#and I'm like “well... you need to go up or down...?” and she's like “I need to go down but I don't wanna get into the elevator with you..”

[specialgradefckr]

it's been two days, and nerd!gojo is nowhere to be found.

as his one and only bully, you can't help but be worried.

did he get hurt when you shoved him in the locker that one time? did he get sick when you made him eat out of the trash?

weak nerd with his weak ass immune system. you should've been feeding him more dirt.

more importantly, what if you get in trouble for his skinny, frail, weak ass?

not on your watch.

you tell the teacher that you'll deliver gojo's homework to him, which she completely believes for some reason ("oh, how sweet! you two are always together") and she gives you his home address, too, with a wink.

weird, but whatever.

when you get to his house you want to beat his worthless ass all over again. ugh. of course gojo lives in a beautiful, massive house in a super upscale neighborhood you're sort of embarrassed to be seen in.

you think about your clothes, second-hand, not quite fitted right. your worn but comfy shoes. just... ugh.

but there's an intercom, and after you say your name, school, and class that you're delivering gojo's schoolwork for, the door gate opens.

when you get in, it's immediately obvious which room is gojo's - he's got an asuka poster on his door. it's completely out of place in the modern, sleek decor. only gojo could be so tacky.

you don't waste any time striding up there, throwing open the door and glaring at the pitiful wet paper towel of a boy on the bed.

and, well... he is sick, of that you have no doubt.

laying back in bed, half-propped up on pillows. his pale skin looks even paler with the dark circles around his eyes, his red nose, a pile of crumbled up tissues on either side of him.

there's a dampness on his shirt, a graphic tee, and an empty water bottle at his bedside.

"you look like shit," you say, shutting the door behind you and setting his papers on the table.

gojo half-laughs, but mostly it just comes out as a cough.

"no, it's just the flu. been going around. i think i got it from the housekeeper, actually, she took some time off recently."

a housekeeper? fucking gross. you hope he dies. rich people. ugh.

but you can't help but notice. there's no more water, plus you can't see any food around here. and gojo looks absolutely miserable.

you've only been sick once when you were a kid, but it wasn't so bad. things were different back then, though.

"well, since i'm here." you plop the homework in front of him, generously allowing him your pen, "get to work."

he's staring, blankly, at the sheet. eyes scrunching as if in consternation.

before he can insist that you need to work on it together, you stride out of the room.

a faint "wait!" sounds behind you as you shut the door, but you don't mind it.

it's a quick trip to the kitchen. you spend a couple minutes searching through cabinets full of wine glasses (wine glasses? seriously, in his home kitchen?) until you find a cup.

you fill it with water, and then, in a fit of generosity, you fill up a second cup for gojo. let it never be said that you hit a man while he was down.

somehow, when you come back up, gojo is still contemplating the homework sheet as if it held the secrets of the universe.

"hello?" you say out loud. gojo blinks, looking over at you with that blank, dopey expression.

"did you get anything at all done?" there's nothing on the paper. "drama queen."

"ah," gojo says, sniffling, eyes wincing shut, "sorry, it's hard to concentrate... i have a raging headache."

absolutely useless. you set the water down beside him, but gojo slumps back against the pillows.

he looks up at you with big, blue, pleading eyes.

"can't reach... help me?" his voice is high, his expression utterly pitiful. like some kicked puppy.

maybe it's because his throat actually does sound pretty raw. his hair is even more unkempt than usual, in a greasy, scraggly way, his tired eyes and miserable expression squeezing a drop of undeserved sympathy out of your stony heart.

mostly it's because you want him to do your homework that you begrudgingly hold up the water to his mouth and tip it carefully for him to drink.

"what," you grouse, "mommy and daddy not here to coddle you?"

gojo takes a long gulp, swallowing heavily, and letting out an exaggerated ah~ afterwards.

"the housekeeper does that," he says, shifting against the pillows to get comfortable, "but she's not here. i really was dying before you arrived. you saved me," he crows, somehow proud of his utter display of weakness and ineptitude.

you stare at his legs pointedly. "do you have a cold and leprosy? at least go get yourself some medicine."

the puppy dog eyes, again, "i tried! but i got lightheaded and dizzy! it's in the bathroom cupboard, the one closest to my room, pleeeeease-"

"what, now i'm your errand girl?" you snap, already standing up.

something flashes in gojo's eyes, and he keels forward, lurching to grab you by the hand.

"wait, wait! i didn't mean it like that, please don't leave!"

the tone in his voice sends a pang through your chest.

"...i have to leave to get the medicine," your voice comes out awkward, like something's stuck in your throat. "idiot."

gojo's so easy to read, relief on his face clear as day. "oh! okay! we can - we can order delivery, too! my treat! you just have to pick it up for me!"

"i get to choose the restaurant," you grumble, and gojo's already on his phone.

it's a pretty good deal. even though you'll have to endure his presence for a while. and do your own homework without help.

but whatever. it's not like you couldn't do it yourself. you just didn't want to, and it was better having gojo check your answers.

there's just... something weird about this.

"gojo," you ask, hesitant. "i told the intercom i had your homework for you and it let me in. are your parents home?"

he shrugs, "oh yeah, probably."

then why aren't they helping, you want to say - for once in your life, you stop yourself.

why aren't they helping their precious perfect son? what, do they think he's a loser as much as you do?

the thought prickles inside you, uncomfortable, unwelcome. you try to brush it aside. it's none of your business.

maybe gojo's parents find him as unbearable as you do -

even that thought seems a bit too harsh. he's not actually that annoying.

your walk to the bathroom is uneventful. you don't run into anyone, but you do see it - a light under a door at the end of the hallway.

"...if he needs to go to the hospital... no, he won't, a classmate came by with his schoolwork."

the voice is distant, faint. unconcerned.

"...so they want to meet tomorrow night? i'll have to get the reports ready..."

what a drama queen. even his own parents aren't worried about him.

you ignore the bad taste in your mouth as you re-enter gojo's room, where he's looks far too chipper for a sick person.

satoru smiles at you, quickly maneuvering his phone underneath his blanket.

getowo: stop crying, you big baby, i'm on my way over. satoruwu: nvm!!! dont come satoruwu: youll never guess who came to nurse me back to health getowo: so you're hallucinating satoruwu: im not! my bully does house calls <3 we're gonna eat together hehe~ getowo: i'll be there in ten. satoruwu: I TOLD U DONT COME

"gojo?" he drops the phone in his lap, internally cursing.

"yeah?" satoru slumps back, sniffing again, giving you his best pathetic face.

you roll your eyes, "I got your stuff. what did you order?" actually, you don't care. "i want pizza."

"i know this place that makes the best soup," satoru pulls his phone right back out again, "i can get you pizza, too, what kind?"

when you tell him your favorite, he tells you his.

"why are you telling me this? i thought you wanted soup?"

"yeah, but now you know what my favorite is~ we should order some for one of our study dates. we can do halvsies! actually, your fave sounds good-"

you cut him off (so decisive! super hot of you) and tell him to just put in the order. he puts the pizza idea in his notes app, just in case.

"help me take the medicine?" satoru says, half-hopeful, giving you his best puppy dog eyes.

"if you can order delivery, you can drink some water," you say, setting your homework on his desk on the other side of the room.

it's way too high, which makes sense, for his freakishly long limbs -

"oh, it's height adjustable! there's a button, you can lower it!"

you take in his words, leaning back, and you see it. there's an electric whirr as the table falls down. "huh." neat.

"nifty, right!" satoru coughs extra pitifully, "do you think you could help me out? just for a minute?"

you ignore him. it's so obvious he doesn't actually need your help. why is he even asking? it would be faster to do it himself.

whatever. he'll do it when he wants to.

you snatch one of his pens and start working.

it's silent for a bit, the sound of pen scratching against paper filling the air. a little sniffle from the far corner interrupting you.

"...please?" his voice sounds terribly small.

you take a deep, sharp breath. then you stand up and walk over to him.

just to shut him up, obviously. he's so whiney.

only, when you sit down next to him with the cup of water and the pills, his big blue eyes gazing up at you while he gives you a weak smile, that assessment feels a little... mean.

whatever. so you feel a little sorry for him. fine, he's sick. and he's playing it up, too, although his skin does feel a bit feverish when you touch it.

you press the back of your hand - chilled from holding the water glass for him - against his forehead, and gojo sighs in relief, slumping back into the pillow.

he really should be sleeping. he probably needs a shower and a change of clothes, but you're not sticking around for that, and if he needs your help taking meds, he'll need your help with the soup, too.

absently, you run your fingers through his hair. it's so white. and soft, but you can feel some dampness from the fever.

gojo's eyes flutter shut, and he gives out a gentle sigh.

he's quiet for a moment, and you almost think he's falling asleep.

"...can we watch neon genesis evangelion? i have the latest movie."

naturally, his room has a giant flatscreen in it. it's not that messy, either, but you attribute that to the housekeeper.

you roll your eyes, "god, you and your freaky anime. fine, whatever you want."

he's eager, then, lighting up at your words. it's such a weird look on him, all exhausted and sick but still happy.

"we can start from the first one, so you know what's going on!" gojo babbles, "i bet you'll love asuka. she's just like you - "

your cheeks flush, "it's fine! we can just watch your latest movie. i don't need a whole marathon."

you'd looked it up in your free time, just to see what gojo's rambling was about. and maybe you'd gone through some of it online. just to know how bad his taste was.

it's not a bad night, though.

maybe you don't get your homework done - you'll have to get to it tomorrow - but you sit there, next to gojo, on his super comfy (probably super expensive) bed.

the soup arrives before the pizza. you're hungry, and you take great pleasure in blowing on the spoon, pretending to guide it into gojo's mouth, then diverting it to yours at the last moment.

but you're generous enough to feed him, after. it's all with the movies playing in the background.

gojo started with the first evangelion movie, but you're not about to give away that you know.

he likes to narrate over it, and it's fun telling him all the reasons why his takes are wrong. but you have to tell him to shut up once his voice grows hoarse.

then the pizza comes. he looks at you so sadly whenever you head to the door. like a dog watching its owner go to work. ugh.

so maybe... you lose track of time it's a comfy bed, comfy pillows, nice soft blankets once you clean up all his used tissues and the takeaway boxes.

definitely no funny business or anything. you wouldn't be this close to him if he weren't deathly sick.

he says he's deathly sick. maybe this feels like dying for a crybaby like him, you don't know.

but you know, briefly, with your shoulder pressed into his; you're tired. you ate way too much pizza. it's warm in here, safe - gojo is a wet paper towel most days, and today, he's a used tissue, totally unthreatening.

so if you lose track of time and fall asleep... well. nobody will care anyways.

when satoru wakes up, he has to admit - he feels a lot better.

last night was pretty great, even if he'd been sick. it was like a dream! he got to spend all that time with you! just relaxing and watching shows and being hand-fed!

and you even got him water and medicine! and you helped him eat!

it was a while before suguru got out of school, and this night was worse than last night. with the housekeeper gone, he could barely get up for water or food.

even suguru wouldn't have been able to stick around. he hadn't been looking forward to spending the night sick and miserable and all alone in his bed, body full of aches and pains and hunger.

but you saved him! you even stayed the night - heheh. in a way, you basically slept with him, right?

suguru might not ever believe it, but satoru knows. you're really warming up to him. you actually like him, deep down -

when he looks around, though, you're already gone.

[monzabee]

Ok so this is my first time requesting so sorry if it’s not like to detailed but I’d say like a story where you and Lando live together and you eventually start liking each other but he doesn’t know you like him and like you see him and a girl and immediately like “omg he does NOT like me😔” so you go with your friend like to a bar or club not sure and meet someone(could be Charles or Carlos)

And the you end up liking him and then he takes you to your house and Lando is waiting for you and then sees (one of them) and then gets upset and starts asking like were have you been blah blah .Then you eventually say you liked him but you know it didn’t if he had liked someone else and then he’s like no I liked you and then it comes to a fluff or angst ending.(again I’m sorry first time requesting 😭❗️

the roommate experiment – ln4

masterlist ||

Summary: The one where Lando doesn’t like his roommate, not one bit—this is a complete lie.  

Pairing: lando norris x reader

Word Count:  3.8k

Warnings: fluff, arguing (a lot), feeelings, jealous, i can’t remember but maybe cursing?  

Author’s Note: hi, hey, hello!! let me tell you one thing—this fic is VINTAGE at this point, and i'm not even kidding😭 this took me a very long time to finish, and it was a journey, and i do apologise for that, but hey—at least it’s here!!! let's all celebrate some good vibes for lando norris who is leading the championship, and hopefully i can get through rest of the requests on my list. i hope you guys enjoy and feedback is always appreciated. also, my requests are open! good morning, noon or night wherever you are, xoxobee 

Please also note that all of my works are protected under copyright, and not available for reposting on other platforms. 

One second Lando is on the podium in Miami, getting his first win, being absolutely on top of the world and partying until he doesn’t remember his name. Then, suddenly, he is back in his apartment in Monte Carlo, his mother sitting on the couch beside him as she explains how the daughter of a close family friend will be staying him for the foreseeable future. He thinks, for a moment, whether he is still hungover or not, or maybe he’s dreaming, because there is absolutely no way he’s going to be sharing his apartment with you. 

“Absolutely not,” he shakes his head, hands cutting through the air to emphasise his point. “Why am I the one stuck with her? She’s not a child.” 

“I’m not saying she’s a child,” his mother points out, “I’m saying that she needs a place to stay during her internship, and you have an extra room. She’s your friend, Lando, stop acting like you don’t like her.”  

With a finger pointed at his mother, “I’m not saying I don’t like her,” Lando explains, “all I’m saying is that I don’t think either of us could be fine with living each other. You saw the last time we had an argument; do you want it to be like that every single day?” 

No, she thinks, I absolutely do not, as his mother thinks of the thrashed-up villa that your families had rented out for a holiday and shakes her head to get rid of the imagine. “Well, she’s coming, so be nice to her and try not to obliterate your apartment, darling.” 

“Mum, I just won my first race, is this how you want me the remember the best day of my life ending its high?” Lando tilts his head, giving his mom the best puppy eyes he can.  

He thinks for a second that he manages to get through her, but then, she straightens up, gives him a small kiss on the forehead and starts walking through the door as she yells, “Don’t forget to bring out the guest towels!” 

And as he slumps down onto the couch, his mind goes back to the fact that just over twenty-four hours ago, he was back in Miami, partying after his first win. 

Staying at Lando’s apartment in Monte Carlo wasn’t your first, second or last choice for an accommodation if you’re being a hundred percent honest. Alas, you find yourself at his apartment, bags in hand, busy returning the look of disdain behind his mother’s back to match the look he gives you himself. She has somehow convinced your mother, who practically forced you to take her gracious offer, that this is a good idea. “You’ll get along splendidly,” she assures you all, including herself, “you are not little kids who fight because of everything anymore.”  

Oh, little did she know. 

The first hour you’re there, Lando makes a point of complaining of how many boxes you have, as if you were not in the process of moving your entire life to another country, and that you are to, under any circumstances, display any of your ‘girly’ things out in his ‘bachelor pad’. You decide to take the high road with that second one and opt for an eyeroll as you drag your suitcase into your room to unpack. The look he gives you behind your back? Priceless. And you only know how he looks because of the strategically placed mirrors he has on the corridor.  

After a couple of hours, he throws a fuss because you’ve decided to order food. “I’m an athlete,” he points out. “You can’t just order food whenever you want around here.”  

You try taking the high road, you really do, but how can you not egg him on when he is acting like such a petulant child?  

The second argument occurs when Lando has a few friends over a couple of days later, and you wander into the kitchen in your loungewear—which doesn’t make any sense, because you can’t see what’s so scandalous about a pair of shorts and a tank top, but he insists that you cannot be hanging around his friend wearing ‘almost nothing’. You point out that his complaining within itself contradictory because if you are wearing something, then you cannot be wearing almost nothing. He leaves the living room, stomping on his way back to his room, you count it as another argument won. Your mother loses it when you tell her that you’re going to start looking for a place to move out, also reminding her of the fact that living with Lando was supposed to be temporary anyway, but she’s having none of it. 

“Temporary or not, you promised to stick it out until your internship ends,” your mother reminds you sternly over the phone. “And besides, you’ve known Lando your whole life. Surely you can survive a few months without tearing each other apart.” 

“Define ‘tearing each other apart,’” you mutter, earning a long sigh on the other end. 

“Stop being dramatic,” she replies. “Lando isn’t the problem. You both just need to grow up and learn how to live together.” 

You don’t have the energy to argue further, so you reluctantly let the conversation end with a grumbled, “Fine, but if one of us ends up in the hospital, it’s on you.” 

When you think about it, living with Lando is as much as living without Lando. So that’s how your days pass by for a while, at least until Lando has to leave to go racing or back to the UK to go to the Mclaren factory. You fight over everything like cats and dogs, and you are mature enough to admit that coexisting with Lando is not an option. The apartment is eerily quiet when Lando is not there, you realise. That makes sense, since he is not there to bicker with you about anything and everything you do, from the way you breathe to the way you walk. At first, you relish the silence. The absence of Lando’s constant complaints feels like a vacation. No sarcastic quips about your ‘obnoxious’ alarm clock. No eye rolls when you leave your shoes by the door instead of neatly tucking them away.  

No Lando, period. 

But then, as the days stretch on, the quiet begins to weigh on you. Without the petty arguments, the apartment feels almost... lifeless. You catch yourself lingering in the kitchen, half expecting him to appear and critique your choice of breakfast. Or walking past the couch, where you can usually find him lounging with a smug grin, daring you to say something about his feet on the coffee table. It’s unsettling how quickly you’ve grown used to his presence, how much his absence leaves a void. 

You would never admit out loud that there is a teeny tiny chance of you possibly miss having him around, because admitting that would be like handing him a victory he absolutely doesn’t deserve. Lando is already insufferable enough—imagine the endless teasing if he found out you missed him. No, you tell yourself firmly, this is just about the sudden peace and quiet that you are not used to. It has nothing to do with him. But the longer Lando stays away, the harder it becomes to ignore the empty space. You find yourself pacing the apartment, glancing at your phone, half-expecting to see a message from him. Maybe just to poke fun at something you did or complain about something you didn’t even know was an issue. But there’s nothing. Not even a text. 

It’s strange. The whole atmosphere of the apartment is different without his presence. The silence isn’t comforting anymore—it’s just oppressive. It makes you feel a little bit lost, a little bit too aware of the fact that the person who used to drive you crazy is the same person you now seem to miss, even if you won’t admit it. 

You’re standing in the kitchen one afternoon, absentmindedly washing dishes, when the door slams open when Lando is back. He’s dragging his luggage behind him, looking dishevelled but somehow still effortlessly cool. As soon as he steps in, he scans the apartment with that familiar smug grin. “You miss me?” he asks, voice light and teasing, though his eyes are just a little too knowing. 

Your heart skips a beat, and you quickly turn away, trying to hide the fact that you’re actually relieved to see him. “I wouldn’t go that far,” you mutter, scrubbing the plate a little too vigorously. 

Lando laughs, clearly enjoying this. “Sure, sure. You don’t have to admit it. I can tell.” He tosses his keys on the counter and walks into the living room, looking around like he’s just returned to the battlefield.  

“Only in your dreams, Lando.” You can’t stop the eye roll that follows, but you bite back the smile threatening to break through. 

Lando raises an eyebrow, clearly amused by your deflection. “Trust me, darling, you’re doing something very different in my dreams.” 

You freeze for a second, a blush creeping up your neck despite your best efforts to stay unaffected.  

Did he really just say that? 

You turn your back to him, scrubbing the dish a little harder, trying to mask the sudden nervous energy that’s bubbled up in your chest. “Keep dreaming, Lando. I’m not that easy.” 

His laugh follows you, light and teasing. “Oh, I know. But trust me, it’s a pretty good dream.” He drops onto the couch with the same lazy, confident air that he always has, kicking his shoes off and stretching out like he owns the place. You roll your eyes, not wanting to give him any satisfaction, but you can’t help but feel a shift between you two. “I’m going to be a good roommate for a second,” he announces. 

“Oh, yeah?” You scoff, placing down the plate you were scrubbing on the drying rack. “I find that kind of hard to believe, but go on, I guess.” 

Lando smirks, clearly enjoying your scepticism. “No, really. I’m going to invite you out to a party tonight,” he says, leaning back on the couch with that trademark smugness. “My friends are throwing something to celebrate the win. You might as well come with me. You’re already here, and it’ll be good for you to get out of the apartment. Trust me, you’ll love it.” 

You turn to face him, raising an eyebrow. “A party? With your friends?” The idea of spending time with Lando and his crew seems like asking for more arguments, but something in his casual offer piques your interest.  

“Yeah, with my friends,” he confirms, totally unbothered by your hesitation. “It’ll be fun. No arguing, no complaints. Just a good time. You’ll need a little distraction, considering how quiet you’ve been without me.”  

“You’re a saint, Lando,” you laugh softly, drying your hands on the towel next to you, “but I’ll have to pass.” 

Lando’s smirk falters, but only for a moment, before he stands up from the couch, stretching lazily. “Come on,” he says, his tone shifting to a mix of coaxing and playful challenge. “You’re going to pass on the chance to have some fun?” 

You regret your decision to prove Lando wrong, as soon as you step into the club. The bass thrums through the floor, shaking your ribs as lights flicker across the packed club. The air is thick with the scent of sweat, alcohol, and something vaguely expensive—probably Lando’s choice of venue. You’re still not sure why you let him talk you into this. Lando disappears almost immediately, swallowed by a sea of familiar faces, leaving you with a drink in hand and a mild sense of regret. You shouldn’t have come. This was his world, not yours. 

You take a sip of your drink, scanning the room for any excuse to leave early, when a smooth voice pulls your attention. “You look like you’d rather be anywhere but here.” 

You turn, and your stomach flips slightly. Oh. 

Charles Leclerc, dressed effortlessly in a fitted black shirt, his green eyes glinting under the dim lights, is watching you with an amused expression. 

You laugh, shifting on your feet. “Is it that obvious?” 

“Painfully,” he grins, sipping his drink. “Not a fan of the club scene?” 

You shrug. “More like not a fan of being dragged here by a certain someone who insists I need to ‘loosen up.’” 

Charles chuckles knowingly. “Let me guess—Lando?” 

“Bingo.” 

Charles shakes his head, smiling. “Classic.” He leans against the bar, his gaze settling on you like he’s studying you, intrigued. “So, what do you actually like to do for fun?” 

You end up talking to him longer than you expected. He’s easy to talk to, charming in a way that doesn’t feel forced. And when he suggests getting some air outside, you don’t hesitate. 

Lando doesn’t notice you leaving. Or so you think. 

When Charles walks you up to your apartment later that night, you don’t expect to see Lando leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, a frown etched onto his face. His eyes flick from you to Charles, jaw clenching. “Where the hell have you been?” His voice is sharp, accusing. 

You blink, caught off guard. “Excuse me?” 

“It’s two in the morning.” He points out, arms crossed over his chest as his eyes narrow down.  

You scoff, crossing your arms. “And? You go out all the time and come back whenever you want.” 

Lando ignores that. His gaze snaps to Charles. “And what are you doing here?” 

Charles raises his hands, staying neutral. “Just making sure she got home safe.” He then turns to you, “And I will be leaving, because I really don’t want my head chopped off, I’ll see you two later.” 

Lando lets out a bitter laugh. “Oh, how chivalrous of you.” Lando calls after Charles, scofffing as he turns back to you. 

You glare at him. “Lando, what is your problem?” 

Lando's jaw tightens, his arms still crossed over his chest as he glares at you like you’ve personally offended him. 

“My problem?” he scoffs. “My problem is that you just disappeared without saying anything. I turned around and you were gone.” 

You raise an eyebrow, unimpressed. “I didn’t realize I needed to check in with you like a child.” 

“You don’t,” he shoots back. “But maybe let someone know before you run off with Charles fucking Leclerc. Because I don’t know what to tell your mother.” 

“My mother?” You let out a sharp laugh, crossing your arms. “Oh, so that’s what this is about? You have a problem with Charles now? Isn’t he your friend?” 

Lando shifts on his feet, jaw clenching. “I don’t have a problem with him. I have a problem with you sneaking off in the middle of the night.” 

“Sneaking off?” you repeat, incredulous. “I told you I wasn’t going to stay long. You were too busy chatting up multiple girls to notice.” 

He exhales sharply through his nose, shaking his head like he’s trying to hold something back. “You shouldn’t have left with him.” He takes a step towards you, which would usually cause you to take a step back, but you don’t step down. 

“Oh my God, Lando.” You throw your hands up, exasperated. “I wasn’t kidnapped. Charles walked me home. That’s it.” 

Lando lets out a bitter laugh, raking a hand through his hair. “Yeah, sure. Just being a gentleman, right?” 

You narrow your eyes. “Yes, actually. Not that it’s any of your business.” 

“It is my business,” he snaps, taking a step closer. “You live here. With me. And if something happened—” 

“Nothing happened,” you cut him off. “And even if it did, you don’t get to act like this.” 

Lando shakes his head, his tongue pressing against the inside of his cheek. “Like what?” 

“Like you own me,” you challenge, voice steady. His mouth opens slightly, like he wants to argue, but no words come out. For the first time in the entire conversation, he looks caught off guard. You let out a dry laugh, shaking your head. “Unbelievable.” You push past him, reaching for the door handle. 

But before you can step inside, Lando’s hand catches your wrist. It’s not rough—just enough to make you pause. You look up at him, and for the first time all night, there’s something in his expression that isn’t just frustration or irritation. He hesitates, then his voice drops, quieter this time. “I didn’t—” He exhales sharply, like the words physically hurt to get out. “I didn’t like seeing you with him.” 

Your breath catches for a second, because there it is. The truth that’s been simmering under the surface for weeks, finally cracking through. You hold his gaze, your heart hammering in your chest. “And why is that, Lando?” 

Lando’s grip on your wrist loosens slightly, his thumb brushing against your skin, and for a moment, it feels like the world has stopped spinning. He looks at you, eyes darkened, as if he’s struggling with the words, unsure whether to let them slip. “Because…” He trails off, voice barely a whisper, a complete opposite of himself mere moments ago when he was yelling. “Because I care. And I didn’t want you running off with someone else.” His eyes flick to the ground before meeting yours again, this time with something softer, vulnerable. "I didn’t want to admit it... but I think I’ve been a total idiot." 

You blink, heart pounding in your chest as the realization hits you like a ton of bricks. You stare at him for a moment, completely dumbfounded, unsure if you heard him right. “You…” you start, but he interrupts you, his voice urgent. 

“I know I’ve been a prick. I know we fight constantly, but I—” He pauses, his hands fidgeting at his sides, clearly nervous for the first time in a long while. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like I didn’t care about you. I just… I didn’t know how else to handle it. And when I saw you with him tonight, I…” He swallows hard, looking almost embarrassed. “I hated it. I didn’t want to feel like I was losing you.” 

Your head spins, trying to process what he’s saying. You blink a few times, trying to find the right words. “Lando… I thought you didn’t like me. I mean, the way you’ve acted, always arguing with me, always finding something to complain about—” Your voice falters, and you shake your head in disbelief. “I didn’t think you cared at all.” 

Lando’s eyes widen, a flash of guilt crossing his face. He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again, as if struggling to form the words. Finally, he steps forward, closing the space between you, his voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t know how to tell you. I was just being an idiot. I never wanted to make you feel like that.” 

A silence falls over you both, the weight of his confession hanging in the air. You take a deep breath, your hand still resting where his had been moments before, and for the first time, you meet his gaze without the usual annoyance or defensiveness. “You’re such an idiot,” you mutter softly, but the smile tugging at your lips betrays the words. 

Lando lets out a small laugh, a genuine, relieved sound that makes your heart skip a beat. “I know. But I’m an idiot who cares about you.” 

He leans in to kiss you, but you put your finger on his lips, stopping him in his tracks as you chuckle softly. “Hold your horses, you better take me out first before kissing me, champ,” you say, your voice playful but with a hint of disbelief. 

Lando’s eyes flicker with a mix of surprise and amusement as he pulls back slightly, the tension between you two lifting. He raises an eyebrow, that familiar mischievous glint returning to his gaze. “Take you out, huh? Guess I’m gonna have to step up my game then.” 

You nod, a teasing smile tugging at your lips. “I’m not that easy, Lando. You’ve got a lot of work to do after all the stupid things you said tonight.” 

Lando chuckles, shaking his head. “Fair enough, I deserve that.” He steps back and scratches the back of his head, looking a bit sheepish but still confident. “How about tomorrow? I’ll take you to dinner. No more arguments, I promise.” 

Your heart does a little flip at the thought of a calmer, less complicated night out with him. You try to play it cool, rolling your eyes. “I guess I could let you—hey!” You shriek as he throws you over his shoulder, already walking towards the door.  

You barely have time to protest before Lando's laughing voice rings through the apartment, his grip secure as he makes his way toward the door. “I’m serious. Dinner tomorrow, no complaints, no arguments. If you want your ‘I’m-not-that-easy’ dinner, you’re gonna have to accept the offer.” 

“Lando!” you cry, thumping his back in a half-hearted attempt to get free. “Put me down!” 

“I’m doing you a favour. You’re always so serious. It’s about time someone lightens things up!” He chuckles, effortlessly carrying you toward the door, his steps unwavering. 

You can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. For someone who spent weeks driving you crazy, he was somehow making this moment feel lighter, better, despite your feigned indignation. When he finally sets you down in front of the door, you catch your breath, trying to keep your composure. “Don’t make me regret this,” you warn him, giving him a look that betrays the smile creeping onto your lips. “I’m not going easy on you, Lando Norris.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he grins, all charm and confidence, a lopsided smile on his face. 

“Fine,” you say, nudging him playfully. “But you are definitely apologising to Charles later.” 

“Oh, come on,” he protests with mock offense. “We can’t have a perfect night without a little argument, can we?” Lando watches you, his grin never fading, his eyes full of that familiar glint.  

You shake your head at him one last time, unable to stop the smile from spreading across your face. “You’re impossible,” you mutter, but your heart’s not in it anymore. 

He steps closer, that cocky grin still in place, and leans down, just a hair’s breadth from your lips. “You love it,” he murmurs softly, his voice teasing but sincere. 

You pause, staring at him for a moment, as if weighing the truth of his words. And then, with a small sigh, you nod, the heat rising in your cheeks. “Maybe I do,” you admit, your voice quieter now. 

[cosmosluckycharms]

Bug Like Angel

The adults are talking

Damian couldn't understand why Bruce and Dick were so obsessed all of a sudden.

They were obsessed.

with you.

If it wasn't for your little tantrum making you storm out of the house, no one would've noticed you leaving.

And he knew Jason and Tim thought the same.

The day you were forced here Dick had insisted that they'd talk to you.

The first day you came, Dick interrupted him taking care of Batcow to tell him to invite you to hang out.

During movie night, it was obvious your mind was somewhere else.

He just didn't understand why they had to interact with you, you were okay with just living with Miguel, why were you forced to be with them?

He decided to investigate further.

He made his way to the kitchen, passing by the hallway.

He noticed the newly placed pictures of you.

They were very clearly from your and your friend's social media, he recognized them from when he stalked stumbled upon you and your friend's socials.

In one photo in which Miguel was next to you, he was edited out, leaving an awkward space next to you.

As he got closer to the kitchen, he could hear you and Dick arguing.

He looked over the corner of the doorway in order to not get caught by either of you.

Your spidey senses went slightly off at that, but you ignored it, assuming it was coming from Dick.

Dick held the guitar, which was coated in stickers "Who's is this?"

You glared at him and put your hands on your hips "It's my friend's."

Dick raised an eyebrow at that "why did he even come here yesterday?"

"nunya." you tried reaching for the guitar, only for him to put it in the air, making it impossible for you to grab it

"c'mon birdie, I know you can do better than that!" Dick teased, swaying the guitar back and forth

"Don't call me that." you jumped to try and reach it and accidentally hit the counter, which made a stack of books hit the vase, domino-style.

Which in turn made a vase start to fall.

Stupid spidey-luck.

Before Damian could process it, the vase hit him on the head and shattered.

"watch it!" Damian exclaimed.

You and dick turned your heads to look at him.

You watched as Dick opened his mouth to speak, and quickly took your chance.

You kicked the back of his knees, which made him fall, and grabbed the guitar swiftly.

"bitch." you walked away, holding the guitar triumphantly

Dick sat down in shock for a moment before checking up on Damian.

"Are you alright?" Dick helped Damian up from the floor.

Damian dusted himself off "I'm fine."

Dick kept talking to him, but his voice faded out as Damian got an idea.

if he couldn't tell why Dick and Bruce were obsessed with you, he'll go straight to the source.

Damian burst into your room.

You were blasting music while journaling.

It was then he took a look at your clothes.

You were wearing an outfit he distinctly remembers you not owning.

You were wearing a red sweater, one that showed up in one of your friend's social media posts.

After a minute or two of awkward silence, you finally spoke up. "do you need anything?"

"you hurt me. Apologize." he crossed his arms in a sort of way that reminded you of Bruce

"alright. I'm sorry. Happy?" you stared at him blankly

"I'll forgive you if we socialize together." he had a poker face on, but you could tell he was slightly nervous.

You closed your journal "All alright, I'll hang out with you."

Damian looked confused like he didn't expect you to agree so fast

"I'm bored anyways, might as well. Where do you wanna go?" you got up from your bed and leaned against the wall, staring at Damian.

"Well, if you insist on this, we could go out to shop," Damian smirked

You stretched and started making your way towards your closet "All alright, just give me like 30 minutes to get ready.

"He made his way out your door.

You took a good 10 minutes choosing an outfit before deciding on one you wore once when you went to Peni's birthday, along with a friendship bracelet she made you.

You got started on your hair and makeup, not caring about the time you were taking.

You knew Damian was very punctual about time, but you didn't care.

As you were mid-way through, the door banged open and Damian barged in.

"hurry up." he glared at you

"hold on, I'm almost done." you lied

He grew impatient and started looking around your room. You couldn't fully blame him; it's a household full of detectives, obviously, they were all nosey.

He looked at one of your walls, which had a lot of pictures of you and your friends.

In one of them, you were carrying a sleeping girl. She looked around his age and was wearing a sweater of yours. Her black short hair was braided, like how yours was in the picture.

In another frame, you and all your friends were at a birthday party. He assumed it was yours, the way you had a party hat on and everyone was around you.

In some pictures you weren't even in them.

There was a couple where they were centered around a blonde-haired girl and a boy with the biggest doe eyes.

In one picture, you were all playing in a band someplace where Bruce would never let you step foot in.

"Those are my friends," you spoke, still doing your hair "I feel like you'd get along with them."

"TT as if." he scoffed, moving onto a jewelry box on the side of your vanity.

He opened it and saw a lot of themed jewelry, mostly based on spider people.

Some weren't themed, like a pair of earrings he was now holding in his hands.

You spoke up, still sitting at the vanity "Oh Can you pass me those? I feel like it's gonna complete my outfit."

He walked up to you and handed you the earrings and watched as you put them on.

Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

A bunch of crochet plushes on your bed.

They were themed, yet again.

You saw him staring at them"They were based on some people I know. If you want I can ask Gwen to make you one?"

Damian looked at you, slightly confused "Why would I need a plush? That is highly immature. especially since-"

You cut him off. "if this is about them being spider people I could ask her to make a robin plush."

Damian nodded at you, in a way that was so serious it made you chuckle.

Damian was growing impatient. You were taking a long time to get ready.

He walked up to you "Are you done?" he was cartoonishly thumping the floor with his foot like a certain cartoon rabbit.

"Almost, I swear!" you grabbed the perfume on your vanity and sprayed yourself.

Damian was standing next to where you were sitting, and you took that as a sign to put some of your perfume on him.

As soon as you did, he started having a coughing fit.

"what was that?!" he kept coughing and trying to wave the smell away.

You tilted your head in confusion "I thought you wanted some?"

"why would I want some of your perfume?!" his coughing fit slowed down, he was obviously dramatizing it

"oh c'mon, it wasn't that serious!" you got up and grabbed your keys.

You started making your way out your door before remembering you didn't have your purse, which had your phone and wallet.

"Dami," you said in a sing-songy voice "could you grab my purse? It's on my nightstand."

He made sure you didn't see his smile at the nickname as he made his way to your nightstand and took note of the picture frame next to your bed.

It was of all your friends + you huddled up together. You all had a birthday hat on and you had a sash that said "birthday girl".

He knew it was probably from the same birthday he saw in another picture frame earlier.

He grabbed your bag and handed it to you, relieved he was finally gonna make his way to the mall with you.

You guys made your way to the parking garage with all the cars anyone could ask for.

You picked a car, one of which you bought yourself and picked out with Miguel.

It was your favorite color.

"All alright Damian, I'll grab the car seat for you." you joked and tried to look as serious as possible

"wait what?" he watched as you went into the trunk and grabbed a princess car seat fit for a toddler.

You bought it a while ago for car rides with Mayday.

"Alright, get on." you pat the car seat, indicating for Damian to get on.

Damian pouted "I'm much too old for that"

"Are you sure? The car seat says it works until the kid is 8, you're 7 so it's fine." you tried to hide your smirk

Damian glared at you, obviously annoyed. "I am not 7! I'm 14!"

"right....." it was getting harder for you to not laugh

"I'm serious!" his voice cracked midway through the sentence, making you burst out laughing.

His face turned a little red "It's not funny!"

"You're right, I'm sorry." you were trying to calm yourself down, only to laugh out loud really loud again.

Damian tried to suppress his laughter as well, only to let out a chuckle.

"get in loser, we're going shopping." you sat down in the driver's seat and he sat down in the passenger seat.

It was silent for a moment...until you looked at Damian and started laughing for no reason.

Damian looked around confused "What's so funny?"

You tried to calm yourself down and failed "I don't know!"

You only stopped when Alfred heard what sounded to him like a hyena laughing, and went to check out the garage.

As soon as he heard the laughter coming from the car, he made his way to your windows.

As soon as you noticed him, you stopped laughing.

"master damian and mistress Y/N, where are you going?"

You glared at him, annoyed. "out to do errands."

"May I tag along? I too have errands to run. I have to-" You cut him off by pulling up the window and turning on your music.

You could see Alfred trying to talk to you, but you just put on your sunglasses and drove out.

Damian was shocked, he couldn't believe you would do that.

You blasted your music and sang and danced along, to him it felt like a scene straight out of a girly 2000s movie.

He noticed how your keys had an Araña-themed keychain.

The fuzzy dice on the driver's mirror.

The bedazzled steering wheel.

There was some trash on the floor of the passenger seat.

He could see that in the backseats there was a coloring book and random stray crayons.

The car door next to him had a bunch of stickers everywhere.

In the back seat, there was half a broken drumstick.

There was a broken guitar string somehow tied up in a bow and left on the other seat.

There were random traces of paint everywhere.

"why is it so dirty in here?" he looked at you, slightly concerned about how you were driving so well despite putting on lipgloss at the same time.

"I wouldn't call it dirty, it's just chaos. Controlled chaos." you put away your lipgloss and kept driving "Put in a new CD, I'm bored of this album."

He reached into the glove compartment and immediately noticed a ton of snacks falling out of the compartment.

"oh yeah, just ignore that. I keep those just in case," you said

"In case of what?" Damian asked, still somewhat shocked at the amount of snacks and drinks that somehow fit in there

"in case anyone wants some. If you want you can have some. There are some vegan options in there, I think." you pulled out a mascara tube and started doing your lashes.

Damian then pulled out a bag of veggie chips and started eating them.

"well? are you going to get the CD or not?" you questioned, nudging him playfully.

"I can't see them." he pointed out

You waved your hand at him "You have to dig in deep, you'll find it somewhere."

He hesitated before digging and trying to look for it.

Inside he found:

A portable DVD player, a bunch of DVDs, at least 16 business cards from random small businesses, 7 types of nail polish, 2 iPods, an iPad, 4 random band shirts, a deflated soccer ball, an empty wallet, 6 different chargers (4 of which were broken beyond repair), 5 lipglosses, 2 friendship bracelets, and finally some CDs.

"how does all of this fit in this tiny compartment?" he looked at you, concerned yet again.

"hammerspace." you said, casually

Damian looked at you blankly "What?"

"don't even worry about it." you went back to driving.

He pulled out a random one and handed it to you.

"oh, awesome! I love this album!" you placed it in the CD player.

"Why do you even use CDs? I'm sure Father could get you a new car with a working music player." Damian said, putting everything back in the glove compartment.

"I like it better like this. This car has memories and I've owned some of those cd's since I was in elementary. I just think they're neat!" you took a sip of a random drink you found in your car.

Damian raised an eyebrow at that. He didn't remember you bringing that into the car.

"I found this random water bottle here. It's either me or Margos, and it's probably 4 weeks old," you said, as if you read his mind.

you took another sip. "on second thought, this is probably Gwens."

Everything was a mess.

Yet he felt so at home.

When you guys finally got to the mall, you got to work on your errands.

You grabbed your crumpled-up paper shopping list "Alright, first we need to go to a craft store."

"Why do we need to go to a craft store?" he asked, still eating the veggie chips from earlier

"Because," you grabbed a shopping cart "I need to grab a couple of things."

As you guys made it to the crafts store, you got an idea.

"Damian," you pointed to the cart "get in the cart."

"What?" he raised an eyebrow

"get in." you smiled

"Are you serious? I can't do that!" he argued

You put your hands on your hips "I don't care. Get in the cart."

"I will not! This is foolish behavior!" he stomped

You ignored him and picked him up like a cat and placed him in the cart.

You ignored his protests and kept shopping.

After a minute or two he calmed down.

You went to the art aisle and didn't know what supplies to get Miles.

"it was a good thing I brought you, I know basically nothing about what types of markers there are." You handed Damian two options.

"well don't know, I don't use those types of materials." he handed them back

"shit. Well, I'll just get all of them." you put one of each type of marker and strolled away, cart in hand.

You made your way to the sticker aisle and immediately put a ton of stickers in the cart as well.

"Why do you need so many?" Damian asked, picking up one of the sticker packs which was Vocaloid-themed.

"Because you can never have too many stickers!" you put more in the cart and strolled away again.

By the time you got to the checkout aisle, all the things you bought made you look like one of the people from the math problems.

The cashier looked at you a bit crazy but stopped when he saw you pull out a black card.

As soon as you both made your way out the door, you dragged Damian towards a music store.

You picked out some more CDs for you and some albums for your friends.

a Babymetal album for Peni, a Frank Ocean one for Miles, the Ramones one for Hobie, Daisy and the Scouts for Gwen, and a Sza album for Margo.

You dragged Damian to other stores, most of which he hated.

To cheer him up, you decided to take him to a store you knew most 14-year-old boys liked.

A comic book store.

"Damian look at these!" you handed him an invincible comic

"TT. they're just books." he put it back in its place.

You scoffed and kept looking at the comics

"Oh my gosh! They have a limited edition Gwenpool comic! I've been looking for this everywhere!" you held it up in the air dramatically

You could tell he was pretending to be unamused. He kept looking around.You placed your Gwenpool comic in the cart

"Is this an X-Men comic? I've seen Miles read them, he says they're good."

You saw Damian perk up immediately and grab it out of your hands.

Usually, you'd be upset at his bad manners, but he looked at the comic with such childlike wonder he looked 7 years old again.

Sure, back when both of you were younger he'd threaten you and go out of his way to ignore you, but who didn't?You felt a weird sort of nostalgia.

You shook that thought away and kept looking at the comics.

By the time you guys left the bookstore, you guys had a lifetime supply of manga and comics.

"Okay, we should head back to the manor."

"it's still early? It's not even lunchtime?"

"you need your naptime, you keep yawning"

"I am not," he said, suppressing a yawn

You held his hand while making your way to the car, a force of habit from holding Peni's.

He stared at your hands" Why are you holding my hand?"

You chuckled, letting go "Sorry, force of habit."

He ignored how he missed that small sign of affection.

You both put your things in the trunk. You guys ran out of space and had to put some things in the backseat.

You guys sat down and you played your music.

After a couple of moments, Damian fell asleep.

When you guys finally got to the manor, Damian was half asleep, pretending to be fully asleep.

You smiled and started grabbing all the bags.

You picked him up and carried him out of the passenger seat princess-style and made your way to his room, ignoring Alfred trying to ask about your day.

You ran into Alfred the cat, remembering how you completely forgot he existed.

The last time you saw him, you were around 14 and Damian taught him to avoid you.

Despite how many times you'd try to pet the cat, it'd run away.

You continued to place Damian in his bed and tuck him in.

You kissed him on the forehead, accidentally leaving a lipgloss stain.

You started placing down the bags full of the things he bought, not realizing you accidentally left one of your bags in his room.

You walked out of his room, not noticing his small smile.

Now he understood why dick and Bruce liked you.

You were in your room putting your things away.

You were also putting the things you bought for your friends into gift bags.

It took a while for you to notice you were missing your Gwenpool comics and the manga you bought for Peni.

By the time you noticed, Damian barged into your room yet again.

"you forgot something." he handed you the bag, it had the things you were looking for.

"oh thank you!" you skimmed through the comic, taking in the new book smell.

He hopped onto your bed and looked at one of the plushes on your bed.

It was different from the other ones, which were all different variations of spider people, this one was a red robot.

It sort of reminded him of the robots from Evangelion.

He rolled around in your bed for a bit before sitting up.

He was bored.

You spoke up, finishing up folding your laundry "We should do something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Oh my gosh! We should go picnicking!"

"what."

"we can cook and bake! I'm kinda hungry anyways."

"..fine."

You guys made your way to the kitchen, you grabbed your cookbook.

It was badly covered in glitter and decorated like a burn book.

As soon as you placed it down on the counter, Damian looked at you confused.

"what is it?" you asked, opening the book.

"why is it covered in glitter?"

"can a girl not be filled with joy and whimsy?"

"fair enough."

"I have an idea! We both make dishes and share them at the park."

"okay?"

Damian then started making his meal, and you made one of your own.

After an hour or two, you both had everything prepared.

You made a few drinks and meals for you and Damian. You also packed some chips just incase he didn't want the food you made.

You both got in your car and left for the park

You lay on the blanket, admiring the bright blue sky.

You pointed to a random cloud "that cloud kind of looks like a butt."

"You're childish." he laid down next to you.

"what do you think it looks like then?" you asked

"...I think it looks like a cat." he pointed out

You laughed "There's no way you see that."

A moment of silence passed through and Damian thought back to the moment with you and Alfred.

Lately, you have been acting strangely rude to him.

"Why don't you like Pennyworth?"

"what do you mean?" you asked, sitting up

"what has he done for you to treat him like that?" he sat up as well

You wanted to tell him.

You wanted to tell him about all those nights you spent sobbing to him asking why no one loved you.

You wanted to tell him about how he'd always defend the people that hurt you.

You wanted to tell him about how you could tell that he only pitied you, and didn't care.

You wanted to tell him about how you knew since the beginning he never cared about you.

You wanted to tell him about Julia, Alfred's daughter, and how he abandoned her.

You decided to stay quiet about those things.

You guys had just now started to get along, it'd be strange of you to randomly dump all your problems onto him.

"I just have a bad feeling about him," you replied

"That's all? No support to that claim or anything?"

"I mean, I am a spider-person, most of us have great intuition."

"you do?"

"yeah!"

It went silent and you decided to change the topic. You didn't wanna keep talking about Alfred

"Well, we should start eating now, right?" you asked, pulling out some Dal you had prepared earlier.

Damian pulled out some dolma he had also made.

You took a bite out of the food you prepared "This Dal is so bomb. Look, try it!"

"no. I have no idea what you could done to that food," he said, backing away from the food as if it was going to bite him

"oh, c'mon! its not that bad. look, I'll eat some so you know it's good." you took another bite of it, basically melting at the taste.

"here comes the choo choo train. Choo choo" You brought a piece to his mouth

"stop this madness at once!" he snatched the piece out of your hand and looked at it.

He hesitated before taking a bite.

"TT. This is acceptable, I suppose."

You smiled and picked him up, "he's alive! he's alive! The food didn't kill him!" Everyone around you started staring at you.

Damian tried to shut up your yelling by putting a hand over your mouth and failed.

You let him down and started laughing.

"You're embarrassing me!" he said, trying to cover up his reddened face.

After a moment of comfortable silence, he spoke up "I'm shocked you can cook."

You gasped dramatically and flopped onto the ground, holding your heart as if you were dying "You're so mean."

Damian took another bite of his dolma "Where did you learn to cook that?"

"Pav and his auntie showed me, it took a lot of trial and error but now I basically know it like the back of my hand." you sat up and took a bite of his food.

He glared at you, but you knew it had a playful undertone.

"I think I burned down his kitchen at least twice. I love his auntie." you took a sip of your drink, which was a horchata.

He looked at your drink "What's that?"

"This is horchata, I learned it from Miguel. He taught me, it's pretty good, have a sip." you handed him your drink

He hesitated a little less than last time

".. I suppose it's fine."

"Prince Damian liking my cooking? It's a miracle!" you clapped and he hit you on the shoulder, making you fall dramatically yet again.

While you both were talking, a brunette little boy came up to you both.

He looked no older than 5, and he had tears in his big black eyes.

He came up to you "Hi, I am Elijah, and I can't find my mommy. She said not to talk to strangers but I don't know what to do!"

He started bawling his eyes out, and in an attempt to calm him down, you handed him a juice box.

"Look, we'll help you find your mom, okay?" you stood up and picked up Ellijah on your hip.

Elijah was starting to calm down.

That was until Damian glared at Elijah, making him cry even harder.

You glared back at Damian, knowing that this was gonna make it harder to find his mom.

You had to make him stop crying, stat.

So, you did the only thing you knew worked for you. The things your friends did when you cried.

"..do you want a piggyback ride?"

That shut up Ellijah really quickly.

After the piggyback ride, you put him down and decided to keep chatting with Elijah.

Damian spaced out both of you talking in order to not get too mad that your time together was being interrupted.

That was until Elijah insulted Damian.

"he's a butthead!" he pointed at Damian

"if you don’t shut it, I’m going to give you a new set of holes to breathe out of." Damian said glaring at Elijah again.

"Damian," you said sternly, bringing Elijah closer to you just in case.

After half an hour his mom finally came."oh I'm so glad I found him!" his mom said, hugging Ellijah close

"Mommy!" Elijah hugged her back, making you smile.

"oh I have to pay you back!" the woman spoke, pulling out a wad of cash from her wallet

"no thank you, ma'am, I'm fine I swear," you said, refusing

"no, I insist!" she tried handing it to you, only for you to push it away.

You backed off a little "It's completely free! he's a sweet guy!"

The woman finally gave up "Do you babysit?"

"Sometimes, yeah! Do you need my business card?" you started pulling one out of your purse

You guys fell into conversation, and Damian was growing impatient.

After another 30 minutes, you both packed up everything and went home.

The car ride was silent, unlike the other times when it was filled with laughter, chatting, and music.

Once you both got to the manor, you spoke up "What was that about?!"

Damian flinched at your sudden anger "What was what about?"

"Why did you threaten a 5-year-old?" you looked him in the eyes

He crossed his arms "he insulted me."

"he called you a buttface." You pointed out

"I stand by my point," Damian said

You put your hands on your hips "Why did you get so mad over a kid? he doesn't even know his numbers!"

"I don't see your point," Damian argued

"youre insuffuerable! I get why everyone calls you a demon." you grew angrier by the second.

"You an annoyance!" Damian stomped"why are you so stubborn, Peni?!" you yelled.

You both froze at the mention of her name.

You awkwardly made your way to your room, avoiding Damian's eyes.

You didn't notice how despite his angry face, there was a tint of sadness in his eyes.

you were in your room, processing what happened after a nice everything shower.

you were doing your skincare when you got a call from Noir.

"hey doll, do you mind taking care of peni for a bit?"

"of course! did anything happen?" you said, putting the call on speaker

"no, its just that peni's been asking to hang out with you for quite a while. plus, it'd be less worrying to go out on patrol and not be scared for her." in the backround, you could make out the sound of peni getting her things ready

"No problem, peni's an angel! what time will you be getting here?"

"is 15 minutes fine?"

"of course! is it a sleepover or just like a hangout?"

"sleepover."

"alright, ill see you both later."

you spent the next 15 minutes putting on your pjs and getting everything ready.

you prepared snacks and a movie night.

you were so ready for her to come over!

15 minutes had gone by when you heard the doorbell ring.

you ran through the dark, haunted looking walls.you pushed back Dick, who was also trying to get to the door.

"I'll get it!" you basically slammed yourself against the door.

you quickly recovered and opened the door.

"Noir!" you noticed how peni wasnt next to him like she usually was "wheres peni?"

"shes getting her stuff from the car."

"thats fine, come in!" you invited him in

"thanks."

alfred and noir made conversation, and you didnt notice damian basically stalking you all

you saw through the window that peni was on her way in. you jumped from your seat on the floor you will never be worthy enough for the family couch and opened the door for her.you spun peni into a hug

"Hi angel!"

Peni laughed, smiling at how tightly ypu were hugging her.

you didnt notice damian sneaking into your room.

As soon as he got there, he ran to your plushies.

Uour stupid plushies.

He pulled out his katana and started ripping them.

He had no idea why he'd done it, he just wanted to.

He made sure to focus on the Miguel plush, he was so mad that man took you away from them.

by the time you got back to your room with Peni not that far behind, you froze looking at the plusihies.

Damian didnt look guilty.

You dragged him away from the plushies, and dodging his kicks and punches as much as you could you scolded Damian "Why would you do that?"

he stayed silent, avoiding your eyes.

you slammed the door on his face and made your way to the plushies.

you held the now mangled miguel plush in your hands, and tried to not let out any tears.

Peni picked up your Miles plushie, which was now missing an eye and got an idea:

"I can probably fix this up, if youd like?"

"Actually?"

"Yeah! noir taught me how to sew a while ago."

She started fixing them and you finished setting up everything, still angry at Damian.

Why would he do this? He was the one who started all of this.everything started off great with him, what happened?

the more you thought of it, the more angry you got.

Meanwhile, Damian was in his room processing what he had done.

He didnt know why he did it exactly.

Could it be the jealousy?

Seeing you treat others that arent related to you like family?

Seeing you treat the little boy like the baby brother you never had?

Seeing you hold Peni and Peni not resisting?seeing how happy you were with her?

He's never felt so humiliated being kicked out of your room while companies over!

He had to apologize before peni could replace him before you hated him like you hated Alfred.

He made his way to your room and heard you and peni talking.

"She said i walk like a bitch, what does that even mean?!" a high pitched voice spoke, damian assumed came from the younger girl.

"Shes so annoying. i dont even know her and she sounds stupid." you said

"She is!" the high pitched voice spoke

Damian barged in.

He saw you painting peni's nails, and a movie playing in the background.

It was legally blonde, a movie he once caught Jason watching in his apartment.

an awkward silence passed by

You looked up at him "do you need something?"

"yes." he spoke up

"..well what is it?"

"i insist she leaves." Damian pointed to Peni

you quickly hid her behind you "She is not leaving."

"Y/n-" peni tried to interject, only to be cut off by you.

"Listen, damian, she isnt leaving. whatever you have to say, you can say it to my face."

"..Fine."he took a deep breath "i apologize." he muttered, ever so quietly.

"what was that?" you said, squatting down a bit to get to his level

"I apologize!" he put his head down in embarrassment

"Was that so hard?" You put you hands on your hipsyou took a deep breath "Okay, its whatever."

you continued "Im also sorry for getting so mad at you. and for calling you by Peni's name."

"You did what now?" Peni said, suprised.

"It's a long story." you started kicking damian out of your room.

The last thing he saw in your room was the now stitched up plushies.

As soon as he got out, you started talking to peni.

"Peni, please be careful around him."

Peni looked at you, confused "What do you mean?"

You opened a nail polish "He threatened a literal 5 year old."

Peni looked at you, bewildered "what?"

it was 3 in the morning when Peni got thirsty.

She knew that most likely, every one of your family members would be on patrol.

She started making her way out your room, making sure you didnt wake up.

Even though you were a heavy sleeper, she didnt wanna wake you up.

She knew her way around the manor, you've prevously hosted small get togethers with the spider-gang without anyone noticing.

As soon as she got to the kitchen, she noticed how damian was there.

She knew you had told her to be careful around him.

She tried sneaking around him, only for him to sneak up on her.

"Boo." Peni jumped at Damian scaring her.

"You scared me."

As she was about to yell at him, she felt something brush past her leg.

a little black and white cat.

"Awww, what a cutie!" She picked him up.

Damian was about to protest, knowing that alfred the cat usually would attack when picked up.

It caught him off guard how calm the cat was.

She put her hand out to him "I'm Peni."

He shook her hand "I know. Im Damian."

"He usually doesnt tolerate newcomers." He spoke

"Well, he can probably sense how i have a cat." Peni pet Alfred.

Damian's eyes lit up at her words "You do?"

"Yep! noir has a cat named Ding Ding, she's so sweet." Peni's eyes also lit up at being able to talk about it.

They both started talking about little cat facts, sitting on the kitchen floor.

They only stopped when they heard a certan voice.

"Can you guys shut up? It's literally 3 am." you rubbed your eyes, half asleep.

"Y-yeah, we'll be quiet, sorry." Peni prayed youd forget the warning you gave her to be careful around Damian.

You turned around to go back to bed, only to walk back when you remembered.

You started lightly scolding Peni about not hearing your warning, with Damian trying not to laugh.

Peni glared at Damian and spoke up "listen, im fully unharmed, see?"

You realised you were overreacting and took a deep breath. "youre right, im sorry. i just got all worried."

you quickly bear hugged her "Im so sorry angel, I wont do this again!"

"Y/n!" Peni laughed as quietly as she could.

"C'mon guys, lets head to bed." You picked them both up by the scruff of the neck, suprising Damian

"Put me down at once! Stop this nonsense!" He tried thrashing around.

He looked at Peni to see if she was doing the same thing, only to see her acting like this was normal between them.

You dropped Damian off at his room and brought peni to yours.

Damian ended up sneaking into your room an hour later

oh my god this is ass lmfao

if it feels rushed thats cause it was i was loosing motavation to finish this

im sososo sorry for the mistakes its like 3 am rn

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[ofstarsandvibranium]

The Protege and The Apprentice

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Joaquin Torres x F!Reader

Summary: When he’s not busy with politics, Bucky helps train you, a former Flagsmasher that took the super serum. Inevitably, your paths cross with Sam Wilson and his own trainee, Joaquin. And it seems Joaquin has taken an immediate liking to you.

Your newfound strength was an incredible yet dangerous thing. After everything that went down with Karli, you surrendered to Sam and Bucky. He visited you at The Raft and after talking, he saw some potential in you.

Fast forward, you're on probation, now under the watchful eye and apprenticeship of Bucky Barnes. When he's not dealing with the political climate of the country, he trains you. Helping you hone in on your newfound strength and how to better control it.

Currently, he's helping you with sparring.

You fall onto your back with a resounding thud against the mats. You groan as Bucky stares down at you with amusement.

"It's one thing to have strength, it's another thing to know how to use it." Bucky stretches out his metal hand and you take it.

"I know, I know," you grumble as you come to a stand.

You roll your shoulders and neck, loosening out your limbs. You then get into a fighter stance, "Okay. I'm ready."

Bucky looks at you with raised brows, "We can take a break."

You shake your head, "Nope. I'm good. Let's go."

He then gets into a stance that mirrors yours, "Alright then. Let's do this."

He strikes first, throwing his metal fist towards you, which you dodge. You throw your own punch and Bucky catches it in his fist. With your other free hand, you punch his side.

You grin at the victorious hit, but it didn't last long because Bucky took a shot at you as well.

"Don't get cocky," he retorts with a smirk.

You two continue to skirmish, completely unaware of the new pair that walked into the training room.

______________________________

Joaquin follows Sam into the training room. He hears some grunts and looks over Sam's shoulder to see Bucky sparring with someone.

"Who's that?" he watches in fascination. You move swiftly, dodging hits. You're still a little sloppy, but it seems like you have an idea of what you're doing.

"Y/N, she was one of the Flagsmashers. She surrendered herself to us and after discussing, they let her serve her probation under Bucky's care and guidance."

"She have any fighting experience before the serum?"

Sam answers with a shake of his head, "None, but she's a quick learner." Both men continue to observe while you and Bucky spar.

Eventually, you manage to take Bucky down, his cheek pressed against the mat and your knee on his neck.

He taps the mat and you let go. You're giddy on your feet as the super soldier rolls onto his back and sits up, "You've improved a lot," he holds his hand out and you help him to his feet.

"Thanks!"

Sam takes this moment to step forward, "That was quite a show, Y/N," he says with a smirk.

You shrug, "The old man puts up quite the fight," you then notice the younger man behind Sam, "Hi. I'm Y/N," you hold your hand out.

"Joaquin," he takes your hand in his, "That was quite some-ah!" His words are interrupted as he's thrown onto the mat.

Bucky and Sam cackle in amusement.

You sheepishly stare down at him, "Sorry. I was told to do that when you came in." Joaquin practically flies to his feet as he's pulled up with your super strength.

He clears his throat, "Yeah, no. That's-I'm good. I'm fine. I can get behind a little prank every now and then," he dusts off his clothes.

You chuckle, "Hey, when Captain America gives you an order, you kinda have to obey it," you give a shrug.

"Yeah, I hear ya," he nervously scratches the back of your head, "So, um, you-you fight pretty good."

"Thanks. This is, well," you clench your fists and look at them, "it's still so new to me. I need to keep remembering how strong I am so I don't hurt anyone."

"Understandable, but it seems like you learn quick. Is it okay if I give you a few pointers?"

"Sure!" You follow Joaquin into the middle of the mat and listen intently.

Meanwhile, Bucky and Sam stand off to the side.

Sam chuckles, leans in and whispers to Bucky "The kid's got a crush."

Bucky's brows furrow, "On who?" he asks as he still keeps his eyes on you and Joaquin.

He rolls his eyes, "Y/N, clearly. Open your eyes, man!" He gestures to the both of you and Joaquin blushes when you look at him.

Bucky watches the two of you intently and his eyes narrow, "Absolutely not." He steps forward to interject, but Sam holds him back.

"Woah, woah, why not?" Sam looks at his friend confused.

"Y/N is here to improve herself and understand her strength, not go on dates with guys like Joaquin." Bucky now glares at the young man with you.

Sam sighs and shakes his head, pulling Bucky back, "Buck, I know you're protective of Y/N, but Joaquin's a good guy. You know he won't hurt Y/N."

The corner of Bucky's lips twitch upward, "Honestly, she's more likely to hurt him."

Sam rolls his eyes, "Sure, but listen, this could be good for the both of them. Don't go all scary big brother on the guy."

Bucky crosses his arms over his chest, going back to observing you and Joaquin, "Okay...but what if I threaten to demote him if he hurts her instead?"

"...that'd be an abuse of your power, Buck."

Bucky scoffs, "Other politicians have done much worse than that."

________________________________

After that first meeting with Joaquin, you've been seeing him a lot more, to Bucky's dismay.

You two exchanged numbers and would text all the time, sending each other funny memes and videos you found.

He'd find ways to visit you at Bucky's home, train with you at the compound. He's also managed to bring you out on supervised trips around the city.

You really like Joaquin. He was a breath of fresh air after everything you've gone through with Karli, the Flag Smashers, and being held on the Raft.

Joaquin saw you as a person, not as some monster or criminal. It felt...nice.

You found yourself falling for Captain America's Falcon apprentice quickly and it kind of scared you.

Did you really deserve someone as joyful and caring as Joaquin? Sure, you hurt people, but it was to help others. He's done the same thing right?

But what if you hurt him? Sometimes you have nightmares about you accidentally hurting Bucky or Sam because of your strength and it scared you.

You couldn't hurt Joaquin. You refused.

So you did the only logical thing to do: ghost him.

His calls and texts went unanswered. You asked Bucky to schedule your trainings earlier in the day or later in the night. Bucky wasn't sure why the sudden change, but he was happy to oblige when his own schedule allowed it.

But then Joaquin came up to him one day and asked if you were okay, then Bucky understood what was going on.

_____________________________

After some meetings, Bucky came home to find you lounging in the living room, scrolling through your phone (that was being monitored, of course).

"So your phone works," he states as he places a bag of takeout on the coffee table.

You sit up, digging through the bag, "Of course it does," you look at him confused as you stuff some fries in your mouth.

"'Cause Joaquin said you're not answering any of his texts or calls. He thought I confiscated your phone or something."

You shoulders sag, "Oh, um, yeah I'm not talking to him anymore."

"That so?" Bucky should be jumping for joy right now, but he can't seem to since he's taking in your downtrodden look, "Did something happen?"

You shrug, "Just don't think we really click," you avoid looking at him, finding more interest in the food he brought home. Anxiety creeping into you, making your heart rate increase.

Sensing your nervousness, Bucky lays off, but puts a reassuring hand on your shoulder, "You can talk to me, you know that right? I know we got off to a rocky start, but I care about you, Y/N. You're my friend and if anything is bothering you, you can talk to me. I may not give the best advice, but I'll listen."

You slump back into the couch and hide behind your hands as you say, "I like Joaquin and he likes me back."

"...isn't that a good thing?"

Your hands fall onto the couch, "Usually but, I don't know," you pick with your shirt, "Do you think I deserve to be with a guy like him? Someone so nice, passionate, caring? Shit, Bucky, I was ready to kill hundreds of people just for Karli's cause. I'm a bad person!"

Bucky immediately shakes your head, "No, you're not. You did bad things, but for the sake of helping others. That doesn't make you bad person."

He sighs, "Listen, I know a thing or two about thinking that you don't deserve good things because of your past. But it's not true. You do deserve good things, because you're putting in the work to make up for what you've done. I wouldn't have taken you on as my protege if I didn't see potential in you, if I didn't see good in you.

"And I may not have liked the idea of you and Joaquin before, but I've seen how happy he made you. Y/N, you've worked really hard all these months to better yourself and to prove that you're good. And you are. Like Joaquin, you're also compassionate, strong, and caring. If Joaquin makes you happy, then you should be with him."

You nod, "Thanks, Bucky," you give the man that became a big brother figure to you, a hug, "I'll-I'll talk to him. Not tonight but soon."

"Good. Now eat up," he pushes the food closer to you and you're happy to oblige.

_______________________

"I think Y/N hates me," Joaquin says as he jabs at the punching bag.

Sam pauses at his own bag, "What makes you say that?"

Joaquin continues to punch while he explains, "She hasn't replied back to any of my calls or texts. Bucky says she has her phone and it works just fine. She's ghosting me and I don't even know why."

"What happened the last time you saw her?"

Joaquin's cheeks suddenly heat up and he's hoping that he can blame his workout for the red appearing on his face, "I, um, I told her I like her and kissed her."

Sam's brows shot up, "Oh. Wow."

Joaquin lets his arms fall to his side with a sigh, "Did I fuck up?"

"Dunno. Did it seem like she liked you back?"

"I mean, yeah. She'd always be down to hang out with me, we're constantly talking. We've bantered and flirted here and there. Fuck, was I reading this all wrong?" his eyes widen in panic, "I fucked up, didn't I?"

Sam holds his hands out, "Hey, wait. That might not be the case. I've seen you two together and it seemed like she liked you, but also who knows. She's been through a lot. Maybe she's not ready for all of that yet. She might be scared."

"Shit," Joaquin groans, "I fucked up big time. What should I do? I mean, she won't even answer me and she's switched her schedule so I don't see her around anymore."

"Just give her some time. She might be trying to figure out how to navigate all of this. A lot has been going on."

Joaquin gulps down the urge to finding more solutions, but he, instead, follows his mentor's advice. He'll give you time and, hopefully, all answers will be given to him soon.

_________________________

Saying you were nervous was an understatement. Honestly, you didn't even know a word to describe how you were feeling right now. All you knew was that you wanted to throw up, your heart was probably ready to beat out of your chest, and that you want to run for the hills.

But you're not going to do that. Nope.

You deserve good things. You deserve happiness....You deserve Joaquin.

You kept repeating those three sentences in your head while you head to the floor where Sam and Joaquin made their headquarters.

The elevator stops and opens the door. A part of you wants to turn around and head right back down, but the other part of you makes your legs walk out and towards the common area of the floor.

Sam is on the couch looking over paperwork and Joaquin's at his desk.

You clear your throat and both men whip their heads to you.

"Y/N," Joaquin abruptly stands.

Sam looks at Joaquin, then you, then back at Joaquin. He closes his file and stands, "I'm gonna grab a drink in the kitchen. You guys want anything?"

"I'm good. Thanks, Sam," you give him a nod as he walks out.

Joaquin slowly walks towards you, "Um, hi. What's up?"

You're nervously wringing your hands together, "I wanted to apologize for ghosting you this week."

"I-"

"Please don't make excuses for me. I'm an adult, I shouldn't have done that. I should've talked things out with you instead of just ghosting." You pause to let out a deep breath, "When you told me that you like me and you kissed me, I-I got scared. Not because of you but because of me. I'm-I don't think I'm good enough for you, Joaquin. You're everything I'm not.

"And I like you, Joaquin. I really, really do. You make me feel normal again but it's just...yeah."

Joaquin takes your hands in his, "Y/N, you are good enough for me. You being here proves that. You want to make a difference, a good difference, with your new powers. You coming here to apologize and talk things out shows how good you are."

"I wanna try things out with you, Joaquin, if you'd still like that too."

"I do, but we'll go at your pace. Anything that makes you uncomfortable or makes you think we're going to fast, bring it up to me. I'll slow down. Don't want you running for the hills again." he grabs you by the waist and pulls you closer.

You can't help but laugh in embarrassment, hiding your face in his chest, "I'll be more communicative. I promise."

He then lifts your chin so you can look at him, "Can I kiss you?"

You nod, leaning in until Joaquin's lips press to yours. You smile into the kiss because you know you deserve this. You deserve good things. You deserve Joaquin.

[alchemistc]

Just gonna say from the top I have not been paying much attention to 9-1-1 spoilers or spec so I'm coming at this from a place of Lou posted a rooftop pic around the same time there was bts of 9-1-1 filming on a rooftop. I know nothing else. I also haven't watched past 8x6 so 🤷‍♀️

something in the orange

Buck has never really been one for a lot of quiet introspection. He's done the therapy, worked at it, worked on himself - but at the end of the day his downtime typically means he's got a book in hand, a Substack to dive into, his phone open to distract his brain long enough for his body to relax. He doesn't do quiet time. He needs to have something to do with his hands, needs his eyes focused on something other than a horizon line.

He's at the tail-end of a q-word shift and Ravi's already inventoried half the station, there hasn't been anything to clean for at least an hour, and it's not like he can go bug Eddie to keep himself occupied.

(And that's a train of thought better left for the scones he's gonna bake tonight, even if Eddie's kitchen is laid out terribly for baking.)

The sunset is gorgeous.

It's not - quiet, exactly. You don't really get quiet, in LA, at any time of the day or night, but it's calm. Peaceful. Traffic runs smoothly, for a given value of smooth, down below. There's a soft breeze. The sun has warmed the rooftops of the city all day, and that extra hour baked them well, so even as it sets the gravel beneath his feet radiates just the right amount of heat.

Buck tilts his head back to watch a fluffy cloud drift across the sky, and takes stock.

He's a fucking mess, but that seems to be beside the point, right now.

Chris is pissed at Eddie but reluctantly speaking to him, and it seems like maybe there's something going on with Eddie's mom but it's not like Eddie comes to him until -

Nope.

Maddie's recovering, and the baby is fine. She'll scar, though, and Buck doesn't quite know how to reconcile that. She's been bruised, bloody, terrified, mad as hell, out of her mind and settling back into it but there's never been lasting physical evidence before and he's -

Making it all about himself, again.

Bobby and Athena are circling in on a place to live, finally, and he's happy for them, ecstatic, can't wait to watch Bobby man a grill again and have everyone - well, mostly everyone -

New line of thought, actually.

Chim seems to be holding it together extraordinarily well, considering, but Buck's not entirely sure he'd know otherwise: he's got Hen for that.

Must be nice, he thinks, and then immediately slams a foot down in an attempt to not be such a selfish, miserable bastard.

Two nights ago he'd watched Taylor Kelly do a special news report covering the wildfire recovery efforts, and she'd looked good - beautiful, healthy, with that fire behind her eyes when a story has some juice to it. And he'd watched, start to finish, and he'd selfishly wondered if she ever actually thought about him, other than an aside about the guy who'd kissed another woman and then railroaded her into living with him.

And he never knows what the hell is going on with Ravi but apparently he bought another block of condos.

So it's like -

It's just -

He's so fucking lonely.

It's not a new feeling, exactly. He's been on his own for a lot of his life. Always latching on to whoever holds eye contact long enough for him to start an info-dump. But all of his people are reaching all of these milestones, or dealing with their own shit, and even though he's made an attempt, the casual hookups just aren't doing much in the department of letting Buck unload all of his issues like he wants.

Which is why everyone ends up leaving, apparently. He takes too much, demands too much, makes things about himself, and it's not the first time he's had to square up with that but it still fucking hurts. He still doesn't know how to fix it.

Gold melts across the skyline as the sun dips low low low, and the door to the roof opens up, and Buck tips his head back again. Closes his eyes and tries to place the footfalls making their way across to him. Feels his chest tighten around the face that materializes behind his eyes and swallows it back, because that isn't happening.

He keeps his eyes closed and enjoys the last streak of heat as the sun dips below the horizon.

Gravel crunches just behind him.

"Hey," says a voice, soft and warm and always just a little surprisingly pitchy for the barrel of a chest it's coming out of.

When he blinks his eyes back open he's greeted with the underside of Tommy Kinard's chin. In the fading light the dip of his cleft is more pronounced, and his hair has streaks of pink in the barrel of the curl, light bouncing off the clouds and making a home on Tommy's crown, and Buck has to bite back the urge to shove out of his chair and tuck his whole body into the circle of his arms. They're not - this isn't -

Tommy's hand drops, warm and huge and comforting in a way Buck always leaned into like a cat, to the dip of Buck's shoulder.

He can't really find any words. He's had - so fucking many words, things he wants to say, things he wants someone to hear, but now they're all stuck in his throat or lost to the breeze kicking up around him.

God, Buck has missed him.

Tommy's eyes dart back and forth across his face, jaw tight as he takes in the sight, his posture all sorts of uncomfortable, and Buck just wants -

Just five minutes. Just. Enough time to watch the pinks fade to purple and blue. He tips his head back just enough that his skull meets the give of Tommy's stomach, and Tommy's hand squeezes.

They watch the sky streak with color and fade, and Buck thinks: if this is it, at least it's a softer landing than he'd had before.

[l0s3rd0wnt0wn]

"DANCE OF THE FATHER"

Synopsis: Neglected vodou!reader invites the Batfamily to a ceremonial loa dance on the beach. You weren't expecting them to come, but they did. Your overjoyed; let's pray the loa love your dance.

By the lwa, your sacred, your scared, your horrified—well, you're feeling almost everything at once, and it's not good for your heart. You danced at ceremonies before; you danced so hard that you could feel the lwa of beauty and femininity dancing within you, Erzulie. But now you're going to need Erzulie more than anything to help you through this.

"Big sis!" a young girl called for you, holding out a white headscarf in her hands. She looked up at you with big eyes. "Really, Zuri? You're gonna have to learn how to wrap your hair on your own," you said, putting the head covering on her and securing it gently around her little head. Some of her curls poked out of the white scarf, making you giggle as you pushed it back in place gently. "There, now you look perfect. Now go get your necklace; we have to make Ayida happy," you nudged Zuri along.

"Young Priestess!" Your body shook; you knew that voice anywhere. It was one of the elders, the High Priestess herself. She looked lovely in her white and gold dress and headscarf; gold and silver rings adorned her fingers as she held herself up by her cane. "Are you ready for your dance?" You nodded hard, your headscarf almost slipping off your head, making the old woman laugh.

"Let me fix that for you, fi mwen," she said softly, slowly walking over to you and fixing your headscarf. "Oh, and I almost forgot." She pulled one of her rings off her finger; it was a snake, but when you held it up to the sun, its scales shined like a rainbow. "Soon you will become a manbo, and you will lead the songs instead of the dance." She placed the ring on your finger, and you felt like your heart might explode.

"Thank you, Ma!" You put the ring on your finger and faced it toward the sun and ocean, watching the scales sparkle with different colors. "I'll make you proud, Ma!"

"I'm sure you will," she said, patting you on the back. Oh God, you're scared. What if you fail? What if the lwa hate your dancing? What if you trip and fall into the sand? What if Bruce and everyone hate your dancing and get on their phones? You feel your talisman glowing a dark purple. UGH! Calm down, girl. You stomp the sand—keep yourself together.

"Alright, everyone, their places! Come on, girls!" You began to pull on the ruffles of your white dress as you watched a sleek black car pull onto the beach. Bruce stepped out, and you felt yourself calm. Then Dick stepped out, and everyone started stepping out. You only invited your father; why did he drag everyone else along? Now, thinking about drowning yourself in the shallow water, they took their places sitting on the sand. You saw the elder mambo look up at you, and you felt a pang in your chest. You have to stay strong. One day you'll be a High Priestess; the ring on your finger proves it, and you must hold your own.

You must dance for yourself, not for them, but for you and your lwa and for your enjoyment. The elder mambo shouts and hits her walking cane hard. The drummer boys slammed their drums, shaking the sand beneath them. Then the girls hit the tambourines and sang a lovely tune. Then you moved, swaying back and forth, feeling the music in your bones. You stomped your foot in the water, and the elder mambo's strong voices started singing, overpowering the girls with the tambourines. Then a boy started to hum, and with that, you picked up the pace, kicking your legs into the air, moving like waves crashing down in a tsunami. The girls behind you started stomping too, and they began to move like serpents, like the lwa Ayida Wedo.

You spun around; sweat trickled down your face—or could it be seawater? You didn't care; you felt both Erzulie and Ayida dancing through you. Your amulet glowed a lovely purple hue, and you felt fulfilled. You didn't care if Bruce and the others were watching; you didn't care if they hated your dancing. You cared nothing for them, just for the lwa, the drumming, and the singing.

The song was about to end, but you didn't care; you kept on moving, leaping and spinning around, your feet hitting the sand. You twirled and fell down to your knees, your hands out to Bruce. You looked up at him and gave him a soft smile as you took some deep breaths. Your headscarf fell off your head, making your dreads fall softly on your shoulders. The elders and everyone yelled and clapped, but as you looked up at your father, your brothers, and sisters, you felt something radiating through them. You couldn't place your finger on it, but it was something dangerous.

Bruce then took your hand gently and pulled you onto your feet. Your heart wouldn't stop pounding. Then he embraced you in a hug. You felt your lwa leave your body gently. You whispered softly under your breath, "Thank you, my lwa." Little did you know, this meant more than what you expected. After this, you won't be seeing that beach ever again. You'll dance for them and only them, not for your lwa.

[hgfictionwriter]

Revelations - Part Ten

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: An unexpected person reaches out to you and the pieces of your broken life continue to finally fall back into place.

Warnings: None.

A/N: The rest of the series is here.

"Hi Y/N. This is Sara. It's been a while and I hope you're doing well. I hope you don't mind me reaching out, but I'm doing so because Zoie would like to formally invite you to her birthday party this Sunday."

"Full disclosure. She's asked Jessie for weeks, but as I understand, Jessie's being very respectful of your wishes and doesn't want to push. That said, a soon-to-be 6-year-old doesn't really get it and doesn't care about things like that and is fairly relentless lol."

"She says she has so much fun with you and Jessie, and she doesn't know why the three of you can't keep doing that. And for the record, she loves her dinosaur shirt and gives me hell anytime I try to take it away to wash it. And when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, one thing she said is she wanted you there - for all those other reasons - but also because Jessie was happiest when you were there. So, will you come?"

"If it doesn't feel right to you, that's okay. I get it. This entire thing has been a lot and I'm beyond sure none of it is what you pictured or wanted. I really didn't mean to crash your life. I really, really thought long and hard about bringing Jessie into Zoie's life. I ultimately felt I owed it to Zoie to. And I was terrified when I learned Jessie was engaged. I knew how this would potentially blow things up and I really didn't want that. I'm truly sorry it turned out the way it did."

"Anyway, you didn't ask for my story. My point was - not that you've asked - the way Jessie loves you is next level. She doesn't have to tell me a thing. It's apparent. It's special. I can tell any time she's talked with you. She's so much happier. It shows. And it's none of my business, but, if I were you, I'd maybe want to know."

"Okay. Now I'm done lol. If you don't reply, I'll leave you alone. No hard feelings."

You stared at the messages you came back to after your meeting. The last person's name you expected to show up on your phone was Sara's. She obviously thought you'd deleted her - you hadn't.

You and her had talked very minimally one on one, and always in a - more or less - forced capacity. And certainly never about topics like this. Again, you'd never hated her as a person. She seemed, well, perfectly fine. She just represented the force that brought your world as you knew it crumbling down.

But now here she was offering you a lifeline.

You needed a breath.

You backed out of your conversation with Sara and over to your one with Jessie. She was still in Canada with Zoie and you'd been texting intermittently since your impromptu reunion.

The texts had been light, both of you purposefully evading critical questions and topics knowing you were going to talk more when she got back. That said, the messages between you were more easy than before. And even if they weren't explicitly affectionate, there were undertones.

You smiled at the last messages from her. A picture of Zoie all done up in her snowsuit and playing in Jessie's parents' backyard along with a message of, "Someone loves the snow."

A dull ache formed in your chest, but it wasn't the same as before. Before, the ache had torn at you, gnawing, painful and malignant. But this new ache was different. It was longing and sweet. Something to chase; something to not be scared of.

You went back to Sara's messages.

“What does Zoie want for her birthday?”

-----------

While you'd felt eerily calm leading up to the weekend, as you parked your car down the street from Sara's place your nerves started to make themselves known again.

You stared steadily at the house, spotting Jessie's car parked out front.

Jessie didn't actually know you'd be here today. You don't know why you chose not to tell her. You even asked Sara not to mention anything. Who knows, maybe Sara thought you wanted to keep it down low in case you bailed. No expectations and no hurt feelings for anyone, then.

Maybe you were woefully misreading things, but you almost felt like it could be a good surprise.

You took a deep breath and picked up the gift you'd wrapped for Zoie and got out of your car and walked towards the front door. Your heart raced, hoping, for whatever reason, Jessie wouldn't see you before Sara did. You needed to get some things off your chest.

Sara told you prior to just open the door and come inside. So you did. Quietly. Tentatively.

Your eyes darted around the room.

There was a handful of kids running around - Zoie was still pretty new at her school, but had clearly managed to forge some friendships there, at dance, at swimming.

No surprise. She was just as likable as Jessie.

Then, there were a few adults mingling about. Mostly parents, you assumed, watching over things, playing with the kids, or chatting idly amongst themselves.

That former sense of 'otherness' threatened to rise up within you again, but you dismantled it this time. You weren't going to feel that way again. You were invited. You were asked to be here. You were wanted.

Then you saw a glimpse of them. Jessie was in the other room where the kids were running in and out of. Zoie was hanging off of Jessie's back, a kid latched onto each of her legs as she playfully lumbered around, the kids all laughing and yelling as they hung off of her.

You turned as Sara was coming out of the kitchen and you almost collided.

"Oh my god," she said with a laugh. Her eyes lit up as she took you in. "You came! I'm so glad."

As you saw this woman for the first time in months - this woman who was the source of so much angst and upheaval in your life - you felt a flash of anxiety. Like some emotional PTSD.

But it faded as she smiled at you. She was just a girl whose own life had been turned upside down many years ago. Her own future permanently changed; visions and dreams as she’d planned them no longer the same.

She’d gone it alone. Turned her circumstances into something to be cherished. And, in time, and justly so, decided to do right by her daughter. And Jessie.

She wasn’t a monster. She didn’t come into your life with malintent. You’d been caught in the shockwaves and fallout, but it wasn’t her fault or her intention.

She certainly didn’t need to try to save your relationship with Jessie. To keep you in Zoie’s life. In fact, it would’ve been much easier on her to have Jessie and Zoie to herself.

But she reached out to you anyway.

You felt your cheeks heating up. "Yeah. Thanks again for inviting me."

She shook her head. "Of course. You were very much wanted at this party. Someone had to tell you," she said with a smirk.

"Here. This is for Zoie," you said as you extended the gift. Sara gently pushed it back to you.

"Why don't you give it to her," she smiled, before adding with a smirk, "But she can't open it until after cake. Don't let her tell you otherwise."

You chuckled. “Sure. I’ll watch out for that.”

A beat passed and your pulse picked up again. You'd gone over in your head countless times what you wanted to say, and if you were going to say it, now would be the time.

"Um, this day is about Zoie, so I'm not going to take your focus away for long, but I want to just say something really quick," you said. Sara listened attentively.

“I wanted to say thank you for what you said the other day. I think I needed to hear it from someone other than Jessie. And, honestly,” you bit back a weak laugh, “you’re the most impartial, in a way. If it was Janine. Sinc. Elysse. Whoever, I feel like it wouldn’t have been the same. So, thank you, it means a lot.”

“I’m glad you weren’t upset that I reached out,” Sara admitted. “I mean, yes, Zoie absolutely kept badgering me and Jessie to invite you," she chuckled, "but beyond that, yeah."

She took a breath.

"I know it’s not my business. I mean, yes, Jessie’s life impacts Zoie’s, but Jessie’s obviously free to make her own choices and decisions. And honestly, I have no clue what ultimately went down between you two. None of my business either! I'm really just piecing things together from glimpses I've gotten during drop-off and pick-up, and things Zoie mentions.” She shrugged vaguely. “Jessie plays things very close to the vest, but - even if she never says anything - it’s obvious where she’s at and how she feels about you even now. And I wasn’t kidding - Zoie’s enchanted by you. Must run in the genes,” she said with a sly smirk before growing serious again. “So, this seemed like the right opportunity to say something.”

Your heart pounded in your chest as you processed her words. You weren't expecting her to say more than she did the other day.

But again, here you were. Jessie wasn't exactly confiding in Sara. She hadn't fallen into Sara's arms in your absence. It was even obvious to Sara, her ex, the mother of her child, that Jessie was still in love with you.

Your mind sharpened once more and you remembered what you planned to say. You cleared your throat.

"Thank you. I, um, I know things have been complicated. I don’t know how much has fallen back on you, or Zoie, during all of this. I hope not much at all. And I'm sorry for anything that did. I know things couldn’t have been easy for you either. A lot of big decisions along the way, uprooting your life and Zoie’s, rebuilding, introducing new family and friends into her life and yours. That’s a lot of change for anyone. You didn't know what you were going to find. That took a huge amount of courage. And I know you did it for Zoie and I respect that.” You took a quick breath. “But it really means a lot that you shared what you did. I know you didn't need to. So, thank you for this."

Your eyes drifted away before returning to her.

"I don’t exactly know what the future holds. But, I know that if I’m a part of Jessie’s life, I’m a part of Zoie’s. And I want you to know I don’t take that for granted. You've raised a really, really special girl. Zoie's wonderful. And even if I’ve been in and out of the picture, I really do care about her. A lot. I mean, she's great - full stop. But she's also a part of Jessie, which means...," you trailed off, not quite ready to declare to her that by proxy alone you'd of course love Zoie.

You took a quick breath.

"Anyway, I'm sure this is no surprise to you, but Zoie's made Jessie's life infinitely better. So, please don’t ever feel bad for bringing Jessie into her life. That little girl deserves to have her mama in her life, and Jessie deserves her just the same.”

Sara smiled appreciatively, taking a moment of her own. “Thank you. That really means a lot.”

Her gaze shifted over to the other room where Zoie was.

"And yeah, Zoie's pretty's amazing," she said as she faced you again. "I'm grateful for her. She was - certainly - a surprise. But an incredible one and I can't imagine my life without her now. And she just adores Jessie. If Zoie's made Jessie's life infinitely better, well Jessie has 1000% done the same for Zoie. I'm grateful to have her presence in Zoie's life."

Her tone was earnest already, but it grew more-so and she held your gaze pointedly. "There's lots of room for you in that life too, if you want it."

You were about to respond when you heard your name yelled from across the house.

"That's your cue," Sara said under her breath with a laugh.

You turned to see Zoie haphazardly climbing down off of Jessie and running towards you. Your attention was split between Zoie sprinting your direction and Jessie standing there shell-shocked, two other kids still hanging off of her.

"Happy birthday!" You greeted with a bright smile as your mind righted itself. You extended the gift to Zoie, but she bypassed it, running straight into your legs in a tight hug, sending you back a step with the force behind it. You laughed, reaching an arm down to embrace her.

"Zoie, my God," Sara laughed. "Take it easy, sweetie."

"You came!" Zoie exclaimed as she pulled back to look up at you.

"I couldn't miss your birthday," you told her as your hand came to her head affectionately. You knelt down in front of her and gave her a more fulsome hug.

"Mama, you invited her," Zoie smiled as she turned partially in your arms to look at Jessie with a laugh.

You looked up to see Jessie, now disentangled, tentatively approaching. Her mind obviously still processing everything. She looked between you and Sara perplexed, but a smile of awe and surprise crossed her face.

"I, um," Jessie stammered and Sara cut in.

"Honey, let's let mama and Y/N catch up. You'll get some more time with Y/N later, okay?" She said.

Zoie pulled back a touch, her arms still around you and pouted slightly. You held out the gift to her again.

"Here, this is for you. Why don't you go put it with the others," you said. The gift seemed the perfect distraction and she grabbed it and ran to Sara's side.

"What do you say?" Sara prompted her, disbelieving and mouthing you an apology.

"Thank you!" Zoie said with a toothy grin before running off once more.

Jessie was just closing the space when you rose to your feet, now face to face with her. Her eyes searched you in wonder, that smile still tugging at her mouth.

"W-what are you doing here?" She asked, eyes curious and hopeful.

"Sara invited me," you answered. Jessie's expression changed immediately and her head snapped around to look in the direction the woman had departed. She looked back to you right away with a frown.

"It's all good," you said as you nervously tucked your hair behind your ear. "She, um, she told me that Zoie wanted to invite me. She said you wouldn't - but I know why."

Jessie opened her mouth to defend herself and you held up a hand, gently coaxing her to stop.

"You're not mad that I showed up, are you?" You asked, though a faint smile pulled at your lips. Jessie did a double-take, adamantly shaking her head.

"No. Oh my God. No, of course not," she readily assured you. She frowned before giving an airy laugh. She took a moment to find her words, her cheeks growing red. "I'm...I'm very happy that you showed up."

"I wondered if you might be. Hence why I didn't say anything when you were away," you said, a playful smile now finally crossing your face.

She smiled wider with another shake of her head. "Yeah. Wait, when did this all happen?"

"This week. You were already at your parents' with Zoie," you relayed. She nodded slowly, an adorable frown on her face as she put the pieces together.

"And, thanks for texting me while you were away," you added. "It was nice to get updates. Felt like I was almost there sometimes," you finished more shyly than you'd intended. She gave you a grateful smile.

"Of course. You were-" she stopped for a second, centering herself and giving a nod as she offered you a quiet smile. "You were missed."

You nodded, much the same as her and wearing a quiet smile of your own.

You felt light.

"Okay. Well, this is Zoie's day, so I don't want to get too deep into things. But," you said slowly, your gaze drifting away momentarily before you smiled at Jessie once more, "if you'd like to take me up on that offer to talk, you could ask me out for coffee sometime." You held her gaze and added in emphasis. "Not as friends."

Jessie stood before you and you could see quiet shock come over her. Her eyes didn't leave yours, but you could see them dart across your face, looking for any signal of a misunderstanding.

Her eyes started to well and she let out a breath that sounded more like a stifled sob.

"Are you serious?" She asked, her eyes shimmering further as her eyebrows furrowed together, her emotions plain.

You smiled softly back at her and simply nodded.

"I mean, I could ask you out if you like," you said before you rest a hand on your hip and tapped your lips facetiously. "Hmm, you seem like someone who would like...[whatever we think Jessie's coffee of choice is]."

Jessie let out a watery laugh as she stepped forward and pulled you into her arms, hugging you tightly to her. You reciprocated immediately as you laughed gently in her ear.

"Oh my god," she said, her voice thick with emotion as she rocked you in place.

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes as she stepped back. Her face was bright red as she looked at you and your heart felt like it could burst.

"W-will you go out for coffee with me?" She asked, a slight stutter in her voice as she rode out her emotions. She laughed, wiping at another stray tear. "On a date."

You nodded readily, echoing her soft laugh.

"I'd love to."

"Mama?"

You both glanced down to see Zoie coming up, tugging lightly on Jessie's pant leg and looking up at her very concerned.

"What's wrong?" Zoie asked, looking so worried.

Jessie nearly started crying again. She gave a tearful laugh and bent down to scoop Zoie up into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Nothing's wrong, sweetie. I promise," she said as she kissed Zoie's cheek. "I'm not sad. I'm great. I'm really happy. These are happy tears," she said with a sniffle as she held her close.

Zoie seemed to contemplate Jessie's explanation. She watched her carefully, though still a bit confused.

"Well, what are you happy about?" Zoie inquired. Jessie's gaze flit over to you before returning back to her daughter's.

"Y/N and I were just having a good conversation. And it made me very happy," she said. "Sometimes people cry when they're happy."

Zoie was still skeptical.

"Well, what were you talking about?"

Jessie shot you a look and you stepped in.

“Your mama’s right, Zoie. Tears aren’t always sad,” you reinforced. “In this case? Just boring adult talk.”

“What adult talk?” Zoie asked innocently. With this amount of determined curiosity, she was certainly Jessie’s child.

"Coffee," you said flatly for effect. "Kind of boring? Right?" Zoie made a face and you smiled at her before distracting. "Hey, how has dance been?"

Zoie's eyes lit up and she wriggled in Jessie's arms to be let down. Jessie set her down with a laugh and Zoie grabbed you by the hand to pull you into a more open area.

"I want to teach you my routine," she said excitedly. "I tried to teach Mama, but she’s not very good at it," she relayed very matter of fact and you stifled a laugh.

Zoie began showing you her routine and you played along, following her disjointed, but enthusiastic motions.

When you weren't paying attention to Zoie's choreography, your eyes were drawn to Jessie who now leaned back against the wall watching you both with a weepy smile, wiping at her tears with the sleeve of her hoodie now and then.

As Zoie showed you the steps, her hair wispy and wild in a messy pony tail, her cheeks rosy, smiling up at you and looking so much like Jessie’s baby photos - you recalled what Jessie told you so many months ago.

“How can I look at her and feel like my life is ruined?”

That argument seemed like another life now. The sorrow and insidious pain that coursed through you every moment during that period was a mere memory now.

As you smiled down at Zoie and over at Jessie who watched you both adoringly, you understood what Jessie meant. You felt it.

When you finished, Zoie ran off to rejoin her friends and Jessie approached you, still sniffling. She exhaled in self-effacing exaggeration.

"I'm a mess," she said.

"You're lovely," you countered without missing a beat.

Jessie shook her head slowly, looking at you with love like all the years before, but part of it felt new - deeper - as well.

"I love you so damn much," she said. She cracked a smirk a moment later. "That's totally appropriate to say before a first date, right?"

You laughed and you drew her into a kiss, soft and slow.

"Completely."

A/N: Not quite done yet. One more chapter.

Tag requests: @ryuushou @marvelwomen-simp @valuyhh

[littelovelunette]

Untamed Desires

Contains smut, spanking, mentions of ripping, fist-fucking, fingering, nipple clamps, mentions of inflatable dildo, squirting

Ambessa x Diva!Reader

Being Ambessa's wife meant having to attend extravagant events and parties which was good for you considering you were a party animal but the outfit selection was a complete nightmare. You were feeling extra haughty due to it, you had been on your feet the entire day and all the staff members assigned to help you get ready were walking on eggshells.

“Love, you have to be a little more lenient with them, they're trying their best,” Ambessa leaned against the doorway.

“I don't care, I look like shit! And all these stupid, puffy dresses make me look fat! Do something about it or I’m not going,” you huffed and crossed your arms.

Ambessa's lips pressed in a thin line for a few minutes. She didn't say anything and let the silence linger in the dressing room before she walked inside finally, gesturing to the staff to see their way out. They did, leaving the both of you alone in the huge dressing room.

“You did not just use that tone with me, young lady,” Ambessa’s hand wrapped around your neck.

You gasped for air, wincing at her touch and tried to pry her hand off your throat using both yours but it was of no use. She was hell-bent on making you pay for using that tone of voice and attitude towards her.

That's how you found yourself sprawled across Ambessa's lap with your reddened ass up in the air, counting down the number of spanks with a voice that was barely audible because of how much you were sobbing.

“I'm sorry, please,” you cried.

Ambessa didn't relent, “You need to learn the consequences of your actions, love.”

And with those words, another smack was delivered to your ass causing your whole body to jolt in pain, drool running down your mouth as you sobbed.

“H-hurts,” you trembled.

You were a bawling mess by the time Ambessa was done spanking your ass, bright red hand marks all over your butt. You were sure you wouldn't be able to sit down in comfort for a while after that, your skin stung with the pain from being spanked so hard.

“I'm sorry,” you babbled pathetically.

“There, there, shh,” Ambessa brought you close, lacing her fingers through your hair, “You've taken your punishment well, you deserve a reward.”

“I do?” You whispered.

“Yes, baby,” she responded.

Ambessa let you up from her lap so you could stand in front of her, she grabbed the golden clothes clips from the vanity surface where your makeup palettes were laid.

Ambessa grabbed your waist with one hand, other hand guiding one of the clips onto your left nipple causing you to gasp softly.

“I-It feels weird,” you stammered.

“Just hold still,” Ambessa ordered.

You didn't have the energy to resist so you let her put another clip on your other nipple. Ambessa tugged at the clip, the mouth of it digging into your sensitive nub.

You let out a small whimper, hands quickly grasping Ambessa's shoulders to steady yourself.

“Spread,” Ambessa tapped your inner thighs.

You spread your legs, standing with a good distance between both thighs so she could access your cunt. Ambessa's fingers rubbed your pussy lips, smearing the arousal and wetness all over your vulva.

“You're so wet, princess,” Ambessa purred.

Her fingers spread your pussy lips exposing your slit to herself, as her middle and ring fingers delved inside, you let out a small gasp of pleasure.

“It feels good, doesn't it?” Ambessa’s eyes were locked on your face, gauging your expression as if that's all it meant to her. She didn't care for your cunt, all she cared for was that you were feeling pleasure.

“Y-Yes, oh, it feels heavenly,” you moaned.

Ambessa's thick fingers disappeared inside your slit knuckles deep making your legs tremble but you held onto your balance. Her thumb— the rough, calloused pad of it— rubbed against your sensitive clitoris causing you to let out a high pitched moan. One you were sure the maids had heard.

Ambessa fingered you with rough efficiency, each and every thrust pushing deeper into your pussy.

“Your filthy pussy is drooling over my fingers, it's that good, is it?” Ambessa coaxed, “Coating my fingers completely, what a dirty little girl you are.”

You let out a small sound of protest, but just then you felt a third finger dip inside. “Ah! N-no, I'll rip,” you whimpered.

Ambessa didn't pay any heed to your begging if anything it only turned her on further. Your legs were violently shaking and you were so close to coming on her fingers but Ambessa had other plans.

Without any warning, she began slowly pumping her entire fist inside your cunt. If you hadn't taken all those inflatable dildos before, you were sure you would've ripped.

You were crying as Ambessa's fist nestled inside your pussy, the pain of the stretch was only a little bearable but the pleasure immense.

“Want me to start moving?” Ambessa inquired.

You nodded.

“Please, gently,” you sobbed.

Small whimpers and moans left your mouth as you felt Ambessa's fist start moving in your cunt.

Your legs shook even more than before if possible and your hands shot out to grab the back of the chair where Ambessa was calmly sitting.

"Dear me, is it really that good?" Ambessa teased as her golden eyes gauged your expression with years of expertise. She forced her fist deeper making you gasp, a small squeak issuing from you.

"Noooo..." You whined and before you knew it you were grinding back against her hand. You were moaning from her fist in your pussy and if that wasn't bad enough, you were now grinding against it.

"What a slut." Ambessa's eyes twinkled with amusement. She leaned back giving the most brutal few thrusts inside and that was enough.

"No! Please!" You pleaded but with the last thrust you squirted. All over the fucking place.

Ambessa slowly took her hand out of your spasming pussy, giving it a final rub before holding up her slick covered hand for you to see.

"Testament to your masochism." Ambessa said.

[lavenderhateswritting]

Mohawk!Mark x Reader

I was inspired by an amazing fanfiction on here that literally made my brain light up and I had to write my own version.

The entire world was on fire. The entire world was on fire and people who looked like your boyfriend were the ones destroying it. Jesus Christ Mark couldn't catch a fucking break.

There was nothing you could do. You weren't a hero you were just a normal person. You were just going to have to hunker down and wait for the carnage to end.

You were laying in your bed watching the news on your phone when you heard the front door creak open. That wouldn't make any sense though. Mark was out there fighting his duplicates and everyone else you knew were trying their hardest to stay out of the way of the destruction.

"Babe, please come here I need you." It was Mark. His voice was strained and he drew out the words like he was whining. This wasn't right. Mark wasn't supposed to be home yet.

You grabbed your phone and began to pull yourself off the bed.

"Mark love are you okay?" You screamed to him. If he was coming to you something had to be very wrong. Something in your somach was telling you this was all very wrong.

"I just need you. I need you so bad. Please." His voice was airy, but less strained this time like he had just gotten a boost of energy out of nowhere.

You reached your hand toward the doorknob of your bedroom and froze. Your phone buzzed. Mark had just texted you. You clicked on the message your breath speeding up as you did.

Mark: You need to get out of the house right now.

Your heart rate began to pick up. You could feel it hammering in your ear. You were fucked.

"Babe. Please open the door I need you right now please." The fake Mark began again he was closer to the door now maybe standing directly in front of it.

Mark: The duplicates they went to my house

Mark: They might come to your apartment

Mark: You need to leave NOW

You couldn't pretend like you weren't there he had already heard your voice. You needed to buy yourself time. If you could make it to the bathroom attached to your room you could maybe make it out of the window. You couldn't out run him. Time all you needed was time.

"Mark hun I'm gonna grab a towel for your injuries and then I'll be right there for you okay." You were walking toward the bathroom now. You're rushing as much as you can. He still thinks you're worried about him you running shouldn't throw him off to much.

"Who just texted you." His voice was normal now. Not normal like your Marks. It was scratchier and serious in a way that made a chill run down your spine.

"Just my mom. She wanted to check on me, you know with everythig going on right now." You were walkng into the bathroom now. You closed the bathroom door behind you and then locked the door.

Your hands were sweating as you grabbed on to the edge of the window sill. You were pushing the window up as far as you could while your arms were shaking.

You heard the door to your bedroom begin to creak open. He was getting closer. You needed to go now. You had finally opened the window as far enough for you to climb out. You hoisted yourself onto the window sill as you began to climb out head first out of the window.

All of a sudden you heard the sound of your bathroom door being ripped off the hinges. You were half way out the window and you tried for one last push to get out when a hand grabbed your leg.

"As much as I appreciate the view you're gonna have to get your ass back in here. Baaaabe." His grip tightened on your leg as you felt yourself be pulled back into the window.

As soon as you saw him you understood. There was no way he could have convinced you he was your Mark if you had seen his face. He had shaved his head into a mohawk and had grown a soul patch as well. His eyes had dark spots under them that your mark didn't have either.

You were laying flat on your back while he held one of your legs off the ground. He was staring down at you with a crazed look in your eye that your Mark would never have had.

"I could hear you you know. Every heartbeat, breath, and swallow. You were fucked before this had even started." He was smiling at you as he spoke he finally let go of your leg. You kicked at him as he finally let go of you and felt yourself be met with a brick wall. You knew Mark was strong, but never once in your life had you thought that you would have to be on this side of that strength.

"Are you gonna kill me." You finally asked as your voice shook. You needed to find a way around him, but he was completely blocking you into the corner of your bathroom.

"Now why would I do that gorgeous." He was floating a foot off the ground leaning down to mock you. "I mean look at you why would I leave such a fine specimen in this shit heap of a dimension."

You finally began to pull yourself up to fully standing. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You absolute psycho." Oh god this was gonna break Marks heart if he had to find your dead body. What was he going to tell your family?

His smile got even bigger if that was even possible. "oh well look at you a brave final front against the big scary monster huh." He suddenly grabbed you by the waist and pulled you flush against his body.

He pulled you in closer and his lips were on yours. He was rough like he was trying to fight you. He bit your bottom lip and you gasped in pain. He used your suprise and forced his tongue into your mouth.

If it was possible he pulled you closer like he was trying to swallow you into himself. He was like a man starved. You tried to push him off, but he was like a wall he didn't give. He reached one of his hands down to your waist and another up behind your head and pulled you even closer to him.

The edges around your eyes were starting to blur. You needed to breathe, but he didn't and he wouldn't let up it was like he couldn't breathe without you.

Finally he pulled his tongue out of your mouth a line of spit connecting his mouth to yours.

"God do you feel that can you feel how much I missed you babe more than anyone else." You could feel how much he missed you or whatever version of you he remembered. His hard on was pushing against your crotch solid and warm.

"I'm not your Y/N. I don't know you please just let me go." You were out of breath and could still feel your brain trying to come back online.

"That's okay. You'll get to know me I'm like your Mark, but so much better." He pulled the hand that was on your head forward and began holding your face.

Through the window some weird robot floated in.

"Really Angstrom you couldn't have picked a better time." He was angry now gritting his teeth before he finally let you go.

"I'll be back for you don't you worry." And then you were all alone in your bathroom with a broken door shaking all over. You finally collapsed on your knees. God you hope Mark killed all of those fuckers.

[bvidzsoo]

Hiii, Esther, sorry for the late reply. I hope you're doing well! And thank you for reading! ^^

I saw the notification that you tagged me in this when I woke up at 4:30 to go to work and I have now at work finished packing everything in record time (who am I? Sonic the hedgehog?!) simply so I could read this beautiful piece of work🥹❤️

Ahhh that's so sweet, I hope it was worth the rush!

no but you don’t understand I’m so soft for these two, oh the joy to meet your soulmate like this and truly know you’re soulmates🥹like no second guessing and both being stunned to finally meet each other😭💓

Ahh yes, one can dream. I certainly wouldn't mind meeting my soulmate under a circumstance like this one. It's somehow still romantic and cute, ahhh.

as someone who doesn’t like coffee it was so nice to read that she prefers tea😭🍵 like wild berries with some honey?! Yes pls that’s one of my favorite combos🥹💗

I'm not really a coffee person so I'd rather drink a tea, but at the same time I also don't like tea...? I think I'm just very picky about which teas I like, lol, but the one you said is hands down the best. Honey and tea belong together, I rest my case here hehe! I'm glad you could relate to the MC here, I always love finding little similarities between me and the MC's.

ma’am I love him so much😭😭😭 you’re here making me fight for my life at work because ughhhh my heart I ADORE the way you’ve written them both, so jittery and eager to be with each other but also unsure where the invisible line might be drawn if what’s too much to do during your first meeting with each other and oh how I wish I could experience what they have🥺💓

I was fighting for my life while writing it as well lol, you and i are just the same here. They really are just very eager to be with each other and they don't want to waste any more time.

Im conclusion im soft this was absolutely amazing and i adore this one shot so much. It’s beautifully written and feels so wonderful and full of life!🥺💗

ahh, fighting the need to smile around your co-workers is the worst. I be reading stories left and right and laughing with little care about the world, they always give me the funniest looks lol. Thank you for your nice words once again, I'm glad you've enjoyed the even so far <3

A world in your colours

𐀔 Cherry Blossom, March Event 𐀔

Author: bvidzsoo

Pairing: Daycare teacher!Kang Yeosang x Florist!reader

𐀔 Warning: none 𐀔 Word count: 6.2k 𐀔 Rating: sfw 𐀔 Genre: fluff, soulmates: you see all the colours for the first time when you meet your soulmate, strangers to lovers, fated together 𐀔 Summary: A world through the faint hues of your soulmate's eye colour isn't the most colourful life to live. Approaching twenty-five and still being unable to see all the colours the world has to offer has you worried that you'll never meet your soulmate. Doubts and questions riddle your mind day and night, but at least you have the one thing that makes you happy no matter what, your little flowers. You can't actually see their colours, but you can imagine their vibrancy. And then, one day when you're making a bouquet for a lovely man, your whole world gets covered in an overwhelming amount of colour, rendering you stunned.

A/N: Here it is, our lovely Yeosang's drabble. I love this guy and I love this little fluffy story, man, I was smiling so widely while writing these two, they are so endearing. Despite writing a florist!au...I cannot take care of my plants for the life of me, even though I really love them...especially pretty little flowers, but oh, well, I'll have to get better at taking care of them once I move out...I hope you enjoy this drabble and let me know what you thought of it, your feedback is much appreciated! Enjoy! ^^ divider @cromernet

𐀔 Join the taglist here! 𐀔

Taglist: @thecarnivaloflies @faeriehwa @mingiatz @kang-ulzzang @xylatox

@mintchocolatto @mintsugarr93 @solaris-amethyst @foxinnie8 @marvolos

@licityvibes @amoryeonjun @nkryuki @matchahintonagar @k1ttym0nkey

@justconniez @ateezswonderland @lemonkait00 @youcanstayalways @cristy-101

@my-atiny-kookie-rkive @wooyouz @cosmicrecs

            Colour, as defined by everyone’s best friend, Wikipedia, is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Although colour is not a fundamental attribute of matter itself, the way we perceive it is intricately tied to how an object absorbs, reflects, and emits light, as well as the subtle play of interference within those light waves. That was another sentence you had long ago read on the internet, and it stuck with you. Your peers have always considered you a bit strange for your obsession with colours, but then again, in a world that was painted mostly grey with hues of brown, amber, and copper, you couldn’t help but obsess over it. It wasn’t by choice that you couldn’t see all colours…if it were up to you, you’d coat your whole life in nothing but a mess of bright and light pastels. You sighed at the reoccurring thought as you walked over to another plastic vase to grab a purple Lily to add to the bouquet. You double-checked the label before grabbing it, though; you didn’t need another embarrassing incident today.

The sole reason as to why you couldn’t see colours yet was because you hadn’t met your soulmate yet. In a way, it was something you were glad for because you’d know for sure who your soulmate was. You’ve read stories written by famous novelists who fantasized about a world where your soulmate's first words directed at you would be inked into your skin, and you wondered whether that felt as magical as the author made it seem. What if five different people said the same exact words to you that were on your wrist? What then? How would you decide which was your soulmate? You didn’t like thinking about that, though, content with the reality of your world. Sure, it was a bit depressing and quite literally grey, but it also brought a sense of excitement and anticipation with it. Whenever you allowed yourself to fantasize about the moment when you’d meet your soulmate, your cheeks would burn hot, and your heart would race. You’d close your eyes and try to imagine all the vibrant colours that suddenly coloured your surroundings.

You figured it would feel overwhelming at first, making you sentimental or sending you into a panicked sobbing. You thought it would blind you and make you feel nauseous as all the colours would be suddenly as vivid as an explosion in the distance that was now right under your nose. You thought you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself anymore, that you’d need a second to piece your thoughts back together, to make sense of the situation, to tell yourself that everything was okay. That’s how you imagined you’d react, but you were always a person full of surprises, even to yourself. Besides, diving too deep into this topic always leaves you with a sour aftertaste. You were twenty-five, and your world was still gloomy, devoid of the warmth and brightness everyone around you gushed about. It wasn’t unusual to be still single by twenty-five, but most people have found their soulmates back in high school. Your parents, for example, were even luckier than that and met in middle school; their worlds suddenly filled with all colours. You were jealous of them, but you also admired them profoundly.

Their love was deep and unlike anything you’d seen before. Their respect for each other went even deeper than their love, kindness and devotion, just a few sentiments that could be added to their plate when cherishing one another. You wished for a gentle love like theirs, for quiet moments where no words had to be uttered to be understood, for genuine kindness and laughter that filled the longing in your chest. You smiled at your customer as you tied her bouquet together, getting an excited grin back in return.

“Oh, this is gorgeous!” She exclaimed as you grabbed a little butterfly sticker, searching for the perfect leaf to press onto, “My little one will love this!”

You were happy that the mother was excited; seeing your clients excited and happy over the flowers you loved so much always filled your chest with warmth. You imagined being with your soulmate felt like that, too. You handed the bouquet over to the woman once you were done with it, accepting her card when she said she had no cash.

“I’ve never seen anyone combine these colours so beautifully before,” The woman mused to herself as her eyes took in the plethora of flowers, a mixture of white, yellow, pink and even a little bit of purple in there, “You’ve got an artistic eye for it.”

You felt proud at the praise as you handed the card back, grinning at the lady as you bowed your head in gratitude, “That’s a lovely compliment, thank you so much!”

You didn’t have the heart to tell the lady that you had no idea what the flowers looked like in colour, whether the pink bow you’d tied to keep the bouquet together matched with the flowers you had chosen. The lady left soon after as she was in a rush, and you sighed, looking around the flower shop. You could tell the walls were a lighter orange, the shades a dark brown and probably your soulmate’s exact eye colour since the colour was so rich in hue. You’ve always wondered if the other colours were just as beautiful as the ones you could lightly see from time to time—or more pronounced if they were the same colour as your soulmate’s eyes—and your conclusion had always been that, yes, no matter what nuance or hue, all of it was just as gorgeous.

You thought of colours as you thought of flowers, special and unique in their ways, distinguishable and rather easy to remember once you learned their properties. Flowers have been your escape since a young age when your preschool teacher tasked you with growing little beans, encouraging you to name them and speak to them daily. After that, you had asked your parents whether you could try and cultivate your little garden in your room, and once they’ve given you the go, you had never turned back. The flower shop that you were working at wasn’t yours just yet, but its owner—a lovely middle-aged woman—was considering passing it on to you once she had grown old and tired of her business. You’d gladly take over it as you had no big plans for your future. You were content living in the place you had been born, surrounded by friends and family. You realised you were luckier than most that you could live a comfortable and fulfilled life, and that’s why you always made sure to give back to your community, even if it was something little.

You were just about to walk over to the vase with sunflowers when the doorbell chimed, signalling a new customer. You plastered a small smile to your lips and straightened your back, welcoming the man who had decided to walk inside your store, “Hello, how may I help you?”

“Hi, uhm, it’s my mother’s birthday today.” The man spoke, surprising you with his deep voice. His features were soft and relaxed; it was an unexpected juxtaposition, “Her favourite flowers are Magnolias; do you have any of that?”

You nodded your head, walking over to the vase placed right by the entrance. They were fresh as they had come in just today, so they were gorgeous as they were in bloom, “Silk Magnolias are mostly used for bridal bouquets, but I can make you a simpler one if you want me to.”

“I’d love that, please.” The man said as you two looked at each other, and for some unexplainable reason, your heart skipped a beat. You averted your eyes shily and crouched down to grab three Magnolias, your long skirt brushing past your ankles.

“They go well with Gardenias; would you like me to add some of those too?” You stood back up, realising that since the bouquet would be all white, you could add a deep red coloured ribbon to it, or perhaps even a soft pink one. The challenge, however, would be to find the right nuances since your coworker messed up some of the colours after her shift. You’d be embarrassed to ask the man for a little guidance, and that would be also you assuming that he had found his soulmate already, which would be a bit rude as you didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable. Due to you being unable to see all colours, everything inside the store was labelled with little post-it notes, bold letters stating the colour of the flowers. With that also came the shelf behind the front counter always being organised after a system that you had already memorised, no need to read the labels anymore. All ribbons and coloured foils were placed in their designated spot so that you’d know which one was which colour, but your coworker had mixed up the black and blue ones, resulting in you embarrassing yourself not even half an hour ago when a customer asked for blue ribbons and you had given them black ones. You quickly fixed your mistake, and the man wasn’t even upset, but your cheeks still burned with shame as now the man knew you still hadn’t met your destined partner.

“Uh, if you think it’ll be pretty, sure.” The man said, walking to the counter as you went behind it to organise the bouquet for him, “May I ask…what colour it’ll be?”

You froze for a second before you hummed, going over to the Gardenias to grab two of them, “White, if that’s alright.”

The man nodded eagerly, letting his green briefcase rest on the counter where it didn’t invade your space, “That’ll be perfect, my mother loves the colour white.”

You smiled as you glanced up at the man, and somehow it seemed as if the sunrays shining through the window were brighter, creating a white haze around him. He looked really pretty with his curly hair falling over his forehead, curling around his cheekbones, and you noted its copper hue with slight admiration. Afraid you were starting to stare, you lowered your eyes and started working on the man’s bouquet. You first made sure all the flowers were fresh and in perfect shape, undamaged by transport, and then cut into the ends a bit. Then you held the Magnolias together, arranging the Gardenias in between and adding a few dark green weeds for a better aesthetic. The handle of the tape was almost black, and you found yourself humming a melody as you taped the flowers together just until you’d tied the ribbon around it. You pulled the bouquet away from your face and felt the customer’s eyes on your face, almost insistent, but you kept working with a small smile on your face, catching a glance at your bright orange nails. You remembered your mother saying that colour might be a bit too bright, but since you couldn’t see it well as it was dulled to your eyes, you decided to still go for it. It was fun, after all.

You turned then and looked at the shelf behind you, tilting your head in wonder. There was the blue ribbon that had embarrassed you earlier, small white dots decorating the fabric, and you found it cute how the pastel colours blended nicely together. You glossed over the black and blue ribbons, they wouldn’t make the white pop right now. You needed something intense and eye-catching—like the burgundy fabric that would look gorgeous in contrast with the white flowers! You grinned triumphantly and grabbed it off the shelf, turning around to tie it tightly around the bouquet, making sure the flowers didn’t move while you worked on making the perfect bow, not too small nor too big. Your chest felt warm, and you were aware of your cheeks burning, but you couldn’t decide whether it had gotten warmer inside the shop or if it was the man’s eyes following your every move that made you feel shy. Nonetheless, you smiled brightly as you raised the bouquet and extended it towards the man. His eyes were slightly wide as they frantically searched your face, and you felt a little disheartened as you couldn’t decipher what his reaction meant. Was your bouquet really that gorgeous, or did he perhaps not like it and wasn’t sure how to voice his thoughts?

“Oh,” You muttered, eyebrows slightly raised as you glanced at the man’s burgundy red hair and then at the ribbon, “The ribbon matches your hair! What a coincidence…”

Your smile froze on your face, your heart stilling in your chest. The ribbon matches your hair, kept repeating in your head like a distant echo as your fingers slightly trembled, your eyes running all over the man in a panic. He was taller than you, a bit buff underneath his dark green suit, tailored to fit his body prettily. His necktie was a light orange, a lighter shade that still matched his beautifully dyed hair, his lips a cherry red much like the small heart-shaped discolouration on his left temple. Your breath stuttered in your chest as your hands fell to the counter, mindful of the bouquet in your hands still.

“You’re…”

“I am.” The man sounded just as winded as you did, a huff of disbelief leaving his mouth, “Your socks are so bright, they match your nail colour.”

Your bottom lip trembled as you laughed, looking down at your socks that peeked out from underneath your skirt. They were bright, really bright actually, a neon colour worse than your nails. You had no idea you even owned them, and you wondered why your mother had never said anything about them.

“The bouquet will be 15€.” You said as you typed the amount into the cash register, and the man nodded, opening his dark green briefcase.

“Right, thank you so much.” The man said, fumbling with his wallet as he opened it, pressing the crumpled-up money on the counter. He reached out for the bouquet but hesitated slightly, and you averted your eyes as your fingers brushed together. You had a feeling it wasn’t by accident, given that the man’s cheeks also flushed pink, eyes abashed, “My mother will love it.”

“Happy birthday to your mother.” You found yourself saying as the man pressed his wallet into the small pocket of his suit jacket, briefcase in his firm grip. You didn’t want him to leave, not yet, but you couldn’t keep him here all day…it was his mother’s birthday, after all.

“I’ll come by tomorrow, same time as today. When does your shift end?” Your heart skipped a beat as the man stumbled into the open front door as he was walking backwards, his eyes not leaving you for one second. You chuckled and bit your bottom lip, playing with the money in your hands.

“I have the morning shift; I’ll be ready to go by the time you make it here.” The man’s lips pulled into a wide smile, lighting his whole face up. He looked gorgeous, and you felt breathless as you watched him wave at you and almost get stuck on the door handle, his cheeks flushing pink again as he finally left the store with haste. He glanced back inside through the huge window, and you told yourself to hold it together until you couldn’t see him anymore, and then came the squeals you could barely contain in front of him, your heart racing a mile. You had to take a seat and press your forehead against the cool counter, and even that didn’t help the warmth from spreading throughout your body as if winter was finally over and the first spring sun was here to warm you up from the inside out. That man was your soulmate. Your fingers trembled as you raised your head, blinking hard.

The world was so…different. Everything had colour, absolutely everything, and you didn’t know how to react to it all. The counter, which you thought was a light green or blue, was actually a cute beige colour, the stickers stuck to it a whirlwind of bright colours. You traced them before looking back up, eyes taking in all the beautiful flowers. You couldn’t believe that you could see the yellowness of the Sunflowers, a little taken back that they looked mustard coloured…or was that right? You hadn’t seen mustard yet, so you couldn’t tell; you’d have to test your theory out once you got home. The Lilies, the purple ones, left you in awe of their beauty, and you couldn’t help but walk over to the blue Orchids and trace their petals with a fond smile. You wondered who the man was as you looked out the window dreamily, your heart racing in your chest uncontrollably. He was a gorgeous person, and he also seemed kind; you couldn’t wish for tomorrow to come faster. You giggled to yourself and hurried back behind the counter, hands shaking as you dialled your boss in your excitement, too eager to tell her that you could see all the colour around you now.

            Your hands trembled as you clocked out, locking eyes with your grinning co-worker. She was a bouncing ball of nerves, even more excited than you over the fact that your soulmate was supposed to show up any time now. You chewed on your bottom lip and smoothed down your kaki long skirt, your black blouse thin so you had to cover up due to the morning chill. Your warm and long coat was a bright orange, and on your way home yesterday, you had realised that orange was slowly becoming your favourite colour. Judging based on your wardrobe, littered in colours you had no idea even existed, you had concluded that even unknowingly, your world had always been infused with colours. Your mother cried, and your father jumped around in happiness when you told them about this new development, right while having dinner, accidentally slipping up by saying sunflowers were definitely not mustard coloured. You had wanted to tell them in a cosier setting, perhaps in a cuter way too, but what was done was done. Your mother then made you call your grandmother, who was groggy since she was getting ready for bed, but the soft smile on her lips told you that she was just as happy for you as your parents, co-worker, and boss.

“What was your first impression of him?” Your co-worker smiled brightly at you, fiddling with a ribbon she had difficulty tying around the thick bouquet.

“He’s just…he seems very sweet and caring.” You heard yourself saying, chewing on your bottom lip as your eyes were glued to the huge window. He was supposed to be here a few minutes ago, but then again, he hadn’t specified an exact time when he’d stop by, “His features are really delicate, but he looks manly still. I love his hair, though; it’s so rich in colour.”

“What colour is it?” Your co-worker followed up with her question quickly, too invested to pay any attention to the bouquet she was supposed to finish in five minutes.

“Burgundy, and he has a matching—” You gasped, eyes widening as the man was here. He wore a tailored suit again, a beaver brown—you’d stayed up until a very late hour last night, researching colours and hues, shades and tones, trying to memorise them all in your rush of excitement—and his tie was a darker orange. Your heart was racing furiously as it felt impossible to look away; your eyes met when the man arrived by the door. His eyes were wide, and his cheeks slightly flushed a light pink colour, and you took a deep breath before you turned to wave at your co-worker. She looked stunned, eyes frozen on the man before her grin spread wider, ushering you out the shop with a squeal. It was embarrassing, but you were more preoccupied with walking straight without having your knees give out as you watched the man open the door for you.

“Thank you.” You lowered your eyes as he hummed, stepping aside to make space for you, “Hi…uhm, it’s lovely seeing you again?”

You wanted to facepalm yourself for making it sound like a question, but the man didn’t seem bothered as he chuckled, ducking his head. His suit jacket was nicely folded over his arm, his white shirt clinging to his body. It had gotten significantly warmer by noon, but you were someone who easily got cold, so you didn’t take your coat off.

“Hi, it’s really nice seeing you, yeah.” Then, the man cleared his throat and looked up with more confidence on his face, “I didn’t introduce myself yesterday. I was honestly too stunned to function properly. My name is Kang Yeosang.”

You extended your hand to shake Yeosang’s hand, your soulmate, and blushed when your skin made contact with his. His palm was bigger than yours, and his skin was really soft, but his grip was confident and strong without hurting you. You told him your name, and his eyes sparkled under the bright sunlight, and you felt yourself unable to look away. Yeosang was gorgeous; seldom did you see a man like him. It felt slightly surreal that he was your soulmate, and you felt extremely lucky all of a sudden. You didn’t know him yet, but something told you he was an amazing person.

“Where would you like us to go?” Yeosang’s question reminded you of the fact that you were still standing outside the flower shop, quite blocking the entrance actually, and you flushed darker when you realised your co-worker was most likely watching the two of you.

“Maybe for a stroll in the park just there?” You pointed across the street, the gates of the lovely park in the heart of the city visible. Yeosang nodded enthusiastically and motioned in front of himself as a way to tell you to lead the way. As you took off, you found yourself walking as close by Yeosang’s side as you could without making it weird, and your heart hadn’t stopped racing ever since you saw him. There was something magnetic about the man, about your soulmate, and you felt like you couldn’t last another day without being in his presence. Matter of fact, you didn’t want to be since you’ve waited twenty-five years for this moment.

“Would you like some coffee? Or tea?” Yeosang asked as you two noticed the small coffee stand at the same time and you hummed, looking at Yeosang a little sheepishly.

“I don’t like coffee, but I really like tea.” Yeosang chuckled, something like endearment appearing on his face as he grabbed your elbow gently and veered you away from the oncoming crowd of teenagers.

“That’s funny. I don’t like tea but basically live off of coffee.” You chuckled too, your eyes meeting as Yeosang walked you two over to the coffee stand. There weren’t a lot of tea options, so you settled for wild berries, glad that the vendor had some homemade honey for you to mix with your tea instead of sugar. Yeosang asked for a simple black coffee with ice, a bit of milk and one spoonful of sugar, and you found yourself reciting his order in your mind until you could recall it easily.

With your drinks in your hands, you headed for the crosswalk, having to wait since it was red for the pedestrians. The street was bustling with many people at this hour, and not everyone was as self-aware as you—and it seemed like Yeosang, too—so they either didn’t look where they walked or purposefully pushed people around to get further to the front. You had to make space for a guy on his phone, not paying even a little bit of attention to those around himself as you, too, could hear the music coming from his headphones. You tried to make space for everyone, but before you could step behind Yeosang, you felt fingers sneaking between yours, a warm palm pressed against yours as you were gently guided into Yeosang’s side. His eyes were still sparkling, his cheeks were red—not as red as the discolouration on his temple—and you thought for a second you could hear his rapidly beating heart.

“Is this okay?” He asked almost too quietly for you to hear with the honking cars and loudly conversing people, but you did catch it, and you nodded eagerly, making sure to squeeze Yeosang’s hand for extra confirmation.

“Yes! More than okay, actually.” You sounded more confident than you felt, and Yeosang was suddenly smiling widely, his cheeks pulled up and making him look the softest. Before you could do something as crazy as lean up and nuzzle your nose against his, the light turned green, and you followed the crowd, crossing the street. The walk to the park’s entrance was quiet, your hands fitting perfectly into each other’s, and you revelled in the comfort of it all as Yeosang occasionally glanced at you. The park wasn’t as packed as the sidewalks, and you could freely roam around without bumping into anyone, and yet, your hands stayed intertwined.

“So,” You spoke up, taking a sip of your tea before you faced Yeosang while walking, “What do you do for work? I’m a florist, but you know that much about me already.”

Yeosang hummed, facing you with that adorable small smile on his lips, “I’m a daycare teacher. The school isn’t far from here. You actually saved me yesterday. I was running late for my mother’s birthday dinner, and I thought there weren’t any flower shops close by.”

You chuckled, veering Yeosang away from the flock of birds that didn’t look too friendly, “Did your mother like the bouquet?”

“Yes, she loved it, thank you.” Yeosang then stopped, tilting his head with furrowed eyebrows, “I told them…my parents…that I found my soulmate, and they, well, uhm, they want to meet you. I know it’s too soon, and I asked them to wait a little bit until we’ve gotten to know each other, but they are just too impatient and excited to finally meet you.”

You felt your heart swell and almost burst out of your chest as your smile grew into a wide grin. You didn’t even realise it, but you had taken a step closer to Yeosang, smiling up at him so widely that your cheeks ached. Yeosang looked stunned for a second before he returned your smile, biting his lower lip as he averted his gaze down to the ground, “I’d love that, but I want to do what makes you feel comfortable. If you think we should wait, then we will; if not…just let me know when it’s good for you and your parents.”

Yeosang nodded, his eyes finding yours, “You are so kind.”

“You are too, Yeosang.” You chuckled, and it was your time to look down. Yeosang seemed to feel proud over that compliment before he took off, guiding the two of you through the park.

“I don’t feel like we are rushing, but I think it’s more responsible if we go on a few dates first.” You felt like a high school girl, wanting to squeal over the fact that you’d be going on dates with Yeosang, “My parents are nice people, but they are…well, they had gotten a bit desperate about me finding my soulmate. Honestly, they thought you were dead.”

Well, that thought had never crossed your mind before, but it definitely didn’t sit well with you as you looked at Yeosang with a frown. His expression looked neutral, but he squeezed your hand, “I’m twenty-seven, so they think I’m too old to be single. My parents’ families were close friends, so they’ve always known they are soulmates. They had it easy, so it was weird seeing their son struggle to find his soulmate.”

“Did it hurt you? That you sought me out without success for so long?” You found yourself asking, curious to know how Yeosang felt. He seemed to think for a second, humming as he looked down at his cup of coffee.

“It was frustrating at first, mostly because my parents were also pressuring me.” He looked at you from the corner of his eyes, then shrugged, “Then I realised I wouldn’t find you faster if I made myself mull over it, so I just let it go. Since we are fated to be together, I realised I couldn’t trick fate and quicken the process.”

You hummed in agreement, realising you’ve had a similar mindset to Yeosang’s for the past one or two years, “I’m twenty-five and had lost hope at some point. My parents, similar to yours, met very early on, in middle school. I thought I’d also find my soulmate around that time, and when it didn’t happen, I thought it would come in high school…but then that didn’t happen either, and I felt disheartened, like something was wrong with me. And then I realised I can’t push something that isn’t meant to happen just yet.”

“I’m sorry I made you wait.” Yeosang’s answer was quick, his hand squeezing yours as your eyebrows furrowed.

“Don’t apologise, the wait was worth it in the end.” You giggled, averting your eyes shily.

“Yeah?” Yeosang sounded surprised, perhaps even a bit cocky, “You think so?”

“I think that you’re very handsome, Yeosang, and soft.” There was no reason to be embarrassed in front of your soulmate, certainly not when it came to complimenting him, “You have an aura of kindness and brightness around you; I think it’s everything I wanted in a partner.”

Yeosang was smiling widely again, nodding his head as he became shy once again, “You’re cute and vibrant; your smile makes my heart race. I’m thankful that you are my soulmate.”

You stopped walking, the sudden urge to hug Yeosang wasn’t something you could control, so you threw your arms around his torso and leaned into him, smiling to yourself as your head landed on his shoulder. Yeosang’s arms were quick to go around you, squeezing you into himself, and you realised he smelled like oranges and fresh grass, refreshing and calming. You loved the fresh smell of nature, and you loved Yeosang’s natural fragrance. You heard a chuckle, and suddenly something was plucked out of your hair, making your eyebrows furrow as you slightly pulled back, looking at Yeosang’s hand. A dry leaf was between his fingers, his expression amused.

“You’re like a garden fairy, do bees gravitate towards you during summer?” You laughed and shook your head, feeling a bit embarrassed as Yeosang pocketed the leaf instead of letting it fall to the ground. Your cheeks burned as you two let go of each other, fingers naturally intertwining as you headed for a bench, “Why did you choose to become a florist?”

You sat down on the bench, facing each other, and Yeosang’s knee brushed lightly against your thigh. You held your cup of tea in both hands, playing with it as you looked down in your lap, “Well, I just really love nature. I’ve always felt at ease around my little plants in my room, and then I realised I just really love flowers. They are so beautiful and tender, you have to nurture them and take care of them as if they were human. I feel like I have a connection to nature; it’s like I can be completely myself around all that beauty—and the colours! Oh, I love their colours, they are so gorgeous! I’m so glad you walked into the shop yesterday. I had no idea I was missing out on—so much!”

Yeosang watched with fascination on his face as you spoke, a little overexcited that he wanted to hear your hobbies and likes. It was only normal; you’d have to gradually get to know each other, yet it still felt surreal that the sky was an almost transparent blue, the clouds completely white, the barks of the trees various shades of brown, the grass so green, all the leaves, and all the colourful flowers. You loved seeing all the colour on people, too, how they expressed themselves by their outfits, all the colours inside buildings and outside. You’d have to buy some more colourful furniture for your room since it’s mostly beige and yellow. You wanted to cover your world in the colours of the rainbow, in every possible hue and shade.

“Yes, the world is so…intense now, vibrant. It’s impressive how I could live without it all.” Yeosang’s deep voice was soft and quiet as if he was speaking to himself, “I like being in nature, surrounded by wildlife, away from the noisy city. We could go on hikes and maybe even camping.”

You nodded eagerly, having fond memories of the hikes you had gone on with your friends and family, “I’d really love that, Yeosang. I’ve always wanted to go camping, but my parents don’t like bugs, so we never stayed out after nightfall.”

Both you and Yeosang laughed at that, and then you were eager to learn too about Yeosang, “I imagine you love children since you are a daycare teacher; how did you realise that?”

“It’s nothing too revolutionary,” Yeosang chuckled, finishing his cup of coffee, “I would babysit for our neighbours when I was a teenager, and then my cousin had a baby brother, and I’d spend a lot of time with them. As I was growing up, I realised I was fond of those little ones, so…it just happened, I guess.”

You nodded, understanding him, “Would you want children?”

The answer was obvious to that, but you still wanted to ask, “Definitely, if you’d also like to have children, of course.”

Your whole face flushed, and you coughed, a little taken off-guard by Yeosang’s direct answer. His eyebrows raised and his ears flushed, and suddenly he was stumbling over his words, “I mean—like, whoever is my partner, I care about that! You know, like, whatever my partner wants—whether it’s you or someone else, not that I’m thinking of anyone else—but I’m just…yeah, I think that was too soon, wasn’t it?”

He was adorable, you had to shield your mouth with your hand as you laughed quietly, shaking your head at Yeosang, “I mean, since we are soulmates, I don’t think any topic is too soon, Yeosang.”

“Yeah?” Yeosang asked, not quite looking at you yet, “Right, I mean, sure, that makes sense.”

Comfortable silence settled over the two of you, and you picked a stray string off Yeosang’s knee. He watched you quietly, taking in your serene expression, and your eyes met as you raised your head. You smiled at Yeosang without saying anything for a second, then chuckled, this whole situation feeling unreal. Just yesterday, your whole world was covered in grey and hues of brown, amber and copper—and now, your soulmate sat next to you on a bench, the world infused with so much colour you still weren’t used to it, and to top it off, your soulmate was kind and loving, good with children and soft-spoken despite his uncharacteristically deep voice. His face was gentle, his features almost as if they were sculpted by Greek Gods, his burgundy hair even curlier than yesterday as it was pinned back by a little pink bow, and it made you wonder if it was a child from the daycare that had placed it there. Yeosang’s expression looked a bit baffled as you continued to stare at him without saying a word, and not wanting to look weird, you spoke up, “I’m just admiring you because I cannot believe you are real.”

A surprised gasp left Yeosang’s lips at your words, and he didn’t shy away this time, leaning forward to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear. You grinned as he caressed your cheek, his palm warm and his skin soft, and for a second, you forgot there was anyone else in the world beside the two of you, “I’m as real as it can be, and I’m here to stay, by your side, for an eternity, Y/N.”

And your heart skipped another beat hearing his words, your body freezing when Yeosang suddenly started leaning towards you. You were ready, if he wanted to kiss you, then you wanted to feel his plush lips against yours. Your eyes fluttered closed as it felt like your heart was in your throat, but instead of kissing your lips, you felt something warm press against your cheek, underneath your left eye, then your right eye, and it felt more intimate than any other kiss. You bit your bottom lip and opened your eyes, staring deeply into Yeosang’s rich brown ones, an almost red-like hue licking around his irises.

“Would you like to spend the rest of your day with me, Yeosang?”

“I don’t think I want to spend any time away from you from now on, Y/N.”

And you knew in your heart, in your whole being, that the future ahead of you two was bright, vibrant, gentle, and so, so colourful.

© HONGJOONGSPOETRY & BVIDZSOO 2025 - All rights reserved. Copying, editing, reposting or translating our work is not allowed.

[dollveis]

☆ ┆ SHE'S A LADY AND I'M JUST A LINE WITHOUT A HOOK. ellie williams — ❝ you can hold my hand if no one's home. ❞

CHAPTER 1 : you're a pond & i'm an ocean. trying to excuse yourself from dating rumors you end up saying ellie's name when someone asks you who you like.

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featuring. college!ellie x afab!reader content warning ! loser!ellie x popular!student, reader referred to as she, reader gets paired with a man but shows no interest towards him, ellie being reallyyy a loser, she's also awkward, onesided interest, maybe fluff if you squint and mention of ellie wearing glasses.

❀ omg?? im finally releasing the first chapter for she's a lady frfr? took me long enough but here it is, this first chapter it's pretty simple maybe blank but we're in for a ride. IT'S ALSO PRETTY SHORT BUT I WANTED IT TO BE KIND OF AN INTRODUCTION

It's Monday, the morning is crisp, the sky sharp blue against the red brick buildings of Jackson College, students move in waves, chatting, sipping overpriced coffees to go through the morning, scrolling through their phones. The air hums with conversations about upcoming exams, weekend parties and the latest and juiciest campus gossip. It's the same routine every day— familiar, predictable. Everything has a rhythm.

You move through it effortlessly with iced coffee in your right hand, people greet you left and right, some call your name, other offer just quick nods of acknowledgement if like acknowledging your presence is a necessity, you return them with small gestures, a nod, a polite smile, nothing too personal. Your reputation proceeds you, the one with the grades, the friends, the effortless charm. You're used to being watched but never closely enough for it to matter. 

You see your friends waiting near the main hall, where the weekly academic rankings have just been posted and you don't even need to see it to know that your name it's at the top, as always, not that it's a surprise. 

Hana, who's been your best friend since freshman year, says, “let's see,” scanning the list closely, “and yep— there she is, of course. God, you're a machine.”

“Or a vampire,” Daniel adds, squinting at you with an inquisitive look, “i swear you don't sleep.”

You roll your eyes, “i sleep.”

“When?”

You don't answer, instead you look at the list again, your gaze flickering over some names below yours, the same handful of students hover in the top five, the rest of the names blurry to you, you don't recognize almost anyone but one further down, really further down catches your attention. 

Ellie Williams.

You don't recognize it. A name that stands out but not the right reasons, her ranking is unimpressive, hovering dangerously close to the failing threshold, maybe that's why it sticks out for you, it's uncommon to see names that low when you're used to scanning only the top. 

Either way, the thought is fleeting. You move on quickly. 

────────────────────────

You think the morning will go by just as it usually does, boring and monotone but it doesn't. You don't even make it to lunch before people are talking, casual whispers between classes, side glances as you walk past. At first you ignore it, you're used to people speculating about your life, attaching stories to you that don't exist. 

“She'd be perfect with him.”

“They match, at least academically.”

“She's doesn't date though.”

“But maybe now—”

The looks and curious humming in the background makes you grip your tray harder, trying your best to stay calm and chill. But then you run into him, Aaron Carter. You barely know him beyond the fact that he's one of the few people who can somewhat compete with you academically. He's tall, well dressed, in a dozen clubs and with an air of effortless confidence that makes people gravitate towards him. So obviously people expect you to be interested in someone like him. 

You don't dislike him necessarily, but you're also not interested. 

“Hey,” Aaron says as he falls into step beside you, trying to match your walk. 

You glance at him, “hey.”

He smiles, his perfect white teeth showing, “sooo, interesting rumor going around.”

You contain yourself from rolling your eyes, sighing internally, “let me guess.”

He chuckles, “yeah, apparently we're dating now.”

You scoff, “we're not.”

“I figured,” he tucks his hands into his pockets, “but you know… it wouldn't be the worst thing,” he shrugs. 

You stop walking, freezing, “excuse me?”

Aaron smirks like he knows exactly what he's doing, “relax. I'm just saying, people seem to think we'd make a good match. And honestly? they might have a point,” he shrugs. 

You furrow your brows, “are you trying to flirt with me?”

“Maybe.”

You sigh, rolling your eyes for real this time, “unbelievable.”

“Hey, can't blame a guy for trying,” he says, amused, “but if you ever change your mind…”

“I won't.”

He grins, “noted.”

With that he walks off, leaving you more annoyed than before. By the time you reach your usual lunch spot your irritation must be obvious because Hana immediately raises an eyebrow. 

“What happened?” she asks, leaning against the table with obvious interest. 

“Aaron,” you say flatly. 

Hana groans, “oh, God, don't tell me he believes the rumors.”

You stab at your salad, frustrated, “he suggested they might be a good idea.”

Daniel bursts out laughing, holding his stomach, “holy shit.”

Hana smirks, “did you crush his hopes and dreams?”

“As quickly as possible.”

Mia tilts her head, examining your expression, “he's smart, popular, good-looking. It makes sense, to be honest,” she nudges your arm, “not gonna lie, you'd be kind of a power couple.”

Daniel snickers, “you two probably have matching grade point averages. Academic royalty, a match made in GPA heaven.”

You groan, rubbing your temple as if you were trying to keep your cool, “i don't like him.”

“Then who do you like?” Mia asks, raising a brow. 

The problem is you don't like anyone. Not in the way they expect, romance has never been a priority and you've never felt the pull that seems to drive everyone else. These comments are meant to be casual, just part of the teasing, of the typical campus gossip. But you know them, you know how this works, if you don't shut this down now, the rumor will only get worse, and by next week, half the campus will be convinced you and Aaron are planning a future together with two babies. 

So you do what any rational person would do, you blurt out the first name that comes to mind. 

“Ellie Williams.”

Silence. 

You can feel them staring. Hana blinks. Daniel looks confused. Even Mia, for all her nosiness, seems momentarily thrown. 

“... Who?”

Fuck. 

You clear your throat, “Ellie Williams,” you repeat, like that somehow makes it better, “she's in our year.”

Mia stares at you like you've just announced you're dropping out of college to become a circus performer, “Ellie Williams,” she repeats slowly, as if testing the words on her tongue. You keep your expression neutral, but inside, you're already regretting your life choices. 

Hana leans in closer, intrigued, “wait, how come you never mentioned her before?”

“Because it's none of your business,” you answer smoothly, picking at your salad like this conversation is beneath you. 

Daniel, still looking baffled, scrolls through his phone, “i'm literally searching her up right now, i don't even know what she looks like,” panic flares in your chest, if he looks up her grades— he suddenly snaps his fingers, “oh! i think i know her. Quiet, kind of awkward? sits at the back in most lectures?”

Hana hums in thought, “the one with messy notes and the guitar case sometimes?” she stays quiet for a moment, “wait, is she the girl who nearly set the chem lab on fire last semester?”

You nearly choke on your drink. Great. 

Mia nods, clearly enjoying this, “yeah, i remember that. Apparently she mixed up two compounds because she forgot her glasses.”

Daniel squints at you, “no offense, but… since when is that your type?”

You resist the urge to bury your face in your hands, “i don't have a type.”

Mia grins like a shark sensing blood, “oh, you do now.”

“Wait. That's actually kinda cute,” your best friend smirks, “i never thought you liked shy girls.”

You sigh, “can we please change the subject?”

Mia nudges your arm, “tell us more. Have you guys talked before? how'd you meet?”

You glance at the time on your phone, “would you look at that? class is in ten minutes. Gotta go,” you stand up, without even finishing your salad, grabbing your bag. 

Daniel rolls his eyes, “that was the weakest escape attempt ever.”

You don't care. You just hope that Ellie Williams never hears about this. 

But she does. 

Ellie has had a crush on your months, not that she'd ever planned on doing anything about it. You exist in a world she doesn't belong to— too put-together, too untouchable, always surrounded by people who seem effortlessly in sync with you. Ellie, in contrast, struggles to remember her assignments, barely scrapes by on tests since she just draws stars in her notes, she owns exactly one backpack that she never closes properly and has exactly one friend (Jesse, who is much better at life than she is). 

She likes watching you though, not in a creepy way. Just in the way someone watches a shooting star— distant, beautiful, something she'd never reach. 

But today. Today you say her name. 

Ellie is passing through the dining hall to go outside, too tired to deal with packed tables and loud conversations, when she hears it. Her name. In your voice. She stops. At first she thinks she's misheard. But then she sees your table— the reactions, the wide eyes, the disbelief. And it clicks, you just told everyone you like her. Her. Her eyes widen like a deer caught in headlights. 

Ellie nearly drops her tray. She's not sure how she's gonna make it through the day without spontaneously combusting. When she reaches her usual table outside the cafeteria she can still hear your voice. She must be hallucinating. Maybe she fell asleep in class and this is just some fever dream but no. Jesse is sitting across from her, watching her with mild concern as she continues to stare blankly at her ham and cheese sandwich. 

“Dude,” he finally says, “you look like you just saw a ghost.”

Ellie slowly turns to him, her brain still short circuiting, “i think she likes me.”

Jesse raises an eyebrow, “who?”

Ellie swallows, “her.”

He frowns, “you're gonna have to be a little more specific, man.”

The freckled girl runs a hand through her hair, exhaling, “Her. You know. Smart. Popular. Untouchable.”

It takes Jesse approximately three second to put it together. His eyes widen, “no way," Ellie nods and Jesse leans back, looking thoroughly amused, “okay, explain.”

So Ellie does. She tells him about overhearing your confession, about how your friends reacted, how it didn't seem like a joke— at least, not from what she could tell. The guy listens, nodding along. When she finishes, he lets out a low whistle, “damn. Didn't see that coming.”

“Yeah,” Ellie mutters, rubbing her temple. 

Jesse watches her for a moment before grinning, “so… what's the problem? this is, like, your dream scenario.”

“No, it's not…” she groans, “i was fine just admiring her from a distance. What the hell am i supposed to do now?”

He shrugs, “go talk to her.”

Ellie stares at him, “what?"

"You like her, right?"

She hesitates, "yeah."

"And she just said she likes you?"

"Yeah, but—"

"So go talk to her."

Ellie crosses her arms and furrows her brows, "that’s the worst advice I’ve ever heard."

He snorts, "what, you want me to tell you to ignore it and hope it goes away?"

Ellie groans again, slumping in her seat, "i don’t know, man. She’s, like... way out of my league. I barely pass my classes. She’s literally the smartest person on campus."

Jesse rolls his eyes, “okay, first of all? shut up. Second, you won’t know if she’s actually into you unless you ask. What’s the worst that could happen?"

Ellie considers, "public humiliation?"

Jesse waves a hand casually, "happens to the best of us. You’ll survive."

She glares, "you’re the worst."

A grin, "nah. I’m the best. Now, go talk to your girlfriend."

Ellie groans one more time for good measure, and, against all better judgment, she heads off to find you after the classes end. 

────────────────────────

You try not to think about it after lunch, hoping this whole situation would just be a day or maybe two, so you go about your day hoping to find some peace but when you're leaving the library, in the afternoon someone calls your name quietly when you're passing by the entrance. 

Ellie is standing there, clearly waiting for you. You recognize her instantly— not only because of the photo on the board but because there's something about her that makes her stand out in a quiet way. A few freckles dusting her nose, auburn hair tied back messily, hands stuffed into the pockets of her hoodie, the way she won't quite meet your gaze. She looks… different, like something you're not used to, like she doesn't belong in the whirlwind of polished, high achieving students you surrounded yourself with Her posture is tense, shoulders slightly hunched, like she's half expecting you to tell her to get lost and yet, here she is. 

“... Hi,” Ellie says. Her voice is lower than you expected, a little rough, a little nervous. 

You raise an eyebrow, “hi.”

Ellie exhales sharply, like she's bracing herself, “uh, so—” she clears her throat, shifts on her feet, “i heard what you said at lunch.”

Your stomach tightens. Of course she did, you should've expected that. Still, hearing her say it out loud makes it feel… real. You tilt your head slightly, keeping your expression neutral, “oh.

The girl in front of you nods, she looks like she's about to pass out, “yeah and, uhm, i just—” she exhales, then forces the words out in one breath, “i like you too.”

Silence. For a second all you can do is stare at her. Something in her expression makes your stomach twist into knots, there's sincerity there but also uncertainty, like she doesn't quite believe the words coming out of her own mouth. She looks like she really means she likes you. Ellie looks alone, not in the obvious way, but in the way people look when they're used to being overlooked. And that makes you feel worse, the idea of rejecting her outright feels… wrong. 

You tilt your head as you cross your arms and sigh, “look, Ellie…” she tenses like she's preparing for the worst, you choose your words carefully, “i'm not really into dating right now.”

Ellie blinks, “oh," it's quiet for a moment, you expect her to shrink back, maybe make some awkward excuse and leave, instead she just shifts her weight, scratching the back of her neck, “... that makes sense.”

Your eyes widen a bit, you watch her, “it does?”

“Yeah,” she mutters, “i mean— you're busy, and uh, probably have better options.”

Your brows furrow slightly once again, “that's not what i said.”

Ellie shrugs, but it's too casual, too practiced, “i know, just saying.”

You study her for a moment. She's defensive, not because she's mad, more like she expected rejection from the start and is just trying to act like it doesn't bother her and for someone reason that bothers you.

You sigh, “i wasn't lying, you know," Ellie finally meets your eyes directly, you hold her gaze, firm but not unkind, “i really don't wanna date anyone right now, i have a lot going on, it's not about you,” she nods but she looks she doesn't totally believe you. And that's it supposedly, you should walk away, that would be the smart thing to do but instead you pause and then add, “but… we could still talk.”

Ellie blinks, confused, surprised, “talk?”

You shrug, glancing away, “if you want. You don't seem like you have a lot of people to talk to.”

Ellie snorts, “wow. Thanks.”

A smirk tugging at the corner of your lips, “am i wrong?”

She hesitates, “... no.”

You nod satisfied, “then it's settled," Ellie frowns slightly, like she doesn't quite understand how she got here but she doesn't argue and you take that as a win, “See you around, Williams,” you say before turning to leave and she watches you go, and despite everything, smiles to herself.

For some reason Ellie intrigues you, she's different. Not in the obvious i'm trying too hard be unique way but in the doesn't seem to care about fitting in way. She seems real, and maybe that's refreshing.

[luvendiary]

when chaos ensues / s. reid

spencer reid x reader

a/n: so this was what the last one was supposed to be, but i got sidetracked. i rewatched the last episodes of season 9 where spencer gets shot and inspiration came to me as fast as that bullet went through him. also, i'm sorry if it's not that good, i need an outlet for my anxious energy since i am currently finishing my trimester. as always, let me know what you think. summary: the odds are not aligned in your favor today, lucky for you spencer will always be there for you warnings: usual cm level violence.

Your unconscious form laid in the sterile hospital room. Spencer had refused to leave your side. Although not much protest came from the team since they needed to make sure someone was keeping an eye on you while the rest of them focused on solving the case.

Garcia had insisted on staying as well. She could do her job anywhere and amongst all of them she was the one with the most ‘maternal instinct’. Always attentive to the other’s needs. Good thing she had stayed after all, since in taking care of you, Spencer had decided to stop taking care of himself.

“Here,” she said, setting a tray down. “You need to eat.”

Spencer looked up at her, a brief respite from staring at your heart monitor -making sure your cardiac rhythm was not a single beat out of the ordinary.

“I’m not hungry, thanks,” he said. His eyes sported bags under them, and his hair was sticking up in every way.

“I brought jell-o,” she insisted. “Your favorite.”

He glanced at you before returning to face Garcia with tight lips.

“It’s her favorite too,” he whispered.

Penelope tried to give him a reassuring smile, which just came out more sad than encouraging. “She’s going to make it out. You know she will. She’s stubborn like that.”

Spencer just nodded before reluctantly taking the clear cup of jell-o in his hand and eating a spoonful.

He kept replaying the moment it happened. How you were supposed to go in with Derek to negotiate with the unsub. You had a talent with words. Always so soothing and rational. You always knew what to say.

You had been putting on your bulletproof vest when the unsub started shooting.

It happened so quickly, yet everything after that could not have gone slower.

He saw as your body jolted and you fell to the ground immediately. His heart dropped. The thud you had made as your body collapsed first against the SUV and consequently to the floor was sickening. And even though he had been several feet away from you, he could hear it so clear.

He vaguely paid attention to Alex calling out his name as he sprinted toward you, sliding to the ground, and propping your head on his lap after he had moved your body behind the SUV to make sure you were safe.

The image of your eyes focusing in and out, was something he would not be able to forget for a long time. It was as if you were fighting against something trying to take you away into total darkness. He hung onto every mumble that escaped your lips, trying to shush them with soothing words of encouragement.

He was broken out of his trance by the ring of a cell phone.

Penelope rummaged through her purse, trying to find the device. Once she did, the voice of Derek Morgan could be heard from the other end. Spencer didn’t catch much besides their usual ‘hot stuff’ and ‘baby girl’ gameplay, too focused on staring at the steady rhythm of the rising and falling of your chest.

She’ll be fine. She has to.

Once Garcia hung up she seemed more agitated than she had been moments before.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, standing up. His eyes flicked to the IV drip, scrutinizing the clear tubing that snaked from the bag of medicine to the needle embedded in your arm. A faint frown creased his brow as he traced the line for any air bubbles or obstructions. He allowed his hand to linger a moment longer, softly tracing your knuckles.

“Corruption. The whole system’s wrong…” she breathed out as she immediately took out her computer and started tapping away at the keys. “The sheriff has a lot of explaining to do.”

Spencer’s eyes flickered to your unmoving figure. “The sheriff? But he was killed.”

“He was the acting sheriff. The real one had taken a ‘vacation’, conveniently the day before we arrived.”

Penelope could see the gears turning in his head. Trying to connect the dots, but his train of thought was interrupted by a nurse entering the room, a small vial of medicine in his hand and a clipboard under his arm.

“She had her meds an hour ago,” he said.

“Yeah,” he said calmly. “These are post-op antibiotics.”

“She had those too,” Garcia chimed in, her usual cheery tone now more somber.

Spencer, positioning himself between you and the nurse who had already made his way to the IV drip, peaked at the label on the vial.

“Carbenicillin? No, that’s not right. She has a severe reaction to beta-lactams. She can’t have that.”

The man checked the clipboard for a brief moment before setting it down. “It’s not in her chart,” he said nonchalantly before moving to administer the liquid to you.

With practiced smoothness, with a needle he extracted the medicine before quickly injecting it into the IV.

“What are you doing?” Spencer said, panic evident in his voice as he quickly put his hands to work in trying to remove the needle in your arm administering the medicine. “Stop! What are you doing?”

Not being quick enough, he slapped the medicine out of his hand. However, it had already been partly injected. He hurriedly ripped the needle out of your arm. As he looked for something to stop the bleeding, he saw a gun peering out of the nurse’s waistband.

“Garcia! He has a gun!” he called out as he positioned himself between you and him.

Not a second went by after the words left his mouth until a gunshot reverberated in the room.

The man fell to the ground.

Spencer’s muscles, still tense, worked on separating themselves from your body. “We have to get her out of here,” he mumbled as he made quick work to disconnect you from every device. The heart monitor’s constant beeping, now replaced with the sound of a flatline.

“Reid, wait! Where are we going to take her?” Penelope protested, but she was already gathering her things.

“Anywhere. Somewhere safe,” he replied frantically as he took your unconscious body in his arms, your head falling limply over the end.

“There’s no place that’s safe,” she reasoned. “The police are corrupt. They’re the ones that sent that man over to kill her. She must’ve seen the sheriff or something.”

Spencer remembered now. Her last words -if he could even call them that- before losing consciousness had been about the unsub. At the time he thought you were going over the profile you had already put together, but he now realized that you were trying to give him another one.

White male; a pregnant pause. Early thirties; your eyes fluttering close. Position of power; a cough. Uniform; a raspy breath.

You had been describing the sheriff all along. You had seen him.

Spencer barely had time to process Penelope’s words before the door burst open. Derek Morgan stepped in, gun raised, eyes scanning the room in an instant. His gaze fell on the lifeless body of the nurse on the floor before flicking to Spencer, who was cradling your unconscious form protectively.

“We need to move. Now,” he ordered as he softly kicked the nurse, checking for any signs of life. None.

No one protested. Garcia quickly gathered her things along with yours, which had been placed in a hospital bag. They both followed Derek, carefully checking every corner and every turn.

“Rossi and Alex were both attacked by the police,” he explained as he opened the SUV for Reid, who with his help climbed in along with you, setting your head on his lap.

“We’re gathering at a safe house. Those of us who can. Hotch and JJ are still at the station.”

Reid just nodded. Penelope, on the other hand, rambled on about corruption and the immorality of man.

It had not occurred to him that you not giving any sign of life amidst all this moving around was not exactly normal. He had grown so accustomed to your close eyelids that it was only when a thin layer of sweat and rose coloration started appearing on your skin that he realized something was gravely wrong.

The Carbenicillin had reached your system.

“She’s having a reaction to the antibiotic,” he mumbled in a panic to himself.

The SUV screeched to a halt outside a run-down safe house, hidden in the outskirts of the city. Morgan was out first, yanking the door open as Spencer scrambled to carry you inside. The moment they entered, Morgan took one sweeping glance at the cluttered dining table before gripping its edges and flipping it over with a forceful crash. Plates, glasses, and papers shattered on the floor, but there was no time to care.

“Lay her down here!” Morgan barked, already pulling off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves.

Spencer gently but quickly placed you on the now-cleared table, his hands shaking as he brushed your sweat-drenched hair from your face. Your chest barely moved, and the color in your face was draining fast.

“She’s not breathing!” Garcia’s voice was high-pitched with panic as she tore through medical bags, flinging gauze and bandages aside. “Where the hell are the damn EpiPens?!”

Spencer didn’t wait. His training kicked in as he tilted your head back, pinched your nose shut, and sealed his lips over yours. He exhaled, trying to force air into your lungs. Your body remained unresponsive.

“Come on,” he pleaded between breaths. “Stay with me.”

Morgan’s hands hovered near your wrist, checking for a pulse. “She’s going into shock, Reid. We need that shot, now!”

Garcia let out a strangled sound of triumph as she ripped the cap off the EpiPen. “Got it!”

Morgan snatched it from her hands and, without hesitation, jammed it into your thigh. “Come on, sweetheart. Breathe.”

Spencer gave another desperate breath, and then—your body convulsed violently. Tremors wracked through you as your body fought for oxygen. Your fingers twitched, and your lips parted with a ragged, choked gasp.

Your eyelids fluttered weakly, a barely-there motion, but it was enough for Spencer’s breath to hitch. Your fingers trembled as if trying to grasp onto something solid, anchoring yourself to reality. A faint, raspy breath slipped from your lips, though your body was still struggling, your lungs desperate to catch up.

Morgan exhaled, nodding to Garcia, who was clutching her laptop like a lifeline. “She’s not out of the woods yet,” he said. “She needs medical attention. The EpiPen can only delay the inevitable.”

Spencer’s hand lingered on your cheek, his touch grounding, steady. His thumb traced slow circles, a silent reassurance. “Just hold on a little longer,” he murmured, voice low but firm.

Your eyes barely managed to open, glazed and unfocused, but for a split second, you looked right at him. A ghost of recognition passed over your features before exhaustion pulled you back under.

The rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor was the first thing you registered. Then, the stiffness in your limbs, the dull ache threading through every muscle in your body. Your throat felt like sandpaper, and every breath burned.

The room was dimly lit, casting shadows over familiar faces gathered around you. They were talking in hushed voices, tense and weary, their exhaustion evident in every line on their faces. No one had noticed you stirring yet.

You swallowed painfully before rasping, "Who died? You all look terrible."

Conversations halted instantly. Heads snapped in your direction, and in a matter of seconds, multiple voices overlapped—relief, exasperation, disbelief. Garcia let out a choked laugh, her hand flying to her chest, while Spencer leaned in closer, eyes scanning your face as if making sure he wasn’t imagining it.

Morgan huffed, shaking his head. "Damn, you really don’t know when to quit, do you?"

Spencer exhaled, the tension visibly leaving his shoulders. "You scared us," he admitted, his voice quieter and somehow softer than the others.

You tried to shift, but a sharp pain shot through your side, making you wince. Spencer’s hand was there in an instant, pressing gently against your arm to still you. "Hey, take it easy. You’ve been through a lot."

"What exactly happened?" you asked, everything coming back to you in flashes. And then a single face, of a strange man, wearing a badge.

"The police...did they?"

JJ nodded. "Yeah. It’s over now. Don't worry about it. You need to rest."

You sighed, "I'm really sorry. I wish I could've helped more."

Hotch, who had been standing silently at the foot of your bed, finally spoke. His voice was calm but firm. "The only thing you need to be worrying about right now is getting better." 

A brief pause, and then he cracked the smallest of smiles. "You can help with the paperwork later if you're so eager to work."

"On second thought, I think I'm good," you replied with a tired smile. 

You let out a weak breath of relief, letting your eyes slip shut for just a moment. When you opened them again, Spencer was still watching you, his expression softer now. You tried for a small smirk, though it barely held. "Thanks for talking to me. It helped a lot, in not...slipping away."

He smiled and rubbed your knuckles gently, a secret gesture in a room full of watching eyes. "Always. Although, next time, let's skip the almost-death sentence. Deal?"

You huffed a quiet laugh, squeezing his hand with as much force as you could -which wasn't a lot. "Deal."

[vainvenus]

mind games. | ln4 | pt.3

Pairing: Lando Norris x Fem!Reader

Synopsis: The race debrief and the after party are both some of your favorite parts after a good race but it seems like Lando your mind is ruining it for you.

Includings: Dark!Lando Norris, gaslighting to the max, distorted reality, anxiety/stress, power dynamics, tension, hinting towards a panic attack near the end, paranoia ( what's new lol )

An: I think this is my fave chapter I've written so far @slutforvoldy

The debrief room, like always was very lively. Multiple reporters and journalists trying to get a question or two in for the podium winners. You were sat between Max and Lando, tapping your nails against your microphone as you tried to pay attention to any questions that were specifically towards you or for all of you.

"[Y/n] how do you feel about that race? Going from P13 to P2 must have been exhilarating." One of the journalists commented and you nodded your head with a warm smile, a genuine one that you hadn't felt in a while.

"Yeah, yeah, it feels amazing. I was really worried I wasn't gonna be able to pick it up but thanks to my amazing strategist and engineers, I'm sitting here with these guys." You giggled. "Which is kind of a punishment."

"Hey!" Max laughed, playfully shoving your shoulder and Lando nudged you with his shoulder as the three of you laughed together.

And for once, you felt at ease—like a weight had been lifted from your shoulders, the tight knot in your chest finally unraveling. The heavy rock that had sat in your stomach for so long was gone, leaving behind a lightness you almost didn’t recognize.

Maybe you were just stressed lately and this win and debrief was just what you needed.

But just as you began to settle into that rare sense of peace, a singular question circled in your mind like a shark in the water, lurking beneath the surface—waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Lando, why did you back off on Lap twenty-three instead of defending?"

He had stopped laughing, he now looked confused as he made eye contact with the interviewer who asked the question. "What?"

"You barely put up a fight. She came up the inside and you.." He had gestured. "Just let her through?"

Lando tilted his head. "Did I?"

You froze, your grip tightening around your microphone.

A few murmurs passed through the room, giving each other glances of confusion. Everyone in that room had seen the race and even if they didn't there was a replay of the moment as one of the journalists had it on their phone already to show.

The three of you leaned forward to watch the footage and sure enough, there it was. Your car driving down the inside, Lando's car holding steady before easing back just enough to let you slip by.

It was quiet for a bit before Max spoke up to try and ease the slight tension in the room. "Yeah, mate what was up with that."

He shrugged. "That's not how I remember it."

The air felt tight again. Like there wasn't enough for you to inhale and exhale. You turned to him, searching his face, but there was nothing. No flicker of uncertainty. No nervous twitch. Just an easy, unreadable calm.

"Lando." The interviewer sighed, rubbing his temples. "We're literally rewatching it right now."

Lando leaned forward, studying the footage like he was seeing it for the first time and hadn't done it about an hour ago. He hummed. "I don't know, it looks like I covered the inside pretty well."

The room fell silent again, hushed whispered and mumbles spreading throughout before your voice cut through it with clear denial. "That's not what happened."

He turned his gaze to you, slow, careful. His eyes bored into yours and he tilted his head, similar to how he had done earlier like he was testing you. "Are you sure?"

Something cold curled in your blood.

"Lando." You said his name slowly, like coaxing a confession from a liar who wasn't ready to break. "We were in that fight. I know you didn't defend, it's so clear."

He held your stare for a second too long before his lips curled into a smirk.

He smirked.

To anyone else it was playful but you knew it was deliberate, calculated even because it was the exact same one you recalled seeing in your rearview mirrors when you passed him.

"Funny how memories work, huh?" He chuckled, raising his brows. "One of us must be misremembering, shame it's you."

His words landed like a gut punch—sharp and undeniable. How he chuckled right after made it settle in like a twist of a knife, slow and deliberate.

Murmurs of amusement rippled through the room. Someone even laughed and the interviewer that brought it up mumbled something about watching it incorrectly then. His PR manager let out a sigh of relief from the side.

You swallowed hard.

They didn't see it. They didn't see him. They didn't see how he was so clearly lying through his teeth.

But now he wasn't only just lying to you. He was lying to Max. To the media. To anyone who would end up hearing this interview.

And worst of all.

He was doing it with that fucking smirk.

★

The after party was everything that it always was. Loud from all the yelling and singing, glittering, a swirling mess of neon lights and dancing bodies brushing against each other or pressed too close. Music throbbed through the air, bass heavy enough to shake beneath everyone who was dancing.

You should have been enjoying yourself. You had an amazing race, going from P13 to P2, points for the team and a 1-2 podium you should have been walking around like you owned the place.

But instead you were leaning against the wall with your drink cold in your hand, condensation slipping between your fingers as you tried to focus on anything else besides that feeling that you hadn't been able to shake off since the race debrief.

You shifted your weight, exhaling softly. You needed to stay calm and you needed to at least try and look like you were enjoying yourself. You needed to ignore the thoughts creeping in, the ones whispering that something was wrong, that nothing was making sense.

A hand wrapped around your wrist, jolting you from your overbearing thoughts.

"Alright enough brooding." Max urged, tugging you towards the dance floor. "You look like you're trying to solve world hunger over here."

You opened your mouth to protest but before you could Max had waved his hand at you dismissively, a clear sign that he didn't want to hear any excuse you were about to come up with. "You need to loosen up."

"I'm fine." You nearly spat for what felt like the millionth time today.

Max rolled his eyes. "No you're not. You're standing there like you just saw a ghost or something. We just won, remember? Try acting like it."

You wanted to. You really did.

The Redbull driver pulled you onto the dance floor before you could argue any further, laughter and music surrounding you almost instantly. The bass pounding beneath your feet, vibrations travelling up your spine. Max was grinning, smiling and spinning you around a few times as you playfully rolled your eyes at him.

Eventually you let yourself move with the rhythm despite your nerves working against you. You let the energy of the room take over your nerves.

Max pointed to your almost empty drink, offering to get another order of what you had and gin and tonic for himself. You nodded, giving him a thumbs up before you watched as he moved through the crowd and made a B-line to the bar.

You continued to sway along to the music, sipping on what was left in your cup. For a few fleeting moments you almost believed that you could down out the unease curling in your gut

And then you felt a hand on your waist.

Smelt a scent that was close to familiar but not quite.

And heard a voice too close to your ear.

"Couldn't let you dance alone now could I?"

You stiffened before you even turned.

His grip was light, gentle even but the way he pressed against her and leaned a little too close for comfort made her stomach turn.

"Breathe." He murmured, his voice barely audible over the music and the sound of your own heart beating against your chest. His fingers tapped against your waist. "Though I'm not sure you really can in this dress."

"Yeah..not really." You mumbled, a nervous giggle leaving your lips. You were fine. You were okay. Until your gaze dropped down to his hands which were comfortably situated on your hips. But then you saw it.

Your ring.

The one you swore up and down you lost.

It was just there on his ring finger like it belonged there. Like it was his.

Your stomach had dropped.

Lando must have noticed the small shift in your body language because he leaned a little bit closer, his fingers brushing against your waist in slow, comforting circles. "Something wrong?" He questioned, tilting his head slightly.

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out. The words tangled somewhere between your lungs and throat, suffocating under the weight of realization.

The music swelled around you two, bass-heavy and relentless, as if mocking your silence. Laughter rang from the bar. Glasses clinked. The world kept spinning, oblivious to the way yours had just tilted off its axis. No one noticed the way your body had gone rigid in Lando’s grasp. No one saw the way your fingers twitched, hovering between fight and flight.

But Lando noticed.

His grip remained steady, fingers pressing against your waist in a way that felt both grounding and suffocating at once. Not tight enough to trap you, but firm enough to remind you he was there.

The ring glinted again under the strobe lights, a flicker of silver that felt like a slap to the face. The same ring you had lost. No, the same ring that had gone missing. It hadn’t been misplaced. It wasn't hiding somewhere in your home or purse. You had searched for it, turned your place upside down, convinced it was your own mistake.

But it wasn’t.

Lando shifted slightly, just enough for his breath to ghost against the shell of your ear. He was waiting for you to react, waiting to see how you would play this. The smirk on his lips wasn’t just amusement—it was knowledge. Confirmation.

You swallowed, trying to force your lungs to work properly, but it was useless. The walls of the club felt like they were pressing in, the air too thick, the lights too bright. Your heart wasn’t beating right—it was stumbling over itself, struggling to keep up with the panic clawing its way up your throat.

Lando’s hold on you didn’t falter.

The smirk didn’t waver.

And for the first time all night, you couldn’t breathe.

[andy-wm]

Moving out, Moving in

Mission accomplished by sleight of hand?

This is just a collection of thoughts so it's probably full of holes, but it seems to me that Jimin and Jungkook always have a plan in motion.

I guess it's not surprising since they live and work in a fast paced environment in which most of their waking hours are scheduled to the max. It's not just the day to day that's planned down to the wire, their albums and tours are planned years ahead of time and coordinated with military precision.

Their lives run on plans and schedules

Random anecdote: Someone I was friendly with a couple of years ago worked on the BTS Samsung ads as a translator. She described how she was expected to be awake and ready to take calls and edit copy at literally any time of the day or night. Hybe does not sleep. There are staff all over the world, working around the clock. Time is money.

We've all heard these stories, right? So we can imagine the project/event management going on there. The place must run like a Swiss watch.

When you live like that it becomes your normal, so i have no doubt ALL the members are used to planning out their lives.

Also, when you have hardly any free time you use it carefully. If you want to do anything you have to plan and schedule it.

I'm not suggesting they project manage all these things on their own. What's the point of having an endless well of money if you can't hire people to help you make life happen the way you want it to. But I am saying they would know that if they don't plan it, it aint gonna happen.

So, back to Jikook and their plans.

Solo albums

Despite how different their solo album were in terms of musical styles and themes, their promotional materials were astonishingly similar. From colour palettes to photo styling to identical outfits they were far too similar for it to be a coincidence. In fact, if those albums had been people walking down a street they would have been couple dressing without a doubt.

Are You Sure

The travel adventures they squeezed in between deadlines and performances must have been carefully orchestrated too.

Home sweet home

And let's not forget Jungkook finding time to design, plan, and execute the building of the Itaewon house in between everything else.

They plan down to the fine details. And they also play the long game. It's how they're used to operating.

Keep that in mind as i move onto the next thought. This is the interesting bit...

Military service.

It's a reality for every able bodied man in Korea. For a group like BTS it's another thing that would have been carefully considered. Enlistment timing, yes, and every other variable they could choose: locations, divisions, roles etc.

They would have been thinking about their options for MS from the time they were eligible to enlist. Jungkook would have been acutely aware that his tattoos would prevent him from doing anything in security. But that didn't prevent him from inking up his whole arm.

So, we can assume other plans or priorities for MS existed even then.

And those plans included a major decision:

Companion enlistment.

They would have thought carefully about this, having heard all the horror stories of how it can go wrong.

Besides that, despite being dismissed as no biggie by most of the fandom it is extremely rare for idols to enlist as companions.

I did the research. There might be one other occurrence of this. Enlisting at the same time does happen (still rare) but as companions... almost never.

It meant their enlistment was even more newsworthy. They must have known it would highlight their closeness. Was that a conscious choice too?

Maybe.

Everyone, not just jikookers, knows they're inseparable now. It's proof for those who needed it that their relationship is genuine and not fan service.

If they were concerned about how their relationship was perceived i guess thats a bonus. But they coukd have just been more visible in Seoul.

So I'm still asking myself... why?

Why take the chance? Why risk the relationship? So many couples just have to deal with the MS separation, it's simply a fact of life. All the other members had to go through it alone. Jimin and Jungkook could have done it too. They spent months barely seeing each other when they were on solo schedules.

And I'm absolutely not denying they most likely wanted to be together if at all possible. But besides that, what could be gained? Its a long game, remember... so what could be their ultimate goal here?

Where will this lead?

What comes next for them?

Logically the biggest thing for any of the members one they've completed their MS, is their adult life. On a personal level it's the next step.

Nobody is naive enough to think these guys are still going to play boyfriend to the fandom. Not when Hobi our sunshine, who wouldn't even show his armpit on camera, describes the Sweet Dreams lyrics as BEST HOT SEX and then adds 'am I right?' with a smirk because he knows ARMY are all adults too (or that's the part of the fandom he's choosing to engage with).

There's going to be an expectation - or for some ARMYs a resigned acceptance - that the members will actively date, maybe settle down and have a long term partner or a family. But it's only acceptable for those who are going to date or marry a woman. It'd have to be an unknown and discreet or better yet totally secret lover if they're with any other gender.

Which brings us back to Jikook

So what might adult life look like for our lovebirds?

<<content warning: unbridled speculation>>

As a person who believes they're in a long term intimate relationship with plans for a future together, i think they'd want to share a home.

Could they share a home & future?

Imagine the absolute pandemonium that would ensue if Jimin and Jungkook suddenly paired up and set up house together. It would be wild. Possibly the most scandalous thing to ever happen to kpop. The press would roast them, carve them up, and serve the to the nation for dinner. Every conservative right wing mouthpiece would have an opinion on their morality. It would be hideous.

Unless....

Unless they didn't need to suddenly pair up because they were already living together!

Like maybe... as companion enlisted soldiers. And not just any ordinary soldiers but cream of the crop, highly commended, much adored soldiers. Soldiers who have done their nation proud together.

By enlisting together they've already bridged the possibly fatal social chasm they needed to navigate (aka rampant homophobia) if they wanted to move in together.

They ALREADY live together

They've done the hard bit.

It would be no big deal, really to continue to do so. All they'll be doing is relocating to the house in Itaewon.

And my goodness what serendipitous timing... the build was completed while they were snuggled up in their barracks so there's no awkward in between stage. They can just slide right in to their cosy new home and nobody can really say a thing.

What a cunning plan

Now before anyone yells at me of course i have no idea what their plans are. Zero. Nobody does except their trusted circle. This is entirely fabricated. But ya know what?

It's also entirely possible.

💜🏠💛

[babachira]

life in sakadays

asakura shin x psychokinesis!reader (i'm literally crazy)

── ⟢

+ unlike shin's accidental awakening of a clairvoyant, you're the product of constant testing. that means you're probably full of not-so-great memories of the place you grew up in where kids were being manipulated into drinking purple liquid and hopefully develop powers, but you're part of sakamoto's family now! hurray!

+ no one suspected that you had an ability at the start. it's not a common occurrence that someone has supernatural powers, but they probably figured out from either a) you pulled off jaw-dropping moves like blocking bullets by launching tables triple your size, or b) they caught you chucking detergent onto the shelves without lifting a single finger. no in-between. heisuke might've got it from the latter.

+ you can lift practically anything, but the heavier it is, the harder it becomes. clearly, lifting hana and playing bird-girl is a lot more doable than shifting sakamoto onto the second floor just because he doesn't want to climb the stairs. aoi-san and lu are also ok, shin and heisuke feel like a little pebble in your hands, whereas sakamoto-san would always feel like you're holding a 5kg dumbbell. it's ok if it's for a second, but any longer and it only starts to ache.

+ "ugh, i have to move all of this because shin refused to do it!" lu would cry out, then not-so-subtly glance at you. "my poor arms have to do this work!" then with a dramatic eye-roll, you'd walk over and swing your arm in an arch, re-arranging all the new ramen packets that sakamoto-san had delivered. lu would envelop you in such a tight hug, "thanks so much! at least someone around here loves me enough to help!" then shin's sulking later only (just a tad!) because lu said that you love her.

+ and so now that your powers were in the clear, you had become such a hot topic in the family. sakamoto wouldn't really make it a big deal because he's always had shin, but he's probably never met a psychic before, so he's a little curious. shin will be gobsmacked because goddamn he scored. a badass partner for free? well, life-threatening issues such as chasing down that bounty on sakamoto's head does come as a fee for everyone, but shin's still grateful that you're there with him. he thinks it's awesome that he has someone else who can kick ass as well as him. maybe even better!

+ he will 100% suggest fighting strategies by combining his powers and yours. because you can't read minds, your plans might be something along the lines like you're the main offence while he's on guard for whatever you tell him. you'd be at the front letting him know (all telepathically, of course) of your surroundings like how many enemies or a rough sketch of the location so that he can use all of that to plan ahead. might get into silly arguments because you ran into some problems, but it's a success most of the time!

+ your powers will absolutely be exploited by sakamoto's family. need a big order to be moved that sakamoto can't be assed to do himself? ok, you're on the job, time to put that mind to work and shift some disgustingly heavy boxes. hana wants to go flying? ok! just make sure she doesn't hit the ceiling, otherwise, YOU might go flying from a certain dad. heisuke wants help carrying fifty bags of buns home? ok buddy, that is not going to be for free though. lu just can't be bothered to work? that's a no.

+ shin might be relieved to know that there's someone else on the team who they can rely on when it comes to mental prowess. sure, his ability is really handy, but sometimes, it can get a bit tiring when it's the only thing that's being used. you might be one of the only other people who really understands him

+ similarly to how shin is limited to a certain radius, your powers are only convenient with things in sight. if it's right in front of you, it's no biggie at all, but if it's to the point where you have to squint and lean forward to figure out what the hell it is you're looking at, that's where your brain starts to melt as you try to get it to move.

+ he's your no.1 supporter all the way. might get into spats with lu fighting for that spot, but everyone knows that he'll do everything he can to ensure your safety and that all your limbs are in place BECAUSE GOD FORBID everyone gets out unscathed

+ because shin can read minds and just sometimes you want to tease him, you and lu would purposely think things like "shin's an idiot!" "nice ass, shin" or "i know you're looking at me" to the point where he comes stomping over, demanding with ears as red as an apple, "stop bothering me about my ass! and no! i was not looking at you!"

+ he really wants to impress you, so you bet he'll exploit his powers to tap into your mind and figure out what you want. let's say you're craving your favourite food, he just so happens to have it delivered to the front of the store at your most ravenous state. at the very beginning you thought it was a genuine coincidence until it started becoming very specific like that extra topping or how many pumps of syrup in your drink. you know now, of course, and shin knows that you know too. he doesn't stop though

+ if shin's your number one fan, hana is for both. she's a big you and shin lover. whenever she sees one of you without the other, she's bound to ask, "where's shin/(name)? are you guys not together?" and honestly, shin's so happy that he's always associated with you. if you're not there, he'd crouch down to her height and say, "it's just me, right now. it'll be the both of us soon, then we can all play together!"

+ seeing you in action has always sent a thrill to his spine. be it good or bad, his instinct to protect you is always the same. he knows you're very capable, very, as he watches you hurl two fire trucks with a swipe of your hands. he's like, "woah . . . wow . . . " he's so impressed and knows that you're not one to mess with. he holds real sympathy to those who underestimate you.

+ obviously, word that sakamoto has a clairvoyant on his team is already out. shin's powers are good, so it's no surprise that people would target him first since he is really useful. unlike that, at the start, you wouldn't be as well known because the sakamoto family all agreed to keep you under wraps just in case people start going for you too. it's only when you join them on more missions that you have to start using your psychokinesis to help, which garners more unwanted attention.

+ shin would definitely hate that. he once saw this sign with your face that had all the pros and cons of your powers in bullet points, and this urge to rip whoever created this to shreds was indescribable. if you already know about the flyer, he'd ask if you always knew. if you didn't, he'd probably keep quiet for a while and confirm it with sakamoto. he'd hate how you're becoming a target when he would much rather it just be him.

+ but seeing you put your life on the line just like everyone else makes him nervous yet so proud. he looks up to you in a way that he's so glad that someone accepted him and that no matter what you went through, you're still pushing through. if you ever get injured, his eyes would fly open, panic rushing through his entire body like an adrenaline rush uncalled for. logic would fade from his mind as he'd hold you and rush through the building for the exit and nearest hospital. there can't be anything worse than losing his family, losing you.

+ if it isn't serious, he'd bandage you up right there and then, staring so intently with all the emotions in his eyes with comments like "idiot, i told you this isn't easy. look at you, getting me to patch you up" or "it stings, yeah? well, you gotta suck it up until we get back home. maybe if you're lucky, i can piggyback you." he stares with so much love, his brows furrowed and jaw clenched, that it lowkey gets you flustered because how can one look at someone so deeply? it's as if he's locked onto your soul and is transmitting his thoughts, despite your inability to read minds, into your heart.

+ but if it's really bad, he'd yell in your face to hang in there and not close your eyes. would beg sakamoto to run as fast he can to get you to the nearest hospital. would refuse to leave your side unless he's physically dragged away and he'd remain stoic for the rest of the week or until you're discharged. not even lu or heisuke would be able to make him crack a smile. hana would barely manage to earn a small quirk of the lip, but unless he's sure that you're ok, he's not.

+ once you're better, he's dashing to you. he's never letting you go, he never ever wants to go through that again, and he'd reprimand you so hard that you genuinely feel bad. he wouldn't go overboard with the scolding, just enough so that you know he truly cares for you. everyone's happy that you're all healed though!

+ you'd try help aoi-san with dinner from time to time. hana would also be there, asking if she can cut carrots with her star-shaped cutter. you'd agree as long as you're watching her and she's so happy! everyone else would probably be downstairs tending to the store until dinner's ready, but when shin comes up a little earlier than the rest and sees you participating in the domestic chores with aoi-san, his heart just swoons. bro is so in love, how does he even show it? he'd look over your shoulder and even if you're doing amazing, he'd tease, "what's that meant to be?" but most of the time, he's like, "looks good. can't wait to eat it."

+ it's a family you'd never trade anything for. the peace you relish in is incomparable and you believe that you owe everyone so much for what they've done. of course, minus the deadly threats that come your way, but it's nothing compared to every positive thing that happens in your saka-family life!!

[writingoddess1125]

We Missed You pt. 2

Welp- Didn't expect this to be liked so much, So to keep with theme. Wrote during a lecture. (After late night brainstorming)

Nikto x FemReader + OOC

<<< Part 1

Warnings: Creepy shit, Stalking, Awkwardness

NOTE: If you've never seen Nikto from COD before he does have acute dissociative disorder, so at times he will refer to himself as 'Us/We' a bit randomly.

Let's see..

'How to share custody with a shady military parent?'

1. Seek legal advice

Yeah that wasn't going to work, Doubt that you even knew Nikto real name. Let alone could think to afford a lawyer nor wanted to legally deal with whatever he was tied into-

2. Prioritize child's care- make sure other parent wants to be involved.

Well- Nikto had seemly wanted to be involved in some way, He hadn't done anything wrong yet...

So far you'd only seen him once more but it had only been two weeks since he seemed to just appear in your home- of course at night which seemed to be his prefered hours of life, Having dropped off a about a 2000 dollars randomly then Once again creepily looked at Ava who has awake that time and the two having this weird game of staring at each other.

Which was something you suppose-

3. Create a Military- Specific Parenting Plan

You sighed, Doubting once again if a guy who literally didn't show his face would really want a legit custody agreement.

'Oh Hey, I'm gonna be gone foorrrr however long in a country I can't talk about- But can I have Ava for the weekend?'

Yeah No-

Welp Thanks Google-

Snapping from your disappointing phone search as you hear the shrill cry of Ava in her crib- Having woken up from her nap for needing to be changed it seemed.

It still baffled your mind that you had started to understand the cries of your daughter- biology is fucking wild..

"I gotcha I gotcha pretty girl"

Rolling up from bed you grab her to bring to the changing table. You are quick to change her and put her in a fresh onsie. Her bottom lip still poked out and eyes watery as she looked up at you still coming down from her crying fit.

"It's okay Ava, All better hm?"

Grateful she was fast to calm down this time around. After a moment you looked to her, seeing how now calm was rocking herself side to side a bit- Something your recently learned was the signs of her eventually able to roll over.

"Welp, looks like its tummy time"

You smile scooping her up you do a quick walk to the livingroom, sliding the little foam mat to you and lay her down on her stomach, Seeing how she babbled and made some random noises- adding some spicy kicks it seemed.

"Really?-"

Laying down next to her you can't help but smile at her random noises. Deciding to just have a made up conversation with her random vocals.

"Oh wow, You're a scholar in the making? And dancing?.. Triple threat right here"

Handing over toys that had random fruit and vegetables on it, seemingly the corn one had caught her attention this time as she held and shook it repeatedly.

"Yeah its Corn-"

She grunted some and continued to shake the toy a little as she gave a loud gargled squeal.

"I know right, It's absolutely A-mazing"

You hum out in a stupid voice, Earning another little babbled squeal from her. As you go to reach for another toy for her you see her gaze go up suddently, Looking behind you as she lifts her head more to look at whatever had caught her attention.

Your face scrunched up at this as you turn and see a dark figure standing over you, Drawing a small shriek from you before you quickly realize who it is.

"God Damn it Nikto!"

You rub your face, Coming down from the spike of adrenaline you'd just experienced. Nikto staring you down, you could practically feel him smirking at you.

"Must you always just appear? You can knock on the door or something-"

Grunting as you get up from the floor rather ungracefully, and glare at him. Nikto crossing his arms as he glanced around the room a bit almost inspecting it before looking back down at Ava clearly ignoring your complaint.

Once again starting his odd staring contest with the current baby who was trying to wiggle in what almost looked like poorly executed swimming.

"I gotta know- What's with the staring game?" You couldn't really help but ask.

"She is my daughter. We can look"

He mumbled rolling his eyes. Smartass..

"Yes. But why do you only look at her?"

Nikto is quiet again, moving his head side to side slowly- A habit you were starting to pick up on when he seemed to be conflicted.

"....She is small..."

You hear the tone in his voice change slightly at saying that as it clicks. He was nervous to pick up his child?

"Well, if you want you can hold her"

He grunted, Shaking his head 'no' almost too fast. You couldn't help yourself as you gave a bit of a dramatic shrug.

"Well, Thats unfortunate. Someone who can break into a apartment but cant hold a baby.. What a shame"

Nikto casting you a intense side glare as he knew damn well you were giving him a small jab to his ego. A hella dangerous game but, You needed some sort of win.

"Fine.."

You cackle at this- bending down you scoop up Ava to bring to her Father. Who was currently holding out his large gloved hands like how one would go to hold a pet, and seemingly unsure of how to even take her from you.

Your as hesitant as Nikto for a split second as he awkwardly picked her under her armpit from your hands, which makes her head bobble and your fast to support it. Nikto seemingly catching on quickly as he pulls her to his chest so she was rested against him.

Ava was able to be easily secured by just one of his hands which almost took up her whole back and bottom, Leaving the other hand just hovering near her like when someone guarded a flame from going out.

He stood almost perfectly still then.

You see a flash of absolute terror in his eyes as he feels her pressed gently to him. Like processing that the child he'd been staring at was actually real and currently breathing and moving against him.

He looks down slowly at her while she stares up at him, Her legs kicking a bit as she did so and still a bit bobbly. The two having that weird game of staring at each other again.

It was like this for a solid minute or so-

Before Nikto turned away from you rather suddently, His back to you completely as you see his free hand shift up to his mask and he slowly pulls it up. His body language was awkward at best as he seemed to be letting his daughter see his face and waiting for a reaction.

For a second your thought you saw a peak of dark brown hair. However you didn't dare go to actually look, Ava babbled a little as she stared up at him still- Drool coming down her chin as she gave a gummy sorta smile and continued her squeals. Her tiny hands grabbing at his hoodie and looking around overall before back to his face. Nikto shoulders seen to relax then.

You hear him mumble something in his native tongue seeming a small conversation- It was impossible to hear really by how soft he was speaking. However it seemed to keep Ava attention slightly, another to were she gave another odd drool filled squeal.

A soft chuckle leaving him as you only seeing his head dip slightly in what you assume was him kissing the top of her head before retracting and pulling his mask back down, Securing it in place before turning back to you to hand her over very carefully. Clearly only willing to hold her for a short period of time.

"You Okay?" You can't help but ask, Seeing the way his gaze seemed to be locked onto Ava still however much softer, almost spaced out. He nodded sharply.

"..She has a middlename right?"

Blinking at the suddently whiplash question- it feeling like there was only pop-ups of weirdness or terror from Nikto everytime he was here.

"Um, Yes? It's-"

"I want add Igorevna to it-"

"What?" Now just confused. Curious how him holding his daughter for a few minutes now was leading to a very minor name change of all things.

"Adding Igorevna to her name. Is that fine?"

"What like a second middle name?"

He gave a 50/50 sign at that, Which you have to surpress the eye roll on. Figuring you shouldn't bother asking what it ment. He probably wouldn't tell you anyway.

This was not a battle you wanted to get into- Besides adding another middle name wasn't terrible. You didn't really understand why this was something he wanted but seemed easy to give at least-

"Sure. I'll call the Vital records office this week an-"

He held up a hand to stop you quickly.

"Dont. We'll have done by the end of the week-"

Ah Yes, You'd forgot that soft terror that plauged you about this man- Of course he would have some magical way to change your daughter's middle name in a week.

"Also I gave you money to get more things."

Setting Ava back down on the mat now on her back with another toy toy.

"Well I used it to get Ava stuff and put the rest to the side incase of emergencies for her-"

"Yourself too. Its ment for you to take care of Ava and You. You need better care, youre terrible at it"

He said casually, Shaking your head mildly offended by him.

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself thank you very muc-"

"(Y/N) you are unable at drinking water, you have had 'snacks' for lunches, you have not done your laundry nor showered in 2 days, all vegetables are frozen and 70% of diet is from the microwave or from box- You care for Ava, not yourself"

....

"Did.. Did you bug my house?"

You manage out, Staring him dead in the eyes at the painfully detailed critiques. He didn't say anything, just stared at you in return with a blank look. A cold shiver doing down your spine at the silent confirmation of his actions.

"Wait how many times have you been in here without me knowing?-"

"We will give more to you. Get better food and all you need-"

He said calmly, Brushing your question off casually as if he hadn't just told you he had been spying on you hard core. Pulling once more a tight wad of cash that was tossed to the near by coffee table. Before Nikto walked off without another word, Leaving you both terrified, shocked and heavily conflicted over what to really do next?..

Oh what the fuck is your life..

You did however comply with his wishes, Honestly too worried at what hed do otherwise- better food was purchased, as well as some clothes that weren't sweatpants, a big waterbottle too and other basic things you had been needing.

It was rather terrifying to know someone was watching your every move though. That and not knowing where he placed the cameras (You had tried to see if you could find at least one but utterly failed) or what he'd already seen..

That was here nor there at this point.

Later that week you went down to the mailbox units to sort through the forgetten avalanche of paper, (youd forgotten in your paranoid frenzy of Nikto watching you) Ava in a stroller currently blowing spit bubbles at you as you sorted through it all- However what stuck out was the rather massive manilla envelope which you had a inkling of what it was.

You open it quickly and sure enough, all new copies of your daughter's information was there. This time with the added Igorevna taxed on.

Looking through the rather impressive display of new documents your face couldn't help but scrunched up a bit- Pulling up a new birth certificate specifically which you see the father was now filled in. Only a Nikto as the front. Which from a Google search you knew ment 'Nobody' and what looked like a redacted last name.

Oh that's so comforting..

"Good Morning (Y/N)!"

You turn to see your landlord walking towards you, Most likely having gotten back from touring an apartment by the slightly winded look she had and one of her braids down from its usually neat neat headwrap.

"Morning Miss Rolle. How are you doing?"

Ms. Rolle was a nice women, a decent property manager and loved to stop you for chats especially when you had Ava. Always cooing at your daughter and offering helpful advice on small children.

Truthfully a godsend the first month of your daughter's life.

"Oh Im good Love just the same old. I just came over about your new unit, it will be ready in a few weeks just to keep you in the loop- Im sure packing is annoying with a baby. Just let me know if you need help, I know one of the maintenance men would be happy to help"

Ms Rolle said as she adjusted the tent of the stroller so it covered your daughter more. However you looked to the women fast and in confusion.

"New Unit?-"

She now looked at you both confused and clearly a bit worried. Probably sleep deprivation getting you.

"Yeah. You had sent an email wanting the 3 bedroom unit- you already gave the deposit and a years worth of rent and paid to break the current on your 1 bedroom too.."

Immediately you rubbed the bridge of your nose as you felt that acute pain of realization hit you in that moment.

Nikto-

However the irritate was short lived by a sudden thought.

Why was there three bedrooms?-