#and I’m telling you HOW and WHY and WHO hurt me

[theemporium]

lukey getting his girlfriend a promise ring but most definitely forgets to tell his brothers so when she pulls up to the lake house with a ring on her ring finger they’re jumping to conclusions?

thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

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“Did you know?” 

Quinn blinked, frowning at the way Jack pushed into his room and quickly shut the door behind him before spinning back around to glare at him. He was almost tempted to tease him over his odd behaviour before he noticed the genuine hurt and panic in his brother’s gaze.

“Know what?” Quinn asked. 

“That Luke is fucking engaged,” Jack hissed out, muscles in his jaw twitching at the pressure of his teeth gritting together. “Why the fuck did he not say anything? Why the fuck did you not say anything? I literally live with him, how the hell did he not tell me anything?” 

Quinn blinked. “What the hell are you talking about? Luke is not engaged.” 

“My mistake, the huge fucking ring on his girlfriend’s left ring finger gave me the wrong impression,” Jack snapped back, pissed off and upset and feeling a little overwhelmed at the thought of his younger brother—his baby brother—being engaged when he barely knows how to work a damn washing machine.

Quinn choked out a surprised noise. “The what?”

“The fucker got engaged and didn’t even tell us,” Jack hissed, beginning to pace around the room. “Oh god, Mom is gonna kill him. Mom is gonna kill us.”

Quinn frowned. “Why did he not tell us he was even thinking about proposing?” 

Jack huffed. “When the fuck did he even get engaged?” 

Quinn shot his brother a blank look. “They just came back from a weekend away. Take a fucking guess.” 

Jack’s nose scrunched up. “In Ohio. Who the fuck gets engaged in Ohio?”

Quinn let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair as he quickly stood up from his spot on the bed. “We need to talk to him.”

“What the fuck do we say?” Jack questioned, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth. "Congratulations?"

“What else can we say?” Quinn retorted, shaking his head. “That we love and support him but what the fuck is he thinking getting engaged and not telling anybody?” 

Jack shrugged. “Sounds good to me.” 

Quinn rolled his eyes. “Jack, you can’t say shit like that.”

“Can’t say shit like what?” 

Both boys snapped their heads around to find Luke standing in the doorway, a stick of beef jerky in his hand that he was currently munching on as he looked between the two of them with an odd expression. 

“What? What did I miss?” Luke frowned. 

Despite the initial hurt and anger he felt minutes ago, Jack couldn’t stop himself from darting forward and dragging his little brother into a hug. “You’re a dick for not saying anything to us but I am happy for you, even if I think you’re a little young. We love and support you no matter what, bud.”

Luke’s arms awkwardly hung by his side before he slowly patted Jack’s back. “Thanks?” 

Quinn looked a little more pensive, a softer expression on his face. “You could have told us, you know? We would have helped you pick out a ring or whatever else you needed.” 

“Oh,” Luke’s eyes widened a little before he shrugged. “It was no biggie, Bratter knew a few good places around Jersey so I was able to get it before we left after playoffs. I didn’t think either of you would really care.” 

Jack quickly stepped back, the anger suddenly back and rearing. “Woah, hold the fuck up, Bratter knew you were getting engaged before me? Your brother? What the fuck?” 

“Engaged?” Luke repeated with a look of confusion. “What the fuck are you talking about?” 

“You’re engaged!” Jack insisted, his eyes narrowed in a glare. “I saw the ring!”

Luke blinked before snorting. “It’s a promise ring, dumbass.”

Quinn sighed.

“Oh,” was all Jack managed to get out. 

“I mean, I love her but like,” Luke shrugged, suddenly looking young and sheepish. “That is a big step, you know? But I’m serious about her. I wanted her to know that too.” 

“Right,” Quinn sighed again, pressing his fingertips to his temples before smiling a little. “We are happy for you. Both of you. She’s good for you.”

Luke smiled a little.

Jack nodded. “And that is one hell of a promise ring, bud.”

Luke groaned, rolling his eyes as he already began to turn to leave the room.

But Jack continued. “I mean, not that it would hurt your bank account since I buy you everything—”

“That’s what big brothers are for!”

.

[watchmegetobsessed]

LITTLE NERDY VALENTINE

A/N: one day late, but here's a bit of valentine's day cuteness with fratry bc i've been thinking a lot about him lately

WORD COUNT: 2.8k

SUMMARY: Harry wants to celebrate Valentine's Day, but you're not a fan of his plans of going out and you have your reasons for that, but talking about them is not easy, so it causes some frustration.

MASTERLIST | SUPPORT ME!

“So, what do you want to do on Friday?” 

Harry is lying on your bed with a textbook lying open over his chest, but he hasn’t read a single word of it in the last hour, he’s been too busy playing on his phone while you were sitting at your desk, working on a paper that’s due next week. He came over to study, but you both knew you’d be doing all the studying, you actually have no idea how Harry has good grades. 

“Friday? What’s on Friday?” you hum, still typing away on your computer, pretending to be oblivious.

“You know…” He draws out the words, sitting up so his back is against the wall. He puts the textbook aside, closing it, done pretending he is actually reading any of it. 

“Hm?” You sink your teeth into your bottom lip, eyes glued to the screen, but you can feel Harry’s burning eyes on your back. 

“Y/N, it’s Valentine’s Day,” he chuckles, giving up the game. “We are having a Cupid’s Party at the frat house, but if you want to go out, maybe have dinner or something I’m down.”

“Uh, I don’t know…” 

“Or we can go to the movies, I’m willing to watch that new romcom with you, if you want.”

“Harry…” Sighing you give up and finally turn with your chair to look at him, but you wish you didn’t because he is giving you those puppy eyes he knows you can’t resist and he is hugging your pink fluffy pillow like a little kid. 

“Y/N?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to go out.”

You catch the tiny wince that twitches his lips, but he recovers quickly. You were really hoping you could avoid this conversation today, though part of you knew it would come up, since it’s Wednesday, only 2 days until Valentine’s Day. 

His eyes jump down at the pillow as he starts fumbling with it, like a hurt kid who just got told no. 

“Harry…”

“Are we ever gonna leave this room and act like a real couple?” 

“Don’t start this again, please…”

“I just understand, Y/N,” he groans as he looks up at you again. “We’ve been together for over two months and I haven’t even held your hand in public.”

“That’s not true, you held my hand when–”

“When we were hiking in the middle of the woods so no one could see us. Yeah, you’re right,” he scoffs. 

“We’ve talked about this,” you say, looking down at your lap as the guilt bubbles in your gut. 

“Actually, we haven’t. You just keep telling me you need more time, but never really explain why or what bothers you. I’m trying to be patient, but I really want to take our relationship out of this tiny dorm room.” He gestures around your room where you spend the majority of your time together with him. 

Chewing on your bottom lip you just keep picking on your chipped nail polish, not looking at him, but then he climbs to the edge of the bed so he is sitting right in front of you. He lifts your chin gently, forcing you to look him in the eyes. 

“Y/N, what’s wrong? I’m more than happy to wait for you, but I need to know a bit more.” He places a hand to your thigh, reassuringly rubbing it as he waits for you to say something. 

“I’m just… I don’t know, I like that it’s just the two of us.”

“Bullshit. It would still be just us.”

Ugh, you hate how well he knows you, you can’t lie to him, but you’re not willing to tell him the truth either. 

“Can we just not talk about this right now? I really need to finish this pa–”

“Y/N, stop avoiding this, please. You know you can tell me anything.”

He is looking at you, waiting and expecting, but you just can’t give him what he wants. His gaze keeps flickering between your eyes, hoping you’d finally open up, but you keep your mouth shut. And then he loses his patience.

“Alright then,” he whispers, jumping up to gather his things, showing everything into his backpack.

“What are you doing?” you ask, watching him tug the zipper angrily before swinging the bag over one shoulder. 

“I can’t do this, Y/N. I don’t want to hide and not even know why. You wouldn’t tell me what bothers you, so I have to draw my own conclusions and want to know what all of this seems like to me? Like you don’t want to be seen with me, like you’re ashamed of being with me.”

“Harry, that’s not true,” you protest, standing from your chair. 

“Then what is it?”

You open your mouth, but your voice dies in your throat. Unfortunately, Harry takes that as your answer. 

“Okay. Call me when you’re willing to talk.”

And with that, he is out of the room. 

A couples’ party might not have been the best place to be today for Harry, but the thought of easing his mind with a few rounds of beerpong was good enough to make him leave his room and join the party. 

Cupid’s Party usually has two groups of people: the happy couples, attached by the hip, eating each other’s face off and the single people getting wasted, hoping to at least hook up with someone. Currently Harry doesn’t feel like he belongs to any of these groups.

He assesses the living room over the rim of his red solo cup and tries his best to ignore the pain in his chest at the sight of all the happy couples in matching outfits, celebrating their love. In the beginning of the week he was still hoping he and you might be one of them, but things didn’t turn out to be the way he planned. 

After the fight in your room you texted him, asking him to come back, but he made it clear he wouldn’t be doing that unless you’re willing to talk.

Which you werent, so it’s been radio silence since then. 

He had to stop himself from texting or calling you like a million times, it’s been quite the fight since Wednesday, he’s been missing you like crazy, but he is also determined to finally move forward. 

“You alright man?” Niall pats him on the back with a cup in his own hand that smells so much of alcohol that Harry can’t stop himself from wrinkling his nose. While he likes to have drinks, he is often surprised how some of his friends in the house haven’t died of alcohol poisoning.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he nods with a sigh. 

“Uhuh, that’s why you’ve been moping around for days, right?” Niall laughs.

“I have not–”

“I have not been moping, you arse!” Niall mocks him, which he finds hilarious, but Harry just rolls his eyes and takes a swig from your drink. “Alright, if you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t push it, but if you feel like you need a shoulder, you can come to me.”

“I know,” Harry sighs. “Thanks, I’ll just get a refill for now,” he says, holding up his cup. Niall nods and they go their separate way.

Harry fights through the crowd towards the kitchen and tries his best not to get stopped by drunk girls that are more than eager to hook up with him tonight. He would love to tell them he is taken, but he can’t. Even despite the fight you had, he still doesn’t want to go against your will and tell everyone that you’re dating. 

The kitchen is a mess, but he quickly finds the tequila and then mixes it with some pineapple juice, then he stops by the pizza and grabs a slice so his stomach wouldn’t be completely empty. Though his original plan was to get drunk, but now he is not feeling that, so this is probably his last drink, since he is starting to feel a bit dizzy. 

Leaning against the counter he is debating if he should just go back to his room and spend the rest of the night playing video games, but then he spots an all too familiar face in the crowd outside in the hallway. 

You look very uncomfortable, navigating between the half drunk people while looking like you’re searching for someone. Harry puts his pizza slice down right away and he just starts moving towards you when he sees a guy bumping into you, making your shoulder hit the wall.

“Ah, sorry sweetheart, you alright?” the guy asks and his hand is already on your arm, leaning way closer than you’d like him to.

“It’s okay Dave, I got her.” Harry pats him on the back in a friendly manner, though inside he is fuming at the way he is looking at you right now, like he is ready to peel you out of your clothes. 

“Harry, hey! I was just–”

“I know, I got her,” Harry repeats, this time with a tougher look at the guy, which he finally notices so he just nods and wanders away. “Are you okay?” he asks, finally looking at you, keeping one hand on your elbow.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Can we talk?” you ask and Harry nods right away, moving his hand to the small of your back, guiding you upstairs, towards his room. 

You’ve been to his frat house, you actually met him at a party here, but you’ve never been to his room. If the other boys saw you coming and going from his room it would have been quite obvious there’s something going on between the two of you, so you usually stayed at your dorm room where it was easier for Harry to sneak out without being noticed, that place is too big for anyone to notice him.

The hallway leading to his room is scattered with couples making out by the wall and you try not to stare at the pair that’s practically dry humping each other like they are in a private place. 

Harry unlocks his door with his keycard and then ushers you inside, finally shutting the noises of the party out. You’re curiously looking around the room that’s a lot tidier than you expected. Aside from a few clothes lying in the corner and two unwashed mugs on his night stand, it’s pretty neat. On his desk you notice the book you gifted him a week ago. You pick it up and open it where the bookmark is at around the third of the book and then you realize the bookmark is a polaroid of the two of you. It was taken the first time he slept in your room, your faces are mushed together as you laugh at something. You remember him taking a picture, but you weren’t expecting him to use it as his bookmark, which is such a sweet thing. 

He has been nothing but sweet to you and that just makes your guilt even worse for treating him the way you did. 

When you turn around you find him watching you with his hands in his pockets, just patiently waiting for you to start talking. 

“I’m sorry for making you feel like I’m ashamed of you. That was never the case and… yeah, I’m just really sorry.”

Harry nods, but then just keeps looking at you and you know he wants you to continue. So taking a deep breath you force yourself to keep talking before you chicken out. 

“I was actually thinking it was the other way around.”

That confuses him, he frowns but before he could ask anything you just continue.

“We are not really from the same crowd. You’re… You live in a frat house, you play football, people know you around campus while I’m more like just… a face in the crowd. I know it’s such a cliché, but I felt like that if people saw us together they would question why you’d go out with me a-and–Um… I just…”

“And you thought that I would also question why I’m with you?” he finishes what you couldn’t and you just nod, feeling your throat closing up. It’s been such a heavy weight on your chest the past weeks and now that you said it out loud it’s a relief but you’re also worried how Harry will think of you now. 

Then his eyes soften and stepping closer he gathers your hands between his palms, holding them to his chest. 

“Y/N, you realize this is not a movie where there are popular kids and nerds and they never talk?” he asks with a soft chuckle, making you laugh. 

“I know. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s just been haunting me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“Because it’s ridiculous,” you repeat. “Deep down I knew it, but I just couldn’t help it. I thought that I could get rid of it with time, but I couldn’t and I swear I didn’t want to hurt you with all of this, it’s just that I can easily get into these… spirals and it’s so hard to get out of them.”

“I know,” he softly says and leaning closer he kisses your forehead. “I just wish you told me so I could help you.”

“I’m sorry,” you whisper.

“It’s okay.”

Letting go of your hands he cups your cheeks in his palms as he pulls you in for a kiss while your hands fist the fabric of his shirt at his waist. He is sweet and gentle, his lips reassuring you that he is right here, with you. He rests his forehead against yours, his thumbs gently caressing your cheeks. 

“By the way, did you just call me a nerd?” you ask, opening your eyes, making Harry laugh with your words.

“Do you not fit the nerdy stereotype of romcoms?” he challenges you with a wide grin on his face.

“Well, I do study a lot and spend every other afternoon in the library.”

“See? You’re my little nerdy Valentine,” he arches an eyebrow and you just roll your eyes at him, but can’t help the smile that tugs on your lips. Then slowly, his expression turns more serious. “So what would you like to do now?”

“I don’t know,” you admit with a sigh.

“Listen. If you need more time… I’m okay with that. I want you to feel comfortable and if that means that I have to convince you that no one will point fingers at us if they see us together, then that’s what I’ll do.”

You’ve known it from the beginning, but Harry just keeps proving that he is the right person for you and you couldn’t be more thankful for him. 

Leaning in you kiss him shortly. “I want to move forward, I’m just a bit scared.”

“Then you’ll lead us in whatever pace feels comfortable for you, okay?”

You nod and he kisses you again. 

“Do you want to go back down?” he asks, nodding towards the door. 

“Yeah, I would like that.”

Walking out of his room he locks the door and the two of you head back down and you notice that he is still keeping his distance from you, not trying to change everything all of a sudden. Returning to the kitchen he makes you a drink and he grabs another slice of pizza when Niall emerges from the crowd. 

“Hey, you’re still here! Thought you’d lock yourself up in your room soon,” he chuckles seeing Harry.

“You thought I’d bail?” Harry grins, leaning against the counter. Niall’s eyes move over to you.

“I think we haven’t met yet. I’m Niall.”

“Y/N,” you shake his hand. You catch a look the two boys exchange and after that, Niall just smiles at Harry knowingly.

“Alright, I’ll be by the beerpong tables if you need me,” he waves before making his way out of the kitchen. 

“You have a bit of sauce there,” you point at Harry’s mouth smiling.

“Hm? Here?” he asks, wiping his lips, but he completely misses the spot, making you laugh. “Where?” he grins.

“Right there…” You raise a hand to help him out, but it stops midway when a thought pops into your mind and before you could talk yourself out of it, you lean in and kiss his lips. 

“Now you’re good,” you smile against his lips. Harry can’t contain his growing grin, because this was the first time you kissed him in front of other people. 

“I think it’s still there.”

“Oh yeah?” you chuckle at him.

“Yeah, all over my lips, everywhere.”

“Stop,” you roll your eyes at him laughing. He leans down and kisses you shortly before he continues eating his pizza, trying his best not to comment it when your hand sneaks into free hand, fingers lacing together.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

[luvoooenha]

Lucky charm!

Pairing- Boyfriend! Jake x Girlfriend! Y/N

Summary- Jake, the top soccer player at UNI, always relied on Y/N’s support—until a huge argument left him distracted before a big game. Without her in the stands, he struggled to play, missing shots and worrying his team. Realizing how much he needed her, a teammate called Y/N, who debated but ultimately showed up, looking her best. The moment Jake saw her, his focus returned, and he played like himself again. After the game, they made up, proving that Y/N was truly his lucky charm.

Warnings- FLUFF, FLUFF, FLUFF, anger, angst, arguments, happy couple… (jokes! Not really)

Word count- 1.8k

plsplsplsplsplspls dont copyyy my work!

“You don’t get it, Y/N!” Jake’s voice was sharp, frustration thick in every word.

“Then explain it to me, Jake! Because right now, it feels like I’m the only one trying.” Y/N’s arms were crossed tightly over her chest, her voice shaking between anger and hurt.

Jake let out a humorless laugh, running a hand through his hair. “You think I don’t care? That I don’t appreciate you?”

Y/N exhaled sharply. “Jake, I’ve been to every single game, every late-night practice, every stupid press conference where they ask you the same questions. And not once have I ever complained.” Her voice broke slightly, but she pushed on. “But the second I bring up how I feel, I’m the bad guy?”

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. The look in her eyes—raw and filled with unshed tears—made his chest tighten.

“I can’t keep doing this if you don’t want me here, Jake.”

His stomach twisted. That wasn’t what he wanted at all. But his stupid pride got in the way, and instead of telling her the truth—that he needed her more than anything—he muttered, “Maybe it’s better that way.”

The second the words left his lips, he wanted to take them back.

Y/N’s face fell, her jaw tightening as she nodded slowly. “Okay.”

And just like that, she turned and walked away.

Jake stood frozen, watching her disappear into the night.

He had just made the biggest mistake of his life.

-

The silence between them was louder than anything Jake had ever experienced.

Y/N hadn’t texted. Hadn’t called. Hadn’t shown up to practice.

Jake told himself he was fine. That he could focus better without distractions. But when game day rolled around, it hit him like a freight train.

He jogged onto the field, scanning the stands on instinct. But the seat where she always sat—third row, left side, just behind the team bench—was empty.

His stomach clenched.

He tried to shake it off as the game started, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. His passes were off. His speed felt sluggish. Every shot he took either hit the post, went wide, or was blocked by the keeper.

The frustration built with every mistake, weighing him down like lead.

The final whistle blew, and UNI had lost. Jake barely heard the post-game speech from his coach, too busy replaying every missed opportunity in his head.

When he got back to the locker room, he didn’t even bother taking off his cleats right away. He just sat there, elbows resting on his knees, staring at the floor.

Jay, his closest teammate, nudged him. “Dude. What’s going on?”

Jake exhaled slowly. “Nothing. Just an off day.”

Jay scoffed. “Nah, man. This is more than that. I’ve never seen you play like this.” He paused. “It’s Y/N, isn’t it?”

Jake didn’t answer.

Jay sighed. “Look, I don’t know what happened, but it’s obvious you’re a wreck without her.”

Jake clenched his jaw. “She’s probably better off.”

Jay rolled his eyes. “Yeah? Then why do you keep looking for her in the stands?”

Jake said nothing.

Jay grabbed his phone. “I’m texting her.”

Jake should’ve stopped him. Should’ve told him to leave it alone.

But he didn’t.

Y/N sat on her bed, knees pulled to her chest, as she mindlessly scrolled through her camera roll. Each swipe brought a new memory, a new reminder of everything she and Jake had been before it all fell apart.

There was a photo of him grinning at her during one of their late-night study sessions, his notes forgotten as he balanced a pencil between his nose and upper lip, trying to make her laugh. She had rolled her eyes at the time, but she could still remember the way her stomach had fluttered when he looked at her like she was the best part of his world.

Another picture—Jake, covered in sweat but grinning like a fool after a big win, his arm slung lazily around her shoulders. She had been laughing, caught mid-cheer, his jersey draped over her like a second skin. She had been so proud of him. She always was.

And then, one of her favorites—a candid shot of them from a lazy Sunday morning. Jake, shirtless and half-asleep, stealing bites of her breakfast as she swatted at his hand, laughing at his shamelessness. His hair had been a mess, his eyes still heavy with sleep, but he had looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered.

Y/N’s chest ached.

She missed him. More than she wanted to admit.

Her fingers hovered over his contact, the familiar urge to text him creeping in. But then, like a cruel reminder, his words echoed in her head.

"Maybe it’s better that way."

She swallowed the lump in her throat, locking her phone. If that was what he wanted, then fine. She wouldn’t be the one to break first.

But then, as if the universe was laughing at her stubbornness, her phone buzzed.

Jay: Jake’s a mess. He needs you. Badly.

Her heart clenched.

She should ignore it. He was the one who pushed her away. He was the one who made her feel like she didn’t matter.

But… if that were true, why was he struggling so much?

Y/N exhaled slowly, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes betrayed her, filled with something she wasn’t ready to name yet.

She could walk away. Let Jake figure this out on his own. Prove to herself that she didn’t need him as much as he needed her.

But that was a lie.

Because no matter how angry or hurt she was… she still loved him.

And she wasn’t sure she ever wouldn’t.

With a resigned sigh, she grabbed her jacket and touched up her makeup.

If she was going, she was going to make an entrance.

She headed out the door, her heart pounding.

Jake needed her.

And whether she liked it or not… she needed him too.

-

Jake jogged onto the field, his mind clouded with doubt.

His body felt heavy, his nerves shot. The last few games had been a disaster, and the weight of failure clung to him like a storm he couldn’t outrun. He tried to shake it off, stretching his arms and bouncing on his feet, but nothing felt right.

Then, instinctively, he looked toward the stands.

And everything stopped.

His breath hitched. His heart stuttered.

Y/N was there.

Sitting in her usual spot—third row, left side, just behind the team bench.

Jake blinked, half-convinced he was imagining it. But no, it was real. She was real.

And damn, she looked good.

Her hair was styled just the way he liked, her makeup subtle but stunning. She wore his favorite shade, the one he always said made her eyes stand out, and even from across the field, he could see the way her lips curved in something between challenge and amusement.

She came.

A rush of energy shot through his veins, the kind he hadn’t felt since before she left. His pulse pounded, but this time, it wasn’t from nerves—it was from something deeper, something electric.

His lucky charm had returned.

And just like that, everything clicked back into place.

The whistle blew, and Jake was unstoppable.

Every pass was precise, every shot powerful. He weaved through defenders with the confidence he’d been missing, his movements sharp and deliberate. The frustration that had been drowning him for days melted away, replaced by pure instinct.

And every time he scored, he didn’t look at the scoreboard. He didn’t look at his teammates.

He looked at her.

Y/N sat there, arms crossed, trying to look unimpressed. But he saw the way her lips twitched, the way her fingers tapped against her thigh. She was proud of him—he knew it.

By the final whistle, UNI had secured the win. The crowd erupted in cheers, his teammates swarming him with congratulations, but Jake barely acknowledged any of it.

His eyes were locked on her.

Without a second thought, he sprinted toward the stands, pushing past the crowd. Y/N had already started making her way down toward the field, and when she stopped in front of him, they just stood there, staring at each other.

For the first time in days, Jake could breathe again.

“I was an idiot.” His voice was breathless, raw. “I didn’t mean any of it, Y/N. I was just—” He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his sweat-damp hair. “I was scared. Of how much I need you.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed. “Yeah? I figured, considering how hard you flopped without me.”

Jake huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “I deserved that.”

“Damn right, you did.”

A small smile tugged at her lips, but Jake didn’t miss the way her tough exterior wavered, the way her eyes softened just slightly.

He took a step closer. “Y/N, I mean it. I never should’ve pushed you away.” His voice dropped to something quieter, more vulnerable. “You’re everything to me.”

She sighed, finally uncrossing her arms. “Jake… you can’t shut me out when things get hard. That’s not how this works.”

“I know,” he admitted, his gaze never leaving hers. “And I won’t. Ever again.”

Y/N studied him for a long moment, and then, finally, she sighed in defeat. “You’re lucky I like you, Sim.”

Relief crashed over him, and before she could say anything else, he closed the distance, wrapping his arms arowund her and pulling her in tight.

She hesitated for half a second before melting into him, her arms circling his waist.

Jake buried his face in her hair, inhaling the familiar scent of her perfume, and everything felt right again. “I missed you,” he murmured.

“I know,” she teased, voice muffled against his jersey. “I could tell from your embarrassing game stats.”

He chuckled, pulling back just enough to look at her. “Guess I need you to keep me in check.”

“Clearly.”

Jake reached up, brushing his thumb over her cheek, his voice softer now. “So… does this mean you’ll be at the next game?”

Y/N smirked. “As long as you keep winning.”

He grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead before whispering, “Then I guess I have no choice.”

Because she wasn’t just his biggest supporter.

She was his lucky charm.

isa note! - lallalala first story!!! lalalall so excited! lalalalalla

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[mejaemin]

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valentine boy

˚ʚ jeong jaehyun ɞ˚

final day of my valentine’s day countdown!

wc ♡ 1.9k

summary ♡ it may be jaehyun’s birthday, but he still likes to celebrate you, and does so in the form of four love letters.

warnings ♡ suggestive, fluff, SO MUCH LOVE IT’S DISGUSTING, jae is SUCH a sap and SUCH a romantic in this, my heart hurts

lia's note ♡ happy birthday to my love, my light. i miss jaehyun so much, and he’s really so special to me. i couldn’t help but pour my heart into this, and i wouldn’t have it any other way

playlist 🎧 completely - jaehyun, best part - daniel caesar ft. h.e.r. , give you the world - steve lacy, sunny days - wave to earth

congrats to those who guessed jaehyun for day nine! @cigsaftersuh and @jae10velies are two very smart cookies 🌹🫶🏽

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖♡︎˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖♡︎˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖₊˚♡˚

when you roll over in bed, first thing in the morning, you reach your hand out for your boyfriend, only to be met with nothing. popping one eye open, the bed is empty, the bed made on his side. sighing, you sit up, waking yourself up to go find him, when you finally notice the envelope laying on his pillow.

letter one ♡˚₊‧⁺˖

‘good morning my sweet thing ♡ happy valentine’s day.. if i’m not back by the time you wake up and open this, i went to visit my parents for a little. we’ve got a long day ahead of us, but mom wanted to see me for a little since, her words, “your birthday comes first, yuno! come visit your mom before you spend the day with your girlfriend.” i would’ve brought you, but you looked so pretty and peaceful while sleeping, and it would’ve ruined my plan, so i left you home. on that note, i know you told me not to do anything for you today, but i can’t help it :( spoiling you is my favorite, and it’s how i want to spend mine our day, okay? now, once you’re ready to get up, there’s something waiting for you in the bathroom…’

the ending of the letter is quite ominous, but it leaves a smile on your face nonetheless. you tell him every year to let you do all the gift giving, fully ready to discard valentine’s day and put his day first, especially when the former was made as a way for companies to gain money. still, he insists on celebrating you at the same time.

getting up out of bed, you make your way to the bathroom to get ready. as soon as you walk in, there’s another envelope taped to the sink mirror. pulling it out of the way, you set it aside to get yourself ready. the whole time you’re washing your face, brushing your teeth, you have to stop yourself from smiling at the idea of what’s to come later on in the day. jaehyun’s always been a loverboy, to an almost poetic extent, and upon looking at the letter sitting next to you, you’re sure there’s more to come, and you can’t wait to read all the loving words he’ll say to you. once done, you take the letter and sit back down on the bed to read it.

letter two ♡˚₊‧⁺˖

‘now that you’re opening this letter, i’ll assume you’ve woken up then? good, because i’ll be back in the afternoon to start our day. i wish i could be there to get ready with you, watch you open your first gift, but since i can’t, why don’t you check the closet? i’ve picked something out for you that i know will look perfect on you. i can’t wait to see it on you, and confirm my prediction. i can envision it now, you’d look so beautiful in that dress, it’ll compliment you perfectly.. okay, i have to stop now, or i’ll have a problem. anyway, enjoy your outfit my love ♡‘

with a smile you go over to your shared closed excitedly, pulling the door open and flicking the light on to reveal a beautiful dress in your favorite color right at the front of your clothing rack. pulling it off the hanger you immediately get dressed in it, stepping back to look at it on in the mirror. it’s fits perfectly, complimenting your body shape in all the best ways. when you look back in the closet for shoes to pair with it, there’s another envelope on the floor that you must’ve missed.

letter three ♡˚₊‧⁺˖

‘you’re getting dressed now, aren’t you? i hope you like the outfit. if not, don’t worry, we can get something else when we go out, okay? don’t stress. now, i’ll be wrapping up with mom pretty soon, so why don’t you finish your routine, okay? do yourself up however you like, in whatever way makes you feel prettiest. i’ll love it regardless. when you’re done, there’s something out in the kitchen, okay? i love you so much, baby. enjoy.’

with a soft giggle, you sit down at your vanity and start putting yourself together. even in the letter, jaehyun always reminds you of how much he loves you, in every form that you can take. he always uses the gentlest and most loving language he can, holding your heart with the most care. his love is so strong that when you fix your hair and do your makeup, you don’t feel a need to try too hard, doing the bare minimum, and thanks to him, you feel good about yourself just like that.

with the final touches of your appearance done, you grab your phone off the charger and check it for the first time today before you do anything. without fail, jaehyun’s texted you a string of good morning messages and words of love. you of course send some in return, thanking him for the letters and lightly teasing him for being a sap. you share a laugh before you shut the device off, making your way to the kitchen where your jaw drops.

there’s an entire display on the kitchen counter, rose petals scattered over the granite with a full bouquet in the middle, a bundle of prada gift bags sitting next to it. there’s a teddy bear as well, and one final letter with a card propped open next to it, reading ‘will you be my valentine?’ with the most perfect penmanship. you snap a photo, sending it to him with your reply, an obvious yes, before opening the last letter.

letter four ♡˚₊‧⁺˖

‘again, happy valentine’s day my love! i hope you enjoy all the gifts i put out for you. i know what you’re thinking, by the way. you’re mad that i’m spending money on you when it’s my birthday, aren’t you? if i were to tell you i’m sorry, i’d be lying, and that’s just not something i can ever see myself doing to you. more than anything, today is a day of love, and i’d rather celebrate us than make it all about me. my birthday wish is to keep you by my side and love you forever, every inch of you, and it just so happens that the day of love is at the same time. now, may i tell you why i love you so deeply?

we’ve known each other forever, and i’ve seen you grow into a beautiful, beautiful woman, with a wonderful personality that can warm an entire room. your laugh is more beautiful than any song i’ll hear in my life, and your smile is so bright, blinding in a way that makes me never want to look away. i’d let my eyes burn to nothing if it means i can continue to see it. i love the way you carry yourself as well, so thoughtful and considerate to everyone around you. you have so much love and kindness in your heart, and i’m so lucky to be a recipient of it. i’ve learnt so much from you as well, and i’m so grateful for the person you’ve helped shape me into. you’re truly everything i’ve ever wanted and more. i’ll cherish every piece of you that you give me with my whole being, and i promise to never let it go. my love for you is unconditional, and i’ll trace every ridge, scar, or imperfection in your body with nothing but adoration because it’s all perfect in my eyes.

i’ll save the rest of my sentiments for when i can say it out loud, okay? save you some reading. for now, remember that i love you with everything i have. happy valentine’s day, my love, my sweet, my peach.

-your forever only, jaehyun ♡’

his words are so beautiful, and you have to get a paper towel to hold to the corners of your eyes to stop the tears from messing up your makeup. he’s always so shy about things like this, getting flushed in the cheeks and ears at even the most simple words of affirmation. you know he’s a romantic at heart, but it still blows your mind every time you see him take a pen to help convey how he feels. he always lets his true feelings out when he has pen and paper, and it makes you cry without fail every single time. he really knows how to touch your heart, his words so sweet and loving.

you’re busy unboxing everything, a pair of sunglasses and a new bag in your hands, still letting his love letter sink in. you’re so stuck in your own world that you don’t even notice that jaehyun returned until his arms wrap around your stomach, his chest pressing into your back. his lips press against your temple, then your nape, and your eyes flutter shut as your body leans into his.

“happy valentine’s day.” he speaks softly, spinning you around in your barstool so you’re facing him.

your arms reach around his neck, pulling him closer so you can leave a sweet kiss on his lips. “thank you, baby.” you give him another one, “and happy birthday to you.”

he thanks you, pulling you flush to his body. you stay there, encased in his strong arms for what could be forever, you don’t know nor do you care, because it’s warm, safe, and comfortable. his head rests on top of yours, one hand gliding up and down the side of your body, the other on the back of your head. he’ll kiss your crown a few times, soaking in your scent, before pulling away.

your hands are intertwined, resting in your lap. “now that we’ve celebrated us, can it be your turn now?” you smile up at him, and his face is full of love.

his cheeks turn rosy, and he nods. you’re immediately up and out of your seat, shuffling your way into your bedroom where you pull out a birthday themed gift bag and box, followed by a valentine’s day basket. he opens them, overjoyed to see a photo album with a collective of polaroids from the past year, along with a new vinyl for his collection. the basket has a bunch of candies and small trinkets, along with a stuffed animal of the animal you’ve always said represents you. his smile reaches his ears as he looks through all his gifts, and a billion kisses are left all over your face as a thank you.

even more happiness fills his eyes when you take his cake out of the fridge, lighting the silly cartoon candles and singing to him. when you finish, he’s very thoughtful as he blows the candles out. you share it together, small enough to have in one sitting before putting all your new items away to finally head out for the day. he continues to treat you the entire time you guys are out, buying nearly everything you touch and complimenting you for even the littlest things. he has so much love to give to you, and it’s not even because of the holiday, or his birthday. he conveyed it to you many times throughout his letters, that he’s constantly thankful for you and your presence in his life, regardless of the date or who’s being celebrated more. the love continues to show even when you go back home, wrapping up the day, when there’s yet another display on the bed that wasn’t there before, which he lays you down on and continues to give you all the love he has.

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perm taglist: @chenlezip @coquettejunnie

[keeryhours]

please be gentle (when you’re tearing me apart)

Eddie Munson x female! reader, Steve Harrington x reader

Main Masterlist

Eddie Munson Masterlist

Steve Harrington Masterlist

Summary:

You’re in love with Eddie, Eddie’s in love with someone else. Somehow, he accidentally ends up in a relationship with you anyway.

Warnings:

(18+), SERIOUS angst, there is only pain here, hurt/no comfort or hurt/a little comfort, cheating, pregnancy, pregnancy complications, birth/c section, Eddie is really out of character and is a total dick, Chrissy is out of character and she also sucks (sorry guys), smut, fingering, protected p in v, virgin!eddie, virgin!reader, really awkward first time!

Word Count: 14.6k

A/N:

WOW okay this was totally unexpected to write. The length especially. This is just something depressing for the anti-Valentine’s Day mood. I’ve been nervous to post so I hope you enjoy! Big giant thanks to @punkrockmlchael (who made my beautiful banner again and also beta read), @the-witty-pen-name , @fizzing-imagines, @losingmygrasponreality, @writhingg , and @lesservillain for bouncing ideas and beta reading! I couldn’t have written this without you. Also ignore that there’s only dividers for half the fic, apparently you can only add 10 images to a post 🙃

dividers by @/strangergraphics

Best friends.

That’s what you and Eddie were, and always had been. Growing up as neighbors in Forest Hills, you met when you were 8 and Eddie was 10, after he moved in with his uncle.

To be honest with yourself, you had had a crush on Eddie Munson since the first time you laid eyes on him. A silly childhood crush at first, he was so cute with his curls, short at the time, and it made your heart beat fast whenever you walked to the store together for snacks and he held your hand.

He would play you all kinds of music you’d never heard before, heavy stuff that was totally new to you. You weren’t sure about it at first, but you grew to love it. When he got into D&D, he would talk your ear off about his campaign plans for hours. You didn’t mind. You liked listening to him talk. When he started Hellfire, you were the first member to join. You didn’t know how to play an instrument, but you were Corroded Coffin’s biggest fan.

Eddie was everything to you. He was the first person you went to with any news, the only one you were excited to tell anything and everything to. He took you to see every new slasher movie, bought you your first dice set. He was the first thing you thought about in the morning and the last you thought of at night. At some point, it turned into more than a crush.

At some point, you fell in love.

Eddie was oblivious. He never dated in high school, but that didn’t seem to bother him. You didn’t, either, but it was mostly because you were so preoccupied with loving Eddie. You tried dropping hints, but he never seemed to figure it out. You were too scared to just get it over with and tell him outright.

So, you remained best friends. Just friends.

—

“Are you going to prom this year?” Wayne asked, sipping his beer as he sat relaxed in his recliner. Eddie nursed his own beer, feet up on the coffee table.

“Nah,” Eddie said. “You know that’s…not my thing.”

“You should go at least once,” Wayne said. “Might regret it.”

“I doubt it.”

“I had a great time at my senior prom,” Wayne reminisced, smiling at the memory. “You should give it a shot, Ed. Why don’t you take your little friend from next door?”

Eddie shook his head. “I don’t feel that way about her.”

“You can go as friends,” he pointed out. “I’m sure she’d like that. Girl adores you.”

“I’m pretty sure she has a crush on me,” Eddie winced, sipping his beer. “I don’t want to give her the wrong idea.”

“You don’t have to marry her, Ed. Just show her a good time. You two have been so close for so long, I’m sure she would understand.”

Eddie thought about it. He didn’t want to go to prom, like at all, but he wanted to make his uncle happy. And if he had to go with someone, it might as well be you, his only female friend, right?

So, he approached you at your locker the next day at school. “Hey.”

You turned to him, your face immediately lighting up with a huge smile. “Hey, Eds.”

“I, uh,” Eddie looked around awkwardly. “I just wanted to ask if you’d want to go to…prom with me?”

Your eyes went wide, but inside your heart was thundering out of your chest. Had Eddie really just asked you out? “Prom? Really? I thought you hated prom?”

“Yeah, well,” Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s my last senior year. Hopefully, at least. I figured I might as well give it a shot. We can pre game and sneak in some alcohol. And if it’s lame, we can ditch.”

You couldn’t wipe the huge smile off your face. You were almost a little concerned at how hard your heart was beating in that moment, like it would give out. “I’d love to go with you.”

Eddie gave you a soft smile. “Cool. I’ll pick you up at 6 that night.”

You watched as Eddie left, heading in the direction of his next class of the day. You waited until he was out of sight before you went sprinting in the direction of Robin’s locker.

You found her there, taking her books out. She startled when you ran up on her, placing her hand over her chest. “Jesus. What’s up with you?”

“Eddie just asked me to prom,” you blurted out. Robin’s jaw dropped open.

“No way!” She exclaimed, her look of shock turning to one of pure excitement. “This is huge. I always knew he was into you.”

You blushed. “I don’t know. I had given up hope of him liking me back. This was so out of the blue. I didn’t even think he wanted to go to prom at all.”

“Maybe he’s just better at hiding his feelings,” Robin offered. “Either way, we’re going dress shopping. Prom is only two weeks away!”

That weekend, Robin convinced her mom to drive the two of you to Indianapolis to go shopping in the big city. You were both giddy with excitement - Robin wasn’t much of a dress girl, and she didn’t have a date. The only person she wanted to take, she couldn’t ask. You were pretty sure Vickie was into girls and Robin in particular, but Robin was still too scared to make the move. You didn’t blame her. It wasn’t like typical rejection if things went wrong. So, instead, Robin was going with a group of girls from the marching band as friends.

Her mom took you to the huge mall, which was much more impressive than Starcourt. It was huge, with a ton of different stores. You made a stop at Camelot Music first, where Robin got a new Blondie tape and you grabbed the new The Smiths record and a Metallica Master of Puppets tape for Eddie, since his had recently broken.

Next was the formal wear store. You were both immediately overwhelmed when you walked in, the racks and racks of fancy dresses as far as the eye could see. All different colors, lengths, and styles. It was…a lot.

“Well…I guess let’s get started,” Robin said, her voice unsure.

You probably tried on 50 dresses each. You and Robin giggled as you tried on the dresses her mom picked for you, big floofy pink and blue monstrosities.

“You look like a marshmallow. Like a big pink marshmallow,” Robin had commented.

“Yeah?” You laughed, gesturing towards her powder blue gown. “Well, you look like a wedding cake.”

An hour and a half into dress shopping, you were both getting tired and totally over it. You had the last gown you’d picked out in your hand, and you told yourself if you hated this one, too, you’d just say fuck it and go to prom in your ripped jeans.

You pulled the dress over your head, smoothing it down your body. When you turned and looked into the mirror, you gasped. You actually looked…beautiful.

The dark purple dress hugged your curves, pushing your breasts up and making them look much sexier (and perkier) than they really were. The skirt fell above your knees, showing off your legs. You did a little twirl, the skirt swishing around your thighs. You loved it, it was by far the best one you’d tried on.

“Are you alive in there?” Robin called from outside the dressing room, and you smiled to yourself.

“I think we have a winner,” you called back.

“Ooh!” Robin said just as you moved the curtain and walked out. You saw Robin standing in a dark blue dress that looked beautiful on her, the skirt long but flattering.

“Oh my god,” she said. “You look stunning! Eddie is going to lose his mind.”

You blushed at the mention of Eddie. “You do too!” And she did. Finally, you had both found something.

After you left the dress shop with your bags in hand, you were both feeling much happier. You made a stop at Afterthoughts, where you found some earrings and a necklace to match your dress.

You couldn’t believe you were going to prom, and with Eddie. It was a dream come true.

You couldn’t wait.

—

Prom night, you were shaking as you got ready. The dress was just as beautiful as you remembered. The jewelry you had picked out matched your dress even better than you’d hoped.

Eddie picked you up right on time. He smiled at you awkwardly when he picked you up, holding a corsage in his hand. “Hey.”

You beamed at him. “Hi. Is…that for me?”

“Oh, yeah.” He looked at it like he had forgotten he had it. “You look pretty,” he told you as he slipped the corsage onto your wrist. You blushed as you pinned the boutonnière to his black suit jacket.

“You look handsome yourself,” you told him shyly.

Eddie drove the two of you to the school. The parking lot was packed with students’ cars and even a few rented limousines. Just as you were about to get out of the van, Eddie stopped you. He reached into his glove compartment and pulled out two black flasks, handing one to you.

“This should make this night a lot more fun, yeah?” He smirked. You smiled back, before making a face as you took a sip of the burning liquid. Eddie laughed, which made you start giggling, too.

You took a photo together at the booth near the gym doors, which Eddie wasn’t super excited about. The next thing he did was head for the food, piling a tiny plate full of appetizers. You followed him, grabbing a cup of punch to help wash down the liquor in your purse.

Eddie wouldn’t dance with you until after he’d finished his flask, claiming it was stupid and he wouldn’t be caught dead dancing at prom. But by the time he finished it, he had enough of a buzz that he didn’t care. You were tipsy, too, and absolutely elated when he stood and took your hand, leading you to the floor just as a slow song came on.

Eddie playfully groaned, rolling his eyes, but he pulled you close to his body anyway. Butterflies took flight in your stomach as he placed his hands on your hips and you wrapped yours around his neck. The two of you swayed together in time to the music. You could not stop smiling. You laid your head on Eddie’s chest, tuning out the music as you listened to his heartbeat.

After prom, you headed back to the van. You’d had the best night of your life, one you would never forget. Yeah, you were both a little bit intoxicated, but you were floating on the clouds for a whole different reason.

“D’you want to come back to my place?” Eddie asked as he started the engine. “We could drink a little more, smoke a joint. Wayne’s working.”

You wanted nothing more. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

At the trailer, Eddie rolled up a thick joint as you gathered the bottles of liquor and shot glasses from the cabinet. Eddie was back in normal clothes, and you’d changed into one of Eddie’s shirts and a pair of his sweatpants that were too big on you.

Eddie sparked up the joint as you poured each of you two shots of tequila. You clinked your glasses together before downing them both. Eddie took the first drag on the joint, his eyes falling closed as he inhaled the thick smoke. He looked gorgeous like this, curls still tamed and framing his face. The smoke escaped through his perfect lips, trailing up and throughout the bedroom. He handed the joint to you, and you gratefully took it, bringing it to your painted lips. Some of your lipstick had rubbed off on the shot glasses, leaving a stain.

As the night went on, the two of you got progressively more drunk and high. By the time it was 2am, the two of you were giggling messes, listening to music over the stereo and talking about the latest campaign. Suddenly, in your drunkenly stoned haze, you remembered the gift stashed in your purse.

“Oh!” You exclaimed, jumping up to grab your small bag. “I forgot. I got you something.”

“You got me something?” Eddie asked, confused, his words slightly slurring together.

You reached into the purse and pulled out the bag from Camelot. You hoped he loved it, because now that it was in your hands, you were suddenly nervous. You turned, smiling softly as you handed Eddie the bag. “I just saw it while I was at the mall with Robin and I thought of you.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows at you as he took the bag. He reached inside and pulled out the Metallica tape, a huge grin spreading across his face immediately. “Shit! You didn’t have to do this. But it’s fuckin’ awesome you did.”

You giggled, flopping back onto the bed next to him. You laid with your head on his pillow, smiling up at Eddie from where he sat next to you. “I’m glad you like it. I know yours broke. Probably because you play it all the time.”

Eddie poked you in the side, making you laugh harder. “Shut up, Freak. You love Master of Puppets just as much as I do.”

“That’s true,” you conceded. You looked up at him, his chocolate brown eyes gazing down at you. They sparkled, like his personality was shining its way through. He had a strong nose, kissable lips. God, you wanted to kiss those lips.

Eddie had never realized how pretty you were. He always just saw you as his long time best friend, the girl who definitely crushed on him but he never saw that way. He still didn’t think he had feelings for you, but…you were pretty.

“Have you ever kissed a guy before?” He asked, pushing a section of hair off your shoulder.

You blushed at the question. You didn’t have much experience, your love life was nonexistent. But you had kissed someone, at least. “Yeah. Tommy Hagan in 7th grade.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide. “Tommy Hagan? That dickhead? You never told me that.”

You shrugged, your cheeks red and hot. “It didn’t mean anything. I got invited to Heather Holloway’s birthday party and he was there. We all played spin the bottle. It only lasted two seconds and we never really talked again.” Eddie hummed. “What about you?”

It was Eddie’s turn to look sheepish. “Uh, yeah. A girl at school, Chrissy, in 8th grade. We didn’t date or anything.”

Now it was your turn to be shocked. “Chrissy Cunningham? You didn’t tell me that, either!” He had never mentioned her. You knew it was stupid, but you were struck with jealousy at his words.

“It was nothing,” he said, brushing it off.

“Look at us,” you laughed. “18 and almost 20, and we’re still a couple of virgins.”

Eddie looked down at you, something unfamiliar swimming behind his eyes. He had never wanted to kiss you before this moment, but now... “I mean, we can change that.”

Your heart stopped in your chest. “What do you mean?”

Eddie thought about it for a moment. This could be a point of no return, a step in a direction he didn’t want to take. But in his drunk and high mind…he wanted it. He wanted you.

He leaned forward slowly, so slowly. Your breath hitched in your throat right before his lips pressed against yours. They were just as soft as you always dreamed they were, and your mind went even more hazy from his kisses.

Neither of you were experienced at all and you were both pretty intoxicated, so the kiss was a little awkward and desperate. All tongues and teeth clashing together, hungry for one another. Eddie’s hand slid beneath your t-shirt - his Hellfire shirt - trailing up your smooth skin until he reached your breasts. You hadn’t worn a bra with your dress, so you were bare chested beneath the thin shirt. His calloused fingers delicately grazed your nipples, making you shiver. You’d never been touched there before, never felt anything like this. Being touched by Eddie was so much different than being touched by your own hand.

“I love your tits,” Eddie mumbled against your lips between kisses. You hummed, arching your back into his touch.

“Feels good, Ed,” you moaned quietly, body turning into pure electricity under his wandering touch. Your own hand tangled in the curls at the back of his neck, loving the way your bodies molded together, the feeling of his body finally pressed up against your own.

“Yeah?” He squeezed your breast one more time before his hand moved to your back, sliding down your body until he grabbed your ass, pulling you into him. You gasped, feeling how hard he was through his own sweatpants. “You feel how hard I am?”

“Yeah,” you whispered back. You moved your hand to his chest, sliding it down his body until you reached the tent in his pants. He groaned as you felt him, squeezing his cock through the material.

Eddie sat up, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it somewhere on the floor. You eyed his bare chest, the tattoos adorning his pale skin. You traced a finger over the design on the left side of his chest. God, he was so hot.

His hands slid up your shirt, pulling it up and off. His gaze dropped straight to your tits, he was practically drooling. He reached for the waistband of your sweatpants next, pulling them down your body slowly, leaving you in nothing but your panties. You were grateful you picked something pretty, red and lace.

“So sexy,” Eddie moaned. He leaned forward and kissed your stomach, which startled you a little. He trailed kisses up your body until he reached your breasts, where he ran his tongue over one of your nipples before wrapping his lips around it. You moaned as you arched into his touch, his mouth, whatever he would give you.

His hand slid down your body slowly, slowly, until it reached your panties. He slipped beneath them, fingers dipping between your folds. He could feel how insanely wet you were, and it only made his cock harder.

“So wet for me,” he said. “Bet you can’t wait for my cock.”

You whimpered as he pressed a finger against your entrance. Slowly, carefully he pushed it inside, stretching you for the first time. You gasped at the intrusion, but the pain faded quickly. Eddie slowly pumped his long finger in and out of your pussy, pressing against something deep inside that felt incredible as he curled his finger against it. He added a second finger shortly after, and the stretch was more intense, but from the feeling of the size of his cock in your hand, you knew it wouldn’t even be comparable.

Eddie fingered you a little longer, getting you nice and wet and ready for him, before he removed his hand and slipped your panties off. Now bare before him, he drank you in with his hungry eyes. His cock twitched in his pants.

You helped him push them down his hips, and he kicked them off onto the floor. He didn’t have boxers on underneath, and his dick was so much more impressive once fully revealed. It was big enough that it made you feel scared even through your mind haze.

“You can take it,” he assured you, his words still slightly slurred. “I know you can.”

He reached over you into the bedside table and pulled out an unopened box of condoms. “Finally get to use these,” he laughed, taking one out of the box and ripping it open. You watched as he slid the rubber over his hard cock, tip red and glistening. You wished you could have had a taste.

Eddie got in between your legs, kissing all over your neck before meeting your lips again. His tongue pressed into your mouth immediately, attempting to distract you from the pain where he was lining himself up and slowly beginning to push inside.

You whined as he began to fill you, inch by thick inch. When he was fully seated inside he pulled back and snapped his hips back into you, making you gasp. He set a quick pace, desperately rutting into you as he chased his pleasure, his drunken rhythm sloppy and uneven.

You held onto him tightly as he fucked into you, and he groaned into your neck where he had his face buried. “Feels so good,” he moaned, not exactly caring how you felt, only worried about his own quickly impending orgasm. It was his first time and he was not going to last.

“Eddie,” you whined, “you’re so big.”

He groaned at that. “Yeah, baby? You like it?”

“Mmhmm,” you moaned, and it did feel good, but he was also splitting you in half.

“Fuck,” he hissed, “I’m gonna cum. I’m gonna fucking cum.”

He pumped into you just a couple more times before he was stilling, buried to the hilt inside you as he filled the condom. He moaned loudly, body trembling on top of you as he rode out his orgasm. You didn’t get to cum, but you were too drunk to care.

Eddie pulled out, removing the condom and tying it off before tossing it into the trash can. He collapsed onto the bed next to you, his naked body sweaty, chest heaving.

“That was…good,” you said, not knowing if it was or not. You were happy to have lost your virginity to Eddie, and the whole night had been a dream. But he hadn’t exactly cared about your pleasure. You waited for Eddie to reply, to say anything, but nothing came.

He was already snoring.

—

The unbearably bright light shining through the window around his curtains is the first thing Eddie experienced the next morning. It woke him up, but he only squeezed his eyes shut tighter, groaning as the light made his pounding headache infinitely worse. Fuck, he drank way too much last night.

He barely even remembered it. He remembered the prom, he remembered drinking a lot, doing shots, and smoking a joint. He remembered you, but his memory was hazy. How did you get home anyway? He didn’t remember driving you home after prom.

Eddie stretched, his muscles stiff. He was naked beneath his blanket, which wasn’t entirely unusual. He probably just didn’t feel like changing once he got his suit off.

Eventually he figured he should get out of bed. He rolled over and stood with another old man groan. Fuck, he had to cut back on the drinking, because he definitely felt a lot older than 19 right now.

He pulled on some boxers and a pair of sweatpants he found on the floor, remaining shirtless. Wayne would be passed out in his own bedroom after a long night of work at the plant. But Eddie was starving, and he needed something for that headache.

When he stepped out of the room, the first thing he noticed was the smell. Something delicious was wafting from the kitchen, the smell of bacon overpowering some other food scents. That was weird. Wayne didn’t cook breakfast, not the morning after a work night. He walked down the hall cautiously, brows furrowed as he neared the end of the hallway. He turned the corner, and froze.

You were there in the kitchen, expertly flipping a pancake in a pan. A plate sat on the counter next to you filled with bacon, and another pan on the next burner was cooking scrambled eggs. Oh, and you were dressed in nothing but Eddie’s oversized t-shirt and your underwear.

Oh shit, Eddie thought. What the fuck did I do?

The floor creaked as he stepped into the kitchen, and you turned around, a smile spreading across your lips at the sight of him. “Hey, sleepyhead. I made us some breakfast. Thought you could use something on your stomach.”

Eddie didn’t know what to say or do. Did he sleep with you? Oh god. He was going to be sick. “Uh, good morning. You, uh, didn’t have to do all this.”

He watched as you plated the finished pancakes and eggs. “I thought we could both use a big breakfast after last night,” you said, giving him a smirk. Oh, shit. He did sleep with you last night. He drunkenly lost his virginity after prom, to you.

Fuck. He was a fucking idiot.

You started making plates for the both of you. “I set out a water bottle and some Tylenol for you over there,” you said, nodding to the corner of the counter. Eddie took the medicine immediately, desperate for some relief from his unbearable headache. Now he wasn’t sure what was making it worse, the hangover or the knowledge of what he’d done.

He sat down across from you at the small table. He didn’t know what to say. Your friendship would never be the same after this. He knew you liked him, he didn’t like you, then he slept with you. Now he had to crush your heart. He really felt like he was going to be sick.

“Did you sleep okay?” You finally asked as the two of you ate, breaking the silence.

“Huh?” Eddie snapped back to reality. “Oh. Yeah.”

You smiled softly at him. You figured he was just still cloudy from the weed. “I had a good time last night.”

“Yeah…” Eddie said. “Me too.”

Your face lit up at that, and he could have slapped himself. He didn’t mean that. He didn’t even remember the sex. He was not doing a good job of not leading you on. “Listen,” he said, “about that-“

“It was really good,” you said. Eddie’s watched as your cheeks turned red and you looked down at your plate. “Sorry. I just meant…I enjoyed it. Being with you.”

Eddie had suspected, known even, that you had a crush on him, but this was the first time you’d ever admitted it out loud. Eddie was really going to have to stomp on your heart to put an end to those thoughts, and it was all his fault. He never should have brought you home after prom. “Look, I-“

“I didn’t think you liked me back,” you continued, rambling nervously, excitedly. “I…to be honest with you I’ve had a crush on you for years, but I was always too scared to tell you. But you never seemed like you were into me…until last night.” You giggled, covering your mouth. “I can’t believe we’re together now.”

Together?

Oh, fuck. He couldn’t do this. He could not do this. He couldn’t crush your spirit, wipe that elated smile off your face. He’d never seen you look so happy. He felt like the biggest asshole.

“Oh, yeah,” he said instead. “Um, me either.”

“I can’t wait to tell Robin,” you continued. “She’s going to freak.”

—

Eddie couldn’t believe he had gotten himself into this situation.

Sure, you were his best friend so he liked your personality, and it’s not like you weren’t cute, but he just didn’t have feelings for you in the way you did for him. But now he had slept with you and you thought he liked you back. He had somehow, some way, become your actual boyfriend.

“I thought you didn’t like her like that?” Gareth asked the next school day after prom at lunch. You were sitting with Robin today. You often bounced between the marching band table and the Hellfire table.

“I don’t,” Eddie said simply.

Gareth, Jeff, and Grant looked at him like he was crazy. “Then how…why…?”

Eddie slammed his hand on the table. “Stop grilling me, okay?”

“Someone’s cranky,” Jeff muttered, turning back to his lunch tray in front of him.

“Yeah, you’re in a pretty shitty mood to be the only one of us to lose his virginity and get a girlfriend,” Grant commented. Gareth and Jeff agreed, nodding along.

“Yeah, well,” Eddie muttered. “Would be nice if it was with someone I’m actually into.”

“Harsh,” Gareth tsked. “You should be honest with her. You’re just leading her on.”

“I can’t.” Eddie buried his face in his hands, exasperated and stressed. “It’s gone too far. She thinks I’m her boyfriend. She thinks I like her back. I can’t crush her like that.”

The other three boys exchanged a look. “So…you’re just gonna marry her?” Grant asked.

Eddie froze. That is where this would eventually lead if he didn’t turn it around. But he was scared. He couldn’t bring himself to burst your bubble. “I’ll figure something out.”

As lunch was ending, Eddie jolted when you came up behind him, wrapping your arms around his neck and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, babe,” you giggled. “How was lunch?”

“Good,” Eddie said, giving each Hellfire boy a look that said don’t say or do a damn thing.

“You guys are so cute,” Robin said, holding her hands over her chest as she tilted her head to the side with a smile. “I’m so happy you’re finally together.”

Eddie felt sick. Just like he had all weekend, since the morning after prom. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m a lucky guy.”

Your whole face lit up with a smile. “I was thinking maybe we could hang out after school. Do our homework and work on the Curse of Vecna.”

Eddie groaned internally. This was such a disaster. “Sure.”

That day after school Eddie drove you back to his place. He reluctantly did his homework with you, mostly copying your answers rather than actually learning anything. Then the two of you laid on his bed and made out.

Hey, if he was going to be stuck in this relationship with someone he didn’t actually care for, the least he could do was take advantage of the benefits.

—

You spent four years with Eddie before you started noticing something was off.

It was the scent you started noticing on his clothes at first, like flowers and vanilla. You lifted his shirt from the laundry, the unexpected smell hitting you. You didn’t own anything that smelled like this, and Eddie certainly didn’t. You knew the smell of his cheap cologne better than anything, the amount of times you’d laid your head on his chest and smelled that distinctly Eddie scent. Something was wrong.

When you confronted him about it, he brushed it off. “It’s this new girl at work. Her perfume is so strong, everyone smells like it.”

You accepted the answer for the time being. But then there were other things you began to notice. A scrunchie that definitely didn’t belong to you on the floor of the passenger side of his van. A condom wrapper in the bathroom trash after you’d been out of town for the weekend. And finally, a pair of pink panties stuffed into the back pocket of his jeans that were so clearly not yours it was nearly comical if it hadn’t made you want to die.

When you confronted him about it the next time, it was with tears in your eyes and a lump in your throat. “Eddie,” you said, your voice cracking as you tossed the panties onto the floor in front of where he sat on the couch. “What are these?”

Eddie knew he had been caught. There was no getting out of it this time. You didn’t own any underwear like that, and it was the wrong size. How could he have been so stupid to have kept the panties? “I…”

“Really?” You sobbed. “You have nothing to say?”

“I’m not sure what you want me to say.” Eddie looked down at his hands. “Yeah, I’ve been sleeping with someone else.”

Even though you already knew his words were true, they still hit you right in the heart. You could feel it cracking, could feel the fault lines forming, the blood and life seeping out of it. “With who?” You asked, barely audible. You weren’t sure if you wanted the answer, but you needed it.

“That’s not important-“

“It is important,” you said. “It’s important to me.”

Eddie didn’t respond at first. He didn’t want to respond. “Chrissy Cunningham,” he answered reluctantly at last. “But don’t pull her into this, she doesn’t deserve to be-“

“Chrissy Cunningham?” You scoffed. “Eddie, we’ve been together for four years. Chrissy knows we’re together. So she was just fine sleeping with a guy she knew was taken?” You laughed humorlessly through the tears. “Wow. You guys are perfect for each other, then.”

Eddie shook his head. “Don’t do that, man, she-“

“‘Man’?” You couldn’t believe the conversation you were having. “Wow, I sure got demoted from baby fast, huh?”

He rubbed his hands over his face. “Please. I don’t wanna do this. I don’t feel like doing this.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have cheated!” You yelled back. “Why would you do this? How could you do this to me? I thought you loved me.”

Eddie mumbled something under his breath, something you couldn’t catch.

“What?” You asked. “I can’t hear you. Just fucking tell me. Why would you do this to me?”

When Eddie looked up at you, his eyes were full of anger, flames flickering behind his normally sweet doe eyes. The ones you had gazed into, taken comfort in so many times. When he opened his mouth, nothing but poison seeped out.

“Because I never loved you!” Eddie yelled, hands running through his hair to the point he was practically pulling it out. You had never seen him so upset. “Fuck! I went out with you because we were friends and I felt bad, and by the time we’d been together for months it was too late. I never liked you back like that. That’s the truth, finally.”

His words hit you like a shot to the chest. You stared at him with your lips parted, staggering gasps being dragged into your lungs. You shook uncontrollably as if it were suddenly freezing. But the tears didn’t yet fall. You felt like you might be in shock. “How…”

“How did I pretend to be in love with you?” He scoffed. “I didn’t do a very good job of it, but it doesn’t seem like you ever noticed. You were so blinded by who you wanted me to be, you couldn’t see what was right in front of you. Hey, as long as I came home and fucked you before passing out next to you, you just took it.” He laughed, a cruel, sinister laugh. “You just let me treat you like shit. Like you have no respect for yourself, or were just that obsessed with me.”

You didn’t even know who this was in front of you right now. This person who looked like Eddie, sounded like Eddie, but was spewing such horrible, hurtful words that Eddie never would. You didn’t recognize him at all. You wanted to blame his words on his heightened emotions, but you could tell everything he said was true. Especially with the cheating to back it up.

That’s not how you treated someone you cared about.

“So you just led me on for four years instead of telling me?” You asked. There was no fight behind your voice like there was in his. Only hurt and defeat. “Eddie…even before all this, you were my best friend. How could you do this to me?”

He didn’t have an answer for that. Because he was a selfish idiot coward? That was the truth. “Look, me and Chrissy- it just happened. It wasn’t supposed to, but it did. She came in to the Hideout, we got to talking-“

“And you fucked her?” You finished for him.

He just looked at you. “Yeah.”

The truth was, Eddie felt bad. He knew he had fucked up astronomically bad. He had led you on, used your body, betrayed you. Wasted four years of your life. He knew you thought he was the one, he knew you were waiting for a proposal that was never going to come. It was his fault things had gotten this far.

Maybe he thought he could fake it ‘til he made it. Maybe he thought if he pretended to be into you, eventually he would be. But that never happened.

And now you were crying, hard. His chest ached for some reason, even though he had no right to hurt for what he had done to you. He deserved to feel like shit.

He wasn’t prepared for the next words that came out of your mouth.

“I’m pregnant, Eddie,” you said, eyes squeezed shut as if that would stop the torrent of tears currently streaming down your face. There was no response. You had to force yourself to open your eyes and look, wondering if he was even still there.

He was. He stared at you, brown eyes wide, mouth hanging slightly open. “You’re- no.”

“I am,” you said, voice hoarse from crying. “I…”

Eddie shook his head. “No. No, no, no. This is not happening. It’s not fucking happening.”

You only cried harder. The pregnancy hormones had nothing to do with this; this was pure devastation, pure heartbreak. Your heart felt like it had crumbled in your chest and there was nothing left to repair even if you could.

“Let me see the test,” he said, holding a hand out.

“Why would I lie?” You asked, voice weak. You were so emotionally worn out, you felt like you could sleep for weeks. Months. Years. You wanted to.

“Because you want me to stay with you?” He scoffed. “Look, I’m not saying you’re lying, but I want to see to be sure.”

You just stared at him. Finally, you said “Fine,” going into your shared bedroom and coming out with a piece of paper with your office visit report. “I went to the doctor. Here.”

Eddie took the paper from your hands, examining it carefully. Sure enough, under “Reason for Visit/Diagnosis”, it said “Pregnancy - 8 weeks”.

“Christ,” Eddie said. He rubbed his hands over his face, like he was trying to erase the information from his brain. He was panicked. He couldn’t be a dad. Not right now, maybe not ever. He didn’t even know if he wanted kids. And with you? His soon to be ex girlfriend who he had treated like shit and didn’t love? “I mean fuck, man. What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” you said. Your voice was small, like all the fight had left you.

Eddie felt like he had ruined his life. For one thing, you were both still so young. That was without even mentioning the mess of a ‘relationship’ he had gotten himself involved in, the fact that it would never work out even if he wanted it to because he didn’t have feelings for you, and now he was standing here crushing his pregnant girlfriend’s heart. Like an asshole.

He was an asshole, and he knew it.

“Look,” he said finally. “If there’s really a kid-“

“There is.”

Eddie continued. “I’m not gonna abandon it. I’ll…be here. I’ll pay child support, I want to share custody, I want to be involved.”

You nodded. At least there was that, you supposed. As heart broken as you were, as much as you felt like going to sleep and never waking up again, you couldn’t bear the thought of Eddie leaving both of you. This baby deserved better.

“Look, I…I need some time. I’m gonna go stay with Wayne for a little while. Until I can get my own place.” Eddie looked at you with pity now, the news of the pregnancy dousing the fire of his earlier cruelty. “You can keep the apartment. We’ve got the guest room for the baby, unless you decide to move out.”

You just nodded again. “Okay, Eddie.”

The two of you looked at each other. This wasn’t just the end of your apparent farce of a relationship, but also of your nearly lifelong friendship. Things between you and Eddie would never be the same again. He had taken your heart you gave to him and stomped on it, spit on it.

That was the thing you couldn’t get past. He hadn’t just rejected you, he had destroyed you. The cheating, the lying. Playing you like a fucking game. Like you meant nothing not just to him, but at all. You didn’t know how you’d ever learn to trust again, or if you even wanted to. Eddie slept on the couch that night, too late at night to drive to Wayne’s.

When you woke up the next morning, he was gone.

—

Your pregnancy was difficult. You had severe morning sickness in the beginning - hyperemesis gravidarum, your doctor called it. You struggled to keep any food down, and ended up hospitalized for fluids multiple times. Your doctor was concerned and considered you a high risk pregnancy. You went from monthly doctor visits to weekly. You felt pretty sure your emotional devastation wasn’t helping your physical health whatsoever.

Eddie was helpful, at least. He called you every couple of days to see how you were doing and if you needed anything. He remembered your appointment days and called to ask what the doctor said. He shopped for your groceries for you and dropped them off at the house. It would have felt nice, if you didn’t know he was only doing it for the baby and not you, and if you didn’t know he was still sleeping with Chrissy.

You went through most of the pregnancy alone. At 16 weeks, you noticed a bump for the first time, standing in front of your full length mirror as you got ready for work. It took you by surprise, this little baby bump that seemed to have popped up overnight. You ran your hand over the skin there, surprised by how firm it felt. There was really a little baby in there.

You had an ultrasound that afternoon. You were thrilled to see the baby, one of the only things you looked forward to anymore. The technician showed you your baby, thriving and wiggling around in there. It made your heart swell. She measured the heartbeat and played it out loud, the little whoosh whoosh whoosh comforting.

Eddie came to the apartment that evening to bring you the baby swing he had bought. You were in the kitchen cooking yourself chicken alfredo for dinner, wearing a thin tank top and your short sleep shorts. Eddie let himself in, since he still had a key in case of emergencies. You weren’t surprised to hear him coming in since he’d told you he’d be over.

You heard his footsteps heading into the kitchen, then - “Woah.”

You turned from where you’d been stirring the sauce, raising an eyebrow at him. “What?”

He gestured towards your stomach. “You, uh…your…”

You laughed lightly. “The bump? Yeah, that’s new.”

Eddie walked over towards you, leaning against the counter next to the stove. He didn’t know how to feel about it. It was strange to see, and it made him feel weird in his chest. Something he’d never felt before. “It’s…it’s cute. You look cute.”

You laughed again. “I’m about to get a lot bigger.”

The two of you stood in silence for a minute. Then, finally, Eddie worked up the courage to ask - “Can I…can I feel?”

You were surprised by the question. Sure, Eddie had been pretty devoted to this baby during the pregnancy, but it still caught you off guard. “Oh. Sure.”

You turned and he walked up to you cautiously. He raised his hands, slowly moving them towards you as he looked up at you for confirmation it was still okay. Finally he placed his hands on your belly, feeling the firm bump beneath his hands. It was real. He knew it was real, but now it was real.

“Wow,” he said after a minute. “That’s…wow.” He gently rubbed the bump, in shock that that was his child beneath his hand.

“I got an ultrasound today,” you said. “Want to see?”

“Of course,” he answered immediately. He watched as you headed into the living room, already developing the slightest little waddle. He couldn’t help but smile.

You pulled the printed photos from your purse, bringing them over. Eddie gently took them from your hands. “Holy shit!” He said, laughing as he closely examined the photos. “It really looks like a little baby now instead of a blob.”

“Yeah,” you agreed with a smile. “They said we’d find out if it’s a boy or a girl at the next one. At 20 weeks.”

Eddie’s eyes darted up to you. “Really? Can I…go?”

You raised your eyebrows. “Really? You want to come with me to the appointment?”

“Yeah, of course. I want to know what we’re having. I want to be there myself.”

You bit the inside of your cheek, thinking about it. “How will Chrissy feel about that?”

Eddie’s expression hardened for the first time since he’d come over. “I can do whatever I want. And we’re not talking about her right now.”

You rolled your eyes, heading back into the kitchen to tend to your dinner. “I guess you can come, Eddie. It’s your baby too. But don’t bring her.”

“I’m not,” he assured you. You thought he’d have to be a fucking idiot to bring her, anyway. “I just want to be there.”

You felt like you couldn’t take that from him. If he wanted to be an involved father, he could. You encouraged that, in fact. This baby didn’t deserve to be born into the mess that was your relationship, or what used to be your relationship. Your issues with Eddie needed to be put aside for the sake of your child.

So, four weeks later, you waddled your 20 week pregnant self down the stairs of your apartment complex and into Eddie’s van where he sat idling, waiting to pick you up. He helped you climb in, and you waved him off when he tried to buckle you up. “I’ve got it, Eddie. I’m not totally helpless.”

“I know,” he said, “I just want to help.”

You rode to the doctor’s office without speaking, the only sounds being the heavy music playing over the stereo. You couldn’t stand it. Since the break up, you couldn’t listen to Eddie’s music anymore. Too many memories, too many associations.

When he pulled up at the office, he hopped out quickly to run around and offer you a hand as you carefully climbed down. The bump was significantly bigger already, it was in the way and threw off your center of balance. And Eddie was not about to let you fall and hurt yourself and the baby.

You had grown to know the staff at the office since you were there so often. They greeted you by name the second you walked in, looking pleased to see you. In the exam room, Eddie sat in the visitor’s chair, looking as awkward as he felt.

When the tech walked in, she barely managed to contain the surprise on her face to see Eddie with you. You had been to every appointment alone, and they knew you weren’t together with the father. But she quickly plastered a smile to her face, walking over to you.

“Are you excited?” She asked you. “It’s a big day!”

“So excited,” you giggled. “I’m ready to know.”

You laid back and lifted your shirt up and she squirted the cold gel onto your belly, your least favorite part. She placed the wand on your stomach and began moving it around. There was a screen only she could see, and a bigger screen facing you and Eddie that showed the baby.

The little wiggling baby popped up on the screen, moving all around. You smiled, relieved to see the little guy or girl was doing well. You always worried between ultrasounds that something would happen.

The two of you watched as the tech examined and measured the various body parts, making notes in your chart as she performed the exam. Then, finally, it was time.

“Okay,” she said. “Everything looks great! Do you want to know what you’re having?”

“Yes,” you and Eddie answered immediately at the same exact time. You glanced at each other, laughing lightly.

You were nervous. You weren’t sure why. You really didn’t have a preference for the baby’s sex, but this was a huge deal. This made it real, really real. The baby was about to go from “the baby” to your son or daughter. They would have a name, you would be able to shop more. This was a huge moment, and your heart thumped hard in your chest.

She moved the wand a little, looking where she needed to look. She smiled - “It’s a healthy baby girl.”

You choked out a light sob, hands moving up to cover your mouth. You couldn’t believe it. A baby girl, a daughter. Your daughter. Thoughts flashed through your mind of pink little dresses, playing dolls, dance recitals and late night dance parties. Or maybe she would be more of a tomboy, playing sports and getting dirty. You would love her no matter who she turned out to be.

Eddie stared at the screen in awe. A daughter. He was having a daughter. He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t have a preference for the gender either, but hearing it was a girl, it just felt right. Like this was the child he was meant to have, this was the perfect outcome. His body overflowed with the love he felt for this tiny person already. He nearly reached over and grabbed your hand, but thought better of it. It wasn’t his hand to hold anymore.

You left the appointment in high spirits with a stack of ultrasound photos in your hand. You kept looking them over, amazed at how much the baby looked like a baby. Just as you were about to get back in the van, you felt something move that made you gasp and nearly drop your bag.

“What??” Eddie asked, immediately by your side. “Are you okay? Is it the baby?”

You looked up at him wide eyed. “I…” You were about to say something else when you felt the movement again. You quickly grabbed Eddie’s hand and placed it on your stomach, right where you felt it.

He looked at you strangely, but kept his hand there. Then, a second later - another kick, right where Eddie’s hand lay.

“Holy shit!” He exclaimed, jerking his hand back out of instinct before putting it back. “Did she just kick?”

“I think so,” you said, an incredulous giggle in your voice.

“She’s strong,” Eddie commented with a smile. He gently rubbed his hand over the bump. “My girl. Gonna be a soccer player or something. Or just kick some serious ass.”

You laughed, your hand resting next to Eddie’s. “This has been the best day I’ve had in months.”

Eddie felt a pang of guilt at that. He knew he was the reason for your sadness, for your pain. And now here you were, giving him the greatest gift he could dream of, even if it’s one he didn’t expect. He couldn’t wait for this baby to be here.

Robin threw you a baby shower when you were 33 weeks pregnant. You were huge and uncomfortable, and still mentally a disaster. But Robin had put in so much work you were at least going to make an attempt to enjoy yourself.

She had taken you shopping for a dress, and you’d landed on a long, light pink one with a hem right beneath your breasts, the rest of the dress draped over your belly. It made you feel pretty, even if gigantic.

When you and Robin walked in, the party was already underway, your friends, family, and acquaintances mingling around, eating from the buffet table. There was a table surrounded and piled high with gifts, a rocking chair with a bow on it sitting next to it.

“Oh my god, Robs,” you said, tears springing to your eyes. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“Of course I did,” she said, nudging your arm. “You deserve it, babes. You and her both.” She placed a hand over your belly, making you smile. “You’ve been put through hell this pregnancy, the least I can do is give you a good party.”

Robin led you over to the buffet table, where Steve Harrington was standing. You furrowed your brows at your best friend as you walked, and she gave you a sheepish smile and shrug.

“He’s different now,” she said. You couldn’t believe your ears. “He’s not King Steve anymore. And he helped me out a ton with this party. He’s kind of a dingus, but he’s cool.”

Steve gave you a kind smile as you approached. “Hey,” he said once you’d both reached him, standing up straight. “Congratulations. You look beautiful.”

You blushed, because you certainly didn’t expect him to say that. “I’m huge,” you said.

Steve chuckled. “Well, you’re growing a whole human. Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s hard work.”

You were completely shocked that Steve was being so nice to you. He had never been mean to you, but he definitely saw you and Eddie as Freaks in high school, and never gave you or Robin the time of day. He really did seem different.

“Come on,” Robin said, pulling gently on your arm. “Let’s get you and that baby something to eat. It’s gonna be a great party.”

And it was a good party. You were having a good time talking with your guests, everyone wanting to feel the baby and asking you questions. The food was good, too, you thought as you filled your third plate in 30 minutes. You were having a good time.

That is, until the door opened and two guests walked in late.

Eddie walked in, looking awkward, a gift bag in hand. He knew a good number of the people in attendance hated him, and for good reason. The fact that Eddie showed up to your party wasn’t the bad part. You were on okay terms. It was the fact that he walked in, hand in hand with Chrissy Cunningham.

Your heart stopped in your chest. You hated that you still weren’t over Eddie, but it was the truth. You felt like you would throw up at the sight.

“Oh, fuck no,” Robin muttered under her breath from next to you, before she stood tall and started walking over to them with purpose.

“Robs, wait!” You called, following after her, but Robin’s long strides were much faster than your 8 month pregnant waddle. Robin was already there when you reached the three, her finger pointed in Eddie’s face.

“And what do you think gives you the right to come marching into her party with your little girlfriend?” She was yelling, fury in her eyes like you’d never seen. “What the fuck is wrong with you??”

“Robin-“ you started, but she wasn’t even hearing you.

“You are the scum of the fucking earth,” she said to Eddie. “You don’t belong here. You don’t belong outside enjoying the day. You belong in a cave.”

Eddie was looking at her with an irritated expression on his face. Chrissy stood next to him, her big eyes wide as she held onto his arm. It made you feel so much worse.

“This is my daughter’s baby shower,” he said. “I have a right to be here.”

“No, this is her shower.” Robin gestured towards where you stood slightly behind her without even turning around. “This is for her. She has been through hell, and it’s entirely your fault. The only thing you did besides ruin her life is put the damn baby in her. Good job, Eddie!”

Eddie scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Down, guard dog, this has nothing to do with you. Get out of my face. I’m here to celebrate my daughter. Not yours.”

“And you had to bring your skank with you?”

Both you and Chrissy gasped. You had never heard her speak that way before. Eddie’s eyes darkened. “Don’t talk about her like that. She has nothing to do with this.”

“She slept with you multiple times while knowing you were in a relationship. So yeah, she’s a skank, and you’re a slut too. I guess you guys are made for each other.”

“Babe, why don’t we just go-“ Chrissy said softly.

“Babe,” Robin mocked. “How cute.”

“I’m not leaving,” Eddie said, looking from Chrissy to Robin, and finally to you. “I deserve to be here. So get over yourself.”

“I think you should leave, Eddie.”

You turned as you all looked behind you, where Steve had walked up. His expression was serious, and Eddie narrowed his eyes at him.

“This doesn’t concern you, Harrington.”

“Well, it kind of does,” he said, tilting his head to the side. “These are my friends. I helped organize the party. No one would have cared if you wanted to be here, but you had to go and bring your girlfriend to rub in her face?”

Eddie was taken aback. He couldn’t believe Steve Harrington was here and had the nerve to talk to him and his girlfriend this way. He was about to say something rude back when you spoke up.

“It’s okay,” you said, your voice timid. “They can stay.”

Steve and Robin looked at you with concern etched on both of their faces. “Are you sure?” Steve asked quietly. “Robin told me your pregnancy has been complicated. You don’t need any extra stress.”

“It’s okay,” you repeated. You weren’t entirely sure if you were really okay with it, but you didn’t want drama at your baby shower. At least, not any more drama than what had already been caused.

Steve looked at you, giving you any chance to change your mind, but you didn’t say anything else. Steve looked at Eddie and Chrissy. “She says you can stay, you can stay.”

The rest of the party was admittedly very awkward. Eddie kind of felt like shit - he knew he shouldn’t have brought Chrissy here. It was the wrong move. He thought maybe it would be alright, but the second he walked in the door he knew what a mistake it had been.

When it was time for gifts, you felt a little uncomfortable. Even as a child you had never enjoyed the whole “opening gifts in front of the whole guest list” part of parties, but you knew your older relatives would find it rude if you didn’t.

You got a lot of lovely gifts - lots of girly clothes and tiny dresses, bottles, burp cloths, a baby monitor, baby soap and towels, health stuff, toys, all kinds of things. You even got some bigger items, like a high chair, a car seat, and a stroller. You were so grateful you teared up multiple times. As a single mom, you had been worried sick about how you’d afford a lot of this stuff.

When you opened Eddie’s gift, it was just a piece of paper inside the bag. You were confused, until you took the paper out and saw the photo of the crib you had been eyeing on it, and a note that he had ordered it for you. Cue the waterworks.

Chrissy’s gift was probably the ugliest baby clothes you’d ever seen in size 24m and a toy she wouldn’t be able to play with for years. You wanted to throw the gift back in her face. She did that shit on purpose.

The rest of the party went well. You managed to avoid Chrissy, or maybe she was avoiding you. You gave each of your friends and family hugs as they left when the party was over, thanking them for coming and for their gifts.

Eddie gave you a nod as he and Chrissy left. He was always so much more pleasant when he wasn’t with her. You could always tell when she was in his ear, too, because he would start stupid arguments and stress you out. You were tired of Chrissy in your business. You never wanted to see her for the rest of your life.

But that was Eddie’s girlfriend, the girl he actually liked, and Eddie was this baby’s father. So you supposed you’d have to live with her.

At 33 weeks, days after the shower, you noticed horrible swelling in your hands and feet. More than the normal pregnancy swelling. You brought it up at your doctor’s appointment, and she was immediately concerned.

Your blood pressure was through the roof. You were diagnosed with pre eclampsia and told to head straight to the hospital to be admitted.

You cried on the way to the car. This whole pregnancy had been hell, and as excited as you were to meet the baby, you were miserable. And it wasn’t time for her to come yet. You were terrified.

You drove around the corner to the hospital’s main entrance, walking inside and giving the receptionist the paper from your doctor. They had you upstairs and set up in bed in no time, hooked up to monitors and put on strict bed rest.

The first thing you did once you were settled was grab the bedside phone. You dialed Robin’s number first, filling her in through tears. She promised to be over right after work with movies to watch, wanting to make you as comfortable as possible while you had to be in the hospital.

Next, you called Eddie.

“Hello?” He answered, a laugh in his voice, and you could hear Chrissy giggling in the background. It made you feel infinitely worse.

“Eddie. It’s me.” It was obvious in your voice that you’d been crying.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, suddenly serious. “Is it the baby? Is she coming? It’s too early!”

You sniffled. “Not yet. But I have pre eclampsia. They hospitalized me and put me on bed rest until the baby is born.”

“Shit,” Eddie hissed. “Do you, uh…do you need me?”

“Can you run by the apartment and grab my bag I packed?” You asked. “Maybe throw some extra stuff in there since I’m going to be here for a while?”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

The next week in the hospital was a long one. You were bored to death, even with Robin and Steve coming by every day after work and on their days off. They would bring different movies from Family Video every day, and they had bought you a collection of board games to play together.

At 34 weeks, things took a turn for the worse.

Your water broke and labor began far too early. You were in a panic. Robin had been visiting at the time, and next thing you knew, doctors and nurses were rushing in, checking your vitals and fussing over you. The contractions started immediately, coming strong and fast.

“Call Eddie!” You called to a shocked Robin, who froze for only a few seconds before dashing for the phone.

By the time Eddie sprinted through the door, breathless and mercilessly alone, things were well underway. Labor had set in fast, and the baby’s vitals were dropping. They had to get her out as soon as possible.

“We’re going to be taking you back for a C section, okay?” The doctor told you kindly, but you could hear the seriousness of the situation in his tone. “We need to get this baby out right now.”

You had never been more terrified in your life. You could not lose this baby. You didn’t care much about your own well-being, but losing this baby would kill you.

“Can I come?” Eddie asked, his voice shaking. He was equally terrified. This baby, his daughter, meant the world to him already and she wasn’t even here yet. He needed both of you to be okay.

“Yes, you’ll just have to change into a pair of scrubs,” the doctor said. “One of the nurses will bring you some then bring you to the OR. We just need to get her in there and prepped immediately.”

Eddie watched as they wheeled you from the room quickly, disappearing down the hall with an urgency that made him sick to his stomach. Just as he’d been told, a nurse walked up with a pair of surgical scrubs and a hair cap, snapping him out of his internal panic.

He went into the bathroom and changed into the scrubs, pulling his hair up into a bun and putting the cap on. He slipped the shoe covers on last. He felt like he looked ridiculous, but he really didn’t have time to think about that right now.

Inside the operating room, you laid on a table with your arms strapped down out to the side. You also wore a cap over your hair, and a large drape curtained off everything below your chest.

“Hey,” you said, sounding nice and calm and a little out of it. “You came.”

“Of course I came,” Eddie said. He stood next to you as the doctor got to work. He did not want to think about what was going on behind that curtain.

It wasn’t long before the doctor said “Here she is!” and the next thing Eddie knew, he heard a shrill cry. It made his heart stutter in his chest, he lost his breath. Moments later one of the nurses came around with the tiniest baby Eddie had ever seen, wrapped in a hospital blanket. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His child.

You gazed at the tiny bundle in the nurse’s arms. You were so drugged up you couldn’t really comprehend the moment, but you knew that tiny bundle was your daughter. Here at last. And alive, healthy. Pink skin and a head full of brown hair.

“Would you like to hold her?” The nurse asked as the doctor went to work on stitching you up. “We have to get her to the NICU, so only for a moment. I’m sorry.”

The NICU. Eddie didn’t want to think too hard about that. “Yes, I want to hold her.” Eddie held out his arms and the nurse gently placed the tiny baby in them.

She was so small. She felt like glass, like the most fragile thing in the world. He took in every aspect of her appearance, from her hair that matched his, to her tiny button nose, her little pink lips. Her eyes were closed, so he didn’t get to see her eye color.

He moved over to you and held the baby down for you to see. “Here she is,” he whispered to you. “Our baby girl.”

You smiled a loopy smile, but you could feel the love practically bursting out of your chest. “Hi, Lottie,” you said, tears welling in your eyes. “Charlotte Mae.”

Charlotte did great, and had none of the problems common in premature babies. It was a miracle, and you were so grateful.

There was a knock at your door before it opened. Robin walked in, Steve trailing behind her. They both had smiles on their faces and held gift bags. Steve held a bouquet of beautiful flowers. He wore a yellow sweater and jeans, his long hair styled. You couldn’t help but notice how cute he was.

“Hey, mama, how are you feeling?” Robin greeted, coming over and giving you a kiss on the cheek. She looked down at the sleeping baby in your arms. “Hi, Lottie!”

“We’re doing good,” you said, a tired smile on your face. Eddie had been over earlier, but had to leave when Chrissy called the hospital phone, demanding he come home. It had made your chest ache, especially when he obeyed.

“Hey,” Steve said, moving to your other side. He held up the flowers. “I, uh, brought these for you.”

“Had the idea, picked them out, and bought them himself,” Robin said, wiggling her eyebrows.

The way Steve was looking at you did something to you, something felt deep in your chest. “Thank you,” you smiled at him. “They’re beautiful.”

“We also brought you these,” Robin said, placing both gift bags on your lap. One was purple with pink tissue paper, and the other was blue with yellow paper. “Can Auntie Robs hold her now?”

“Of course,” you replied, gently passing the tiny bundle into Robin’s waiting arms. She held the baby like a natural, gently rocking her.

You reached for the purple bag first. You pulled the paper out and found a comfy pair of pajamas for yourself, and a matching set for Charlotte. There was a card inside that read, I’m so proud of you. You’re going to be the best mom ever! Love, Auntie Robs.

You almost teared up, looking at Robin. “Thank you,” you said. “This means so much.”

“Of course,” she smiled. “Now open Steve’s!”

You laughed as you grabbed the blue bag and removed the paper. Inside you found an assortment of candy, and a small teddy bear. A card inside read Motherhood looks beautiful on you. You’re going to rock it. I’m glad we’ve become friends. Love, Steve.

“How did you know I have a sweet tooth?” You asked Steve with a laugh. You couldn’t focus on his note right now unless you really wanted to cry.

“Robin,” he laughed. “She filled me in.”

Robin and Steve visited for as long as they could, taking turns holding Charlotte and helping to take care of both her and you. You were so grateful to have such support, such amazing friends.

Custody was a whole other ordeal. You and Eddie had agreed that he would get Charlotte every other weekend, starting when she was 5 months old and could take a bottle when she was with Eddie since you were breastfeeding.

It worked out, Eddie didn’t argue with you much unless Chrissy started convincing him to, as she sometimes did. He started missing his scheduled weekends, claiming plans with Chrissy. The thing is that Chrissy knew what weekends Eddie had Charlotte, and she would do this on purpose. And he just let her.

It made you so mad. Lottie deserved better than this. She deserved a father who was excited to see her any chance he got. You began to resent Eddie more and more.

It was Saturday night, and Eddie had bailed for the weekend again. He was taking Chrissy to Indianapolis to spend the weekend and go shopping. Honestly, you were in the mood for a good cry.

Not only was Eddie bailing on his visitation, but he was also pushing for more. You didn’t understand it, but you knew who was behind it. Chrissy just liked stirring up shit between you and Eddie. You were convinced she got a kick out of it.

You figured the best way to get a good cry was to go rent a sappy movie. You were sure a good romance would have you sobbing within the hour. You packed Lottie’s diaper bag, strapped her in her car seat, and drove to Family Video.

You smiled when you saw Steve behind the counter through the glass doors. He was on the phone as you walked in, but he gave you a big smile and held up a finger to tell you to hold on a second. You started browsing the movies, seeing what was available.

Steve got off the phone as quickly as possible, rushing over to your side. “Hey, Lottie,” he greeted the baby on your hip, making her giggle and reach for him. You handed her off as Steve happily took her. “So, what brings you in today? Not that I’m not excited to see you.”

You couldn’t help but smile at Steve. “Rough weekend. I need a good cry.”

He frowned. “Why?”

You sighed. “Just Eddie and Chrissy stuff. The usual.”

Steve nodded in understanding, but it pissed him off. He hated the hell Eddie and his girlfriend put you through on a constant basis. He wished he could make it better. “So you need a sad movie?”

“Yeah. Any recommendations?”

He thought for a minute. He browsed the shelves as Lottie played with his name tag. “Hmm…oh!” He reached forward and plucked a VHS off the shelf. “This one will get you for sure.”

You took it from his hands. “Steel Magnolias. I haven’t seen it.”

“Oh, it’ll definitely make you cry,” Steve laughed as you examined the tape, reading the back synopsis.

“Do you know that because it made you cry?” You teased, a playful smile on your lips as you looked at him again.

Steve blushed bright red. “Maybe.”

You laughed, poking him in the side. “Who knew you were such a sap, Steve Harrington.”

“Hey,��� he said, holding up his free hand in surrender. “Chicks dig a guy who’s in tune with his emotions.”

“Is that so?”

“It is so,” Steve confirmed with a grin. You could never wipe the smile off your face when Steve was around. He was just so fun, and kind, and funny. He was a great friend, and cute, too, if you let yourself admit it.

You exchanged the tape for Lottie then followed Steve back to the counter where he checked you out. “Just one movie tonight?”

“Yeah. I pass out too early now to watch more than one.”

Steve chuckled as he scanned the tape and pulled up your account. He clicked on his computer for a few seconds before a receipt began to print. “Alright, you’re all set.”

“Thanks,” you smiled as you took the tape and receipt from him. “I’ll see you around, Steve!” You turned and began walking to the front door, ready to get home, get Lottie comfy in bed, then watch your movie.

“Hey,” Steve said, stopping you. You turned around, confused.

“What’s up?”

“Um…” Steve cleared his throat. “Would you…want to go out sometime?” His voice was nervous, like you’d never heard it before.

His words caught you off guard. You raised your eyebrows, switching the baby to the other arm. “What?”

“Go out? Like, on a date?”

You blinked at him. “You want to go on a date…with me?”

“Yeah,” he smiled nervously at you. “I’ve…been wanting to ask you out for a while. But you just had so much going on, I didn’t want to add more stress to your plate…”

“Steve, you could never do anything but make my life better. I love spending time with you.”

He beamed at that. “Yeah? Well…would you want to go on a date with me?”

“Sure,” you smiled. “I would love that.”

You finished packing up Charlotte’s bag, making sure it was stocked with plenty of clothes and her favorite toys, including the teddy bear Steve had given her, which was her absolute favorite. Eddie had plenty of diapers and wipes at his house so you didn’t have to worry about that.

You had your date with Steve tonight. He was going to be picking you up shortly after Lottie left, so you had already gotten ready. You wore a short little dress that you’d been waiting for an excuse to wear forever, your hair hung perfectly, and you had done some light makeup. You hadn’t dressed up like this and gone on a date in…ever.

There was a knock at the door right on time. “There’s daddy!” You told Charlotte, who smiled big and clapped her little hands together. You scooped her up and headed for the front door, opening it to reveal Eddie.

Eddie smiled at Charlotte, but immediately took notice of your look. “Where are you going all dolled up? Got a hot date?” He asked, a sneer in his voice.

Your smile dropped. So he was going to be like this today. “Yeah. I do, actually.”

Eddie didn’t like that. The thought of it struck an unusual and unwelcome jealousy into his chest. “With who?”

“That’s none of your business,” you said. You handed over Charlotte’s bag. “I can do whatever I want. You cheated on me, remember?”

He didn’t acknowledge your second comment. “It is my business if you’re bringing my daughter around some guy.”

You stared him down. “Well, you bring your mistress around our daughter, so I don’t think you have the right to say anything.”

Eddie’s eyes darkened. “Chrissy is my girlfriend.”

“Sure.” You turned to Charlotte, smiling at her. “I’ll see you Sunday, baby girl. I love you so much.” You gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek before handing her off to Eddie. “I’ll see you Sunday.”

Eddie left, and you sighed. You took some deep breaths, trying to calm yourself. You would not let Eddie ruin this night. This was your first time being asked on a date, and you were going to have a good time.

It was about 15 minutes later that Steve picked you up. He looked handsome, wearing a button up shirt and jeans. He held a beautiful bouquet of flowers that he handed you as you opened the door.

“You look gorgeous,” he said, and you could tell from his voice that he truly meant it. You blushed deeply as you took the flowers.

“Thank you,” you smiled. Steve followed you into the apartment, stepping over toys as you walked into the kitchen. You grabbed a vase and filled it with water, placing the flowers inside.

“Where are we going?” You asked as you walked with Steve to his car. He held the passenger side door open for you, and you smiled at him as you slid in. He was such a gentleman.

“I was thinking, dinner and a movie is too lame, too cliche. We watch movies all the time. So,” he gestured into the backseat, “I packed us a picnic, and got us tickets to see David Bowie in the city tonight.”

You stared at him, blinking. “I…no you didn’t.”

Steve laughed. “Yeah, I did. I know you’re a big fan, and he was performing nearby, so…”

“Oh my god!” Your heart was beating out of your chest, you felt like it would explode. “Steve. Oh my god.”

Steve was very proud of himself for this one. He knew you’d freak out, but your reaction was even better than he hoped. “That’s why I asked you out tonight specifically. I, uh…already had the tickets.”

You quickly swiped a falling tear off your cheek before it could mess up your makeup. “Steve Harrington, I think I’m in love with you.”

That made Steve’s heart swell. Because he felt the same way about you.

Steve drove the two of you to the park, where you found a spot next to a large tree. He laid out the blanket and sat down the picnic basket he’d packed full of all kinds of foods. You ate together, laughing and joking and having the best time. But you couldn’t shake the buzzing excitement in your belly from the news of the concert.

It was a couple hour’s drive to the city, but it was worth it. The show was incredible, everything you dreamed seeing David Bowie would be. Steve held your hand, which sent electricity through both of your bodies.

When Steve brought you home, he walked you to your apartment door. Butterflies were flying in your stomach, still ecstatic from the most incredible date you ever could have imagined.

“I had a great time,” Steve said.

“Me too,” you agreed. “Truly. Do you…want to come in? The night doesn’t have to be over yet.”

A smile spread across Steve’s lips. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

Steve followed you in. As you turned to him, you saw something behind his eyes. Like he was thinking, considering something. He lifted a hand and caressed the side of your face with the back of his hand, thinking he had never seen someone as beautiful in his life. “Can I kiss you?”

Your breath hitched in your throat. “I…yes.”

Steve smiled lightly. Then he was leaning in, closer and closer, until his lips pressed to yours.

Sparks flew. You kissed him back eagerly, and he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling your body flush to his own. The kiss turned heated, Steve pressing your back up against the wall as he kissed you passionately. His hands began sliding up the skirt of your dress.

“Steve,” you said, breathless against his lips. “Take me to my room.”

The next morning, you woke up next to Steve. He had his arm around your waist, cuddling you close. You were both naked. As you awoke, Steve did, too, pulling you closer to him and nuzzling his face into your neck. “Don’t go,” he mumbled.

“I’m not,” you giggled. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Steve asked you to be his girlfriend that morning. It may have been a little soon, but you happily said yes. You knew Steve well, he was one of your best friends. You knew you wanted to be with him.

Robin was ecstatic when you told her the news. “About time!” She exclaimed, throwing her arms up. “Took you long enough, dingus.”

You knew you had to tell Eddie. As much as you dreaded it, he deserved to know as the father of your daughter. You waited a couple of weeks into the relationship, wanting to be sure things were going to work out before you brought it up. But your relationship with Steve was incredible, a kind of joy you never thought you could experience in a relationship.

Eddie came to the door to drop off Charlotte one Sunday evening. He was a little early, and Steve was over.

“Shit,” you hissed as he knocked at the door. “I guess it’s now or never.”

You answered the door, loving how Lottie’s face lit up at the sight of you. “Hi baby!”

“Mama!” She called, reaching for you. You took her from Eddie’s arms, sitting her on your hip. “Dada!” She exclaimed next, only she wasn’t looking at Eddie.

Steve had come up behind you, and Lottie was pointing at him. Your mouth dropped as Eddie’s face turned to one of pure anger. “What the fuck?” He said.

“I swear, I don’t know what that’s about. She’s never called him that before,” you explained quickly. Honestly Eddie deserved to have his feelings hurt, but you knew how destroyed you would be if Lottie called Chrissy Mama.

“What is he doing here anyway?” Eddie asked, gesturing towards Steve. “I don’t see Robin here. Do you have a life of your own, Harrington?”

You looked between Steve and Eddie. “Ed…me and Steve are…together.”

The words hit Eddie like a punch to the gut. He figured you would date eventually, but maybe he just got spoiled by you being single. He didn’t expect the pain of finding out you had moved on. And with Harrington? “What?”

You pursed your lips, knowing this had the potential to go badly. “We’re together. Steve is my boyfriend.”

Eddie just stared between the two of you. Then, he laughed, a sinister sounding chuckle. He knew he had no right to be pissed, but he was pissed. “Well, isn’t that just great.”

“Eddie-“

“No,” he said, holding a hand up. “You don’t owe me an explanation. You do whatever you want. Enjoy your life with Steve.”

And with that, he left. He didn’t even tell Charlotte goodbye.

Things with Steve were incredible. He was the best boyfriend you could ask for, and he was amazing with Lottie. She loved playing with him, and he could sit on the floor and play with her for hours without getting bored.

You had been together for a year and a half when he surprised you with a trip to the beach. You spent the weekend laying out in the sun, playing in the ocean, making love until the early morning in your suite.

On the last day there, you were walking down the beach hand in hand. As you were looking down at the sand for seashells, you noticed some writing in the sand. You let go of Steve’s hand to walk over and read it.

Will you marry me?

“Steve!” You exclaimed. “Look, someone proposed! How cute-“

You froze when you turned around to see Steve on one knee, holding a beautiful ring in a black velvet box. You gasped, tears immediately falling. You always were emotional.

“Will you make me the luckiest guy in the world and marry me?”

Eddie came home a little early from work one evening, and immediately knew something was wrong. He could feel it in the atmosphere before he even heard the noises. Those unmistakable noises.

He crept down the hallway, careful not to make any noise. Not that he thought he’d be noticed, anyway. Not with what he deeply suspected was going on.

He made it to the bedroom he shared with Chrissy. The door was slightly ajar, and he took a deep breath before pushing it open all the way.

Chrissy and her ex, Jason Carver, were in his bed, absolutely going at it. Eddie knew this was what was going on from the moment he walked into the apartment, but seeing it, he still felt like he’d be sick. Chrissy turned at the sound of the door opening and screamed, covering herself and Jason, who didn’t really seem to give a fuck at all.

After Jason left and Eddie was left alone with his girlfriend, he demanded the truth. She admitted she had been sleeping with Jason again for months.

Naturally, Eddie kicked her out. Then, he was alone.

Alone with only his thoughts, he had too much quiet time to think. And what he found himself thinking about was you. Far too often. He thought about your relationship, how he fucked everything up, including your lifelong friendship. Sure, he got his beautiful daughter out of it, but he could have treated you better. He should have treated you better.

He also thought about the way you’d treated him. The way you had loved him. How you were the only woman who had ever loved him, besides his mom all those years ago. How he had taken you for granted. He thought about how he would feel if some asshole treated Lottie the way he treated you. The thought itself made him furious.

Because now that Chrissy was gone and he was no longer blinded by his lifelong crush, he was realizing something:

Eddie loved you.

Not just as the mother of his child, or as a platonic friend, but love love. The kind he had been too blind to see back in high school, back during the days of your relationship.

He hated himself now. He had fucked up more than was even fathomable. He had thrown you away, for Chrissy. You were so much better than Chrissy in every way. Prettier, smarter, funnier, kinder. And you had treated him well.

Eddie dwelled on it for months. He grabbed his mail from the mailbox as he headed into his trailer one day, flipping through the various bills and junk mail - until he stopped at one with your name on it.

He dropped the other pieces of mail in his rush to open that one. He nearly ripped it in half getting it open, and as he pulled out the card inside, his blood ran cold.

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Mr. and Mrs Harrington.

It was too late.

tags

@ali-r3n @crispystarfishhottub

[scoupsakakitty]

Could you do svt finding out reader has been skipping meals while they were away on tour? Like they come back from tour and notices how the s/o is looking?? Lmk if you’re uncomfortable with that

SVT reacting to s/o losing weight/skipping meals

tw: weight loss, skipping meals

S.Coups:

His heart drops the moment he sees you. You look smaller, weaker—your usual glow dimmed. He pulls you into a tight hug, resting his chin on your head. "Did you wait until I was gone to do this to yourself?" His voice is strained, a mix of frustration and worry. He pulls back to look into your eyes. "You think I wouldn’t notice? You’re already perfect. Stop trying to fit into something that will never love you back the way I do."

Jeonghan:

He eyes you up and down, his usual playful smirk nowhere to be seen. Instead, there’s a cold seriousness in his gaze. "Y/N, be honest with me." He crosses his arms. "Did you stop eating just so you could fit some beauty standard?" His voice is sharp, but his hands are gentle when he reaches for yours. "I know how bad this industry can get, but I won’t let you do this to yourself. Not while I’m here."

Joshua:

Joshua sighs, shaking his head as he cups your face. His thumbs brush against your cheekbones, now more defined than before. "This isn't healthy, Y/N." His voice is calm but filled with concern. "You don't have to do this to be beautiful. You already are. The people who make you feel like you aren't? They’re wrong." He pulls you into his arms. "Next time, talk to me, okay? You don’t have to do this alone."

Jun:

Jun doesn’t speak right away. Instead, he sets down his bag and slowly approaches you, his gaze scanning over you carefully. "Did someone tell you to do this?" His voice is quiet, but there’s an edge to it. When you don’t answer, he exhales sharply. "I get it. I really do. But hurting yourself like this… it won’t make you happy." He squeezes your hand. "Please, Y/N. Let’s eat together, okay?"

Hoshi:

Hoshi pouts dramatically at first, pinching your cheek. "Where did all your energy go, huh? You look so tired…" But then, his expression shifts, eyes darkening with worry. "You were waiting for me to leave, weren’t you?" He sighs, shaking his head. "I know what it’s like to be told you have to lose weight to be accepted. But you’re not an idol, Y/N. You don’t have to go through this." He takes your hands in his. "Even if you were… I’d still tell you the same thing: you don’t have to change for anyone."

Wonwoo:

Wonwoo is quiet. Too quiet. He studies you carefully, his sharp gaze missing nothing. When he finally speaks, his voice is soft but firm. "Y/N… why?" He exhales deeply, shaking his head. "I get it. I know why you’d feel this way. But I also know it won’t bring you the happiness you’re searching for." He pulls you into his embrace. "Let me take care of you. You don’t have to do this alone."

Woozi:

Woozi’s jaw clenches the moment he sees you. His hands curl into fists at his sides before he forces himself to relax. "You think I don’t know what it’s like?" His voice is bitter. "To be told you’re not enough unless you fit a mold that someone else decided for you?" He steps closer, his gaze locking onto yours. "I won’t let you go through this alone, Y/N. I know how hard it is to fight it, but you don’t have to fight alone."

DK:

DK’s smile falters the second he takes a good look at you. His usual warmth turns into concern. "Y/N… have you been eating properly?" He already knows the answer, but he wants to hear you say it. When you look away, he gently lifts your chin. "Please don’t do this to yourself. I love you just the way you are." His voice cracks slightly. "I don’t want to see you hurting yourself over something so meaningless."

Mingyu:

Mingyu’s excitement from coming home quickly fades when he sees you. His hands instinctively reach out, brushing against your arms. "You… lost weight." His tone is careful, but his eyes are full of worry. "Did you stop eating while I was gone?" When you don’t answer, he exhales sharply. "Y/N, I love you, but I won’t pretend this is okay. You’re beautiful just the way you are. Please don’t hurt yourself like this."

The8:

His expression is unreadable, but his voice is laced with quiet disappointment. "You’re trying to fit into their beauty standards, aren’t you?" He sighs, shaking his head. "I won’t tell you that it’s easy to ignore them. But I will tell you that it’s not worth it." He gently cups your face. "You’re more than just the way you look, Y/N. Please don’t forget that."

Seungkwan:

Seungkwan is visibly upset, his usual bright energy completely gone. "Did you really wait until I was gone to do this?" His voice is uncharacteristically quiet. He swallows hard, trying to keep his emotions in check. "You think being skinnier will make you happier? That it’ll make you prettier?" He grips your hands. "You’re already the most beautiful person I know. Please don’t do this to yourself."

Vernon:

Vernon furrows his brows, staring at you for a long moment before finally speaking. "You think being thinner will make you fit in more?" He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "I get it. I really do. But I also know that it’s not worth losing yourself over." He steps closer, resting a hand on your shoulder. "You’re enough, Y/N. You always have been."

Dino:

Dino immediately frowns when he sees you, his expression unreadable. "You didn’t have to do this." His voice is filled with frustration, but not at you—at the world that made you feel like you had to change. "I know how hard it is to ignore the pressure. But I wish you had talked to me before doing this to yourself." He squeezes your hand. "I don’t care what anyone else says. You’re already perfect to me."

[rafecswhore]

rafe grieving about ur breakup so much to the point where he breaks down in front of u (angst and fluff?) tysm <3

authors note: I LOVE THIS IDEA ALSO hope this does you some justice; sorry for the late response !!

he thought he could handle it.

he told himself over and over that this was for the best, that if you didn’t love him anymore, he had no choice but to move on.

but fuck—why did it still feel like you were everywhere?

your name haunted him. it was in the laughter of passing strangers, in the lyrics of songs he used to hear you hum absentmindedly, in the scent of his hoodie that you wore more times than he did.

everywhere he looked, he found pieces of you. pieces that refused to fade.

and god, it was killing him.

he wasn’t supposed to be like this. he wasn’t supposed to care this much. he wasn’t supposed to be the one breaking.

but he was.

and it all came to a head the night he saw you again.

it wasn’t even supposed to happen. he had been avoiding you, staying away from places he knew you’d be, because every time he saw you, it felt like his ribs were caving in. but there you were—standing outside the party, arms wrapped around yourself against the cool night air, looking at him like you weren’t sure if you should speak.

for a moment, he thought about walking away. but then you said his name.

and just like that, he was unraveling.

“rafe,” you whispered again, like you knew. like you could see right through him.

he inhaled sharply, shaking his head, his throat tight. “i don’t—” he cut himself off, rubbing a hand down his face. “i can’t do this.”

“do what?” your voice was gentle, but it only made it worse.

“this.” he gestured vaguely between you. “pretending like i’m okay. pretending like it doesn’t still fucking hurt.”

the words slipped out before he could stop them, before he could shove them back down where they belonged. his breath hitched, his hands clenched into fists, but it was useless—he was already breaking.

“rafe…”

“you left,” he said, voice raw, eyes stormy and lost. “and i don’t know how to live with it. i don’t know how to be without you.”

the confession shattered something in the air between you.

he exhaled shakily, his chest rising and falling unevenly, and when he looked at you again, there was something in his eyes that made your stomach twist.

desperation.

“i don’t sleep,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “i don’t eat. i don’t feel like—fuck—i don’t even feel like a real person anymore.”

your breath caught.

“i pick up my phone a hundred times a day, and i don’t even know what to say to you,” he went on, words tumbling out of him in a way that felt out of his control. “i keep thinking… if i had just done something different, if i had just—”

his voice cracked.

and then, before you could even register what was happening, he was breaking right in front of you.

his shoulders slumped, his breath coming out in short, shaky gasps. his hands ran through his hair, like he didn’t know what to do with them, like he was trying to physically keep himself together.

“tell me what to do,” he whispered. “tell me how to make this stop.”

your chest ached.

because this wasn’t the rafe cameron the world knew—the sharp, confident, untouchable boy who never let anyone see him bleed. this was the real him. the one you had spent years knowing, loving, understanding.

and right now, he was falling apart.

before you could think better of it, you stepped forward, reaching for him.

the second your hands touched his face, his breath hitched, his skin burning under your fingertips. his eyes fluttered shut, his jaw clenching, and for a moment, he just stood there, letting himself feel it.

letting himself feel you.

“you’re going to be okay,” you whispered, even though you weren’t sure if it was true.

his grip on you tightened, his forehead dropping against yours. “i don’t know how to be okay without you.”

“you will be,” you promised, though the words tasted like a lie.

he exhaled shakily, his arms wrapping around you in a way that felt desperate, like he was afraid to let go. his fingers clung to your back, his breathing uneven, and for a few long moments, neither of you moved.

and maybe, just for tonight, you let him hold you.

maybe, just for tonight, you held him back.

[morganaawriterr]

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Valentine's Day with Ni-ki;

Pairing; fem!reader X best friend!Ni-ki Synopsis; Just when you're about to leave the house to have a date with Heeseung, your best friend Ni-ki shows up at your door with a sweet confession to make; Genre; best friends to lovers; fluff; Words; 1k Warning; None is just cute asf lol; MASTERLIST;

A/N: I wanted to post something for valentine's day so bad but I don't really like this :( I hope you guys do! As usual likes and reblogs are appreciated, thank you so much <3 Happy Valentine to all the girlies and boys in a relationship, to us, singles... well... lets be delulu for a little.

“Ni-ki? What are you doing here?” you question, confused, as soon as you open your heavy front door. Your curious eyes scan your best friend’s face as you gently hold the door open.

“Don’t go…” Ki responds, his beautiful brown eyes locked on yours.

Today is Valentine’s Day, and you have a date with a nice guy named Heeseung, who happens to be one of Ni-ki’s friends. You haven’t talked to Heeseung much, but he showed interest in you, and you decided to give him a chance. He seemed hesitant at first, but then firmly assured you that he wanted to go out with you today, so you got all dolled up just for him.

“What are you talking about, Ki?” you ask, starting to feel irritated by his strange timing. Ni-ki stands tall in front of you, his hands hidden behind his back. You raise an eyebrow and try to peek behind him, but he catches you just in time and steps back to avoid it.

“I’m talking about your date with Heeseung,” Riki repeats, his hands starting to sweat. “Don’t go on that stupid date with him.”

The truth is, he’s been in love with you ever since he met you. Ni-ki realized he wanted you long ago, way before you met Heeseung, but only now, with Heeseung making a move on you, did he find the courage to confess. His heart ached at the thought of you kissing Heeseung after getting all pretty for him.

Riki tries to read your expression, his eyes scanning your perplexed face, then trailing down your figure. You’re wearing an adorable pink floral sundress that isn’t too tight but still hugs your body in all the right places. Your long chocolate-brown hair is carefully straightened, and you’re wearing his favorite perfume.

Feeling his intense gaze, you speak up. “Why would I do that, hm?”

Ni-ki knows you’re starting to get irritated—the stern look in your eyes gives it away easily.

“Because…” Ni-ki starts, but it feels like someone is squeezing his throat, making it hard to breathe. “Because I’m finally here,” he whispers, his eyes locked on yours, hoping you’ll understand what his half-words can’t fully express.

You feel your cheeks heat up, unable to hide your reaction to his words. You’ve liked Riki for as long as you can remember but never really understood your feelings until you started growing up. His cool persona and great fashion sense made him incredibly attractive. But after getting to know him even better, you fell harder. He was more than just cool and well-dressed. He was kind, well-mannered, and made you laugh until your cheeks hurt. And turns out that was the way to your heart.

You never told him how you felt because you never thought he would like you back. After all, he was popular and had many girls chasing after him. That’s why you agreed to go out with Heeseung. Maybe he could distract you from the one-sided love you had for your best friend.

“What are you talking about, Riki…” you whisper, your heart racing at the thought that he might actually like you back. Your eyes shift from his to the floor, too nervous to face him.

“Fuck, Y/N, I like you, okay? I always have. I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you,” Ni-ki finally confesses, his ears turning red and his hands trembling slightly as he reveals what he is holding behind his back.

You can’t hide the immense smile that grows on your lips at his words, and when you see the beautiful bouquet of red roses in his hands, you can’t hold back anymore. Happy tears fill your eyes as you reach forward, wrapping your arms around Ni-ki’s neck, your head tucked against him. Your best friend immediately pulls you close, his arms wrapped tightly around your waist, his heart finally calming down as he feels your familiar embrace.

“Does this mean you like me back?” he jokes when you pull away to look up at him, your big puppy eyes staring into his. Ni-ki’s hand cups your cheek, his thumb gently caressing your skin.

You smile brightly at him. “Of course I do, dumbass,” you giggle, completely lost in the new softness in Riki’s eyes. “Wait, but Heeseung doesn’t deserve this… I can’t just cancel on him,” you say, biting your lip as guilt creeps in.

“Don’t worry, just tell him you changed your mind. He knew this would happen…” Ni-ki explains with a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Heeseung knew Ni-ki liked you, but Ni-ki denied it. Your best friend had assured Heeseung that you were single and that he didn’t like you, so Heeseung asked you out. Despite suspecting Riki’s feelings, Heeseung was genuinely interested in you and was surprised when you accepted his offer.

“Will you be my Valentine?” Ni-ki asks, love practically dripping from his eyes, his smile so genuine and cheerful that it makes your heart skip a beat.

“Yes, Ni-ki.”

As the words leave your mouth, Riki steps closer to you, his addictive scent surrounding you. His cold fingers gently lift your chin as he leans in. Your hands reach for his black hair, fingers playing with the strands at the nape of his neck.

His lips feel hesitant at first when they meet yours. Knowing him well, you can tell he’s probably nervous about taking this big step, so you kiss him back confidently, trying to reassure him that you’re more than okay with this. Tilting your head slightly, you silently ask for permission to deepen the kiss, and he lets you take the lead. As your lips mold together perfectly, he relaxes, smiling softly against your mouth, overwhelmed by joy. Your tongues move slowly, savoring each other like you’ve always wished to.

Out of breath, you pull away, a warm blush painting your cheeks. When Riki opens his eyes, he finds you already staring at him, looking prettier than ever with your lips swollen and red from his kiss. Smiling, he gently takes your hand and leads you to his car, ready to drive you to your favorite restaurant and spend a perfect evening with you—just like you deserve.

Little did he know, this was already more than enough. All you really wanted on this Valentine’s Day was his warm lips on yours, finally claiming you as his.

Taglist: @grandlightcandy @seokseokjinkim @strxwbloody @enhasunghoonishot @contyynishimura @heewanrik @ranwonbin @leanderexists @lovelyyf @youngheejay @crimson-reaper576 @rikifever @mrsjjongstby @laurradoesloveu @babyboomysweetie @mintchocos-things @nxzz-skz @saphiranishimurashan @ikeupups @yangjungwonnie @xiiaobaoo @itsuen @laylasbunbunny @mellowgalaxystrawberry @firstclassjaylee @questionsdearreader @greeyjre @en-doll @riqomi @lovingvoidgoatee @mitmit01 @miuwonis @aureliaaaa555 @han-to-my-minho @heeweenie @vixensss @ro-diares @hoonvinx @immelissaaa @jiryunn @quilevyt @vrusha01 @kkamismom12 @skzenhalove @theothernads @moonpri @nicoleparadas @fightqueen @heesunghooney @starl0ver4 @jooniesbears-blog @k1arar3 @riri-lvs-food @kolawnk @mitmit01 @dummyf @tender-is-the-moon @dksfml @tobiosbbyghorl @loveydoveyez @beomieeeeeeeeeeees @hhyvsstuff @moondooll @enchantedtomeetyou

If you wanna be added or removed from the taglist just comment below!

[delilahsturniolo]

! ! barista!reader taking care of sweetheart!matt when he’s sick

୨୧ find more on this au here!

“mmm..” matt groaned groggily as his eyes slowly fluttered open. he grunted as he lazily turned over in bed, looking at the digital clock on the side table that slightly illuminated the dark room . It was 5 AM, and he felt like absolute shit, which was a complete understatement. as of right now, you were in the bathroom getting ready for work, while matt was pouting in bed.

“y/n…” matt called out weakly. when you didn’t respond, matt slowly got up out of bed, feeling as dizzy and lightheaded as ever. his throat was sore, his nose was stuffy, and his head was absolutely pounding.

matt lazily stumbled over to the bathroom door, opening it slowly. he saw you doing your makeup in the mirror, swiping mascara on your eyelashes with precision. you saw matt standing at the doorway of the bathroom through the mirror and furrowed your eyebrows, setting down the tube of mascara.

“matt? baby? why are you up so early?” you asked, concern and confusion laced in your voice as you turned around to face him. matt was known for waking up at 1 PM every day, so this was different, you were immediately able to tell something was wrong, he didn’t look good at all.

“i don’t feel good..” matt murmured, walking over and sitting on the closed toilet seat, burying his head in his hands. you felt horrible for him, all the happiness and positive spark in him was gone, and that didn’t sit right with you.

“what’s wrong hon?” you encouraged him gently, shoving your makeup aside on the counter and walking over to matt who sat hopelessly on the toilet seat. he groaned and looked up at you weakly. “my head and stomach hurts…i feel so nauseous and my throat hurts..” matt whined.

you frowned, delicately feeling matt’s forehead with the back of your hand. “matt, you’re burnin’ up.” you hummed. right now, matt was your top priority. you didn’t really care if you were gonna be late to work, maybe you shouldn’t even go. you didn’t have the heart to leave matt alone while he was sick and unable to do most things for himself. “i’m gonna take the day off today, i can’t leave you alone.” you decided, matt was completely taken aback, he knew how much your job meant to you, and he didn’t want to be a burden after all.

“what? no no, you don’t need to do that y/n. i’ll be okay.” matt turned your idea down, sniffling harshly. however, you only shook your head. “it’s okay, matt. it’s just one day.” you shrugged.

matt sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes. “okay..” he murmured, his voice as soft as ever. you hated when he got like this, it hurt your heart. matt’s excitement and burst of happiness and laughter was just all gone now, and transformed into a stupid sickness. you knew damn well he was gonna be clingy and whiny with you all day long.

“now c’mon, i’ll make you some tea and get you some medicine.” you helped matt up, he put an arm around you as you led him back to bed. as matt flopped lazily back into bed, you went into the kitchen to grab some stuff quickly.

medicine, water, crackers, a rag..

a few moments later, you returned with the stuff, and his cup of peppermint tea too. considering you were a barista, you knew every remedy, especially what drinks were good for what. you set everything down on the side table, turning the lamp on to cast a warm but dim light into the room. “baby? can you sit up f’me?” you gently tapped his cheek. matt grunted as he sat up, propping himself up on his elbows he looked into your eyes. god, he loved so fucking much. all he could think about was how lucky he was to have you.

“thank you love, really. this means a lot to me.” matt smiled at you, his blue eyes squinting slightly as he did so. you smiled back, seeing the slight spark in his eyes, even though they looked tired. “of course matt, i’ll always take care of you.” you replied, cupping his cheek, his stubble brushing against your fingers.

“if you get sick though, don’t blame me.” matt shrugged sarcastically. your laughter filled the room as you playfully smacked him. “you’re insane.”

© delilahsturniolo do not copy, re use, or modify any of my works.

taglist

[gyuyoungg]

ULTRAVIOLENCE

wc: 281 𑂴⠀ ֺ  Noeulxfem!reader ៶ 𠈔

ׄ︶⊹︶⏝ׄ ㅤ abusive relationship, toxic Noeul, she hits you, open ending! 🪼𓈒𓏸

It had been five months since you broke up with your abusive girlfriend, No-eul. You had fought to leave, struggled to deny your feelings for her, but you just loved her too much.

“Who was she?!” No-eul yelled, following you around the house. You grabbed your jacket and quickly threw it on, still searching for your keys. “I’m telling you, she’s a work friend! I asked her to drive me home today!” you yelled as you knelt in front of your nightstand to retrieve your house keys.

You quickly stuffed the keys into your coat pocket and stood up just as No-eul pinned you to the wall. “Cut the fucking crap!” Your eyes widened as she yelled at you, a familiar rage flashing in her eyes. No-eul wasn’t great at managing her anger issues, and this was all too typical for you. You wriggled in her grasp as she tightened her hold, “Y/N… don’t make me say it again.”

“I’m telling the fucking truth—!” you started, but her hand struck your face. Stunned, you looked at the floor, letting your hair fall over your face as you touched the growing red mark. “Don’t fucking cuss at me,” she demanded, but you finally managed to push her weight off. In a hurry, you left the shared bedroom—one that seemed to grow smaller by the minute—and stepped out of the apartment.

Yet, you couldn’t shake the thought that the slap felt like a kiss…

Leaving your home wasn’t difficult; as a known singer, you had plenty of money. What troubled you was leaving No-eul. You had loved her deeply, but you couldn’t endure any more of her abuse.

Now, you found yourself backstage for your headlining show at Coachella. You checked your outfit in the mirror and took the microphone from your manager. “You’re up in 30 seconds!” she yelled. Excitement bubbled within you; performances were a fantastic way to distract yourself, and you always enjoyed them. As the entrance opened, you stepped onto the stage, greeted by the audience chanting your name and screaming.

“HELLO COACHELLA!” you yelled with an amused smile. The crowd roared back, cheering you on as the intro to your first song began. What you hadn’t expected was to see a very familiar face in the crowd. Your gaze lingered a moment too long on the smirking figure watching you like you were prey.

“She hurt me and it felt like true love,” you sang seductively into the microphone, maintaining direct eye contact with No-eul. “We could go back to New York…

Loving her was really hard.”

a/n: why did I cook chat… ALSO HOW THE HELL DO I MAKE MY ONESHOTS LONGER THEYRE ALWAYS SO SHORT??

[yanderelovebites]

I’m bored but I had a funny idea for a neglect story. Have a neglected batsis go through all the normal stuff, even Damian hurting her. Tim thinks he’s so much better as does Damian and Dick is sick. You are older than all of them and the only person who actually give af about you isn’t Alfred but Jason. He started to care AFTER he came back as you left the house for college seeing you also meant no bat.

The batfam for years for gets how old you’re getting except Jason… until one day finally getting their heads out the gutter that is Gotham for the election for the president… THEY FIND OUT YOURE RUNNING.

They are astounded and Jason is like “Are you telling me you didn’t pay attention to who our senator for the last year was?” Which makes Tim’s head turn. Jason is irritated and says “Are you telling me in the entirety of the past ten years none of you thought to check the damn news involving politics?”

Like literally they were so absorbed in crime, once they bring up politics they’d always turn the tv off. They never knew. And imagine their surprise when she wins and they’re like “how many episodes did we miss?”

I just find the whole scenario funny. I would do a full fanfic, at best a drabble, but the scenario is hilarious. Imagine you think you’re better and then the sibling you called useless just becomes president of your damn country as a big middle finger to you.

Also may I present Jason as her secret bodyguard. No one questions why she’s friends with red hood,at least her security doesn’t, as he once shot a sniper for her so they see him as making their job easier 🤣😂

[whyse7vn]

OT7

FOR YOU:

“This was long overdue. A fault on all our parts”

Namjoon scans his members awkwardly scattered around his apartment. Jimin sits on the couch in front of the window and so do Taehyung and Hoseok but due to the large gap that Taehyung has left between himself and Jimin Hoseok is left painfully squashed into a corner. Jin sits on the couch opposite the TV in a.. suit? For some reason in contrast to Yoongi who is sat next to him in an all black outfit. You sit on the right next to Yoongi’s feet due to Namjoons lack of seating in his living area while Jungkook stands hovering next to the door clearly ready to leave at any given moment. No one says a word in response to Namjoon’s first statement except Yoongi who lowly scoffs. The room is quiet and everyone avoids eye contact.

Namjoon sighs 

This was going to be long

 so painstakingly long.

“Jungkook, why don’t you sit down?” 

“I’m not sitting on your floor Namjoon” 

“We’re never gonna get any-”

“This wasn’t a good idea. Y/n let’s leav-” 

“Jungkook please just- you don’t have to sit just stand closer you can stand next to y/n just for a bit so we can have a conversation ok?” 

He pokes his cheek with his tongue in annoyance but moves to stand closer to you anyways.

”We’re not staying for long” 

”Isn’t it unfair to be speaking for-”

”Don’t speak to me” Jungkook doesn’t even spare Jimin a glance when he cuts him off. 

Yikes. 

This is all just… yikes. 

Since you’re at an awkward angle to hold his hand right now, you do what you think is the next best thing logically and rub your hand against the back of Jungkook’s leg in half attempt to calm him down and half attempt to remind him why you’re both here. 

Normally any physical affection you throw Jungkook’s way has him jumping for joy and running for the hills but today you are simply met with a quick glance down from the boy in acknowledgment in which his facial features moderately soften before he's back to furrowing his eyebrows his gazed sharp. At least it was something you suppose. 

Silence falls upon the group once more. You turn to face Namjoon. He’s sat on a single seat couch. Deep in thought he looks lost yet… determined. That’s good you guess at least someone is actively trying to fix whatever this is. Well, you hope that’s what he’s trying to do here. He did send a message to the group chat the first message anyone’s sent in weeks to meet at his place at 4 stating ‘This is serious it’s starting to affect work you ALL will be here to talk’ Scary but your 99.9% sure that Namjoon did call you all here for the greater good. Buuut thinking about it you do feel somewhat guilty as much as it most definitely did hurt when Jimin said you were the ‘root of like 95% of our issues as a group’ he wasn’t necessarily wrong per say it’s… a complicated situation  but you do feel as if you should take some… leadership? here. You know, at least try and help Namjoon. You scan the room, no eyes meet yours Jimin’s taken a sudden interest in Joon’s choice of wallpaper, Tae finds joy in picking at the loose string off his hoodie sleeves, Hobi by the looks of it is struggling to breathe still stuffed into the corner, Yoongi now scrolls mindlessly at his phone, Jin sits upright staring intently at the TV that is in fact turned off and Jungkook… his fists clenched and eyes seemingly ready to kill should tell you everything. Ok yeah, there’s no way you’re taking leadership here you’re not even the leader anyways! And this was Namjoons idea so yeah sorry not sorry Joon you are most definitely on your own but fighting or whatever!

…

…

…

Ok.

….

….

….

Yeah no, this isn’t going to work at all. Fuck aright, where should you even start? Maybe you should bring up the conversation you and Jimin had first? Or would it be better to address the Jungkook blowing up part? Maybe it’ll be best to start with the fact that you all haven’t spoken in weeks or maybe you should take the emotional approach and just start with how much you miss them all? Um… ok yeah no the emotional one is looking like your best option right now the easiest one too. Yeah ok sure you’ll go with that one… ok hold on- fuck ok you’re good- no you’re lying why are you so nervous? These are your people your boys it shouldn’t be this hard wh–

“We should probably start with-”

“Why the fuck is Jin in a suit?”  Hoseok’s voice cuts off Namjoon’s “It’s 4pm on a Friday” 

“Listen, I have places to be after this. You know since you’ve all decided to be emotionally constipated, go MIA on every single social media platform and on top of that decline and delay every single piece of group work we have they’ve been working me like a fucking dog”

Woah. 

”Ok first of all Tae you need to move the fuck up bro im dying here and second of all damn? I just wanted to know about the suit…” 

“It’s called being employed. You should try it sometime, all of you right Namjoon?”

Hoseok flashes Jin his middle finger mumbling a barely audible “whatever” under his breath while Taehyung moves the tiniest bit closer to Jimin on the couch.   

”Right! guys we’re behind on a lot of work and we nee—”

“Jin when you say emotionally constipated i fear that statement just can’t be in reference to me…. like at all. I feel like i’ve been shitting recently” 

You all stare at Taehyung dumbfounded. 

He blinks back at you all. 

“The fuck did you just say?” You're surprised to hear Yoongi speak. 

“Like… I've been shitting, emotionally that is, I feel like i’ve laid all my cards out on the table” 

”Your cards being….?” Hoseok asks, face scrunched up in disgust and confusion much like the rest of the faces in the room except Taehyung himself.   

“That I'm in love with y/n? That i would do anything and every-” 

“Anything and everything?” Jungkook steps forward in Taehyung’s direction. Immediately you grab onto the back of Jungkook’s jeans from your sat position in an attempt to hold him back. You know your shallow grip wont don’t much in stopping the man actually get to Taehyung but thankfully after his first step Jungkook doesn’t make any attempt to get closer to the man but you are ready to stand up and block his path all the same. 

“Kook…” You try and soothe. 

“To protect her? To defend her? Don’t make me laugh right now” He ignores you completely. 

You didn’t think it was possible but the tension in the room seems to rise even higher. 

“Love?” Jungkook continues “Jimin called her a slut ninety five percent of all our problems upset her and hurt her and instead of checking up on her, you decided to be best buddies with him the next week? So love? Anything and everything? Protecting her? Yeah fuck you. You have never loved her” 

With that Taehyung is on his feet immediately you instantly follow suit so do Namjoon and Hoseok. Jin and Jimin watch with wide eyes while Yoongi watches seemingly unfazed. 

“What? So I don't blow up the way you think I should have and now all my feelings are invalid? All those built up feelings and moments nothing? Just ‘cuz you didn’t like the way I went about all of this?” 

“Bro come on not like this” Hoseok attempts to stop Taehyung moving any closer to Jungkook.

“Yes Jungkook, ok i admit that i should have been there for her more. I should have and I regret not being there everyday. But in a way i understand why Jimin blew up like that and—”

“Understand? You understand why he called her a slut? Am I hearing that right the man that’s in ‘love’ understands why the girl he’s in ‘love’ with got called a slut? Should I beat the shit out of you know or later?” Jungkook attempts to take another step closer to Taehyung but Namjoon blocks his path. 

“Move” 

“You know i won’t” 

“Move Namjoon” 

“This is not what we’re here for Jungkook” 

“So what the fuck are we here for Namjoon? Please enlighten me. I'm begging you to actually. What are we here for?” 

“To talk. Openly and honestly. To make this work” 

Jungkook laughs at that. Like full body laughs yet you know he finds no humour in Namjoon’s words. 

“This? Did you hear what he said about understanding Jimin?” 

“I’m sure he has a explanation for that” 

“Fuck his explanation” 

“Jungkook you are so fucking selfish it’s unreal” 

Everyone’s eyes snap over to Jimin who now is also standing. 

“Jimin you shou-”Taehyung tries to interrupt.

“He doesn’t know what is like to not be the favourite and he’s never taken how we feel into consideration at all” 

Yoongi raises his eyes at Jimin’s statement. Yours furrow. 

“Do you have any idea how fucking difficult it is to watch everyone bite their tongue just for you?”

“Me?” Jungkook leans forward and you grip the back of his shirt in panic. 

“You have never cared about anyone but yourself when it comes to this” 

“Shut the fuck up” Jungkook tries to move forward your grip tightens unable to do anything else Namjoon now actively pushes Jungkook away from Jimin as Jungkook struggles against him Jimin continues 

“With your feelings for her you’ve only ever acted with you in mind” 

“That not even fucking true and you know that” Jungkook pushes a Namjoon but he doesn’t budge. 

“And I'm so sick of the rest of the guys letting you get away with it all. You fucking live with her Jungkook” 

“And? The fuck is your point?”

“My point is that you’re a piece of-”

“OKAY guys geez…  okay…

what Jimin means is-”

“Hoseok? Don’t tell me you’re on his side”

“There are no sides to this Jungkook. I just.. Look, the whole ‘favourite’ thing I’ll admit i get it for a while even I felt like I wasn't the most… popular romantically with y/n i mean sure she would flirt back on occasion but it seemed that most of her energy was focussed on you. After that I realised I should probably assert myself more and you know ‘fight’ for my place with her right? But then her attention was on Yoongi, Tae started being more vocal,  then Joon beat me to it and then Jin and I felt even more behind. I couldn't keep up or compete with you all. I’m a really good observer, you see? And during all of this  I observed that Jimin felt the same way. Why do you think I said I should talk to him when this all went down? it's ‘cuz he was feeling exactly how i was then”

“That doesn't excuse what he said” “It doesn’t. But emotions are to be processed. And after my talk with Jimin, it's only recently he’s actually verbalised his feelings for Y/n and him feeling… behind. It’s easy to blame others because you’re jealous i went through it and i'm pretty sure all of you have too”

“But that still doesn't excuse what he said”

“Jungkook dude i know that. Are you even listening to what I'm saying right now?”

“Of course he’s not listening. Jimin was right. I'm done holding my tongue for the sake of everyone's feelings, especially his.” Yoongi's loud tone surprises you all. 

“ Okay it’s like we’re going backwards can we just-”

“Namjoon, aren't you sick of being unhappy because of him?” Yoongi interrupts 

“I’m not unhappy bec-”

“You wanted to move in with her. Waayy before he did you looked at places even rehearsed how you were gonna ask her and everything but then he-” 

“I am not unhappy because of Jungkook” 

“You keep telling yourself that” 

“Projectison isn’t a good look you Yoongi” 

“Call it projecting all you want Namjoon but we all know the truth” 

Namjoon rolls his eyes at Yoongi. Your stomach turns. Your thoughts wild. 

Silence.

“I dated Jaehyun to avoid this” The words leave before you can even realise. 

Silence. 

“This unhealthy cycle of jealousy and weirdness around each other. I love you all so fucking much and no not just in a freind way i love all of you i’m the selfish one. At first it was silly the little arguments and empty ended threats you would throw at each other but now it's grown into something real ugly i dated Jaehyun in hopes it would stop. Yes i genuinely liked him i really fucking liked him he was diffrent a good different but i love you all of you in a way i could never love Jaehyun and i think he knew that as well. But even when Jaehyun was here It all just got worse nothing changed you all- i just- i don't know what to do anymore this is just all so much and i know its my fault i shouldn’t of done anything with anyone ever and i- i’m so fucking sorry to all of you i-”

You cut yourself off your mind blank yet swirling with thoughts. 

Silence. 

“You’re crying?” Yoongi breaks it

 “You tell me you regret everything we’ve ever done and you’re crying?”

You bring your hand to your cheek, your face wet, you are crying when did that happen?

“Yoongi what the fuck is wrong with you? she wasn’t talking to just you” Jimin’s quick to argue. 

“And i’m the selfish one? Yeah right.” Jungkook scoffs 

“No you definitely are i kinda get what they were saying now”

“Who the fuck asked you Taehyung?”

“Guys..” You think Hobi speaks your not sure any more your head is swimming with thoughts and tears cloud your vision. 

“This is so childish” 

“Always the same shit from you Namjoon how about you grow some balls and say what you want” 

 “I want you to shut the fuck up how about that?”

“Was that supposed to scare me?”

“HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT”  

Once again silence. 

“You guys are genuinely the most emotionally dense people i’ve met like ever and you know i’ve met a fuck ton of people i’m Kim Seok-fucking-jin. But thats besides the point right now holy fucking shit the woman you’ve all been in love with practically your whole lives just said she loves all of you on fucking valentines day of all days and you’re arguing? The love of our lives is crying right now and your fucking arguing right after she just told you she hates that all you guys do is fucking argue? Are you guys ok? Like genuinely Yoongi your tough love acting isn't fooling anyone pull that fucking stick out your ass, Jimin you have nothing to be jealous of she quite literally said she loves you, Jungkook people will fuck up sometimes we have to learn to forgive and forget also keep that boxing shit in the ring, Namjoon it’s okay to speak up when you want something we wont shoot you, Taehyung just stop talking challenge for 7 years starting now, Hobi you cool as hell, Y/n my sweet baby that can never do wrong ever only that one time you dated he who shall not be named never apologise to these idiots ever i love you to the moon and back and Kim Seokjin you fucking sexy fucking son of a bitch you outdo yourself Every. Single. Time”  

He takes a breath.  “Amen” 

“It’s Valentine's day?”

“I told you not to talk”

“You’re not a feminist what happend to awoman?”

“I told you to stop fucking talking”

“But-”

“Taehyung”

“Seokjin”

“Does anyone have any questions?”

“What happened to you being a femi-”

“No one? Great! Me and Y/n will be leaving now.” Seokjin finally rises from his place on the couch and moves towards Namjoon's front door not before placing his hand in yours and tugging you along “I would say this was a great talk but I wanted to blow my brains out the whole time. See you all on Monday for work! Thank you all. Now my love we have reservations at 7:30 and it’s already 6 so we’re really cutting it fine”

“Wait thats so not fair that's two valentines days in a row you’ve spent with her i'm coming with what the hell” 

You don’t say a word as Jin drags you to Namjoon's front door. Everything's happening so fast it's not like you even have a chance to say anything. You blink and you find yourself sitting in the passenger seat of Jin’s newest Porsche. You hear Taehyung mumbling to himself in the back. You turn to face Jin in the driver's seat, his gaze already on yours. 

He smiles at you, his eyes warm. 

“They’ll figure it out. I promise you they will, for you they will” 

You don’t say anything in return and he doesn't expect you to. Instead he gives you another warm smile and begins to pull out of Namjoon’s drive. 

You let out a breath you weren’t aware you were holding. 

 for you they will. 

You’re unsure if Jin's statement holds any truth if you're being completely honest but for now you let it bring you comfort. 

for you they will. 

The car is silent for a record breaking 5 seconds until none other than Kim Taehyung breaks it. 

“So like… does this mean I'm a taken man now or what?”

“You’re not supposed to be talking right now”

“And you’re supposed to be a feminist but clearly things change Kim Seokjin get with it”

You giggle at that. 

for you maybe they will. 

—

almost 1 year in the drafts isn’t that crazy if this sucks don’t tell me pls i’ll fr cry

tags: @piw6n @92jinnies @birdie-vhs @earth2ela @hob3loveofmylife @jujubiism @bloopkook @ratchetpizza1 @myntalks @arloo00 @watamotee33 @y2kcy3brz @taiwan0618 @freyadanvers @gguksbeloved @raetf @bbsantc @winuvs @medicinemybish @bxnnyhime @seokmyballs @baetukki @zyaaaszn @thelilbutifulthings @jazminethecreator @meowgiz @jmnscutie @threeopossumsinacoat @cynicalyoongs @lightningpussy54 @eunthv @gigiiiiislife @lowkeykin @iammeandmeisiam @socksfirstalways @knjlvr06 @lailaisarmy @thvkives @xstfudaisyx @xxxanimangxxx @solstice34 @ml8dy @hoeforseoks @futuristicenemychaos @featjunranghae @jksgirlfrl @yeetedandoboi @stellamalonesolaria @joonsprettygf

[annoyinglilbro]

Little bro who ges away with everything because he's the baby of the family and big bro who is so over it. So when Little bro breaks his brother's skateboard, big bro drags him to his room and spanks him raw over it

Little bro who doesn’t even care, he can just buy another it’s not a big deal. Still his big brother is yelling at him and he’s not used to it. He rolls his eyes and tries to walk away, he’ll get over it, but he’s grabbed by the wrist and dragged into his older brothers room.

“Stop! What are you doing?!”

“I’m so sick of your attitude! I’m in charge this weekend remember? It’s about time someone taught you discipline . Mom and dad are too soft with you and that’s why you’re a brat. I’m gonna fix that!” The entire time he’s ranting he’s pulling his brothers shorts down and pulling him over his lap.

His brother gasps and squirms in his grip, trying to getup but an arm over his back keeps him steady and in place.

“I’m sorry okay! Let me go! You’re being a jerk!”

The first slap suprises him, causing him to go completely still. He’s never been hit before, nobody has ever laid a hand on him. Then another slap comes. And another. His ass is glowing red, and it stings. He hasn’t even realized he started crying.

“Stop! Stop it! It hurts! I’m gonna tell!” He’s not counting how many his brothers hand makes contact with his ass, doesn’t pay attention to the hard cock pressing against his stomach. He just wants him to stop spanking him.

“Struggling is going make it worse. Be a good boy and take your punishment. I’m tired of you being a brat.”

He does eventually stop struggling, no more fight left in his now tired body. He instead sobs in his brothers laps and waits for the next slap. When it’s finally over his brother is rubbing his raw ass cheeks, the gentle touch soothing and comforting after the rough treatment. He shivers when his brother leans down and kisses each cheek.

“There. That wasn’t so bad was it?” He’s helping him pull up his shorts now and wiping away the tears on his face. “I had to teach you a lesson, you know that, right bubs? I did that out of love.”

His little brother nods, quickly opening his arms to give his brother a hug. He doesn’t want him to bed mad at him anymore. He doesn’t know why but he feels strangely attached to his big brother now.

“You’re a good boy. I love you very much, you just need someone with a stern hand, yeah? That’s all this was. You took it so well.”

“Th…thank you.” He mumbles against his brothers chest.

“Already so much better behaved. I knew this would do the trick.” Big brother beams proudly, hugging his little brother tight.

When their parents come back from their trip there’s a noticeable difference. Their youngest is much more behaved, and practically attached to his big brothers hip.

[gumiegumie]

I just stumbled upon this fic… now my heart’s gone. /j

Even though I expected what would happen, it still broke my heart anyway when it DID happen. Unrequited love is something quite personal to me as I have gone through it before (0/10 experience, not recommended), so seeing that in the tag AND Izana at the same time? I couldn’t resist.

This is so beautifully done. Seriously. I’m in love with the pacing so bad. Not too fast, not too slow. Just right. It starts off slow at first, I can feel the hesitation and uncertainty from the protagonist. Love in general is already pure, but love when you’re still in school? When you don’t have any adult responsibilities? That’s the real definition of youthful pureness. It’s so… gentle, simple, delicate yet so genuine and innocent. This really reminds me of when I first had a crush in middle school.

The soft moments almost made me forget about the inevitable. Almost. Even though I prepared myself for it, the moment he broke it off with her so cruelly, I felt my heart breaking like hers too. Having your feelings, something you know for sure is real and true, thrown to the ground like some garbage, it really hurts. I know that from experience, and the thing is, it stays with you, whether you’ve moved on or not. Something like this doesn’t go away that easily even after years, and I’m so happy that you show that in the story. If you’re serious about love, then it’s most likely you won’t be able to forget it at all, no matter how hard you try to.

When they both met again, I was honestly waiting for the protagonist to burst into tears or something alike, but I’m glad she didn’t. You can tell that it still affects her, but she refuses to show it to Izana, wanting to be strong and move on from the past. I’m so happy for her honestly, and it makes me resonate with her even more because it’s true. Life goes on, the earth continues to move no matter what, so it’s best to just move on with life and try to make the best out of it. When Izana keeps up with his appearance, I was crossing my fingers for her to not fall for it, not yet at least. The pain he had caused was too big for some bouquets or any gifts to cover up. 3 months? That’s a pretty long time, maybe he is genuine this time? Who knows? Even at the end, I’m still not sure myself if he’s simply playing with her or is actually being serious about it. Maybe that’s why it’s a ‘semi-happy’ ending?

Again, this was such a wonderful read at 12 am. I love how you capture unrequited love and the ups and downs in romantic relationships. Look forward to more💜💜

You're no longer useful

Pairings: Izana Kurokawa x Fem reader x Manjiro Sano

cw: unrequited love, fluffangst that’ll turn into semi happy ending, slowburn, slightly pet names (kitty, good girl), izana being his own warning, manjiro only appears in the beginning and mid part (since its valentines, aint that heavy. do lmk if i missed sum thing, i don’t like tagging these things tbh)

author’s note: happy early valentines to whoever had come cross this fic, have a great day with your loved ones/friends !! i sorta miscalculated the day.

wc: 6k+

"Get lost, you're no longer of any use." A man dressed in black stood in front of a wide silver motorbike, he spat out a few words to you lightly. His eyes are on you, and it seems to look at a point in the void through you, deep and empty like a bottomless lake.

This moment, you think he’s really far away, after knowing him for so many days it seems like you’ve only seen his true side at this moment.

The night wind blew his barred earrings up, the bells are ringing softly in the wind. And you felt the sound as if it were a heavy punch, one blow to your heart.

How long does it take to fall from heaven to hell?

The answer is one second.

The man who gently carried you with beautiful words the last second, the next second he looked at you as if he was looking at garbage, told you to get lost.

"Okay, kitty. We have to say bye-bye," Izana smiles at you with a clear, bright smile. It's like the wind on a lake on an autumn night, "I'm not interested in you at all. However, I do like the fractured look on your face right now."

Half a month ago, you're outside the school by the street, you met Izana Kurokawa for the first time. At that time, the teenager was wearing a long grey trench coat. Peddling a super cool motorbike, parked under the tall trees outside the campus.

You wouldn't have noticed him. At most, it's just a few more glances. But the teenager's eyes fell on Mikey beside you, greeting him like an old, familiar friend of many years.

At that time, you were taking out the drinks you bought from your bag and handed them to Mikey, as well ‘got a good look’ from Izana. The other person looked at you carefully from head to toe with the kind of eyes that made your scalp tingle, then looks over at Mikey.

"Mikey, is this one of yours?"

Mikey took the water you handed him, unscrewed the bottle cap and took a mouthful of water. Then he looked at the teenager in front of him with little interest. "(name) is my friend."

Izana's interested gaze swept back and forth between you and Mikey, It seemed to be brooding darkly as if it had found something interesting. After seeing Mikey help you pat the dirt accidentally stained your skirt, a light flashed under his eyes, it seems that some decision has been made.

On the way back, you ask Mikey about the man who just appeared out of nowhere while eating a lollipop as if you weren't thinking. Mikey shoves the last bit of Taiyaki into his mouth and then suddenly turned around, he’s telling you this with the utmost seriousness. "That guy’s crazy. Ignore him."

"Oh." You're not sure why he'd say that, maybe that guy's dangerous. Being called crazy by Mikey, who is the head of the delinquents, seems to be a real problem.

After that, you quickly left Izana Kurokawa behind. There are so many attention grabbing things in middle school that you quickly forget about such a thing until he reappears in front of you.

"Hey, is your name (name)?" The teenager straddling the motorbike suddenly calls out to you, who is walking not far from the side of the road after school. "Can you do me a favour?"

You're carrying a small bag, thinking about what Mikey said. You wanted to ignore him, but it can't be helped that he calls out to you again and again. In order to avoid the astonished eyes of passers-by betting on you and him, you had to stop walking, turned around and walked a few steps away from him. Somewhat warily, you looked at him.

"What?"

Seeing your defensiveness against him, the teenager withdraws his hand from the motorbike's handlebars, the corners of his mouth quirking up as he looks over at you with a smirk on his face. "Phone, can I borrow it? Mine’s dead."

You look at him suspiciously, thinking about the situation after he takes your phone and runs away. But he didn't look like he would steal a girl's phone.

Seeing you lost in thought, the smile on the corners of the teenager's lips deepened, and there's a warmth in his eyes. "My motorbike broke down, it's just a matter of getting help with the tow truck." he seemed to think of something, he added again.

"Just take it and dial for me. I won't touch."

He's said it all, and it would be unreasonable of you to say no.

"It’s only for a moment, as soon as possible." Carefully approaching him, you took out your phone, typed in the number as he said, then dialled it and passed it to his ear.

Izana ambles down slightly, in order to accommodate your posture. He's still straddling the motorbike, only the right side of his body is bent down, close to your phone with cute pendants, it looks a little funny.

You resisted the urge to snigger as the teenager's wheat-coloured skin pressed against your phone, speaking quickly about things into the connected side of the phone. This way he was so close to you that the air currents from his breath brushed against your fingertips as he spoke and seemed to vibrate slightly.

You can't stop your cheeks from heating up a little, you’ve never been this close to a boy before. Especially if it's a boy you don't know very well …Mikey excluded, you know each other so well, having grown up together as neighbours, it's like you've forgotten that you're opposite sexes to each other.

After he explained the matter in a few words, his face appeared in front of your eyes under the cover of your phone. The violet eyes shone with a dazzling light at dusk, pulsing towards you. This close, you can clearly see the reflection under his eyes and the curve of his eyelashes.

Your hand is a little overwhelmed as you take the phone back, and you subconsciously step back slightly. "..All right."

Izana smiles at you. "You've done me a favour, I'll buy you an ice cream."

The teenager smiled a graceful and moving smile, as if an unknown magic was spreading around him. You grabbed your small bag as if to hide something, you said while moving away from him. "I’ve got things to do. No need, goodbye."

Walking quickly away from the teenager's figure, you use all the strength you wouldn't have used during the school to get out of the teenager's sight as quickly as possible. You didn't let out a long breath until you lost sight of him around the corner.

Only when you calm down do you feel like a fool. Why are you so afraid to run away?

"Scared her off, am I that scary?" Izana asked with a somewhat puzzled frown at the rushing Kakucho.

The man with a long, ghastly scar on his forehead looked at him and blinked before finally spitting out a sentence. "It's very spirited sometimes."

What kind of answer is that? It's a complete non-answer.

But it looks like it's going to take a little more work to snatch her from Mikey.

The next day after school, you saw Izana again. He rode his bike into your campus, just parked downstairs with such a big fanfare. Looking at the students coming and going, he seemed to be looking for something.

You sneak up to hid behind the taller students in front of you, thinking to yourself that he must be here for someone else, not you. Just when you're trying to sneak past your classmate's tall back by dodging his line of sight, a slap on your shoulder made you tremble with fear.

"(name), why are you walking curled up? Are you too tired for class?" you look at your best friend's face and feel the urge to throw her out.

Of course. Izana, who was not far away, noticed the commotion. Then his eyes lit up as if he'd finally found his target, the long legs stepped down from the bike and walked straight in your direction.

Your eyes are darting left and right, you try to get away from him quickly, but Izana moves fast, and within a few steps he's standing in front of you, blocking your way.

"Hello, we meet again." Izana greets you.

"Yeah, what a coincidence." you pull the corners of your mouth stiffly, saying things that sound stupid. Your best friend beside you stares at the teenager in front of you like she's found something amazing, then sneak up on you and whisper in your ear.

"(name), this boy is so handsome, is he your boyfriend? I really didn't expect you to .."

You're too busy covering your best friend's mouth and giggling at Izana. "I won’t bother you. I still have something to do with my friend, bye." with that said you tried to pull your best friend away, but Izana blocked your way forward as if he had expected it, he wasn't close enough, he just happened to be too close for you to make a smooth escape.

"I haven't thanked you for last time, I'll treat you a nice meal."

"No need, it's a small thing."

"There's a new poster in the comic book shop around the corner, want to see it?" Izana’s bright gaze looks at you as if he's certain you'll be interested.

"I wanna go too." Before you can say anything, the deadbeat beside you comes to attention.

"Sorry, my bike can only carry one person," Izana smiled and winked at your best friend, "I'll treat you next time."

As if picking up some signal, your friend laughed and agreed, then she patted you on the shoulder twice. Whispering in your ear, ‘Go for it’, then with a look of relief like a mother bird seeing her chick finally learn to forage, she walked away.

This girl, definitely misunderstood.

"Let's go. The bike's fixed, just in time to give you a lift." Izana smiles at you, his hand on the handlebars, the way he steps onto the bike with one long leg and stops beside you, waiting for you to sit on it.

In this case, you can no longer try to refuse, and the picture of a boy breaking into the campus and riding a super cool motorbike, waiting to be picked up in the crowd after class is undoubtedly super attractive to the attention of students. In order to avoid everyone missing out on going home for dinner because of the onlookers, you bite your lip and with a thousand apprehensions in your heart, you get into the back seat of Izana's motorbike.

The motorbike is styled with a slightly shorter front and a raised rear seat, so you pedalled and struggled a few times before you finally managed to climb up, and then accidentally flopped onto Izana's back in front of you.

Anxious to sit up straight from the man, you blush as if you hear his suppressed laughter. Is it that funny? It's just that the back seat of the motorbike is too high.

"Sit down, it's about to start." Izana slammed his foot on the pedal, the rumbling sound of start-up filled the eardrums, and then whooshed out. Like the wind, it glid deftly over the flow of people after school that had not yet dissipated, meandering and swimming through the sea like an elongated fish.

Your body leans back from inertia, and you squeal in terror as you grabbed the hem of Izana’s coat, pressing yourself closer to him. But, as if on purpose, Izana’s speed soared up quickly out of the school gates, and holding on to the hem of his coat was not enough to resist the force of the motorbike's rapid forward motion, so you reluctantly wrapped your arms around his waist.

Because of the high backseat, your legs are jammed right on either side of his waist, and your chin is forward, which can be easily to rest on his shoulders. However, because you are sitting in a boy’s motorbike that you are not familiar with, you didn't dare actually lean in, so you had to restrain yourself from hugging his waist and then try to keep yourself in a comfortable sitting position.

The bike arced from side to side through the evening crowds, Izana’s silver hair is blown up by the night wind, and his long earrings are occasionally blown into your face by the wind, it’s cool and fun.

You didn't say much along the way, but you felt excited, probably because it's really super cool to ride in a motorbike, much cooler and more exhilarating than riding in a four-wheeler, that feeling of being more directly in touch with the wind and the speed that comes from the machine.

The bike ends up parked outside a comic book shop, which is your favourite store. In addition to new comics, there are also a lot of old-timey comics that fill the not-so-luxuriously decorated shop. The side of the shop also sells some nifty peripherals, posters and stickers, and you'll often buy some of your favourites to take back with you.

When the bike stopped, Izana stepped down from the motorbike first. You looked at the ground where your toes couldn’t reach directly, when you were about to grab the seat of the bike and put your foot on the pedal, Izana leans towards you.

"Don’t move." Two simple words, and you dutifully did as you were told because you didn't know what he was trying to do. The man's body moved closer, and for a moment your body tensed and your mind went blank, frozen at a loss for words.

Warm palms encircled your waist and hugged you with a slight push, then let go before you could react. Your body was carried off the bike by him and placed firmly on the ground. The whole process was very short, it was over before your brain realized anything in a few seconds. By the time you came back to your senses, Izana had already stood outside the shop door and turned to look at you.

"What are you doing frozen there, stupid?"

As if waking up from a dream, you answered and walked towards the shop, blaming him for suddenly leaning over and hugging you, messing up your brain as if the warmth of his palm was still lingering around your waist, lingering.

You sit together in a comic book shop looking at the new comics, owned by an older man who doesn't mind students reading in the shop, as long as they don't break or dirty the books.

If you can't finish it and want to take it back to read, the shop also offers a rental service, so it's cool to put down a deposit and then pay a small amount to read a book full of books.

Sitting at the small round table, Izana leaned against the window, his long legs resting on one of the chair legs, originally indecent poses were pleasing to the eye when done by him, as if everything he did was flavourful and fascinating.

You sneak a peek at him through the cover of a comic book: Good looking indeed, with big bright eyes, sometimes looking at people with affection, super seductive. The earrings are special, never seen the style before, you don't know where he got them from. You've been to all the nearby shops that sell earrings and studs, and although you haven't had your ear pierced yet, you've been coveting beautiful earrings for a long time, and you just haven't had them pierced yet because you're afraid of the pain.

Oh yeah, and his hair is silver-white. Ever since you were a kid, you've been super into white hair and always thought it was cool and glamorous, probably because normally everyone’s hair is black and boring.

The teenager's eyes swept towards you from the edge of the comic book in your hand, and you were busy withdrawing your gaze, pretending to be reading the comic in front of you carefully, frowning in a thoughtful manner.

Izana walks up to you and ambles over to the small round table, looking at you in silence.

"What's wrong?" You ask him, blinking.

"Book, down." Izana reaches out and picks up the comic book in front of you with two fingers, then turns it around to display the cover in front of you.

The handsome man's upside down pose came into view, still handsome but, upside down.

"Actually," You look at the man whose eyes are looking at you with teasing eyes, the corners of your lips curving up in a warm smile, "I can read backwards, it's fun to make a game out of it sometimes."

"Oh, so," Izana nods his head slightly as if he’s discovered something new and exciting, and then shows you the page you're looking at, "This page only has pictures, no words."

Alas, you look at the superb close-up across the page in front of you with a bit of a smile on your face.

Luckily, instead of continuing to embarrass you, he puts the comic book on the table and mysteriously leans over at you, "Want some ice cream?"

Your eyes blink for a second and you replied honestly, "I want some."

"What flavour do you like?"

"Vanilla." A hazy recollection of the last time he said he wanted to buy you ice cream came to mind.

"Not considering strawberry flavour?" Izana's bright eyes look at you, straightening to imply.

You take the hint with good grace, "Strawberry flavour is good too."

Then Izana pulls out two ice creams from behind him like a trick, handing you the pink one of them, the brown one he leaves in his hand.

Taking the cooled ice cream, you whisper close to him, "The owner doesn't let people eat in the shop."

"So it's going to be sneaky." Izana winks at you and picks up the detective comic he's reading, blocking the coffee-flavoured ice cream inside the comic book.

As the night wiped out, he drove you back, and this time he didn't start the motorcycle immediately after you sat down, but straightened his back without looking back, "Lean over a bit, it'll be more comfortable."

As he said, you carefully wrapped your arms around his waist and rested your chin tentatively on his shoulder. The intimacy stops the deer in the headlights in your heart, and you feel like your whole body is about to fly off the handle.

And you did fly out.

In the cool evening breeze, with Izana.

After that, he came to school to find you more frequently. You seemed to fall into a slightly drunken mist and couldn't stop approaching him, as if he was poisonous.

Then, once again, he was bumped into by Mikey when he came to your school again.

"Izana, come out and we need to talk." Mikey looks at Izana, who is standing beside you, and glares at him with somewhat somber eyes.

Izana smiled frivolously at you, and then walked out with Mikey.

You don't know exactly what they said that day, except that Mikey told you to stay away from Izana. But, you can no longer listen to Mikey’s words because your eyes were already all over Izana.

At night when you were watching a film with him, as the lights in the screening room dimmed, Izana suddenly bullied his way closer to you, his warm touch covering your lips, and didn't stay long before he left.

Looking at the lit up screen, you finally realize with the benefit of hindsight that those appeared to be Izana’s lips just now.

We kissed?

Wait a minute, first kisses are something you fantasise about. In front of the flowers and the moon, under the incomparably beautiful scenery, the two watched each other slowly approaching until their own shadows were reflected in each other's eyes.

How did this just go by unspecified? It doesn't fit your fantasy.

As the hero and heroine kiss together in the film, the sensational music plays and Izana leans in again, strong arms encircling you in his arms before his deft, wet tongue burrows into the shocked you.

It was dark in front of you, and your mind was dizzy. You seemed to know what had happened and didn’t know, you only vaguely realized that what you had seen countless times in those comic books and acted in the movie in front of you should be the same thing that was happening between you and Izana. This is roughly like it.

When the film ended to take you back, you shook your head and told him, "I don't want ice cream today."

Izana smiles at you, his neat teeth flashing in your vision, "I don't feel like eating today either."

When you went to bed at night, you could never sleep well, and when you finally drifted off to sleep, you had very strange dreams. When you got up in the morning and saw the chandelier overhead, you were surprised to be reminded again of Izana kissing you in the dimly lit cinema last night.

He came to you again, in the crowd after school. You walked towards him shyly, as usual.

Izana was driving you through the evening crowds when he suddenly pulled over and turned to you, his bright gaze crashing right into your eyes.

"Like me?"

A tremor runs through your heart, then it beats rapidly. You hung your head low and didn't dare look at him, only gripping his sleeve.

Long fingers lifted your chin, and Izana’s smiling eyes looked into yours. "Good girl. Tell me, like me?"

It seems he won't leave you alone until you answer properly, and you nod at his burning gaze, replying in a voice as tiny as a mosquito's, "..like you."

"I didn't expect it to be reached so soon." Izana looks at you with a smile, a light in his eyes that you can't read, he glances at you, satisfaction filling his brow, "I’ll take you somewhere."

You clutched his waist in a haze, some crashing unease underneath your heart that scared you a little for no reason. The motorcycle weaved through the dimly lit alleyways for a long time, finally stopping at a park.

Izana steps out of the motorcycle and takes your hand to lead you forward. You don't know where he's taking you until you see a dark group of people, and in the middle of those people, you see Mikey's silhouette.

"(name), say again what you just said to me." Izana looks at you, warm fingertips running across your cheek.

Mikey frowns at Izana and then at you.

"Good girl, say it. Like me?" Izana seems to be like the devil who follows the path and teaches you to say what he wants.

Under the gaze of Mikey and the others' eyes, you nodded, but were never able to say it definitively with everyone watching.

Mikey looks at Izana with a complicated gaze, and you wonder why. He looks over at you, not a single light in his onyx eyes, and his voice is deep and gripping to hear.

"Is it true, (name)?"

You didn't answer, but it was tantamount to acquiescence.

Mikey walks towards you, and as he passes Izana, he seems to whisper something that you didn’t hear clearly.

Izana turned to look at Mikey, who had taken a step, "Mikey, I stole the person you liked from you, at least show that you care a little more."

What is he talking about? Why can't you understand the situation. Does Manjiro like you? No.. it can't be, although your relationship is good, but it's just a young taming dye that you grew up together, other than that there is no other affection.

Speaking of which, you've rarely hung out with Mikey since Izana showed up, he seems to have a lot more going on after school, and when he comes to see you during holidays you always decline with the excuse that you have something else going on.

Mikey didn't look back, leaving only a faint sentence that drifted away into the wind.

"Treat her well."

Toman’s people are far away, and you and Izana are the only ones left in the large park. You're gradually easing out of the situation you just found yourself in, still somewhat unable to believe it.

"It doesn't show much, but that guy should be pretty upset." Izana looks at Mikey's figure as he walks away, a gleam of excited madness in his eyes that scares you a little.

"Izana.." you whisper to him, hoping he will calm down and return to his usual self.

Izana’s gaze returns to you, and he looks at you lightly, a gaze that sends chills down your spine, as if he's just looking at the one thing he doesn't care about at all.

Suddenly, he laughed and looked at you slightly. "Game over, stupid kitty. We have to say bye-bye."

"What are you talking about.." Your cheek muscles twitch a little, and you feel chills throughout your body as your heart plummets straight down.

"Still can’t see it?" Izana looks at you as if he thinks you're a pain in the arse, "Because Mikey likes you, that’s why I approached you to steal you from him. Now the goal has been achieved, so.."

He spreads his hands and makes a motion at you, the look on his face quickly turning cold, "It means you're of no use, get lost."

"I'm not interested in you at all ..but I do like the fractured look on your face right now."

An object is thrown at your feet, a small box, which you give to him, "You'd better keep this for yourself, I won't wear such ugly earrings."

Looking at the delicate little box, the lid scratched open to reveal the simple but cool shaped earrings inside.

How could that be, that was something you bought the materials and drew the pattern with your own hands and made with your own hands, and it took you several nights to finally get it right, and it was just thrown on the ground and thrown into the dirt so easily like that.

Looking at those earrings, you feel like that's who you are, casually thrown down, lightly buried in the dirt, unappreciated and unloved.

When he left you don't remember, only that you stood there for a long time as if you had stopped the swinging clock altogether, staring at the earrings in the dirt. Until the watery feeling slid down your face, until you were too tired to stand.

You didn't pick up that earring in the end. Since no one wants it, why not just throw it there and bury it in the dirt?

Life goes on, and even if the sky collapses at the bottom of your heart, the world remains the same, and doesn't stop working just because of someone's sadness or happiness.

Your best friend was curious about why the handsome guy who had been waiting for you had suddenly disappeared, and after asking you twice and noticing your low mood, she stopped asking and came over to comfort you instead.

Men are all passing by, only close friends are eternal.

You agree with her with a hard smile, then took her notes over to copy them.

After that you never saw Izana Kurokawa again, Mikey did come and ask you what happened, you just shook your head and didn't answer him. The day went on as usual, it wouldn't carry on without anyone. Going to class, taking exams, hanging out with your best friend in your spare time, and occasionally going to see the Manjiro's gang assembly, the days seemed to go by comfortably, except, it seemed like there was no way to smile like before.

Three years later, you successfully graduated, and through some hard interviews, you ended up in a pretty good company, and started a life as a miserable social animal. The love in school days seems to be a thing of the last century, and much has changed for yourself and those around you.

Three months after joining the company, we had a year-end reception. The company seems to be doing very well this year and the reception was huge. You flow between the many delicious foods with a small plate, pinching what you want to eat onto your plate.

Take a little at a time, and take more if you like to eat, so as to prevent waste.

Just as you're filling up a plate and getting ready to pick a clean corner to feed yourself, the large reception suddenly goes quiet.

The minister's excited voice rang through the room as he was shouting about the company's key partners for next year. Then, as you bring a morsel to your mouth, you see the man's silhouette again.

His hair is no longer the short, sleek hair it was then, but a little curly, just still wearing the same hanafuda earrings he had back then. There is no childishness when he raises his hands and feet, but is full of the smell of a mature man.

Your eyes were a little sore, and the delicious food in your mouth seemed to suddenly not taste, but you still kept stuffing them into your mouth as if you're starving to death.

"Wow, that guy is so handsome." The female colleague beside you looked at the man not far away with both eyes, her hand blocking her lips as if she was afraid that her voice would reach the man's ears.

The conversation between the minister and the man continues. You slowly eat your entire plate of food all the way through, feeling a little sick to your stomach. Standing up and sneaking away from the bustling crowd, you slowly make your way towards the bathroom.

At that moment, you felt as if you were completely naked, as if everyone knew that you were jokingly played and discarded by men.

Sitting on the white toilet, you slowly calmed down your thoughts. It sucks to think about something that should have been thrown in the coffin a long time ago.

Walking out of the cubicle, you scooped up a handful of water at the sink and washed your awful face. When you looked up into the mirror, you were so shocked by the image that you forgot to breathe.

Izana stood behind you, his gaze falling on yours in the mirror, his bright, deep eyes startling you. Busy averting your gaze, as if to hide something, you rinse your wrists with water.

"...... It’s really you." A low voice rings out behind you, the man's body behind you, and even though you're not in direct contact, you're already trying to subconsciously run away.

No, you can't be this useless. It's been so long that you can’t let him see the sick joke anymore.

"Is something the matter?" Turning off the tap, you step aside to the draw and pull out a piece of tissue to wipe your wet palms. Izana followed, and his body surrounded you. When you wanted to walk away from the other side, his arm suddenly reached out and pressed against the wall, blocking your way.

"How have you been these past few years?"

"Good." Swallowing your saliva, you answered lightly, and then asked back, "How about you?"

"Fine."

You greeted each other like old friends you hadn't seen in years, the air became incredibly quiet for a moment, you were so hoping that someone would suddenly come over and then you'd have an excuse to walk away, but there was no one.

"I've got work to do, please step aside." Having no choice but to open your mouth.

Izana’s body approached you from behind, his fever touching your neck, and your body shivered for a moment, and just as you couldn't hold back the urge to push him away, a low, suppressed voice came from behind you.

"I didn't realise how much I missed you until I saw you.."

Your body stiffened there, the corners of your eyes are a little sore. Izana’s breath sprayed on your back, his ethereal voice came from the quiet space, "Hate me?"

You didn't say anything, just felt your heart seized with pain and astringent, one by one, almost unable to breathe.

"That would be hatred."

Footsteps are heard in the distance, you calmed down from the trance as if you had just woken up from a dream, tossing the soaked paper into the bin at your feet and straightening up, exhaled slowly.

"It's all in the past. I don't care about those things anymore. I'm doing fine now."

When he doesn't take his arm away, you remind him, "Get out of the way, I have things to do, my husband is waiting for me at home .."

Izana still didn’t move his arm, he blocked you between his chest and the wall with his body, the scent of his breath melting into yours, "You don't have a husband, and you haven't dated anyone in the past few years."

"So, don't you understand? I don't want to talk to you." He'd better stay away from you and never ask you to see him again.

"Want some ice cream?" Instead of answering you, he asked abruptly.

Your body shook, and those past memories seemed like countless knives, suddenly stabbing into your body, "…… I rarely eat ice cream anymore, especially strawberry flavour."

"Really, I haven't eaten for a long time either."

Unable to stand the stifling air, you push his arm away from you with all your might, leaving the encirclement of his body and walking quickly towards the venue. You clenched your hand, left the bathroom quickly, and then greeting to a close colleagues before excusing yourself for an early withdrawal due to a family matter.

As you walked downstairs, you were about to take a cab home when a familiar rumble sounded beside your ears. You looked along the sound, and not far away a tall motorbike pulls up. With its familiar streamlined tall back seat, in a trance, you thought time had gone back.

Izana sits in the bike seat looking over at you, his burning gaze betting on you as if you were the only thing he could see in his eyes.

In that moment, you remembered a lot of things. You're sat together in a comic book shop, reading a book while eating ice cream under the cover of a comic; In the rushing night breeze, you hugged his waist, put your chin on his shoulder, and felt his body heat; Stolen first kiss in a dimly lit cinema; you're holding the phone, carefully approaching the side of his face. The fact that he looked at you coldly and said the game was over and you're no longer of any use.

Looking at the motorbike parked next to you, which was more cool and domineering than at that time, you hung your head low and suddenly seemed to say to yourself, "Since then, I've been thinking all the time, if you come over to me again, not to do anything, just to come to me and talk, that's fine ..But you never showed up again.."

Stepping away from the super eye-catching motorbike, the thought crossed his mind that he still preferred motorbikes, when it was clear that a four-wheeled vehicle was more suited to a successful man.

In the dark night, Izana’s voice came from behind, ghostly, as if it had come from another world.

"After that, I went to find you."

There's a pause in your footsteps as you move forward again. So what, it's all over now, it's too late for anything.

Groggy and half asleep at night, it wasn't until the early hours of the morning that you finally fell asleep for good, and then shortly after that you were woken up again by the alarm. When you walked downstairs, you walked to the tram station you were on, when out of the corner of your eye you suddenly caught a glimpse of something, and you looked over in surprise, frowning at the person who wasn't supposed to be here.

Izana sits on his motorbike and smiles at you. You look at him twice, and with a sharp eye, you notice that the earrings he's wearing have changed from the ones you made back then. Just when he thinks you're going to walk past, you turn your head in the direction of the station.

From that day on, he intervened in your life again, came to disturb you every morning and night, but he was ignored by you without exception.

Meanwhile, large bouquets of brightly coloured flowers start appearing on the company's desks, and you gave them to your colleagues.

After a week, you walked up to Izana. Who routinely waits for you, and you looked at him, "Who are you trying to steal from again, or have you thought of other fun ways to play?"

Izana looks at you, the thin light from the streetlamps spilling into his eyes like bright stars, "Trying to take your heart back."

You look at him twice, dashing past him. The hell with trusting him again, you don't fall into the same pit twice. Once is enough, twice is really stupid.

It has been proved that what happened before is bound to happen after that. What happened in the past will happen again. There is nothing new under the sun.

After three months of Izana’s unbelievable stupidity waiting in his motorbike at your house and downstairs of the company, you finally have the grace to get in his car and then you're coaxed and cajoled into eating your way out of it, it was too late to resist when you finally realized.

Why was it so easy to be fooled..

The day after it's over, you've been waiting for him to show his cards. You don't know what's being played this time, hoping it's interesting and not a childish gamble like last time.

After waiting all day for the expected ‘game over’, just when you were thinking about whether there was a second phase, Izana came to your house with a bouquet of flowers and kindly cooks for you.

After you've watched him bring out the food with a look as if you've been struck by lightning, Izana finally got your face. "Thinking about whether I’m gonna say that you're no longer of any use again?"

Your eyes widen, although you didn’t say anything, but the eyes said what you were thinking.

"This time I’m going to play with you for the rest of your life.." A low, sickly voice blows into your ears, Izana’s lips are on yours, with his breath, his flavour feeds long into your mouth, until you all merge together without intermittent.

The time after that is all about you.

reblogs and likes are appreciated, thank you for reading this far !! have a nice night/day, and take care <3

[gallivantingheart]

pillar of warmth

who?: assistant!seungcheol x CEO/management!(f)reader

word count: 1424

genre/s: non-idol!au, hurt/comfort, angst

warnings: stalker, invasion of privacy (mentions under the cut), swearing, inaccurate corporate and construction industry mentions (pls I'm sick of food corps.)

synopsis: you finally find evidence of your stalker and call your assistant seungcheol in for back-up.

a/n: trying to stretch those angsty muscles. Also cheol's muscles in a plain black tee.

The way the controller flies out of your hand has you screaming, scrambling in thin air. You cringe when the decoration your downstairs neighbour got you as a housewarming gift teeters dangerously on the shelf and tips to shatter on the wood floor. Well there goes your Just Dance session. Carefully you stoop down to collect the pieces, going still when you find more than ceramic and a lightbulb. A device with a lens, now shattered as well. Some kind of other accessory as well, still softly beeping. Electrical tape keeping it all neatly twined together. Your mouth dries up and your stomach goes through your feet.

Your stalker. Has been beneath you this whole time. Tracking your comings and goings so easily - that was how he knew about the company drinks. You feel as if you’ve been doused in slime. The notes and packages of outfits just when you complained you had none.

I can’t wait for you to try it on. Please wear it when you leave.

You scoot back on your butt away from the shards, a choked sob breaking free. It’s been here for months. You let them right in!

You let yourself cry, the pause music in the background, feeling as if the rug has been yanked out from under you.

Then the sun went down and the switch turned itself off after being idle for so long and the silence returned you to yourself. You had evidence now to prosecute. Quietly you put the device on the coffee table and gathered the shards into a plastic bag, then a paper one from your last shopping trip. You grabbed your phone and changed as quietly as you could in your bathroom, nothing out of the question. Then you sat outside your flat in the safety of a bug-free zone and called Seungcheol.

He picked up in two rings. “Miss, it’s your day off. Are you okay?”

His voice is so soft and attentive your chin wobbles. “I- no I’m not. Can you please come to my building? We need to go to the police.”

You can hear rustling and banging. “Why! What happened!”

“I have evidence of my stalker and I want to take it to the police but I…I can’t go alone.”

Then still again. “What? You stay right there - I’ll be less than 10 minutes.”

“I-I’ll meet you out front.” You murmur.

He grunts agreement and his voice gets closer as he tucks his phone to his shoulder.

“Okay. Do you need me to stay on the phone?”

“Oh no, no. I’ll be okay. Please don’t tell anyone though.”

A huff. “Of course not. See you soon, Miss.”

He hangs up and you wade back inside, picking up the bag. You'd put a sweater and scarf over top to hide your shame.

The elevator trip down felt tense and you wished you weren’t lazy and took the stairs. So was waiting in the lobby. Just as the white lights of Seungcheol’s car flashed over the top of the hill -

“Hey, I’ve been calling you. Are you hiding from me?”

A shiver rockets up your spine. A wafer thin smile on your lips as you turn.

“Huh? Have you? I’m sorry I’ve been super busy.” You mumble.

“Too busy for me, your best neighbour?” His easy smile sits funny on his mouth and makes your skin crawl, as does the way his eyes dance.

He’s seen far too much of you and your stomach twists.

“Yes.” You’re a little firmer, sight moving to Cheol’s car starting up the lane.

He peers into your bag and your heart lodges in your throat. “What’s that? Where are you going at this time of night?”

Then his hand is on your shoulder, too heavy. Oh God, oh no!

“I-I a friend’s place. She has a thing and…she likes my scarf. I said - well, I said that…”

The car breaks yanks to a stop and Seungcheol comes out flying, brow creased. You surge for him.

“Hey, hey, are you alright?”

You make a negative noise, mouth pressed shut. His arm curls around your shoulder but you lead him to the boot of the car. Yunho, chases after.

“Hey, did you just lie to me?” His voice is stern but shrill.

“Back off. We’re busy.” Is all Seungcheol says over your shoulder.

“No, no I’m not finished. You avoid me and now you’re lying. Where is our friendship, huh? Was it all shit to you?”

You drop the bag in the boot, eyes screwed shut. But you can hear his breath and see the beep of the recording light in your mind and you see red. You break free of Seungcheol and spin around.

“YES! Yes it is! Because you’re my stalker and you lied to me! You-you’ve been listening and recording me and creeping me the hell out ever since I moved in. Leave me alone!” You scream.

“He’s your stalker.” Seungcheol’s voice is a deep growl.

Yunho goes white then red and you’ve never seen a face so grotesque.

“You’re a lying, stuck up bitch! Some CEO bullshit when really you could have had it easy with me. I gave you so much and you gave me nothing! Didn’t you want me so bad you’d crawl? I heard you!”

A bucket of cold water. That wasn’t about him at all. That was about…

“Fuck off. Get out of here before you lose an eye.”

Seungcheol’s hand is splayed out behind him to protect you and you can barely see over his shoulders, a black cotton wall. Your eyes prickle and you tip up your head to stem the tears.

Seungcheol surrounds you with his body and that soft spiced pine scent you would sink into. He murmurs and hums, gently swaying the two of you. Your face is buried so deeply in his chest you can’t see any light.

“Shhh, it’s okay. He’s gone. You’re safe.” He says, lips in your hair.

You twist your fists into the fabric of his shirt. “God, it’s been horrible.”

“I’m sorry. Come on, let’s get this to the station.” He murmurs.

Seungcheol shuts the trunk and guides you to the passenger side, even going as far as buckling you in, smoothing your pants over your knee. He gets in next and it’s a quiet trip to the police station, seeing as he doesn’t want to push you and you’re not up for giving any info.

He’s such a gentleman and a pillar in your figurative storm, sticking with you the whole time you give the broken ornament and your statement. He only moves twice - once for the toilet and another to get you a crappy hot chocolate from their self-serve machine, and that was only because you tucked your fingers into your sleeves and badly buried a shiver from the barren cold of the station. The detective takes both the camera and listening device away for any assets retrieval, leaving you at the desk.

“Hey.” He’s soft and you turn.

“Yeah?”

“You’re doing great, you know. It’ll be over before you know it.” He continues.

There is a respectable distance between the two of you but you miss him. You need warmth that was human and safe. So you reach for him and grab his free hand, holding it between both of yours, squeezing it briefly before moving it to your lap.

“I just…I don’t know what to do next. I really loved my place but I can’t stand the idea of being anywhere near him any longer.” You sigh.

His hand squeezes back in return. “Don’t you worry - that’s my job now, as your assistant. We’ll call Cully after this and put you up there with her for the night. I’ll find a new place with as much security as you could want and by next week it will be a fresh start.”

As your assistant. You wanted more. But propriety said no. Your position and pay check said no. Your drunken confession as you burst into your apartment said yes. You bite your lip and nod. You didn’t like feeling so powerless. You were the CEO of Helios Construction for goodness sake, leading corporate construction in South Korea. You were supposed to be strong and dauntless. Instead you were meek sitting in a cold unforgiving police station clutching Seungcheol’s hand like it was the only thing tethering you to the earth.

“I- yeah. Sounds like a plan. Thank you, Se-Cheol.”

He blinks, surprised at your informality and gives you a warm expression.

[yall-batman-fanfic]

“I’m Sorry, Ma. I’m really, really sorry…” | Jason Todd/Red Hood & Batmom

Synopsis: Inspired by @valrixian’s comic strip. Jason calls Vivian in the middle of the night after being gone for so long.

It was late but Jason couldn’t take it anymore. He can’t. He needs to call her now, and she needs to hear it from him. 

~ * ~

The sound of her phone ringing woke Vivian from her sleep. Struggling to get up, she lazily reached out to her bedside table and, clumsily, tried to look for the damn thing. Maybe she should get up and actually look at the thing she was trying to find instead of using her hands to just scan the surface of the table.

“Here,” Bruce’s sleepy voice and the movement in the bed had her finally get up.

“Who is it?” Vivian asked, still sleepy.

He took some time to read the caller ID and when he did, Bruce said in a cautious tone, “It’s Jason.”

The sound of his name woke her completely and Vivian snatched her phone from her husband to answer it. “Hello? Jay?”

“Hi Ma,” His voice was muffled on the other side.

“Jay, w-what’s wrong? Why do you sound like that?” Her question had Bruce sit up with her and wait for the news—if Jason was in trouble, he'd jump out of that bed and get there, no doubt Vivian would join him too. 

She heard a sniffle at the other line. 

“Baby,” Vivian said softly. “What’s wrong?”

“Ma, I… I’m sorry, Ma,” Jason cried, his voice still muffled, like his face was buried in a pillow. “I’m really, really sorry.”

Hearing him cry, hearing his words, Vivian felt her heart clench and she curled up to a fetal position to find comfort. She could feel Jason’s sadness. His loneliness through the phone. It made her cry too.

“Jason,” she began.

“Ma, I’m so fucking sorry… I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry for hurting you all this time. I’m sorry,” Jason continued to cry.

“Where are you, Jay?” Vivian asked. He didn’t answer. “Jason, please, tell me where you are and I’ll go there.”

“I’ll get the car ready,” Bruce said, getting out of the bed to dress and tell Alfred that they were heading out. But Vivian asked him to stay put.

“Baby, please, tell me you’re okay. That you’re safe—that you’re in a safe place,” Vivian begged as she found the strength to get out of bed and get dressed. If Jason won’t tell her where he was, she’ll track him with magic. “Jason, just please, stay there. I’ll be there quickly, okay?”

Jason kept crying and apologizing at the other end, telling her how he never meant to hurt her, he never meant to start all that has happened, that he was just so angry—he knows that now, he understands it now. He was just so damn angry. But now, he’s tired. He’s just tired of it all. Of being angry. And he’s tired of thinking about how much he’s disappointed her. 

Putting the phone on mute, Vivian told Bruce that she was going to him alone for now, but she’ll call him if she needs anything. He agrees to her plan and watches as Vivian opens a portal to where Jason told her he was staying.

Arriving at the rundown apartment, Vivian saw her boy lying in bed, his face buried in his pillow as he kept apologizing as he cried. Sitting at the edge of the table, Vivian slowly placed a hand on his shoulder. 

Jason jumped at the sudden presence in his home, he didn’t hear anyone come on, but the adrenaline subsided when he saw his mother there with him. 

“Hey, Baby Bird,” Vivian greeted him, ending the call between them. 

“Ma,” Jason sat up and hugged her tight. “Ma, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Vivian whispered to him, brushing his hair like she always does before, “Everything is okay, my sweet boy. We’re going home, the both of us, okay?”

Jason’s hug tightened and his sobs finally died down to hiccups. “I missed you, Ma.”

“I missed you too, Jason. I missed you so much.”

~ * ~

The drive home was quiet, with Vivian driving his car, and Jason sitting beside her asleep. Jason had been staying in Upstate, New York so it wasn’t that far from Gotham, but seeing that he wasn’t that ready yet to come home, she took her time with the drive, made a few stops and got herself some coffee to keep her awake. When Jason woke up, they just entered New Jersey and were driving down the mainland to Gotham. 

“Hey, I got you something,” Vivian gestured to the hot take-away cup in the cup-holder. “Hot chocolate, and a donut too.”

Jason thanked her for the food and drink, and ate in silence. “Is everyone there?”

“When I left, it was just me, Bruce, Tim, and Alfred. Dick’s in Bludhaven,” Vivian answered. Reaching out, she caressed the back of his head and said to him, “It’s going to be okay, Jason.”

“I beat the shit out of Dick.”

“He’ll beg to differ.”

“And I said pretty shitty things to Tim.”

“That you’ll need to talk to him.”

“Can we make a stop before we head to the Manor?”

“Sure thing.”

Vivian made a signal and went to the shoulder of the road where it had the view of the sea and Gotham just ahead. He got out of the car and just stood there looking at the islands that built the godforsaken city. Vivian sighed, she got out of the car and joined him there. 

“Do you remember the first time we met?” Vivian began.

Jason smiled, but just a small one, “Batman tied me up in the Cave and you nagged his ear off about how he can’t just pick up kids in the streets.”

“I didn’t know then but that was one of the best things that happened to me. Meeting you. And, though it’s hard to believe, but Bruce never once regretted adopting you, Jason.”

“Things are different now.”

“They are.”

“I hurt a lot of people. Most I don’t give a shit, some I… some I do…”

“You know, I always liked ripping off the bandaid. Helps me get over anything that’s bothering me and shit… we can do that now or we can do it gradually. We can stay here for as long as you want, until you’re ready to go.”

“Baby steps?”

“That’s right, baby steps,” Vivian wrapped her arms around his. “And my baby is trying to learn how to walk again… and I’ll be there with you at every step.”

~ Many Years Later ~

Vivian was starting to think the baby was a night-owl, not surprising considering her family background, but she would really like to get some sleep. Vivian has been walking around the Manor the moment the baby woke her when it started moving around in the womb. She tried to get some sleep by turning to her side but it seems, the little troublemaker was wide awake, so here she was. Walking around with a very pregnant belly, trying to “entertain” each other. She eventually came to her study, just beside Bruce’s, and decided to do a bit of work to help with her load.

“You’re up?” Jason went inside. “What are you doing at this hour? Shouldn’t you be in bed, Ma?”

“I was,” Vivian sighed. “But your sister insists on walking.” She patted her pregnant belly with a smile. “I decided to read through some work I’ve left for the Wayne Foundation to pass the time.

“Well, stop, you should go to bed. I’ll read to you both if you like,” Jason told her. He was about to help her out of the seat when Vivian noticed the wrapped item in his hand. She asked what it was for, and if he was planning to have it sent to someone. “Actually, this is for you, Ma.”

“Jay, you’ve been spoiling me and this little one with so many gifts,” Vivian told him. “I am more than happy to have you back here, alive and well, everytime you return from a mission. What is it?”

Jason handed it to her. “I was supposed to surprise you tomorrow with it, right after I take you out to lunch—you and Bruce—but maybe now’s a good time to show it to you too.”

“If it’s for me and Bruce, don’t you think we should wait for him?”

“Don’t bother, the Bat’s back from his mission and he’s heading here now. He must have figured out you’re not in bed by now,” Jason told her.

Right on time, Batman, uncowled, appeared at the door of her study. Vivian welcomed Bruce and asked him to join her because Jason has a present for them both.

“What are you both doing up at this hour?” Bruce asked them after kissing her cheek in greeting.

“Blame your daughter, she won’t stop dancing inside me,” Vivian handed Bruce the present Jason got them.

“What is this?”

“The point of a present, B, is for you to open it and find out for yourself,” said Jason.

“I’ll open it,” Vivian took it again and carefully unwrapped the item. It was a large one, and when she turned to see what was inside, Vivian froze as she read the words written on the college degree.

“I never really got to finish high school,” Jason began, “and I never got to college too… Tim and Duke helped me out, and so did Barbara. I took online classes to get my high school diploma, then after a while… and saved some… I decided I wanted to get my degree too, in college.”

Jason had a Classics degree. 

The diploma was named for Jason Peter Todd who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Languages and Literatures. 

“You graduated?” Vivian found her voice. “And you took a Classics degree…”

“Yeah… I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Jason chuckled. “And I did it legit, too. No funny business.”

Vivian placed down the framed diploma and went to hug him. “I wouldn’t even think that you did. I’m so proud of you, Jason!” 

“Thanks, Ma,” Jason smiled and hugged her, not too tight to crush the baby. 

Then, something happened too. Jason felt Bruce pull them both to an embrace and say to him, “I’m proud of you, chum.”

“Thanks, Dad,” he whispered. 

Then—

“Was that…” Jason released his mother and looked down to where he saw the baby kicking from inside her womb. 

Vivian laughed, “She’s happy for you too, Jay. Aren’t you, baby?” Another kick. “Yeah, she is… okay, okay, you gotta stop kicking, you’re kind of hurting Mommy now.” Vivian winced.

“She’s a kicker, huh,” Jason rubbed her belly, hoping it would make the baby stop with their stretching or at least ease the pain. “You can do whatever you want with that–”

“Well, I’m going to hang it over here in my office,” Vivian told him.

“You mean, I hanging it in your office,” Bruce told her as he went to the wall and hung the diploma, along with the other photos of the family. “You won’t be able to reach this, Viv.”

“I know, I know,” Vivian laughed. “I’m proud of you, baby bird. You’ve come a long way now.”

“You both adopting me was the best thing that ever happened to me… I know that, I’m just too stubborn to admit it.”