#and a few cabins ahead my other two friends were having the time of their lives

[nadvs]

wish you’d ask me (one-shot)

pairing zach maclaren x female reader

summary you and your friend zach are on your way to a weekend retreat when suddenly, you wake up in the hospital with a concussion. zach is relieved you’re okay, until he realizes that you’re under the impression that he’s your boyfriend.

tags plot-flip of ‘the other zoey’ where reader loses her memory. college setting. friends to lovers. mutual pining. mentioned song is ‘red love’ by dream ivory (zach gives indie soft boy yfm). angst and fluff. no smut. hugs to my zach girlies @juniebugg & @nemesyaaa <3 divider credit.

» masterlist

››› friday

“Uh oh,” you mumble.

“What is it?” Zach asks. His gaze is fixed ahead, the snowy road a stretch of glittering white under the afternoon sun. You bring your phone up closer to your face.

“Chase just texted the group,” you explain. “Apparently, the furnace broke.”

“Uh oh,” he echoes.

“Exactly,” you say with a defeated laugh. “What now? Do we cancel? We can’t be out there all weekend with no heat.”

Zach checks the time on his dashboard to see you have thirty minutes left of the drive to the cabin you rented with your friends. The four of them are already there, waiting for you two.

“Nevermind,” you say. “Esha texted. The only thing broken is Chase’s sense of humor. I’m this close to throwing him outside and locking the door.”

You hold up your hand in a pinching motion.

“And she used this emoji,” you explain with a giggle.

Zach’s eyes drift to you, an endeared smile pulling on his lips.

“Appreciate the demonstration,” he says.

He reaches a red light and forces himself not to stare at you. He’s afraid that one day, his feelings for you will refuse to stay stuck in his heart and he’ll just blurt them out.

The past hour in the car with you has been a dream. Really, any time he spends with you is a dream. You’re usually all together as a group, so he cherishes the rare moments he gets to be alone with you.

He knows admitting his feelings to you comes with the risk of losing your friendship and fracturing the bond you both have in the group. But sometimes, it’s like keeping them in actually physically hurts.

“What’s your favorite emoji?” you ask. “No, wait.” You think back to the texts you’ve exchanged over the many months you’ve been friends. “I already know. It’s the guy running. Your version of saying on my way.”

“It’s efficient,” he replies with a shrug.

“Okay, so, what’s your second favorite emoji?” you say.

Zach laughs heartily and says, “You never run out of questions.”

“Do you mean that in a ‘you’re so much fun’ way,” you ask, “or in a ‘I’m too nice to say it, but shut up’ way?”

“Please don’t shut up,” he says in a rush. “You’re keeping me entertained.”

“It’s the least I can do after you stayed back for me.”

You were the only person in your friend group who had a class you couldn’t miss today. Zach offered to leave for the cabin with you, saying he had an important essay he wanted to finish this morning anyway, while everyone else drove up last night.

He had already finished that essay two days ago.

“It was no problem,” he replies. He means it. Nothing is too difficult for him if it’s for you.

“I’ll still pay you back,” you say. You stifle a yawn, fighting off the fatigue that’s been melting into you for the past hour. “What can I get you? What do you want most in the world?”

Zach chews on his bottom lip, pretending to think, when really, what he wants most in the world is sitting in his passenger seat, the prettiest and kindest girl he’s ever known, her gaze burning into him in his peripheral vision.

“A life-changing cup of hot cocoa,” he replies.

“Big ask, but you got it,” you agree with a laugh. “You can enjoy it in your grandpa pj’s.”

Zach smirks. A few nights ago, on a group video call, you amusedly pointed out the plaid button-up he was wearing in bed.

“They’re comfortable,” he counters.

“They’re still pajamas an old man would wear,” you tease. Your phone buzzes in your lap. “It’s Chase. Esha ruined my prank. Scaring us that we’ll freeze? What kind of prank is that?”

“He’s ridiculous,” Zach laughs.

The six of you met back when you were put together for a group project. You all got along so well that you started hanging out outside of class. Zach has grown to deeply care for everyone in the group. You, especially.

“I’ve been playing my music this whole ride,” you realize. “It’s only fair that you get to choose the songs for the last stretch.”

“It’s okay,” he reassures. “You’re a good dj.”

“For once in your life, stop being so nice and just play what you want,” you tease. “Since your phone is the GPS, we can keep using mine. Do you have any public playlists?”

He scratches his cheek, nerves filling his chest.

“You’ll make fun of me,” he says.

“Zachary,” you gasp. “When have I ever made fun of you?”

“Like, a minute ago.”

“Other than that.”

“Five minutes ago?”

You laugh again and Zach swears it’s the nicest sound he’s ever heard. Nicer than any song either of you could put on.

“My music is either workout stuff or just… sappy,” he admits.

“I’d expect nothing less,” you respond with a chuckle. “No pressure, but I promise, I won’t judge.”

He breathes a laugh and tells you his username, praying he can keep a straight face if the songs he listens to when he’s thinking about you play.

You tap on the playlist he titled ‘Relaxing’ and sink back in your seat as you gaze out the window. The glass is a little fogged, the world looking like it was dusted with powdered sugar.

The gentle guitar spills out of the speakers as your eyes travel over snow-covered peaks of evergreens that line the road.

Your heart pulls once you hear the song’s first lines, curious if Zach relates to them.

I’m the type of guy, trying not to fight

Not so perfect but I always try to bring the light

He’s easygoing and optimistic – that much is true. But not so perfect? If you had the chance, you’d tell him how perfect he is, over and over again.

Your eyes slowly flutter shut, lulled by the melody. You tell yourself not to daydream about the man sitting next to you when you’re certain he doesn’t feel the same way you do, but it’s easier said than done.

You can’t help it. The longer you’re Zach’s friend, the more you have to yearn for. You’re convinced he has the purest heart you’ve ever known.

But through the conversations you’ve had with your friends about your love lives, you’ve learned that Zach is a romantic, never nervous to pursue a girl he likes. And if he liked you, you’re sure he’d have told you by now.

When you swore Esha and Maggie to secrecy regarding your crush on him, they were confident he feels the same way. You still aren’t.

I don’t wanna feel insecure about a thing

But she makes me feel like I don’t even know what’s happening

Pull me closer and it’s like I forget what was wrong

The thought of pulling Zach closer, of making his insecurities and problems go away makes your stomach twist with warmth.

And then, you’re lying in bed with him, cocooned in a fluffy duvet, your hand on his cheek as you gaze at him. Your heart is full, the air buzzing with love. He worryingly asks you if you slept enough. You nod and he tells you how beautiful you are and you press your lips on his.

Sudden stillness stirs you awake. You meet his sweet blue eyes.

Oh. You fell asleep. And you had a dream about Zach so tender that your heart is still racing, your lips tingling from the kisses he never even gave you.

“Did we make it?” you murmur, tumbling back into reality, grounding yourself in the fact that you’re in a parked car, not a cozy bed.

“Not yet,” Zach says. “I wanted to make a quick stop. Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

You look through the windshield to see a convenience store sign, the bottom skirted in translucent icicles.

“It’s okay,” you stutter, unbuckling your seatbelt. “It’ll be good to stretch my legs.”

Cold air pricks your cheeks when you step out of the car. Even though Zach has no idea what your subconscious just threw you into, it’s embarrassing to be around him after such an romantic dream.

You round the car and approach the front door, which Zach is holding open for you. In your daze, you realize you forgot your wallet.

“My wallet,” you say in a hush, turning back.

“I’ll cover it,” Zach offers.

But you’re already scurrying to the car. And then, you lose your balance.

.❅❅❅.

The weight in Zach’s stomach is catastrophically heavy.

You’ve been in a confused daze since your fall. And he’s worried sick.

He stands next to you as you sit in bed, blinking slowly. Since he helped pick you up off the icy concrete and drove you to the nearest hospital, you’ve been slowly coming to your senses.

The doctor comes in and asks a few questions. You get the first few right – your full name, your date of birth, your major, your address. All said confidently, even through the fog blocking your mind.

That’s a relief.

But then, you’re not sure what day of the week it is. You can’t tell her what you had for breakfast. And, most confusing of all, when the doctor asks if you know who he is, you say, “Zach. My boyfriend.”

He swallows hard, the word fluttering in his mind. Boyfriend?

The doctor runs a few tests, checking your coordination and reflexes, then offers a sympathetic grimace.

“You have a mild concussion. You’re not showing any serious signs I’m concerned about, but we should do a CT scan just in case.” The doctor looks to Zach. “Can you come with me to help book it?”

He nods, giving you one more worried glance before he trails the doctor out of the room.

After he tucks the appointment card in his wallet, he listens to the doctor’s instructions. Rest. Hydrate. Reduce stress. No screens. Come back if symptoms worsen.

“What if she’s remembering things wrong?” Zach asks. “I… uh, I’m not her boyfriend. We’re just friends.”

“Her memory will likely come back to her in pieces,” the doctor reassures. “It’s normal that things are jumbled. She’ll be fragile for a bit.”

“What do I do? Is it best for her healing if I play along?”

“The less stress on her brain, the better,” she says. “You can calmly tell her what she has wrong or let her believe the minor, harmless things until she’s herself again. I’m sure she’ll be better soon and you won’t even have to correct her.”

Zach’s chest strains in anxiety, worried that he’ll mess something up. The last thing he wants to do is impede your healing by stressing you out.

When he comes back into the room, your eyes light up in a way they never have for him before. He tries not to let it get to him.

“Hey,” you say lazily, gazing at him with adoration. “Is it booked? Can we go now? We’re so late.”

“That’s what you’re worried about?” he says softly. “You’re injured.”

You giggle, stretching your arm out. Hesitatingly, Zach steps closer, letting you warmly hold his hand atop the thin blanket. He feels guilty for enjoying it.

“Did you tell them what happened?” you ask.

“Yeah, I – uh, I…” He begins to stammer as you gently run your fingers over his knuckles. “I should update them, actually.”

He pulls away abruptly, taking his phone out, brows furrowed. A simple touch from you is overwhelming enough, let alone when you’re only doing it because you’re concussed and confused.

You watch him text, his expression tense. He’s always like this, so worried about you. You think back to a few days ago, when he was concerned you didn’t get enough sleep as you lazed in bed together.

“Relax,” you say gently. “She said it was mild, right?”

“Yeah.” Zach keeps his eyes on the screen, unsure of how to tell your friends you’re under the impression you’re dating. “You just need to take it easy. You’ll be back to normal soon.”

.❅❅❅.

You catch up on the group texts you missed after your fall when you settle in Zach’s car. You’re reading the last message, which is Esha saying something about seeing you soon when Zach turns on the engine.

You can’t quite make out the words. Then you realize Zach’s been trying to talk to you.

“What?” you say.

“You shouldn’t look at a screen,” he says gently.

“Right.” You lower your phone. “I can barely read right now anyway.”

“Can you put your seatbelt on?”

“Yes.” You turn, the motion suddenly making you dizzy. Your eyes pinch shut and you hold your head with a pained sigh.

Zach has never been more upset at himself. He’s supposed to be taking care of you. The doctor called you fragile. He’s already messing up.

“Sorry,” he says. “Just relax, okay? I’ll take care of it.”

He leans over, pulling your seatbelt into the buckle. You keep your eyes shut, feeling his forehead brush against your cheek, enjoying the warm, rich fragrance that’s so Zach.

You might not remember everything, but you remember how much you love the way he smells.

“Thanks, baby,” you murmur and plant a kiss on his temple.

Zach’s stomach goes wild with butterflies. Heavy guilt sets in again. He can’t go on like this. It feels wrong to play along.

He pulls back and you look at him past heavy lids.

“We should talk,” he says, “about our friendship.”

He has no idea how to navigate this conversation. The doctor said to correct you calmly. There’s nothing calm about the way his heart is pounding right now.

“We haven’t told them, have we?” you ask. “I can’t remember ever acting like a couple around them. Is that what you mean?”

You think he’s talking about your friendships with the group waiting at the cabin.

This might be the best way to do this.

He’ll let you believe that you’re keeping your relationship under wraps. He’ll avoid any opportunity to be alone with you until your mind is straight again. And eventually, it’ll come to you that you and him aren’t actually together.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “We have to act like we’re just friends in front of them.”

“Why’d we decide to do that again?” you ask.

Zach nervously taps his knee.

“Malek had a really bad breakup,” he explains. “We didn’t want to rub it in his face.”

“Oh, yeah,” you say. The memory comes to you, choppy but clear enough. “Dumped via text. Poor guy.”

He flashes a relieved smile. It’s reassuring that you remember something that happened a week ago.

“Right,” he says. He puts the car in drive. The sooner he gets to the cabin, the sooner he can stop putting on this act. “We should get going.”

.❅❅❅.

Your friends are quiet and reluctant to come too close when you step into the cabin.

“Guys, I’m fine,” you laugh.

“How are you feeling?” Maggie asks, wide-eyed. “Do you remember me?”

“Of course,” you say. “It’s just a headache now.”

“You should sit down,” Zach urges behind you. He puts down the bags he brought in from the car that he refused to let you carry.

“It feels like I’ve been sitting all day,” you say. “Except for the part when I fell.”

“So, we can joke about it?” Chase asks with a grin.

“No,” Zach says. “Too soon.”

You look at him over your shoulder, chuckling.

“I think Zach’s more traumatized than I am,” you say.

“What happened exactly?” Esha asks, waving you in.

You step further into the cabin, struck by the enormous living room windows. They present a stunning view of snowy hills and picturesque cottages under the setting sun.

If it weren’t for the stubborn ache pulsing in your forehead, you’d want to explore more of the cabin. But Zach’s right. You should sit down. That walk from the car was enough exercise. You’re already dizzy again.

“It’s my fault,” Zach replies. “I stopped at some random store and that’s where she fell.”

You meet his eyes, heart breaking at the pained expression on his face. You wish you weren’t putting on a farce right now, because if you could do what you wanted, you’d pull him into a hug.

“It’s not your fault I don’t know how to walk,” you joke.

“You fell in the store?” Chase asks.

“Parking lot,” you say. “To get my wallet. Even though Zach said I didn’t need to. So, technically, it’s on me.”

You can tell by the look on his face that he’s not convinced. He’s blaming himself for this entirely.

You sit down for dinner, downing the water Zach encouraged you to drink, while he catches everyone up on how to help support your healing process.

“How do you know all this?” Maggie asks. “Concussions from playing soccer?”

“I asked the doctor,” he clarifies.

When you’re sure nobody’s looking, you reassuringly squeeze his knee under the table. He tenses up under your touch.

.❅❅❅.

After dinner, you’re bundled up in a blanket on the plush living room couch as flames crackle in the stone fireplace.

Nobody has allowed you to lift a finger. Every chore, down to putting away your dinner plate, has been taken over by one of your friends encouraging you to rest.

Zach’s on the other end of the sectional, tapping his fingers against the armrest. You remember that it’s something he does when he’s nervous. Why is he nervous? And why does he have to be so far away? You’re pretending to be just friends, but simply sitting next to you wouldn’t be suspicious, would it?

You know you’re not yourself. Your thoughts are muddy and patchy, but you’re already feeling much better than you did at the hospital because another memory suddenly blooms in your mind.

“Hot cocoa,” you say. Five heads turn to look at you as you point at Zach. “I owe you hot cocoa for staying back to drive me.”

“Yeah,” Zach says, his dimpled grin making your heart skip. “Your memories are coming back.”

You nod with a bright smile. At this moment, as he gazes at you from across the room, he realizes just how much he worries about you, he thinks of the kiss you left on his skin, and he accepts that he was wrong.

He’s not falling for you – he’s already in deep, completely enamored with no hope of pulling himself out.

.❅❅❅.

After you brush your teeth, you pad downstairs to the kitchen before you head to sleep in the bedroom you’re sharing with the girls.

You’re walking back through the dimly lit house when you hear the floorboards creak under someone’s weight. Zach rounds the corner at the bottom of the staircase.

“Hi,” you say sweetly. He towers over you and your eyes drift down to the red and black flannel he’s wearing. “The famous grandpa pj’s.”

“Yeah,” he laughs, happy you remember yet another thing.

His chest twists, conflicted because he enjoys the familiar comfort of being alone with you, but is also anxious in case you still have the wrong idea about the nature of your relationship.

“Proud of me for hydrating?” you ask, holding up the cup of water you just got for yourself.

“Very proud.” He walks past you. “Sleep well.”

You’re confused. It’s unlike him. You remember enough to know he’s typically kind and talkative.

“Hey,” you say, turning to look at him. He meets your gaze, lips slightly parted, visibly tense. “What’s wrong? You don’t really blame yourself, do you? I’m fine.”

His lips curl into a frown. He’s not convinced.

“Please don’t worry,” you continue softly, stepping towards him. “You’ve been taking such good care of me. You’re the best friend a concussed girl could have.”

Friend. Does that mean you no longer think he’s your boyfriend? Have you forgotten about the whole thing entirely?

Before he can ask to be sure, he realizes you were being playful with the word, because you quickly look over your shoulder, then unexpectedly pop up on your tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips.

“I made sure nobody saw,” you say in an amused whisper. “Good night.”

You rush upstairs, an electric current zipping through you even though you’ve kissed him a million times before.

Zach is standing still in the hallway, heart hammering, blood running hot. He’s lost count of how many times he daydreamed about kissing you. Now, he felt your lips against his for real, and his mind and body are a jumbled mess.

There’s a chance you like him back and now feel uninhibited to offer him the affection you’ve always wanted to give him. Or you’re just confused and you’ll be horrified to learn that he let you believe you’re dating when you were dazed and vulnerable.

If your memory isn’t solid by tomorrow, he’ll have to correct it himself. And he can only hope he won’t ruin your friendship in the process.

››› saturday

You’re walking towards the kitchen, the taste of toothpaste fresh on your tongue. You’re glad you woke up with a much clearer mind. You remember more of yesterday; it’s almost a complete picture in your head.

Zach and Malek are sitting at the breakfast table, cradling mugs of coffee. Zach’s eyes dart away from yours the moment he sees you. It makes your heart sink.

“Hi,” you say to them.

“Morning,” Malek replies.

“Feeling better?” Zach asks.

“Headache’s gone,” you answer. He nods, but doesn’t look at you again.

He’s been acting weird and you’re not sure if it’s just guilt over your fall. The memory of you lying in bed with him a few days ago is so clear. What happened between then and yesterday?

You must have had a fight that you’re forgetting about. You’re sure Zach would be selfless enough to pretend that you’re on good terms while you’re concussed, but he can’t hide that he’s on edge.

“Bad sleep?” you ask, looking down at his drink. “You only drink coffee when you’re desperate.”

His eyes finally find yours again, softening when they do. It’s the early morning and he’s wearing sweats and a hoodie and his dark honey hair is a tousled mess, yet he still looks so handsome and it feels unfair to not be able to kiss him.

“You remember that, too,” he says with relief. “Anything else come up?”

“Nothing that feels important,” you admit with a shrug. Disappointment flashes over his features and you chew on your lip in saddened confusion.

Zach hates seeing the hurt on your face. He needs to have this conversation now and get it over with.

“Do you want to get some fresh air?” he asks.

“That sounds nice,” you answer.

“You’re insane,” Malek says. “It’s like the North Pole out there.”

“Exactly,” you reply with a laugh. “It makes you appreciate being inside even more.”

.❅❅❅.

You stand side-by-side on the snow-covered balcony leading out to the back of the cabin, bundled up in your coats, hats, and mittens.

“It’s so pretty out here,” you whisper, gazing out at the frozen lake hugged by patches of trees.

“It is,” Zach says. His breath comes out in a small puff of fog as he ruminates over how to tell you what he needs to tell you.

“All that ice,” you mumble, “and so many different ways to fall on it.”

He cracks a smile.

“Still too soon to joke about it,” he says.

“Even I don’t get a free pass?” you chuckle.

You reach for his hand, feeling his warmth through your mittens. Zach clears his throat and pulls out of your grasp.

“There’s something I haven’t told you,” he begins. His cheeks redden. “And please hear me out. I was doing what I thought was–”

The sound of the door sliding open interrupts him. You both look back to see Malek ambling out onto the balcony with his hands stuffed in his coat pockets.

“Maybe you guys are onto something,” he says. “We didn’t come all the way out here not to appreciate the views, right?”

He stands between you two and despite the tension, you and Zach share a smile, knowingly both irritated yet amused at your friend’s clueless intrusion.

.❅❅❅.

When you head back inside, everyone else has woken up, loudly chattering in the kitchen. You’re pulled into a conversation with Esha and Maggie while Chase asks Zach to help him with starting the fire.

It’s hard to absorb the words your friends are saying after the way you and Zach left things a few minutes ago.

“Can someone turn on some music?” Maggie eventually asks. “I left my phone upstairs.”

“Sure,” you offer.

“No screens!” Esha shouts.

“It’ll just be for a second,” you laugh. You connect to the speaker. When you realize you have an unfamiliar playlist open, you curiously scroll through the songs.

Zach comes back into the kitchen, dusting off his hands.

You tap on the first track in the playlist. A slow, gentle song buzzes from the living room.

Then, it hits you like a wave.

This song played in his car on the way here. You dozed off listening to it. You woke up from a dream.

A dream.

Zach isn’t your boyfriend. He never was.

The puzzle pieces have finally snapped together, and the picture isn’t pretty.

You stare at him, the realization harsh and unsettling. The possibility of a fight you forgot about had run through your head, but the fact that you were never even together is startling.

Zach can see it immediately, the discomfort on your face. He thought he wanted you to figure it out on your own. Now that you have, he regrets not telling you the truth right away.

“Uh, my… phone is about to die,” you stammer, stopping the song. “Be right back.”

You leave the room, and while everyone else carries on conversation, Zach’s heart is in his stomach. He messed up. Possibly irreversibly.

He trails behind you, whispering your name as you rush up the stairs. You turn to face him once you reach your bedroom, nearly breathless.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” you ask, the embarrassment wringing out your insides.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “Can you sit down? You need to take it easy.”

“Zach,” you assert. He sighs in worry.

“I was about to tell you outside, but then we got interrupted.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me right away?” you say. “I… oh, my God. I kissed you last night.”

Zach rakes his hand through his hair as you step back and exhale in disbelief.

“The doctor said I shouldn’t stress you out,” he explains. “I didn’t want to confuse you or embarrass you–”

“Too late,” you interrupt with a note of sadness.

It’s a punch to Zach’s gut seeing you so upset because of something he did. He’d actually prefer a real punch right now. At least then, he’d know the pain will fade. The guilt filling his chest feels like it’ll be there forever.

“I – I was doing what I thought was best,” he says. “She said you were fragile and it freaked me out and I promise, the last thing I want to do is upset you or mess with your healing.”

You can see that he’s in distress, but so are you. You spilled your heart out to him, you touched and kissed him while under the impression that you shared a love that wasn’t there.

“Please don’t think I’m a creep or something – I just – I honestly didn’t expect that kiss,” he admits. “I would’ve stopped it if I did.”

You have to look away. Why would he have stopped it? Because you weren’t in your right mind? Or because he wouldn’t ever want you to kiss him?

You hope he has it in him to at least admit if he feels anything for you. This is the time to do it after you embarrassed yourself so immensely. You stare down at the floor, silently praying that he’ll reassure you.

Zach’s throat tightens. Seeing you like this makes his shame so overpowering that his eyes start to burn with tears.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats. He steps out of the room before you can see him cry. He doesn’t want to make this about him. He wants to give you space.

You’re left standing alone in the silence, your heart cracked right down the middle.

.❅❅❅.

Zach doesn’t let his gaze linger on you for the rest of the day. He’s terrified he’ll have to face his fear of losing you.

What’ll life look like without you? You met and then all of a sudden, you became a ray of light in his world, always able to make him smile, always on his mind. He can’t stomach making you uncomfortable. You looked so disgusted that he went along with a lie.

After dinner, you’re all sitting in the living room and helping Maggie set up a board game. That’s when Zach finally allows himself to look at you.

You’re sitting in front of the fireplace, quietly reading the instructions to yourself, lips moving with the words. Worrisome curiosity gnaws at him, eager to find out if your mind is clear again.

“Does reading still feel weird or is it okay now?” he asks you from across the room.

“Oh – yeah,” you say, caught off guard. You haven’t spoken since your fight this morning. “It’s okay now.”

“Where have you been, MacLaren?” Maggie laughs. “We established she’s back to normal like three hours ago.”

“Do we need to check your head?” Chase jokes.

Zach forces a laugh. He’s been too lost in his thoughts to absorb himself in the conversations happening around him all day. The possibility of making you uncomfortable simply by being in the same room as you is too heavy to ignore at this point.

“Maybe,” he says. “I should probably turn in.”

“What?” Malek shouts. “I was going to kick your ass at… what’s this game called again?”

“You can kick my ass later,” Zach mumbles, standing up. “Sorry, guys.”

“Lame,” Maggie sighs.

You keep your gaze on him as he leaves the room, but his eyes stay on the floor the entire time.

.❅❅❅.

You gently knock on the boys’ bedroom door, listening to your friends’ enthusiastic competition-fuelled conversations echoing from downstairs.

It’s been fifteen minutes since you started the board game and two since you purposely knocked yourself out of it. You excused yourself to take a shower, but your intention was always to come up and talk to Zach. Even though you’d left things so tense, you need to make sure of one thing.

“Yeah?” His voice on the other side of the door is muffled. You step into the dark room, the hallway light spilling in.

“It’s me,” you whisper into the dimness. “Sorry. You’re not sleeping, are you?”

“No. I can’t,” he admits. You hear a mattress creak. A light turns on with a click. Zach’s standing by a lamp, almost looking wounded.

You step inside, shutting the door behind you, nervous as you settle on the edge of one of the beds. He sits on another bed and faces you.

“I don’t think you’re a creep,” you say. “I just had to make sure you know that, okay?”

Zach lets out a shaky sigh. He purses his lips, nodding slowly, and when you see a shine pool over his eyes, you still.

“Thanks,” he breathes. “I hated the idea of you thinking I took advantage of you or something and I didn’t want you to feel like you had to be around me if you–”

“What? Zach, no. No way.”

When he quietly sniffles, you’re certain he’s holding back tears. You knew he was sensitive, but witnessing him cry over the possibility of making you uncomfortable stings. Especially since he surely felt awkward with you touching him and kissing him, and still played along for you.

He doesn’t deserve to feel like this. You shuffle over, sitting next to him on his bed.

“Listen, I was just really embarrassed,” you say, desperate to console him. “I still am, to be honest.”

“It’s okay,” he says. “You don’t have to be. You were injured.”

“Yeah, but… how would you feel if you ran around kissing me just for me to tell you I never wanted you to?”

Zach’s jaw tenses. Is that what you think? That he doesn't want to kiss you? God, he’d spend all day kissing you if you let him.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” you continue, “and I get why you went along with it. I know you were just looking out for me. Sorry that I got so upset.”

“Please don’t be sorry,” he says. “I’m the one who should apologize.”

“We’ll never agree on this,” you say with a quiet laugh. “We’re good, okay? I’m gonna go take a shower and if you’re up for it, you should go downstairs. I’ll come down after and make you that cocoa I promised.”

Zach laughs, genuine and warm, and it makes your heart feel like it’s floating.

“Cool,” he says.

“Cool,” you echo. You stand up, almost out the door when he stops you.

“Hey, can you…”

“What?” you ask.

“Just… be careful in the shower. Don’t slip.”

“I’ll be fine. Jeez, you fall on your head one time,” you quip. He laughs. And his smile doesn’t fade for a while after you leave the room.

.❅❅❅.

You’ve just washed the soap off your skin and are about to turn the water off when you’re plunged into darkness. Standing in the tub, naked, completely blind.

For a moment, you’re afraid this is a symptom of your concussion. But then you realize the power must have gone out. You feel for the tile wall, pushing the shower curtain to the side, more nervous to fall than you’d normally be.

“Hey, you okay in there?” Zach asks through the door. He’s nearly breathless. As soon as the lights went out, he raced up the stairs in worry, using his phone flashlight as a guide.

“Yeah,” you call. “Did the power go out?”

“Yeah,” he says. “Do you need any help or anything? I can get Esha or Maggie.”

You smile to yourself in the dark, not surprised that he’s being so considerate of your comfort. You feel for the robe you left on the counter and wrap yourself in its warmth, then open the door.

Zach’s standing in the hallway, phone flashlight aimed at the floor, concern etched into his face.

“Do we know what happened?” you ask.

Seeing you fresh out the shower feels oddly vulnerable. This is an intimate state for him to witness you in, but you’re not nervous at all, and it’s reassuring to have the hard proof that you’re not uncomfortable around him.

“I think it’s the wind,” he says. “It must have knocked a power line down.”

“Uh oh,” you reply in same way you did when Chase texted about the furnace breaking. He chuckles. At least he can find comfort in the fact that you really do remember everything.

“I’ll get dressed and meet you down there,” you say. “Thanks for checking on me.”

“Of course.”

The lights are still out when you come downstairs in your pajamas. Your friends are huddled around the fire, amber lights and gray shadows casting over their faces and on the walls. The crescent moon gleams in the cloudy sky past the massive windows.

“Were you at least at the end of your shower?” Esha asks with a defeated laugh.

“Yeah,” you say. “I was just about to get out when the room went dark. I was scared my concussion came back.”

“That’d be great timing,” Esha jokes.

“Right? While I’m naked in a tub,” you laugh, settling on the floor next to her. Zach is glad nobody’s looking at him right now, because his cheeks are burning at the mention of you being naked. “Did anyone message the owner?”

“Yeah,” Maggie says. “He’s not answering, but I don’t know what he could even do. I checked online and the whole grid is out. I think we’ll just have to wait it out.”

“Chase cursed us,” Esha says.

“How is this my fault?” he asks.

“You tempted fate with your stupid joke yesterday,” she replies. “The furnace broke. Now everything is broken. Are you happy?”

“Honestly, thrilled,” he replies. “Pretty cool to have the power to control the weather.”

You continue to chat with your friends, feeling the temperature in the cabin slowly fall. Before you know it, it’s been half an hour and the power still isn’t back on. You’re shaking from the cold.

Zach notices the way you’re curled up, arms wrapped around your legs, surely colder than everyone else since you just showered.

“We should keep the fire going,” he says. “I don’t think the power will come back on any time soon.”

“What happened to the annoying optimism we’ve grown to know and love?” Maggie asks.

“I told you guys, I traumatized him when I fell yesterday,” you say. “I broke my brain and his.”

“No offense, but I probably would’ve laughed my ass off if I saw you fall like that,” Chase jokes.

“That’s why I’m glad I was with Zach,” you retort. He smirks to himself as he builds the fire, hoping it’ll radiate more heat for you soon. “I bet when my memory was messed up, you would’ve convinced me that I owed you money or something.”

“Shit,” Chase says. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Shameless,” Esha mutters. “Guys, I think we’re going to have to sleep here in front of the fire. I bet the bedrooms are freezing.”

“Aw, it’ll be like a real sleepover,” Maggie says excitedly. “Let’s do it.”

You’re all in a fit of laughter as you bring mattresses and pillows and blankets down the stairs, already sure that this is going to be a cherished memory. What happened yesterday has given you a new perspective on life, a realization that something as simple as your memory should be appreciated.

And it’s also made your crush on Zach even deeper. He’s done nothing but look out for you, down to pretending to be your boyfriend to ease you into your healing. Now that the embarrassment has faded, you feel guilty that you were ever upset at him.

The six of you lie in front of the crackling fire, wrapped up in duvets as the wind howls outside. You’re closest to Zach, your back inches away from his chest. As you gaze at the flames, you think about the way his lips felt on yours last night.

No wonder you felt so stunned after kissing him. Your mind didn’t know it was your first kiss, but your body did. The thought that it was also your last kiss makes your stomach sink. He’s had every opportunity to tell you if he likes you. He hasn’t. You’re just a friend to him and nothing more.

“Who wants to bet on when the power’s going to be back on?” Malek asks. You hear the click of him unlocking his phone. “It’s 11:30 now. I don’t…”

He suddenly stops talking.

“Did he die? I’m too tired to turn around and check,” Esha says.

“My ex texted me,” Malek says.

“Don’t fall into the trap, man,” Chase says. “What’s done is done.”

“What’s it say?” Zach asks. He stares at you as you lie in front of him, backlit by the fire.

“She’s apologizing,” Malek says. “She wants to get back together.”

“No,” Maggie says sternly. “She dumped you over text, dude.”

You listen to your friends chat, your eyelids growing heavy. Admittedly, you’re worried you’ll dream of Zach again. Having his heart in a delusion just to wake up and realize it’s not really yours hurts too much.

You shuffle your feet to get comfortable, accidentally bumping Zach.

“Sorry,” you whisper over your shoulder. “Was that your kicking foot?”

“Yeah,” Zach replies. “You just blew my entire season.”

You giggle quietly, tightening your blanket around you. You wish you could hold on to a shred of hope that eventually, your feelings for him will fade. The sinking feeling in your gut tells you that’ll never happen.

.❅❅❅.

A harsh droning pulls you out of your sleep. Your eyes squeeze shut, then flicker open when you realize someone is snoring. Loudly.

“Who is that?” Esha whispers into the pitch dark. The fire must have died down.

“Malek,” Chase mutters. “He sounds like a fucking dragon.”

“Malek,” Esha whines. His snoring suddenly stops and you figure she must have kicked him awake.

You chuckle to yourself, gently shuffling in place. That’s when you realize you’re up against a warm, firm surface, your nose brushing against the comforting fragrance you love so much.

You’re cuddled up to Zach. You pull back an inch, your entire body tense.

“How’d I get here?” you try to joke in a whisper. “Sorry.”

“Stay,” he mumbles sleepily. He pulls you in by your hip, squeezing gently in his daze. Your heart thrums and you obey, giving into what you want most.

››› sunday

You can feel the brightness of the sun behind your eyelids. The air isn’t cold. The furnace is buzzing. The power is back on.

You gain your bearings and slowly sit up. Everyone else is still asleep. You smile in admiration as you look at your sleeping friends. You love them all so much. You turn to see Zach, his lips in a cute pout, and you accept the fact that you love him, too, in a deeper way.

Friends. You’re friends. You’ll keep telling yourself that until your heart believes it.

You quietly make your way to the kitchen, determined to cook a big breakfast for everyone. Five minutes pass before Maggie walks in with a tired smile, commenting that something smells good.

“Sit down,” you invite her. “Coffee? Tea? I’m making a thank-you breakfast.”

“What for?” she asks.

“You all took such good care of me,” you say.

“Yeah, because Zach basically threatened us to when you first got here,” she laughs. “I’ve never seen him so intense. Last night, when the power went out? He booked it upstairs to find you. He’s been so worried about you.”

“Yeah, I think he still feels responsible for me falling,” you say.

She sits up to look over the wall into the hallway to check that the coast is clear, then waves you closer. You turn off the range and sit next to her.

“I think it’s more than that,” she says.

“No,” you say with a small laugh. “No way.”

.❅❅❅.

Zach shuffles awake, exhaling deeply. He drags his hand over the blanket next to him, looking for you before he realizes that’s what he’s doing.

It felt so nice when you turned towards him in a half-asleep daze, nuzzling your head into his chest. It took him a while to fall asleep simply because of how hard his heart was drumming.

He steps over his sleeping friends. Then, he hears a hushed conversation getting louder as he heads down the hallway.

“...think so?” Maggie says.

“No,” you respond. “Okay, I wasn’t going to tell you and Esha until after we got back, but… I was so out of it at the hospital that I thought he was my boyfriend and… he actually went along with it.”

“What?” she says.

You’re talking about him. He’s about to clear his throat to announce himself and pretend like he hasn’t heard anything, but then he hears your next words.

“I know he didn’t want me acting like that with him, but he tolerated it just so I wouldn’t get freaked out when I realized my memory was messed up,” you confess. “He was so awkward about it after. Trust me. He does not like me back.”

Zach slowly steps back towards the living room and goes up the stairs, trying to absorb what he just heard, trying to make sense of the fact that you not only truly think that he doesn’t want your affection, but also that you’re genuinely disappointed about it.

Back. You don’t think he likes you back.

This might just be the happiest he’s ever felt.

.❅❅❅.

You love how pleased your friends look at the breakfast spread you’ve made for them as they trickle into the kitchen.

“It’s a good thing it was so cold overnight,” you announce. “Nothing in the fridge went bad.”

Zach is the last one to come in and your heart, the traitor, skitters when you meet his striking blue eyes. How long until you can look into those eyes and not think about how it feels to be held by him, how it feels to kiss him?

“Sleep well?” you ask to make casual conversation. He settles in the last empty chair at the table.

“Yeah. My old man pajamas are really toasty,” he says.

You nod, skin buzzing. Does he remember cuddling you in the middle of the night? By the way his eyes linger on you, you think he just might, and in this simple, small moment, you feel a pinch of hope that he feels the same way you do.

You glance up at the clock hanging above the table to see it’s just past nine, leaving less than two hours before check-out. You try to enjoy the last little bit you have with your friends before you split up to clean and leave the cabin the way you found it.

.❅❅❅.

The cabin is spotless, the cars are packed up, and you’re hugging your friends goodbye as light snowflakes gently fall from the white sky.

You’ve been giddy with anticipation at the thought of having an hour and a half drive back to campus with Zach, even though he left such a confusing knot in your chest. Despite everything, he’s still a friend you love to spend time with.

“Have a nice drive!” Chase says as he heads towards Esha’s car, raising his brows at Zach.

After breakfast, Chase had asked him to join you two on the ride home to have more space than he would have sharing a backseat with Malek, but Zach apologized and told him he’d rather not.

When Chase insisted he tell him why, Zach didn’t see any reason to keep it in any longer. He admitted to liking you and said he’d finally tell you on the way home.

“Bold,” Chase had said. “And if she doesn’t like you, too? That’ll be like, the most awkward car ride ever.”

“I’ll take the risk,” Zach replied with a smile.

.❅❅❅.

“Wow,” you say as you drive out onto the main road. “I never made you that hot cocoa, did I?”

“You didn’t,” he says, pretending to be deeply displeased.

“Will you ever forgive me?” you play along.

“I’ll need to do some reflecting first,” Zach replies. You laugh, relieved that you two are joking like old times before this past weekend through you for a loop.

“Fair,” you say. You plug your phone into his speaker system. “Let’s see if I can unlock any other memories. And don’t tell me it’s still too soon to joke about it.”

Zach chuckles, cocking his head.

“I’ll let it slide,” he says. “I woke up in a good mood.”

“You’re basically always in a good mood,” you respond.

Zach can understand why you’d think that. It’s because he’s never been in a bad mood around you. Life is bright and easy and rich when you’re around. And it’s been even richer since he overheard what you said this morning.

“We passed a waterfall while you slept on the way up here,” Zach says. “Would you want to make a stop to check out the view?”

“Yeah,” you agree, pushing away the reminder of what you’d dreamt about during that nap. “Sounds cool.”

.❅❅❅.

Crystal blue water rushes down in an endless torrent, crashing down to the surface with a dull roar. You’re in awe of how ethereal the waterfall is, white mist bubbling over the stream bordered by snowy land. The snow is still falling gently, the atmosphere cool but not cold, as if the earth is apologizing for the windstorm last night.

You and Zach stand at a height behind a railing, his car parked a few feet away on the side of the road. He purposely slowed down so your friends would drive far enough ahead to not notice you’d made a stop.

Now that he’s here, he’s painfully nervous. Worst case scenario, you’re not interested in dating him, and it’ll lead to, like Chase said, the most awkward car ride ever. He’s sure the remaining hour journey back to campus would feel like ten hours if this goes wrong.

But he’s always been optimistic and last night as he fell asleep with you in his arms, he thought back to every moment in your friendship when he had a spark of hope that he had a place in your heart like you do in his.

Over the months he’s known you, he got into the habit of trying to dull the spark, reminding himself of how much he had to lose if you didn’t return his feelings.

Deep down, he always knew he’d eventually give in; he has so much love to give you and the thought of keeping it contained when you might want it was getting harder to bear.

You could break his heart if you don’t want him, but it’d break his heart even more if you do and he doesn’t do anything about it.

“Wow,” you say in a whisper, taking a photo of the waterfall with your phone. “I shouldn’t post this, should I? Our friends might be mad that we didn't include them.”

“I think they’ll understand,” Zach replies. “I told Chase… uh…”

You lower your phone, looking up at him, unable to stifle your smirk because of how cute he looks from the way the breeze has messed up his hair. The road behind you is clear and quiet, the mid-morning sun offering mild warmth.

“You told Chase…?” you say.

Zach licks his lips, his mouth gently opening before he finds the words. He shifts to face you, eyes searching your pretty features, heart in his throat.

“I told him I wanted to be alone with you,” he says. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop this morning, I swear… but I… I do like you. Back.”

Your eyes widen in surprise. You look down at the snowy concrete, letting out a nervous chuckle.

“I heard you right… right?” Zach mumbles.

“Back,” you repeat softly, finding the bravery to look back up at him. “Yeah. That’s what I said.”

A sweet, honeyed smile grows on his face. He tilts his head slightly, looking at you the exact way you’d dreamt he would. How you always wanted him to, but convinced yourself he wouldn’t.

“I didn’t tolerate you acting like we were dating,” he says. “I liked it and I felt bad for liking it because it wasn’t real.”

You mirror his smile, your heart full of love and joy and the comfort that he’s been giving you since the day you met him.

“I was just doing what I always wanted to do,” you confess. His eyes glint with endearment as he brings a hand up to gently cup your face.

“I really enjoyed being your pretend boyfriend,” Zach says, his thumb gently stroking your cheek as you look up at him through your lashes. “Can I be your real one now, though?”

You sigh softly, nodding as he stares at you in nothing short of infatuation. He leans closer by a half-inch, silently testing if you’re okay with it.

You close the distance and your lips meet with a sweet, gentle tenderness like they’ve done this before. You pull back, remembering that they have.

“Can we count that as our first kiss?” you say.

“Absolutely,” he chuckles.

››› one week later

You’re stepping out of the kitchen in Zach’s apartment, tightly gripping the tray of six mugs filled with hot cocoa.

“Whoa,” Zach says, quickly standing up from his spot on the floor when you enter the living room. “Careful.”

“Her concussion is gone, man,” Chase says. “You have the test results to prove it. She can handle carrying a tray.”

“He’s helping her because he’s a gentleman,” Esha states. “Do you know what that word means or are you committed to being a caveman forever?”

“Caveman,” he repeats with a grin.

“Don’t give him any,” Esha mutters. “He doesn’t deserve it.”

You laugh as you set the tray down on the coffee table with Zach’s help. You settle in your spot on the couch as Zach sits on the floor in front of you again, tucked in between your legs, the insides of your knees pressed against his shoulders.

“I have to say, I called it,” Maggie says as she gazes between you and Zach with a big smile on her face. “Tell everyone how I called it.”

“You called it,” you say, putting your hands on your boyfriend’s broad shoulders, gently squeezing.

Her eyes dart to Esha and you share a knowing grin. You’d had private conversations about how if you and Zach were always a little obvious, Esha and Chase are the definition of the word.

“Ow,” Malek snips, holding the steaming mug away from his face. “I burned myself.”

“It’s hot cocoa, Malek,” Chase says. “It’s literally in the name.”

“Really good, though,” Malek says, giving you a thumbs up.

“Thanks,” you laugh.

The tray is eventually littered with empty mugs and you stand to clear away the mess, your heart glowing with the feeling it always has when you’re surrounded by your friends.

You’re scrubbing a soapy sponge over a mug when you hear Zach’s voice behind you.

“You don’t have to wash anything.”

You look over your shoulder, smiling.

“It’s okay,” you say. He approaches you, hugging you from behind as you stand at the sink, surrounding you in his warmth as your friends talk a room away.

He always enjoyed moments of privacy with you, but since that day by the waterfall, every second with you is more than perfect.

“So?” you say. “Did you get your wish? Was the cocoa life-changing?”

“Ask me again what you asked on the way up to the cabin,” he murmurs. “What I want most in the world.”

“What do you want most–”

“You,” he interrupts. You laugh breathily as he kisses the side of your neck. “I just couldn’t answer honestly the first time you asked. But it was always you.”

You turn the faucet off and tilt your head back, looking up at the ceiling with a smile on your face as he leaves kisses on your neck and holds you tighter.

It was always him, too.

(the end)

[astronomoney]

Waitress

Pairing + WC: Jason Grace x mortal!reader, 2.1k Warnings: NOT canon compliant, this takes place in my world where Piper and Jason realized they were best as friends right after lost hero and Leo never got with Caylpso. also TOA never happened because it makes me sad. Also somewhat not proof read Summary: Jason has been sneaking off for weeks and Leo is detirmened to find out why. Or alternativly: Leo, Piper, Annabeth, and Percy go snooping in Jasons buisness Authers note: Hey hey! first fic in what feels like a million years! I definitely have to shake the rust off a bit but this was a fun one to get back into it! I was listening to Waitress at work and got this idea so i ran with it. Honestly not much of the actual relationship, theres a lot of set up and other characters but I think I may do a part two if this does well :)

Jason Grace was a busy man. Going between camps, building shrines to all the minor gods, serving as Pontifex Maximus, taking trips to Olympus to meet deities, and head counselor duties. Everyone knew he had no time on his schedule. His friends were lucky if they could get him to spare an hour to catch up, much less get him to a bonfire. So why on earth is it that Jason Grace would take upwards of two hours out of his day, three days a week, to walk out of camp and go to who knows where?

Leo was determined to find out. He’d watched Jason sneak off for the past month, and he was sick of wondering. He tried to bring it up but just got a red-faced muttered excuse about it’s just a walk in the woods and I have to finish my work before he'd disappeared into his cabin.

“I think we’re lost,” Percy said, stopping suddenly and causing Piper to almost slam into his back.

“We are not lost!” Leo exclaimed, “I swear he went this way,” 

“We’re miles from camp,” Piper butt in, “he could be anywhere,” she crossed her arms and glared at Leo. 

“We should turn back before someone notices we’re gone,” Annabeth added, looking up and down the road they were on. Leo had seen Jason sneaking off just before lunch and had convinced his friends to follow him. Now, here they were, on some back road heading through the woods surrounding the camp a mile and a half away from the border.

“Guys, c'mon! Don’t you want to know where he’s been going!” Leo turned back to the group. “He can’t have gotten far.” He kept walking backward in the same direction they’d been heading for the past 10 minutes. For a little while, they could see Jason walking along the side of the road, far ahead, but they’d kept their distance so he wouldn’t notice them. Then he made a turn at an intersection, and they’d lost sight of him. 

“Maybe he really is just out for a walk?” Piper offered.

Leo hualted now, “For two hours? No way, he’s definitely up to something out here.” He stared at the group, waiting for someone to disagree. No one did. It was definitely unusual behavior from the son of Jupiter to take so much time away from his work.

“We’ve been walking for 25 minutes. I say we go 5 more and then head back,” Annabeth spoke up, sending Leo a you owe me glance. 

“Perfect, 5 minutes!” Leo returned an appreciative smile before turning on his heel and continuing down the road with his friends in tow.

They rounded a corner a minute later, and Leo couldn’t help the I told you so grin that came across his face. In front of them, just a few more meters down the road was a genuine 1950s-style roadside diner with the name The Doo-Wop Diner plastered over the door. “See!” Leo pointed triumphantly, “Now imagine if we had turned back when you quitters had wanted to,” 

The group walked up to the diner, rolling their eyes at Leo’s antics. They peered in through the windows that lined the front. It was cute, with pastel blue on the walls, 50s-style booths, a jukebox in the corner, and a countertop bar.

“Is he even in there?” Percy asked, huddled next to Annabeth and scanning the restaurant.

“He’s got to be,” Leo squinted from Annabeth's other side.

“There he is!” Annabeth pointed to the far end of the bar where Jason was sitting. He had a cup of coffee and an open book in front of him.

“What’s he doing in there?” Leo asked as if any of them knew. “He walks all the way out here for ‘New York's best black coffee’?” He read off the sign in the window. 

The group looked at him for another minute in deliberation before Piper let out a quiet gasp. “It’s not the coffee he’s here for,” she was staring at something on the other end of the restaurant with wide, knowing eyes. “Look,”

When the three others looked back at Jason, they saw a soft, almost nervous smile on his face while he gave a slight wave. When they followed his gazeto the other side of the resturant, they all came to the same conclusion that Piper had. Jason Grace had walked nearly thirty minutes away from camp to a rinky-dink old diner on the side of the road to see you.

You were dressed in a 1950s waitress uniform and serving some of that aforementioned black coffee to an old couple. When you caught sight of Jason, your face lit up, and you waved back. As soon as you finished pouring the coffee, you brought the pot over to where Jason was sitting, even though he still had a full cup in front of him. The four standing outside were frozen in place as they watched the two inside interact. 

“Hey!” You said as you approached. The smile you had on now was so much more genuine than your usual customer service smile. “I missed you last week,”

Jason’s smile mirrored your own as he put a napkin between the pages of his book to mark his place. “Hey. Yeah, sorry, I had a last minute thing, uh, out of town, I had to do,” he had been called back to Camp Jupiter to resolve a minor god conflict and hadn’t been able to come in at his usual time. 

“Ooo, more of your mystery out-of-town work?” He’d mentioned it several times but, for obvious reasons, couldn’t tell you the whole story, and being the golden boy he was, he couldn’t bring himself to flat-out lie. “Is it something illegal?” You asked.

Jason let out a laugh at that. “It’s definitely not illegal.” He pushed his glasses back into place. 

“Are you sure? Because based on what you’ve told me, it’s out of town, it’s odd hours, it’s highly secretive, and it’s hard work.” You listed things out, counting them on your fingers. “You’re either selling drugs or possibly a secret agent.” You finished with wide, questioning eyes.

He laughed again at your list. You always had a way of putting his mind at ease. When it was swimming in work, and he couldn’t think straight, you always managed to bring him back to sanity. “It’s all boring, I promise. I’d much rather be here.” 

Your grin returned. “Oh really? I didn’t know you held our fine establishment in such high regard.” While you spoke, the cook rang a harsh bell and shouted, "Order up!”

“Thanks, Cal,” You called while you grabbed the two burger plates from the kitchen and walked them around the counter to deposit them at a table nearby. Jason watched you while you worked, the soft smile never once leaving his face as you handed out napkins and refilled some water. 

Once you were back, the conversation picked up exactly where it had left off. “It has its selling points,” he mused. The other half of that sentence, mostly about cute waitresses with the brightest smiles and the prettiest eyes, stayed caught in his throat. The pair slipped into an easy routine they’d established long ago. Jason would sit and drink his coffee while you bustled around, taking orders, running food, cleaning the occasional spill, all the while keeping up a steady stream of small talk. 

It was a mutually beneficial relationship. You got a bit of conversation to distract from the monotony of your work, and his blue eyes always seemed to make your day go smoother. Jason got a much-needed break from everything Greco-Roman. At camp, he always had so much responsibility, and so many expectations were weighing him down. Here, he didn’t have to worry about all that. You didn’t know who his dad was or what quests he’d been on, and you didn’t care. You liked him for him and not for the hero he was supposed to be. 

You returned to your spot across from him and picked up a rag to look like you were still doing something. “Have you told anyone at that camp of yours about this place?” You knew Camp Half-Blood existed. You also knew it wasn't anywhere close to normal based on the folks that came through, but they had the best strawberries even in the off-season, so you didn’t ask many questions.

“No way. Trust me, you do not want them coming here,” Jason had told you about his friends, minus a few details, but he had always emphasized that they were trouble.

“Uh huh, so then, who's staring at us from the window?” You asked with a sideways grin on your face.

“What?” Jason wiped his head around in time to see four panicked faces duck below the window sill outside. “Oh, by all the gods!” He muttered angrily under his breath and made a beeline for the door. “I’ll be right back,” he called to you, knowing you’d watch his book and half cup of coffee.

“Take your time,” you called back as he pushed open the door and stepped outside. 

For a second, all the demigods stared at each other without moving. Four crouched on the ground, wishing he hadn’t seen them, and one glaring at the group from above. Jason grabbed the front of Leo’s shirt and hoisted him up so he stood with his hands raised in surrender. “What are you doing here,” he hissed.

“Hey! Calm down, calm down,” Leo tried a friendly smile but was met with a glare. “We just, uh went for a walk?” He offered an explanation that sounded more like a question

“Wrong answer,” Jason sent his glare at the other three. “Did you all follow me?” He let Leo go and took a step back so he could glare at everyone all at once instead of having to shift his gaze.

“Leo made us come,” Piper threw him under the bus.

“Oh gee, thanks, beauty queen. It's nice to know where your loyalties lie.” Leo shot back, adjusting his shirt front.

Percy gave Jason a sly grin. “We were curious, but we never would have come if we knew you had a secret girlfriend out here,”

“She is not my girlfriend!” Jason cut him off. 

Percy put up his own hands, “Sorry, secret crush,” he corrected.

“She isn't! I don't-” Jason was full-on flustered now.

“Does that mean she’s up for grabs?” Leo asked. He looked back inside before getting smacked upside the back of the head by Annabeth. “What? She cute!”

When Jason looked back through the window he caught your eye and you sent him a questioning, yet very amused, glace. Jason had a bit of panic at that and quickly moved to usher the four away from the window and back towards the road. “Absolutely not! First of all, she’s a person; she can’t be up for grabs, and secondly, you can’t meet her!”

“What? Why not, she seems nice,” Annabeth asked.

“She is nice! And she's normal, and she doesn’t need to know any of you,” Jason managed to get them all about 10 feet from the front door. “Go back to camp. Just follow this road east for a mile, turn right at the second intersection, go straight for another half-mile, and you’ll see the border.” Jason gave the hurried directions and prayed to whichever god would listen that they’d all just leave.

“Whoa, man, we walked all the way out here, and now you're just gonna send us away?” Leo asked, putting a hand over his chest in fake offense.

“Yes,” Jason shot back flatly.

Piper spoke up next, “Wait, what’s her name? How long have you been coming here? How’d you even find this place? Does she like you back? It looked like she did.”

“Really?” Jason asked before shaking his head and focusing again. “I mean, I am not answering that,” he was still trying to shew the group away, but clearly, it wasn’t working. 

“Well, do they have good food here?” Percy added

“I saw ‘Breakfast all day’ on one of the signs,” Annabeth walked around Jason and back towards the door.

“And that burger meal she brought out looked really good,” Leo added. The four demigods went right past Jason and headed for the front door. 

“No, no, no, no, no,” Jason muttered as his friends ignored him and went in. “This is not good,” he said to himself, following the group back inside. They obviously had no intention of leaving, and he figured the next best course of action would be to simply die of shame. He knew this day would come; someone would catch him sneaking off, and his best-kept secret would become his worst nightmare. He just didn’t think it’d be so soon.

≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺

Ahhhh first fic in a long ass time, its not my best work but personally I liked the plot so I got a little carried away and might have to make a part 2

[unoislazy]

Your Touch

(Part 2)

Mizu x Fem! Reader

A/N: AHT AHT, RAY? RAY NO

NO READING FOR YOU RAY

Disclaimer; Due to me having never written full NSFW publicly, I will have to get warmed up to it. I’ll use this series as an excuse to get more and more used to it.

So don’t expect any of this to go all the way for a few parts, sorry my friends.

What’s included: Inexperienced Reader (Taking it easy, not going too far), Consent Checks, Praise

————————————————————

Time had passed since your little interaction with Mizu. Every time you wanted to bring it up, you shut it down, not wanting to make things awkward between you two. You both wanted each other, it was clear, no one could deny that, and yet you chalked the tension up to just the heat of the moment.

That’s what you walked around believing, you had got it into your head that there was no feasible way that woman could’ve just been purely attracted to you, she was simply just affected by the tension in the air, as were you. You didn’t want anything to come of it, why would you? It’s not like you thought about Mizu that often, if at all. You never thought about what it feels like to be near her, or remembering the feeling of her hands and what they would feel like around you, and you certainly never thought about the feeling of her breath along your neck when you…

Maybe you did think about her.

So what? That doesn’t mean anything, sometimes your mind wanders, that doesn’t mean you have any feelings for her.

You sat stuck in thought, your eyes never leaving the patch of snow you watched as if it was going to run away had you looked away. You were quite cold but you hadn’t thought twice about it, your face felt so warm and you couldn’t tell if it was from the weather or your… not so helpful thoughts. You just barely caught the sound of snow crunching rhythmically behind you causing you to quickly spin around, meeting two familiar blue eyes looking back at you.

“Mizu? What are you doing out here?” You asked, quite surprised to see her coming towards you.

“I could ask you the same thing.” She began, crossing her arms as she stared down at you with a questioning gaze. She had a reason to come looking for you, but you weren’t able to tell what it was from her expression.

“I just needed to clear my head… just thinking about some things.” You answered, turning back towards the patch of snow, and just like you thought it had not moved an inch. You heard Mizu move more towards your side. She was quiet for a moment so you could tell she wanted to ask you something but she was debating on whether or not to say it.

“What’s up?” You asked, turning a bit towards her. You could tell she wasn’t really expecting you to ask from how quickly she turned. She played off her surprise by turning back away from you.

“I have something to ask.” She finally said, so you turned to face her better and give her your full attention. She did not look back at you, she simply stared ahead much like you had been doing before. “Would you… do my makeup?” She asked.

You stared at her for a moment, not necessarily confused but you were surprised. You hadn’t thought Mizu to be the type to like feminine things, but you supposed that was only because you only ever saw her wearing masculine clothing. You nodded with a smile, luckily you had some makeup material that you took with you everywhere, just in case. You stood up, sticking out your hand for her to take so you could lead her back inside. You both knew it wasn’t necessary, but did either of you object to it? Of course not.

She took your hand gently and followed behind you as you led her back into the cabin that you all had been staying at for a while. It was small, but there was enough room for the three of you, having lovingly ‘dropped’ Taigen off on the way.

Mizu knocked him out and left him in a tea house.

But at least he has somewhere to go.

You carefully picked up a small box, opening it up and taking out some of the materials you would need. Mizu sat patiently on her knees, her hands resting on her lap and her fists were clenched as if she was worried about something. You had noticed this and smiled at her, thinking she was nervous about the makeup.

“You don’t have to worry, I won't say a word about this to anyone.” You said lightheartedly, turning back around to fiddle with a brush that you needed to use. She didn’t say anything in response so you figured you would just drop the topic all together.

Having finally gotten all the material you needed, you moved it closer to Mizu and set it down on the floor beside her, sitting directly across from her. A smile stayed plastered on your face, you were quite excited having not done makeup in quite some time, but you had to admit, you were quite nervous having to be so close to Mizu again after what had happened last time.

However, you managed to push the nervousness down like a professional and told yourself to focus on the goal, doing makeup, that was it.

You took a shallow breath before reaching down and grabbing a very long brush and dipping it in very pale white makeup. You looked back towards Mizu whose eyes were watching your hands very closely, she seemed very intrigued by your every movement. Gently, your hand reached up with the brush and slowly swiped across her face. You were trying to stay focused, you had to be strategic about how you brushed the product on after all, but you couldn’t help but get distracted once you had noticed Mizu now just staring at you.

It wasn’t like a normal stare though, her eyes were half lidded and relaxed, she was deep in thought but it was clear she didn’t have makeup on her mind.

You tried your best to ignore this and continue on with your work, having finished the base layer and moving onto the eye makeup.

As much as you wanted to, you couldn’t deny that Mizu’s makeup was the last thing you wanted to do with her at that moment.

You turned back, grabbing a thinner brush, biting the inner part of your lip in the process to shut up any thoughts that were threatening to come loose. All you kept telling yourself was to “Just focus, just focus, just focus.” As if repeating it was going to make it any easier to keep a hold of yourself. She just asked you to do her makeup, she didn’t have ulterior motives, you’re just looking too deep into it.

Right?

Once you turned back to Mizu, her stare had not faltered, but a small smirk had made its way onto her face as well.

“What?” You asked, almost freezing in place as you saw her expression.

“Are you nervous about something?” She asked, still watching your body language carefully as you shifted uncomfortably.

“No, I’m not nervous. Are you? Do you have something to be nervous about?” You responded quite frantically.

Real smooth.

Your jittery response only outed your true feelings towards the situation as you stared back at her, hoping someway, somehow, she missed the very obvious signs that you were in fact extremely nervous. You weren’t in the beginning of this interaction, but now that she had called you out, your nerves seemed to not only double, but quadruple. You were so nervous about looking nervous that you hadn’t noticed Mizu very subtly make her way towards you. She hadn’t gotten extremely close, but it was still a close enough distance for you to begin to freeze up.

“Is it because of me?” She asked quietly.

And here you thought she was nervous about getting her makeup done. You thought having her makeup half done would’ve made the interaction at least a little funny, but you were so lost in the discovery of many new thoughts and feelings that that was the last thing you were thinking about at that moment.

“Do I make you nervous?” She added, nearing you a bit more, the smirk never subsiding as she watched you freeze before her.

Every emotion and feeling you tried to subdue after the last interaction came back full force as you looked at Mizu who was staring back at you like she was going to devour you.

And honestly? You wanted to let her.

But for some reason, something inside you just wouldn’t let you admit that openly.

“No, you don’t.” You very obviously lied, which seemed to be taken as a challenge to Mizu.

“Is that right?” She inquired, tilting her head as she looked you up and down for a moment, “Yeah, your body says otherwise.” She teased before looking back up towards you. You felt as if you were going to melt into a puddle under her gaze. You didn’t want her to see you react in such a way but you also didn’t want her to look away from you. You didn’t know what you were feeling at that moment, all you could really pinpoint was feeling… warm.

Mizu had neared you a little more, now being directly in front of you. Her hand had found its way towards your thigh, slowly making its way up the side of your waist, past your chest and up to your neck. The entire time, leaving a trail of tingles throughout your body. The closer her hand began to shift from your neck, the closer she got to your face. Your heart pounded like crazy, you wanted nothing more than to kiss her right here and now.

But before either of you made any sort of contact, she stopped for a moment and whispered to you, “Is this what you want?”’

You nodded eagerly, no longer caring how pathetic you may have looked. But your response only earned a disapproving sound from the woman.

“No, no. I need you to say it outloud, is this what you want?” Mizuasked again, now looking at you, only inches away from your face. Her eyes were slowly going back and forth between your eyes and your lips and yet again, all you wanted to do was melt.

“Yes.” You answered quickly.

“Yes, what?” She teasingly asked. She knew making you wait was killing you, but she didn’t exactly care either. She wanted to make sure you were both on the same page at the very least considering she kind of just… jumped into it. You definitely didn’t mind that’s for sure.

“This is what I want.” You finally fully answered. She leaned towards you making you think she was going in for a kiss, only for her to go towards your ear and whisper,

“Good girl.”

If your legs could have become jelly at that moment, they would’ve. They might as well have considering if you had been standing they would’ve given out beneath you. You didn’t know what exactly to do or say in response to what she had just said, but you definitely knew what emotions you were feeling now. She took no time before quickly trapping you in a kiss, one that you had been anticipating for several minutes but that point.

To no surprise it had gotten heated extremely fast, you could feel her hands moving around your body and yours were doing the same.

As she kissed you, she had gently begun to push you back, eventually pushing you all the way to the ground with her body between your legs. She broke the kiss, her breathing a bit more labored than before you both had started this ‘activity’ as she looked down at you, the same smirk coming right back onto her face. She neared your face again but instead of kissing you, she went for your neck instead. You gasped a bit at the feeling but let her continue regardless.

It wasn’t until you could feel her begin to bite down a bit did you have to bite your lip to keep your own noises in. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she was enjoying every second of it. She stopped for a moment, lifting herself off of you and looked down at you with a smug look on her face.

“You got to hear me. I think it’s only fair if you return the favor.” Mizu said, causing you to pause for a moment. She couldn't be serious, could she?

“Mizu-” You began, wanting to explain why it was too embarrassing to make such noises only for her to cut you off very quickly.

“Let me hear you.” She teased, leaning back towards you. She was definitely serious.

“You know, the more you let out, the more I know I’m doing this right.” She whispered, her hot breath against your ear sent shivers throughout your body in seconds. Mizu was using your own words against you, and much to your dismay it was working wonders. She took clear notice of the effect she had, and wasn’t planning on stopping any time soon.

She went back towards your neck, doing just as she had before except this time she was just a tad bit extra enthusiastic about it. She was clearly trying to put in the work to hear you, and it was going to pay off.

Even if you wanted to, you couldn’t really stop yourself from making the noises you did. The feeling wasn’t overwhelming, but it was definitely new enough to elicit such a reaction.

“There you go.” You could hear her whisper.

How did you get here? You walked in thinking you were going to do Mizu's makeup and here you are moaning and squirming while being pinned down underneath her. The words of encouragement were not helping the fluttery feeling you felt in your stomach everytime she said anything. This truly was not the day you thought you’d discover things like this about yourself, yet here you are.

One of her hands made its way back onto your body, light being placed on your chest, and ever so slowly beginning to move down. She stopped messing with your neck for a moment before she lifted off of you for a second. You took the moment to try and catch your breath, your head was pounding, your stomach had flipped several times, your entire face felt warm, you felt like you were on some kind of roller coaster.

“Are you okay with me going further?” She asked quietly, her hand remaining on your chest. You paused for a moment, suddenly you felt extremely nervous, as if you were so unprepared for whatever could’ve come next. You didn’t answer and Mizu took note of it, taking her hand off of you.

“If you’re not comfortable, we can stop.” She stated simply, still leaning above you as she waited for an answer.

“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable I just-” you began, but you cut yourself off and began to think.

You wanted to continue, you really did, but there was something frightening about doing so. You weren’t ready, you knew that deep down no matter how much you wanted to continue.

“I can’t go further, not yet.” You answered honestly. Mizu nodded before getting off of you.

You sat up after her, a feeling of guilt beginning to wash over you.

“Did I ruin the mood?” You asked quietly, causing Mizu to turn back to you very quickly.

“No, I asked you for a reason. I want to make sure you're at least enjoying yourself, and if that’s where you want to draw the line, then I’m fine with that.” She explained with nothing more than a shrug of her shoulders.

“Besides, there's nothing saying we can’t just continue what we were doing before.” She teased, moving towards you a bit again. You smiled at her, entirely in gear to continue what you were doing before, only to hear the door quickly open followed by a very familiar jingling bell.

“I met some very nice people by the dock today and-“ Ringo began, only to stop once he noticed the position the two of you were in. However, your proximity didn’t really ring any bells for him, instead he pointed out,

“Master, you have makeup on your face, and you do too! Why do you have some smudges on your neck?” A very confused made its way onto Ringos face as he just simply stared at the two of you, who were still merely inches away from each other, before Mizu very plainly responded,

“Don’t think too hard about it.”

[fanfictionalraven]

Faithfully

Title: Faithfully

Song Inspiration: Faithfully by Journey

Characters: Reader, Dean Winchester, other SPN characters

Word Count: 4, 904

Warnings: Pregnancy

Author's Note: This was an anonymous request. Such a beautiful song and so perfect for Dean. Thanks for the idea Anon!!

Highway run into the midnight sun,

Wheels go ‘round and ‘round, you’re on my mind,

Restless hearts, sleep alone tonight,

Sendin’ all my love along the wire.

“Another?” The bartender asks Dean, pointing to the beer he’d been nursing for a while.

“No thanks. Work tomorrow,” Dean tells him, tossing some cash onto the bar. He and Sam had rolled into town a little earlier in the day. Some case Sam had found; a witch or shifter or…something. Dean couldn’t remember. 

“Leaving so soon?” A sultry voice asks. Dean looks over to find a gorgeous, young blonde sliding onto the booth beside him. She tosses her hair over her shoulder and leans forward to highlight her ample breasts. A hand reaches for his knee but Dean catches her wrist.

“Sorry, Sweetheart. Not happening,” he tells her, letting her go. She rolls her eyes and stands, moving to her next target. Dean laughs lightly, shaking his head.

A few years ago, that would have been all the invitation he’d have needed. They would have wandered out to the Impala, maybe made it back to her place for a night of meaningless sex, and he would have returned to Sam first thing in the morning, satisfied. But all that had changed almost a year ago.

As he heads out of the bar and into the cold, he pulls his phone out, smiling at the screen. The picture that greets him is one of his favorites. It’s from the small “vacation” the two of you had taken only a couple months ago. It was one of Bobby’s old safe houses he’d told Dean about; a beautiful little cabin out by a lake. Dean had snapped the picture of you sitting on the small dock, feet dangling off the edge. You’d teased him about pursuing a career in photography after seeing it.

He finds your name with ease and calls as he climbs into the driver’s seat of his car. It rings twice before you pick up.

“Hey,” you answer. Dean smiles immediately at your voice.

“Hey,” he replies. “Bad time?”

“For you? Never,” you laugh lightly. He smiles even wider at your laugh.

“Still in Utah?” The familiar sound of the Impala’s engine roaring to life comes through the phone.

“Yea. Found the nest though. Taking it out tonight,” you tell him, as you lean back against your car.

“On your own?” Dean asks, voice laced with concern.

“No, Dean,” you say, smiling to yourself. “I’m not stupid, ya know?”

“That’s not what I meant, Y/N,” he says. “Just…you know…”

“Awwww. You worried about me, Winchester?” You tease him, pushing off the car and walking to your trunk.

“Always,” he admits, almost too quietly for you to hear. Almost. Your smile softens as you open the trunk, glancing around at your weapons.

“You just calling to check up on me?” You ask, pulling a machete out to check the blade.

“No…just…missed you,” he confesses. You swing the machete around quickly to test it out. “Haven’t seen you since…”

“The cabin,” you finish. “I know. I miss you too.”

The two of you had been off and on for the majority of the time you’d known each other. It had mostly been a friends with benefits situation until last year. Suddenly, you were way more on than off. It was starting to feel like a real relationship. You hadn’t slept with anyone else and Dean said he hadn’t. You trusted him, of course.

“I’ve been thinking…” Dean starts, seemingly getting the subject away from…feelings.

“Haven’t hurt yourself, have ya?” You ask. You can practically hear Dean roll his eyes.

“Will you shut up? I’m trying to be serious here,” he tells you. You laugh and slam the trunk closed, machete in hand. Your cousin’s car pulls up, parking next to your own. You smile and wave at her.

“Serious. Right. Sorry. Go ahead,” you say.

“I was thinking you should come to the bunker,” he says. You smile and roll your eyes.

“I was planning to come by after this,” you tell him. He sighs and cuts the engine off, having reached the motel.

“No, Y/N. That’s not what I meant,” he says. You hold up a finger to your cousin, asking her to give you a minute when she gets out of the car. “You should move…into the bunker…with me.” You’re mid swing on the machete when he asks, causing you to freeze. The machete slips from your hand, landing near your cousin.

“Jesus, Y/N!!” She snaps. You wave a hand at her in apology as you walk away. 

“What are you saying, Dean?” You asks. He lets out a chuckle. 

“I’m saying that…I’ve really started to hate sleeping alone, sleeping without you. I hate waking up without you,” he starts. “Now, I don’t wanna tie you down or anything. Do your hunts, whatever you want. I just want the bunker to be…home.” You hold the phone away for a moment and breathe deeply. You were mere moments from clearing a vampire nest. You weren’t about to cry. Returning the phone to your ear, you can’t help but smile.

“Dean,” you say. “I’ll go anywhere you go. You’re already my home.” Dean smiles and closes his eyes for a second, thanking anyone who was listening.

They say that the road ain’t no place to start a family,

Right down the line, it’s been you and me,

And lovin’ a music man ain’t always what it’s supposed to be,

Oh, girl, you stand by me,

I’m forever yours,

Faithfully.

You walk into the kitchen of the bunker one morning, stretching. Sam’s already sitting at the table, his laptop open in front of him. You smile at him widely and walk over, kissing his cheek quickly.

“Morning, Sammy,” you tell him. He looks at you and laughs lightly.

“Good morning,” he says, watching as you walk over to the counter, humming. You pour yourself a cup of coffee, swaying to the music in your head. “You’re awful perky this morning.”

“Am I?” You ask, glancing back at him. He laughs and nods. You shrug, leaning against the counter. 

“I guess you two had a good Valentine's Day?” He asks. 

“We had a great Valentine’s Day,” you laugh. 

“Well, I’m glad,” Sam tells you, looking back at his computer. Dean comes in, a smile to rival yours plastered on his face. He walks over and kisses you quickly before getting his own coffee. Sam looks at the two of you and starts to laugh. “Is that a hickey??” He asks. You and Dean exchange glances before Dean moves your hair from your shoulder, examining your neck briefly. He smirks.

“Looks like it,” he says. You laugh and shrug at Sam.

“I said it was great,” you tell him. Dean smiles and pulls you in for another kiss, your arms snaking around his neck.

“I found a case. If either of you care,” Sam announces. Dean sighs as he let you go and turns to his brother, taking a drink of his coffee. “Stacy Altman, 19 year old babysitter from Hudson, Ohio was murdered last night,” he says. Dean nods slightly.

“Oh, that blows. But if her name’s not Amara, how is that us?” He asks. You lean against Dean and he wraps his arm around your waist.

“Because her heart was ripped out,” Sam tells you both. You grimace and Dean nods.

“On Valentine’s Day? What is that, like an ironic werewolf? Alright, we’ll check it out. But first, I need bacon.” Dean gives your waist a squeeze then looks down at you. “You coming?”

“Think I’ll hang back, keep working this Amara thing,” you tell him, going to leave the kitchen. Dean smirks and gives your ass a quick smack. You let out a squeak of surprise and look back at him as you go into the hallway. You just hear Sam mutter something about the two of you being disgusting as you head back towards your bedroom.

Glancing over your shoulder, you close the door behind you before locking yourself in the bathroom. You look at yourself in the mirror, take a deep breath, then pick up the stick you had left on the counter earlier.

“Please be negative,” you mumble a quick prayer.

You and Dean had only been together for about a year. You were both hunters. God’s sister was currently on the loose and very much out to end the world. This had to be the absolute worst timing. The two of you hadn’t even discussed starting a family. It certainly wasn't on your radar and you couldn’t imagine it was on Dean’s either.

You’d bought the pregnancy test a few days ago when your period failed to make its monthly appearance. You hadn’t mentioned anything to Dean yet, didn’t want him freaking out over nothing. Cause that’s all this was, of course. Nothing.

The timer you had set on your phone goes off and you nearly jump out of your skin. You flip the test over and…

**

About a day later, Dean pulls the Impala into the garage of the bunker. He sighs as he cuts the car off and lays his head against the steering wheel. Sam looks at him and smiles a little.

“Dean, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like you cheated on her,” he says. Dean shakes his head slightly.

“Doesn’t feel different,” he says. “We just had this great day, things were going so well…”

“She won’t be upset, Dean. Come on,” he says, getting out of the car. Dean frowns then gets out as well. They both get their bags and then head to their respective bedrooms. Dean tosses his bag into the corner then sits on the edge of the bed, running his hands over his face.

You make your way down to the room nervously, wringing your hands. You’d been practicing your speech ever since you’d read the test. You had it all planned out and were absolutely prepared to tell Dean. That was until he’d told you they were headed home. The minute you’d received that text, your nerves had gotten the better of you. You had been running every possible bad scenario, each one worse than the last.

“Dean?” You ask, stepping into the bedroom. You frown when you see him so distraught. “What’s wrong??” You ask. He pats the spot next to him and you bite your lip as you walk over. He knows. He already knows and he’s breaking up with me. You sit down next to him and he turns to face you.

“This case…it was a witch, a curse…it was passed by kissing. I kissed the woman who had it and got it passed to me so she was safe,” he explains. You let out a breath and take his hands in your own.

“Dean, did you think I’d be upset about that?” You ask with a laugh. He sighs and shakes his head.

“I’m not finished,” he tells you. Your smile falls slightly and he looks at your hands. “The curse, it takes the form of your deepest, darkest desire and then that person or whatever kills you.”

“I’m…guessing that wasn’t me,” you say. He shakes his head. “Amara?” You already knew before he said anything else. From the moment she’d been freed from her cage, she had some weird connection to Dean. It had only been a few weeks since he told you that she’d kissed him and he couldn’t help but kiss her back. It stung, sure, but you knew it wasn’t Dean.

“I don’t want this, Y/N. I don’t want her. I just can’t shake this hold she has on me. Sitting here with you right now, I want nothing more than to kill her,” he starts quickly. “But when I’m around her, I can’t do anything.” You let his hands go and take his face gently, raising it up to meet yours. You press a soft, gentle kiss to his lips.

“I’m not mad at you, Dean. I know you love me. We’ll shake this Amara thing soon enough and get back to normal,” you assure him. “You and me. And…whoever else comes along.” He looks up at you, confused. You smile at him and stand, walking over to the desk. It isn’t until now that Dean notices the small gift bag sitting on it. “It’s a little late for Valentine’s now but…” You shrug and hand him the bag. He raises a skeptical eyebrow at you before pulling the pink and blue tissue paper out of it. He looks into the bag, then up at you quickly.

“Is this…” He stops before sliding the contents of the bag into his hand. His hands shake as he flips it around, trying to find the little screen for confirmation.

Pregnant.

“Oh my god,” he says, staring down at the test in his hand. “This is…”

A mistake. The worst possible timing. Not what I want at all. You brace yourself against the desk behind you, waiting for the death blow.

“This is…incredible,” Dean says finally, looking up at you. There are tears in his eyes threatening to spill over but his face changes the second his eyes meet yours. “Are you okay?” He asks, jumping up quickly. His hands come to rest on your shoulders as he looks you over. “Y/N, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Which…is really saying something for us.”

“You’re happy,” you say quietly, looking at him. His brow furrows in confusion as he takes in your state.

“What? Of course I’m happy!! I mean…” He stops and shrugs. “Timing could be better but…a baby!!” He lets out a laugh and lifts you into a tight hug, spinning you around the room. You squeal and laugh as well, tears of sheer joy and relief streaming down your cheeks. “I’m gonna be a dad!! Sammy!!” He calls out, setting you on your feet. He grabs your hand and pulls you down the hallway quickly. 

Circus life under the big-top world,

We all need the clowns to make us smile,

Through space and time, always another show,

Wonderin’ where I am lost without you,

3…2…1…*beep, beep, beep*

You stare into the microwave as the light goes out. Popping the door open, you grab the bottle and test the milk on your wrist. Perfect temp. You turn to go feed your three month old son and accidentally send the stack of neglected and dirty dishes crashing to the floor. 

“Dammit,” you curse, setting the bottle on the counter. Kneeling down, you start to pick up the pieces of the shattered dishes and old food.

“Y/N?” Mary asks, stepping into the room. “What happened?” She comes over quickly to help. You glance up at her and shake your head before hissing in pain. You’d managed to cut your hand on a shard of glass. “Oh, Y/N.” Falling back against the counter behind you, your emotions overwhelm you.

“I can’t do this anymore, Mary,” you cry.

Dean and Sam were missing. They had taken on Lucifer once again and this time he was possessing the president. That was almost two months ago. For two months you've been struggling to take care of your newborn son on your own. Sure, you had Cas and Mary but it wasn’t the same. D.J. needed his father.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I…what do you need me to do?” She asks, handing you a dish towel. Wrapping it around your cut hand, you glance back up at the bottle.

“Could you feed D.J. for me? I just…I need a minute,” you tell her. 

“Of course,” she says. She gives your arm a quick, reassuring squeeze before leaving you alone in the kitchen.

You lay your head back against the counter and close your eyes, allowing the tears to fall once again as you contemplate life as a single mother. You knew this life was risky, of course. You knew there was always a chance one of you wouldn’t come back from a hunt. You just didn’t expect it to be two months into actually being parents.

“Y/N? Are you alright?” Cas asks, when he sees you. You shake your head, eyes still squeezed closed as you cry.

Cas frowns as he walks over, taking in the disaster that is the kitchen. He hesitates for a moment before carefully sitting down next to you. You lay your head over on his shoulder as the sobs rake through your body. Cas shifts awkwardly and you feel his arm come around your shoulders, comfortingly. The pain alleviates in your hand and you pull it from the towel, perfectly healed.

“Thank you,” you mumble between sobs.

“I wish there was more I could do,” he says. You wipe at your cheeks and shake your head.

“Please stop blaming yourself. You followed the plan,” you tell him, laying your head back on his shoulder. 

The two of you sit in silence for a while, you don’t know how long. Eventually, you sit up and find a clean part of the partially bloodied towel to wipe your face. You rise from the floor and look at the mess at your feet before taking in the rest of the kitchen. You’d really let things slide lately. You sigh and shake your head, going to get the trash can. Mary comes back into the kitchen.

“No,” she says. You stop and look at her.

“What?” You ask, confused.

“You need to go get some rest. Take a shower. Take a nap. Refresh and reset,” she tells you, taking the trash can from your hand.

“Mary, there’s too much to do,” you respond, looking around at the kitchen again. It wasn’t just the kitchen either. You knew the library, war room, and bedrooms needed your attention as well.

“Castiel and I will take care of it,” she says, sending a pointed look to the angel as he gets up from the floor. He nods, looking at you.

“Of course,” he says. Looking between the two, you realize there’s no point in arguing. You were absolutely exhausted, barely able to get any sleep the last two months. Mary smiles at you, reassuringly.

“Shower. Bed,” she tells you. You sigh and nod, reaching for the baby monitor but Mary snatches it up quickly. “I’ve got him too.”

“Okay,” you surrender, holding your hands up.

You head down the hall and steal a quick peek in at your son, sleeping soundly in his crib. Continuing down the hall, you go into yours and Dean’s bedroom, closing the door behind you. One hour-long, steaming hot shower later, you slip into one of Dean’s t-shirts then under the covers. You don’t expect sleep to overwhelm you as quickly as it does. Your last thoughts are the same as they’ve been for the last two months.

Where are you, Dean?

And being apart ain’t easy on this love affair,

Two strangers learn to fall in love again,

I get the joy of rediscovering you,

Oh, girl, you stand by me,

I’m forever yours,

Faithfully.

Dean smiles politely at the waitress, taking his order. She was clearly flirting with him even though he’d told her about you and D.J. She walks off to put his order in, dinner for him and Sam to go, and he pulls his phone out to call you. It rings three times before you pick up.

“Hey,” you say, smiling. You’re sitting in the library, having just gotten D.J. down for the night.

“I miss you,” he says with a sigh. “This waitress won’t leave me alone.”

“I’m sorry. Is Dean Winchester complaining about being hit on?” You laugh. He shakes his head as he glances around, his eyes landing on the mechanical bull.

“I told her I had someone back home and a kid. She’s still flirting,” he says, watching as someone gets thrown off. He lets out a chuckle. “I was better than that,” he mumbles.

“What?” You ask.

“There’s a…a mechanical bull,” he tells you. You throw your head back, laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“I would pay to see that,” you tease him.

“Hey. I was awesome,” he assures you.

“Man. I can’t believe I missed that,” you say, still laughing. He smiles and shakes his head before someone catches his attention.

“Babe, I gotta let you go. Think I just got a lead on our case,” he says, standing up quickly. Your smile slips slightly and you nod.

“Be careful,” you tell him before he hangs up. You sigh and lean back in the chair.

**

“Dean’s been hexed. He’s losing his memory.”

That was the call you’d received from Sam earlier in the day. He thought it might be best if you were there to help. Thankfully, Mary had been in the neighborhood so she could keep D.J. for you. You’d peeled out of the garage, tires squealing as you headed for Arkansas, a 7 and a half hour drive. You make it in six.

You whip into the parking lot of the motel Sam had given you the address to and park next to the Impala. Grabbing your bag, you make for the door of the guys’ room and knock quickly. However, it isn’t Sam or Dean who answer the door but Rowena. Your shock gives way to anger almost immediately.

“Did you do this??” You snap, stepping up to her quickly. Her eyes widen in surprise before she smiles.

“Afraid not, dear,” she says. “But I am here to help.”

“Help? Are you kidding?” You ask, looking at Sam as he steps up behind Rowena.

“I know, I know. But...I didn’t know where else to go,” he explains. You sigh and glance around, spotting Dean sitting on one of the beds. He’s laughing at whatever he’s watching on the TV. He looks over and his eyes lock with yours before he smiles widely.

“Hi,” he says, standing. He remembered you. You smile as you walk over to him.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” You ask, your hands resting on his arms. He looks down at your hands then back at you.

“Much better now that you're here,” he says, his smile turning into a smirk. “I’m, ugh…I’m…”

“Dean,” Sam says, frowning.

“Yea. I’m Dean,” he says, introducing himself. Your smile fades as you take a step back. He didn’t remember you. It was worse than you’d thought. Sam’s hand comes to rest on your shoulder and you shake your head.

“I need some air,” you say quietly before leaving the room. Dean frowns as you go and Sam sighs, ushering him to the bathroom to talk. He explains the situation to him, reminding him of everything, everyone. Dean runs a hand over his face.

“So, after everything…that’s it. This is what nails me,” he says. Sam shakes his head quickly.

“No. No, no. Dean. I-it,” he stops and takes a deep breath. “It’s not gonna happen, all right?” Dean looks at him and Sam can see the fear in his eyes.

“Well, you just told me my whole life story. And I gotta be honest, man. I…I can feel it, slipping out of my head. I mean ganking monsters is one thing. But this…” He covers his face with his hands. “I forgot Y/N and my own son.”

“We’ll figure it out. We will,” Sam assures his older brother before standing up. He leaves the bathroom and finds you outside the door.

“Can I?” You ask, pointing to it. Sam nods and steps out of the way. You push the door open slightly and peek in. Dean is standing over the sink, staring at himself in the mirror.

“Okay. My name is Dean Winchester. Sam is my brother. Ugh, Mary Winchester is my mom. Cast - Cas is my best friend. Y/N is my wi…girlfr…” He stops and you sigh before stepping into the bathroom. 

“Girlfriend,” you provide. He looks over at you then down, embarrassed.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” you tell him, leaning back against the door. He walks over quickly and wraps you up in a tight hug as though clinging to your very memory for dear life.

“I don’t remember what he looks like,” he says quietly. You can hear the crack in his voice, the emotion choking him up. You’re fighting tears yourself now.

“Just like you. Your eyes and everything,” you say.

“What’s D.J. even stand for?” He asks, still clinging onto you.

“Dean Junior,” you tell him. He nods and looks down at you. “You didn’t really want to name him after you but I insisted. Cause I want him to be just like his father.” He smiles a little before leaning his forehead against yours. “We’re gonna fix you, Dean. I swear.” There’s a knock on the door and you glance back.

“Y/N, we need to go,” Sam says.

“I’m coming,” you call back to him. You look up at Dean once more and take his face in your hands. You stand up on your toes, closing the distance between the two of you, and kiss him. You had to tell yourself this wouldn’t be the last kiss the two of you would share. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he tells you. You can’t be sure if he actually means it or if he’s saying it back to spare your feelings at this point. Did he even remember how much you two loved each other? You smile at him before leaving the bathroom and following Sam out the door. Dean rushes out behind you to the desk inside the room. Rowena watches as he jots down a quick note and sticks it in his front pocket. He glances at her and she raises an eyebrow. “Just a reminder…”

**

The three of you get back to the bunker later the next day, Dean’s memories restored. Mary meets you all in the garage, D.J. in her arms. Dean practically bursts from the car and rushes over, taking his son. Mary smiles as she hands him over.

“Glad you’re better,” she says, patting his shoulder. Dean smiles at her before kissing D.J.’s forehead.

“Can’t believe I forgot him,” he says quietly. You smile as you walk past, heading towards the bedroom to put your bags away. Dean watches you go before looking at his mother. “I need your help.” She nods.

“Of course. With what?” She asks. He pulls a piece of paper from his front pocket.

“I don’t remember writing it but…it’s my handwriting. And I mean…” He trails off as he hands the paper to her. She reads it and her eyes widen before looking back up at him.

A few minutes later, Dean comes down to the bedroom and leans against the door frame, watching you. You’re busy taking the clothes from both of your go bags and putting them into the hamper to take care of later. You glance back and smile.

“I figured you’d still be spending time with D.J.”

“Wanted to spend time with you,” he says, walking in. He closes the door before walking over and wrapping his arms around you. You smile as you slip your arms around his neck. He leans in and kisses you gently, his hands sliding over your waist slowly. He pulls away too soon and you lean in again. He laughs lightly. “Hold on.”

“I don’t really want to,” you laugh.

“I wanna give you something,” he says. You raise an eyebrow at him as he reaches into his pocket. He pulls a folded piece of paper out and holds it up between the two of you. “I wrote this at some point during the whole…hexed thing.” You take it, giving him a skeptical look. He seems nervous and you can’t figure out why. You unfold the piece of paper slowly.

Dean. If you survive this, marry Y/N.

It was scratched onto the paper quickly and sloppily but it was for sure Dean’s handwriting. You can’t help the gasp that escapes your lips as you look back up at Dean. He’s watching you, trying to read your face, as he reaches into his pocket once again. This time he produces a ring.

“Oh my god,” you whisper.

“I, ugh…I thought I was going to have to save up to buy a ring but,” he stops and shrugs. “Mom gave me hers. Didn’t even ask. Said she wanted you to have it.”

“Oh my god,” you say again, swallowing thickly.

“Marry me, Y/N?” He asks. You take a shaky breath as the tears finally start to fall.

“Yes,” you tell him. He smiles widely and pulls you in for another kiss. This time you pull away too soon, holding your left hand up. “I want my ring.” He laughs lightly as he looks at it.

“Dad had it inscribed. I didn’t know that. Mom just showed it to me,” he says. You take it and hold it up, trying to read the inside. You smile widely as you make out the two words. They couldn’t have been more true for the two for you. He takes the ring back and slides it onto your left hand before lifting you and tossing you onto the bed.

Forever yours.

****

Forever Tags: @roseblue373

[snorky]

You Can Hate Me If You Want, But Your Desires Don't Lie

Hey y’all! Here is a Quinn Hughes, very cliché, enemies to lovers, snowed in a cabin trope. Besides that, I’m very proud of how he’s doing so far in this season, and I am very excited to see it continue. I hope you all have a lovely holiday season, and take care of yourself!

Pairing: Quinn Hughes x F!Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Slight bickering, nothing more nor less.

—

—

As he looked outside the cabin’s living room window, the snow didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. It fell from the darkened sky like meteorites crashing through the atmosphere endlessly.

“It doesn’t look like Jack and Luke are making it up here soon,” he cursed under his breath.

She lounged in a leather reclining chair across the living room from him, watching him intently as he reached into his pocket for his phone to call his siblings. 

“Tough, huh?” She rolled her eyes in annoyance, knowing that she’d be snowed in the cabin with Quinn for the next day.

He gave her a dismissive glance. “Feeling’s mutual,” he mumbled.

Between Quinn and her, things had been sour since middle school, and with his younger brother Luke being best friends with her, he couldn’t avoid her. Every time she was around, his breaths were uneven, words caught in his throat like fish in a net.

He didn’t know why he disliked her so much, or why she seemed to dislike him back. Nonetheless, his heart may or may not have harbored a slight crush on her, as immature as it was, but he tried to push those feelings aside. Perhaps for a few days, few weeks, months, however long it was, it all turned into years it seemed.

Stolen glances, unspoken tension, lightning struck between them, thunder rumbled underneath the surface.  

Luke picked up the phone on the other side, answering Quinn’s call. All she could tell from his tense expressions was that the two younger brothers couldn’t make it up to the cabin. When he looked back at her, he didn’t seem too bright and happy, although he never did have a satisfactory resting face in her opinion.

“They can’t come up because the snowfall is too much,” he sighed. “I guess they didn’t check too far ahead for the weather.”

Humming in response, she turned her attention back to the book she had in hand. She was not too entertained by it, but it held as a distraction to keep her gaze away from Quinn. It was the cliché “best-friend’s-older-brother” situation with him, but as much as she hated the thought of it, she couldn’t help but keep lingering stares on him.

He was just, too pretty, too ethereal. It’d be a sin not to admire someone so beautiful.

Rustling noises came from the kitchen area, presumably Quinn searching for snacks in the pantry. Luckily for him, they had both already brought snacks and some non-perishable groceries to the cabin, stocked in the fridge and in the cabinets.

“Quinny?” She asked in a sing-song tone, cringing internally at her antics. “Can you make a bowl of popcorn for me?”

“Yeah sure, whatever,” he responded, irritation laced in his voice.

Grabbing a bowl, he poured some premade popcorn into it, being quite generous knowing that he’d be mooching off of her bowl because ‘it tastes better’ despite the popcorn coming from the same bag.

As he handed the bowl to her, he stood there idly beside where she sat, a blank stare drawn on his face.

A confused expression formed on her face as she looked up at him. “Are you going to sit down or—?”

“That’s my seat,” he stated plainly.

“You don’t ‘own’ seats, Quinn.”

“No, I know,” he said as he grabbed a handful of her popcorn and stuffed it in his mouth. “But still, that’s my seat.” 

“That’s my popcorn!” He shrugged at her reaction as she reluctantly got up from her seat, moving herself to the couch beside it as Quinn took a seat in the recliner.

She gave him an annoyed look before turning her attention to the TV, putting on some sappy Hallmark Christmas Movie. It was the same old thing with each new movie, but it was such a classic. Tear-jerking, seemingly impossible circumstances combined with romance could never go wrong, to her at least.

“This movie again? Really?” Quinn scoffed, his hand motioning at the TV. “It’s sooo cliché—like you know exactly what’s going to happen next,” he said, slumping into the recliner to the point where it’d seemed like he had become one with the chair.

Grabbing a piece of popcorn, she put it in her mouth, slightly entertained by his ramblings. “Go on.” She motioned.

“What do you mean?”

She let out a small laugh, “Keep talking, since you seem to hate Hallmark movies so much.” Her lips upturned into an amused smile, watching Quinn intently as he tried to explain himself.

“Well, it’s just boring, I guess, in the sense that it’s the same remake with a slightly different plot,” he said, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.

“Yes, but so are most movies,”

They both fell silent, the sound of the sweet-jolly Christmastime music humming in the background as the movie continued to play. It remained like this for a while before Quinn moved from his recliner, getting up to turn off some of the lights in the cabin, dimming the living room slightly.

She noticed his absence, and she quickly got up, moving herself to the recliner, and positioned herself comfortably before continuing to watch the movie, her legs swung over the sides of the chair.

As the movie went on, she became extremely invested despite seeing this movie on multiple occasions before. Her eyes never seemed to drift away from the screen that illuminated the living room, a gut-wrenching, heart-aching scene displayed on the TV as she watched intently.

The two lovers seemed to look at each other in the eyes with such sweet, pure desire, their lips parted in gentle laughter, warm breaths visible in the air as they held hands and stood close. Soft Christmas lights fluttered in the background, seemingly drifting like fireflies around the couple as they danced in the snow.

Quinn came back shortly, his footsteps as quiet as possible as he noticed her comfortable position as she rested on the recliner. He grinned mischievously to himself, knowing that the idea that he had in mind would most likely end up in consequences.

“Boo!”

She let out a blood-curdling scream when Quinn scared her, popping out from behind the recliner suddenly with a scary-looking mask over his face. 

Laughing at her reaction, he moved the mask off his face, letting it sit on the side of his head instead, his messy brown hair slightly stuck to his forehead, a wide grin on his face.

“Wow, you were so scared!” He continued to laugh, hand on the back of the recliner to stabilize himself, meanwhile, she had a rather irritated look on her face as she repositioned herself on the recliner. 

Her face heated up in embarrassment, a flush of warm red on her neck and cheeks. “What the hell, Quinn!” she grumbled, throwing a piece of popcorn at him. “That was not funny!”

“You should’ve seen it though,” he chuckled, laughter dying down a bit. “You almost jumped out of your seat!”

Turning her back to him, she faced the TV and continued to watch the movie, attempting to ignore him for the rest of the night. The classic silent treatment. A couple of times she almost faltered, small talk easy to her lips when she was around him, but she held her silence.

However, Quinn didn’t seem to like that, slightly disappointed in the absence of her voice and lack of attention on him. “Hellooo?” He waved a hand in front of her face, causing her to move her head slightly over to see the screen. “Heyyy?”

Plopping himself down on the ground next to the recliner, he leaned onto it, letting out a sigh as he rested his head against it. His hand trailed to her bowl of popcorn, taking a piece or two, and to his surprise, she didn’t seem to mind.

As the movie went on, he slowly became more and more invested in the movie, each scene seemingly more magical and intense than the last.

 “Anyone home in that empty head?” Her voice snapped him out of the trance that the movie had on him. 

He quickly looked up at her, a little embarrassed that he was caught watching the movie as well. “Yeah,” he spoke quietly, the words leaving his mouth like a whisper. “What’s up?”

She grabbed a piece of popcorn and tossed it in her mouth. “Nothin’, just thought you hated Hallmark movies,”

“I don’t hate them—”

“But you said you did?”

He paused and thought about his words, remembering his previous statement about the topic earlier that night. “Okay, well, maybe I magically got blessed by the power of Hallmark movie magic and had a change of heart suddenly,” he spoke in a sarcastic tone, making her laugh.

Rolling her eyes at him, she chuckled. “Okay Mr. ‘I-Had-A-Change-Of-Heart’,” she said as she got up out of her seat. 

As she walked to the kitchen, her bowl in hand, his eyes watched her curiously, wondering what she was doing. Once he heard the water running from the kitchen, he assumed that she was just washing her bowl, and so turned his attention back to the movie.

It was only a few minutes too late until he realized that she had broken her oath of silence.

“You did it! You spoke!” He got up from the ground like an excited toddler, or rather, a young child who just won a game at recess. “Ha! I knew you couldn’t ignore me for the whole night!” he said smugly, walking into the kitchen to join her.

She remained focused on her task, not turning to face him as she finished off rinsing her bowl, but her lips parted as she responded to him. “I could never, Quinn,” she spoke, her voice smooth like honey to his ears. “Could never ignore you.”

Butterflies seemed to be pinned to the insides of his stomach, fluttering as a slight blush was dusted on his cheeks. “You as well,” he spoke under his breath, nervous that if he was slightly louder, she would catch on to the shakiness of his voice.

He walked back to the living room after grabbing a blanket from the closet nearby, settling down cozily on the recliner as he continued to watch the movie. Shortly after, she came back into the living room, lying down on the couch on her side to face the TV.

The night only seemed to grow colder as it went on, the heating seemingly doing nothing in the cabin. Quinn only noticed a slight chill in the air, but she felt like she was freezing. Her hands felt cold, as well as her feet and the tip of her nose. 

She shivered slightly, curling up instinctively to try and keep herself warm. He looked over at her in slight worry, his scary-looking Halloween mask still resting on the side of his head. Getting up, he grabbed his blanket and placed it on her, causing her to look up at him in confusion.

“What? No—” She pushed the blanket back to him, making him hold it in his hands. “You can keep the blanket since it’s cold,”

He shook his head in opposition, denying the blanket. “You need it more than me,”

Looking up at him, she got up from the couch, standing with her face mere inches away from his, her hand lightly ghosting up his arm, memories sparkling in his eyes like a sunset on the lake in Michigan. His eyes softened as he looked at her, a wordless ‘do you want it?’ being asked, with her nodding her head.

As soon as she did, he pressed his lips against hers frantically as she leaned in closer to him, his hand snaking its way to her lower back, pressing her closer to him. He gently held the side of her face, thumb stroking her warm cheek with delicacy.

Her hand went to the back of his head, deepening the kiss as her fingers entangled themselves into his soft hair, hearing a sigh fall from his mouth as she did so.

They pulled away from each other breathlessly, their lips slightly parted and swollen from kissing, a pretty shade of rose covering their faces. He let out a small laugh, a sweet one as he held her close, leaning his forehead against hers.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time,” he said bashfully, smiling awkwardly, and yet he was still so pretty in her eyes.

“Really?” Her voice was quiet and unsure, needing some sort of confirmation that he wasn’t lying. “I thought you were annoyed by me?” She sat down on the couch, moving over slightly so that he could sit down beside her.

He let out another laugh, sitting down with her. “I could never be annoyed by you, I just thought you hated me.” It seemed like a weight came off of his shoulders as he said that, getting the words off of his chest. “Sorry—”

She kissed him again, holding his face gently on both sides, silencing him from talking as she pressed her lips onto his, feeling him relax into the kiss. Pulling away, she spoke quietly, “You know I could never hate you.”

The look in his eyes could only be described as ethereal, glimmering like snow as he looked at her. “Promise?” He held his pinky finger up, a gesture of eternal promise in his heart.

She locked her pinky with his, “Promise.” Her smile seemed brighter than the sun to him, it was his warmth, comfort. 

They both rested on the couch, maybe even thankful that his two younger brothers couldn’t come up to the cabin. The movie continued to go on as they both cuddled up to each other, blanket over the both of them, Quinn’s arm wrapped around her waist.

It was just the perfect cheesy Hallmark ending that he would’ve hated so much, and yet he savored the moment of her, asleep in his arms, his own eyes growing tired and sleepy. 

[reysdriver]

Meeting The Dad | E.M.

Your police chief dad insists on meeting your misfit boyfriend, so you bring Eddie over for dinner — eddie x fem!hopper!reader fluff

warnings: just a stressful dinner and a mention of eddie dealing drugs

words: 1.2k

Eddie always insisted on getting out of the van first so he could open the door for you. After telling him it’s not necessary about a million times, you just gave up and let him do it. 

You exhaled while it was just you in the car, waiting for him to walk around to your side. This dinner was nerve-wracking, but you didn’t want to show how nervous you were to Eddie and potentially scare him away. 

When the passenger side door opened, you smiled at Eddie as he took the takeout bag from you and helped you down the step. 

“So,” Eddie wondered as you started walking along the forest floor. “Remind me again why we have to do this? Your dad and I have already met.”

“Because the situations in which you two met weren’t… the most desirable. We want to show him that you’re a respectable person and a great boyfriend to his daughter.” 

Eddie took an exaggerated step over a fallen branch on the ground. “It’s not like he’s going to change his mind about me.”

“But we can try getting him to see you differently.” You told him. “So that means you have to be on your best behaviour, remember?”

He rolled his eyes jokingly. "Shake his hand, call him 'Mr. Hopper’, and keep my elbows off the table. I remember all your training"

“Eds, I’m serious. I really want him to like you.” 

He understood that you were nervous and dropped the teasing. “I know. I want it as much as you do, really. I promise I’ll try as hard as possible to become best friends with your dad.”

You laughed at that. “Well, you don’t have to get that close to him.”

“Oh, we’re gonna be super close. Soon, I’ll spend more time hanging with him than I do with you. He’ll let me sit in the front seat of his cop car as we cruise around town and share embarrassing stories about you.”

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes. You both continued walking towards your cabin, and you pointed at the ground a few feet ahead of you. “There’s the tripwire, we have to go over that.”

“I know about the tripwire, sweetheart. How do you think I sneak in to see you?”

You lowered your voice to explain. “I know. I’m pointing at it in case my dad is watching from the window or something. We don’t need him knowing about you sneaking in through my window.”

“She’s too smart for me!” Eddie spoke dramatically into the forest. “Another reason I can’t slack in making a good impression with her father.”

You giggled at him as you both stepped up onto your porch. You took one deep inhale before opening your front door to reveal your dad and sister on the couch waiting for you. Your dad stood up and started walking to you with an unreadable expression, Eleven following closely behind. 

“We’re here, and with food!” You said after Eddie shut the door behind the two of you. “Dad, El, this is Eddie. Eddie, this is my dad, and that’s my sister.”

Your boyfriend held out his hand to share a handshake with your dad. “Thank you so much for inviting me over, Mr. Hopper. It’s good to meet you in a different setting than we have before.”

He took his hand and spoke slightly more grumpily than you had hoped. “Yeah. It’s a pleasure.”

They broke the handshake and your dad moved out of the way, leaving Eddie and Eleven face to face. 

“I know you.” She said to Eddie. 

He and you both went slightly wide-eyed, remembering what happened a few weeks ago when Eddie snuck in at night. He came to show you his most recent tattoo—among other things—and your little sister had walked into your room to find you making out with a shirtless Eddie when she got up to get a midnight snack and heard voices behind your door. You had explained that you and Eddie were just playing a game but she couldn’t tell Hopper about what she saw. 

She agreed not to say anything, but now she was forgetting her promise and you had to cover it up quickly. 

“Yeah, you’ve probably seen him around town. Anyways, we brought waffles for you and we don’t want them to get cold, so let’s sit down to eat and you can figure out where you’ve seen Eddie later, okay?”

Eddie put the takeout bag on the table and sat down in the seat next to yours that you had gestured to a second ago. There were plates on the table for you already, so you started taking out the takeout boxes from the bag and handing them out. 

“El, here’s your waffles. Eds, here’s our burgers. And, Dad, we got you a steak. Benny threw in extra fries but I got him to add vegetables for you too.”

He was obviously displeased. “Oh, yay. My daughter’s drug dealer boyfriend and I get a bunch of steamed vegetables? Best dinner ever.”

You chose to ignore his attitude, and you placed a calming hand on Eddie’s thigh. “You know, Dad, Eddie actually has a real job. He just started at the music store in the new mall. Right, Eds?”

Eddie dropped the fry in his hands before answering. “Yeah, I mean, I’m mostly just a stock boy, but at least it’s honest work.”

“And you’re saving?” Your dad asked. ��Planning to move away, buy a house? At least pay off those student loans?”

There it was, the part you didn’t want to explain to your family. You avoided eye contact as you spoke. “Actually, Dad. Eddie doesn’t have student loans. He’s not going to college yet.” 

“So, you’re both about to take a gap year?”

“Not exactly.” Eddie told him. “I’m staying at Hawkins High for another year. I just have a few credits left, but it’ll happen. Third time’s the charm, right?”

“This is gonna be your third senior year?” Your dad asked, looking surprised. 

Even Eleven joined in. “That’s six years of high school!”

“Yeah, it is. Unfortunately, I didn’t put a lot of my focus into school, so I wasn’t always the best student. But I’m almost there.” 

You were so scared about how your family would react to this information. Obviously, you didn’t care that Eddie was a year older but still in high school; you were just so proud of him for sticking to it and trying. You winced as your dad started to laugh. 

“I guess I don’t need to worry about you running off with my daughter anytime soon ‘cause where the hell are you gonna go?” 

You were about to tell him off for being mean about your boyfriend’s education journey, but Eddie sensed this and held your hand under the table. In fact, he seemed to find it funny too. 

“No, sir. Not going anywhere yet.” Eddie responded. “In fact, I’ll even stay for a fourth year if it’ll put your mind at ease about me.” 

You realised you were still holding your breath from when your dad asked the question, and you finally exhaled calmly. Maybe this dinner wouldn’t be as intimidating as you thought.

[crushedsweets]

How would the other pastas/proxies react if Toby died during a mission?

Writing on my phone in the car 10 mins before my shift forgive me… finished during my lunch break…

Tim would try really really fucking hard to pretend he doesn’t care all that much. He’s already lost plenty of friends/colleagues (directly or indirectly) to the operator and slenderman, and he always treated Toby like he was a pain in the ass, but like. Him and Brian took Toby in when he was just 17-18, he tried to make him a better man, the two of them have done abhorrent shit together and had to return to the cabin like nothing happened. He’d cry, spend long hours thinking about Toby, thinking about how much of a dick he was to the kid. But he’s strong . Kinda

Brian wouldn’t try to pretend he doesn’t care, although he is in a very similar boat to Tim. Took him in, guided him, hurt him - he would probably be the one to set up a grave of some sort for Toby, whether or not they even have his body to bury. The rest of them wouldn’t be able to do it

It’s possible that Kate wouldn’t even find out for a long fucking while. But she would cry, and mourn, and she would start going back to the cabin and she would sleep in the attic (Toby’s room) and it would be shitty. Toby was the only proxy to treat her like a person and they were both outcasts in their own right, both being the closest to perfect vessels slenderman/the operator could get . So it would suck ass.

I think Natalie would just die too. Ok not really but he was the first person to really just. Take care of her. And she really trusted that he would never ever leave her, not like everyone else . She would be angry, pissed beyond belief and she would cry and scream and throw around any of the gifts he’s ever gotten her and smash some shit he’s made her - and it wouldn’t be fair, and she would regret it, and hopefully someone would be there to pull her back before she legitimately fucks it all up, but she can’t get rid of that anger. Like Kate, she would go to the cabin. Being there too long gets her really bad slender sickness, she’s not immune like the others, but she doesn’t really care. Everything hurt so bad anyway, the screaming and crying already brought her nausea and migraines. Her and Kate would just silently lounge around his bedroom for hours everyday. Natalie is a tattoo artist with little to no tattoos bc commitment issues is a big thing for her, but she would get a little something to honor Toby

Jack would mourn . Toby used to bring flowers to his mom for Mother’s Day, because Jack couldn’t bare to be in a 10 mile radius of his family. He would try to host something for people, just invite them over and make some food and try to talk and have comfort. Only Natalie and Nina would come by choice, not because the rest don’t care but it’s just something they can’t handle to do. Kate might get dragged along. It would be painful and uncomfortable and probably just result in an argument of sorts, depending on how far along Natalie is in the grieving process . He would visit the grave Brian made for toby quite often.

Nina would be constantly crying, all the time. She’s had shitty men after shitty men in her life, the only good guys she’s had were her father and brother and she went ahead and left them behind to go seek out Jeff - but Toby was good(to a point, obviously). He was rough around the edges but he was protective, he took care of her, he defended her even if she didn’t deserve it. She and Natalie would probably have a few intense arguments because they’re two sides of the same coin in their grieving , with Natalie having constant explosive anger and Nina having long, drawn out grieving and sobbing. It would be a bit much for both of them. She would mope around her apartment for a long while.

BEN would also be pretty sad, but not nearly as much as the rest. He would talk it out with Jeff but wouldn’t cry, wouldn’t mourn , would just keep going. Jeff wouldn’t give a shit, would say it was bound to happen and to move on

Ann and Lulu would be pretty bummed out too, but Ann moves on pretty quickly. For Ann it’s more so a sad “Aw but he was fun”… lulu is too lost in her own head to spend too much time on it, but she’s undeniably sad when she’s reminded

Sally would also be sad, but similarly to BEN, she would move on. Cry to Jane about it and cope. Jane would think it’s sad, but she wouldn’t dwell on it either - she wasn’t close to him, she only knew him in passing whenever Sally got lost in the forest.

Liu doesn’t know Toby well so he wouldn’t think much, but Nina would cry to Liu about it a lot and it would be pretty depressing for him too. Just by watching how it affects Nina

[sluttyten]

You In My Arms

Chapter 3: Temptation

full masterlist || haechan masterlist || YIMA chapter index

summary: haechan knows that watching is wrong, but he can't help it when he just stumbles upon it happening right in front of his eyes. and it happens a lot.

length: 12,691

tags: semi-public sex, voyeurism, gay sex, mentions of bisexuality, threesome, slowburn, friends to lovers, masturbation, general perversion, smut

previous chapter || next chapter  (Coming Soon)

Haechan spends the entirety of his winter break working. 

There are plenty of shifts to pick up at the fancy restaurant in town where he works. Plenty of the other waiters are college kids, gone home for the break, and Haechan has nowhere better to be than right here, raking in the tips from rich schmucks who already have a couple hundred dollars to drop on dinner and wine. 

Also, he’s trying to avoid thinking about Shotaro and his girlfriend, about that night when they were camping, about how they’re now happily in love off in Japan for the break. 

He’s avoiding thinking about how in a few short months he’s going to be graduating and moving on to life out in the big real world. No more college, no more classes, and no more gathering together for homework and parties. They’re going to move away, and live on their own. 

That’s one thing that has Haechan stressed. 

Another reason for him to pick up extra shifts at the restaurant is that his roommate finally had enough of him, blowing up on Haechan there during finals week. He’d told him that he wasn’t allowed to come back to the dorm after break unless he’d gotten his masturbation addiction figured out.

That wasn’t really an option, in Haechan’s opinion, so this break he was working to be able to afford the nice off-campus apartment he’d moved into. 

Luckily, YangYang also needed a new place to live because his former roommate’s partner had basically moved into their place, and YangYang refused to be a third wheel all the time.

Haechan couldn’t agree more, knowing who YangYang’s former roommate was and how disgustingly mushy in love they were. But, on the other hand, Haechan had come to the realization that being a third wheel wasn’t always the worst thing.

Sometimes he still thought of that night at the cabin beside the lake. The hot tub, the sight and sound of Shotaro and his girlfriend tangled together in the hot tub. He wondered if they thought about it too sometimes. He never dared ask, never dared hope that maybe they’d enjoyed it enough that he could score another invitation to watch. In the past nearly two months, they hadn’t talked about it in more than whispered teases the couple directed at him when they caught him staring. 

But Haechan was over her now. He’d decided that, anyway.

He’d tried several remedies. More jerking off. Hooking up with plenty of girls, a handful of guys, and even a few attempts (both successful and unsuccessful) at threesomes. Deep down – well, not even that deep down honestly – Haechan knew that what he’d enjoyed so much about that night had been the watching, the indecency, the pervertedness of his actions that night. He liked to watch. He couldn’t deny that. 

He’d tried it again. The watching thing. 

During Halloween, one of the departments threw a big Halloween party on campus, and since Haechan had several friends in the department, he went ahead and invited himself to attend. His main hope was to leave that night with someone, and when one of Mark and Renjun’s friends in the department arrived, Haechan knew it would be her. 

She was dressed like a slutty school girl and Haechan was down for doling out a little punishment. They’d already hooked up in the past, during one of those nights when Haechan crashed on the couch at Mark’s rented house. She’d stayed over too, and since they were both there and both fought over who would get the comfortable sofa, they’d decided to share it. She rode him on that sofa and nearly smothered him with her tits, but he liked it. Just like that night at the Halloween party, he liked the sight of her in a tiny skirt and a barely-there top. 

He plucked at one of her pigtail braids and told her he would love to punish her. He was dressed as a police officer for the night, and he was looking forward to getting to use the super cheap costume handcuffs on someone tonight, but she just laughed at him, flicked him on the forehead and called him “kid.” Yeah, she was older than the rest of them, but not by much. 

Still Haechan knew that he had a decent chance of being able to leave with her. Odds were she was on the prowl to have sex too, and he knew if she didn’t find anyone else she’d come crawling right to him. But, she was his backup plan too, considering she’d shot him down so quickly, so he looked through the massive party on the lawn for someone else who caught his eye. 

Unfortunately, in doing so, he’d reminded himself of the voyeuristic pleasure he’d drawn just about two weeks earlier at the cabin. As soon as he spotted a couple making out at one of the bonfires that lined the edge of the lawn due to some superstitious tradition of warding off spirits or something, Haechan lingered to watch the couple. Beneath the masks and costumes, he had no clue who it could be, and that heightened the thrill a bit, until they broke apart, one of them noticed him sitting nearby, and they left. 

Haechan moved on to the next fire, prowling among the shadows just outside their bright glows. He knew this party was notorious for people hooking up, even though it’s a university-sanctioned event. He remembered last year Renjun telling him excitedly about the girl dressed like a fairy that had pulled him away from the bonfires, to the trees lining the lawn, and she’d let him fuck her against a tree. That’s the kind of energy Haechan was looking for that night. 

He watched from the shadows as a girl climbed into another girl’s lap beside one of the bonfires, but their faces were hidden behind the long, smooth curtain of her hair. He watched a girl dressed like a nurse drag a doctor and a vampire over into the shadows of one of the trees lining the lawn, and Haechan paused just long enough to watch her lift her skirt and guide the doctor’s hand between her legs while the vampire moved in to kiss the nurse. He considered staying until, but the vampire backed off, saying something about not being able to go through with this. Haechan decided to go look for something more interesting. 

As Haechan neared the far end of the lawn, about as far from the main party as he can get, he spotted a familiar figure. 

A school girl shivering slightly and cozying up to a police officer. 

He should have walked away. 

He could see that his backup plan was being thrown out the window right in front of his eyes, and he couldn’t help it that jealousy flared deep in his chest. How was this guy that’s dressed basically the same as Haechan any better? Why had she chosen that police officer instead of him?

Haechan stayed to watch, curious as she kissed the officer. He couldn’t see the man’s face, not from where he stood. 

Haechan watched as the kiss grew more intense, and he let his hand drift to his pants. He’d not gotten hard yet, but he could feel the urge growing in his belly. 

Obviously, he knew it was wrong and perverted, that he could probably somehow be marked down in some database if he was ever caught watching someone without an invitation. But he stayed, he watched them until finally she glanced sideways, and spotted him shadowed against the bonfire just a couple fires away from them. 

She took off, and Haechan watched the other officer stand there, dumbstruck. 

Haechan waited until she’d vanished into the night, back towards the rest of the party, and that’s when he looped around a bonfire, and decided to approach the other officer. 

“Evening, Officer,” he said, keeping his voice lighthearted as he approached. 

The other man jumped and looked at him, and as Haechan stood just feet away, he realized he knew this man. Not a student, but a professor. 

He was a young professor, Haechan knew that, though he’s never taken any classes taught by him. She is a naughty schoolgirl if she’s fucking a professor. Professor Henry or Hendery or something like that. 

The professor looked Haechan up and down. “Shouldn’t you be enjoying the party?” 

Haechan just grinned and tucked his hands in his pockets. “Oh, sir, believe me. I am enjoying it.” He stepped around the professor, and began walking back towards the heart of the party, whistling as he walked away. 

He tried to follow just to see where she was going, but he was pretty sure she’d disappeared into the school building that was open to use the bathrooms. Just to be sure, he checked around the nearby bonfires, and then, just as he was about to fully give up, he spotted someone sitting in the shadows beside the building. He couldn’t see much, just long bare legs, a short skirt.

But when she stood up, he realizes it wasn’t the naughty schoolgirl he was looking for. He paused, about to turn on his heel and walk away, until he realized he might recognize her. 

In the couple of weeks since their camping trip, he hadn’t seen too much of the girl who had shared his bed, but there she stood, dressed in a tiny white slip of a dress, a crooked halo hovering above her head on a wire. 

She squinted at him as he approached, and after a moment her expression cleared. “Haechan?” 

Her voice rang through the night, drawing a smile to his lips. “Yes, angel?”

He watched as she lowered her gaze, as her hands flitted over her dress. She looked nervous and a little pale. He couldn’t help wondering what she was doing over there all alone, so he asked. 

“Nothing.” She shook her head, still not looking up at him as her fingers ran along the short hem of her little white dress. “I just needed a moment to breathe.”

Something cold trickled through Haechan’s belly. 

She was alone in the dark on the side of the building. She wouldn’t look at him. She was acting so fidgety. Haechan could feel his amusement fading as concern rushed cold through his veins, a protective feeling coming over him. Had something happened to her? He knew the kind of bullshit that can happen to women at parties even on campus, and if anyone laid a hand on her…. 

“Are you alright?” Haechan asked cautiously, carefully. 

Her eyes lifted to his at last. “I’m fine.”

Should he believe her?

“I promise,” she said, straightening up and setting her shoulders. She rolled her eyes a little, then said, “Xiaojun asked me to come with him tonight and I think he’s thinking of this more as a date than just us casually hanging out. I needed a little space from him.”

Ah. Xiaojun. 

Haechan had noticed on the last night of the camping trip that she’d clung to Xiaojun and slid into bed with him instead of choosing to return to Haechan’s room. He hadn’t thought too much of it at the time, but standing there in the dark on that Halloween night, Haechan realized that maybe there was more to it than he’d first thought. That cool weight settled in his belly. 

He looked at her. At the short dress, the halo, at all the starlight sparkles that shimmered on her skin. She looked the perfect vision of an angel, and when Haechan thought about it, he remembered spotting Xiaojun briefly earlier dressed as a devil. 

They’d come in a couple costume. 

Honestly, she’s too good for Xiaojun, Haechan thought. That night she looked perfect and innocent, pretty and sexy with a blush high in her cheeks at the moment. And Xiaojun really just… was nowhere around. Haechan turned to look back over the lawn, to see if he could spot the devil anywhere. Instead, he caught sight of the other police officer – Professor Hendery – making his way across the lawn. Haechan’s mind returned to his previous objective.

He snapped his attention back to the angel before him, a grin growing as he said, “Well, I’m looking for a naughty schoolgirl. Have you seen one come by here?” 

She clearly found his search for the schoolgirl to be ridiculous, questioning him about it and then rolling her eyes at him. Haechan just laughed, as she skirted around him to go rejoin the party at last. He turned to follow right behind her, hoping that maybe he’d catch up to Hendery, be able to figure out where their schoolgirl had gone. Maybe he’d be lucky enough to get to actually watch her and the professor.

But before he and the angel made it more than a few steps, he noticed the dirt covering the pure white ass of her dress. 

He reached for her wrist to stop her. “What were you doing over there, little angel? Your ass is covered in dirt.” It’s dry dirt, just a dusting really. She looked hopelessly down at it though, and Haechan offered to help her out.

She nodded, and Haechan instinctively reached out to pat her ass. Some of the dust came off in a little puff, but it took a few more pats, and Haechan could feel the soft swell of her ass beneath his hand, the way that her ass jiggled slightly with each time his hand came down. A little flame of heat spiked in his belly, and he imagined just bringing his hand down a little harder, a little spank for the angel.

But then her skirt was as clean as it was going to get, and Haechan pulled his hand back to his side as he stepped around her, holding himself back from following through on his desires. 

She looked up at him, still blushing, her eyes bright, her halo crooked. 

Haechan fixed the crooked halo for her, and he laid his hand on her hair. Still she was gazing up at him with this doe-eyed look. Something inside of him softened, melting, and the words just came out without much thought as he said, “You make a good angel. Perfect and innocent as you are.”

She bristled slightly, to his surprise, quickly saying, “I’m not innocent!”

Sure, if that’s what she wanted to argue. He’d laughed, patted her hair. Haechan had never heard any wild stories about her. Sure, he knew that she’s no virgin. He knew that she and Mark briefly had a thing a few years ago, and then there’s the thing she had going on with Xiaojun. But all of their friends seem to know everything about each other’s sex lives, and Haechan never heard anything about hers. She was probably perfectly sweet and vanilla; she would be disgusted if she only knew what a pervert he was.

On that thought, he turned and walked away. 

She wouldn’t be friends with him anymore if she knew that he was a voyeur, that he jerked off to their friends, that he’d gotten hard just from smelling her shampoo or whatever on the pillow after that night she slept in his bed. 

After he left her, he tried looking inside the building, but couldn’t spot the professor of the schoolgirl, and he didn’t know where Hendery’s office was. He wasn’t just going to wander around aimlessly inside the building, so he gave up. He failed. 

Something like an hour later, the object of his lust tonight reappeared. The schoolgirl looked too pleased, with a little bounce in her step that hadn’t been there before. She’d folded herself down to sit beside the rest of them while they watched the horror movie being projected on a big inflatable screen. She’d draped her jacket over her legs, and when she caught Haechan looking at her, she’d just raised her eyebrows. 

“What?” She’d asked. 

Haechan shrugged, a little smug, then said, “Oh, nothing. Just every naughty school girl needs a naughty professor. Have you gotten that punishment yet, bad girl?” 

That time she actually flicked him quite hard on the forehead. “Keep it up, kid, and you’ll be the one getting punishment.”

That had sent Renjun, who overheard all of it, into hysterics. 

Haechan had still gone home with her that night. He didn’t care if he was getting the sloppy seconds of that professor. She didn’t seem to care that she’d fucked the professor and then took him home to fuck him. Haechan didn’t admit to her that he’d been watching them, that he’d tried to find her to keep watching. 

He’d wanted to watch. 

It was something he wanted all the time now. 

When he looked up videos, too often it was voyeur videos. 

But in reality, outside of his masturbation habits and that night of the Halloween party, he knew that voyeurism was more likely to get him arrested. Therefore, since that night, Haechan had tried to stick with the basics except for those few threesomes, which had almost been enough to satisfy Haechan’s growing voyeuristic urge. 

It was different though, and he knew it.

So, long story short, while Haechan understood that YangYang was only eagerly agreeing to be his roommate because he didn’t want to be a third wheel all the time, Haechan kinda felt like he personally wouldn’t necessarily have minded it. 

But he kept that thought to himself as the semester ended and he and YangYang moved in together, as Haechan worked his long hours at the restaurant to be able to afford rent, as he suppressed his desires.

Tonight, the restaurant is busy. Not packed and crazy busy, but just… busy. 

There are enough tables filled that Haechan is running around constantly. They have him positioned in the back section where the private booths are, as well as him covering a nearby section, which means he’s frankly got too many fucking tables and not enough time or patience for it all. 

He’s already dreaming of when his shift is going to end around eleven tonight. He’s already imagining undoing this tie that’s been choking him all night, taking off the crispy white shirt that is starched to hell right now because the dry-cleaners had fucked it up, and then lying naked on his bed, counting his cash tips, and then maybe seeing if YangYang wants to get drunk together because it’s a Friday night and all of their other friends are out of town for the break.

It’s around eight o’clock and Haechan is in the middle of politely but loudly inquiring about what wine the elderly couple at one of his tables would like when he walks in. 

A fucking beautiful man. There’s no denying it.

Handsome, rich, tall. Recognizable.

Haechan knew his name, and he’d come into the restaurant before, but never while Haechan was working.

Dong Sicheng.

He is the kind of man that owns a room. He walks into the restaurant, and Karina at the maitre d stand immediately turns on the sweet smile and fluttery fuck-me eyes that she uses every time an attractive, wealthy man walks through the door. Haechan has fallen prey to that exact look several times in the past. 

Karina happily leads Sicheng back to one of the private booths, and as she returns to the front, she catches Haechan’s eye, winking and tilting her head back toward the booth. That man is his responsibility now, and he knows that Karina’s silently asking him to somehow slip him her number.

Absolutely not.

Haechan does head back to the table, but Sicheng just orders one of the more expensive red wines they carry, and then sends him away, saying that he’s still waiting for his date. Haechan just has to take one look at him – his hair gelled back, his suit tailored to perfection, his expression cold as he stares down at his phone – to know that if he plays it right tonight, he’ll be walking away with a giant tip from this guy. He exudes money.

Haechan leaves him alone, returning to his other tables. Just checking in on them, getting refills for their glasses, inquiring if the food is good, handing out the bill. 

He sees her when she walks in too. 

A beautiful woman who wears the same aura of money as Sicheng in the booth back there, and immediately Haechan knows this must be the date that he was waiting for. She’s wearing a sweater that looks incredibly soft, paired with a tiny skirt that Haechan feels should probably be illegal for a woman with legs that long and perfect to be wearing. There’s no way that her date back there knows how many men in the restaurant turn to take a look at her as Karina leads her back to the table. 

Haechan watches her, forgetting for the moment that he’s filling a glass of water at one of his other tables. To be fair, the man whose glass he’s overfilling doesn’t notice either, too busy following Karina and the other woman with his eyes. It’s the man’s wife that does, spitting out a sharp, “You’re getting water everywhere!” that draws Haechan and her husband’s attention back around to the table. 

“I’m so sorry!” Haechan apologizes, doing his best to mop up the water that overflowed the glass, but the man just chuckles good-naturedly, sending Haechan off while his wife folds her arms and purses her lips to glare at her husband.

Glad to get out of there, Haechan hurries to go grab the glasses and wine for the private booth at the back. 

The booths on either side of this one are both empty, only Sicheng and the beautiful woman occupy this whole back section. Haechan’s eyes are on them, both sitting on one side of the booth together. He watches Sicheng sit his phone down, his mouth moving as he says something to the woman, and she smiles, her eyes only on him even as she runs her fingers along the hem of her sweater. 

Haechan steps up to the table then, and Sicheng’s mouth snaps shut. A cold filter falling over his gaze that had warmed while he looked at his date. 

“Good evening!” Haechan greets them, sliding a pair of water glasses onto the table. “Are we celebrating anything tonight?” 

The woman is looking at him. Her gaze sweeps over him from the top of his head down to his hands. He tries his best to keep them from shaking, but up close she’s even more beautiful. And she smells heavenly. He’s nervous for some reason as he sits two wine glasses on the table, and he opens the wine, pouring a bit for Sicheng to sample. 

The whole time, she just watches Haechan with a penetrating gaze. Does she know him? Why is she looking at him like that?

Both weirded out and oddly turned on by her intense attention, Haechan is relieved when Sicheng nods his approval of the wine, and Haechan can quickly and smoothly fill the two wine glasses. 

“Are you ready to order, sir?” Haechan asks, looking right at Sicheng. He can still feel the woman staring at him, and he knows he should be uncomfortable probably, but all he’s thinking of is stealing her away from this every-woman’s-wet-dream of a man. Maybe if she gets up to use the restroom, Haechan could happen down that hallway too. Maybe she would pull him into the women’s restroom, press him up against the sink and drag his black trousers down so she can kneel before him and suck him off with those pretty lips.

He doesn’t look at her. He can’t. Haechan knows if he looks at her it’s game over. He’s a fool to even fantasize about that type of scenario. He’s at work and he needs to be on his best behavior, which means not getting hard when he’s meant to be serving half the restaurant. Not to mention, the aura Sicheng gives off tells Haechan enough to know better than to look at this man’s date even if said date is looking at Haechan like she’d like to take a bite out of him.

Fuck.

“A few more moments, I think.” Sicheng says, flicking his fingers a little dismissively. 

Haechan, relieved to be dismissed, to be able to escape the woman’s intense gaze and the seductive scent of her perfume, walks away as quickly as he can.

He tries not to look over at the table, simultaneously worried and hopeful that he’ll look over and find the woman watching him. 

Haechan makes his rounds to his other tables, back to the kitchen to gulp down an icy cold glass of water to calm himself, and then finally he makes his return.

The woman is watching Sicheng, her cheek propped on her hand as he speaks softly to her. Haechan has no clue what they’re possibly talking about, but they don’t seem to mind the interruption as he slides up to the table, and Sicheng immediately begins ordering.

Now, the woman stares dazedly at Sicheng, and Haechan can just barely see the way that her hand is fisted at the hem of her sweater. There’s a nervous and excited gleam in her eyes; she nibbles her bottom lip. Maybe she’s just horny, because she’s also looking at her date like she’d like to eat him whole, and when she finally glances up at Haechan when Sicheng is halfway through ordering, she looks at him just the same.

He swallows, unavoidably catching her eye as he finally turns away from the table. He has to head to the kitchen to put the order in, and then maybe he’ll take a tiny bathroom break just to get himself fully under control, because at the moment he can feel his cock starting to pay attention.

Before Haechan can fully escape the orbit of this woman and man, Sicheng’s voice rumbles from behind him.

“Close the curtains on your way out, please,” he says.

Haechan often forgets about the privacy curtains back here. People so rarely use them unless there are business meetings going on. But tonight, in this particular booth, Haechan doesn’t believe that’s what’s going to be happening. 

His heart pounds a little harder in his chest as he turns. The gleam in the woman’s eyes is brighter now, and she uncrosses her legs beneath the table just to recross them, shifting herself on the booth’s seat. She’s excited, probably horny. And now all Haechan can think is that as soon as this curtain is closed and he walks away something is going to be happening behind this curtain that he’s going to wish he could see.

As if Sicheng suspects what direction Haechan’s thoughts are going in, his gaze flicks past Haechan to the nearest table. “That table over there keeps staring.”

Haechan glances around, and he does in fact spot the table with the husband and wife staring this way. Of course, since Sicheng is a recognizable face, people are going to stare and he’s going to want privacy to dine with his date. Of course nothing inappropriate is going to happen back here.

Haechan mentally chastises himself for letting his horny fantasies invade his mind while he’s at work as his fingers loosen the ties holding the curtains back. He doesn’t say another word to Sicheng or the woman, just lets the curtain fall into place, hiding their booth from sight. 

He takes just a moment to catch his breath and steady himself before he walks away. But that pause is long enough that he catches the whisper from the booth behind him, not quite muffled behind the curtain.

“I have a deal for you, baby,” Sicheng says. 

He lingers for a moment longer, pretending to look busy as he writes on the order pad in his hand. But truly his ears are primed to listen for any sounds emanating from the booth behind him.

It takes a moment, and then Haechan hears Sicheng say, “If you can cum before our food arrives, I’ll take you on a trip to wherever you want.”

Haechan’s heart pounds. 

Maybe his horny brain hadn’t just created a rogue fantasy. Maybe it had just read the signs.

Haechan walks away. Quickly.

He can’t hear anything more than that. If he didn’t walk away right then, he wouldn’t walk away at all. If he didn’t walk away, he was going to get hard, and he didn’t even have the modesty of an apron tied around his waist to attempt to hide the bulge that would grow in the front of his pants. Not that walking away truly helps with that all that much. All he can think about as he moves around to his other tables is that closed curtain over the booth back there, the beautiful woman in her pretty sweater and short skirt, the glazed and horny look in her eyes, and Sicheng’s voice promising her a reward if she cums before Haechan returns.

He considers dropping in to check on them again even before the food is ready. He wants to see. He wants to see the beautiful woman coming apart for Sicheng. 

Flickers of the night with Shotaro and his girlfriend in the hot tub float across Haechan’s mind.

“Karina!” Haechan hisses as he passes the maitre d stand. She spins to look at him. “Don’t seat anyone else in my section for a bit. Can you keep an eye on them for me?”

“What?” She says. “Haechan, no, I’m busy!” She gestures at a party that’s just walked in. He folds his hands in front of himself, pleading. “You’ll owe me! Whatever it is you’re doing better be good!”

Haechan ducks into the employee restroom in the back. The light over the sink flickers, the sink is a little grimy, and the whole room smells of the lilac spray bottle available to prevent the room smelling of shit. Haechan closes the door, and he thumps his head back against the hard wood of it. 

His hand drifts to the front of his pants.

He’s a little hard. Not much. And if he works fast, he might be able to get rid of it. He just has to focus, has to calm himself, has to not think of that handsome man out there fingering his gorgeous girlfriend beneath the table of that booth. Can’t think of the hot tub either, and Shotaro’s cock disappearing into his girlfriend’s pretty pussy.

Fuck.

He can’t jerk off at work. That’s unsanitary. 

Haechan tries to focus on his breathing. Tries to think about horrible, disgusting things. Part of him wishes the bathroom reeked of shit instead of pretty flowers that smell too much like perfume, but after a few minutes, Haechan manages to get himself under control.

He steps back out into the restaurant, throwing Karina a grateful look. He checks on each of his tables again, grabs a few refills, checks in the kitchen on the couple orders he’s waiting on. And then he chances a trip back by the private booth. The curtain is still drawn shut, their food is still a bit from ready, and normally he would check on a table, update them on how long before they can expect their food. 

He passes right by their booth, and the curtain flutters, and Haechan quietly moves into the booth beside it, wiping his hand over the table like he’s brushing away crumbs, but really he’s listening. Creating trouble for himself.

What he hears is not at all what he expected.

Haechan hears Sicheng’s voice again, and then a soft whimper from the woman. Sicheng is saying, “It’s been long enough, our waiter should be back with our food soon. Would you like that, baby? For him to walk in, him to watch me bend you over this table? I saw the way you were looking at him earlier. Do you miss me sharing you? Maybe he could stuff your mouth to keep you from moaning like a whore.” 

Haechan’s blood rushes to his cock. They’re talking about him. 

“Hold out just a little longer, baby, and maybe he’ll walk in.” Sicheng’s words bring another soft moan to the woman’s lips. 

Haechan’s not foolish enough to believe that this is some sort of an invitation. He’s sure that if he were to step out of this booth and open the curtains of the one nextdoor, if he were to actually see what’s going on over there, he wouldn’t be invited to stay but rather cursed out and told to leave and then left with no tip for the night. 

It’s her whimpered “Daddy” that does it.

Haechan can’t help himself. He doesn’t care if he gets caught by the couple. As long as he doesn’t get caught by his manager, he doesn’t care.

Kneeling up in the booth, Haechan reaches for the fabric partition that rises between the back of the booth and the ceiling here. It’s basically a pleated length of curtain bound to the booth and the ceiling, but Haechan knows there’s a small split in the middle, and he takes advantage of that right now. Just a peek. He just needs a little peek at what’s going on in there.

Distantly, he hears the ding of the kitchen bell, telling him that there’s an order up, and he just knows it’s probably for one of his tables. It can wait just a moment.

Haechan splits the fabric silently, and he gets a little peek through.

First he sees Sicheng’s head, and then he sees her positioned between Sicheng’s thighs. Her back is to his chest, her sweater is raised up above her bare tits. And that tiny skirt doesn’t do much to hide how fucking desperate she is right now, hips rocking off the seat while Sicheng twists her nipples between his fingers.

Haechan watches as Sicheng teases, “You want to sit on my cock, baby? So when he comes back he can see you spread open and taking me so well? Huh, Princess? Use your words.”

She just whimpers, squirming in between his legs.

Haechan presses his cock against the back of the seat in this booth. Sicheng reaches for his phone, which is fucking rude and insane in Haechan’s opinion. He’s got a beautiful girl squirming in his lap and begging for his cock, and he’s gonna look at his phone? But Haechan spots the app pulled up on the screen, the way that Sicheng slides his finger up on the scale, and she melts in Sicheng’s lap with a whine. 

She’s wearing vibrating panties.

Oh, fuck.

Again, the distant bell dinging from the kitchen.

Haechan forces himself to leave this booth, to rush to the kitchen, to ignore the pulsing of his cock. He’s grateful that he at least did his best to position his cock in the restroom so it wouldn’t be obvious if he was hard. As he rushes to the window, the order waiting for him is the order for Sicheng’s private booth.

Should he wait a moment, give them another minute or two for Sicheng to get her to cum? Or, on the other hand, if he hurries, he might be fortunate enough to witness it. 

“Dude, take your food and go!” The man on the other side of the kitchen window yells. “I’m not remaking that shit if they tell you it’s cold because you’re back here dicking around.”

Haechan quickly takes the tray of food, balancing it carefully, and he winds his way back through the restaurant for those closed curtains of the private booth. 

His breath is coming hard and fast when he comes to a halt before the booth.

Haechan hears rustling on the other side of the curtain, but he can’t make out anything else over the sound of his racing heart.

Without letting himself think about it too much – because really, isn’t it their fault if they get caught? Not his fault for wanting to catch them? – Haechan whips the curtain open. 

She’s in her seat, and WinWin is in his. Her sweater covers her once again, and although her face is flushed and her eyes are bright, nothing else appears truly amiss. Did he somehow imagine everything? He slides their plates onto the table, and he gives her a once over. She smiles at him.

Haechan lingers only long enough to make sure that everything looks right, and then he takes a step back, letting that privacy curtain swing shut again.

No sooner has that happened than he once again hears from Sicheng on the other side of the curtain, “Now, where would you like to go, baby?”

So she did cum. Maybe if Haechan would’ve stuck around a moment longer, he could have seen it.

Unfortunately, the rest of his night is uneventful. Each time he returns to Sicheng’s table, they seem perfectly normal. All of his other tables are boring and average. But Haechan’s attention keeps returning to the couple, possibly too much to the point of being somewhat of a doting waiter, constantly topping off their drinks, checking on them constantly in the hopes of catching them at something else. 

Fortunately, it works out in Haechan’s favor, although not for the reasons his dick would’ve liked.  Sicheng leaves a sizable tip, and Haechan wonders if he’s usually such a generous tipper, if it was Haechan’s extreme attention, or if he did it because of what they’d done in the booth. 

No matter the reason, Haechan goes home that night with his pocket loaded with tips, sliding silently into his apartment shared with YangYang. 

YangYang is in his bedroom with the door shut, but Haechan knows his fuckbuddy is in there with him; she’s not exactly quiet, which is the source of half of Haechan���s midnight masturbation fantasies. Cumming all over his belly to the sound of her moans through the wall between his room and YangYang’s has been a semi-regular occurrence since they moved in together. At this point, he’s pretty sure YangYang knows it’s getting Haechan off and he doesn’t mind. 

And tonight is no different. 

He knows they must’ve heard the apartment door close behind him on his way in, must’ve heard his bedroom door too.

But Haechan has only just settled into bed when he feels something thud into the wall from the other side. And then a “Oh, fuck, right there!” and a giggle that turns into a moan. 

There’s the repetitive thudding against the wall, and all Haechan has to do is close his eyes and he can picture it. YangYang fucking his pretty girl against the wall, her ass hitting that spot two feet to the left of Haechan’s head. Her tits are huge too, so he can easily imagine how they look right now, how they overfill YangYang’s hands. She’s always looking so round and soft and perfect, Haechan wishes he could be in the room with them, to see. He just wants to actually see it instead of just imagining it. 

He wants a repeat of that night after the bonfire with his friends. Watching Shotaro and his girlfriend fuck in the hot tub. It was so fucking hot to watch. And after his moment of weakness earlier – giving into his voyeuristic urges for the first time in over a month and a half – Haechan feels the need rising in him. He feels like he’s overflowing with sexual desire this evening, and if he doesn’t find some relief soon, he just might explode. He needs to see. 

Maybe…. maybe they won’t notice if he sneaks over there. If he just cracks the door open to take a peek inside. 

Haechan’s already palming his cock listening to her moans rising in pitch, the incomprehensible rumble of YangYang’s voice as he talks dirty back to her. 

Haechan creeps quietly across his room, careful as he opens his door to keep it from squeaking, and he pauses then, taking a half-second to think about what he’s doing, but then he decides that he doesn’t care. YangYang’s door is just a few feet away, and the door moves so easily when Haechan presses his fingers to it that he’s not even sure that it was fully shut in the first place. 

And there, Haechan sees it. 

He’s kneeling on the floor outside YangYang’s bedroom, the door only cracked open an inch or two, but that’s enough. 

The lights are on, making it easy to see the way YangYang is pinning his girl up against the wall, her arms and legs tangled around him. And Haechan’s never wanted to see YangYang’s ass ever before, but right now he doesn’t mind watching his friend’s pale ass move as he fucks his girl; he gets to watch the way her titties bounce, the way her head thumps back against the wall for YangYang to latch onto her throat. 

He should probably feel gross, when he lifts his hand up to lick his palm, when he slides his hand down into his pants and wraps it around his cock. But all Haechan feels is good. So good as he rolls his hips forward, fucking into his fist at the same speed that they’re moving inside the room. He feels only good as he slicks his hand around the tip, tight just like he likes it, and he watches YangYang move away from the wall with her, dropping her down on the bed. 

The bed squeaks as YangYang fucks her, luckily it covers the sound of Haechan’s phone vibrating with a call in his pocket and the way that he nearly fumbles it when he sees the name on the screen. 

Karina. 

The call ends before he has the chance to end it, but then a series of texts floods in. Haechan doesn’t know if he should be watching his phone or watching the way that YangYang is sliding down the body of the woman on the bed to lick her out. 

The vision in front of him is winning out until he sees that Karina has sent him a photo, and then another photo. Out of curiosity, Haechan opens her series of messages. The first image is a selfie of her in bed, the second doesn’t show her face but it does a whole lot more, sufficiently distracting Haechan from the couple fucking in front of him. 

He and Karina have messed around before. It’s never been anything serious. Only ever fucking for the sake of relieving some after work frustration. 

Another message comes through, this time just the words: “you owe me, remember?”

Haechan shoots one last glance through the door to where YangYang has his girl’s legs over his shoulders while he eats her out. As nice as it is to watch, Haechan also wants to actually have someone other than himself touch his dick, and if that’s what Karina is offering then that’s where he’s going. 

He doesn’t even head back to his room. Haechan just stands up, doesn’t try to close YangYang’s door, and heads right out the apartment door to meet up with Karina at her place, just hoping that maybe this time her three roommates won’t be there because they bullied him about their sex noises last time. 

Karina doesn’t make him any promises, and Haechan doesn’t care all that much anyway. He just needs some more relief right then than his hand can give.

Haechan does his best to avoid his voyeuristic tendencies. Truly, he’s trying to improve himself into being less of a pervert. 

Any time YangYang has his fuckbuddy-turned-girlfriend over, Haechan puts on his headphones with the volume cranked loud, he locks himself into his room and sits on the opposite side of the room from the wall that he and YangYang share. 

It’s wrong even though it feels right, and he knows that. Watching people have sex without their permission is just not a good quality for a person to have. 

He thinks back to what he’d said to Shotaro that morning after he first watched them fuck, when Shotaro had teased him about just liking to watch, and Haechan had called himself a tourist, just passing through. He feels like that’s still a rather fitting title for himself. He’s just a tourist, looking at the sights to see, and sometimes the locals don’t mind his presence, but more often they would probably prefer that he wasn’t there at all. 

So he’s tried to restrain himself. 

But it’s not like he’s been a total pervert about it, that’s the only way he can even somewhat validate these urges he has. He’s not gross enough to try to peek up women’s skirts in public. He’s not the type to touch anyone that doesn’t want to be touched. He doesn’t take photos or videos. He just watches, and generally the people he’s watched have put themselves in places where if anyone happened by they would be able to see — the hot tub, the professor and Haechan’s friend out at the bonfire, the couple at the restaurant, YangYang with his door open. 

Haechan isn’t seeking these moments out. He’s not creating the inappropriate scenarios, but he is enjoying them when he comes across them. 

And he stands by those simple facts that make him not as much of a pervert as he could be. 

Months go by, the final semester of university for most of his friend group is nearly half over. Midterms are upon them, and Haechan is putting in long hours at the campus library or in study groups with his friends at the house. 

On a late night around midterms, that’s exactly where Haechan is: the rental house for a big study session. There’s a constant flow of snacks and drinks provided by Renjun and YangYang throughout the night, and most people sit scattered around the living room to study. He and Jeno study in the kitchen, their textbooks and notes and charts and Jeno’s laptop spread out across the length of the table to study for their Econ midterm. 

It’s mildly distracting when the group in the living room entirely give up on studying after a few hours, and they put on a movie instead. Haechan keeps finding his attention wandering, his mind struggling with this one Econ concept that he just can’t quite grasp no matter how many times Jeno explains it. 

He keeps looking over into the dark living room which is occasionally illuminated with flashes from the movie playing. He notices some of his friends have disappeared, he notices Mark snuggling with his girlfriend on the loveseat, notices a trio crammed together on one sofa — a flash of light reveals that it’s YangYang and Renjun sandwiching one of the girls between them, though she doesn’t look uncomfortable. If anything, she’s maybe leaning into Renjun, her head resting on his shoulder. 

Haechan turns his attention back down to his notes. The inky letters blur before his eyes. Maybe they should take a break, though there’s still a lot of ground to cover. 

“Wow,” Jeno snorts, amused. 

Haechan blinks willing his brain to focus, and he notices Jeno is distracted too, staring at the movie playing in the other room. Haechan follows his gaze.

“Oh.” 

Haechan feels his heartbeat speed up a little. All of his friends in the next room are watching a raunchy sex scene in the movie. Haechan sits in the kitchen and watches the camera pan over flawless, uncovered skin, the curve of a breast, the swell of the man’s bare ass, hands flowing over skin, fingernails digging into flesh. Haechan watches the actor and actress tangle together, her thighs parting, his body moving against hers. And the sounds…. oh, fucking hell, the sounds. The moans coming from the speakers are loud enough that he’s sure the neighbors must hear them. 

With an insane amount of willpower, Haechan pulls his gaze from the screen and scans the faces of his friends. The girls stretched out on the floor are giggling with each other. Mark is avoiding staring at the screen as his girlfriend leans in to whisper something in his ear that makes him smile, and the trio on the sofa don’t seem to have moved at all, although Renjun is like biting his nails or something — his fingers look like they’re shoved inside his mouth, but that doesn’t make much sense — while he looks ahead at the screen. His eyes look unfocused, Haechan thinks, wondering if Renjun’s even paying attention to the extremely detailed sex scene in this movie or if he’s entirely zoned out right now. How could you not watch the scene?

Haechan looks back at the movie, watching as the actress moans dramatically, her and the male lead both climaxing together in a golden glow. The camera zooms in on drips of sweat glistening on the man’s muscled arms. 

“Yah!” Jeno snaps his fingers beside Haechan’s face, and Haechan jerks back into his present reality. “Focus, dude! We still have a lot to go over if you want to pass the exam.”

In the other room, Haechan notices Renjun getting up and leaving, climbing upstairs to his bedroom. Haechan only lets his attention drift for one more moment, his eyes landing on the girl moving over into Renjun’s abandoned seat. She looks like she’s blushing, and Haechan finds a smile rising unbidden to his lips; of course, she’s blushing, a sweet innocent girl like her, after watching that sex scene. He can’t believe she just sat through it like that. Just the other day when they arrived to one of the classes they had together, Haechan had made a dirty joke, and she’d looked like she wanted to hit him. 

“Dude!” Jeno slaps his hand down against Haechan’s notebook again.

“Fuck, I know.” Haechan determinedly focuses once more on his notes and the copy of an old exam that Jeno bought off a guy who took the course last semester. “Can we go over this again….”

They keep studying for hours longer, buried deep in facts and figures and vocabulary that makes Haechan regret ever signing up for this class, but it was required for the degree, and he’d be damned if he changed his mind about his future career at this point.

By the time they reach a finishing point, it’s a few minutes after two o’clock in the morning. 

By that time, the campus buses aren’t running. Taxis and other ride-share services charge extra for those hours, with the surge of people leaving bars. Walking back to his apartment is completely out of the question. 

“Just stay here,” Jeno tells him. 

“Where?” 

It’s been a long time since Haechan found himself staying over on the sofa of his friends’ rented house. 

The living room just outside the kitchen is dark, and the rest of the house is quiet. Haechan’s usual crashing spot on the sofa is already occupied. He hadn’t been paying attention since just after that sex scene, but it looks like one of their friends hadn’t made it off the sofa even after the others left.

Jeno follows Haechan’s gaze to the sofa in the dark living room. He sighs. “Come crash in my room.”

“Jaemin won’t mind?” Haechan knows that sometimes Jaemin prefers to keep people out of his space as much as possible. Jeno’s only allowed because the two of them have shared a room here in the rented house for the past two and a half years. 

Jeno shakes his head. “No. I don’t think he will.”

So Haechan follows Jeno through the living room, past the laundry room and the bathroom down here, to the bedroom that’s tucked down a short hallway beside the stairs. 

When Jeno pushes the door to his and Jaemin’s room open, the first thing Haechan notices is the table lamp on the chest of drawers is still on, filling the room with a pale amber glow. The second thing he notices is how they’ve got their twin beds shoved to opposite sides of the room, and Jaemin is currently curled up on his side against the wall, facing them. Jeno’s bed looks pristine; the pillows arranged perfectly, sheets tucked in with crisp corners. 

Jeno just points to his bed, and whispers, “You can sleep there. I’ll just share with Jaemin.”

Haechan is tired enough that he doesn’t argue. He pulls back the covers, slips into the sheets, and as soon as his head hits the pillow, he’s drifting off. His body relaxes into the bed, but his mind is a little more reluctant to slip away from reality, no matter if he’s lying perfectly still, trying to slow his breathing, counting to a hundred in his mind. None of the tricks are working, even though every now and then he’ll topple just over the edge into the sweet black abyss of sleep, only to find himself being bungeed back into the liminal space between awake and asleep.

Until finally he’s more awake than asleep.

It takes him a moment to realize why.

The light is still on when he opens his eyes. The clock on the chest of drawers blinks that it’s half past two now. He’s maybe been struggling to sleep for about twenty minutes. Jeno is in the small bed across the small room. Jeno and Jaemin are facing each other. 

Haechan lies there quietly for a second, picking up several small details that just make the bigger picture finally click in his head. There’s the way that Jaemin has gravitated away from the wall to be closer to Jeno. The way that Jeno’s fingers are beneath the hem of Jaemin’s tshirt. Jeno is stripped down to just his tight underwear, and doesn’t seem to care that Jaemin has slipped a hand around his hip, fingertips sleepily tracing the edge of Jeno’s underwear. 

Are they a thing?, Haechan wonders. And if so, for how long? 

When Haechan shifts slightly, the bedframe making a groan beneath him. Jeno twitches, but he doesn’t move. Maybe he’s asleep already, unaware of the ways that he and Jaemin have tangled.

It’s none of Haechan’s business. 

But he can’t help remembering again how clean and crisp Jeno’s bed had been when they first entered the room. Almost as if it’s never slept in. 

Again he glances over at the two in the other bed. 

Jaemin makes a noise, and Haechan watches the way his fingers dig into the muscle of Jeno’s ass. 

“No,” Jeno says so softly Haechan has to strain his ears to hear. 

“Waited all night for you,” Jaemin replies, his voice not as hushed as Jeno’s had been. “I just want you.”

“We can’t.” Jeno says, “Haechan’s here.”

There’s the sound of movement, and Haechan quickly tries to close his eyes, looking only through his eyelashes in what he hopes is an unnoticed manner. Jaemin’s head pops up over Jeno’s shoulder; his hair is sleep-mussed, his eyes dark as he looks over at Haechan in Jeno’s bed. 

“Why?”

“It’s late. He needed somewhere to sleep.” Jeno explains, and Haechan watches him lift a hand to cup Jaemin’s cheek. “If I’d known you were so horny for me, maybe I’d have told him to just sleep out there in the armchair.”

Jaemin smiles down at Jeno, and now Haechan feels like he’s just intruding. But also, damn, how has he been so oblivious to this happening? How has he never noticed that Jeno and Jaemin are even hooking up? 

“Do you think… Maybe if we’re quiet?” Jaemin suggests, gazing at Jeno hungrily. 

Jeno’s fingers trace Jaemin’s lips as he tells him, “We both know that you’re not quiet, Jaem.”

And maybe it’s because Haechan is still surprised by this, or maybe it’s because for the past few months he’s done so well at not being a voyeur, but he clears his throat right then and says to the both of them, “You’re really not quiet. I can hear everything you’re both saying.”

Jaemin’s gaze shoots over toward Haechan. Jeno rolls flat onto his back to look over at him, a look of apology already on his face. 

Haechan turns onto his side, lifting his head up to rest it on his hand. “I can leave, if Jaemin really needs you that badly.”

The way that Jaemin opens his mouth leads Haechan to believe that he’s about to agree to that. Jeno covers Jaemin’s mouth before he can get a word out. 

“No, it’s fine. It’s late, so we should all be getting to sleep now anyway.” He stares hard at Jaemin, the two of them exchanging heated, challenging looks. 

Jaemin wants Jeno, Haechan would be blind not to see the way that Jaemin is looking at Jeno right then, regardless of anything else. Like he’d said moments ago, he’s been waiting all night for Jeno to come to bed. And right now, as Haechan watches the two of them have their staredown, he looks Jaemin over. He notices how the sheets have fallen away, sunken to mid-thigh, revealing that Jaemin is only wearing a tshirt that’s ridden up from Jeno’s touch, and a pair of underwear that does nothing to hide his erection. 

Maybe it’s the sight of that alone that pulls the words from Haechan. 

He’s an equal-opportunity kind of guy. Doesn’t care about gender when it comes to who he’s attracted to. In this moment, he’s attracted to what’s happening — or what has the potential of happening — right in front of him. It’s been months since he last watched anyone fuck, he’s been trying to be so good, but right now the idea presented in front of him has that hot knot of arousal tightening in his belly. He’s succumbing to temptation.

“Or you can just let Jaemin have what he wants,” Haechan says. “I don’t mind.”

Now that has them both looking over at him again. 

“Can I watch?” Haechan asks, trying to keep his voice level. Hoping he doesn’t sound too excited. Maybe if he just sounds curious, they’ll agree; or maybe if he just sounds disinterested, like he’s just doing them a favor by fucking in front of him. 

Jeno’s gaze slides back to Jaemin’s. “Are you okay with…?”

He trails off, just watching Jaemin as Jaemin looks Haechan over. His hand tightens on Jeno’s hip, a little show of possessiveness. 

“I don’t want to get involved,” Haechan quickly says, “But you want him, right? You’ve been waiting all night, right? So have him, and since I’m here, just let me watch. I’ll keep to myself; you can pretend I’m not here.”

Jeno lifts his face, pressing a kiss beneath Jaemin’s jaw, and this time when he whispers, it’s so quiet Haechan can’t hear. 

Whatever he said though must have put all three of them on the same page of agreement. 

Jaemin turns his head, and his mouth connects with Jeno’s. 

Haechan relaxes into the bed, ready to settle in and just watch. Both of his friends are really fucking fit. They’re attractive, though he’s never really felt this sort of attraction to them before, but he doesn’t discriminate about who he gets to watch have sex. Anyone really would do. Friends, strangers, it doesn’t matter. 

He wonders if they forget he’s there or if they’re really just that comfortable. There’s no awkwardness, no overthinking or hesitation in the way that they touch each other. No glances sent his way as Jaemin slides his hand into Jeno’s underwear, as Jeno moans softly and arches into Jaemin’s touch. They look only at each other when Jaemin bites Jeno’s lip as he pulls back, when he pushes Jeno’s underwear down as he slides over top of him. 

Jeno’s cock is pretty much how Haechan expected. Not terribly long, decently girthy though, a couple shades darker than the rest of him but pink at the tip and already glossy with precum though Jaemin has barely touched him. 

Jaemin drops Jeno’s underwear to the floor, and then he’s kissing down Jeno’s chest, his abs, the V of his hips, his thighs, and then he spares Haechan just a singular half-glance before finally licking a stripe up Jeno’s cock. 

To his credit, Jeno doesn’t make a sound. He just bites his lip, twists his fingers in his pillow, and looks down his body at Jaemin. 

Jaemin is a tease, that much is plain enough to see. He only offers Jeno kitten licks to the tip while his hands wander. He touches — kneading Jeno’s pecs, pinching nipples, dragging his nails over his abs — and watches how Jeno reacts to everything. 

Jaemin is still dressed in his shirt and underwear, grinding down against the bed when he finally sucks the tip of Jeno’s cock between his lips, slowly bobbing his head and hollowing his cheeks. 

Haechan watches, unable to look away.  He can’t even bring himself to move to take care of the way his cock is filling out in his sweatpants. He feels like if he moves it’ll break the spell. They’ll stop what they’re doing and kick him out. So he just watches Jaemin’s lips tight around Jeno’s cock, the way that Jeno keeps rocking his hips up off the bed in an attempt to get Jaemin to take him deeper. 

And then Jeno lets go of the pillow, reaching down to pull at the shoulders of Jaemin’s shirt. “Get naked, Jaem,” Jeno demands. “Wanna see you. Want to show you off too.”

There it is. A slight acknowledgment of Haechan’s presence. 

Jaemin lets Jeno’s cock fall from his lips, and he scoots a little higher on the bed, making it easier for Jeno to reach him, easier for Jeno to start stripping him. 

“Take a video,” Jeno grunts, and his eyes slide over Haechan’s for a moment before returning to Jaemin rising onto his knees above him. 

“What?” Did Haechan just mishear that?

“I said take a goddamn video!” Jeno growls, wrestling Jaemin’s shirt over his head, flinging it to the side. “I want to watch it, I want to remember this.”

Jaemin smirks down at Jeno, fingers beneath his chin to tilt his head up. “You like this? Dirty boy.”

Jeno’s only response to that is to bare his teeth and hook his fingers in Jaemin’s underwear to drag them down. 

Haechan fumbles for his phone, opening it to the camera. He accidentally takes a couple photos — one of the blurry bed and floor, the next of the blurry shapes of Jaemin kneeling above Jeno, and the third one a more clear one of Jeno wrapping his hand around Jaemin’s cock. Haechan switches over to video then, trying his best to hold the phone steady as he moves himself up into a sitting position. He leans back against the wall, facing the direction of the two men on the other bed. 

They both slide into motion. Jaemin’s hands into Jeno’s hair, Jeno bending himself in half to get Jaemin in his mouth. Jeno doesn’t tease like Jaemin had, he takes Jaemin in like a pro, swallowing around him easily, all the way down to the base. Jaemin sighs and moans, carding his fingers through Jeno’s hair. 

At last, Haechan allows himself to reach down, to just lightly touch himself over his sweatpants, to just run his fingers along the bulge. 

Jeno bobs his head on Jaemin’s dick, slurping and sucking, and Jaemin is definitely not a quiet participant in this. He moans Jeno’s name, moans praises even while calling Jeno a dirty boy, a cockslut, and when Jeno tries to reach a hand down to touch himself, Jaemin calls him a dumb slut who can only think with his cock. 

Haechan doesn’t think that one’s very fair. Aren’t all three of them only thinking with their cocks right then?

With a fist full of Jeno’s hair, Jaemin pulls Jeno back. The elder of the two holds his tongue out, looking up at Jaemin with dazed eyes, waiting and pleading silently. 

Haechan grips his cock over his pants when Jaemin takes hold of his own cock to tap it against Jeno’s waiting tongue, to slap his cheeks a bit with it, smearing Jeno’s face with saliva and precum. He doesn’t seem to mind. If anything, he enjoys it even more. Haechan can see Jeno’s cock twitching with excitement in his lap. 

Jaemin keeps Jeno’s head tilted back like that as he slips his cock back into Jeno’s waiting mouth, and his fingers stay tangled in Jeno’s hair as Jaemin thrusts forward, fucking Jeno’s mouth. Haechan closes his eyes for a moment, squeezing his erection as he listens to the wet sounds of Jaemin using Jeno’s mouth, the sound of Jeno gagging, of Jaemin moaning and talking dirty. 

“Gonna cum. Swallow it for me, good boy.” Jaemin groans, and Haechan opens his eyes to watch Jaemin draw back until only the tip of his cock rests on Jeno’s tongue. Jeno holds his mouth open, eyes closed, as Jaemin paints Jeno’s tongue, coating it and his lips in white. 

Jeno’s eyes roll when he opens them, looking right over to Haechan in the other bed, looking right at the phone in his hands. Jeno closes his mouth to swallow, and Haechan zooms in on his face, capturing the way that Jeno’s throat bobs, the way his tongue darts out to clean his lips. But then Jaemin is there, his lips meeting Jeno’s, kissing him and helping to clean up the mess of his own making. 

Fuck, Haechan can’t help himself anymore. He tries to keep his phone steady, but he plunges his other hand into his pants, pulling his cock through the convenient opening in the front of the sweatpants. 

Jaemin pushes Jeno flat onto his back again. He sinks lower, kissing down his throat and chest. Haechan struggles to zoom out on the video with one hand, reluctant to take his hand away from where he’s palming the head of his own cock. He manages to get most of the way zoomed out, enough that Jeno’s face is visible where he’s licking his lips and staring up at the ceiling in bliss, enough that he can see when Jaemin stops at Jeno’s cock to take him in hand and lick him again. 

Jaemin spreads Jeno’s legs, one draping over the edge of the bed, the other Jeno bends up, planting his foot on the bed beside Jaemin’s shoulder. 

“Think you deserve it, Jeno?” Jaemin asks. He licks Jeno’s cock from base to tip then strokes his length with his hand. “Should I fuck you tonight? I already got what I wanted, and I didn’t ask for you to bring him in here tonight.”

Jaemin doesn’t so much as glance at Haechan, although he’s referring to him. Jeno just struggles to keep from pushing into the tightness of Jaemin’s hand around him. 

“Do you deserve that, puppy?” Jaemin asks again, and now he lowers his head. 

Haechan slides his hand along his erection, his hand holding the phone falters, but he doesn’t care. He’s too busy watching as Jaemin lowers his head down between Jeno’s spread legs, and he holds his tongue out. 

When Jaemin licks at Jeno’s hole, it’s Haechan that swears. A small “fuck, that’s hot” probably too quiet for the couple on the bed to hear, loud enough for the video to pick up. 

Haechan, although being pretty open to anyone regardless of gender, and despite having a little personal experience with people with dicks, hasn’t participated in (or watched all that much explicit content involving) ass eating. So he wasn’t exactly expecting this, and wasn’t expecting how much he would enjoy watching one of his best friends eat the ass of one of his other best friends. 

But Jaemin goes at it with no hesitation, feasting on Jeno’s hole while he keeps his hand working Jeno’s cock. Jeno writhes in the bed with pleasure, his body flushing pink although he keeps pretty quiet even when Jaemin brings a couple fingers down to his hole in addition to his tongue. 

Haechan isn’t sitting at the best angle to get a good shot of how Jaemin is eating Jeno out, and maybe Jaemin realizes that, because he rearranges Jeno a bit so that now Haechan can see Jaemin’s tongue working at Jeno’s tight hole, slowly opening him up with his tongue and fingers even while still jerking him off. 

He takes a more leisurely pace as he touches himself; Haechan doesn’t want to cum too quickly, doesn’t want to miss out on any part of this show they’re giving him. 

“Now!” Jeno groans finally, grasping for Jaemin’s shoulders, his hair, the hand that he loosened from Jeno’s cock to touch his abs. “I’m ready.”

“Are you?”

Jaemin kisses Jeno’s hip. 

Jeno just makes a sound of frustration, twisting on the bed until he can reach beneath the edge of the bedframe, sliding a box out. Haechan sits up, trying to get a peek inside. Toys, lube, a flash of something lacy, and then Jeno fishes out a condom, twists back around flat onto his back and tosses it down towards Jaemin. 

“Now,” he demands again. 

Haechan smiles at the slightly petulant tone Jeno’s taken. Does he play the brat sometimes? Haechan can’t help wondering. 

It all happens very quickly. Jaemin kneels up and tears open the condom wrapper, rolls it down until it fits snug around the base of his cock. And then he reaches back down to finger Jeno again until Jeno’s cock is twitching untouched, looking painfully hard against his belly.  

Haechan has never personally experienced anal play, nothing more than the time a girl accidentally slid her finger over his hole. It hadn’t been intentional and it hadn’t felt like anything more than a zip of surprise up from the base of Haechan’s spine. In his experiences with guys, it rarely ever got to the point of penetration, and one the few occasions it did, Haechan topped. But now, watching how absolutely desperate Jeno becomes as Jaemin curls his fingers inside him with no external stimulation, Haechan wonders if that’s something he should try sometime. 

Jaemin pulls his fingers out of Jeno, replacing the two fingers almost instantly with his cock. 

Jeno cums all across his belly, cock untouched, as Jaemin bottoms out. His cum shoots up his chest, though most of it pools between the ridges of his abs and around his navel. 

Haechan has to squeeze around the base of his own cock to keep from cumming at the sight. 

Jaemin fucks into Jeno regardless. The bed on the other side of the room creaks and squeaks, rattling against the wall a bit. 

How the others in the house don’t know about Jeno and Jaemin is beyond Haechan. They’re not overly noisy, but right now they’re not exactly very quiet either. He’s sure the person sleeping out on the sofa in the living room can probably hear, and Haechan’s sure as shit that even if he was upstairs in one of those rooms he’d be able to hear this, especially with the rest of the house being so silent. 

Jeno clutches at Jaemin’s waist, at his ass, his fingers squeezing up Jaemin’s arms, searching for anything to hold onto as Jaemin fucks him. 

Haechan fists his cock, stroking in rhythm with Jaemin. He watches the way Jeno’s cock goes a little soft, bouncing on his belly in the mess he made, but he doesn’t go entirely soft. 

It’s entirely too difficult to try to keep the video steady while jerking off himself, so Haechan moves on the bed, leaning over to the low chest of drawers between the two beds, and he props his phone up against the lamp, checking to make sure it’s got a good angle, and then he falls back into his previous position: back to the wall, hand on his cock, watching Jaemin roll forward, grinding into Jeno, bouncing him on the bed a bit, all while moaning and telling Jeno how good and tight he feels around him. 

Haechan knows, if given the chance, he would gladly join them on that bed. He would love to feed Jeno his cock to be able to experience a blowjob from him like the one he’d witnessed earlier. He’s never looked at either of them in this way before but framed in this context, he wants to be a part of it. 

Not that they look like they’re open to letting him actively participate. Right now, they’re both back to ignoring him, just making lovey eyes at each other as Jaemin nails Jeno, hitting a spot deep inside him that has Jeno growing hard again, has his toes curling and a whiny moan breaking through his lips. 

And then Haechan realizes that Jaemin is stroking Jeno’s cock again as he fucks him, that Jeno’s cock is leaking across his belly. Clear liquid spilling over his abs as he lifts up on his elbows and attempts to fuck himself on Jaemin. And Jaemin watches with shining, enamored eyes as Jeno makes an even bigger mess than before, his cock squirting with each punch of Jaemin’s cock inside him. 

He’s witnessing this moment of vulnerability when Jeno is at his rawest, and that alone is increasingly arousing to Haechan. 

And to Jaemin as well, apparently. 

Jaemin pulls out suddenly, pulling the condom off as he quickly jerks off with one hand over Jeno’s messy abdomen, while the other hand keeps stroking Jeno’s erection. 

They cum together, both contributing to the considerable puddle on Jeno’s belly. Neither of them seem to mind the liquid and cum spilling down Jeno’s sides and soaking into the bedsheets. 

Jaemin looks over at Haechan. 

“You’re not done yet?” He checks out Haechan’s cock, then jerks his head to the side, indicating Jeno. “You wanna come over here? Jeno likes being cum on.”

Just that mental image of Haechan standing over Jeno, his cum being added to the mixture of cum and whatever else on Jeno’s belly, it’s enough to push him finally over the edge. Haechan doesn’t move from his spot as his orgasm pulses through him, cum dripping onto the front of his sweatpants, leaking through his fingers as he keeps stroking himself. He tips his head back against the wall to stare up at the ceiling, biting his lip to keep quiet. 

“Cute,” Jaemin says. Jeno grunts softly. 

Haechan doesn’t look at them. His head is spinning, his heart pounding. He really just did that. He just watched two of his best friends fuck each other, and they let him. More than that, they asked him to film it, even invited him to cum on Jeno. 

He hears the quiet sound of kisses being exchanged, a mattress groaning, and then footsteps leaving the room. 

A few moments later, the footsteps return. A damp towel slaps against Haechan’s chest, and he finally pulls his gaze away from the ceiling. Jaemin is too busy climbing back onto his bed to notice the way that Haechan glares at him. Jaemin carefully and tenderly cleans Jeno up, and Haechan takes the opportunity to clean himself up with the cloth that Jaemin had kindly brought for him too. 

Mid-wipedown Haechan remembers his phone is still recording, so he leaves the safety and comfort of his spot against the wall to fetch his phone from where he’d propped it up. In doing so, he draws Jeno’s attention, his dark eyes blinking sleepily at Haechan. 

Jeno smiles, a dopey look right then. “Thanks for the video, man. Send it to me?”

Of course he’ll send it to him. 

But he’s definitely keeping it for himself too. 

Before he tucks himself into Jeno’s unused bed, Haechan AirDrops the video to both Jeno and Jaemin. 

Haechan sinks into the sheets with a smile on his face. Tonight had turned out better than he could have imagined. Thank God that someone had fallen asleep in his spot on the sofa.

previous chapter || next chapter  (Coming Soon)

a/n: this was a long one, full of haechan being a voyeur. And I don't know how many of you may have noticed, but once again, several sections of this were inspired by Haechan being a background character in a few other fics I've posted! First being Morally Gray Area with the naughty schoolgirl and Professor Hendery, and second being A Win-Win Situation at the restaurant!

I know so far there hasn't been all that much between the Haechan and our Y/N character! But I promise it's coming, and any questions you might have will be answered!

[starillusion13]

FRIENDS!? Chapter 24

🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳

Series ML

Pairing: poly!ateez × f!reader (An ATEEZ Office AU)

Genre: Mature, Angst, Yandere

Warning: mention of memories (nothing much just go with the flow).

W.C: 3.4k Network: @k-vanity

[Reblogs and Reviews are always appreciated. Thank you for reading and have a nice day ahead. Please always take care of yourself everyone.]

Hello, Can we be friends please?

"stay safe...we will try to keep a watch on you."

you raised your brows at Hongjoong, "and how? you are not a bird who will follow me around."

"but you are our bird. the little bird to protect in the cage."

in the cage?!!! so funny!!! isn't it how you kept her forever?

someone was watching them from a nearby building with a binocular. a smirk plastered on his face.

he chuckled, "ah...the prey is walking into my way. past must be repeat once again."

Seonghwa stood beside you two, "we haven't told this but the logo of this building is dedicated to you. that little bird flying there is you whom we missed so much."

Hongjoong went behind you, he held your hairs up when Seonghwa put a thin chain around your neck and tied it from behind. you looked down at the pendant --- an infinity sign. you smiled at a particular but waited for later until they find out.

"thank you so much."

Hongjoong patted your cheek, "it's the symbol of you with us forever."

you glanced over at the tall building, shining and shimmering under the golden lights of the afternoon sun. in a distance, on the other side of the road, Star is waiting for you in her car and earlier you told her to take your luggage and you would take some time to bid farewell to your boyfriends.

your eyes fixed on the bird on the logo, the thing you did notice on the first but never thought it was because of you.

you have never been on a trip with anyone before and this somehow made you so excited and anxious. you were also feeling so down so yesterday, you roamed around the building like you were watching everything for the first time. when all of them were on a meeting, you went to each of their cabin to place individual gifts to them.

instead of sleeping, you went to the terrace with Wooyoung and spent so much time there, saying all the things you want to do there and you will be sending pictures of your every step because you are too excited.

boy, Wooyoung was admiring your excitement and he was wishing to take you on a trip to somewhere after your return. will you look the same excited with them?

you even went to the rooftop with Yunho in the dawn and you felt a tug in your heart when he hugged you and kissed the top of your head.

"just know whatever I did and i'm doing is for us. please try to forgive me always. and stay safe."

what does he mean by that?

Soon others joined you three and showered you with so many kisses and tight hugs and advising you to take care and send them your location every time. its not like they can run to your help if you are a bit too far. you chuckled mentally.

there was an uneasy feeling in you as you are being watched and to say less, the others did feel the same but they quickly dismissed it when they say your worried eyes. Mingi patted your head and assured that it was only because it was your first time being out on a trip.

you said your last goodbye to them and glanced at the building --- apparently your home for last one and a half year. you have so many memories. after that orphanage, this is where your heart resides. you feel like to come running back to this place if you feel bored or uneasy on the trip. your boyfriends will be waiting here by then.

you will barge into their cabin and would give them surprise with your exciting smile.

"it's just a trip, y/n. why are you already missing them?"

.

.

.

The station buzzed with life as you made your way through the crowded platform, your suitcase rattling over the uneven tiles. Beside you, Star laughed, adjusting her scarf against the cool breeze. Her brother, Haechan trailed a few steps behind, scanning the crowd with a half-distracted look, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket and busy in a conversation with Beomgyu.

yes, her brother convinced her to take him along with you all and he promised to behave well. by seeing his already cocky attitude and distracted self, you are half assured if he is going to behave as he said earlier.

"Are you sure you packed everything?" Star teased, nudging you playfully with her elbow.

You rolled your eyes but smiled. "I triple-checked. I'm not forgetting anything this time. it was just that day I was in hurry and forgot to take my things."

Beomgyu caught up to you both, glancing at the large station clock overhead. "We've got about ten minutes before boarding. Should we grab something to eat, or just head to the platform?" he asked, his voice calm but edged with the usual practicality.

Haechan nodded his head furiously, "ah yes! my evil sister makes me starve all day."

"I vote for coffee," Star friend chimed in, ignoring her brother's dramatic words and her eyes lighting up as she spotted a café on the other side of the station.

You nodded in agreement. The four of you quickly made your way to the café, the smell of fresh coffee and warm pastries greeting you as you entered. The line wasn't long, and within minutes, you had your drinks in hand, ready for the adventure ahead.

"Alright, let's go," Beomgyu said as he led the way toward the platform, glancing at his ticket. "Platform 8."

You could feel the excitement building in your chest as you followed, the thought of a getaway filling you with anticipation. You'd been looking forward to this trip for weeks now—finally getting out of the city, spending time with your friend, and exploring somewhere new. And her brother, Haechan and your bestfriend, Beomgyu were easygoing enough that you didn't mind both of their company. In fact, your best friend's calming presence seemed to balance out your Star's more excitable energy.

The sleek silver train stretched out along the platform, its windows reflecting the early afternoon sun. The sound of the conductor announcing the final boarding call echoed through the station as passengers hurried to load their bags and find their seats.

"Here we go," Star said, her eyes bright as she looked at you. "Ready?"

"Absolutely," you replied, grinning.

As the four of you stepped aboard, the train's gentle hum surrounded you. The air inside was warm, a cozy contrast to the cool autumn breeze outside. You found your compartment easily—a small, comfortable space with wide windows perfect for watching the landscape roll by.

"Window seat is mine!" your friend claimed, dropping her bag onto the seat before you had a chance to argue. You laughed, taking the seat beside her while Haechan and Beomgyu sat across from you both, both of their gazes drifting toward the window as the train slowly pulled away from the platform.

The city began to blur into the distance, the towering buildings and bustling streets giving way to open fields and rolling hills. You sipped your coffee, the warmth seeping into your hands as you settled into the rhythm of the train.

"This is exactly what I needed," Star said, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes, the tension in her shoulders visibly easing. "A break from everything."

You nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's nice to just relax for once. No deadlines, no stress—just a few days of peace."

but you do miss the boys.

Beomgyu looked at the two of you, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Well, let's make the most of it then," he said. "The trip's just getting started."

As the train picked up speed, carrying you further from the city and into the countryside, you felt a sense of freedom settle over you. The open road, or in this case, open tracks, stretched out before you, and the possibilities of the trip seemed endless.

The landscape outside transformed into a patchwork of autumn colors, with the orange and gold leaves of the trees swaying gently in the wind. The sunlight filtered through, casting a soft glow inside the train. You could feel the anticipation in the air, knowing that this trip would be something special—a chance to make new memories with Star, Haechan, Beomgyu, and the adventure ahead.

after a while Beomgyu gave his window seat to you, when he went to your place to play a game wit Haechan.

As you leaned your head against the window, watching the world rush by, you couldn't help but smile. This was the escape you'd been craving. And with your friends by your side, you knew it was going to be an unforgettable journey.

you are more excited because Star and Beomgyu has planned to take you on a trip to your hometown where you grew up, where you have so many hidden memories. the place which almost got erased from your memory and you want to relive your past once again. without even knowing that your happiness was taking a turn to an absolute chaos.

your hometown is the place where all the story began.

the sky above which is the witness of all the mishaps in the past.

Everything is going to be alright, right?

>>>><<<<

"she went to her hometown."

the man sitting on his chair, rolling a crafted glass paper weight on his work table, smirking and nodding his head after hearing the words from his most trusted partner in the company.

"I know. she made our plan so easy. we are leaving tonight. tell others to pack up everything."

the man nodded at the command and left the room.

"oh, my dear, y/n...let's meet again. and this time, I'll let you know the real me."

an evil laugh echoed inside the cabin and his furious and dark eyes glanced over at your smiling picture hanging on the wall with a young boy beside you, together holding each other's hand and smiling at the camera.

two young faces staring back at him and even if he hated that picture, he kept it for the day for which he waited so long.

Finally, the chapter is coming to an end.

.

.

.

"so, you all got the same gift?" Jongho asked everyone around the room. all of them nodded in agreement, placing each of their small boxes on the table. it was all different --- each of their favorite colours. but the content inside them was same.

A ring.

Six infinity signs joined to each other to form a circle and a shining small crystal on top. It's the same as the pendant they gave you.

"She bought it for us that day." San held the ring in his palm, admiring it and thinking about you. You really do care for them.

Yeosang smiled at the thought of you might have been panicking while getting the right size for them, "yeah and it fits perfectly."

Wooyoung nodded, "that's why she was asking the ring size for everyone to me. I thought it's for..." he trailed on it, chuckling to himself.

Oh...that day will be soon.

Seonghwa wore it and extended his hand in front with a bright smile on his face, "she really knows how to surprise us."

Jongho kept the box inside his coat and glanced at his finger, the ring shining, "I want to gift her something after she returns."

Mingi was already browsing in the internet for all the likely items to buy for you, "I bet she will love all these things in my cart."

Everyone was enjoying and expressing their love but the last two glanced at each other.

Yunho was all silent, playing with the ring in his finger, there was a shirt note to each one of them and he was repeating the words to himself again and again.

Even if you did something wrong to me, just know I don't want to remember them coz I want to stay with you and love you forever.

He kissed the ring and wished for your words to be true.

"I wish to give and receive surprises with her forever."

Hongjoong was watching his actions and gulping a lump, he looked down at his own ring. You bought it for him. You gave him a surprise because you love him.

The love he wanted.

But he doesn't deserve it.

He cleared his throat, catching others attention where they were busy thinking about you and admiring your gift.

"Have you guys packed your stuffs?" Hongjoong's voice was demanding and you keenly observed each of them when they nodded. He was serious, actually he didn't mind wherever you were going to because Yeosang and San were to follow you around in that place. but the moment he found out that you were heading over to the hometown.

That's when all of them were tensed and ready to go after you. There's a lot to handle if you come across the familiar place. What if...what if you remember everything. How will you react? What will they say to you? And moreover will you going to forgive them?

The monsters who made her paradise into a living hell.

"Yeah...we are leaving tomorrow early in the morning." Mingi told everyone.

Everyone nodded and soon Seonghwa urged everyone to get back for their rooms so that they could rest for awhile before the journey.

When all of them were going out of the cabin, Yunho stayed back and stared at Hongjoong who was staring outside the wide glass window. He stepped closer to him, stood beside him in silence.

"Why didn't you got to your room? You will soon see her again." Hongjoong said and looked beside him.

Yunho didn't spare a glance, instead kept watching to the vast view, "you will see her too."

"But you love her...she is your everything. Atleast your love is the truth..."

"She doesn't know that rest of you all were not in relationship with her. I wonder why she remembered that we all had good times with her...even if we had it was before that year."

Hongjoong clenched his fist, remembering everything, "she loves me. She forgave me. And she is happy with me."

"It's only because she doesn't know." Yunho suddenly chuckled, "and she doesn't want to remember it."

"Go back to your room, Yunho."

"I'll...just don't think too much. Everything is going to be alright." Yunho patted his back, finally looking at his face for a while and leaving him behind all alone in his room.

Hongjoong looked down at his ring, a small smile appearing on his face, "even if it goes wrong, y/n. I hope you remember the days when we were actual happy together."

Maybe next time...he will never do any wrong and stay with you without any guilt.

NEXT

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Taglist :

@mymoodwriting @justhere4kpop @vvshere @anyamaris @yeoobin @wooyoungmybelovedhusband @brrrkdslek-personal @icchyi @jwnghyuns @piratequeen-queenofgames @luhwaine @ilove-taeyong @dinonuguaegi @endeav0rsb1tch @loveforred @hwanring @sanwifesstuff @kiwiisnthereoops @kiwiraccoon @sousydive @aliona124754 @tunaasan @iykyunho @jennifermakmur

(open! dm me/ send ask/reply here)

[winxanity-ii]

MEMORY CARD [1/?]

ship: artist!andy x fem!reader warnings: non-explicit word count: 4.7k (y'all know the routine, tried doing a regular one-shot but ended up worldbuilding 😩😔; part 2 will be up soon) a/n: was talking with my sis about westworld so here we are...(update: it's gonna be 4-5 parts in total cuz @k-nayee. bullied me 😭😔💔 parts: 2

★·.·´🇦‌🇱‌🇮‌🇪‌🇳‌ 🇲‌🇦‌🇸‌🇹‌🇪‌🇷‌🇱‌🇮‌🇸‌🇹‌`·.·★

The train rattled along the tracks, the gentle hum of the engine weaving with the rhythmic clatter of wheels against steel. You leaned your forehead against the cool glass window, watching as the endless plains rolled by in a blur of gold and green.

The faint smell of dust and engine oil filled the cabin, mingling with the scent of freshly brewed coffee from the dining car up ahead.

Each bump in the track sent a subtle jolt through the train, a reminder of the distant frontier you were heading toward.

Behind you, the low murmur of conversation drifted through the air. You weren't trying to eavesdrop, but the voices carried in the cramped space.

"Now, the first time, I played it white hat. My family was here. We went fishing, did the gold hunt in the mountains," one of the men said, his tone smug with nostalgia. There was a pause as he took a swig of something from his flask. "And last time? I came alone. Went straight evil. It was the best two weeks of my life."

His companion chuckled darkly. "Straight evil, huh? What'd you do?"

"Ah, you know," he said with a nonchalant shrug that you could practically hear in his voice. "Burned a few homesteads, robbed a bank or two… Got a nice haul from the bank, but the real fun was in the brothel. Picked a few cute ones—doe eyes, rosey cheeks, the whole works." His voice dipped into something sleazier. "Well, by the time I was done with the first one, let's just say, she wasn't thinking much at all."

You clenched your jaw, your grip tightening on the armrest as your stomach turned at his words.

The casual cruelty in his voice was disturbing, the way he spoke about the hosts like they were nothing more than objects to be used and discarded.

It was the kind of talk that made your skin crawl.

"And you know, the best part?" he continued, his voice dripping with twisted satisfaction. "After I was done, I shot her right in the head. She fell like a goddamn doll. And the way the other girls screamed—man, I've never felt so powerful."

Your heart pounded in your chest, a mixture of anger and disgust swirling inside you. Behind him, his friend laughed, low and crude.

"You're sick, man. But I gotta hand it to you—there's nothing like having absolute control. Makes you realize what you’re missing out on in the real world, doesn't it?"

Kiro, who had been staring out of the opposite window, turned her head sharply, her eyes blazing with indignation. "Ugh, what pigs," she gagged, loud enough for you to hear but quiet enough to avoid drawing attention.

Or so you thought.

You turned toward her, already sensing where this was going. "Kiro, don't," you whispered, trying to catch her eye, but she was already leaning forward, her expression set in a fierce scowl.

"Excuse me," she said, her voice cutting through the men’s conversation like a knife. Both of them turned, startled by the sudden interruption. "What an amazing story," she continued, dripping with sarcasm. "Can you maybe speak a little louder so we can all enjoy hearing about you fucking a decapitated host?"

The entire cabin fell silent. Every conversation around you stuttered and died as heads turned in your direction. The men stared at her, eyes wide in shock, before the one who had been bragging about his exploits found his voice.

"Hey, what the hell is your problem?" he barked, his face flushing with anger and embarrassment.

You reached out, grabbing Kiro's arm in an attempt to pull her back into her seat. "Kiro, please, just—" you began, but she shrugged you off, her gaze never leaving the men.

"Me? Problem?" she said, her voice cold and clear. "Looks like you have the problem, sitting over here bragging about doing sick shit. Sounds like you need a fucking therapist, not a vacation."

The man's face turned an even deeper shade of red as he sputtered, clearly not used to being called out so directly. His companion shifted uncomfortably, looking around at the other passengers who were now watching the scene unfold with varying degrees of curiosity and discomfort.

With a devastated, horrified shriek, you yanked Kiro back down into her seat, your fingers digging into the soft fabric of her dress as you hissed her name. "Kiro!"

The man grunted, shoving himself up from his seat. "Whatever. Let's get out of here," he muttered, jerking his head toward the back of the train. His friend followed suit, and you watched as they made their way down the aisle, their bravado crumbling under the weight of the stares that followed them.

Eventually, the low hum of conversation slowly filled the cabin again, the brief drama fading into the background noise of the train.

You pressed the heel of your hand to your forehead, rubbing at the spot between your eyes where a headache was beginning to bloom. "You can't let it get to you like that," you murmured, leaning closer so only she could hear. "You know it's common to hear things like that in here. Most people come to this place to live out their worst impulses."

Kiro let out a reluctant sigh, her shoulders sagging as she sank back into her seat. "I know," she muttered, a scowl tugging at the corners of her mouth. "But it's still bullshit. It doesn't matter if they're hosts. It's just wrong." She crossed her arms over her chest, her fingers tapping impatiently against her biceps. "And this ridiculous getup doesn't help either."

You glanced at her outfit, your lips quirking into a smile despite the lingering tension.

The soft yellow fabric of her dress shimmered faintly in the afternoon light, the white lace trim at the collar and cuffs adding a delicate, almost ethereal touch. The bodice hugged her frame perfectly, the high waist flaring out into a gentle, flowing skirt that fell just above her ankles.

Matching gloves, made of the same soft material, covered her hands, and a small hat, adorned with a delicate white ribbon, sat perched on her head, complementing her olive skin tone. Her silky straight hair was tied up in an intricate bun beneath the hat, a few stray strands framing her face.

"You look fine," you teased, nudging her gently with your elbow.

Kiro rolled her eyes, but a smirk tugged at her lips as she nudged you back. "Yeah, you can only say that because you’ve been here a hundred times. You're probably more used to wearing this old-western shit than regular clothes."

You laughed, reaching out to playfully pinch her arm. "That's not true," you protested, grinning as she swatted your hand away. "In my defense, the aesthetic is cute." You gestured to your own outfit, smoothing down the dark emerald green fabric of your dress.

The rich, velvety material clung to your figure in all the right places, the cream accents along the hem and sleeves adding a touch of elegance.

The dress was designed in the same style as Kiro's, with a fitted bodice and a flared skirt that swayed with every movement. A small matching hat perched atop your head, the delicate cream ribbon fluttering gently as the train continued its steady journey.

You tugged at your matching gloves, the emerald fabric soft and smooth against your fingers.

"You can't deny it's fun to dress up a little," you added, leaning back in your seat. "Even if it is a bit…anachronistic."

Kiro snorted, her smirk widening into a grin. "Yeah, well, I'd still prefer my jeans and a t-shirt any day over this." She glanced down at her outfit, shaking her head. "I feel like I'm playing dress-up in some weird historical reenactment."

You chuckled, the last remnants of tension melting away as the train rocked gently beneath you. "That's the whole point, though. It’s supposed to be a break from reality."

"Yeah, a break from reality where people think it’s okay to act like total assholes," Kiro muttered, but there was no real bite in her voice. She glanced at you, her eyes softening. "Thanks for trying to keep me out of trouble."

"Always," you said, smiling. "But next time, maybe just let it slide. We're here to have fun, remember?"

Kiro rolled her eyes, but she leaned back in her seat with a sigh. "Yeah, yeah. I'll try to remember that."

The train began to slow, the rhythmic clatter of wheels against tracks softening as it pulled into the station. You felt the change in momentum as it gently rocked to a stop, the hiss of steam filling the cabin.

The conductor's voice, gruff but polite, echoed through the car.

"Welcome to Sweetwater, ladies and gentlemen," he called out, tipping his hat as he moved down the aisle. "Please mind your step as you disembark. Have a fine day, and enjoy your visit to the frontier."

The passengers around you stood, gathering their belongings and chatting excitedly as they prepared to disembark.

You exchanged a glance with Kiro, who rolled her eyes playfully at the conductor's formal tone but couldn't hide the glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

You stood, smoothing down the skirt of your dress before picking up your leather bag.

The air was filled with the rustling of clothing, the creak of leather boots against the wooden floor, and the hum of anticipation as everyone shuffled toward the exit.

Stepping down from the train onto the wooden platform, you were momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight. You blinked, shielding your eyes with one gloved hand as you adjusted to the sudden change.

The warmth of the sun contrasted sharply with the cool, dusty air that carried the faint scent of horses and fresh-baked bread from the nearby bakery.

Sweetwater spread out before you like a scene from a storybook. The town was bustling with life, the wooden buildings lined up along the dusty main street, their colorful signs swaying gently in the breeze.

Horses trotted by, their hooves clopping against the dirt road, while a stagecoach rumbled past, the driver tipping his hat to the ladies on the sidewalk.

Kiro stepped down beside you, her eyes wide as she took in the sight. "Wow," she breathed, her voice filled with awe. She turned in a slow circle, taking in everything from the saloon with its swinging doors to the blacksmith's forge where the sound of hammering echoed faintly through the air. "This is… incredible."

You couldn't help but smile at her reaction, memories of your own first visit flooding back. The overwhelming sense of wonder, the feeling that you'd stepped into another world, a place where anything was possible.

It was a sensation that had faded over time, but seeing it through Kiro's eyes brought a flicker of it back to life.

Before you could say anything, Kiro snapped out of her daze, her grin wide and infectious as she grabbed your arm. "Let's go check it out!" she exclaimed, pulling you along before you could protest.

The two of you made your way down the bustling street, weaving between groups of people.

You passed a group of children chasing each other, their laughter ringing out as they dodged between the legs of a tall man in a duster coat. He chuckled, tipping his hat to you as you passed.

The town was alive with energy, a mix of hosts and guests moving about, some lost in their own narratives, others just exploring.

A woman in a bright red dress leaned against the railing of the saloon, batting her eyelashes at a group of men who were clearly guests, their excitement palpable as they fumbled through the door.

A few steps ahead, you noticed a man standing on a wooden crate, a sheriff's star pinned to his chest. He was surrounded by a small crowd, gesturing animatedly as he spoke.

"A posse is being organized to chase down a man who murdered the Marshal!" he announced, his voice carrying over the noise of the street. "Murderous son of a bitch named Hector Escaton gunned down the Marshal in cold blood. He's holed up in the mountains, and we need every able-bodied person willing to bring him to justice."

The crowd murmured, a few men stepping forward eagerly. The sheriff's gaze swept over the people gathered around him, landing on you and Kiro as you passed by.

"You there," he called out, pointing in your direction. "You look like the kind of ladies who’d put your mettle to it."

Kiro's eyes lit up, her hand already lifting in an enthusiastic wave as she nodded eagerly. "Really? Hell ye—"

"Not today, Sheriff," you cut in smoothly, stepping between Kiro and the man with a polite smile. "Apologies." You hooked your arm through hers, steering her away before she could argue.

"Hey, I could've done it!" she protested, though her tone was more playful than serious. She looked over her shoulder, watching as the sheriff turned back to his recruiting.

You couldn't help but laugh, the sound light and teasing. "Oh, I know you could've. I one hundred percent believe that," you said, patting her arm reassuringly as you guided her through the crowd. "But first, we've got to put our things away at the inn."

Kiro sighed dramatically but nodded, her curiosity about the town clearly winning out over the missed opportunity.

Together, you made your way down the bustling street, the inn's weathered sign swinging gently in the breeze as you approached.

A little while later, you were in your room, humming a soft tune under your breath as you folded your clothes and placed them neatly in the drawer.

The room was simple but cozy, the wooden floors creaking slightly under your feet as you moved around, setting up your things.

The afternoon sun filtered through the lace curtains, casting a warm, golden light across the room.

You were just placing your hat on the dresser when the door burst open, slamming against the wall with a loud thud. You jumped, turning to see Kiro standing in the doorway, her eyes gleaming and a wide grin plastered across her face.

"They have a saloon!" she exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement.

You blinked, momentarily confused by her enthusiasm. "Yeahhh…" you said slowly, tilting your head as you tried to figure out why she was so excited. "We saw it earlier. Remember?"

Kiro didn't respond immediately. Instead, she stalked forward, closing the distance between you in a few quick strides. She placed her hands on your shoulders, staring you directly in the eyes, her expression dead serious. "If there's a saloon, that means there’s alcohol," she said, her voice low and intense, as if she were imparting some great secret.

You raised an eyebrow, still not quite following. "Okay…?"

"And if there's alcohol," she continued, her grip tightening on your shoulders, "you know what that means? Drunk-ass susceptible banks!"

You rolled your eyes, a smile tugging at your lips despite yourself. "Really, Kiro? Are you seriously planning to spend your week here doing the same thing you do back home? Get a roster of dudes?"

Kiro snorted, releasing your shoulders as she plopped down on your bed, the springs creaking under her weight. "Uhhh, duh," she sang, grinning up at you with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "What else am I supposed to do? It's my birthday. Plus, this is the perfect time to meet and get my thot shit on without worrying if the dude will find my ass and want a relationship."

You paused, your hands stilling as you turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised. "What happened to the whole 'treating hosts like people' bit back on the train earlier?"

Kiro looked at you like you’d just killed a dog or smacked her across the face. "What!? I am!" she protested, her voice rising in indignation. "If anything, me not fucking them would be discriminatory. Hell, I'm giving them the ultimate human treatment by treating them like one of my potential hoes."

You snorted, shaking your head as you folded the last of your clothes and slid the drawer shut. "You're ridiculous," you said, but there was no real bite to your words. A smile tugged at your lips as you glanced over at her.

Kiro just grinned, one eyebrow quirking up as she leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You love me," she said, winking dramatically.

"Unfortunately," you teased, earning an exaggerated gasp from her.

Before she could retaliate, she hopped up from the bed, practically bouncing on her heels as she clapped her hands together. "Now, hurry up!" she whined, grabbing your arm and tugging on it like a petulant child. "We've gotta get to the saloon before all the good stuff is gone. I want to get my drink on and find some sweet-talking cowboy to take advantage of."

You laughed, letting her pull you toward the door. "You really think you're gonna find someone like that here?"

Kiro scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she gave you a playful smirk. "Please. With this face?" She gestured to herself dramatically. "I'm irresistible. Hosts, guests, doesn't matter. They'll all be lining up for a chance with me."

"Your confidence is astounding," you said dryly, grabbing your bag and throwing it over your shoulder.

"Thank you," she said, fluttering her eyelashes at you. "Now, come on! Time's wasting!"

You let her lead you out of the room and down the creaky wooden stairs to the main lobby, the warm, dusty scent of the inn filling your senses as you passed by the front desk and out the door.

The sun was beginning its slow descent toward the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the town as the two of you made your way back down the main street.

The atmosphere was even livelier than before, with more guests mingling among the hosts, their faces alight with excitement and curiosity.

A couple of men sat outside a shop, their hats tipped low over their eyes as they chatted, while a woman in a bright red dress twirled a parasol, her eyes scanning the crowd with a practiced gaze.

Kiro's grip on your arm was firm but gentle as she pulled you along, her enthusiasm bubbling over as she pointed out various sights along the way. "Look, there's the sheriff's office!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing on her toes. "And over there's the general store. We should totally check that out later."

As you approached the saloon, you could hear the faint strains of music drifting through the air, mingling with the sound of laughter and clinking glasses.

You glanced up as you approached, your eyes tracing the elegant script of the sign hanging above the entrance. Mariposa Saloon, it read, the letters etched in gold against a backdrop of dark wood, a pair of butterfly wings painted delicately on either side.

You took a deep breath, steeling yourself for whatever lay beyond those swinging doors.

Kiro nudged you with her elbow, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "Ready?" she asked, her voice barely containing her eagerness.

You nodded, pushing through the doors and stepping inside. The first thing that hit you was the smell—a heady mix of cigar smoke, polished wood, and the sweet, slightly tangy scent of whiskey.

It was almost overwhelming, yet oddly inviting, like stepping into another world entirely.

The low hum of conversation filled the air, punctuated by the clink of glasses and the occasional burst of raucous laughter.

The saloon was packed. Men in dust-covered coats and wide-brimmed hats leaned against the bar, their boots scuffing the polished floor as they chatted and laughed with each other.

A group of cowboys sat around a table near the back, cards in their hands and suspicious looks on their faces as they eyed one another over the pot of coins in the center.

Near the front, a few of the saloon's workers, dressed in vibrant, corset-style dresses, drifted gracefully through the crowd, their eyes sharp as they scanned for potential customers.

And then there was the music.

A piano in the corner was being played with enthusiasm, the lively melody filling the room and blending with the soft, sultry voice of the showgirl on stage. She was stunning, her sequined dress catching the light as she swayed to the rhythm, her voice weaving a spell over the crowd as she sang of love and loss and whiskey.

"Damn," Kiro breathed beside you, her eyes wide with awe as she took in the scene. "It's like we've stepped back in time."

You nodded, unable to tear your gaze away from the showgirl for a moment longer. "Yeah, it really is something," you murmured, feeling that familiar, intoxicating sense of wonder settle over you.

Kiro's hand on your arm brought you back to the present, and you followed her as she made a beeline for the bar.

The bartender, a handsome man with a chiseled jaw and a roguish smile, glanced up as you approached. He threw a towel over his shoulder, his eyes twinkling with a hint of amusement as he took in the two of you.

"Well, now," he drawled, leaning against the counter with a practiced ease. "What can I get you fine ladies tonight?"

Kiro's eyes narrowed playfully as she pushed herself up onto the bar, leaning over it just enough to draw the bartender's gaze. "Depends," she purred, her voice dropping into a low, seductive lilt. "What do you have that's strong enough to make a girl forget her name but sweet enough to have her calling yours?"

The bartender’s grin widened, his gaze flicking down to her lips before returning to her eyes. "I think I've got just the thing," he said, his tone matching hers. He reached under the bar, pulling out a bottle of amber liquid and two glasses. "You like bourbon, darlin'?"

"Love it," Kiro replied, her smile matching the bartender’s as she watched him pour the drinks with a practiced hand.

You rolled your eyes, a fond smile tugging at your lips as you watched the two of them. This was classic Kiro—bold, confident, and utterly unafraid to go after what she wanted, even if it was just a bit of flirtation with a good-looking bartender.

The bartender slid the glasses across the counter, his fingers brushing lightly against Kiro's as she reached for hers. "There you go," he said, his voice warm and smooth. "A drink strong enough to make you forget anything you want. And if you're looking for more than just the drink, well…" He leaned in a little closer, his smile turning wicked. "I'm here all night."

Kiro's laugh was low and throaty as she picked up her glass, taking a slow sip while keeping her eyes locked on his. "I'll keep that in mind," she said, her voice a soft purr.

You shook your head, chuckling softly as you picked up your own drink. Turning away from the bar, you took a sip, savoring the burn of the bourbon as it slid down your throat.

It was good—smooth and strong, with just a hint of sweetness.

As you let your gaze wander around the room, you took in the scene before you. At one table, a group of cowboys were deep in a game of cards, their faces tense as they watched each other’s hands with keen eyes.

Nearby, one of the saloon workers, a woman in a bright green dress, leaned over a gentleman’s shoulder, her fingers trailing lightly down his arm as she whispered something in his ear. He laughed, tipping his hat back as he glanced up at her with a wide grin.

On the stage, the showgirl continued to sing, her voice filling the room with its sultry tones. She twirled, her dress sparkling in the light, and you couldn’t help but be drawn in by her performance, the way she seemed to captivate everyone in the room.

It really did feel like you'd been transported to the past, to some forgotten corner of the world where anything was possible and reality was just a distant memory.

For a moment, you allowed yourself to get lost in it, the drink warming you from the inside as you leaned back against the bar, the weight of the real world falling away.

Kiro's laughter pulled you back, and you turned to see her still chatting with the bartender, her eyes bright with excitement.

You smiled, raising your glass in a silent toast to her.

Your eyes drifted lazily around the room, taking in the lively atmosphere and the myriad of stories unfolding around you.

Then, your gaze snagged on a figure seated in the far corner of the saloon, half-hidden in the shadows. Your heart immediately skipped a beat, the breath catching in your throat.

It was him.

He sat alone, his broad shoulders hunched slightly as he nursed a drink, his eyes fixed on the stage with an intensity that bordered on sadness, frustration etched in the lines of his brow.

His skin, a rich dark brown, contrasted sharply with the crisp, tailored suit he wore—an outfit that screamed sophistication and wealth, a stark difference from the dust-covered patrons that filled the room.

He looked like he had stepped out of another world, his presence commanding yet somehow withdrawn.

His suit was a deep charcoal gray, the fine wool perfectly fitted to his frame. His polished boots, gleaming faintly in the dim light, tapped lightly against the floorboards, the only hint of movement in his otherwise still figure.

He held his glass loosely in one hand, the amber liquid inside catching the light as he swirled it absently before taking a slow sip of his drink, his jaw clenching as he swallowed.

For a moment, the world around you seemed to fade, the noise of the saloon dimming to a distant hum as you watched him. Before you could find yourself getting lost in your thoughts, a tap on your shoulder jolted you back to reality.

You turned to see Kiro watching you with a raised brow, her eyes narrowing slightly in concern. "Hey, you okay? Did something happen?" she asked, her voice cutting through the haze that had enveloped your mind. "What are you looking at?"

You blinked, your heart skipping a beat as if you'd been caught doing something you weren't supposed to. Your eyes flicked back to the corner where he sat, your gaze lingering for just a moment before snapping back to Kiro.

You felt your face flush, a wave of heat crawling up your neck as you struggled to find your words. "I—it's nothing," you stammered, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I wasn't looking at anything."

Kiro gave you a look, one eyebrow arched high, her lips quirking into a skeptical smirk.

Normally, she would have pressed you for details, teasing you relentlessly until you either spilled the truth or begged her to stop. But tonight, she just tilted her head slightly, studying you for a moment longer before shrugging and turning back to the bartender, her previous flirtatious grin sliding back into place.

"Okay, if you say so," she murmured, her tone light, but her eyes lingered on you a beat longer than usual before she turned her attention back to the handsome man behind the bar, her laughter ringing out as he said something that made her giggle, her hand lightly brushing against his as she leaned closer.

You let out a breath you hadn't realized you were holding, your shoulders slumping in relief.

But no matter how much you tried to focus on the drink in your hand or the conversation buzzing around you, your eyes kept wandering back to him.

You wanted to go to him, but the thought of breaking the fragile distance between you was terrifying.

So, instead, you stayed where you were, sipping your drink and trying to ignore the way your pulse quickened every time your gaze found him.

The rest of the night passed in a blur of laughter and music, Kiro's voice occasionally breaking through your haze as she dragged you into a conversation or made you clink glasses with her in some impromptu toast.

A/N: hey guys, hope you enjoyed my lil creation of westworld x alien: romulus, andy. tbh im so in love with the concept jajajaj...part 2 will be up tomorrow, trying not to spam posts...

[pjoxreader]

Leo/Frank/Reyna with an autistic reader?

Autistic Reader 

((I unfortunately don't know much about Autism but I did my best! I did do some research so I hope it's alright!))

Leo Valdez

-Leo does his best to be supportive but he has a million things going through his brain. Unfortunately you like things to be done at their exact time and get anxious when they aren’t. 

-”Leo, we’re already five minutes late!” you stress out pacing outside his room. Leo does make his way out, getting his jacket on. But when he goes out and sees you so stressed out he honestly feels bad. He just gets so absorbed in his own work that he forgets about time.

-However Leo decides right there and then that he never wanted to be the cause of your stress ever again. He makes multiple alarms for himself to block out his time. Just as you were about to go complain to Leo about being late, again, you hear him talk by the front door. 

-“Come on love we don’t want to be late do we?” he gives that dorky grin that makes your heart flutter. He really was a dork but you do go over giving him a light kiss that makes him go bright red.

-He isn’t perfect though, he often messes up with realizing you take things very literally. Which he works his best on, but he was known for making jokes and such! He’d never mean it maliciously though! 

-The worst scenario with that was when you were getting ready to join the ares cabin in sword training and Leo called “break a leg!” The stare you gave him really made him realize just how bad he messed up. He quickly starts to explain what the phrase means as he feels guilty right away.

Frank Zhang

-Frank knew anxiety could get bad, he had to deal with it a lot himself. You two had bonded over that when you were younger after all. And now Frank was trying to help you meet his new friends.

-Of course he knew it’d be a lot to meet six other people who all had their own unique personality… So he had warned the group ahead of time that you two might sneak off for a bit to help you relax, promising it wasn’t because of the group.

-Everyone was very understanding. Frank could see you were getting a bit overwhelmed and went to your side smiling softly “Did you want to take a break?” he asks, keeping his voice calm and you nod, taking a shaky breath as you look at the railing of the boat.

-Frank knew you were never one to make eye contact so he never bothered you about it. “Here, there’s a good spot over here.” He leads you over where the chatter dies out and you get to enjoy seeing the ocean.

-You take a few breaths helping yourself calm down as Frank waits, standing at the railing while he waits. He knows when to give you space and you couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend than him. After calming down a bit you feel guilty about running off from a party that was supposed to be about you making friends…

-”Hey, don’t feel guilty. They all understand.” he promises lightly sitting down beside you as if he read your mind. “Can I hold your hand?” he asks gently. You can’t help the soft smile forming on your face as you nod, holding your hand out for Frank to hold which he gladly takes. You can’t help but think how lucky you are.

Reyna Ramírez-Arellano

-Reyna is very observant, maybe it’s her combat skills but she just knows when something is wrong. She could tell the moment you don’t like something, the moment you’re stressed, or when you’re upset. She could really read you like a book.

-But what she did have problems with is telling your other emotions, which was unfortunate since you had a hard time explaining how you were feeling too. You were also very blunt and honest but she loved that.

-It was annoying having to deal with the other roman soldiers who would go around subjects to spare her or others feelings. She just wanted the truth and you would deliver. She was working on some paperwork and looked over to you. 

-“What do you think of Octavian?” she asks curiously looking at you with a raised brow. You huff at that “I think he’s a jerk and I hate him for sacrificing my stuffed animal.” you say as if talking about the weather, making Reyna grin a bit at that she really did love how honest you were.

- She had to work out something to help you with your emotions, something that would help the both of you. She wanted to be a good girlfriend and be there to support you. But she knew that she couldn’t do it alone so she asked the other seven to help her come up with ideas. 

-She should have just gone to Annabeth first as she printed out something called the emotion wheel. It was a wheel with different emotions on it that would then branch out to more detailed explanations like going from sad, to discourage. Something you could take one step at a time. It’d be perfect.

~Masterlist & Rules~

Like my writing? Please consider sending me a Ko-fi! ☕

[randomperson99sworld]

Hope

~ Chapter 25 ~

Summary: Dean and Sam Winchester save a young woman —Natalie Johnson, from a coven of witches who are after her deceased grandmothers spell book. At first Dean doesn’t trust her, will he ever? Natalie is just simply a woman who gets roped up in the supernatural world from a mistake her grandmother made.

Paring: Dean x OC

Warning: Age gap, slow burn, smut, language, gore.

Word Count: 1,176

A/N: Again, you’ll see a few similarities from this fanfic and my “Ruffled Feathers” one. I just feel like it’s realistic for Dean to be prone to having nightmares from his awful past including the years he spent in Hell. I don’t think that type of trauma would just go away. He spent more time in hell than out. And I think it was time for Natalie to witness this. Happy reading! ♥️

Dean had been doing everything he could to push his feelings for Natalie down, burying them beneath layers of denial and logic. He couldn’t think about her like that—she was too young, had her whole life ahead of her, and was supposed to be a part of the team, nothing more. How had she even managed to weasel her way into his heart like this? He’d spent so long keeping people at arm’s length, protecting himself from getting too close. But Natalie? She had slipped past all his defenses, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

And it pissed him off.

So when Jodi called Sam and Dean with a case involving a string of murders she suspected were supernatural, Dean was relieved. A distraction was exactly what he needed—something to get him out of his own head and away from thoughts of Natalie. But of course, she insisted on coming along to help with research.

When they arrived at Jodi’s place, it wasn’t long before Natalie and Claire hit it off, much to Dean’s dismay. Watching them joke around, sharing stories, and getting along so well only made the knot in his chest tighter. Natalie fit in too easily, like she’d been a part of their world all along. And while a part of him was glad to see her making friends with someone like Claire, another part of him—one he hated to acknowledge—was jealous. Jealous that she could be so carefree, while he was stuck trying to keep his feelings in check.

Jodi noticed Dean’s gruffness toward Natalie, but she didn’t comment on it. She knew Dean well enough to see when he was struggling with something, but she also knew he’d talk when he was ready. So, she simply offered them the cabin to stay the night instead of making them get a motel room. Sam, Dean, Natalie, and Claire all agreed, though Dean grumbled under his breath about it.

The cabin was cozy, and Jodi had done her best to make everyone comfortable. Sam took the couch in the living room, giving Dean and Natalie the small bedroom with two twin beds. It was an arrangement that made Dean more uncomfortable than he wanted to admit, but there wasn’t much of a choice. They were all hunters, after all—practicality came first.

As the night wore on, Natalie settled into one of the beds, while Dean lay in the other, staring at the ceiling. His mind was still racing, a tangled mess of emotions he couldn’t untangle. He needed sleep, needed to shut everything off for a few hours. But it wasn’t long before his mind slipped into the past, into places he tried so hard to keep buried.

The nightmare came fast and hard, dragging him into memories he didn’t want to relive—memories of Hell, of the tortures he endured and inflicted, the guilt, the screams, the blood. His body tensed, his fists clenched as the images flashed behind his eyelids. He was lost in the darkness, his heart pounding in his chest, his breath quick and shallow.

Then, the sound of a voice pulled him out.

"Dean? Dean, wake up."

It was Natalie.

Dean's eyes snapped open, still trapped in the fog of the nightmare. His instincts kicked in before he could even process what was happening. He grabbed Natalie by the throat and pushed her down on the bed, his grip tight, his eyes wild and filled with the fear and rage left over from the dream.

Natalie gasped, her hands coming up to try and pry his fingers off, but she didn’t fight him. Instead, her voice came out calm and steady, though her heart raced. “It’s me, Dean,” she said softly. “It’s Natalie. You’re okay. You’re safe.”

Her words pierced through the fog in his mind, and Dean blinked, his grip loosening as reality crashed back into him. He let go immediately, stumbling back from the bed, his chest heaving as guilt flooded his entire body.

“Natalie, I—” he started, his voice raw with emotion. “I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

She sat up, rubbing her throat gently but keeping her eyes on him. “Are you okay?”

Dean simply nodded, but it was a lie, and they both knew it. His hands trembled slightly, and he turned away, unable to face her after what had just happened. He’d hurt her—someone who trusted him, who had only been trying to help. The guilt gnawed at him, mixing with the leftover terror of his nightmare.

Natalie, sensing the storm of emotions running through him, didn’t push. Instead, she slid off the bed and knelt in front of him, so he had no choice but to look at her. Her eyes were soft, filled with understanding, and she didn’t look at him with fear—just concern. She reached out, gently cupping his face in her hands.

“You don’t have to go through this alone, you know?” she said softly, her voice steady, warm. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’ll listen. I’m here.”

Her words sank deep into him, cutting through the layers of walls he’d built around himself. She knew—maybe not the full extent of what he’d been through, but she understood enough. She understood the weight he carried, the pain, the nightmares, and the constant battle to keep moving forward. And for some reason, she was still here.

Dean’s breath hitched slightly as her arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a tight hug. He hesitated for a moment, frozen, unsure of how to respond. But then, slowly, his arms came up, wrapping around her in return. It wasn’t awkward this time—it felt... right. Like, for the first time, someone was giving him comfort without expecting anything in return.

He rested his chin on her shoulder, closing his eyes as the tension in his body started to ease. He hadn’t realized how badly he needed this—needed someone to hold him, to remind him that he wasn’t alone, even if it was just for a moment.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his voice barely audible, but Natalie heard it. She held him tighter, her breath soft against his ear.

“You don’t have to thank me, Dean,” she whispered back. “You just don’t have to carry all of this by yourself.”

They stayed like that for a while, neither of them saying anything, just holding each other. And for the first time in a long time, Dean let himself be vulnerable, even if just for a moment. He let himself lean on her, allowed himself to feel the comfort she offered.

When they finally pulled apart, Dean gave her a small nod, his way of saying thanks, though the gratitude in his eyes spoke louder than words.

And though they didn’t say it, there was an unspoken understanding between them now—one that went beyond hunting, beyond the walls Dean had built around himself.

In that quiet moment, Dean realized he wasn’t as alone as he thought.

[richonnesbitch]

Thoughts on ep 5?

This was pry my least favorite episode so far. I’ve never cared for Gabriel so his and Jadis’ scenes bored me. The 3 new people they introduced were killed off so quickly… and badly? Idk it’s like 10 years into the apocalypse and known of them seemed to know how to survive, it felt stupid. They were literally just there to show how Rick and Michonne worked together.

Also I was surprised that Jadis ended up helping them in the end, she could have just died and got the last laugh that they didn’t know where the file was.

Honestly, I would say I loved it if not for all the Gabriel/Jadis scenes. That really brought it down for me. The entire time they were on I was fighting the urge not to skip ahead. But I guess I'm glad I didn't because I would have missed hearing that Rick wanted to marry Michonne on the bridge!!! Absolutely insane. Absolutely BONKERS.

But with that being said, I loved the rest of the episode so much. It really gave The Next World and Say Yes vibes which are two of my favorite episodes ever! Seeing Rick and Michonne on their honeymoon is just soooooo 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

Rick trying to get that "junior" license plate for RJ just melted my heart. He loves that baby already and he hasn't even met him. Father of all time me thinks! And then Rick gifting Michonne her favorite toothpaste because he remembers and cherishes every little thing about her. When I say the line "I was in love with my son's best friend" sent me into orbit..... it sent me into ORBIT. I was crying my eyes out. And then when he gave her the replacement "m" necklace. Oh Rick Grimes, how I love you. I love seeing them getting to be happy and love on each other as hard as they can. Wish we could have saw their drunk freaky cabin sex where they most definitely probably tied each other up 😉 it looked a little too natural when they tied themselves up for Jadis.

It was so pleasurable for me seeing Jadis die slowly, brutally, and painfully. Everyone say thank you, Michonne! Rick telling Michonne "maybe just maim her first" had me chuckling! He's so funny. I guess Red and his siblings really were pointless? Why did Jadis think Rick and Michonne wouldn't be able to easily take out those randos? But seeing Jadis FINALLY die felt so satisfying!! I'm glad she suffered. And I'm glad Michonne didn't give her any peace as she died. She let her know the CRM will be getting what's coming to them 🥳🥳🥳

And last but not least my favorite part of the episode. You already know what it is. Rick fucking proposing to Michonne!!!

8 fucking years and we FINALLY got a proposal. I mean it's weird how most of the other couples got that chance but not the lead couple? It's weird. But I'm so glad to see it happening now. Vindication has never felt so good.

And this was only the proposal! Meaning we got a wedding coming up.

And I love this proposal so much. It's not lengthy or over the top and you really feel the few words Rick and Michonne say to each other. They carry a lot of meaning. I'm just so beyond happy!!!

But in conclusion, I do understand why this isn't people's favorite episode. I don't dislike it as much as anyone else but it's not my favorite either. I think my ranking would be episode 4, episode 1, episode 2, episode 5, episode 3. I loved that we got a little lightheartedness before shit hits the fan in the finale!

[nikakistos]

Did Mikasa (re)marry?

Exactly three years ago, i wrote a post with the title "Mikasa will kill Eren". I haven't written a lot about AoT since then. I still keep AoT in my heart and i read news and posts about it daily. Although i do not participate that much in discussions about it, i still read what other people have to say. This is about to change. Yes, i know that the anime ended 3 months ago and i know that AoT's time in the spotlight is probably gone for good, with very few events ahead of us. In time, people will move on to other works. That is the cycle of life for fans of stories of any medium. And yet, now, more than ever, i want to start writing about AoT and my favorite characters (Mikasa, Eren etc) again. I will begin by offering my view on whether or not Mikasa married or, more accurately in my opinion, remarried after Eren's unfortunate end.

Why remarry?

Why do i use the term remarry? After all, Mikasa and Eren were never officially married. There was no ceremony, no rings, no nothing. If anything, in the physical world, the last time Mikasa and Eren spoke was when Eren told her he hated her. That is indeed true. However, Mikasa and Eren spent quite some time in the paths together (be it months, years, or a few minutes). The realm of the paths is (was) not a dream place. It wasn't something fictional. It was reality, just like Armin described it in chapter 136. It is a different dimension where time goes by very differently compared to the physical world.

Eren brought all of his friends in there to speak to them and reveal his true intentions. With Armin, he also went on a journey, visiting all the places they wanted to see. With Mikasa, after talking to her about his plan, they decided to forget it all and spend their time together. They replayed the "What am i to you" scene from chapter 123 and Mikasa chose to express her true feelings to him, while also telling him to run away together. Eren then grabbed her arm and they escaped to the mountain cabin. From the way they act towards each other, it is easy to tell that they viewed themselves as husband and wife. This is also showcased by what Mikasa wrote in Eren's tombstone. The last word is "あなた", which typically means "you" in japanese, but, when used by a spouse to her husband, it means "sweetheart, dear etc". So, it is obvious that for Mikasa, Eren was her husband and the same holds true for Eren. This means that if Mikasa were to marry, it would be her second marriage, or, at the very least, this is how it would seem to her. For all intents and purposes, Eren and Mikasa were husband and wife in the Paths and after his death, Mikasa is presented as a widow.

The extra pages and the songs

Anyone who was reading the manga during its run knows that the original ending, the one shown in the Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, had Mikasa thanking Eren for wrapping the scarf around her while the bird was flying away. The bonus pages expanded the original ending and showed Mikasa visiting Eren's grave again and again, once with a man and a newborn child, still young, and once accompanied by two couples and their young children, while old. The difference between the two is also reflected in the episodic format of the anime ending, where the bonus pages do not appear and the closing song is different. Instead of "二千年… 若しくは… 二万年後の君へ・・・", which played in the special version, the episodic format uses "いってらっしゃい".

The episodic format provides an emotional closure for the relationship between Eren and Mikasa. The lyrics of the song reveal that Mikasa wants to and believes that she will meet Eren again. The original animation of the ED song implies that Eren and Mikasa do meet again in the afterlife after Mikasa's death. They are now free to be with each other for eternity.

The special format represents the theme of "life goes on". Wars never end permanently. They are just interrupted by long periods of peace. The same applies to Mikasas' life. In the anime, Eren's grave is visited by all of his friends, exactly 3 years after his death. Exactly 11 years after his death (7 winters and 8 springs after his friends visit his grave, slow it down as much as possible and count the season changes), Mikasa visits his grave with a man and a child. This scene has 2 very popular interpretations. One is that Mikasa married someone (Jean) and had a child with him and the other one says that Mikasa remained single and virgin forever and that the kid is adopted and that the man is Armin.

Let's start with the second option. The major arguments are that (in the manga) Mikasa still covers her Hizuru tattoo with the bandages and that she she offers roses to Eren's grave and that the number of the roses signify that she never found someone else. Some people also argue that Mikasa loving someone else romantically goes against her character.

I do not agree with this interpretation. Covering her tattoo does not mean that she didn't pass it down to her children and even if she didn't pass it down, it doesn't mean she didn't have kids. Also, in the anime, the flowers she offers are not roses. I would agree that it would be out of character for Mikasa to find someone else, but only as long as Eren was alive. It would probably take her a very long time, but if the right man appeared, maybe she could fall in love again.

During Eren's crying tantrum about Mikasa to Armin, he mentioned that if she were to find someone else it should take her 10 years at least. The anime went out of its way to show Mikasa appearing with her new family, a man and a newborn kid exactly 11 years after his death. This points towards Mikasa remarrying. The anime also added a ring to her left ring finger during her funeral scene. The lyrics that play during Mikasa's visits to Eren's grave with her new family are these "時が運んだ 穏やかな日々 手向けた花のように秘めた言葉は 誰にも告げず逝く". This means that the time brought gentle days to Mikasa and she kept her feelings for Eren to her heart, with the flowers and the words on the tombstone revealing their true extent. In my opinion this showcases that Mikasa spent peaceful days with her new family, but she kept her feelings to Eren deep in her heart, as shown by her constant offering of flowers to his grave and the words she wrote in the gravestone.

For me the biggest indication that Mikasa did remarry is the fact that these scenes exist in the first place, both in the manga and in the anime. Isayama felt the need to show these images, when the Magazine ending was very open to interpretation. There would be no point to adding these scenes, only to make the ending more ambiguous. The bonus pages are there to clarify what happens to Mikasa's life and the island in the long years after Eren's death, not to muddy the waters. If Isayama wanted the ending to be completely open to interpretation, then there would be no reason for the new pages.

Why Jean?

Shipping wars are part of most fandoms and the AoT fandom is no exception. During its run, the biggest rivalry was the one between the EM and EH supporters. Now it is between EM and JK fans. EH was never a thing in the story, but the relationship between Eren and Mikasa was the most important in the story. The entirety of Attack on Titan is built based on the relationship between its male and female leads. They are the backbone of the story and without them there would be no AoT. Of course, a tragic conclusion for them hurts people. Especially when Mikasa eventually gets married to someone that, during the duration of the plot, she didn't show any interest. But, this is not really relevant. The moment Eren died, the plot pretty much ended. The plot does not follow Mikasa's healing process and family life, because it doesn't affect anything. Also, it is so far into the future that the characters involved are practically different people. Maybe in the future Isayama will show this development in a short story, like he will do with Levi in vol. 35, but, for now, this is just an additional detail that is only 3 panels long.

Even without mentioning the physical aspects of the man shown next to Mikasa, Jean, throughout the story has been presented as the "Eren-lite". He is second best to Eren and he compares himself to his "rival". He is jealous of how much Mikasa cares about Eren, he places directly under him in training, he views him as more courageous, strong and cool than him. On the other hand, Jean is presented as a mentally stable person, while Eren is not. Jean of course can never be as passionate as Eren and he can't match Eren's kindness when Eren is kind, but he could also never be as cruel as Eren. He disguises as Eren throughout the story and he is presents himself as the best successor for Eren's titan. Most importantly, Jean shares a special connection with Eren, he understands him and he loves him.

So, it is no suprise that Isayama would have him end up with Mikasa after Eren's death. There really is no one better for Mikasa. Jean is the best option if she can't be with Eren. He cared for her throughout the series, protected her once and he even tried to paint Eren in a better light after the latter offended Mikasa. He is also the only one who can understand her love for Eren and still be with her without getting jealous over the fact that she would never be able to love him as much as she loved Eren. This is something that even Jean's voice actor expressed in the recent Attack on Titan festival that celebrated the 10 years since the beginning of the anime. He felt that Jean got to be with Mikasa and he was comforting her, but he knew that he could never replace Eren in her heart. Yui Ishikawa, Mikasa's voice actress, also said that for Mikasa, no matter how many years pass and how many things she experiences throughout her long lifespan, Eren will always be the number 1 in her heart.

Does that diminish her love for Jean? Does that mean that she never truly loved Eren? No. It simply means that Mikasa fell in love again, 10 years after Eren's death, with a man who is as close to Eren as possible. Jean most likely won her over. She didn't marry him out of some desparate need to be with a man, but because she found the strength in her heart to love someone again, even if it wasn't to the same extent as before. That doesn't make her dirty or impure, like some fans want to believe. This obsession with virginity is frankly stupid. First of all, Mikasa, by the time the she remarries, is, probably not a virgin. Unless she only spent a few minutes with Eren in the world of the paths, the two of them probably did more things than just talking and fishing. Even if she were, virginity is nothing special. Mikasa marrying someone else and having kids with him does not mean Eren got cucked. It doesn't mean that Jean won against Eren Mikasa still loving Eren does not mean that Jean got cucked by a dead man, nor does it mean that he got damaged goods. These points of view are ridiculous and are only expressed by very immature individuals and/or incels. Jean is probably somewhat sad that Mikasa and Eren didn't get to live the life they wanted together and he is probably thankful to Eren for giving him the chance to live his dream life. Jean is not the type to gloat or ridicule his dead comrade, nor the type of guy to be bitter, because Mikasa loved Eren so much.

Mikasa moved forward with her life (not moved on, widows hate this term, because it is closer to forgetting your previous spouse), without ever forgetting her big love or changing her feelings for him. And in the end, after spending many decades with her new family, she passed away peacefully and reunited with her most beloved person in the world in the afterlife. For some, Mikasa reuniting with Eren in the afterlife means that she didn't remarry, because her husband should be her soulmate and if she is with Eren she didn't have a second husband. I disagree here as well. There is no information about how the afterlife works and making assumptions about it based on real world theology is dumb. People can love more than once. If your last spouse is your soulmate, then what happens to people like Grisha? The only thing we can do is go by what is shown and what is shown is that Mikasa both remarried and met Eren in the afterlife.

The same goes for those who believe that Mikasa should not meet Eren in the afterlife, because Eren is a criminal. Attack on Titan does not pass judgement to the actions of its characters that much. Of course, Eren's actions are horrific, but the entirety of the cast and the narrative tries to shift the blame to many more people than just Eren. Eren is not the only one responsible for how things turned out. All the characters sinned. Not to mention, Mikasa expressed her certainty that she would meet Eren again in the end in the final ED song and this is what is shown. Furthermore, after Mikasa's death, the lyrics that play are these "レクイエムレクイエム檜には君た花を 罪を散すなら 暁よ照らせ". This means that if sins are to be forgiven, then dawn will illuminate the flowers under the cypress. Eren's sins by the time Mikasa died have, probably, been forgiven. In any case, repeating my previous words, we can only go by what is shown and what is shown is that the two of them do reunite in the end.

What is the point of the debate?

The debate is probably meaningless. Whether or not Mikasa married does not affect the story in any way. It simply concludes Mikasa's story. Of course, this means that i wrote close to 3 thousand words for nothing, LOL. Nonetheless, i find it ridiculous that large amounts people still debate about the frankly obvious context of 1 panel. This toxic debate should have stopped long ago. What matters is that Mikasa got to live a long and happy life with a person who loved and respected her, just like Eren ultimately wanted and she then reunited with her most beloved. Sure, it hurts that we couldn't see more of Eren and Mikasa as a couple, after being introduced to them from the very first page of the story, but this is no reason to slander other parts of the fandom or the voice actors who did their best to portray these characters for over a decade. Mikasa was lucky enough to be loved so much by two men. She got to spend her time on Earth with one of them and infnity with the other. Despite all of her shortcomings and the bad luck she faced in her life, Mikasa rose stronger from each challenge and earned her happily ever after. This is what's important. In the future, we might get to see more of her family life with Jean and the time she spent with Eren in the paths and her next meeting with him.

[livingdreams97]

Daenerys Targaryen -- "The rightful heir." (part 5)

Daenerys Targaryen x Male reader/oc

Summary: Tiryon Lannister asks his queen for a favor: to help his missing nephew in a questionable way and just as his sister; Cercei proclaims the iron throne. The favor is to save his nephew and create a union between the heir of the House Baratheon and the mother of dragons.

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Daenerys POV

I stand on top of the wall, looking down at the lush, snowy forest on the wild side of the wall. I watch the beginning of the forest with hope, hope that a miracle will happen and Y/n will appear from the trees unharmed.

But with each passing minute, that hope disappears more and more in the icy breeze from the wall. And while the hope inside me diminishes, the guilt increases replacing that feeling full of positive possibilities.

I knew I shouldn't have let him come with me. I knew I shouldn't have been impressed and allowed him to fly over Viserion. There is only one person who deserves to be blamed and that is me.

The only thing left for me to do is thank Y/n for his sacrifice in putting himself at risk and saving one of my children. Because I don't know what would have happened if Viserion had suffered the same fate as Y/n.

Because not only would I have to mourn the possible loss of the one who was going to be my husband and the man with whom I was falling in love with. The most sensitive, affectionate, fun and bold man I have had the pleasure of meeting in recent weeks. But also the death of one of my children, the most sensitive and trusting of the three of them.

I watch my son fly over the area, squawking and crying for the loss of Y/n. I let out a sigh full of pain and sadness, knowing that if I were a dragon; I would be doing the same.

Jorah: We have to go, majesty.- I listen as my old friend and protector tells me.

Daenerys: A little more.- I ask looking at the beginning of the forest with the little hope that I have left.

I am not the most believing person, especially after everything I have lived and everything I have seen. But praying won't hurt me and hope is the last thing to lose.

So I pray to any god or entity that listens to me, to make Y/n come back to me and be healthy. That's all I ask.

I wait a few more minutes, seeing no change, and decide that I can no longer wait for a miracle. All hope within me disappears and I feel my eyes burn with reality.

The reality that Y/n is dead and I will never see him again.

I turn around, meeting Ser Jorah's sympathetic, sad gaze. I walk straight ahead, brushing past him and stopping when he doesn't follow me. I turn my head to look at him, when I hear a trumpet and Viserion's squawks.

I walk quickly back to the lookout, immediately seeing a horse walking towards the entrance of the wall and carrying someone.

My heart begins to beat wildly inside my chest, at the possibility and the hope that Y/n is on that horse.

I turn around again, walking quickly and almost running to get down from the top of the wall. Wanting to get to the ground as soon as possible and verify the person's identity.

As soon as I get to the courtyard of the black castle, I see how two people are lowered off the horse and a tear slides down my cheek without being able to avoid it. I feel tears of relief slide down my cheeks, when I recognize the clothes of both people and distinguish them as Jon and Y/n.

I run to the unconscious body of Y/n, who is being carried by some men and placed on a stretcher.

Davos: Hurry up, take them to the ship's cabins quickly.- He orders moving quickly along with the rest of the people.

I run after them, climbing onto the ship following the stretchers and feeling Jorah on my back at all times. They put Jon Snow into his cabin first, but I keep walking and follow Y/n's stretcher.

Once he is placed on the bed in his cabin, Jorah enters the room and helps the other two men undress him, while I watch from the doorway.

My worried gaze travels over every part of his body and every bit of skin that is exposed as they remove his hard and icy garments. I look carefully, trying to find signs of bruises or visible injuries. From my site, I can't see or appreciate anything.

But it's not until he's flipped over and his back is exposed that I see the real damage to his body.

His entire back is covered with a large bruise, of different shades and colors. Although I don't think it's the worst, but the wound that runs through his arm from the elbow to his shoulder.

A worrying blue wound, similar to when a part of the body begins to freeze and lose all blood supply. And the pale blue veins surrounding the wound are also worrisome.

Jorah: Your Majesty better come out for this.- He spots me, as they turn him around again and prepare to take off his pants.

Daenerys: I'll be in my cabin.- I nod in agreement. -Let me know when you have cleaned and cured him.- I order and leave the cabin closing the door behind my back.

I walk towards my cabin, keeping an impassive and serious face before the eyes. But as soon as my back hits the inside of my closed cabin door, I collapse to the floor, letting out the tears I've been holding back.

I cry thanking the gods for listening to me and bringing Y/n back. For giving me another chance with him and being able to do things right this second time. I cry with relief and happiness that Y/n has come back to me alive.

Because even if he is injured, wounds heal and only scars will remain in their place.

POV You

Before I even open my eyes, I can feel everything around me; including my body shake. I try to open my eyes, feeling my eyelids heavy and as if they are glued to not open.

As I try to open my eyes, I realize that I am face down and that my head is resting on something soft.

I open my eyes just a few inches, noticing the wooden wall in front of me, the dim lighting of the candles in the place and the pillow under my head.

I feel the warmth and softness that something on my back causes, while in my right arm I feel the opposite. I feel an intense cold in the area, the same cold I felt when the spear of the white walkers grazed my arm.

I am also aware of the pain in my arm, more specifically in the area between my elbow and shoulder.

I try to sit up, immediately regretting it as I feel a sharp pain in my back and let out a grunt of pain in response.

Daenerys: Hey don't move.- I hear the whisper of her voice near me in the room. -Your back is very bruised.- She whispers again and I feel how the warmth of her hand is placed on my forehead. -You're burning.- She comments with a hint of concern in her voice.

Y/n: What happened? - I ask confused, since my last memory is falling from Viserion and then an icy cold wrapping my body.

Daenerys: You fell from Viserion and I don't know how you ended up on a horse with Jon Snow heading for the wall.- I listen to how she answers me and I manage to open my eyes, finding myself with the silver-haired woman sitting next to me on the bed.

Y/n: And where are we? - I ask still confused with the whole situation.

Daenerys: On my ship.- She answers me with a slight smile and slightly reddened eyes. -We are on our way to King´s Landing, for the meeting with your mother about the truce and to ask for her help with the walkers.- She explains me better and I can only let out a sigh.

Y/n: Can you help me sit down.- I ask in a low voice, feeling uncomfortable with the position and with a slight discomfort in my neck.

Daenerys: Sure.- Nods in response. -But slowly, yes?-  She tells me with a serious tone and I nod in response.

I feel her place her hands gently under my armpits, trying her best to help me roll over and sit up. With some difficulty and some pain on my part, I manage to sit up on the bed.

In this position, I can see my surroundings much better and I can better appreciate Erys's condition.

Y/n: Are you okay? - I ask a little worried, seeing the dry marks of tears on her cheeks and understanding the reason for her red eyes, and a little watery.

Daenerys: It's me who should ask you that question.- She comments avoiding the question. -It is you who has fallen from the back of a dragon from a height of more than twenty meters and been submerged in icy water for who knows how long. – She comments with worry.

Y/n: I know.- I assure her with a slight nod of the head. -But clearly something has affected you and I'm worried about your condition.-  I assure her, stretching my hand towards hers and wrapping my cold hand with her warm one.

Daenerys: It's nothing.- She denies, downplaying it and fixing her gaze on the union of our hands.

Y/n: Of course it's something.- I say immediately. -It is clear that you have cried and nobody cries for nothing.- I defend my question and concern for her condition. -So I repeat again. Are you okay? - I ask again, leaving a small squeeze on her hand and feeling one in response.

Daenerys: Now yes.- She answers me in a whisper. -Only that I have been so afraid for you, you don't know how bad I felt when I saw that you weren't on Viserion's back, or how hurt and guilty I felt when I thought I had lost you.- She admits looking at me in the eyes and allowing me to see the pain behind her own.

Y/n: But now I'm here.- I assure her giving her a small smile.

Daenerys: But you weren't until recently.- She denies trying to hold back her tears. -I thought you were dead, that I had lost you and that my last chance to be happy had disappeared.- She whispers looking away, letting out the first tear and causing a painful shift inside me.

Y/n: Erys.- I whisper the affectionate name that I only use when we are alone. -Hey look at me.- I whisper pulling her hand a little, so that she feels closer and I can wipe the tears from her face with my hand. -I'm here now and I'm with you.- I assure her again.

Daenerys: I know, but I feel like it's a dream and that when I wake up you'll still be missing in the cold water.- she whispers looking at me with eyes full of pain and sadness.

Y/n: It's not a dream.- I say raising my right hand as best I can, feeling some pain when moving it and placing one of her silky silver hair behind her ear.

Daenerys: And how can I be sure of that? - She asks me with such vulnerability in her voice, that it's almost like a knife stabbing into the heart.

Y/n: How can I show you that it's not a dream?- I answer with another question, wanting to reassure her and free her from the pain she shows.

Daenerys: Kiss me.- she whispers looking at me with eyes full of supplication.

I widen my eyes surprised, since it is a request that I did not expect and for which I was not prepared. But I'm not going to deny that in the last few weeks something inside of me has been born, a pure feeling for the woman in front of my eyes that over time has evolved and become bigger and bigger.

When I agreed to marry her, I was doing it only for the greater good and because I believed it was the right thing to do. But over time, I became something more selfish and sentimental.

I wanted to marry her because I was beginning to love her and I wanted to be able to call her my wife. I wanted people to know that I was her husband and she was my wife, that we are together and that no one can come between us.

But i believed that feeling was not reciprocal. In my head I was the only one with feelings of the two and I thought that she did it only for the throne.

Although with her request to kiss her right now, I see her approaches, comments, acts and behavior around me with different eyes.

I realize how blind I've been these last few weeks and what an idiot I've been about her intentions towards me.

Daenerys: I'm sorry, it was stupid.- She apologizes immediately, separating her face from my hands and putting more distance between the two.

That is when I realize that I have been thinking for a long time and that I have sent her the wrong signal.

Y/n: No, Erys.- I deny immediately, leaning forward abruptly to prevent her from leaving and hurting my back and arm. –Ouch.-  i growl closing my eyes tightly.

Daenerys: Don't make any sudden movements.- She orders me quickly with concern, putting her hands on my bare shoulders and pushing me to sit up straight again.

Y/n: Well, don't run away.- I ask looking at her eyes and trying to connect them with mine.

Daenerys: I'm not running away.- She denies looking anywhere but my face.

Y/n: Then why aren't you even able to look me in the eyes.- I reproach placing both hands on her and grabbing them so that she doesn't move away.

Daenerys: Because I think I've bothered you enough and I don't want to bother you anymore.- She excuses herself and I can't help but smile at her misunderstanding.

Y/n: Look at me.- I ask her without removing the smile from my face and looking at her face carefully.

Daenerys: Why are you smiling? - she asks abruptly when she sees me, frowning and looking at me with a slight fire on her face.

Y/n: Because you don't bother me, you never would and you never will.- I assure her removing the smile and putting on a more serious face. -I haven't answered you, not because I don't want to kiss you or feel the same as you; but because your request has surprised me.- I clarify seeing how the fire in her eyes disappears and is replaced by a different brightness.

Daenerys: Do you feel the same? - asks between confused and excited.

Y/n: If feeling the same as you means that I love you and that I want to marry you to spend the rest of my life by your side, then yes; I feel the same.- I assure her with a smile and receiving a huge smile from her.

Daenerys: Do you love me? - she asks, having teary eyes again, but this time with happiness and placing her hands on my cheeks, causing my hands to fall to my sides.

Y/n: A lot.- I nod in response. -And you, do you love me?- I ask a little insecure.

Daenerys: As I have never come to love anyone.- admits immediately and with all the honesty in the world.

Y/n: So do you want me to kiss you or...?- I leave the question in the air, with a playful and amused tone.

Daenerys: I'm going to let you pass that because you're hurt.- she tells me seriously. -But yes, I still want you to kiss me.-  She whispers, looking straight into my eyes.

I place my left hand on her cheek, gently caressing her and feeling the warmth of her skin against my palm.

I slide my hand to the back of her neck and gently pull her towards me. I feel the heat of her repair crash into my face, feeling the anticipation and desire of her body with the rapidity of her breathing.

I stop torturing her, finishing bringing her closer to me and bringing our lips together in a slow kiss. With some effort, I move my right arm and place my hand on her waist to bring her body closer to mine.

Her hands go from my cheeks to the back of my neck, where she leaves small caresses and pampering on the spot.

We separated for a few seconds, staring into each other's eyes and rejoining our lips in a somewhat more needy kiss.

Daenerys ends up sitting on her side in my lap, running her hands through my medium length hair and pressing her chest completely against mine.

My left hand trails down her back, wrapping around her hip and leaving a grip in place as she bites my bottom lip.

From one moment to another, I feel a sharp stab in my right arm and I break away from the kiss because of the pain.

Daenerys: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. - She apologizes with heavy breathing, since in an oversight her hand ended up on my bad arm and she left a grip on the place without realizing it.

Y/n: It's okay- I shake my head with my eyes closed and holding the affected area with my left hand.

Daenerys: I'm really sorry, I've gotten carried away and I've completely forgotten.- She apologizes again with obvious guilt in her voice.

Y/n: Erys is fine.- I try to assure her, opening hmy eyes and seeing her face contracted by worry and guilt.

Daenerys: The best thing would be to let you rest.- She assures me trying to get up from my lap, but I react quickly and gently hold her forearm with my good hand.

Y/n: Don't go.- I beg her not to go and less so now that I know she feels the same as me.

Daenerys: But you must rest.- She defends herself by sitting on my lap again. -We will arrive at Dragon Pit in a week and a half if everything goes well, so you have to be rested and strong for the meeting.- She tells me stroking my hair.

Y/n: Then rest with me.- I ask, looking straight into her eyes.

Daenerys: I don't want to hurt you again by accident.- she denies insecurely.

Y/n: You won't.- I deny with a smile. -And if you do, I'm sure it's because I deserve it in some way.- I say with a certain humor, trying to convince and reassure her.

Daenerys: Okay.- Nods after a few seconds. -But I have to go to my cabin first to get some of my things, you have to eat something and they have to heal your arm.- She tells me, leaving a quick kiss on my lips and getting up from my lap. -Besides that you have to put on clothes if you want me to sleep with you.- She comments with amusement.

Y/n: Clothes? - I ask confused, looking at my body and that's when I realize I'm not wearing anything.

I open my eyes in surprise, lifting the bison blanket from my lap and seeing that she's right, since I'm completely naked. I quickly cover myself up, feeling the blush creep up my neck to my cheeks and avoiding her gaze at all costs.

Daenerys: I think that talking while you're naked is already something usual. - she comments amused.

Y/n: Anyway.- I play it down a bit embarrassed.

Daenerys: I'll be back shortly.- She tells me walking towards the door and a doubt arises in my head.

Y/n: Wait.- I call seeing how he stops and turns to look at me. -How is Viserion? - I ask remembering the dragon.

Daenerys: He's perfectly.- She answers me with a wide smile. -Waiting for you to leave the cabin to see you and receive some kind of affection from you.- She tells me with a sweet smile.

Y/n: That's good.- I nod letting any kind of possible concern disappear from my body.

Daenerys: Yes it is.- She agrees with me, before giving me one last affectionate smile and walking out the door of my cabin.

I stay alone in the room, replaying the latest events of my life and feeling like the luckiest man in the world.

Because not only have I survived an unimaginable fall, but I have also survived drowning in freezing waters, hypothermia and one of the most wonderful women in the world has admitted to returning my feelings.

I smile with a little melancholy, when a light scent of almost imperceptible lilies is smelled next to me and I close my eyes enjoying the distinctive smell of Margaery.

Y/n: Thank you for putting her in my path.- I whisper in gratitude, knowing that Margaery put Daenerys in my path and that it is her way of taking care of me from heaven.

Within a few seconds, I feel a very subtle warmth on my forehead, and then the smell of lilies completely disappears.

Margaery Tyrell was my first love and I will always remember her with one of my best smiles. But Daenerys Targaryen is the love of my life and the woman I will be able to spend the rest of my life with.

Because after defeating the white walkers, we got married on the cliff of Dragonstone and with the people we both cherish the most as the only witnesses to our marriage. In addition to my wife's children, of course.

To fight and defeat my mother, ensuring that the casualties are not other people than some people from my mother's army and thus win the throne for my wife.

The woman who proclaims herself as the first Targaryen queen, with whom by some miracle of the gods I share two daughters and a son, in addition of the return of the dragons with our heirs.

Daenerys: What are you thinking about, love?- She asks me, pulling me out of my thoughts, when I feel her hug me around the waist from behind and I stop looking at the city where I grew up and where I live again since the day she sat on the iron throne.

Y/n: How lucky I am with my queen.- I answer turning around and grabbing her slightly wrinkled face in my hands.

Daenerys: Not as much as I am with my king.- She answers with a big smile, standing on her tiptoes and bringing our lips together in a meaningful kiss.

But even after little more than fifteen years of marriage, I feel that each kiss and each caress are the first. And I don't want that feeling to ever change.

THE END

[redolentgrove]

Names and Changes

"Bijoux? Loki?"

Millie opened the door of the guest cabin in Redolent Grove, expecting to find either of the two taurs greeting her to the new day. However, as she stepped through and into the morning sunlight, she found the surrounding area surprisingly empty. The Dachsbun ran her hands over her clothing, straightening out the wrinkles from her sleep and yawning.

"Celeste? Anyone?"

She spotted the faraway silhouette of what appeared to be some type of tauric creature, darting toward it to see who it was. She put on the brakes when she got closer, no longer recognizing it as anyone she had previously met, but an Aurorustaur, now facing toward the fairy-type dog. She certainly didn't know anyone who was a fossil Pokémon, let alone a taur of a fossil Pokémon. She found herself immediately smitten, however, by the unfamiliar dinosaur's beauty, her tail wagging fiercely and a familiar scent of freshly-baked bread emanating from her body.

"You smell like my Dad's kitchen in the morning," Khione quipped, taking a long whiff of the aroma and chuckling to herself. "What's an anthro like yourself doing out here? Seems like everyone else I've seen here is some form of taur or anything but the typical Pokémon shape. You one of miss Loki's friends? Maybe of miss Celeste?"

Millie's face reddened at the remarks, but she remained disciplined, for now at least. She nodded shyly, offering her right hand out. "Uh… I'd like to think Loki and Celeste both consider me a friend, but I really don't know them well at all. I… only really know Loki's daughter, Bijoux. I'm going to be rooming with her at Harmonia University. I'm… Mille-Feuille Bonaparte Carême, but I'd really just prefer to be called Millie."

The dinosaur perked a brow and accepted the offered hand, shaking it firmly and then letting go. "Khione Petranov. Wow, whoever named you must have really been a prissy bitch. Aheh… sorry."

"I mean, you're not wrong…" came the response.

Khione cleared her throat. "Thank Arceus… anyway. So, a fellow Harmonian… you said you're rooming with Bijoux. Aniseed, I presume? I always wondered when I'd get to meet the first centaur student accepted to Harmonia. I heard she beat me out to admissions by a few hours. Probably because of the alphabetical nature, but I'm not complaining. Just means I'm not alone anymore."

Millie's head tilted in thought. "Are you… the only centaur where you're from, Khione?"

"No, my mother's one. My father isn't, but I guess that doesn't always override the genetic code to make you anthro." She blinked once. "You know, I have to ask; miss Loki and miss Celeste were acting awfully weirdly last time I saw them. It was like they knew me, but didn't call me by name or didn't remember it."

The Dachsbun put a hand to her own cheek. "Did they think you had transitioned like Loki had? I mean, that's all I really have to guess. Maybe they didn't want to deadname you or something."

Khione shook her head. "No, I mean, I'm intersex, not transgender."

Millie's eyes raised. "Inter… sex?"

The dino nodded once more. "Right. See, you know how most children are born either male or female? When I was born, I was born with characteristics of both sexes. Most of the time, the parents and doctors make a decision on how they want the child to be presented as one or the other, but that requires extra procedures to 'correct,' so to speak." She did the mocking air quotes with her fingers, scoffing. "My parents didn't want any of that, though. See, they had lost a couple of hatchlings in infancy, and frankly they were just glad I was born healthy outside of being intersex. So they let it be, deciding they'd go ahead and let me make my own decisions about how I presented myself."

"Wow… I wish my mom were half as cool as your parents are. So, I'm guessing you present femininely? Skirt outfit and all?"

Khione smiled gently. "Yes. I might not have a typical sex identity, but I definitely have a set-in-stone feeling that I'm female on the gender spectrum. Which luckily, is all anyone really needs to know."

Millie trilled gently. "Do you-"

The Dachsbun's question was cut off by the shiny Delcatty's arrival. She noticed Cerise's awestruck expression immediately, smirking at the cat with a nod. "Oh yeah, believe me, that's basically exactly how I felt," she barked.

They both listened to Cerise's question, which had been directed at Khione. The Aurorustaur was careful to make sure the feline had finished before she began her answer.

"My village feels the same way about names," the dinosaur explained, casting a sideways glance. "In fact, they put such an emphasis on what names mean, that they technically don't even give you a name when you're born. You get a temporary designation, usually a couple of syllables of your family name, followed by two or three letters. I was known as Petralyn originally. When you're eighteen, as part of a coming of age ceremony, you choose your personal name, based on how you view yourself, your qualities, aspirations, things such as that."

"I chose the name Khione because it's based upon an ancient mythological tale of a snow nymph, whose father was the god of the North Wind, Boreas. She's associated with the beauty and purity of winter snow, and while I'm not really into the beauty aspect of my own body, I rather appreciate the beauty of snow and ice moves as I'm using them on the battlefield. There's beauty in power, just as there's power in beauty, and I wanted a name that reflected that duality."

"Frankly, I find the idea that most of society chooses a child's name for them kind of off-putting." Khione flashed Millie a quick smile of sympathy. "It just feels like parents put undue pressure on them to be what they want for their children, long before said children even know who or what they want to be. And kids change their minds all the time; heck, I had a phase for a couple of years where I was obsessed with beauty pageants. There was a year I did nothing but play sports. Childhood should be the time for someone to figure themselves out, not to be molded into what someone else wants for them."

"…I don't think I could ever have more of a crush on someone than I do right now," Millie blurted aloud, much to her embarrassment. The Dachsbun's face turned beetroot red, but Khione simply smiled at the dog, her own tail wagging with a slight hint of a blush on her cheeks.

"Glad to know I'm hitting all the right notes for a first impression, Millie," she said with a slightly smug satisfaction. "But you and I can discuss that another time. Anyway, um… yes, that's basically how I chose my name. It's been a process, but I'm proud to be called Khione."

"Well, no wonder Loki and Celeste don't know your name, if you've just chosen it!" Millie offered, shaking her head to clear her racing mind.

"True, but they could have at least called me 'Petralyn,' if nothing else. At least then I could have told them my chosen name. I guess that's where I felt a little disheartened. But maybe with herself being trans, miss Loki didn't wish to be insensitive and deadname me. I suppose you've got a point there."

Multiple growls could be heard amongst the three Pokemon's presence. Khione nodded with a smile, saying, "I know that sound anywhere. Must be Millie and her aromas riling up my stomach. Shall we continue this talk over breakfast?" The dino motioned to Cerise. "You can come along too, if you're hungry."

@ask-shinydelcatty