearingly stupid jokes and your wild yet grounded behaviour. You're my anchor, Nikolai." 

      He laughed, but not in the mean way. In the happy way. 

      "I would pay you back with a monologue of my own," he said. "but all I can think of right now is how perfect you are, and how much I want to kiss you."

      Your smile widened, if that were even possible. You met him midway, lips connecting almost desperately. The only coherent thought running through your brain was 'Nikolai, Nikolai, Nikolai.'

      Nikolai.

· · ─── ·𖥸· ─── · ·

"That one looks like a dragon," you said, pointing out a lumpy cloud in the sky.

      Nikolai tilted his head to the left. It was rather cute - he looked like a puppy, trying to figure out what its owner was saying. His right eyebrow curved in an upward arch (you still had no idea how he managed to raise a single eyebrow at a time), and he pouted slightly. Adorable.

      "I don't see it," he deadpanned.

      You sighed and shook your head, dismissing the cute puppy ideology. "Nevermind," you huffed. As hard as you tried to pretend you were upset with him, a smile teased at the corners of your mouth, anyway.

      "I'm sorry, darling, but I really don't!" he exclaimed, flopping back into the picnic blanket you two had laid out. Really, it wasn't even a picnic blanket. It was just a blanket. The two of you hadn't had time to find a proper one before embarking on your impromptu picnic. Nikolai, ever the improviser, had then brandished a quilt from Saints knew where. You suspected it came from Vasily's room, because who else would be pompous enough to own a red velvet blanket the size of China?

      You dramatically exhaled again. "I already said nevermind. Not all of us can be blessed with a creative vision such as mine, after all."

      Nikolai laughed. And Saints, the sound was downright melodic. You didn't even want to begin thinking about all the things you'd do to hear it one more time.

      A comfortable silence settled between the two of you. Eventually, he began stroking your palm with his callouses fingers. You bit back a smile, and linked your pinkies together. A gathering of clouds mostly covered the sun - enough to allow only a bit of warm, gold light to seep out. You wondered briefly how Nikolai looked right now, basking underneath the faint sunshine. 

      The answer came to you easily, even without looking at him: fucking beautiful. 

      However, you wouldn't give him the satisfaction of staring at him. The last time he had caught you gaping at him like a lovesick fool, he had teased you endlessly. It was ridiculous. It wasn't as if he didn't stare at you. No, actually. He stared at you all the time. In fact, he was doing it right now.

      You bit back a grin when you felt his eyes on you. But before you could tease him for it, he got up suddenly, offering you a hand.

      "Come on," he urged. "Follow me."

      "Where to?" you questioned curiously.

      He smirked. Tugged on your hand. Winked. "You'll see." 

      "Right, that's not cryptic at all," you muttered. 

      Eventually, after a minute or so of walking (and plenty of you trying to weasel more information out of him) the two of you had seemed to reach your destination. A huge tree hung above you, offering its shade. You plopped down, but Nikolai remained standing.

      Strangely, he was looking rather nervous. Repeatedly tugging at the collar of his beige button-up shirt, and kicking at the grass. 

      "Y/n, darling, don't just sit there, you're making me nervous," he whined. 

      You giggled, but stood up anyway. "I could say the same about you. What's on your mind, dear?"

      He took a deep breath, and looked you dead in the eyes. "I love you, Y/n. I love you, and I'm in love with you. I always have, and always have been. It's just- you're wonderful. And intelligent. And charming. And I am so, so glad you are my partner - in the romantic sense, and the platonic sense. If I'm being honest, I'm quite sure I'd be tearing at the seams without you to sew me back together every time I do something particularly foolish. 

      And I hope you'll always be there to ground me. Because I will always be there for you. Th-there's no other way to say this, my darling, but I'd quite like to spend the rest of my life with you, so..."

      He brandished a dark blue box from his back pocket (this probably wasn't the time, but you had to mention that you could never fit something that large in your pocket. Why did men's clothing always have bigger pockets?) and got down on one knee. 

      "Will you do me the honour of marrying me, Y/n?" he finished.

      Holy fuck. Holy mother of Saints. Holy everything. Was this real? Saints. This really was real, wasn't it? Nikolai Lantsov was proposing to you.

      A sob escaped from your throat, and you nodded frantically, not wanting him to think you were upset. "Yes," you said. "Saints, Nikolai, yes."

      He smiled. You knew that he smiled a lot, but this smile was different. Usually, he just grinned or smirked in a devilish way - this was more of a beam. He looked so genuinely happy (genuinely happy, because of you!) that it made your heart soar, and you were pretty sure you fell in love with him all over again for the second time. You'd never get tired of it, though. Not when it came to Nikolai (Nikolai, your husband-to-be!). Never when it came to Nikolai.

      You soon found yourself enveloped in a hug. He spun you around, both of you laughing (and crying). When he set you down, you could have sworn you saw his eyes welling up.

      "Now, my love, those better be happy tears," he tutted.

      "Of course they're happy tears, you stupid puppy dog!" you sniffed. "I love you."

      He beamed into your hair. "I love you, too, Y/n."

      What a feeling it was to be in love with Nikolai Lantsov, and to know that he was in love with you, too.

[somnambulants]

omg i think it’s considered a little bit of a pride mont hate crime that you don’t have MORE nat fics 🥺 so hehehe how about i request some pouty jealous!nat?

Notes: omg thank u! happy pride 💛 this went super off topic BUT i hope you still like it! jealous!nat is my new favorite thing. 

Summary: Natasha may have a little bit of jealous streak. You discover you don’t mind. Word count: 3.8K

You are not a jealous person.

That’s not to say that you aren’t prone to bouts of insecurity, you definitely are, and especially at the beginning of your relationship with Natasha. For the first few months after you’d begun dating, you’d been on edge the entire time; in a constant state of wondering, agonising, for the day she’d finally realise you weren’t good enough for her and up and leave.

Through all of that, you’d never given a lot of thought to whether your girlfriend is the jealous type. Mostly because Natasha is the most beautiful person you’d ever seen but also because it’s not like she would ever have a reason to be jealous; the minute you’d met, you had never so much as wanted to look at another person.

The thought never crossed your mind. It was laughable to you.

As unbelievable of an idea as it is, you’ve been together for just a few months when it slowly begins to dawn on you that you may not be the jealous type, but Natasha most definitely is.

--

In all – although admittedly, there weren’t a lot – of her relationships, Natasha has never cared enough to worry about being jealous over a significant other. 

This is why the visceral reaction she has to watching people flirt with you comes as such a surprise to her.

The first time it happens, you’d only just begun dating and were at one of the many events the avengers were required to attend. Still wanting to stay as low-key as possible, you’d both privately agreed to not spend the night attached to one another. 

Something Natasha is now beginning to regret. Immensely.

Currently, you’re across the room, talking to a woman Natasha vaguely recognises as a reporter and all she can focus on is the way the woman is looking at you. 

It makes the hair on the back of her neck stand up because Natasha knows that look; has given you that look many times over the course of your relationship – a hungry, I want you right now, kind of look.

“Nat!”

Steve suddenly materialises beside her and the fact that she didn’t see him coming is evidence of how distracted she is. It makes her scowl even harder. Taking in her expression, he all of a sudden looks like he’s trying not to laugh as he follows her gaze to where you were standing. “You feeling okay? You’re looking a little…green.”

She resists the urge to kick him in the stomach. “Bite me, Rogers.”

He snickers and starts to say something else, but whatever it is, it’s lost on her as the sound of your voice across the room acts as a honing beacon and regains her attention immediately.

She watches, grip tightening around her drink, as you throw your head back, laughing at some joke the woman must’ve made. Seeing this as a green light, the woman leans in, brushing a lone piece of hair over your shoulder. 

It doesn’t matter that Natasha can see how your spine immediately straightens up, or how you step back to widen the gap between you and your admirer.It doesn’t matter that you very clearly don’t return the attention being given to you. 

It doesn’t matter. None of it matters because all Natasha can see and feel is red. If she had the ability to burn people with her eyes, that woman would have been incinerated on the spot. There wouldn’t even be tiny little dust particles left behind.

In the midst of her rage, she doesn’t even register the glass in her hand shattering until she’s covered in glass and red wine and there’s blood running down her wrist.

The sound of the glass breaking makes a good portion of the room’s occupants turn around to stare, you included. Instantly, you’re at her side, cradling her hand between your own.

“What happened?”

In its current state, Natasha’s brain seems to be lacking its usual quick thinking, and she just stares at you dumbly for a second until she spots the reporter you’d been talking to skulking in the background, watching with a petulant look on her face, evidently irritated by the interruption and the white-hot rage comes flooding back even more ferocious than before.

God, that insipid woman is lucky this event was specified no weapons allowed because if Natasha had a gun right now, she --

“--Natasha?”

You’re looking at her with worry in your eyes and as much as she’d love to go ‘accidentally’ push that woman off the edge of this very tall building’s balcony to a very certain death, she feels her insides soften into mush as they often do when you’re around.

“I’m fine,” she says. “Accident.”

It’s a flimsy excuse and one that wouldn’t fly on a normal day, especially not with you. She watches you purse your lips, giving her a doubtful look but you seem to make the decision to let it go as you lead her out of the room with the intent to find something to clean her up with.

--

You may not be a trained spy or even the most perceptive person on your best day, but you can still sense it when something is up – especially with Natasha. After the party, you’d had an inkling that maybe your girlfriend wasn’t telling you the whole truth and that something else was actually going on but after seeing the look in her eye, you hadn’t pushed her.

In spite of her unwillingness to share, a few weeks later your inkling is confirmed.

“I’ll order this time,” you yell over the loud music at the bar you were currently at. It was not your scene at all – or Natasha’s but Carol had recommended it on her last trip back to this earth and after a long, long week, you’d both agreed you deserved a night out, away from avengers’ duties and this is where you’d ended up.

Natasha gives you a nod and you stand, only having to wait at the bar for a few seconds before the bartender makes a b-line for you, ignoring the grumbles from the patrons that had been clearly waiting a lot longer than you.

“What can I get you?”

You recite Natasha’s drink, then your own and the bartender makes them with record speed. When you try to hand her the bill to pay, she waves her hand dismissively and gives you a grin. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t –“

The bartender, who you now realise is quite pretty, runs a finger along the back of your hand and gives you a wink that is definitely more flirty than friendly. “Believe me, it’s my pleasure.”

You sigh in defeat, giving her a smile in thanks and turn back around, making your way back to your table in the corner of the room where your girlfriend is still sitting but now with a face like thunder. 

To anyone else, Natasha would probably look neutral but to you – well, you can see the irritated look in her eye and the slight crease between her brows and you know she’s pissed.

In the future, you’d look back and want to slap yourself for not seeing it straight away but in the present it just makes you a little worried.

“Everything okay?” you ask, setting the drinks down on the table. You think about all the possibilities of what could’ve happened in the short time you’d been gone and try not to panic. “Did something –"

“No,” Natasha says and then seems to realise the sharpness in her voice because her face softens in apology. She leans over to give you a quick kiss and it makes you relax slightly. “Everything’s fine.”

Comprehension starts to trickle in when she scoots over so she can wrap an arm around your shoulder to pull you closer, and when you follow her line of sight, you realise she’s glaring over your head at the bartender, who pales immediately and doesn’t so much as look in your direction again.

Oh, you feel your eyes widen as it finally hits you: oH.

You look down into your drink and try to hide your disbelieving smile as you finally understand: she’s jealous. 

If it were anyone else, you think you probably wouldn’t feel like this – would likely be outright irritated and a little offended at the behaviour -- but with Natasha you can’t help but find it kind of … cute.

A little giddily, you lean over to press a kiss to her jaw and feel her relax a little against you. “Wanna go after this one?”

Natasha’s face doesn’t change but you see a little shift in her eyes as she nods and pulls you in for another kiss, this one a little more heated – for your benefit or the bartenders, you don’t know, and don’t particularly mind either way as you let yourself get lost in it.

--

After that night, it becomes so apparent to you and you don’t know how you’d missed it all this time. It happens all the time. All. The. Time.

On the street, if someone so much as glances your way, she’s already staring back at them with an expression that would be terrifying even to you if she directed it your way.

At work one day one of the new recruits, a kid, really, comes up to you and asks you, voice trembling if you’d let him take you out someday and the next day Natasha knocks him on his ass so hard and so many times that you’re kind of surprised – and a little impressed—that the poor kid doesn’t quit right on the spot.

Even in your apartment building, one of your maybe-slightly too friendly neighbours gets similar treatment in the elevator one night when you and Natasha are returning to the building at the same time as her. 

Just as you enter the elevator, you hear the voice of your neighbour calling out.

“Hold the door!”

Panting, your neighbour enters the small space. “Thank you so much, I have had the worst, oh –” her eyes land on Natasha beside you and she looks at her with something you can’t quite place in her eyes. “Who’s your …friend?”

“Oh!” you exclaim and you know you must sound surprised. Was it not obvious from how Natasha was always here that you were dating? “This is Natasha. My girlfriend. Nat, this is Charlotte, my neighbour.”

You can see Natasha in the reflection of the elevator walls, so you see the smug self-satisfied look she gives your neighbour as she wraps an arm around you possessively.

So, yes while you notice it all now, you still don’t say anything because a small – and by small, you mean large, massive actually – part of you kind of likes it; likes the fact that the Natasha Romanoff, the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen in your life is somehow yours and even more unbelievably, somehow she thinks you’re worth getting worked up like that over.

--

At this point, you’ve been dating for over a year and somehow it must’ve slipped the memo to let all of the avengers know because somehow every time you’re at the office, it seems like a new person is finding out about your relationship. 

It’s really hard to keep up with everyone and their individual missions, which is how you find yourself in your current predicament.

“--ah, well-well,” a familiar voice calls out and you look up from the report you’d been studying. “If it isn’t the most attractive and coincidentally my favourite honorary avenger.”

In the doorway of your office, Sam is grinning at you in that playful, flirty but also joking kind of way that’s distinctly Sam Wilson. You grin back and stand to let him pull you into a hug.

“Did you just get back?” you ask, vaguely remembering him telling you he was going on a mission at least six months ago. You think it was in Istanbul, but you can’t quite remember the specifics. 

Sam pulls back and goes to open his mouth but doesn’t get the chance to speak as Natasha appears in the doorway.

“Samuel,” she drawls his name, eyeing his arm around you. She visibly brightens up when she looks at you, though. “Y/N”

You can’t see yourself, but you know your face must light up as your eyes land on her by the sudden realisation that crosses Sam’s face. The casual kiss she drops on your cheek comes as confirmation.

His mouth drops open as he looks between you both. “Oh damn, you two?” he asks, smiling genuinely. “Damn!”

To the naked eye, Natasha doesn’t seem amused by his revelation, but you know her well enough by now to be able to spot the glimmer of humour in her eyes. 

Sam, however, doesn’t seem to be adept at reading her as you are and so when she advances a little closer, his eyes widen and he immediately backs away.

“I didn’t know! I didn’t know!” he exclaims, hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry!”

The expression on Natasha’s face turns sinister in nature. You watch and try not to laugh at her theatrics, attempting to adopt a sympathetic expression when he desperately looks to you for help.

“Well,” Natasha says, faux-friendly. As she passes by him, she gives him what looks like a bone-shatteringly hard arm squeeze – if the pained expression on Sam’s face is any indication -- and comes to stand beside your desk. “Now you know, buddy.”

“That I do,” he says, backing up until he reaches the door. “Anyways, I gotta, uh –"

Not even finishing his sentence, he high-tails it out of the room so fast you barely see him leave. You turn to Natasha with a frown. She looks back at you innocently, but you catch the way her lip twitches a little bit before she breaks into a full blown smirk.

“You’re going to give someone have a heart attack one day, you know,” you say, half-serious. “I’m kind of surprised you haven’t already.”

Unbothered, Natasha shrugs and reaches out to tug you closer to her in order to kiss you, a little more intensely than you would normally allow at work. You melt into it with a sigh, smiling a little. 

Eventually, you have to pull away when you start to struggle to breathe and your head starts spinning. Natasha makes an unhappy sound, trying to follow, but you stand firm.

“Nope, you’ve got to go before I’m the one that has the heart attack.”

With a pout, she gives you one more kiss before she gives into your request.

--

You’ve never seen Natasha drunk before – hadn’t even thought she could get drunk but tonight she’s definitely wasted -- all thanks to Thor and whatever is in the mead he’d bought with him.

One thing you quickly realise about drunk Natasha is drunk Natasha also means confrontational Natasha.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about –”

Her and Tony are almost nose to nose at this point, about ten minutes into what was now a heated conversation, and you’re kind of wondering if either of them even knows what they’re arguing about. You don’t think so and by the looks on the other avengers faces, they seem to have as much of an idea as you do.

As Natasha and Tony continue to argue, you look to your left and the young waiter who’d been hovering by your table a little too attentively all night is immediately by your side. 

So Natasha can’t see you, you quickly mouth the word water to him and thankfully he seems to understand because he gives you a quick nod and then disappears, reappearing just as swiftly with a glass in his hand.

“Here, Miss –"

“No!” Ending her argument with Tony as abruptly as it began, Natasha jabs a finger at the waiter, who looks to you for help while she glares up at him balefully. 

The poor guy looks terrified, so you quickly intervene, touching Natasha’s knee to bring her attention back to you. It does the trick, but she seems to underestimate how close in proximity you already are and she ends up half in your lap to the delight of the other avengers in attendance, who all let out various different whistles.

“Mine,” she says childishly into the crook of your arm. You only just manage to pick it up so you know you must be the only person who heard her. With your help, she sits up a little and makes eye contact with you as she repeats herself, more seriously, as if you hadn’t understood the first time: “mine.”

“I – oh --okay,” you say, grabbing her hand as it starts to creep a little too low to be polite in your current company. “How about we get you home?”

After hurriedly saying your goodbyes, twenty minutes later you park in your driveway and begin the not-so-small feat of getting her inside.

“Damn,” you grunt a little under her weight as you help her up the stairs to your apartment. “What do they put into that Asgardian mead?”

You make a mental note to ask Thor about it and then promptly forget as you reach your front door and fumble around, looking for your keys. 

Even in her inebriated state, Natasha somehow pulls herself together enough to reach into your bag and pull them put for you so you can unlock the door.

Which she promptly falls through. You just manage to catch her before she hits the floor, and she leans against you, burying her face into your neck.

“Come on,” you order gently, softening as she groans into your skin. “Bed.”

“No.”

As if to emphasise the word, Natasha shakes her head, but to your surprise, she starts to make her way to your bedroom anyway. She’s still a little unsteady on her feet but nothing like you’d be if you’d drank as much as she had. If it were you, you would definitely have been comatose about seven shots and multiple hours ago.

“Alright, you get into bed,” you say. “And I’ll get you some water, okay?”

Natasha scowls. “No,” she says. You bite your lip to hold in your laugh at the petulance you hear in her voice, shadowing her to the bed, where she immediately sits down and attempts multiple times to take off her heels with little success.

“No?”

Finally having enough of watching her struggle, you lean down and undo the straps of her heels, gently pulling them off her feet. You watch as she flops back on the bed and then covers her face dramatically with a groan. “You don’t get it,” she says unsteadily.

“I don’t get what?”

“You’re mine,” she repeats her earlier words, uncovering her eyes to look at you.

You raise an eyebrow. “Am I now?”

You thought you’d managed to cover your amusement pretty well until you see the glare she shoots you that says she can see it loud and clear. After a beat of silence it becomes clear she’s not going to say anything else.

With difficulty, you slowly manage to get her into a sitting position and help her out of her dress, pulling the covers up around her and retrieving a glass of water that you place on her nightstand so she can drink it in the morning.

You then change yourself and go the bathroom to remove what makeup you’d had on. To your surprise, she’s still awake when you emerge, half-propped up against the headboard and looking at you with bleary, unfocused eyes. It makes your heart turn to mush immediately and you get into bed beside her as quickly as your feet allow.

She immediately curls up into you and you wrap an arm around her, pulling her as close to you as humanly possible. 

“I am yours, just so you know.”

There’s a second of silence where you start to think that maybe she’s fallen asleep, until she shifts against you to meet your gaze, looking a little more alert and coherent but still out of it.

“Good,” she says softly.

The next morning, you wake before Natasha and slip out of bed to make her coffee and to find some pain killers, having a gut feeling she’ll probably need them. Your feeling turns out to be right. When you re-enter the bedroom, she’s laying face-down but clearly awake by the muffled groaning you can hear coming from her.

“Whys’it so bright,” she mumbles into the mattress as you approach the bed, turning her head ever so slightly so she can meet your eyes. You grin down at her.

“Ah, it awakens.”

She scowls up at you and you laugh, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek as you slide back into bed, careful not to jostle her too much. She leans her head against your leg, slowly sipping the glass of water you’d left for her last night before reaching for the coffee on the nightstand.

You fall into a comfortable silence; you running your hand through her hair as she drinks her coffee, humming contentedly.

“How are you feeling –"

“I don’t like it when people look at you,” she interrupts suddenly, staring down into her coffee mug and sounding uncharacteristically nervous. You freeze but since she’s not looking at you, she doesn’t seem to notice. “But it’s not because of anything you do. I just don’t … like it.”

“Okay?” you hedge cautiously, not really understanding.

“I’m sorry if it bothers you,” she says. “Me. Being like that. I didn’t know I was even the type to –"

“It doesn’t bother me.”

At your quick interjection, she looks at you for the first time and whatever she sees on your face makes her smile faintly. “It doesn’t?”

You bite your lip. “Not at all.”

She mirrors you, now smirking. “Oh.”

After this, it starts to become a game: one you feel like you win every time.